THE PRISONER OF AKKA: August 2018

Monday, August 27, 2018

Arrival of Bahá'u'lláh and the Exiles to the Prison City of ‘Akká On the 31st of August 1868
This coming Friday 31st August 2018 will mark the 150th anniversary of the coming of The Blessed Beauty (The Glory of God ) in the Holy Land

Prophesy Fulfilled

The arrival of Bahá’u’lláh in ‘Akká marks the opening of the last phase of His fortyyear long ministry, the final stage, and indeed the climax, of the banishment in which the whole of that ministry was spent. … “It is difficult,” declares ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “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.” Indeed such a consummation, He assures us, had been actually prophesied “through the tongue of the Prophets two or three thousand years before.” God, “faithful to His promise,” had, “to some of the Prophets” “revealed and given the good news that the ‘Lord of Hosts should be manifested in the Holy Land.’” Isaiah had, in this connection, announced in his Book: “Get thee up into the high mountain, O Zion that bringest good tidings; lift up thy voice with strength, O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings. Lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah: ‘Behold your God! Behold the Lord God will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him.’” David, in his Psalms, had predicted: “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory.” “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence.”

Amos had, likewise, foretold His coming: “The Lord will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.” [God Passes By, page 183-184] By the time of Baha'u'llah's arrival, '‘Akká 's principal importance to the Turkish Empire was that it acted as a prison-city for criminals and political prisoners--the 'Bastille of the Middle East', as it is referred to by one writer. … Aqa Rida depicts '‘Akká as 'a town, with narrow and mean streets, dark and dirty, gloomy and tortuous; without a single dwelling-place worth looking at.' [Balyuzi, King of Glory page 274] Its population in the 1880s was estimated to be about nine thousand. [Tahezadeh,
Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol 3, Chapter 1] ‘

Akká, … had sunk, under the Turks, to the level of a penal colony to which murderers, highway robbers and political agitators were consigned from all parts of the Turkish empire. It was girt about by a double system of ramparts; was inhabited by a people whom Bahá’u’lláh stigmatized as “the generation of vipers”; was devoid of any source of water within its gates; was flea-infested, damp and honey-combed with gloomy, filthy and tortuous lanes. “According to what they say,” the Supreme Pen has recorded in the Lawh-i-Sultán, “it is the most desolate of the cities of the world, the most unsightly of them in appearance, the most detestable in climate, and the foulest in water. It is as though it were the metropolis of the owl.” So putrid was its air that, according to a proverb, a bird
when flying over it would drop dead. [God Passes By page 185-186]

Exile to ‘Akká Explicit orders had been issued by the Sultán and his ministers to subject the exiles, who were accused of having grievously erred and led others far astray, to the strictest confinement. Hopes were confidently expressed that the sentence of life-long imprisonment pronounced against them would lead to their eventual extermination. The farmán of Sultán Abdu’l-’Aziz, dated the fifth of Rabí’u’th-Thání 1285 A.H. (July 26, 1868), not only condemned them to perpetual banishment, but stipulated their strict incarceration, and forbade them to associate either with each other or with the local inhabitants. The text of the farmán itself was read publicly, soon after the arrival of the exiles, in the principal mosque of the city as a warning to the population. [God Passes By page 187] At length we arrived at Haifa, where we had to be carried ashore in chains. Here we remained for a few hours. Now we embarked again for the last bit of our sea journey. The heat of that month of July was overpowering. We were put into a sailing boat. There being no wind, and no shelter from the burning rays of the sun, we spent eight hours of positive misery, and at last we had reached `’Akká , the end of our journey. [The Chosen Highway page 66] Bahá’u’lláh Himself, as attested by Nabíl in his narrative, had, as far back as the first years of His banishment to Adrianople, alluded to that same city in His Lawh-i-Sáyyah, designating it as the “Vale of Nabíl,” the word Nabíl being equal in numerical value to that of ‘Akká. “Upon Our arrival,” that Tablet had predicted, “We were welcomed with banners of light, whereupon the Voice of the Spirit cried out saying: ‘Soon will all that dwell on earth be enlisted under these banners.’” [God Passes By page 184]

Arrival to ‘Akká Bahá'u'lláh and His companions--seventy in all--disembarked from the ship and were taken ashore in sailing boats. All their belongings were also ferried across with them. There, the prisoners were all counted and handed over to government officials. A few hours later they were all taken aboard a sailing vessel which took them to 'Akká in the afternoon of the same day. As there were no landing facilities at 'Akká, the men had to wade ashore from the boat and it was ordered that the women were to be carried on the backs of men. But at 'Abdu'l-Bahá's insistence the women were carried ashore one by one sitting in a chair which He Himself procured. [Tahezadeh, Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol 3, Chapter 1] It was the afternoon of 31 August 1868, …, that Baha'u'llah, with His family and companions, entered the 'Most Great Prison' and were incarcerated in the stronglyfortified citadel. [Balyuzi, King of Glory page 270]

Among these people wild rumours and false accusations were circulating concerning Bahá'u'lláh and His followers as they were about to arrive. The company of exiles, those God-intoxicated heroes who had accompanied their Lord to this most desolate of cities, were considered to be evil men, criminals of the worst type who deserved to be treated most cruelly. It is no wonder, therefore, that great numbers from among the inhabitants of 'Akká had assembled at the landing site to jeer at them and at their Leader whom they referred to as 'the God of the Persians’. [Tahezadeh, Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol 3, Chapter 1]

From the Sea Gate to the Prison Cell
In Zuhuru’l Haqq (vol 5 page 97) which is about the history of the Bahai Faith, it is written that the Blessed Beauty, wore a “taj” upon which the muslim confession of faith (shuhada) had been written. Some people of ‘Akká , expecting the “God of the Persians” to come, saw the inscription on the taj of the Blessed Beauty and realised that this Personage was not irreligious and blasphemous Person but a believer in the Prophet Muhammad. It is likely they thought Bahá'u'lláh was a muslim and as He had been sent to the prison city of ‘Akká , it was most likely the Ottoman Empire that had spread the rumours of “God of the Persians”. It is worthwhile to remember that most of the population of the prison city of ‘Akká were themselves sentenced to that city and most likely had some kind of issue with the government. Bahá'u'lláh and His party entered the prison city through the sea gate and were conducted along the narrow and twisting roads of 'Akká to the barracks. The hardships of the long and arduous journey from Adrianople to 'Akká in the burning heat of the midsummer season, with inadequate and primitive facilities on board the ships crowded by so many, had exhausted everyone. [Tahezadeh, Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol 3, Chapter 1] The passage into the city occurred through the sea gate, a narrow portal under the muzzle of the heavy cannon guarding the harbor mouth. The gate lay just south of the Khan-i-Avamid; of massive wood faced with overlapping band iron, it opened into a courtyard with stalls for mechanics. The party of exiles, men, women and children, were, under the eyes of a curious and callous population that had assembled at the port to behold the “God of the Persians”, conducted through the city while bypassing the Khans (caravansserais), taken past the police station, and through the thronging market streets, past the White Suq and the Mosque of al-Jassar until finally they came, uneasy and unhappy, to the walls of the barracks. Climbing the high stairs, they passed into the fortress prison through the eastern gateway. [Door of hope page 24)] [A]mong the crowd there were some endowed with a measure of spiritual perception. These, as they gazed upon the countenance of Bahá'u'lláh, were struck by His majesty and witnessed a glory they had never seen before. Among them was a certain Khalíl Ahmad 'Abdú, a venerable old man who used to say to the inhabitants of 'Akká that he could see in the face of Bahá'u'lláh signs of greatness and of majesty and truthfulness. He often said that the people of 'Akká should rejoice and be thankful to God for having ennobled their homeland by the footsteps of this great Personage. He prophesied that through Him the inhabitants would be blessed and prosper, and this of course literally came to pass. Another man in the crowd watching the arrival of the exiles was known as 'Abdu'lláh Tuzih. He saw the radiance, the power, and the glory of Bahá'u'lláh's countenance and was drawn to Him. He later became a believer and his daughter (who was born on the same day that Bahá'u'lláh arrived in 'Akká) was some years later joined in wedlock with Husayn-i-Áshchí, a cook in Bahá'u'lláh's household and one of His devoted servants. [Tahezadeh, Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol 3, Chapter 1] Nabil accounts that when Bahá'u'lláh was close to the entrance of the barracks, He stopped and said (not an exact quote and translation but the gist of what was said): This is a strange land. Whatever emanates from the believers in this land, will remain, be established and continue as long as this and the next world exists, even if it is a breath taken or a step taken. On the ground, a twig had fallen down from a tree. The Blessed Beauty continued and said: Even this twig that you see have fallen to the ground, will be mentioned and written about the east and in the west. Beseech God that the behaviour of the believers would be befitting the Days of God so that it would be worthy of being everlasting, sustained and praiseworthy. [Nabil-i-Azam quoted in Zuhurul Haqq vol 5 page 90]

Prison Barracks

We were taken to the old fortress of `’Akká , where we were crowded together. There was no air; a small quantity of very bad coarse bread was provided; we were unable to get fresh water to drink; our sufferings were not diminished. Then an epidemic of typhoid broke out. Nearly all became ill. {The Chosen Highway page 66] It [the barracks] was built in the days of Jazzar Pasha for troops. It is very high and spacious, with a pool of water in the middle, and palms and fig-trees. To the north-west, the upper floor, well-built, contained four or five good rooms with an {ayvan} and there was also a {biruni}: one large room with verandah and other rooms. The Blessed Perfection and His family occupied that section. [Balyuzi, King of Glory page 275] Bahá'u'lláh was placed in a filthy room completely bare and devoid of any furniture. Later He was moved into a room on the upper floor of the barracks; this room, …, was in the days of Bahá'u'lláh unfit for habitation. He Himself has recounted in a Tablet that its floor was covered with earth, and what plaster remained on the ceiling was falling. Bahá'u'lláh's followers were huddled into another room, the floor of which was covered with mud. Ten soldiers were posted at the gate to guard the prisoners. [Tahezadeh, Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol 3, Chapter 1] Aqa Mirza Muhammad-Quli and his family lodged on the lower floor. To the north, there were rooms on three floors. Haji 'Ali-'Askar, Amir and Aqa Muhammad-Javad occupied these rooms. In the north-west corner, there were rooms in which we lodged, ... 6 to the west, there was a very good bath. And to the south and east, there was a set of good spacious rooms. One of them was occupied by Jinab-i-Kalim; in another, others of the companions were housed, and most of them remained empty. Siyyid Muhammad and Kaj-Kulah [Aqa-Jan Big] resided here for two or three days, and then asked the government to move them. They were given a room over the second city gate [of '‘Akká ]. [Balyuzi, King of Glory page 275] “The first night,” Bahá’u’lláh testifies in the Lawh-i-Ra’ís, “all were deprived of either food or drink… They even begged for water, and were refused.” So filthy and brackish was the water in the pool of the courtyard that no one could drink it. Three loaves of black and salty bread were assigned to each, … All fell sick, except two, shortly after their arrival. Malaria, dysentery, combined with the sultry heat, added to their miseries. Three succumbed, among them two brothers, who died the same night, “locked,” as testified by Bahá’u’lláh, “in each other’s arms.” The carpet used by Him He gave to be sold in order to provide for their winding-sheets and burial. The paltry sum obtained after it had been auctioned was delivered to the guards, who had refused to bury them without first being paid the necessary expenses. Later, it was learned that, unwashed and unshrouded, they had buried them, without coffins, in the clothes they wore, though, as affirmed by Bahá’u’lláh, they were given twice the amount required for their burial. [God Passes By page 187

The Sufferings of Bahá'u'lláh

His arrival at the penal colony of ‘Akká, far from proving the end of His afflictions, was but the beginning of a major crisis, characterized by bitter suffering, severe restrictions, and intense turmoil, which, in its gravity, surpassed even the agonies of the Síyáh-Chál of Tihrán, and to which no other event, in the history of the entire century can compare, except the internal convulsion that rocked the Faith in Adrianople. “Know thou,” Bahá’u’lláh, wishing to emphasize the criticalness of the first nine years of His banishment to that prison-city, has written, “that upon Our arrival at this Spot, We chose to designate it as the ‘Most Great Prison.’ Though previously subjected in another land (Tihrán) to chains and fetters, We yet refused to call it by that name. Say: Ponder thereon, O ye endued with understanding!” [God Passes By page 185] “None,” He Himself has written, “knoweth what befell Us, except God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing… From the foundation of the world until the present day a cruelty such as this hath neither been seen nor heard of.” “He hath, during the greater part of His life,” He, referring to Himself, has, moreover, recorded, “been sore-tried in the clutches of His enemies. His sufferings have now reached their culmination in this afflictive Prison, into which His oppressors have so unjustly thrown Him.” [God Passes By page 187]

FROM PRISON CELL

If we study historical record and review the pages of Holy Writ, we will find that none of the Prophets of the past ever spread His teachings or promulgated His Cause from a prison. But Bahá'u'lláh upheld the banner ofthe Cause of God while He was in a dungeon, addressing the kings of the earth

from His prison cell,

severely arraigning them for their oppression of their subjects and their misuse of power…. The book containing these Epistles to the kings was published in India about thirty years ago….Some of the prophecies contained in them came to pass after two years; others were fulfilled after five, ten and twenty years. The most important prophecies relative to events transpiring in the Balkans are being fulfilled at the present time though written long ago…. While addressing these powerful kings and rulers He was a prisoner in a Turkish dungeon. (The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 427)

BAHA'U'LLAH THE GLORY OF GOD

Baha'u'llah was descended from Abraham by His wife Katurah, thus fulfilling the prophecy to Abraham that in Him would all the families of the earth be blessed. Mirza Husayn 'Ali, Who afterwards assumed the title of Baha'u'llah.. was the eldest son of Mirza 'Abbas of Nur, a Vazir or Minister of State. His family was wealthy and distinguished, many of its members having occupied important positions in the Government and in the Civil and Military Services of Persia. He was born in Tihran.. between dawn and sunrise on the 12th of November, 1817. He never attended school or college, and what little teaching He received was given at home. Nevertheless, even as a child He showed wonderful wisdom and knowledge. While He was still a youth His father died, leaving Him responsible for the care of His younger brothers and sisters, and for the management of the extensive family estates.. From childhood He was extremely kind and generous. He was a great lover of outdoor life, most of His time being spent in the garden or the fields. He had an extraordinary power of attraction, which was felt by all. People always crowded around Him. Ministers and people of the Court would surround Him, and the children also were devoted to Him. When He was only thirteen or fourteen years old He became renowned for His learning. He would converse on any subject and solve any problem presented to Him. In large gatherings He would discuss matters with the Ulama (leading Mullas) and would explain intricate religious questions. All of them used to listen to Him with the greatest interest." ('Abdul-Baha) When Baha'u'llah was twenty-two years old, His father died, and the Government wished Him to succeed to His father's position in the Ministry, as was customary in Persia, but Baha'u'llah did not accept the offer. Then the Prime Minister said: "Leave him to himself. Such a position is unworthy of him. He has some higher aim in view. I cannot understand him, but I am convinced that he is destined for some lofty career. His thoughts are not like ours. Let him alone." ('Abdul-Baha) Baha'u'llah loved people, especially children. He loved to be surrounded by them and they loved Him. From childhood He delighted in country life, in trees, in flowers and horseback riding. When the Bab declared His mission in 1844, Baha'u'llah, Who was then in His twenty-seventh year, boldly espoused the Cause of the new Faith, of which He soon became recognized as one of the most powerful and fearless exponents. He had already twice suffered imprisonment for the Cause, and on one occasion had undergone the torture of the bastinado, when in August, 1852, an event occurred fraught with terrible consequences for the Babis. One of the Bab's followers, a youth named Sadiq, had been so affected by the martyrdom of his beloved Master, of which he was an eyewitness, that his mind became deranged, and, in revenge, he waylaid the Shah and fired a pistol at him. Instead of using a bullet, however, he charged his weapon with small shot, and although a few pellets struck the Shah, no serious harm was done. The youth dragged the Shah from his horse, but was promptly seized by the attendants of his Majesty and put to death on the spot. The whole body of Babis was unjustly held responsible for the deed, and frightful massacres ensued. Eighty of them were put to death in Tihran with the most revolting tortures. Many others were seized and put into prisons, among them being Baha'u'llah.. >"..We were in no wise connected with that evil deed, and Our innocence was indisputably established by the tribunals. Nevertheless, they apprehended Us, and.. conducted Us, on foot and in chains, with bared head and bare feet, to the dungeon of Tihran.. We were confined for four months to a place foul beyond comparison.. The dungeon was wrapped in thick darkness, and Our fellow-prisoners numbered nearly a hundred and fifty souls: thieves, assasins and highwaymen. Though crowded, it had no other outlet than the passage by which We entered. No pen can depict that place, nor any tongue describe its loathsome smell.. God alone knoweth what befell Us in that most foul-smelling and gloomy place." (Baha'u'llah) At the time of the attempt on the Shah's life Baha'u'llah was staying at Lavasan as the guest of the Grand Vizir. Rejecting the protection and the good offices tendered Him, Baha'u'llah went to the headquarters of the Imperial Army at Niyavaran and was conducted thence under escort and in chains, bareheaded and with bare feet to Tihran. There He was taken at once to the Siyah-Chal, the most terrible of all the dungeons in the capital. Baha'u'llah in His Epistle to the Son of the Wolf gives the following description.. "The dungeon was wrapt in thick darkness, and Our fellow-prisoners numbered nearly a hundred and fifty souls: thieves, assassins and highwaymen. Though crowded, it had no other outlet than the passage by which We entered. No pen can depict that place, nor any tongue describe its loathsome smell. Most of these men had neither clothes nor bedding to lie on. God alone knoweth what befell Us in that most foul-smelling and gloomy place!" Such was the place and such the occasion which God chose for the Call of Baha'u'llah to the office of Prophethood Baha'u'llah describes this Call in the following words in His letter to the Shah: "O King! I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when lo, the breezes of the All-Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the knowledge of all that hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from One Who is Almighty and All-Knowing. And He bade Me lift up My voice between earth and heaven, and for this there befell Me what hath caused the tears of every man of understanding to flow... This is but a leaf which the winds of the will of Thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Praised, have stirred." The attempt on the life of the Shah had taken place on 15 August, 1852; Baha'u'llah had been thrown into the Siyah-Chal almost immediately afterwards and about the middle of October this Divine Call had come.. Day and night, while confined in that dungeon, We meditated upon the deeds, the condition, and the conduct of the Babis, wondering what could have led a people so high-minded, so noble, and of such intelligence, to perpetrate such an audacious and outrageous act against the person of His Majesty.." (Baha'u'llah Almost every day one or more of them was tortured or put to death and the others reminded that their turn might come next. When the executioners came to fetch one of the friends, the one whose name was called would literally dance with joy, kiss the hands of Baha'u'llah, embrace the rest of his fellow believers and then hasten with glad eagerness to the place of martyrdom. Baha'u'llah.. was.. so ill that it was thought He would die. Instead, therefore, of sentencing Him to death, the Shah ordered that He should be exiled to Iraq.. They suffered terribly from the cold and other hardships on the long winter journey, and arrived in Baghdad in a state of almost utter destitution. As soon as His health permitted, Baha'u'llah began to teach inquirers and to encourage and exhort the believers, and soon peace and happiness reigned among the Babis. This, however, was short-lived. Baha'u'llah's half brother, Mirza Yahya, also known as Subh-i-Azal, arrived in Baghdad, and soon afterwards differences, secretly instigated by him, began to grow, just as similar divisions had arisen among the disciples of Christ. These differences (which later, in Adrianople, became open and violent) were very painful to Baha'u'llah.. About a year after coming to Baghdad, He departed alone into the wilderness of Sulaymaniyyih, taking with Him nothing but a change of clothes. Regarding this period He writes in the Book of Iqan.. We betook Ourselves to the wilderness.. From Our eyes there rained tears of anguish, and in Our bleeding heart there surged an ocean of agonizing pain.. notwithstanding these showers of afflictions and unceasing calamities, Our soul was wrapt in blissful joy.. for in Our solitude We were unaware of the harm or benefit, the health or ailment, of any soul. Alone, We communed with Our spirit, oblivious of the world and all that is therein. We knew not, however, that the mesh of divine destiny exceedeth the vastest of mortal conceptions, and the dart of His decree transcendeth the boldest of human designs.. Our withdrawal contemplated no return, and Our separation hoped for no reunion. The one object of Our retirement was to avoid becoming a subject of discord among the faithful.. Beyond these, We cherished no other intention.." (Baha'u'llah-Kitab-i-Iqan) "What pen can recount the things We beheld upon Our return! Two years have elapsed during which Our enemies have ceaselessly and assiduously contrived to exterminate Us. whereunto all witness." (Baha'u'llah- Kitab-i-Iqan) After His return from this retirement, His fame became greater than ever and people flocked to Baghdad.. to see Him.. The Mullas, however, took up a hostile attitude and persistently plotted to effect His overthrow.. he (emissary of Mullas) asked that some miracle should be produced as a proof. Baha'u'llah.. (declared) that if the Mullas would agree regarding some miracle to be performed, and would sign and seal a document to the effect that on the performance of this miracle they would confess the validity of His mission and cease to oppose Him, He would furnish the desired proof or else stand convicted of imposture.. They feared the truth and fled from the daring challenge. This.. only spurred them on to devise fresh plots.. The Consul General of Persia in Baghdad.. sent repeated messages to the Shah to the effect that Baha'u'llah was injuring the Muhammadan religion more than ever.. and that He ought therefore to be banished to some more distant place.... as in any) crisis.. He remained calm and serene, encouraging and inspiring His followers and writing imperishable words of consolation and guidance.. the Hidden Words were written at this time.. and.. The Book of Iqan.. toward the end of His sojourn at Baghdad. (1862-1863) After much negotiation, at the request of the Persian Government, an order was issued by the Turkish Government summoning Baha'u'llah to Constantinople.. His followers.. besieged the house of their beloved leader to such an extent that the family encamped in the Garden of Najib Pasha outside the town.. while the caravan was being prepared for the long journey.. on the first of these twelve days (April 22 to May 3, 1863, nineteen years after the Bab's Declaration).. Baha'u'llah announced.. that He was the One Whose coming had been foretold.. >..On the 21st of April, for a period of twelve days, Baha'u'llah.. instituted the great feast of Ridvan.. He assumed before His followers and the wide world the supreme authority which He had received from the Most High at the time of His Call. Now it was that Jesus Christ ascended His throne in the power of God the Father. Now it was that He took upon Himself the sceptre of the fullness of God's might and thus set Himself as Supreme Overlord of all that is in heaven and on earth. The journey to Constantinople lasted between three and four months, the party consisting of Baha'u'llah with members of His family and twenty-six disciples.. after four months they were again moved.. to Adrianople. The journey.. although it lasted but a few days was the most terrible.. Snow fell heavily most of the time, and as they were destitute of proper clothing and food, their sufferings were extreme. About this time (August 1868-in Akka) Baha'u'llah wrote.. to.. the crowned heads of Europe, the Pope, and the Shah of Persia. Later, in His Kitab-i-Aqdas He addressed other sovereigns, the rulers and Presidents of America, the leaders of religion in general and the generality of mankind. To all, He announced His mission and called them to bend their energies to the establishment of true religion, just government and international peace. In His letter to the Shah He powerfully pleaded the cause of the oppressed Babis and asked to be brought face to face with those who had instigated their persecution.. Badi, the young and devoted Baha'i who delivered the letter.. was seized and martyred with fearful tortures.. ...How many calamities have descended, and how many will descend! I walk advancing toward the Mighty.. while behind me glides the serpent. My eyes rain down tears until My bed is drenched; but my sorrow is not for myself. By God, my head longeth for the spears for the love of its Lord, and I never pass by a tree but my heart addresseth it (saying), "O would that thou wert cut down in my name and my body were crucified upon thee.." (Baha'u'llah) ...Verily He answereth him who prayeth unto Him, and is near unto him who calleth on Him. And we ask Him to make this dark calamity a buckler for the body of His saints. (Baha'u'llah) ...Baha'u'llah and His followers, about eighty to eighty-four.. men.. women and children, were imprisoned in the army barracks. The place was dirty and cheerless in the extreme.. Malaria, dysentery and other diseases soon broke out.. Three succumbed.. ...This rigorous imprisonment lasted for over two years, during which time none of the Baha'is were allowed outside the prison door, except four men, carefully guarded, who went out daily to buy food.. ....visitors were rigidly excluded. Several of the Baha'is of Persia came all the way on foot.. but were refused admittance.. How many calamities have descended, and how many will descend! I walk advancing toward the Mighty.. while behind me glides the serpent. My eyes rain down tears until My bed is drenched; but my sorrow is not for myself. By God, my head longeth for the spears for the love of its Lord, and I never pass by a tree but my heart addresseth it (saying), "O would that thou wert cut down in my name and my body were crucified upon thee.." (Baha'u'llah) At last the imprisonment was mitigated. A mobilization of Turkish troops occurred and the barracks were required for soldiers. Baha'u'llah (and) His family were transferred to a house by themselves and the rest of the party were accommodated in a caravanserai in the town. In a small room near that in which He was imprisoned, thirteen.. of.. both sexes, had to accommodate themselves.. From the time Baha'u'llah.. left the barracks, visitors were allowed to see them, and gradually the severe restrictions.. were left in abeyance, although now and then reimposed.. Even when the imprisonment was at its worst, the Baha'is were not dismayed, and their serene confidence was never shaken.. Baha'u'llah wrote to some friends, "Fear not. These doors shall be opened. My tent shall be pitched on Mount Carmel, and the utmost joy shall be realized.".. in due course it was literally fulfilled. The story of how the prison doors were opened.. in the words of 'Abdul-Baha..: >..He passed the remark: "I have not gazed on verdure for nine years. The country is the world of the soul, the city is the world of bodies." When I heard indirectly of this saying I realized that He was longing for the country, and I was sure that whatever I could do.. would be successful. There was.. a man very much opposed to us. I said: "Pasha, you have left the palace empty.." He replied: "I am an invalid.. If I go there.. I am cut off from my friends." I said: "..let it to us." I got the house for about five pounds per annum.. For two years He remained in that charming and lovely spot. Then it was decided to remove to another place.. an epidemic disease had broken out at Bahji, and the proprietor of the house fled away in distress, with all his family, ready to offer the house free of charge to any applicant. We took the house at a very low rent, and there the doors of majesty and true sovereignty were flung wide open. Having in His earlier years of hardship shown how to glorify God in a state of poverty and ignominy, Baha'u'llah in His later years at Bahji showed how to glorify God in a state of honor and affluence. The offerings of hundreds of thousands of devoted followers placed at His disposal large funds which He was called upon to administer.. The Blessed Perfection and His family lived in simple and modest fashion.. luxury was a thing unknown.. Near His home the believers prepared a beautiful garden called Ridvan, in which He often spent.. days.. or even weeks, sleeping at night in a little cottage in the garden. Occasionally He went further afield. He made several visits to 'Akka and Haifa, and on more than one occasion pitched His tent on Mount Carmel, as He had predicted.. The time of Baha'u'llah was spent for the most part in prayer and meditation, in writing the Sacred Books, revealing Tablets, and spiritual education of the Friends. In order to give Him entire freedom for this.. 'Abdul-Baha undertook the arrangement of all other affairs, even meeting the Mullas, poets, and members of the Government. All.. were.. satisfied.. and.. became.. friendly.. towards Him through their acquaintanceship with His son (whose) attitude caused them to understand the station of His father. >"..Though I dimly suspected whither I was going and whom I was to behold (for no distinct intimation had been given to me), a second or two elapsed ere, with a throb of wonder and awe, I became definitely conscious that the room was not untenanted. In the corner where the divan met the wall sat a wondrous and venerable figure.. The face of him on whom I gazed I can never forget, though I cannot describe it. Those piercing eyes seemed to read one's very soul; power and authority sat on that ample brow; while the deep lines on the forehead and face implied and age which the jet-black hair and beard.. seemed to belie. No need to ask in whose presence I stood, as I bowed myself before one who is the object of a devotion and love which kings might envy and emperors sigh for in vain!.. "Praise be to God that thou has attained!... Thou has come to see a prisoner and an exile... We desire but the good of the world and happiness of the nations; yet they deem us a stirrer up of strife and sedition worthy of bondage and banishment... That all nations should become one in faith and all men as one brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease, and differences of race be annulled-- what harm is there in this?... Yet so it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the 'Most Great Peace' shall come... Do not you in Europe need this also? Is not this that which Christ foretold?... Yet do we see your kings and rulers lavishing their treasures more freely on means for the destruction of the human race than on that which would conduce to the happiness of mankind... These strifes and this bloodshed and discord must cease, and all men be as one kindred and one family... Let not a man glory in this, that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind..." (E.G. Browne-Traveller's Narrative) simply and serenely did Baha'u'llah pass the evening of His life on earth until, after an attack of fever, He passed away on the 29th of May, 1892, at the age of seventy-five. Among the last Tablets He revealed was His Will and Testament, which He wrote with His own hand and duly signed and sealed. Nine days after His death the seals were broken.. 'Abdul-Baha was constituted His father's representative..

THE PRISONER OF AKKA

Monday, August 27, 2018

FROM PRISON CELL

welcome

BAHA'U'LLAH THE GLORY OF GOD

SITE OF INTEREST -PROPHECIES OF THE AGE

Links to my videos and blogs

Blog Archive

About Me