The Ascension (Passing) of Bahá'u'lláh (Sources)

1902 - Brief History of Bahá'u'lláh (Qazvini)

Full Text : Materials for the Study of the Bábi Faith, E. G. Browne

http://www.scribd.com/doc/16855809/Materials-for-the-study-of-Babi-Religion

Alternate Translation : A Brief History of Beha'u'llah, M. J. Gazvini Jan 1914, http://www.paintdrawer.co.uk/david/folders/Research/Bahai/Baha'u'llah/Brief%20History%20of%20Bahaullah%20(Qazvini)[74].htm

In the later years of his sojourn at 'Akka external conditions *were the opposite of those which first prevailed, for his fame waxed great power, majesty and triumph were apparent; and the at 'Akka eyes of all were watching this community with veneration and respect. His Holiness our Master Baha'u'llah remarked one day, "Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz banished us to this country in the greatest abasement, and since his object was to destroy us and humble us, whenever the means of glory and ease presented themselves, we did not reject them."

In short, notwithstanding these circumstances and materials of glory, ease and joy, we used to discover signs of sadness in His Holiness our Master Baha'u'llah to an extent which neither writing nor utterance can express, and which hath never been witnessed at any time, as appears from sundry Holy Tablets...

"O thou who circlest round my Throne and art present before my Face, dost thou weep for God's own self working for His purpose, or do I weep with mine eyes for it? By God's Life, all things weep for what hath befallen this oppressed one at the hands of those who deny, after we had created them for pure Truth, and had taught them the clear, straight way of God. If one should ask thee about Baha, say, 'Verily he is under the claws of hatred. Alas, alas for what hath befallen me from every tyrant, from every sinner, from every liar, from every careless one, from every deluded one, from every suspicious one, from every deceitful trickster!' If one should ask thee about the Lote-tree (Sidra), say, ' Verily it is under the swords of all mankind.' Alas, alas for what hath befallen this oppressed one from the hosts of the wicked! The smoke of vain imaginings hath overwhelmed some men: therefore doth the eye of my spirit lament and the groaning of my heart rise up. We ask God, most Blessed and most High is He, to cleanse His servants from the defilement of doubts and the dust of vain imaginings: verily he is Powerful over all things."

And in another passage he says:

“In my Name the Oppressed, from my most great Prison. *By my life, and my sorrow, and my affliction, if the Supreme Pen had addressed itself with the invocation ‘O much-wronged one!' from this moment until the day which hath no end, it would have the right so to do. Oppression in all its kinds and forms hath descended upon the dawning places of the Light and the day-springs of the Theophany, both of old time and now; but there hath descended on this Oppressed one that which hath no likeness and no similitude."

He also said repeatedly, addressing some of the Companions :

"I desire a dark and narrow dwelling, that I may lament and weep over my wrongs."(1)

All men used to wonder at beholding these grievous sorrows, not knowing what was their cause or who their originator, for how should there occur to the heart [of any one] the events and circumstances which became known [only] after [the death of] His Holiness our Master?

Sickness

On the 12th of Shawal, A.H. 1309 (10th of May, 1892) His Holiness our Master Baha'u'llah was attacked by a fever, which ceased after two days. Subsequently, however, another attack of fever supervened, and a general disturbance of health resulted.

Ascension

The period of this sickness lasted nineteen days, and his Ascension [i.e. death] took place on the second night of the month of Dhu'l-qa'da at dawn, A.H. 1309 (May 28, 1892) in the Palace of 'Udi Khammar at [the Garden of] Bahja.¹ Alas ! how can I describe this awful calamity, this supremely terrible event, whereat tears flowed unceasingly and lamentations arose from all sides.

Even now, though twelve years have passed, the author's eyes weep when he sets himself to describe it, his heart throbs, and his spirit suffers so violent a perturbation that naught can exceed it. God knoweth and witnesseth what I say !

Burial

The resting-place of his Holy Temple [i.e. body] is the most northerly house of the three houses lying to the west of the Palace above-mentioned, namely the House of Hajji Sayyid 'Ali Afnan (2), the son-in-law of His Holiness our Great Master, in the northernmost room of that house. The body was there laid to rest before the last prayer on the third *night of the month of Dhu'l-Qa'da [A.H. 1309 May 29, 1892].

...

Reading of the Will

The first difference which happened after the death of His Holiness our Great Master within this community was that 'Abbas Efendi concealed some part of the book of [Baha'u'llah's] Testament entitled "the Book of my Testament, which book was given to him by Baha'u'llah in his own holy writing.

The detail of this is that on the ninth day after the Ascension [i.e. the death of Baha'u'llah] 'Abbas Efendi chose nine persons from amongst the Companions, one of whom was the author [of this book] and disclosed to them this document, concealing, however, a portion of it with a blue leaf [of paper] without any reason or justification, and gave it to them that they might enjoy the blessing of its perusal. One of them, named Aqa Riza of Shiraz, read it at a sign from him down to the place concealed by the blue leaf, whereupon 'Abbas Efendi said to the persons above mentioned, "Verily a portion of this book is concealed for a good reason, because the time doth not admit of its full disclosure." On the afternoon of that day Majdu'd-Din Efendi read it again, by command of (Abbas Efendi, in the Holy Place, before a company of the Aghsan (sons of Baha'u'llah), Afnan (kinsmen of the Bab), Muhajirin (Exiles), Mujawirin (settlers in 'Akka) and Musafarin (temporary visitors), down to the afore-mentioned passage, as narrated above.