Bahá’í
Pilgrimage – a personal perspective.
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Day 4, Thursday: We went on a coach to Akká. Although this walled city has other gates now, during the time of Bahá’u’llah it only had one land gate, through which we walked; it was a dangerous S-bend, with no pavements and only room for a single line of traffic, although vehicles were allowed in both directions.
We saw the caravanserai called Khán-i-‘Avámíd, which means the Inn of the Pillars, where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had 13 rooms initially and more later for pilgrims and classes for children. Then we went into the barracks where Bahá’u’lláh was kept prisoner for 2 years; we were not able to go to His cell because the stairs are unsafe, but the window at which He waved to pilgrims was identified, as was the skylight through which His younger son fell and was fatally injured. Can you imagine months of travel on foot, then only seeing a wave at a distant window? Pilgrimage has improved! After 2 years there was the first improvement; following Mirzá Midhi’s accident, and his dying supplication that his life might be accepted as a ransom for those who were prevented from attaining the presence of their Beloved, pilgrims were allowed into Bahá’u’lláh’s presence. Next the coach took us to the house of ‘Abbúd, which was the main residence of Bahá’u’lláh for about 7 years after He was allowed out of prison but kept under “house arrest”; we had tea & biscuits in the large downstairs room, then visited the upstairs rooms with reverence (shoes off, silent prayer only in Bahá’u’lláh’s room). One day Bahá’u’lláh said “I have not gazed on verdure for 9 years. The country is the world of the soul, the city is the world of bodies.” So ‘Abdu’l-Bahá rented the Mansion of Mazra’ih and the governor of Akká allowed Bahá’u’lláh to move there. At Mazra’ih oranges and tea were provided at a long table to supplement our packed lunches, following which we visited other rooms with reverence, then went round the gardens. In the evening we heard a talk by Mr.Furutan and also by a member of the Universal House of Justice, including comments about the Lesser Peace and the “unity of nations”, further details may be found in a letter and memorandum from the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, which was copied to all National Spiritual Assemblies in April 2001. |
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