The Ascension of Baha'u'llah

May 29 is a holy day on which Baha'is commemorate the Ascension of Baha'u'llah. Because Baha'u'llah passed away at the Mansion of Bahji, Baha'is in the Holy Land gather there at 3:00 a.m., the hour of His death, to commemorate Baha'u'llah's passing. It is quite an event!

We were taken by bus from the Pilgrim Reception Center, arriving at about 10:20 Sunday night. For some reason we had the good fortune to stumble on to the Persian-speaking bus, and had a great time with our fellow passengers. The lady in the seat in front of us was born in England and lives in Spain, and speaks the Queen's English. The couple across from us were born in France and live in South Carolina. It's fun to be in such international company.

Upon arriving at the Mansion, we entered the grounds, removed our shoes and placed them in the courtyard with our belongings. We joined a line of pilgrims waiting to climb the stairs and enter the room where the Blessed Beauty drew his last breath upon this earth at the age of 74. We stood in line for about an hour, but the time passed quickly. People were quiet, in a subdued but elated mood. Once we were in the mansion, many of us read prayers while we waited to enter the sacred chamber.

Finally it was our turn. The room was dark, lit by a single lamp next to Baha'u'llah's bed. Some pilgrims stood and prayed, others sat on the floor around His bed. Outside, a bird kept up a rythmic, piercing, yet somehow not unpleasant screeching. It was easy to imagine the Holy Family keeping vigil in this room that night in 1892, just as we were now.

Once we had paid our respects in Baha'u'llah's chamber, we were free to enjoy the gardens until the Holy Day program began at 3:00 a.m. Bahji at night is a wonder to behold! We weren't able to get many pictures because it was dark (duh!), but the Shrine of Baha'u'llah was beautifully illuminated and we were able to get a couple of shots. The entrance to the Shrine of Baha'u'llah is at the top of this entry, of course.

And here is the outside of the room in which His blessed remains are interred:



This spot is the Qiblih, the spot towards which Baha'is turn when saying their daily obligatory prayers. We saw a number of pilgrims and visitors standing or sitting outside this spot in prayer.

Let's pause now to explain who was there last night. The pilgrims, numbering some 270, were the honored guests. Also present were the beloved Universal House of Justice, the last of the beloved Hands of the Cause of God Muhammad Ali Varqa, virtually all of the staff members at the Baha'i World Center, and a whole bunch of Baha'is in Israel on what is known as a "three-day visit." (It takes years of waiting to be invited for a nine-day pilgrimage to all the Holy Places, but Baha'is may visit for three days at other times if they send a request to the Universal House of Justice.) All together, there were about 900 of us!

We had quite a long time to wait between our visit to the mansion and the beginning of the program. After a stroll through the gardens, we went to the Visitors' Center to hang out for a while. It looked beautiful all lit up at night. Inside, the friends were in a tired but festive mood.



Finally, we went back to the gardens and found our seats for the program. Chairs had been set up around what looked like about a quarter of the garden, facing the Qiblih. The best seats were reserved for pilgrims, in keeping with the red-carpet treatment we've received throughout our visit. Speakers had been set up so that everybody could hear perfectly. Some of the Baha'i youth handed out the programs for the event. Gary took a photo of it so we could share it with you:



We only wish we could also share the experience of sitting in that garden, among hundreds of our fellow Baha'is, listening to the readings live and in person. At the end of the program, we all rose as the Tablet of Visitation was chanted in Arabic. It was just indescribable. (We know, because we tried and we just can't describe it.)

After the readings, it was time to circumambulate the Shrine. We all rose and, led by the members of the House of Justice and their wives, we walked all around the Shrine and halfway back around the gardens. Amazing. Just amazing. There were many of us that we couldn't ever see the end of the line... just an endless flow of precious souls paying homage to their Lord. Wow. The only sounds were the squawking bird, and the sound of the pilgrims' feet on the gravel paths. It sounded like rain.

In keeping with the fantastic good fortune that has marked every single moment of our trip, we finished our trek just in time to get seats on the first bus back to Haifa. We were dropped off in front of our hotel just as dawn began to break.

What a night.