Here, in the Black pit

     Bahaullah was chained in the company of about one hundred and fifty other prisoners. Murderers, robbers and highway men. His shoulders were severely wounded by a steel collar and very heavy chains. The prisonguards even made an attempt to poison Him to death.
Bahaullah has given detailed accounts from this  pitchdark place and the four months down there:
"Words cannot describe this place and its rotten stench. Most of my fellow prisoners were naked and they didn't even have a mat to lie down upon. God alone knows what we had to endure in this gloomy and disgusting pit."
But it was in this dark prison He got His first Call and  a Revelation of the enormous Mission in life that lay ahead of Him.He decided to  sacrifice Himself  wholly for the upraisal of the new community of the Babs Faith, if only He would gain the liberty to do that. He wrote among other things about that stay in the Black pit::
"In a dream I heard from all directions: Verily, we shall render Thee victorious, through Thyself and through Thy Pen. Do not sorrow at what has happened to Thee and fear not. Thou art in truth the One Who is protected.Erewhile the Lord shall reveal the treasures of the earth, people who shall render Thee victorious through Thyself and through Thy name with which the Lord hath quickened those hearts that can understand."(This is my own perhaps falthy translation of Bahaullahs words)
....
After an incarceration of four months in the "black pit", He was at last freed from the accusations of having planned the attempt of murdering of the shah. The Russian minister, prince Dolgorouki contributed to His release through His continous and resolut  efforts to confirm the innocence of Bahaullah. He was also supported in this by the friends and family of Bahaullah. Instead of being sentenced to death through lynching, Bahaullah was stripped off all of His belongings, all earthly possessions and was  imposed lifelong banishment from His country together with His family and a few friends.
His health was broken after the brutal treatment and the enemies of the Faith were hoping He would die during the long winter journey over the snowy mountains to Baghdad in Iraq.
On the 12th of January 1853 the journey started from Teheran. Bahaullah was never again to see His homeland.

Exhausted and wounded by the frost Bahaullah and His company arrived in Baghdad in March 1853.
When He had recovered  somewhat He gathered the believers who resided in the city and installed into them new courage..."
From April 1854 to March 1856  He chose to live in seclusion in the wilderness of  the Kurdish mountains, wholly withdrawn from the rest  of the world.
". During these two years He prepared Himself and put Himself to the proof of His Mission in the same way as Jesus had done in the desert, just as Buddha had done in the Indian woods and Muhammad in the hot mountains of Arabia. Often He was without food and shelter above His head.
However even in this remote part of the country His fame was soon spread abroad. It became generally known that in this region there was a Man, who was unsurpassed in wisdom and philanthrophy. As time went by His fame even reached Baghdad and  the babis, who, without proper  leadership were splitted apart and despaired "due to the mischievous and misleading instigations of the halfbrother of Bahaullah, Azal, who himself sought after leadership.
"The believers came to the conclusion that the wise Man of the mountains with certainty was their friend  Bahaullah. Therefore they sent some messengers who sought him out and asked Him to come back to Baghdad. He complied to their wish and soon He was there  with them again. They gathered around Him happily and there was again order in the community ..."
But the hostility and plotting by Azal continued , something which wounded Bahaullah deeply. At three occasions he  even tried to kill Bahaullah, in his thirst for leadership.
"However after Bahaullahs return from the wilderness large crowds of people started to arrive  from near and far away, to hear Him. Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians and Muslims, and they all gathered around Him.
(to be continued)

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bahaullah+and+the+bahai+faith&search=Search


www.Bahai.org and www.Bahai.us

Bye for a while
Laila

    Hello
Thank you, thank you, thank you, friend Nick, I am so glad for your wonderful, funny things and wise lines of poetry. Thank you for praying for me. We are friends, thank you for your kindness. Keep always your humour.
I guess I will not be able to write as much as before. I will translate Bahai litterature to Swedish., Somebody has to do that, but it is wonderful work. It makes me feel safe.
Another humorous friend of mine, now ascended to the high realms above, said: about humour, "well, there is  no choice, actually", meaning you've got to look into things with humour.
Bahaullah was also a humourist and so was Abdu'l-Bahá. There are stories, which the Persian friends like to relate, to cheer us up. The Persian Bahais are a wonderful people. I hope you will meet the Bahais one day. There is a huge Bahai building in Wilmette called House of Worship. Everybody is wel come there to pray and meditate. You are welcome there .
I also hope that you will look into the sites about Bahai and that you have tried the blue link
I will think of you while I pray the prayers of Bahaullah.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bahaullah+and+the+bahai+faith&search=Search

Bye for now
Laila