He had been stricken by a severe ailment and was pitifully weak. Still, he
would not agree to remaining behind in Adrianople where he could receive
treatment, because he wanted to sacrifice his life and fall at the feet of
his Lord. We journeyed along till we reached the sea. He was now so feeble
that it took three men to lift him and carry him onto the ship. Once he
was on board, his condition grew so much worse that the captain insisted
we put him off the ship, but because of our repeated pleas he waited till
we reached Smyrna. In Smyrna, the captain addressed Colonel Umar Bayk, the
government agent who accompanied us, and told him: “If you don’t put him
ashore, I will do it by force, because the ship will not accept passengers
in this condition.”
We were compelled, then, to take Jináb-i-Múníb to the hospital at Smyrna.
Weak as he was, unable to utter a word, he dragged himself to Bahá’u’lláh,
lay down at His feet, and wept. On the countenance of Bahá’u’lláh as well,
there was intense pain.
We carried Jináb-i-Múníb to the hospital, but the functionaries allowed us
not more than one hour’s time. We laid him down on the bed; we laid his
fair head on the pillow; we held him and kissed him many times. Then they
forced us away. It is clear how we felt. Whenever I think of that moment,
the tears come; my heart is heavy and I summon up the remembrance of what
he was. A great man; infinitely wise, he was, steadfast, modest and grave;
and there was no one like him for faith and certitude. In him the inner
and outer perfections, the spiritual and physical, were joined together.
That is why he could receive endless bounty and grace.
His grave is in Smyrna, but it is off by itself, and deserted. Whenever
this can be done, the friends must search for it, and that neglected dust
must be changed into a much-frequented shrine,(85) so that pilgrims who
visit there may breathe in the sweet scent of his last resting-place.
MÍRZÁ MUṢṬAFÁ NARÁQÍ
Among that company of pure and goodly souls was Mírzá Muṣṭafá, a leading
citizen of Naráq and one of the earliest believers. His face shone with
the love of God. His mind was concerned with the anemones of mystic
meanings, fair as meadows and beds of flowers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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