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In recent years, a recording has come to light from Saichiro Fugita, a Japanese believer who accompanied Abdu'l-Baha on His journey through the western United States in 1912. Abdu'l-Baha then urged him to gain a knowledge of electricity and in horticulture, and then invited Fugita to come to live in the Holy Land in 1919, where he put this knowledge to good use. Fugita was later interviewed by Sylvia Ioas about his life in Haifa with the Master and then with the Guardian. Fugita left a description of the day of the Master's passing, of His funeral procession, and of the reading of His Will. The transcript of his full talk is here, a portion of which is shared below: http://bahai-library.com/pilgrims/fujita.html Fugita's memory of the passing of the Master is found at that site, along with other recollections of his, not shown here. Fugita gives the only description I know of, of the reading of the Master's Will, in the central hall of Number 7 Haparsim, and the respect shown to Shoghi Effendi by the friends as the Will was read. That portion is below. I have also appended Marzieh Gail's description of John Bosch's recollections of the Day of the Master's funeral, adapted from her wonderful book, "Dawn over Mount Hira." Brent ----------------- Excerpt From the Interview of Saichiro Fugita http://bahai-library.com/pilgrims/fujita.html Yes. `Abdu'l-Baha used to walk right on that main, little street, used to be narrow like this. I used to level it, widen. He used to walk from little house, up there. I was cleaning, smoothing and laugh, I was working, I mean, leveling, working hard, making a path, road for easy to walk. He used to take walk right around here, up to the German colony here, a couple block, and then come home. You know, before `Abdu'l-Baha passing away, it was on a Friday, we went visit the mosque in Haifa, Friday morning. That day return from mosque, He had to walk up the step. He says "I am tired," went into the room. Then Friday, Saturday, Sunday! Three days. Sunday night, He passed away. Those days we had many American pilgrims there. That Mr. and Mrs. Hoagg, Boschs were there. I heard the cry, deafening noise. So immediately I went up this gate, there's many collected and mourning, the Eastern believers very demonstrative, you know. I said "What is it?" "It's `Abdu'l-Baha has passed." So immediately I come back to Pilgrim House, informed them. And some of them come out, come now. That day. It's one o'clock, and all the family are all together there. Can't help. Doctor just left, Dr. Habib, that Christian Arab, that's their family doctor. Then from that room we had after few days, the day in Mount Carmel. I went there myself, making a place. ( ) called, ah, Ramatullah, he's very strong man, he carried casket way down. Ramatullah lived a long time ago, he was caretaker, gardener, very nice man. He had a big family, but years ago. All the notables from Haifa and Jerusalem, all were collected here, ah, for funeral. Even Herbert Samuel, walked right up, passing Master. Just out from this room, Number seven, and go around, Rahmatu'llah turn corner, in front of center of church, then go up, up, up, up, up to the Shrine. Everybody carrying casket up to the resting-place. Then up memorial day, we had biggest service here in Number seven. Then we had biggest dinner, luncheon served in, ah, Number nine. That one of the daughter's family, Ruha Khanum. Will of, ah, `Abdu'l-Baha read in Number seven. In the center of the hall! That room! Oh, we had the biggest, ah, meeting there. All sitting on floor. A prominent Baha'i, from Egypt, he read the Will, right in the corner, and everybody faced, and everybody sat around, even the Nakazeen, some of the Nakazeen was among us, violator. Very touching ceremony. Oh, from early in morning, we had a meeting, ah, to go some time, to circulate all the Will of `Abdu'l-Baha. Every time mention, ah, Shoghi Effendi's name, everybody arise. Very respectable, very. That's why the Shoghi Effendi is be Guardian of the Cause. That day. ( ) family, back in that tea room now. See, the gentlemen and the ladies are all segregated. They know, behind the curtain, they all know. The Will of `Abdu'l-Baha was read, everybody consented, Shoghi Effendi is the Guardian of the Cause. That's final, nobody object, and then after the passing `Abdu'l-Baha, the reign of Guardian, Shoghi Effendi. ------------------- Excerpts adapted From Marzieh Gail's book "Dawn Over Mount Hira" available here: http://www.grbooks.com/show_book.php?book_id=50 * Resting on John Bosch's Shoulder* John Bosch recounts meeting the Master in New York: "'Abdu'l-Bahá walked to the first automobile... He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the rear seat; Mountfort Mills closed the door and I was alone with 'Abdu'l-Bahá. The believers had planned to show the city to the Master...to give Him a good time seeing New York. Just as I stepped into the car and was seated, 'Abdu'l-Bahá looked at me. He just looked at me, and all at once with an immense sigh...like the whole world would be lifted from Him so He could have a rest, He put His head on my left shoulder, clear down as close as He could, like a child, and went to sleep. I was still as a mouse; I didn't want to move--I didn't want to wake Him up. The trip was nearly a half hour and often I wondered what the others thought--that 'Abdu'l-Bahá was looking out of the window all the time. He woke up just as we stopped at the Kinney's home." [...] John Bosch was one of those whom 'Abdu'l-Bahá chose as a companion for the time when He should leave the world. Afterward, the friends saw that the Master knew the moment of His passing and had prepared for it. Some who had asked permission to visit Him at that time, He had gently turned away. But to John He had written, 'I am longing to see you,' and when John and Louise, responding, asked to come, His cable replied: 'Permitted.' They reached Haifa about November 13, 1921. [. . . ] It was in the early hours of Monday, November 28, that John and Louise were awakened to the agonizing news that 'Abdu'l-Bahá was suddenly gone from their midst...John saw people weeping as he went to the Master's bedroom. He knelt down beside the bed. Then the Most Exalted Leaf, the daughter of Bahá'u'lláh, took his hand and placed him beside her on the built-in divan along the window. With her he kept a vigil there from two until four o'clock. Once, he rose, walked the two steps to the bed, took the Master's hand and said, 'Oh, 'Abdu'l-Bahá!' It was about three o'clock then. 'Abdu'l-Bahá's hand was still warm. He seemed alive. 'I still hoped He lived,' John told me. [. . . ] They had wrapped the Master in five separate folds of white silk and on His head they had placed a black mitre given to Him by Bahá'u'lláh...John helped the others to close the coffin down. He said he knew the living Master was there. 'I felt He was there. Not in the body -- even now I feel that again -- His presence. I am sure He was there.' When others started to raise the casket up, John didn't understand at first, but did as they did, and lifted it to his right shoulder. Then all at once he remembered that time in New York, long past, when 'Abdu'l-Bahá had leaned down on his left shoulder and gone to sleep. (Dawn Over Mount Hira, pp. 208-212) ----------------- __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:arch...@mail-archive.com Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:leave-542021-27401.54f46e81b66496c9909bcdc2f7987...@list.jccc.edu Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to ly...@list.jccc.edu Or subscribe: http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st News (on-campus only) - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai...@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
