The Tigris in Flood at Riḍván
J. E. Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era, (1923), George Allen & Unwin · Read original
When in Bahá'í history
Baghdád (today: Baghdad, Iraq)
How this story reached us
- 1.Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era (Esslemont), chapter 3, "Declaration at Ridván near Baghdád"
- 2.A Flame of Fire (A. Q. Faizi), the chapter on Aḥmad of Yazd: the flood and the ninth day
- 3.The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, vol. 1 (Taherzadeh), pp. 259-61 and 281: the crossing and the three Holy Days
A retelling based on Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era by J. E. Esslemont. The account of the flood comes from A Flame of Fire by A. Q. Faizi, and the details of the crossing from The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, volume 1, by Adib Taherzadeh.
In 1863, at the request of the Persian Government, the Ottoman Government summoned Bahá'u'lláh from Baghdád to Constantinople. Esslemont writes that when the news came His followers "were in consternation" and crowded His house. So many came to take their leave that the house could not hold them, and Najíb Páshá, a notable of the city, offered his garden on the far side of the Tigris. Bahá'u'lláh stayed there for twelve days while the caravan was made ready. His followers named it the Garden of Riḍván, the Garden of Paradise.
On the afternoon of 22 April 1863 Bahá'u'lláh was ferried across the river. With Him, Taherzadeh records, were three of His sons, among them 'Abdu'l-Bahá, then eighteen, and His amanuensis. In the Garden He declared to His companions that He was the One Whose coming the Báb had foretold.
The rest of His family could not follow at once. A. Q. Faizi, in his account of Aḥmad of Yazd, who was then living close to Bahá'u'lláh's house in Baghdád, writes: "On that same day the river overflowed and only on the ninth day was it possible for His family to join Him in the Garden. The river then overflowed a second time, and on the twelfth day it subsided and all went to Him."
The ninth day was 30 April 1863. Of the twelve days in the Garden, Bahá'ís keep three as Holy Days. Taherzadeh names them: "the first day on which He declared Himself, the ninth day when all His family joined Him and rejoiced at His Declaration, and the twelfth day when He left that garden."
Esslemont describes the spirit of those days:
During those days Bahá'u'lláh, instead of being sad or depressed, showed the greatest joy, dignity and power. His followers became happy and enthusiastic, and great crowds came to pay their respects to Him. All the notables of Baghdád, even the Governor himself, came to honor the departing prisoner.
This is a retelling. For the fuller account, see Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era by J. E. Esslemont and A Flame of Fire by A. Q. Faizi.
Cite this story
Esslemont, J. E.. (1923). *Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era*. George Allen & Unwin. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19241
This story shares quotes with 3 other stories
“During those days Bahá'u'lláh, instead of being sad or depressed, showed the”
Also in
- Joy, Dignity and Power in the Garden— J. E. Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era
- The Family's Road to the Garden— J. E. Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era
- Joy on the Eve of Exile— J. E. Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era
“greatest joy, dignity and power. His followers became happy and enthusiastic,”
Also in
- Joy, Dignity and Power in the Garden— J. E. Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era
- The Family's Road to the Garden— J. E. Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era
“and great crowds came to pay their respects to Him. All the notables of”
Also in
- Joy, Dignity and Power in the Garden— J. E. Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era
- The Family's Road to the Garden— J. E. Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era
“Baghdád, even the Governor himself, came to honor the departing prisoner.”
Also in
- Joy, Dignity and Power in the Garden— J. E. Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era
- The Family's Road to the Garden— J. E. Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era
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Related stories
The Greatest Holy Leaf Crosses to the Garden
In April 1863 Bahíyyih Khánum, then in her teens, helped the household prepare for exile while Bahá'u'lláh stayed in the Garden of Riḍván. The Tigris overflowed, and only on the ninth day could the family join Him there.
The Family Reunited in the Garden
Bahá'u'lláh crossed the Tigris to the Garden of Riḍván on 22 April 1863 with three of His sons. The river overflowed that day, and the rest of His family joined Him only on the ninth day, 30 April.
The Eldest Son in the Garden
'Abdu'l-Bahá was eighteen when He crossed the Tigris with Bahá'u'lláh to the Garden of Riḍván in 1863. Shoghi Effendi records that He had recognized His Father's station while still a child.
The Family's Road to the Garden
When Bahá'u'lláh was imprisoned in Ṭihrán in 1852, His family was left destitute, and they shared His winter exile to Baghdád. In 1863 a flooded river kept them from joining Him in the Garden of Riḍván until the ninth day.