In this connection it hath been deemed necessary to mention such traditions as have been recorded regarding the blessed and honored city of Akka, that haply thou mayest, O Hadi, seek a path unto the Truth, and a road leading unto God.
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
The following hath been recorded concerning the merits of Akka, and of the sea, and of Aynu'l-Baqar (The Spring of the Cow) which is in Akka:
1. Abdu'l-'Aziz, son of Abdu'-Salam, hath related unto us that the Prophet - may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon him - hath said: "Akka is a city in Syria to which God hath shown His special mercy."
2. Ibn-i-Mas'ud - may God be pleased with him - hath stated: "The Prophet - may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him - hath said: 'Of all shores the best is the shore of Askelon, and Akka is, verily, better than Askelon, and the merit of Akka above that of Askelon and all other shores is as the merit of Muhammad above that of all other Prophets. I bring you tidings of a city betwixt two mountains in Syria, in the middle of a meadow, which is called Akka. Verily, he that entereth therein, longing for it and eager to visit it, God will forgive his sins, both of the past and of the future. And he that departeth from it, other than as a pilgrim, God will not bless his departure. In it is a spring called the Spring of the Cow. Whoso drinketh a draught therefrom, God will fill his heart with light, and will protect him from the most great terror on the Day of Resurrection.'"
3. Anas, son of Malik - may God be pleased with him - hath said: "The Apostle of God - may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him - hath said: 'By the shore of the sea is a city, suspended beneath the Throne, and named Akka. He that dwelleth therein, firm and expecting a reward from God - exalted be He - God will write down for him, until the Day of Resurrection, the recompense of such as have been patient, and have stood up, and knelt down, and prostrated themselves, before Him.'"
4. And He - may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him - hath said: "I announce unto you a city, on the shores of the sea, white, whose whiteness is pleasing unto God - exalted be He! It is called Akka. He that hath been bitten by one of its fleas is better, in the estimation of God, than he who hath received a grievous blow in the path of God. And he that raiseth therein the call to prayer, his voice will be lifted up unto Paradise. And he that remaineth therein for seven days in the face of the enemy, God will gather him with Khidr - peace be upon Him - and God will protect him from the most great terror on the Day of Resurrection."
5. And He - may the blessings of God, - exalted be He - and His salutations be upon Him - hath said: "There are kings and princes in Paradise. The poor of Akka are the kings of Paradise and the princes thereof. A month in Akka is better than a thousand years elsewhere."
6. The Apostle of God - may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him - is reported to have said: "Blessed the man that hath visited Akka, and blessed he that hath visited the visitor of Akka. Blessed the one that hath drunk from the Spring of the Cow and washed in its waters, for the black-eyed damsels quaff the camphor in Paradise, which hath come from the Spring of the Cow, and from the Spring of Salvan (Siloam), and the Well of Zamzam. Well is it with him that hath drunk from these springs, and washed in their waters, for God hath forbidden the fire of hell to touch him and his body on the Day of Resurrection."
7. The Prophet - may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him - is stated to have said: "In Akka are works of supererogation and acts which are beneficial, which God vouchsafed specially unto whomsoever He pleaseth. And he that saith in Akka: 'Glorified be God, and praise be unto God, and there is none other God but God, and most great is God, and there is no power nor strength except in God, the Exalted, the Mighty,' God will write down for him a thousand good deeds, and blot out from him a thousand evil deeds, and will uplift him a thousand grades in Paradise, and will forgive him his transgressions. And whoso saith in Akka: 'I beg forgiveness of God,' God will forgive all his trespasses. And he that remembereth God in Akka at morn and at eventide, in the night-season and at dawn, is better in the sight of God than he who beareth swords, spears and arms in the path of God - exalted be He!"
8. The Apostle of God - may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him - hath also said: "He that looketh upon the sea at eventide, and saith: 'God is Most Great!' at sunset, God will forgive his sins, though they be heaped as piles of sand. And he that counteth forty waves, while repeating: 'God is Most Great!' - exalted be He - God will forgive his sins, both past and future."
9. The Apostle of God - may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him - hath said: "He that looketh upon the sea a full night is better than he who passeth two whole months betwixt the Rukn and the Maqam. And he that hath been brought up on the shores of the sea is better than he that hath been brought up elsewhere. And he that lieth on the shore is as he that standeth elsewhere."
Verily, the Apostle of God - may the blessings of God, exalted be He, and His salutations be upon Him - hath spoken the truth. (Bahá'u'lláh: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pages 177-181)
1. The Iraqi Bahá'í scholar Ahmad Hamdi Al-Muhammad (Ad-Dalil wa'l-Irshad, 3rd printing, Matabi' al-Bayan, Beirut, 1966, pp. 166-9) quotes several of these Traditions and identifies the source as "Fada'il 'Akka wa Asqalan" from the book "Fada'il ash-Sham wa Dimashq by Abu'l-Hasan ar-Ruba'i" (p. 167).
2. The Iranian Bahá'í scholar Hisam Noghabai (Bisharat Kutub Asmani, 2nd edition, privately printed, pp. 183-6) quotes several of these Traditions and states that they are from Fada'il 'Akka wa Asqalan of Ibn Abi'l-Hawl" (p. 183).
3. I made enquiries from the Bahá'í World Centre to see if they had a copy of this work by ar-Ruba'i and they sent a copy of a photocopy that they had received from Habibu'llah Derakhshani. It appears to be a manuscript or lithograph. On the first page is the title and author Kitab Fada'il ash-Sham wa Dimashq compiled by Abu'l-Hasan 'Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Shuja' ar-Ruba'i al-Maliki, known as Ibn Abi'l-Hawl, from the oral transmission of Abu'l-Hasan 'Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Zuhayr al-Maliki. On the following sheets all of the Traditions that Bahá'u'lláh quotes appear (except the first) and they appear almost in the same order as in the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. There are minor textual variations (see analysis of this at the end of this paper). On looking at the photocopies, however, it becomes clear that Mr Derakhshani had taken the title page and one further page from the work and then gone straight on to the pages relating to Akka which occupy pp. 3-23 and then he has added the final page. He has numbered these consecutively but it is clear they are not consecutive.
4. I discovered that a manuscript of Fada'il ash-Sham wa Dimashq by ar-Ruba'i existed in the library of Nur Ahmadiyya Madrassa attached to the al-Jazzar Mosque in Akka - see 'Abdu'llah Mukhlis, "Majmu' Nadir" in La Revue de l'Academie Arabe, vol. 10, no. 9-10 (Sept. - Oct. 1930), pp. 577-83. This would give a means for Bahá'u'lláh to have had access to the work.
Diya ad-Din Muhammad ibn 'Abdu'l-Wahid al-Maqdisi (d. 643) wrote Fada'il ash-Sham on Damascus (Khayr ad-Din Zirikli, al-A'lam, 2nd ed., Cairo, 1954-9, 10 vols, vol. 7, p. 134; Brockelmann, Supplement, vol. 1, p.690)
Abu al-Muwahhib al-Hasan ibn Hibatullah Sasri ar-Ruba'i wrote Fada'il Bayt al-Muqaddas about Jerusalem (Zirikli, al-A'lam, vol. 2, p. 304)
'Abd al-Qadir ibn 'Abdullah ar-Ruhawi (d. 612) wrote a compilation of forty traditions (Zirikli, al-A'lam, vol. 4, p. 165)
Zayn al-'Umana Abu al-Barakat al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn 'Asakir (d. 627), a cousin of Baha ad-Din al-Qasim and his successor as head of the Dar al-Hadith an-Nuriyya (an-Na'imi, ad-Darus fi Tarikh al-Madaris, vol. 1, pp. 104-5).
Taj ad-Din 'Abd al-Wahhab ibn Zayn al-Umana (d. 660), son of the previous scholar and his successor as head of the Dar al-Hadith an-Nuriyya. (an-Na'imi, ad-Darus fi Tarikh al-Madaris, vol. 1, pp. 106-6. His brother 'Abdu'llah Nizam ad-Din wrote Fada'il al-Quds on Jerusalem, Brockelmann Supplement vol. 1, p. 568)
Yusuf ibn Khalil ibn Qaraja (d. 648, Zirikli, al-A'lam, vol. 7, p. 253-4)
Description of the Tradition | Epistle to the Son of the Wolf | Fada'il 'Akka wa 'Asqalan |
A lengthy tradition with a lengthy chain of transmission beginning: "They will meet in the depth ('amq) of 'Akka, and they fight one another and they will be in fear of one another . . ." | Not present | Present, p. 3-5
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A lengthy tradition with a lengthy chain of transmission beginning: "God will have a banquet of the flesh of the Byzantines on the plains of Akka . . ." | Not present | Present, p. 5-6
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Abdu'l-'Aziz, son of Abdu'-Salam, hath related unto us that the Prophet - may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon him - hath said: "Akka is a city in Syria to which God hath shown His special mercy." | Present, p. 115 | Not present
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Ibn-i-Mas'ud - may God be pleased with him - hath stated: "The Prophet - may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him - hath said: 'Of all shores the best is the shore of Askelon, and Akka is, verily, better than Askelon, and the merit of Akka above that of Askelon and all other shores is as the merit of Muhammad above that of all other Prophets. | Present, p. 115 | Present, pp. 6-7, but without "Ibn-i-Mas'ud - may God be pleased with him -
hath stated" and with the following changes: begins: "The Messenger of God . .
." and ends: ". . . and Akka is, verily, better than it, and the merit of Akka
above that of other shores is as my merit above that of the Prophets."
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I bring you tidings of a city betwixt two mountains in Syria, in the middle of a meadow, which is called Akka. Verily, he that entereth therein, longing for it and eager to visit it, God will forgive his sins, both of the past and of the future. And he that departeth from it, other than as a pilgrim, God will not bless his departure. In it is a spring called the Spring of the Cow. Whoso drinketh a draught therefrom, God will fill his heart with light, and will protect him from the most great terror on the Day of Resurrection. | Present p. 115 raghiban (Longing for it) ghayr za'ir lam yabarak Allah lahu Inna fiha 'aynan yuqal lahu qalbahu |
Present, pp. 7-8 with long isnad ending: "Anas, son of Malik - may God be
pleased with him - hath said: 'The Apostle of God - may the blessings of God
and His salutations be upon Him - hath said: "a city betwixt two mountains,
upon the sea, which is called . . ." raghbatan and omits wa fi ziyaratiha (and eager to visit it). raghbatan 'an-ha. lam yubarak lahu Wa biha 'aynun tusammi ends: will fill his heart (batnahu) with light and he who pours forth its waters upon himself, will remain pure until the Day of Resurrection. |
Anas, son of Malik - may God be pleased with him - hath said: "The Apostle of God - may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him - hath said: 'By the shore of the sea is a city, suspended beneath the Throne, and named Akka. He that dwelleth therein, firm and expecting a reward from God - exalted be He - God will write down for him, until the Day of Resurrection, the recompense of such as have been patient, and have stood up, and knelt down, and prostrated themselves, before Him.'" | tahta saq al-'arsh ihtasaban thawab al-qa'imin wa'l-raki'in wa'l-sajidin |
Omits isnad but has this at beginning of previous Tradition. Omits "By the shore of the sea" tahta 'arsh allah 'azza wa jalla muhtasaban ajr al-qa'imin ar-rukka' as-sujud |
And He - may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him - hath said: "I announce unto you a city, on the shores of the sea, white, whose whiteness is pleasing unto God - exalted be He! It is called Akka. He that hath been bitten by one of its fleas is better, in the estimation of God, than he who hath received a grievous blow in the path of God. And he that raiseth therein the call to prayer, his voice will be lifted up unto Paradise. And he that remaineth therein for seven days in the face of the enemy, God will gather him with Khidr - peace be upon Him - and God will protect him from the most great terror on the Day of Resurrection." | Present, p. 116 hasan baydiha 'ind Allah wa inna man qarasahu barquthun min baraqithihi adhdhana |
Present, p. 9-10. Begins: "The Messenger of God . . . hath said: 'A city, on
the . . .'" hasanan 'ind Allah qarasat al-barquth fiha is equivalent to a spear wound (ta'na as-sinan) in the path of God Almighty . He who glorifies God (kabbara) there, God will grant him to reinforce his voice. And he who takes up a sword, aiming it at the vainglory of the enemy, God Almighty will gather him up with my brother my brother Khidr - peace be upon him - and God will protect him from the most great terror |
God will build a house of light for the one who has seen the site of the martyrs of 'Akka, And it was said: where is the site. He said: Between two mountains in th midst of a plain - that is to say between Mount Carmel and Mount Jubayl | Not present | Present, p. 10
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And He - may the blessings of God, - exalted be He - and His salutations be upon Him - hath said: "There are kings and princes in Paradise. The poor of Akka are the kings of Paradise and the princes thereof. A month in Akka is better than a thousand years elsewhere." | Present, p. 116, but much abbreviated | Present, p. 11-12. 'Umar ibn al-Khattab addressed Ka'b al-Ahbar, saying
to him: I bring you good news, O Abu Ishaq! When you enter Syria and meet the
people of 'Akka, help them for they are the ones who will be looked to on the
Day of Resurrection. O Abu Ishaq! I heard the Messenger of Allah (may the peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) say that there will be kings and princes at
the Last Days, and the poor of 'Akka and Askalon will be the kings and princes
of the Last Days.
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'Uthman ibn 'Afan (may God be pleased with him) said: To keep watch for one night in 'Akka is better than one thousand nights of waking and days of fasting (elsewhere). | Not present | Present, pp. 12-13, with a long isnad
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'A'ishah, the mother of the believers (may God be pleased with her) said that the Messenger of God had said: He who keeps watch for three nights in Akka has the reward of keeping watch for one year | Not present | Present, p.13, with a long isnad
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The Apostle of God - may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him -
is reported to have said: "Blessed the man that hath visited Akka, and blessed
he that hath visited the visitor of Akka. Blessed the one that hath drunk from the Spring of the Cow and washed in its waters, for the black-eyed damsels quaff the camphor in Paradise, which hath come from the Spring of the Cow, and from the Spring of Salvan (Siloam), and the Well of Zamzam. Well is it with him that hath drunk from these springs, and washed in their waters, for God hath forbidden the fire of hell to touch him and his body on the Day of Resurrection." |
Present, p. 116 part of same Tradition as previous |
Present but much later in the order, pp. 21-22. Verb used throughout is ray'
(see) rather than zar (visit) separate Tradition: I heard the Messenger of God saying that he who drinks from the Spring of the Cow and he who washes (in water) from it and from the Spring of Salwan which is in Jerusalem and from the Spring of Zamzam which is in Mecca, God will protect his body from (Hell-)fire. A separate statement within a lengthy Tradition preceding this on p. 21 states: "black-eyed damsels quaff the camphor of Paradise, which is in a spring named the Spring of the Cow which is in Akka" |
The Prophet - may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him - is
stated to have said: "In Akka are works of supererogation and acts which are
beneficial, which God vouchsafed specially unto whomsoever He pleaseth. And he that saith in Akka: 'Glorified be God, and praise be unto God, and there is none other God but God, and most great is God, and there is no power nor strength except in God, the Exalted, the Mighty,' God will write down for him a thousand good deeds, and blot out from him a thousand evil deeds, and will uplift him a thousand grades in Paradise, and will forgive him his transgressions. And whoso saith in Akka: 'I beg forgiveness of God,' God will forgive all his trespasses. And he that remembereth God in Akka at morn and at eventide, in the night-season and at dawn, is better in the sight of God than he who beareth swords, spears and arms in the path of God - exalted be He!" |
Present, p. 116 Present Present |
First part not present Present, p. 13 Has only "Glorified be God, and praise be unto God", not "and most great is God, and there is no power nor strength except in God, the Exalted, the Mighty". In each case has alf alf - thousand thousand - i.e. a million. Has: ". . . will uplift him a thousand thousand grades. He who magnifies (God), God will magnify him, and he who seek forgiveness, God will forgive him. Not present |
The Apostle of God - may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him -
hath also said: "He that looketh upon the sea at eventide, and saith: 'God is
Most Great!' at sunset, God will forgive his sins, though they be heaped as
piles of sand. And he that counteth forty waves, while repeating: 'God is Most Great!' - exalted be He - God will forgive his sins, both past and future." |
Present, pp. 116-7 'inda az-zawal mithl raml same Tradition adds: Allah after yukabbara ma taqadama min dhunubihi wa ma ta'akhira |
Present, pp. 14-5, hina tagharabat (?) ash-shams fatakabbara 'inda ghurubiha akthar min ar-raml separate Tradition adds: fi'l-bahr dhunubihi ma taqadama min min ha wa ma ta'akhira Adds at the end: wa inna al-amwaj latahta adh-dhunub hattan |
The Apostle of God - may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon Him -
hath said: "He that looketh upon the sea a full night is better than he who
passeth two whole months betwixt the Rukn and the Maqam. And he that hath been brought up on the shores of the sea is better than he that hath been brought up elsewhere. And he that lieth on the shore is as he that standeth elsewhere." |
Present, p. 117 man nazara fi'l-bahr laylatan kamilatan kana afdal min shahrayn kamilatayn Present |
Present, p. 15-16 man tala'a fi'l-bahr laylatan tamatan kana afdal min 'ibada shahrayn Not present |
Traditions: - stating that keeping watch by the shore is better that a month of fasting. - stating that saying "God is most great" once or twice while looking to the sea is better than a spear wound received in the path of God - he who says "God is most great" while looking to the sea is better than one who travels from east to west upon horseback in the path of God - no rising by night or fasting by day is equivalent to the guard who says "God is most great" once or twice while looking to the sea - long Tradition which begins by recounting the station of 'A'ishah and goes say that when 'A'ishah learned that a man was from Akka, she raised her veil and said: "Praise be to God that I have seen one of the people of Paradise." She then asks whether he has drunk from the Spring of the Cow and there then occurs the statement and the Traditions relating to the Spring of the Cow noted above (in a different order in Epistle to the Son of the Wolf). She then says that the Messenger of God said that walking upon the paths of Akka is better than saying prayers in any other mosque and that keeping watch in Akka is as if one received a spear wound in the path of God. |
Not present (except as noted) | Present, p. 16-23
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