4.    Austria
The Emperor Franz Joseph (God passes by, p.208 and p.226) is addressed in Aqdas. Aqdas, E.T., PP.47-48: “O king of Austria, the Rising-place of the light of Unity was in prison at Acre when thou wentest about to the futherest Mosque (Al-Masjid al-Aqsa). Thou didst pass by and afterwards did not ask about Him, He for Whom every house was raised up and every towering door was opened. We made it the meeting-place (prayer-direction) for the world for my remembrance, and thou didst neglect the One mentioned when He appeared with the kingdom of God, thy lord and the lord of worlds. We were with thee in all circumstances. We found thee clinging to the branch and careless about the root. Thy lord is a witness of what I say. Sorrows overtook us because we saw thee going about Our Name, not knowing that we are before thy face. Open thine eyes to see this noble spectacle, to know upon when thou callest night and, and day to see the light shining from this flashing horizon.”

The occasion of this outburst was the omission of Franz Joseph to inquire about Baha in the course of a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

In his letter addressed to Count Gobineau from Acre, (see Baha's epistle from Acre) Baha admits to have submitted his case in detail to the ambassador of the illustrious Austrian Government, soliciting his favour to set things right.
Baha’s reproof of the Emperor compares ill with his solicitation to the emperor’s ambassador to give him a helping hand to have his grievances redressed.

In God Passes By, p. 208, and P. 226, Shoghi Effendi brands the king of Austria as “the arbitrary and unyielding Francis Joseph, emperor of Austria and king of Hungary, and heir of the Holy Roman Empire, who neglected his manifest duty to inquire about Bahaullah during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land.”

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