Burial Ceremony of Mrs. Ashraf Khanjani – Wife of Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, a Baha’i prisoner, along with pictures from the cemetery

March 12, 2011
Funeral of Mrs. Ashraf Khanjani

Dear friends, many thanks to the Blessed Beauty, who in the middle of our current difficulties makes use of events taking place in this blessed country as a tool to advance His great Cause. This morning the funeral of Mrs. Ashraf Khanjani took place, while her husband Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, who is imprisoned in Gohardasht Prison [also known as Rajai Shahr Prison], was not able to attend. Despite the efforts of his children, Mr. Khanjani was not only not allowed to visit his wife in the last minutes of her life, but also was not allowed to attend her funeral, even though according to Iranian law prisoners who have been convicted have the right to take a five day leave every two months.

Today’s ceremony in the early spring weather of Golestan Javid, a Baha’i cemetery, was a sign of the unifying power of the Faith of God. More than 5000 individuals, including Baha’is and non-Baha’is, attended the funeral with loving and peaceful spirits, not only to show their respect for this loving believer of Baha’u’llah, but also to show solidarity with the Baha’i community of Iran, and especially the innocent imprisoned Baha’is .

This ceremony, which was organized in less than a day, gathered the Baha’i friends of Iran, most of whom were fasting*, without the presence of any administrative bodies of the Faith, in such an orderly manner that it brought joy to the hearts of the believers who could use this opportunity to meet and visit with one another, and astonished the non-Baha’i attendees that such a big group of people could gather together in a spiritual atmosphere with the utmost serenity and love for one another.

Police and security officers were present at the cemetery from early in the morning, well before the arrival of the mourners. However, even they were surprised by the orderliness, serenity, and spirituality of the crowd, especially at a time when all Baha’i institutions have been closed and cancelled. Most of the drivers of public transportation, who were all Muslim, praised these qualities of the Baha’is present. The presence of dozens of flower wreaths sent by Baha’i communities in various cities of Iran, as well as by friends of the family, created a beautiful scene that was praised by all who attended the ceremony.

After preparing her body for burial in complete silence, the opening prayer was chanted, followed by the recital, in a manner of utmost spirituality, of the Baha’i prayer for the departed**, by Mr. Ala’uddin Khanjani (the only son of the departed).

Truly, the verses of the prayer described the spirit and situation of the Baha’is of Iran:

We all, verily, worship God.
We all, verily, bow down before God.
We all, verily, are devoted unto God.
We all, verily, give praise unto God.
We all, verily, yield thanks unto God.
We all, verily, are patient in God.

After the prayer for the departed, the deceased’s body was carried to the burial site; after chanting three prayers, the ceremony was concluded. At this point the crowd left the cemetery, in orderly lines, and with the utmost calmness.

—
Translation by Iran Press Watch

[* These are the days of the Baha’i fast; for further information, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baha%27i_fast.]
[** See relevant section of http://bahaikipedia.org/Prayer.]

Source: http://eybaha1.blogspot.com/2011/03/blog-post_11.html
and http://www.iranpresswatch.org/fa/post/2429