Explore Knowledge

I remember we were speaking one night, and I said, “Shoghi Effendi, you know the way that the administrative order in America grew and developed, and I know the matchless way in which you did this thing, it was almost the work of a genius, the way you accomplished and built this Cause and made […]

No mere mortal in His day could claim to be His teacher. He learned well and thoroughly. When, late in His life, Bahá’u’lláh took up residence at Bahji, the Master remained in ‘Akka to attend to a multitude of details, which otherwise might have distracted Bahá’u’lláh from His writing. But frequently the Master carried news […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá went to a Christmas party for the poor, and He was so kind and sweet to the children that many of them thought He was Father Christmas and started to sing a song in his praise! Children always loved Him, and though they were not used to seeing oriental gentlemen in flowing robes and […]

A cat purring beside His chair would amuse Him: this cat, He remarked, is indeed joyous, so carefree, so free of fear. – H. M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdul’l-Baha: The Centre of the Covenant of Baha’u’llah, p. 415 One of interesting incidents I remember well is about a parrot which was presented to the Master. He had […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, then only eight years old, was broken-hearted at the ruthless treatment of His adored Father. The child suffered agonies, as a description of the tortures was related in His hearing – the cruel scourging of the feet, the long miles Bahá’u’lláh had to walk afterwards, barefooted, heavy chains cutting into the delicate flesh, the […]

The Báb, during his life, had a certain follower who was specially devoted to him. On one occasion he visited this man in his home. His host said to him that his visit filled him with the greatest happiness of his life; but that he had one sorrow of which he wished to speak. He […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Visit to Canada An Address By Hugh Church (2852 words) In 1912, Montreal was—by any measure—the most important city in the adolescent Dominion of Canada and its wealthy English-speaking population occupied the peak of Canadian “high society.” They lived in the so-called Square Mile, the district west of downtown and between Sherbrooke Street and […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the true Exemplar of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh demonstrated this form of detachment by His actions. Throughout His life, He never wished to exalt His name nor did He seek publicity for Himself. For instance, He had an immense dislike of being photographed. He said ‘… to have a picture of oneself is to […]

One day, whilst I was driving with Mrs. Cropper and the Master, she said: “Master, are you not longing to be back at Haifa with your beloved family?” He smiled and said: “I wish you to understand that you are both as truly my dear daughters, as beloved by me, as are those of whom […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá was released from prison in 1908 because of the revolt of the Young Turks against the Ottoman Emperor ‘Abdu’l-Hamid. Almost immediately, Western believers began petitioning Him to visit their countries. The Americans, in particular, were eager for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to visit their shores, but he made it plain that he would not visit there until […]

From January to April, through the worst part of winter, with small children, and elderly relatives, with insufficient food and inappropriate clothing they struggled through the freezing mountain ranges. It was so bitterly cold that they could not speak; there was so much snow, wind and ice that at times they could not move. But […]

There was a large agricultural convention and State Fair in town when they arrived which interested the Master. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited the agricultural exhibition and spent some time exploring it. He visited a display of agricultural machines, asking about their cost and use, then went to the area where fruits and vegetables were displayed. As He […]

Gracious God! That royal edifice was once splendidly decked forth and fair. But there are spiders’ webs today, where hung the curtains of gold brocade, and where the king’s drums beat and his musicians played, the only sound is the harsh cries of kites and crows. “This is verily the capital of the owl’s realm, […]

Strife of any kind seemed to hurt him [Bahá’u’lláh]; more, however, because of the unhappiness which it brought upon others than because of the discomfort which it caused him. It was his habit, for the sake of peace and to quell strife, to take all blame upon himself where possible, and to seek to pacify […]

[‘Abdu’l-Bahá said]: “Strange indeed that after 20 years of training in colleges and universities man should reach such a station wherein he will deny the existence of the ideal or that which is not perceptible to the senses. Have you ever stopped to think that the animal already has graduated from such a university? Have […]

The Master spoke of the many letters He had answered that morning and of the packages still unopened. Mr Kinney said: “I will write Your letters for You!” Our Lord: “Very good; very good. Write a letter and answer it yourself. Look into your heart and see the answer. The answer is what is written […]

Bahá’u’lláh could trust ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with the most difficult of tasks as He knew He would never waver. One such task was that of building a Shrine for the Báb on Mount Carmel, above what was then the small town of Haifa, facing the Mediterranean Sea. One of many obstacles which developed was the owner of […]

He wasn’t interested in the man. He wasn’t interested in his clothes. All he was interested in was interested in was his character and his devotion to the Cause. Someone knocked on the door of the Western pilgrim house, and I opened the door, and a man arrived very poorly dressed and rather a nondescript […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá went to the home of Rafael and Mrs. Pumpelly to meet some of Dublin’s elite. Mr. Pumpelly had been a well-known geologist, a professor of mining at Harvard University. When someone asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for a story, Mrs. Parsons quickly suggested story of Ios, a pretty Persian tale with a moral. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told the story […]

But it was not the same with Thornton Chase. That great man, who had been a captain in the Civil War, a student at Brown University, and later Superintendent of Agencies for the Union Mutual Life Company, and was ‘the first to embrace the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh in the Western world’–felt that the Bahá’ís, himself […]

Night hath succeeded day, and day hath succeeded night, and the hours and moments of your lives have come and gone, and yet none of you hath, for one instant, consented to detach himself from that which perisheth. Bestir yourselves, that the brief moments that are still yours may not be dissipated and lost. Even […]

Whereas riches may become a mighty barrier between man and God, and rich people are often in great danger of attachment, yet people with small worldly possessions can also become attached to material things. The following Persian story of a king and a dervish illustrates this. Once there was a king who had many spiritual […]

The Covenant–breakers had been busy in Kenosha trying to take advantage of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit. The previous May, Shu’a’u’llah, the son of the Arch–breaker of the Covenant, Mirza Mohammad Ali, had written a letter to the Kenosha evening news. Published on the front page, the letter attacked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, accusing him of trying to substitute his own […]

In the spring season Bahá’u’lláh used to stay at Mazra’ih for some time.[ Bahá’u’lláh did not live at Mazra’ih or Bahji all the time. He used to go and stay in ‘Akká sometimes] Mazra’ih is situated at a distance of about two farsangs [about 12 kilometers] from the city of ‘Akká. To attain His presence […]

One of the greatest privileges we had during our visit was to be present when the Ashes of the Báb were moved to their final resting place on Mt. Carmel. It is beyond me to depict the beauty and solemnity of that scene. Our Lord was indescribably grand. We saw Him for the first time […]

Munirih Khánum, who later became the wife of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, met Khadijih-Bagum before leaving Persia for Holy Land. She was living at the time in Isfahan, a city about 200 miles north of Shiraz, and was summoned to ‘Akka by Bahá’u’lláh. Accompanied by a believer by the name of Shaykh Salman who was instructed by Bahá’u’lláh […]

My mother, my Aunt Khánum, my three sisters, and I lived in the bigger house at `Akká with our beloved Father; Bahá’u’lláh lived at Bahji. At this time the people of the place greatly respected and honoured Him and the Master, and we were as happy as was possible in the unhealthy atmosphere of `Akká. […]

Husayn-‘Ali [later known as Bahá’u’lláh] was born November 12, 1817, at dawn when the birds begin their songs. He was born in the land of Persia, in the city of Tehran. According to the Muslim calendar used in Persia, the day of His birth was the second day of the month of Muharram in the […]

It took some time for the news of Bahá’u’lláh’s Declaration to reach the believers in Persia. In the first place, methods of communication were still primitive. Secondly, the dissemination of such important news had to be carried out with wisdom. Only the insight and devotion of Bahá’u’lláh’s disciples could bring this about, which is one […]

During our sojourn in Adrianople, Bahá’u’lláh’s custom was to walk only in the garden of the house, which was also His prison. Here the friends crowded, weeping and wailing, refusing to be comforted. They determined to resist the separation; great was the tumult. Many telegrams were sent to the Government at Constantinople. At length we […]

It was in 1853 when Bahá’u’lláh was banished to Baghdad. Bahá’í historians report the following occurrence; Mirza Aqa Jan himself has testified: “The Blessed Beauty evinced such sadness that the limbs of my body trembled.” “He has, likewise, related, as reported by Nabil in his narrative, that, shortly before Bahá’u’lláh’s retirement, he had on one […]

One day, near a village in the mountains, Bahá’u’lláh saw a young boy weeping bitterly. My father, always compassionate for anyone in sorrow, especially if it were a child, said, “Little man, why art thou weeping?” The boy looked up at the one who spoke, and saw a dervish! “Oh Sir!” and he fell to […]

A number of times during his life, particularly in the years immediately following the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi retired to Switzerland to regain health, energy and self-confidence.  He lived a very physically rigorous life here.  Rúhíyyih Khánum wrote of “the Bernese Alps, where he had spent so many months of his life walking and climbing.”  […]

Driving home, we came to the most spectacular waterfall, foaming down a black precipice. The Master peremptorily stopped the car and with a sort of excitement got out of it; then walked to the very edge of the precipice. After standing there for some time, His eyes fixed on that long, shining torrent, which seemed […]

How an Iranian Mullah became a Bahá’í! The story goes back to some 60 years ago. Mohammad Movahed was a young Muslim priest who had entered the priesthood at an early age.He was around 7 when he asked his father to let him join a Maddreseh of Mullahs, a seminar for becoming a priest. He […]

On one occasion an unfriendly Governor, hating these peaceful, honest Bahá’ís, thought of a plan for destroying their means of livelihood. He gave orders to the police: “There are fifteen shops owned by Bahá’ís; go to-morrow morning early, lock them up and bring the keys to me.” The Master called the Bahá’ís to Him that […]

At another meeting later in the month, someone asked about the long lives of some people in the Bible. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explained that the long lives mentioned in certain books and narratives have a different basis. For instance, it was the custom in former times to mention the dynasty or family by the name of one […]

Over a hundred guests had come to welcome the Master. Florence’s mother Alice Breed had baked Him a birthday cake with sixty-eight candles, and to symbolize universality and the love many bore Him then and would in increasing numbers bear Him down the ages, had decorated it with tiny flags of the United States, Persia […]

At a time when Juliet Thompson’s mother was suffering much grief because her son’s fiancée, both brilliant and beautiful, did not want to make friends with his family, she received an invitation to visit ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Though she was opposed to Juliet’s work for the Bahá’í Faith and a thunderstorm was raging, she got her rubbers […]

Elizabeth Greenleaf was a tall, aristocratic and very lovely lady who, for very many summers, occupied the cottage at Green Acre that was known as the tea house. It was in the living room of this cottage that she told this story. It seems that for a great many years she had longed for a […]

These words are especially poignant when one thinks of Thomas’s young age, of the influence he demonstrated both during his life and after his death. For, truly, he was unlike anyone else. The spiritual maturity he evinced was that of a much older person. Thomas continued a fortnightly correspondence with Dr Yunis Khan, who shared […]

He had left orders that none were to be turned away, but one who had twice vainly sought his presence, and was, through some oversight, prevented from seeing him, wrote a heartbreaking letter showing that he thought himself rebuffed. It was translated by the Persian interpreter. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at once put on his coat, and, turning […]

At first, on going to her aunt’s, my mother would take me with her; but one day, returning unusually late, we found Abbas Effendi surrounded by a band of boys who had undertaken to personally molest him. He was standing in their midst as straight as an arrow – a little fellow, the youngest and […]

Haji Muhammad-Baqir was a well-known merchant, foremost among the believers in faith, certitude and enthusiasm, and was serving the Cause with devotion and self-sacrifice. This man attained the presence of Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad. There He wrote a letter to Him and begged for wealth and prosperity. In answer, this exalted and wonderful Tablet was revealed […]

From the very beginning he [Shoghi Effendi] turned to the believers, with that inimitable trusting and confiding touch that won all hearts, and asked them to pray for him, that he might, in collaboration with them, achieve the “speedy triumph of the Cause of God” in every land. His questions are challenging, his thoughts incisive: […]

Dr. Bagdadi states that when Shoghi Effendi was only five years old he was pestering the Master to write something for him, whereupon ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote this touching and revealing letter in His own hand: He is God! O My Shoghi, I have no time to talk, leave me alone! You said “write” — I have […]

A day or two later, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá talked about charitable works: “As charitable works become praiseworthy, people often perform them merely for the sake of fame and to gain benefit for themselves, as well as to attract people’s admiration. But this does not render needless the teachings of the Prophets because it is spiritual morals that […]

She said Constantinople was the gossips’ Home Sweet Home, and complimented herself on attracting little attention. What with her modest way of life: ‘I have no dog to “keep the boys off”‘ she told the family, but judging by a few things that happened, ‘I fear that were I ever to become a widow — […]

He also tells us the story of Shoghi Effendi’s first Tablet from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Dr. Bagdadi states that when Shoghi Effendi was only five years old he was pestering the Master to write something for him, whereupon ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote this touching and revealing letter in His own hand: He is God! O My Shoghi, I have […]

Early in the days of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s imprisonment in the barracks in ‘Akka, news of His wisdom spread from a butcher’s shop. He and a few of Bahá’u’lláh’s companions had left the barracks to procure food and other necessary items from the markets. In the butcher’s shop where the Master waited to be served, a Muslim […]

On Christmas night 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited a Salvation Army shelter in London. A thousand homeless men were enjoying a special Christmas dinner. He spoke to them as they ate, reminding them that Jesus had been poor and that it was easier for the poor than the rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The men […]

The Master considered cleanliness of vital importance. He was indeed ‘the essence of cleanliness’ even as Bahá’u’lláh had taught His followers. Florence Khánum bore witness to this, for she found Him ‘dazzlingly, spotlessly… shining, from snowy turban-cloth, to white, snowy hair falling upon his shoulders, to white snowy beard and long snowy garment… Although it […]

Our American friends requested that the Master ask us, the Persians, to alter our attire to suit the circumstances of the time and place, changing everything except our Persian hats and coats. He replied, `What harm is there in it? I do not care much about what is unimportant and what is not harmful to […]

During the whole drive He was always discovering lovely things and with vivid animation pointing them out to us: the bright green of the fields and hills, the neat villages, a spire rising from a cluster of Swiss houses, or from some lonely spot on a mountain. A tiny village, high among the peaks, caught […]

Mrs. Parsons had a red shawl and one day she asked the Master the significance of the color. He replied that “red expressed activity, but if taken to extremes could stimulate war.” Of the other colors, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said that “Green expressed joy, yellow was indicative of love, blue promoted thought and black expressed sorrow.” He […]

Ruhiyyih Khanum said she had a dream one night: she dreamed that the dam had burst and that there was a great flood, She rushed down to the water’s edge to try to save someone, but the current swept them past. She reached out to try to grasp and save another. She grasped one by […]

He had left orders that none were to be turned away, but one who had twice vainly sought his presence, and was, through some oversight, prevented from seeing him, wrote a heartbreaking letter showing that he thought himself rebuffed. It was translated by the Persian interpreter. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at once put on his coat, and, turning […]

A few days before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s journey to Boston, the landlord of the Hudson Apartment House had complained about the excessive comings and goings of the visitors. The Master had therefore decided that large meetings would take place at the Kinney home. Now, back in New York, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá moved completely out of the apartment hotel, since […]

Badasht is a village some distance from Tihrán in the northeast part of the country. The Conference of Badasht was held in July 1848. Eighty-one of the Báb’s most distinguished followers came together in this Conference. The principal participants were Bahá’u’lláh, Quddús and Táhirih. Although at firs Bahá’u’lláh did not appear to have any rank […]

An American family once wrote to the Master, asking if they might visit Him. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who had travelled so far without comforts, replied, ‘When you may travel in comfort, then you may come.’ So, in 1919, after the first World War, it was arranged that the Randalls, along with others, should start for Haifa, in […]

The most memorable instance of spiritual consultation was the meeting of the disciples of Jesus Christ upon the mount after His ascension. They said, “Jesus Christ has been crucified, and we have no longer association and intercourse with Him in His physical body; therefore, we must be loyal and faithful to Him, we must be […]

In Europe, on one occasion, remembering the desperate days in Tihran when Bahá’u’lláh was incarcerated, their home sacked and their properties confiscated, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá could yet say, ‘Detachment does not imply lack of means; it is marked by the freedom of the heart. In Tihran, we possessed everything at a nightfall, and on the morrow we […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá laid the cornerstone of the House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, on 1 May 1912. A temporary tent covered a spot of prairie overlooking Lake Michigan. People from different nationalities were on hand to ceremoniously turn over a bit of soil. An ordinary spade was used, but when the Master’s turn came He was […]

On the first afternoon, while driving, he expressed much interest in rural England, marvelling at the century-old trees, and the vivid green of the woods and downs, so unlike the arid East. “Though it is autumn it seems like spring,” he said. The houses with their little plots of ground, suggested a quotation which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá […]

At a later period of danger and crisis the Spanish Consul put an Italian freighter at the disposal of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in order that He might escape during the night, but He refused to flee to safety, though the Bahá’ís begged Him to do so. Instead He sent a message to the ship’s captain: ‘The Báb […]

Howard Colby Ives observed, ‘I have before spoken of His unfailing courtesy. It was really more than what that term usually connotes to the Western mind. The same Persian word is used for both reverence and courtesy. He “saw the Face of His Heavenly Father in every face” and reverenced the soul behind it. How […]

Mrs. Gibbons, a Bahá’í, had written the Master before His coming to the United States, requesting that her own daughter be allowed to paint His portrait. In His reply He consented to this request and added, according to Mrs. Gibbons, that Juliet Thompson would paint a portrait of Him. Juliet Thompson had long dreamed that […]

The American Bahá’í community was suffering from three ailments during those early years of the century: covenant breaking, the cult of the individual and racism. The first problem was due to Abraham Kheiralla’s. He learned of the Bahá’í faith in Cairo, then went to America in 1892 to teach the new faith, settling in Chicago. […]

This uncle did everything possible to discredit Bahá’u’lláh and the truth of the Message He had brought. But when he realized he was incapable of doing so, he went to a well-known Muslim clergy and pleaded for his assistance. He complained that Bahá’u’lláh had come to Nur and, although not of the clergy, was speaking […]

The great kindness that was such a prominent feature of Shoghi Effendi’s character is shown in the manner in which he conveyed to Khánum the news of the death of her beloved mother, May Maxwell: The devastating news of May Maxwell’s passing in Argentina was a terrible shock to  Rúhíyyih Khánum.  She often repeated the […]

Tuba Khánum: When my little sister, Ruh-AngiAsiyih, arrived, there was some disappointment that she was not a boy. Bahá’u’lláh said “I will love her more than all the rest; you must not wish that she had been a boy.” Little Ruh-Angiz loved Bahá’u’lláh very fervently. When He had passed from earth she was full of […]

I had a servant who was black; his name was Isfandiyar. If a perfect man could be found in the world, that man was Isfandiyar. He was the essence of love, radiant with sanctity and perfection, luminous with light. Whenever I think of Isfandiyar, I am moved to tears, although he passed away fifty years […]

Grace very much wanted to attend the Unity Feast at West Englewood, the Feast given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and now commemorated every year. But Dr Krug said Saturday was his only free day, and he wanted her to play golf with him. She asked the Master what to do. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said: ‘You must always consider the […]

One day walking down the mountain, Bahá’u’lláh heard the sound of crying, and there was a little boy, why was he weeping so bitterly? “Oh Sir! The schoolmaster has punished me for writing so badly! And now I have nothing to copy, and I cannot write and I dare not go back to school!” Bahá’u’lláh […]

When Shoghi Effendi was beginning to write The Advent of Divine Justice he was one day expatiating on this theme and suddenly stated that the United States was the most corrupt country politically in the world. I was simply stupefied by this remark as I had always taken it for granted that it was because […]

A woman visited the Master in Haifa, in May 1910. She later wrote about this visit, saying: ‘As He talked with me, I felt my heart soften under the influence of his goodness and kindness, and the tears came to my eyes. He asked me about myself, if I were well, and if I were […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the true Exemplar of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, demonstrated this form of detachment by His actions. He never in the course of His life wished to exalt His name, nor did He seek publicity for Himself. For instance, He had an immense dislike of being photographed. He said, ‘…to have a picture of oneself […]

Some evenings His meal consisted only of a cup of milk and a piece of bread. He described it as a healthy meal, and recalled that Bahá’u’lláh had said that during His sojourn in Sulaymaniyyih His food was just milk most of the time, and sometimes milk and rice cooked together. – H.M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá […]

The Master sometimes made His points through telling stories. Julia Grundy recorded the following story of His: ‘A master had a slave who was completely devoted to him. One day he gave the slave a melon which when cut open looked most ripe and delicious. The slave ate one piece, then another and another with […]

The Master went to the public park, which He greatly enjoyed. Walking by a lake, He saw the remains of the few marble pillars left by the 1906 earthquake. Looking at them, He said, “The world and its condition will change to such a degree and the Bahá’í Cause will prevail to such an extent […]

The Master was averse to divorce. In reply to a question, He said “It is not that divorce should be more easy, but that marriages should be more difficult.” In all the years that Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá were dwelling in Syria there was not one case of divorce among the Bahá’ís. The wife of an […]

One of the chief reasons for irreligion among people is that the leaders of religion, such as the Catholic priests, take a little bread and wine, breathe over it and then say that the bread is the flesh of Christ and the wine is the body of Christ. Of course, the man of understanding will […]

In the early days of the Faith in Isfahan, when I began to study the Tablets and Writings of the Báb, and listen to the explanations of the friends, I found the proofs of His Revelation convincing and conclusive and the testimonies supremely sound and perfect. So I was assured in myself that this Cause […]

Bahá’u’lláh and the Fishes Once upon a time there was a noble Vasir, a minister in the court of the Shah, the King of Persia. He was a good man, greatly respected, who helped those in need. The Vasir had a son whom he loved greatly. One night this Vasir had an extraordinary dream about […]

Tahirih loved pretty clothes, and perfumes, and she loved to eat. She could eat sweets all day long. Once, years after Tahirih had gone, an American woman traveled to ‘Akka and sat at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Table; the food was good; and she ate plentifully, and then asked the Master’s forgiveness for eating so much. He answered: […]

Another time he came over for dinner and he was rather disturbed. He had some cables from America about certain matters, and some actions had been taken, and he was a little disturbed at the actions which were taken, actually, and he started to talk about it, and discuss it, and he read the cable […]

The local Opera House had been rented for Abu’l-Fadl’s talks and it was packed. Probably more than a thousand people had come. And, before this crowd Abu’l-Fadl rose to speak. For a moment, he stood there, his eyes roving over all the lifted, waiting faces, and suddenly he thought ‘This trip is proving very successful! […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in California in 1912 a presidential election year. One October morning this election was mentioned during a conversation. The Master commented: ‘The president must be a man who is not hankering for the presidency. He should be a person free from all thoughts of name and fame; he must think himself unworthy of […]

The word “eliminate” was often on his lips; he would eliminate non-essentials, get rid quickly of secondary matters, push away the trivial debris of life. He used carry this process of elimination into his newspaper. He knew exactly which pages of The Times had the news he wanted to look at – the leaders, the […]

One who sought the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá realized the father-like sympathy which is his. Speaking of his and others’ love for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá the reply was: “I know that you love me, I can see that it is so. I will pray for you that you may be firm and serve in the Cause, becoming a […]

Munirih Khánum, wife of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who was the Greatest Branch of the Tree of Life had this to say: Five of my children died in the poisonous climate of `Akká. The bad air was, in truth, only the outside material reason. The inner spiritual reason was that no son of the Master should grow into […]

Hear how he treats his enemies. One instance of many I have heard will suffice. When the Master came to ‘Akká there lived there a certain man from Afghanistan [Haji Siddiq], an austere and rigid Mussulman [Muslim]. To him the Master was a heretic. He felt and nourished a great enmity towards the Master, and […]

In later years when trying to describe ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s presence for the believers, Leroy [Ioas] said ‘You have seen many pictures of the Master but what they don’t show you is the vibrant spirit that was coursing through Him at all times. All day long, starting at dawn, people would come to Him. They would hover […]

As the Master stepped down from the car, about fifteen peasant children with bunches of violets to sell closed in on Him, formed a half circle around Him, holding up the little purple bunches, raising their eyes to His Face with grave astonishment. They pressed so close that they hid Him below the waist, and […]

When, however, he realized that his deed had been exposed, he seized the pen of calumny and wrote unto the servants of God, attributing what he had himself committed unto Mine own peerless and wronged Beauty. His purpose was none other than to inspire mischief amongst God’s servants, and to instil hatred into the hearts […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s sense of justice and equality also embraced the quality of relationship between men and women. He once smilingly turned to the ladies in a group of listeners in America and said that, ‘in Europe and America, many men worked very hard so that their wives could have luxuries. He related, again with a smile, […]

Therefore we have commanded all the Bahá’ís in the Orient to study this language very carefully, and ere long it will spread all over the East. Therefore I request you also, non-Esperantists and fellow-Esperantists, to put your utmost exertion into the spread and promulgation of this language. – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Star of the West 1921 p […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself was known for often going swimming, and both He and his future wife Fatimih, whom was later renamed Munirih Khánum by Bahá’u’lláh, derived great enjoyment from it: At first, Fatimih lived in the house of Mirza Musa, Bahá’u’lláh’s brother. This was a house which had a view of the sea. That was nice […]

‘‘Abdu’l-Bahá used to come on foot two miles in the heat carrying flower-pots on His shoulders. He was an old, old man with white hair and white beard and He used to carry these flower-pots to the tomb of Bahá’u’lláh from one of the gardens in order to plant them near the tomb of His […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá insisted that all bills associated with His stay should be sent to Him. Everywhere He went on His travels, He always paid the cost in spite of many offers of financial help from others. – Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 154

As the Master went up the aisle he stopped and greeted Mrs. Dealy lovingly. She reached for his hand and said, “‘Abdu’l-Bahá, please put your hand on my four head, and I know a will see.” “Yes, my daughter,” He answered, “You will see. But you will have to choose. You may have your spiritual […]

Among the crowd, which hurled abuse at Bahá’u’lláh and pelted Him with stones, was an old woman. She stepped forward with a stone in her hand to strike at Him. Although frenzied with rage, her steps were too weak for the pace of the procession. ‘Give me a chance to fling my stone in His […]

Afterward Bahá’u’lláh was released from prison. We went to Baghdad, and Isfandiyar came there. He wanted to stay in the same home. Bahá’u’lláh, the Blessed Perfection, said to him, “When you fled away, there was a Persian minister who gave you shelter at a time when no one else could give you protection. Because he […]

The early believers in Akká not only observed the Bahá’í Fast, but also observed the Muslim 30-day Fast of Ramadan during their incarceration in the Most Great Prison! These are Thy servants, O my Lord, who have entered with Thee in this, the Most Great Prison, who have kept the fast within its walls according […]

It is related that His Holiness Christ — May my life be a sacrifice to Him! — one day, accompanied by His apostles, passed by the corpse of a dead animal. One of them said: ‘How putrid has this animal become!’ The other exclaimed: ‘How it is deformed!’ A third cried out: ‘What a stench! […]

Soon after the outbreak [of the war], Haifa, which was still under Turkish rule, was panic-stricken. Most of the inhabitants fled inland, fearing bombardment by the Allies. Those Bahá’í friends who were merchants suffered great losses, for all their stores of tea, sugar, etc., were commandeered by the Government, without payment. The friends, in spite […]

A story is recounted by Haji Mirza Haydar-‘Ali when he was staying at a khan[2] with some believers in one of the towns of Persia. He describes how two people knocked on his door at night out of curiosity to find out about the beliefs of the Bahá’ís. After some hours of talking, one of […]

He loved to present beautiful and sweet-smelling flowers to His numerous visitors. – J.E. Esslemont, Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, Chapter 4 The “ministry of flowers” was a feature of the life at Akká, of which every pilgrim brought away fragrant memories. Mrs. Lucas writes: — “When the Master inhales the odor of flowers, it […]

A Bahá’í who just returned from Iran told me the following story which apparently happened very recently in the city of Kerman (probably around March 1996). I am sure that someone will eventually record it properly and publish it along with other great stories from Iran . l have written it exactly as I heard […]

At one time enemies of the Master, Covenant-breakers who lived in the Mansion next to the Shrine, offered one of Bahá’u’lláh’s cloaks and a pair of His spectacles to the governor of Haifa. They encouraged him to go and visit ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with the cloak on his shoulders and with the glasses. When he came, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá […]

There was a time when the Covenant-Breakers ‘gave away the garments and personal effects of Bahá’u’lláh to government functionaries, to serve as chattels of bribery and to provide as well the means of humiliating ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. At their instigation the Deputy-Governor of Haifa would, whilst visiting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ostentatiously wear Bahá’u’lláh’s cloak and brazenly use His spectacles. […]

In the morning friends and seekers surrounded ‘Abdu’l-Bahá like moths. He spoke to them in these words: You must have deep love for one another. Go to see each other and be consoling friends to all. If a friend lives a little distance from the town, go to see him. Do not content yourselves with words […]

The present is always unimportant, but we must make our present so filled with mighty, altruistic deeds as to assume significant weight and momentous importance in the future. A shallow present will surely be followed by a superficial future. – Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 202

‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s generosity was natural to Him already in childhood. A story is recorded of the time when young ‘Abbas Effendi went to the mountains to see the thousands of sheep which His Father then owned. The shepherds, wishing to honour their young Guest, gave Him a feast. Before ‘Abbas was taken home at the close […]

Bahá’u’lláh’s brother’s heart turned cold against Him. The green eyed monster, jealousy, festered in Mirza Yahyah, this monster took possession of him, he lied, spread false rumours, sowed the seeds of doubt and suspicion in the hearts of the Bábís .What was Bahá’u’lláh to do? Early one morning, telling no-one, dressing in rough travellers clothes, […]

A major event during the Master’s visit to America was the dedication of the land for the first Bahá’í House of Worship of the western hemisphere in Wilmette, Illinois. Mrs. Nettie Tobin lived nearby in Chicago and was anxious to contribute something, despite the fact that she was not well off. The following is her […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá was so filled with love and the reflected Glory of God, the heritage from His Father, Bahá’u’lláh, that it radiated from Him like light from a lighthouse. Sometimes this was visible. Nina Mattieson told this story that Lady Blomfield had told her. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was speaking from the pulpit of a church in London and […]

Tahirih loved pretty clothes, and perfumes, and she loved to eat. She could eat sweets all day long. Once, years after Tahirih had gone, an American woman traveled to ‘Akka and sat at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Table; the food was good; and she ate plentifully, and then asked the Master’s forgiveness for eating so much. He answered: […]

The Master turned again to me and said: “At the present time the British Empire is the greatest and is still expanding and its language is a world language. My future Vazir shall receive the preparation for his weighty office in England itself, after he has obtained here in Palestine a fundamental knowledge of the […]

When Dorothy Baker realised she was leaving the company of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for the last time, he comforted with these words, which are amongst the sweetest of farewells between friends: “We have sat together many times, and we will see each other again, and will recount what befell us in the pathway of God… and we will laugh […]

One early pilgrim noted that grace was not said before meals. She mentioned this to the Master, to which He replied, ‘My heart is in a continual state of thanksgiving and so often those accustomed to this form say the words with the lips merely, and their hearts are far from being in a state […]

Mable Ives, after she married Howard Colby Ives (my father) became known to many who loved her as Rizwanea. For very many years, after they were married, my father and Rizwanea traveled and taught the Faith. It was their entire life. They traveled through the New England states, through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, New York and […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá took a carriage ride to the top of Monsalvat, a part of the Green Acre property. After walking around and talking alone with Sarah Farmer, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá returned to the others, and, waving His arms, announced, “This is where the first Bahá’í university will be built”. Then He pointed to the center of the area […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá learned well the meaning of Bahá’u’lláh’s words: ‘Beware, lest thou allow anything whatsoever to grieve thee.’ Acquainted with sorrow, He was known to shed tears when He spoke of the hardships endured by Bahá’u’lláh, His family and His followers who went into exile with Him. Sometimes He appeared sad because not more people were […]

Once, when I lived in Baghdad,” He [‘Abdu’l-Bahá] went on, “I was invited to the house of a poor thorn-picker. In Baghdad the heat is greater even than in Syria; and it was a very hot day. But I walked twelve miles to the thorn-picker’s hut. Then his wife made a little cake out of […]

Then He dismissed us, saying, “Go and rest.” . . . Alas for the sin of disobedience! He had said “Go and rest.” But we were so anxious to write down His words while they were fresh in our minds that we stayed in the dining room until late, and — shameful to confess after […]

This is a remarkable description of Mr. Furutan’s last minutes of his mortal life. It is truly amazing . . . I would like to share with you the most memorable and distinctive moment of my pilgrimage, which became a spiritual lesson and a lodestar, which enlightened the rest of my life. It happened 26th of […]

Prison walls themselves did not obscure the happiness in the heart of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. In prison He could write, ‘Grieve not because of my imprisonment and calamity; for this prison is my beautiful garden, my mansioned paradise and my throne of dominion among mankind. My calamity in my prison is a crown to me in which […]

Buddha had disciples and he wished to send them out into the world to teach, so he asked them questions to see if they were prepared as he would have them be. “When you go to the East and to the West,” said the Buddha, “and the people shut their doors to you and refuse […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke to a group of physicians on the use of diet to cure diseases. He then expanded the subject to include the need for a Divine Physician to cure intellectual diseases. He told them that: “. . . one of the chief reasons for irreligion among people is that the leaders of religion, such […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá stayed, once again, in the Hotel Marquardt. During this second visit to Stuttgart, which also lasted a week, He was mostly unwell. The cold contracted in Budapest had persisted and was now affecting His chest. The Bahá’ís of Stuttgart had arranged and advertised a meeting for the evening of the 25th at the Burger […]

In the morning, after His obligatory prayer and supplications, the Master invited us into His presence and served us tea with His own hand. He spoke of the blessings and confirmations of the Ancient Beauty, the Greatest Name: “This help and assistance are from Him and these confirmations are through His bounty and favor; otherwise, […]

Before his departure from Minneapolis on the morning of 20 September, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told His followers, “You must have a deep love for one another. Go to see each other and be consoling friends to all. If a friend lives a little distance from the town, go to see him.” – Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their […]

You ask me how we can accustom ourselves to homelessness. Our own vine and fig tree is a natural desire to the children of men; there is nothing reprehensible in this desire. Bahá’u’lláh has provided for this in His Law, dignifying the home and hospitality as a means of serving God. Nevertheless there are a […]

Recently I’ve been reading Prophet’s Daughter, the biography of Bahíyyih Khánum by Janet Khan.  Despite all the drama and spiritual significance of her life, the passages that have made an indelible impression upon me have been related to the most basic of human occupations.  Ms. Khan quotes from Ella Cooper’s description of Bahíyyih Khánum’s daily […]

Dr J. E. Esslemont, author of the often-printed Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s guest in Haifa for two and a half months in the winter of 1919-20. He observed, ‘Both at lunch and supper He used to entertain a number of pilgrims and friends, and charm His guests with happy and humorous stories […]

Another one of the qualities that you found in Shoghi Effendi, and which rather astonished me, was humility. I had studied a lot in the writings about humility. I had read a lot in the religious teachings about being humble, and I thought I knew a little bit about what it meant. But you knew […]

One of the most important pioneer families in the Fort Worth / Dallas area ws the Dobbins family. While Nancy (the mother of the community) passed away a number of years ago, Gordon (whose grandfather was brought into the Faith by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá back in 1912) was with us until just a few months ago. For […]

I went to the house of the late Haji. We called in appraisers and they collected all the jewels in an upper apartment; the ledgers and account books having to do with the properties were placed in a second room; the costly furnishings and art objects of the house in a third. A number of […]

Juliet Thompson has given us a sweet picture of the Master in ‘Akka: ‘He had sent for us that afternoon to meet Mr. Sprague and the Persian believers and, not being ready, I put on a dress I could slip into easily. As I passed the Master standing in His door: ‘I am afraid I […]

He told me He loved Mason Remey so much and He loved me so much that He wished us to marry. That was the meaning of His message to Mason. He said it would be a perfect union and good for the Cause. Then He asked me how I felt about it. I answered: “I […]

All the Bahá’ís in Iran loved and respected Haji Amin, and many wonderful stories are told about his sincerity and devotion. Once, when he was about to set off for the Holy Land, a very poor woman gave him a small coin to take with him. Haji Amin thanked her and put it in his […]

Harry Randall, once he had leaped the hurdle and become a Bahá’í was a very enthusiastic one. When Harlan told him about ‘guidance’ – what a mystery it was, and how earnestly Harlan himself was trying to understand and live under it Harry, too, began to try to apply it. One afternoon he started out […]

There was one of the pilgrims from Canada who was a member of the National Assembly, and it was the night of her departure before returning home to Canada. And she was talking to him about translating the Bahá’í literature into the Eskimo language. You see, up in the north of Canada, there are lots […]

For a while He was silent and we surrounded Him, silent. But after He had served the food He began to speak. He told us of the play The Terrible Meek which he had seen that afternoon. It is based on the Crucifixion. “But such a representation should be complete,” He said, and taken from […]

. . . then we come across one sentence which I believe is the most important in the whole of The Hidden Words. He says, “Rejoice with the joy of your own heart.” It is something that we have utterly forgotten. The western world has forgotten this for centuries. The art of meditation, the art […]

Soon after the arrival of Bahá’u’lláh and His party in ‘Akka the Governor visited the barracks for inspection. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, accompanied by a few believers, went to see him. But the Governor was discourteous and spoke to them in a provocative manner. He threatened to cut the supply of bread if one of the prisoners went […]

Khalil Gibran was a celebrated Lebanese poet and painter who happened to live across the street from Juliet Thompson, who knew him quite well. He worked on an Arab newspaper which left him free to paint and write. He showed Juliet almost all his books while they were still in manuscript. Gibran told her that […]

One day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was asked how one should live. His reply was, ‘Be kind to everyone.’ One must not ‘belittle the thought of another’. This kindness must reach out even to those who may suffer mental illness, as the Master so beautifully demonstrated when Mirza Aqa Jan, who had been the amaneunsis of Bahá-u-llah, became […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá anticipated that conditions of hardship would appear with these events, and began to instruct people in the villages of Nughayb, Samrih and ‘Adasiyyih in Palestine to grow prolific quantities of corn, much of which was harvested and stored in vast ancient Roman pits.  When World War I broke out, this corn was used to […]

[‘Abdu’l-Bahá said]: “Strange indeed that after 20 years of training in colleges and universities man should reach such a station wherein he will deny the existence of the ideal or that which is not perceptible to the senses. Have you ever stopped to think that the animal already has graduated from such a university? Have […]

One day in London ‘Abdu’l-Bahá heard laughter coming from the kitchen. Delighted, He joined the happy people. ‘It appeared that the Persian servant had remarked: “In the East women wear veils and do all the work.” To which [the] English housekeeper had replied: “In the West women don’t wear veils, and take good care that […]

Another characteristic always apparent was His silence. In the world of social and intellectual intercourse to which I was accustomed silence was almost unforgivable. From the collegiate with his, or her, “line,” to the lawyer, doctor, minister, statesman-a ready answer, a witty bon mot, a wise remark, a knowing smile was stock-in-trade. They all had […]

One of the emigrants who died along the way to the Holy Land was Zaynu’l-‘Abidin of Yazd. When, in Manshad, this devoted man first heard the cry of God, he was awakened to restless life. A holy passion stirred him, his soul was made new. The light of guidance flamed from the lamp of his […]

Bahá’u’lláh’s family were full of grief, they had not seen Him for almost two years. Even His jealous brother Mirza Yahyah wanted Him to return, but what could they do? There was no word of Him, they did not even know if he was still alive. His little son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá longed to see his father […]

John [Bosch] was present on November 19 at the Master’s last public talk; ‘Abdu’l-Bahá pointed to John on this occasion and addressed the talk to him: He spoke of divine love, and how different it is from human love, which fails in the testing and in which there is no element of self-sacrifice. He told […]

They are gathered here to commemorate Thy bright and holy handmaid, a leaf of Thy green Tree of Heaven, a luminous reality, a spiritual essence, who ever implores Thy tender compassion [Fatimih Begum, widow of the King of Martyrs]. She was born into the arms of Divine wisdom, and she suckled at the breast of […]

Afterward Bahá’u’lláh was released from prison. We went to Baghdad, and Isfandiyar came there. He wanted to stay in the same home. Bahá’u’lláh, the Blessed Perfection, said to him, “When you fled away, there was a Persian minister who gave you shelter at a time when no one else could give you protection. Because he […]

Why Do Manifestations Appear in Human Form? Janaab-i-Muhammad Quli Khan-i-Nakha’ee, was an influential and rich local man, who believed in Bahá’u’lláh, and lived in Khusef which is part of Birjand. As a result of his acceptance of the Faith, most of his relatives also became Bahá’ís. This Janaab-i-Nakha’ee went on pilgrimage to Akka to attain […]

Before leaving London, the Master officiated a wedding of a young Persian couple. The full account can be read at http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/ABL/abl-38.html , but the sweetness of the event struck me in the description of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asking the bride and groom, in turn, if they loved each other with their all their heart and soul. That modest question and […]

On March 25, 1911, at the behest of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Louis Gregory sailed from New York through Europe to Egypt and Palestine to go on pilgrimage. In Palestine, Gregory met with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi and visited the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh and the Shrine of the Báb. After he had returned to Egypt from Palestine, the […]

Ibn-i-Asdaq often accompanied his father on his teaching tours throughout Persia. Thus he became imbued with the spirit of service to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh and eventually developed a passionate love for Him, a love that knew no bounds. He was about thirty years of age when he sent a letter to the presence of […]

Every day, the jailors would enter the cell and would call out the name of one of the Bábís, ordering him to arise and follow them to the foot of the gallows. With eagerness, the owner of the name would respond to that call. His chains removed, he would jump to his feet and, in […]

“I have come hither,” He said, “to find that material civilization has progressed greatly, but the spiritual civilization has been left behind. The material civilization is likened unto the glass of a lamp chimney. The spiritual civilization is like the light in that chimney. The material civilization should go hand-in-hand with the spiritual civilization. Material […]

It seems almost inconceivable that Mr. Ioas could render any more extraordinary services, but he did.  There was one service that meant more than any other, to Shoghi Effendi. An apartment building in which the Covenant-breakers lived, was positioned immediately in front of the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh and the Mansion of Bahji.  Every time ‘Abdu’l-Bahá […]

Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God! Thou seest me in this day shut up in my prison, and fallen into the hands of Thine adversaries, and beholdest my son (The Purest Branch) lying on the dust before Thy face. He is Thy servant, O my Lord, whom Thou hast caused to be related […]

Our grief was intense when my father left us. He told none of us either where he was going or when he would return. He took no luggage, only a little rice, and some coarse bread. So we, my mother, my brother `Abbas and I, clung together in our sorrow and anxiety. Subh-i-Azal [Mírzá Yahyá] […]

During part of the Master’s trip East in the United States ‘Again He would not take Pullman accommodations, even though requested by the friends, saying that they should not be dependent on bodily comforts: “We must be equal to the hardships of traveling like a soldier in the path of Truth and not be slaves […]

At one point on the parade route, there was a special section roped off. When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, with His flowing robes and majestic bearing, walked up to the roped-off section, a reporter quickly took advantage to get a story, which appeared the next day on the front page of the newspaper. As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá returned to His […]

In the days of Shoghi Effendi’s childhood it was the custom to rise about dawn and spend the first hour of the day in the Master’s room, where prayers were said and the family all had breakfast with Him. The children sat on the floor, their legs folded under them, their arms folded across their […]

One person asked if, because of their abundance in Dublin, there was any good in flies or mosquitoes. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá answered, saying: . . . “The same benefit that you have given to the world, the mosquito has. You say the mosquito harms and sucks the human blood; but you kill animals and eat them. Therefore, […]

It was June of 1847. An immense crowd of people thronged the gate of the city of Tabriz to witness the very first time that the Báb entered their city. Some were merely curious, while others were earnestly trying to find out if the Báb were in truth such a wondrous figure as they had […]

In Islamic communities music had been condemned by the clergy because they considered it to be conducive to pleasure and leading man to lust. In Persia, during the early days of the Faith, musicians were denounced by religious leaders as agents of Satan. The stigma attached to music was so distasteful that musicians had to […]

On the [day] of the first Naw-Ruz (1909), which He celebrated after His release from His confinement, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had the marble sarcophagus transported with great labor to the vault prepared for it, and in the evening, by the light of a single lamp, He laid within it, with His own hands — in the presence […]

The essence of the message of every religion the world has known is the love of God. To this end, Bahá’u’lláh has given us many beautiful writings. In one particularly apt Hidden Word, He said, ”O Son of Being! Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My love can in […]

Mrs. Gibbons, a Bahá’í, had written the Master before His coming to the United States, requesting that her own daughter be allowed to paint His portrait. In His reply He consented to this request and added, according to Mrs. Gibbons, that Juliet Thompson would paint a portrait of Him. Juliet Thompson had long dreamed that […]

amal was one of those who read the text of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas soon after it was revealed. Bahá’u’lláh permitted him to copy some excerpts and share them with the believers. According to his own testimony, he asked Bahá’u’lláh to make him exempt from obedience to the laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Bahá’u’lláh granted him his wish […]

‘Abdu’l- Bahá later spoke of the station of Grace Krug, stating that: “The time will come when her whole family will be proud of Mrs. Krug for her faith. Her husband is still distant and heedless; the time will come when he will feel himself exalted on account of Mrs. Krug’s faith. I see what […]

Those who have been with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá notice how, often after speaking earnestly with people, He will suddenly turn and walk away to be alone. At such time no one follows him. – Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p.38

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: How are you? I am very glad to see you. Mr. Tinsley: I am well excepting this broken leg which has kept me in bed a long time. I am impatient to be up and out to work for the [Bahá’í] Cause. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:—You must not be sad. This affliction will make you spiritually stronger. […]

My son, Ethan Olinga, who is ten years old now, was sung to during pregnancy and early months of his life as I fed him, just as the Master says mothers should. He was also exposed to the photo of the Master and always encouraged to have an independent relationship with him.  When he was […]

The Master also dearly loved His devoted disciple, Juliet Thompson. In her diary she wrote about a visit with Him in New York City in November 1912. One day she wrote, ‘I had been very naughty with Mamma that day and had grieved her. My precious mother was brought up in luxury, lived in luxury […]

The present is always unimportant, but we must make our present so filled with mighty, altruistic deeds as to assume significant weight and momentous importance in the future. A shallow present will surely be followed by a superficial future. – Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 202

A young Bahá ‘i lady pioneered to Bolivia in the 1930 s to open it to the Faith. Having no success in teaching anyone, she began to write to the Guardian expressing feelings of failure. With each passing month she wrote and he replied encouraging her to stay, to remain steadfast, to have faith and […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá returned to the same theme the next day when speaking about the peace conference: Once I wrote the Persian friends that if the workers of peace conferences do not apply in their own lives what they advocate, they are like those wine sellers, who convene and make emphatic speeches regarding the harmfulness of wine […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s love of God and Bahá’u’lláh brought a calm and a serenity which adverse circumstances could not shake, whether it be shots fired in the night, chains, locusts, bombardments of Haifa, or the threat of death. For example, He did not wish to conceal the chains with which He was ‘paraded through the streets’ accompanied […]

After Bahá’u’lláh’s confinement in the Most Great Prison in ‘Akka had ended, but while He was yet residing in the town, an Egyptian merchant, ‘Abdu’l-Karim, afire with God’s latest message, desired to visit Him. He wrote for permission to go on pilgrimage. He must have been greatly surprised when the reply arrived: he might go […]

The Guardian came over one evening. He was very happy and very enthused. He said, “We have some wonderful cables today.” So he read this cable, and it was from one of the islands in the Pacific. The pioneer who had been there had had been very discouraged. So every time he had written to […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá had taught the friends to grow nourishing vegetables, which, with the corn from His village of `Adasiyyih where there were marvellous crops – kept many from perishing of hunger. – Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway ‘One day in the Holy Land He told Harlan Ober, an American Bahá’í, that he was to go to […]

Mirza Mahmud was a youth when he arrived in Baghdad from Kashan. Aqa Rida became a believer in Baghdad. The spiritual condition of the two was indescribable. There was in Baghdad a company of seven leading believers who lived in a single, small room, because they were destitute. They could hardly keep body and soul […]

Bahá’u’lláh told the Pope that He, Bahá’u’lláh, was the Father Who had been promised by Christ, the Son. The very One the Pope was awaiting; the One in Whose Name the Pontiff held his position. There has been only a century of silence from the church. But the seeds were sown, and let us see […]

In Europe, on one occasion, remembering the desperate days in Tihran when Bahá’u’lláh was incarcerated, their home sacked and their properties confiscated, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá could yet say, ‘Detachment does not imply lack of means; it is marked by the freedom of the heart. In Tihran, we possessed everything at a nightfall, and on the morrow we […]

Before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrived, Ali-Kuli Khan considered what questions he would ask Him upon His arrival. Dr. Khan realized that the one thing he wanted most to know was some prayer see might utter quickly and from deep within his heart, when the moment came when, as the representative of his country (then Persia) in Washington […]

When Shoghi Effendi was only five years old he was pestering the Master to write something for him, whereupon ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote this touching and revealing letter in His own hand: “He is God! O My Shoghi, I have no time to talk, leave me alone! You said ‘write’ – I have written. What else should […]

When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in New York, He called to him an ardent Bahá’í and said “If you will come to Me at dawn tomorrow, I will teach you to pray.” Delighted, Mr. M arose at four and crossed the city, arriving for his lesson at six. With what exultant expectation he must have greeted this […]

As part of the American South, Washington, D.C. was also a city in which racial segregation was a fact of life, and it was on the issue of racial equality that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was most uncompromising during his visit to America. On one occasion which is mentioned briefly in this diary ‘Abdu’l-Bahá shocked some of the […]

The present is always unimportant, but we must make our present so filled with mighty, altruistic deeds as to assume significant weight and momentous importance in the future. A shallow present will surely be followed by a superficial future. – Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 202

‘Three days after the arrival of Bahá’u’lláh and His companions in ‘Akka, the edict of the Sultan condemning Him to life imprisonment was read out in the Mosque. The prisoners were introduced as criminals who had corrupted the morals of the people. It was stated that they were to be confined in prison and were […]

We were all huddled together in one cell, our feet in stocks, and around our necks fastened the most galling of chains. The air we breathed was laden with the foulest impurities, while the floor on which we sat was covered with filth and infested with vermin. No ray of light was allowed to penetrate […]

‘Life at ‘Akka and Haifa in the reign of ‘Abdu’l-Hamid was full of tension and danger. Palestine was a tinder box. Tribes fought each other. Crime was rampant. The streets of ‘Akka were too narrow for bandits to roam free, but in Haifa they were a constant threat. Shots were heard every night but murderers […]

Alice Buckton, who had come from England to be with the Master, asked Him about psychic forces. He told her not to tamper with psychic forces in this world. It hampers and retards the condition of the soul both in this world, and especially the world to come. These forces are real, but not to […]

Kindness lies at the heart of loving discipline. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá dearly loved His little grandson, Shoghi, but he needed to learn to be on time. This he learned very early in his life ‘after receiving one good chastisement from no other hand than that of his grandfather!’ He then became the first to get up for […]

And likewise, reflect upon the revealed verse concerning the “Qiblih.” [The direction toward which the face must be turned when praying.] When Muhammad, the Sun of Prophethood, had fled from the dayspring of Batha [Mecca] unto Yathrib,[Medina] He continued to turn His face, while praying, unto Jerusalem, the holy city, until the time when the […]

Pauline and Joseph Hannen were the prime movers of racial integration in Washington in the early years of the Faith there. Initially, Pauline feared black people, but her study of Bahá’u’lláh’s writings forced her to change her attitude. Pauline taught the Faith to her black washerwoman, then she and Joseph began inviting blocks to meetings […]

Ásiyih Khánum, the wife of Bahá’u’lláh, Bahiyyih Khánum, their lovely daughter, Muniríh Khánum, the Holy Mother, and the four daughters of the Master, have never bemoaned the difficulties of their daily lives. The conditions of suffering in all the prison period called forth a superhuman patience and self-sacrifice in trying to mitigate the misery of […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá during his journey and sojourn through that Dominion obtained the utmost joy. Before My departure, many souls warned Me not to travel to Montreal, saying, the majority of the inhabitants are Catholics, and are in the utmost fanaticism, that they  94  are submerged in the sea of imitations, that they have not the capability […]

Muhammad-Hadi was from Isfahan, and as a binder and illuminator of books he had no peer. When he gave himself up to the love of God he was alert on the path and fearless. He abandoned his home and began a dreadful  journey, passing with extreme hardship from one country to another until he reached […]

Here’s a story of Ugo Giachery (a Hand of the Cause) who went through the process while on pilgrimage: The first time I beheld the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, I was overcome by deep emotion and, as I walked close to it, trepidation and excitement made it almost impossible for me to advance further. Years of […]

The Denver Post provided a car to take ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to the Church of Divine Science. The Master told His companions: “Behold the power and confirmation of the Blessed Beauty: the pastor comes in person with all humility to invite us and the proprietor of the leading journal sends us an automobile for Our use, so […]

I had a servant who was black; his name was Isfandiyar. If a perfect man could be found in the world, that man was Isfandiyar. He was the essence of love, radiant with sanctity and perfection, luminous with light. Whenever I think of Isfandiyar, I am moved to tears, although he passed away fifty years […]

In the early summer of 1923 Shoghi Effendi again left Haifa and sought some restoration of health and solace in the solitude of the high mountains of Switzerland. But, unlike later years, when he continued to keep in constant touch with the work of the Cause by cable and letter, this was once more a […]

The Governor of Baghdad at this time was a relative of my father, but his enemy on account of differences in religious opinion and family misunderstandings. This man, rendered uncomfortable by the sight of my father’s increasing fame and influence, exerted himself to effect his removal from Baghdad. He caused representations to be made to […]

Four days before the caravan was to set out, the Blessed Perfection called Abbas Effendi into his tent and told him that he himself was the one whose coming had been promised by the Báb – the Chosen of God, the Centre of the Covenant. A little later, and before leaving the garden, he selected […]

Many of the Blessed Perfection’s followers decided to abandon Baghdad also, and accompany him in his wanderings. When the caravan started, our company numbered about seventy-five persons. All the young men, and others who could ride, were mounted on horses. The women and the Blessed Perfection were furnished waggons. We were accompanied by a military […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá beautifully tells us how the days that are without pain and suffering in the path of the Blessed Beauty just pass by fruitlessly. When a believer feels the pain and suffering when making the calculations and contributions for the Right of God, then the believer can relax, knowing what ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says. But there is […]

Among those souls that are righteous, that are luminous entities and Divine reflections, was Jinab-i-Muhammad-Taqi, the Afnan. This eminent Bough was an offshoot of the Holy Tree [the Báb’s kindred]; in him an excellent character was allied to a noble lineage. His kinship was a true kinship. He was among those souls who, after one […]

On another occasion, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was resting and May emphatically told Mary, “Don’t you disturb the Master. He is very, very tired, and don’t you make any noise.” But the moment her mother’s back was turned, she shot into the room. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá himself recounted what happened next: “Today I was resting on the chaise lounge in […]

Mable Ives, after she married Howard Colby Ives (my father) became known to many who loved her as Rizwanea. For very many years, after they were married, my father and Rizwanea traveled and taught the Faith. It was their entire life. They traveled through the New England states, through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, New York and […]

No students have had to study harder or more earnestly than those theology students in the madrisihs. They read day and night, neglecting food and sleep. Some invented means by which to keep themselves awake to study more, such as tying ropes around their necks and attaching them to the roofs to keep their heads […]

On 17 August He spoke of true knowledge: in cities like New York the people are submerged in the sea of materialism. Their sensibilities are attuned to material forces, their perceptions purely physical. The animal energies predominate in their activities; all their thoughts are directed to material things; day and night they are devoted to […]

Shoghi Effendi was a very remarkable young man, and of course, he just worshipped ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. And when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away, the whole world became dark for him. All light had gone out. When he returned to the Holy Land, he had in mind from the things which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had said to him, (and I am […]

Later in the morning He sent for me. My self-consciousness, my shyness had made me feel shut out from Him, but my heart had been continually crying out, with ever-increasing love, to Him. When I entered His little room and knelt at His feet and looked up into eyes of Love which I suddenly found […]

Every time one goes into the details of any particular period in the Guardian’s life one is tempted to say “this was the worst period”, so fraught with strain, problems, unbearable pressures was his entire ministry. But there is a pattern, there are themes, higher and lower points were reached. The pattern of 1922, 1923 […]

‘Abdu’l-Ghaffar [one of the four companions condemned to go with Mirza Yahyá to Cyprus] was a close and agreeable companion. He served as interpreter for the entire company, for he spoke excellent Turkish, a language in which none of the friends was proficient . . . He was terrified and shouted for help, for he […]

The gates of the Akka prison were finally opened for Bahá’u’lláh, His family and companions after a confinement of two years, two months and five days. Many of His companions were consigned to the caravanserai, an unfit dwelling-place. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá occupied one room himself. The rooms were damp and filthy. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sold a certain gift which […]

He called Mrs. Goodall to sit beside Him and tell Him of the California Bahá’ís. She told Him that they were in great unity, but wished that she could have brought all of them to see Him. “They are here. You did bring them.” – Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 149

Bahiyyih Randall was only thirteen years old when she went to Haifa to see the Master. She recalled that ‘there was a perfectly wonderful person who always sat on the right of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at dinner. His name was Haydar-‘Ali and he had been a follower of Bahá’u’lláh and was so meek and so beautiful. His […]

[Then ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said] “Do not think your services are unknown to Me. I have seen. I have been with you. I know them all. Do not think I have not known. I have known all. For these you are accepted in the Kingdom.” My “services” — and He knew them all! He had “seen”: seen […]

It may sound disrespectful to say the Guardian was a mischievous child, but he himself told me he was the acknowledged ringleader of all the other children. Bubbling with high spirits, enthusiasm and daring, full of laughter and wit, the small boy led the way in many pranks; whenever something was afoot, behind it would […]

Surely the simplicity of the marriage of Shoghi Effendi – reminiscent of the simplicity of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s own marriage in the prison-city of ‘Akká – should provide a thought-provoking example to the Bahá’ís everywhere. No one, with the exception of his parents, my parents and a brother and two sisters of his living in Haifa, knew […]

And yet, as you know, when he passed away in England, I had many cables from him, many letters from him letting me know the things he wanted to be done, the things he wanted finished by the time he got back because of the things he wanted to do, and he said he can’t […]

I want to give you just one day in the Guardian’s life so you can appreciate a little bit more what it is to be the head of a faith like the Bahá’í Faith. Shoghi Effendi usually arose in the morning about 5:30. And then he had his period of prayer and devotions and meditation. […]

When Shoghi Effendi completed the construction of the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel, he decided to place a piece of plaster from the cell in which the Báb had been imprisoned in the Castle of Mah-Ku, where he had been denied even a lamp, underneath one of the tiles in the dome of […]

On pilgrimage May Maxwell came to realize that every word and every act of the Master’s had meaning and purpose. The pilgrim party was invited to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá under the cedar trees on Mount Carmel where He had been in the habit of sitting with Bahá’u’lláh. She recalled that ‘on Sunday morning we awakened with […]

During our dinner at 7:30 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ sat and talked with us. Mr. Parsons [Agnes Parsons’ husband] suggested going one evening to the Library of Congress to see it lighted, but never dreamed that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would wish to add another activity to this already full day. But ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said “Let us go tonight.” We first went up […]

Again I [Howard Colby Ives] was alone with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá . . . The room was very still. No sound came from the street nor from the lower rooms. The silence deepened as He regarded me with that loving, all-embracing, all-understanding look which always melted my heart. A deep content and happiness flooded my being. A […]

“I, myself with two others,” he [Nabil] relates, “lived in a room which was devoid of furniture. Bahá’u’lláh entered it one day, and, looking about Him, remarked: ‘Its emptiness pleases Me. In My estimation it is preferable to many a spacious palace, inasmuch as the beloved of God are occupied in it with the remembrance […]

Bahá’u’lláh was stripped of His outer garments, the soles of His feet were beaten and His taj knocked off His head. With bleeding feet and in chains He was forced to walk to Tehran in the heat of the midsummer sun. Crowds of people lined the streets, shouting, screaming obscenities at Him. One old woman, […]

Síyáh-Chál, the name of the prison to which Bahá’u’lláh was taken on that calamitous day, means the “Black Pit”. Originally a reservoir of water for one of the public baths in Tihran, it was at that time an underground dungeon in which criminals of the worst type were confined. To reach the prison, one was […]

In the Síyáh-Chál, God made known to Bahá’u’lláh His great Station. Wrapped in gloom, breathing the foulest of air, His feet in stocks, and His neck weighed down by a mighty chain, Bahá’u’lláh received the first stirrings of God’s Revelation within His soul. Under these dreadful circumstances, the “Most Great Spirit” revealed itself to Him, […]

Bahá’u’lláh’s father, Mirza Buzurg . . . owned a number of slaves when he died in 1839. Bahá’u’lláh never purchased nor owned slaves, but probably inherited his father’s slaves, considered property that would be passed from father to son. Bahá’u’lláh strongly disapproved of slavery. So what did Bahá’u’lláh do with these slaves, upon Mirza Buzurg’s […]

I remember as though it were yesterday another illustration of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s divine technique. I was not at all well that summer. A relapse was threatening a return of a condition which had necessitated a major operation the year before. My nervous condition made me consider breaking the habit of smoking which had been with me […]

When my father fell desperately ill in the winter of 1949-50 his condition was despaired of by his doctors. He reached a point where he seemed to have no conscious mind left, could not recognize me, his only and idolized child, at all, and had no more control over himself than if he were six […]

Almost regardless of the location or the audience, Dorothy opened her talks by reading a prayer aloud.  She kept this habit her whole life.  Even in the middle of a formal speech Dorothy would occasionally close her eyes for a long moment to pray.  Before approaching the platform she often said this prayer revealed by […]

Stanwood Cobb wrote that ‘Abdu’l- Bahá ‘almost never stood still when He spoke. He paced back and forth and His words were enhanced rather than diminished by the presence of the translator. ‘Abdu’l- Bahá would make a statement which the translator would then translate. While the translator put the words into English ‘Abdu’l- Bahá would […]

In the afternoon He spoke about spiritual education and intellectual training: “Peter was devoid of all schooling and so untrained that he could not remember the days of the week. He would tie up seven loaves of bread and open one each day. When he opened the seventh parcel he would know that it was […]

A ‘Mrs C’ was an early believer who went to ‘Akká. She belonged to a wealthy and fashionable group of people in New York. Her life had been conventional and rather unsatisfying. She had been a sincere Christian, but somehow had not gained much comfort from her religion. She had become somewhat melancholy. While travelling […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke with many people in Denver and told each what they needed to hear. To one He said: “I have come to your city and found tall buildings and advancement in material civilization. Now I will lead you to my own city which is the world above. It’s administration is the oneness of humanity, […]

The word sport is a contracted form of “disport” which means to amuse, to divert one’s self. It includes play, amusement, entertainments or recreation. It is a word which signifies the outdoor recreations, the athletic work as contrasted with the serious intellectual occupation. Sports have existed in the past ages and have played an important […]

One brief incident that made a lasting impression on Leroy illustrates this power of the Master. It occurred one evening when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke at the Masonic Temple [in Chicago]. More than a thousand people were present. The Ioas and Dealy families were very close, as it was through Paul Dealy that they had become Bahá’ís. […]

I one day asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá how it could ever be possible for me, deep in the mass of weak and selfish humanity, ever to hope to attain when the goal was so high and great. He said that it is to be accomplished little by little; little by little. And I thought to myself, I […]

Mable Ives, after she married Howard Colby Ives (my father) became known to many who loved her as Rizwanea. For very many years, after they were married, my father and Rizwanea traveled and taught the Faith. It was their entire life. They traveled through the New England states, through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, New York and […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá beautifully tells us how the days that are without pain and suffering in the path of the Blessed Beauty just pass by fruitlessly. When a believer feels the pain and suffering when making the calculations and contributions for the Right of God, then the believer can relax, knowing what ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says. But there is […]

Nabil, who was asked by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to select from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh those passages which constitute the text of the Tablet of Visitation, which nowadays is usually recited in the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb, was inconsolable after the ascension of his Lord. To the ordeal of separation from his Beloved was added […]

So sensitive and sympathetic was the Master to human suffering that He admitted to surprise that others could be quite oblivious to it. In Paris, He expressed His feelings: ‘I have just been told that there has been a terrible accident in this country. A train has fallen into the river and at least twenty […]

Nabil, who was asked by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to select from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh those passages which constitute the text of the Tablet of Visitation, which nowadays is usually recited in the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb, was inconsolable after the ascension of his Lord. To the ordeal of separation from his Beloved was added […]

One day during a school vacation, some Bahá’í students who were attending school in Beirut were visiting Haifa.  One of them had a geography book.  ‘Abdu’l-Bahá looked at it and asked if He could keep it, and the student gladly consented.  ‘Abdu’l-Bahá based the list of countries in the Tablets of the Divine Plan, and […]

In New York City a young supporter of tax-reform asked, ‘What message shall I take to my friends?’ The Master laughed with delighted humour: ‘Tell them to come into the Kingdom of God. There they will find plenty of land – and there are no taxes on it!’ – Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life […]

A young Bahá ‘i lady pioneered to Bolivia in the 1930 s to open it to the Faith. Having no success in teaching anyone, she began to write to the Guardian expressing feelings of failure. With each passing month she wrote and he replied encouraging her to stay, to remain steadfast, to have faith and […]

Because of the marked individualism of those days in the Bahá’í community, there were many philosophical differences. The Bahá’ís of that time were immature in the ways of the Faith and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá used Corrine True to begin a transformation of the Bahá’í community. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá encouraged her to consult with the House of Spirituality, but disunity […]

Howard Colby Ives struggled for several months to understand the reality of ‘Abdu’l- Bahá’s message. He was the pastor of the Brotherhood Unitarian church in Jersey City. He had organized the church in mid-1911, but by late 1912, the church was in financial trouble and he was forced to close it. Ives wrote to ‘Abdu’l- […]

A Cherokee elder was teaching his children about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to them. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, […]

Mother met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1912, when she was 15 years old. He told her that she would grow like a tree and have many branches. Years later she realized, as so often happens, the meaning of this prediction. It was twenty years before she declared her belief in Bahá’u’lláh, and she has observed many times […]

One of interesting incidents I remember well is about a parrot which was presented to the Master.  He had put it in the Pilgrim House.  My uncle, who was the steward of the Pilgrim House taught the parrot to say ‘Allah-u-Abhá’ to whoever approached it.  Also, he had trained it to say, ‘say, say, say […]

On August 20th there arrived at Green Acre a young man, dishevelled, tremulous. His name was Fred Mortensen. Let him tell his story in his own words. He wrote it for the magazine, The Star of the West: In my youth my environment was not of the best and being around boys of hard character […]

There was one of the pilgrims from Canada who was a member of the National Assembly, and it was the night of her departure before returning home to Canada. And she was talking to him about translating the Bahá’í literature into the Eskimo language. You see, up in the north of Canada, there are lots […]

One day a woman came to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with her sorrows. As she told her story, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tried to calm her and said, “Don’t be sad now, don’t be sad.” The Woman said, “My brother has been in prison for three years. He should not have been imprisoned because it was not his fault. He was […]

‘Abdu’l- Bahá’s words about truth and accuracy weren’t always heeded. The New York City Evening Mail reported that ‘Abdu’l- Bahá was met by ‘fully 1000 of his followers,’ while the New York City Evening World said that ‘He was met by a party of about 40 prosperous looking persons.’ The New York Sun stated that […]

This is my letter to the editor which was published in the McMinnville, Oregon News-Register on Saturday, March 10, 2012: At the 6th Annual McMinnville Community Choir Celebration, Wednesday, March 7 at the Community Center, the Memorial Elementary Honor Choir sang “Follow The Drinking Gourd.” It is an old folk song from the days of […]

[Juliet Thompson said:] May we all be in just such a gathering with you in New York! [‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:] I have made a pact with the American friends. If they keep the pact I will come. [Juliet Thompson said:] The believers are much better friends than they were. [‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:] I shall have to know […]

The effect of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on those who heard Him that day became obvious within a short time. The Christian church located diagonally across the street from the synagogue decided to build a new building, necessitating the demolition of the old one and leaving the Christians temporarily without a place to worship. Rabbi Meyer with the […]

Once ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asked His Father, Bahá’u’lláh why it was He had never clearly designated the language that was to become universal. And Bahá’u’lláh said, very simply, “Because no one ever asked Me.” This answer has always filled me with a sense of frustrated awe. To think that the opportunity was given mankind to learn the […]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s first morning in Washington was filled with many interviews, but he spent a Half-hour with Agnes Parsons’ young Son, Jeffrey. They looked at Jeffrey’s toys, books and pictures, then went to the roof to see the view. Mrs. Parsons noted that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá never required an interpreter when with a child. – Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá […]

Just before leaving for the West Coast–John did not give me the date; I assume it was May 2, a day when the Master had delivered five public addresses–he was paying his hotel bill at the Plaza when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá came in. ‘One of the Persians in His party called to me. The man at the […]

When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was asked at one time what He thought about women’s fashions. He replied simply: ‘We do not look upon the dresses of women, whether or not they are of the latest mode. We are not the judge of fashions. We rather judge the wearer of dresses. If she be chaste, if she be […]

At Leland Stanford Junior University, near the end of a long address, the Master asserted: ‘We live upon this earth for a few days and then rest beneath it forever. So it is our graveyard eternally. Shall man fight for the tomb which devours him, for his eternal sepulchre? What ignorance could be greater than […]

There was once a lover who had sighed for long years in separation from his beloved, and wasted in the fire of remoteness. From the rule of love, his heart was empty of patience, and his body weary of his spirit; he reckoned life without her as a mockery, and time consumed him away. How […]

Haji Muhammad-Baqir was a well-known merchant, foremost among the believers in faith, certitude and enthusiasm, and was serving the Cause with devotion and self-sacrifice. This man attained the presence of Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad. There He wrote a letter to Him and begged for wealth and prosperity. In answer, this exalted and wonderful Tablet was revealed […]

Before His wedding day, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá made the necessary arrangements for the few guests. His mother and sister made a delicate bridal dress of white batiste. A white head-dress adorned Munirih Khánum’s hair, worn, as usual, in two braids. At nine in the evening she went with the Greatest Holy Leaf into the presence of Bahá’u’lláh, […]

Surely the simplicity of the marriage of Shoghi Effendi – reminiscent of the simplicity of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s own marriage in the prison-city of ‘Akká – should provide a thought-provoking example to the Bahá’ís everywhere. No one, with the exception of his parents, my parents and a brother and two sisters of his living in Haifa, knew […]

QUITE an oriental note was struck toward the end of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s London visit, by the marriage of a young Persian couple who had sought his presence for the ceremony, the bride journeying from Baghdad accompanied by her uncle in order to meet her fiance here and be married before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s departure. The bride’s father and […]

He then came and sat on the rug beside us and began to speak of Mason Remey. Oh, to picture Him as He was then — no longer the Lord, the King, but the tender Father — a something eager (if I may use the word) in His manner and tone. He told me He […]

From early morning until dark, often more than eight hours on his feet, day after day and month after month he directed the work. It was certainly not his work to do this, but he was determined to ensure it was done not only quickly, but economically, and there was no one else with the […]

During ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s last days at Green Acre He met many people, including one girl who said, “I have come to ask for your assistance. Please tell me what I am fitted to do so that I may occupy myself with it.” The Master asked, “Do you have trust in Me? She replied, “Yes”. He then […]

The Master hardly saw the dear child in her illness. His time was so constantly taken up by the needs of the poor, that only His tired moments were spared to His own family from His incessant work for all in trouble. Indeed, my mother and sisters tried to conceal their difficulties and trials, not […]

How many stories are there of the Hands of the Cause who were shocked by their appointment because knew how unworthy they were? John Robarts thought the telegraph was for his wife. When William Sears was appointed, he wrote back to the Guardian saying, “Not worthy.” The Guardian replied, “Get worthy”. – One Bahá’í’s Approach […]

Which brings to mind the story told me of a newly declared believer, radiant and eager to serve. He wrote ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asking what he should do. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told him to study the Teachings. Eighteen years later the man wrote again to the Master saying that for several hours each day for the eighteen years he […]