Baha'i Stories

The Marriage of Shoghi Effendi – recalled by his wife Amatu’l-Bahá Ruhiyyih Khanum (nee, Mary Maxwell)

2012-01-25T12:28:00.000-08:00

The marriage of Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, with Mary Maxwell of Canada (later to be known as Amatu’l-Bahá Ruhiyyih Khanum - which means: Maidservant of Bahá, Lady Ruhiyyih) took place on 25 March 1937 in Haifa, Israel. Many years later in her book about Shoghi Effendi, ‘The Priceless Pearl’, Ruhiyyih Khanum describes the circumstances surrounding her wedding and help us appreciate the incredible simplicity of the event - reminiscent of the simplicity of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's own marriage in the prison-city of 'Akká – and its thought-provoking example to 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 it was to take place. He felt strongly urged to keep it a secret, knowing from past experience how much trouble any major event in the Cause invariably stirred up. It was therefore a stunning surprise to both the servants and the local Baha'is when his chauffeur drove him off, with me beside him, to visit the Holy Tomb of Baha'u'llah on the afternoon of 25 March 1937. His heart drew him to that Most Sacred Spot on earth at such a moment in his life.. . . When we arrived at Bahji and entered the Shrine he requested me to give him his ring, which I was still wearing concealed about my neck, and this he placed on the ring-finger of my right hand, the same finger that corresponded to the one of his own on which he himself had always worn it. This was the only gesture he made. He entered the inner Shrine, beneath the floor of which Baha'u'llah is interred, and gathered up in a handkerchief all the dried petals and flowers that the keeper of the Shrine used to take from the threshold and place in a silver receptacle at the feet of Baha'u'llah. After he had chanted the Tablet of Visitation we came back to Haifa and in the room of the Greatest Holy Leaf our actual marriage took place. . . . Except for this visit, the day he told me he had chosen to confer this great honour on me, and one or two brief moments in the Western Pilgrim House when he came over for dinner, I had never been alone with the Guardian. There was no celebration, no flowers, no elaborate ceremony, no wedding dress, no reception. His mother and father, in compliance with the laws of Baha'u'llah, signified their consent by signing our marriage certificate and then I went back to the Western Pilgrim House across the street and joined my parents (who had not been present at any of these events), and Shoghi Effendi went to attend to his own affairs. At dinner-time, quite as usual, the Guardian appeared, showering his love and congratulations on my mother and father. He took the handkerchief, full of such precious flowers, and with his inimitable smile gave them to my mother, saying he had brought them for her from the inner Shrine of Baha'u'llah. My parents also signed the marriage certificate and after dinner and these events were over I walked home with Shoghi Effendi, my suitcases having been taken across the street by Fujita while we were at dinner. We sat for a while with the Guardian's family and then went up to his two rooms which the Greatest Holy Leaf had had built for him so long ago.

The quietness, the simplicity, the reserve and dignity with which this marriage took place did not signify that the Guardian considered it an unimportant event-on the contrary. Over his mother's signature, but drafted by the Guardian, the following cable was sent to America: “Announce Assemblies celebration marriage beloved Guardian. Inestimable honour conferred upon handmaid of Baha'u'llah Ruhiyyih Khanum Miss Mary Maxwell. Union of East and West proclaimed by Baha'i Faith cemented. Ziaiyyih mother of Guardian.” A telegram similar to this was sent to Persia. This news, so long awaited, naturally produced great rejoicing amongst the Baha'is, and messages flooded in to Shoghi Effendi from all parts of the world. (Ruhiyyih Khanum, Priceless Pearl)

Less than five months before His ascension, ‘Abdu’l-Baha had beseeched God for release from this world

2011-11-28T13:48:00.001-08:00

The night of July l0th 1921 'Abdu'l-Baha was on Mount Carmel by the Shrine of the Bab. There, He revealed a Tablet and a prayer in honour of a 'kinsman of the Bab', who had died recently. [He was the father of the Hand of the Cause Balyuzi, who had died in Tihran, on May 6th]. Abdu'l-Baha beseeched God, in that prayer, for His own release from this world. He spoke of His 'loneliness', of being 'broken-winged', 'submerged in seas of sorrows': 'O Lord! My bones are weakened, and the hoar hairs glisten on My head ... and I have now reached old age, failing in My powers ... No strength is there left in Me wherewith to arise and serve Thy loved ones ... O Lord, My Lord! Hasten My ascension unto Thy sublime Threshold ... and My arrival at the Door of Thy grace beneath the shadow of Thy most great mercy .. .'

That prayer was answered less than five months later. He passed away in the early hours of November 28th. The physician, who was summoned to His bedside at that hour, and closed His eyes, was Dr Florian Krug of New York, the same man who once bitterly resented the Faith of Baha'u'llah, and wanted alienists to examine his wife because of her intense devotion to it. He had now come, a pilgrim, with his wife [Grace], and 'Abdu'l-Baha had allocated them a room in the compound of His own house… Other Western pilgrims present in Haifa at that poignant hour were Louise and John Bosch from California, Ethel Rosenberg from London, and Fraulein Johanna Hauff from Stuttgart were the Western pilgrims present in Haifa at that poignant hour, as well as Curtis Kelsey from the United States, who was in Haifa to attend to electrical installations in the Shrine of the Bab. (Adapted from H.M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Baha The Center of the Covenant of Baha’u’llah’, p. 452-463)

How Shoghi Effendi heard the devastating news of the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Baha

2011-11-17T20:02:00.001-08:00

The address of Major Tudor Pole, in London, was often used as the distributing point for cables and letters to the Baha'is. Tudor Pole was a prominent early British Baha'i who heard of the Faith in 1908 and visited 'Abdu'l-Baha in Egypt in 1910. The Master stayed at his guest house in Clifton during his visits to Bristol in 1911 and 1913. During World War I Tudor-Pole joined British military intelligence in Egypt, and was responsible for initiating British moves to secure 'Abdu'l-Baha's safety during the invasion of Palestine.

On November 29, 1921, at 9:30 in the morning the following cable reached that office:

Cyclometry London
His Holiness 'Abdu'l-Baha ascended Abha Kingdom. Inform friends.
Greatest Holy Leaf

In notes he made of this terrible event and its immediate repercussions Tudor Pole records that he immediately notified the friends by wire, telephone and letter. I believe he must have telephoned Shoghi Effendi, asking him to come at once to his office, but not conveying to him at that distance a piece of news which he well knew might prove too much of a shock. However this may be, at about noon Shoghi Effendi reached London, went to 61 St. James' Street (off Piccadilly and not far from Buckingham Palace) and was shown into the private office. Tudor Pole was not in the room at the moment but as Shoghi Effendi stood there his eye was caught by the name of 'Abdu'l-Baha on the open cablegram lying on the desk and he read it. When Tudor Pole entered the room a moment later he found Shoghi Effendi in a state of collapse, dazed and bewildered by this catastrophic news. He was taken to the home of Miss Grand, one of the London believers, and put to bed there for a few days. Owing to passport difficulties Shoghi Effendi cabled Haifa he could not arrive until the end of the month. He sailed from England on December 16th, accompanied by Lady Blomfield and Rouhangeze, and arrived in Haifa by train at 5:20 p.m. on December 29th, from Egypt where his boat from England had docked. Many friends went to the station to bring him home; it is reported he was so overcome on his arrival that he had to be assisted up the steps. Awaiting him in the house was the only person who could in any measure assuage his suffering -- his beloved great-aunt, the sister of 'Abdu'l-Baha. She had already -- so frail, so quiet, so modest at all times -- shown herself in these past weeks to be a strong rock to which the believers clung in the midst of the tempest that had so suddenly burst upon them. The calibre of her soul, her breeding, her station, fitted her for the role she played in the Cause and in Shoghi Effendi's life during this extremely difficult and dangerous period. (Adapted from ‘The Guardian of the Baha’i Faith’, by Ruhiyyih Rabbani, pp. 13-14; and ‘A Concise Encyclopedia of the Baha’i Faith’, by Peter Smith)

Witnessing a solemn act in the Mysterious Sacred Drama of the World -- by Lady Blomfield

2011-10-23T05:51:00.000-07:00

'Abdu'l-Bahá left London for Paris on October 3rd, 1911. That morning everything was ready for His departure. But He made no effort to leave and was engaged in writing. This is how Lady Blomfield describes the amazing incident that she witnessed:

'Abdu'l-Bahá sat calmly writing. We reminded Him that the hour to leave for the train was at hand. He looked up, saying: 'There are things of more importance than trains, and He continued to write.

Suddenly in breathless haste a man came in, carrying in his hand a beautiful garland of white flowers. Bowing low before the Master, he said: 'In the name of the disciples of Zoroaster, the Pure One, I hail Thee as the Promised Shah Bahram!'

Then the man, for a sign, garlanded 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and proceeded to anoint each and all of the amazed friends who were present with precious oil, which had the odour of fresh roses.

This brief but impressive ceremony concluded, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, having carefully divested Himself of the garland departed for the train.

We had witnessed a solemn act in the Mysterious Sacred Drama of the World. (Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway) (Adapted from ‘Abdu'l-Baha - The Centre of the Covenant’, by H.H. Balyuzi)

The experience of accompanying Shoghi Effendi to the Shrines of Baha’u’llah and the Báb -- recollection by Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery

2011-10-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

A few times I had the great blessing of being permitted to accompany Shoghi Effendi to the Shrines of Bahá'u'lláh in Bahji and of the Bab on Mt. Carmel. As we walked along the paths of the gardens, I was very close to him, and there came a feeling I cannot well describe. He walked with much dignity and grace, his fine intelligent face glowing with an inner light; his steps, well-measured and rhythmic, seemed to bring his feet scarcely in contact with the path, as if he feared to disturb the sanctity of the ground on which he trod or to break the harmony all around him. During my lifetime I have met several kings and many great personages in the scientific, political and ecclesiastical worlds, but never have I had the feeling of rapture and bliss that I felt in those unforgettable moments when I was so close to Shoghi Effendi. I could feel that although his body was with us (as on all these occasions a small group of believers was following him), his mind and spirit were rejoicing in the infinite realm of reality where no time, space or human frailties exist. The joy that overcame me on such occasions was as if I had reached the highest pinnacles of freedom and of true immortality. I could have laid down my life then and there without regret or sorrow, so immense was the flow of divine grace that enveloped me.

The first of these occasions was the anniversary of the Birth of the Bab. The few Western Bahá'í men who were in Haifa at the time (spring of 1952) gathered with other male believers of Haifa, 'Akká and Nazareth in the hall of the Eastern Pilgrim House on Mt. Carmel, to await the arrival of the Guardian.[1] When he came we had readings and chanting of prayers in Persian and Arabic, and then he led us to the Shrine. He walked ahead, slowly, with the utmost dignity, his head bent slightly forward in reverence. I received the impression that he was greatly moved by the majestic tranquillity of the surroundings and by the importance of the occasion. I walked after him, joyously, free from pains and cares, breathless as a runner nearing his goal, anticipating the moment when I could prostrate myself at the Holy Threshold of the beloved Báb's Tomb. In the incomparable beauty of the gardens, the outer world had vanished, leaving only a feeling of complete peace and contentment.

In those days the superstructure of the Shrine of the Bab was but half erected; only the colonnade and the octagon were finished, and feverish efforts had been made the previous week to put into place the wrought-iron balustrade of the octagon section for this particular celebration. Shoghi Effendi stood at the door of the Shrine and anointed every one with attar of rose as we passed him. When the last had entered, he came in and prostrated himself, trying to contain his tears which were streaming from his eyes. When he rose, he stood silent for a moment, and then intoned a chant with such sweetness as cannot be expressed in words. His voice rose and fell with varied degrees of tonality, expressing sorrow and joy, exaltation and hope. I became unaware of place and time, transported on the wings of the chant to a remoteness filled with joy, into a stillness of space far above the toil and suffering of man, where I heard the hum of the universe in all its immensity. There and then my soul was eternally linked with Shoghi Effendi, the purest channel between man and eternity, between all the Prophets of God and His children. (Ugo Giachery, Shoghi Effendi, Recollections, p. 20)
[1] This Holy Day is celebrated in the Near and Middle East according to the lunar calendar

The amazing story of a Bábi who as promised by the Báb recognized Bahá’u’lláh

2011-10-09T06:52:00.000-07:00

There is a fascinating account of a believer who recognized Baha’u’llah’s station a year before Baha’u’llah’s imprisonment in the notorious Siyyah-Chal (the Black Pit) of Tihran in 1852. This believer was the celebrated Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunuzi, one of the devoted disciples of the Báb.

Shaykh Hasan-Zunuzi, who had served the Báb during His captivity in Adharbayjan[in Persia], was now living in Karbila[in Iraq], having been directed by the Báb Himself to go to that holy city and make it his home. Shaykh Hasan had been a disciple of Siyyid Kazim-i-Rashti, and had first attained the presence of the Báb during the Báb's pilgrimage to the holy cities of 'Iraq, in the lifetime of Siyyid Kazim. Later, Shaykh Hasan served Him as amanuensis, at Mah-Ku and then at Chihriq. When the Báb came to know that both Quddus and the Babu'l-Báb[Mulla Husayn] were besieged in Mazindaran, He urged the Bábís to go to their aid, and He said to Shaykh Hasan: 'Had it not been for My incarceration in this mountain fastness, I would have felt it My bounden duty to go in person to help My beloved Quddus. But such is not the case with you. I want you to go to Karbila, and await the day when with your own eyes you can behold the Beauty of the Promised Husayn. On that day remember Me, and offer Him My love and submission. I am giving you a very important commission. Beware lest your heart shall falter and forget the glory given unto you.' (Nabil, The Dawn-Breakers, p.31) (H.M. Balyuzi, Baha'u'llah - The King of Glory, p. 67)

Here is how Shaykh-Hassan, later recalled that amazing experience:

"Sixteen lunar months, less twenty and two days, had elapsed since the day of the martyrdom of the Báb, when, on the day of Arafih,[The ninth day of the Muslim month of Dhi'l-Hijjih] in the year 1267 A.H.,[ 2 October 5, 1851 A.D.] while I was passing by the gate of the inner courtyard of the shrine of the Imam Husayn [in Karbila], my eyes, for the first time, fell upon Bahá'u'lláh. What shall I recount regarding the countenance which I beheld! The beauty of that face, those exquisite features which no pen or brush dare describe, His penetrating glance, His kindly face, the majesty of His bearing, the sweetness of His smile, the luxuriance of His jet-black flowing locks, left an indelible impression upon my soul. I was then an old man, bowed with age. How lovingly He advanced towards me! He took me by the hand and, in a tone which at once betrayed power and beauty, addressed me in these words: 'This very day I have purposed to make you known as a Bábí throughout Karbila.' Still holding my hand in His, He continued to converse with me. He walked with me all along the market-street, and in the end He said: 'Praise be to God that you have remained in Karbila, and have beheld with your own eyes the countenance of the promised Husayn.' I recalled instantly the promise which had been given me by the Báb. His words, which I had regarded as referring to a remote future, I had not shared with anyone. These words of Bahá'u'lláh moved me to the depths of my being. I felt impelled to proclaim to a heedless people, at that very moment and with all my soul and power, the advent of the promised Husayn. He bade me, however, repress my feelings and conceal my emotions. 'Not yet,' He breathed into my ears; 'the appointed Hour is approaching. It has not yet struck. Rest assured and be patient.' From that moment all my sorrows vanished. My soul was flooded with joy. In those days I was so poor that most of the time I hungered for food. I felt so rich, however, that all the treasures of the earth melted away into nothingness when compared with that which I already possessed. 'Such is the grace of God; to whom He will, He giveth it: He, verily, is of immense bounty.'" (Nabil, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 32)

Witnessing the infinite patience of ‘Abdul-Baha when answering the many questions that the believers put to Him

2011-09-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

At noon Mirza Moneer brought me a letter to translate into Persian. When this was finished I called at the Master's house to deliver it. I knocked at the door three or four times before Khosro answered. As I waited outside I heard the voice of the Master, dictating Tablets to Mirza Moneer. I was then announced and ushered into the room. The Master welcomed me. He was sitting near the balcony; in front of him was a chair piled high with letters from the East and West. His dress and turban were of snowy white matching his beautiful locks and beard. Across the street there was a tall green acacia tree which attracted his attention. Now and then His eyes closed and again opened revealing infinite pity and love hidden in His eyes. Mirza Moneer was sitting writing down the heavenly words which flowed like a fountain from the tongue of the Beloved. As I watched him, I was struck by the divine beauty of his countenance, soft, tender and most adorable.

The many difficult problems of the Baha’i world are solved by Him. Now He writes to Persia on how to hold an election, then to far-off America on how to rent a hall. One Baha’i desires to know whether she should cook food for her child; another person asks how to proceed to buy a piece of land. There are some misunderstandings in this assembly to be removed; the feelings of some person are ruffled, and must be smoothed down. One man's mother or father is dead, he requests a Tablet of visitation, another desires to have a wife. To one a child is born, she begs for a Baha’i name; another has taught several souls, he asks for Baha’i rings for them. This man has had business reverses, he must be encouraged, an-other has fallen from a ladder, he implores for a speedy recovery. One has quarreled with his wife, and he wants advice on how to be reconciled; another supplicates for blessings upon his marriage. The Master goes over these one by one with infinite patience and with His words of advice, creates order out of chaos. The sorrows of the world troop along in review before Him, and as they pass, lo, the transformation happens ! The sorrowful becomes joyful, the ill-tempered good-natured, the lazy active, the sleepy one awakened. With magical words He transmutes iron into gold and darkness into light. At last he rises from his seat and for a while walks to and fro, still dictating Tablets to the philosopher and to the simple; soaring toward the empyrean of spirituality, giving us a vision of sanctity, and of the roses of Paradise, and for a while we roam, guided by Him, in those delectable gardens of Abha, intoxicated with the fragrance of God; and then we find ourselves in the streets, walking home upborn on the wings of light. (Ahmad Sohrab, ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Egypt, pp. 136-137)

‘Abdu’l-Baha’s simple manners and genuine love for children – as recalled by an American pilgrim in the Holy Land

2011-08-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

That day -- the fourth of July -- He took us Himself to the Holy Tomb [The resting-place of Baha’u’llah at Bahji near 'Akka] in the morning.

I realize now why the Gospels are written so simply. I find I am only able to state bare facts. But these surely are more eloquent than all human comment on them. Let me give them to you, then --simply.

First, with a father's tender care, He came to the carriage with us and watched us start. At the house in Bahji He joined us -- in a cool, whitewashed room, its door and window-trimmings painted blue, the usual linen-covered divan lining its walls, under three wide windows. . . .

On a table was a single photograph -- Lua's. Our Lord called me to sit by His side; then, pointing to the photograph, said:

"Your friend!"

I got it and placed it on a little table close to His elbow, between the couch where He sat and my own chair. As I did this His face lit up with a smile of heaven.

Tea was brought in -- in the little clear glasses always used in 'Akka – and He served us with His own hands. Then, seating Himself again on the divan, He called the four children who were with us -- two of His own little grandsons (Shoghi Effendi and Ruhi) and the two Kinney boys -- and with a lavish tenderness, a superabundance of overflowing love, such as could only have come from the very Center and Source of Love, He drew all four to His knees, clasped them in His arms, which enclosed them all, gathered and pressed and crushed them to His heart of hearts. Then He set them down on the floor and, rising, Himself brought their tea to them.

Words absolutely fail me when I try to express the divine picture I saw then. With the Christ-love radiating from Him with the intensest sweetness I have yet witnessed, He stooped to the floor Himself to serve the little children – the children of the East and the children of the West. He sat on the floor in their midst, He put sugar into their tea, stirred it and fed it to them, all the while smiling celestially, an infinite tenderness playing on the great Immortal Face like white light. I cannot express it! In a corner sat an old Persian believer, in a state of complete effacement before his Lord, his head bowed, his eyelids lowered, his hands crossed on his breast. Tears were pouring down his cheeks. (Juliet Thompson, ‘A Glimpse of the Master, from the Diary of Juliet Thomson’, World Order magazine, Fall, 1971)

The child who shook hands with the Guardian – recounted by ‘Ali Nakhjavani

2011-08-05T12:28:00.000-07:00

The story I will now relate, although not all of it refers to the Greatest Holy Leaf, illustrates what I witnessed of the tender relationship between the Greatest Holy Leaf and Shoghi Effendi. Once our mother asked my brother and I to go to the Master's house after prayers at the Shrine of the Báb. In those days the Guardian was younger and, following prayers, he would walk down to Abbas Street and, the terraces beyond Abbas Street not yet having been built, he would turn to the right on Abbas Street, and then proceed to Haparsim Street and straight down to the Master's house. The pilgrims would usually walk with him. On that particular day my brother and I, too, followed Shoghi Effendi because we thought how much better it was to go to the Master's house with him. When Shoghi Effendi reached the gate he turned and said, 'Fí Amáni'lláh' (May you be under God's protection) and went in. Being younger than Jalal, I was glad to follow him when he set out after Shoghi Effendi. The Guardian went up the stairs and we did, too, and then entered the house. It was the custom of the Guardian to have his one major meal each day with the Greatest Holy Leaf. It was also his practice to go to her after meeting with the pilgrims and sit and talk to her. Shoghi Effendi turned right to go through the corridor next to the room in which the Master passed away and proceeded to the next room which was the Greatest Holy Leaf's bedroom. He went along that corridor and we followed, and when he opened the door I was so close to Shoghi Effendi at that point that I saw that the Greatest Holy Leaf was in bed. As soon as she heard the footsteps of Shoghi Effendi and the opening of the door she was at the point of rising from bed to sit in the presence of the Guardian. Although the distance is not far from the door to the bed, Shoghi Effendi literally ran from the door to the bed and gently restrained her, saying 'Já'iz níst' (it is not permissible). He did not want her to be disturbed.

There is a little sequel to this incident and although it does not directly relate to the Greatest Holy Leaf, since we have begun the story, let me finish it. In the room of Khanum, Shoghi Effendi seated himself. My brother and I, with childish aplomb, sat down too. Then my mother found out what had happened and sent the maid immediately to tell us to come out. The door was opened again and with a motion of her eyes the maid signaled us to leave. Jalal very reverently stood and bowed and withdrew from the room. But I thought this wasn't right; I thought, 'This is not the way to do things!' I felt there should be a handshake. This, of course, was totally inappropriate but to my childish mind it seemed the proper thing to do. I went straight over to Shoghi Effendi who was seated in a deep comfortable armchair and offered him my little hand. Shoghi Effendi looked at me and pulled himself closer, accepted my hand and shook it. This all took time. When I went outside my mother asked me what had delayed me and I explained that my brother didn't shake hands and I thought I should. She was horrified and struck my hand, saying, 'Out of reverence for the Guardian you should have done exactly what your brother did.'

Of course, I felt very bad about this. As we were going home my mother asked again, incredulously, 'You shook hands?'

I said, 'Yes.'

'With your right hand?'

'Of course.'

'Give me your hand.'

I did, and she kissed it several times.
(Ali Nakhjavani, excerpt from an address presented during the World Centre seminar commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf, held in the reception concourse, permanent Seat of the Universal House of Justice, 17 July 1982; ‘The Baha’i World’ 1979-1983, 59-67) (To read the rest of the talk please visit Baha’i Talks, Messages and Articles)

The parrot that used to say Alláh-u-Abhá – recalled by Rafieh Mansour, an early believer who lived in the Holy Land from 1889 to 1938

2011-07-31T20:05:00.000-07:00

Rafieh Mansour recalled that her uncle, who was caretaker of the pilgrim house in 'Akka, had taught a parrot, who had been given to ‘Abdu'l-Bahá as a gift, to say "Alláh-u-Abhá"(God is the Most Glorious). When anyone came near, the parrot would say this Bahá'í greeting. He also learned to say, "Begu, begu, begu, Yá Bahá." That means, "Say, say, say, O Bahá." Those who heard the parrot speak without seeing the bird thought they were hearing a human voice.

One day ‘Abdu'l-Bahá sent for my uncle, saying: 'Muhammad Hasan, tomorrow bring the parrot here so I can present it as a gift to the governor of 'Akka.' My uncle brought the parrot in his cage to spend the night in the home of the Master. The cage was placed on the windowsill in the hall.

‘Abdu'l-Bahá used to get up at dawn to walk and meditate and pray in the courtyard of the house, when everyone else was asleep. As He was walking nearby, the parrot said 'Begu, begu.'

This unexpected incident amused ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

The parrot said again, 'Begu, begu.'

‘Abdu'l-Bahá went closer to him and He said, 'What shall I say?'

The parrot said, 'Begu Yá Bahá!' (say O Bahá). That made ‘Abdu'l-Bahá extremely pleased.

Later that day, ‘Abdu'l-Bahá told my uncle, “Oh, Hasan, today the parrot saved himself from going to the Governor. This parrot saved his life because he told me, ‘Begu, begu!’ (Say, say) and I said ‘What shall I say?’ and he said ‘Begu Yá Bahá!’ He said it so fluently, so eloquently. Take him back for the pilgrims. I don't want to send him away.”

When the parrot died, my uncle kept his feathers and wrote in his beautiful handwriting, 'These are the feathers of the parrot that belonged to ‘Abdu'l-Bahá, which the Master mentioned several times, praising the fluency of this parrot's talk.' (Adapted from Baha’i News, April 1974)

Bahá’u’lláh sends a messenger to the Shah of Persia – the amazing Badí’

2011-06-24T05:18:00.000-07:00

In 1869 Aqá Buzurg arrived at the prison city of 'Akka, disguised as an Arab. He handed his written declarationof faith to 'Abdu'l-Bahá, who greeted him warmly and took him to the barracks cell. There he attained the Goal of his desire. Twice he conversed privately with Bahá’u’lláh, Who gave him a new name: Badí’ (Wonderful).

For more than two years after writing His Tablet to the Shah, the Blessed Beauty had been waiting for a devoted soul to arise and carry it to the ruler of Persia. The reborn Badí’ ended His waiting. Haji Shah Muhammad Amin, Bahá’u’lláh 's Trustee, brought the youth a small case and the Tablet, and has left this account of their meeting:

". . . we left the town and walked up Mount Camel where I handed him the case. He took it into his hands, kissed it, and knelt with his forehead to the ground; he also took the sealed envelope, walked twenty to thirty paces away from me, sat down facing 'Akka, read it, and again knelt with his forehead to the ground. The rays of ecstasy and the signs of gladness and joy appeared on his face. . . .

I mentioned that we had better go to Haifa, in order that, as instructed, I might give him some money. He declined to go with me, but suggested that I could go alone and bring it to him.

When I returned, in spite of much searching, I could not find him. He had gone. . . .” (Adib Taherzadih, 'Three Momentous Years," Baha'i News, no. 474, September 1970)

The illustrious youth had already left on his mission to Tihran, knowing full well the fate that awaited him. After four months of travel, alone and on foot, over dangerous terrain, he arrived in the capital where he patiently spent three days in prayer and fasting. Finally, he met the Shah proceeding on a hunting expedition. While the local populace cowered on the ground in fear of the Monarch, Badí’ calmly and respectfully approached him, calling out, "O King! I have come to thee from Sheba with a weighty message." (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 199) The Shah, dispatching the Tablet to his divines (who were never able to draft an adequate reply), ordered the arrest of this bold youth. He was brutally tortured for three successive days. His jailers branded him, beat his head to a pulp with the butt of a rifle, threw his body into a pit, and heaped earth and stones upon it. So amazed were they at his endurance that they commissioned a photograph of him sitting calmly in front of the brazier containing the hot bars of iron which were used to scorch his flesh, his neck unbowed by the weight of a heavy chain. The date was July, 1870. Badí’ was seventeen years old.

Referring to the transformation of the rebellious Aqá Buzurg into the heroic Badí’, Bahá’u’lláh says, "We took a handful of dust, mixed it with the waters of might and power and breathed into it the spirit of assurance." (Adib Taherzadih, 'Three Momentous Years," Baha'i News, no. 474, September 1970) He explained that the station of this youth was so great that no Tablet could carry its weight nor any pen describe its glory. Single and alone, He attests, Badí’ could have conquered all that was in heaven and on earth. For three years the Blessed Beauty wrote of this hero in such terms, characterizing those references as the "salt of My Tablets." (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 199) (Philip Christensen, Baha’i News, November 1974)

Ascension of Baha’u’llah – recounted by two believers

2011-05-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

The ascension of Baha’u’llah took place in the Mansion of Bahji, and it caused indescribable consternation among His followers. Nabil-i-Az’am [the author of Dawn-Breakers], a true lover of the Blessed Beauty and one of His devoted Apostles, has left to posterity a moving description of this calamitous event. The following is a summary translation of his account:

As attested by the Most Great Branch,[‘Abdu’l-Baha] nine months before this most grievous event -- His ascension -- Bahá'u'lláh had voiced His desire to depart from this world. During these nine months, from the tone of His exhortations and remarks to those friends who attained His presence it became increasingly apparent that the end of His earthly life was approaching. He seemed to be arranging the affairs with a sense of urgency. But He never spoke openly about the approaching end of His life.

On the eve of Sunday, the eleventh of the month of Shavval 1309 AH (8 May 1892), fifty days after Naw-Ruz, He contracted a fever, though He did not mention it to anyone. The following morning a number of the friends attained His presence. Late in the afternoon the fever was intensified. In the evening only one of the companions who had an urgent demand was admitted to His presence. On Monday (the second day of His illness) only one of the friends was admitted. On Tuesday this helpless servant [Nabil-i-‘Az’am] was given the honour of an audience with His blessed Person. At noon He summoned me to His presence alone and spoke to me for about half an hour sometimes seated and sometimes pacing up and down. He vouchsafed unto me His infinite bounties and His exalted utterances reached the acme of perfection.

I wish I had known that this was going to be my last audience with Him, so that I could have clung to the hem of His holy vesture and begged Him to accept me as a sacrifice in His path, to relieve me from the vanity of this world and admit me into the realm of everlasting joy. Alas! Alas! what had been pre-ordained did come to pass.

In the afternoon of that day Haji Niyaz [a well-known believer] arrived from Egypt and, along with some others, was permitted to attain the presence of Bahá'u'lláh. Till sunset a number of the friends were admitted into His presence in groups. The following day the door of union with Him was closed to the face of the believers, no one was able to attain His presence, and an atmosphere of gloom and sorrow descended upon the hearts of His forlorn lovers. This situation remained unchanged for a few days, until Monday (the ninth day) which proved to be the day of grief for the friends. On that day the Most Great Branch left the presence of Bahá'u'lláh and went to the Pilgrim House. He conveyed Bahá'u'lláh's greetings to all, and said that the Ancient Beauty had stated: 'All the friends must remain patient and steadfast, and arise for the promotion of the Cause of God. They should not become perturbed, because I shall always be with them, and will remember and care for them.' On hearing these piercing words the hearts of the believers were crying out with grief, for the tone of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's remarks indicated that the end of the earthly life of the One who was the Lord of all creation was fast approaching. The friends were thrown into such turmoil and dismay that they were about to expire.

This being so, the bounties of the Incomparable Beloved were vouchsafed unto all, and the following day, Tuesday (the tenth day), was turned into a joyful day. The day-star of delight and blissfulness shone forth and the Most Great Branch conveyed at the hour of dawn the joyful news of the well-being of His blessed Person. Happy and smiling, He arrived at the Pilgrim House, and like unto a musk-laden breeze which had wafted from the abode of the Beloved, or as the holy Spirit of the Mercy of the Lord, He awoke the friends one by one, bade them arise, drink their morning tea with the utmost joy, and offer thanksgiving to God, for, Praise be to His Most Exalted and Glorious Being, perfect health had returned to His blessed Person, and the signs of the most great favours were manifested in His countenance. Truly, on that day the joy and happiness of the friends, those who circled around the throne of the Beauty of their Lord, were such that all the inhabitants of 'Akká and indeed the people of Syria were influenced and affected by their condition. All the people both low and high were congratulating each other as in a day of festival.

The reason for this was that on the same day that Bahá'u'lláh contracted the fever, the government rounded up about one thousand farmers and poor people, clad them in military uniforms and held them against their will as conscripts. They were receiving military training to be dispatched to far-off lands in a few days' time. The tents of these oppressed people were near the grounds of the Mansion of Bahji,, and the cries of their weeping and lamenting and those of their families could be heard by day and by night. However, in the morning of the 'day of joy', a royal telegram was unexpectedly received ordering the release of the conscripts. This news was rapturously received by the people who were filled with delight. The Most Great Branch on that day distributed food among the conscripts, the poor, the inmates of prison and the orphans. Consequently the people of 'Akká and outside were heartily offering thanks to Bahá'u'lláh for His loving favours and gifts. No one among the inhabitants of Syria could remember having seen a day as blissful as that day.

That same day the Most Great Branch went to 'Akká visited every Bahá'í household and conveyed to every single believer, man and woman alike, loving greetings from the Blessed Beauty. On Sunday (the fifteenth day) afternoon, all the friends who were present at the Mansion, together with pilgrims and resident Bahá'ís, were summoned to Bahá'u'lláh's presence. The entire body of the friends, weeping and grief-stricken, attained His presence as He lay in bed leaning against the Most Great Branch (may my life be a sacrifice for Him). The Tongue of Grandeur gently and affectionately addressed them all saying: 'I am well pleased with you all, you have rendered many services, and been very assiduous in your labours. You have come here every morning and evening. May God assist you to remain united. May He aid you to exalt the Cause of the Lord of being.' This was the last audience with Him. The birds of the hearts of His lovers were addressed from on high: 'Verily the door of union is closed to all who are in heaven and on earth . . .' .(Nabi-i-Az’am, quoted by Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah vol. IV, 414-417)

Jinabi-i-Mirza Isma’il, a believer present in that audience with Baha’u’llah has recorded: “Tears flowed from my eyes and I was overcome with feelings of grief and sorrow after hearing these words. At this moment the Blessed Perfection [Baha’u’llah] bade me come close to Him, and I obeyed. Using a handkerchief which was in His hand, Baha’u’llah wiped the tears from my cheeks. As He did so, the words of Isaiah [25.8] “… and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces …” involuntarily came to my mind.” (Furutan, Stories of Baha’u’llah, p. 109)

On the eve of Saturday (twenty-first day after contracting fever), the 2nd of Dhi'l-Qa'dih 1309 AH (29 May 1892) . . . 13th of the month of 'Azamat 49, Bahá'í Era . . . seventy days after Naw-Ruz, while there was no sign of fever, the will of the King of Eternity to leave the prison of 'Akká and to ascend to His 'other dominions whereon the eyes of the people of names have never fallen', mentioned in the Tablet of Ru'ya revealed . . . nineteen years previously, was at long last realized. Methinks, the spiritual commotion set up in the world of dust had caused all the worlds of God to tremble. Eight hours after sunset on that darksome night when the heavens wept over the earth, what had been revealed in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas was finally realized. My inner and outer tongue are powerless to portray the condition we were in . . . In the midst of the prevailing confusion, a multitude of the inhabitants of 'Akká and of the neighbouring villages, that had thronged the fields surrounding the Mansion, could be seen weeping, beating upon their heads, and crying aloud their grief . . .

For a full week after that great calamity, a great number of mourners, the rich, the poor, the orphans and the oppressed partook of the food that was generously dispensed by the bereaved family . . . From the second day of the ascension of the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsistent Lord to His Most Holy and exalted Dominions on high, men of learning and poets, both Muslim and Christian, began to send telegrams of condolence to the presence of the Most Great Branch. They sent poems eloquently extolling the virtues and lamenting the loss of the Beloved . . .(Nabi-i-Az’am, quoted by Adib Taherzadeh, ‘The Revelation of Baha'u'llah vol. IV’, 414-417) (Susan J. Allen, ‘Gems from the Crown of Glory, Glimpses from the Life of Baha’u’llah)

'Abdu'l-Baha arrives at Chicago Baha'i Convention!

2011-05-14T14:40:00.000-07:00

'Abdu'l-Baha had been in America less than a month when He took one of most historic actions of His entire journey.

The site of the Baha’i House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, the 'holiest House of Worship ever to be raised in the Name of Baha’u’llah’, was barren land on that chill, windy May day when 'Abdu'l-Baha, with His own hands, laid the comer-stone of that prototype edifice that would sooner or later change the face of human society.

The Baha'is of America were gathered at a Convention in Chicago just preceding that great event. Lua was addressing an assembled crowd of over a thousand. She had just returned from a triumphant teaching tour in California.

Lua's visit to California had been successful beyond all expectation, yet Lua was never fully aware of the influence she had on others. Her heart was always anchored in her love for 'Abdu'l-Baha – results she left to God and to the future.

Her presence in San Francisco in 1911, just preceding 'Abdu'l-Baha's visit to America, had been of great importance to another Baha'i, John Hyde Dunn. He has often told how he sought Lua out on every occasion for a private interview. She gave him generously of her time. No doubt one of Lua's 'inner promptings' told her that this was one of 'Abdu'l-Baha’s 'lost jewels'. Hyde Dunn, with his wife, Clara, would in a few years sail away to the Antipodes and open up the entire continent of Australia to the Baha’i Faith.

John David Bosch, who with his wife, Louise, pioneered to Tahiti and opened those South Pacific Islands to the Cause of God, also made a gift of his beautiful Geyserville, California, property to the Faith. It became one of the first and most influential of the Baha'i summer schools. It continues to function on an ever-expanding scale even until today. Mr Bosch has himself explained that it was the visit of Lua which inspired him to write to 'Abdu'l-Baha and offer his land for the benefit 'of the teachings of Baha'u'llah’.

These were a few of the teaching victories that Lua, the 'mother-teacher of the West', unwittingly brought to Chicago on that historic occasion, to by at the feet of her beloved Master, 'Abdu'l-Baha.

At the exact moment that this 'herald' of the Cause was addressing her fellow-Baha'is in Chicago, the exciting news was announced that 'Abdu'l-Baha had arrived at the Convention!

Imagine, if you are a Christian, the happiness that would have flooded every heart in Rome if, not long after the beginning of Christianity, the Apostle Peter or Paul had appeared in person at a huge gathering of the followers of His Holiness Christ.Then magnify that feeling a thousand fold, for Baha’u’llah, the return of Christ, Founder of the Baha'i Faith, had with His own Pen, in a written Will and Testament, appointed 'Abdu'l-Baha as His Successor, the One to Whom the entire world should turn. There were no doubts. It was a Covenant for all time.

'Abdu'l-Baha, the Son of the Promised One of all religions, was walking in their midst, on the face of the earth, here in Chicago. The moment His blessed countenance appeared in the doorway, a thrill of expectancy electrified the Convention hall.

‘At once, the vast concourse, as one person, arose' in breathless silence as the One Whom they had so long awaited appeared. How many times Lua described that unforgettable moment to her friends. All eyes were on her beloved Master as He slowly made His way towards the front. Tears of joy flowed. His smiling, radiant countenance lifted their hearts into another kingdom. That reverent hush was broken only by the soft, whispered prayers of gratitude and thanksgiving, and here and there a sob, torn from the depths of hearts which had longed so earnestly to witness this moment, but despaired of ever living to see it.

But it was true! He was here among them! 'Abdu'l-Baha! The Master! The Mystery of God! The Son of Baha'u'llah!

They knew that such a moment would never come to them again

No other Baha'i Convention in the glorious future history of His Father's Faith would ever share the presence of 'Abdu’l-Baha, the Centre of Baha’u’llah’s Mighty Covenant with mankind. It was indeed a moment unique, precious, history-making. At long last ‘Abdu’l-Baha faced His dearly loved followers in the West and spoke words of encouragement and inspiration. He told them about the great significance of the Temple whose foundation-stone was to be placed the followiag day. 'Abdu'l-Baha told them that this edifice 'was founded for the unification of mankind . . .'.

It is doubtful if many were able to take in His words until they read them later. Their heats were too full of the majesty and magic of His presence among them. Words did not matter. It was the heart and soul that understood the joy and wonder of it all.

The spirit of that hour was captured by the chorus as it sang in joyous harmony of the 'Great Day of God'.

The following day, Baha’is from all over America gathered in Wilmette on the site of the future Temple, a Temple which would be the most holy House of Worship ever to be raised in the Name of Baha'u’llah.

Lua was there on that occasion and heard the beloved Master say:

'The power which has gathered you here today notwithstanding the cold and windy weather is indeed mighty and wondeful. It is the power of God, the divine favor of Baha’u’llah [Glory of God] which has drawn you together.'

'Abdu'l-Baha predicted that out of this temple thousands of other temples would be born in all parts of the world, but that this House of Worship would be the mother of them all.

‘It marks’, He has written, ‘the inception of the Kingdom of God on earth.’

What a blessing for Lua and that relatively small group of Baha'is to be present on that memorable occasion with 'Abdu'l-Baha, to see and participate in the very earliest beginnings of the Christ promised Kingdom of God on earth.

'Abdu'l-Baha called upon the people of the various races and nationalities who were there to participate and turn a bit of soil on behalf of their own people. Finally, at the end, 'Abdu'l-Baha set the stone in place on behalf of all the peoples of the world, and the Mother Temple was born.

To the Baha’is assembled on that occasion, relatively few in number, with very limited resources, 'Abdu'l-Baha said, 'Make a beginning and all will come well.' Their task was to raise up a Mother Temple, and to conquer the world with the sword of Baha’u’llah's Teachings.

‘In the unseen world,’ He said, ‘the Temple is already built.’

(William Sears and Robert Quigley, ‘The Flame, the story of Lua')

The Persian Princess and Tahirih

2011-04-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

There was a Persian princess by the name of Shams-i-Jahan Khanum [Khanum means lady, and Shams-i-Jahan literally means the “sun of the world”). She was a granddaughter of Fath-Ali Shah, one of Qajar Kings, and a relative of the reigning Shah. She was interested in religion and had made a pilgrimage to Mecca. Because of this pilgrimage she was called Haji Khanum [Haji means a person who has gone on pilgrimage to Mecca]. She had heard about Tahirih and her beautiful poems, and as she herself occasionally wrote poetry, she longed to see Tahirih. She had heard that Tahirih was imprisoned in the house of the kalantar (mayor) of Tihran.

In a book of poetry that she later wrote, the princess described her meeting with Tahirih. She wrote that one day she left the palace with her maids under the pretense of going for a walk. They came to the garden of the kalantar and entering it, Haji Khanum gradually approached the building where Tahirih was imprisoned on its second story. When she reached the building she turned to God and said, "O God if this Cause is true, make Tahirih come forward and let me see her.”

“As soon as I had thus prayed," she writes, "the window of the top story suddenly opened and Tahirih, like a brilliant sun, looked out and called to me, ‘What dost thou want, O princess?’

"I was so astonished that I stared at her, solemnly, and then began to cry. She smiled and then laughed. I was deeply affected by this. It seemed to me strange that I, a Princess and quite free, should be walking into this garden and crying, while she, a prisoner in that little room, was laughing.

"I said to her, 'O Lady, I would like to know why you are imprisoned?” “She replied, 'Because I have spoken the truth. Why did the descendants of Muhammad fall into captivity? Because they, also, spoke the truth.'

"I asked her, 'Where is the truth?' “She said, 'The center of truth appeared in the world and they killed him.'

"I asked her, 'Is it the one they killed in Tabriz?' “’Yes,’ she answered, 'He was our Promised One, your Promised One and mine, and they martyred him.'”

"Then I asked, 'Who were those people who were in the Fortress of Tabarsi?'

“She said, 'They, also, were His disciples'”

The princess now writes, "At this point in our conversation the guards suddenly heard me and came rushing into the garden; but before I was aware of their approach, Tahirih called to me, 'O princess, go, lest you fall into trouble' and she shut the window and withdrew. Then the servants of the kalantar came up to me and said, 'What are you doing here, Lady?'

“Vexed with them, I replied, ‘I came here for a walk'

“Although they knew what was my object yet, out of respect, they merely replied, ‘Very well. Now that you have finished your walk, kindly leave the place.'

“For several days after this I wept and cried, and I longed to see once more this lady, the prisoner, until at last God heard my prayer and again I saw Tahirih at the wedding of the son of the Kalantar."

While Tahirih was a prisoner in the house of the kalantar one of his sons married a young girl. The night of the wedding, when all the princesses and the ladies of the royal household were assembled in the kalantar's home, one of these royal ladies said, "It would be interesting to see that Baha'i lady who is a prisoner here." All the ladies joined in her wish, and asked for Tahirih. Finally they sent a message to the kalantar beseeching him and saying that it would be a real joy, and a wedding present if he would let them see the prisoner.

They sent for Tahirih and brought her from her prison room to the wedding feast. One of the princesses described her thus: "When I saw her my heart was filled with happiness. When Tahirih entered the room, she was so beautiful and so dignified, and when she spoke it was with such power that we in the room gradually turned to her and came and listened to her, and forgot all about the wedding." She spoke with great enthusiasm and now she related her sorrows, in stories, and the ladies began to weep, and again she told them stories that made them laugh, and as she walked up and down the room she chanted her poems in such a wonderful way that everyone was astonished. Not one of the ladies wished to hear or to see any more of the wedding festivities; nay rather, they listened to her almost the entire evening. And as a result of that night's experience many of those ladies, of whom the princess, Haji Khanum was one, became firm followers of the Cause.

From this night all the ladies of the kalantar's household were greatly attached to Tahirih. They asked kalantar's permission to have her live in the house with them, rather than in the little room in the garden. So she was brought to the house and was closely associated with the ladies there. One of the maids in the house of the kalantar afterwards related that Tahirih, the prisoner, radiated such love, greatness, power and majesty to everyone there that all, both ladies and maids, became so devoted to her that they would have given their lives for her.

Some years later, the princess, Haji Khanum, heard that one of the sons of Mirza Buzurg, the father of Baha'u'llah, who was a Minister at the court of the Shah of Persia had become the leader of the Babi Movement, but she did not know which son. She questioned a friend who, misinformed herself, told her that Mirza Yahya Azal [the unfaithful half-brother of Baha’u’llah] was the one.

For ten years the princess waited, constantly expecting this son of Mirza Buzurg to take the place of the Bab and very eager to see him. At last she started forth on a pilgrimage to Karbala and on the way arrived in Baghdad. There she made inquiries for Mirza Yahya Azal and was shown his home.

She sent a friend with an invitation to him, saying, "I wish to talk with you for about an hour."

When Mirza Yahya heard the name of the princess he was frightened and said, "This Lady is of the royal family and will cause us trouble. Do not inform her and do not let her come here to me."

When this was repeated to the princess she was astonished, and said, "If this man is the right one, the true one, then how is it that he does not know of my longing and my love for the Cause?”

Again she sent a message to him, saying that "I promise I won’t betray you or tell anyone. You have my word on it.” I want only to see you for a little while as you are from God."

This answer made Mirza Yahya still more afraid, and he said, "Do not let her come here at all."

The princess became angry at this answer and she decided to return to Persia and to re-convert to their old beliefs those whom she had taught.

Suddenly, one of the servants of Baha'u'llah came to her, and said, "Do not be depressed and sad. The light, the truth is somewhere else. The one whom you seek is the brother of Azal, and he has sent me here to invite you to come and see him tomorrow."

The princess now became very happy, and she spent the whole night in prayer, weeping and waiting for the day. She reasoned with herself, saying, "Suppose, tomorrow, I go, and am not able to ask the questions which distress me! I had better write them down." So she wrote all her questions on a piece of paper which she put under her pillow, in order to be ready to ask them the next day.

Early in the morning the servant of Baha'u'llah came to her, and said, "Baha'u'llah invites you to come, and to bring your questions with you."

She was amazed, and she thought, "Who has told Baha'u'llah that I have questions!” Constantly she said to herself, "This one is the true one, and not Azal."

In an entirely new frame of mind, she went to the home of Baha'u'llah, taking her questions with her. When she arrived Baha'u'llah was pacing inside the house. The moment she saw him, the Blessed One, she fell upon her knees. Baha'u'llah came forward and raised her up, encouraging her, and saying, "Do not be troubled; all is well." Then she wept for joy, and unhesitatingly she accepted his Reality, saying, even, "Thou art God." He answered, "No, God forbid. God is far beyond being in a body." She said, "If you are not God then who told you that I am depressed and that I was going back to Persia and that I have questions to ask."

Baha’u’llah said, "Nay, I am not God, but God told me of these things." Before she looked at her questions, Baha’u’llah began to answer those very questions which she had written down.

This story was recorded by the princess herself, in her own handwriting, in her book.

After a time, she left, but Baha'u'llah promised her that she should see Him again. She hoped to meet Baha'u'llah in Adrianople, but was unable to do so. At last, after ten years, she saw Baha’u’llah in Acre. She sold all her property in order to secure the money for the journey, and married a man quite outside her own social station, that she might be able to go to Acre to see Baha'u'llah.

In the East, in those days, if a princess married a merchant it would have been considered an extraordinary thing because she had to forfeit her rank. But this princess was so devoted to the Cause that she married Haji Sadiq Kashani, a Baha'i, and out of her own funds she paid their traveling expenses to Acre. (Adapted from an account in Star of the West, vol. 14, April 1923)

Baha’u’llah’s Departure from Baghdád

2011-04-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

Bahá’u’lláh was well aware of the Persian Consul's plans to get Him out of Baghdád. He knew that the Persian Government might decide to have all the Persian Bábís brought back into Persia, and perhaps put to death. Because of this, He arranged for the Persian believers to get Ottoman nationality, so that they would be protected by the Ottoman Government. The Ottoman Empire was a large portion of the Middle East and was ruled by the Turks. The Persian Consul was very angry when he found out that this had been done.

But the Ambassador in Constantinople kept on and on at the Grand Vizier, because Násir’d-Din Sháh was insisting that Bahá’u’lláh had to be taken away from his border. He wanted Bahá'u'lláh to be sent somewhere where He would not meet so many highly placed people. He was really afraid that if Bahá’u’lláh kept on teaching such people, the Bábí Faith would spread back into Persia, stronger than ever before. He thought that sending Bahá'u'lláh further away would stop that from happening.

Now the Ambassador in Constantinople had tried everything, but the Grand Vizier still wouldn't listen to him. At last he was so frustrated that he went into a furious sulk. He locked himself in his house for seven days, and said that he would not be friends with any of the officials he knew any more, and would not speak to any of the Sultán’s ministers. Finally the Grand Vizier, who was a very good friend of his, couldn't stand it any more, and gave in. You can see why Bahá'u'lláh later said that He found no one among the government officials of Constantinople who was grown-up enough to understand His teaching. He remarked that they were like children playing with clay.

The order was given for Bahá'u'lláh to leave Baghdád - but instead of being sent somewhere far, far away He was 'invited' to Constantinople itself. This was not what the Persian Ambassador had wanted! Now Bahá'u'lláh would be in the capital city itself, where He could have a great effect.

The Governor of Baghdád gave Bahá'u'lláh a purse of money to use for the expenses of the journey. He did this out of his love for Bahá'u'lláh, so the gift was accepted - and handed out to the poor that same day.

Mirzá Yahyá [Bahá'u'lláh’s unfaithful half-brother] was still very afraid. He began to think that the invitation to Constantinople might be a trick. Perhaps they were really going to be handed over to the Persian Government after all! What if they were all killed? He decided to leave Baghdád secretly and travel ahead by himself. 'Then if everyone else is killed, at least I shall be safe!' he thought to himself. He didn't even tell Siyyid Muhammad [A Bábí of unsavory character who became a companion of Mirza Yahya, inducing him to oppose Baha’u’llah and to claim prophethood for himself.] his plan, but simply disappeared one night. Because of this he didn't travel with Bahá'u'lláh and His companions at first, but met up with them later when he was sure it was safe.

Not all the Bábís were allowed to go with Bahá'u'lláh. Only His family and twenty other believers were to go with Him. The others would have to stay behind and go on with the teaching work in Baghdád. They could hardly bear to lose Him. How would they be able to continue without His wisdom to guide them?

When Bahá’u’lláh came out into the courtyard of His house, the Bábís gathered around Him, weeping aloud. A little boy only three or four years old ran to Him in tears and clung to His robe with both hands begging, 'Oh dearest Master, do not go away and leave us all behind!' Bahá’u’lláh gently stroked his hair, and told the believers that He must go, in obedience to the invitation of the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Government. He promised that He would not leave straight away. He was going to a garden just outside Baghdád, and would stay there for twelve days. They would all be able to visit Him there and make a proper farewell.

Not only the Bábís grieved. The streets were crowded with His friends and well-wishers who had come to see Him for the last time. Some threw themselves on the gound at His feet, while others waited to hear a few words from Him. Some just gazed at His face, trying to memorize that last tear-blurred glimpse. The poor were losing their kind Father and the nobles their wise Counsellor. Who would they turn to now, in all their troubles?

Bahá’u’lláh, His sons and His chosen companions were ferried across the river Tigris to the garden. Heavy-laden rose bushes clustered along the paths and tall palm trees swayed overhead. The day was nearly ended and the sun glowed golden behind the latticed trees.

There, in that garden, Bahá’u’lláh made a great announcement. He told those chosen companions the secret He had kept for so long, that He was indeed the Messenger they had been waiting for, the One Whom the Báb had promised them. Now all their grief at leaving Baghdád melted away as snow melts in spring. Now they understood that Bahá’u’lláh would still be able to give strength to the believers wherever they were, for He was the Manifestation of God. They knew that those left behind in Baghdád would be able to pray to Bahá’u’lláh for help, and that He would always hear them.

The days spent in the garden with Bahá’u’lláh were the happiest days the believers had ever known. Bahá’u’lláh named that garden the Ridván Garden, The Garden of Paradise. Every day He revealed more of His teachings to those who were with Him. The Bábís visiting Him from the city felt strength and knowledge pouring into them as He spoke. Now they knew how they would be able to go on - by obeying His teachings and praying for help.

Only the chosen companions stayed overnight at the garden. Before the dawn of each new day the gardeners would come and pick armfuls of roses from the bushes lining the paths. They would pile these roses in the middle of Bahá’u’lláh's tent in a great mound. Their perfume would fill the room, and when the believers came in to drink their morning tea with Him, they would not be able to see each other over the top of the scented pile. All these roses would be gathered into bunches, and sent to Bahá’u’lláh 's sorrowing friends in the city.

Each night some of the companions would stay awake to keep watch by His tent. One night, Nabil [the great Baháí historian] was keeping watch when he saw Bahá’u’lláh leave the tent and walk quietly past the sleeping believers. He paced along the paths, among roses frosted silver with moonlight. Palm trees sighed overhead and the river murmured in the dark. The song of nightingales bubbled out into the night, rising clear and sweet on every side.

Bahá’u’lláh saw Nabil, and paused a moment to remark that the nightingales stayed awake all night out of pure love for the roses - yet His companions chose to sleep.

Nabil stayed awake for three nights in a row after that, watching and circling around Bahá’u’lláh's tent. Every time he passed by Bahá’u’lláh's couch he saw that He was still awake. Yet each morning at sunrise He would appear, refreshed and alert, ready to spend the whole day speaking with the stream of visitors flowing in from Baghdád.

All too soon the twelfth day came, and it was time to leave. The mules were loaded and the ladies settled with their children in the howdahs. 'Abbás Effendi [‘Abdu’l-Baha], who was now eighteen years old, helped the believers make ready for departure. It was nearly sunset when Bahá’u’lláh mounted a red roan stallion and trotted out through the gate. The crowd who had come to see Him off saw that He was indeed leaving, and cried out as one in their dismay.

One of the believers, a man called Mirzá Asadu'lláh, ran after the caravan for three hours, although Bahá’u’lláh had forbidden the Bábís of Baghdádd to follow them. At last Bahá’u’lláh saw him panting along behind and got down from His horse to wait for him. He looked lovingly at the heartbroken man and took his hand saying, 'Do not be overcome with sorrow - I am leaving friends I love in Baghdád. You can be sure that I will send news to you all of how we are. Be, steadfast in your service to God, and live in such peace as will be permitted to you.'

Then He mounted His horse once again, and Mirzá Asadu'lláh stood watching, his chest heaving with sobs and the fight for breath. Bahá’u’lláh rode steadily off into the darkness. His enemies were powerful and cruel, and no one knew what might happen to Him next. (Shirin Sabri, ‘The Incomparable Friend, The Life of Baha’u’llah Told in Stories’)

Journey from Baghdad to Constantinople – ‘Abdu’l-Baha describes some of the challenges

2011-03-05T21:13:00.000-08:00

When the Blessed Perfection (Baha'u'llah) was exiled from Baghdad the large number of believers who went with him divided the work of the party among them. For example, Darvish Sedk Ali and Haji Ebrahim acted as equerries, Ustad Muhammad Ali locked after the baggage, Mirza Muhammad Goli supervised the pitching of the tents and I was, if we may here use a military term, a commissary officer and had to supply the party, including horses, etc. with food and the daily necessities.

Often, by day or by night we covered a distance of from twenty five to thirty miles. No sooner would we reach a caravanserai than from sheer fatigue everyone would lie down and go to sleep. Utter exhaustion having overtaken everybody -- they would be unable even to move.

But Mirza Mahmud and Aqa Reza rested not for a moment. After our arrival they would immediately become engaged in cooking for this party of nearly seventy-two people and this after their arduous work of guiding all day or all night the horses which carried the palanquin of the Blessed Perfection. When the meal was cooked and made ready all those who had slept would wake, eat and go to sleep again. These two men would then wash all the dishes and pack them up. By this time they would be so tired that they could have slept on even a hard boulder.

During the journey when they became utterly weary they would sleep while walking. Now and again I would see one of them take a bound and leap from one point to another. It would then become apparent that he was asleep and had dreamed that he had reached a wide creek hence the jump.

In a word, from Baghdad to Samson they served with rare faithfulness. Indeed no human being bad the fortitude to bear cheerfully all this heavy labor. But, because they were kindled (by the spirit of God) they performed all these services with greatest happiness. I remember how, in the early morning, when we wanted to start for another caravansary, we often saw these two men fast asleep. We would go and shake them and they would wake with much difficulty. While walking they always chanted communes and supplications.

In those days a famine raged all along the road. When we reached a station Mirza Jafar and I would ride from one village to another, from one Arab or Kurdish tent to another trying to get food, straw, barley, etc. for men and animals. Many a time we were out till midnight.

One day we happened to call on a Turk who was harvesting. Seeing his large pile of straw we thought we had come to the end of our search. I approached the Turk politely, and said, "We are your guests and one of the conditions of (religious) Faith is to honor the newly arrived guests. I have heard that you are a very liberal people, very generous, and that whenever you entertain a guest you kill and cook for him a whole sheep. Now, we desire such and such a thing, and are ready to pay any price that you demand. We hope this is sufficiently reasonable."

He thought for a moment, and then said, "Open your sack."

Mirza Jafar opened it and he put into it a few handfuls of straw.

I was amused, and said, "Oh, my friend! What can we do with this straw? We have thirty six animals and we want feed for every one of them!”

In brief, everywhere we encountered many difficulties, until we arrived in Karpout. Here, we saw that our animals had become lean, and walked with great difficulty. But we could not get straw and barley for them.

At Karpout the Acting Governor General came to call on us -- and with him brought ten car-loads of rice, ten sacks of barley, ten sheep, several baskets of rice, several bags of sugar, many pounds of butter, etc. These were sent as gifts by the Governor General, Izzat Pasha, to the Blessed Perfection.

After our experiences, and knowing how difficult it was to get anything from the farmers along the way when I looked at these things I knew that they were sent from God, and they were gladly accepted.

At that time Aqa Husayn Ashchi was the assistant cook. He worked day and night and had no time to sleep.

We stayed at Karpout one week and had a good rest. For two days and nights I did nothing but sleep.

The Governor General, Izzat Pasha, called on the Blessed Perfection. He was a very good man and showed much love and service. (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha recorded by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab; Star of the West, vol. 13, no. 10, January 1923)

An example of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s sense of humor

2011-02-16T15:01:00.000-08:00

'Abdu'l-Baha spoke at length to the press representatives [in America], answering all their questions about peace, war, the rights of women, freedom of the press, education, true liberty and true religion.

'Abdu'l-Baha displayed wisdom, love and a sense of humour as He chatted with the press reporters in His stateroom. He recalled an incident from the previous winter when a young Christian was about to set off on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The pilgrim was worried, feeling that he did not have the right spirit and sense of reverence.

“The proper spirit in which to visit places hallowed by remembrances of Christ,” 'Abdu'l-Baha told His young visitor, “is one of constant communion with God. Love for God will be the telegraph wire, one end of which is in the Kingdom of the Spirit, and the other in your heart.”

‘I am afraid my telegraph wire is broken,' the would-be pilgrim complained.’

“Then,” said 'Abdu'l-Baha, laughing heartily, “I told him: ‘You will have to use wireless telegraphy.’” (Quoted in ‘The Flame, the Story of Lua’, by William Sears & Robert Quigley)

Abdu’l-Baha’s Responses to Requests for Healing

2011-02-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

Dr. Youness Afroukhteh who served 'Abdu'l-Baha as His trusted secretary and interpreter from 1900-1909 writes an interesting account in his memoirs:

I had frequently heard the Master speak about the practice of medicine. On a number of occasions He talked about Jinab-Kalim [Bahá'u'lláh's faithful brother] and his skills in the medicine of the old days, and how he used to treat those who came to him with medical problems. 'Abdu'l-Baha Himself had formerly prescribed medicine for those who sought His advice. However, Baha'u'llah had told them that such medical practices should cease, so that the believers might not develop the habit of consulting anyone but actual physicians, or of receiving medical advice from anyone except qualified practitioners. The intention was that the verse: "Resort ye, in times of sickness, to competent physicians" might be understood and applied.

Despite this, and while we all knew that because of this blessed verse, the Healer of all spiritual infirmities would not interfere in cases of physical disorder, nevertheless whenever anyone had fallen ill and had at last lost all hope of recovery through the conventional means practised by the physicians, he would seek a cure at the threshold of 'Abdu'l-Baha, imploring, "O Thou panacea of our every incurable pain, and O Healer of all of our maladies and afflictions." And since to disregard a plea or refuse an appeal had no place in the ocean of compassion and loving-kindness of that quintessence of generosity, and none had ever come away empty-handed or disappointed, so through the use of some material means or approach He would impart healing to the supplicant. What was even more astonishing was that non-Baha'is too, who had no knowledge of the principles and beliefs of the Faith, applied even more than the believers for the healing balm of the Master, never losing hope in the eventual effectiveness of the prescribed cure.

One of the remedies readily available to 'Abdu'l-Baha, and one that could be freely prescribed for anybody, was a heavenly mixture with a delicious taste. It was nothing but a sauce made of pomegranates from the Garden of Ridvan. The Master would prescribe it for the patient, saying, "This sauce is prepared from pomegranates picked from trees in the Garden of Ridvan which have been blessed by the gaze of the Blessed Beauty."

Whether its efficacy was due to the patient himself, or to the medicine, or to the will of 'Abdu'l-Baha, I cannot say. All I know is that experience showed that this heavenly and tasty panacea cured many a suffering patient.

This subject had become a frequent topic of conversation in the pilgrim house. Another of 'Abdu'l-Baha's methods of healing was through diet, or a simple reduction in the amount of food consumed; this, of course, is in line with today's scientific knowledge. But the third approach to healing on the part of that Physician of the souls was a specific method; no psychologist can ever comprehend or discover its mystery unless he is one of those true and sincere believers who understand the power of the supernatural and possess pure and radiant hearts. I will now tell the stories of two people, one a believer and the other a non-believer. One was healed through material means, the other without the use of such means. The believer, who was healed without resorting to any physical means, was none other than myself, and the story is as follows.

In the days when the late Dr. Arastu Khan resided in the pilgrim house, I suffered over the course of three to four weeks from a disease which caused the appearance of numerous boils and abscesses all over my body. Although the disease persisted and the excruciating pain increased, I still refused as long as I could to ask 'Abdu'l-Baha for a cure. The doctor called upon his whole range of skills, based on his long experience, but without success. The older men of the community came to his aid, even suggesting remedies, but the pain persisted.

One night the pain grew intense and my incessant moaning and groaning so disturbed and annoyed the pilgrims that at two in the morning we finally agreed to send Aqa Muhammad-Hasan, the servant of the pilgrim house, to the House of 'Abdu'l-Baha and beg His assistance on my behalf. Whether 'Abdu'l-Baha was asleep or awake at that hour of the morning I cannot say, for by the time Muhammad-Hasan returned I had fallen asleep.

The next day I awoke around noon, feeling free of pain. By late afternoon I realized that I could move about without much trouble. And since during the previous twenty-five or -six days, when I had been ailing, and the few days that I had actually been bedridden, I had not attained the presence of 'Abdu'l-Baha, I decided to walk ever so slowly toward the darb-khanih. [Lit. the door of the house. The residential palaces of the Qajar kings in Tehran were referred to as the darb-khanih. Here it refers to the biruni of the residence of 'Abdu'l-Baha. The biruni of 'Abdu'l-Baha's residence, also known as the pilgrim house, provided modest accommodation consisting of four rooms.]

In the front entrance hall I found myself in His presence. He asked after my health and imparted to me words of kindness and sympathy. I decided it was a good time to ask for a definitive cure. He remarked, "Very well, but you must submit to bleeding." [The drawing of blood, or blood-letting, was used to cure a variety of illnesses]

The word "bleeding" scared me half to death, and so like a spoiled child I raised my shoulders and began to mumble something to the effect that I could not bear the idea of the blade and the letting of blood, especially mine. The Master replied, "Well, well, I want to send you to face swords, and you are afraid of losing a few drops of blood?"

Remaining true to my nature as a reckless blabbermouth, I rejoined, "Until that time comes, God is most merciful. Besides, if I wanted to be cured through the torture of bloodletting, why would I have pleaded my case before the Master?" 'Abdu'l-Baha smiled, began to pace the floor, and continued talking. Thus my last definitive cure took place in this fashion, and did not involve any material means. (Dr. Youness Afroukhteh, ‘Memories of Nine Years in ‘Akka’, pp. 249-251)

The Shírázi youth who became a cellmate of Bahá’u’lláh in the Siyáh-Chál (the Black Pit) of Tihrán

2011-01-13T08:48:00.000-08:00

One of the Babis who was arrested in 1852 in Tihran, Persia, in the uproar that ensued when two misguided Babis attempted to take the life of the Shah, was a Shirazi youth by the name of ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab. The story of this glorious youth, whose heart brimmed with love for his Lord, Baha’u’llah, has been told by both Bahá'u'lláh Himself and by 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Nabil, the great Baha’i historian, has also recorded it in his book, The Dawn-Breakers.
‘Abdu’l-Vahhab’s attraction to the new religion is an amazing example of the influence of dreams in the lives of those early believers.

One day, as one of the “Letters of the Living” (a title conferred on the first 18 disciples to recognize the Bab), by the name of Mulla 'Aliy-i-Bastami, was leaving Shiraz for Iraq, as instructed by the Bab, he was overtaken by ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab, who tearfully entreated him to allow him to accompany him on his journey.

‘Abdu’l-Vahhab told him: “Perplexities oppress my heart; I pray you to guide my steps in the way of Truth. Last night in my dream, I heard the crier announce in the market-street of Shiraz the appearance of the Imam 'Ali, the Commander of the Faithful. He called to the multitude: ‘Arise and seek him. Behold, he plucks out of the burning fire charters of liberty and is distributing them to the people. Hasten to him, for whoever receives them from his hands will be secure from penal suffering, and whoever fails to obtain them from him, will be bereft of the blessings of Paradise.’” ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab further told Mulla ‘Ali that in his dream, immediately after he heard the voice of the crier, he arose and, abandoning his shop, ran across the market street of Vakil to a place where he saw Mulla ‘Ali standing and distributing those same charters to the people.

He told him that in his dream he saw that everyone who approached Mulla ‘Ali to receive the papers that he was distributing, upon hearing from Mulla ‘Ali certain words, would flee in consternation and exclaim: “Woe betide me, for I am deprived of the blessings of 'Ali and his kindred! Ah, miserable me, that I am accounted among the outcast and fallen!”

‘Abdu’l-Vahhab then told ‘Mulla Ali that “I awoke from my dream and, immersed in an ocean of thought, regained my shop. Suddenly I saw you pass, accompanied by a man who wore a turban, and who was conversing with you. I sprang from my seat and, impelled by a power which I could not repress, ran to overtake you. To my utter amazement. I found you standing upon the very site which I had witnessed in my dream, engaged in the recital of traditions and verses. Standing aside, at a distance, I kept watching you, wholly unobserved by you and your friend. I heard the man whom you were addressing, impetuously protest: ‘Easier is it for me to be devoured by the flames of hell than to acknowledge the truth of your words, the weight of which mountains are unable to sustain!’ To his contemptuous rejection you returned this answer: ‘Were all the universe to repudiate His truth, it could never tarnish the unsullied purity of His robe and grandeur.’ Departing from him, you directed your steps towards the gate of Kaziran [Kazirun]. I continued to follow you until I reached this place.”

Mulla 'Ali tried to appease ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab’s troubled heart and to persuade him to return to his shop and resume his daily work. 'Your association with me,' he urged, 'would involve me in difficulties. Return to Shiraz and rest assured, for you are accounted of the people of salvation. Far be it from the justice of God to withhold from so ardent and devoted a seeker the cup of His grace, or to deprive a soul so athirst from the billowing ocean of His Revelation.'

The words of Mulla 'Ali, however, proved to no avail. The more he insisted upon his return the louder grew ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab’s lamentation and weeping. Mulla 'Ali finally felt compelled to comply with his wish and resigning himself to the will of God continued with his plans to proceed towards Iraq accompanied by ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab.

In the meantime, the father of ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab heard the news that his son had closed his shop and left the city. He became very angry and offended, wondering how he could tolerate such unseemly behavior. Upon inquiring he was told that ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab was seen going towards the Kazirun gate of the city, accompanied by a man wearing a turban. ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab’s father, picked up a club, intended to physically punish his son for his reckless and socially unacceptable behavior, and ran in the direction of the Kazirun gate. Nothing but the severest chastisement, he felt, could wipe away the effect of his son's disgraceful conduct.

It should be mentioned that ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab’s father held a very prestigious position in Shiraz. He was among the favored one in the court of the sons of the governor of the province of Fars [Shiraz its capital city]. As such, he was fairly powerful. None dared to question his authority or ventured to interfere with his freedom. The governor himself was very powerful since he was a son of Fath-'Ali Shah, the second Qajar king of Persia.

Let’s listen to ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab’s father who related the rest of the story many years later to Nabil, the great Baha’i historian:

“I continued my search until I reached them. Seized with a savage fury, I inflicted upon Mulla 'Ali unspeakable injuries. To the strokes that fell heavily upon him, he, with extraordinary serenity, returned this answer: ‘Stay your hand, O 'Abdu'l-Majid [the father of 'Abdu'l-Vahhab], for the eye of God is observing you. I take Him as my witness, that I am in no wise responsible for the conduct of your son. I mind not the tortures you inflict upon me, for I stand prepared for the most grievous afflictions in the path I have chosen to follow. Your injuries, compared to what is destined to befall me in the future, are as a drop compared to the ocean. Verily, I say, you shall survive me, and will come to recognize my innocence. Great will then be your remorse, and deep your sorrow.’ Scorning his remarks, and heedless of his appeal, I continued to beat him until I was exhausted. Silently and heroically he endured this most undeserved chastisement at my hands. Finally, I ordered my son to follow me, and left Mulla 'Ali to himself.”

“On our way back to Shiraz, my son related to me the dream he had dreamt. A feeling of profound regret gradually seize me. The blamelessness of Mulla 'Ali was vindicated in my eyes, and the memory of my cruelty to him continued long to oppress my soul. Its bitterness lingered in my heart until the time when I felt obliged to transfer my residence from Shiraz to Baghdad.”

Nabil explains how ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab’s father would often recount, with eyes filled with tears, this unfortunate story, expressing how deeply he regretted the deed he committed and asking believers to pray that God may grant him the remission of his sin.

In the year 1851 ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab set up a shop in Kazimayn, the holy city adjacent to Baghdad. That was the same year that Baha’u’llah was in Iraq on the advice of Mirza Taqi Khan, the Persian Prime Minister. Since Kazimayn with its two sacred shrines was frequently visited by Bahá'u'lláh, it was inevitable that ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab should encounter Bahá'u'lláh. This happened and he became fervently attached to Baha’u’llah. Now he knew no peace save in the presence of Bahá'u'lláh, Who was still known only as Jinab-i-Baha by the Bábís, and as Mirza Husayn-'Aliy-i-Nuri by the world at large – since this was many years before Baha’u’llah’s declaration in Baghdad in 1863. Mirza 'Abdu'l-Vahhab's dearest wish was to travel back to Iran in the company of Bahá'u'lláh. But Bahá'u'lláh persuaded him to remain where he was, with his father, and gave him a sum of money to enlarge and extend his trade.

Due to the intensity of his attraction to Baha’u’llah ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab, however, did not heed Baha’u’llah’s advice and followed Him to Tihran. He reached the capital at the time when the misguided attempt to take the life of the Shah had been made and as a result Tihran was in turmoil.

‘Abdu'l-Bahá, relates in a Tablet the story of this glorious youth. He indicates that while the officials were searching everywhere for the Bábís they came upon 'Abdu'l-Vahhab, who undaunted, was giving praise to his Lord in the market-place. He was seized and thrown into the Siyah-Chal, the notorious Black Pit where a number of the Babis, including Baha’u’llah were imprisoned. You can imagine the joy of ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab to at last see his Lord again! 'Abdu'l-Vahhab had, at long last, found that repose, that peace of heart and mind which his whole being craved, for he was then continuously in the presence of his Lord. He was even chained to Bahá'u'lláh!

Many years later Bahá'u'lláh told Nabil the circumstances pertaining to the martyrdom of this God-intoxicated youth:

“We were awakened one night, ere break of day, by Mirza 'Abdu'l-Vahhab-i-Shirazi, who was bound with Us to the same chains. He had left Kazimayn and followed Us to Tihran, where he was arrested and thrown into prison. He asked Us whether We were awake, and proceeded to relate to Us his dream. ‘I have this night,’ he said, ‘been soaring into a space of infinite vastness and beauty. I seemed to be uplifted on wings that carried me wherever I desired to go. A feeling of rapturous delight filled my soul. I flew in the midst of that immensity with a swiftness and ease that I cannot describe.’ ‘Today,’ We replied, ‘it will be your turn to sacrifice yourself for this Cause. May you remain firm and steadfast to the end. You will then find yourself soaring in that same limitless space of which you dreamed, traversing with the same ease and swiftness the realm of immortal sovereignty, and gazing with that same rapture upon the Infinite Horizon.’

“That morning saw the gaoler again enter Our cell and call out the name of 'Abdu'l-Vahhab. Throwing off his chains, he sprang to his feet, embraced each of his fellow-prisoners, and, taking Us into his arms, pressed Us lovingly to his heart. That moment We discovered that he had no shoes to wear. We gave him Our own, and, speaking a last word of encouragement and cheer, sent him forth to the scene of his martyrdom. Later on, his executioner came to Us, praising in glowing language the spirit which that youth had shown. How thankful We were to God for this testimony which the executioner himself had given!” (Baha’u’llah, quoted in the Dawn-Breakers, p. 663)

Thus died 'Abdu'l-Vahhab, a simple youth from Shiraz.

In his book, Baha’u’llah the King of Glory, Hand of the Cause Mr. Balyuzi explains how some sixty years after the martyrdom of ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab, the Master, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, related the story of this Shirazi youth to a number of American Baha’is in the United States while He was in that country. Among those present was Lua Getsinger (whom the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith has honoured with the designation of the 'mother teacher of the West'). The crucial moment when 'Abdu'l-Vahhab took leave of Bahá'u'lláh to go to his martyrdom is captured by Juliet Thompson:

“Suddenly, ‘Abdul-Baha's whole aspect changed. It was as though the spirit of the martyr had entered into Him. With His head thrillingly erect, snapping His fingers high in the air, beating on the porch with His foot till we could scarcely endure the vibrations set up - such electric power radiated from Him - He sang the martyr's song, ecstatic and tragic beyond anything I had ever heard. This was what the Cause meant then! This was what it meant to live near Him! Another realm opened to me – the realm of Divine Tragedy.

'And thus,' ended 'Abdul Baha, 'singing and dancing he went to his death - and a hundred executioners fell on him! And later his old parents came to Baha'u'llah, praising God that their son had given his life in the Path of God!'

He sank back in His chair. Tears swelled in my eyes, blurring everything. When they cleared I saw a yet stranger look on His face. His eyes were unmistakably fixed on the invisible. They were as brilliant as jewels and so filled with delight that they almost made His vision real to us. A smile of exultation played on His lips. Very low, so that it sounded like an echo, he hummed the martyr's song. 'See!' He exclaimed, 'the effect that the death of a martyr has in the world. It has changed my condition.'

There was a moment of silence; then He said: 'What is it, Juliet, that you are pondering so deeply?' 'I was thinking of the look on your face when you said that your condition was changed. I was thinking I had seen a flash of the joy of God over those who die happily for humanity.'”

Haji 'Abdu'l-Majid, the father of 'Abdu'l-Vahhab -- who inflicted such hard punishment on Mulla 'Aliy-i-Bastami -- and his wife, took unhesitatingly the same path as their glorious son, as soon as they came face to face with Bahá'u'lláh. (Adapted from: ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, by Nabil; ‘Baha’u’llah – The King of Glory’, by Balyuzi; ‘Abdu’l-Baha – The Center of the Covenant’, by Balyuzi)

A story told by ‘Abdu’l-Baha concerning the great influence of Prophet Muhammad over Arabs

2010-12-26T11:12:00.000-08:00

When the Muslims conquered Persia, the chief of the Zoroastrian high priests went to drink wine. According to Muslim law wine is forbidden, and he who drinks it must be punished by eighty-one strokes of the whip. Therefore, the Muslims arrested the high priest and whipped him. At that time the Arabs were considered very low and degraded by the Persians, scarcely to be accounted as human beings. As Muhammad was an Arab, the Persians looked upon Him with disdain; but when the high priest saw the evidences of a power in Muhammad which controlled these despised people, he cried out, "O thou Arabian Muhammad, what hast thou done? What hast thou done which has made thy people arrest the chief high priest of the Zoroastrians for committing something unlawful in thy religion?" By this circumstance the prejudice which caused the Zoroastrian to shun the Muslim had been overcome, for he recognized in what had happened to him the great influence Muhammad exercised over these people. (‘Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 42)

How Tahirih recognized the Bab

2010-12-09T20:48:00.000-08:00

One of the most courageous of all the followers of the Bab was a woman. She was among His chosen disciples. She was known as Tahirih, which means "The Pure One." The members of her family ranked high among the religious leaders of Persia. Her father was one of the most famous of all. From her earliest childhood, she was regarded by her fellow-townsmen as a prodigy. Her knowledge and gifts were so outstanding that her father often was heard to lament, "Would that she had been born a boy, for he would have shed illumination upon my household, and would have succeeded me." ['Abdu’l-Baha, Memorials of the Faithful, p. 191]

She was renowned for both her intelligence and her beauty. Her brother, `Abdu'l-Vahhab said, "None of us, her brothers or her cousins dared to speak in her presence, her learning so intimidated us; and if we ventured to express some hypothesis upon a disputed point of doctrine, she demonstrated in such a clear, precise and conclusive manner that we were going astray, that we instantly withdrew confused." [A. L. M. Nicolas, Siyyid Ali-Muhammad dit la Bab, p. 273]

A. L. M. Nicolas’ historical account tells us that "her reputation became universal throughout Persia, and the most haughty `Ulamas [religious scholars] consented to adopt some of her hypotheses and opinions."

One day while visiting in the home of her cousin, she discovered some books in his library which interested her very much. They were written by Shaykh Ahmad and his successor, Siyyid Kazim [the two forerunners of the Bab]. Her cousin warned her that her father would be very displeased if he found her reading them. "He is opposed to these modern thinkers," he told her.

However, she persuaded him, and took the books home to study. Her father raised violent objections, had heated discussions with her, and criticized and denounced the writings of Shaykh Ahmad. She eagerly read all of their books that she could find. Shaykh Ahmad was dead, but Siyyid Kazim was still living in Karbila, so Tahirih began corresponding with him. His letters excited in her an ever keener interest in the coming of a promised Messenger. She had a great longing to go to Karbila to study under Siyyid Kazim.

She knew that her father would never grant his permission. However, with the help of her uncle, she secured permission to visit the shrines at Karbila and Najaf [in Iraq]. Her family willingly granted permission for this, believing that a pilgrimage might bring her back to her senses and to more orthodox ways. They did not suspect that her true purpose in going was to meet Siyyid Kazim.

She made the journey in 1843. She looked forward to studying under Siyyid Kazim. During those days she thought only of his promise: the approaching appearance of a new spiritual Teacher in the world. Tahirih told her uncle that she wished to be the first woman to serve Him when He appeared.

"Oh, when will the day come," she said, "when new laws will be revealed on earth! I shall be the first to follow those new Teachings and to give my life for my sisters!" [Martha Root, Tahirih the Pure, p. 22]

Tahirih's grief was very deep when she reached Karbila and found that Siyyid Kazim had died just ten days before her arrival. Her sorrow softened when she was permitted to stay in his home, and was given access to all his writings, some of which had never been published. She studied them eagerly. In each one of them she discovered that same thrilling promise of a great Figure soon to appear on earth.

While she was in Karbila, Tahirih met Mulla Husayn who was just starting out on his search for the Promised One. Her hopes were set ablaze. She, like Mulla Husayn, spent her time in prayer and meditation. One night in a dream, a young man appeared before her. He raised his hands toward heaven and in a beautiful voice recited many wonderful verses, one of which she wrote down. She awakened with a feeling of joy which flooded her being.

One day, some time later, a friend placed in her hands certain writings of the Bab. As her eyes looked down upon a page, she discovered the exact same words she had written down from her dream. To her intense delight she realized that the Message of the Author was true.

Tahirih wrote immediately to the Bab, telling Him that she believed Him to be that promised Messenger foretold in all the holy Books, and so long and eagerly awaited. To the one who delivered the letter for her, she added: "Say to Him, from me, ‘The effulgence of Thy face hath flashed forth, and the rays of Thy visage arose on high. Then speak the word, "Am I not your Lord?" and "Thou art, Thou art!" we will all reply.'" [Nabil, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 81] (William Sears, Release the Sun, pp. 103-105)

The immediate circumstances pertaining to Baha’u’llah’s arrest and imprisonment in Tehran and its impact on the Holy Family –- the Greatest Holy Leaf explains to a western pilgrim

2010-12-02T07:36:00.000-08:00

He returned [following His return from abroad] to His own village. Here He rested, and while there, the news was brought of the shooting of the Shah. Immediately, Baha’u’llah was arrested and taken to prison. His family in Tehran knew nothing of this, and they were entertaining friends.

The servant rushed in, and said he had seen the Master [Baha’u’llah] being led through the street with bare head and feet, being taken to prison. The friends, realizing they risked imprisonment, left Baha’u’llah’s wife alone with her children – ages two, six, nine. A cousin urged them to spend the night with her, and she accepted, but soon realized even there she was causing anxiety, and so early in the morning, she returned to her home.

When she and Baha’u’llah were married, they were from the wealthiest families in the community, and it was said their wealth could never end. His wife, being an only child, had a marvelous trousseau, all her dresses were of the finest silk and the buttons and fastening were of rare jewels. At the time of His arrest, all of His property was confiscated as well as hers, and she was left with nothing to care for her children. She suffered most terribly from grief for her husband and because she could get no word as to His condition. For a week, she was without word, and finally through an aunt [whose husband was employed in the Russian legation in Tehran] … she was able to hear from her husband.

It is a custom in Persia when they are about to kill anyone, a guard goes through the city announcing the name of the person, and they lived in constant dread of hearing their dear One’s name. Each day, Baha'u'llah's wife used to leave in the early morning and go to her aunt's to await news of her husband, and to endeavor to get food to Him. Her property gone, she sold her dresses and the jeweled buttons to bribe the prison keepers to allow her to get food to her husband. This she succeeded in doing after about a month. She would return at night, and all day the little children were left alone, fearful to go out because the soldiers might take them.

One day they did take 'Abdu'l-Baha, and He pulled Himself out of His coat and ran to His home, where the door was ajar and found safety behind it. His mother suffered fearfully these days because she had been accustomed to the utmost luxury and now she was obliged to do all her own work, even her washing. (Notes taken by Ruth Randall during her pilgrimage in 1919; ‘William Henry Randall Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’, pp. 170-172)

An exceptional example of spiritual ecstasy and joy felt by some early believers in a devotional gathering

2010-11-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

Nabil [1] has recounted in his as yet unpublished narratives the story of a gathering held one evening in the house of Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdad, sometime before His Declaration. He considered that gathering to have been one of the most memorable of his life.

That night a wonderful feast had been arranged and 'Abdu'l-Bahá, then eighteen years of age, was acting as host. His youthful and radiant personality added distinction to the assembly. A number of believers from Baghdad and Karbila were present, among them some eminent personalities such as Haji Siyyid Javad-i-Karbila'i, [2] Shaykh Sultan [3], and Sayyah [4].

After partaking of food they began to chant the Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, and soon the atmosphere became deeply spiritual. Hearts were filled with divine love and souls were illumined by the light of the New Day; so when the poem of Az-Bágh-i-Iláhí[(From the Garden of Holiness) -- a Tablet of Baha’u’llah. For a brief explanation about it please visit Baha’i Historical Facts] was chanted, its mysteries became apparent to them, revealing thereby the approaching hour of the unveiling of Bahá'u'lláh's divine station. Every sincere soul in that company experienced ecstasy and joy, and the atmosphere became alive with excitement and rapture.

An interesting incident occurred during the chanting of this ode. In one verse Bahá'u'lláh condemns the unfaithful among His companions. When this particular verse was chanted the believers all turned to look at Siyyid Muhammad-i-Isfahani [5]. Although embarrassed, he arose and to the amusement of some and the amazement of others, performed a dance of rapture in an attempt to dispel their suspicion.

Then without warning the door opened and Bahá'u'lláh entered majestically, holding in His hand a small glass vessel of rose-water. He greeted them with the salutation 'Allah'u'Akbar',[Literally, 'God is the Greatest'. With these words the followers of the Báb greeted each other] and bade them not to arise or disrupt their meeting. He had felt the spirituality of that gathering, He said, and so had come to anoint them with rose-water. [In those days it was considered a gracious act for the host to anoint his guests with rose-water.] This He graciously did, going to every person in the room, after which He left.

It was a mighty climax and the highlight of the evening. No one was able to sleep that night, so intoxicated were they with the wine of His presence. 'The like of that night', Nabil writes, 'the eye of creation had not seen.' (Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 1, pp. 219-220)

[1] The author of The Dawn-Breakers, Bahá'u'lláh's "Poet-Laureate, His chronicler and His indefatigable disciple.", Shoghi Effendi, ‘God Passes By’, p. 130]
[2] He was one of the outstanding disciples of Siyyid Kazim-i-Rashti, and in his early youth had met the renowned Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsa'i … He was distinguished by his learning and knowledge, his piety and uprightness. He was reserved in his speech and very gentle in his manners, and had a dignified bearing which endeared him to people (Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 1, p. 220)
[3] The father-in-law of Bahá'u'lláh's faithful brother Mirza Musa (Adib Taherzadeh, The Child of the Covenant, p. 65)
[4] He had been the courier of the Báb and at one time His personal attendant. (Balyuzi, Baha'u'llah - The King of Glory, p. 247)
[5] Referred to by the Guardian as “the Antichrist of the Bahá'í Revelation” (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 164)

Ali-Kuli Khan becomes one of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s secretaries and begins translating His correspondence with the American Baha'is

2010-11-05T04:39:00.000-07:00

Ali-Kuli Khan (c. 1879-1966) was also known as Nabilu'd-dawlih. He was an eminent Iranian Baha'i who served briefly as 'Abdu'l-Baha’s English-language secretary between 1899-1901. He was subsequently sent to America where he was the first to translate into English some of the most important works of Baha’u’llah, such as the Kitab-i-Iqan, the Seven Valleys and the Glad-Tidings. He also continued to translate 'Abdu'l-Baha’s correspondence with the American Baha'is. Ali-Kuli Khan was appointed Iranian charge d'affaires in Washington in 1910 and later served in various high-ranking diplomatic positions. His marriage to Boston society girl Florence Breed (1875-1950) in 1904 not only caused comments on two continents, but was praised by 'Abdu'l-Baha as the first marriage between East and West, a symbol of the unity taught by the Baha’i Faith. Their daughter, Marzieh Gail (1908-93), also became an eminent Baha'i writer and translator. Her translations from Persian and Arabic include The Seven Valleys by Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s The Secret of Divine Civilization. (Adapted from Summon up Remembrance, by Marzieh Gail, and A Concise Encyclopedia of the Baha’I Faith, by Peter Smith) Here is how his daughter Marzieh Gail composed from his memoir his first pilgrimage to Haifa, the resulting meeting with ‘Abdu’l-Baha, and the amazing way through which he became able to translate Arabic Tablets – a language he didn’t know prior to his pilgrimage.

It was still dark the next morning, some time before dawn, when the ship anchored about a mile off Haifa. In those days Haifa was a town of negligible importance, and the harbor was not deep enough to permit a steamer to come in any nearer. A number of believers, with Haji Muhammad-Taqi Manshadi, came out by rowboat to meet the pilgrims and get them ashore. Everything was still dark, and the outline of Mount Carmel barely visible.

Once on land, Khan knelt and kissed the earth, and offered thanks to God for granting him his dearest wish.

Since it was still so early, Khan was taken to the coffee house of Husayn Effendi, a Baha'i who regularly greeted and served refreshments to newly arrived pilgrims.

‘The Master is right here in Haifa,' someone said.

At this, Khan, terrified, broke down and wept. 'How can one such as I,' he cried, 'one with so many shortcomings -- how can I stand in the presence of One from whose all-seeing eyes nothing whatever is hidden?'

The believers offered words to quiet him down.

'You'll see,' they told him, 'He is not like that. He is all bounty and mercy. He will make it easy for you to endure the awe of His presence. He has invited you to come and once you see Him you will have no more worries.'

Then, as the sky brightened, they led him about a quarter of a mile away to a house near the sea, and while they walked, Khan kept weeping and voicing his fears….

The arriving party climbed the brick steps leading to the courtyard. Khan was shaking and his heart pumped too fast. What sort of Being was he going to see? He had known but one photograph of the Master, the youthful one taken at Adrianople, in the days when veiled women, gazing down from their latticed windows, would throw roses at His feet. When he dared to look, there, standing tall before him, was One in turban and robe, One with a full beard, dark but with much gray intermingled, and a face just as Khan had always visualized the countenance of Baha’u’llah.

‘I saw this was Baha’u’llah,' he said in after years. ([in Persian] Didam Baha'u'llahst.) Khan collapsed, fell to the floor.

'He lifted me up,' Khan would say, 'put His arms around me, and kissed me on both cheeks. Noting the state I was in He told His attendant to take me to another room and give me some tea.'

Ustad Muhammad-'Ali helped Khan to the corner room where the pilgrims would rest.

Within a few minutes 'Abdu'l-Baha' sent for him. By now, to his surprise, Khan felt strong enough to stand in His presence. The Master said:

'Marhaba! Marhaba! (Welcome, welcome), Jinab-i-Khan. You have suffered much on your wanderings, but welcome! Praise be to God, you have reached here in safety.

'The Blessed Perfection, Baha'u'llah, has promised to raise up souls who would hasten to the service of the Covenant, and would assist me in spreading His Faith. His Cause has now reached America and many in the Western world are being attracted to His Teachings. You, with your knowledge of English, are one of those souls promised me by Baha'u'llah. You have come to assist me by translating His Sacred Writings as well as my letters to the friends in America and elsewhere in the West.'

The room seemed charged with His words. They resounded ever after in Khan's mind and heart.

Then He said, 'You must reside with me and assist me in my work.'

He stretched out His hand to the table and took up a pack of folded papers, the sort He used for Tablets, and passed them over to Khan.

'These are the answers', He said, 'that I have written to some of the American Baha’is. Go and translate them into English.'

Khan unfolded the top ones. They were Tablets 'Abdu'l-Baha had written in His own hand. They were in Arabic.

'But my Master,' he cried, 'these are not in Persian! These are Arabic! In my college I studied European languages, but not Arabic!'

No one had ever in his life looked at Khan with such loving eyes and such a smile. Still smiling, 'Abdu'l-Baha reached for His rock candy on the table. Filling both His hands He told Khan to cup his palms for the candy. Then, His eyes mysteriously solemn, and His voice taking on a new, strange tone, 'Abdu'l-Baha said: 'Go, and eat this candy. Rest assured, the Blessed Perfection will enable you to translate the Arabic into English. Rest assured that as time goes on you will be assisted to translate from the Arabic much more easily than from the Persian.'

They both remained standing throughout the whole interview, Khan before the Master, within a few feet. Dismissing him, the Master pointed to the bedstead in the room and said He had taken a house in the German Colony and was no longer using this bed.

'This is your bed,' He told Khan. 'Sleep in it.'

When night came, Khan did-not have the courage to sleep in the Master's bed. And so [he] lay down on the floor. This went on for three nights. On the morning of the fourth day Usta'd Muhammad-'Ali, the Master's attendant, entered the room and said, 'Jinab-i-Khan, you have wandered many weary weeks and months, and all that time you have lived and longed for the day when you might enter the Master's holy presence. Now that your wish has been granted and your goal reached, are you aware that you are disobeying the Master?

Khan was shocked to hear him. 'What on earth do you mean?' he asked.

'I mean that you have not slept in the Master's bed, as He told you to do.'

'I did not intend to disobey Him,' stammered Khan. 'I simply was not brave enough to sleep in a bed in which the Center of Baha'u'llah's Covenant had slept.'

But he promised Ustad that from now on he would obey, although it was only with fear and trembling that he finally crept into the bed which had been 'Abdu'l-Baha's….

As for his difficult new task, Khan said that from that first meeting some new power was created in him, and he set to work with dictionaries and other helps and began to translate. During the several months spent in His presence, Khan translated the Master's Arabic as well as His Persian (and other language) Tablets, and afterward, through the years in America, he continued this work, and it did indeed become easier for him to put Arabic into English than to translate from his native tongue.

Unlike Persian, which is Indo-European, Arabic is a Semitic language, so difficult that the Master, an expert in Persian, Turkish and Arabic -- His writings taught as a model by scholars in the East -- reportedly called Arabic a 'bottomless abyss'. English-speaking readers of Baha'i Writings are fortunate, receiving them all in English, and not conscious that to Persian readers the same page may suddenly slip into Arabic, a foreign tongue, much as if an English text should suddenly pass into Latin. On occasion, Baha'u'llah Himself has translated the Arabic into Persian, so that the English reader reads the same text twice. Khan did, of course, work with helps and in the beginning for some months he studied the Occidental translators of Babi and Baha'i Writings, among them E. G. Browne, the distinguished orientalist who was the guest of Baha'u'llah at Bahji (April 15-20, 1890). While these offered some assistance, he eventually found them wanting in many ways and he tried to produce new expressions and combinations of words to convey implications and shades of meaning. He reached the conclusion that a profound study of the languages involved was not enough to present an adequate rendition of the creative words of Baha'u'llah and the Master -- for these are in themselves a new language with new connotations. No matter how great the scholar, Khan decided, unless he or she is a true believer, devoted to the Faith, the translation will fall short. This was also along the lines of Mirza Abu'l-Fadl's comment, that when he first read the Iqan [the Book of Certitude], as a non-believer, its deep meanings remained obscure to him, but when he read it afterward as a believer, it was the key that unlocked all the holy Scriptures of the past.

Khan tried to follow the literal sense of the original as closely as he was able. On many occasions, verbally and in Tablets, 'Abdu'l-Baha called Khan His best translator. This was long before the superlative achievements in the field by Shoghi Effendi, with his perfect English, Arabic and Persian, and his French so accomplished that he had to make a decision, Laura Barney said, as to whether he should put Baha'i basic literature into English or French. The Master told Khan not to worry, expert translators would come in the future, and assured him his work showed a deep and intimate knowledge of the inner meaning of the creative words. (Marzieh Gail, Summon up Remembrance, pp. 107-113)

The Holy Family enters the prison in Akka – recalls the Greatest Holy Leaf, Bahiyyih Khanum

2010-10-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

The Greatest Holy Leaf told me that they were marvelously happy in the barracks, and that the second night they were there, they got laughing so hard Baha'u'llah came to the door and told them to stop, that He was afraid the guard would think they had gone crazy to be so happy in such a place.

I then asked the Greatest Holy Leaf if she would give us some of the incidents of her early life with Baha'u'llah and if she was with Him at 'Akka in the Barracks. She said that when they were coming to the 'Akka Prison they landed first at Haifa, seventy-two in number. They were kept in a little house here for a few hours and then put in sailboats. They sailed across the bay to 'Akka, and as there was no place to land, they were placed in chairs, carried by two men and taken to shore. Everybody had come to the shore to watch their arrival because everyone was interested to see what kind of people these prisoners were.

There was a line of soldiers from the shore to the Barracks and first the women were taken up and put in a room, and locked, and then the men. They had no furniture but a few rugs and no food but fragments of bread. They got very hungry and upon hearing the cries of the children, the guards brought them some partly cooked rice. This they could not eat, but gave a little to the children to appease their hunger and quiet their cries. The small amount of bread was given to Baha'u'llah but He ate only a very little. Fortunately, they were very tired and soon fell asleep.

The next day, the guards allowed one man to leave the barracks for one hour to buy a little food for them.

The Greatest Holy Leaf and her mother had the room beside Baha'u'llah.

She also said that her mother's grief was very terrible when the Pure Branch passed away. With all her trouble and sorrow, she was happy, but this seemed almost too much. She could not, for two years, even know where he was buried. (Ruth Randall quoting the Greatest Holy Leaf during her pilgrimage to Haifa in November, 1919; ‘William Henry Randall, Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’, p. 170)

Meeting Shoghi Effendi for the first time – Recollection by Hand of the Cause, Ugo Giacherry

2010-10-13T13:03:00.000-07:00

I have now only a vague memory of what happened or what I saw in the hours until I met Shoghi Effendi that evening of the middle of February 1952.

Those Baha'is who went on pilgrimage during the lifetime of Shoghi Effendi will remember the air of expectation which reigned all day until the coveted moment when, at dinner-time, one was ushered into the Guardian's presence. It was a custom to let the newcomer precede everyone else to the dining-room of the Western Pilgrim House -- an oval-shaped room at the northern end of the lower floor of the building. When my time came that evening, friendly, eager hands led me down the staircase into a large empty hall and through another room to a clear glass door of the French type which opened into the dining-room. Those loving hands literally pushed me through the door into the room where a large table was set for the evening meal. At the far north-eastern side of the table, almost facing the door, sat Shoghi Effendi, his handsome face absorbed in deep thought. A few seconds elapsed as I paused, unable to utter a word or a cry, while my heart was ready to burst. He was wearing a dark steel-grey coat and on his head rested a black tarboosh of unusual height and shape. He lifted his head in my direction and then I met his luminous penetrating gaze. As he rose to greet me a broad smile illumined his whole face, while his eyes seemed to probe my innermost being, as if searching for proofs of love and trust.

The most affectionate words, the sweetest tongue in the world could not reproduce the eloquence of that smile, nor could the deepest thinker of this earth have analysed the loving understanding that radiated in it. I cannot relate the emotion I felt on going near to him.

'Welcome! Welcome!' he said, with a gentle and yet compelling voice. 'At last you have come.' And with a rapid and unforeseen motion he embraced me with such a tenderness that for a time I felt I was in the arms of all the mothers of the world.

Satisfaction and contentment filled my heart; unable to utter a word and yet electrified by all the love expressed in this gesture, I had to steel myself not to fall at his feet. A strong urge to embrace him, again and again, to make myself inconspicuous, small, humble, was overpowering me. But Shoghi Effendi must have sensed this perplexity within me, and guided me to a place at the table. As soon as I was seated and had regained my control, I had the feeling that finally I had reached home. After so many years I cannot recollect all that Shoghi Effendi told me. Expressions of praise and gratitude were flowing from his lips, and my embarrassment and blushing must have been quite evident to the other gusts at the table.
This feeling of nothingness in his presence never left me. Even years afterwards, whenever I came near him, there was an overwhelming force that filled my heart with joy and awe, with the certainty that even my thoughts were visible to him. (Ugo Giacherry, ‘Shoghi Effendi, Recollections by Ugo Giacherry’, pp. 10-11)

The Most Perfect Gentleman

2010-10-01T13:51:00.000-07:00

Howard Colby Ives, a very distinguished early believer, was a former Unitarian Clergyman, who met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in April, 1912 when the Master came to New York. He wrote a fascinating autobiography entitled 'Portals to Freedom', from which the excerpt below has been taken:

'I have before spoken of His [‘Abdu’l-Baha’s] 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 could one be discourteous if such an attitude was held towards everyone!

'The husband of 'Abdu'l-Baha's hostess in Dublin, who, while never becoming an avowed believer, had many opportunities of meeting and talking with the Master, when asked to sum up his impressions of Him, responded, after a little consideration: "I think He is the most perfect gentleman I have ever known."’ (Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom, p. 116)

The youth who was given the inestimable privilege of sharing “the cup of martyrdom” with the Manifestation of God

2010-09-23T19:21:00.001-07:00

While the Bab was confined in the Castle of Chihriq in northwestern Iran, a youth in the nearby city of Tabriz by the name of Muhammad-'Aliy-i-Zunuzi learned about Him from a traveling teacher. The youth became so spiritually inflamed by what he heard, that he wanted to immediately hasten to the castle and attain the presence of the Bab. This youth was later surnamed Anis by the Bab, a title that literally means “close companion”, because he was subsequently martyred with Him in Tabriz in 1850. This was an inestimable privilege that Anis received --never before anything like it had happen in the history of religion.

This is how it happened.

Hearing the circumstances pertaining to the Bab’s incarceration at Chihriq from the traveling teacher, Anis felt so kindled that he felt an irrepressible longing to sacrifice himself in the path of his Beloved. Anis’ stepfather, Siyyid Aliy-i-Zunuzi, was a notable of Tabriz. He strenuously objected to his son leaving the city and going to the Castle of Chihriq, but his words seem to have no effect on him. His stepfather was at last induced to confine him to his house and strictly watch over him.

During those days, the Bab had instructed his secretary, Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunuzi, to collect the Tablets that He had revealed during His incarceration in the Castles of Mah-Ku and Chihriq. He was to deliver them into the hands of a certain believer, by the name of Siyyid Ibrahim-i-Khalil, who was then living in Tabriz, and urge him to conceal and preserve them with the utmost care.

Having delivered his special assignment, the Bab’s secretary visited Anis’ stepfather who was related to him. He later recalled how Anis’ stepfather deplored the sad fate of his son. “He seems to have lost his reason,” he bitterly complained. “He has, by his behaviour, brought reproach and shame upon me. Try to calm the agitation of his heart and induce him to conceal his convictions.” The Bab’s secretary noticed that every day he visited Anis he witnessed tears continually raining down from his eyes.

In July of 1848, the Bab was brought to the city of Tabriz for trial, where He proclaimed His station in the presence of the heir to the throne and the leading clerics. After His trial, He was bastinadoed and then returned to the Castle of Chihriq.

After the Bab had departed from Tabriz, His secretary remained in town and went to visit Anis who languished in confinement in his house. “I was surprised to note the joy and gladness which had illumined his countenance. His handsome face was wreathed in smiles as he stepped forward to receive me. 'The eyes of my Beloved,' he said, as he embraced me, 'have beheld this face, and these eyes have gazed upon His countenance.' 'Let me,' he added, 'tell you the secret of my happiness. After the Bab had been taken back to Chihriq, one day, as I lay confined in my cell, I turned my heart to Him and besought Him in these words: ‘Thou beholdest, O my Best-Beloved, my captivity and helplessness, and knowest how eagerly I yearn to look upon Thy face. Dispel the gloom that oppresses my heart, with the light of Thy countenance.’ What tears of agonising pain I shed that hour! I was so overcome with emotion that I seemed to have lost consciousness. Suddenly I heard the voice of the Bab, and, lo! He was calling me. He bade me arise. I beheld the majesty of His countenance as He appeared before me. He smiled as He looked into my eyes. I rushed forward and flung myself at His feet. ‘Rejoice,’ He said; ‘the hour is approaching when, in this very city, I shall be suspended before the eyes of the multitude and shall fall a victim to the fire of the enemy. I shall choose no one except you to share with Me the cup of martyrdom. Rest assured that this promise which I give you shall be fulfilled.’ I was entranced by the beauty of that vision. When I recovered, I found myself immersed in an ocean of joy, a joy the radiance of which all the sorrows of the world could never obscure. That voice keeps ringing in my ears. That vision haunts me both in the daytime and in the night-season. The memory of that ineffable smile has dissipated the loneliness of my confinement. I am firmly convinced that the hour at which His pledge is to be fulfilled can no longer be delayed.'”

Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunuzi, the Bab’s secretary, exhorted Anis to be patient and to conceal his emotions. Anis promised him not to divulge that secret, and undertook to exercise the utmost forbearance towards Siyyid Ali [his stepfather]. “I hastened to assure the father of his determination, and succeeded in obtaining his release from his confinement. That youth continued until the day of his martyrdom to associate, in a state of complete serenity and joy, with his parents and kinsmen. Such was his behaviour towards his friends and relatives that, on the day he laid down his life for his Beloved, the people of Tabriz all wept and bewailed him." (Adapted from the Dawn-Breakers, p. 306)

An example of how ‘Abdu’l-Baha treated His enemies

2010-09-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

When the Master came to `Akka there lived there a certain man from Afghanistan, an austere and rigid [Muslim]. To him the Master was a heretic. He felt and nourished a great enmity towards the Master, and roused up others against him. When opportunity offered in gatherings of the people, as in the Mosque, he denounced him with bitter words.

'This man,' he said to all, 'is an imposter. Why do you speak to him? Why do you have dealings with him?' And when he passed the Master on the street he was careful to hold his robe before his face that his sight might not be defiled.

Thus did the Afghan. The Master, however did thus: The Afghan was poor and lived in a mosque; he was frequently in need of food and clothing. The Master sent him both. These he accepted, but without thanks. He fell sick. The Master took him a physician, food, medicine, money. These, also, he accepted; but as he held out one hand that the physician might take his pulse, with the other he held his cloak before his face that he might not look upon the Master. For twenty-four years the Master continued his kindnesses and the Afghan persisted in his enmity. Then at last one day the Afghan came to the Master's door, and fell down, penitent and weeping, at his feet.

'Forgive me, sir!' he cried. 'For twenty-four years I have done evil to you, for twenty-four years you have done good to me. Now I know that I have been in the wrong.'

The Master bade him rise, and they became friends.

The Master is as simple as his soul is great. He claims nothing for himself--neither comfort, nor honor, nor repose. Three or four hours of sleep suffice him; all the remainder of his time and all of his strength are given to the succour of those who suffer, in spirit or in body. 'I am,' he says, 'the servant of God.'

Such is `Abbas Effendi, the Master of `Akka. (From Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi by Myron Phelps pp. 9-10)

Baha’u’llah, His family and companions experienced exceptionally inhumane conditions in early days in ‘Akka prison

2010-09-07T20:02:00.000-07:00

Life in the prison of 'Akka in the early days was extremely difficult and tortuous. The heat was severe during the day and there was no adequate water for washing. For three months, the authorities did not allow Bahi'u'llah to attend the public bath which in those days was the only place where people could take a bath. The guards had been given strict orders not to allow any person to visit Him. Even when a barber came to attend to Baha'u'llah's hair, he was accompanied by a guard and was not allowed to talk to Him. 'Abdu'l-Baha had to live in a room on the ground floor which had been formerly used as a morgue. Its moist air affected His health for the rest of His life. As for the prisoners, the filthy conditions under which they were living, the lack of proper food and hygiene, and the severity of restrictions, took their toll. Shortly after their arrival in the barracks, all but two fell sick. Nine of the ten guards were also struck down by illness. Malaria and dysentery added to their ordeal. The only two unaffected at that stage were 'Abdu'l-Baha and Aqa Riday-i-Qannad, although both of them were taken ill at a later time. The Master, helped by this believer, attended to the needs of the sick and nursed them day and night. The authorities did not call for a doctor to administer medicine. With the few provisions at His disposal all that 'Abdu'l-Baha could do was to cook for them a simple broth and some rice each day. But the hygienic conditions were appalling. The heat was severe during the day and there was no adequate water for washing.

In these circumstances three people died. The first victim was a certain Abu'l-Qasim-i-Sultan Abadi. Then two brothers, Ustad Muhammad-Baqir and Ustad Muhammad-Isma’il, both tailors by profession, died one evening within a few hours of each other. They were locked in each other's arms as they lay on the floor. Baha'u'llah particularly expressed His grief at this tragic death, and stated that never before had two brothers passed away from this dark world and entered the realms of glory in such unity. He, as stated in a Tablet, praised them, showered His bounties upon them, and blessed their parents.

The burial of these three posed a difficult problem for the company of exiles. For the Government refused to allow anyone from among the prisoners to bury them, nor did they provide funds for their burial! The guards demanded payment of necessary expenses for burial before removing the bodies. And as there were very few possessions which could be sold, in order to raise the money Baha’u’llah ordered the sale of the only luxury He had, a small prayer carpet used by Him. This was done, and the proceeds were handed to the guards who then pocketed the money and buried the dead in the clothes they wore, without coffins and without the customary Muslim rites of washing and wrapping the bodies in shrouds.

As they were not allowed to be buried inside the Muslim Cemetery they were laid to rest outside it. Some years later 'Abdu'l-Baha arranged for one of the believers to build their graves, which are joined together. After the death of these three men, Baha'u'llah revealed a short healing prayer especially for the believers in the barracks and asked them to chant it repeatedly and with absolute sincerity. This the friends did and soon everyone recovered. (Adib Taherzadeh, The Child of the Covenant, p. 87; Stories of Baha'u'llah and Some Notable Believers, by Kiser Barnes. Pp. 111-112)

An example of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s amazing patience, love and understanding …And, Myron Phelps’ book: The Master in ‘Akka

2010-08-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

Among the early Western visitors who received permission to come were “Madame de Canavarro and Mr. [Myron] Phelps, who had been in the company of Dr. Arastu Khan on the last leg of their journey from Beirut to 'Akka. At the time of their arrival, the house which had been the residence of Baha’u’llah was fortunately unoccupied and available, and so the late doctor was taken to the pilgrim house and the two Western friends were housed in that residence. The American Mme. De Canavarro had previously been attracted to the Buddhist Faith, had become one of its ardent teachers and had spent large sums over the years in propagation of her views. She had sacrificed much in order to attain mastery of the Buddhist philosophy, and in the process had won distinction and renown. Sister Sanghamitta, as she was known, was an accomplished and well-respected member of her Faith and had a long-standing acquaintance with Western philosophy and a deep knowledge of Indian mysticism. She had translated and published the book of Buddha, in both English and French, under the title ‘The Gospel o f Buddha, and had now found the Baha’i Faith through the Buddhist Faith. She seemed to be about forty-five or fifty years old, and although suffering from physical infirmity was yet spiritually radiant and joyful. Mr. Phelps, on the other hand might be considered to be Sister Sanghamitta's spiritual brother. He professed belief in Buddhism, had literary ability, had journeyed to 'Akka with his spiritual sister and was keeping a journal of his observations and experiences. As she entered, she humbly kissed 'Abdu'l-Baha's hand. The Master treated her with the utmost consideration and tenderness as she was led to the andaruni of the Master's residence. The dinner-table discussions began next day.

This lady … had a multitude of questions, and as the answers came Mr. Phelps took them down rapidly. The problem, though, was that the ideas and beliefs of the sister and brother were not in harmony, and since the record of the conversation obviously had to reflect the understanding of both of them, this created undue stress on 'Abdu'l-Baha as He had to explain matters twice. The lady asked the question, I translated it and returned the response, and Mr. Phelps swiftly recorded it. But since the enquirer and the recorder had different views, they disagreed as to the meaning of the replies, and the frequent repetition of the concepts made the task that much more arduous for 'Abdu'l-Baha.

The part that pertained to Buddha and other prophets was reasonably straightforward. The difficulty arose with the concept of reincarnation. Here the recorder [i.e., Myron Phelps] insisted on including his own views in the journal, or at least wished to reflect the discussion in such a light as to make the future publication and sale of the book of interest to those Europeans who believed in reincarnation. This problem remained unresolved for the duration of the interview.

On the second or the third day of the interview, as fresh and complicated issues began to emerge, there suddenly arose a fracas. The reason was that a subject that is considered to be one of the principal concepts of the Baha'i Faith had proven too complex for the lady to grasp; she required repeated explanations. Suddenly, bursting out in furious objection, she addressed me angrily in harsh and unintelligible words. She was so irate that she was unable to speak clearly. At the same time, the Master kept asking, ''What is she saying?' - while the lady was not giving me the opportunity to understand the cause of her distress so that I could apprise 'Abdu'l-Baha.

At last, when the commotion subsided, what I understood from her protests, addressed directly to me was: "Why is it that you Easterners must always be the pioneers and standard-bearers in the field of religion, although you obviously do not possess any particular qualifications or accomplishments to justify that status? In turn, we Westerners must become dependent on you to share such knowledge with us secondhand. First, you obviously have no erudition to qualify you to understand such spiritual concepts. We are the ones who introduce the subject matter and share with you the guidance to understand the issue. Then we must wait for your response. If it weren't for us Westerners, how could you hope to understand such issues? The problem is, once you comprehend the subject matter, you get the answer first and then I have to receive the answer from you. Worse still, you receive the mysteries of the Kingdom and the divine realities directly from the Master without any intermediary (meaning that you drink from the fountain head) whereas we have to obtain our knowledge from you (meaning that we drink stagnant water). Why should I focus my eyes and ears on your mouth and wait for the answer to my query?"

As soon as I understood the problem I informed 'Abdu'l-Baha.

Yea, at such times the even-tempered, serene bearing of the Master, and His loving glances of understanding and sympathy, could transform the world. With a kindly smile He spoke:

"Tell her that the effects and influences of the mysteries of the Kingdom are spiritual, not material. Ear and tongue are material faculties. If the soul is not susceptible to receiving the divine favours, of what use are ears and tongues? These spiritual concepts are directed to your heart. I speak to you with the power of spirit and you receive these heavenly concepts with your whole being, with pure intentions and a radiant heart. The essential requirement is true, sincere and heartfelt communication. Praised be God, that spiritual connection is established. Whatever you have heard so far are the blessings of the Holy Spirit. My connection with you is direct. The tongue of the translator is only a material and physical faculty."

Then He gave further examples of those believers who had accepted and devoted their lives to the message of Christ, and demonstrated that in this wondrous age, too, people deprived of the physical faculties of hearing and sight had attained the honour of faith and reunion and become beacons of guidance to other souls.

In short, the lady was satisfied, and expressed her happiness and contentment. Peace and tranquility were established between the two of us at last. They stayed for over a month.

Many significant philosophical and religious problems were resolved, some of which Mr. Phelps recorded in his journal; others the lady committed to memory. The first part of Mr. Phelps's book [The Master in ‘Akka], which described his emotions and observations, was delightful, enchanting, and tenderly and effectively presented. The later chapters dealt with the description of Baha’u’llah and His family's journey in exile from Tehran to Baghdad, Adrianople, Constantinople and ‘Akka. This part was written quite accurately, for the lady had received that information, properly translated into English by one of 'Abdu'l-Baha's daughters, directly from the Greatest Holy Leaf, and then had passed it on to Mr. Phelps. But the chapter dealing with the concept of reincarnation and other similar issues contained a great many errors.

I translated half the book from English to Persian and presented it to 'Abdu'l-Baha for His perusal. I subsequently made multiple retranslations of His comments and corrections into English or explained them verbally to Mr. Phelps. Despite all these efforts, the published book contained sections that were contrary to 'Abdu'l-Baha's statements. Sister Sanghamitta understood the issues, but Mr. Phelps wrote as he wished.

Their happy stay came to an end at last, and they received permission to depart. For some time afterwards, letters from the Sister containing expressions of her heartfelt regard for 'Abdu'l-Baha and a description of her many acts of service were received in the Holy Land." (Dr. Youness Afroukhteh [one of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s secretaries], Memories of Nine Years in 'Akka, translated by Riaz Masrour, pp. 144-148)

The first human being to receive God’s Message brought to humanity by the Bab –- Mulla Husayn describes Its impact on him

2010-08-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

Mulla Husayn … has left in everlasting language a memory of that first announcement by 'Ali Muhammad, the Báb. He could never forget the inner peace and serenity which he had felt in the life-creating presence of the Báb. He spoke often to his companions of that wondrous night. "I sat spellbound by His utterance," he said. "All the delights [of Paradise] I seemed to be experiencing that night. Methinks I was in a place of which it could be truly said: 'Therein no toil shall reach us,...but only the cry, Peace! Peace!'" Sleep had departed from Mulla Husayn as he listened to the music of his Beloved's voice. "'O thou who are the first to believe in Me. Verily, I am the Báb, the Gate of God.'" To Mulla Husayn, the first to believe in Him, the Báb gave the title: the Babu'l-Bab, the gate of the Gate. In that hour, the Báb proclaimed that He was the One foretold in all the holy Books of the past. He said that He had come to usher in a new era, a fresh springtime in the hearts of men. His name, the Báb, meant the door or gate. His teaching, He said, was to open the door or the gate to a new age of unity in which men would recognize one God and worship in one religion -- the same religion which all of God's prophets had taught from the beginning of time. It would be an age in which all men would live as brothers. The Báb cautioned Mulla Husayn not to tell either his companions or any other soul what he had seen and heard. In the beginning, eighteen souls must spontaneously and of their own accord seek and accept Him and recognize the truth of His Revelation. When their number was complete, He would send them forth to teach the Word of God. Mulla Husayn's long search was at an end. His own words can best describe the depth of that experience:
"I was blinded by the dazzling splendor of this new Revelation and overwhelmed by its crushing force. Predominant among all my emotions was a sense of gladness and strength which seemed to have transfigured me. How feeble and impotent, how dejected and timid, I had felt previously! Then I could neither write nor walk, so tremulous were my hands and feet. Now, the knowledge of His Revelation had galvanized my being. I felt possessed of such courage and power that were the world, all its people and its rulers, to rise against me, I would alone and undaunted withstand their onslaught. The universe seemed but a handful of dust in my grasp. I seemed to be the Voice of Gabriel personified, calling unto all mankind: 'Awake, for lo! the morning Light has broken. Arise, for His Cause is made manifest. The portal of His grace is open wide; enter therein, O peoples of the world! For He Who is your Promised One is come!' "In such a state I left His house and joined my brother and nephew. The words of the Báb were ringing their melody of joy in my heart: 'Render thanks unto God for having graciously assisted you to attain your heart's desire.'" (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 6)
(William Sears, Release the Sun, p. 15)

How did it feel to be near the Guardian -- his humility and selflessness

2010-08-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

(Recalled by Hand of the Cause of God, Ugo Giachery. Mr. Giachery visited Haifa on several occasions and spent a number of months there.)

Humility of a kind not yet known elsewhere was one of Shoghi Effendi's many unique virtues, a humility which came from the conviction that man's faculties are not self-created but are a precious trust from God, not to be displayed or used overbearingly or with vanity. And yet he emanated true pride and dignity, such a regal dignity that raised him far above any man I have yet met or known.

When conversing with him, one could strongly sense this feeling of humility, while his ample brow and penetrating eyes reflected an inner light born of faith, courage and determination. One could feel an awareness that was amazing and rendered one speechless.

Shoghi Effendi's selflessness was not only outstanding but exemplary. He never placed his personal interests or desires ahead of his functions as Guardian. Those who were near to him inevitably felt that his life was something to be fully expended in the service of God and humanity, in a dedication unlike that of any other human being. When close to him I always felt the powerful process of his sublimation to the reality of the unseen world, while his body was there, near to me, like a visible, finely tuned musical instrument whose melodies, imperceptible to the human ear, vibrated unseen through the ether.

He was always ready to give comfort, verbally or in writing, to encourage, to praise and to stimulate to such a degree that one felt the urge to place at his disposal life, time and possessions within the range of one's capacity and emotional exaltation. This was the essence of his detachment from worldly things. The less he thought of himself, the higher he soared in the sphere of spiritual authority and prestige. This was perhaps the secret of his tremendous attraction and influence upon those who came close to him. (Ugo Giachery,’Shoghi Effendi, Recollections’, pp. 19-20)

What one of the early believers experienced when he attained the presence of Bahá’u’lláh

2010-08-13T10:49:00.000-07:00

Every time I attained His [Bahá’u’lláh’s] presence, I would find the portals of His grace and revelation open before my eyes. Each of them was a mighty proof and a precious gift. All those supernatural acts that I witnessed in His blessed presence and the immense joy which flooded my soul as I sat before Him are indescribable and cannot be recorded here... In the gatherings of the friends, if the Blessed Beauty turned his face to a person, that individual was unable to gaze upon His countenance and see the effulgent rays of the Sun of Truth. It was therefore Bahá'u'lláh's practice to look to the right side as He spoke, so that the friends might find it easier to look at His face. And if He ever turned His face towards the friends, He would close His eyes and speak...
Once I entered into the presence of Bahá'u'lláh at a time that He was reciting the verses of the Tablet of Visitation of Imam Husayn. [Bahá'u'lláh revealed a Tablet of Visitation for Imam Husayn which is very moving] At times, He would interrupt and utter some words, or receive the friends as they arrived. Eventually the number reached about forty-five. At this time I began to think of the friends in 'Ishqabad... I decided to remember them in His presence and dedicate my pilgrimage to them. I thought of Mirza Abu'l-Fadl and five others... As soon as I remembered them, He promptly turned His face towards me and smiled. He then mentioned the names of Mirza Abu'l-Fadl and the other five and said to me: Your remembrance of these people and your pilgrimage on their behalf is accepted by us. He repeated it twice. And so He revealed everything that was in my heart.

I was staggered by this revelation. My sight became blurred and I was close to collapsing. As soon as He saw me in this state, he ordered His servant [Mirza Aqa Jan, Bahá'u'lláh's amanuensis, acted as His servant. Bahá'u'lláh usually called him 'Abd-i-Hadir (Servant in Waiting)] to bring in some sweetmeats. He brought a plateful and placed it in front of Bahá'u'lláh who handed one sweet to each person. But to me He gave two. After this we were all dismissed from His presence. But I was so overwhelmed by this experience that when I left I was not in control of my faculties and halfway down the steps I collapsed... (Aqa Riday-i-Sa'adati, a native of Yazd; quoted by Adib Taherzadeh in ‘The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 3’, p. 302)

The episode of a roving Bedouin who stole the Bab’s saddlebag while He was on His way to Mecca

2010-08-08T14:50:00.000-07:00

One day, when the Báb had dismounted close to a well in order to offer His morning prayer, a roving Bedouin suddenly appeared on the horizon, drew near to Him, and, snatching the saddlebag that had been lying on the ground beside Him, and which contained His writings and papers, vanished into the unknown desert. His Ethiopian servant set out to pursue him, but was prevented by his Master, who, as He was praying, motioned to him with His hand to give up his pursuit. "Had I allowed you," the Báb later on affectionately assured him, "you would surely have overtaken and punished him. But this was not to be. The papers and writings which that bag contained are destined to reach, through the instrumentality of this Arab, such places as we could never have succeeded in attaining. Grieve not, therefore, at his action, for this was decreed by God, the Ordainer, the Almighty." Many a time afterwards did the Báb on similar occasions seek to comfort His friends by such reflections. By words such as these He turned the bitterness of regret and of resentment into radiant acquiescence in the Divine purpose and into joyous submission to God's will. (Nabil , The Dawn-Breakers, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi, p. 132)

September 23rd, 1911, London, Britain -- ‘Abdu’l-Baha related the story of His life in prison at the request of a reporter who had asked for an interview

2010-08-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

We sat in a circle facing 'Abdu'l-Bahá who inquired if there were any questions we would like to ask. I said my editor had sent me to ascertain something of his prison life, and 'Abdu'l-Bahá at once related in a simple impersonal way one of the most remarkable stories conceivable:

"At nine years of age, I accompanied my father, Bahá'u'lláh, in his journey of exile to Baghdad, seventy of his disciples going with us. This decree of exile, after persistent persecution, was intended to effectively stamp out of Persia what the authorities considered a dangerous religion. Bahá'u'lláh, with his family and followers, was banished, and travelled from one place to another. When I was about twenty-five years old, we were moved from Constantinople to Adrianople, and from there went with a guard of soldiers to the fortressed city of 'Akká, where we were imprisoned and closely guarded."

"We had no communication whatever with the out-side world. Each loaf of bread was cut open by the guard to see that it contained no message. All who believed in the Bahá'í manifestation, children, men and women, were imprisoned with us. There were one-hundred and fifty of us together in two rooms and no one was allowed to leave the place with the exceptions of four persons, who went to the bazaar to market each morning, under guard. The first summer was dreadful. 'Akká is a fever-ridden town. It was said that a bird attempting to fly over it would drop dead. The food was poor and insufficient, the water was drawn from a fever-infected well and the climate and conditions were such, that even the natives of the town fell ill. Many soldiers succumbed and eight out of ten of our guard died. During the intense heat, malaria, typhoid and dysentery attacked the prisoners, so that all, men, women and children, were sick at one time. There were no doctors, no medicines, no proper food, and no treatment of any kind.

"I used to make broth for the people, and as I had much practice, I make good broth," said 'Abdu'l-Bahá laughingly.

"After two years of the strictest confinement permission was granted me to find a house so that we could live outside the prison walls but still within the fortifications. Many believers came from Persia to join us but they were not allowed to do so. Nine years passed. Sometimes we were better off and sometimes very much worse. It depended on the governor, who, if he happened to be a kind and lenient ruler, would grant us permission to leave the fortification, and would allow the believers free access to visit the house; but when the governor was more rigorous, extra guards were placed around us, and often pilgrims who had come from afar were turned away."

"One year before Abdu'l-Hamid was dethroned, he sent an extremely overbearing, treacherous and insulting committee of investigation. The chairman was one of the governor's staff, Arif Bey, and with him were three army commanders varying in rank.”

"Immediately upon his arrival, Arif Bey proceeded to denounce me and tried to get proof strong enough to warrant sending me to Fizan, or throwing me into the sea. Fizan is a caravan station on the boundary of Tripoli where there are no houses and no water. It is a month's journey by camel route from 'Akká.

"The committee twice sent for me to hear what I had to say in my own defence and twice I sent back word: 'I know your purpose, I have nothing to say.'”

"This so infuriated Arif Bey that he declared he would return to Constantinople and bring back an order from the Sultan to have me hanged at the gate of 'Akká. He and his committee set sail with their report containing the following accusations: -- 'Abdu'l-Bahá is establishing a new nation of which he is to be the king; 'Abdu'l-Bahá is uplifting the banner of a new religion; 'Abdu'l-Bahá has built or caused to be built fortifications in Haifa, a neighbouring village, and is buying up all the surrounding lands.'

"About this time an Italian ship appeared in the harbour sent by order of the Italian Consul. It had been planned that I was to escape on it by night. The Bahá'ís in 'Akká implored me to go but I sent this message to the captain: 'The Báb did not run away: Bahá'u'lláh did not run away; I shall not run away, so the ship sailed away after waiting three days and three nights.”

"It was while the Sultan's committee of investigation was homeward bound that the first shell was dropped into Abdu'l-Hamid's camp and the first gun of freedom was fired into the home of despotism. That was God's gun," said 'Abdu'l-Bahá, with one of his wonderful smiles.

"When the committee reached the Turkish capital, they had more urgent things to think of. The city was in a state of uproar and rebellion, and the committee, as members of the government staff, were delegated to investigate the insurrection. Meanwhile the people were establishing a constitutional government and Abdu'l-Hamid was given no chance to act."

"With the advent of the Young Turks' supremacy, realized through the Society of Union and Progress, all the political prisoners of the Ottoman Empire were set free. Events took the chains from my neck and placed them about Hamid's; 'Abdu'l-Bahá came out of prison and Abdu'l-Hamid went in!"

"What became of the committee?" asked someone, breaking the deep silence that followed the recital of this thrilling page of history. "Arif Bey," continued 'Abdu'l-Bahá, "was shot with three bullets, the general was exiled, the next in rank died, and the third ran away to Cairo, where he sought and received help from the Bahá'ís." (Adapted from ‘Abdu'l-Baha in London’, pp. 113-120; recorded by Isabel Fraser)

The story of how Nabil-i-Akbar acknowledged Baha’u’llah as the Supreme Manifestation of God

2010-07-28T11:26:00.000-07:00

Nabil-i-Akbar [who was later named by the Guardian as one of the 19 Apostles of Baha’u’llah] was acknowledged as one of the most outstanding men of learning in Persia. His fame had spread throughout the country to such an extent that once, when he spoke incognito to a number of divines in far-off [city of] Kirman, his listeners were lost in admiration of his superb discourse and some were heard to say that the only person in the whole country who could rival such a man in the field of learning and knowledge would be the famous Mulla Muhammad-i-Qa'ini (that is, Nabil-i-Akbar himself).

He embraced the Bábí Faith about the year 1853. Some six years later [about 1859], while in Baghdad, he went to visit Bahá'u'lláh. [this is before Baha’u’llah’s Declaration in the Garden of Ridvan in 1863] There he was warmly received by Him, and was accorded the honour of staying in the outer apartments of His house, normally reserved for the reception of visitors. Mirza Aqa Jan [Baha’u’llah’s amanuensis] was instructed by Bahá'u'lláh to act as host to him. The following is an extract from the spoken chronicle of Nabil-i-Akbar relating the events of those few days that he spent in the house of Bahá'u'lláh:

“One afternoon I was seated in the room talking with Mulla Muhammad-Sadiq-i-Khurasani, known as Muqaddas. He was a learned man of great dignity and stature. As we were talking together, Bahá'u'lláh, Who had just returned from the town, arrived in the outer apartment accompanied by Prince Mulk-Ara whose hand He was holding. Mulla Sadiq, who was the embodiment of dignity and solemnity, immediately rose to his feet and prostrated himself at the feet of Bahá'u'lláh. This action did not please Bahá'u'lláh Who angrily rebuked Mulla Sadiq and ordered him to rise immediately, after which He went out of the room followed by the Prince.

I was amazed and bewildered at such behaviour on the part of Mulla Sadiq as I had never expected such an important person to act in this manner. Having witnessed Bahá'u'lláh's reaction also, I expressed my disapproval of Mulla Sadiq's behaviour and admonished him for it, saying: 'You are a man who occupies an exalted position in the realm of knowledge and learning and, above all else, you had the honour of attaining the presence of the Báb Himself. Your rank is next to the Letters of the Living and you are one of the Witnesses[The Báb nominated certain believers as 'Witnesses' to the Bayan -- the Mother Book of the Bábí Dispensation -- to testify to its validity and authenticity as the Word of God, until the appearance of 'Him Whom God shall make manifest' (i.e. Bahá'u'lláh) when their functions as 'Witnesses' would come to an end.] of the Dispensation of the Báb. It is true that Bahá'u'lláh is an eminent person Who belongs to the nobility and His ancestors have occupied high positions in the government. It is also true that He has suffered persecution and imprisonment as a result of embracing the Cause of God, that all His possessions have been confiscated and that He has finally been exiled to this land. Yet, your behaviour towards Him this afternoon was like that of an unworthy servant towards his glorious Lord.’

Mulla Sadiq refrained from answering me. He was in a state of spiritual intoxication, his face beaming with joy; he merely said to me, 'I beseech God to tear asunder the veil for thee and shower His bounties upon thy person through His abundant grace.'

After this incident, I decided in my heart to investigate and began to observe the person of Bahá'u'lláh and His actions very carefully. The more I observed the less I discovered any sign which could point to His claiming a station. On the contrary, I observed in Him nothing, either in word or deed, except humility, self-effacement, servitude and utter nothingness. As a result, I was led into grievous error, believing that I was in every way superior to Bahá'u'lláh, and preferred my own self to Him.

It was through my vain imagining that in the gatherings of the friends I always used to occupy the seat of honour, assume the function of the speaker and would not give an opportunity to Bahá'u'lláh or anyone else to say anything. One afternoon, Bahá'u'lláh arranged a meeting in His house and a number of friends had gathered, as usual, in the same large room, a room around which, according to the Pen of the Most High, circle in adoration the people of Baha. Again, I occupied the seat of honour. Bahá'u'lláh sat in the midst of the friends and was serving tea with His own hands.

In the course of the meeting, a certain question was asked. Having satisfied myself that no one in the room was capable of tackling the problem, I began to speak. All the friends were attentively listening and were absolutely silent, except Bahá'u'lláh Who occasionally, while agreeing with my exposition, made a few comments on the subject. Gradually He took over and I became silent. His explanations were so profound and the ocean of His utterance surged with such a power that my whole being was overtaken with awe and fear. Spellbound by His words, I was plunged into a state of dazed bewilderment. After a few minutes of listening to His words -- words of unparalleled wonder and majesty -- I became dumbfounded. I could no longer hear His voice. Only by the movement of His lips did I know that He was still speaking. I felt deeply ashamed and troubled that I was occupying the seat of honour in that meeting. I waited impatiently until I saw that His lips were no longer moving when I knew that He had finished talking. Like a helpless bird which is freed from the claws of a mighty falcon I rose to my feet and went out. There three times I hit my head hard against the wall and rebuked myself for my spiritual blindness.”

The eyes of Nabil-i-Akbar were at last opened. He attended another meeting, this time in Kazimayn in the house of a certain Haji Abdu'l-Majid-i-Shirazi. Bahá'u'lláh was present at this meeting. He spoke about the mysteries and origin of creation. Here a new world, full of fresh significances, dawned upon Nabil-i-Akbar who considered every word of Bahá'u'lláh's to be like a priceless gem. All that Nabil-i-Akbar had heard and studied during his life appeared to him to be but the talk of children.

At this point he decided to find out directly from Bahá'u'lláh Himself what His station was and wrote a letter to Him which he begged 'Abdu'l-Bahá to deliver. The next day he received a Tablet in which Bahá'u'lláh alluded to His lofty station. This was the end of Nabil-i-Akbar's search for truth, for he wrote a second letter to Bahá'u'lláh, this time humbly acknowledging Him as the Supreme Manifestation of God and begging Him to guide his steps in His service. Bahá'u'lláh instructed him to return to Persia and teach the Cause of God there.

Nabil-i-Akbar dedicated his whole life to the service of the Cause, suffering much persecution from the enemies of the Faith. He rose to such heights of service and dedication that few among the Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh have been able to rival his attainments.

He died in 1892 soon after the ascension of Bahá'u'lláh and was buried in the city of Bukhara. 'Abdu'l-Bahá asked that a delegation of nine believers visit his grave on His behalf and there chant a Tablet of visitation which He had written especially for him. A few years later He instructed the nephew of Nabil-i-Akbar to transfer his remains from Bukhara to Ishqabad -- a move which proved providential as the graveyard was demolished soon after by the authorities. (Adib Taherzadeh, ‘The Revelation of Baha’u’llah, vol. 1, pp. 92-94)

Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Baha’u’llah – Recollection by Hand of the Cause of God, Dr. Ugo Giachery

2010-07-26T13:17:00.000-07:00

Dr. Ugo Giachery was appointed by Shoghi Effendi in 1948 as the Guardian’s personal representative for all the work in Italy associated with the erection of the superstructure of the Shrine of the Bab on Mr. Carmel. It was this service which brought him the immortal honour of having the south-western door of the original Shrine named after him as 'Bab-i-Giachery'. In 1951 Shoghi Effendi appointed Dr. Giachery Hand of the Cause of God, and in 1952 'Member at Large' of the international Baha'i Council, the forerunner of the Universal House of Justice. Below is the recollection of Dr. Giachery concerning the first time he entered the Shrine of Baha’u’llah:

“The first time I beheld the Shrine of Baha'u'llah, 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 expectation surged in my mind, and the desire to prostrate myself upon the Holy Tomb for a long time the goal of my life which was now becoming reality, was at the same time urging and restraining me. Perplexity held me fastened to the ground, and if it had not been for the gentle calling of my escort, I should have remained in that state for quite a long time.

It is not possible to describe the feeling of exaltation and awe which overtook me upon entering the door of that Sacred Sepulchre! The world with all its immensity whirled away into nothingness with the rapidity of lightning. I was alone, relieved of cares and thoughts, free from all attachments, as if suspended between heaven and earth. I could only feel the fast beats of my heart and the humming of infinity. There was nothing but light all around me and a powerful fragrance never known before. As in a dream, transported by the attraction exercised by the mystery emanating from the most Blessed Spot in creation, I reached the portal leading to the inner chamber of the Tomb and fell on my knees and placed my forehead on that hallowed Threshold. I felt the need to conceal my face in the ground, as my whole being was gripped by a strong sensation of guilt -- guilt for having arrived so late in my life. I could hear myself saying: Forgive, forgive, forgive. . . for a long time, and then a great peace filled me. My whole past life came before me as an irrelevant episode of eternity, while the present and the vision of the future filled me with unprecedented joy and the lightness of freedom. Glory, immense glory, through a path which precluded any return; a complete sublimation in the transcendency of creation; the certainty of nearness to the 'Mighty Root' from which the greatness and the perfection of the whole universe had been brought to earth. Prayers of thanksgiving and praise came to my lips; streams of unending tears flowed from my eyes, while in my thought all those whom I loved, like a legion of luminous entities, headed by none other than Shoghi Effendi himself, passed rapidly, moving forward and rejoicing with me.

When I came back to the reality of this contingent world, I felt that something had happened to me; my heart was filled with contentment, stability, expectation and unfading certainty. All those I loved became closer to me than ever before. Shoghi Effendi was eternally linked to my soul, while the problems of everyday life disappeared as small clouds swept by a fresh wind.

That same night, at the dinner-table, upon inquiry by the Guardian as to my impression of the Shrine of Baha'u'llah, I tried to express the tumult of my feelings. Shoghi Effendi looked at me with tenderness and understanding, and explained the influence upon the human soul of the earthly remains of the Messengers of God. 'They are, no doubt, endowed with a tremendous spiritual influence and far reaching power … in the sense that Their dust was the physical mirror of the greatness of God.'

Some weeks later … it was my special bounty to be with the Guardian at the commemoration of the Ascension of Baha'u'llah in His Shrine. After the commemoration ended in the small hours of the night, Shoghi Effendi, accompanied by the President of the International Baha'i Council, returned to Haifa; all the other guests remained in Bahji spending the rest of the night in the Mansion.” (Ugo Giachery, ‘Shoghi Effendi, Recollections by Ugo Giachery’, pp. 121-122)

God Answers the prayer of Lua Getsinger’s mother …

2010-07-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

Lua Getsinger was an outstanding early American Baha’i who accepted the Faith in Chicago in 1897 – she was then 26 years old. She was among the first Western pilgrims to visit ‘Abdu’l-Baha in 1898. She was given the title ‘Herald of the Covenant’ by ‘Abdu’l-Baha and was named a Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Baha and ‘Mother Teacher of the West’ by Shoghi Effendi.

Both Lua and her mother were born in rural upstate New York in the village of Hume. Both shared an outer life of delight in the farm with its green fields and growing things, but an inner life of unrest and dissatisfaction. There was no one to answer their questions. They hungered for knowledge of every kind, especially knowledge of God And His creation, but each cup seemed to be empty.

It all began with Lua's mother. Ellen McBride Moore imbibed these ideas with her mother's milk. She was but five when the call for the first woman's rights convention in all history was made in that same upper New York at Seneca Falls. Change was in the air.

Ellen McBride Moore was born in 1843. It was the year of the great comet. All eyes stared up at the night skies searching the heavens in fear of the great fiery tail millions of miles long. Some said it heralded the end of the world.

It was all part of a period of strange, growing millennial zeal. Bible scholars in three continents said their studies of scripture pointed to the imminent return of Christ. People in the United States, Canada, England, Europe, even in Asia, were discussing and debating the issue in great detail. Many confidently expected to see Him 'coming in the clouds of heaven' as He had promised. Some even sold their possessions, prepared ascension robes, and went up into the mountains to await Christ's coming.

In the nearby rolling hills where New York and Pennsylvania meet, Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon Faith, had had his vision of a great new day coming. He was to give his life for these beliefs in 1844, a year after Lua's mother was born.

Farther along these same Pennsylvania hills, William Miller and his flock had organized entire communities who were prepared for the coming of Jesus, the Christ. They finally decided this Event would take place in spring, 1844. Lua's childhood was filled with such tales of wonder and awe. Her mother, Ellen McBride Moore, grew up with a great unquenched thirst to know the truth about those days. Why had Christ failed to return as everyone expected? Or had He come, and had everyone missed Him this time, too, as they did the first time? Had Christ fooled them all, and come as He promised 'like a thief in the night' ? Without anyone recognizing Him? Was He perhaps living on the earth now? What an exciting thought!

But if so, where was He?

No one gave a satisfactory answer to these questions when Lua's mother asked them. Many became impatient with her. They told her not to 'tamper' with these mysteries. Ellen McBride Moore felt that for every good question there should be a good ansver. Her intense curiosity was often a source of acute distress to her family and her friends. Her husband and her minister especially felt the sting of her probing mind.

During the days when Mrs Moore carried Lua in her womb, her thirst for knowledge was directed towards religion. She wanted to know the truth , about God and His Messengers, about man, about the Bible, about the soul, about everything connected with religion. Her zeal had reached its peak. At every opportunity, whether at home, in public, or in church, Lua's mother would speak out. She was frank and she was fearless. She demanded answers to her questions.

It is also suspected that she was a bit of a nuisance. Especially to her minister. There were a lot of her questions to which he, himself, would have liked a better answer. But he knew better than to ask such questions during church service.

One day it reached a crisis.

There was a knock on the door.

Mr Moore admitted the minister of their local church. Both were embarrassed. Both knew why he was there.

'I have come to solicit your help,' the clergyman said.

He entered the house in a state of annoyance. He was distressed when he saw that Lua's mother was present.

'Mr Moore,' he began, 'the last thing I want to do is complain about your wife. She's a fine woman. But I'll come right to the point. She must stop asking so many questions. Especially in the Bible Class. It's disturbing. Most disturbing to the other people.'

Obviously it was disturbing to the country parson as well.

Mr Moore shrugged his shoulders. He was sympathetic. God knows, he too had felt the frustration of trying to satisfy his wife's constant hunger for knowledge about things of the spirit.

'What do you suggest?' he asked.

'There are some things that just can't be answered,' the clergyman said patiently.

'I know,' Mr Moore sighed. 'I know. It disturbs me, too. She asks me the same questions. 'What can I tell her? I'm only a farmer. When she asks, "How is it possible to explain the Bible where it says that Christ will come down in a cloud? Everyone knows that scientifically clouds are vapours that rise up from the earth. They don't come down. Is the Bible wrong?'' What can I tell her? I don't know myself.'

The clergyman was impatient. 'It's a pity that our women become involved in these new-fangled ideas.'

'Perhaps,' Mr Moore said. 'But my wife feels that God is everybody's business, not just the men's. So that kind of answer will never satisfy her.'

Lua's father would have been much happier furrowing a field behind his team than talking about God and the Bible, but now that the parson was here, perhaps this was his chance. A minister should know the answers.

'Tell me,' he asked, 'when the Bible says that all eyes shall see Christ when He comes down from heaven, my wife wants to know how? How will they all see Him? She says that with the curvature of the earth it would take Christ hundreds and hundreds of thousands of solo descents before He could get around to everybody in the world. Mind you, those are her ideas, not mine. But how can I answer that ?'

'There are some things that are very difficult to answer.'

'Especially difficult questions.'

'Many of these things must be taken on faith.'

Ellen McBride Moore could remain quiet no more . She couldn't resist putting in her own two cents' worth. After all, they were her questions.

'What about Christ walking on the water? What about all the dead coming out of their graves on the day of Resurrection? Where will we have room for them all?'

‘Those,' the minister replied, speaking strictly to Lua’s father, 'are exactly the sort of questions that your wife shouldn't ask in public.'

'Why not? If we've got good answers?'

‘They cause unrest in the congregation. Answers that satisfy one person don't satisfy another.'

'None of them satisfies my wife apparently.'

Lua's mother held her tongue, and with great difficulty sat quietly through the rest of the conversation. She sighed. If they insisted that she remain silent she would obey. But they couldn't stop her from thinking. And she thought to herself that if Christ had returned and if she knew where to find Him, at least He wouldn't make excuses. He would be able to answer her questions.

The following Sunday was almost unbearable to her. Question after question sprang unasked to her lips. If the rest of the congregation knew as little as she did about all these things, how could they be so satisfied. Yet, everyone else seemed perfectly content. They smiled and nodded as the minister spoke. She felt there must be something wrong with her, but the more the minister preached, the more questions Lua's mother had about everything he was saying. Only his fierce frown from time to time kept her silent. She wanted to shout out her doubts.

Were there really three Persons in the Trinity? Why were there so many different religions in the first place? Why was mankind repeatedly plagued with the ruin of war? Didn't God have some plan to end the differences and prejudice among races? Was it right for some to be so terribly rich and some so terribly poor, and be neighbours? Why couldn't the world have peace? Were all foreigners really dangerous? Why shouldn't everyone love the whole world and not only his own native land? Why? Why? Why? Why?

Lua's mother kept her peace, but her heart was filled with anguish and sorrow. She didn't care if they ever became wealthy, all she wanted was the answers to her questions. She was sure that knowledge was the real wealth. In her agony of spirit, Ellen McBride Moore prayed fervently to Almighty God: 'If this child I am carrying in my womb is a girl, may she be given the chance to speak out and know the truth that has been so long denied to me, her mother.'

Her prayer was answered. At least the first part of her prayer. The child was a girl. She was named Lua. Lua Moore was born on November 1st, 1871, the same day on which her father had been born and her parents married. (The Flame, by William Sears and Robert Quigley, pp. 11-17)

The Story of Baha’u’llah – told by ‘Abdu’l-Baha

2010-07-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

Tonight I wish to tell you something of the history of the Bahá'í Revelation.

The Blessed Perfection, Bahá'u'lláh, belonged to the nobility of Persia. From earliest childhood He was distinguished among His relatives and friends. They said, "This child has extraordinary power." In wisdom, intelligence and as a source of new knowledge, He was advanced beyond His age and superior to His surroundings. All who knew Him were astonished at His precocity. It was usual for them to say, "Such a child will not live," for it is commonly believed that precocious children do not reach maturity. During the period of youth the Blessed Perfection did not enter school. He was not willing to be taught. This fact is well established among the Persians of Tihran. Nevertheless, He was capable of solving the difficult problems of all who came to Him. In whatever meeting, scientific assembly or theological discussion He was found, He became the authority of explanation upon intricate and abstruse questions presented.

Until His father passed away, Bahá'u'lláh did not seek position or political station notwithstanding His connection with the government. This occasioned surprise and comment. It was frequently said, "How is it that a young man of such keen intelligence and subtle perception does not seek lucrative appointments? As a matter of fact, every position is open to him." This is an historical statement fully attested by the people of Persia.

He was most generous, giving abundantly to the poor. None who came to Him were turned away. The doors of His house were open to all. He always had many guests. This unbounded generosity was conducive to greater astonishment from the fact that He sought neither position nor prominence. In commenting upon this His friends said He would become impoverished, for His expenses were many and His wealth becoming more and more limited. "Why is he not thinking of his own affairs?" they inquired of each other; but some who were wise declared, "This personage is connected with another world; he has something sublime within him that is not evident now; the day is coming when it will be manifested." In truth, the Blessed Perfection was a refuge for every weak one, a shelter for every fearing one, kind to every indigent one, lenient and loving to all creatures.

He became well-known in regard to these qualities before the Báb appeared. Then Bahá'u'lláh declared the Báb's mission to be true and promulgated His teachings. The Báb announced that the greater Manifestation would take place after Him and called the Promised One "Him Whom God shall make manifest," saying that nine years later the reality of His own mission would become apparent. In His writings He stated that in the ninth year this expected One would be known; in the ninth year they would attain to all glory and felicity; in the ninth year they would advance rapidly. Between Bahá'u'lláh and the Báb there was communication privately. The Báb wrote a letter containing three hundred and sixty derivatives of the root Baha. The Báb was martyred in Tabriz; and Bahá'u'lláh, exiled into Iraq in 1852, announced Himself in Baghdad. For the Persian government had decided that as long as He remained in Persia the peace of the country would be disturbed; therefore, He was exiled in the expectation that Persia would become quiet. His banishment, however, produced the opposite effect. New tumult arose, and the mention of His greatness and influence spread everywhere throughout the country. The proclamation of His manifestation and mission was made in Baghdad. He called His friends together there and spoke to them of God.

At one point He left the city and went alone into the mountains of Kurdistan, where He made His abode in caves and grottoes. A part of this time He lived in the city of Sulaymaniyyih. Two years passed during which neither His friends nor family knew just where He was.

Although Bahá'u'lláh was solitary, secluded and unknown in His retirement, the report spread throughout Kurdistan that this was a most remarkable and learned Personage, gifted with a wonderful power of attraction. In a short time Kurdistan was magnetized with His love. During this period Bahá'u'lláh lived in poverty. His garments were those of the poor and needy. His food was that of the indigent and lowly. An atmosphere of majesty haloed Him as the sun at midday. Everywhere He was greatly revered and beloved.

After two years He returned to Baghdad. Friends He had known in Sulaymaniyyih came to visit Him. They found Him in His accustomed environment of ease and affluence and were astonished at the appointments of One Who had lived in seclusion under such frugal conditions in Kurdistan.

The Persian government believed the banishment of the Blessed Perfection from Persia would be the extermination of His Cause in that country. These rulers now realized that it spread more rapidly. His prestige increased; His teachings became more widely circulated. The chiefs of Persia then used their influence to have Bahá'u'lláh exiled from Baghdad. He was summoned to Constantinople by the Turkish authorities. While in Constantinople, He ignored every restriction especially the hostility of ministers of state and clergy. The official representatives of Persia again brought their influence to bear upon the Turkish authorities and succeeded in having Bahá'u'lláh banished from Constantinople to Adrianople, the object being to keep Him as far away as possible from Persia and render His communication with that country more difficult. Nevertheless, the Cause still spread and strengthened.

Finally, they consulted together and said, "We have banished Bahá'u'lláh from place to place, but each time he is exiled his cause is more widely extended, his proclamation increases in power, and day by day his lamp is becoming brighter. This is due to the fact that we have exiled him to large cities and populous centers. Therefore, we will send him to a penal colony as a prisoner so that all may know he is the associate of murderers, robbers and criminals; in a short time he and his followers will perish." The Sultan of Turkey then banished Him to the prison of 'Akká in Syria.

When Bahá'u'lláh arrived at 'Akká, through the power of God He was able to hoist His banner. His light at first had been a star; now it became a mighty sun, and the illumination of His Cause expanded from the East to the West. Inside prison walls He wrote Epistles to all the kings and rulers of nations, summoning them to arbitration and universal peace. Some of the kings received His words with disdain and contempt. One of these was the Sultan of the Ottoman kingdom. Napoleon III of France did not reply. A second Epistle was addressed to him. It stated, "I have written you an Epistle before this, summoning you to the Cause of God, but you are of the heedless. You have proclaimed that you were the defender of the oppressed; now it hath become evident that you are not. Nor are you kind to your own suffering and oppressed people. Your actions are contrary to your own interests, and your kingly pride must fall. Because of your arrogance God shortly will destroy your sovereignty. France will flee away from you, and you will be overwhelmed by a great conquest. There will be lamentation and mourning, women bemoaning the loss of their sons." This arraignment of Napoleon III was published and spread.

Read it and consider: one prisoner, single and solitary, without assistant or defender, a foreigner and stranger imprisoned in the fortress of 'Akká, writing such letters to the Emperor of France and Sultan of Turkey. Reflect upon this: how Bahá'u'lláh upraised the standard of His Cause in prison. Refer to history. It is without parallel. No such thing has happened before that time nor since -- a prisoner and an exile advancing His Cause and spreading His teachings broadcast so that eventually He became powerful enough to conquer the very king who banished Him.

His Cause spread more and more. The Blessed Perfection was a prisoner twenty-five years. During all this time He was subjected to the indignities and revilement of the people. He was persecuted, mocked and put in chains. In Persia His properties were pillaged and His possessions confiscated. First, there was banishment from Persia to Baghdad, then to Constantinople, then to Adrianople, finally from Rumelia to the prison fortress of 'Akká.

During His lifetime He was intensely active. His energy was unlimited. Scarcely one night was passed in restful sleep. He bore these ordeals, suffered these calamities and difficulties in order that a manifestation of selflessness and service might become apparent in the world of humanity; that the Most Great Peace should become a reality; that human souls might appear as the angels of heaven; that heavenly miracles would be wrought among men; that human faith should be strengthened and perfected; that the precious, priceless bestowal of God -- the human mind -- might be developed to its fullest capacity in the temple of the body; and that man might become the reflection and likeness of God, even as it hath been revealed in the Bible, "Let us make man in our image."

Briefly, the Blessed Perfection bore all these ordeals and calamities in order that our hearts might become enkindled and radiant, our spirits be glorified, our faults become virtues, our ignorance be transformed into knowledge; in order that we might attain the real fruits of humanity and acquire heavenly graces; in order that, although pilgrims upon earth, we should travel the road of the heavenly Kingdom, and, although needy and poor, we might receive the treasures of eternal life. For this has He borne these difficulties and sorrows.

Trust all to God. The lights of God are resplendent. The blessed Epistles are spreading. The blessed teachings are promulgated throughout the East and West. Soon you will see that the heavenly Words have established the oneness of the world of humanity. The banner of the Most Great Peace has been unfurled, and the great community is appearing. (‘Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of the Universal Peace, pp. 25-28)

Hearing Baha’u’llah Chanting Verses of God -- an experience recalled by Haji Mirza Haydar 'Ali

2010-07-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

Haji Mirza Haydar-'Ali [designated by 'Abdu'l-Baha as the 'Angel of Mount Carmel'] describes the effect of being in the presence of Bahá'u'lláh when He chanted a Tablet He had revealed for him:

This Tablet... was chanted by the Beauty of the All-Bountiful [Baha’u’llah]. What an effect it had on me! To what a world did I ascend! To what a paradise did I enter! What did I see! In what way did I hear that voice and that melody!... These I cannot tell. I entered that Paradise which no eye had seen, and no ear had heard, nor any heart had felt. I saw the Kingdom of grandeur and majesty, and felt the might, the transcendent power, the glory, and the sovereignty of the ever-living, the ever-abiding, the incomparable God. But to speak of it, write about it, give an image or likeness of it, exalt and sanctify it, allude to it, extol and praise it, or describe and narrate it, all these are impossible for this humble servant or anyone else in the world. We have only access to words and terms, whereas that experience and condition are exalted above all things. They cannot be put into words or described by talks. No one can interpret the inner feelings of one's conscience... But this condition remains only for a single moment. It is a fleeting experience. Its manifestation within the human being is due to a special bounty of God. Its duration, varying from the twinkling of an eye to a longer period, depends upon one's capacity to become the recipient of this bounty. The deeds and actions of the person demonstrate its existence. But it has never been heard that this condition lasted for three or four months in a person except in Badi' (the youth that carried Baha’u’llah’s Message to the King of Persia) … (Haji Mirza Haydar-'Ali, quoted by Adib Taherzadeh in ‘The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 3’, p. 182)

Bahá'u'lláh recalled the endeavour and the achievement of His Son, ‘Abdu’l-Baha

2010-07-06T12:33:00.000-07:00

In Baghdad We Ourselves would go and take a seat in the coffee-house to meet the people -- friends and acquaintances, strangers and inquirers alike. We brought those who were remote near to the Faith, and led many a soul into the fold of the Cause. Thus We served the Cause of God, gave victory to His Word and exalted His Name. The Most Great Branch undertook the same task and served in the same way, to a much greater degree, in Adrianople, and then to a far greater extent and with greater efficacy, in 'Akká. The same hardships and afflictions which were Ours in the early days befell Him. In Baghdad We were not prisoners, and the Cause of God had not obtained even a fraction of the fame which it has gained today. At that time the number of its opponents and adversaries and ill-wishers was far less than today. In the Land of Mystery [Adrianople] We used to meet with some and let them come into Our presence. But in the Most Great Prison We do not meet the people who are not within the fold of the Cause. We have closed the doors of social intercourse. It is the Master Who has taken every trouble upon Himself. For Our sake, in order that We may have ease and comfort, He faces the world and its peoples. For Us He has become a mighty stronghold, a mighty armour. At first He rented the Mansion of Mazra'ih. We were there for a while. Then he secured for Us this Mansion of Bahji. He has arisen with all His power to serve the Faith, and confirmation crowns His effort. This work so occupies His days and nights that He is perforce kept away from Bahji for weeks. We consort with the Friends and reveal His [God's] Word. He, the Master, is the target and bears all hardships. (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Haji Mirza Haydar-'Ali in his autobiography “The Delight of Hearts”; Balyuzi, “Abdu'l-Baha - The Centre of the Covenant”, p. 25)

How Juliet Thompson Heard about the Baha’i Faith

2010-06-14T07:47:00.000-07:00

Juliet Thompson, (1873-1956) was a prominent early American Baha’i and artist. She was in Paris where she learned about the Faith and became a Baha'i in 1901. After a few years she settled in New York. In 1909 she went to 'Akka on pilgrimage and met 'Abdu'l-Baha, to whom she became devoted. When He arrived in New York in 1912, she followed Him everywhere and He agreed to allow her to paint His portrait. Juliet wrote a moving story about Mary Magdalen which was published in 1940. She describes here how she first heard about the Faith from Laura Barney – Laura is the believer “whose imperishable service was to collect and transmit to posterity in the form of a book, entitled "Some Answered Questions," 'Abdu'l-Bahá's priceless explanations, covering a wide variety of subjects, given to her in the course of an extended pilgrimage to the Holy Land.” (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 259)

“It was Laura who gave me the Message, bringing to me the greatest of gift in earth and heaven and changing the whole direction of my life. It happened in this way: I had been almost fatally ill and was slowly recovering in Washington when I said one day to my brother, "Coming so close to death makes you think. And I have been thinking lately that it is time for another Messenger of God." The very next day Laura burst in on me, taking me by complete surprise, for I had not heard of her return from Paris. ‘Yesterday, Juliet,’ she said, ‘I was in Bar Harbor. Tomorrow I sail from New York for Palestine. But I couldn't sail without first seeing you to tell you why I am making this pilgrimage. Juliet, the Christ-Spirit is again on earth, and-as before-He is in Palestine.’

“During my illness, the night of the crisis – months before Laura came to me -- I actually saw 'Abdu'l-Baha. In the midst of physical anguish and with darkness closing down on me, I had felt a great pulsation of love from the head of my bed and thought that my mother must be sitting there. I turned and, instead, there sat a Figure built up of light, with a dazzling turban and hair like a flow of light to His shoulders, and with His hands cupped on His knees. Jesus is here, I thought peacefully and glided away into sleep. And when I awoke the crisis was passed. Later my mother said to me: ‘That night of the crisis while I was praying I saw a great Light shining beside your bed.’” (Juliet Thompson, The Diary of Juliet Thompson, pp. 159-160)

Early believers recall witnessing the majesty, beauty, power and authority of Baha’u’llah

2010-06-07T14:17:00.000-07:00

Haji Mirza Haydar-‘Ali, known by Western Baha’is as the ‘Angle of Carmel’ related the following story:

A certain man … once requested the late Haji Siyyid Javad-i-Karbila'i . . ., an early believer and one of the Mirrors of the Babi Dispensation, to describe the countenance of the Bab ... and its beauty. He said 'He was unsurpassed in beauty and sweetness; I saw in Him all the goodness and beauty ascribed to the person of Joseph.' … I asked him to tell us about the beauty of the One (Baha'u'llah) in Whose holy presence the Kingdom of beauty prostrates itself and at whose threshold the most high realm of omnipotence and majesty raises a song of praise and glory. He replied, 'Know with absolute certainty that if anyone, whether friend or foe, claims that he was able to look directly into the blessed face of Baha'u'llah he is a liar. I tested this repeatedly and tried time and again to gaze upon His blessed countenance, but was unable to do so. Sometimes, when a person attains the presence of Baha'u'llah, he is so enamoured and carried away that in fact he becomes dumbfounded, awestruck, oblivious of himself and forgetful of the world. And whenever he is not carried away, should he try to look into His blessed face with concentration, it would be like looking into the sun. In the same way that the eye is blinded by the efflulgent rays of the sun, causing tears to flow, should one persist in gazing upon the countenance of the Blessed Beauty, tears will fill the eyes making it impossible to gain any impression of Him.'

I myself had this experience. During the seven months that I stayed in Adrianople, I was so carried away and dazzled [by His presence] that I was completely oblivious of myself and all creation. Fourteen or fifteen years later I arrived in the holy city of 'Akka, the luminous Spot round which circle in adoration the Concourse on High, the Sinai of Revelation unto Moses. I attained the presence of Baha'u'llah for three months. During all this time I had wanted to know the colour of the blessed taj (a tall felt headdress worn by Baha'u'llah) He was wearing, and yet I forgot to think of it every time I was in His presence, until one day He adorned, perfumed and illumined the Garden of Ridvan [the one near ‘Akka] with His blessed footsteps. The realities of the promised gardens of Paradise, both hidden and manifest, lay prostrate at that Garden of Ridvan [Paradise]. He was having a midday meal in the room which pilgrims still visit and where a couch, chair, and some items used by Him are kept. Two or three people were standing inside and several outside the room. They were all enamoured of His peerless, imperishable and glorious Beauty. I saw the taj then ... as I stood behind the friends and His companions ... its colour was green ... (Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 2, p. 9)

A story recalled by Baha’u’llah on becoming selfless ..

2010-06-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

The story is told of a mystic knower, who went on a journey with a learned grammarian as his companion. They came to the shore of the Sea of Grandeur. The knower straightway flung himself into the waves, but the grammarian stood lost in his reasonings, which were as words that are written on water. The knower called out to him, "Why dost thou not follow?" The grammarian answered, "O Brother, I dare not advance. I must needs go back again." Then the knower cried, "Forget what thou didst read in the books of …[rhetoric and grammar], and cross the water." The death of self is needed here, not rhetoric: Be nothing, then, and walk upon the waves. (Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, pp. 51-52)

Mulla Husayn describes the effect on him of his first meeting with the Bab

2010-06-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

I felt possessed of such courage and power that were the world, all its peoples and its potentates, to rise against me, I would, alone and undaunted, withstand their onslaught. The universe seemed but a handful of dust in my grasp. I seemed to be the Voice of Gabriel personified, calling unto all mankind: "Awake, for, lo! the morning Light has broken. Arise, for His Cause is made manifest. The portal of His grace is open wide; enter therein, O peoples of the world! For He who is your promised One is come!" (The Dawn-Breakers, Nabil's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation,; translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi p.65)

Being in the Presence of Baha’u’llah when Tables are Revealed -- recalled by Haji Mirza Haydar-‘Ali

2010-05-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

Once I requested to be in Baha'u'llah's room when He was revealing Tablets. This request met with His approval. As I entered His room, I heard streams of words sweeping along in a torrential flow from His lips. It seemed that the atmosphere, the floor, the walls, and every atom in the room was filled with perfume. Only those who have had this indescribable experience can ever imagine what I mean. The flow of revelation continued for about five minutes. Then Baha'u'llah said to me, "You have on several occasions been here when the revelation of Tablets has taken place. Should the people of the whole world wish to be present and hear the words of revelation, We would permit them. But since We have approved courtesy and ordained it upon men, we are reluctant to display this power publicly." (Haji Mirza Haydar-‘Ali, The Delight of Hearts, p. 104)

Shoghi Effendi received his first Tablet from ‘Abdu’l-Baha

2010-05-23T21:06:00.000-07:00

Dr Zia Baghdadi, an intimate of the family, in his recollections … tells us the story of Shoghi Effendi's first Tablet from 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Dr Baghdadi 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 written. What else should be done? Now is not the time for you to read and write, it is the time for jumping about and chanting 'O My God!', therefore memorize the prayers of the Blessed Beauty and chant them that I may hear them, because there is no time for anything else."

It seems that when this wonderful gift reached the child he set himself to memorize a number of Bahá'u'lláh's prayers and would chant them so loudly that the entire neighbourhood could hear his voice; when his parents and other members of the Master's family remonstrated with him, Shoghi Effendi replied, according to Dr Baghdadi, "The Master wrote to me to chant that He may hear me! I am doing my best!" and he kept on chanting at the top of his voice for many hours every day. Finally his parents begged the Master to stop him, but He told them to let Shoghi Effendi alone. This was one aspect of the small boy's chanting. We are told there was another: he had memorized some touching passages written by 'Abdu'l-Bahá after the ascension of Bahá'u'lláh and when he chanted these the tears would roll down the earnest little face. From another source we are told that when the Master was requested by a western friend, at that time living in His home, to reveal a prayer for children He did so, and the first to memorize it and chant it was Shoghi Effendi who would also chant it in the meetings of the friends. (Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 8)

An Account of the meeting between Siyyid Kazim and the Bab (prior to His formal Declaration) – seen through the eyes of one of Siyyid Kazim’s students

2010-05-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunuzi, who later became one of the secretaries of the Bab, related to Nabil, the great early historian of the Faith, a fascinating account of the first time he met the Bab – which occurred before the Bab’s Declaration on May 23rd, 1844. It happened in the city of Karbila, which is located about 55 miles southwest of Baghdad on the Euphrates. This city is viewed as a Holy city by Shi’ih Muslims since Imam Husayn was martyred and buried there. It is considered in Islam to be one of the two “supreme shrines”, the other being Najaf.

At the time of their meeting, Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunuzi was in the company of his teacher and master, Siyyid Kazim, who was one of the two forerunners of the Bab. Siyyid Kazim was preaching about the advent of the Qa’im [the Promised One of Muslims, Whom the Bab later claimed to be]. Mulla Husayn and a number of others who would later embrace the faith of the Bab, were among the students of Siyyid Kazim at the time of his death on December 31, 1843.

This was a time when Siyyid Kazim, realizing the approaching Hour of the Bab’s Declaration, was exerting his utmost endeavor to “remove gradually, with caution and wisdom, whatever barriers might stand in the way of the full recognition of that Hidden Treasure of God.” For instance, he hinted at the presence of that Promised One in their very midst, but for fear of causing danger to His Blessed Person, refrained from identifying him clearly. He would tell them: “‘You behold Him with your own eyes and yet recognize Him not!’ To his disciples who questioned him regarding the signs of the Manifestation, he would say: ‘He is of noble lineage. He is a descendant of the Prophet of God, of the family of Hashim. He is young in age, and is possessed of innate knowledge. His learning is derived, not from the teachings of Shaykh Ahmad [their previous master before Siyyid Kazim], but from God. My knowledge is but a drop compared with the immensity of His knowledge; my attainments a speck of dust in the face of the wonders of His grace and power. Nay, immeasurable is the difference. He is of medium height, abstains from smoking, and is of extreme devoutness and piety.’”

In such an atmosphere of spiritual suspense, each student of Siyyid Kazim tried to reconcile in his own mind who the Promised one might be – some thought it could be Mulla Husay, who was away on an assignment; others felt inclined towards Siyyid Kazim himself. It was very confusing!

Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunuzi was also affected by all this. He told Nabil that “he too entertained such doubts, that he prayed to God that if his supposition was well founded he should be confirmed in his belief, and if not that he should be delivered from such idle fancy.” He once told him that "I was so perturbed that for days I could neither eat nor sleep. My days were spent in the service of Siyyid Kazim, to whom I was greatly attached.” The something extraordinary happened. “One day,” he told Nabil many years later, “at the hour of dawn, I was suddenly awakened by … one of Siyyid Kazim’s attendants, who, in great excitement, bade me arise and follow him.”

He led me directly “to the house of Siyyid Kazim, where we found him fully dressed, wearing his aba, and ready to leave his home. He asked me to accompany him. 'A highly esteemed and distinguished Person,' he said, 'has arrived. I feel it incumbent upon us both to visit Him! The morning light had just broken when I found myself walking with him through the streets of Karbila.”

“We soon reached a house, at the door of which stood a Youth, as if expectant to receive us. He wore a green turban, and His countenance revealed an expression of humility and kindliness which I can never describe. He quietly approached us, extended His arms towards Siyyid Kazim, and lovingly embraced him. His affability and loving-kindness singularly contrasted with the sense of profound reverence that characterized the attitude of Siyyid Kazim towards him. Speechless and with bowed head, he received the many expressions of affection and esteem with which that Youth greeted him. We were soon led by Him to the upper floor of that house, and entered a chamber bedecked with flowers and redolent of the loveliest perfume. He bade us be seated. We knew not, however, what seats we actually occupied, so overpowering was the sense of delight which seized us. We observed a silver cup which had been placed in the centre of the room, which our youthful Host, soon after we were seated, filled to overflowing, and handed to Siyyid Kazim, saying: 'A drink of a pure beverage shall their Lord give them.'[Qur'án, 76:21] Siyyid Kazim held the cup with both hands and quaffed it. A feeling of reverent joy filled his being, a feeling which he could not suppress. I too was presented with a cupful of that beverage, though no words were addressed to me. All that was spoken at that memorable gathering was the above-mentioned verse of the Qur'án. Soon after, the Host arose from His seat and, accompanying us to the threshold of the house, bade us farewell. I was mute with wonder, and knew not how to express the cordiality of His welcome, the dignity of His bearing, the charm of that face, and the delicious fragrance of that beverage. How great was my amazement when I saw my teacher quaff without the least hesitation that holy draught from a silver cup, the use of which, according to the precepts of Islam, is forbidden to the faithful. I could not explain the motive which could have induced the Siyyid to manifest such profound reverence in the presence of that Youth -- a reverence which even the sight of the shrine of the ‘Siyyidu'sh-Shuhada’ ['the Prince of Martyrs', a reference to Imam Husayn] had failed to excite.” (Adapted from the Dawn-Breakers, Nabil's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation,Translated and Edited by Shoghi Effendi pp. 25-26)

The Beauty of His Face -- A western believer recalls being in the presence of the Master in the Holy Land

2010-05-09T15:34:00.000-07:00

"It is very difficult to remember much of what of He said. Indeed, it was almost difficult to listen! I wished only to look and look at the beauty of His face! For that was what impressed me first, the exquisite beauty of the Master. It was like the most beautiful picture we have of Him, with life and color added. His is a face of living silver – the wonderful silver of hair and beard, and the blue of His eyes. The side face is majestic and sweet and loving. It was that which we saw most of the time. The full face is more dignified; to me it seemed more awe-inspiring. And yet, when He smiled, it was most exquisitely friendly, and human! But He looked very, very tired …and yet the weariness was not, I think, a weariness of spirit. I cannot tell why I feel that way, partly because He can reach, as no one else can, the infinite sources of spiritual strength.

"I had no desire to speak to the Master; there was nothing that I could say. I do not know what happened in my mind and heart. There was no shock, no surprise, no sadness, no thought of my own faulty past. But I came to understand that for one who has been long in His presence, there can be no desire except to serve Him; that one's life would be happy only as one pleased Him; that one would be sad only as one grieved Him. I felt then that I had begun to learn -- that the will to serve was becoming greater as I had prayed that it might.. ." (The Baha’i World 1963-1968, pp. 326-328)
Please see Baha'i Heroes and Heroines for a brief description about this beleiver.
To see some pictures of the Master please visit Portraits of 'Abdu'l-Baha and 'Abdu'l-Baha Visits the West.

Account of the conversion of an American lady in ‘Abdu'l-Baha's presence in Akka -- recalled by Dr. Youness Afroukhteh, 'Abdu'l-Baha's secretary and translator

2010-05-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

Another of the anti-religious visitors who entered the House of ‘Abdu'l-Baha as an implacable adversary of the whole concept of spirituality, and yet left it after having declared her belief in the Cause of God, was an American lady who arrived quite suddenly, and accepting no excuse almost forced her way to the biruni reception room on the upper floor. In her Arms she held a dog of an unsightly colour and with a hideous snout, which she petted incessantly.

Her first question to 'Abdu'l-Baha was this: "I have heard a lot in America about your greatness. They tell stories about you but I really have not understood the reality of the situation and I want to know what the truth of the matter is."

Of course, I do not recall the opening questions and answers, I just remember that 'Abdu'l-Baha, using Baha'i terminology, uttered a few words regarding the unity of God and gave proof of His existence with great eloquence. Suddenly she laughed and said, "I am astonished that you can compose so spontaneously, and with such eloquence and fluency, such sophisticated verses of poetry in proof of an imaginary thing. What does 'God' mean? It is truly a pity."

I immediately realized what she meant by the words "eloquence and fluency" and "sophisticated verses of poetry". 'Abdu'l-Baha had not spoken in the simple vernacular of this woman, but had used the literary expressions of the Faith; moreover, I had not shown any understanding of the situation and had translated the words parrot-like in the same manner. As the poet says,

I was taught the parrot's art by the Master divine,
Parrot-like I repeat His words, yet none that is mine.

And so this woman, being unfamiliar with these expressions had thought the eloquent utterances of 'Abdu'l-Baha to be merely verses of high-flown poetry.

I explained the matter to the Master. He broke into a broad smile but made no change in the manner of His speech as He presented additional proofs. At this point the woman remarked, "I am not capable of understanding such concepts; moreover, I am in no way willing to lose my freedom; and furthermore, I have no attachment to any imaginary being. But I do wonder what purpose all this knowledge, wisdom and philosophy serve? If you only knew what high-ranking scientists and scholars have written books refuting all such thoughts! And now your followers in America walk in your path. But if you come to my home town of Boston in America, you will see that this kind of talk enjoys no support. The atheists of Boston are world-renowned."

'Abdu'l-Baha smiled again and then uttered some words of counsel and guidance, but without any apparent result. She wished to take more of 'Abdu'l-Baha's time, but fortunately that wretched dog began to show signs of restlessness like a spoiled brat, and so she rose to take her leave. Her parting words were, "If your God is the true God, then ask Him to guide me as He has guided your followers, otherwise I.. ."

She stopped, then went on: "Tomorrow, I intend to leave ‘Akkaa and visit the nearby towns; I am returning in five days time. Let's see what this God of yours will do for me." But no sooner than she had stopped outside than she turned around and said, "But you have a God to whom you look for guidance; where can I look, who have no such beliefs?"

'Abdu'l-Baha replied, "Very well, leave that to me too. Go in God's care."

It was interesting that despite her many discourtesies 'Abdu'l-Baha did not show the slightest hint of displeasure, and treated her with extreme gentleness and compassion. In the afternoon of the next day she returned from Haifa, and again presented herself to 'Abdu'l-Baha unannounced. Confessing her feelings, she said, "I spent a restless night and so missed my planned trip this morning. Before I came here I was quite confident in my beliefs, but now I am anxious and unsure. Please, either grant me guidance or confirm me in my original belief."

This time she observed all the requirements of courtesy, as she listened to 'Abdu'l-Baha for almost an hour. At times she questioned and argued, and at other times she acknowledged His utterances. At last she said, "I now realize that there is something of substance here. There are realities, the understanding of which is beyond my capability." As she left, she asked 'Abdu'l-Baha for His blessing.

Next day nothing was heard from her. We thought she had left Haifa. But back she came, weary and distressed, and was taken to the presence of 'Abdu'l-Baha. She asked a few questions and then admitted that she had been able to see a glimpse of hope. She left revived and happy. For four or five days there was no news of her. And then I heard that she had arrived from Haifa, had taken refuge in the andaruni of the Master's House and had vowed her intention not to leave until she could recover her peace of mind. When ‘Abdu'l-Baha summoned me to translate, I saw her walking out of the andaruni in a state of humility and reverence, without her constant companion in her arms.

Reverently and with 'Abdu'l-Baha's permission she took her seat, listened to the Master's words, and in a state of lowliness and selflessness demonstrated her submission and obedience. For a few days she was in the company of the ladies of the household, and then she returned to America contented and joyful; the heavenly fragrances of her faith and certitude spread to every part of that land. (Dr. Youness Afroukhteh, Memories of nine years in ‘Akka, pp. 239-242)

Baha’u’llah shows kindness to an elderly woman in Baghdad

2010-04-22T13:13:00.000-07:00

Every day Baha'u'llah walked to the coffeehouses near the bridge of the boats [in Baghdad]. Each day an elderly woman stood alongside the road and waited for Him to pass. She was poor and lived in a broken-down house. Baha'u'llah stopped each day and spoke kindly to the woman. He would inquire after her health, then give her a little money.

Each day the elderly woman would kiss Baha’u’llah’s hands to show her thanks, but sometimes she wanted to kiss His face. She was rather short and could not quite reach, so Baha'u'llah would bend down to let her kiss Him on the cheek ‘She knows that I like her,' Baha'u'llah would tell His companions, ‘that is why she likes Me.’ (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Balyuzi, Baha’u’llah: King of Glory, p. 151) (Druzelle Cederquist, The Story of Baha’u’llah, p. 159)

The amazing story of how ‘Abdu’r-Rahim entered the presence of his Lord in the barracks of the prison city of Akka during the early days of Baha’u’llah’s incarceration

2010-04-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

‘Abdu’r-Rahim, whose original name was Ja’far, was a native of the town of Bushru'iyyih in northern Persia – the same town that was the birthplace of Mulla Husayn, the first to believe in the Báb.

Before his conversion to the Faith, 'Abdu'r-Rahim had been a fanatical Muslim. Having noticed the growth of the Faith, he once sought guidance from a local clergyman as to what his attitude should be towards the Bahá'ís. The clergyman told him that 'to fight them is as meritorious as taking part in a holy war”, and that “to kill them is praiseworthy in the sight of God”!

“These words provoked in 'Abdu'r-Rahim a strong urge to kill some Bahá'ís. Armed with a weapon, he one day confronted an old believer by the name of Haji Baba, and told him in no uncertain terms that he had come to take his life because he had strayed from the path of truth and had embraced the Faith of the Bahá'ís.

Faced with the threat of death, Haji Baba displayed unruffled calm and spoke with tenderness such words that the heart of 'Abdu'r-Rahim was touched. Soon his mood changed. Instead of being an enemy intent upon killing, he now wanted to investigate the truth.

Haji Baba conducted 'Abdu'r-Rahim to the home of the sister of Mulla Husayn where the friends often held their meetings for teaching the Cause. That meeting with 'Abdu'r-Rahim lasted one day and one night, during which time he was most assiduously involved in discussion. At the end of that marathon meeting he recognized the truth of the Cause and became filled with such a new spirit of faith and enthusiasm that he could not rest in his native town any longer. Knowing that the Supreme Manifestation of God was on this earth he could not resist the urge to go and see Him face to face. So he set off on the long journey to attain His presence.

For six months 'Abdu'r-Rahim travelled on foot until he reached the abode of his Beloved -- the prison city of 'Akká. He arrived in the early days of Bahá'u'lláh's incarceration in the barracks when no visitor suspected of being a Bahá'í was permitted even to approach the vicinity of the prison. His arrival coincided with the period when Nabil-i-A'zam (the great Baha’i historian and the author of Dawn-Breakers) was attempting in vain to get a glimpse of his Lord. Nabil poured out his heart to 'Abdu'r-Rahim and lamented over his own inability to achieve his purpose. But 'Abdu'r-Rahim, undismayed, proceeded to attempt to circumambulate the prison.

Before undertaking such a holy mission, he decided that he must wash his clothes which were unclean, as they had been worn throughout the journey. He washed them in the sea and waited until they were dry. When he put them on, however, he looked very odd and shabby as the clothes had shrunk and were torn.

With the utmost devotion and a heart overflowing with the love of Bahá'u'lláh, 'Abdu'r-Rahim approached the prison and began to circumambulate it. Then to his surprise he noticed that a hand from a window of the prison was beckoning him to come inside. He knew it was the hand of Bahá'u'lláh summoning him to His presence. He rushed to the gate of the prison which was guarded by soldiers. But the soldiers seemed to him to be motionless and without life; they appeared not to see him. They did not even move an eyelid as he went through the gate.

Soon 'Abdu'r-Rahim found himself in the presence of His Lord, overwhelmed by emotion and carried away into the world of the Spirit, communing with the One who was the object of his adoration and love. Bahá'u'lláh told him that through the hands of power and might He had temporarily blinded the eyes of the guards so that he might attain His presence as a bounty on His part.

It is not clear how many days 'Abdu'r-Rahim remained in the prison. However, Bahá'u'lláh revealed a Tablet for him while he was there. In that Tablet He confirms that He had closed the eyes of the guards so that 'Abdu'r-Rahim could enter His presence and witness the glory of His countenance. He calls him by the new name Rahim (Compassionate), showers His blessings upon him, and urges him to recount the experience of his pilgrimage to the friends on his return home.

Before leaving, Bahá'u'lláh entrusted 'Abdu'r-Rahim with Tablets to be delivered to some believers in Persia.” (Adib Taherzadeh, ‘The Revelation of Baha'u'llah’, vol. 3, pp. 58-60)

A Glimpse of ‘Abdu’l-Baha – by M M Holbach in the Christian Commonwealth

2010-04-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

Haifa, January 8, 1914

I write this by a window that looks across an orange garden to the slopes of Mount Carmel, which rises almost abruptly beyond the red-roofed houses of the German colony. The “Mount of God” is but a hill in comparison with the mighty Alps, yet how great is its fascination, how beautiful it appears now in the moonlight! From time immemorial it has been the home of the prophets. It is here that ‘Abdu’l-Baha dwells today, and the simple Germans who left their native land to await "the second coming" of their Lord upon this mountain, are his neighbors! In my ears is the sound of the sea, for the blue Mediterranean laps the shores of Carmel, and across the bay Akka gleams white in the moonlight. “The Great Prison” it was called when Baha’u’llah dwelt there, a prisoner in a penal city. But a blessing surely rests upon it now, for the sun seems ever to shine there when the sea and the sky are grey. The soil upon which its houses are built has been many times soaked in blood. Christian and Saracen massacred one another there in turn. Many prisoners have languished there since Napoleon's pride was humbled by his failure to take "the petty town" which yet he designated "the key to the East.''

Since his return from Egypt, five weeks ago, ‘Abdu’l-Baha has more than once visited Akka and remained some time, visiting old friends who knew him in the days of his imprisonment. During one of his visits there he sent for the American Baha’is who are making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, that with him they might visit the Tomb of Baha’u’llah. Another day the Persian pilgrims were sent for, of whom a contingent have now returned to their native land. They left yesterday, on their long journey to Hamadan, the old capital of Persia, proceeding first by train to Damascus, thence to Aleppo, and from there by carriage and on horseback, the journey occupying three weeks. All those who have left are Jews!

It was my privilege to be present at two farewell gatherings given in their honor, which I shall never forget. At the first the men assembled at the Tomb of the Bab, which occupies a commanding position on the slope of Mount Carmel, and is a striking object from my window soon after dawn, when the rays of the rising sun illumine it. The tomb is surrounded by a garden on a terrace on the mountain side and the building has several chambers. In the largest of these about fifty to sixty Baha’is were assembled on the occasion to which I refer – Jews, Zoroastrians, Mohammedans, and Christians – to listen to an address by ‘Abdu’l-Baha. While he was speaking tea was served by the giver of the feast. Then all proceeded to an inner chamber, which in turn led to the tomb proper, and here the Tablets were chanted by one of the pilgrims, a very learned mullah and great orator. The reverence of the Oriental Baha’is for ‘Abdu’l-Baha must be witnessed to be understood.

When he came down the mountain side clad in his flowing robe and a white turban, and followed by his disciples from far and near, the scene was truly Biblical. (Star of the West, vol. V, no. 1, March 21, 1914)

The Bab’s Stay in Isfahan – the amazing initial reception by the clergy and the people

2010-03-22T06:59:00.000-07:00

In September of 1846, the Bab, accompanied by one of His followers by the name of Siyyid Kazim-i-Zanjani, left Shiraz and proceeded north towards Isfahan – a distance of about 360 miles. As He approached the outskirts of the city, He wrote a letter to Manuchihr Khan, the governor of the province, in which He requested him to appoint a place where He should dwell with the sanction of the government. The letter was entrusted to His companion, Siyyid Kazim who delivered it to the governor prior to the Bab reaching the gate of the city of Isfahan. When the governor received the letter he became so touched by the expressions of courtesy that the Bab had exhibited and amazed at His exquisite penmanship that he felt moved to instruct the Imam-Jum'ih of Isfahan, the foremost ecclesiastical authority of that province, to receive the Bab in his own home and to accord Him a kindly and generous reception. The Imam-Jumi’h accordingly instructed his own brother to proceed with a number of his favorite companions to meet and escort the expected Visitor to the gate of the city. As the Bab approached, the Imam-Jum'ih went out to welcome Him in person, and conducted Him ceremoniously to his house. It should be noted that this Imam-Jum’ih, whose name was Mir Siyyid Muhammad, was acknowledged in Persia as the principle ecclesiastical dignitary of the entire country. The governor of Isfahan was reported to have been a man of vigor and courage who, about five years prior to the Bab’s coming to Isfahan, had completely crushed a rebellion by the a number of the tribes in the area and had secured peace and justice for the people of Isfahan.

“Such were the honours accorded to the Bab in those days,” the great historian Nabil writes, “that when, on a certain Friday, He was returning from the public bath to the house, a multitude of people were seen eagerly clamouring for the water which He had used for His ablutions. His fervent admirers firmly believed in its unfailing virtue and power to heal their sicknesses and ailments. The Imam-Jum'ih himself had, from the very first night, become so enamoured with Him who was the object of such devotion, that, assuming the functions of an attendant, he undertook to minister to the needs and wants of his beloved Guest. Seizing the ewer from the hand of the chief steward and utterly ignoring the customary dignity of his rank, he proceeded to pour out the water over the hands of the Bab.” (Nabil, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 201)

The Bab was a guest of the Imam-Jumi’h for 40 days. One night, after supper, when there were also some other high ranking clerics present, the Imam-Juumi’h, so touched by the extraordinary traits of the Bab’s character, ventured to request Him to reveal a commentary on one of the Surihs (chapers) of the Qur’an. The one he specifically requested was the Surih of Va'l-'Asr. [Time and Age]. This Surih is numbered 103 and is composed of only 3 verses:

“In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
I swear by the declining day!
Verily, man's lot is cast amid destruction,
Save those who believe and do the things which be right, and enjoin
truth and enjoin steadfastness on each other.” (translation by Rodwell)

This is how Nabil recorded this amazing incident:

“His request was readily granted. Calling for pen and paper, the Bab, with astonishing rapidity and without the least premeditation, began to reveal, in the presence of His host, a most illuminating interpretation of the aforementioned Surih. It was nearing midnight when the Bab found Himself engaged in the exposition of the manifold implications involved in the first letter of that Surih. … The Bab soon after began to chant, in the presence of His host and his companions, the homily with which He had prefaced His commentary on the Surih. Those words of power confounded His hearers with wonder. They seemed as if bewitched by the magic of His voice. Instinctively they started to their feet and, together with the Imam-Jum'ih, reverently kissed the hem of His garment.” (Nabil, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 201)

The verses that the Bab revealed on that occasion, explaining the first letter of a three-verse Surih in the Qur’an “equalled in number a third of the Qur'án..” itself. (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 14) This is really amazing, especially when one is reminded that the entire Qur’an was revealed by Prophet Muhammad over a period of 23 years! (Adapted from: A Traveller’s Narrative by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, God Passes By written by Shoghi Effendi, and the Dawn-Breakers by Nabil)

Zenobia, Queen of the East

2010-03-11T10:19:00.000-08:00

A story related by ‘Abdu’l-Baha to demonstrate the falsity of the notion that women are weaker and less capable than men:

It has been objected by some that woman is not equally capable with man and that she is deficient by creation. This is pure imagination. The difference in capability between man and woman is due entirely to opportunity and education. Heretofore woman has been denied the right and privilege of equal development. If equal opportunity be granted her, there is no doubt she would be the peer of man. History will evidence this. In past ages noted women have arisen in the affairs of nations and surpassed men in their accomplishments. Among them was Zenobia, Queen of the East, whose capital was Palmyra. Even today the site of that city bears witness to her greatness, ability and sovereignty; for there the traveler will find ruins of palaces and fortifications of the utmost strength and solidity built by this remarkable woman in the third century after Christ. She was the wife of the governor-general of Athens. After her husband's death she assumed control of the government in his stead and ruled her province most efficiently. Afterward she conquered Syria, subdued Egypt and founded a most wonderful kingdom with political sagacity and thoroughness.
The Roman Empire sent a great army against her. When this army replete with martial splendor reached Syria, Zenobia herself appeared upon the field leading her forces. On the day of battle she arrayed herself in regal garments, placed a crown upon her head and rode forth, sword in hand, to meet the invading legions. By her courage and military strategy the Roman army was routed and so completely dispersed that they were not able to reorganize in retreat. The government of Rome held consultation, saying, "No matter what commander we send, we cannot overcome her; therefore, the Emperor Aurelian himself must go to lead the legions of Rome against Zenobia." Aurelian marched into Syria with two hundred thousand soldiers. The army of Zenobia was greatly inferior in size. The Romans besieged her in Palmyra two years without success. Finally, Aurelian was able to cut off the city's supply of provisions so that she and her people were compelled by starvation to surrender. She was not defeated in battle.

Aurelian carried her captive to Rome. On the day of his entry into the city he arranged a triumphal procession -- first elephants, then lions, tigers, birds, monkeys -- and after the monkeys, Zenobia. A crown was upon her head, a chain of gold about her neck. With queenly dignity and unconscious of humiliation, looking to the right and left, she said, "Verily, I glory in being a woman and in having withstood the Roman Empire." (At that time the dominion of Rome covered half the known earth.) "And this chain about my neck is a sign not of humiliation but of glorification. This is a symbol of my power, not of my defeat." (Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 135)

Prisoner in the Siyah-Chal

2010-03-08T07:04:00.000-08:00

Having been forced to walk before royal horsemen and at their pace from Niyavaran to Tihran, a distance of about fifteen miles, in the burning heat of a summer day, barefoot, in chains and without His hat, which in those days was the very symbol of a man's dignity, Baha’u’llah was cast together with some eighty Babis into the capital’s infamous Siyah Chal – the Black Pit of Tehran.

The Siyah-Chal (Black Pit) was no ordinary prison, but a huge underground pit which no ray of sunlight ever penetrated. It once had served as a reservoir for one of the public baths of the city and had only one entrance. It was situated in the heart of Tihran close to a palace of the Shah and adjacent to the Sabzih-Maydan, the scene of execution of the Seven Babi Martyrs of Tihran. This dungeon was occupied by many prisoners, some of whom were without clothes or bedding. Its atmosphere was humid and dark, its air fetid and filled with a loathsome smell, its ground damp and littered with filth, and these conditions were matched by the brutality of the guards and officials towards the Bábí victims who were chained together in that dismal place.

Many years later, Baha’u’llah recalled His experience in the Siyah-Chal:
“Upon our arrival We were first conducted along a pitch-black corridor, from whence We descended three steep flights of stairs to the place of confinement assigned to Us. The dungeon was wrapped in thick darkness, and Our fellow-prisoners numbered nearly a hundred and fifty souls: thieves, assassins and highwaymen. Though crowded, it had no other outlet than the passage by which We entered. No pen can depict that place, nor any tongue describe its loathsome smell. Most of these men had neither clothes nor bedding to lie on. God alone knoweth what befell Us in that most foul-smelling and gloomy place!” (Baha’u’llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 20-1)

This prison prized highly and was famous for two of its chief instruments, the dreaded chains known as Salbil and Qara-Guhar. Qara-Guhar, which was heavier than Salasil, weighed about fifty-one kilograms, about 112 pounds! One of these two chains was placed around Bahá'u'lláh's neck at all times. The weight of the chains cut through Baha’u’llah’s flesh and left their marks on His blessed body till the end of His life. They were so heavy that a special wooden fork was provided to support their weight. Baha'u'llah declared that for four months He was 'tormented and chained by one or the other of them'. (Baha’u’llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 77)

The prisoners were placed in two rows, facing each other over the stocks in which their feet were held. The air they breathed was foul; the stone floor was covered with filth and infested with vermin and no warmth relieved the dungeon's icy gloom, and these conditions were matched by the brutality of the guards and officials towards the Bábí victims who were chained together in that dismal place. Baha’u’llah’s chains were tied to His nephew, Mirza Mahmud.

Every day one of the Babi prisoners was released from his stocks and chains and taken to the gallows. Baha'u'llah related how He taught the facing lines to sing verses in response to each other. One row would sing, 'God is sufficient unto me; He verily is the All-Sufficing!', and the other would reply, 'In Him let the trusting trust." (Nabil-i-A’zam, the Dawn-Breakers, p. 461)

Through the kindness of one of the prison officials who was friendly towards Bahá'u'lláh, His eldest son 'Abdu'l-Bahá, then eight years old, was taken one day to visit His Father at the Siyah-Chal. ‘Abdu’l-Baha related that half-way down the steps to the cell it became so dark that He could not see anything. He heard Baha'u'llah call out, 'Take him away.' He was taken out and permitted to wait in the prison yard until noon when the prisoners were allowed to come out of the Pit for an hour of fresh air.

The Master recalled:

“I saw Baha'u'llah's neck in chains, and another [Baha’u’llah’s nephew], both chained to the same links, a link about His neck and another about the person who was chained with Him. The weight of the chain was so excessive that His neck was bent; He walked with great difficulty, and He was in a very sad condition. His clothes were tattered and battered; even the hat on His head was torn. He was in the most severe ordeal and His health was quite visibly failing. They brought me and seated me, and they took Him to the place where there was a pond in order that He might wash His face. After that they took Him back to the dungeon and, although I was a child, I was so overcome ..” (Talk given by ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Los Angeles, 19 October 1912, Star of the West vol. VII)

On witnessing this sight 'Abdu'l-Bahá fainted and was carried home, unconscious.

While breathing the foul air of the Siyah-Chal, with His feet in stocks and His head weighed down by the mighty chain, Bahá'u'lláh received, as attested by Him in His Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, the first intimations of His station as the Supreme Manifestation of God -- He Whose appearance had been foretold by the Prophets of old in such terms as the 'reincarnation of Krishna', the 'fifth Buddha', the 'Shah Bahram', the 'Lord of Hosts', the Christ returned 'in the glory of the Father', the 'Spirit of God', and by the Báb as 'Him Whom God shall make manifest'.

‘Abdu’l-Baha explained many years later in a gathering in Paris that “A prison official made an attempt to poison Him [Baha’u’llah] but, beyond causing Him great suffering, this poison had no effect.” (‘Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 76)

Although most of the Bábís were taken from the prison, one by one, and martyred in the adjoining market square of Sabzih-Maydan, Bahá'u'lláh's life was providentially spared. After four months He was released, but was ordered to leave Persia within a month.

When Bahá'u'lláh came out of prison, stripped of His possessions, His back bent by the weight of the fetters, His neck swollen and injured and His health impaired, He did not intimate to anyone His experience of Divine Revelation. Yet those who were close to Him could not fail to witness a transformation of spirit, a power and a radiance never seen in Him before.

The following is an extract from the spoken chronicle of the Greatest Holy Leaf, the daughter of Bahá'u'lláh, recounting her impressions of Him at the time of His release from the Siyah-Chal:

“Jamal-i-Mubarak [literally, the Blessed Beauty, referring to Bahá'u'lláh] had a marvellous divine experience whilst in that prison. We saw a new radiance seeming to enfold him like a shining vesture, its significance we were to learn years later. At that time we were only aware of the wonder of it, without understanding, or even being told the details of the sacred event. (Bahiyyih Khanum, quoted by Adib Taherzadeh, in The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 1, pp. 8-9)

(Adapted from ‘Baha’u’llah the Prince of Peace’, by David Hofman, pp. 53-56 and ‘The Revelation of Baha’u’llah’, by Adib Taherzadeh, Vol. 1, pp. 8-9)

Forerunners of the Bab - Shaykh Ahmad & Siyyid Kazim

2010-03-03T09:11:00.000-08:00

Before Baha'u'llah was born Shaykh Ahmad, a Muslim scholar known as "the most learned among the most learned,"(1) had made a profound discovery. In his studies of Islamic scripture, he had determined that the time promised by all the Prophets of God was at hand -- a time in which the world would receive not just one, but two new divine Messengers. These two "Promised Ones" would come like two trumpet blasts, said the Koran, one shortly after the other.[a] According to the Shi’ih branch of Islam, [b] the first Messenger would herald and prepare His followers to recognize the Messenger yet to come. The title of the first would be the ‘Qa’im’, meaning in Arabic "He Who Shall Arise." The title of the great Messenger yet to come would be the ‘Qayyum’ meaning "The All-Compelling.” [c]

Human history had seen the appearance of such divine Messengers before. Their ranks had included Moses, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Zoroaster, Krishna, and Buddha. They were the world's great Teachers – each One "a pure and stainless Soul"(2) entrusted by God with a sacred mission! Unlike philosophers and other ordinary teachers, each divine Messenger not only infused the world with new knowledge, but also released a tremendous new spiritual energy that gave rise to the advancement of whole civilizations.
The history of religion had often recorded heavenly signs -- stars or comets -- which seemed to announce the coming of each divine Messenger. Certain teachers, chosen by God, prepared the way for each Messenger. These spiritually gifted teachers served as guides, helping the people of their time better understand the signs and prophecies that heralded the coming of a new Messenger. Shaykh Ahmad was one of these chosen teachers.
For twenty-five years Shaykh Ahmad devoted himself to study until, at last, he was ready to teach others what he had learned. He left his island home of Bahrain in the waters of the Persian Gulf and traveled north to the city of Karbala, Iraq, on the banks of the great Euphrates River. Farther north, Baghdad straddled its sister river, the Tigris. The land around Karbala, which had once been the rich farmland of the ancient Fertile Crescent, was now mostly grassland and parched desert. Still, many people lived in Karbala [d], and many more traveled to the city. It was a place of pilgrimage for Shi’ih Muslims and a center of study for Muslim scholars.

There, where sparse palm trees offered little shade from the intense heat, Shaykh Ahmad began to teach. Many Muslims were eager for the coming of the promised Qa'im, but their expectations were clouded by their own wishful thinking. They wanted the Qa'im to come as a king who would conquer their enemies. Shaykh Ahmad knew better. The Qa'im would not be king of any earthly dominion, for His was a far greater sovereignty.

Patiently Shaykh Ahmad tried to teach those who studied with him how to look with spiritual eyes. The truth of the holy scriptures was not always found in their plain, literal meaning, but in the spiritual meaning hidden within the language of metaphor. Only sincere seekers, willing to open their minds and purify their hearts -- to let go of false ideas and self-centered desires -- would grasp the truth and be able to recognize the promised Qa’im.

Shaykh Ahmad taught his students the signs that would identify the promised Qa’im. Some signs were physical. He would be of medium height and in age a young man. He would also be a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. Other signs were not as obvious or easy to understand. Among the most important was that the Messenger's learning would come from God, not from any mortal teacher.

Shaykh Ahmad did not share with others everything that he knew. When he traveled to Persia he did not say why he was drawn to the cities of Shiraz and Tehran. That these cities would each cradle a Messenger from God -- the Qa’im in Shiraz, the Qayyum in Tehran -- was a truth he held close to his heart. To tell all was not the course of wisdom, for with the appearance of every Messenger, also came those who wished to harm Him. For these holy ones to grow up as children among others -- their true identity unknown --was their best protection.

When he learned of the birth of Husayn-‘Ali in Tehran, Shaykh Ahmad did not tell others how his heart leapt with joy. He only prayed that the people of the land might recognize and cherish “this hidden Treasure of God" amongst them and arise to “proclaim His excellence to all nations and peoples."(3)

Years passed, and the aging Shaykh Ahmad saw his days in this world growing shorter; yet his work was not complete. In this unique time, when two holy Messengers would walk upon the earth in the same lifetime, two teachers were needed to prepare the way. Shaykh Ahmad was the first of these, but who would be the second?

One day a young man, the son of a silk merchant, joined the group who studied with Shaykh Ahmad. His name was Siyyid Kazim. He had come to Shaykh Ahmad because of a vision he had received. Like Shaykh Ahmad himself, the young Siyyid Kazim was gifted with extraordinary powers of mind and spirit. In only a few weeks' time Shaykh Ahmad knew his question was answered: This was the one who was destined to continue his work. Shaykh Ahmad did all that he could in his remaining years to prepare Siyyid Kazim to teach others.

As he felt his life drawing to a close, Shaykh Ahmad spoke urgently to Siyyid Kazim. "You have no time to lose," he warned. "Every fleeting hour should be wisely utilized. You should gird up the loin of endeavour and strive day and night to rend asunder, by the grace of God and by the hand of wisdom and loving-kindness, those veils of heedlessness that have blinded the eyes of men."(4) At the age of eighty-one, Shaykh Ahmad passed away, content that he had carried out the task that was his to fulfill.

Siyyid Kazim, like Shaykh Ahmad before him, made his home in Karbala, where he carried on the work entrusted to him. Some of his students found Siyyid Kazim so wise that they thought he must be the promised Qa'im, but he grew angry and immediately stifled such talk. "My knowledge is but a drop compared with the immensity of His knowledge," he told them sternly, "my attainments a speck of dust in the face of the wonders of His grace and power."(5)

Patiently Siyyid Kazim prepared his followers to look for the promised Qa'im-"He Who Shall Arise," who would lead them to the Qayyum --"the All-Compelling." "When the star of the Former has set," Siyyid Kazim promised, "the sun of [the Later] will rise and illuminate the whole world. Then will be unfolded in all its glory the 'mystery' and the 'secret' spoken of by Shaykh Ahmad.”(6)

When Siyyid Kazim himself knew that his own days were numbered and his life was drawing to a dose, he urged his followers to begin their search for the promised Qa’im. By now the Qa'im would be a grown man, ready to begin His mission from God. The time of fulfillment, long promised, was at hand.

"O my beloved companions!" Siyyid Kazim addressed them, "How great, how very great, is the Cause! How exalted the station to which I summon you! . . . I pray to God graciously to assist you to weather the storms of tests and trials which must needs beset you, to enable you to emerge. unscathed and triumphant. . . and to lead you to your high destiny. It is incumbent upon you to renounce all comfort, all earthly possessions and kindred," he told them, "in your quest of Him who is the Desire of your hearts and of mine. Scatter far and wide. . . and humbly and prayerfully beseech your Lord to sustain and guide you. Never relax in your determination to seek and find Him."(7)

One day, when Siyyid Kazim was in his sixtieth year, an Arab shepherd approached with a message to deliver -- a message given to the shepherd in a dream. "Three days ago I was shepherding my flock in this adjoining pasture," he said, "when sleep suddenly fell upon me." In this dream, he said, the Prophet Muhammad had spoken to him, telling him where to find Siyyid Kaizim and what to say. The shepherd conveyed the Prophet's words: "Rejoice, for the hour of your departure is at hand. . . . Soon after shall He who is the Truth be made manifest."(8)

Siyyid Kazim smiled. "Of the truth of the dream which you have dreamt there is no doubt," be told the shepherd. Tenderly he consoled his devoted disciples and, in the days left to him, encouraged them all to go forth to seek the Promised One. His companions were overcome with grief, but Siyyid Kazim spoke to them calmly, asking, "Would you not wish me to die, that the promised One may be revealed?"(9)

Shortly thereafter, Siyyid Kazim passed away. Those who had studied with him, devoted as they were, could not agree on what to do next. Where should they begin in their search for the promised Qa'im? Siyyid Kazim had not mentioned a particular place. There was much discussion, for they were not eager to leave Karbala and strike out for the unknown.

As they talked, they remembered one of their companions-Mulla Husayn. Siyyid Kazim had often praised him for his spiritual insights and abilities in argument. Before his death, Siyyid Kazim had sent him on an important mission, and Mulla Husayn had not yet returned from his travels. But the more his companions talked among themselves, the more they became convinced of one thing: Mulla Husayn must be the Promised One. They decided to await his return. It seemed a good solution to their dilemma, and they went about their business in the city. (Adapted from ‘The Story of Baha’u’llah, Promised One of All Religions’, by Druzelle Cederquist, pp. 17-21)

[a] Koran 39:68
[b] One of the two major branches of Islam. The other branch, to which the majority of Muslims belong, is Sunni Islam.
[c] Shi’ih Muslims also referred to the return of the lmam Husayn, while Sunni Muslims referred to the descent of the "Spirit of God" (Jesus Christ). Tradition in both branches also uses the term ‘Mahdi’, meaning literally "one rightly guided," to refer to the Promised One to come.
[d] Karbala is the site of the martyrdom and of the shrine of the Imam Husayn, a prominent figure in the history of Shi’ih Islam.

(1) ALM ALM Nicolas, “Essai sur le Shaykhisme,” quoted in Perigord, ‘Translation of French Foot-Notes of the Dawn-Breakers’, p. 1
(2) Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings’, p. 66
(3) Nabil, ‘Dawn-Breakers’, p. 13
(4) Shaykh Ahmad, quoted in Nabil, ‘Dawn-Breakers’, p. 16
(5) Siyyid Kazim, quoted in Nabil, ‘Dawn-Breakers’, p. 25
(6) Ibid, pp. 41-42
(7) Ibid, pp. 42, 40-41
(8) As reported by Nabil, Dawn-Breakers, p. 44
(9) Siyyid Kazim, quoted in ibid, p. 45

Shoghi Effendi was an Intensely Active Child

2010-02-22T12:15:00.000-08:00

Shoghi Effendi was a small, sensitive, intensely active and mischievous child. He was not very strong in his early years and his mother often had cause to worry over his health. However, he grew up to have an iron constitution, which, coupled with the phenomenal force of his nature and will-power, enabled him in later years to overcome every obstacle in his path. ….

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 lead the way in many pranks; whenever something was afoot, behind it would be found Shoghi Effendi! This boundless energy was often a source of anxiety as he would rush madly up and down the long flight of high steps to the upper story of the house, to the consternation of the pilgrims below, waiting to meet the Master. His exuberance was irrepressible and was in the child the same force that was to make the man such an untiring and unflinching commander-in-chief of the forces of Bahá'u'lláh, leading them to victory after victory, indeed, to the spiritual conquest of the entire globe. We have a very reliable witness to this characteristic of the Guardian, 'Abdu'l-Bahá Himself, Who wrote on a used envelope a short sentence to please His little grandson: "Shoghi Effendi is a wise man - but he runs about very much!"

It must not be inferred, however, that Shoghi Effendi was mannerless. Children in the East - how much more the children of 'Abdu'l-Bahá - were taught courtesy and manners from the cradle. Bahá'u'lláh's family was descended from kings and the family tradition, entirely apart from His divine teachings which enjoin courtesy as obligatory, ensured that a noble conduct and politeness would distinguish Shoghi Effendi from his babyhood. (Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 6-7) You can some some pictures of Shoghi Effendi as a child and youth at the following sites: http://communitybaha.blogspot.com/2010/02/first-western-pilgrims-ibrahim.html
http://communitybaha.blogspot.com/2010/02/bahais-in-baltimore-in-1909-kenosha.html
http://communitybaha.blogspot.com/2010/02/1913-some-bahai-students-with-their.html

The First American Baha’i, Thornton Chase Meets ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Akka

2010-02-20T19:27:00.000-08:00

Some one said, "The Master!"—and he came into the room with a free, striding step, welcomed us in a clear, ringing voice—"Marhabba! Marhabba!" (Welcome! Welcome!)—and embraced us with kisses as would a father his son, or as would brothers after a long absence. It is no wonder that some have thought that the Master loved them more than all others, because he hesitates not to express his love and he truly "loves all humanity in each one." He is the great Humanitarian and each friend is to him the representative of all mankind.

He bade us be seated on the little divan; he sat on the high, narrow bed at one side of the room, drew up one foot under him, asked after our health, our trip, bade us be happy, and expressed his happiness that we had safely arrived. Then, after a few minutes, he again grasped our hands and abruptly left us. The friends also went out and left us alone. We looked at each other. I think we had not spoken at all except to answer "yes" or "no." We could not. We knew not what to say. But our hearts were full of joyful tears, because we were "at home." His welcoming spirit banished strangeness, as though we had always known him. It was as if, after long journeyings, weariness, trials and searching, we had at last reached home. The world of wanderings was left at the outer gate, we had entered into peace, joy, love, home. Those were moments of deep happiness; yet I could not fully realize the great blessedness of that meeting, which was the goal of my hope; but now its remembrance has become my joy and the treasure of my heart. I was filled with wonder at his simplicity, with admiration for his strength and dignity and love for his tenderness; these, mingled with delight and thankfulness, possessed me. (In Galilee, by Thornton Chase, p. 28)

The Mystical Spiritual Bond Between the Master and Shoghi Effendi

2010-02-19T07:29:00.000-08:00

Ella Goodall Cooper, an early American Baha’i who along with her mother, Helen Goodall, went to Akka as pilgrims in 1899 and 1908, wrote the following touching account:

One day...I had joined the ladies of the Family in the room of the Greatest Holy Leaf for early morning tea, the beloved Master was sitting in His favorite corner of the divan where, through the window on His right, He could look over the ramparts and see the blue Mediterranean beyond. He was busy writing Tablets, and the quiet peace of the room was broken only by the bubble of the samovar, where one of the young maidservants, sitting on the floor before it, was brewing the tea.

Presently the Master looked up from His writing with a smile, and requested Ziyyih Khanum to chant a prayer. As she finished, a small figure appeared in the open doorway, directly opposite 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Having dropped off his shoes he stepped into the room, with his eyes focused on the Master's face. 'Abdu'l-Bahá returned his gaze with such a look of loving welcome it seemed to beckon the small one to approach Him. Shoghi, that beautiful little boy, with his cameo face and his soulful appealing, dark eyes, walked slowly toward the divan, the Master drawing him as by an invisible thread, until he stood quite close in front of Him. As he paused there a moment 'Abdu'l-Bahá did not offer to embrace him but sat perfectly still, only nodding His head two or three times, slowly and impressively, as it to say - "You see? This tie connecting us is not just that of a physical grandfather but something far deeper and more significant." While we breathlessly watched to see what he would do, the little boy reached down and picking up the hem of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's robe he touched it reverently to his forehead, and kissed it, then gently replaced it, while never taking his eyes from the adored Master's face. The next moment he turned away, and scampered off to play, like any normal child...At that time he was 'Abdu'l-Bahá's only grandchild... and, naturally, he was of immense interest to the pilgrims. (Memoir of Ella Goodall Cooper quoted by Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 5)

‘Abdu’l-Baha Among the Street Children of Paris

2010-02-16T14:46:00.000-08:00

After a morning talk given by Abdu’l-Baha at his apartment No. 4 Ave. de Camoens on October 15, 1911, all those present were invited that Sunday afternoon to meet him at four o'clock at 22 rue Seeden Rollin pre Saint Gernais (Seine) outside the walls of Paris, where a real Baha’i settlement work is carried on by Mons. V. Ponsonaille and his good wife. They are poor people. He is employed as a collector for one of the large department stores in Paris. Having received the Message, he felt his work for the Cause of God was among the very poor children, waifs and those who had no parents; so with his wife, some years ago settled his home here and by going without their noon day meal (which to the French means much) they could give it to these little ones. They started in an old car where they met together to read the Tablets and hear the Word of Baha’u’llah. It wasn’t long before many came and it grew so that the clergy of many sects desired to have it consolidated under them. Mons. Ponsonaille did not consider this the way to serve best and he declined all these offers. At last, they grew so very jealous that they, with the help of the priests, took the car from him. The Baha’i friends in Paris offered to build a place for his work and Mons. Ponsonaille told them if they would furnish him the boards and nails that he would build it himself, which he did, and it was here that we went, and after three months spent going around Paris every day, I assure you I had never seen such a dirty, miserable quarter.

After leaving the train on the main street, we walked down to the end of a narrow lane or street without sidewalks, on which doors opened to places where soldiers and women were drinking and screaming, while from the small windows bedclothes were hanging out, and women and children could be seen. It was with joy we at last saw a familiar face and Mous. De Scott, the artist, pointed to the small gate through which we passed and by the discarded car into a small board cabin about 20x25 feet. At one end was a raised platform and desk of rough boards. I can only say as my eyes fell first upon The Greatest Name hanging in a frame from this desk and I saw the crowd of miserably poor, dear little ones gathered there, and as my ears caught the music of their voices (for they were singing), tears filled my eyes and a great lump choked me. Then I looked and saw we mere but a half dozen who had come as guests, and all, like myself, were deeply affected. It was Madam

Ponsonaille, a woman with a strong, kind and most intelligent face, who evidently had taught the children to sing and who with her whole heart was leading and keeping time for them, for they had no instrument. After the song, Mons. Ponsonaille read a Tablet sent by the Master, for he called ‘Abdu’l-Baha "The Master," and it was quite evident that they all know him as the Master. Mons. Ponsonaille, who has a delicate, most refined face – that of a gentleman in its fullest sense -- talked for a time; they sang again, and then all their little heads were turned towards the entrance and it was evident that their hearts were full of expectancy and they longed to see the One who had promised to come to visit them. The oldest of these children were not over fifteen -- from that down to babies in the arms -- all ages and kinds, clothed cleanly in clothes that had no fit, or were misfits rather.

At last there was a silence. Then all arose to their feet as ‘Abdu’l-Baha quickly entered and walked up the narrow center passage to the front and stood. Mons. Dreyfus-Barney and Tammadon-ul-Molk took their places on the side. Mons. Dreyfus-Barney acted as interpreter. Abdu’l-Baha said: "I am very glad to be here with you. I am very glad to see you all here. I love you very much! I have been in many beautiful houses, but this is more beautiful to me than any of the others, for the spirit of the love of Baha’u’llah is here. You ale all receiving the teachings of God and learning how to act and live and some day you will be great and wise for having learned the truth. I have seen many beautiful rich children, but to me you are more beautiful. And I love you all (as Christ loved little children) here. Monsieur and Madam Ponsonaille are your spiritual teachers. They give you food and understanding eternal of God, while your parents are giving yon your material food and care for your bodies. You must love these good friends." Turning to Monsieur and Madam Ponsonaille he said: "This is a great work you are doing for the love of God in this great day, through the power of Baha’u’llah. Your station is great. Your names will go through all ages. Kings and Queens have never been talked of and remembered as yon will be. You are workers in the Kingdom of Abha and I am very happy and love you very much." Then with his head upturned and the palms of his hands upturned together, as if to receive in them the pouring down of the Holy Spirit, he chanted a prayer and blessing, and coming down from the small elevation, on which he was standing, to where the children were, all crowded close around him, and laying his hands caressingly upon some of their heads and taking the hands of others with a loving smile to all, with difficultyhe passed down the aisle to the door. Near me were some rough hoys whom I was often obliged to quiet before ‘Abdu’l-Baha entered the hall. But after he came they never moved nor spoke and when he passed out they fell over each other in their great desire to have him take their hands.

Outside the door stood Mons. Ponsonaille, and Abdu’l-Baha, putting his hand inside his gown, took out many gold pieces and gave to him as he bade him good-bye. He walked down the street toward the carriage so quickly that our little party was at least twenty feet behind. Oh! what a sight. In every doorway and window were people -- and such people! A very poor man held the carriage door open as ‘Abdu’l-Baha entered with his little party, Mons. and Madam Dreyfus-Barney and Tammadon-ul-Molk. The crowd was fighting and calling names but a gendarme and Mons. De Scott protected us as we passed on safely.

So ended a never-to-be-forgotten day, having seen ‘Abdu’l-Baha among the children of the poor of the streets of Paris and I thought again of the light I saw twice on Fridays in Acca and wondered if they mere missing him and longing for his return and loving help. The thought comes to me now of what the world’s poverty will be after his departure and to us who have been fed from his hand on the Bread of Life. (Alice R. Beede, Star of the West, vol. 2, no. 18, Feb. 1912)

An Example of Baha’u’llah’s High Sense of Justice

2010-02-15T14:15:00.000-08:00

When Baha’u’llah along with His family and a number of His companions were travelling from Baghdad to Constantinople an incident took place near the city of Mardin which provides us with a wonderful example of Baha'u'llah's high sense of justice, a principle greatly stressed in His Revelation.

The caravan had encamped for the night at a small village below the town. “There, during the night, two mules, belonging to an Arab travelling with the caravan, were stolen. The owner was beside himself with grief. Baha'u'llah asked the official who accompanied the caravan to try and find the missing animals. Other officials were called in, but no animal was forthcoming. As the caravan was on the point of departing, the poor Arab went crying to Baha'u'llah. ‘You are leaving,’ he moaned, ‘and I shall never get back my beasts.’ Baha'u'llah immediately called off the resumption of the journey. ‘We will go to Firdaws [a nearby estate] and stay there’, He said, ‘until this man's mules are found and restored to him.’ (King of Glory, by Hasan Balyuzi, pp. 187-8)

“. . . The Mutasarrif [local Governor] threatened the headman of the village, where the mules had been stolen, with imprisonment if the animals were not found. The headman offered a sum of money in lieu of the mules. But Baha'u'llah insisted that the Arab was entitled to have his beasts restored to him. On the second day the headman came with a promissory note guaranteed by higher officials, offering to pay 60 pounds within a month, the value of the two mules. But Baha'u'llah refused this offer too. Then the headman realized that the game was up, sent for the animals and gave them to their distraught owner. People were amazed, for such a thing had never happened before. No stolen property had ever been retrieved, nor restitution made to the rightful owner. Aqa Husayn-i-Ashchi, in his reminiscences some four decades later, recalled that various officials went to Baha'u'llah to speak of the part they had played in retrieving the beasts and received suitable rewards. The Mutasarrif was given a costly cashmere shawl, the Mufti an illuminated copy of the Qur'an, the head of the horsemen a sword with bejewelled scabbard.” (ibid)

“The purpose of the halt at Firdaws achieved, Baha’u'llah ordered the resumption of the journey on the third day. And what was seen then was also an event of rare splendour. The road lay through the main street of the city of Mardin. Government cavalry with flags flying and drums beating preceded the caravan; then came the caravan escorted by the Mutsarrif himself with other high officials and notables. And the whole town had come out, thronging the streets to hail and see the passage of the caravan. It was a slow descent from the mountain-top, and then Baha'u'llah bade farewell to the escort and told the men to go back to their town; while the caravan went on its way, moving all day long through copses and over lush meadows, until a halt was called at the end of the day, in a verdant spot beside running water." (ibid)

As apparent from the above incident, other travellers would join the caravan from time to time, either for protection or companionship or both. (Adapted from Baha’u’llah the Prince of Peace, A Portrait, by David Hofman)

Baha’u’llah Vindicating the Miracles of All the Prophets

2010-02-11T12:31:00.000-08:00

One of Baha’u’llah’s bitterest enemies by the name of Shaykh 'Abdu'l-Husayn was sent by the Shah of Persia to Karbila (near Baghdad) to carry out the repair of the Muslim holy sites. He invited all ranks of clergy to a conference held at his home. There he forcefully condemned Baha'u'llah's activities, accused Him of destroying the Faith of Islam, and demanded that holy war should be proclaimed against the Babis of ‘Iraq. The body of the divines approved. However, the leading mujtahid [1] of the Shi’ah community, Shaykh Murtiday-i-Ansari, a man of justice and piety, refused to sanction their evil plans and arose and abruptly left the meeting.

Some time before this, Baha'u'llah had invited Shaykh 'Abdu'l-Husayn [the one who had called the conference of the divines] to meet Him face to face so that the truth of His Cause might be established. But the Shaykh, who had accepted the invitation at first, was afraid to meet the challenge and did not appear at the appointed place.

The conference of the divines decided to send a representative to Baha'u'llah to put certain questions to Him, designed to establish the truth of His Mission. The person they chose for this mission was a devout and high-minded cleric by the name of Haji Mulla Hasan-i-'Ammu. This Haji requested the assistance of a Prince in Baghdad, who was a friend and admirer of Baha'u'llah and had visited His home, to arrange for an interview with Baha’u’llah. When the appointed day came, the prince took Haji Mulla Hasan personally to the house of Baha'u'llah.

No sooner had Haji Mulla Hasan presented himself to Baha'u'llah than he discovered the ocean of His utterance surging before him and saw himself as a mere drop compared to the vastness of Baha’u'llah's knowledge. Having had his questions answered with brilliance and simplicity, he then ventured to inform Baha'u'llah that "The 'ulama recognize without hesitation and confess the knowledge and virtue of Bahá'u'lláh, and they are unanimously convinced that in all learning he has no peer or equal; and it is also evident that he has never studied or acquired this learning; but still the 'ulama say, 'We are not contented with this; we do not acknowledge the reality of his mission by virtue of his wisdom and righteousness. Therefore, we ask him to show us a miracle in order to satisfy and tranquilize our hearts.'" (Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 28)

Bahá'u'lláh replied, "Although you have no right to ask this, for God should test His creatures, and they should not test God, still I allow and accept this request. But the Cause of God is not a theatrical display that is presented every hour, of which some new diversion may be asked for every day. If it were thus, the Cause of God would become mere child's play. (ibid)

"The ulamas must, therefore, assemble, and, with one accord, choose one miracle, and write that, after the performance of this miracle they will no longer entertain doubts about Me, and that all will acknowledge and confess the truth of My Cause. Let them seal this paper, and bring it to Me. This must be the accepted criterion: if the miracle is performed, no doubt will remain for them; and if not, We shall be convicted of imposture." (ibid)

The learned man, Hasan 'Amu, rose and replied, "There is no more to be said"; he then kissed the knee of the Blessed One although he was not a believer, and went. He gathered the 'ulama and gave them the sacred message. They consulted together and said, "This man is an enchanter; perhaps he will perform an enchantment, and then we shall have nothing more to say." Acting on this belief, they did not dare to push the matter further. (ibid, p. 29)

Haji Mulla Hasan conveyed this decision to Baha'u'llah through the Prince who had arranged his meeting with Him. Upon hearing this news, Baha'u'llah is reported to have said:

“We have, bough this all-satisfying, all-embracing message which We sent, revealed and vindicated the miracles of all the Prophets, inasmuch as We left the choice to the 'ulamas themselves, undertaking to reveal whatever they would decide upon.”

(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 144) (Adapted from The Revelation of Baha’u’llah, by Adib Taherzadeh volume 1, p. 45 and Stories of Baha’u’llah and Some Notable Believers by Kiser Barnes, pp. 29-31)
[1] A Muslim Doctor of Law. The highest rank of divine within Shi’ah Islam. One who has the power to make authoritative decisions on points of law in the name of the Hidden Imam]

American Christian Visited ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Haifa

2010-02-09T12:25:00.000-08:00

Below is an extract from a letter written by an American visiting Palestine to her Baha’i friend in the United States. It was dated May, 1910:

I must tell you a little about Palestine and about one experience in particular. A visit to Palestine does certainly make the Bible seem like a new book and brings home to one's heart the reality of Christ's life and teachings. I felt this particularly at Nazareth, the home of His boyhood and at the Sea of Galilee, which is so associated with His ministry. We had a lovely early morning row on the peaceful lake, and the memories of Christ that came to us seemed to make His presence very real.

Now, I know you will be eager to hear of my interview with the one in Palestine whose teachings mean so much to yon, the Prophet, or Abbas Effendi, [‘Abdu’l-Baha] as he is generally called.

I found that he is not now kept a prisoner at Acca, but since the order of constitutional government in Turkey he is free to live in his home at Haifa (near by) and go and come as he will.

I planned my trip so that I could stop and see him, for I remember when you gave me some of the literature to read you said: "If you go to Egypt, Palestine is not far away and you will surely want to see him." So I planned for the interview with him when the others of the party went to Acca for a drive. (Perhaps you know that Haifa is a Pretty little town right at the foot of Mt. Carmel.)

Well, I sent ward to him of my wish to see him and he replied that he would see me in the afternoon, as his time was taken up that morning in seeing some people from India. So I went to his house at the time appointed and was shown into the presence of an old man, clothed in the flowing robe of a Persian, with white hair and a long white beard, with eyes that seemed to look me through and yet were most friendly, too. It was the Prophet! He received me most graciously, and his interpreter, a young Syrian, a student at the American Missionary College at Beyrout [sic]

I told him first about the little circle of his friends in far off Honolulu - you who meet together to discuss his teachings -- and I told him of your love and loyalty. He seemed very happy at this and his face lighted up as he asked for the names of those who knew and loved him….

He sent you all his love and blessing and said he would pray for each one of you, and he added: "Tell them that they have a great mission -- to make the blind eyes see, to make the deaf ears hear and to Shed the light of knowledge where the darkness of ignorance prevails." That was his message to you. He talked with me for some time, first telling me of his country, Persia, of his life and then of his teachings.

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 happy. I replied to the latter question: "I have had many sorrows." "Forget them!" he answered. "When your heart is filled with the love of God there will be no room for sorrow. There will only be love and happiness." I cannot tell you the sweet sympathy of his voice as he said these beautiful and comforting wards.

Then he had the attendant bring in tea, a cup for him and a cup for me. We drank together, wishing each other health and happiness, and then he told me that he hoped I could take tea with me in the Kingdom of Heaven!

When 1 praised the tea he said it was real Persian tea and presented me with a package to take away with me. (I wish I could send you same of it. I am afraid it would lose its strength though before it reached yon.)

When I finally said goad-by he put his hand on my head and blessed me and wished that I might be a blessing … I went away feeling softened, uplifted and blessed. I am so glad you told me of him and urged me to see him. He wrote his name in my book for me and told me always to remember it.

I tell you all these little incidents as I know they will interest you.
(Star of the West, vol. 1, no. 9, Aug 20, 1910)

The Amazing Story of Mulla Husayn Finding the Mystery of God (Baha’u’llah) in Tihran

2010-02-06T20:04:00.000-08:00

The story of Mulla Husayn as he tries to find a trace of His Beloved in Tihran is fascinating. The hand of providence brought him into close contact with a certain Mulla Muhammad who became immensely attracted to Mulla Husayn and the Message of the Báb. The story, recorded in the words of this Mulla Muhammad in The Dawn-Breakers, is as follows:

"'What is your name, and which city is your home?' 'My name,' I replied, 'is Mulla Muhammad, and my surname Mu'allim. My home is Nur, in the province of Mazindaran.' 'Tell me,' further enquired Mulla Husayn, 'is there to-day among the family of the late Mirza Buzurg-i-Nuri,[Baha’u’llah’s father] who was so renowned for his character, his charm, and artistic and intellectual attainments, anyone who has proved himself capable of maintaining the high traditions of that illustrious house?' 'Yea,' I replied, 'among his sons now living, one has distinguished Himself by the very traits which characterised His father. By His virtuous life, His high attainments, His loving-kindness and liberality, He has proved Himself a noble descendent of a noble father.' 'What is His occupation?' he asked me. 'He cheers the disconsolate and feeds the hungry,' I replied. 'What of His rank and position?' 'He has none,' I said, 'apart from befriending the poor and the stranger.' 'What is His name?' 'Husayn-'Ali.' 'In which of the scripts of His father does He excel?' 'His favourite script is shikastih-nasta'liq.' [an artistice style of handwriting] 'How does He spend His time?' 'He roams the woods and delights in the beauties of the countryside.' 'What is His age?' 'Eight and twenty.' The eagerness with which Mulla Husayn questioned me, and the sense of delight with which he welcomed every particular I gave him, greatly surprised me. Turning to me, with his face beaming with satisfaction and joy, he once more enquired: 'I presume you often meet Him?' 'I frequently visit His home,' I replied. 'Will you,' he said, 'deliver into His hands a trust from me?' 'Most assuredly,' was my reply. He then gave me a scroll wrapped in a piece of cloth, and requested me to hand it to Him the next day at the hour of dawn. 'Should He deign to answer me,' he added, 'will you be kind enough to acquaint me with His reply?' I received the scroll from him and, at break of day, arose to carry out his desire.

"As I approached the house of Bahá'u'lláh, I recognised His brother Mirza Musa, who was standing at the gate, and to whom I communicated the object of my visit. He went into the house and soon reappeared bearing a message of welcome. I was ushered into His presence, and presented the scroll to Mirza Musa, who laid it before Bahá'u'lláh. He bade us both be seated. Unfolding the scroll, He glanced at its contents and began to read aloud to us certain of its passages. I sat enraptured as I listened to the sound of His voice and the sweetness of its melody. He had read a page of the scroll when, turning to His brother, He said: 'Musa, what have you to say? Verily I say, whoso believes in the Qur'án and recognises its Divine origin, and yet hesitates, though it be for a moment, to admit that these soul-stirring words are endowed with the same regenerating power, has most assuredly erred in his judgment and has strayed far from the path of justice.' He spoke no more. Dismissing me from His presence, He charged me to take to Mulla Husayn, as a gift from Him, a loaf of Russian sugar and a package of tea,[1] and to convey to him the expression of His appreciation and love.

"I arose, and, filled with joy, hastened back to Mulla Husayn, and delivered to him the gift and message of Bahá'u'lláh. With what joy and exultation he received them from me! Words fail me to describe the intensity of his emotion. He started to his feet, received with bowed head the gift from my hand, and fervently kissed it. He then took me in his arms, kissed my eyes, and said: 'My dearly beloved friend! I pray that even as you have rejoiced my heart, God may grant you eternal felicity and fill your heart with imperishable gladness.' I was amazed at the behaviour of Mulla Husayn. What could be, I thought to myself, the nature of the bond that unites these two souls? What could have kindled so fervid a fellowship in their hearts? Why should Mulla Husayn, in whose sight the pomp and circumstance of royalty were the merest trifle, have evinced such gladness at the sight of so inconsiderable a gift from the hands of Bahá'u'lláh? I was puzzled by this thought and could not unravel its mystery.

"A few days later, Mulla Husayn left for Khurasan. As he bade me farewell, he said: 'Breathe not to anyone what you have heard and witnessed. Let this be a secret hidden within your breast. Divulge not His name, for they who envy His position will arise to harm Him. In your moments of meditation, pray that the Almighty may protect Him, that, through Him, He may exalt the downtrodden, enrich the poor, and redeem the fallen. The secret of things is concealed from our eyes. Ours is the duty to raise the call of the New Day and to proclaim this Divine Message unto all people. Many a soul will, in this city, shed his blood in this path. That blood will water the Tree of God, will cause it to flourish, and to overshadow all mankind.'"

The Báb had directed Mulla Husayn to send Him a letter and inform Him of that great Mystery which he was to discover in Tihran. That letter arrived on the night preceding 10 October 1844 when Quddus was present, with whom the Báb shared a number of its passages. Nabil-i-A'zam continues the story in these words:

"He sent his letter by way of Yazd, through the trustworthy partners of the Báb's maternal uncle who were at that time residing in Tabas. That letter reached the Báb on the night preceding the twenty-seventh day of Ramadan,[2] a night held in great reverence by all the sects of Islam and regarded by many as rivalling in sacredness the Laylatu'l-Qadr itself, the night which, in the words of the Qur'án, 'excelleth a thousand months'.[3] The only companion of the Báb, when that letter reached Him that night, was Quddus, with whom He shared a number of its passages.

"I have heard Mirza Ahmad[4] relate the following: 'The Báb's maternal uncle himself described to me the circumstances attending the receipt of Mulla Husayn's letter by the Bab: "That night I saw such evidences of joy and gladness on the faces of the Báb and of Quddus as I am unable to describe. I often heard the Báb, in those days, exultingly repeat the words, 'How marvellous, how exceedingly marvellous, is that which has occurred between the months of Jamadi and Rajab!' As He was reading the communication addressed to Him by Mulla Husayn, He turned to Quddus and, showing him certain passages of that letter, explained the reason for His joyous expressions of surprise. I, for my part, remained completely unaware of the nature of that explanation."'

"Mirza Ahmad, upon whom the account of this incident had produced a profound impression, was determined to fathom its mystery. 'Not until I met Mulla Husayn in Shiraz,' he told me, 'was I able to satisfy my curiosity. When I repeated to him the account described to me by the Báb's uncle, he smiled and said how well he remembered that between the months of Jamadi and Rajab he chanced to be in Tihran. He gave no further explanation, and contented himself with this brief remark. This was sufficient, however, to convince me that in the city of Tihran there lay hidden a Mystery which, when revealed to the world, would bring unspeakable joy to the hearts of both the Báb and Quddus.'"

The story of Bahá'u'lláh's immediate acknowledgement of the truth of the Message of the Báb, when He read a few lines of the Báb's newly-revealed Writings, may lead some to an erroneous conclusion that Bahá'u'lláh had no prior knowledge of the Báb's Revelation and that He was converted through reading a page of that historic scroll. Such a belief is contrary to many statements of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh themselves. For the Báb has made it very clear in His Writings that every word revealed by Him had originated from 'Him Whom God shall make manifest', [Baha’u’llah] Whose station was exalted beyond any description. The spiritual link of divine revelation existed between the two. The only link which needed to be established was a physical one, and this was achieved by the visit of Mulla Husayn. In the Persian Bayan, the Báb states:

"And know thou of a certainty that every letter revealed in the Bayan is solely intended to evoke submission unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, for it is He Who hath revealed the Bayan prior to His Own manifestation.

There are many passages in the Writings of the Báb similar to the above. Bahá'u'lláh also refers to the Revelation of the Báb as 'My Own previous Revelation'. The perusal of the Writings of the Báb will make it abundantly clear that His relationship with Bahá'u'lláh, Whom He designated as 'Him Whom God shall make manifest', was similar to that of Christ with the 'Heavenly Father' Who is reported in the Gospels as the Source of Christ's Revelation. (Adib Taherzadeh, The Covenant of Baha'u'llah, p. 34)
[1 Tea and that variety of sugar being extremely rare in Persia at that time, both were used as gifts among the higher classes of the population. (A.T.)]
[2 Corresponding with the night preceding the 10th October 1844 A.D.]
[3 The Laylatu'l-Qadr, meaning literally 'Night of Power', is one of the last ten nights of Ramadan, and, as is commonly believed, the seventh of those nights reckoning backward.]
[4 'The first to embrace the Faith in Khurasan was Mirza Ahmad-i-Azghandi, the most learned, the wisest, and the most eminent among the ulamas of that province.' (The Dawn-Breakers, p. 125)]

Tahirih’s Last Day in Tehran …

2010-02-04T09:46:00.000-08:00

[in 1852] Tahirih, who was among the few remaining Letters of the Living, was … being held captive in Tehran. A delegation of religious leaders, in a series of seven conferences, had questioned her thoroughly about the Bab and His Cause. Tahrirh, in her own compelling style, presented clear proofs that the Bab was, indeed, the promised Qa’im.[1] She related verses from the Koran [Qur’an] that supported her arguments, but grew steadily more impatient with the mullas' insistence on a literal interpretation of the sacred scriptures. Finally, frustrated with their limited understanding, Tahirih spoke bluntly to her interrogators: "Your reasoning is that of an ignorant and stupid child; how long will you cling to these follies and lies? When will you lift your eyes toward the Sun of Truth?"

The delegation proceeded to formally denounce Tahirih and to recommend she be sentenced to death. Because she was a woman and of renowned family, she remained confined in a room at the house of the mayor of Tehran.

During her time there, the wife of the mayor -- though not a Babi Herself -- had come to hold Tahirih in great esteem and became her devoted friend. One night Tahirih sent for the mayor's wife, who found her dressed in a gown of snow-white silk as though she were a bride about to be wed. The rich fragrance of the choicest perfume scented the air about her. When the mayor's wife expressed surprise at this, Tahirih replied, "I am preparing to meet my Beloved. . . . the hour when I shall be arrested and condemned to suffer martyrdom is fast approaching."

Her friend wept at the thought of so final a separation, but she listened closely as Tahirih confided her last wishes. She requested that her friend's son accompany her to the scene of her execution and that afterward her body be cast into a pit and covered with earth and stones. Finally Tahirih asked the mayor's wife to lock the door to her room sothat she might remain undisturbed in her final devotions.

With great sorrow her friend did as Tahirih bid her. Then the mayor's wife retired to her own room, where she lay upon her bed, sleepless and heartbroken to think of losing so precious a friend. In her room Tahirih awaited her final hour, wrapped in prayer and meditation. Four hours after sunset she was pacing and chanting melodiously a prayer whose words expressed both grief and triumph, when a knock was heard at the door of the house. They had come for Tahirih.

As she bid a final farewell, Tahirih placed in the hand of the mayor's wife a key to a small chest. It contained a few small tokens for her friend as a remembrance of her stay at that house? [2] “Whenever you open this chest and behold the things it contains," said Tahirih, "you will, I hope, remember me and rejoice in my gladness."

Then the beautiful Tahirih emerged from the safety of the mayor's house into the night, where she mounted the horse brought for her. With what agony of grief did her friend watch as Tahirih rode away, escorted by the mayor's son and the official attendants marching on each side of her, until she was swallowed at last by the dark.

They rode to a garden outside the city gates, where they found the executioner and his lieutenants engaged in drunken behavior. Tahirih gave a piece of fine silken cloth to the mayor's son. "I set aside, long ago, a silken kerchief which I hoped would be used for this purpose," she told him. "I deliver it into your hands and wish you to induce that dissolute drunkard to use it as a means whereby he can take my life."

"Interrupt not the gaiety of our festival!" shouted the executioner when the mayor's son approached him. Then he ordered his attendants to strangle Tahirih and throw her body into a pit. The mayor's son gave the kerchief to the attendants.

Before they carried out their orders of execution, Tahirih spoke with the same bold courage she had always shown. "You can kill me as soon as you like," she declared, "but you cannot stop the emancipation of women."

When the deed was done a gardener directed the mayor's son to a freshly dug well left unfinished. With the help of a few others, the mayor's son lowered Tahirih's body into the well and filled it with earth and stones as she had wished. Her noble spirit joined the heroic souls of the Bab and all those who had shed their life's blood in His path.

"O Tahirih! You are worth a thousand Nasiri'd-Din Shahs!" the well known

Turkish poet Sulayman N'Azim Bey would later lament.' But hers would not be the last Babi life to be sacrificed in Tehran. Many more would follow. (The Story of Baha’u’llah Promised One of All Religions, by Druzelle Cederquist)

[1] Qa'im: Literally ‘He Who Arises’: The Promised One of Shi’ih Islam. A reference to the Twelfth Imam, the Mihdi, who was to return in the fullness of time and bring a reign of righteousness to the world. The Bab declared Himself to be the Qa’im and the Gate to a greater Messenger, "Him Whom God shall make manifest"- Baha’u’llah.

[2] In the chest were found Tahirih's last few earthly possessions. The wife of the mayor recalled finding "a small vial of the choicest perfume, beside which lay a rosary, a coral necklace, and three rings, mounted with turquoise, cornelian [sic], and ruby stones" (Mahmud Khan-i-Kalantar quoted in Nabil, Dawn-Breakers, p. 627).

Reaction of Some Government Officials Seeing Baha’u’llah for the First Time

2010-02-02T13:06:00.000-08:00

Haji Mirza Haydar-'Ali has recounted a brief story in which he describes the reaction of some government officials in 'Akka when they saw Baha'u'llah for the first time. He writes in his book, the Bihjatu’s-Sudur:

... It was the festival of Ridvan, which was celebrated in the home of Jinab-i-Kalim (Mirza Musa, the faithful brother of Baha’u'llah). I was staying in the outer apartment of his house. There were other apartments occupied by non-Baha’is; one was the residence of a certain 'Big' or ' Pasha' who had arrived in 'Akka as the head of customs and excise.

In the afternoon of the first day of Ridvan Baha'u'llah came out of the inner apartment to the place where the head of the customs and his officers were seated. As soon as He arrived, they arose spontaneously and, although it was not their way, they bowed. Lost in bewilderment and filled with wonder, they remained standing. Their hearts were enamoured of His peerless and beauteous countenance. Baha’u’llah went to them and spoke words of loving kindness. He then went back to the inner section. Bewildered and perplexed, the officer asked, 'Who was this distinguished personage? Is He the Holy Spirit or the King of Kings?' We answered, 'He is the father of 'Abbas Effendi' ('Abdu'l-Baha). (Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha’u’llah volume 2, p. 11; also in Stories of Baha’u’llah and Some Notable Believers by Kiser Barnes, pp. 71-72)

Sutherland Maxwell’s Conversation with Abdu’l-Baha about God

2010-01-29T12:01:00.000-08:00

In 1909, May and Sutherland Maxwell made a pilgrimage together to the Prison City of 'Akka, to visit 'Abdu'l-Baha. Sutherland was not yet a convinced Baha’i. One day at table, he said to 'Abdu'l-Baha: "The Christians worship God through Christ; my wife worships God through You; but I worship Him direct." 'Abdu'l-Baha smiled and said: "Where is He?" "Why, God is everywhere," replied Sutherland. "Everywhere is nowhere," said 'Abdu'l-Baha. He then went on to demonstrate that such worship was worship of a figment of the imagination and had no reality; we must worship God through something tangible and real to us, hence the role of the Manifestations. Sutherland bowed his head in acceptance. The real seed of his faith germinated from that hour… (The Baha’i World 1950-1954)

Shoghi Effendi – News of the birth of Abdu’l-Baha’s first grandson and His successor

2010-01-28T10:23:00.000-08:00

Since 'Abdu’l-Baha didn’t have any surviving sons so apparently when the news of His first grandson being born reached the West “a believer in America had written to Him that in the Bible is mentioned that after 'Abdu'l-Bahá ‘a little child shall lead them’ (Isaiah 11:6) and does this mean a real, live child who exists?” (Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 1) This question was answered by the Master in the following Tablet that was sent to this believer:

O Maidservant of God!

Verily, that child is born and is alive and from him will appear wondrous things that thou wilt hear of in the future. Thou shalt behold him endowed with the most perfect appearance, supreme capacity, absolute perfection, consummate power and unsurpassed might. His face will shine with a radiance that illumines all the horizons of the world; therefore forget this not as long as thou dost live inasmuch as ages and centuries will bear traces of him. Upon thee be greetings and praise. Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas” (Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 1)

Since “there was practically no contact between the Bahá'ís of the West and East in those days and Tablets were circulated among the American friends by copy or word of mouth” (ibid, p. 1), the existence of such an important Tablet was not known to the believers in the East. It should also be noted that, as Ruhiyyih Khanum explains: “Many years before His passing, in answer to a question from some Persian believers as to whether there would be one person to whom all should turn after His death, 'Abdu'l-Bahá had written:

"...Know verily that this is a well-guarded secret. It is even as a gem concealed within its shell. That it will be revealed is predestined. The time will come when its light will appear, when its evidences will be made manifest, and its secrets unravelled." (Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 1)

There are also two very interesting accounts that we find in the book called “The Priceless Pearl”, written by Ruhhiyih Khanum, the wife of Shoghi Effendi). She quotes two incidents recoded by Dr. Yunis Khan in his diary -- he was one of Abdu’l-Baha’s secretaries for many years. He was in ‘Akka during 1897, the same year that Shoghi Effendi was born. Dr. Yunis Khan mentions in his diary that he wasn’t aware of the existence of the above Tablet, and “wholly unaware of the background which might have brought about the question this friend now asked him to put to 'Abdu'l-Bahá; indeed he states in his diary that it was not until many years later he heard of this Tablet's existence.” (ibid. p. 2), when one day he received a letter from one of the believers in America about the birth of a child who would succeed Abdu’l-Baha. This letter came at a time when the “dark clouds of Covenant-breaking were gathering ever thicker about the Master.” This is how Ruhiyyih Khanum narrates it:

“Yunis Khan writes: ‘Abdu'l-Bahá was walking in front of the khan [the building where many believers used to stay in 'Akká]; I approached and told Him 'someone has written to me from America that we have heard the Master has said that the one whose appearance will follow me has recently been born and is in this world. If this is so we are answered, but if this is not so then -?’ After waiting a moment, with a look full of meaning and secret exaltation, He said: 'Yes, this is true.' Hearing this glad tidings my soul rejoiced; I felt assured that the Covenant-breaking will come to naught and the Cause of God triumph throughout the world and this world become the mirror of the heavenly world. However, to understand what He meant by 'appearance', as we Bahá'ís conceive its meaning, was very difficult for me, and remained in my mind a mystery; seeking further information I thereupon asked Him: 'Does this mean a revelation?' If He had replied with 'yes' or 'no' this would have created more complications and aroused more questions, but fortunately His answer was conclusive and such as to silence any questioner, and in even clearer words He said: ‘The triumph of the Cause of God is in his hands!' Yunis Khan then goes on to state that he wrote this answer to the believer in America but did not share it for many years with anyone and even in his own mind refused to contemplate its implications or ask himself if that child was in 'Akká or somewhere else. He explains this reserved attitude on his part as due to the words of Bahá'u'lláh in the book of His Covenant in which He says that all eyes must be focused on the Centre of the Covenant ('Abdu'l-Bahá), and to the defections, machinations and mischief which for two generations disrupted the family of the Manifestation of God.” (Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 2)

The other incident that Dr. Yunis Khan has recorded in his diary concerns the first time he saw Shoghi Effendi when he was about only 4 months old:

"For many days the occupants of the Pilgrim House had begged the Afnan [Shoghi Effendi's father] to see Shoghi Effendi. One day, unexpectedly, this child of four months was brought to the biruni [reception room of the Master]. The believers approached him with joy and I too had this privilege, but I said to myself 'only look upon him as a Bahá'í child'. However I could not control my feelings because an inner force obliged me to bow low before him and for a moment I was bewitched by the beauty of this suckling child. I kissed the soft hair of his head and sensed such a power in him that I can find no words to express it, but only say he looked like the babe one sees in the arms of the Blessed Virgin. For several days the face of this child was before me, then gradually I forgot it. Two other times I had these same feelings, once when he was nine years old and once when he was eleven years old." (Quoted by Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 3)

The Shah Sent His Special Envoy to Meet With the Bab and Investigate the Truth of His Claims

2010-01-25T11:48:00.000-08:00

Before long, news about the young man Who called Himself the Bab --"the Gate” -- traveled as far as the court of Persia's ruler, Muhammad Shah. The fact that so many of his people were drawn to the Cause of the Bab made the shah both curious and concerned. He decided he must find out more about the Bab and His claims. To investigate on his behalf, he called on the one man acknowledged throughout the land as the most brilliant of religious scholars. At whatever gathering he spoke, no matter how learned the participants, all others would choose to sit in respectful silence and listen to him. Knowledgeable and wise beyond all others, he was also a man of integrity, truthful and trustworthy. His name was Siyyid Yahya, but he would become known as Vahid, meaning "the Peerless One."

The shah commanded Vahid to meet with the Bab in Shiraz and there investigate the truth of His claims, then return to Tehran and report his findings. Vahid was pleased to obey. He, too, had heard of the Bab and His Cause and wished to satisfy his own desire for more information. On the journey from Tehran to Shiraz, he thought of the many questions with which he would test the Bab. Vahid did not plan to make the interview easy, but thorough and demanding. The truth deserved no less. Little did the brilliant Vahid know that nothing in his previous experience had prepared him for what lay ahead.

As it turned out, Vahid did not have one interview with the Bab, but three --each one more remarkable than the one before. At their first meeting Vahid presented each of his questions. He made certain to reveal, as well, something of his own vast range of religious knowledge. The Bab listened patiently to all that he said, then began to address Vahid's questions briefly but persuasively. As Vahid listened to the Bab's answers, each one clear and concise, he felt suddenly embarrassed at his own display of self-importance. Though he had more questions, Vahid asked the Bab if he might continue the interview a little later and resolved to himself to return with a more humble attitude.

Vahid's second interview with the Bab, however, did not go at all as he had intended. As soon as he entered the Bab's presence, Vahid forgot all of the questions he had planned to ask. They were as thoroughly erased from his memory as though written in sand at the water's edge and washed away by the tide. Yet to his surprise, as Vahid conversed with the Bab, the Bab answered every question that Vahid had temporarily forgotten. Still Vahid could not quiet the small, doubting voice that whispered within him, "Might not this, after all, have been an accidental coincidence?"

For his third interview with the Bab, Vahid decided on a different strategy. He would keep his next request a secret and hold it silently in his heart. This request, which Vahid would tell no one, was for the Bab to reveal a commentary on the spiritual truths in the Shrih of Kawthar (Paradise), a chapter of the Koran. IF the Bab could, of His own volition, detect Vahid’s secret request and reveal a commentary unlike any other, then Vahid would be convinced that the Bab was of God. If not, Vahid decided, he would refuse to acknowledge the Bab.

This time, when Vahid came before the Bab, he was overcome suddenly with feelings of fear and awe and began to tremble so that he could barely stand. Why should he be so affected in the presence of the Bab? He wondered. How many times had he been in the presence of the shah, whose power gave reason to fear, yet had never felt timid or afraid in his presence? Why now should he stand trembling, unable to take a step or to utter a word?

When the Bab saw Vahid's predicament, He got up from His seat and took Vahid gently by the hand, leading the scholar to sit next to Him. "Seek from Me whatever is your heart's desire," the Bab told Vahid. "I will readily reveal it to you." But Vahid could say nothing. "Were I to reveal for yon the commentary on the Surih of Kawthar," said the Bab, "would you acknowledge that My words are born of the Spirit of God? Would you recognize that My utterance can in no wise be associated with sorcery or magic?" Vahid could say nothing except to recite averse of the Koran: "O our Lord, with ourselves have we dealt unjustly: if Thou forgive us not and have not pity on us, we shall surely be of those who perish.""

With that, the Bab asked for His pen-case and paper and began at once to reveal His commentary. It was early afternoon when the Bab began to write. He continued to write for the rest of the day, rapidly and without pause, intoning the verses as He wrote them. Vahid listened, enraptured not only by the beauty of what he heard, but also by the inexpressible majesty of the Bab. Not until sunset did the Bab lay down His pen and ask for tea. The commentary – two thousand verses-was complete.

Also complete was Vahid's transformation. Vanished was every trace of his former sense of superiority. In its place was the humble acknowledgement and deep certitude that the Bab was indeed the promised Qa’im. "If all the powers of the earth were to be leagued against me," declared Vahid, "they would be powerless to shake my confidence in the greatness of His Cause." So did Persia's most learned and respected religious scholar declare himself a Babi. It was the Bab Himself who gave to Vahid - known until then as Siyyid Yahya-his new name…

Vahid wrote his report about the Bab and sent it to the shah, telling in detail the truth he had discovered, but he did not return to Tehran. Instead, like Husayn-'Ali [Baha’u’llah] and the Letters of the Living, Vahid set out to share the news of his discovery with people in every town. When the shah received Vahid's letter and learned that he had become a Babi, he commented, "If this be true, it behoves us to cease belittling the Cause of that Siyyid”[meaning the Bab].
(Druzelle Cederquist, The Story of Baha’u’llah, pp. 43-46)

Story of Haji Abdu’llah and His Conversation with ‘Abdu’l-Baha

2010-01-20T20:26:00.000-08:00

Haji Abdu’llah is a Baha’i of eighty years of age. He has lived fifty years in Egypt and has ever been a devoted Baha’i; and a sincere believer. He is dressed in Eastern robes and has a long gray beard. Although advanced in age, he is vigorous and in good health. He has seen Egypt become most prosperous through the opening of the Suez Canal. He lives in one of the small towns in the interior of the country and having heard about the arrival of the Master has come to see him. Today he received permission to return to his work. He had a conversation with ‘Abdul Baha.

‘Abdu’l-Baha asked him how old he was. He said he was over eighty years old.

Well! He had lived a good long life and now he looked younger than ‘Abdu’l-Baha!

It was through the Favor of Baha’u’llah, voiced the old veteran.

It was true! ‘Abdu’l-Baha told him, and wished to know whether he desired to live much longer.

Haji Abdu’llah gave an affirmative answer.

‘Abdu’l-Baha was surprised. What? Was this life so sweet to the old man's taste for him to long for an extension of it? Why was this? As to ‘Abdu’l-Baha he was ready to leave this ephemeral world. It contained no attraction for him. ‘Abdu’l-Baha likened himself to a man who has heard that he must travel twenty days before reaching his destination. Having traveled already fifteen days, he is eager to hasten his trip and arrive at his goal. He is anticipating the eternal union with the Beloved at the end of his journey; therefore he is impatient!

The old man was deeply moved and spoke in a tremulous voice. He did not want to live for himself. Looking back at the map of his life, he saw many barren years stretching before his eyes, for he had not been confirmed in the service of the Cause. Therefore he desired to do something. He was hoping against hope that he might yet be enabled to render a great service to the Cause. He knew that he was very old, but his hope was young, and his eyes were filled with tears.
(Related by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, one of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s secretaries, ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Egypt, p. 17)

The amazing way in which Shoghi Effendi wrote God Passes By - The touching history of the first century of the Cause

2010-01-18T07:15:00.000-08:00

The method of Shoghi Effendi in writing God Passes By was to sit down for a year and read every book of the Bahá'í Writings in Persian and English, and every book written about the Faith by Bahá'ís, whether in manuscript form or published, and everything written by non-Bahá'ís that contained significant references to it. I think, in all, this must have covered the equivalent of at least two hundred books. As he read he made notes and compiled and marshalled his facts. Anyone who has ever tackled a work of an historical nature knows how much research is involved, how often one has to decided, in the light of relevant material, between this date given in one place and that date given in another, how back-breaking the whole work is. How much more so then was such a work for the Guardian who had, at the same time, to prepare for the forthcoming Centenary of the Faith and make decisions regarding the design of the superstructure of the Báb's Shrine. When all the ingredients of his book had been assembled Shoghi Effendi commenced weaving them into the fabric of his picture of the significance of the first century of the Bahá'í Dispensation. It was not his purpose, he said, to write a detailed history of those hundred years, but rather to review the salient features of the birth and rise of the Faith, the establishment of its administrative institutions, and the series of crises which had propelled it forward in a mysterious manner, through the release of the Divine power within it, from victory to victory. He revealed to us the panorama of events which, he wrote, "the revolution of a hundred years...has unrolled before our eyes" and lifted the curtain on the opening acts of what he asserted was one "indivisible, stupendous and sublime drama, whose mystery no intellect can fathom, whose climax no eye can even dimly perceive, whose conclusion no mind can adequately foreshadow."

How many hundreds of hours Shoghi Effendi spent on reading his sources and compiling his notes, how many days and months in painstakingly writing out in long hand - and often rewriting - the majestic procession of his chapters, how many more wearisome days he sat at his small portable typewriter, hammering away with a few fingers, sometimes ten hours on end, as he typed the final copy of his work! And how many more hours we spent late into the night, when the daily typing was over, seated side by side at his bog table in his bedroom, each with three copies of the typescript before us, proof-reading, making corrections, putting in by hand the thousands of accents on transliterated words which Shoghi Effendi would read aloud, until his eyes were bloodshot and blurred, his back and arms stiff with exhaustion, as we worked on to finish the entire chapter or part of a chapter he had typed that day. It had to be done. There was no possibility of working at a slower pace. he was racing against time to present the Bahá'ís of the West with this inimitable gift on the occasion of the one hundredth anniversary of the inception of their Faith. In spite of the fact that he mailed off to America the corrected manuscript in instalments, conditions in the United States delayed the publication and the book was not off the press until the middle of November 1944.

It was not enough to say "See what the man has done." One must ask how and under what circumstances he did it. 'Abdu'l-Bahá wrote the Tablets of the Divine Plan when He was old, worn out and in great danger at the end of World War I. Shoghi Effendi, already crushed and overburdened from the weight of twenty years of Guardianship, when the tides of World War II threatened to sweep over the Holy Land and engulf him and the World Centre of the Faith in one catastrophic flow, during a period when his home was convulsed by the repercussions of Covenant-breaking now affecting his family, set himself the task of appraising for all time the significance of the events of the first century of the Bahá'í Era. On rare occasions it was my misfortune during these years to see him weep as if his heart would break - so great was his agony, so overwhelming the pressures that bore down upon him!

Not content with the history he had just completed in English, Shoghi Effendi now turned his thoughts to the loving and loyal Community of Bahá'u'lláh's long-suffering and persecuted followers in His native land and began the composition of another memorial to the first hundred years of the Bahá'í Faith in Persia. This was a comparable, though shorter version of the same subject, different in nature but no less splendid in both the facts it presented the brilliancy of its language. Whereas I had sat through most of his writing of God Passes By in English there was no point in my doing so for this epistle. The difference between the style of Shoghi Effendi's letters and discourse in Persian - liberally sprinkled with Arabic - and every-day Persian is comparable to the difference between Shakespearian English and modern journalese! My command of Persian and ignorance of Arabic were such that I could not catch more than three or four words out of ten. Nevertheless he would read to me, or rather chant to me, some of its passages and the majestic flow of his words, their perfection and power, were evident to me even though I could not fully follow their meaning. I remember how, as I approached his room, I would hear his voice chanting his composition to himself as he wrote, infinitely plaintive, infinitely beautiful. It was also fascinating: he would chant the sentence he was writing until he struck a bump, a word that would not fit smoothly, the lovely voice, unconscious of itself, would stop, then go back to the beginning of the sentence and start off again up to the same point, if he did not get over it that time this would be repeated until he did! It was like some wonderful bird trying out its melodies to itself, lost in its own world. This epistle ran to a hundred pages in fine handwriting and is another of Shoghi Effendi's masterpieces. These two reviews of a hundred years were the Guardian's priceless Centenary gifts to the Bahá'ís, wrought with great cost to his strength and health, and devised during years when the world was rocked by its greatest war.
(Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 223)

A Story by 'Abdu'l-Baha concerning a finite mind attempting to explain the reality of Manifestation of God

2010-01-15T10:08:00.000-08:00

It is said that once John of Chrysostom* was walking along the seashore thinking over the question of the trinity and trying to reconcile it with finite reason; his attention was attracted to a boy sitting on the shore putting water into a cup. Approaching him, he said, "My child, what art thou doing?" "I am trying to put the sea into this cup," was the answer. "How foolish art thou," said John, "in trying to do the impossible." The child replied, "Thy work is stranger than mine, for thou art laboring to bring within the grasp of human intellect the conception of the trinity." (Abdu’l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 152)
[*] c. 347-407. The Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches honor him as a saint and count him among the Three Holy Hierarchs, together with Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzus. He is recognized by the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church as a saint and Doctor of the Church. Churches of the Western tradition, including the Roman Catholic Church, some Anglican provinces, and parts of the Lutheran Church, commemorate him on 13 September. Some Lutheran and many Anglican provinces commemorate him on the traditional Eastern feast day of 27 January.(Wikipedia on-line encyclopedia)

One of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s secretaries describes the Master’s recollection of time in the prison of Akka

2010-01-13T07:29:00.000-08:00

'Abdul Baha spoke on happiness, saying that the soul of man must be happy, no matter where he is. He must attain to that condition of inward beatitude and peace, where outward circumstances can not alter his spiritual calm and joyousness. No one can imagine a worse place than the barracks of Acca. The climate was bad, the water no better, the surroundings filthy and dirty, and the deportment of the officials unbearable, while he and his family were looked upon as enemies of religion and destroyers of morals. The Government had given orders that no one should address them during their stay in Acca and that they should not be allowed to converse with each other.

Upon their arrival, the officials found that there were not enough rooms in the barracks to imprison them separately, so all were put into two bare rooms. The court had a most gloomy aspect. It contained three or four fig trees, in the branches of which several ominous owls screeched all night. Everyone became ill and there were neither provisions nor medicines.

At the entrance to the barrack there was an undertaker's room. It was a horrible looking place, yet Abdu’l-Baha lived there for two years with the utmost happiness. Up to that period he had had no opportunity to read the Koran from cover to cover, but here he found ample time and used to study this Holy Book with fervor and enthusiasm, going over the incidents and events of the lives of former prophets and finding how parallel they were with the events of these latter days. Thus he was consoled and encouraged. He would read, for instance, the following verse:

"How thoughtless are the people ! Whenever a prophet is sent unto them they either ridicule him or persecute him."

And then he read this verse:

"Verily our host is victorious over them."

He was very happy, because he was a free man. Shut off in that room his spirit traveled throughout the immensity of space. At night he went up on the roof and communed with the countless brilliant stars. What a divine feast! What a heavenly procession! What spiritual freedom! What beatific bliss! What celestial Sovereignty! (Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Egypt, p. 15)

An Example of Christ's Sin-Covering Eye

2010-01-09T21:30:00.000-08:00

One must see in every human being only that which is worthy of praise. When this is done, one can be a friend to the whole human race. If, however, we look at people from the standpoint of their faults, then being a friend to them is a formidable task.

It happened one day in the time of Christ—may the life of the world be a sacrifice unto Him—that He passed by the dead body of a dog, a carcass reeking, hideous, the limbs rotting away. One of those present said: ‘How foul its stench!’ And another said: ‘How sickening! How loathsome!’ To be brief, each one of them had something to add to the list.

But then Christ Himself spoke, and He told them: ‘Look at that dog’s teeth! How gleaming white!’

The Messiah’s sin-covering gaze did not for a moment dwell upon the repulsiveness of that carrion. The one element of that dead dog’s carcass which was not abomination was the teeth: and Jesus looked upon their brightness.
(‘Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, p. 169)

The Story of How the Bab’s Wife, Khadijih Bagum, Became a Believer

2010-01-05T19:44:00.000-08:00

About a year after Ahmad's [the Bab’s son] birth and death, on the night of 22 May 1844, Siyyid 'Ali-Muhammad declared to Mulla Husayn in the upper chamber of His house in Shiraz that He was the promised Qa’im. Khadijih Bagum's response to the Bab's claim is recorded in The Dawn-Breakers:

"The wife of the Bab . . . perceived at the earliest dawn of His Revelation the glory and uniqueness of His Mission and felt from the very beginning the intensity of its force." (The Dawn-Breakers, p. 191)

Through her close association with the Bab and her observation of every aspect of His life, Khadijih Bagum, long before His declaration to Mulla Husayn, had discovered her husband's extraordinary spiritual endowments. However she was unaware of the claim He was to make and the nature of His mission until she experienced something unique which confirmed her belief in Him. (Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees, p. 33)

In His historical manuscript, her great nephew, Haji Mirza Habibu’llah Afnan has recorded the following account which was related by the wife of the Bab, Khadijih Bagum:

“The sun was setting . . . when the Countenance of the Peerless Beloved illumined His home with the light of His effulgent Face. According to the usual custom, tea was served in the chamber of His mother and the dinner table was set. That night His blessed Person was not hungry but accompanied others and had a little food, then He went to bed.

Around midnight His wife noticed His absence. She became worried and searched the courtyard of the House and the room of His mother, but did not find Him anywhere. As she was not yet aware of His inner heart's secret her anxiety heightened with the passing of every second. She involuntarily climed up the staircase [leading to the second floor] and, lo and behold, she saw the upper chamber of the House immersed in light. What was the source of all this light, and where had the lamps come from she asked herself. But this was not tangible light; it was divine light, and she did not see it with her outward eyes but with her inner sight. She proceeded towards the guest room. There she saw that world-illuminating Sun and light-shedding Moon standing in the middle of the room with His hands raised heavenward. While her eyes were fixed upon the dazzling light emanating from His Being, a feeling of awe and fright came over her. She wanted to return but was unable to move. Her awe grew to such intensity that she felt stupefied. At this point His Blessed Person relieved her of her bewilderment. By uttering the words 'go back' He gave her new life and revived her faculties. She returned to bed but could not sleep. She communed with the Almighty saying ‘O my God, what power and grandeur! What greatness and glory! What is the wisdom in your revealing to me that effulgent Sun? Is He my Siyyid 'Ali-Muhammad? Will I henceforth be able to live with that luminous Sun? Nay, nay, the rays of this Resplendent Sun will consume me, and will reduce me to ashes. I possess not the power to withstand it.'

Her thoughts were all night revolving around this episode until she heard the voice of the mu’adhdhin [A Muslim crier who calls the hour of daily prayers.] from the adjacent mosque. At that time the Immaculate Being descended the steps. His esteemed wife, who had beheld the majesty and greatness of her glorious husband, was trembling as she thought of meeting Him face to face, and tried to conceal herself. When the breakfast table was spread and she went, according to the usual practice to the room of His mother, she was still trembling, and would not lift her head. The Exalted Being poured tee and offered it to her. He enquired, 'What is the matter with you?' She replied, 'What was the condition I saw you in?' The Tongue of Grandeur uttered such words that caused her anxiety to vanish, and confirmed her in what she had seen. He spoke words such as these: 'Know thou that the Almighty God is manifested in Me. I am the One whose advent the people of Islam have expected for over a thousand years. God has created Me for a great Cause, and you witnessed the divine revelation. Although 1had not wished that you see Me in that state, yet God had so willed that there may not he any place in your heart for doubt and hesitation.'?'” (Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees, pp. 34-35)

Just as Khadijih, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad witnessed the first emanations of the Spirit of Truth manifesting in her exalted husband and became the first to perceive the divinity of the mission with which He had been entrusted, so it was nearly 13 centuries later when a descendant of hers, also named Khadijih, became the first to recognize the Sun of Reality shining through the person of Siyyid 'Ali-Muhammad, a lineal descendant of Prophet Muhammad and His wife Khadijih. Khadijih Bagum was the recipient of this tremendous bounty without preparation and expectation, for despite her awareness that her husband was above other men in stature and spiritual endowments, she never imagined that her intimate and loving companion would be the promised Qa'im.[*] The discovery was no doubt an overwhelming and awe-inspiring experience. (Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees, p. 35)
[*]Literally ‘He Who Arises’: in Shia Islam, a reference to the Twelfth Imam, the Mihdi, who was to return in the fullness of time and bring a reign of righteousness to the world. The Bab declared Himself to be the Qa’im and the Gate to a greater Messenger, "Him Whom God shall make manifest"- Baha’u’llah.

The Story of Thomas Breakwell -- as recalled by one of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s secretaries

2009-12-27T15:29:00.000-08:00

This young man, who had obtained permission to visit ‘Abdu'l-Baha before the renewal of His incarceration, arrived from Paris in the opening days of the imprisonment. He attained the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Baha for two days and nights and stayed at the Master's house in the midst of those dreadfully anxious times. His devotion, attraction and love were so intense that his blessed name shall endure for centuries in the annals of the Faith of God, while his wonderful life shall be retold in many accounts.

I do not know the story of his conversion, [Please see Baha’i Heroes and Heroines] but it was clear that he came from a Christian background, was endowed with spiritual sensitivity and ardour, and had accepted the Faith on the basis of the verses and prophecies of the divinely revealed scriptures of former religions, rather than a sentimental attraction to the Faith's contemporary social and philosophical principles. He would usually be seen reciting the verses of the Bible in glorification of the Kingdom of God, and while his pilgrimage was not long, yet the intensity of the fire of his love and the fervour of his longing and attraction moved the friends deeply. When in the presence of the Master he seemed enthralled by the matchless beauty of the Beloved, and as he completed his pilgrimage and received permission to depart, he evinced moving signs of deep adoration and veneration.

He did not have the opportunity of meeting the believers of ‘Akka, and when he left ‘Abdu'l-Baha instructed him, "Remain in Paris." In accordance with the Master's instructions I accompanied him to Haifa and to the port of embarkation. In Haifa he was received in the home of one of the friends for about two hours. As he awaited the arrival of his transport, he gazed longingly out of the window towards ‘Akka, fervently reciting prayers. All those present were overcome with emotion. Weeping, he asked my permission to correspond with me from time to time so that from my replies he might inhale the fragrance of ‘Akka. At last a group of the friends tearfully bade him farewell as he embarked on his journey.

His first letter contained, in addition to expressions of sincere devotion and faithfulness, the question: "The Master has instructed me to continue to reside in Paris and not to return to London. I am currently living here as a student and wish to know if I would be permitted to go to London for a day or two for a funeral ceremony if either one of my parents were to die.'' But then immediately he added: "No, please disregard the question. Christ in His fxst coming told His followers 'Let the dead bury the dead'. So please do not bother to mention me in the Master's presence. However, while you are in attendance, remember me in your heart. This will bring me all the happiness and joy of both worlds."

Still, when the time was appropriate I related the story to ‘Abdu’l-Baha. The Master said with a smile, "Write to him that today the living have to bury the dead."

Some two weeks later another letter arrived. It was brief, yet so heart rending that the mere reading of it touched the soul deeply. After expressions of gratitude he wrote: "Your response is clear. But I ask God for calamity; I desire undiminishing pain. I long for suffering without respite; I yearn for enduring agony and torment so that I may not for a moment neglect the mention of my Beloved."

Once, as the Master strolled up and down, I mentioned the letter. ‘Abdu'l-Baha said nothing. I wrote to him and acknowledged the receipt of his letter. After two weeks, another letter arrived: "My parents are asking me to go to London. I have told them that the Master's instructions are for me to remain in Paris. But, alas, my parents are old and have not recognized this supreme revelation. I ask that I may succeed in teaching them. How unworthy and undeserving I am. How did I come to merit this most supreme blessing? Please remember me in His presence."

I mentioned the matter. The Master responded briefly "Write that he will be assisted. They will accept the Faith." Exactly two weeks later another letter came: "My parents have come to take me back. I have taught my father. His written declaration is attached. My mother is very loving. But I long for pain and anguish so that 1 may become closer to God. If I were a Persian, I would have yearned for martyrdom. Please pray for me. I shall not move from Paris." I apprised ‘Abdu'l-Baha of the contents of the letter and submitted a translated version of his elderly father's declaration of faith. ‘Abdu'l-Baha remained utterly silent. After a few clays, a Tablet revealed in honour of the father was handed to me by the Master; I duly dispatched it. Two weeks later I received a strangely stirring letter: "I am ill and bedridden in the hospital for consumptives. The fire of love has well nigh consumed me. I am happy. Pray that God may not deprive me of this pain."

I informed ‘Abdu'l-Baha of the situation. He made no reply. The wisdom of silence was quite apparent.

In short, the letters continued to arrive every two weeks, and in all of them he continued to ask that he might be the recipient of the harshest torment and pain; as his illness advanced he expressed more joy and happiness. All his letters were written on small green sheets of paper, which I collected and kept with great care. Reading these letters created deep spiritual feelings. Their deep emotional impact and the dictates of my conscience obliged me to report all the details to ‘Abdu'l-Bahi. Sometimes He would say, "Pass on my greetings." And at those times when He remained silent I knew that the relationship between the lover and the Beloved, the seeker and the One sought, was such as to need no intervention from any intermediary.

Then came his last letter: "I am intoxicated with the wine of suffering and pain and am prepared to receive the supreme blessing. The intensity of my torment and the magnitude of my agony have brought me infinitely closer to my Beloved. I still yearn for longer life to continue to bear this pain but my goal is obedience to His will. Remember me in His presence.”

This was the content of His last letter; two weeks later no further news was received. It was clear what had happened. A few days later, as Dr. Arastu and I were accompanying the Master from the pilgrim house to His residence, the Master suddenly said, "Honoured Khan, have you heard?"

I responded negatively.

Breakwell has ascended. I was heartbroken. I have written a moving Tablet of Visitation for him. I wrote it with such emotion that I wept as I wrote. You must translate it well so that he who reads it will not be able to hold back his tears."

I never learned who had informed ‘Abdu'l-Baha of his death. Whether the news had reached Him in English or French or whether it had been in the form of a written note or a telegram, I never discovered, although I would have been the recipient of all such correspondence.

Two days later 1 received the Tablet of Visitation. It was heart-rending. Several times ‘Abdu'l-Baha repeats the words: O Breakwell, O my dear one!" My tears flowed uncontrollably. According to His instructions I translated the Tablet into two languages - French, and with the help of Mrs. Lua Getsinger into English -- and dispatched them.

The deeply felt impressions left by that young man lingered in the hearts for a number of years. I received no further news concerning his parents for about a year. One day I was summoned to the presence of ‘Abdu'l-BahBa to receive the incoming correspondence for translation. There were numerous envelopes from various cities, and as ‘Abdu'l-Baha reviewed each sealed envelope He suddenly selected one of them and said, "What pleasant fragrance emanates from this envelope, open it quickly and see where it comes from. Hurry up."

Since I had often experienced similar circumstances where a certain envelope was chosen by ‘Abdu'l-Baha ahead of all the others, and these invariably contained significant spiritual matters, I hastily opened the envelope. Inside was a postcard and a sealed envelope. The gold-coloured handwriting on the colourful postcard, which had a single violet attached to it, read: “He is not dead, he lives in the Abha Kingdom.” And there was the added note: “This flower was picked from Breakwell’s grave.”

As soon as I translated these words, ‘Abdu'l-Baha suddenly leapt from His seat, seized the postcard, placed it on His blessed forehead and wept. I too was utterly overcome. I opened the second envelope. It was from Breakwell's mother or father, expressing their deeply felt gratitude: "Praise be God, my dear son left this world having recognized the station of ‘Abdu’l-Baha and tasted the sweetness of His love.” I don't remember the details of ‘Abdu'l-Baha's reaction to the letter, but I do remember that the spiritual impact of the letter was no less than that of the postcard.

Although I have strayed from the main topic, yet I feel I need to complete this story Three years later, when I was in Paris in the company of Monsieur Dreyfus, he told many stories about Breakwell. ''When this young man was in the hospital," he related, "all the doctors, nurses and patients were overwhelmed by the intensity of his devotion and spiritual attraction, for he invited all to the divine Kingdom. Some were perplexed and moved, but some of the patients made spiteful and taunting remarks. Armed with only a few words of English, they sneered at him, pointing their fingers at him and repeating the words, 'You are dying, you are dying!' – to which he responded, laughing, 'I am not dying, I am going to the Kingdom of the heavenly Father. There, I will intercede for you.' "

In short, at his death all the nurses wept, and thus he left an enduring memory in the hearts of those who knew him in that hospital. One day M. Dreyfus and I visited his grave, and since I did not have the text of his Tablet of Visitation [Please see Baha’I Heroes and Heroines] with me I repeated three times, "O Breakwell, O my dear one!"
(Dr. Youness Afroukhteh, Memories of Nine Years in 'Akka, translated by Riaz Masrour)

Impact of Baha’u’llah’s Arrest in Tehran on His Family

2009-12-19T14:59:00.000-08:00

From our doors nobody was ever turned away; the hospitable board was spread for all comers …

Whilst the people called my Father 'The Father of the poor', they spoke of my mother as 'The Mother of Consolation', though, naturally, only the women and little children ever looked upon her face unveiled…

One day I remember very well, though I was only six years old at the time. It seemed that an attempt had been made on the life of the Shah by a half-crazy young Babi.

My father was away at his country house in the viliage of Niyavaran, which was his property, the villagers of which were all and individually cared for by him.

Suddenly and hurriedly a servant came rushing in great distress to my mother.

'The master, the master, he is arrested - I have seen him! He has walked many miles! Oh, they have beaten him. They say he has suffered the torture of the bastinado! His feet are bleeding! He has no shoes on! His turban has gone! His clothes are torn! There are chains upon his neck!’'

My poor mother’s face grew whiter and whiter.

We children were terribly frightened and could only weep bitterly.

Immediately everybody, all our relations, and friends, and servants fled from our house in terror, only one man servant, Isfandiyar, remained, and one woman. Our palace, and the smaller houses belonging to it were very soon stripped of everything; furniture, treasures all were stolen by the people.

Baha’u’llah’s brother, Mirza Musa., who remained faithful throughout his life, helped the distraught mother and her three children to escape and found them a small house near the prison where they could remain in hiding. Asiyih Khanum [Baha’u’llah’s wife] gathered what small treasures she could, such as the gold buttons on her wedding dress, and sold everything to provide money to pay the gaolers to take food to Baha’u’llah and to keep the family alive. (Bahiyyih Khanum quoted by lady Blomfield in The Chosen Highway; David Hofman, Baha’u’llah the Prince of Peace)

A Dervish’s Early Recognition of Baha’u’llah’s Station

2009-12-14T15:11:00.000-08:00

One day, in the course of one of His riding excursions into the country, Baha’u’llah accompanied by His companions seated by the roadside, a lonely youth. His hair was dishevelled, and he wore the dress of a dervish.[1] By the side of a brook he had kindled a fire, and was cooking his food and eating it. Approaching him, Baha’u’llah most lovingly inquired: 'Tell me. dervish, what is that you are doing'?" "I am engaged in eating God," he bluntly replied. "I am cooking God and am burning Him." The unaffected simplicity of his manners and the candour of his reply pleased Baha’u’llah extremely. He smiled al his remark and began to converse with him with unrestrained tenderness and freedom. Within a short space of time, Baha’u’llah had changed him completely. Enlightened as to the true nature of God, and with a mind purged from the idle fancy of his own people, he immediately recognized the Light which that loving Stranger had so unexpectedly brought him. That dervish, whose name was Mustafa became so enamoured with the teachings which had been instilled into his mind that, leaving his cooking utensils behind, he straightway rose and followed Baha’u’llah. On foot, behind His horse, and inflamed with the fire of His love, he chanted merrily the verses of a love-song which he had composed on the spur of the moment and had dedicated to his Beloved. "Thou art the Day-Star of guidance," ran its glad refrain. 'Thou art the Light of Truth. Unveil Thyself to men, O Revealer of Truth." Although, in later years, that poem obtained wide circulation among his people, and it became known that a certain dervish ... had, without premeditation, composed it in praise of his Beloved, none seemed to be aware to whom it actually referred, nor did anyone suspect, at a time when Baha’u’llah was still veiled from the eyes of men, that this dervish alone had recognized His station and discovered His glory. (Nabil, The Dawn-Breakers)
[1.Literally beggar, poor one: the name given to one of many orders of religious mendicants and Islamic mystics]

A Western Pilgrim Sees ‘Abdu’l-Baha for the First Time

2009-12-10T10:42:00.000-08:00

To describe 'Abdu'l-Baha so that the reader may form any mental picture of Him that would in any way do Him justice, is as impossible as to try to paint a sunbeam. The artist may put the ray of yellow light in exactly the right place and with most beautiful effect; but no matter how great his skill, he cannot catch the real essence of the sunbeam -- that golden luminosity, which is like an elixir of life, is uncatchable, unpaintable. So it is with the likeness of 'Abdu'l-Baha. His expression is ever changing; each thought and emotion is mirrored forth and the face becomes so illumined that words are but as the dull, lifeless paint which cannot reproduce the sunteams -- yet, some idea can be gathered from them.

When I first saw ‘Abdu’l-Baha I was alone and I came face to face with Him all unexpectedly. He stood not even four feet from me. It was in the upper court, with the blue sky overhead and the sunlight shining down brightly upon Him, the hour being but a little after "high noon." I might have thought Him any other member of His family, as His sons-in-law were often passing to and fro, but every atom of my being, my heart and soul cried out, "This is He." The face of my dreams of Him stood before me with that same heavenly smile of welcome. The Light of Infinite Love was radiating from His countenance. Majestic, and yet sublimely tender, He was looking right into my eyes. I gave a start as if I had suddenly plunged into an ocean, then stood transfixed. It seemed as if I had come upon Him unawares and saw the "Glory of the Lord" shining forth around Him; and I know I must have felt as did Mary Magdalene when Christ revealed Himself to her in her vision after the crucifixion -- "The Risen Lord." He motioned me to pass on. I could not. A sense of my great unworthiness made me bow my head – then He passed by me. He was dressed white. His hair fell in soft waves His shoulders and His head was crowned with a white turban bound around with a white cloth. His step was firm and kingly.

When He reached His door He turned and again motioned me to pass on. I came toward Him and when I reached His door I looked up into those marvelous eyes. I knew that every act, every thought of my life was known to Him. Yet, knowing this, I could look fearlessly, unwaveringly at Him, realizing all my sins and weaknesses, yet knowing He understood me as I could never understand myself, and that He was indeed "Infinite Love Incarnate." I could not pass until He turned and entered His room; then almost overcome by the vibrations which thrilled me through and through, I passed on. Later He came to greet us and I was fully confirmed – this was truly ‘Abdu’l-Baha, but a very different one, I felt, from the one I had first seen. As He firmly grasped my hand with that welcoming pressure that comes deep from the heart, a handshake that warms you through and through, I saw the Divinely human man, the personification of my highest ideal of an earthly father. I never again, while in 'Aka, saw Him as I had in that first meeting. It was then as if I had seen the Reality of His being, with the shades of flesh all raised that the Light of Spirit might stream forth.

‘Abdu’l-Baha is of medium height, but He holds Himself so superbly, with such commanding dignity, and carries His head so high and with such an air of majesty, that He ever gives the impression of great height. His voice is full and vibrant, each word uttered with marked distinctness and with that tonal quality which leaves a faint echo, as it were, or wave vibrations such as come from a beautifully toned bell. All through the day it rings out, first in one place, and then in another; for with astonishing rapidity ‘Abdu’l-Baha seems to he everywhere -- now in the garden, now in the room close beside the entrance, now in a guest's room -- or you may hear Him calling someone in the "family section" of the "prison home." Always when I heard His voice, I felt its vibrations most deeply. Like His face, His voice expresses every emotion, from tones that are stern and emphatic to those as tender and loving as the cooing of a dove.

His eyes defy description. I only know that to me they seemed gray, with a circle of white around the iris, which at times became luminous. Sometimes in the light,I caught a shade of blue, and again by lamplight they seemed almost hrown, -- ever changing were they and wonderful. Like His face and His voice, they, too, expressed every emotion felt by Him.

I was deeply impressed by His perfect naturalness, His lack of conventionality and set form, and His refreshing simplicity. Divinely simple is He. His hair, which is gray and long, but rather thin, would at one time be flowing softly around His head, and at another it would be tucked up beneath His turban in a careless, comfortable way. All His physical senses seem intensified and when eating anything which He particularly likes, He evidences the keenest enjoyment of it. Likewise, the perfume of a flower will seem to entrance Him. I thought of what one pilgrim at ‘Akka had said: "When ‘Abdu’l-Baha inhales the odor of flowers, it is wonderful to see Him. It seems that the perfume of the hyacinth is telling Him something as He buries His face in the flowers. It is like the effort of the ear – a concentrated attention. How He understands the mystery of all these things of which we know nothing!" This, indeed, is true.

While there was a deep undercurrent of exultancy in ‘Abdu’l-Baha, yet, during my visit, which was but a few days, to my consciousness there seemed a strain of sorrow and sadness, as if the weight of the world was upon His shoulders. Especially did I realize this upon my first night in ‘Akka. I occupied the room next to His. His bed rested against the same wall that mine did and I could hear His slightest move. I could not sleep, and as I lay there wide-awake, I heard Him pacing up and down His room; then He would throw Himself upon His bed; then arise and walk back and forth again. Once, when He threw Himself down upon His bed, He moaned. Oh, that moan! It came from the depths of His soul and it pierced me through the heart. . . . I felt that once again the Christ Spirit was daily, hourly, being crucified by the lack of perfect love and unity among the believers; that once again It was cryingout: "0 Jerusalem! Jerusalem! thou that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee! How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate!"

How I longed to go to Him and declare my love and faith in Him! Then I realized that it is not our love and faith in Him, but our love for one another, that is His crown of glory and the balm for His soul; for He had said to a pilgrim: "If you love one another, it is just the same as if you love Me. The closer you draw to one another, the closer you draw to Me. I will go away from this world, but love always stays. Therefore, you should love one another very much."

I felt that every inharmonious thought and action was painfully registered on that great heart; and with this thought came the overwhelming sense of the personal responsibility falling upon each one of us. Having seen and heard ‘Abdu’l-Baha, I realized that He is indeed the Center of the Covenant of God. And with this realization came the deepest joy. No need of arguments and worry over intricate problems of life and death, which have confounded the greatest philosophers; no need to spend the precious time in delving into the unknown and unknowable -- He has, or can, explain it all and His explanations are true.

Once having accepted ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s station, it is as useless to vex our minds with all these "whys and wherefores" as it would be for a way-worn traveler when a wagon comes along and the driver offers to carry him to town and he gladly climbs in, to continue to carry his heavy burden on his back. At 'Akka, I not only climbed into the wagon of Truth, but I also left my heavy bundle of self, opinions and perplexity of ideas by the roadside, knowing that this Divine Driver would carry me safely to town. God has indeed given us an “Ark of Safety” in ‘Abdu’l-Baha.

‘Abdu’l-Baha, the Mystery of God! Who can comprehend that Mystery? Surely not finite mind nor intellect. Only through the heart can we catch a faint glimpse of His Station.
(Louise Waite, The Baha’i World 1934-1936)

Baha’u’llah’s Marriage with Asiyih Khanum

2009-12-04T09:10:00.000-08:00

In about 1832, Baha'u'llah's older sister Sarih married Mirza Mahmud, a son of a minister of the Shah of Persia for the town of Yalrud, which is located near Baha’u’llah’s ancestral place, Takur in the northern province of Mazindaran. Three years later in about October 1835, Baha'u'llah himself, at the age of eighteen, married the sister of Mirza Mahmud, Asiyih Khanum who was then about sixteen years old. She was reported to have been beautiful, kind and caring. Baha’u’llah’s older sister had an active and supporting role in her Brother’s wedding arrangements.

This is how Bahiyyih Khanum, Asiyih Khanum’s daughter, recalled her mother many years later during a conversation with lady Blomfield, a Baha’i from the West who had gone on pilgrimage to Holy Land:

‘I wish you could have seen her as I first remember her, tall, slender, graceful, eyes of a dark blue --a pearl, a flower amongst women . . .
I have been told that even when very young, her wisdom and intelligence were remarkable. I always think of her In those earliest days of my memory as queenly in her dignity and loveliness, full of consideration for everybody, gentle, of a marvellous unselfishness, no action of hers ever faded to show the loving- kindness of her pure heart; her very presence seemed to make an atmosphere of love and happiness whenever she came, enfolding all comers In the fragrance of gentle courtesy.'

After the fall from power and death of Baha'u'llah's father in 1839, the family lost their home and Baha'u'llah had to rent a house in the 'Udlajan Quarter of Tehran for His wife, mother and most of His step-mothers and their children. It was here that the couple's surviving children were born (they had seven children in all but only three survived to adulthood). Their eldest surviving son was born in 1844 and was named ‘Abbas after his grandfather but is better known by the title he took later in life as ‘Abdu'l-Baha (the servant of Baha'u'llah). Next in 1846 came a daughter, named Fatimih Sultan Khanum, who in later years was known by the titles Bahiyyih Khanum and the Greatest Holy Leaf, and then in 1850 a son, Mirza Mehdi, who was later given the title the Purest Branch by Baha’u’llah.
(Obtained and adapted from Baha’u’llah: A Short Biography by Moojan Momen)

‘Abdu’l-Baha Knew the Time of His Passing

2009-11-30T14:08:00.000-08:00

We have now come to realize that the Master, (i.e., ‘Abdu’l-Baha) knew the day and hour when, His mission on earth being finished, He would return to the shelter of heaven. He was, however, careful that His family should not have any premonition of the coming sorrow. It seemed as though their eyes were veiled by Him, with His ever-loving consideration for His dear ones, that they should not see the significance of certain dreams and other signs of the culminating event. This they now realize was His thought for them, in order that their strength be preserved to face the great ordeal when it should arrive, that they should not be devitalized by anguish of mind in its anticipation.

Out of the many signs of the approach of the hour when He could say of His work on earth, "It is finished,” the following two dreams seem remarkable.

Less than eight weeks before His passing the Master related this to His family:

“I seemed to be standing within a great temple, in the inmost shrine, facing the east, in the place of the leader himself. I became aware that a large number of people were flocking into the temple; and yet more crowded in, taking their places in rows behind me, until there was a vast multitude. As I stood I raised loudly the 'Call to Prayer.' Suddenly the thought came to me to go forth from the temple. When I found myself outside I said within myself, 'For what reason came I forth, not having led the prayer? But it matters not; now that I have uttered the call to prayer, the vast multitude will of themselves chant the prayer’."

When the Master had passed away, His family pondered over this dream and interpreted it thus :

He had called that same vast multitude - all peoples, all religions, all races, all nations and all kingdoms - to unity and peace, to universal love and brotherhood ; and having called them, returned to God, the Beloved, at whose command He had raised the majestic call, had given the divine message. This same multitude – the peoples, religions, races, nations and kingdoms – would continue the work to which ‘Abdu’l-Baha had called them and would of themselves press forward in its accomplishment.

A few weeks after the preceding dream the Master came in from the solitary room in the garden, which He had occupied of late, and said:

"I dreamed a dream and behold the Blessed Beauty, (i.e., Baha’u’llah) came and said unto me, 'Destroy this room!' "

The family, who had been wishing that He would come and sleep in the house, not being happy that He should be alone at night, exclaimed, "Yes, Master, we think your dream means that you should leave that room and come into the house.” When He heard this from us, He smiled meaningly as though not agreeing with our interpretation. Afterwards we understood that by the "room" was meant the temple of His body.

In the same week He revealed a Tablet to America, in which is the following prayer :

"Ya-Baha’u’l-Abha! (O Thou the glory of glories) [reference to Baha’u’llah] I have renounced the world and the people thereof, and am heartbroken and sorely afflicted because of the unfaithful. In the cage of this world I flutter even as a frightened bird, and yearn every day to take my flight unto Thy kingdom. Ya-Baha’u’l-Abha! Make me to drink of the cup of sacrifice and set me free. Relieve me from these woes and trials, from these afflictions and troubles. Thou art He that aideth, that succoureth, that protecteth, that stretcheth forth the land of help."

After lunch He dictated some Tablets, His last ones, to Ruhi Effendi. When He had rested He walked in the garden. He seemed to be in a deep reverie.

His good and faithful servant Isma’il Aqa, relates the following:

"Some time, about twenty days before my Master passed away, I was near the garden when I heard Him summon an old believer saying: 'Come with me that we may admire together the beauty of the garden. Behold, what the spirit of devotion is able to achieve! This flourishing place was, a few years ago, but a heap of stones, and now it is verdant with foliage and flowers. My desire is that after I am gone the loved ones may all arise to serve the divine Cause, please God, so it shall be. Ere long men will arise who shall bring life to the world.'

"Three days before His ascension whilst seated in the garden, He called me and said, 'I am sick with fatigue. Bring two of your oranges for me that I may eat them for your sake.' This I did, and He having eaten them turned to me saying, 'Have you any of your sweet lemons?' He bade me fetch a few. Whilst I was plucking them, He came over to the tree, saying, 'Nay, but I must gather them with my own hands.' Having eaten of the fruit He turned to me and asked. 'Do you desire anything more?' Then with a pathetic gesture of His hands, He touchingly, emphatically and deliberately said, 'Now it is finished, it is finished!’

"These significant words penetrated my very soul. I felt each time He uttered them as if a knife were struck into my heart. I understood His meaning but never dreamed His end was so nigh."

It was Isma’il Aqa who had been the Master's gardener for well-nigh thirty years and who, in the first week after his bereavement, driven by hopeless grief, quietly disposed of all his belongings, made his will, went to the Master's sister and craved her pardon for any misdeeds he had committed. He then delivered the key of the garden to a trusted servant of the household and, taking with him means whereby to end his life at his beloved Master's tomb, walked up the mountain to that sacred place, three times circled round it and would have succeeded in taking his life had it not been for the opportune arrival of a friend, who reached him in time to prevent the accomplishment of his tragic intention.

During the evening of Friday, November 25th, ‘Abdu'l-Baha attended the usual meeting of the friends in His own audience chamber.

In the morning of Saturday, November 26th, He arose early, came to the tea room and had some tea. He asked for the fur-lined coat which had belonged to Baha’u’llah. He often put on this coat when He was cold or did not feel well, We so loved it. He then withdrew to His room, lay down on His bed and said, "Cover me up. I am very cold. Last night I did not sleep well, I felt cold. This is serious, it is the beginning."

After more blankets had been put on, He asked for the fur coat He had taken off to be placed over Him. That day He was rather feverish. In the evening His temperature rose still higher, but during the night the fever left Him. After midnight, He asked for some tea.

On Sunday morning, November 27th, He said: "I am quite well and will get up as usual and have tea with you in the tea room." After He had dressed He was persuaded to remain on the sofa in His room.

In the afternoon He sent all the friends to the tomb of the Bab, where on the occasion of the anniversary of the declaration of the Covenant a feast was being held, offered by a Parsi pilgrim who had lately arrived from India.

At four in the afternoon being on the sofa in His room He said: "Ask my sister and all the family to come and have tea with me."

His four sons-in-law and Ruhi Effendi came to Him after returning from the gathering on the mountain. They said to Him: "The giver of the feast was unhappy because you were not there." He said unto them: "But I was there, though my body was absent, my spirit was there in your midst. I was present with the friends at the tomb. The friends must not attach any importance to the absence of my body. In spirit I am, and shall always be, with the friends, even though I be far away."

The same evening He asked after the health of every member of the household, of the pilgrims and of the friends in Haifa. "Very good, very good," He said when told that none were ill. This was His very last utterance concerning His friends.

At eight in the evening He retired to bed after taking a little nourishment, saying, "I am quite well."

He told all the family to go to bed and rest. Two of His daughters however stayed with Him. That night the Master had gone to sleep very calmly, quite free from fever.

He awoke about 1.15 a. m., got up and walked across to a table where He drank some water. He took off an outer night garment, saying, "I am too warm." He went back to bed and when His daughter Ruha Khanum, later on, approached, she found Him lying peacefully and, as He looked into her face, He asked her to lift up the net curtains, saying, “I have difficulty in breathing, give me more air."

Some rose-water was brought of which He drank, sitting up in bed to do so, without any help. He again lay down, and as some food was offered Him, He remarked in a clear and distinct voice:

“You wish me to take some food, and I am going?"

He gave them a beautiful look. His face was so calm, His expression so serene, they thought Him asleep.

He had gone from the gaze of His loved ones!
(Lady Blomfield and Shoghi Effendi, The Baha’i World 1926-1928, pp. 7-9)

Being in the Presence of ‘Abdu’l-Baha – a pilgrim’s perspective

2009-11-20T09:48:00.000-08:00

Dr Youness Afroukhteh, who was honored by the Master as the “Jinab-i-Khan”, served as ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s secretary, translator, envoy and physician between 1900 -1909. He has left the following account concerning the first time he entered the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Baha as a pilgrim:

About two hours after sunset, the pilgrims from Iran and Baghdad were taken individually into the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Baha. I was the second to be summoned. With a burst of excitement and speed I entered the room, and found myself before the blessed person of ‘Abdu’l-Baha. As I fell to my knees and placed my brow at His feet, my pent-up tears of joy and longing were finally released, and as I wept, His gentle hand helped me to my feet and into His arms. I was transported into another world, the highest paradise. And as my spirit soared in that spiritual atmosphere, He helped me to sit on bent knees just opposite Him as He began to speak to me. I did not comprehend a word…

One moment I was overwhelmed by the heavenly beauty of that wondrous Countenance, the next I felt shame and fear for any past deeds and conduct unworthy of such surroundings. Who am I? Where is this? How did I ever become worthy to be present in this heavenly place? How did I ever become worthy of receiving, first hand, the blessings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha? Suddenly another thought invaded these musings: What if this is but a dream? What will I do if I awake to discover that this, in fact, has been a dream? As these thoughts filled my mind I could not hold back my tears, and began to weep loudly. But again, ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s love enveloped and consoled me. Gradually I recovered my senses and began to listen and commit to heart the words of the Master.

As He paced the floor, He spoke to me: “They say that Jonah was swallowed by a fish and spent three days in its belly. This means that the onward march of the Cause of God was delayed for three days. This is also the same three days that Jesus spent in heaven after His ascension and before His return.”

Of course, these are not His exact words, but they contain their meaning and essence.

‘Abdu’l-Baha continued His utterances, imparting to me words of counsel:

“I wish the friends of God to give forth light like this lamp. The Sun of the Abha Beauty has set, so the beloved of God must shine brightly as the lamp.”

I said to myself, may my life he sacrificed for this present and manifest Sun, whose warmth and brightness cause my tears to flow uncontrollably.

I wipe away the tears with my fingertips,
Otherwise the oncoming Caravan will surely sink in the tear-laden mud (a Persian poem)

With a glance expressing unquenchable thirst, I beheld the wondrous figure of the incomparable Beloved and my heart spoke the words of Sa'di [a Persian poet]:

The eyes that beheld you likened you to the tall cypress –
Consider the shortsighted who is blind to such beauty.

At last, with the words "Go in the care of God", He dismissed me from His presence. Each of the pilgrims, one by one, were taken to His presence and as they emerged I could see in their faces the same emotions that dominated my being: lost in utter wonderment, weeping one moment and breaking into joyous laughter the next, as they took their places in a corner of the room.

The late Husayn Effendi, who was in charge of serving tea and attending to the pilgrims' needs, had upon instructions from the Master prepared our dinner in town and brought the food, along with some bedding, to the room. We ate in silence. I was lucky enough to receive some leftover portions of ‘Abdu'l-Baha's food, which I consumed with great relish. One of the friends reminded us that the Master had not been sleeping well and that He was in the habit of leaving His quarters before the break of day and taking long walks in the fields, spending the time in prayer and supplication.

After dinner - our bedding was spread on the floor of the room next to Abdu'l-Baha's and we retired. But who could sleep?
( Dr. Youness Afroukhteh, Memories of Nine Years in Akka, translated by Riaz Masrour)

First Church in US Visited by ‘Abdu’l-Baha

2009-11-13T04:58:00.000-08:00

The Master went to the Church of the Ascension. This was the first church in America to be honored by the presence of the Master. He had previously received an invitation to visit this great edifice.

He entered the church from a special side door opening into a room in the church and rested for a while. The clergymen came in and expressed their warm gratitude for His presence. After prayers, the Master went to the podium from the upper door. At the insistence of the minister, the Master sat on the tall chair especially reserved for the Viceroy of Christ. After more prayers, the minister spoke about the history and teachings of the Cause and, with great courtesy and respect, introduced the Master. The believers attending the services were elated. The Master rose from His seat and gave a comprehensive talk on the meaning of divine civilization. He presented the Baha’i teachings and spoke about the Revelation of Baha’u’llah and the unification of humankind. The audience sat spell- bound like iguanas sitting in the sun, [1] overwhelmed by the Master's talk, especially at the end when the Master chanted a prayer in a most melodious voice. The prayer greatly affected the hearts of the listeners. As He left the church, group after group rushed towards Him. The Baha’is sang 'Allah-u-Abha and many asked for His blessings. From among the crowd a woman's voice was heard. Tears poured from her eyes as she held fast to the hem of the Master's robe. She was so overcome she could not speak. The Master showered her with His love and kindness and calmed her with loving words of assurance. It was a great day and a most impressive meeting. Not one of the two thousand people was disappointed and everyone left smiling in warm appreciation. (Mahmud’s Diary, p. 43)
[1]That is, they were awe-inspired. This is an allusion to a Persian proverb. When the iguana hunts flies, it sits on s rock facing the sun. In Persian, an iguana is called aftab parast, ‘sun worshipper’]

Search for the Holy Grail – The Beloved Bab

2009-11-10T05:34:00.000-08:00

This is the story of a modern search for the Holy Grail, the cup of everlasting life. It began in the land from which the three Kings came to Bethlehem guided by a bright star. It was now the nineteenth century, and there was another sign in the heavens, a great fiery comet. Many were awed, many were frightened, many were cheered, for both the East and the West were caught up in a millennial zeal. In Persia, home of the "three wise men," the excitement over the coming of a Messiah was greater than in any other land. In America and Europe, scholars wrote and spoke of the expected appearance of the promised Christ, but in Persia many people were actively searching for Him. They believed the Promised One to be already in their midst. Among these devout searchers was Shaykh Ahmad, a kindly, gentle man. At the age of forty, he left his home and kindred in one of the islands to the south of the Persian Gulf, and set out to unravel the mystery of the coming Messenger. An inner voice kept urging him on. Eagerly, he devoured everything written on the subject. He questioned the great religious and scientific authorities until he felt that at last he knew the truth.

He was now filled with an eagerness to unburden his soul. He began to search for someone with whom he could share his great secret: his certainty of the time and place for the appearance of God's new Messenger, Who would fulfill all the promises given in the sacred Books. Shaykh Ahmad made his way on foot to the city of Shiraz in southern Persia. Often and passionately in his public talks he extolled that city. Such was the praise he lavished upon Shiraz that his hearers, who were only too familiar with its mediocrity, were astonished at the tone of his language. "Wonder not," Shaykh Ahmad told them. "Before long the secret of my words will be made clear to you. A number of you will live to behold the glory of a day which all the prophets of old have foretold and have yearned to witness. There was no one to whom Shaykh Ahmad was able to pour out his knowledge in its entirety. He feared what the people might do to the One whose coming had set his heart on fire. He knew he must wait patiently until a kindred soul appeared with whom he could share his secret. During those days, a young man named Siyyid Kazim was already on his way to visit Shaykh Ahmad. He had heard of this great man, and thought perhaps Shaykh Ahmad himself might be the Promised One. Siyyid Kazim lived near a famous tomb near Ardabil. One night in a dream he was told to arise and put himself under the spiritual guidance of Shaykh Ahmad whom he would find residing at Yazd. Siyyid Kazim began his journey to Yazd at once. When he reached his destination, Shaykh Ahmad greeted him affectionately. "I welcome you, O my friend! How long and how eagerly I have awaited your coming." To him, Shaykh Ahmad confided all that he knew. He urged Siyyid Kazim to kindle in every receptive heart the fire that burned so brightly in his own. "You have no time to lose," Shaykh Ahmad warned him. "Every fleeting hour should be fully and wisely used. Strive night and day to remove the veils of prejudice and orthodoxy that have blinded the eyes of men. For verily I say, the hour is drawing nigh." By devoting his special attention to his followers, Shaykh Ahmad hoped to enable them to become active supporters of the Cause of the Promised One when he appeared.

Shaykh Ahmad knew that the hour of his own death was approaching, so he called his followers together. "After me," he said, seek for the truth through Siyyid Kazim. He alone understands my objective." Shaykh Ahmad died soon after, and Siyyid Kazim became the leader of his followers. Siyyid Kazim also found that there was no one sincere enough or worthy enough to hear all that Shaykh Ahmad had taught him. His followers were still tied to their homes, their families, their money, their businesses, their former beliefs. "If the coming Promised One will exalt us and preserve all we hold dear," they told Siyyid Kazim, "then we are ready, nay eager, to accept. But, if His coming means forsaking all we cherish and perhaps even facing death, then our ears are deaf to the sweet music." At long last Siyyid Kazim found one young man in whom he could place the greatest trust. The youth's name was Mulla Husayn. Such was the love and honor that Siyyid Kazim bestowed upon Mulla Husayn that some among his companions suspected that Mulla Husayn might be the Promised One to whom their master was unceasingly referring, the One whom he so often declared to be even now living in their midst unrecognized by them all. "You behold Him with your own eyes," Siyyid Kazim told them, "and yet recognize him not!" Mulla Husayn returned Siyyid Kazim's great love and respect. At times he himself secretly wondered whether or not Siyyid Kazim might be the One they awaited. Mulla Husayn, however, had a standard by which he planned to test whoever made such a stupendous claim. He would ask that a commentary be written upon the story of Joseph, a certain chapter in the sacred scripture, and written in a style and language entirely different from the prevailing standards. One day Mulla Husayn, in private, asked Siyyid Kazim to write such a commentary. Siyyid Kazim refused. "This verily is beyond me," he said. "However, He that great One who comes after me will, unasked, reveal it for you. That commentary will constitute one of the clearest evidences of His truth." Mulla Husayn asked Siyyid Kazim why this chapter was called the "best of stories" in their holy Book. Siyyid Kazim replied, "It is not the proper occasion for explaining the reason." His words hinted that the future would unveil this truth.
(Hand of the Cause William Sears, Release the Sun, p. 5)

Baha’u’llah’s Amazement as a Boy on Pointless Discourses by Some Clerics

2009-11-07T12:40:00.000-08:00

Baha'u'llah ... records that on one occasion, when visiting his future mother-in-law, he listened to a cleric with a large turban expounding on whether the arch-angel Gabriel was the greater or Qanbar, the servant of the Imam ‘Ali. He writes that although he was still but a boy, he was astonished at the ignorance of these elders and when an opportunity came, he expressed his thoughts saying that since Gabriel is stated in Qur’an to be the one through whom the Word of God is revealed to the prophet Muhammad, then even Qanbar's master the Imam ‘Ali would not reach that station. Baha'u'llah states that some time later, he visited Qum and was dismayed to find the same cleric expounding the same sort of pointless and fruitless discourse.
(Moojan Momen, Baha’u’llah, A Short Biography, p. 7)

Story Told by 'Abdu'l-Baha About Baha'u'llah's Younger Days

2009-11-03T20:16:00.000-08:00

From childhood He was extremely kind and generous. He was a great lover of outdoor life, most of His time being spent in the garden or the fields. He had an extraordinary power of attraction, which was felt by all. People always crowded around Him, Ministers and people of the Court would surround Him, and the children also were devoted to Him. When He was only thirteen or fourteen years old He became renowned for His learning. He would converse on any subject and solve any problem presented to Him. In large gatherings He would discuss matters with the 'Ulama (leading mullas) and would explain intricate religious questions. All of them used to listen to Him with the greatest interest.

When Baha'u'llah was twenty-two years old, His father died, and the Government wished Him to succeed to His father's position in the Ministry, as was customary in Persia, but Baha’u’llah did not accept the offer. Then the Prime Minister said ‘Leave him to himself. Such a position is unworthy of him. He has some higher aim in view. I cannot understand him, but I am convinced that he is destined for some lofty career. His thoughts are not like ours. Let him alone.’” ('Abdu'l-Baha, quoted in Esslemont, Baha'u'llah and New Era, pp. 23-4)

Baha'u'llah Sought Justice as a Child

2009-11-02T20:01:00.000-08:00

While still a child, the Blessed Beauty (Baha'u'llah) watched as a government tax-collector, on three separate occasions, accosted His father and demanded, in cruel and unjust manner, the payment of taxes. Unable to bear the injustice of it all, He, though in early childhood, mounted His horse and rode fpr two days until He arrived in Tihran (the capital of Persia). There He sought the dismissal of this unjust and tyrannical tax-collectot. He succeeded in obtaining the necessary papers ordering the dismissal, and returned to His parents. (Mr. Furutan, Story of Baha'u'llah, pp. 2-3)