Baha’u’llah’s Childhood and Youth

Husayn-‘Ali [later known as Baha’u’llah] was born November 12, 1817, at dawn when the birds begin their songs. He was born in the land of Persia, in the city of Tehran. According to the Muslim calendar used in Persia, the day of His birth was the second day of the month of Muharram in the year 1233 A.H. At that time, Fath-'Ali Shah ruled Persia, and King George III was King of England. James Monroe was President of the United States, which had only nineteen states, Abraham Lincoln was a boy of eight, living in Indiana, and Frederick Douglass was a baby, born into slavery in the state of Maryland.

Husayn-‘Ali was the third-born child of the honorable Mirza ‘Abbas Buzurg, a vizier (minister of state) of the shah, and his noble wife Khadijih Khanum. Only later, when the time was right, would He take the title "Baha’u’llah," meaning in Arabic "the Glory of God."

Early on, His parents recognized that Husayn-'Ali was an unusual child. His mother often wondered how a baby could be so happy and content all the time. "This child never cries!" she would exclaim.

But what truly astonished them as they watched their young son grow was His extraordinary knowledge and wisdom. His simple education was no different from that given to other sons of the Persian nobility. Tutors came to His home to teach reading, writing, and Persian culture, just as they did for the other boys. Husayn-‘Ali learned to read the great Persian poets - 'Attar, Hafez, Rumi - as the other boys did, and to recite from the Koran, the holy book of Islam. He did not study science, for science was viewed with suspicion in nineteenth-century Persia, nor did He study philosophy or religion. Those were left to the mullas and mujtahids -- Muslim scholars who spent long years studying the teachings, laws, and traditions of Islam.

Yet Husayn-'Ali showed a lively interest in spiritual topics, and from His boyhood He displayed a profound understanding of spiritual truth. His understanding was innate and reached far beyond the knowledge of His teachers. Although Husayn-‘Ali was never arrogant or boastful about the knowledge that came so easily to Him, neither was it something He could hide.

On the first day of Ayyam-i-Há, circa 1879, one of the believers invited Baha’u’llah and all the believers in 'Akká to lunch at Mazra’ih

Haji Muhammad-Tahir-i-Malmiri[father of Adib Taherzadeh] attained the presence of Bahá'u'lláh around 1878-9. When asked by the friends to describe His impressions of the Blessed Beauty, he always recited in answer a Persian poem:

And wonder at the vision I have dreamed, A secret by my muted tongue concealed; Beauty that is beyond the poet's word, By an unhearing world remains unheard.

The same believer has left to posterity an account of one of the feasts at which he had the honour to be present. These are his words recorded in his memoirs:

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

On the first day of the Ayyam-i-Há [Intercalary days] one of the pilgrims had invited Bahá'u'lláh and all the believers in 'Akká to lunch. I too went to Mazra'ih. Early in the morning a large tent was pitched in front of the entrance to the garden on a delightful open space. That morning all the believers, numbering almost two hundred, consisting of those who were living in the Holy Land and the pilgrims, came to Mazra'ih.

The amazing story of how Hand of the Cause Roy Wilhelm became a Baha’i

Roy's mother was a Baha’i, one of the earliest believers in the United States. But Roy, though tolerant of his mother's beliefs, couldn't see himself fitting into the Baha’i pattern. He was satisfied with his life-style. He was financially secure, a respected entrepreneur. So he pursued life as he had done for years. You might say he was a creature of habit. Every work day Roy would get up at the same time, wear dark conservative suits, buy the Herald Tribune from the same newstand, and take the same train to Wall Street. When he returned home in the afternoon, he would take the same train, and stop off at the same flower shop to buy his mother flowers. Upon arriving home, he would regularly go to his room, remove his suit coat, replacing it with a dinner-jacket, sit on his bed to remove his shoes and put on slippers.

One day that pattern was altered, but what happened was purely involuntary. He was sitting on his bed, changing his shoes, when his room was suddenly transformed. The walls were whitewashed, and there was a divan. Standing next to Roy was a majestic figure with a long black beard, dressed in what appeared to be an oriental gown. The figure approached Roy, taking off His ring and placing it on Roy's finger and removing Roy's ring and placing it on His finger.

Roy was riveted to the bed, too startled to feel fear, so awed that he couldn't utter a word. When whatever had developed before him faded away, he tried to analyze what had happened, but he was baffled. This practical man was not prone to psychic experiences. Visions were things he heard his mother's friends talk about; and he secretly felt that half of them were less than mentally balanced.

Roy didn't tell anyone about the experience. Certainly not his friends, because they would most certainly consider him crazy; and had he related the incident to his mother, she would resume her campaign to draw him into the Baha’i Faith. But eventually he shared his secret, despite the fact that he had planned never to reveal it. A power greater than him unlocked his heart.

How the Báb blessed the parents of Munirih Khanum (the future wife of ‘Abdu’l-Baha) before her birth

Being forced to leave His native city of Shiraz, the Báb reached Isfahan in the early Fall of 1846. As He approached the outskirts of the city, being escorted by armed guards, He wrote a letter to the governor of the province, Manuchihr Khan, in which He requested him to signify his wish as to the place where He could dwell. The letter was expressive of such courtesy and revealed such exquisite penmanship that the governor was moved to instruct the Imam-Jum'ih of Isfahan, who was the foremost ecclesiastical authority of that province and was known as the Sultanu'l-'Ulama, to receive the Báb in his own home and to accord Him a kindly and generous reception. As the Báb approached the gate of the city, the Imam-Jum'ih went out to welcome Him in person, and conducted Him ceremoniously to his house. According to Mirza Abu’l-Fadl, the erudite Baha’i scholar, this Imam-Jum'ih of Isfahan was recognized in the land as the principal ecclesiastical dignitary of Persia at the time.

A believer by the name of Mirza Ibrahim was a friend of the Imam-Jum'ih and associated closely with him, managing all of his affairs. Two of his sons, many years later, gave their lives for the Faith and received from Baha’u’llah the inestimable bounty of being designated as the King and the Beloved of Martyrs. His younger brother, also a believer living in Isfahan, was named Mirza Muhammad-'Aliy-i-Nahri. He and his wife did not have any children at the time.

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

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.

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

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

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

'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

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

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:

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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’

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.

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

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.

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

'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.

The Persian Princess and Tahirih

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?’

Baha’u’llah’s Departure from Baghdád

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.

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

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.