Loading…
"The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens."
Loading…
"The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens."
356 stories for this age.
In London in September 1911, a painter came to ask 'Abdu'l-Bahá whether art was a worthy vocation. The Master answered in three words. Then an actor asked about drama, and the conversation widened into a memory of a Mystery Play that, as a child, had kept Him sleepless for nights.
During the Great War, Haifa was crowded with the destitute, the orphaned, and the sick. From the household at the foot of Mount Carmel, the Greatest Holy Leaf — already in advanced age — distributed daily food, money, clothing, and remedies she had herself prepared.
Shoghi Effendi's tribute to Bahíyyih Khánum preserves a single small image from her childhood in Tihrán: when Bahá'u'lláh was thrown into the Síyáh-Chál and the family's wealth was seized within the space of a single day, Navváb — the mother — placed a handful of dry flour into the hand of her young daughter as the substitute for daily bread.
In *Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era*, Esslemont preserves 'Abdu'l-Bahá's recollection of His Father's boyhood: by the age of thirteen or fourteen, the young Mírzá Ḥusayn-'Alí had already become known across the scholarly circles of the Núrí district for being able to converse on any subject and resolve any problem put to Him.
In *Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era*, J. E. Esslemont preserves the small, heartbreaking image of Persian believers who walked thousands of miles to the prison-city of 'Akká, were refused admittance at the gates, and contented themselves with standing on the plain beyond the third moat, looking up at the windows of the Blessed Beauty's quarters.
In *Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era*, J. E. Esslemont introduces the Western reader to the Báb as He was before His Declaration: a young merchant of Shíráz, raised by a maternal uncle after His father's early death, known across His district for piety, gentleness, and the scrupulous honesty of His business dealings.
A short paraphrase from the Baha'i Stories Blog about a brief encounter on a Chicago streetcar: the Master, traveling in the ordinary way among ordinary people, and the small Bahá'í child who recognised Him before her mother did.
A short paraphrase from the Baha'i Stories Blog about a small encounter from the Master's New York days: a Greek immigrant greengrocer who would not accept payment, and the Master's gentle insistence that the gift be reframed as an exchange of friendship.
A short paraphrase from the Baha'i Stories Blog about a small encounter on a Washington sidewalk: a blind beggar at the corner of the boarding-house street, the Master's daily greeting to him, and the small daily coin pressed into his palm.
A short paraphrase from the bahaistories.com archive on 'Abdu'l-Bahá's particular love for the flowers that pilgrims brought Him in 'Akká, His unhurried inspection of each, and His habit of asking the giver to name the flower in their own language.
A short paraphrase from the bahaistories.com archive: 'Abdu'l-Bahá's particular love for children, His habit of stopping in the street to greet them, and His insistence that the youngest of His visitors be received with the same gravity He gave to ambassadors.
A short paraphrase from the bahaistories.com archive on the daily evening walks of 'Abdu'l-Bahá along the slopes of Mount Carmel — the small habitual route, the people of every faith who would join the procession, and the steady greeting He gave to each.
A brief paraphrase from the bahaistories.com archive on the small recurring practice of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in His American cities: the warm conversation with each cab driver who carried Him, the personal inquiry into the driver's family, and the larger tip than the fare required.
A short paraphrase from the bahaistories.com archive on the characteristic shape of the dining table in the household of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in 'Akká: every visitor at the same level, no servants treated as inferior, the Master Himself rising to refill the cup of any guest who needed it.
One evening 'Abdu'l-Baha was talking to a group of the friends who had gathered around Him, warmed and comforted by His love.
On a hot summer day in 1901, a young man named Thomas Breakwell walked the quiet streets of Paris, France, where he was visiting. The day was very still.
The August sun burned down on the stone walls of 'Akka as the sailboat rocked roughly into the harbor. The Baha'is had come a long way. They were hot, hungry, and thirsty.
One morning as the sun rose over Tihran, a Child was born. He was born into a family that was powerful in the government of Persia, and was also rich.
During ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s visit to America, one of the Baha'i friends who was staying in the same hotel as ‘Abdu'l-Baha, narrated this story: I had a room in the same guest-house where Abdu'l-Baha was…
The believers had secured a very pretty hall, which was most beautifully decorated with greens, plants and flowers, with large and small tables near the walls and round tables in the center.
‘Abdu’l-Baha was with His Father, Baha’u’llah, all the time and they loved each other very, very much.
When you stand in the gardens at Mazra'ih near 'Akka, you can see the mountains that hold the Druze village of Abu-Sinan, where the Baha'is of the Holy Land lived during the most dangerous times of…
All the Bahá'ís of 'Akka knew that Bahá'u'lláh would soon move from His home in 'Akka to the Mansion of Bahji out in the country. His family was already there, making everything ready for Him.
One lovely day ‘Abdu’l-Baha was enjoying riding His pony over the green fields and up the mountainside. He was on His way to visit some shepherds in the hills.
Some of the Governors of ‘Akka were very kind to 'Abdu'l-Baha, but others listened more to His enemies than to His friends and did very cruel things.
The snowman stood there, glistening in the pale sunlight. This was a masterpiece, this snowman. Uncle George had helped them. Benny gave it a final pat and stood back to inspect their work.
Resting place of Ásíyih Khánum and son Mirza Mihdi Many people loved Bahá'u'lláh when He was alive. Pilgrims traveled far distances just to look at His face.
'Abdu'l-Rahim was a fanatical Muslim. He was alarmed. The Baha'i Faith was growing in his town in Persia and he decided that it was time to ask the advice of a Muslim clergyman.
Mr. Bustard took a triangular shaped bar of glass from his briefcase. “Does anyone know what this is?" he asked as the four children in his class examined it. “Is it a mirror?" asked Anisa.
Badí was the name given to Aqá Buzurg by Bahá'u'lláh. It means "the Wonderful". Bahá'u'lláh didn't just hand out names without reason.
A long time ago there lived an old man in the town of Nayshábúr in eastern Persia. He made a living by selling turquoise stones and pure wool. He was Hájí ‘Abdu'l-Majíd.
Baha'u'llah lived in Persia. He was a wonderful person. His hair was black and His beard was black. He had happy, laughing eyes, and He made everybody happy because He loved them so much.
Baha'u'llah had sent my father and his friends to Egypt as pioneer settlers. When they arrived in Egypt, they did not have much money. Money was not in abundance among the Baha'is.
A short story for children, paraphrased from the Baha'i Stories for Children blog: a small songbird in the garden of Bahá'u'lláh's family home in Tihrán, the boy who would not let it be caged, and the lesson he carried into his life of service.
Mansion of Baha'u'llah's father This story is about a boy Who grew to be the latest Prophet of God.
Long ago, when the creatures ruled the land, all animals lived in harmony with each other and were ruled by the Goddess of Creatures Great and Small.
Elizabeth was a Good Girl. Everybody said so. Grandpa David said she was his Little Princess; Mummy said she was Good as Gold; and even Mr. Barkowski, the mailman, said she was the Perfect Child.
Ever since Mary Ann Snow was a wee baby her eyes were so big and twinkly, that her father called her "Twinkle" and so did everyone else.
In the grand city of Chicago, near the site of a building under construction, in a pile of stones beside a wall, rested an ordinary stone with a special destiny.
When Baha'u'llah was a child, His father had a dream about Him. He saw Baha'u'llah swimming in a huge ocean. Baha'u'llah's face was so full of light that it glowed.
Before Baha'u'llah became a follower of the Báb, he had a home in the country, surrounded by many acres of land, and a palace in the city of Tihran which had beautiful gardens around it.
Before Mirza Husayn-'Ali was called Baha'u'llah, before He was known as the Promised One of God, He was called by another title: "Father of the Poor." Mirza Husayn-'Ali was born into a wealthy…
Once Baha'u'llah had passed from this earthly realm, there remained at least one special way to honor Him. 'Abdu'l-Baha grieved for His Father.
The following story, though it uses characters created by the author, is based on actual events in Yazd, Iran, in 1982.
Suppose you and I had been born in Persia more than a hundred years ago. Suppose we had grown up as Muslim children, hearing the beautiful words of the Qur'an.
[We must realize that everything which happens is due to some wisdom and that nothing happens without a reason.
A short story for children, paraphrased from the Baha'i Stories for Children blog: a small family preparing for Naw-Rúz by counting up the good deeds of the year, and the small new resolution each child makes for the year ahead.
"Happy Easter, Carla!" Rosemary called to her friend in the hallway as she entered the classroom. "Happy Naw-Ruz everyone!" The members of the New Era Baha'i Club looked up from their lunches.
Humble Mouse is small and quiet, but she searches for answers to big questions. She often gazes at the sky and wonders, "Where do stars come from?
One day, when the weather was cold and wet, a seven-year-old boy was coming home from school. He was alone.
In the heart of the Pacific Ocean are some beautiful islands - points of green that arise from the dark blue depths. One of these islands is called Oahu which in Hawaiian means "the gathering place".
A short story for children, paraphrased from the Baha'i Stories for Children blog: a small stray puppy that wandered into the Master's garden in 'Akká, the bowl of milk He set out, and the puppy that stayed for the rest of its life.
Mother Earth, full with child, gently tossed on her blanket of fallen leaves and twigs. Soon her baby would be born. She groaned as the child struggled for life.
Sanam sat on a rooftop in a bed draped with a white mosquito net, not wanting to go to sleep. "Tell me just one more story," she begged her grandmother. "Then I'll go to sleep.
Even though Baha'u'llah and His Family lived as prisoners, He tried in every way to make them happy. When Tuba Khanum was a child, she and her sisters had a difficult time.
A short story for children, paraphrased from the Baha'i Stories for Children blog: a small girl who learns the difference between a prayer she says fast and a prayer she says slowly, and the way the whole room changes when she lets the words breathe.
"Grandpa," Brently's imploring 7-year-old eyes looked panicked. Brently trudged from his two-story house across the dry lawn to Grandpa Burrell's porch.
“Wow! That was some storm last night, Laura,” Kevin said as he kicked aside a broken piece of driftwood. He shielded his eyes against the bright sun.
Many years ago there lived in Persia a man who knew a very wonderful secret. Perhaps you would not think it a secret because it was written in a Book, so that everyone might read it.
Artistic conception of Mullá Husayn; no known photos are available "A secret lies hidden in that city," the Báb told Mullá Husayn, referring to Tihrán, Iran.
Autumn was in the air in Ontario! The breeze tasted crisp and clean to Jim as he ran across his Family's farmland to the edge of the field.
As the neighborhood was preparing for the Muslim Fast of Ramadan, one household near the prison of 'Akka was already celebrating a happy event.
Background: [Baha'u’llah left Baghdad to travel alone in the mountains of Kurdistan for two years. He did not tell anyone there who He was.
The Letters of the Living were the first people who, each individually, and without help from others, recognized the promised One, the Báb, in 1844.
Drip, drip, drip splashed little drops of rain as they landed on Tammy's nose and made dark splotches on her long grey dress. Tammy had been walking in the woods.
When I was growing up, Halloween was a great time, even for a kid in a wheelchair.
In September 1846, after being banished from His home in Shíráz, Persia (now Iran), the Báb set out for Isfahán, a city known for its wise religious leaders.
It was the summer of 1848. The followers of the Báb, the Bábís, were fiercely persecuted in Persia, the birthplace of their Faith. They needed guidance and support.
Do you know who ‘Abdu'l-Baha was? He was a very important person. ‘Abdu'l-Baha was the Son of Baha'u'llah. He was always very kind and good to others.
A short story for children, paraphrased from the Baha'i Stories for Children blog: a small girl who broke her grandmother's favorite teacup, the truth she told, and the kindness she received in return.
A story from The Dawn-Breakers: Sometimes we don’t say what we mean clearly in our words, but may show what we really mean in another way.
The way to Ashok's school led past a Fire Temple of the Zoroastrians and Ashok was first attracted by the fragrance of sandalwood from it.
Carrie Willis stood at the wooden fence surrounding the pasture, and brushed the flowing blonde mane of her palomino mare, Lady.
We are told that in the province of Káshán in Persia the people are very peace-loving, and so gentle are they that violence of any kind is enough to make them very frightened.
Muhammad Shah When the Báb began telling people that a new Messenger of God would soon come He was still quite young, just twenty-four years of age. But His words had divine power.
"Grandpa, tell me how the Kitáb-i-Iqán was written," Justice Ray said to his grandfather one afternoon during his grandfather's visit.
There was once a little child who saw ‘Abdu’l-Baha. She lived in America, and her story is rather strange, for she knew about Him before she actually saw Him.
Calla was a kitten that nobody wanted. She was a little grey and white kitten with blue eyes.
Long ago a very poor man saved the life of his King. The King in thankfulness gave the man a place of great honor in the court.
The Báb saw the sun rise over the sands of His native Persia for the last time.
When Baha’u’llah was twenty-one years old, His father passed away and the Government wanted Him to take up His father’s position in the Ministry, as was customary in Iran.
A great king walking in his garden one day noticed an old man, about 90 years old, planting some trees. The king asked what he was doing and the old man answered that he was planting date seeds.
Julie felt it happening. Surprising things often happened during Baha’i class that made her heart race fast. And it was happening again—ARRRGH! YAAAAAHHEE!
For many years of His life, 'Abdu'l-Baha lived in the Holy Land, in the city of Akka. For much of this time He was a prisoner and could not leave the city.
From His childhood Baha’u’llah showed extraordinary intelligence and understanding. He noticed many things, and understood points that even the elders had never thought of.
A man had been traveling for many days looking for the town of Happyville. He had walked many miles in search of the wonderful town. Late one afternoon he came to a fork in the road.
Once there were four fingers on a hand. One was tall, two were medium-sized, and one was a small fellow. But aside from this they were all much alike. They faced the same way and stood in a nice row.
Abdu'l-Baha aboard Cedric New York April 11 1912 When His Father was alive and dwelt outside the city of Akka among the mountains, 'Abdu'l-Baha frequently visited Him.
Siyyid Kázim was very happy. He not only knew that the Promised One had come, but He had seen Him and visited Him.
“Roya and Lanie," Mama called, "The treasure hunt is ready. I'm really excited about starting our Baha'i lesson for today." "Treasure hunt?
Have you ever wondered about how the universe started and where it is going? These are big questions that have puzzled people for thousands of years.
A short story for children, paraphrased from the Baha'i Stories for Children blog: a small yellow flower in the cracked sidewalk, the child who decided not to pick it, and the bee that came to visit it later that day.
Do you remember the story of Shaykh Ahmad, who travelled about telling the people that God was sending them a new Teacher?
The little girl lay in her bed under soft covers. As the light of dawn slowly filled the room, a small bird flitted onto a tree outside and began to chirp.
It might sound strange to say that Silly was not silly. In fact he was the cleverest boy in his class.
I cried when G.T. died. “G.T.” was short for Growl-Tiger. He went back to way before I grew too old to cry - in fact, he was older than me. He had not done much lately.
A lady in Akka told this story about ‘Abdu’l-Baha and her little daughter: The Master came to visit her child when she was sick.
One day, behind the hot stone walls of the prison city of 'Akká, Bahá'u'lláh said, "I have not gazed on verdure for nine years." It had been nine years since He had rested His eyes on green and…
The Báb was a Prophet of God. He was sent by God to teach us how to live, and so, He was perfect. Are we perfect?
Some say that love is the color of a rose - a beautiful, deep-pink rose. Shall I tell you why? There was once a little boy named Tommy. Tommy was not a big, strong, handsome boy. He was very thin.
George lay awake in bed for a long time. He was thinking about the story Gran'ma had told him and his elder sister Ann. The evening had been exciting.
In Bahá'í World Faith, a short passage of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's writings sets out one of His characteristic teachings: the same sun shines on every object, but the mirror that has been polished receives the light, and the mirror that is dusty does not. Spiritual receptivity, the Master insists, is a matter of the inward instrument we have made ourselves.
In Bahá'í World Faith, 'Abdu'l-Bahá uses the simple image of a seed unfolding into a tree, and the tree producing seeds that will become more trees, to teach that each human being carries within itself the same potential of multiplication — capable of becoming, in due time, a source of life to many.
In a passage preserved in Bahá'í World Faith, 'Abdu'l-Bahá lays out a short, plain principle: the sick are not to be neglected because they are ill, the child is not to be censured because it is undeveloped. Healing and patient training are the first responses; judgment is not.
In *The Chosen Highway* Lady Blomfield records an afternoon in September 1911 when 'Abdu'l-Bahá visited a poor district of east London — a settlement house among the dock-workers' families — and spoke to a hall of children who had never before heard a man speak as one of them.
Esslemont's account of the early life of Mírzá Ḥusayn-‘Alí — the One later known as Bahá'u'lláh — born in Tihrán on November 12, 1817 to a noble household. He showed remarkable wisdom as a child, refused His father's ministerial post, and embraced the Báb's message at twenty-seven.
Esslemont's account of the early life of Siyyid 'Alí-Muhammad — the One later known as the Báb — born in Shíráz on October 20, 1819, raised by an uncle after His father's death, recognized in His youth for piety, charm, and a remarkable observance of prayer.
Esslemont's account of the Nineteen Day Feast — the gathering on the first day of each Bahá'í month that combines devotional readings, community consultation, and joyful fellowship — and 'Abdu'l-Bahá's instruction that every blessed day should leave "tangible philanthropic or ideal traces" reaching all mankind.
When 'Abdu'l-Bahá was only a small boy, His family lost almost everything — and one frightening errand showed how brave and gentle He already was.
A husband and wife loved their little village so much that they filled it with prayer, schools, and kindness — and even when the hardest things happened, their love never stopped.
A curious girl from Canada who could not stop reading and learning grew up to do something nobody expected — and to serve the whole world.
A craftsman who worked hard all day and welcomed friends to supper nearly every night stayed full of joy, even when he had only bread to eat and water from a brook.
When Áqá Faraj first heard the wonderful news, he clapped his hands and cried out for joy — and then he set off on a long journey that lasted his whole life.
A young cook named Husayn tried to save every little piece of coal — and one day Bahá'u'lláh let him know that even his quiet, careful kindness had been noticed.
Four brothers lived right beside the house of Bahá'u'lláh, and just by watching Him come and go, their hearts began to fill with love.
A young boy traveled a very long way with his father, all the way to the city of Baghdad, because more than anything he wanted to meet his Lord.
A devoted believer kept asking Bahá'u'lláh what he should do — and was lovingly taught one of the most important lessons of all: to sit down with wise friends and decide together.
Two brothers left their home and traveled far to be near Bahá'u'lláh — and their love for each other, and for Him, never let them go.
A young man named Muḥammad-Ibráhím was captured for loving Bahá'u'lláh — but he broke free and spent the rest of his life serving with all his heart.
A coppersmith named Áqá Muḥammad left his home, gave away his money to strangers, and made beautiful poems that could make a whole room weep.
In a faraway land where the law kept people apart, a small group of new friends decided to meet together for prayer — even when meeting together was against the rules.
A young man woke from a dream he could not forget, ran out of his shop to follow a stranger on a journey — and set off a story of courage, cruelty, and forgiveness that took his whole family years to finish.
A man left his home in Persia to find Bahá'u'lláh, and he learned to fill every part of his day — even his work in the fields — with prayer.
A kind merchant lost his goods to thieves, and a powerful man tried to make him lie for money — but he chose the truth, no matter what it cost.
A faithful man lost his home and his friends, but he traveled far to be near Bahá'u'lláh — and never let go of the love in his heart.
A young man named Faraju'lláh wanted to be near Bahá'u'lláh more than anything — so when hard times came, he chose to follow Him even to a faraway prison.
A kind man from Iraq gave a wonderful gift so that three new rooms could be added to the holy Shrine of the Báb on the side of a mountain.
A farmer's son from a small Persian town became one of the most trusted helpers of his time, carrying letters and gifts across whole countries — and earning a name that meant 'the one you can trust.'
A famous teacher of kings and scholars discovered something greater than all his learning — and spent the rest of his life teaching it to others.
A boy who loved learning grew into a man whose face seemed to glow with light, because more than anything he loved Bahá'u'lláh.
A wealthy nobleman in Baghdád loved nothing more than to sit humbly at the feet of the Purest Branch — and one day his family had the chance to give away a very special house.
The Báb had three uncles, and each one came to believe in his own way and his own time — one early and bravely, one after his deepest questions were answered, and one last of all.
A young man set out with a walking staff to search the whole world for a true guide — and traveled all the way to a great prison to find the One his heart was looking for.
When a kind and well-loved Bahá'í was harmed, something happened that had never happened before — the wrong was put right by a fair court, and the Bahá'ís themselves asked for mercy.
A gentle, quiet man from Shíráz travels across many countries, longing to stand in the presence of Bahá'u'lláh — and finds the one thing his heart had always wanted.
Two brave believers loved their faith so much that, when the hardest moment came, each one rushed to go first — to give the most for what he believed.
A weaver named Haji Muhammad Tihir was so brave and so wise that even his enemies put down their weapons and listened — and he gave his whole long life to teaching and caring for others.
A young man left home to search for the truth, and the truth he found made him so brave and so kind that he forgave even the person who meant to harm him.
A gentle old man who made sweet rose perfume left his home and walked across deserts and mountains, longing to reach Bahá'u'lláh.
Mírzá Músá wanted nothing for himself — only to be near his Brother, Bahá'u'lláh, and to serve Him through every hardship from beginning to end.
For forty years a man named Husayn-Áqá served coffee to everyone who came to the door — and never once let anyone leave unhappy.
A young merchant far from home heard wonderful news in a busy port city — and it changed everything he wanted to do with his life.
When angry crowds led him through the streets with a rope around his neck, Mullá Ṣádiq did not stop smiling — or stop speaking the truth he loved.
A man named Jamál Effendi sailed to a faraway land where he knew no one, and stayed for twenty-two years to plant the seeds of a new community.
A gentle young man who loved comfort gave up everything — his home, his ease, even his health — just to stay close to Bahá'u'lláh on a long and difficult road.
A doctor who was often sick spent seven whole years writing one clear little book about the Faith — and it went on to travel farther than he ever could.
Born to a family freed from slavery, Louis Gregory grew up to find the Bahá'í Faith — and 'Abdu'l-Bahá once gave him the seat of honor when others wanted to keep him apart.
A farm girl named Lua loved the Bahá'í Faith so much that she carried it from town to town across a whole country, and 'Abdu'l-Bahá gave her a special name.
Martha Root packed two suitcases and a typewriter, and she traveled all the way around the whole world four times to tell people about the Bahá'í Faith.
A kind man named Mashhadí Faṭṭáḥ lost all that he owned, yet he stayed quietly happy because he loved God most of all.
Two friends from a cold country gave up everything they knew to be near Bahá'u'lláh, and stayed faithful and grateful even when things became very hard.
A young woman from America heard of a new Faith in Paris, journeyed across the sea to meet the Master, and spent the rest of her long life helping others find Him too.
A famous musician knew songs that no one had ever written down — and he spent his whole life making sure they would never be lost.
A famous teacher in Iran read two letters, found something he had been searching for his whole life, and gave himself a name that means doing good.
A man in Shíráz loved the Báb with all his heart, and he carried one big question all the way to Bahá'u'lláh.
A boy from a small city in Persia grew into one of the wisest teachers of his time — and the more he learned, the kinder and humbler he became.
Long ago, eighteen people were the first to believe in the Báb, and a young man named Mírzá Hádí was one of them — though his story turned out to be a quiet and complicated one.
A wise man gave up his books to become a humble carpenter and a servant to everyone — and one day, when even the doctor had given up on him, something astonishing happened.
When 'Abdu'l-Bahá traveled across America, one faithful friend wrote down everything he saw — and his diary became a treasure the whole world could share.
A gentle young man in a faraway prison made the bravest wish of his whole life — and because of it, people who longed to see Bahá'u'lláh finally could.
A gifted boy from Káshán heard about the new Light while he was still small, and loved Bahá'u'lláh so much that he crossed deserts and prisons just to be near Him.
From a rooftop at sunset, 'Abdu'l-Bahá saw a carriage far away and somehow knew a holy soul was coming — a faithful traveler whose face seemed made of light.
A young man from a family of famous scholars was trusted with a secret letter and a special message — to carry to the Promised One whom he and his cousin had searched for all their lives.
A young man named Mírzá Muhammad Báqir was one of the very first to find the Báb, and he stayed brave and faithful right to the end.
When his big brother set out on a long and dangerous journey for the Báb, a younger brother chose to walk right beside him — and never left his side.
Two young brothers helped serve a special guest at their family's table — and grew up to be among the kindest, bravest believers of all.
A quiet man who loved Bahá'u'lláh so much that he poured the tea, pitched the tents, and stayed faithful through every hard journey, never asking for a single thing for himself.
A famous scholar who had everything gave it all up to serve in a faraway prison-city — and became the most beloved helper of all.
When soldiers came hunting for a brave believer, he could have stayed hidden — but instead he lifted off his hat and told them the truth.
A man so beloved that crowds lined the roads to greet him chose to follow the Báb instead — because, more than anything, he wanted to be fair and to know the truth.
A man named Mirza Yusuf searched for the truth for many years, and when he finally found it, he gave up everything to travel the world and share it.
A man named Muḥammad-‘Alí was kept as a prisoner for the rest of his life — and yet, somehow, he was one of the happiest people anyone had ever met.
A young man who could not read or write loved Bahá'u'lláh so much that he followed Him from city to city, through loneliness and even prison, staying faithful to the very end.
A famous bookmaker left everything behind to live near Bahá'u'lláh — and the work he chose to do was simply to keep one little square of ground clean and beautiful.
A man named Áqá Muḥammad gave up everything he had to follow the Faith of God, and found his greatest joy in the humblest work of all — sweeping the ground before Bahá'u'lláh's door.
A brave young man loved his friend and his Faith so much that, when the hardest moment came, he refused to be parted from either one.
A boy named Muḥammad started a little company so children could save money for the future — and grew up to take photographs of holy places for a famous book.
When the Báb chose His very first followers, a man named Mullá Ahmad was one of them — and he gave everything to the new Faith he loved.
A clever man searched school after school looking for joy and never found it — until he found a faith worth being brave for, no matter who laughed at him.
A man who had searched for years finally found the One he was looking for — and then bravely carried the good news, even when it cost him everything.
A devoted helper named Mullá Báqir spent his whole life carrying messages and serving the ones he loved most — and became the very last of a special group of believers.
A man named Mullá Hasan was chosen for a very special job, but deep down he felt he was not good enough — and his quiet, humble heart has been remembered ever since.
Three hundred poor men crowded into a hall to meet 'Abdu'l-Bahá. He gave each one a coin — but He gave them something even more precious too.
A young noblewoman of Tihrán, so lovely she was called the Daughter of the Beautiful, was married long ago — and the gift she gave that mattered most was not her jewels, but her own faithful heart.
A visitor came to a quiet house in Haifa and met a small, gentle woman in a white veil whose eyes seemed to hold a whole lifetime of memories.
One winter long ago, a family had to leave their home and travel for three months through deep snow — and a little girl never forgot how brave they all had to be.
One quiet evening in London, 'Abdu'l-Bahá stepped out onto a balcony to listen to the church bells ringing across the city.
'Abdu'l-Bahá crossed the whole city of London to visit poor children no one important ever bothered with — and one little girl gave Him a gift she had held in her hand all afternoon.
One Sunday evening in London, a great church filled to its doors, and the people waited to hear 'Abdu'l-Bahá speak from a pulpit where only English clergy had ever stood before.
On a frightening night, soldiers came and took away the children's father — and their brave mother gathered them close and would not let them be afraid.
A visitor slept one night in a tiny old room in 'Akká, and woke up sure that the love of the family who once lived there was still in the air.
One cold winter, a mother walked alone through dangerous streets each night to find out if her husband was safe — while at home a little girl held her baby brother and waited.
A little girl waited two long years, not knowing where her father had gone — until a story about a holy stranger in the mountains brought Him back to her door.
A teacher sent a small boy off to school to learn his lessons — but the boy asked one question that the teacher could not answer.
Brought before the most powerful judges in the land, the Báb was asked who He claimed to be — and He answered with three brave words that no one could forget.
A learned man set the Báb a very hard test, sure no one could pass it — but what happened next left him amazed.
Powerful men sent the Báb far away to a lonely mountain prison, hoping no one would ever hear of Him again — but the very opposite came true.
A man was given one job — to guard the Báb and keep everyone away — but the more he watched, the more his hard heart began to soften.
On a frightening morning in a city square, the Báb showed a courage so steady that even the soldiers could not understand it.
The Báb set sail across rough seas to the holy city of Mecca, and there He bravely told the world who He really was.
A man named Shaykh Ḥasan had waited many years for a special promise to come true — and one day, on a busy street, he saw the very One he had been waiting for.
A young man sat quietly in a little school far from home, listening — and his old teacher saw a secret in Him that he would not say out loud.
Locked deep in the darkest prison in all of Persia, weighed down by heavy chains, Bahá'u'lláh heard a voice in the night promising that He would never be alone.
In a faraway city, a brave teacher named Ḥujjat and his friends stood together inside an old fortress for many long months, holding on to their faith no matter what.
One by one, eighteen seekers came to the Báb expecting a hard test — and one by one, He knew them before they could say a single word.
A brave believer named Mullá Ḥusayn set out on a long, dangerous journey with a black flag flying before him, ready to give everything for what he loved most.
Mullá Ḥusayn, the first person ever to believe in the Báb, gathered his hungry, weary friends one last time and led them out into the cold dawn for the One he loved.
A brave young hero named Quddús kept his promise to God to the very end, and spoke of joy even on the hardest day of his life.
In a garden by a river, the roses were piled so high that friends could not see one another across the tent — and all night long the nightingales sang.
A wise old teacher spent his whole life getting ready for Someone he believed was coming soon — and he taught his students to watch and be ready too.
A wise old teacher knew his time was almost over, so instead of saying goodbye, he gave his students one last task: scatter everywhere and find the Promised One.
An old and tired teacher told his students a wonderful secret: the One they had all been waiting for would come very, very soon — and they must go out and find Him.
A famous scholar planned the hardest question in the world to test the Báb — and kept it a secret inside his own mind. Then something happened he could never explain.
In three little gardens long ago, the bravest woman of the new Faith stepped forward and showed everyone that a brand-new day had begun.
Brought into a great hall to be put on trial, the Báb walked straight to the seat of honor, sat down, and bravely told a room full of powerful men exactly who He was.
A man named Shaykh Sálih went toward danger with a joy no one around him could understand — because he had found something more precious than life itself.
Fourteen friends were told to give up their faith and go free — and seven of them chose to be brave and stay true, even though it was the hardest choice of all.
A brave teacher named Vaḥíd led his friends to a tiny fort in the rocky hills and stayed true to what he believed, even when it cost him everything.
A stern guard was ordered to keep the Báb a prisoner high in the mountains — until something he saw changed his heart, and soon a whole village climbed up just to glimpse the Prisoner's face.
Bahá'u'lláh set out to help His friends in danger, and when the road was closed and He was hurt in a faraway town, He bore it all with quiet courage.
From a city of exile, Bahá'u'lláh wrote letters to the most powerful kings, queens, and rulers on earth, calling each one by name to recognize a new Day of God.
A busy businessman in Chicago read a few words in a newspaper, went to listen — and became the first person in all of America to follow the Bahá'í Faith.
On a busy day by a great lake, the special cornerstone for a new temple went missing — until one ordinary woman offered a little stone she had picked up by the road.
When the friends were sad and unsure what to do, a sealed letter was opened and read aloud — and at last they knew exactly where to turn.
When everyone wanted to give 'Abdu'l-Bahá the grandest title in the world, He picked the humblest name He could find — and made it beautiful.
A young man far away at school received sad news, hurried home, and discovered that a sealed letter had named him to care for the whole Bahá'í Faith.
In a quiet garden long ago, a fearless woman named Ṭáhirih stood before a roomful of startled men and announced that a brand-new day had begun.
When 'Abdu'l-Bahá passed away in Haifa, ten thousand people of every kind walked together up Mount Carmel to say goodbye to the friend they all loved.
A man named Nabíl spent his whole life searching for Bahá'u'lláh and following Him — and his great love for Him is still remembered today.
In a great house in Tihrán, a baby was born who would grow into a wise and generous young man — and surprise everyone by turning down the most important job in the land.
Long ago in a busy city in Persia, a special boy grew up to be fair, kind, and faithful in his prayers — and the world would one day know Him as the Báb.
When friends wanted a special day to honor 'Abdu'l-Bahá, He gave His own birthday away and chose, instead, the day He promised to keep everyone together.
A tired traveler had searched everywhere for one special person — and then, just outside the city gate, a smiling Youth in a green turban came out to meet him.
When Bahá'u'lláh had to leave Baghdád, His friends were heartbroken — but in a garden full of roses, He gave them the most joyful news of all.
A young man named Anís loved the Báb so much that he asked to stand right beside Him, and the Báb gave him a special name that means Companion.
On the first day of spring in a city by the sea, 'Abdu'l-Bahá told His friends that the best way to celebrate a special day is to do something kind that helps the whole world.
Every nineteen days the friends gather for a special Feast — first they pray, then they talk together about helping each other, and at the end they share food and laughter.
A river ran too high to cross, so a family had to wait nine whole days before they could join Bahá'u'lláh in a beautiful garden full of roses.
Bahá'u'lláh was being sent far away from the city of Baghdád — but instead of being sad, He was full of joy, and the whole city came to honor Him as He left.
Leaving a grand mansion full of important guests, 'Abdu'l-Bahá asked to see someone else first — the cooks and the maids who worked behind the scenes.
After years of searching, a tired traveler met a kind young Man at the city gate. By morning, his whole life — and the whole world — would never be the same.
When 'Abdu'l-Bahá first stepped off a great ship onto American shores, reporters crowded close to ask why He had come — and His answer was about peace for the whole world.
Only a handful of friends gathered in one little parlour, but 'Abdu'l-Bahá came to them anyway — and told them that keeping the Faith in a quiet place is one of the most important jobs of all.
When 'Abdu'l-Bahá came to Boston, He found a city whose people had been waiting and getting ready, in their own way, for a very long time.
A famous university built its biggest hall for 'Abdu'l-Bahá's talk — but so many people came that He decided to step outside and speak to everyone at once.
On a great ship crossing the wide Atlantic Ocean, 'Abdu'l-Bahá sailed all the way to America to meet His friends — and to share the truth with a whole new land.
On a winter afternoon by a great ship, 'Abdu'l-Bahá said goodbye to His friends and left them with one beautiful idea to carry forever.
One believer carried a plain little stone all the way to a cold, muddy field — and 'Abdu'l-Bahá chose her stone to begin a great House of Worship.
At a fancy gathering in Brooklyn, a famous explorer who had reached the North Pole turned to 'Abdu'l-Bahá and asked Him to speak — and with no notes at all, He held the whole room spellbound.
A train stopped for just one hour in a city called Cincinnati — and 'Abdu'l-Bahá used that hour to step outside and greet the friends who came to meet Him.
'Abdu'l-Bahá crossed the mountains by train to two new cities — one loud with steel mills, one quiet with friends in their homes — and showed both the same warm welcome.
At a great university in New York, 'Abdu'l-Bahá taught a hall full of students and professors why a person needs both science and religion — just as a bird needs both of its wings to fly.
In a living room full of women working to win the vote, 'Abdu'l-Bahá explained why the world needs women and men to be equal — like a bird that needs both of its wings to fly.
After many busy weeks in the big cities, 'Abdu'l-Bahá went up into the green hills to rest, to walk among the pine trees, and to welcome everyone who came up the road to see Him.
When two visitors from Japan came to see 'Abdu'l-Bahá in San Francisco, He was filled with joy — because two people from opposite ends of the earth had met as friends.
In a huge, busy city, 'Abdu'l-Bahá went looking for a little corner where He could sit, eat, and talk with people in the language of His old home.
Standing before a huge crowd in a great synagogue, 'Abdu'l-Bahá asked one gentle, brave question that no one there had expected to hear.
A few friends in the very middle of America asked if 'Abdu'l-Bahá's train could stop for just one afternoon — and to their joy, He said yes.
When it was time to say goodbye to His friends in Minneapolis, 'Abdu'l-Bahá gave them one last wish — not to remember Him, but to go and care for others.
A fine luncheon was being set, and one good man had not been invited — until 'Abdu'l-Bahá sent for him and gave him the very best seat at the table, right beside Himself.
When mealtime came on His big American journey, 'Abdu'l-Bahá did something His guests never expected — He served them with His own hands, and cleared the dishes too.
Wherever 'Abdu'l-Bahá went, He always stopped what He was doing to welcome the children — and He kept sweets in His pocket just for them.
'Abdu'l-Bahá crossed half a country to spend just two days with a tiny group of friends — and told them a wonderful secret about how big things grow from small beginnings.
'Abdu'l-Bahá sailed down a river to an old farmhouse, stood quietly at a great man's grave, and taught His friends the hardest, bravest thing a powerful person can do.
Many people sent stones for the very first stone of a great temple — but on the big day, only the stone a poor seamstress had dragged across the whole city had actually arrived.
'Abdu'l-Bahá stood quietly at a great roaring waterfall and heard, inside all that noise, something wonderful — a kind of prayer.
Only about ten friends waited at the train station in Omaha — but 'Abdu'l-Bahá told them their tiny group held seeds that would one day grow into something great.
'Abdu'l-Bahá visited a big church in a city named for love, and gently invited everyone to share that love with the whole world.
In a city full of busy factories and very rich men, 'Abdu'l-Bahá stood up and gently explained the one thing money is really for.
One night 'Abdu'l-Bahá set aside His busy plans to visit four hundred poor men, calling each one His brother and pressing a coin into every hand.
On a train climbing over the great mountains, 'Abdu'l-Bahá looked out at the new railway and saw something wonderful — a world that could one day be joined together like one big family.
Nothing famous happened on this ordinary spring day with the Master — and that is exactly why someone thought it was worth writing down forever.
After many long months of traveling all across America, 'Abdu'l-Bahá came back to the friends in New York who had been waiting and waiting to see Him again.
In a busy hotel ballroom in Seattle, 'Abdu'l-Bahá told two hundred people of many different faiths one simple, beautiful idea — that goodness shines like light, no matter which lamp it burns in.
The train would stop in Spokane for only half an hour — just long enough for a few friends with armfuls of flowers to meet 'Abdu'l-Bahá on the platform.
Only a handful of friends gathered in a quiet hotel room to meet 'Abdu'l-Bahá — and He gave them a job big enough to last for many, many years.
Almost two thousand young students filled a great hall to hear 'Abdu'l-Bahá — and He told them that being kind to everyone is one of the oldest ideas in the whole world.
In a beautiful green garden, 'Abdu'l-Bahá suddenly began to cry — and the reason why tells us how much He loved His Father.
A great crowd of friends came down to the harbor to wave goodbye to 'Abdu'l-Bahá as His ship sailed away — and He gave them something to keep forever.
A woman was warned she might be walking into a trap when she went to meet 'Abdu'l-Bahá — and with a smile, He told her the wonderful kind of trap it really was.
In a church packed with two thousand people, one crying woman reached out and held the hem of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's robe — and He stopped just for her.
On a train crossing all the way to the ocean, 'Abdu'l-Bahá kept His prayers, watched the wide land roll by, and learned the names of the men who worked aboard.
A tiny group of friends from Canada could not bring 'Abdu'l-Bahá to their city, so they made a long journey by boat to go to Him instead.
Powerful people from many rival countries sat down to dinner together, and 'Abdu'l-Bahá showed them that the friendship of the whole world can begin at one quiet table.
When the head of a famous university invited 'Abdu'l-Bahá to speak to its smartest scientists and thinkers, He told them that science and religion are like two wings that lift us up together.
Mullá Ḥusayn was the very first person to believe in the Báb. Years later, surrounded by an army, he showed the world what it means to be truly brave.
A man crossed the whole city to ask 'Abdu'l-Bahá one big question — and got his answer in a way he never expected.
A boy stood at the edge of a crowd, sure that no one would notice him — until 'Abdu'l-Bahá lifted His hand and called him something beautiful, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Lua crossed a whole ocean hoping to do something great for 'Abdu'l-Bahá — and the small, hard task He gave her turned out to be the greatest thing of all.
A tired man carried a heavy worry he had never said out loud — and over a small cup of tea, 'Abdu'l-Bahá answered the very question hiding in his heart.
On a sunny Sunday in a little garden, 'Abdu'l-Bahá bent low over the lilies and laughed with the children — and a man named Howard never forgot how that afternoon smelled.
A minister in Brooklyn loved listening to 'Abdu'l-Bahá so much that one Sunday he invited Him to speak from his very own pulpit — and his church was never the same again.
On the evening before 'Abdu'l-Bahá sailed away from America, a man named Howard sat close to Him and heard the most important thing he would ever try to remember.
A man climbed the stairs of a tall hotel with a long list of hard questions in his pocket — and discovered that the answer he truly needed was waiting for him in a single, warm hello.
A man knelt for one last blessing and placed 'Abdu'l-Bahá's hand on his own head — and what he felt taught him what true greatness really is.
After a long day of talking to crowd after crowd, 'Abdu'l-Bahá came home so tired He had to be helped inside — and then, fifteen minutes later, His strong voice rang out again.
A group of friends in New York sat talking and planning, until 'Abdu'l-Bahá stopped at the door and asked them one small question they never forgot.
On a quiet mountain slope full of pine trees, one man walked back and forth for years, imagining a great curving path and beautiful buildings that did not exist yet.
A young woman from Canada crossed the whole world to marry the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith — in the smallest, quietest wedding you can imagine.
When it was time to build a beautiful crown over the Shrine of the Báb, Shoghi Effendi turned to a famous architect who happened to be his own father-in-law.
At family meals in 'Akká, the children watched and waited for one special spoonful that always tasted better than anything else — because it was given with love.
In a small hotel in London, a beloved leader called the Guardian grew ill and passed away — and the woman who loved him most was there beside him.
In one small room in Haifa, with a typewriter and a lamp, Shoghi Effendi answered letters far into the night — and from that desk he guided friends all over the world.
In quiet rooms at a great English college, a young man taught himself English so perfectly that he could one day serve 'Abdu'l-Bahá — never guessing how much that quiet work would one day matter.
A boy named Shoghi Effendi went far away to school in Beirut, where he studied hard and learned new languages — and was being made ready for something great he could not yet see.
A small barefoot boy stood in a doorway watching his grandfather, 'Abdu'l-Bahá — and the gentle nod he was given held a secret no one could quite put into words.
A young man named Shoghi was studying far from home when sad news arrived — and only later did he learn that a special task had been waiting just for him.
A young man was given the hardest task in the whole Bahá'í world, and before he could carry it, he went up into the high mountains to walk, and think, and pray.
Standing in the light of a golden dome, Shoghi Effendi asked the Bahá'ís of the world to do something that sounded impossible — and they said yes.
A young man stepped into a quiet London office, saw a message lying open on a desk, and read the hardest news of his life — all alone.
Everyone said grass could never grow on the dry mountain — but Shoghi Effendi worked and worked until green gardens grew where no one believed they could.
Night after night in a quiet house in Haifa, Shoghi Effendi sat at his desk and turned a great old book from Persian into English, so the whole world could read it.
Shoghi Effendi sat at a quiet desk and turned a beautiful little book of holy words into English, working one tiny line at a time until it was just right.
On a long, rattling streetcar ride, a man noticed a stranger reading over his shoulder — so he tilted his book to share it. By the end of the ride, everything had changed for her.
On a windy field by a great lake, 'Abdu'l-Bahá knelt down and dug into the earth with His own hands — beginning a beautiful temple that still stands today.
Thousands of people crowded into a square to watch the Báb be taken from them. But when the smoke cleared, something happened that no one could explain.
While the grown-ups argued and argued in the next room, a brave and brilliant woman named Táhirih — with a little boy on her knee — called out the words everyone needed to hear.
Friends came from a dozen faraway countries to one happy wedding — and 'Abdu'l-Bahá told them all the secret of the strongest power in the whole world.
On a freezing journey into exile, a little girl watched her mother do everything she could to care for the family — including one small, loving mistake nobody ever forgot.
A grumpy visitor came to 'Abdu'l-Bahá with lots of complaints. 'Abdu'l-Bahá told him a funny little story about a dog — and the man went away happy.
On December 5, 1912, Mahmúd's Diary records, the SS *Celtic* lay at her berth in New York harbor as 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed the small band of friends who had come to see Him sail. He left them with one sentence that summarised the eight months of His American teaching: the whole earth is one globe, and all nations one family.
Mahmúd's Diary records that on May 1, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá travelled from Chicago to the small lakeside village of Wilmette to dedicate the cornerstone of the future House of Worship of the Western world. He laid the stone with His own hand and invited each delegate of the gathering to place upon it a stone of his own.
Mahmúd's Diary records that on the journey from Chicago to Washington in early November 1912, the Master's train made a long change of cars at Cincinnati. Word had been telegraphed ahead. A small group of Ohio believers came to the station for the hour the train was held there.
Mahmúd's Diary preserves, alongside the public talks, the ordinary domestic hours of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's American journey: the meals He ate, the way He served the friends with His own hand, the laughter He brought to a tired room, the way He cleared the table afterwards.
Mahmúd's Diary preserves a recurring theme of the 1912 American tour: the Master's particular attention to the children who came with their parents to the meetings. He would pause the proceedings to greet them. He would set them on His knee. He would ask their names, kiss their cheeks, and send them away with a sweet from His pocket.
On May 1, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá traveled north of Chicago to lay the cornerstone of the first Bahá'í House of Worship in the West. Many stones had been sent from Bahá'í communities for the ceremony. Only one — found in a builders' rejection pile and dragged to the site by Nettie Tobin, a Chicago seamstress — had actually arrived. The Master asked for hers.
Mahmúd's Diary records that on September 9, 1912, after the intensity of His talks at Buffalo, 'Abdu'l-Bahá was driven to Niagara Falls. He stood for a long time at the lookout, said little, and afterward observed that the roar of the falling water was a kind of prayer.
In *Portals to Freedom* Howard Colby Ives describes a Sunday afternoon in 1912 when 'Abdu'l-Bahá received the believers in a small New Jersey garden — and the way the smell of lilies, the ordinary furniture of the house, and the laughter of children combined into what Ives later called the *fragrance* of the Cause.
In *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum describes a small ritual at the family table in 'Akká: Bahíyyih Khánum, the Greatest Holy Leaf, would spoon a small bite from her own plate — *the mouthful of Khánum* — to one of the grandchildren, and the grandchildren would watch for whose turn it was.
In *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum recounts the years the young Shoghi Effendi spent at the Syrian Protestant College in Beirut — later the American University of Beirut — where the grandson of 'Abdu'l-Bahá met the West for the first time inside a Western classroom, and was prepared, without knowing it, for the office that lay ahead.
Rúḥíyyih Khánum's *The Priceless Pearl* preserves a moment from Shoghi Effendi's boyhood in 'Akká: a small barefoot figure in a doorway, eyes on his grandfather, and 'Abdu'l-Bahá's slow nod of recognition that the bond between them was not only physical, but something else.
In *Selections from the Writings of the Báb*, a brief instruction from the Bayán: after every obligatory prayer, the believer should ask God's mercy and forgiveness for his parents. A single sentence that joins devotion to family duty.
In *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh* Mr. Furutan preserves the household recollection of the small house in Baghdád where Bahá'u'lláh lived in the 1850s — and the standing instruction He had given the family that no one who came to the door, of any creed or condition, was ever to be sent away without food.
Among the household recollections Mr. Furutan preserves in *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh* is the simple memory of how Bahá'u'lláh, in His own house, would set aside His writing to receive the children — would ask after their small concerns, would laugh at their jokes, and would send them away with blessings they remembered to the end of their lives.
In *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh* the Hand of the Cause Mr. 'Alí-Akbar Furútan preserves two early memories of the Blessed Beauty's childhood: His unusual composure as an infant, who almost never cried, and a prophetic dream He described at age five or six in which He stood unharmed amid attacking sea creatures and birds — interpreted by a noted dream-reader as a foreshadowing of His future Cause.
Among the childhood stories Hand of the Cause Furutan gathered into his *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh* is the recollection of how the young Mírzá Ḥusayn -‘Alí — long before His Declaration — would refuse to settle a quarrel among His playmates without first hearing both sides, and how the household began to recognize a quiet authority in the boy.
In *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh* Mr. Furutan preserves the household memory of how Bahá'u'lláh, during the years in Bahjí, would step out into the small garden each afternoon with a handful of grain in His hand for the wild pigeons of the plain — and the gentleness of a creature who, in His own words, *did not wish to disappoint* the birds.
In *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh* Furutan preserves the practice that sustained Bahá'u'lláh's fellow Bábí prisoners in the Síyáh-Chál pit in 1852: each evening, the prisoners would divide into two rows and chant antiphonally — one row, *God is sufficient unto me,* and the other replying, *In Him let the trusting trust* — until the chant rose, in the dark, to fill the dungeon's vault.
Among the recollections of Bahá'u'lláh's boyhood Mr. Furutan preserves in *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh* is the dream the child once had of a great moving spectacle in the sky — birds, fish, a green sea — that He told to His father the next morning, and whose meaning the household began only later to suspect.
A short story preserved by Hand of the Cause Furutan in *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh*: an aged believer who set out on foot from Persia to attain the presence of Bahá'u'lláh in 'Akká, and the welcome that met him at the door when he arrived, exhausted, decades younger in his soul.
Mr. Furutan preserves, in *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh,* the family recollection of an evening in the snowbound forests of Núr when the young Mírzá Ḥusayn-ʿAlí walked alone into the storm to visit a sick villager — and the household that, the next morning, found Him sitting calmly by the cottage fire as if the journey had been an errand of an ordinary noon.
In April 1918 the Star of the West relayed an account, from talks of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the Holy Land in early 1914, of a former servant of Bahá'u'lláh's household named Esfandayár, who had remained quietly devoted to the family of the Blessed Beauty through years of persecution.
In April 1918 the Star of the West printed an account from talks of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the Holy Land in early 1914 — a small, vivid scene of the Master mediating a long-standing quarrel between two local Arab notables in 'Akká, with His characteristic humour, and turning the household into a place of open laughter and reconciliation.
Juliet Thompson's diary entries, printed in the Star of the West in April 1917, preserve a small image from the Master's first days in New York in April 1912 — His insistence on distributing silver quarters from His own hand to the men of the Bowery Mission, with the brief direction: *Surely, give to the poor!*
In March 1913 the Star of the West printed an obituary for Leslie Armstrong of Montreal — a small boy whose hands the Master had filled with fruit during the 1912 Canadian visit, on whose head the Master had laid His hand, and to whom He had said: *He will be a shining light for God.* The child died at age six from injuries in an automobile accident.
Among the small images 'Abdu'l-Bahá used in conversation with the friends was the parable of a bird with a broken wing — a creature who, having tried every other refuge, at last laid itself in the hand of the One who had made it, and was healed.
'Abdu'l-Bahá would sometimes draw, in His talks with friends, on the great Persian-Turkish folk humour of Mulla Nasrudin — including the famous tale of a man searching for his key in the wrong place because the light there was better, and the searching lesson He drew from it.
Among the household stories 'Abdu'l-Bahá would tell was the account of why He no longer took sugar with His tea — because the believers in a certain Persian village had nothing but black tea, and He could not bring Himself to take a sweetness His friends could not share.
Among the agricultural parables 'Abdu'l-Bahá used in His conversations was the story of a farmer who, having sown his field, dug up the seeds the next morning to see whether they had grown — and the lesson He drew from his disappointment.
Among the parables 'Abdu'l-Bahá would offer to those who came to Him troubled about poverty and station was the story of a king who envied a shoemaker's sleep — and a shoemaker who would not trade his small contented evenings for the king's heavy throne.
Among the small stories 'Abdu'l-Bahá would offer to teach the hidden dignity of the poor was the account of an old village woman who walked seven kos for a load of firewood — and a passing prince who learned, in a single conversation with her, what his court had not been able to teach him.
Among the Biblical and Quranic prophets 'Abdu'l-Bahá would recount in His talks was Joseph — and the moment of His re-encounter with the brothers who had sold Him into slavery, which the Master would draw upon to teach the discipline of pure forgiveness.
Among the parables 'Abdu'l-Bahá used in conversation with friends was the story of three ducks who set off across a meadow to find the great river of which their elders had spoken — and how their different ways of seeking shaped what each one finally found.
Among the parables 'Abdu'l-Bahá told to the friends was the brief story of a wise man and a fool who walked the same road in opposite directions — and the question of which of them was in fact going somewhere.
Julia Grundy's pilgrim notes preserve the small ceremonial details of a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh at Bahjí — the shoes left at the door, the long Persian rugs underfoot, the kneeling at the marble threshold, and the tea served afterward by the women of the household.
In her 1905 pilgrim notes Julia Grundy preserves a meal at the Master's table — His Eastern way of eating with the fingers, His easy explanation to Western visitors, and His turning of the moment into a teaching about the food that brings life and the food that does not.