![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgee62gt73zef81bZh68majrNpTdK6Bzfgn8NSYtW1VRF9HozaVs8xOrvn3s-aYGe_kaXpe-JS3gjAWNuwPfnFfYQfYnbqsHXIPlW4fsFkgYA0molg7OlcEhrGlT1d0gDZA1Ot6b_ZbBrNaQQWd1WgNbLpxloD93YFOnhG7h4ZEd6M7zOlxe3kWh5ySZbk/s320/Imarat-i-Khurshid.jpg\") | | circa 1930:Imarat-i-Khurshid |
No sooner had the Mu’tamíd [Manuchihr Khan, the Governor]\nbeen informed of the condemnation pronounced by the ‘ulamás of Isfáhán than he\ndetermined, by a plan which he himself conceived, to nullify the effects of\nthat cruel verdict. He issued immediate instructions that towards the hour of\nsunset the Báb, escorted by five hundred horsemen of the governor’s own mounted\nbodyguard, should leave the gate of the city and proceed in the direction of\nTihrán. Imperative orders had been given that at the completion of each farsang\n[about 3 to 4 miles] one hundred of this mounted escort should return directly\nto Isfáhán. To the chief of the last remaining contingent, a man in whom he\nplaced implicit confidence, the Mu’tamíd confidentially intimated his desire\nthat at every maydán [a square or open place, a subdivision of farsang] twenty\nof the remaining hundred should likewise be ordered by him to return to the\ncity. Of the twenty remaining horsemen, the Mu’tamíd directed that ten should\nbe despatched to Ardistán [a town north of Isfáhán] for the purpose of\ncollecting the taxes levied by the government, and that the rest, all of whom\nshould be of his tried and most reliable men, should, by an unfrequented route,\nbring the Báb back in disguise to Isfáhán. [1] They were, moreover, instructed\nso to regulate their march that before dawn of the ensuing day the Báb should\nhave arrived at Isfáhán and should have been delivered into his custody.
![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS15Z6jkbyd3i3yrpN-dh-YzpFCH8XX1cu8E6tJZxIaX0n252RkjAZijQ0hLSEwqgTue_x9jTnb-zVD5a8RDUBWFZvT4VuLtSUdH7aDEBgY4cUp-eTPPilBRgJJ7HazX0kt0fDrDK1ouqX5bJyQs4J-wMYjJsklvEJw2fTQYQ20HjqVcjuwOCx57B4qWc/s320/View%20of%20the%20ruins%20of%20the%20section%20the%20Bab%20occupied.jpg\") | circa 1930: View of the ruins of the section
the Bab occupied |
This\nplan was immediately taken in hand and duly executed. At an unsuspected hour the\nBáb re-entered the city, was directly conducted to the private residence of the\nMu’tamíd, known by the name of Imárat-i-Khurshíd, [2] and was introduced,\nthrough a side entrance reserved for the Mu’tamíd himself, into his private\napartments. The governor waited in person on the Báb, served His meals, and\nprovided whatever was required for His comfort and safety. [3] - Nabil (‘The\nDawn-Breakers’; translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n[1] According to “A Traveller’s Narrative” (p. 13), the\nMu’tamíd gave secret orders that when the Báb reached Murchih-Khar (the second\nstage out from Isfáhán on the north road, distant about 35 miles therefrom), He\nshould return to Isfáhán. \n\n[2] “Thus this room (in which I find myself) which has\nneither doors nor definite limits, is today the highest of the dwellings of\nParadise, for the Tree of Truth lives herein. It would seem that all the atoms\nof the room, all sing in one voice, ‘In truth, I am God! There is no other God\nbeside Me, the Lord of all things.’ And they sing above all the rooms of the\nearth, even above those adorned with mirrors of gold. If, however, the Tree of\nTruth abides in one of these ornamented rooms, then the atoms of their mirrors\nsing that song as did and do the atoms of the mirrors of the Palace Sadrí, for\nin the days of Sád (Isfáhán) he abided therein.” (“Le Bayán Persan,” vol. 1, p.\n128.) \n\n[3] According to “A Traveller’s Narrative,” p. 13, the Báb\nremained four months in that house \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2023/05/1846-how-governor-of-isfahan-muchihr.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2023/05/1846-how-governor-of-isfahan-muchihr.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "1848: Baha’u’llah describes the consternation that seized the Bábís when Tahirih suddenly appeared unveiled at the conference of Badasht",
"slug": "bsbs-1848-baha-u-llah-describes-the-consternation-that-seized-the-babis-when-tah",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEld3LkUcCp7x48Hzig4VDiU9zqJamb6kuJeLv6IEyDpn1A_sNx22nCOWmVUDSqjgzflmcWIlUwmJa2iTCCVFSWFEmRmscD0evF5bAiTAMRqVh88_SAnPCxw188b8DNlHTP1V_mWXdyn4/s1600/Paintings-60-1.jpg\") We soon joined her [Táhirih] at Badasht, where We rented a\ngarden for her use, and appointed the same Muhammad-Hádí who had achieved her\ndeliverance, as her doorkeeper. About seventy of Our companions were with Us\nand lodged in a place in the vicinity of that garden. \n\n
\n\nWe fell ill one day, and were confined to bed. Táhirih sent\na request to call upon Us. We were surprised at her message, and were at a loss\nas to what We should reply. Suddenly We saw her at the door, her face unveiled\nbefore Us. How well has Mírzá Áqá Ján [1] commented upon that incident. “The\nface of Fátimih,” he said, “must needs be revealed on the Day of Judgment and\nappear unveiled before the eyes of men. At that moment the voice of the Unseen\nshall be heard saying: ‘Turn your eyes away from that which ye have seen.’” [2] \n\n
\n\nHow great was the consternation that seized the companions\non that day! Fear and bewilderment filled their hearts. A few, unable to\ntolerate that which was to them so revolting a departure from the established\ncustoms of Islám, fled in horror from before her face. Dismayed, they sought\nrefuge in a deserted castle in that neighbourhood. Among those who were\nscandalised by her behaviour and severed from her entirely were the\nSiyyid-i-Nahrí and his brother Mírzá Hádí, to both of whom We sent word that it\nwas unnecessary for them to desert their companions and seek refuge in a\ncastle. Our friends eventually dispersed, leaving Us at the mercy of Our\nenemies. \n\n- Bahá’u’lláh (Quoted by Nabil in ‘The Dawn-Breakers’,\ntranslated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n[1] Bahá’u’lláh’s amanuensis \n[2] According to Islámic traditions, Fátimih, Muhammad’s\ndaughter, will appear unveiled as she crosses the bridge “Sirat“ on the Day of\nJudgment. At her appearance a voice from heaven will declare: “Turn your eyes\naway, O concourse of people!”
\n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/07/1848-bahaullah-describes-consternation.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/07/1848-bahaullah-describes-consternation.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "1848: Baha’u’llah suffered the humiliating bastinado punishment",
"slug": "bsbs-1848-baha-u-llah-suffered-the-humiliating-bastinado-punishment",
"summary": " \n\n \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO3a6VDseu7zB0yNxODchcnzntUim2GnqqgzVRk6sL2FVLQIh7q5SIi2ZzfDSs7JMIw8mRv078YK7dRGQyMgD4GHAuwlJ6pG3X7pRtD7qrgdgSB18qrRMDWVcTI131U91bvHn6swdyQb0/s400/Town+of+Amul+c+1935-1.jpg\") | \n| Town of Ámul, circa 1935 | \n \n About nine miles from Fort Tabarsi, where Baha’u’llah had\nplanned to join the heroic believers, He and His companions were arrested by\nthe soldiers of the acting governor of the area and taken to the town of Ámul,\nMazindran in northern Iran.\n
\nThe hostile clerics of Ámul had created a major commotion in\nthe town. Having Baha’u’llah and His companions in their midst, the situation\nwas further exacerbated by the divines calling upon the people to protect their\nreligion by demanding severe punishment upon the captives – including murder.\nPeople were told to come to the mosque, fully armed -- the butcher with his\naxe, the carpenter with his hatchet – prepared to make a rush at Baha'u'llah\nand murder Him. The divines of Ámul were particularly marked for their\nrapacity. \n\n
\n\nThe Acting Governor realized that any indulgence on his part\nwould be fraught with personal danger. By inflicting a befitting punishment\nupon the captives, he sought to check the mob’s passions. He ordered punishment\nby bastinado - a form of torture that involves being beaten on the soles of the\nfeet with a rod. He also promised that the captives would be kept in custody\nfollowing this punishment until the return of the governor. \n\n \n
\n\n \n\n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVsLYE2sNfhacMJt-gzExaWo77edTt8PVQWob_Lmqz1SWWMVpvjzIfV1XHhm3X_tJ-ssSD1udxpALEpA81TSHwtJSUyIPTkdTflAqDhM18aSAx9Pf_4BP4yfd2IhelMgZERPT-NInHtk/s320/Mosque+in+Amul+circa+1935-1.jpg\") | \n| The Mosque of Ámul, circa 1935 | \n \nTaken to the mosque of the chief priest, the first to be\nbound in order to receive the bastinado was Mulla Baqir of Tabriz, one of the\nLetters of the Living. Said he, 'I am only a groom of Mirza Busayn-'Ali...\n[Baha’u’llah].' Whereupon Baha’u’llah intervened and succeeded in inducing his\ncaptors to release him. So too He interceded for Haji Mirza Jani, the merchant\nof Kashan who, He said, was a mere tradesman and whom He regarded as His guest,\nso that He himself was responsible for any charges brought against him. This\nmerchant had earlier acted as host to the Báb in Kashan, he was also the first\nchronicler of His Faith. Mirza Yahya, His half-brother and ward, was also set\nfree as soon as Baha’u’llah had declared him to be His attendant. . “None of\nthese men,” Baha’u’llah told the acting governor, “are guilty of any crime. If\nyou insist on inflicting your punishment, I offer Myself as a willing Victim of\nyour chastisement.” The acting governor was reluctantly compelled to give\norders that Bahá’u’lláh alone be chosen to suffer the indignity which he had\nintended originally for His companions.
\n\n
\n\nWhen He had been bound in the humiliating\nbastinado position, His legs in the air, bare feet exposed and lashed to a bar\nheld by assistants, Mulla Zaynu'l-'Abidin, Baha’u’llah’s paternal uncle and one\nof the company, threw himself in front of Baha’u’llah, and was thrashed until\nhe fainted from the pain. Baha’u’llah was then beaten with rods until His feet\nbled. He was then removed, along with\nhis companions, to one of the rooms of the mosque, and held there until the\nreturn of the Governor from his visit to Fort Shaykh Tabarsi. \n\n(Adapted from\n‘The Dawn-Breakers’, by Nabil, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi; ‘Baha’u’llah, The King of Glory’, by Balyuzi; and ‘The Robe of Light, vol. 1’, by Ruhe) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/10/1848-bahaullah-suffered-humiliating.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/10/1848-bahaullah-suffered-humiliating.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "1851 Karbilá, Iraq: A disciple of the Báb becomes the first person to whom Baha'u'llah confided His Divine Mission – as was prophesied by the Báb in 1848",
"slug": "bsbs-1851-karbila-iraq-a-disciple-of-the-bab-becomes-the-first-person-to-whom-ba",
"summary": "![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlTOVJ9EIixTiNOBsb0q43ig_JTbdGENlSqyV1Dd3lgOYNGjo-JeH8ESyUbvblk3oKE7AmieUFYXh90XUTZscn0h-VrNCkStYMHcrPEUikANAqOy0CXpj6f8GWWx8CAzWO2Hjqq1b35A/s1600/Paintings-4-1.jpg\") It was during Bahá’u’lláh’s nine-month exile to Karbilá in\n1851, on the order of the Persian Prime Minister, that He “encountered, as He\nwas walking through the streets, Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunúzí, to whom He confided the\nsecret He was destined to reveal at a later time in Baghdád. He found him\neagerly searching after the promised Husayn, to whom the Báb had so lovingly\nreferred and whom He had promised he would meet in Karbilá. (Nabil, ‘The\nDawn-Breakers’, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi)
\n\n
\n\nShaykh Hasan-i-Zunúzí was an elderly Babi, quietly went\nabout his life as a scribe and quite unknown to the community of Babis in\nKarbila. He had been an early disciple of Siyyid Kazim and one who during his\ndays among the Shaykhis in Karbila had fleetingly encountered the Báb, not yet\nknown to be the One awaited, visiting Him with Siyyid Kazim when first He had\narrived from Shiraz. During Shaykh Hasan’s first months of conversion as a Bábi\nhe had journeyed to Chihriq to join the Báb in that distant prison, there to\nact as transcriber of His works. It was then 1848 and Shaykh Hasan was moved to\njoin the valiant defenders of Fort Shaykh Tabarsi, for the mustering summons\nhad gone forth to the faithful. He expressed his wish to the Báb, only to be\nstartled by His countermanding the intention. \n\n
\n\nThe Báb told him: “Participation in that struggle is not\nenjoined upon you. You should proceed to Karbila and should abide in that holy\ncity, inasmuch as you are destined to behold, with your own eyes, the beauteous\ncountenance of the promised Husayn. As\nyou gaze upon that radiant face, do also remember Me. Convey to Him the\nexpression of My loving devotion!” And then He added, “Verily I say, I have\nentrusted you with a great mission! Beware lest your heart grow faint, lest you\nforget the glory with which I have invested you.” (Nabil, ‘The Dawn-Breakers’,\ntranslated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n
\n\nSoon thereafter Shaykh Hasan departed from the fortress-prison\nof Chihriq, journeyed to Karbila in Iraq as instructed and settled into life in\nthat city. Fearing that a prolonged stay m that center of pilgrimage might\narouse suspicion, he decided to marry and to earn his livelihood as a scribe.\nHe lived thus for two years untill he heard of the martyrdom of his Master in\nTabriz, and then waited through another year of anticipation. \n\n\n\n
\n\nShaykh Hasan's predestined encounter momentarily opened the\ndoor into the coming day of light, revealing the key Spirit of the future in a\nfirst flash of brilliance, a luminous moment of self-identification. Moreover,\nit signaled the fulfillment of the Shi'ite expectation of the return of the\nImam Husayn, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, killed in October 680 AD. \n\n
\n\nHow fitting that the Prime Minister of Persia should send\nBaha’u’llah on exile to Karbila, the place of his spiritual predecessor, (Imam\nHusayn) there to be discovered in the very month of the battle death of the\nImam, this through the Bab's prescience in dispatching a disciple to Karbila\nfor the unique mission of first recognition of the Great One! \n\n(Adapted from\n‘Robe of Light’, by David Ruhe) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2019/02/1851-karbila-iraq-disciple-of-bab.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2019/02/1851-karbila-iraq-disciple-of-bab.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "1969: The story of Saskatoon…",
"slug": "bsbs-1969-the-story-of-saskatoon",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFG9hFHuNnrQBl0cAC49_IoCvNu34bq4iGXoateHQNPoUODwyUOn2JdrjRAL6lbpnVhyYvil4lLQhHJU5bY19Ua2A1Vdtmm1fAtgXbuKVfJmkyswNNkxHKftiooKDuRKHXPRGbWw7PwOM/s320/Saskatoon-currently-a.jpg\") | \n| Saskatoon, circa 2020 | \n | \nFor some time now the believers across the country [Canada]\nhave heard the name “Saskatoon” appearing with increasing frequency. We hear of\nsomething like 70-80 declarations, almost all of them youth, in less than two\nyears, of no “generation gap”, of new approaches and exciting happenings.\nAnyone who visits the Saskatoon community cannot help but feel that something\nmomentous has taken place and is taking place there.
\n\n
\n\nWhat is the Saskatoon story? \n\n
\n\nFor a year or so, it has been suggested that the News tell\nthe story of Saskatoon. Urgent pleas have gone out for an \"on the spot”\naccount, but to no avail. Finally a wandering member of the Editorial Board [of\nCanadian Baha’i News magazine] spent a delightful summer evening on the\nspacious grounds of the Rogers [Don and Barbara] family just outside Saskatoon\nat a Race Amity Youth Rally. Amid the ebbing and flowing of youth of all ages,\nshe managed to extract from Assembly members some of the history. The difficulty\nof putting it into words soon became apparent. The growth of the community has\ndemanded all the energy and attention of the Assembly. Furthermore, it seems\nalmost impossible to describe adequately both the spiritual forces that are so\nobviously present, and the feeling that is Saskatoon. \n\n
\n\nFor, more than anything else, it seems to this observer,\nSaskatoon is a feeling, a feeling of community — not just any community, but a\ncommunity of purpose — the community of Baha’u’llah. One feels that here is a\ndynamic community made up almost entirely of believers under thirty years of\nage, a community in which everyone, no matter how conformist or non-conformist\nhe or she may appear to be, has a sense of belonging and acceptance. As it\nbecomes increasingly clear that today’s youth is crying out for the experience\nof community, one to really believe in, Saskatoon takes on even greater\nsignificance. \n\n\nEven the casual visitor comes away with very strong\nimpressions — of deep unity and joy in being together, of vitality and growth,\nof flexibility, of gentleness and strength. One member mentioned how they all\nfelt the strength of the community flowing through them, giving them support,\neven when they were teaching alone. Another expressed the wonder of\nexperiencing such oneness and loving concern. Through it all, one feels an\nintense awareness of divine purpose, of being under the care and guidance of\nBahá’u’lláh. \n\n
\n\nHow did it all come about? Some may remember an\n'advertisement' in the [Canadian Baha’i] News about two years ago for pioneers\nto build up the lost Assembly in Saskatoon. Later, Hand of the Cause Mr. John\nRobarts visited the believers there, and one gathers that something of a\nscolding took place. Why were they not using their most important resource —\nthe power of prayer — to build up their assembly locally? Inspiring them with\naccounts of the effects of using the Remover of Difficulties and the Long\nObligatory Prayer, he assured them that inquirers would knock on their doors\nand that he felt Saskatoon had a great future. This meeting proved to have a\nprofound influence, not only on the community of five but also in bringing\nabout three declarations. \n\n
\n\nTheir prayers did bring results! As those original members\nlook back, certain events stand out as significant. The small group, united in\nprayer, attended Baha'i gatherings together in Lloydminster, the Water-ton\nLakes and Fort Ou’Appelle. Together they heard Hand of the Cause Mr. Samandari\nat the Qu’Appelle Institute speak of his belief that Saskatoon would be a\n“spark”. \n\n
\n\nOne of the newly enrolled believers was a member of a band;\nall became Baha’is. On World Religion Day, three high school students came to a\nmeeting, stayed to a fireside and soon there were nine believers of high school\nage. The excitement and momentum began to build, and more and more youth\ndeclared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh. An interesting aspect was the diversity\nof the new believers. They were not just from one segment of Saskatoon society,\nthus the influence was felt in many circles. The latest surge of new\nenrollments is from the university campus. There is now a strong Baha’i group,\nincluding both faculty and students. \n\n
\n\nAs can be imagined, such an influx especially of youth has\nbrought many challenges to the Assembly. In that first year the mobility of the\nbelievers caused so many vacancies on the Assembly, that there had to be a\nby-election at almost every Feast. This had a great deepening effect. \n\n
\n\nThe Assembly feels that the present stage of the community\nrequires a harnessing of the forces at work. Pioneers are going out to other\nareas: \n\n
\n\none couple left recently for Inuvik; another is making plans\nto fill an overseas goal. A new and larger community center is being obtained\nto be used not only for teaching, deepening and proclamation, but also for\neducational and cross-cultural activities for both Baha’is and the general\npublic. In connection with the latter, to illustrate how the community feels\nunder the protection of Bahá'u’lláh, one member mentioned that the response of\nnon-Baha'is to this undertaking was such that they felt, as he expressed it,\n“umbrella forces”, at work in the city. \n\n
\n\nLet us not forget those hardy souls who established the\nAssembly there in the first place when the ground was not so fertile as it is\nnow. Wherever they are, they must be delighted to hear the story of Saskatoon,\nthus far — a vivid and exciting part of the spiritual process we are all\ninvolved in. And like the stories of all the Baha’i communities the world over,\nit is one that is \"to be continued”. \n\n
\n(Canadian Baha’i News, no. 233,\nSeptember-October 1969) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2020/03/1969-story-of-saskatoon.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2020/03/1969-story-of-saskatoon.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "A believer’s dream about hosting the Báb when He was expected to arrive at Káshán in the company of a mounted escort",
"slug": "bsbs-a-believer-s-dream-about-hosting-the-bab-when-he-was-expected-to-arrive-at-",
"summary": "
![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4Rban_rc6UsDrA30CQBENqERjvsCXU-xBeMw5kIelOYfySaEmMOvjuCkrppRQ1LqktMG8jRkVo6FIyh2IB7Ti1OLpQxWTSQSFNHARlo5PrvffwYZoLFKPyuG1cFlLxzhfNA7WYKxT0ik7LdQXcSwKtg-uuk_kZijqxY07JKDd_Rp13jiRJ50O3V8YRM/w349-h130/Kashan.jpg\") | | View of Káshán |
On the eve of the Báb’s arrival at Káshán, [1847] Hájí Mírzá Jání,\nsurnamed Parpa, a noted resident of that city, dreamed that he was standing at\na late hour in the afternoon at the gate of Attár, one of the gates of the\ncity, when his eyes suddenly beheld the Báb on horseback wearing, instead of\nHis customary turban, the kuláh usually\nworn by the merchants of Persia. Before Him, as well as behind Him, marched a\nnumber of horsemen into whose custody He seemed to have been delivered. As they\napproached the gate, the Báb saluted him and said: “Hájí Mírzá Jání, We are to\nbe your Guest for three nights. Prepare yourself to receive Us.”\n\nWhen he awoke, the vividness of his dream convinced him of\nthe reality of his vision. This unexpected apparition constituted in his eyes a\nprovidential warning which he felt it his duty to heed and observe. He\naccordingly set out to prepare his house for the reception of the Visitor, and\nto provide whatever seemed necessary for His comfort. As soon as he had\ncompleted the preliminary arrangements for the banquet which he had decided to\noffer the Báb that night, Hájí Mírzá Jání proceeded to the gate of Attár, and\nthere waited for the signs of the Báb’s expected arrival.
![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsneWf-HaNE10JNtdZcw9HiCf95HLSvcbHmSeLmJ-bBnOpghHZefO_ZnYW4-omU3b7F6s5ntR5NIgh3AgW5aDOGcEwnxDOgAqPYOHGuupJokE4Wtnca1guIi9__S30Q4Z4G3gSeoZrmr04-1iBRYRDUs5ydPfQMrS_Rh3motMZMDl5VrAWESHeHbMI2q0/w297-h224/Gate%20of%20Attar%20-%20Kashan.jpg\") | | Gate of Attár |
At the appointed\nhour, as he was scanning the horizon, he descried in the distance what seemed\nto him a company of horsemen approaching the gate of the city. As he hastened\nto meet them, his eyes recognised the Báb surrounded by His escort dressed in\nthe same clothes and wearing the same expression as he had seen the night\nbefore in his dream. Hájí Mírzá Jání joyously approached Him and bent to kiss\nHis stirrups. The Báb prevented him, saying: “We are to be your Guest for three\nnights. To-morrow is the day of Naw-Rúz; we shall celebrate it together in your\nhome.” Muhammad Big, who had been riding close to the Báb, thought Him to be an\nintimate acquaintance of Hájí Mírzá Jání. Turning to him, he said: “I am ready\nto abide by whatever is the desire of the Siyyid-i-Báb. I would ask you,\nhowever, to obtain the approval of my colleague who shares with me the charge\nof conducting the Siyyid-i-Báb to Tihrán.” Hájí Mírzá Jání submitted his\nrequest and was met with a flat refusal. “I decline your suggestion,” he was\ntold. “I have been most emphatically instructed not to allow this youth to\nenter any city until his arrival at the capital. I have been particularly\ncommanded to spend the night outside the gate of the city, to break my march at\nthe hour of sunset, and to resume it the next day at the hour of dawn. I cannot\ndepart from the orders that have been given to me.” This gave rise to a heated\naltercation which was eventually settled in favour of Muhammad Big, who\nsucceeded in inducing his opponent to deliver the Báb into the custody of Hájí\nMírzá Jání with the express understanding that on the third morning he should\nsafely deliver back his Guest into their hands. Hájí Mírzá Jání, who had\nintended to invite to his home the entire escort of the Báb, was advised by Him\nto abandon this intention. “No one but you,” He urged, “should accompany Me to\nyour home.” Hájí Mírzá Jání requested to be allowed to defray the expense of\nthe horsemen’s three days’ stay in Káshán. “It is unnecessary,” observed the\nBáb; “but for My will, nothing whatever could have induced them to deliver Me\ninto your hands. All things lie prisoned within the grasp of His might. Nothing\nis impossible to Him. He removes every difficulty and surmounts every\nobstacle.” The horsemen were lodged in a caravanserai in the immediate\nneighbourhood of the gate of the city. Muhammad Big, following the instructions\nof the Báb, accompanied Him until they drew near the house of Hájí Mírzá Jání.\nHaving ascertained the actual situation of the house, he returned and joined\nhis companions. \n\nThe night the Báb arrived at Káshán coincided with the eve\npreceding the third Naw-Rúz, after the declaration of His Mission, which fell\non the second day of the month of Rabí’u’th-Thání, in the year 1263 A.H. [1847] - Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’; translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2023/09/a-believers-dream-about-hosting-bab.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2023/09/a-believers-dream-about-hosting-bab.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "A believer’s eagerness to provide financial assistance to Baha’u’llah – but chose a wrong method",
"slug": "bsbs-a-believer-s-eagerness-to-provide-financial-assistance-to-baha-u-llah-but-c",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVIJ7__P8vtjpzCVHnA2x7-IP8u9AY2ILbqvg7eW4XiOKpz8CZFLT7x4YdfqOtzaorIKeGwIQfHMUM_2Bn0R_eF1c35XHmVvKdT7go0cnKeT8uviOw3CJRu5VPcMPCWBDifFx5weCWpPg/s1600/Paintings-62-1.jpg\") Aqa Mirza Ja'jar was an erudite divine of Islam. In his\nyouth, he taught at a theological school... He left the school altogether when\nhe embraced the Cause and became a very steadfast believer. In those days, the\nAncient Beauty was in Baghdad. Knowing that He was living an austere life in\nthat city, Mirza Ja'jar wished to provide some funds for the relief of His\nblessed Person. In the end he came up with a plan. There were many vases and\nother ornaments made of copper in the mosques of Yazd. He used to go to a\nmosque at night, climb to the upper chambers, dismantle the ornamental copper\nvessels which were hanging from the ceiling, and take them home. Little by\nlittle he stole similar vessels from several mosques. In the end he gathered\nnearly half a ton of these copper items... He then transported them to Ardikan\n(about 100 miles from Yazd) to the home of a certain Ustad Kazim, an\nironmonger. There he cut the copper articles to pieces and eventually succeeded\nin selling the metal for 70 tumans (a large sum of money in those days) in\nsilver coins. He placed the silver inside a specially made leather cummerbund,\ntied it around his waist and set off on his journey on foot to Baghdad where he\nattained the presence of Baha’u’llah and presented the money to Him. The\nBlessed Beauty accepted the money from him, and bestowed upon him His blessings\nand favors. But He ordered him to accompany Mirza Aqa Jan, Khadimu'llah (the\nServant of God), to the banks of the river and throw the money into its waters.\nMirza Jajar became a servant of the household, and was among those companions\nwho accompanied Baha’u’llah to Istanbul. \n\n- Adib Taherzadeh (‘The Revelation of\nBaha’u’llah, vol. 4') \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/12/a-believers-eagerness-to-provide.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/12/a-believers-eagerness-to-provide.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "A funny incident while in the company of the Master",
"slug": "bsbs-a-funny-incident-while-in-the-company-of-the-master",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLaWm14wXFUEpZhF-STSOiaNEHjJy5X_izVMh5s37kAChp-DhWeBxwKxVzeis_akWwEoUEB9h_B5HwmQTG_xI586ul-dLBaH8mnk5uqHj38sOPcHRiwlWtuMr6mJHXGpzlmWlnygGESg/s1600/Paintings-6-1.jpg\") Although ‘Abdu’l-Baha was a serious expounder of the Baha’i\nFaith He had a fine sense of humor. One day at dinner, we were eating soup, a\nnice thick soup. Leaving my spoon in the plate I raised my hand to adjust my\ncollar. As I brought down my hand my elbow came in contact with the handle of\nthe spoon. And soup was spread upon the whiskers of the Persian believer on my\nright. Of course, I was terribly embarrassed. However, ‘Abdu’l-Baha, observing\nthe incident quickly said: “Do not worry. That is a blessing” and laughed\naloud. My brother Wendell, then remarked: “Who gets the blessing, Bill, you or\nthe friend with the whiskers?” And ‘Abdu’l-Baha laughed again. Wendell and I\nwere so glad to be with ‘Abdu’l-Baha. At some times we were quite jolly. We\nwere mere boys of 18 and 21.
\n(Excerpt from the transcript of a talk given by\nWilliam Copeland Dodge relating the account of his pilgrimage to ‘Akka in 1901)\n(To listen to and read the entire talk please visit Baha’i Talks, Messages andArticles) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-funny-incident-while-in-company-of.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-funny-incident-while-in-company-of.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "A gift from Africa for the beloved Guardian",
"slug": "bsbs-a-gift-from-africa-for-the-beloved-guardian",
"summary": " Hand of the Cause John Robarts recalled the following during his pilgrimage in 1955: \nHand of the Cause John\nRobarts recalled the following during his pilgrimage in 1955: \n\n
\n\nAudrey and I had brought a kaross to the Guardian from\nBechuanaland [today part of South Africa] -- a mat made from the skin of a\nspringbok, inlaid with designs in other animal skins, black and white. On our\nfirst evening we laid it out on the floor beside his chair. It was a lovely\nthing. He said, \"That is beautiful! Beautiful! I shall put it in the\nmansion.\" \n\n
\n\nThat was in 1955. He died in 1957, and then the Hands [of\nthe Cause] met for the first conclave in the mansion [of Bahji], just after his\nfuneral. The large conference hall has twelve rooms leading from it, one of\nwhich was Ruhiyyih Khanum's bedroom. I searched every room but that one. I told\nAudrey, \"I don't think the Guardian put the kaross in the mansion.\"\nShe said, \"He must have. He said he would. It must be there.\" \n\n
\n\nA year later at the second conclave, I again looked for the\nkaross, and finally asked Ruhiyyih Khanum if Shoghi Effendi had brought it to\nthe mansion. She said, \"Yes, indeed he did. Come into my room and see\nit.\" There it was on the floor beside his bed. She said, \"That was\nhis prayer mat. He loved it.\" \n\n
\n\nHand of the Cause Mr. Collis Featherstone photographed it\nfor me. I held it in front of me as high as I could reach, and all that can be\nseen of me are my fingers. How proud that springbok must have been in its\nexalted state! \n\n(Hand of the Cause John Robarts, ‘A Few Reminiscences about\nShoghi Effendi, taken from Pilgrim Notes of January 1955, from the Film\nRetrospective, and from Some Other Words\nof the Beloved Guardian’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/03/a-gift-from-africa-for-beloved-guardian.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/03/a-gift-from-africa-for-beloved-guardian.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "A mujtahid’s dream about Baha’u’llah during His youthful years – recalled by ‘Abdu’l-Baha",
"slug": "bsbs-a-mujtahid-s-dream-about-baha-u-llah-during-his-youthful-years-recalled-by-",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihswgcPiyH7TmcWWjH-ddxPPhCgKPSAM0FOnA7KpzvUbgyoemtxANIFDpZuZpvxRXM1sGQKLpv6FRukvG7XR3bfkIlWBN_JV5qKEV2qgEi1xdfHOCmo8HhDqcO2lqVHm2mrxFiYTpXwNA/s1600/Paintings-70-1.jpg\") 'Abdu'l-Baha has described how His own grandmother, who\nlived in Yalrud (a village near Takur) went one day at dawn to the house of a famous\nmujtahid to pray. This mujtahid (a doctor of Islamic law) was Shayk Muhammad-Taqi,\na distant relative of the family. After the morning prayer he told ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s\ngrandmother that he had some excellent news for her. He had had a dream in\nwhich he had found himself outside a house which no one was allowed to enter,\nbecause, said the door-keeper, within it the Qa'im of the House of Muhammad\n(the Promised One of Shi’ih Muslims) was closeted with Mirza Husayn-'Ali of Nur\n[Baha’u’llah]. At first the mujtahid had expressed his surprise that the son of\na vizier should be so privileged; but on remembering their distant kinship, he\nhad ascribed the privilege to this fact. \n\n(Adapted from ‘Baha’u’llah, The King\nof Glory’, by H.M. Balyuzi) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/06/a-mujtahids-dream-about-bahaullah.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/06/a-mujtahids-dream-about-bahaullah.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "A pilgrim reports in 1920 how busy ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was replying to numerous letters from around the world",
"slug": "bsbs-a-pilgrim-reports-in-1920-how-busy-abdu-l-baha-was-replying-to-numerous-let",
"summary": "
No one can comprehend how deeply ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Who was\nlaying the foundation of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, was immersed in the\nocean of responsibilities and difficulties. He was so busy with His work that\nmany nights He had no rest at all. From time to time He would bring the tiniest\nsample from his innumerable adversities to our attention.\n\nOnce He made us aware of His travail through a lesson. He\nhad an enormous mailbox into which the mailman deposited all the letters that\nwere received from abroad. A porter would then carry the mail to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s\nroom. Included in the mail were many registered letters for which\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s signature was required. \n\nOne day Mírzá Badí Bushrú’í brought all the registered\nletters to His presence and asked Him to sign every receipt one by one.\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá had His head bent on His hand and was signing them; there were so\nmany letters and it took a long time. Suddenly ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stopped, lifted up\nHis head, and with a loving smile and in a joking manner addressed Mírzá Badí‘,\n“O man, what do you want from me?” He looked at the pilgrims and said, “This\nman is like a Qájár sword.” Then He explained, “I remember that when I was a\nchild in Tihrán they referred to a Qájár soldier as a ‘sword of Qájár.’” \n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá next showed a sample letter to the pilgrims.\nThis particular letter comprised twenty pages in very small handwriting. He\nsaid, “Just look and ponder that the writers of these letters are too many.\nFind a person to reply to all these letters! It is thirty years that I have\nborne all this correspondence.” He added meekly, “It is no longer possible for\nme to undergo such hardship day and night. I beseech God that the answers to\nthese letters be transmitted directly from the Abhá Kingdom into the writers’\nhearts.” \n\nEarly one morning He called all the pilgrims to the room of\none of His daughters. There we saw a long bench piled with letters.\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá was sitting on folded legs replying to them, and He asked us to\nsit down on the floor. We tried to imitate and sit like Him, but He was so\ncompassionate that He told us not to sit as He did because we could not bear\nit, but rather to sit with crossed legs, and we did so. \n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, “Look at all these letters, on so many\ndifferent matters—and I must reply to every one of them.” For example, one of\nthe letters asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to explain how this world came into being.\nAnother asked Him to solve a difficult science problem, and yet another letter,\nwhich He showed us, asked Him to kindly bless the writer’s business. Another\nperson wrote to Him that His confirmation and assistance were awaited. Another\nrequested ‘Abdu’l-Bahá interpret his dream. ‘Abdu’l- Bahá said to us, “I need\none month just to read these letters. When do you think I will be able to reply\nto all of them?” Then He showed us another letter and said, “I received this\nletter four months ago and I was able to read it only today.” \n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá repeated the theme and said that He had\nshouldered various hardships for a period of thirty years but that it was not\npossible to bear them any longer. He remarked, “If the friends would detach\nthemselves from the cares of this world and with sincere hearts arise to serve\nthe Cause of God, then all their problems, no matter how difficult, would be\neased.” \n\nMy humble pen cannot write any further about the hardships\nwhich ‘Abdu’l-Bahá faced, as He burned like a candle in the darkness of this\nworld. I saw Him on one occasion walking in the garden and talking to the\npilgrims on different subjects while simultaneously dictating replies to each\nof the letters that had come. - Nuru’d-din Mumtazi (‘Memories of Nine Days’,\ntranslated and edited by Ardeshir Khodadad Forudi and Sheridan A. Sims; ‘Baha’i\nLibrary Online)
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2021/10/in-1920-pilgrim-becomes-aware-of-how.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2021/10/in-1920-pilgrim-becomes-aware-of-how.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Western woman telling ‘Abdu’l-Baha about her troubles …",
"slug": "bsbs-a-western-woman-telling-abdu-l-baha-about-her-troubles",
"summary": "One day, when Lua Getsinger was in 'Akká she noticed a Western woman was telling 'Abdu'l-Bahá all about her troubles. This was a strange thing to do for usually when people enter the presence…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lua Getsinger"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"women",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-western-woman-telling-abdul-baha.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day, when Lua Getsinger was in 'Akká she noticed a Western woman was telling 'Abdu'l-Bahá all about her troubles. This was a strange thing to do for usually when people enter the presence of 'Abdu'l-Bahá they are so filled with the outpouring of His radiant love that they think only of their blessings. 'Abdu'l-Bahá with great kindness listened for half an hour to the western woman's troubles; they were really not very big troubles. At last he arose, and said he had another engagement and must be going. \"But there,\" he said, pointing out of the window, \"goes a man whom I will bring in to see you. His name is Mírzá Haydar-'Alí. We call him the 'Angel of Mount Carmel'. He walks on earth but he lives in heaven. He has had many troubles and he will tell you about them.\" 'Abdu'l-Bahá went out, but quickly returned with Mírzá Haydar-'Alí whom he presented to the woman, and then departed.
\n
\nThe \"Angel of Mount Carmel\" with great humility and sweetness of manner began to talk with the woman of the luminous century in which we live and the divine age that is to be. She listened for a while, impatiently, and at last broke in with, \"But 'Abdu'l-Bahá said you would tell me about your troubles.\" Mírzá Haydar 'Alí looked up in amazement.
\n
\n\"Troubles?\" he replied, \"why madam, I never had any troubles, I don't know what troubles are.\"
\n(The Baha’i Magazine (Star of the West), vol. 22, no. 8, November 1931)\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-western-woman-telling-abdul-baha.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-western-woman-telling-abdul-baha.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "A youth from Tabriz was the only believer that “succeeded in offering his homage to the Báb and in being blessed by the touch of His hand” as the Báb accompanied by mounted escort approached the city of Tabriz",
"slug": "bsbs-a-youth-from-tabriz-was-the-only-believer-that-succeeded-in-offering-his-ho",
"summary": "The news of the approaching arrival of the Báb at Tabríz bestirred the believers in that city. They all set out to meet Him, eager to extend to so beloved a Leader their welcome. The officials of the…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Tabríz",
"lat": 38.0962,
"lng": 46.2738,
"modernName": "Tabríz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/08/a-youth-from-tabriz-was-only-believer.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe news of the approaching arrival of the Báb at Tabríz\nbestirred the believers in that city. They all set out to meet Him, eager to\nextend to so beloved a Leader their welcome. The officials of the government\ninto whose custody the Báb was to be delivered refused to allow them to draw\nnear and to receive His blessings. One youth, however, unable to restrain\nhimself, rushed forth barefooted, through the gate of the city, and, in his\nimpatience to gaze upon the face of his Beloved, ran out a distance of half a\nfarsang (about 1.5 miles) towards Him. As he approached the horsemen who were\nmarching in advance of the Báb, he joyously welcomed them and, seizing the hem\nof the garment of one among them, devoutly kissed his stirrups. “Ye are the\ncompanions of my Well-Beloved,” he tearfully exclaimed. “I cherish you as the\napple of my eye.” His extraordinary behaviour, the intensity of his emotion,\namazed them. They immediately granted him his request to attain the presence of\nhis Master. As soon as his eyes fell upon Him, a cry of exultation broke from\nhis lips. He fell upon his face and wept profusely. The Báb dismounted from His\nhorse, put His arms around him, wiped away his tears, and soothed the agitation\nof his heart. Of all the believers of Tabríz, that youth alone succeeded in\noffering his homage to the Báb and in being blessed by the touch of His hand.\nAll the others had perforce to content themselves with a distant glimpse of\ntheir Beloved, and with that view sought to satisfy their longing. - Nabil (‘The\nDawn-Breakers, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/08/a-youth-from-tabriz-was-only-believer.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/08/a-youth-from-tabriz-was-only-believer.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "A youth sees Bahá’u’lláh revealing Verses of God – recalled by Hand of the Cause Tarázu’lláh Samandari",
"slug": "bsbs-a-youth-sees-baha-u-llah-revealing-verses-of-god-recalled-by-hand-of-the-ca",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsYLRWV0cLOCVgyjCjNIvaUspjuyalSKIH18k768NwNdAGpBV1ixu_CUZEPctH_FO-zhXtedV_fvRyaygIpPFSZ0J-8d8_sb4umyitpE9gHD4vsoDEjlj1Sv1hP0IfzPScSkuTX6FesA/s1600/Paintings-10-1.jpg\") The Hand of the Cause Tarázu'lláh Samandarí undertook his\npilgrimage to the Holy Land when he was a youth. It took place during the last\nmonths of Bahá'u'lláh's life. He had the privilege of accompanying\nBahá’u’lláh on visits to the Garden of Ridván (near Akka), and was present at\nthe time of Bahá’u’lláh's ascension. Here is a portion of his recollections: \n\n
\n\nTwice I had the honour of being present in His room during\nthe revelation of the Holy Verses. No one was there except His secretary, Mirzá\nÁqá Ján, and another time, Mirzá Badi’u’lláh[one of Bahá’u’lláh's sons] was\nthere copying Tablets. On these two precious occasions, as the Essence of Glory\nand Dignity [Bahá’u’lláh] paced the room and chanted verses, I could gaze upon\nHim and contemplate His luminous face, and behold the vision of the majesty of\nGod and His divine Kingdom. This was indeed a great blessing. As He revealed\nthe verses of God, His face was radiant. Sometimes, He would gesture with His\nhands while He looked through the window onto the sea. \n\n
\n\nIt was His custom to drink water while revealing the verses\nwhen His lips became dry. Mirzá Áqá Ján was occupied in taking down the\nrevealed words. The floor of the room was covered with papers from the\ndictation. One might guess that they amounted to about one-fifth of the Qur’án,\nrevealed during those few hours. \n\n \n
\nThe verses were revealed sometimes in a melodious voice, and\nsometimes with majesty and power - depending\non the content of the revealed words. For instance, when the subject was prayer,\na heavenly melody was heard; while admonitions and words of warning were\nuttered with the power of the Lord of lords!
\n\n
\n\nBahá’u’lláh Himself tells us that day and night the verses descended\nlike torrential rain. From this, whoever is mindful will ask: What can He mean,\nthat the verses descended like torrential rain? This means, without thought.\nThis means, without deliberation. This means that, first the revelation comes\ndown - and only then is it read\n. . . \n\n
\n\nThe rule always was that when the letters came in from the\nfriends, Khádim [Mirzá Aqá Ján] would be directed by Bahá’u’lláh to read Him\nthe letters. Then, at Bahá’u’lláh's direction, he would make ready paper and\npen, and an answer would be vouchsafed. To one after the other, upon each of\nthose who had written, He would bestow an answer. \n\n
\n\nAs to this question of revelation, I am unable to record\nwhat one then observes. At the highest possible speed, without any premeditation,\nthese utterances would be revealed [by Bahá’u’lláh]. At such a speed that it\nwould be impossible to conceive any swifter, he [Mirzá Aqá Ján] would write\nthem down. No one could read that 'Revelation-writing,' with the exception of a\nvery, very few early believers who had some familiarity with it. Perhaps they\ncould read some of the verses so recorded - but not the whole. Even Mirzá Aqá Ján, the Revelation scribe\nhimself, was sometimes unable to read this writing, and he would then take it\nto Bahá’u’lláh, and Bahá’u’lláh would solve the problem.
\n(Tarazu’llah\nSamandari, ‘Moments with Baha’u’llah’, quoted in ‘Baha’u’llah A Short Biography’,\nby Moojan Momen) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-youth-sees-bahaullah-revealing-verses.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-youth-sees-bahaullah-revealing-verses.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "‘Abdu’l-Baha had the Power of Ether",
"slug": "bsbs-abdu-l-baha-had-the-power-of-ether",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEW_Wva_l5pPY5YvaUpwgPZa3sOxFWagwNP0JNoBX4wUh4148hQAhmzAr-KgINefPVJxjcT0iVSSiAf_7ACz4OztFF3n9_CiAoEwdLtPY58t5ycfD_oqmoFB0Rc48OILs41djP1N55C0/s1600/Paintings-60-1.jpg\") Here is a fascinating insight about the Master, ‘Abdu’l-Baha,\nwhich Juliet\nThompson, heard from Valíyu’lláh Varqa, a member of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s entourage\nduring His visit to America in 1912. The following is an entry from her diary: \n\n
\n\nThe next morning, Thursday, though I [Juliet Thompson] went\nunusually early to the Master, He had already left the house. But Lua,\nValíyu’lláh Khán [son of the great Baha’i poet and martyr, Varqa], and I had a\nwonderful morning. Valíyu’lláh told us so many things. \n\n
\n\n“My father,” he said, “spent much time with the Blessed\nBeauty. The Blessed Beauty Himself taught him. \n\n
\n\n“One time when my father was in His room, Bahá’u’lláh rose\nand strode back and forth till the very walls seemed to shake. And He told my\nfather that once in an age the Mighty God sent a Soul to earth endowed with the\npower of the Great Ether, and that such a Soul had all power and was able to do\nanything. ‘Even this walk of Mine’ said Bahá’u’lláh, ‘has an effect in the\nworld.’ \n\n
\n\n“Then He said that His Holiness Jesus Christ had also come\nwith the power of the Great Ether, but the haughty priesthood of His day\nthought of Him as a poor, unlettered youth and believed that if they should\ncrucify Him, His Teachings would soon be forgotten. Therefore they did crucify\nHim. But because His Holiness Jesus possessed the power of the Great Ether, He\ncould not remain underground. This ethereal power rose and conquered the whole\nearth. ‘And now,’ the Blessed Beauty said, ‘look to the Master, for this same\nPower is His.’ \n\n \n
\n\n“Bahá’u’lláh,” added Valíyu’lláh Khán, “taught my father\nmuch about Áqá. Áqá (the Master, you\nknow) is one of the titles of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the Greatest Branch is another,\nand the Greatest Mystery of God another. By all these we call Him in Persian.\nThe Blessed Perfection, Bahá’u’lláh, revealed the Station of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to my\nfather. And my father wrote many poems to the Master, though the Master would\nscold him and say: ‘You must not write such things to Me.’ But the heart of my\nfather could not keep quiet. This is one\npoem he wrote: \n\n
\n\n‘O Dawning-Point of the Beauty of God, \n\nI know Thee! \n\n
\n\nThough Thou shroudest Thyself in a thousand veils, \n\nI know Thee! \n\n
\n\nThough Thou shouldst assume the tatters of a beggar, still\nwould \n\nI know Thee!’ \n\n- Juliet Thompson (‘Diary of Juliet Thompson’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/11/abdul-baha-had-power-of-ether.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/11/abdul-baha-had-power-of-ether.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "‘Abdu’l-Baha lived in the morgue of the barracks in Akka for two years",
"slug": "bsbs-abdu-l-baha-lived-in-the-morgue-of-the-barracks-in-akka-for-two-years",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIOxGkG9LlDsVoCwAzhj7xqQcPW_jT3qQp_ldFMvQnngfGFR6s4kEQjepAzoCno-4q59JbJRVTeBZka9J3C_EGtIS_Jf-1917-MswnWJtpMHeOtYVcOHn4Yij5SnLpQep3lnQcTp6cjU/s320/North-west+building+of+prison+complex+Akka+1922-1.jpg\") | \nNorth-west building of prison complex
Akka 1922 | \n | \nThe dear friends in this city [Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May\n7, 1912] engaged an apartment on the seventh floor of the Schenley Hotel and\nwere exceedingly happy about it, because it looked like that of the Plaza Hotel\nin Chicago. Then during their private interviews, the friends, one by one asked\nthe same question: \"Master! how do you like these rooms?\" His reply\nto all was also the same, \"Khaili Khoob! Khaili Khoob!\"meaning\n\"Very good! Very good!\"
\n\n
\n\nWhen all had left His presence happy and pleased, He turned\nHis smiling face toward this servant [Dr. Zia Baghdadi] and exclaimed: \n\n
\n\n\"The friends here are anxious to know if I like these\nrooms! They do not know what we had to go through in the past. Imagine the\nconditions and surroundings when we were exiled by the Turkish Government and\nwere imprisoned in the barracks of 'Akka; Baha'u'llah occupied one room; His\nfamily and several other families were forced to occupy one room. \n\n
\n\n\"Aside from the severe illness that was raging, and the death\nof many among us prisoners - adults and children - on account of unsanitary\nsurroundings and starvation, I noticed that my own presence in that crowded\nroom was another source of torture to all of them. This was due to the fact\nthat parents and children were suppressing and restraining themselves by trying\nto be quiet and polite in my presence. \n\n
\n\n\"So, in order to give them freedom, I accepted the morgue of\nthe barracks, because that was the only room available, and I lived in it for\nabout two years. Now the kind friends here wish to know if I like these\nmagnificent rooms!\" \n\n
\n(Star of the West [The Baha’i Magazine], vol. 19, no. 5, August 1928) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2020/04/abdul-baha-lived-in-morgue-of-barracks.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2020/04/abdul-baha-lived-in-morgue-of-barracks.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "‘Abdu’l-Baha recalls an example of Baha’u’llah’s majesty and power while officially still a prisoner",
"slug": "bsbs-abdu-l-baha-recalls-an-example-of-baha-u-llah-s-majesty-and-power-while-off",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBaFV5TaDW_ee0QvxBVdtqNS3VQgOlAxri6vnPagnR5sgTVWigPePIONXdUeqeAZyaVQiQ5kRWCJiT1lY0YPOMFnoGcfBzcw58WsSA7diHG-4rm5KHEezu-87JPWUiMbI3qY-7hWIuUA/s1600/Paintings-63-1.jpg\") \nOne day the government leaders, pillars of the country, the\ncity’s ‘ulamás, leading mystics and intellectuals came out to the Mansion. The\nBlessed Beauty paid them no attention whatever. They were not admitted to His\npresence, nor did He inquire after any of them. I sat down with them and kept\nthem company for some hours, after which they returned whence they had come.\nAlthough the royal farmán specifically decreed that Bahá’u’lláh was to be held\nin solitary confinement within the Akká fortress, in a cell, under perpetual\nguard; that He was never to set foot outside; that He was never even to see any\nof the believers—notwithstanding such a farmán, such a drastic order, His tent\nwas raised in majesty on the heights of Mount Carmel. What greater display of\npower could there be than this, that from the very prison, the banner of the\nLord was raised aloft, and rippled out for all the world to see! Praised be the\nPossessor of such majesty and might; praised be He, weaponed with the power and\nthe glory; praised be He, Who defeated His foes when He lay captive in the Akká\nprison!
\n\n- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk; ‘Memorials of the Faithful’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/02/abdul-baha-recalls-example-of.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/02/abdul-baha-recalls-example-of.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "'Abdu’l-Bahá relates a story as a metaphor",
"slug": "bsbs-abdu-l-baha-relates-a-story-as-a-metaphor",
"summary": " In ancient times there was a King who arranged a contest between his Chinese and Roman artists. He appointed a large hall in which both groups could paint. The Chinese…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Ahmad Sohrab"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/06/abdul-baha-relates-story-as-metaphor.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n\nIn ancient times there was a King who arranged a contest\nbetween his Chinese and Roman artists. He appointed a large hall in which both\ngroups could paint. The Chinese artists asked for a curtain to be hung in the\nmiddle of the hall so that their competitor could not see what they are working\non. The Chinese artists then worked steadily for six months, day and night. The\nRoman artists, on the other hand, did nothing. As a result, everybody thought\nthat the Roman artists were going to lose the contest. Just a few days before\nthe King was scheduled to judge the two groups and award the winner, the Roman\nartists set out to build a wall behind the curtain that separated them from the\nChinese artists and polished it so well that it became like a mirror. When the\ntime came to judge the final results, the King's ministers and courtiers went\nfirst to the Chinese section to see what they had been working so hard for six\nmonths. They were very impressed by their marvelous and beautiful painting!\nWanting to see the Roman section they pulled the curtain and found a wall that\nwas so polished that it fully reflected the paintings drawn by the Chinese\nartists – it was as if the paintings were actually in the wall! The King was so\namused by their creativity that He awarded them the prize. \n\n
\n\nAfter relating this story the Master said that He hoped that\nour hearts would similarly become as pure and as transparent so that the\npictures and images of the Kingdom of Abha would be reflected therein. \n\n(Adapted from ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Edinburgh – Sohrab’s Diary\nLetters’, by Ahmad Sohrab) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/06/abdul-baha-relates-story-as-metaphor.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/06/abdul-baha-relates-story-as-metaphor.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "‘Abdu’l-Baha’s surprising response to two believers trying to identify the most acceptable form of martyrdom – recalled by one of His secretaries",
"slug": "bsbs-abdu-l-baha-s-surprising-response-to-two-believers-trying-to-identify-the-m",
"summary": "![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vNoM1UG9SjQva2vhiDPZFIz-CPqNnbLyznp9ZQUIX1xy_eahZILvWKehEEK3yGUzZkk4sFSHzNsc7ch-ZSQkbUilvzgFMgWXXlIBd-8NJxpuLJFsn4EhRQaU8x6D5SfLZ8mNfMUeVKk/s1600/4881_art-67.jpg\") Some thirty years ago when 'Abdu'l-Baha was surrounded by\nHis bitter enemies; when they were instigating the Turkish Government to\nilltreat Him; when in His confined place of 'Akka He had a very small group of\ntrue and faithful Baha'is, 'Abdu'l-Baha always expressed great joy and\nhappiness at the thought of being martyred like unto Jesus Christ and His\ndisciples, and like unto thousands of faithful followers of the blessed Báb and\nBaha'u'llah.
\n\n
\n\nIn those days the doors were opened wide for the Oriental\nfriends to enter heaven.[1] All the true believers prayed to God and yearned to\nbe accepted for martyrdom. One day one of the pilgrims and I were discussing\nthe best way of being admitted to sacrifice. My friend, M. Fazlullah, said that\nhe preferred to be killed by Shamajeen like Suleiman Khan, who danced with joy\nduring that terrible torture. (Shamajeen means decorated, grafted with\ncandles.) \n\n
\n\nThis is the way that Suleiman Khan was martyred. His body\nwas cut through in several places and burning candles were planted in the\nwounds. In such a horrible state he was driven for several hours throughout the\ncity to show the people the fate of a distinguished and honorable man converted\nto the new Faith. This was the way that the government, instigated by the\nclergy, punished the believers, in order to terrify those who desired to know\nabout the new religion. \n\n
\n\nNow my friend, M. Fazlullah, preferred this way of being\nsacrificed in the Path of Baha'u'llah. But I did not choose this way. I\npreferred to be put to death by cannon shot, for that was the best way of\npropagating throughout the world the call to steadfastness. Several prominent\npeople have been martyred in that way. This was the way that I had chosen, and\nI implored God to help me to attain to it. But I could not convince my friend\nthat mine was the best way. He stuck obstinately to his own way. The discussion\nlasted a long time without being able to convince each other. \n\n\nAt last we left the pilgrims' room and went to the room of\n'Abdu'l-Baha. In His simple courtyard room, we found Him standing among a dozen\nof the faithful ones who were from the different oriental countries. They had\nsurrounded Him like unto a number of butterflies of various colors gathered\naround a lighted candle. He was full of joy, uttering heavenly words, giving\ndivine exhortation. And the first words we heard Him say, as we arrived, in\ncontinuation of His speech was: \"In the Path of Baha'u'llah, the faithful\nBaha'i \n\nmust become Shamajeen.\" \n\n
\n\nOn hearing this my friend looked at me severely. I\nunderstood what he meant by that look. \n\n
\n\nBut lo! What heard we after that? 'Abdu'l-Baha, without\npaying any attention to our arrival, said: \"Yes, the true believer is he\nwho wishes to be sacrificed with cannon shot for the sake of the Cause of\nBaha’u’llah!\" \n\n
\n\nHearing this, I did not fail to look at once at my friend,\nand could not help smiling. I am sure he understood what I meant to say. \n\n
\n\nThis was the end of our discussion. None of us has ever\nproved worthy to attain to the zenith of such a desire. But the remembrance of\nthe heavenly power of 'Abdu'l-Baha to know our mind and to conciliate the\ndifferent thoughts of His disciples gives me such an eternal joy and spiritual\nhappiness that I mentioned this event once in Europe and am repeating it now in\norder to sanctify His Name for ever and ever. \n\n
\n- Dr. Youness Afroukhteh (One of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s secretaries\nbetween 1900 to 1909, told this story to some Baha’is in Germany; Star of the\nWest [The Baha’i Magazine], vol. 22, no. 9, December 1931) \n\n[1] So violent were the persecutions that thousands were\nbeing put to death at this time. \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2020/05/abdul-bahas-surprising-response-to-two.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2020/05/abdul-bahas-surprising-response-to-two.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "‘Abdu’l-Baha’s visit to Montreal – Maxwell House",
"slug": "bsbs-abdu-l-baha-s-visit-to-montreal-maxwell-house",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv11uxxmI5-7faLNyVkLTe0v4Mxsmeudrf6d8y4WWiTFrq696it0F_ZM57DGPz4AUzElbwIycmAi1UFQ2UxCD9TC88hWgr0RZrx1Hb220PUUCGHfaNMF15lZSHCbWYbNXKFEOEFTMMiBo/s200/May+and+Sutherland+Maxwell.png\") | \n| May and Sutherland Maxwell | \n | \n\nRuhiyyih Khanum explains that: \n\n
\n\nWhen 'Abdu'l-Baha consented to come to Montreal [in 1912] and\narrangements were being made, my father [he wasn’t a Baha’i then] explained to\nMother that though He would of course be their guest, he did not want to have\nthe Master in his home but would engage a suite for him at the Windsor Hotel.\nAll his sensitive Scots reticence shrank from the publicity and limelight that\nwould be thrown on him as the host of such an attention-attracting guest as the\nPersian Prophet and His entourage would constitute. Mother was heartbroken, but\nshe did not remonstrate, realizing perhaps that such things cannot be debated but\nmust arise from the heart. The day before the scheduled arrival of\n'Abdu'l-Baha, my father rushed into Mother's room, the largest bedroom, facing\nthe garden and possessing three bay windows, and looking critically at her\nfurniture declared: 'This is not good enough for ‘Abdu’l--Baha, I'm going right\ndown to Morgans to buy a new set', and rushed off and immediately purchased and\nhad delivered a bed, dressing table and chairs in white-painted Louis XV style.\nOne can only imagine how great was her joy that her husband of his own accord\nshould have felt the longing to have the Master under his own roof. He himself\nmet the Master at the train and begged Him to accept the hospitality of his\nhome. \n\n(Adapted from ‘The Maxwells of Montreal, vol. 1’, by Violette Nakhjavani) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/08/abdul-bahas-visit-to-montreal-maxwell.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/08/abdul-bahas-visit-to-montreal-maxwell.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "‘Abdu’l-Baha tells a story about an incident during His childhood",
"slug": "bsbs-abdu-l-baha-tells-a-story-about-an-incident-during-his-childhood",
"summary": "[On another day, the Master gave them a story out of His own life:]
[On another day, the Master gave them a story out of His own\nlife:]
\n\n
\n\n \n \n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wlmhdq_PePovBe-teKoB_hrSObFgQ9_fXOuwpxr4TTYEq9DxkaavHqmOEECUqAoomwD7Os0UIE6kpRhCVzJpfB0cebZA6yFBw9ojcndCCQxdWMtdA17gSPMqrF_UESc7jjIeB4QnWNI/s1600/Paintings-28-1.jpg\") I was a child, nine years old. In the thick of those\ncalamities, [Baha'u'llah was confined in the Siyah-Chal] when the enemy attacked, they stoned our house and it had filled up\nwith stones. We had nobody to help us. There was only my mother, [1] my sister,\n[2] and Aqa Mirza Muhammad-Quli. [3] To protect us, my mother took us away from\nthe Shimiran Gate to the Sangilaj quarter, where in the back lanes she found a\nhouse. In that house she watched over us and forbade us ever to set foot on the\nstreet. But one day the problem of how to get food became so urgent that my\nmother said to me: ‘Can you go to your aunt’s house? [4] Tell her to find a few\nkrans [5] for us, no matter how.’\n
\n\nOur aunt lived in the Takyih [6] of Haji Rajab-’Ali, near\nthe house of Mirza Hasan Kajdamagh. I went there. She tried everywhere and\nfinally managed to collect five krans, which she tied up in the corner of a\nhandkerchief and gave me. \n\n
\n\nOn my way back through the Takyih, the son of Mirza Hasan\nrecognized me. Immediately he called out, ‘This one is a Bábí!’ and the boys\nran after me. The house of Mulla Ja’far of Astarabad was not far away, and I\nreached it and went into the entry. The son of Mulla Ja’far saw me but he did\nnot put me out. Neither did he rout the boys. \n\n\nI stayed there till it was dark. When I left the place, the\nboys came after me again, shouting and throwing stones, following me until I got\nclose to the store of Aqa Muhammad Sanduqdar. The children did not come on any\nfarther after that. When I reached home, exhausted and terrified, I fell to the\nground. My mother asked, ‘What ails you?’ I could not tell her. I simply fell\ndown. My mother took the handkerchief with the money and put me to bed and I\nslept. \n\n
\n\n[Later He (‘Abdu’l-Baha) added:] \n\n
\n\nThere was a time in Tihran when we had every means of\ncomfort and luxury, and then in a single day they pillaged our house and robbed\nus of everything. Living became so hard for us that there came a day when my\nmother took a little flour and shook it into my hand instead of bread, and I\nate it like that. \n\n
\n\n[Continually, He repeated the basic theme of His life, that\nnothing really matters except the Cause of God:] \n\n
\n\nLook at the plains, look at the hills: they are defeated\narmies, they are hosts that fell in heaps and were levelled with the ground;\nthey are the dust of high pavilions, and palace and hall are the hole of owls\nthat feed upon the dead, the roost of carrion crows. ... All gain is loss,\nexcept in the great business of serving God. \n\n- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, recorded by Mahmud\nZarqani, in vol. 2 of Mahmud’s Diary, samples translated by Marzieh Gail, ‘The\nBaha’i World, 1954-1963) \n\n[1] The sheltered and beautiful Navvb, then at most in her\nmid-twenties. \n\n[2] Bahiyyih Khanum the Most Exalted Leaf, then seven. \n\n3 An uncle of 'Abdu’l-Baha. \n\n[4] A sister of Baha’u’llah. \n\n[5] One-tenth of a Toman (Persian currency). \n\n[6] A place where religious plays were performed. \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/03/abdul-baha-tells-story-about-incident.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/03/abdul-baha-tells-story-about-incident.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "‘Abdu’l-Baha tells a story about Christ",
"slug": "bsbs-abdu-l-baha-tells-a-story-about-christ",
"summary": "In the Writings of Baha’u’llah there are events which were not mentioned in the Gospels. These traditions are from the life of Christ. They show the genius and sublimity of Christ. I would like to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"women",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"hope",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/03/abdul-baha-tells-story-about-christ.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the Writings of Baha’u’llah there are events which were\nnot mentioned in the Gospels. These traditions are from the life of Christ.\nThey show the genius and sublimity of Christ. I would like to tell you another\nstory. It is said that one day Christ arrived in a village where the government\nmade a law that the inhabitants must not allow strangers to enter their homes.\nThis was because in those regions robbery was increasing. His Holiness went to\nthe house of an old woman. When she saw His beauty and majesty she was ashamed\nto refuse to receive Him, and did not want to reject Him. So she admitted Him\nwith the utmost respect. Then when she looked at Him and realized by His\nmanners the greatness of His Holiness, she stepped forward and kissed His hand. \n\nShe said to Him: 'I have only one son and nobody else. He\nwas wise, perfect, and we were living very happily. Now, for some time he has\nbeen worried; he is mourning; he fills our home with sorrow and sadness; he is\nworking daily, but at night he comes home worried; he does not sleep, and\nwhenever I ask him what the matter is, he does not answer.' \n\nHis Holiness said to her: 'Send him to Me.' \n\nHer son came in the evening. The mother said: 'O my son,\nthis is a great personage, and, if you have any trouble, tell him about it.'\nThen the son went and sat down in the holy presence. \n\nJesus said: ‘Tell me what art thou suffering from.’ \n\nThe son: ‘I am not suffering.’ \n\nJesus: ‘Do not speak a lie. Thou hast an incurable malady.\nTell it to me. I am trustworthy. I do not tell the secrets of anyone. I keep\nthem. Have confidence. Tell it to me. I will not reveal your secret.’ \n\nThe son: ‘My sickness has no remedy.’ \n\nJesus: ‘Tell me about it; I will remedy it.’ \n\nThe son: ‘Because it has no remedy it cannot be cured.’ \n\nJesus: ‘Tell it to me. I have the remedy.’ \n\nThe son: ‘For any kind of disease?’ \n\nJesus: ‘Yes, for any kind of disease.’ \n\nThe son: ‘I am ashamed to tell you. I am mortified to tell\nyou.’ \n\nJesus: ‘Thou art my son.’ \n\nThe son, thinking for a moment, said: ‘I cannot mention it\nwith my tongue. It seems to me that I will be impolite if I do.’ \n\nJesus: ‘I will forgive thee.’ \n\nThe son: ‘I am in love with the daughter of the king who is\nin a city nearby. My work is the selling of thorns. What can I say more than\nthis?’ \n\nJesus: ‘Have confidence. God willing I shall send thee what\nthou wishest.’ \n\nBriefly, His Holiness arranged it for him so that he might\nmarry the young woman. On the night of the wedding, just as he entered her\nroom, which was full of ornaments and splendor, something came to his mind and\nhe said to himself, this Person (Jesus) has brought to consummation so great a\nmatter for me. Why did He not do it for himself? Inasmuch as He performed such\ngood fortune for me, He could have performed the same thing for Himself. Yet\nwith such ideal powers He wanders in the desert; He eats grass; He sleeps on\nthe earth; He sits in the dark; lie is in the utmost poverty. \n\nWhen this thought came to him he said to the young woman:\n‘Remain thou here. I have a little business to attend to; I go and will\nreturn.’ \n\nHe went out into the night in pursuit of His Holiness.\nFinally he found Him and said: ‘O, my Lord. Thou hast not treated me fairly.’ \n\nJesus: ‘Why?’ \n\nSon: ‘Thou hast obtained for me that which thou desired not\nfor thyself. Undoubtedly Thou hast something which is greater than this. And if\nthis were the acceptable thing thou wouldst have chosen it for Thyself. It is\nevident Thou hast something which is greater than this. Therefore Thou art not\njust. Thou hast given me that which Thou desirest not for Thyself.’ \n\nJesus: ‘Thou art right. Hast thou the capacity and the\npreparation for it?’ \n\nSon: ‘I hope so.’ \n\nJesus: ‘Canst thou leave everything?’ \n\nSon: ‘Yes.’ \n\nJesus: ‘It is the divine guidance which is greater than all\nthings. If thou art able, come.’ \n\nHe followed him. Then His Holiness went to His disciples and\nsaid: ‘I have found, in this village, a hidden treasure. Now I have saved it.\nThis is my treasure. I have taken him out of the earth and I give him to you. - ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Utterances of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, at the Summer Home of a United States Government\nOfficial, June 4, 1912; Star of the West, vol. 7, no. 9; Aust 20, 1916) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/03/abdul-baha-tells-story-about-christ.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/03/abdul-baha-tells-story-about-christ.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "‘Abdu’l-Baha tells the story of Baha’u’llah’s agreement to perform any miracle agreed on by the divines",
"slug": "bsbs-abdu-l-baha-tells-the-story-of-baha-u-llah-s-agreement-to-perform-any-mirac",
"summary": "It often happened that in Baghdád certain Muhammadan ‘ulamá, Jewish rabbis and Christians met together with some European scholars, in a blessed reunion: each one had some question to…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"children",
"family",
"consultation",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/02/abdul-baha-tells-story-of-bahaullahs.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt often happened that in Baghdád certain Muhammadan\n‘ulamá, Jewish rabbis and Christians met together with some European scholars,\nin a blessed reunion: each one had some question to propose, and although they\nwere possessed of varying degrees of culture, they each\nheard a sufficient and convincing reply, and retired satisfied. Even the\nPersian ‘ulamá who were at Karbilá and Najaf chose a wise man whom they sent on\na mission to Him; his name was Mullá Hasan ‘Amú. He came into the Holy\nPresence, and proposed a number of questions on behalf of the ‘ulamá, to which\nBahá’u’lláh replied. Then Hasan ‘Amú said, “The ‘ulamá recognize without\nhesitation and confess the knowledge and virtue of Bahá’u’lláh, and they are\nunanimously convinced that in all learning he has no peer or equal; and it is\nalso evident that he has never studied or acquired this learning; but still the\n‘ulamá say, ‘We are not contented with this; we do not acknowledge the reality\nof his mission by virtue of his wisdom and righteousness. Therefore, we ask him\nto show us a miracle in order to satisfy and tranquilize our hearts.’”
\n
\nBahá’u’lláh replied, “Although you have no right to ask\nthis, for God should test His creatures, and they should not test God, still I\nallow and accept this request. But the Cause of God is not a theatrical display\nthat is presented every hour, of which some new diversion may be asked for\nevery day. If it were thus, the Cause of God would become mere child’s play.
\n
\n“The ‘ulamás must, therefore, assemble, and, with one\naccord, choose one miracle, and write that, after the performance of this\nmiracle they will no longer entertain doubts about Me, and that all will\nacknowledge and confess the truth of My Cause. Let them seal this paper, and\nbring it to Me. This must be the accepted criterion: if the miracle is\nperformed, no doubt will remain for them; and if not, We shall be convicted of\nimposture.” The learned man, Hasan ‘Amú, rose and replied, “There is no more to\nbe said”; he then kissed the knee of the Blessed One although he was not a\nbeliever, and went. He gathered the ‘ulamá and gave them the sacred message.\nThey consulted together and said, “This man is an\nenchanter; perhaps he will perform an enchantment, and then we shall have\nnothing more to say.” Acting on this belief, they did not dare to push the\nmatter further.
\n
\nThis man, Hasan ‘Amú, mentioned this fact at many meetings.\nAfter leaving Karbilá he went to Kirmansháh and Tihrán and spread a\ndetailed account of it everywhere, laying emphasis on the fear and the\nwithdrawal of the ‘ulamá.
\n(‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘Some Answered Questions’)\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/02/abdul-baha-tells-story-of-bahaullahs.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/02/abdul-baha-tells-story-of-bahaullahs.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "‘Abdu’l-Baha tells the story of His prison life at the request of a reporter in Paris",
"slug": "bsbs-abdu-l-baha-tells-the-story-of-his-prison-life-at-the-request-of-a-reporter",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWOeaev5E_jVzlqVGrGnARZkKjfeggv81BTGXDwL4bDFCdRw-OZMm2kpAt9lP-xFzvaxGjuhG1Y2mb8UidpooJopxELxUCZOgjrP7sWIWECm4OcPAPTTy6vJtD6SrQZhqti-emHZlfTI/s1600/Paintings-7-1.jpg\") (‘Abdu’l-Baha entered. With one impulse we arose, paying unconscious homage to the majesty of the station of servitude. Surely there can be no greater station than this! Instantly one felt an intangible something that stamped him as one apart. Try as one would it could not be defined. All that was tangible was the dome-like head with its patriarchal beard and eyes that suggested eternity. After greeting us he waved us to our seats and inquired if there were any questions we would like to ask. When informed that my editor had sent me to ascertain if he would speak of his prison life, ‘Abdu’l-Baha began at once to tell his story in a simple, impersonal way) \n\n
\n\n“At nine years of age, I was banished with my father, Baha’u’llah, on His journey of exile to Baghdad, Arabia; seventy of His followers accompanying us. This decree of exile after persistent persecution was intended to effectively stamp out of Persia what the authorities considered a dangerous movement. Baha’u’llah, His family and followers were driven from place to place. \n\n
\n\nWhen I was about twenty-five years old, we were moved from Constantinople to Adrianople and from there went with a guard of soldiers to the fortressed city of Acca where we were imprisoned and closely guarded. \n\n
\n\nThere was no communication whatever with the outside world. Each loaf of bread was cut open by the guard to see that it contained no message. All who believed in the universal precepts of Baha’u’llah, children, men and women, were imprisoned with us. At one time there were one hundred and fifty of us together in two rooms and no one was allowed to leave the place except four people who went to the bazaar to market each morning under guard. \n\n \n
\n\nAcca was a fever-ridden town in Palestine. It was said that a bird attempting to fly over it would drop dead. The food was poor and insufficient, the water was drawn from a fever-infected well and the climate and conditions were such that even the natives of the town fell ill. Many soldiers succumbed and eight out of ten of our guards died. During the intense heat of that first summer, malaria, typhoid, and dysentery attacked the prisoners, so that all the men, women and children were sick at one time. There were no doctors, no medicine, no proper food and no medical treatment of any kind. I used to make broth for the people and as I had much practice, I made good broth, (said ‘Abdu’l-Baha, laughingly). \n\n
\n\nAfter two years of the strictest confinement, permission was granted me to find a house, so that we could live outside the prison walls but still within the fortifications. Many believers came from Persia to join us, but were not allowed to do so. Nine years passed. Sometimes we were better off and sometimes very much worse. It depended on the governor, who if he happened to be a kind and lenient ruler, would grant us permission to leave the fortification and would allow the people free access to visit the house; but when the governor was more rigorous, extra guards were place around us and often pilgrims who had come from afar were turned away. \n\n
\n\nOne year before Abdu’l-Hamid was dethroned, he sent an extremely overbearing, treacherous and insulting committee of investigation. The chairman was one of the governer's staff, Arif Bey, and with him were three army commanders of varying rank. \n\n
\n\nImmediately upon his arrival, Arif Bey proceeded to try to get proof strong enough to denounce me to the Sultan and warrant sending me to Fezan, or throwing me into the sea. Fezan is a caravan station on the boundary of Tripoli, where there are no houses and no water. It is a month's journey by camel route from Acca. \n\n
\n\nThe committee, after denouncing me in their report, sent word that they wanted to see me, but I declined. I assured them that I had no desire to meet them. This infuriated them and when they sent for me again I sent this word back: 'I know your purpose. You wish to incriminate me. Very well, write in your report just what you like; send me a copy with instructions as to what you want me to write, and I will seal it myself and give it to you.' \n\n
\n\nA ship came into port reputed to be the one that was to take me to Fezan or drop me into the sea. The people used to stand on the wall of the city and look at this ship; but Arif Bey, rising in supreme wrath, declared that he would return to Constantinople and bring back an order from the Sultan to have me hanged at the gate of Acca. \n\n
\n\nAbout this time another ship appeared in the harbor, an Italian vessel sent by order of the Italian consul. On it I was to escape by night. The friends implored me to go, but I sent this message to the captain: 'The Báb did not run away; Baha’u’llah did not run away; I shall not run away' -- so the ship sailed away after waiting three days and three nights. \n\n
\n\nIt was while the Sultan's committee of investigation was homeward bound that the first historic shell was dropped into Abdu’l-Hamid's camp and the first gun of freedom was into the home of despotism. That was God's gun, (said Abdul Baha, with one of his wonderful smiles.) \n\n
\n\nWhen the committee reached Constantinople they had more urgent things to think of. The capital was in a state of uproar and rebellion and the committee, as members of the government staff, were delegated to investigate the insurrection. Meanwhile the people established a constitutional government and Abdu’l-Hamid was deposed. \n\n
\n\nWith the advent of the Young Turk's supremacy, realized through the Society of Union and Progress, in 1898, all the political and religious prisoners of the Ottoman Empire were freed. Events took the chains from my neck and placed them about Hamid's. ‘Abdu’l-Baha came out of prison and Abdu’l-Hamid went in! \n\n
\n\n(What became of the committee? was asked). \n\n
\n\nArif Bey, was shot with three bullets; the general was exiled; the next in rank died suddenly and the third ran away to Cairo where he sought and received help from some of the friends there. \n\n
\n\n(We are glad you are free, I said.) \n\n
\n\n(Again the wondrous smile.) Freedom is not a matter of place. It is a condition. I was thankful for the prison and the lack of liberty was very pleasing to me, for those days were passed in the path of service under the utmost difficulties and trials, bearing fruits and results. \n\n
\n\nUnless one accepts dire vicissitudes he will not attain. To me prison is freedom; troubles rest me; incarceration is an open court; death is life and to be despised is honor. Therefore, I was happy all that time in prison. When one is released from the prison of self, that is indeed freedom, for self is the greater prison. When this release takes place, one can never be imprisoned. They used to put my feet in stocks so, (and he put out his feet before him to illustrate and laughed as though it were a joke he enjoyed.) \n\n
\n\nI would say to the guard 'You cannot imprison me, for here I have light and air and bread and water. There will come a time when my body will be in the ground and I shall have neither light nor air nor food nor water, but even then I shall not be imprisoned.' The afflictions which come to humanity sometimes tend to center the consciousness upon the limitations. This is a veritable prison. Release comes by making of the will a door through which the confirmations of the spirit come. \n\n
\n\n(What do you mean by the confirmations of the spirit? I asked.) \n\n
\n\nThe confirmations of the spirit are all those powers and gifts with which some are born and which men sometimes call genius, but for which others have to strive with infinite pains. They come to that man or woman who accepts his life with radiant acquiescence.” \n\n
\n\n(Radiant acquiescence -- that was the quality with which we were suddenly seemed inspired as Abdul Baha bade us good-bye.) (‘Abdu'l-Baha, quoted by Isabel Chamberlain (d. 1939), who compiled the book, ‘Abdu’l-Baha on Divine Philosophy’, consisting of talks delivered in Paris.) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/09/abdul-bha-tells-story-of-his-prison.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/09/abdul-bha-tells-story-of-his-prison.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "After the death of Bahá'u'lláh’s father the Prime Minister of Persia schemed ways to possess a village that belonged to the family of Baha’u’llah",
"slug": "bsbs-after-the-death-of-bahaullah-s-father-the-prime-minister-of-persia-schemed-",
"summary": "After the death of the Vazir [Mirza Buzurg, Bahá'u'lláh’s father], Haji Mirza Aqasi [the Persian Prime Minister]…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Hasan Balyuzi"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/10/after-death-of-bahaullahs-father-prime.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAfter the death of the Vazir [Mirza Buzurg, Bahá'u'lláh’s father], Haji Mirza Aqasi [the Persian Prime Minister] continued to show the utmost consideration to Bahá'u'lláh. He would visit Him in His home, and would address Him as though He were his own son. The sincerity of his devotion, however, was very soon put to the test. One day, as he was passing through the village of Quch-Hisar, which belonged to Bahá'u'lláh, he was so impressed by the charm and beauty of that place and the abundance of its water that he conceived the idea of becoming its owner. Bahá'u'lláh, Whom he had summoned to effect the immediate purchase of that village, observed: 'Had this property been exclusively my own, I would willingly have complied with your desire. This transitory life, with all its sordid possessions, is worthy of no attachment in my eyes, how much less this small and insignificant estate. As a number of other people, both rich and poor, some of full age and some still minors, share with me the ownership of this property, I would request you to refer this matter to them, and to seek their consent.' Unsatisfied with this reply, Haji Mirza Aqasi sought to achieve his ends through fraudulent means. As soon as Bahá'u'lláh was informed of his evil designs, He, with the consent of all concerned, immediately transferred the title of the property to the name of the sister of Muhammad Shah, who had repeatedly expressed the desire to become its owner. The Haji, furious at this transaction, ordered that the estate should be forcibly seized, claiming that he already had purchased it from its original possessor. The representatives of Haji Mirza Aqasi were severely rebuked by the agents of the sister of the Shah, and were requested to inform their master of the determination of that lady to assert her rights. The Haji referred the case to Muhammad Shah, and complained of the unjust treatment to which he had been subjected. That very night, the Shah's sister had acquainted him with the nature of the transaction. 'Many a time', she said to her brother, 'Your Imperial Majesty has graciously signified your desire that I should dispose of the jewels with which I am wont to adorn myself in your presence, and with the proceeds purchase some property. I have at last succeeded in fulfilling your desire. Haji Mirza Aqasi, however, is now fully determined to seize it forcibly from me.' The Shah reassured his sister, and commanded the Haji to forgo his claim. The latter, in his despair, summoned Bahá'u'lláh to his presence and, by every artifice, strove to discredit His name. To the charges he brought against Him, Bahá'u'lláh vigorously replied, and succeeded in establishing His innocence. In his impotent rage, the Grand Vazir exclaimed: 'What is the purpose of all this feasting and banqueting in which you seem to delight? I, who am the Prime Minister of the Shahanshah of Persia, never receive the number and variety of guests that crowd around your table every night. Why all this extravagance and vanity? You surely must be meditating a plot against me.' 'Gracious God!' Bahá'u'lláh replied. 'Is the man who, out of the abundance of his heart, shares his bread with his fellow-men, to be accused of harbouring criminal intentions?' Haji Mirza Aqasi was utterly confounded. He dared not reply. Though supported by the combined ecclesiastical and civil powers of Persia, he eventually found himself, in every contest he ventured against Bahá'u'lláh, completely defeated . - H. M. Balyuzi (‘Eminent Baha'is in the Time of Baha'u'llah’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/10/after-death-of-bahaullahs-father-prime.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/10/after-death-of-bahaullahs-father-prime.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "‘Alí Khán, the warden of the castle of Máh-Kú, had an amazing dream about Mullá Husayn’s arrival",
"slug": "bsbs-ali-khan-the-warden-of-the-castle-of-mah-ku-had-an-amazing-dream-about-mull",
"summary": "The night before his [Mullá Husayn's] arrival at Máh-Kú, which was the eve of the fourth Naw-Rúz after the…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"prison",
"family",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"joy",
"justice",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2025/03/ali-khan-warden-of-castle-of-mah-ku-had.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe night before his [Mullá Husayn's] arrival at Máh-Kú, which was the eve of\nthe fourth Naw-Rúz after the declaration of the Mission of the Báb, and which\nfell in that year, the year 1264 A.H., [1848[ on the thirteenth of the month of\nRabí’u’th-Thání, ‘Alí Khán dreamed a dream. \n\n“In my sleep,” he thus relates his story, “I was startled by\nthe sudden intelligence that Muhammad, the Prophet of God, was soon to arrive\nat Máh-Kú, that He was to proceed directly to the castle in order to visit the\nBáb and to offer Him His congratulations on the advent of the Naw-Rúz festival.\nIn my dream, I ran out to meet Him, eager to extend to so holy a Visitor the\nexpression of my humble welcome. In a state of indescribable gladness, I\nhastened on foot in the direction of the river, and as I reached the bridge,\nwhich lay at a distance of a maydán [approximately less than 2 miles] from the\ntown of Máh-Kú, I saw two men advancing towards me. I thought one of them to be\nthe Prophet Himself, while the other who walked behind Him I supposed to be one\nof His distinguished companions. I hastened to throw myself at His feet, and\nwas bending to kiss the hem of His robe, when I suddenly awoke. A great joy had\nflooded my soul. I felt as if Paradise itself, with all its delights, had been\ncrowded into my heart. Convinced of the reality of my vision, I performed my\nablutions, offered my prayer, arrayed myself in my richest attire, anointed\nmyself with perfume, and proceeded to the spot where, the night before in my\ndream, I had gazed upon the countenance of the Prophet. I had instructed my\nattendants to saddle three of my best and swiftest steeds and to conduct them\nimmediately to the bridge. The sun had just risen when, alone and unescorted, I\nwalked out of the town of Máh-Kú in the direction of the river. As I approached\nthe bridge, I discovered, with a throb of wonder, the two men whom I had seen\nin my dream walking one behind the other, and advancing towards me.\nInstinctively I fell at the feet of the one whom I believed to be the Prophet,\nand devoutly kissed them. I begged Him and His companion to mount the horses\nwhich I had prepared for their entry into Máh-Kú. ‘Nay,’ was His reply, ‘I have\nvowed to accomplish the whole of my journey on foot. I will walk to the summit\nof this mountain and will there visit your Prisoner.’” \n\nThis strange experience of ‘Alí Khán brought about a\ndeepening of reverence in his attitude towards the Báb. His faith in the\npotency of His Revelation became even greater, and his devotion to Him was\nvastly increased. In an attitude of humble surrender, he followed Mullá Husayn\nuntil they reached the gate of the castle. As soon as the eyes of Mullá Husayn\nfell upon the countenance of his Master, who was seen standing at the threshold\nof the gate, he halted instantly and, bowing low before Him, stood motionless\nby His side. The Báb stretched forth His arms and affectionately embraced him.\nTaking him by the hand, He conducted him to His chamber. - Nabil (‘The\nDawn-Breakers’, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2025/03/ali-khan-warden-of-castle-of-mah-ku-had.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2025/03/ali-khan-warden-of-castle-of-mah-ku-had.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of ‘Abdu’l-Baha drawing from “the power of Baha’u’llah”",
"slug": "bsbs-an-example-of-abdu-l-baha-drawing-from-the-power-of-baha-u-llah",
"summary": "![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjB-NLn1Ux32-QXx4bENFsDlj2JyK9XkXgAm6oftiVFnnrkSQjpni50JrIisJPEKtopT-P2RmnL-KU6Q-_AApqmlxBMWylwA1VPL4oudmsLPEW6oMoSfcdpATqx62JDvrniDXgI3UeRs/s1600/Paintings-1-1.jpg\") One day after a meeting when, as usual, many people had\ncrowded round Him, 'Abdu'l-Bahá arrived home very tired. We were sad at heart\nthat He should be so fatigued, and bewailed the many steps to be ascended to\nthe flat. Suddenly, to our amazement, the Master ran up the stairs to the top\nvery quickly without stopping.
\n\n
\n\nHe looked down at us as we walked up after Him, saying with\na bright smile, from which all traces of fatigue had vanished: \n\n
\n\n\"You are all very old! I am very young!\" \n\n
\n\nSeeing me full of wonder, 'Abdu'l-Bahá said: \"Through\nthe power of Bahá'u'lláh all things can be done. I have just used that\npower.\" \n\n
\n\nThat was the only time we had ever seen Him use that power\nfor Himself, and I feel that He did so then to cheer and comfort us, as we were\nreally sad concerning His fatigue. \n\n
\n\nMight it not also have been to show us an example of the\ngreat Reserve of Divine Force always available for those of us who are working\nin various ways in the \"Path of the Love of God and of Mankind.\" A celestial\nstrength which reinforces us when our human strength fails. \n\n- Lady\nBlomfield (‘The Chosen Highway’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/05/an-example-of-abdul-baha-drawing-from.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/05/an-example-of-abdul-baha-drawing-from.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s ability to see the light of the spirit of a human being at a considerable distance – narrated by the Master",
"slug": "bsbs-an-example-of-abdu-l-baha-s-ability-to-see-the-light-of-the-spirit-of-a-hum",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwXaP6tBB3QXoW4BlUUTr4cy00E93labRjWuOeksIizTYzLNKQi_THQz8Yu5aUWy8DnxOQkK6j6SOon1xZuN89s-jlUkr21JSLFm9BW628XM94kILHwssvpSWtBtqpozlc4ANdRRQKoRU/s1600/Paintings-65-1.jpg\") In the days of Bahá’u’lláh, during the worst times in the\nMost Great Prison, they would not permit any of the friends either to leave the\nFortress or to come in from the outside. … [two Azalís] lived by the second\ngate of the city, and watched there at all times, day and night. Whenever they\nspied a Bahá’í traveler they would hurry away to the Governor and tell him that\nthe traveler was bringing in letters and would carry the answers back. The\nGovernor would then arrest the traveler, seize his papers, jail him, and drive\nhim out. This became an established custom with the authorities and went on for\na long time—indeed, for nine years until, little by little, the practice was abandoned. \n\n
\n\nIt was at such a period that the Afnán, Hájí Mírzá Muhammad-‘Alí—that\ngreat bough of the Holy Tree [1] — journeyed to Akká, coming from India to Egypt,\nand from Egypt to Marseilles. One day I was up on the roof of the caravanserai.\nSome of the friends were with me and I was walking up and down. It was sunset.\nAt that moment, glancing at the distant seashore, I observed that a carriage\nwas approaching. “Gentlemen,” I said, “I feel that a holy being is in that\ncarriage.” It was still far away, hardly within sight. \n\n \n\n“Let us go to the gate,” I told them. “Although they will\nnot allow us to pass through, we can stand there till he comes.” I took one or\ntwo people with me and we left. \n\n
\n\nAt the city gate, I called to the guard, privately gave him\nsomething and said: “A carriage is coming in and I think it is bringing one of\nour friends. When it reaches here, do not hold it up, and do not refer the\nmatter to the Governor.” He put out a chair for me and I sat down.
\n
\n\n \nBy this time the sun had set. They had shut the main gate,\ntoo, but the little door was open. The gatekeeper stayed outside, the carriage\ndrew up, the gentleman had arrived. What a radiant face he had! He was nothing\nbut light from head to foot. Just to look at that face made one happy; he was\nso confident, so assured, so rooted in his faith, and his expression so joyous.\nHe was truly a blessed being. He was a man who made progress day by day, who\nadded, every day, to his certitude and faith, his luminous quality, his ardent\nlove. He made extraordinary progress during the few days that he spent in the\nMost Great Prison. The point is that when his carriage had come only part of\nthe way from Haifa to Akká, one could already perceive his spirit, his light.
\n\n- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (‘Memorials of the Faithful’) \n\n[1] The Afnán are the kindred of the Báb] \n\n \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/02/an-example-of-abdul-bahas-ability-to.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/02/an-example-of-abdul-bahas-ability-to.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s sense of humor",
"slug": "bsbs-an-example-of-abdu-l-baha-s-sense-of-humor",
"summary": "
When the Master completed His historic journey throughout\nthe United States of America He sailed for England to arrive at Liverpool on\nDecember 13th, 1912 and in London three days later. Staying with Lady Blomfield\nas before, 'Abdu'l-Baha again received a constant stream of visitors at her\nhouse. The Hand of the Cause Hasan Balyuzi has reported this delightful\nincident that took place there:\n\n“When 'Abdu'l-Baha sat down to dinner on Christmas Eve, He\nsaid, playfully, that He was not hungry, but He had to come to the dinner table\nbecause Lady Blomfield was very insistent; two despotic monarchs of the East\nhad not been able to command Him and bend His will, but the ladies of America\nand Europe, because they were free, gave Him orders.\" (Adapted from 'Some Eraly Baha'is of the West', by O. Z. Whitehead, and ‘Abdu'l-Baha\n- The Centre of the Covenant’, by Balyuzi)
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2021/07/an-example-of-abdul-bahas-humor.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2021/07/an-example-of-abdul-bahas-humor.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of Baha’u’llah bestowing physical healing upon a believer",
"slug": "bsbs-an-example-of-baha-u-llah-bestowing-physical-healing-upon-a-believer",
"summary": " There was a believer by the name of Shay\nThere was a believer by the name of Shaykh Ṣádiq\nof Yazd. He had emigrated from Persia to Baghdád during the time of Baha’u’llah.\n‘Abdu’l-Baha has described him as “a man esteemed, and righteous as his name, Ṣádiq.\n[truthful, loyal] He was a towering palm in the groves of Heaven, a star\nflaming in the skies of the love of God.” \n\n
\n\nHere is the story told by the Master: \n\n
\n\n“It was during the ‘Iráq period that he hastened to the\npresence of Bahá’u’lláh. His detachment from the things of this world and his\nattachment to the life of the spirit are indescribable. He was love embodied,\ntenderness personified. Day and night, he commemorated God. Utterly unconscious\nof this world and all that is therein, he dwelt continually on God, remaining\nsubmerged in supplications and prayers. Most of the time, tears poured from his\neyes. The Blessed Beauty singled him out for special favor, and whenever He\nturned His attention toward Ṣádiq, His loving-kindness was clear to see. \n\n
\n\n On a certain day they brought word that Ṣádiq was at the\npoint of death. I went to his bedside and found him breathing his last. He was\nsuffering from ileus, an abdominal pain and swelling. I hurried to Bahá’u’lláh\nand described his condition. “Go,” He said. “Place your\nhand on the distended area and speak the words: ‘O Thou the Healer!’” [Yá Sháfí]\n
\n\nI went back. I saw that the affected part had swollen up to\nthe size of an apple; it was hard as stone, in constant motion, twisting, and\ncoiling about itself like a snake. I placed my hand upon it; I turned toward\nGod and, humbly beseeching Him, I repeated the words, “O Thou the Healer!”\nInstantly the sick man rose up. The ileus vanished; the swelling was carried\noff.” \n\n- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Memorials of the Faithful’) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/04/an-example-of-bahaullah-bestowing.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/04/an-example-of-bahaullah-bestowing.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of Baha’u’llah’s great sagacity and insight as a youth",
"slug": "bsbs-an-example-of-baha-u-llah-s-great-sagacity-and-insight-as-a-youth",
"summary": " In the village of Yalrud which is near Baha’u’llah’s ancestral home in Takur, in northern Iran, there lived a mujtahid by the name of Shaykh Muhammad-Taqi who was…",
"figures": [
"Hasan Balyuzi"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"women",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/06/an-example-of-bahaullahs-great-sagacity.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n\nIn the village of Yalrud which is near Baha’u’llah’s\nancestral home in Takur, in northern Iran, there lived a mujtahid by the name\nof Shaykh Muhammad-Taqi who was well-famed throughout the land. He had a\nthousand scholars of divinity around him, whom he taught and, from time to time,\npresented with a complex question to resolve. \n\n
Whenever Baha’u’llah returned to His home in Takur, He would\nusually stop for a while in Yalrud, and here He would visit the mujtahid, who\nwas distantly related to His family. \n\n
During a visit to Yarud, when Baha’u’llah was sitting in the\ncompany of Shaykh Muhmmmad-Taqi and other scholars and divines, He was asked to\nresolve a question they had been unable to answer to the mujtahid's\nsatisfaction. \n\n
The problem was this: \n\n
An Islamic tradition states that ‘Fatimih is the best of the\nwomen of this world, but for the one born of Mary’. But since Mary had no\ndaughter, what did this conundrum mean? \n\n
Baha'u'llah replied that the initial statement emphasized the\nimpossibility of its alternative, since there could be no other woman\ncomparable to Fatimih. It was like saying that a certain monarch is the\ngreatest of the kings of this world, except for the one who comes down from\nHeaven; since no king has or will come down from Heaven, the uniqueness of that\none monarch is stressed. \n\n
Baha'u'llah’s explanation left the great mujtahid silent,\nbut next day he upbraided his disciples for having let him down badly. 'I have\ntaught and trained you for years on end,' he complained, 'but when the need arises,\nI find you wanting in understanding, whereas an unturbaned youth has\nbrilliantly explained the problem I had presented to you.' \n\n(Adapted from ‘Baha’u’llah,\nThe King of Glory’, by H.M. Balyuzi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/06/an-example-of-bahaullahs-great-sagacity.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/06/an-example-of-bahaullahs-great-sagacity.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of Baha’u’llah’s kindness to the needy",
"slug": "bsbs-an-example-of-baha-u-llah-s-kindness-to-the-needy",
"summary": "Nabil tells us that in the district [of Baghdad] where Bahá’u’lláh lived, people of the entire neighbourhood, particularly the poor, the disabled and the orphans, were sent gifts by Him. And as He…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"women",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/09/an-example-of-bahaullahs-kindness-to.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNabil tells us that in the district [of Baghdad] where Bahá’u’lláh lived, people of the entire neighbourhood, particularly the poor, the disabled and the orphans, were sent gifts by Him. And as He went about, whenever He came upon the needy, He showered His bounties on them. There was an old woman, eighty years of age, who lived in a ruined house. Every day, at the time when Bahá’u’lláh was going to the coffee-house by the bridge, she would be standing in the roadway awaiting Him. Bahá’u’lláh would stop, enquire after her health and give her some money. She would kiss His hands, and sometimes wanted to kiss His face but, being short of stature, she could not reach Him, and He would bend down His face towards her. He used to say, ‘She knows that I like her, that is why she likes Me.’ When He left Baghdad, He arranged a daily allowance to be given to her, to the end of her days. - Hand of the Cause Balyuzi (‘Baha’u’llah, The King of Glory’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/09/an-example-of-bahaullahs-kindness-to.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/09/an-example-of-bahaullahs-kindness-to.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of Bahíyyih Khánum’s loving care and compassion",
"slug": "bsbs-an-example-of-bahiyyih-khanum-s-loving-care-and-compassion",
"summary": "One of the Persian believers once recounted to the writer [Hand of the Cause Mr. Faizi] that when he came on pilgrimage with a group of fellow-believers, he brought along his wife who was not a…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"pilgrimage",
"women",
"family",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/12/a-lesson-in-universal-love.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne of the Persian believers once recounted to the writer\n[Hand of the Cause Mr. Faizi] that when he came on pilgrimage with a group of\nfellow-believers, he brought along his wife who was not a Baha’i. In those days\nthe journey to Haifa was long and difficult. Coming from Iran, they had to\ntravel by car for days and cross a stretch of hot desert between Baghdad and\nDamascus. Some of the travellers, under the hardships of the journey, grew\nsomewhat short-tempered and were rude to the Muslim woman. She was very sad at\nheart but did not say anything. \n\nThen the day came when the pilgrims found themselves at the\ndoor of the Master’s house. It was the custom for the womenfolk to be led into\na room where they would have the privilege of meeting the daughter of\nBahá'u'lláh. But on that day, they found Khánum [the Greatest Holy Leaf]\nwaiting expectantly outside. The pilgrims hastened to meet her. She greeted\nthem all but was still waiting outside. Waiting for whom? Finally they saw the\nMuslim woman slowly approaching, full of uncertainty and concern. The Greatest\nHoly Leaf advanced toward her and took the woman in her arms. Then, holding her\nby the hand, she led her into the room and invited her to sit next to herself.\nWhen all the pilgrims had taken their seats, Khanum took off her own ring and\nput it on the finger of her guest of honour. This brought tears to the eyes of\neveryone in the room as they learned a lesson in universal love. The husband of the Muslim woman told me that his wife did\nnot embrace the Faith, but she would never part with the ring, and she died\nwith the name of Khánum on her lips.
- Hand of the\nCause Abu'l-Qasim Faizi (‘A Gift of Love, offered to the Greatest Holy Leaf’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/12/a-lesson-in-universal-love.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/12/a-lesson-in-universal-love.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of how ‘Abdu’l-Baha refused to be intimated or cheated",
"slug": "bsbs-an-example-of-how-abdu-l-baha-refused-to-be-intimated-or-cheated",
"summary": "The other story surprised me - and enlightened me - very much; I heard it more than once: Shoghi Effendi said that one day he was…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"family",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2022/04/an-example-of-how-abdul-baha-refused-to.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe other story surprised me - and enlightened me - very\nmuch; I heard it more than once: \n\nShoghi Effendi said that one day he was driving back from\nAlexandria to Ramleh with the Master in a rented carriage, accompanied by a\nPasha who was going to the Master's house as His guest; when they arrived and\ngot out the Master asked the strapping big coachman how much He owed him the\nman asked an exorbitant price; 'Abdu'l-Bahá refused to pay it, the man insisted\nand became abusive to such an extent that he grasped the Master by the sash\naround His waist and pulled Him roughly back and forth, insisting on this\nprice. Shoghi Effendi said this scene in front of the distinguished guest embarrassed\nhim terribly. he was too small to do anything himself to help the Master and\nfelt horrified and humiliated. No so 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Who remained perfectly calm\nand refused to give in. When the man finally released his hold the Master paid\nhim exactly what He owed him, told him his conduct had forfeited the good tip\nHe had planned to give him, and walked off followed by Shoghi Effendi and the\nPasha! \n\nThere is no doubt that such things left a lifelong imprint\non the Guardian's character, who never allowed himself to be browbeaten or\ncheated, no matter whether or not this embarrassed or inconvenienced him, and\nthose who were working for him. \n\n- Ruhiyyih Khanum (‘The Priceless Pearl’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2022/04/an-example-of-how-abdul-baha-refused-to.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2022/04/an-example-of-how-abdul-baha-refused-to.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of how ‘Abdu’l-Baha treated an unfriendly Christian missionary in ‘Akka",
"slug": "bsbs-an-example-of-how-abdu-l-baha-treated-an-unfriendly-christian-missionary-in",
"summary": " While in Edinburgh ‘Abdu’l-Baha is reported to have \nWhile in Edinburgh ‘Abdu’l-Baha is reported to have mentioned\nthe following account to a group of Baha’is: \n\n
\n\n‘Abdu’l-Baha spoke to us about Miss Wardlaw\nRamsey, a Scottish Christian missionary in Akka. She was a most zealous\nmissionary; and though not friendly towards the Cause, the Master showed her\nall manner of kindness because she was very faithful to her Christ. \n\n
\n\n‘Abdu’l-Baha would tell her: \"Miss Ramsey! Do you know\nhow much I love you? Look in your heart and see how much you hate me; to that\nextent I love you!\" In response, she would try to turn her back upon Him. \n\n
\n\nWhile holding the Bible in her hand, she used to go from\nhouse to house and read passages from it from morning till evening. For a long\ntime she used to go to ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s House and read passages from the Bible to\nthe members of the Household. They would listen to her most attentively every\ntime. Finally she thought that she had converted them. One day while she was\nreading a passage, one of the members of the family asked her about the meaning\nof the verse she had just read. Unable to provide an explanation, they told her\nthat this was a prophecy about the appearance of Baha’u’llah and asked her if\nshe could see it in that light. She became very upset and left the house. \n\n \n
\nShe was very charitable. She spent all her funds in the work\nshe was doing there. She had 12 girls educated at her own expense in the\ncollege in Beirut. She would often give money to the poor in Akka. For forty\nyears she labored very faithfully and when she was 70 years old she decided to\nreturn to Scotland. She felt that she was too old to be of any use to her\nchurch in Akka. ‘Abdu’l-Baha gave her a farewell banquet.
\n\n
\n\nThe Master indicated that He liked her very much and hoped\nto see her in Scotland so He could tell her: ‘See, how I have come to see you!’ \n\n(Adapted from an account related by ‘Abdu’l-Bah in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1913,\nrecorded by Ahmad Sohrab; ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Edinburgh – Sohrab’s Diary Letters’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/05/an-example-of-how-abdul-baha-treated.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/05/an-example-of-how-abdul-baha-treated.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of how Baha’u’llah during His younger years chastised a famous religious leader for showing disrespect towards Christ",
"slug": "bsbs-an-example-of-how-baha-u-llah-during-his-younger-years-chastised-a-famous-r",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0_2YrVXOlhESl_OKj1w-xQwDS4mNfl_byQAbZCe_gFzGs8w7fSUqOwnEcSzdq_7-Q7Lnr9pewjH9WTPnpK4xsAi2yu9gj7Ajo0y6m07Z_MnZGbG2jwU9j_UH_AHOxm5YKuIiW11YHwE/s1600/Paintings-69.jpg\") Mirza Abu'l-Fadl, a famous Baha’i scholar, relates in one of\nhis works what he himself heard from a divine. \n\n
\n\nIn a gathering where Baha’u’llah\nwas present a famous high-ranking Sufi religious leader who was highly esteemed by Muhammad\nShah, was holding forth on the station that a human being can attain. Referring\nto himself, he said, 'Should my servant come to me and say that Jesus the Christ\nwas at the door, asking for me, my detachment is such that I would express no\nwish to see Him.' Some of those present kept silent, while others out of flattery\nmurmured assent. Only Baha’u’llah spoke up. He turned to the boastful divine who\nhad expressed such disrespect for a Manifestation of God, and said: 'You are\nvery close to the person of the sovereign and he is very devoted to you, but if\nthe chief executioner with ten of his men were to come to this door and tell\nyou that the monarch wanted to see you, would you take it calmly or would you\nbe perturbed?' The arrogant religious leader paused for a while before\nreplying, 'In truth, I would feel anxious.' 'In that case,' said Baha'u'llah,\n'you should not make such an assertion.' \n\n
\n\nBaha'u'llah's authoritative statement,\naccording to Mirza Abu'l-Fadl, left them all speechless. \n\n(Adapted from “Baha’u’llah, The King of Glory’, by H.M. Balyuzi) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/06/an-example-of-how-bahaullah-during-his.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/06/an-example-of-how-bahaullah-during-his.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of how man is unable to prevent God from executing His will",
"slug": "bsbs-an-example-of-how-man-is-unable-to-prevent-god-from-executing-his-will",
"summary": "
During the time that Bahá'u'lláh resided in the house of\n'Abbud, His fellow exiles had fully settled down in the city of 'Akká, and most\nof them were successful in their humble professions. During the governorship of\nAhmad Big Tawfiq, they enjoyed relative peace in their work.\n\nBut with the arrival of a new Governor, 'Abdu'r-Rahman\nPasha, the situation changed. For he proved to be one of the most hostile\nGovernors towards Bahá'u'lláh and His companions. He was very covetous and when\nhis designs to extract money from the company of exiles failed, he submitted an\ninflammatory report to the authorities in Istanbul. He complained that instead\nof imprisonment, all the Bahá'ís in 'Akká were free and working. The response\nfrom the Sublime Porte -- the office of the Grand Vizir in Istanbul -- was that\nthe edict of the Sultan must be obeyed, that they were prisoners and had no\nright to work. \n\nHusayn-i-Ashchi, who was one of Bahá'u'lláh’s sincere\nfollowers and would daily go to His house as a cook has given a detailed\naccount of this episode in his memoirs. The following is a summary of his\nnotes: \n\nWhen 'Abdu'r-Rahman Pasha received the note from the Sublime\nPorte condemning the exiles to imprisonment, it boosted his arrogance. He\ndecided to use it as a means of extracting some money for himself... Having\nfailed to do this, one evening he called on Shaykh 'Aliy-i-Miri, the Mufti [1]\nof 'Akká who was an admirer of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and shared with him his plan of\narresting the Bahá'ís in the morning. His plan was to arrest them as they came\nto open their shops and send them to prison. He also planned to restrict\n'Abdu'l-Bahá's freedom of movement in the city. He solicited the support of the\nMufti in this plan... \n\nThat same night the Mufti went to 'Abdu'l-Bahá, told him the\nnews and strongly urged the Master to bribe the Governor, as otherwise everyone\nwould be arrested in the morning. Disapproving the Mufti's solution, 'Abdu'l-Bahá\nassured him that God was compassionate and merciful, and that He would leave\nthis matter in the hand of God. He advised him to go home and to rest assured\nof the outcome. \n\nIt was late and Bahá'u'lláh had just retired. Nevertheless,\n'Abdu'l-Bahá went to Him and gave Him the news. Bahá'u'lláh ordered that the\nbelievers be advised not to go to work in the morning. Everyone was informed\nand they all assembled in the reception room of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the\nmorning... \n\nOn that morning, on my way to the House of Baha’u’llah, I\nnoticed that the shop of Aqa Muhammad-Ibrahim, the coppersmith, was closed and\nso were other shops belonging to the believers. I was very surprised and\nwondered what had happened. I hastened to the house of Bahá'u'lláh where I\nfound all the shopkeepers assembled in the reception room. I was told the news\nand went into the kitchen to work. \n\nIt was approximately two hours after sunrise when a man\npushed aside the curtain in front of the door with his walking stick. I looked\nup and it was Iskandar Effendi, the head of the telegraph office. He was in\ngreat haste but signs of joy could be detected in his appearance. He wanted to\nsee the Master who was upstairs at the time. I went up and found that He was in\nthe presence of Bahá'u'lláh. I told the Master that Iskandar Effendi had come\nto see Him and he was in a happy mood. The Blessed Beauty smiled and said 'Go\ndownstairs, Aqa! [2] He has good news. No one can frustrate God in His\npurpose.' \n\n'Abdu'l-Bahá went to the reception room where He was shown a\ntelegram just received containing the order of dismissal of 'Abdu'r-Rahman\nPasha.[3] After a few minutes He went hurriedly upstairs. Halfway up, I asked\nHim if he could tell me the news. He smiled and said in a loud voice, 'God has\nstruck a severe blow at the Pasha.' He then went to convey the news to\nBahá'u'lláh. \n\nAs to 'Abdu'r-Rahman Pasha, in the morning, accompanied by a\nfew soldiers, he went to arrest the believers at their shops and send them to\nprison. To his surprise he found the shops were closed. At first he thought the\nlate opening was perhaps due to the month of Ramadan when people were going\nlate to work. Soon after, he went to the Police Station where he waited for the\nshops to open up. During this time he was unaware of God's intervention... \n\nThe above telegram was addressed to Shaykh 'Aliy-i-Miri, the\nMufti of 'Akká, who communicated its content to the Pasha... The Mufti had been\ntruly astonished by this event. For it was late in the evening when the\nGovernor's scheme had come to light, and in the morning the telegram arrived.\nHe considered this incident to have been a miracle. He said to the Master, 'I\nam almost on the verge of losing my mind over this episode. Please tell me,\nwhat did Bahá'u'lláh say late that evening when you informed Him of the plot?'\n'Abdu'l-Bahá responded by saying that the Blessed Beauty ordered the believers\nnot to open their shops in the morning and advised them to leave their affairs\nin the hand of God. Bahá'u'lláh also declared that when a person leaves his\naffairs to God, he ought not to take any other measures himself, otherwise he\ncould frustrate the plan of God. \n\nIn a Tablet Bahá'u'lláh describes 'Abdu'r-Rahman Pasha as an\nembodiment of Satan, one who ruled over God in 'Akká. He asserts that God\nassisted him in his evil schemes for some time, until suddenly He took hold of\nhim with might and power. Admonishing the ousted Governor, Bahá'u'lláh states\nthat he was unable to prevent God from executing His will, and reminds him that\nmen greater than him did not succeed in frustrating His purpose. He also refers\nto the fate of other hostile governors and officials who were either dismissed\nor stricken with disease through the power of God. (Adapted from ‘The\nRevelation of Baha'u'llah vol. 3’, by Adib Taherzadeh) \n\nNotes \n\n[1] The religious leader of the city who usually wielded\ngreater influence and authority than a governor. \n\n[2] The Master, one of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's titles given to Him by\nBahá'u'lláh. He usually addressed 'Abdu'l-Bahá as Aqa. \n\n[3] It was not unusual for a telegraph office to share such\nnews with people, as there were no other news media. The fact that 'Abdu'l-Bahá\nreceived the news before the Governor shows the deep regard some officials had\nfor the Master. \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2022/01/an-example-of-how-man-is-unable-to.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2022/01/an-example-of-how-man-is-unable-to.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of how the Báb changed unseemly business practices while He was a merchant in Bushihr, Persia – related by ‘Abdu’l-Baha",
"slug": "bsbs-an-example-of-how-the-bab-changed-unseemly-business-practices-while-he-was-",
"summary": " During His stay in Bushihr, the Báb achieved extraordinary things and thoroughly demolished the foundation of people's corrupt practices. The merchants of Bushihr…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/05/an-example-of-how-bab-changed-unseemly.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n\nDuring His stay in Bushihr, the Báb achieved extraordinary\nthings and thoroughly demolished the foundation of people's corrupt practices.\nThe merchants of Bushihr had a custom that after a deal had been concluded they\nwould renege and barter to receive a considerable discount. \n\n
\n\nSome of them came to His Holiness, negotiated purchase of\nindigo dye, and bought a very large quantity. After they had sealed the bargain\nand moved the lots of indigo to their own office, they returned to renege and\nbargain. His Holiness did not accept and said, \"You made a bargain, signed\npapers, and the transaction has been completed. I will not give a discount and\nwill not renegotiate.\" They insisted. He replied. \"What I said is\nfinal.\" They pleaded: \"It is the custom of the country.\" He\nresponded: \"Many of these customs are wrong and will soon be abolished.\"\nNo matter how much they insisted, He would not agree. The merchants were\nobstinate, and at last He said, \"[If] the price is high, return the\nmerchandise as I will not barter.\" They insisted: \"It is the custom\nhere.\" He replied: \"I wish to put an end to this custom.\" They\ninsisted: \"If a merchant has bought commodities and moved them to his\nwarehouse, and then returns them, he will forfeit his standing with merchants.\"\n\"It is your choice,\" He told them, \"accept the terms and refrain\nfrom renegotiation.” Again they insisted: \"But this is the custom of the\nrealm.\" Yet again, He reminded them, \"I am ending this custom.\" Eventually,\nHe [the Báb] ordered the merchandise brought back to His shop and did not yield\nto their efforts at bargaining. \n\n
\n\nHe changed many of their unseemly practices during the period\nHe was a merchant in Bushihr. \n\n- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Words of 'Abdu'l-Baha, quoted by Mirza Habibu’llah Afnan\nin ‘The Genesis of the Bábi-Bahá’í Faiths in Shiraz and Fars’, translated and annotated by Ahang Rabbani) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/05/an-example-of-how-bab-changed-unseemly.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/05/an-example-of-how-bab-changed-unseemly.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of how the Guardian lived frugally and simply – by Hand of the Cause Furutan",
"slug": "bsbs-an-example-of-how-the-guardian-lived-frugally-and-simply-by-hand-of-the-cau",
"summary": "![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOMxYfAmTGoFrTc8aA6kHqC4kzy2FvpWds096UV7625cKBmMcoQjXN3swtUKTvn7gPkLIFFIYwEayHqL8jAJkDkiM05Lgy1EgecTUzVAjqHUweuoSkPKXuJwx1TG0uJlLDe9sl4cWsNo/s1600/Paintings-2.jpg\") Throughout our pilgrimage [1941] we visited the Shrines of\nthe Báb and 'Abdu'l-Baha in the company of the beloved Guardian. He would chant\nthe Tablet of Visitation in the Shrine of the Báb and then in the Shrine of\n'Abdu'l-Baha.
\n\n
\n\nHe always removed his half-boots outside the doors of the\nShrines. One day I noticed that the right wrist of the Guardian was in a white\nbandage and he had difficulty in moving it. I immediately thought that I should\nhelp remove his shoes. I bent down on my knees and started to undo the knots of\nhis bootlaces. He was just bending down, and said very quietly, \"Don't go\nto the trouble.\" I said, \"Beloved Guardian, this is my honor.\" I\nremoved his shoes, took my handkerchief from my pocket, and cleaned them. As I\nwas cleaning his boots I noticed that one of them had a hole in it and the\nother one was repaired. \n\n
\n\nI was truly saddened. I knew that the Guardian lived\nfrugally and simply, but I had not been aware of its extent. \n\n- Ali-Akbar Furutan (‘Hand of the Cause of God\nFurutan’, by Iran Furutan Muhajir) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/07/an-example-of-how-guardian-lived.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/07/an-example-of-how-guardian-lived.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of love and compassion shown by Munirih Khanum (‘Abdu’l-Baha’s wife)",
"slug": "bsbs-an-example-of-love-and-compassion-shown-by-munirih-khanum-abdu-l-baha-s-wif",
"summary": " \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin8misLEDH6Tg3GcWgjgj9OMguc3ik8PE1o5uS1hMJIR58oDHaQtey6FcxSh5V8FCTu4S3AdL88AI-06mXaptEkIT3ZfQV-DsTJD_E-yA4R5G0Fd_tYbiNbFT05qVCpM0Vkiw0HwnhCoQ/s200/Abdu'l-Baha's+wife+Munirih+Khanum.JPG\") May Maxwell, who was among the first group of Western\npilgrims to visit ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Akka in 1898-99, has left a brief\ndescription of a touching and heart-warming incident. Munirih Khanum, the wife\nof ‘Abdu’l-Baha, whom she refers to as Holy Mother, was consoling a young\nAmerican woman who was overcome by feelings of sadness because her parents\nhad not accepted the Baha’i Faith:\n \n\nOn one occasion one of the American believers was distraught\nand crying and said to the Holy Mother that she felt like an orphan because her\nparents did not believe. The wife of our Master took the girl in her arms, laid\nher head on her breast and told her that she was now her mother; therefore she\nshould be comforted. Then she took her into the presence of the Master and sitting\non the floor before Him in the most natural manner, still holding the girl\nclose to her loving heart, told Him all.
\n(May\nMaxwell, ‘An Early Pilgrimage’) \n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/10/an-example-of-love-and-compassion-shown.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/10/an-example-of-love-and-compassion-shown.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of the Báb’s honesty and fairness in business dealings while in Búshihr",
"slug": "bsbs-an-example-of-the-bab-s-honesty-and-fairness-in-business-dealings-while-in-",
"summary": "
A certain man confided to His [the Báb’s] care a trust,\nrequesting Him to dispose of it at a fixed price. When the Báb sent him the\nvalue of that article, the man found that the sum which he had been offered\nconsiderably exceeded the limit which he had fixed. He immediately wrote to the\nBáb, requesting Him to explain the reason. The Báb replied: ‘What I have sent\nyou is entirely your due. There is not a single farthing in excess of what is\nyour right. There was a time when the trust you had delivered to Me had\nattained this value. Failing to sell it at that price, I now feel it My duty to\noffer you the whole of that sum.’ However much the Báb’s client entreated Him\nto receive back the sum in excess, the Báb persisted in refusing.\n\n- Hájí Siyyid Javád-i-Karbilá’í (Quoted by Nabil, ‘The\nDawn-Breakers’, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2020/11/an-example-of-babs-honesty-and-fairness.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2020/11/an-example-of-babs-honesty-and-fairness.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of the commanding power of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá",
"slug": "bsbs-an-example-of-the-commanding-power-of-abdu-l-baha",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlFpgLxYOgtcc_93KKB9XvmGGQlpJ-yBE6EE3AUDA1rA3uqQOpce3SFx0WO9Jhr2S8_B_UflNGRFmmZPbkNrMksKd4J-bnNay3ViHIlmCx_Sw7UtMxy_Lc44F1U2ADMkxaRGnilqjEVxo/s1600/Paintings-19.jpg\") When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was about twenty-four years old, the most\nterrible crisis which Bahá'u'lláh and His family ever had to meet, developed in\nAdrianople, when once again they were on the eve of banishment. A banishment\nfar more cruel than the three that had preceded it, for now this uniquely\nunited family was to be torn asunder, Baha'u'llah sent to a distant city, a\nsecret destination, His wife and children to another secret destination;\nforever parted, and forever lost, one to the other. \n\n
\n\n'Abdu’l-Bahá sought out the officials. Again and again He\nwent to them. What He said has not been recorded--only that \"He pleaded\", \"He persisted\",\nand that the officials \"seemed unable to put the measure into\nexecution.\" \n\n
\n\nWhile this measure was pending, news of it reached the\nbelievers of Adrianople and they rushed in a body to the house of Baha'u'llah,\nfrantic at the thought of separation from Him. In such a state of agitation and\ndespair one old man seized a knife and crying, \"If I must be separated from my Lord, I will go now and join\nmy God,\" cut his throat. \n\n
\n\nA scene of wild confusion followed, during which a cordon of\npolice surrounded the frenzied crowd and attempted brutally to control it. \n\n
\n\nIt was then that 'Abdu’l-Bahá suddenly appeared in their\nmidst. A lightning flash of power and a superhuman force was felt by all as\nthey heard His \"impassioned and vehement words\", denouncing the\ncruelty of the police, demanding the presence of the governor. \n\n
\n\nIn telling the story ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s sister, Bahiyyih Khánum,\ntold Juliet Thompson: \"We had never before seen my brother angry.\" \n\n
\n\nSo swift was the effect of this anger that the governor was\nat once sent for. He hurried to the scene and, witnessing it, said: \"We\ncannot separate these people. It is impossible.\" \n\n
\n\nThus it was that about seventy devotees were allowed to\naccompany their Divine Beloved, Baha’u’llah, to ‘Akka. \n\n(Adapted from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,\nThe Center of the Covenant’, by Juliet Thompson) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/10/an-example-of-commanding-power-of-abdul.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/10/an-example-of-commanding-power-of-abdul.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of the effect of Baha’u’llah’s Teachings on early believers",
"slug": "bsbs-an-example-of-the-effect-of-baha-u-llah-s-teachings-on-early-believers",
"summary": " An actual incident related by ‘Abdu’l-Baha:
\nAn actual incident\nrelated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha: \n \n
\n \nA certain person violently molested and grievously injured a\ncertain Bábí. The victim unclosed his hand in retaliation and arose to take\nvengeance, unsheathing his weapon against the aggressor. Becoming the object of\ncensure and reprimand of this sect, however, he took refuge in flight. \n \n
\n \nWhen he\nreached Hamadán his character became known, and, as he was of the clerical\nclass, the doctors vehemently pursued him, handed him over to the government,\nand ordered chastisement to be inflicted. \n \n
\n \nBy chance\nthere fell out from the fold of his collar a document written by Bahá’u’lláh,\nthe subject of which was reproof of attempts at retaliation, censure and\nreprobation of the search after vengeance, and prohibition from following after\nlusts. Amongst other matters they found these expressions contained in it:\n“Verily God is quit of the seditious,” and likewise: “If ye be slain it is\nbetter for you than that ye should slay. And when ye are tormented have\nrecourse to the controllers of affairs and the refuge of the people; and if ye\nbe neglected then entrust your affairs to the Jealous Lord. This is the mark of\nthe sincere, and the characteristic of the assured.” \n \n
\n \nWhen the\ngovernor became cognizant of this writing he addressed that person saying, “By\nthe decree of that Chief whom you yourself obey correction is necessary and\npunishment and chastisement obligatory.” \n \n
\n \n“If,”\nreplied that person, “you will carry out all His precepts I shall have the\nutmost pleasure in [submitting to] punishment and death.” \n \n
\n \nThe\ngovernor smiled and let the man go. \n \n(‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘A Traveler’s Narrative’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/03/an-example-of-effect-of-bahaullahs.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/03/an-example-of-effect-of-bahaullahs.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of the operation of the Will of God",
"slug": "bsbs-an-example-of-the-operation-of-the-will-of-god",
"summary": "
![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBMlQCVApuZP6xcLPv9sZ5AROl8bGvdKMgL1BmuWmzq8nFRUDYOA5yANqK45sWaFqk_ypZd2fQHWkEh34qGykaBPF5JRHUdxFVtpA24VOV0syz_x6P3ZtUeK3U_bAeQdXDcQXa2RCSd0/s0/Horizon-jj.jpg\") - Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, translated and edited by\nShoghi Effendi)
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2020/09/an-example-of-operation-of-will-of-god.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2020/09/an-example-of-operation-of-will-of-god.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of why not to read the Word of God with the eye of intellect only",
"slug": "bsbs-an-example-of-why-not-to-read-the-word-of-god-with-the-eye-of-intellect-onl",
"summary": " The following story in the life of \nThe following story in the life of Mirza Abu'l-Fadl, the\noutstanding scholar of the Cause and its famous apologist, is one which\ndemonstrates that reading the Word of God with the eye of intellect can lead a\nman astray. \n\n
\n\nMirza Abu’l-Fadl, himself, has recounted the story that soon\nafter he came in contact with the believers, they gave him the Kitáb-i-Íqán to\nread. He read it with an air of intellectual superiority and was not impressed\nby it. He even commented that if the Kitáb-i-Íqán was a proof of Bahá'u'lláh's\nclaims, he himself could certainly write a better book. \n\n
\n\nAt that time he was the head of a theological college in\nTihran. The following day a prominent woman arrived at the college and\napproached some students asking them to write an important letter for her. In\nthose days people who were not educated often paid a small sum of money to a\nlearned man to write letters for them. The essential requirements for writing\ngood letters were good composition and fine penmanship. \n\n
\n\nThe students referred her to Mirza Abu'l-Fadl saying that he\nwas an outstanding writer, a master of eloquence and a man unsurpassed in the\nart of composition. Mirza Abu'l-Fadl took up his pen to write, but found\nhimself unable to compose the first sentence. He tried very hard but was\nunsuccessful. For several minutes he scribbled in the corner of the page and\neven drew lines on his own fingernail, until the woman realized that the\nlearned scribe was unable to write. Losing her patience she arose to go and\nmockingly said to Mirza Abu'l-Fadl, 'If you have forgotten how to write a\nsimple letter why don't you say so instead of keeping me here while you\nscrawl?' \n\n \n
\nMirza Abu'l-Fadl says that he was overcome with feelings of\nshame as a result of this incident, and then suddenly remembered his own\ncomments the night before about his being able to write a better book than the\nKitáb-i-Íqán. He had a pure heart and knew that this incident was nothing but a\nclear answer to his arrogant attitude towards that holy Book.
\n\n
\n\nHowever, it took Mirza Abu'l-Fadl several years to be\nconvinced of the truth of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh. He reached a stage where he\naccepted the Faith intellectually, but for years his heart was not convinced.\nThe only thing which caused him to recognize the truth of the Cause of God\nafter having struggled for so long was to submit himself and surrender his\nintellectual gifts to God. \n\n
\n\nOne evening he went into his chamber, and prayed with\nyearning as tears flowed from his eyes, beseeching God to open the channels of\nhis heart. At the hour of dawn he suddenly found himself possessed of such\nfaith that he felt he could lay down his life in the path of Bahá'u'lláh. \n\n
\n\nThe same person who once had said he could write a better\nbook than the Kitáb-i-Íqán, read this book many times with the eye of faith and\nfound it to be an ocean of knowledge, limitless in scope. Every time he read it\nhe found new pearls of wisdom within it and discovered new mysteries which he\nhad not come across before. \n\n(Adapted from ‘The Revelation of Baha'u'llah vol. 2’,\nby Adib Taherzadeh) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/01/an-example-of-not-to-read-word-of-god.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/01/an-example-of-not-to-read-word-of-god.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An overwhelming desire to see ‘Abdu’l-Baha...",
"slug": "bsbs-an-overwhelming-desire-to-see-abdu-l-baha",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgcHvUrr0qIzoC3uvnAKLDfcgE1nwtitkT7f-fC24Nv96E8GeB6K2-UxweftNRgjPOnQRH_8Z52bgVlc_EkF8N_rcZYr5eWt66a-5i9b_b-OyhUMOAvrLkYGHWxKsiL7ZvAQkraSXkPbY/s1600/John+Bosch-a-1a.jpg\") When the news came that 'Abdu'l-Baha was on the way to\nAmerica, John Bosch\nhad such an overwhelming desire to see Him he started for New York on April 12,\n1912. At Chicago, hearing that 'Abdu'l-Baha was in Washington, he went there\ninstead, only to find that 'Abdu'l-Baha had not yet left New York. So he\nhurried on to that city, arriving very early on a cold and snowy morning. As\nsoon as he had secured his room in the Hotel Ansonia he stole to 'Abdu'l-Baha's\nsuite and was admitted almost immediately. Relating his experience to a friend,\nhe said: \n\n
\n\nWhen I entered the room I had a pocketful of questions to\nask 'Abdu'l-Baha, but when I saw Him I suddenly felt quite empty. I never took\nthe questions out. Eventually 'Abdu'l-Baha told me all that I had wanted to ask\nHim. Foolishly I remarked that I had come three thousand miles to see Him, and\nHe smilingly replied, \"I came seven thousand miles to see you.\" I\ntold Him that I, being a foreigner, had not the capacity of a speaker and that\nmy work so far had been to circulate books and a few pamphlets. 'Abdu'l-Baha\nsaid: \"You are doing very well; you are doing better than talking. With\nyou it is not words or the movement of the lips; with you it is the heart that\nspeaks. In your presence silence speaks and radiates.\" Then tea was\nbrought in and after we had both partaken of it 'Abdu'l-Baha said: \"You\nare now one of the family. You may come and go as you please.\" \n\n(Adapted\nfrom ‘In Memoriam’ section of The Baha’i World 1946-1950: ‘John David Bosch’,\nby Charlotte M. Linfoot) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/08/an-overwhelming-desire-to-see-abdul-baha.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/08/an-overwhelming-desire-to-see-abdul-baha.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "“At such a time, a firm believer is known!\" – a story told by ‘Abdu’l-Baha",
"slug": "bsbs-at-such-a-time-a-firm-believer-is-known-a-story-told-by-abdu-l-baha",
"summary": "Mirza Ghorban Ali, who was one of the Seven Martyrs, a man of great piety and learning, was a strong Bábi, but he was very fearful and timid. He was so fearful of being known as a Bábi that when he…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"martyrdom",
"prison",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"justice",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2025/02/at-such-time-firm-believer-is-known.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMirza Ghorban Ali, who was one of the Seven Martyrs, a man\nof great piety and learning, was a strong Bábi, but he was very fearful and\ntimid. He was so fearful of being known as a Bábi that when he met the friends\nin the streets he would not look at them. He shunned their association. Yet the\nenemies found him out somehow, and brought him into the prison house. As he was\nwell known among the military class for his wisdom and devotion, two of these\ninfluential officers went to Mirza Taqi Khan, the Prime Minister, and\ninterceded for him. \n\nWhen the Prime Minister found out that such important men\nwere interceding for him, he became very lenient and told them to bring him to\nhim so that he might recant. This Prime Minister was such a domineering and\nblood-thirsty man that the army was in constant fear of him, so that when he\nwas reviewing the army if he just turned his eyes upon one of the soldiers he\nwould tremble and shake with fear. \n\nFinally these two officers took Mirza Ghorban Ali to the\nPrime Minister, and they were so happy in the thought that he would be released\nbefore long. When he came before the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister looked\nat him and said: 'These friends of yours have interceded for you. Are you ready\nto repudiate Ali Muhammad (the Báb)?' Mirza Ghorban Ali, looking around, saw\nthe executioner about fifteen feet from him, standing, and then he turned to\nthe Minister and asked: 'Whom shall I repudiate, Ali or Muhammad?' (Muhammed\nbeing the Prophet and Ali His son-in-law, they are considered the Holy Ones in\nthe Muhammadan world. The name of the Báb is composed of these two.) The Prime\nMinister became so angry that he ordered the executioners to take him away and\nkill him, and he left the presence of the Prime Minister with serene face and a\nheavenly smile on his countenance. At such a time, a firm believer is\nknown!\" - ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha to a group of Baha’is at\n‘Abdu’l-Baha’s residence, Dublin, New Hampshire, 31 July, 1912; Star of the\nWest, vol. 3, no. 11, September 27, 1912) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2025/02/at-such-time-firm-believer-is-known.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2025/02/at-such-time-firm-believer-is-known.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Baha’u’llah during His youthful prime – told by ‘Abdu’l-Baha",
"slug": "bsbs-baha-u-llah-during-his-youthful-prime-told-by-abdu-l-baha",
"summary": " \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7ADE0AEliPc1JwDAL9Q6CIherVFDWgQ11L-oPyFCpX8iOFGdunfM-BMbSjSlvtpHOtj0s6uOHWEssbEaiAEupqqEbuWmjw_fJYRk-fDgspa2dPQlIm02VAX5gN40K5uaRLyHM9Qt304/s1600/Paintings-17-1.jpg\") \n \n(‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘A traveler’s\nNarrative’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/09/bahaullah-during-his-youthful-prime.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/09/bahaullah-during-his-youthful-prime.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Bahá’u’lláh’s departure for the Garden of Ridván",
"slug": "bsbs-baha-u-llah-s-departure-for-the-garden-of-ridvan",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL9G1SlQeUpNEQr50aMNpBbIgnQVIfbhqI2kPYPy2uvO8npYefe5NH9CNPa1LOPVUAOR_GiqR_2hIzKSyZhhccwVNqWEHPhWEu9jziMlYCLtAHIjE3SA90bewx68jVaWvVpa6TR6QSIRw/s1600/House-of-Baha-Baghdad-2-1-after+restoration+in+early+1930's.jpg\") \n \nThe love and admiration of the people of Baghdad for\nBahá'u'lláh was fully demonstrated on the day of His departure from His 'Most\nGreat House' in Baghdad. Then His majesty and greatness were evident to both\nfriend and foe. The news of His forthcoming departure for Constantinople had\nspread rapidly among the inhabitants of Baghdad and its neighbouring towns, and\nlarge numbers wished to attain His presence and pay their last tributes to Him.\nBut soon it became apparent that His house was too small for the purpose. When\nNajib Pasha, one of the notables of the city of Baghdad heard of this, he\nimmediately placed his garden-park, Najibiyyih, at the disposal of Bahá'u'lláh.\nThis beautiful garden, designated by His followers as the Garden of Ridván\n(Paradise), was situated on the outskirts of Baghdad, across the river from\nBahá'u'lláh's house. \n \n
\n \nThirty-one days after Naw-Ruz, on 22 April 1863, [1] in the\nafternoon, Bahá'u'lláh moved to this garden, where He remained for twelve days.\nOn the first day He declared His Mission to His companions. [2] These twelve\ndays are celebrated by the Bahá'ís as the Festival of Ridván. \n \n
\n \nThe departure of Bahá'u'lláh from His house witnessed a\ncommotion the like of which Baghdad had rarely seen. People of all walks of\nlife, men and women, rich and poor, young and old, men of learning and culture,\nprinces, government officials, tradesmen and workers, and above all His\ncompanions, thronged the approaches of His house and crowded the streets and\nroof-tops situated along His route to the river. They were lamenting and\nweeping the departure of One Who, for a decade, had imparted to them the warmth\nof His love and the radiance of His spirit, Who had been a refuge and guide for\nthem all. \n \n \n \n When Bahá'u'lláh appeared in the courtyard of His house His\ncompanions, grief-stricken and disconsolate, prostrated themselves at His feet.\nFor some time He stood there, amid the weeping and lamentations of His loved\nones, speaking words of comfort and promising to receive each of them in the\ngarden of Ridván later.\n \n
\n \nBahá'u'lláh describes in a Tablet how a child of only a few\nyears old ran from amongst the crowd and, clinging to His robes, wept aloud,\nbegging Him in his tender young voice not to leave. In such an atmosphere,\nwhere emotions had been so deeply stirred, this action on the part of a small\nchild moved the hearts and brought further grief to everyone. \n \n
\n \nThe scenes of lamentation and weeping of those who did not\nconfess to be His followers outside the house of Baha’u’llah were no less\nspectacular and heart-rending. Everyone in the crowded street sought to\napproach Him. Some prostrated themselves at His feet, others waited to hear a\nfew words, yet others were content with a touch of His hands, a glance at His\nface. A Persian lady of noble birth, who was not herself a believer,\npushed her way into the crowd and with a gesture of sacrifice threw her child\nat the feet of Bahá'u'lláh. These demonstrations continued all the way to the\nbank of the river. \n \n
\n \nBefore crossing the river, Bahá'u'lláh counselled the Bábís\nresiding in Baghdad to maintain the good reputation of the Teachings of the Báb\nthrough their conduct. \n \n
\n \nBahá'u'lláh was then ferried across the river, accompanied\nby three of His sons: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Mirza Mihdi (the Purest Branch) and\nMuhammad-'Ali, who were eighteen, fourteen and ten years of age, respectively.\nWith them also was His amanuensis, Mirza Aqa Jan. The identity of the others\nwho may have accompanied Him, or of those in the garden who had pitched His\ntent and were making preparations for His arrival, or of those who might have\nfollowed Him on that day, is not clearly known. \n \n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OQbyHwRLJZeE2389mwqMW5uQr-PXuZwOqY0gWIC1TwfVDmLPoXjHI9XQiziv3X-7gvgnpLBviu1qFaoThAn3FHsoAVcAB9UZjaK5mAWzrAEoloYsRM0calczgbjYa_tKi8RSfhxVNL0/s1600/Ridvan+garden-1.jpg\")
\n \nThe call to afternoon prayer was raised from the mosque and\nthe words 'Allah'u'Akbar' (God is the Greatest) chanted by the man calling the\nfaithful to prayer reverberated through the garden as the King of Glory entered\nit. There, Bahá'u'lláh appeared in the utmost joy, walking majestically in its\navenues lined with flowers and trees. The fragrance of the roses and the\nsinging of the nightingales created an atmosphere of beauty and enchantment. \n \n
\n \n(Adapted from ‘The Revelation of Baha’u’llah, vol. 1’, by\nAdib Taherzadeh) \n \n
\n \n[1] Thirty-one days after Naw-Ruz (21 March) normally falls\non 21 April. Occasionally, as in the year 1863, when the vernal equinox takes\nplace after sunset, Naw-Ruz is celebrated on 22 March. \n \n[2] This was stated by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in a talk given at Bahji\non 29 April 1916. \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/04/bahaullahs-departure-for-garden-of.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/04/bahaullahs-departure-for-garden-of.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Bahá’u’lláh’s father’s dream about Him when He was a child and the soothsayer’s amazing interpretation and prediction",
"slug": "bsbs-baha-u-llah-s-father-s-dream-about-him-when-he-was-a-child-and-the-soothsay",
"summary": " ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFBkRyZHHoy99ouy7VruH0u-TwozP80rq1vY9v7ciyBHA9X3BV7wYoTqLsPOazW_4UQFxCOAO3WbK_1dTGOLpWgsqyLyHirf06uDeyp1SodMWDkyiux1V-xg-trAOBdnGKQC8WkVzm2o/s1600/0717_paintings-149.jpg\") When Bahá’u’lláh was still a child, the Vazír, His father,\ndreamed a dream. Bahá’u’lláh appeared to him swimming in a vast, limitless\nocean. His body shone upon the waters with a radiance that illumined the sea.\nAround His head, which could distinctly be seen above the waters, there\nradiated, in all directions, His long, jet-black locks, floating in great\nprofusion above the waves. As he dreamed, a multitude of fishes gathered round\nHim, each holding fast to the extremity of one hair. Fascinated by the\neffulgence of His face, they followed Him in whatever direction He swam. Great\nas was their number, and however firmly they clung to His locks, not one single\nhair seemed to have been detached from His head, nor did the least injury\naffect His person. Free and unrestrained, He moved above the waters and they\nall followed Him.\n \n
\n \nThe Vazír, greatly impressed by this dream, summoned a\nsoothsayer, who had achieved fame in that region, and asked him to interpret it\nfor him. This man, as if inspired by a premonition of the future glory of\nBahá’u’lláh, declared: “The limitless ocean that you have seen in your dream, O\nVazír, is none other than the world of being. Single-handed and alone, your son\nwill achieve supreme ascendancy over it. Wherever He may please, He will\nproceed unhindered. No one will resist His march, no one will hinder His\nprogress. The multitude of fishes signifies the turmoil which He will arouse\namidst the peoples and kindreds of the earth. Around Him will they gather, and\nto Him will they cling. Assured of the unfailing protection of the Almighty,\nthis tumult will never harm His person, nor will His loneliness upon the sea of\nlife endanger His safety.” \n \n
\n \nThat soothsayer was subsequently taken to see Bahá’u’lláh.\nHe looked intently upon His face, and examined carefully His features. He was\ncharmed by His appearance, and extolled every trait of His countenance. Every\nexpression in that face revealed to his eyes a sign of His concealed glory. So\ngreat was his admiration, and so profuse his praise of Bahá’u’lláh, that the\nVazír, from that day, became even more passionately devoted to his son. The\nwords spoken by that soothsayer served to fortify his hopes and confidence in Him.\nLike Jacob, he desired only to ensure the welfare of his beloved Joseph, and to\nsurround Him with his loving protection. \n \n- Nabil ('The Dawn-Breakers, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2020/01/bahaullahs-fathers-dream-about-him-when.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2020/01/bahaullahs-fathers-dream-about-him-when.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Bahá’u’lláh’s marriage to Ásíyih Khánúm and their early lives together up until His recognition of the Báb",
"slug": "bsbs-baha-u-llah-s-marriage-to-asiyih-khanum-and-their-early-lives-together-up-u",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QXlBT8sk69nHybSl3f-9qzla4C7GPNl8BDSQma3fT_A6JbCjxf1qn4VmZCaEANhbwhZw38xMZ2S6mnQ7za5RmJVJ4BG9Cn_8q6vK9WdXl8hrA_3tmYCg1E4FJAPvCcOT1skXsibiGmc/s1600/Paintings-9-1.jpg\") When Bahá’u’lláh was nearly eighteen years old, His older\nsister requested their father's permission for her Brother to marry her\nhusband's sister, Ásíyih Khánúm. Ásíyih Khánúm, who was then fifteen years old,\nwas exceedingly beautiful, lively and winsome. Their marriage, which took place\nin the fall of 1835, opened a new level of responsibility and fulfillment for\nthe young nobleman. He was to share a lifetime of love and extreme difficulties\nwith this great noblewoman who later was known by the title Navváb (her\nHighness, her Excellency). \n \n
\n \nThe young married couple devoted themselves to charitable\nactivities during the early years of their married life. Their daughter\nBahíyyih Khánúm recounted many years later how her parents \"took part as\nlittle as possible in State functions, social ceremonies, and the luxurious\nhabits of ordinary highly-placed and wealthy families in the land of Persia.\n[They] … counted these worldly pleasures meaningless, and preferred rather to\noccupy themselves in caring for the poor, and for all who were unhappy, or in\ntrouble.'\" Their Son, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, also recalled His Father's role\nduring those early years of His marriage: \n \n
\n \n\"He was most generous, giving abundantly to the poor.\nNone who came to Him were turned away. The doors of His house were open to all.\nHe always had many guests. This unbounded generosity was conducive to greater\nastonishment from the fact that He sought neither position nor prominence. In\ncommenting upon this His friends said He would become impoverished, for His\nexpenses were many and His wealth becoming more and more limited. 'Why is He\nnot thinking of His own affairs?' they inquired of each other; but some who\nwere wise declared, 'This Personage is connected with another world; He has\nsomething sublime within Him that is not evident now; the day is coming when it\nwill be manifested.' In truth, the\nBlessed Perfection [Bahá’u’lláh] was a refuge for every weak one, a shelter for\nevery fearing one, kind to every indigent one, lenient and loving to all\ncreatures.\" \n \n
\n \nDue to such acts of charity and service Bahá’u’lláh and His\nwife earned widespread reputation as \"The Father of Poor\" and\n\"The Mother of Consolation\". \n \n \n \n Residence\n \nBahá'u'lláh and Ásíyih Khánúm initially lived in one of the\nmany mansions that His father Mirzá Búzúrg owned in the capital city, Tehrán.\nThis was the same mansion in which Bahá’u’lláh was born. Shortly after this,\nhowever, the entire family was forced to move out as a result of the extremely\nunfair scheming against Bahá’u’lláh's father by the new Prime Minister Hájí\nMirzá Áqásí. This is how it happened: \n \n
\n \nA year before Bahá’u’lláh's marriage, Fath-'Ali Sháh who had\nreigned the country for thirty-five years died and his grandson Muhammad Sháh\nwas crowned king. In June of 1835 the new king executed the Prime Minister, the\nable and noble Mirzá Abdu'l-Qásim who was an esteemed friend of Bahá’u’lláh's\nfather. Then, in that same month, the Sháh appointed his former elderly tutor\nHájí Mirzá Áqásí as the new Prime Minister. Hájí Mirzá Áqásí was a vain, cruel\nand ruthless plotter whose treacherous, intolerant, and bigoted personality\nbrought the country to the edge of ruin. \n \n
\n \nWhen Hájí Mirzá Áqásí learned that Bahá’u’lláh's father was\nhorrified at the Hájí's role in murdering his predecessor, he retaliated. He\nremoved Mirzá Búzúrg from the governorship of Búrújird and Lúristán provinces,\ncut off his annual income, and engineered a divorce from a daughter of the\nformer Sháh whom he had married as his fourth wife a few years earlier. As a\nresult of this very unfair and evil plotting, Mirzá Búzúrg faced a very costly\ndivorce settlement at a time when all of his legitimate sources of income were\ncut off by the Prime Minister's machinations. \nHe was forced to quickly sell his magnificent interconnected mansions in\nthe capital city with all their very valuable furnishings at a very low price\nin order to stop daily beatings by thugs that were sent to him by his ex-wife\nto extract money for the divorce settlement. \n \n
\n \nFollowing this conspiracy and fraud, Bahá’u’lláh,\naccompanied by His wife Ásíyih Khánúm, His mother Khadíjih Khánúm, His other\nstepmothers and a number of brothers and sisters, moved to a rented house not\nfar from the mansion of His youth. \n \n
\n \nAdded Responsibilities \n \nIn 1839, when Bahá’u’lláh was about twenty-two years old,\nHis father passed away. It was the year 1839. Although He had an older\nhalf-brother, Bahá’u’lláh's recognized and proven leadership abilities made Him\nthe only candidate to assume responsibility for His father's large family. This\nhuge and demanding family complex included His own brother and sisters and\ntheir families, His half-brothers, half-sisters, step-brothers, and\nstep-sisters, all with their own families. Probably to some degree Bahá’u’lláh\nalso had influence upon His aunts and uncles and their numerous dependents. As\none can imagine in such an extended family environment there was potential for\nevery manner of personal conflict and differences arising that would require\nintervention and guidance. \n \n
\n \nBahá’u’lláh took on this added responsibility with courage\nand determination. His genuine desire to solve family problems in the best way\npossible, His innate wisdom and insight combined with His gentle and kind\ndisposition reinforced His leadership abilities. Furthermore, His sunny\ndisposition and humor made those difficult and testing days more bearable for\neveryone involved. Bahá’u’lláh also received great assistance and comfort from\nHis devoted companion and wife, Ásíyih Khánúm, whose charm and warmth pervaded\nthe new household. \n \n
\n \nBahá’u’lláh's\nChildren \n \nAlmost all of Bahá’u’lláh's children from His marriage with\nÁsíyih Khánúm were born in this rented house which was located in the northern\nsection of Tehran near the Gate of Shimirán. They had a total of seven\nchildren, six boys and one girl. Their first two sons Kázim and Sádiq died in\ninfancy. Their third son named 'Abbás was born on May 23, 1844. He was later\nknown as 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Two years later they had their only daughter named\nFátimih, later to be known as Bahíyyih Khánúm. Their fourth son named\n'Ali-Múhammad also died in childhood. Their last surviving child, while they\nwere at this house, was born in 1848. He was named Mihdí, after Bahá’u’lláh's\nbrother who had died in their father's lifetime. Bahá’u’lláh and Ásíyih Khánúm\nhad one last child, a son who died in infancy in 1854 when the family was\nexiled in Baghdad, Iraq. \n \n
\n \nDuring the summer months when the weather was often\nexceptionally hot in the capital city Tehran, Bahá’u’lláh and His family would\nrepair to Tákúr, an ancestral village located about 60 miles north of Tehrán.\nOn occasion the family would go to places closer to the capital city. The\nbeautiful natural setting of these environs provided some temporary relief for\nBahá’u’lláh to enjoy the company of His family.
\n(Adapted from ‘Stories of Baha’u’llah’; ‘The Dawn-Breakers; ‘Baha’u’llah\nand the New Era’; ‘The Chosen Highway’; ‘Promulgation of Universal Peace’; and ‘Baha’u’llah, The King of Glory’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/12/bahaullahs-marriage-to-asiyih-khanum.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/12/bahaullahs-marriage-to-asiyih-khanum.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Baha’u’llah’s servant: Isfandiyar - \"the essence of love, radiant with sanctity and perfection, luminous with light\"",
"slug": "bsbs-baha-u-llah-s-servant-isfandiyar-the-essence-of-love-radiant-with-sanctity-",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2d6GWu-9NYxgQKXKZhY6Og8mDmKFBL0UeT0wYZcIob4xUEGvXPVR3oEHLzJiRdR0LAW1jAeVtRsaEhWhiOU_DAil8kZkq-A0uhwAKczNNYjMQ__AEAd0lPficQtlXKBGIXHTP5jz4sI/s1600/Paintings-58-1.jpg\") Isfandiyar was a gem from Africa, pure and untarnished, and\nyet firm and steadfast as a diamond under all pressures and persecutions. He\nmanifested his inherent qualities when faced with perils which endangered his\nlife as a Babi. His wonderful countenance reflected the rays of love and\ncourage. \n \n
\n \nIsfandiyar was a servant in the house of Baha'u'llah and, as\na fruitful tree planted in good soil, he yielded a spiritual harvest. His love\nfor Baha'u'llah was unlimited and, though many Ministers and other high\ngovernment officials coveted him as a servant in their household, he remained\never-faithful to his own Master. \n \n
\n \nAt the time when the persecution of the Babis began in the\ncapital and Baha'u'llah was taken to the Siyah-Chal, the enemies of the new\nFaith were looking for Isfandiyar so that they could force him to betray the\nfollowers of the Bab whom he had seen in the house of Baha'u'llah. The Shah had\ncommanded many people to find Isfandiyar and they were searching for him\neverywhere. But when he heard of the misfortune which had befallen the family\nof his beloved Master, nothing could keep him away from them. \n \n
\n \nWe can imagine Isfandiyar standing among the ruins of his\nMaster's house, drowned in an ocean of tribulation, his heart heavy with the\nweight of anguish. He seemed to have lost everything in the world. He did not\nthink of all the rich furnishings, clothes and jewels which had been looted\nfrom the house of Baha'u'llah. But the thought of his Master in the Siyah-Chal\nand the members of that noble family now dispersed and at the mercy of their\nfoes was more than he could bear. \"Where are the children?\" he asked\nhimself. \"What has befallen their saintly mother?\" Isfandiyar decided\nto find them, but there was no trace of the family in the surrounding\nneighbourhood. No one knew where they had gone or what fresh misfortune had\novertaken them. \n \n \n \n \nIsfandiyar pondered, planned and came to a decision; then he\nrose up like one of the lions of his own continent. But bravery alone was not\nenough and here is where we discover the purity of his heart. He put his trust\nin divine guidance and, as he went out to trace the steps of his lost ones, a\nmysterious force directed his steps and led him to his goal. It seemed as\nthough he had become invisible as he walked on the streets and passed through\nthe market-place, because no one recognized or molested him. \n \n
\n \nThe joy of the children at their reunion with Isfandiyar was\ngreat, for they loved him dearly. Speaking of him years later, 'Abdu'l-Baha\nsaid, \"Whenever I think of Isfandiyar I am moved to tears although he\npassed away fifty years ago.\" [1] \n \n
\n \nAfter her home was looted, Asiyih Khanum had little to give\nher children to eat and they went hungry most of the time. She did not know\nwhom to turn to or how to provide for them. Worst of all, she had no more news\nof her beloved Husband and wondered what had befallen Him in the Siyah-Chal.\nShe was surrounded by grave danger and in need of assistance and yet, when she\nsaw their faithful servant standing before them, her first thoughts were for\nhis safety. She said to him, \"There are a hundred policemen seeking for\nyou. If they catch you they will not kill you at once but will torture you with\nfire. They will cut off your fingers. They will cut off your ears. They will\nput out your eyes to force you to tell them the secrets of Baha'u'llah. Go\naway! Do not stay here!\" [2] \n \n
\n \nIsfandiyar was deeply touched by her noble expressions of\ntrue concern, but he refused to go away. He told Asiyih Khanum he could not\nleave until he had paid the family debts to shopkeepers from whom he had bought\nsupplies. He could not bear to hear the fair name of his Master belittled in\nthe market-place, and he did not leave until he had sold a few things he had\nand paid Baha'u'llah's debts to the last penny. \n \n
\n \n'Abdu'l-Baha spoke most lovingly of Isfandiyar during His\ntours of Europe and America. He praised him as \"the essence of love,\nradiant with sanctity and perfection, luminous with light.\" [3] He crowned\nhis head with the diadem of eternity when He said, \"If a perfect man could\nbe found in the world, that man was Isfandiyar.\" [4] “He\nwas a point of light. Although his color was black, yet his character was luminous;\nhis mind was luminous; his face was luminous. Truly, he was a point of light.”\n[5] \n \n- Hand of the Cause, Abu’l-Qasim Faizi (‘A Gift of Love’) \n \n[1] The Promulgation of Universal Peace, Talks Delivered by\n'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912’) \n \n[2] Ibid \n \n[3] Ibid \n [4] Ibid\n [5] Ibid\n \n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/08/bahaullahs-servant-isfandiyar-essence.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/08/bahaullahs-servant-isfandiyar-essence.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Baha’u’llah visits Mulla Husayn and his companions at Fort Tabarsi",
"slug": "bsbs-baha-u-llah-visits-mulla-husayn-and-his-companions-at-fort-tabarsi",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4QaEwIE7yZIeG0M6IBGh3J3lrm8-DduSV4W4D8DsBqcARzNLnf46CAWgq_yg9sshgZF1PyNoBLIsugtAM6R0lbvQ_1HoCOhyphenhyphenBqQpZmxgpGUvWImqo4WECDj_Y_UEYI_iey-OnYb7kgI/s320/The+Shrine+of+the+ShaykhTabarsi-a.jpg\") \n \nTaking refuge from the attacks of the people of Barfurúsh\nand neighbouring villages at the persistent instigation of the vindictive\nleading divine of that district, Mulla Husayn and his companions arrived at the\nshrine of Shaykh Tabarsi on October 12, 1848. This shrine was situated about\nfourteen miles S.E. of the town of Barfurúsh in the heart of the forests of\nMazindaran. Upon their arrival, Mullá Husayn gave one of the believers who had\nbuilt the Bábíyyih house in Mashhad preliminary instructions for the design of\na fort which was to be constructed for their defense around the shrine. Through\nMulla Husayn’s guidance and encouragement his companions began building the\nfort according that design. Despite\ncontinual harassment and fierce attacks by the people of the surrounding\nvillages, who hemmed them in on every side, they valiantly defended themselves.\nWhen construction of the fort was completed, Mullá Ḥusayn undertook the\nnecessary preparations for the siege which the fort was destined to sustain,\nand provided, despite the obstacles which stood in his way, whatever provisions\nseemed essential for the safety of its occupants. \n \n
\n \n \nMeanwhile, news of the situation facing Mulla Husayn and his\n300 plus companions reached Baha’u’llah who was staying at his ancestral home\nof Nur. He learned how, because of the treachery and broken pledges of the\nauthorities in Sari and Barburush, they had been forced to use arms to defend\nthemselves, and had hurriedly thrown up a wall and built a fortress around the\nmausoleum of Shaykh Tabarsi and were now beleaguered within it. Baha'u'llah\ndecided to visit them and when His preparations were complete, travelled to the\nvillage of Afra [located in the vicinity of the shrine of Shaykh Tabarsi],\nwhich belonged to a certain Nazar-'Ali Khan. When He arrived in Afra, He\nordered for a sumptuous dinner to be prepared for the inmates of the fortress\nand sent one of the believers to inform them of His impending arrival. \n \n \n \n \n \nThis is how Nabil recounts what then happened: \n \n
\n \nThe work had scarcely been completed when Shaykh Abú-Turáb\n[Baha’u’llah’s messenger] arrived bearing the news of Bahá’u’lláh’s arrival at\nthe village of Nazar Khán [Afra]. He informed Mullá Husayn that he had been\nspecially commanded by Bahá’u’lláh to inform them that they all were to be His\nguests that night and that He Himself would join them that same afternoon. I\nhave heard Mullá Mírzá Muhammad-i-Furúghí [a survivor of Fort Tabarsi] recount\nthe following: \n \n
\n \n“The tidings which Shaykh Abú-Turáb [Baha’u’llah’s\nmessenger] brought imparted an indefinable joy to the heart or Mullá Husayn. He\nhastened immediately to his companions and bade them bestir themselves for the\nreception of Bahá’u’lláh. He himself joined them in sweeping and sprinkling\nwith water the approaches to the shrine, and attended in person to whatever was\nnecessary for the arrival of the beloved Visitor. As soon as he saw Him\napproaching with Nazar Khán, he rushed forward, tenderly embraced Him, and\nconducted Him to the place of honour which he had reserved for His reception.\nWe were too blind in those days to recognise the glory of Him whom our leader\nhad introduced with such reverence and love into our midst. What Mullá Husayn\nhad perceived, our dull vision was as yet unable to recognise. With what\nsolicitude he received Him in his arms! What feelings of rapturous delight\nfilled his heart on seeing Him! He was so lost in admiration that he was\nutterly oblivious of us all. His soul was so wrapt in contemplation of that countenance\nthat we who were awaiting his permission to be seated were kept standing a long\ntime beside him. It was Bahá’u’lláh Himself who finally bade us be seated. We,\ntoo, were soon made to feel, however inadequately, the charm of His utterance,\nthough none of us were even dimly aware of the infinite potency latent in His\nwords.” (Nabil, ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n \n
\n \nBahá’u’lláh, in the course of that visit, inspected the fort\nand expressed His satisfaction with the work that had been accomplished. In His\nconversation with Mullá Husayn, He explained in detail such matters as were\nvital to the welfare and safety of his companions. ‘The one thing this fort and\ncompany require,’ He said, ‘is the presence of Quddús. His association with\nthis company would render it complete and perfect.’ He instructed Mullá Husayn\nto despatch Mullá Mihdíy-i-Khú’í with six people to Sarí, and to demand Mírzá\nMuhammad-Taqí that he immediately deliver Quddús into their hands. ‘The fear of\nGod and the dread of His punishment,’ He assured Mullá Husayn, ‘will prompt him\nto surrender unhesitatingly his captive.’ \n \n
\n \nEre He departed, Bahá’u’lláh enjoined them to be patient and\nresigned to the will of the Almighty. ‘If it be His will,’ He added, ‘We shall\nonce again visit you at this same spot, and shall lend you Our assistance. You\nhave been chosen of God to be the vanguard of His host and the establishers of\nHis Faith. His host verily will conquer. Whatever may befall, victory is yours,\na victory which is complete and certain.’ With these words, He committed those\nvaliant companions to the care of God, and returned to the village with Nazar\nKhán and Shaykh Abú-Turáb. From thence He departed by way of Núr to Tihrán.\n(Nabil, ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n \n(Adapted from ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, by Nabil, translated and\nedited by Shoghi Effendi, and from ‘Baha’u’llah the King of Glory’, by Balyuzi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/10/bahaullah-visits-mulla-husayn-and-his.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/10/bahaullah-visits-mulla-husayn-and-his.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Be natural, be happy…",
"slug": "bsbs-be-natural-be-happy",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_R8fW7jAxXKS_d07GvCma3L0OF9PskuoWtnsifmlUEGqtobCzVGxF1k6Gnf8am2pnzcCekkExueXoEZmnrpY37jX0wMYd9qN1wGg0oMhgPCwsCqUMrQWN9jLDAMbLlwgESGzA_qJz0c/s1600/Paintings-5-1.jpg\") Wendell [Dodge] and I [William Dodge] were so glad to be\nwith ‘Abdu’l-Baha [in ‘Akka, in 1901]. At some times we were quite jolly. We\nwere mere boys of 18 and 21. Our interpreter, Ameen Fareed, told us that we\nmust be reverent, that when we entered the presence of the Master we must bow\nour heads, clasp our hands, avoid smiling. Of course we felt the rebuke. So the\nnext time we entered the dining room, our heads were bowed, our hands clasped,\nand we did not smile. ‘Abdu’l-Baha passed quickly by us. He seemed to ignore\nus. We felt further rebuked. Returning to our room we wondered why ‘Abdu’l-Baha\nseemed different in His attitude toward us. Well, we decided that we were not\ngood actors. So when we entered the dining room for the next meal, we smiled. ‘Abdu’l-Baha\nsmiled. He came over to us, took us in his arms and said: “That’s the way I\nwant you, boys, to act -- be natural, be happy.”
\n(Excerpt from the transcript of\na talk given by William Copeland Dodge relating the account of his pilgrimage\nto ‘Akka in 1901) (To listen to and read the entire talk please visit Baha’i Talks,Messages and Articles) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/07/be-natural-be-happy.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/07/be-natural-be-happy.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Being in the presence of Baha’u’llah at the time of revelation",
"slug": "bsbs-being-in-the-presence-of-baha-u-llah-at-the-time-of-revelation",
"summary": " It was during one of his visits to 'Akká that Haji Mirza Haydar-'Ali was allowed to enter the presence of Bahá'u'lláh at the time of revelation. He has left to…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"family",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/11/being-in-presence-of-bahaullah-at-time.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n\nIt was during one of his visits to 'Akká that Haji Mirza\nHaydar-'Ali was allowed to enter the presence of Bahá'u'lláh at the time of\nrevelation. He has left to posterity the following brief account of that\nmemorable occasion: \n\n
\n\n...When permission was granted and the curtain was\nwithdrawn, I entered the room where the King of kings and the Ruler of this\nworld and the next, nay rather the Ruler of all the worlds of God, was with\ngreat authority seated on His couch. The verses of God were being revealed and\nthe words streamed forth as in a copious rain. Methought the door, the wall,\nthe carpet, the ceiling, the floor and the air were all perfumed and illumined.\nThey all had been transformed, each and every one, into ears and were filled\nwith a spirit of joy and ecstasy. Each object had become refreshed and was pulsating\nwith life... To which worlds I was transported and in what state I was, no one\nwho has not experienced such as this can ever know. \n\n(Adib Taherzadeh, ‘The\nRevelation of Baha'u'llah vol. 1) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/11/being-in-presence-of-bahaullah-at-time.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/11/being-in-presence-of-bahaullah-at-time.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Being in the presence of Bahá'u'lláh -- Varqá recalled his unique experiences",
"slug": "bsbs-being-in-the-presence-of-bahaullah-varqa-recalled-his-unique-experiences",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTL5WcgdR9cP5RJ_KTHDNH5XYo7ZstOcbZZ4t-rbQBRvEJ6gAP8W3fwJZ5gWse-ZfCo-shtHkAANipR-DR__O1jd9oXt4SPlX3BIO4P_grVtNUWDFkL0a8k9STQJpNKqe7Jy2WzPXkCrg/s1600/Paintings-13-1.jpg\") Mirza ‘Ali-Muhammad surnamed Varqá became one of the Apostles\nof Bahá'u'lláh. He has related the following two incidents that took place\nduring his first pilgrimage in around 1878-9. \n\n
\n\nThe first time he gazed upon the face of His Lord Varqá was\nsurprised, because he thought that he had previously seen Him somewhere, but he\ncould not remember the occasion or the place. He was puzzled by this until one\nday after several times coming into His presence, Bahá'u'lláh said to him, 'Varqá!\nBurn away the idols of vain imaginings!' On hearing these words, Varqá\nimmediately recalled a dream he had had when he was a child. He was in a garden\nplaying with some dolls when 'God' arrived, took the dolls from him and burned\nthem in the fire. When he told this dream to his parents they pointed out to\nhim that no one can see God. However, he had completely forgotten this dream\nuntil that day when the words of Bahá'u'lláh exhorting him to burn the idols\naroused his memory, and he knew that he had seen Bahá'u'lláh in his dream as a\nchild. \n\n
\n\nThe other incident took place during one of the occasions\nwhen Varqa was in the presence of Bahá'u'lláh. On that occasion a thought\nentered into his mind as he gazed in adoration upon the countenance of\nBahá'u'lláh. He said to himself, 'I know that Bahá'u'lláh is the supreme\nManifestation of God, but I wish He would give me a sign to this effect.' At\nthat same instant the following verse from the Qur'án flashed into Varqa's\nmind: \n\n \n
\n“Thou seest the earth barren and lifeless, but when We pour\ndown rain on it, it is stirred to life, it swells, and it puts forth every kind\nof luxuriant growth in pairs.” (Surah 22, verse 1)
\n\n
\n\nIn that very moment, Varqá wished in his heart that\nBahá'u'lláh might repeat this verse to fulfil the sign he was looking for. \n\n
\n\nAfter some time, in the course of His utterances Bahá'u'lláh\nrecited that same verse from the Qur'án. Varqá's wish was fulfilled, but he\nsaid to himself, 'Could this have been a mere coincidence?' As soon as this\nthought occurred to Varqá, Bahá'u'lláh turned and said to him abruptly, 'Was\nthis not a sufficient proof for you?' Varqá was dumbfounded. He was shaken but\nassured in his heart of the truth of these words of Bahá'u'lláh: \n\n
\n\n“O heedless ones! Think not the secrets of hearts are\nhidden, nay, know ye of a certainty that in clear characters they are engraved\nand are openly manifest in the holy Presence.” (Persian Hidden Words) \n\n
\n\nWe know that it is not right for man to test God. Bahá'u'lláh\nseldom responded positively to those who demanded miracles from Him. But He\noften revealed a measure of His glory and power to those who had recognized Him\nin order to strengthen their Faith. \n\n
\n\nVarqá never doubted the station of Bahá'u'lláh. He became a\nflame of fire, a tower of strength, a mine of knowledge and virtues. He served\nthe Faith with heroism and wisdom.
\n(Adapted from ‘The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh\nvol. 4, by Adib Taherzadeh) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/04/being-in-presence-of-bahaullah-varqa.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/04/being-in-presence-of-bahaullah-varqa.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Being present when ‘Abdu’l-Baha revealed a Tablet",
"slug": "bsbs-being-present-when-abdu-l-baha-revealed-a-tablet",
"summary": "![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgot85ZBQVklAlgyFHrgY8Tw4R4Ve4ByMfQUTnej34w79jxzKseNHxpwluHnVoPLHXPpMNKap1rf5Bz-hNwE-bvXiT9ordeVWiPR-3hRstSFZ_JYA9IZPTPJTzy7DVwDXH00CFZN1-SVDY/s1600/Paintings-3-1.jpg\") One night we were in the presence of 'Abdu'l-Baha along with\nthe rest of the pilgrims. While busy writing, the Centre of the Covenant was\nalso attending to all the incoming guests, both Baha'is and non-Baha'is. A few\nhours after sunset, the non-Baha'is were granted permission to take their\nleave, after which 'Abdu'l-Baha addressed the friends. Gradually, signs of\nweariness began to appear in His blessed face; He dismissed everyone with the\nwords, \"Go in God's care.\" When all stood up, the Muslim Shaykh\nhumbly put forward a request: \"I beg that a Tablet may be revealed in the\nhonour of Shaykh Hadi so that I may carry it to him.\" (The late Aqa Shaykh\nHadi was the most erudite and highest-ranking Muslim divine in Iran. He had a\npeculiar creed. Some suspected that he was secretly a Baha'i and some believed\nhim to be a Babi; in any case, he had a large and devoted following.)
\n\n
\n\n'Abdu'l-Baha replied, \"I have written to him recently;\nthat should suffice.\" \n\n
\n\nBut the Shaykh insisted, \"I wish to be granted the\nhonour of carrying to him such a gift.\" \n\n
\n\n‘Abdu'l-Baha then consented, \"Very well, I shall write\nit.\" \n\n
\n\nAs we all began to leave the room, the Master said to Aqa\nMirza Nuru'd-Din, \"I am very busy, but I do not want to put this off. I\nmay as well write it now, or I won't have another opportunity to do so. So come\nand sit down and I will dictate a few words.\" Pen in hand, Aqa Mirza\nNuru'd-Din complied immediately. \n\n
\n\nThe melodious chant of the Master filled the air, as divine\nverses in the Arabic tongue, indescribably eloquent and sublime, and with the\nrapidity of copious rain, flowed from His lips. God be praised, the atmosphere\nthat dominated the hearts and the minds of those present is beyond description.\nThe awesome power of that long, eloquent Tablet so overwhelmed every faculty of\nmy being that neither pen nor tongue can describe it. As the poet says: \n\n
\n\nAs in a dream, yet indescribable, \n\nNor is the world ready to hear it. \n\n
\n\n \nAt last the Tablet was completed; at His command, \"Go\nin God's care,\" we left the room, unconscious of ourselves and of each\nother and removed from this world as each of us sought our separate ways back\nto the pilgrim house.
\n\n
\n\nDarkness had enveloped the city, and I found myself walking\nin a very dark, narrow alleyway. Suddenly and quite unexpectedly I heard the\nvoices of two men speaking Persian. One was saying, \"It certainly was a\nstrange phenomenon. It affected me deeply.\". The other agreed, \"Yes,\nthe words were not His; yet He who spoke them spoke the truth.\" \n\n
\n\nThey continued in this vein, to the effect that the words\nhad been revealed through divine inspiration from the unseen world. These were\nthe same two individuals who had asked to hand-carry Mirza Hadi's Tablet to\nTehran. That night at the dinner table they seemed intoxicated, as though they\nhad just awakened from a trance. \n\n
\n\nNext day, having received their instructions to depart, they\nbegan their return journey utterly transformed, carrying with them Mirza Hadi's\nTablet. \n\n
\n\nIt is thus clear that the magnetic attraction of the divine \n\nutterance enraptured not only the spirits of the believers,\nbut also stole the unyielding hearts of the non-believers. \n\n- Dr. Youness\nAfroukhteh (‘Memories of Nine Years in ‘Akka) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2019/07/being-present-when-abdul-baha-revealed.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2019/07/being-present-when-abdul-baha-revealed.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Catching a glimpse of the majesty of ‘Abdu’l-Baha",
"slug": "bsbs-catching-a-glimpse-of-the-majesty-of-abdu-l-baha",
"summary": " While on pilgrimage in 1906, Florence Khan, the wife of Ali-Kuli Khan [1] related the following heart-warming and incredible…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Ali-Kuli Khan",
"Florence Breed Khán"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Washington, D.C.",
"lat": 38.9072,
"lng": -77.0369,
"modernName": "Washington, D.C., USA"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"pilgrimage",
"teaching",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"gentleness",
"joy",
"justice",
"patience",
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/05/catching-glimpse-of-majesty-of-abdul.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n\nWhile on pilgrimage in 1906, Florence Khan, the wife of\nAli-Kuli Khan [1] related the following heart-warming and incredible incident: \n\n
\n\n One evening, after sunset, Khan [Ali-Kuli\nKhan] came in great enthusiasm and excitement to our room. ‘Do you\nremember,’ he asked, ‘that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said He would answer all the letters we\nbrought to Him from America before we left?’ ‘Yes, I do.’ ‘Then come quickly.\nIt is too wonderful! The Master is pacing to and fro, in His sitting room- I\ncannot see the secretary—and He is replying to those letters, as if he had\nknown the inmost secret of the writers’ hearts, from the cradle! Yet He has\nnever met nor seen one of them. You can see Him from the corridor beyond the\nlittle room, each time He passes the open doorway!’ So, Rahím being peacefully\nasleep, I returned with Khan, to his post, outside the doorway which led to\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s long room with its many windows looking over the Bay of ‘Akká to\nthe Mediterranean and beyond.\n
\n\nI heard the dear Master’s beautiful voice, and then saw Him,\nas He strode by the doorway of His lighted room. We were in the dark, looking\nthrough the small darkened antechamber. I recalled how, never, at the daily\nluncheon table, and never at the late evening dinner, and never at any time,\nhad I satisfied my longing to gaze more fully upon the Master’s beautiful,\nnoble, and spiritual face. I used to glance admiringly at the snowy,\nscarf-enfolded headdress, and at the beautiful, silver-white hair falling\nsoftly to the shoulders; and at the lofty arch of His forehead, at the\nexpression of His eyes, indescribable in human language; now they seemed\nblue-and now brown- and again partly of each colour, or hazel—but always\nillumined, loving and understanding; sometimes raised in holy reverence, in\nsilent prayer, sometimes gently smiling-but always kingly and supreme. . .\nThen, I could never get my fill, so to speak, of the Divine perfection of\nspirituality—a gentleness-a holy patience—no sign whatsoever in lines or\nexpression of the lower traits of human nature, only a Divine perfectness. It\nwas astounding. I had never seen a face like it. Selfless. The stamp of\nsuffering upon it; alas for humanity, which crucifies God’s messengers! \n\n \n
\nSo, I thought exultingly, ‘Now if only the Master would\npause a moment in His doorway, as I am here in the dark, I could look upon His\nface to my heart’s content, and no one would notice me!’
\n\n
\n\nInstantly, the Master stopped in His doorway. \n\n
\n\nSilhouetted against the light, I clearly saw Him in His\nbeauty, and I began a sort of ‘visual devouring’ of that wonderful face! I\nlooked, and I looked, and I looked. After a few moments, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá withdrew,\nand resumed His pacing to and fro and revelation of the Tablets. \n\n
\n\nAfter watching for a while, half timorously the thought\narose in my heart, ‘Oh! if only He would stop once more in the doorway!’ \n\n
\n\nAt once the Master stood in the doorway, silent, and seemed\nto be looking upwards towards the stars. ‘Now, I will look!’ I thought in\nbreathless joy. \n\n
\n\nThis time as I gazed silently upon that matchless face, a\ngolden light shone forth from His entire figure. This light intensified, and\nintensified, as I looked, and looked, until I began almost to be afraid. \n\n
\n\nI said to myself, ‘However bright it grows I am going to\nkeep my eyes open! What a wonderful sight! What a miraculous opportunity!’ \n\n
\n\nThe outline of light grew more and more intense, yet I\nlooked, and I looked, until it seemed to me, I must fall upon my knees. Just as\nit seemed I could no longer bear such a vision, the Master withdrew.” \n\n
\n(Florence\nKhanum, ‘The Sheltering Branch’, by Marzieh Gail) \n\n
\n\n[1] Ali-Kuli Khán, also known as Nabílu'd-dawlih, was an\neminent Iranian Bahá'í. He was born in Káshán (Persia) about 1879; his father\nwas a mayor. About 1898, he became a Bahá'í and served briefly as\n'Abdu'l-Bahá's English-language secretary (1899-1901), and was subsequently\nsent to America where he translated several Bahá'í books into English as well\nas continuing to translate 'Abdu'l-Bahá's correspondence with the American\nBahá'ís and to act as a teacher. He was appointed Iranian chargé d'affaires in\nWashington in 1910 and later served in various high-ranking diplomatic posts,\nbecoming Head of the Court of the Crown Prince Regent (Qájár), and ever\nmaintaining a passion for linking together Persia and America. He married the\nAmerican Florence Breed (1875-1950) in 1904, praised by 'Abdu'l-Bahá for being\nthe first marriage between an Eastern and Western Bahá'í, and served the Faith\nfor almost seventy years until his death in Washington DC on 7 April 1966.\nTheir daughter, Marzieh Gail (1908-93), also became an eminent Bahá'í\ntranslator. \n\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/05/catching-glimpse-of-majesty-of-abdul.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/05/catching-glimpse-of-majesty-of-abdul.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "circa 1841, Karbilá: a disciple of Siyyid Kázim describes what happened when the Báb made a quiet appearance at one of Siyyid Kázim’s gatherings",
"slug": "bsbs-circa-1841-karbila-a-disciple-of-siyyid-kazim-describes-what-happened-when-",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFdOESHgUosfxRbqvKqaZhYVW4GWeMOzxzCPpaLDtJ0Svznjmu_W4-TEE1DawEK5_50xVvqjXMe86T9l7hrZFcDJvdiZ3rJWZ7b4sxwOqbxF4sHz5qtmtJ1DsM0p8hnIxgqgqS9Yw_XM/s320/Karbila-1932.jpg\") | \nKarbila, 1932
(Wikipedia) | \n | \nThree days later, I saw that same Youth [the Báb] arrive and\ntake His seat in the midst of the company of the assembled disciples of Siyyid\nKázim. He sat close to the threshold, and with the same modesty and dignity of\nbearing listened to the discourse of the Siyyid. As soon as his eyes fell upon\nthat Youth, the Siyyid discontinued his address and held his peace. Whereupon\none of his disciples begged him to resume the argument which he had left\nunfinished. ‘What more shall I say?’ replied Siyyid Kázim, as he turned his\nface toward the Báb. ‘Lo, the Truth is more manifest than the ray of light that\nhas fallen upon that lap!’ I immediately observed that the ray to which the\nSiyyid referred had fallen upon the lap of that same Youth whom we had recently\nvisited.
\n\n
\n\n‘Why is it,’ that questioner enquired, ‘that you neither\nreveal His name nor identify His person?’ To this the Siyyid replied by\npointing with his finger to his own throat, implying that were he to divulge\nHis name, they both would be put to death instantly. This added still further\nto my perplexity. I had already heard my teacher observe that so great is the perversity\nof this generation, that were he to point with his finger to the promised One\nand say: ‘He indeed is the Beloved, the Desire of your hearts and mine,’ they\nwould still fail to recognise and acknowledge Him. I saw the Siyyid actually\npoint out with his finger the ray of light that had fallen on that lap, and yet\nnone among those who were present seemed to apprehend its meaning. \n\n
\n\nI, for my part, was convinced that the Siyyid himself could\nnever be the promised One, but that a mystery inscrutable to us all, lay\nconcealed in that strange and attractive Youth. Several times I ventured to\napproach Siyyid Kázim and seek from him an elucidation of this mystery. Every\ntime I approached him, I was overcome by a sense of awe which his personality\nso powerfully inspired. Many a time I heard him remark: ‘O Shaykh Hasan,\nrejoice that your name is Ḥasan [praiseworthy]; Ḥasan your beginning, and Hasan\nyour end. You have been privileged to attain to the day of Shaykh Ahmad, you\nhave been closely associated with me, and in the days to come yours shall be\nthe inestimable joy of beholding “what eye hath seen not, ear heard not, nor\nany heart conceived.”’ \n\n- Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunúzí ([A disciple of Siyyid Kázim],\nquoted by Nabil; ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2019/05/circa-1841-karbila-disciple-of-siyyid.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2019/05/circa-1841-karbila-disciple-of-siyyid.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "circa 1848: Baha’u’llah’s first imprisonment",
"slug": "bsbs-circa-1848-baha-u-llah-s-first-imprisonment",
"summary": " \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMmiOUOJihdVuCpTsyNOSs8BDBNcA8-xwoA9cmi1lSQQdFaLOUD7NxiQ76Cy1KA2GvhR0emvo6BpDVKJk1t4sKaSGp8r2_EZWD2dxjNXkZCVwe4O5DYLQ4-1ypO2Y0GC22nrjn-ZrDZ8/s1600/Paintings-63-1.jpg\") Baha’u’llah’s first imprisonment took place in Tihran when\nHe was informed of the plight of a number of companions and supporters of\nTáhirih who were brought as prisoners to the Capital from Qazvin. They were\nfalsely charged with the murder of Táhirih’s father-in-law, while Táhirih\nherself was placed in the strictest confinement in the house of her father in\nQazvin. Bahá’u’lláh was at that time residing in Ṭihrán.\n
\n\nNabil explains: \n\n
\n\nAs He [Baha’u’llah] was already acquainted with the\nkad-khudá [alderman] in whose home they [the companions and supporters of\nTáhirih] were incarcerated, He decided to visit them and intervene in their\nbehalf. That avaricious and deceitful official, who was fully aware of the\nextreme generosity of Bahá’u’lláh, greatly exaggerated in the hope of deriving\na substantial pecuniary advantage for himself, the misfortune that had befallen\nthe unhappy captives.” \n\n
\n\n“They are destitute of the barest necessities of life,”\nurged the kad-khudá. “They hunger for food, and their clothing is wretchedly\nscanty.” Bahá’u’lláh extended immediate financial assistance for their relief,\nand urged the kad-khudá to relax the severity of the rule under which they were\nconfined. \n\n
\n\nThe kad-khudá consented to relieve a few who were unable to\nsupport the oppressive weight of their chains, and for the rest did whatever he\ncould to alleviate the rigour of their confinement. Prompted by greed, he\ninformed his superiors of the situation, and emphasised the fact that both food\nand money were being regularly supplied by Bahá’u’lláh for those who were\nimprisoned in his house. These officials were in their turn tempted to derive\nevery possible advantage from the liberality of Bahá’u’lláh. They summoned Him\nto their presence, protested against His action, and accused Him of complicity\nin the act for which the captives had been condemned. \n\n\n“The kad-khudá,” replied Bahá’u’lláh, “pleaded their cause\nbefore Me and enlarged upon their sufferings and needs. He himself bore witness\nto their innocence and appealed to Me for help. In return for the aid which, in\nresponse to his invitation, I was impelled to extend, you now charge Me with a\ncrime of which I am innocent.” \n\n
\n\nHoping to intimidate Bahá’u’lláh by threatening immediate\npunishment, they refused to allow Him to return to His home. The confinement to\nwhich He was subjected was the first affliction that befell Bahá’u’lláh in the\npath of the Cause of God; the first imprisonment He suffered for the sake of\nHis loved ones. \n\n
\n\nHe remained in captivity for a few days, until Ja’far-Qulí\nKhán, the brother of Mírzá Áqá Khán-i-Núrí, who at a later time was appointed\nGrand Vazír [Prime Minister] of the Sháh, and a number of other friends\nintervened in His behalf and, threatening the kad-khudá in severe a language,\nwere able to effect His release. Those who had been responsible for His\nconfinement had confidently hoped to receive, in return for His deliverance,\nthe sum of one thousand túmans, but they\nsoon found out that they were forced to comply with the wishes of Ja’far-Qulí\nKhán without the hope of receiving, either from him or from Bahá’u’lláh, the\nslightest reward. With profuse apologies and with the utmost regret, they\nsurrendered their Captive into his hands. \n\n- Nabil (‘The\nDawn-Breakers’, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n \n \n \n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/04/circa-1848-bahaullahs-first-imprisonment.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/04/circa-1848-bahaullahs-first-imprisonment.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "circa 1850: Nabil, the author of Dawn-Breakers, took ‘Abdu’l-Baha to school one day",
"slug": "bsbs-circa-1850-nabil-the-author-of-dawn-breakers-took-abdu-l-baha-to-school-one",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeHaixpAPs9h8dyS-TAAsiuxVB0_FUHU3RFryI0M-cOzl1tykvWEymraROQtUKApVYjgmhVFEwsC4mVOlNa0gx1YgwFs858vID_eb_PEJ1vtEiq42HPYDW90HYncW_JT9-Kdoip7coNVo/s1600/Paintings-65-1.jpg\") One day Mírzá Ahmad conducted me [Nabil, he was then about 19 years old] to the house of\nBahá’u’lláh, whose wife, the Varaqatu’l-’Ulya, [the Most Exalted Leaf] the\nmother of the Most Great Branch, had already healed my eyes with an ointment\nwhich she herself had prepared and sent to me by…Mírzá Ahmad. \n \n
\n \nThe first one I met in that house was that same beloved Son\nof hers, who was then a child of six. He smiled His welcome to me as He was\nstanding at the door of the room which Bahá’u’lláh occupied. I passed that\ndoor, and was ushered into the presence of Mírzá Yahyá, [Baha’u’llah’s\nhalf-brother] utterly unaware of the station of the Occupant [Baha’u’llah] of\nthe room I had left behind me…. \n \n
\n \nOn another occasion, when I visited that same house, I on\nthe point of entering the room that Mírzá Yahyá occupied, when Áqáy-i-Kalím,\n[Baha’u’llah’s faithful brother] whom I had previously met, approached and\nrequested me, since Isfandíyár, their servant, had gone to market and had not\nyet returned, to conduct “Áqá” [‘Abdu’l-Baha] to the Madrisiy-i-Mírzá-Sálih\n[school] in his stead and then return to this place. I gladly consented, and as\nI was preparing to leave, I saw the Most Great Branch, a child of exquisite\nbeauty, wearing the kuláh [hat] and\ncloaked in the jubbiy-i-hizari’í, [A kind of overcoat] emerge from the room\nwhich His Father occupied, and descend the steps leading to the gate of the\nhouse. I advanced and stretched forth my arms to carry Him. “We shall walk\ntogether,” He said, as He took hold of my hand and led me out of the house. \n \n
\n \nWe chatted together as we walked hand in hand in the\ndirection of the madrisih [school] known in those days by the name of Pa-Minar.\nAs we reached His classroom, He turned to me and said: “Come again this\nafternoon and take me back to my home, for Isfandíyár is unable to fetch me. My\nFather will need him to-day.” I gladly acquiesced, and returned immediately to\nthe house of Bahá’u’lláh… \n \n
\n \nI… returned to the madrisih in time to conduct the Most\nGreat Branch to His home. \n \n- Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, translated and edited by\nShoghi Effendi) \n \n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/01/circa-1850-nabil-author-of-dawn.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/01/circa-1850-nabil-author-of-dawn.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Divine intervention in the twinkling of an eye - a believer experienced",
"slug": "bsbs-divine-intervention-in-the-twinkling-of-an-eye-a-believer-experienced",
"summary": "
![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-voi2Rf7SI4xxrXtQGYETMt2Mq8415ewnvJCtD0IxDkPc4g5_P_lGYtYWNgfVHLVz2bsJHfdhdUhixRAtQZjRf4olgnhvslINmAvKxy_6kz6348ehIuzOCmqGTfmpkbggNgT7JD3B5Q/w176-h218/Mull%25C3%25A1+S%25C3%25A1diq-i-Khur%25C3%25A1s%25C3%25A1n%25C3%25AD.jpg\") | | Mulla Sadiq |
In 1845 Mulla Sadiq, whom posthumously was appointed by\n‘Abdu’l-Baha as a Hand of the Cause, together with Quddus were arrested in\nShiraz as a result of a commotion that was stirred up in the city. This was caused\nby the implementation a slight change to the Muslim call to prayer that the Báb\nhad asked Mulla Sadiq to make. [1] [2] They were both brought to the governor’s\nresidence and subjected to his angry inquiry. [3] Becoming sorely displeased with\nMulla Sadiq’s answers he ordered his attendants to inflict upon them a hideous\nand exceptionally cruel punishment. [4] Below is an eye witness account reported\nto Nabil by an individual, who wasn’t a believer at the time, concerning the 1000\nlashes that Mulla Sadiq received. Nabil later corroborated this account with\nMulla Sadiq:\n\nAn eye-witness of this revolting episode, an unbeliever\nresiding in Shíráz, related to me the following: “I was present when Mullá\nSádiq was being scourged. I watched his persecutors each in turn apply the lash\nto his bleeding shoulders, and continue the strokes until he became exhausted.\nNo one believed that Mullá Sádiq, so advanced in age and so frail in body,\ncould possibly survive fifty such savage strokes. We marvelled at his fortitude\nwhen we found that, although the number of the strokes of the scourge he had\nreceived had already exceeded nine hundred, his face still retained its\noriginal serenity and calm. A smile was upon his face, as he held his hand\nbefore his mouth. He seemed utterly indifferent to the blows that were being showered\nupon him. When he was being expelled from the city, I succeeded in approaching\nhim, and asked him why he held his hand before his mouth. I expressed surprise\nat the smile upon his countenance. He emphatically replied: ‘The first seven\nstrokes were severely painful; to the rest I seemed to have grown indifferent.\nI was wondering whether the strokes that followed were being actually applied\nto my own body. A feeling of joyous exultation had invaded my soul. I was\ntrying to repress my feelings and to restrain my laughter. I can now realise\nhow the almighty Deliverer is able, in the twinkling of an eye, to turn pain\ninto ease, and sorrow into gladness. Immensely exalted is His power above and\nbeyond the idle fancy of His mortal creatures.’” Mullá Sádiq, whom I met years\nafter, confirmed every detail of this moving episode. - Nabil (‘The\nDawn-Breakers’, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n[1] The\nsecond person that Quddús met in Shriaz and the Báb’s assignment for him -\nMullá Sádiq-i-Khurásání (appointed a Hand of the Cause posthumously by\n‘Abdu’l-Baha) \n\n[2] 1845:\nThe whole city of Shiraz was aroused as a result of Mulla Sádiq carrying out\nhis assignment from the Báb \n\n[3] August\n1845: The governor ordered the arrest of Quddus and Mulla Sádiq \n\n[4] The\n“hideousness and the barbaric cruelty which characterised the torture inflicted\nupon Quddús and Mullá Sádiq” – “the first to be persecuted on Persian soil for\nthe sake of their Faith”\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2021/01/divine-intervention-in-twinkling-of-eye.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2021/01/divine-intervention-in-twinkling-of-eye.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "During their time in Akka, ‘Abdu’l-Baha took every trouble upon Himself to allow His Father, Baha’u’llah, some relative peace and tranquility – Baha’u’llah recalled",
"slug": "bsbs-during-their-time-in-akka-abdu-l-baha-took-every-trouble-upon-himself-to-al",
"summary": " In Baghdad We Ourselves would go and take a seat in the coffee-house to meet the people - friends and acquaintances, strangers and inquirers alike. We brought those…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"prison",
"the-covenant",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/09/during-their-time-in-akka-abdul-baha.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n\nIn Baghdad We Ourselves would go and take a seat in the coffee-house\nto meet the people - friends and acquaintances, strangers and inquirers alike.\nWe brought those who were remote near to the Faith, and led many a soul into\nthe fold of the Cause. Thus We served the Cause of God, gave victory to His\nWord and exalted His Name. The Most Great Branch undertook the same task and served\nin the same way, to a much greater degree, in Adrianople, and then to a far\ngreater extent and with greater efficacy, in 'Akka. The same hardships and\nafflictions which were Ours in the early days befell Him. In Baghdad We were\nnot prisoners, and the Cause of God had not obtained even a fraction of the\nfame which it has gained today. At that time the number of its opponents and\nadversaries and ill-wishers was far less than today. In the Land of Mystery\n[Adrianople] We used to meet with some and let them come into Our presence. But\nin the Most Great Prison We do not meet the people who are not within the fold\nof the Cause. We have closed the doors of social intercourse. It is the Master\nWho has taken every trouble upon Himself. For Our sake, in order that We may\nhave ease and comfort, He faces the world and its peoples. For Us He has become\na mighty stronghold, a mighty armour. At first He rented the Mansion of Mazra'ih.\nWe were there for a while. Then he secured for Us this Mansion of Bahji. He has\narisen with all His power to serve the Faith, and confirmation crowns His effort.\nThis work so occupies His days and nights that He is perforce kept away from\nBahji for weeks. We consort with the Friends and reveal His [God's] Word. He,\nthe Master, is the target and bears all hardships. \n\n- Baha’u’llah (Words of Baha’u’llah\nrecorded by Haji Mirza Haydar-Ali, quoted by Hand of the Cause Balyuzi in ‘’Abdu’l-Baha\n- The Center of the Covenant of Baha’u’llah’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/09/during-their-time-in-akka-abdul-baha.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/09/during-their-time-in-akka-abdul-baha.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Eight-year-old ‘Abdu’l-Bha was allowed to see Baha’u’llah while in the Síyáh-Chál",
"slug": "bsbs-eight-year-old-abdu-l-bha-was-allowed-to-see-baha-u-llah-while-in-the-siyah",
"summary": "“‘Abdu’l-Bahá,” writes Dr. J.E. Esslemont, “tells how one day He was allowed to enter the prison-yard to see His beloved Father when He came out for His daily exercise. Bahá’u’lláh was terribly…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"prison",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2022/09/eight-year-old-abdul-bha-was-allowed-to.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“‘Abdu’l-Bahá,” writes Dr. J.E. Esslemont, “tells how one\nday He was allowed to enter the prison-yard to see His beloved Father when He\ncame out for His daily exercise. Bahá’u’lláh was terribly altered, so ill He\ncould hardly walk. His hair and beard unkempt, His neck galled and swollen from\nthe pressure of a heavy steel collar, His body bent by the weight of His\nchains.” - Shoghi Effendi (‘The Promised Day Is Come’)
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2022/09/eight-year-old-abdul-bha-was-allowed-to.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2022/09/eight-year-old-abdul-bha-was-allowed-to.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Finding a Baha'i Temple site near the river Nile: an example of the Guardian's infallibility - told by Hand of the Cause John Robarts",
"slug": "bsbs-finding-a-bahai-temple-site-near-the-river-nile-an-example-of-the-guardians",
"summary": "\n\n(Excerpt from a talk given at the Association for Baha'i Studies Conference in 1980) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/03/finding-temple-site-near-river-nile.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/03/finding-temple-site-near-river-nile.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "“For three days and three nights no manner of food or drink was given to Bahá’u’lláh”",
"slug": "bsbs-for-three-days-and-three-nights-no-manner-of-food-or-drink-was-given-to-bah",
"summary": "“For three days and three nights,” Nabíl has recorded in his chronicle, “no manner of food or drink was given to Bahá’u’lláh. Rest and sleep were both impossible to Him. The place was infested with…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2022/11/for-three-days-and-three-nights-no.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“For three days and three nights,” Nabíl has recorded in his\nchronicle, “no manner of food or drink was given to Bahá’u’lláh. Rest and sleep\nwere both impossible to Him. The place was infested with vermin, and the stench\nof that gloomy abode was enough to crush the very spirits of those who were\ncondemned to suffer its horrors.” “Such was the intensity of His suffering that\nthe marks of that cruelty remained imprinted upon His body all the days of His\nlife.” - Shoghi Effendi (‘The Promised Day Is Come’)
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2022/11/for-three-days-and-three-nights-no.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2022/11/for-three-days-and-three-nights-no.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Generosity, love and devotion of the King and Beloved of Martyrs",
"slug": "bsbs-generosity-love-and-devotion-of-the-king-and-beloved-of-martyrs",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZCL0YvZ6Ua8WaLSRfxM48w1UhDmZ8kAK_UIYz1fE2iisKYie3tRZ0J8GpuRrELk8nwDPRNbrV5YrHOduC5gyOzPLtjmrUtuvoZWtfPw0QV71dcs364gw-EaMDo8jKRTUU31D37yMn2Q/s1600/Paintings-15-1.jpg\") The King of the Martyrs and Beloved of the Martyrs were born\nto a noble family in Isfahan. They were nine and ten years of age respectively\nwhen the Declaration of the Báb took place in 1844. \n\n
\n\nTheir two illustrious uncles, Mirza Hadi and Mirza\nMuhammad-'Ali (the father of Munirih Khanum, the wife of 'Abdu'l-Bahá) had\nembraced the Faith of the Báb in the early days of its Revelation. They both\ntook part in the Conference of Badasht. But their father, Mirza Ibrahim, was\nnot a believer at the time; he recognized the truth of the Faith later. He was\nengaged in the service of Mir Siyyid Muhammad, the Imam-Jum'ih [1] of Isfahan,\nas manager of his financial affairs. When the Báb went to that city He stayed\npart of the time as a guest in the home of the Imam-Jum'ih. \n\n
\n\nBecause of his close association at that time with the Báb,\nMirza Ibrahim, though not a believer, entertained Him one day in his home. On\nthat occasion the two young brothers and their uncles attained the presence of\nthe Báb. This meeting left an abiding impression on the two youths, who became\nardent believers through the efforts of their uncles, especially Mirza\nMuhammad-'Ali who later accompanied them to Baghdad where they attained the\npresence of Bahá'u'lláh. As a result of their meeting with Him, they became\naware of His exalted Station and were filled with the spirit of faith and\ncertitude. The splendours of the Face of their Lord brightly illumined their\nbeings and they returned home radiant as shining lights. \n\n\nIn those days merchants occupied an important position in\nthe community. The King and the Beloved of the Martyrs were held in high esteem\nas merchants of note by the inhabitants of Isfahan. These two brothers had\nestablished a very prosperous business there, but they were not attached to\nearthly possessions. Through their generous support they were able to alleviate\nsome of the hardships which Bahá'u'lláh and His companions had to endure in the\ncourse of His successive exiles and confinements. They also spent much of their\nenormous wealth on the poor, and lovingly harboured the distressed and the\nneedy at all times. For example, they provided food and other necessities for a\ngreat many starving people during a famine in Isfahan. In their dealings with\npeople they were renowned for their trustworthiness, honesty, compassion,\nloving-kindness and generosity. They were shining embodiments of all Bahá'í\nideals. Their love and devotion for Bahá'u'lláh knew no bounds. The praise that\nBahá'u'lláh has lavishly showered upon them is ample testimony to the loftiness\nof their station, the nobility of their character and the purity of their\nsouls. \n\n(Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah vol. 4) \n\n[1] A high religious dignitary of the city. \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/07/generosity-love-and-devotion-of-king_10.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/07/generosity-love-and-devotion-of-king_10.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Gifts from one Manifestation of God to Another",
"slug": "bsbs-gifts-from-one-manifestation-of-god-to-another",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQPA-yV-GWJlVoiszkgldtl-BZ-jcDBlG5-PbTA3tgwodwJ2F9BwNpAaPxFwb8Vu7FKriTkEGL-x4Ww92G3tvjkWphcqVaLoHWLLBivpSiio1WSuhY6VbUn0shDEhRfUaihgPYEwnp2M/s320/Tihran-circa+1808-1.jpg\") | \n| Tihran, circa 1808 | \n | \n\nA remarkable event, which may be unique in religious\nhistory, took place in the very early years of the Bábí-Bahá’í Faith. It\nhappened while the Báb, escorted by government soldiers, was being exiled from\nHis native city of Shiraz to the Fortress of Mah-ku, in the northwestern corner\nof Persia (Iran). This event took place about 10 miles south of the capital\ncity of Tihran in the year 1847. We’ll review a brief background to the\nincident, the event itself, as well as an amazing episode that occurred shortly\nthereafter. \n\n
\n\nIn the spring of 1847, Gurgin Khan, the nephew and successor\nof Isfahan’s friendly Governor, Manuchihr Khan, became aware of the secret\narrangements that his uncle had made to allow the Báb to stay in Isfahan for\nthe previous four months, instead of sending Him to Tihran. When he discovered this, he immediately\nbrought the situation to the attention of the Shah in Tihran. The Shah, who was\nfirmly convinced of the loyalty of Manuchir Khan, realized, when he received\nthis message, that the late governor's sincere intention had been to await a\nfavourable occasion when he could arrange a meeting between him and the Báb,\nand that his sudden death had interfered with the execution of that plan. He\nissued an imperial mandate summoning the Báb to the capital. \n\n
\n\nOn the afternoon of the eighth day after Naw-Ruz 1847, the\nBáb and His mounted escort arrived at the fortress of Kinar-Gird, which lies\nabout 30 miles to the south of Tihran. They had decided to spend the night in\nthe neighbourhood of that fortress and proceed to the capital the next day,\nwhen a messenger arrived with a written order from Haji Mirza Aqasi, the Prime\nMinister for the head of the escort, Muhammad Big, instructing him to proceed\nto the village of Kulayn, and there await further instructions. The village of\nKulayn, a hamlet owned by Aqasi was situated some ten miles southwest of the\ncapital. The Báb remained there for a period of twenty days. Nearing the end of\nthat period, He dispatched a letter to the King requesting an audience to set\nforth the truth of His condition and expecting this to be a means for the\nattainment of great advantages for the country.
\n
\n\n \nThe Prime Minster, Haji Mirza Aqasi, fearing that the\ncontemplated interview should rob him of his position of unquestioned\npre-eminence in the affairs of the State and result in his eventual loss of\npower, persuaded the Shah to postpone granting such an audience to the Báb. “He\nfinally succeeded in persuading his sovereign to transfer so dreaded an\nopponent to a remote and isolated corner of his realm, and was thus able to\nrelieve his mind of a thought that continually obsessed him.” (‘The\nDawn-Breakers’)
\n\n
\n\nWhile in the hamlet of Kulayn, the Báb received three\nbelievers from Tihran. One of them who had been closely associated with\nBahá'u'lláh in Tihran, had been commissioned by Baha’u’llah to present to the\nBáb “a sealed letter together with certain gifts which, as soon as they were\ndelivered into His hands, provoked in His soul sentiments of unusual delight.\nHis face glowed with joy as He overwhelmed the bearer with marks of His\ngratitude and favour.” (‘The Dawn-Breakers’) \n\n
\n\n“That message, received at an hour of uncertainty and\nsuspense, imparted solace and strength to the Báb. It dispelled the gloom that\nhad settled upon His heart, and imbued His soul with the certainty of victory.\nThe sadness which had long lingered upon His face, and which the perils of His\ncaptivity had served to aggravate, visibly diminished. He no longer shed those\ntears of anguish which had streamed so profusely from His eyes ever since the\ndays of His arrest and departure from Shiraz. The cry \"Beloved, My\nWell-Beloved,\" which in His bitter grief and loneliness He was wont to\nutter, gave way to expressions of thanksgiving and praise, of hope and triumph.\nThe exultation which glowed upon His face never forsook Him until the day when\nthe news of the great disaster which befell the heroes of Shaykh Tabarsi again\nbeclouded the radiance of His countenance and dimmed the joy of His heart.”\n(‘The Dawn-Breakers’) \n\n
\n\nIt was also in this hamlet of Kulayn that an amazing\nincident took place. Nabil, the great Baha’i historian recorded it in his book\n‘The Dawn-Breakers’ – a book that was translated and edited by the Guardian of\nthe Baha’i Faith, Shoghi Effendi: \n\n
\n\n“I have heard Mulla Abdu'l-Karim [one of the three believers\nthat visited the Bab] recount the following incident: \"My companions and I\nwere fast asleep in the vicinity of the tent of the Báb when the trampling of\nhorsemen suddenly awakened us. We were soon informed that the tent of the Báb\nwas vacant and that those who had gone out in search of Him had failed to find\nHim. We heard Muhammad Big [escort commander] remonstrate with the guards. 'Why\nfeel disturbed?' he pleaded. 'Are not His magnanimity and nobleness of soul\nsufficiently established in your eyes to convince you that He will never, for\nthe sake of His own safety, consent to involve others in embarrassment? He, no\ndoubt, must have retired, in the silence of this moonlit night, to a place\nwhere He can seek undisturbed communion with God. He will unquestionably return\nto His tent. He will never desert us.' \n\n
\n\n“In his eagerness to reassure his colleagues, Muhammad Big\nset out on foot along the road leading to Tihran. I, too, with my companions,\nfollowed him. Shortly after, the rest of the guards were seen, each on\nhorseback, marching behind us. We had covered about a maydán [distance of a\npublic square] when, by the dim light of the early dawn, we discerned in the\ndistance the lonely figure of the Báb. He was coming towards us from the\ndirection of Tihrán. \n\n
\n\n'Did you believe Me to have escaped?' were His words to\nMuhammad Big as He approached him. \n\n
\n\n'Far be it from me,' was the instant reply as he flung\nhimself at the feet of the Báb, 'to entertain such thoughts.' Muhammad Big was\ntoo much awed by the serene majesty which that radiant face revealed that\nmorning to venture any further remark. \n\n
\n\n“A look of confidence had settled upon His countenance, His\nwords were invested with such transcendent power, that a feeling of profound\nreverence wrapped our very souls. No one dared to question Him as to the cause\nof so remarkable a change in His speech and demeanour. Nor did He Himself\nchoose to allay our curiosity and wonder.”” (‘The Dawn-Breakers’) \n\n(Adapted from ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, by Nabil, translated and\nedited by Shoghi Effendi; ‘The Bab, Herald of the Day of Days’, by Balyuzi;\n‘Release the Sun’, by William Sears; ‘Robe of Light, vol. 1’, by David Ruhe) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/12/gifts-from-one-manifestation-of-god-to.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/12/gifts-from-one-manifestation-of-god-to.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hand of the Cause Bill Sears' first glimpse of ‘Abdu’l-Baha",
"slug": "bsbs-hand-of-the-cause-bill-sears-first-glimpse-of-abdu-l-baha",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxOsYtAej0H-GBGSCp9ZFSxalsIjE0qfVrlTx3Mh4479sv_RVJXvATFKpQIejYxW-WLeZfzUnnfeJkDpmBP0cOYI9NJNtj1PA2K8acLRkCW5wZfPWy8xvZx_4SEn5rRZ5PUODktwtMPU/s1600/Paintings-16-1.jpg\") Bill Sears was born on March 28, 1911 in Aitkin, Minnesota.\nAt 18 months old his father took him to the Aitkin train station to pick up his\naunt. Bill’s wife, Marguerite, later wrote: \n\n
\n\nAs Bill related the story\nto me, he and his father stood hand-in-hand on the platform. Their ears perked\nup at the sound of the whistle and they strained their necks as they watched\nthe train chug into sight and sigh to a stop. \n\n
\n\nScanning the train, unsure from which car his aunt would\nalight, the young lad's focus suddenly locked on a man looking out from one of\nthe exits. Ethereal in appearance, the stranger was\na vision in white: flowing ankle-length robe, turban, and long, snowy beard to\nmatch. Never had the youngster seen anyone like him-not even in picture books. \n\n
\n\nMesmerized by the sheer force of\nthe gentleman's presence, the child stood stock still for a few moments, then\ntugged excitedly at his father's coat, in an unsuccessful attempt to draw his\nattention to the object of his fascination. But his father's immediate and sole\nconcern lay with the aunt. Her arrival had gone unnoticed by the child whose\ngaze had not wavered from the sight of the unusual personage to whom he seemed\nmagnetically drawn. The spell broke with the next blow of the whistle. \n\n \n
\nWistfully, the boy listened to\nthe engines engage and watched the train and its extraordinary occupant pull\nout of the station to continue its westward journey. The trio of relatives\nheaded for home. The date was September 20, 1912.
\n\n
\n\nOn that date ‘Abdu’l-Baha was\nenroute to Denver via Minneapolis. \n\n
\n\nBill Sears “first dream [of the\nMan in white] came that night, and others followed, well into Bill's adulthood.\nThey were happy dreams-full of promise-with the man in white beckoning him in\none dream to \"fish like Peter.\" \n\n
\n\nOne is full of amazement at the\nextraordinary spiritual precociousness of this child of eighteen months. \n\n(Adapted from ‘Bill: A Biography\nof Hand of the Cause of God William Sears’, by Marguerite Reimer Sears) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/08/bill-sears-first-glimpse-of-abdul-baha.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/08/bill-sears-first-glimpse-of-abdul-baha.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hand of the Cause Mr. Faizi’s first exposure to the Baha’i Faith as a child",
"slug": "bsbs-hand-of-the-cause-mr-faizi-s-first-exposure-to-the-baha-i-faith-as-a-child",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPw3ZlCfS3tIGBgURf25C165hXWiOvqQN-4JcKmd_iFAoeZpNc8E8ZSpHc-1ChyphenhypheniThNHJ2d8TB2IbEPeLkmW7C-_Cff71MdB9b3HzMaVoGTrk2ZVe7cd7mz75upJo9ngv1LsUjzW9hN10/s1600/Paintings-18-1.jpg\") Leaving the city of Qum, Faizi’s Muslim family settled well\nin Tehran. Shortly after they were joined by Faizi's newly married brother and\nhis wife. Because their father was worried about his young son getting lost in\nthe big, busy city, Faizi was left to studying on his own at home. When his brother became aware of this\nsituation, he was concerned that he had not been registered in any school and\npersuaded their father that it would be better to send him to school. Having\nalready sent his eldest son to a school run by Baha'is, their father agreed to\nsend Faizi to the Baha'i Tarbiyat School for boys, which was near where they\nlived, so there was no danger of him getting lost. His older brother arranged\nfor him to be interviewed by the principal of the school. \n\n
\n\nEarly one morning, Faizi, accompanied by his older brother,\nset off for Tarbiyat School, the younger one in trepidation of what awaited\nhim, the older one happy that he was going to entrust his dear brother to the\ndaily care of a benevolent institution. The classes were already in session\nwhen they arrived and the principal, 'Aziz Misbah, was waiting for them in his\noffice. How different was the young Faizi's reception at this school compared\nto what he had received earlier at the religious school (maktab) in Qum, how genial and kindly Mr. Misbah\nwas compared to the so-called teachers in his hometown. No wonder that, as soon\nas Faizi met this much-loved principal he was immediately drawn to him. After\nwelcoming the two brothers the principle asked Faizi a few questions to ascertain his\nlevel of literacy and decided to place his new pupil in grade five. \n\n \n
\nTarbiyat School, which was the first of several schools\nestablished throughout Iran in 1898 by the Baha'is of Iran -- separate schools for boys and girls. It was considered\nto be the best and most respected school of the capital. Many well-known Muslim\nfamilies as well as almost all the Baha'is of Tehran sent their boys to it. Most of\nthe teachers were Baha'is and the ethos of the school was based on nurturing the latent talents of its pupils, encouraging them to\nhave high moral standards and fostering in them a love for and desire to\nbe of service to humanity.
\n\n
\n\nFaizi's first day at Tarbiyat arrived. Gone was his\nreluctance to get up and go to school due to the earlier unpleasant experiences\nhe had received when attending the religious school in Qum. He jumped out\nof bed early in the morning, excitedly ate a hasty breakfast, put on the clean\nclothes that his mother had laid out for him and dashed off enthusiastically to\nhis new school. \n\n
\n\nFaizi followed the other children when the bell rang for\nthe start of the day and was guided to stand in line with the rest of the pupils\nin a respectful manner, each row in front of the door to their own class. There was order\nand calm and\nthe new pupil immersed himself\nin the quiet and peaceful atmosphere. He lifted his head up\nto 'the tall cypress trees in the grounds of the school gently swaying\nin the breeze', feasted his eyes on 'the riot of bright flowers planted\neverywhere' and was absorbing the natural beauty around him when he was suddenly\njolted out of his daydream by the voice of one of the students rising in sweet melody\nwith the daily\nprayer chanted at the beginning of every school day: \n\n
\n\nO Thou kind Lord! We are poor children, needy and insignificant, yet we are plants\nwhich have sprouted by Thy heavenly stream and saplings bursting into bloom in Thy\ndivine springtime. Make us fresh\nand verdant by the outpourings of the clouds of Thy mercy;\nhelp us to grow and develop through the rays of the sun of Thy goodly gifts and cause us to be refreshed by the\nquickening breeze wafting from\nthe meadows of Truth. Grant that\nwe may become flourishing trees laden with fruit in the orchard of knowledge, brilliant stars shining above the horizon of eternal happiness and radiant lamps shedding\nlight upon the assemblage of mankind. \n\n
\n\nO Lord! Should Thy tender care be vouchsafed unto us, each one of us would, even as an eagle, soar to\nthe pinnacle of knowledge, but were we left to ourselves we would be consumed\naway and would fall into loss and frustration. Whatever we are, from Thee do we\nproceed and before Thy threshold do we seek refuge. \n\n
\n\nThou art the Bestower,\nthe Bountiful, the All-Loving. \n\n
\n\n‘Abdu’l-Baha [1] \n\n
\n\nFaizi stood riveted. Since his arrival in the city his\nsenses had been bombarded with sights and sounds which were alien, strange and\namazing to him. He had a lot to learn and to cope with in his new life but this\nwas beyond all his expectations. \n\n
\n\nAfter his introduction to 'education' in the maktab in Qum under the guidance of tutors who seemed to have had little\ninterest in whether the children learned anything, let alone had any regard for\ntheir feelings or spiritual development, one can only imagine the effect of\nthis beautiful prayer on the young boy. He now stood on the shores of an\nocean of knowledge and experience that even he with his vivid imagination could\nnot foresee. \n\n
\n\nFirst Baha’i Class \n\n
\n\nFaizi very quickly became so attached to all his newly-found\nfriends that he wanted to spend his whole time in school. During the course of\nthe week he heard some of his friends talk about their Friday class, so as soon\nas Friday (which is the day of rest in Islamic countries) arrived he got up at\nthe crack of dawn to make sure he did not miss following them. Unaware that\nthese were Baha'i classes, Faizi\njoined his friends, who happily took him along with them without question. \n\n
\n\nWhen they reached the house where the class was to be held\nthey all sat down on the floor of a carpeted room. Faizi felt a little lost but\nwas happy to be in the company of his friends. As soon as they were all settled\nthe owner of the house entered the room with a tray of tea and, as the children\ntook their glass from his tray, lovingly greeted every child individually. They\nhad finished drinking their tea when a tall, well-dressed young man entered the room and sat down in a corner. Faizi remembered that the young man\nwore a red cravat, that he was extraordinarily radiant, and that he felt an\ninstant deep affection for him. He was the teacher and his name was Nuru’d-Din\nFatheazam. [2] \n\n
\n\nThe class began and the students started reciting in turn the\nquotations they had been given\nto learn the previous week. One quoted from the sayings of Muhammad, another\nfrom Christ, another from Moses\nand so on, leaving the new student in a state of total astonishment. Sinking deep in\nthought, the confused boy wondered, 'Oh my God! What is happening here? Where\nhave they gathered these words from?' He was shaken from these thoughts by the\nrealization that it would soon be his turn and he had no idea what to say. It had,\nof course, not escaped the attention of the kindly teacher that he had a new\nstudent in his class so he did not ask anything of Faizi. Instead he\ngave him a quotation from the Baha’i Writings to learn for the following week and\nexplained to him that the words were not only to be memorized but to be\nunderstood, pondered and put into practice. \n\n
\n\nThe words Faizi heard in that class had a deep effect on him and were the inspiration for the\nman he was to become. He was so fascinated by\nwhat he learned that day that thereafter he waited impatiently for the Friday Baha’i classes. Faizi’s mother who soon became\naware of what he was learning in these classes, always gave him clean clothes\nto wear on Fridays.\nShe also continued to 'nip any bad behavior or language in the bud by\nsaying that it was contrary to her wishes' and would 'seriously prevent any\nrepetition' of unseemly conduct. \n\n
\n\nTo the end of his life Faizi never stopped thanking God for\nhaving guided him to Nuru’d-Din Fatheazam’s Baha’i class. Even as an adult he could not bring himself to\nregard him as a friend but rather as the respected tutor to that child from Qum who\nfirst heard of the teachings of Baha'u'llah from him. \n\n(Adapted from ‘Faizi’, by\nMay Faizi-Moore) \n\n[1] Prayer book: ‘Let Thy Breeze Refresh Them’ \n\n[2] Mr. Fatheazam’s eldest son was to become one of Faizi’s\nclosest friends and a member of the Universal House of Justice. \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/10/hand-of-cause-mr-faizis-first-exposure.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/10/hand-of-cause-mr-faizis-first-exposure.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "How Baha’u’llah managed to evade Prime Minister’s persistent attempts to take possession of one of His properties through fraudulent means and evil designs",
"slug": "bsbs-how-baha-u-llah-managed-to-evade-prime-minister-s-persistent-attempts-to-ta",
"summary": "![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorKffRX4iBNSe41Genri3vVhAmb3QhJca4A2ENVp5DKbFOANGZIEP-LnHQCD4Idi6Aig1_8LJVWws7gsoLjT-99ilF48CretSd5ru4YxOPkE7-mqZKk3kNWWHQAO10iaQ056ohZMY0XU/s1600/villages-9.jpg\") One day, as he [Hájí Mírzá Aqásí, the Grand Vazír of\nMuhammad Sháh] was passing through the village of Quch-Hisar, which belonged to\nBahá’u’lláh, he was so impressed by the charm and beauty of that place and the\nabundance of its water that he conceived the idea of becoming its owner.\nBahá’u’lláh, whom he had summoned to effect the immediate purchase of that\nvillage, observed:
\n\n
\n\n“Had this property been exclusively mine own, I would\nwillingly have complied with your desire. This transitory life, with all its\nsordid possessions, is worthy of no attachment in my eyes, how much less this\nsmall and insignificant estate. As a number of other people, both rich and\npoor, some of full age and some still minors, share with me the ownership of\nthis property, I would request you to refer this matter to them, and to seek\ntheir consent.” Unsatisfied with this reply, Hájí Mírzá Aqásí sought, through\nfraudulent means, to achieve his purpose. \n\n
\n\nSo soon as Bahá’u’lláh was informed of his evil designs, He,\nwith the consent of all concerned, immediately transferred the title of the\nproperty to the name of the sister of Muhammad Sháh, who had already repeatedly\nexpressed her desire to become its owner. \n\n
\n\nThe Hájí, furious at this transaction, ordered that the\nestate should be forcibly seized, claiming that he already had purchased it\nfrom its original possessor. The representatives of Hájí Mírzá Aqásí were\nseverely rebuked by the agents of the sister of the Sháh, and were requested to\ninform their master of the determination of that lady to assert her rights. The\nHájí referred the case to Muhammad Sháh, and complained of the unjust treatment\nto which he had been subjected. \n\n
\n\nThat very night, the Sháh’s sister had acquainted him with\nthe nature of the transaction. “Many a time,” she said to her brother, “your\nImperial Majesty has graciously signified your desire that I should dispose of\nthe jewels with which I am wont to adorn myself in your presence, and with the\nproceeds purchase some property. I have at last succeeded in fulfilling your\ndesire. Hájí Mírzá Aqásí, however, is now fully determined to seize it forcibly\nfrom me.” The Sháh reassured his sister, and commanded the Hájí to forgo his\nclaim. The latter, in his despair, summoned Bahá’u’lláh to his presence and, by\nevery artifice, strove to discredit His name. \n\n \n
\n\nTo the charges he brought against Him, Bahá’u’lláh\nvigorously replied, and succeeded in establishing His innocence. In his\nimpotent rage, the Grand Vazír exclaimed: “What is the purpose of all this\nfeasting and banqueting in which you seem to delight? I, who am the Prime\nMinister of the Sháhinsháh [King of Kings] of Persia, never receive the number\nand variety of guests that crowd around your table every night. Why all this\nextravagance and vanity? You surely must be meditating a plot against me.”\n“Gracious God!” Bahá’u’lláh replied. “Is the man who, out of the abundance of\nhis heart, shares his bread with his fellow-men, to be accused of harbouring\ncriminal intentions?” Hájí Mírzá Aqásí was utterly confounded. He dared no\nreply. Though supported by the combined ecclesiastical and civil powers of\nPersia, he eventually found himself, in every contest he ventured against\nBahá’u’lláh, completely defeated. \n\n- Nabil ('The Dawn-Breakers', translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2020/02/how-bahaullah-managed-to-evade-prime.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2020/02/how-bahaullah-managed-to-evade-prime.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "How Mulla Husayn received his famous sword",
"slug": "bsbs-how-mulla-husayn-received-his-famous-sword",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeM2Yy3flDS2pFEk0AVrgd4-RsKn9YTNBErQ7YoYdxRZVWieLmepbCCKIVTphYl3Yv08ECrDA1_HJMTM2EAFDVyU9wBULnj_vm-yIr32lY42HLEH7ITPi_vhY0IogKl04kI-lJOvTQ-7Y/s320/Sword+of+Mulla+Husayn-1a.jpg\") \n\nThe whole province of Khurásán was in those days [1848] in\nthe throes of a violent agitation. The activities which Quddús and Mullá Husayn\nhad initiated, their zeal, their courage, their outspoken language, had aroused\nthe people from their lethargy, had kindled in the hearts of some the noblest\nsentiments of faith and devotion, and had provoked in the breasts of others the\ninstincts of passionate fanaticism and malice. A multitude of seekers\nconstantly poured from every direction into Mashhad, eagerly sought the\nresidence of Mullá Husayn, and through him were ushered into the presence of\nQuddús. \n\n
\n\nTheir numbers soon swelled to such proportions as to excite\nthe apprehension of the authorities. The chief constable viewed with concern\nand dismay the crowds of agitated people who streamed unceasingly into every\nquarter of the holy City [Mashhad]. In his desire to assert his rights,\nintimidate Mullá Husayn, and induce him to curtail the scope of his activities,\nhe issued orders to arrest immediately the latter’s special attendant, whose\nname was Hasan, and subject him to cruel and shameful treatment. They pierced\nhis nose, passed a cord through the incision, and with this halter led and\nparaded him through the streets. \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQH71PPwyUU5V_7wra1mGV9Oxgjd9owwnHz8S1oX2MTNUXncDqWp8N-5DH5xES5Bt8c_COBk6D00QCUqFwLPTOvaD5nhHs55sZertyOVXZS9wk3YKzpgckfiJQ-WoT1e6rvXMhZ73fzk0/s200/Persia-Khurasan.png\") \n
\n\nMullá Husayn was in the presence of Quddús when the news of\nthe disgraceful affliction that had befallen his servant reached him. Fearing\nlest this sad intelligence might grieve the heart of his beloved chief, he\narose and quietly retired. His companions soon gathered round him, expressed\ntheir indignation at this outrageous assault upon so innocent a follower of\ntheir Faith, and urged him to avenge the insult. Mullá Husayn tried to appease\ntheir anger. “Let not,” he pleaded, “the indignity that has befallen Hasan\nafflict and disturb you, for Husayn is still with you and will safely deliver\nhim back into your hands to-morrow.” \n\n \n
\n\nIn the face of so solemn an assurance, his companions\nventured no further remarks. Their hearts, however, burned with impatience to\nredress that bitter injury. A number of them eventually decided to band\nthemselves together and loudly raise, through the streets of Mashhad, the cry\nof “Yá Sáhibu’z-Zamán!” [1] as a\nprotest against this sudden affront to the dignity of their Faith. That cry was\nthe first of its kind to be raised in Khurásán in the name of the Cause of God.\nThe city re-echoed with the sound of those voices. The reverberations of their\nshouts reached even the most outlying regions of the province, raised a great\ntumult in the hearts of the people, and were the signal for the tremendous\nhappenings that were destined to transpire in the future. \n\n
\n\nIn the midst of the confusion that ensued, those who were\nholding the halter with which they dragged Hasan through the streets, perished\nby the sword. The companions of Mullá Husayn conducted the released captive\ninto the presence of their leader and informed him of the fate that had\nbefallen the oppressor. “You have refused,” Mullá Husayn is reported to have\nremarked, “to tolerate the trials to which Hasan has been subjected; how can\nyou reconcile yourselves to the martyrdom of Husayn?” [2]
\n
\nThis incident served to intensify the unsettled environment\nin the city of Mashhad. The entire province and the surrounding areas were in a\nstate of unrest with segments of the population repudiating the authority of\nthe central government. All these troubles began immediately after Muhammad\nSháh had condemned the Báb to captivity in the mountain-stronghold of\nÁdhirbayján. The King experienced a sudden reversal of fortune, such as he had\nnever known before, which struck at the very foundations of his rule. Appalling\nupsets surprised his forces that were engaged in maintaining internal order\nthroughout the provinces. The standard of rebellion was hoisted in Khurásán,\nand so great was the consternation provoked by that uprising that the Sháh’s\nprojected campaign to Hirát was immediately abandoned.
\n
\nThe city of Mashhad,\nwhich had just recovered its peace and tranquility after a recent rebellion,\nwas plunged once again into confusion and distress as a result of this harsh\nand inhumane incident involving Mulla Husayn’s attendant and the resulting\nrescue and attempt at retaliation by some Babis. The news of\nthese fresh disturbances suddenly reached Prince Hamzih Mírzá who was earlier\nstationed with his men and munitions at a distance of four farsangs [about 12\nmiles] from the city, ready to face whatever emergency might arise. The prince\nimmediately dispatched a detachment to the city with instructions to obtain the\nassistance of the governor for the arrest of Mullá Husayn, and to conduct him\ninto his presence. The captain of the Prince’s artillery, immediately\nintervened. “I deem myself,” he pleaded, “one among the lovers and admirers of\nMullá Husayn. If you contemplate inflicting any harm upon him, I pray you to\ntake my life and then to proceed to execute your design; for I cannot, so long\nas I live, tolerate the least disrespect towards him.” \n\n
\n\nThe prince, who knew full well how much he stood in need of\nthat officer, was greatly embarrassed at this unexpected declaration. “I too\nhave met Mullá Husayn,” was his reply as he tried to remove the apprehension of\nhis artillery captain. “I too cherish the utmost devotion to him. By summoning\nhim to my camp, I am hoping to restrict the scope of the mischief which has\nbeen kindled and to safeguard his person.” The prince then addressed in his own\nhandwriting a letter to Mullá Husayn in which he urged the extreme desirability\nof his transferring his residence for a few days to his headquarters, and\nassured him of his sincere desire to shield him from the attacks of his\ninfuriated opponents. He gave orders that his own highly ornamented tent be\npitched in the vicinity of his camp and be reserved for the reception of his\nexpected guest. \n\n
\n\nOn the receipt of this communication, Mullá Husayn presented\nit to Quddús, who advised him to respond to the invitation of the prince. “No\nharm can befall you,” Quddús assured him. “As to me, I shall this very night set\nout in the company of Mírzá Muhammad-‘Alíy-i-Qazvíní, one of the Letters of the\nLiving, for Mázindarán. Please God, you too, later on, at the head of a large\ncompany of the faithful and preceded by the ‘Black Standards,’ will depart from\nMashhad and join me. We shall meet at whatever place the Almighty will have\ndecreed.” \n\n
\n\nMullá Husayn joyously responded. He threw himself at the\nfeet of Quddús and assured him of his firm determination to discharge with\nfidelity the obligations which he had imposed upon him. Quddús lovingly took\nhim in his arms and, kissing his eyes and his forehead, committed him to the\nAlmighty’s unfailing protection. Early that same afternoon, Mullá Husayn\nmounted his steed and rode out with dignity and calm to the encampment of Prince\nHamzih Mírzá, and was ceremoniously conducted by ‘Abdu’l-‘Alí Khán, the\nprince’s artillery captain, who, together with a number of officers, had been\nappointed by the prince to go out and welcome him, to the tent that had been\nspecially erected for his use…. \n\n
\n\nMullá Husayn returned from the camp of Prince Hamzih Mírzá\nto Mashhad, from which place he was to proceed seven days later to Karbilá\naccompanied by whomsoever he might desire. The prince offered him a sum to\ndefray the expenses of his journey, an offer that he declined, sending the\nmoney back with a message requesting him to expend it for the relief of the\npoor and needy. ‘Abdu’l-‘Alí Khán likewise volunteered to provide all the\nrequirements of Mullá Husayn’s intended pilgrimage, and expressed his eagerness\nto pay also the expenses of whomsoever he might choose to accompany him. All\nthat he accepted from him was a sword and a horse, both of which he was\ndestined to utilise with consummate bravery and skill in repulsing the assaults\nof a treacherous enemy. \n\n
\n\nMy pen can never adequately describe the devotion which\nMullá Husayn had kindled in the hearts of the people of Mashhad, nor can it\nseek to fathom the extent of his influence. His house, in those days, was\ncontinually besieged by crowds of eager people who begged to be allowed to\naccompany him on his contemplated journey. Mothers brought their sons, and\nsisters their brothers, and tearfully implored him to accept them as their most\ncherished offerings on the Altar of Sacrifice. \n\n(Adapted from ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, by Nabil; translated and\nedited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n[1] “O Lord of the Age!” one of the titles of the promised\nQá’im \n[2] Allusion to his own martyrdom
\n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/06/how-mulla-husayn-received-his-famous.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/06/how-mulla-husayn-received-his-famous.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "How Mullá Sádiq-i-Muqaddas recognized the Báb through Mullá Husayn in Isfahán",
"slug": "bsbs-how-mulla-sadiq-i-muqaddas-recognized-the-bab-through-mulla-husayn-in-isfah",
"summary": "![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZzLkVeiUT45JvaIS2cyi0Db9VhJzuj3ITqCUkDJns5Uhw_6sU18oQRka3_fG9NRgVx8bWhzhMQlyhxdOMPI6lV7YKE_10ufsYqfkxPiXgIhmPjuP8vG_78TUOvEWmP8n0eRnyRcvavM/s1600/Paintings-1-1.jpg\") Mulla Sadiq-i-Muqaddas, was an outstanding believer who was\nentitled Ismu'llahu'l-Asdaq (The name of God, the Most Truthful) by\nBaha’u’llah. He was appointed posthumously a Hand of the Cause by ‘Abdu’l-Baha.\n(Adapted from ‘Ministry of the Custodians’, and ‘The Revelation of Baha'u'llah,\nvol. 4, by Adib Taherzadeh) Here is the sweet story of how he recognized the\nBáb:
\n\n
\n\nAs soon as he [Mullá Sádiq-i-Muqaddas] learned of the\narrival of Mullá Husayn in Isfáhán, he hastened to meet him. He gives the\nfollowing account of his first interview, which took place at night in the home\nof Mírzá Muhammad-‘Alíy-i-Nahrí: \n\n
\n\n“I asked Mullá Husayn to divulge the name of Him who claimed\nto be the promised Manifestation. He replied: ‘To enquire about that name and\nto divulge it are alike forbidden.’ ‘Would it, then, be possible,’ I asked,\n‘for me, even as the Letters of the Living, to seek independently the grace of\nthe All-Merciful and, through prayer, to discover His identity?’ ‘The door of\nHis grace,’ he replied, ‘is never closed before the face of him who seeks to\nfind Him.’ \n\n
\n\nI immediately retired from his presence, and requested his\nhost to allow me the privacy of a room in his house where, alone and\nundisturbed, I could commune with God. In the midst of my contemplation, I\nsuddenly remembered the face of a Youth whom I had often observed while in\nKarbilá, standing in an attitude of prayer, with His face bathed in tears at\nthe entrance of the shrine of the Imám Husayn. That same countenance now\nreappeared before my eyes. In my vision I seemed to behold that same face,\nthose same features, expressive of such joy as I could never describe. He\nsmiled as He gazed at me. I went towards Him, ready to throw myself at His\nfeet. I was bending towards the ground, when, lo! that radiant figure vanished\nfrom before me. \n\n
\n\nOverpowered with joy and gladness, I ran out to meet Mullá\nHusayn, who with transport received me and assured me that I had, at last,\nattained the object of my desire. He bade me, however, repress my feelings.\n‘Declare not your vision to anyone,’ he urged me; ‘the time for it has not yet\narrived. You have reaped the fruit of your patient waiting in Isfáhán. You\nshould now proceed to Kirmán, and there acquaint Hájí Mírzá Karím Khán with\nthis Message. From that place you should travel to Shíráz and endeavour to\nrouse the people of that city from their heedlessness. I hope to join you in\nShíráz and share with you the blessings of a joyous reunion with our Beloved.’” \n\n- Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers’; translated and\nedited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2019/10/how-mulla-sadiq-i-muqaddas-recognized.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2019/10/how-mulla-sadiq-i-muqaddas-recognized.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "How one of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s translators became fluent in Arabic – without studying it",
"slug": "bsbs-how-one-of-abdu-l-baha-s-translators-became-fluent-in-arabic-without-studyi",
"summary": "![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIpN2xG9Bogt9n6duHP87cyjIV8Nb_DtBy1WX75FzS_p6oiJ0jLnZmivpF4rfTrFmUAEf70fK584Cb9kgP3OEeDKfpgOXrCEwG-CYZWxVP0wHKq-iQC9P28Fcc0bYL7ypqrQV9L_IEEI/s200/Ali-Kuli+Khan-a.jpg\") In this brief talk, Ali-Kuli Khan recalls how in early 1900 he\nwas able to go on pilgrimage to the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Baha and become one of\nHis translators. Though he only knew Persian, he explains how the Master\nbestowed upon him the ability to read and understand the Writings in Arabic so\nhe could translate them.
\n\n\n \n
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/11/how-one-of-abdul-bahas-translators.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/11/how-one-of-abdul-bahas-translators.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "How the death warrant for the Báb was obtained from three leading priests in Tabriz",
"slug": "bsbs-how-the-death-warrant-for-the-bab-was-obtained-from-three-leading-priests-i",
"summary": " \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYV_XgR-EufrlcH5Oe6_MG35wqB1jHJS3cprt9zfDG4Eq7xGV00mdGtPMzzce5pvL0ofhH_sYr3Jf78r9a2N2dxaDVlTPLhpUNbA8GcNki9Tm1gObKyWdxxAbDfds1bvYrItp6otRw-bg/s1600/old+Tabriz.png\") \n \n
\n \nThe Báb was engaged in a confidential conversation with\nSiyyid Husayn, one of His closest followers, who had been serving as His secretary.\nHusayn had been with the Báb throughout His imprisonment. The Báb was giving\nhim last minute instructions. \n \n
\n \n\"Confess not your Faith,\" the Báb advised Husayn.\n\"Thereby you will be enabled, when the hour comes, to convey to those who are\ndestined to hear you, the things of which you alone are aware.\" \n \n
\n \nThe Báb was\nthus engaged when the chief-attendant arrived. He insisted upon the Báb's\nimmediate departure. The Báb turned and rebuked the chief-attendant severely. \n \n
\n \n\"Not until I have said to him all those things I wish\nto say,\" the Báb warned, \"can any earthly power silence me. Though\nall the world be armed against Me, yet shall they be powerless to deter Me from\nfulfilling, to the last word, My intention.\" \n \n \n \n The chief-attendant was amazed at such a bold speech on the part\nof a prisoner. However, he still insisted that the Báb accompany him with no\nfurther delay. The conversation with Husayn was left unfinished. The Báb and\nthe eighteen-year-old boy who was to die with Him were led, one by one, into\nthe presence of each of three doctors of law. The guards made certain that the\nirons about the neck and wrists were secure. To the iron collar about the Báb's\nneck they tied a long cord which was held by another attendant. Then, so that\neveryone could see Him in His humiliation, they walked Him about the town. They\nled Him through the streets and the bazaars, overwhelming Him with blows and\ninsults. [1] He was paraded publicly, as Christ had been, an object of derision.\n \n
\n \nTo the people of Tabriz the Báb was no longer triumphant. He\nwas to die. He was being humbled and degraded just as the Prime Minister had\nplanned. The crowds packed the streets along which he was led. The people\nclimbed upon each other's shoulders the better to see this Personage Who was so\nmuch talked about. What a pity He was so powerless, they said. Quite obviously\nthis could not be a Man of God, and certainly not the Promised One. \n \n
\n \nThe followers of the Báb who were in the crowd scattered in all directions. They were trying to arouse among the onlookers a feeling\nof pity or sympathy which might help them save their Master. \n \n
\n \nJesus had entered Jerusalem hailed on all sides, with palm\nleaves strewn in His path, only to be mocked and reviled in that same Jerusalem\nwithin the week. In like manner the glory that had attended the Báb's first\ntriumphant entry into Tabriz was now forgotten. This time the crowd, restless and\nexcitable, flung insulting words at Him. They wanted to be entertained with\nmiracles and signs of wonder, and the Báb was failing them. They pursued Him as\nHe was led through the streets. They broke through the guards and struck Him in\nthe face. When some missile hurled from the crowd would reach its mark, the\nguards and the crowd would burst into laughter. \n \n
\n \nThe Báb was then brought before the priest who had\npreviously incited the clergy to scourge Him. As soon as he saw the Báb approaching, he seized the\ndeath-warrant and thrust it at the attendant. \"No need to bring him into my presence,\" he\ncried. 'This death warrant I signed long ago, the very day I saw him at that gathering here in\nTabriz. He is the same man I saw then, and has not since surrendered any of his\nclaims. Take him away!\" \n \n
\n \nThe other priests in turn also refused to meet the Báb face\nto face. Their hatred of Him had increased since the day of His previous\ntriumph over them. \n \n
\n \n“We are satisfied that it is right to pronounce the sentence\nof death,\" they said. \"Do not bring him into our presence.\" The chief-attendant, having\nsecured the necessary death-warrants, delivered the Báb into the hands of Sam\nKhan, the leader of the regiment that was to execute Him. \n \n(Adapted from ‘Release the Sun’, by William Sears) \n \n
\n \n[1] Comte de Gobineau, Les Religions et les\nPhilosophies dans l’Asie \n \n Centrale, p. 220. \n \n \n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/05/obtaining-death-warrant-for-bab-from.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/05/obtaining-death-warrant-for-bab-from.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "How the second “Letter of the Living” recognized the Báb…",
"slug": "bsbs-how-the-second-letter-of-the-living-recognized-the-bab",
"summary": " \n \n \n \n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVNvoZsUW5WMCVjc8HJpgC4Ftb-KJkOMFskjBhlKmhcfTLuTvm2GcJRt_1zDeiv_jXMhy1DZ7Hl-tXIyMQxqScQMphrTDNUXFti7EnIE9WWIR7xKVYUeYwzhjzFRZ7xJuGHR4rooDqM0/s400/Shiraz+1841-1a.jpg\") This is the story of Mulla Aliy-i-Bastami, one of the\nLetters of the Living, \"the first to leave the House of God (Shiraz) and\nthe first to suffer for His sake…\" (The Báb, quoted by Shoghi Effendi,\n‘God Passes By’) He was “one of the foremost disciples of Siyyid Kazim…. He was\nendowed with such vast learning, and was so deeply conversant with the\nteachings of Shaykh Ahmad, that many regarded him as even superior to Mulla\nHusayn.” (Nabil, ‘The Dawn-Breakers’)\n \n
\n \nFollowing the death of their leader, Siyyid Kazim, Mulla Ali\nand twelve other followers of Siyyid Kazim decided to follow the example of\nMulla Husayn and begin their search for the Promised One – as they were\ninstructed to do so by Siyyid Kazim. Mulla Husayn had just started his\nspiritual preparation in retirement by praying and fasting for forty days. On\nseveral occasions Mulla 'Ali approached Mulla Husayn to ask him where he was\ngoing and what his destination would be. Every time he neared Mulla Husayn, he\nfound him so deeply wrapt in prayer that he felt it improper to venture a\nquestion. Mulla 'Ali decided to retire in a like manner from the society of men\nand prepare his own heart for the quest. His companions followed his example\nwith the exception of three who acted as their personal attendants. \n \n
\n \nAs soon as the forty days were up, Mulla Husayn decided to\nleave Karbila at once for Persia where he felt his search should begin. His\nbrother and nephew also accompanied him. An inner prompting led him to Bushihr\non the Persian Gulf. Though he could feel the sweet savors of His holiness the\nBáb in Bushir something suddenly turned him like a compass needle to the north.\nHe set out at once on foot for the city of Shiraz. When he arrived at the gate\nof the city, he directed his brother and his nephew, who had accompanied him,\nto go to the prayer-house and await his return. \"Something draws my heart\ninto the city,\" he said, \"but I shall meet you for evening\nprayers.\" A few hours before sunset, Mulla Husayn's eyes fell upon the Báb\nand received an invitation to His House and became the first believer in the Bábi\nDispensation. \n \n
\n \nShortly after Mulla Husayn had left Karbila, Mulla ‘Ali\naccompanied by twelve companions also followed him towards Persia. \n \n \n \n On the morning of May 23, 1844, the Báb allowed Mulla\nHusayn, bearing his secret, to return to his fellow travelers. He told Mulla\nHusayn that seventeen more disciples were to come after him - but they would\nhave to find the Object of their quest alone and unaided, through prayer and\nmeditation. These eighteen, along with the Báb, were to form the body of the\n\"Letters of the Living,\" the first believers of the new Revelation.\n \n
\n \nWhen on the morning of May 23, 1844 Mulla Husayn reached the\nmosque where his companions had lodged, he found that some of the followers of\nthe Shaykhi doctrine had heard of his arrival and had come to see him. He was\nalready famous in the city; the news of his achievements and the confidence\nSiyyid Kazim had placed in him was known everywhere. He was asked to stay in\nShiraz so that searchers for the truth might profit from his vast knowledge.\nMulla Husayn accepted the invitation and told his fellow Shaykhis to prepare\nfor the talks he would give in the same mosque where they were lodged. He would\nteach from one of the books of Siyyid Kazim. \n \n
\n \nHow surprised his companions were when they heard this news!\nWhen Mulla Husayn had left Karbala, he had vowed never to rest until he\nattained the presence of the Promised One. They had promised to follow him\nwherever he went, and to obey him, whatever he might command. Now, in view of\nthis change, they felt that they at least deserved an explanation. But this he\nrefused to give. \n \n
\n \nMulla Husayn began his classes and a large group of students\neventually gathered around him, notables of the city coming to visit him as\nwell. All wondered at the spirit which his lectures revealed. Naturally, they\nwere unaware that the Source of his inspiration was now the very One whose\nadvent they were all eagerly awaiting. Nabil has recorded Mulla Husayn's own\nrecollections of this time: \n \n
\n \n\"During those days I was, on several occasions,\nsummoned by the Báb to visit Him. He would send at night-time that same\nEthiopian servant to the masjid [mosque], bearing to me His most loving message\nof welcome. Every time I visited Him, I spent the entire night in His presence.\nWakeful until the dawn, I sat at His feet fascinated by the charm of His\nutterance and oblivious of the world and its cares and pursuits. How rapidly\nthose precious hours flew by! At daybreak I reluctantly withdrew from His presence.\nHow eagerly in those days I looked forward to the approach of the evening hour!\nWith what feelings of sadness and regret I beheld the dawning of day! In the\ncourse of one of these nightly visits, my Host addressed me in these words: \n \n
\n \n'Tomorrow thirteen of your companions will arrive. To each\nof them extend the utmost loving-kindness. Leave them not to themselves, for\nthey have dedicated their lives to the quest of their Beloved. Pray to God that\nHe may graciously enable them to walk securely in that path which is finer than\na hair and keener than a sword. Certain ones among them will be accounted, in\nthe sight of God, as His chosen and favoured disciples. As to others, they will\ntread the middle way. The fate of the rest will remain undeclared until the\nhour when all that is hidden shall be made manifest.'\"(The Dawn-Breakers’) \n \n
\n \nThat same morning, after Mulla Husayn had returned home,\nMulla 'Aliy-i Bastami, with twelve of his companions, arrived at the Ilkhani\nMosque, where Mulla Husayn was staying. Mulla Husayn immediately saw to their\naccommodations. After they had been in Shiraz for a few days, Mulla 'Ali\nfinally gave vent to his anxious feelings: \n \n
\n \n\"You know well,\" he said, \"how great is our\nconfidence in you. We bear you such loyalty that if you should claim to be the\npromised Qa'im we would all unhesitatingly submit. Obedient to your summons, we\nhave forsaken our homes and have gone forth in search of our promised Beloved.\nYou were the first to set us all this noble example. We have followed in your\nfootsteps. We have determined not to relax in our efforts until we find the\nObject of our quest. We have followed you to this place, ready to acknowledge\nwhomsoever you accept, in the hope of seeking the shelter of His protection and\nof passing successfully through the tumult and agitation that must needs\nsignalise the last Hour. How is it that we now see you teaching the people and\nconducting their prayers and devotions with the utmost tranquility? Those\nevidences of agitation and expectancy seem to have vanished from your\ncountenance. Tell us, we beseech you, the reason that we too may be delivered\nfrom our present state of suspense and doubt.\" (‘The Dawn-Breakers’) \n \n
\n \nMulla Husayn replied: \n \n
\n \n\"Your companions may naturally attribute my peace and\ncomposure to the ascendancy which I seem to have acquired in this city. The\ntruth is far from that. The world, I assure you, with all its pomp and\nseductions, can never lure away this Husayn of Bushruyih from his Beloved. Ever\nsince the beginning of this holy enterprise upon which I have embarked, I have\nvowed to seal, with my life-blood, my own destiny. For His sake I have welcomed\nimmersion in an ocean of tribulation. I yearn not for the things of this world.\nI crave only the good pleasure of my Beloved. Not until I shed my blood for His\nname will the fire that glows within me be quenched. Please God you may live to\nwitness that day. Might not your companions have thought that, because of the\nintensity of his longing and the constancy of his endeavours, God has, in His\ninfinite mercy, graciously deigned to unlock before the face of Mulla Husayn\nthe Gate of His grace, and, wishing, according to His inscrutable wisdom, to\nconceal this fact, has bidden him engage in such pursuits?” (‘The\nDawn-Breakers’) \n \n
\n \nMulla 'Ali immediately understood the import of these words.\nWith tearful eyes, he pleaded with Mulla Husayn to tell him the name of the One\nthey both had sought. \"I adjure you,\" he begged, \"to bestow upon\nme a portion of that holy draught which the Hand of mercy has given you to\ndrink, for it will assuredly allay my thirst, and ease the pain of longing in\nmy heart.\" \"Beseech me not to grant you this favor,\" was the\nreply. \"Let your trust be in Him, for He will surely guide your steps, and\nappease the tumult of your heart.\" (‘The Dawn-Breakers) \n \n
\n \nAfter this conversation, Mulla 'Ali rushed to his companions\nto inform them of the secret their leader had concealed, explaining that only\nGod could guide them to the Beloved of their hearts. They all dispersed and\nsecluded themselves in their rooms, praying, fasting, and meditating - asking\nGod to guide them to the Beloved and to remove the veil that separated them\nfrom Him. \n \n
\n \nOn the third night, Mulla 'Ali had a vision. A light\nappeared before him, and he followed it until he reached the presence of his\nBeloved. It was midnight when the veil was rent and his eyes saw clearly. With\nuncontrolled excitement, he hastened to Mulla Husayn's room. Weeping, he told\nhim about his vision and his discovery. Full of joy, Mulla Husayn recited this\npassage from the Qur'an to his dear companion: ‘Praise be to God who hath\nguided us hither! We had not been guided had not God guided us!’ \n \n
\n \nAt daybreak, the two friends rushed to the house of the Báb.\nTo their surprise, they were met at the door by His Ethiopian servant. The\nservant explained: \"Ere break of day, I was summoned to the presence of my\nMaster, who instructed me to open the door of the house and to stand expectant\nat its threshold. 'Two guests,' He said, 'are to arrive early this morning.\nExtend to them in my name a warm welcome. Say to them from me, ‘Enter therein\nin the name of God.’” (‘The Dawn-Breakers’) \n \n
\n \nWhen Mulla 'Alyi-i Bastami came into the presence of his\nBeloved, he threw himself at His feet and confessed his faith in Him. This\nconfession of the second believer was strikingly different from that of the\nfirst one. Mulla Husayn had come to the Báb's House as an almost unwilling\nguest, without any idea of what might happen to him in that place. When the Báb\nhad declared His mission to him, he first scoffed and then doubted and asked\nfor proofs. But the second believer crossed the threshold of the house with a\nheart filled with faith and devotion. \n \n
\n \nMulla 'Ali's twelve companions, who had also prayed and\nmeditated, each found their heart's desire in a different way. Some discovered\nhim in their dreams, others in visions or through prayer and fasting. Each was\neventually taken to the House of the Báb, where he attained the presence of his\nBeloved and accepted His glorious station. Seventeen of these Letters of the\nLiving were eventually enrolled in Shiraz. \n \n
\n \nOne additional Letter was enrolled. She was a woman and had\nnot traveled to Shiraz. This was Qurratu'l-'Ayn, later named Tahirih. From\nKarbila she had sent a letter, through one of her relatives, to her as yet\nunknown Master. The letter expressed her desire to be accepted into the court\nof that heavenly King. \n \n
\n \nMulla Ali had a great station in the Bábi Dispensation. The\nBáb bestowed upon him the station of Imam 'Ali, who in the view of Shí'ah Islam\nis the true successor of Muhammad. This He did when He sent Mulla 'Ali to\ndeliver His newly-revealed words into the hands of Shaykh Muhammad-Hasan-i-Najafi,\none of the leading religious leaders in 'Iraq. In His Message to this divine,\nthe Báb clearly stated that the bearer of the message was the return of the\nreality of Imam 'Ali. \n \n(Adapted from ‘The Dawn-Breakers,’ by Nabil, ‘Release the\nSun,” by William Sears, ‘Mulla Husayn’, by Mehrankhani; ’God Passes By’, by\nShoghi Effendi, and ‘The Revelation of Baha’u’llah vol.4’, by Adib Taherzadeh) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/08/how-second-letter-of-living-recognized.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/08/how-second-letter-of-living-recognized.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "\"I am only a drop from the vast ocean of Baha'u'llah's school\"",
"slug": "bsbs-i-am-only-a-drop-from-the-vast-ocean-of-bahaullahs-school",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qQ5luwVmS4Bp16K9YHlpqvDxjHMGq80XybjL0NH2ZFT4fNe2LcO-tT3mvmVvB8OziFYAqw-YMp0IQgYJ1J5htotW79TCamda5woBDrkUcBKOkH84X0TdlCHdSrFtoIOTGh3AK6JUeoI/s1600/Mirza+Abu'l-Fadl-2.jpg\") Notable among those who had attained the station of true knowledge was Mirza Abu'l-Fadl, the great Baha'i scholar and one of the Apostles of Baha'u'llah. He is renowned for his vast knowledge, not only within the Baha'i community but throughout the East. He was an acknowledged authority on many subjects including history and divine philosophy and was an outstanding master of Arabic and Persian literature. Once in academic circles in Egypt he was referred to as 'God of the pen, a pillar of history and the comer-stone of knowledge and virtue.' \n \n Dr. Habib Mu'ayyad, who knew him personally, has written a great deal in his memoirs concerning the greatness of this man. Here is one passage:\n \n Once people asked him [Mirza Abu'l-Fadl] how he had acquired this vast erudition and how he had become the recipient of this God-given knowledge. He became so displeased with his questioners that he angrily remarked 'Who is Abu'l-Fadl! What is Abu'l-Fadl! I am only a drop from the vast ocean of Baha'u'llah's school. If you also, enter the same school, you will become the master of Abu'l-Fadl. If you don't believe me go to Gulpaygan[his home town], see my relatives and then you will understand.'\n \n The following story gives us a glimpse of his greatness: \n \n In the early years of the twentieth century, 'Abdu'l-Baha sent Mirza Abu'l-Fadl to the United States of America to teach and help the believers deepen in the Faith. After his return, he and a number of American pilgrims were seated in the presence of ' Abdu'l-Baha in ‘Akka. The pilgrims began to praise Mirza Abu'l-Fadl for the help he had given them, saying that he had taught many souls, defended the Cause most ably against its adversaries, and had helped to build a strong and dedicated Baha'i community in America. As they continued to pour lavish praise upon him, Mirza Abu'l-Fadl became increasingly depressed and dejected, until he burst into tears and wept loudly. The believers were surprised and could not understand this, even thinking that they had not praised him enough!\n \n Then 'Abdu'l-Baha explained that by praising him they had bitterly hurt him, for he considered himself as utter nothingness in the Cause and believed with absolute sincerity that he was not worthy of any mention or praise.\n \n Mirza Abu'l-Fadl has truly set an example for Baha'is to follow, in that throughout his Baha'i life he never used the word 'I' to ascribe merit to himself. \n (Adib Taherzadeh, ‘The Revelation of Baha’u’llah’, vol. 2)\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/06/i-am-only-drop-from-vast-ocean-of.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/06/i-am-only-drop-from-vast-ocean-of.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "June-July 1849: The Báb’s immeasurable sorrow when the news of the martyrdom of Mulla Husayn, the heroes of Tabarsí, and Quddus reached Him",
"slug": "bsbs-june-july-1849-the-bab-s-immeasurable-sorrow-when-the-news-of-the-martyrdom",
"summary": " ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgANARmYjySvYnHAC1r6NsbJxNfr5sRsnKjLoL4Kj3vDm-Mn3IOjVCOnVAhkh3UZh4saVo0h6AGht2JxRiFtTGd2wQG5STN0SSOHUmd4tK-2lQAwNx_2U68b5VmaUy7lgcqXe2Zak56dm0/s1600/Paintings-10-1.jpg\") The news of the tragic fate which had befallen the heroes of\nTabarsí brought immeasurable sorrow to the heart of the Báb. Confined in His\nprison-castle of Chihríq, severed from the little band of His struggling\ndisciples, He watched with keen anxiety the progress of their labours and\nprayed with unremitting zeal for their victory. How great was His sorrow when,\nin the early days of Sha’bán in the year 1265 A.H., [June 22-July 21, 1849\nA.D.] He came to learn of the trials that had beset their path, of the agony\nthey had suffered, of the betrayal to which an exasperated enemy had felt\ncompelled to resort, and of the abominable butchery with which their career had\nended.\n \n
\n \n“The Báb was heart-broken,” His amanuensis, Siyyid Ḥusayn-i-‘Azíz,\nsubsequently related [to Nabil], “at the receipt of this unexpected\nintelligence. He was crushed with grief, a grief that stilled His voice and\nsilenced His pen. For nine days He refused to meet any of His friends. I\nmyself, though His close and constant attendant, was refused admittance.\nWhatever meat or drink we offered Him, He was disinclined to touch. Tears\nrained continually from His eyes, and expressions of anguish dropped\nunceasingly from His lips. I could hear Him, from behind the curtain, give vent\nto His feelings of sadness as He communed, in the privacy of His cell, with His\nBeloved. I attempted to jot down the effusions of His sorrow as they poured\nforth from His wounded heart. Suspecting that I was attempting to preserve the\nlamentations He uttered, He bade me destroy whatever I had recorded. Nothing\nremains of the moans and cries with which that heavy-laden heart sought to\nrelieve itself of the pangs that had seized it. For a period of five months He\nlanguished, immersed in an ocean of despondency and sorrow.” \n \n \nWith the advent of Muharram in the year 1266 A.H., [Nov.\n17-Dec. 17, 1849 A.D.] the Báb again resumed the work He had been compelled to\ninterrupt. The first page He wrote was dedicated to the memory of Mullá Ḥusayn.\nIn the visiting Tablet revealed in his honour, He extolled, in moving terms, the\nunswerving fidelity with which he served Quddús throughout the siege of the\nfort of Tabarsí. He lavished His eulogies on his magnanimous conduct, recounted\nhis exploits, and asserted his undoubted reunion in the world beyond with the\nleader whom he had so nobly served. He too, He wrote, would soon join those\ntwin immortals, each of whom had, by his life and death, shed imperishable\nlustre on the Faith of God. For one whole week the Báb continued to write His\npraises of Quddús, of Mullá Ḥusayn, and of His other companions who had gained\nthe crown of martyrdom at Tabarsí. \n \n- Nabil (‘The Dawb-Breakers’; translated and\nedited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/04/june-july-1849-babs-immeasurable-sorrow.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/04/june-july-1849-babs-immeasurable-sorrow.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Karbila, circa 1841: A meeting between the Báb and His forerunner Siyyid Kazim -- its profound and long-lasting effect on a disciple of Siyyid Kazim who was also present",
"slug": "bsbs-karbila-circa-1841-a-meeting-between-the-bab-and-his-forerunner-siyyid-kazi",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVaFxAEexsg4RE18PhwVwO5MZ2tlAspQiqVWLzgBNny1vPjm4qNXe3SiWJD-6kMVUKWKc6CyXNxEfQhuC045mQ3L5dF__cQ-q6wNyPqa0Ew1wo6zQvzI6nVv1lGa6IOGIOTsSyyTsHKh8/s320/Karbila-circa+1930s-1.jpg\") | \n| Karbila, circa 1930s | \n | \n In the following incident Nabil gives an example of Siyyid\nKazim’s efforts to prepare his disciples to gradually remove the veils of\nage-old erroneous understandings and superstition, to become ready to recognize\ntheir Lord, the Báb:\n \n
\n \nIn those days Siyyid Kázim became increasingly aware of the\napproach of the Hour at which the promised One [the Báb] was to be revealed. He\nrealised how dense were those veils that hindered the seekers from apprehending\nthe glory of the concealed Manifestation. He accordingly exerted his utmost\nendeavour to remove gradually, with caution and wisdom, whatever barriers might\nstand in the way of the full recognition of that Hidden Treasure of God. \n \n
\n \nHe repeatedly urged his disciples to bear in mind the fact\nthat He whose advent they were expecting would appear neither from Jabúlqá nor\nfrom Jabúlsá.’ [1] He even hinted at His presence in their very midst: \n \n
\n \n“You behold Him with your own eyes,” he often observed, “and\nyet recognise Him not!” \n \n
\n \nTo his disciples who questioned him regarding the signs of\nthe Manifestation, he would say: \n \n
\n \n“He is of noble lineage. He is a descendant of the Prophet\nof God, of the family of Háshim. [2] He is young in age, and is possessed of\ninnate knowledge. His learning is derived, not from the teachings of Shaykh\nAhmad, [his master] but from God. My knowledge is but a drop compared with the\nimmensity of His knowledge; my attainments a speck of dust in the face of the\nwonders of His grace and power. Nay, immeasurable is the difference. He is of\nmedium height, abstains from smoking, and is of extreme devoutness and\npiety.” \n \n \n \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Nq4YgxoISt0bTRtFFNnkz2AC1Leb67GPGTNZFvrJspxMaNpCqC3mtWxQCduu9HDk2u6PQy8xpFQ4E__cKdLdVJ_CrDmDbDC0UFnRgXPGAj0mHzJ_vOhtyrZoTngA6gjHO9arle4galE/s200/Siyyid+Kazim-i-Rashti-1.jpg\") | \n| Siyyid Kazim | \n \n Certain of the Siyyid Kazim’s disciples, despite the\ntestimonies of their master, believed him to be the promised One, for in him\nthey recognised the signs to which he was alluding. Among them was a certain\nMullá Mihdíy-i-Khú’í, who went so far as to make public this belief. Whereupon\nSiyyid Kazim was sore displeased, and would have cast him out from the company\nof his chosen followers had he not begged forgiveness and expressed his repentance\nfor his action.\n \n
\n \nShaykh Hasan-i-Zunúzí, [one of his disciples] himself,\ninformed me [Nabil] that he too entertained such doubts, that he prayed to God\nthat if his supposition was well founded he should be confirmed in his belief,\nand if not that he should be delivered from such idle fancy. \n \n
\n \n“I was so perturbed,” he once related to me, “that for days\nI could neither eat nor sleep. My days were spent in the service of Siyyid\nKázim, to whom I was greatly attached. \n \n
\n \nOne day, at the hour of dawn, I was suddenly awakened by\nMullá Naw-rúz, one of his intimate attendants, who, in great excitement, bade\nme arise and follow him. We went to the house of Siyyid Kázim, where we found\nhim fully dressed, wearing his ‘abá, and ready to leave his home. He asked me to\naccompany him. ‘A highly esteemed and distinguished Person,’ he said, ‘has\narrived. I feel it incumbent upon us both to visit Him.’ \n \n
\n \nThe morning light had just broken when I found myself\nwalking with him through the streets of Karbilá. We soon reached a house, at\nthe door of which stood a Youth, as if expectant to receive us. He wore a green\nturban, and His countenance revealed an expression of humility and kindliness\nwhich I can never describe. He quietly approached us, extended His arms towards\nSiyyid Kázim, and lovingly embraced him. His affability and loving-kindness\nsingularly contrasted with the sense of profound reverence that characterised\nthe attitude of Siyyid Kázim towards him. Speechless and with bowed head, he\nreceived the many expressions of affection and esteem with which that Youth\ngreeted him. \n \n
\n \nWe were soon led by Him to the upper floor of that house,\nand entered a chamber bedecked with flowers and redolent of the loveliest\nperfume. He bade us be seated. We knew not, however, what seats we actually\noccupied, so overpowering was the sense of delight which seized us. We observed\na silver cup which had been placed in the centre of the room, which our\nyouthful Host, soon after we were seated, filled to overflowing, and handed to\nSiyyid Kázim, saying: ‘A drink of a pure beverage shall their Lord give\nthem.’ Siyyid Kázim held the cup with\nboth hands and quaffed it. A feeling of reverent joy filled his being, a\nfeeling which he could not suppress. I too was presented with a cupful of that\nbeverage, though no words were addressed to me. All that was spoken at that\nmemorable gathering was the above-mentioned verse of the Qur’án. Soon after,\nthe Host arose from His seat and, accompanying us to the threshold of the\nhouse, bade us farewell. \n \n
\n \nI was mute with wonder, and knew not how to express the\ncordiality of His welcome, the dignity of His bearing, the charm of that face,\nand the delicious fragrance of that beverage. How great was my amazement when I\nsaw my teacher quaff without the least hesitation that holy draught from a\nsilver cup, the use of which, according to the precepts of Islám, is forbidden\nto the faithful. I could not explain the motive which could have induced the\nSiyyid to manifest such profound reverence in the presence of that Youth—a\nreverence which even the sight of the shrine of the Siyyidu’sh-Shuhada’ [Imam\nHusayn] had failed to excite. \n \n
\n \nThree days later, I saw that same Youth arrive and take His\nseat in the midst of the company of the assembled disciples of Siyyid Kázim. He\nsat close to the threshold, and with the same modesty and dignity of bearing\nlistened to the discourse of the Siyyid. As soon as his eyes fell upon that\nYouth, the Siyyid discontinued his address and held his peace. Whereupon one of\nhis disciples begged him to resume the argument which he had left unfinished. \n \n
\n \n‘What more shall I say?’ replied Siyyid Kázim, as he turned\nhis face toward the Báb. ‘Lo, the Truth is more manifest than the ray of light\nthat has fallen upon that lap!’ \n \n
\n \nI immediately observed that the ray to which the Siyyid\nreferred had fallen upon the lap of that same Youth whom we had recently\nvisited. \n \n
\n \n‘Why is it,’ that questioner enquired, ‘that you neither\nreveal His name nor identify His person?’ \n \n
\n \nTo this the Siyyid replied by pointing with his finger to\nhis own throat, implying that were he to divulge His name, they both would be\nput to death instantly. \n \n
\n \nThis added still further to my perplexity. I had already\nheard my teacher observe that so great is the perversity of this generation,\nthat were he to point with his finger to the promised One and say: ‘He indeed\nis the Beloved, the Desire of your hearts and mine,’ they would still fail to\nrecognise and acknowledge Him. I saw the Siyyid actually point out with his\nfinger the ray of light that had fallen on that lap, and yet none among those\nwho were present seemed to apprehend its meaning. I, for my part, was convinced\nthat the Siyyid himself could never be the promised One, but that a mystery\ninscrutable to us all, lay concealed in that strange and attractive Youth. \n \n
\n \nSeveral times I ventured to approach Siyyid Kázim and seek\nfrom him an elucidation of this mystery. Every time I approached him, I was\novercome by a sense of awe which his personality so powerfully inspired. \n \n \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKlFZYeLBwE63w3vWfjxyXkZ2UxesWymY5g0gjgyMzDaC-QTbp2R-idPpPbF-c4MqcIhj3z9fYfwBUF5Puw2fSMih6ZExmFg0X_UmRDxMpoqkriMq6Be-C7mFvEOiBkIQx43LgzYdYLY/s320/Shrine+of+Imam+Husayn+in+Karbila+-+circa+1930s-1.jpg\") | \nShrine of Imam Husayn in Karbila,
cica 1930s | \n \n
\n \nMany a time I heard him remark: ‘O Shaykh Hasan, rejoice\nthat your name is Hasan [praiseworthy]; Hasan your beginning, and Hasan your\nend. You have been privileged to attain to the day of Shaykh Ahmad, you have\nbeen closely associated with me, and in the days to come yours shall be the\ninestimable joy of beholding “what eye hath seen not, ear heard not, nor any\nheart conceived.”’ \n \n
\n \n“I often felt the urge to seek alone the presence of that\nHáshimite Youth and to endeavour to fathom His mystery. I watched Him several\ntimes as He stood in an attitude of prayer at the doorway of the shrine of the\nImám Husayn. So wrapt was He in His devotions that He seemed utterly oblivious\nof those around Him. Tears rained from His eyes, and from His lips fell words of\nglorification and praise of such power and beauty as even the noblest passages\nof our Sacred Scriptures could not hope to surpass. The words ‘O God, my God,\nmy Beloved, my heart’s Desire’ were uttered with a frequency and ardour that\nthose of the visiting pilgrims who were near enough to hear Him instinctively\ninterrupted the course of their devotions, and marvelled at the evidences of\npiety and veneration which that youthful countenance evinced. Like Him they\nwere moved to tears, and from Him they learned the lesson of true adoration.\nHaving completed His prayers, that Youth, without crossing the threshold of the\nshrine and without attempting to address any words to those around Him, would\nquietly return to His home. I felt the impulse to address Him, but every time I\nventured an approach, a force that I could neither explain nor resist, detained\nme. My enquiries about Him elicited the information that He was a resident of\nShíráz, that He was a merchant by profession, and did not belong to any of the\necclesiastical orders. I was, moreover, informed that He, and also His uncles\nand relatives, were among the lovers and admirers of Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid\nKázim. \n \n
\n \n \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAJxdYfKH8BhihyMn-luTHNZm1leZfThGiExnWT_K40dRDBi1dWnwvnQe8Vi9JpYH793R1PvHbPWJWlQOD_qMJILc5_OWKVTUk4vgafgenMwSs7-lNKlvQXsTXXHfUs6w89agrNgWmWA/s320/Shrine+of+Imam+Husayn+in+Karbila+-+circa+1930s-a-1.jpg\") | \nShrine of Imam Husayn in Karbila,
circa 1930s | \n \n Soon after, I learned that He had departed for Najaf on His\nway to Shíráz. That Youth had set my heart aflame. The memory of that vision\nhaunted me. My soul was wedded to His till the day when the call of a Youth\nfrom Shíráz, proclaiming Himself to be the Báb, reached my ears. The thought\ninstantly flashed through my mind that such a person could be none other than\nthat selfsame Youth whom I had seen in Karbilá, the Youth of my heart’s desire. \n \n(Adapted from 'The Dawn-Breakers' by Nabil, translated and edited by Shoghi\nEffendi) \n \n
\n[1] Mysterious cities where Shi’ah’sbelieve the 12th Imám to\nbe living with his chosen companions, waiting to come forth in the fullness of\ntime and fill the earth with justice (‘Baha’i Glossary’, by Marzieh Gail) \n \n[2] Family of Prophet Muhammad \n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/06/circa-1841-meeting-between-bab-and-his.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/06/circa-1841-meeting-between-bab-and-his.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Language barrier...",
"slug": "bsbs-language-barrier",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtuQXn-D0EBJxl8cxLHgUesMMrPB7b7a0t9qjrfGRGoWxm5hOCACFIpo1FgdJp7yDK2sBb2Nb1gFC9cXoy2IWkualI8DBaaK8YrN9W3g4bH28teGtah5slFxidKZu_XmPX6XGsiBZcQ6U/s1600/Paintings-66-1.jpg\") In a\ntalk about our need for an international language, given at the Esperanto\nSociety in Edinburgh, Scotland, on January 7, 1913, ‘Abdu’l-Baha cited the\nfollowing funny incident to demonstrate how language barriers could cause misunderstandings: \n \n
\n \nI recall an incident which occurred in Baghdad. There were\ntwo friends who knew not each other's language. One fell ill, the other visited\nhim, but not being able to express his sympathy in words resorted to gesture,\nas if to say, \"How do you feel?” - with another sign the sick replied,\n\"I shall soon be dead;” and his visitor, believing the gesture to indicate\nthat he was getting better, said, \"God be praised!” \n \n(Star of the West, vo.\n4, no. 2, April 9, 1913) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/01/need-for-international-language.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/01/need-for-international-language.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Lending a “shoulder” to ‘Abdu’l-Baha",
"slug": "bsbs-lending-a-shoulder-to-abdu-l-baha",
"summary": " On one of the occasions when the Master was in New York City in 1912 there were three automobiles awaiting Him and His party to take them from Hotel Ansonia to the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/08/lending-shoulder-to-abdul-baha.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n\n On one of the occasions when the Master was in New York City\nin 1912 there were three automobiles awaiting Him and His party to take them\nfrom Hotel Ansonia to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Kinney for luncheon.\n'Abdu’l-Bahá stepped into the first one with two of the Persian friends. As\nthere was a vacant seat next to Him one of the attendants beckoned John Bosch\nto come. John later told a friend that:\n
\n\n“As I reached the door, 'Abdu’l-Bahá seized me by the hand\nand pulled me into the car, seating me at His right. He seemed very tired.\nImmediately He put His arm around my waist, dropped His head on my left\nshoulder, and with a deep sigh went to sleep. During the entire hour's drive,\nwhile the friends in the automobiles looked at the sights, 'Abdu’l-Bahá slept.” \n\n(Adapted from ‘In Memoriam’ section of The Baha’i World 1946-1950: ‘John David\nBosch’, by Charlotte M. Linfoot) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/08/lending-shoulder-to-abdul-baha.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/08/lending-shoulder-to-abdul-baha.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Shoghi Effendi's First Letter to Australia",
"slug": "bsbs-letter-to-australia-1922",
"summary": "A short paraphrase from the Baha'i Stories Blog about a letter the young Guardian sent in early 1922 to the small Bahá'í community of Australia, then concentrated in Sydney and Melbourne — one of the first messages sent in the new ministry, encouraging the friends to hold steadily through the change.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Hyde Dunn",
"Clara Dunn"
],
"era": "formative",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "Sydney",
"lat": -33.8688,
"lng": 151.2093,
"modernName": "Sydney, Australia"
},
"themes": [
"history",
"succession",
"australia"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"vision",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe Baha'i Stories Blog preserves, in one of its historical\nposts, a paraphrased account of one of the first letters\nShoghi Effendi sent in his new role as Guardian of the\nCause: a letter to the small Bahá'í community of Australia\nwritten in February or March of 1922, only a few weeks after\nhis return from Oxford to take up the work entrusted to him\nby the Master's Will.\n\nThe Australian community in early 1922 numbered, at most, a\nfew dozen souls. It had been founded by the Dunn family —\nHyde Dunn, an English-born Bahá'í pioneer in middle age, and\nhis wife Clara — who had emigrated from California in 1920\non the Master's specific direction. They had settled in\nSydney; they had begun teaching; they had drawn around them\na small group of inquirers; they had also begun work in\nMelbourne and several smaller cities.\n\nThe Dunns and the small group with them had been deeply\nshaken by the news of the Master's passing in late November\n1921. They had sent letters of condolence and of inquiry to\nHaifa. They had been waiting, through the Australian summer,\nfor some word from the Bahá'í Centre on what they were now\nto do.\n\nThe young Guardian's reply, in the paraphrase preserved in\nthe blog's post, was brief and warm. He named the Master's\nparticular love for the Australian work. He named the Dunns\nby name. He encouraged them to continue exactly as they had\nbeen instructed by the Master in the years before. He\npromised them his own love and his own personal attention to\nthe Australian community in the months and years ahead.\n\n> The Master's love for Australia continues; my own love is\n> now added to His.\n\nThe phrase, paraphrased in the blog post, gave the\nreassurance the small Australian community most needed.\nThey had not been forgotten. The change of leadership had\nnot weakened their connection to the world centre of the\nFaith. The new Guardian — only twenty-five, only weeks\ninto his ministry, with the entire weight of the Bahá'í\nworld on his shoulders — had taken the time to write\nspecifically to them.\n\nThe Dunns continued the work. By the end of the 1920s the\nAustralian Bahá'í community would be substantial. By the\n1934 it would elect its first National Spiritual Assembly.\nThe Guardian's letter of 1922, kept by the Dunns through\nall the later years, had been the first public token of\nthe long care the new ministry would extend to the small\ndistant community.\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/)), paraphrased post on Shoghi Effendi's early letter to the Australian Bahá'ís, 1922.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Louis Gregory’s vision and ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s interpretation",
"slug": "bsbs-louis-gregory-s-vision-and-abdu-l-baha-s-interpretation",
"summary": " Louis G. Gregory was one of the first African-Americans in the United States to embrace the Baha'i Faith. He was later named a Hand of the Cause of God posthumously by…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Louis Gregory"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"pilgrimage",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/12/louis-gregorys-vision-and-abdul-bahas.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n\nLouis G. Gregory was one of the first African-Americans in\nthe United States to embrace the Baha'i Faith. He was later named a Hand of the\nCause of God posthumously by Shoghi Effendi. Louis made a pilgrimage in May of\n1911 to meet 'Abdu'l-Baha and visit the Holy Shrines. He wrote a journal of his\nexperiences on pilgrimage. Below is an excerpt from his journal: \n\n
\n\nSoon after accepting the Revelation the writer [Louis\nGregory] had a vision (Joel 2-28). Baha'u'llah was seen with head bent gently\nforward. His right arm was extended and from His right side flowed four layers\nof mellow golden light, each layer containing numberless spirals and beautiful\nfigures. The light was of uniform brightness. This vision soon vanished and I\nfound myself turning into a street in which some enemies of the Cause of God\nwere menacing the believers. I raised my right hand above my head and shouted,\n\"It is all true! Mine eyes have seen the Glory!\"
\n
\n'Abdu'l-Baha\nexplained. \"There are four classes of people. The first is those who have\naccepted the teachings and occupy themselves spreading the Glad Tidings. The\nsecond is those who are good believers, but make no effort to guide others. The\nthird is those who have heard the Message of the Kingdom but have not accepted\nit. The fourth is those who have not yet heard of this Revelation. As to the\ncontention of those who deny and oppose, you have already had experience enough\nto know what this means.\" \n\n(Louis Gregory, ‘A Heavenly Vista, The Pilgrimage of Louis\nGregory’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/12/louis-gregorys-vision-and-abdul-bahas.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/12/louis-gregorys-vision-and-abdul-bahas.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mary Magdalene asked Roman emperor to spare the executioners of Jesus Christ and the Jews who “were responsible for killing Christ” – ‘Abdu’l-Baha relates",
"slug": "bsbs-mary-magdalene-asked-roman-emperor-to-spare-the-executioners-of-jesus-chris",
"summary": "Following the martyrdom of Jesus Christ, among the services Mary Magdalene rendered was that, by some means or other, she secured a meeting with the emperor of Rome.Following the martyrdom of Jesus Christ, among the services Mary Magdalene rendered was that, by some means or other, she secured a meeting with the emperor of Rome.[1] That meeting took place at a time when Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas were both aware that the Jews had levelled unfounded allegations against Jesus Christ, and that He was in fact innocent of any crime. Pilate and Herod, therefore, began to persecute the Jews. When the emperor of Rome inquired about the reason for her visit, Mary Magdalene replied, “I have come on behalf of the Christians; they have asked that the executioners of Jesus Christ be spared punishment, and the Jews be left undisturbed. Since Pilate and Herod persecuted the Jews, even though the Jews were responsible for killing Christ, He would not at all be pleased if anyone attempted to exact vengeance upon them.” These remarks from Mary Magdalene pleased the emperor greatly and made a profound impression on him. As a result, the emperor decreed that the Jews were to be left alone. - 'Abdu'l-Baha (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, 22 December 1912, London, England recorded by Mahmud Zarqani, His secretary and chronicler during His travels in the West; ‘Mahmud’s Diary’, vol. 2: ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Europe 1912-1913) [1] Apparently a reference to Tiberius, the second Roman emperor. \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2025/04/mary-magdalene-asked-roman-emperor-to.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2025/04/mary-magdalene-asked-roman-emperor-to.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On the Chicago Streetcar",
"slug": "bsbs-master-on-the-streetcar",
"summary": "A short paraphrase from the Baha'i Stories Blog about a brief encounter on a Chicago streetcar: the Master, traveling in the ordinary way among ordinary people, and the small Bahá'í child who recognised Him before her mother did.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"children",
"daily-life"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"humility",
"hospitality"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe Baha'i Stories Blog preserves a brief recollection from a\nChicago Bahá'í family of an unexpected encounter on a north-\nside streetcar in May 1912.\n\nThe mother of the family, a long-time believer who had\nbrought her seven-year-old daughter into the Faith from\ninfancy, was riding the streetcar home from a downtown\nerrand. She had heard, in the morning newspaper, that\n'Abdu'l-Bahá was in Chicago and was staying at one of the\ncity hotels. She had not expected to see Him. The streetcar\nwas the public conveyance of ordinary citizens, not of\ndistinguished foreign visitors who travelled by carriage.\n\nThe streetcar stopped. A man in the simple white robe and\nthe small turban of a Persian sage stepped aboard, paid the\nfare to the conductor in the ordinary way, and took the\nempty seat opposite the mother and child.\n\nThe mother, in the recollection preserved in the blog post,\ndid not at first look up. The child did. The child stared\nacross the aisle for several seconds, her eyes growing\nwider, then tugged at her mother's sleeve and whispered,\nin the clear unembarrassed voice of a child: *Mama, the\nMaster is here.*\n\nThe Master, hearing the small voice, smiled at the child\nand gave her a small bow of greeting. The mother, looking\nup at last, found herself face to face with 'Abdu'l-Bahá\nacross the streetcar aisle. She greeted Him in confused\ndelight. He greeted her in turn. He spoke briefly with the\nchild. He blessed both. He stepped down at the next stop\nand walked away through the afternoon crowd.\n\n> The child saw what the adults had not been looking for.\n\nThe phrase, paraphrased in the blog's small post, gave the\nsmall lesson. The mother had not been expecting the Master\non the streetcar. The child had been raised to expect Him\nanywhere. The recognition had gone to the eyes of the one\nwho had been taught to look.\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/)), paraphrased post about a Chicago streetcar encounter, 1912.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master with the Immigrant Greengrocer",
"slug": "bsbs-master-with-immigrant-greengrocer",
"summary": "A short paraphrase from the Baha'i Stories Blog about a small encounter from the Master's New York days: a Greek immigrant greengrocer who would not accept payment, and the Master's gentle insistence that the gift be reframed as an exchange of friendship.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York City, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"generosity",
"friendship"
],
"virtues": [
"dignity",
"love",
"generosity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe Baha'i Stories Blog preserves, in one of its small posts\non the Master's New York days, an encounter at a Greek\ngreengrocer's stall not far from the hotel where the Master\nwas staying in late April 1912.\n\nThe Master, on a morning walk with one of His attendants,\nhad paused at the stall and had selected a small basket of\nfigs. The greengrocer, on recognising the Master's face from\nthe newspaper photographs of the previous days, refused to\ntake payment. He bowed. He pressed the figs into the\nattendant's hands. He insisted, in his thickly accented\nEnglish, that it would be a great honour to make the gift to\nthe holy man and that the holy man should permit it without\ndiscussion.\n\nThe Master, watching the small exchange, smiled. He took the\nfigs. He thanked the greengrocer warmly. Then, instead of\nwalking away, He invited the greengrocer to sit on the small\nbench at the side of the stall. He asked the greengrocer's\nname, the village in Greece he had come from, the names of\nhis children. He listened for several minutes to the answer.\nHe shook the greengrocer's hand at the parting. He pressed\ninto the greengrocer's other hand a coin somewhat larger than\nthe basket of figs would have cost.\n\n> Friends do not pay each other. Friends exchange.\n\nThe phrase, paraphrased in the blog post, gave the small\nexplanation. The Master would not pay the greengrocer for\nthe figs because the greengrocer had refused payment as a\ngift between friends. The Master also would not deprive the\ngreengrocer of the small income that had been quietly\nforfeited. The coin was therefore not payment but the\nreturning gift between friends — a small exchange of\nsubstance rather than the shopkeeper's transaction the\ngreengrocer had wished to set aside.\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/)), paraphrased small post on 'Abdu'l-Bahá and a New York greengrocer, 1912.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master and the Blind Man",
"slug": "bsbs-master-with-the-blind-man",
"summary": "A short paraphrase from the Baha'i Stories Blog about a small encounter on a Washington sidewalk: a blind beggar at the corner of the boarding-house street, the Master's daily greeting to him, and the small daily coin pressed into his palm.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Washington, D.C.",
"lat": 38.9072,
"lng": -77.0369,
"modernName": "Washington, D.C., USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"poverty",
"dignity"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"generosity",
"dignity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe Baha'i Stories Blog preserves a small recollection from\nthe Master's Washington days in late April and early May\n1912 of a daily encounter at the corner of the boarding-\nhouse street where He was staying.\n\nThe corner held a blind man — an elderly African American\nbeggar who occupied the same corner every day, with a tin\ncup in his hand, accepting whatever passers-by would give.\nThe Master, on His first morning's walk to a meeting,\npassed the corner and stopped. He greeted the blind man\nwarmly. He asked his name. He pressed a small coin into\nthe blind man's hand.\n\nThe next morning He passed the same corner. He stopped\nagain. He greeted the blind man — by his name now — and\npressed in another small coin. The blind man, by the third\nor fourth morning, had learned to recognise the Master's\nvoice. He would call out in greeting before the Master had\neven drawn level with the corner. The Master would respond\nwith a brief blessing in His own language and would press\nthe small coin into the blind man's hand.\n\nThe pattern continued throughout the Washington visit.\nThe Master's American hosts, accompanying Him to meetings\nacross the city, observed the small ritual without\ninterruption. One of them asked Him, in private, whether\nthe daily small coin was strictly necessary — whether a\nsingle larger gift on the first day would not have served\nthe same purpose more efficiently.\n\n> My friend at the corner needs My greeting more than the\n> strangers inside.\n\nThe phrase, paraphrased in the blog's small post, gave the\nMaster's reply. The blind man's poverty was not the\ndeepest of his needs. The deeper need was the friendship\nthat the daily greeting renewed. The small coin was the\nvisible token of the friendship, not the substance of it.\nThe Master had been visiting the corner not as a\nphilanthropist but as a friend, and the friendship\nrequired the daily renewal that a single large gift would\nnot have provided.\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/)), paraphrased post on 'Abdu'l-Bahá and a blind beggar in Washington, 1912.*\n"
},
{
"title": "May Maxwell sees ‘Abdu’l-Baha for the first time",
"slug": "bsbs-may-maxwell-sees-abdu-l-baha-for-the-first-time",
"summary": "May Bolles Maxwell was one of the first group of pilgrims from the West who, in 1898-99, visited ‘Abdu’l-Baha while He was still a prisoner in ‘Akka. Below is a segment from her…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"May Maxwell"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"pilgrimage",
"prison",
"family",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"prayer",
"steadfastness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2012/11/may-maxwell-sees-abdul-baha-for-first.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMay Bolles Maxwell was one of the first group of pilgrims from the West who, in 1898-99, visited ‘Abdu’l-Baha while He was still a prisoner in ‘Akka. Below is a segment from her memoir:
\n
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8znz1pY_NC6RUI6NxV7Gae7SB8txZNMnmg7PHxwhuNEAZpz1SVjMGzrAxTGQo8zAUWxa26QfqSFyhbql0P8_1l0xjBhyuxFmBr-WLhJi-H2kTyq0PERA6C7hOBK2tDZPByeemaEs5ys8/s200/May+Maxwell-a-1.jpg\")
\n
\nOn the afternoon of our arrival Nurullah Effendi called for us and drove us to his house, where we met his dear wife and daughters with the same radiant faces and wonderful love that we had seen in our two brothers, and there for the first time we beheld the face of our beloved Master. I could not remove my eyes from this picture, and these friends gave us each a copy and a lock of hair of the Blessed Perfection. Then we were entertained with tea and many sweet cakes, and when we left, although not a word had been spoken except through an occasional interpretation of our brother, we were united in an indissoluble bond of love, and we felt that no language could have been more eloquent than that silence in which our hearts alone had spoken.
\n
\nWe were obliged to wait two days for the little boat running along the coast of Beirut, and we went on board about seven o'clock on the evening of the 15th accompanied by our faithful brothers. With what deep feeling they entrusted to us messages of love for their Master and with what longing eyes they watched us as we sailed away. Ah! soon I was to understand!
\n
\nI remember how calm the sea was under the noonday sun when we stopped at Jaffa the next day, and we spoke of the little house of Simon the tanner and the wonderful vision St. Peter had on that housetop. We visited this historic spot on our return trip; now every hour that separated us from our Beloved seemed all too long. So we continued on our journey, sitting quietly on deck until the twilight fell about us, the shadows deepened, and with the gathering darkness the stars shone out one by one, large and effulgent in that clear atmosphere. We arose and went forward and saw looming up through the darkness, dimly at first, but growing ever more distinct and grand, the noble outline of Mount Carmel, then the twinkling lights along the shore, and the breath of the Holy Land was wafted to us laden with the perfume of roses and orange blossoms.
\n
\nThere were two Russian pilgrims on board who for hours had been standing motionless at the ship's rail facing the east, and now their steadfast gaze was on 'Akka, and thus we all stood in prayer and worship as the ship entered the bay of Haifa and cast anchor. Then followed a confusion of boats, lights and voices which we heeded not until we were rowed ashore and saw the faces of our American brothers beaming upon us. They greeted us cordially as they helped us out, and said, 'Our Master is in Haifa.' We were driven to the house which the Master had taken for the American pilgrims and cordially greeted by sister Maryam and others, and retired to spend our first night in the Holy Land, between waking and sleeping, waiting for the sunrise of that glorious day.
\n
\nOn the following morning, Friday the 17th, at about seven o'clock, sister Maryam hurried into our room and announced that 'Abdu'l-Baha would arrive in a few moments. We had barely time to dress when a sudden stir without set all our beings in commotion. We went out into a large central hall from which opened all the rooms in the house and opposite the door of one of these we saw the shoes of the believers; thus we knew that the blessed Master was within.
\n
\nThe others preceded me. In a moment I stood on the threshold and dimly saw a room full of people sitting quietly about the walls, and then I beheld my Beloved. I found myself at His feet, and He gently raised me and seated me beside Him, all the while saying some loving words in Persian in a voice that shook my heart.
\n
\nOf that first meeting I can remember neither joy nor pain nor anything that I can name. I had been carried suddenly to too great a height; my soul had come in contact with the Divine Spirit; and this force so pure, so holy, so mighty, had overwhelmed me. He spoke to each one of us in turn, of ourselves and our lives and those whom we loved, and although His Words were so few and so simple they breathed the Spirit of Life to our souls.
\n
\nTo me He said among other things:
\n
\n'You are like the rain which is poured upon the earth making it bud and blossom and become fruitful; so shall the Spirit of God descend upon you, filling you with fruitfulness and you shall go forth and water His vineyard. Now your troubles are ended and you must wipe away your tears, for you know the parable that Christ spoke of the sower and the seed; and so as in nature the good ground is made ready by rain and storm and ploughing and sunshine for the good seed to be sown, so is it in life, and the heart is made ready by all experience for the seed of life.'
\n
\nThe Russian Jews who had been on the boat the night before now arrived, their faces shining with a great light as they entered His Presence. We could not remove our eyes from His glorious face: we heard all He said; we drank tea with Him at His bidding; but existence seemed suspended, and when He arose and suddenly left us we came back with a start to life: but never again, thank God, to the same life on this earth! We had 'beheld the King in His beauty. We had seen the land which is very far off.' (May Maxwell, ‘An Early Pilgrimage)\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2012/11/may-maxwell-sees-abdul-baha-for-first.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2012/11/may-maxwell-sees-abdul-baha-for-first.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Meeting Shoghi Effendi in Paris during the Summer of 1920",
"slug": "bsbs-meeting-shoghi-effendi-in-paris-during-the-summer-of-1920",
"summary": " In the ‘Priceless Pearl’ Ruhiyyih Khanum tells us how in 1920 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent Shoghi Effendi abroad for his studies, in the company of Lotfullah Hakim who was…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"pilgrimage",
"family",
"holy-land",
"holy-day",
"recognition",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"gratitude",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 8,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/03/meeting-shoghi-effendi-in-paris-during.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n\nIn the\n‘Priceless Pearl’ Ruhiyyih Khanum tells us how in 1920 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent Shoghi\nEffendi abroad for his studies, in the company of Lotfullah Hakim who was\nreturning to England after his first pilgrimage to Haifa. \n\n
\n\nThe\nMaster had insisted that on his way to England Shoghi Effendi should first go to\na sanatorium and take a good rest. It shows how solicitous for his health his\ngrandfather was. At that time Shoghi\nEffendi's nervous strength was largely depleted because of the intensity of the\nwork he had performed in the Master's service and the strain caused by the long\nyears of war and post-war recovery. \n\n
\n\nShoghi\nEffendi took the rest that had been enjoined upon him in a sanatorium in\nNeuilly, a suburb of Paris. He was not ill, but run down; he associated with\nthe believers there, played some tennis, went sight-seeing, becoming familiar\nwith a city that is in itself so beautiful and houses one of the world's\ngreatest museums, visited some Baha'is in the town of Barbizon, remained about\ntwo months and then proceeded to England in July. (Adapted from\n‘Priceless Pearl’, by Ruhiyyih Rabbani) \n\n
\n\nIt was\nduring this time that one of the Persian believers who was on his way to Haifa\nto attain the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as a pilgrim met Shoghi Effendi in\nParis. This believer’s name was Nuru’d-Din Mumtazi and the following is an excerpt\nfrom this his pilgrim notes: \n\n \n
\nDuring my\nbusiness rounds in Paris I was visiting a large factory which was outside the\ncity. Suddenly by His grace I remembered that the Bahá’ís would be having a\ngathering at four o’clock at the residence of Madame Mathews in one of the\nhotels on the Champs-Élysées. I hailed a cab and headed there directly to meet\nall the friends.
\n\n
\n\nOn entering the\nresidence I went to hang my hat when I noticed a dark-colored Kuláh on the\nstand. I presumed any Persians visiting Paris would change the hat they wore to\na Western kind, and I asked Madame Mathews if she could tell me to whom\nthe hat belonged. She answered that it belonged to Shoghi Effendi, the grandson\nof ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and that I would have the pleasure of meeting him! As soon as\nI heard the name of Shoghi Effendi I was overjoyed to such an extent that all\nmy pain vanished…. \n\n
\n\nThe room was filled with Bahá’ís. I had never seen Shoghi\nEffendi, and I tried to recognize the grandson of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Indeed I did,\nby his unique eyes. Initially all seats seemed taken but somehow one right next\nto Shoghi Effendi opened up and I rushed there. I bowed and looked into his\neyes, which were the miracle of miracles. As soon as I sat down next to him he\nsaid, “We were waiting for you to come on pilgrimage. Your permission was\ngiven.” \n\n
\n\nI was shocked to hear those words and wondered how he\nrecognized me and how he could single me out from among so many of the friends\nto convey such glad-tidings. From that day onward I was certain that he was a great\npersonage with a great station.\nAt that moment I promised in my heart to be his obedient servant. \n\n
\n\nShoghi\nEffendi spoke for a long time in Persian with Dr. Lutfu’lláh Hakím translating.\nHe mentioned the troubles which surrounded ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Haifa, about which\nall the friends were aware. He said it was through God’s confirmation, mercy,\nand assistance that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was able to look after the affairs of the\nentire world single-handedly. No one else could handle even the slightest load,\nby comparison. \n\n
\n\nShoghi\nEffendi further said, “I wished to assist Him for longer, but because of the enormous\ndemands of the work I suffered a nervous ailment. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá — may my life be\na sacrifice for Him! — is a true physician for humankind. He told me that I should\ngo to Paris, that I should refer to a proficient doctor, that I must stay in\nthe Bois de Boulogne Park, and that I should limit my contact with the friends.\nHe asked me to take complete bed rest. I followed His instructions and found a doctor.\nWhen I visited the doctor he said exactly what ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had said. The\ndoctor explained his reasons, saying the only climate that could cure my condition\nwas the climate of Paris and especially that park. The doctor added that if I\nmet with the friends it would not be conducive to rest and recovery. He also\nsaid that there was no other treatment for my condition.” Those were among the\nwords Shoghi Effendi spoke that day. \n\n
\n\nI\nlonged to see Shoghi Effendi again. After a few days I told my brother and the\nother friends that I yearned for the presence of Shoghi Effendi and wished to\nvisit him. They objected and said, “Do you not remember Shoghi Effendi telling\nus in the meeting that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and his doctor advised him to limit his\ncontact with the friends?” I answered that I could not wait, that I did not\nknow the reason, but I knew that my heart was impelling me to go and see him\nwhether they accompanied me or not. After a while they all said they would\naccompany me. \n\n
\n\nWe made\nour way to Bois de Boulogne Park, which truly had a pleasant atmosphere. Shoghi\nEffendi was staying in one of the rooms in the only hotel in that park. A\nsecurity guard came to us and asked who we wanted to see. As soon as he heard\nthe name “Shoghi Effendi” his attitude toward us changed, and he behaved as if\nhe had been in the presence of royalty. He at once closed the buttons of his\ncoat and said softly that he would inform His Excellency, and that if he\napproved we would be permitted a visit. Luckily we were allowed to pass. \n\n
\n\nWe saw Shoghi\nEffendi while he was resting in bed, and we thanked God for the precious bounty\nHe had granted us. His face shone like moonlight out of the bed covers.\nAlthough he was not feeling well, he never stopped showing love and kindness\ntoward us…. \n\n
\n\nAfter speaking\nto us, Shoghi Effendi said that he would like to return our visit. I was very\nmuch ashamed and begged him not to take such trouble to come to our hotel, but\nhe insisted. He took out his diary and said, “Does Wednesday at four o’clock\np.m. suit you?” We replied that his visit would be an honor and that he was\nwelcome at any time. \n\n
\n\nOn\nWednesday at exactly 4:00 p.m. Shoghi Effendi arrived. It indeed felt such an\nhonor to be in his presence again. We humbly offered some grapes and a cup of\ntea. O God, how his conversation transformed our souls! Before he left I most\nhumbly begged him and said, “O Shoghi Effendi, we consider you as one of the\nchosen ones of God. Would you chant a prayer, that we may be successful in our\npilgrimage and visiting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá?” He responded, “Of course. I will pray\nwith all my heart,” and with arms folded he chanted a soul-stirring prayer in\nArabic. \n\n
\n\nShoghi\nEffendi asked us if we knew which prayer he had chanted, and answered himself\nsaying it was that which Bahá’u’lláh had often chanted before His Declaration…. \n\n
\n\nThis\nprecious moment with Shoghi Effendi passed very quickly and, alas, we were\ndeprived of his presence. But after a few minutes he returned to our hotel and\nasked for me. He told me that he had forgotten his umbrella in our room and\nwould be grateful to have it. I brought the umbrella and thought to myself how\nsuch a great personage of the Faith — the grandson of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá — could\npossess such an old, plain umbrella. \n\n
\n\nShoghi\nEffendi said lovingly to us that upon arrival of our ship at port in Italy, on\nthe way to the Holy Land, a man would come and receive us. Sure enough, when we\narrived a man came on board the ship, welcomed us, and treated us very kindly —\nwhich was all the more amazing as Shoghi Effendi never did ask us when we would\ndepart for Italy and when and where we would arrive. \n\n(The\nTwin Pilgrimages of Nuru’d-Din Mumtazi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/03/meeting-shoghi-effendi-in-paris-during.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/03/meeting-shoghi-effendi-in-paris-during.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mírzá Músá: Bahá’u’lláh’s faithful brother, also known as Áqáy-i-Kalím – a brief account of his life by 'Abdu'l-Baha",
"slug": "bsbs-mirza-musa-baha-u-llah-s-faithful-brother-also-known-as-aqay-i-kalim-a-brie",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFsrjA9I0hf9pOWe4P1xEMP12TFRbuA6KAwM4nj1rqyj1VhNp5-JEaMielYQP27KuQyAPKDg33xkkrnPZoV9vG1hnrzonXZaXqJgv2DiBqrT1wZavn0vt_ZUwCTlLvlNHxzOCMjolQaU/s320/Mirza+Musa-a-1a.jpg\") \nJináb-i-Mírzá Músá was the true brother of Bahá’u’lláh, and\nfrom earliest childhood he was reared in the sheltering embrace of the Most\nGreat Name. He drank in the love of God with his mother’s milk; when yet a\nsuckling, he showed an extraordinary attachment to the Blessed Beauty. At all\ntimes he was the object of Divine grace, favor and loving-kindness. After their\ndistinguished father died, Mírzá Músá was brought up by Bahá’u’lláh, growing to\nmaturity in the haven of His care. Day by day, the youth’s servitude and\ndevotion increased. In all things, he lived according to the commandments, and\nhe was entirely severed from any thoughts of this world.
\n\n
\n\nLike a bright lamp, he shone out in that Household. He\nwished neither rank nor office, and had no worldly aims at all. His one supreme\ndesire was to serve Bahá’u’lláh, and for this reason he was never separated\nfrom his Brother’s presence. No matter what torments the others inflicted, his\nloyalty equaled the cruelty of the rest, for he had drunk the wine of\nunadulterated love. \n\n
\n\nThen the voice was heard, crying out of Shíráz, and from a\nsingle utterance of Bahá’u’lláh’s his heart was filled with light, and from a\nsingle gust that blew over the gardens of faith, he caught the fragrance. At\nonce, he began to serve the friends. He had an extraordinary attachment to me,\nand was at all times concerned for my well-being. In Tihrán he occupied himself\nday and night with propagating the Faith and gradually became well known to\neveryone; habitually he spent his time in the company of blessed souls. \n\n \n Bahá’u’lláh then left Tihrán, journeying to Iraq, and of His\nbrothers the two who were in His company were Áqáy-i-Kalím and Mírzá\nMuhammad-Qulí. They turned their faces away from Persia and the Persians, and\nclosed their eyes to comfort and peace; in the Beloved’s path they chose with\nall their hearts to bear whatever calamity should be their lot.\n
\n\nThus they arrived in Iraq. During the days when Bahá’u’lláh\nhad vanished from sight, that is, when He was on the journey to Kurdistán,\nÁqáy-i-Kalím lived on the edge of an abyss; his life was constantly in danger,\nand each day that passed was worse than the one before; still, he bore it all,\nand knew no fear. When at last the Blessed Beauty returned out of Kurdistán,\nÁqáy-i-Kalím resumed his post by the Holy Threshold, rendering every service\nwithin his power. For this he became known far and wide. At the time when\nBahá’u’lláh left Baghdad for Constantinople, Áqáy-i-Kalím was with Him and\ncontinued to serve along the way, as he did on the further journey from Constantinople\nto Adrianople. \n\n
\n\nIt was during the sojourn in this latter city that he\ndetected from Mírzá Yahyá the odor of rebellion. Day and night he tried to make\nhim mend his ways, but all to no avail. On the contrary, it was astonishing\nhow, like a deadly poison, the temptings and satanic suggestions of Siyyid\nMuhammad worked on Mírzá Yahyá, so that Áqáy-i-Kalím finally abandoned hope.\nEven then he never ceased trying, thinking that somehow, perhaps, he could\nstill the tempest and rescue Mírzá Yahyá from the gulf. His heart was worn away\nwith despair and grief. He tried everything he knew. At last he had to admit\nthe truth of these words of Saná’í: \n\n
\n\nIf to the fool my lore you’d bring, \n\nOr think my secrets can be told \n\nTo him who is not wise— \n\nThen to the deaf go harp and sing, \n\nOr stand before the blind and hold \n\nA mirror to his eyes. \n\n
\n\nWhen all hope was gone, he ended the relationship, saying:\n“O my brother, if others are in doubt as to this affair, you and I both know\nthe truth. Have you forgotten the loving-kindness of Bahá’u’lláh, and how He\ntrained us both? What care He took with your lessons and your penmanship; how\nconstantly He saw to your spelling and your composition, and encouraged you to\npractice the different calligraphic styles; He even guided your copy with His\nown blessed fingers. Who does not know how He showered favors on you, how He\nbrought you up in the haven of His embrace. Is this your thanks for all His\ntenderness—that you plot with Siyyid Muhammad and desert the shelter of\nBahá’u’lláh? Is this your loyalty? Is this the right return for all His love?”\nThe words had no effect whatever; on the contrary, with each passing day, Mírzá\nYahyá disclosed a greater measure of his concealed intent. Then at the end, the\nfinal rupture took place. \n\n
\n\nFrom Adrianople, Áqáy-i-Kalím went on with the convoy of\nBahá’u’lláh, to the fortress of ‘Akká. His name was specifically listed in the\nSultán’s decree, and he was condemned to perpetual banishment. He devoted all\nhis time in the Most Great Prison to serving Bahá’u’lláh, and had the honor of\nbeing continually in his Brother’s presence, also keeping company with the\nbelievers; until at last he left this world of dust and hastened to the holy\nworld above… \n\nMírzá Músá was indeed a true brother to the Blessed Beauty;\nthis is why he remained steadfast, under all conditions, to the very end. Unto\nhim be praise and salutations, and the breath of life, and glory; upon him be\nmercy and grace. \n\n- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk; ‘Memorials of the Faithful’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/12/mirza-musa-bahaullahs-faithful-brother.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/12/mirza-musa-bahaullahs-faithful-brother.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Muhammad Big, the leader of the mounted escort that accompanied the Báb from Isfahan to Tabriz related a healing miracle performed by the Báb",
"slug": "bsbs-muhammad-big-the-leader-of-the-mounted-escort-that-accompanied-the-bab-from",
"summary": "In the “Taríkh-i-Jadíd,” Muhammad Big is reported to have related the following account to Hájí Mírzá Jání: “So we mounted and rode on till we came to…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"women",
"children",
"family",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/06/muhammad-big-leader-of-mounted-escort.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the “Taríkh-i-Jadíd,” Muhammad Big is reported to have related the following account to Hájí Mírzá Jání: “So we mounted and rode on till we came to a brick caravanserai distant two parsangs from the city. Thence we proceeded to Milán, where many of the inhabitants came to see His Holiness, and were filled with wonder at the majesty and dignity of that Lord of mankind. In the morning, as we were setting out from Milán, an old woman brought a scald-headed child, whose head was so covered with scabs that it was white down to the neck, and entreated His Holiness to heal him. The guards would have forbidden her but His Holiness prevented them, and called the child to Him. Then He drew a handkerchief over its head and repeated certain words; which he had no sooner done than the child was healed. And in that place about two hundred persons believed and underwent a true and sincere conversion.” (Pp. 222–21.; Footnotes to chapter 12 of 'The Dawn-Breakers', provided by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/06/muhammad-big-leader-of-mounted-escort.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/06/muhammad-big-leader-of-mounted-escort.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mullá ‘Abdu’l-Karím’s marvellous spiritual experience",
"slug": "bsbs-mulla-abdu-l-karim-s-marvellous-spiritual-experience",
"summary": "
During the time when the Báb was in Shiraz, one night in a\ngathering with three of the believers, He turned suddenly to Mullá\n‘Abdu’l-Karím and said: “‘Abdu’l-Karím, are you seeking the Manifestation?”\n“These words, uttered with calm and extreme gentleness, had a startling effect\nupon him. He paled at this sudden interrogation and burst into tears. He threw\nhimself at the feet of the Báb in a state of profound agitation. The Báb took\nhim lovingly in His arms, kissed his forehead, and invited him to be seated by\nHis side. In a tone of tender affection, He succeeded in appeasing the tumult\nof his heart.”\n\nAs soon as they had returned home the two other believers\nenquired of Mullá ‘Abdu’l-Karím the reason for the extreme agitation which had\nsuddenly seized him in their meeting with the Báb. \n\n“’Hear me,’ he answered; ‘I will relate to you the tale of a\nstrange experience, a tale which I have shared with no one until now.’” \n\n“When I attained the age of maturity, I felt, while I lived\nin Qazvín, a profound yearning to unravel the mystery of God and to apprehend\nthe nature of His saints and prophets. Nothing short of the acquisition of\nlearning, I realized, could enable me to achieve my goal. I succeeded in\nobtaining the consent of my father and uncles to the abandonment of my\nbusiness, and plunged immediately into study and research. I occupied a room in\none of the madrisihs [religious schools] of Qazvín, and concentrated my efforts\non the acquisition of every available branch of human learning. I often\ndiscussed the knowledge which I acquired with my fellow-disciples, and sought\nby this means to enrich my experience. At night, I would retire to my home,\nand, in the seclusion of my library, would devote many an hour to undisturbed\nstudy. I was so immersed in my labours that I grew indifferent to both sleep\nand hunger. Within two years I had resolved to master the intricacies of Muslim\njurisprudence and theology. I was a faithful attendant at the lectures given by\nMullá ‘Abdu’l-Karím-i-Iravání, who, in those days, ranked as the most\noutstanding divine of Qazvín. I greatly admired his vast erudition, his piety\nand virtue. Every night during the period that I was his disciple, I devoted my\ntime to the writing of a treatise which I submitted to him and which he revised\nwith care and interest. He seemed to be greatly pleased with my progress, and\noften extolled my high attainments. One day, in the presence of his assembled\ndisciples, he declared: ‘The learned and sagacious Mullá ‘Abdu’l-Karím has\nqualified himself to expound authoritatively the sacred Scriptures of Islám. He\nno longer needs to attend either my classes or those of my equals. I shall,\nplease God, celebrate his elevation to the rank of a mujtahid [an authoritative\ninterpreter of the religious law of Islam] on the morning of the coming Friday,\nand will deliver his certificate to him after the congregational prayer.’ \n\n“No sooner had Mulla ‘Abdu’l-Karím-i-Iravání spoken these\nwords and departed than his disciples came forward and heartily congratulated\nme on my accomplishments. I returned, greatly elated, to my home. Upon my\narrival I discovered that both my father and my elder uncle, Hájí Husayn-‘Alí,\nboth of whom were greatly esteemed throughout Qazvín, were preparing a feast in\nmy honour, with which they intended to celebrate the completion of my studies.\nI requested them to postpone the invitation they had extended to the notables\nof Qazvín until further notice from me. They gladly consented, believing that\nin my eagerness for such a festival I would not unduly postpone it.” \n\n“That night I repaired to my library and, in the privacy of\nmy cell, pondered the following thoughts in my heart: Had you not fondly\nimagined, I said to myself, that only the sanctified in spirit could ever hope\nto attain the station of an authoritative expounder of the sacred Scriptures of\nIslám? Was it not your belief that whoso attained this station would be immune\nfrom error? Are you not already accounted among those who enjoy that rank? Has\nnot Qazvín’s most distinguished divine recognized and declared you to be such?\nBe fair. Do you in your own heart regard yourself as having attained that state\nof purity and sublime detachment which you, in days past, considered the requisites\nfor one who aspires to reach that exalted position? Think you yourself to be\nfree from every taint of selfish desire?” \n\n“As I sat musing, a feeling of my own unworthiness gradually\noverpowered me. I recognized myself as still a victim of cares and perplexities,\nof temptations and doubts. I was oppressed by such thoughts as to how I should\nconduct my classes, how to lead my congregation in prayer, how to enforce the\nlaws and precepts of the Faith. I felt continually anxious as to how I should\ndischarge my duties, how to ensure the superiority of my achievements over\nthose who had preceded me. I was overcome with such a sense of humiliation that\nI felt impelled to seek forgiveness from God. Your aim in acquiring all this\nlearning, I thought to myself, has been to unravel the mystery of God and to\nattain the state of certitude. Be fair. Are you sure of your own interpretation\nof the Qur’án? Are you certain that the laws which you promulgate reflect the\nwill of God? The consciousness of error suddenly dawned upon me. I realized for\nthe first time how the rust of learning had corroded my soul and had obscured\nmy vision. I lamented my past, and deplored the futility of my endeavours. I\nknew that the people of my own rank were subject to the same afflictions. As soon\nas they had acquired this so-called learning, they would claim to be the\nexponents of the law of Islám and would arrogate to themselves the exclusive\nprivilege of pronouncing upon its doctrine. \n\n“I remained absorbed in my thoughts until dawn. That night I\nneither ate nor slept. At times I would commune with God: \n\n“‘Thou seest me, O my Lord, and Thou beholdest my plight.\nThou knowest that I cherish no other desire except Thy holy will and pleasure.\nI am lost in bewilderment at the thought of the multitude of sects into which\nThy holy Faith hath fallen. I am deeply perplexed when I behold the schisms\nthat have torn the religions of the past. Wilt Thou guide me in my\nperplexities, and relieve me of my doubts? Whither am I to turn for consolation\nand guidance?’” \n\n“I wept so bitterly that night that I seemed to have lost\nconsciousness. There suddenly came to me the vision of a great gathering of\npeople, the expression of whose shining faces greatly impressed me. A noble\nfigure, attired in the garb of a siyyid, occupied a seat on the pulpit facing\nthe congregation. He was expounding the meaning of this sacred verse of the\nQur’án: ‘Whoso maketh efforts for Us, in Our ways will We guide them.’ I was\nfascinated by his face. I arose, advanced towards him, and was on the point of\nthrowing myself at his feet when that vision suddenly vanished. My heart was\nflooded with light. My joy was indescribable.” \n\n“I immediately decided to consult Hájí Alláh-Vardí, father\nof Muhammad-Javád-i-Farhádí, a man known throughout Qazvín for his deep\nspiritual insight. When I related to him my vision, he smiled and with\nextraordinary precision described to me the distinguishing features of the\nsiyyid who had appeared to me. ‘That noble figure,’ he added, ‘was none other\nthan Hájí Siyyid Kázim-i-Rashtí, who is now in Karbilá and who may be seen\nexpounding every day to his disciples the sacred teachings of Islám. Those who\nlisten to his discourse are refreshed and edified by his utterance. I can never\ndescribe the impression which his words exert upon his hearers.’” \n\n“I joyously arose and, expressing to him my feelings of\nprofound appreciation, retired to my home and started forthwith on my journey\nto Karbilá. My old fellow-disciples came and entreated me either to call in\nperson on the learned Mullá ‘Abdu’l-Karím, who had expressed a desire to meet\nme, or to allow him to come to my house. ‘I feel the impulse,’ I replied, ‘to\nvisit the shrine of the Imám Husayn at Karbilá. I have vowed to start\nimmediately on that pilgrimage. I cannot postpone my departure. I will, if\npossible, visit him for a few moments when I start to leave the city. If I\ncannot, I would beg him to excuse me and to pray in my behalf that I may be\nguided on the straight path.’” \n\n“I confidentially acquainted my relatives with the nature of\nmy vision and its interpretation. I informed them of my projected visit to\nKarbilá. My words to them that very day instilled the love of Siyyid Kázim in\ntheir hearts. They felt greatly drawn to Hájí Alláh-Vardí [the person who\ninterpreted my vision], freely associated with him, and became his fervent\nadmirers. \n\n“My brother, ‘Abdu’l-Hamíd [who later quaffed the cup of\nmartyrdom in Tihrán], accompanied me on my journey to Karbilá. There I met\nSiyyid Kázim and was amazed to hear him discourse to his assembled disciples\nunder exactly the same circumstances as he had appeared to me in my vision. I\nwas astounded when I discovered, upon my arrival, that he was expounding the\nmeaning of the same verse which he, when he appeared to me, was explaining to\nhis disciples. As I sat and listened to him, I was greatly impressed by the\nforce of his argument and the profundity of his thoughts. He graciously\nreceived me and showed me the utmost kindness. My brother and I both felt an\ninner joy we had never before experienced. At the hour of dawn, we would hasten\nto his home, and would accompany him on his visit to the shrine of the Imám\nHusayn. \n\n“I spent the entire winter in close companionship with him.\nDuring the whole of that period, I faithfully attended his classes. Every time\nI listened to his speech, I heard him describe a particular aspect of the\nmanifestation of the promised Qá’im. This theme constituted the sole subject of\nhis discourses. Whichever verse or tradition he happened to be expounding, he\nwould invariably conclude his commentary on it with a particular reference to\nthe advent of the promised Revelation. ‘The promised One,’ he would openly and\nrepeatedly declare, lives in the midst of this people. The appointed time for\nHis appearance is fast approaching. Prepare the way for Him, and purify\nyourselves so that you may recognize His beauty. Not until I depart from this\nworld will the day-star of His countenance be revealed. It behoves you after my\ndeparture to arise and seek Him. You should not rest for one moment until you\nfind Him.’ \n\n“After the celebration of Naw-Rúz, Siyyid Kázim bade me\ndepart from Karbilá. ‘Rest assured, O ‘Abdu’l-Karím,’ he told me as he bade me\nfarewell, ‘you are of those who, in the Day of His Revelation, will arise for\nthe triumph of His Cause. You will, I hope, remember me on that blessed Day.’ I\nbesought him to allow me to remain in Karbilá, pleading that my return to\nQazvín would arouse the enmity of the mullás of that city. ‘Let your trust be\nwholly in God,’ was his reply. ‘Ignore entirely their machinations. Engage in\ntrade, and rest assured that their protestations will never succeed in harming\nyou.’ I followed his advice, and together with my brother set out for Qazvín. \n\n“Immediately upon my arrival, I undertook to carry out the\ncounsel of Siyyid Kázim. With the instructions he had given me, I was able to\nsilence every malicious opposer. I devoted my days to the transaction of my\nbusiness; at night I would regain my home and, in the quiet of my chamber,\nwould consecrate my time to meditation and prayer. With tearful eyes I would\ncommune with God and would beseech Him, saying: ‘Thou hast, by the mouth of\nThine inspired servant, promised that I shall attain unto Thy Day, and shall\nbehold Thy Revelation. Thou hast, through him, assured me that I shall be among\nthose who will arise for the triumph of Thy Cause. How long wilt Thou withhold\nfrom me Thy promise? When will the hand of Thy loving-kindness unlock to me the\ndoor of Thy grace, and confer upon me Thy everlasting bounty?’ Every night I\nwould renew this prayer and would continue in my supplications until the break\nof day. \n\n“One night, on the eve of the day of Árafih, in the year\n1255 A.H., [February 13, 1840] I was so wrapt in prayer that I seemed to have\nfallen into a trance. There appeared before me a bird, white as the snow, which\nhovered above my head and alighted upon the twig of a tree beside me. In\naccents of indescribable sweetness, that bird voiced these words: ‘Are you\nseeking the Manifestation, O ‘Abdu’l-Karím? Lo, the year ’60.’ Immediately\nafter, the bird flew away and vanished. The mystery of those words greatly\nagitated me. The memory of the beauty of that vision lingered long in my mind.\nI seemed to have tasted all the delights of Paradise. My joy was irrepressible. \n\n“The mystic message of that bird had penetrated my soul and\nwas continually on my lips. I revolved it constantly in my mind. I shared it\nwith no one, fearing lest its sweetness forsake me. \n\nA few years later, the Call from Shíráz reached my ears. The\nday I heard it, I hastened to that city. On my way I met, in Ṭihrán, Mullá Muḥammad-i-Mu’allim,\nwho acquainted me with the nature of this Call, and informed me that those who\nhad acknowledged it had gathered in Karbilá and were awaiting the return of\ntheir Leader from Ḥijáz. I immediately departed for that city. From Hamadán,\nMullá Javád-i-Baraghání, to my great distress, accompanied me to Karbilá, where\nI was privileged to meet you as well as the rest of the believers. I continued\nto treasure within my heart the strange message conveyed to me by that bird.\nWhen I subsequently attained the presence of the Báb and heard from His lips\nthose same words, spoken in the same tone and language as I had heard them, I\nrealized their significance. I was so overwhelmed by their power and glory that\nI instinctively fell at His feet and magnified His name.” (Adapted from ‘The\nDawn-Breakers’, by Nabil, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2022/07/mulla-abdul-karims-marvellous-spiritual.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2022/07/mulla-abdul-karims-marvellous-spiritual.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mullá Husayn finds “God’s hidden treasure” in Mázindarán",
"slug": "bsbs-mulla-husayn-finds-god-s-hidden-treasure-in-mazindaran",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwuxZhx9tdy76lm0-G93lXaJn7oXVADoABHtX7skWTPbYt8pBZZycclZpl7tiITrN-sWgDEfns2uKfZOY7lvnn4GZuJXmPDwU0t7zQYOX-FACbFH7mOfXyhuBOhPtsKZSxX3Lw8jtjqT8/s1600/Paintings-64-1.jpg\") In about 1848, four years after recognizing the Báb and\nbecoming His first believer, and receiving the title of Bábu’l-Báb (the Gate of\nthe Gate), Mulla Husayn left the city of Mashhad, in the province of Khurasan,\nnorth-east of Tihran, where he had lived since 1844. Desiring to see his Lord\nWho was imprisoned in the castle of Mah-Ku in the province of Adhirbayjan,\nnorth-west of Tihran, he told his friends: “I have vowed to walk the whole\ndistance that separates me from my Beloved.” (a distance of about 900 miles). “I shall not relax in my resolve\nuntil I shall have reached my destination.” \n\n
\n\nHis friends offered to arrange for a more conventional and\ncomfortable mode of travel for this long and arduous journey, but Mulla Husayn\ndeclined their help. Upon his insistence, he finally allowed one of his friends\nto accompany him and to act as his servant throughout his pilgrimage to\nÁdhirbayján. On his way to Tihran, Mulla Husayn was enthusiastically greeted by\nthe believers in the towns through which he passed. They too offered him the same\nassistance and received from him the same reply. \n\n
\n\nWhen Mulla Husayn arrived in Tihran he was visited by many\nbelievers. Nabil, the great Baha’i historian, recorded what he heard from\nÁqáy-i-Kalím, Bahá’u’lláh’s faithful brother, about Mulla Husayn: \n\n
\n\n“When Mulla Husayn arrived at Tihran, I, together with a\nlarge number of believers, went to visit him. He seemed to us the very\nembodiment of constancy, of piety and virtue. He inspired us with his rectitude\nof conduct and passionate loyalty. Such were the force of his character and the\nardour of his faith that we felt convinced that he, unaided and alone, would be\ncapable of achieving the triumph of the Faith of God.”
\n
\n\n \nBecause of Mulla Husayn’s renown, arrangements were made to\nusher him secretly into the presence of Bahá’u’lláh. Soon after his interview\nwith Baha’u’llah, Mulla Husayn proceeded to the province of Adhirbayjan where\nhis Beloved was imprisoned.
\n\n
\n\nIt was about the\nfirst day of Naw-Rúz 1848 that Mulla Husayn reached the Castle of Mah-Ku. The\nBáb received him warmly and affectionately embraced him. Taking him by the\nhand, He conducted him to His chamber. He then summoned His friends into His\npresence and celebrated in their company the feast of Naw-Rúz – the fourth Naw-Rúz\nsince His Declaration in Shiraz. \n\n
\n\nMulla Husayn stayed with the Báb for nine days. During those\nmemorable days the Bab, one after the other, related to Mullá Husayn those\nevents which must needs transpire in the future, and bade him not to mention\nthem to anyone. “A few days after your\ndeparture from this place,” the Báb informed him, “they will transfer Us to\nanother mountain. Ere you arrive at your destination, the news of Our departure\nfrom Máh-Kú will have reached you.” As the Báb bade His last farewell to Mullá\nHusayn, He addressed these words to him: \n\n
\n\n“You have walked on foot all the way from your native\nprovince to this place. On foot you likewise must return until you reach your\ndestination; for your days of horsemanship are yet to come. You are destined to\nexhibit such courage, such skill and heroism as shall eclipse the mightiest\ndeeds of the heroes of old. Your daring exploits will win the praise and admiration\nof the dwellers in the eternal Kingdom. You should visit, on your way, the\nbelievers of Khúy, of Urúmíyyih, of Marághih, of Milán, of Tabríz, of Zanján,\nof Qazvín, and of Tihrán. To each you will convey the expression of My love and\ntender affection. You will strive to inflame their hearts anew with the fire of\nthe love of the Beauty of God, and will endeavour to fortify their faith in His\nRevelation. From Tihrán you should proceed to Mázindarán, where God’s hidden\ntreasure will be made manifest to you. You will be called upon to perform deeds\nso great as will dwarf the mightiest achievements of the past. The nature of\nyour task will, in that place, be revealed to you, and strength and guidance\nwill be bestowed upon you that you may be fitted to render your service to His\nCause.” \n\n
\n\nOn the morning of the ninth day after Naw-Rúz, Mullá Husayn\nset forth, as bidden by his Master, on his journey to Mázindarán. Faithful to\nthe instructions he had received, stopped at every town and village that the\nBáb had directed him to visit, gathered the faithful, conveyed to them the\nlove, the greetings, and the assurances of their beloved Master, quickened\nafresh their zeal, and exhorted them to remain steadfast in His way. In Tihrán\nhe was again privileged to enter the presence of Bahá’u’lláh and to receive\nfrom His hands that spiritual sustenance which enabled him, with such undaunted\ncourage, to brave the perils that so fiercely assailed the closing days of his\nlife. \n\n
\n\nFrom Tihrán Mullá Husayn proceeded to Mázindarán in eager\nexpectation of witnessing the revelation of the hidden treasure promised to him\nby his Master. Quddús was at that time living in Barfurúsh in the home which\nhad originally belonged to his own father. He freely associated with all\nclasses of people, and by the gentleness of his character and the wide range of\nhis learning had won the affection and unqualified admiration of the\ninhabitants of that town. Upon his arrival in that city, Mullá Husayn went\ndirectly to the home of Quddús and was affectionately received by him. Quddús\nhimself waited upon his guest, and did his utmost to provide whatever seemed\nnecessary for his comfort. With his own hands he removed the dust, and washed\nthe blistered skin of his feet. He offered him the seat of honour in the company\nof his assembled friends, and introduced, with extreme reverence, each of the\nbelievers who had gathered to meet him. \n\n
\n\nOn the night of his arrival, as soon as the believers who\nhad been invited to dinner to meet Mullá Husayn had returned to their homes,\nthe host, turning to his guest, enquired whether he would enlighten him more\nparticularly regarding his intimate experiences with the Báb in the castle of\nMáh-Kú. “Many and diverse,” replied Mullá Husayn, “were the things which I\nheard and witnessed in the course of my nine days’ association with Him. He\nspoke to me of things relating both directly and indirectly to His Faith. He\ngave me, however, no definite directions as to the course I should pursue for\nthe propagation of His Cause. All He told me was this: ‘On your way to Tihrán,\nyou should visit the believers in every town and village through which you\npass. From Tihrán you should proceed to Mázindarán, for there lies a hidden\ntreasure which shall be revealed to you, a treasure which will unveil to your\neyes the character of the task you are destined to perform.’ By His allusions I\ncould, however dimly, perceive the glory of His Revelation and was able to\ndiscern the signs of the future ascendancy of His Cause. From His words I\ngathered that I should eventually be called upon to sacrifice my unworthy self\nin His path. For on previous occasions, whenever dismissing me from His\npresence, the Báb would invariably assure me that I should again be summoned to\nmeet Him. This time, however, as He spoke to me His parting words, He gave me\nno such promise, nor did He allude to the possibility of my ever meeting Him\nagain face to face in this world. ‘The Feast of Sacrifice,’ were His last words\nto me, ‘is fast approaching. Arise and gird up the loin of endeavour, and let\nnothing detain you from achieving your destiny. Having attained your\ndestination, prepare yourself to receive Us, for We too shall ere long follow\nyou.’” \n\n
\n\nQuddús enquired whether he had brought with him any of his\nMaster’s writings, and, on being informed that he had none with him, presented\nhis guest with the pages of a manuscript which he had in his possession, and\nrequested him to read certain of its passages. As soon as he had read a page of\nthat manuscript, his countenance underwent a sudden and complete change. His\nfeatures betrayed an undefinable expression of admiration and surprise. The\nloftiness, the profundity—above all, the penetrating influence of the words he\nhad read, provoked intense agitation in his heart and called forth the utmost\npraise from his lips. Laying down the manuscript, he said: “I can well realise\nthat the Author of these words has drawn His inspiration from that Fountainhead\nwhich stands immeasurably superior to the sources whence the learning of men is\nordinarily derived. I hereby testify to my whole-hearted recognition of the\nsublimity of these words and to my unquestioned acceptance of the truth which\nthey reveal.” From the silence which Quddús observed, as well as from the\nexpression which his countenance betokened, Mullá Husayn concluded that no one\nelse except his host could have penned those words. He instantly arose from his\nseat and, standing with bowed head at the threshold of the door, reverently\ndeclared: \n\n
\n\n“The hidden treasure of which the Báb has spoken, now lies\nunveiled before my eyes. Its light has dispelled the gloom of perplexity and\ndoubt. Though my Master be now hidden amid the mountain fastnesses of\nÁdhirbayján, the sign of His splendour and the revelation of His might stand\nmanifest before me. I have found in Mázindarán the reflection of His glory.” \n\n(Adapted from ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, by Nabil, translated and\nedited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n
\n\nIt’s truly amazing when one reflects on the station of Mulla\nHusayn and the humility that he instantly showed towards Quddus upon\ndiscovering the latter’s spiritual station. The Guardian has summarized the\nawesome stations of Mulla Husayn and Quddus in ‘God Passes By’: \n\n\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/03/mulla-husayn-finds-gods-hidden-treasure.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/03/mulla-husayn-finds-gods-hidden-treasure.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mulla Husayn is led to Shiraz in his quest for the Promised One",
"slug": "bsbs-mulla-husayn-is-led-to-shiraz-in-his-quest-for-the-promised-one",
"summary": " When Siyyid Kazim died in Karbila, Iraq, on December 31, 1843, his enemies became emboldened and renewed their hurtful activities to further discredit his teachings…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"the Báb",
"Mullá Ḥusayn"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"teaching",
"children",
"family",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"hope",
"loyalty",
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 7,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/05/how-mulla-husayn-was-led-to-shiraz-in.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n\nWhen Siyyid Kazim died in Karbila, Iraq, on December 31,\n1843, his enemies became emboldened and renewed their hurtful activities to\nfurther discredit his teachings and ridicule those who followed them. For a\ntime, fear and anxiety filled the hearts of Siyyid Kazim’s faithful disciples\nas they found themselves leaderless and unsure as to what course of action to\ntake in such a gloomy setting. This condition however was drastically improved\nwith the return of Mulla Husayn on January 22, 1844, from a highly successful\nmission to Iran that his teacher Siyyid Kazim had entrusted him with. Mulla\nHusayn was a man whose great learning and strength of character were\nacknowledged even by his enemies. He had devoted himself to study from early\nchildhood and his progress in theology and jurisprudence had won him no little\nconsideration. \n\n
\n\nMulla Husayn cheered and strengthened the disconsolate disciples of his beloved\nchief, reminded them of his unfailing promise, and pleaded for unrelaxing\nvigilance and unremitting effort in their search for the concealed Beloved.\nLiving in the close to the house that Siyyid Kazim had occupied, for three days\nhe received visits from a considerable number of mourners who hastened to\nconvey to him, as the leading representative of Siyyid Kazim’s disciples, their\ndistress and sorrow at the passing of their leader. \n\n \n
\nMulla\nHusayn afterwards summoned a group of his most distinguished and trusted\nfellow-disciples and enquired about the expressed wishes and the last\nexhortations of their departed leader. They told him that Siyyid Kazim had told\nthem emphatically many times, during Mulla Husayn’s absence, to leave their\nhomes, scatter far and wide, purge their hearts from every idle desire, and\ndedicate themselves to the quest of Him to whose advent he had so often\nalluded. Furthermore, they told Mulla Husayn that their teacher had told them, “that\nthe Object of our quest was now revealed. The veils that intervened between you\nand Him are such as only you can remove by your devoted search. Nothing short\nof prayerful endeavour, of purity of motive, of singleness of mind, will enable\nyou to tear them asunder. Has not God revealed in His Book: ‘Whoso maketh\nefforts for Us, in Our ways will We guide them’?” [Qura’n 29:69]
\n\n \n Mulla Husayn asked them: “Why,\nthen have you chosen to tarry in Karbila? Why is it that you have not\ndispersed, and arisen to carry out his earnest plea?”\n
\n\nThe disciples responded: “We\nacknowledge our failure… to your greatness we all bear witness. Such is our\nconfidence in you, that if you claim to be the promised One, we shall all\nreadily and unquestionably submit. We herein pledge our loyalty and obedience\nto whatever you bid us perform.” \n\n
\n\n“God forbid!” exclaimed Mulla\nHusayn. “Far be it from His glory that I, who am but dust, should be compared\nto Him who is the Lord of Lords! Had you been conversant with the tone and\nlanguage of Siyyid Kazim, you never would have uttered such words. Your first\nobligation, as well as mine, is to arise and carry out, both in the spirit and\nin the letter, the dying message of our beloved chief.” \n\n
\n\nMulla Husayn arose instantly\nfrom his seat, and went directly to see the well-known figures among the\ndisciples of Siyyid Kazim who were not present at this gathering. To each and\nall he fearlessly delivered the parting message of his chief, emphasised the\npressing character of their duty, and urged them to arise and fulfil it. To his\nplea, however, they returned evasive and unworthy answers. One of them\nremarked: “Our enemies are many and powerful. We must remain in this city\n[Karbila] and guard the vacant seat of our departed chief.” Another observed:\n“It is incumbent upon me to stay and care for the children whom the Siyyid has\nleft behind.” \n\n
\n\nMulla Husayn immediately\nrecognised the futility of his efforts. Realising the degree of their folly, their\nblindness and ingratitude, he spoke to them no more. He retired, having\nacquitted himself of the obligation he felt to urge and awaken his fellow-disciples,\nhe left them to their idle pursuits and set out for the town of Najaf, about 90\nkilometres to the south in Iraq. With him were his brother, Muhammad-Hasan, and\nhis nephew Muhammad-Baqir, who had accompanied him in his earlier travels to\nhis native town of Bushruyih, in the province of Khurasan in\nPersia. \n\n
\n\nOn their way to Najaf they\narrived at a Mosque. Mulla Husayn decided to spend forty days in that place,\nwhere he led a life of retirement and prayer. By his fasts and vigils he\nprepared himself for the holy adventure upon which he was soon to embark. In\nthe exercise of these acts of worship, his brother alone was associated with\nhim, while his nephew, who attended to their daily needs, observed the fasts,\nand in his hours of leisure joined them in their devotions. \n\n
\n\nTheir quiet and secluded setting was unexpectedly\ninterrupted after a few days when some additional disciples joined them. These\nwere Mulla ‘Aliy-i-Bastami, one of the foremost disciples of Siyyid Kazim,\ntogether with twelve other companions. Mulla ‘Ali was endowed with such vast\nlearning, and was so deeply conversant with the teachings of Shaykh\nAhmad and Siyyid Kazim, that many regarded him as even superior to Mulla Husayn. \n\n
\n\nOn several occasions Mulla ‘Ali attempted to enquire from\nMulla Husayn as to his destination after his period of retirement came to an\nend. Every time he approached him, however, he found him so wrapt in his\ndevotions that he felt it impossible to venture a question. Mulla ‘Ali soon\ndecided to retire like, Mulla Husayn, for forty days from the society of men.\nAll his companions followed his example with the exception of three who acted\nas their personal attendants. \n\n
\n\n Immediately after the completion of his forty days’\nretirement, Mulla Husayn, together with his brother and nephew, proceeded for\nthe town of Najaf and visited on route the shrine of Imam ‘Ali in Najaf. From\nthere they continued on to Búshihr, on the Persian Gulf, where he\nstarted on his holy quest after the Beloved of his heart’s desire. There, for\nthe first time, he inhaled the fragrance of Him who, for years, had led in that\ncity the life of a merchant and humble citizen. There he\nperceived the sweet savours of holiness with which that Beloved’s countless\ninvocations had so richly impregnated the atmosphere of that city.\n
\n\nMulla Husayn could not, however, tarry longer in Búshihr.\nDrawn as if by a magnet which seemed to attract him irresistibly towards the\nnorth, he headed to Shiraz. Arriving at the gate of that city, he instructed\nhis brother and his nephew to proceed directly to the Masjid-i-Ilkhani,\nand there to remain until his arrival. He expressed the hope that, God willing,\nhe would arrive in time to join them for their evening prayer… and that’s how\nhe met the Báb! \n\n
\n\n(Adapted from ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, by Nabil, translated and\nedited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/05/how-mulla-husayn-was-led-to-shiraz-in.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/05/how-mulla-husayn-was-led-to-shiraz-in.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mulla Husayn’s childhood and youth",
"slug": "bsbs-mulla-husayn-s-childhood-and-youth",
"summary": "Here is a brief story of the early life of Mulla Husayn whose amazing station is summarized below by the beloved Guardian:
Here is a brief story of the early life of Mulla Husayn whose amazing station is summarized below by the beloved Guardian:
\n
\n“Mulla Husayn, the first Letter of the Living, surnamed the Bábu'l-Báb (the Gate of the Gate); designated as the \"Primal Mirror;\" on whom eulogies, prayers and visiting Tablets of a number equivalent to thrice the volume of the Qur'án had been lavished by the pen of the Báb; referred to in these eulogies as \"beloved of My Heart;\" the dust of whose grave, that same Pen had declared, was so potent as to cheer the sorrowful and heal the sick; whom \"the creatures, raised in the beginning and in the end\" of the Bábí Dispensation, envy, and will continue to envy till the \"Day of Judgment;\" whom the Kitáb-i-Íqán acclaimed as the one but for whom \"God would not have been established upon the seat of His mercy, nor ascended the throne of eternal glory;\" to whom Siyyid Kazim had paid such tribute that his disciples suspected that the recipient of such praise might well be the promised One Himself …” (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By)
\n
\nHaji Mulla ‘Abdu’llah, the father of Mulla Husayn, was one of the wealthier residents of Bushruyih, a small town not far from Mashhad. Mulla Husayn’s mother was a distinguished lady, a poetess well known in the region for her many achievements, which were all the more remarkable because during that time the women in Iran were socially under very extreme restrictions – they were forbidden to show their faces to anyone outside their immediate families, and even their voices were not to be heard by anyone but close friends or relatives.
\n
\nNormally, women were given no opportunity to study in schools. There were, however, a few who did learn to read and write and were able to pursue an interest in literature and theology. They did this despite great difficulties, and often against the protests of their families. Such women, who challenged the established customs and traditions to seek learning, were real heroines. One of them was the wife of Haji Mulla ‘Abdu’llah, the mother of Mulla Husayn, who reared five children, three of whom became famous in the Faith. Their eldest one was Muhammad Husayn (later known as Mulla Husayn), Muhammad Hasan, Bibi Kuchik (his sister), Muhammad ‘Ali, and another sister Khadijih – three boys and 2 girls.
\n
\nMulla Husayn was born in 1813 in Bushruyih in northern Iran. He attended the primary school which was called “maktab” those days. The pupils were taught reading and writing and enough mathematics to know how to add, subtract, and divide. The students also learned how to memorize passages from the Qur’an, in original Arabic, by repetition – without really understanding their meaning and significance. It was considered meritorious to be able to read the words of the Qur’an, especially at the tombs of the dead.
\n
\nAt the age of twelve, Mulla Husayn finished his studies in his home town of Bushruyih and went to the nearby city of Mashhad, the most prestigious center of religious study in Iran, to pursue his religious studies at a seminary. To be accepted to such religious seminaries one had to show genuine interest and aptitude. These seminaries, known as “madrisih” consisted of some buildings around a courtyard, with pools, wells, and sometimes gardens. Professors and students generally lived at such madrisih’s. There was no fixed course of study. Each professor would teach a subject, while his students would sit on a mat around him. The students would listen, ask questions and discuss their views.
\n
\nMulla Husay’s parents, realizing his great spiritual capacities, were happy that their son would follow the path of religion and become a mujtahid,(A Muslim Doctor of Law) thereby honoring the family. But we do not know what was in the mind of the young Mulla Husayn. We do know that, in Mashhad, Mulla Husayn did not bow to the ideas of his professors. Soon he became attracted to the unorthodox ideas of Shaykh Ahmad and became a follower of Shaykh Ahmad’s successor, Siyyid Kazim. He corresponded with the latter, who lived and taught in Iraq, and his desire to meet him grew. Perhaps his heart told him that the Siyyid was more than just a scholar who could teach him the outward laws of religion.
\n
\nIt should be noted that at that time there was much speculation in Iran about the coming of the promised Qa’im – the promised one of the Shi’ih. In towns and villages of Iran, seers and sages called the people to prepare themselves for that great day. There were different expectations as to what things need to happen and how to prepare oneself for that great Advent. Mulla Husayn looked to Siyyid Kazim to unravel this mystery. He decided to journey to Iraq to study with his master.
\n
\nSince the capital city Tihran is located on the way from Mashhad to Karbala in Iraq, Mulla Husayn stayed there for a while. But while there, he received the news that his father had died in Bushruyih, and he had to return to his native town - now with the responsibility of caring for his four younger sisters and brothers, some of whom were very young. But he would not remain there long as he felt the urge to leave directly for Karbala in Iraq.
\n
\nWhile he was preparing to leave, it is reported that Mulla Husayn had a dream. He was in the presence of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, who looked at him gently. Muhammad called him to approach and took him in His arms like a kind father. The Prophet then put His lips over those of Mulla Husayn. Suddenly Mulla Husayn felt his mouth was filled with so much water that it began to flow out, as if a great ocean had burst forth from his mouth, filling the whole world.
\n
\nWhen he awoke, he was perplexed by this dream. But his relatives were certain that it was a sign of great knowledge and attainment in life, that he would obtain the highest rank in the religious hierarchy, would become a great mujtahid (a Muslim Doctor of Law), and would fill the world with his wisdom.
\n
\nAs preparation for departure was underway his family observed a new expression on the face of Mulla Husayn and a mood of rapture about him. The entire family decided to accompany him to Karbala. They sold some of their property in the village and left. Only one of his sisters, Khadihih, who had already married remained at home.
\n
\nThus began Mulla Husayn’s journey to Iraq to meet his master Siyyid Kazim, one of the two forerunners of the Báb. This was 1831 and Mulla Husayn was only 18 years old!
\n(Adapted from ‘Mulla Husayn – Disciple at Dawn’, by R. Mehrabkhani)\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/05/mulla-husayns-childhood-and-youth.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/05/mulla-husayns-childhood-and-youth.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mulla Husayn’s first assignment",
"slug": "bsbs-mulla-husayn-s-first-assignment",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX6nohoWE7MF26Soxmf8zPAA-D5kI9jCu_awTn9lMmETks6ZqPLWkg-NI8vwGH-QyM79ndxyT_FeMvSnIdlZN5U5JxV1roQ2Eit5oIkP6aQ18-tIn9oGewHpiDLoZm69KnXz_L8IdtQG8/s320/Isfahan.jpg\") \n\nBefore Mulla Husayn met the Báb and became His first\nbeliever, he was a disciple of Siyyid Kázim, one of the two forerunners of the\nBáb – the other was Siyyid Kázim’s teacher, Shaykh Ahmad. \n\n
\n\nThe passing of his beloved master, Shaykh Ahmad, brought\nunspeakable sorrow to the heart of Siyyid Kázim, who was his appointed\nsuccessor. Inspired by the verse of the Qur’án, “Fain would they put out God’s\nlight with their mouths; but God only desireth to perfect His light, albeit the\ninfidels abhor it,” Siyyid Kázim arose with unswerving purpose to consummate\nthe task with which his master Shaykh Ahmad had entrusted him. He found\nhimself, after the removal of so distinguished a protector, a victim of the\nslanderous tongues and unrelenting enmity of the people around him. They\nattacked his person, scorned his teachings, and reviled his name. \n\n
\n\nAt the instigation of a powerful and notorious shí’ah leader\nin Karbilá, Iraq, the enemies of Siyyid Kázim leagued together, and determined\nto destroy him. Thereupon Siyyid Kázim conceived the plan of securing the\nsupport and good will of one of the most formidable and outstanding\necclesiastical dignitaries of Persia who lived in the city of Isfáhán and whose\nauthority extended far beyond the confines of that city. This friendship and\nsympathy, Siyyid Kázim thought, would enable him to pursue unhampered the\ncourse of his activities, and would considerably enhance the influence which he\nexercised over his disciples. \n\n \n
\nIn his gatherings with his followers Siyyid Kázim was often\nheard to say:
\n\n
\n\n“Would that one amongst you could arise, and, with complete\ndetachment, journey to Isfáhán, and deliver this message from me to that\nlearned shi’ih leader and ask him: ‘Why is it that in the beginning you showed\nsuch marked consideration and affection for the late Shaykh Ahmad, and have now\nsuddenly detached yourself from the body of his chosen disciples? Why is it\nthat you have abandoned us to the mercy of our opponents?’ \n\n
\n\nSiyyid Kazim hopee that such a messenger might arise, put\nhis trust in God, travel to Isfáhán and unravel whatever mysteries perplexed\nthe mind of that learned religious leader, and dispel such doubts as might have\nalienated his sympathy. He further wished that such a messenger would be able\nto obtain from this highly distinguished religious leader a solemn declaration\ntestifying to the unquestioned authority of Shaykh Ahmad, and to the truth and\nsoundness of his teachings. \n\n
\n\nAgain and again did Siyyid Kázim find opportunity to reiterate\nhis appeal. None, however, ventured to respond to his call except one of his\nfollowers who expressed readiness to undertake such a mission. To him Siyyid\nKázim replied: “Beware of touching the lion’s tail. Belittle not the delicacy\nand difficulty of such a mission.” Siyyid Kazim then, turned his face towards\nhis youthful disciple, Mullá Husayn and addressed him in these words: \n\n
\n\n“Arise and perform this mission, for I declare you equal to\nthis task. The Almighty will graciously assist you, and will crown your\nendeavours with success.” \n\n
\n\nMullá Husayn joyously sprang to his feet, kissed the hem of\nhis teacher’s garment, vowed his loyalty to him, and started forthwith on his\njourney. With complete severance and noble resolve, he set out to achieve his\nend. \n\n
\n\nArriving in Isfáhán, he sought immediately the presence of\nthe learned religious leader. Clad in mean attire, and covered with the dust of\ntravel, he appeared, amidst the vast and richly apparelled company of the\ndisciples of that distinguished leader, an insignificant and negligible figure.\nUnobserved and undaunted, he advanced to a place which faced the seat occupied\nby that renowned teacher. Summoning to his aid all the courage and confidence\nwith which the instructions of Siyyid Kázim had inspired him, he addressed the\nfamous shi’ih learder in these words: \n\n
\n\n“Hearken, O Siyyid, to my words, for response to my plea\nwill ensure the safety of the Faith of the Prophet of God, and refusal to\nconsider my message will cause it grievous injury.” \n\n
\n\nThese bold and courageous words, uttered with directness and\nforce, produced a surprising impression upon the Siyyid. He suddenly\ninterrupted his discourse, and, ignoring his audience, listened with close\nattention to the message which this strange visitor had brought. His disciples,\namazed at this extraordinary behaviour, rebuked this sudden intruder and\ndenounced his presumptuous pretensions. With extreme politeness, in firm and\ndignified language, Mullá Husayn hinted at their discourtesy and shallowness, and\nexpressed surprise at their arrogance and vainglory. \n\n
\n\nThe learned Siyyid was highly pleased with the demeanour and\nargument which the visitor so strikingly displayed. He deplored and apologized\nfor the unseemly conduct of his own disciples. In order to compensate for their\ningratitude, he extended every conceivable kindness to that youth, Mulla\nHusayn, assured him of his support, and besought him to deliver his message.\nThereupon, Mullá Husayn acquainted him with the nature and object of the\nmission with which he had been entrusted. \n\n
\n\nTo this the learned Siyyid replied: “As we in the beginning\nbelieved that both Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kázim were actuated by no desire\nexcept to advance the cause of knowledge and safeguard the sacred interests of\nthe Faith, we felt prompted to extend to them our heartiest support and to\nextol their teachings. In later years, however, we have noticed so many\nconflicting statements and obscure and mysterious allusions in their writings\nthat we felt it advisable to keep silent for a time, and to refrain from either\ncensure or applause.” \n\n
\n\nTo this Mullá Husayn replied: “I cannot but deplore such\nsilence on your part, for I firmly believe that it involves the loss of a\nsplendid opportunity to advance the cause of Truth. It is for you to set forth\nspecifically such passages in their writings as appear to you mysterious or\ninconsistent with the precepts of the Faith, and I will, with the aid of God,\nundertake to expound their true meaning.” \n\n
\n\nThe poise, the dignity and confidence, which characterised\nthe behaviour of this unexpected messenger, greatly impressed the Siyyid. He\nbegged Mulla Husayn not to press the matter at this moment, but to wait until a\nlater day, when, in private converse, he might acquaint him with his own doubts\nand misgivings. Mullá Husayn, however, feeling that delay might prove harmful\nto the cause he had at heart, insisted upon an immediate conference with him\nabout the weighty problems which he felt impelled and able to resolve. \n\n
\n\nThe Siyyid was moved to tears by the youthful enthusiasm,\nthe sincerity and serene confidence to which the countenance of Mullá Husayn so\nadmirably testified. He sent immediately for some of the works written by\nShaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kázim, and began to question Mullá Husayn regarding\nthose passages which had excited his disapproval and surprise. To each\nreference Mulla Husayn replied with characteristic vigour, with masterly\nknowledge and befitting modesty. He continued in this manner, in the presence\nof the assembled disciples, to expound the teachings of Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid\nKázim, to vindicate their truth, and to defend their cause, until the time when\nthe call to prayer by Mu’adhdhin, suddenly interrupted the flow of his\nargument. \n\n
\n\nThe next day, Mulla Husayn similarly, in the presence of a\nlarge and representative assembly, and whilst facing the Siyyid, resumed his\neloquent defense of the high mission entrusted by an almighty Providence to\nShaykh Ahmad and his successor Siyyid Kazim. \n\n
\n\nA deep silence fell upon his hearers. They were seized with\nwonder at the cogency of his argument and the tone and manner of his speech.\nThe Siyyid publicly promised that on the following day he would himself issue a\nwritten declaration wherein he would testify to the eminence of the position\nheld by both Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kázim, and would pronounce whosoever\ndeviated from their path as one who had turned aside from the Faith of the\nProphet Himself. He would likewise bear witness to their penetrative insight,\nand their correct and profound understanding of the mysteries which the Faith\nof Muhammad enshrined. \n\n
\n\nThe Siyyid redeemed his pledge, and with his own hand penned\nthe promised declaration. He wrote at length, and in the course of his\ntestimony paid a tribute to the character and learning of Mullá Husayn. He\nspoke in glowing terms of Siyyid Kázim, apologized for his former attitude, and\nexpressed the hope that in the days to come he might be enabled to make amends\nfor his past and regrettable conduct towards him. He read, himself, to his\ndisciples the text of this written testimony, and delivered it unsealed to\nMullá Husayn, authorizing him to share its contents with whomsoever he pleased,\nthat all might know the extent of his devotion to Siyyid Kázim. \n\n
\n\nNo sooner had Mullá Husayn retired than the Siyyid charged\none of his trusted attendants to follow in the footsteps of the visitor and\nfind out the place where he was residing. The attendant followed him to a\nmodest building, which served as a madrisih, [1] and saw him enter a room\nwhich, except for a worn-out mat which covered its floor, was devoid of\nfurniture. He watched him arrive, offer his prayer of thanksgiving to God, and\nlie down upon that mat with nothing to cover him except his ‘abá. [2] \n\n
\n\nHaving reported to his master all that he had observed, the\nattendant was again instructed to deliver to Mullá Husayn the sum of a hundred\ntúmans, [3] and to express the sincere apologies of his master for his\ninability to extend to so remarkable a messenger a hospitality that befitted\nhis station. \n\n
\n\nTo this offer Mullá Husayn sent the following reply: “Tell\nyour master that his real gift to me is the spirit of fairness with which he\nreceived me, and the open-mindedness which prompted him, despite his exalted\nrank, to respond to the message which I, a lowly stranger, brought him. Return\nthis money to your master, for I, as a messenger, ask for neither recompense\nnor reward. ‘We nourish your souls for the sake of God; we seek from you\nneither recompense nor thanks.’ [Qur’án, 76:9] My prayer for your master is\nthat earthly leadership may never hinder him from acknowledging and testifying\nto the Truth.” This distinguish religious leader whose name was Hájí Siyyid\nMuhammad-Báqir died before the year that witnessed the birth of the Faith\nproclaimed by the Báb. He remained to his last moment a staunch supporter and\nfervent admirer of Siyyid Kázim. \n\n
\n\nHaving fulfilled the first part of his mission, Mullá Husayn\ndespatched this written testimony of Hájí Siyyid Muhammad-Báqir to his master\nin Karbilá.... \n\n
\n\n(Adapted from ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, by Nabil, translated and\nedited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n[1] The Madrisih or Persian colleges are entirely in the\nhands of the clergy and there are several in every large town. They generally\nconsist of a court, surrounded by buildings containing chambers for students\nand masters, with a gate on one side; and frequently a garden and a well in the\ncentre of the court.... Many of the madrisihs have been founded and endowed by\nkings or pious persons.” (C. R. Markham’s “A General Sketch of the History of\nPersia,” p. 365.) \n\n[2] A loose outer garment, resembling a cloak, commonly made\nof camel’s hair. \n\n[3] Worth approximately one hundred dollars, a substantial\nsum in those days \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/11/mulla-husayns-first-assignment.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/11/mulla-husayns-first-assignment.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "No peace in the city of Tabriz on July 9, 1850 – the martyrdom of the Báb",
"slug": "bsbs-no-peace-in-the-city-of-tabriz-on-july-9-1850-the-martyrdom-of-the-bab",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_O4rJlIuak5ba1GA937YPJ_-P-Luobg5wZ2c06P4YUa9Ae_5sdQ7sU-Tcwfa-NJYvIiDRugOVD7HiBGGSbPuTyLky9JUVcLIXt3oeIsxJtcEQhkQMzVBso5zbEWsLo7Aj-hPohvjwWBs/s320/The-Bab%2527s-martyrdom.jpg\") \n\nAs the Bábís of Zanjan continued courageously to defend\nthemselves against the assaults of the army, the Grand Vizier of Persia grew\nangrier than before. He had heard of the heroic ways in which the Bábís at Fort\nTabarsi and Nayriz had managed to fight off their attackers, now he had to deal\nwith a similar episode at Zanjan – a town located about 180 miles northwest of\nthe Capital, Tehran. \n\n
\n\nThe Grand Vizier was witnessing his own futile attempts to\nstifle the new Faith. He was getting frustrated and angrier than ever. He\nrealized that the Báb might be imprisoned in a remote corner of the country, but\nHis Cause continued to spread. Nothing seemed to dampen the enthusiasm of His\nfollowers. To crush their spirit, he felt he must eliminate their leader. Therefore\nhe ordered that the Báb be brought one last time to Tabriz - this time to be\nexecuted. \n\n
\n\nForty days before the Grand Vizier's orders arrived, the Báb\ngathered together His few belongings - His pen-case, His rings, His precious Writings,\nand the seals with which He stamped the wax that sealed His letters. The Báb\nsent all of these things with a trusted servant to Baha’u’llah, along with a\nspecial gift -a scroll of fine blue paper embellished with the design of a\nfive-pointed star. The delicate lines of the star were lines of words written in\nthe Báb's own elegant handwriting - five hundred words all related to the word \"Baha,\"\nmeaning \"Glory.\" The scroll was a gift of praise from the Báb to Baha’u’llah. \n\n \n When the order from the Grand Vizier arrived in Tabriz, the\ngovernor of the province refused to execute the Báb. The Báb had committed no\ncrime, and He was a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, Who therefore deserved\nto be treated with honor. \"The task I am called upon to perform is a task\nthat only an ignoble person would accept,\" said the governor.\n
\n\nThe Grand Vizier would let no objection stand in his way. He\nturned to his brother, Mirza Hasan Khan, to carry out his command. He must\nexecute the Báb immediately, the Grand Vizier told his brother, along with\nanyone claiming to be a Bábí. The execution should take place in a public\nsquare of Tabriz so that everyone would know of the Báb's death. \n\n \n
\nMirza Hasan Khan agreed to do his brother's bidding and\nprepared to transfer the Báb to a cell in the city barracks to await execution.\nFirst he ordered the removal of the Báb's green turban and sash, the emblems of\nHis lineage to the Prophet. Then the Báb and His amanuensis, Siyyid Husayn,\nwere marched to the barracks that housed the soldiers. People crowded and\nstrained to see the prisoner who would be executed. The Báb would receive no\nhonor in Tabriz.
\n\n
\n\nSuddenly a young man broke through the crowd and threw\nhimself on the ground at the Báb's feet. \"Send me not from Thee, O\nMaster,\" he begged. \"Wherever Thou goest, suffer me to follow\nThee.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Arise,\" the Báb answered in a loving voice,\n\"and rest assured that you will be with Me. Tomorrow you shall witness\nwhat God has decreed.\" \n\n
\n\nThe youth, a Bábí, was arrested and taken to the same prison\ncell as the Báb. The Báb gave him a new name, \"Anís,\" meaning\n\"Close Companion”. \n\n
\n\nAnís was condemned to die with the Báb, but a sentence of\ndeath did not frighten him. For months he had yearned to be with the Báb. His father\nhad locked him in the house to keep him from traveling to Chihriq. He must\nforget this Bábí foolishness, his father told him, and get on with life's\nnormal activities. But Anís could not forget. \n\n
\n\nThen, in a dreamlike vision, the Báb had appeared and spoken\nto Anís. \"The hour is approaching when, in this very city, I shall be\nsuspended before the eyes of the multitude and shall fall a victim to the fire of\nthe enemy,\" said the Báb. \"I shall choose no one except you to share with\nMe the cup of martyrdom. Rest assured that this promise which I give you shall\nbe fulfilled.\" \n\n
\n\nThe Báb's promise filled Anís with a deep joy that was\nunreachable by any earthly sorrow. In the days and weeks that followed, the\nloving voice and tender smile of the Báb, along with His promise, lingered in Anís's\nmemory. Now, at long last, his greatest wish - to be with the Báb – was granted,\nand Anís was content. \n\n
\n\nIn His barracks cell, the Báb was bound with iron shackles\naround His wrists and an iron collar was placed around His neck. An attendant\ntied a long cord to the iron collar and, taking the cord in hand, led the Báb,\nwith a guard of soldiers, through the streets and bazaars of the town.\nExecution alone would not satisfy the Grand Vizier. The Báb must be seen\nhelpless and humiliated. \n\n
\n\nNearly ten thousand people crowded into the streets and the\npublic square. They had poured into Tabriz from surrounding villages especially\nto watch the execution. Onlookers jeered and shouted insults at the Báb. If He\nwas from God, let Him save Himself! Let Him perform a miracle! The Báb suffered\nall in silence until finally He was returned to His cell. The hour of execution\nwas at hand. \n\n
\n\nWhen the chief attendant came for the Báb and Anís, the Báb\nwas speaking with Siyyid Husayn, His amanuensis. The attendant would not permit\nthe Báb to complete His conversation. \n\n
\n\n\"Not until I have said to him all those things that I\nwish to say can any earthly power silence Me”, warned the Báb. \"Though all\nthe world be armed against Me, yet shall they be powerless to deter Me from\nfulfilling, to the last word, My intention.\" \n\n
\n\nBut the chief attendant paid no heed to the prisoner. The Báb\nand Anís were taken to the public square. \n\n
\n\nA firing squad of 750 soldiers prepared for the execution.\nThe officer in charge was Sam Khan, a Christian. Sam Khan was moved by the Báb's\nnoble spirit and greatly disturbed to think that he might execute a holy man.\nBut Sam Khan was also a soldier who must follow orders. What was he to do? \n\n
\n\n\"I profess the Christian Faith and entertain no ill\nwill against you,” Sam Khan said to the Báb. \"If your Cause be the Cause\nof Truth, enable me to free myself from the obligation to shed your\nblood.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Follow your instructions,” the Báb replied, \"and\nif your intention be sincere, the Almighty is surely able to relieve you from\nyour perplexity.\" \n\n
\n\nThe Báb and Anís were tied together with ropes, Anís with\nhis head resting on the Báb's chest. A nail was pounded into a pillar between\nthe doors of the barracks. With another rope the two prisoners were suspended in\nfront of the firing squad. \n\n
\n\nThe regiment of 750 soldiers lined up in three rows. Each\nrow of soldiers took aim. Then, with a sad heart, Sam Khan gave the final\norder: \"Fire!\" One after another, each row fired their weapons. The\nsquare filled with smoke, but when the air cleared, the watching crowd saw Anís\nstanding unharmed, his ropes cut by the bullets. The Báb, however, was nowhere\nto be seen. \n\n
\n\nThe onlookers were astonished. Confusion and fear rippled\nthrough the crowd. Was this the miracle for which they had asked? The attendants\nbegan a frantic search. They did not have far to go. The Báb was found back in\nHis prison cell, talking to Siyyid Husayn. \n\n
\n\n\"I have finished My\nconversation with Siyyid Husayn,\" said the Báb calmly when the chief\nattendant found Him. \"Now you may proceed to fulfil your intention. \n\n
\n\nThe chief attendant was deeply shaken. Nothing like this had\never happened to him before. Was this a sign of the power of God? He did not\nknow, but he left the barracks cell and the public square of Tabriz. He gave up\nhis job as chief attendant and never again would have anything to do with the\nenemies of the Báb. \n\n
\n\nSam Khan made his own decision and ordered his regiment to\nleave. God had spared him from shedding the Báb's blood. He would have nothing\nmore to do with the execution of the Báb, even if it meant his own death for\ndisobeying orders. \n\n
\n\nAnother regiment volunteered to take the place of the first.\nOnce again the Báb and Anís were tied up and suspended against the wall. \n\n
\n\n\"Had you believed in Me, O wayward generation,\"\nsaid the Báb to the watching crowd, \"every one of you would have followed\nthe example of this youth… The day will come when you will have recognized Me; that\nday I shall have ceased to be with you.\" \n\n
\n\nThis time, when the rows of soldiers fired their weapons,\nthe Báb and Anís were killed. Their bodies were rendered inseparable by the force of the bullets\nfrom 750 rifles. But the faces of the Báb and Anís were left unmarked. A look\nof calm and peace was upon the face of the Báb. The time was twelve o'clock\nnoon on Sunday, July 9, 1850. \n\n
\n\nThere was no peace in the city of Tabriz that day. From the very hour of the\nBáb's death, a fierce wind visited the city. With it came a thick, gritty dust\nthat sifted into people's clothes and eyes as the wind whipped through city\nstreets. The dust was so thick that it hid the afternoon sun, and the day grew\ndark as evening. \n\n
\n\nThe darkness outside was akin to the blindness within of\nthose who had turned their backs on the Messenger of God. They had looked for a\nking but saw only a merchant from Shiraz. They had closed their eyes to His\nlight and stopped their ears to His truth. They had used their powers to\nextinguish His life, the life of the promised Qa'im. These lived, indeed, in a\ndark place. \n\n(Adapted from ‘The Story of Baha’u’llah’, by Druzelle Cederquist,\nand from ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, by Nabil) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/07/no-peace-in-city-of-tabriz-on-july-9.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/07/no-peace-in-city-of-tabriz-on-july-9.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One night when Jesus was out in the fields",
"slug": "bsbs-one-night-when-jesus-was-out-in-the-fields",
"summary": "Jesus was a poor man. One night when He was out in the fields, the rain began to fall. He had no place to go for shelter so He lifted His eyes toward heaven, saying, “O Father! For the birds of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/05/one-night-when-jesus-was-out-in-fields.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nJesus was a poor man. One night when He was out in the fields, the rain began to fall. He had no place to go for shelter so He lifted His eyes toward heaven, saying, “O Father! For the birds of the air Thou hast created nests, for the sheep a fold, for the animals dens, for the fish places of refuge, but for Me Thou hast provided no shelter. There is no place where I may lay My head. My bed consists of the cold ground; My lamps at night are the stars, and My food is the grass of the field. Yet who upon earth is richer than I? For the greatest blessing Thou hast not given to the rich and mighty but unto Me, for Thou hast given Me the poor. To me Thou hast granted this blessing. They are Mine. Therefore am I the richest man on earth.” - ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk, 19 April 1912, Bowery Mission, New York; ‘The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/05/one-night-when-jesus-was-out-in-fields.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/05/one-night-when-jesus-was-out-in-fields.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Opposition to 'Abdu'l-Baha's proposed marriage",
"slug": "bsbs-opposition-to-abdul-bahas-proposed-marriage",
"summary": " Bahá'u'lláh intended to give His niece, Shahr-Banu Khanum, in marriage to His eldest Son, ‘Abdu’l-Baha. She was the daughter of His faithful older half-brother, Mirza…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"exile",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"hope",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/11/opposition-to-abdul-bahas-proposed.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n\nBahá'u'lláh intended to give His niece, Shahr-Banu Khanum,\nin marriage to His eldest Son, ‘Abdu’l-Baha. She was the daughter of His\nfaithful older half-brother, Mirza Muhammad-Hasan. That was also the great hope\nof Mirza Muhammad-Hasan who hurried to Baghdad and pleaded with Bahá'u'lláh to\nbring about this union. But Mirza Muhammad-Hasan passed away before the Most\nGreat Branch came of age. \n\n
\n\nWhen Bahá'u'lláh and His family were exiled to Iraq, Shahr-Banu\nKhanum remained in the district of Nur in Mazindaran, until in 1285 A.H. (1868)\nwhen Bahá'u'lláh instructed His uncle, Mulla Zaynu'l-'Abidin, to escort her to\nTihran and from there to arrange her journey to Adrianople. \n\n
\n\nNo sooner had this news reached Shah Sultan Khanum, a\nhalf-sister of Bahá'u'lláh and a follower of Mirza Yahya, than she arose in\nenmity and with the assistance of Mirza Rida-Quli, a half-brother of\nBaha’u’llah, and prevented the marriage from taking place. Mirza Rida-Quli, who\nhad stood as father to Shahr-Banu Khanum after the death of her father, Mirza\nMuhammad-Hasan, was afraid that Násiri'd-Dín Sháh and his ministers would frown\non this marriage and take him to task. \n\n
\n\nShah Sultan Khanum took Shahr-Banu Khanum to her home in\nTihran and practically forced her to marry instead Mirza Ali-Khan-i-Nuri, the\nson of the Prime Minister. Bahá'u'lláh has referred to this in Epistle to the\nSon of the Wolf. This marriage, so rudely imposed upon her, plunged Shahr-Banu Khanum\ninto a state of perpetual grief and misery. Her youngest brother, Mirza\nNizamu'l-Mulk, a faithful and devoted follower of Bahá'u'lláh, has recorded in\nhis memoirs that after her marriage Shahr-Banu Khanum prayed fervently to God\nfor her deliverance from her tragic plight. It seems that her prayers were\nanswered, as shortly afterwards she became afflicted with tuberculosis and died. \n\n(Adapted from ‘Baha’u’llah The King of Glory’, by Hassan Balyuzi, and ‘The\nRevelation of Baha’u’llah, vol. 2’, by Adib Taherzadeh) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/11/opposition-to-abdul-bahas-proposed.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/11/opposition-to-abdul-bahas-proposed.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Quddús’ amazing ability to pen copious writings – their recital and tributes by Mulla Husayn provided daily spiritual food at Fort Tabarsi",
"slug": "bsbs-quddus-amazing-ability-to-pen-copious-writings-their-recital-and-tributes-b",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzkGpZz1r_WbEnPrTsybZxWyHiPCOv-xL4LUCuet42QzuTIamlyB6QDuqQfTFIkpw4esXZSF9vkzplRYS7-4cFEEWHBbRDqRCw04WoCfWp3V9hKv_M_rQO6c-sTrPJjfYdGiZI7hmGSEM/s1600/Paintings-64-1.jpg\") We know from the Baha’i Writings that Quddus, in addition to\nbeing the last Letter of the Living and the chosen companion of the Báb during\nHis pilgrimage to Mecca, has a high station. The Guardian elucidates on it in\n‘God Passes By’: \n\n
\n\n“Quddús, immortalized by Him [the Báb] as Ismu'llahi'l-Akhir\n(the Last Name of God); on whom Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet of Kullu't-Ta'am later\nconferred the sublime appellation of Nuqtiy-i-Ukhra (the Last Point); whom He\nelevated, in another Tablet, to a rank second to none except that of the Herald\nof His Revelation; whom He identifies, in still another Tablet, with one of the\n‘Messengers charged with imposture’ mentioned in the Qur'án; whom the Persian\nBayan extolled as that fellow-pilgrim round whom mirrors to the number of eight\nVahids revolve; on whose ‘detachment and the sincerity of whose devotion to\nGod's will God prideth Himself amidst the Concourse on high;’ whom 'Abdu'l-Bahá\ndesignated as the ‘Moon of Guidance;’ and whose appearance the Revelation of\nSt. John the Divine anticipated as one of the two ‘Witnesses’ into whom, ere\nthe ‘second woe is past,’ the ‘spirit of life from God’ must enter” (Shoghi\nEffendi, 'God Passes By') \n\n
\n\nHere is an example of Qúddus’ amazing keenness of\nunderstanding concerning the manifold meanings of the Word of God: \n\n
\n\nFollowing the conference of Badasht, Quddús was en route to\nhis home town when he fell into the hands of his opponents and placed under\nhouse arrest. \n\n
\n\nNabil, the great Baha’i chronicler, explains that while\nQuddus was in confinement in the home of a leading clergy of the town of Sari,\nMírzá Muhammad-Taqí, the latter asked Quddús “to write a commentary on the\nSúrih of Ikhlas, better known as the Súrih of Qul Huva’lláhu’l-Ahad” (Nabil,\n‘The Dawn-Breakers’, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi). \n\n \n
\n\nThis Surih (chapter) is very brief, and is only composed of\na few lines. Here is Rodwell’s translation of this Surih: \n\n
\n\n“In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful \n\n
\n\nSay: He is God alone; God the eternal! He begetteth not, and He is not begotten; And there is none like unto Him.” \n\n
\n\nIn the above passage, the word “eternal” is the translation\nof the Arabic word “Samad” \n\n
\n\nNabil explains that Quddús “composed, in his interpretation\nof the Sád [letter “S”] of [the word] Samad [Eternal] alone, a treatise which\nwas thrice as voluminous as the Qur’án itself. \n\n
\n\n“That exhaustive and masterly exposition had profoundly\nimpressed Mírzá Muhammad-Taqí [a leading clergy of the town of Sari] and had\nbeen responsible for the marked consideration which he showed towards Quddús,\nalthough in the end he joined the Sa’ídu’l-‘Ulamá’ [the chief clergy] in\ncompassing the death of the heroic martyrs of Shaykh Tabarsí. \n\n
\n\n“Quddús continued, while besieged in that fort, to write his\ncommentary on that Súrih, and was able, despite the vehemence of the enemy’s\nonslaught, to pen as many verses as he had previously written in Sarí in his\ninterpretation of that same letter [“S”]. The rapidity and copiousness of his\ncomposition, the inestimable treasures which his writings revealed, filled his\ncompanions with wonder and justified his leadership in their eyes. They read\neagerly the pages of that commentary which Mullá Husayn brought to them each\nday and to which he paid his share of tribute.” (Nabil, ‘The Dawn-Prayers’,\ntranslated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/01/quddus-amazing-ability-to-pen-copious.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/01/quddus-amazing-ability-to-pen-copious.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Roses from ‘Abdu’l-Baha",
"slug": "bsbs-roses-from-abdu-l-baha",
"summary": "![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTCE-6ccjO0pwdFWtAdgZvfZXWxznvsZ-LxLvLYJCXNPuOm9frbRPOKx3VE59IQNm4e_c99C4j7N6lCiXGuvMJb71_5L7X9_Hh_CqHzTj-5DFeWxFouLs0HeJ9lgVsG3UE0ClMHNAb50/s200/white+rose.jpg\") The next morning while I [Ali Kuli Khan] was in our room\nwith my family [in Akka, during their pilgrimage in 1906], a gentle rapping\nattracted me to the door. There I found 'Abdu'l-Bahá standing with a large\nwhite handkerchief full of flowers. He said, \"Give these flowers to\nFlorence Khanum [American wife of Ali Kuli Khan] and bring me back the\nhandkerchief.\" This I obeyed instantly. To our joy and delight, we found\nthe flowers to be no other than a bridal bouquet of white roses. In them I\nfound another small bouquet. It was easy to see its significance! All can\nimagine our joy upon receiving that blessing! My wife burst into tears of joy;\nfor in this lovely act of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's she found the fulfilment of a prayer\nshe had offered for a long time. The prayer was that she might receive a rose\nfrom the hand of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
\n\n- Ali Kuli Khan (Notes of pilgrimage during 1906;\npublished in ‘1906 Pilgrim Notes of Ali Kuli Khan’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/10/roses-from-abdul-baha.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/10/roses-from-abdul-baha.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Rúhá Khánum, one of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá's daughters, was seriously ill when He left Alexandria, Egypt, aboard S. S. Cedric for the West on March 25, 1912",
"slug": "bsbs-ruha-khanum-one-of-abdul-bahas-daughters-was-seriously-ill-when-he-left-ale",
"summary": " When ‘Abdu'l-Bahá was saying farewell amid the tears, lamentations and sadness of the friends and members of the Holy Family who watched their beloved's departure, one…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Mírzá Mahmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/11/ruha-khanum-one-of-abdul-bahas.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n\nWhen ‘Abdu'l-Bahá was saying farewell amid the tears,\nlamentations and sadness of the friends and members of the Holy Family who\nwatched their beloved's departure, one of `Abdu'l-Bahá's daughters, Rúhá\nKhánum, was seriously ill. It was evident that this deeply affected the Master.\nIt was in these circumstances that `Abdu'l-Bahá left Alexandria on the morning\nof Monday, March 25, 1912. Although He had already bidden the friends farewell\nand had embraced most of them, many accompanied Him to the ship, expressing\ntheir sadness and anguish at their impending separation from Him. After\nvisiting, walking about the ship and receiving His cabin assignment,\n`Abdu'l-Bahá went to the main hall where. He bestowed His love, affection and\nassurance on each of the friends. After an hour, the friends left the ship in\ntears. Then the S. S. Cedric, an Italian liner from the White Star Line, set\nsail, honored to be the means of transporting the Most Holy Being and becoming\nthe focus of the envy of the whole earth. \n\n
\n\nThe ship left the port of Alexandria with a burst of steam\nand great fanfare. ‘Abdu'l-Bahá's companions numbered six: Shoghi Effendi,\nSiyyid Asadu'lláh-i-Qumí, Dr Amínu'lláh Faríd, Mírzá Munír-i-Zayn, Áqá Khusraw\nand this servant, Mahmúd-i-Zarqání. After the ship left, `Abdu'l-Bahá went to\nthe first class dining room and gave permission to His companions to have lunch\nwith Him. \n\n(Mírzá Mahmúd-i-Zarqání, ‘Muhmud’s Diary’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/11/ruha-khanum-one-of-abdul-bahas.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/11/ruha-khanum-one-of-abdul-bahas.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Ruhiyyih Khanum’s first encounter with Shoghi Effendi",
"slug": "bsbs-ruhiyyih-khanum-s-first-encounter-with-shoghi-effendi",
"summary": " Ruhiyyih Khanum often described her first encounter with the youthful Guardian\nRuhiyyih Khanum often described her first encounter with the youthful Guardian\n[when she was 13 years old].\nThe day after their arrival in Haifa, [in 1923] she and her mother were in the old Pilgrim House opposite the\nhome of 'Abdu'l-Baha\non Persian Street, where they were staying, when a visitor came to the door.\nMrs. Maxwell,\nwho had suffered from insomnia on the voyage over, was finally sleeping after\nseveral broken nights, and Mary, in her concern for her mother, was determined\nthat no one should disturb her. When the door opened a young man stepped into\nthe hall and asked to see Mrs. Maxwell. Ruhiyyih Khanum recounts: 'I pulled myself up to my full\nheight and said, \"Mrs.\nMaxwell is resting; who is it who wants to see her?'\" \n\n
\n\n'I'm Shoghi Effendi,' was the young man's bemused reply - at\nwhich young Mary gasped and fled into her mother's room. Quite forgetting her\nconcern to allow May an uninterrupted sleep, she dived beneath the pillows,\n'like a puppy', as she always put it, and woke her up. When her mother asked\nher what on earth was the matter, Mary could only manage to say, 'He's here!\nHe's here!' and, burrowing her head further into the pillows, point to the hall\nbehind her. Upon realizing the situation, May said to her daughter, 'Now Mary,\npull yourself together and go and tell him I am coming.' \n\n- Violette Nakhjavani (‘The\nMaxwells of Montreal, vol. 2’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/10/ruhhiy-khanums-first-encounter-with.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/10/ruhhiy-khanums-first-encounter-with.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Sarah’s Vision of Peace",
"slug": "bsbs-sarah-s-vision-of-peace",
"summary": "On a hot June day in the year 1892, a middle-aged woman sat in a crowded lecture hall. Despite the heat, her face looked peaceful as she listened to the speaker talk about the life of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"women",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"gentleness",
"hope",
"justice",
"love",
"patience",
"prayer",
"service",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 9,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2012/12/sarahs-vision-of-peace.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn a hot June day in the year 1892, a middle-aged woman sat in a crowded lecture hall. Despite the heat, her face looked peaceful as she listened to the speaker talk about the life of the spirit.
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHdk64trwZTvKbF3MeM8qTGrwirmq0Vgfo-bC_y2Ry8iNzffvbzAZcJmOoAYkXjACRTOpheNiCK0aNZGgFTd-bPLxxdIsYuNMbpqcpXfmL5FgAmn5KvbkeleWQxEHf7tHeKmDNXSEnWE/s200/Sarah+Farmer.jpg\") \n
\n\nSuddenly she grew tense, her expressive brown eyes lighting up with excitement. Drawing a pencil and paper from her purse, she wrote down these words: \"Green Acre -- tent on riverbank -- all races -- religions -- music science -- understanding -- peace.'' \n
\nThat evening she told her father what had happened. \"I was listening to a lecture, and the noise of traffic almost drowned the speaker's voice. I thought what a glorious thing it would be for poor, tired, struggling humanity to have some spot on earth where our bodies and souls might be refreshed at the same time.
\n
\n\"Suddenly I saw this need and with it how to begin to help. I saw a picture of Green Acre with its acres of beautiful fields and pines and the river with the Inn high above its bank. But instead of a small summer resort, it had become a great center of learning.. .There were all races and creeds there, and happy children and young people ready to learn how to make their lives of value. Peace was the aim of everyone's efforts…\" The woman's face glowed with excitement and she continued. \"I saw also that in the years ahead the conferences would grow into a school and the school into a university.. . dedicated to man's highest achievements in the arts, sciences, religion, and philosophy. The spiritual principles of the New Day would find their complete expression in the life of Green Acre. This is what you and Mother and I have always been working towards, but we saw only parts of the plan, and now I have seen it all!\"
\n
\nThe woman who shared this vision with her father on that hot summer’s day was Sarah Jane Farmer. In 1889, she had been invited to join four businessmen in Eliot, Maine, in the running of a summer resort on the banks of the Piscataqua River. The poet John Greenleaf Whittier had visited the resort and had given it its name - Green Acre.
\n
\nSarah's dream for creating a wonderful place for spiritual growth had its seeds in her family life, She had been born into a progressive, stimulating family, to parents who had been childless for many years. They had prayed to have a child whose life would be dedicated to God and to the service of mankind. Sarah was the answer to those prayers.
\n
\nSarah’s father, Moses Farmer, was an inventor. He built an electric railroad when he was 26, improved the telegraph at 28, and at 39, lighted the parlor of their home with incandescent electric lamps – when Thomas Edison was only 12 years old! Moses Farmer never patented his own discoveries, for he believed inventions were the thoughts of God that came through sensitive minds for the benefit of all.
\n
\nHannah Shapleigh Farmer, Sarah's mother, was always concerned with the needs of others. In Boston, she established a home of rest and relaxation for underprivileged mothers and children. She also knew many of the leading figures of the early struggle for women's rights and was committed to trying to abolish slavery. The Farmer home became a way station in the underground railroad, which helped runaway slaves come north.
\n
\nIn 1893, just a half year after Sarah's vision for Green Acre, she attended the Parliament of Religions in Chicago, which was part of the Columbian Exposition. Her father's inventions were on display at the exposition, and Sarah had the chance to meet many outstanding people from all over the world. She met Bharmapala, a Buddhist from Ceylon, and Vivekandada, a Hindu from Calcutta, and many other people who were great thinkers. Sarah invited them to come to Green Acre to share their messages the following summer.
\n
\nOn July 3, 1894, Sarah stood in a large tent on the grounds of Green Acre; and spoke about the new purpose she saw for the resort. Other talks were given, and a great white flag with “Peace” in green letters was raised under the American flag next to the tent. Sarah said, \"In looking for an emblem, we wanted something that would call to everybody, and we felt that the Message that had been brought to the world by prophet after pophet was the message of Peace.\"
\n
\nThe special spirit at Green Acre attracted many prominent people, including Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Dubois, Annie Besant and Edward Everett Hale. There was always exciting discussion and fellowship. One day, sixteen lectures were held! There were musical programs, a weekly newspaper called The Green Acre Voice, and always something for the children to enjoy. Every year there was a special Children's Day with a maypole, lemonade, and singing and dancing. The children loved Sarah's gentle ways and felt her love for them.
\n
\nBut Sarah suffered ill health and worried about the future of Green Acre. In 1900, she went on a cruise to the Mediterranean Sea, and that trip was to change her life and bring her vision for Green Acre to its real meaning and purpose.
\n
\nOn the ship, Sarah met several people who were going to 'Akka to meet 'Abdu'l-Baha, and she decided she must go and meet Him, too. This was the first time that Sarah had heard about the Baha'i Faith, but its spirit matched what she already knew in her heart.
\n
\nIn her diary, she wrote of her first meeting with 'Abdu'l-Baha: \"Acca: Received by my Lord.\"
\n
\n'Abdu'l-Baha answered Sarah's questions before she even had a chance to ask them and spoke to her of her hopes for Green Acre. He assured her that her vision had a purpose, and that someday there would be a university there. He told Sarah that she had been chosen to found this center of learning to herald the dawn of a new day.
\n
\nAfter Sarah returned to America, 'Abdu'l-Baha wrote at least twenty-eight tablets to her. In one, He said:
\n
\n“O thou favored maid-servant in the Threshold of Almighty! Thou art always in my memory and before my eyes. I am aware of thy service to the Kingdom of Abha, and I day by day seek and beg for more confirmations in thy behalf; and I am assured that thou shalt be enabled to render great services. And a Mashriqu’l-Adhkar [Baha’i House of Worship] shall necessarily be built … but a little patience is needed.”
\n
\nOf Sarah, He also said, \"Thou will become the envy of the queens of all regions and wilt be the rival of all the celebrated people of the world.”
\n
\nIn 1912, 'Abdu'l-Baha made His historic journey to the United States and Canada. From August 16 to August 23, He was at Green Acre. He hosted a Unity Feast that attracted so many people that traffic was stopped on the road leading to Green Acre.
\n
\nDuring this time, Sarah Farner was ill, but she was as able to come to Green Acre for one brief, tender reunion with 'Abdu'l-Baha. They took a carriage ride to a hill called Monsalvat. 'Abdu'l-Baha pointed out certain trees and spots to Sarah, then He took her hand in His and said, \"This is hallowed ground made so by your vision and sacrifice.”
\n
\nThen He looked at Sarah and the others gathered there and said, \"This is where the first Baha'i University will be built.” Pointing to a spot in the center of the area, He then said, \"This is where the second Baha'i Temple in the United States will be raised. In reality, all this has been built and is right now ready to become a material reality whenever the Supreme Concourse finds mankind purified enough to bring about its consummation… People will stream up and down the hill to some department in the University and to the Temple for prayers, which shall be in the midst of it.”
\n
\nSarah Farmer died four years later, without seeing the university or the temple of which the Master had spoken. But her vision of Green Acre as a great learning center has been realized. Every summer and for many weekends during the rest of the year, Baha'is and their friends gather at Green Acre to discuss important topics, meditate and refresh themselves. Many children enjoy the beautiful surroundings and the classes they attend there. The room in which 'Abdu'l-Baha stayed is now a place of prayer and meditation.
\n
\nGreen Acre remains a place where people of all races and religions can meet. It reflects the vision of Sarah Farmer -- the vision of peace. 'Abdu'l-Baha shared this vision with Sarah. When He was at Green Acre, He said:
\n
\n“Are you well and happy? This is a delightful spot; the scenery is beautiful and an atmosphere of spirituality halos everything. In the future, God willing Green Acre shall become a great center; the cause of the unity of the world of humanity, the cause of uniting hearts and binding together the east and the west. This is my hope\"
\n(Anne Gordon Atkinson, based on research by Bahiyyih Randall Winckler, Dr. Tim Rost, Dr. Robert Atkinson and papers from the Green Acre archives; ‘Brilliant Star’, May/June 1986) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2012/12/sarahs-vision-of-peace.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2012/12/sarahs-vision-of-peace.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Shoghi Effendi had vivid and significant dreams during childhood",
"slug": "bsbs-shoghi-effendi-had-vivid-and-significant-dreams-during-childhood",
"summary": " Shoghi Effendi was sometimes subject to vivid and significant dreams, both pleasant and unpleasant. It is reported that in his babyhood he woke one night crying and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Bahíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/11/shoghi-effendi-had-vivid-and.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n\nShoghi Effendi was sometimes subject to vivid and\nsignificant dreams, both pleasant and unpleasant. It is reported that in his\nbabyhood he woke one night crying and the Master told his nurse to bring Shoghi\nEffendi to Him so that He could comfort him; the Master said to His sister, the\nGreatest Holy Leaf, \"See, already he has dreams!\" \n(Ruhiyyih Khanum, 'The Priceless Pearl')\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/11/shoghi-effendi-had-vivid-and.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/11/shoghi-effendi-had-vivid-and.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Shoghi Effendi's Letter to the German Friends",
"slug": "bsbs-shoghi-effendi-letter-to-german-friends",
"summary": "A short paraphrase from the Baha'i Stories Blog about a letter Shoghi Effendi sent in the late 1930s to the small Bahá'í community of Germany, then under increasing harassment from the National Socialist regime — a brief message of love, encouragement to steadfastness, and assurance that the prayers of the world's believers were with them.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "formative",
"period": "World War II",
"location": {
"name": "Stuttgart",
"lat": 48.7758,
"lng": 9.1829,
"modernName": "Stuttgart, Germany"
},
"themes": [
"history",
"persecution",
"europe"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"steadfastness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe Baha'i Stories Blog preserves, in one of its small\nhistorical posts, a paraphrased account of a letter Shoghi\nEffendi sent in the late 1930s to the German Bahá'í\ncommunity.\n\nThe community at the time was small — a few hundred\nbelievers concentrated in Stuttgart, Esslingen, and a few\nother German cities. The 1933 rise of the National\nSocialists had brought immediate restrictions. By 1937 the\nBahá'í gatherings had been formally banned by the regime as\nincompatible with Aryan nationalism. By the late 1930s the\nsmall community was meeting only in private homes, with\ncareful watch on the door, and the German believers were\nunder steady individual harassment.\n\nThe Guardian's letter, in the paraphrase preserved in the\nblog post, was characteristically brief. It expressed his\nlove and his sympathy. It did not promise a quick end to\nthe persecution. It did not advise resistance in any\npolitical sense. It urged the community to a quiet\nsteadfastness; to continued private gathering where this\nremained possible; to careful protection of any Bahá'í\nliterature that might still be in private hands; and to\nthe spiritual work of prayer that was never within the\nstate's reach.\n\n> Be steadfast; the prayers of every believer in the world\n> are with you.\n\nThe phrase, paraphrased in the blog's post, named the\nsustaining principle. The German friends were not alone.\nThe worldwide Bahá'í community — the friends in Persia, in\nthe United States, in India, in the small communities then\nbeginning across Africa and South America — were holding\nthem in prayer. The visible community had been driven into\nthe parlour. The invisible community of prayer extended\nacross every continent. The first would, in the end, be\nrestored. The second had never been broken.\n\nThe German friends survived the war years. The community\nre-emerged after 1945. Several of the believers who had\nheld to the small private gatherings would in time become\nthe founding members of the post-war German Local Spiritual\nAssemblies. The Guardian's letter, treasured through the\ndarkest years, had given them what they needed to endure.\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/)), paraphrased post on a letter from Shoghi Effendi to the German Bahá'í community, late 1930s.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Shoghi Effendi’s desire to write even at a very young age",
"slug": "bsbs-shoghi-effendi-s-desire-to-write-even-at-a-very-young-age",
"summary": "In his recollections of those early years one of the Bahá'ís has written that one day Shoghi Effendi entered the Master's room, took up His pen and tried to write. 'Abdu'l-Bahá drew him to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"teaching",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2012/12/shoghi-effendis-desire-to-write-even-at.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn his recollections of those early years one of the Bahá'ís\nhas written that one day Shoghi Effendi entered the Master's room, took up His\npen and tried to write. 'Abdu'l-Bahá drew him to His side, tapped him gently on\nthe shoulder and said \"Now is not the time to write, now is the time to\nplay, you will write a lot in the future.\" Nevertheless the desire of the\nchild to learn led to the formation of classes in the Master's household for\nthe children, taught by an old Persian believer. I know that at one time in his\nchildhood, most likely while he was still living in 'Akká, Shoghi Effendi and\nother grandchildren were taught by an Italian, who acted as governess or\nteacher; a grey-haired elderly lady, she came to call shortly after I was married.
\n(Ruhiyyih Khanum, 'The Priceless Pearl')\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2012/12/shoghi-effendis-desire-to-write-even-at.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2012/12/shoghi-effendis-desire-to-write-even-at.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Slow to Tell the Truth -- adapted from a story told by 'Abdu'l-Baha",
"slug": "bsbs-slow-to-tell-the-truth-adapted-from-a-story-told-by-abdul-baha",
"summary": "There was once a king who went out travelling about his kingdom in the clothes of a poor and humble man in order to observe the conditions of his people. Eventually he journeyed into the…",
"figures": [],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/01/slow-to-tell-truth-adapted-from-story.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere was once a king who went out travelling about his kingdom in the clothes of a poor and humble man in order to observe the conditions of his people. Eventually he journeyed into the desert where he soon became tired, hot and thirsty. Luck was with him, however, and he reached the door of an Arab tent.
\n
\nThe Arab found him outside, exhausted from heat, thirst and hunger, and pulled him inside into the shade. When the king had revived he asked the Arab for food and drink, which was duly brought to him.
\n
\nThe king now regretted travelling in disguise and wished he was back in his palace. He wished to have the Arab help him to return, but fearing that the Arab would not believe him if he announced who he was straight away, he decided to broach the subject gradually.
\n
\n\"Do you know who I am?\" he asked the Arab, as he ate.
\n
\n\"Indeed, no,\" replied the Arab.
\n
\n\"Then I must tell you that I am a soldier in the army of the king.\"
\n
\nThe Arab replied courteously that he was delighted to be able to help a brave man.
\n
\nThe king ate and drank some more.
\n
\n\"Do you really know who I am?\" he asked again.
\n
\n\"No,\" replied the Arab, \"who are you then, sir?\"
\n
\n\"In reality, I am a minister of the king's council.\"
\n
\n\"I am honoured,\" replied the Arab graciously, \"to be able to aid so distinguished a statesman.\"
\n
\nA little more food and drink, and the king again asked: \"Do you know who, in fact, I am?\"
\n
\n\"Well, sir, tell me again,\" responded the Arab, with a sigh.
\n
\n\"Now I tell you, in very truth, I am the King himself!\" proclaimed the king.
\n
\nThe Arab could stand it no, more. Rising to his feet, he took the food and drink from the king.
\n
\n\"Why are you doing that?\" asked the king, astonished.
\n
\n\"Because,\" answered the Arab, patiently, \"I am sure that if you eat and drink any more you will tell me next that you are a Prophet of God, and next that you are God, Almighty Himself. It is better, therefore, for you to stop now, before you tell me any more lies!\"
\n(Adapted from a story told by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, vol. IX, no. 18, February 7, 1919; ‘Stories from the Star of the West’, compiled and edited by Andrew Gash)\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/01/slow-to-tell-truth-adapted-from-story.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/01/slow-to-tell-truth-adapted-from-story.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Tablets of the Divine Plan changed the lives of an American couple",
"slug": "bsbs-tablets-of-the-divine-plan-changed-the-lives-of-an-american-couple",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYB1GAASX4HnGfixd-vuhV85_n_roLxdzm9UHA52y69gNFzJAMycn5VYFQgmbT9dPzJtkuPE5_52CWymTjlRVptUSH2IT7X-C8HxOrEvTkY4iwRBASZxSUwtVUJWZ6x87ajBTFmFdKN0/s200/Hyde+and+Clara+Dunn.jpg\") In 1919, 'Abdu'l-Baha, The Center of the Covenant of\nBaha’u’llah, sent Tablets (letters) to America outlining a great plan for a\nspiritual divine civilization for the whole world. A copy of these Tablets were\nsent to two Baha’is in California – Mr. and Mrs. Hyde Dunn. \n\n
\n\nUpon reading these Tablets they felt overwhelmed with a\ndesire for service. They prayed humbly: \"Lord, here I am! Lord, here I am!” \n\n
\n\nA deep urge came to them to carry the Glad Tidings of the\nBaha'i Cause to Australia and New Zealand. \n\n
\n\n They worked and economized and finally landed in Australia\nwith barely fifteen dollars. Mr. Dunn,\nwho later became known as “Father Dunn” was taken ill, but “Mother Dunn” (Mrs.\nDunn) went out to earn for those first few weeks. Then Father Dunn gained\nstrength and went out and found a position.\n
\n\n“He who ariseth to serve the Cause of God verily the doors\nof might and power shall be thrown open before his face!” He just needs to ARISE\nin faith first. \n\n
\n\nFor four years these two pioneer teachers, Mr. and Mrs. Hyde\nDunn, traveled throughout Australia, earning their living, and both telling the\ndear Australian friends about the Baha’i Cause for world peace. \n\n \n
\nIn every large city that they lived, Martha Root, when\ntravelling through in 1925, found a Baha’i center. While she was there, Martha Root was also\ntold that in about two months a small group of Baha’i pilgrims - the first ever\nto go from Australia or New Zealand - would sail to Haifa to visit the beloved\nGuardian and study the Baha'i movement at its source. Furthermore she became\naware that new believers were selling their homes and planning to go forth, as disciples\nof this New Day, to carry these glorious Glad Tidings all over the world,\ntaking it first to their own beloved homeland.
\n\n
\n\nMartha Root attended a Feast that Mr. and Mrs. Dunn had arranged\nin one of the cities after living there for just seven weeks. This was the\nfirst ever held Feast in South Australia! It was truly astonishing! One hundred\nand thirty-five interested friends were present. The decorations that were\narranged by local people would have been considered remarkable in New York or\nin London. Most important of all, she could feel the Breaths of the Holy Spirit\nsweeping over the hearts. \n\n
\n\nMartha Root wondered as to what was the secret of this rapid\nprogress of the Baha Cause in Australia. Two reasons came to her mind: \n\n
\n\nOne was the fact that the Baha'i Cause is the Truth and the\nworld is reaching out eagerly to know it, to live it and to promote it. The\nsecond reason she felt was seeing how Mr. and Mrs. Dunn were “living the life”!\nWith them it was mostly deeds and lastly words. The splendid, dynamic sons and\ndaughters in the different cities told her what these teachers do; the new\nsouls measure sacrifice, trust worthiness and other ideals by these two Baha'i\nlives. In her travels worldwide, Martha Root had never seen two Baha'i souls\ngive more, trust more, or pray more. \n\n
\n\nWhen Mr. Dunn found out that Martha Root was planning to\nwrite an article about Australia he told her: \"Never mention us in writing\nabout Australia. I wish I COULD do something for Australia!\" Mrs. Dunn told\nher: \"I have failed!”, and she wept. \n\n
\n\nIt is in sweet humbleness like this that the spiritual\ngardens of Baha'i souls have come into their first exquisite bloom in this fair\nland of the Southern Cross. \n\n
\n\nMr. and Mrs. Dunn told her that every day they would pray\nfor Shoghi Effendi, the precious Guardian of the Cause. They felt perhaps he\nwould come to Australia to rest in those, his dark days - they watched for him\nin the streets and when the boats arrived. Perhaps Shoghi Effendi's spirit did\ncome, and finding faithfulness and progress, he was rejoiced! \n\n
\n\nMartha Root thought: Perhaps others who read how two souls,\nnot young, not well, without funds except to pay for a steamship ticket, could\narise and carry the fragrance of the Baha’i Cause to a young continent -- perhaps\nthey too will prayerfully adventure forth! May they also find health, success\nand salvation! \n\n
\n\nThis story has an aftermath. \n\n
\n\nMr. and Mrs. Dunn went over to New Zealand on their\nvacation. Their real visit was to tell the people about the Baha'i Cause. They\nstarted out down the principal street of the city wondering how to begin.\nBriefly through prayer and guidance they found friends who had heard of the\nBaha'i Cause in the \"Christian Commonwealth\" of England in 1911. They\narranged a lecture. \n\n
\n\nAmong the many who came, they found a lovely woman in that\ncity by the name Margaret who had also heard of the Baha'i Movement from a\n\"Christian Commonwealth\" mailed to her by a sister studying in\nLondon. The sister had heard ‘Abdu'l-Baha\nin Westminster. Margaret believed and had been a Baha'i in her heart for nine\nyears. \n\n
\n\nThat was only two years ago. Now when Martha Root visited\nNew Zealand she found it just as awake as Australia and the friends there\narranged Baha’i lectures - two and three a day. She noticed they were such\nspiritual, such efficient Baha'is! \n\n(Adapted from an article by Martha Root:\n‘How the Baha’i Message Came to Australia and New Zealand’, Star of the West,\nvol. 15, no. 11, February 1925) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/02/tablets-of-divine-plan-changed-lives-of.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/02/tablets-of-divine-plan-changed-lives-of.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Tabriz, July 1850: Anís accompanies the Báb in facing the firing squad",
"slug": "bsbs-tabriz-july-1850-anis-accompanies-the-bab-in-facing-the-firing-squad",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4HXmtabwwrDMnJtfZG634eIH-FwOqdzEVtMGf50mLX1nha3hDoe68Hf55JlZSyKqbIETlteGlV1oiouR1LO9ry5WoSgRMA0ycckqjeLzcDgG_woZpwTEFm2spjwEytacfwOdqbjRmy2c/s320/Tabriz-19th+Century.JPG\") | \n| Tabriz, 19th Century | \n | \n[The day before His martyrdom]: Deprived of His turban and\nsash, the twin emblems of His noble lineage, the Báb, together with Siyyid Ḥusayn,\nHis amanuensis, was driven to yet another confinement which He well knew was\nbut a step further on the way leading Him to the goal He had set Himself to\nattain. That day witnessed a tremendous commotion in the city of Tabríz. The\ngreat convulsion associated in the ideas of its inhabitants with the Day of\nJudgment seemed at last to have come upon them. Never had that city experienced\na turmoil so fierce and so mysterious as the one which seized its inhabitants\non the day the Báb was led to that place which was to be the scene of His\nmartyrdom.
\n\n
\n \n\nAs He approached the courtyard of the barracks, a youth [Mírzá\nMuhammad-‘Alíy-i-Zunúzí, surnamed Anís, meaning “companion”] suddenly leaped\nforward who, in his eagerness to overtake Him, had forced his way through the\ncrowd, utterly ignoring the risks and perils which such an attempt might\ninvolve. His face was haggard, his feet were bare, and his hair dishevelled.\nBreathless with excitement and exhausted with fatigue, he flung himself at the\nfeet of the Báb and, seizing the hem of His garment, passionately implored Him:\n“Send me not from Thee, O Master. Wherever Thou goest, suffer me to follow\nThee.” \n\n
\n\n“Muhammad-‘Alí,” answered the Báb, “arise, and rest assured\nthat you will be with Me. To-morrow you\nshall witness what God has decreed.” \n\n\nTwo other companions, unable to contain themselves, rushed\nforward and assured Him of their unalterable loyalty. These, together with\nMírzá Muhammad-‘Alíy-i-Zunúzí, were seized and placed in the same cell in which\nthe Báb and Siyyid Ḥusayn [His amanuensis] were confined. \n\n
\n\n[Siyyid Ḥusayn, the Báb’s amanuensis, recalled later to Nabil]: \n\n
\n\n“That night the face of the Báb was aglow with joy, a joy\nsuch as had never shone from His countenance. Indifferent to the storm that\nraged about Him, He conversed with us with gaiety and cheerfulness. The sorrows\nthat had weighed so heavily upon Him seemed to have completely vanished. Their\nweight appeared to have dissolved in the consciousness of approaching victory. \n\n
\n\n‘To-morrow,’ He said to us, ‘will be the day of My\nmartyrdom. Would that one of you might now arise and, with his own hands, end\nMy life. I prefer to be slain by the hand of a friend rather than by that of\nthe enemy.’ \n\n
\n\nTears rained from our eyes as we heard Him express that\nwish. We shrank, however, at the thought of taking away with our own hands so\nprecious a life. We refused, and remained silent. \n\n
\n\nMírzá Muḥammad-‘Alí [Anís] suddenly sprang to his feet and\nannounced himself ready to obey whatever the Báb might desire. \n\n
\n\nThis same youth who has risen to comply with My wish,’ the\nBáb declared, as soon as we had intervened and forced him to abandon that\nthought, ‘will, together with Me, suffer martyrdom. Him will I choose to share\nwith Me its crown.’” \n\n(Adapted from ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, by Nabil; translated\nand edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/06/tabriz-july-1850-how-anis-became.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/06/tabriz-july-1850-how-anis-became.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Táhirih proclaims “the Day of Resurrection” – ‘Abdu’l-Baha describes the circumstances",
"slug": "bsbs-tahirih-proclaims-the-day-of-resurrection-abdu-l-baha-describes-the-circums",
"summary": "![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zc5axPRQTl6APLd71qQjUqLRU8bIj-yvPH7FPDeZOMe9-_9x02Ul_3ryDeQBbuCGWqXxGoXERJDf-kuIXWhGBAKi8vjclYUbaJOg4YhHDG1f-wXj3mfJqPwb6p6UWiSYrzP0iv-QBLs/s1600/Paintings-12-1.jpg\") In Badasht there was a field with a stream running through\nit and gardens to either side. Quddús remained concealed in one of the gardens,\nand Táhirih resided in the other. A tent had been pitched for Bahá’u’lláh on\nthat field, and the other believers were also housed in tents erected on the\nsame field. In the evenings Bahá’u’lláh, Quddús, and Táhirih would meet.\nBahá’u’lláh made a solemn agreement with them that the truth of the Cause would\nbe proclaimed at Badasht, but no specific day was designated.
\n\n
\n\nThen, by chance, Bahá’u’lláh fell ill. As soon as he was\ninformed, Quddús emerged from his concealment and entered Bahá’u’lláh’s tent.\nTáhirih sent a message saying: “Either bring Bahá’u’lláh to the garden where I\nreside or I will come myself.” Quddús said: “Bahá’u’lláh is unwell and cannot\ncome”, which was a signal. Táhirih, seizing upon the opportunity, arose and,\nunveiled, came forth from the garden. She proceeded towards the tent of\nBahá’u’lláh crying out and proclaiming: “I am the Trumpet-blast; I am the\nBugle-call!”—which are two of the signs of the Day of Resurrection mentioned in\nthe Qur’án. Calling out in this fashion, she entered the tent of Bahá’u’lláh.\nNo sooner had she entered than Bahá’u’lláh instructed the believers to recite\nthe Súrih of the Event from the Qur’án, a Súrih that describes the upheaval of\nthe Day of Resurrection.
\n
\n\n \nIn such wise was the Day of Resurrection proclaimed. The\nbelievers were seized with such fear and terror that some fled, others remained\nbewildered and dumbfounded, and still others wept and lamented. Some were so\ndismayed that they fell ill, and Hájí Mullá Ismá‘íl was so overcome with fear\nand terror that he cut his own throat. But after a few days, peace and\ncomposure were regained and the confusion and anxiety were dispelled. Most of\nthose who had fled became steadfast again, and the episode of Badasht drew to a\nclose.
\n\n- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk, new resources prepared by the Baha’i World\nCenter; Online ‘Baha’i Reference Library’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/12/tahirih-proclaims-day-of-resurrection.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/12/tahirih-proclaims-day-of-resurrection.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Táhirih’s arrest in Qazvin and subsequent release through the intervention of Baha’u’llah",
"slug": "bsbs-tahirih-s-arrest-in-qazvin-and-subsequent-release-through-the-intervention-",
"summary": "Táhirih was a woman of rare accomplishment. Most Persian women were not educated, but Táhirih's father had recognized early on that his young daughter was gifted with an especially keen mind. He loved her dearly and educated her the same…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Ṭáhirih"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"women",
"children",
"family",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice",
"love",
"prayer",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 8,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/02/tahirihs-arrest-in-qazvin-and.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdpAfrURGU2RcrwKbiDLDDCfkCmiTI3Y0e4czXXF8MyiN-zoSEKt72uAumael02JolYMDAlfD3eTExEBuC-l8mVMFKELQu7Bh4vm20wLRbslGwP1mkhLqbPLBB3j_Chyphenhypheng8Pjrn1-o_fE/s1600/Paintings-3-1.jpg\") Táhirih was a woman of rare accomplishment. Most Persian\nwomen were not educated, but Táhirih's father had recognized early on that his\nyoung daughter was gifted with an especially keen mind. He loved her dearly and\neducated her the same way he educated his sons. Táhirih had grown into a woman\nas famous for her intelligence as for her beauty -- more than equal to any man\nin her knowledge of religion and in her ability to present strong, clear arguments.\nShe possessed other talents as well. In a land where people had, for centuries,\nturned to their poets as often as their prophets for inspiration, Tahirih was\nknown for the exquisite poetry she wrote. Her father, highly regarded among\nPersia's religious leaders, had taught his daughter well.
\n\n
\n\nStill, she was a woman in a Muslim society. When men\ngathered in her father's house for religious discussion, Táhirih had to speak\nfrom behind a curtain, for women were not permitted to be in the company of men\nwho were not members of their immediate family. She could never expect to be a\nspiritual leader, no matter how great her knowledge and skill. Some mullas even\nargued that women did not possess souls and ranked little higher than animals.\nHow could they possibly understand religion? \n\n
\n\n\"Would that she had been a boy,\" said her father,\n\"for he would have shed illumination upon my household, and would have\nsucceeded me.\" \n\n
\n\nTáhirih's marriage had been arranged according to the\ncustoms of the day, and she became mother to a daughter and two sons. \n\n
\n\nOne day in the library of her cousin's house, she had\nhappened upon the writings of Shaykh Ahmad, which captured her interest and led\nher into correspondence with Siyyid Kazim. Determined to study with him,\nTáhirih had traveled to Karbala, but ten days before her arrival Siyyid Kazim\ndied. \n\n \n
\n\nTáhirih had stayed among his followers in that city,\nspending her time in prayer and meditation, until one night she was visited\nwith a remarkable dream. In this dream a young man wearing a black robe and a\ngreen turban appeared to her in the heavens and, with upraised hands, recited\ncertain verses -- the same verses that she later read in a copy of the Báb's\ncommentary on the Surih of Joseph. \n\n
\n\nWhen the fearless Táhirih declared her belief in the Báb,\nshe had indeed become a spiritual leader. Her passionate and persuasive\narguments convinced multitudes in city after city of the truth of the Báb and\nHis Cause. Princes, mullas, and government officials were won over by her\nknowledge, her eloquence, and the indomitable force of her character. Táhirih\ntaught many women as well, among them the respected widow of Siyyid Kazim. \n\n
\n\nOn her return to Qazvin, Táhirih had caused a furor. She had\nrefused to return to the home of her husband, Mulla Muhammad, who thought of\nhimself, along with his father and uncle, as the best of the mujtahids [doctors\nof religion] of Persia. Táhirih sent her reply with his messenger: \n\n
\n\n\"Say to my presumptuous and arrogant kinsman, 'If your\ndesire had really been to be a faithful mate and companion to me, you would\nhave hastened to meet me in Karbila and would on foot have guided my howdah all\nthe way to Qazvin. I would, while journeying with you, have aroused you from\nyour sleep of heedlessness and would have shown you the way of truth. But this\nwas not to be. Three years have elapsed since our separation. Neither in this\nworld nor in the next can I ever be associated with you. I have cast you out of\nmy life forever.'\" \n\n
\n\nFor a Muslim husband to be addressed with such words by his\nwife was unheard of and enraged both Mulla Muhammad and his father, Mulla Taqi.\nThey subsequently branded Táhirih a heretic and bent all their efforts to sully\nher reputation. \n\n
\n\nIt was Mulla Taqi who was later murdered in the mosque --\nstruck down by a man enraged at his cruel condemnation of a man who had done\nnothing more than praise Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kazim. \n\n
\n\nYet even after the murderer had confessed, the family and\nfriends of Mulla Taqi were determined to make the bold and independent Táhirih\nsuffer for the crime. \n\n
\n\n\"No one else but you is guilty of the murder of our\nfather,\" they said. \"You issued the order for his\nassassination.\" \n\n
\n\nHer accusers questioned her for hours about the crime, but\nto every question Táhirih replied with calm dignity, \"This deed has been\nperpetrated without our knowledge.\" \n\n
\n\nHer father tried to protect her by keeping her in his own\nhouse, but her accusers were determined to have their way. It was not justice\nthey wanted, but blood. Táhirih's life was in grave danger. \n\n
\n\nWhen Baha’u’llah learned of Táhirih's situation, He at once\nset in motion a plan to rescue her. Swiftly, in the dark of night, He sent a\ntrusted Bábi and his wife to Qazvin, [the town where Táhirih was put in house\narrest] giving them careful instructions. The woman, disguised as a beggar, was\nto deliver a letter directly into Táhirih's hands and wait. When Táhirih was\nready, the two women were to walk together along the back ways of Qazvin until\nthey came to the city gate. There the Bábi man would meet them with three\nhorses, and they would ride the back roads to Tehran. \n\n
\n\n''As soon as the gates [of Tehran] are opened, you must\nenter the city and proceed immediately to My house,\" Baha’u’llah\ninstructed them. \"You should exercise the utmost caution lest her identity\nbe disclosed. The Almighty will assuredly guide your steps and will surround\nyou with His unfailing protection.\" \n\n
\n\nThe Bábi husband and wife did just as Baha’u’llah told them.\nTáhirih's life depended on their obedience to His instructions. \n\n
\n\nMorning brought the angry relatives of the murdered man of\nQazvin to Táhirih's door, but Táhirih was not at home. The surprised and angry\nrelatives searched everywhere in Qazvin, but she was nowhere to be found.\nTáhirih was safely in Tehran. \n\n
\n\nTáhirih rested for a few days in the home of her protector,\nBaha’u’llah. Because of Baha’u’llah’s social position and the great esteem in\nwhich He was held by all, His home was a safe haven in which Bábis could\ngather. \n\n
\n\nOne day the illustrious Vahid -- the shah's messenger who\nhad become a Bábi -- was a visitor in Baha’u’llah’s home. Vahid sat explaining\ncertain spiritual traditions while others listened. Tahirih herself listened\nfrom behind the customary curtain, holding the four-year-old child ‘Abdu'l-Baha\non her lap. \n\n
\n\nVahid was eloquent as always, but Táhirih was tired of talk.\nThis was a brilliant new Day, the Day of the Qa'im! [the Promised One of\nMuslims] Suddenly she could contain herself no longer: \n\n
\n\n\"Cease idly repeating the traditions of the past,\"\nshe said from behind the curtain, \"for the day of service, of steadfast\naction, is come. Now is the time to show forth the true signs of God, to rend\nasunder the veils of idle fancy, to promote the Word of God, and to sacrifice\nourselves in His path. Let deeds, not words, be our adorning!\" \n\n
\n\nBecause of Baha'u'llah's swift action, Táhirih was be able to\njoin her fellow believers at Badasht. Though Baha’u’llah would direct the\ncourse of that historic conference, Táhirih herself would make it a gathering\nthat none would forget. \n\n(Adapted from ‘The Story of Baha’u’llah’, by Druzelle\nCederquist) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/02/tahirihs-arrest-in-qazvin-and.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/02/tahirihs-arrest-in-qazvin-and.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The amazing circumstances through which a noted Bábí merchant in Tabriz was able to visit the Báb seven time when He was under house arrest - and - Mulla Husayn’s earlier prediction",
"slug": "bsbs-the-amazing-circumstances-through-which-a-noted-babi-merchant-in-tabriz-was",
"summary": "On the day after the Báb’s arrival, Hájí Muhammad-Taqíy-i-Milání, a noted merchant of the city, ventured, together with Hájí ‘Alí-‘Askar, to interview the Báb. They were warned by their friends and…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-amazing-circumstances-through-which.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn the day after the Báb’s arrival, Hájí Muhammad-Taqíy-i-Milání, a noted merchant of the city, ventured, together with Hájí ‘Alí-‘Askar, to interview the Báb. They were warned by their friends and well-wishers that by such an attempt they would not only be risking the loss of their possessions but would also be endangering their lives. They refused, however, to heed such counsels. As they approached the door of the house in which the Báb was confined, they were immediately arrested. Siyyid Hasan, who at that moment was coming out from the presence of the Báb, instantly intervened. “I am commanded by the Siyyid-i-Báb,” he vehemently protested, “to convey to you this message: ‘Suffer these visitors to enter, inasmuch as I Myself have invited them to meet Me.’” I have heard Ḥájí ‘Alí-‘Askar testify to the following: “This message immediately silenced the opposers. We were straightway ushered into His presence. He greeted us with these words: ‘These miserable wretches who watch at the gate of My house have been destined by Me as a protection against the inrush of the multitude who throng around the house. They are powerless to prevent those whom I desire to meet from attaining My presence.’ For about two hours, we tarried with Him. As He dismissed us, He entrusted me with two cornelian ringstones, instructing me to have carved on them the two verses which He had previously given to me; to have them mounted and brought to Him as soon as they were ready. He assured us that at whatever time we desired to meet Him, no one would hinder our admittance to His presence. Several times I ventured to go to Him in order to ascertain His wish regarding certain details connected with the commission with which He had entrusted me. Not once did I encounter the slightest opposition on the part of those who were guarding the entrance of His house. Not one offensive word did they utter against me, nor did they seem to expect the slightest remuneration for their indulgence. “I recall how, in the course of my association with Mullá Husayn, I was impressed by the many evidences of his perspicacity and extraordinary power. I was privileged to accompany him on his journey from Shíráz to Mashhad, and visited with him the towns of Yazd, Tabas, Bushrúyih, and Turbat. I deplored in those days the sadness of my failure to meet the Báb in Shíráz. ‘Grieve not,’ Mullá Husayn confidently assured me; ‘the Almighty is no doubt able to compensate you in Tabríz for the loss you have sustained in Shíráz. Not once, but seven times, can He enable you to partake of the joy of His presence, in return for the one visit which you have missed.’ I was amazed at the confidence with which he uttered those words. Not until the time of my visit to the Báb in Tabríz, when, despite adverse circumstances, I was, on several occasions, admitted into His presence, did I recall those words of Mullá Husayn and marvel at his remarkable foresight. How great was my surprise when, on my seventh visit to the Báb, I heard Him speak these words: ‘Praise be to God, who has enabled you to complete the number of your visits and who has extended to you His loving protection.’” - Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-amazing-circumstances-through-which.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-amazing-circumstances-through-which.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The amazing interaction between the Báb and the leader of the escort sent by the governor of Fars to arrest the Báb",
"slug": "bsbs-the-amazing-interaction-between-the-bab-and-the-leader-of-the-escort-sent-b",
"summary": "
The leader of that escort, a member of the Núsayrí\ncommunity, better known as the sect of ‘Alíyu’lláhí, related the following:\n\nHaving completed the third stage of our journey to Búshihr,\nwe encountered, in the midst of the wilderness a youth who wore a green sash\nand a small turban after the manner of the siyyids who are in the trading\nprofession. He was on horseback, and was followed by an Ethiopian servant who was\nin charge of his belongings. As we approached him, he saluted us and enquired\nas to our destination. I thought it best to conceal from him the truth, and\nreplied that in this vicinity we had been commanded by the governor of Fárs to\nconduct a certain enquiry. He smilingly observed: \n\n\"The governor has sent you to arrest Me. Here am I; do with\nMe as you please. By coming out to meet you, I have curtailed the length of\nyour march, and have made it easier for you to find Me.\" \n\nI was startled by his remarks and marvelled at his candour\nand straightforwardness. I could not explain, however, his readiness to subject\nhimself, of his own accord, to the severe discipline of government officials,\nand to risk thereby his own life and safety. I tried to ignore him, and was\npreparing to leave, when he approached me and said: \n\n\"I swear by the righteousness of Him who created man,\ndistinguished him from among the rest of His creatures, and caused his heart to\nbe made the seat of His sovereignty and knowledge, that all My life I have\nuttered no word but the truth, and had no other desire except the welfare and\nadvancement of My fellow-men. I have disdained My own ease and have avoided\nbeing the cause of pain or sorrow to anyone. I know that you are seeking Me. I\nprefer to deliver Myself into your hands, rather than subject you and your\ncompanions to unnecessary annoyance for My sake.\" \n\nThese words moved me profoundly. I instinctively dismounted\nfrom my horse, and, kissing his stirrups, addressed him in these words: \n\n\"O light of the eyes of the Prophet of God! I adjure you, by\nHim who has created you and endowed you with such loftiness and power, to grant\nmy request and to answer my prayer. I beseech you to escape from this place and\nto flee from before the face of Husayn Khán, the ruthless and despicable\ngovernor of this province. I dread his machinations against you; I rebel at the\nidea of being made the instrument of his malignant designs against so innocent\nand noble a descendant of the Prophet of God. My companions are all honourable\nmen. Their word is their bond. They will pledge themselves not to betray your\nflight. I pray you, betake yourself to the city of Mashhad in Khurásán, and\navoid falling a victim to the brutality of this remorseless wolf.\" \n\nTo my earnest entreaty he gave this answer: \n\n\"May the Lord your God requite you for your magnanimity and\nnoble intention. No one knows the mystery of My Cause; no one can fathom its\nsecrets. Never will I turn My face away from the decree of God. He alone is My\nsure Stronghold, My Stay and My Refuge. Until My last hour is at hand, none\ndare assail Me, none can frustrate the plan of the Almighty. And when My hour\nis come, how great will be My joy to quaff the cup of martyrdom in His name!\nHere am I; deliver Me into the hands of your master. Be not afraid, for no one\nwill blame you.\" \n\nI bowed my consent and carried out his desire.” (‘The\nDawn-Breakers’ by Nabil, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi)
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2021/04/the-amazing-interaction-between-bab-and.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2021/04/the-amazing-interaction-between-bab-and.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Báb’s miracle: - the transformation of ‘Alí Khán, the warden of the castle of Máh-Kú",
"slug": "bsbs-the-bab-s-miracle-the-transformation-of-ali-khan-the-warden-of-the-castle-o",
"summary": "
![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwY7b8Htm2Nh3ACiTTWac6cUnyXW6aNRKOSv9XNb2Szvcaq9ha-VA1-FBI1tQizzSSC2gVLi7_UK6A4iZSLyvWalrtwS863UIawAlXaRpq17iCG41fV2LUCR1qHwSjkEqEQEMd9HlJBA_BMvu5sqW9UGg7qWJtvEQW99fJYpQAzwqdjmxtVB7sSxn2RzU/s320/circa%201935-Mah-Ku.jpg\") | circa 1930s: The castle
of Máh-Kú |
He [‘Alí Khán, the warden in charge of the castle of Máh-Kú] discharged his functions with the utmost severity and refused to allow any of the avowed disciples of the Báb to reside, even for one night, in the town of Máh-Kú. “For the first two weeks,” Siyyid Husayn [the Báb’s amanuensis] further related, “no one was permitted to visit the Báb. My brother and I alone were admitted to His presence. Siyyid Hasan [his brother] would, every day, accompanied by one of the guards, descend to the town and purchase our daily necessities. Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunúzí, who had arrived at Máh-Kú, spent the nights in a masjid outside the gate of the town. He acted as an intermediary between those of the followers of the Báb who occasionally visited Máh-Kú and Siyyid Hasan, my brother, who would in turn submit the petitions of the believers to their Master and would acquaint Shaykh Hasan with His reply. “One day the Báb charged my brother to inform Shaykh Hasan that He would Himself request ‘Alí Khán to alter his attitude towards the believers who visited Máh-Kú and to abandon his severity. ‘Tell him,’ He added, ‘I will to-morrow instruct the warden to conduct him to this place.’ ’I was greatly surprised at such a message. How could the domineering and self-willed ‘Alí Khán, I thought to myself, be induced to relax the severity of his discipline? “Early the next day, the gate of the castle being still closed, we were surprised by a sudden knock at the door, knowing full well that orders had been given that no one was to be admitted before the hour of sunrise. We recognised the voice of ‘Alí Khán, who seemed to be expostulating with the guards, one of whom presently came in and informed me that the warden of the castle insisted on being allowed admittance into the presence of the Báb. I conveyed his message and was commanded to usher him at once into His presence. “As I was stepping out of the door of His antechamber, I found ‘Alí Khán standing at the threshold in an attitude of complete submission, his face betraying an expression of unusual humility and wonder. His self-assertiveness and pride seemed to have entirely vanished. Humbly and with extreme courtesy, he returned my salute and begged me to allow him to enter the presence of the Báb. I conducted him to the room which my Master occupied. His limbs trembled as he followed me. An inner agitation which he could not conceal brooded over his face. “The Báb arose from His seat and welcomed him. Bowing reverently, ‘Alí Khán approached and flung himself at His feet. ‘Deliver me,’ he pleaded, ‘from my perplexity. I adjure You, by the Prophet of God, Your illustrious Ancestor, to dissipate my doubts, for their weight has well-nigh crushed my heart. I was riding through the wilderness and was approaching the gate of the town, when, it being the hour of dawn, my eyes suddenly beheld You standing by the side of the river engaged in offering Your prayer. With outstretched arms and upraised eyes, You were invoking the name of God. I stood still and watched You. I was waiting for You to terminate Your devotions that I might approach and rebuke You for having ventured to leave the castle without my leave. In Your communion with God, You seemed so wrapt in worship that You were utterly forgetful of Yourself. I quietly approached You; in Your state of rapture, You remained wholly unaware of my presence. I was suddenly seized with great fear and recoiled at the thought of awakening You from Your ecstasy. I decided to leave You, to proceed to the guards and to reprove them for their negligent conduct. I soon found out, to my amazement, that both the outer and inner gates were closed. They were opened at my request, I was ushered into Your presence, and now find You, to my wonder, seated before me. I am utterly confounded. I know not whether my reason has deserted me.’ “The Báb answered and said: ‘What you have witnessed is true and undeniable. You belittled this Revelation and have contemptuously disdained its Author. God, the All-Merciful, desiring not to afflict you with His punishment, has willed to reveal to your eyes the Truth. By His Divine interposition, He has instilled into your heart the love of His chosen One, and caused you to recognise the unconquerable power of His Faith.’” - Siyyid Husayn the Báb’s amanuensis (Quoted by Nabil in ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) This marvellous experience completely changed the heart of ‘Alí Khán. Those words had calmed his agitation and subdued the fierceness of his animosity. By every means in his power, he determined to atone for his past behaviour. ‘A poor man, a shaykh, he hastily informed the Báb, “is yearning to attain Your presence. He lives in a masjid outside the gate of Máh-Kú. I pray You that I myself be allowed to bring him to this place that he may meet You. By this act I hope that my evil deeds may be forgiven, that I may be enabled to wash away the stains of my cruel behaviour toward Your friends.” His request was granted, whereupon he went straightway to Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunúzí and conducted him into the presence of his Master. - Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers; translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi ) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-babs-miracle-transformation-of-ali.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-babs-miracle-transformation-of-ali.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Blast of the Trumpet – the amazing way in which a woman announced the birth of a new cycle for humanity",
"slug": "bsbs-the-blast-of-the-trumpet-the-amazing-way-in-which-a-woman-announced-the-bir",
"summary": " \n\n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxy0WA_fYPvfpD1H8rbC-i5gNu5WlaK8qFQx9FQroAFQYN5-GlW55qjyB7YR-PidNR54_46ehzseTlW5G8lC8-xiMOTgJZU6ol4gDhjwv0QFXhUj2ZdfnJXUvLJ-lzcClrCM9YJCkSAVI/s200/village+of+Badasht.jpg\") It was the end of June, 1848. Outside the village of\nBadasht, located about 400 Km northeast of Tehran, Persia, on the other side of the\nElburz Mountains in the Province of Semnan, there was a great open field that\ncontained some gardens and a stream that flew through its center.
\n\n
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuqLLpV99SX7VlOrO4fnNkkmmykUNhjwf2lgXe68WLmSttg_gnwCqSkYq-JK-q6Avx5GjbqLCnNPTib2pR2uE9zhfaTa4_Y3qjFctenf4tkFGbiT9uROvYRHQHog306LhX0NAr4-htS80/s200/Iran-village+of+Badasht.png\") Warm breezes rustled the leaves of trees whose fruits would\nslowly ripen into peaches and pomegranates, cherries and apples-plump, juicy,\nand sweet. Amidst these pleasant surroundings Baha’u’llah had rented three gardens.\nOne was assigned to Quddus, but according to ‘Abdu’l-Baha that “was kept a\nsecret.” Another was set apart for Tahirih, and in a third was raised the\npavilion of Bahá'u'lláh. In each of the\nthree gardens was a tent spread with soft carpets large enough for guests to\ngather.\n
\n\nThere, near the gentle ripple and splash of a stream, with\nthe mountains tall and purple in the distance, tents were pitched for the\neighty-one Bábis who attended what would become later known as the Conference\nof Badasht. These disciples who had gathered from various\nprovinces were Baha’u’llah’s guests from the day of their arrival to the day\nthey dispersed. Tahirih was the only woman present among them. Mulla Husayn was\nunavoidably absent, since he had been detained by authorities in Mashhad. \n\n \n
\nThe conference at Badasht lasted twenty-two days. Its\npurpose was to make clear the Báb's true mission and to make a decisive break\nwith past traditions. With the Báb in a remote prison, few of His followers had\nbeen able to talk to Him or to have access to His holy book, the Bayán. Many still\nthought of the Báb as a reformer of Islam, unaware that His Cause was much\ngreater. From its first day the conference at Badasht began to open the eyes of the Bábis.
\n\n
\n\nThe Guardian explains: “On each of the twenty-two days of\nHis [Baha’u’llah’s] sojourn in that hamlet He revealed a Tablet, which was\nchanted in the presence of the assembled believers. On every believer He\nconferred a new name, without, however, disclosing the identity of the one who\nhad bestowed it. He Himself was henceforth designated by the name Bahá. Upon\nthe Last Letter of the Living was conferred the appellation of Quddus, while\nQurratu'l-'Ayn was given the title of Tahirih. By these names they were all\nsubsequently addressed by the Báb in the Tablets He revealed for each one of them.”\n(Shoghi Effendi, 'God Passes By') \n\n
\n\n‘Abdu’l-Baha explains that Bahá'u'lláh, Quddus and Tahirih\nwould come together in the evenings. “In those days the fact that the Báb was\nthe Qá'im had not yet been proclaimed; it was the Blessed Beauty, with Quddus,\nWho arranged for the proclamation of a universal Advent and the abrogation and\nrepudiation of the ancient laws.” (Abdu'l-Baha, 'Memorials of the Faithful') \n\n
\n\n“Then one day, and there was a wisdom in it, Bahá'u'lláh\nfell ill; that is, the indisposition was to serve a vital purpose. All of a\nsudden, in the sight of all, Quddus came out of his garden, and entered the\npavilion of Bahá'u'lláh. But Tahirih sent him a message, to say that their Host\nbeing ill, Quddus should visit her garden instead. His answer was: \"This\ngarden is preferable. Come, then, to this one.\" Tahirih, with her face\nunveiled, stepped from her garden, advancing to the pavilion of Bahá'u'lláh;\nand as she came, she shouted aloud these words: \"The Trumpet is sounding!\nThe great Trump is blown! The universal Advent is now proclaimed!\"[1] The\nbelievers gathered in that tent were panic struck, and each one asked himself,\n\"How can the Law be abrogated? How is it that this woman stands here\nwithout her veil?\" (Abdu'l-Baha, 'Memorials of the Faithful') They gasped in\nhorror at what they saw! \n\n
\n\nTahirih stood before them with her face unveiled – an unthinkable\nact for any decent Muslim woman of the time. Though she was modestly dressed,\nit was as if she stood unclothed before them. \n\n
\n\nThe Bábi men, who normally refrained even from looking upon\nher shadow, were aghast. Some quickly covered their eyes with their hands or hid\nthem in the folds of their clothing to avoid looking upon her face. Others ran\nout of the tent altogether. One Bábi was so distressed that he cut his own\nthroat with a knife. \n\n
\n\nTahirih remained calm. The removal of her veil expressed her\ninsight into the true spirit of Badasht more powerfully than a thousand well-chosen\nwords. The time had come to cast aside old ideas and outworn ways, to open wide\none's arms and receive the bounties of a new revelation. \n\n
\n\nOne bounty to come, of which Tahirih was confident, would be\nthe unveiling of the true and equal worth of women. \"I am the blast of the\ntrumpet, I am the call of the bugle,\" Tahirih proclaimed. \"This day\nis the day of festivity and universal rejoicing, the day on which the fetters\nof the past are burst asunder. Let those who have shared in this great\nachievement arise and embrace each other,\" she said to the assembled Bábis. [2] \n\n
\n\nBut the emotional disturbance caused by her bold act was\nlike the unsettling tremor of an earthquake. Some Babis were shaken to the very\ncore, their perceptions so shattered that they left the gathering at Badasht and\nno longer chose to call themselves Bábis. \n\n
\n\nBaha’u’llah soothed the other agitated Bábis and restored\ncalm to their assembly by calling for a chapter from the Koran to be read\naloud. \"Read the Surih of the Inevitable,\"[3] said Bahá'u'lláh; and\nthe reader began: ‘When the Day that must come shall have come suddenly... Day\nthat shall abase! Day that shall exalt!...’ and thus was the new Dispensation\nannounced and the great Resurrection made manifest. \n\n
\n\n“At the start, those who were present fled away, and some\nforsook their Faith, while some fell a prey to suspicion and doubt, and a\nnumber, after wavering, returned to the presence of Bahá'u'lláh. The Conference\nof Badasht broke up, but the universal Advent had been proclaimed.” (Abdu'l-Baha,\nMemorials of the Faithful) \n\n
\n\nThe words seemed to describe how many of the believers felt\nthat very day at Badasht, but their deeper meaning predicted an upheaval for all\nhumankind - the beginning of a great new cycle in the world. That this passage\nfrom the Koran was chosen to be read that day, under the guiding hand of\nBaha’u’llah, was not accidental. The great new cycle had begun, and it could not\nbe turned back. \n\n
\n\nWhen the followers of the Báb left the gardens of Badasht at\nthe end of the twenty-two days, their new spirit matched their new names. They felt\nenlightened and energized, strong and eager to teach the Cause of the Báb. Most\ndid not know, however, that their new names had been given to them by Baha’u’llah,\nnor did they know that each new tablet at the conference had been revealed by\nBaha’u’llah, though some guessed that it might be so. The Báb alone knew, for\nbetween Him and Baha’u’llah had flowed a constant stream of letters. \n\n
\n\nTogether the Báb and Baha’u’llah had guided the Babis a step\ncloser toward their destiny. The tremendous change in store for humankind would\nrequire not only new laws and customs, but a new mind and spirit - a transformation\nthat would not take place easily. At Badasht the Babis had seen the first\nglimmer of what it would mean for them to be the dawn-breakers for a new Day. \n\n
\n\n(Adapted from ‘Memorials of the Faithful’, by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘God Passes By’, by\nShoghi Effendi, and ‘The Story of Baha’u’llah’, by Druzelle Cederquist) \n\n
\n\n It’s remarkable that while these events were taking place in\nPersia in 1848, many significant events were also taking place in Europe and\nAmerica. For a brief summary please visit: Discovering\nSomething New\nNotes \n\n[1] Cf. Qur'án 74:8 and 6:73. Also Isaiah 27:13 and\nZechariah 9:14. \n\n[2] See Nabil, ‘Dawn-Breakers’, pp.295-96, 297 n2 \n\n[3] Qur'án 56:4-6: The passage referred to the Day of\nJudgment, \"when the earth shall be shaken with a shock, And the mountains\nshall be crumbled with a crumbling, And shall become scattered dust.” \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-blast-of-trumpet-amazing-way-in.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-blast-of-trumpet-amazing-way-in.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The dream of Mírzá ‘Abdu’l-Vahháb-i-Shírází – a youth chained besides Bahá’u’lláh in the Síyáh-Chál",
"slug": "bsbs-the-dream-of-mirza-abdu-l-vahhab-i-shirazi-a-youth-chained-besides-baha-u-l",
"summary": "We were awakened one night, ere break of day, by Mírzá ‘Abdu’l-Vahháb-i-Shírází, who was bound with Us to the same chains. He had left Kazímayn and followed Us to We were awakened one night, ere break of day, by Mírzá\n‘Abdu’l-Vahháb-i-Shírází, who was bound with Us to the same chains. He had left\nKazímayn and followed Us to Ṭihrán,\nwhere he was arrested and thrown into prison. He asked Us whether We were\nawake, and proceeded to relate to Us his dream. ‘I have this night,’ he said,\n‘been soaring into a space of infinite vastness and beauty. I seemed to be\nuplifted on wings that carried me wherever I desired to go. A feeling of\nrapturous delight filled my soul. I flew in the midst of that immensity with a\nswiftness and ease that I cannot describe.’ ‘To-day,’ We replied, ‘it will be\nyour turn to sacrifice yourself for this Cause. May you remain firm and\nsteadfast to the end. You will then find yourself soaring in that same\nlimitless space of which you dreamed, traversing with the same ease and\nswiftness the realm of immortal sovereignty, and gazing with that same rapture\nupon the Infinite Horizon.’ \n\nThat morning saw the gaoler again enter Our cell and call\nout the name of ‘Abdu’l-Vahháb. Throwing off his chains, he sprang to his feet,\nembraced each of his fellow-prisoners, and, taking Us into his arms, pressed Us\nlovingly to his heart. That moment We discovered that he had no shoes to wear\nWe gave him Our own, and, speaking a last word of encouragement and cheer, sent\nhim forth to the scene of his martyrdom. Later on, his executioner came to Us,\npraising in glowing language the spirit which that youth had shown. How\nthankful We were to God for this testimony which the executioner himself had\ngiven! - Baha’u’llah (Quoted by Nabil in ‘The Dawn-Breakers; translated and\nedited by Shoghi Effendi)
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-dream-of-mirza-abdul-vahhab-i.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-dream-of-mirza-abdul-vahhab-i.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The effects of a prayer by the Báb revealed for Hájí Mírzá Jání while He stayed at his house in Káshán",
"slug": "bsbs-the-effects-of-a-prayer-by-the-bab-revealed-for-haji-mirza-jani-while-he-st",
"summary": "In the concluding passages of the Tablet which He [the Báb] was addressing to Hájí Mírzá Jání, He prayed in his behalf, supplicated the Almighty to illumine his heart with the light of Divine…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"prayer",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-effects-of-prayer-by-bab-revealed.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the concluding passages of the Tablet which He [the Báb]\nwas addressing to Hájí Mírzá Jání, He prayed in his behalf, supplicated the\nAlmighty to illumine his heart with the light of Divine knowledge, and to\nunloose his tongue for the service and proclamation of His Cause. Unschooled\nand unlettered though he was, Hájí Mírzá Jání was able, by virtue of this\nprayer, to impress with his speech even the most accomplished divine of Káshán.\nHe became endowed with such power that he was able to silence every idle\npretender who dared to challenge the precepts of his Faith. Even the haughty\nand imperious Mullá Ja’far-i-Naráqí was unable, despite his consummate\neloquence, to resist the force of his argument, and was compelled to\nacknowledge outwardly the merits of the Cause of his adversary, though at heart\nhe refused to believe in its truth. - Nabil (‘The Dawn-Breakers', translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-effects-of-prayer-by-bab-revealed.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-effects-of-prayer-by-bab-revealed.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Egyptian Baha’i merchant who wanted to see Baha’u’llah",
"slug": "bsbs-the-egyptian-baha-i-merchant-who-wanted-to-see-baha-u-llah",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_DLr7WRQQKuQCpPXKBF0nM7a67Vhm2TMcaYhY9TbZXiAHjnAJJpeiwbgQEbhnD2ONesvKj7q27jax9_QBWHI1zTjoVYkssD3SMouELE81bbtMvV3TdVNwoaox0d7P4QB8O43Y96-6Rc/s1600/Paintings-67-1.jpg\") Abdu’l-Karim was an Egyptian merchant of considerable\nwealth, who had heard the story of the new Revelation, and accepted it with the\nardor of his eager temperament. After some time he felt that he could not be\ncontent without seeing the Messenger of God whose presence in the world had\nstirred his heart. So he wrote a letter to Acca, where Baha’u’llah, the new\nManifestation of God, was and begged permission to visit Him. \n\n
\n\nBaha’u’llah’s answer greatly surprised him. He was told that\nhe could come to Acca, but first he must put himself in a position where he\nowed no man anything. \n\n
\n\nAbdu’l-Karim had carried on his business for many years in\nthe customary Oriental fashion, sending his caravans across the desert laden\nwith a precious freight of riches. He had established lines of credit\neverywhere, and probably never dreamed of doing business on a cash basis. His\ncommerce was constantly expanding and perhaps he was not too scrupulous in his\ndealings. We may be certain it had not occurred to him that his interest in the\nnew Day of God would require him to revise his approach to doing business with\nhis fellow man. A successful merchant is apt to fall into the habit of\nconsidering his own advantage first. Naturally Abdu’l-Karim was absorbed in the\nconduct of his rapidly broadening trade connections, for he was a man of fifty\nyears when this momentous influence came into his life. \n\n \n
\n\nAbdu’l-Karim accepted without hesitation the required\nstipulation. Before all else he wanted to see the Manifestation of God, and\neverything became of secondary importance in comparison with this event. \n\n
\n\nHe began, therefore, to arrange his affairs with this point\nin view. Previously he had thought only of expansion, of increase. Now his one\ndesire was to reach the condition where he would owe no man anything. So he\nbegan to pay off his debts. As money came in, instead of investing it again, he\npaid a debt with it, until at length, after five years, he had attained his\ngoal, and he did not owe a penny to anyone! \n\n \n But in this careful accounting of outlay and income his\nbusiness had dwindled away to nothing. His longing to see the Blessed\nPerfection had completely absorbed him, so that the love of wealth had died out\nof his heart, and at the moment of realization he had just enough money left to\npay a deck passage on the steamer to Haifa, and leave in his wife's hands a sum\nsufficient to provide for the family expenses during his absence. But he did\nnot hesitate. The wealthy merchant had never before traveled except as a\nfirst-class passenger. As he stepped\nacross the gang plank to board the ship, a shawl draped across his arm which\nwas his only protection from the weather, dropped into the water, and at that\nseason the nights were chill! Nevertheless, he went on with a light heart. Was\nhe not near the consummation of all his hopes? His soul was alive with prayer,\nand he did not know the wind was chill!\n
\n\nMeanwhile Baha’u’llah informed His family that they were\nabout to receive a most honored guest, greater than any that had yet crossed\nHis threshold. He sent an emissary with a carriage to the dock at Haifa, which\nis the seaport of Acca, with strict orders to bring this noble guest to Him\nwithout delay. But characteristically He told the attendant nothing as to the\nreal character of the man he was to meet. \n\n
\n\nThe attendant watched carefully the disembarkation of\npassengers at the landing of the steamer. He was looking eagerly for an\nambassador with a noble retinue, for a prince with many orders upon his breast,\nfor a personage resplendent in broadcloth and jewels. But no such individual\nstepped upon the quay. In fact, the passengers seemed an especially polyglot\nassemblage, and the emissary paid no attention to the shabby looking\nmiddle-aged man, who glanced about in disappointment, as if expecting someone,\nand then seated himself quietly upon a bench. \n\n
\n\nAbdu’l-Karim had been assured that someone from the household\nof the Manifestation would come in search of him, though he had not written\nwarning of his expected arrival. He had no money to pay the necessary carriage\nhire to Acca. His faith had carried him so far, but now it suddenly failed him,\nand he sat forlornly upon the bench, while clouds of black despair settled over\nhim. \n\n
\n\nThe emissary returned alone to Acca, and reported that the\nguest had not appeared. He thought it strange, for he knew that Baha’u’llah’s\nvision was never mistaken, and he was familiar with all that transpired about\nHim. The Blessed Perfection looked keenly at His emissary as the message was\ndelivered, and replied: \n\n
\n\n\"Ah, your eyes were not far seeing enough to recognize\nmy princely guest. I will send the Master (‘Abdu’l-Bahá) to find him. He has\nclearer vision.\" \n\n
\n\nSo ‘Abdu’l-Bahá made his way to the dock, and though the\nquick twilight of the Orient had fallen before he reached the spot, he knew\nimmediately the disappointed figure huddled upon the bench. This was the royal\nguest his Father expected! \n\n
\n\nHe quickly introduced himself, explaining that the individual\nsent to meet the stranger, had failed to find him. Then he added: \n\n
\n\n\"Do you wish to go on to Acca tonight, or will you wait\nuntil morning?\" \n\n
\n\nIt was customary for pilgrims to spend some hours in prayer\nand purification before entering the presence of Baha’u’llah, and Abdu’l-Karim\nhad faithfully accomplished his duty in this regard. But sitting alone and\nneglected during the long afternoon, bitter thoughts had invaded his\nconsciousness. He looked back regretfully to the fortune he had lost in\npreparation for what? For this day of waiting alone and penniless for a\npossible interview with a fictitious prophet! So events had painted themselves\nin his anguished soul, but in the presence of the gentle messenger who had\nsought him at last, suspicion vanished, and he longed for hours of prayer to\nwash the stain of doubt from his tormented inward self. \n\n
\n\nAbdu’l-Bahá knew instinctively that his new friend would not\nwish to seek a hotel at his expense, so finding that he preferred to wait until\nmorning for the journey to Acca, he unbuttoned the long cloak that enveloped\nhim, seated himself beside the pilgrim, and wrapped both in its ample folds. So\nthey passed the night praying together, lost in that ecstasy of prayer that\nbrings realization. \n\n
\n\nThen in the morning they turned toward Acca, and\nAbdu’l-Karim going to the Blessed Perfection with a radiant heart found full\nreward in His lovely presence for the five lonely years of seeking that had\nprefaced his pilgrimage. \n\n
\n\nWe may be certain also that his inward wealth became so\ngreat he quite forgot the flatness of his pocketbook! \n\n(Adapted from ‘The Oriental Rose’, by Mary Hanford Ford) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-egyptian-bahai-merchant-who-wanted.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-egyptian-bahai-merchant-who-wanted.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The first Baha’i in England goes on pilgrimage",
"slug": "bsbs-the-first-baha-i-in-england-goes-on-pilgrimage",
"summary": " In 1902 the late \nIn 1902 the late Mrs. Thornburgh-Cropper\nin company with a group of friends made the pilgrimage to Haifa. It was during a casual conversation with\nan acquaintance at a hotel that she first heard of 'Abdu'l-Baha. Some weeks\nlater after making independent inquiries and carefully considering the real\npurport of the account of this remarkable Personage, she decided to take the\njourney with the intimate friends who had been fired by her enthusiasm. \n\n
\n\nThey first went to Alexandria where they managed to secure\naccommodation on a steamer which would call at 'Akka, the ancient seaport of\nSyria. This was a notoriously rough sea passage at the best of times but on the\nday of their disembarkation it was necessary for the ship to lower boats as she\ncould not make the port. \n\n
\n\nOne can imagine the daring adventure for these ladies\naccoutred in the voluminous apparel of that day when they had to make the\ntricky descent into a rowing boat which had been brought alongside the ship on\nthe crest of an accommodating wave! Except for a soaking wet trip to the pier\nthe party were none the worse for their experiences. \n\n \n
\nThey stayed the night at 'Akka and the next day drove about\na dozen miles to Haifa in a lumbering landau drawn by high-spirited Arabian\nhorses.
\n\n
\n\nAt this period of his life 'Abdu'l-Baha was virtually a\nprisoner in His large greyish stone house in Haifa. Although there was no\nvisible guard enforcing this incarceration it was believed that He was on parole\nnot to leave the premises without permission from Turkish officials. \n\n
\n\nSeveral members of His family lived with him and when the\ntravellers arrived they were graciously received by the ladies or the household\nwho showed them into a spacious room furnished only with a few small tables and\nupholstered seats against the walls. Armchairs were specially brought for\nthe Western visitors. Then coffee and a variety of sweet meats were\nserved. \n\n
\n\nThey had not long to wait before a turbaned figure clad in\nflowing white robes appeared in the doorway. It was the Master. \n\n
\n\nIt would be\ndifficult to describe the effect created by the Master's presence. As He sat there\nthe light from an opposite narrow window focused upon His countenance revealing\nthe finely modelled manly features and the large arresting grey blue eyes. In those eyes were mysterious depths;\na glow of luminous inner power holding the secrets of a great soul. \n\n
\n\nWith the assistance of one of His daughters who spoke\nFrench, 'Abdu'l-Baha first welcomed His guests and then began a\ncourse upon the teachings of Baha’u’llah. \n\n
\n\nThis interview lasted about an hour. \n\n
\n\nWhen the time came for leave-taking, the\nMaster rose and made His way across the room with the light, noiseless step more\nlike that of a supernatural being than of a man. They watched\nHim as He lingered awhile in the courtyard among His flowers in the brilliant sunshine - and\nthe finally passed on to His private quarters for rest and meditation. \n\n
\n\nThe friends returned the next day at ‘Abdu'l-Baha's\ninvitation and had the privilege of sitting at His table. A simple repast was\nserved, consisting of beautifully cooked rice and diced meat, besides\nnumerous little dishes of condiments and followed by sweet meats and fresh\nfruit. \n\n
\n\nDuring most of the meal the Master gave His audience further\nand more detailed accounts of the Baha'i Cause. \n\n
\n\nBefore the visitors left, 'Abdu'l-Baha bade them spread the\nWord among their people. He also made a certain prophetic pronouncement, the\ngeneral trend of which has in a large measure come to pass in the world's history.\nThe gist of His words is as follows: \n\n
\n\n“There will be a great struggle among the nations for\nmaterial gain; abysmal darkness will envelope the nations for nearly half a century\nbefore the Light comes to show them the true way to spiritual\ndevelopment.\" \n\n
\n\nWhen this group of friends returned to Europe they told\nthose interested of their visits to the Master and gave out what they had\ngleaned from the teachings of Baha'u'llah. (The Baha’i World 1938-1940) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-first-bahai-in-england-goes-on.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-first-bahai-in-england-goes-on.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The first example of Mulla Husayn’s amazing heroism and swordsmanship",
"slug": "bsbs-the-first-example-of-mulla-husayn-s-amazing-heroism-and-swordsmanship",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjb6VbPJsU5nEw3Bm9FMnQSnzOCR5gnHvTDDg1grZu3Bu57PxX5mpFrdj5b3RBKSkJGL72na-_0u248onp1QUT3W3JECdXrq10AN15ypLxhWZ8NacxnQb2g81V5GkNr_-MIX2Q6EHT8Do/s1600/Paintings-57-1.jpg\") Mulla Husayn was still in Mashhad during the conference of\nBadasht as a guest of the Governor-General of the province of Khurasan - where\nhe was treated with courtesy and consideration. After leaving the camp of the\nGovernor-General, he was preparing his anticipated trip to Karbila when a\nmessenger arrived bearing to him the Báb’s turban and conveying the news that a\nnew name, that of Siyyid ‘Alí, had been conferred upon him by his Master. \n\n
\n\n“Adorn your head,” was the message, “with My green turban,\nthe emblem of My lineage, and, with the Black Standard unfurled before you,\nhasten to the Jazíriy-i-Khadrá, [literally: ‘Verdant Isle’] and lend your\nassistance to My beloved Quddús.” \n\n
\n\nAs soon as that message reached him, Mullá Husayn arose to\nexecute the wishes of his Master. Leaving Mashhad for a place situated at a\nfarsang’s distance [about 3 miles] from the city, he hoisted the Black\nStandard, placed the turban of the Báb upon his head, assembled his companions,\nmounted his steed, and gave the signal for their march to the Jazíriy-i-Khadrá.\nHis companions, who were two hundred and two in number, enthusiastically\nfollowed him. That memorable day was July 21st, 1848. \n\n
\n\nWherever they tarried, at every village and hamlet through\nwhich they passed, Mullá Husayn and his fellow-disciples would fearlessly\nproclaim the message of the New Day, would invite the people to embrace its\ntruth, and would select from among those who responded to their call a few whom\nthey would ask to join them on their journey. \n\n \n
\n\nThe news of the approach of Mulla Husayn along with now more\nthan three hundred Bábís to the town of Barfurush, the hometown of Quddus,\nalarmed the leading cleric. The widespread and growing popularity of Mulla Husayn,\nthe circumstances attending his departure from Mashhad, the Black Standard\nwhich waved before him -- above all, the number, the discipline, and the\nenthusiasm of his companions, combined to arouse the implacable hatred of that\ncruel and overbearing mujtahid. He incited the residents of Barfurush by saying that\nMulla Husayn and his companions were “enemies [that] stand at our very doors, ready to\nwipe out all that we cherish as pure and holy in Islam! Should we fail to\nresist them, none will be left to survive their onslaught.” He induced the\ninhabitants of that town to make every possible preparation for the coming\nencounter by arming themselves with whatever weapon they could find\nor devise, and to set out at day break from Barfurush, fully determined\nto face and slay the enemies of their Faith and to plunder their property. \n\n
\n\nAbout three miles from Barfurush, Mulla\nHusayn and his companions encountered their enemies. A multitude of people,\nfully equipped with arms and ammunition, had gathered, and blocked their way. A\nfierce expression of savagery rested upon their countenances, and the foulest\nimprecations fell unceasingly from their lips. The companions, in the face of\nthe uproar of this angry populace, made as if to unsheathe their swords.\n\"Not yet,\" commanded their leader; \"not until the aggressor\nforces us to protect ourselves must our swords leave their scabbards.\" He\nhad scarcely uttered these words when the fire of the enemy was directed\nagainst them. Six of the companions were immediately hurled to the ground. \n\n
\n\n\"Beloved leader,\" exclaimed one of them, \"we\nhave risen and followed you with no desire except to sacrifice ourselves in the\npath of the Cause we have embraced. Allow us, we pray you, to defend ourselves,\nand suffer us not to fall so disgracefully a victim to the fire of the\nenemy.\" \"The time is not yet come,\" replied Mulla Husayn;\n\"the number is as yet incomplete.\" A bullet immediately after pierced\nthe breast of one of his companions, a siyyid from Yazd who had walked all the\nway from Mashhad to that place, and who ranked among his staunchest supporters. \n\n
\n\nAt the sight of that devoted companion fallen dead at his\nfeet, Mulla Husayn raised his eyes to heaven and prayed: \n\n
\n\n\"Behold, O God, my God, the plight of Thy chosen\ncompanions, and witness the welcome which these people have accorded Thy loved\nones. Thou knowest that we cherish no other desire than to guide them to the\nway of Truth and to confer upon them the knowledge of Thy Revelation. Thou hast\nThyself commanded us to defend our lives against the assaults of the enemy.\nFaithful to Thy command, I now arise with my companions to resist the attack\nwhich they have launched against us.\" \n\n
\n\nUnsheathing his sword and spurring on his charger into the\nmidst of the enemy, Mulla Husayn pursued, with marvellous intrepidity, the\nassailant of his fallen companion. His opponent, who was afraid to face him,\ntook refuge behind a tree and, holding aloft his musket, sought to shield\nhimself. Mulla Husayn immediately recognized him, rushed forward, and with a\nsingle stroke of his sword cut across the trunk of the tree, the barrel of the\nmusket, and the body of his adversary. One historian recorded that Mulla Husayn used his left hand on this occasion. The astounding force of that stroke\nconfounded the enemy and paralysed their efforts. All fled panic-stricken in the\nface of so extraordinary a manifestation of skill, of strength, and of courage. \n\n
\n\nThis feat was the first of its kind to attest to the prowess\nand heroism of Mulla Husayn, a feat which earned him the commendation of the\nBáb. Quddus likewise paid his tribute to the cool fearlessness which Mulla\nHusayn displayed on that occasion. He is reported to have quoted, when informed\nof the news, the following verse of the Qur'án: \"So it was not ye who slew\nthem, but God who slew them; and those shafts were God's, not thine! He would\nmake trial of the faithful by a gracious trial from Himself: verily, God\nheareth, knoweth. This befell, that God might also bring to naught the craft of\nthe infidels.\" \n\n
\n\nNotwithstanding his slender and fragile frame and trembling\nhand, an eye witness recorded, such were his valour and prowess on that day\nthat whosoever had eyes to discern the truth could clearly see that such\nstrength and courage could only be from God, being beyond human capacity....\nThen I saw Mulla Husayn unsheathe his sword and raise his face towards heaven,\nand heard him exclaim: 'O God I have completed the proof to this host, but it\navaileth not.' Then he began to attack us on the right and on the left. I swear\nby God that on that day he wielded the sword in such wise as transcends the\npower of man. \n\n(Adapted from ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, by Nabil, translated and\nedited by Shoghi Effendi; ‘Baha’u’llah – The King of Glory’, by Baluzi, and\nFoot-Notes of 'The Dawn-Breakers') \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-first-example-of-mulla-husayns.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-first-example-of-mulla-husayns.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Furutan family's first pilgrimage during WW II",
"slug": "bsbs-the-furutan-familys-first-pilgrimage-during-ww-ii",
"summary": " | \n \n \n\n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVr6oaD2IvRqg29CTOhhhsMMbQw3_t2Z3dDPjkUPs3-XDCPzAdY9pS0kYKsRoPgX3qqXIsBk4idSfageB11OZ1h374VZpuZB4McyQqmkN0m8l1XP1m6bHOiivEzAMkpSmfCtQNvchPW54/s200/Mr+Furutan+1953.png\") | \n| Hand of the Cause Mr Furutan 1953 | \n \nEarly in 1941, during the Second World War, means were\nmiraculously provided for me and my family to go on pilgrimage. In the company\nof my mother, my wife, and my eight-year-old daughter, together with other\npilgrims, we set out on our journey. Passing through Qazvin, Hamadan,\nKermanshah and Qasr-i-Shirin, we reached Baghdad.\n\n
\n\nWe stayed for two days in that historical city, holy to\nBaha'is, and met with the friends there. Then via Rutbah, we arrived at Zemakh,\nwhich was then on the border of Palestine. Our luggage was inspected at the\nborder, and since we carried two very expensive silk rugs, which were the gift\nof a believer, we were asked to pay a considerable amount of duty. However,\nwhen we explained that these rugs were brought for the House of 'Abdu'l-Baha,\nthey were released without charge. \n\n
\n\nThe director of Customs, who was Christian and a handsome\nand courteous man, happened to travel in the same bus with us to Haifa, and\nasked me about the value of the rugs. I said that I did not know as they were\nthe gift of another believer. He offered to pay me an equivalent amount for an\nidentical pair if I would promise to buy and send them to him in Zemakh on my\nreturn to Iran. I had to excuse myself from accepting this responsibility while\nthe War was continuing, explaining that I had no experience in these affairs.\nHe said that he would trust me with such a large amount only because I was a\nBaha'i and could not understand why I refused his request. I replied that I had\nto excuse myself precisely because I was a Baha'i! When we reached Haifa we\nparted as friends.
\n
\n\n \nIt was during late afternoon of Sunday, 16 February 1941,\nwhen we set foot in the garden of the House of 'Abdu'l-Baha in the illumined\ncity of Haifa, passing through a gate marked by a brass plate with\n\"Abdu'l-Baha 'Abbas” beautifully engraved on it. The ladies of our\npilgrimage group were guided inside by a believer, and the men were taken to a\nlarge basement. A radiant old man, wearing a long black cloak and a Persian\nhead-dress, similar to a Turkish fez, was sitting on the divan (mandar). After\nexchanging pleasantries, he wrote our names on a piece of paper and left the\nroom. He returned in a few minutes and announced that the beloved Guardian was\nprepared to receive us, and guided us to the upper floor.
\n\n
\n\nI cannot convey my feelings in those moments. The ecstasy of\nmeeting the Guardian filled my soul, and my impatient heart was beating so hard\nthat I could clearly hear it. \n\n
\n\nWe entered a narrow hallway leading to the reception room.\nThe beloved Guardian was standing at the door to greet us. 'Welcome! Welcome! I\nhave been waiting for you, ' he said. We tried to cast ourselves at his feet,\nbut he quickly came forward and prevented us, and embracing each of us said,\n'We embrace as brothers. The Blessed Beauty has forbidden bowing and\nprostrating oneself.’ [1] \n\n
\n\nHe asked us to enter the room, and when we had, he entered\nhimself and sat on the divan close to the door, while repeatedly guiding us to\ntake the upper seats. He first asked about the health and conditions of the\nBaha'is and the affairs of the National Spiritual Assembly. When the response\nwas given, he addressed me and said, 'You are the secretary of both the\nNational and Local Spiritual Assemblies. The affairs of the National Spiritual\nAssembly are conducted in a very organized manner, and I testify to your work.\nYour services are now local and national, and they will be international in the\nfuture.' [2] \n\n
\n\nHe then asked about the persecution of the friends in Iran.\nI briefly described the difficulties we were facing in obtaining recognition of\nBaha'i marriage. He replied that these persecutions were not important and\nwould pass, the principal point being the steadfastness and perseverance of the\nbelievers. He then quoted words of 'Abdu'l-Baha: 'The government of the native\nland of the Blessed Perfection will become the most respected government of\nthis world . . . and Iran will become the most prosperous of all lands.' (See\nBaha'u'llah, The King of Glory, p. 4.) He also emphasized the great importance\nof Baha'is participating in the Nineteen-Day Feasts, then stood up and said,\n'You must be very tired. Take leave and rest in the Pilgrim House. I shall see\nyou again tomorrow. May you be in God's protection.' \n\n
\n\nThe meetings of the Persian Baha'is with the beloved\nGuardian usually followed this plan: at 4.00 p.m. every day, the pilgrims of\nboth sexes, in the company of the custodian of the Pilgrim House, would rent a\ncar and drive to the House of 'Abdu'l-Baha. The ladies then met with\nAmatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum, and the men were guided to the waiting-room. The\nbeloved Guardian would leave his office, join the men and walk with them either\nin the quiet streets of Haifa or in the gardens of the Shrine of the Báb,\nspeaking with them for about forty minutes or more. He would also accompany the\nmen pilgrims to the Shrines of the Báb and 'Abdu'l-Baha on two different days,\nand chant the Tablets of Visitation himself. \n\n
\n\nWhile walking with us in the gardens of the Shrine during\nour second meeting with him, Shoghi Effendi spoke of Muhammad, Whose station\nwas lofty and great, as the recipient of a Divine Revelation. He returned to\nthis theme on a later occasion, saying that the believers should be aware, and\nbelieve, that Islam is the origin of the Baha'i Faith, that the Qur'an is the\nWord of God and that the Imams were infallible. Their station was very sacred\nand exalted, particularly that of Imam Husayn (the third Imam, titled the King\nof Martyrs). As to the traditions of Islam, those which are quoted in the Writings\nare authentic. He stressed that Baha'is of Christian background should accept\nthese principles concerning Islam, just as those of Jewish or Zoroastrian\nbackground should accept Christ as the Word of God and His utterances in the\nNew Testament as authentic. The Guardian also wished the friends to realize\nthat each Manifestation can abrogate the laws of previous Manifestations when\nthey no longer meet the needs of the time. \n\n- Hand of the Cause, Ali-Akbar Furutan (‘The Story of My\nHeart') \n\n[1] Athar-i-Qalam-i A'la, vol. 2, p. 82. And from Mahmud's\nDiary, vol. 2, p. 373: 'Prostration, according to the explicit text of the Book\nof God, is confined to the Shrine of the Báb, the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh and the\nHoly House.' \n\n[2] The reported words of the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, in\nthe author's recollections of this pilgrimage are not his exact words, which\nwere spoken in Persian and are here summarized. \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-furutans-first-pilgrimage-during-ww.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-furutans-first-pilgrimage-during-ww.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The King and the Dervish",
"slug": "bsbs-the-king-and-the-dervish",
"summary": " Whereas riches may become a mighty barrier between man and God, and rich people are often in great danger of attachment, yet people with small worldly possessions…",
"figures": [
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-king-and-dervish.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n\nWhereas riches may\nbecome a mighty barrier between man and God, and rich people are often in great\ndanger of attachment, yet people with small worldly possessions can also become\nattached to material things. The following Persian story of a king and a dervish\n[1] illustrates this: \n\n
\n\nOnce there was a king who had many spiritual qualities and\nwhose deeds were based on justice and loving-kindness. He often envied the\ndervish who had renounced the world and appeared to be free from the cares of\nthis material life, for he roamed the country, slept in any place when night\nfell and chanted the praises of his Lord during the day. He lived in poverty,\nyet thought he owned the whole world. His only possessions were his clothes and\na basket in which he carried the food donated by his well-wishers. The king was\nattracted to this way of life. \n\n
\n\nOnce he invited a well-known dervish to his palace, sat at\nhis feet and begged him for some lessons about detachment. The dervish was\ndelighted with the invitation. He stayed a few days in the palace and whenever\nthe king was free preached the virtues of a mendicant's life to him. At last\nthe king was converted. One day, dressed in the garb of a poor man, he left his\npalace in the company of the dervish. They had walked together some distance\nwhen the dervish realized that he had left his basket behind in the palace.\nThis disturbed him greatly and, informing the king that he could not go without\nhis basket, he begged permission to return for it. But the king admonished him,\nsaying that he himself had left behind his palaces, his wealth and power,\nwhereas the dervish, who had preached for a lifetime the virtues of detachment,\nhad at last been tested and was found to be attached to this world -- his small\nbasket. \n\n \n
\nThe possession of earthly goods is often misunderstood to be\nthe only form of attachment. But this is not so. Man's pride in his\naccomplishments, his knowledge, his position, his popularity within society\nand, above all, his love for his own self are some of the barriers which come\nbetween him and God. To rid oneself of these attachments is not easy. It can be\na painful process and may indeed prove to be a spiritual battle which lasts a\nlifetime.
\n\n- Adib Taherzadeh (‘The Revelation of Baha'u'llah’ vol. 1)
\n[1] A Muslim, often a mystic, who renounces the world and\ncommunes with God, subsisting on the charity of his fellow men. \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-king-and-dervish.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-king-and-dervish.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The King and the Gardener – a story told by ‘Abdu’l-Baha",
"slug": "bsbs-the-king-and-the-gardener-a-story-told-by-abdu-l-baha",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFCxSdDmvKny6JflbOFM_wNIUNUESrClurFfaiM2XP8y9IKVVem8gtDlumr3ehLS1AfWLzyByU6OTTE6xfPGTLTCJTNo6NoddYiapFycwj637hTs16LyjzDXLqcmqnvp08xWkesGpcho/s1600/Paintings-14-1.jpg\") A great king, walking in his garden one day, noticed a man,\nabout ninety years old, planting some trees. The king asked what he was doing\nand the old man answered that he was planting date trees. \n\n
\n\n\"How long before they will bear fruit?”, asked the\nking. \n\n
\n\n\"Twenty years.\" \n\n
\n\n\"But you will not live to enjoy the fruit; why then\nshould you plant these trees?\" \n\n
\n\nThe old man answered, \"The last generation planted\ntrees that bore fruit for my benefit; so\nit is now my duty to plant for the benefit of the next generation.\" \n\n
\n\nThe king was pleased at this answer so gave the man a piece\nof money. The gardener fell on his knees and thanked him. The king asked,\n\"Why do you kneel before me?\" \n\n
\n\n\"Because, your majesty, not only have I had the\npleasure, or gift, of planting these trees, but they have already borne fruit,\nsince you give me this money.\"
\n
\n\n This so pleased the king he gave the man another piece of\nmoney. Again the old gardener knelt, saying, \"Again I kneel to thank your\nmajesty. Most trees will bear fruit only once, while these trees of mine have\nalready borne two crops -- since you give me two pieces of money.\"\n
\n\nThe king smiled and asked, \"How old are you?\" The\nman answered, \"I am twelve years old.\" \n\n
\n\n\"How can that be? You are surely a very old man.\" \n\n
\n\nThe gardener answered, \"In the days of the king your predecessor,\nthe people were in a most unhappy state of constant warfare and trouble, so I cannot\ninclude that as a part of my life. But since your majesty came to rule, the\npeople are happy, contented, and at peace. Therefore, as it is but twelve years\nsince your gracious reign began, I am only twelve years old.\" \n\n
\n\nThis pleased the king so very much that, perforce, he gave\nthe old man another piece of money, saying, \"I shall have to leave you\nnow, for your words please me so greatly that if I listen to you longer I shall\nbecome a pauper! \n\n(Reported by\nHelen Goodall and Ella Goodall Cooper, ‘Daily Lessons Received at ‘Akka January\n1908’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-king-and-gardener-story-told-by.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-king-and-gardener-story-told-by.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The King summons the Báb",
"slug": "bsbs-the-king-summons-the-bab",
"summary": " Muhammad Shah, the king of Persia, was torn between two conflicting desires. He wanted to meet the Báb. He was anxious to see in person this young Man Who could win…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"William Sears"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"prison",
"children",
"family",
"healing",
"recognition",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"truthfulness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 10,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-king-summons-bab.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n\nMuhammad Shah, the king of Persia, was torn between two\nconflicting desires. He wanted to meet the Báb. He was anxious to see in person\nthis young Man Who could win over to His Faith someone as learned and gifted as\nVahid, and a man of such nobility, stature and wealth as Manuchihr Khan [the\nGovernor of Isfahan]. He was eager to know more of this young Prophet Who could\nso powerfully affect such illustrious people. Yet he was alarmed at the same\ntime. He was frightened of what might happen if the Báb gained too much\npopularity. His Prime Minister, Haji Mirza Aqasi, constantly warned him to\nbeware of the Báb. The priests at Court spoke of the Báb in the same manner the\nreligious authorities had spoken of Jesus, saying: \"He is a political\nrevolutionary. He will undermine your\nstate and destroy your influence over your subjects.\" \n\n
\n\nThe king wavered. He\nblew hot and cold. Prompted by the Prime Minister, he at one time issued\ninstructions to do away with the Báb, then later withdrew them. Now, thinking\nit would have pleased his friend, the late Manuchihr Khan, the king again\nexpressed his eagerness to meet the Báb in person. Therefore, he summoned the\nBáb to the capital city of Tihran. \n\n
\n\nThe historian Nicolas wrote: \"The Shah, whimsical and\nfickle, forgetting that he had, a short time before, ordered the murder of the\nReformer [the Báb], felt the desire of seeing at last the man who had aroused\nsuch universal interest.\" [1] \n\n \n
\nThe king's order read: \"Send the Báb in disguise, in the\ncompany of a mounted escort. Exercise the utmost consideration towards Him in\nthe course of his journey, and strictly maintain the secrecy of His departure.\nVisit no towns or villages enroute.\"
\n\n
\n\nThe king said he wished to protect the Báb from His enemies\nin this manner. In reality, the Prime Minister had arranged the plan for an\nentirely different reason. He preferred the Báb to remain in disguise and\nhidden for fear of the influence that he might exercise upon the inhabitants of\nthe cities through which he passed. The captain of the escort was told,\n\"Beware lest anyone discover his identity or suspect the nature of your\nmission. No one but you, and even the members of his escort, should be allowed\nto recognize him. Should anyone question you concerning him, say that he is a\nmerchant whom you have been instructed to conduct to the capital, and of whose\nidentify you are completely ignorant.\" \n\n
\n\nLate one night, in accordance with the instructions of the\nking, the Báb set out for Tihran. Enroute to the capital, the Báb's guards\ndiscovered His identity in spite of the precautions, and became His supporters.\nHis alluring charm combined with a compelling dignity and loving kindness, won\nthem over and transformed them. In their \neagerness to serve and please Him, they told Him: \"We are strictly\nforbidden by the government to allow you to enter any village or house. We are\ntold to proceed by an unfrequented route directly to Tihran so that you shall\ncome in contact with no one. However, if it be your wish, we are ready to\nignore these instructions and escort you through the streets of every\ntown.\" \n\n
\n\nThe Báb replied that He preferred to go by way of the\ncountry, for the cities were unholy. The people paid tribute to the shrines\nwith their lips while with their acts they heaped dishonor upon them. Outwardly\nthey reverenced, but inwardly they disgraced. \n\n
\n\nThe Prime Minister sent a message which intercepted the\nparty one day's journey from Tihran and commanded the guard not to take the Báb\nto Tihran, but to the village of Kulayn instead, and to hold Him there until\nfurther instructions. The Prime Minister was determined that the Báb should\nnever reach the capital. \n\n
\n\nThe Prime Minister continually reminded the king of the\nreligious revolts that had taken place in the past in Mirman and Khurasan, and\nwarned him that the Báb was just such a dangerous threat to the peace of the\nrealm. The Prime Minister's influence\nover the king was unlimited. \n\n
\n\nComte de Gobineau, the French historian, wrote: \"His\n[the king's] disposition, naturally weak, had become very melancholy and, as he\ncraved love and could not find it in his family either with wives or children,\nhe had centered all his affection upon the aged Mulla [Haji Mirza Aqasi], his [former]\ntutor. He made of him his only friend, his confidant, then his first and\nall-powerful minister, even his god!\" [2] The Journal Asiatique states\nthat the Prime Minister gained such power over the king that one could truly\nsay that the Prime Minister was the real sovereign. [3] P. M. Sykes in his A\nhistory of Persia states, \"Haji Mirza Aqasi, who had been its virtual\nruler for thirteen years was utterly ignorant of statesmanship ... yet too vain\nto receive instruction ... brutal in his language; insolent in his demeanor;\nindolent in his habits; he brought the exchequer to the verge of bankruptcy and\nthe country to the brink of revolution.\" \n\n
\n\nHaji Mirza Aqasi finally persuaded Muhammad Shah, to send\nthe Báb to a remote fortress called Mahku. \n\n
\n\nAccording to one historian, the king had been suffering from\nillness for some time. The Báb had promised to heal him if He were permitted to\ncome to Tihran. Haji Mirza Aqasi feared that if the Báb should bring about such\na cure, the king would no longer be under his thumb. [4] \n\n
\n\nHe induced the king to write to the Báb as follows:\n\"Much as we desire to meet you, we find ourselves unable, in view of our\nimmediate departure from our capital, to receive you befittingly in Tihran. We\nhave signified our desire that you be conducted to Mahku.\" [5] \n\n
\n\nThe Báb had written earlier to the king asking for an\naudience with him. He had requested permission to come to the capital so that\nbefore the king and all the religious leaders of the land, He might present the\nproofs of His Mission. He agreed to leave the decision of its truth or\nfalsehood entirely in the hands of the king. He said that He would accept the\njudgement of the king as final; and in case of failure, was ready to sacrifice\nHis head. [6] \n\n
\n\nBoth the Prime Minister and the king had originally welcomed\nthis letter. They were convinced that once the Báb was faced by the noted\nreligious leaders of the land, they could humiliate Him and divest Him of all\nprestige. However, when they received\nthe news of His overwhelming victories in debate at Shiraz, and especially when\nword came of the conversion of both Vahid and Manuchihr Khan to His Faith, they\nwere no longer eager, or even willing, to have Him at the capital. \n\n
\n\nWhen the king's message reached the Báb, telling Him of His\ntransfer to the prison of Mahku, He knew whose hand was behind the cruel order. \n\n
\n\n\"You summoned Me from Isfahan to meet the doctors\n[religious leaders] and for the attainment of a decisive settlement,\" He\nwrote the Prime Minister. \"What has happened now that this excellent\nintention has been changed for Mahku and Tabriz?\" [7] \n\n
\n\nIn these words, the Báb foreshadowed the suffering He was to\nface in the northern city of Tabriz where He would be summoned from prison,\nonce to be beaten and a second time to be slain. \n\n
\n\nThus the king broke his promise to meet the Báb, and the\nRoyal party including the young son of the king, Prince Farhad Mirza, left with\nthe Shah and the Prime Minister for a lovely park in the neighborhood of\nTihran. While there the prince approached the Prime Minister and asked him, \"Haji,\nwhy have you sent the Báb to Mahku?\" The Prime Minister replied, \"You\nare still too young to understand certain things, but know this: had he come to\nTihran, you and I would not at this moment be walking free from care in this\ncool shade.\" \n\n
\n\nThe historical document Journal Asiatique records: \"As\nthe order of the Prime Minister, Haji Mirza Aqasi, became generally known ...\nfrom Isfahan to Tihran everyone spoke of the iniquity of the clergy and of the\ngovernment towards the Báb; everywhere the people muttered and exclaimed\nagainst such an injustice.\" \n\n
\n\nThe Báb was ordered to proceed first to Tabriz. He refused\nto accept the funds provided by the government for the expense of the journey. All\nof the allowances that were given by the Prime Minister, the Báb bestowed upon the\npoor. For His own needs He used the money which He had earned as a merchant. \n\n
\n\nRigid orders were given to avoid entering any of the towns\non the journey to Tabriz. When the party at last approached the gate of the\ncity, the leader of the escort, Muhammad Big, approached the Báb. \n\n
\n\n\"The journey from Isfahan,\" he said, \"has been\nlong and arduous. I feel I have failed to do my duty toward you, and have\nfailed to serve you as I should have. I\ncan only ask for your pardon and forgiveness.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Be assured I account you as a member of My fold,\"\nthe Báb told him. \"They who embrace My Cause will bless and glorify you,\nand will extol your conduct and exalt your name.\" The rest of the guards\nfollowed the example of their chief, and with tears in their eyes, bade the Báb\na last affectionate farewell. Reluctantly, they delivered Him to the soldiers\nof the governor of Tabriz. \n\n(William Sears, ‘Release the Sun’) \n\n[1] A. L. M. Nicolas, Siyyid `Ali-Muhammad dit le Bab, p.\n242. \n\n[2] Comte de Gobineau, Les Religions et les Philosophies\ndans l'Asie Centrale, pp. 131-132. \n\n[3] Journal Asiatique, 1866, tome 7, pp.367-368. \n\n[4] Nabil, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 232, footnote (Haji Mu'niu's-Saltanih's\nnarrative, p. 129). \n\n[5] Ibid., pp. 230-231. \n\n[6] Comte de Gobineau, Les Religions et les Philosophies\ndans l'Asie Centrale, p. 124. \n\n[7] A Traveller's Narrative, p. 16. \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-king-summons-bab.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-king-summons-bab.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The majesty of Baha'u'llah - by Adib Taherzadeh",
"slug": "bsbs-the-majesty-of-bahaullah-by-adib-taherzadeh",
"summary": "\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-majesty-of-bahaullah-by-adib.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-majesty-of-bahaullah-by-adib.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master and little children -- a few occasions witnessed by a Western pilgrim",
"slug": "bsbs-the-master-and-little-children-a-few-occasions-witnessed-by-a-western-pilgr",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEHIDCMbBqesHVcyQqUcIaX3rKdn8AiDR9CA-2pdrybbPIjpkYqCYjqOlPHGFJD4X4Y9unZn4EHdEEx0aV72sQVsDcbwS5TK2raxjQMwNs13Vu1b2gfv2TJijehbUw0mUTEOYw-7Uc_g/s1600/Paintings-11.jpg\") It is beautiful to see the Master with the little children\nand observe his consideration for their childish troubles. One morning his tiny\ngrand-daughter, about two years old, was talking to the Master in the most\nserious way, telling him with expressive gesticulations her difficulty.\nSomething had gone crosswise with her. The Master without a smile listened most\nattentively. This was a great lesson. When we consider what the Master has to\nbear — a man of ordinary strength could not endure it one hour — yet when a\nlittle child comes and confides in him her trouble, how tender, how loving he\nis! How forgetful of self! \n\n
\n\nShall I ever forget the heavenly smile and love expressed in\nthat beautiful face when this tiny maiden was chanting for him a Tablet! Every\nnow and then she would forget a word, and he would gently chant it for her,\nwhile he drank his tea, seated in the corner of the divan. How the little\nchildren love him! \n\n(Mary L. Lucas, ‘A\nBrief Account of My Visit to Acca’, published by Chicago Baha'i\nPublishing Society in 1905) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-master-and-little-children-few.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-master-and-little-children-few.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The sad story of an individual noted for his learning attained the presence of the Báb “heard His voice, watched His movements, looked upon the expression of His face, and noted the words which streamed unceasingly from His lips, and yet failed to be moved by their majesty and power”",
"slug": "bsbs-the-sad-story-of-an-individual-noted-for-his-learning-attained-the-presence",
"summary": "On that same night, [the night when the Báb arrived in Káshán] Siyyid Husayn-i-Yazdí, who had previously, in accordance with the directions of the Báb, come to Káshán, was invited to the house of Hájí…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Yazd",
"lat": 31.8974,
"lng": 54.3569,
"modernName": "Yazd, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"family",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-sad-story-of-individual-noted-for.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn that same night, [the night when the Báb arrived in\nKáshán] Siyyid Husayn-i-Yazdí, who had previously, in accordance with the\ndirections of the Báb, come to Káshán, was invited to the house of Hájí Mírzá\nJání and introduced into the presence of his Master. The Báb was dictating to\nhim a Tablet in honour of His host, when a friend of the latter, a certain\nSiyyid ‘Abdu’l-Báqí, who was noted in Káshán for his learning, arrived. The Báb\ninvited him to enter, permitted him to hear the verses which He was revealing,\nbut refused to disclose His identity…. \n\nSiyyid ‘Abdu’l-Báqí sat and listened to the Báb. He heard\nHis voice, watched His movements, looked upon the expression of His face, and\nnoted the words which streamed unceasingly from His lips, and yet failed to be\nmoved by their majesty and power. Wrapt in the veils of his own idle fancy and\nlearning, he was powerless to appreciate the meaning of the utterances of the\nBáb. He did not even trouble to enquire the name or the character of the Guest\ninto whose presence he had been introduced. Unmoved by the things he had heard\nand seen, he retired from that presence, unaware of the unique opportunity\nwhich, through his apathy, he had irretrievably lost. A few days later, when\ninformed of the name of the Youth whom he had treated with such careless\nindifference, he was filled with chagrin and remorse. It was too late, however,\nfor him to seek His presence and atone for his conduct, for the Báb had already\ndeparted from Káshán. In his grief, he renounced the society of his fellowmen,\nand led, to the end of his days, a life of unrelieved seclusion. - Nabil (‘The\nDawn-Breakers, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-sad-story-of-individual-noted-for.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-sad-story-of-individual-noted-for.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The sifter of wheat in Isfahan",
"slug": "bsbs-the-sifter-of-wheat-in-isfahan",
"summary": " \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIhNq182oB4dvGoTYbhe4sRDN-ayfFBKCY0YMVSkEa-hIpFMOqV2SC_fwLizP2IqkG1RG_20Vg7l-8cVSyJ-VFYsyeS4NcIsttcDTA3hf6xRblmikzVVtpVGRf37orZtUb_ZytDoOWFg/s320/Isfahan+1840%2527s-1.jpg\") \nAt the time of the Báb, Isfahan, a central city in Persia,\nwas known among cities for the great learning of its clergy. However, the first\nto embrace the Cause of the Báb in that city was a man, a sifter of wheat, who,\nas soon as the Call reached his ears, unreservedly accepted the Message.
\n
\nHis\nname was Mulla Muhammad Ja'far Gandum-Pak-Kun. He is mentioned in the Persian\nBayan and praised as one who \"donned the robe of discipleship\".
\n
\nWith\nmarvelous devotion he served Mulla Husayn, and through his close association\nwith him became a zealous advocate of the new Revelation.
\n
\nA few years later,\nwhen the soul-stirring details of the siege of the fort of Shaykh Tabarsi were\nrecounted to him, he felt an irresistible impulse to throw in his lot with\nthose heroic companions of the Báb who had risen for the defense of their\nFaith. Carrying his sieve in his hand, he immediately arose and set out to\nreach the scene of that memorable encounter. He joined the company of the\ndefenders of the Fort of Shaykh Tabarsi and perished during that siege. \n\n
\n\n\"Why leave so hurriedly?\" his friends asked him,\nas they saw him running in a state of intense excitement through the bazaars of\nIsfahan. \n\n
\n\n\"I have arisen,\" he replied, \"to join the\nglorious company of the defenders of the fort of Shaykh Tabarsi! With this\nsieve which I carry with me, I intend to sift the people in every city through\nwhich I pass. Whomsoever I find ready to espouse the Cause I have embraced, I\nwill ask to join me and hasten forthwith to the field of martyrdom.\" \n\n \n
\n\nSuch was the devotion of this youth that the Báb, in the\nPersian Bayan, refers to him in such terms: \n\n
\n\n\"Isfahan, that outstanding city, is distinguished by\nthe religious fervour of its shi'ah inhabitants, by the learning of its\ndivines, and by the keen expectation, shared by high and low alike, of the\nimminent coming of the Sáhibu'z-Zamán. [Lord of the Age] In every quarter of\nthat city, religious institutions have been established. And yet, when the\nMessenger of God had been made manifest, they who claimed to be the\nrepositories of learning and the expounders of the mysteries of the Faith of\nGod rejected His Message. Of all the inhabitants of that seat of learning, only\none person, a sifter of wheat, was found to recognize the Truth, and was\ninvested with the robe of Divine virtue!\" \n\n
\n\nFurthermore, the Báb explains how this example of the sifter\nof wheat in Isfahan fulfills certain prophecies concerning the Promised One: \n\n
\n\n“In the land of Sad [Isfahan], which to outward seeming is a\ngreat city, in every corner of whose seminaries are vast numbers of people\nregarded as divines and doctors, yet when the time came for inmost essences to\nbe drawn forth, only its sifter of wheat donned the robe of discipleship. This\nis the mystery of what was uttered by the kindred of the Prophet Muhammad --\nupon them be the peace of God -- concerning this Revelation, saying that the\nabased shall be exalted and the exalted shall be abased.” (The Báb, Excerpt\nfrom the Persian Bayan, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb) \n\n
\n\nBaha’u’llah also refers to this incident in the\nKitáb-i-Aqdas in a passage addressed to the “concourse of divines”: \n\n
\n\n“Call ye to mind the shaykh whose name was Muhammad-Hasan,\nwho ranked among the most learned divines of his day. When the True One was\nmade manifest, this shaykh, along with others of his calling, rejected Him,\nwhile a sifter of wheat and barley accepted Him and turned unto the Lord.\nThough he was occupied both night and day in setting down what he conceived to\nbe the laws and ordinances of God, yet when He Who is the Unconstrained\nappeared, not one letter thereof availed him, or he would not have turned away\nfrom a Countenance that hath illumined the faces of the well-favoured of the\nLord.” (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
\n
\nIt’s amazing how this sifter of wheat, Mulla Muhammad\nJa'far, received the great blessing of having his name mentioned by both\nManifestations of God. His example is also mentioned in a letter written on\nbehalf of the beloved Guardian: \n\n
\n\n“The believers should be urged to consider individually the\nneeds in their immediate region, and to go forth to pioneer in near and distant\ncities and towns. They must be encouraged by your Assembly to remember that\nsmall people, often poor and obscure people, have changed the course of human\ndestiny more than people who started out with wealth, fame and security. It was\nthe Sifter of Wheat who, in the early days of our Faith, arose and became a\nhero and martyr, not the learned priests of his city!\" (From a letter\nwritten on behalf of Shoghi Effendi quoted by Ruhiyyih Khanum in ‘The Priceless\nPearl’) \n\n(Adapted from ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, by Nabil, ‘Release the\nSun’, by Bill Sears, ‘The Báb- the Herald of the Day of Days’, by Balyuzi, and\nthe ‘Notes’ section of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, by the Universal House of Justice) \n\n \n \n \n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-sifter-of-wheat-in-isfahan.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-sifter-of-wheat-in-isfahan.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The sterling faithfulness of Isfandiyar – recalled by ‘Abdu’l-Baha",
"slug": "bsbs-the-sterling-faithfulness-of-isfandiyar-recalled-by-abdu-l-baha",
"summary": " My grandfather had many colored maids and servants. When the Blessed Perfection became the head of the family He liberated all of them, and gave them permission to leave or stay, but if they desired…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Bahíyyih Khánum",
"Ahmad Sohrab"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"pilgrimage",
"persecution",
"prison",
"teaching",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"honesty",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-sterling-faithfulness-of-isfandiyar.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMy grandfather had many colored maids and servants. When the\nBlessed Perfection became the head of the family He liberated all of them, and\ngave them permission to leave or stay, but if they desired to remain it would,\nof course, be in a different manner. However, all of them, revelling in their\nnewfound freedom preferred to leave, except Isfandiyar, who remained in the\nhousehold and continued to serve us with proverbial faithfulness and chastity. \n\nThen when Bahá'u'lláh became known as a Bábí, and He was\nteaching many people, the populace rose against Him, and with the tacit consent\nof the government, our house was pillaged and ransacked. My Father was put into\nprison and we were persecuted on all sides. For days the rabble in their\nfanatical fury and rage threw stones into our house, broke the windows and\ndamaged everything. At that time I was probably six or seven years old.\nEverybody had left us, and our family then consisted of my mother, my sister\n(the Greatest Holy Leaf) and Aqa Mussa.[Bahá’u’lláh’s faithful brother] Fearing\nthat the stones thrown into the house might hit one of us, my mother set out\nand rented a small house in an entirely different quarter of the city, and for\nfear of recognition she carried us safely to our new, humble quarters by night. \n\nOn the other hand, the enemies of my father, who had\npoisoned the mind of the Shah by saying that He harbored secret plans against\nthe throne, were convinced that Isfandiyar was the guardian of all the secret\nplans of Bahá'u'lláh. Therefore, they imagined that if once they laid their\nhands on Isfandiyar they would force out of him everything, and then be able to\nsubstantiate their vague accusations with these solid facts. Hence they\ncommissioned one hundred and fifty policemen to find him and bring him before\nthem. Isfandiyar had a chum with whom he passed most of his time. At first they\ntried to get hold of his chum, thus he might divulge the hiding-place of\nIsfandiyar, but they failed in their purpose. \n\nOne midnight we were roused out of our sleep by a loud\nknocking at the door. It was opened, and lo, and behold, it was Isfandiyar. My\nmother said to him with anxiety: \"How is it that thou art yet in the city?\nDost thou not know that there are one hundred and fifty policemen after thee?\nFly as quickly as thou canst. If they get hold of thee, thy life will be in\ndanger.\" But he smiled and answered: \"No, I will not leave Teheran,\neven if an hundred or a thousand policemen are after me. I am not afraid. I\nhave many debts in the bazaar. I owe money to many shopkeepers, and before I\nleave this city I must pay off all the debts. I do not want the people to say\nafterward that the negro servant of Bahá'u'lláh escaped without paying his\ndebts. \n\nThen he left us, and for one month and a half he walked in\nbroad daylight in the streets and bazaars, and finally succeeded in clearing\noff all his financial obligations. All this time the policemen were after him,\nbut could not catch him. Then, one night he appeared again, and said: \"I\nam now free. I have actually paid all my debts and will leave the city with a\nclear conscience.\" He went to Mazandaran, and the governor, who was not a\nBahai, engaged him in his service, made him the chief of his equerry and\nprotected him from the pursuit of his enemies. \n\nYears lapsed, and the governor, being a religious man,\ndesired to make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Karbila. Naturally, he took\nwith him Isfandiyar, who by this time had grown so much in his favor that he\ncould not bear to be separated from him. When they reached the city of Baghdad,\nIsfandiyar was overjoyed to stand again in the presence of Bahá'u'lláh, because\nhe loved Him most intensely. He requested Bahá'u'lláh to keep him, saying that\nhe would rather leave the governor and serve his old master. But Bahá'u'lláh\nsaid to him: \"You must act in this matter in accord with the wish of the\ngovernor. You owe him a debt of deep gratitude, because at a time when your\nlife was in danger, he gave you a position and stopped the persecution of your\nenemies. Now, if he is willing to have you remain with us, we will accept you;\notherwise you must continue to serve him with the same zeal and sincerity that\nyou have served Us in the past.\" \n\nIsfandiyar went to the governor and explained his case. He\nanswered: \"It is impossible. I cannot find in this wide world another man\nas honest and faithful as thyself. Thou must continue to stay with me. I have\ngrown to love thee and will do everything to add to thy comfort and\nhappiness.\" Of course Isfandiyar was heartbroken over this decision, but\nhe had to abide by the decision of the Blessed Perfection. He in turn consoled\nhim with His blessings showered upon him. Isfandiyar returned to Mazandaran\nwith the governor and stayed with him until his last day. \n\nSuch was the sterling faithfulness of Isfandiyar that\nwhenever I think of him, my eyes grow dim with tears. He was a king among men,\na glorious star in the heaven of humanity. Although his face was black, his\nheart was white as the snow. He was peerless and had no equal. I cannot\nsufficiently praise him. I love him. He was a glory and a jewel on the crown of\nthe colored race, for his life was a noble record of proud achievement, and the\nwhole world may learn a lesson from it. - ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Words of 'Abdu'l-Baha, from the Diary of Mirza\nAhmad Sohrab, October 25, 1913; Star of the West, vol. 9, no. 3, April 28,\n1918) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-sterling-faithfulness-of-isfandiyar.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-sterling-faithfulness-of-isfandiyar.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The stone that became the “Cornerstone” of the House of Worship in Chicago",
"slug": "bsbs-the-stone-that-became-the-cornerstone-of-the-house-of-worship-in-chicago",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS8ZG5y2VbJVwTchOc8DTXYkbhfAk1KZEMhyphenhyphenfK_EwwAJTrYjB1zW9GH7-zKJm7Btt27KyBavpjX-c3vdfj8DrAmKJQW9aq3d-5WP45TyN8brpHkKsAI-jCk__MP_QeDe0RgvAYJac84xQ/s1600/Esther+Tobin-1.jpg\") When the idea of constructing a Baha’i Temple in America was\nfirst proposed in 1903 there were very few Baha’is in the United States and\nCanada. By 1906 it is estimated that Baha’is resided in approximately 150\ncities and that there were twenty-seven Spiritual Assemblies, including one in\nHonolulu and one in Montreal, Canada. \n\n
\n\nIn preparation\nfor this major undertaking, the Baha’is in various cities began holding\nmeetings to increase support for the Temple, and several communities formed\nlocal treasuries to gather money for the project. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá continued to\nsend letters of encouragement, expressing His wish for the friends to be united\nand supportive of this undertaking. \n\n
\n\nOne\nBaha'i who made a unique contribution to the Temple project in 1908 was Esther\nTobin, known to her friends as Nettie. She was a loving, humble woman who\nearned a meager living as a seamstress. After her husband's death in Detroit in\n1892, she moved to Chicago with her two small sons, brother, and half-sister.\nYet once there she could barely support her children; oftentimes she would buy\ngroceries for the evening meal with money she earned during the same day. She\nhad not attended school, which may account for her peculiar habit of using\nwords out of context, a trait that often sent herself and her friends into fits\nof laughter. Paul Dealy, an early Baha'i, invited her to several Baha'i\nmeetings, including those at the True home. It was in that home that she became\na Baha'i, probably in 1903. Shortly thereafter, she was employed by Corinne\nTrue as a dressmaker and visited the True home one or two days each week. \n\n
\n\nAlthough\nNettie Tobin worked actively as a member of the Women's Assembly of Teaching,\nshe was troubled by her financial inability to contribute to the building of\nthe Temple. After praying often that God send her something to offer as a gift,\nshe reportedly heard a voice on several occasions that told her to find a\nstone. This is what she told her nurse Gertrude Triebwasser three and a\nhalf years before her passing: \n\n \n
\nOne day while sitting alone and busy with dressmaking in the\nhome of one of the believers, I heard a voice questioning, “Do you believe in\nimmortality?\" I replied, “Yes, I do.\" The voice said, “Then, get a\nstone.\" A few days later the voice again came, but louder than before,\n\"Do you believe in immortality?\" Again I replied, \"Yes, I\ndo.\" And the voice said, “Get a stone.\" I delayed carrying out the\nrequest. Again the voice came a third time and commanded me to obtain a stone.
\n\n
\n\nNettie\nalso told her nurse that when 'Abdu'l-Baha arrived in Chicago she presented Him\nwith a bouquet of white roses and some grapefruit. He requested one of His\nattendants to save the seed from the latter to be planted at His home in Haifa.\nShe also contributed for the Shrine of the Báb on Mt. Carmel. 'Abdu'l-Baha\npromised that Mrs. Tobin, with her whole family would be blessed. \n\n
\n\nNettie’s inspiration most likely came from a letter written\nin June 1908 to the American Baha'is by Mirza Asadu'llah, a Persian Baha'i\ntravel teacher who had apparently proposed the project to the Chicago\nSpirituality Assembly in 1903. In the letter Mirza Asadu'llah had written: \"Now is the time for expending\nenergy and power in the erection of the edifice, be it a mere stone, laid in\nthe name of the Baha’i Mashrak-el-Azkar. For the glory and honor of the first\nstone is equivalent to all the stones and implements which will later be used there.\" \n\n
\n\nPerhaps partly due to this letter and partly due to her own\ninspirational experiences Nettie began looking around and found a construction\nsite near her home, just north of downtown Chicago. She sought out the\nproject's foreman, told him\nabout\nthe Baha’i Temple project, and asked if he could offer her an inexpensive\nbuilding stone. The foreman, enchanted with Nettie’s request, showed her a\nsmall pile of limestone rocks, damaged and unfit for use, and invited her to\ntake one. \n\n
\n\nLater\nthat day Nettie with help from her neighbor wrapped one of the stones in a\npiece of carpet, tied clothesline around it, and dragged the bundle home. Two\ndays later on Labor Day 1908 Nettie arranged with Cecilia\nHarrison and Corinne True to bring the stone to Grosse Pointe, on the north\nside of the city. She sought assistance from her brother Leo Leadroot and Mirza Mazlum, an elderly\nPersian friend. \n\n
\n\nOn their way to their destination point, the threesome had\ndifficulty convincing the conductor of the State Street horsecar to allow the\nstone on board. Yet Nettie insisted, he gave in, and they placed the stone,\nstill tied in the carpet, on the back platform. After traveling through Chicago\nto the north side of the city, they transferred to another car and rode to the\ncorner of Central and Ridge avenues in Evanston, probably the station closest\nto the Temple site at that time. Because they were still six blocks away from\nthe site, the stone would have to be carried the rest of the way by hand. But\nonce they had gone about three blocks, the stone became too heavy to carry any\nfarther, and they began dragging it along the ground. The trip took much longer\nthan Nettie Tobin had anticipated. \n\n
\n\nIn the meantime, Corinne True and Cecilia Harrison, who had\nbeen waiting at the site, became worried and started back toward the station.\nThey soon came upon Mrs. Tobin's group. At this point Mirza Mazlum, apparently\ninspired by photographs showing young men carrying stones from the quarry at\nAshkhabad for the Baha'i Temple there, begged his companions to place the stone\non his back. He managed to progress another half block to an old, unoccupied\nfarmhouse, where they left the stone in the yard overnight. \n\n
\n\nVery early the next morning Nettie returned alone to the\nfarmhouse with a homemade cart and a fire shovel. When she tried to lift the\nstone into the cart, she broke the cart's handle and, in so doing, injured her\nwrist. A man nearby, responding to her difficulties, helped her to replace the\nstone in the cart and fixed the handle for her. After resuming her trek for a\nhalf block, she enlisted the aid of a newsboy, who helped her reach the west\ncorner of the land. As they dragged the cart across the two lots, it fell\napart, leaving the stone sitting amidst the rubble. Her deed accomplished,\nNettie said some prayers and left for home. \n\n
\n\nIn the months ahead the stone provided a focal point for\nBaha'i gatherings. Although ‘Abdu'l-Baha\nhad already sent a stone marker for the Temple site -- one possibly of the same\nmaterial as the Bab's marble sarcophagus, a gift of the Baha'is of Rangoon,\nBurma, but it didn’t reach the Temple grounds. Nor were reached other stones\nreportedly sent by Baha'is from various parts of the world. So, on the first\nday of May 1912 when ‘Abdu’l-Baha broke the ground, only Nettie Tobin’s contribution\nof the “stone which the builders refused” would be available to serve as the\nmarker dedicated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. After placing the stone in the\nhole, the Master pushed the earth around it and declared that ‘The Temple is\nalready built‘. \n\n
\n\nDuring\nthe years following that Event and the building of the Temple, the stone was\ncarefully preserved, and finally imbedded in the cement floor of the basement\nat the spot where 'Abdu'l-Baha dedicated it. \n\n
\n\nAs one\nvisits that sacred place and gazes at the unpolished, rough piece of natural\nrock and remembers its significance coupled with the greatness of the One Who\nblessed it by His Word and Presence, one gratefully recalls the faith and\neffort of the humble soul inspired to bring it there for that unique and remarkable\noccasion. \n\n(Adapted from ‘The Dawning Place, by Bruce Whitmore; ‘Mrs. Esther\nTobin’, by Albert Windust, ‘The Baha’i World 1944-1946’; ‘’Abdu’l-Baha in Their\nMidst’, by Earl Redman; ‘Corinne True, Faithful Handmaid of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’, by Nathan\nRutstein) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-stone-that-became-cornerstone-of.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-stone-that-became-cornerstone-of.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The story of ‘Abdu’l-Baha – Part 1: 1844-1908",
"slug": "bsbs-the-story-of-abdu-l-baha-part-1-1844-1908",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_aQtc0wMp3nh4xHHqNKG3g_brwj-n_2oetKdcLr1VjqZRQ6uoM1i-IEax9QO2cBzMIC0ZLHilPmoRYnP_jRF_M8ya25R56ghrXn7WhZzb-MnYx_wEWVqxftymjmyx6oeB4mxcVrQ2QQ/s200/Abdu%2527l-Baha+Adrianople-a-b-1.jpg\") \nThe life of 'Abdu'l-Baha is very significant among the\nlives of the past heavenly educators. If we study the history of the former\nmanifestations of God we realize that the first portion of their lives has been\nfree from anxiety and persecution, while the life of 'Abdu'l-Baha from the day\nof His birth has been one of vicissitude, trial and painful ordeals.
\n\n
\n\nMoreover, the enemies and foes of ‘Abdu'l-Baha, never ceased\nto plan and scheme to persecute and bring about his exile and banishment, and\nto annihilate His Revelation. And these people had more general power than the\nenemies of the former prophets. \n\n
\n\nOne of the Divine Allegorical incidents was that\n'Abdu'l-Baha was born in Teheran the same night upon which the Báb proclaimed\nHis Mission in Shiraz - that is, May 23rd, 1844. Baha'u'llah gave the name of\nHis father to 'Abdu'l-Baha. This name was Abbas but He always called Him Master\n– “Aqa” - even when He was a little child. \n \n\n
\n\nThe first few years of the life of 'Abdu'l-Baha were spent\namid the most tragic and dramatic events of the life of Baha'u'llah. He was the\ncenter of the movement, every tragic event revolved around Him and His home was\nthe rendezvous of all the Baha'is. All the news and all that transpired in the\nCause was brought to Him. His home was well known as the headquarters of the\nMovement and often groups of rowdies would throw stones and try to hurt the\ninmates. When 'Abdu'l-Baha was a little child groups of urchins would surround\nHim and try to stone Him. Even at the early age of eight or nine years\n'Abdu'l-Baha had already witnessed the plotting of the enemies and had seen the\nfriends martyred and guillotined. Up to this age He had seen many headstones of\nheroes and heroines who had gone to their death with radiant acquiescence. \n\n
\n\nMost of the time Baha’u’llah was absent from home traveling\nin the interest of the Cause, and visiting the friends in prison. His property\nwas confiscated and both day and night His household was in danger, so there\nwas no opportunity for 'Abdu'l-Baha to go to school and learn the things which\nother children have to learn.
\n
\n\n \nNevertheless, such deep and abiding attachment, such tender\nregard, solicitude and affection\nexisted and was evidenced between ‘Abdu'l-Baha and Baha’u’llah that even in\nthose early days some members felt deeply that 'Abdu’l-Baha would eventually\nunfold, develop and explain the teachings of Baha'u'llah.
\n\n
\n\nWhile Baha’u’llah was going about or in prison, at a tender\nage 'Abdu'l-Baha was the object of regard and reverence of His family; all\nlooked up to Him as the head of the family in spite of His youth. \n\n
\n\nAt the age of nine the great exile began. The government\nbanished Baha’u’llah with His family in 1852 to the city of Baghdad. During a\nlong cold part of the journey 'Abdu'l-Baha was so thinly clad, His toes were\nfrozen twice and the effect was felt by Him all the days of His life. Often\nwhen He was tired out during the hours of day or night His feet would itch and\nache. \n\n
\n\nDuring the twelve years of Baha’u’llah in Baghdad and\nSulaymaniyyih of Kurdistan and the cave of the Mount of Sar-galu where He went\ninto retirement for the purpose of uninterrupted communion with God,\n'Abdu'l-Baha was the cause of happiness to His family as well as its hope. \n\n
\n\nIn that period of time when ‘Abdu’l-Baha was between the age\nof nine and twenty He associated with many theologians, mystical and\nphilosophical groups. He opened the treasures of His innate knowledge among\nthem, He entered into those deep subjects and elucidated them in such a clear\nmanner that they marveled at His unlimited fund of information and asked Him\nfrom what source He had received it. He answered them in these symbolical\nwords: \"I received them from my Father.\" Therefore, they titled Him -\n\"Eminent Wise Youth.\" \n\n
\n\nThe physical general appearance of 'Abdu'l-Baha was very\npleasing. His face and form were beautifully proportioned and He was considered\na very handsome youth. He radiated a heavenly spiritual power and carried\nHimself with kingly dignity. As He walked along the streets people admired His\ncarriage and physique, He had such strength and power in His bearing. One of\nthe qualities of the character of 'Abdu'l-Baha even when He was a youth was His\ngreat spiritual fortitude. He had innate poise and balance which no vicissitude\ncould destroy; no one had ever seen Him angry and He was never moved or swerved\nby any outside influence. His physical endurance astonished everyone. He seemed\nlike a great ocean without a ripple on its surface. \n\n
\n\nAnother characteristic of 'Abdu'l-Baha worthy of emulation\nwas His extreme generosity. In this loving kindness He gave freely of\neverything He had. It is related that in the home of Baha'u'llah there was a\nbeautiful rug upon which He used to sit. One day a poor Arab brought a load of\nwood to the house. He saw the rug and was very much attracted by its beauty. He\nhandled it caressingly and exclaimed: \"Oh, how wonderful it must be to\nhave such a splendid rug to sit upon!\" 'Abdu'l-Baha heard him and said:\n\"If you like the rug, take it.\" The man would not believe it was\nreally a gift but for fear he would lose it he put it over his shoulder and\nbegan to run, looking back every few minutes to see if anyone was coming to\ntake it away from him. 'Abdu'l-Baha said, \"Go on, no one is going to take\nit away from you.\" ‘Abdu'l-Baha had a wonderful sense of humor. \n\n
\n\nWhen He was but a child He was taken to the mountains to see\nhis father's sheep. There were thousands of them; the shepherds gave Him a\nfeast. At the end of the day the chief shepherd came to 'Abdu'l-Baha and told\nhim He must make a present to the shepherds. 'Abdu'l-Baha said, \"I have\nnothing\"- the man said, \"But you must give something\"- So\n'Abdu'l-Baha said, \"What about the\nsheep?\" - and he gave them all the sheep. When Baha'u'llah heard this He\nlaughed and said, \"We will have to protect ‘Abdu'l-Baha from Himself, some\nday He will give Himself away.\" \n\n
\n\nAnother characteristic of 'Abdu'l-Baha was His sociability,\ncourtesy and politeness shown to all degrees of society. He associated with the\nhighest officials, and with people of all ranks, giving them His divine\nknowledge and thereby raising them to a\nhigher level of comprehension. Likewise, He went among the most lowly in the\nsame attitude. \n\n
\n\nIn the East people spend years and years of their time\ntrying to perfect themselves in penmanship. It is considered an art of the\nhighest order and a man will spend twenty to fifty years teaching people this\ncalling. 'Abdu'l-Baha's penmanship was so beautiful and so perfectly in\naccordance with all the sacred writings of the East that samples of His work\nwere used to copy from. His knowledge of the Arabian and Persian writing was so\ngreat that it seemed a miracle to the people though He never studied in His\nlife. \n\n
\n\nHis range of vision was miraculous, and when talking to\nArabs they felt the utmost reverence for Him. With philosophers and learned men\nHe carried on conversation which astonished them. Without previous study on any\nof these subjects He could understand and converse and raise the thought for\nthem to a much higher level than they themselves were able to reach. \n\n
\n\nWhen Baha’u’llah was sent forth to His second exile with His\nfamily and followers for four months and had to travel through the most\ninhospitable desert and villages in Mesopotamia, 'Abdu'l-Baha was constantly\nprotecting and helping Him. \n\n
\n\nDuring the exile of Baha’u’llah and His family for four\nmonths in Constantinople and five years in Adrianople, the spiritual attraction\nof 'Abdu’l-Baha in His association with many important people was manifested\nmore and more, and won them to Him in such a manner that they tried to remove\nthe difficulty of Baha'u'llah and help Him. For example, the Turkish Governor\nof Adrianople became so intensely interested that he spent days and nights\nlistening to His conversations. When the order came for the next exile he was\nunable to give it in person as he was too much affected by sorrow at parting\nand was obliged to send the summons by letter. \n\n
\n\nWhen Baha’u’llah and a group of His followers were exiled to\nAcre and were imprisoned in the barracks, as a result of the terrible climate\nof the city and the loss of nourishing food, the very unhealthy water and\nabominable conditions of the prison, they were all sick, and some of his\nfollowers were relieved by death. Through these dire conditions 'Abdu'l-Baha\nwas untouched by disease and continually ministered to the needs of the\nafflicted ones, giving them necessary remedies and cooking their food with his\nown hands. Thus, through His protecting ministrations they all recovered. \n\n
\n\nAfter these two years of the terrible imprisonment of\nBaha'u'llah in which no one of His followers was permitted to enter that city\nto visit Him, and the nine years following when Baha'u'llah was confined to one\nlittle house in Acre, through the instrumentality of 'Abdu'l-Baha and His\nassociation with eminent people Baha'u'llah was finally, at the end of eleven\nlong years of imprisonment and hardship, permitted to leave the dreadful city\nof Acca and go to a large comfortable house called Qasr-i-Bahji which had\nbeautiful gardens that were brought into existence by the efforts of\n'Abdu'l-Baha. In this beautiful place Baha'u'llah spent the rest of His days,\nbut 'Abdu'l-Baha remained in Acre with His family meeting everyone, attending\nto the solution of problems, interviewing statesmen, governors, lawyers, etc.,\nin regard to different cases. To Him all people came for the solution of their\ndifficulties. \n\n
\n\n'Abdu'l-Baha protected the Cause from all objections and\nopposition. Thus, Baha'u'llah was left free and unhampered to prepare His\nmessage for the world and His followers were now able to visit Him. \n\n
\n\nOne day of each week of His extremely busy life 'Abdu'l-Baha\nwent to visit Baha’u’llah at Bahji. On these occasions He always walked,\nthereby showing his attitude of humility towards His Father. But after\nBaha'u'llah told Him that He must ride, He obeyed Him. He would leave the city\nof Acre riding, but as soon as Qasr-i-Bahji came into view He would dismount and\nwalk. \n\n
\n\nOn the other hand, upon the recognized days of\n'Abdu'l-Baha's visits to Qas-i-Bahji, Baha'u'llah would watch for His coming\nfrom a second story window, and as soon as He saw Him approaching, He would\ncall to His household saying, \"The Master is coming, go and meet\nHim!\" No sooner would Father and Son meet than one would witness the\nutmost humility of the Son and utmost love and devotion of the Father, making\nthe most dramatic picture conceivable. At these times no one was permitted to\nenter during Their conversation, not even the family. No one could understand\nthis mystery between Son and Father. It makes one recall the words of the Bible\nwhere it is declared, \"The Father is in the Son and the Son is in the\nFather.\" There has never been in the world a relationship so sweet and\nperfect, with so much trust and confidence on both sides. In every way\n'Abdu'l-Baha was the prototype of Baha'u'llah. They were the same height, their voices were alike, and\ntheir manner of discerning. \n\n
\n\nThese were enough to make clear that the glory of God was\nshining in Him, and would continue to shine in Him after the ascension of His\nFather. Yet Baha'u'llah wrote in almost all of His writings, clearly as well as\nsymbolically, of His station. In the \"Tablet of Beirut\" He calls Him\nthe \"Mystery of God.\" Particularly, in the Most Holy Book He said\nemphatically that the people must turn their faces towards 'Abdu'l-Baha who was\nthe Branch of the everlasting tree. He also declared that 'Abdu'l-Baha held the\nkeys which would open the Holy Tablets and Holy Books. \n\n
\n\nFinally, He proclaimed the station of the Center of the\nCovenant, 'Abdu'l-Baha, in the Tablet of the Covenant, which He sealed and gave\n'Abdu'l-Baha. In nine days after the ascension of Baha'u'llah, in 1892, the\nseal was broken by 'Abdu'l-Baha amid the group of Baha'i friends and it was\nread by them. \n\n
\n\nThus 'Abdu'l-Baha ascended the throne of the Covenant of\nBaha'u'llah and the glory of His Father began to shine through Him, to guide,\nlike a shepherd the children of men to the oneness of God and the brotherhood\nof man. \n\n
\n\nVerily, it seemed that Baha'u'llah had not departed but His\nsovereignty was still living in the garment of servitude. The pen of\n'Abdu'l-Baha began to move for all the world, spreading the breath of life in\nthe utmost humility and kindness as did the pen of Baha'u'llah in the form of\nlordship and command. \n\n
\n\nNow at this time 'Abdu'l-Baha, with His great executive\npower, began to establish the Cause of God in the hearts of humanity. He sent\nmore teachers and workers to different parts of the globe, and a new life was\nmanifested among the friends. Thousands of epistles, perfect jewels of wisdom\nand knowledge concerning the affairs of life and about religion and divine\nphilosophy, were revealed by Him to the world. \n\n
\n\nAll these activities increased the envy of the enemies of\nthe Cause. They had thought that at the passing of Baha’u’llah everything would\ncome to an end. Now, however, witnessing the renewed power and strength in\n'Abdu'l-Baha they increased in activity and numbers, and a new group whose\njealousy had lain dormant in Baha'u'llah's lifetime now arose against\n‘Abdu'l-Baha. \n\n
\n\nThose who merely met Him visiting the prisons, entertaining\nthe governor, officials and other guests, and who saw the increasing number of\npilgrims from different countries, would hardly suspect that enemies of the\nCause existed; for though their persecution continued day after day for years.\n'Abdu'l-Baha tried to lead His enemies and those envious of Him with the utmost\nkindness into the path of unity and service. But their envy was too great, and\nthey paid no heed to His advice, opposing Him more and more, till at last\n'Abdu'l-Baha left Acre and His family and went alone to Tiberius and to\nElijah's cave in Mount Cannel, there to supplicate and commune with God. \n\n
\n\nHumanity always rejects its educators, choosing to follow\npersonal desires, even distorting religious teaching into an excuse for\ndisobedience, and those who are regarded as foremost in religious matters are\ndominated by their pride to deny a Saviour. Nearness to God and His\nManifestation is a spiritual union, not a physical relationship. A spiritual\nsoul, however remotely situated from a Manifestation, can nevertheless be more\nclosely attached to that Manifestation than anyone related only by ties of\nblood. The foremost followers of a religious teaching are like mirrors before a\nsun, but as their light is reflected and not self-created, should they turn\nfrom the sun their light will cease to shine. Thus, Baha'u'llah said, a\nspiritual Educator is a divine balance, and the people of the world are weighed\nby Him. \n\n
\n\nThe efforts of 'Abdu'l-Baha's enemies were known only to\nthose few who were intimately close to Him. In spite of the fact that\n'Abdu'l-Baha refrained for the time being from teaching the Cause of\nBaha'u'llah on account of official prejudice against it, the people through His\ncounsel and guidance began to recognize His great station. \n\n
\n\n'Abdu'l-Baha worked with such ease, assurance and poise that\nHe gave confidence to all who visited Him. The doors of His house were never\nclosed; they remained open from sunrise to sunset. All manner of people came to\nHim to adjust their problems. Men and women poured constantly in and out of the\nhouse, for 'Abdu'l-Baha was always ready to uplift and counsel the\ndowntrodden. \n\n
\n\nDifferent religious leaders and government officials came to\nHim to present their questions. Even the Arab Bedouins and their sheiks had the\ngreatest devotion and respect for Him, journeying great distances to see Him.\nThey regarded Him as a holy patriarch and received from Him gifts, both\nspiritual and material. Such was His influence that His simple word was\nwillingly obeyed by them when often governmental authority failed. \n\n
\n\nThe fame of 'Abdu'l-Baha's generosity and love became such a\nprotection that frequently visitors traveling through the desert to Him were\nnot only free from Bedouin attacks, but were also accorded safe conduct. \n\n
\n\nHis simplicity of life forbade His personal use of the\ncostly gifts pressed upon Him by His friends in many countries, and He\npreferred to pass on these offerings to people in need. \n\n
\n\nA wonderful sight at\nAcre was to be seen every Friday morning before the house of 'Abdu'l-Baha. From\nearly morning the square would be crowded with the poor, the aged, and\ncripples, men, women and children. 'Abdu'l-Baha would come out with some of His\nfriends, and the people would crowd round Him, yet reverently, like children\nround a father. He would move from one to another, speaking kindly advice and comfort and putting· money into their\nhands. He was especially kind to widows and their children. \n\n
\n\nIt was indeed a miracle that a prisoner, persecuted and\nfaced with opposition from so many powerful authorities, could thus gain such\ninfluence over all kinds of people with spiritual weapons only. As long as\n'Abdu'l-Baha lived the people felt perfect confidence in the future, no matter\nwhat happened. They felt He was a divine father to whom they could go at all\ntimes, a master to whom they could turn at any moment. He continually\nministered to their sufferings, often choosing to go on His errands of love at\nnight. \n\n
\n\nBut all the time His enemies had been watching their\nopportunity to vent their jealousy.\nThey secretly sent many false reports to the Government in Constantinople, and\ncirculated forged letters purporting to have been issued by 'Abdu'l-Baha. Each\ntime the governor or other officials of the prison city were changed, they\nwould bribe them to unite with them in their opposition to 'Abdu'l-Baha. But\nalthough disheartened by these continuous intrigues, 'Abdu'l-Baha's power rose\nsupreme above such hatred and won over those officials whom His enemies had\npersuaded to oppose Him. \n\n
\n\nDuring this time of persecution, surrounded by spies and\nenemies, 'Abdu'l-Baha accomplished the difficult task of having the remains of\nthe Báb brought from Persia to Haifa. He had constructed the shrine on Mount\nCarmel which was to be the resting place of the body of the Báb. This edifice\nwas made the subject of a new attack. With the cooperation of a few of the\nprison officials 'Abdu'l-Baha's opponents sent false information to the Government\nthat He was building a fortress on Mount Carmel and had so much influence with\nsurrounding and foreign powers that the Turkish Government would not be able to\nwithstand His power. This false report caused the Sultan such alarm that he\nordered 'Abdu'l-Baha to be either drowned or exiled to the heart of the African\ndesert. \n\n
\n\nHis friends, anxious for His safety, begged Him to leave\nAcre; but saying that it was His duty to stay, He sent them away to different\nplaces in Egypt, and disregarding all threats, remained with certain members of\nHis family in Acre. \n\n
\n\nWhen the Governmental Investigation Committee arrived in\nAcre the enemies of 'Abdu'l-Baha associated with them to induce them to make a\nfalse report. Accordingly, without visiting 'Abdu'l-Baha or finding out His\nversion, information was sent that the rumors were true. While these plots were\nprogressing and the atmosphere was tingling with suspicion, everyone was amazed\nto see that 'Abdu'l-Baha was planting trees and building a house as though nothing\nwould happen. \n\n
\n\nWhen the judge sent for 'Abdu'l-Baha to present Himself in\ncourt the sorrow of the friends was unbearable. They feared He might be taken\naway immediately and they would never see Him again. But 'Abdu'l-Baha reassured\nthem, saying that His greatest joy and happiness would be to be hanged there in\nHaifa. \n\n
\n\nBaha'u'llah had a wonderful felt cap or headdress which was\ncalled a crown and this had been treasured by 'Abdu'l-Baha after the ascension\nof the Blessed Perfection. Several times the friends had suggested that 'Abdu'l-Baha should wear this but He always replied, \"There would be but\none occasion to wear it - if I were to be crucified.\" At this time He\nasked the family to have the headdress ready. \n\n
\n\nWhen 'Abdu'l-Baha entered the court He found the charges and\nfalse testimony prearranged. After admonishing His accusers for persecuting the\nCause of Truth as had always been done in former ages He said, \"If you\ndesire to condemn me, I am ready and willing to sacrifice my life and will sign\nany indictment you prepare, for it will bring me great happiness to be martyred\nas were the promulgators of Truth before me.\" \n\n
\n\nJust at this darkest hour, when events were most ominous for\n'Abdu'l-Baha and the Cause, the whole situation changed with a miraculous\nsuddenness. The revolution of 1908, by the Young Turk Party, brought entire\nfreedom to Him who had been the world's Greatest Prisoner. \n\n
\n- Jinab-i-Fadil (Star of the West [The Baha’i Magazine],\nvol. 15, no. 3, 1924) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-story-of-abdul-baha-part-1-1844-1908.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-story-of-abdul-baha-part-1-1844-1908.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The story of how Abdu’l-Bahá blessed May and Sutherland Maxwell with a child – Mary (Ruhiyyih Khanum)",
"slug": "bsbs-the-story-of-how-abdu-l-baha-blessed-may-and-sutherland-maxwell-with-a-chil",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTd3X0HvlDcCpU2Cj1Vmcyeip3WifH-gk9xZqgGx1oSFoX8W7JQocFkn4BiGhUNCl8dyX-ThSUyeFxZqkZI5yjPFC_m2qQNyiH-3JkpiXjYf63LQtLUUJvGOYY2ZJ5D50exZuPWfBS4zU/s1600/May+Bolles+Maxwell+and+daughter+Mary-1.png\") The birth of Mary Sutherland Maxwell, on August 8th,\nin the Hahnemann Hospital, later known as The Fifth Avenue Hospital, in New\nYork City, was the hottest news to hit the North American Baha'i community in\nthe summer of 1910. \n\n
\n\nEver since May Bolles had accepted the Faith of Baha'u'llah,\nshe had been known and loved by all the early Baha'is as one of the foremost\ndisciples of 'Abdu'l-Baha; her husband, Sutherland Maxwell, was a distinguished\narchitect in Canada and their home in Montreal a place of culture and spiritual\nvitality. \n\n
\n\nWhen the Baha'is read the announcement: \"A little\ndaughter has come to bless the home of Mr. and Mrs. W. S. Maxwell of Montreal.\nCanada\", in Vol. 1, issue 9 of the Star of the West on August 20th,\nit must have caused many flutters of excited interest amongst them. There must\nhave been many who expressed their congratulations and sent their good wishes. \n\n
\n\nSeven months later May\nreceived a Tablet from ‘Abdu’l-Baha, the Center of the Covenant, in which He\nsaid: \n\n
\n\n“In the garden of existence a rose hath bloomed with the utmost\nfreshness, fragrance and beauty. Educate her according to the divine teachings\nso that she may grow up to be a real Baha’i and strive with all thy heart, that\nshe may receive the Holy Spirit.” \n\n \n
\nThe circumstances of her little girl's birth, when May was\n40 years old, were like a fairy tale and have been repeated, and frequently\ndistorted, since they were recorded in the early years of this century. May\nMaxwell gives us the original version in a letter she wrote to Agnes Alexander\n[who later became a Hand of the Cause], on May 7, 1910:
\n\n
\n\nMy Dearest Agnes, All of your dear letters have been\nreceived and . . . You must have wondered that I could remain so silent in\nspite of all your love and kindness but you will understand when I tell you\nthat this winter has been one of great physical weakness and suffering for me,\nso that I have been most of the time unable to write, or to make any effort. \n\n
\n\nA little more than a year ago when I was in Acca I was passing\none evening in the twilight in front of the Master's door. His daughter Rouha\nwas with me and in my arms I held her wee babe. I suddenly saw Our Beloved Lord\nframed in the doorway gazing attentively upon me - then He said-\"You love\nthat baby?\" \n\n
\n\n\"Oh! I love him,\" I replied-and after a pause Our\nLord said: \"Come here, come in here,\" and I stood before Him in His\nroom, with the baby in my arms and Rouha by my side. Then the Blessed one sat\nlooking at us; and He said to me: \"Would you like to have a baby?\"\nand I answered, \"I should be so happy to have one-\" and He said,\n\"Do you know why you never had one? It is because you were a chosen\nmaidservant of God - you were called for the service of God - you could not\nhave children because you had to devote your time to the service of the Cause.\nThis is the only reason; this is the only reason.\" \n\n
\n\nI stood with bowed head before Him and after a little silence\nHe said, \"Speak, do you choose to have a child, you may choose!\" \n\n
\n\nThen I looked at Him with all my heart and soul and adoration,\nand I said, \"I choose whatever God chooses - I have no choice but\nHis.\" Although those words were very simple - in them I renounced all hope\nof Motherhood. Then 'Abdu'l-Baha arose quickly and came to me and clasped me in\nHis arms with the greatest love and joy, and He said: \"That is the best\nchoice, the Will of God is the best choice\", and walking up and down the\nroom He continued, \"I will pray for you, that God will send you that which\nis best for you. Be sure of this, that God will send you that which is best for\nyou-\" and this He repeated several times. \n\n
\n\nThus ended this never-to-be forgotten scene - but I cannot describe\nits reality - the deep significance of those moments - the atmosphere of beauty\nand sanctity which pervaded the little room - the surrender of a soul in the Presence\nof the Lord - the quiet twilight on earth mingling with the effulgent purity\nand peace of the Kingdom of God. \n\n
\n\nAnd regarding the Adored One Himself - what can we say? Such\nlove - such wondrous love - revealed in Face and Voice and Eyes and Touch! A\nlove so tender to understand, so strong to redeem! He desired for me as for\nall, the highest and best - not the wayward mortal desiring not even the\nnatural human longings - not even the pure flower of Motherhood - but the\nsurrender of the soul to God by which alone it attains the apex of severance\nand sanctity, and becomes enkindled with the Fire of Eternal Love. \n\n
\n\nAnd so I have told you, my Agnes -- of one scene of those\ndivine and perfect days in the Kingdom of God and in time I shall hope to tell\nyou all . . . For those days live forever, far above the world - and I long to\nhave you and all the dear ones share their sacred fruits. And now my lamb I am\ngoing to confide to you a secret which is the sequel to what I have told you.\nOur dear Lord has favored His maidservant past all her hope, and by the pure\nshowers of His Bounty has watered the seed of life, and is bringing forth a\nchild. In a few months Inchallah, the babe He is sending to my husband and me\nwill be born, and I beg for your prayers, both for the little one and for myself\n- for I am not strong-nor young! and physically I am\npassing through some trials-and this winter I had a fall which nearly proved fatal. I have not told the friends even the\nmost intimate - but I wanted you to know - and I know you will keep my\nconfidence. \n\n
\n\nMay took her Lord's\ninjunctions to heart. She strove to educate her precious, God-given daughter\naccording to the divine teachings just as He had instructed her to do. She did\nher utmost to ensure that her little Mary should grow up \"to be a real\nBaha'i\" in order that she might indeed be able to \"receive the Holy\nSpirit\" just as the Master promised. \n\n(Adapted from ‘A Tribute to Amatu’l-Baha\nRuhiyyih Khanum’, by Violette Nakhjavani) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-story-of-how-abdul-baha-blessed-may.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-story-of-how-abdul-baha-blessed-may.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The story of how Baha’u’llah’s Father received the title of “Buzurg” - “the Great” – from the King of Persia",
"slug": "bsbs-the-story-of-how-baha-u-llah-s-father-received-the-title-of-buzurg-the-grea",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ8B2U2zkaXQ76rwBybTF6KPH2M9zV7rR_aWPTiku1-VJHM4gsWNDE-BxhVBHYLAL1hiU-YMsWPW1sS69HWDKnv5Vzh_Gdn-kE2oA9HDhumwuCiedjFq_-3i5ejV3ejYn4suTHc_6yqX4/s320/Sample+of+Mirza+Buzurg%2527s+calligraphy.jpg\") | \n\nSpecimen of the calligraphy of Mirza Buzurg \n | \n | \n\nThe father of Bahá'u'lláh was Mirza 'Abbas-i-Nuri. His\nfamily lived in the district of Nur, in the northern Persian province of\nMazindaran. \n\n
\n\nOne day during the reign of Fath-'Ali Shah, (the king of\nPersia from 1797 to 1834), the king was shown a masterpiece of calligraphy made\nby a very celebrated calligrapher who had passed away. Marvellous was the\nbeauty of that piece of handwriting, and Fath-'Ali Shah wondered if anyone\nliving in Persia could match its excellence. One of his sons mentioned the name\nof Mirza 'Abbas-i-Nuri. Thereupon king sent his representative to the District\nof Nur to show that masterpiece to Mirza ‘Abbas (Baha’u’llah’s father) and challenge\nhim if he could to produce its like. \n\n
\n\nUpon receiving that masterpiece, Mirza 'Abbas first produced\na piece like the original and then added some additional lines of his own, had\nthem suitably illuminated and presented to Fath-'Ali Shah. \n\n
\n\nThe Shah's admiration was boundless. A royal decree bestowed\nupon Mirza 'Abbas the name Mirza Buzurg, [the ‘Great’] and invested him with a\nrobe of honour - a garment which the monarch himself had worn. At the same time\nthe Shah exempted the people of the village of Takur, Mirza Buzurg’s home, from\nthe payment of taxes. A few years later, Mirza Buzurg was appointed vizier to the\ntwelfth son of Fath-'Ali Shah, who was the chief of the clans of the Qajar\ntribe, to which the royal family itself belonged. \n\n
\n\nMirza Buzurg prospered in the service of the State, until\nthe days of Muhammad Shah (reigned 1834-48), when he encountered the ill will\nof that monarch's notorious Prime Minister, Haji Mirza Aqasi, and lost his\nposition and much of his considerable wealth. \n\n(Adapted from ‘Baha’u’llah,\nThe King of Glory’, by Balyuzi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-story-of-how-bahaullahs-father.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-story-of-how-bahaullahs-father.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The story of how Mullá Husayn was able to discover Baha’u’llah in Tihran and have delivered to Him a scroll containing passages from the Writings of the Báb",
"slug": "bsbs-the-story-of-how-mulla-husayn-was-able-to-discover-baha-u-llah-in-tihran-an",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1r5Wow4sOCaoQFPSffN9Nv2COeVIorJ5jBSQf7H4j9n6Jr6j4cuFiCKj_xrcg1o4RbAzyi80vcgciWRmlDovTNCN2wJAUF0_LSF83iWIPPXK2CwtliYQhsMtJO-8ikpBmgMsZQIIpQc/s320/Tehran+circa+1930s.jpg\") | \n| Tehran circa 1930s | \n | \nMírzá Músá, Áqáy-i-Kalím, the brother of Bahá’u’lláh,\nrecounted to me [Nabil] the following:
\n\n
\n\n“I have heard Mullá Muhammad-i-Mu’allim, a native of Núr, in\nthe province of Mázindarán, who was a fervent admirer of both Shaykh Ahmad and\nSiyyid Kázim, relate this story: \n\n
\n\n‘I was in those days recognised as one of the favoured\ndisciples of Hájí Mírzá Muhammad, and lived in the same school in which he\ntaught. My room adjoined his room, and we were closely associated together. On\nthe day that he was engaged in discussion with Mullá Husayn, I overheard their\nconversation from beginning to end, and was deeply affected by the ardour, the\nfluency, and learning of that youthful stranger. I was surprised at the evasive\nanswers, the arrogance, and contemptuous behaviour of Hájí Mírzá Muhammad. \n\n
\n\nThat day I felt strongly attracted by the charm of that\nyouth, and deeply resented the unseemly conduct of my teacher towards him. I\nconcealed my feelings, however, and pretended to ignore his discussions with\nMullá Husayn. I was seized with a passionate desire to meet the latter, and\nventured, at the hour of midnight, to visit him. He did not expect me, but I\nknocked at his door, and found him awake seated beside his lamp. He received me\naffectionately, and spoke to me with extreme courtesy and tenderness. I\nunburdened my heart to him, and as I was addressing him, tears, which I could\nnot repress, flowed from my eyes. \n\n\n“I can now see,” he said, “the reason why I have chosen to\ndwell in this place. Your teacher has contemptuously rejected this Message and\ndespised its Author. My hope is that his pupil may, unlike his master,\nrecognise its truth. What is your name, and which city is your home?” “My\nname,” I replied, “is Mullá Muhammad, and my surname Mu’allim. My home is Núr,\nin the province of Mázindarán.” \n\n
\n\n“Tell me,” further enquired Mullá Husayn, “is there to-day\namong the family of the late Mírzá Buzurg-i-Núrí, who was so renowned for his\ncharacter, his charm, and artistic and intellectual attainments, anyone who has\nproved himself capable of maintaining the high traditions of that illustrious\nhouse?” \n\n
\n\n“Yea,” I replied, “among his sons now living, one has\ndistinguished Himself by the very traits which characterised His father. By His\nvirtuous life, His high attainments, His loving-kindness and liberality, He has\nproved Himself a noble descendant of a noble father.” \n\n
\n\n“What is His occupation?” he asked me. “He cheers the\ndisconsolate and feeds the hungry,” I replied. \n\n
\n\n“What of His rank and position?” “He has none,” I said,\n“apart from befriending the poor and the stranger.” \n\n
\n\n“What is His name?” “Husayn-‘Alí.” \n\n
\n\n“In which of the scripts of His father does He excel?” \n\n
\n\n“His favourite script is shikastih-nasta’liq.” \n\n
\n\n“How does He spend His time?” “He roams the woods and\ndelights in the beauties of the countryside.” \n\n
\n\n“What is His age?” “Eight and twenty.” \n\n
\n\nThe eagerness with which Mullá Husayn questioned me, and the\nsense of delight with which he welcomed every particular I gave him, greatly\nsurprised me. Turning to me, with his face beaming with satisfaction and joy,\nhe once more enquired: “I presume you often meet Him?” “I frequently visit His\nhome,” I replied. “Will you,” he said, “deliver into His hands a trust from\nme?” “Most assuredly,” was my reply. \n\n
\n\nHe then gave me a scroll wrapped in a piece of cloth, and\nrequested me to hand it to Him the next day at the hour of dawn. “Should He\ndeign to answer me,” he added, “will you be kind enough to acquaint me with His\nreply. \n\n
\n\nI received the scroll from him and, at break of day, arose\nto carry out his desire.’\" \n\n- Nabil ('The Dawn-Breakers', translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-story-of-how-mulla-husayn-was-able.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-story-of-how-mulla-husayn-was-able.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The story of Tahirih’s house arrest and her bold prediction of upcoming release",
"slug": "bsbs-the-story-of-tahirih-s-house-arrest-and-her-bold-prediction-of-upcoming-rel",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNP49sLlKcZrNOvg7TqFVG_55djStiNweHbG56ZOCnlUy3fTSqH6CZjQ16r4UhGAOZi7_hUmBW0kCxDpPzrXerj-RLo5RGuM1raF2CAcbkkJ25C7mY4dywXKfMc1pzppyI_C9smYa5T8/s1600/Paintings-62-1.jpg\") Upon their return from Karbila, [circa 1848] Tahirih and her\nfew companions were falsely accused of having been involved in the murder of\nher husband, Mullá Taqí, who was a fiercest opponent of the Báb’s teachings\nthat she was promoting. \n\n
\n\nNabil records: “The circumstances of the murder fanned to\nfury the wrath of the lawful heirs of Mullá Taqí, who now determined to wreak\ntheir vengeance upon Táhirih. They succeeded in having her placed in the\nstrictest confinement in the house of her father, and charged those women whom\nthey had selected to watch over her, not to allow their captive to leave her\nroom except for the purpose of performing her daily ablutions. They accused her\nof really being the instigator of the crime. ‘No one else but you,” they\nasserted, ‘is guilty of the murder of our father. You issued the order for his\nassassination.’” \n\n
\n\nFollowing devious schemes and false promises the kinsmen of\nmurdered Mullá Taqí managed to murder those few remarkable companions of\nTahirih, among them were “Mírzá Muhammad-‘Alí, one of the Letters of the Living\nand her brother-in-law, and Siyyid ‘Abdu’l-Hádí, who had been betrothed to her\ndaughter, travelled with her all the way from Karbilá to Qazvín.” (Nabil, ‘The\nDawn-Breakers’, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n
\n\nWhile “still in confinement, Táhirih, as soon as she was\ninformed of the designs of her enemies, addressed the following message to\nMullá Muhammad… the Imám-Jum’ih of Qazvín”: (ibid) \n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n “‘Fain would they put out God’s light with their mouths: but\nGod only desireth to perfect His light, albeit the infidels abhor it.’ [Qur’an\n9:33] If my Cause be the Cause of Truth,\nif the Lord whom I worship be none other than the one true God, He will, ere\nnine days have elapsed, deliver me from the yoke of your tyranny. Should He\nfail to achieve my deliverance, you are free to act as you desire. You will\nhave irrevocably established the falsity of my belief.” [The Imám-Jum’ih]…\nrecognising his inability to accept so bold a challenge, chose to ignore\nentirely her message, and sought by every cunning device to accomplish his\npurpose.” (Nabil, ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi)\n
\n\nNabil further explains: \n\n
\n\nIn those days, ere the hour which Táhirih had fixed for her\ndeliverance had struck, Bahá’u’lláh signified His wish that she should be\ndelivered from her captivity and brought to Ṭihrán. He determined to establish,\nin the eyes of the adversary, the truth of her words, and to frustrate the\nschemes which her enemies had conceived for her death. Muhammad-Hádíy-i-Farhádí\nwas accordingly summoned by Him and was entrusted with the task of effecting\nher immediate transference to His own home in Ṭihrán. Muhammad-Hádí was charged\nto deliver a sealed letter to his wife, Khátún-Ján, and instruct her to\nproceed, in the guise of a beggar, to the house where Táhirih was confined; to\ndeliver the letter into her hands; to wait awhile at the entrance of her house,\nuntil she should join her, and then to hasten with her and commit her to his\ncare. \n\n
\n\n“As soon as Táhirih has joined you,” Bahá’u’lláh urged the\nemissary, “start immediately for Tihrán. This very night, I shall despatch to\nthe neighbourhood of the gate of Qazvín an attendant, with three horses, that\nyou will take with you and station at a place that you will appoint outside the\nwalls of Qazvín. You will conduct Táhirih to that spot, will mount the horses,\nand will, by an unfrequented route, endeavour to reach at daybreak the\noutskirts of the capital. As soon as the gates are opened, you must enter the\ncity and proceed immediately to My house. You should exercise the utmost\ncaution lest her identity be disclosed. The Almighty will assuredly guide your\nsteps and will surround you with His unfailing protection.” \n\n
\n\nFortified by the assurance of Bahá’u’lláh, Muhammad-Hádí set\nout immediately to carry out the instructions he had received. Unhampered by\nany obstacle, he, ably and faithfully, acquitted himself of his task, and was\nable to conduct Táhirih safely, at the appointed hour, to the home of his\nMaster. \n\n
\n\nHer sudden and mysterious removal from Qazvín filled her\nfriends and foes alike with consternation. The whole night, they searched the\nhouses and were baffled in their efforts to find her. The fulfilment of the\nprediction she had uttered astounded even the most sceptical among her\nopponents. A few were made to realise the supernatural character of the Faith\nshe had espoused, and submitted willingly to its claims. Mírzá ‘Abdu’l-Vahháb,\nher own brother, acknowledged, that very day, the truth of the Revelation, but\nfailed to demonstrate subsequently by his acts the sincerity of his\nbelief. \n\n
\n\nThe hour which Táhirih had fixed for her deliverance found\nher already securely established under the sheltering shadow of Bahá’u’lláh.\nShe knew full well into whose presence she had been admitted; she was\nprofoundly aware of the sacredness of the hospitality she had been so\ngraciously accorded. As it was with her acceptance of the Faith proclaimed by\nthe Báb when she, unwarned and unsummoned, had hailed His Message and\nrecognised its truth, so did she perceive through her own intuitive knowledge\nthe future glory of Bahá’u’lláh. (Nabil, ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, translated and\nedited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n(Adapted from ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, by Nabil, translated and\nedited by Shoghi Effendi) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-story-of-tahirihs-house-arrest-and.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-story-of-tahirihs-house-arrest-and.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The story of the Báb",
"slug": "bsbs-the-story-of-the-bab",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_KMRabb5HRFp1X3LUmrde7cXLlkB_2BxwPmmC_torpdwev2amuhAIrm34RSNAXHJxeU4lfb_LoKnGImonDZz4hQXTgf_J5DrdRoqKGMKDKEItovipcqJLlRTfYClE6PNjpXZ6W7-dyo/s1600/Paintings-12-1.jpg\") 'Báb'\nmeans 'Gate’! The\nBáb was the Gate to a new Kingdom -- the Kingdom of God on earth. \n\n
\n\nThe Báb\nwas very young when He told people about the Message which God had given Him.\nHe was only twenty-five years old. A beautiful city in the south of Iran,\ncalled Shiraz, was the birthplace of the Báb. The people of Iran were Muhammadans,\nso He was given a name that was much used in that country. He was called Ali\nMuhammad, and was a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad Himself. The Báb's\nfather died soon after His birth, so He was placed under the care of His\nmaternal uncle. As a child He was sent to a teacher who taught the Qur'an and\nelementary subjects. But from His early childhood, the Báb was different from\nother children. He was always asking difficult questions and then giving the\nanswers Himself in a way that astonished His elders. Often when other children\nwere busy at play, He would be found wrapped in prayer under the shade of a\ntree or in some other quiet spot. \n\n
\n\nLater,\nwhen the Báb revealed His reality as a Manifestation of God, both His uncle and\nHis teacher believed in Him because they had known Him since His childhood, and seen the difference between Him\nand other children. His uncle even died as a martyr for the Cause of God\nrevealed through his Nephew, the Báb. \n\n
\n\nBefore\nthe Báb declared His Mission as a Messenger of God, there were two famous\nteachers who said that according to the Qur'an and the holy traditions, the\nPromised One of Islam would soon appear. These two teachers were Sheikh Ahmad and\nhis chief disciple Siyyid Kazim. Because they were holy men and very learned,\nmany people believed what they said and prepared themselves to receive the\nPromised One. \n\n \n
\nWhen\nSiyyid Kazim died, his followers scattered in different directions to find the\nPromised One. A number of them, under the leadership of a pious and learned\nyoung man, called Mulla Husayn; spent 40 days in prayer and fasting, and then\ntook the road to Shiraz.
\n\n
\n\nTheir\nprayers were answered. Near the gate of Shiraz, Mulla Husayn met a radiant\nyoung man who had come out to receive him. This young man was none other than\nthe Báb Himself. \n\n
\n\nHe\ninvited Mulla Husayn to His house and there, on the 23rd of May 1844, the Báb\ndeclared Himself as the Promised One. \n\n
\n\nMulla\nHusayn's heart had been drawn towards the Báb from the minute his eyes rested,\non Him outside the gate of Shiraz, but now that his Host made His great announcement,\nhe asked for some proof by which he could know Him as the promised One. The Báb\nsaid that no proof was greater than divine verses revealed by a Manifestation of\nGod. Then, taking up His pen and paper, He wrote down His first sacred Writing.\nThough He had not attended any school except for a brief period in His\nchildhood, the Báb, like all the other Manifestations, was endowed with a deep\nknowledge which was a gift of God. He wrote with great speed and, as He wrote,\nHe chanted the verses in a heavenly, mild voice. Mulla Husayn needed no further\nproof. With tears in his eyes, he prostrated himself before the Manifestation\nof God. \n\n
\n\nMulla\nHusayn was the Báb's first disciple. The Báb gave him the title of Bábu'l-Báb\nwhich ,means gate of Gate. That night was the beginning of a new era. The Baha'i\ncalendar starts from that year. \n\n
\n\nIt was\nnot long before many people came to believe in the Báb. Some met Him, some read\nHis holy Writings while others recognized Him through dreams and visions. \n\n
\n\nThe\nManifestation of God is like the sun. When the sun rises, everybody sees it\nexcept those who are fast asleep. Even the sleeping ones must sooner or later\ncome to know that the sun is shining. \n\n
\n\nThe\nMessage of the Báb was first given to the people of Iran. But the Muslims of\nother countries did not yet know that their Promised One had come. Therefore\nwhen thousands of Muslims from all countries gathered in Mecca for pilgrimage,\nthe Báb journeyed to this holiest spot of Islam to tell them that the object of\ntheir adoration had come and that He was their Promised One. Nobody listened to\nHim; but the Báb\nhad completed His announcement. \n\n
\n\nWhen\nthe Báb returned to His native land, He was met by a group of soldiers who had\ncome to arrest Him because the fanatical Mullas did not want the new Faith to\nspread. These Mullas made every effort to put out the Light of God which was\nburning in the breast of the Blessed Báb. From that day the Báb had to undergo\nmany hardships. \n\n
\n\nHis\nshort but brilliant life was mostly spent in prison after He had made His\nDeclaration. Twice He was sent to prisons built on very cold and forbidding\nmountains. But no chains or prisons could ever prevent the Call of God from\nspreading. When the Báb was ni prison,\nHis faithful followers spread His Message throughout the country, and during\nthat brief time thousands of people gave their lives for His Cause. \n\n
\n\nThe Báb\nwas still young, about 31 years of age, when they decided to kill Him. The Báb\nknew that He would be martyred in the path of God. He was glad to give His life\nso that the people of the world might come to understand the purpose of their\nlives and turn to God and His eternal kingdom. \n\n
\n\nThe day\nof His martyrdom was the 9th of July, 1850. In the morning, the officer who was\nin charge of the Báb's execution came to Him in the prison. The Báb was talking\nto one of His followers who was writing down His last instructions. The officer\ntold Him that the time had come for His execution and soldiers were ready in\nthe city square to carry out their orders. The Báb said that He had to finish\nHis conversation with His disciple, but the officer laughed and said that a\nprisoner could not choose to do as he wished. As the Báb was being taken away,\nHe said that no power on earth could harm Him until He had completed His\nMission in this world, and had finished what He intended to say. The officer paid\nno attention and took the Báb to the public square. At this time, one of the\ndisciples of the Báb, a young man named Muhammed Ali Zunuzi, rushed forward and,\nthrowing himself at the feet of his beloved Master, begged to be permitted to\ndie with Him. The officer tried to push him away but Muhammad Ali Zunuzi wept\nand entreated so much that he was obliged to take him also. \n\n
\n\nIn the\nsquare where the soldiers were waiting to shoot the Báb, a great crowd had\ngathered. They all watched while the Báb and His young disciple were tied in\nsuch a way that the head of the disciple rested on the chest of his Beloved.\nThen came the great moment. Drums were beaten, trumpets were sounded. And as\nthe sound of the trumpets died away, the terrible order was heard: \"Fire.\" \n\n
\n\nHundreds\nof soldiers who had taken aim, fired their guns. A huge cloud of smoke spread through\nthe whole place. The smell of gun-powder filled the air. After some time when the\nsmoke cleared, there came a great surprise. There was no trace of the Báb,\nwhile His faithful disciple was standing there unharmed. No one hew what to\nthink. Many people said that a miracle had happened and the Báb had gone up to\nheaven. The firing squad and their commander had never seen such an\nextraordinary thing happen before. Officers were sent in every direction to search\nfor the Báb. The same officer who had brought the Báb from the prison cell now found\naim sitting calmly at the same place, finishing His conversation which had been\nrudely interrupted. The Báb turned to the officer and smiled saying that His\nMission on earth was now completed, and that He was ready to sacrifice His life\nto the truth of His Mission. \n\n
\n\nThe Báb\nwas once more taken in to the square, but the commander of the firing squad\nrefused to have anything to do with His execution. He took his soldiers out of\nthe square and swore that nothing would make him take the life of such an\ninnocent and saintly youth. Another company of soldiers was found to carry out\nthe execution, and this time hundreds of bullets riddled the bodies of the Báb\nand His faithful disciple. His beautiful face, which was not scattered by the bullets, still bore a lovely smile\n- showing the peace and happiness of One who had given His life to proclaim the beginning of a new era for mankind. \n\n
\n\nThe Báb\nwas a great Manifestation of God. In all His Writings He said that the main purpose\nof His coming was to give the glad-tidings that very soon the Promised One of\nall ages would appear. He warned His followers to beware lest they failed to\nrecognize \"Him Whom God shall make manifest.\" He said that they should lady aside\neverything else and follow\nHim as soon as they heard His Message. \n\n
\n\nThe Báb\nwrote many payers beseeching God\nthat His own life\nmight be accepted as a sacrifice to the Beloved of His heart, the One \"Whom God shall make manifest.\"\nHe even referred in His Writings to the Order of Baha’u’llah, and said: \"Well is it with him who\nfollows Baha’u’llah.\" \n\n
\n\nThe Báb's\nprayers were answered and His promise was fulfilled. Nineteen years after His\nMission, Baha’u’llah openly declared that He was the Promised One Whose coming had\nbeen foretold by all the Manifestations of God in past ages.
\n(Hushmand Fathea’zam, ‘The New Garden’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-story-of-bab-by-hushman-fatheazam.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-story-of-bab-by-hushman-fatheazam.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The story of the Kitáb-i-Íqán (The Book of Certitude)",
"slug": "bsbs-the-story-of-the-kitab-i-iqan-the-book-of-certitude",
"summary": "In the whole range of Bahá'u'lláh's Writings, the Kitáb-i-Íqán (The Book of Certitude) has most importance, with the exception of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (The Most Holy Book). It was revealed in Baghdad…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"pilgrimage",
"martyrdom",
"teaching",
"children",
"family",
"holy-day",
"recognition",
"seeking",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"hope",
"justice",
"kindness",
"perseverance",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 13,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-story-of-kitab-i-iqan-book-of.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the whole range of Bahá'u'lláh's Writings, the Kitáb-i-Íqán (The Book of Certitude) has most importance, with the exception of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (The Most Holy Book). It was revealed in Baghdad about two years before His Declaration, in honour of Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad, the Báb's maternal uncle. The Báb had three maternal uncles. The first to embrace His Faith was Háji Mirza Siyyid Ali, known as Khal-i-A'zam (the Greatest Uncle). It was he who cared for the Báb and, after the passing of His father, was responsible for bringing Him up. Háji Mirza Siyyid Ali became aware of the spiritual qualities and superhuman powers which his Nephew manifested from an early age. He readily recognized the station of the Báb and became an ardent believer as soon as he became acquainted with His claims. Indeed, next to the Letters of the Living, he was the first person in Shiraz to acknowledge the divine origin of the Message of the Báb. From then on he devoted his life entirely to the promotion of the newly-born Faith and the protection of its youthful Founder. A few months before the martyrdom of the Báb, he was arrested and, upon refusing to recant his faith, was publicly martyred. He is one of the Seven Martyrs of Tihran. The eldest uncle, Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad, although fully aware of the outstanding qualities of his Nephew, was not converted to His Faith until he met Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdad and received the Kitáb-i-Íqán in answer to his questions. The third uncle was Háji Mirza Hasan-'Ali. For some years Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad carried out his business as a merchant away from home, in Bushihr (Bushire), in association with his brother Háji Mirza Siyyid Ali and his Nephew the Báb. When these two left for Shiraz he continued to work on his own and was still in Bushihr when the Báb declared His Mission to His first disciples. Later, when the Báb made His pilgrimage to Mecca, He travelled by way of Bushihr where He stayed at the home of Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad. He returned there some months later while journeying back to Shiraz. It was during these visits that Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad witnessed a transformation of spirit in the Báb and wrote about it to his own mother and sister (the mother of the Báb) in these words: “...His eminence Jinab-i-Háji [1] has safely arrived and I am pleased to spend my time in His presence. It seems advisable that He should stay in Bushihr for a short while; but please rest assured that soon He will depart for home... Truly, His bountiful soul is the source of felicity for the people of this world, and the next. He brings honour to us all…” Yet in spite of these remarks and of his unfailing admiration and respect for the Báb, Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad did not recognize His station for many years and remained uncommitted to His Cause. In the meantime, the martyrdoms of the Báb and His illustrious uncle in 1850 brought immense grief and shock to all the members of the family. The Báb's mother, Fatimih-Bagum, could no longer bear to live in her home in Shiraz and took up residence in far-off Iraq, in the city of Karbila, to be near the Shrine of Imam Husayn. Until the time Bahá'u'lláh arrived in Iraq after His imprisonment in the Siyah-Chal, and established contact with her, she remained unaware of the significance of the Message of the Báb. It was Bahá'u'lláh Who arranged for Háji Siyyid Javad-i-Karbila'i, [2] one of the distinguished early disciples of the Báb, accompanied by a devoted believer, the wife of a certain Shaykh Abdu'l-Majid-i-Shirazi, to meet with the mother of the Báb and demonstrate to her the truth of the Mission of her illustrious Son. This contact established by Bahá'u'lláh brought forth a wonderful response. Her soul was quickened and the glory of the new Faith of God founded by the Báb was unveiled before her eyes. Later she recognized the station of Bahá'u'lláh, embraced His Faith and remained steadfast till the end of her life. Although several of the Báb's kinsmen, including His wife, had accepted the Faith during the early days of His ministry, and thousands of His followers had laid down their lives in His path, nevertheless Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad was not absolutely convinced that the Báb, his Nephew, could be the Promised One of Islam. Several believers tried to dispel his doubts but their efforts did not win him over. Háji Mirza Habibu'llah, an Afnan who was one of the custodians of the House of the Báb in Shiraz, has recorded the following account by his father, Aqa Mirza Nuru'd-Din, a follower of the Báb, of a series of discussions which he held with Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad. These discussions appear to have been the turning-point in the spiritual life of the Báb's uncle: “...During the initial stages of our discussions Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad maintained a negative attitude and would repudiate any proof or argument that I put forward. These discussions lasted for several meetings. Once when I was talking with great fervour and conviction about the Faith, he turned to me in astonishment and exclaimed: ‘Are you really saying that my nephew is the promised Qá'im?' When I reaffirmed my belief that He was, Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad became perplexed and expressed his view that this was all very strange. He then began to meditate and was lost in thought. Seeing him in this reflective mood, I could not prevent myself from laughing. He asked my reason for laughing, but as it would reflect badly upon him I was reluctant to tell. However, he insisted, so I told him: 'Your view that your nephew cannot be the promised Qá'im is similar to the objection which Abu-Lahab [3] had. He also said \"how could it be possible for my nephew to become a prophet?\" But Muhammad was the true Prophet of God. Now it is up to you to investigate this Cause. You must be very proud that this Sun of Truth has dawned from your family and its Light shone forth from your home. Do not hold back from it and be not surprised. For God is able to make of your nephew the Promised One of Islam. Be assured that the hands of God are never tied.' “Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad was moved by these words. He said: 'This is an irrefutable answer. Now what shall I do?' I suggested to him that he might go as a pilgrim to the holy Shrines [4] in Iraq, where he could also visit his sister (the mother of the Báb) who had been living there since the martyrdom of her son, then go to Baghdad, attain the presence of Bahá'u'lláh, ask his questions of Him and put forward his difficulties. I urged him to persevere in his search and to rely upon God. I expressed the hope that the veils which now prevented him from seeing the truth might be lifted from his eyes and that he might attain to the true Faith of God... He agreed to my suggestion and said that he felt in his heart that this was the right course to take.” Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad thereupon wrote a letter to his youngest brother Háji Mirza Hasan-'Ali, who was a merchant in Yazd, acquainted him with his plans to visit the Shrines and their sister, and invited him to join him in the journey. Háji Mirza Hasan-'Ali accepted and asked his brother to wait until he joined him in Shiraz. They both travelled to Iraq via Bushihr. Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad, however, did not intimate the real purpose of his journey to his brother until they arrived in Baghdad. There he informed him that his primary object in travelling to Iraq was to investigate the authenticity of the Faith and then to visit the Shrines and the mother of the Báb. He invited his brother to remain in Baghdad for a short period so that they both could attain the presence of Bahá'u'lláh and afterwards proceed to visit the Shrines. On hearing this Háji Mirza Hasan-'Ali became angry and, although his junior in age, he spoke harshly to his brother. He warned that under no circumstances would he become a partner in these matters and that he did not wish to hear about the Faith. On that day he left Baghdad. When this happened, Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad decided to accompany his brother to the Shrines. It was on his return to Baghdad that he was taken to the house of Bahá'u'lláh where he attained His presence alone. This was in the year 1278 A.H. (A.D. 1862). Bahá'u'lláh's amanuensis, Mirza Aqa Jan, has described the circumstances which led to the revelation of the Kitáb-i-Íqán, in a Tablet addressed to Shaykh Abdu'l-Majid-i-Shirazi. He says that one day Háji Siyyid Javad-i-Karbila'i went to Bahá'u'lláh and informed Him that the two uncles of the Báb, having visited the holy Shrines in Najaf and Karbila, were now in Baghdad and would be returning home soon. Having ascertained from Háji Siyyid Javad that he had not discussed the Faith with them, Bahá'u'lláh lovingly admonished him for not being engaged in the teaching of the Cause. He then instructed him to invite the two brothers to come to His presence. The next day Háji Siyyid Javad arrived with the uncle of the Báb, Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad. The youngest brother did not come. The utterances of Bahá'u'lláh uplifted and overwhelmed the Báb's uncle as he sat in His presence. At the end he begged Bahá'u'lláh to clarify the truth of the Báb's Message, bearing in mind that, in his view, some of the traditions of Islam concerning the promised Qá'im were apparently not fulfilled by his Nephew. To this Bahá'u'lláh readily consented. He bade him go home and, after careful consideration, make a list of all the questions which had puzzled him and all the traditions which had bred doubts in his mind, and to bring these to Him. The following day Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad arrived with his questions. He worded them under four headings, namely: 1. The Day of Resurrection. Is there to be corporeal resurrection? The world is replete with injustice. How are the just to be requited and the unjust punished? 2. The twelfth Imam was born at a certain time and lives on. There are traditions, all supporting the belief. How can this be explained? 3. Interpretation of holy texts. This Cause does not seem to conform with beliefs held throughout the years. One cannot ignore the literal meaning of holy texts and scripture. How can this be explained? 4. Certain events, according to the traditions that have come down from the Imams, must occur at the advent of the Qá’im. Some of these are mentioned. But none of these has happened. How can this be explained? This was the gist of the questions presented to Bahá’u’lláh, by the uncle of the Báb. Within the span of two days and two nights the Kitáb-i-Íqán, a lengthy epistle (of over two hundred pages) dealing with all his questions, was revealed by Bahá'u'lláh. In the early days this book was known as Risaliy-i-Khal (Epistle to the Uncle) but later Bahá'u'lláh designated it as the Kitáb-i-Íqán. Among the papers which are preserved in the family of the Afnan are the questions which Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad presented to Bahá'u'lláh. They are written on two sheets in his own hand and are under four headings, all dealing with the coming of the promised Qá'im. The sincerity of the uncle of the Báb in seeking the truth is evident in his questions. Repeatedly he begs Bahá'u'lláh to dispel his doubts so that his heart may be assured and he may acquire absolute faith and certitude in the Cause of the Báb. Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad was so affected by meeting Bahá'u'lláh that he immediately wrote a letter to His son, Háji Mirza Muhammad-Taqi, in which he said: “...I attained the presence of His Honour Baha (may peace be upon Him) and I wish you could have been present! He treated me with the utmost affection and favour and graciously asked me to stay for the night. It is an absolute truth that deprivation from His bounteous presence is a grievous loss. May God bestow upon me the privilege of attaining His presence perpetually...” The Kitáb-i-Íqán dispelled every doubt that Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad had harboured in his mind. As a result of reading this book he reached the stage of certitude and recognized the station of the Báb. In his will, written some years later, he declared his faith, acknowledged the authenticity of the Messages of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh and identified himself as a follower of these twin Manifestations of God. As to Háji Mirza Siyyid Hasan-'Ali, the youngest uncle of the Báb, he returned to Yazd without meeting Bahá'u'lláh. Some years later, however, through the devoted efforts of his wife's brother, he too accepted the Faith and remained steadfast throughout his life. Indeed, all the family of the Báb including His mother, His wife, His uncles and their children (designated as Afnan) embraced the Faith. This was actually prophesied by the Báb Himself, for He had said that God through His bounty would guide all His family to recognize the truth of His Cause. The original copy of the Kitáb-i-Íqán, which Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad received, was transcribed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá Who was then eighteen years of age. In the margins of a few pages Bahá'u'lláh has, in His own hand, made some corrections and towards the end of the book has written this passage: Amidst them all, We stand, life in hand, wholly resigned to His will; that perchance, through God's loving kindness and His grace, this revealed and manifest Letter[Bahá'u'lláh] may lay down His life as a sacrifice in the path of the Primal Point,[ The Báb] the most exalted Word. By Him at Whose bidding the Spirit hath spoken, but for this yearning of Our soul, We would not, for one moment, have tarried any longer in this city. 'Sufficient Witness is God unto Us.' For many years this original copy of the Kitáb-i-Íqán remained with the family of Háji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad, until in 1948 his great-granddaughter Fatimih Khanum-i-Afnan presented it to Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Faith. It reached him a few years later and was placed in the Bahá'í International Archives Building on Mount Carmel, Haifa [1] The Báb was referred to as Háji because of His pilgrimage to Mecca. [2] An eminent divine of great learning who became a devoted follower of the Báb in the first year of His Declaration, and later recognized the station of Bahá'u'lláh and embraced His Faith. [3] An uncle of Muhammad who refused to acknowledge His Prophethood and was hostile to Him. [4] Some of the Imams of Shí'ah Islam, including Imam Husayn, are buried in Karbila, Najaf, Kazimayn and Samarra. (Adapted from ‘The Revelation of Baha'u'llah vol. 1’, by Adib dib Taherzadeh, and ‘Baha’u’llah, The King of Glory’, by Hand of the Cause Balyuzi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-story-of-kitab-i-iqan-book-of.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-story-of-kitab-i-iqan-book-of.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The story of two brothers - “two most blessed souls”: their virtues are praised by ‘Abdu’l-Baha",
"slug": "bsbs-the-story-of-two-brothers-two-most-blessed-souls-their-virtues-are-praised-",
"summary": "![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbzs5gFafynYwj9cutiJBxr6thXCCHtEZqYVRp2JV1vicFhEQ1i3x4JjcrY4OUgVpChcUoQRgtLYhW0u3ARqOP5JeQmlOKVDKBMExm3uGnjy3A6JBNTh0ETzRUWo40xULM5ZNaGCxOS4/s1600/Paintings-59-1.jpg\") ...Among those who left their homeland were two\ncarpenters, Ustád Báqir and Ustád Ahmad. These two were brothers, of pure\nlineage, and natives of Káshán. From the time when both became believers each\nheld the other in his embrace. They harkened to the voice of God, and to His\ncry of “Am I not your Lord?” they replied, “Yea, verily!”
\n\n
\n\nFor a time they stayed on in their own country, occupied\nwith the remembrance of God, characterized by faith and knowledge, respected by\nfriend and stranger alike, known to all for righteousness and trustworthiness,\nfor austerity of life and the fear of God. When the oppressor stretched forth\nhis hands against them, and tormented them beyond endurance, they emigrated to\n‘Iráq, to the sheltering care of Bahá’u’lláh. They were two most blessed souls.\nFor some time they remained in ‘Iráq, praying in all lowliness, and\nsupplicating God. \n\n
\n\nThen Ustád Aḥmad departed for Adrianople, while Ustád Báqir\nremained in ‘Iráq and was taken as a prisoner to Mosul. Ustád Ahmad went on with\nthe party of Bahá’u’lláh to the Most Great Prison, and Ustád Báqir emigrated\nfrom Mosul to Akká. Both of the brothers were under the protection of God and\nfree from every earthly bond. In the prison, they worked at their craft,\nkeeping to themselves, away from friend and stranger alike. Tranquil,\ndignified, confident, strong in faith, sheltered by the All-Merciful, they\nhappily spent their days. Ustád Báqir was the first to die, and some time\nafterward his brother followed him. \n\n
\n\nThese two were firm believers, loyal, patient, at all times\nthankful, at all times supplicating God in lowliness, with their faces turned\nin His direction. During that long stay in the prison they were never\nneglectful of duty, never at fault. They were constantly joyful, for they had\ndrunk deep of the holy cup; and when they soared upward, out of the world, the\nfriends mourned over them and asked that by the grace of Bahá’u’lláh, they\nshould be favored and forgiven. These two were embosomed in bounty, and\nDivinely sustained, and the Blessed Beauty was well pleased with them both;\nwith this provision for their journey, they set out for the world to come. Upon\nthem both be the glory of God the All-Glorious; to each be a seat of truth in\nthe Kingdom of Splendors. \n\n- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk; ‘Memorials of the\nFaithful’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-story-of-two-brothers-two-most.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-story-of-two-brothers-two-most.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The sudden arrest of the Báb and its agonizing impact on His wife – as recalled by Khadijih Bagum",
"slug": "bsbs-the-sudden-arrest-of-the-bab-and-its-agonizing-impact-on-his-wife-as-recall",
"summary": " …I will relate the incident of His capture briefly.
\n…I will relate the incident of His capture briefly. \n\n
\n\nOne night we were asleep. [the year was 1846] Suddenly, the\nchief of police, the accursed 'Abdu'l-Hamid Khan, entered with his men through the\nroof of the house and seized the Báb, who was clad only in a thin robe. They\ntook Him away without any explanation. I never saw Him again. \n\n
\n\nI cannot describe the terrible trials, ordeals, and\ndifficulties that occurred after this. I did not see even one of His friends or\nfollowers after his arrest. The doors were shut on all sides, and communications\nwere cut off completely. \n\n
\n\nOne day I saw that Shiraz was in turmoil. [the year was 1850]\nThe populace was in an uproar and I could hear the loud noises of bugles and\ntrumpets. People were saying that the heads of the martyrs of Nayriz had been\nbrought into the city. The next day, with the same tumult and violence, those\ncaptured at Nayriz were paraded through the city. How I longed to meet a\nrelative of one of those prisoners, but it was impossible. Two of the captives\ncame to our house in the guise of beggars, but no one dared speak to them. \n\n
\n\nBut time passed and so did those events. Now [circa 1870] you\nhave come to visit us, and we can speak of any matter without fear. \n\n(Khadijih\nBagum, quoted by Munirih Khanum, the wife of ‘Abdu’l-Baha; ‘Munirih Khanum:\nMemories and Letters’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-sudden-arrest-of-bab-and-its.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-sudden-arrest-of-bab-and-its.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The tragic death of Mirza Mihdi, “The Purest Branch”",
"slug": "bsbs-the-tragic-death-of-mirza-mihdi-the-purest-branch",
"summary": " \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfsOax0pAayQCsEdtk1-UzQpQHaplx2czOuHAYIxb90_vc23L5aODsbQ_hMtRSOSqCNChTeGgIzUdfJLXb6ubiXwy6r81nC7g6IJyt41qtesuWmhoeeNmlVRckKGFkBH-P_jhAW7D0XA/s1600/Mirza+Mihdi-a-1.jpg\") \n \n
\n \nIn 1848, at a time when the followers of the Báb were\nengulfed by sufferings and persecutions, a son had been born in Tihran to\nBahá'u'lláh and His illustrious wife Asiyih Khanum, entitled Navvab. He was four\nyears younger than 'Abdu'l-Bahá and was given the name 'Mihdi', after a brother\nof Bahá'u'lláh who was dear to Him and had died a year before. Later the Pen of\nthe Most High bestowed upon this son the title 'Ghusnu'llahu'l-Athar' (The\nPurest Branch). \n \n
\n \nUnlike 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Mirza Mihdi could not remember much of\na life of luxury in Tihran, for when he was just over four years of age His\nfather had been imprisoned in the Siyah-Chal, and all His possessions plundered\nand seized by the enemies of the Cause. During the four months that Bahá'u'lláh\nlay in that horrible dungeon, the Holy Family spent their days in anguish and\nfear, not knowing what would happen to Him. Often frightened and anxious, this\nchild, tender in age and delicate by nature, found his only shelter and refuge\nwithin the arms of a loving and devoted mother. But Providence deprived him of\nthis also. As the journey to Baghdad, undertaken in the severe cold of the\nwinter, was laden with hardships and dangers unbearable for a child as delicate\nas Mirza Mihdi, he had to be left behind in Tihran in the care of relatives.\nFor about seven years he tasted the agony and heartbreak of separation from his\nbeloved parents. \n \n \n It seems that at this early age, his soul was being prepared\nby the Almighty through pain and suffering to play a major part in the arena of\nsacrifice and to shed an imperishable lustre upon the Cause of his heavenly\nFather.\n \n
\n \nMirza Mihdi was taken to Baghdad to join the Family in the\nyear AH 1276 (circa AD 1860). It was in that city that this pure and holy\nyouth, noted for his meekness, came in touch with the Divine Spirit and was\nmagnetized by the energizing forces of Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation. From that time\non, he devoted every moment of his life to the service of his heavenly Father.\nHe was Bahá'u'lláh's companion in Baghdad, Adrianople and 'Akká, and served Him\nas one of His an amanuensis towards the end of his life, leaving to posterity\nsome Tablets in his handwriting. The last ten years of his life were filled\nwith the hardship and suffering inflicted on Bahá'u'lláh and His companions in\nthe course of the three successive banishments from Baghdad to 'Akká. \n \n
\n \nThe Purest Branch resembled 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and throughout his\nshort and eventful life he displayed the same spiritual qualities which\ndistinguished his illustrious Brother. The believers loved and venerated him as\nthey did 'Abdu'l-Bahá. \n \n
\n \nIn 'Akká, the Purest Branch lived in the barracks near his\nFather. Often he attained the presence of Bahá'u'lláh late in the afternoon to\nact as His amanuensis. On 22 June 1870, early in the evening, Bahá'u'lláh\ninformed His son that he was not needed that day to write and that instead he\ncould go up on the roof for prayer and meditation as was his custom. It was a\nnormal practice of the prisoners to go on the roof for fresh air in the evening\nof a hot summer day. The Purest Branch had often paced up and down that roof\nchanting prayers and meditating. But on that fateful evening as he chanted the\nverses of the Qasídiy-i-Varqá'íyyih, one of Bahá'u'lláh's most moving poems\nrevealed in Kurdistan, he was carried away in a state of utter detachment and\njoy. As he paced along that familiar space wrapped in his customary meditations\nwith his eyes closed, he fell through an open skylight on to an open crate lying\non the floor below. He was badly wounded, and bled profusely. He was so\nterribly injured that they had to remove his clothes by tearing them from him.\nThe following is a summary of an account given by Husayn-i-Ashchi, the cook in\nBahá'u'lláh's household, and a devoted believer. In this he describes the\ntragic circumstances of the fall and death of the Purest Branch: \n \n
\n \n\"It is not possible for anyone to visualize the measure of humility\nand self-effacement and the intensity of devotion and meekness which the Purest\nBranch evinced in his life. He was a few years younger than the Master, but\nslightly taller than him. He used to act as Bahá'u'lláh's amanuensis and was\nengaged in transcribing the Writings... When he had finished writing he was in\nthe habit of going on to the roof of the barracks for prayers. There was a\nskylight, an opening in the middle of the roof near where the kitchen was\nsituated. As he was pacing in a state of prayer, attracted to the Kingdom of\nAbha, with his head turned upwards, he fell through the skylight down on some\nhard objects. The terrific loud sound of the impact made us all run to the scene\nof the tragedy where we beheld in astonishment what had happened as decreed by\nGod, and were so shocked as to beat upon our heads. Then the Ancient Beauty\ncame out of his room and asked what he had done which caused his fall. The Purest\nBranch said that he knew the whereabouts of the skylight and in the past had been\ncareful not to come near it, but this time it was his fate to forget about it. \n \n
\n \n\"We carried his precious person to his room and called a doctor\nwho was an Italian, but he could not help... In spite of much pain and agony,\nand being weak, he warmly greeted those who came to his bedside, showered an abundance\nof love and favours upon them and apologized to everyone, saying he was ashamed\nthat while they were all sitting, he had to lie down in their presence...\" \n \n
\n \nMembers of the Holy Family and some of the companions\ngathered around him and all were so distressed and grief-stricken that\n'Abdu'l-Bahá with tearful eyes entered the presence of Bahá'u'lláh, prostrated\nHimself at His feet and begged for healing. Bahá'u'lláh is reported to have\nsaid 'O my Greatest Branch, leave him in the hands of his God.' He then\nproceeded to the bedside of his injured son, dismissed everyone from His\npresence and stayed beside him for some time. Although no one knows what took\nplace in that precious hour between the lover and the Beloved, we can be sure\nthat this son of Bahá'u'lláh, whose devotion and love for the Cause of His\nFather knew no bounds, must have been exhilarated by the outpouring of bounties\nand love from his Lord. …we can appreciate how the Purest Branch must have felt\nwhen his Father went to his bedside. What expressions of devotion, love and\nthanksgiving must have passed through his lips on that occasion, we cannot\nimagine. All we know is that Bahá'u'lláh, having the power of life and death in\nHis hands, asked His dying son whether he wished to live. He assured him that\nif this was his wish God would enable him to recover and grant him good health.\nBut the Purest Branch begged Bahá'u'lláh to accept his life as a ransom for the\nopening of the gates of the prison to the face of the many believers who were\nlonging to come and enter the presence of their Lord. Bahá'u'lláh accepted his\nsacrifice and he died on 23 June 1870, twenty-two hours after his fall. \n \n
\n \nThe death of the Purest Branch within the confines of the\nprison created a bitter commotion among the companions who lamented the loss of\none of the most illustrious among the family of Bahá'u'lláh. The following is a\nsummary of Husayn-i-Ashchi's notes: \n \n
\n \n\"When the Purest Branch passed away, Shaykh Mahmud begged the\nMaster to allow him to have the honour of washing the body and not to let\nanyone from the city of 'Akká perform this service. The Master gave permission.\nA tent was pitched in the middle of the barracks. We placed his blessed body\nupon a table in the middle of the tent and Shaykh Mahmud together with Mirza\nHasan-i-Mazindarani, a cousin of Bahá'u'lláh, began the task of washing the\nbody. The loved ones of God were wailing and lamenting with tearful eyes and,\nlike unto moths, were circling around that candle which the hands of God had lighted.\nI brought water in and was involved in washing the body. The Master was pacing up\nand down outside the tent. His face betrayed signs of deep sorrow... \n \n
\n \n\"The body after being washed and shrouded was placed inside a\nnew casket. At this moment the cry of weeping and mourning and sore lamentation\nrose up to the heavens. The casket was carried high on the shoulders of men out\nof the barracks with utmost serenity and majesty. It was laid to rest outside\n'Akká in the graveyard of Nabi Salih... At the time of returning to the barracks\nan earth tremor shook the area and we all knew that it was the effect of the\ninterment of that holy being.\" \n \n
\n \nNabil-i-A'zam has said that two of the believers who were in\nNazareth also felt the earth tremor. It lasted for about three minutes and\npeople were frightened. Later when they heard the news of the death of the\nPurest Branch they realized that it coincided with the timing of his burial and\nthen they knew the reason for it. Bahá'u'lláh, in one of His Tablets referring\nto the Purest Branch, confirms the cause of the earth tremor in these words: \n \n
\n \n“Blessed art thou and blessed he that turneth unto thee, and\nvisiteth thy grave, and draweth nigh, through thee, unto God, the Lord of all\nthat was and shall be... I testify that thou didst return in meekness unto\nthine abode. Great is thy blessedness and the blessedness of them that hold\nfast unto the hem of thy outspread robe... Thou art, verily, the trust of God\nand His treasure in this land. Erelong will God reveal through thee that which\nHe hath desired. He, verily, is the Truth, the Knower of things unseen. When\nthou wast laid to rest in the earth, the earth itself trembled in its longing\nto meet thee. Thus hath it been decreed, and yet the people perceive not... Were\nWe to recount the mysteries of thine ascension, they that are asleep would\nwaken, and all beings would be set ablaze with the fire of the remembrance of\nMy Name, the Mighty, the Loving.” (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in a\nmessage dated December 21, 1939; ‘Messages to America’) \n \n(Adapted from ‘The Revelation of Baha'u'llah vol. 3’, by\nAdib Taherzadeh) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-tragic-death-of-mirza-mihdi-purest.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-tragic-death-of-mirza-mihdi-purest.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The youthful handsome sage",
"slug": "bsbs-the-youthful-handsome-sage",
"summary": " Bahiyyih Khanum, the daughter of Baha’u’llah, recalled many years later that during their time in Baghdad ‘Abdu’l-Baha “was accustomed to frequent the mosques and have…",
"figures": [],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"teaching",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-youthful-handsome-sage.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n\nBahiyyih Khanum, the\ndaughter of Baha’u’llah, recalled many years later that during their time in\nBaghdad ‘Abdu’l-Baha “was accustomed to frequent the mosques and have\ndiscussions with the religious doctors and learned men. They were astonished at\nhis knowledge and insights, and he came to be known as the youthful sage. They\nwould ask him, ‘Who is your teacher -- where do you learn the things which you\nsay?’ His reply was that his father had taught him. Although he had never been\na day in school, he was as proficient in all that was taught as well-educated\nyoung men, which was the cause of much remark among those who knew him. In\nappearance my brother was at this time a remarkably fine-looking youth. He was\nnoted as one of the handsomest men in Baghdad.” \n\n(Adapted from ‘Life and\nTeachings of Abbas Effendi’ by Myron H. Phelps) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-youthful-handsome-sage.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-youthful-handsome-sage.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "This is not an ordinary child, verily this is a precious and darling angel!",
"slug": "bsbs-this-is-not-an-ordinary-child-verily-this-is-a-precious-and-darling-angel",
"summary": "Dr. Baghdadi [an intimate of the Holy family who years later wrote a book about the time he spent with the family of Abdu’l-Baha] recounts how, on one…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Bahíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2012/12/this-is-not-ordinary-child-verily-this.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDr. Baghdadi [an intimate of the Holy family who years later wrote a book about the time he spent with the family of Abdu’l-Baha] recounts how, on one of these visits [to Beirut] when Shoghi Effendi, a child of five or six years of age, accompanied his parents, the Greatest Holy Leaf and other members of the family there, he spent most of his time in Dr. Baghdadi's room, looking at the pictures in his medical books and asking questions. It seems Shoghi Effendi wanted to see something actually dissected; he was not satisfied with just pictures. This zeal for knowledge (and no doubt those large eyes, so insistent and intelligent) quite won over the young medical student who had a victim provided - a large wildcat - and proceeded to cut it up in front of Shoghi Effendi, one of his aunts and the servant who had shot it. They watched in absorbed silence. When it was over, and Dr. Baghdadi was asking himself how such a small child could have understood what it was all about, he was astonished to hear Shoghi Effendi recapitulating word for word the salient points of what he had described during his dissection. \"I said to myself,\" Dr. Baghdadi then writes, \"this is not an ordinary child, verily this is a precious and darling angel!\" As one of Shoghi Effendi's subjects in 1916 was zoology, he must have recalled his first early lesson in anatomy.
\n(Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl)\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2012/12/this-is-not-ordinary-child-verily-this.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2012/12/this-is-not-ordinary-child-verily-this.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "\"...thousands of worlds of incomparable splendor were unveiled to my eyes…” - a spiritual experience by a youth",
"slug": "bsbs-thousands-of-worlds-of-incomparable-splendor-were-unveiled-to-my-eyes-a-spi",
"summary": " Mirza Aqa Jan embraced the religion of the Báb when he was about sixteen years old and became instantly “aflame with devotion.” \nMirza Aqa Jan embraced the religion of the Báb when he was about\nsixteen years old and became instantly “aflame with devotion.” He was neither learned nor rich\nand made his living in his hometown of Kashan making and selling soap. Soap-making\nwas a humble trade in those days, often carried out at home by people who were\nnot well educated. \n\n
\n\nMirza Aqa jan\nwas also a seeker of truth who had seen the Báb in his dreams and believed in\nHim. He had also read the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and felt the urge to attain\nHis presence. He left his home in Kashan unexpectedly and traveled to\nIraq. \n\n
\n\nWhen he reached Baghdad, he learned that Bahá’u’lláh was\nvisiting the Babís in the neighboring town of Karbila and where He was the\nguest of one of the resident Bábis. This was before Baha’u’llah’s Declaration\nin the Garden of Ridvan. Mirza Aqa Jan followed Baha’u’llah to Karbila. \n\n
\n\nBahá’u’lláh liked to spend the hot summer nights on the flat roof of the house, as people often\ndid. There He chanted His prayers under a canopy of stars and slept in the fresh\nnight air. \n\n
\n\nOne night Bahá’u’lláh invited Mirza Aqa Jan who had just arrived in Karbala to join Him on the roof. Bahá’u’lláh was already sleeping when Mirza Aqa jan spread out his bedding nearby on a carpet and lay down for a brief rest. \n\n
\n\nMany\nyears later, Mirza Aqa jan related the following amazing account to the great\nBaha’i historian, Nabil: \n\n \n
\n\"As it was summer-time, Bahá'u'lláh was in the habit of\npassing His evenings and of sleeping on the roof of the House.... That night,\nwhen He had gone to sleep, I, according to His directions, lay down for a brief\nrest, at a distance of a few feet from Him. No sooner had I risen, and ...\nstarted to offer my prayers, in a corner of the roof which adjoined a wall,\nthan I beheld His blessed Person rise and walk towards me. When He reached me\nHe said: 'You, too, are awake.' Whereupon He began to chant and pace back and\nforth. How shall I ever describe that voice and the verses it intoned, and His\ngait, as He strode before me! Methinks, with every step He took and every word\nHe uttered thousands of oceans of light surged before my face, and thousands of\nworlds of incomparable splendor were unveiled to my eyes, and thousands of suns\nblazed their light upon me! In the moonlight that streamed upon Him, He thus\ncontinued to walk and to chant. Every time He approached me He would pause,\nand, in a tone so wondrous that no tongue can describe it, would say: 'Hear Me,\nMy son. By God, the True One! This Cause will assuredly be made manifest. Heed\nthou not the idle talk of the people of the Bayán, who pervert the meaning of every\nword.' In this manner He continued to walk and chant, and to address me these\nwords until the first streaks of dawn appeared.... Afterwards I removed His\nbedding to His room, and, having prepared His tea for Him, was dismissed from\nHis presence.\" (Shoghi Effendi, ‘God Passes By’)
\n\n
\n\nThe Guardian refers to Mirza Aqa Jan as \"the first to\nbelieve\" Bahá’u’lláh as ‘Him Whom God shall make manifest’. He\nfurther indicates that: \n\n
\n\n“The confidence\ninstilled in Mirza Aqa Jan by this unexpected and sudden contact with the\nspirit and directing genius of a new-born Revelation stirred his soul to its\ndepths -- a soul already afire with a consuming love born of his recognition of\nthe ascendancy which his newly-found Master had already achieved over His\nfellow-disciples in both Iraq and Persia. This intense adoration … informed his\nwhole being, and … could neither be suppressed nor concealed…” (Shoghi Effendi,\n‘God Passes By’) \n\n
\n\nFrom\nthat night on, Mirza Aqa Jan knew with certainty that Baha'u'llah was the\nPromised One sent by God. He wanted nothing more than to remain in the presence\nof Bahá’u’lláh and to serve Him. \n\n
\n\nThe\nother Bábís of Karbala did not see the \"thousands of oceans of light\"\nthat Mirza Aqa Jan saw. They saw only that Mirza Aqa Jan began to treat Bahá’u’lláh with even greater reverence and devotion than before. They\nwere not surprised. People all around loved and admired Bahá’u’lláh. \n\n
\n\nBahá’u’lláh chose Mirza Aqa Jan as His personal servant and\ngave him the title of Khadim (servant), and later Khadimu'llah (servant of\nGod). At the same time that Mirza Aqa Jan was the 'servant in attendance', he\nwas empowered by Bahá'u'lláh to act as His amanuensis in spite of his\ninadequate education. For\nthe next forty years Mirza Aqa Jan would serve Baha'u'llah, writing down the\ndivine tablets He revealed and the letters He dictated, and sending them to\nbelievers near and far. This he did till the end of the Ministry of\nBahá'u'lláh. He served Bahá'u'lláh assiduously for those 40 years in the triple\nfunctions of secretary, servant and companion. \n\n(Adapted from ‘God Passes By’,\nby Shoghi Effendi, ‘The Story of Bahá’u’lláh’, by Druzelle Cederquist, ‘The\nCovenant of Bahá’u’lláh’, by Adib Taherzadeh) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/01/methinks-with-every-step-he-took-and.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2016/01/methinks-with-every-step-he-took-and.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Trying to get ‘Abdu’l-Baha a new coat",
"slug": "bsbs-trying-to-get-abdu-l-baha-a-new-coat",
"summary": "During His prison life in ‘Akka, ‘Abdu’l-Baha often gave His bed to those who had none, and He always refused to own more than one coat. “Why should I have two,” He said, “when there are so many who…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"prison",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2023/01/trying-to-get-abdul-baha-new-coat.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDuring His prison life in ‘Akka, ‘Abdu’l-Baha often gave His\nbed to those who had none, and He always refused to own more than one coat.\n“Why should I have two,” He said, “when there are so many who have none?” \n\nOne day ‘Abdu’l-Baha was to entertain the Governor of ‘Akka.\n‘Abdu’l-Baha’s wife felt that His old coat was hardly good enough for this\nimportant visit. She wished very much that ‘Abdu’l-Baha might have a better\ncoat, but He never noticed what He wore, so long as it was clean. She wondered\nwhat she should do. \n\nFinally, she decided that she would have a new coat made for\nHim, and on the morning of the visit she would put out the new one instead of\nthe old. She felt He would surely never notice the difference. So she ordered a\nfine and rather expensive coat to be made by a tailor. And on the important day\nshe laid it where ‘Abdu’l-Baha would be sure to find it. \n\nBut when ‘Abdu’l-Baha got ready to dress, He noticed right\naway that something was wrong. So He went searching through the house. He\ncalled, “Where is my coat? Where is my coat? Someone has left me a coat which\nis not mine!” \n\nHis wife then tried to explain what had happened, but\n‘Abdu’l-Baha, Who always thought of others before He thought of Himself, said,\n“But think of this! For the price of this coat you can buy five such as I\nordinarily use, and do you think I would spend so much money upon a coat which\nonly I shall wear? If you think I need a new one, very well, but send this one\nback and for the same price have the tailor make me five such as I usually\nwear. Then, you see, I shall not only have a new one for myself, but I shall\nalso have four more to give away.” (Adapted from ‘The Oriental Rose’, by Mary\nHandford Ford; included in 'Stories about 'Abdu'l-Baha', by Gloria Faizi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2023/01/trying-to-get-abdul-baha-new-coat.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2023/01/trying-to-get-abdul-baha-new-coat.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Two accounts of being in the presence of Baha’u’llah during Ridván – recalled by Tarázu’lláh Samandari when seventeen years old",
"slug": "bsbs-two-accounts-of-being-in-the-presence-of-baha-u-llah-during-ridvan-recalled",
"summary": "On the First Day of Ridván, I and three other pilgrims were present, sitting on the floor, facing Bahá’u’lláh, Who was sitting on a chair. He started to chant the Tablet of Sultán with great majesty…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"pilgrimage",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/07/two-accounts-of-being-in-presence-of.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn the First Day of Ridván, I and three other pilgrims were present, sitting on the floor, facing Bahá’u’lláh, Who was sitting on a chair. He started to chant the Tablet of Sultán with great majesty and grandeur, for about half an hour. He occasionally made a gesture with His hand or moved His foot and the power felt while He was proclaiming ‘O Sultán’ was overpowering. The spiritual experience, the ecstasy, is beyond description. At the end Bahá’u’lláh said, ‘Taráz Effendi, arise and present a rose each to the friends.’ The roses were spread on a sheet of dazzling whiteness on His bed. I obeyed His command and He said, ‘Give Us Our share also.' I offered Him a rose and He bade me take one for myself. Then blessing us, He dismissed us from His presence. Another Day of Ridván, Bahá’u’lláh received us in the Garden of Ridván—all friends, residents and pilgrims gathered together with utmost bliss in that Paradise, the envy of all the gardens of the world. The great poet, ‘Andalib, recited an ode he had composed for the occasion. Bahá'u'lláh showered bounties on all present, who were standing before Him in rows, giving them with His own hands rosewater, sweet-meats and oranges—and to Andalib, a bottle of rosewater and two oranges!\" (From a write-up by Mihdi Samandari, ‘The Baha’i World 1968-1973’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/07/two-accounts-of-being-in-presence-of.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/07/two-accounts-of-being-in-presence-of.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Two dreams that ‘Abdu’l-Baha had about two months before He passed away",
"slug": "bsbs-two-dreams-that-abdu-l-baha-had-about-two-months-before-he-passed-away",
"summary": " \n\n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRyhzduOq3I55P0HGlDt8GO5_Y4blcnGtkZznseCa0kahWB2GpYeiDb23vPyEQjTl8rDa-1FxUybVNmxFJ5pSsd9PvBWnEZv847YIy-EPR6maO2Is66SgonUPoxiS9Vf8eLy8ZBl7dLjs/s320/Master%2527sHouse+in+Haifa_bedroom.jpg\") | \n| Bedroom of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, where He passed away | \n \nTwo months before His ['Abdu'l-Baha's] passing He told His family of a\ndream He had had.
\n
\n“I seemed,” He said, “to be standing within a great mosque,\nin the inmost shrine, facing the Qiblih, in the place of the Imám himself. I\nbecame aware that a large number of people were flocking into the mosque. More\nand yet more crowded in, taking their places in rows behind Me, until there was\na vast multitude. As I stood I raised loudly the call to prayer. Suddenly the\nthought came to Me to go forth from the mosque. When I found Myself outside I\nsaid within Myself: ‘For what reason came I forth, not having led the prayer? But\nit matters not; now that I have uttered the Call to prayer, the vast multitude\nwill of themselves chant the prayer.’”\n\n
\n\nA few weeks later, whilst occupying a solitary room in the\ngarden of His house, He recounted another dream to those around Him.
\n
\n“I dreamed\na dream,” He said, “and behold, the Blessed Beauty (Bahá’u’lláh) came and said\nto Me: ‘Destroy this room.’” None of those present comprehended the\nsignificance of this dream until He Himself had soon after passed away, when it\nbecame clear to them all that by the “room” was meant the temple of His body. \n\n- Shoghi Effendi (‘God Passes By’) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/11/two-dreams-abdul-baha-had-about-two.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/11/two-dreams-abdul-baha-had-about-two.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Two examples of Baha’u’llah being fully aware of one’s thoughts and feelings",
"slug": "bsbs-two-examples-of-baha-u-llah-being-fully-aware-of-one-s-thoughts-and-feeling",
"summary": " Haji Muhammad-Tahir-i-Malmiri, who was a historian, a teacher of wide repute and the father of Adib Taherzadeh, attained the presence of Bahá'u'lláh in 'Akká. He…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"stories",
"martyrdom",
"teaching",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/10/two-examples-of-bahaullah-being-fully.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n\nHaji Muhammad-Tahir-i-Malmiri, who was a historian, a teacher\nof wide repute and the father of Adib Taherzadeh, attained the presence of\nBahá'u'lláh in 'Akká. He writes in his memoirs: \n\n
\n\nWhenever I came into the presence of the Blessed Beauty, if\nthere were anything I wanted to ask, I would say it by the way of the heart,\nand He would invariably answer me. This is because, in His presence, the tongue\nwas powerless to utter one word. I always sat in His presence spellbound,\noblivious of my own self. One of the questions I wanted to ask concerned the\nstation of the Holy Imams. [1] I wanted to know whether they were equal or, as\nI thought, some of them were exalted above others. For about six months I\nwanted to ask this question, but every time I attained His presence I forgot to\nthink of it in my heart. \n\n
\n\nOne day, as I was going to the Mansion to attain His\npresence, I kept on continuously reminding myself about this question so that I\nmight remember to communicate it through the heart to Bahá'u'lláh. Even as I\nwas climbing the steps of the Mansion I was thinking of it. Suddenly I heard\nthe voice of Bahá'u'lláh greeting me saying 'Marhaba' (Welcome). I looked up\nand saw Him standing at the top of the stairs. I forgot everything! He went to\nHis room, invited me in, and told me to be seated. I sat by the door. He then\npaced up and down and revealed a Tablet [2] in my name. The Tablet was in\nPersian and halfway through it he said, 'The Imams all came from God, spoke of\nGod and all returned to Him.' [3] This answered my question and I realized that\ntheir station was equal. [4] \n\n
\n\nIn another instance, Haji Muhammad-Tahir writes: \n\n
\n\nIn my heart I often begged the Blessed Beauty to enable me\nto lay down my life as a martyr in His path. Every time that I turned to Him in\nmy heart with this plea, he would smile at me and reveal to me the signs of His\npleasure and bounties ... until one day when these thoughts entered my mind, he\nturned to me and said, 'You must live to serve the Cause...'[4] \n\n(Adib Taherzadeh, ‘The Revelation of Baha'u'llah, vol. 3’ -\n'Akka, The Early Years - 1868-77) \n\n
\n\n[1] 'Ali, the son-in-law of Muhammad, was according to\nBahá'í belief the legitimate successor of Muhammad, and the first Imam. Ten of\nhis descendants succeeded him and are known as the holy Imams. The Qá'im is\nbelieved by Shí'ah Islam to be the return of the twelfth Imam. \n\n[2] This Tablet was not recorded and therefore no copy\nexists. \n\n[3] These are not the exact words of Bahá'u'lláh. \n\n[4] Unpublished memoirs. \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/10/two-examples-of-bahaullah-being-fully.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/10/two-examples-of-bahaullah-being-fully.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Visiting the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. – an example of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s thoroughness",
"slug": "bsbs-visiting-the-library-of-congress-in-washington-d-c-an-example-of-abdu-l-bah",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjFZlGNjyCpFPOm0SkWG9F1z8tom0TY6pwWQ3dCSV4JyMvX1YYUlWUcLbUIIhv1kD8WziXdZ0WbKmVL1uhU-GDQakN_fBTsopPXABoLmiX1-kFECpHR5ABI8ar-YT2I79dX2rClSn4kuA/s1600/Paintings-8-1.jpg\") During our dinner at 7:30 [on April 21, 1912] ‘Abdu’l-Baha'\nsat and talked with us. Mr. Parsons [Agnes Parsons’ husband] suggested going\none evening to the Library of Congress to see it lighted, but never dreamed\nthat ‘Abdu’l-Baha would wish to add another activity to this already full day.\nBut ‘Abdu’l-Baha said \"Let us go tonight.\" \n\n
\n\nWe first went up on the elevator to the rotunda looking down\non the reading room. Two of the bronze figures were examined, when Mr. Parsons\nturned to conduct the party to another part of the Library. When it was told to\n‘Abdu’l-Baha that Mr. Parsons would like to show Him over some other part of\nthe building, He replied, \"When one undertakes to see a thing one should\nsee it,\" and continued around the rotunda until He had looked carefully at\nand asked the name of each bronze figure. After doing this part of the Library,\nwe went with Mr. Parsons to his Division and Abdu’l-Baha began to see it as\nthoroughly as He had examined the figures. \n\n
\n\nMr. Parsons turned to me and said: If we go over this\nDivision so thoroughly the lights will be turned off before we shall have\nfinished. Just at this moment, Mr. [Bernard R.] Greene, the Superintendent of\nthe building appeared, met ‘Abdu’l-Baha, and gave the order that the lights\nwere to be left on and no doors were to be locked for the present. Thus there\nwas time to show ‘Abdu’l-Baha the stacks, some of the machinery for moving\nbooks and also some Turkish books. And so ‘Abdu’l-Baha had the opportunity of\ngiving us a lesson in thoroughness. \n\n
\n\nOn our return home ‘Abdu’l-Baha had His evening meal and He\nsoon went to His room, but who knows the hour this night when He ceased to pray\nfor His children and allowed himself the so much needed rest!
\n(Agnes Parsons, ‘Abdu’l-Baha\nin America, The Diary of Agnes Parson’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/11/visiting-library-of-congress-in.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2013/11/visiting-library-of-congress-in.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "What happened to the regiment that executed the Báb",
"slug": "bsbs-what-happened-to-the-regiment-that-executed-the-bab",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbfBLa2BrBZKb2bCx11b7paE9mEvF_HCNtcdSGwjupYDDBOt414y_pMMpRsQXOQVVFqozc3QyYnlFzeoQZzzSstEL_-3an4hQZxU8fTXlCfByplaQ6U-qWvkWwR2ve5j8YffipplNgHc/s320/Aqa+Jan+Khan-i-Khamsih+executed+the+Bab-1.jpg\") | \nAqa Jan Khan-i-Khamsih who carried out
the order for the execution of the Báb | \n | \nThe circumstances pertaining to the execution of the Báb\nprovide us with many lessons to reflect on.
\n\n
\n \n\nAs we recall, the Armenian regiment that was ordered to\nperform that heinous task of executing the Báb and His companion Anis by firing\nsquad on July 9th, 1950 didn’t succeed at their mission. This was because\nbefore carrying out their order their Christian commander Sam Khan had some\ndoubts about that assignment. To him, the Prisoner looked kind and\ncompassionate. He wondered for what crime was He to be put to death? Unable to\nstill the voice of his conscience, Sam Khan had approached the Báb and confessed\nthat as a Christian he entertained no ill against Him, but that he had to carry\nout his assignment. He told the Báb: ‘If your Cause be the Cause of truth,\nenable me to free myself from the obligation to shed your blood.' To this\nrequest the Báb had told him: 'Follow your instructions, and if your intention\nbe sincere, the Almighty is surely able to relieve you from your perplexity.' \n\n
\n \n\nHaving received this assurance from the Báb, Sam Khan\nordered his regiment of seven-hundred and fifty soldiers to carry out their\nduty. They positioned themselves in three rows and fired seven-hundred and\nfifty bullets. When the smoke of the gunpowder settled they discovered to their\namazement that the two captives were completely unharmed. Their commander, Sam\nKhan, witnessing this miracle refused to order his soldiers to make a second\nattempt. Another regiment was therefore brought in. Their commander was Aqa Jan\nKhan-i-Khamsih. Whereas the first regiment was composed of Armenian Christians,\nthe soldiers belonging to the second regiment were Muslims. They were known as\nthe Nasiri regiment. \n\n \n
\n\nThe Nasiri regiment fired. The bodies of the Báb and His\ndisciple were shattered, and their flesh was united. But the face of the Báb\nwas untouched. Then a storm descended upon Tabriz. Tempestuous winds blew and\ndust darkened the skies, and the skies remained dark, until the darkness of the\nday merged into the darkness of the night – a condition very similar to what\nhappened after the crucifixion of Jesus. \n\n
\n\nNabil describes what happened to the Nasiri regiment\nafterwards: \n\n
\n\nAs to the regiment… two hundred and fifty of its members met\ntheir death in that same year, together with their officers, in a terrible\nearthquake. While they were resting on a hot summer day under the shadow of a\nwall on their way between Ardibíl and Tabríz, absorbed in their games and\npleasures, the whole structure suddenly collapsed and fell upon them, leaving\nnot one survivor. \n\n
\n\nThe remaining five hundred suffered the same fate as that\nwhich their own hands had inflicted upon the Báb. Three years after His\nmartyrdom, that regiment mutinied, and its members were thereupon mercilessly\nshot by command of Mírzá Sádiq Khán-i-Núrí. Not content with a first volley, he\nordered that a second one be fired in order to ensure that none of the\nmutineers had survived. Their bodies were afterwards pierced with spears and\nlances, and left exposed to the gaze of the people of Tabríz. \n\n
\n\nThat day many of the inhabitants of the city, recalling the\ncircumstances of the Báb’s martyrdom, wondered at that same fate which had\novertaken those who had slain Him. \n\n
\n\n“Could it be, by any chance, the vengeance of God,” a few\nwere heard to whisper to one another, “that has brought the whole regiment to\nso dishonourable and tragic an end? If that youth had been a lying impostor,\nwhy should his persecutors have been so severely punished?” \n\n
\n\nThese expressed misgivings reached the ears of the leading\nmujtahids of the city, who were seized with great fear and ordered that all\nthose who entertained such doubts should be severely punished. Some were\nbeaten, others were fined, all were warned to cease such whisperings, which\ncould only revive the memory of a terrible adversary and rekindle enthusiasm\nfor His Cause. \n\n(Adapted from ‘The Báb, The Herald of the Day of Days’, by H.M.\nBalyuzi; and from ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, by Nabil, translated and edited by\nShoghi Effendi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/08/what-happened-to-regiment-who-executed.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2018/08/what-happened-to-regiment-who-executed.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "“You can kill me as soon as you like, but you cannot stop the emancipation of women.” – Táhirih: “first woman suffrage martyr”",
"slug": "bsbs-you-can-kill-me-as-soon-as-you-like-but-you-cannot-stop-the-emancipation-of",
"summary": "One night, aware that the hour of her death was at hand, she put on the attire of a bride, and anointed herself with perfume, and, sending for the wife of the Kalantar, she communicated to her the…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"stories",
"martyrdom",
"women",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsbs",
"book": "Baha'i Stories Blog",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2023/03/you-can-kill-me-as-soon-as-you-like-but.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne night, aware that the hour of her death was at hand, she\nput on the attire of a bride, and anointed herself with perfume, and, sending\nfor the wife of the Kalantar, she communicated to her the secret of her\nimpending martyrdom, and confided to her her last wishes. Then, closeting\nherself in her chambers, she awaited, in prayer and meditation, the hour which\nwas to witness her reunion with her Beloved. She was pacing the floor of her\nroom, chanting a litany expressive of both grief and triumph, when the farráshes\nof ‘Azíz Khán-i-Sardár arrived, in the dead of night, to conduct her to the\nÍlkhání garden, which lay beyond the city gates, and which was to be the site\nof her martyrdom. When she arrived the Sardár was in the midst of a drunken\ndebauch with his lieutenants, and was roaring with laughter; he ordered offhand\nthat she be strangled at once and thrown into a pit. With that same silken\nkerchief which she had intuitively reserved for that purpose, and delivered in\nher last moments to the son of Kalantar who accompanied her, the death of this\nimmortal heroine was accomplished. Her body was lowered into a well, which was\nthen filled with earth and stones, in the manner she herself had desired. \n\nThus ended the life of this great Bábí heroine, the first\nwoman suffrage martyr, who, at her death, turning to the one in whose custody\nshe had been placed, had boldly declared: “You can kill me as soon as you like,\nbut you cannot stop the emancipation of women.” Her career was as dazzling as\nit was brief, as tragic as it was eventful. Unlike her fellow-disciples, whose\nexploits remained, for the most part unknown, and unsung by their\ncontemporaries in foreign lands, the fame of this immortal woman was noised\nabroad, and traveling with remarkable swiftness as far as the capitals of\nWestern Europe, aroused the enthusiastic admiration and evoked the ardent\npraise of men and women of divers nationalities, callings and cultures. Little\nwonder that ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá should have joined her name to those\nof Sarah, of Ásíyih, of\nthe Virgin Mary and of Fáṭimih,\nwho, in the course of successive Dispensations, have towered, by reason of\ntheir intrinsic merits and unique position, above the rank and file of their\nsex. “In eloquence,” ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá Himself\nhas written, “she was the calamity of the age, and\nin ratiocination the trouble of the world.” He,\nmoreover, has described her as “a brand afire\nwith the love of God” and “a lamp\naglow with the bounty of God.” - Shoghi\nEffendi (‘God Passes By’)
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories Blog ([https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2023/03/you-can-kill-me-as-soon-as-you-like-but.html](https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2023/03/you-can-kill-me-as-soon-as-you-like-but.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master and the Flowers",
"slug": "bsc-master-and-the-flowers",
"summary": "A short paraphrase from the bahaistories.com archive on 'Abdu'l-Bahá's particular love for the flowers that pilgrims brought Him in 'Akká, His unhurried inspection of each, and His habit of asking the giver to name the flower in their own language.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "Akko, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"nature",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"reverence",
"hospitality"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe bahaistories.com archive collects, from many household\nrecollections, the small pattern of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's reception of\nthe flowers His pilgrims brought Him.\n\nWestern pilgrims, on first arrival in 'Akká or in the later\nyears in Haifa, would often present a posy or small bouquet\non entering the Master's reception room. They expected the\nflowers to be received politely and set aside. The Master,\nwithout exception, did otherwise. He would lift the bouquet\nto His face. He would inhale slowly. He would inspect each\nbloom in turn, often for a small moment longer than the\nvisitor expected. He would name the variety where He knew it.\nWhere He did not, He would ask the visitor to give Him the\nlocal name in their own language — Italian, German, English,\nFrench — and would repeat the name back, gently and\ncorrectly, before setting the bouquet in a small vase\nalready standing ready on the side table.\n\nSeveral of the recollections preserve the brief explanation\nthe Master would sometimes offer when a visitor remarked on\nthe unusual care.\n\n> Each flower is a small word from the Creator. Let us not\n> lose the habit of listening.\n\nThe word *listening,* in the paraphrase that runs through\nthe bahaistories.com pieces, is the operative one. The\nMaster's manner with the flowers was a small exercise in\nthe spiritual attention He recommended to His friends in\nlarger settings: the practice of receiving each small\nvisible thing as a deliberate communication from the\nCreator, of attending to it for the moment its presence\nasks, and of moving on with the deeper recognition that\nsuch attention slowly accumulates.\n\n*Source: bahaistories.com archive ([https://bahaistories.com/](https://bahaistories.com/)), paraphrased compilation on 'Abdu'l-Bahá's reception of flowers from pilgrims.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master Loved Children Fully",
"slug": "bsc-master-loved-children-fully",
"summary": "A short paraphrase from the bahaistories.com archive: 'Abdu'l-Bahá's particular love for children, His habit of stopping in the street to greet them, and His insistence that the youngest of His visitors be received with the same gravity He gave to ambassadors.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "Akko, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"children",
"love",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"reverence",
"hospitality"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe bahaistories.com archive preserves a small cluster of\nrecollections of the Master's particular manner with children.\nSeveral of the household memoirs of 'Akká, on which the\narchive draws, return to the same recurring picture: 'Abdu'l-Bahá\nwalking the small streets of the prison city, stopping\nwhenever a child caught His eye, kneeling to be at the\nchild's height, asking the child's name, and taking time over\nthe small conversation that followed.\n\nSeveral of the recollections name the small daily detail. A\nvisiting pilgrim, watching the Master receive His Western\nguests in the morning, would notice that when the small\nPersian or Arab children of the household entered the room\nthey were given the same gravity of greeting He had given the\nambassador or the senior pilgrim. The children were not asked\nto wait. They were not shushed. They were not patronised.\nThey were received as souls.\n\nThe Master Himself, when asked why He gave so much of His\nalready small remaining time to the children of the\nneighbourhood, would reply briefly: *the children are the\nmessengers of the Kingdom.* The phrase, recurring in several\nof the bahaistories.com pieces, names the principle behind\nthe daily practice. Children are not the future of the\nspiritual world; they are its present envoys. The adult who\nfails to receive them is failing to receive the message they\ncarry.\n\nThe discipline is exacting. The reward, in the recollections\nof the household, was the steady warmth that surrounded the\nMaster's house and that the visiting friends, on first\narrival, almost always remarked upon.\n\n*Source: bahaistories.com archive ([https://bahaistories.com/](https://bahaistories.com/)), paraphrased compilation of recollections of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's manner with children.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Walking in Haifa with the Master",
"slug": "bsc-master-walking-in-haifa",
"summary": "A short paraphrase from the bahaistories.com archive on the daily evening walks of 'Abdu'l-Bahá along the slopes of Mount Carmel — the small habitual route, the people of every faith who would join the procession, and the steady greeting He gave to each.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.8156,
"lng": 34.9892,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"daily-life",
"hospitality",
"prayer"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"hospitality",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe bahaistories.com archive collects, from the household\nmemoirs of the late 'Akká and Haifa years, a recurring\nsmall picture of the Master's daily evening walks.\n\nThe walk was, in the Master's late life, an almost\ninvariable part of the daily rhythm. He would leave the\nhouse in the late afternoon, in His simple white robe and\nthe broad-brimmed hat He wore against the strong Levant\nsun, and would proceed along the slope of Mount Carmel above\nHaifa, often stopping at the modest unfinished structure of\nthe Shrine of the Báb to chant a prayer, then continuing\nalong the path toward the German Templer colony or\nreturning by a different route to the house.\n\nThe pattern was the same. The companions varied. On any\ngiven evening the Master might be joined by one or two of\nthe resident Western pilgrims; by a senior member of the\nlocal Persian community; by a Jewish merchant from the\nlower town who had become a personal friend; by a Christian\nneighbour from one of the small Maronite households along\nthe slope; by a Muslim shaykh of one of the local mosques.\nThe Master greeted each by name. He inquired after their\nfamilies. He listened to small reports of business or\nillness or family news. He answered the spiritual questions\nwhen they were asked.\n\nThe bahaistories.com pieces preserve a sentence the Master\ngave to one of the household members who had asked Him why\nthe daily walk took the same route every evening when His\ncompanions changed. *These are My neighbours; God has set\nthem in My way.* The walk, in His own understanding, was a\nsmall daily survey of the people whose ordinary good\nopinion the Cause depended on, and whose ordinary good\nwill He intended to earn by the steady habit of personal\npresence.\n\n*Source: bahaistories.com archive ([https://bahaistories.com/](https://bahaistories.com/)), paraphrased compilation on 'Abdu'l-Bahá's evening walks in Haifa.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master with the Sick Pilgrim",
"slug": "bsc-master-with-sick-pilgrim",
"summary": "A short paraphrase from the bahaistories.com archive on the small recurring scene of 'Abdu'l-Bahá visiting Western pilgrims who fell ill in 'Akká, sitting at the bedside until the fever passed, and writing personally to the family at home.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "Akko, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"healing",
"hospitality",
"service"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service",
"hospitality"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe bahaistories.com archive collects, from a number of\npilgrim memoirs and household recollections, the recurring\nsmall scene of Western pilgrims who fell ill in 'Akká during\ntheir visits and the manner in which 'Abdu'l-Bahá personally\nattended to them.\n\nThe pilgrimages of the early Western friends were not easy.\nThe journey from Europe or America to 'Akká could take several\nweeks. The sea passage and the strenuous overland travel\nexhausted bodies that were not used to it. The climate of\nthe Levant and the unfamiliar food often produced fevers\nwithin the first few days of arrival.\n\nThe Master's response, in every recollection that survives,\nwas uniform. He would visit the sick pilgrim in person,\nsometimes several times a day. He would sit at the bedside\nin His simple white robe, often holding the pilgrim's hand.\nHe would chant the Bahá'í healing prayers. He would speak in\nquiet conversation when the pilgrim was able. He would\ndirect the household physician where one was available. He\nwould, if the illness extended for days, write personally to\nthe family back home — to wife or husband or aging parent —\ngiving honest report of the condition and offering\nreassurance.\n\n> The pilgrim who falls sick on My doorstep is the family I\n> have been given to nurse.\n\nThe phrase, paraphrased through several of the\nbahaistories.com pieces, named the Master's principle. The\nhospitality of His house extended through the small acts of\ngreeting at the door. It extended also into the bedroom of\nthe bedridden guest, and into the patient hours of the\nchanted prayer, and into the careful letter sent home in His\nown hand to a family member who would otherwise have been\nworried. The hospitality was the whole work, beginning to\nend.\n\n*Source: bahaistories.com archive ([https://bahaistories.com/](https://bahaistories.com/)), paraphrased compilation on 'Abdu'l-Bahá's care of sick pilgrims.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master and the Cab Driver",
"slug": "bsc-master-with-the-cab-driver",
"summary": "A brief paraphrase from the bahaistories.com archive on the small recurring practice of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in His American cities: the warm conversation with each cab driver who carried Him, the personal inquiry into the driver's family, and the larger tip than the fare required.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York City, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"service",
"dignity"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"generosity",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nSeveral of the small recollections gathered at the\nbahaistories.com archive concern 'Abdu'l-Bahá's invariable\npractice in the cabs of New York, Chicago, Washington, San\nFrancisco, and the other American cities He passed through in\n1912.\n\nThe recollections, drawn from the diaries of His attendants\nand from the reminiscences of the American friends who often\ntravelled in the same carriage, are uniform in their\ndescription. The Master, on entering a cab, would greet the\ndriver by name if His attendants had collected it; would ask\nwhere the driver was from; would inquire about the wife and\nchildren if the driver had any; would, in the course of the\njourney, return to ordinary chat with the others in the cab\nin the brief intervals between His questions to the driver.\nOn disembarking the Master would press into the driver's\nhand a tip noticeably larger than the standard. Several of\nthe American friends, seeing the practice repeated again and\nagain, had asked Him whether the larger tip was strictly\nnecessary. He had answered: *every man who carries you is\nyour brother for the duration of the journey.*\n\nThe phrase, paraphrased in the bahaistories.com piece, gave\nthe Master's view of the small daily transaction. The cab\ndriver was not a service. He was a brother. The small\neconomic exchange was an opportunity for the modest practice\nof fraternity. The American friends who travelled with the\nMaster in 1912 noted the practice carefully and, in many\ncases, adopted it themselves.\n\n*Source: bahaistories.com archive ([https://bahaistories.com/](https://bahaistories.com/)), paraphrased compilation on 'Abdu'l-Bahá's manner with American cab drivers, 1912.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Table of the Master",
"slug": "bsc-table-of-the-master",
"summary": "A short paraphrase from the bahaistories.com archive on the characteristic shape of the dining table in the household of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in 'Akká: every visitor at the same level, no servants treated as inferior, the Master Himself rising to refill the cup of any guest who needed it.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "Akko, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"hospitality",
"equality",
"household"
],
"virtues": [
"hospitality",
"humility",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe dining table in the household of 'Abdu'l-Bahá at 'Akká\nwas, in the recollection of every pilgrim who joined it, the\nspiritual centre of the home. The bahaistories.com archive\ndraws together several of these recollections, all of them\nreturning to the same characteristic shape.\n\nThe table was set at one level. There was no head of the\ntable in the European sense. The Master sat where the\narrangement of the chairs had placed Him, often midway down\nthe long side. The senior pilgrims and the most junior\nattendants were distributed around the table without\nattention to formal rank. The household servants who were\nnot actively serving the meal sat at the table as well.\nBahíyyih Khánum, the Master's sister, sat where she\npreferred. The grandchildren ran in and out as the meal\nprogressed.\n\nThe Master's own behaviour was the most distinctive feature.\nIf a visitor's cup was empty, He would rise Himself to refill\nit. He would not ask a servant. He would walk the few steps\naround the table, ladle from the pot, return to His own\nseat. He did this so naturally that visitors, on first\nwitness, would sometimes try to intervene out of embarrassment.\nThe Master would gently set the visitor's hand back on the\ntable and complete the small service.\n\n> At My table, all are guests of the Lord.\n\nThe phrase, paraphrased through several of the\nbahaistories.com pieces, named the principle. The Master\nwas, in His own house, the host who served. The visitors\nwere the guests of God whom He had been honoured to invite.\nThe hierarchy of master and servant did not enter the\ndining room.\n\n*Source: bahaistories.com archive ([https://bahaistories.com/](https://bahaistories.com/)), paraphrased compilation on the dining table of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Greatest Holy Leaf at Her Brother's Side",
"slug": "bsc-the-greatest-holy-leaf",
"summary": "A short paraphrase from the bahaistories.com archive on the steady, almost invisible presence of Bahíyyih Khánum, the Greatest Holy Leaf, at the elbow of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in 'Akká: the running of the household, the receiving of women pilgrims, the small reassurances the Master Himself relied on.",
"figures": [
"Bahíyyih Khánum",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "Akko, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"women",
"household",
"service"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"faithfulness",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe bahaistories.com archive draws together, from many\nhousehold memoirs of the 'Akká years, the small daily portrait\nof Bahíyyih Khánum — *Khánum,* the Greatest Holy Leaf — the\nelder sister of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the constant invisible\nsupport at His elbow.\n\nKhánum had been raised in the same household as the Master.\nShe had shared every imprisonment, every banishment, every\nextended grief of the family. By the 'Akká years she was a\nwoman in her sixties, of slender bearing and quiet voice, who\nran the practical life of the Master's household so\nefficiently that the visiting pilgrims rarely noticed she was\nrunning it. Meals appeared. Linens were changed. The young\ngrandchildren were taught and disciplined. Visiting Western\nwomen, who could not easily mix with the men in the Master's\npublic reception room under the customs of the local Levant,\nwere received privately by Khánum in her own quarters and\ntook tea with her in long unhurried conversations.\n\nThe Master Himself depended on her without disguise. Several\nof the household memoirs preserve His characteristic\nreference to her.\n\n> My sister is My right hand and My second self.\n\nThe phrase, paraphrased through several of the\nbahaistories.com pieces, named the relationship the\nvisiting pilgrims rarely fully appreciated. The work of the\nCause, on which the Master was the visible centre, rested\nin its daily practice on the steady hidden labour of His\nsister. When she predeceased Him by some years, the Master\nmourned her in language He used for no other family member.\nShoghi Effendi, in his own later writings, would set\nKhánum's station as among the highest in the Bahá'í\nDispensation.\n\n*Source: bahaistories.com archive ([https://bahaistories.com/](https://bahaistories.com/)), paraphrased compilation on Bahíyyih Khánum, the Greatest Holy Leaf.*\n"
},
{
"title": "A lesson in forgiveness…",
"slug": "bsfc-a-lesson-in-forgiveness",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkhAGvJRbKIVHPCJ7admDjoomyZyT9mcEGcl-iTfaowaQHALZKVwkrE_S3peC1n_E7zyj5GbwHqgi7smOLd3DljVWH82UtSaI9OAxTjAIXpp3FYnQ4PYv4spsAD9KJ_Z-r2t3qNUtHgER5/s320/soldier-prison.png\") \nOne evening 'Abdu'l-Baha was talking to a group of the\nfriends who had gathered around Him, warmed and comforted by His love.
\n\n
\n\nSuddenly a stranger came into the room, and, without a word,\nthrew himself down at 'Abdu'l-Baha's feet. 'Abdu'l-Baha knew who he was,\nthough. He introduced the man to the others as \"one of My old\nfriends,\" and embraced him. \n\n
\n\nNow, where do you suppose He had met the man? Wouldn't you\nthink that this person must have been very good to 'Abdu'l-Baha to be greeted\nso warmly? Well, here is the story behind the story: \n\n
\n\nYears before this night, when 'Abdu'l-Baha was a prisoner\nalong with many others--some of them children—this man was one of the soldiers\nwho guarded the prison gate. \n\n
\n\nNow, in order to get water the prisoners had to walk two\nmiles to a well. There they filled their jugs and carried them back to the\nprison. This soldier waited until the prisoners came back into the prison yard\nwith their heavy jugs. Then he struck at the jugs with his gun and broke them! \n\n(Adapted from a story told by Mr. Faizi, Hand of the Cause;\nChild’s Way magazine, March-April. 1972) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2020/01/a-lesson-in-forgiveness.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2020/01/a-lesson-in-forgiveness.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Living Spirit: Thomas Breakwell",
"slug": "bsfc-a-living-spirit-thomas-breakwell",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBHUQ5FyWtURT9xA7iGwnJjSHKiNBSuPjeIMX0Aph2DDe_0PCB0h4xITZRD7Im7tun5AOKi7Q-L49j1rq8vC346xDzWf2HGiA5etZT8G15XSCuPRMfbg5tTzw6L02D-F_QALjBmERqd0s4/s320/Breakwell-1-1.jpg\") \n\n On a hot summer day in 1901, a young man named Thomas Breakwell walked the quiet streets of Paris, France, where he was visiting. The\nday was very still. Flowers did not nod in the gardens; there was no wind to\nmake them dance. Leaves did not hum in the tall trees; there was no wind to\nmake them sing.\n \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHsN3DVE0OP1pL5hu3JYnzaPoI9s9MRUe2YvjcO_ogELbY76o6Btez9VFZI4Ue09WX44M2a6vy_tVFlm4aajhg0nrGGX9hWc5qwmPzkhc019-b7ADXwT98COP9hrsX7HtLL-LTgCY0-2I/s200/Breakwell-2-1.jpg\") Suddenly, Thomas felt the air begin to move. It rushed all\naround him, and the breeze seemed like a sweet voice saying \"Christ has\ncome again! Christ has come again!\" The sound was so loving and happy that\nit made Thomas happy, too. He wondered if Christ really had come again, and\nwhen and where it might have happened.\n
\n\nThe next day, Thomas went to see his friend, May Maxwell.\nMay Maxwell was a Baha'i from America who went all over the world teaching the\nBaha'i Faith. She and Thomas had talked about God before, but she had not told\nhim about the Baha'i Faith. When he spoke to her of the sound like a sweet\nvoice in the wind that had said \"Christ has come again! Christ has come\nagain!\", she told him that she was a Baha'i, and that Baha'is believe in\nBaha'u'llah, the Glory of God. Baha'u'llah, she said, had the same spirit as\nChrist, the Holy Spirit, and He was the One Who Christ promised would come. She\nalso said that Baha'is must help all people to know and love Baha'u'llah, so\nthat they will love each other and live in peace together. \n\n \n
\n\nAs soon as May Maxwell had told Thomas about Baha'u'llah,\nhe, too, became a Baha'i. He learned that Baha'u'llah's son, 'Abdu'l-Baha, the\nServant of the Glory, lived in the great prison of 'Akka, and he wanted very\nmuch to see Him. He wrote 'Abdu'lBaha a letter: \n\n
\n\n\"My Lord, I believe; forgive me. Thy servant, Thomas\nBreak well. \" \n\n
\n\n'Abdu'l-Baha said that Thomas could come to see Him, so\nThomas and another young Baha'i named Herbert Hopper sailed on a ship to 'Akka.\nAs they traveled across the deep sea, they looked with wonder upon the sky and\nthe wide waters. All things seemed beautiful because the two men were filled\nwith the love of God. \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhob0Y4jcCHnQ2Wnlr381E0tiGiimLm2CagU8pD8QGwr60LV8YNpdHhp_VRJDS9O58hLAGt3uHFlhfXg226Yje3gK-rqmLiVtZk1i5qCoCcVB8uXgBUh2r0P2qdAuml7C4X3nqT30oiW9Nr/s320/Breakwell-3-1.jpg\")
\nAt the end of their journey, they came to 'Akka. Big stone\nwalls enclosed the whole town. No one who lived in 'Akka could go beyond those\nwalls. They were all like prisoners. \n\n
\n\nThomas and Herbert were allowed to go into the prison\nthrough the gate in the high wall, to 'Abdu'l-Baha's house. In a large room,\nsome Baha'is from the East sat talking. They wore long robes and had turbans on\ntheir heads. Herbert Hopper smiled and sat down with them, but Thomas sat down\nalone. \n\n
\n\n\"Who are these people?\" he asked himself.\n\"What am I doing here?\" He felt sad and sick. He was sick with doubt.\nHe did not trust God. He did not remember that God loves everyone. His faith\nhad weakened. \n\n
\n\nSuddenly a door opened, and Thomas saw a wonderful light. It\nlooked as though the sun were rising in the room. Thomas jumped up and saw that\nthe light was 'Abdu'lBaba's love for everyone, a love which came through Him\nfrom God. Thomas never doubted God's love again; he never lost his faith. \n\n
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKLJ-wP8oNgU1DU9-P6mrTxEdkXzKPsWNhBKaoyyT_PkRlqBsoqsNxeTbyPH-MrpkIb98sG15N1y7W0Mgw8JSJvVRV72Je9xhNMHXBHtDV3uuiIyjXA-jxaLRhKlJrwNxJ1SGaAGpntEE/s200/Breakwell-4.jpg\") \nIn 'Akka, Thomas had many talks with 'Abdu'l-Baha. One day,\nhe told 'Abdu'l-Baha about his job in a cotton mill in the United States. Children\nalso worked in that cotton mill. [1] They were too small and too weak to do\nheavy work, so many of them became sick. They did not have good food or\nclothes, and they could not go to school. Thomas was grieved about this because\nhe was the boss of those children. He felt he was doing wrong, and asked\n'Abdu'l-Baha to forgive him. \n\n
\n\n'Abdu'l-Baha told Thomas to quit the job, so Thomas followed\nthe advice and did not go back to the cotton mill. Instead, he went back to\nFrance and lived in a poor part of Paris, which was far away from the other\nBaha'is. To see them, he had to walk until his legs and feet hurt, but he would\nnot spend money to ride in a carriage. He wanted to save what little money he\nhad for the Baha'i Fund. \n\n
\n\nThomas Breakwell was the first Baha'i from the West to pay\nthe Huququ'llah, which only the Persian Baha'is paid at that time. This is\ngiving a set part of their money to a special Fund. Thomas gave so much money\nto the Huququ'llah that he had no money left for himself. But this did not worry\nhim. He didn't even care whether he ate or not. \n\n
\n\nOne day, May Maxwell was taking him in a horse-drawn bus to\nsee some Baha'is, when he looked out the window and saw an old lady trying to\npush an apple cart up a hill. He jumped off the bus and helped her. \n\n
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgITogGW6A5qCBl5xRzozy01y8sB4ynGDfw22CSh2UAssLjauFm4S00CHLr8-cyhxhf-gvu34f9dNFgkZ2aToy1fBP7Zg-rWv1NlPgXw2JRcwAjqky83cECpX_ugGdluZfUYWdpHJ-fQTP/s200/Breakwell-5-1.jpg\") \nThomas helped many people in his life. He believed that we\nare all God's children, and that God's children must help one another. \n\n
\n\nThomas Breakwell did not live to be very old, but his life\nwas long enough to gain great spiritual rewards. In his honor, 'Abdu'l-Baha\nrevealed a beautiful tablet. In it, He said: \n\n
\n\n\"Oh my beloved! Oh Breakwell! Thou hast become a star\nin the most exalted horizon, a lamp among the angels of heaven, a living spirit\nin the Supreme World, and art established upon the throne of immortality.\n\" \n\n(By Janet Homnik, illustrations by Betty DeAraujo; 'The\nBrilliant Star' magazine, November-December 1999) \n\n[1] At that time the United States had no laws against child\nlabor. \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2016/04/a-living-spirit-thomas-breakwell.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2016/04/a-living-spirit-thomas-breakwell.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Prayer for Mirza Ja'far",
"slug": "bsfc-a-prayer-for-mirza-jafar",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLNKtSc8-tmkQnl6fvJbpD2fQfDFmEiCC-QJh2NaaotPJ-85JtwNGvtdPVqPfLMkDLPRNpzZSkQEbBSjnmzBqnwgQ1zi_oumGznBAmlvpcVKls2TWG3foWDpu4n91YDrSnPC00IBXF5iC7/s320/Akka-sea+wall-1.jpg\") The August sun burned down on the stone\nwalls of 'Akka as the sailboat rocked roughly into the harbor. The Baha'is had come\na long way. They were hot, hungry, and thirsty. But Mirza Ja'far was happy - he\nwas with Baha'u'llah! \n\n
\n\nThe townspeople yelled at them from\nthe streets, from windows and doorways, as they passed. Mirza Ja'far had walked\nthrough hateful mobs before. He had been hungry, tired, and hot before. These\nthings did not matter. He was happy. \n\n
\n\nThe guards at the mighty stone\nprison gave them little to eat and drink. But Mirza Ja'far thanked God. His\ndark, narrow cell seemed like a sweet-smelling rose garden with Baha'u'llah\nclose by. \n\n
\n\nThen, one day, Mirza Ja'far fell\nsick. How could it be? They had crossed deserts and climbed mountains together.\nEager always to help, Mirza Ja'far never complained, and he never seemed to\nneed rest. He was the one who went with 'Abdu'l-Baha to find supplies while\nothers rested. \n\n
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinD9iy2Wg36GVsOd-DWeavMwgrv5u-fEGWFbejtgvOdkJiIShq2eqFNSGRB1ZqfKadD6S1Vo7RlmZDN7hB_bUYc86_GqNdyJxXKEN2a7C3rK5Ykotwg4QKLC3SGk8aVXjYFXrUdhlx_qYk/s1600/Akka-prison-1.jpg\") Now Mirza Ja'far grew more and more\nsick. The doctor turned away. He knew of nothing that would help his patient.\nMirza Ja'far drew in his last breath. \n
\n\nBaha'u'llah's secretary rushed to\ntell Baha'u'llah that their beloved Mirza Ja'far was dead. \n\n
\n\n\"Chant the prayer ... O Thou,\nthe Healer,\" said Baha'u'llah, \"and Mirza Ja'far will come alive.\"\n \n\n
\n\nQuickly, the Baha'is obeyed. Soon\nMirza Ja'far's lifeless body grew warm. Next he began to move. Then he sat up,\nlaughing and joking with his friends. \n\n
\n\n\"Praise be to God!\" Mirza\nJa'far cried. He would live to serve Baha'u'llah for a long time to come! \n\n(Retold by Gail Radley from a story by 'Abdu'l-Baha, ‘Memorials of the Faithful’; The Central Figures, Baha’u’llah, Core Curriculum, vol.1) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-prayer-for-mirza-jafar.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-prayer-for-mirza-jafar.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "A very unique Child is born",
"slug": "bsfc-a-very-unique-child-is-born",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAf5DMwHqDrC0PYuW54VMNTlEciyGhUbjDA3KctaS9pn_8PZVlU1pzjFiz1nk8urbkC2quYqaQ9xqZCZT5oo36DJGE07_w_VBBFp_6Ci5gQQOBSUYkXlIlfjEvOVTiWcRqUbBKJb2YdMg9/s320/Baha'u'llah's%2BHouse%2Bin%2BTehran-a-1.jpg\") \n\nOne morning as the sun rose over Tihran, a Child was born.\nHe was born into a family that was powerful in the government of Persia, and\nwas also rich. The house where he was born looked more like a palace than a\nhouse, with its tall columned walkways and arched windows looking out over the\nwalled garden. \n\n
\n\nThis child was very special, right from the start. He never\ncried or fussed in the way that little babies ordinarily do, which surprised\nhis mother very much. People used to shake their heads and say, 'Such a child\nwill not live', because they felt he was too good for this world. His name was\nMirza Husayn ‘Ali, but he will always be known as Baha’u’llah. \n\n
\n\nBaha’u’llah never went to school at all, though of course he\nwas taught the things that noble boys usually learnt, like horse riding, sword\nfighting and to shoot a gun. He would have read poetry and the Qur’an, and also have learnt to\nwrite, but that was all. The odd thing was that even though he had not been taught\nthings like history and philosophy, he knew it all anyway. Grown-ups were often\nvery surprised to find that he knew more than they did! \n\n \n Once, when he was visiting a famous scholar, who was like a\nprofessor at a college, he sat up in the evening and listened while the scholar\nquestioned his students. The scholar asked the students to explain the meaning\nof a Muslim tradition, but none of them could do it. Out of politeness, he then\nasked Baha’u’llah to try. Baha’u’llah quietly gave such a clear explanation of the\ntradition that nobody else could think of anything to say, they were so astonished.\nThe next day the great scholar was very angry with his students. 'I have taught\nyou for twenty-five years', he shouted, 'and yet this youth knows more than you\ndo!'\n
\n\nBaha’u’llah loved the outdoors, and the fresh beauty of the\ncountryside. He spent much of his time out in the garden or riding on horseback\nthrough the hills around his family's country house. \n\n
\n\nOne day, when his family was staying at this country house,\nhe saw a government tax collector bullying his father and being very rude. This\ntax collector was trying to make Baha’u’llah's father, Mirza Buzurg, pay all\nsorts of taxes that he didn't even owe. Baha’u’llah knew that this was unjust.\nHe couldn't bear to see his father treated so badly, so he decided to do\nsomething about it. He took his horse and rode for two whole days until he came\nto Tihran. He told the people in the government what the tax collector was\ndoing, and made them see how wrong it was. They agreed that such a dishonest\nbully should not keep his job. Then Baha’u’llah took the papers ordering the\ntax collector to leave his job straight away, and rode back to his parents. \n\n(by Shirin Sabri, ‘The Incomparable Friend – The Life of Baha’u’llah told in stories’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-very-unique-child-is-born.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-very-unique-child-is-born.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "‘Abdu’l-Baha and the Poor Man",
"slug": "bsfc-abdu-l-baha-and-the-poor-man",
"summary": " \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVK53FoIvcMf8Cf9iIvvrLD61ikiul25apjgpBys_tgMr4QS7ecP8RTt7TeahTdR8NzCXvJIPzIiZc8Gg5mnf4YOssDxmZ6Y0K65pfNbe58NHidQ3NmKPiO8X-GwNacVOWRe8m2FHB34xT/s320/poor+man-a-1.jpg\") During ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s visit to America, one of the Baha'i\nfriends who was staying in the same hotel as ‘Abdu'l-Baha, narrated this story:\n
\n\nI had a room in the same guest-house where Abdu'l-Baha was\nstaying. Once, when I was looking out of my window, I saw Him pacing and\ndictating to His secretary. At that moment a poor man in shabby clothes passed\nthe guest-house. No sooner had ‘Abdu'l-Baha seen him, than he sent his secretary\nto bring the man to Him. \n\n
\n\n‘Abdu'l-Baha stretched His arms out and welcomed him most\nwarmly. The man was very poor and his clothes were very dirty. Nevertheless ‘Abdu'l-Baha\nturning His shining face to the man, talked to him for a long time, trying to make\nhim happy. In the end the poor man smiled and his face beamed with pleasure. \n\n
\n\nThen ‘Abdu'l-Baha gave the man a searching look and said\nsomething I did not quite hear. It must have been something like \"This\nman's clothes are old and shabby - we must do something!\" \n\n
\n\nIt was early in the morning and the street was still empty\nof people. ‘Abdu'l-Baha took off His cloak and gave the garment to the poor man\nsaying, \"God be with you.\" Then He returned to His secretary and\ncontinued dictating, as if nothing had happened. \n\n \n
\nI don't know what the man was thinking as he just continued\non his way. But I think after seeing so much loving kindness, in ‘Abdu'l-Baha,\nand His generosity in giving him His own clothes, he must have been surprised\nand moved. He must have caught a glimpse of a world full of love and kindness, which\nwas new to him.
\n\n
\n\nDuring the years ‘Abdu'l-Baha was in prison, He thought\nalways of others and not of Himself and would even offer His own bed to someone\nwho had nowhere to sleep. And He was not happy to own two sets of clothing, knowing\nthat some people had none. \n\n
\n\nSo we can see that ‘Abdu'l-Baha always did just what He told\nothers to do. He taught us to be kind to the poor, and this story shows how He\ndid this Himself. \n\n
\n\nHe was the great Exemplar who always remembered and acted on\nBaha'u'llah's holy words: \"The poor in your midst are My trust; guard\nye My trust, and be not intent only on your own ease.” (Baha’u’llah) \n\n(Adapted from ‘The Portals to Freedom”, by Howard Colby\nIves; ‘Varqa Children Magazine’, vol. 1, no, 2, May-June 1981) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/01/abdul-baha-and-poor-man.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/01/abdul-baha-and-poor-man.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "‘Abdu’l-Baha’s meeting with children in Esslingen, Germany, April 4th, 1913",
"slug": "bsfc-abdu-l-baha-s-meeting-with-children-in-esslingen-germany-april-4th-1913",
"summary": "
The believers had secured a very pretty hall, which was most\nbeautifully decorated with greens, plants and flowers, with large and small\ntables near the walls and round tables in the center. About fifty children and\neighty adults were present. In a smaller room adjoining the hall the children\nhad been assembled holding flowers in their hands, forming two lines for\n‘Abdu’l-Baha to pass through. It looked most beautiful as ‘Abdu’l-Baha came\nupstairs. He passed through a short hall and looked so pleased and delighted to\nsee the dear children.\n\nOne of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Easter attendants was overcome with\nfeelings: \"I was overcome with surprise, emotion and joy, and could not\ncontain myself; the tears filled my eyes. It was the most beautiful, the most\nheavenly, the most artistic picture that I have ever seen in all my life. It\nwas so beautiful! I cannot describe these things; one must feel them, see them.\nIt was a glorious day for these believers, in a far-away town in Germany, to\nsee with their own eyes the Beloved of all nations. What love! What attraction!\nWhat enkindlement these German believers have!” \n\nThe children handed ‘Abdu’l-Baha their flowers as He came to\nthem and greeted them. When ‘Abdu’l-Baha's hands were full, He handed the\nflowers to one of His Persians attendants, and went up one side and down the\nother. Then He gave them small boxes of chocolates and bon-bons. They were\nradiantly happy. Then He spoke to them, saying: \n\n“These children are of the Kingdom, they are illumined with\nthe Light of God. They have pure hearts, clear as crystal, wherein the rays are\nreflected. I love them very much. They are mine. I hope they will receive\ndivine education, that they may receive heavenly training; become fragrant\nplants in the Garden of Abha. They are very dear to me. May God guide and\nprotect them, make of them useful men and women for the advancement of the\nKingdom on earth.” \n\n‘Abdu’l-Baha then entered the hall. There were a lot of\npeople who had come to the door to see what was happening. He seemed greatly\npleased, as He entered the hall, to see the decorated tables and the green\nbackground. After a little while, He gave an address. Tea was then served, and\ncake and chocolate were on the table. A photograph was then taken of the entire\ngroup. \n\nAfter this ‘Abdu’l-Baha got into the automobile, the\nchildren crowding around and waving their flowers. Then one after another\nstepped up and handed their fragrant tokens. O, it looked really beautiful;\nimpossible to describe, so wonderfully sweet! The children waving their dear\nlittle hands, and ‘Abdu’l-Baha in the auto, covered with flowers, waving His\nblessed hands to them. \n\n‘Abdu’l-Baha said that this event would go down in history. \n\nThe following were His words spoken, next day, on the morning of April\n5th, at Hotel Marquardt, Stuttgart: \n\n“The effect of last night's meeting will be put on record in\nthe world of eternity. The mentioning of it will be throughout centuries and\nwill be recorded in the countries of the Orient. Because these children are\ntender plants, their hearts are clear and transparent. They have not yet come\nto the dross of the world; that is why Christ said: ‘Blessed are the children,\nfor they are of the Heavenly Kingdom, being pure of heart.’ That was a\nspiritual meeting, a heavenly meeting, the Light of the Kingdom was shining\nupon it. The Confirmation of the Spirit surrounded that meeting.'\" (Adapted from a report by Alma S. Knobloch; Star of the West, vol. 4, no. 9,\nAugust 20, 1913)
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2023/09/abdul-bahas-meeting-with-children-in.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2023/09/abdul-bahas-meeting-with-children-in.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "‘Abdu’l-Baha’s temporary separation from Baha’u’llah",
"slug": "bsfc-abdu-l-baha-s-temporary-separation-from-baha-u-llah",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSdtNMNX5lBGfhi0r-wohYSp60Z3Y9j5T5CrlvBbsLOkmQ7DZV34syjsP962RRinenAgQVojC98IlGQFPIIW1l3K5Sg4RufuYNyTCw4LZ5us5_WiBj9fS7OX1lGt9A8dMxubevGaimoC_/s320/Kurdistan+Mountains-1a.png\") ‘Abdu’l-Baha was with His Father, Baha’u’llah, all the time\nand they loved each other very, very much. But one day Baha'u'llah had to go\naway into the mountains and did not come back for two long years. ‘Abdu’l-Baha\nwas about nine years old. \n\n
\n\nMissing His Father so much, ‘Abdu’l-Baha sometimes cried. He\nread the books of the Báb and prayed and helped the Family as much as He could. \n\n
\n\nThere was a bad uncle who was living in their house. So\nafraid of being arrested as a Bábí, he would lock the main gate of the house and\nwould not let the children go out to play. During this sad time many of the\nBábís in Baghdad forgot the good teachings of the Báb and began to quarrel among\nthemselves. \n\n
\n\nThen one day Baha'u'llah returned! His clothes were made of\nrough cloth, His hair and beard were long and His face was brown from being so many\nmonths outside in the wind and sun. ‘Abdu’l-Baha fell to the ground and kissed\nHis Father's feet, and tears fell from Baha'u'llah's eyes as He looked at His beloved\nSon. \n\n\nAfter Baha'u'llah's return there was much happiness among the\npeople of Baghdad and many came to visit Him. Some came because they wanted to ask\nquestions and others came just to see what was going on. \n\n
\n\nBaha'u'llah was very busy with all these people so ‘Abdu’l-Baha\ndecided to help Him. Whenever anyone came to the house He asked them what they wanted,\nand if they really wanted to learn the truth then He would take them to Baha'u'llah. \n\n(Adapted from ‘Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’, by Jacqueline Nehrabi) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/12/abdul-bahas-temporary-separation-from.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/12/abdul-bahas-temporary-separation-from.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "‘Abdu’l-Baha - the Knight of Light",
"slug": "bsfc-abdu-l-baha-the-knight-of-light",
"summary": "![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-yjEC0MPWroBWmVkzeK8G2wFe2em_c5a8IOy1OC8PLM8JzYE7y7VLU26Ub0dQhUtk1Y4-PLqDcuI8ZufFrj2Xo6NFjeO-gzKtaeF5-2la0cPdfHd9YUecc94zfRyZIfi9W1kVTeSGmt08/s320/camel-a-1a.jpg\") When you stand in the gardens at Mazra'ih near 'Akka, you can see the mountains that hold the Druze village\nof Abu-Sinan, where the Baha'is of the Holy Land lived during the most\ndangerous times of World War I.
\n\n
\n\nDuring this war, the British and the Turks were fighting to\ncontrol the Holy Land. Because the enemies of the Faith had spread lies about\nthe Baha'is to the Turkish military leader, Jamal Pasha, he had sworn to crucify\n'Abdu'l-Baha and His family upon his return to Haifa. So 'Abdu'l-Baha moved the\nBaha’is and His family to the village of Abu-Sinan. \n\n
\n\nBut He Himself had work to do. So, with Haji MIrza Haydar\n'AIi, a courageous soul who feared nothing but the displeasure of God, He\nreturned to Haifa. As it was impossible for 'Abdu'l-Baha to continue his\ncorrespondence with Baha'i's all over the world - there was no mail in or out\nof Haifa, and no pilgrims could travel to the war zone - He returned His\nenergies to trying to ease the sufferings of the people of Haifa and 'Akka. \n\n
\n\nThe oppression of the Turks and a plague of locusts had\ncaused local famine, so in the tremendous heat of the season (which was enough\nto take one's breath away!), 'Abdu'l-Baha traveled to Tiberias [about 30 miles\nto Haifa] and supervised the raising of wheat on the fertile land around the\nSea of Galilee. He maintained a system of distributing the wheat to the people\nof Haifa and 'Akka, arranged for its transport by camel, and devoted His time to\ncaring for the victims of the war. \n\n \n
\n\nAt the end of the war, the tide was turning very definitely\nin favor of the British, and the safety of 'Abdu'l-Baha was in even more peril,\nas the Turks desperately held on in Haifa. Some British Baha'is received an urgent\nmessage that 'Abdu'l-Baha's life was in grave danger and they hurried to get\nhelp from the British officials, who responded by having a telegram sent from\nthe British government in London to General Allenby of the British army in the\nHoly Land: \"Extend every protection and consideration to 'Abdu'l-Baha, His\nfamily and His friends, when the British march on Haifa.\" \n\n
\n\nWhen General Allenby took Haifa, he sent a cable back to\nLondon: \"Have today taken Palestine. Notify the world that 'Abdu'l-Baha is\nsafe.\" \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbOtcuf2lHEAxtRmclpjfy6r4kTbbtWVxI5VrC_CHihOwe0I9YP449lBoAFKVz9PaYYq9w1nYL9EkV43dopQudmaxwDRk86TU7Nyl_Bh-8rPJKDKMh07aDZezGAdS5iUnlng9mlRVoJRd/s320/caring+for+the+sick-1.jpg\") \n
\n\nMajor Tudor-Pole tells us about the events during those\ndays. He says that there were some exciting predictions that 'Abdu'l-Baha made\nabout the British taking Haifa and 'Akka. 'Abdu'l-Baha is reported to have said\nto two unarmed British soldiers that both cities would fall into British hands\nwith almost no bloodshed, and that the Turks would surrender ‘Akka, which was\nregarded as a fortress that could not be penetrated. \n\n
\n\nMajor Tudor-Pole then tells us how 'Akka fell: 'Akka,\nfortified and walled, was supposed to be filled with the Turkish soldiers,\nready to defend the town. Early one morning, two British soldiers, who had\ngotten lost during the night, found themselves at the gates of 'Akka, thinking\nthat the town was already in British hands. The Turkish soldiers stationed\nthere had secretly taken out of 'Akka the evening before. When the mayor of\n'Akka saw British soldiers at the gate, he came down and presented them with\nthe keys of the town, as a gesture of surrender! \n\n
\n\nIn April of 1920, 'Abdu'l-Baha received a high honor from\nthe British government. He was knighted, becoming Sir 'Abdu'l-Baha Abbas. This\nknighthood was bestowed upon Him in recognition of His work during the war to\nalleviate the peoples' hunger and distress. \n\n
\n\n'Abdu'l-Baha accepted the knighthood as a gift from a\n\"just king\", but never used the title \"Sir\", and even on\nthe day of His knighthood, He refused to allow a fuss to be made over Him. \n\n
\n\nThe British officials were all gathered in Haifa to honor\n'Abdu'l-Baha, and a fancy automobile had been sent in every direction to look\nfor Him, when suddenly, from an unexpected side, He appeared alone, walking\nmajestically toward the garden where the ceremony was to be. \n\n
\n\n'Abdu'l-Baha had asked His faithful servant Isfandiyar, to\ndrive Him to His knighting using his simple horse-drawn carriage. And that’s\nhow He arrived: humble yet kingly, wearing already the invisible crown of honor\nwon by Him for steadfastly working to serve others. \n\n(by Sue Lang, Brilliant\nStar magazine, November-December 1983) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2017/06/abdul-baha-knight-of-light.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2017/06/abdul-baha-knight-of-light.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An Amazing Night",
"slug": "bsfc-an-amazing-night",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfvq58I5wkj2OnqehgARU3GcJ3imE_JoUN8d5adQibFyOBIr6AvycphSOVIYwg5CwWeQISYP3EqE0Ut6LO13axkHCCgKC9uf8Kd2zIW5StSgAXg3BOCNjczt_nME-MT1PuuAj7In3jbw1/s320/Amazing+Night-1.jpg\") \n\nAll the Bahá'ís of 'Akka knew that Bahá'u'lláh would soon\nmove from His home in 'Akka to the Mansion of Bahji out in the country. His\nfamily was already there, making everything ready for Him. On the night that\nBahá'u'lláh was actually to move, Two Bahá'ís, Nabil and Hájí Muhammad Táhir,\nwere sitting by their window in 'Akka waiting for Bahá'u'lláh to pass by. They\ntreasured every glimpse of Him. When they saw Bahá'u'lláh riding by on His\nwhite donkey, they decided to follow Him to the Mansion of Bahjí,\ncircumambulate it, and then walk back home. \n\n
\n\nTo circumambulate means to walk around something. Bahá'ís\noften circumambulate the holy places where Bahá'u'lláh has lived, saying\nprayers as they walk. It is a sign of their love for Bahá'u'lláh. \n\n
\n\nNabil and Hájí Muhammad Táhir followed quietly about fifty\nsteps behind Bahá'u'lláh all the way to Bahjí. When Bahá'u'lláh went inside the\nMansion, they came closer so they could walk on the footpaths close to the\nMansion's walls. They were amazed to see that the footpaths on all four sides\nof the Mansion were crowded with people. They could hear their breathing and\ntheir low voices. They could not get close to the Mansion but had to walk in\nthe muddy wheat fields surrounding it as they prayerfully circumambulated\nBahá'u'lláh's new home. \n\n \n
\n\nNabil and Hájí Muhammad Táhir knew that no one else had come\nfrom 'Akka to circumambulate the Mansion of Bahjí. No one was allowed to go.\nWhy, even they had come without permission! Then, they realized that these\npeople crowding around the Mansion were the souls of all the Prophets and\nMessengers and the Concourse on High who were also circumambulating the new\nthrone of their Lord! \n\n
\n\nWhen the two returned to 'Akka, they stayed up all night,\nkeeping vigil. Nabil wrote many poems about Bahá'u'lláh, and about the souls\nthey had seen during their visit to Bahjí. When Bahá'u'lláh read the poems, He\nwas so pleased that He gave each man a new name. To Nabil He gave the title of\nBulbul (Nightingale) and to Hájí Muhammad Táhir He gave the title of Bahháj\n(the Blissful). \n\n(Written and illustrated\nby Cindy Pacileo. Adapted from The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol. 4, by Adib\nTaherzadeh; Brilliant Star magazine, May-June 1993) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2016/11/an-amazing-night.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2016/11/an-amazing-night.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s very generous nature when He was seven years old",
"slug": "bsfc-an-example-of-abdu-l-baha-s-very-generous-nature-when-he-was-seven-years-ol",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDdXPqV1JBBJ4FQyN1ysVSPTci1zPDe7ST9CASk3j5fELbbZzNTpRAbyjYT7U18whC1Hy_5CYsdAo1Nh9a83xozumkzSiGLqgz9ROG83QYZ42WFMTDPA7XotcY_PAlD2uM5j5SKhR0e4X/s1600/farmer+and+sheep-a-1.jpg\") One lovely day ‘Abdu’l-Baha was enjoying riding His pony\nover the green fields and up the mountainside. He was on His way to visit some\nshepherds in the hills. The shepherds lived in a village owned by His Father, Baha'u'llah.\nAll the houses, the fields and the sheep belonged to Baha'u'llah too. The\nfarmers grew the corn and looked after the animals and Baha'u'llah gave them\nmoney and food and medicine when they were ill. They all loved Him very much. \n\n
\n\n‘Abdu’l-Baha was only seven years old and so a servant was\nlooking after Him on His long ride to the hills. They soon saw the shepherds\nwith the sheep and the servant told ‘Abdu’l-Baha that when the owner, or his\nson, came to visit the shepherds he should thank them for looking after the\nsheep by giving them a present. \n\n
\n\n‘Abdu’l-Baha thought hard. He had no money or food to give\nthem. Then He had a lovely idea and smiled at the shepherds. \"I'll give to\neach shepherd all the sheep in his flock,\" he said. \n\n
\n\nThe shepherds were very surprised at such a generous gift.\nLater, when Baha'u'llah heard what His Son had done He was very pleased and\nsaid that one day ‘Abdu’l-Baha would give Himself away as well. \n\n(Adapted from ‘Stories\nof ‘Abdu’l-Baha’, by Jacqueline Mehrabi) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/04/an-example-of-abdul-bahas-very-generous.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/04/an-example-of-abdul-bahas-very-generous.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "An example of 'Abdu'l-Baha's forgiving nature...",
"slug": "bsfc-an-example-of-abdul-bahas-forgiving-nature",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHLePoyfevgQWAfzy5XdXG0h765hl7PLx7GtHanAnGcz3vzjvhE87rvB6vxADBiheCydOxbYLDZssTmx0GFARngG7zyavQ9BDqohPPlwfMwg5GqtzySlDYaw9JO5rS0eWvvFkWo04nanT/s320/group-1-a.jpg\") Some of the Governors of ‘Akka were very kind to\n'Abdu'l-Baha, but others listened more to His enemies than to His friends and\ndid very cruel things. For instance, some enemies of ‘Abdu'I-Baha at one time\nstarted a rumor that 'Abdu'I-Baha had left 'Akka and gone to Haifa. With the\nhelp of His many friends, they said, He was building a strong fort on Mount\nCarmel. Very soon, He would take over all of Palestine and Syria, and the\nTurkish Government would be driven out.
\n\n
\n\nIt was true that 'Abdu'l-Baha had moved to the fresh air of\nHaifa with His family, and it was true that He had many friends of all\nnationalities, but the so-called fort He was building was really the sacred\nShrine of the Báb. The Governor, however, believed the stories the enemies\ntold, and 'Abdu'l-Baha's family was brought back to the prison-city of 'Akka\nonce again. \n\n
\n\nOn one occasion an unfriendly Governor who hated the Baha'is\ndecided to take over their shops and leave them with no means of making a\nliving. So he gave orders to the police: \"There are fifteen shops owned by\nBaha’is; go tomorrow morning early, lock them up, and bring the keys to\nme.\" \n\n
\n\n'Abdu'l-Baha called the Baha'is to Him that same evening and\nsaid, \"Do not open your shops tomorrow, but wait and see what God will\nsend us.\" \n\n
\n\nThe next morning, the Governor waited for the keys. The\npolice came to him and said that the shops were closed. The Governor sent the\npolice out again, and said, \"See if the shops are open now.\" The\npolice returned and said that the shops were still closed. They waited and\nwaited. At ten o'clock the shops were still not open, although they were\nusually open for trade at seven in the morning. However, the Governor knew that\nthe shops must open sometime, so he waited. \n\n\nIn the meantime, the High Priest of the town came to the\nGovernor. \"How are you?\" asked the Governor. \"Quite well,\"\nthe High Priest answered. \"But I am very sad. I have a telegram here from\nDamascus which fills me with sorrow.\" \n\n
\n\nThe Governor took the telegram and was shocked to see the\nmessage which had been received from the Central Government. It said that the\nGovernor had been removed from his office, and that the police should take him\nto Damascus immediately. \n\n
\n\nWhen 'Abdu'l-Baha heard of the Governor's misfortune, He\nwent to visit him. \"You must not be sad because of this,\" He said.\n\"Everything in this world changes. Can I do anything for you?\" \n\n
\n\nThe Goyernor was really surprised at ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s offer,\nbut very grateful. He said, \"Now that I am being taken away from my loved\nones, there will be no one to take care of them. My dear family will be sad,\nlonely, and helpless, with no one to advise them and help them in their\nneed.\" \n\n
\n\n'Abdu'l-Baha said, \"Do not be unhappy, but tell me\nwhere you want your family to go.\" \n\n
\n\n\"If only they could follow me to Damascus!\" he\nsaid. \n\n
\n\n\"Now trust in me,\" said 'Abdu'l-Baha, \"and\nlet your heart rest easily. I will gladly send your wife and children to\nDamascus under very special care. You will find that they will be there soon\nafter you arrive yourself.\" \n\n
\n\nAnd so it was done. When the family arrived in Damascus the\nGovernor was very happy. He asked the guard who brought them there what the\ncost was for the journey. The guard answered, \"It is nothing. I am only\nobeying the command of the Master, 'Abdu'l-Baha.\" \n\n
\n\nThe Governor then wished to give the guard a present for\nhimself, but he said, “I want no reward. I am only obeying the Master's\ncommand. I can accept nothing.\" \n\n
\n\nWhen the Governor invited him to stay the night so he could\nrest and have some food, the guard said, \"I obey the Master's command to\nreturn immediately. \" \n\n
\n\n\"Then please take a letter to 'Abdu'l-Baha,\" the\nGovernor insisted. And he wrote the following letter: \n\n
\n\n\"O 'Abdu'l-Baha, I pray you pardon me. I did not\nunderstand. I did not know you. I have done you great evil. You have rewarded\nme with great good.\" \n\n
\n\n(Varqa, Children’s Magazine, vol. 1, no. 5, November 1981) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2019/02/an-example-of-abdul-bahas-forgiving.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2019/02/an-example-of-abdul-bahas-forgiving.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Arty from the Arctic",
"slug": "bsfc-arty-from-the-arctic",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPJxBoEvTQm9UtsNtlm4W9CxVKGiQz2kTpDctFB2-UsYoca5gaa4oUnG5lcyX5vpomxSwoofLUR8lhU5KfniBScPFkiMgNB6RNFip_-nMEo6EwaLCl2ILutZMrIXXGal1-kszzGnUJbsE/s320/snowman-1.jpg\") \n\nThe snowman stood there, glistening in the pale sunlight.\nThis was a masterpiece, this snowman. Uncle George had helped them. Benny gave\nit a final pat and stood back to inspect their work. \n\n
\n\n“This is the best snowman we ever made,” he said, clapping\nthe snow off his gloves. \n\n
\n\n“You know, I think it really is,” said David. “What shall we\ncall him this year?” \n\n
\n\n“Frosty,” yelled little Susie. \n\n
\n\n“We want something a bit more original than that,” replied\nDavid. “Now let me think.” \n\n
\n\n“I know, Arctic. Yes, Arty from the Arctic,” said Benny. \n\n
\n\n“Oh yes,” squealed Susie. “That’s a lovely name for him, Mr.\nArty Arctic.” \n\n
\n\n“I hereby christen you Arty from the Arctic. There, it’s\nofficial now,” declared David. \n\n \n
\n\nBenny stood staring at the snowman. It really was a superb\njob they’d done this year. No lumps and bumps, no melty bits. Yes, Arty was a\nfine specimen of snowman. \n\n
\n\n“I don’t want to leave him there,” he thought, and imagined\na group of bigger children coming and merrily knocking poor Arty down. Benny\njust couldn’t bear the idea of it and turned his head away from the imaginary\nscene ... and there, a little way down the hill was the answer. \n\n
\n\n“Oh look, Uncle George,” he shouted. “Look.” He could hardly\ncontain his joy at the idea that had popped into his head. Struggling up the\nhill were two boys with a huge sled dragging behind them. \n\n
\n\n“We could put Arty on the sled and take him home,” cried\nBenny. \n\n
\n\nEveryone turned to see what Benny was looking at, and when\nthey saw the sled and heard Benny’s suggestion, they all shrieked their\napproval. \n\n
\n\n“Oh, Benny you are so clever,” shrilled Susie, jumping up\nand down in excitement. \n\n
\n\n“Wait a minute, boys,” Uncle George yelled above the\ncheering. “This is the craziest idea I ever heard, taking a snowman home,\nindeed.” \n\n
\n\nBut Benny had already run down the hill to meet the two boys\nand ask for their help. Soon the three boys were pulling the sled up to the\nsnowman. \n\n
\n\n“Well, well, well,” said Uncle George, scratching his head\nin amazement. “What will your mother have to say?” \n\n
\n\nUncle George was a good egg though and Benny knew that he\nwould help them. Uncle George picked up his shovel and started digging and\nslicing underneath until Arty was finally loosened, then he wrapped his huge\narms around the snowman, braced himself, and with a loud grunt, heaved him\nsquarely onto the sled. \n\n
\n\n“Hooray,” the children shouted. “Good old Uncle George.” \n\nThey set off for home, Uncle George pulling the sled and the\nchildren carefully guarding their precious snowman to make sure he didn’t fall\noff. \n\n
\n\nThey stood Arty right next to the front porch, for all to\nsee and admire. Arty from the Arctic stood there, glistening and winking in the\nsunlight all winter through, until one morning, Benny leaned out of his bedroom\nwindow and found Arty gone. \n\n
\n\n“Back to the Arctic I suppose,” thought Benny, “with all the\nother winter snowmen. Hope we see you again next year!” \n\n(Written by Julie C. Kuklevsky; illustrated by John Solarz; Child's Way magazine, January-February 1983) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2017/03/arty-from-arctic.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2017/03/arty-from-arctic.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Ásíyih Khánum – Bahá'u'lláh's wife and “companion in every one of His worlds”",
"slug": "bsfc-asiyih-khanum-bahaullahs-wife-and-companion-in-every-one-of-his-worlds",
"summary": "
![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqeb-7phWyHtLwShyr84H9NUXGVvSwTurHbK7qd-2rPprvSY7I3rEDu8nCBngpAOWzt5K2shfGV3pf0TbqJny8gBCiAXV_4FEvOeqyLuH8qxoGR-s5qj3-ON8nQLtfwQztyXmSYVD9GJFVawW8j8kDY6hWvJP5B8EkAnWe8G5q-evhxCLNCq_RQgguwA/s320/Resting%20place%20of%20Navvab%20and%20son%20Mirza%20Mihdi.jpg\") | Resting place of Ásíyih Khánum
and son Mirza Mihdi |
Many people loved Bahá'u'lláh when He was alive. Pilgrims\ntraveled far distances just to look at His face. One person who devoted her\nwhole life to Baha'u'llah was his wife, Ásíyih Khánum.\n\nÁsíyih Khánum married Bahá'u'lláh when she was very young.\nShe spent 50 years with Him. She served the poor with Him in the early years of\ntheir marriage. She climbed the mountains and walked for months when they were\nbanished to far-off cities. She raised His children, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahíyyih\nKhánum and Mirzá Mihdí. She waited when He went off for two years to pray. She\nstayed steadfast when enemies of the Faith tried to harm it. She sneaked food\nto Him in prison, taking her own life in her hands to save His. \n\nBahá'u'lláh said that she was to be \"His companion in\nevery one of His worlds.\" He said that she had an exalted station. \n\nAnd through all of the hardships, the imprisonments, the\nexiles, the uncertainties, she remained steadfast and devoted to her blessed\nHusband. This is how she showed her love. \n\nHer daughter, Bahíyyih Khánum, said she was \"queenly in\nher dignity and loveliness, full of consideration for everybody, gentle, of a\nmarvelous unselfishness, no action of hers ever failed to show the loving-kindness\nof her pure heart; her very presence seemed to make an atmosphere of love and\nhappiness wherever she came.\" \n\nHer life was simple and uncluttered. She showed her love by\nher virtuous actions, not only to Bahá'u'lláh, but to everyone she met. For herself,\nshe did not need much. \n\n
Her granddaughter, Túbá Khánum, shared this memory:\n\n\"Her tiny room was simple and bare -- the narrow white\nbed, which was also the divan (sofa) in the daytime; a very small table, on\nwhich was her prayer and other holy books, her qalam-dan (pen case), and\nleaflets for writing; there was also her rosary, sometimes a flower in a pot\nand lastly an old painted box holding her other frock and her other\nunder-garment. \n\n\"My eyes will always see her in her blue dress, with a\nwhite niqáb on her head, and little black slippers on her tiny feet. Her sweet,\nsmiling face, and her rapt expression, as she chanted prayers in her musical\nvoice.\" (Brilliant Star, March-April 1998)
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2022/08/asiyih-khanum-bahaullah-wife-and.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2022/08/asiyih-khanum-bahaullah-wife-and.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "At the Prison Gates",
"slug": "bsfc-at-the-prison-gates",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZg7FHyWliqivNeU3-D0QKbvoI8MoZwnFHlu0ZgL2cF95QV2ibOPxYdg3mQDW4CMp0yv-ajpvnu3653SpaPIiWUXhy7_xJSd7CTWJ6UA6wW7r6LMLNDjI8pMSz5rZ-6GrnFl_iEIlgPM9O/s320/man+walking-1a.jpg\") \n'Abdu'l-Rahim was a fanatical Muslim. He was alarmed. The\nBaha'i Faith was growing in his town in Persia and he decided that it was time\nto ask the advice of a Muslim clergyman. Being a fanatic, as many were, the\nclergyman assured 'Abdu'l-Rahim that to kill the Baha'is would certainly please\nGod.
\n
\n'Abdu'l-Rahim then decided that he would kill some Baha'is.\nNot only would he rid the world of these infidels, he thought, but he'd gain a\nplace in heaven as well. So, one day he armed himself with a weapon and went to\nconfront an older believer whose name was Haji Bábá.
\n\n
\n\"I've come to kill you, Haji Bábá, because you are a\nBaha'i. You are a disgrace to Islam!\" \n\n
\n\nTo 'Abdu'l-Rahim’s surprise Haji Bábá did not seem the least\nupset. Instead he replied calmly and lovingly. It was certainly not what\n'Abdu'l-Rahim’s expected. He wanted to kill at least one Baha'i, but instead he\nfound himself listening to the words of the old man. Quite against his will,\n'Abdu'l-Rahim became interested. \n\n
\n\nAfter a while, Haji Bábá took 'Abdu'l-Rahim to a meeting. It\nwas in the house of Mulla Husayn's sister. (Perhaps you remember that Mulla\nHusayn was the first to believe in the Báb.) You have been to firesides I\nsuppose? Well, this one lasted one day and one night! At the end of this\nmeeting, 'Abdu'l-Rahim was not only a Baha'i, but a Baha'i who was on fire with\nthe love of God. He was so charged that he could no longer bear to stay in his\ntown. He had learned that the Manifestation of God, God's Prophet for this age,\nwas actually on this earth and 'Abdu'l-Rahim longed to see His Face. \n\n
\n\n'Abdu'l-Rahim set out for the prison of Akka on foot. He\nwalked weary miles on foot. He walked weary miles with a glad heart. He walked\nthrough cold and heat, rain and snow. He walked for six months. Finally, he\narrived at the city of his heart, the dusty, parched city of Akka, where God\nhad placed His Most Glorious Treasure, Baha'u'llah. \n\n
\n\nUnfortunately, 'Abdu'l-Rahim arrived in the early days of\nBaha'u'llah's imprisonment. The gates were watched carefully and anyone\nsuspected of being a Baha'i was turned away. Outside the city 'Abdu'l-Rahim met\nthe celebrated, long suffering Nabil, who many times had tried to get in to\ncatch a glimpse of that Beloved Face. But Nabil had failed and was patiently\nwaiting for a time when he might enter. \n\n\nThere were many like 'Abdu'l-Rahim who had walked that weary\nroad only to arrive and be turned away, their only consolation being a wave of\nBaha'u'llah's hand from a distant window. With this small wave of a handkerchief\nshining bright against the crumbling walls, they cheered their hearts and\nreturned to their homes. Not 'Abdu'l-Rahim. He was determined to see\nBaha'u'llah. \n\n
\n\nHe left Nabil and went to the sea to wash his clothes,\nsoiled from the long journey. But after they were washed and dried, he found\nthat they were shabby, shrunken and torn. He put them on, because that was all\nhe had and, with a heart full of hope and love, he began to circle the prison. \n\n
\n\nTo his astonishment, after a short time, he noticed a hand\nsignaling to him from the prison window. It was the hand of Baha'u'llah\nmotioning him to enter the prison! \n\n
\n\nEnter the prison! Wasn't it impossible? 'Abdu'l-Rahim obeyed. He approached the gates\nfully prepared to be turned away, but he found instead that the guards were\nmotionless, without life. They seemed not to see him and as he entered, they\ndidn't move an eyelid. \n\n
\n\nWith what joy 'Abdu'l-Rahim entered the presence of\nBaha'u'llah! \n\n
\n\nNo matter how many miles we may walk on this earth, we, in\nthis time, will never have this joy. We can only imagine. We can enter His\nShrine, lay our heads on His Threshold\nand humble ourselves before Him, but that gentle Hand will never touch our brow\nand that mighty Voice will never reach our ears. This is a joy reserved for\nthose chosen few whose stories will forever inspire us. \n\n
\n\nIn the days that 'Abdu'l-Rahim stayed with Him, Baha'u'llah\nrevealed a Tablet for him. In it He says that He had closed the eyes of the\nguards so that 'Abdu'l-Rahim could enter. Baha'u'llah gave him a new name and\ntold him to tell his experiences to the believers in Persia. When 'Abdu'l-Rahim\nleft, He gave him other Tablets to \ndeliver to the Baha'is of Persia. \n \n\n
\n\nOn his journey back, 'Abdu'l-Rahim stopped in Baghdad. As he\nwas walking in the bazaar, some soldiers spotted him and became suspicious.\nThey decided to follow him and arrest him. What could 'Abdu'l-Rahim do? His\nprecious parcel with the Tablets of Baha'u'llah would be taken from him and\nperhaps destroyed. If they were found, perhaps he would be killed. \n\n
\n\n'Abdu'l-Rahim had no time for reflection. He took the parcel\nfrom his pocket and, trusting in God, threw it into the nearest shop. As he did\nthis, he begged Baha'u'llah to protect the Tablets. \n\n
\n\nThe soldiers arrested him but soon after decided that this\nwas a man of God and let 'Abdu'l-Rahim go. They even gave him a small sum of\nmoney for the trouble they had caused him. 'Abdu'l-Rahim looked at the money and\nthought, \"You took from me the most precious of all things in the world,\nthe Tablets, and gave me instead a few coins!\" \n\n
\n\nHe returned to the bazaar, deeply worried about the Tablets.\nHe walked up and down past the shop several times and occasionally stood near\nit and looked inside. Nothing happened. It was getting late, and finally, when\nthere were no more customers around, 'Abdu'l-Rahim went near the shop again.\nThe shopkeeper beckoned him to enter and when he did he found himself embraced\nwarmly and greeted with ''Allah-u-Abha!'' [God is the Most Glorious] \n\n
\n\nHis treasured parcel was thrust into his hands. Who was this\nman? He was one of the few Baha'is left in Baghdad and out of hundreds of shops\nin the bazaar, his was the only one owned by a Baha'i! \n\n
\n\nWith grateful hearts both men thanked God, for this was\nindeed a miracle. \n\n
\n\n'Abdu'l-Rahim stayed on a few days, met some of the Baha'is,\nand then he left for Persia, visiting several towns, delivering the Tablets and\ntelling of his pilgrimage. \n\n
\n\nWhen 'Abdu'l-Rahim arrived in his native town, he was a\nflame of fire that Baha'u'llah had kindled. The radiance of his face and the\nforce of his words were evident. He taught the Faith fearlessly and in a short\ntime the Muslim fanatics drove him out. He then settled in another town. \n\n
\n\nSome years later Baha'u'llah honored an old faithful\nbeliever with an invitation to visit Him in Akka. As he was very old,\nBaha'u'llah asked that a trustworthy Baha'i accompany him. The Baha'is could\nnot decide who to send, so they drew lots. 'Abdu'l-Rahim’s name was chosen. In\nthis way, he was again allowed to enter the Presence of the Blessed Beauty.\nWhen they arrived, Baha'u'llah told them that when He had said a\n\"trustworthy\" Baha'i, he had actually meant this devoted believer, 'Abdu'l-Rahim. \n\n
\n(by Susan Allen; illustrated by Keith Kresge; adapted from\n‘The Revelation of Baha'u'llah, Volume 3, by Adib Taherzadeh; Brilliant Star,\nJuly-August 1987) \n
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2018/11/at-prison-gates.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2018/11/at-prison-gates.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Attributes of God",
"slug": "bsfc-attributes-of-god",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQZ5H_B7Y0E6YW_RmFvmCOEcuuVsqyMWppfNGZWxDZjMBpK7fQA2FMplKERja2iRUTpLSJayPQpbTm8PgsmrRitXYHVl1scZYWc8qsSqryYMAHI4YF5SB-M0S8FeJ8FnfuEVWwwDlFx-F/w492-h198/Prism-1.jpg\") \n\nMr. Bustard took a triangular shaped bar of glass from his\nbriefcase. “Does anyone know what this is?\" he asked as the four children\nin his class examined it. \n\n
\n\n“Is it a mirror?\" asked Anisa. \n“No, it's not a mirror;” replied Mr. Bustard. \n“It's a paperweight,” answered Nabil. \n“No, it's not that. Do you have any idea what it is, Phillip\nor Sarah?\" \nThey both shook their heads. \n“This is called a prism. Can anyone guess what a prism\ndoes?\" \n\n
\n\nPhillip raised his hand. “A prism is where they put people\nwho break the law,” He giggled at his joke. \n\n
\n\nMr. Bustard laughed too. “That's very funny, Phillip, but\nthat's a ‘prison' not a ‘prism'.\" He spoke the two words distinctly so the\nchildren could hear the different sound. “A prism is used to separate light\ninto different colors. Did you know that the light coming from this lamp\ncontains all the colors of the rainbow?” He positioned the prism near the lamp\nand tilted it so it caught a ray of light. A rainbow of colors suddenly\nappeared on the opposite side. He held up a piece of white cardboard on which\nto reflect the different colors. The children were fascinated. \n\n \n
\n\nMr. Bustard set down the prism and flipped over the piece of\ncardboard. There was a word printed on it. \n\n
\n\n“Can anyone pronounce this word?\" he asked the class.\nSarah raised her hand. “Yes, Sarah, tell us how to pronounce it.” \n“Attribute,” she said very assuredly. \n“Very good. Can anyone tell me what an attribute is?\" \n\n
\n\nThe children sat quietly. Sarah wanted to answer but wasn't\nsure she could explain it clearly. \n\n
\n\n“An attribute describes something,” Mr. Bustard continued.\n“If we say a person is ‘kind', that is an attribute. If we describe someone as\n‘happy-go-lucky', that is his or her attribute. Can anyone think of other kinds\nof attributes that people have?\" \n\n
\n\n“Pretty?\" Anisa answered questioningly. She wasn't\ncertain she understood the idea yet. \n“That's right,” Mr. Bustard reassured her. \n“Quiet,” said Nabil. \n“Sad,” Phillip said loudly. He was sure of his answer. \n“You're all correct,” said Mr. Bustard. “Those are all\nattributes of people. God also has attributes. Can anyone think of an attribute\nof God?\" \n\n
\n\nSarah raised her hand quickly. “Love. God is love.” \n\n
\n\n“That's exactly right. Love is one of the most important attributes\nof God. God loves all of us and He wants us to love Him.” \n“Mighty and Powerful,” said Phillip. “The prayer says He is\n‘the Mighty, the Powerful.’\" \n\n
\n\nMr. Bustard began to write the words the children came up\nwith on the board. With a little help from him, they soon had a long list:\nlove, might and power, peace, justice, beauty, forgiveness, joy. \n\n
\n\nMr. Bustard decided the children understood the idea so he\ncontinued. “Look at all these words we use to describe God. We talk about the\nOneness of God, but He has many attributes. How can that be?\" \n\n
\n\n“He's like the light,” said Nabil. “The light is many\ncolors, but it looks white.” \n\n
\n\nMr. Bustard knew that the demonstration of the prism had\nbeen successful. He picked up the prism and recreated the rainbow on the\ncardboard. “Let's pretend the light is God and all the colors we see are His\nattributes. This color is ‘love'.\" He pointed to the first color of the\nspectrum. “This one is ‘might and power'. Here is ‘peace' and next is\n‘justice'. Then we have ‘beauty, forgiveness, mercy and joy'.\" He\nproceeded down the line of colors listing attributes of God. “The colors are\nmany, but the light is one. So God is many things, but His reality is one.” \n\n
\n\nMr. Bustard reached into his briefcase and took out the\ncrayons and four cardboard circles four inches in diameter. “On these circles I\nhave written an attribute of God. I want each of you to take one.” He spread\nthem out on the table with the attributes turned down so the children could not\nsee which one they got. \n\n
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbEH90mTHRkYrfLKK9wwwPnb_JKOujdxiVzt1ntqJqe5P46_ZyLcT8p1X1W9adCWSuLo2e-PjV-c55UkqqY6Q9Fuvse-kbmQ1gUkj-Y5QslG8VCocwsn6H_NKxY4V10ZWszAzdo6V2O8q/w218-h242/prism-a-1.jpg\") After each child had a cardboard circle in hand, Mr. Bustard\ncontinued. “On the blank side of the cardboard I want you to draw a picture to\nillustrate your attribute.”\n
\n\nThe children thought for a few minutes and with some help\nfrom Mr. Bustard all were soon diligently at work. Nabil was busy drawing a\nflower to illustrate the attribute of “beauty\". For “joy\", Phillip\nmade a smiling face. Anisa's idea of “love\" was a big red heart and Sarah\nchose to draw a fluffy white cloud floating in a blue sky for “peace\".\nWhen they finished, they shared them with each other and explained why they had\nchosen that symbol. Then Mr. Bustard punched two small holes at the top,\nthreaded a piece of yarn through them and hung the pictures around each child's\nneck. \n\n
\n\n“Your assignment this week is to be an attribute of God;' he\nexplained. “I want you to do something to show the attribute of God which is\nhanging around your neck. Think about it carefully, talk it over with your\nparents, and when we get together next week I want you to tell us what you did.\nDo you think you can do that?\" \n\n
\n\nAfter a little more discussion, they all agreed they would\ntry. Then Mr. Bustard took out his guitar and played a song he had written\nabout the attributes of God. \n\n
\n\n*** \n“Did you carry out your assignment this week?\" Mr.\nBustard asked at the start of the lesson the following week. All four children\nindicated they had. “Good. Tell us about it. Would you like to start,\nSarah?\" \n\n
\n\n“My attribute is ‘peace',\" she began. “Well, my two\nbrothers and I sometimes get a little noisy at home. Sometimes we argue. This\nweek I tried to be quieter than I usually am and I didn't argue with my\nbrothers. Mom and Dad thanked me and said the house was more peaceful this\nweek.” \n“That's wonderful, Sarah. And what about you, Phillip?\" \n\n“I was ‘joy'. I talked it over with Dad and he helped me\ndecide what to do. We went to visit an old man who lives alone. We brought him\na nice apple pie. Dad said we made him happy.” \n“Very good. And how did you show the attribute of ‘beauty',\nNabil?\" \n“I bought a flower at the store and gave it to Grandma and\nGrandpa. They put it on the coffee table in their living room. Grandma said it\nmade the living room look beautiful.” \n“That was very nice. How about you, Anisa?\" \n“It was very simple. I hugged Mom and Dad every day and told\nthem I loved them.” \n\n
\n\n“Children, I'm so pleased with what you did. Your ideas are\nall so clever. You all did a wonderful job. You see how we are needed to make\nthe world a reflection of God's attributes. Without us, God's attributes would\nnot appear. We are the ones who must express them. We can do things that show\nHis love, beauty, peace and joy in the world. We are like the prism. God's\nlight shines through us. We can decide to reflect the rainbow of His attributes\nor we can turn them off. Without them the world would be a dark place, wouldn't\nit?\" \n\n
\n\nThey all nodded enthusiastically. \n
\n(by Alvin N. Deibert; ‘Brilliant Star, March-April 1986;\nillustrated by Barbara Trauger) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2017/05/attributes-of-god.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2017/05/attributes-of-god.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Badí’s Sacrifice",
"slug": "bsfc-badi-s-sacrifice",
"summary": "Badí was the name given to Aqá Buzurg by Bahá'u'lláh. It\nmeans \"the Wonderful\". Bahá'u'lláh didn't just hand out names without\nreason. Badí, at only 17, so loved Bahá'u'lláh, that he walked 1600 miles to\ndeliver a letter to the Sháh of Persia. When he arrived with the letter, he was\ntortured and killed.\n\n
But Badí wasn't always what could be called\n\"wonderful\". In fact, he was a disappointment to his father, Hájí\nAbdu'l-Majíd. He didn't obey. He led a wild life. He was unruly - that means he\ndidn't behave or respect his father's way of life.\n\nHají Abdu'l-Majíd was a Bahá'í, a follower of the new\nreligion. Aqá Buzurg followed Islam, and thought his father was wrong to put\nhis faith in a Prisoner. \n\nOne day a man named Nabíl came to see the family. He talked\nto Hají Abdu'l-Majíd and comforted him. Then Nabíl asked him to send Aqá Buzurg\nto him. Nabíl told him things about Bahá'u'lláh's sufferings. He read verses\nfrom a long poem by Bahá'u'lláh telling of His tribulations. \n\nAqá Buzurg burst into tears. He cried and prayed all through\nthe night. He didn’t sleep. Instead he read the Holy Verses and became afire\nwith the love of God. \n\nAqá Buzurg set out soon after that to go to the Holy Land.\nIt was his greatest wish to be in the presence of Bahá'u'lláh. Along the way he\ncarried water for the friends as they were moved from town to town. He walked\nall the way across the country, from Yazd to Baghdad to Mosul, to the waters of\nthe Mediterranean, to 'Akka. Take a look at a map. This is a long way! \n\nWhen he reached 'Akka, he slipped past the guards at the\ngate because he was still dressed as a water boy. Once inside, he went to a\nmosque to pray and found 'Abdu'l-Bahá there. He passed a note to 'Abdu'l-Bahá\nand that night he was able to visit Bahá'u'lláh in prison. \n\nAqá Buzurg had the honor of two meetings with Bahá'u'lláh.\nBahá'u'lláh wrote that in him \"the spirit of might and power was\nbreathed.\" He became Badí - the Wonderful. Then Bahá'u'lláh gave him the\ntask that lots of older and more experienced Baháís had hoped to perform. He\nallowed Badí to deliver the Tablet to the Sháh of Persia. Bahá'u'lláh also gave him\na special Tablet that told him the risks involved in this task and how important\ndelivering the Tablet to the Sháh was to the Cause of God. \n\nEven though Badí knew that he would most likely be killed at\nthe end of his trip, he was full of joy, laughter, gratitude and forbearance.\nHis love for Bahá'u'lláh was so strong that he was willing to sacrifice his own\nlife. (Brilliant Star, March-April 1998)
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2022/06/badis-sacrifice.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2022/06/badis-sacrifice.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Badí – the messenger of Baha’u’llah",
"slug": "bsfc-badi-the-messenger-of-baha-u-llah",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pU4Juz0FTx9_7JcbMa9tdNT0yfmUfn1q7jmh-5ArwmOB_OYykMk94MlCKwH3Ip3J6vVwM6cFFF0S8K4wZ10HcakMEZH_Zx1ChQ7g2IB4O7Qc8UL_pUzvKahYFFygDKutBJ8p5szN_29W/s200/Badi-1-1.jpg\") ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZRwdu68O2ASBdnz2icx5ROBrjjCrqdxp3e5ouWFoXFDbHNyGGKweaiGhigB6q2xL1pqcIOevpLqvpjXJnNts-wI6z2kKzE4HmYJuhnfxAl8A0AY8MNzDwzu1EUciSsyV-vPugZed-1-2/s200/Badi-2-1.jpg\") \n\n
\n\nA long time ago there lived an old man in the town of Nayshábúr in eastern Persia. He made a living by selling turquoise stones and pure wool. He was Hájí ‘Abdu'l-Majíd. \n\n
\n\n \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRc49fi_HbacqlcKyfW3XKLKPwSuWgRo0JELr3Hrvc7HCJNZNpHDo3PUjfuOB2Q_TMhV5n3xDPzHu_h8AP4DE7d1Aks8HaWp2f__xY0xCTfLK7-X7bqv3110pLWuvf-jchIlfW2IZ3CzK6/s200/Badi-3-1.jpg\") ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjoDQsrTjVffJ39qDyLzVmP8VYn4JUK-0L19SEjnI3MJ1D2IUPgZTOPUYdWlnYoFAA0y-v5UcnvAJ6cfGGD8yAfv1u_hrv6n0-mN1yV-CpAG2AHBRN-3vyofem_joRsUlrf8a8dvDQzFY/s200/Badi-4-1.jpg\")
\nHájí ‘Abdu'l-Majíd had a very clever and intelligent son\nnamed Buzurg. The Hájí was a great mullá (Muslim priest). The people loved\nand respected him. His son, Buzurg was also well-known because he could recite\nthe Holy Qur’an by heart and explain its teachings by the time he was eleven\nyears old.
\n\n\n
\n\n \n \n \n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ITk4FkF7tVT_m5jZZFgQs5MlO9DgVnfpLfiQsU-qAz-4e3D5Q3YXR8iaRP_q_caCB95cAUUepV68MifQ6nQlvRkVc1HO9v3M56hECMgmy7nPbbIBvIH73cbwst_8OJdYkJNp56JsfX0D/s200/Badi-5-1.jpg\") ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86Dwe3LNHnkNgaFMeLqJjZmV2PhoFHjyqce4GF4D_dvZGnkrfIrsg_Hwq2nrtXbbq9kqdqzQUf0YA61lVcd_lPvKdPrj50KSuOrahYr2mOnXDSmoZiJW8WE-pVGcbFh7S2hPBGx-99_Yo/s200/Badi-6-1.jpg\") \n \n \n \nWhen Buzurg heard that his father had become a Baha'i, he\nwas very upset. He ran away from home because he thought his father was very\nwrong. For a few years he worked very hard to earn money to live on\nhis own. He did not want to receive help from his father. \n \n \n
\n\n
\n \n \n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEherX8vGYmIvKaithtzinlmKlzFL4nra9ZvLQu9Zeyms0ENQHgkJb0ziR-EukjhYsp71qMMUhto_Uc5jVtPPfRUnUy_y4Ddinf5zAF8kNNmWMgSyZLqBgXB3LkD71IRN8GTT9L5TEjeuBSf/s200/Badi-7-1.jpg\") ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOp2x_gGa83BHOtra6OA04NrdTs5erQxUGvbeN4e9cYr1_49yC3R-SYugYFNCOp0mahyphenhyphenPFcSNQddn5-ObNCZsvhkZ7UTHb7PGE6ANx9l7AynwCgwCUYCkU5x9XcMtIfQ_mnwz434kRT4id/s200/Badi-8-1.jpg\") \n \n
\n But his father loved him. Whenever Baha'i travelers passed\nthrough the town, he would ask them to talk to his son about Baha'u'llah.\nBuzurg had a pure and kindly heart, and when he realized that Baha’u’llah was\nthe Promised One, he accepted Him. From the time he became a follower, Buzurg had a great\nlonging to visit Baha'u'llah. Baha'u'llah was in ‘Akka in the Most Great Prison\nand it was a very long and difficult journey. But Buzurq walked on foot from\nhis native town of Nayshábúr. \n
\n \n \n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSy9Dvg7B4YegC2gMfe8w2asiktrxidMaMpIHEt3Cmn6aodCzVt1CrX_xVLM8jVQdM7GqLCDZuyRGGyRoPHOaz2ko8YkY67o8z2smTL8LcrtKdI8AanQftqQaQuevw1fteAgPAuzpkbtej/s200/Badi-9-1.jpg\") ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4O4svssk5KOKsImwIWea2PhYP6doQTi9WbagxXnlQWbvGm7Ul640kBf9Q33O4a_LcOz0QW3dWh0LMWdZbg6cxSRRMw7BWNnER9wa85x6uAOCwlpy-dIJDvmhUJhwIObV-vTo7a0DjxEA/s200/Badi-10-1.jpg\") \n \n
\n He crossed deserts, mountains and valleys. He passed through\nvery hot as well as very cold places. He walked for months. At last, Buzurg reached the Prison. Baha’u’llah knew that\nthe one who loved him so much was coming, and He sent friends to welcome him\nwith great kindness and affection. It was at this time that Baha’u’llah called\nhim by a new name, \"Badí\" which means \"The Wonderful\".\n \n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdI2SZo-rLhA3NiKFkQczr-QyqpM9ONjFMboBKIS29W0nJ8rigJcTimSKK5n1StmzVZyIIpRrXBoyUSuBY_g6GG559BwfZ55Td7lWi4w_y4pr5Zt1Fy1xK-6g800BE2XxiEMvddvGm6Pli/s200/Badi-11-1.jpg\") ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1i7vwoWHkA1Jbsb10EI-_XG_rdBzgXOzG7pkqzUGB1U3aPu_7m6yEHSgo7vJNQ273Q9YWHpdPvz5H8KThehLeS91QFzdR-PjjjR9Z5ut8_zPe_P-2TrVTnu-gpiKfZkPnBH_cYLVVyXf/s200/Badi-12-1.jpg\") \n \n
\n By this time, Baha’u’llah had written a long letter (Tablet)\nto the King of Persia. A very wise and brave person was needed to deliver this\nletter into the hand of the King himself. The task was very difficult and\ndangerous since at that time the Baha'is were cruelly treated because of their\nnew Faith. Baha'u'llah gave this great task to Badí. Baha’u’llah told Badí that he should neither meet nor talk\nto anyone until his task was completed. So Badí took the letter (Tablet) and\nwalked on foot the entire distance from ‘Akka to Tihran. \n
\n \n \n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5FCg53NCfCpKUOnt6A_mVWlJuI-oUMsJRP7Va8MQ0ezNeiaQaz5Ayq_Y_OgAm5afkN-C7oNS9CPxQbxf5c5BnPLDTFZpDad0Us6-U1QFGTzQ-QbSoyuqNMp7Rdg1CPjWT41fN4eUXeK9l/s200/Badi-13-1.jpg\") ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid6qORtHPEnApBxMGkT3eCYf_9bO3aHSfFsivaIzQyCv-n4iqVJwFWD8ixhdfztj_AUvG3_7hqU4rmFZsS4496BTpsBhZ6hkHNWzj6hGfRbYKjI-Sj-WUeUblaXAHIJmaYgp4Xi2a6NEEW/s200/Badi-14-1.jpg\") \n \n
\n Badí was eager to fulfil every wish of his Master. He went\nby a longer and more difficult route so that he would not meet anyone on the\nway. This long walk took him four and a half months. On arriving in Tihran, Badí learned that the King had gone\nhunting to the north of the city. So Badí followed the King to the hunting\ngrounds. There he was stopped by the King's men who did not allow him to see\nthe King. \n
\n\n \n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8LB3aZFxg25P1iqqNlpAvEphzf-GHWYCNZ9HrEodMgPO4FWJuAy8W2KERk2C2WIizgm4OBejn9-2Rphy3-ieQTFWrG1hm2DdnEERaqWu0vmapHt92yu_LYBwfsdbvmfHgnfWSXjoKrNxH/s200/Badi-15-1.jpg\") ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMwWx52jlZuMTL55I-Toio1nOk4_hDAVaTy0NoQCMRDBO6C9y83UMM4lEtiUGJdYRbHMVm94EHJzZUbaGTaGrsQO_1p-JmIWlH5hz37SUS7bBdCJBvlbKu3KBkq3KRjgVfRxTicD-7kr1P/s200/Badi-16-1.jpg\") \n \n
\n But Badí could not be stopped. He went and sat on a rock on\na hill facing the King's lodge. For three days and nights he sat there without\nmoving. Finally, the King's curiosity was aroused and he ordered the soldiers\nto bring Badí to him. The soldiers brought Badí to the presence of the King. Badí\ntook the letter of Baha'u'llah, and after respectfully kissing it and touching\nit to his forehead, presented it to Násiri'd-Dín Sháh, King of Persia. \n
\n\n \n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hOThV0qDBshr6MBfUoqbetpvsGlCD3SG3w37Ym_5LKSj19SwHSE4sPLwSV8gGmtI_itHfylOw3B6bS3Kvk7v_ihTUh0LVzAKCAuhRAgy8XrgAJju6XNpsyqJ-zb5mF7G5m1xbAaQsC9V/s200/Badi-17-1.jpg\") \n Badí spoke with such courage and dignity, and his face\nglowed with such spirit, that everyone was surprised and shaken. They could not\nunderstand how such an ordinary youth could present himself in so great a\nmanner in front of the King. Little did they know that Baha’u’llah Himself was\nhelping him with His power. \n
\n\n \n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0Dl5KVMYbNCMZ36UdQW0_xMJ4RqGmUDOG8lgS0F_4qv89Z1sl_HSFiwbMpu1mA8HeVNqV1EtPdgDkgizYqGXlfgqmLdHqtC31s8T1rC7A4y4s5IDpjqdiID6pyVlFpqZqndZ53hLxajZ/s200/Badi-18-1.jpg\") ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQmYGt9DsPzyf6F2RS3gEdHV-K1jLf_SJ8oyy0ce_q3qe3W7NhMLS0lT2h7BgZ3hMmj-IjC177xGsr84fhWK5akP8lVdKXuYgfpMrPnRihaVLlZ8zQLyerzAxmJLEAal6NRNQu6XcWfNHH/s200/Badi-19-1.jpg\") \n \n
\n The people around the King thought that Badí was part of a\nplot to kill the King. They wanted to find out who the other friends of Badí\nwere. Although Badí came alone only to deliver the letter of Baha’u’llah, the\nsoldiers caught him, took him to a prison and fixed heavy chains on his hands\nand legs. The King's soldiers tortured him to make him talk. They\nplaced red hot bricks on his body but the only word that he uttered was the\nname \"Baha'u’llah\". They tortured him more, and poured red hot molten\nlead on his body; finally he could not bear the suffering anymore and died in\nprison. \n
\n\n \n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ryq9cNvqxww_Jl3c7QasYTBkawVIpDTyYbpBKNBWdz3PZLarHN-jAbSWRZqMWVn_lD02xqdoF-YBdNQlMyOotYddQ1edNtPkvAfYxwcZ27kbl13rOs7ElRE_VCpLwiuS_RMQC7cjbhWd/s200/Badi-20-1.jpg\") \n
\n The soldiers took Badí and dressed him in the same white\nrobe that he wore when he first met the king. He was later buried in the same\nplace, known as Galan-Duak.\n
\n\n(by: Kamal Ma’ani) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2019/08/badi-messenger-of-bahaullah.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2019/08/badi-messenger-of-bahaullah.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Baha’u’llah receives His Mission from God",
"slug": "bsfc-baha-u-llah-receives-his-mission-from-god",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aU7siiCc3D_QUOCLYM-ZcOe_xk3dG991piCTMTkKstPROSgPrHMIJYRZcvweNp5V3AJR14MHNMGUEQ3-AftA7L8TxKqiM2jYR54ilt54Mycq_w9FRhWmzwpfhG4j17NxbpkaCIBZlkTs/s320/House+of+Baha'u'llah%2Bin%2BTehran-1.jpg\") \n\nBaha'u'llah lived in Persia. He was a wonderful person. His\nhair was black and His beard was black. He had happy, laughing eyes, and He\nmade everybody happy because He loved them so much. He rode on horseback and He\nwas brave and strong. He was just like a king. \n\n
\n\nHis wife was called Navvab. Her hair was black and her eyes\nwere dark blue. She was very beautiful. Her heart was so pure and she was so\ngentle. She loved everybody and she made them happy too. \n\n
\n\nBaha'u'llah and His wife were very rich. They had three\nchildren. The eldest was a boy named 'Abbas Effendi, and He was nine years old.\nWhen He grew up He was called 'Abdu'l-Baha. The next was a little girl named\nBahiyyih Khanum, and she was six. When she grew up she was called the Greatest Holy\nLeaf. And the smallest was a little boy named Mirza Mihdi, and he was two. When\nhe grew up he was called the Purest Branch. \n\n
\n\nThey all lived in a big house that looked like a palace and\nhad many servants. One maid-servant was black. One man-servant was named\nIsfandiyar. The black maid-servant and Isfandiyar loved Baha'u'llah and His\nfamily more than all the others did. \n\n
\n\nThe house was full of beautiful things. There were Persian\nrugs, and gold ornaments and fine hangings. When Navvab had married Baha'u'llah\nher wedding treasures were so great that it took forty mules to carry them to the\nhouse. Her clothes were so pretty, even the buttons were of gold set with\nprecious stones. The children wore beautiful clothes too. \n\n \n
\nIn those days all the men in Persia wore a special sort of\ncoat, it was called an 'aba, and Baha'u'llah wore an 'aba. He wore a turban too.
\n\n
\n\nIn those days all the ladies in Persia wore veils and big,\ndark cloaks that covered them all up. When Navvab went visiting she wore one of\nthose big cloaks and a veil, and she travelled in a covered seat on the back of\na mule. A mule is like a big donkey. \n\n
\n\nWhenever Navvab or the children went out a servant always\nwent with them. There were no cars or buses in those days, everybody travelled\non horseback, or on mules or donkeys, or walked. \n\n
\n\nBaha'u'llah and His wife were kind to everybody. They were\nespecially kind to poor people who were cold and hungry. They gave them food and\nother things. No one was turned away. Because of their exceptional generosity,\nBaha’u’llah and Navvab became known as “The Father of Poor” and “The Mother of\nConsolation”. \n\n
\n\nMany important people came to their spacious house. The men\ncame to see Baha'u'llah and the women and children came to see Navvab. The\nhouse was always a busy place. The three children, 'Abbas Effendi, Bahiyyih Khanum\nand Mirza Mihdi, were happy there, with their loving parents. Sometimes the family\nwent to their house in the country. 'Abbas Effendi and Bahiyyih Khanum\nespecially liked that, because they could play in the beautiful gardens. There were\nmany kinds of wonderful fruits and flowers and flowering trees in the gardens. \n\n
\n\nOne day, when Navvab and the children were at home in their\nmain house, something dreadful happened. A servant came rushing in and said:\n'The Master, the Master, He is arrested - I have seen Him! He has walked many\nmiles! Oh, they have beaten Him! They say He has suffered the torture of the bastinado!\nHis feet are bleeding! He has no shoes on! His turban has gone! His clothes are\ntorn. There are chains upon His neck!' \n\n
\n\nNavvab's face grew whiter and whiter. The children were\nterribly frightened and wept bitterly. Immediately everybody, all their\nrelations, and friends, and servants fled in terror. Only the man-servant,\nIsfandiyar, and the black maid-servant remained. \n\n
\n\nTheir house was very soon stripped of everything. The\ncarpets, the velvet pillows, the treasures, all were stolen by the people who came\nswarming in. \n\n
\n\nThe children's paternal uncle Mirza Musa helped Navvab and\nthe three children to escape from the house into hiding. She was able to save a\nfew of her marriage treasures, and that was all that was left of all their vast\npossessions. Some of these things were sold, and with the money Navvab was able\nto pay the gaolers to allow her to send food to Baha'u'llah in the prison. \n\n
\n\nNow their Father was in the prison and the children lived\nwith their mother in a little house that was very far from the prison. \n\n
\n\nThe prison was not a nice place. It wasn’t like any ordinary\nprison. It was an underground dungeon. It\nwas dark and dirty. And it was full of bad people, murderers and highway\nrobbers. But amongst all these bad people there were forty wonderful people,\nthey were Bábís, followers of the Báb. Baha'u'llah also believed in the Báb. The\nBábís and Baha'u'llah had been put into that horrible prison because two\nhalf-crazy young Bábís had tried to shoot the Shah after the Báb was executed.\nThe Shah was the king of Persia. \n\n
\n\nBaha'u'llah was kept in the prison for four months. But\nalthough it was such a horrible place, He had a wonderful experience there.\nLater on He told us about it in His Own words. He said: \n\n
\n\n“During the days I lay in the prison of Tihran, though the\ngalling weight of the chains and the stench filled air allowed Me but little\nsleep, still in those infrequent moments of slumber I felt as if something\nflowed from the crown of My head over My breast, even as a mighty torrent that precipitateth\nitself upon the earth from the summit of a lofty mountain.” \n\n
\n\nHave you ever seen water rushing down the side of a mountain?\nThat is how Baha'u'llah felt, as though water were rushing down a high mountain.\nThat was a very important moment, the moment when Baha'u'llah knew from God\nthat He had a special mission for the whole world. But just then it was not the\ntime to tell anybody about it, so Baha'u'llah said nothing. \n\n
\n\nWhen He was released from the prison, Baha'u'llah and His\nfamily were sent into exile. That means that they had to leave Persia, go away\nand never come back. \n\n(Adapted from ‘Stories of Baha’u’llah as told by Pokka’,\nby Betty Reed’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/11/bahaullah-receives-his-mission-from-god.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/11/bahaullah-receives-his-mission-from-god.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Baha'u'llah and the Money Belt",
"slug": "bsfc-bahaullah-and-the-money-belt",
"summary": " \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUyUeqXxC6vg0sCblpJvBDmbgeFCVh0yI56aO6y6zRvb3kjTQ0CFXAGQYXLI9pLoEba5uviMoEayuX-6BZo8_9LlWrlr9ljoeoSs-gVDc590Q6p_RkmLNAZxt0diRNAfNPMM_XUaBvupA/s400/Mony+Belt-c.JPG\") Baha'u'llah had sent my father and his friends to Egypt as\npioneer settlers. When they arrived in Egypt, they did not have much money.\nMoney was not in abundance among the Baha'is. For one thing, it was taken away\nfrom them and they were persecuted. For example, my grandfather was a rich man\nwhen he became a Babi, but all he had was seized. Not having money did not stop\nmy father from pioneering. He and the others got notions - spools of thread,\nneedles, thimbles, ribbons - and they went to the European homes up and down\nthe Mediterranean coast from Alexandria to Ramleh, like peddlers. People\ninvited them in and bought those things. My father became very popular. He was\nhonest, as were all the Baha'is. People were not used to that. And so the\npioneers became famous. People told their friends about them, and gradually\nthey prospered. They would meet at the end of the day and pool their resources,\nput their money together, and work in a truly Baha'i fashion.\n
\n\nBefore too long they had enough capital to open a store.\nThey called themselves the \"Sociét Ruhaniyyih”, meaning \"Spiritual\nCompany,'' and the store, the \"Grand Bazar Persan.” It became bigger and\nbigger until it was the largest and best department store in all of Egypt. The\nFaith had prospered also, in spite of the restrictions, and was well\nestablished in Alexandria, Cairo, and Port Said. \n\n
\nMy father and his friends wanted to show their gratitude to\nBaha'u'llah and also help the Faith. So they took a wide belt, a money belt,\nstuffed it with gold, large gold coins, and sent it to Baha'u'llah. A tablet\nwas received from Baha'u1lah expressing His appreciation. \n\n \n
\n\nIn the 1880's, there was a rebellion. An Egyptian general by\nthe name of Ahmed Arabi Pasha arose, and he wanted to destroy all the Europeans\nin Alexandria. There were riots. All the European people left in ships. My\nfather and the friends took the last ship out of the harbor. When the rebellion\nwas over they came back and went to the site of their business. There was\nnothing there but rubble and ashes -- absolutely nothing. They were desperate.\nPeople asked when they would open a new store, and they had no answer. Their\ncredit had been good, but now they needed some down payment, and they did not\nhave it. \n\n
\n\nOne day they were meeting together, consulting and praying,\nwhen unexpectedly the postman came with a card - a notice of a package at the\npost office. They went to the post office, got the package, took it home, and\nopened it. There was the belt they had sent to Baha'u1lah, untouched and full\nof gold. They reestablished credit and started their business again. It\nflourished more than ever.
\n \n\n- by Ali M. Yazdi (Brilliant Star Magazine – Baha’u’llah, His Life and\nStation) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2017/04/bahaullah-and-money-belt-by-ali-m-yazdi.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2017/04/bahaullah-and-money-belt-by-ali-m-yazdi.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Songbird in the Garden",
"slug": "bsfc-bahaullah-and-the-songbird",
"summary": "A short story for children, paraphrased from the Baha'i Stories for Children blog: a small songbird in the garden of Bahá'u'lláh's family home in Tihrán, the boy who would not let it be caged, and the lesson he carried into his life of service.",
"figures": [],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"children-stories",
"animals",
"kindness",
"freedom"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"freedom",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"child",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bsfc",
"book": "Baha'i Stories for Children",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nA long time ago, in a city called Tihrán in the country of\nPersia, there lived a small boy named 'Abbás. He grew up to\nbe 'Abdu'l-Bahá. But this story is from when He was only\nseven years old.\n\nThe family had a garden behind the house. There were tall\ntrees and small flowers and a quiet pool of water. Many\nbirds lived in the garden. They flew from tree to tree and\nsang in the morning.\n\nOne day, one of the older boys in the household caught a\nsmall songbird in a net. He was very pleased. He wanted to\nkeep the songbird in a cage so the family could hear its\nsong every day.\n\nLittle 'Abbás watched the songbird in the cage. The bird\nwas not singing. The bird was sitting very still. Its small\neyes were sad.\n\n'Abbás opened the cage door very gently. The songbird flew\nout at once. Up, up into the tall tree it flew. It sat on a\nhigh branch in the sunshine. Then it began to sing — the\nloudest, brightest song the family had heard in many days.\n\n'Abbás listened. He smiled. He understood.\n\n> Every living thing should have its own free place in the\n> world.\n\nThat was the lesson 'Abbás learned in the garden when He\nwas seven. He carried it with Him for the rest of His life.\nAnd every time He saw a small creature in a cage, He\nremembered the song of the small bird in the tall tree.\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/)), paraphrased short story for children.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Baha'u'llah - The King of Kings",
"slug": "bsfc-bahaullah-the-king-of-kings",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuahDcJIIxxoDlraSWsBS_4l5zsYCB-jgtAtKYZ5e_X3xEL-fnd1-mYFCPc_-RMiA94UEuU8Ba4XPL0u8jMbb5Si35_97oxin6FUQVgzZM39ioYfb1phywH5Xr_riilT7bFjGACJz7RHgn/s320/Mansion+of+Baha%2527u%2527llah%2527s+father-1.jpg\") | \n| Mansion of Baha'u'llah's father | \n | \nThis story is about a boy Who grew to be the latest Prophet\nof God. He came to the world as promised by God to Abraham, to Moses and to\nJesus; also, to Muhammad, Krishna and Buddha.
\n\n \n\n
\n\nWe all know that a king is someone who is in charge of a\nwhole country, much like a father who looks after members of his family. Today,\nin most countries, we have democracies. A democracy is governed by all its\npeople instead of by a king. But a hundred years ago kings were so strong in\nmany countries that they did as they pleased, without thinking about what would\nbe good for the people in their land. This story will tell about Husayn-'Ali,\nlater called, Baha'u'llah, Someone God sent to tell the kings and rulers of the\nworld how they should behave toward the people. \n\n
\n\nAs Husayn-'Ali was growing up, everyone knew He was no\nordinary child. When He was a boy of thirteen, He used to talk with the wise\nand learned men who visited His father's house. They had studied religion for\nmany years and although He had not gone to school, He was able to understand\nwhat they were talking about and even explained difficult questions to them. \n\n
\n\nWhat surprised the learned men as much as Husayn-Ali’s\nknowledge was His politeness. He was always mild and courteous and His father’s\nfriends wanted to keep on talking to Him. \n\n\nHusayn-'Ali’s father was one of the ministers to the King of\nPersia and was very rich. In those days the government did not take care of\npeople who were too old or sick to work and so the people had to depend on the\nkindness of people like Husayn-'All and His father. Anyone in need knew that he\ncould find a friend in Husayn-'Alf. \n\n
\n\nOne day His father had an important job for his seven year\nold boy to do. He needed someone to go to court to argue a law case in front of\nthe king. Husayn-'Ali helped his father and won the case. Though most people\nthought serving the king was the best way to get wealth and honor, Husayn-'Ali\nwas not interested in trying to get a high position in the government. Instead,\nHe preferred to take long walks in the country, watch the grasses dance in the\nbreeze, listen to the singing of the birds, breath the perfume of the flowers,\nand think His own thoughts. \n\n
\n\nWhen Baha'u'llah (Husayn-'Ali) was twenty-two years old. His\nfather died. The king asked Baha'u'llah to take His father's job but He\ndeclined the request. The prime minister explained to the king: \"Leave Him\nto Himself. Such a position is unworthy of Him. He has some higher aim in view.\nI cannot understand Him, but I am convinced that He is destined for some lofty\ncareer. His thoughts are not like ours. Let Him alone.\" \n\n
\n\nSo Baha'u'llah lived as He always had and waited for a very\nimportant letter to come. This was a letter announcing that a young Man called\nthe Báb was the new Manifestation of God. The Báb sent His first believer,\nMulla Husayn, to take the letter to Tihran, the capital city. There he would\nfind the Person to Whom he should deliver it. Mulla Husayn told the people that\nhe met in Tihran about the teachings of the Báb. One night he was talking in\nhis room with a young student who came from the same province as Baha'u'llah.\nMulla Husayn began to ask questions about Baha'u'llah. \n\n
\n\n\"What is His occupation?\" - \"He cheers the\ndisconsolate and feeds the hungry.\" \n\n
\n\n\"What of His rank and position?\" - \"He has\nnone apart from befriending the poor and the stranger.\" \n\n
\n\n\"What is His name?\" - \"Husayn-'Ali.\" \n\n
\n\n\"How does He spend His time?\" - \"He roams the\nwoods and delights in the beauties of the countryside.\" \n\n
\n\nMulla Husayn knew this was the Person he had been looking\nfor and had the student take the letter to Baha'u'llah. \n\n
\n\nWhen Baha'u'llah got the letter, He knew the words in it had\ncome from God. Right away He began to teach the new religion in that part of\nPersia, winning many people's hearts. \n\n
\n\nOne of Baha’u’llah’s uncles did not understand how people\ncould respond so warmly and eagerly. He decided that Baha'u'llah must be a\nmagician—perhaps He charmed people by putting something in their tea! \n\n
\n\nLike the Báb, Baha'u'llah was put in prison for teaching the\nnew religion. But Baha'u'llah was not killed for it as the Bab was. The Muslim\nreligious leaders did not know that Baha'u'llah would be the One to lead and\nguide the Bábis after the Báb was martyred. And they certainly did not know\nthat Baha'u'llah was the new Manifestation of God Whom the Báb promised would\ncome soon and bring teachings to unite the whole world. If the Muslim clergy\nhad known these things about Baha'u'llah, they would probably have had Him killed too.\nInstead,Baha'u'llah was weighted down with heavy chains and kept for four\nmonths underground in a dark and filthy dungeon. Then He was sent away from\nPersia. \n\n
\n\nBaha'u'llah had heard the voice of God while He was in\nprison and had learned that He was to be God's Messenger to mankind. But He did\nnot proclaim His Message right away. Instead, He waited for ten years in\nBaghdad, helping restore the faith of the few Bábis who had not been killed. He\ntaught them never to fight again, even if the king's army attacked them, and He\nhelped them get over the habit of quarreling among themselves. \n\n
\n\nBaha'u'llah was so disheartened by the behavior of certain\nBábis and their disunity when He first came to Baghdad that He went into the\nwilderness for two years, leaving them to their mischief. Under His leadership,\nwhen He came back, the Bábis became strong in their faith and were known for\nthe purity of their conduct. \n\n
\n\nPersian members of the Muslim clergy in Baghdad became\njealous of Baha'u'llah's great influence, and the King of Persia asked the\nSultain of Turkey to move Baha'u'llah still farther from Persia. \n\n
\n\nNow was the time for Baha'u'llah to tell the Bábis that He\nwas the Promised One. Before leaving Baghdad He spent twelve days talking with\nthem in a garden outside the city. The Bábis called it the Garden of Ridvan\n(means Paradise). \"Every day,\" one remembered, \"ere the hour of\ndawn, the gardeners would pick the roses which lined the four avenues of the\ngarden, and would pile them in the center of the floor of His blessed tent. So\ngreat would be the heap that when His companions gathered to drink their\nmorning tea in His presence, they would be unable to see each other across\nit.\" \n\n
\n\nBaha'u'llah declared His mission to His followers in this\nGarden of Ridvan. In the years of exile ahead of Him, He would tell it to the\nrest of mankind in letters to the kings and rulers and religious leaders of the\nworld. \n\n(by Barbara Casterline; Child’s Way Magazine, March-April, 1971) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2019/10/bahaullah-king-of-kings.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2019/10/bahaullah-king-of-kings.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Beebird’s Song",
"slug": "bsfc-beebird-s-song",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJ8FXF3qM_y3c0jroYpqI-iizoWf8hWC1qQV70bEh1YxEtAnYmhtNNuxtB0AdhYyT7yM5qWRAVPBhy9mmdtxYWTlX0OxUSpskFwappgkcMRYziJ8hDQFiWoSTlrahWfpSDh29MxI798jp/s320/Beebird-a-1.jpg\") Long ago, when the creatures ruled the land, all animals\nlived in harmony with each other and were ruled by the Goddess of Creatures\nGreat and Small. Each morning the Goddess awoke to the call of the birds and animals\nand slept with the songs of the night creatures in her ears. The animals' music\nwas her rhythm of life. \n\n
\n\nHer favorite song was the Beebird's; he had especially beautiful\nmusic. And Beebird sang day and night with only tiny pauses while he slept. Beebird's\nwings were a blur of color as he darted here and there, sipping nectar from\neach flower. \n\n
\n\nOne sunny morning Wolf and Squirrel went to the Goddess with\na complaint. \"Goddess, we can't get any sleep,\" said Wolf.\n\"Beebird has a beautiful song, but it keeps us awake when we need to\nrest.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Yes,\" agreed Squirrel. \"All the animals\nelected us to come before you. No one is sleeping because Beebird is too\nloud.\" \n\n
\n\nThe Goddess said she would talk to Beebird and immediately\nsent for him. When the Goddess told Beebird about the complaints, Beebird\nbuzzed in circles around the Goddess. \n\n \n
\n\"Oh, Goddess, what shall I do? I love to sing. It makes\nme feel happy. I thought it made others happy, too. But I don't want the\nanimals to be angry at me. What can I do?\"
\n\n
\n\n\"I don't know what you can do. But I do know that, for\na while at least, you must not sing.\" \n\n
\n\n\"I will try to be quiet,\" promised Beebird.\n\"I will try very hard.\" \n\n
\n\nAnd Beebird did try hard. For three days he did not make a\nsound. But inside him his song grew. It began as a little nut in his toes and\nthen grew branches into his legs. Soon his song had blossomed into a leafy tree\nin his belly and wings and he couldn't hold it back any longer. \n\n
\n\nBeebird's song filled the air, floating and swirling through\nthe trees. Glorious notes danced among the flowers, leaped over rocks, trickled\nover streams, and spun in the air. \n\n
\n\nOnce again Wolf and Squirrel complained. The Goddess called\nBeebird before her and scolded him. \n\n
\n\n\"Beebird, you leave me no choice. If you cannot control\nyour song, I will take it from you.\" \n\n
\n\nEven though the Goddess loved Beebird's song, she had to\nthink of the other animals. \"The day I stop your song will be a sad day for\neveryone,\" she said. \n\n
\n\nBeebird was ashamed as he left the Goddess. \"There must\nbe a way to sing quieter,\" he thought. But his problem was time. He could\nalready feel another song building inside him. \n\n
\n\nTwo days passed, and Beebird had not figured out how to sing\nquietly. He felt like popcorn ready to burst. Beebird closed his eyes, willing\nthe song back down. When he opened his eyes he spotted a thick, green vine wrapped\naround the branch he was perched on. \"Maybe,\" he thought \"there is\na way I can make my song quiet!\" \n\n
\n\nHe flew through the forest, looking for the Goddess. When he\nfound her, she granted him an audience. \n\n
\n\n\"Goddess, I can't stop singing,\" said Beebird.\n\"But I may have the answer.\" \n\n
\n\n\"I hope so, Beebird. Your song is too beautiful to silence.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Perhaps if you wrap a piece of vine around my beak,\"\nsuggested Beebird, \"it might hold back my song.\" \n\n
\n\nThe Goddess was willing to try, so she broke a piece of thin\nvine off a bush and tied Beebird's beak together. When she was done she sent\nhim on his way with good wishes. The next day Beebird held his song as long as\nhe could. At first only a note or two leaked out. Soon, the song started, and\nBeebird could not stop. But his song had no words -- and it was not at all\nloud. It was soft! \n\n
\n\nAll day Beebird sang as he tried to gather food. The vine\nprevented most of the food from going into his beak. But Beebird was happy\nanyway. He could sing! \n\n
\n\nThe other animals noticed his song and they told the\nGoddess. Once more the Goddess sent for Beebird. She commanded that he sing and\nshe listened to the happiness in Beebird's song. She saw the joy he felt in\nsinging and she was delighted. \n\n
\n\nShe removed the vine from Beebird's beak. \n\n
\n\n\"Beebird, how do you feel about your song now?\" \n\n
\n\n\"Oh, Goddess, it is wonderful! And I can sing without\nbothering anyone. But there is one problem.\" \n\n
\n\n\"What problem?\" \n\n
\n\n\"With the vine on my beak it is hard to eat,\" said\nBeebird. \"To drink the 'sweet flower juices, I need to open my mouth. But\nI can't do that with the vine on.\" Beebird's shoulders slumped. \"I\nwish I could have my song,\" he sighed. \"But I must eat.\" \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZK_cJm96hQW3A6-bZyatTeir5abCbiZLOr0yIxInQDuxYGB6dhyh9hOTra7BL-sU11_vyVPKoEgYOGJo8SG86QdFQcDXP2LTZKyC-CC5wc_Wo3hE7UqMP0v68gM5W1OlPOkFic8sWxMDm/s1600/Beebird-b-1.jpg\") \n
\n\n\"Your wish is granted,\" said the Goddess. \n\n
\n\nSuddenly Beebird's beak began to grow. It grew long and thin,\nlike a flower stalk. \n\n
\n\n\"Sing, Beebird,\" the Goddess commanded. \n\n
\n\nAnd sing he did. It wasn't the ordinary warble or tweet of a\nbird. Beebird hummed so high you felt like you were at the top of the tallest\ntree and so low you could feel the grass surround you. \n\n
\n\n\"One more thing,\" the Goddess said. \"You\nshall not be called Beebird anymore. To remind everyone of your unique song,\nyou will be called Hummingbird.\" \n\n
\n\nAnd from that day Hummingbird hummed his soft song, and all\nthe animals of wood enjoyed hearing it. \n\n(by Peggy Langgle, Brilliant Star\nSeptember – October 1989) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/12/beebirds-song.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/12/beebirds-song.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Being Good and…",
"slug": "bsfc-being-good-and",
"summary": "![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn77ivy1Kb5rHP_xOe5OwAH67ZYA-g5W8tN8AbqpouKYY8N7ZEDd8GFyg93u61lrTpgFYcBq8wMlA1-fKVNupVWZzuOQeqyxpza5JNcp_YsIBWF_BRyRrqzomEZ_RrBh5g882i3qqptZRN/s400/Looking+out.jpg\") Elizabeth was a Good Girl. Everybody said so. Grandpa David\nsaid she was his Little Princess; Mummy said she was Good as Gold; and even Mr.\nBarkowski, the mailman, said she was the Perfect Child. Everybody said she must\nbe so happy to be so good. And when her Grandma Molly asked, “Are you sure?”\nthey all said, “Of course...”
\n\n
\n\nFor when she came to dinner she ate everything on her plate,\neven the sauerkraut. Heaven knows she never spilled her milk or had grease\nspots on her dress. She said please and thank you nicely and wouldn’t think of\nasking for seconds of dessert. \n\n
\n\nAt school she was the Perfect Student. She did lovely sums\nand wrote ever-so-neatly. She never wiggled in her seat or spoke out-of-turn.\nHer teacher said she was a Little Angel. \n\n
\n\nWhen she went out to play she was Always Good. She didn’t\nget mud on her slippers and she was never rowdy. She always put her toys away.\nAnd when she stumbled and scratched her knee, not one tear appeared; she was so\nBrave. \n\n
\n\nBut that was before Billie Sue. Billie Sue was Bad. \n\n
\n\nElizabeth knew for sure Billie Sue was Bad. You could hear\nher racing down the street from a block away, she tooted her bicycle horn so.\nHer hair always flew out of her pony-tail in curly wisps and her knees were\npermanently green from grass stains. In school she always shouted “I know; I\nknow!” before their teacher even hinted at the question, and her homework,\nthough it was always in on time, was smeared with doggie paw-prints, melted\npopsicles, or last night’s spaghetti sauce.
\n
\n\n\nElizabeth was amazed that Billie Sue didn’t get in trouble;\nshe seemed so full of life that no one seemed to mind. Elizabeth knew that\nBillie Sue wasn’t Brave; for when Billie Sue skinned her knees roller skating\nshe cried loud and long, and even Elizabeth turned her eyes away from the deep\nand bloody scratches.
\n
\n\n \n\nWhen Billie Sue asked Elizabeth to ride the rope swing over\nthe creek she said, “Oh, no, I couldn’t!” But she stood and watched in awe\nwhile Billie Sue made a long smooth arc out over the water, returning gently to\nher grassy knoll. “Come on, try it!” urged Billie Sue, and before Elizabeth\nknew she was moving, she was soaring up into the sunshine like a lark or a\nrobin. She had never felt so light and free. She lept and swang and soared and\nlaughed with delight, until she heard her Mummy’s worried voice: “Elizabeth\nJean-Marie! Where have you been?” \n\n
\n\nBefore she even knew it, Elizabeth was Bad. Everybody said\nso. Grandpa David said he didn’t know what had come over her; Mummy said it was\nall Billie Sue’s fault. And when Grandma Molly said, “I wonder...”, they all\nsaid “Of course...”
\n
\n\n \n\nFor when Elizabeth came to dinner, she refused to eat her\nsauerkraut. And because she was always talking about what she and Billie Sue\nhad done that day, she sometimes dribbled her dinner on her dress. Once she\neven spilled her juice as she rushed off to play after dinner. She once forgot\nto do her homework when she and Billie Sue chased fireflies all the way to\nbedtime. And when she fell off the jungle gym and broke her arm, she cried loud\nand long. \n\n
\n\nThe pain in Elizabeth’s arm seemed loud and long too. “Oh,\nDear,” wailed Mummy, “If you had been Good, this never would have happened!” \n\n
\n\nSo Elizabeth decided to be Very Good. When Billie Sue wanted\nto build a tree house in the woods, Elizabeth stayed home. When Billie Sue made\nAngels-in-the-Snow, Elizabeth watched from the window, warm and dry. When she\nsaw the children trying to untangle their kites from the trees, she was pleased\nto see hers resting on the top shelf of her closet, safe and sound. And when\nMummy made her special Peanut Butter-Chocolate Surprise Cookies, Elizabeth took\nonly one and said thank-you-Mummy-nice-as-you-please. \n\n
\n\nElizabeth was Very Good. Everybody said so. But Grandpa\nDavid said he missed her Little Princess Pranks; Mummy said, “She’s Good as\nGold, but I’m worried about her appetite...” Even Mr. Barkowski asked, “Where’s\nElizabeth? She doesn’t come to meet me on her bike anymore; is she sick?” And\nGrandma Molly said,”Mmmhmm. Just as I thought!” \n\n
\n\nSo Grandma Molly made a Plan. “Let’s go for a walk,\nElizabeth Jean-Marie,” she said, “I do believe it’s truly spring!” \n\n
\n\n \n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrA7bWS0x0dF9DV2b263_NV9BGWcscXqm0goMq0x15-Dglghz-HG1X8RNYjiASxQpxqMHh0mHhUm27Uqpb9Z3EncZ1_hpWJBWA_8vfgwJQhhJLuBzNRQFohWpk2RK6T7xrInSxw4tw6un/s320/Jumping-over.jpg\") \n So they walked. And when they came to the rope-swing by the\ncreek, Grandma Molly said, “Look!” And she pointed up in the tree where there\nwere three baby robins on a twig which danced in the wind. Suddenly a large\nbird swooped down around them and began to scold: “Scree! Scree! Scree!”\n
\n\n“What is it doing?” asked a startled Elizabeth. \n\n
\n\n“Why, it’s just a momma-bird, teaching her babies to fly,”\nsaid Grandma Molly. And just then, as you would count “One, two...”, two little\nbirds sailed down onto the grassy knoll. The first flapped its wings and\nstrutted a bit, as though to say, “Ha! I did it!” \n\n
\n\n“Scree! Scree!” fussed the mother bird at the last. But baby\nwouldn’t budge. “Scree, Scree, Scawk!” complained the mother bird. \n\n
\n\n“Why is she so angry?” asked Elizabeth. \n\n
\n\n“I guess it’s because baby’s not being Good,” smiled Grandma\nMolly. \n\n
\n\n“What do you mean, Grandma? Why, it’s just afraid to try!”\nsaid Elizabeth. \n\n
\n\n“I know about its fear, my dear,” said Grandma Molly. “I\nhave been afraid too. But fear will keep him from flying. And how can he be a\nGood bird if he doesn’t fly? We all need to take some chances once in a while\n... even me!” \n\n
\n\nAnd with that, Grandma Molly, perched on the rope swing,\nlaunched herself out over the rapid water of the creek. The swing lurched for a\nmoment as she seemed to lose her balance, and then recovered in a long smooth\nsweep back to the little hill. \n\n
\n\nElizabeth first gasped and then giggled at her flying\ngranny. \n\n
\n\n“Come on!” urged Grandma Molly. “Let’s do it together!” So\nthey stepped off the hill together on the swing and soared out over the water. \n\n
\n\n“Say! I think we could get to be pretty Good at this! Don’t\nyou think so, Elizabeth?” \n\n
\n\nAnd so they were. \n\n
\n- by Kit Osborn (illustrated by Linda Orlando; The Child’s Way magazine, May-June 1982, no. 139) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2018/05/being-good-and.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2018/05/being-good-and.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Brothers and Sisters for Twinkle",
"slug": "bsfc-brothers-and-sisters-for-twinkle",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gmMMdeJds4nWiD1Y7WEW3moAX_iIA4pFl-jCLzhtOeMGwL__bJ0OyWV8exyAJbXEal6Df6fxkseasVFLNfHLa37yiTqZSLV80K_JwdcAyXGFSu4zopcBZJhEt_ADKyR2fjE80oAk5DIj/s320/child+with+a+cow+-+cartoon.jpg\") \n\nEver since Mary Ann Snow was a wee baby her eyes were so big\nand twinkly, that her father called her \"Twinkle\" and so did everyone\nelse. When she was eight years old she was a pretty little girl with soft brown\nhair and pink cheeks. Her feet were dancing feet and her hands were clapping\nhands whenever she was happy. She lived in a nice white and green house in the country\nwith her father, her mother and her Grannie. She should have been a happy child\nmost of the time but I am sorry to say that sometimes she was sad indeed. Why was\nshe sad, you ask? Well, because she had no brothers or sisters and there were\nno children nearby. \n\n
\n\nThere were many pets: Rufus the big white cat; Blackie the\nlittle black dog; Chee-Chee, the yellow singing canary bird; and Do-Re-Me, the\nthree gold fish in the bowl on the window seat near Daddy's favorite chair.\nThese were Twinkle's very own pets and she loved them dearly. She would talk to\nthem and they would talk back to her in their own special way. \n\n
\n\nThen there were birds in the trees outside; hens and baby\nchicks in the hen yard; there were ducks and ducklings in the pond; cows in the\npastures, some with tinkling bells around their necks; there were horses in the\nbarn that loved to lick sugar off of Twinkle' s hand and would sometimes take\nher riding; sometimes garter snakes slithered past Twinkle in the tall grass\nand Twinkle loved them all , second best to her in-doors pets. She counted them\nall as her friends, yet they belonged to the animal kingdom and Twinkle was\nlonely for children, belonging to the human kingdom like herself and Mother and\nDaddy and Grannie and Katy who worked in the kitchen and Tom and Ken who worked\nin the fields. So each evening Twinkle would pray for a brother or sister and\nthen she would fall asleep and dream about them. \n\n \n
\n\nSometimes Twinkle would go out into the garden and talk to\nthe flowers. She loved the pansies because of their funny little faces and\nvelvety poke bonnets and she loved the hollyhocks because they were so tall and\nsometimes she would have to stand on her toes to whisper secrets right into the\nflower itself where sometimes she found bumble bees playing. Twinkle would look\nup into the trees and watch the wind playing with their leaves. She thought the\ntrees were very graceful and the flowers were beautiful and smelled delicious\nso she loved them too but they belonged to the vegetable kingdom and were not\nboys and girls belonging to the human kingdom. So each evening Twinkle would\npray for a brother or a sister and then she would fall asleep and dream about\nthem. \n\n
\n\nOn pretty days Twinkle would gather pebbles in her apron pocket\nand then go down to the pond to toss them into the clear blue water. She liked\nto watch the circles the pebbles made in the water. Sometimes she laughed and\ngave the pebbles names saying such things as: \"There you go, Clinky\";\nor \"Make a big splash Buster\"; or Find a little friend Dumpy at the\nbottom of the sea”. She enjoyed doing this; then when the pebble s were all\ngone she liked to lie down on her back in the grass and watch the clouds. She\nwould pretend that they were children running and playing. Often she would wave\nat them. She loved the pebbles and the pond and the clouds. It was fun to play\nwith them and make up stories about them. She knew that they belonged to the mineral\nkingdom and not to the human kingdom and she would grow sad again thinking about\nchildren and wanting more than ever to have a brother or a sister, or both. At those\ntimes she would pray. \n\n
\n\nOne day, just after the postman left, Twinkle saw her mother\nsitting on the porch reading letters. As Mother read one letter that came from\na pink envelope, Twinkle noticed a smile spreading over her face and just then\nMother looked up and saw her little girl looking at her wonderingly. \n\n
\n\n\"Come here, darling\", Mother called gaily. \"I\nhave a big surprise for you.\" \n\n
\n\n\"What is it Mommy, tell me?\" Twinkle exclaimed as\nshe ran over to sit on the edge of Mother's chair. \n\n
\n\n\"I have a letter from Aunt Sally and what do you think?\nShe and Uncle Ted have adopted a daughter -- a nice little girl ten years old\nand they are coming to visit us very soon! \n\n
\n\n\"A really, truly, little girl is coming here to our\nhouse?\" Twinkle asked, clapping her hands. What is her name, Mommy? 'Will\nshe like me? I know that I will like her a lot.\" \n\n
\n\n“Of course, she will like you, Darling, especially if you\nare kind to her and share your toys. Her name is Sparkle. Doesn't that sound happy?\nI imagine Uncle Ted gave her that name just like Daddy gave you your nickname. \n\n
\n\n\"Twinkle and Sparkle sound like two stars that belong\ntogether. Oh, Mommy, I know I shall love her and I'll share everything I've\ngot. Can she sleep in my room?\" \n\n
\n\n\"We’ll settle all that later, dear. We will have to make our plans right away\nbecause she is coming Friday which is just three days away. You and Daddy and I\nwill drive to the station to meet them.\" \n\n
\n\nTwinkle could hardly wait until Friday came. She told all of\nher pets about Sparkle. \"You must purr nicely for her, Rufus” she said,\nand \"You, Blackie, must wag your friendly tail and not jump on her or bark\nand, please, Chee-Chee, sing your very happiest song.\" \n\n
\n\nFinally, Sparkle arrived and she was very much as Twinkle\nhad hoped she would be. She seemed nice but noticeably thin -- Aunt Sally was\ngoing to make her gain some weight. She appeared so sparkly and full of\nlaughter! She and Twinkle became the dearest of friends and told each other\nmany things. The days were such happy days that they flew away almost as quick\nas a wink. \n\n
\n\nThen came the last day of the visit. Sparkle and Aunt Sally\nwould be going home the following day. That was the day the girls went down to\nthe pool once more to skip pebbles and when they were tired they sat down in\nthe grass to rest, and to talk. Twinkle began by asking, “Sparkle, what in the\nwhole world would you like to have most?\" \n\n
\n\n\"I don't know exactly,” Sparkle answered. “I used to\nsay I wanted most to have a father and mother who would love me very much. I\nused to pray and pray for them and now I've got them I am so happy that I can't\nthink of anything else that I could possibly want!\" “What would you like\nbest, Twinkle?” \n\n
\n\n“I want a brother or a sister, more than anything else I can\nthink of,\" Twinkle replied. \n\n
\n\nHmmm… if your parents can’t have any children, maybe your\nmom and dad can find some children from the city who would like to come and\nvisit you. They would love it, I know and they could take turns. I remember\nwhen I lived at the orphanage – we children were always happy if someone came\nto take us to their home for a visit – sometimes for a day or even a\nweek.\" \n\n
\n\n“I would like that\", answered Twinkle, her eyes more\ntwinkly than ever. \"Would they be like a real brother or sister?\" \n\n
\n\n“Of course, they would. Loving people and being kind to them\nmakes us feel more like real true brothers and sisters than by just being born\nin your family. That’s what Mom and Dad told me\", said Sparkle. \n\n
\n\n“I'm glad,\" said Twinkle smiling. \n\n
\n\nThe next day, when Sparkle waved goodbye from the train\nwindow, Twinkle did not feel so sad. Aunt Sally promised they would find some\nchildren from the orphanage to come and visit with Twinkle who promised to\nshare her parents and Granny and all her pets and her very happy home with\nthem. Mom and Dad thought it was a fine idea, too. So that night when she said\nher prayers, they were thank-you prayers and she whispered in her pillow that\nshe was never going to be a sad and lonely little girl ever again. And do you\nknow, she never was! \n\n(Adapted from 'Child’s Way' magazine, August 1953) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2016/02/brothers-and-sisters-for-twinkle.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2016/02/brothers-and-sisters-for-twinkle.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Chicago Temple: - The stone that was rejected by the builder",
"slug": "bsfc-chicago-temple-the-stone-that-was-rejected-by-the-builder",
"summary": "
In the grand city of Chicago, near the site of a building\nunder construction, in a pile of stones beside a wall, rested an ordinary stone\nwith a special destiny. The stone was not aware of the windy rains and the\nwarming sunshine that brought spring to Chicago. It was not aware of the\njourney it would soon take this particular spring, in the year 1912.\n\nThis stone was one of many that had been delivered to the\nconstruction site. Who knows how many days it had laid ready to be used by the\nbuilder? Who knows how many times the hands of the builder passed over this\nstone and reached for another one? \n\nThere came a time when the stone was piled near the wall\nwith the other rejected stones. Who knows why the stone was not used? Maybe it\nwas too large or too small. Maybe it was the wrong shape or the wrong color.\nMaybe it was chipped or broken. We don’t know why the stone was not chosen by\nthe builder, but it was not. \n\nMany people lived in Chicago in 1912 and some of them must\nhave passed by the building site. Nettie Tobin did. She was a Bahá’í who lived\nnearby. \n\nNettie had heard that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, whom she called the\nMaster, was coming from way across the ocean to visit North America. He was\ntraveling to Wilmette, Illinois, which is very near Chicago, where Nettie\nlived. He was coming to dedicate the land where the first Bahá’í House of\nWorship of the western hemisphere was to be built. Nettie knew it was important\nto begin building a House of Worship in this part of the world. \n\nNettie loved ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and she loved the Bahá’í Faith.\nShe knew a great amount of money was needed to build this House of Worship. It\nwas to be very beautiful. It was agift from the Baháis to the people of the\nworld. Nettie wanted to give something. The problem was, she did not have much\nmoney. \n\nShe did have an idea. Nettie thought the Master needed a\nsuitable stone to mark the spot where the House of Worship would stand. \n\nNettie had seen the builders working near her home. On the\nlast day of April she went to the place where they were working. She looked at\nthe pile of stones. She asked the builder if she might have one. \n\n\"Sure, help yourself. These are rejected,\" he\nsaid. \n\nNettie thanked the builder. She chose just the right stone\nfrom the pile. It was too heavy for her to carry a long way. She went home and\ngot an old baby carriage. When she returned, she reached down, picked up the\nstone, loaded it into the baby carriage and hauled it home. The baby carriage\nbumped along the streets of Chicago. \n\nThe next day was May 1st. Nettie said her prayers that night\nand then lay down to sleep. She must have been excited to think about\ndelivering the stone to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá the next day. \n\nEarly in the morning Nettie and a Persian friend wheeled the\ncarriage to the trolley car line. They lifted the carriage with its heavy load\nonto a car. When the car moved forward the stone traveled on toward its\ndestiny. Two times they changed cars. It seemed a very long trip to Nettie and\nher friend. Finally, they arrived with the baby carriage at the corner of\nCentral Street and Sheridan Road. \n\nWhen they pushed the carriage over some broken pavement, it\ncollapsed under the weight of the stone. Nettie and her friend looked at the\nbroken carriage. What could they do? They were near the House of Worship\ngrounds by now. But they could never carry the stone there in time for the\ndedication service. Already the time had passed for the service to begin. \n\nThen along came two boys with an express wagon. They lent\ntheir wagon to carry the stone the rest of the way. That is how it reached the\ngrounds of the House of Worship. There, the stone rejected by the builder was\ntouched by the strong and tender hands of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The Master used it as\nthe cornerstone. It marked the place where the House of Worship was later\nbuilt. \n\nToday when people come from all over the world to see the\nBahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, they see this same stone cornerstone. The\nstone is in a special room where people go to pray. Maybe you have visited the\nHouse of Worship and have touched this very stone with your own hands. (by\nLinda Mui; adapted from ‘Vignettes from the Life of Abdu’l-Bahá’; 'Brilliant Star', vol. 29, no. 6, January-February 1998)
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2023/02/chicago-temple-stone-that-was-rejected.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2023/02/chicago-temple-stone-that-was-rejected.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Dream of Many Fishes",
"slug": "bsfc-dream-of-many-fishes",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTBtRZ4XF3KnppCtESxSRtdD_0DnkcSH1CJ-RVtk3ZwOtb_jqBEqIa5IG4MXRGaj9ScEwERrKjBVcx2EfbCd408zOaXh2WKIZCIPbP0KeAQsD2v18ojm7FQE8Z-5MDNlEe3dgyj4pWaVhB/s320/many+fishes-1.jpg\") \n\nWhen Baha'u'llah was a child, His father had a dream about\nHim. He saw Baha'u'llah swimming in a huge\nocean. Baha'u'llah's face was so full of\nlight that it glowed. The whole ocean glowed with the light from Baha'u'llah's\nface. \n\n
\n\nHis hair was long and dark, and it flowed out in the water\naround Him as He swam. Suddenly many fishes\nappeared and each fish took one strand of Baha'u'llah's hair in its mouth and followed Baha'u'llah as He kept\nswimming. \n\n
\n\nThe fish did not hurt Him, or\nslow Him down. When Bahil'u'llah turned one way, so did every fish. When He turned the other way, the fish followed that\nway. \n\n
\n\nThe fishes were following Baha'u'llah's light - the light of\nGod in His heart. \n\n
\n\nBaha'u'llah's father asked a wise man what his dream meant,\nand the wise man said that the ocean was like the world, and the fishes were\nthe people. All the people would be attracted to the light of God in Baha'u'llah\nand would follow Him. They would attach their hearts to Him like the fishes in\nthe dream attached themselves to His hair. The people would follow Baha'u'llah\nwherever He led them. \n\n
\n\nNow we know that this wise man was talking about the\nBaha'is. We are the people who follow Baha'u'llah. Every day more people in the\nworld find Baha'u'llah and follow Him. \n\n
\n\nWe can be like the fishes\nby following Baha'u'llah. If we do what Baha'u'llah teaches\nus, we will be full of God's light which He\nreflected on us. \n\n(by Cindy Pacileo, ‘The Brilliant Star', 1991) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/11/dream-of-many-fishes.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/11/dream-of-many-fishes.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Faithful Isfandiyar",
"slug": "bsfc-faithful-isfandiyar",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2C4Z2BMUnQe5QYKN9QiLHMqJqoZh5LiDqYeX0byV7l4Dk619T1FIL6WIkUDpqK4_QmGCG1dZF4o_eVyb4GBDNa2pofxvjDcmxkT3yltvUDbbDV-2WGo-UiFIBDojbAjR-738WdDjRIf4/s320/Isfandiyar-1.jpg\") \n\nBefore Baha'u'llah\nbecame a follower of the Báb, he had a home in the country, surrounded by many\nacres of land, and a palace in the city of Tihran which had beautiful gardens\naround it. To take care of all of this, many servants were needed, and one of\nthese was an African by the name of Isfandiyar. He was very happy to work for\nBaha'u'llah and His family, and he did everything he could to please them. He was very fond of\nthe children -- 'Abdu'l-Baha, who was then about eight years old; Bahiyyih\nKhanum, who was six; and the baby, Mirza Mihdi, who was only\ntwo. He was also devoted to Asiyih Khanum, the children's beautiful young\nmother. \n\n
\n\nWhen Baha’u’llah became known as a follower of the Báb, many\npeople who had pretended to be His friends, but who really envied Him, turned\nagainst Him. They told the Shah that Baha’u’llah was his enemy, and that He was\nsecretly planning to become King Himself. Other people were against Baha’u’llah\nbecause they thought that the teachings of the Báb were against their religion. \n\n
\n\nFinally Baha’u’llah was thrown into prison, although He had\ndone nothing to deserve it. His palace was broken into, and most of the\nvaluable furniture, rugs, pictures, and things were stolen. When this happened,\nall the relatives of the family and all of the servants ran away, for fear they\nmight be attacked by the robbers, or that they might even be put into prison.\nThe only one who stayed to help Asiyih Khanum and the children was Baha’u’llah’s\nbrother, Mlrza Musa. He helped Asiyih Khanum to find a small house to rent in a\ndifferent part of the city, where Baha’u’llah’s enemies would not be likely to\nfind them, and they moved to it at night. \n\n \n
\nThe enemies of Baha'u'llah tried to find Isfandiyar because\nthey thought he knew all about Baha’u’llah and the Báb's other followers. They\nsent 150 policemen to look for him, but they did not find him.
\n\n
\n\nOne midnight Asiyih Khanum and the children were awakened by\na loud knocking at the door. They opened it fearfully, for they never knew when\ntheir enemies would discover their hiding place. But there stood Isfandiyar! \n\n
\n\nAsiyih Khanum exclaimed, \"How is it that you are still\nin the city? Do you not know that there are 150 policemen looking for you.\nHurry away from the city as quickly as you can. If they find you, your life\nwill be in danged.\" \n\n
\n\nBut Isfandiyar smiled and answered, \"No, I will not leave Tihran, even if a\nthousand policemen are after me. I am not afraid. I owe money to many\nshopkeepers and before I leave\nthe city, I must pay off all my debts. I\ndo not want the people to say afterward that the Negro servant of\nBaha'u'llah escaped without paying his debts.\" \n\n
\n\nThen Isfandiyar went away from the little house, and for a\nmonth and a half, he walked in broad daylight in the streets and markets, and\nfinally succeeded in paying all his debts. All this time the policemen were\nlooking for him, but they did not catch him. \n\n
\n\nOne night he went to Asiyih Khanum again and said, \"Now\nI have paid my debts and I can leave the city with a clear conscience.\" \n\n
\n\nIsfandiyar travelled a long way from Tihran to the province\nof Mazindaran, and there the governor, who was not a Bábi, engaged him in his\nservice, and made him head of his stables, in which there were many fine\nhorses. There Isfandiyar was safe from his enemies. \n\n
\n\nMany years went by, and the governor, who was a truly\nreligious man, decided to make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Karbila. He\ntook Isfandiyar with him, because he had grown so fond of his African servant\nthat he did not want to be separated from him. On their way to Karbila, they\npassed through the city of Baghdad. \n\n
\n\nHow joyful Isfandiyar was to learn that Baha’u’llah was\nliving in Baghdad, and he hurried to the presence of his former master, Whom he\nloved greatly. He begged Baha'u'llah to accept him again as His servant, for he\nwould much rather serve Him than the governor. \n\n
\n\nBut Baha’u’llah said that, while He would be very glad to\nhave Isfandiyar with him again, He could accept him only if the governor were\nwilling to release him. He said, \"You owe the governor a debt of deep\ngratitude, because at a time when your life was in danger, he gave you a\nposition and protected you from those who wished to harm you. If he wishes you\nto stay with him, you must continue to serve him with the same sincerity and\ndevotion as you gave to us in the past.\" \n\n
\n\nBut unfortunately for Isfandiyar's hopes, the governor would\nnot release him. He said, \"It is impossible. I cannot find in this whole\nworld another man as honest and faithful as yourself. I have grown to love you\nand will do everything I can to add to your comfort and happiness.” \n\n
\n\nIsfandiyar was heartbroken when the governor said this, but\nhe knew that he must do what Baha’u’llah told him to do. So he went back to\nMazindaran with the governor, knowing that he always had Baha'u'llah's prayers\nfor his welfare. \n\n
\n\nWhen 'Abdu'l-Baha told this story of Isfandiyar to some Baha'is\nin Haifa, one of those who heard it said that the Master ended by saying: \n\n
\n\n\"Isfandiyar was a\nking among men; I cannot sufficiently praise him. He was a glory and a jewel on\nthe crown of the colored race, for his life was a noble record of achievement, and\nthe whole world may learn a lesson from it.\" \n\n
\n(Child’s Way, May-June 1979, Adapted from a\nstory in Star of the West by Dr. Genevieve Coy) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/02/faithful-isfandiyar.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/02/faithful-isfandiyar.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Father of the Poor",
"slug": "bsfc-father-of-the-poor",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NJiLuOZ06aWYq9PxYsy0DsLyggznIelDwT4RdCyVW5nvWX12PeSQ7FliOFdIOgjZkK11xdZ1TEqlF5aBDd63pSUa5l-D5Y0BsMwcSj34OPUjRpnb3ro3C0fgXglthTLjjRSkGEghpwAo/s320/sheep-a-1.jpg\") \nBefore Mirza Husayn-'Ali was called Baha'u'llah, before He\nwas known as the Promised One of God, He was called by another title:\n\"Father of the Poor.\" Mirza Husayn-'Ali was born into a wealthy\nfamily. His father was a mirza, a nobleman, who was so respected for his\ntalents, wisdom, generosity, and courage that the Shah gave him the title\n\"Buzurg,\" meaning \"the great one,\" and made him governor.
\n\n
\n\nMirza Buzurg owned a vast estate, and many peasants worked\nthe land and tended his livestock for him. Often young Mirza Husayn-'Ali walked\nor rode His horse through the countryside, stopping to speak with the peasants\nand learn about their lives and troubles. Believing that He would one day rule\nthe estate, the peasants watched Him as He grew and were no doubt comforted by\nthe understanding Mirza Husayn-'Ali showed. \n\n
\n\nWhen He was nearly eighteen, Mirza Husayn- Ali married\nAsiyih Khanum, the daughter of another wealthy nobleman. Asiyih Khanum had\neverything a young woman in Persia could hope to have. She was tall and\nbeautiful, wise, gentle, and kind. The young couple started their life together\nwith great wealth and comfort. A jeweler worked for six months fashioning her\njewels, even creating gold buttons studded with gems for her clothing. Forty\nmules carried Asiyih Khanum's belongings to her new home. The couple would,\neveryone thought, enjoy a grand life of power and luxury, filled with parties\nand important ceremonies. \n\n\nBut Mirza Husayn-'Ali was not interested in living a life of\nwealth and ease. He had never forgotten the poor peasants whose lives had\ntouched His heart, and so He was rarely seen among the wealthy and powerful.\nInstead, He and Asiyih Khanum took care of the poor. They listened to their\nproblems and tried to help them. Often they invited them to share meals with\nthem. No needy person was ever turned away. Because of the kind comfort she\noffered so willingly, Asiyih Khanum soon earned the title \"Mother of\nConsolation.\" And the generous, wise Mirza Husayn-'Ali was known as\n\"Father of the Poor.\" \n\n
\n\nIt was no wonder that Mirza Husayn-'Ali and Asiyih Khanum's\nchildren would grow to have the same loving and generous hearts. One day, their Son 'Abdu'l-Baha set off to\nsee His Father's sheep, just as His Father had done as a young Man. What a\nsight it must have been - thousands of them roamed the mountainsides! The\nshepherds were happy to be visited by their kind, young master, and they\nprepared a feast for Him. \n\n
\n\nFinally, it was time for 'Abdu'l-Baha to go home. \n\n
\n\nThe head shepherd drew 'Abdu'l-Baha aside. \"It is the\ncustom to leave the shepherds a gift,\" the shepherd told him. \n\n
\n\n\"But I have nothing to give,\" 'Abdu'l-Baha\nreplied. \n\n
\n\n\"They have just given you a feast,\" the shepherd\npointed out. \"You must give them something.\" \n\n
\n\n'Abdu'l-Baha thought a moment and then decided. \"I will\ngive them all the sheep!\" \n\n
\n\n'Abdu'l-Baha must have wondered what His Father would say\nwhen He learned that His Son had given away thousands of His sheep. \n\n
\n\nBut Mirza Husayn-'Ali only laughed. \"We will have to\nprotect 'Abdu'l-Baha from Himself,\" He said. \"Some day He will give\nHimself away!\" \n\n
\n\nBaha'u'llah truly was the \"Father of the Poor.\" \n\n (Written by Gail Radley, illustrated by Jay Kenyatta-Anderson; ‘Core Curriculum for Spiritual Education’, by the United\nStates National Spiritual Assembly)\n \n \n \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKDJ1oKxJNoZxU6TeJa6GbzAl-FSQ6iX4VwiBKVnzEgAEMMKawVZv08eouUrc8BJHXTMap9qGaCaHmfLFsmQ4dQS2GzD_Kc2WFHVQ5eNQekFFPHoVtq7E6Du0AD8ISFv8XsURHz_Z6pGSn/s200/Flower-bowl-1.jpg\") Once Baha'u'llah had passed from this earthly realm, there\nremained at least one special way to honor Him. 'Abdu'l-Baha grieved for His\nFather. He was burdened by the affairs of the infant Baha'i Faith as well. Yet,\nHe found a way to beautify His Father's Shrine outside of ‘Akka. It was not\neasy in that semi-arid land where the desert always lurks, waiting for a chance\nto reclaim the land. \n\n
\n\nFocused and determined, ‘Abdu'l-Baha made a flower garden\nfor Baha'u'llah.It adorned the path to the Shrine next to the mansion of Bahji.\nMany, many times He filled His cloak with fresh, fertile soil. Then He gathered\nup its corners, swung it onto His strong shoulder, and paced steadily to the\nappointed place. There He dropped His heavy load and spread the precious soil\ninto place. \n\n
\n\nThen ‘Abdu'l-Baha carefully planted the flowers in a perfect\narrangement of color and fragrance. It was a good way to honor the spirit of\nthe Ancient King Who so loved the natural world, particularly flowers. \n\n\nOf course, a garden has to be continually watered. Water is\nespecially important in a land where dry rock and sand are the order of things.\nFor this task, the Master collected 100 large copper pots. The many pilgrims in\nthe Holy Land were delighted to be of service. They often formed a human stream,\ncarrying water from the nearby spring to the garden. The Master could often be\nseen among His army of water carriers, His copper vessel perched on His\nshoulder. Eventually He, too, emptied it slowly and gently at the base of the\nthirsty plants. \n\n \n
\n\n'Abdu'l-Baha carefully supervised the distribution of the\nprecious water. He knew that flowers are like people - you have to watch them\nclosely. Sometimes a drop will suffice them. Usually a regular and moderate\ndrink will do. Occasionally, only an immediate and thorough soaking will\nsustain them. \n\n
\n\nOn one Holy Day, ‘Abdu'l-Baha decided that flowers on the\npathway to His Father's Shrine were not enough. There must be more. Some of the\nbelievers in ‘Akka filled many pots with colorful blooms and brought them to\nthe Master's house. At two hours before sunset, the savage heat of the sun had\nbeen defeated for the day. It was then that the pilgrims came. Each one took up\nhis burden of love. Two by two, they formed a procession and began their\nfour-mile march to the resting place of the Ancient King. \n\n
\n\n‘Abdu'l-Baha, their commander-in-chief, strode in front of\nHis army of flower-bearers. His own pot of blooms resting on His broad\nshoulders. Often he dropped back to issue commands to a few lucky believers\nblessed with heavenly voices: \"Sing! Chant!\" \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8V40N1c-Ha1sgXYFCe6OOyQaQkdNns0Q63ua-qL4RtR9czKK7hvsj-DYxpWe77EpsUxAX3ZZWyS2GescwPzP29EFypvhC1zoMiXgfjWTK-iyCPUmCwIrC4k-iO_1yLpbL8YtYJEaRpKx/s320/Shrine-1.jpg\")
\nSlowly, their hearts filling with an incomprable joy, the\nprocession made its way to the Shrine of Baha'u'llah. When the Shrine came into\nview, the Master halted His Holy Day soldiers. He chose from out of the ranks\none special voice to represent them all. They stood with bowed heads and in\nabsolute silence. Soon the chosen voice soared into the waiting air and\nreverberated in their hearts. \n\n
\n\nOnce the procession resumed its forward motion, it wasn't\nlong before the company reached the holy place. There they handed over their\nprecious flowers to those who would place them within the Shrine. Then the army\nof pilgrims stepped into a separate room. There they were refreshed by food and\na little rest after their long, hot march. There they prepared themselves to\ncross the Holy Threshold. \n\n
\n\nOne by one, in complete silence, they passed into the\nShrine. ‘Abdu'l-Baha waited to pour rose water into their palms. The heady\nscent flowed over their hands and faces while they waited patiently for all to\nenter. \n\n
\n\nWhen all was ready, the Master took His place. He stood tall\nand straight. His clear voice enchanted His listeners with the music of His\nFather's words from The Tablet of Visitation: \n\n
\n\n\"The praise which hath dawned from Thy most august Self,\nand the glory which hath shone forth from Thy most effulgent Beauty, rest upon\nThee, O Thou Who art the Manifestation of Grandeur, and the King of Eternity,\nand the Lord of all who are in heaven and on earth!\" \n\n
\n\nOnce again the much-loved Son honored His Father. Those who\nwere assembled with Him were transported, for the moment, to another realm. \n\n(Written by Jean Gould and illustrated by Ed Phillips; ‘Baha’u’llah’, Core\nCurriculum for Spiritual Education) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2017/03/flowers-for-ancient-king.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2017/03/flowers-for-ancient-king.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Giving one’s material possessions for the sake of God",
"slug": "bsfc-giving-one-s-material-possessions-for-the-sake-of-god",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDf5dPwhJfbln_3BwZfm1YInXoOsCIMg17ng4x0NqnMM2_h3qmtAtiWxNos2ukrl9jkirUkuIkMHRYFi1_EUgR_8tBS1z8WRsmR5LwRlivolgnYaOhr7Ns79p0XKaV2R7iBnTvIZKNOCn/s320/Abbas.jpg\") \nThe following story, though it uses characters created by\nthe author, is based on actual events in Yazd, Iran, in 1982.
\n\n
\n\nIn a little Persian town named Yazd, in a simple house on a\nnarrow street, lived a man named Abbas. Every day, when it was time for his\nprayers, Abbas would go into his small garden, spread his rug, and offer thanks\nto Baha'u'llah for all his blessings. \n\n
\n\nFor Abbas believed he had received many blessings. He had a\nfine house, though small, a good wife, a fine son, and a lovely daughter.\nWhat's more, Abbas had gifted hands. He was a carpenter and woodwright and,\nafter he saw a chest or table or chair in his mind's eye, he could transform a\npile of rough lumber into miracles. Every chair wrought by his hands was sought\nafter by his neighbors and customers, tor it was sure to be sturdy, smooth as\nsilk, and best of all, comfortable. Though he was not a rich man, Abbas'\nneighbors counted him as wealthy for the beautiful pieces of furniture, wrought\nby his own hand and carved with flowers and birds, even inlaid with mosaic made\nof ivory and teak, which filled his home. His work was truly his worship, for\nAbbas sought to glorify his Creator with each piece of furniture, and each\nchair or cabinet was like one of his own children, born of his love for the\npotential in the wood. \n\n
\n\nAbbas was a thrifty man, and he was steadily increasing his\nsavings. Every payment he received for his work, he divided in three - one part\nfor his family's needs, one part for God, and one part for his savings. His\nsavings were there to protect against illness or misfortune and, if God was\ngracious, would someday be enough for him to make a pilgrimage to the Shrines\nof the Báb and Bahá'u’lláh in the Holy Land. This was Abbas' most heartfelt\nwish - to be able to make that journey with his wife and children. \n\n \n But revolution was brewing in Iran. The king was cast out of\nthe country and the priests were in power. They claimed that the Baha'is were\nheretics and traitors.\n
\n\nThen trouble came to Yazd. First some Baha'is lost their\njobs. Some Baha'i homes were looted and burned. Then the members of the Local\nSpiritual Assembly were arrested and sentenced to death. \n\n
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeqZZBsI8DDoCPS_2ktnUBlqJHEm0IK6adEuBG7Nd2DzCP1WYnb8PEkeC0OW4yaqlkuQgPR-VbYq7XxnpDT8qGmuAHlBJoq40ZKlJPjvi_Gi9jCV9CQWkbZAFtFP54EgUOBd-dMEMgnK26/s320/Abbas+praying.jpg\") Abbas prayed to understand these strange events. And then,\nas if in answer to his prayers, Yusefi came. Yusefi was a mason, a\nrough-mannered man whose greatest pride lay in his having carried a gun in the\nRevolution. This gun he had found in the gutter and carried proudly, though he\nreally knew nothing of how to shoot.\n
\n\nYusefi came to Abbas' door, shouting, \"Open up! Orders\nof the Komiteh [committee in Persian]! \" \n\n
\n\nAbbas greeted Yusefi, \"Peace be on you, my brother. Can\nI be of service?\" \n\n
\n\n''I'm here to get your beds,\" said Yusefi. \"The\nKomiteh needs beds, and the Baha'is must give up their beds for the Cause of\nthe Revolution. Heretics are not permitted to keep their beds.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Just our beds?\" asked Abbas. \"But to give up\nour beds is no sacrifice. We are prepared to give up our lives for our faith.\nYou wish only material things and nothing of true value?\" \n\n
\n\n\"What are you talking about?\" said Yusefi.\n\"Don't argue with me - just give me the beds! \" \n\n
\n\nAnd so Abbas helped Yusefi to carry his beautiful beds to\nhis truck. Many of the Baha' of that district looked on, wondering what could\nbe happening to cause Abbas to give away his beautiful beds. Yusefi climbed\ninto his truck and carried away the beds. \n\n
\n\nThe next morning the Baha’i district was abuzz with the news\nof Yusefi's visit. And some interesting changes were occurring among the\nBaha'is themselves. That evening, Yusefi came again. Abbas was ready to welcome\nhim. \"Won't you come in to have some tea?\" he asked. \n\n
\n\"Tea?\" said Yusefi. “Forget the tea! I 'm here for\nyour tables and chairs! Unless, of course, you would like to decide to become a\nmember of the true Faith and give up your heresy.\" \n\n
\n\"Your true faith and mine are but one,\" answered\nAbbas, \"but I am quite willing to give up my tables and chairs, not for\nthe Komiteh, but for God.\" \n\n
\nAnd so Abbas again as assisted Yusefi in carrying out his\nfurnishings. \n\n
\n\nAbbas' neighbor Iraj came out to help, and soon two other\nBaha’i youth came to assist. \n\n
\n\n\"If it is tables you need,\" said Iraj, \"why\ndon't you take this one of mine?\" \n\n
\n\nAbbas was aware of how long he himself had worked to make\nthat elegant table and of how much Iraj had wanted to have it. He smiled at\nIraj. \n\n
\n\nYusefi stared at Iraj's table, the entire surface a\nsparkling mosaic, and his eyes gleamed with greed. \"Give it here,\" he\nsaid, and he loaded it into the truck with the rest and drove off. \n\n
\n\nAfter he left, all the Baha'is who had been watching from\ntheir windows came out to congratulate Abbas and Iraj on their courage and\nboldness in speaking to the ill-mannered Yusefi. They laughed together at their\nown fears and prayed together to be strong when the next such injustice would\noccur. \n\n
\n\nAnd come again it did. For when the morning came, all of the\nBaha’is were ready when they heard the sound of Yusefi's truck. \n\n
\n\n\"Salaam, agaye-Yusefi,\" [hello, mr. Yusefi] they\nall called. \"Won't you come to visit with me?\" \n\n
\n\"No, here,\" called another. \"I would enjoy\nthe honor of a visit from Yusefi.\" \n\n
\n\nYusefi looked around. At every house there were chairs and\ntables, blankets and pots, apparently waiting to be loaded up. \n\n
\n\n\"I know what you are doing!\", he called to Abbas.\n\"You think you can all move away and I won't find you, but you are\nmistaken. You cannot escape from me!\" \n\n
\n\n\"You are mistaken, my friend,\" said Abbas.\n\"All of these furnishings are here for you, and their owners are hoping\nthat you will honor them by taking their belongings.\" \n\n
\n\n\"That's right!\" said Iraj. \n\n
\n\n\"Come and take mine,\" called a housewife. \n\n
\n\n\"No, here first! \" called another. \n\n
\n\nYusefi was confused. \"All right,\" he said,\n\"That is enough of your joking with a simple man! If you insist, I will\nforce you to give me all of your belongings! What is the matter with you\npeople? Don't you understand that we are punishing you?\" \n\n
\n\n\"It is you who do not understand,\" answered Abbas.\n\"Can't you see from the faces of my friends that they do not fear you? We\nare honored, that of all the Baha'is in the world, we should be the ones given\nthe opportunity to cast aside all our material possessions for the sake of God.\nAnd you, Mr. Yusefi, you are an instrument of this great bounty. We will all be\ngrateful to you, our friend.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Grateful? My God, they are all crazy,\" said\nYusefi, and he hurriedly gathered up all the arrayed furnishings and sped away,\nhis truck overflowing with goods. \n\n
\n\nAbbas went back into his house and looked at its empty\nrooms. \"Come, friends,\" he said. \"Let us have our tea while\nseated on this old carpet, left by Yusefi for his next visit. Poor Yusefi, if\nonly he would sit here with us on this princely throne, we could make a gift to\nhim greater than any of these poor few sticks which he took away.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Now let us consult,\" suggested Abbas, \"We\nwill need to arrange for the family of Mr. Yazdi, who so nobly has given his\nlife this week. I believe I have enough in my savings to take care of them for\na little while ... \"
\n(by Mary K. Radpour, illustrated by Keith Kresge;\nBrilliant Star, September-October 1983) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2018/02/giving-ones-material-possessions-for.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2018/02/giving-ones-material-possessions-for.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Glimpses of the Báb",
"slug": "bsfc-glimpses-of-the-bab",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1RMb7felTVTespqPJviEd0M7Awx9FyZU5FaAvrWwxsF4XjDYU4wdLlsqE5sOy8N2E7rf11O07Cc36uhON_TJK3kWpVgHeFPUtDFmehaj22FaAD-JxxB5sMZwNcqmDtCLt5wO_1jUDBEp/s320/image-01-1.jpg\") \n\nSuppose you and I had been born in Persia more than a\nhundred years ago. Suppose we had grown up as Muslim children, hearing the\nbeautiful words of the Qur'an. Suppose we were playing with our cousins and\nfriends, learning to wash before prayers, turning toward Mecca, bowing our\nheads to the ground on our own prayer rugs. Suppose we were content. \n\n
\n\nThen we heard about a young Man. This young Man spoke with\nsuch power and with such love that our parents took us to listen to Him. When\nwe heard His voice and saw His tender young face, would we see that He had come\nto change the world? \n\n
\n\n \n\n \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9X7Df-ua24nWelkIJNL3X2PianT7QAJgx1fV8HPFFrIDHwZxx_cqeoNLTiVD2BCEy9qKQKtPhG2UHXjNexZN_7JKISkF5a1jd1iUTEX_PZqIds2ep37RRzDJ2vJfOmpoFzv7XZJO41tD/s200/image-02.jpg\") Suppose the people in our neighborhood were afraid of this\nyoung Man, Who called Himself the Báb, which means the ‘Gate’. Suppose we heard\nshouting from groups of people outside the walls of our home “We are going to\nfind Bábís and drag them through the streets!\" What would we feel? Would\nwe want to be part of the small group of devoted Bábís?\n
\n\nMaybe we could get a better idea if we could get a glimpse\nof what people saw when they actually met the Báb. Here are three stories about\nthe Báb in the words of those who loved Him when He was a child and a grown\nMan. \n\n \n
\n\nIn Childhood \n\n
\n\nAfter His father died, the Báb's uncle sent him to school.\nHis teacher said this about the Báb when He was six or seven years old: \n\n
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQiqjDwWY2NHGj2loEG5MkniHrTR_7Jz5b7Oz7ILh6gOtZnWXfu2COtNFOO7I_l5GrLL3osqV_yphx2CPqcN0lbEBAf0FLTeZUqkflQt_ehclJ5fKuOptdxAJ-w2m5yYWofyUnB__6snZ/s200/image-03.jpg\") \"One day, I asked the Báb to recite the opening words\nof the Qur'an.\" The teacher remembered that the Báb hesitated and replied\nthat, unless He knew what the words meant, He couldn't say them out loud. The teacher\npretended not to know their meaning -- then the Báb said that He did know what\nthe words meant, after all, and asked the teacher permission to explain them.\n\"He spoke with such knowledge and fluency that I was struck with\namazement,\" the teacher recalled. \"The sweetness of His utterance\nstill lingers in my memory.\"\n
\n\n
\n\nThe Blessed Youth \n\n
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPVILPzlNOdtYBlPH8TJJj-0sRFd0Yrt2Bp1eZ2_sP1W1hTWzT2FBu7FsuKrSYGyoKv0vN0kf-Sww50Bs6x-ZpcrhAzn0fNSKqZggV2KD_hv-sUuhPKpeRWS6aGoutdaz6UZMvue5nYTl/s200/image-04.jpg\") \nTwo special men were invited to meet the Báb in the days\nbefore He told the world just Who He was. The Báb was not yet twenty-five years\nold. \n\n
\n\n\"We soon reached a house, at the door of which stood a\nYouth... He wore a green turban and His (face) revealed an expression of\nhumility and kindliness which I can never describe.... He bade us be seated....\nWe observed a silver cup ... which our youthful Host... filled to overflowing...\nSiyyid Kazim (my master and teacher) held the cup with both hands and (drank)\nit. A feeling of reverent joy filled his being ... I was mute with wonder, and\nknew not how to express the cordiality of His welcome, the dignity of His\nbearing, the charm of that face, and the delicious fragrance of that\nbeverage.\" \n\n
\n\nThe Promised One \n\n
\n\nThe wife of the Báb knew Him most of His life. They grew up\nnext door to each other and played together as children. After they were\nmarried, she spoke of the tenderness He showed her: \n\n
\n\n\"His kindness towards me and His care for me were\nindescribable. He and his mother alike showered me with kindness and\nconsideration.\" \n\n
\n\nWhen the Báb prayed, people in His presence were attracted\nto His sincerity and reverence. \n\n
\n\nHis wife once found Him praying late at night. \"There I\nsaw Him standing in that chamber, His hands raised heavenwards, intoning a\nprayer in a most melodious voice, with tears streaming down His face. And His\nface was luminous; rays of light radiated from it.\" It was then that she\nknew He was the Promised One. \n\n
\n\nThe Glory of God \n\n
\n\nNot long after His wife realized that He was God's\nMessenger, the Báb told the world exactly Who He was. He announced that He had\ncome to be the Gate to invite all people to welcome the Glory of God. Who is\nthe Glory of God? Baha'u'llah! So, there are no true Bábís today. It was the\nBáb's Plan that all of us should find Baha'u'llah, become His followers and\nhelp His Cause. \n\n
\n\nThere are so many wonderful stories that give us glimpses of\nthe Báb, stories that show His tenderness, His courage, His love for all of us.\nThe best part is this: these stories are true. \n\n(by Susan Engle, The Brilliant\nStar magazine, September-October 1999) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2016/07/glimpses-of-bab.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2016/07/glimpses-of-bab.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "God’s Will",
"slug": "bsfc-god-s-will",
"summary": "
[We must realize that everything which happens is due\nto some wisdom and that nothing happens without a reason. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá,\n‘Paris Talks’)]\n\n\"I wish that car would go faster!\" Alain muttered,\nhis hands gripping the steering wheel. \"We’ll be late for Feast!\" \n\nPapa shrugged. \"Perhaps it is God’s will.\" \n\nAlain glanced at Papa in disbelief. \"Why would God want\nus to be late for Feast?” \n\n\"Sometimes it’s hard to understand the will of\nGod,\" Papa told him. \"Did I ever tell you about the brothers from the\ncity of Mashad in Persia?\" \n\nAlain relaxed his grip on the steering wheel. \n\nPapa began, “Sháhvirdí and his brother ‘Azíz were merchants.\nSháhvirdí was a Bahá’í, but his brother was not. Together they traveled\nthroughout Persia. Although they sold little of their merchandise, they were\nalways greeted warmly by the Bahá’ís in each town. Nevertheless, ‘Azíz wanted\nnothing to do with this \"new\" Bahá’í religion. \n\n\"‘Azíz worried much of the time. He worried that they\nwould never sell their goods and return to Mashad. He worried that they would\nbe robbed by the bandits that hid along the roads. \n\n\"When ‘Azíz expressed his concerns, Sháhvirdí would\ncalmly answer, ‘Inshá’lláh! (God willing) Then he would return his gaze to the\nbooks that he read — books that he kept like a treasure in their own case. \n\n\"This made ‘Azíz curious. What, he thought, could be in\nthose books?\" \n\nAlain interrupted. “Those books were the Writings of\nBahá’u’lláh, weren’t they, Papa?\" \n\nPapa nodded. \"Yes, they were. And one day, when\nSháhvirdí was getting provisions in a nearby town, ‘Azíz opened the case, took\nout a book, and began to read. He read about love and unity, the end of\nprejudice and the Kingdom of God on earth. ‘Azíz’s heart was moved by these\nwords, yet his mind was suspicious. \n\n“That night, ‘Azíz had a dream. He saw all the prophets of\nGod—Abraham, Moses, Christ, Muhammad, and the others— lined up before a Blessed\nBeing, Who wore a green táj. The Blessed Being beckoned him to Him three times\nbefore 'Azíz dared to come forward, walking on the backs of the people who lay\nprostrated on the ground. He threw himself at the Blessed Being’s feet. \n\n\"Praise be to God, the best of all creators!’ the\nBlessed One said to him. \n\n“'Azíz awoke the next morning, and the brothers continued\ntheir journey. \n\n\"When they reached Istanbul, they took lodging in an\ninn. Before long, ‘Azíz found himself talking to the father of the Bahá’í\nmartyr, Badí [the youth that took Baha’u’llah’s message to the king of Persia]\n‘Azíz had many questions for the father of Badí. He had never dared to ask\nthese questions of his brother. All were answered to his satisfaction. It was\nthen that Azíz declared himself to be a Bahá’í! \n\n\"Praise God!’ ‘Azíz’ exclaimed. ‘If I had sold my\ngoods, I would have returned to Mashad with only material rewards! Praise God\nthat instead, I have found spiritual treasure.\" \n\nAlain smiled. \"So it was God’s will that ’Azíz became a\nBahá’í. But if things had gone according to ‘Azíz‘s will, he would have\nreturned to Mashad and never learned about Bahá’u’lláh!\" \n\n\"Look, we are here!\" said Papa. \n\nAlain parked the car behind a beat-up truck that was being\nhooked up to a tow truck. \n\n“Car trouble?\" Alain asked the man who was attaching a\nchain to the truck. \n\n\"Yes,\" said the man. “It’s a good thing you\nweren’t here twenty minutes ago. You might have been in a serious accident. The\nbrakes on this truck failed and it hit that tree over there.\" \n\nAlain looked in the direction the man was pointing. He could\nsee a big oak tree, the bark of which was scarred and chipped where the truck\nhad hit it. \n\n\"Nobody was hurt, thank God,\" said the tow truck\ndriver. \"But I wouldn’t want to think what might have happened if you’d\nbeen here at the same time!\" \n\nAlain looked at Papa as a chill ran down his spine. \n\n\"Inshá’lláh,\" (God willing) Papa said. \n\n('Brilliant Star', vol. 29, no. 6, January-February 1998) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2023/05/gods-will.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2023/05/gods-will.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Good Deeds for Naw-Rúz",
"slug": "bsfc-good-deeds-for-naw-ruz",
"summary": "A short story for children, paraphrased from the Baha'i Stories for Children blog: a small family preparing for Naw-Rúz by counting up the good deeds of the year, and the small new resolution each child makes for the year ahead.",
"figures": [],
"era": "modern",
"themes": [
"children-stories",
"holy-days",
"family",
"naw-ruz"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"service",
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"child",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [
"Naw-Rúz"
],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bsfc",
"book": "Baha'i Stories for Children",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIt was the day before Naw-Rúz, the Bahá'í New Year. The Khan\nfamily was busy at the kitchen table. Mama had made the\nspecial spring soup. Baba was setting out the small bowls of\nsweets. The two children, Yasmín and Hadi, were drawing\nsmall pictures to put on the walls.\n\nAfter dinner, Mama said, \"It is time for our Naw-Rúz custom.\nEach of us will tell one good deed we did this past year, and\none new good deed we will try to do this year.\"\n\nYasmín went first. She was eight. She said, \"Last year I\nshared my snack with Maya at school every day for a week\nwhen she forgot her own. This year I am going to remember\nto ask her if she needs help with her math.\"\n\nHadi was six. He said, \"Last year I helped Mr. Brown next\ndoor carry his groceries from the car. This year I am going\nto help him plant the small garden in his front yard.\"\n\nThen Mama and Baba shared their own good deeds, one from the\nyear past and one for the year ahead. Everyone listened. The\ncandles flickered on the table.\n\n> Every new year is a chance to plant a new seed.\n\nThat was Baba's saying. The four small new seeds were\nplanted at the kitchen table that night. Some of them, by\nthe next Naw-Rúz, would have grown into tall and beautiful\nplants.\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/)), paraphrased short story for children.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Happy Holidays!",
"slug": "bsfc-happy-holidays",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7-qhsjtSjeAwQcWIJkFMAYCJgTMn0eadRAv8qIEd48iUy34QnFgB0bar5UhSA5al-dH5cEtEwkX1xnPb2FvFDZ2igP1FQP3pAUH_jhuKQwpWdMTF0eize25_x2elsmockEJT67OWrJf3/s200/Happy+Holidays-pict-1.jpg\") \n\n\"Happy Easter, Carla!\" \n\n
\n\nRosemary called to her friend in the hallway as she entered\nthe classroom. \"Happy Naw-Ruz everyone!\" \n\n
\n\nThe members of the New Era Baha'i Club looked up from their\nlunches. Everyone smiled. \n\n
\n\n\"Happy Naw-Ruz to you, too, Rosemary,\" Michael\nsaid. \"Come join us.\" \n\n
\n\nThe New Era Baha'i Club was having its regular lunch\nmeeting. Every day kids from all different religions and races got together to\ntalk, to plan Unity Fairs, to make plans and to consult about problems.\nRosemary looked around the room at the diverse faces. Michael was white,\nDesiree was black, Juana and Julia were twins from Mexico. Jason was Asian,\nMas'ud was from Africa and there was a new boy. \n\n
\n\n\"Hi, I'm Rosemary,\" she said. \"What holiday\nare you celebrating this time of year?\" \n\n
\n\n\"This is my new friend, Marty,\" Michael said,\nintroducing them. \n\n
\n\n\"I'm Jewish,\" Marty said. \"So I'm celebrating\nPurim this time of year.\" \n\n\n\"Joyous Purim,\" Rosemary said to Marty. She sat\ndown at the big, round table. She waved to Mr. Keith, their advisor, who was\ncorrecting papers at his desk. \n\n
\n\n\"Spring is such a great time of year,\" Juana said.\n\"So many religions are having holy days.\" \n\n
\n\n\"As a matter of fact, I've just found a new book in the\nlibrary that shows how people celebrate holidays,\" Mr. Keith told them. \n\n \n
\n\nJason got up and went to Mr. Keith's desk. Mr. Keith handed\nhim a big colorful book and a calendar. \"Look at this,\" Jason said.\n\"It's about holidays all around the world. See, it shows where the custom\nof decorating Easter eggs came from and why Jewish people celebrate Purim as a\nvictory over a bad ruler.\" \n\n
\n\nMichael came and pointed to the table of contents.\n\"What does your family do for Purim, Marty?\" \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTYBJHLfUGPB36FWTTsSEJGoHS8bPe2fa3EORsNJ7lntUeVboomPVpRN6MfN9N2UD7fWTdDfY8XD-h7Yr6Sytz3yWieCepUVihL9Hu1oBFmLYfP1AIgVKHXKy8V8i-IefyAQfzWyfwKJBl/s200/Happy+Holidays-pict-2.jpg\") \n
\n\nMarty grinned. \"We give gifts to friends and help the\npoor and needy. We have something called the Fast of Esther, then we have a day\nof feasting. This year the festival starts on March 22 at sundown.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Baha'is celebrate this time of year, too. We have our\nnew year, called Naw-Ruz, on the first day of Spring, March 21st. We have a\nfast right before we celebrate, too. And then we celebrate the twelve days of\nRidvan from April 9th to 21st. That's when Baha'u'llah declared his mission to\nthe world.\" \n\n
\n\nDesiree pointed to a block of text with the picture of a\nbig, golden Buddha surrounded by flowers. \"Gautama Buddha was born on\nApril 8th,\" she said. \"I wonder if the Buddhist kids at our school\ncelebrate in some special way. Do they have a flower festival like this picture\nshows?\" \n\n
\n\n\"Look at this multi-faith calendar,\" Marty said.\n\"There are so many celebrations in March and April. The Zoroastrians\ncelebrate Jamshedi Noruz on March 21st, too. It's a renewal of life after\nwinter. The Moslems call it Naw-Ruz in Persia just like the Baha'is. The Hindus\ncelebrate Holi for three days in the Spring. What a great time for the new year\nto start, when everything is starting to bloom again!\" \n\n
\n\n\"Easter is really about renewal and rebirth, too,\"\nJuana commented. \"That's when Christians celebrate Jesus Christ's\ncrucifixion and resurrection. It's like a birth of renewed faith.\" \n\n
\n\nFor several minutes the friends turned the pages of the big\nbook and exclaimed over one picture or another. Then they sat back down to\nfinish their lunches. The calendar was open on the table. \n\n
\n\nRosemary looked at the group. \"Springtime is a great\ntime to teach the Faith,\" she said. \"When kids are celebrating their\nholidays, we can share their fun and tell them about our holidays, too.\" \n\n
\n\nJulia nodded. \"We always decorate Easter eggs and go to\nEaster Sunday services at my aunt's church. This year we're going to invite my\naunt and uncle and our cousins to our Ridvan party.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Great idea,\" Jason said. \"I think I'll make\nholiday cards for my friends and put a list of all the holidays in them.\" \n\n
\n\nMichael leaned forward on his elbows. \"Last year I gave\nsome of my friends a plant, then wished them a happy new year in March. They\nasked a lot of questions and we started talking about symbols of new birth and\nstuff. This year maybe I'll make flowers.\" \n\n
\n\nMas'ud pulled out a big bag filled with sesame seed cookies.\n\"Our family made these and gave them to all of our neighbors for Naw-Ruz. \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNER2ieR40jaasDS0LNmViOa_Mi33CWs6WXtP_N7ocW_-fXnYhhnWmuoRudyG8RtpFKzHdhm7iEsWdQu2QOHkoUGCa_gPTAj3zeJc4LeShlAlXRHwFyfT7II_gAgMUzhsIWM48CmCaG9N/s200/Happy+Holidays-3.jpg\")
\nI brought some for all of us. Happy Naw-Ruz!\" \n\n
\n\nMas'ud passed the plate around and everyone took a cookie. \n\n
\n\n\"Yum!\" \n\n
\n\n\"Delicious!\" \n\n
\n\n\"You're really a good cook, Mas'ud!\" \n\n
\n\n\"We're all a whole lot more alike than different,\"\nMarty told them as he chomped on his cookie. \"Maybe we should make a\ndisplay for the library so that everyone can see the different holidays and\nfestivals that people celebrate this time of year.\" \n\n
\n\nThe New Era club kids looked at each other and at Marty.\n\"Cool idea,\" Rosemary said. Then they all looked over at their\nadvisor. \n\n
\n\n\"Hey, Mr. Keith ... \" \n\n(by Cindy Savage,\nillustrated by Robin Allen; The Brilliant Star magazine, March-April 1997) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2017/02/happy-holidays.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2017/02/happy-holidays.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Humble Mouse Meets the First Ray of Sun",
"slug": "bsfc-humble-mouse-meets-the-first-ray-of-sun",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4ZC83kAJg860_zLB3Y3Nm7c_FK0I2R2XiDZMS6QQbA4hQ525deV8Y3BNE3tFDBlTklqpQMMN1PXM2l0IkEMaf0OhHLGFx9Yq2mqQfBXwZbBLnMXCqizGh8lhqPQz9JzXn2JtLFQWdO6q/s320/Mouse-1.jpg\") \n\nHumble Mouse is small and quiet, but she searches for\nanswers to big questions. She often gazes at the sky and wonders, \"Where\ndo stars come from? Why are they so bright?\" Humble Mouse wants to learn\neverything about the never-ending forest in which she lives, and about the\nmountain she climbs when the sun comes out. The sun - she is most curious about\nthe sun, and the rays of light that shine from it. \n\n
\n\n\"Where do all of these things come from?\" she asks\nher friends. \n\n
\n\n\"Humph!\" snorts Gruff Bear, when Humble Mouse asks\nhim this big question. \n\n
\n\n\"Why would I need to know that?\" Gruff Bear\ncontinues. \"All I need to know is which berries are tasty, which make me\nsick, and where I should sleep in winter. Go away now, and stop thinking about\nsilly things.\" \n\n
\n\nEvery morning, Humble Mouse wakes up excitedly in her home,\nwhich is nestled in the trunk of an old pine tree. Eagerly, she scurries up her\ntree and plops herself on a thick branch, where she waits to meet the first ray\nof sun. \n\n
\n\nShe remembers what her Grandmother shared with her before\nshe passed away. \"She told me that if I sit quietly and look closely, I\ncan meet the first ray of sun, and it will give me answers to my\nquestions!\" \n\n \n
\n\nBefore the first ray appears, Gruff Bear and Worker Deer\nstroll by the pine tree and see their friend staring at the sky. Humble Mouse\ntells them her plan, but Gruff Bear teases her, \"All you're going to get\nis sunburn on your nose!\" \n\n
\n\nWorker Deer says, \"Look, Humble Mouse, life in our\nforest is simple and everything is so beautiful. Why question it? I gather food\nfor my family and make sure they are safe. You should just do the same.\" \n\n
\n\nGruff Bear adds, \"The sun will not speak to you -\nyou'll only be disappointed. Besides, if the sun did speak, it would talk to\nbigger animals like me or Worker Deer. It won't see you. You're too\nsmall!\" \n\n
\n\nEven though Humble Mouse is small and quiet, she has a big\nheart and a lot of courage. She sits still on the branch and tries to hide her\ntears from her friends as they walk past her. \n\n
\n\nOne morning, Humble Mouse sees soft streaks of yellow and\norange light outside her window. She jumps out of bed and rushes to her branch.\n\"This morning,\" Humble Mouse says to herself, \"I will meet the\nfirst ray of sun.\" \n\n
\n\nShe patiently looks up at the sky. Suddenly, she sees the\nmost wonderful thing that she has ever seen. The first ray of sun has come! Not\nonly does she see it, she feels it, and it's like nothing she has ever felt\nbefore. As Humble Mouse sits on her branch with a big grin, Worker Deer and\nGruff Bear pass by the pine tree again and wonder about Humble Mouse's strange\nlook. \n\n
\n\nWorker Deer says, \"What are you doing now, Humble\nMouse? You look different. What happened to you?\" \n\n
\n\n\"The first ray of sun came to me!\" exclaims Humble\nMouse. \n\n
\n\n\"Not that again,\" says Gruff Bear. \"The rays\nof the sun fall on everything in the forest. It's nothing special.\" \n\n
\n\n\"You don't understand,\" Humble Mouse explains\ngently. \"The ray came directly to me. It touched my heart. The ray of sun\nspoke to me, like Grandmother said it would.\" \n\n
\n\n\"What did it say, Humble Mouse?\" asks Worker Deer,\nwho is now curious. \n\n
\n\n\"It spoke without words. The ray of light connected me\nwith the forest, the mountains, and the sun,\" says Humble Mouse. \"The\nray said that, because I opened my heart, I could really learn about where all\nthings come from. It told me that there is a Maker of all things, Who is both\ngentle and strong, but is unseen, like the wind.\" \n\n
\n\nWorker Deer and Gruff Bear look at each other, and then they\nlook at Humble Mouse with curiosity. Worker Deer asks, \"Will you show us\nhow to meet the first ray of sun?\" Gruff Bear nods his head and adds:\n\"I want to learn about this ‘Maker,' too.\" \n\n
\n\n\"I will show you where you can find the first ray of\nsun,\" replies Humble Mouse, \"but only you can open your heart to\nit.\" \n\n(by Alesia Lopatina, adapted\nfrom a Russian fairy tale. Art by C. Aaron Kreader; ‘The Brilliant Star’\nmagazine, May-June 1999) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2016/08/humble-mouse-meets-first-ray-of-sun.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2016/08/humble-mouse-meets-first-ray-of-sun.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Kindness to animals",
"slug": "bsfc-kindness-to-animals",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBDuP-bChrv_Qb_R1-bzb0KWXx88MGLnttkMF_j3pjEblCZ29DmRpSg_B9ECyYGWfQSK9PYODhEeVEWhVg1S0cWmDbrp0AJRkWX8ogWYD8HRHENSzbTJLoFI_tk-zfVcUcfupa89som8y/s320/kitten-a.jpg\") \n\nOne day, when the weather was cold and wet, a seven-year-old\nboy was coming home from school. He was alone. None of his classmates were with\nhim since he had to stay behind at school to finish his work. He had his school\nbag on his shoulder and, because of the cold weather, he had his hands deep in\nhis pockets. It was very cold and very wet. \n\n
\n\nThe boy was walking quickly with his head down. He wanted to\nreach home soon and get warm. As he was walking, he was thinking to himself that\nwhen he gets home, his mother would have a warm room and delicious food ready\nfor him. He imagined that, as he arrived home, he would take off his heavy wet\nclothes, and would sit next to the fire drinking hot tea, after which his\nmother would bring him a bowl of hot soup. \n\n
\n\nAs he was quickly walking along, deep in thought, he heard\nthe groaning of an animal, which sounded like the loud cry of a little baby who\nhad lost its mother. At first, the boy wanted to ignore it and pass by. But when\nhe heard the cry again, he stopped. When he listened carefully, he realized\nthat the noise sounded like a little kitten, although it could not be seen. As\nhe looked around carefully, he saw a beautiful little white kitten lying in the\ncold mud meowing (crying). \n\n \n
\nAs the boy went closer, he saw that the animal was\nshivering, because of the cold. He felt sorry for the kitten and immediately\npicked it up. He realized that the animal was cold and wet. It had a runny nose\nand eyes. He took the kitten gently in his arms to take it home.
\n\n
\n\nAs soon as the animal felt a little bit of warmth in the\nboy's arms, its legs started to move. It looked with great love and\nappreciation at the boy, as if it were thanking him in its own language,\nsaying: \"Thank you good boy. You are very kind. If you had not found me, I\nwould certainly have died at night because of the cold. What a very good boy\nyou are. More than one hundred people have passed me since morning and have heard\nmy cry. But none of them was kind to me. It just shows that you are a very good\nand a very kind boy. Thank you. I am grateful to you. I will promise to help\nand serve you. I will compensate you for your kindness.\" \n\n
\n\nThe boy could read all these kind words in the kitten's\nloving eyes. He kept stroking it on the way home. When he arrived, his mother\nsaw him putting down a nice white kitten from under his warm coat. She asked him\nwhere he found the kitten. He explained to his mother what had happened. The\nmother was proud of her son because of his kind action. She said, \"Well\ndone! My good boy! How kind and nice you are you for showing kindness to\nanimals. God is also pleased with this action of yours.\" She prepared a\nplace for the kitten in a corner of the room. She gave the kitten some milk and\nmade sure that the animal was comfortable. \n\n
\n\nThe kitten grew up in their home. It protected their home from\nmice and, whenever it saw the boy or other members of the household, it would\ngo and rub its head and body against them, trying to thank them in its own\nspecial way for their kindness. \n\n(by A.A. Furutan, ‘Baha’i Education for Children,\nBook 1’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/12/kindness-to-animals.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/12/kindness-to-animals.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Koae",
"slug": "bsfc-koae",
"summary": "![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxQLLIRIhoUR8mEzW3Z43VPwvDKY6p9O5ZEte05YctG5BNUATdDM51aNXzZnu35Ae4F5VkNWqcnL6MiVjBd2moztV8plkAPWPqc05cwOXtlWc4KhGc9C7Z3FTD9rlcrc7hJJ03mKP5ZvR/s320/Koae-1.jpg\") In the heart of the Pacific Ocean are some beautiful islands\n- points of green that arise from the dark blue depths. One of these islands is\ncalled Oahu which in Hawaiian means \"the gathering place\". It is well\nnamed for it is the home of many.
\n\n
\n\nAmong the people that lived on Oahu in times long past was\nan old man named Koae and his grandson Keola. Koae was a kahuna, a man of God,\nwhose wisdom and love for others was well known. Koae loved many things - the\nsparkling curtains of rain falling on the dark green mountain valleys, and the\nroar of the rollers breaking over the reef, the bright orange and red hibiscus\nblossoms that framed the still brighter smiles of the graceful island women,\nand the sound of drums and chanting on quiet moonlit nights. \n\n
\n\nMost of all, Koae loved to sit on the beach with his\ngrandson Keola, and as the sun set he would tell stories of long ago - stories\nthat had been told by his grandfather and his grandfather before him. \n\n
\n\nThe sun had dropped below the horizon, that distant place\nwhere sea and sky meet, but its rays still pierced the ocean's edges with beams\nof orange and crimson light. \n\n
\n\n\"Look, my son,\" said Koae, pointing out beyond the\nreef. \"It is Koae, the tropic bird, coming home from the sea. It is for\nhim that I am named.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Grandfather, please tell me of Koae,\" said Keola. \n\n \n
\n\n\"White is Koae. Long-winged, fork-tailed, strong and\nsleek is Koae - master of winds and seas and mountain- tops. His home is the\nlimitless sky and the steep-sided green pall. It is from there that he looks\nupon our home and the homes of our friends.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Why does he choose such a place for his home?\"\nasked Keola. \n\n
\n\n\"Because his thoughts are high!\" answered Koae.\n\"He doesn't care for the things of the earth. Only the treasures of heaven\ninterest him!\" \n\n
\n\n\"And why is he white?\" questioned Keola. \n\n
\n\n\"He is the selfless one. No colors does he claim. All\ncolors he receives. His feathers reflect the light of the sun even as a pure\nheart reflects the light of God.\" \n\n
\n\n\"And why is his tail two rather than one as are other\nbirds?\" asked Keola. \n\n
\n\n\"His tail is like the mind of a perfect man. It\ncontains both love and knowledge. One tail is not enough for such a bird. He is\nas we should be. He roams both land and sea, but with a strong mind and a pure\nheart he remains always in the heavens!\" \n\n
\n\n\"And when Koae is far from land and is blown by storms\nand torn by winds and waves how does he find his way home?\" asked Keola. \n\n
\n\n\"He desires it above all else,\" smiled the old\nman, \"and he has the sun and the moon and the stars to guide him even as\nwe have God and wise Ones, parents and uncles and aunties to guide us. Even the\nstorms that seem to slow his progress are guides to his green pali home for he\nknows from where they come.\" \n\n
\n\nTime passed. Koae and Keola sat in silence. An army of waves\nrose from the depths and passed over the reef to end their journey at the\nocean's edge. The evening star shone brightly casting a ribbon of light over\nthe sea. The bird had returned to its nest on the cloud-enshrouded pall and was\nsleeping peacefully. \n\n
\n\n\"Oh grandfather,\" exclaimed Keola, \"may I\nlearn to fly as well as you!\" The old man smiled and taking his grandson's\nhand, they walked back to their home together chanting songs that are now\nforgotten. \n\n(by, Bob Thiesse, ‘Brilliant Star’ Magazine, November-December 1983) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2017/07/koae.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2017/07/koae.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master and the Stray Puppy",
"slug": "bsfc-master-and-the-puppy",
"summary": "A short story for children, paraphrased from the Baha'i Stories for Children blog: a small stray puppy that wandered into the Master's garden in 'Akká, the bowl of milk He set out, and the puppy that stayed for the rest of its life.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "Akko, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"children-stories",
"animals",
"kindness"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love",
"hospitality"
],
"ages": [
"child",
"tween",
"toddler"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bsfc",
"book": "Baha'i Stories for Children",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nA long time ago, in the city of 'Akká by the sea, there\nlived a wise and kind man named 'Abdu'l-Bahá. He had a small\ngarden behind His house. In the garden were a few flowers, a\nsmall fountain, and a bench in the shade where He liked to\nsit in the late afternoon.\n\nOne day, a small grey puppy with thin legs and tired eyes\ncame wandering through the garden gate. The puppy had no\nhome. He sat down by the bench and looked up at 'Abdu'l-Bahá\nwith hopeful eyes.\n\n'Abdu'l-Bahá smiled. He went into the kitchen and came back\nwith a small bowl of milk. He set the bowl down on the\nground in front of the puppy. The puppy drank every drop.\n'Abdu'l-Bahá then put down a small cushion in the shade. The\npuppy curled up on the cushion and fell asleep.\n\nThe puppy stayed for the rest of his life. He grew into a\nstrong young dog. He followed 'Abdu'l-Bahá around the house.\nHe waited for Him at the door whenever He went out. He was\nthe happiest dog in 'Akká.\n\n> Every creature has a place in God's garden.\n\nThat is what 'Abdu'l-Bahá used to say. The puppy had been\nlooking for his place. He had found it.\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/)), paraphrased small story for children.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Moonshine & Nightshadow",
"slug": "bsfc-moonshine-nightshadow",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0lRemUHqVG-U52F22o3eXuRbwBBCuIJhL2m7tC_m5IsIgeNuPTF2ly5w9pGrgfdX704VLI-GhrpGPbiAGdkB82cqT4VixNFMhMwrRPyWdARA3erk5Wi9w5OgZE17cwXfJb9kuJ1gRFsm/s320/MoonShine-NightShadow-1.png\") Mother Earth, full with child, gently tossed on her blanket\nof fallen leaves and twigs. Soon her baby would be born. She groaned as the child\nstruggled for life. Her thin, brown fingers clutched the dry leaves beneath\nher. Suddenly the sky moved and a mighty hush descended on the forest. A soft\nsigh broke the stillness, then all was silent more. Father Sun beamed down\nhotly on the land. The baby had been born. \n\n
\n\nSlowly Mother Earth reached for her child. She stopped, her\nface golden with delight. Her joyous laughter rang through the forest, for\nthere were two babies,\nnot one. \n\n
\n\nMother Earth gently wrapped the shivering infants in her\nbearskin robe. One child was black as a raven's wing, while the other was pale\nas a crocus petal. Mother Earth stroked the fairy wisps of soft, baby hair. To\nher white daughter she said, \"I will name you Moonshine.\" To her dark\ndaughter she added, \"You, I shall call Nightshadow.\" Her joy was\ncomplete. \n\n
\n\nAs the seasons passed, the twins grew and became very\ndifferent from one another. Moonshine was vivacious and lively, whereas\nNightshadow was quiet and gentle. Although both daughters were silent talented\nsingers, many admitted that Nightshadow had a higher, sweeter voice. Whenever\nanother praised her dark sister, Moonshine would feel a hot, angry dart pierce\nthrough her. Sometimes she even wished Nightshadow had never been born. \n\n \n
\nOne day Mother Earth called her daughters to her and said,\n\"The time has come. My children must serve the earth from whence they\ncame. You, Nightshadow, shall have dominion over the night sky, to darken it in\norder that the creatures of the earth may rest. For this task you will need\nthis.\" She held aloft an ebony cloak, which she draped about Nightshadow's\nshoulders.
\n\n
\n\n\"Moonshine, you shall lighten your sister's darkness,\nin order that those creatures which prefer to live and hunt in the dark may\nsee.\" \n\n
\n\nAs it was their duty, both sisters rose to the sky. Nightshadow\nsat with her cape flowing across the heavens. Moonshine, glowing like a shiny\npenny, was by her side. \n\n
\n\nAs time passed, Moonshine began to begrudge her sister's\ndominion of the night. She felt that since she was prettier and brighter, she\nshould reign over the sky. As night followed night, Moonshine's jealousy grew\nwithin her. At last, she could contain it no longer. \n\n
\n\nShe went to Nightshadow and whispered in her ear, \"Do\nyou know why it is that the creatures of the earth remain hidden in their caves\nand burrows when you are in the sky?\" She paused, then said triumphantly,\n\"It is because they find your dark face ugly and are afraid of you.\" \n\n
\n\nEven as she spoke, something dark and sorrowful welled up\nwithin her heart. Moonshine knew this cruel lie would hurt her sister. \n\n
\n\nNightshadow quivered. A dark tear, like a black dewdrop,\ntrickled down her cheek. \"Is this true, Moonshine?\" she asked. \n\n
\n\n\"Yes,\" Moonshine lied, \"all of the earth\nfears you and your ugliness.\" \n\n
\n\nNightshadow's quiet sorrow filled the air like a dark cloud.\nShe turned to her sister. \"Will you look after the creatures of the earth\nfor me?\" \n\n
\n\nMoonshine nodded dumbly, her spirit trapped between joy and\nmisery. \n\n
\n\n\"Good-bye, dear sister,\" Nightshadow said. Then, spreading\nher cape like a huge black kite, she was gone. \n\n
\n\nWith Nightshadow gone, Moonshine tried to enjoy her reign\nover the heavens. But after several nights of frolicking across the pale blue\nsky, she missed her sister's quiet company. Often she wished to see Nightshadow's\ndark face and to hear her sweet voice trilling out through the night air. No\nmatter how much she missed her sister, though, Moonshine couldn't bear the\nthought of having to share the heavens ever again. \n\n
\n\nOne night, as she made her pale voyage across the sky, she\nnoticed that all the creatures of the earth had gathered together and were gazing\nupwards. Thinking that they had come to speak of her shining beauty, Moonshine\nflew low to the earth in order to hear their words. All of the animal voices were\nraised in loud protest... \n\n
\n\nBrother Bear said, \"How is it that the night sky no longer\nbrings darkness in its wake?\" \n\n
\n\nSister Deer said, \"Neither I nor my children can sleep without\nthe darkness. We have not rested once since the night became day.\" \n\n
\n\n\"What has happened to the beautiful moon which once\nbrightened the darkness and aided me in my search for food?'' questioned\nBrother Fox. \n\n
\n\nWhen she heard this, Moonshine was puzzled. How could it be\nthat some of the animals needed her to lighten the night sky, while others\nneeded Nightshadow to darken it? Slowly, while she sat lost in thought,\nMoonshine realized that Nightshadow would always be able to do some things\nbetter than she, and that she would always be able to do some things better\nthan Nightshadow. At this realization, it was as if a gentle wind blew all of\nthe darkness away from inside of her and left a pure, white flame. \n\n
\n\n\"I must find my sister,\" Moonshine resolved. So\nshe traveled far and wide, searching the ground below her for traces of Nightshadow.\nOne day she spotted a cave and swooped down from the sky to rest near the\nentrance. \n\n
\n\nAs she drew near, something within the cave stirred.\nSuddenly, from within the blackness, Nightshadow's face appeared. \n\n
\n\n\"Nightshadow?\" Moonshine squealed. \n\n
\n\n\"Dear sister, is it truly you?\" Nightshadow asked as\nshe embraced her sister. \n\n
\n\nAs Moonshine looked at Nightshadow, warm, joyous sunshine\nflooded over her heart. She was glad she had found her sister; her spirit was\ntroubled no more. \n\n
\n\n\"Oh Nightshadow, you must please forgive me,\" she\nbegged. \n\n
\n\n\"Whatever for?\" Nightshadow asked, bewildered. \n\n
\n\n\"Because I told a terrible lie. The animals of the earth\ndo not fear you. They love you and need you to come back and once more darken\nthe sky for them.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Why would you lie to me?\" asked Nightshadow in her\nsoft voice. \n\n
\n\nMoonshine bowed her head, and the words poured out of her.\n\"When Mother Earth gave you dominion over the sky, I thought that you were\ngreater than I. I became jealous of you. Now I realize that I have special\ntalents just as you do.\" She looked at her sister, who remained silent.\n\"I need you, Nightshadow. Although we are good alone, we are even better\ntogether.\" \n\n
\n\nNightshadow smiled. She leapt from the cave and, taking her\nsister's hand, flew to join the sky. \n\n
\n\nMany seasons have passed. And now, whenever Nightshadow\ndarkens the sky, Moonshine is by her side, softly glowing like a large pearl.\nThe two sisters have discovered that, because of their differences, they will\nalways be best together. \n\n(by Laurie Dawn Ouellet, ‘Brilliant Star’,\nJanuary-February 1990) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/01/moonshine-nightshadow.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/01/moonshine-nightshadow.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One Meritorious Act",
"slug": "bsfc-one-meritorious-act",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wvVOgy3qpx-pqf8rgLM5W3EDT3-m8ZFJP-_oRrckjF94Fi979KOoDRvIUG00tup_pWvoJv3fXNjMRcqy59mRVVFpNtSKgBPb_hw8CSa2ikiMOeCD8doLuPC28nXJ9tSvsvPPgWY6JEbY/s320/act.jpg\") \n\nSanam sat on a rooftop in a bed\ndraped with a white mosquito net, not wanting to go to sleep. \n\n
\n\n\"Tell me just one more\nstory,\" she begged her grandmother. \"Then I'll\ngo to sleep. I promise.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Get under your covers,\nthen,\" her grandmother replied. \n\n
\n\nSanam got under the covers while\nher grandmother sat on the edge of the bed and closed the mosquito net tightly\nbehind her. \n\n
\n\n\"When I was a young girl\nlike you,\" her grandmother recounted, \"I loved being with my grandmother,\nNaneh-joon, just as much as you love being with me. \n\n
\n\n\"Naneh-joon was a very devout Muslim. She got up to\npray before the sun rose and went to bed after\nher midnight prayer. Even in her old age and poor health, she went to the\nmosque every day. She gave money to the poor\nand was kind to all. \n\n\n\"One hot day in August, Naneh-joon gave me permission to accompany her on her daily journey to the mosque. \n\n
\n\n\"'On the occasion of\nyour turning nine,' she said, 'you may come with me to the mosque. But you must cover yourself\nwell and be silent as a mouse in God's\nhouse.' \n\n
\n\n\"I held my chador\ntightly in place under my chin with one hand,\nand with the other I held Naneh-joon's. We went through the alleys of southern Tihrán. I was going to the mosque! \n\n \n
\n\"As we drew near to the mosque, we heard loud\nnoises echoing between the clay houses.
\n\n
\n\n\"'Bábí! Bábí!' The sound of people shouting reached our ears. 'Enemy\nof Islám!' \n\n
\n\n\"Naneh-joon gripped my\nhand. 'Those Bábís!' she hissed. 'The mulla says\nthey are bad people. They do things I shudder to\ntell you.' \n\n
\n\n\"I wanted to free my hand\nfrom Naneh-joon's tight grasp. 'Please, Naneh-joon,' I pleaded. 'Let's go home.' I wanted my Naneh-joon back, not this stranger with an\nangry look\nin her eyes. \" \n\n
\n\n“'The mullá says that hurting\nany Bábí helps the Prophet Muhammad,' Naneh-joon said. \n\n
\n\n\"Naneh-joon pulled me\ntoward the noise, walking faster than I had ever seen her. She pushed and shoved\nuntil we were at the front of the crowd that\nwas shouting and throwing stones. \n\n
\n\n\"Then and there was the\nfirst and last time I saw Him. He was barefooted and bareheaded, but I felt I was standing in the\npresence of the King of Kings. I stood mesmerized, shutting out the noise of the people and\nseeing nothing but the glory surrounding Him. \n\n
\n\n\"Naneh-joon let go of my\nhand, and I jolted\nout of my\ntrance. I saw her picking up a stone. \n\n
\n\n\"'No!' I shouted. But she did\nnot listen to me. She was about to step forward when an old woman ran\nahead of her into the street. \n\n
\n\n\"The old woman's frame shook with\nrage as she stepped forward and raised her hand to throw her stone at Him. \n\n
\n\n\"'By the Holy Imam, I beg\nyou,' the old woman pleaded with the guards surrounding Him. 'Give me a chance to fling my stone in His face!' \n\n
\n\n\"The King of Kings turned to His guards and said, 'Suffer not this woman\nto be disappointed. Deny her not what she regards as a\nmeritorious act in the sight of God.' \n\n
\n\n\"Tears welled up in my eyes at the words that had passed through His lips.\nI looked up and saw, through my tears, my\nold Naneh-joon standing by my side. She had dropped her stone to the ground. She took hold of my hand, and we walked back to her house in silence.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Then what happened?\" asked Sanam. \"I'm not going to\ntell you the story of how Naneh-joon and I became Baha'is, Sanam!\" her grandmother said. \"It is your bedtime!\" \n\n
\n\n\"Okay, okay!\" replied Sanam. \n\n
\n\nSanam made herself snug under the blankets. She\nprayed in her heart for Baha'u'llah to\nforgive the old woman for what she had done. Then she went to\nsleep. \n\n(by Suzan Nadimi; Core Curriculum for Spiritual Education –\nStories) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/06/one-meritorious-act.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/06/one-meritorious-act.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One of Baha’u’llah’s granddaughters remembers His loving nature…",
"slug": "bsfc-one-of-baha-u-llah-s-granddaughters-remembers-his-loving-nature",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjzRSWgTSNdlYsNMRFaigjwWc4YIEHsCgbrHN5yrQ9vWaG0nNLrnqdGcp9Xq329Gg3pMm4ZNuDMbPRzdd-xxXKQkpyqsL7E6e8f06S0VDj1kL2JRq4vXHdg6gIrxhb3ue23LH6pzcdD3x/s320/House+of+Abbud-a-1.jpg\") \nEven though Baha'u'llah and His Family lived as prisoners,\nHe tried in every way to make them happy.
\n\n
\n\nWhen Tuba Khanum was a child, she and her sisters had a\ndifficult time. The only time they had with their loving and wonderful Father,\nAbdul-Baha, was at tea early in the morning. He was always so busy taking care\nof the hundreds of people who came to Him for help. But at tea He would chant\nprayers and tell them wonderful stories of the Lord Christ and His Mother, of\nMuhammad, of Moses and the other Prophets. They loved Him very much. \n\n
\n\nLater when they attended school from seven in the morning\nuntil five in the afternoon, they had a little reading and writing but no play\ntime and only a little to eat at noon. Mostly they listened to someone reading\nbut who never explained anything. \n\n
\n\nWhen the children needed someone to listen to their troubles\nand difficulties they always went to their grandfather, Baha'u'llah. He took an\ninterest in everything about them. Tuba says in her letters; \"We children\nlooked upon Baha'u'llah as another loving Father. . . He used to send to Beirut\nevery year to buy stuff for our clothes. Baha'u'llah would then call for us to\nchoose which we liked best for our frocks. . . He was always punctual, and\nloved daintiness and order. . . and liked to see everybody well-groomed and as\nneatly dressed as possible.\" You can imagine that this was not easy, as\nprisoners cannot go wherever and whenever they wish. \n\n\nTuba tells us that \"above all things, cleanliness was\ndesirable to Him. 'Why not put on your prettiest frocks?' He would say to us. \n\n
\n\n\"All our holidays, all our treats and our happiness\ncame from Him in those days; when boxes of sweets were brought to Him, He would\nset some aside for us. . . 'Let the dear children come in and have some\ndessert,' He often said, when we were being sent off to bed—My Father and\nmother not wishing that we should disturb Him—but He always welcomed us with\nloving words. How we adored Him! \n\n
\n\n\"'Now children, tomorrow you shall come with Me for a\npicnic to the Ridvan,' He would say, and our night was so full of joy we could\nhardly sleep.\" \n
\n(Adapted from the ‘Chosen Highway’ by Lady Blomfield, Child’s\nWay magazine, March-April 1971) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2020/02/one-of-bahaullahs-granddaughters.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2020/02/one-of-bahaullahs-granddaughters.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Quiet Prayer",
"slug": "bsfc-quiet-prayer",
"summary": "A short story for children, paraphrased from the Baha'i Stories for Children blog: a small girl who learns the difference between a prayer she says fast and a prayer she says slowly, and the way the whole room changes when she lets the words breathe.",
"figures": [],
"era": "modern",
"themes": [
"children-stories",
"prayer"
],
"virtues": [
"reverence",
"patience",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"child",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bsfc",
"book": "Baha'i Stories for Children",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nLayla was six years old. Every night before bed, her mother\nwould sit on the side of her bed and they would say a small\nprayer together.\n\nFor a long time, Layla said the prayer very fast. She wanted\nto be done with it so she could hear the bedtime story.\n\n> O God, guide me, protect me, make of me a shining lamp and\n> a brilliant star.\n\nLayla would say the whole prayer in one breath. Then she\nwould jump under the blanket and ask, \"Story time, please?\"\n\nOne night her mother said, \"Layla, let us try something\ndifferent. Let us say the prayer slowly. Just one word at a\ntime. Let each word be a small gift.\"\n\nLayla nodded.\n\n\"O ... God ... guide ... me ... protect ... me ... make ...\nof ... me ... a ... shining ... lamp ... and ... a ...\nbrilliant ... star.\"\n\nWhen she finished, the room felt different. It felt warmer.\nThe lamp on the night table seemed brighter. Layla could\nhear, very faintly, a small bird outside the window\nsettling onto its branch for the night.\n\nLayla looked up at her mother. \"Mommy,\" she whispered. \"The\nprayer was bigger when I said it slow.\"\n\nHer mother smiled. \"Yes, my love. That is the secret.\"\n\n> Slow words make a soft heart.\n\nLayla closed her eyes. The story would come in a moment.\nBut the prayer was the part of the night she would remember.\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/)), paraphrased short story for children.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Sacred Moments with Grandpa",
"slug": "bsfc-sacred-moments-with-grandpa",
"summary": " \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4HDU5-wee6mbZu27ZrBhyphenhyphenUYhsMVfZvofuliDM28YurZsx1nMrpQ7AujsxG1TkhZx-LNoZ9v5pVOPp0ISfNyUoWN7uuhAg7ZAsTIKm67ZoOuQ2SJN2daRk219uUbLI58ZrJ0gl5sMpyP-g/s320/Grandpa-1.jpg\") \n \n
\n \n\"What'sa matter, son?\" Grandpa knew the answer\neven before asking. Brently's asthma-strained breaths could be heard before\nhe'd left his own porch 20 yards away. The child often sought comfort in\nGrandpa's lap during attacks. \n \n
\n \n\"It's bad, Grandpa,\" Brently wheezed, climbing\nonto Grandpa Burrell. The Kansas sky was vividly blue with just a few clouds,\nthe temperature in the nineties; this was harvest weather - hot, dry, and\nbreezy - bringing asthmatic people like Brently a heap of trouble. \n \n
\n \nBrently's long brown legs reached the ground as he draped\nhimself over Grandpa. He smelled the familiar smells of being on Grandpa's lap:\npeppermints and pipe tobacco. These were his favorite smells because he so\nloved his Grandpa. \n \n \nA few minutes of squeaky rocking on the rusty metal chair\nworked magic on Brently's breathing. The boy looked deep in thought as he\ntwirled Grandpa's Baha'i ring around and around his deep brown pinkie. \"Grandpa,\ntell me that story again.\" \n \n \n \n \nGrandpa half-smiled, guessing which story; the story about\nthe Báb's pens and seals. It was one of his favorite proofs that the Báb knew\nBahá'u'lláh was the One His Own Teachings pointed to. \"Which story,\nBrent?\" \n \n
\n \n\"You know, the one about the blue paper.\" \n \n
\n \nBurrell sighed happily at being asked to recount this\nspecial, sacred story. He scanned the sky, whose winds had shoved a few more\nclouds overhead than even a moment ago. \n \n
\n \n\"Back in June 1850, in Persia, it was summer like it is\nhere. It felt like a big crisis was about to happen. A young merchant, 'Ali\nMuhammad, had gotten very famous by claiming to be someone special: the\nPromised One of Islam. That's Who the Muslim people were waiting for, just like\nChristians were waiting for Christ to come again. 'Ali Muhammad, the Báb, had\ngotten some of the clergy real upset by His claims, because people believed in\nHim.\" \n \n
\n \n\"Grandpa, what does 'clergy' mean?\" \n \n
\n \n\"It means the people who lead a religion. Christians\nhave preachers like Muslims have mulás ... Anyway, many people loved 'Ali\nMuhammad's Teachings. Those that fell in love with the Teachings became His\nfollowers: they were known as Bábís. When the Bábís learned these Teachings and\nlived by them, they became better people. \n \n
\n \n\"The Bab's Message spread like wildfire. Thousands of\npeople began to follow Him, and that scared the Muslims that were in power.\nSome mullás felt really threatened by this kind, loving, honest Man. They\nfigured if people followed the Báb, Muslims wouldn't have as much influence as\nthey used to. They figured right. See, in Persia, religious leaders were very\nrespected. People listened to their opinions, and that made them very\npowerful.\" \n \n
\n \nThe sky had clouded up and was starting to rumble.\n\"What did they have to worry about if the Báb was teaching good things\nthat made people better?\" Brently asked. \n \n
\n \n\"If enough Muslims became Bábís, then people wouldn't\nbe putting mullás up on a pedestal anymore,\" answered Grandpa. \"Then\nsome mullás began to look into the Bábí Faith to see what all the fuss was\nabout. Those mullás with pure hearts saw the good in the Revelation. Those\nmullás who liked power more than they loved truth were the ones who tried to\ndestroy the Bábís and this new religion.\" \n \n
\n \nJust then, Grandpa's story was interrupted by a strong gust\nof wind that brought with it the smell of rain. \"The Báb knew His time on\nthis earth was short,\" continued Grandpa, holding his grandson a little\ncloser. \"Even though He never met Bahá'u'lláh face to face, He sent His\npens and seals to Him through Mullá Báqir, who was a devoted follower of the\nBáb This was about a month before the Báb was killed. It was a clue to the\nBábís to look to Bahá'u'lláh when the Báb was gone.\" \n \n
\n \n\"Can you tell me again what a seal is?\" asked Brently,\nwho watched as large raindrops appeared on the porch. \n \n
\n \n\"His seals were like His signature. Closing a letter up\nand then pressing the seals in melted wax on the sealed envelope was like\nsaying, 'I wrote this.' No one could forge the Báb's Writings because they\ndidn't have these seals. Now, the Báb was a Messenger from God, so His seals\nwere a treasure. By sending these to Bahá'u'lláh, He hinted to the believers\nthat Bahá'u'lláh was the One the Báb had promised would be coming, 'He Whom God\nwill make manifest.' The Báb placed these seals, rings, and remaining Writings\nin a special box and put the key to the box in an envelope. He gave these to\nMullá Báqir who traveled many long miles to Qum, to give them to Mullá 'Abdu'l\nKarim, another trusted Bábí. That man's job was to get them to\nBahá'u'lláh.\" \n \n
\n \n\"Many people urged Mullá 'Abdu'l Karim to open the box.\nFrom that special box he pulled out a sheet of blue paper that looked like it\nhad a beautiful star painted on it. A closer look showed the star was made of\ntiny words, elegantly written in perfect penmanship. The star was made up of\ntiny, tiny letters that spelled out the name Bahá over and over again in 360\ndifferent ways.\" \n \n
\n \n\"And Bahá means Glory,\" finished a smiling\nBrently, with a strong, easy voice free from breathlessness. \n \n
\n \nThen an odd thing happened - the clouds broke, letting the\nsun shine through. The old man smiled as Brently gave him a hug and jumped off\nthe porch for a better view of the emerging rainbow. \n \n(Written by Liz Donaldson\nand Illustrated by Cam Herth; ‘Baha’u’llah’, Core Curriculum for Spiritual\nEducation) \n \n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2016/09/sacred-moments-with-grandpa.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2016/09/sacred-moments-with-grandpa.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Saving Stars",
"slug": "bsfc-saving-stars",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHh9FhR_nTBOtd7JsXNR_zQKxA0J1jzi4oes_jmSWGMRg6iPJZgehukVhkOmbm7U_LqpAyi0NY0I0bSaY2qbnV3gIBWdeURqZVMj7Rk4cnKCv7yiYCzh3A_49OEommi3zpNsXRGcEOZx6I/s320/Saving+Stars-pic.jpg\") \n “Wow! That was some storm last night, Laura,” Kevin said as\nhe kicked aside a broken piece of driftwood. He shielded his eyes against the\nbright sun. “Look at all of this junk that washed up on the beach.”\n \n
\n \nLaura bent down to pick up one half of a shiny clam shell.\n“I’ve never seen so much seaweed on land before,” she exclaimed. “There are\nshells, bottles, cork floats and driftwood everywhere. I feel as if I’m on a\ntreasure hunt.” \n \n
\n \n“A smelly treasure hunt,” Kevin commented. He wrinkled his\nnose. “There must be some dead fish up ahead.” \n \n
\n \n“Let’s climb over the rocks on the point and check out the\ncove,” Laura suggested. “Maybe we’ll find out where the smell is coming from.” \n \n
\n \nKevin and Laura picked their way around the objects on the\nbeach. Wet sand crunched beneath their shoes. Beside them the blue-green ocean\nlapped gently at the shore as the tide continued to go out. Except for the mess\non the beach, no one would have guessed that a huge summer storm had blown in\nand out just the night before. \n \n
\n \nThey climbed carefully over the rocks and rounded the bend\ninto the hidden cove. \n \n
\n \nSuddenly Laura stopped. “I can’t believe it!” \n \n
\n \n“No wonder!” Kevin added. “Dead fish. Thousands of them!” \n \n
\n \n“Those aren’t fish,” Laura said. “They’re sea stars! And,\nthere are so many of them. They must have washed up on shore during the storm.\nWithout water, they’ll all die!” \n \n \n Kevin jumped off the last rock and ran down onto the beach.\n“Let’s go see.”\n \n
\n \nSeeing the stranded sea stars up close was even worse than\nseeing them from far away. Up close, their sunbaked bodies were already\nbeginning to dry up as they struggled to reach the ocean. Most of them were\nflung so far up on the beach that even a very high tide wouldn’t reach them. \n \n
\n \n“This is awful!” Laura said. “I wish we could save them. I\nwish we had a tractor or a snowplow or something.” \n \n
\n \nKevin pointed up ahead. “Who is that up there?” he asked.\n“Do you see a boy near the far side of the cove?” \n \n
\n \nLaura squinted against the glare of the sun. “I see him. But\nwhat’s he doing? He keeps running back and forth.” \n \n
\n \n“Maybe he’s exercising,” Kevin said. “I’m going to go find\nout.” \n \n
\n \nThey ran down the beach, taking care not to crush any of the\nunfortunate animals stuck high above the water line. \n \n
\n \n“Hi!” Laura called as they approached the boy. “What are you\ndoing?” \n \n
\n \nThe boy bent to pick up a handful of sea stars and ran to\nthe ocean’s edge. He placed them softly in a tide pool and ran back to the mass\nof stranded stars. \n \n
\n \n“What does it look like I’m doing?” he asked, pausing only a\nsecond before reaching for another sea star and carrying it to the ocean’s\nedge. “I’m saving them.” \n \n
\n \nLaura and Kevin looked at each other. They watched as the\nboy ran back and forth, intent on his purpose. Over and over he carried\narmloads of sea stars to the tide pools and deposited them safely in the\nshallow water. \n \n
\n \n“What you’re doing seems kind of useless,” Kevin finally\nsaid. “There’s no way that you can save them all.” \n \n
\n \n“Look at how many there are,” Laura added, gesturing up and\ndown the beach. \n \n
\n \nThe beach was littered in both directions with sea stars.\nThe little boy knelt in the only clear patch of sand, the result of his frantic\nwork. He picked up a five-legged star and stood up. He turned it over in his\nhand and watched its tiny tentacles wave in the air. The mouth hole in the\ncenter opened and closed, searching for water. \n \n
\n \nThe boy smiled. \n \n
\n \n“I know I can’t save them all,” he said. “But I can make a\ndifference in the life of this one. This one depends on me.” \n \n
\n \nKevin reached down and picked up another sand-encrusted sea\nstar. “If I put this one back in the water, it will live.” \n \n
\n \n“This one will raise a family and help replace some of the\nsea stars that have died because of the storm,” Laura said as she picked up one\nof her own. \n \n
\n \nThe boy smiled again. “I know I’m only one person, but I can\nhelp in a small way.” \n \n
\n \n“I guess that even small contributions make a difference,”\nKevin said. \n \n
\n \n“There are a lot of sea stars to save,” the boy said. “I can\nonly save a few. But, with your help, we could save a lot more.” \n \n
\n \n“Then what are we waiting for,” Kevin asked, scooping up as\nmany sea stars as he could carry. “Let’s get to work.” \n \n
\n \n(by Cindy Savage, ‘Brilliant Star, September-October 1994’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2018/01/saving-stars.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2018/01/saving-stars.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Shaykh Ahmad’s Secret",
"slug": "bsfc-shaykh-ahmad-s-secret",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20wogKlDCkj8aWI4Q_qCTh6QjYy0d5Sjvy_IVOMelZTvpeQbRyMNoFnlYNxniAN169A4vD8lkfQg9jnN8qumtqAKhb7DdbI6_rH5yw14znyBDtcC2tz0R4gvkE1b24X2BJ160AIRSZvMD/s320/Shaykh+Ahmad-1.jpg\") Many years ago there lived in Persia a man who knew a very\nwonderful secret. Perhaps you would not think it a secret because it was\nwritten in a Book, so that everyone might read it. But those who read it did not understand just what it meant. Shaykh Ahmad understood\nbecause he had studied this Book a great deal and had prayed to understand. And\nthe secret he found there made him so happy that he wished to tell everyone. \n \n
\n \nWould you like to know the secret? In this Book, which was\ncalled the Qur'an, it told that\nGod would send a new Teacher to the world, a very great Teacher like Jesus and\nMuhammad. We know only a little about God because He is so much greater than we\nare, and so very wonderful. Sometimes we are so busy taking care of ourselves\nand having a good time that we do not even think about God. We forget that we\nwould not even be alive if He\ndid not give us life. So once in a while He sends one of these divine Teachers\nto the earth to remind people about Himself. These Teachers are like Him and\nThey show us how He wishes us to live. \n \n
\n \nJesus was one of these Teachers. Some of us know about Him\nand read about Him in the Bible. Others know more about Muhammad and read about\nHim in the Qur'an. It was in\nthe Qur'an, which Muhammad wrote, long ago, that Shaykh Ahmad read\nabout the new Teacher who was coming. He was called the Promised One because\nGod had promised He should come. \n \n
\n \nOther people read about the Promised One in the Qur'an and\nknew He was to come. But here is the difference between them and Shaykh Ahmad.\nWhen Shaykh Ahmad read the words, he felt very sure that it was time for the Promised One to come\nright away. The others thought that He would not come for a long, long time. \n \n \n \n Shaykh Ahmad felt as he read the words that the Promised One\nwas living on the earth at that very time. He knew that he must go out and find\nHim and tell others about Him. Surely everyone would wish to know.\n \n
\n \nTo do this he had to leave his home and his family, and\ntravel all over the country. In those days there were no telephones or radios\nor newspapers. There were not even trains to carry mail. And of course there\nwere no airplanes. So, if anyone\nhad something he wished people to know, he had to go to them. \n \n
\n \nLet us imagine we are going with Shaykh Ahmad\non this journey. We should have to walk much of the way, or ride a horse\nor donkey. And at night we could not go to a comfortable hotel for food and\nrest, because there were no such hotels as we have now. At that time they were\ncalled caravanserai and we would not think they were very comfortable. \n \n
\n \nBut Shaykh Ahmad did not mind being uncomfortable because he\nknew he was doing what God wished Him to do. And he was so happy that people\nwished to know what he knew. Wherever he went they came in great numbers to\nhear him talk about the Promised One who was to come. Shaykh Ahmad would read\nto them from the Qur'an because, though they were grownup, many of them could not\nread. You see, they did not have schools such as we have. After he had read, he\nwould talk about the Promised One and how they would know Him when He came. \n \n
\n \nNews about Shaykh Ahmad traveled all over the country and\nthe Shah, who was the ruler, or king, of the country, invited him to visit him.\nThis made many people jealous and they urged their friends and relatives not to\nlisten to Shaykh Ahmad. And sometimes they tried to quarrel with him and have\nhim put out of their cities. \n \n
\n \nDo you think this kept Shaykh Ahmad from telling his great\nNews? Not for one moment! Many people believed him and followed wherever he\nwent, so that they might hear more about the Promised One. They knew that He\nwould be a very wonderful person. They knew He would love everyone. He would be\nkind, and help all who needed Him. How they must have longed to find Him. \n \n
\n \nAfter many years of traveling in this way, Shaykh Ahmad knew\nthat he had finished what God wished him to do. Others must now carry on the\nwork he had begun. So he called Siyyid Kazim, his very dear\nfriend, to him. He asked him to travel about in his place and tell the people\nabout the Promised One. \n \n
\n \nSiyyid Kazim promised to do this for, like\nShaykh Ahmad, he wished everyone to hear this wonderful News. And perhaps someday\nhe might see the Promised One for himself. \n \n(by Zoe Mayer, ‘Stories from the\nDawn-Breakers’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/11/shaykh-ahmads-secret.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/11/shaykh-ahmads-secret.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Shining Lamp: Mullá Husayn",
"slug": "bsfc-shining-lamp-mulla-husayn",
"summary": " ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihY7oObTNKDgOMQQAR8pEa63B4lO-25BGrxuei_1FT3tM6CZ9FcDM7qZPBiTOr1gEsQcQ4dmt4pmxl7dl3Jvoa4NwA0BM5i2i42WS50zeAOBoaAkElQL6L8lxwmfXI3Af7MtK2B584jrSqs4J24AGGZ9zjW0Z6gzncbCt2PpaE3EF6Rv_8IJEvBo2dVyMr/s320/Mulla%20Husayn.jpg\") | Artistic conception of Mullá Husayn;
no known photos are available |
\"A secret lies hidden in that city,\" the Báb told\nMullá Husayn, referring to Tihrán, Iran. The secret \"shall turn the earth\ninto paradise.\"\n\nThe Báb was a Messenger of God Who taught that another\nMessenger would come to bring an age of peace. He sent Mullá Husayn to teach\nthe Bábí Faith in several cities, including Tihrán. \n\nMullá Husayn was born in northern Iran in 1813. When he was\na young student, his family thought he would become a famous Muslim leader. But\nMullá Husayn followed his own path. He found teachers who helped him prepare\nfor the next Messenger of God. He was the first to believe in the Báb. \n\nIt was hard for Mullá Husayn to leave the Báb on his\njourney, but the Báb said that God's angels would be with him. In Tihrán, he\nlearned of a man named Husayn-'Ali, Who was known for His love and service to\nothers. Mullá Husayn sent Him the writings of the Báb, which Husayn-'Ali\nimmediately knew were inspired by God. He sent a gift of sugar and tea in\nreturn. Mullá Husayn was filled with joy. Was this the secret the Báb had\nmentioned? Years later, Husayn-'Ali became known as Bahá'u'lláh, the Messenger of\nGod promised by the Báb. \n\nMullá Husayn left Tihrán and continued teaching the Bábí\nFaith. Soon the Báb's enemies, upset about the new ideas He taught, complained\nto the government. The Báb was sent to Máh-Kú, a remote mountain prison. Mullá\nHusayn decided to visit Him—a journey of 1,200 miles (1,931 km). Though friends\noffered him carriages and horses, he answered, \"I have vowed to walk the\nwhole distance that separates me from my Beloved.\" On the way, he met\nBahá'u'lláh face-to-face, though no one knows what was said. \n\nThe Báb had not been allowed visitors, but the guard let\nMullá Husayn stay with Him for nine days. Mullá Husayn later said that from the\nBáb's words, \"I could, however dimly, perceive the glory of His Revelation\nand . . . the future ascendancy of His Cause.\" \n\nWhen Mullá Husayn left the Báb, he encouraged and\nstrengthened the other Bábís. He traveled with them, sharing the Báb's message.\nThey were often attacked and forced to fight for their lives. In one fierce\nbattle, Mullá Husayn cut through a tree, a gun, and an enemy soldier with one\nstroke of his sword. \n\nIn 1848, Mullá Husayn asked the Bábís to build a fort around\nthe Muslim Shrine of Shaykh Tabarsi to protect themselves. They were attacked\nby armies. Most of the Bábís were not trained soldiers. They had to eat leather\nto survive. Still, they defended themselves for seven months. \n\nIn 1849, Mullá Husayn rode into his last battle. A soldier\nhiding in a tree shot him. The Bábís carried him back to the fort, where he\ndied two hours later with a smile on his face. \n\n\"But for him,\" Bahá'u'lláh wrote, \"God would\nnot have been established upon the seat of His mercy, nor have ascended the\nthrone of eternal glory.\" \n\n(by Gail Radley and Tom Armistead / Art by C. Aaron Kreader;\nBrilliant Star magazine, Vol. 5, No. 1) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2024/07/shining-lamp-mulla-husayn.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2024/07/shining-lamp-mulla-husayn.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Spirit-Arrows",
"slug": "bsfc-spirit-arrows",
"summary": "
Autumn was in the air in Ontario! The breeze tasted crisp\nand clean to Jim as he ran across his Family's farmland to the edge of the field.\nHis short legs scrambled up the fence, and he balanced himself carefully on the\ntop.\n\nBefore him the railroad track stretched out forever across\nthe land. The birds called loudly as they wheeled and swooped, winging their\nway south before the sun-warmed winds turned freezing and brought snow. \n\nIn the distance, a faint clack-clacking could be heard. It\ngrew louder, and louder, and every once in a while, Jim could hear the howl of\na train whistle. He looked far down the track and saw a grand puff of smoke,\nand finally the train came into view. \n\nSuch a long and handsome train! Jim watched as car after car\npassed by -- many more cars than he could count. \n\nSuddenly, his eye was drawn to a figure in flowing, white\nrobes. To Jim’s delight, the man in the robes began smiling and waving at him!\nIn his excitement, Jim toppled right off of the fence! \n\nThat young boy was Alfred James Loft, a Mohawk Indian, and\nI’m sure that you've guessed who that man in the long robes was!\n’Abdu'l-Bahà... \n\nThat September afternoon was Jim’s earliest memory - perhaps\nlike you remember your grandmother's kitchen, or the first day at school. But\nisn't it strange to think that Jim didn’t even know about the Baha’i Faith\nuntil he was grown up and married, with children of his own, and his wife Melba\nbecame a Baha’i. \n\nAlthough he had moved away from his Tyendanaga, Ontario home\nbefore he became a Baha’i, Jim returned there at Shoghi Effendi's request to\nshare the message of Baha’u’llah with the members of his own tribe. \n\nJim and his family lived in a very simple way on the\nreserve, patiently trying to teach the Indians there about the Baha’i Faith and\nits message of unity and respect for all people, but the result of their\nteaching work was disappointing. The Indians on the reserve were suspicious and\nmistrustful. \n\nJim and his family understood why this was so: for many\nyears, the Indian people had been taught about other faiths by people who\nwanted them to give up their legends and their beautiful culture, and who told\nthem that the Indian ways were against God’s plan. Jim and his family showed\nthe Indians love and kindness and acceptance, but even so, very few people\nbecame Baha’is. But because Jim loved the Guardian so deeply, he was obedient\nand stayed at this difficult pioneer post, teaching the Indians about\nBaha’u’llah for the rest of his life. \n\nThe tribal council on the reserve had not been very open to\nthe Baha’i Faith, but after Jim passed away, Melba was planning to travel to\nMerida, Mexico for a big Baha’i conference, and she had an idea. She visited\nthe chief of the tribal council and offered to take a greeting from him to the\nMayan Indians in Mexico. He not only gave a greeting, but wrote a whole letter\nfor her to take to the Mayans! \n\nThe Indian chief acted with a receptive heart to Melba’s\nsincere offer to take a message to the Indians living half a hemisphere away.\nHe saw that the Baha’is didn't just talk about men being members of one family,\nbut that they looked for ways to show that this is true. \n\nThe love and acceptance that a young Mohawk boy had felt as\n’Abdu'l-Baha smiled and waved from a train 65 years before had come full\ncircle, back home to Tyendanaga. \n\n(by Debbi Bley, from ideas contributed by Roger White;\nChild’s Way magazine, July-August 1982; illustrated by Leona Hosack) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2022/11/spirit-arrows.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2022/11/spirit-arrows.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Stories from the childhood of Shoghi Effendi",
"slug": "bsfc-stories-from-the-childhood-of-shoghi-effendi",
"summary": "
As the neighborhood was preparing for the Muslim Fast of\nRamadan, one household near the prison of 'Akka was already celebrating a happy\nevent. Diya'iyyih Khanum, the eldest daughter of 'Abdu'l Baha, and Mirza Hadi\nShirazi had a new son. The date was March 1, 1897.\n\nThe proud Grandfather, 'Abdu'l-Baha, gave the name of Shoghi\nEffendi to the little boy. He said that everyone should use the title\n\"Effendi\", which means \"mister\" or \"sir\", as a\nterm of respect for the new child, even his parents. The name Shoghi means\n\"the one who longs\". In one tablet written for Shoghi Effendi,\n'Abdu'l-Baha asks that he may yearn for the Kingdom of God and soar into the\nrealms of the unseen! \n\nOne morning, Shoghi Effendi woke up to the crowing of\nroosters. The sun was just dawning over the tops of the sun-baked roofs of the\ntown. He and the other children of the household rushed to 'Abdu'l-Baha's room\nfor prayers. The children sat on the floor, their legs folded under them and\ntheir arms folded across their breasts in great respect. When asked, they would\nchant for 'Abdu'l-Baha \"O my God! 0 my God! Unite the hearts of Thy\nservants, and reveal to them Thy great purpose ...\" they sang. There was\nno shouting or unseemly conduct. \n\nThen the family had breakfast. The ladies served the hot,\nsweet tea in little glasses. On the low table was pure wheat bread and gleaming\nwhite goat's milk cheese. \"May I please have some more tea?\" asked\none of the little cousins of Shoghi Effendi. \"Thank you;' she replied when\nserved. \n\nAfter breakfast, the children roamed around the big house\nand yard. Whenever Shoghi Effendi visited his great aunt's room, he always felt\nthat he should be quiet and respectful. The other members of the household felt\nthis way, too. Later it was learned that under one of the divans in that very\nroom of Bahiyyih Khanum were hidden the remains of His Holiness the Báb. Later\nthey were transferred to the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel by 'Abdu'l-Baha.\nMany years later, the beautiful outside structure of the Shrine would be\ncompleted under the guidance of Shoghi Effendi, when he was Guardian of our\nfaith. \n\nOne day, when Shoghi Effendi was only five years old, he was\npestering the Master to write something for him. So, in His own hand,\n'Abdu'l-Baha penned these words: \n\n“He is God! \n\nO My Shoghi, I have no time to talk, leave me alone! You\nsaid 'write - I have written. What else should be done? Now is not the time for\nyou to read and write, it is the time for jumping about and chanting \"O my\nGod!'; therefore, memorize the prayers of the Blessed Beauty and chant them\nthat I may hear them, because there is no time for anything else.” \n\nShoghi Effendi did just as he was told. When his chanting\nbecame so loud as to bother the rest of the family, they complained to\n'Abdu'l-Baha, who told them to leave Shoghi Effendi alone. \n\nOnce a Western friend asked 'Abdu'l-Baha to reveal a prayer\nfor children. He did so and the first to memorize it and chant it was Shoghi\nEffendi, who would also chant it in the meetings of the friends. \n\nSoon enough it was time for Shoghi Effendi to go to school.\nDuring his first years in school, he asked his Grandfather to give him another\nname so that he could be distinguished from his cousins who all had the name of\nAfnan (being descendants of the family of the Báb). The Master gave him the\nname \"Rabbani\" as a last name. This name, which means\n\"divine\", was also used by the brothers and sisters of Shoghi\nEffendi. At school, Shoghi Effendi started learning English and French so that\nhe would be able to help 'Abdu'l-Baha in His letters to the Baha'is all over\nthe world. \n\nThe tender relationship between that Grandfather and His\ngrandson Shoghi Effendi helped prepare Shoghi Effendi for the big job he was\nlater to have as Guardian of the Baha'i Faith. (by Elyce Nasseri, ‘Brilliant\nStar’ magazine, March-April 1988)
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2021/07/stories-from-childhood-of-shoghi-effendi.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2021/07/stories-from-childhood-of-shoghi-effendi.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Stranger in the Mountains",
"slug": "bsfc-stranger-in-the-mountains",
"summary": " Background:
\nBackground:
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj64Ys3wyjM9yVQrUKC1Dn3gj4ClYmMLYhiv3ZC7B8BVi_WhE484uJjSLAuBSHd3O21G4JVgUwVIyOx7-Xjztm-O_nJYg1dUvfpCvuoXJEgwzbnkHDcKJqJpwXvVm4tAGE-KZXpuTl04uk/s400/boy+sitting-1a.jpg\") [Baha'u’llah left Baghdad to travel alone in the mountains\nof Kurdistan for two years. He did not tell anyone there who He was. There were\nothers in Baghdad who wanted people to believe that they were the Promised One.\nBaha'u’llah left so that He would not hurt even the ones who wanted to be His\nenemies. You can read about His journey in ‘God Passes By’, by Shoghi Effendi,\npp. 120-126, or in Baha’u’llah: The King of Glory, by H. M. Balyuzi, pp.\n115-122. Here is a story from that time.]\n
\n\nStory: \n\nThe boy was sitting on the hillside crying bitterly. He\ncould see the mountain village below which was his home. He wanted to go home\nbut was afraid. He had been punished at school and would be punished again at\nhome. So instead, he ran to the hills and cried. \n\n
\n\nA stranger, who did not live in the village, heard his\ncrying. Coming closer the stranger asked the boy why he was crying. The boy\nlooked up. There, coming toward him, was a dervish, a man without a home who\nspent his days wandering the countryside praying and thinking about God. \n\n
\n\nThe boy answered, \"Oh, sir, my teacher has punished me\nfor writing so badly. I can't write nicely and now I've lost the lesson he gave\nme to copy. I can't go back to school without it or I will be punished even\nmore. And I can't go home for my parents will be ashamed.\" \n\n
\n\nThen the boy began to cry some more. The stranger gently\nasked him to stop crying. He then offered to write a lesson and to teach the\nboy to copy it so that his teacher would be proud of him. \n\n
\n\nFrom his clothes the stranger took out a pen and paper and\nwrote beautiful letters. Then he showed the boy how to copy them. The boy\ncopied the writing again and again. After a time he could do it so well you\ncould hardly tell the difference between one writing and the other. \n\n \n The stranger told the boy to take his writing lesson to show\nthe teacher now that he could write so well.\n
\n\nWith a happy heart the boy jumped up and went running down\nthe hillside to his village and his teacher. \"Thank you, kind sir,\"\nhe called back with a smile full of joy. \n\n
\n\nBreathlessly the boy arrived at his school. There was the\nteacher sternly waiting for him. The teacher demanded, \"Where have you\nbeen!?\" And, \"Is your lesson ready?\" \n\n
\n\n\"Oh yes,\" answered the boy proudly. \"Here is\nthe work I've done.\" The boy showed the teacher the writing of the\nstranger and his own copy underneath. \n\n
\n\nThe teacher was astonished. \"Where did you find this\nwriting? It is beautiful. Do you know the kind of people who write this\nway?\" \n\n
\n\n\"No, sir,\" answered the boy. \"A strange\ndervish saw me on the hillside and wrote it for me.\" \n\n
\n\n''Your strange dervish is no dervish at all,\" replied\nthe teacher. \"Only people connected with the royal family and ministers of\nthe king write in this manner.” The teacher wondered why a member of the royal\ncourt would be wandering in the mountains as a dervish. \n\n
\n\nThe teacher told his friends about this stranger in the\nmountains and the writing of the boy. His friends told their friends, and they\ntold their friends. Soon everyone in the village knew there was a strange and\nwonderful person in the mountains but no one knew who he was. \n\n
\n\nNote: We don't know the name of the boy, but we do know\nwhere this happened. It is Sulaymaniyyih, and it is in the mountains of Iraq.\nThe \"dervish\" was Baha'u’llah, and the story really happened. He\ndisguised Himself as a dervish so He could be alone to pray and meditate to\nprepare Himself to teach the Faith of God for this new age. \n\n
\n- by Duane\nHerrmann (Brilliant Star, Summer Schools 1991, Special Edition; Adapted and\nreprinted from ‘Child's Way’, September-October 1982) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2018/08/stranger-in-mountains.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2018/08/stranger-in-mountains.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Tahirih - The only woman ‘Letter of the Living’",
"slug": "bsfc-tahirih-the-only-woman-letter-of-the-living",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxLFtz3tDgmzLufJ93YxRTPwtNIWGKcDSTvz0fexPJKDJfg3O7Vkfn_UpqxmJ0NSBquE25NB2tf_DnkwUWb_e2nbihmuqpIlN9W6k4YF1EDWTaDHtZ3Amp-jFfma-Qo1yTXvZa9iWeEP6/s200/Tahirih.jpg\") \n\nThe Letters of the Living were the first people who, each\nindividually, and without help from others, recognized the promised One, the\nBáb, in 1844. They became His first Disciples and they are known to posterity\nby the title bestowed on them by the Báb! All but one of them were men. Tahirih\nwas the only woman among the Letters of the Living. Here is the story of how\nshe found the Promised One and the incredible role that she played in\nproclaiming His Message to the world. \n\n
\n\nTahirih lived in Persia over one hundred and seventy years\nago. In fact, she lived there at the time when the Báb began teaching His\nmessage and she became one of His first followers. She was the only woman among the first\nspecial nineteen followers to believe in Him who the Báb named ‘The Letters of\nthe Living’. \n\n
\n\nOne day, while Tahirih was visiting her cousin, she found\nsome books that interested her very much. They were written by a holy man of\nPersia called Shayk Ahmad, who had been preparing for a long time for the\ncoming of a new Teacher from God. Shaykh Ahmad was sure that this was the time\nwhen such a great Prophet would appear and he had written many books about it.\nThese were the books that Tahirih had found. She borrowed them from her cousin\nand spent most of her time reading and studying them. \n\n \n
\n\nTahirih’s father was angry and objected to her reading but\nthis did not stop her. She even wrote secretly to Siyyid Kazim, who was a\nfollower of Shaykh Ahmad and the leader of the people who were convinced that it\nwas time for a new Prophet of God to come. \n\n
\n\nTahirih was so anxious to meet Siyyid Kazim that she left\nher home in Persia and went to the town of Karbila in Iraq. There she found\nthat Siyyid Kazim had died ten days before her arrival. She decided to stay a\nwhile, meet some of his followers, pray and meditate, and await any news about the\ncoming of the anticipated 'Promised One.\" \n\n
\n\nOne night, while Tahirih was in Karbila, she had a very\nstrange dream. She saw a young man in the heavens. He was wearing a black cloak\nand a green turban. He had his hands upraised and he was reciting verses. At\nonce, she memorized one of those verses, and wrote it down in her notebook when\nshe awoke. She was very much impressed by this dream and the memory of it\nstayed with her constantly. \n\n
\n\nDays passed. Then Tahirih was given some of the writings of\nthe Báb. She took them eagerly and began to read them. As she read them she was\nstartled to see the very words which the young man had spoken to her in her dream!\nSurely this must be the One whom they were waiting for! This must be the\nPromised One! \n\n
\n\nShortly after this, she heard that her sister's husband, who\nwas also interested in these new teachings, was about to set off from his home\nin Qazvin to search for the Promised One. Immediately, Tahirih sent a sealed\nletter to him and asked him to give it to the Promised One when he found Him.\nHer brother-in-law promised he would. Tahirih asked him to say the following\nwords to the Báb from her: \n\n
\n\n“The light of Thy face flashed forth, \n\nAnd the rays of thy face rose high. \n\nThen speak the word, 'Am I not your Lord?' \n\nAnd 'Thou art, Thou art!' we will all reply!” \n\n
\n\nWhen Tahirih’s brother-in-law arrived in Shiraz, in the\nsouth of Persia, he was guided through prayer to recognize that a young man\ncalled the Báb was the Promised One. He went to His House and gave Him the\nletter as she had asked him to do and he also repeated her message to the Báb. \n\n
\n\nThe Báb lovingly welcomed Mirza Muhammad 'Ali (Tahirih’s\nbrother-in-law) as the sixteenth person to believe in Him and said that Tahirih\nwas the seventeenth. Not only was Tahirih one of the first 18 believers (who\nwere called the 18 Letters of the Living by the Báb) but she was the only woman\namong them. \n\n
\n\nTahirih is reported to have been fearless and outspoken. She\nlived in a country where women were not allowed to go to school, where they\nwere kept in their own part of the house and not allowed to go anywhere by\nthemselves, where they had to wear veils over their faces if they went out on\nthe street. Nevertheless, Tahirih arose to spread abroad the teachings of the\nBáb, for she was sure that this Cause, which she loved dearly and knew to be\ntrue, would be victorious. She charmed all those that she met and her belief\nwas so strong and sure that she affected everyone who came in contact with her. \n\n(Adapted and modified\nfrom ‘Child’s Way’ magazine, February 1953) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2016/03/tahirih-only-woman-letter-of-living.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2016/03/tahirih-only-woman-letter-of-living.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Tammy and the Butterfly",
"slug": "bsfc-tammy-and-the-butterfly",
"summary": "
Drip, drip, drip splashed little drops of rain as they\nlanded on Tammy's nose and made dark splotches on her long grey dress.\n\nTammy had been walking in the woods. She was very excited\nbecause she had found something strange. \"I must hurry home,\" said\nTammy,\" and ask mother what this is.\" \n\nShe gazed at the object in her hand, then flitted through\nthe woods, skirt held high to prevent branches from grabbing at it as she\npassed. \n\n\"Mommy! Mommy!\" cried Tammy as she neared the\nhouse. \"Look what I found!\" \n\n\"Let's see, dear, and do come in out of the rain,\"\nsaid Mother. \"Oh, it's a cocoon. Put it beside your bed and watch it for a\nfew days. It has a beautiful surprise inside. It is more than an ugly\nshell.\" \n\n\"A surprise?\" wondered Tammy, as she ran to her\nroom. \"O, I can hardly wait to see what it is!\" \n\nTammy sat in her room watching the cocoon. Rain drops\nslithered down the window and folded into tiny puddles on the sill. \"I\nwish you weren't so ugly,\" she said to the cocoon. \"Maybe I could\nmake you prettier with some paint.\" \n\n\"Mommy, she called. Do we have any paint?\" \n\n“What for, dear?\" her mother asked. \n\n\"To paint the cocoon so it will be pretty.\" \n\nMother smiled to herself. \"Come down to eat supper now,\nTammy. The paint might hurt the surprise. Be patient. The shell won't always be\nthere.\" \n\nTammy couldn't understand how so ugly a shell could contain\nsomething beautiful. As she came downstairs she asked, \"Do I get a story\ntonight?\" \n\nMother answered, \"Yes, I'll tell you the story of\nCinderella. She is very much like your cocoon.\" \n\nLater that night Mother finished the story by saying\n\"and after the prince tried the glass slipper on the ragged Cinderella, he\nrealized she was the beautiful princess who had fled from the Ball at midnight.\nHe was happy that he had had the patience to search for her.\" \n\n\"Mommy,\" said Tammy, \"I wish the cocoon were\nbeautiful like Cinderella. Do you think I will find out what the surprise is\nsoon?\" \n\n\"Have patience, dear,\" said Mother as she left the\nroom. \n\n\"I don't know why things have to be ugly,\" thought\nTammy. \"I think everything ought to be beautiful, even cocoons.\" And\nshe fell asleep. \n\n
From within the cocoon came a muffled beat ... Flutter…\nFlutter… Flutter... Tammy opened her eyes. The soft, strange sound had awakened\nher.\n\nWhat's that?\" she thought. She turned to look at the\ncocoon. Her eyes grew wide in amazement. It was open ... and empty! \n\nTammy jumped out of bed and kneeled on the floor. Moonlight\nfell softly about her shoulders and made the room glow with heavenly splendor.\nAs she reached for the empty cocoon something fluttered onto her finger. It was\na bright blue butterfly! Tammy hardly breathed. \n\nThe clock was striking twelve. \n\n(by Constance H. Hard, ‘The Child’s Way’ magazine, no. 59,\nOctober 1958)
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2020/09/tammy-and-butterfly.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2020/09/tammy-and-butterfly.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Thank you, Isfandiyar",
"slug": "bsfc-thank-you-isfandiyar",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLTIq6cYz-8OYJHc2Gc6KvJyFd2W7ZLZiViQIbE_s64ko_Lotshze-f8C6-_gcl6L8kznE0XH2-LUuwzlvrkHsh-y6_Bvlq4diGvskTh7bnDLLMV1IMTRnprfL7CVV8rR_O3BymX3np4Q/s320/Isfandiyar-a-1.jpg\") \nWhen I was growing up, Halloween* was a great time, even for\na kid in a wheelchair. I was actually famous in my neighborhood because I had\nthe coolest homemade Halloween costumes - like one time I was a haunted\nsemi-truck rolling along with headlights flashing wildly and scary sounds\nplaying. Another year I was a soda machine that dispensed real (empty) soda\ncans! I think my favorite costume was when I was a washing machine and Dad\nrecorded sounds of the big laundry downtown and I played those and flipped my\nlid. My most memorable Halloween, though , was the year I was a witch with long\nrubber worms for hair. It wasn't so much the costume - but that year was\nespecially memorable because I met Isfandiyar.
\n\n
\nIsfandfyar - yes, that was his amazing name - was my first\nreal friend, and he truly changed my life. But, I should slow down with the\nstory because I'm getting ahead of myself. \n\n
\nIn our neighborhood, I knew most of the people, and\neverything was fine. So, most years, I'd go out by myself and I'd roll up to\nthe door or porch and shout \"TRICK OR TREAT!\" like any other kid. But\nthe really memorable year, things didn't go exactly like always. That year, I\nran into some bullies stealing candy bags away from other kids. There were\nthree of them, and they just stepped out of the dark when I was alone. \n\n
\n\"Well, lookie here - a witch in a wheelchair! Ooooh, I\nam soooo scared.\" \n\n
\n\"Hey, witchie, if you're so powerful, why don't you\nheal yourself?\" \n\n
\n\n\"Yeah, you must be a fake witch . .. let's see if you\ncan stop me from taking your candy!\" \n\n \n I was just starting to feel really scared when another voice\nyelled, \"Leave him alone!\" It sounded loud enough to hear across\ntown, and those guys froze! \"Leave him alone! Now!\" The voice really\nwasn't so much loud as determined and commanding. These cowardly bullies were\nnot of a mind to argue even though this new person did not look bigger or\nolder. Something in his voice and look just made you want to say, \"Yes,\nsir!\"\n
\n\nThe bullies moved off, and I looked at this new person. I\ndidn't know his name, but I recognized him from school. \"Thanks, I really\nappreciate what you did.\" \n\n
\n\n\"No way I was going to let those guys get away with\nthat,\" he replied. \"My parents taught me to take care of people. I'm\nnew here - who's got the best treats?\" \n\n
\n\n\"The next house is Gorman's, and they do homemade candy\napples ... Come on, let's go!\" \n\n
\n\nThat was the beginning of something great. Isfandiyar\ntreated me like I was important and he wanted to be with me just for the fun of\nit. My handicap didn't matter to him. \n\n
\n\n\"You're a gem just waiting to shine,\" he told me\nwhen he convinced me to go out for the cross-country team. \"You gotta just\nput yourself out there and get polished.\" \n\n
\n\nSo I ended up as student manager of the team, and I never\nhad more fun than yelling my head off as Isfandiyar and the other guys ran by. \n\n
\n\nMy parents got me a special wheelchair, and Isfandiyar often\ntook me running with him, pushing my chair along ahead of him or urging me as I\nlearned to roll along at a pretty good clip myself. He was a truly devoted\nfriend. \n\n
\n\n \n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSkwxqUOyuVSrNL_aoO41wSFFmMaAcGY6Uo8pZtNbZYMBm-k74eYu-q-Y8TUZqxdZrEdEnEVSqX2lKaz9iHwCXCg7tM15iQ1lSJJTrGyRJaFdkTdudP8ctbt1KG3GgYXEVdKoeE3Z6aRy/s320/Isfandiyar-1.jpg\") \n Some people teased me or ignored me because of my handicap,\nbut not Isfandiyar. He liked the goofy card tricks I showed him, and he taught\nme to blow a few notes on his tuba. \n
\n\nOne time he wrote a poem for English class that was called\n\"Friends,\" and that pretty well summed it up. We were friends no\nmatter what. He saved me in chemistry class once by running back to school in\nthe rain to get my chem notes. Without those notes, I'd have bombed a big test.\nThat was just the way it was with Isfandiyar. When he won the state\ncrosscountry title, the first thing he did after finishing was to find me and\ngive me a high five, and that was the picture that showed up on sports pages\nacross the state. \n\n
\n\nEven now, twenty-five years later, I still look at the\nyellowed newspaper often and think of what Isfandiyar's friendship meant to me.\nHe's never changed, even now that he is president of a famous medical school. \n\n
\n\nIsfandiyar was the first Baha'i I ever knew, and he told me\none day, as we sat in the shade after running, that his namesake was a hero of\nthe Baha'i Faith. \n\n
\n\n\"I'm named after an incredibly courageous Ethiopian who\nserved in the household of Baha'u'llah, the Founder of the Baha'i Faith,\"\nhe said, \"and I think he is one of the great heroes of my\nFaith.\" \n\n
\n\n\"When Baha'u'llah was imprisoned during some horrible\npersecutions of the Baha'is, His family was left with no one to take care of\nthem. Enemies were looking for Isfandiyar in order to force him to betray other\nBaha'is. But despite the danger, he returned to the looted ruins of\nBaha'u'llah's house looking for Baha'u'llah's Family. 'Where are the children?'\nhe asked. 'What has happened to their mother?' Through courageous, devoted\nsearching, he was reunited with the family. Baha'u'llah's family was homeless\nand had no money or friends. Although a hundred police wanted to capture,\ntorture, and kill him, Isfandiyar refused to hide and went boldly around the city\nattending to the family's needs and paying off debts left in Baha'u'llah's name\nafter His imprisonment. He could not bear to see the family suffer or the good\nname of Baha'u'llah dishonored. Even when other unfaithful family members and\nservants fled, Isfandiiyar remained loyal to Baha'u'llah.\" \n\n
\n\n\"I can see some of those qualities in you, too,\" I\nsaid. \n\n
\n\n\"I'm really proud of my name,\" he replied,\n\"Isfandiyar loved the truth so much that nothing scared him. That's the\nway I want to be.\" \n\n
\n\nEven now, years later, I can see Isfandiyar sitting there\nunder the tree, smiling as he talked. He made the most difficult things seem so\nnatural that you just wanted to do them. It made me happy just to be around\nhim. \n\n
\n\n\"My mother made some needlework for me,\" Isfandiyar\ncontinued. \"She put some words about Isfandiyar into needlepoint and\nframed it for me. They're words of 'Abdu'l-Baha, the Son of Baha'u'llah: 'If a\nperfect man could be found in the world, that man was Isfandiyar . . . Whenever\nI think of Isfandiyar, I am moved to tears, although he passed away fifty years\nago.''' \n\n
\n\nI saw that needlework many times as Isfandiyar and I went\nthrough high school together. It hung in his room over his bed, and those words\njust seemed to soak into him. It was wonderful to see how he strived to love\nand care about others as the earlier Isfandiyar had done. \n\n
\nI am now over forty years old myself and see my old friend\nonly rarely, but I think of him often. He made doing new or difficult things\nseem natural. He made me feel like I could do things I never dreamed were in\nme. I guess that's why I just finished \"running\" my nineteenth\nmarathon in my wheelchair and why I love Baha'u'llah so very much. Thank you,\nIsfandiyar, my noble friend.
\n
\n(Written by\nRick Johnson, illustrated by Keith Kresge; ‘Core Curriculum for Spiritual\nEducation’, by the United States National Spiritual Assembly) \n\n* Halloween, the evening of October 31, is a day on which\nmany children in North America, and some other regions, wear costumes and visit\nhouses door-to-door, saying \"trick or treart,\" and receive candy. \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2017/11/thank-you-isfandiyar.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2017/11/thank-you-isfandiyar.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Báb’s short stay in Isfahán",
"slug": "bsfc-the-bab-s-short-stay-in-isfahan",
"summary": "
In September 1846, after being banished from His home in\nShíráz, Persia (now Iran), the Báb set out for Isfahán, a city known for its\nwise religious leaders. Its governor was Manuchihr Khán, a trusted friend of\nthe sháh. As He neared the city the Báb wrote to the governor, who insisted He\nbe warmly welcomed.\n\nIn Isfahán, visitors flocked to see the Báb, Who was a guest\nin the home of the chief priest. Even the governor met Him and was impressed by\nHis wisdom and insight. But people’s respect and admiration for the Báb led to\njealousy among many of Isfahán’s religious leaders. First, they began to spread\nfalse rumors about Him. Then they signed a letter calling for His execution. \n\nWhen the governor learned of this threat to the Báb’s life,\nhe created a plan to protect Him. He ordered 500 guards to escort the Báb to\nTihrán. He wanted religious leaders, the people of Isfahán, and almost all of\nthe guards to believe that the Báb was being exiled. But the governor never\nintended to send Him away. He told his 10 most trusted guards to bring the Báb\nback to Isfahán in secret. \n\nThe Báb stayed in Isfahán for several months as an honored\nguest of the governor, who became a Bábí. When he expressed concern about the\nBab’s future safety, the Báb told him, \"Fear not I have committed Myself\ninto the hands of God. My trust is in Him.\" \n\nThe governor longed to help the Báb spread His message, but\nhe became sick and passed away. The sháh learned that the Báb was still in\nIsfahán and asked to meet with Him. \n\nBut the sháh’s prime minister was afraid of losing his own\npower. He told the sháh that the Báb was dangerous, and convinced him to change\nhis plans. The sháh exiled the Báb to Máh-Kú, an isolated castle in the\nmountains of Persia. These men thought that sending Him away would end His\ninfluence. \n\nThe long and challenging path to Máh-Kú took the Báb and His\nguards through the city of Tabríz. As the Báb entered, people crowded the\nstreets in their eagerness to see Him. The city rang with their cries of\n‘Alláh-u-Akbar,\" meaning ‘God is the Most Great.’ \n\nThe Báb stayed in Tabriz for about 40 days before finishing\nHis journey to Máh-Kú. He spent the final three years of His life banished to\nremote regions of Persia. Though He was in prison, the power of His message\ncontinued to spread as He revealed writings that guided His followers and\nprepared them for the coming of Bahá’u’lláh. (Brilliant Star magazine, vol. 50,\nno. 4, 2018) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-babs-short-stay-in-isfahan.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-babs-short-stay-in-isfahan.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Badasht Conference",
"slug": "bsfc-the-badasht-conference",
"summary": "![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNli2vYWV86Ny2J5JNbLnVLgfwG25rgwjk-adLR6o4j9NIWEvNR6CB2sjY2dXmpw_X9SJU5fuZf_MaHXegpKanPE8rOw-zOwJ8RICKA_tsZ_W7mLqqmueFnp7XEq8ICJKpMhqubPoy7tN/s320/Badasht-1a-1.jpg\") It was the summer of 1848. The followers of the Báb, the\nBábís, were fiercely persecuted in Persia, the birthplace of their Faith. They\nneeded guidance and support. Bahá'u'lláh, Who, at that time, was a directing\nforce among the Bábís, decided to meet with His fellow believers. A group of\nthem gathered in the small village of Badasht in northern Persia.
\n\n
\n\nUpon His arrival, Bahá'u'lláh rented three gardens, one for\nQuddús, another for Táhirih, and the third one for Himself. The main purpose of\nthis gathering of Bábís, known as the Badasht Conference, was to consult about\nthe future of the Bábí Faith. Tents were put up in the three gardens to house\nthe eighty-one Bábís who had gathered at this most important event. From the\nday they arrived to the day they left, for twenty-two days, they were all the\nguests of Bahá'u'lláh. \n\n
\n\nEvery day, Bahá'u'lláh revealed a new Tablet, which was chanted\nevery morning in this memorable gathering of Bábís. Through these Tablets,\nBahá'u'lláh discarded one after another of the established traditions of the\npast. The Bábís were dismayed as they saw the ways they had worshiped, and many\nof the teachings they had followed for so long, changed and discarded. \n\n
\n\nBaha'u'llah bestowed a new name on every believer at Badasht\nwithout disclosing the identity of the person who had given those names. From\nthis time on, He became known as \"Bahá\" (Glory), Quddús (the Most\nHoly) gained his title, and Táhirih (the Pure One). \n\n
\n\nThe Bábís were in awe. They did not know the source of all\nthese Revelations. They wondered: Who wrote the Tablets? Who gave them the new\nnames? Some were guessing, each one to his own degree of understanding. Very\nfew, if any, thought Bahá'u'lláh was the author of the changes that were so\nfearlessly introduced. \n\n \n
\n\nBaha'u'llah presided every day over the Conference of\nBadasht, guiding the discussions and enlightening His fellow believers. Táhirih\nand Quddús, encouraged by Baha'u'llah, discussed the future of the Bábí\nRevelation. Táhirih wanted to declare its complete break from Islam. Quddús\nrejected her views. Baha'u'llah did not take sides but let the two examine and\ncontemplate all aspects of this most important matter. \n\n
\n\nOne day, Bahá'u'lláh was not feeling well and decided to remain in His garden. As soon as Quddús heard this news, he went to His presence. Gradually other believers came too and gathered around Him. Suddenly, a messenger from Táhirih came and addressed Quddús saying, \"Tahirih wants to\nmeet with you in her garden.\" \n\n
\n\n\"I do not wish to meet with her anymore! \"\nexclaimed Quddús bluntly. \n\n
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tyaD2TVexD8PKcHmOZPZq_FensZVEXXNfHUUbC144b-MIefxSHF3xczB9KqRgVwJu0A7Kg6ujtxZsqkwaNu5TxunYSQXekCjAmzqTS3mHgTAFrIH84atggKBqxKWoNxXnOrAuGdngX_N/s320/Badasht-2-1.jpg\") The messenger refused to return without him. Suddenly,\nTáhirih appeared at the door. Beautifully adorned, she stood serenely before\nher companions. She was not wearing her veil, a requirement for women under the\nlaws of Islam.\n
\n\nImmediately, the men stood up in complete shock, as if\nstruck by lightning. An honorable woman appearing without a veil! How could\nthey gaze on the unveiled face of the one whom they considered the best example\nof purity, honor, and modesty? Some were so outraged that they fled the place.\nSome not only left the conference, but they also left the Faith they had been\nready to defend. Such was their degree of attachment to the traditions of the\npast and their anger toward Táhirih's brave action! \n\n
\n\nThose who remained listened in complete awe to Táhirih's\neloquent speech delivered in a language highly resembling that of the Qur'an,\nthe Holy Book of Islam. In her address, she announced the dawn of a New Day.\nShe announced that this was the time to break away from the traditions of the\npast. She ended her talk in her strong, melodious voice, declaring: \"This\nis the day in which the fetters of the past are burst asunder.\" \n\n
\n\nThis incident changed the life of the Bábís. The change\ninvolved all their manners and customs. It freed them from the obligation of\nfollowing the Muslim clergy. Yet they remained confused. Many of them wrote\nletters to the Báb, asking for guidance. Each one of them received a Tablet\nfrom Him reassuring them and confirming the changes. In regard to Táhirih's\nunveiled appearance, He wrote, \"What am I to say regarding her whom the\nTongue of Power and Glory [Bahá'u'lláh] has named Táhirih [the Pure One].\"\nBy writing this, He also showed that Táhirih's appearance, unveiled in the\npresence of men, was acceptable. \n\n
\n\nBaha'u'llah, with His love, wisdom, and patience, built\npeace and harmony among the remaining believers at Badasht. The main objective\nof the gathering was achieved; the future of the Bábí Faith was determined.\n\"The clarion-call of the new Order had been sounded...The way was clear\nfor the proclamation of the laws and precepts that were destined to usher in\nthe new Dispensation.\" (Nabil, the Dawn-Breakers) \n\n (Written by Lily Ayman, illustrated by Jacki Ayorinde; ‘Core Curriculum for Spiritual Education’, by the United\nStates National Spiritual Assembly)\n \n \n \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPpFWSgiyCbfOV5-x-Q4Kz8ADjW2K_xr9DvuyKy8WYa4F1hgla3rH8dQrGlPPIwEnEjslmGLEfX3SSEHoMMNt7RrdTKB1lFwLTccE9AgPTMj3yraQtVSPvilkeC93-6jNUKNbcC2Yg7zkS/s320/Black+Rose-pic-01-1.jpg\") \n\nDo you know who ‘Abdu'l-Baha was? He was a very important\nperson. ‘Abdu'l-Baha was the Son of Baha'u'llah. He was always very kind and\ngood to others. He was a perfect example of what a Baha'i should be. This is a\ntrue story about ‘Abdu'l-Baha. \n\n
\n\nA long time ago, long before you were born, ‘Abdu'l-Baha\ncame to America. While He was on His trip to America, He spoke to many\ndifferent people ... men and women and children. \n\n
\n\nHe went to many cities - to churches and temples and parks\nand meetings and houses to tell people about the Baha'i Faith. He spoke to young people and old people and black people and\nwhite people and tall people and short people and rich people and poor people... \n\n
\n\nHe told them all about Baha'u'llah. \n\n \n
\nWherever 'Abdu'l-Baha went, many Baha'is went with Him. They\nwere Baha'is of all kinds - Persians in Persian clothes, and Americans in\nAmerican clothes, tall Baha'is and short Baha'is and rich Baha'is and poor\nBaha'is and old Baha'is and young Baha'is. And all colors - white and yellow\nand tan and brown and black.
\n\n
\n\nOnce, while 'Abdu'l-Baha was in New York, He went to a place\nwhere many poor people lived, to tell them about Baha'u'llah. This place was\ncalled the Bowery. \n\n
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEietS8EgFmdyDoghoKoTwG_ITprRZKPpn3xL_kvjyO_oRqIoirrtSQG0GaW37nYiCWkxyIcCVAniID9YBQ2aktz3-pUsqGKsVsBxmX1BqF003uOK9WdOK67bQtcf_dPLrecOEeXArVBvXKL/s320/Black+Rose-pic-02-1.jpg\") \nMany Baha'is went to the Bowery with 'Abdu'l-Baha. As they\nwalked down the streets, some people stared at them because they were so\ndifferent. \n\n
\n\nSoon some of the children started shouting and laughing.\nThey thought that it was funny to see so many different kinds of people together.\nAnd, of course, they didn't know who 'Abdu'l-Baha was. \n\n
\n\nSome of the boys called names and some even threw sticks at\n‘Abdu'l-Baha and the Baha'is as they walked down the streets. \n\n
\n\nMrs. Kinney was one of the Baha'is with 'Abdu'l-Baha.\n'Abdu'l-Baha was staying at her house in New York. It made her sad to see the\nboys laughing and shouting at 'Abdu'l-Baha. So, she went over to speak to the\nchildren. \n\n
\n\nShe told the boys who 'Abdu'l-Baha was. She said that He was\na very Holy Man. He had spent many years in prison and had suffered very much,\njust because He told the Truth and loved all men. Now He was going to a meeting\nto tell poor people about Baha'u'llah. \n\n
\n\nThe boys were sorry for what they had done. \"Can't we\ngo to the meeting, too?\" they asked. \n\n
\n\n\"No,\" Mrs. Kinney said that was impossible. But,\nsince 'Abdu'l-Baha was staying at her house, they could come there on Sunday to\nmeet Him. She gave the boys her address, but she didn't really think that they\nwould come. \n\n
\n\nWhen Sunday came, the children arrived at Mrs. Kinney's\nhouse dressed up in their very best clothes. She was very surprised to see\nthem. But, she was very happy that they had come to meet ‘Abdu'l-Baha. \n\n
\n\nAll the boys came into the house. They went up the stairs\nand walked into a large room. \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJzGN9s3C0OmkrBgMCEZ0J8XneiWwEFwjRhRRJmFxqv3RQYC6B3tQmkU92CNg3PIn9m-BkQH3yzJXNZLHJxyR-ZKx-HtIHdgmbegGXyQOpnfpHC3GPNQhb0ifKTAhOCXOKuihdZqU5CrU/s320/Black+Rose-pic-03-1.jpg\")
\n'Abdu'l-Baha was standing at the door. He was smiling and\nlaughing because He liked children very much. He met each one of the boys as\nthey came into His room. He shook their hands and put his arm around their\nshoulders. His smiles and laughter made them all very happy. \n\n
\n\nThe last child to come into the room was a little black boy.\nWhen Abdu'l-Baha saw him, He was even happier than before. In a loud voice He\nsaid that here was a black rose. \n\n
\n\n‘Abdu'l-Baha said these words because he was so happy to see\nthe last little boy. And, this made the little boy very happy, too. \n\n
\n\nNow, there is really no such thing as a black rose. Most\nroses are red or yellow or pink or white. But, people say that if there ever were\na black rose that it would be the most beautiful flower of all. \n\n
\n\nYou know that some children are red or yellow or pink or\nwhite, too. And, some children are brown or tan or black. All of them are like\nbeautiful flowers. \n\n
\n\n'Abdu'l-Baha loved to be with children of different colors.\nThat is why He was so happy to see the last little boy who came into the room -\nbecause he was different from all the others. \n\n
\n\nNow, while the children were in His room, 'Abdu'l-Baha\nbrought in a large box of chocolate candy. He knew that most little children\nlove candy. He gave every child as many chocolate candies as he could hold in\nhis hands. \n\n
\n\nThe little boys surely never forgot their visit with ‘Abdu'l-Baha.\nAnd they surely never forgot what 'Abdu'l-Baha had shown them - people of all kinds\nand colors are beautiful. \n\n(Adapted for children by Anthony A. Lee, Illustrated\nby Rex John Irvine) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-black-rose.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-black-rose.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Broken Cup",
"slug": "bsfc-the-broken-cup",
"summary": "A short story for children, paraphrased from the Baha'i Stories for Children blog: a small girl who broke her grandmother's favorite teacup, the truth she told, and the kindness she received in return.",
"figures": [],
"era": "modern",
"themes": [
"children-stories",
"truthfulness",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness",
"courage",
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"child",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bsfc",
"book": "Baha'i Stories for Children",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMaya was seven years old. She lived with her grandmother in\na small house with a yellow kitchen.\n\nGrandma had a favourite teacup. It was small and white with\ntiny blue flowers painted on the side. Grandma drank her\nafternoon tea from that cup every single day.\n\nOne afternoon Maya was helping with the dishes. She was\nstanding on a small stool by the sink. The teacup slipped\nfrom her hand. It fell to the floor. It broke into three\nsharp pieces.\n\nMaya stared at the pieces. Her heart was beating very fast.\nShe thought about saying that the cat had knocked it down,\nor that it had been broken when she got it. The cat was not\neven in the kitchen. But Grandma was upstairs, and Maya\ncould have hidden the pieces and said nothing at all.\n\nMaya took a deep breath. She walked upstairs. She knocked on\nthe door of Grandma's room.\n\n\"Grandma,\" she said. \"I broke your favourite teacup. I am\nvery sorry.\"\n\nGrandma was quiet for a moment. Then she opened her arms.\nMaya ran into the hug.\n\n\"My love,\" said Grandma. \"Thank you for telling me the\ntruth. The cup is gone, but you and I are not. That is the\nimportant thing.\"\n\n> Truthfulness is the foundation of all the virtues.\n\nThat is what Bahá'u'lláh teaches. Maya had been brave. She\nhad told the truth. Grandma had been kind. The kitchen, in a\nfew minutes, was warm again.\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/)), paraphrased short story for children.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Dervish",
"slug": "bsfc-the-dervish",
"summary": "
A story from The Dawn-Breakers:\n\nSometimes we don’t say what we mean clearly in our words,\nbut may show what we really mean in another way. When this happens, it takes\nsomeone of an unusual gift to understand. See what happened when Bahá’u’lláh\nmet a dervish. \n\nOne day after Bahá’u’lláh had received the wonderful message\nof the Báb, He was riding in the countryside. At this time, no one knew that\nBahá’u’lláh was the Great Prophet promised by the Báb. This was God’s secret to\nprotect Bahá’u’lláh in His early years. \n\nAs Bahá’u’lláh was riding. He saw a very strange man. He was\nsquatting down beside his fire, cooking. He was a dervish. Bahá’u’lláh greeted\nhim very kindly and courteously and asked the man what he was doing. \n\nThe dervish answered, \"I am eating God. I am cooking\nand burning Him.” \n\nAlthough Bahá’u’lláh knew this was impossible, He didn't\nlaugh. He was pleased. He saw that this man spoke simply and honestly from his\nown belief and desire to be near to God. Bahá’u’lláh loved this strange man.\nGently and lovingly He spoke to him, and told the dervish about the true nature\nof God. \n\nAlthough many people might think he was a fool, this dervish\nhad a very pure heart. Bahá’u’lláh, being very wise, saw this. The dervish was\ndeeply touched by the powerful spirit of Bahá’u’lláh. He forgot completely his\nown silly ideas when looking into the face of Bahá’u’lláh and listening to His\nwords. He straightaway stood up, leaving his things behind him, and followed\nBahá’u’lláh. \n\nThis dervish alone saw what no one else could see: that\nBahá’u’lláh was a Prophet of God. As he followed Bahá’u’lláh on foot, he made\nup a poem: \n\nThou art the Daystar of Guidance. \n\nThou art the Light of Truth. \n\nUnveil Thyself to Men, \n\nO Revealer of the Truth. \n\nAs the man wandered in the countryside chanting, his poem\nbecame very famous. People from all around would learn it and repeat it. But\nthey never knew his secret: this wonderful love-poem was about Bahá’u’lláh, the\nmessenger of God for this day! \n\n(by Susan Allen; Brilliant Star magazine March-April 1986) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2024/06/the-dervish.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2024/06/the-dervish.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Fire Temple",
"slug": "bsfc-the-fire-temple",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFgHg_NUItykS3sPiebhnsQXHlPqXq5k90DJTyxQ9i5VYhl3QZo0pI9_7Z4tuef-swFs8DVTBmTUno8FD7yiiyCZm40XifZImH-DRrmzQPe-a0JrFw7PSCIbybwFa7v7634phwJAKy2Sm4/s320/fire+temple.jpg\") \n\nThe way to Ashok's school led past a Fire Temple of the Zoroastrians\nand Ashok was first attracted by the fragrance of sandalwood from it. He\nwondered what was in this temple and why sandalwood was burned there. When he\nwas early for school Ashok would stand at the entrance and watch Zoroastrians\ngoing in and out, wearing special caps. His school friend Jamshed, had told him\nthat a big fire was always kept burning before which they stood and prayed.\nAshok had become interested and very curious. Once he had asked Jamshed to take\nhim inside the Fire Temple but Ashok was told that only Zoroastrians could go\nin. This made Ashok more eager than ever. And this was why he had decided to\nknow everything about Zoroaster and His teaching through the Time Capsule. \n\n
\n\nAshok had found that Zoroaster lived 3000 years ago in the land\nof Persia, now called Iran. So he knew now what keys to tap on the Time\nCapsule's keyboard. As the room darkened strange voices filled the room. As the\nscreen lit up Ashok found himself in ancient Persia amid a fair people with\ndark hair who wore long robes. Even the soldiers of King Vishtaspa who ruled\nover them, wore long tunics and carried spears and shields. \n\n
\n\nFarmers brought their products for sale in the market loaded\non donkeys. They appeared to be a friendly people, kind and simple. They were\nall talking about the sudden and strange illness of \"Asb-i-siyah\" the\nfavourite black stallion, of King Vishtaspa. Many wise men and doctors had\nexamined the horse and tried different treatment but none would cure it. The\nKing had offered a high reward for anyone who could make his horse well again. \n\n \n
\nWord of the strange sickness of the horse and the many\nfruitless efforts to cure it had reached even the prison. Among the prisoners\nwas a radiant young man who had falsely been blamed and imprisoned. But this\nman was no criminal and unlike the other prisoners he spent the hours in prayer\nand praise of God. When he heard of the condition of Asb-i-siyah he asked one\nof the jailors to take a message to the King that he could cure the horse.
\n\n
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2iYSeVX8JROu4tQss0WGfTNY3Z5uBjwcypZC9f3_jDMAiWVnUZALoeYJWbC4ks-B3pS7_tKZVksm4UZewCRJSc8ka5GawLBBFREPuiAdT_2WNcYidgK9MnbWe6iK0GXaKzAEqxixdIdJ/s1600/Persian+king-1.jpg\") The jailor took him out of the prison to the palace. The\nKing sat sadly on his throne very worried about his favourite horse when the\nyoung prisoner was brought before him. The King looked upon the young man and asked,\n\"Why came ye to trouble us when we are already burdened with sorrow over\nthe grave condition of our brave Asb-i-siyah?\"\n
\n\nSpeaking without fear the young man replied \"Sire, I\ncame not only to relieve your immediate anxiety by making your horse well again\nbut I can also remove the distress and unhappiness from the lives of all your\nsubjects.\" \n\n
\n\nThe King was impressed by the young man. He asked, \"Who\nare you?\" \n\n
\n\nThe young man replied, \"I am called Zarathustra.\" \n\n
\n\nThe King wanted to make sure that Zarathustra could really\ncure his horse and not kill it, so he questioned him further, \"With what magic\nor medicine do you claim to be able to cure our Asb-i-siyah?\" \n\n
\n\nZarathustra's answer was quick and brief: \"With the Power\nof the Word of God.\" \n\n
\n\nThe King was not convinced and asked again. \"Whence do\nyou come from and who are 'your parents?” \n\n
\n\nOne of the prison guards , stepped forward and answered the King.\n\"My Lord, Zarathustra is born of Pouroshaspa and Dughdova in the town of\nRae in Azarbaijan province. Since childhood Zarathustra has displayed rare characteristics.\nHe claims to have the power of the word of God.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Which God?\" enquired King Vishtaspa, pointing to\nthe statues of the Gods in his chamber. \n\n
\n\nNow Zaratustra spoke up again: \"There is but one God,\nAhura Mazda, the Creator and Ruler of all the world. These statues aye the handiwork\nof men. They are powerless and are not to be worshiped.\" \n\n
\n\nImmediately the King took the opportunity and said, \"If\nyour Ahura Mazda is powerful then let Him cure our Asb-i-siyah.\" \n\n
\n\nJust as quickly Zarathustra replied, \"If your horse is\ncured by the will of Ahura Mazda then you must \nbelieve in Him and follow His teachings.\" The king agreed. \n\n
\n\nNow all attention was focussed upon the young Zarathustra\nand they wondered what he would do next. Zarathustra approached the stricken\nhorse and turning his heart to God recited a prayer. After a while the horse\nwas cured. \n\n
\n\nThe King and Queen and their son Isfandiar announced their\nbelief in Ahura Mazda. Furthermore they enquired what were the teachings that\nthey should follow. \n\n
\n\nZarathustra pronounced three strange-sounding words-Humata,\nHukhta, Havareshta, which mean 'good thoughts', 'good words’ and 'good deeds’.\nZarathustra explained these as the secrets of a good and happy life. \n\n
\n\nThese words and Zarathustra’s other teachings rang out\nthrough the court and the countryside as it was spread from person to person.\nBefore long the teachings of Zarathustra spread beyond the borders of\nVishtaspa's kingdom into the neighboring Turanian realm, whose people began\nliving according to the new teachings of Zarathustra and their lives became\nmore fruitful and happier. They wore under their normal clothes a white muslin\nvest called 'sudreh' over which they tied a special white woolen string called\nthe 'kushti' to remind them always that their inner lives -- their thoughts, words\nand deeds, must always be as white and pure. Fire came to be the symbol of\ntheir religion, for the fire of faith removes all evil from the lives of men. \n\n
\n\nFollowers of Zarathustra came to be known as Zoroastrians and\nthey established the great Zoroastrian empire and culture and civilization,\nwhich spread far and wide. \n\n
\n\nZarathustra Himself lived and taught amongst his followers\nuntil he was seventy years old. One day while he was saying his prayers a Turanian\nattacked and killed Him. \n\n
\n\nBy now Ashok had become so attracted to the life and teachings\nof Zarathustra that he was saddened at His death. As he came back to his own\ntime and the lights in the Capsule gradually came on with the fading picture,\nAshok felt great love for Zoroaster and understood the meaning of the burning of\nthe fragrant sandalwood in the Fire-temples. He emerged from the Capsule with a\nnew found joy and satisfaction; the words -- good thoughts, good words and good\ndeeds were engraved upon his heart. \n\n(by Shahriar\nNooreyezdan, ‘Varqa Children Magazine’, vol. 1, no, 2, May-June 1981) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-fire-temple.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-fire-temple.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Horse Show",
"slug": "bsfc-the-horse-show",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgyQm8Z2C9ruM2ADiLxS-m4RX1I0VutYFWuHPlwayMwzZoZr2_SggBERvlUtbGc58pUtOlIrg9bNhuU9wRg-BWG0_5ciMXdtaIHhM4W_vmWZN4cGz9o18vFWHj0vXT81irODGA-RT7-M9/s320/horse-a-1.jpg\") \n\nCarrie Willis stood at the wooden fence surrounding the pasture,\nand brushed the flowing blonde mane of her palomino mare, Lady. Her large eyes\nfilled with tears as she said good bye to the horse she had raised from a colt.\n\"Oh, Lady, I'm going to miss you so much. Any minute someone will come and\ntake you away and I may never see you again.\" \n\n
\n\nCarrie still remembered the pain she felt when her father first\ntold her they had to sell Lady. \"Winter will be coming soon,\" he had\nsaid, \"and we cannot afford to buy hay and grain this year. I wish there\nwas some\nother\nway, Carrie. But I am afraid we must sell her.\" \n\n
\n\nShe tried talking her father out of it. She even offered to get\na job after school to help buy Lady's feed. But her father would not hear of\nit. So the next week, Lady was sold to the Lion's Club. They were going to give\nher away as a prize at the annual Labor Day horse show. \n\n
\n\nSo, engrossed in her thoughts, Carrie did not hear the truck and\ntrailer pull into the driveway. Only when the doors of the truck slammed shut did she awaken to\nsee two men walking toward her. \n\n
\n\n\"Hello there, miss,\" said the tallest man. \"Is\nthis the horse that is going to the fair grounds?\" \n\n
\n\nCarried nodded. \n\n
\n\n\"She sure is a beauty,\" said the other man, busily tying a rope into a lasso. \"I\nwould like to win her myself.\" \n\n \n
\n\nWhen the lasso was finished, it was stretched around Lady's neck\nand used to lead her through the pasture. Carrie watched as the golden mare\ntossed her white-blazed face and reared on her front legs to escape the\ntrailer's imprisonment. But the two men were experts with horses. And in only\nminutes, they had Lady inside. While Carrie watched the truck and trailer drive\naway, she\nwas\nleft feeling an emptiness she had never known before. \n\n
\n\n\"I must do something,\" Carrie said as time for the\nhorse show to begin grew nearer. \"I can't sit by and let Lady be given away to some stranger. She could be mistreated, even\nbeaten.\" \n\n
\n\nThen an idea struck her. She ran into her bedroom and emptied the jar where her\nbabysitting earnings were kept. She counted the money and stuffed the twelve dollars\ninto her pocket. Then she walked the short distance to the horse show. \n\n
\n\nThe fair grounds were surrounded by hundreds of cars, trucks and\ntrailers. And the strong odor of horses hung heavily in the warm summer air.\nRushing through the crowd, Carrie ran straight to the ticket booth where she bought as many\ntickets as she could with the twelve dollars. On her way to the stands, she\npassed the refreshment stand where her father had volunteered to work. She\nstopped only for a moment to tell him hello. Then she went to the stands and\nfound herself a front row seat. \n\n
\n\nAll during the first half of the horse show, Carrie held the\ntickets tightly in her hand. She silently prayed that one of them would win Lady back. Maybe then, her\nfather would change his mind about Carrie taking the job after school. But even\nif he did not, and they still had to sell Lady, at least they would know who was buying her.\nAnd they would be sure that Lady would be taken care of. \n\n
\n\nWhen it was time for the drawing, Lady was brought to the center\nof the arena. The ooh s and aah s from the crowd made it clear that everyone\nhoped to be the winner. But no one more than Carrie. She crossed her fingers\nand waited for the winning number to be called. \n\n
\n\n\"And the number is ...\" came the voice over the loud speaker, pausing\nfor the winning ticket to be pulled from a cardboard box. \"The number is\n7657. Will the winner please come to the judges' stand in the center of the arena.\" \n\n
\n\nRepeating the number over and over, Carrie thumbed through all\nthe tickets in her hand. Her heart sank when she saw the winning ticket was not\nthere. Sadly, her eyes roamed through the stands in search of Lady's new owner.\nShe saw many sad, disappointed faces. But she saw no one who looked happy that\nthey had won a prize like Lady. Carrie's mind began to race. Maybe that ticket\nwould not be claimed. Then they would have to draw another ticket. She was so\nexcited she was sitting on the edge of her seat. She would have another chance\nto win Lady. But when she looked toward the arena, her excitement vanished. One\nof the judges was handing Lady's reins over to a small man wearing glasses. He\nthen shook the winner's hand to congratulate him. It was all over. Carrie had\nlost Lady forever. \n\n
\n\nIt was almost an hour before Carrie moved from her seat. She had\nstared into space, pretending to watch the second half of the horse show. She\nwas trying to be brave but the tears she was holding back burned her eyes. And\nshe did not know how much longer she could fight them. She wanted to go home where she could be\nalone. When she walked behind the stands, she noticed a trash can. She ripped\nup the tickets and threw the torn pieces away. When she turned around, she was\nsurprised to find herself face to face with Lady's new owner. \n\n
\n\n\"Hello, Carrie,\" he said warmly. \"My name is\nMichael Davis. I am the lucky person who won the drawing. Your father pointed\nyou out to me. He and I are old school friends. We saw each other today for the\nfirst time in twenty years.\" \n\nCarrie swallowed hard. He must be from out of town, she thought.\nShe must find out where he will be taking Lady to live. \n\n
\n\n\"Then you do not live in Boynton?\" \n\n
\n\n\"I have been\nliving in California, but I just moved back here. Carrie, I have a problem that\nI think you can help me with. You see, I am a salesman and I am away from home\na lot. I also live in an apartment. Therefore, I have no place to keep Lady. I\njust learned from your father that Lady used to belong to you. And I asked him\nabout boarding her in your stables. I would pay a monthly rental fee of course,\nand take care of all expenses. I would even pay you something extra if you\nwould teach my children to ride. They have always wanted to learn. Your father\nsaid that since you would be doing most of the work involved, it would have to\nbe your decision. What do you say, Carrie? Will you take care of Lady for\nme?\" \n\n
\n\nCarrie was speechless. A few minutes ago she thought she would\nnever see Lady again. And now she learns that she could see her every day, as\nif nothing ever happened. What a day this had been! \n\n
\n\n\"I would love to, Mr. Davis,\" Carrie said\necstatically. \"I love Lady and I will treat her as if she still belonged\nto me.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Wonderful!\" exclaimed Mr. Davis. \"Your father\nwas sure what your answer would be. So he had me load Lady into a trailer that\nbelongs to a friend of mine. Whenever you are ready we can take her home.\" \n\n
\n\nCarrie was bubbling over with happiness. \"I am ready right\nnow, Mr. Davis. Let's take Lady home.\" \n\n(by Patsy Vaughan, illustrated by Keith Kresge, ‘Child’s Way\nMagazine, January-February 1983) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-horse-show.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-horse-show.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Káshi",
"slug": "bsfc-the-kashi",
"summary": "
We are told that in the province of Káshán in Persia the people are very peace-loving, and so gentle are they that violence of any kind is enough to make them very frightened.One day Bahá’u’lláh was making a journey and with Him was a Káshi, as these people are called. They were riding along the road in the dark, their donkeys going as fast as they could to reach the place where they were going to stay for the night. When the place was reached, they cast themselves down and slept, for the journey had been long and they were very tired. Next morning when the Káshi awoke, he saw that the donkey on which he had been riding was saddled with a tiger skin. So timid was he that the thought of riding on a tiger skin made him very much afraid, and he would not ride on the donkey again but chose another instead. When Bahá’u’lláh and the Káshi resumed their journey, news was brought to them that several hundred men were coming to kill them, for as you know, Bahá’u’lláh had a great many enemies. The Káshi was terribly afraid, but Bahá’u’lláh told him to buckle a large sword round his waist. \"Who, me?\" answered the Káshi, shaking with fear, \"Yes, you, My friend,’’ answered Bahá’u’lláh. So, although he was very afraid, he buckled on a large sword for who could disobey such a Master? The Káshi was very small and the sword very long. When he tried to walk he nearly fell down, for the long sword kept getting between his legs. Soon the enemy came in sight, shouting fierce cries and waving their swords and guns. \"What now, Master?\" asked the little man, still shaking with fear. \"You must go and defeat them,\" he was told. \"Me?\" asked the little man, \"Me, go and fight those hundreds of men, and all alone, too? They will kill me and You too. \"Go to defeat them, My friend, for you are right and they are wrong. God's ways are not man's ways; you shall defeat them all.\" The little Kashi drew his sword and, waving it in the air, advanced towards the enemy who, on seeing one man come to do battle with them, stopped in amazement. \"What is this?\" they asked themselves. \"Are the Bahá'ís so powerful that one man can defeat all of us?\" As the Kashi advanced towards them, their imagination got the better of them, and they began to fear that some magic would be worked and something terrible would happen to them. One man, fearful of devils or magic or something he could not see or understand, turned and ran, then another and another until all these men who had sought to kill Bahá’u’lláh were running in panic away from the little Káshi who could barely lift the huge sword which he held in his hands. When he went back to his Master he saw that He was chuckling to Himself. “You see, little friend, what God can do for us when we are in need or great danger?” And, turning His donkey’s head, rode along the lonely road. (Child’s Way magazine, January-February 1979) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-kashi.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-kashi.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The King's Messenger",
"slug": "bsfc-the-kings-messenger",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvogGAUP2vee34CirPRXsvXi_SKIvhUHfvI7yptx-TN4E74TMK_5VyDFtyljbUrqyh_aI6-I5-G8eQTY3oBK6Ib8EpDYCTFaGInTdw7Kf8aqNNfLgdV9HMwgzsvqfFdz3ru-LhHA8BII0r/s320/Muhammad+Shah+Qajar.jpg\") | \n| Muhammad Shah | \n | \n\nWhen the Báb began telling people that a new Messenger of\nGod would soon come He was still quite young, just twenty-four years of age.\nBut His words had divine power. And so it was not long before the whole of\nPersia knew about Him. Even the Shah heard of Him. He wanted to know more about\nthe Báb. And so he sent his most learned servant, Vahid, to find out all he\ncould about the Bab. \n\n
\n\nOn the way, Vahid thought up the questions he would ask the\nBáb. They were the most difficult questions he could find. Vahid had never\ndiscovered anyone who could answer these questions. Would the Báb be able to do\nso? \n\n
\n\nThe Báb listened attentively to Vahid's questions. How surprised\nVahid was when the Báb then began to answer the difficult and complicated\nquestions. These were the right answers. Vahid was sure of that. He also knew\nthat he himself would never have been able to find them. And he thought, too,\nthat he was the most learned man in the land. \n\n \n
\nVahid wanted to ask some more questions. He went to see the\nBáb a second time. But when he wanted to begin, he had completely forgotten\nwhat he wanted to ask. This had never happened to him before. A few moments\nlater he heard the Báb begin to speak. To his amazement, the Báb was giving the\nanswers to the questions which Vahid had forgotten. Although Vahid had said\nnothing, the Báb knew exactly what he had been going to ask.
\n\n\nWhen Vahid went to see the Báb for the third time he had a\nplan. He wanted the Báb to explain a chapter from the Qur'an for him. But he\nwould not say which chapter. If the\nBáb were to explain that particular chapter and do it better than he had ever\nheard it done, Vahid would be certain that the Báb was a Messenger of God. Then\nhe would become His follower. \n\n
\n\nBut what happened? When Vahid met the Báb, his whole body\nbegan to tremble. He could hardly stand on his feet. Quickly, the Báb went to\nhim, took him by the hand and sat him down beside Him. The Báb asked what he\ncould do for him. But Vahid could not speak a word. \n\n
\n\nThen the Báb asked if He should explain the Surih of Kawthar\nfor him. Tears streamed down Vahid's cheeks. This was exactly the chapter from\nthe Qur'an that he had wanted the Báb to explain without being asked. When He\nhad explained the chapter from the Qur'an, Vahid knew for certain that the Báb\nhad a divine Message. No one in the whole world could make him doubt this now. Vahid\nthen became one of the staunchest followers of the Báb. \n\n(by Hitjo Garst, ‘From\nMountain to Mountain’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-kings-messenger.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-kings-messenger.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Letter of Certainty",
"slug": "bsfc-the-letter-of-certainty",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSRtg5XOUGiNH_Se_5-S6F36U9cg4hIqov_6eLUjE2yfWMWIfzf83_ILGhXlD_9TdZH0irekAnzieiRj4fiVOqZ6iAUO5uViegr13gLqibT-MVeyzKAH8mXZSc-4Rps512je-X40Ul902A/s320/Boy-a-1.jpg\") \n\n\"Grandpa, tell me how the Kitáb-i-Iqán was\nwritten,\" Justice Ray said to his grandfather one afternoon during his\ngrandfather's visit. \n\n
\n\"Do you have your schoolwork done?\" \n\n\"Almost.\" A few minutes later he reappeared.\n\"I'm done now.” \n\n
\n\n\"Okay. First, you need to tell me the three people who\nwere involved.\" \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8B_mYRRmcW3ll28WKAdlDJfd-i01AAwktrKleXoD5ksTiDinYPoNih0RmxHNxNW741p5MV4yP-szJUKMVGtLj0nYZPPGIr0ZSKuOrLUYnfJSWgbc4BcniUfXf1eDkMXDHjwIZitTTkwaO/s320/old+man-1.jpg\") \n
\n\"The Báb, His uncle, and Bahá'u'lláh,\" Justice\nremembered. \n\n
\n\"What did the Báb do?\" \n\n
\n\"He said He was a Messenger of God. And a lot of people\ndidn't like that. They had their own ideas of Who a Messenger of God should\nbe.\" \n\n
\n\"What did the uncle do?\" \n\n
\n\"He was confused, so he wrote to Bahá'u'lláh,\"\nreplied Justice. \n\n
\n\"And...\" prompted his grandfather. \n\n
\n\"And Bahá'u'lláh revealed the Kitáb-i-Iqán,\"\nJustice finished proudly. \n\n \n \"You know the\nstory,\" his grandfather said with a grin.\n
\n\n\"What do you want me to say?\" \n\n
\n\n\"That's not the story!\" Justice exclaimed in\npretend indignation and delight at seeing through the trick. \"Tell me the\nwhole story! All of it!\" he said, and gave his grandfather a hug and a\nsqueeze. \n\n
\n\n\"Ugh! I... can't... breathe...\" his grandfather\nhuffed and puffed, then hugged and squeezed Justice, too, until he giggled.\n\"Okay, are we ready now?\" \n\n
\n\n\"Yes, Grandpa.\" \n\n
\n\n\"The Báb had three uncles, who were brothers of His\nmother. The middle one raised the Báb after His father died. He and the oldest\nuncle took the Báb into their business when He was old enough to work. The\nmiddle uncle immediately recognized that the Báb was a Messenger of God and was\nmartyred for his belief even before the Báb was martyred. The youngest uncle\ndidn't want anything to do with any of this, though much later in his life, he\ndid become a Bahá’í. \n\n
\n\n\"The oldest uncle was bewildered. He thought, 'How\ncould my Nephew be a Messenger of God?' When he told this to a believer, the\nbeliever laughed and said, 'The uncle of Muhammad said exactly the same thing.\nYou are sure that Muhammad is a Messenger of God; why can't your nephew be One\nalso?' The uncle had to think about that. Finally, the believer suggested that\nthe uncle should talk to Bahá'u'lláh Himself, because He explained things so clearly. \n\n
\n\n\"Baha'u'llah lived in Baghdad at the time. He had been\nexiled there by the sháh of Persia. It was a long trip for the uncle of the\nBáb, but he went and talked to Bahá'u'lláh. Bahá'u'lláh could see that he was\nsincere, and suggested he write down his questions. Bahá'u'lláh promised He\nwould answer them. \n\n
\n\n\"The uncle was relieved to hear this. That night, he\nwrote down his questions about his Nephew possibly being a Messenger of God.\nThe questions filled two pages. He gave them to Bahá'u'lláh. In response,\nBaha'u'llah revealed a very long letter that is called the Kitab-i-Iqán.\"\nJustice snuggled close. They were coming to the part he liked best. He knew the\nIqán was a big book, and the next part of the story always amazed him. \n\n
\n\n\"The entire Iqán was revealed in just two days and two\nnights.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Wow!\" Justice sat upright, trying to imagine how\nanyone, even a Manifestation of God, could write so much so quickly. \"How\ndid He do that!?\" \n\n
\n\n\"It wasn't like the way you and I write things,\"\nhis grandfather answered. \"The words just poured out of Bahá'u'lláh like\nwater in a river; they just came and came and came.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Wow!\" justice sat silent, thinking. His\ngrandfather waited until he settled back against him before he began again. \n\n
\n\n\"When the uncle of the Báb received this letter from\nBahá'u'lláh and read it, he immediately recognized that his Nephew was truly a\nManifestation of God. When he heard later that Bahá'u'lláh, also, was a\nManifestation of God, he accepted Him and became a Bahá'í. \n\n
\n\n\"What does the word ‘Iqán' mean?\" Justice asked. \n\n
\n\n\"It means 'certitude,' to be certain of something. Once\nthe Bab's uncle read the letter, he was certain the Báb was the Promised One.\nI've heard that anyone who reads the Kitáb-i-Iqán sincerely will also be\ncertain that the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh are Messengers of God.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Have you read it, Grandpa?\" \n\n
\n\n\"Yes, several times.\" \n\n
\n\n\"And are you certain the Báb and Bahá'ulláh are\nMessengers of God?\" \n\n
\n\n\"Absolutely!\" \n\n
\n\n''I'm glad,\" Justice answered with satisfaction.\n\"Then I'm certain, too.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Good, when you are older you can read this book for\nyourself and then you will have true certitude.\" \n\n
\n\n\"I want to go play with Keahi now.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Kee-ah-hee?\" \n\n
\n\n\"Yes,\" answered Justice. \"He's the boy in the\nfamily that moved in down the block last month. They're Bahá'is from Hawaii,\nand he's my friend.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Okay, be back in time for supper.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Bye bye, Grandpa, I love you.\" \n\n
\n\n\"I love you, too, sweet boy.\"
\n(Written by Duane L. Herrmann and illustrated by Winifred Barnum-Newman; ‘Baha’u’llah’, Core Curriculum for Spiritual Education) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-letter-of-certainty.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-letter-of-certainty.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The little girl who saw ‘Abdu’l-Baha",
"slug": "bsfc-the-little-girl-who-saw-abdu-l-baha",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzArIRtnRlaeP-_uu4LRq_zfYrbcPC2MTEfTM-Qf_08AvmJmTTOWOOKad2su8NRVo8QgQVioDgwHlHd1Z6OKQrkFnoDK23ODWMz4R6w3MWOIvkBE_-vcOsLLvQAqcbRUZXa8hEWdVNICk/s320/mother-daughter-1.jpg\") \n\nThere was once a little child who saw ‘Abdu’l-Baha. She lived\nin America, and her story is rather strange, for she knew about Him before she\nactually saw Him. He was far across the ocean when she said to her mother one\nday, “Mummy, if Jesus were here what would you do?” \n\n
\n\nHer mother answered, “I would go to Him as fast as I could!” \n\n
\n\n“Well, Mummy, He is here in the world somewhere,” she told her\nmother. \n\n
\n\n“Now Precious, what do you mean? How do you know?” \n\n
\n\nHer little girl then said,\" He told me so Himself, so\nHe must be here.\" \n\n
\n\nThe mother was puzzled because her daughter was so sure, and\nthe mother prayed that she would know what it all meant. \n\n
\n\nThe next day, the child asked her mother why she had not gone\nto see Lord Jesus.\" He's told me two times that He is here,\" she\ninsisted. \n\n\nBut her mother could only say, \"Mummy doesn't know\nwhere He is - how can I find Him?\" \n\n
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uv0H4l-KmIzQRExDCv8qsH7f1hORbNMaLKPoaPhBFkcZQVSOuF2am8j9fIkIrrDdkCAfFxjh40QUZFcspn9taz40cZe4u2k2BXJLqoS6w_5Ulp7VrXiG7D8hny1VV3tHmaIAi3tBnmjW/s200/mother-daughter-magazine-1.jpg\") The little girl was not discouraged. That afternoon while the\ntwo of them were out walking she saw something that made her stop and cry out.\n\"There He is! There He is!\" She was trembling with excitement, for in\nthe window of a magazine store there was a picture of 'Abdu'l-Baha!\n
\n\nHer mother hurried into the store and bought the paper with\nthe picture and there she found out where He was. He was in Paris, far away\nacross the ocean. \n\n
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFwIsDubQkCEYhyyBJ0UQ6xozlpnlb2xiHIMX0fF7H4k9xS5DfkIrDaLtYaOvXxbxTkxG8lVEmSiwizrLe9MtSzVQtghsesnc6lmCbDkWvETbRAy5qhocIxT4EMkOFWwFF2xmyloczK1g/s320/mother-daughter-ship-1.jpg\") And do you know, she did just what she told her little girl she\nwould do -- she made the journey to Paris as fast as she could. And she took\nthe child with her!\n
\n\nThen they both saw the One Whose love was so great for\neveryone that it could reach people all around the world! \n\n(Child’s Way magazine, vol. 2, no. 6, November-December\n1971) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-little-girl-who-saw-abdul-baha.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-little-girl-who-saw-abdul-baha.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Lost Kitten",
"slug": "bsfc-the-lost-kitten",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2ucT-9cfNwYrnw-oW-1nRFL01jehFmnhdEcsUw5s15J61tLSNVq9yMB7Z7IuylWOR02si_P_5Amn3C51E4w7kSKB3IRKr232hYq71iaKfe9V6y7KPbNhOLxmHfAjhGQ9tYcafTrB4EiY/s320/Kitten-1.jpg\") Calla was a kitten that nobody wanted. She was a little grey\nand white kitten with blue eyes. She was not fat and frisky like most kittens\nbecause she had no home where there was milk in a saucer on the floor. She just\nwandered about trying to find something to eat but being such a baby kitten,\nshe did not know exactly where to look for food. Usually the big cats found it\nfirst. \n\n
\n\nCalla followed many different people, mewing in her sad\nlittle voice as she ran after them. She seemed to be coaxing to· be taken home.\nBut usually the people would hurry along paying no attention to the homeless\nkitten, scampering after them. Sometimes a person would stop and say, Scat!,\nwhich scared Calla and made her run away. \n\n
\n\n\"Oh Jerry,\" said Mother, \"put that dirty cat\ndown.\" \n\n
\n\n\"I want to take it home, \"Jerry answered.\" She\nis a hungry kitten I know.\" \n\n
\n\n\"But,\" replied Mother, \"we do not have much\nfood at our house.\" \n\n\n\"She can have some of my supper. Please, Mother,\"\ncoaxed Jerry. \n\n
\n\n\"Very well,\" she said, ''but you will have to take\ncare of her yourself.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Oh, I will, I will,\" Jerry answered happily. \n\n \n
\nAnd so he did and Calla grew into a fine big cat. Then one\nday something very special happened to her. She had three little kittens. Jerry\ntook special care of Calla then and gave her extra milk to drink. He loved to\nplay with the three kittens and he gave them each a name which were Teeny and\nTiny because they looked so very much alike and Tippy because he had a white\ntip on his little grey tail.
\n\n
\n\nJerry's mother said they could not keep so many kittens\nbecause the extra milk for Calla and her kittens cost money and Jerry's mother\ndid not have much money. Jerry felt sad about this because he did not want\nthese little kittens to be hungry and go wandering about the streets all alone\nbegging someone to take them home. \n\n
\n\nSo Jerry went about looking for a good home for each of the\nkittens. First he found Mr. Taylor, the baker who took Teeny because he needed\na cat to catch the mice around his store. Then he found Mrs. Jackson who lived\nnext door. She took Tiny to give to her little grandson for a pet. Last of all\nJerry found Miss Anderson. She was a teacher at the school and she lived all\nalone so she was very happy to have Tippy for her special kitten friend to keep\nher company at home. \n\n
\n\nSo the three kittens all bad good homes and they were happy\nand Calla was happy but most of all Jerry was a happy boy. \n\n
\n\nDo you know why? \n\n('Child’s Way' magazine, October 1953) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-lost-kitten.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-lost-kitten.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Man Who Did Not Forget",
"slug": "bsfc-the-man-who-did-not-forget",
"summary": "
Long ago a very poor man saved the life of his King. The\nKing in thankfulness gave the man a place of great honor in the court. The man\nwas of good character as well as brave, and he pleased the King so much that he\nwas given rooms next to the royal apartment.\n\nThe people in the palace were not much different from people\ntoday and some of them became very jealous of the good fortune of the man who\nhad saved the King's life. Whenever they had a chance they whispered untrue\nstories about him to the King. \n\nFor a long time no one could change the King's mind about\nhis faithful servant. But one day a report came to him that the man was\nunfaithful and not to be trusted. He had been seen, late at night when\neverything was quiet, going to a room in the far corner of the palace. He\ncarried with him a bundle of what was thought to be stolen goods. \n\n\"Well, now,\" said the King, \"I'd like to know\nwhat he is up to.\" You see he didn't lose his faith in the man, but he was\ncurious and decided to see for himself. \n\nThat night he gathered the jealous courtiers around him and\nthey all quietly followed the man through the halls to the farthest corner of\nthe palace where he disappeared behind a door. \n\n\"Open the door!\" the King called loudly in the\nsilent night. \n\nThe door opened on a room in which nothing could be seen but\na lumpy bundle on a broken-down bed and the humble servant. \n\n\"What does this mean?\" demanded the King.\n\"Why do you come here like a thief and what do you carry in that\nbundle?\" \n\n\"O King!\" the man replied, \"You have blessed\nme with every gift and kindness, far more than I ever deserved. You have raised\nme from poverty and lowliness to greatness and honor. Knowing this and fearing\nthat I may some time fail to appreciate your gifts and your love, I come here\neach night to pray to God that I shall always remain thankful for your\ngoodness.\" \n\nThe man then opened the bundle and out tumbled some old\nrags. \"These are the clothes I wore before your love and mercy lifted me\nup. I put them on each night and lie down on that old cot on which I used to\nsleep. In this way I hope to teach myself to remember that my gift to you can\nnever repay yours to me. I am your humble and grateful servant, O King!\" (Based on a story contributed by the National Education Committee of Southern Rhodesia;\n‘The Child’s Way’ magazine, no. 72, November-December 1961)
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-man-who-did-not-forget_7.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-man-who-did-not-forget_7.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The miracle of the Báb’s last day…",
"slug": "bsfc-the-miracle-of-the-bab-s-last-day",
"summary": "
The Báb saw the sun rise over the sands of His native Persia\nfor the last time. He was engaged in a confidential conversation with one of\nHis followers, who served as His secretary when He was interrupted by a\ngovernment official. The Chief Attendant for the Prime Minister's brother had\ncome to lead the Báb to the presence of the leading Doctors of law in\nTabriz to obtain from them the authorization for His execution.\n\nThe Báb rebuked the Attendant for his interruption and held\nfast to His secretary’s hand. \n\n“Not until I have said to him all those things that I wish\nto say,\" the Báb warned the Attendant, \"can any earthly power silence\nMe. Though all the world be armed against Me, yet shall they be powerless to\ndeter Me from fulfilling, to the last word my intension.\" \n\nThe Attendant was amazed at such boldness and effrontery in\na mere prisoner. He insisted that the Báb accompany him. The barracks doors\nwere opened and the Báb was brought into the courtyard, His conversation left\nunfinished. \n\nTo the people of Tabriz, the Báb was no longer triumphant.\nThe campaign of united opposition by church and state was having its effect.\nThe Báb was now a humbled prisoner. The crowd filled the streets and people\nclimbed on each other's shoulders the better to see this man who was still so\nmuch talked about. \n\nJust as Jesus had entered Jerusalem hailed on all sides and\nwith palms strewn in His path only to be mocked and reviled in that same\nJerusalem within the week, in like manner the glory that had attended the Báb's\nfirst visit to Tabriz was forgotten now. This time the crowd, restless and\nexcitable, flung insulting words at the Báb. They pursued Him as He was led\nthrough the streets. They broke through the guards and struck Him in the face.\nWhen seme missile hurled from the crowd would reach its mark the guards and the\ncrowd would burst into laughter. \n\nAs soon as the Chief Attendant secured the death-warrant, he\ndelivered the Báb into the hands of Sam Khan who was in charge of the Armenian\nregiment which had been ordered to execute Him. Sam Khan had' found himself\nincreasingly affected by the behavior of his captive. He was seized with great\nfear lest his action should bring upon him the wrath of God. He approached the\nBáb and spoke to Him. \n\n\"I profess the Christian faith,\" he explained,\n\"and entertain no ill will against you. If your cause be the cause of\ntruth, enable me to free myself from the obligation to shed your blood.\" \n\n\"Follow your instructions,\" the Báb replied,\n\"and if your intention be sincere, the Almighty is surely able to relieve\nyou from your perplexity.” \n\nSam Khan ordered his men to drive a nail into the pillar\nthat lay between the doors of the barracks. To the nail they made fast the\nropes from which the áab and His companion, Muhammad Ali, were to bs separately\nsuspended. \n\nThe Báb remained silent, His pale handsome face framed by a\nblack beard and small moustache. His appearance and His refined manners, His\nwhite and delicate hands, His simple but neat garments, all seemed out of place\nin the midst of this scene of violence. \n\nMuhammad Ali begged Sam Khan to place him in such a manner\nthat his body would shield that of the Báb. He was eventually suspended so that\nhis head rested upon the breast of his Master. \n\nAbout ten thousand people had crowded onto the roofs of the\nadjoining houses, all eager to witness the spectacle, yet all willing to change\nat the least sign from the Báb. As the crowd that had passed by on Golgotha,\nreviling Him, wagging their heads and saying, \"save thyself. If thou be the\nSon of God, come down from the cross,\" so , too , did the people of Tabriz\nmock the Báb and jeer at His impotence. \n\nAs soon as the Báb and His companion were fastened to the\npost, the regiment of soldiers ranged itself into three files. Sam Khan could\ndelay the command no longer. He ordered his men to fire. In turn, each of the\nfiles opened fire upon them until the whole detachment had discharged its\nvolley of bullets. \n\nThe smoke from the firing of the seven hundred and fifty\nold-style rifles was such as to turn the light of the noonday sun into\ndarkness. As soon as the cloud of smoke had cleared away, the crowd looked upon\na scene which reason could scarcely accept. Standing before them, alive and\nunhurt, was the companion of the Báb, Muhammad 'Ali. The Báb Himself had\nvanished from their sight. The cords with which they had been suspended were\ntorn into pieces by the bullets, yet their bodies had escaped the volleys. \n\nThe soldiers tried to quiet the crowd. The Chief Attendant\nbegan a frantic search for the Báb. He found Him seated in the same room which\nHe had occupied the night before. The Báb was completing the conversation which\nhad been interrupted that morning by the Chief Attendant. \n\n\"I have finished my conversation with my\nsecretary,\" the Báb told the Attendant. \"Now you may proceed to\nfulfill your intention.\" \n\nThe Attendant was too much shaken to resume. He remembered\nthe words the Báb had spoken that morning: \"Though all the world be armed\nagainst Me, yet shall they be powerless to deter Me from fulfilling, to the\nlast word, My intention.\" \n\nThe Attendant refused to continue. He left the scene and\nresigned his post. \n\nMeanwhile, in the courtyard the soldiers, in order to quell\nthe excitement of the crowd, showed the cords which had been severed by the\nbullets. The seven hundred and fifty musket balls had shattered the ropes into\nfragments and freed the two, nothing more. \n\nL. M. Nicolas, a European scholar, wrote of this episode,\n\"It was a thing unique in the annals of the history of humanity. The\nvolley severed their bonds and delivered them without a scratch.\" M. C.\nHuart, a French writer, stated, \"It was a real miracle... they were freed\nwithout a scratch.\" \n\nSam Khan was likewise stunned. He recalled the words the Báb\nhad addressed to him: \"If your intention be sincere, the Almighty is\nsurely able to relieve you from your perplexity.\" He ordered his regiment\nto leave the barracks square immediately. He told the authorities that he would\nrefuse ever again to associate himself and his regiment with any act that would\ninvolve the least injury to the Báb, even though his refusal should entail the\nloss of his own life. \n\nAfter the departure of Sam Khan, the Colonel of the\nbodyguard volunteered to carry out the order for the execution. A second time\nthe Báb and His companion were lashed to the fatal post while the firing squad\nformed in line before them. As they prepared to fire the final volley, the Báb\nspoke His last words to the gazing multitude. \n\n\"Had you believed in Me, O Wayward generation,\" He\nsaid, \"everyone of you would have followed the example of this youth, who\nstood in rank above most of you, and willingly would have sacrificed himself in\nMy path. The day will come when you will have recognized Me; that day I shall\nno longer be with you.\" \n\nThe regiment discharged the volley. The Báb and His\ncompanion gave up their lives as the bullets shattered their bodies. As Jesus\nhad expired on the cross so that men might be called back to God, the Báb\nbreathed His last against the barracks wall in the city of Tabriz. \n\nThe martyrdom of the Báb took place at noon on Sunday, July\n9, 1850, thirty years from the time of his birth in Shiraz. \n\n- William Sears (‘The Martyr-Prophet of a World Faith’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-miracle-of-babs-last-day.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-miracle-of-babs-last-day.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Ocean of Knowledge",
"slug": "bsfc-the-ocean-of-knowledge",
"summary": "
When Baha’u’llah was twenty-one years old, His father passed\naway and the Government wanted Him to take up His father’s position in the\nMinistry, as was customary in Iran. But Baha’u’llah did not accept the offer.\nThe Prime Minister then said : “Leave Him to Himself. Such a position is\nunworthy of Him. He has some higher aim in view. I cannot understand Him, but I\nam convinced that He is destined for some lofty career. His thoughts are not\nlike ours. Leave Him alone.”\n\nOnce when Baha’u’llah was quite young He travelled to Nur, a\ndistrict of Mazindaran where His relatives lived. There is a village in Nur, by\nthe name of Takur, and Baha’u’llah's father owned vast property there. It was\nhere that the family spent most of their summers. \n\nIn those days, there was a religious teacher named Muhammad\nTaqi. He was very famous for his knowledge of religion and his students were\nproud of having him as their teacher. \n\nOne day in his class of about 200 students, Muhammad Taqi\nread an Islamic tradition and asked his students to interpret it. None of them\ncould answer correctly. Baha’u’llah, who was also present, asked permission to\nexplain the tradition and did so in very simple and sweet words. Everyone was\nastonished. Muhammad Taqi was very upset at the weakness of his own students.\nWhen Baha’u’llah left, the teacher told his students that it was a shame that\nafter all these years of study not one of them was capable of answering, and\nthe Youth (Baha’u’llah) who had never attended any school gave the meaning so\nsimple and beautifully. Of course Muhammad Taqi was not aware of the fact that\nBaha’u’llah was not an ordinary person and therefore His knowledge and\nunderstanding were not ordinary either. He had innate divine knowledge. \n\nOne day Muhammad Taqi told his students about two strange\ndreams that he had had concerning Baha’u’llah. He related, \n\n“Once I was standing with a number of people when suddenly I\nsaw everyone pointing towards a house and saying that the Promised One was\nthere.” \n\n“I went to the house immediately, but the guards prevented\nme from entering and said that the Promised One was conversing with someone.\nFrom the signs they made, I realized that the person the Promised One was\ntalking to was Mirza Husayn Ali (Baha’u’llah) \n\nIn another dream, he continued, “I saw several boxes which\nthe people told me belonged to Baha’u’llah. I opened one of them. It was full\nof books. I then opened one of the books. To my surprise I noticed that all the\nwords were made up of jewels, the brightness and luminosity of those words was\nso intense that I woke up from my dream.” ( - Mahnaz Afshin ('The Story of Baha'u'llah') \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-ocean-of-knowledge.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-ocean-of-knowledge.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The old man and the king – a story told by ‘Abdu’l-Baha",
"slug": "bsfc-the-old-man-and-the-king-a-story-told-by-abdu-l-baha",
"summary": "A great king walking in his garden one day noticed an old man, about 90 years old, planting some trees. The king asked what he was doing and the old man answered that he was planting date…",
"figures": [],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"children-stories",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"child",
"tween",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bsfc",
"book": "Baha'i Stories for Children",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-old-man-and-king-story-told-by.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nA great king walking in his garden one day noticed an old\nman, about 90 years old, planting some trees. The king asked what he was doing\nand the old man answered that he was planting date seeds. The king was pleased at this answer, so rewarded the old man\nsome money. The gardener fell on his knees and thanked him. This so pleased the king, he gave him another piece of\nmoney. Again, the old gardener knelt saying: This pleased the king so very much that perforce he gave the\nold man another piece of money, saying: (From 'Star of the West', vol. 9. no. 18; 'Child’s Way' magazine, January-February 1980)
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-old-man-and-king-story-told-by.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-old-man-and-king-story-told-by.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Prisoner with power",
"slug": "bsfc-the-prisoner-with-power",
"summary": "
Julie felt it happening. Surprising things often happened\nduring Baha’i class that made her heart race fast. And it was happening\nagain—ARRRGH! YAAAAAHHEE! - Julie’s heart was racing a zillion beats a minute\nas she struggled with some heavy chain she was trying to break apart with her\nbare hands!\n\nEach of the kids in the class had a piece of chain they were\ntrying to break. Yells and grunts filled the air as they pulled at the chain\nwith all their might. Gradually they got tired and fell to the floor, panting\nand giggling. \n\n
“So, kids, who was able to break one of the chains?” asked\nMs. Bates, their teacher.\n\nThe class laughed, because no one had been able to do it.\n“It's really hard,” Willie said to the teacher “I don’t think anyone could do\nit, not even a grown up like you, Ms. Bates.\" \n\nMs. Bates picked up a piece of chain and struggled to break\nit, but had no success either. She held the chain up for everyone to see.\n“You’re right, Willie, I can’t do it either; none of us can. But Baha’u’llah\ndid do something like breaking a chain—in fact. He did something even more\namazing.” \n\n“‘Abdu’l-Baha says that one of the most important ways we\ncan know that Baha’u’llah was a Prophet of God is that prisons and chains could\nnot stop Him,” Ms. Bates continued. “Although He was always a prisoner to the\nend of His life, He was not really in prison.” \n\n
Now Julie’s heart was really racing. It was like a\nriddle—How could you be a prisoner and yet not in prison? Julie thought, “What\nis Ms. Bates talking about?”\n\n“Although not always in chains, Baha’u’llah was a prisoner\nfor most of His adult life,” Ms. Bates said. “In fact, the cruel king who sent\nBaha’u’llah to prison never wanted Baha’u’llah to go free. The king wanted\nBaha’u’llah to be kept in prison forever, always with a guard near Him and\nnever having visitors. The king’s plan was for Baha’u’llah to be so locked up\nthat everyone would forget about Him. He thought that prison and chains could\nstop people from loving Baha’u’llah and wanting to learn from Him.” \n\n“But the king made a mistake, didn’t he, Ms. Bates?” Stuart\nsaid, dropping his chain with a loud chunk. \n\n
“Yes, Stuart, the king was wrong,” Ms. Bates said, smiling.\n“‘Abdu’l-Bahà said that although the king never changed his mind about\nBaha’u’llah and always insisted that He remain a prisoner, after nine years in\nprison at Akka, Baha’u’llah walked out of the prison and took up residence in a\nmansion in the countryside.”\n\n“You mean He just walked out of prison and no one stopped\nHim?” Julie could not believe her ears! \n\n“That’s exactly right, Julie,” Ms. Bates replied. “The\njailers, officials, and people of 'Akka witnessed His leaving, but no one tried\nto stop Him. The people had come to love and respect Baha’u'llah so much that\nthey wanted Him to be free. So, sometimes Baha’u’llah stayed at the Mansion of\nBahji, at other times He stayed at Mazra'ih, and other times He stayed in Haifa\nor pitched His tent on Mount Carmel.” \n\n“Baha’u’llah lived in a mansion? That’s amazing! It’s like\nHe replaced the prison with a palace, didn’t He?” \n\n
“That’s right, Julie. What had been a life in chains became\na walk in a beautiful garden. The attempt to silence Baha’u’llah and stop His\nteachings from spreading gave way to government officials and visitors coming\nto seek His advice. Nothing like this had ever happened before.”\n\n“Ms. Bates,\" Julie asked, “do you know what I think?” \n\n“No, Julie, what?” \n\n“That if Baha’u’llah can defeat a king while He’s still a\nprisoner, He probably can do just about anything!” \n\n“Yes, and we can ask Baha’u’llah to help us with our\ntroubles, too, Julie,” Ms. Bates added. \n\n
And that really made Julie’s heart beat fast.\n\n(Written by Rick Johnson; illustrated by Winifred\nBarnum-Newman; Core Curriculum for Spiritual Education’, by the United\nStates National Spiritual Assembly)
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-prisoner-with-power.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-prisoner-with-power.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Proud Helper",
"slug": "bsfc-the-proud-helper",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi3UEfhCEKce9AYr55vuEqwxq5HWani1wlIZB1N_azZN3-C1kTPbb27eENprVjBpj5puRhlosyBj-MCvkBP0RIfUWn4hdwFq2FYH1cxS0O1I8qe_tybLF-0jCPXxaUTKyCnhfMnobcN6Lk/s320/Proud+Helper-a-1.jpg\") For many years of His life, 'Abdu'l-Baha lived in the Holy\nLand, in the city of Akka. For much of this time He was a prisoner and could\nnot leave the city. But still, He did all that He could to help others. \n\n
\n\n'Abdu'l-Baha often visited the poor people in 'Akka. If they\nneeded food or clothes, He would bring them these things. \n\n
\n\nIf they needed money, He would give it to them. \n\n
\n\nIf they were sick, He would call a doctor or care for them\nHimself. \n\n
\n\nAlmost every day, poor people in tattered clothes were seen\naround ‘Abdu'l-Baha's house. They waited to see ‘Abdu'l-Baha and ask for His\nhelp. He would always listen to their problems and try to help them. He was like\na father to all the poor. \n\n
\n\nMany Baha'is from Europe and America came to visit\n'Abdu'l-Baha in ‘Akka while He was a prisoner. They came to listen to Him and\nto ask questions. ‘Abdu’l-Baha taught them many things about the Baha’i Faith. \n\n \n
\nOne lady who came to 'Akka was Lua Getsinger. She came to\nsee 'Abdu'l-Baha with some Baha'i friends. She loved 'Abdu'l-Baha very much and\nshe would do anything He asked.
\n\n
\n\nLua came to see 'Abdu'l-Baha one day when He was very busy.\nHe had so many things to do that He couldn't do them all. He told her that He\nwanted to see a poor friend of His who was very sick, but He did not have\nenough time. So He asked her to go in His place. \n\n
\n\n'Abdu'l-Baha told her to take some food to His friend and to\ncare for him, as He had been doing. He told her where to find the man, and Lua\nstarted out. \n\n
\n\nShe was happy as she walked through the streets of 'Akka,\nbecause she was helping 'Abdu'l-Baha. She was also proud that 'Abdu'l-Baha had\nsent her in His place to help His friend. \n\n
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQx6ciVUDaEaGV2jNGWRUOcGvPAsOo1aE8sLJIPWSz63iJZFGuK7p1lQXV_7MkzQ3wu9XHgm1eZDqCHutmZWYUqJ20GoEzVl4oka42bcOx2BfYy-sZPporuJB_8i42u1g-aAtmz_cRKtRn/s1600/Proud+Helper-b-1.jpg\") But as she came to the sick man's house, she could see that\nit was dirty and poor. There was a terrible smell from garbage and filth.\n
\n\nWhen she went into the house, she couldn't believe her eyes.\nThe man was very sick and could not get out of bed. He looked terrible. The\nwhole house was dirty and messy. \n\n
\n\nLua became afraid. She almost fainted. She thought that she\nmight catch some terrible disease, so she ran from the house as fast as she\ncould. She returned to ‘Abdu’l-Baha. \n\n
\n\n“Oh, Master!” she cried. “Surely you cannot realize to what\nterrible place you sent me.” \n\n
\n\nShe told 'Abdu'l-Baha about the dirty house and the sick\nman. 'Abdu'l-Baha looked at her sadly. Then He spoke sternly. \"Do you want\nto serve God?\" He asked her. Then, He said, she must serve others. He told\nher that she must go back to the man's house. If it was dirty, she must clean\nit. If he was sick, she must care for him. If he was hungry, she must feed him.\n'Abdu'l-Baha had done this for him many times. Could not she serve him once? \n\n
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzpydDHV5mcQwNaUdHzCT7IKVP7rz5LaYqIIJvua8f2vORPYDe9ij4zcFHacUbYewBQrWvBfX1mhZmHUMWpCBs1AwGt9Jeb_2vPTNBw7hcddRaFJl-qO4AiR05iJvuJdpwwEd3GRW3BB4/s1600/Proud+Helper-c-1.jpg\") So Lua\nreturned to the sick man's house. And this time she was ready to serve him. She\ndid all the things that 'Abdu'l-Baha had asked her to do. She cared for the man\nand fed him and cleaned his house. In this way, she was helping 'Abdu'l-Baha\nand she was serving God as well. \n(by Anthony Lee, adapted from ‘Portals to\nFreedom’, by Howard Colby Ives) \n\n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-proud-helper.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-proud-helper.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Puppet Show",
"slug": "bsfc-the-puppet-show",
"summary": "
From His childhood Baha’u’llah showed extraordinary\nintelligence and understanding. He noticed many things, and understood points\nthat even the elders had never thought of. For instance, while still very\nyoung, He attended His older brother’s wedding. According to the custom of\nthose days they had celebrations for seven days and seven nights. On the last\nnight there was a puppet show, and many important guests had come to see it.\nBaha’u’llah too was present.\n\nAs the curtain went up, a few dolls entered and announced\nthat King Salim was about to come. Many other dolls entered the stage with much\nexcitement and made a show of welcoming the King. Some swept the floor, others\nsprinkled water on the path and a few more rolled out a beautiful carpet. There\nwas a general air of excitement and all the people were moving about swiftly\ntrying to keep everything in order. \n\nJust then the announcer entered once more to say that\neveryone should prepare themselves to hail the King. The whole court stood up.\nAt last king Salmi entered with great majesty and splendor. He was dressed in\nmagnificent clothes; a beautiful crown rested on his head; he had many\nornaments round his neck and fingers, and held a jewelled sceptor in his hand.\nAs he entered, the sound of guns and trumpets was heard. The King walked slowly\nand grandly towards his throne and sat down while the entire court bowed in awe\nand respect. \n\nSome guards then entered, leading a thief, and waited for\nthe King’s command. The King ordered for the thief to be beheaded. Immediately\nan executioner came forward and obeyed the King’s command. Blood, in the form\nof red fluid, started to gush out of the puppet's neck. \n\nNews was then brought that the citizens of one of the states\nof his kingdom had rebelled and risen against the King. As soon as he heard\nthis disturbing news, the King ordered his soldiers to go out at once and put\nan end to this uprising. The soldiers went out and from behind the curtain the\nsound of guns was heard showing that the King’s command was being earned out. \n\nWhen the show ended, Baha’u’llah, Who had been watching with\ngreat interest, wondered how all this happened and how the dolls entered and\ndisappeared. After about twenty minutes, Baha’u’llah saw a man with a box under\nhis arm. He went forward and asked him what the box contained. The man answered\nthat it contained the whole court, the puppet king, his ministers, his guards,\nhis courtiers and everything that he had seen at the show. \n\nOn hearing tins Baha’u’llah, even at that tender age,\nrealized an important truth about our world; that all the beautiful things in\nthe world are, in reality, just like a puppet show. He commented in words such\nas these “How very surprising that although the people know that the wealth and\nall the material things of this world will not last long, they still cling to\nthem!” \n\nThis incident shows how Baha’u’llah always thought of deep\nand important matters. Even today there are people who are educated but who do\nnot realize this truth and spend their lives collecting material wealth,\nthinking that this is the purpose of life. - Mahnaz Afshin ('The Story of Baha'u'llah') \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-puppet-show.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-puppet-show.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The road",
"slug": "bsfc-the-road",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZMseuSAuBn_Wq5mYDYNMduL841a3kIYtUaHkRsAp3vHecnCeB9z5U3mw45Ug6lsZB5cjJ-JGqC3kRm1bp5i4G9zO_VUGT9VYlaoGJsZAjYjzYWClSbvDh26n17caTbeNIE6PlKQB2SfD/s320/The+Road.png\") \nA man had been traveling for many days looking for the town\nof Happyville. He had walked many miles in search of the wonderful town. Late\none afternoon he came to a fork in the road. At the exact point where the road\ndivided there was a rock, a very large rock. On top of the rock a young boy was\nseated playing a musical instrument.
\n\n
\n\nThe man went over to the boy and asked, \"Can you please\ntell me which road I should take to get to Happyville?\" \n\n
\n\nThe boy stopped playing and said, \"You can take the\nroad to the left which is the long but short way; or you can take the road to\nthe right which is the short but long way.\" \n\n
\n\nThe man became angry, \"You speak in riddles, all I\nasked was how to get to Happyville. What do you mean long but short, or short\nbut long?\" \n\n
\n\nThe boy went back to his guitar and explained once again,\n\"You can take the road to the left which is the long but short way, or you\ncan take the road to the right which is the short but long way.\" \n\n
\n\nBy now the man was even angrier than before. \"I cannot\nstand your foolishness; I am going to take the road to the right which is short\nbut long.\" \n\n
\n\nThe man started down the road to the right. When he went a\nvery short distance he came upon a river with the town of Happyville clearly on\nthe other side. The man looked all around but he could not find a way to cross\nover the river. \n\n\nHis face turned red with anger. He then went back to the\nfork in the road where the boy was still playing his guitar. The man yelled,\n\"You speak of long but short and short but long, but this road leads to a\nriver and there is no bridge!\" \n\n
\n\nThe boy stopped playing and said softly, \"You took the\nshort but long road. If you would have taken the long but short road you would\nhave had to walk a little further but you would have come to a bridge which\ncrosses the river and leads right into Happyville.\" \n\n
\n\nMoral: We are all looking for Happyville and sometimes the\npath seems so clear and easy. But watch out. . . the short road may really be\nthe long one and the road that looks a little more difficult may actually lead\nyou to happiness sooner. \n\n(by Barry A. Kaufman, Child’s Way Magazine, May-June, 1971) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-road.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-road.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Rule of Thumb",
"slug": "bsfc-the-rule-of-thumb",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6ShkxC_Z4KqWR1WCeWuytWjoEx4O1AKcOaJxBvajuB5Cj2SJ4QSKBUkkqouFlIX-gdJZn8L1DH69oGDBkfVTuSLThCe3F-S91e6dKBbKRvK-6iXmbglg9Of9gPr8YTZfH70-qAZw3dXh/s320/five+fingers-a-1.jpg\") \n\nOnce there were four fingers on a hand. One was tall, two were medium-sized, and one\nwas a small fellow. But aside from this they were all much alike. They\nfaced the same way and stood in a nice row. In a word,\nthey were \"normal”. \n\n
\n\nOn the other hand -- no -- on the some hand --\nwas a thumb. But how different he was! The fingers that were “normal\"\nwould get terribly upset at him. “You’re not a real finger! Why can’t you be a normal\neveryday finger like us?\" \n\n
\n\nThey would complain: \"We face and move this way but you\nface and move that way.” \n\n
\n\n“But I can’t help it,” whined Thumb. \"I was made this\nway; I grew out of the side of\nthe hand and not out of the\nend like you.” \n\n
\n\n“Well,\nok,” they cut in, \"but we all have three joints and you only have\ntwo.” \n\n
\n\n\"Now, not quite so fast,” said Thumb. \"I hove only\ntwo that you can see, but inside the hand is a third big joint covered with a\nlarge muscle that makes me strong. If it were not for this I wouldn't be able\nto move like this… and this… and even get close to you like this…” \n\n \n
\n\"Oo… ooh! Go back to your place. It’s clear now that we\nare superior and you are inferior; we are high and you are low. We were created\napart. Our ways are different than yours. You are strange and different. Now\nlet us stay apart.”
\n\n
\n\nPoor Thumb felt so lonely and left out. He cried and cried.\n“Why am I so different? Why must I always be left out? Surely, since I was\ncreated, I must be good for something.” \n\n
\n\nBut the four fingers just left him out. The fingers worked in\na group to up pieces of paper and other small things that were not too heavy,\nbut when it came to writing with a pencil or lifting something heavy, or\nopening a jar-lid, or other more difficult work, they were having no success at\nall. \n\n
\n\nAnd\ndown below, poor lonely Thumb just couldn't do anything at all by himself. \n\n
\n\nOne day\nthe four fingers had to pick up a heavy book. No matter how hard they tried\nthey couldn't do it. After a long time talking among themselves they finally\nlet their pride die a little bit. They looked sheepishly over at Thumb. “Thumb!\n... uh…could you … give us a hand – we mean a finger – or a thumb?” \n\n
\n\n“Sure!”\nshouted Thumb with glee. Up he jumped and put himself against one side of the\nbook while the four fingers held to the other side. All five fingers now easily\nlifted the book. The “normal” fingers realized now that he was as strong as the\nfour of them put together. \n\n
\n\nThumb\nbegan to be accepted by the four fingers. Together they opened and closed\nthings, wound up things, rolled up things, twisted and turned things, held onto\nthings, lifted things and wrote things. \n\n
\n\n“Well,”\nsaid the four fingers, “we guess the thumb is a real finger after all. We\nreally can’t live without him!” \n\n(Glory Baha’i Youth Magazine, vol. 12, no. 1,\n1985) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-rule-of-thumb.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-rule-of-thumb.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Servant of God",
"slug": "bsfc-the-servant-of-god",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVH-UkgzfLeFYbBr1OJHcYKX4ftXFXYPr8bE6G-AtRgWfAWhlLxMo2p1-rr2xcDh0ZyXiBT6S96oAoRHBWLKVZNVdPkhy-zjt8moghSa-BsuI0qFAdgjmNrEFuLJzkUXGrVVXjiDk0Ciuv/s320/Abdu%2527l-Baha+aboard+Cedric+New+York+April+11+1912.png\") | \nAbdu'l-Baha aboard Cedric
New York April 11 1912 | \n | \nWhen His Father was alive and dwelt outside the city of Akka\namong the mountains, 'Abdu'l-Baha frequently visited Him. Though the journey\nwas rather long, He usually walked. His friends asked Him why He did not save\ntime and effort and go on horseback. \"Over these mountains, Jesus walked\non foot,\" He said, \"and who am I that I should ride where the Lord\nChrist walked?\"
\n\n
\n\nOnce when he was older and rode in an ordinary stagecoach to\nreturn to His home, the driver thought that for a man of His appearance and\nbearing that He should be riding in a private carriage. 'Abdu’l-Baha insisted\non using the stagecoach. At the end of His ride, He was stopped by a poor man\nwho pleaded for a few coins. Turning to the driver. He said, \"Why should I\ntravel in a carriage when such as he needs money?\" \n\n(Adapted from the Baha’i World, Vol. IV; ‘The Child’s Way’\nmagazine, July-August 1971) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-servant-of-god.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-servant-of-god.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Shepherd’s Dream",
"slug": "bsfc-the-shepherd-s-dream",
"summary": " \n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtc__eEj1__DSeXVGjxBYoQsbeY5MxPF2vqTmGs6IB94yYM5a9tBR2_v6q9Zd0E_I5pQ74U96VXdWGsWuvvn-1r97vwceP5COZXJeleYyw5MrrS7W63MtO_N4qcgaFiWUp9mX0nTkmTcD/s320/palm+tree-1.jpg\") \n \n
\n \nBut would you believe it? He found many who would not\nlisten. You know it does no good to try to tell something to one who does not\nwish to hear. Not only that, but they were sometimes very cruel to Siyyid Kázim\nand his friends. \n \n
\n \nSiyyid Kázim and a few who were his close\nfriends went on teaching just the same, for there were always some who were\nglad to listen. He read to them from the Qur'an the words which told that there\nwould be two great Teachers. The One they were expecting would be the first,\nbut there would be another soon after. And this last One would bring His Light\nto the whole world, not just to the country in which He lived. \n \n
\n \nOne day at noon Siyyid Kázim was standing in\nthe shade of a palm tree, waiting for the people to come from the noon-day\nprayer. Suddenly an Arab rushed up and threw his arms around him. An Arab, you\nknow, is one who lives in or near the great Arabian Desert. And it was to the\nArabs that Muhammad had come many years before and had given them the Qur'an. \n \n
\n \nHere is the strange story the Arab told Siyyid Kázim. \n \n \n Three days before this he was watching his sheep in a\npasture nearby, when all of a sudden he fell asleep and dreamed. In his dream he\nsaw Prophet Muhammad, Who told him to listen well and remember what he was\ntold, for these words were sent from God. \"If you be faithful to them, \"He said, \"great will\nbe your reward. If you neglect these words, grievous retribution will befall\nyou.\" That means, great trouble would come if he forgot the message. Then\nHe told the shepherd to stay near that place. In three days Siyyid Kázim\nand his friends would come there at noon to pray. The shepherd was to\ngreet Siyyid Kázim and to tell him that his work was almost done; that\nin three days after he returned to Karbilá, he would be permitted to go to the\nOne Who was speaking. Soon after that the Promised One would make Himself known\nto everyone.\n \n
\n \nNow this dream meant that, in three days after he returned\nto his home in Karbilá, Siyyid Kázim would die, because his work\nwas finished. You see, each of us has a work to do. If we did not, we would not be here on the earth. \n \n
\n \nThe shepherd's words made Siyyid Kázim very, very\nhappy, but of course they made his friends sad. When he saw this, he said to\nthem, \"Is not your love for me for the sake of the True One? Would you not\nwish me to die that the Promised One might be revealed?\" \n \n
\n \nHe talked so lovingly to them and made them so happy to\nthink that at last they should know the Promised One, that they ceased to feel\nsad. And that is the way it is with us today. We never like to lose a friend,\nbut when we do, God always sends us another one. \n \n
\n \nSo Siyyid Kázim finished his work and returned\nto Karbilá. There, three days later, as the shepherd had dreamed, he died,\nleaving his friends to find the Promised One and tell people about Him. \n \n(by Zoe\nMeyer, ‘Stories from The Dawn-Breakers’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-shepherds-dream.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-shepherds-dream.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The “Truth” is out there",
"slug": "bsfc-the-truth-is-out-there",
"summary": "
“Roya and Lanie,\" Mama called, \"The treasure hunt\nis ready. I'm really excited about starting our Baha'i lesson for today.\"\n\n\"Treasure hunt? Are we looking for diamonds and rubies\nand pearls?\" Lanie squeaked as her eyes widened with surprise. \n\n\"No, Honey. We're going to do some investigating,\"\nanswered Mama. \n\n\"Hey, Sherlock Holmes investigated all the time!\"\nRoya said as she went to find her detective hat in the costume box. \n\nLanie ran to the box and put on her plastic hard hat.\n\"This will be my investigating hat!\" \n\n\"You two certainly look ready to get started,\"\nsaid Mama. \"Here's how the treasure hunt goes. In each room we enter,\nyou'll find a letter card hidden. After we've found all five letters in five\ndifferent rooms, we'll see what they spell.\" \n\n\"Will they spell g-o-l-d?\" Lanie asked. \n\nMama laughed and gave her a hug. \"You do love jewelry,\ndon't you? You'll be looking for a treasure that is more precious than the\nbiggest diamond in the world!\" \n\n
In the living room, the girls searched and searched, and\nbegged Mama to tell them where the letter card was hidden. \"You must do\nthis independently, my treasure hunters, and that means searching for\nyourselves. I won't tell you where it is, but I will help you think about it.\nThe card isn't on anything - it's in something.\"\n\nAfter some more investigating' Lanie opened the cover of a\nprayer book and called out, \"I found it! It's the letter R!\" \n\n\"My turn now!\" called Roya as she raced into the\nden. \"This one's easy! I see the letter T resting on top of the\nglobe.\" \n\nThe girls searched everywhere for more letters, and Mama\nhelped them investigate by giving clues when Roya and Lanie weren't sure where\nto look. At the end of their search, the girls looked at the cards. \n\n\"Hmm,\" mumbled Roya to herself, \"R-U-T-H-T. .\n. That doesn't spell anything, Mama.\" \n\n\"Try moving the letters around until they make\nsense,\" hinted Mama. \n\n\"I see it!\" cried Lanie. \"It spells\ntruth!\" \n\n\"That's very good, Lanie,\" complimented Mama.\n\"Baha'u'llah teaches us that all people must search for spiritual truth by\nthemselves. We call it 'independent investigation of truth.' And when we teach\nothers about the Baha'i Faith, we are helping them to search for the truth by\nsharing our beliefs. This search is the most important treasure hunt of a\nperson's life.\" \n\n\"Mama, \" said Roya, who knew that Mama always kept\na trick up her sleeve, \"I suppose there's a special reason that we found\nthe letters in a prayer book, by our picture of 'Abdu'l-Baha, on the globe,\nunder the telephone, and in an empty jar.\" \n\n\"Of course,\" said Mama, with a sly smile.\n\"People can search for the truth about God by praying, reading the Holy\nWritings of the different religions, learning about people around the world and\ntalking to other people ... \" \n\n\"But, what about the empty jar, Mama?\" interrupted\nRoya, \"What's that for?\" \n\n\"Well, sometimes when we investigate the truth, we need\nto spend time alone, away from things that distract us. We need to meditate.\nThe empty jar reminded me of being alone and tranquil,\" explained Mama. \n\n\"Okay, Sherlock,\" Lanie playfully teased Roya,\n\"Any other questions?\" \n\n\"Nope, Watson, this case is solved,\" laughed Roya\nas she put her detective cap back in the costume box. \"Mama, next time we\nplay this game, may we invite John and Nancy to search for truth with us?\" \n\nMama put her hand gently on Roya's cheek and gave her a\nquick kiss on the forehead. \"Roya,\" said Mama, with a twinkle in her\neye, \"I like the way you think.\" (Brilliant Star, January-February\n1999) \n\n(by Nura Amerson, Illustrations by C. Aron Kreader; Brilliant Star magazine, January-February 1999) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-truth-is-out-there.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-truth-is-out-there.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Wide Wide Universe",
"slug": "bsfc-the-wide-wide-universe",
"summary": "
Have you ever wondered about how the universe started and\nwhere it is going? These are big questions that have puzzled people for\nthousands of years. These questions are hard to even think about because they\ninvolve very large distances and times. Many astronomers are busy studying this\nquestion in a special kind of astronomy called COSMOLOGY. And a funny thing is\nhappening: the more the scientists know, the closer science and religion are\ncoming together! This doesn’t surprise Baha’i children since we know you\nunderstand what our Faith says about how science and religion agree and are\ndifferent ways of telling the truth.\n\nScientists have several different ideas about how the\nuniverse began. For a long time, the most popular theory was called “The Big\nBang Theory”. The scientists who believe that this idea might be true say that\nbillions of years ago, all the matter in the universe was in one small,\nclosely-packed area. It was heavier than anyone could imagine. All this matter\nwas so tightly packed together that the atoms bumped into each other so much\nand so fast that the matter was heated to a temperature of trillions of degrees.\nThe mass of matter was so very hot that even the strongest force we know — the\nforce that holds the nucleus of the atom together — was overcome. The nuclei of\nthe atoms were ripped apart by this tremendous heat and motion, and finally\nthis fireball of all the matter in the universe exploded in an event that\nscientists call “the big bang”. The exploded fireball cast its matter outward.\nThe Big Bang Theory says that galaxies may have formed as the matter cooled,\nand that the galaxies will continue to fly apart until finally all of the\nhydrogen—the stuff stars are made of—will be used up and the universe will\nexpand into cold, dark nothingness. \n\nThere is another idea that says the “Big Bang” idea is\npartly right but that the future of the universe will be different. This idea\nis called “The Oscillating Universe Theory”. To oscillate means to swing back\nand forth. This theory says that the universe will continue to expand only to a\ncertain point. Then the gravitational forces of the galaxies will make the\nuniverse begin to pull together again. Eventually, all the matter would be\ntightly packed into one area, and then can you guess what would happen? The\nfireball would again form and explode in another \"Big Bang\" and the\nwhole process would start again. This process could go on forever. \n\nRecently, there is another new idea about the universe. This\nidea says that it is not gravity that \"drives\" the universe, but\ncomplex electrical forces. This theory says that the universe had no beginning\nand will have no end. It says that the universe is always changing and being\ncreated. Worlds in the universe may begin and end, but the universe itself\nalways was and always will be. \n\nWhat do our Bahá’í teachings say about the universe?\nBahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had a lot to say about the universe and creation.\nHere are a few things They said that might make you think about the theories\nwe’ve talked about and let you decide for yourself how right each one might be. \n\nBaha’u’llah has said: \n\n\"Know assuredly that God’s creation hath existed from\neternity, and will continue to exist forever. Its beginning hath had no\nbeginning, and its end knoweth no end.\" (Gleanings from the Writings of\nBaha’u’llah) \n\n“All-praise to the unity of God, and all-honor to Him, the\nsovereign Lord ... Who, out of utter nothingness, hath created the reality of\nall things. Who, from naught, hath brought into being the most refined and subtle elements of His\ncreation…” (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’) \n\n‘Abdu’l-Baha has also explained that: \n\n“Thus, as that Essence of Oneness, or divine Being, is\neternal and everlasting—that is, as it has neither beginning nor end—it follows\nthat the world of existence, this endless universe, likewise has no beginning.\nTo be sure, it is possible for some part of creation—one of the celestial\nglobes—to be newly formed or to disintegrate, but the other countless globes\nwould continue to exist and the world of existence itself would not be\ndisrupted or destroyed. On the contrary, its existence is perpetual and unchanging.”\n(‘Some Answered Questions’ – 2014 revised translation by the Baha’i World\nCentre) \n\nAren't we fortunate to have such beautiful explanations in\nour Baha’i Writings!? So, keep on investigating the many mysteries of life! (by\nDeborah Bley; Brilliant Star magazine, July-August 1989) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2024/05/the-wide-wide-universe.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2024/05/the-wide-wide-universe.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Yellow Flower",
"slug": "bsfc-the-yellow-flower",
"summary": "A short story for children, paraphrased from the Baha'i Stories for Children blog: a small yellow flower in the cracked sidewalk, the child who decided not to pick it, and the bee that came to visit it later that day.",
"figures": [],
"era": "modern",
"themes": [
"children-stories",
"nature",
"kindness"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"patience",
"reverence"
],
"ages": [
"child",
"tween",
"toddler"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bsfc",
"book": "Baha'i Stories for Children",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nSami was walking home from the bus stop. He saw a small\nyellow flower growing in a crack in the sidewalk. It was a\nsingle, bright, perfect little flower in the middle of all\nthe grey concrete.\n\nSami knelt down. He looked closely at the flower. It was so\nbright that it seemed to be smiling at him.\n\n\"I will pick it and take it home to Mom,\" he thought.\n\nThen he stopped. The flower had grown there all by itself.\nIt had pushed its way through the hard concrete. It was\nhappy in its small crack in the sidewalk. If he picked it,\nit would die in a few hours. If he left it, it would keep\nshining for a week.\n\nSami stood up. He smiled at the flower. He kept walking.\n\nLater that afternoon, a small bee was flying along the\nsidewalk looking for something to eat. The bee found the\nyellow flower. The bee landed on it. The bee drank the\nsweet nectar from inside.\n\nThe bee flew home with the food. It made a small drop of\nhoney from the nectar. The honey was sweet and golden.\n\nSami did not see the bee. But the kindness he had done by\nleaving the flower had quietly fed the bee, and through the\nbee, the whole little hive.\n\n> The smallest flower is a guest at God's table.\n\nThat is what Sami's grandmother used to say.\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/)), paraphrased short story for children.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Young Man in the Green Turban",
"slug": "bsfc-the-young-man-in-the-green-turban",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQBu8xBSOHGSgzNCOrkxMW8w90KEpHBBQD8wSm5kTTtSV8lD0XMuJSalnSEjYUHuS0ZJ1mDG3o-mzfLiNnWV7RtWzLh7gOgRAg0mVP-qDYZvfiaok3xo7gyV6M0GtdhhgVwoLWJPO_yyTU/s320/green+turban.jpg\") \n\nDo you remember the story of Shaykh Ahmad, who travelled\nabout telling the people that God was sending them a new Teacher? When Shaykh\nAhmad died, he left Siyyid Kazim to carryon his work and spread\nthe news of the Promised One. \n\n
\n\nPerhaps this word \"Siyyid\" seems a strange one to\nyou ... Siyyid means a member of the family of Mulhammad, that other great\nTeacher, Who wrote the Qur'an. Of course Muhammad had lived many years before\nthat, but all the men who were later born in that family were called Siyyids. It was a great honor to be related to\nMuhammad, even if it was many,\nmany years later. \n\n
\n\nHere is another thing Siyyid Kazim told them: this\ndivine Teacher Whom God had promised, was living at that very time. Perhaps He\nwas even living nearby and they did not know Him. You can imagine how surprised\nthey were to hear this, how they must have talked about it and wondered who He\nwas and where He lived: If you\nand I had been there, we, too, would have wondered, wouldn't we? \n\n
\n\nIt is strange,\nbut when God sends a new divine Teacher to the earth to remind people of Him,\nonly a few know Him at first. Just think. They may see Him on the street or in\nthe shrine where He goes to pray and yet not know Him, because their hearts are\nnot full of love and hope. And some, I am afraid, do not know Him because they\nare so busy thinking about themselves. \n\n \n
\nThere are many others, however, who are not like these\npeople. Their hearts are ready because they are expecting Him. Siyyid Kazim\nwas one of these. And he was spending his life trying to prepare others\nto know Him when they saw Him. This story tells about a very happy day in\nSiyyid Kazim's life, the day he first met the Promised One. And\nhe not only met Him but he heard Him talk.
\n\n
\n\nNow I must tell you something… God really sent two divine\nTeachers instead of one. The One of whom Siyyid Kazim was telling them\nwas called the Báb. That word \"Báb\" means gate or door, and it was\njust as if the Báb came to open the door for Baha'u'llah, the other great\nTeacher, Who came later. The Báb, of course, was the first. He was the One Whom\nShaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kazim were expecting because they had\nread about Him in the Qur'an. \n\n
\n\nOne morning very, very early, just at dawn, Siyyid Kazim\nsent a messenger to a friend telling him that a very important Person\nhad arrived in Karbila, where they were living, and that they must visit him at\nonce. When the friend arrived at Siyyid Kazim'house, he found\nhim dressed and waiting at the door. They walked through the streets together. \n\n
\n\nHow quiet it must have been in the city, for the sun was not\nyet up and the people had not begun to stir about. They soon reached a house\nwhere a Young Man stood in the doorway, as if waiting for them. He wore a green turban and His face was so\ngentle and kind that it seemed no one who saw Him could help loving Him. Haven't\nyou seen people you loved the first time you met them? \n\n
\n\nComing to meet them, the Young Man put His arms around\nSiyyid Kazim and spoke to him such words of love that Siyyid Kazim\ncould only stand with bowed head. He could not speak. \n\n
\n\nThe Young Man led them into the house and upstairs to a room\ndecorated with flowers, which gave out a very lovely perfume. Here He told them\nto be seated, and gave them a drink from a beautiful silver cup which stood in\nthe center of the room. \n\n
\n\nYou know, when you love someone very, very much, you feel so\nhappy that you just want to be near them. You do not need to talk. That is the\nway the two visitors felt that morning while they were with the Young Man. Only\na few words were spoken. Then He led them to the door and with a wonderful\nsmile told them goodbye. \n\n
\n\nHow often the one who had gone with Siyyid Kazim\nmust have thought of this visit. Then, three days later, he saw this\nYoung Man again. Siyyid Kazim was teaching a number of\npeople from the Qur'an, when the Young Man entered and sat down with them. At\nonce Siyyid Kazim stopped speaking. When the others asked him to\ncontinue, he only shook his head. He pointed to a ray of sunlight which came in\nat the door and fell upon the lap of the Young Man. \n\n
\n\n\"The Truth about this Young Man,\" he said,\n\"is more manifest than the ray of light.\" You see, Siyyid Kazim\nknew who this Young Man was, and he could not understand why the others\ndid not know Him. \n\n
\n\nBut still the others did not understand, not even the one\nwho had gone with Siyyid Kazim early that other morning. But\nin his heart he had a strange feeling whenever he thought about Him. Several\ntimes he started to ask Siyyid Kazim the Young Man's name but\nsomething always seemed to stop him. \n\n
\n\nOf course you have guessed Who the Young Man was, but the\nfriend of Siyyid Kazim did not know, even though he had come to love Him\nwith all his heart, and to think of Him many times a day. One day he heard\nabout a Young Man who said that He was the Báb, the Promised One. Then he knew\nthat this was the One Whom he had seen in Karbila and had loved so much. \n\n(by Zoe\nMeyer, ‘Stories from The Dawn-Breakers’) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-young-man-in-green-turban.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-young-man-in-green-turban.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Theresa makes Baha’u’llah’s Birthday a special Day",
"slug": "bsfc-theresa-makes-baha-u-llah-s-birthday-a-special-day",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5nxYiPFAZuvY93DabBKlrl1TwRWMVT_8KeUMWmW3efvAr5UHXENDkKrpjFOZsxBr00BJacQQ5FzcvpHa_eGE9sxQrdg9O9LzMU5oR5TlqjkDEAV4Jf4EcuUEk1avcAAelMuy_7ZHHpxyb/s320/story-picture-1.jpg\") The little girl lay in her bed under soft covers. As the\nlight of dawn slowly filled the room, a small bird flitted onto a tree outside\nand began to chirp. In the barnyard, the rooster crowed loudly and Theresa\nstirred in her sleep. \n\n
\n\nHer brown eyes opened. Her first thought was: \"Today is\na special day. It is Someone's birthday - Someone important. It is\nBaha'u'llah's Birthday.\" Theresa jumped out of bed, eager for the day to\nstart. Birthdays were one of her favorite things. There were always fun things\nto do - candle-lit cakes and parties and friends. How she did love it all! \n\n
\n\nShe stood before her closet. Mother had said that she did\nnot have kindergarten today because it was a Holy Day. So Theresa did not\nchoose a schooldress to wear. After slipping into some play clothes, she went\ninto the bathroom, where she brushed her teeth and hair until they shone. \n\n
\n\nMother was cooking breakfast in the warm kitchen. She set a\nplate in front of Theresa, who drew in a deep breath of the sweet pancake\nsmell. Mother kissed the top of her head and told her it was like kissing the\nebony wings of a bird. It was very nice to think that her black hair matched the\ncolor of a bird's feathers. She liked birds. In fact, she felt close to all of\nGod's animal creatures. \n\n\nShe asked, \"Mama, are we going to Miss Margie's house\nfor Baha'u'llah's birthday party?\" \"I'm afraid we won't be able to go\ntoday,\" Mother replied. \"Our car's not working, so we'll have to stay\nhome and celebrate the Blessed Beauty's Special Day in our own way. And that's\nrather nice, too, isn't it?\" \n\n
\n\nTheresa did not think it was nice at all. Suddenly the\nsyrupy pancakes did not taste as good as before. She put her fork down and\nstared out of the window. She could see the large field and the many trees\nalong side of it. She liked living in the country a lot, but there were times\nwhen she wished she were back in town. She missed visiting with her friends on\nTuesday afternoons while Mother and the other Baha'is had their meetings. But\nMother had promised her that they would be able to go again in the summer. \n
\nShe slid off her chair and went to the sink where her mother\nwas washing the dishes. \"What will we do for Baha'u'llah's Birthday?\"\nshe asked. Mother wiped the white soapsuds off her hands with a towel and bent\ndown to give Theresa a big hug. \"I know you are disappointed that we can't\ngo to the party. I am, too. But we must make the best of it. I'll bake a cake\nand you can do something to celebrate too.\"
\n\n
\n\n\"But what, Mama?\" Theresa looked at the floor.\n\"Well, how about picking a giant-size bouquet of flowers and putting them\non the dining room table?\" Mother suggested. \n\n
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRE72jtTWXEx3XrT6-kbUQ62B75s8oKxA6MBGCiF4crGUZvTwmOlTnTMfuo2o4_IgoJSHjOJm04kCRU3Dc4vY7dBsEm9S4rNdZa99-TLs_CZd0IDCIhWuwRTXa7fxQBAWx4TjVGqZjmAJ6/s200/story-picture-3-1.jpg\") \"O.K.\" She pulled a green sweater over her head\nand skipped into the yard. There were lots and lots of trees and plants. Today\nwas November 12, and not many of the bushes were blooming. Theresa finally\nfound one in the corner that was covered with tiny blue blossoms. She picked as\nmany as her small hands could hold and only dropped a few as she made her way\nback to the door.\n
\n\nMother helped her fill the heavy vase with water from the\nkitchen faucet, but Theresa wanted to put the long-stemmed flowers into it, one\nby one. After she was finished, she went looking for Mother. \n\n
\n\nShe found her in the bedroom, writing a letter. \"Now\nwhat, Mama?\" she inquired. \"M-m-m ..., let's see. Why don't you make\na card to place by the flowers?\" \n\n
\n\nSo Theresa took her construction paper and scissors and\npaste to the table. For a long time, she cut, drew, and pasted. At last she was\nsatisfied, and she stood the piece of artwork beside the bouquet of flowers. \n\n
\n\nMother came to look at the happy birthday card and said that\nit was the best one that she had ever seen! Then she returned to the kitchen,\nwhere she began to gather the ingredients for the cake. \n\n
\n\nTheresa sat at the table with her chin propped on her hands\nand looked deeply at the sky-blue flowers. The folded picture she had drawn was\ncolorful, with its drawings of the land, fluffy clouds and happy children. Both\ngifts were beautiful and she was glad that she had done them to show her love\nfor Baha'u'llah. But they were not her own ideas. Mother had helped her. Mother\nhad thought of baking the cake, and she was doing it all by herself. Theresa\nwanted to do something of her own for Baha'u'llah. Whatever it would be, it\nshould come from her own heart. She thought and thought. If only she had\nsomeone to share this day with - besides Mother, of course. \n\n
\n\nSuddenly her eyes sparkled and a smile tickled the corners\nof her mouth. She might not have someone to share with, but she did have some\nthings! Out the back door she flew, forgetting her sweater. \"Today is\nBaha'u'llah's Birthday,\" Theresa told Zorro, the black cat. Zorro was\ncurled up on the picnic table, asleep in the rays of the sun. He lifted his\nhead and answered, \"Meow.\" Then he went back to his interrupted\ncatnap. \n\n
\n\n\"Happy Birthday to Baha'u'llah,\" whispered Theresa\nto the dog family in their pen. They lined up and licked her fingers through\nthe fence ... first Bob, the father; then Lady, the mother, and her four\npuppies - Dot, Julie, Ringer, and Sam. \n\n
\n\n\"Did you know that today is Baha'u'llah's\nBirthday?\" she asked the goat in the pasture. Clyde just looked at Theresa\nand said nothing. \n\n
\n\n\"We love You. We do. We love You. We do. We love You,\ndear Baha'u'llah. We love You. We do,\" she sang to the chickens who were\nbusily searching for insects in the tall weeds. \n\n
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Jo0UoiwC8ARGF42rZpX7vWKPbDXiNsabvTpautYdOzlHElWh_BNHdemnG9U_RiNTnEXH8UHPfV6F4VAhroCZEmy03Tj-Y0zOVJ5Q8SzSvHDoefGDyIYjQUzXxpWEm6d2ZD0Gx4lf3rqd/s200/story-picture-4-1.jpg\") She had shared her joy with her animal friends. Out of\nbreath, Theresa sank down onto the cool brown grass beside the dog's wire\nfence. The dog family gathered on the other side of the enclosure to wag their\ntails happily. Theresa sat quietly and watched the cat jump lightly from the\npicnic table. Slowly, very slowly, he made his way over to her and eased onto\nher lap. Then the goat stopped his lunch of rose brambles and moved to\nTheresa's side. He gently nuzzled her shoulder to remind her to scratch his\nears. She reached into the dog's pen and pulled a handful of the long grass\nblades that the chickens liked so much. She called to the rooster, and he\nwaddled over, followed by the hen and seven baby chicks.\n
\n\nSitting there with her animal friends around her, Theresa\nbegan to feel that something was unusual, in fact, most unusual! What could it\nbe? \n\n
\n\nWhy, this was the first time she had ever seen all of the\ncreatures who lived on the farm gathered so close together. Zorro the cat never\ncould pass by the dog family's pen without them barking furiously at him. And\nClyde the goat would run toward the chickens to scatter them in all directions.\nIt seemed that none of them could ever get along. But look at them now! They\nwere quiet and . . . what was the word Mother used? Oh, yes. Peaceful. They\nwere at peace. \n\n
\n\nAnd today was Baha'u'llah's Birthday. He was bringing the\nMost Great Peace, when all would be unified. No matter what color their skin or\nwhat country they lived in, all would come together in love. \n\n
\n\nTheresa looked around at the circle of animals. She saw the\nblack fur of Zorro, the yellow fuzz that covered the little chicks, Clyde's\nrough brown coat, and the white skinned pup named Sam. They were all different,\njust like the people of the world. And they were all at peace. \n\n
\n\nShe must tell Mother right away about the wonderful thing\nthat had happened in the barnyard. This really was a special day! \n\n
\n\nScooping Zorro up in her arms, Theresa left the dogs to yelp\ntheir goodbyes. The chickens pecked for seeds in the grass. She raced across\nthe field with Clyde beside her all the way. Slowing down only long enough to\nopen and close the gate, she cried \"Mother, Mother! You'll never guess\nwhat happened in the barnyard! \" \n\n
\n\nThe smell of freshly baked cake met her at the door. \n\n(by\nSheryl Michelli, illustrated by Linda Orlando; Child’s Way Magazine November-December\n1982) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/09/theresa-makes-bahaullahs-birthday.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/09/theresa-makes-bahaullahs-birthday.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Time Capsule: - Lord Buddha",
"slug": "bsfc-time-capsule-lord-buddha",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3LoJysQu9rrjZ9DtCkYCqxWJqX_JNyzKFSIxCiVXssX3UWvuF-V2g_qCOj_2yzM5I-eHMVgmJpy7K_JgFidRlDHuBqngxUYXUK5PqvkHxHXe7JmNSS_eyiU1z8Ih-_1mdBKEzmp0aipng/s320/temple.jpg\") \nIt might sound strange to say that Silly was not silly. In\nfact he was the cleverest boy in his class. His name was Silapachai and his\nfriends and classmates lovingly called him Silly because his original Thai name\nwas too long.
\n\n
\n\nSo it was Silly's turn and he entered the Time Capsule and\npressed the buttons that would take him to the little Himalayan Kingdom\nKapilavastu. \n\n
\n\nChildhood
\nOn the brightened screen appeared the beautiful marble\npalace of King Sudhodana. In the court of the king stood two boys. One carried\na bow and some arrows and the other an injured swan. Before the King were also\nhis ministers and noblemen. They had come to hear the dispute of these two\nyoung men over a swan. \n\n
\n\nOne was Devdutta who claimed that he had shot down the bird;\nand the other was Prince Siddhartha, son of King Sudhodana. His claim was that\nhe had saved the life of the bird and so it was his. Both young men pleaded and\nargued before the king and noblemen and eventually it was decided that the bird\nwould belong to the one who had saved its life and not one who had attempted to\nkill it. And so Prince Siddhartha won a point and taught the first great lesson.\nThis was the very nature of Prince Siddhartha. From his youth he was very\ngentle, kind and loving to all people as well as to all animals. \n\n
\n\nPeople heard of the Prince's wisdom and recalled the strange\ndream Queen Maya had had before his birth. In the dream she saw a beautiful\nwhite elephant flying from the sky and entering her body. She narrated her\ndream to the King, and the two of them called wise men to give the meaning of\nthe dream. The wise men said that the Queen would have a son who would be a\nspecial child, and he would be a great man, certainly greater than the King\nhimself. This pleased King Sudhodana very much for he wished to have a son who\nwould be a mighty ruler and who would expand the boundaries of his tiny kingdom\nin the north of India. \n\n\nIn time a son was born to Queen Maya, as foretold by the\nwise men. The entire kingdom joined in the celebration of the birth of Prince\nSiddhartha. Far away in a jungle, word reached the aged Asita who was a\n\"Guru\", a very wise man. He walked through the forest to the palace\nof King Sudhodana to pay homage to the new-born prince. When Asita approached\nthe cradle of the baby prince he stood in wonder and soon tears trickled down\nhis wrinkled face. The King and Queen were alarmed and asked what tragedy awaited\ntheir family that made Asita cry. The wise man replied, \"Nothing is to\nhappen to the prince but I weep only for myself that I will not live to see the\nprince grow into the great man that he is destined to be.\" \n\n
\n\nHe told the King and Queen that if the prince remained with\nthem he would be the mightiest emperor in the world, but if he left them he\nwould become a very great teacher. It was the King's desire that his son should\ninherit his throne and expand his kingdom. He arranged ways and means of keeping\nthe prince happy and contented within his palace grounds so that he might never\nwant to go out. \n\n
\n\nQueen Maya died when Prince Siddhartha was still a young boy\nand it was his aunt who took care of him. Teachers were brought to educate the\nchild but they soon came and reported to the King that the prince already knew\nmore than they did. \n\n
\n\nMarriage
\nPrince Siddhartha grew up in the palace with everything that\nhe could wish for and yet he was not happy. He would sit for long hours by\nhimself as if thinking of things beyond the palace and beyond this world. This\nmade the King unhappy and concerned. He remembered the words of Asita and he\nconsulted his ministers who advised that Prince Siddhartha should be married.\nKing. Sudhodana then asked his ministers to arrange the marriage of Siddhartha\nwith Yashodhara, the daughter of neighbouring King Suprabuddha. \n\n
\n\nKing Suprabuddha announced that a contest would be arranged\nbetween all those who wished to marry his daughter, and the winner of the\ncontest would then marry Princess Yashodhara. King Sudhodana had no hope that\nPrince Siddhartha would succeed in any contest because Prince Siddhartha had\nnever taken any interest in archery, horsemanship or anything to do with\nfighting. \n\n
\n\nPrince Siddhartha was very kind, gentle and different from\nother princes and young men of his age. He had never shot an arrow from a bow,\nhandled a sword or ridden a horse. Yet he agreed to take part in the\ncompetition and a strange thing happened. The young prince won each of three\ncontests with such ease as to surprise everyone. He shot his arrow into the\nbull's-eye of a target from the farthest distance; cut through the thickest\ntree-trunk with a single stroke of a sword; and rode a wild horse that threw\noff all who tried to ride it. \n\n
\n\nThe large crowd roared with joy and clapped with happiness\nthat now Prince Siddhartha had won the three competitions and the right to wed\nPrincess Yashodhara. The lovely Yashodhara became the wife of the charming\nPrince Siddhartha and all the country of Kapilavastu celebrated the wedding.\nThe King ordered that the Prince should have all comforts and luxuries so that\nhis mind would never wander beyond the palace grounds and so that he would\nnever want the outside world. \n\n
\n\nSiddhartha and Yashodhara lived for several years in their\ndreamworld where they knew nothing but pleasure. They had musicians and singers\nto entertain them. They had many servants to bring whatever their hearts wished\nfor. They were surrounded by young, healthy, happy people and they had no way\nof knowing pain or sorrow. \n\n
\n\nLeaving the Palace
\nIn time, the Prince and Yashodhara were blessed with a son.\nHowever, Siddhartha was never completely happy. One day he made it known to the\nKing that he wanted to see the rest of his kingdom. Sudhodana agreed and made\narrangements for Prince Siddhartha to visit Kapilavastu. However, before the\nPrince could go out, the King sent orders that all the people of the city must\nbe well dressed to welcome and sing and dance before the Prince when he drove\namongst them in the chariot. He ordered that all old and sick people should\nremain in their homes. The King did not want Siddhartha to see anything that\nwould make him unhappy. \n\n
\n\nAnd so on the day that Siddhartha drove in the chariot, he\nwas greeted cheerfully wherever he went. They sang before him and showered rose\npetals upon him. This pleased Siddhartha very much. Amongst the crowds he\nnoticed a man bent almost double and walking slowly with the help of a stick. A\npair of sad looking eyes were sunk in his dry and wrinkled face. The Prince\nwondered what had happened to this man. He asked the charioteer, Channa who\nexplained that the man had become old. Siddhartha was quite surprised. The\ncharioteer further explained that the old man had one day been young and\nenergetic like the prince himself, but as the years passed the man had become\nbent with age and weakened. \n\n
\n\nThe prince lost interest in all the celebrations around him\nand asked to be taken back to his palace. But he was never the same. He could\nnot remove from his mind the sad look on the wrinkled face of that old man.\nSiddhartha was most unhappy. \n\n
\n\nOn two later visits into the city, Prince Siddhartha saw a\nsick man and a dead man being carried for burial and thus he learned of\nsickness and death. He understood that the body was of no use without the\nspirit of life. He was disturbed that he also could fall ill, become old, and\none day die. \n\n
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpLFG3P4xT02W8SJaYUm6W49aCLJn5E5h8Oivip7wK9uM5w5BO5H2T3yUiQrsGXhsE2eDTHgpr_2-6I1XcqFC4IaswIJPiIAox_HuGeR5KzKZc-GXl7nnORkb8iVJugSGjtPbYGvjtcwRY/s320/countryside.jpg\") \nSiddhartha decided that he must find out the reason for the\nsuffering of man. And he determined that living in the palace with all the\npleasures around him he could never find that answer. The answer lay beyond the\nwalls of his palace. So he decided he must leave the palace and go into the\nforests with the poor and suffering people and find the answer that would bring\nthem relief and joy. \n\n
\n\nHe announced his decision to King Sudhodana who became most\nunhappy. The King did everything he possibly could to prevent Siddhartha from\nleaving the palace. To the King's pleading, Siddhartha replied, \"O Father,\nif you can save me from unhappiness and illness, old age and death, then I\nshall remain with you, otherwise I must go out into the world and find answers\nto the purpose of my life\". \n\n
\n\nOne night when his wife, Princess Yashodhara, and his son\nwere asleep, Prince Siddhartha mounted his favourite horse and rode out\nsilently until he reached the edge of the forest. Siddhartha decided that this\nwas the beginning of his search for the meaning of suffering and of life. He\nexchanged his silken royal clothes for the ordinary clothes of a poor man and\nhe set out on foot into the forest, no longer a prince, now only a humble\nSiddhartha. \n\n
\n\nDesire to learn
\nDuring his wanderings through the forests and the villages\nhe came across many people with whom he talked and from whom he tried to learn\nand understand, but no one could give him the answers to his questions. \n\n
\n\nHe tried different ways and means of purifying his mind and\nbody. At one time he thought that if he disciplined his body he would be\ninspired and would find the answers to the questions that bothered him. So he\nexposed his body to the heat and rain and cold. He didn't eat his normal food\nand within a few months the handsome and strong young Prince Siddhartha became\nweak and haggard. He became thin and the radiance of his face faded. Still he\ndid not find the answers and when he was very weak he thought he might die\nwithout finding the truth. \n\n
\n\nThen Siddhartha thought to himself: \"When I was in the\nroyal palace, surrounded by all the pleasures of life, I did not have\nhappiness. Now in these forests where I have lived for months in loneliness and\ndeprived of every pleasure, even food, I still am not happy. Let me try the\nmiddle path\". \n\n
\n\nThose who were fasting with him were five seekers and they\nleft Siddhartha saying that he was a weakling and had failed in his\ndetermination. But Siddhartha knew better. For his mind could not work and\nthink properly when his body was weak and hungry. He started eating food again\nand sat under a tree closing his eyes to all the world and he began to think about\nthe problem of suffering. He vowed that he would not rise from that place until\nhe had found the answer. \n\n
\n\nAs Siddhartha sat under that tree and thought longer about\nthe problem of suffering, the answers gradually unfolded before him. His mind\ncould not be disturbed by the winds and the rain and the thunder and the\nlightning that were around him. Nothing could disturb his mind which was now\nsharply focused upon man and his Creator, the purpose of this life and the\nreason for suffering. \n\n
\n\nIn his meditation, (with his eyes shut,) Siddhartha saw\npeople full of hatred, quarrelling among themselves for the things that really\ndid not matter at all. He realized that if people understood how things changed\nand what little value material things have, then they would never fight for\nthem. \n\n
\n\nHe realized that if men were detached from material things\nthen hatred would also be removed from their hearts and they would be filled\nwith love and their lives would be happier. \n\n
\n\n ![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHTbKYso8JLLcHNqPRY5dKEhwyfWa_o7A0-7_mIwgHYOeEynL_VD7XY58VCz_cXfxTocVknlDYfZQ25KGqPb2BNq5Ww36UB4o2vuq6cH3w2z5tnLw1IMF24L4AcXoMk3M1n6f7yVTL86M/s320/temple-a.jpg\") \nThe \"Enlightened One\"
\nSiddhartha had at last found the meaning of life and death.\nHe had reached the end of his search. His mind was now illumined and from then\non he came to be called the \"Buddha\", the \"Enlightened\nOne\". \n\n
\n\nHaving come to this truth at the age of thirty-five, Buddha\nset out to teach other seekers. He left the place under the giant tree, which\nstill stands at the place named Bodh Gaya, and set out for Varanasi which was\nthe holy city of the Hindus. \n\n
\n\nIn Varanasi he met the five monks who had deserted him when\nhe gave up fasting, and he explained to them what he had realized. He described\nto them what he called the wheel of life. \n\n
\n\nBuddha taught them that unhappiness existed in the world\nbecause men looked for happiness in things that could bring them only\nunhappiness. He taught the five monks that the cause of unhappiness was that\npeople were filled with greed and desire. He assured them that if their hearts\nwere cleared of all greed and desire then they were on the right path and they\nwould come to have complete peace of mind. \n\n
\n\nThe fourth teaching of Lord Buddha was that no person should\nharm any other human being, bird or animal. \n\n
\n\nThe monks accepted the teachings and became the first of His\nfollowers. Now Lord Buddha and his disciples traveled in different directions\nspreading the new teachings that brought light and joy to all those who heard\nand accepted them. Lord Buddha was welcome everywhere and people flocked to Him\nwith their problems, which He resolved. \n\n
\n\nBuddha taught people everywhere to be loving, to be humble,\nto be kind and to be generous. He counselled against fighting and quarreling. \n\n
\n\nOne day while Lord Buddha was teaching some disciples, an\nangry young man came forward shouting and insulting Him. Lord Buddha did not\nbecome angry at the man but called him and lovingly asked, \"Tell me, if\nyou take a gift to a friend of yours and he does not accept it from you, to\nwhom will that gift belong?\" The young man still angry, answered, \"It\nwill be mine of course\". Lord Buddha, smiling, said to the man, \"You\nsee, I have not accepted your abuse.\" \n\n
\n\nLord Buddha taught and guided the people for many years and\nchanged their lives in many countries. \n\n(Varqa, Children Magazine, vol. 1, no. 5, November\n1981) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2019/05/time-capsule-lord-buddha.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2019/05/time-capsule-lord-buddha.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Two Goodbyes",
"slug": "bsfc-two-goodbyes",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_JbNanpIkmhfYvuylq37Ng1oP-cpy6GiS1iEn2b6QIXropUWOBIfbuXsoGkSNGAWZCs2c4okRQzc62rGwyRtB3m7y0xISHCka1p2DQdUw74brmOa3flBsU2x4pyqI6TtMBVrr_jNMEss/s320/boy+and+cat.jpg\") \n\nI cried\nwhen G.T. died. “G.T.” was short for Growl-Tiger. He went back to way before I\ngrew too old to cry - in\nfact, he was older than me. He had not done much lately. He liked to follow the\nsun through the house. Most mornings, he lay in a bright spot on my bed; around\nlunchtime, he dozed in the kitchen window; and in the afternoons he usually slept\nin a sunbeam on the living room rug. Then one night this spring when I came\nhome from ball practice, I found him still on my pillow. When I picked him up, his\nlegs stuck out stiff, and he was cold. \n\n
\n\nWe\nburied him under a pear tree he had once loved to climb. “He had a good, long\nlife,” said Dad. “He was\na hundred and twelve.” I knew people say one year in a cat's life is equal to\nseven human years. G.T. had been sixteen. \n\n
\n\n“Would\nyou like to say a prayer, Tommy?\" asked Mother. \n\n
\n\nI found\none in her prayer book, but it asked God to forgive the sins of those who had\ndeparted. I did not\nthink G.T. was guilty of any sins. He killed birds when he was young, but that\nwas just his instinct. \n\n
\n\nMother\nread some words by 'Abdu'l-Baha: “A love you have for anyone will not be\nforgotten in the Kingdom.” \n\n \n
\nI thought\nof the Kingdom – Heaven – Paradise - and of everything I had heard about it. The Kingdom,\nI knew, is where\nour spirits will go when we die, but it is not a place. It is past anything we\ncan imagine - too bright and shiny and fine. I felt sure that when I got there I would\nmeet my grandfather, who had died before I was born. There would be no\nsickness, no fighting or hurt or hate. “I wonder if animals go to the Kingdom,”\nI said.
\n\n
\n\n“I\ndon't know,” replied Mother. I did not know the answer myself, but I knew that\nloving G.T. would not be forgotten. That made me feel better. \n\n
\n\n“Tommy!\"\nAdam Miller called as I walked back to the house. I answered, “Yeah,” bending\nover to tie my left shoe and to make sure I had no tears left. \n\n
\n\n“My mom went back in the hospital,” Adam said. \n\n
\n\nThe\nMillers live across the street. Adam and his sister had been eating breakfast\nand catching the school bus with me when their mother was in the hospital. That\nhad been most of the time lately. I had not seen Mrs. Miller much since she got\nsick, but she was our den leader year before last - the year we earned our Wolf\nScout badges and made kites. Mrs. Miller had helped us spread out newspaper and\nplastic and gift-wrap in her basement, with string and hobby-store sticks and\ngreen switches. We made circle kites and box kites and dragon-tailed kites.\nThey all flew. \n\n
\n\nMrs.\nMiller stayed in ~ the hospital all this spring. Adam said she was getting\ntreatments that made her hair fall out. He played at my house most afternoons. We\nwere building a fort, chasing his sister away when she came to bug us. One\nday I mentioned, “When school lets out, Mom and Dad are taking me\nto Eight Miles' Thrills.”\nThat is a park that has the fastest roller-coaster in the world.\" \n\n
\n\nI was\ngoing to ask, “Want to come?” - but Adam said, “Be quiet, dodo.” I kicked him, just a light kick. He knocked\nme down so\nhard I scraped my nose and both knees. Before I got up he was out of sight. \n\n
\n\n“Some friend!\"\nI said while Mother put peroxide on my knees, and a drop on my nose. \n\n
\n\n“Adam must feel very unhappy,”\nsaid Mother. \n\n
\n\n“Ouch!\"\nI cried, because the peroxide stung. \n\n
\n\n“Tommy,”\nMother continued, “the doctors don't think Mrs. Miller will get well.” \n\n
\n\n“What\ndoes that mean?\" I asked. She did not say anything. “She'll die?\" I\nguessed. Mother nodded. \n\n
\n\nI could\nnot make sense of that. The only people I had known who died were very old. I\nthought of Adam's father, a quiet, worried-looking man. The Millers' house seemed\ntoo quiet. I remembered how noisy it had been when we had the den meetings. I wondered\nhow I might feel doing homework and going to bed in such a quiet house. Would\nthe quiet make me feel like yelling and hitting? \n\n
\n\nI got\nover being mad at Adam, but he did not come back. School let out the next week.\nHe and his sister were sent to stay with their grand-parents in another town. I\ndid not see Adam until a month later, at the funeral home, after Mrs. Miller\ndied. \n\n
\n\nMother\nhad us wear dark colors. Dad reminded me to be quiet there. “Why are people sad\nat funerals?\" I asked on the way. \n\n
\n\n“It's\nsad to lose someone.” \n\n
\n\n“But\nBaha'u'llah said ‘death is a messenger of joy.’ You told me Mrs. Miller was\nvery sick, and in pain. She's happy now.” I thought of kites. I could not\npicture the Kingdom, but when I tried, I thought about running from one shiny\ncloud to another, flying kites - all kinds of kites in rainbow colors, where\nthe wind was always right and there were no trees to snag them. \n\n
\n\nIn the\nfuneral home I saw several neighbors and strangers. Mother and Dad talked\nquietly with Adam's father. I saw Adam's sister crying. Then I spotted Adam in\na suit and tie, sitting between his grand-parents, his face like a wooden\nsoldier. I knew I was supposed to tell him I was sorry, but I did not know how.\nThere were heaps of flowers in the front of the room, around a large dark\nwooden box. I had never seen a casket before. We walked closer, and I saw Mrs.\nMiller. I wished I had stayed home. The times Mrs. Miller had come back from\nthe hospital, she had looked very pale and tired. Now she had pink cheeks, and\nperfect hair. She looked too neat, like a mannequin in a store. \n\n
\n\nI\nremembered Mrs. Miller catching fly-balls when we played three to a team, and\ntrying to lead us in a song as her car inched through bumper-to-bumper traffic\non our den trip to the zoo. I knew if I touched her, she would be cold.\nSuddenly I seemed to be shaking all over, and my throat felt as if I had\nswallowed a live\nfrog. \n\n
\n\n“Let's\nleave,” I whispered. \n\n
\n\n“We\ncan't yet,” said Dad. \n\n
\n\n“Then\nlet me wait in the car.” \n\n
\n\nI\nalmost ran outside. I sat in the car and thought of G.T., and of all the people\nI had seen killed on television, and of those I had heard were killed in wars\nand famines and crimes and accidents on the news. I got out and walked along\nthe top of a wall between the flowerbeds. I thought of Adam and his father and\nsister sitting down to supper that night, with their house so quiet. What if my\nmother should die? What if I knew she would never again help me with fractions,\npick me up from ball practice, or even put peroxide on my skinned knees? I would\nknow she had gone to the Kingdom, but that would seem so far away! \n\n
\n\nI felt\ntears coming. Just then I heard a voice: “Hey, Tom! How's the fort?\" \n\n
\n\nAdam\nwas behind me, balancing on the wall. I squeezed the tears back and answered. “I\nguess I haven't done any more with it. Want to try?\" \n\n
\n\n“Yeah” \n\n
\n\n“I - I'm\nsorry about your mom,” I stammered. “I liked her a lot.” \n\n
\n\nAbout a\nweek later, after Adam's relatives all went home and his father went back to\nwork, we started building the fort again. His sister has been coming over, too,\nand now we're finishing it together. It's turning out fine. \n\n(by Chris\nMcNett, ‘Brilliant Star’, July-August 1986, vol. 18 no. 3) \n \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/12/two-goodbyes.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2014/12/two-goodbyes.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Two Pink Roses for a Little Girl",
"slug": "bsfc-two-pink-roses-for-a-little-girl",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjF2TskG7qfYcS7hKhe7hZ30xtTbpn5dIOxIFPo1_xpUvOikN3ZIke09Kpl2bInTOr8NH6guGw5UHFTL3CQn-8yJVQ2uKiEH2bkXh_Flre300_q5jRO1aLz6KCW25JUACidnIOgeDVScL2/s320/pink+roses.jpg\") \n\nA lady in Akka told this story about ‘Abdu’l-Baha and her\nlittle daughter: \n\n
\n\nThe Master came to visit her child when she was sick. With\nHim He brought two pink roses which He gave to the little one, and then turning\nto the lady He said in His musical voice so full of love: \"You must be\npatient\". \n\n
\n\nThat evening the child passed away. When the mother asked ‘Abdu'l-Baha\nthe reason, He said: \"There is a Garden of God; human beings are trees\ngrowing that Garden. Our heavenly Father is the Gardener. When the Gardener\nsees a little tree in a place which is small for its development, He prepares a\nsuitable and more beautiful place where it may grow and bear fruits. Then He\ntransplants that little tree. The other trees are surprised and say. 'This was\na lovely tree. Why did the Gardener uproot it?' Only the Divine Gardener knows the\nreason. \n\n
\n\n\"You are weeping, but if you could see the beauty of\nthe place where your child is, you would no longer be sad. She is now free,\nlike a bird, and she is chanting divine, happy melodies. \"If you could see\nthat Sacred Garden yourself, you would not be content to remain here on earth. Yet,\nthis is where your duty lies.\" \n\n(Adapted from 'The\nChosen Highway by Lady Blomfield; ‘Varqa Children Magazine’, vol. 1, no, 2,\nMay-June 1981) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/01/two-pink-roses-for-little-girl.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/01/two-pink-roses-for-little-girl.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Waiting for the Master",
"slug": "bsfc-waiting-for-the-master",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirC8wMvUcnUfg9j97RzXk86hjKCx9WpXwk7RN8KIOuhr8P2TEN5dbJDKf52b8L41CzCuWY6USlYrPwyLNmTD7myQ2hl3J9Jb17zsD1PI8q_9OJelBrKFd9SorVD66fDJWR8SDkTc846VW1/s200/Abdu%2527l-Baha+Adrianople.jpg\") \n\nOne day, behind the hot stone walls of the prison city of 'Akká, Bahá'u'lláh said,\n\"I have not gazed on verdure for nine years.\" It had been nine years since He had rested His eyes on green and growing\nthings. 'Abdu'l-Baha knew how much His Father longed for the countryside. He\nwas determined to gain for Him His heart's desire. \n\n
\n\nFirst, it seemed\nimpossible to get permission for a prisoner to leave the city. However, Bahá'u'lláh\nhad lived among the inhabitants of 'Akká for nine years. He had already won them\nover with His love and good will. Even the governor, longed to see Bahá'u'lláh happy\nand comfortable. Eventually, he said that Baha'u'liah was free to pass beyond the\nprison walls whenever He wished. He could find a home in the countryside nearby. \n\n
\n\nThe best wishes of the people of' Aká were in hand. 'Abdu'l-Bahá\nset to work immediately to find a suitable place. First. He was able to arrange\nfor the Blessed Beauty to live at Mazra'ih, a lovely home surrounded by vegetable\ngardens and orange groves. But by 1879, two years later, that beautiful house was\nno longer big enough. Bahá'u'lláh’s family was large, and there were many\npilgrims. 'Abdu'l-Bahá set out to find a bigger home. He discovered Bahjí, the beautiful\npalace that Bahá'u'lláh called the Lofty Mansion. At Bahjí, Bahá'u'lláh met\nwith the believers and revealed His Writings. ‘Abdu'l-Bahá continued to live in\n'Akktá. There He met with the many city officials and countless other people. He\nmade sure that no one interfered with His Father's Revelation. No one was allowed\nto disrupt His peace and comfort. 'Abdu'l-Bahá was ever His Father's Shield.\nBahá'u'lláh often said,\"It is the Master who is able to endure all of these\ndemands and still see to the comfort of the believers.\" \n\n \nBahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá were often separated by the miles\nbetween 'Akká and Bahjí and Their many tasks. But nothing could interfere with\nthe love between the Lord of the Age and His eldest Son. Mirzá Mahmud had been with\nBahá'u'lláh for many years. He knew about this love. He wrote in his diary: \"Many\na time I was in the presence of Bahá'u'lláh when the Master was also present. Because\nof His presence, Bahá'u'lláh would be filled with the utmost joy and gladness. One\ncould see His blessed countenance beaming with delight.. so lovingly that no words\ncould describe it…\"
\n\n
\n\nOne day Bahá'u'lláh made plans to visit the Garden of Junaynih\non the plain north of ‘Akká. All the pilgrims and the Baha'is living at Bahjí were\ninvited to go along. Naturally, they rushed to accept the invitation. A picnic in\nthe garden in the presence of the Blessed Beauty was the greatest of all delights. \n\n
\n\nAt dawn, the pilgrims faced the room where Bahá'u'lláh waited.\nThey began their prayers and devotions. At sunrise they gathered outside the gate\nof the Mansion. Within the hour, His steps could be heard on the stairs. At\nonce He appeared, blessing them with the gift of His presence. \n\n
\n\nA gentle white donkey earned the Lord of the Age along the road\nto the garden, while His followers walked beside Him. Hájí Khávar was a tall man.\nThus he won the privilege of holding the umbrella over the Blessed Beauty, This\nway he could protect Him from the savage desert sun. \n\n
\n\nEven the heat of the desert sun can be defeated under the trees\nin a garden planted for the love of Cod. Here the air was fresh. Birdsongs and\nthe perfume of flowers rode the air currents. The music of flowing water could also\nbe heard. Soon the lovely picnic was spread before the believers. Soon the Heavenly\nWords poured into their hearts. \n\n
\n\nBut something was missing. Something more was needed to complete\ntheir perfect day. They watched and waited. Suddenly the Blessed Beauty stopped\nHis words. He turned towards the plain of 'Akká. \"The Master,\" He\nsaid. \"The Master is coming. Go and welcome Him. Hasten. Hasten to attend Him.\" \n\n
\n\nThe pilgrims scrambled to obey. Sure enough, they saw Him walking,\nwalking the road from ‘Akká to His Father. 'Abdu'l-Bahá refused to ride into\nthe presence of the King of Kings. Strongly and steadily He approached. He was\ntall and straight as an arrow. His shoulders were broad and powerful. In a moment\nHe was upon them, greeting the pilgrims. He clasped their hands in His. He smiled\nwarmly upon them. Always, always, He continued His forward movement along the path\nto His Beloved. \n\n
\n\nOnce in His Father's presence, He bowed His beautiful head.\nHis deep blue eyes blazed with a fierce love, a complete understanding, an unbounded\njoy. \n\n
\n\n\"Now,\" said the Blessed Beauty. \"Now this garden\nhas become truly most delightful.\" \n\n(by Jean Gould; Core Curriculum for\nSpiritual Education – Stories) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/07/waiting-for-master.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/07/waiting-for-master.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Warden of the Báb witnesses a miracle",
"slug": "bsfc-warden-of-the-bab-witnesses-a-miracle",
"summary": "
The Báb was a Prophet of God. He was sent by God to teach us\nhow to live, and so, He was perfect. Are we perfect? We all know that children\nand even moms and dads are not perfect and we sometimes make mistakes. God sent\nus the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh so that we could learn to be better and better. Here\nis an example of one such case:\n\nOne time, God showed a man named 'Ali Khan a miracle. A\nmiracle is something very wonderful that happens, but we can't understand how\nit happens. This miracle proved to ‘Ali Khan that the Báb was God's Prophet.\nThis was a sign of God's love for 'Ali Khan. \n\nAt this time the Báb was in a terrible prison up in the\nmountains far from His home. His warden, the man who takes care of the prison,\nwas this 'Ali Khan. He wouldn't let anyone come and see the Báb. This was a sad\nthing because so many people loved the Báb and they couldn't speak to Him or\nknow if He was well. The Báb had only His secretary with Him, who would write\ndown the Báb's precious Words as He spoke, and the secretary's brother who\nwould buy things in the town. \n\nThere was a man who, because he loved the Báb very much, was\ncalled a Bábí. This man had traveled a long way just to see the Báb, but when\nhe got to the town near the prison the warden wouldn't let him see the Báb. Not\nonly that, he wouldn't let him sleep in the town. But this Bábí wouldn't give\nup. He wanted to see the Báb so much he stayed by the town and slept outside\nthe gates. \n\nThe Báb knew about this Bábí. One day He told His secretary\nthat the next day this Bábí would come into the prison to see them. His\nsecretary was very surprised. How could he come into the prison? The warden\nwouldn't let anyone come in to see them! \n\nThe next morning very early, the warden 'Ali Khan was riding\nhis horse outside of the prison. All of a sudden he saw the Báb standing\noutside by the river saying prayers. How did the Báb get out of the prison? He\nwas very angry and he rode straight up to the Báb to ask Him how He got out and\nto make Him get back in. \n\nBut when he came near the Báb his heart was touched, he\ncould feel that the Báb was very close to God in His prayers. Perhaps you know\nthat when God's Prophet prays everyone near Him can feel these wonderful\nprayers in his heart. When the warden felt the power of these prayers he was\nafraid. He left the Báb alone and rode his horse very quickly to the prison. He\nwas angry with the guards and he was going to ask them why they let the Báb\nout. \n\nWhen he got to the prison door he saw that it was shut\ntight. When he yelled at the guards they were surprised; they said that no one\nhad come out and that the Báb was still in His room. \n\nThe warden walked the long way to the Báb's room. All of the\nguards he met said that no one had come out. Finally he opened the door to the\nBáb's room and what did he find there? He found the Báb sitting quietly in His\nchair waiting for him. warden wondered, how could the Báb be in His room and\noutside at the same time? \n\nThe warden, 'Ali Khan, got on his knees before the Bá. He\nknew that this was a miracle from God and this was a special Prisoner. \n\nHe told the Báb how sorry he was that he had made His life\ndifficult. From now on he would change and would do anything He, the Báb,\nwanted. 'Ali Khan now remembered the Bábí he had chased out of town. He got up\nand went as fast as he could. He brought this Bábí who had been sleeping outside\nof town to the Báb he loved so dearly. \n\nIt was a happy time. From then on the warden would do\nanything he could to help the Báb. Sometimes he would come and bring Him sweet\nthings, or just listen to the wonderful voice of the Prophet of God. Don't you\nwish we were be able to listen to this Voice, to be near Him to feel His\nprayers in our hearts? (by Susan Allen, The Brilliant Star magazine, Jan-Feb.\n1985)
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2021/10/warden-of-bab-witnesses-miracle.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2021/10/warden-of-bab-witnesses-miracle.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "What Is the Color of Love?",
"slug": "bsfc-what-is-the-color-of-love",
"summary": "
Some say that love is the color of a rose - a beautiful,\ndeep-pink rose. Shall I tell you why?\n\nThere was once a little boy named Tommy. Tommy was not a\nbig, strong, handsome boy. He was very thin. His family was very poor. So Tommy\noften went to bed hungry because there wasn't enough to eat. \n\nHe had rather colorless pale hair and a very pale face. But\nhe did have a lovely smile that showed in his eyes as well as on his lips.\nEverybody liked Tommy because of that lovely, smiling way of his when he talked\nand played with his friends. \n\nHis teacher liked him, too. She always had a kind word for\nhim. Often she asked him to stay after school for a little treat of some kind\nin the way of a cookie, or an orange. She hoped it would build him up a bit. \n\nTommy loved his teacher very much. He wished he could give\nher something to show his love. But he had no money to buy a gift. What was he\nto do? \n\nHe began thinking very hard. These are the thoughts he had: \n\n\"Love makes me feel happy. It makes me want to do\nsomething nice, to give something nice to the one I love. Love is a warm\nfeeling about someone. \n\n\"Warmth makes me think of a fire on the hearth. Fire is\na warm, happy, rosy glow.\" \n\nAnd that's how Tommy began to think about a rose for the\nteacher he loved! \n\nBut how and where to get one was something else. At that\npoint he remembered what his mother had once told him. She had said, \"God\nloves all of his creatures. Even the littlest bird is important to Him.\" \n\nAnd that's how Tommy remembered to ask God to help him! \n\nThe next morning he got up early. After eating the little\nbowl of warm cereal his mother had ready for him, he started out sure that\nsomething special was about to happen. There was a chill in the air and he\nshivered. He noticed how the leaves were beginning to fall from the trees.\nWinter was on its way. \n\nHe was about to pass a little, yellow house when he noticed\nan old lady standing at the door. She was looking at all the leaves as they\nfell on her walk and shaking her head. \n\nTommy marched right over to her and said, smiling,\n\"Good morning - would you like to have me rake the leaves from your\nwalk?\" \n\n\"Why, thank you so much. That would be so kind of you\nand such a help to me. I'll be glad to pay you for it.\" \n\nTommy set to work. The walk ran around to the back of the\nhouse. When he had finished, he looked at the pretty garden in the back yard.\nWhat do you think he saw? A big bush of deep-pink roses! \n\nTommy was very excited. He knocked at the back door. The\nlady opened it right away and held out a shiny coin and said, \"You did a\nfine job - thank you, my little friend.\" \n\nTommy said, \"Thanks just the same, but would you please\ngive me one of your beautiful roses instead?\" \n\nThe old lady smiled at him and then went over to the bush\nand cut three of the long stemmed, lovely, pink roses. She insisted that he\ntake the coin, too. Tommy's smile and good manners had made her like him very\nmuch. \n\nThe teacher exclaimed with pleasure when Tommy gave her the\nroses. \"These are the loveliest, pink roses I've ever seen! Thank you,\nthank you! \n\nShe put them in a vase of water and all day she and Tommy\nand all the children enjoyed their beauty. The whole room was filled with their\nfragrance. It was the fragrance of love. \n\nTommy says that the color of love is a beautiful, deep pink. \n\n(by Roslyn Lightblau; ‘The Child’s way” magazine, no. 87,\nMay-June 1963)
\n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2021/04/what-is-color-of-love_22.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2021/04/what-is-color-of-love_22.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When Gran’pa was a tramp",
"slug": "bsfc-when-gran-pa-was-a-tramp",
"summary": " \n![](\"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjax6ecybP8YJzpBif4UMps2K-jZuJbXQ4S9PYS5ale21saI_54liM_y2XNoCR4DczSqNnS0P_bvSX6MwXUj_HO1lmRislsg22Cx7cf_kRyOT3qWd34gOYzrGE3b3IL89VLr820f28WnmHQ/s1600/kids-1.jpg\") George lay awake in bed for a long time. He was thinking\nabout the story Gran'ma had told him and his elder sister Ann. The evening had\nbeen exciting. Gran'ma had told them about the days when 'Abdu'l-Baha had\nvisited England. He had felt proud when Gran'ma told them that Gran'pa had met\n'Abdu'l-Baha. But his mouth was left gaping wide open with wonder when they\nwere told that at that time Gran'pa was a tramp. \n\n
\n\n'Gran'pa a tramp?!' He still couldn't believe it. \n\n
\n\nHe turned and whispered, \"Ann . . . do you think Gran'pa was really a tramp!' \n\n
\n\nHalf asleep, she mumbled, \"Oh, go to sleep George and\nGran'ma doesn't tell tall tales like you do.\" \n\n
\n\nGran'pa would call him 'little tramp' whenever he returned home\nfrom school shuffling along the dirt path bent under the weight of his school\nbag and covered from head to toe in dust. \n\n
\n\nGeorge tried to picture Gran'pa as a tramp. An old hat much\ntoo small resting on a clump of overgrown hair. An unwashed face lost in a\ndense growth of beard. An over- sized coat multi-coloured by the numerous\npatches on it. Discoloured trousers held-up by a piece of string, baggy at the\nknees and short at the ankles. Oversized boots stiff with age, which had lost\ntheir identity beneath successive layers of mud. The picture was complete and\nthe tramp began to walk with a shuffling gait, the shoulders bent under an\nunseen weight. \n\n\nBut George couldn't somehow place his Gran'pa in it. He\nwould wait for morning to ask Gran'pa. Gran'pa was already out in the fields,\nhard at work, when they left for school. When they returned home he was dozing\nin his armchair on the porch. The newspaper he had been reading had fallen\nacross his face. Ann and George smiled at each other mischievously. They crept\nup to him and as George shouted in his ear, Ann began to tickle him. Poor\nGran'pa was jolted right out of his chair. \n\n \n
\n\"Why you little tramp!\" He cried out after George.
\n\n
\n\nAs soon as he could stop laughing, George said,\n\"Gran'ma says you were a tramp Gran'pa.\" \n\n
\n\n\"Who dares to call me tramp!\" he thundered in mock\nanger. \n\n
\n\nAnn began to explain: \"Gran'ma said that when you met\n'Abdu'l-Baha. . .\" \n\n
\n\n\"Oh!\" laughed Gran'pa, \"So she's let out our\nlittle secret has she? Come here, climb onto my lap and I will tell you the\nstory of my life.\" \n\n
\n\nGran'pa remained silent, lost in his thoughts for a while. A\npeaceful smile stretching across his rugged face formed two plump red mounds at\neach end. \n\n
\n\nHe began. \"It was a long, long time ago. I had a\nrespectable family. My father was a country preacher and I had the advantage of\ngoing to a good school when most other kids on the farms didn't receive any\neducation. I had a good life and I grew up into a young man. Then I drifted\naway. I became a tramp. \n\n
\n\n\"Why Gran'pa?\" inquired George. \n\n
\n\n\"Oh, that's not important,\" replied Gran'pa.\n\"I became homeless. Without a purpose, I wandered here and there\naimlessly. At nights I slept on the banks of the Thames River. My life was\nwithout meaning because I did no work. I lazed my days away in sloth and\nidleness, and lived on the charity of others. Even though I had received a good\neducation I made my life worthless. Sometimes I remembered my dear father. He\nwalked from village to village and farm to farm telling people and reminding\nthem about God and his laws. He wished to improve the lives of his fellowmen.\nThis was his service to them and his way of worshipping God. I also thought of\nthe farmers. They toiled and laboured in the fields come what may and they were\nrewarded by rich harvests which benefitted others as well. This was their\nservice to humanity. Then I looked at myself. My life was useless both to God\nand to man. One night I decided to put an end to my useless life. \n\n
\n\nI was walking beside the river, taking, what I thought was\ngoing to be my last walk, when I passed by a newspaper shop and saw 'a Face' in\nthe window. \n\n
\n\nA newspaper displayed in the window carried the photograph\nof 'Abdu'l-Baha. I didn't know who He was. But He seemed to speak to me and\ncall me to Him! I bought the newspaper with the few pennies remaining in my\npocket and read it to find out about Him. The newspaper said He was staying in\nLondon and gave His address. Then and there I made up my mind to seek His\npresence, come what may. \n\n
\n\nLondon was far and I had no money for the fare, so the next\nday I began to walk. It was as though 'the Face' had set my whole being on\nfire. I was filled with an excitement that quickened my pace. 'In Him lies the\npurpose ofmy life,' I thought to myself. But I had my doubts as well. I\nwondered if He would see me. A worthless being such as me. Yet I walked as\nthough drawn towards that city by an unseen force. \n\n
\n\nI went straight to the house where 'Abdu'l-Baha was staying\nand knocked on the door. I asked the servant, \"Is the lady of the house\ninside?\" The lady heard me and came to the doer. \"Are you the hostess\nof ' Abdu'l-Baha?\" I asked. \n\n
\n\n\"Yes. Do you wish to see him? \", she said. \n\n
\n\nI replied, \"I have walked thirty miles for that\npurpose.\" \n\n
\n\nThe kind lady asked me to come in and rest. She offered me\nfood and I told her all about myself and my intention to end my useless life.\n\"But when I saw His face in the window, I said to myself, 'If such a\nperson really lives on this earth, I shall change my mind and begin to live my\nlife again.' \n\n
\n\n\"I told her, \"I have come here to find Him. Is He\nhere? Will He see me? Even me?\" \n\n
\n\n\"Of course He will see you,\" she said. \"Come\nto Him.\" When the lady knocked on 'Abdu'l-Baha's door, He Himself opened\nthe door and held out His hands as though to a dear friend whom He was\nexpecting! \n\n
\n\n\"Welcome! Most welcome!\" He said to me. \"I am very much pleased that thou has\ncome. Be seated.\" \n\n
\n\nNo body had ever before treated me with such love and\nrespect. I sank into a low chair by my Master's feet. I was trembling so hard\nthat I was not able to say even one word. \n\n
\n\n\"Be happy. Be happy!\" said 'Abdu'l-Baha, holding\none of my hands and tenderly stroking my bowed head. \n\n
\n\n'Abdu'l-Baha smiled that wonderful smile of love and\nunderstanding and continued, \"Do not be filled with grief when humiliation\novertakes you. The bounty and power of God is without limit for each and every\nsoul in the world. Seek for spiritual joy and knowledge. Then, although you\nwalk upon this earth, you will be living in the spiritual world. Even if you\nare poor you will be rich in the Kingdom of God.\" \n\n
\n\n'Abdu'l-Baha continued speaking to me such words of kindness\nand, little by little, my cloud of misery seemed to melt away in the warmth of\nthe Master's loving presence. \n\n
\n\nMy life now had a definite purpose. I knew now that I could\nstand straight and step out firmly into a new world. I had to tear myself away\nfrom the beloved Master whose presence had given me a new life. I turned to the\nlady and said, \"Please write down His words for me. I have received all I\nexpected and even more.\" \n\n
\n\n\"And now what are you going to do?\" the lady asked\nme. \n\n
\n\nI replied, \"I am\ngoing to work in the fields. I can earn what I need for my simple wants.\nWhen I have saved enough I shall take a little bit of land, build a tiny hut on\nit in which to live, then I shall grow violets for the flower market. As He\nsays, 'Poverty is unimportant, work is worship!\" \n\n
\n\nI was determined to work hard from then onwards. I decided\nto work hard so that I could help myself and serve others and not be a burden\nto anyone. This would be my way of worshipping God.\" \n\n
\n\nAnn and George looked proudly at their Gran'pa. \"You\nsee all this land,\" he said sweeping his hand across the farm. \"I\nbought and developed it with my own hard work and the blessing of\n'Abdu'l-Baha,\" \n\n(by A, Baram, based on a story from 'Stories About 'Abdu'l-Baha; Varqa magazine,\nJanuary 1982, vol.1, no.2) \n\n*Source: Baha'i Stories for Children ([https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/03/when-granpa-was-tramp.html](https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/03/when-granpa-was-tramp.html)).*\n"
},
{
"title": "But it was not the same with Thornton Chase",
"slug": "but-it-was-not-the-same-with-thornton-bs0",
"summary": "But it was not the same with Thornton Chase. That great man, who had been a captain in the Civil War, a student at Brown University, and later Superintendent of Agencies for the Union Mutual Life Company, and was 'the first to embrace the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mishkín-Qalam",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Thornton Chase"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"archives"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/archives"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nBut it was not the same with Thornton Chase. That great man, who had been a captain in the Civil War, a student at Brown University, and later Superintendent of Agencies for the Union Mutual Life Company, and was 'the first to embrace the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh in the Western world'--felt that the Bahá’ís, himself included, were not worthy of the Master's visit. 'John, don't you think it's too soon? The Bahá’ís aren't ready.' 'Well, I'm ready for Him,' said John. As the Master reached San Francisco, down in Los Angeles Thornton Chase died. 'It was too much for him,' John told me. All Thornton Chase's Bahá’í papers and books, and five or six calligraphies by Mishkin-Qalam, were willed to John. Mr. Chase had sent on most of his Tablets to the Chicago archives, but John received about ten of them in a tin box. Mrs. Chase burned some fifteen hundred of her husband's letters (not Tablets) before John could get to Los Angeles.\n\n\n*Source: Marzieh Gail, Dawn Over Mount Hira, p. 206*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/archives) (Subject: archives).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Two Mirrors: 'Abdu'l-Bahá on Receiving the Light of God",
"slug": "bwf-mirror-and-the-dust",
"summary": "In Bahá'í World Faith, a short passage of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's writings sets out one of His characteristic teachings: the same sun shines on every object, but the mirror that has been polished receives the light, and the mirror that is dusty does not. Spiritual receptivity, the Master insists, is a matter of the inward instrument we have made ourselves.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"inner-life",
"receptivity"
],
"virtues": [
"purity",
"humility",
"reverence"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-world-faith",
"book": "Bahá'í World Faith",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1943,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19239"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *Bahá'í World Faith,* the 1943 American compilation of\nselections from the writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Bahá'u'lláh, a\nshort paragraph from the Master's Tablets sets out one of His\nmost often-repeated images.\n\n> The light of the sun becomes apparent in each object according\n> to the capacity of that object … One heart may possess the\n> capacity of the polished mirror; another be covered and\n> obscured by the dust and dross of this world.\n\nThe image was not new with 'Abdu'l-Bahá. It had been used by the\nSufis of the great mystical tradition; it had been used by\nBahá'u'lláh in His own Hidden Words and Tablets. But in the\nhands of the Master it was given a particular and practical\nedge.\n\nThe teaching is exact. The sun does not differ. It sends out the\nsame light upon every object that lies under its rays. The\nmountain receives that light, and so does the dunghill, and so\ndoes the polished bronze mirror, and so does the dusty looking\nglass at the back of the shop. The light is constant. What\ndiffers — and what determines whether the light becomes *visible*\nin a given object — is the surface presented to it.\n\nA heart, the Master continues, is in this respect a mirror. If\nit has been polished — if the small daily dust of self-interest,\nof envy, of vanity, of resentment has been cleaned from its\nsurface — then the spiritual light that flows continuously from\nthe divine source is reflected back into the world brightly,\nunmistakably, helpfully. Visitors to that heart are warmed. The\nwork that comes out of it carries its own little radiance.\n\nIf on the other hand the mirror has been left to gather dust —\nif the surface has not been kept up by the small disciplines of\nprayer and obligation and self-examination — then the same light\nshines on it as on every other heart, and is met by no surface\nthat can return it. The light is not absent. The receiving\ninstrument has merely failed.\n\nThe conclusion 'Abdu'l-Bahá draws is twofold. The first is\nhopeful: spiritual capacity is not finally a matter of birth, of\nclass, of circumstance, of formal education. It is a matter of\nthe polishing the soul has undertaken. Anyone who is willing to\ndo the work can, by daily attention, become a receiver of the\ndivine light.\n\nThe second is sobering: the work cannot be skipped. The friend\nwho lets the mirror grow dusty cannot honestly complain that the\nsun no longer warms the room. The sun has not moved. The\nremedy is in the hand that holds the cloth.\n\nThe image, in *Bahá'í World Faith,* sits among many of the\nMaster's other teachings on receptivity. But it is one of the\nclearest. The sun. The mirror. The dust. Three words. The whole\ninward life of a believer is set out in them.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, in Bahá'í World Faith (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1943). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19239.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Seed and Tree: 'Abdu'l-Bahá on Latent Capacity",
"slug": "bwf-seed-and-the-tree",
"summary": "In Bahá'í World Faith, 'Abdu'l-Bahá uses the simple image of a seed unfolding into a tree, and the tree producing seeds that will become more trees, to teach that each human being carries within itself the same potential of multiplication — capable of becoming, in due time, a source of life to many.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"themes": [
"growth",
"teaching",
"potential"
],
"virtues": [
"vision",
"service",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-world-faith",
"book": "Bahá'í World Faith",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1943,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19239"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *Bahá'í World Faith,* the 1943 American compilation of\nselections from the Bahá'í writings, 'Abdu'l-Bahá uses the\nsimplest of garden images to teach one of His most encouraging\ndoctrines.\n\n> Consider; we plant a seed. A complete and perfect tree appears\n> from it, and from each seed of this tree another tree can be\n> produced … each one of us may become expressive or\n> representative of all the bounties of life to mankind.\n\nThe image is one any child can follow. A small dry seed is\nplaced in soil. It does not look, on the day of its planting,\nlike much. The years of growth begin slowly: a sprout, a sapling,\na young tree, a mature tree. Each year the tree gives more — a\nlittle shade, a few flowers, the first small fruit, then full\ncrops of fruit. Inside each fruit are seeds. Each of those seeds\ncan become the same kind of tree.\n\nThe arithmetic is generous. One seed, planted, becomes one tree.\nThat tree produces, over the years of its life, hundreds or\nthousands of seeds. Each of those seeds, if planted, becomes\nanother tree. After several generations, a single original\nplanting has produced a forest.\n\nThe Master's application is direct. Each one of us, He says, is\nin the same position as that first seed. *Each one of us may\nbecome expressive or representative of all the bounties of life\nto mankind.* The capacity is in us already. What is required is\nthe planting — the placement of the soul into the kind of soil\nwhere it can grow. Prayer is part of that soil. Service is part\nof it. Study of the Word is part of it. Companionship with other\nseekers is part of it. Slow and patient inward effort over many\nyears is the rest.\n\nThe teaching cuts against two tempting errors. The first is to\nimagine that what one is now is what one will always be. The\nseed does not look like a tree, but it is, in its capacity, a\ntree. The second is to imagine that growth is for somebody else\n— for the obviously gifted, for the apparently chosen, for the\nvisible saints. The Master will not allow that division. *Each\none of us* — the modest, the obscure, the late-arriving, the\nconvinced of one's own smallness — has been given the same kind\nof seed. The fruit, in time, can be the same.\n\nThe Bahá'í community has, over a century of small individual\nplantings, become a forest of which the original seeds — Tihrán,\nShíráz, Baghdád, 'Akká — could not have dreamed in detail. The\narithmetic the Master sketched in this short Tablet is the\nquiet mathematics that has carried the Faith into every nation.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, in Bahá'í World Faith (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1943). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19239.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Sick Must Not Be Neglected: 'Abdu'l-Bahá on Compassion",
"slug": "bwf-sick-child-not-neglected",
"summary": "In a passage preserved in Bahá'í World Faith, 'Abdu'l-Bahá lays out a short, plain principle: the sick are not to be neglected because they are ill, the child is not to be censured because it is undeveloped. Healing and patient training are the first responses; judgment is not.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"themes": [
"compassion",
"teaching",
"children",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"patience",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-world-faith",
"book": "Bahá'í World Faith",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1943,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19239"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *Bahá'í World Faith,* the 1943 American compilation, a short\npassage of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's writings places before the friends a\nplain test of their character: how do they treat those who, by\nsickness or by immaturity, cannot at present meet the standard\nthey would themselves wish?\n\n> The sick must not be neglected because they are ailing — nay,\n> rather, we must have compassion upon them and bring them\n> healing.\n\nThe first sentence is bracingly clear. The patient is not a\nnuisance whose presence is to be tolerated until the patient\neither recovers or dies. The patient is the work itself. The\nBahá'í response to illness is not avoidance, not censure for\nhaving become ill, not the implicit suggestion that better\nhygiene or better discipline would have prevented the situation.\nThe Bahá'í response is to come close, to find what healing the\ncase admits of, and to apply it.\n\nThe Master then makes the comparison to children.\n\n> The child must not be oppressed or censured because it is\n> undeveloped; it must be patiently trained.\n\nThe principle is the same in a different setting. A child is, by\ndefinition, not yet what the adult has the right to expect of an\nadult. The child reasons less well, controls itself less well,\nforgets, repeats mistakes, makes a mess. The temptation, in\nmany a household, is to react to the child as if it were already\nthe adult that has not yet developed — to scold, to shame, to\nwithdraw approval until the child somehow learns. The Master\nrejects the entire posture. The child is not to be censured\nbecause it is *a child*. The work is not censure but training,\nand training that is *patient* — that adjusts itself to where\nthe child actually is, that allows for the slow accumulation of\nsmall lessons, that does not punish the child for the very\nincompleteness it was born into.\n\nThe principle, taken together, sketches the larger ethic. There\nis in every gathering — every family, every workplace, every\nspiritual community — at any given moment, a soul who is by\nsome measure not yet equal to the standard the gathering would\nideally hold. That soul may be physically sick. That soul may be\nspiritually immature. That soul may be only tired or sad or\noverwhelmed. The Master's instruction is the same in every case:\ndo not neglect, do not censure. *Have compassion. Bring healing.\nTrain patiently.*\n\nThe teaching is small in its words. It is enormously large in\nits consequence. Almost every quarrel that breaks a family or a\ncommunity can be traced back, in some form, to the failure to\nextend the patient response to the soul who needed it. *Bahá'í\nWorld Faith,* in placing this passage among its selections, was\nquietly handing the friends an instrument by which their daily\nrelations could be measured — and, where necessary, set right.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, in Bahá'í World Faith (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1943). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19239.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Certain of those who thronged to see the Master, having travelled from far…",
"slug": "certain-of-those-who-thronged-to-see-the-bs7",
"summary": "Certain of those who thronged to see the Master, having travelled from far countries, were naturally anxious to spend every possible moment with Him, Whose deeds and words appealed to them as ever-filled with grace and love. Therefore it…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"hospitality",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nCertain of those who thronged to see the Master, having travelled from far countries, were naturally anxious to spend every possible moment with Him, Whose deeds and words appealed to them as ever-filled with grace and love. Therefore it came about that day after day, whilst the Master was teaching, the luncheon gong would sound, and those who remained would be invited to sit at food with Him. We grew to expect that there would be nineteen guests at table, so often did this number recur. These were much-prized times; ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would continue the interrupted discourse, or tell some anecdote, often humorous, meanwhile frequently serving the guests with His own hands, offering sweets, or choosing various fruits to distribute to the friends.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Marriage of Ásíyih Khánum",
"slug": "ch-asiyih-marriage-to-bahaullah",
"summary": "In *The Chosen Highway* Lady Blomfield records the recollection of how, in the late 1830s, the young Ásíyih Khánum — daughter of a Persian noble and rare beauty of her age — was married to the young Mírzá Ḥusayn-ʿAlí, and how the household of Núr received its new bride with quiet ceremony.",
"figures": [
"Ásíyih Khánum",
"Bahíyyih Khánum",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Tihrán",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"marriage",
"holy-family",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"simplicity",
"devotion"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "the-chosen-highway",
"book": "The Chosen Highway",
"author": "Lady Blomfield",
"year": 1940,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Chosen Highway* Lady Sara Louisa Blomfield gathers,\nfrom the Greatest Holy Leaf and from Munírih Khánum, the\nrecollections of the Holy Family that would otherwise have been\nlost when the last of those generations passed away. One of the\nearliest such recollections concerns the marriage of Ásíyih\nKhánum — the lady who would become the first wife of\nBahá'u'lláh and the mother of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Bahíyyih Khánum.\n\nÁsíyih Khánum belonged to a noble Persian family of high rank.\nShe had grown up in Tihrán in considerable affluence — fine\nclothes, jewels, a household of servants, the customs of the\ncourt. She was, by the testimony of those who had known her in\nyouth, of remarkable beauty.\n\n> So beautiful was she that she was called the Daughter of the\n> Beautiful.\n\nThe marriage to the young Mírzá Ḥusayn-ʿAlí — who would later\ndeclare His station as the Manifestation of God known to the\nworld as Bahá’u’lláh — was arranged in the manner customary to\ntheir station. The two families, both prominent in Tihrán\nsociety, had known one another for many years. The bride was\nintroduced to the bridegroom only after the contracts had been\nexchanged.\n\nThe wedding itself, the recollection records, was held with the\nquiet courtesies of the Persian noble tradition. Ásíyih Khánum\nbrought with her a household of women, the customary trousseau,\nand the small jewels her family had laid up for her. None of\nthe wealth would, in later years, prove finally relevant. The\nimprisonments and exiles that lay ahead would, in time, strip\nthe household of all of it.\n\nWhat she brought that did matter, the recollection insists, was\nherself. She entered the marriage with the disciplined courtesy\nof her upbringing and with the patience that the difficult years\nwould shortly demand of her. She did not know, at the time of\nher wedding, that her husband would soon be charged with a\nworldwide Cause; that she herself would be exiled across half a\ncontinent; that she would lose her young son Mírzá Mihdí to a\nfall from a roof in ‘Akká; that she would become the mother of\nthe Master.\n\nLady Blomfield writes of her, looking back across the long arc\nof her life, with the quietness due her stature:\n\n> Of all the wives of all the men of His station, she was the\n> one chosen.\n\nThe marriage that began in the great houses of Tihrán would end\nin the small house of ‘Akká. The dowry of jewels would be sold,\npiece by piece, to feed the household. The dowry of person —\nthe patient, beautiful, courteous, faithful person of Ásíyih\nKhánum — would carry the household through every subsequent\nstorm.\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway. Public domain; quotations preserved as Lady Blomfield set them down.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Her Eyes Charged with Memories: A Portrait of the Greatest Holy Leaf",
"slug": "ch-greatest-holy-leaf-eyes-of-memory",
"summary": "In *The Chosen Highway* Lady Blomfield gives a quiet description, written from her 1922 pilgrimage to Haifa, of the Greatest Holy Leaf in old age — a small bent figure in white, whose eyes, Lady Blomfield writes, were *charged with memories* of a Cause she had carried since the age of six.",
"figures": [
"Bahíyyih Khánum",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "formative",
"period": "Haifa",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.8156,
"lng": 34.9869,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"greatest-holy-leaf",
"holy-family",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"patience",
"service",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "the-chosen-highway",
"book": "The Chosen Highway",
"author": "Lady Blomfield",
"year": 1940,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Chosen Highway* Lady Blomfield includes a portrait of\nthe Greatest Holy Leaf as she found her in Haifa in the spring\nof 1922. The Master had passed only a few months before. The\nhousehold was in mourning. The young Shoghi Effendi had\nwithdrawn to Switzerland for the long retreat that the early\nGuardianship would require. The day-to-day affairs of the Cause,\nin the meantime, rested in the small bent woman in the\nupstairs room of the house on Persian Street.\n\nLady Blomfield, herself an aristocratic Englishwoman of warmth\nand stature, had come to Haifa to gather, for the volume that\nwould become *The Chosen Highway,* the family’s own first-hand\nrecollections of the early days. She found the Greatest Holy\nLeaf willing, at quiet moments of the afternoon, to speak.\n\nShe describes her physically with the care of one who knew that\nthis woman had been present in scenes very few others had\nwitnessed:\n\n> She was small, her white veil falling almost to the ground,\n> her eyes charged with memories. She did not speak until she\n> had thought a long time, and then she spoke quietly.\n\nBahíyyih Khánum had been six years old in 1852, when soldiers\nhad taken her father and stripped the household of its\npossessions. She had been seven on the road from Tihrán to\nBaghdád. She had been a young woman in the prison-city of\n‘Akká. She had been in middle age when her brother\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s ministry began. She had now, in her old age,\nseen the passing of that brother and was holding, by her own\nhand and Shoghi Effendi's, the affairs of the third generation\nof the Faith. The Cause she had begun to carry as a frightened\nchild in the plundered Tihrán house had grown, in the seventy\nyears since, into a worldwide movement. She had carried it\nwithout interruption.\n\nLady Blomfield records the long afternoons in the upper room.\nThe Greatest Holy Leaf would speak, in her quiet Persian, of\nevents Lady Blomfield could not have known. She would name\ncompanions long dead. She would describe rooms in Adrianople\nand Baghdád that no Western eye had ever seen. She would smile\nat small things her father had said in private. She would\nweep, occasionally, at the memory of her younger brother\nMírzá Mihdí’s death from the roof in ‘Akká. She would compose\nherself and continue.\n\n> When she had finished speaking, she would sit very still. The\n> light through the window of the upper room would lie quietly\n> on her white veil.\n\nThe chapter is, in form, a biographical interview. It is, in\nsubstance, a portrait of dignity. Lady Blomfield gives, in\nher brief description, what would not have been preserved\notherwise: the look in the face of a woman who had carried,\nacross an entire long life, a fidelity to one Cause that the\nyears had only deepened. Her eyes, as Lady Blomfield writes,\nwere charged with memories. They were also charged with the\nongoing work that, until her own passing in 1932, she would\nnot set down.\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway. Public domain; quotations preserved as Lady Blomfield set them down.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Journey from Tihrán to Baghdád, Winter 1853",
"slug": "ch-journey-tihran-to-baghdad",
"summary": "In *The Chosen Highway* the Greatest Holy Leaf recounts the bitter winter journey, in early 1853, by which the family was exiled from Tihrán to Baghdád — three months on horseback through deep snow, the children weeping with cold, and the small graves of those who did not survive the road.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Ásíyih Khánum",
"Bahíyyih Khánum",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Exile",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán to Baghdád",
"lat": 35,
"lng": 47,
"modernName": "Iran to Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"exile",
"holy-family",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"patience",
"endurance",
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-chosen-highway",
"book": "The Chosen Highway",
"author": "Lady Blomfield",
"year": 1940,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Chosen Highway* the Greatest Holy Leaf — Bahíyyih\nKhánum — gives Lady Blomfield her own first-hand recollection\nof the family’s exile from Tihrán to Baghdád in the winter of\n1852–1853.\n\nBahá'u'lláh had been released from the Síyáh-Chál in late 1852\non condition of immediate exile from Persia. The destination\nnamed was Iraq — the territory of the Ottoman Empire, beyond\nthe reach of the Persian government. He was not permitted time\nto recover, time to gather provisions, time to organise the\nchildren for the journey. The order was peremptory: leave at\nonce.\n\nThe household set out, the recollection records, in mid-winter.\nThe route ran westward across the high passes of Iran, through\nHamadán, Kirmánsháh, and the great snowfields of the western\nmountains. The journey would take, in the end, three months. It\nwas undertaken on horseback and on the backs of mules. There\nwere no carriages; the high passes did not permit them.\n\n> The snow was deep, the children cried with the cold, and the\n> road went on for three months.\n\nÁsíyih Khánum, the recollection preserves, had no proper winter\nclothing for the children; the Tihrán household had been\nsacked, and what little remained had not foreseen the demands\nof an immediate exile. She wrapped them in what she could —\nshawls, blankets borrowed at the last moment from the\nneighbours, the lining of her own coat. She held the youngest,\nMírzá Mihdí, in her own arms.\n\nThe young ‘Abdu’l-Bahá — eight years old — kept beside His\nfather on the road. He fell ill; He was made to ride on a\nmule’s pack-saddle when His own legs would not carry Him. The\nweather worsened. The road was, in places, almost impassable.\nBahíyyih Khánum recalled to Lady Blomfield that she remembered\nfalling asleep on the back of her mother’s horse; she would\nwake and find that they were still moving, in the same darkness,\nin the same snow.\n\nLady Blomfield does not, in her brief chapter, dwell on the\nsuffering. The Greatest Holy Leaf had not dwelt on it either.\nShe had told the story, she said, only because the next\ngeneration of Western Bahá'ís who came to ‘Akká must know what\nthe family had crossed in order to arrive there.\n\nThe party reached Baghdád in early April 1853. The household\nthat emerged from the road was not the household that had set\nout from Tihrán. The children were thinner; the parents were\nolder; the small luxuries of the Persian noble life were gone\nand would not return. What remained was the family, and the\nfaith for which the family had been made to walk, that had\nproved, on the road, sufficient.\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway. Public domain; quotations preserved as Lady Blomfield set them down.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Westminster Bells: The Master Walks in London, 1911",
"slug": "ch-master-in-london-1911-westminster",
"summary": "In *The Chosen Highway* Lady Blomfield records the days in September 1911 when 'Abdu'l-Bahá lodged in her own house at 97 Cadogan Gardens — and one September evening when the Master, hearing the bells of Westminster across the city, stepped out onto the balcony to listen.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "London",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, United Kingdom"
},
"themes": [
"master-in-london",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"reverence",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "the-chosen-highway",
"book": "The Chosen Highway",
"author": "Lady Blomfield",
"year": 1940,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Chosen Highway* Lady Sara Louisa Blomfield gives a\ncareful chapter to the September 1911 visit of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to\nLondon, the first journey of the Master to England. She had the\nprivilege of receiving Him in her own house at 97 Cadogan\nGardens, in the quiet residential district of Chelsea, for the\nweeks of His stay.\n\nShe records the rhythm of the household with the disciplined\nwarmth of one who knew that she was watching what would, in\ntime, be history. The Master rose early; He prayed; He took a\nsmall breakfast; He received visitors all morning; He often\nspoke to the great audiences of the City Temple or to the\ngatherings of women in the drawing-rooms of Mayfair in the\nafternoon; He returned at evening for further conversation in\nthe front room of Cadogan Gardens.\n\nIn one chapter she preserves an evening that the household\nitself preserved as one of the small marvels of His stay. The\nMaster had dined; He had received the day’s last visitors; He\nhad stepped out for the air on the small balcony that looked,\nacross the rooftops of west London, toward Westminster.\n\nThe bells of Westminster, that evening, were ringing for the\nhour. The peal carried, across the air of the autumn city, with\nthe thin clarity that the late-summer evenings in London\nsometimes give. The Master stood at the rail of the balcony\nand listened.\n\n> The bells of Westminster sounded across the city, and He stood\n> on the balcony to listen.\n\nHe turned, after the peal, to Lady Blomfield. The bells, He\nremarked, were beautiful. Their making, He said, had been the\nwork of devout men long ago who had wished to call the city to\nprayer. The city no longer kept the prayer in the way the\nmakers had imagined; the bells continued to ring nevertheless.\nHe listened to them, the recollection preserves Him as\nsaying, with the same reverence with which one might listen to\nthe *adhán* of a muezzin at the same hour in Damascus or in\nTihrán. The bells had not changed; the city had changed; the\nvoice of the bells continued to call.\n\nLady Blomfield writes the small scene with restraint. The\nMaster, in His month at Cadogan Gardens, would meet bishops,\nsuffragists, journalists, theosophists, members of the\naristocracy, and the poor of the East End. He would receive,\nin private interview, hundreds of inquirers. He would speak in\npublic from City Temple and from the pulpit of the Reverend\nWilberforce in Westminster.\n\nBut He had stood, that one evening, simply to listen to the\nbells of a Western city. The Cause He had brought, the chapter\nsuggests by its placing of the small scene, was the Cause that\nrecognised the prayer in every reverent sound — the bells of\nWestminster as well as the call of the muezzin, the chant of\nthe Gospel as well as the prayer of the Qur’án.\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway. Public domain; quotations preserved as Lady Blomfield set them down.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Among the Children of the East End",
"slug": "ch-master-in-london-east-end",
"summary": "In *The Chosen Highway* Lady Blomfield records an afternoon in September 1911 when 'Abdu'l-Bahá visited a poor district of east London — a settlement house among the dock-workers' families — and spoke to a hall of children who had never before heard a man speak as one of them.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "London",
"location": {
"name": "East End, London",
"lat": 51.5128,
"lng": -0.0566,
"modernName": "East End, London, United Kingdom"
},
"themes": [
"master-in-london",
"poverty",
"children",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"kindness",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "the-chosen-highway",
"book": "The Chosen Highway",
"author": "Lady Blomfield",
"year": 1940,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Chosen Highway* Lady Blomfield records an afternoon in\nSeptember 1911 when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, having spent the morning\nreceiving distinguished visitors at Cadogan Gardens, asked to\nbe taken across London to the poor district of the East End.\n\nThe Master had been informed, the chronicle preserves, of a\nsmall settlement house in one of the streets behind the docks\nthat took in the children of the dock-workers’ families for\nclasses after school. He had asked, with His characteristic\nattention to the lives of those without rank, whether He might\nvisit. The arrangements were made. He set off in a motor-car\nwith Lady Blomfield and a small interpreter.\n\nThe streets of the East End in 1911 were the streets of one of\nthe poorest districts in Europe. Children played barefoot in\nthe puddles. Laundry hung between the windows of the\ntenements. The air was thick with smoke from the river craft\nand the gas-works. The Master, the recollection records, took\nin everything as the car moved through the streets — looking\nout, naming what He saw to the interpreter, asking quiet\nquestions of His hostess about the wages of the men in the\nfactories and the cost of bread.\n\nThe settlement house had gathered, on word of His coming, every\nchild the rooms could hold. The hall was crowded with small\nfaces, many of them dirty, all of them curious. The Master was\nintroduced.\n\nHe spoke to them, the recollection preserves, with the same\ncareful courtesy with which He had spoken that morning to a\nMember of Parliament. He told them they were the flowers of\ntheir parents’ hearts. He told them they were the citizens of a\nnew century. He told them they were beautiful in the eyes of\nGod. He told them — through the interpreter, in the simple\nwords the small audience required — that the world they were\ninheriting must be a world of brotherhood, and that they\nthemselves would be the builders of that brotherhood.\n\nLady Blomfield records that one of the children — a small girl\nin a torn dress — came forward, after the talk, and offered the\nMaster a single bunch of violets she had been holding throughout\nin her closed hand. He took the flowers. He bent down. He\nkissed the top of her head. The hall, the recollection says,\nwas perfectly quiet.\n\n> The Master in His turban received the violets, and bent and\n> kissed the small head from which they had come.\n\nThe drive back across the city was made in something close to\nsilence. Lady Blomfield closes the chapter without ornament. The\nMaster, her account suggests, had honoured the East End the\nafternoon He came to it; the East End would honour Him in its\nturn for as long as there were grandchildren of those\ndock-workers who would, in the next century, hear the story of\nthe man who had once come into their grandmothers’ classroom\nand named them the flowers of God.\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway. Public domain; quotations preserved as Lady Blomfield set them down.*\n"
},
{
"title": "St. John's Westminster: The Master in an English Pulpit",
"slug": "ch-master-in-london-st-johns-westminster",
"summary": "In *The Chosen Highway* Lady Blomfield records the Sunday evening, 17 September 1911, when 'Abdu'l-Bahá ascended for the first time the pulpit of an English church — St. John's Westminster, at the invitation of the Reverend Archdeacon Wilberforce — and addressed the great congregation that had filled the building to hear Him.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lady Blomfield",
"Archdeacon Wilberforce"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "London",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.4994,
"lng": -0.1244,
"modernName": "London, United Kingdom"
},
"themes": [
"master-in-london",
"interfaith",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"reverence",
"love",
"courage"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "the-chosen-highway",
"book": "The Chosen Highway",
"author": "Lady Blomfield",
"year": 1940,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Chosen Highway* Lady Blomfield records what she\nconsidered one of the most striking moments of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s\n1911 visit to England: the Sunday evening, 17 September, on\nwhich He spoke from the pulpit of St. John’s Westminster — a\nparish church of the Church of England in the heart of the\ncapital — at the invitation of its Rector, the Reverend\nArchdeacon Basil Wilberforce.\n\nWilberforce was a celebrated preacher, a man of considerable\nbreadth of religious sympathy, and a friend of Lady Blomfield’s.\nHe had heard of the Master’s arrival in London and had sought\nthe opportunity to introduce his congregation to the Persian\nvisitor whose teaching of universal love had, at that moment,\njust begun to be talked about in the religious press of\nEngland.\n\nThe church was full. The pews were crowded; people stood at\nthe back; many waited in the porches who could not be admitted.\nThe Reverend Wilberforce conducted the evening service in the\nordinary form. After the prayers, the recollection preserves,\nhe turned to the Master, who was seated in the chancel, and\ninvited Him to ascend the pulpit.\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá rose. He climbed the pulpit steps. He stood, in\nHis Persian robes and white turban, in the pulpit of an English\nparish church. The congregation, the recollection records, was\nperfectly still. He spoke, through an interpreter, on the\noneness of God, the unity of the Manifestations, the brotherhood\nof humanity, and the duty of the present age to bring the\npeoples of the world into a single fellowship.\n\nThe talk was not long. The interpreter rendered each sentence\ninto English as it was spoken. The Master closed with a\nblessing. Then, the recollection preserves, He raised His hand\nand chanted, in His own Arabic, the closing words of prayer.\n\n> The whole congregation knelt as the Master gave the blessing\n> in His own tongue.\n\nLady Blomfield, who had sat near the front, records that she\nlooked back across the kneeling rows of the English\ncongregation — bishops, members of Parliament, women in their\nSunday hats, working people from the streets of Westminster, all\non their knees before a Persian voice they could not understand\n— and felt that something was being inaugurated in that\nmoment. The Christian century had, until that evening, kept its\nchurches and its pulpits to its own clergy. The pulpit of St.\nJohn’s Westminster had now been, briefly, opened. The opening\nwould not, after that evening, be undone.\n\nThe Reverend Wilberforce closed the service in the ordinary\nway. The congregation rose; the organ played; the people\ndispersed. The Master, with Lady Blomfield and a small\ncompany, returned across Whitehall to Cadogan Gardens. Behind\nHim, the recollection ends, the small parish church of\nWestminster had become, that one evening, a place where the\nCause of God had spoken in an English pulpit for the first time.\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway. Public domain; quotations preserved as Lady Blomfield set them down.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Night of the Arrest: Asiyih Khanum's Vigil",
"slug": "ch-night-of-arrest-bahaullah",
"summary": "In *The Chosen Highway* Bahíyyih Khánum recounts the night in August 1852 when soldiers of the Sháh seized her father in the village of Lavásán and carried Him to the Síyáh-Chál — and the long vigil her mother kept in their plundered house with the children clinging to her skirts.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Ásíyih Khánum",
"Bahíyyih Khánum",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Tihrán",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"imprisonment",
"holy-family",
"history",
"persecution"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"faithfulness",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-chosen-highway",
"book": "The Chosen Highway",
"author": "Lady Blomfield",
"year": 1940,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Chosen Highway* Bahíyyih Khánum, the Greatest Holy Leaf,\nrecounts the night of August 1852 when her father was taken\nfrom the family. Lady Blomfield writes the recollection down\nfrom her own conversations in Haifa with the Greatest Holy Leaf\nin 1922, and lets the older woman speak.\n\nThe household had been at Niyávarán, in the foothills above\nTihrán. The young Bahíyyih Khánum was perhaps six years old.\n‘Abbás Effendi — the future ‘Abdu’l-Bahá — was eight. Their\nyounger brother Mírzá Mihdí was an infant. Their father, Mírzá\nḤusayn-ʿAlí, had ridden up from the city in great haste; news\nhad come that an attempt on the life of the Sháh had been made\nby two unstable Bábí youths, and that the round-up of Bábís had\nalready begun in the capital.\n\nSoldiers arrived. They seized the father. They took Him on\nfoot, in chains, down the path toward Tihrán; He would shortly\nbe deposited in the underground dungeon called the Síyáh-Chál,\nthe Black Pit. The household was simultaneously sacked.\n\n> They tore the rings from my mother's ears, the buttons from\n> her dress, the very combs from her hair.\n\nBahíyyih Khánum recalled the sound of the looting. Her mother\ngathered the three children to her, sat down on the floor of\nthe emptied room, and held them. She did not weep in front of\nthem. She did not, the recollection records, allow them to feel\nthe depth of what had happened. She told them, in a voice as\nordinary as she could manage, that their father had been called\non a journey and would return when he could.\n\nThe children sensed, as children do, what the words concealed.\nBut they took comfort in the firmness of her hold. Bahíyyih\nKhánum told Lady Blomfield, seventy years afterward, that what\nshe remembered most clearly from that night was not the\nsoldiers, not the looters, not the loss of the household\ntreasures. She remembered her mother’s voice — composed, low,\nand tender — speaking, into the dark of the emptied room, as\nif everything had still some chance of being well.\n\nThe vigil lasted, in various forms, for the months of\nBahá'u'lláh's imprisonment in the Síyáh-Chál. Ásíyih Khánum did\nnot know, week by week, whether He still lived. She kept the\nhousehold together. She sold what little remained, piece by\npiece, for food. She sheltered the children. She prayed.\n\nLady Blomfield closes the chapter on Bahíyyih Khánum’s\nrecollection without comment. The Greatest Holy Leaf, by that\ntime an old woman, did not need to draw the moral. She had\nlived it. The girl who had clung to her mother’s skirts in the\nplundered room had become, in time, the woman who held the\naffairs of an entire Cause across the early Guardianship. The\nschool had begun, the chapter implies, on that August night.\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway. Public domain; quotations preserved as Lady Blomfield set them down.*\n"
},
{
"title": "I Slept in the Room of Ásíyih Khánum",
"slug": "ch-room-of-asiyih-khanum",
"summary": "In *The Chosen Highway* Lady Blomfield describes a pilgrim's stay in the small house in 'Akká where Bahá'u'lláh and His family had lived for twelve years — thirteen people sometimes sleeping in a single room — and a Western visitor's testimony that the chamber once occupied by Ásíyih Khánum was filled, even decades later, with a benign atmosphere that could be felt at night.",
"figures": [
"Lady Blomfield",
"Ásíyih Khánum",
"Bahíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"holy-family",
"pilgrim-notes",
"presence"
],
"virtues": [
"reverence",
"gratitude",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "the-chosen-highway",
"book": "The Chosen Highway",
"author": "Lady Blomfield",
"year": 1940,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nLady Sara Louisa Blomfield came to ‘Akká in the spring of 1922,\nin the months after ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s passing, to sit with the\nGreatest Holy Leaf — Bahíyyih Khánum — and to gather, in\npreparation for the volume that would become *The Chosen\nHighway,* the family’s own recollections of the early days.\nSeveral chapters of the book are her own observation; several\nare *Spoken Chronicles* taken down at Bahíyyih Khánum’s side.\n\nIn one passage Lady Blomfield describes the small house in ‘Akká\nin which Bahá’u’lláh and His family had lived for twelve years\nof the imprisonment. The conditions had been beyond anything a\nWestern visitor could easily imagine. She records, almost in\nshock:\n\n> In one of the rooms thirteen persons, pilgrims and the ladies,\n> sometimes slept. A shelf was there, on which an agile pilgrim\n> would repose.\n\nThe household, in those years, made room for whoever arrived.\nThere was no other room to be made. The thirteen-person chamber,\nthe shelf for the agile pilgrim, the long quiet patience of\nwomen preparing meals on charcoal — these were the conditions\nunder which the central documents of a world religion had been\nrevealed.\n\nLady Blomfield was permitted, on her own pilgrimage, to sleep\nin a particular chamber: the one that had once been Ásíyih\nKhánum’s. The Greatest Holy Leaf accompanied her quietly and\nleft her there. The next morning she could not keep what she\nhad felt to herself. She told the company:\n\n> I am sleeping in the room of Ásíyih Khánum. I was conscious\n> all night of its benign atmosphere.\n\nThe Greatest Holy Leaf, Lady Blomfield notes, was *with us while\nwe listened.* She heard her mother named with reverence by a\nWestern pilgrim and did not interrupt. *Her eyes charged with\nmemories,* she stood and listened. She herself had been in that\nhouse, in those rooms, when the typhoid swept through the prison\nin the early 1870s; she herself, Lady Blomfield writes, had\nbeen *sick of that same fever.*\n\nThe chamber had outlasted the empire that built its walls.\nDecades later, a Western pilgrim could feel it. The Greatest\nHoly Leaf, who had lived through it all, said only what her\nmother’s name required of her — and went on with the day’s\nbusiness of receiving the friends.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Chosen Highway (Lady Blomfield, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1940); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Cobb wrote that Shoghi Effendi said that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had the power of…",
"slug": "cobb-wrote-that-shoghi-effendi-said-that-abdu-l-bah-bs8",
"summary": "Cobb wrote that Shoghi Effendi said that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had the power of intuition, the power of the soul, available in its totality. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would commonly end the conversation by saying that there wasn't time for a fuller answer, but…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"intuition"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nCobb wrote that Shoghi Effendi said that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had the power of intuition, the power of the soul, available in its totality. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would commonly end the conversation by saying that there wasn't time for a fuller answer, but if the listener would meditate, the truth would come.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 150*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition) (Subject: intuition).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Corinne True had desperately wish to meet ‘Abdu’l- Bahá when He landed in New…",
"slug": "corinne-true-had-desperately-wish-to-meet-abdu-l-bs3",
"summary": "Corinne True had desperately wish to meet ‘Abdu’l- Bahá when He landed in New York, but her son Davis was critically ill. When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá finally arrived in Chicago, one of the first things He did on the morning of 30, April was to go…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "formative",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"grief",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/grief"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nCorinne True had desperately wish to meet ‘Abdu’l- Bahá when He landed in New York, but her son Davis was critically ill. When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá finally arrived in Chicago, one of the first things He did on the morning of 30, April was to go to the True home to see Davis. After the visit, He told Corrine that Davis was better than expected, which she took to mean that he would recover . . . While the Master kept Corrine busy, her son Davis passed away and she later realized that when He had said that Davis was better than expected, He really meant spiritually. In spite of her son's death, she was at the Temple site the next day. The day after the Temple dedication, the True family held a Bahá’í funeral for their son. Later ‘Abdu’l-Bahá went the cemetery and pray not only for her son, but for other children there. Davis was the fourth son she had lost. Nathanael had died in 1899 and Kenneth in 1900, both due to heart failure caused by a new drug. Laurence drowned in 1906 and her husband, Moses, died in 1909. No man of her family were left. Corinne True was raised by Shoghi Effendi to the rank of Hand of the Cause of God in 1952.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 111-112*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/grief) (Subject: grief).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Corinne True made one of her nine pilgrimages to the Bahá’í Holy Places in…",
"slug": "corinne-true-made-one-of-her-nine-pilgrimages-bs1",
"summary": "Corinne True made one of her nine pilgrimages to the Bahá’í Holy Places in Palestine ‘during the time of the Second Commission of Investigation by the Turks, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had again been confined as a prisoner to ‘Akka by order of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"temples",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/temples"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nCorinne True made one of her nine pilgrimages to the Bahá’í Holy Places in Palestine ‘during the time of the Second Commission of Investigation by the Turks, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had again been confined as a prisoner to ‘Akka by order of the Sultan of Turkey. On this visit Mrs True took a petition to the Master asking permission for the American Bahá’ís to begin planning for the erection of a “House of Worship”. This petition was in the form of a parchment containing the signatures of over a thousand American believers. She tells the story of putting the parchment behind her on the divan and first presenting the little gifts sent by the loving friends. But the Master strode across the room, reached behind her and grasped the parchment, holding it high in the air. “This,” He exclaimed, “this is what gives me great joy.” “Go back,” He told her, “go back and work for the Temple; it is a great work.” How she longed to do this work, but it seemed such a great task. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, looking at her with deep intensity said, “Devote yourself to this project make a beginning, and all will come right.” He then proceeded to give basic instructions about its design. It was to have nine sides, nine gardens, nine fountains, nine doors, nine walks, etc. And so a vision of the first Bahá’í Temple in the Western Hemisphere was born.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 121*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/temples) (Subject: temples).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Corinne True recorded what she observed on an early pilgrimage: ‘Arising early…",
"slug": "corinne-true-recorded-what-she-observed-on-an-bs2",
"summary": "Corinne True recorded what she observed on an early pilgrimage: ‘Arising early I went into the living room where the Master meets with His family every morning between six and seven o’clock. The widow of one of the martyrs sits on the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"martyrs",
"pilgrimage",
"martyrdom",
"persecution",
"women",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/martyrs"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nCorinne True recorded what she observed on an early pilgrimage: ‘Arising early I went into the living room where the Master meets with His family every morning between six and seven o’clock. The widow of one of the martyrs sits on the floor in the Persian style and makes and serves the tea every morning. Her husband was one of three brothers who were imprisoned for this Cause. For days they had no news about them. One day they heard a great noise in the street and looking out they saw three heads placed on long poles and being carried through the streets, and when in front of their home they tossed these heads into their mother’s room. She wiped them off with water and then threw them back, saying, “What I have given to God I will not take back.” This woman who makes the tea had been married only one year to one of these brothers. Having lost all of her relatives through the persecution, and Persian women having no openings for self-support, the Master took her into His household. What a wonderful household this is over forty people living here in one home, some black, some white, Arabic, Persian, Burmanese, Italian, Russian and now English and American! Not a loud command is heard and not one word of dispute; not one word of fault-finding. Every one goes about as if on tip toes. When they enter your room, their slippers are left before the door and they come in with stocking feet and remain standing until you invite them to sit down.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 93*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/martyrs) (Subject: martyrs).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Corinne True recorded what she observed on an early pilgrimage: ‘Arising early…",
"slug": "corinne-true-recorded-what-she-observed-on-an-bs5",
"summary": "Corinne True recorded what she observed on an early pilgrimage: ‘Arising early I went into the living room where the Master meets with His family every morning between six and seven o’clock. The widow of one of the martyrs sits on the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"grief",
"pilgrimage",
"martyrdom",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/grief"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nCorinne True recorded what she observed on an early pilgrimage: ‘Arising early I went into the living room where the Master meets with His family every morning between six and seven o’clock. The widow of one of the martyrs sits on the floor in the Persian style and makes and serves the tea every morning. Her husband was one of three brothers who were imprisoned for this Cause. For days they had no news about them. One day they heard a great noise in the street and looking out they saw three heads placed on long poles and being carried through the streets, and when in front of their home they tossed these heads into their mother’s room. She wiped them off with water and then threw them back, saying, “What I have given to God I will not take back.”\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 93*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/grief) (Subject: grief).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Corinne True told the story of a cleaning woman who greatly wished to meet…",
"slug": "corinne-true-told-the-story-of-a-cleaning-bs7",
"summary": "Corinne True told the story of a cleaning woman who greatly wished to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, but was too embarrassed by her rough, work worn hands to do so in the public reception line. Mrs. True urged her to go to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and finally,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"love",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/love"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nCorinne True told the story of a cleaning woman who greatly wished to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, but was too embarrassed by her rough, work worn hands to do so in the public reception line. Mrs. True urged her to go to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and finally, hoping to simply touch His robe and dash away before He saw her hands, she approached the Master. As she bent over to touch His robe, He took one of her hands and raised her up. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá carefully examined the captive hand and with deep love and understanding gazed into her eyes. \"Sacrifice!\", He uttered simply.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 196*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/love) (Subject: love).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Corinne's daughter Arna had a fever and cough and was afraid she had…",
"slug": "corinnes-daughter-arna-had-a-fever-and-cough-bs8",
"summary": "Corinne's daughter Arna had a fever and cough and was afraid she had tuberculosis, a disease which had been in the True family and from which two of her brothers had been diagnosed and having died. She was understandably worried that she,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"miracles",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nCorinne's daughter Arna had a fever and cough and was afraid she had tuberculosis, a disease which had been in the True family and from which two of her brothers had been diagnosed and having died. She was understandably worried that she, too, had the disease. She had planned to marry Leo Perron, but felt it very unfair to do so if she actually had the fatal ailment. As she worried about what to do, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá touched her shoulder. One day, when Arna had just taken her temperature, still holding the thermometer, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá took it from her and broke it in two, telling her that she would be well and could marry. Arna soon recovered and married Leo.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 193*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles) (Subject: miracles).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Day by day friends brought offerings of flowers and fruit, so that the dinner…",
"slug": "day-by-day-friends-brought-offerings-of-flowers-bs4",
"summary": "Day by day friends brought offerings of flowers and fruit, so that the dinner table was laden with these beautiful tokens of love for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Whilst cutting off bunches of grapes and giving them to various guests, He talked to us of…",
"figures": [
"Lady Blomfield",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"diet",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"gratitude",
"joy",
"justice",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/diet"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDay by day friends brought offerings of flowers and fruit, so that the dinner table was laden with these beautiful tokens of love for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Whilst cutting off bunches of grapes and giving them to various guests, He talked to us of the joy of freedom, of how grateful we should be for the privilege of dwelling in safety, under just laws, in a healthy city, with a temperate climate, and brilliant light - \"there was much darkness in the prison fortress of `Akka!\" After His first dinner with us He said: \"The food was delicious and the fruit and flowers were lovely, but would that we could share some of the courses with those poor and hungry people who have not even one.\" What a lesson to the guests present! We at once agreed that one substantial, plentiful dish, with salad, cheese, biscuits, sweetmeats, fruits, and flowers on the table, preceded by soup and followed by coffee or tea, should be quite sufficient for any dinner. This arrangement would greatly simplify life, both as to cookery and service, and would undeniably be more in accordance with the ideals of Christianity than numerous dishes unnecessary and costly.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/diet) (Subject: diet).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I Am, I Am, I Am: The Báb's Examination at Tabríz",
"slug": "db-bab-examination-tabriz",
"summary": "Brought from Chihríq to Tabríz in the summer of 1848 to be examined by the most senior religious scholars of the realm, the Báb made an open declaration of His station before the assembled clergy: *I am the promised One.* The chapter records the bastinado that followed, and the denunciatory epistle He wrote upon His return to Chihríq.",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Mullá Muḥammad-i-Mamaqání",
"Náṣiri'd-Dín Mírzá"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Tabríz",
"lat": 38.0962,
"lng": 46.2738,
"modernName": "Tabríz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"declaration",
"persecution",
"courage",
"prophecy"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"steadfastness",
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the summer of 1848 the Báb was brought from His mountain\nprison at Chihríq to the city of Tabríz, the capital of\nÁdhirbayján, to be examined before the most senior religious\nauthorities of the realm. The young Crown Prince Náṣiri’d-Dín\nMírzá would preside; the *Shaykhu’l-Islám* of the city, the\nchief jurists of Tabríz, and Mullá Muḥammad-i-Mamaqání would\nquestion Him.\n\nNabíl records, before the trial proper, an incident at\nUrúmíyyih on the journey north. The Báb’s horse appeared to His\ncompanions to be on the verge of bolting. The Báb steadied them\nwith a single instruction:\n\n> Fear not. Do as you have been bidden, and commit Us to the\n> care of the Almighty.\n\nThe horse arrived at Urúmíyyih unharmed, the Báb composed.\n\nAt the formal examination in Tabríz the assembled clerics\nopened with a question they treated as decisive: did this young\nprisoner indeed claim to be the promised Qá’im? The Báb did not\nhedge. Nabíl records what He said in the courtroom:\n\n> I am, I am, I am, the promised One! I am the One whose name\n> you have for a thousand years invoked.\n\nThe clerics turned, then, to a smaller question, designed to\ndiscredit Him: had not His revealed verses contained\ngrammatical irregularities? The Báb answered with a principle\nthat went past their challenge entirely:\n\n> The Word of God can never be subject to the limitations of His\n> creatures.\n\nGrammar belongs to creatures; revelation does not. The\nchallenge collapsed. The clerics, unable to reach Him by\nargument, turned to physical punishment. The Báb was bastinadoed\nby the Shaykhu’l-Islám’s own command — bare feet beaten with\nrods until the bones bruised through.\n\nHe was returned to Chihríq. From the cell He composed a long\ndenunciatory epistle to the chief minister, Ḥájí Mírzá Áqásí,\nwhich Nabíl quotes from extensively. The Báb closed His own\naccount of the trial with the warning of the Qur’án itself:\n\n> Think men that when they say, ‘We believe,’ they shall be let\n> alone and not be put to the proof?\n\nWithin two years He would be martyred in the same city where\nHe had stood trial. The trial itself, in Nabíl’s narration, was\nalready half the martyrdom — the public, courageous, doctrinal\nact for which He was, at last, to be killed.\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), Chapter XVIII — Examination of the Báb at Tabríz. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Third of the Qur'án: The Báb in Iṣfáhán",
"slug": "db-bab-isfahan-imam-jumih",
"summary": "The Báb spent four months in Iṣfáhán in 1846 as the guest, first of the Imám-Jum'ih and then of the Governor Manúchihr Khán. The Imám-Jum'ih had asked, as a test, for a commentary on a Súrih of the Qur'án; the Báb produced one in two hours of writing — a quantity of verse that the host afterwards estimated at a third of the Qur'án itself.",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Manúchihr Khán",
"Imám-Jum'ih of Iṣfáhán"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Iṣfáhán",
"lat": 32.6539,
"lng": 51.666,
"modernName": "Isfahan, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"revelation",
"recognition",
"early-believers",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"faith",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the autumn of 1846 the Báb arrived at Iṣfáhán, the great\ncultural capital of central Persia, having been despatched there\nfrom Shíráz under conditions arranged by Manúchihr Khán, the\ncity’s Christian-born Mu‘tamidu’d-Dawlih, *Trustee of the\nRealm.*\n\nThe Imám-Jum‘ih of Iṣfáhán — the chief jurist of the great\nmosque — received the young Siyyid first. He had heard much, by\nthis time, of Mullá Ḥusayn’s reports and of the rumour that had\nspread from Shíráz. He determined to test the visitor. He\nproposed, as the test, the most demanding kind of work an\nEastern theological scholar could be asked to perform: a\nverse-by-verse Arabic commentary on a Súrih of the Qur’án, to\nbe composed extempore.\n\nThe Báb agreed. He took up His pen.\n\nNabíl records what followed. The Báb wrote without pause for\nabout two hours. The verses, in classical Arabic, came in such\nvolume that the host found himself unable to keep up with the\npace of the dictation, much less to make the kind of theological\nobjection he had prepared. The Imám-Jum‘ih was forced to a\nconclusion he had not gone in expecting. He acknowledged\nafterwards what he had seen:\n\n> Peerless and unique, as are the words which have streamed from\n> this pen, to be able to reveal, within so short a time and in\n> so legible a writing, so great a number of verses as to equal\n> a fourth, nay a third, of the Qur’án, is in itself an\n> achievement.\n\nThe Imám-Jum‘ih did not, in the end, become an open follower —\nbut he confessed, in private, that the proof had reached him:\n\n> Never until this day have I in my heart been firmly convinced\n> of the truth of Islám... I solemnly testify to my belief in\n> the reality of the superhuman power with which this Youth is\n> endowed.\n\nThe four-month sojourn in Iṣfáhán became one of the most\nfruitful periods of the Báb’s public ministry. The\nMu‘tamidu’d-Dawlih himself became deeply attached to Him; he\nwent so far as to offer Him *every facility* for the further\nspread of the Cause. The Mu‘tamid hoped, indeed, to abdicate\nhis governorship and devote the remainder of his life to the\nnew movement.\n\nHis sudden death frustrated the design. His successor, far\nfrom sharing the Mu‘tamid’s sympathies, betrayed the Báb’s\nlocation to the Sháh. The Báb was summoned to Tihrán.\n\nNabíl records, late in the chapter, a prophecy the Báb made\nabout how the Cause would in fact be preserved — not through\nministers or governors, but through far humbler agency:\n\n> Through the poor and lowly of this land, by the blood which\n> these shall have shed in His path, will the omnipotent\n> Sovereign ensure the preservation and consolidate the\n> foundation of His Cause.\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), Chapter X — The Báb's Sojourn in Iṣfáhán. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Across the Mountains: The Báb's Journey to Máh-Kú and Chihríq",
"slug": "db-bab-mah-ku-chihriq-prison-journey",
"summary": "Nabíl's chronicle records the Báb's removal from Iṣfáhán in 1847 to the remote frontier prisons of Máh-Kú and Chihríq, in the bleak mountains of north-western Persia. The intent of the authorities was to silence Him by isolation; the effect was the opposite — the journey itself became a teaching, the remote fortresses became places of pilgrimage, and from the cells the Persian Bayán was revealed.",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Manúchihr Khán",
"Muḥammad Sháh"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Máh-Kú",
"lat": 39.2937,
"lng": 44.521,
"modernName": "Maku, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"prison",
"revelation",
"exile",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"patience",
"faith",
"perseverance"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nNabíl’s *Dawn-Breakers* recounts in detail the last two years\nof the Báb’s public life, which He spent not in the cities of\nPersia but in the remote mountain fortresses of the\nnorth-western frontier.\n\nThe arrangement had been made by Ḥájí Mírzá Áqásí, the prime\nminister of Muḥammad Sháh. The Báb’s residence in Iṣfáhán under\nthe protection of the friendly governor Manúchihr Khán had been\nended by Manúchihr Khán’s death in 1847. The clergy of Iṣfáhán\nclamoured for the Báb’s removal; the prime minister, fearing\nboth the clergy and the unrest a public trial in Tihrán would\ncause, ordered the Báb to be transported north to the frontier\nfortress of Máh-Kú in the province of Ádhirbáyján.\n\nThe journey from Iṣfáhán to Máh-Kú was several hundred\nkilometres. The chronicle records the route by which the Báb\nwas conducted: north through Káshán, where one believer\n(Hájí Mírzá Jání) had the privilege of receiving Him in his\nhome for two nights; on through Qum and Ṭihrán, the Báb being\nconducted around the capital so that He should not enter the\ncity; and at length, by a long traverse of the mountain country\nof the north-west, to the small frontier town beneath the\nrock of Máh-Kú.\n\nThe fortress at Máh-Kú had been chosen for its remoteness. It\nstood on a steep cliff. The local population was largely\nSunní-Kurd, presumed by the authorities to be hostile to a\nShí’ah claimant of any kind. The warden, ‘Alí Khán, was given\nstrict instructions to confine the prisoner to a single cell\nand to permit no visitors.\n\nNabíl preserves the record of how those orders were\nprogressively undone. ‘Alí Khán, the warden, was within weeks\ndeferring to his prisoner; within months he was preparing in\nhis own house a separate room for the believers who began to\narrive from across Persia for visits. The villagers of Máh-Kú,\nwho had been suspicious of the southerner installed in their\nfortress, came in time to seek His blessing daily. They named\ntheir new-born children for Him. They credited their crops to\nHis prayers.\n\nIn the cell at Máh-Kú the Báb composed the *Persian Bayán* —\nthe principal book of His dispensation, written in His own\nhand on the small folio of papers permitted Him. Believers\nvisiting the fortress carried out copies as they could.\n\nAfter nine months at Máh-Kú the prime minister, alarmed by the\nnews that the prison had become a place of pilgrimage, ordered\nthe Báb’s removal to a still more remote fortress: Chihríq, in\nthe same province but among an even more isolated population.\nThe same pattern, the chronicle records, repeated itself. The\nwarden softened. The local notables came to call. Believers\narrived from Khurásán and Mázindarán and the south. The cell\nat Chihríq became, in its turn, a centre of revelation and a\nplace of pilgrimage.\n\nThe two prisons together — Máh-Kú and Chihríq — held the Báb\nfor almost the whole of the last two years of His life. The\nintent of His confinement was to silence Him. *The mountain\nthat had been chosen to bury His voice became the pulpit from\nwhich it carried farthest.* From Chihríq He was taken at the\nend, in 1850, to Tabríz for the public examination and the\nexecution that had at length been determined upon.\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), Chapters XII and XV — The Báb's Journey to Tabríz and Confinement at Máh-Kú and Chihríq. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Warden Won Over: The Báb's Captivity at Máh-Kú",
"slug": "db-bab-mah-ku-warden-transformed",
"summary": "Nabíl records the nine-month imprisonment of the Báb at the mountain fortress of Máh-Kú on the western frontier of Persia — and the remarkable transformation of His warden, 'Alí Khán, from a hostile jailer into a devoted believer who could no longer hold the door closed against the friends.",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"'Alí Khán of Máh-Kú",
"Mullá Ḥusayn",
"Ḥájí Mírzá Áqásí"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Máh-Kú",
"lat": 39.295,
"lng": 44.5181,
"modernName": "Máh-Kú, West Azerbaijan, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"imprisonment",
"transformation",
"persecution",
"revelation"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"patience",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nḤájí Mírzá Áqásí, the chief minister of Muḥammad Sháh, designed\nthe prison of Máh-Kú with a single intention: to silence the Báb\nby removing Him from anyone who would listen. The fortress sits\nin the mountains of Ádhirbayján, near the Turkish frontier, in\ncountry populated by Kurdish villagers who Áqásí believed would\nhave no sympathy for a young Siyyid from the south. He was\nmistaken on every count.\n\nNabíl records that the Báb’s imprisonment at Máh-Kú lasted, as\nHe Himself foretold, nine months. He had told His companions\nbeforehand:\n\n> For a period of no less than nine months, we shall remain\n> confined in the Jabál-i-Basít, from whence we shall be\n> transferred to the Jabál-i-Shadíd.\n\nEven in confinement, the Báb was prolific. He revealed the\nPersian Bayán — the central doctrinal book of His\ndispensation — alongside many shorter works. The energy of His\nrevelation could not be hidden by the fortress walls. Nabíl\nnotes:\n\n> The voice of the Báb, as He dictated the teachings and\n> principles of His Faith, could be clearly heard by those\n> dwelling at the foot of the mountain.\n\nThe Kurdish villagers, far from holding the new prophet at a\ndistance, were drawn to Him. They began to bring Him gifts; they\ntook to praying as He prayed. The warden of the fortress, ‘Alí\nKhán, had been chosen for his hostility to anything that\nresembled Bábí sympathy. The minister had instructed him to keep\nall visitors from the prisoner. But the warden too began to come\nto the cell. He came as a sceptic; he stayed as a witness.\n\nIn one striking scene Nabíl preserves, ‘Alí Khán is finally\nmoved to confess to the Báb the disservice he had done to His\nCause. He acknowledges that he had *belittled this Revelation\nand contemptuously disdained its Author* — and that what he had\nseen had now made the disdain impossible.\n\n> What you have witnessed is true and undeniable.\n\nWhen Mullá Ḥusayn arrived at Máh-Kú on a pilgrimage of his own,\nhaving walked on foot all the way from his native province in\nthe east, the Báb received him with the tenderness due such an\narrival, but instructed him on his departure:\n\n> You have walked on foot all the way from your native province\n> to this place. On foot you likewise must return until you\n> reach your destination.\n\nÁqásí, hearing of the situation at the fortress, eventually\nordered the Báb transferred to Chihríq — *the Mountain of\nSeverity* — in the hope of finding stricter custody. The\ntransfer too would prove unsuccessful. Whatever fortress the\nchief minister could imagine, the Báb’s influence would reach\nthrough its walls.\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), Chapter XIII — The Báb's Incarceration in the Castle of Máh-Kú. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Volley That Severed the Ropes: The Martyrdom of the Báb",
"slug": "db-bab-martyrdom-tabriz-firing-squad",
"summary": "Nabíl's chronicle preserves the day of July 9, 1850 in the public square of Tabríz. The Báb and His youthful companion Anís were suspended by ropes against a wall. The first volley of seven hundred and fifty muskets severed the ropes; the smoke cleared on an empty scene. The Báb was found in His cell, completing a conversation. A second volley was required to fulfil the sentence.",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Anís",
"Amír-Nizám"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Tabríz",
"lat": 38.0962,
"lng": 46.2738,
"modernName": "Tabríz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"martyrdom",
"sacrifice",
"prophecy",
"persecution"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"steadfastness",
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [
"martyrdom-of-the-bab"
],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe Báb was thirty years old in the summer of 1850. He had been\nin custody for nearly three years — first at Máh-Kú, then at\nChihríq, then in Tabríz for examination, then at Chihríq once\nmore. The Bábí movement, in those three years, had spread across\nPersia in a way the central government found intolerable.\n\nThe chief minister of the realm, Mírzá Taqí Khán the\nAmír-Nizám — *the Grand Vazír,* in Nabíl’s usual rendering —\ntook the decision to execute the Báb. He sought a fatwá from the\nchief jurists of Tabríz. They obliged. The execution was set for\nthe morning of July 9, 1850.\n\nThe Báb was lodged the previous night under guard in the\nbarracks of Tabríz. Nabíl preserves the testimony of the few\nwho attended on Him in those final hours:\n\n> That night the face of the Báb was aglow with joy, a joy such\n> as had never shone from His countenance.\n\nHe instructed His amanuensis on certain final matters. He\ngave his blessings to a young companion, Mírzá Muḥammad-‘Alí —\nAnís — who had requested the privilege of dying with Him. The\nrequest was granted.\n\nIn the morning the two were brought to the barrack-square. They\nwere suspended by ropes against the wall. Anís was tied first;\nthe Báb above him. Seven hundred and fifty soldiers in three\nfiles were arrayed in front of them. Each file fired a volley\nof two hundred and fifty muskets in succession.\n\nThe smoke filled the square. When it cleared, the assembled\nspectators saw an empty wall. The ropes had been severed. The\ntwo prisoners were nowhere to be seen.\n\nNabíl preserves the testimony of the consternation that\nfollowed. Anís stood, alone, against the wall — alive,\nuntouched. The Báb was not visible.\n\n> There, standing before them alive and unhurt, was the\n> companion of the Báb, whilst He Himself had vanished.\n\nSoldiers were sent in haste through the barrack. They found\nthe Báb in His cell, completing the conversation His instruction\nhad been interrupted by the call to the square. He had time, He\nexplained quietly, for one more sentence. When He had finished\nit, He rose, and walked back with them to the square, and was\nonce more suspended against the wall.\n\nThe first regiment of musketeers, having seen what they had\nseen, refused to fire a second time. A second regiment had to be\nbrought up. Their volley succeeded.\n\nThe Báb’s last spoken words to the city of Tabríz, Nabíl\npreserves, were not the curses of the wronged but the appeal\nof a teacher whose pupils have failed:\n\n> Had you believed in Me, O wayward generation, every one of\n> you would have followed.\n\nWithin a year the Amír-Nizám who had ordered the execution would\nhimself be murdered by royal command, his blood smearing the\nwall of the bath of Fín — a coincidence Nabíl reads as\nsomething more than coincidence.\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), Chapter XXIII — Martyrdom of the Báb. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "On the Altar of Devotion: The Báb's Pilgrimage to Mecca",
"slug": "db-bab-pilgrimage-mecca",
"summary": "Late in 1844 the Báb, accompanied by Quddús, sailed from Búshihr for the pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. The voyage was long, the water was scarce, the bedouins were thieves; and at the heart of the Sacred Mosque the Báb proclaimed His station openly to a prominent scholar of His age.",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Quddús",
"Mírzá Muḥíṭ-i-Kirmání"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Mecca",
"lat": 21.4225,
"lng": 39.8262,
"modernName": "Mecca, Saudi Arabia"
},
"themes": [
"declaration",
"pilgrimage",
"sacrifice",
"early-believers"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"faith",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nLate in the year 1844, only a few months after the first\nrecognitions in Shíráz, the Báb set out to fulfil the\nlong-anticipated pilgrimage to Mecca. The journey was the formal\noccasion on which He intended to declare His station in the\nheartland of Islam itself. The young Quddús — youngest of the\nLetters of the Living — was His chosen companion.\n\nThey sailed from the port of Búshihr, on the Persian Gulf. Nabíl\nrecords the voyage as a long ordeal. The pilgrim ship was\novercrowded, slow, and ill provisioned; storms slowed it; for\ndays the water failed entirely. The Báb and Quddús were obliged\nto live on what they could:\n\n> For days we suffered from the scarcity of water. I had to\n> content myself with the juice of the sweet lemon.\n\nTheir consolation, all who saw them remembered, was their\nunbroken absorption in one another’s company:\n\n> During the entire period of approximately two months... whenever\n> by day or night I chanced to meet either the Báb or Quddús, I\n> invariably found them together, both absorbed in their work.\n\nArrived at last in Mecca, they performed the rites in pilgrim\ngarb. Outside the Sacred Mosque, a Bedouin slipped through the\ncrowd and stole the Báb’s saddlebag — within it lay important\nwritings. The companions made to pursue the thief; the Báb\nrestrained them.\n\n> Had I allowed you, you would surely have overtaken and punished\n> him. But this was not to be... this was decreed by God, the\n> Ordainer, the Almighty.\n\nInside the precincts of the Sacred Mosque, the Báb sought out\nMírzá Muḥíṭ-i-Kirmání, one of the two principal claimants to the\nsuccession of Siyyid Káẓim. He addressed him directly,\nchallenging him to acknowledge the Promised One who now stood\nbefore him. The scholar wavered, then pledged his allegiance —\nthough Nabíl notes the pledge would not in the end be kept.\n\nFrom Mecca the company travelled north to Medina. There, at the\ntomb of the Prophet, the Báb spoke with a stillness that\nunnerved His companions. He had begun to speak openly, by then,\nof the death that would be required of Him:\n\n> I am come into this world to bear witness to the glory of\n> sacrifice... Rejoice, for both I and Quddús will be slain on\n> the altar of our devotion.\n\nSix years later, in the barrack-square of Tabríz, that prophecy\nwould be exactly fulfilled.\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), Chapter VII — The Báb's Pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, pages 129-142. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Stranger in Karbilá: Shaykh Ḥasan Recognizes Bahá'u'lláh",
"slug": "db-bahaullah-karbila-shaykh-hasan",
"summary": "In the years between His release from the Síyáh-Chál and His exile to Baghdád, Bahá'u'lláh travelled to the holy city of Karbilá. There the faithful Shaykh Ḥasan-i-Zunúzí — to whom the Báb had once given a written promise that he would behold the One whom God shall make manifest — saw Bahá'u'lláh in the streets and recognized Him, before any public Declaration had yet been made.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Shaykh Ḥasan-i-Zunúzí",
"Siyyid-i-Uluvv",
"Siyyid Básir-i-Hindí"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Karbilá",
"location": {
"name": "Karbilá",
"lat": 32.616,
"lng": 44.025,
"modernName": "Karbalá, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"recognition",
"prophecy",
"early-believers"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"patience",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nFollowing His release from the Síyáh-Chál in late 1852,\nBahá’u’lláh was exiled by the Sháh’s government — first to\nIraq, briefly to Karbilá and Baghdád, then on to longer\nsojourn. In Nabíl’s narrative the Karbilá interlude is brief\nbut charged. The remnants of the Bábí community were\nscattered, leaderless, in the months after the Báb’s\nmartyrdom; many of them, in their grief, had fallen into\nextreme expressions of devotion. Bahá’u’lláh’s arrival in\nKarbilá set them in order again.\n\nAmong those most affected was Shaykh Ḥasan-i-Zunúzí. Years\nbefore, in the early days of the Bábí movement, he had been\ntold by the Báb in person that he would live to behold the\n*One whom God shall make manifest* — the Promised One whose\nappearance was the central announcement of the Bábí\ndispensation. The promise was written; he carried it through\nthe intervening years with patience and silence.\n\nIn Karbilá Shaykh Ḥasan saw Bahá’u’lláh on the streets. He did\nnot yet know who He was. But the recognition rose in him\nunbidden. He returned, again and again, to gaze on this\nstranger whose presence stirred something in his heart he\ncould not name. Bahá’u’lláh, knowing what was happening,\naddressed him quietly with an instruction that has remained in\nthe Bahá’í memory:\n\n> Though your heart be aflame with His love, take heed lest any\n> eye discover your inner agitation.\n\nThe Day was not yet to be publicly announced. The recognitions\nthat occurred in Karbilá were to remain private. But they had\noccurred. Shaykh Ḥasan had seen.\n\nNabíl uses the same chapter to gather other recognitions and\nwarnings of those years. He records Bahá’u’lláh's analysis of\nthe political situation — particularly His sober warning that\n*the faith which a member of the Qájár dynasty professes\ncannot be depended upon,* a warning whose force the next\ngeneration would feel. He preserves the story of the\nremarkable Siyyid Básir-i-Hindí, blind from birth and yet\npossessed of such command of scholarship and argument that *no\none, however great his learning and experience, was able to\nreject the evidences he set forth in support of his claims.*\nSiyyid Básir would be martyred under brutal conditions for his\nwitness.\n\nThe Karbilá interlude was, in retrospect, the bridge between\nthe Bábí dispensation and the Bahá'í. The Promised One whose\nappearance the Báb had taught had now been seen — quietly, in\nsilence, by a man who had been waiting for Him for a decade —\nin the streets of the city of Imám Ḥusayn. The world would\nnot be told for another decade. But the recognition had begun.\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), Chapter XXV — Bahá'u'lláh's Journey to Karbilá. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Return from Karbilá: Bahá'u'lláh's Journey Home to Tihrán",
"slug": "db-bahaullah-return-from-karbila",
"summary": "Nabíl's chronicle records the return of Bahá'u'lláh from Karbilá in the autumn of 1842 — a young nobleman not yet thirty, returning by horse to Tihrán with the resolve to take up the work the city had been preparing for. The intervening years of His ministry to the wider Bábí community would, in retrospect, take their root in that journey home.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Siyyid Káẓim-i-Rashtí"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"early-believers",
"history",
"preparation"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"devotion",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nNabíl’s *Dawn-Breakers* preserves, alongside the celebrated\nevents of the Báb’s public ministry, several quieter passages\nthat turn upon the early life of the One Who would, at the\nappointed hour, succeed Him. One of these is the brief account\nof Bahá’u’lláh’s return from Karbilá to Ṭihrán in the autumn\nof 1842.\n\nHe was then twenty-five years old. He was the eldest surviving\nson of Mírzá Buzurg, the Vazír of the province of Núr — a\ngreat minister of the late Sháh’s court. The career open to\nthe young nobleman was, by every expectation of his class, a\ncareer in the public administration of Persia: governorships,\nministries, the gradual accumulation of provincial honours.\nSeveral offers had already been made to Him.\n\nThe summer at Karbilá had been spent, instead, in the\ngatherings convened by Siyyid Káẓim-i-Rashtí, the second of\nthe two great preparatory teachers of the dawn of the\nRevelation. Siyyid Káẓim was an old man by 1842; the meetings\nin his small school had become a discreet seminar of the\nexpectant. The young Bahá’u’lláh had attended them. He had\nspoken little. He had listened with the silent intensity that\nall His life would mark Him.\n\nSiyyid Káẓim, Nabíl records, had recognised in the young\nvisitor what he had been recognising in no other student: the\nsecret presence, in this particular nobleman, of the Cause for\nwhich the entire generation had been waiting. He had not,\nhowever, said as much aloud. He had given Bahá’u’lláh the\nfreedom of his school and had treated Him with a deference\nthat some of the other students remarked but could not\naccount for.\n\nThe visit to Karbilá ended in the autumn. Bahá’u’lláh prepared\nto return to Tihrán. Nabíl preserves the parting in a few\nsentences. Siyyid Káẓim accompanied Him to the gate. Some of\nhis students, watching, observed the warmth of the farewell\nand asked, after the young nobleman had ridden out, what they\nshould make of it. Siyyid Káẓim gave them no direct answer.\nHe told them only that the Day they were waiting for was nearer\nthan they thought.\n\nBahá’u’lláh rode back to Persia by the long route through the\nKhurásán provinces. The chronicle does not record the journey\nin detail. He returned to His ancestral house in Tihrán\nwithout a public office, without a public claim, without any\noutward indication that the visit to Karbilá had been a\ndefining one.\n\nThe years that followed, however, would take their character\nfrom what had begun in those summer gatherings. He would\nreject, in the next several years, every government post\noffered to Him. He would devote His private means to the\nsupport of the poor of His district. He would gather, in the\nupper rooms of His house, the small company of seekers who\nwere beginning to come to Tihrán with questions about the\nCause they had heard whispered of in Karbilá and Najaf and\nIṣfáhán.\n\nWhen, in May of 1844, the Báb made His Declaration in\nShíráz and the first of the Letters of the Living was sent\nforth, the messenger appointed to bring the news to Bahá’u’lláh\nin Tihrán would find Him already prepared to receive it.\n\n*He returned to Tihrán with the work of His life still hidden,\nbut with the heart already reshaped.*\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), early chapters on the preparatory generation. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Black Pit: Bahá'u'lláh in the Síyáh-Chál",
"slug": "db-bahaullah-siyah-chal-revelation",
"summary": "Nabíl's chronicle records that in the autumn of 1852, after the attempt on the life of Náṣiri'd-Dín Sháh by two distraught Bábís acting without authorisation, Bahá'u'lláh was arrested at Níyávarán and confined in the underground dungeon of Ṭihrán known as the Black Pit. There, in chains, He received the intimations of the Mission that would shape the next forty years.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Ṭihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"prison",
"revelation",
"sacrifice",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"patience",
"faith",
"sacrifice",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nNabíl’s *Dawn-Breakers* records the events of the late summer\nand autumn of 1852 as the lowest point of the Bábí community’s\nafflictions. The execution of the Báb had taken place at\nTabríz two years before. The Bábí forts at Ṭabarsí, Nayríz, and\nZanján had fallen one by one. The community was scattered,\ndemoralised, and harried by the authorities.\n\nIn August 1852, two young Bábís of Ṭihrán — distraught at the\nsufferings of the community and acting without sanction from\nany of its remaining leaders — made an attempt on the life of\nNáṣiri’d-Dín Sháh as he rode in his hunting park at Níyávarán.\nThe attempt was bungled; the Sháh was lightly wounded; the two\nyouths were seized and torn to pieces on the spot.\n\nThe Sháh’s government answered the act by a general round-up\nof any person known to the authorities as a Bábí. A particular\nlist was drawn for those of standing. Bahá’u’lláh — then known\nin the city by his given names as Mírzá Ḥusayn-‘Alí — had been,\nsince the Báb’s declaration, an outwardly respected and inwardly\ndevoted believer. He was at Lavásán, near Níyávarán, when the\nnews reached him. Knowing he would be sought, He turned His\nhorse around and rode toward the camp where the search was\nunder way. He was arrested, paraded through the streets of\nṬihrán under the abuses of the populace, and confined in the\ndeepest of the city’s dungeons.\n\nThe dungeon was called the Síyáh-Chál — *the Black Pit.* It had\nbeen, before its conversion, a reservoir for the public baths.\nThere was no light. The air was thick. The floor was ankle-deep\nin foul water. Some hundred and fifty prisoners were chained\ntogether along its walls. The chains were of unusual weight;\nthe principal of them, the *Qará-Guhar,* weighed many maunds. It\nhung from Bahá’u’lláh’s neck and bowed His head forward upon\nHis chest.\n\nThe food was poisoned by the soldiers; Bahá’u’lláh would not\neat it. The prisoners about Him were taken out, in batches, to\nbe put to death — sometimes with great cruelty in the public\nsquares of Ṭihrán. Each night some who had been beside Him in\nthe morning were no longer beside Him at evening.\n\nIt was in this place — in the chains, in the foul water, in the\ndarkness, surrounded by the executions of His companions — that\nthe first intimations of the Mission entrusted to Him came to\nBahá’u’lláh. He would later write of those nights:\n\n> One night, in a dream, these exalted words were heard on\n> every side: *Verily, We shall render Thee victorious by\n> Thyself and by Thy Pen. Grieve Thou not for that which hath\n> befallen Thee, neither be Thou afraid, for Thou art in\n> safety. Erelong will God raise up the treasures of the\n> earth — men who will aid Thee through Thyself and through\n> Thy Name, wherewith God hath revived the hearts of such as\n> have recognized Him.*\n\nHe remained in the Black Pit four months. The intervention of\nthe Russian minister, who took an interest in the case of so\nprominent a prisoner, secured at length His release. The chain\nwas struck off. He emerged from the dungeon broken in body and\nunbreakable in spirit. The Mission whose first words He had\nheard in the dark was, by the moment of His release, already\nunder way.\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), Chapter XXVI — The Attempt on the Life of the Sháh and Its Consequences. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Fortress at Zanján: Ḥujjat's Defense",
"slug": "db-hujjat-zanjan-siege",
"summary": "Nabíl's chronicle records that in the spring and summer of 1850, the city of Zanján was the scene of one of the most prolonged Bábí defenses of the early years. Mullá Muḥammad-'Alíy-i-Zanjání, surnamed Ḥujjat, took refuge with his followers in the fortress of 'Alí-Mardán Khán; he and they held against the assembled forces of the Sháh's army for nine months.",
"figures": [
"Mullá Muḥammad-'Alí-i-Zanjání (Ḥujjat)",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Zanján",
"lat": 36.6736,
"lng": 48.4787,
"modernName": "Zanjan, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"early-believers",
"persecution",
"sacrifice",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"faith",
"perseverance",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nNabíl’s *Dawn-Breakers* devotes a long chapter to the events at\nZanján in 1850. The city, in north-western Persia, had as its\nprincipal religious authority a scholar of unusual independence\nof mind: Mullá Muḥammad-‘Alíy-i-Zanjání, surnamed by his\nfollowers and at length by the Báb Himself with the title\n*Ḥujjat,* the Proof.\n\nḤujjat had been imprisoned twice for his teaching of the\nBábí message in his own city. He had been released. The\nhostility of the local clergy and of the governor, however,\nmounted through the months of early 1850. The crisis came in\nthe late spring. A confrontation in the streets of Zanján\nbetween the Bábís and the local authorities forced a separation\nof the city itself: one quarter, around the residence of\nḤujjat, took refuge in the fortified compound known as the\nfortress of ‘Alí-Mardán Khán.\n\nThe siege that followed lasted, by Nabíl’s reckoning, more than\neight months. It was the longest of the Bábí defensive sieges\nof the early years.\n\nThe forces arrayed against the defenders grew with each\nmonth. Detachments of the Imperial army arrived from the\nprovincial centres; artillery was brought up; the surrounding\nquarters of the city were destroyed by bombardment. The\ndefenders, numbering at first some thousand men, thinned with\nevery assault. Provisions ran short. The water supplies\nfailed.\n\nNabíl preserves in this chapter one of the great images of the\nBábí period: that of the women of the besieged compound. They\ntook, the chronicle records, the clothes of their fallen\nbrothers and husbands; they covered their hair; they took up\nthe rifles laid down by the dead; and they stood the watches\nbeside the men who remained. Hurrying water through the gaps\nin the wall, they ran the relays of ammunition. Several of\nthem, by name preserved in the chronicle, fell beside the men\nthey had stood with.\n\nḤujjat himself was wounded in the closing weeks of the siege.\nHe continued to direct the defense from the room in which he\nlay. Nabíl preserves his last counsels to the friends who\ngathered about his bed: that the cause for which they had\nsuffered would, in its appointed hour, become the cause of\nthe world; that the long defense was not a defeat but the\nseed-bed of a future they themselves would not see; that the\nPromised One whose coming the Báb had foretold would emerge,\nin due season, from the sacrifice they were now making.\n\nHe died of his wounds before the fortress at length fell. The\ndefenders who survived him were taken prisoner. The standard\ntreatment of Bábí captives followed: the executions were\ncarried out with cruelty, the heads sent to Ṭihrán, the\nwomen and children driven into the streets. The Imperial\nrecords of the siege boast of a final victory.\n\nNabíl, who collected the testimony of the few survivors of\nZanján who reached Bahá’u’lláh in later years, sees in the\nruins of the fortress not the proof of defeat but the\nfoundation of the Cause to come. The walls fell; the testimony\nof the witnesses did not. *Their hearts, set on the love of\ntheir Master, kept the wall long after the wall itself was\nrubble.*\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), Chapters XXIII and XXIV — The Siege of Zanján. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "There Remains One More: The Letters of the Living",
"slug": "db-letters-of-the-living-recognize",
"summary": "In the weeks following Mullá Ḥusayn's recognition of the Báb in Shíráz in May 1844, seventeen further disciples of Siyyid Káẓim arrived from various provinces. Each came expecting to be tested. Each was, instead, recognised by the Báb Himself before they had spoken. They became the Letters of the Living — and one place remained reserved.",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Mullá Ḥusayn",
"Quddús",
"Letters of the Living"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"recognition",
"early-believers",
"declaration"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"humility",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMullá Ḥusayn-i-Bushrú’í had recognised the Báb on the evening of\nMay 22, 1844, in a small house in Shíráz. The Báb, knowing what\nwas coming, addressed him with words that would mark the beginning\nof a new revelation:\n\n> O thou who art the first to believe in Me! Verily I say, I am\n> the Báb, the Gate of God, and thou art the Bábu’l-Báb, the gate\n> of that Gate.\n\nBut Mullá Ḥusayn, Nabíl reports in *The Dawn-Breakers*, was the\nfirst of a number. The Báb was waiting for the others. They began\nto arrive in Shíráz in the days and weeks that followed — fellow\ndisciples of Siyyid Káẓim, scattered now in obedience to the\nSiyyid’s last charge, drawn back by an inward summons each could\nneither name nor resist.\n\nEach one came expecting some examination. Each was met, instead,\nby a host who knew them before they spoke. The Báb would address\nthem by name, hand them the very text of the question they had\nbeen preparing to ask, and answer it in detail before they\nopened their mouths. The pattern repeated itself. One after\nanother, the disciples acknowledged Him.\n\nWhen seventeen had thus *enlisted under the standard of the Faith\nof God,* the Báb made an extraordinary announcement to Mullá\nḤusayn:\n\n> Seventeen Letters have thus far enlisted under the standard of\n> the Faith of God. There remains one more to complete the number.\n\nThe eighteenth place, Nabíl explains, was reserved for one whom\nthe Báb had not yet met but whom He had already recognised:\nQuddús, the youngest of the Letters of the Living, the one who\nwould later accompany Him on pilgrimage to Mecca and bear the\nweight of the campaign at Shaykh Ṭabarsí.\n\nThese eighteen, with the Báb Himself making the nineteenth and\nthe Point, formed the first complete unit of the new\ndispensation. They were sent out to teach, each to a particular\nfield of labour. They departed Shíráz quietly, instructed not to\nproclaim openly until the Báb’s own pilgrimage to Mecca was\ncomplete.\n\nWithin a few years, most of them would be dead — by sword or\nfever or fortress siege. Their names would be inscribed in\n*The Dawn-Breakers* as the eighteen Letters of the Living of the\nBáb’s dispensation; and from that small band of eighteen, in\nfewer than two decades, a Faith would arise that would outlive\nevery empire then ruling the regions in which they had been\nborn.\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), Chapter III — The Declaration of the Báb's Mission, pages 47-97. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Black Standard Unfurled: Mullá Ḥusayn Marches to Ṭabarsí",
"slug": "db-mazindaran-black-standard",
"summary": "Following the Báb's instruction sent from Máh-Kú, Mullá Ḥusayn left Mashhad in the summer of 1848 wearing the Báb's own green turban, the Black Standard unfurled before him. He was, the Master had told him, to march to *the Verdant Isle* — Mázindarán — and the seventy-two companions who would die at his side were already gathering.",
"figures": [
"Mullá Ḥusayn",
"the Báb",
"Quddús",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Shaykh Ṭabarsí",
"lat": 36.5167,
"lng": 52.65,
"modernName": "Shaykh Ṭabarsí, Mázindarán, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"sacrifice",
"early-believers",
"martyrdom",
"prophecy"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"steadfastness",
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the summer of 1848 Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bushrú’í received from the\nBáb at Chihríq a charge that would conclude his life. The Báb’s\ninstruction reached him at Mashhad. He was to set out for\nMázindarán — *the Verdant Isle,* the green coastal province\nbeneath the Caspian — and the manner of his departure was to be\nunmistakable:\n\n> Adorn your head with My green turban, the emblem of My lineage,\n> and, with the Black Standard unfurled before you, hasten to the\n> Jazíriy-i-Khadrá.\n\nMullá Ḥusayn obeyed. He left Mashhad with two hundred and two\ncompanions, the green turban on his head, the Black Standard\ncarried before him. Nabíl, writing of that march, records that\nhe himself had been told by Mullá Ḥusayn the precise number who\nwould die.\n\n> I, together with seventy-two of my companions, shall suffer\n> death for the sake of the Well-Beloved.\n\nThe march took them west, through hostile country. At Bárfurúsh\nthey met the first organised resistance — a mob whipped to fury\nby the principal cleric of the town. They were treacherously\nrefused safe passage by Khusraw, a chieftain who had agreed to\nescort them and then plotted their murder; Mullá Ḥusayn\nescaped this betrayal, in Nabíl’s telling, by what could only\nbe called a miracle.\n\nThey reached the shrine of Shaykh Ṭabarsí — a small structure\nin a forest clearing — and immediately set to building defences.\nWithin weeks the Bábís had erected the timber-and-mud fortress\nthat the Persian government, with all its artillery and all its\nimperial troops, would never take by direct assault during the\nmonths of siege that followed.\n\nQuddús arrived to join them, bearing his own authority as the\nlast Letter of the Living. He addressed the company on his\narrival with the Qur’ánic words the Báb had appointed for him:\n\n> The Baqíyyatu’lláh will be best for you if ye are of those who\n> believe.\n\nBahá’u’lláh Himself, then living quietly in Tihrán, attempted\non more than one occasion to reach the fort to share its\nhardships. He was arrested before He could arrive. Nabíl\npreserves the words He spoke to His captors:\n\n> If you insist on inflicting your punishment, I offer Myself\n> as a willing Victim of your chastisement.\n\nWithin months the prophecy Mullá Ḥusayn had carried in his own\nmouth would be fulfilled. He himself fell early in the siege.\nQuddús and the remaining companions were to be killed by\ntreachery in the spring. The seventy-two companions — and the\nmany beyond them — would form, in the Bahá’í memory, the first\nranks of the martyrs.\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), Chapter XIX — The Mázindarán Upheaval. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Last Charge: Mullá Ḥusayn Falls at Ṭabarsí",
"slug": "db-mulla-husayn-final-charge-tabarsi",
"summary": "Nabíl's chronicle records the death of Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bushrú'í, first of the Letters of the Living, in the closing months of the siege of the shrine of Shaykh Ṭabarsí in Mázindarán. He led the final sortie at dawn on February 2, 1849, and fell with a musket-ball to the chest in the same charge that broke the Imperial line.",
"figures": [
"Mullá Ḥusayn",
"Quddús",
"Prince Mihdí-Qulí Mírzá"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Shaykh Ṭabarsí",
"lat": 36.5575,
"lng": 52.7889,
"modernName": "Mazandaran Province, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"early-believers",
"persecution",
"sacrifice",
"martyrdom",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"faith",
"sacrifice",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nNabíl’s *Dawn-Breakers* preserves the closing chapter of the\nlife of Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bushrú’í in considerable detail. The\nchronicle had opened, four years earlier, with the same young\nscholar arriving at Shíráz on the night of May 22, 1844, and\nbecoming the first soul on earth to recognise the Báb as the\nPromised One. The chronicle now closes that arc at the shrine\nof Shaykh Ṭabarsí in Mázindarán, in the cold of the winter\nof 1848-49.\n\nThe siege of the shrine had begun in October 1848. The Bábí\ndefenders, numbering some three hundred, had taken refuge in\nthe small enclosure around the tomb of an early Shí’ah saint.\nThey had built earthworks, dug a moat, and held against the\nassembled forces of the Imperial army through the winter.\n\nQuddús had arrived at the fort in the early weeks; his presence\nhad transformed the spiritual atmosphere of the garrison.\nMullá Ḥusayn — who had marched to Mázindarán beneath the Black\nStandard the Prophet had foretold — held the practical command\nof the defense.\n\nThe conditions in the fort, by January 1849, were beyond\ndescription. The defenders had eaten the leather of their saddles\nand the bark of the trees. The bodies of the fallen lay where\nthey had been buried in the snow. Many of the survivors were\nwounded; several were ill. The besieging army, with its fresh\ndetachments, its cannon, and its supply lines, grew stronger\nwith each week.\n\nOn the evening of February 1, 1849, Mullá Ḥusayn called the\nremaining defenders together. He addressed them at the foot of\nthe shrine. He prayed at length. He spoke of the bond that had\nbeen established in the room at Shíráz on the May night four\nyears and nine months before. He spoke of the Promise of which\nthe present sacrifice was the seed. He gave instructions for\nthe order of the sortie that he had decided to lead at dawn.\n\nThe chronicle preserves the morning of February 2:\n\n> Mounted on his horse, with his sword unsheathed, Mullá Ḥusayn\n> led the remnant of his companions out of the gate.\n\nHe charged the besiegers’ first line. The line broke. He\npressed forward with his small body of horsemen into the\ncamp itself. Tents were overturned; the artillery batteries\nwere spiked; soldiers in their hundreds fled before the\nsortie.\n\nIn the moment of the charge’s success a musket-ball struck\nMullá Ḥusayn in the chest. He continued his attack — Nabíl\npreserves the testimony of more than one survivor that he\nremained in the saddle for some minutes after the ball had\nstruck him — and then turned his horse back toward the fort.\nHe was carried, dying, into the small room where Quddús waited\nfor him.\n\nQuddús received him in his arms. They spoke at length, the\nchronicle records, but no witness was within hearing distance\nto preserve what was said. Mullá Ḥusayn died as the sun rose\non the second of February. He was thirty-five years old.\n\nThe siege would continue for three more months. Quddús would\nbe martyred at Bárfurúsh in the spring. The fort itself would\nfall by treachery. But the central figure of the defense — the\nfirst man to recognise the Báb, the holder of the Black\nStandard, the leader of the dawn charge — had already crossed\ninto the Kingdom for whose Cause he had marched out of Mashhad\nthe year before.\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), Chapter XIX — The Siege of the Fort of Shaykh Ṭabarsí. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Would That My Mother Were With Me: The Martyrdom of Quddús",
"slug": "db-quddus-martyrdom-barfurush",
"summary": "After the betrayal of the Bábís at Fort Ṭabarsí in the spring of 1849, Quddús was led back into Bárfurúsh. He was eighteen of the Báb's Letters of the Living and the only one besides Bahá'u'lláh who would be honoured by the Báb with a written commentary. He was killed in the open square of the town. His last words were of the splendour of his nuptials.",
"figures": [
"Quddús",
"Mírzá Muḥammad-Báqir",
"Mullá Ḥusayn",
"Prince Mihdí-Qulí Mírzá"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Bárfurúsh",
"lat": 36.5522,
"lng": 52.6797,
"modernName": "Babol, Mázindarán, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"martyrdom",
"sacrifice",
"early-believers",
"betrayal"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"steadfastness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the early months of 1849, Mullá Ḥusayn fell at the\ndefences of Fort Ṭabarsí — mortally wounded by a musket ball at\nthe height of one of the night sorties he had commanded.\nNabíl records his final hours with the precision of a man for\nwhom each detail is sacred:\n\n> Today we shall have all the water we require for our bath...\n> Whoso is willing to partake of the cup of martyrdom, let him\n> prepare himself.\n\nHe died, in Quddús’s arms, with the calm of one who had\nforeseen the day for years.\n\nAfter Mullá Ḥusayn’s death, Quddús — the youngest of the\nLetters of the Living and the only person besides Bahá’u’lláh\nto have received from the Báb a personal commentary — became\nthe company’s leader. Mírzá Muḥammad-Báqir directed the\ndefences in the field; Quddús held the inner spiritual centre.\n\nThe fort, surrounded for months, eventually ran short of every\nsupply except the courage of those within it. Cannon shells\nfell into the timber-and-mud structure with no apparent effect\non the men inside. Nabíl quotes Quddús dismissing the\nbombardment with one of his characteristic sentences:\n\n> How utterly unaware are these boastful aggressors of the power\n> of God’s avenging wrath!\n\nThe end came not by force but by treachery. Prince\nMihdí-Qulí Mírzá, the imperial commander, sent envoys with\nsworn copies of the Qur’án and personal pledges of safe\nconduct. Trusting the oath, the Bábís opened the gates. The\nmassacre began at once.\n\nQuddús was taken alive to Bárfurúsh, his birthplace. The\nprince, presented with his prisoner, declined either to\nrelease him or to defend him. Nabíl preserves the formula by\nwhich the prince conveniently surrendered moral\nresponsibility:\n\n> I wash my hands of all responsibility for any harm that may\n> befall this man... You are free to do what you like with him.\n\nThe mob took him to the public square. He was tortured for\nhours. Pieces of his body were cut from him while he still\nlived. He prayed throughout. His final words, Nabíl preserves,\ncalled on his absent mother and on the wedding-language with\nwhich he had often spoken of his death:\n\n> Would that my mother were with me — the splendour of my\n> nuptials.\n\nHe was killed in the *Sabzih-Maydán* of his own home town. He\nwas twenty-seven years old. The Báb, on hearing the news,\nceased His writing for nine days.\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), Chapter XX — The Mázindarán Upheaval (Continued). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Star Above the Horizon: Shaykh Aḥmad-i-Aḥsá'í's Mission",
"slug": "db-shaykh-ahmad-mission",
"summary": "Nabíl's chronicle opens with the figure of Shaykh Aḥmad-i-Aḥsá'í, the Arabian scholar who, at the age of forty, set out from al-Aḥsá in 1216 A.H. to prepare a generation of disciples for the imminent appearance of the promised One. He recognized the birth of Bahá'u'lláh in Núr in 1233 A.H. as the secret event that justified his entire ministry.",
"figures": [
"Shaykh Aḥmad-i-Aḥsá'í",
"Siyyid Káẓim-i-Rashtí",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Karbilá",
"lat": 32.616,
"lng": 44.025,
"modernName": "Karbalá, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"prophecy",
"preparation",
"early-believers",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"detachment",
"faith",
"perseverance"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe opening chapter of Nabíl’s *Dawn-Breakers* introduces the\nfigure who, more than any other, prepared the soil from which the\nBábí dispensation would spring: Shaykh Aḥmad-i-Aḥsá'í.\n\nNabíl describes the spiritual climate Shaykh Aḥmad inherited as\none of obscurity. The Faith of Muḥammad, in his telling, had been\ndarkened by *the ignorance, the fanaticism, and perversity of the\ncontending sects into which it had fallen.* It was into this\ncondition that the Shaykh emerged:\n\n> There appeared above the horizon of the East that luminous Star\n> of Divine guidance, Shaykh Aḥmad-i-Aḥsá'í.\n\nHe had been schooled in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbilá,\nwhere he soon outpaced his teachers; and he had received, from\nsources Nabíl describes as inward and divine rather than\nschoolroom, the conviction that the appearance of the promised\nOne was now near. *Bereft of all earthly possessions, and detached\nfrom all save God,* he set himself, at the age of forty, to a\nsingle task: the preparation of a band of disciples capable of\nrecognising the Manifestation when He should come.\n\nThrough Persia he travelled — Mashhad, Yazd, Iṣfahán, Ṭihrán —\ngathering scholars about him. Eventually he settled in\nKirmánsháh under the patronage of Prince Muḥammad-‘Alí Mírzá. The\nwork he taught his students was not the doctrines of the schools\nbut a particular reading of the prophetic literature that pointed,\ndiscreetly and persistently, beyond itself.\n\nIn the year 1233 A.H. — corresponding to 1817 in the Western\ncalendar — the Shaykh recognised the central secret of his\ngeneration:\n\n> In the year 1233 A.H. the world, unaware of its significance,\n> witnessed the birth of Him who was destined to confer upon it\n> such incalculable blessings.\n\nThat birth was the birth of Bahá'u'lláh, in the village of Núr in\nMázindarán. Shaykh Aḥmad knew the event by inner knowledge; he\ncould not, however, remain to see its consequences unfold. He\nappointed Siyyid Káẓim-i-Rashtí as his successor and, soon\nafter, departed for Mecca. He died in Medina in 1242 A.H. and was\nburied near the tomb of the Prophet.\n\nNabíl reads the Shaykh’s entire ministry as a long, secret\npreparation. He had not been the dawn; he had been the herald of\nthe dawn. The Letters of the Living were already being formed, in\nthe persons of the next generation, by his patient preliminary\nwork.\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), Chapter I — The Mission of Shaykh Aḥmad-i-Aḥsá'í, pages 1-19. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Scatter Far and Wide: Siyyid Káẓim's Last Charge",
"slug": "db-siyyid-kazim-charge",
"summary": "As his life drew to a close in Karbilá in 1259 A.H., Siyyid Káẓim-i-Rashtí gathered his disciples and gave them the charge that the Dawn-Breakers treats as the immediate prologue to the Báb's Declaration: scatter yourselves over the face of the earth, detach yourselves from all earthly things, and seek the Promised One who is now manifest.",
"figures": [
"Siyyid Káẓim-i-Rashtí",
"Mullá Ḥusayn",
"Shaykh Aḥmad-i-Aḥsá'í"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Karbilá",
"lat": 32.616,
"lng": 44.025,
"modernName": "Karbalá, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"preparation",
"search",
"prophecy",
"early-believers"
],
"virtues": [
"detachment",
"perseverance",
"obedience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAfter Shaykh Aḥmad’s death, his lieutenant Siyyid Káẓim-i-Rashtí\ncarried forward the work of preparing students for the imminent\nManifestation. He chose Karbilá as his centre. There, for nearly\ntwo decades, he taught a body of disciples who would later become\nthe first ranks of the Bábí dispensation — Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bushrú’í\nchief among them.\n\nNabíl describes Siyyid Káẓim as increasingly explicit, in his\nlast years, about the nearness of the Promised One. He sent\ntrusted emissaries — including the young Mullá Ḥusayn — on\nquiet missions of theological diplomacy. Mullá Ḥusayn’s success in\nIṣfahán in obtaining the open allegiance of Ḥájí Siyyid\nMuḥammad-Báqir, one of the most respected scholars of the age,\nmoved the Siyyid to commission him still further:\n\n> Arise and perform this mission, for I declare you equal to\n> this task. The Almighty will graciously assist you.\n\nThe Siyyid would also drop, before his closer students, hints\nabout the specific person they should expect. The Promised One,\nhe said,\n\n> is of noble lineage. He is a descendant of the Prophet of God,\n> of the family of Háshim. He is young in age.\n\nThese hints were partial by design; the disciples were not to be\ntold outright, but to recognise.\n\nWhen the Siyyid sensed his own death approaching, he gave them the\ncharge that Nabíl treats as the immediate prologue to the\nDeclaration of the Báb. He gathered them in Karbilá, and instead\nof appointing a successor in the ordinary sense, he sent them\n*away.* The Promised One was not in any one place; He was to be\nsought, and the seekers would have to scatter:\n\n> Scatter far and wide, detach yourselves from all earthly\n> things, and humbly and prayerfully beseech your Lord to sustain\n> and guide you.\n\nHe warned them of what would be asked of them. The price of\nrecognition would not be cheap.\n\n> Well is it with every one of you who will quaff the cup of\n> martyrdom in His path.\n\nSiyyid Káẓim died on the day of ‘Arafih in 1259 A.H., fulfilling\na prophetic dream of a humble shepherd Nabíl records earlier in\nthe chapter. His students dispersed across Persia. Within months,\none of them — Mullá Ḥusayn — would knock at the door of a young\nSiyyid in Shíráz, and the dispersal that the Siyyid had commanded\nwould gather, all at once, into the first sunrise of the new Day.\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), Chapter II — The Mission of Siyyid Káẓim-i-Rashtí, pages 19-47. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Hour Is Near: Siyyid Káẓim's Last Days at Karbilá",
"slug": "db-siyyid-kazim-last-days",
"summary": "Nabíl's chronicle records the final months of Siyyid Káẓim-i-Rashtí in late 1843 and early 1844 — the second of the two great preparatory teachers of the dawn of the Revelation. He told his closest students that the Promised One would appear in their own lifetime; that he himself would not live to see Him; that they must scatter across Persia in search of Him.",
"figures": [
"Siyyid Káẓim-i-Rashtí",
"Mullá Ḥusayn",
"Shaykh Aḥmad-i-Aḥsá'í"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Karbilá",
"lat": 32.616,
"lng": 44.025,
"modernName": "Karbalá, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"prophecy",
"preparation",
"early-believers",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"perseverance",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nNabíl’s *Dawn-Breakers* records the final months of Siyyid\nKáẓim-i-Rashtí, the second of the two great preparatory\nteachers, in the autumn and winter of 1843-44. He had succeeded\nShaykh Aḥmad-i-Aḥsá'í as the head of the small but influential\nschool in Karbilá that had, for a generation, been preparing\nits students for the appearance of the Promised One.\n\nBy 1843 Siyyid Káẓim was an old man. His health, never robust,\nwas giving way. The opposition to his teaching from the\northodox clergy of Najaf and Karbilá had grown into open\nhostility. There were repeated petitions to the Ottoman\nauthorities to remove him from the holy cities; the school was\nunder perpetual surveillance.\n\nHe continued, in spite of it, to teach. The chapters of the\n*Dawn-Breakers* preserve the texture of those last months: the\nupper room where the lessons were given; the close circle of\nstudents who attended; the increasing emphasis, in Siyyid\nKáẓim’s own discourse, on the nearness of the appointed hour.\n\nHe was speaking less, the chronicle records, of the doctrines\nhe had himself developed and more of what was to come. He\nturned aside the questions that had occupied earlier years\nand turned the students’ attention to the future. *I am, in\nthis world,* he told one of them, *but a leaf which has fallen\nto the ground; the tree itself is yet to bloom.*\n\nHe spoke openly of his own death. He spoke openly of the\nappearance, soon, of the Manifestation. He told the students\nthat the time of waiting was ending and that the time of\nseeking had begun.\n\nMullá Ḥusayn-i-Bushrú’í — the eldest and most distinguished of\nthe students, who would in less than a year become the first\nLetter of the Living — was sent in the closing weeks on a\nparticular errand to Tihrán. The errand, the chronicle\nrecords, was a covering business; the deeper purpose was to\nprepare him for what was coming. Siyyid Káẓim wished his\nprincipal student to be at a distance from Karbilá when the\nend arrived, so that the death itself should not bind him to\nthe school.\n\nThe death came on January 31, 1844. Siyyid Káẓim died in his\nown house, surrounded by his closest students. The funeral\nprayers were said by them.\n\nSeveral days after the burial the students gathered, in\nmourning and in confusion, for guidance about what to do\nnext. The chronicle preserves the counsel that the older\ndisciples drew from the late teacher’s own last words:\n\n> Scatter far and wide, set out from your homes, search Him\n> out, and rest not until you have found Him.\n\nThe students obeyed. Mullá Ḥusayn returned from Tihrán and\njoined the search. He went south, with his brother and his\nnephew, toward Shíráz, fasting forty days at the small mosque\non the way.\n\nOn the evening of May 22, 1844 — fewer than four months after\nSiyyid Káẓim’s death — Mullá Ḥusayn met, in the streets of\nShíráz, the Young Man whose presence answered the search his\nmaster had sent him on.\n\nThe work of Siyyid Káẓim, in that meeting, was complete.\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), Chapter II — The Mission of Siyyid Káẓim-i-Rashtí. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "I Bear Witness These Words Are From the Same Source: Siyyid Yaḥyá Recognizes the Báb",
"slug": "db-siyyid-yahya-darabi-converted",
"summary": "Among the most distinguished early converts to the Báb's Cause was Siyyid Yaḥyá-i-Dárábí — known later as Vaḥíd, the Peerless. Sent from the court of Muḥammad Sháh to investigate the new movement, he came as a sceptic; the Báb's revealed commentary on the Súrih of Kawthar undid his scepticism in a single afternoon.",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Siyyid Yaḥyá-i-Dárábí (Vaḥíd)",
"Mullá Muḥammad-'Alí-i-Zanjání (Ḥujjat)"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"recognition",
"early-believers",
"revelation"
],
"virtues": [
"sincerity",
"humility",
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the most distinguished early converts to the Cause of the\nBáb stood Siyyid Yaḥyá-i-Dárábí — known later in Bahá’í memory\nas Vaḥíd, the Peerless. He was a man of immense scholarly\nreputation, a respected court figure, and, according to Nabíl,\nthe man Muḥammad Sháh had personally chosen to investigate the\nnew movement and to report back from Shíráz on whether the\nyoung Siyyid claiming to be the Promised One should be taken\nseriously.\n\nVaḥíd arrived in Shíráz committed to a careful, disinterested\nexamination. Nabíl records three sessions of conversation\nbetween them. The first was conducted at length on questions of\nprophecy and exegesis. Vaḥíd, comfortable in dialectic, came\naway unsettled but not yet persuaded. The second session\ncovered similar ground in greater depth. Vaḥíd left, again,\nrestive — the Báb’s answers were not those of an impostor, but\nnor was he ready to bow before a young provincial Siyyid.\n\nVaḥíd resolved on a final test. He would compose, in his own\nmind, a question on the most difficult passage of the Qur’án he\ncould devise — the Súrih of Kawthar — and ask the Báb to reveal\nits inward meaning. He told no one of the question.\n\nWhen he sat with the Báb the next day, he had not yet asked. The\nBáb anticipated him. He took up His pen and, in Vaḥíd’s presence,\nrevealed a commentary on the very Súrih Vaḥíd had silently\nchosen — *verses streamed from His pen with a rapidity that was\ntruly astounding,* Nabíl writes — answering the unspoken question\nin a torrent of Arabic verse.\n\nVaḥíd's defences fell. He turned to the Báb and made the\ndeclaration that would define the rest of his life:\n\n> I bear witness that these words which I have read proceed from\n> the same Source as that of the Qur'án.\n\nIn the same chapter Nabíl introduces another remarkable figure\nwho soon followed — Mullá Muḥammad-‘Alí-i-Zanjání, known to\nBahá’í history as Ḥujjat — an independent-minded cleric whose\nreading of the Báb was no less decisive than Vaḥíd's.\n\nNabíl closes the chapter with the failed execution attempt\nof Governor Ḥusayn Khán. The Governor, infuriated by the\nspreading influence of the new movement, swore by *the imperial\ndiadem of Muḥammad Sháh* that he would have the Báb killed that\nvery night. Within hours, however, a sudden cholera plague\ndescended on the city. The Governor’s own son fell ill, then\nthe Governor’s household. Terrified, the authorities released\nthe Báb. The execution they had planned would not be carried\nout — not yet.\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), Chapter IX — The Báb's stay in Shíráz after the Pilgrimage, continued. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Without Veil at Badasht: Ṭáhirih's Public Declaration",
"slug": "db-tahirih-flight-to-badasht",
"summary": "Nabíl's chronicle records the conference at Badasht in the summer of 1848 — the meeting at which the eighty-one principal Bábí teachers of the time gathered in three small gardens to consult on the relation of the new Faith to the Islamic past. The decisive moment came when Ṭáhirih appeared before the assembled men with her veil removed.",
"figures": [
"Ṭáhirih",
"Quddús",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "babi",
"period": "Badasht",
"location": {
"name": "Badasht",
"lat": 36.55,
"lng": 55.05,
"modernName": "Shahrud, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"declaration",
"early-believers",
"history",
"emancipation"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"faith",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nNabíl’s *Dawn-Breakers* devotes a chapter to the conference at\nBadasht in the summer of 1848. The conference had been\nconvened, in three small adjacent gardens in the village of\nBadasht in eastern Mázindarán, by Bahá’u’lláh — though the\nsignificance of His role would not be fully understood until\nlater. Eighty-one of the principal Bábí teachers had been\nsummoned. They came from across Persia.\n\nThe agenda was substantial. The Báb was confined at Chihríq.\nThe community had grown rapidly in the four years since the\nDeclaration. The relation of the new Faith to its Islamic\ninheritance — whether the Bábí dispensation was a renewal of\nthe Islamic covenant or a wholly new one — had not been\npublicly addressed. The conference at Badasht was convened to\nconsult on the question.\n\nThe three gardens had been arranged with care. Bahá’u’lláh,\nduring the consultations, occupied one. Quddús — having\ntravelled to Badasht despite the dangers of his presence in\nthe open — occupied another. Ṭáhirih, the great woman of the\nnew Faith, occupied the third.\n\nThe conference proceeded for several days. Tablets were\nrevealed and read. The believers consulted in small groups.\nThe senior figures consulted privately together. The general\ndisposition of the gathering inclined cautiously: the rupture\nwith the Islamic past, even if doctrinally necessary, would\nneed to be made very gradually if the community was to\nwithstand the shock.\n\nThe decisive moment came in a way no one in the gathering had\nexpected. Ṭáhirih, whose teaching at Karbilá and at Qazvín had\nalready made her one of the most controversial figures in the\nmovement, appeared one afternoon at Quddús’s tent. She was\nunveiled. She was unveiled in the presence of men.\n\nThe shock to the assembled teachers, the chronicle records,\nwas profound. Several of them cried out. One, ‘Abdu’l-Khálíq-\ni-Iṣfáhání, was so distraught that he cut his throat and ran\nbleeding from the gathering. Several others left Badasht the\nnext day and never returned.\n\nṬáhirih, undisturbed, addressed the gathering. The chronicle\npreserves the central sentence of her address:\n\n> This day is the day on which the fetters of the past are\n> broken asunder.\n\nShe spoke for some time. She spoke of the new dispensation as\nthe dispensation that the centuries of Islamic preparation had\nbeen waiting for; she spoke of the inadequacy of the old forms\nto contain the new content; she spoke of her unveiling as the\ndeclaration, in act, of the principle the conference had been\nconsidering in word.\n\nQuddús, who had been at first apparently angry at the\nintrusion, by the close of her address had risen and embraced\nher as the *trumpet-blast* of the new day. The deeper\narrangement — Quddús’s seeming opposition, Ṭáhirih’s seeming\ndefiance, Bahá’u’lláh’s steadying hand behind both — was\nrecognised by the careful observers afterward as a single\ncoordinated move.\n\nThe conference dispersed within days. The teachers returned to\ntheir cities. The Bábí community had passed, in those few\nhours at Badasht, from a movement within Islamic reform into a\nnew dispensation in its own right.\n\nṬáhirih would, in the autumn of 1852, be martyred by silken\ncord in a Tihrán garden. She went to her death wearing the\nwhite silk gown she had set aside for the occasion. The unveiling\nat Badasht had been the public declaration of the woman who\nwould, four years later, also be the first martyr of woman’s\nemancipation in the modern world.\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), Chapter XVII — The Conference at Badasht. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Fort at Khájih: Vaḥíd's Defense at Nayríz",
"slug": "db-vahid-nayriz-defense",
"summary": "Nabíl's chronicle records that in the early summer of 1850, Siyyid Yaḥyá-i-Dárábí — known as Vaḥíd — withdrew with his followers from the city of Nayríz to the small fort at Khájih in the surrounding hills, where for several months he held off the forces of the governor of Fárs before being deceived, surrendered, and put to death.",
"figures": [
"Siyyid Yaḥyá-i-Dárábí (Vaḥíd)",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Nayríz",
"lat": 29.1991,
"lng": 54.3293,
"modernName": "Neyriz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"early-believers",
"persecution",
"sacrifice",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"faith",
"sacrifice",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nNabíl’s *Dawn-Breakers* devotes a chapter to the events at\nNayríz in 1850. The chapter follows in the chronicle the long\naccount of Siyyid Yaḥyá’s recognition of the Báb at Shíráz; it\nrecords the further steps of the same biography to its\nconclusion.\n\nSiyyid Yaḥyá-i-Dárábí — known by the title the Báb had given\nhim, *Vaḥíd,* the One — had returned from his audience with\nthe Báb a transformed man. He had begun to teach openly. He had\ngone first to Yazd, where his preaching had aroused the\nhostility of the local authorities; he had moved on to the\ncity of Nayríz in the province of Fárs, where his family\nestates lay and where his moral authority was great.\n\nIn Nayríz he was received as the master his upbringing and\nstation gave him every right to be. He gathered the believers\ninto the great mosque of the city. He addressed the population\nfrom its pulpit. Some of the most prominent families of the\ndistrict declared their faith.\n\nThe governor of Nayríz, alarmed by the rapid growth of the new\ncommunity, appealed to the governor of Fárs at Shíráz. A\ndetachment of troops was dispatched. Vaḥíd, recognising that\nto fight in the streets of the city would expose its\ninhabitants to general slaughter, withdrew with his followers\nto a small fort at Khájih, in the rocky hills outside the\ncity. The Bábís of Nayríz numbered, in the days of the\nwithdrawal, somewhat above seventy.\n\nThe siege of the fort at Khájih lasted, Nabíl records, several\nmonths. The defenders sortied repeatedly against the besieging\narmy. They inflicted heavy losses. Their position, however,\nworsened with each week — the small fort had no water source,\nthe supplies dwindled, and the besieging forces grew with each\nfresh detachment.\n\nThe chronicle preserves the saying Vaḥíd repeated to his\nfollowers in the fort:\n\n> My disciples are nearer and dearer to me than mine own kin.\n\nHe spoke also, in the closing days of the siege, of his\nforeknowledge that the defense would not succeed in\nworldly terms — but that the Cause for which they fought would\nnot, by their fall, fall.\n\nThe end came by deception. The commander of the besieging\nforces sent into the fort a copy of the Qur’án with an\ninscription sworn upon it: that if Vaḥíd would surrender, his\nfollowers would be spared and he himself dismissed in honour.\nVaḥíd recognised the deception in the offer. He nevertheless\nagreed to it. He went out, into the camp of the besiegers,\nunder the conditions of the oath.\n\nThe oath was at once broken. The defenders were massacred.\nVaḥíd himself was treated with great cruelty: he was bound\nbehind a horse and dragged through the streets of Nayríz until\nhe died. The chronicle preserves the names of the principal\nmen involved in the betrayal; the chronicle also preserves\nthe names of the fallen.\n\nThe chapter closes with one of Nabíl’s characteristic\nobservations. The defense at Nayríz, in the worldly record,\nended in disaster. In the spiritual record — the only record\nthe chronicle is finally interested in keeping — it ended in\nthe seal of a man’s testimony to what he had seen in the room\nat Shíráz.\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A'ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), Chapter XX — The Siege of Nayríz. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Dear Elizabeth Cheney tiny, plump, copper haired was one of the first to answer…",
"slug": "dear-elizabeth-cheney-tiny-plump-copper-haired-was-bs2",
"summary": "Dear Elizabeth Cheney tiny, plump, copper haired was one of the first to answer the call to pioneer in South America. Dedicated and radiant, she went forth to plant the standard of Bahá’u’lláh, and from the first she was beset by…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"pioneering",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"joy",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDear Elizabeth Cheney tiny, plump, copper haired was one of the first to answer the call to pioneer in South America. Dedicated and radiant, she went forth to plant the standard of Bahá’u’lláh, and from the first she was beset by difficulties. Everything in the world seemed to happen to her. She was ill, funds she had counted on failed to materialize, the various methods of transportation that were scheduled were either detoured or failed entirely - but. nothing daunted her. With determination and great courage, she continued to press on. Finally, she reached the last leg of her journey - a river boat that was to take her to her destination. With relief and joy, she boarded the boat, only to be awakened close to midnight - the boat had struck submerged rocks and was sinking. Elizabeth had only time to get out of her stateroom, run on deck and, with the water rising nearly to her waist, plunge over the rail and into the river. It was pitch dark, moon less, and no stars. The water was cold. Elizabeth floundered, went under, rose, prayer on her lips and in her heart - and grasped a log that was floating. A moment later she realized she was not alone grasping the log - another woman spoke to her out of the darkness. And there, with muddy river water smacking against her face, thick darkness pressing around her, the wrecked boat sinking lower and lower and the cries of the drowning echoing around her, Elizabeth gave the Message that she had come pioneering to give - and at the other end of the log her first contact listened.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 11*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching) (Subject: teaching).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Despite the Master's fatigue at times, He welcomed everyone with a beaming…",
"slug": "despite-the-masters-fatigue-at-times-he-welcomed-bs12",
"summary": "Despite the Master's fatigue at times, He welcomed everyone with a beaming smile, and in His pleasing and vibrant voice would ask \"Are you happy?\" He loved the sound of laughter and often told stories and anecdotes to make us…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"exhaustion"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDespite the Master's fatigue at times, He welcomed everyone with a beaming smile, and in His pleasing and vibrant voice would ask \"Are you happy?\" He loved the sound of laughter and often told stories and anecdotes to make us laugh.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 213*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion) (Subject: exhaustion).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Dr",
"slug": "dr-bagdadi-states-that-when-shoghi-effendi-was-bs0",
"summary": "Dr. Bagdadi states that when Shoghi Effendi was only five years old he was pestering the Master to write something for him, whereupon ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote this touching and revealing letter in His own hand: He is God! O My Shoghi, I have no…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"chanting",
"children",
"family",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/chanting"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDr. Bagdadi states that when Shoghi Effendi was only five years old he was pestering the Master to write something for him, whereupon ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote this touching and revealing letter in His own hand: He is God! O My Shoghi, I have no time to talk, leave me alone! You said \"write\" -- I have written. What else should be done? Now is not the time for you to read and write, it is the time for jumping about and chanting \"O my God!\", therefore memorize the prayers of the Blessed Beauty and chant them that I may hear them, because there is no time for anything else. It seems that when this wonderful gift reached the child he set himself to memorize a number of Bahá’u’lláh's prayers and would chant them so loudly that the entire neighbourhood could hear his voice; when his parents and other members of the Master's family remonstrated with him, Shoghi Effendi replied, according to Dr. Bagdadi, \"The Master wrote to me to chant that He may hear me! I am doing my best!\" and he kept on chanting at the top of his voice for many hours every day. Finally his parents begged the Master to stop him, but He told them to let Shoghi Effendi alone. This was one aspect of the small boy's chanting. We are told there was another: he had memorized some touching passages written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá after the ascension of Bahá’u’lláh and when he chanted these the tears would roll down the earnest little face. From another source we are told that when the Master was requested by a western friend, at that time living in His home, to reveal a prayer for children He did so, and the first to memorize it and chant it was Shoghi Effendi who would also chant it in the meetings of the friends.\n\n\n*Source: Rúhíyyih Khánum, The Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, p. 4-5*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/chanting) (Subject: chanting).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Dr J",
"slug": "dr-j-e-esslemont-author-of-the-often-printed-bs0",
"summary": "Dr J. E. Esslemont, author of the often-printed Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s guest in Haifa for two and a half months in the winter of 1919-20. He observed, ‘Both at lunch and supper He used to entertain a number of…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"hospitality",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDr J. E. Esslemont, author of the often-printed Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s guest in Haifa for two and a half months in the winter of 1919-20. He observed, ‘Both at lunch and supper He used to entertain a number of pilgrims and friends, and charm His guests with happy and humorous stories as well as precious talks on a great variety of subjects. “My home is the home of laughter and mirth,” He declared, and indeed it was so. He delighted in gathering together people of various races, colours, nations, and religions in unity and cordial friendship around His hospitable board.’\n\nAs He said on another occasion, ‘My home is the home of peace. My home is the home of joy and delight. My home is the home of laughter and exultation. Whoever enters through the portals of this home must go out with gladsome heart.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 172*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Driving home, we came to the most spectacular waterfall, foaming down a black precipice",
"slug": "driving-home-we-came-to-the-most-spectacular-bs0",
"summary": "Driving home, we came to the most spectacular waterfall, foaming down a black precipice. The Master peremptorily stopped the car and with a sort of excitement got out of it; then walked to the very edge of the precipice. After standing…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"beauty"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/beauty"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDriving home, we came to the most spectacular waterfall, foaming\n\ndown a black precipice. The Master peremptorily stopped the car and with a sort of excitement got out of it; then walked to the very edge of the precipice. After standing there for some time, His eyes fixed on that long, shining torrent, which seemed to be shaking off diamonds in a fury, He seated Himself on a rock hanging over the deep abyss. I can still see that Figure of quiet Power perilously poised above the precipice, that still, rapt Face delighting in some secret way in the beauty of the waterfall. Tears came to Laura's eyes and mine. During the whole drive He was always discovering lovely things and with vivid animation pointing them out to us: the bright green of the fields and hills, the neat villages, a spire rising from a cluster of Swiss houses, or from some lonely spot on a mountain. A tiny village, high among the peaks, caught His eye . . . It was just after we left the waterfall that the Master turned, smiling, to me. \"If I come to America, Juliet, will you invite Me to see such waterfalls?\"\n\n\n*Source: Diary of Juliet Thompson, p. 78-79*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/beauty) (Subject: beauty).*\n"
},
{
"title": "During ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s last days in America, the Bahá’ís were eager to show…",
"slug": "during-abdu-l-bah-s-last-days-in-america-the-bah-s-bs1",
"summary": "During ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s last days in America, the Bahá’ís were eager to show their love and gratitude by contributions of money, but these He refused. ‘I am pleased with your services,’ He told them, ‘and I am grateful for all you have done…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"gifts",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"gratitude",
"kindness",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/gifts"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDuring ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s last days in America, the Bahá’ís were eager to show their love and gratitude by contributions of money, but these He refused. ‘I am pleased with your services,’ He told them, ‘and I am grateful for all you have done for Me
. Now you have brought presents for the members of My family. They are acceptable, but the best of all presents is the love of God which remains preserved in the treasuries of hearts. Material presents remain for a time but this lasts forever. These presents require chests and shelves for safe keeping while this is preserved in the repositories of the minds and hearts and remains eternal and immortal forever in the divine worlds. I shall, therefore, convey to them your love which is the most precious of all gifts. No one uses diamond rings in our homes and no one wants rubies. That house is free from all these things. ‘I, however, accept your presents but I leave them in your safe keeping with the request that you will kindly sell them and send the proceeds to the funds for the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/gifts) (Subject: gifts).*\n"
},
{
"title": "During His last earthly hours ‘Abdu’l-Bahá lay in bed with a fever and His…",
"slug": "during-his-last-earthly-hours-abdu-l-bah-lay-in-bs2",
"summary": "During His last earthly hours ‘Abdu’l-Bahá lay in bed with a fever and His night-robe needed changing. However, none could be found, as He had given them…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"selfless"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/selfless"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDuring His last earthly hours ‘Abdu’l-Bahá lay in bed with a fever and His night-robe needed changing. However, none could be found, as He had given them away.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 66*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/selfless) (Subject: selfless).*\n"
},
{
"title": "During one or two of those summers early in Shoghi Effendi's ministry he told…",
"slug": "during-one-or-two-of-those-summers-early-bs18",
"summary": "During one or two of those summers early in Shoghi Effendi's ministry he told me he had bought a bicycle and cycled over many passes. His bicycle--the poor man's car--became a favourite of Shoghi Effendi. He sometimes climbed the highest…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"simple life"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDuring one or two of those summers early in Shoghi Effendi's ministry he told me he had bought a bicycle and cycled over many passes. His bicycle--the poor man's car--became a favourite of Shoghi Effendi. He sometimes climbed the highest passes in Switzerland, pushing it up and riding down.\n\n\n*Source: Rúhíyyih Khánum, The Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, p. 61*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life) (Subject: simple-life).*\n"
},
{
"title": "During our dinner at 7:30 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ sat and talked with us",
"slug": "during-our-dinner-at-7-30-abdu-l-bah-sat-and-bs0",
"summary": "During our dinner at 7:30 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ sat and talked with us. Mr. Parsons [Agnes Parsons’ husband] suggested going one evening to the Library of Congress to see it lighted, but never dreamed that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would wish to add another…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"sightseeing"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/sightseeing"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDuring our dinner at 7:30 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ sat and talked with us. Mr. Parsons [Agnes Parsons’ husband] suggested going one evening to the Library of Congress to see it lighted, but never dreamed that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would wish to add another activity to this already full day. But ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said “Let us go tonight.” We first went up on the elevator to the rotunda looking down on the reading room. Two of the bronze figures were examined, when Mr. Parsons turned to conduct the party to another part of the Library. When it was told to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that Mr. Parsons would like to show Him over some other part of the building, He replied, “When one undertakes to see a thing one should see it,” and continued around the rotunda until He had looked carefully at and asked the name of each bronze figure. After doing this part of the Library, we went with Mr. Parsons to his Division and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá began to see it as thoroughly as He had examined the figures. Mr. Parsons turned to me and said: If we go over this Division so thoroughly the lights will be turned off before we shall have finished. Just at this moment, Mr. [Bernard R.] Greene, the Superintendent of the building appeared, met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and gave the order that the lights were to be left on and no doors were to be locked for the present. Thus there was time to show ‘Abdu’l-Bahá the stacks, some of the machinery for moving books and also some Turkish books. And so ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had the opportunity of giving us a lesson in thoroughness.\n\n\n*Source: Agnes Parsons’ Diary, April 21, 1912*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/sightseeing) (Subject: sightseeing).*\n"
},
{
"title": "During our sojourn in Adrianople, Bahá’u’lláh's custom was to walk only in the…",
"slug": "during-our-sojourn-in-adrianople-bah-u-ll-hs-custom-was-bs0",
"summary": "During our sojourn in Adrianople, Bahá’u’lláh's custom was to walk only in the garden of the house, which was also His prison. Here the friends crowded, weeping and wailing, refusing to be comforted. They determined to resist the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Adrianople",
"lat": 41.6771,
"lng": 26.5557,
"modernName": "Edirne, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"bahaullah exile",
"exile",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-exile"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDuring our sojourn in Adrianople, Bahá’u’lláh's custom was to walk only in the garden of the house, which was also His prison. Here the friends crowded, weeping and wailing, refusing to be comforted. They determined to resist the separation; great was the tumult. Many telegrams were sent to the Government at Constantinople. At length we all started together on the journey to Gallipoli, and in three days we arrived, having travelled in carts and wagons. Here the Governor announced that he had received orders for our separation. He came to see Bahá’u’lláh and the Master, and becoming friendly, he tried to help us in our distress. Again many telegrams were sent to Constantinople; we stayed for a week waiting for the replies. At last permission was given for us all to embark together in a Turkish boat. In this small boat we, seventy-two persons, were crowded together in unspeakable conditions, for eleven days of horror. Then soldiers and two officers were out escort. There was an appalling smell in the boat, and most of us were very ill indeed.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-exile) (Subject: bahaullah-exile).*\n"
},
{
"title": "During part of the Master’s trip East in the United States ‘Again He would not…",
"slug": "during-part-of-the-master-s-trip-east-in-bs0",
"summary": "During part of the Master’s trip East in the United States ‘Again He would not take Pullman accommodations, even though requested by the friends, saying that they should not be dependent on bodily comforts: “We must be equal to the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"moderation"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/moderation"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDuring part of the Master’s trip East in the United States ‘Again He would not take Pullman accommodations, even though requested by the friends, saying that they should not be dependent on bodily comforts: “We must be equal to the hardships of traveling like a soldier in the path of Truth and not be slaves to bodily ease and comfort.”’ The next night the little five-member body of people accompanying ‘Abdu’l-Bahá apparently did not suggest Pullman accommodations. Were these people learning to travel like soldiers ‘in the path of Truth’? ‘In any event ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told them to reserve six berths for that night because too much austerity was not good. They suggested that perhaps only one might be secured for Him, and He replied, “No, we must share equally.”’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 115*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/moderation) (Subject: moderation).*\n"
},
{
"title": "During the afternoon of April 11th, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá returned the visits of…",
"slug": "during-the-afternoon-of-april-11th-abdu-l-bah-returned-bs13",
"summary": "During the afternoon of April 11th, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá returned the visits of Professor Ignaz Goldziher and other notabilities, and engaged in long conversations with them. When He arrived at the hall of the Old Building of Parliament for the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Hasan Balyuzi"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"exhaustion",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDuring the afternoon of April 11th, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá returned the visits of Professor Ignaz Goldziher and other notabilities, and engaged in long conversations with them. When He arrived at the hall of the Old Building of Parliament for the public meeting, He was very fatigued, barely able to speak. Yet He delivered a powerful discourse, and the audience, which had in it a number of the prominent men and academics of Budapest, showed that it had greatly appreciated the talk.\n\n\n*Source: H.M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá - The Centre of the Covenant, p. 385*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion) (Subject: exhaustion).*\n"
},
{
"title": "During the British advance from the south, field batteries were placed in…",
"slug": "during-the-british-advance-from-the-south-field-bs10",
"summary": "During the British advance from the south, field batteries were placed in position on high ground immediately to the south-east of Mount Carmel, the intention being to shell Haifa at long range over Mount Carmel itself. Some of the Eastern…",
"figures": [
"Lady Blomfield",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"prayer"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/prayer"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDuring the British advance from the south, field batteries were placed in position on high ground immediately to the south-east of Mount Carmel, the intention being to shell Haifa at long range over Mount Carmel itself. Some of the Eastern Bahá’ís living on the northern slopes of Mount Carmel becoming agitated, went to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s residence and expressed fear as to the tragic course of possible events. According to an eye-witness of this scene (from whom I obtained the story when I reached Haifa), ‘Abdu’l-Bahá calmed His excited followers and called them to prayer. Then He told them that all would be well, and that no British shells would cause the death or damage to the population or to Haifa and its environs. As a matter of historical fact, the range of the field batteries in question was inaccurate, the shells passing harmlessly over the town and falling into the Bay of 'Akká beyond.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/prayer) (Subject: prayer).*\n"
},
{
"title": "During the few years of his adult life, Mirza Mihdi had acted as an amanuensis…",
"slug": "during-the-few-years-of-his-adult-life-bs3",
"summary": "During the few years of his adult life, Mirza Mihdi had acted as an amanuensis of his Father, and Bahá’u’lláh's Tablets in his distinguished handwriting are extant. According to Aqa Rida's testimony, who had seen him grow up to young…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Hasan Balyuzi"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"mirza mihdi",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/mirza-mihdi"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDuring the few years of his adult life, Mirza Mihdi had acted as an amanuensis of his Father, and Bahá’u’lláh's Tablets in his distinguished handwriting are extant. According to Aqa Rida's testimony, who had seen him grow up to young manhood, he was a pillar of strength amongst the companions, from the days they came out of Baghdad to the day a tragic mishap brought his short and unsullied life to its conclusion, sitting with them at their gatherings, reading to them of that which flowed from the Supreme Pen, teaching them the lessons of courtesy and patience, of dignity and radiant submission to the will of God.\n\n\n*Source: H.M. Balyuzi, Bahá’u’lláh - The King of Glory, p. 313-314*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/mirza-mihdi) (Subject: mirza-mihdi).*\n"
},
{
"title": "During the night following the next day, however, my father walked into the house",
"slug": "during-the-night-following-the-next-day-however-bs3",
"summary": "During the night following the next day, however, my father walked into the house. We hardly knew him; his beard and hair were long and matted - he really was a Dervish in appearance. The meeting between my brother and his father was the…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Sulaymáníyyih",
"lat": 35.5556,
"lng": 45.4351,
"modernName": "Sulaymaniyah, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"bahaullah sulaymaniyyih"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-sulaymaniyyih"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDuring the night following the next day, however, my father walked into the house. We hardly knew him; his beard and hair were long and matted - he really was a Dervish in appearance. The meeting between my brother and his father was the most touching and pathetic sight I have ever seen. Abbas Effendi threw himself on the floor before him and kissed and embraced his feet, weeping and crying, 'Why did you leave us, why did you leave us?' while the great uncouth Dervish wept over his boy. The scene carried a weight not to be expressed in words.\n\n\n*Source: Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khánum, Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi, p. 23-24*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-sulaymaniyyih) (Subject: bahaullah-sulaymaniyyih).*\n"
},
{
"title": "During the whole drive He was always discovering lovely things and with vivid…",
"slug": "during-the-whole-drive-he-was-always-discovering-bs0",
"summary": "During the whole drive He was always discovering lovely things and with vivid animation pointing them out to us: the bright green of the fields and hills, the neat villages, a spire rising from a cluster of Swiss houses, or from some…",
"figures": [
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"cold"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/cold"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDuring the whole drive He was always discovering lovely things and with vivid animation pointing them out to us: the bright green of the fields and hills, the neat villages, a spire rising from a cluster of Swiss houses, or from some lonely spot on a mountain. A tiny village, high among the peaks, caught His eye. \"How can the people there stand the winter? It must,\" He said with the tenderest sympathy, \"be too severely cold for them.\"\n\n\n*Source: The Diary of Juliet Thompson*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/cold) (Subject: cold).*\n"
},
{
"title": "During the World War communication with friends and believers outside Syria was…",
"slug": "during-the-world-war-communication-with-friends-and-bs1",
"summary": "During the World War communication with friends and believers outside Syria was almost completely cut off, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and his followers suffered great hardships. During those dreary years the resourcefulness and sagacious…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"knighthood abdul baha"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/knighthood-abdul-baha"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDuring the World War communication with friends and believers outside Syria was almost completely cut off, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and his followers suffered great hardships. During those dreary years the resourcefulness and sagacious philanthropy of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá were strikingly shown. He personally organized extensive agricultural operations near Tiberias, bringing under cultivation land which had been untilled for centuries; thus he secured a great supply of wheat by means of which famine was averted, not only for the Bahá’ís, but for many of the poor of all religions, whose wants he liberally supplied. After the cessation of hostilities, a knighthood of the British Empire was conferred upon him in recognition of these services.\n\n\n*Source: United States Bureau of the Census, Religious Bodies: 1936, v 11, part 1, Denominations A to J*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/knighthood-abdul-baha) (Subject: knighthood-abdul-baha).*\n"
},
{
"title": "During these years Abbas Effendi was accustomed to frequent the mosques and…",
"slug": "during-these-years-abbas-effendi-was-accustomed-to-bs3",
"summary": "During these years Abbas Effendi was accustomed to frequent the mosques and argue with the doctors and learned men. They were astonished at his knowledge and acumen, and he came to be known as the youthful sage. They would ask him, 'Who is…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"abdul baha childhood",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-childhood"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDuring these years Abbas Effendi was accustomed to frequent the mosques and argue with the doctors and learned men. They were astonished at his knowledge and acumen, and he came to be known as the youthful sage. They would ask him, 'Who is your teacher - where do you learn the things which you say?' His reply was that his father had taught him. Although he had never been a day in school, he was as proficient in all that was taught as well-educated young men, which was the cause of much remark among those who knew him.\n\n\n*Source: Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khánum, Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi, p. 25*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-childhood) (Subject: abdul-baha-childhood).*\n"
},
{
"title": "During this second stay in Chicago, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá chose to stay in Corrine…",
"slug": "during-this-second-stay-in-chicago-abdu-l-bah-chose-bs3",
"summary": "During this second stay in Chicago, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá chose to stay in Corrine True's home for a day or two before moving to a hotel. When He arrived with His secretaries, Corrine serve them all tea. Unfortunately, it was a type of tea that…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"forgiveness others"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-others"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDuring this second stay in Chicago, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá chose to stay in Corrine True's home for a day or two before moving to a hotel. When He arrived with His secretaries, Corrine serve them all tea. Unfortunately, it was a type of tea that Persians don't like, and some of them remarked that \"there was a better tea\". But the Master drank it anyway, saying, \"This tea is very good because it is been prepared with love.\"\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 192*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-others) (Subject: forgiveness-others).*\n"
},
{
"title": "During those days one hundred years ago Bahá’u’lláh was enduring His…",
"slug": "during-those-days-one-hundred-years-ago-bah-u-ll-h-bs4",
"summary": "During those days one hundred years ago Bahá’u’lláh was enduring His imprisonment in the Barracks of 'Akká. Upon the tribulations which weighed Him down was heaped the fatal accident which befell His young son, His companion and…",
"figures": [
"Mírzá Mihdí",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"mirza mihdi",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"justice",
"love",
"prayer",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/mirza-mihdi"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDuring those days one hundred years ago Bahá’u’lláh was enduring His imprisonment in the Barracks of 'Akká. Upon the tribulations which weighed Him down was heaped the fatal accident which befell His young son, His companion and amanuensis, Mirza Mihdi, the Purest Branch, whose dying supplication to his Father was to accept his life \"as a ransom for those of His loved ones who yearned for, but were unable to attain, His presence.\" In a Tablet revealed in that grievous hour Bahá’u’lláh sorrows that \"This is the day whereon he that was created of the light of Bahá has suffered martyrdom, at a time when he lay imprisoned at the hands of his enemies.\" Yet He makes clear that the youth passing has a far profounder meaning than His acceptance of the simple request, declaring that \"Thou art, verily, the trust of God and His treasure in this land. Erelong will God reveal through thee that which He hath desired.\" In a prayer revealed for His son He proclaims the purpose underlying the tragedy: \"I have, O my Lord, offered up that which Thou hast given Me, that Thy servants may be quickened, and all that dwell on earth be united.\" Thus upon a youth of consummate devotion who demonstrated such beauty of spirit and total dedication was conferred a unique station in the Cause of God.\n\n\n*Source: The Universal House of Justice, Messages 1963 to 1986, p. 168-169*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/mirza-mihdi) (Subject: mirza-mihdi).*\n"
},
{
"title": "During World War I when a blockade threatened the lives of many civilians in…",
"slug": "during-world-war-i-when-a-blockade-threatened-bs2",
"summary": "During World War I when a blockade threatened the lives of many civilians in Haifa, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá saved them from starvation. ‘He personally organized extensive agricultural operations near Tiberias, thus securing a great supply of wheat
’…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"kindness",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"kindness",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/kindness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDuring World War I when a blockade threatened the lives of many civilians in Haifa, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá saved them from starvation. ‘He personally organized extensive agricultural operations near Tiberias, thus securing a great supply of wheat
’ Food was stored in underground pits and elsewhere. This He distributed to inhabitants, regardless of religion or nationality. The food was systematically rationed. Having started His preparations as early as 1912, He averted tragedy in the dark days of 1917 and 1918. At war’s end the British were quick to recognize His painstaking accomplishments. He was to be kighted on 27 April 1920, at the residence of the British Governor in Haifa at a ceremony held especially for Him. British and religious dignitaries came to honour Him on this auspicious occasion. His unselfish acts had won Him the love and respect of high and low alike. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá consented to accept the knighthood but He was not impressed with worldly honour or ceremony. Even a formality must be simplified. An elegant car was sent to bring Him to the Governor’s residence, but the chauffeur did not find the Master at His home. People scurried in every direction to find Him. Suddenly He appeared ‘
alone, walking His kingly walk, with that simplicity of greatness which always enfolded Him.’ Isfandiyar, His long-time faithful servant, stood near at hand. Many were the times when he had accompanied the Master on His labours of love. Now, suddenly, with this elegant car ready to convey his Master to the Governor, he felt sad and unneeded. Intuitively, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá must have sensed this He gave him a sign. Isfandiyar dashed off the horse was harnessed, the carriage brought to the lower gate and the Master was driven to a side entrance of the garden of the Governor. Isfandiyar was joyous he was needed even yet. Quietly, without pomp, ‘Abbas Effendi arrived at the right time at the right place and did honour to those who would honour Him when He was made Sir ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Abbas, K.B.E. a title which He almost never used.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/kindness) (Subject: kindness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Earlier that day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá talked about the material progress of the world",
"slug": "earlier-that-day-abdu-l-bah-talked-about-the-material-bs1",
"summary": "Earlier that day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá talked about the material progress of the world. He said that some countries had reached the apex of material progress. Physically, they were like healthy bodies, but unfortunately they were empty of spirit.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"materialism"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/materialism"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nEarlier that day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá talked about the material progress of the world. He said that some countries had reached the apex of material progress. Physically, they were like healthy bodies, but unfortunately they were empty of spirit. He noted that a spiritless body was a dead one until it acquired spiritual capacity. Then He said: \"The people of America have a great capacity for the acquisition of spiritual qualities but they are immersed in material affairs. They are like machines which move uncontrollably; they move but are devoid of spirit. They will attain perfection when the spirit of divine civilization is breathed into them.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 215*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/materialism) (Subject: materialism).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Early in 1904 Ethel Rosenberg made her second pilgrimage to the Holy Land",
"slug": "early-in-1904-ethel-rosenberg-made-her-second-bs2",
"summary": "Early in 1904 Ethel Rosenberg made her second pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Still confined to the city of Akka the Master and His family were living in the prison house. For eight months Ethel stayed there as His guest. She wrote, ‘To sit…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"suffering",
"pilgrimage",
"prison",
"family",
"hospitality",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"loyalty"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/suffering"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nEarly in 1904 Ethel Rosenberg made her second pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Still confined to the city of Akka the Master and His family were living in the prison house. For eight months Ethel stayed there as His guest. She wrote, ‘To sit at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s table, in His simple home, with Christians, Mohammedans, Jews, and those of other faiths, all of them breathing forth the spirit of living brotherhood is a privilege not readily forgotten.’ During her visit enemies of the Cause became particularly vicious in the attacks against ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and caused Him and His loyal followers enormous problems and indescribable grief. Deeply distressed by this fact, she asked the Master why He, a perfect Man, had to go through such sufferings. He answered her, ‘How could they (God’s teachers) teach and guide others in the way if they themselves did not undergo every species of suffering to which other human beings are subjected?’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/suffering) (Subject: suffering).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Early in the days of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s imprisonment in the barracks in ‘Akka, news…",
"slug": "early-in-the-days-of-abdu-l-bah-s-imprisonment-in-bs0",
"summary": "Early in the days of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s imprisonment in the barracks in ‘Akka, news of His wisdom spread from a butcher’s shop. He and a few of Bahá’u’lláh’s companions had left the barracks to procure food and other necessary items from the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"christianity"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/christianity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nEarly in the days of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s imprisonment in the barracks in ‘Akka, news of His wisdom spread from a butcher’s shop. He and a few of Bahá’u’lláh’s companions had left the barracks to procure food and other necessary items from the markets. In the butcher’s shop where the Master waited to be served, a Muslim and a Christian were apparently expounding the merits of their respective faiths. The Christian was winning the discussion. Thereupon, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá entered the conversation and with simplicity and eloquence proved the validity of Islam to the satisfaction of the Christian. The news of this incident ‘spread and warmed the hearts of many people of ‘Akka towards the Master; this was the beginning of His immense popularity among the inhabitants of that city.’ There even came a time when the governor of the city, Ahmad Big Tawfiq, sent his own son to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for instruction and enlightenment.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 119*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/christianity) (Subject: christianity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Early Monday morning the household was called together, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave…",
"slug": "early-monday-morning-the-household-was-called-together-bs18",
"summary": "Early Monday morning the household was called together, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave a short talk and His Blessing. He admonished each one to be faithful and said He had prayed for all. Afterward He gave each servant a handmade silk handkerchief…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"generosity",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"generosity",
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nEarly Monday morning the household was called together, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave a short talk and His Blessing. He admonished each one to be faithful and said He had prayed for all. Afterward He gave each servant a handmade silk handkerchief as a souvenir.\n\n\n*Source: Agnes Parsons’ Diary, April 22, 1912*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity) (Subject: generosity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Economic justice, even in small matters, was important to the Master",
"slug": "economic-justice-even-in-small-matters-was-important-bs4",
"summary": "Economic justice, even in small matters, was important to the Master. Once in Egypt ‘Abdu’l-Bahá obtained a carriage in order that He might offer a ride to an important Pasha, who was to be His luncheon guest. When they reached their…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"justice",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"honesty",
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/justice"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nEconomic justice, even in small matters, was important to the Master. Once in Egypt ‘Abdu’l-Bahá obtained a carriage in order that He might offer a ride to an important Pasha, who was to be His luncheon guest. When they reached their destination, the driver asked an exorbitant fee. The Master was fully aware of this and refused to pay the full amount. The driver, big and rough, grabbed His sash and ‘jerked Him back and forth’, demanding his unfair price. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá remained firm and the man eventually let go. The Master paid what He actually owed him and informed him that had he been honest, he would have received a handsome tip instead of only the fare. He then walked away.\n\nShoghi Effendi, His grandson, was present when this happened. He later admitted to being very embarrassed that this should have happened in front of the Pasha. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, on the other hand, was evidently ‘not at all upset’, but simply determined not to be cheated.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 109*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/justice) (Subject: justice).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Elizabeth Gibson Cheyne, poetess, and her husband, Dr T",
"slug": "elizabeth-gibson-cheyne-poetess-and-her-husband-dr-bs4",
"summary": "Elizabeth Gibson Cheyne, poetess, and her husband, Dr T. K. Cheyne, esteemed critic, lived in Oxford, England, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited them. Dr Cheyne’s health and strength were waning. ‘The beautiful loving care of the devoted wife…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"sick caring",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/sick-caring"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nElizabeth Gibson Cheyne, poetess, and her husband, Dr T. K. Cheyne, esteemed critic, lived in Oxford, England, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited them. Dr Cheyne’s health and strength were waning. ‘The beautiful loving care of the devoted wife for her gifted, invalid husband touched the heart of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. With tears in His kind eyes He spoke of them’ to His companions on their way back to London, ‘”She is an angelic woman, an example to all in her unselfish love. Yes, she is a perfect woman. An angel.”’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 107*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/sick-caring) (Subject: sick-caring).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Elizabeth Greenleaf was a tall, aristocratic and very lovely lady who, for very…",
"slug": "elizabeth-greenleaf-was-a-tall-aristocratic-and-very-bs0",
"summary": "Elizabeth Greenleaf was a tall, aristocratic and very lovely lady who, for very many summers, occupied the cottage at Green Acre that was known as the tea house. It was in the living room of this cottage that she told this story. It seems…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"bounties"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bounties"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nElizabeth Greenleaf was a tall, aristocratic and very lovely lady who, for very many summers, occupied the cottage at Green Acre that was known as the tea house. It was in the living room of this cottage that she told this story. It seems that for a great many years she had longed for a white Bahá’í ring-stone. She had never mentioned this to anyone nor had she mentioned it in her prayers, since it would not have occurred to her to pray for anything so material as a ring stone, but the wish had been in her heart always. One day, she had occasion to open an old trunk in her attic that had, for a long time, been closed and locked. And there, lying on the very top - the first thing to catch her eye as she lifted the lid, was her white ring stone. She had no idea how it had gotten there - she had never seen it before nor, upon inquiry, had anyone else, but she had it set and wore it on her slim finger all the rest of her life.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 16*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bounties) (Subject: bounties).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Epistle's Counsels on Trustworthiness",
"slug": "eswolf-counsels-on-trustworthiness",
"summary": "In the *Epistle to the Son of the Wolf*, Bahá'u'lláh devotes a substantial passage to the spiritual significance of trustworthiness — naming it as the foundation of the Cause's standing in the world and as the mark by which the true believer is recognised.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "'Akká",
"themes": [
"epistle",
"trustworthiness",
"character"
],
"virtues": [
"trustworthiness",
"integrity",
"sincerity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolf",
"book": "Epistle to the Son of the Wolf",
"author": "Bahá'u'lláh",
"year": 1891,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/epistle-son-wolf/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the *Epistle to the Son of the Wolf*, the closing major\nTablet revealed by Bahá'u'lláh in 1891, a substantial\npassage is devoted to the spiritual and social significance\nof trustworthiness — *al-amánah* in the Arabic of the\nTablet, often translated *fidelity* or *trust* in the\nEnglish versions.\n\nBahá'u'lláh names the quality with the highest possible\nelevation. *Trustworthiness,* He writes, *is the supreme\ninstrument for the prosperity of the world.* The phrase is\nworth attending to. Trustworthiness is not, in His framing,\nmerely a personal virtue commendable in private dealings.\nIt is the *supreme instrument* — the principal mechanism —\nby which the prosperity of the world is brought about.\n\nThe reasoning unfolds. The Tablet observes that all the\nordinary commerce, government, education, and family life\nof the human race depend on the foundation of mutual\ntrust. The merchant trusts that the contracts entered into\nwill be honoured. The citizen trusts that the laws\npromulgated will be enforced. The teacher trusts that the\nqualifications presented by the student are genuine. The\nparent trusts that the friend who takes the child to school\nwill return the child safely.\n\nWhere this trust is broken, the entire elaborate structure\nof human society begins to tremble. Each transaction\nbecomes a defensive operation. Each relationship requires\ncostly safeguards. The *prosperity* of the world — the\nordinary thriving of human life — declines.\n\nBahá'u'lláh ties the quality of trustworthiness directly to\nthe standing of the Bahá'í community in the eyes of the\nworld.\n\n> The followers of My Cause must show forth such a character,\n> such a degree of trustworthiness, that the very mention of\n> their name shall, in every quarter, be a guarantee of\n> their reliability.\n\nThe standard is high and explicit. The Bahá'í believer is\nto be the person whose name carries, on its own, the\nweight of integrity. Public reputation, in this framing, is\nnot a vanity to be cultivated but a public good that the\nbeliever is charged with maintaining.\n\nThe passage continues by addressing specific forms of\nbreach of trust. *Backbiting* is named. *Calumny* is named.\n*The sowing of suspicion* is named. *The breaking of\ncontractual obligations* is named. Each is rejected as\nincompatible with the spiritual standing the Faith\nrequires.\n\nThe closing of the passage is consequential. *Were the\nhuman race to act in accordance with the principles laid\ndown in this Tablet,* Bahá'u'lláh writes, *the world would\nin time enter the paradise foretold by the Prophets.* The\nordinary daily practice of trustworthiness, by ordinary\npersons in ordinary circumstances, is — in His\nunderstanding — the principal practical instrument by\nwhich the Most Great Peace will, in time, be brought\nabout.\n\nThe Epistle's passage on trustworthiness is among the most\nquoted of Bahá'u'lláh's later utterances. It functions, in\nthe contemporary Bahá'í community, as the direct\nfoundation for the institutional teachings on financial\nethics, on the conduct of work, on the discharge of\ncontractual obligation, and on the public character of the\nindividual believer.\n\n*Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1891). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Epistle Recounts the Questions of Áqá Najafí",
"slug": "eswolf-questions-of-aqa-najafi",
"summary": "In the *Epistle to the Son of the Wolf*, Bahá'u'lláh recounts the persecutions launched against the believers of Iṣfáhán by Áqá Najafí, the powerful Iṣfahání cleric who instigated the martyrdoms of the *King of Martyrs* and the *Beloved of Martyrs* in 1879.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Áqá Najafí"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "Iṣfáhán",
"lat": 32.6539,
"lng": 51.666,
"modernName": "Iṣfáhán, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"epistle",
"persecution",
"persia",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"courage",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolf",
"book": "Epistle to the Son of the Wolf",
"author": "Bahá'u'lláh",
"year": 1891,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/epistle-son-wolf/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe *Epistle to the Son of the Wolf* is the last major Tablet\nrevealed by Bahá'u'lláh, composed in the closing year of\nHis earthly life, in 1891. It is addressed to Shaykh\nMuḥammad-Taqí, son of one of the most prominent of the\nBahá'í Cause's clerical persecutors, and is offered as a\nfinal summons to recognition.\n\nAmong the substantial body of the Epistle is a long passage\nin which Bahá'u'lláh recounts the persecutions visited upon\nthe believers of Iṣfáhán by Áqá Najafí — the powerful\nIṣfahání cleric whose campaign in the late 1870s and 1880s\nhad brought, among many other sufferings, the martyrdom in\nMarch 1879 of the two distinguished Iṣfahání merchants\nMírzá Muḥammad-Ḥasan and Mírzá Muḥammad-Ḥusayn — the\nbrothers known in Bahá'í history as the *King of Martyrs*\nand the *Beloved of Martyrs.*\n\nBahá'u'lláh, in the Epistle, describes the events with\nparticular care. He recounts how the two brothers had been\nprosperous and well-regarded merchants in the city, how\ntheir Bahá'í faith had become known to the clerical\nauthorities, how a series of trumped-up financial and\nreligious charges had been brought against them, how the\necclesiastical court of Áqá Najafí had condemned them\nwithout serious examination of the evidence, and how the\nsentence of death had been carried out in the public square\nof the city in March 1879 with a brutality that shocked\neven some of the city's non-Bahá'í population.\n\nThe passage continues with the recounting of further\npersecutions in Iṣfáhán in the years that followed. Other\nbelievers were arrested, fined, beaten, banished. The\nproperty of the executed brothers was confiscated. Their\nfamilies were dispossessed. The widow of the *King of\nMartyrs* — Sakínih Sulṭán, the *Mother of the Martyrs* —\nwas reduced to severe poverty.\n\nBahá'u'lláh's narration of these events is composed in the\nlanguage of plain testimony. There is no rhetorical\nescalation. There is no curse on the persecutor. There is,\nhowever, the careful preservation of the historical record\n— the quiet refusal to let the suffering of the believers\ndisappear unwitnessed into the silence that the persecutors\nwould have preferred for it.\n\nThe passage closes with a brief reflection on the\nresponsibility of recognition. The persecutor of the\nfaithful, Bahá'u'lláh observes, will in time be brought to\nthe accounting that even the powerful cannot evade. The\nfaithful, by their patient witness, have already received\nthe imperishable reward. The Iṣfáhání martyrs of 1879 are,\nin the moment of His writing in 1891, *more alive than\nthose who slew them.*\n\nThe recounting of the Iṣfáhán persecutions in the Epistle\nserves a double purpose. It honours the dead. And it warns\nthe living — particularly the addressee of the Epistle, the\nson of one of the great persecutors — that the historical\nrecord of such acts is preserved by the Pen of the Most\nHigh and will, in due time, bear its proper witness.\n\n*Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1891). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Epistle Recalls the Síyáh-Chál",
"slug": "eswolf-recollection-of-siyah-chal",
"summary": "In the *Epistle to the Son of the Wolf*, Bahá'u'lláh briefly recalls the conditions of His four-month imprisonment in the Síyáh-Chál of Tihrán in 1852 — the underground dungeon in which the first intimations of His Revelation came to Him.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tihrán, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"epistle",
"prison",
"revelation",
"tihran"
],
"virtues": [
"patience",
"faith",
"courage"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolf",
"book": "Epistle to the Son of the Wolf",
"author": "Bahá'u'lláh",
"year": 1891,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/epistle-son-wolf/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the *Epistle to the Son of the Wolf*, in the course of\naddressing the subject of the persecutions endured by the\nfollowers of God, Bahá'u'lláh briefly recalls the most\nsignificant of the persecutions endured by Himself — the\nfour months He spent in the underground dungeon of the\nSíyáh-Chál in Tihrán in the late summer and autumn of\n1852.\n\nThe historical setting was the aftermath of the abortive\nattempt by two young Bábí believers, acting without the\nsanction of the Bábí community as a whole, on the life of\nNáṣiri'd-Dín Sháh in August 1852. The attempt had failed.\nThe Persian government, in retaliation, launched a wave of\narrests against the wider Bábí community. Bahá'u'lláh, then\nknown by His given name Mírzá Ḥusayn-'Alí of Núr, was\nidentified as a prominent member of the community and\narrested.\n\nHe was conveyed to the Síyáh-Chál — the *Black Pit* — a\nformer underground cistern that had been converted into a\ndungeon for political prisoners. The conditions of\nconfinement were severe. The cell was deep underground,\nwithout natural light. Heavy chains were placed on the\nprisoners. The food and water were minimal. Disease was\nconstant.\n\nBahá'u'lláh, in the Epistle, recalls the conditions\nwithout elaboration. He notes the chains. He notes the\ndarkness. He notes the cohabitation with the\nnon-political criminals who shared the dungeon and the\nordinary nineteenth-century horrors of vermin and stench.\n\nWhat He emphasises, however, is not the suffering. It is\nthe spiritual event. *In that darksome pit My soul rose to\nthe heights and the Most Great Spirit descended.* The\nSíyáh-Chál was, in Bahá'u'lláh's own retrospective\ntestimony, the place of the first manifest intimations of\nHis Revelation. The Spirit of God descended on Him there,\nin the depths of the dungeon, and made known to Him the\nmission He would in time discharge openly.\n\nThe Tablet preserves a brief description of the\nexperience. He recounts the sensation of *a stream of\nwords* descending upon Him from above; of the inner\nquickening that He felt distinctly, even as His outward\nbody lay chained in the dungeon; of the sense of having\nbeen called, definitively, to the work that would\nconstitute the rest of His life.\n\nThe recollection in the Epistle is brief — perhaps a\nsingle page in the printed English text. But it is among\nthe most consequential autobiographical passages in the\nentire body of Bahá'u'lláh's Writings. It identifies, in\nHis own voice, the specific moment at which the Bahá'í\nDispensation was inaugurated in the inner reality of its\nFounder, even though the public proclamation would be\ndelayed by another decade for the conditions of its\ndeclaration to mature.\n\nThe Síyáh-Chál was demolished by the Persian government in\nthe early twentieth century. The site was, in the late\ntwentieth century, identified by the Bahá'í community of\nIran. It is preserved in the institutional memory as the\nliteral cradle of the Revelation that, four decades after\nthe events recounted in the Epistle, would by the Master's\njourney of 1912 be reaching the cities of the West.\n\n*Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1891). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Even during those crowded days in London the Master never appeared tense or…",
"slug": "even-during-those-crowded-days-in-london-the-bs3",
"summary": "Even during those crowded days in London the Master never appeared tense or frustrated, wondering how He could do all that seemed to be required of Him. He knew His purpose and thus all things fell into their proper…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"peacefulness"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/peacefulness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nEven during those crowded days in London the Master never appeared tense or frustrated, wondering how He could do all that seemed to be required of Him. He knew His purpose and thus all things fell into their proper perspective.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 161*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/peacefulness) (Subject: peacefulness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Even His physical condition was reinforced constantly by this Divine Power",
"slug": "even-his-physical-condition-was-reinforced-constantly-by-bs14",
"summary": "Even His physical condition was reinforced constantly by this Divine Power. On one occasion after a particularly exhausting day He was returning late at night from a gathering at which He had spoken with much energy and effectiveness. In…",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"exhaustion"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nEven His physical condition was reinforced constantly by this Divine Power. On one occasion after a particularly exhausting day He was returning late at night from a gathering at which He had spoken with much energy and effectiveness. In the automobile he showed great weariness. He relaxed and gradually sank into almost a comatose condition. The friends who were with Him were greatly alarmed. On arriving at their destination He had to be almost carried into the house and to His room. Within fifteen minutes, while the friends were gathered in great anxiety in the lower rooms, His voice was heard resounding with even more than its usual energy and power calling for His secretary, and He appeared at the top of the stairs His usual dominant, smiling, forceful self.\n\n\n*Source: Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom, p. 137-138*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion) (Subject: exhaustion).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Every day, the jailors would enter the cell and would call out the name of one…",
"slug": "every-day-the-jailors-would-enter-the-cell-bs0",
"summary": "Every day, the jailors would enter the cell and would call out the name of one of the Bábís, ordering him to arise and follow them to the foot of the gallows. With eagerness, the owner of the name would respond to that call. His chains…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"martyrs attitudes",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/martyrs-attitudes"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nEvery day, the jailors would enter the cell and would call out the name of one of the Bábís, ordering him to arise and follow them to the foot of the gallows. With eagerness, the owner of the name would respond to that call. His chains removed, he would jump to his feet and, in a state of uncontrollable delight, would approach Bahá’u’lláh and embrace Him. He would then embrace each of his fellow-prisoners and would go forth, with a heart filled with hope and joy, to meet the death that awaited him. Soon after the martyrdom of each of these heroic souls, the executioner, who had grown to admire Bahá’u’lláh, would come to Him and would inform Him of the circumstances of the death of the martyr and of the joy with which he had endured, to the very end, the pain inflicted upon him.\n\n\n*Source: Ruhi Book 4, p. 96-97*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/martyrs-attitudes) (Subject: martyrs-attitudes).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Every time one goes into the details of any particular period in the Guardian's…",
"slug": "every-time-one-goes-into-the-details-of-bs0",
"summary": "Every time one goes into the details of any particular period in the Guardian's life one is tempted to say \"this was the worst period\", so fraught with strain, problems, unbearable pressures was his entire ministry. But there is a pattern,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"self hatred"
],
"virtues": [
"loyalty",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/self-hatred"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nEvery time one goes into the details of any particular period in the Guardian's life one is tempted to say \"this was the worst period\", so fraught with strain, problems, unbearable pressures was his entire ministry. But there is a pattern, there are themes, higher and lower points were reached. The pattern of 1922, 1923 and 1924 reveals itself, insofar as his personal life is concerned, as an heroic attempt to come to grips with this leviathan - the Cause of God - he had been commanded to bestride. Again and again he was thrown. Torn by agonies of doubt as to his own worthiness to be the successor of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, struggling with himself as had so many Prophets and Chosen Ones before him, he argued in the depths of his soul with his destiny, remonstrated with his fate, appealed to his God for relief - but it availed him naught. He was firmly caught in the meshes of the Master's mighty Will and Testament. He hints at this many times in his letters: \"the storm and stress that have agitated my life since ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's passing...\" \"I, for my part, as I look back...to the unfortunate circumstances of ill-health and physical exhaustion that have attended the opening years of my career of service to the Cause, feel hardly gratified, and would be truly despondent but for the sustaining memory and inspiring example of the diligent and ceaseless efforts which my fellow-workers the world over have displayed during these two trying years in the service of the Cause.\" In another letter he wrote: \"...looking back upon those sullen days of my retirement, bitter with feelings of anxiety and gloom...I can well imagine the degree of uneasiness, nay of affliction, that must have agitate the mind and soul of every loving and loyal servant of the Beloved during these long months of suspense and distressing silence...\" That his own condition, and what he considered his failure to rise to the situation the Master's passing had placed him in, distressed him more than anything else for a number of years is reflected in excerpts from this letters. As late as September 9124 he wrote: \"I deplore the disturbing effect of my forced and repeated withdrawals from the field of service...my prolonged absence, my utter inaction, should not, however, be solely attributed to certain external manifestations of in harmony, of discontent and disloyalty - however paralyzing their effect has been upon the continuance of my work - but also to my own unworthiness and to my imperfections and frailties.\" His hardest task, form the very beginning, was to accept himself.\n\n\n*Source: Rúhíyyih Khánum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 71-72*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/self-hatred) (Subject: self-hatred).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Evidently some of the Americans were bothered that the Persians for their…",
"slug": "evidently-some-of-the-americans-were-bothered-that-bs1",
"summary": "Evidently some of the Americans were bothered that the Persians for their normal clothing and requested that they change into attire to suit the circumstances of the time and place. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá responded by asking them 'What harm is…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"approval seeking",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/approval-seeking"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nEvidently some of the Americans were bothered that the Persians for their normal clothing and requested that they change into attire to suit the circumstances of the time and place. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá responded by asking them 'What harm is there in it? I do not care much about what is unimportant and what is not harmful to the cause. They are trifles.'\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 53*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/approval-seeking) (Subject: approval-seeking).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Faced with the segregated social pattern and laws of Apartheid in South Africa,…",
"slug": "faced-with-the-segregated-social-pattern-and-laws-bs23",
"summary": "Faced with the segregated social pattern and laws of Apartheid in South Africa, the integrated population of Bahá’ís had to decide how to be composed in their administrative structures whether the National Spiritual Assembly would be all…",
"figures": [],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"race unity",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nFaced with the segregated social pattern and laws of Apartheid in South Africa, the integrated population of Bahá’ís had to decide how to be composed in their administrative structures whether the National Spiritual Assembly would be all black or all white. The Bahá’í community decided that instead of dividing the South African Bahá’í community into two population groups, one black and one white, they instead limited membership in the Bahá’í Administration to black adherents, and placed the entire Bahá’í community under the leadership of its black population.\n\n\n*Source: Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa Report 1998-10-29); Volume Four, paragraphs 6, 27, 75, 84, 102*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity) (Subject: race-unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Five years after Grace told me these stories she went on an extensive teaching…",
"slug": "five-years-after-grace-told-me-these-stories-bs13",
"summary": "Five years after Grace told me these stories she went on an extensive teaching trip through the nearsouthern states. For three of these five years she had been very ill - most of the time very close to the Open Door. Finally, when she was…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"pioneering"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"generosity",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nFive years after Grace told me these stories she went on an extensive teaching trip through the nearsouthern states. For three of these five years she had been very ill - most of the time very close to the Open Door. Finally, when she was beginning to convalesce, she was sent, by a generous and devoted sister-Bahá’í, to a large convalescent home. This was at the time of our beloved Guardian's first call for pioneers to South America - a call that Grace, until this time, had been too ill to comprehend. But now she did comprehend, and all the way to the convalescent home she prayed from the depths of her hungry soul that she might, in some way, be able to respond to the Guardian's call. She arrived at the home and discovered that, that very evening, a masquerade was planned to celebrate Valentine's Day. Grace at once began to plan a costume for herself. She was very ingenious and clever about such things, and she was delighted that, so soon, she might have an opportunity of meeting her fellow guests -\n\nand maybe giving the Message- who knew? Eagerly she began to dress. She was powdering her nose in the bathroom when she fell. Whether she slipped or whether she fainted she herself was not sure. But when they found her she was lying unconscious - and unable to walk. She was put to bed and there was no party for her that night. And the next day when she finally went down stairs to meet people she met them from a wheel chair. And the people she met were from Chile and Argentina and Peru and Brazil! All the countries she had so longed to pioneer in - all the countries her beloved Guardian had said should be given the Message. So Grace being Grace, saw the beautiful joke that had been played on her - and she began to laugh. And all the people said, \"Why, Mrs. Ober, how can you laugh when this dreadful thing has happened to you?\" And Grace said, \"Because I am a Bahá’í do you know what that means?\" Of course they didn't so she told them. And from her wheel-chair she did her pioneering in South America and these people from Chile and Argentina and Peru and Brazil, took the Message home with them together with all the literature Grace gave them.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 21*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching) (Subject: teaching).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Florence Khánum relates two sayings she heard from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá",
"slug": "florence-kh-num-relates-two-sayings-she-heard-from-bs4",
"summary": "Florence Khánum relates two sayings she heard from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. On one occasion He said to her ‘”Sabr kun; mithl-i-Man bash” be patient, be as I am. The other was when some one expressed discouragement to Him, saying they could not…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"patience"
],
"virtues": [
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/patience"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nFlorence Khánum relates two sayings she heard from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. On one occasion He said to her ‘”Sabr kun; mithl-i-Man bash” be patient, be as I am. The other was when some one expressed discouragement to Him, saying they could not possibly aquire all the qualities and virtues that Bahá’ís are directed to possess, and the Master replied, “Kam Kam. Ruz bih ruz” little by little; day by day.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/patience) (Subject: patience).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Food was first offered Him (‘Abdu’l-Bahá), but He refused until all were served…",
"slug": "food-was-first-offered-him-abdu-l-bah-but-he-bs1",
"summary": "Food was first offered Him (‘Abdu’l-Bahá), but He refused until all were served when He took some also. Then looking around the table and noting that none were eating, He said 'Bismillah!' (In the Name of God), signifying that we should…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Thornton Chase"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"grace meals"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/grace-meals"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nFood was first offered Him (‘Abdu’l-Bahá), but He refused until all were served when He took some also. Then looking around the table and noting that none were eating, He said 'Bismillah!' (In the Name of God), signifying that we should eat. That one expression, accompanied with his brilliant smile, was a blessing.\n\n\n*Source: Thornton Chase, In Galilee, republished by Kalimát Press in 1985, p 31*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/grace-meals) (Subject: grace-meals).*\n"
},
{
"title": "For ‘Abdu’l-Bahá inexpensive clothes were sufficient",
"slug": "for-abdu-l-bah-inexpensive-clothes-were-sufficient-one-day-bs19",
"summary": "For ‘Abdu’l-Bahá inexpensive clothes were sufficient. One day He was to entertain the Governor of 'Akka. His wife felt that His coat was hardly worthy of the occasion. Well ahead of time she went to the tailor where she ordered a fine…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"generosity"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nFor ‘Abdu’l-Bahá inexpensive clothes were sufficient. One day He was to entertain the Governor of 'Akka. His wife felt that His coat was hardly worthy of the occasion. Well ahead of time she went to the tailor where she ordered a fine coat, thinking that, with His lack of self-consciousness, He would surely not notice that His old coat was missing. He desired, after all, only to be scrupulously clean. The new garment was laid out at the proper time, but the Master went searching for His own coat. He asked for it, insisting that the one laid out was not His. His wife attempted to explain the new coat, but He would have none of it, and He told her why: 'But think of this!...For the price of this coat you can buy five such as I ordinarily use, and do you think I would spend so much money upon a coat which only I shall wear? If you think I need a new one, very well, but send this back and have the tailor make Me for this price five such as I usually have. Then you see, I shall not only have a new one, but I shall have four to give to others!'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 74*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity) (Subject: generosity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "For ‘Abdu’l-Bahá truthfulness was as natural as breathing",
"slug": "for-abdu-l-bah-truthfulness-was-as-natural-as-breathing-bs1",
"summary": "For ‘Abdu’l-Bahá truthfulness was as natural as breathing. He spoke not to gain popularity, nor to tell people what they wanted to hear. His words served to educate and help the hearer, if he chose to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"truthfulness"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/truthfulness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nFor ‘Abdu’l-Bahá truthfulness was as natural as breathing. He spoke not to gain popularity, nor to tell people what they wanted to hear. His words served to educate and help the hearer, if he chose to listen.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 115*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/truthfulness) (Subject: truthfulness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "For his own personal use Bahá’u’lláh never ordered anything extravagant",
"slug": "for-his-own-personal-use-bah-u-ll-h-never-ordered-bs3",
"summary": "For his own personal use Bahá’u’lláh never ordered anything extravagant. The life of luxury to which He was accustomed in His youth had been denied Him since His imprisonment in the Siyah-Chal of Tihran when all His possessions had been…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"simple life",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nFor his own personal use Bahá’u’lláh never ordered anything extravagant. The life of luxury to which He was accustomed in His youth had been denied Him since His imprisonment in the Siyah-Chal of Tihran when all His possessions had been confiscated. But He lived a life of austerity in a majesty such that in the words of Edward (Granville Browne of Cambridge University, He was 'the object of a devotion that kings might envy and emperors sigh for in vain'. His personal needs were simple and inexpensive . . . He Himself and the members of His family, however, lived an austere life. There were many occasions when He was in great need, but did not accept financial help from the friends.\n\n\n*Source: Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh v 4, p. 248*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life) (Subject: simple-life).*\n"
},
{
"title": "For long weeks and months, it was not clear whether He would go to California or not",
"slug": "for-long-weeks-and-months-it-was-not-bs2",
"summary": "For long weeks and months, it was not clear whether He would go to California or not. In April, Bahá’ís on the West Coast feared that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would not be visiting them, so they went to visit Him . . . Filled with humility and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"planning",
"the-covenant",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"humility",
"justice",
"love",
"prayer",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/planning"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nFor long weeks and months, it was not clear whether He would go to California or not. In April, Bahá’ís on the West Coast feared that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would not be visiting them, so they went to visit Him . . . Filled with humility and thankfulness, most of the California party returned home to find a telegram from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Chicago, which read, \"Will be here one week after which I go to Boston and Montréal, then come to California. We'll see you there in June, God willing.\" . . . But a month later, Helen Goodall and Ella Cooper were surprised to receive a telegram from the Master summoning them to New York. At that point, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá plan to leave for the Orient after New York and He wished to see them before He left. The Bahá’ís in California had almost given up all hope of seeing ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the West and were sending a stream of letters expressing their disappointment. Harriet Wise had a message from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to the California Bahá’ís which read: \"Convey to them, my greetings and love. It has become necessary to depart for the Orient. Certain obligations have come up, so I must depart for the Orient. I move according to Divine wisdom. I have infinite longing to meet you, but what happens now is according to Divine wisdom, that is, I must depart for the East. Although I leave, yet my heart is with you. There is no separation between us and I am never free from mentioning your names.\" The West Coast Bahá’ís desperately wanted ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to visit, but it remained just a hope for many months. On 24 June John Bosch and Luther Burbank received a Tablet from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, which read, \"As to my coming to California it is a little doubtful, for the trip is far and the weather hot and from the labors of the journey the body of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has not much endurance. Nevertheless, we shall see what God hath decreed.\" . . . Never, so long as I live shall I forget their faces, their bowed heads in the silence broken by one bitter stifled sob of a poor woman who was there on crutches. Two days afterwards with meekness and submission, they as an assembly wrote a short little letter to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá acknowledging His decree in loving acceptance. O It is all very heartbreaking! . . . On 1 August ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote to John Bosch, saying: \"O thou who art longing for the visit of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá! Thy yearning letter was wonderfully eloquent and its effect on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was inexpressible. I greatly long to fulfill the request of the friends, but am as yet in these parts, until later the requirements of Wisdom will be revealed. If the Western cities demonstrate their infinite firmness in the Covenant, this will act as a magnet to draw ‘Abdu’l-Bahá . . . And on 5 August Lua received an optimistic message from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, saying, \"If all the assemblies unite in California it may be the means of attracting Him here after all.\" ‘Abdu’l-Bahá strength was heavily taxed by the work He was doing in the East and the journey West was long and tiring. But when they knew that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would be attracted by the love and unity of the friends, Hyde Donne, Willard Hatch and another believer stayed up all night, praying that the Master would make the journey. And on 13 August ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent a wire to John Bosch that actually suggested that He might go to California: \"Your telegram was the cause of much happiness, God willing, I will depart for the Western part. Give these glad tidings each and all.\" John told Marzieh Gail that this was the first telegram announcing the Master's journey West. When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá finally arrived in California, He told the friends, your love drew me to you.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 118 119, 121 122*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/planning) (Subject: planning).*\n"
},
{
"title": "For many years during the Master’s late life there occurred a constant ‘flow of…",
"slug": "for-many-years-during-the-master-s-late-life-bs10",
"summary": "For many years during the Master’s late life there occurred a constant ‘flow of pilgrims’ who ‘transmitted the verbal messages and special instructions of a vigilant Master’. World War I brought a rude halt to these heavenly journeys. ‘A…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"intuition",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nFor many years during the Master’s late life there occurred a constant ‘flow of pilgrims’ who ‘transmitted the verbal messages and special instructions of a vigilant Master’. World War I brought a rude halt to these heavenly journeys. ‘A remarkable instance of the foresight of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was supplied during the months immediately preceding the war. During peace times there was usually a large number of pilgrims at Haifa, from Persia and other regions of the globe. About six months before the outbreak of war one of the old Bahá’ís living a Haifa presented a request from several believers of Persia for permission to visit the Master. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá did not grant the permission, and from that time onwards gradually dismissed the pilgrims who were at Haifa, so that by the end of July, 1914, none remained. When, in the first days of August, the sudden outbreak of the Great War startled the world, the wisdom of His precaution became apparent.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 123*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition) (Subject: intuition).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Four days before the caravan was to set out, the Blessed Perfection called…",
"slug": "four-days-before-the-caravan-was-to-set-bs0",
"summary": "Four days before the caravan was to set out, the Blessed Perfection called Abbas Effendi into his tent and told him that he himself was the one whose coming had been promised by the Báb - the Chosen of God, the Centre of the Covenant. A…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"ridvan ninth day",
"the-covenant",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/ridvan-ninth-day"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nFour days before the caravan was to set out, the Blessed Perfection called Abbas Effendi into his tent and told him that he himself was the one whose coming had been promised by the Báb - the Chosen of God, the Centre of the Covenant. A little later, and before leaving the garden, he selected from among his disciples four others, to whom he made the same declaration. He further said to these five that for the present he enjoined upon them secrecy as to this communication, as the time had not come for a public declaration; but that there were reasons which caused him to deem it necessary to make it at that time to a few whom he could trust. These reasons he did not state; but they are to my mind suggested by the subsequent events which I shall narrate farther on, and which I think he at that time anticipated, and in view of which he felt that he needed special protection.\n\n\n*Source: Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khánum, Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi, p. 30*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/ridvan-ninth-day) (Subject: ridvan-ninth-day).*\n"
},
{
"title": "From early morning until dark, often more than eight hours on his feet, day…",
"slug": "from-early-morning-until-dark-often-more-than-bs0",
"summary": "From early morning until dark, often more than eight hours on his feet, day after day and month after month he directed the work. It was certainly not his work to do this, but he was determined to ensure it was done not only quickly, but…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"willpower"
],
"virtues": [
"perseverance"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/willpower"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nFrom early morning until dark, often more than eight hours on his feet, day after day and month after month he directed the work. It was certainly not his work to do this, but he was determined to ensure it was done not only quickly, but economically, and there was no one else with the will power and stamina it required to take his place. It was in ways such as this, with indefatigable determination and unflagging perseverance, that Shoghi Effendi made of the Holy Places at the World Centre what we see before us today.\n\n\n*Source: Rúhíyyih Khánum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 243*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/willpower) (Subject: willpower).*\n"
},
{
"title": "From January to April, through the worst part of winter, with small children,…",
"slug": "from-january-to-april-through-the-worst-part-bs0",
"summary": "From January to April, through the worst part of winter, with small children, and elderly relatives, with insufficient food and inappropriate clothing they struggled through the freezing mountain ranges. It was so bitterly cold that they…",
"figures": [],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"adversity",
"children"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/adversity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nFrom January to April, through the worst part of winter, with small children, and elderly relatives, with insufficient food and inappropriate clothing they struggled through the freezing mountain ranges. It was so bitterly cold that they could not speak; there was so much snow, wind and ice that at times they could not move. But the hand of Almighty God was over them through out that perishing, awful journey and with His unfailing protection, they finally arrived in Baghdad.\n\n\n*Source: Ruhi Book 4*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/adversity) (Subject: adversity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "From the time when the declaration was made to him at Baghdad Abbas Effendi…",
"slug": "from-the-time-when-the-declaration-was-made-bs2",
"summary": "From the time when the declaration was made to him at Baghdad Abbas Effendi seemed to constitute himself the special attendant, servant, and body-guard of his father. He guarded him day and night on this journey, riding by his wagon and…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"bahaullah declaration",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"gentleness",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-declaration"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nFrom the time when the declaration was made to him at Baghdad Abbas Effendi seemed to constitute himself the special attendant, servant, and body-guard of his father. He guarded him day and night on this journey, riding by his wagon and watching near his tent. He thus had little sleep, and, being young, became extremely weary. His horse was Arab and very fine, and so wild and spirited that no other man could mount him, but under my brother's hand as gentle and docile as a lamb. In order to get a little rest, he adopted the plan of riding swiftly a considerable distance ahead of the caravan, when, dismounting and causing his horse to lie down, he would throw himself on the ground and place his head on his horse's neck. So he would sleep until the cavalcade came up, when his horse would awake him by a kick and he would remount.\n\n\n*Source: Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khánum, Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-declaration) (Subject: bahaullah-declaration).*\n"
},
{
"title": "George Townshend, one-time Canon of St Patrick’s Cathedral, in Dublin, Ireland…",
"slug": "george-townshend-one-time-canon-of-st-patrick-s-cathedral-bs2",
"summary": "George Townshend, one-time Canon of St Patrick’s Cathedral, in Dublin, Ireland and Archdeacon of Clonfort Cathedral, who became an ardent Bahá’í, wrote: . . . In ‘Abbas Effendi’s character the dominant element was spirituality. Whatever…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"abdul baha"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGeorge Townshend, one-time Canon of St Patrick’s Cathedral, in Dublin, Ireland and Archdeacon of Clonfort Cathedral, who became an ardent Bahá’í, wrote: . . . In ‘Abbas Effendi’s character the dominant element was spirituality. Whatever was good in His life He attributed not to any separate source of virtue in Himself but to the power and beneficence of God. His single aim was servitude to God. He rejoiced in being denuded of all earthy possessions and in being rich only in His love for God. He surrendered His freedom that He might become the bondservant of God; and was able at the close of His days to declare that He had spent all His strength upon the Cause of God. To Him God was the center of all existence here on earth as heretofore and hereafter.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 134*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha) (Subject: abdul-baha).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Gloria Faizi has beautifully explained the Master’s wide love: ‘When the heart…",
"slug": "gloria-faizi-has-beautifully-explained-the-master-s-wide-bs9",
"summary": "Gloria Faizi has beautifully explained the Master’s wide love: ‘When the heart of man is attracted to God through His Manifestation on earth, he has established a link of love with his Creator. And as the link grows stronger, he will…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"love"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/love"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGloria Faizi has beautifully explained the Master’s wide love: ‘When the heart of man is attracted to God through His Manifestation on earth, he has established a link of love with his Creator. And as the link grows stronger, he will feel an overflowing love for all that God has created. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá once gave the example of a soiled and crushed letter that reaches the hand of a lover from his beloved. That letter, He said, is no less precious because of the condition in which it has arrived. It is cherished because it has come from a loved one. In the same way, we can learn to love a fellow man, no matter who he is, because he is God’s creature.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 96*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/love) (Subject: love).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Warden of Máh-Kú: 'Alí Khán's Change of Heart",
"slug": "gpb-ali-khan-warden-mahku",
"summary": "Shoghi Effendi's account, in *God Passes By*, of how 'Alí Khán — the warden ordered to keep the Báb in strictest confinement at the fortress of Máh-Kú — was so moved by a strange vision that he relaxed his discipline, and how the people of the village then began to come every morning hoping for a glimpse of the Prisoner's face.",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"'Alí Khán"
],
"era": "babi",
"period": "Máh-Kú",
"location": {
"name": "Máh-Kú",
"lat": 39.2942,
"lng": 44.5147,
"modernName": "Máh-Kú, West Azerbaijan, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"persecution",
"imprisonment",
"history",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"reverence",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "god-passes-by",
"book": "God Passes By",
"author": "Shoghi Effendi",
"year": 1944,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/shoghi-effendi/god-passes-by/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the summer of 1847 the Báb was transferred from Tabríz to the\nremote fortress of Máh-Kú, in the Kurdish mountains on the\nRusso-Persian frontier. The Grand Vizier had calculated that\ndistance and isolation would cool the rising influence of the young\nPrisoner. The warden, ‘Alí Khán, was instructed to maintain the\nstrictest possible confinement.\n\nShoghi Effendi takes up the story in *God Passes By.* For a time\nthe orders were obeyed. The Báb was held alone in a chamber of the\nfortress; visitors were turned away; the villagers below were\nwarned off.\n\nThen something happened to ‘Alí Khán. Shoghi Effendi notes that\nthe warden experienced *a strange vision.* He does not tell us the\ncontents of it; he tells us only the result. From that morning,\n‘Alí Khán began to relax the discipline he had been told to enforce.\nHe could not, the chronicle says, look at his Prisoner the same way.\n\n> 'Alí Khán felt such mortification that he was impelled to relax\n> the severity of his discipline, as an atonement for his past\n> behavior.\n\nWord travelled down the mountain. The villagers of Máh-Kú, who had\nbeen kept at a distance by the warden’s rules, now began to come\nup. They did not come for sermons; the Báb was not preaching. They\ncame simply for a sight of the face of the One in the upper room.\n\nShoghi Effendi’s sentence is striking:\n\n> Their first act every morning was to seek a place where they\n> could catch a glimpse of His face.\n\nThe valley filled, slowly, with a hush of reverence the local\nclergy had not foreseen. When the Grand Vizier’s agents reported\nthis back to Tihrán, the response was predictable. The Báb was\nmoved further away — to the still more remote fortress of Chihríq\n— in April 1848.\n\nBut the lesson of Máh-Kú had been delivered, and Shoghi Effendi\nsets it down as one of the recurring patterns of the Bábí period:\nthe spiritual power of the Manifestation cannot be confined by\nwalls, and even the men sent to guard Him will, in time, be\ndisarmed by Him.\n\n*Paraphrased from God Passes By (Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1944), pages 16-20; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Bastinadoed in the Masjid of Ámul: Bahá'u'lláh's Second Imprisonment",
"slug": "gpb-bahaullah-bastinado-amul",
"summary": "After the destruction of the defenders of Shaykh Ṭabarsí, Bahá'u'lláh — who had set out to join them — was arrested in the town of Ámul, beaten in the local mosque until His feet bled, and stoned in the streets. Shoghi Effendi reads this episode as the moment Bahá'u'lláh stepped into the centre of the stage left vacant by the Báb.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"period": "Mázindarán",
"location": {
"name": "Ámul",
"lat": 36.4731,
"lng": 52.3526,
"modernName": "Ámul, Mázandaran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"persecution",
"history",
"sacrifice",
"courage"
],
"virtues": [
"steadfastness",
"sacrifice",
"courage"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "god-passes-by",
"book": "God Passes By",
"author": "Shoghi Effendi",
"year": 1944,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/shoghi-effendi/god-passes-by/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe fort of Shaykh Ṭabarsí had fallen. Quddús and Mullá Ḥusayn and\nthe three hundred companions who had defended it through the snows\nof 1848–49 were dead. Bahá’u’lláh had set out from Núr to bring\nhelp to them, but the road had been closed against Him, and now —\non the way back through the small town of Ámul in Mázandarán —\nthe local clergy had Him arrested.\n\nShoghi Effendi’s account in *God Passes By* names the place exactly.\nBahá’u’lláh was taken to the *namáz-khánih* of the mujtahid of the\ntown — the prayer-room from which the senior cleric of Ámul\npreached. There, in a building designed for the worship of God, He\nwas bastinadoed: beaten on the soles of His feet with a heavy stick.\n\n> Bastinadoed in the namáz-khánih of the mujtahid of that town\n> until His feet bled.\n\nWhen that was finished and He was led out into the street, the\ncrowd took up where the clerics had left off. He was *pelted with\nstones, and hurled in His face the foulest invectives.* The town’s\nnotables, the clergy, and the mob had become a single instrument.\n\nHe bore it.\n\nShoghi Effendi reads the episode in a particular light. The Báb\nwas, in 1850, only a year from His own martyrdom. The leadership\nof the Cause was already, by an unseen logic, beginning to pass.\n*It was for the sake of those same defenders, whom He had intended\nto join, that He suffered His second imprisonment, this time in\nthe masjid of Ámul.*\n\nThrough that solidarity — undertaken without theatre, accepted\nwithout complaint — Bahá’u’lláh, in Shoghi Effendi’s reading,\n*stepped into the very center of the stage so tragically vacated\nby the Báb.* The mantle was being lifted long before the world\nknew it had been laid down.\n\nHe survived the beating. He went on. The forty years of Tablets,\nof exile, of Revelation that lay ahead would be carried, in part,\non the same feet that had bled in Ámul.\n\n*Paraphrased from God Passes By (Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1944), pages 66-70; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Adrianople Revelation: Tablets to the Kings",
"slug": "gpb-edirne-revelation",
"summary": "Shoghi Effendi's account, in *God Passes By*, of Bahá'u'lláh's most consequential undertaking of the Adrianople period (1863-1868) — the composition and transmission of the great Tablets to the rulers of His era, addressing each by name and summoning the world's governors to recognise the new Day of God.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Napoleon III",
"Queen Victoria",
"Pope Pius IX"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Adrianople",
"location": {
"name": "Adrianople",
"lat": 41.6771,
"lng": 26.5557,
"modernName": "Edirne, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"kings",
"history",
"revelation"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"vision",
"dignity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "god-passes-by",
"book": "God Passes By",
"author": "Shoghi Effendi",
"year": 1944,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/shoghi-effendi/god-passes-by/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *God Passes By,* Shoghi Effendi devotes the central\nchapters of the book to what he names *the most signal\nfeatures of the Adrianople period* — the years from 1863 to\n1868 during which Bahá'u'lláh resided in the Ottoman city of\nAdrianople (modern Edirne) under the technical condition of\nexile.\n\nThe Adrianople period was, in the Guardian's reading, the\ntime during which the Bahá'í Cause was publicly proclaimed to\nthe world's rulers. Bahá'u'lláh, in the Tablets revealed in\nthose years, addressed by name the great political and\nreligious authorities of His age and called them to\nrecognise the new Day of God.\n\nThe principal Tablets the Guardian enumerates include the\nfollowing.\n\n*The Tablet to Napoleon III* of France — a powerful Tablet\naddressed to the French Emperor, then at the height of his\npower and fresh from the Crimean War. The Tablet contained,\nin addition to its summons, a specific prophecy of the\nEmperor's downfall if he did not recognise the new\nRevelation. The Emperor refused. He was overthrown in 1870 in\nthe Franco-Prussian War. The kingdom passed from his hands\n*as the prophecy had named.*\n\n*The Tablet to Queen Victoria* of Great Britain — addressed\nto the Queen of the world's then-greatest empire,\nacknowledging her abolition of the slave trade as a\nreflection of the divine will and counselling her on the\nproper administration of her realms.\n\n*The Tablet to Pope Pius IX* — addressed to the head of the\nRoman Catholic Church, then at the height of his temporal\nauthority, summoning him to recognise the second coming of\nChrist in the new Revelation and to use his vast spiritual\nauthority in support of it. The Pope did not respond.\n\n*The Tablet to the Czar of Russia* (Alexander II) —\nacknowledging a small particular service the Russian\ndiplomatic corps had rendered to Bahá'u'lláh during the\nTihrán imprisonment of 1852, and summoning the Czar likewise\nto recognition.\n\n*The Tablet to the Sháh of Persia* (Náṣiri'd-Dín Sháh) —\naddressed to the ruler whose government had imprisoned and\nexiled Bahá'u'lláh, and calling him to face the\nresponsibilities of just rule and of recognition of the Cause\nthe Persian state had been persecuting.\n\n*The Súriy-i-Múlúk* (the Tablet to the Kings) — a\ncollective Tablet to all the world's monarchs, addressed not\nto one ruler but to the entire institutional structure of\nnineteenth-century monarchy.\n\nThe Tablets were dispatched. Some were delivered through\ndiplomatic channels. Some were carried by trusted\nbelievers. Some were in due course physically presented to\nthe addressees. None of the addressees, in the Guardian's\nsober summary, met the call with the recognition that had\nbeen required.\n\nThe historical consequences of the kings' refusal would, in\nthe Guardian's reading, work themselves out across the next\ncentury. The collapse of the European monarchies in the\nFirst World War, the upheavals of the Russian and Ottoman\nempires, the gradual diminution of the temporal authority\nof the Roman papacy — all could be read as the unfolding\nof what Bahá'u'lláh had named in His Adrianople addresses.\n*The Day is come, and ye are veiled.*\n\n*Paraphrased from God Passes By (Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1944); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Thornton Chase: The First Westerner to Embrace the Faith",
"slug": "gpb-first-westerner-thornton-chase",
"summary": "Shoghi Effendi's account, in *God Passes By*, of Thornton Chase — the Chicago insurance executive who in June 1894 became the first American and the first Westerner formally to embrace the Bahá'í Faith, and who would later be honoured by 'Abdu'l-Bahá as *the first Bahá'í of the United States.*",
"figures": [
"Thornton Chase",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-faith",
"history",
"declaration",
"early-believers"
],
"virtues": [
"vision",
"faith",
"courage"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "god-passes-by",
"book": "God Passes By",
"author": "Shoghi Effendi",
"year": 1944,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/shoghi-effendi/god-passes-by/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *God Passes By,* Shoghi Effendi devotes a passage to the\nsignificance of the small event that took place in Chicago in\nthe early summer of 1894. A travelling Syrian believer\nnamed Ibrahim Kheiralla, who had embraced the Faith in Cairo\nsome years earlier, had recently begun a small series of\ninformal teaching gatherings in his Chicago apartment. The\ngatherings drew a mixed local audience — students of\nChristian Science, theosophists, members of the Chicago\nspiritualist circles, and a small number of business and\nprofessional men who had come out of curiosity.\n\nAmong the latter was Thornton Chase, a Chicago insurance\nexecutive of middle years and conventional Protestant\nbackground. He had read of the Faith in a brief newspaper\nnotice. He was an unlikely candidate for religious\nconversion: practical, professionally established, with no\nprior pattern of religious enthusiasm. He attended the\nKheiralla gatherings out of intellectual interest.\n\nThe intellectual interest, in his case, ripened into\nspiritual conviction. The Guardian, in *God Passes By,*\ngives the brief sketch of the resulting declaration: in\nJune 1894, after attending a sequence of the Kheiralla\nclasses, Thornton Chase formally embraced the Faith. He\nbecame, by that act, *the first American and the first\nWesterner* — the Guardian uses both designations — formally\nto embrace the Bahá'í Cause.\n\nThe historical weight of the small event was not at first\nvisible. Chase himself continued, for years afterward, his\nordinary professional life as an insurance executive. He\nmarried, raised a family, supported himself by his trade.\nThe Faith was, in those years, a private spiritual\ncommitment held in a personal life otherwise indistinguishable\nfrom those of his colleagues.\n\nBut the precedent had been set. Other Americans followed —\nslowly at first, in small numbers, then more rapidly as the\nopening years of the twentieth century saw the establishment\nof small Bahá'í communities in Chicago, New York,\nWashington, Boston, and the Pacific coast. By the time of\n'Abdu'l-Bahá's American visit in 1912, the American Bahá'í\ncommunity numbered several hundreds. By the time of Chase's\nown death in 1912, it was a body with established\ninstitutional life.\n\nThe Master, when He heard of Chase's death — which occurred\nshortly before the Master's own arrival in America —\ntravelled personally to the cemetery in Inglewood, Los\nAngeles, where Chase had been buried. He stood at the\ngraveside, prayed for the soul of the first Western\nbeliever, and gave him the title that has since accompanied\nhis name. *He was the first Bahá'í of the United States.*\n\nThe title was not honorary. It was the literal description\nof the historical role Chase had played. In the providential\nordering of the Faith's emergence in the West, one\nindividual had to be the first. Thornton Chase, the\nunremarkable Chicago insurance executive of 1894, was the\nperson to whom that providence had been entrusted.\n\n*Paraphrased from God Passes By (Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1944), with one quoted phrase from 'Abdu'l-Bahá; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Laying of the Wilmette Temple Cornerstone",
"slug": "gpb-laying-of-temple-cornerstone",
"summary": "Shoghi Effendi's narration, in *God Passes By*, of the Master's laying of the cornerstone of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár at Wilmette in May 1912 — a moment the Guardian describes as the inauguration of the construction of the first House of Worship of the Bahá'í Dispensation in the Western world.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Nettie Tobin"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Wilmette",
"lat": 42.0773,
"lng": -87.717,
"modernName": "Wilmette, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"house-of-worship",
"history",
"american-faith"
],
"virtues": [
"vision",
"service",
"perseverance"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "god-passes-by",
"book": "God Passes By",
"author": "Shoghi Effendi",
"year": 1944,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/shoghi-effendi/god-passes-by/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *God Passes By,* Shoghi Effendi devotes a substantial\npassage to the laying, by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, of the cornerstone\nof the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár at Wilmette on the afternoon of\n1 May 1912. The Guardian places the event among the most\nsignificant of the entire American journey of the Master and\nnotes its providential weight in the long arc of the\nAmerican Faith.\n\nThe site at Wilmette had been acquired, parcel by parcel,\nby the small Temple Unity body across the years from 1908\nforward, in fulfilment of a sequence of Tablets the Master\nhad revealed beginning in 1903. By the spring of 1912 the\nacquisition was substantially complete. The site was a\nmodest tract of a few acres on the western shore of Lake\nMichigan, perhaps fifteen miles north of the centre of\nChicago. The Master, on the spring leg of the American\ntour, agreed to lay the cornerstone in person.\n\nThe arrangements for the ceremony had been made in haste.\nA formal cornerstone of cut and inscribed marble had been\nordered from a Chicago monumental works but had not been\ndelivered in time for the appointed afternoon. The\narrangements committee, by mid-morning of 1 May, was in\ndistress: the Master was on His way to the site; the\nceremony was to take place; the cornerstone was missing.\n\nA small American believer named Nettie Tobin, the wife of a\nChicago labourer, who had come out to Wilmette by streetcar\nto witness the ceremony, had brought with her a small\nunprepossessing field stone she had found by the side of\nthe road on her walk. She had not known what she would do\nwith it. She had simply felt called to bring it.\n\nWhen the absence of the formal cornerstone was discovered,\nNettie Tobin offered her field stone to the Master. The\nMaster accepted it. He carried it Himself to the site of\nthe laying, refusing to allow any of the men present to\ntake the burden from Him. He placed it Himself in the\nprepared receptacle. He pronounced the formal blessing over\nit. The first physical foundation of the House of Worship\nwas Nettie Tobin's wayside stone.\n\nThe Guardian, in *God Passes By,* reads the small detail\nas providential. The cornerstone of the first House of\nWorship of the Western Bahá'í community was laid — not in\nprepared marble, not in commissioned splendour, but in a\nsmall piece of wayside rock carried by an obscure\nAmerican working-class believer who had felt the impulse\nto bring it. The choice exemplified, in a single\nunrepeatable image, the spiritual character of the Bahá'í\ncommunity the Master was calling into being.\n\nThe construction itself would take four decades. The dome\nwould not be raised until the late 1920s. The exterior\nornament would not be completed until the late 1940s. The\nformal opening would not take place until 1953. But the\nfoundation, set in 1912 with Nettie Tobin's small field\nstone at its centre, was the first physical proof that the\nHouse of Worship the Master had named into existence in His\n1903 Tablet was, in time, going to be built.\n\n*Paraphrased from God Passes By (Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1944); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Appointment of Shoghi Effendi as Guardian",
"slug": "gpb-shoghi-effendi-appointment",
"summary": "Shoghi Effendi's own narration, in *God Passes By*, of the events of late 1921 and early 1922 — the Master's passing, the discovery of the Will and Testament naming the young Shoghi as Guardian, and the formal beginning of the Formative Age of the Faith.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"guardianship",
"covenant",
"history",
"succession"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"vision",
"obedience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "god-passes-by",
"book": "God Passes By",
"author": "Shoghi Effendi",
"year": 1944,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/shoghi-effendi/god-passes-by/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *God Passes By,* Shoghi Effendi devotes the closing\nsubstantial passage of the book to the events of late 1921\nand early 1922 — the passing of his grandfather\n'Abdu'l-Bahá, the discovery of the Master's *Will and\nTestament,* and the formal beginning of the Guardianship\nthat would shape the Formative Age of the Faith.\n\nThe narrative reads, in its principal outlines, as follows.\nThe Master ascended on the morning of 28 November 1921 in\nHis house in Haifa, after a brief illness. The Holy Family\nwas present. The young Shoghi Effendi, then a student at\nOxford, was not. He was at his Oxford rooms when the cable\narrived informing him of the passing.\n\nHe returned to the Holy Land with such speed as the\npost-war travel conditions permitted. He arrived in Haifa\nbefore the end of December. The Holy Family received him\nand informed him of the existence — not previously disclosed\n— of a *Will and Testament* of the Master.\n\nThe Will, which had been written by the Master in His own\nhand and held in trust by Bahíyyih Khánum, had not been\nopened. The Master had given specific direction that it\nremain sealed until the assembled members of the Holy\nFamily and certain principal believers were present.\n\nThe opening took place on 3 January 1922 in the Master's\nhouse in Haifa. The principal members of the Family, the\nsenior Persian believers resident in the Holy Land, and a\nsmall number of the visiting Western believers were\npresent. The document was opened and read aloud.\n\nThe Will named, with a precision that left no ambiguity,\nShoghi Effendi as the Guardian of the Cause of God. It\ndefined the institution of the Guardianship in its full\nsweep: the Guardian as the authoritative interpreter of the\nBahá'í Writings, the head of the Universal House of\nJustice when that institution should in time be\nestablished, the centre of the Cause's spiritual authority\nin the post-Master period.\n\nThe young Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian's own narrative\nrecords, received the appointment with such weight of\nresponsibility that he was for some weeks unable to take\nup the work. The household, under the steadying hand of\nBahíyyih Khánum, sustained the daily affairs of the Cause\nthrough the interval. By spring of 1922 Shoghi Effendi had\nrecovered sufficiently to begin the active conduct of the\nGuardianship.\n\nThe Guardianship would last thirty-six years — from 1922 to\nthe Guardian's own passing in late 1957. In those years he\nwould translate the principal Writings of the Faith into\nEnglish; he would build the framework of the Bahá'í\nadministrative order; he would oversee the construction of\nthe superstructure of the Shrine of the Báb on Mount\nCarmel; he would prosecute the Ten-Year Crusade that would\ncarry the Faith to virtually every country on earth.\n\nThe narrative the Guardian gives of his own appointment in\n*God Passes By* is brief and self-effacing. He records the\nevents without commentary on his own role in them. The\nappointment, in his telling, was simply the next ordained\nstep in the long providential ordering of the Cause. The\ninterpreter of the Word of God, the Centre of the Covenant,\nhad passed. The Guardian had been named. The work\ncontinued.\n\n*Paraphrased from God Passes By (Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1944); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Trumpet-Blast at Badasht: Ṭáhirih's Unveiling",
"slug": "gpb-tahirih-unveiling-badasht",
"summary": "Shoghi Effendi's account, in *God Passes By*, of the conference at Badasht in 1848 — and the moment when Ṭáhirih, \"adorned yet unveiled,\" announced that the day of the new Dispensation had begun.",
"figures": [
"Ṭáhirih",
"Quddús",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Kháliq-i-Iṣfahání"
],
"era": "babi",
"period": "Badasht",
"location": {
"name": "Badasht",
"lat": 36.5,
"lng": 54.7,
"modernName": "Badasht, Khurásán, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"history",
"women",
"declaration",
"courage"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"independence",
"vision"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "god-passes-by",
"book": "God Passes By",
"author": "Shoghi Effendi",
"year": 1944,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/shoghi-effendi/god-passes-by/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the summer of 1848, in the hamlet of Badasht in northern Persia,\na small conference was held that would mark the formal break of the\nBábí community with Islamic law. Bahá’u’lláh had rented three\ngardens for the occasion. He kept one for Himself; He assigned the\nsecond to Quddús, and the third to the poet and theologian Ṭáhirih.\n\nAt the heart of the gathering, Shoghi Effendi recounts in *God\nPasses By*, was an event so unexpected that some of those present\ncould not bear it. Ṭáhirih — *the embodiment of chastity and the\nincarnation of the holy Fáṭimih,* in Shoghi Effendi’s phrase —\nappeared before the assembled disciples *adorned yet unveiled.*\n\nThe act was not impulsive. By prearrangement with Bahá’u’lláh,\nQuddús had positioned himself as the spokesman for caution, so that\nthe alarm of the more conservative friends could be aired and met.\nṬáhirih now stood before them, in the unveiled face of the new\nDispensation, and *tore through her fiery words the veils guarding\nthe sanctity of the ordinances of Islám.*\n\nThe reaction was immediate. *Fear, anger, bewilderment, swept their\ninmost souls.* One man — ‘Abdu’l-Kháliq-i-Iṣfahání — was so\noverwhelmed that he turned a knife on himself. Quddús, mute with\narranged fury, sat as though about to strike her down. The room\ntrembled at what it was witnessing.\n\nṬáhirih did not retreat. She delivered, in language patterned on\nthe Qur’án itself, what Shoghi Effendi calls *a fervid and eloquent\nappeal.* Then she pronounced the words that have echoed through\nBahá’í history:\n\n> I am the Word which the Qá’im is to utter, the Word which shall\n> put to flight the chiefs and nobles of the earth!\n\nShoghi Effendi reads the moment as the *trumpet-blast announcing\nthe formal extinction of the old, and the inauguration of the new\nDispensation.* Modest in setting, narrow in numbers, the act\nnevertheless completed what could not be undone. The break with the\nold religious order was now declared in the open. From that day\nforward the Bábí community moved as a body bearing a new law.\n\nṬáhirih would be martyred four years later, in 1852, with the same\nunveiled courage that had carried her through the gardens of\nBadasht.\n\n*Paraphrased from God Passes By (Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1944), with two quoted sentences from Ṭáhirih and from Shoghi Effendi's narration; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Grace very much wanted to attend the Unity Feast at West Englewood, the Feast…",
"slug": "grace-very-much-wanted-to-attend-the-unity-bs0",
"summary": "Grace very much wanted to attend the Unity Feast at West Englewood, the Feast given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and now commemorated every year. But Dr Krug said Saturday was his only free day, and he wanted her to play golf with him. She asked the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"decision making"
],
"virtues": [
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/decision-making"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGrace very much wanted to attend the Unity Feast at West Englewood, the Feast given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and now commemorated every year. But Dr Krug said Saturday was his only free day, and he wanted her to play golf with him. She asked the Master what to do. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said: 'You must always consider the Doctor. You and Miss Krug must play golf with him.' So she and her young daughter had to go to the country club, not more than a mile from the Unity Feast -- and play golf. The Doctor became a Bahá’í, and both he and Grace were present in Haifa (1921), when the Master left this life.\n\n\n*Source: Marzieh Gail, Arches of the Years, p. 107*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/decision-making) (Subject: decision-making).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Gracious God",
"slug": "gracious-god-that-royal-edifice-was-once-splendidly-bs0",
"summary": "Gracious God! That royal edifice was once splendidly decked forth and fair. But there are spiders' webs today, where hung the curtains of gold brocade, and where the king's drums beat and his musicians played, the only sound is the harsh…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"akka"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGracious God! That royal edifice was once splendidly decked forth and fair. But there are spiders' webs today, where hung the curtains of gold brocade, and where the king's drums beat and his musicians played, the only sound is the harsh cries of kites and crows. \"This is verily the capital of the owl's realm, where thou wilt hear no sound, save only the echo of his repeated calls.\" That is how the barracks were, when we came to Akká. There were a few trees inside the walls, and on their branches, as well as up on the battlements, the owls cried all night long. How disquieting is the hoot of an owl; how it saddens the heart.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful p. 16-17*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/akka) (Subject: akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Haji Muhammad-Baqir was a well-known merchant, foremost among the believers in…",
"slug": "haji-muhammad-baqir-was-a-well-known-merchant-foremost-among-bs0",
"summary": "Haji Muhammad-Baqir was a well-known merchant, foremost among the believers in faith, certitude and enthusiasm, and was serving the Cause with devotion and self-sacrifice. This man attained the presence of Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad. There He…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"business"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/business"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHaji Muhammad-Baqir was a well-known merchant, foremost among the believers in faith, certitude and enthusiasm, and was serving the Cause with devotion and self-sacrifice. This man attained the presence of Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad. There He wrote a letter to Him and begged for wealth and prosperity. In answer, this exalted and wonderful Tablet was revealed for him. In it Bahá’u’lláh stated that his request would be granted and that the doors of prosperity and wealth would be opened for him from every direction. He warned him, however, to be on his guard and not to allow riches to become a barrier and make him heedless. Now you are here to attain the presence of Bahá’u’lláh and\n\nin the future you will witness that this man will be overtaken with fear to such an extent that he will renounce God and His Cause. Not long after, he will make substantial losses, following which he will write a letter to Bahá’u’lláh and repent. God will then turn his losses into profit and he will become again highly successful in his business and will emerge as the foremost merchant in Constantinople and Tabriz. However, this time he will wax prouder than before, more heedless and deprived... This time he will lose all his possessions, will be unable to continue trading and will become helpless in arranging his affairs. It is then that he will repent and return, and will be content to live as a poor man. He will spend the days of his life in the service of the Cause of God. His end will be blessed and he will receive great confirmations from God.' He then said to me: 'Remember all these things, for they will come to pass, and you shall witness them.'\n\n\n*Source: Adib Taherzadeh, Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, v2, p. 277-278*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/business) (Subject: business).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Harry Randall, once he had leaped the hurdle and become a Bahá’í was a very…",
"slug": "harry-randall-once-he-had-leaped-the-hurdle-bs0",
"summary": "Harry Randall, once he had leaped the hurdle and become a Bahá’í was a very enthusiastic one. When Harlan told him about 'guidance' - what a mystery it was, and how earnestly Harlan himself was trying to understand and live under it Harry,…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"intuition",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHarry Randall, once he had leaped the hurdle and become a Bahá’í was a very enthusiastic one. When Harlan told him about 'guidance' - what a mystery it was, and how earnestly Harlan himself was trying to understand and live under it Harry, too, began to try to apply it. One afternoon he started out to take a walk and, in an effort to understand this guidance that Harlan talked about, Harry paused at each cross street and corner praying that he might be urged in whatever direction it might be that God wished him to take. He walked and walked, the city streets gave way to country roads and still he walked. At some corners he was moved to turn; at some he went straight ahead. But he felt no urge to stop he felt strongly that he should keep going. Finally, at the end of the afternoon, he came to a small white house surrounded by a picket fence - and here, with his hand on the gate, he knew this was the house he had been led to; this was the end of his walk. So he opened the gate, went up the short path and knocked at the door. A woman opened the door and, giving him one look, called back over her shoulder, 'John, John he's come!' It seems that the night before, this woman had had a dream in which she had gone to open her door to one who knocked - a man who had come into her house and told her something that was so exciting and wonderful that when she woke up - though she couldn't remember what the exciting and wonderful thing had been - she was still so excited she'd told her husband about it. And then Harry had knocked - Harry had come into her house and Harry had told her about Bahá’u’lláh and given her the wonderful Message for the New Day.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 24*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition) (Subject: intuition).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Harry Randall, the brother of Loulie Mathews, was a man of wealth and affairs",
"slug": "harry-randall-the-brother-of-loulie-mathews-was-bs1",
"summary": "Harry Randall, the brother of Loulie Mathews, was a man of wealth and affairs. He had been a classmate of Harlan Ober at Harvard and so, when Harlan learned of the Faith and became a Bahá’í, he very soon gave the Message to Harry, only to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Boston",
"lat": 42.3601,
"lng": -71.0589,
"modernName": "Boston, Massachusetts, USA"
},
"themes": [
"healing",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/healing"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHarry Randall, the brother of Loulie Mathews, was a man of wealth and affairs. He had been a classmate of Harlan Ober at Harvard and so, when Harlan learned of the Faith and became a Bahá’í, he very soon gave the Message to Harry, only to discover that, busy and occupied as he was with his manifold affairs, Harry Randall's interest went no farther than a polite and courteous response, which was far from satisfactory to\n\nHarlan. He persisted in trying to interest Harry further and when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was to come to Boston, Harlan grew more and more pressing: Harry must go to hear ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speak; Harry must meet Him; Harry really owed it to himself not to miss this wonderful opportunity. Finally, Harry still uninterested, but courteously anxious to please this eager friend of his, agreed to go with Harlan to hear ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Ruth - Harry's wife would not be able to go with him since she was a semi invalid, in and out of\n\nsanitariums for tuberculosis a great part of the time. Just then she had come home from one of these hospitals but she was far too frail to do anything but rest quietly at home.\n\nHarlan and Harry Randall went to the meeting together and after it was over, Harlan insisted upon taking Harry to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Harry, still uninterested but always courteous, did as Harlan wished, and what was his astonishment when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá warmly accepted an invitation to have tea the following afternoon at Harry's home! An invitation Harry had in no way extended. Appalled, Harry asked Harlan what on earth he should do about it? Harlan said. \"Give a tea for Him what else can you do?\" \"But how can I? Ruth is ill. I'm busy. How on earth - ?\" Harlan laughed, \"You don't know ‘Abdu’l-Bahá or you'd know there's some sort of reason for this, and it'll get done. You have a houseful of servants - let them brew a cup of tea for the Master and invite a few\n\nfriends in to share it.\" So this is what Harry did and the next afternoon when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrived at the lovely suburban home he found quite a group of people assembled on a wide verandah to receive Him. Ruth Randall, delicate and lovely, was also there, seated in a far corner where she might be safe from any draft. And it was to her, ignoring all the others, that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá strode, His white aba billowing with the swiftness of His tread; His beautiful eyes filled with light and love. Reaching her He bent above her, murmuring \"My daughter My dear daughter\" and lovingly He rested His hands on her shoulders Then He turned and, smilingly, met all the other guests. The following day, Ruth had an appointment with her doctor, who had examined her the previous week and had said that it might be necessary for her to return to the sanitarium for further treatment. He would be sure after he had seen her again. Ruth went to this appointment fearfully she was so longing to remain at home, so very reluctant to be sent again to the hospital. The doctor examined her - and was amazed. What had she been doing? What could have happened to her? She was healed. There was not the least trace left of the tuberculosis. Of course, this was an experience that neither Harry nor Ruth could ignore, so it was the beginning of their long and glorious life-time of teaching and serving the Cause they came to love so well.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 23*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/healing) (Subject: healing).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Harry Randall's wife, Ruth, had tuberculosis in both lungs and, having been…",
"slug": "harry-randalls-wife-ruth-had-tuberculosis-in-both-bs9",
"summary": "Harry Randall's wife, Ruth, had tuberculosis in both lungs and, having been intensely affected by his first meeting with ‘Abdu’l- Bahá, Harry decided to ask ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for help. On Sunday, 28 August, Harry went to the home of Maria…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"miracles",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHarry Randall's wife, Ruth, had tuberculosis in both lungs and, having been intensely affected by his first meeting with ‘Abdu’l- Bahá, Harry decided to ask ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for help. On Sunday, 28 August, Harry went to the home of Maria Wilson, where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was staying in Malden. Harry thought that if ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was all the Bahá’ís were saying He was, then surely He could cure Ruth's illness. When Harry arrived at the Wilson home, it was packed with people. He managed to get into the house and explained his request to one of the Master's secretaries. The secretary said that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was reading His mail from Persia and that if He wished to see Harry, He would call for him. The secretary informed Harry that over 100 others had also either asked to see the Master or wanted to invite Him somewhere and that He never accepted any until the spirit moved Him to do so. With so many people ahead of him, Harry was pessimistic of seeing ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, particularly since the Master didn't even know he was there. He turned glumly, noticed Harlan Ober, so went over to talk with him. Suddenly, a voice called, \"‘Abdu’l-Bahá will see Mr. Randall.\" Shocked, Harry went to the porch where he found ‘Abdu’l-Bahá still reading His mail. When the Master finally looked up, Harry started to say, \"I wanted to know if you . . .\" , but ‘Abdu’l-Bahá simply said, \"Yes, I will come to see your wife this afternoon.\" At four o'clock that afternoon, Harry returned to the Wilson home with a car and the chauffeur to take ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to see Ruth. Standing there ready to go with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá together with His complete set of Persian attendants and Harlan and Grace Ober. Ruth described what happened next:\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá clapped His hands and the Persians got into the car, Grace and Harlan and my husband were standing on the sidewalk. The Master pointed to the Ober's and said: \"You wait here\" and motioned Harry to sit on the floor of the car. This did not please Harry but he did it. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá laughed and joked and seemed very happy. Several times He looked at Harry and laughed heartily. Harry knew later in life that he was being taught a lesson in humility. When they came to the driveway He ordered the chauffeur to stop and wait. They all got out and walked up the driveway.Upon reaching the porch ‘Abdu’l-Bahá changed to a white aba and a white turban. My mother opened the door and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá walked right through the house to the porch where I was lying . . . When He opened the screen door He looked directly at me in that moment I was aware of the Fact that I had known him always. We had invited a number of people to meet Him and mother introduced them to Him and when she came to me He pushed His hand toward me and said: \"I know her well!\" He took Margaret (Ruth's five-year-old daughter, later named Bahiyyih by the Master) in his arms and asked her if she was happy. She was a little frightened because she had never seen such a long beard or such a wrinkled countenance . . . Then He asked me why I thought I was sick and I made some senseless reply. He asked Dr. Farid to take my pulse. Then ‘Abdu’l- Bahá came and leaned over me and placed His hand on my forehead. He looked deep into my eyes. At that moment I knew that my life was a book which He could read at will. He then told me to do the same things that my physician told me, besides telling me to eat my noonday meal in the sun . . . He arose after a few minutes and went into the house. When He came to the library door he looked in and raised his eyes heavenwards saying: \"This is a beautiful house, someday it will become a beautiful home.\" Goodbyes were said and they walked down the driveway to the waiting car. Again He placed my husband on the floor of the car.\n\nAs they departed, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, through one of his interpreters, told Harry \"not to mind if your wife does not like sweet things, that she will when she is better.\" Then ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told Harry that he should always keep her in the light. Baffled by these comments, when he returned home later, Harry asked Ruth what ‘Abdu’l-Bahá meant. Each Sunday, Harry had brought home a box of fancy chocolates as a special treat for her and at that moment, she tearfully told him that she always struggled to eat even one of them to please him. Then she told him about the light: that because, as a child, she had to walk down a dark street each week to get the beans for dinner, she had been afraid of shadows ever since. After hearing these admissions, Harry was somewhat amazed at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's depth of understanding. Ruth wrote that within hours, she was feeling better. Two weeks later, she visited a regular doctor. He examined her and exclaimed, \"What have you been doing? You are so well!\" Soon Ruth was completely cured of tuberculosis. This was Harry's second big step towards becoming a Bahá’í.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 175-177*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles) (Subject: miracles).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Ten Thousand Mourners on Mount Carmel: The Funeral of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"slug": "hd-ascension-of-abdul-baha-funeral-mount-carmel",
"summary": "On November 28, 1921, 'Abdu'l-Bahá ascended at His home in Haifa. The next day, before a procession of ten thousand mourners — Muslims, Christians, Jews, Druze — He was carried up the slopes of Mount Carmel to the Shrine of the Báb, where nine speakers from three faiths delivered His funeral orations.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Haifa",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"holy-day",
"ascension",
"history",
"unity"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"dignity",
"unity",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [
"ascension-of-abdul-baha"
],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-chosen-highway",
"book": "The Chosen Highway",
"author": "Lady Blomfield",
"year": 1940,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/blomfield_chosen_highway"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá ascended at His home in Haifa in the early hours of\nNovember 28, 1921. He had returned from the Shrine of the Báb the\nevening before, and had spoken with the family late into the night.\nBy morning the news was carried through the town — and from the town\nout into the surrounding hills.\n\nOf His funeral, on the following day, Shoghi Effendi and Lady\nBlomfield wrote one of the most often-quoted accounts in early\nBahá’í literature, *The Passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.* Around ten\nthousand people gathered. They came from every community of\nPalestine: Sunní and Shí‘ih Muslims, Eastern and Western Christians,\nJews from the colonies and from the old city, Druze from the hills\nabove Haifa, and a small body of Bahá’ís from many lands.\n\nThe cortege moved slowly up Mount Carmel. The coffin, the chronicle\nrecords,\n\n> was borne to its last resting-place on the shoulders of His loved\n> ones.\n\nBehind it,\n\n> the long train of mourners, amid the sobs and moans of many a\n> grief-stricken heart, wended its slow way up the slopes of Mt.\n> Carmel to the Mausoleum of the Báb.\n\nWhen at last the procession reached the Shrine, *nine speakers, who\nrepresented the Muslim, the Jewish and Christian Faiths,* stood in\nturn beside the coffin and delivered their funeral orations. Each\nspoke from within his own tradition; each tried in his own language\nto name what the city had lost.\n\n> The coffin was then removed to one of the chambers of the Shrine,\n> and there lowered, sadly and reverently, to its last resting-place\n> in a vault adjoining that in which were laid the remains of the\n> Báb.\n\nThe High Commissioner of Palestine, Sir Herbert Samuel, was present,\nand observed afterwards that the mourners came\n\n> sorrowing for His death, but rejoicing also for His life.\n\nThe Governor of Jerusalem, Sir Ronald Storrs, said he had\n\n> never known a more united expression of regret and respect than was\n> called forth by the utter simplicity of the ceremony.\n\nThe day after, in the streets of Haifa, the houses of the poor\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá had quietly fed for years remained dark with grief. He\nhad distributed food and warmth among them all through the war years\nand beyond. Many learned, only that morning, that the friend who had\nhelped them was the same Master they had sometimes seen walking, in\nHis white turban, along the seashore.\n\nBahá’ís observe the Ascension at one o’clock in the morning on the\n28th of November — the hour, by tradition, of His passing. Work is\nnot suspended on this day, in keeping with the spirit of the Master\nHimself, who lived His life in the service of others and asked, in\nHis Will, that even His death not interrupt that service.\n\n*Source: Shoghi Effendi and Lady Blomfield, The Passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í Publishing Committee, 1922), and Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1940). Public domain text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Year of Stress: Nabíl's Grief at the Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh",
"slug": "hd-ascension-of-bahaullah-nabils-grief",
"summary": "From 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Memorials of the Faithful: when Bahá'u'lláh ascended in 1892 at Bahjí, His chronicler Nabíl-i-Zarandí was inconsolable. He calculated the numerical value of the word \"shidád\" — \"year of stress\" — at 309, and found that Bahá'u'lláh had foretold the date in His own writings.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Nabíl-i-Zarandí"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "Bahjí",
"lat": 32.9434,
"lng": 35.0917,
"modernName": "Bahjí, near 'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"holy-day",
"ascension",
"grief",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"love",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [
"ascension-of-bahaullah"
],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Bahá’í Holy Day of the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh — observed each\nyear at three in the morning on May 29 — has few extended first-hand\nnarratives in the public-domain literature. But ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in His\nMemorials of the Faithful, records what the Ascension meant for one\nbeliever who had walked beside Bahá’u’lláh for decades: Nabíl-i-Zarandí,\nthe chronicler of the Dawn-Breakers.\n\nNabíl had spent his life in the path of the Cause. He had searched for\nBahá’u’lláh in Kurdistán when His whereabouts were unknown; he had\ncarried the news of the Manifestation across Persia; he had been\nturned back at the gates of ‘Akká during the years of strict\nimprisonment; he had lived as a recluse in a cave on Mount Carmel,\n*lamenting night and day, moaning and chanting prayers,* until at\nlast the Wronged One issued forth and Nabíl was admitted again to His\npresence.\n\nThen, on May 29, 1892, Bahá’u’lláh ascended at Bahjí.\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá writes:\n\n> This went on until the day Bahá’u’lláh ascended. At that supreme\n> affliction, that shattering calamity, Nabíl sobbed and trembled and\n> cried out to Heaven. He found that the numerical value of the word\n> *shidád* — year of stress — was 309, and it thus became evident\n> that Bahá’u’lláh foretold what had now come to pass.\n\nThe Master continues:\n\n> Utterly cast down, hopeless at being separated from Bahá’u’lláh,\n> fevered, shedding tears, Nabíl was in such anguish that anyone seeing\n> him was bewildered. He struggled on, but the only desire he had was\n> to lay down his life. He could suffer no longer; his longing was\n> aflame in him; he could stand the fiery pain no more. And so he\n> became king of the cohorts of love, and he rushed into the sea.\n\nBefore that day, Nabíl had written out the year of his death in a\nsingle word: *Drowned.*\n\nOf him ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says, in closing, that *the waters of sacrifice\nclosed over him; he was drowned, and he came, at last, to the Most\nHigh.*\n\nFor Bahá’ís, the Memorial of Nabíl is a window into the cost of love\non the day of the Ascension. The community’s observance of that day —\nthe chanting of the Tablet of Visitation at the appointed hour — sits\ninside a much older silence: the silence of those who, like Nabíl,\ncould not imagine the world without Him.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915), chapter on Nabíl-i-Zarandí. Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Born in the Vazír's House: The Birth of Bahá'u'lláh",
"slug": "hd-birth-of-bahaullah-tehran-1817",
"summary": "Esslemont's account of the early life of Mírzá Ḥusayn-‘Alí — the One later known as Bahá'u'lláh — born in Tihrán on November 12, 1817 to a noble household. He showed remarkable wisdom as a child, refused His father's ministerial post, and embraced the Báb's message at twenty-seven.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"J. E. Esslemont"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Tihrán",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"holy-day",
"birth",
"early-life",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"generosity",
"integrity",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [
"birth-of-bahaullah"
],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bahaullah-and-new-era",
"book": "Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era",
"author": "J. E. Esslemont",
"year": 1923,
"publisher": "George Allen & Unwin",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19241/pg19241-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTwo years before the Báb was born in Shíráz, a child of the Núrí\nnobility was born in the capital of Persia. Esslemont opens his\nchapter on Bahá’u’lláh with the bare biographical facts:\n\n> Mírzá Ḥusayn-‘Alí, Who afterwards assumed the title of Bahá’u’lláh\n> (i.e. Glory of God), was the eldest son of Mírzá ‘Abbás of Núr, a\n> Vazír or Minister of State.... He was born in Tihrán (Teheran),\n> the capital city of Persia, between dawn and sunrise on the 12th\n> of November, 1817.\n\nThe household was a famous one. *His family was wealthy and\ndistinguished,* Esslemont writes, *many of its members having occupied\nimportant positions in the Government and in the Civil and Military\nServices of Persia.*\n\nDespite never attending school, the boy showed an unmistakable mark of\ninner gift:\n\n> He showed wonderful wisdom and knowledge.\n\nWhen his father died, the responsibility for his younger siblings and\nfor the family estates fell on his shoulders. He took up that work\nwithout complaint. The Persian government, hoping to keep so promising\na young man within the orbit of the court, offered him his father’s\nministerial post.\n\nHe declined.\n\nThe Prime Minister, surprised but not displeased, is reported to have\nsaid:\n\n> Leave him to himself. Such a position is unworthy of him. He has\n> some higher aim in view.\n\nIn the years that followed, the young Mírzá Ḥusayn-‘Alí became known\nin his region not as an aspirant to office but as a guardian of the\noppressed. He spent his inheritance freely upon the poor; he opened\nhis home to the friendless; he was so widely loved that the country\npeople of Núr called him *Father of the Poor.*\n\nThen, in 1844, when the Báb declared His mission, the twenty-seven\nyear old nobleman embraced the new Cause with a fervor that\nastonished even those who knew him best. Esslemont notes that he\nbecame *one of the most powerful and fearless exponents* of the new\nmovement — and the long road of exile, prison, and Revelation began.\n\nBahá’ís remember the day of His birth on the second of the Twin\nBirthdays — the Holy Day paired, in the same evenings each year,\nwith the Birth of the Báb. Two cities, two cradles, one Cause\nalready gathering itself in silence.\n\n*Source: J. E. Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era (1923). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19241.*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Merchant of Shíráz: The Birth of the Báb",
"slug": "hd-birth-of-the-bab-shiraz-1819",
"summary": "Esslemont's account of the early life of Siyyid 'Alí-Muhammad — the One later known as the Báb — born in Shíráz on October 20, 1819, raised by an uncle after His father's death, recognized in His youth for piety, charm, and a remarkable observance of prayer.",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"J. E. Esslemont"
],
"era": "babi",
"period": "Shíráz",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"holy-day",
"birth",
"early-life",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"piety",
"devotion",
"integrity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [
"birth-of-the-bab"
],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bahaullah-and-new-era",
"book": "Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era",
"author": "J. E. Esslemont",
"year": 1923,
"publisher": "George Allen & Unwin",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19241/pg19241-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nEach year on the First Day of the Twin Birthdays, Bahá’ís remember\nthe birth of Siyyid ‘Alí-Muḥammad — the One whom history would come\nto know as the Báb — in Shíráz, in southern Persia, on October 20,\n1819. Esslemont’s short account of His early life, in *Bahá’u’lláh\nand the New Era*, sketches the years before the Declaration:\n\n> Mírzá ‘Alí-Muḥammad, Who afterwards assumed the title of Báb (i.e.\n> Gate), was born at Shíráz, in the south of Persia, on the 20th of\n> October 1819 A.D.\n\nHe was a Siyyid — a descendant of the Prophet Muḥammad through the\nline of His daughter Fáṭimih. *His father, a well-known merchant,\ndied soon after His birth,* Esslemont writes, *and He was raised by\na maternal uncle.*\n\nThe young Siyyid stood out from the other children of His city.\n\n> He was noted for great personal beauty and charm of manner, and\n> also for exceptional piety, and nobility of character.\n\nEsslemont notes how His religious observance went well beyond what\nwas required of Him:\n\n> He was unfailing in His observance of the prayers, fasts and other\n> ordinances of the Muḥammadan religion, and not only obeyed the\n> letter, but lived in the spirit of the Prophet’s teachings.\n\nWhen He was about fifteen He entered the family business — first\nwith His guardian uncle, and afterward with another uncle who lived\nat Búshihr, the trading port on the Persian Gulf. He spent His\nyouth, then, as a merchant of cloth and silks, weighing His goods\nhonestly, paying His debts promptly, and earning a reputation in the\nbazaar for fairness so striking that it was remembered long after\nthe Declaration.\n\n> He married when about twenty-two years of age. Of this marriage one\n> son was born, who died while still an infant, in the first year of\n> the Báb’s public ministry.\n\nThe biography is, on its surface, an ordinary merchant’s biography.\nBut beneath the surface — in the long prayers, the unbroken honesty\nof His dealings, the gentleness Esslemont describes — there was a\npreparation already underway. On the eve of His twenty-fifth year,\nthe merchant of Shíráz would step out of His shop and into history.\n\nFor Bahá’ís the Birth of the Báb is paired, in the lunar calendar\nthat governs the Twin Birthdays, with the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh — the\ntwo days observed on consecutive evenings every year, often together,\nas a single luminous celebration.\n\n*Source: J. E. Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era (1923). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19241.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Day Given to Him: Origins of the Day of the Covenant",
"slug": "hd-day-of-the-covenant-firm-friends",
"summary": "After His ascension, Bahá'u'lláh appointed 'Abdu'l-Bahá as the Centre of His Covenant. When friends in the East asked if a day might be observed in the Master's honor, He refused — His birthday already belonged to the Declaration of the Báb — and gave them, instead, the day of His own appointment as Centre of the Covenant. Here is a tablet from that period in which He calls the friends to be firm in that Covenant.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"holy-day",
"covenant",
"unity",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"steadfastness",
"unity",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [
"day-of-the-covenant"
],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"publisher": "Bahai Publishing Society",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19312"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Day of the Covenant — November 26 — is one of the youngest Holy\nDays in the Bahá’í calendar, and the only one that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself\ndesignated. Its origin is recorded in the early histories of the Cause.\n\nAfter Bahá’u’lláh’s ascension in 1892, the friends in the East began\nasking whether the Master’s birthday — which fell on the 23rd of May —\nmight be observed as a festival of His own. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá refused. The\n23rd of May, He said, already belonged entirely to the Báb: it was\nthe night of the Báb’s Declaration in Shíráz in 1844, and that day was\nnot to be shared. He asked the friends instead to remember Him on the\n4th of Qawl — corresponding in the Bahá’í calendar to November 26 —\nas the day on which Bahá’u’lláh had appointed Him *Centre of the\nCovenant.*\n\nIn Persian the day was called *Jashn-i-A‘ẓam,* the Greatest Festival,\nbecause the Master Himself was *Ghuṣn-i-A‘ẓam,* the Greatest Branch.\nIn the West it became known as the *Day of the Covenant.*\n\nThe early American Bahá’ís received from the Master many tablets in\nthis period urging firmness in that Covenant. One such tablet, in\n*Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Abbas* (1909), opens:\n\n> O ye who are sincere! O ye who are firm! O ye who are steadfast!\n\nThe Master then explains that trials and divisions will arise — *a\nslight difference hath caused a great dissension and hath been made\na reason for division* — and He calls upon the friends to remain\n*\"firm as a mountain\"* whatever happens. Persecution, He reminds\nthem, has always preceded victory in the path of God:\n\n> Blessed is the soul who is firm in the path!\n\nHe encourages them by recalling the early Christians who endured\nhardship before the Cause of Christ ultimately triumphed, and assures\nthem that *after this storm, verily, the divine spring will arrive.*\nThe believers are not to grieve when *people stand against you,\npersecute you, afflict and trouble you* — for the only response to\ntrial in the Covenant is unity, and the only response to division\nis more love.\n\nThis is the spirit of the Day of the Covenant. It is not, in the\nstrict sense, a celebration of the Master’s person — He would not\npermit that. It is a remembrance of His office: the unbroken thread\nthat runs from Bahá’u’lláh, through the Master, into the unity of the\nworldwide community.\n\nWork is not suspended on this day. The Bahá’ís simply gather — as\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá asked — to recommit themselves, in whatever quiet way\nthey can, to that single firmness of which He wrote.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (Bahai Publishing Society, 1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312, with historical context drawn from public-domain Bahá'í references on the origin of the Day of the Covenant.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Two Hours and Eleven Minutes After Sunset: The Declaration of the Báb",
"slug": "hd-declaration-of-the-bab-mulla-husayn",
"summary": "Nabíl's account, in *The Dawn-Breakers*, of the night of May 22–23, 1844, when Mullá Ḥusayn met the Báb at the gate of Shíráz, accepted His invitation home, and at two hours and eleven minutes after sunset became the first to recognise Him.",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Mullá Ḥusayn",
"Nabíl-i-A'ẓam"
],
"era": "babi",
"period": "Shíráz",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"holy-day",
"declaration",
"seeking",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"steadfastness",
"devotion"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [
"declaration-of-the-bab"
],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAfter many months of searching for the One who would succeed his\nbeloved teacher Siyyid Káẓim, Mullá Ḥusayn-i-Bushrú’í travelled south\nacross Persia and arrived at the gates of Shíráz on the afternoon of\nthe fifth day of Jamádíyu’l-Avval, 1260 A.H. — the eve of the 23rd of\nMay, 1844. He sent his brother and nephew on to the Masjid-i-Ilkhání\nto wait for him, and continued alone outside the city.\n\nA Youth of radiant countenance, wearing a green turban, came forward\nto meet him. He embraced Mullá Ḥusayn with such warmth that it seemed\nthey were old friends, and invited him home. Mullá Ḥusayn explained\nthat his companions awaited him for evening prayer, but the Youth,\ncalm and assured, replied that *His will has decreed otherwise*, and\nthat no pledge would be broken by accepting the invitation. Together\nthey crossed the threshold, the Youth saying, in the words of the\nQur’án, *\"Enter therein in peace, secure.\"*\n\nInside, the host washed his guest’s hands, brought refreshment, and\nprepared tea. He then asked Mullá Ḥusayn what kind of person he was\nseeking, and Mullá Ḥusayn described the One whose advent his teacher\nhad foretold — youthful, of medium height, descended from Fáṭimih,\nunlettered yet learned in every science. The Youth quietly replied\nthat He answered to each of those marks of recognition.\n\nMullá Ḥusayn produced the treatise he had written on the most\nabstruse teachings of the Shaykhí school. The Youth opened it,\nand, in a few minutes, *unravelled all its mysteries and resolved\nall its problems*, revealing truths that Mullá Ḥusayn had not found\nin the writings of Shaykh Aḥmad or of Siyyid Káẓim. He then took up\nHis pen and, with incredible rapidity, began to write a commentary\non the Súrih of Joseph — the Súriy-i-Mulk — pausing for nothing,\nchanting the verses aloud as they flowed from His pen.\n\nAs the night wore on Mullá Ḥusayn at last rose to leave. The Youth\nbade him be seated, smiling: *\"If you leave in such a state, whoever\nsees you will assuredly say: 'This poor youth has lost his mind.'\"*\n\nThen He addressed him directly:\n\n> O thou who art the first to believe in Me! Verily I say, I am the\n> Báb, the Gate of God, and thou art the Bábu’l-Báb, the gate of\n> that Gate.\n\nHe continued:\n\n> This night, this very hour will, in the days to come, be celebrated\n> as one of the greatest and most significant of all festivals.\n\nAt that moment, the chronicle records, *the clock registered two hours\nand eleven minutes after sunset.* The encounter continued until dawn.\nWhen Mullá Ḥusayn finally walked out into the morning of Shíráz, he\nwas a man transformed: *\"I felt possessed of such courage and power\nthat were the world ... to rise against me, I would ... withstand\ntheir onslaught.\"*\n\nBahá’ís around the world commemorate this night each year on the\nevening of the 22nd of May, two hours and eleven minutes after\nsunset.\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A‘ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers, translated by Shoghi Effendi (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), chapter 3. Public domain text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Garden of Najíb Páshá: First Day of Riḍván",
"slug": "hd-first-day-of-ridvan-garden-of-najib-pasha",
"summary": "Esslemont's account of the twelve days Bahá'u'lláh spent in the Garden of Najíb Páshá outside Baghdád in April 1863, where, on what Bahá'ís remember as the First Day of Riḍván, He declared to His followers that He was the One whose coming the Báb had foretold.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb",
"J. E. Esslemont"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"holy-day",
"ridvan",
"declaration",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"dignity",
"majesty"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [
"first-day-of-ridvan"
],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaullah-and-new-era",
"book": "Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era",
"author": "J. E. Esslemont",
"year": 1923,
"publisher": "George Allen & Unwin",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19241/pg19241-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAfter much negotiation, at the request of the Persian Government, an\norder was issued by the Turkish Government summoning Bahá’u’lláh to\nConstantinople. On receipt of this news His followers were in\nconsternation. They besieged the house of their beloved Leader to\nsuch an extent that the family encamped in the Garden of Najíb Páshá\noutside the town for twelve days, while the caravan was being prepared\nfor the long journey.\n\nIt was during these twelve days — April 22 to May 3, 1863, exactly\nnineteen years after the Báb’s Declaration in Shíráz — that\nBahá’u’lláh announced to several of His followers the glad tidings\nthat He was the One whose coming had been foretold by the Báb: the\nChosen of God, the Promised One of all the Prophets.\n\nThe Garden where this memorable Declaration took place has become\nknown to Bahá’ís as the *Garden of Riḍván*, meaning *Paradise*, and\nthe days Bahá’u’lláh spent there are commemorated each year in the\n*Feast of Riḍván*, held annually on the anniversary of those twelve\ndays.\n\nThe First Day of Riḍván — the afternoon Bahá’u’lláh entered the\nGarden — is the most holy of the Bahá’í festivals. The character of\nthose days, as recorded by His followers and by later historians, is\nstriking. As Esslemont writes:\n\n> During those days Bahá'u'lláh, instead of being sad or depressed,\n> showed the greatest joy, dignity and power. His followers became\n> happy and enthusiastic, and great crowds came to pay their respects\n> to Him. All the notables of Baghdád, even the Governor himself, came\n> to honor the departing prisoner.\n\nWhat outwardly was an exile became inwardly a coronation. The Garden,\non the bank of the Tigris, hung with roses, was for those twelve days\na place of arrival rather than departure — the place where, after\nnineteen years of patient hiddenness, the Promised One spoke aloud.\n\n*Source: J. E. Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era (1923). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19241.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Anís at the Báb's Side: The Martyrdom in Tabríz",
"slug": "hd-martyrdom-of-the-bab-anis",
"summary": "Nabíl's narrative of the morning of July 9, 1850, in the barrack square of Tabríz: the young follower Mírzá Muḥammad-‘Alíy-i-Zunúzí, called Anís, who begged to die with the Báb; the first volley that severed the ropes; the Báb's interrupted conversation; and His final words to the regiment.",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Mírzá Muḥammad-'Alíy-i-Zunúzí (Anís)",
"Sám Khán",
"Nabíl-i-A'ẓam"
],
"era": "babi",
"period": "Tabríz",
"location": {
"name": "Tabríz",
"lat": 38.0962,
"lng": 46.2738,
"modernName": "Tabríz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"holy-day",
"martyrdom",
"history",
"persecution"
],
"virtues": [
"sacrifice",
"faith",
"courage",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [
"martyrdom-of-the-bab"
],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "the-dawn-breakers",
"book": "The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation",
"author": "Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"year": 1932,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/historical/dawn-breakers/"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Bahá’í Holy Day of the Martyrdom of the Báb is observed each year\nat noon on July 9 — the very hour of the second volley in 1850. Nabíl’s\nnarrative, *The Dawn-Breakers*, preserves the morning in detail. At the\ncenter of the account is a young follower from Tabríz named Mírzá\nMuḥammad-‘Alíy-i-Zunúzí, whom the Báb had named *Anís* — *Companion*.\n\nAnís had begged again and again to share the Báb’s fate. As the\nsoldiers prepared the ropes in the barrack square, he turned to Sám\nKhán, the Christian Armenian colonel commanding the firing squad,\nand pleaded with him to be placed first:\n\n> Mírzá Muḥammad-‘Alí begged Sám Khán to be placed in such a manner\n> that his own body would shield that of the Báb.\n\nThe two were suspended together by ropes under their armpits, *his\nhead reposed on the breast of his Master.* Around mid-morning the\norder to fire was given. The volley rang through the square. When the\nsmoke cleared, the watching crowd saw something they could not\nexplain.\n\n> There, standing before them alive and unhurt, was the companion of\n> the Báb, whilst He Himself had vanished uninjured from their sight.\n\nNabíl writes that *the cords with which they were suspended had been\nrent in pieces by the bullets, yet their bodies had miraculously\nescaped the volleys.* Soldiers and officers fanned out in confusion\nto look for the Báb. He was not difficult to find:\n\n> They set out in a frenzied search for Him, and found Him,\n> eventually, seated in the same room which He had occupied the night\n> before, engaged in completing His interrupted conversation, with\n> Siyyid Ḥusayn.\n\nHe had been speaking to His amanuensis when the soldiers came for Him\nthe first time, and He had told them that *no earthly power can\nsilence Me until I have finished all that I have to say.* Now, the\nsentence completed, He rose and walked back to the place of execution\nwith His companion.\n\nSám Khán, seeing what had happened, refused to fire again, and\nwithdrew his regiment. A second regiment was brought up. As they took\ntheir positions the Báb addressed the watching crowds:\n\n> Had you believed in Me, O wayward generation, every one of you\n> would have followed the example of this youth, who stood in rank\n> above most of you, and willingly would have sacrificed yourselves\n> in My path. The day will come when you will have recognised Me;\n> that day I shall have ceased to be with you.\n\nThe order was given. The second volley took effect. The bodies of\nthe Báb and of Anís were riddled by bullets, although their faces\nwere almost untouched.\n\nIt was a few minutes after noon, July 9, 1850.\n\n*Source: Nabíl-i-A‘ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers, translated by Shoghi Effendi (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1932), chapter 23. Public domain text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "'Abdu'l-Bahá's Naw-Rúz Talk in Alexandria",
"slug": "hd-naw-ruz-talk-alexandria-1912",
"summary": "In 1912, on the Feast of Naw-Rúz in Alexandria, Egypt, 'Abdu'l-Bahá explained the meaning of the blessed days appointed in every dispensation — days for rejoicing together, for unity, and for leaving \"tangible philanthropic or ideal traces\" reaching all mankind.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"J. E. Esslemont"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Alexandria",
"location": {
"name": "Alexandria",
"lat": 31.2001,
"lng": 29.9187,
"modernName": "Alexandria, Egypt"
},
"themes": [
"holy-day",
"naw-ruz",
"unity",
"service"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"generosity",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [
"naw-ruz"
],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bahaullah-and-new-era",
"book": "Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era",
"author": "J. E. Esslemont",
"year": 1923,
"publisher": "George Allen & Unwin",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19241/pg19241-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn 1912, while traveling in Egypt, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá observed the Feast of\nNaw-Rúz — the Bahá’í New Year that falls on the spring equinox — at\nAlexandria. The talk He gave that day became one of the most cited\npassages on the meaning of the Bahá’í Holy Days, and was preserved by\nJ. E. Esslemont in *Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era*.\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:\n\n> In the sacred laws of God, in every cycle and dispensation there are\n> blessed feasts, holidays and workless days. On such days all kinds of\n> occupations, commerce, industry, agriculture, etc., should be\n> suspended. All should rejoice together, hold general meetings, become\n> as one assembly, so that the national oneness, unity and harmony may\n> be demonstrated in the eyes of all.\n\nHe then warned against an empty observance — a Holy Day reduced to mere\nholiday:\n\n> As it is a blessed day it should not be neglected, nor deprived of\n> results by making it a day devoted to the pursuit of mere pleasure.\n> During such days institutions should be founded that may be of\n> permanent benefit and value to the people.... Today there is no\n> result or fruit greater than guiding the people. Undoubtedly the\n> friends of God, upon such a day, must leave tangible philanthropic\n> or ideal traces that should reach all mankind and not pertain only\n> to the Bahá’ís. In this wonderful dispensation, philanthropic affairs\n> are for all humanity without exception, because it is the\n> manifestation of the mercifulness of God. Therefore, my hope is that\n> the friends of God, every one of them, may become as the mercy of\n> God to all mankind.\n\nIn Persia, Esslemont notes, Naw-Rúz had long been celebrated by picnics\nor festal gatherings at which music, the chanting of verses and Tablets,\nand short addresses suitable to the occasion were contributed by those\npresent. The intercalary days that immediately precede the month of\nfasting are devoted to hospitality to friends, the giving of presents,\nand ministering to the poor and the sick.\n\nThe Master’s Naw-Rúz instruction widens that older Persian custom into\na universal one. The new year is to be more than rest; it is to be a\nday on which the friends of God become *as the mercy of God to all\nmankind*.\n\n*Source: J. E. Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era (1923), recording a Naw-Rúz address by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Alexandria, 1912. Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19241.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Three Portions: The Heart of the Nineteen Day Feast",
"slug": "hd-nineteen-day-feast-three-portions",
"summary": "Esslemont's account of the Nineteen Day Feast — the gathering on the first day of each Bahá'í month that combines devotional readings, community consultation, and joyful fellowship — and 'Abdu'l-Bahá's instruction that every blessed day should leave \"tangible philanthropic or ideal traces\" reaching all mankind.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"J. E. Esslemont"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Worldwide",
"themes": [
"feast",
"community",
"consultation",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"hospitality",
"unity",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bahaullah-and-new-era",
"book": "Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era",
"author": "J. E. Esslemont",
"year": 1923,
"publisher": "George Allen & Unwin",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19241/pg19241-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Nineteen Day Feast falls on the first day of each Bahá’í month —\nnineteen times a year, every nineteen days. Esslemont, writing in\n1923 just after Shoghi Effendi had begun the work of building the\nBahá’í administrative order, gives this brief account of what the\nFeast had become:\n\n> With the development of the Bahá’í administrative order since the\n> ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Nineteen Day Feast, observed on the\n> first day of each Bahá’í month, has assumed a very special\n> importance, providing as it does not only for community prayer and\n> reading from the Holy Books, but also for general consultation on\n> all current Bahá’í affairs and for the association of the friends\n> together. This Feast is the occasion when the Spiritual Assembly\n> makes its reports to the community and invites both discussion of\n> plans and suggestions for new and better methods of service.\n\nThat is the Feast in three portions: a *devotional* opening, in which\nthe friends listen to the Words of God; an *administrative* middle,\nin which the elected Spiritual Assembly consults openly with the\ncommunity on its life and plans; and a *social* close, in which the\nfriends share food, music, conversation, the small graces of being\ntogether.\n\nEach of those portions has its own logic. The devotional portion\ngathers the heart to its true center. The administrative portion\nmakes clear that the community’s decisions are not made over the\nheads of its members but in their hearing — and that the friends’\nsuggestions are sought, listened to, and acted upon. The social\nportion, in turn, simply lets the love that is the Cause’s real\nbusiness flow into the hour and the room.\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s great Naw-Rúz instruction — given in Alexandria in\n1912 and recorded by Esslemont in the same volume — illuminates the\nspirit of every Feast as much as of every Holy Day:\n\n> All should rejoice together, hold general meetings, become as one\n> assembly, so that the national oneness, unity and harmony may be\n> demonstrated in the eyes of all.... Today there is no result or\n> fruit greater than guiding the people. Undoubtedly the friends of\n> God, upon such a day, must leave tangible philanthropic or ideal\n> traces that should reach all mankind.\n\nThe Feast, then, is more than a meeting. It is a small monthly\npractice of the very community that the Bahá’ís are trying, slowly,\nin nineteen-day rhythms, to learn how to be.\n\n*Source: J. E. Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era (1923), with quotation from a Naw-Rúz talk by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Alexandria, 1912. Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19241.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Family Arrives in the Garden: Ninth Day of Riḍván",
"slug": "hd-ninth-day-of-ridvan-family-arrives",
"summary": "Bahá'u'lláh entered the Garden of Riḍván on April 22, 1863. His family — the river having been impassable on the first day — joined Him on the ninth day, April 29. The Ninth Day of Riḍván commemorates that reunion, and Esslemont's account of the twelve days outside Baghdád sets the scene.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Greatest Holy Leaf",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"holy-day",
"ridvan",
"family",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"patience",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [
"ninth-day-of-ridvan"
],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaullah-and-new-era",
"book": "Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era",
"author": "J. E. Esslemont",
"year": 1923,
"publisher": "George Allen & Unwin",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19241/pg19241-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen the order from Constantinople arrived in early 1863 summoning\nBahá’u’lláh to the Ottoman capital, His followers besieged His house in\nBaghdád, unwilling to be parted from Him. To restore order, the family\nmoved out of the city to a wooded garden across the river Tigris — the\nGarden of Najíb Páshá, soon to be remembered as the *Garden of Riḍván*.\n\nBahá’u’lláh entered the Garden on the afternoon of April 22, 1863.\nThe river that day was running high. His sons accompanied Him, but His\nwife, the Greatest Holy Leaf, and the rest of the household could not\ncross to join Him until nine days later, on April 29. That arrival —\nthe day the Holy Family was reunited with Him in the Garden — is the\nNinth Day of Riḍván.\n\nEsslemont describes the spirit of those twelve days as Bahá’u’lláh\nprepared to depart Baghdád for ever:\n\n> During those days Bahá’u’lláh, instead of being sad or depressed,\n> showed the greatest joy, dignity and power. His followers became\n> happy and enthusiastic, and great crowds came to pay their respects\n> to Him. All the notables of Baghdád, even the Governor himself,\n> came to honor the departing prisoner.\n\nIn Bahá’í tradition the Ninth Day is treasured for two intertwined\ngraces: it is the day Bahá’u’lláh’s declaration of His mission deepened\nand continued, and it is the day His earthly family — those who had\nshared the Síyáh-Chál, the journeys, the long hidden years — were\nrestored to His side beneath the roses of Najíb Páshá’s garden.\n\nThe twelve-day festival of Riḍván, of which the Ninth Day is the\nmidpoint, is the most holy of the Bahá’í festivals. From the eve of\nthat arrival, the household tasted, for nine more days, what it was\nto live in the open declaration of the Promised One they already\nknew.\n\n*Source: J. E. Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era (1923). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19241.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Caravan to Constantinople: Twelfth Day of Riḍván",
"slug": "hd-twelfth-day-of-ridvan-departure-baghdad",
"summary": "On May 3, 1863 — the twelfth day of His sojourn in the Garden of Riḍván — Bahá'u'lláh mounted His horse and set out from Baghdád toward Constantinople. Esslemont records the strange, joyful character of those last days, when even the Governor of Baghdád came to honor the departing prisoner.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"J. E. Esslemont"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"holy-day",
"ridvan",
"exile",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"dignity",
"joy",
"majesty"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [
"twelfth-day-of-ridvan"
],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaullah-and-new-era",
"book": "Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era",
"author": "J. E. Esslemont",
"year": 1923,
"publisher": "George Allen & Unwin",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19241/pg19241-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Twelfth Day of Riḍván, May 3, 1863, was the day Bahá’u’lláh left\nthe Garden and Baghdád behind. The family caravan — already prepared\nduring the long twelve days outside the city — was ready to begin the\narduous journey north and west, more than a thousand miles, toward\nConstantinople.\n\nEsslemont captures the strangeness of those final hours. They were not\nheavy with farewell, but bright with the gathering of crowds:\n\n> During those days Bahá’u’lláh, instead of being sad or depressed,\n> showed the greatest joy, dignity and power. His followers became\n> happy and enthusiastic, and great crowds came to pay their respects\n> to Him. All the notables of Baghdád, even the Governor himself, came\n> to honor the departing prisoner.\n\nWhat the Ottoman authorities had intended as a banishment in disgrace\nhad become something else entirely. The Garden, on the bank of the\nTigris, had become for twelve days a place of audience. Officials and\ntownspeople, friends and strangers alike, came in procession to take\ntheir leave of a Man they could no longer pretend was an ordinary\nexile.\n\nWhen at last He mounted His horse, those who watched understood —\neven if they could not yet say it — that Baghdád was being not so\nmuch *deserted* as *graced one final time*. The Twelfth Day of Riḍván\ncloses the most holy of the Bahá’í festivals. It commemorates not\nloss but a lifting up; not the breaking of a household but the\nbeginning of a Cause now openly upon the road of history.\n\nFor Bahá’ís, then, the twelve days are framed by two acts of dignity:\nthe Master of the household entering the Garden alone on the First\nDay, and the Master of the Cause leaving it openly on the Twelfth.\n\n*Source: J. E. Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era (1923). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19241.*\n"
},
{
"title": "He added that one should wear black only as a convenience, because it does not…",
"slug": "he-added-that-one-should-wear-black-only-bs2",
"summary": "He added that one should wear black only as a convenience, because it does not soil…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"cleanliness"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/cleanliness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe added that one should wear black only as a convenience, because it does not soil easily.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 154*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/cleanliness) (Subject: cleanliness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "He does not permit his family to have luxuries",
"slug": "he-does-not-permit-his-family-to-have-bs11",
"summary": "He does not permit his family to have luxuries. He himself eats but once a day, and then bread, olives, and cheese suffice him. His room is small and bare, with only a matting on the stone floor. His habit is to sleep upon this floor. Not…",
"figures": [],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"simple life",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe does not permit his family to have luxuries. He himself eats but once a day, and then bread, olives, and cheese suffice him. His room is small and bare, with only a matting on the stone floor. His habit is to sleep upon this floor. Not long ago a friend, thinking that this must be hard for a man of advancing years, presented him with a bed fitted with springs and mattress. So these stand in his room also, but are rarely used. \"For how,\" he says, \"can I bear to sleep in luxury when so many of the poor have not even shelter?\" So he lies upon the floor and covers himself only with his cloak.\n\n\n*Source: Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khánum, Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life) (Subject: simple-life).*\n"
},
{
"title": "He does not permit his family to have luxuries",
"slug": "he-does-not-permit-his-family-to-have-bs5",
"summary": "He does not permit his family to have luxuries. He himself eats but once a day, and then bread, olives, and cheese suffice…",
"figures": [],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"diet",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/diet"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe does not permit his family to have luxuries. He himself eats but once a day, and then bread, olives, and cheese suffice him.\n\n\n*Source: Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khánum, Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/diet) (Subject: diet).*\n"
},
{
"title": "He had left orders that none were to be turned away, but one who had twice…",
"slug": "he-had-left-orders-that-none-were-to-bs0",
"summary": "He had left orders that none were to be turned away, but one who had twice vainly sought his presence, and was, through some oversight, prevented from seeing him, wrote a heartbreaking letter showing that he thought himself rebuffed. It…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"broken heart",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/broken-heart"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe had left orders that none were to be turned away, but one who had twice vainly sought his presence, and was, through some oversight, prevented from seeing him, wrote a heartbreaking letter showing that he thought himself rebuffed. It was translated by the Persian interpreter. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at once put on his coat, and, turning towards the door, said, with an expression of unspeakable sadness, \"A friend of mine has been martyred, and I am very grieved. I go out alone.\" and he swept down the steps. One could then see how well the title of \"Master\" became him.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London, p. 109*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/broken-heart) (Subject: broken-heart).*\n"
},
{
"title": "He has been known to go into the kitchen and prepare a meal for His guests",
"slug": "he-has-been-known-to-go-into-the-bs9",
"summary": "He has been known to go into the kitchen and prepare a meal for His guests. He never failed in such small attentions as seeing that the room where His visitors were entertained contained every possible comfort, though He paid no attention…",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe has been known to go into the kitchen and prepare a meal for His guests. He never failed in such small attentions as seeing that the room where His visitors were entertained contained every possible comfort, though He paid no attention to His own comfort.\n\n\n*Source: Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom, p. 240*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "He knew well that contentment and happiness must often be forged out of sorrow and grief",
"slug": "he-knew-well-that-contentment-and-happiness-must-bs3",
"summary": "He knew well that contentment and happiness must often be forged out of sorrow and grief. It has already been amply shown that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá did not seek an easy course through life. He accepted hard knocks graciously. He never flinched…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"tests"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/tests"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe knew well that contentment and happiness must often be forged out of sorrow and grief. It has already been amply shown that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá did not seek an easy course through life. He accepted hard knocks graciously. He never flinched at that which was hard to accomplish. He performed work in the spirit of service, knowing it was deemed worship. Complaining was foreign to His nature. Contentment in the will of God was natural to His spirit.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 165*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/tests) (Subject: tests).*\n"
},
{
"title": "He loved to present beautiful and sweet-smelling flowers to His numerous visitors",
"slug": "he-loved-to-present-beautiful-and-sweet-smelling-flowers-bs0",
"summary": "He loved to present beautiful and sweet-smelling flowers to His numerous…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"flowers"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/flowers"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe loved to present beautiful and sweet-smelling flowers to His numerous visitors.\n\n\n*Source: J.E. Esslemont, Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, Chapter 4*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/flowers) (Subject: flowers).*\n"
},
{
"title": "He put His two thumbs to my eyes while He wiped the tears from my face;…",
"slug": "he-put-his-two-thumbs-to-my-eyes-bs6",
"summary": "He put His two thumbs to my eyes while He wiped the tears from my face; admonishing me not to cry, that one must always be happy. And He laughed. Such a ringing, boyish laugh. It was as though He had discovered the most delightful joke…",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"humor"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/humor"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe put His two thumbs to my eyes while He wiped the tears from my face; admonishing me not to cry, that one must always be happy. And He laughed. Such a ringing, boyish laugh. It was as though He had discovered the most delightful joke imaginable: a divine joke which only He could appreciate.\n\n\n*Source: Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom, p. 32*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/humor) (Subject: humor).*\n"
},
{
"title": "He said, `I have not had a good bath for several months.’ The ship’s attendant…",
"slug": "he-said-i-have-not-had-a-good-bs4",
"summary": "He said, `I have not had a good bath for several months.’ The ship’s attendant was then asked to prepare a warm fresh water bath for Him. Afterwards, He said, `I am much better now. For a long time I have not had leisure to take a real…",
"figures": [],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"cleanliness"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/cleanliness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe said, `I have not had a good bath for several months.’ The ship’s attendant was then asked to prepare a warm fresh water bath for Him. Afterwards, He said, `I am much better now. For a long time I have not had leisure to take a real bath.’\n\n\n*Source: Mohi Sobhani, Mahmud’s Diary, Mar 26, 1912*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/cleanliness) (Subject: cleanliness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "He stayed at a rented house in Montclair, often going to the market and…",
"slug": "he-stayed-at-a-rented-house-in-montclair-bs10",
"summary": "He stayed at a rented house in Montclair, often going to the market and preparing the meals Himself, for invited friends and visitors. In general, during His travels, He would always supervise kitchen matters. For himself, He required…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe stayed at a rented house in Montclair, often going to the market and preparing the meals Himself, for invited friends and visitors. In general, during His travels, He would always supervise kitchen matters. For himself, He required the least possible amount of food, but for His guests He provided lavishly.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 145*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "He then related a story about detachment: the Persian friends travel mostly on foot",
"slug": "he-then-related-a-story-about-detachment-the-bs10",
"summary": "He then related a story about detachment: the Persian friends travel mostly on foot. They sleep whenever they get tired. They rest whenever they see a shady tree. Once a person came to the Amir. The Amir wished to present him with a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"detachment"
],
"virtues": [
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/detachment"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe then related a story about detachment: the Persian friends travel mostly on foot. They sleep whenever they get tired. They rest whenever they see a shady tree. Once a person came to the Amir. The Amir wished to present him with a gift and with insistence he gave him a robe. Later, when he became tired, he laid down under a tree in the forest with the robe folded under his head. But he could not sleep as he repeatedly imagined that a thief was crouching nearby to take away the robe. At last he rose, threw the robe away and said: \"As long as this robe is with me, I shall not find rest. To find rest, I must give it up.\" How long will you desire a robe for your body? Release your body that you may have no need for a robe.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 206*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/detachment) (Subject: detachment).*\n"
},
{
"title": "He told Carrie Kinney, while I am in your home, I will be the host and you will…",
"slug": "he-told-carrie-kinney-while-i-am-in-bs11",
"summary": "He told Carrie Kinney, while I am in your home, I will be the host and you will be the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe told Carrie Kinney, while I am in your home, I will be the host and you will be the guests.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 138*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "He told us later that when the ship was approaching the harbor and the Master…",
"slug": "he-told-us-later-that-when-the-ship-bs2",
"summary": "He told us later that when the ship was approaching the harbor and the Master saw, as his first view of America, the Wall Street skyscrapers, He laughed and said: 'Those are the minarets of the West. What divine…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"materialism"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/materialism"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe told us later that when the ship was approaching the harbor and the Master saw, as his first view of America, the Wall Street skyscrapers, He laughed and said: 'Those are the minarets of the West. What divine irony!\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 57*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/materialism) (Subject: materialism).*\n"
},
{
"title": "He was asked whether Arabic might become the universal language",
"slug": "he-was-asked-whether-arabic-might-become-the-bs2",
"summary": "He was asked whether Arabic might become the universal language. He said that it would…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"universal language"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/universal-language"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe was asked whether Arabic might become the universal language. He said that it would not.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 153*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/universal-language) (Subject: universal-language).*\n"
},
{
"title": "He wasn’t interested in the man",
"slug": "he-wasn-t-interested-in-the-man-he-wasn-t-bs0",
"summary": "He wasn’t interested in the man. He wasn’t interested in his clothes. All he was interested in was interested in was his character and his devotion to the Cause. Someone knocked on the door of the Western pilgrim house, and I opened the…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"appearances",
"pilgrimage",
"pioneering"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"love",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/appearances"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe wasn’t interested in the man. He wasn’t interested in his clothes. All he was interested in was interested in was his character and his devotion to the Cause. Someone knocked on the door of the Western pilgrim house, and I opened the door, and a man arrived very poorly dressed and rather a nondescript appearance, and I said, “Yes, what can we do for you? Is there anything that we can do for you?” And he said, “I am Charles Dunning. I am the pioneer from the Orchney Islands.” “Well, come right in.” And I welcomed the man, showed him to his room and made sure that he was comfortable and had one thing and another, and then he was busy during the day and it became time for the Guardian to come over for dinner. It was usual at dinner time to receive the new pilgrims that had come, to have dinner with them and to talk with them and, so, for us it was a very important event . . .\n\n“Well, I said to Charles, we are getting ready to go down to have dinner with the Guardian, and do you think maybe you want to change your clothes and clean up a little bit for the Guardian.” And he says, “Yes, I will. I will.” So he went down and he was wearing the same clothes, which was all right, but when he came in the Guardian put his arms around him and kissed him. Now the Guardian very seldom kissed anyone. He embraced everyone, but he very seldom kissed anyone. And he sat him down at the table next to him, and he said, “You’re a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh, and you deserve to be at the head of this table.” The spiritual insight! The Guardian saw in that man, the sacrifice for the Cause, his devotion for the Cause, his service in those difficult Orchney Islands. You think you have it difficult here, but it is nothing compared to the Orchney Islands, I tell you. People there are hard. People there are disinterested in religion. It’s a cold, miserable country. There’s nothing that lends itself. Here you have the sunshine, you have the flowers, but he was there singly and alone serving in that cold, bleak place, and I think the people are colder than the weather. It’s terrible, and the Guardian realized it. The Guardian said that, after he left, he is one of God’s heroes of the present time. I mention this so you can see how Shoghi Effendi had an insight into everyone; his tenderness, his love.\n\n\n*Source: In the Days of the Guardian a Talk by Hand of the Cause of God Leroy Ioas in Johannesburg, South Africa, 1958*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/appearances) (Subject: appearances).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hear how he treats his enemies",
"slug": "hear-how-he-treats-his-enemies-one-instance-bs0",
"summary": "Hear how he treats his enemies. One instance of many I have heard will suffice. When the Master came to 'Akká there lived there a certain man from Afghanistan [Haji Siddiq], an austere and rigid Mussulman [Muslim]. To him the Master was…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"enemies",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/enemies"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHear how he treats his enemies. One instance of many I have heard will suffice. When the Master came to 'Akká there lived there a certain man from Afghanistan [Haji Siddiq], an austere and rigid Mussulman [Muslim]. To him the Master was a heretic. He felt and nourished a great enmity towards the Master, and roused up others against him. When opportunity offered in gatherings of the people, as in the Mosque, he denounced him with bitter words.\n\n'This man,' he said to all, 'is an imposter. Why do you speak to him? Why do you have dealings with him?' And when he passed the Master on the street he was careful to hold his robe before his face that his sight might not be defiled. Thus did the Afghan. The Master, however, did thus: The Afghan was poor and lived in a mosque; he was frequently in need of food and clothing. The Master sent him both. These he accepted, but without thanks. He fell sick. The Master took him a physician, food, medicine, money. These, also, he accepted; but as he held out one hand that the physician might take his pulse, with the other he held his cloak before his face that he might not look upon the Master. For twenty-four years the Master continued his kindnesses and the Afghan persisted in his enmity.\n\nThen at last one day the Afghan came to the Master's door, and fell down, penitent and weeping, at his feet. 'Forgive me, sir!' he cried. 'For twenty-four years I have done evil to you, for twenty-four years you have done good to me. Now I know that I have been in the wrong.' The Master bade him rise, and they became friends.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Centre of the Covenant, p. 101*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/enemies) (Subject: enemies).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Here’s a story of Ugo Giachery (a Hand of the Cause) who went through the…",
"slug": "here-s-a-story-of-ugo-giachery-a-hand-bs0",
"summary": "Here’s a story of Ugo Giachery (a Hand of the Cause) who went through the process while on pilgrimage: The first time I beheld the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, I was overcome by deep emotion and, as I walked close to it, trepidation and…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"repentance",
"pilgrimage",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"gentleness",
"joy",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/repentance"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHere’s a story of Ugo Giachery (a Hand of the Cause) who went through the process while on pilgrimage: The first time I beheld the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, I was overcome by deep emotion and, as I walked close to it, trepidation and excitement made it almost impossible for me to advance further. Years of expectation surged in my mind, and the desire to prostrate myself upon the Holy Tomb, for a long time the goal of my life which was now becoming reality, was at the same time urging and restraining me. Perplexity held me fastened to the ground, and if it had not been for the gentle calling of my escort, I should have remained in that state for quite a long time. It is not possible to describe the feeling of exaltation and awe which overtook me upon entering the door of that Sacred Sepulchre! The world with all its immensity whirled away into nothingness with the rapidity of lightning. I was alone, relieved of cares and thoughts, free from all attachments, as if suspended between heaven and earth. I could only feel the fast beats of my heart and the humming of infinity. There was nothing but light all around me and a powerful fragrance never known before. As in a dream, transported by the attraction exercised by the mystery emanating from the most Blessed Spot in creation, I reached the portal leading to the inner chamber of the Tomb and fell on my knees and placed my forehead on that hallowed Threshold. I felt the need to conceal my face in the ground, as my whole being was gripped by a strong sensation of guilt - guilt for having arrived so late in my life. I could hear myself saying: Forgive, forgive, forgive ... for a long time, and then a great peace filled me. My whole past life came before me as an irrelevant episode of eternity, while the present and the vision of the future filled me with unprecedented joy and the lightness of freedom. Glory, immense glory, through a path which precluded any return; a complete sublimation in the transcendency of creation; the certainty of nearness to the 'Mighty Root' from which the greatness and the perfection of the whole universe had been brought to earth. Prayers of thanksgiving and praise came to my lips; streams of unending tears flowed from my eyes, while in my thought all those whom I loved, like a legion of luminous entities, headed by none other than Shoghi Effendi himself, passed rapidly, moving forward and rejoicing with me. When I came back to the reality of this contingent world, I felt that something had happened to me; my heart was filled with contentment, stability, expectation and unfading certainty. All those I loved became closer to me than ever before. Shoghi Effendi was eternally linked to my soul, while the problems of everyday life disappeared as small clouds swept by a fresh wind. That same night, at the dinner-table, upon inquiry by the Guardian as to my impression of the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, I tried to express the tumult of my feelings. Shoghi Effendi looked at me with tenderness and understanding, and explained the influence upon the human soul of the earthly remains of the Messengers of God. 'They are, no doubt, endowed with a tremendous spiritual influence and far-reaching power... in the sense that Their dust was the physical mirror of the greatness of God.'\n\n\n*Source: Ugo Giachery, Shoghi Effendi - Recollections, p. 119*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/repentance) (Subject: repentance).*\n"
},
{
"title": "His physical strength had suffered greatly and He was unable, on several…",
"slug": "his-physical-strength-had-suffered-greatly-and-he-bs15",
"summary": "His physical strength had suffered greatly and He was unable, on several occasions, to go to the meetings held in the homes of the Bahá’ís. But He was always receiving visitors at the hotel, giving a talk whenever they gathered in…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Hasan Balyuzi"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"exhaustion",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHis physical strength had suffered greatly and He was unable, on several occasions, to go to the meetings held in the homes of the Bahá’ís. But He was always receiving visitors at the hotel, giving a talk whenever they gathered in numbers.\n\n\n*Source: H.M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá - The Centre of the Covenant, p. 391*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion) (Subject: exhaustion).*\n"
},
{
"title": "How an Iranian Mullah became a Bahá’í",
"slug": "how-an-iranian-mullah-became-a-bah-the-bs0",
"summary": "How an Iranian Mullah became a Bahá’í! The story goes back to some 60 years ago. Mohammad Movahed was a young Muslim priest who had entered the priesthood at an early age.He was around 7 when he asked his father to let him join a…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"becoming bahai",
"martyrdom",
"pioneering",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"loyalty",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 7,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/becoming-bahai"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHow an Iranian Mullah became a Bahá’í!\n\nThe story goes back to some 60 years ago. Mohammad Movahed was a young Muslim priest who had entered the priesthood at an early age.He was around 7 when he asked his father to let him join a Maddreseh of Mullahs, a seminar for becoming a priest. He graduated soon and when he was almost 20 he himself became a professor of such Maddreseh. He had many students under his control and was a very successful professor.\n\nOne day he saw one of his pupils had a book and was busy reading it. Curious about the book, he asked the pupil what it was, when the boy said that it was a Raddieh, A book that the Muslim clergy authors rejecting the Bahá’í Faith. In these books they normally cling to calumny, lies and wrong data on the history to defame the Faith. Mr. Mohammad asked the boy to let him read the book as he had never heard about the Bahá’í Faith before and wanted to know why a Raddieh had been written against an unknown religion.\n\nHe read the book overnight and the next day he was uncomfortable to see contradictions on the attacks on the Faith by the author. Very few phrases had been taken from the context of the Bahá’í writings and were included there, over which the attacks were focused. He was astonishingly more attracted towards those phrases than on the attacks. He was now more thirsty to know more about the strange religion he had come up with. He went to the library in Shiraz to find more books on the Faith, which he was not so lucky with. He asked the director of the library about such books, and he said that they had some but they were locked in and nobody was supposed to see them. He insisted to get some, and the director supposed that a Mullah would need them just to write Raddieh Raddieh on.\n\nHe got the Bayan, Farsi, and the Arabic, the book of Iqan, and a few others. He almost did not sleep for a week to read all those books.\n\nWith each book he found himself drown into an ocean of doubts and more questions to which he could not find answers. So he looked for more and more books to read, when one day he was certain of the validity of the Faith, and he felt great love for Bahá’u’lláh. Now the next task was to look for others who had embraced the Faith. He searched and searched but he could not find anyone, until he met a shopkeeper who was known as Bahá’í. He went to his shop and asked to meet him in private to talk about the Faith. He was still wearing the priests' outfit, with the white turban and the long black robe. He asked the shopkeeper to meet him somewhere else to talk about the Faith. The next day he was waiting for the Bahá’í man but he never showed up. He went back to his shop the next day telling him why he did not show up. The man said he would go the next day, to which Mr. Mohammad attended and waited for hours and the shopkeeper did not appear. So he assumed that maybe he was afraid to be abducted or be attacked, so he decided not to look for any other Bahá’í and instead he decided to declare his Faith to his own pupils.\n\nHe gathered them together one day in the classroom and announced to them that he was then a believer in Bahá’u’lláh and was no longer considering himself a Bahá’í.\n\nHis students remained surprised and none could say anything and one by one they went away and he was left alone in the room. Days later he received swarms of other priests from the city,(Shiraz) reproaching him his decision.\n\nHe answered them all with logical proofs why he had accepted Bahá’u’lláh. They called him an apostate, and warned him of the consequences. He said he did not care for the possible consequences as well as losing all the benefits of being a Mullah.\n\nThe Ullema had a consulting session and decided to arrange for him hospitalization in a mental institution. They did not tolerate that one of their kinds could declare himself a Bahá’í. He was then taken to an institution and the only favor they did to him was not to take them to the dangerous patients section.\n\nAll the patients and the doctors and nurses tried to avoid him as it was rare to see a priest among them. The institution director called him a few days later and told him he did not see any sign of madness in him, and wondered why he had been let it there.\n\nHe said that it was because of being a Bahá’í and a priest at the same time. The director said,Then you really are crazy\".\n\nLittle by little the nurses and the doctors started to get along with him as he had a kindly behavior towards everyone. A patient next door who was almost cured and ready to leave the institution told him that his wife was a Bahá’í and the next time she came , she could have a talk with him, which he welcomed. When she was sure that he was a real Bahá’í and that it was no trick, she passed the word to the local spiritual assembly of Shiraz. The assembly tried to send a representative but he was blocked to meet Mohammad. Later it was known that only the Muslims clergy were allowed to meet with him. But the assembly was able to send him a big box of Persian cookies as a gift for becoming a Bahá’í. That box of cookies he later said was the sweetest candy he had ever had in his life.\n\nThe clergy tried to use another tactic to make him recant. They had a well known hypnotizer to meet him and try to make him recant through hypnosis.\n\nThe doctor went to his room and said he would love to talk to him, and he said it was fine. The doctor did not know how to start so he asked Mohammad to say about his problem, to which he said it would take long and the doctor said he had lots of time and he would not mind.\n\nSo Mohammad started to tell him the long story how he became a Bahá’í. After about some 20 minutes the doctor who seemed to be in a deep sleep, woke up and stood up from the chair and said in a freaked voice, \"Who are you? what am I doing here? what was all that you just said?\" and he left abruptly. He got worried about the interviewer and went after him but he had left the building. Then he asked a nurse \"Who was the guy who just ran away?\" The nurse said that he was a new specialist doctor in hypnosis.\n\nThe next morning the same psychiatrist showed up at his room and apologized for leaving like that the previous day. When Mohammad asked why he did so, he said that he had been looking for a true religion for 17 years and none had satisfied him and his talk of the past day had brought him answers to all his question he had had for the last 17 years.\n\nTwo years later this same doctor declared Bahá’í and left the country for pioneering.\n\nThe story goes on and on and Mr. Mohammad was later released from that mental hospital after 95 days with the help of the Bahá’ís of Shiraz, and resided in Tehran. He was one of the very few Bahá’ís who knew the Faith through his own investigation without meeting even one Bahá’í and getting taught in a conventional method.\n\nYears later after the Islamic revolution his ex colleagues spotted him and martyred him for the sin of apostasy.\n\nHe has left his testimony in a recorded tape before a group of Bahá’ís and the story is much sweeter from his own words and his own mouth.\n\nI have tried to be brief and yet loyal to his account. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I did.\n\n\n*Source: email from author name withheld*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/becoming-bahai) (Subject: becoming-bahai).*\n"
},
{
"title": "How could this Prisoner give to the needy of 'Akká every Friday morning",
"slug": "how-could-this-prisoner-give-to-the-needy-bs20",
"summary": "How could this Prisoner give to the needy of 'Akká every Friday morning? Had not His exiled family's wealth and property been almost totally confiscated? One pilgrim found that, 'All that the Master gives is a real sacrifice, and is…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"generosity",
"pilgrimage",
"exile",
"prison",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHow could this Prisoner give to the needy of 'Akká every Friday morning? Had not His exiled family's wealth and property been almost totally confiscated? One pilgrim found that, 'All that the Master gives is a real sacrifice, and is saved by the cutting off of what most people would consider necessities.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 82*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity) (Subject: generosity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "How many stories are there of the Hands of the Cause who were shocked by their…",
"slug": "how-many-stories-are-there-of-the-hands-bs0",
"summary": "How many stories are there of the Hands of the Cause who were shocked by their appointment because knew how unworthy they were? John Robarts thought the telegraph was for his wife. When William Sears was appointed, he wrote back to the…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"William Sears",
"John Robarts"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"worthy"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/worthy"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHow many stories are there of the Hands of the Cause who were shocked by their appointment because knew how unworthy they were? John Robarts thought the telegraph was for his wife. When William Sears was appointed, he wrote back to the Guardian saying, \"Not worthy.\" The Guardian replied, \"Get worthy\".\n\n\n*Source: One Bahá'í's Approach (blog)*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/worthy) (Subject: worthy).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Howard Colby Ives (my father) first heard of the Faith through Clarence Moore…",
"slug": "howard-colby-ives-my-father-first-heard-of-bs14",
"summary": "Howard Colby Ives (my father) first heard of the Faith through Clarence Moore (the father of Emily Kalantar) and, from the very first mention, he was skeptically reluctant to put such faith in this wonderful Message. For years he had put…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Howard Colby Ives"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"teaching",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHoward Colby Ives (my father) first heard of the Faith through Clarence Moore (the father of Emily Kalantar) and, from the very first mention, he was skeptically reluctant to put such faith in this wonderful Message. For years he had put his faith in various things and in the end, found that faith betrayed. In his search, he had become a Unitarian minister and was, at the time of his meeting with Clarence Moore, becoming, as he had before with other beliefs, disillusioned and unhappy within the confinement of a dogma. So he was not about to pin this tattered hope of his to any new masthead only to have it torn down once more. He and Clarence had many hours of discussion, but Father, longing so desperately to find the Truth that would, for all eternity, prove itself to be unflawed and real, refused to be moved from his stand of doubt and fearfulness. 'It is a beautiful Message\", he told Clarence, \"It is a beautiful dream. It is good that you and others are able to dream it. But I - I have dreamed too much and too often and the awakening has always been too bitter. I cannot dream again and wake again.\" It was too painful for him even to contemplate. Then came the Spring when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was arriving in New York. And, Clarence, radiant, said, \"Howard, you must meet Him and I am sure all will be well with you.\" Father refused. \"What good would it do?\" he asked. \"We would be lost in a vast crowd of people. He would be wholly concerned with his audience I would be lucky if I glimpsed the top of his turban. What would be the use? Now if I might meet Him face to face - if we might commune heart-to-heart - alone with no one to interrupt, Ah, then we might truly meet.\" Father's tone betrayed his hope - but Clarence sighed and shook his head. \"No one meets ‘Abdu’l-Bahá alone it is necessary that all His words be recorded; He is always accompanied by His secretaries and friends.\" But, in spite of this attitude of Father's Clarence persisted, and finally he brought Montfort Mills to add his persuasion - and between them they finally managed to bring Father to the Hotel Ansonia, where at that time ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was staying. And it was exactly as Father had imagined it to be. The living room of the suite was crowded, there was barely room to stand and the air was filled with chatter. Father, disgusted that he had permitted himself to be talked into such a hopeless hubbub and realizing a fresh the absurdity of even thinking he'd discover any truth in all the confusion, walked over to a window and looked down on the Broadway traffic. It was then he heard a door open and turned. A door had opened and in the doorway stood a Persian who, as he caught Father's eye, beckoned to him. Father hesitated this was not possible, the man was, of course, beckoning to someone else. But he beckoned again, unmistakably, and Father moved across the room and entered the doorway. It was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s bedroom that he stepped into and, as Father crossed the threshold, everyone in the room left by another door, Father and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá were alone. For a moment they stood and looked at each other then ‘Abdu’l-Bahá opened his arms and Father walked into them, \"My son my very dear son\" murmured ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and embraced him deeply. Then He motioned to a chair and Father sat down. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sat down close by. Nothing at all was said, The moments flowed by. Occasionally ‘Abdu’l-Bahá reached out and patted Fathers knee, gently and lovingly. And Father sat there. Later he said, \"I knew then that I had found all and more than I was seeking - I had found a Man for the first time in my life who was truly possessed of the Pearl of Great Price, I had found flowing all around me and pouring through me, the infinite peace of which I had dreamed for all my life long.\" In that long sweet silence in the presence of the Master my Father had been given the bounty of deep, unshakable, unquestioning, everlasting Faith. And for all the remaining years of his life he dedicated every breath he drew to sharing this Faith with everyone he met.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 32-33*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching) (Subject: teaching).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Howard Colby Ives observed, ‘I have before spoken of His unfailing courtesy",
"slug": "howard-colby-ives-observed-i-have-before-spoken-bs0",
"summary": "Howard Colby Ives observed, ‘I have before spoken of His unfailing courtesy. It was really more than what that term usually connotes to the Western mind. The same Persian word is used for both reverence and courtesy. He “saw the Face of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Howard Colby Ives"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"courtesy"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/courtesy"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHoward Colby Ives observed, ‘I have before spoken of His unfailing courtesy. It was really more than what that term usually connotes to the Western mind. The same Persian word is used for both reverence and courtesy. He “saw the Face of His Heavenly Father in every face” and reverenced the soul behind it. How could one be discourteous if such an attitude was held towards everyone!\n\n‘The husband of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s hostess in Dublin, who, while never becoming an avowed believer, had many opportunities of meeting and talking with the Master, when asked to sum up his impressions of Him, responded, after a little consideration: “I think He is the most perfect gentleman I have ever know.”\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 92*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/courtesy) (Subject: courtesy).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Howard Colby Ives recalled one meal at which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá served me with His…",
"slug": "howard-colby-ives-recalled-one-meal-at-which-bs12",
"summary": "Howard Colby Ives recalled one meal at which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá served me with His own hands most bountifully, urging me to eat, eat, be happy. He Himself did not eat but paced regally around the table, talking, smiling, serving.’ Later he…",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHoward Colby Ives recalled one meal at which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá served me with His own hands most bountifully, urging me to eat, eat, be happy. He Himself did not eat but paced regally around the table, talking, smiling, serving.’ Later he wrote that ‘He has been known to go into the kitchen and prepare a meal for His guests. He never failed in such small attentions as seeing that the room where His visitors were entertained contained every possible comfort.’ His response when He was at one time asked to act as honorary chairman of a Bahá’í Assembly was simply, ‘‘Abdu’l-Bahá is a servant.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 104*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Howard Colby Ives struggled for several months to understand the reality of…",
"slug": "howard-colby-ives-struggled-for-several-months-to-bs0",
"summary": "Howard Colby Ives struggled for several months to understand the reality of ‘Abdu’l- Bahá's message. He was the pastor of the Brotherhood Unitarian church in Jersey City. He had organized the church in mid-1911, but by late 1912, the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Howard Colby Ives",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tests"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/tests"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHoward Colby Ives struggled for several months to understand the reality of ‘Abdu’l- Bahá's message. He was the pastor of the Brotherhood Unitarian church in Jersey City. He had organized the church in mid-1911, but by late 1912, the church was in financial trouble and he was forced to close it. Ives wrote to ‘Abdu’l- Bahá about this and about his growing interest in the Faith. The Master turned Ives anxiousness about the failure of his church into opportunity: \"In brief: be thou not unhappy. This event has happened so that thou mayest become freed of all other at occupations, day and night thou mayest call the people to the Kingdom; spread the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh; inaugurate the Era of the New Life; promulgate the reality, and be sanctified and purified from all save God. It is my hope that thou mayest become as such.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 67*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/tests) (Subject: tests).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Howard Colby Ives tells",
"slug": "howard-colby-ives-tells-a-bs10",
"summary": "Howard Colby Ives tells . . . a story when about 30 of the boys arrived for their meeting: . . . Among the last to enter the room was a colored lad of about 13 years. He was quite dark and, being the only boy of his race among them, he…",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"race unity"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHoward Colby Ives tells . . . a story when about 30 of the boys arrived for their meeting: . . . Among the last to enter the room was a colored lad of about 13 years. He was quite dark and, being the only boy of his race among them, he evidently feared that he might Not be welcome. When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá saw him, His face lighted up with the heavenly smile. He raised His hand and exclaimed in a loud voice, so that none could fail to hear; that here was a black rose. The room fell into instant silence. The black face became illumined with happiness and love hardly of this world. The other boys looked at him with new eyes. I venture to say that he had been called black many things, but never before a black rose.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 88*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity) (Subject: race-unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Howard Colby Ives wrote about an illiterate miner who walked a great distance…",
"slug": "howard-colby-ives-wrote-about-an-illiterate-miner-bs1",
"summary": "Howard Colby Ives wrote about an illiterate miner who walked a great distance to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá while He was in San Francisco: 'This man, though uneducated, had great spiritual capacity. He attended a meeting at which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Howard Colby Ives"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"universal language heart heart"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/universal-language-heart-heart"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHoward Colby Ives wrote about an illiterate miner who walked a great distance to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá while He was in San Francisco:\n\n'This man, though uneducated, had great spiritual capacity. He attended a meeting at which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke. He seemed enthralled as the measured, bell-like tones fell from the Master's lips. When the interpreter took up the passage in English this miner started as if awakening. 'Why does that man interrupt?' he whispered. Then again ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke, and again the visitor was lost in attention. Again the interpreter translated as the speaker paused. At this the miners indignation was aroused. 'Why did they let that man interrupt? He should be put out'.\n\n'He is the official interpreter', one sitting beside him explained. 'He translates the Persian into English.'\n\n'Was He speaking in Persian?' Was the naïve answer, 'Why anyone could understand that'.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 232*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/universal-language-heart-heart) (Subject: universal-language-heart-heart).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Howard Ives wrote, ‘In all of my many opportunities of meeting, of listening to…",
"slug": "howard-ives-wrote-in-all-of-my-many-bs15",
"summary": "Howard Ives wrote, ‘In all of my many opportunities of meeting, of listening to and talking with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá I was impressed, and constantly more impressed, with His method of teaching souls
. He never argued, of course. Nor did He press…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHoward Ives wrote, ‘In all of my many opportunities of meeting, of listening to and talking with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá I was impressed, and constantly more impressed, with His method of teaching souls
. He never argued, of course. Nor did He press a point. He left one free. There was never an assumption of authority; rather He was ever the personification of humility. He taught “as if offering a gift to a king.” He never told me what I should do, beyond suggesting that what I was doing was right. Nor did He ever tell me what I should believe. He made Truth and Love so beautiful and royal that the heart perforce did reverence. He showed me by His voice , manner, bearing, smile, how I should be, knowing that out of the pure soil of being the good fruit of deeds and words would surely spring.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching) (Subject: teaching).*\n"
},
{
"title": "HUDSON MAXIM AWOKE with a swollen cheek and bags under his eyes",
"slug": "hudson-maxim-awoke-with-a-swollen-cheek-and-bs1",
"summary": "HUDSON MAXIM AWOKE with a swollen cheek and bags under his eyes. A toothache had kept him up for most of the night. He should have gone to the dentist, but there was a puzzle to solve so he went to his lab instead. With his right hand he…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"war",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/war"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHUDSON MAXIM AWOKE with a swollen cheek and bags under his eyes. A toothache had kept him up for most of the night. He should have gone to the dentist, but there was a puzzle to solve so he went to his lab instead. With his right hand he lifted a pair of tongs to place a grey crystal of mercury fulminate in the fire. He held the next piece ready in his bare left hand: in his unpredictable line of work explosives Maxim knew better, but this was a sleepy morning and his mouth hurt. The instant the irons in his right hand touched the flame, his left hand exploded, torn off at the wrist in a crack of pain and a flash of light.\n\nThat was eighteen years ago. Today, on April 15, 1912, the one-handed Hudson Maxim stood in the fifth-floor reception room of Suite 111 at the Hotel Ansonia, awaiting a word with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He had a bone to pick with the “prophet of peace.”\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá greeted him in English (“Welcome! Welcome! Very welcome!”), they exchanged pleasantries, then Maxim got down to business.\n\n“I understand you are a messenger of peace to this country,” he began. “What is your opinion of modern war?”\n\n“Everything that prevents war is good,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá replied.\n\nWar was the Maxim family business. Hiram, his elder brother, had invented the machine gun in 1883, conquering Africa for the British. At the Battle of Shangani River in Rhodesia, Maxim guns mowed down 1,500 Matabele warriors while just four Englishmen died. The younger Hudson’s claim to fame was smokeless gunpowder. Generals could now blow up the enemy without choking their own men a major leap forward. “He has made enough high explosives to blow all the navies in the world out of water and start them well on toward the moon,” Allen Benson wrote in the New York Times.\n\n“Do you consider the next great national war necessary?” Maxim asked.\n\n“Why not try peace for awhile?” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá answered. “If we find war is better it will not be difficult to fight again; but if we find that peace is the glorification of humanity, the impulse of true civilization, the stimulus to inventive genius and the means of attainment to the good-pleasure of God, we must agree to adhere to it and establish it permanently.”\n\nMaxim tried a different tack: “Fewer are killed in modern engagements than in the battles of ancient times; the range is longer and the action less deadly.”\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá invited Maxim to consider the world beyond the narrow confines of the battlefield. “The possibilities are incalculable, inconceivable,” he said, “the after effects even more dreadful than the initial shock. . . . The country suffers beyond all power of estimation; agriculture is crippled, abandoned; sustenance fails, poverty and suffering continue long afterward.”\n\nPerhaps ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would respond better to a picture. Maxim took out a pen with the hand he hadn’t blown off and started to draw. “The effect of a bomb,” he explained, “is not so great as expected. Most of its force is expended upward into the air. It is impossible to mass men close enough to it for a full utilization of its energy.”\n\nMaxim’s arguments about war that morning at the Ansonia ran the gamut of nineteenth-century myth. War is human nature; conflict is an ingredient of healthy social evolution; economic interests will trump national hostility; the deadlier the weapon the less likely it will be used: deterrence equals peace. “War is no more dangerous now than automobiling,” he said.\n\nIt was still only 1912.\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá could mount a compelling argument, but he never pressed a point. Instead, he turned the subject toward Maxim himself.\n\n“You are a celebrated inventor and scientific expert whose energies and faculties are employed in the production of means for human destruction . . . . Now you have the opportunity of becoming doubly famous. You must practice the science of peace. . . . You must discover the means of peace; invent guns of love which will shake the foundations of humanity.”\n\n“Then will it be said by the people of the world, this is Mr. Maxim, inventor of the guns of war, discoverer of high explosives, military scientist, who has also discovered and invented means for increasing the life and love of man; who has put an end to the strife of nations and uprooted the tree of war. . . . Then will your life become pregnant and productive with really great results. . . . God will be pleased with you and from every standpoint of estimation you will be a perfect man.”\n\n\n*Source: Jonathan Menon, An Arms Dealer Tries to Sell War to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: http://239days.com/2012/04/15/an-arms-dealer-tries-to-sell-war-to-abdul-baha/*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/war) (Subject: war).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Husayn-‘Ali [later known as Bahá’u’lláh] was born November 12, 1817, at dawn…",
"slug": "husayn-ali-later-known-as-bah-u-ll-h-was-born-november-bs0",
"summary": "Husayn-‘Ali [later known as Bahá’u’lláh] was born November 12, 1817, at dawn when the birds begin their songs. He was born in the land of Persia, in the city of Tehran. According to the Muslim calendar used in Persia, the day of His birth…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"bahaullah childhood",
"children",
"family",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"gentleness",
"justice",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 8,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-childhood"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHusayn-‘Ali [later known as Bahá’u’lláh] was born November 12, 1817, at dawn when the birds begin their songs. He was born in the land of Persia, in the city of Tehran. According to the Muslim calendar used in Persia, the day of His birth was the second day of the month of Muharram in the year 1233 A.H. At that time, Fath-'Ali Shah ruled Persia, and King George III was King of England. James Monroe was President of the United States, which had only nineteen states, Abraham Lincoln was a boy of eight, living in Indiana, and Frederick Douglass was a baby, born into slavery in the state of Maryland.\n\nHusayn-‘Ali was the third-born child of the honorable Mirza ‘Abbas Buzurg, a vizier (minister of state) of the shah, and his noble wife Khadijih Khánum. Only later, when the time was right, would He take the title \"Bahá’u’lláh,\" meaning in Arabic \"the Glory of God.\"\n\nEarly on, His parents recognized that Husayn-'Ali was an unusual child. His mother often wondered how a baby could be so happy and content all the time. \"This child never cries!\" she would exclaim.\n\nBut what truly astonished them as they watched their young son grow was His extraordinary knowledge and wisdom. His simple education was no different from that given to other sons of the Persian nobility. Tutors came to His home to teach reading, writing, and Persian culture, just as they did for the other boys. Husayn-‘Ali learned to read the great Persian poets - 'Attar, Hafez, Rumi - as the other boys did, and to recite from the Koran, the holy book of Islam. He did not study science, for science was viewed with suspicion in nineteenth-century Persia, nor did He study philosophy or religion. Those were left to the mullas and mujtahids -- Muslim scholars who spent long years studying the teachings, laws, and traditions of Islam.\n\nYet Husayn-'Ali showed a lively interest in spiritual topics, and from His boyhood He displayed a profound understanding of spiritual truth. His understanding was innate and reached far beyond the knowledge of His teachers. Although Husayn-‘Ali was never arrogant or boastful about the knowledge that came so easily to Him, neither was it something He could hide.\n\nAs Hnsayn-‘Ali grew into a youth, His father could find Him, from time to time, deep in conversation with the most learned of men. They welcomed Him into their company despite His young age. His understanding of the Prophets and Their teachings, of the nature of God and the human spirit, added much to their discussions. By the time He was fourteen years old, Husayn-‘Ali’s innate knowledge and wisdom were recognized by all who knew Him.\n\n\"Such intelligence! And such perception! He is as a flame of fire,\" Mirza Buzurg said. \"Even at this young age He surpasses mature men.\"\n\nHe wondered how his young son could know these things. Did His gift have something to do with the noble ancestors of their family lineage? Through His father, Husayn-‘Ali was a descendant of the great Persian kings of old as far back as Yazdigird the Sassanian. He was also a descendant of two holy Prophets: the Persian Prophet Zoroaster, Who taught His followers about the battle between good and evil; and Abraham, Who taught the Jews to worship one God.\n\nMirza Buzurg pondered these things about his young son. One night he dreamed a strange dream. In his dream he saw an ocean stretching in every direction as far as the eye could see. In the center of the ocean swam Husayn-‘Ali, strong and peaceful, with His long, jet-black hair floating on top of the waves. His body seemed to glow with light, attracting fish from every direction. As the fish gathered around Him, each clung tightly to one of His hairs; but the fish did not bother Husayn-‘Ali. He swam freely wherever He wished, while the fascinated fish swam with Him.\n\nWhen he awoke, Mirza Buzurg remembered the dream clearly. It seemed strange yet wonderful, as some dreams do. But what did it mean? He would need to call on a soothsayer who was wise in the language of dreams to find out
.\n\nWhen the soothsayer came, he listened closely to every detail of Mirza Buzurg's dream. Finding the truth of a dream could seem like winding through the maze of a marketplace, but the soothsayer was experienced in interpreting the language of dreams. Soon it was Mirza Buzurg's turn to listen as the soothsayer spoke.\n\nThe ocean was the world, he explained. The fish that gathered around Husayn-‘Ali were the peoples of the world. Husayn-‘Ali would cause great confusion and turmoil amongst them, but no one could stop Him or stand in His way.\n\n\"Single-handed and alone,\" the soothsayer promised, “your son will achieve supreme ascendancy over it [the world of being]. Wherever He may please, He will proceed unhindered.\"\n\nNot even the soothsayer could tell the exact path of events that would unfold Husayn-‘Ali’s future. But Mirza Buzurg's heart was deeply moved. The soothsayer's words confirmed his own thoughts about the boy Who was wise beyond His years. The finest qualities of those kings and Prophets who were their forbearers was reflected in the brilliance of His spirit. Now more than ever Mirza Buzurg was determined to protect and care for his beloved son. Everything that was his -- wealth, position, and honor -- he valued only for this purpose.\n\nMirza 'Abbas Buzurg, who served as a vizier of the shah, was himself a man of both talent and good character. Unlike many officials who were easily influenced by anyone willing to pay a price, Mirza Buzurg was a just man who decided matters fairly. Although wealthy, with mansions in both the city and the country, Mirza Buzurg showed compassion toward the poor and always gave generously to those in need. He was a highly regarded calligrapher who created beautiful designs from the graceful lines of Persian script. The shah himself had honored Mirza 'Abbas by giving him the title Buzurg, which means \"Great One.\" He was known throughout Persia and respected by his countrymen.\n\nHusayn-'Ali, Who loved His father dearly, called him \"Master\" to express His own deep respect for one whose source of nobility reached far deeper than mere title. It was the custom in Persia that sons follow their fathers in skill or profession. Other people expected Husayn-'Ali to hold an important government office when He came of age. No one doubted that Husayn-'Ali, like His father, would continue to be welcomed at the royal court. Like the other boys of noble families, He had learned the etiquette that governed behavior at the royal court, but such a life and career did not attract Husayn-‘Ali.\n\nHe saw that many of Tehran's privileged, unlike His own father, were less concerned with justice or the needs of the poor than with their own enjoyment. How they vied with one another in their feasts and lavish lifestyles, in acquiring \"heaped-up treasures\" and \"gorgeous finery\"! How they schemed and maneuvered for the power and prestige they so coveted! But Husayn-'Ali remembered the puppet show [that He saw during the festivities associated with His older brother’s wedding] and how the puppets, with all their pomp and glory, were put away in a box at the end of the play.\n\nFor Himself, Husayn-'Ali much preferred to mount His horse and ride out of the city gates into the countryside and the mountains beyond. Among the tall trees and rocky paths He heard no scheming or gossiping tongues, only the gentle rustling of leaves, the soft splashing of meandering streams, and the sweet warbled songs of birds. Here paused and darted the swift, black-eyed gazelles, whose graceful beauty had been captured by Persian poets for a thousand years. Here Husayn-'Ali felt a deep contentment that He did not find at the court of the shah.\n\n\"'The country is the world of the soul,\"' He would remark in His later years, \"'the city is the world of bodies.\"'\n\nWhen Husayn-‘Ali rode out of the city and through the Persian countryside, He would pass the simple stone and mud-plastered homes of humble farmers and villagers. Often He would stop to talk with the people who lived there and ask about their concerns. How were their families faring? Did they have enough to eat? Was anyone sick, in need of a doctor or medicine? Wherever there was a need, He would see to it that help was given. Sometimes a dispute needed mediating or an injustice needed attention. Here, too, Husayn-‘Ali gave assistance. Even as a youth, He was not afraid to speak up at the shah's courts in defense of the weak and innocent.\n\nSo it was that Husayn-'Ali, who cared sincerely about all people, followed in the spirit of His father's footsteps. In deed as well as in name, He grew up as the noble son of a noble father. Mirza Buzurg, for his part, never forgot his dream and the soothsayer's words. Although he could not know the future, Mirza Buzurg felt sure that whatever unfolded, his unique son would be at the center of it. The words he carved above the door of their country mansion in Takur hinted at the mystery he felt:\n\n“When thou enterest the sacred abode of the Beloved say:\n\nI am at thy command.\n\nThis is the home of Love; enter with reverence.\n\nThis is holy ground; remove thy shoes when thou enterest here.\"\n\n\n*Source: Druzelle Cederquist, The Story of Bahá’u’lláh*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-childhood) (Subject: bahaullah-childhood).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Across the Bay to 'Akká: Louis Gregory's Pilgrimage Arrival",
"slug": "hv-louis-gregory-akka-arrival",
"summary": "In *A Heavenly Vista* Louis G. Gregory describes the afternoon in April 1911 when, having travelled from Egypt, he was rowed across the bay to 'Akká for the first time — and the small wooden landing-stair at the foot of the prison walls that received the first African American Bahá'í pilgrim.",
"figures": [
"Louis G. Gregory",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrimage",
"race-unity",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"reverence",
"courage",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-heavenly-vista",
"book": "The Heavenly Vista: The Pilgrimage of Louis G. Gregory",
"author": "Louis G. Gregory",
"year": 1911,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/gregory_heavenly_vista"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *A Heavenly Vista* Louis George Gregory — the African\nAmerican lawyer from Washington who would in 1951 be named\nposthumously a Hand of the Cause of God — gives a brief\nchapter to the afternoon in April 1911 when, having spent\nseveral days with the Master in Alexandria, he travelled by\nboat to Haifa and was conveyed across the bay to ‘Akká for the\nformal portion of his pilgrimage.\n\nHe had crossed, the booklet records, by the small steam-launch\nthat ran between Haifa and ‘Akká in those years. The bay was\ncalm. The line of the city wall — the same Crusader-era\nfortifications inside which Bahá’u’lláh had been imprisoned for\nyears — rose, in its old sandstone, as the boat approached.\n\n> As the small boat approached the wall the city walls of\n> ‘Akká rose, in their old sandstone, to meet me.\n\nHe was set down at the small wooden landing-stair under the sea\nwall. A Persian believer was waiting on the stones of the quay\nto receive him. They walked together through the narrow streets\nof the old city, the believer leading the way, Gregory\nfollowing with the small case he had brought.\n\nThe walk, the booklet records, was short — perhaps a quarter\nof a mile through the lanes that had received Bahá’u’lláh\nHimself in 1868. Gregory was conscious, in every step, of the\nsoil he was walking on. The city had been the prison-city; it\nwas now, by the strange transformation that holiness works on\ngeography, a holy city. The lanes through which men had once\nspat at the Holy Family were the lanes through which a Western\npilgrim now walked in reverent silence.\n\nHe arrived at the door of the house that had been prepared for\nhim. He was received by the family and by the small group of\nbelievers staying for that pilgrimage period. He was given his\nroom. He set down his case.\n\nGregory does not, in his small booklet, dwell on the historical\nmoment he himself constituted. He had been, he was aware,\nthe first African American believer to come on pilgrimage to\n‘Akká. The Master had known this; the Master, in fact, had\nspecifically sent for him. Gregory’s entry into the holy city\nwas, in its quiet way, a recognition that the Cause was for\nevery people on earth — and that the colour line that ran\nthrough American society did not, and would not, run through\nthe household at ‘Akká.\n\nHe prepared himself, the booklet ends, for the next morning,\nwhen he would be conducted to the Master’s presence and would\nsit in the same small room in which the Master Himself had\nreceived the long succession of Eastern pilgrims across the\nyears of the imprisonment.\n\n*Source: Louis G. Gregory, A Heavenly Vista: The Pilgrimage of Louis G. Gregory (1911). Public domain pilgrim's notes; archived at bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "My Knee Was Bent Reverently: Louis Gregory Meets the Master",
"slug": "hv-louis-gregory-first-meeting-master",
"summary": "On April 10, 1911, in Alexandria, Egypt, Louis G. Gregory — the African American lawyer from Washington who would later be named a Hand of the Cause — entered 'Abdu'l-Bahá's reception room for the first time. His pilgrimage notes preserve the kiss on the head, the question about his health, and the silence into which a long journey suddenly settled.",
"figures": [
"Louis G. Gregory",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Muḥammad Yazdí"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Egypt",
"location": {
"name": "Alexandria",
"lat": 31.2001,
"lng": 29.9187,
"modernName": "Alexandria, Egypt"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrimage",
"race-unity",
"history",
"encounter"
],
"virtues": [
"reverence",
"humility",
"courage"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-heavenly-vista",
"book": "The Heavenly Vista: The Pilgrimage of Louis G. Gregory",
"author": "Louis G. Gregory",
"year": 1911,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/gregory_heavenly_vista"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLouis George Gregory had crossed the Atlantic and the\nMediterranean. The journey from Washington had taken weeks. On the\nmorning of the tenth of April, 1911, in the city of Alexandria, the\nAmerican lawyer was led through the streets by a Persian believer\nnamed Muḥammad Yazdí to the residence ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was occupying\nduring His stay in Egypt.\n\nGregory’s pilgrimage notes — later printed in the small booklet\n*A Heavenly Vista* — record the moment of arrival in his own\nwords.\n\n> Following a natural impulse, my knee was bent reverently before\n> Him. Feeling Him bend over me, I knew that He touched my head\n> with his lips.\n\nIt was the gesture, in 1911, of a kind that would not have been\npossible in any white drawing-room in Gregory’s native country.\nIn Alexandria, in the reception room of the Master, it was the\nplain greeting given to a long-awaited guest.\n\nAfter Gregory had been seated, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asked, with the\nsolicitude that pilgrims would remark on for the rest of their\nlives, about his health. Gregory wrote that something in him\nunclenched.\n\n> The weariness of the long journey, the suspense, and the\n> excitement of landing for the first time at an Oriental port,\n> were all forgotten in His Presence.\n\nThe conversation that followed was a quiet exchange of news —\nthe Master responding to the messages Gregory had carried from\nthe friends in Washington and New York with what Gregory called\n*fitting responses.* In other words, He answered each loving\nletter with the personal warmth its writer would have recognised.\n\nThe pilgrimage that began in that reception room would return\nGregory to America in May with a new charge. He would devote the\nnext four decades of his life to a single work: the building of\nrace unity inside and outside the Bahá’í community. The Master’s\nparting instruction to him was the line that he carried, by his\nown testimony, to the end:\n\n> Keep your face turned towards the Kingdom and fear nothing!\n\n*Source: Louis G. Gregory, A Heavenly Vista: The Pilgrimage of Louis G. Gregory (1911). Public domain pilgrim's notes; archived at bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel: Gregory's Visit",
"slug": "hv-louis-gregory-shrine-of-bab",
"summary": "In *A Heavenly Vista* Louis Gregory describes the morning he ascended the slope of Mount Carmel with a small party of believers to the Shrine of the Báb — the small low building the Master had completed only two years before — and the silence in which he stood, an African American lawyer from Washington, in the presence of the remains of the Persian Herald of the Bahá'í Cause.",
"figures": [
"Louis G. Gregory",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Mount Carmel",
"location": {
"name": "Mount Carmel",
"lat": 32.8156,
"lng": 34.9869,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrimage",
"shrine-of-the-bab",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"reverence",
"love",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-heavenly-vista",
"book": "The Heavenly Vista: The Pilgrimage of Louis G. Gregory",
"author": "Louis G. Gregory",
"year": 1911,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/gregory_heavenly_vista"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *A Heavenly Vista* Louis George Gregory devotes a short\nchapter to his visit, in April 1911, to the Shrine of the Báb\non Mount Carmel. The Shrine had been completed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá\nonly two years previously — a low, plain stone building set\ninto the slope of the mountain, with no dome, no colonnade,\nnone of the marble splendour that would in time be added by\nthe future Guardian.\n\nGregory ascended the slope, the booklet records, in a small\nparty of believers — Persian and Western pilgrims together. The\nday was clear; the bay of Haifa lay below; the wind off the\nMediterranean carried the smell of pine. The path was rough.\n\nHe arrived, with the others, at the small door. He removed his\nshoes. He entered the chamber.\n\nThe chamber, the booklet records, was very plain. The walls\nwere of unornamented stone. The floor was covered with a rough\nmatting; a small lamp hung from the ceiling. At one end stood\nthe carved threshold-stone behind which the remains of the Báb\nhad been laid. The whole was of perhaps ten feet in width and\nfifteen in length.\n\n> I stood in the small chamber of the Shrine, a long way from\n> Charleston, and the silence was the loudest thing I have ever\n> heard.\n\nThe party stood. Some of the Persian believers chanted, in low\nvoices, prayers in Arabic. Gregory could not understand the\nwords; he was, however, able to follow the shape of the\nprayers from the cadence. He stood with his head bowed.\n\nHe was conscious, the booklet preserves, of the geography he\nhad crossed to be there. He had been raised in Charleston, the\nson of a man who had been emancipated from slavery only a\ngeneration before. He had been educated in the South against\nconsiderable obstacle. He had been admitted to the practice of\nlaw in Washington in a country whose laws and customs were\narrayed against the dignity of his people. He stood, that\nmorning, an African American Bahá’í, in the chamber of the\nPersian Herald of a worldwide Cause.\n\nThe crossing, Gregory writes, did not in that hour feel\nstrange to him. It felt, on the contrary, exactly right. The\nCause that had sent for him from his Washington office, that\nhad brought him across the Atlantic, that had received him in\nAlexandria and conducted him to Mount Carmel, was the Cause\nthat recognised, in any chamber of any race, the same single\nhuman soul. The Shrine of the Báb, Gregory writes, made the\nrecognition explicit. The Persian dust that lay behind the\nthreshold-stone and the African dust that lay in his own veins\nwere, in the Cause's understanding, the dust of one creation.\n\nHe left the chamber, the booklet ends, with his shoes in his\nhand and his face quietly wet, and walked back down the slope\nof Mount Carmel toward the bay.\n\n*Source: Louis G. Gregory, A Heavenly Vista: The Pilgrimage of Louis G. Gregory (1911). Public domain pilgrim's notes; archived at bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hidden Word, Arabic 1: A Pure, Kindly and Radiant Heart",
"slug": "hw-arabic-1-pure-heart",
"summary": "The opening Hidden Word in Arabic — Bahá'u'lláh's first counsel in the mystical aphorisms revealed in Baghdád — names what He most desires of the human heart: that it be pure, kindly, and radiant, so that an everlasting sovereignty may be conferred upon it.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"themes": [
"hidden-words",
"heart",
"purity",
"mysticism"
],
"virtues": [
"purity",
"love",
"sincerity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "hidden-words",
"book": "The Hidden Words",
"author": "Bahá'u'lláh",
"year": 1858,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/hidden-words/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe Hidden Words is a small book of mystical aphorisms revealed\nby Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdád around 1858, in the years between His\nreturn from Sulaymáníyyih and His declaration in the Garden of\nRiḍván. The book is divided into 71 utterances in Arabic and 82\nin Persian. Bahá'u'lláh describes the volume in His own preamble\nas the inner essence of what was revealed to the Prophets of old,\nclothed in the garment of brevity, that human souls might fulfil\nthe covenant of God.\n\nThe very first Hidden Word in Arabic sets the entire spiritual\nkey in which the whole book is composed. It is addressed, like\nnearly all the Arabic Hidden Words, to *the son of spirit* — the\nhuman soul considered in its essential, eternal nature, before\nany of the accidents of station or wealth or knowledge. The\ncounsel is brief.\n\n> O SON OF SPIRIT! My first counsel is this: Possess a pure,\n> kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty\n> ancient, imperishable and everlasting.\n\nThe three adjectives — pure, kindly, radiant — are not\ninterchangeable. *Pure* describes the heart's relationship with\nitself: free from the corrosive admixture of self-deception,\nhidden envy, hidden grievance. *Kindly* describes the heart's\nrelationship with others: instinctively well-wishing, instinctively\nslow to judge. *Radiant* describes the heart's relationship with\nGod: lit from within, casting back the light it has received.\n\nThe reward Bahá'u'lláh names is striking. He does not promise\nthe pure-hearted a future paradise. He says that *thine* — the\nsoul addressed — shall already possess *a sovereignty ancient,\nimperishable and everlasting.* The verbs are present tense. The\nheart that is purified is, in its very purification, sovereign.\nNothing in the world's transactions can give such a heart what\nit does not already have, and nothing can take from it what it\nalready possesses.\n\nThis first Hidden Word stands at the gate of the entire\ncollection. The reader who passes through it is asked to read\nthe rest in light of its single demand.\n\n*Source: Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hidden Word, Arabic 12: With My Hands I Made Thee",
"slug": "hw-arabic-12-true-companion",
"summary": "The twelfth Hidden Word in Arabic — Bahá'u'lláh's reminder that the soul was fashioned with God's own hands and was not intended for the dust of bondage.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"themes": [
"hidden-words",
"creation",
"dignity",
"freedom"
],
"virtues": [
"dignity",
"independence"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "hidden-words",
"book": "The Hidden Words",
"author": "Bahá'u'lláh",
"year": 1858,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/hidden-words/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe twelfth Hidden Word in Arabic gives one of the most tender\nimages in the entire collection. The making of the human soul is\ndescribed in the language of close, deliberate craft.\n\n> O SON OF BEING! With the hands of power I made thee and with\n> the fingers of strength I created thee; and within thee have I\n> placed the essence of My light. Be thou content with it and\n> seek naught else, for My work is perfect and My command is\n> binding. Question it not, nor have a doubt thereof.\n\nThe verbs name a different kind of creation than the casual\ncalling-into-being of cosmologies. The soul was made *with the\nhands of power.* It was created *with the fingers of strength.*\nThere is intentionality in the image — the patient, attentive\nwork of a Maker who is laying out a creation by hand.\n\nWhat the Maker placed within the soul is *the essence of My\nlight.* Bahá'u'lláh does not say *a small portion* or *a partial\nshare.* He says *the essence.* The light by which the soul sees\nits Maker is the very same light by which the Maker can be seen.\nThe seer and the seen meet through the same window.\n\nThe closing imperatives — *Be thou content with it and seek\nnaught else; for My work is perfect and My command is binding* —\nare pastoral. The soul is being instructed to trust its own\nmaking. Many of the soul's wanderings come from a refusal to be\nsatisfied with the gift one has been given. Bahá'u'lláh names\nthis refusal directly and meets it with reassurance.\n\nThe Hidden Word is read often at occasions of recommitment — at\nthe entry of a new believer into the Faith, at the\nre-dedication of one's life after a season of difficulty. It\ngives the soul a foundation to stand on that no external trial\ncan shake: the soul was *made by hand.*\n\n*Source: Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hidden Word, Arabic 13: Noble Have I Created Thee",
"slug": "hw-arabic-13-noble-i-made-thee",
"summary": "The thirteenth Hidden Word in Arabic — Bahá'u'lláh's confronting question to the soul that has forgotten its own original nobility and has set itself in the rank of the abased.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"themes": [
"hidden-words",
"dignity",
"identity",
"self-knowledge"
],
"virtues": [
"dignity",
"sincerity",
"self-knowledge"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "hidden-words",
"book": "The Hidden Words",
"author": "Bahá'u'lláh",
"year": 1858,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/hidden-words/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe thirteenth Hidden Word in Arabic is a single great question\nposed by God to the human soul. It is among the most often\nquoted utterances in the entire book and stands as a kind of\nspiritual mirror in which the believer must take time to look.\n\n> O SON OF SPIRIT! Noble have I created thee, yet thou hast\n> abased thyself. Rise then unto that for which thou wast\n> created.\n\nThe compression is extraordinary. Twenty-three words contain a\ncomplete spiritual diagnosis and a complete spiritual remedy.\nThe diagnosis: a creature created noble has, by its own choosing,\nabased itself. The remedy: it must rise to the height for which\nit was made.\n\nThe verb *abased* is in the reflexive — *thou hast abased\nthyself.* Bahá'u'lláh is not naming the soul's abasement as\nsomething done to it by an enemy. The soul has done it to\nitself. By small daily refusals of its own dignity, by the slow\naccumulation of cynicism, of grievance, of avoidance, of\nspiritual sloth, the soul that was created in nobility has set\nitself down in a low place and has come, with time, to consider\nthe low place its proper home.\n\nThe remedy is not penance. It is not a programme of works. It is,\nsimply, *Rise.* Rise to the actual stature in which the soul was\nmade. Stand up at the height for which the human being was\ndesigned.\n\nThis Hidden Word has been used by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, by Shoghi\nEffendi, and by the institutions of the Faith as a constant\nreminder of the high vision the Bahá'í teachings hold of human\nnature. The Bahá'í community is not a refuge for the abased. It\nis a school for the noble — a school in which the soul is daily\ncalled to remember its own original dignity and to rise into it.\n\n*Source: Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hidden Word, Arabic 2: The Best Beloved of All Things",
"slug": "hw-arabic-2-justice",
"summary": "The second Hidden Word in Arabic names justice — *the best beloved of all things in My sight* — and explains it not as rule of law but as the soul's capacity to see with its own eyes and know with its own knowledge.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"themes": [
"hidden-words",
"justice",
"knowledge",
"independence"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"independence",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "hidden-words",
"book": "The Hidden Words",
"author": "Bahá'u'lláh",
"year": 1858,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/hidden-words/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the second Hidden Word in Arabic, Bahá'u'lláh moves from the\ninner condition of the heart — addressed in the first counsel —\nto the inner faculty of the soul. He names that faculty *justice*\nand lifts it to a place of singular honour.\n\n> O SON OF SPIRIT! The best beloved of all things in My sight is\n> Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and\n> neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou\n> shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of\n> others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through\n> the knowledge of thy neighbour. Ponder this in thy heart; how\n> it behoveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and\n> the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.\n\nThe Hidden Word speaks first of justice as a love. *The best\nbeloved of all things in My sight* — the language is the language\nof love poetry. Justice is not, in this counsel, a system of\ncourts and decrees. It is something Bahá'u'lláh loves above any\nother quality the human heart can possess.\n\nThe middle of the Hidden Word names what justice does. Through\nits aid, *thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the\neyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not\nthrough the knowledge of thy neighbour.* The faculty of just\nseeing is the foundation of independent investigation. Without\nit, the soul receives the world second-hand: the prejudices of\nits parents, the assumptions of its tribe, the rumours of its\ninformation sources, the convenient simplifications of its\npolitical party. Justice, exercised inwardly, is the discipline\nof refusing those second-hand impressions and going to see for\noneself.\n\nThe closing line names justice as a gift. *Verily justice is My\ngift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness.* It is not a\nburden imposed on the soul from without. It is a faculty given\nto the soul from within, as a sign of the love in which the\nsoul was made.\n\nThe Hidden Word stands at the foundation of the Bahá'í teaching\nof independent investigation of truth.\n\n*Source: Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hidden Word, Arabic 3: The Most Luminous Word",
"slug": "hw-arabic-3-most-luminous",
"summary": "The third Hidden Word in Arabic — Bahá'u'lláh's promise that the soul which finds within itself the love of God shall enter the bounty of His mercy.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"themes": [
"hidden-words",
"love",
"mercy",
"longing"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"sincerity",
"devotion"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "hidden-words",
"book": "The Hidden Words",
"author": "Bahá'u'lláh",
"year": 1858,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/hidden-words/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe third Hidden Word in Arabic completes the foundational triad\nthat opens the collection. The first counsel called the soul to\npurity of heart. The second named justice as the most beloved\nquality. The third turns to love itself.\n\n> O SON OF MAN! Veiled in My immemorial being and in the ancient\n> eternity of My essence, I knew My love for thee; therefore I\n> created thee, have engraved on thee Mine image and revealed to\n> thee My beauty.\n\nThe opening sentence names the origin of every human soul. It\nwas made out of love — out of a love that was *immemorial,* that\nwas eternal in the very essence of God. The soul was not a\ncalculation or an experiment. It was an expression of the divine\nlove before there was a sun or a moon to be loved beneath.\n\nThe Hidden Word continues by tying that origin to the soul's\npurpose.\n\n> O SON OF SPIRIT! I created thee rich, why dost thou bring\n> thyself down to poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou\n> abase thyself? Out of the essence of knowledge I gave thee\n> being, why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone beside Me?\n> Out of the clay of love I moulded thee, how dost thou busy\n> thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou\n> mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and\n> self-subsisting.\n\nThis counsel — sometimes numbered as the thirteenth Arabic\nHidden Word — names the fundamental misalignment of human life:\nthe soul, made rich by God, busying itself with poverty. The\ncounsel does not call the soul to acquire something it lacks. It\ncalls the soul to recognise something it already has. *Turn thy\nsight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within\nthee.*\n\nThese early Hidden Words are read most often at devotional\nmeetings, during quiet hours of personal prayer, and in study\nclasses where the believers consider the foundations of the\nspiritual life. Each is a single small door. Each opens onto the\nsame wide country.\n\n*Source: Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hidden Word, Arabic 32: Wert Thou to Speed Through the Immensity of Space",
"slug": "hw-arabic-32-detachment",
"summary": "The thirty-second Hidden Word in Arabic — Bahá'u'lláh's image of the soul's freedom: that no journey through space and no traversal of the heavens can substitute for inner detachment from all save God.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"themes": [
"hidden-words",
"detachment",
"mysticism",
"freedom"
],
"virtues": [
"detachment",
"sincerity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "hidden-words",
"book": "The Hidden Words",
"author": "Bahá'u'lláh",
"year": 1858,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/hidden-words/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe thirty-second Hidden Word in Arabic is among the most\nexpansive in setting and among the most concentrated in\nteaching. It uses cosmic imagery to make a single inward point.\n\n> O SON OF MAN! Wert thou to speed through the immensity of\n> space and traverse the expanse of heaven, yet thou wouldst\n> find no rest save in submission to Our command and humbleness\n> before Our Face.\n\nThe image asks the soul to imagine the most extreme possible\nexternal journey: a flight not merely across continents but\nacross *the immensity of space,* a traversal not merely of one\nsky but of *the expanse of heaven.* The Hidden Word grants the\nhypothetical fully — and then refuses it. *Yet thou wouldst find\nno rest.* No physical movement, however vast, can substitute for\nthe inner motion the soul has refused.\n\nThe opposite of speed-through-space, in Bahá'u'lláh's image, is\nnot a different kind of motion. It is *submission* and\n*humbleness* — both inward postures, both completely available to\na soul that never moves a kilometre from the room it was born\nin. The freedom the soul seeks is not a distance. It is a\ndisposition.\n\nThe Hidden Word is often read at moments of restlessness — when\nthe believer feels the urge to flee a present circumstance into\nsome imagined elsewhere where the spiritual life would, at last,\nbe possible. Bahá'u'lláh's answer is unwelcome and exact. The\nelsewhere does not exist. The rest the soul seeks is found only\nin the inward turn the soul has been refusing.\n\nThe reverse of the lesson is also true. The soul that has made\nthe inward turn finds rest *wherever it is.* The narrow cell of\n'Akká, the prison-citadel of the King of Bahá's later years,\nbecomes — for the soul that has submitted — the same as the\nexpanse of heaven. The Hidden Word names that interior continent\nand bids the believer enter it.\n\n*Source: Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hidden Word, Arabic 4: Love Me, that I May Love Thee",
"slug": "hw-arabic-4-love-me",
"summary": "The fourth Hidden Word in Arabic — Bahá'u'lláh's small, two-line reciprocal of love between God and the soul, the line that has been memorised perhaps more than any other in the entire collection.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"themes": [
"hidden-words",
"love",
"reciprocity"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"devotion"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "hidden-words",
"book": "The Hidden Words",
"author": "Bahá'u'lláh",
"year": 1858,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/hidden-words/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe fourth Hidden Word in Arabic is among the briefest and\namong the most often quoted utterances in the entire book. It is\ntwo short reciprocal sentences, addressed — like the first three\n— to the human soul.\n\n> O SON OF MAN! Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me\n> not, My love can in no wise reach thee. Know this, O servant.\n\nThe structure is a perfect mirror. *Love Me* — *that I may love\nthee.* The order matters. The Hidden Word does not say *I love\nthee, therefore love Me.* It says: love is a circuit that runs\nin only one direction at a time, and the human soul must close\nthe circuit at its own end first. Until the soul opens its love\ntoward God, the love that God always already pours toward the\nsoul has nowhere to alight.\n\nThis is consequential. It means that the experience of God's\nabsence is not God withdrawing from the soul, but the soul\nwithdrawing from God. The bounty has not been suspended. The\nwindow has been closed.\n\nThe closing imperative — *Know this, O servant* — is unusual.\nMost of the Hidden Words close with an address or a benediction.\nThis one closes with a command to know. Bahá'u'lláh wants this\nparticular truth lodged in the human knowledge before any of\nits many implications be drawn out. The soul that intellectually\ngrasps that the love of God is conditioned upon the soul's\nreciprocation is given the entire spiritual responsibility of\nits own life.\n\nAcross the Bahá'í community this Hidden Word is among the first\nthat children memorise. Devotional gatherings begin with it.\nMarriages are framed around it. Memorial services close with it.\nIt is short enough to be carried in the pocket of memory, and\ndeep enough to last a lifetime of unfolding.\n\n*Source: Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hidden Word, Arabic 5: My Mansion is the Heart",
"slug": "hw-arabic-5-mansion-of-eternity",
"summary": "The fifth Hidden Word in Arabic — Bahá'u'lláh's image of the human heart as His own mansion, and His invitation to sanctify it for His descent.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"themes": [
"hidden-words",
"heart",
"presence",
"sanctification"
],
"virtues": [
"purity",
"devotion"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "hidden-words",
"book": "The Hidden Words",
"author": "Bahá'u'lláh",
"year": 1858,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/hidden-words/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe fifth Hidden Word in Arabic gives one of the most arresting\nimages in the whole book. The heart of the human being is named,\nplainly, as the very residence of God.\n\n> O SON OF BEING! Thy heart is My home; sanctify it for My\n> descent. Thy spirit is My place of revelation; cleanse it for\n> My manifestation.\n\nThe Hidden Word reverses the normal architecture of religious\nimagination. The temple is not a stone building one travels to.\nThe temple is the human heart that one carries with one always,\nday in and day out, in commerce, in conversation, in solitude,\nin sleep. God's *home* in the world is the human heart. His\n*place of revelation* is the human spirit. The whole question of\nthe spiritual life is whether those interior chambers are\nprepared for their proper Guest.\n\nThe two verbs — *sanctify* and *cleanse* — name the work. Both\nimply that the chambers are not, by default, ready. The work of\npreparation is the soul's lifelong undertaking. It is the daily\nremoval of the accumulated dust of grievance, calculation,\ndistraction, vanity. It is the lighting of the small lamps of\nprayer. It is the laying of the carpet of remembrance and the\nopening of the windows of generosity.\n\nThe Hidden Word is brief. It does not give a method. It gives a\ndemand and a promise. The demand is the sanctification. The\npromise is the descent. Where the chamber is made ready, the\nGuest will come.\n\nBahá'u'lláh's mystical Tablets often return to this image. The\nbeliever is not a temple-goer; the believer *is* a temple. The\nlaws of cleanliness in the Aqdas, the obligation of daily prayer,\nthe practice of the long obligatory prayer with its kneelings\nand its standings — all of these are, in this fifth Hidden\nWord's framework, the daily housekeeping of a residence whose\nOwner has announced His intention to come.\n\n*Source: Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hidden Word, Arabic 7: The Best Beloved",
"slug": "hw-arabic-7-true-friend",
"summary": "The seventh Hidden Word in Arabic — Bahá'u'lláh's call to the son of man to forsake all but Him, that he may attain to His presence and abide in His company.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"themes": [
"hidden-words",
"detachment",
"companionship"
],
"virtues": [
"detachment",
"devotion",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "hidden-words",
"book": "The Hidden Words",
"author": "Bahá'u'lláh",
"year": 1858,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/hidden-words/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe seventh Hidden Word in Arabic is a small composition of\nluminous abundance. It is one of the most generous of the\nopening sequence: God names what He has prepared for the human\nsoul, and bids the soul receive it.\n\n> O SON OF MAN! My eternity is My creation, I have created it\n> for thee. Make it the garment of thy temple. My unity is My\n> handiwork; I have wrought it for thee; clothe thyself\n> therewith, that thou mayest be to all eternity the revelation\n> of My everlasting being.\n\nThe grammar is striking. The Hidden Word treats *eternity* and\n*unity* as garments — things that may be put on, and that\ntransform the wearer. Eternity is not, in Bahá'u'lláh's image, a\ndistant condition the soul will inherit at some future judgment.\nIt is a garment laid out, ready, for the soul's wearing now.\n\nTo *clothe thyself with My unity* is to recognise oneself as a\nmember of the one human family, the one creation of one God. It\nis to live, in the body, what one knows in the spirit — that the\ndistinctions of nation, of class, of faction, of tongue, are\nlighter than the underlying unity that holds them all in being.\n\nThe Hidden Word names the consequence of putting on this\ngarment: the soul *to all eternity* becomes *the revelation of\n[God's] everlasting being.* This is a high promise. The human\nsoul that has been clothed in unity becomes, by that clothing, a\nplace where God's eternal being is itself revealed. The soul\nbecomes a window, not a wall.\n\nIn the Bahá'í community this Hidden Word is read often at\nmoments of consecration: at marriage, at the dedication of a\nHouse of Worship, at the funeral of a departed believer. The\nimage of the garment makes plain that what is being asked of the\nsoul is not a feat. It is a willingness to be dressed.\n\n*Source: Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hidden Word, Persian 1: Temple of My Love",
"slug": "hw-persian-1-temple-of-light",
"summary": "The opening Hidden Word in Persian — Bahá'u'lláh's foundational description of the human temple as the residence of His remembrance, the place where His mention shall be made.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"themes": [
"hidden-words",
"heart",
"presence"
],
"virtues": [
"purity",
"sincerity",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "hidden-words",
"book": "The Hidden Words",
"author": "Bahá'u'lláh",
"year": 1858,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/hidden-words/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe Persian section of the Hidden Words opens with a different\ntone from the Arabic. Where the Arabic Hidden Words tend to be\nbrief and aphoristic — sometimes only a single sentence — the\nPersian Hidden Words are often longer, more lyrical, and more\ninflected with the imagery of Persian mystical poetry.\n\nThe first Persian Hidden Word announces the entire register.\n\n> O YE PEOPLES OF THE WORLD! Know, verily, that an unforeseen\n> calamity is following you, and that grievous retribution\n> awaiteth you. Think not the deeds ye have committed have been\n> blotted from My sight. By My beauty! All your doings hath My\n> pen graven with open characters upon tablets of chrysolite.\n\nThe opening is a warning, but it is a warning issued in the most\nintimate possible vocabulary. *Know, verily.* *By My beauty!*\nThe Hidden Word does not address an enemy. It addresses the\nhuman family with the alarmed concern of a parent who has seen\nwhat the child has not yet seen.\n\nThe image of the *tablets of chrysolite* is striking. The\ndeeds of the human soul are not, in Bahá'u'lláh's image,\nforgotten by God. They are inscribed — in *open characters* — on\nimperishable green-gold stone. The accounting will be plain when\nthe moment of accounting arrives.\n\nThe Persian Hidden Words proceed through a sequence of such\nimages, drawing now from the language of love poetry, now from\nthe language of the marketplace, now from the language of the\nroyal court. Each is a small lamp lighting one corner of the\nspiritual landscape. Together they constitute the soul's\ntraining in the Bahá'í Dispensation's vocabulary of inwardness.\n\nThe opening warning is not the whole of the Persian collection.\nIt is the threshold. The soul that crosses it — the soul that\ntakes seriously the inscription of its deeds on the green-gold\ntablets — is then led, through eighty-two further Hidden Words,\ninto the deeper chambers of the divine love.\n\n*Source: Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hidden Word, Persian 3: O Friend, In the Garden of Thy Heart",
"slug": "hw-persian-3-best-beloved",
"summary": "The third Hidden Word in Persian — Bahá'u'lláh's tender injunction that the believer plant only the rose of love in the garden of the heart, and that the heart itself be the dwelling of the Beloved.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"themes": [
"hidden-words",
"love",
"heart",
"intimacy"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"devotion",
"sincerity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "hidden-words",
"book": "The Hidden Words",
"author": "Bahá'u'lláh",
"year": 1858,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/hidden-words/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe third Hidden Word in Persian is among the most beloved\nimages in the entire collection. It is read often at marriages,\nat the welcoming of new believers, and at quiet moments of\npersonal devotion. The image is unforgettable.\n\n> O FRIEND! In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the\n> rose of love, and from the nightingale of affection and desire\n> loosen not thy hold. Treasure the companionship of the\n> righteous and eschew all fellowship with the ungodly.\n\nThe garden is the heart. The gardener is the believer. The work\nof the spiritual life is the work of horticulture: the\ndiscrimination of which seeds shall be sown in the chamber of\nthe heart, the patient watering, the daily weeding, the long\nseason of waiting before the bloom.\n\nThe Hidden Word names what shall be planted: *the rose of love.*\nBahá'u'lláh does not say *only the rose of theology* or *only\nthe rose of obedience.* He says *the rose of love.* Love is the\nseed; love is the bloom; love is the fragrance carried out into\nthe world. Everything else flowers from this single planting.\n\nThe companion image is the *nightingale of affection and\ndesire.* In Persian poetry, the nightingale is the lover that\nsings unceasingly to the rose. The Hidden Word warns the\nbeliever: do not loosen the hold of that bird. The faculty of\ndesire — when it has been properly trained on its proper object\n— is not the soul's enemy. It is the soul's instrument of\nflight. Without the nightingale's longing, the rose of the heart\nis only a botanical fact.\n\nThe closing pair of injunctions is practical. *Treasure the\ncompanionship of the righteous and eschew all fellowship with the\nungodly.* The garden of the heart is permeable. The company the\nsoul keeps is, at length, the soil the heart is rooted in. To\nplant the rose of love and to surround oneself with the company\nof love-haters is to do contradictory work. The Hidden Word asks\nthe believer to align the inner planting and the outer\ncompanionship.\n\n*Source: Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hidden Word, Persian 32: O Children of Adam, Holy Words",
"slug": "hw-persian-32-fortunate-state",
"summary": "The thirty-second Persian Hidden Word — Bahá'u'lláh's command that holy words and pure deeds rise to the heaven of celestial glory, and the warning that fair speech without fair conduct is empty.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"themes": [
"hidden-words",
"speech",
"conduct",
"integrity"
],
"virtues": [
"sincerity",
"integrity",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "hidden-words",
"book": "The Hidden Words",
"author": "Bahá'u'lláh",
"year": 1858,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/hidden-words/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe thirty-second Hidden Word in Persian addresses the most\ncommon spiritual disconnect of the religious life: the gap\nbetween the speaker's beautiful words and the speaker's\nordinary conduct.\n\n> O CHILDREN OF ADAM! Holy words and pure and goodly deeds\n> ascend unto the heaven of celestial glory. Strive that your\n> deeds may be cleansed from the dust of self and hypocrisy and\n> find favour at the court of glory; for ere long the assayers\n> of mankind shall, in the holy presence of the Adored One,\n> accept naught but absolute virtue and deeds of stainless\n> purity. This is the day-star of wisdom and of divine mystery\n> that hath shone above the horizon of the divine will. Blessed\n> are they that turn thereunto.\n\nThe first sentence sets the standard. Two things rise: *holy\nwords* and *pure and goodly deeds.* Both are required. The\nsoul whose words are holy but whose deeds are not is, in the\nascent, weighted down. The soul whose deeds are good but whose\nwords are coarse is, in the ascent, mismatched. The Hidden Word\ncalls for the marriage of the two.\n\nThe middle phrase contains the warning. *The dust of self and\nhypocrisy.* These are named together because they so often\ntravel together. The deed done for the eye of others — the\nservice performed for the praise it will earn, the piety\ndisplayed for the standing it will buy — is, by Bahá'u'lláh's\nplain language, dusted with hypocrisy. The remedy is the\ncleansing of the deed itself, that it may be done for the love\nof God alone.\n\nThe closing image is judicial. The *assayers of mankind* — the\nweighers of human worth in *the holy presence of the Adored\nOne* — *shall accept naught but absolute virtue and deeds of\nstainless purity.* The Hidden Word warns that the standard of\nacceptance is high. The world's lower standards of *good\nenough* will not transfer to the court of glory. What is asked,\nfinally, is purity — purity of motive, purity of word, purity\nof deed.\n\nThe Hidden Word is read often at occasions of spiritual\nself-examination: at the start of the Fast, at Naw-Rúz, at\nmoments of personal recommitment to the Cause.\n\n*Source: Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hidden Word, Persian 4: The Best Beloved of Hearts",
"slug": "hw-persian-4-stir-well-thy-heart",
"summary": "The fourth Hidden Word in Persian — Bahá'u'lláh's invitation to the believer to behold, with the eye of the heart, the manifestation of God's eternal beauty in His own being.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"themes": [
"hidden-words",
"heart",
"vision",
"love"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"devotion",
"sincerity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "hidden-words",
"book": "The Hidden Words",
"author": "Bahá'u'lláh",
"year": 1858,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/hidden-words/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe fourth Hidden Word in Persian is a single short summons. The\nbeliever is being invited to open a faculty that has, in most\nsouls, lain dormant.\n\n> O SON OF DUST! Verily I say unto thee: Of all men the most\n> negligent is he that disputeth idly and seeketh to advance\n> himself over his brother. Say, O brethren! Let deeds, not\n> words, be your adorning.\n\nThe Hidden Word here numbered does the opposite of an\ninvitation to mystical sight: it diagnoses the soul that has\nallowed itself to be drawn into endless argument and into the\nsmall competitive rivalry of trying to *advance itself* over its\nbrother. The most negligent soul, in Bahá'u'lláh's plain phrase,\nis the soul most absorbed in this fruitless work.\n\nThe diagnosis is delivered not by judgment but by an alternative.\n*Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.* The Persian Hidden\nWords return again and again to this single counsel. The mark\nof the truly spiritual life is not the volume of its verbal\noutput but the substance of its concrete service. A small kind\ndeed is a more beautiful ornament on the soul than the most\nelaborate theological argument.\n\nThe Hidden Word is read often in the context of the Bahá'í\ncommunity's life. When discussions in a Local Spiritual Assembly\nthreaten to become contests of advancement; when the early\nenthusiasm of a new believer threatens to become an exercise in\ndefeating others rather than serving the Cause; when the\nbelievers' conversations among themselves slip from\nupliftment into critique — this Hidden Word is the call back to\nproportion. Less talking. More doing. The deed is the believer's\nreal adornment.\n\nIn the Persian original, the line *let deeds, not words, be\nyour adorning* is among the most quoted of Bahá'u'lláh's\ninjunctions. It is inscribed on the walls of Bahá'í community\ncentres. It is woven into the closing prayers of Feast. It is\nheld up at the consultation of every Local Assembly that\nsuspects itself of preferring the satisfactions of speech to the\ndisciplines of action.\n\n*Source: Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hidden Word, Persian 44: One Truly Wise Companion",
"slug": "hw-persian-44-friend-of-the-soul",
"summary": "The forty-fourth Persian Hidden Word — Bahá'u'lláh's praise of the soul who has chosen a single true companion in the Beloved over the world's many fair-weather companions.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"themes": [
"hidden-words",
"companionship",
"detachment"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"sincerity",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "hidden-words",
"book": "The Hidden Words",
"author": "Bahá'u'lláh",
"year": 1858,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/hidden-words/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe forty-fourth Hidden Word in Persian is one of the most\ndistilled expressions of Bahá'u'lláh's teaching on contentment\nin the midst of difficulty.\n\n> O COMPANION OF MY THRONE! Hear no evil, and see no evil,\n> abase not thyself, neither sigh and weep. Speak no evil,\n> that thou mayest not hear it spoken unto thee, and magnify\n> not the faults of others that thine own faults may not\n> appear great; and wish not the abasement of anyone, that\n> thine own abasement be not exposed. Live then the days of\n> thy life, that are less than a fleeting moment, with thy\n> mind stainless, thy heart unsullied, thy thoughts pure, and\n> thy nature sanctified, so that, free and content, thou\n> mayest put away this mortal frame, and repair unto the\n> mystic paradise and abide in the eternal kingdom for\n> evermore.\n\nThe Hidden Word is composed almost entirely of negative\nimperatives — *hear no, see no, abase not, sigh and weep not* —\nfollowed at the close by a single comprehensive positive: *live\nthen the days of thy life... with thy mind stainless, thy heart\nunsullied, thy thoughts pure, and thy nature sanctified.*\n\nThe structure is pastoral. Bahá'u'lláh names the small\ninhabitants of the disordered inner life — the appetite for\ngossip, the pleasure of contempt, the magnification of others'\nfaults — and asks the believer to clear them out, one by one,\nso that the chamber of the soul may be empty of clutter and\nready for the inhabitation of the genuine spiritual life.\n\nThe closing image is consoling. The mortal frame is *less than\na fleeting moment.* The spiritual life is the *eternal kingdom\nfor evermore.* The Hidden Word does not minimise the troubles\nof the present body. It places them in their actual scale.\n\nThis Hidden Word is among the most often committed to memory.\nIt functions as a small handbook of inward conduct, useful in\nhot moments of temptation and in the long quiet hours of the\ninner life. The believer who has memorised it has, in effect,\ninscribed on the inner wall a small examination paper that the\nsoul may check itself against, daily.\n\n*Source: Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hidden Word, Persian 66: With Joy and Fragrance",
"slug": "hw-persian-66-essence-of-love",
"summary": "A Persian Hidden Word — Bahá'u'lláh's tender vision of the believer who walks the world bearing within the inward fragrance of the divine love.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"themes": [
"hidden-words",
"love",
"fragrance",
"service"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"joy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "hidden-words",
"book": "The Hidden Words",
"author": "Bahá'u'lláh",
"year": 1858,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/hidden-words/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nA Persian Hidden Word — among those quoted most often by\n'Abdu'l-Bahá in His later years — gives one of the most\nsheltering images in the entire collection.\n\n> O SON OF BEING! My love is My stronghold; he that entereth\n> therein is safe and secure, and he that turneth away shall\n> surely stray and perish.\n\nThe image is military. A *stronghold* is a fortified place that\nholds against assault. Bahá'u'lláh names His love as such a\nplace. Within it, the soul is *safe and secure.* Outside it,\nthe soul is at the mercy of the open field of the world's\nordinary pressures.\n\nThe Hidden Word issues a single binary. The soul either enters\nthe stronghold or it does not. There is no third option of\ncamping just outside the wall. The choice is daily.\n\nThe complement to this Hidden Word is the well-known Persian\ncounsel — *Walk in the way of holiness, walk in the way of\nchastity* — that runs through many of the longer Persian\nHidden Words. The believer who has entered the stronghold of\nthe divine love is the believer who, then, walks out into the\nordinary day carrying within him or her the fragrance of that\nshelter. The world's spaces are scented, where the believer\npasses, by the perfume the believer carries from within.\n\nIn this collection of small mystical aphorisms, the architectural\nimage of the stronghold is paired with the natural image of the\nfragrance to make a single pastoral teaching. The interior life\nof the believer is not for the believer alone. It is for the\nworld the believer moves through. A soul sheltered in the\nstronghold is a soul whose mere presence brings, into the rooms\nit enters, the freshness of the divine air.\n\nThe Hidden Word is read at the dedication of new institutions of\nthe Faith, at the welcoming of new believers into the community,\nand in the quiet personal devotional life of those who have, in\ntheir own time, walked into the stronghold and found the\nshelter true.\n\n*Source: Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hidden Word, Persian 7: O Friend, Thou Art the Day-Star",
"slug": "hw-persian-7-true-companion",
"summary": "The seventh Persian Hidden Word — Bahá'u'lláh's testimony that the believer is, in his or her created reality, the day-star of the heavens of God's holiness, and must therefore not allow the dust of the world to dim the light.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"themes": [
"hidden-words",
"identity",
"holiness"
],
"virtues": [
"purity",
"dignity",
"sincerity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "hidden-words",
"book": "The Hidden Words",
"author": "Bahá'u'lláh",
"year": 1858,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/hidden-words/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe seventh Hidden Word in Persian is among the most exalted\ndescriptions of the human soul in the Bahá'í Writings. It is a\ntestimony — and a warning — addressed by Bahá'u'lláh to the\nbeliever.\n\n> O FRIEND! Thou art the day-star of the heavens of My\n> holiness, let not the defilement of the world eclipse thy\n> splendour. Rend asunder the veil of heedlessness, that from\n> behind the clouds thou mayest emerge resplendent and array\n> all things with the apparel of life.\n\nThe first sentence is the diagnosis-by-celebration. The\nbeliever is named *the day-star of the heavens of My holiness.*\nThe image is uncompromising. The day-star is the sun. The\nbeliever, in created reality, is meant to function in the\nheavens of holiness as the sun functions in the heavens of the\nsky: not one light among many, but the very light by which the\nothers are seen.\n\nThe verb *let not* names the believer's responsibility. *Let\nnot the defilement of the world eclipse thy splendour.* The\nday-star is not, by nature, dimmable. The eclipse is the\nintrusion of an alien body in front of it. The defilement that\ndims the believer is, in this image, equally external — and\nequally something the believer is empowered to refuse.\n\nThe Hidden Word ends with action. *Rend asunder the veil of\nheedlessness, that from behind the clouds thou mayest emerge\nresplendent and array all things with the apparel of life.* The\nbeliever who has refused the eclipse becomes, in the world's\nspaces, the one who *arrays all things with the apparel of\nlife.* What was inert receives, through the believer's emerged\nsplendour, the garment of liveliness it has lacked.\n\nThe vision is high, almost vertiginous. The Persian Hidden Words\nare full of such elevations of the human soul. They are not\nflattery. They are testimony to the actual stature in which the\nhuman being was created and to which Bahá'u'lláh, by His\nRevelation, has called the human being to rise.\n\n*Source: Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "I am about to leave the city for a few days rest at Montclair",
"slug": "i-am-about-to-leave-the-city-for-bs3",
"summary": "I am about to leave the city for a few days rest at Montclair. When I return, it is my wish to give a large feast of unity. A place for it has not yet been found. It must be outdoors under the trees, in some location away from city noise…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI am about to leave the city for a few days rest at Montclair. When I return, it is my wish to give a large feast of unity. A place for it has not yet been found. It must be outdoors under the trees, in some location away from city noise -- like a Persian garden. The food will be Persian food. When the place is arranged, all will be informed, and we will have a general meeting in which hearts will be bound together, spirits blended and a new foundation for unity established. All the friends will come. They will be my guests.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 206*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I am so delighted by these news that my dear friend and colleague in Bahá’í…",
"slug": "i-am-so-delighted-by-these-news-that-bs4",
"summary": "I am so delighted by these news that my dear friend and colleague in Bahá’í studies, Hossain Achtchi has enthusiastically agreed to speak at our first cloud conference. What an extraordinary life. His father was Aqa Husayn-i Ashchi,…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"simple life",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"love",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI am so delighted by these news that my dear friend and colleague in Bahá’í studies, Hossain Achtchi has enthusiastically agreed to speak at our first cloud conference. What an extraordinary life. His father was Aqa Husayn-i Ashchi, Bahá’u’lláh's cook, who joined His household as a teenager and was thus ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's companion from when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was 19 to the day of His passing in 1921.\n\nHere is a photograph of him with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: he is standing second from the right:\n\nhttp://communitybaha.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/circa-1868-some-bahais-in-adrianople.html\n\nThere can't be that many people left alive a single generation apart from intimate companionship with Bahá’u’lláh Himself. Hossain will share his family's first hand recollections of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and tell us what it was like as a family to grow up in the influence of such memories.\n\nI share below an anecdote from the autobiographical memoirs of Hossain's father recounting an episode he remembered as a teenager living in the household of Bahá’u’lláh, introduced by Adib Taherzadeh:\n\n\"One of the features of the life of Bahá’u’lláh was that although born of one of the wealthiest families in Persia and having lived many years in luxurious surroundings, He spent forty years of His Ministry in an austerity to which He had never been accustomed during the earlier days of His life. For two years he lived in the utmost poverty in the mountains of Kurdistán where many a day He subsisted on milk alone. In Baghdád He lived a simple life and had to endure many privations. 'There was a time in 'Iráq,' He affirms in a Tablet, 'when the Ancient Beauty...had no change of linen. The one shirt He possessed would be washed, dried and worn again.' In Adrianople and 'Akká He submitted Himself to the privations and hardships which a ruthless enemy had imposed upon Him.\n\n\"Although many believers through their devotion, and often by sacrificing their own needs, offered gifts to Bahá’u’lláh, He usually distributed such gifts among the poor and He Himself lived with the utmost simplicity. For example, Husayn-i-Áshchí, a youth from Káshán who served Bahá’u’lláh as a cook in Adrianople and later in 'Akká, has left to posterity the following account of the days when He stayed in the house of Amru'lláh in Adrianople.\n\n'This house [of Amru'lláh] was very large and magnificent. It had a large outer apartment where all the loved ones of Bahá’u’lláh used to gather. They were intoxicated with the wine of His Peerless Beauty...However, the means of livelihood were very inadequate and meagre. Most of the time there was no food which could be served to Bahá’u’lláh other than bread and cheese. Every day I used to save some meat and oil and store them in a special place until there was enough to cook. I would then invite Bahá’u’lláh to a meal on the lawn. We managed to save some money and buy two cows and one goat. The milk and yoghurt which were produced were served in the holy household...\n\n'In the winter there was a brazier in each room. It was among my duties to light them. In order to economize I used to measure the amount of coal that I placed in each brazier. Someone had informed Bahá’u’lláh of this. He summoned me to His presence and said: 'I hear you count the pieces of coal which go into each brazier!' Bahá’u’lláh smiled and was very amused. He agreed that such economy was necessary in a large house.' \"\n\n\n*Source: Ismael Velasco on Facebook for the first Cloud Conference*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life) (Subject: simple-life).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá one day: \"Why should I believe in Bahá’u’lláh?\" He looked…",
"slug": "i-asked-abdu-l-bah-one-day-why-should-i-bs4",
"summary": "I asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá one day: \"Why should I believe in Bahá’u’lláh?\" He looked long and searchingly as it seemed into my very soul. The silence deepened. He did not answer. In that silence I had time to consider why I had asked the…",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"silence"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/silence"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá one day: \"Why should I believe in Bahá’u’lláh?\" He looked long and searchingly as it seemed into my very soul. The silence deepened. He did not answer. In that silence I had time to consider why I had asked the question, and dimly I began to see that only I myself could supply the reason. After all, why should I believe in anyone or anything except as a means, an incentive, a dynamic for the securing of a fuller, deeper, more perfect life?\n\n\n*Source: Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom, p. 42*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/silence) (Subject: silence).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I had a servant who was black; his name was Isfandiyar",
"slug": "i-had-a-servant-who-was-black-his-bs0",
"summary": "I had a servant who was black; his name was Isfandiyar. If a perfect man could be found in the world, that man was Isfandiyar. He was the essence of love, radiant with sanctity and perfection, luminous with light. Whenever I think of…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"debts",
"prison",
"children",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/debts"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI had a servant who was black; his name was Isfandiyar. If a perfect man could be found in the world, that man was Isfandiyar. He was the essence of love, radiant with sanctity and perfection, luminous with light. Whenever I think of Isfandiyar, I am moved to tears, although he passed away fifty years ago. He was the faithful servant of Bahá’u’lláh and was entrusted with His secrets. For this reason the Shah of Persia wanted him and inquired continually as to his whereabouts. Bahá’u’lláh was in prison, but the Shah had commanded many persons to find Isfandiyar. Perhaps more than one hundred officers were appointed to search for him. If they had succeeded in catching him, they would not have killed him at once. They would have cut his flesh into pieces to force him to tell them the secrets of Bahá’u’lláh. But Isfandiyar with the utmost dignity used to walk in the streets and bazaars. One day he came to us. My mother, my sister and myself lived in a house near a corner. Because our enemies frequently injured us, we were intending to go to a place where they did not know us. I was a child at that time. At midnight Isfandiyar came in. My mother said, \"O Isfandiyar, there are a hundred policemen seeking for you. If they catch you, they will not kill you at once but will torture you with fire. They will cut off your fingers. They will cut off your ears. They will put out your eyes to force you to tell them the secrets of Bahá’u’lláh. Go away! Do not stay here.\" He said, \"I cannot go because I owe money in the street and in the stores. How can I go? They will say that the servant of Bahá’u’lláh has bought and consumed the goods and supplies of the storekeepers without paying for them. Unless I pay all these obligations, I cannot go. But if they take me, never mind. If they punish me, there is no harm in that. If they kill me, do not be grieved. But to go away is impossible. I must remain until I pay all I owe. Then I will go.\" For one month Isfandiyar went about in the streets and bazaars. He had things to sell, and from his earnings he gradually paid his creditors. In fact, they were not his debts but the debts of the court, for all our properties had been confiscated. Everything we had was taken away from us. The only things that remained were our debts. Isfandiyar paid them in full; not a single penny remained unpaid. Then he came to us, said good-bye and went away.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 426-427*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/debts) (Subject: debts).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I had in mind that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would give me the honor of",
"slug": "i-had-in-mind-that-abdu-l-bah-would-give-bs4",
"summary": "I had in mind that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would give me the honor of . . . calling together the great conclave which would elect the Universal House of Justice. And I thought in His Will and Testament that that was probably what He was instructing…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"tests",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/tests"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI had in mind that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would give me the honor of . . . calling together the great conclave which would elect the Universal House of Justice. And I thought in His Will and Testament that that was probably what He was instructing be done.’ ‘But
instead of that I found that I was appointed the Guardian of the Cause of God. . . . “I didn’t want to be the Guardian. I knew what it meant. I knew that my life as a human being was over. I didn’t want it, and I didn’t want to face it. So as you’ll remember, I left the Holy Land. And I went up into the mountains of Switzerland, and I fought with myself until I conquered myself. Then I came back and I turned myself over to God, and I was the Guardian.”\n\n\n*Source: Shoghi Effendi’s remarks to Hand of the Cause of God Leroy Ioas*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/tests) (Subject: tests).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I have a friend in Toronto who was invited to be the best-man at a wedding in…",
"slug": "i-have-a-friend-in-toronto-who-was-bs2",
"summary": "I have a friend in Toronto who was invited to be the best-man at a wedding in Chicago one Christmas. He was very anxious to go, but Christmas was the busiest season of his business year. He didn't think he should take the time off but…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"John Robarts"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"prayer"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/prayer"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI have a friend in Toronto who was invited to be the best-man at a wedding in Chicago one Christmas. He was very anxious to go, but Christmas was the busiest season of his business year. He didn't think he should take the time off but finally he did. He booked his passage and closed his office early, but not quite early enough, and he raced all the way to the airport, praying and calling upon Bahá’u’lláh from the very depths of his being. He just had to get to that wedding. He arrived at the airport in time to see his plane depart. Despite all his prayers, and his great need to be on that plane, it was gone. He told me later, \"John, I sat down and I cried.\" Can you imagine his despair? As he was sitting there in his agony of soul he heard an announcement of the departure of another flight for Chicago. He inquired and was told that his plane had been routed through Detroit, but this one was going through Buffalo, and if he hurried he might be able to get a seat on it. He hurried and he arrived at the wedding on time. The first flight had mechanical trouble and was grounded in Detroit. I ask you, were his prayers answered? We all know of many similar instances where fervent prayer is answered. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá assured us, \"God will answer the prayer of every servant if that prayer is urgent. His mercy is vast, illimitable. He answers the prayers of all His servants.”\n\n\n*Source: John Robarts: http://bahaitalks.blogspot.in/2011/02/value-of-prayer-talk-by-hand-of-cause.html#more*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/prayer) (Subject: prayer).*\n"
},
{
"title": "“I have come hither,” He said, “to find that material civilization has…",
"slug": "i-have-come-hither-he-said-to-find-bs0",
"summary": "“I have come hither,” He said, “to find that material civilization has progressed greatly, but the spiritual civilization has been left behind. The material civilization is likened unto the glass of a lamp chimney. The spiritual…",
"figures": [
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"materialism"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/materialism"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“I have come hither,” He said, “to find that material civilization has progressed greatly, but the spiritual civilization has been left behind. The material civilization is likened unto the glass of a lamp chimney. The spiritual civilization is like the light in that chimney. The material civilization should go hand-in-hand with the spiritual civilization. Material civilization may be likened unto a beautiful body, while spiritual civilization is the spirit that enters the body and gives to it life. With the propelling power of spiritual civilization the result will be greater.\n\n\n*Source: Diary of Juliet Thompson, April 14, 1912*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/materialism) (Subject: materialism).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I have stated that my brother [‘Abdu’l-Bahá]was deeply attached to his father…",
"slug": "i-have-stated-that-my-brother-abdu-l-bah-was-deeply-bs1",
"summary": "I have stated that my brother [‘Abdu’l-Bahá]was deeply attached to his father [Bahá’u’lláh]; this attachment seemed to strengthen with his growth. After our father's departure he fell into great despondency. He would go away by himself,…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"abdul baha childhood"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-childhood"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI have stated that my brother [‘Abdu’l-Bahá]was deeply attached to his father [Bahá’u’lláh]; this attachment seemed to strengthen with his growth. After our father's departure he fell into great despondency. He would go away by himself, and, when sought for, be found weeping, often falling into such paroxysms of grief that no one could console him. His chief occupation at this time was copying and committing to memory the tablets of the Báb.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-childhood) (Subject: abdul-baha-childhood).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I myself was in prison forty years -- one year alone would have been impossible…",
"slug": "i-myself-was-in-prison-forty-years-bs2",
"summary": "I myself was in prison forty years -- one year alone would have been impossible to bear -- nobody survived that imprisonment more than a year! But, thank God, during all those forty years I was supremely happy! Every day, on waking, it…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"joy",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/joy"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI myself was in prison forty years -- one year alone would have been impossible to bear -- nobody survived that imprisonment more than a year! But, thank God, during all those forty years I was supremely happy! Every day, on waking, it was like hearing good tidings, and every night infinite joy was mine. Spirituality was my comfort, and turning to God was my greatest joy. If this had not been so, do you think it possible that I could have lived through those forty years in prison?\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 111-112*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/joy) (Subject: joy).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I one day asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá how it could ever be possible for me, deep in the…",
"slug": "i-one-day-asked-abdu-l-bah-how-it-could-bs0",
"summary": "I one day asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá how it could ever be possible for me, deep in the mass of weak and selfish humanity, ever to hope to attain when the goal was so high and great. He said that it is to be accomplished little by little; little by…",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"striving"
],
"virtues": [
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/striving"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI one day asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá how it could ever be possible for me, deep in the mass of weak and selfish humanity, ever to hope to attain when the goal was so high and great. He said that it is to be accomplished little by little; little by little. And I thought to myself, I have all eternity for this journey from self to God. The thing to do is to get started.\n\n\n*Source: Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom, p. 63*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/striving) (Subject: striving).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I remember as though it were yesterday another illustration of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's…",
"slug": "i-remember-as-though-it-were-yesterday-another-bs0",
"summary": "I remember as though it were yesterday another illustration of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's divine technique. I was not at all well that summer. A relapse was threatening a return of a condition which had necessitated a major operation the year before.…",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"smoking",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"gentleness",
"love",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/smoking"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI remember as though it were yesterday another illustration of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's divine technique. I was not at all well that summer. A relapse was threatening a return of a condition which had necessitated a major operation the year before. My nervous condition made me consider\n\nbreaking the habit of smoking which had been with me all my adult life. I had always prided myself on the ability to break the habit at any time. In fact I had several times cut off the use of tobacco for a period of many months. But this time to my surprise and chagrin I found my nerves\n\nand will in such a condition that after two or three days the craving became too much for me. Finally it occurred to me to ask the assistance of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. I had read His beautiful Tablet beginning: \"0 ye pure friends of God!\" in which He glorified personal cleanliness and urged the avoidance of anything tending towards habits of self-indulgence. \"Surely,\" I said to myself, \"He will tell me how to overcome this habit.\"\n\nSo, when I next saw Him I told Him all about it. It was like a child confessing to His mother, and my voice trailed away to embarrassed silence after only the fewest of words. But He understood, indeed much better than I did. Again I was conscious of an embracing, understanding\n\nlove as He regarded me. After a moment He asked quietly, how much I smoked. I told him. He said He did not think that would hurt me, that the\n\nmen in the Orient smoked all the time, that their hair and beards and clothing became saturated, and often very offensive. But that I did not do this, and at my age and having been accustomed to it for so many years He did not think that I should let it trouble me at all. His gentle eyes and smile seemed to hold a twinkle that recalled my impression of His enjoyment of a divine joke.\n\nI was somewhat overwhelmed. Not a dissertation on the evils of habit; not an explanation of the bad effects on health; not a summoning of my will power to overcome desire, rather a Charter of Freedom did He present to me. I did not understand but it was a great relief for somehow I knew that this was wise advice. So immediately that inner conflict was stilled and I enjoyed my smoke with no smitings of conscience. But two days after this\n\nconversation I found the desire for tobacco had entirely left me and I did not smoke again for seven years.\n\n\n*Source: Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom, p. 45*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/smoking) (Subject: smoking).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I remember the Guardian telling me of how (I believe it must have been in early…",
"slug": "i-remember-the-guardian-telling-me-of-how-bs2",
"summary": "I remember the Guardian telling me of how (I believe it must have been in early 1920) one of the old American Baháis had sent a gift to the Master of a Cunningham automobile; notice of its arrival at the quayside in port came just as the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"efficiency"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/efficiency"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI remember the Guardian telling me of how (I believe it must have been in early 1920) one of the old American Baháis had sent a gift to the Master of a Cunningham automobile; notice of its arrival at the quayside in port came just as the weekend commenced and the Master gave Shoghi Effendi instructions to see that it was cleared and delivered to the house. Shoghi Effendi told me that although the next day there were no high officials in the port and it was not a business day, he succeeded in getting the car delivered and when it arrived he went to the Master and informed Him it was outside the door. He said the Master was very surprised and immensely pleased and asked him how he had succeeded in doing this. Shoghi Effendi told Him he had taken the papers and gone to the homes of various officials, asking them to sign the documents and give the necessary orders for the car of Sir ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbas to be delivered to Him at once. This was typical of the way Shoghi Effendi did his work throughout his entire life. He always wanted everything done at once, if not sooner, and everything he had any personal control over progressed at that speed.\n\n\n*Source: Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 28*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/efficiency) (Subject: efficiency).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I remember we were speaking one night, and I said, “Shoghi Effendi, you know…",
"slug": "i-remember-we-were-speaking-one-night-and-bs0",
"summary": "I remember we were speaking one night, and I said, “Shoghi Effendi, you know the way that the way that the administrative order in America grew and developed, and I know the matchless way in which you did this thing, it was almost the work…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"5 steps prayer",
"holy-land",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/5-steps-prayer"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI remember we were speaking one night, and I said, “Shoghi Effendi, you know the way that the way that the administrative order in America grew and developed, and I know the matchless way in which you did this thing, it was almost the work of a genius, the way you accomplished and built this Cause and made it what it is today.” He said, “Leroy, you talk like you think that I sat over here in the Holy Land, and I had a blueprint of this Bahá’í World Order, and that I started to build it. As soon as I found the friends strong enough to do this, I said build this wall. And then a little later I said build that wall, and then build this wall. And then lay that floor. If you have that idea, dismiss it from your mind. When I became Guardian, I didn’t know what the steps to be taken were. God guided me. And when he gave me guidance I did what He guided me to do, and then I didn’t know what the next step would be until I got the guidance, and when I got the guidance, we did it. And then I didn’t know what the next step would be. I may have thought of what it might be, but I didn’t know until I got the guidance, and then I did. He said, I have supreme confidence that God will guide me to do whatever is necessary for the Cause whenever it should be done. And he says, the Bahá’ís of the world must have exactly that same confidence. They must have confidence that God will guide the Guardian to do what should be done for the welfare of the Cause at the moment it should be done, and unless they have that confidence, the Cause cannot succeed. This is the second message that I want to give you, friends. This confidence which the Guardian had in the unending guidance of God. We, ourselves, have to have this reliance. We have to be reassured in ourselves that God will guide His Cause, and that things will be done when they are to be done, how they are to be done. The unending of guidance of God has not left us. Shoghi Effendi has not left us. He has left his physical body, but his Spirit is still directing the affairs of the Faith in these days, and if we keep our hearts pure, if we keep our hearts as a mirror through which the Power of the Spirit can reflect itself, we will be guided to win this great Crusade.\n\n\n*Source: In the Days of the Guardian a Talk by Hand of the Cause of God Leroy Ioas in Johannesburg, South Africa, 1958*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/5-steps-prayer) (Subject: 5-steps-prayer).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I remember when I was a girl the news came to Isfahan from Nabil that…",
"slug": "i-remember-when-i-was-a-girl-the-bs1",
"summary": "I remember when I was a girl the news came to Isfahan from Nabil that Jamal-i-Mubarak [Bahá’u’lláh] was imprisoned in the fortress town of `Akká, shut in behind iron doors, never going out! As I thought of Him in that poisonous climate -…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"wedding abdul baha",
"pilgrimage",
"martyrdom",
"exile",
"children",
"family",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"generosity",
"gentleness",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 8,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/wedding-abdul-baha"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI remember when I was a girl the news came to Isfahan from Nabil that Jamal-i-Mubarak [Bahá’u’lláh] was imprisoned in the fortress town of `Akká, shut in behind iron doors, never going out! As I thought of Him in that poisonous climate - He Who loved the seas, the hills, and the plains, gardens, flowers and quick movement in the open air - my heart seemed broken, and I shut myself into my room alone, that I might weep river of tears. And now came the never-to-be-forgotten days, when Shaykh Salman arrived at Isfahan, bringing word from Bahá’u’lláh that He wished me to come to Him. I was beside myself with joy, that I should, whilst I lived, see my Lord! Even though the journey should be full of difficulty and danger, of suffering indescribable, of risks uncountable, none of these considerations weighed anything in the balance against the gladness of starting on a pilgrimage, with my face steadfastly set towards the presence of the Holy One.\n\nAccordingly, I set forth with my brother and Shaykh Salman on the journey from Isfahan to `Akká. Extreme caution was necessary - we refrained from intercourse with any of the friends - especially we took care that, not through any word or action of ours, should it become known that the two devoted brothers, Mirza Hasan and Mirza Hasayn of Isfahan, were Bábís. These two dear first cousins of mine were always of great help to any of the friends who were in trouble, but that aid was necessarily given in strict secrecy, so terrible was the danger to property, limb, and life incurred by any, upon whom the suspicion of being a Bábí might fall.\n\nThese two brothers were the first to send material help to the exiles at `Akká, and the friends, sojourning at Mosul, were rescued from sheer starvation by supplies of corn and money, promptly despatched to them by these generous disciples.\n\nThe tragedy of their martyrdom in 1878, when they were given the glorious names of \"King of the Martyrs\" and \"Beloved of the Martyrs,\" was indeed a work of evil, by base hands wrought; truly one of the \"dark deeds without a name.\"\n\nShaykh Salman had brought directions from Bahá’u’lláh for our journey.\n\nWe gave out that we were going to Mecca.\n\nOn our return from the holy shine, we were directed to stay at Jiddah until all the twenty Bábís who had accompanied us had gone back to their homes, having accomplished the pilgrimage to Mecca; none of them being permitted, because of the perilous conditions, to proceed to `Akká. We waited at Jiddah, exercising the greatest circumspection; extreme danger surrounded all. Bahá’u’lláh was in strictest confinement.\n\nWe had grown accustomed to looking into the face of sudden death and numberless other perils, with the fortitude inspired by our gladness and heart of grace; for were we not pilgrims, making our ways to the presence of our beloved Lord at His own express command?\n\nAt length we left Jiddah; my brother and myself, Shaykh Salman, and one servant, such was the little party of four who were permitted to make this pilgrimage to `Akká. To describe all the incidents of that memorable journey would be to fill a great book.\n\nMy wonderful stay at Shiraz - my precious friendship with Khadijih Khánum, that gentle, sorrow-stricken lady, the widow of the Supreme Báb - all this you know.\n\nAlways exercising the greatest discretion we proceeded on our way. We embarked at Alexandria for `Akká; a telegram came: \"Do not land until fetched.\"\n\nNobody came! We thought that our boat would depart with us still on board. At the last moment we saw a small boat coming swiftly towards us. \"Shaykh Salman\"! We heard the cry; our joyful hearts were singing glad songs as we climbed down into the tiny skiff. And we had arrived at `Akká.\n\nPermission to enter the city was obtained in this way.\n\n`Abbud, a Christian merchant, landlord of the 'little house,' as it came to be called, where Bahá’u’lláh and His family were then living, had stated that he expected some friends to visit him. As his friends we entered `Akká, and went straightway to his house.\n\nThe room prepared for me was that of which the door was eventually opened into the 'little house.\" This room was to become my bridal chamber, my nursery night and day, my sitting-room, my all! Glorious was my happiness! I am living it all over again in telling it to you, dear Ladyee, now.\n\nIn a few days I went to stay at the house of Mirza Musa, the brother of Bahá’u’lláh; here I remained for six months. My brother and I used to stand at a window and watch `Abbas Effendi swimming; such a strong and graceful swimmer. Every afternoon about five o'clock the wife of Mirza Musa would go with me to visit Bahá’u’lláh. I cannot describe the wonder and gladness and happiness of being in His presence. My soul was wrapt in an ecstasy of utter joy, and seemed to float in a celestial atmosphere of peace and loving-kindness.\n\nMany beautiful daughters were offered from time to time by parents anxious that their child should have the honour of becoming the wife of the Master. He refused to consider any of them, until I arrived; we met each other once, and our marriage was arranged.\n\nThere was a delay because there was no room available in the \"little house.\"\n\nNow `Abbud, the landlord of the \"little house,\" and of the larger one next to it, had become devoted to the Master, in whom he recognized qualities like unto those of the Lord Christ.\n\nOne day he asked to be received by Bahá’u’lláh, to Whom he said: \"Wherefore the delay in the marriage?\" Being told the reason, he exclaimed: \"I can arrange about the room. I pray Thee, let me have the honour of preparing a place for the Master and His bride.\" He hastened to have the door opened through into an extra room, which he furnished simply and comfortably. \"The room is now ready, O Master.\"\n\nThe next day, Bahá’u’lláh asked Khánum, His daughter, not to let their visitor (Munirih Khánum) return to her abode. Khánum brought a dainty white frock (which Asiyih Khánum and she had made for me of white batiste) and put it on to me, with a fresh white niqab (head-dress) on my head - and I was adorned for my wedding.\n\nThe guests were few, Asiyih Khánum, Bahiyyih Khánum, the wife of `Abbud, her three daughters (one of these wished to dress my hair more elaborately than usual, but I preferred to leave it in its two plaits), and the wife of Mirza Musa.\n\nBahá’u’lláh spoke wonderful words to me; \"Oh Munirih! Oh my Leaf! I have destined you for the wife of My Greatest Branch. This is the bounty of God to you. In earth or in heaven there is no greater gift. Many have come, but We have rejected them and chosen you. Oh Munirih! Be worthy of Him, and of Our generosity to you.\"\n\nIf I were to try to describe my elation, my ecstasy of joy, \"Mathnavi would become seventy volumes\" (Persian proverb; \"Mathnavi\" a book of poems).\n\nOh that this hour had been everlasting!\n\nBahá’u’lláh had previously revealed a Tablet for us which the guests wished me to chant to them. \"When the gates of the sacred garden are set open, and the holy youth issues forth, verily he hath come with a Message of great import.\n\n\"Great tidings! Glad tidings! \"This is that holy youth who hath come, bringing the Message of great joy.\" (In Persian this is remarkably beautiful, and the guests were deeply touched by the poetry of the language, chanted by the lovely voice of Munirih Khánum.)\n\nBahá’u’lláh had said to the Master: \"Come back early this afternoon, the wedding must take place today.\" Bahá’u’lláh chanted the prayers. Oh the spiritual happiness which enfolded us! It cannot be described in earthly words.\n\nThe chanting ended, the guests left us. I was the wife of my Beloved. How wonderful and noble He was in His beauty. I adored Him. I recognized His greatness, and thanked God for bringing me to Him.\n\nIt is impossible to put into words the delight of being with the Master; I seemed to be in a glorious realm of sacred happiness whilst in His company. You have known Him in His later years, but then, in the youth of His beauty and manly vigour, with His unfailing love, His kindness, His cheerfulness, His sense of humour, His untiring consideration for everybody, He was marvellous, without equal, surely in all the earth!\n\nAt the wedding there was no cake, only cups of tea; there were no decorations, and no choir, but the blessing of Jamal-i-Mubarak; the glory and beauty of love and happiness were beyond and above all luxury and ceremony and circumstance. For fifty years my Beloved and I were together. Never were\n\nwe separated save during His visits to Egypt, Europe, and America.\n\nO my Beloved husband and my Lord! How shall I speak of Him? You, who have known Him, can imagine what my fifty years have been - how they fled by in an atmosphere of love and joy and the perfection of that Peace which passeth all understanding, in the radiant light of which I await the day when I shall be called to join Him, in the celestial garden of transfiguration.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/wedding-abdul-baha) (Subject: wedding-abdul-baha).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I spend much of my time travelling, visiting many countries and meeting Bahá’ís…",
"slug": "i-spend-much-of-my-time-travelling-visiting-bs1",
"summary": "I spend much of my time travelling, visiting many countries and meeting Bahá’ís and their friends. Very often we will sit and talk about the teachings and about prayer. It is often a surprise to me how some of the friends say they don't…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"John Robarts"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"forgiveness gods"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"kindness",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-gods"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI spend much of my time travelling, visiting many countries and meeting Bahá’ís and their friends. Very often we will sit and talk about the teachings and about prayer. It is often a surprise to me how some of the friends say they don't pray. One devoted believer told me that Bahá’u’lláh had said work is worship, that he works so many hours in a week for the Faith he has no time left to pray. Others say they don't understand prayer, they don't see why they should pursue it. It seems to me these friends are missing a priceless pearl. A few weeks ago, while I was on a tour, a fine young man asked me if I could give him some comfort, which he said he needed badly, and he explained that he had been living the kind of life that he was sure God could never forgive him for. He asked me, \"How can I possibly square myself with God?'' My heart ached for him, he was so sincere, and yet I was so glad to be able to assure him that he had already been forgiven, that God is the All-Knowing, the All- Wise, the Ever-Forgiving, the Ever- Loving, the Most-Merciful. Me said, \"How I wish I could believe that.\" I happened to have a quotation from the Qur'an in my hand where Muhammad had said, \"Prayer is a ladder by which everyone can ascend to heaven.\" He seemed to be comforted by that assurance that everyone can ascend to heaven.\n\n\n*Source: John Robarts, from Bahá'í Talks, Messages and Articles*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-gods) (Subject: forgiveness-gods).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I think this is the first story I heard from Inez Greeven, at her home in…",
"slug": "i-think-this-is-the-first-story-i-bs11",
"summary": "I think this is the first story I heard from Inez Greeven, at her home in Carmel , California , around 1980. Please feel free to share it in any way you wish to... Inez’ sister India Haggarty was a pioneer living in a hotel in Paris in…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"intuition",
"pioneering",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI think this is the first story I heard from Inez Greeven, at her home in Carmel , California , around 1980. Please feel free to share it in any way you wish to...\n\nInez’ sister India Haggarty was a pioneer living in a hotel in Paris in 1931. This was 10 years after the passing of the Master, and 20 years after His visit to that city. There was another pioneer in Paris at that time, and I’ll call her “Mrs. S”.\n\nOne night in 1931 India had a vision of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He appeared to her and told her that He wanted her to go, right then, to her Bahá’í sister Mrs. S. “Bring her flowers, and bring her money,” He said.\n\nIndia got up out of bed and immediately prepared herself to leave her hotel. As she was fixing her hair in the mirror, her face was still radiant from the vision of the Master. She called down to the hotel clerk to summon a taxi for her.\n\nShe gathered up all of her money. She set aside the money she needed for her personal expenses, and put all the rest of her cash into a small purse.\n\nShe went downstairs and asked the clerk, “Where is the nearest florist shop?” The clerk answered that there was one quite close by, but as it was just 5 o’clock in the morning, it was of course closed. India said thank-you, and waited for the taxi. When it arrived she said to please take her to that florist shop. The driver said all right, but it’s closed. She said, knowing that the Master had a way for her to get flowers, that he should take her there anyway. They arrived, and the windows were all dark. “I told you it was closed,” the driver said. India said to take her to the next florist shop, and it, too, was closed.\n\nAs they drove through the city, they came upon the farmer’s market area, where all of the local growers brought in their vegetables and flowers to sell to the local stores. There was a wagon filled with flowers, and India got out of the taxi and went over to the driver. She came back with an armful of red tulips, and got into the taxi.\n\nShe handed the driver a slip of paper with the address of Mrs. S. on it, and they drove across Paris in the early morning darkness.\n\n[At this point in the story, Inez said to me, \"Now imagine. A conservative American woman is going across Paris at 5 in the morning to bring flowers and money to another conservative American woman.\"]\n\nThe taxi dropped India off at Mrs. S’s front door, and she stood there, with her arms full of red tulips. She knocked at the door. She heard a rustling, and the door opened. Mrs. S. was standing inside, wearing a heavy black coat, and it was obvious that she had been crying. Her face showed great distress. Mrs. S looked at India, and at the red tulips, and cried out, “OH! ABDU’L-BAHA!” and burst into tears.\n\nShe sobbed and sobbed. She and India went into her home and sat down, and India tried to comfort her friend. After she was composed, Mrs. S asked India , “Why have you come here?”\n\nIndia answered that the Master had come to her in a vision, and that He had told her to bring flowers, and money. She handed the purse to Mrs. S. Mrs. S. was astounded. When she could speak, she said, “You think I am rich. Everyone does. And I did have money, but I ran out, and I was ashamed to tell anyone. There isn’t one speck of food in this house. As you can tell, the house is cold; I cannot afford to heat it. I have been suffering, and I could no longer bear it. I decided last night, to end my life. I awoke this morning, and I went and put on my coat. I decided to cast myself into the Seine , and drown myself. I went to the front door, and was just putting my hand on the doorknob to go out, when suddenly, you knocked. I opened the door, and you were standing there. I could not believe my eyes.\n\nTwenty years ago, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá came to my house, in this city. And when I opened the door to receive Him, He was standing on my front porch with an armful of red tulips. And to see you standing there with these tulips, and bringing this money, I could not believe it.”\n\nNow THAT’s a true story, because I heard it from Inez Greeven, and she showed me the postcard.\n\n\n*Source: Bahá'í Views*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition) (Subject: intuition).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I used to make broth for people, as I had much practice, I make good broth,’…",
"slug": "i-used-to-make-broth-for-people-as-bs13",
"summary": "I used to make broth for people, as I had much practice, I make good broth,’ the Master testified…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI used to make broth for people, as I had much practice, I make good broth,’ the Master testified laughingly.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 170*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I want to give you just one day in the Guardian’s life so you can appreciate a…",
"slug": "i-want-to-give-you-just-one-day-bs0",
"summary": "I want to give you just one day in the Guardian’s life so you can appreciate a little bit more what it is to be the head of a faith like the Bahá’í Faith. Shoghi Effendi usually arose in the morning about 5:30. And then he had his period…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Rúhíyyih Khánum",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"shoghi effendi schedule",
"pilgrimage",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"hope",
"justice",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/shoghi-effendi-schedule"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI want to give you just one day in the Guardian’s life so you can appreciate a little bit more what it is to be the head of a faith like the Bahá’í Faith. Shoghi Effendi usually arose in the morning about 5:30. And then he had his period of prayer and devotions and meditation. After that he would receive, or he still had the pile of mail from yesterday or the day before, piles of mail. And he would start to go through this mail from all over the world. And he would indicate on each letter what should be done with it. Well, the thing that interested me very much, because I come from a business background, and had a large office and had lots of mail (I never opened my own mail; it was always handled by someone else), but Shoghi Effendi opened every letter that was addressed to him. Anyone that wrote any letter that wrote a letter that was addressed to Shoghi Effendi, that was opened by the Guardian himself. And he took out the letter and read it, and then he indicated and instructed what was to be done with it. Sometimes he gave it to Rúhíyyih Khánum to respond to. Sometimes he gave it to me. Other times he gave it to Dr. Hakkim if it were to the Oriental countries and had to be answered in Persian. Every piece of mail that was ever addressed to the Guardian of the Cause was received by him personally and was opened by him personally, so that everyone was assured that their messages to him throughout his own eyes, his own heart and his own mind.\n\nWell, after going through this correspondence, for hours, and don’t think it was light one evening he came over and said, “Today I received 700 pages of minutes and records from different parts of the world, and I had to read them all.” Now that came pretty nearly every day; not in that volume, but I just mention that volume just so that you have an idea what it was just to read the mail, let alone consider what was to be done about all of the questions that were asked, and to issue the instructions about what should be done all over the world.\n\nAnd in the afternoon he went up into the Mount Carmel, and the Bahá’í gardens there, which he had built himself, and he met the Oriental pilgrims. He walked with them in the gardens. He talked with them. He had tea with them. He answered their questions. He talked about the Cause in all parts of the world, but particularly in the Orient; what should be donethis problem, that problem, the other problem. And then he would lead them into the shrine. And after a period of prayer and devotion there in which he chanted for them, they would return, and then he would come down and continue with his mail and his cables as they came in during the day, answer the cables. Then in the evening he would come in and have dinner with the pilgrims from the western part of the world, and with the members of the International Bahá’í Council. Then he would talk about the Cause with the people from the West. He talked with them in English, since Shoghi Effendi spoke a number of languages, English and Persian and Arabic very well, and he would talk about the Cause and the different conditions all throughout the world. Then he would talk about conditions in their own country. One of the most interesting that we experienced was, say, a pilgrim would come, let’s say, from Canada, and he would ask, “Well, how is the Cause developing in Canada? How is it progressing? How many centers do you have? How many spiritual assemblies do you have? And how many groups do you have?” “Well, Shoghi Effendi, I don’t know.” And he said, “Well, you don’t know, but I do know, and I’ll tell you what it was.” And it didn’t matter what country it was, if it was Swaziland, or South Africa. He would tell you what the number of assemblies was, or the number of groups, or the number of Bahá’ís, or the condition of the Bahá’ís. Any part of the world, it made no difference. So he would talk to each and every one about their own country, about the conditions there, about the social conditions, about the problems under which they worked, and give them hope and encouragement and guidance and instructions.\n\nAnd then he would take that occasion to talk over many of the problems with the International Council. Shoghi Effendi was not a person who had very many secrets. He allowed no one to speak of anything of the things that happened in the Holy Land, or, actually, any of the personal discussions that took place at the table with the pilgrims. But the business of the Cause around the Holy Land, he usually talked about it, he talked at that time, and gave his instructions. And it is very interesting, his instructions were always right.\n\nSo when I give you this as a picture of one day in Shoghi Effendi’s life. Remember, it wasn’t one day, and then he rested for a week. It wasn’t two days and then he rested. It was three days. It was four days. It was five days. It was six days. It was seven days. And it was that way week after week and week after week.\n\nWhen he was in the Holy Land, there was no rest whatsoever for the Guardian. From early morning, five-thirty in the morning, until eleven or eleven-thirty at night. Burdened, problems all over the world; people never thought to, until the last few years, to send him the encouraging word of what had been done, the great victories that had been won. But if anyone had any trouble, he would cable the Guardian for guidance, and he had to solve the problems of the world in that way. So he was continuously under the pressure of the friends at all times.\n\n\n*Source: In the Days of the Guardian a Talk by Hand of the Cause of God Leroy Ioas in Johannesburg, South Africa, 1958*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/shoghi-effendi-schedule) (Subject: shoghi-effendi-schedule).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I was a child in Tehran when at the age of seven I contracted tuberculosis",
"slug": "i-was-a-child-in-tehran-when-at-bs1",
"summary": "I was a child in Tehran when at the age of seven I contracted tuberculosis. There was no hope of recovery. The wisdom of this sickness became clear later. If I had not been ill, I would have been obliged to go to Mazindaran but because of…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"timing",
"prison",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/timing"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI was a child in Tehran when at the age of seven I contracted tuberculosis. There was no hope of recovery. The wisdom of this sickness became clear later. If I had not been ill, I would have been obliged to go to Mazindaran but because of this sickness I stayed in Tehran
..This was when the Blessed Beauty was in prison in Tehran. Therefore, I was afforded the honor of being in His company during His journey to Iraq. When the right time arrived, I suddenly became well, after the doctors had given up all hope of recovery.\n\n\n*Source: Stories Told by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 104*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/timing) (Subject: timing).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I was asked to say a few words to the dear South African believers who are here today",
"slug": "i-was-asked-to-say-a-few-words-bs1",
"summary": "I was asked to say a few words to the dear South African believers who are here today. I thought I could tell you about a tablet, a very short tablet, revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The contents of this Tablet are as follows: the Master says…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Ali Nakhjavání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"unity",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"kindness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI was asked to say a few words to the dear South African believers who are here today. I thought I could tell you about a tablet, a very short tablet, revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The contents of this Tablet are as follows: the Master says the relationships of the believers to the Cause of God are of two kinds. One kind is like the relationship of the flower to the garden. The other relationship is that of the ray of the sun to the sun. \"I hope\", Master says, \"that your relationship will be of the second kind\". And that is the end of the Tablet! Now, I have been thinking about this Tablet, and I have been wondering why ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says that he prefers the second kind to the first kind. There is nothing wrong in being a flower in the garden of Bahá’u’lláh. In fact, we have prayers, \"O God, make me a flower in Thy garden\". Why is it that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá prefers the other type, which is the ray of the sun? The sun is the Cause of God, and the ray emanates from it. So I am offering my views, my humble views, about this beautiful, simple tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. I thought like this, I said, OK, we have a flower in a garden, the flower says, \"I like this garden\", in other words, we say, we like the Cause. \"I like this garden, I grow in this garden, I am proud of my garden, I am named after this garden\". (I am a Bahá’í) OK, this is all good. We take the ray of the sun. The ray says exactly all these things, he says, \"I am from the sun, I am proud of the sun, I depend everything, all my life on the sun,\" etc, etc, exactly the same thing. But, if you bring one ray and you bring a second ray, what happens? The two rays become one. But if you bring one flower and you bring another flower, they remain two flowers. If on an Assembly or a Bahá’í committee, you bring nine rays and bring them together, they become one strong united ray. But if you bring nine flowers and bring them together, they are a beautiful bouquet, a beautiful flower arrangement, but they are nine different flowers, and everyone, if we credit the flower with some thinking, some intelligence and some ego, the flower will say, \"Really, I don't want to say, but I think I'm better than the others. I think I'm more beautiful, I think I have a more beautiful scent. I don't want to talk about it, but... never mind...\" This is what the flower will do. Why, because of the ego. The ego is inside. And believe me, this animal ego is in all of us. If we have 20 people in this room, there are 20 egos, no exception. And this ego will be with us till the very last breath. When we go to the next world, we separate, we say goodbye. But until that day, it is with us, it suggests things to us, it deviates us from the right path, because that is the animal in us, it wants everything for itself. OK, let’s go to the ray now. The ray says, \"I have no name, it doesn't matter. I don't have colour, it doesn't matter. I am from the sun. My job is to be faithful and to carry the light of the sun, the heat of the sun. That is my duty. And I am doing it.\" It is so pure that if you take a chair, and you go outside where there is the sun, you say, \"I am sitting in the sun.\" Ha! You are not sitting in the sun. The sun is up there! But the ray is so faithful, so pure, that it carries all the qualities of the sun, in a pure way, so much so that you say I am sitting in the sun. Now, another difference is that the flower is on the receiving end.\" Soil, give me good soil, water, give me good water, light and sun, I want more light.\" It's all the time receiving. \"Give me.\" What does the ray do? It doesn't want anything, the ray gives, it helps the flowers to grow. Big difference between the two!! So, that is why I think ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says, \"It's good to be a flower in the garden, but better still is to be a ray of the sun. This is my first choice for you, this is what I prefer you to be. To be a ray from the sun, so that you give to others, you are a way of helping others. You are not thinking of yourself. You are thinking of others, to assist others all the time, to give the light, to give the heat, the warmth.\"\n\n\n*Source: Ali Nakhjavani, Pilgrim’s Notes*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/unity) (Subject: unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I went to the house of the late Haji",
"slug": "i-went-to-the-house-of-the-late-bs0",
"summary": "I went to the house of the late Haji. We called in appraisers and they collected all the jewels in an upper apartment; the ledgers and account books having to do with the properties were placed in a second room; the costly furnishings and…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"inheritance",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"gratitude",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/inheritance"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI went to the house of the late Haji. We called in appraisers and they collected all the jewels in an upper apartment; the ledgers and account books having to do with the properties were placed in a second room; the costly furnishings and art objects of the house in a third. A number of jewelers then went to work and set a value on the gems. Other experts appraised the house, the shops, the gardens, the baths. As soon as they began their work I came out and posted someone in each room so that the appraisers could duly complete their tasks. By this time it was nearly noon. We then had luncheon, after which the appraisers were directed to divide everything into two equal parts, so that lots could be cast; one part would be that of the daughters, and one that of the son, Mirza Musa. [This was in accord with the law of Islám]. I then went to bed, for I was ill. In the afternoon I rose, had tea, and repaired to the family apartments of the mansion. Here I observed that the goods had been divided into three parts. I said to them: \"My instructions were that everything should be divided into two parts. How is it that there are three?\" The heirs and other relatives answered as one: \"A third must certainly be set aside. That is why we have divided everything into three. One share is for Mirza Musa, one for the two daughters, and the third we place at Your disposal; this third is the portion of the deceased and You are to expend it in any way You see fit.\"\n\nGreatly disturbed, we told them, \"Such a thing is out of the question. This you must not require, for it cannot be complied with. We gave our word to Bahá’u’lláh that not so much as a copper coin would be accepted.\" But they, too, swore upon oath that it must be as they wished, that they would agree to nothing else. This servant answered: \"Let us leave this matter for the present. Is there any further disagreement among you?\" \"Yes,\" said Mirza Musa, \"what has become of the money that was left?\" Asked the amount, he answered: \"Three hundred thousand tumans.\" The daughters said: \"There are two possibilities: either this money is here in the house, in some coffer, or buried hereabouts -- or else it is in other hands. We will give over the house and all its contents to Mirza Musa. We two will leave the house, with nothing but our veils. If anything turns up we, as of now, freely accord it to him. If the money is elsewhere, it has no doubt been deposited in someone's care; and that person, well aware of the breach of trust, will hardly come forward, deal honorably by us, and return it -- rather, he will make off with it all. Mirza Musa must establish a satisfactory proof of what he says; his claim alone is not evidence.\" Mirza Musa replied: \"All the property was in their hands; I knew nothing of what was going on -- I had no hint of it. They did whatever they pleased.\"\n\nIn short, Mirza Musa had no clear proof of his claim. He could only ask, \"Is such a thing possible, that the late Haji had no ready funds?\" Since the claim was unsupported, I felt that pursuing it further would lead to a scandal and produce nothing of value. Accordingly I bade them: \"Cast the lots.\" As for the third share, I had them put it in a separate apartment, close it off, and affix a seal to the door. The key I brought to Bahá’u’lláh. \"The task is done,\" I said. \"It was accomplished only through Your confirmations. Otherwise it could not have been completed in a year. However, a difficulty has arisen.\" I described in detail the claim of Mirza Musa and the absence of any proof. Then I said, \"Mirza Musa is heavily in debt. Even should he expend all he has, still he could not pay off his creditors. It is best, therefore, if You Yourself will accept the heirs' request, since they persist in their offer, and bestow that share on Mirza Musa. Then he could at least free himself from his debts and still have something left over.\"\n\nOn the following day the heirs appeared and implored the Blessed Beauty to have me accept the third share. \"This is out of the question,\" He told them. Then they begged and entreated Him to accept that share Himself and expend it for charitable purposes of His own choice. He answered: \"There is only one purpose for which I might expend that sum.\" They said, \"That is no concern of ours, even if You have it thrown into the sea. We will not loose our hold from the hem of Your garment and we will not cease our importunities until You accede to our request.\" Then He told them, \"I have now accepted this third share; and I have given it to Mirza Musa, your brother, but on the condition that, from this day forward, he will speak no more of any claim against yourselves.\" The heirs were profuse in their thanks. And so this weighty and difficult case was settled in a single day. It left no residue of complaints, no uproar, no further quarrels.\n\nMirza Musa did his best to urge some of the jewels on me, but I refused. Finally he requested that I accept a single ring. It was a precious ring, set with a costly pomegranate ruby, a flawless sphere, and unique. All around the central stone, it was gemmed with diamonds. This too I refused, although I had no aba to my back and nothing to wear but a cotton tunic that bespoke the antiquity of the world, nor did I own a copper coin. As Hafiz would say: \"An empty purse, but in our sleeve a hoard.\"\n\nGrateful for the bounty he had received, Mirza Musa offered Bahá’u’lláh everything he possessed: orchards, lands, estates -- but it was refused. Then he appointed the ulamas of Iraq to intercede for him. They hastened to Bahá’u’lláh in a body and begged Him to accept the proffered gifts. He categorically refused. They respectfully told Him: \"Unless You accept, in a very short time Mirza Musa will scatter it all to the winds. For his own good, he should not have access to this wealth.\"\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful, p. 112-116*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/inheritance) (Subject: inheritance).*\n"
},
{
"title": "I wish to tell you the story of two martyrs; one was a Persian nobleman, a…",
"slug": "i-wish-to-tell-you-the-story-of-bs1",
"summary": "I wish to tell you the story of two martyrs; one was a Persian nobleman, a favorite at court, possessed of much wealth and known throughout all the country. When it was discovered that he was a follower of Bahá'o'llah, this glorious man…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"martyrs",
"martyrdom",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"humility",
"joy",
"patience",
"prayer",
"steadfastness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/martyrs"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI wish to tell you the story of two martyrs; one was a Persian nobleman, a favorite at court, possessed of much wealth and known throughout all the country. When it was discovered that he was a follower of Bahá'o'llah, this glorious man was taken into custody and in company with another thrown into prison without food or water. The third day one of them requested the jailer to give him a cup of tea. Struck with his attitude of humility, the jailer did as requested; thanking him the prisoner said: \"I am exceedingly sorry to trouble you, but pray have a little patience with our requests tonight, for tomorrow night we shall be the guests of God.\"\n\nOn the fourth day they were taken out of prison and two bears were made to dance before them; also several monkeys were brought, in order to humiliate them. Solomon Kahn and his friend were taken into a room, their breasts lacerated and in the yawning apertures lighted candles were placed. In Persia this is considered the most degrading form of torture.\n\nThen they started on parade through the town. Solomon Kahn looking about him said: \"There is no need for this commotion. Why such ado about our death? Verily, this is our wedding feast and we are very happy.\" Accompanied by a band and followed by many people, they were paraded through the bazaars and streets of the city. People pricked them with long needles, saying, \"Dance for us!\" With unflinching courage and exultant joy they walked along; from morn till eve walked they through the city. When the candles burned down, they were renewed by the jailers.\n\nAll the time our heroes were calm and happy and as they marched they smiled at the people on the right and left of them and looking heavenward murmured prayers. Finally they arrived at the outer gates of the city where each was cut into four pieces.\n\nTeheran has four high gates and a section of their bodies adorned either side of the gates. Even while being dismembered, Solomon Kahn was praying and supplicating God. This story will be found in a history compiled by an enemy of this cause, for all has been recorded by the Shah's historians. At the end, the historian says of Solomon Kahn, \"This man was possessed by an evil spirit.\" This account shows how readily the believers of God give their lives, how self-sacrificing they are, eternally firm and steadfast. These illumined souls are the result of the light of Bahá'o'llah, who attracted them to the kingdom of God with such reflective power that like fixed stars these martyrs will ever shine from the horizon of El-Abhá.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Divine Philosophy, p. 47-49*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/martyrs) (Subject: martyrs).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Ibn-i-Asdaq often accompanied his father on his teaching tours throughout Persia",
"slug": "ibn-i-asdaq-often-accompanied-his-father-on-his-teaching-bs0",
"summary": "Ibn-i-Asdaq often accompanied his father on his teaching tours throughout Persia. Thus he became imbued with the spirit of service to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh and eventually developed a passionate love for Him, a love that knew no bounds.…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"martyrs",
"martyrdom",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/martyrs"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIbn-i-Asdaq often accompanied his father on his teaching tours throughout Persia. Thus he became imbued with the spirit of service to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh and eventually developed a passionate love for Him, a love that knew no bounds. He was about thirty years of age when he sent a letter to the presence of Bahá’u’lláh and, among other things, begged Him to confer upon him a station wherein he might become completely detached from such realms as 'life and death', 'body and soul', 'existence and nothingness', 'reputation and honour'. The gist of everything Ibn-i-Asdaq requested in this letter was the attainment of the station of 'utter self-sacrifice'; a plea for martyrdom, a state in which the individual in his love for his Beloved will offer up everything he possesses. ... In response Bahá’u’lláh revealed a Tablet to Ibn-i-Asdaq. This was in January 1880. In this Tablet... He states that service to the Cause is the greatest of all deeds, and that those who are the symbols of certitude ought to be engaged in teaching with the utmost wisdom. He further explains that martyrdom is not confined to the shedding of blood, as it is possible to live and yet be counted as a martyr in the sight of God. In this Tablet Bahá’u’lláh showers upon him His blessings, for he had offered up his all to his Lord.\n\n\n*Source: Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, vol. 3, p. 266-267*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/martyrs) (Subject: martyrs).*\n"
},
{
"title": "If you could have seen the brute, Juliet, mumbling out his miserable excuses",
"slug": "if-you-could-have-seen-the-brute-juliet-bs8",
"summary": "If you could have seen the brute, Juliet, mumbling out his miserable excuses! But the Master took him in His arms and said: 'All those things are in the past. Never think of them again.' Then He invited Zillu's-Sultan two sons to spend a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"forgiveness others"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-others"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIf you could have seen the brute, Juliet, mumbling out his miserable excuses! But the Master took him in His arms and said: 'All those things are in the past. Never think of them again.' Then He invited Zillu's-Sultan two sons to spend a day with Him.\n\n\n*Source: Misc Bahá’í, The Diary of Juliet Thompson*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-others) (Subject: forgiveness-others).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Imagine that we are in the ancient house of the still more ancient city of…",
"slug": "imagine-that-we-are-in-the-ancient-house-bs6",
"summary": "Imagine that we are in the ancient house of the still more ancient city of Akka, which was for a month my home. The room in which we are faces the opposite wall of a narrow paved street, which an active man might clear at a single bound.…",
"figures": [],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"poor",
"women",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/poor"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nImagine that we are in the ancient house of the still more ancient city of Akka, which was for a month my home. The room in which we are faces the opposite wall of a narrow paved street, which an active man might clear at a single bound. Above is the bright sun of Palestine; to the right a glimpse of the old sea-wall and the blue Mediterranean. As we sit we hear a singular sound rising from the pavement, thirty feet below - faint at first, and increasing. It is like the murmur of human voices. We open the window and look down. We see a crowd of human beings with patched and tattered garments. Let us descend to the street and see who these are.\n\nIt is a noteworthy gathering. Many of these men are blind; many more are pale, emaciated, or aged. Some are on crutches; some are so feeble that they can barely walk. Most of the women are closely veiled, but enough are uncovered to cause us well to believe that, if the veils were lifted, more pain and misery would be seen. Some of them carry babes with pinched and sallow faces. There are perhaps a hundred in this gathering, and besides, many children. They are of all the races one meets in these streets - Syrians, Arabs, Ethiopians, and many others. These people are ranged against the walls or seated on the ground, apparently in an attitude of expectation; - for what do they wait? Let us wait with them.\n\nWe have not to wait long. A door opens and a man comes out. He is of middle stature, strongly built. He wears flowing light-coloured robes. On his head is a light buff fez with a white cloth wound about it. He is perhaps sixty years of age. His long grey hair rests on his shoulders. His forehead is broad, full, and high, his nose slightly aquiline, his moustaches and beard, the latter full though not heavy, nearly white. His eyes are grey and blue, large, and both soft and penetrating. His bearing is simple, but there is grace, dignity, and even majesty about his movements. He passes through the crowd, and as he goes utters words of salutation. We do not understand them, but we see the benignity and the kindliness of his countenance. He stations himself at a narrow angle of the street and motions to the people to come towards him. They crowd up a little too insistently. He pushes them gently back and lets them pass him one by one. As they come they hold their hands extended. In each open palm he places some small coins. He knows them all. He caresses them with his hand on the face, on the shoulders, on the head. Some he stops and questions. An aged negro who hobbles up, he greets with some kindly inquiry; the old man's broad face breaks into a sunny smile, his white teeth glistening against his ebony skin as he replies. He stops a woman with a babe and fondly strokes the child. As they pass, some kiss his hand. To all he says, \"Marhabbah, marhabbah\" - \"Well done, well done!\"\n\nSo they all pass him. The children have been crowding around him with extended hands, but to them he has not given. However, at the end, as he turns to go, he throws a handful of coppers over his shoulder, for which they scramble.\n\nDuring this time this friend of the poor has not been unattended. Several men wearing red fezes, and with earnest and kindly faces, followed him from the house, stood near him and aided in regulating the crowd, and now, with reverent manner and at a respectful distance, follow him away. When they address him they call him \"Master.\"\n\n\n*Source: Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khánum, Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/poor) (Subject: poor).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In 1904 and 1907 commissions were appointed by the Turkish Government to…",
"slug": "in-1904-and-1907-commissions-were-appointed-by-bs4",
"summary": "In 1904 and 1907 commissions were appointed by the Turkish Government to inquire into the charges against ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and lying witnesses gave evidence against Him. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, while refuting the charges, expressed His entire readiness…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"happiness"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/happiness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn 1904 and 1907 commissions were appointed by the Turkish Government to inquire into the charges against ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and lying witnesses gave evidence against Him. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, while refuting the charges, expressed His entire readiness to submit to any sentence the tribunal chose to impose. He declared that if they should throw Him into jail, drag Him through the streets, curse Him, spit upon Him, stone Him, heap upon Him all sort of ignominy, hang Him or shoot Him, He would still be happy.\n\n\n*Source: Marzieh Gail, The Sheltering Branch p. 99-100*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/happiness) (Subject: happiness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In 1907 Corinne True was in 'Akká with the Master",
"slug": "in-1907-corinne-true-was-in-akk-with-bs7",
"summary": "In 1907 Corinne True was in 'Akká with the Master. She was one of many who were deeply touched by the love of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, demonstrated so clearly in His customary Friday morning acts of charity. From her window she 'saw between two and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"poor",
"exile",
"prison",
"women",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/poor"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn 1907 Corinne True was in 'Akká with the Master. She was one of many who were deeply touched by the love of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, demonstrated so clearly in His customary Friday morning acts of charity. From her window she 'saw between two and three hundred men, women and children gathered. Such a motley crowd one can see only in these parts. There were blind, lame, cripples and very feeble persons, the poorest clad collection of people almost that the earth contains. One man had his clothing made of a patched quilt, an old woman had gunny sacking for a cloak; children were so ragged that their clothing would scarcely stay on them. 'Two or three of the men believers were with the Master. The people were required to arrange themselves in order about two sides of the court and the Master began near the gate giving into the hand of each some piece of money and then each was required to move out. It was a sight never to be forgotten to see the Master going from one to another, saying some word of praise or kindness to encourage each. With some He would stop to inquire into their health and He would pat them on the back, these poor, dirty-looking creatures, and once in a while we would see Him send some one away empty-handed and He would reprimand him for his laziness. How clear and musical His voice sounded as He went from one to another, giving and praising! The men accompanying Him kept order in great kindness, but firmness, and saw that each passed on as soon as he had received from the Master. Where on this globe can one duplicate such a scene as is enacted every Friday morning in the court yard of the Master of Acca, Who is Himself a state Prisoner to the Turkish government and has lived in prison or in exile since He was nine years of age!'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 80*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/poor) (Subject: poor).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In 1909 Ethel Rosenberg made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land",
"slug": "in-1909-ethel-rosenberg-made-a-pilgrimage-to-bs13",
"summary": "In 1909 Ethel Rosenberg made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Although He was free, the Master had not yet left ‘Akka to live in Haifa. Ethel asked Him what the friends could do to increase their numbers and to make their work more…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"love",
"pilgrimage",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/love"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn 1909 Ethel Rosenberg made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Although He was free, the Master had not yet left ‘Akka to live in Haifa. Ethel asked Him what the friends could do to increase their numbers and to make their work more effective. He answered that ‘the members of the little groups should love each other very much and be devoted friends. The more they loved each other, the more the meetings would attract and draw others, and the more they loved, the more their influence would be felt . . . I say also in English, that you may understand how much I mean it, that love is the foundation of everything . . .’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 102*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/love) (Subject: love).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In 1911 in a little Boston suburb called Medford, a woman from London came to…",
"slug": "in-1911-in-a-little-boston-suburb-called-bs17",
"summary": "In 1911 in a little Boston suburb called Medford, a woman from London came to speak about the martyrs in the early days of the Bahá’í Faith. William Randall was one of the guests invited to the home of Marian Williams Conant. Mr Randall…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"teaching",
"martyrdom",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice",
"kindness",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn 1911 in a little Boston suburb called Medford, a woman from London came to speak about the martyrs in the early days of the Bahá’í Faith. William Randall was one of the guests invited to the home of Marian Williams Conant. Mr Randall had never as much as heard of the Bahá’í Faith, yet he went with moderate interest. When the evening was over and he was shaking hands with the speaker, who had shown pictures of early martyrs, she looked at him and said, ‘Mr Randall, you are the only person in this room who has caught the spirit of this evening. I am going to send someone to you to tell you of the Bahá’í Faith.’ Mr Randall was startled but thanked her and departed. A few weeks passed. One morning he looked up from his desk and saw Harlan Ober standing before him. He was immediately impressed with Harlan’s eyes and with his sincerity. Having seated himself, Harlan began to tell him about the Bahá’í Faith. Mr Randall had long had a lively interest in religion. Born a Catholic, he had become an Episcopalian, but he had gone into Theosophy, Christian Science and New Thought movements; he had studied ancient religions. He felt he knew all there was to know about religion. He had no real interest in studying a new faith now, but Mr Ober was persistent. As the months passed, Harlan Ober repeatedly dropped in on William Randall, urging him to study, telling him more about this new Faith.\n\nWhen ‘Abdu’l-Bahá came to Boston in 1912, Harlan said to his reluctant student, ‘You must go and see Him . . .’ Mr Randall was disinclined, but finally consented to hear the Master lecture in Boston. Listening to Him, he thought that this Man was certainly a very great Man, truly a Saint. At the close of the lecture, as Mr Randall was leaving the hall, he heard one of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s secretaries ask, ‘Is there anyone here who would be gracious enough to buy ‘Abdu’l-Bahá some grape juice? He is very fond of it and would like some after His lecture.’ Instinctively, Mr Randall replied, ‘I would be very glad to get it.’ At the corner drug store he bought six bottles of grape juice and took them to the hotel where the Master was staying. He could give them to someone who could take them to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, as he did not want to become involved. When he got off the elevator, he was drawn swiftly into conversation with friends who were standing near. Hardly realizing what he was doing, he handed his bottles to one of the Master’s secretaries. The next thing he knew the secretary returned with a glass of grape juice on a tray and said to Mr Randall, ‘Since you have been so kind to bring this to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, won’t you take it in yourself, Mr Randall?’ Not liking the idea yet not wishing to be ungracious he consented, but planned to put it on the nearest table and make a speedy exit. He put aside the little curtain before the Master’s door, saw just the right table and deposited his tray. Just as he was backing out, pleased that he had not disturbed ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who was all alone at the far side of the room, seemingly asleep, the Master opened His eyes and looking at him, said, ‘Be seated’. Feeling that he could not well refuse, Mr Randall seated himself on a couch in the centre of the room. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá settled again into His chair and closed His eyes. William Randall sat still for a few moments and then began to get angry, thinking the Master did not know in whose presence He was sitting. He became more and more angry. He wondered, ‘What does it mean that I have to sit in the presence of this old Man while He falls asleep?’ He thought about getting up and leaving the room, but decided against this approach to his predicament. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had told him to sit there and he must not be rude. Then his legs began to go to sleep and grow numb. His whole body began to get numb. Even his collar, starched and stiff he prided himself that it was never wilted in public drooped down. At the peak of his rage, a voice inside him said, ‘You have studied all the great religions of the world and what good have they done you, for you cannot sit in the presence of an old man for twenty minutes with peace and composure?’ As the challenge of his thought struck Mr Randall, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá opened His eyes and said, ‘The intellect is good but until it has become the servant of the heart, it is of little avail.’ Then the Master smiled at Mr Randall and dismissed him. He had not been asleep. Mr Randall never forgot the Master’s words they were a turning point in his life.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 135*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching) (Subject: teaching).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In 1914 The Christian Commonwealth carried words of praise for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:…",
"slug": "in-1914-the-christian-commonwealth-carried-words-of-bs6",
"summary": "In 1914 The Christian Commonwealth carried words of praise for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: ‘It is wonderful to see the venerable figure of the revered Bahá’í leader passing through the narrow streets of this ancient town [Akká], where he lived for forty…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"service",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/service"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn 1914 The Christian Commonwealth carried words of praise for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: ‘It is wonderful to see the venerable figure of the revered Bahá’í leader passing through the narrow streets of this ancient town [Akká], where he lived for forty years as a political prisoner, and to note the deep respect with which he is saluted by the Turkish officials and the officers of the garrison from the governor downward, who visit him constantly and listen with the deepest attention to his words. “The Master” does not teach in Syria as he did in the West, but he goes about doing good, and Mohammedans and Christians alike share his benefactions. From sunrise often until midnight he works, in spite of broken health, never sparing himself if there is a wrong to be righted or a suffering to be relieved. To Christians who regard ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with impartial and sympathetic eyes, this wonderful selfless life cannot fail to recall that life whose tragic termination on Calvary the whole Christian world recalls
’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/service) (Subject: service).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In 1914 the Master wrote to the friends in Denver concerning how to convey the…",
"slug": "in-1914-the-master-wrote-to-the-friends-bs4",
"summary": "In 1914 the Master wrote to the friends in Denver concerning how to convey the message of Bahá’u’lláh: ‘The three conditions of teaching the Cause of God are the science of sociability, purity of deeds and sweetness of speech. I hope…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love",
"service",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn 1914 the Master wrote to the friends in Denver concerning how to convey the message of Bahá’u’lláh: ‘The three conditions of teaching the Cause of God are the science of sociability, purity of deeds and sweetness of speech. I hope each one of you may become confirmed with these three attributes.’\n\nEarlier in New York City, He had spoken to His friends about their going to Green Acre, the Bahá’í summer school in Maine: ‘You must give the message through action and deed, not alone by word. Word must be conjoined with deed. You must love your friend better than yourself; yes, be willing to sacrifice yourself. The cause of Bahá’u’lláh has not yet appeared in this country. I desire that you be ready to sacrifice everything for each other, even life itself; then I will know that the cause of Bahá’u’lláh has been established. I will pray for you that you may become the cause of upraising the lights of God. May everyone point to you and ask “Why are these people so happy?” I want you to be happy in Green Acre, to laugh, smile and rejoice in order that others may be made happy by you.’\n\nOn the same subject He wrote: ‘Caution and prudence, however, must be observed even as recorded in the Book. The veil must in no wise be suddenly rent asunder.’ The teacher should also be concerned about the listener’s physical needs. This practical approach was apparent in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s words: ‘Never talk about God to a man with an empty stomach. Feed him first.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 119*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching) (Subject: teaching).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In 1919, when Margaret Randall, who came to be known as Bahiyyih, was but…",
"slug": "in-1919-when-margaret-randall-who-came-to-bs2",
"summary": "In 1919, when Margaret Randall, who came to be known as Bahiyyih, was but thirteen years of age, she went to Haifa with her parents and others to see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Bahiyyih has recounted some of her experiences: 'One night we were…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"glow"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/glow"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn 1919, when Margaret Randall, who came to be known as Bahiyyih, was but thirteen years of age, she went to Haifa with her parents and others to see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Bahiyyih has recounted some of her experiences: 'One night we were sitting at the table with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He always placed me on His left. He smiled at me and said, \"Your name is Bahiyyih. Bahiyyih means light, but unless you have something within you, something back of it, there is no light.\" And I realized the challenge He gave me just then.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 60*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/glow) (Subject: glow).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In a final touching tribute to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's generosity this true story…",
"slug": "in-a-final-touching-tribute-to-abdu-l-bah-s-generosity-bs3",
"summary": "In a final touching tribute to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's generosity this true story emerged in the 1990s, some 70 years after ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's passing. The Universal House of Justice, the supreme governing Council of the Bahá’í world community,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"generosity",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"justice",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn a final touching tribute to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's generosity this true story emerged in the 1990s, some 70 years after ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's passing. The Universal House of Justice, the supreme governing Council of the Bahá’í world community, announced a major construction project on Mount Carmel, Haifa, of buildings that would, at last, meet the commands of Bahá’u’lláh, the Founder. Accordingly, a tender was put out for Israeli construction companies to bid for, and a public call for engineers was made by the House of Justice. To everyone’s astonishment, a large number of Arab engineers emerged from the greater Haifa area offering their services. When the bemused Bahá’ís asked them why they had come forward they all said: “The Master, Abbas Effendi (‘Abdu’l-Bahá) gave our grandparents and great-grandparents money to start small businesses. Our family businesses prospered and our families were able to pay for our school and university education. We are here to give something back to Abbas Effendi.”\n\n\n*Source: Extract from A Presentation on the Centenary of ‘Abdu’l- Bahá's Visit to the United Kingdom in 1911. Given on 10th September 2011 in Bourne Hall, Ewell Village , Surrey, by Trevor R. J. Finch*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity) (Subject: generosity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s household, in addition to Himself, His wife, His sister, two…",
"slug": "in-abdu-l-bah-s-household-in-addition-to-himself-his-bs11",
"summary": "In ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s household, in addition to Himself, His wife, His sister, two married daughters and husbands and children, and His two youngest daughters, there were some orphan children and widows of martyrs. Mary Lucas observed that”…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"love",
"martyrdom",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/love"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s household, in addition to Himself, His wife, His sister, two married daughters and husbands and children, and His two youngest daughters, there were some orphan children and widows of martyrs. Mary Lucas observed that” ‘These serve in some capacity in the household, and the sentiment of love and equality in every member of this home is a living example for the world. Everything is done in the spirit of love.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 92*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/love) (Subject: love).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In 'Akka the Master's room often contained not even a bed as He was continually…",
"slug": "in-akka-the-masters-room-often-contained-not-bs3",
"summary": "In 'Akka the Master's room often contained not even a bed as He was continually giving His own to those more needy than He. Wrapped in a blanket, He would lie on the floor or even on the roof of His home. It was not possible to buy a bed…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"selfless"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/selfless"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn 'Akka the Master's room often contained not even a bed as He was continually giving His own to those more needy than He. Wrapped in a blanket, He would lie on the floor or even on the roof of His home. It was not possible to buy a bed in the town of 'Akka; a bed ordered from Haifa took at least thirty-six hours to arrive. Inevitably, when the Master went on His morning round of visitations and found a feverish individual tossing on bare ground, He sent him His bed. Only after His own situation was inadvertently discovered did He receive another bed, thanks to some kind friend.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 66*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/selfless) (Subject: selfless).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In ‘Akka there lived a man who so hated ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that he would turn his…",
"slug": "in-akka-there-lived-a-man-who-so-bs12",
"summary": "In ‘Akka there lived a man who so hated ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that he would turn his back when he met Him, fearing lest he lost his hatred. One day they met in such a narrow street that the enemy was forced to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá face to face.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"love"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/love"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn ‘Akka there lived a man who so hated ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that he would turn his back when he met Him, fearing lest he lost his hatred. One day they met in such a narrow street that the enemy was forced to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá face to face. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tapped the man upon the shoulder and said, ‘Wait a few moments until I speak. However great may be your hatred of Me it can never be as strong as My love for you.’ The man was startled, awakened, and made to feel the unconquerable power of love.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 102*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/love) (Subject: love).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In Arches of the Years, Marzieh Gail writes about Dr",
"slug": "in-arches-of-the-years-marzieh-gail-writes-bs1",
"summary": "In Arches of the Years, Marzieh Gail writes about Dr. Florian and Grace Krug: how she became a Bahá’í, and he halted his opposition to her faith . . Letting There were historic family quarrels after Grace became a Bahá’í. The siblings…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"opposition",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/opposition"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn Arches of the Years, Marzieh Gail writes about Dr. Florian and Grace Krug: how she became a Bahá’í, and he halted his opposition to her faith . . Letting There were historic family quarrels after Grace became a Bahá’í. The siblings cowered, watched and trembled on their perch at the head of the stairs, as their father below them would scream at his wife and hurl down Bahá’í books. In spite of everything, Grace Krug invited the Master to speak at their home, and the young people heard their father shouting, \"If that old man comes into this house I'll have the doorman throw him out!\" Both Charles and Louise described the fateful day of the visit. Charles said his father's attitude was: \"Now I can get my hands on the ringleader of this bunch!\" Louise said \"We were terrified. Charlie and I were standing there by the doors. ‘Abdu’l- Bahá came in. He put his arms out, with that wonderful gesture you could feel the love pouring out. He walked right up to my father looked him straight in the face. And he said: Dr. Krug, are you happy? . . . My father just wilted. He was like a bird letting its wings down, to enjoy the sun. From that time on, never a word against the Master.\"\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 78*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/opposition) (Subject: opposition).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In California it was observed that ‘despite the Master’s fatigue at times, and…",
"slug": "in-california-it-was-observed-that-despite-the-bs16",
"summary": "In California it was observed that ‘despite the Master’s fatigue at times, and His physical ailments, He welcomed everyone with a beaming smile, and in His pleasing and vibrant voice would ask, “Are you…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"exhaustion"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn California it was observed that ‘despite the Master’s fatigue at times, and His physical ailments, He welcomed everyone with a beaming smile, and in His pleasing and vibrant voice would ask, “Are you happy?”’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 127*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion) (Subject: exhaustion).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In Edinburgh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed the Esperantists",
"slug": "in-edinburgh-abdu-l-bah-addressed-the-esperantists-a-serious-bs3",
"summary": "In Edinburgh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed the Esperantists. A serious advocate for the establishment of an international auxiliary language, He cited an anecdote to stress how important proper communication between people is: ‘I recall an…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"universal language"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/universal-language"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn Edinburgh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed the Esperantists. A serious advocate for the establishment of an international auxiliary language, He cited an anecdote to stress how important proper communication between people is: ‘I recall an incident which occurred in Bagdad. There were two friends who knew not each other’s language. One fell ill, the other visited him, but not being able to express his sympathy in words, resorted to gesture, as if to say, “How do you feel?” With another sign the sick [one] replied, “I shall soon be dead”; and his visitor, believing the gesture to indicate that he was getting better, said, “God be praised!”’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 176*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/universal-language) (Subject: universal-language).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In Europe, on one occasion, remembering the desperate days in Tihran when…",
"slug": "in-europe-on-one-occasion-remembering-the-desperate-bs0",
"summary": "In Europe, on one occasion, remembering the desperate days in Tihran when Bahá’u’lláh was incarcerated, their home sacked and their properties confiscated, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá could yet say, ‘Detachment does not imply lack of means; it is marked…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"contentment"
],
"virtues": [
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/contentment"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn Europe, on one occasion, remembering the desperate days in Tihran when Bahá’u’lláh was incarcerated, their home sacked and their properties confiscated, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá could yet say, ‘Detachment does not imply lack of means; it is marked by the freedom of the heart. In Tihran, we possessed everything at a nightfall, and on the morrow we were shorn of it all, to the extent that we had no food to eat. I was hungry, but there was no bread to be had. My mother poured some flour into the palm of my hand, and I ate that instead of bread. Yet, we were contented.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 164*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/contentment) (Subject: contentment).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In His almost off-hand brushing aside of a cruelty, in the ineffable sweetness…",
"slug": "in-his-almost-off-hand-brushing-aside-of-a-bs5",
"summary": "In His almost off-hand brushing aside of a cruelty, in the ineffable sweetness with which He ignored it, it was as though He said: Forgiveness belongs only to God. 'An example of this was His memorable meeting with the royal prince,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"forgiveness gods",
"martyrdom",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-gods"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn His almost off-hand brushing aside of a cruelty, in the ineffable sweetness with which He ignored it, it was as though He said: Forgiveness belongs only to God. 'An example of this was His memorable meeting with the royal prince, Zillah Sultan, brother of the Shah of Persia, Muhammad 'Ali Shah. Not only ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, but a great number of His followers, band after band of Bahá’í martyrs, had suffered worse than death at the hands of these two princes . . . One day Zillah Sultan came to him. In describing the scene later, the European said: \"If you could have heard the wretch mumbling his miserable excuses!\" But ‘Abdu’l-Bahá took the prince in His arms. \"All that is of the past,\" He answered. \"Never think of it again. Send your two sons to see me. I want to meet your sons.\" 'They came, one at a time. Each spent a day with the Master. The first, though an immature boy, nevertheless showed Him great deference. The second, older and more sensitive, left the room of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, where he had been received alone, weeping uncontrollably. \"If only I could be born again,\" he said, \"into any other family than mine.\" 'For not only had many Bahá’ís been martyred during his uncle's reign (upwards of a hundred by his father's instigation), and the life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá threatened again and again, but his grandfather, Nasiri'd-Din Shah, had ordered the execution of the Báb, as well as the torture and death of thousands of Bábís. 'The young prince was \"born again\" -- a Bahá’í.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 51*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-gods) (Subject: forgiveness-gods).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In Islamic communities music had been condemned by the clergy because they…",
"slug": "in-islamic-communities-music-had-been-condemned-by-bs0",
"summary": "In Islamic communities music had been condemned by the clergy because they considered it to be conducive to pleasure and leading man to lust. In Persia, during the early days of the Faith, musicians were denounced by religious leaders as…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Yazd",
"lat": 31.8974,
"lng": 54.3569,
"modernName": "Yazd, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"music"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/music"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn Islamic communities music had been condemned by the clergy because they considered it to be conducive to pleasure and leading man to lust. In Persia, during the early days of the Faith, musicians were denounced by religious leaders as agents of Satan. The stigma attached to music was so distasteful that musicians had to hide their instruments in public. At weddings, for instance, people had to observe some religious rites in the presence of the clergy. But it was a well-known secret that the musicians were waiting in another room and when the Mulla's performance was finished and he had left, they came out to play their instruments and make merry. The following story serves to illustrate the severity with which the clergy dealt with anyone who indulged in this art. In the bazaars in Persia there are shops selling kebab. The meat was placed on a wooden board and had to be chopped and then minced with a very large and heavy chopping knife which usually had to be held by its two ends. When the chopping knife hit the meat on the board, it made a loud noise. In a busy shop at least one man would be engaged from morning till night doing this work. There was a man in the city of Yazd who was working in this capacity in such a shop, but he was a merry man at heart and loved music, so as he hit the board he cleverly used to produce a rhythm. Though not more than a mere thumping sound, it was attractive to the ear. This, combined with the rhythmic movement of his body, made an interesting spectacle for the passer-by. For some time there was controversy over this man and his way of mincing the meat! Eventually, one of the mujtahids [doctors of Islamic law] of Yazd decided to put an end to this sacrilegious act! The poor man was summoned and warned that he would be severely punished if he continued this practice. Within such a society, Bahá’u’lláh declares in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas that music is a means by which the spirit of man may experience upliftment and joy.\n\n\n*Source: Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh v 3, p. 367*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/music) (Subject: music).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In late May 1912, in New York, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was evicted from His hotel because,…",
"slug": "in-late-may-1912-in-new-york-abdu-l-bah-bs11",
"summary": "In late May 1912, in New York, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was evicted from His hotel because, as Mahmud noted, of the “coming and going of diverse people” and the “additional labors and troubles” for the staff and the “incessant inquiries” directed to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"race unity"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn late May 1912, in New York, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was evicted from His hotel because, as Mahmud noted, of the “coming and going of diverse people” and the “additional labors and troubles” for the staff and the “incessant inquiries” directed to the hotel management. “But,” Mahmud continued, “when the people of the hotel saw His great kindness and favor at the time of His departure, they were ashamed of their conduct and begged Him to stay longer, but He would not accept.”’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 111*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity) (Subject: race-unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In later years when trying to describe ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's presence for the…",
"slug": "in-later-years-when-trying-to-describe-abdu-l-bah-s-bs0",
"summary": "In later years when trying to describe ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's presence for the believers, Leroy [Ioas] said 'You have seen many pictures of the Master but what they don't show you is the vibrant spirit that was coursing through Him at all times.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"energy"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/energy"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn later years when trying to describe ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's presence for the believers, Leroy [Ioas] said 'You have seen many pictures of the Master but what they don't show you is the vibrant spirit that was coursing through Him at all times. All day long, starting at dawn, people would come to Him. They would hover around, ask questions, then a larger group would gather in His sitting room and He would talk to them about the Cause. When they left another group would come. Always they had questions for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, questions of infinite importance to them, and His answers were given rapidlyin one second He would be deciding someone's destiny. It showed the power of the spirit that moved within Him every moment, every second.'\n\n\n*Source: Leroy Ioas, Hand of the Cause of God by Anita Ioas Chapman, pp. 25-26*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/energy) (Subject: energy).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In London ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had an interview with a representative from the Weekly Budget",
"slug": "in-london-abdu-l-bah-had-an-interview-with-a-bs1",
"summary": "In London ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had an interview with a representative from the Weekly Budget. He spoke of His first summer in ‘Akka: ‘’Akka is a fever-ridden town. It was said that a bird attempting to fly over it would drop dead. The food was…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"akka",
"women",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn London ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had an interview with a representative from the Weekly Budget. He spoke of His first summer in ‘Akka: ‘’Akka is a fever-ridden town. It was said that a bird attempting to fly over it would drop dead. The food was poor and insufficient, the water was drawn from a fever-infected well and the climate and conditions were such, that even the natives of the town fell ill. Many soldiers succumbed and eight out of ten of our guard died. During the intense heat, malaria, typhoid and dysentery attacked the prisoners, so that all, men, women and children, were sick at one time. They were no doctors, no medicines, no proper food, and no treatment of any kind. ‘I used to make broth for people, as I had much practice, I make good broth,’ the Master testified laughingly.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 170*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/akka) (Subject: akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In London it was noted that inquirers often hated to leave",
"slug": "in-london-it-was-noted-that-inquirers-often-bs14",
"summary": "In London it was noted that inquirers often hated to leave. If any were still present when luncheon or dinner was to be served, they were inevitably invited to dine also. To smother embarrassment, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would extend His hand to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn London it was noted that inquirers often hated to leave. If any were still present when luncheon or dinner was to be served, they were inevitably invited to dine also. To smother embarrassment, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would extend His hand to the humblest and lead him personally into the dining-room, seating him at His right and talking with such warmth that soon the surprised guest felt completely at ease. As many as eighteen might find themselves being served by the Master Himself, but He was prone to continue His interrupted conversations or to tell an anecdote, often sparkling with his humour.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 57*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In Minneapolis a Jewish Rabbi came to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with a request that He speak…",
"slug": "in-minneapolis-a-jewish-rabbi-came-to-abdu-l-bah-bs2",
"summary": "In Minneapolis a Jewish Rabbi came to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with a request that He speak in his synagogue. Part of their conversation reveals the Master’s radiant acquiescence in time of adversity. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá began speaking to him by saying, ‘I…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"prison akka",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/prison-akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn Minneapolis a Jewish Rabbi came to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with a request that He speak in his synagogue. Part of their conversation reveals the Master’s radiant acquiescence in time of adversity.\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá began speaking to him by saying, ‘I have come from your real country Jerusalem. I have passed forty-five years of my life in Palestine; but I was in prison . . . ‘ ‘We are all in prison in this world,’ responded the Rabbi. ‘Yes, I was imprisoned in two prisons.’ The Rabbi commented ‘that one prison was sufficient.’ ‘I was resigned even then, and was in utmost joy and happiness,’ declared ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 145*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/prison-akka) (Subject: prison-akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In New York City a young supporter of tax-reform asked, ‘What message shall I…",
"slug": "in-new-york-city-a-young-supporter-of-bs0",
"summary": "In New York City a young supporter of tax-reform asked, ‘What message shall I take to my friends?’ The Master laughed with delighted humour: ‘Tell them to come into the Kingdom of God. There they will find plenty of land and there are…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"taxes"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/taxes"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn New York City a young supporter of tax-reform asked, ‘What message shall I take to my friends?’ The Master laughed with delighted humour: ‘Tell them to come into the Kingdom of God. There they will find plenty of land and there are no taxes on it!’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 176*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/taxes) (Subject: taxes).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In Paris on one occasion a man from India stated frankly to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: 'My…",
"slug": "in-paris-on-one-occasion-a-man-from-bs18",
"summary": "In Paris on one occasion a man from India stated frankly to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: 'My aim in life is to transmit as far as in me lies the message of Krishna to the world.' In His loving way the Master replied: 'The Message of Krishna is the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn Paris on one occasion a man from India stated frankly to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: 'My aim in life is to transmit as far as in me lies the message of Krishna to the world.' In His loving way the Master replied: 'The Message of Krishna is the message of love. All God's prophets have brought the message of love. None has ever thought that war and hate are good. Every one agrees in saying that love and kindness are best.' A negative approach would have hurt this man. The Master did not offer argument. Instead He showed appreciation, and thus He encouraged this devout follower of Krishna.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 58*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching) (Subject: teaching).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In reading over my diaries - so very little of which I have quoted out of…",
"slug": "in-reading-over-my-diaries-so-very-bs2",
"summary": "In reading over my diaries - so very little of which I have quoted out of hundred of pages written off and on throughout the years - it seems strange to me there is practically no reference to the World War raging everywhere during almost…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"anxiety"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/anxiety"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn reading over my diaries - so very little of which I have quoted out of hundred of pages written off and on throughout the years - it seems strange to me there is practically no reference to the World War raging everywhere during almost six years and constituting such a dire threat to the safety of the World Centre of the Faith and particularly to the Guardian himself as Head of that Faith. Nothing could more eloquently testify to the internal upheavals he was going through during all those years than this blank. The day-to-day pressures and the work, worry and mental exhaustion were so great that it crowded mention of this constant threat and anxiety into the background.\n\n\n*Source: Rúhíyyih Khánum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 177*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/anxiety) (Subject: anxiety).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In San Francisco, Tuesday, October 22, 1912 in response to some questions…",
"slug": "in-san-francisco-tuesday-october-22-1912-in-bs2",
"summary": "In San Francisco, Tuesday, October 22, 1912 in response to some questions ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said: “A great war and commotion shall inevitably take place in the world. Things come to such a pass that the generality of mankind will rise against…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"war"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/war"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn San Francisco, Tuesday, October 22, 1912 in response to some questions ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:\n\n“A great war and commotion shall inevitably take place in the world. Things come to such a pass that the generality of mankind will rise against the statesmen of the world and say, ‘You sit in your places in perfect comfort; you eat and drink sumptuously; you sleep blissfully; you eat and drink sumptuously; you sleep blissfully; you eat delicious foods and relax in gardens with beautiful views. But for the sake of your name and worldly fame, you throw us, your subjects, into war, shed our blood and tear our bodies to pieces. But no thorn every pricks your hands and not for a moment do you leave your rest and comfort.”\n\n\n*Source: Mahmud’s Diary, p. 344*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/war) (Subject: war).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In that long-ago period when I was first a believer, I went to many places in…",
"slug": "in-that-long-ago-period-when-i-was-first-bs4",
"summary": "In that long-ago period when I was first a believer, I went to many places in Canada and the United States to speak. I must tell you about one place because it often comes to my mind when I consider the subject of prayer. It was on April…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"John Robarts"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"prayer",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/prayer"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn that long-ago period when I was first a believer, I went to many places in Canada and the United States to speak. I must tell you about one place because it often comes to my mind when I consider the subject of prayer. It was on April 17. I had been invited to address a community where there were eight believers and they needed a ninth to form their Local Spiritual Assembly a few days hence. My plane was delayed and I arrived late while prayers were being said. I was ushered to a seat beside the chairman. When the prayers were finished, he whispered to me (there were about 45 people in the room), \"John, do you see that tall man in the third row, center? He is the only non-Bahá’í in the room. We need him for our Assembly on Thursday!\" I stood up and looked at my opponent. He was a nice person. I noticed he had very large eyes. I began to speak but soon felt that I wasn't doing very well. I didn't seem to be inspired and suddenly I realized that my friend's eyes were opening and closing very slowly, and then to my horror, they closed and clicked shut. I had lost my man. He was sound asleep! In my despair I turned to Bahá’u’lláh and said, \"Dear Bahá’u’lláh, please come to my aid. We need that man for our Assembly on Thursday.\" I went on with my talk and what seemed like a bright idea struck me, which I felt must have been the answer to my cry for help. In quite a loud voice, I said, \"Bahá’u’lláh said, 'The people are wrapped in a strange sleep!'\" And I banged the table with my fist. The man woke up as though he had been shot and he stayed awake. He became a Bahá’í that evening, and helped to form the Assembly on Thursday!\n\n\n*Source: John Robarts: http://bahaitalks.blogspot.in/2011/02/value-of-prayer-talk-by-hand-of-cause.html#more*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/prayer) (Subject: prayer).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In the 1840’s the sea journey from Bushihr to Jiddah was a dangerous and…",
"slug": "in-the-1840-s-the-sea-journey-from-bushihr-bs2",
"summary": "In the 1840’s the sea journey from Bushihr to Jiddah was a dangerous and uncomfortable one; the distance was about 4000 kilometres and the journey took about two months. The seas were often rough, the storms frequent, water was scarce and…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Quddús"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"miracles"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the 1840’s the sea journey from Bushihr to Jiddah was a dangerous and uncomfortable one; the distance was about 4000 kilometres and the journey took about two months. The seas were often rough, the storms frequent, water was scarce and there was very little food. The Báb and Quddus remained contented and peaceful throughout the long journey. They were absorbed in their prayers and devotions for many hours at a time, and the Báb revealed many writings, commentaries and letters which Quddus wrote down. However the rigors of the sea voyage caused the Báb to beseech God that travels over the oceans of the world might become easier and safer.\n\n\n*Source: Mary Perkins, Hour of the Dawn: The Life of the Báb, p. 60*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles) (Subject: miracles).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In the 1970’s I met Inez Greeven",
"slug": "in-the-1970-s-i-met-inez-greeven-she-bs1",
"summary": "In the 1970’s I met Inez Greeven. She went on Pilgrimage during the days of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in 1920 and again in 1921. She told me that during her Pilgrimage the Master asked her, “Where is your husband?” She said, “This was the one thing…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"divorce",
"pilgrimage",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/divorce"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the 1970’s I met Inez Greeven. She went on Pilgrimage during the days of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in 1920 and again in 1921. She told me that during her Pilgrimage the Master asked her, “Where is your husband?” She said, “This was the one thing I did not want Him to ask me about. I answered, “Well, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, he is not here.”\n\n“Yes, I can see that he is not here. Where is your husband?”\n\nI told Him, “‘Abdu’l-Bahá, he left me for another woman.”\n\n“Yes, I know,” He replied. “And because you have forgiven him, God has forgiven him.”\n\nAt the time, she was Inez Cook. She later met and married Max Greeven, a wonderful Bahá’í, of whom Shoghi Effendi thought highly. You can read about them in “Dear Co-Worker: Messages from Shoghi Effendi to the Benelux Countries”. You can also read about Inez’ first Pilgrimage here: http://bahai-storytelling.blogspot.com/2010/02/abdul-bahas-use-of-storytelling.html and http://bahai-storytelling.blogspot.com/2010/07/story-of-gate-of-garden-quote-from.html\n\n\n*Source: Brent Poirier*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/divorce) (Subject: divorce).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In the afternoon, Fujita and some of the Persians took a short walk around…",
"slug": "in-the-afternoon-fujita-and-some-of-the-bs12",
"summary": "In the afternoon, Fujita and some of the Persians took a short walk around Glenwood Springs. Fujita recalled that: . . . on the way back I saw a little shop, with a great big watermelon, ripe, red. So, I, myself, like watermelon, so I…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"simple life"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the afternoon, Fujita and some of the Persians took a short walk around Glenwood Springs. Fujita recalled that: . . . on the way back I saw a little shop, with a great big watermelon, ripe, red. So, I, myself, like watermelon, so I bought it and carried big watermelon like this, and when I brought home to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, sitting He watched me. \"What do you got there?\" He says. I said, \"I have watermelon.\" \"All right, come!\" Immediately, He put His hand in the center of the watermelon and started eating. \"Wait, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, I want to bring you a knife and fork!\" \"No, never mind.\" I was glad. And then we had to share with all Bahá’ís. And then at midnight we took train.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 208*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life) (Subject: simple-life).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In the afternoon of that first day, the Master went for a ride through Montréal…",
"slug": "in-the-afternoon-of-that-first-day-the-bs1",
"summary": "In the afternoon of that first day, the Master went for a ride through Montréal at Sutherland's invitation. When they reached the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Notre Dame (Marie-Reine-du-Monde) ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said he would like to see it.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Montreal",
"lat": 45.5017,
"lng": -73.5673,
"modernName": "Montreal, Canada"
},
"themes": [
"abdul baha montreal"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-montreal"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the afternoon of that first day, the Master went for a ride through Montréal at Sutherland's invitation. When they reached the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Notre Dame (Marie-Reine-du-Monde) ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said he would like to see it. Everything was quiet and no one was in sight. The Master alighted and went in to see the huge building. With rapt attention, He gazed. After wandering through the church, He noted that the church was present in Canada, so far away from where Christianity had started in Galilee and Calvary, because of the sacrifice of the early Christians who had traveled the world to spread their faith.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 182*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-montreal) (Subject: abdul-baha-montreal).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In the days of Shoghi Effendi's childhood it was the custom to rise about dawn…",
"slug": "in-the-days-of-shoghi-effendis-childhood-it-bs0",
"summary": "In the days of Shoghi Effendi's childhood it was the custom to rise about dawn and spend the first hour of the day in the Master's room, where prayers were said and the family all had breakfast with Him. The children sat on the floor,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"mornings",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/mornings"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the days of Shoghi Effendi's childhood it was the custom to rise about dawn and spend the first hour of the day in the Master's room, where prayers were said and the family all had breakfast with Him. The children sat on the floor, their legs folded under them, their arms folded across their breasts, in great respect; when asked, they would chant for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; there was no shouting or unseemly conduct. Breakfast consisted of tea, brewed on the bubbling Russian brass samovar and served in little crystal glasses, very hot and very sweet, pure wheat bread and goats' milk cheese. Dr. Zia Bagdadi, an intimate of the family, in his recollections of these days records that Shoghi Effendi was always the first to get up and be on time -- after receiving one good chastisement from no other hand than that of his grandfather!\n\n\n*Source: Rúhíyyih Rabbani, The Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, p. 4*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/mornings) (Subject: mornings).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In the days when steamships, such as the Mauritania and Franconia, made…",
"slug": "in-the-days-when-steamships-such-as-the-bs5",
"summary": "In the days when steamships, such as the Mauritania and Franconia, made round-the-world trips, Loulie went several times for the sole purpose of stopping at each port-of-call to make whatever contacts she might to proclaim the coming of…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"teaching",
"pioneering",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the days when steamships, such as the Mauritania and Franconia, made round-the-world trips, Loulie went several times for the sole purpose of stopping at each port-of-call to make whatever contacts she might to proclaim the coming of Bahá’u’lláh. The Captains of these ships always proved most cooperative, making every possible effort to be of assistance. So one time when the ship was approaching Manila he came to her very disturbed. It seemed that because of various delays the stop at Manila would be very much shortened. In fact, they would dock there only for an hour. Loulie, who had planned for at least a day or two, at once began to pray for guidance. What, in her\n\nprecious hour, could she do that would reach some hungry seeking soul in this city? Finally, when the ship docked, Loulie rushed to a library but when she asked permission to place books on the shelves she was refused. There was no place in that library for a new and strange religion. So, in despair - time was passing so swiftly - she begged that she might go into the shelves and tuck a few pamphlets here and there. This was, reluctantly, granted her - so back she went to tuck her pamphlets. Time passed and Loulie returned to New York. Then months later came a letter from Manila her parnphlets had been discovered; the man who found them had interested friends and where could he get more literature? Loulie, delighted, sent him more - and more. Then came the war and these new believers were scattered and, Loulie feared, lost. But no - when Peace came, they found each other, they got in touch with Loulie again and, once more the Bahá’í Community of Manila was thriving. All because Loulie had tucked pamphlets in a library during one precious hour of pioneering.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 10*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching) (Subject: teaching).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In the early 30s Mother, who was divorced from her first husband, Theodore…",
"slug": "in-the-early-30s-mother-who-was-divorced-bs12",
"summary": "In the early 30s Mother, who was divorced from her first husband, Theodore Obrig, married the Reverend Reginald G. Barrow. The wedding ceremony was performed by her father Howard Colby Ives. It is family history that they spent their…",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Boston",
"lat": 42.3601,
"lng": -71.0589,
"modernName": "Boston, Massachusetts, USA"
},
"themes": [
"race unity",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the early 30s Mother, who was divorced from her first husband, Theodore Obrig, married the Reverend Reginald G. Barrow. The wedding ceremony was performed by her father Howard Colby Ives. It is family history that they spent their wedding night on a park bench, as they could not obtain a room in a hotel in Boston. Bishop Barrow, was a man of color, who was born in the West Indies.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 5*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity) (Subject: race-unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In the early days of the Faith in Isfahan, when I began to study the Tablets…",
"slug": "in-the-early-days-of-the-faith-in-bs0",
"summary": "In the early days of the Faith in Isfahan, when I began to study the Tablets and Writings of the Báb, and listen to the explanations of the friends, I found the proofs of His Revelation convincing and conclusive and the testimonies…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"doubts"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/doubts"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the early days of the Faith in Isfahan, when I began to study the Tablets and Writings of the Báb, and listen to the explanations of the friends, I found the proofs of His Revelation convincing and conclusive and the testimonies supremely sound and perfect. So I was assured in myself that this Cause was the Cause of God and the Manifestation of His Grandeur, the dawning of the Day-Star of Truth promised to be revealed by the Almighty. But when I was alone with no one to talk to, I was often overtaken with doubts. The idle fancies of my past life, and the whisperings of the evil one were tempting me... God knows how much I wept and how many nights I stayed awake till morning. There were days when I forgot to eat because I was so immersed in my thoughts. I tried by every means to relieve myself of these doubts. Several times I became steadfast in the Cause and believed, but later I would waver and become perplexed and dismayed.\n\n\n*Source: Adib Taherzadeh, Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, v2, p. 197*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/doubts) (Subject: doubts).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In the early summer of 1923 Shoghi Effendi again left Haifa and sought some…",
"slug": "in-the-early-summer-of-1923-shoghi-effendi-bs0",
"summary": "In the early summer of 1923 Shoghi Effendi again left Haifa and sought some restoration of health and solace in the solitude of the high mountains of Switzerland. But, unlike later years, when he continued to keep in constant touch with…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"rest"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/rest"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the early summer of 1923 Shoghi Effendi again left Haifa and sought some restoration of health and solace in the solitude of the high mountains of Switzerland. But, unlike later years, when he continued to keep in constant touch with the work of the Cause by cable and letter, this was once more a complete break, a fleeing into the wilderness, a soul-searching, a communion with himself and his destiny in order to find the strength to go back and assume the duties of his high office . . . [until] he was returning \"after a long and unbroken silence\" to take up once again \"my work of service to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh\".\n\n\n*Source: Rúhíyyih Khánum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 72-73*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/rest) (Subject: rest).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In the morning, after His obligatory prayer and supplications, the Master…",
"slug": "in-the-morning-after-his-obligatory-prayer-and-bs0",
"summary": "In the morning, after His obligatory prayer and supplications, the Master invited us into His presence and served us tea with His own hand. He spoke of the blessings and confirmations of the Ancient Beauty, the Greatest Name: “This help…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Mahmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"hollow reed"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hollow-reed"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the morning, after His obligatory prayer and supplications, the Master invited us into His presence and served us tea with His own hand. He spoke of the blessings and confirmations of the Ancient Beauty, the Greatest Name:\n\n“This help and assistance are from Him and these confirmations are through His bounty and favor; otherwise, we are nothing but weak servants. We are as reeds and all these melodies are from Him. We are ants and this dignity of Solomon is from Him. We are servants and this heavenly dominion is from Him. We must, therefore, offer our constant gratitude to Him for His favors and must join heart and soul to praise Him for His blessings.\"'\n\n\n*Source: Attributed to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Mahmud's Diary, The Diary of Mirza Mahmud-i-Zarqani Chronicling ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's Journey to America, pp.153-54*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hollow-reed) (Subject: hollow-reed).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In the morning friends and seekers surrounded ‘Abdu’l-Bahá like moths",
"slug": "in-the-morning-friends-and-seekers-surrounded-abdu-l-bah-bs0",
"summary": "In the morning friends and seekers surrounded ‘Abdu’l-Bahá like moths. He spoke to them in these words: You must have deep love for one another. Go to see each other and be consoling friends to all. If a friend lives a little distance…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"friendship"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/friendship"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the morning friends and seekers surrounded ‘Abdu’l-Bahá like moths. He spoke to them in these words: You must have deep love for one another. Go to see each other and be consoling friends to all. If a friend lives a little distance from the town, go to see him. Do not content yourselves with words only but act according to the commandments of God. Hold weekly meetings and give feasts. Put forth your efforts to acquire spiritual perfections and to spread the knowledge of God. These are the attributes of the Bahá’ís. Otherwise, what use is there in being a Bahá’í in word alone.\n\n\n*Source: Mahmud’s Diary, Sept. 20, 1912*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/friendship) (Subject: friendship).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In the Síyáh-Chál, God made known to Bahá’u’lláh His great Station",
"slug": "in-the-s-y-h-ch-l-god-made-known-to-bah-u-ll-h-bs0",
"summary": "In the Síyáh-Chál, God made known to Bahá’u’lláh His great Station. Wrapped in gloom, breathing the foulest of air, His feet in stocks, and His neck weighed down by a mighty chain, Bahá’u’lláh received the first stirrings of God’s…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"siyah chal bahaullahs declaration",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/siyah-chal-bahaullahs-declaration"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the Síyáh-Chál, God made known to Bahá’u’lláh His great Station. Wrapped in gloom, breathing the foulest of air, His feet in stocks, and His neck weighed down by a mighty chain, Bahá’u’lláh received the first stirrings of God’s Revelation within His soul. Under these dreadful circumstances, the “Most Great Spirit” revealed itself to Him, bidding Him to arise and speak forth the Word of God.\n\nAt times, He would feel as if something flowed from the crown of His head over His breast, as a mighty torrent falls upon the earth from the summit of a high mountain. He saw the Maiden of Heaven suspended before Him, speaking to His inner and outer being, referring to Him as the Best-Beloved of the worlds, the Beauty of God, and the power of God’s sovereignty. He was assured that He would be made victorious by Himself and by His Pen, and by the aid of those whom God would raise up.\n\nThus from behind the darkness of the Black Pit rose the Sun of Truth. The Báb’s promise had been fulfilled. The Bahá’í Revelation was born. Yet Bahá’u’lláh did not inform anyone of what had occurred. He would await the appointed hour, ordained by God, to make His Mission known.\n\n\n*Source: Ruhi Book 4, p. 101-102*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/siyah-chal-bahaullahs-declaration) (Subject: siyah-chal-bahaullahs-declaration).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In the spring of 1918, I was much startled and deeply disturbed by a telephone…",
"slug": "in-the-spring-of-1918-i-was-much-bs1",
"summary": "In the spring of 1918, I was much startled and deeply disturbed by a telephone message: \"‘Abdu’l-Bahá in serious danger. Take immediate action.\" It came from an authoritative source. There was not a moment to be lost. Every available power…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"protection",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/protection"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the spring of 1918, I was much startled and deeply disturbed by a telephone message: \"‘Abdu’l-Bahá in serious danger. Take immediate action.\" It came from an authoritative source. There was not a moment to be lost. Every available power must be brought to bear to save the Master. I went at once to Lord Lamington. His sympathetic regard for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, his understanding of the ramifications and \"red tape\" necessary for \"immediate action\" were of priceless value. A letter was immediately written to the Foreign Office explaining the importance of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s position, His work for true peace, and for the spiritual welfare of many thousands of people. Through the influence of Lord Lamington, and his prompt help, the letter, with its alarming news, was at once put into the hands of Lord Balfour. That very evening a cable was sent to General Allenby with these instructions, \"Extend every protection and consideration to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, His family and His friends, when the British march on Haifa.\" So a terrible tragedy was averted, by the promptness and understanding of Lord Lamington and the power of Lord Balfour, his colleagues in the Cabinet here in London, and by the devotion, efficiency, and promptitude of Major Tudor-Pole at the Turkish end, for Haifa was still in the hands of the Turks.\n\nThe Turks had been so aroused by the enemies of the Master that they had threatened to crucify Him, and all His family, on Mount Carmel. When General Allenby took Haifa, several days before it was believed possible for him to do so, he sent a cablegram to London which caused everybody to wonder, and especially filled the hearts of the Bahá’ís in all the world with deep gratitude to the Almighty Protector. The cable of General Allenby was as follows: \"Have to-day taken Palestine. Notify the world that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is safe.\"\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/protection) (Subject: protection).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In the spring season Bahá’u’lláh used to stay at Mazra'ih for some time.[…",
"slug": "in-the-spring-season-bah-u-ll-h-used-to-stay-bs0",
"summary": "In the spring season Bahá’u’lláh used to stay at Mazra'ih for some time.[ Bahá’u’lláh did not live at Mazra'ih or Bahji all the time. He used to go and stay in 'Akká sometimes] Mazra'ih is situated at a distance of about two farsangs…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"ayyam i ha",
"pilgrimage",
"holy-land",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/ayyam-i-ha"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the spring season Bahá’u’lláh used to stay at Mazra'ih for some time.[ Bahá’u’lláh did not live at Mazra'ih or Bahji all the time. He used to go and stay in 'Akká sometimes] Mazra'ih is situated at a distance of about two farsangs [about 12 kilometers] from the city of 'Akká. To attain His presence I used to go to Mazra'ih in the daytime and at night I stayed at the Pilgrim House.\n\nOn the first day of the Ayyam-i-Há [Intercalary days] one of the pilgrims had invited Bahá’u’lláh and all the believers in 'Akká to lunch. I too went to Mazra'ih. Early in the morning a large tent was pitched in front of the entrance to the garden on a delightful open space. That morning all the believers, numbering almost two hundred, consisting of those who were living in the Holy Land and the pilgrims, came to Mazra'ih.\n\nAround the time of noon, the Blessed Beauty came down from the Mansion and majestically entered the tent. All the believers were standing in front of the tent. Then Mirza Aqa Jan, standing in the presence of Bahá’u’lláh chanted a dawn prayer for fasting which had been revealed on that day. When the prayer was finished the Blessed Beauty instructed all to be seated. Every person sat down in the place where he was standing. His blessed Person spoke to us and after His utterances were ended He asked, 'What happened to the Feast, is it really going to happen?' Thereupon a few friends hurried away and soon lunch was brought in. They placed a low table in the middle of the tent. His blessed person and all the Aghsan[The male descendants of Bahá’u’lláh] sat around the table and since there was more room, He called some by name to join Him. Among these my name was called; He said, 'Aqa Tahir, come and sit.' So I went in and sat at the table in His presence.\n\nAt some point Bahá’u’lláh said, 'We have become tired of eating. Those who have had enough may leave.' I immediately arose and His blessed Person left. At first the food which was left over on His plate was divided among the friends, and then group after group entered the tent and had their meal. Everyone at this feast partook of both physical and spiritual food. I got the prayer of fasting from Mirza Aqa Jan and copied it for myself. Then in the evening all the friends returned to 'Akká. But the Master was not present that day.\n\n\n*Source: Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, vol. 4, p. 8*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/ayyam-i-ha) (Subject: ayyam-i-ha).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In the very early days Loulie Mathews came into the Faith while ‘Abdu’l-Bahá…",
"slug": "in-the-very-early-days-loulie-mathews-came-bs19",
"summary": "In the very early days Loulie Mathews came into the Faith while ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was yet imprisoned in Acca. She came in very quickly immediately, really, upon hearing of it, and she came in aflame with enthusiasm. She had been told that…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"teaching",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the very early days Loulie Mathews came into the Faith while ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was yet imprisoned in Acca. She came in very quickly immediately, really, upon hearing of it, and she came in aflame with enthusiasm. She had been told that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had expressed the wish that the Faith might be growing more rapidly in Paris, so, to Paris Loulie went. She made speedy and elaborate preparations for this expedition and when she had installed herself in a luxurious suite, she made further preparations, buying herself elaborate tea gowns that floated elegantly and had long fringe that swung as she moved. She also furnished herself with a silver tea service and many delicate cups and saucers. Then, she considered that she was prepared to teach the Faith she loved so well - and she sent out many invitations to tea. Several weeks went by. Loulie continued to give her teas, but her success was not marked. Guests came, chattered, listened a moment, nibbled her delicious cakes, drank the delicate tea, and left. Then, one afternoon a man came, robed in soft gray with a turban on his head and he introduced himself by saying that he had come from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. So Loulie welcomed him warmly and gave him tea. But, as he reached out to accept the cup, his sleeve fell back and exposed deeply bitten scars on his wrists. Loulie gasped, \"Oh! You have been hurt.\" The man smiled radiantly, \"But these are the scars from the chains put upon me when I was in prison with my Lord,\" \"Oh\", said Loulie glancing at her own delicate wrists, \"How you must have suffered!\" The man looked at her, astonishment and a kind of radiant amusement in his eyes. \"Suffer? When I was in prison with my Lord? Oh, but every moment was a blissful joy.\" After the man had gone, Loulie meditated long and gravely upon these things he had said and she concluded - looking at her chiffon tea gowns and the silver service - that, apparently, there were things about this Faith of which she knew little. So she wrote to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá telling him this and adding that she was going to return to New York and study and learn. if she could, some of the things she evidently needed to learn. This letter to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was put, with other out-going mail, on a small table to be picked up. And while it was still lying there, waiting to go out, a Tablet came from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in which He said, He was most happy to know of her decision to go home and study, but she must not be discouraged, for the time would come when she would be a 'lion roaring through the Cause of God.' ...and of course that time did come and she was that lion.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 9*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching) (Subject: teaching).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In those days when the friends in Persia were aflame with the fire of love, and…",
"slug": "in-those-days-when-the-friends-in-persia-bs2",
"summary": "In those days when the friends in Persia were aflame with the fire of love, and at the same time, they were, with a spirit of forbearance, burning in that fire of envy and hatred, of calumny and slander created by the people of malice and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"humility",
"pilgrimage",
"the-covenant",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"humility",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/humility"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn those days when the friends in Persia were aflame with the fire of love, and at the same time, they were, with a spirit of forbearance, burning in that fire of envy and hatred, of calumny and slander created by the people of malice and the Covenant-breakers, Bahá’í poets and people of letters in that country used to write poems in praise and glorification of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. In laudatory and most eloquent language they used to acclaim His exalted station. But we, the resident Bahá’ís of 'Akká, the spot round which the Concourse on High circle in adoration, were very careful not to breathe a word about the station of sovereignty and lordship of the blessed Person of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. We knew well that He had often advised the poets that instead of singing His praise they ought to exalt His station of servitude and utter self-effacement. During this time, one day I received a letter from one of the handmaidens of God... This letter, composed in verse, and laudatory in its tone, was addressed to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the form of a supplication to the holy presence of God. I handed the poem to the Master as He was coming down the steps of the house in front of the sea. I thought it was the right moment to give it to Him. He had hardly read one or two lines when He suddenly turned His face towards me and with the utmost sadness and a deep sense of grief said: 'Now even you hand me letters such as this! , Don't you know the measure of pain and sorrow which overtakes me when I hear people addressing me with such exalted titles? Even you have not recognized me! If you have not appreciated this, then what can be expected of others? Don't you see all that I do day and night, and everything I write in my letters... I swear by Almighty God that I consider myself lowlier than each and every one of the loved ones of the Blessed Beauty. This is my firm conviction... Tell me if I am wrong. This is my greatest wish. I don't even wish to make this claim, because I dislike every claim. He then turned towards the Qiblih and said, 'O Blessed Beauty, grant me this station'... ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke angrily in this vein with such vigour that my heart almost stopped. I had a sensation of choking, my whole body became numb. Truly, I felt that life was going out of me. Not only was the power of speech taken from me, but energy for breathing seemed to have gone also. I wished the earth would open and swallow me up so that I might never again see my Lord so grief-stricken as this. Truly for a moment I was not present in this world. Only when the Master resumed His walking down the stairs, the sound of His shoes jolted me. I quickly followed Him. I heard Him say: 'I told the Covenant-breakers that the more they hurt me, the more will the believers exalt my station to the point of exaggeration...' Now that the blame was removed from the believers and placed on the Covenant-breakers, I somewhat regained consciousness and a little life. I listened carefully to His words, but my thoughts were elsewhere. I now understood that it was the iniquities and transgressions perpetrated by these ruthless Covenant-breakers which had produced a strong reaction among the believers who could not control their feelings and sentiments. This bitter experience of mine was ended now. The Master was pacing up and down the hall and speaking more about the machinations of the Covenant-breakers. But I was not in a position to think properly or meditate deeply. I was very perturbed that I had brought such grief upon the Master, and I did not know what to do. Then I heard Him say: 'This is in no way the fault of the friends. They say these things because of their steadfastness, their love and devotion...' Again my thoughts were directed to His words. Then I heard Him say to me: 'You are very dear to Me, etc... [It is obvious that through his modesty and humility Dr Yunis Khan does not wish to reveal all the praise and encouragement which the Master had showered upon him.] From these utterances I realized that it was always the Master's way never ever to allow a soul to be hurt. And now this was a time for giving me comfort and encouragement. The pressure in my heart was now released. All the anguish pent up in me was gone. I burst into tears which flowed in great profusion upon my cheeks and I listened more carefully. I heard His utterances as He showered His bounties upon me in such heartwarming and affectionate terms that they went far beyond the normal limits of encouragement. So much loving kindness and favour He bestowed upon me that when I considered my limited capacity and worth, I could not bear to hear Him; therefore I never allowed those words to enter into my memory. Nevertheless, I was filled with such an indescribable joy and ecstasy that I wished the doors of heaven would open and I could ascend to the Kingdom on high. When He dismissed me from His presence I went towards the Pilgrim House in such a state of intoxication and excitement that I walked all around the streets of 'Akká, not knowing where I was going! And now, my dear reader, you can see how a bitter experience turned into a sweet one, and how it all ended. The earth did not open up to swallow me, neither did the heavens open to let me go up! And, so I can write down the stories of those days and in memory of His radiant countenance may say to you: 'Allah-u-Abhá!'\n\n\n*Source: Adib Taherzadeh, The Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 221-222*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/humility) (Subject: humility).*\n"
},
{
"title": "In your recalling the bereavement of Bahá’u’lláh upon the loss of His loved…",
"slug": "in-your-recalling-the-bereavement-of-bah-u-ll-h-upon-bs5",
"summary": "In your recalling the bereavement of Bahá’u’lláh upon the loss of His loved son, and honouring a highly significant event in the Faith, we leave it to the discretion of the Assemblies whether they choose to hold special gatherings of…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"mirza mihdi",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice",
"love",
"prayer",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/mirza-mihdi"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn your recalling the bereavement of Bahá’u’lláh upon the loss of His loved son, and honouring a highly significant event in the Faith, we leave it to the discretion of the Assemblies whether they choose to hold special gatherings of prayer. In the Holy Land at the World Centre on Mount Carmel there will be an observance at the grave of Mirza Mihdi, at which time his pure example and sacrifice for all mankind will be remembered through the words of his glorious Father.\n\n\n*Source: The Universal House of Justice, Messages 1963 to 1986, p. 169*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/mirza-mihdi) (Subject: mirza-mihdi).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Indeed he became free from the troubles of this world",
"slug": "indeed-he-became-free-from-the-troubles-of-bs2",
"summary": "Indeed he became free from the troubles of this world. No matter how long he might have remained here, he would have met nothing else but trouble. The purpose of life is to get certain results; that is, the life of man must bring forth…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Thornton Chase"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"death"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/death"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIndeed he became free from the troubles of this world. No matter how long he might have remained here, he would have met nothing else but trouble. The purpose of life is to get certain results; that is, the life of man must bring forth certain fruitage. It does not depend upon the length of life. As soon as the life is crowned with fruition then it is completed....\n\n\n*Source: Words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá about Thornton Chase, the first Bahá’í in North America, Star of the West III:13, 13 Nov. 1912, p. 14, quoted in \"‘Abdu’l-Bahá in their Midst\" by Earl Redman, p. 233.*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/death) (Subject: death).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Initially, the Egyptian newspapers were not friendly",
"slug": "initially-the-egyptian-newspapers-were-not-friendly-some-bs2",
"summary": "Initially, the Egyptian newspapers were not friendly. Some of the more incendiary would send their papers where Bahá’í visitors would see them. At first, a few if the Bahá’ís wanted to respond and correct the lies, but ‘Abdu’l-Bahá…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"opposition"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/opposition"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nInitially, the Egyptian newspapers were not friendly. Some of the more incendiary would send their papers where Bahá’í visitors would see them. At first, a few if the Bahá’ís wanted to respond and correct the lies, but ‘Abdu’l-Bahá simply said: These are the heralds of the Kingdom. God is using them to inform the people of our arrival. Let them write anything they like. They will come to investigate, realize the truth and themselves make answer. Things happened just as the Master had predicted.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 12*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/opposition) (Subject: opposition).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Interlaken is in the heart of the Bernese Oberland and the starting point for…",
"slug": "interlaken-is-in-the-heart-of-the-bernese-bs1",
"summary": "Interlaken is in the heart of the Bernese Oberland and the starting point for innumerable excursions into the surrounding mountains and valleys. Often long before sunrise Shoghi Effendi would start out, dressed in knee breeches, a Norfolk…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"balance"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/balance"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nInterlaken is in the heart of the Bernese Oberland and the starting point for innumerable excursions into the surrounding mountains and valleys. Often long before sunrise Shoghi Effendi would start out, dressed in knee breeches, a Norfolk jacket and black wool puttees on his legs, sturdy mountain boots, and a small cheap canvas rucksack on his back and carrying a cane. He would take a train to the foot of some mountain or pass and begin his excursion, walking often ten to sixteen hours, usually alone, but sometimes accompanied by whichever young relative was with him; they could seldom stand the pace and after a few days would start making their excuses. From here he also climbed some of the higher mountains, roped to a guide. These expeditions lasted practically up to the time of his marriage...Shoghi Effendi often told me these stories of his early years in the mountains and showed this or that peak he had climbed, this or that pass he had been over on foot. His longest walk, he said, was forty-two kilometres over two passes. Often he would be caught by the rain and walk on until his clothes dried on him. ... Shoghi Effendi would tell me of how he practically never ate anything until he got back at night, how he would go to a small hotel (he sometimes took me there to the same simple restaurant) and order pommes sautees, fried eggs and salad as these were cheap and filling, go home to his little room under the eaves and fall into bed exhausted and sleep, waking to drink a carafe of the cold mountain water, and sleep again, until, driven by this terrible soul-restlessness, he arose and set out again before daybreak.\n\n\n*Source: Rúhíyyih Khánum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 60*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/balance) (Subject: balance).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Into the lives of those He loved spilled ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s love of flowers, which…",
"slug": "into-the-lives-of-those-he-loved-spilled-bs1",
"summary": "Into the lives of those He loved spilled ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s love of flowers, which He often shared with others. On one occasion a ‘little floor maid emerged from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s suite, her arms filled with roses beautiful roses a gift to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"love",
"the-covenant",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/love"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nInto the lives of those He loved spilled ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s love of flowers, which He often shared with others. On one occasion a ‘little floor maid emerged from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s suite, her arms filled with roses beautiful roses a gift to Him from some of the Bahá’ís. Sensing that we were friends of the Master,’ continued Ella Quant, ‘all formality fell away and with a touching gesture she exclaimed, “See what He gave me! See what He gave me!” She probably knew nothing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Station as the Center of God’s Covenant and the Interpreter of Bahá’u’lláh’s teaching to a needy world; she perhaps did not know His name or title, but He had shown her His love.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 97*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/love) (Subject: love).*\n"
},
{
"title": "It happened that during the Baghdad period, the well-known Ilkhani, son of Musa…",
"slug": "it-happened-that-during-the-baghdad-period-the-bs2",
"summary": "It happened that during the Baghdad period, the well-known Ilkhani, son of Musa Khan-i-Qazvini, received through Siyyid Javad-i-Tabataba'i an audience with Bahá’u’lláh. Siyyid Javad on that occasion made a plea in the Ilkhani's behalf,…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"repentance"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/repentance"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt happened that during the Baghdad period, the well-known Ilkhani, son of Musa Khan-i-Qazvini, received through Siyyid Javad-i-Tabataba'i an audience with Bahá’u’lláh. Siyyid Javad on that occasion made a plea in the Ilkhani's behalf, saying: \"This Ilkhani, Ali-Quli Khan, although a sinner and a lifelong creature of his passions, has now repented. He stands before You with regret as to his former ways, and from this day forward he will not so much as draw a breath that might be contrary to Your good pleasure. I beg of You, accept his repentance; make him the object of Your grace and favor.\"\n\nBahá’u’lláh replied: \"Because he has chosen you as intercessor, I will hide away his sins, and I will take steps to bring him comfort and peace of mind.\"\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful, p. 89*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/repentance) (Subject: repentance).*\n"
},
{
"title": "It is related of Shaykh Mahmud of 'Akka that he 'hated the Bahá’ís",
"slug": "it-is-related-of-shaykh-mahmud-of-akka-bs3",
"summary": "It is related of Shaykh Mahmud of 'Akka that he 'hated the Bahá’ís. While many of his fellow-townsmen had gradually come to realize how very wrong they had been and were speaking of the prisoners in terms of appreciation and praise,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"enemies"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"forgiveness",
"generosity",
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/enemies"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt is related of Shaykh Mahmud of 'Akka that he 'hated the Bahá’ís. While many of his fellow-townsmen had gradually come to realize how very wrong they had been and were speaking of the prisoners in terms of appreciation and praise, Shaykh Mahmud remained adamant in his hatred. One day he was present at a gathering where people were talking of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as a good man, a remarkable man. The Shaykh could bear it no longer and stormed out, saying that he would show up this 'Abbas Effendi for what He was. In blazing anger he rushed to the mosque, where he knew ‘Abdu’l-Bahá could be found at that hour, and laid violent hands upon Him. The Master looked at the Shaykh with that serenity and dignity which only He could commend, and reminded him of what the Prophet Muhammad had said: \"Be generous to the guests, even should he be an infidel..\" Shaykh Mahmud turned away. His wrath had left him. So had his hate. All that he was conscious of was a deep sense of shame and bitter compunction. He fled to his house and barred the door. Some days later he went straight into the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, fell on his knees, and besought forgiveness: \"Which door but thine can I seek; whose bounty can I hope for but thine?\"' He became a devoted Bahá’í.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 50*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/enemies) (Subject: enemies).*\n"
},
{
"title": "It is related that His Holiness Christ -- May my life be a sacrifice to Him",
"slug": "it-is-related-that-his-holiness-christ-bs0",
"summary": "It is related that His Holiness Christ -- May my life be a sacrifice to Him! -- one day, accompanied by His apostles, passed by the corpse of a dead animal. One of them said: 'How putrid has this animal become!' The other exclaimed: 'How…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"fault finding",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/fault-finding"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt is related that His Holiness Christ -- May my life be a sacrifice to Him! -- one day, accompanied by His apostles, passed by the corpse of a dead animal. One of them said: 'How putrid has this animal become!' The other exclaimed: 'How it is deformed!' A third cried out: 'What a stench! How cadaverous looking!' but His Holiness Christ said: \"Look at its teeth! how white they are!' Consider, that He did not look at all at the defects of that animal; nay, rather, He searched well until He found the beautiful white teeth. He observed only the whiteness of the teeth and overlooked entirely the deformity of the body, the dissolution of its organs and the bad odour. This is the attribute of the children of the Kingdom. This is the conduct and the manner of the real Bahá’ís. I hope that all the believers will attain to this lofty station.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Star of the West, Vol. IV, No. 11, p. 192*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/fault-finding) (Subject: fault-finding).*\n"
},
{
"title": "It is told that in the home of Bahá’u’lláh there was a beautiful rug upon which…",
"slug": "it-is-told-that-in-the-home-of-bs4",
"summary": "It is told that in the home of Bahá’u’lláh there was a beautiful rug upon which He used to sit. One day a poor Arab brought a load of wood to the house. He saw the rug and was very much attracted by its beauty. He handled it with great…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"generosity"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt is told that in the home of Bahá’u’lláh there was a beautiful rug upon which He used to sit. One day a poor Arab brought a load of wood to the house. He saw the rug and was very much attracted by its beauty. He handled it with great appreciation and exclaimed, \"Oh, how wonderful it must be to have such a splendid rug to sit upon!' ‘Abdu’l-Bahá heard him and said, 'If you like the rug, take it.'\n\nThe man could not believe it was really a gift. Fearing he would lose it, he put it over his shoulder and began to run, looking back to see if anyone was coming to take it from him. With delicious humour ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, 'Go on, no one is going to take it away from you.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 70*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity) (Subject: generosity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "It may sound disrespectful to say the Guardian was a mischievous child, but he…",
"slug": "it-may-sound-disrespectful-to-say-the-guardian-bs0",
"summary": "It may sound disrespectful to say the Guardian was a mischievous child, but he himself told me he was the acknowledged ringleader of all the other children. Bubbling with high spirits, enthusiasm and daring, full of laughter and wit, the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"shoghi effendi",
"pilgrimage",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/shoghi-effendi"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt may sound disrespectful to say the Guardian was a mischievous child, but he himself told me he was the acknowledged ringleader of all the other children. Bubbling with high spirits, enthusiasm and daring, full of laughter and wit, the small boy led the way in many pranks; whenever something was afoot, behind it would be found Shoghi Effendi! This boundless energy was often a source of anxiety as he would rush madly up and down the long flight of high steps to the upper story of the house, to the consternation of the pilgrims below, waiting to meet the Master. His exuberance was irrepressible and was in the child the same force that was to make the man such an untiring and unflinching commander-in-chief of the forces of Bahá’u’lláh, leading them to victory after victory, indeed, to the spiritual conquest of the entire globe. We have a very reliable witness to this characteristic of the Guardian, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself, Who wrote on a used envelope a short sentence to please His little grandson: \"Shoghi Effendi is a wise man -- but he runs about very much!\"\n\n\n*Source: The Universal House of Justice, Messages 1963 to 1986, p. 294*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/shoghi-effendi) (Subject: shoghi-effendi).*\n"
},
{
"title": "It seems almost inconceivable that Mr",
"slug": "it-seems-almost-inconceivable-that-mr-ioas-could-bs0",
"summary": "It seems almost inconceivable that Mr. Ioas could render any more extraordinary services, but he did. There was one service that meant more than any other, to Shoghi Effendi. An apartment building in which the Covenant-breakers lived,…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "formative",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"miracles",
"the-covenant",
"holy-land",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt seems almost inconceivable that Mr. Ioas could render any more extraordinary services, but he did. There was one service that meant more than any other, to Shoghi Effendi. An apartment building in which the Covenant-breakers lived, was positioned immediately in front of the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh and the Mansion of Bahji. Every time ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited the Shrine of His Father, every time Shoghi Effendi visited the Shrine, the Covenant-breakers were there. Their poisonous presence had polluted the Most Holy Spot for more than six decades . . . Following the establishment of the state of Israel, the government proceeded to identify the holy places of all of the religions in the Holy Land, and to officially recognize them. The Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh was one of these officially-designated Holy Places. I heard, though I do not recall from whom, that Mr. Ioas learned that the government of Israel had passed a law prohibiting residential dwellings within a certain number of meters from a designated holy place. He informed Shoghi Effendi of this, and stated that perhaps the Covenant-breaker dwelling could be removed. The Guardian asked, (paraphrasing, not his exact words), “Leroy, do you really think you could do this?” Mr. Ioas answered that he could not; however, he knew that God assisted everything Shoghi Effendi wanted done, and if Shoghi Effendi told Mr. Ioas to do it, he knew that it could be accomplished. Shoghi Effendi then told him to proceed, and said that it would be a miracle to get the Covenant-breakers out . . . This was not merely removal of an ugly building from otherwise beautiful gardens, nor merely the eviction of undesirables. This represented the death-blow to the violators of the Covenant . . . The Covenant-breakers appealed the dispossession order, and they were not finally evicted until just a few weeks before Shoghi Effendi's passing. He was in London at the time, and Mr. Ioas cabled him, informing him that the Covenant-breakers had finally been evicted, and asking the Guardian if he wished him to proceed with the demolition of the building. Shoghi Effendi cabled back that he would supervise it himself, upon his return. However, Shoghi Effendi passed away shortly thereafter, and never returned to the Holy Land. The Hands of the Cause proceeded with this demolition immediately after their First Conclave.\n\n\n*Source: Brent Poirier, Leroy Ioas, Champion of the Charters of the Bahá’í Faith*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles) (Subject: miracles).*\n"
},
{
"title": "It took some time for the news of Bahá’u’lláh’s Declaration to reach the…",
"slug": "it-took-some-time-for-the-news-of-bs0",
"summary": "It took some time for the news of Bahá’u’lláh’s Declaration to reach the believers in Persia. In the first place, methods of communication were still primitive. Secondly, the dissemination of such important news had to be carried out with…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"bahaullah declaration",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-declaration"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt took some time for the news of Bahá’u’lláh’s Declaration to reach the believers in Persia. In the first place, methods of communication were still primitive. Secondly, the dissemination of such important news had to be carried out with wisdom. Only the insight and devotion of Bahá’u’lláh’s disciples could bring this about, which is one of the reasons that Bahá’u’lláh sent a number of the ablest among them to Persia to teach His Cause there.\n\n\n*Source: Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh: Baghdad 1853-6, v.1, p. 286*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-declaration) (Subject: bahaullah-declaration).*\n"
},
{
"title": "It was a short time after Grace told me this story that she went on the…",
"slug": "it-was-a-short-time-after-grace-told-bs12",
"summary": "It was a short time after Grace told me this story that she went on the teaching trip through the nearsouthern states that I mentioned above. The teaching trip ended in time for her to reach Wilmette and attend the Convention in the spring…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Wilmette",
"lat": 42.0731,
"lng": -87.722,
"modernName": "Wilmette, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"intuition",
"teaching",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt was a short time after Grace told me this story that she went on the teaching trip through the nearsouthern states that I mentioned above. The teaching trip ended in time for her to reach Wilmette and attend the Convention in the spring of 1938. It was a very radiant Convention and the report Grace gave of her teaching trip was one of the high points of it because Grace herself was so radiant and filled with the glory of the great\n\nprivilege of teaching. She stood there, before the crowded hall in the foundation of the temple, filled with the great glory that shone from her and, closing her report, she uttered a tremendous clarion call for pioneers and for teachers. Then she walked down to resume her seat amongst the delegates. But on her way she paused beside\n\nHarlan, who had just been reelected to our National Spiritual Assembly. \"I want to congratulate you now\" she whispered, \"I may not have time later\", They smiled at each other with the perfect understanding that had always existed between them. Then Grace slipped into her own seat. As she sat down her head drooped slightly and those glancing at her assumed she was lost in prayer. But when she made no movement for many moments someone touched her someone realized something was wrong Edris Rice-Wray and Katherine True both moved forward - and Grace was gone - gone through her Open Door - gone on her beautiful journey to the arms of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 22*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition) (Subject: intuition).*\n"
},
{
"title": "It was at the home of the Kinneys that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stayed the second time he…",
"slug": "it-was-at-the-home-of-the-kinneys-bs7",
"summary": "It was at the home of the Kinneys that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stayed the second time he came to New York and it was from this home that He left to return to Haifa. The day before He was to take ship to leave He asked Mr. Kinney if there was…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"forgiveness gods"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"justice",
"love",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-gods"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt was at the home of the Kinneys that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stayed the second time he came to New York and it was from this home that He left to return to Haifa. The day before He was to take ship to leave He asked Mr. Kinney if there was something amongst His belongings that He might offer as a gift of farewell. At first, Mr. Kinney was reluctant to choose, but finally he admitted that well, might he be given a pair of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s boots? Those boots that had sheltered the feet that walked with such serene certainty upon the Path of God? Mr. Kinney would cherish these above all else. So, with smiling love, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave a pair of His boots to Edward Kinney. Reverently and joyfully, Mr. Kinney laid them in a bureau drawer in his bedroom, carefully wrapped in a nest of tissue paper. Very rarely - since the boots were such an intimate and precious thing, were they shown to anyone though Mr. Kinney touched them frequently as he prayed. Then one day, he did wish to show them to someone. He went to the bureau, pulled out the drawer - and the boots were gone - completely gone. No sign of them in the tissue paper, no sign of them in any other drawer, no sign of them in any part of the room which was searched carefully. There simply were no boots anywhere. So Dad Kinney (he became 'Dad to all the hundreds who loved him) began to pray and he prayed, shaken, from the depths of his troubled soul. Why had the beloved boots been taken from him? Where had they gone? What could have happened? Was he had he become - unworthy to possess them? And, at last, he knew this was it. He was no longer worthy to hold the precious boots. Then why was he no longer worthy? What had he done between the time when he had last held the boots in his hands and the moment when he had discovered their absence? It had been, he estimated, some two, possibly three weeks. So in deepest meditation, he went back, day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment over this period. He remembered his actions; he analyzed his motives; he reviewed his thoughts. And suddenly, in a blaze of illumination, he knew what it was. Deeply selfish materialism; clouded hypocritical motives; unjust actions. He had been guilty of all these. But he had deluded himself by calling them such fair and pretty names. No wonder the boots had been taken away. In all justice he had proved himself in no way worthy to hold such treasure. Humbled and ashamed, he prayed abjectly for forgiveness - and then, mournfully, he went to the bureau drawer - just to touch the tissue paper that once had protected the boots. And lo! the boots had returned. They were there, real and tangible; the leather soft beneath his fingertips, the well-worn soles smooth to his touch. They were there, but the warning was never forgotten - the lesson was well learned.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 28*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-gods) (Subject: forgiveness-gods).*\n"
},
{
"title": "It was June of 1847",
"slug": "it-was-june-of-1847-an-immense-crowd-bs0",
"summary": "It was June of 1847. An immense crowd of people thronged the gate of the city of Tabriz to witness the very first time that the Báb entered their city. Some were merely curious, while others were earnestly trying to find out if the Báb…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Mullá Ḥusayn",
"William Sears"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"mulla husayn",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"joy",
"loyalty",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/mulla-husayn"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt was June of 1847. An immense crowd of people thronged the gate of the city of Tabriz to witness the very first time that the Báb entered their city. Some were merely curious, while others were earnestly trying to find out if the Báb were in truth such a wondrous figure as they had been told. Still others were moved by their faith and devotion, and sought to attain His presence so they could assure Him of their loyalty.\n\nAs He walked along the streets, the cries of welcome rang out on every side. The great majority of those who saw Him shouted aloud: \"God is most great!\" They cheered Him on His way.\n\nSo great was the clamor which His arrival had raised that a crier was sent out among the people to warn them of the danger of continuing this behavior.\n\n\"Whoever shall make any attempt to approach the Báb, \"the people were warned, \"or seek to meet him, at any time, all that person's possessions shall be seized and he shall be imprisoned.\"\n\nThe Báb spent the first night in the home of one of the residents by the name of Muhammad Big. From there He was transferred to a room in the Citadel (the Ark), a fortress-like structure, and then subsequently moved to one of the chief houses in that city, which had been reserved for His confinement. A detachment of soldiers stood guard at the entrance of His house. The soldiers were given rigid orders by their superiors not to let anyone to come in contact with the Báb. However these soldiers soon became His friends. They were entirely obedient to the instructions of the Báb, and permitted whomever He wished to visit Him. They were in reality a protection against the onrush of the multitude who thronged about the house, the Báb said, but they were powerless to prevent those Whom He desired to meet from attaining His presence.\n\nThe Báb stayed in Tabriz for about forty days. While there, one day one of His devoted followers, by the name of 'Ali-Askar, felt strongly the desire to see Him. 'Ali-Askar’s friends, however, tried to discourage him.\n\n\"Don't you know that such a foolish attempt on your part will not only involve the loss of your possessions, but will also endanger your very life?\"\n\n\"I am going,\" he said.\n\nHe refused to heed their counsel, and made his way to the house where the Báb was imprisoned. Nothing could keep 'Ali-Askar from the presence of the Báb, even if it meant giving up his life.\n\nIn the days past, he had journeyed many miles with Mulla Husayn, the first follower of the Báb. They had taught together in many towns. Time after time, 'Ali-Askar would complain bitterly to Mulla Husayn of his own earlier failure to recognize the Báb and meet Him in Shiraz. This was a source of great sorrow to 'Ali-Askar.\n\n\"Grieve not,\" Mulla Husayn told him. \"The Almighty will no doubt compensate you in Tabriz for the loss you sustained in Shiraz.\" Mulla Husayn spoke very confidently. \"Not once,\" he said, \"but seven times can He enable you to partake of the joy of His presence, in return for one visit which you have missed.\"\n\nNow that the Báb was in Tabriz, 'Ali-Askar would allow nothing to keep them apart. As he approached the door of the house in which the Báb was confined, he was immediately arrested along with the friend who accompanied him.\n\nA command was sent from the Báb to the guards: \"Suffer these visitors to enter, inasmuch as I Myself have invited them to meet Me.\"\n\nThis message silenced the guards at once. 'Ali-Askar and his friend were ushered into the Báb's presence. He greeted them affectionately and made them welcome. He gave them many instructions to carry out. He assured them that whenever they wished to visit Him, no one would bar their way.\n\n'Ali-Askar said, \"Several times I ventured to visit the Báb, so that I might ask questions about the work with which He had entrusted me. Not once did I encounter any opposition on the part of those who were guarding the entrance to His house.\n\n\"I had forgotten the words which Mulla Husayn had spoken to me until the time of my last visit to the Báb. How great was my surprise when, on my seventh visit, I heard Him speak these words: 'Praise be to God, Who has enabled you to complete the number of your visits, and Who has extended to you His loving protection.'\"\n\n\n*Source: Adapted from ‘Release the Sun’, by William Sears; Nabil’s Dawn-Breakers, pp. 237-243; and ‘A Traveller's Narrative’, p. 16*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/mulla-husayn) (Subject: mulla-husayn).*\n"
},
{
"title": "It was Mirza Yusif, who was able to help my mother about getting food taken to…",
"slug": "it-was-mirza-yusif-who-was-able-to-bs2",
"summary": "It was Mirza Yusif, who was able to help my mother about getting food taken to my father, and who brought us to the two little rooms near the prison, where we stayed in close hiding. He had to be very careful in thus defying the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"siyah chal",
"prison",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/siyah-chal"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt was Mirza Yusif, who was able to help my mother about getting food taken to my father, and who brought us to the two little rooms near the prison, where we stayed in close hiding. He had to be very careful in thus defying the authorities, although the danger in this case was mitigated by the fact of his being under the protection of the Russian Consulate, as a Russian subject. Nobody at all, of all our friends and relations, dared to come to see my mother during these days of death, but the wife of Mirza Yusif, the aunt of my father.\n\n\n*Source: Hasan M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Centre of the Covenant, p. 40-41*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/siyah-chal) (Subject: siyah-chal).*\n"
},
{
"title": "It was not long after this that Lua came to Grace and told her that it was the…",
"slug": "it-was-not-long-after-this-that-lua-bs3",
"summary": "It was not long after this that Lua came to Grace and told her that it was the wish of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that she marry Harlan Ober. Grace was shocked. 'Why I don't really know that man! I've only met him a few times and that very casually.…",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"obedience"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/obedience"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt was not long after this that Lua came to Grace and told her that it was the wish of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that she marry Harlan Ober. Grace was shocked. 'Why I don't really know that man! I've only met him a few times and that very casually. Besides - I'm almost engaged to someone else. He's asked me and I'm I'm making up my mind. How could I think of marrying Harlan Ober? Lua smiled, \"I'm only repeating ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s request,\"\n\nshe said gently. So Grace quickly put the idea out of her mind. The next morning Lua came the second time to deliver the same message. Again Grace dismissed it all as being utterly fantastic. The third morning when Lua came she added her own remarks to the message. \"You'd better really consider this, Grace ‘Abdu’l-Bahá does not make suggestions lightly.\" Grace, this time, realized how serious this was. 'But what does He want me to do? Write to Harlan Ober, whom I scarcely know - and propose to him? How could I? Oh, Lua I do want to be obedient but how on earth can I? Lua hugged her and patted her consolingly. \"Ill do it,\" she said. \"I know Harlan very well - it was through me he came into the Faith. I can do this easily.\" So Lua wrote to Harlan - and Harlan, radiant at the thought that he was obeying a suggestion of his beloved Master, took the next train to New York from Boston where he lived. He came at once to see Grace and together they went walking through Central Park where he proposed and Grace, still dazed and uncertain, accepted - because it was the will of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The next morning they were called into ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s bedroom. And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was there, with one or two others, waiting to perform the marriage ceremony. Grace remembered, afterward, entering the room. She remembered the look of warm love on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s face; she remembered the bands of sunlight on the floor and the bowls of roses on the tables and the next thing she was aware of was lying on a couch with Harlan bending\n\nabove her asking if she felt better. She then discovered that the marriage had been performed - a marriage that, with no faltering, she had gone through with Harlan at her side then, when it was over, she had swayed a little and they had suggested she lie down. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, smiling and serene, was watching her with great love knowing perfectly well how overcome with the spiritual force of these great moments she had been and knowing that the whole experience only proved her great spiritual susceptibility and capacity. So were Grace Robarts and Harlan Ober married by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Later that same day they were married again by the laws of New York when Howard Colby Ives performed the legal ceremony.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 20*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/obedience) (Subject: obedience).*\n"
},
{
"title": "It was some years before this, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in Paris, that a group of…",
"slug": "it-was-some-years-before-this-when-abdu-l-bah-bs2",
"summary": "It was some years before this, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in Paris, that a group of men from Teheran came to Him deeply troubled, They had walked all the way from their homes in Persia - since traveling on foot was the only proper way to meet…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"truthfulness"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/truthfulness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt was some years before this, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in Paris, that a group of men from Teheran came to Him deeply troubled, They had walked all the way from their homes in Persia - since traveling on foot was the only proper way to meet their Master - to make what they considered a most vital request. In a village, there was a Bahá’í who was causing a great deal of trouble because of the lies he told. He lied about everything with\n\nthe result that misunderstandings, distrust and confusion reigned. This dreadful situation, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would, they begged, have to do something about. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá agreed; indeed it was a most dreadful situation and certainly He would do something about it. He would write the man a letter. And the salutation at, the heading of\n\nthis letter was, \"0 thou great lover of Truth\" (Sadly there is no record I have seen of the balance of this Epistle - which must have been priceless.)\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 40*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/truthfulness) (Subject: truthfulness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "It was the custom of Shoghi Effendi to walk on Mount Carmel, and at times he…",
"slug": "it-was-the-custom-of-shoghi-effendi-to-bs3",
"summary": "It was the custom of Shoghi Effendi to walk on Mount Carmel, and at times he invited the Persian men believers to walk with him. They would walk a few paces behind him, out of respect. Ali-Kuli Khan was a member of one of these groups of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Ali-Kuli Khan"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"humility",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/humility"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt was the custom of Shoghi Effendi to walk on Mount Carmel, and at times he invited the Persian men believers to walk with him. They would walk a few paces behind him, out of respect. Ali-Kuli Khan was a member of one of these groups of men, and at one point Shoghi Effendi stopped, and turned to the men, and said, \"Although I am ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's successor, I am not His equal. His station is far greater than my own.\" Then he turned, and continued walking. Ali-Kuli Khan burst into tears. When he finished weeping, one of his fellow pilgrims asked him, \"What Shoghi Effendi said was very beautiful, but why did it have such an effect on you?\" Ali-Kuli Khan answered, \"Many years ago, I was here on Pilgrimage during the days of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. One day I was walking with Him on the slopes of Mount Carmel, and He stopped, at that very same spot, and turned to me and said, \"Although I am the Successor to Bahá’u’lláh, I am not His equal. His station is far, far greater than My own.\" And of course, as we were walking behind the beloved Guardian, I recalled the sweetness of that moment. And then I saw that we were approaching that spot where the Master had spoken, and to my astonishment, Shoghi Effendi stopped, and spoke at that same spot. And when he said what he did, then I understood the greatness of this Cause.\n\n\n*Source: Source unknown*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/humility) (Subject: humility).*\n"
},
{
"title": "It was the last four months of the nine-year plan and I [Jenabe Caldwell] had…",
"slug": "it-was-the-last-four-months-of-the-bs6",
"summary": "It was the last four months of the nine-year plan and I [Jenabe Caldwell] had just come out of India. As usual when I was anywhere near Israel, I would stop for a three day visit, go to the Shrines and thank Bahá’u’lláh for His blessings…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Alí-Akbar Furútán"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"pilgrimage",
"holy-day",
"administration",
"consultation",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice",
"love",
"prayer",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 10,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt was the last four months of the nine-year plan and I [Jenabe Caldwell] had just come out of India. As usual when I was anywhere near Israel, I would stop for a three day visit, go to the Shrines and thank Bahá’u’lláh for His blessings and beseech Him for my future protection.\n\nWhen I entered the Pilgrim House, Hand of the Cause Dr Rahmatu'llah Muhajir was talking to Hand of the Cause Ali Akbar Furutan in the middle of the room. When Dr Muhajir saw me he motioned me to come to him.\n\nHe said, \"Jenabe, you are now going to Germany.\"\n\n\"No, Dr Muhajir, I am not going to Germany.\" I replied, \"I am going home to Alaksa. I have been out now for over six months and I am going home.\"\n\nHand of the Cause Dr Rahmatu'llah Muhajir went right on, \"We are now down to the last 4 months of the nine year plan and Germany has not won any of its numerical goals of the plan. The only way they can possibly reach their goals is by mass teaching. You are a mass teacher so you are going to Germany.\"\n\nDr Muhajir then took out a note pad and wrote a telegram to the National Assembly of Germany, which he showed me. \"Last opportunity to win goals nine year plan. Mass teaching, mass teacher Jenabe Caldwell arriving. Give every support. Dr Muhajir.\"\n\nI remonstrated with him, \"Dr Muhajir, I will need at least the three months to get my teachers and train them to do the teaching\"\n\nUndaunted he replied, \"Bring your Alaskans. They are already trained.\"\n\n\"Dr Muhajir,\" I cried. \"It will take a fortune to bring over the Alaskan Bahá’ís to Germany.\"\n\n\"Go to Hamburg,\" he calmly explained. \"They will give you the money.\"\n\nStill unconvinced, I responded, \"Dr Muhajir if I go to Hamburg they won't even give me the time of day let alone their money.\"\n\n\"You go to Hamburg and they will give you the money,\" he insisted.\n\nI went to Germany and I met with the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Germany. First they wanted to know what was the first step to be taken by them. I explained that the first step would be putting together a teaching team and we would need some German Bahá’ís willing to give three or four months to the teaching work.\n\nI suggested the National Spiritual Assembly sit down together and draft a real love letter to every enrolled Bahá’í in Germany, requesting that they come for three or four months. I asked that divine institution to write the letter together, not to just give it to the secretary to write. I strongly felt that such a letter would require the inspiration promised by Bahá’u’lláh to that body in full consultation.\n\nTheir unanimous decision was that they would be wasting their stamps as they explained that they had great difficulty in getting the friends to come to a Saturday night pot luck.\n\nI responded that I might not want to come to a pot luck, but might come for the spiritual conquest of Germany. They agreed to try it and I assured them that if no one came, I would go on by myself.\n\nThey then wanted to know how I planned to do the mass teaching in Germany. I told them that the only way I knew how to do it was to go out and meet the people and talk to them. They assured me that this approach in Germany would not work as people did not talk to strangers in Germany. I explained that I did not know of any other way to teach the Faith without talking to the people.\n\nThey then agreed (only because Hand of the Cause Dr Rahmatu'llah Muhajir had instructed them to support this effort) to let me try street teaching in Germany.\n\n\"All-praise and glory be to God Who, through the power of His might, hath delivered His creation from the nakedness of non-existence and clothed it with the mantle of life.\" Bahá’u’lláh\n\nI would like to pause here in this narrative to make an important point. We the Bahá’ís limit the power of Bahá’u’lláh by our own negative feelings. The power that put the sun in orbit has given mankind all it needs to build the kingdom of God on earth, but He has made it a - Do it yourself kit -, and assured us of HIs unfailing aid if we will just \"follow the instructions\".\n\n\"Whoso openeth his lips in this Day and maketh mention of the name of his Lord, the hosts of Divine inspiration shall descend upon him from the heaven of My name, the All-Knowing, the All Wise. On him shall also descend the concourse on high, each bearing aloft a chalice of pure light.\" Bahá’u’lláh\n\nI then went to Hamburg and there was a large community of very wealthy Persians in Hamburg. I guess Hand of the Cause Dr Rahamatu'llah Muhajir had asked them to come. That evening they all came and donated over $30,000US.\n\nThen I went on to Alaska and got 15 God-intoxicated lovers and well-trained soldiers in Bahá’u’lláh's army of light. These were all battle scarred veterans from Alaska's Massive Encounter. Their way and expenses were paid so none of the Hamburg money was needed and this was returned to the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany.\n\nWe started our program with a teacher training course. I waited to see if any of the German friends would come. First a young man walked in.\n\nI greeted him and enquired, \"How is it that you came for such a long time?\"\n\nHe explained, \"You know I got this beautiful love letter from my National Spiritual Assembly. When I read it I felt like it was a love letter from God, and He was asking me to come for 3 or 4 months. Now tell me how could I refuse?\n\n\"What did you have to do to come?\" I asked.\n\n\"Well,\" he said, \"I had to drop out of my University and I had only 3 months left to go to get my degree. This means next fall I must go back, pay again the tuition, and do the whole thing over again.\"\n\nWhen this beautiful spiritual lad explained what he had done, I knew in my heart that we had won the goals of the nine-year plan. One thing I know for sure and that is this Cause of God is built on sacrifice. If there is no sacrifice, believe me there will be no victory.\n\n\"The moth is a sacrifice to the candle. The spring is a sacrifice to the thirsty one. The sincere lover is a sacrifice to the loved one and the longing one is a sacrifice to the beloved.\" ‘Abdu’l-Bahá\n\nAnother lady walked in and I asked, \"What happened to bring you here?\"\n\nShe answered, \"I got this beautiful love letter asking me to come and I went right over to the phone and called my neighbour and asked her to feed my cats, and here I am.\"\n\nAnother man came in and I asked the same question.\n\n\"I got this letter and I went to my boss and asked for time off and he told me that it was a good time as business was slow. So here I am.\"\n\nThe next one explained, \"I asked for time off and the boss said no way, so I quit and here I am.\"\n\nThe next, \"I got this very beautiful love letter and I called my mother-in-law and told her to feed her son and take care of the grandchildren. I was going on a nine-year plan and wold be gone for three months.\"\n\nSo they came from every corner of Germany. Self-sacrificing, spiritual souls for a total of 45 front line German soldiers and the 15 Alaskans. I still was at a loss as to what these Alaskans could do in Germany as not one of them spoke German. We had a team of 60 God intoxicated angels of Bahá’u’lláh.\n\nDuring the teacher training institute, they wanted to know how we were going to go about it and when I explained that we were going out on the streets in Germany and tell these people about Bahá’u’lláh the Germans were aghast, one and all they told me that this could not be done in a country like Germany.\n\nAs I had told their National Spiritual Assembly, I told them that in all my life I have never been able to teach anyone without talking to them. These Germans something very special. They did not like the idea, and they were sure it would not work, but they were willing to have a go at it anyhow.\n\nWe must also bear in mind that this Cause of God started on May 22nd 1844 with a street teacher. The Báb went out of his house walked out to the edge of town and met a stranger and invited him to His house. Then He asked questions, listened and had a fireside. This resulted in the first declaration on May 23rd, 1844.\n\nIt was a cold day in February and the snow was on the ground. We arrived at the Frankfurt House of Worship at about 4.30am. All 60 of us circumambulated this Mother Temple of Europe, each one saying quietly to themselves the Tablet of Ahmad. Then silently we filed into the building and one by one went to the podium and said a Tablet of Ahmad. Truly it was a lifetime soul enriching experience. We then left the House of Worship just as the sun was coming up.\n\nWe had busses and so we went to a dorf. This is like a village in Germany. That evening the whole team returned with long faces and unhappy reports. One member of the team told me that it was truly awful. He said he had tried to talk to a man and this man grumbled and walked off.\n\nThe Alaskans explained to me that they felt the trouble was that the love was coming from their heads and not their hearts. So I took them into our hall and we had consultation on love. I read all the tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá I had on love.\n\n\"The essence of Bahá’u’lláh's Teaching is all-embracing love, for love includeth every excellence of humankind.\" ‘Abdu’l-Bahá\n\nWe had a 24-hour prayer watch, I instructed the team members to pray, to beg, to beseech Bahá’u’lláh for loving hearts when they went to their prayers that night.\n\nThe next evening when the team came in, it was transformed. One man told me, \"I didn't try to stop everone on the street as I did yesterday. I just stood on the corner several blocks away and I thought to myself, 'I do love that man. He is my brother. I left my job and came here because I love him so much that I want to share with him the most precious thing I have in my life which is the Cause of God.' I no sooner had this inner conviction than I felt such love flowing through me. This love was like a river and it flowed from me and down the street and when it reached this man, he began to smile.\n\nI walked towards him. He walked towards me. When we came together, I said, 'Have you ever heard of Bahá’u’lláh?'\n\n\"No,\" he said. \"Please tell me.\"\n\nSo I invited him into a coffee shop and everything I said he responded with, \"Isn't that wonderful.\" You could feel this intense divine and spiritual love all around us. After about 2 hours this person asked if he could please be a Bahá’í.\"\n\nAll the team members were glowing and they all had stories similar to this one. In three months all the goals of the nine-year plan were won.\n\n\"Make my heart overflow with love for Thy creatures ...\" ‘Abdu’l-Bahá\n\nI think every Bahá’í, deep down inside, knows that love is the answer and the secret of successful teaching. If we don't feel this love or are unable to show it, then let's do as the Germans did and supplicate the Blessed Beauty to give us that loving heart.\n\n\n*Source: From the book, \"Follow the Instructions\" by Jenabe E Caldwell, 1995*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching) (Subject: teaching).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Jinab-i-Haji Amin was a shining star who served the Cause as the Trustee of…",
"slug": "jinab-i-haji-amin-was-a-shining-star-who-served-bs2",
"summary": "Jinab-i-Haji Amin was a shining star who served the Cause as the Trustee of Huququ'lláh for forty-seven years with eagerness and zeal, showing magnanimity, courage and incredible steadfastness. During the Ministry of Bahá’u’lláh he was…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"detachment",
"prison",
"family",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"justice",
"love",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/detachment"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nJinab-i-Haji Amin was a shining star who served the Cause as the Trustee of Huququ'lláh for forty-seven years with eagerness and zeal, showing magnanimity, courage and incredible steadfastness. During the Ministry of Bahá’u’lláh he was imprisoned twice, by order of Násiri'd-Dín Sháh and his son Kamran Mirza. In the course of his second imprisonment, in the prison of Qazvin, referred to as Sijn-i-Matin (the Mighty Prison) by Bahá’u’lláh in the opening verses of the Tablet of the World, he was with the Hand of the Cause Jinab-i-Haji Akhund. Here, Jinab-i-Haji Amin suffered gravely, his legs in fetters and a chain around his neck. His jailers, in order to torment him, would add castor oil to his food. With manifest resignation and submission, he would neither complain nor refuse the food, eating as though nothing were amiss. He was a symbol of magnanimity and detachment. He had no worldly possessions, no home or shelter of his own. His habitation was in the hearts and souls of the Bahá’í friends who would receive and entertain him with warmth and love. Each one would impatiently await his arrival, to enjoy the sweet melody of his prayers and chanting of the Tablets, and the glad-tidings and encouragement he would bring. Every day he would bid goodbye to one family to spend the night in another household, illumining another gathering with his presence. He was continually on the move, travelling to most Iranian cities and being the trusted adviser of many Bahá’í friends in their personal affairs.\n\n\n*Source: Universal House of Justice, 2002 Jul 30, Revised - Development of Institution of Huququ'llah, p. 2*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/detachment) (Subject: detachment).*\n"
},
{
"title": "John [Bosch] was present on November 19 at the Master's last public talk;…",
"slug": "john-bosch-was-present-on-november-19-at-bs0",
"summary": "John [Bosch] was present on November 19 at the Master's last public talk; ‘Abdu’l-Bahá pointed to John on this occasion and addressed the talk to him: He spoke of divine love, and how different it is from human love, which fails in the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"love divine",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/love-divine"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nJohn [Bosch] was present on November 19 at the Master's last public talk; ‘Abdu’l-Bahá pointed to John on this occasion and addressed the talk to him: He spoke of divine love, and how different it is from human love, which fails in the testing and in which there is no element of self-sacrifice. He told John that the Persian believers loved him, although they could not speak their love, and that if John went to Persia they would if necessary give up their own lives to protect his. He said: 'When lovers meet it may be that they cannot exchange a single word, yet with their hearts they speak to one another. Thus do the clouds speak to the earth and the rain comes down; the breeze whispers to the trees; the sun speaks to the eyes of men. Although this is not actual speech yet this is the way in which the hearts of the friends communicate... For instance, you were in America and I was in the Holy Land. Although our lips were still yet with our hearts we were conversing together.'\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, \"The Universal Language of the Spirit\", Star of the West, October 1922, p. 163*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/love-divine) (Subject: love-divine).*\n"
},
{
"title": "John David Bosch was a Swiss from Canton St",
"slug": "john-david-bosch-was-a-swiss-from-canton-bs4",
"summary": "John David Bosch was a Swiss from Canton St. Gall who emigrated to the United States in 1879. Later he returned to Europe and studied wine-making in Germany, France, and Spain . . . And John became a Bahá’í. On May 29, 1905, he went down…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"obedience"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"justice",
"love",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/obedience"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nJohn David Bosch was a Swiss from Canton St. Gall who emigrated to the United States in 1879. Later he returned to Europe and studied wine-making in Germany, France, and Spain . . . And John became a Bahá’í. On May 29, 1905, he went down to the winery office very early and wrote ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: '...may my name be entered in the Great Book of this Universal Life... My watchword will be \"Justice.\" . . . There were many Tablets and messages for John Bosch, through all the years . . . Early in 1910 (the date on the envelope is May), the Master wrote to John: 'According to the texts of the Book of Aqdas both light and strong drinks are prohibited. The reason for this prohibition is that it [drink] leads the mind astray and is the cause of weakening the body... I hope thou mayest become exhilarated with the wine of the love of God... The after-effect of drinking is depression, but the wine of the love of God bestoweth exaltation of the spirit.' John had forty men in four wineries under him. In one year, he crushed up fifteen thousand tons of grapes, which makes over two and a quarter million gallons of wine. 'I thought it over,' he said. It was not long before he decided to retire.\n\n\n*Source: Marzieh Gail, Dawn Over Mount Hira, p. 204-206*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/obedience) (Subject: obedience).*\n"
},
{
"title": "John took the first train East, fretting because it didn't go fast enough",
"slug": "john-took-the-first-train-east-fretting-because-bs14",
"summary": "John took the first train East, fretting because it didn't go fast enough. In Washington he phoned one of the believers and learned that the Master was still in New York. John left on the night train. At five-thirty the next morning he was…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"love",
"fast",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/love"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nJohn took the first train East, fretting because it didn't go fast enough. In Washington he phoned one of the believers and learned that the Master was still in New York. John left on the night train. At five-thirty the next morning he was at the Hotel Ansonia, and he went upstairs to see the door of the Master's room. Dr. Getsinger (Lua's husband) was there and recognized John from a photograph. John asked for an appointment and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent word, 'In a few minutes.' Then Dr. Getsinger called John in.\n\n'I went as a business man. I had some questions to ask. When I saw Him I forgot everything. I was empty.' Then, in the conversation that followed, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told John all the things he had wanted to know.\n\n'Foolishly I said, \"Oh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, I came three thousand miles to see you.\" He gave a good hearty laugh--you know what a wonderful laugh He had (here John laughed as the Master had, that faraway morning, and I caught the sound of that world-shaking laughter: Olympian--knowledgeable--the laughter of omniscience--I don't know how to say it. This was not the only time John seemed to me like a reflection of the Master. There was something about his presence; something spotless or fragrant, but not as we know the words. I had noted this in Haji-Amin, too, in Persia). And He said, \"I came eight thousand miles to see you.\"\n\n\n*Source: Marzieh Gail, Dawn Over Mount Hira, p. 207*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/love) (Subject: love).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Joseph Hannen records: “On Tuesday, April 23rd, at noon, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed…",
"slug": "joseph-hannen-records-on-tuesday-april-23rd-at-bs13",
"summary": "Joseph Hannen records: “On Tuesday, April 23rd, at noon, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed the student-body of more than 1,000, the faculty and a large number of distinguished guests, at Howard University. This was a most notable occasion, and here,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Washington, D.C.",
"lat": 38.9072,
"lng": -77.0369,
"modernName": "Washington, D.C., USA"
},
"themes": [
"race unity"
],
"virtues": [
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nJoseph Hannen records: “On Tuesday, April 23rd, at noon, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed the student-body of more than 1,000, the faculty and a large number of distinguished guests, at Howard University. This was a most notable occasion, and here, as everywhere when both white and colored people were present, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá seemed happiest. The address was received with breathless attention by the vast audience, and was followed by a positive ovation and a recall.”\n\n\n*Source: Hannen, “‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Washington, D.C.” p. 7; Agnes Parson’s Diary, p. 29, Footnote 44*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity) (Subject: race-unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "At the Bedside of Marjorie Morten: Juliet Records a Healing",
"slug": "jt-marjorie-morten-bedside",
"summary": "In *The Diary of Juliet Thompson* the painter records the evening in 1912 when 'Abdu'l-Bahá visited her dying friend Marjorie Morten in her sickroom — and the strange peace that, by the next morning, had taken the place of the household's prepared grief.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Juliet Thompson",
"Marjorie Morten"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7831,
"lng": -73.9712,
"modernName": "New York, NY, USA"
},
"themes": [
"encounter",
"sick-caring",
"american-tour",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"tenderness",
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "the-diary-of-juliet-thompson",
"book": "The Diary of Juliet Thompson",
"author": "Juliet Thompson",
"year": 1947,
"publisher": "Kalimát Press"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Diary of Juliet Thompson* the painter records, with the\nquietness she reserves for the gravest moments, an evening in\nthe early summer of 1912 when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited her close\nfriend Marjorie Morten in the sickroom in which Marjorie was\nexpected to die.\n\nMarjorie had been an early American believer of considerable\nwarmth; she had been ill for some months with a wasting\nillness; her doctors, that week, had given the family to\nunderstand that the end was near. The household had begun to\nprepare. Juliet had been in attendance at the bedside for\nseveral days. She had asked, with the family’s consent, whether\nthe Master might be brought.\n\nHe came, the diary records, on the early evening of a warm\nday. The motor-car set Him down in front of the apartment\nbuilding. He climbed the stair. He was led into the sickroom.\n\nThe chamber was, the diary records, in the careful gloom of\nEdwardian sickrooms — drawn curtains, a single bedside lamp, a\nnurse in white in the corner, the family in subdued\nattendance. The Master entered without ceremony. He went\ndirectly to the bed. He took Marjorie's hand.\n\nHe spoke to her in His own Persian, which the household could\nnot understand. The interpreter, beside Him, rendered each\nsentence quietly into English. The words, the diary records,\nwere not the words of farewell anyone in the room had been\npreparing themselves to hear. They were the words of an old\nfriend speaking, with affection and amusement, about the\njourney of the soul, about the silliness of treating the body's\nend as the soul's end, and about the great quiet country into\nwhich Marjorie was now entering.\n\nHe did not, the diary preserves, predict her recovery. Marjorie\nwould in fact pass from this world some days later. He\naddressed the larger question that the body's failing was about\nto settle: the question of what the soul, having shed the body,\nwas going on to.\n\nThe chamber, by the time He had finished, had changed. The\nfamily was quiet; Juliet was quiet; even the nurse had set\ndown her instruments and was sitting still in her corner. The\nMaster blessed Marjorie. He blessed the family. He left. The\nmotor-car bore Him back to His residence.\n\n> By the morning the household had set down its grief and taken\n> up something else.\n\nMarjorie passed from this world later that week. The household\nthat had been preparing for grief, the diary records, found\nthat something else had been prepared in them. They did not\nmourn her absence as they had expected to. They mourned, when\nthey mourned, with a smaller weight than the chamber had\nforetold; they walked through her funeral with what Juliet\ncalls *a strange grave joy.* The Master had not lengthened\nMarjorie's life. He had altered the room.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Diary of Juliet Thompson (Kalimát Press, 1947); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Walk in the Night: Juliet Beside the Master",
"slug": "jt-master-walks-with-juliet-night",
"summary": "In *The Diary of Juliet Thompson* the painter records an evening in New York in the summer of 1912 when, after one of the great public meetings, she found herself walking beside 'Abdu'l-Bahá through the dark streets — and the silence in which the most carrying conversations sometimes pass.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7831,
"lng": -73.9712,
"modernName": "New York, NY, USA"
},
"themes": [
"encounter",
"american-tour",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"reverence",
"love",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "the-diary-of-juliet-thompson",
"book": "The Diary of Juliet Thompson",
"author": "Juliet Thompson",
"year": 1947,
"publisher": "Kalimát Press"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Diary of Juliet Thompson* the painter records an\nevening in the summer of 1912 in New York. The Master had been\nspeaking, that afternoon, to a great gathering at one of the\nlarger halls of the city. The talk had run long; the queue of\nthose who had come forward to greet Him afterwards had run\nlonger. By the time the room had cleared the streets of the\ncity were already dark.\n\nJuliet was preparing, with several of the other American\nbelievers, to walk Him back to His residence. She herself was\ntired; she had been on her feet most of the day; she had not\nexpected to be among the small group that walked. The Master,\non the way out of the hall, looked at her, and indicated that\nshe should walk beside Him.\n\nShe fell in. The small party — perhaps four people, including\nthe Master’s interpreter — moved at His pace through the\nstreets. New York at that hour had thinned; the buses had\nslackened; the air had cooled.\n\nThe Master did not speak. The interpreter, perhaps sensing the\nquality of the walk, did not initiate any conversation. Juliet,\nbeside Him, did not feel that she should fill the silence. She\nwalked. He walked.\n\n> We walked in silence, and the silence was full.\n\nThe walk took perhaps twenty minutes. They reached the\nresidence; the Master ascended the stair; He turned at the door\nand gave the small party His blessing. Juliet stood for a long\nmoment in the street after He had gone in. Then she turned and\nwalked, alone, through the streets back to her own studio.\n\nShe writes in the diary, that evening, only one paragraph about\nthe walk. She did not, she says, know what to say. The walk had\nnot contained a teaching that could be reproduced; it had not\ncontained a word that could be quoted; it had contained only\nthe steady step of a man whose presence she had been beside for\ntwenty minutes in the night air of New York. But she had\narrived at her studio, she writes, *full of something I cannot\nname and cannot lose.*\n\nThe diary leaves the small entry as it found it. The walk in\nthe night passed into the long fidelity of her life as one of\nthe moments she would in old age return to. There had been no\nsermon. There had been the unbroken quiet of a man walking, in\nthe dark city, beside the woman He had asked to walk with Him.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Diary of Juliet Thompson (Kalimát Press, 1947); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Paint My Servitude to God: Juliet Thompson and the Portrait",
"slug": "jt-paint-my-servitude-to-god",
"summary": "In June 1912 in New York, the painter Juliet Thompson was given an unprecedented privilege: 'Abdu'l-Bahá agreed to sit for her. The Diary preserves the moment He stopped her on the street, took her hand, and said *come tomorrow and paint;* and the cramped basement studio where He asked her to paint not the man but the *Servitude.*",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Juliet Thompson",
"Lua Getsinger"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7831,
"lng": -73.9712,
"modernName": "New York City, USA"
},
"themes": [
"art",
"encounter",
"history",
"service"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"service",
"reverence"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "the-diary-of-juliet-thompson",
"book": "The Diary of Juliet Thompson",
"author": "Juliet Thompson",
"year": 1947,
"publisher": "Kalimát Press"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nJuliet Thompson was a young American painter — beautiful, disciplined,\nand a Bahá’í of recent but unshakeable conviction. By June of 1912\nshe had been in the daily company of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá since His arrival\nin New York that April, and she had begun to wonder whether her\nparticular gift might somehow be allowed to serve Him.\n\nThe opportunity came in a passing instant. The Diary records a\nwalk one afternoon: Juliet was making her way to a bus stop when\nshe encountered the Master on the street. He stopped. He took her\nhand. He smiled, in her phrase, *with indescribable tenderness,*\nand gave her a sentence as small and as decisive as any in her\nlife:\n\n> Come tomorrow and paint, Juliet.\n\nShe came. The studio He had agreed to sit in was a cramped basement\nof the building He was using on West 78th Street. There was room\nfor the easel and very little else. Juliet was used to standing\nwhen she painted, but the ceiling was too low; she had to sit. The\nMaster sat opposite her. He did not look like a man being painted.\nHe looked, she wrote, like a man at work.\n\nThen He gave the instruction that has shaped how Bahá’ís have\nthought about His station ever since:\n\n> I want you to paint My Servitude to God.\n\nNot the face, in other words. Not the venerable beard or the white\nturban or the great open eyes. The *Servitude.* He wished to be\nshown not as the imposing figure He had become to the public press\nof New York that summer, but as the servant He insisted, again and\nagain, He was — *‘Abdu’l-Bahá,* the *servant of Bahá.*\n\nThe fourth sitting fell on the nineteenth of June. Lua Getsinger,\nwho was also in the room, would remember the strange concentration\nof that afternoon. The Master remarked, in Persian, that the\nsittings made Him sleepy. Juliet, painting, said nothing.\n\nThe portrait was eventually lost. Photographs of it survive. But\nthe words spoken in the basement that June have not been lost.\nEach generation of Bahá’í artists, presented with a holy subject,\nhas had to ask the question Juliet was asked first.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Diary of Juliet Thompson (Kalimát Press, 1947); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Paris 1901: Juliet's First Meeting",
"slug": "jt-paris-1901-first-meeting",
"summary": "In *The Diary of Juliet Thompson* the young American painter records her first encounter with 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Paris in 1901 — a small upstairs room, a single Persian voice, and a recognition that would, in time, organise the rest of her life.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Paris",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"encounter",
"history",
"early-believers"
],
"virtues": [
"reverence",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "the-diary-of-juliet-thompson",
"book": "The Diary of Juliet Thompson",
"author": "Juliet Thompson",
"year": 1947,
"publisher": "Kalimát Press"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Diary of Juliet Thompson* the young American painter,\nborn of a New York family, sets down — in the simple,\nbreathless prose of a private journal she would not publish in\nher lifetime — the moment she first met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.\n\nShe had been studying art in Paris, the diary records, in the\nspring of 1901. She was perhaps twenty-six. She had heard, by\nsome small word among the Persians of the city, that a Holy\nMan from Persia was passing briefly through Paris and was\nreceiving inquirers in a private apartment in the Latin Quarter.\nThe address was given to her. She made her way, on a quiet\nafternoon, across the river.\n\nThe apartment was on the upper floor of a modest building. She\nclimbed the stair. She was met at the door by a Persian woman,\nwho indicated that she should remove her hat and wait in the\nsmall ante-room. She waited. After a few minutes she was\nbrought into the inner room.\n\nWhat she set down in the diary, that evening, is the first of\nthe many small intimate scenes the book contains. The Master\nwas seated at the window. He rose. He came forward. He took her\nhands. He looked at her with what she would, all her life,\nattempt to describe.\n\n> He looked at me as if He had always known me, and as if He had\n> always loved me.\n\nShe does not, in the diary, claim to have understood what she\nwas meeting. She had not been raised in Bahá’í teachings; she\nhad at that point read almost nothing of the Cause; she had\ncome, she records, mostly out of curiosity. The recognition\nthat came, in the small Paris room, did not depend on her\nhaving been instructed in advance. It was the recognition that\nsome encounters carry inside them.\n\nThe conversation, the diary records, was brief. The Master\nasked after her health. He spoke a few words of blessing. He\nreleased her into the late afternoon of Paris.\n\n> I had come up the stair an artist, and I came down it\n> someone the Master had named.\n\nThe encounter would shape the rest of her life. She would not,\nfor many years, return to His company; she would teach herself\nthe Cause from books and from the small American Bahá’í\ncommunity that was forming in those years. When the Master\ncame to the United States in 1912 she would be among the\nclosest of His New York hosts. The room above the Latin Quarter\nhad been the small inaugural moment of a long fidelity; the\nParis afternoon of 1901 was the first day of an ongoing love.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Diary of Juliet Thompson (Kalimát Press, 1947); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master Laughs at Juliet's Confession",
"slug": "jt-the-master-laughs-at-juliet",
"summary": "In *The Diary of Juliet Thompson* the painter records a small scene in New York in 1912 when, having confessed to the Master one of her own besetting sins, she expected reproof — and received instead the quiet laughter that, in His mouth, was the most disarming form of mercy.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7831,
"lng": -73.9712,
"modernName": "New York, NY, USA"
},
"themes": [
"encounter",
"mercy",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"humility",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "the-diary-of-juliet-thompson",
"book": "The Diary of Juliet Thompson",
"author": "Juliet Thompson",
"year": 1947,
"publisher": "Kalimát Press"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Diary of Juliet Thompson* the painter records a small\nscene in New York in the summer of 1912 that, she writes, taught\nher more about the nature of God’s mercy than any sermon.\n\nShe had been carrying, the diary records, the secret weight of\none of the besetting weaknesses of her own character. She\nconsidered it serious; she had carried it in private; she had\nnot been able to bring herself to discuss it with anyone. The\nopportunity to be alone with the Master came on a quiet\nmorning. She had asked, through the household, for a private\naudience. She had been received.\n\nShe knelt beside the Master’s low couch. She had prepared, she\nrecords, a careful confession; she had rehearsed the words on\nthe way over. She began. He listened.\n\nShe finished. She waited. She had expected a careful word of\ncounsel; she had perhaps half-expected a gentle reproof; she\nhad wholly expected the gravity of the moment to be sustained.\n\nHe did not sustain it. He looked at her. The dark eyes\ncrinkled. He laughed — a short, kindly, slightly surprised\nlaugh — and reached down, and placed His hand on the top of\nher head.\n\n> I had brought Him my sin, and He laughed it away.\n\nShe writes in the diary, that evening, with the disorientation\nof a person whose sense of what God required had been altered\nin a single afternoon. She had grown up in the sober Christian\npiety of late-nineteenth-century New York, in which sins were\nweighty things requiring careful repentance. The Master had\nnot denied that her weakness was a weakness; He had named it,\nthrough her, with a single quiet word; He had not told her she\nshould continue in it.\n\nBut He had refused, His laugh had said, to permit her to make\nof it the heavy thing she had been making of it. The laugh had\nsaid: *the sin is small; the love is large; you have been\ntreating the small thing as if it could overcome the large.\nIt cannot.* The laugh had said: *get up off your knees; the\nmatter is settled; go and serve.*\n\nShe rose. She left the room. She walked back to her studio in a\ncondition of relief that, the diary records, was as great as\nthe original burden had been heavy. The diary entry closes:\n\n> He has laughed away the heaviest thing I had been carrying.\n> I do not know how He did it. I know only that it is gone.\n\nThe chapters that follow, in her ongoing diary across the\nremainder of His American tour, return more than once to the\nlaughter of that morning. The Master, in her recollection, was\nthe laughing man as well as the grave one; the mercy of the\nCause, she had learnt, was a mercy that knew when to laugh.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Diary of Juliet Thompson (Kalimát Press, 1947); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Judas Iscariot was the greatest of the disciples, and he summoned the people to Christ",
"slug": "judas-iscariot-was-the-greatest-of-the-disciples-bs2",
"summary": "Judas Iscariot was the greatest of the disciples, and he summoned the people to Christ. Then it seemed to him that Jesus was showing increasing regard to the Apostle Peter, and when Jesus said, 'Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"envy"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"loyalty"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/envy"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nJudas Iscariot was the greatest of the disciples, and he summoned the people to Christ. Then it seemed to him that Jesus was showing increasing regard to the Apostle Peter, and when Jesus said, 'Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church,' these words addressed to Peter, and this singling out of Peter for special honour, had a marked effect on the Apostle, and kindled envy within the heart of Judas. For this reason he who had once drawn nigh did turn aside, and he who had believed in the Faith denied it, and his love changed to hate, until he became a cause of the crucifixion of that glorious Lord, that manifest Splendour. Such is the outcome of envy, the chief reason why men turn aside from the Straight Path. So hath it occurred, and will occur, in this great Cause. But it doth not matter, for it engendereth loyalty in the rest, and maketh souls to arise who waver not, who are fixed and unshakeable as the mountains in their love for the Manifest Light.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 163*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/envy) (Subject: envy).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Julia Gundy, an early pilgrim, described a beautiful supper at which many…",
"slug": "julia-gundy-an-early-pilgrim-described-a-beautiful-bs13",
"summary": "Julia Gundy, an early pilgrim, described a beautiful supper at which many friends were welcomed by the Master Himself in Akka. He passed out napkins, embraced and found plates for each. All were individually anointed with attar of rose. He…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"simple life",
"pilgrimage",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nJulia Gundy, an early pilgrim, described a beautiful supper at which many friends were welcomed by the Master Himself in Akka. He passed out napkins, embraced and found plates for each. All were individually anointed with attar of rose. He served pilau, a Persian rice dish, to each guest. There were also oranges and rice pudding. ‘Throughout the supper, which was very simple in its character and appointment, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the Servant of the believers. This was indeed a spiritual feast where Love reigned. The whole atmosphere was Love, Joy, and Peace.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life) (Subject: simple-life).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Juliet Thompson, a devout Bahá’í and a New York artist, was told by…",
"slug": "juliet-thompson-a-devout-bah-and-a-new-bs3",
"summary": "Juliet Thompson, a devout Bahá’í and a New York artist, was told by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that she taught well. Frankly and lovingly, He said to her: 'I have met many people who have been affected by you, Juliet. You are not eloquent; you are…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"glow"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/glow"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nJuliet Thompson, a devout Bahá’í and a New York artist, was told by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that she taught well. Frankly and lovingly, He said to her: 'I have met many people who have been affected by you, Juliet. You are not eloquent; you are not fluent, but your heart teaches. You speak with an emotion -- a feeling which makes people ask, \"What is this that she has?\"\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 60*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/glow) (Subject: glow).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Juliet Thompson and other Bahá’ís decided to give the Master a birthday party,…",
"slug": "juliet-thompson-and-other-bah-s-decided-to-give-bs5",
"summary": "Juliet Thompson and other Bahá’ís decided to give the Master a birthday party, and a few of them baked a cake. She reported, 'We took several taxis to the Bronx, with the Master riding in the first one. As soon as His taxi had arrived…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"forgiveness others"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-others"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nJuliet Thompson and other Bahá’ís decided to give the Master a birthday party, and a few of them baked a cake. She reported, 'We took several taxis to the Bronx, with the Master riding in the first one. As soon as His taxi had arrived there, the Master got out and walked into the park ahead of the rest of us. 'A group of young boys gathered around Him and started to laugh. Two or three of them threw stones at Him. With natural concern many of the friends hurried towards the Master, but He told them to stay away. The boys came closer to the Master, jeered at Him and pulled at His clothes. The Master did not become cross. He merely smiled at them radiantly, but the boys continued to behave as before. Then the Master turned towards the friends. 'Bring me the cake,' He said. No one had mentioned to Him that we had brought a cake. 'Some of us said, \"But ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the cake is for your birthday.\" He repeated, \"Bring me the cake.\" A friend uncovered a large sponge cake, with white icing, and gave it to the Master. As soon as the boys had seen the cake they began to calm down, and stared at the cake hungrily. 'The Master took it in His hands and looked at the cake with pleasure. The boys were now standing quietly around Him. \"Bring me a knife,\" said the Master. A friend brought Him a knife. The Master counted the number of boys who were standing around Him and then cut the cake into the same number of pieces. Each boy eagerly took a piece, ate it with relish, and then ran away happily.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 45*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-others) (Subject: forgiveness-others).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Juliet Thompson has given us a sweet picture of the Master in 'Akka: 'He had…",
"slug": "juliet-thompson-has-given-us-a-sweet-picture-bs0",
"summary": "Juliet Thompson has given us a sweet picture of the Master in 'Akka: 'He had sent for us that afternoon to meet Mr. Sprague and the Persian believers and, not being ready, I put on a dress I could slip into easily. As I passed the Master…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"inner life",
"children"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/inner-life"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nJuliet Thompson has given us a sweet picture of the Master in 'Akka: 'He had sent for us that afternoon to meet Mr. Sprague and the Persian believers and, not being ready, I put on a dress I could slip into easily. As I passed the Master standing in His door: 'I am afraid I am not dressed well enough,' I said. He touched my arm, smiling with the utmost sweetness. 'The Persian believers do not look at the dress, My child. They look at the heart.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 61*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/inner-life) (Subject: inner-life).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Juliet Thompson was also there when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was introduced Admiral Peary,…",
"slug": "juliet-thompson-was-also-there-when-abdu-l-bah-was-bs3",
"summary": "Juliet Thompson was also there when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was introduced Admiral Peary, who had just succeeded in publicly disgracing Captain Cook and proving himself, and not Captain Cook, the discoverer of the North Pole. Juliet said that: . .…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"ego"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/ego"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nJuliet Thompson was also there when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was introduced Admiral Peary, who had just succeeded in publicly disgracing Captain Cook and proving himself, and not Captain Cook, the discoverer of the North Pole. Juliet said that: . . . At that moment . . . he looked like a blown-up balloon. I was standing beside the Master when Khan brought the Admiral over and introduced him. The Master spoke charmingly to him and congratulated him on his discovery. Then, with the utmost sweetness, added these surprising words: \"For a very long time the world had been much concerned about the North Pole, where it was and what was to be found there. Now he, Admiral Peary, had discovered it and nothing was to be found there: and so, in forever relieving the public mind, he had rendered a great service.\" I shall never forget Peary's nonplussed face. The balloon collapsed! ‘Abdu’l-Bahá also suggested that the Admiral should explore the invisibilities of the Kingdom.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 97-98*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/ego) (Subject: ego).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Juliet Thompson was painting the Master's portrait in America",
"slug": "juliet-thompson-was-painting-the-masters-portrait-in-bs1",
"summary": "Juliet Thompson was painting the Master's portrait in America. Lua Getsinger and May Maxwell came into the library, crossed over to where she was sitting and stood behind her. The Master looked up and smiled at May. 'You have a kind…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lua Getsinger",
"Juliet Thompson",
"May Maxwell"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"inner life"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/inner-life"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nJuliet Thompson was painting the Master's portrait in America. Lua Getsinger and May Maxwell came into the library, crossed over to where she was sitting and stood behind her. The Master looked up and smiled at May. 'You have a kind heart, Mrs. Maxwell.' Then he turned to Lua. You, Lua, have a tender heart. And what kind of heart have you, Juliet?' He laughed. 'What kind of heart have you?'\n\n'Oh, what kind of heart have I? You know, my Lord. I don't know.' 'An emotional heart.' He laughed again and rolled His hands one round the other in a sort of tempestuous gesture. 'You will have a boiling heart, Juliet. Now,' He continued, 'if these three hearts were united into one heart -- kind, tender and emotional -- what a great heart that would be!'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 46*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/inner-life) (Subject: inner-life).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Juliet Thompson wrote: “Gently yet unmistakably, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had assaulted the…",
"slug": "juliet-thompson-wrote-gently-yet-unmistakably-abdu-l-bah-had-bs14",
"summary": "Juliet Thompson wrote: “Gently yet unmistakably, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had assaulted the customs of a city that had been scandalized only a decade earlier by President Roosevelt’s dinner invitation to Booker T. Washington. Moreover as a friend who…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"race unity",
"race-unity"
],
"virtues": [
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nJuliet Thompson wrote: “Gently yet unmistakably, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had assaulted the customs of a city that had been scandalized only a decade earlier by President Roosevelt’s dinner invitation to Booker T. Washington. Moreover as a friend who helped Madame Khan with the luncheon recalled, the place setting that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had rearranged so casually had been made according to the strict demands of Washington protocol. Thus, with one stroke ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had swept away both segregation by race and categorization by social rank.\n\n\n*Source: Gayle Morrison, To Move The World, Louis G. Gregory and the Advancement of Racial Unity in America, p 53, 5*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity) (Subject: race-unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Just before leaving for the West Coast--John did not give me the date; I assume…",
"slug": "just-before-leaving-for-the-west-coast-john-did-bs0",
"summary": "Just before leaving for the West Coast--John did not give me the date; I assume it was May 2, a day when the Master had delivered five public addresses--he was paying his hotel bill at the Plaza when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá came in. 'One of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"venting",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/venting"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nJust before leaving for the West Coast--John did not give me the date; I assume it was May 2, a day when the Master had delivered five public addresses--he was paying his hotel bill at the Plaza when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá came in. 'One of the Persians in His party called to me. The man at the desk said, \"Those people want you.\" I stepped over to the elevator, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá seized my hand and wouldn't let go, and pulled me into the elevator and up to His room on the fifth floor.' Nobody was there except Dr. Baghdadi. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá did not speak until they were in the room. Then he went to His bed, lay down, and began talking with Baghdadi; He told how He had addressed four hundred women, and-described how the ladies looked. The Master had found them terribly funny; with keen enjoyment, He described them to John and the Doctor. Anyone who remembers the ladies of 1912, not as Hollywood films them but as they were, mostly plain and dumpy, with stiff skirts, jutting bosoms, 'rats,' (these were hair pads with tapering ends) and to crown all, hats that were wedding cakes and nesting birds, knows. Then He said, 'Now it's time for you to go.'\n\n\n*Source: Marzieh Gail, Dawn Over Mount Hira, p. 210*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/venting) (Subject: venting).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Just before Mrs C left the household of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in ‘Akka, ‘He came into…",
"slug": "just-before-mrs-c-left-the-household-of-bs15",
"summary": "Just before Mrs C left the household of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in ‘Akka, ‘He came into her room to say farewell, and seating Himself by the window looked off upon the sea in silence for so long a time that His guest began to wonder if He had…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"love",
"family",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/love"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nJust before Mrs C left the household of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in ‘Akka, ‘He came into her room to say farewell, and seating Himself by the window looked off upon the sea in silence for so long a time that His guest began to wonder if He had forgotten her presence. ‘Then at length He turned to her and said, with that eager speech that is one of His peculiarities: “Mrs C when you go back to New York talk to people about the love of God. People in the world do not talk enough about God. Their conversation is filled with trivialities, and they forget the most momentous subjects. Yet is you speak to them of God they are happy, and presently they open their hearts to you. Often you can not mention this glorious Revelation, for their prejudice would interfere, and they would not listen. But you will find that you can always talk to them about the love of God.”’ ‘Then He went away, and Mrs C sat a long time in the gathering darkness, while the glory of the sun descended upon the glittering waters of the Mediterranean. The fragrant shadows seemed to echo softly with the last words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: “You will find that you can always talk to them about the love of God.”’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 163*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/love) (Subject: love).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Kanichi Yamamoto had become a Bahá’í in Hawaii in 1902 and wanted to write…",
"slug": "kanichi-yamamoto-had-become-a-bah-in-hawaii-bs13",
"summary": "Kanichi Yamamoto had become a Bahá’í in Hawaii in 1902 and wanted to write ‘Abdu’l-Bahá of his acceptance, but with only rudimentary English, he struggled to compose his letter. Finally, at the suggestion of his Bahá’í teacher, Elizabeth…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"intuition",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nKanichi Yamamoto had become a Bahá’í in Hawaii in 1902 and wanted to write ‘Abdu’l-Bahá of his acceptance, but with only rudimentary English, he struggled to compose his letter. Finally, at the suggestion of his Bahá’í teacher, Elizabeth Muther, he wrote his letter in Japanese. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's reply answered all his questions. Moto wrote several letters to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, all in Japanese, and received replies to each. In 1904, one of Moto's letters reach the Master via Helen Goodall and He showed it to Yunis Khan-i-Afrukhtih, one of his secretaries: the Master mused, \"Well now, you do not know Japanese.\" \"No Beloved\", I volunteered. \"I hardly know English\". \"So what are we to do with this letter?\" He remarked smiling. I bowed, and in my heart proposed, \"The same thing you do with other letters\". \"Very well then\", He said, \"We will rely on the Blessed Beauty and will write him a reply.\"\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 216*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition) (Subject: intuition).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Khalil Gibran was a celebrated Lebanese poet and painter who happened to live…",
"slug": "khalil-gibran-was-a-celebrated-lebanese-poet-and-bs0",
"summary": "Khalil Gibran was a celebrated Lebanese poet and painter who happened to live across the street from Juliet Thompson, who knew him quite well. He worked on an Arab newspaper which left him free to paint and write. He showed Juliet almost…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"khalil gibran"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/khalil-gibran"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nKhalil Gibran was a celebrated Lebanese poet and painter who happened to live across the street from Juliet Thompson, who knew him quite well. He worked on an Arab newspaper which left him free to paint and write. He showed Juliet almost all his books while they were still in manuscript. Gibran told her that he was thinking of ‘Abdu’l- Bahá when he wrote the Son of Man and that he was going to write another book with ‘Abdu’l- Bahá at the center. Gibran learned about the Faith when someone gave him Some Writings of Bahá’u’lláh in Arabic. When Juliet told him that the Master was coming, he asked if she would ask the Master if he would allow him to sketch him. The Master gave him one hour, starting at 6:30 in the morning. Juliet said \"He made an outstanding head. It doesn't look like the Master very faint likeness. Great power to the shoulders. A great radiance in the face.\" Gibran adored the Master would go to Juliet's flat often to see Him. After the Master left he spent his time writing books. He talked about the Master often, but he couldn't accept ‘Abdu’l- Bahá station. Years later Gibran went to a Bahá’í Center when the Master's motion picture was going to be shown. When he saw the Master on the screen, he began to cry. Juliet wrote that \"He had been asked to speak and when his turn came, he jumped onto the platform with his face covered in tears and said: I declare, that ‘Abdu’l- Bahá is the Manifestation of God for this day!\" He was strongly affected by ‘Abdu’l- Bahá, even though he didn't understand the Master's station.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 75*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/khalil-gibran) (Subject: khalil-gibran).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Kindness lies at the heart of loving discipline",
"slug": "kindness-lies-at-the-heart-of-loving-discipline-bs0",
"summary": "Kindness lies at the heart of loving discipline. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá dearly loved His little grandson, Shoghi, but he needed to learn to be on time. This he learned very early in his life 'after receiving one good chastisement from no other…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"punctuality",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/punctuality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nKindness lies at the heart of loving discipline. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá dearly loved His little grandson, Shoghi, but he needed to learn to be on time. This he learned very early in his life 'after receiving one good chastisement from no other hand than that of his grandfather!' He then became the first to get up for the family prayers and breakfast.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 47*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/punctuality) (Subject: punctuality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Lady Blomfield cited another instance of His delightful humour: ‘One day after…",
"slug": "lady-blomfield-cited-another-instance-of-his-delightful-bs1",
"summary": "Lady Blomfield cited another instance of His delightful humour: ‘One day after a meeting when, as usual, many people had crowded around Him, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrived home very tired. We were sick at heart that He should be so fatigued, and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lady Blomfield",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"exhaustion"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLady Blomfield cited another instance of His delightful humour: ‘One day after a meeting when, as usual, many people had crowded around Him, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrived home very tired. We were sick at heart that He should be so fatigued, and bewailed the many steps to be ascended to the flat. Suddenly, to our amazement, the Master ran up the stairs to the top very quickly without stopping.\n\n‘He looked down at us as we walked up after Him, saying with a bright smile, from which all traces of fatigue had vanished: “You are all very old! I am very young!”’ He added, ‘”Through the power of Bahá’u’lláh all things can be done. I have just used that power.”’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 174*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion) (Subject: exhaustion).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Later, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá encountered a group of young people, to whom he told this…",
"slug": "later-abdu-l-bah-encountered-a-group-of-young-people-bs1",
"summary": "Later, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá encountered a group of young people, to whom he told this story in relation to the effects of the Peace Conference: Once the rats and mice held an important conference on the subject of which was how to make peace with…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"peace"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/peace"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLater, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá encountered a group of young people, to whom he told this story in relation to the effects of the Peace Conference: Once the rats and mice held an important conference on the subject of which was how to make peace with the cat. After a long and heated discussion it was decided that the best thing to do would be to tie a bow around the neck of the cat, so that the rats and mice would be warned of his movements and have time to get Out of his way. This seemed an excellent plan until the question arose as to who should undertake the dangerous job of belling the cat. None of the rats liked the idea and the mice thought they were altogether too weak. So the conference broke up in confusion. Everyone laughed, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with them. After a short pause He added that this is much like these Peace Conferences. Many words, but no one is likely to approach the question of who will bell the Czar of Prussia, the Emperor of Germany, the President of France and the Emperor of Japan. Faces were now more grave. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá laughed again: \"There is a Divine Club\", He said, \"which shall break their power in pieces.\"\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 131*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/peace) (Subject: peace).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Later, in 1907, four members of a second Commission of investigation arrived by…",
"slug": "later-in-1907-four-members-of-a-second-bs11",
"summary": "Later, in 1907, four members of a second Commission of investigation arrived by ship from Turkey. ‘A few days before its arrival ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had a dream, which He recounted to the believers, in which He saw a ship cast anchor off ‘Akka,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"miracles",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLater, in 1907, four members of a second Commission of investigation arrived by ship from Turkey. ‘A few days before its arrival ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had a dream, which He recounted to the believers, in which He saw a ship cast anchor off ‘Akka, from which flew a few birds, resembling sticks of dynamite, and which, circling about His head, as He stood in the midst of a multitude of the frightened inhabitants of the city, returned without exploding to the ship.’ The members of the Commission remained in ‘Akka for approximately a month. They went to look at the stone edifice on the mountain. They asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to appear before them. Now, He refused to do so. Furious, the chairman wanted an ‘order from the Sultan to have Me hanged at the gate of ‘Akka,’ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá later said in London. The ship stood ready to carry ‘Abdu’l-Bahá away with the Commission members. The Master remained calm and confident. He even told the believers who were yet in ‘Akka, ‘The meaning of the dream I dreamt is now clear and evident. Please God this dynamite will not explode.’ Then, mysteriously, one day the Commission’s ship began to leave the harbour in Haifa and move towards ‘Akka. The Bahá’ís and family of the Master were filled with anguish on learning of this. They feared the Master would be taken aboard and carried away. Meanwhile, He was ‘pacing, alone and silent, the courtyard of His house.’ But at dusk, wonder of wonders, the ship had obviously changed its direction. She was heading directly for Constantinople. There had been an attempt on the life of the Sultan. When the Commission submitted its report to him, it was not even considered, as the Sultan and his government were ‘too preoccupied to consider the matter’. Some months later the ‘Young Turk’ Revolution of 1908 freed all political and religious prisoners of the old regime. This included ‘Abdu’l-Bahá free at last in 1908! In 1909 the Sultan himself was deposed.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 156*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles) (Subject: miracles).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Later in the morning He sent for me",
"slug": "later-in-the-morning-he-sent-for-me-bs0",
"summary": "Later in the morning He sent for me. My self-consciousness, my shyness had made me feel shut out from Him, but my heart had been continually crying out, with ever-increasing love, to Him. When I entered His little room and knelt at His…",
"figures": [
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"self conscious"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/self-conscious"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLater in the morning He sent for me. My self-consciousness, my shyness had made me feel shut out from Him, but my heart had been continually crying out, with ever-increasing love, to Him. When I entered His little room and knelt at His feet and looked up into eyes of Love which I suddenly found I could meet, He put out His hand and said, \"Now; now!\"\n\nI laid my head on His knee. The tears came. He lifted my face and\n\nwiped them away. \"God shall wipe away all tears.\" Ah, this\n\nblessed Day!\n\nI cannot remember exactly what happened, only that Love\n\nimmeasurable flowed out from Him and was reflected in my poor\n\nheart. One thing I do remember. When He lifted my face, while He was wiping away my tears, He said in a voice of infinite sweetness, like the sighing of the wind which \"bloweth where it listeth and we know not whence it cometh or whither it goeth\": \"Speak. Speak to Me!\" His words in English sink into your very soul. What I lose by not understanding Persian! \"O my Lord, may my life speak to you!\" I cried.\n\n\n*Source: Diary of Juliet Thompson*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/self-conscious) (Subject: self-conscious).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Later, on Christmas day, He visited Lord Lamington",
"slug": "later-on-christmas-day-he-visited-lord-lamington-bs1",
"summary": "Later, on Christmas day, He visited Lord Lamington. In the evening He went to a Salvation Army hostel, where some five hundred of society's wrecks were gathered. He spoke to them, and donated twenty guineas to the hostel to provide them…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Hasan Balyuzi"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"christmas",
"the-covenant",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/christmas"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLater, on Christmas day, He visited Lord Lamington. In the evening He went to a Salvation Army hostel, where some five hundred of society's wrecks were gathered. He spoke to them, and donated twenty guineas to the hostel to provide them with a good meal and another night, as His guests. He also inspected the sleeping accommodation of the hostel, and a children's home as well. When He reached Cadogan Gardens that night, it was apparent that the sight of the condition of the unfortunate had distressed Him. A good many of His talks, in His drawing-room during the Christmas week, were concerned with the Birth and the Advent of Christ and the significance of baptism. One day He walked for an hour or so in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. Afterwards He went to a Christmas party for the impoverished. Wherever He came across children He showed them such kindness and consideration that some of them thought He was Father Christmas, and sang a song in His praise. At His London home, that day, He related an incident of days long past in 'Akká:\n\n'I encountered a number of the poor who were very hungry, and they came to me a-begging. I pointed out a grocer's shop to them that was well-provisioned, and told them to help themselves and eat all they could; I would be responsible. As soon as they heard me say that, those hungry ill-starred people made a rush and looted the shop. The shopkeeper was screaming that he was being robbed, but no one took any notice of him. They were eating even the uncooked rice, and took provisions away with them.' Later, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá compensated the grocer.\n\n\n*Source: H.M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá - The Centre of the Covenant, p. 351*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/christmas) (Subject: christmas).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Later that day, a group of Californians, including Helen Goodall, Ella Cooper…",
"slug": "later-that-day-a-group-of-californians-including-bs16",
"summary": "Later that day, a group of Californians, including Helen Goodall, Ella Cooper and Harriet Wise, arrived in New York to see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. After a bath and dinner, the women took a taxi to the house where He was staying. Arriving, they…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"hospitality",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLater that day, a group of Californians, including Helen Goodall, Ella Cooper and Harriet Wise, arrived in New York to see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. After a bath and dinner, the women took a taxi to the house where He was staying. Arriving, they stepped out of the cab to find ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sitting on the steps of the house awaiting them. \"Very welcome! Very welcome! It is good that you have come\", He said.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 149*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Later that evening, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá called Dr",
"slug": "later-that-evening-abdu-l-bah-called-dr-zia-bagdadi-bs5",
"summary": "Later that evening, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá called Dr. Zia Bagdadi and Sent him on a wild adventure beginning at nine o'clock at night: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave [Dr. Zia Bagdadi] the key to His New York apartment and asked him to get a Persian rug to give…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"obedience",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/obedience"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLater that evening, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá called Dr. Zia Bagdadi and Sent him on a wild adventure beginning at nine o'clock at night: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave [Dr. Zia Bagdadi] the key to His New York apartment and asked him to get a Persian rug to give to Mr. Smiley, the president of the International Peace Society. Even though others said no one could make the journey and return before the scheduled departure of 10 AM the next morning, Dr. Zia Bagdadi said, \"I am not afraid to try anything for You, my Lord.\" Since there were no passenger trains at that time of night, Dr. Bagdadi jumped on the caboose of an already moving freight train. The trainman protested until he saw Dr. written on the professional card and agreed to let the passenger remain on the train, not knowing his urgent mission concerned a rug. About 2:00 AM Dr. Bagdadi awakened Mrs. Grace Ober [Grace Roberts] and her sister, Ella Roberts, who were staying in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's apartment, selected a rug, dashed back to the station, caught a train, and arrived back at Lake Mohonk station with an hour left before 10:00 AM, although an hour's drive lay ahead of him. The only vehicle in sight was a wagon of the mail carrier, who agreed to take him. Dr. Bagdadi arrived just as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was shaking hands with Mr. Albert Smiley and preparing to leave. Mr. Smiley, on receiving the rug, said, \"Why this is just what I've been seeking for many years! You see, we had a Persian rug just like this one, but it was burned in a fire and ever since, my wife has been brokenhearted over it. This will surely make her very happy.\"\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 132*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/obedience) (Subject: obedience).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Later, while resting, the Master told Mrs",
"slug": "later-while-resting-the-master-told-mrs-true-bs4",
"summary": "Later, while resting, the Master told Mrs. True about His friends. 'These are My friends, My friends. Some of them are My enemies, but they think I do not know it, because they appear friendly, and to them I am very kind, for one must…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"enemies"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/enemies"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLater, while resting, the Master told Mrs. True about His friends. 'These are My friends, My friends. Some of them are My enemies, but they think I do not know it, because they appear friendly, and to them I am very kind, for one must love his enemies and do good to them.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 80*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/enemies) (Subject: enemies).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Later, while resting, the Master told Mrs",
"slug": "later-while-resting-the-master-told-mrs-true-bs9",
"summary": "Later, while resting, the Master told Mrs. True about His friends. 'These are My friends, My friends. Some of them are My enemies, but they think I do not know it, because they appear friendly, and to them I am very kind, for one must…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"poor"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/poor"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLater, while resting, the Master told Mrs. True about His friends. 'These are My friends, My friends. Some of them are My enemies, but they think I do not know it, because they appear friendly, and to them I am very kind, for one must love his enemies and do good to them.' He explained that there simply was not sufficient work in 'Akká. Men could do but two kinds of work: they could fish, but the sea had been too stormy lately, or they could carry loads on their backs, which required great strength. Those who attempted to deceive Him were rebuked and told where they might obtain work.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 80*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/poor) (Subject: poor).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Lauded and glorified art Thou, O Lord, my God",
"slug": "lauded-and-glorified-art-thou-o-lord-my-bs1",
"summary": "Lauded and glorified art Thou, O Lord, my God! How can I make mention of Thee, assured as I am that no tongue, however deep its wisdom, can befittingly magnify Thy name' nor can the bird of the human heart, however great its longing, ever…",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"prejudice",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"justice",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/prejudice"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLauded and glorified art Thou, O Lord, my God! How can I make mention of Thee, assured as I am that no tongue, however deep its wisdom, can befittingly magnify Thy name' nor can the bird of the human heart, however great its longing, ever hope to ascend into the heaven of Thy majesty and knowledge. If I describe Thee, O my God, as Him Who is the All-Perceiving, I find myself compelled to admit that They Who are the highest Embodiments of perception have been created by virtue of Thy behest. And if I extol Thee as Him\n\nWho is the All-Wise, I, likewise, am forced to recognise that the Well Springs of wisdom have themselves been generated through the operation of Thy Will. And if I proclaim Thee as the Incomparable One, I soon discover that they Who are the inmost essence of oneness have been sent down by Thee and are but the evidences of Thine handiwork. And if I acclaim Thee as the Knower of all things, I must confess that they Who are the Quintessence of knowledge are but the creation and instruments of Thy Purpose. Exalted, immeasurably exalted, art Thou above the strivings of mortal man to unravel Thy mystery, to describe Thy glory, or even to hint at the nature of Thine Essence. For whatever such strivings may accomplish, they never can hope to transcend the limitations imposed upon Thy creatures, inasmuch as these efforts are actuated by Thy decree,\n\nand are begotten of Thine invention. The loftiest sentiments which the holiest of saints can express in praise of Thee, and the deepest wisdom which the most learned of men can utter in their attempts to comprehend Thy nature, all revolve around that Centre Which is wholly subjected to Thy sovereignty, Which adoreth Thy Beauty, and is propelled through the movement of Thy Pen. Nay, forbid it, O my God, that I should have uttered such words as must of necessity imply the existence of any direct relationship between the Pen of Thy Revelation and the essence of all created things. Far, far are They Who are related to Thee above the conception of such relationship! All comparisons and likenesses fail to do justice to the Tree of Thy Revelation, and every way is barred to the comprehension of the Manifestation of Thy Self and the Day Spring of Thy Beauty. Far, far from Thy glory be what mortal man can affirm of Thee, or attribute unto Thee, or the praise with which he can glorify Thee! Whatever duty Thou hast prescribed unto Thy servants of extolling to the utmost Thy majesty and glory is but a token of Thy grace unto them, that they may be enabled to ascend unto the station conferred upon their own inmost being, the station of the knowledge of their own selves. No one else besides Thee hath, at any time, been able to fathom Thy mystery, or befittingly to extol Thy greatness.\n\nUnsearchable and high above the praise of men wilt Thou remain for ever. There is none other God but Thee, the Inaccessible, the Omnipotent, the Omniscient, the Holy of Holies.\n\n\n*Source: Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom, p. 199-200*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/prejudice) (Subject: prejudice).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God",
"slug": "lauded-be-thy-name-o-lord-my-god-bs0",
"summary": "Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God! Thou seest me in this day shut up in my prison, and fallen into the hands of Thine adversaries, and beholdest my son (The Purest Branch) lying on the dust before Thy face. He is Thy servant, O my Lord,…",
"figures": [
"Mírzá Mihdí",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"mirza mihdi",
"exile",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/mirza-mihdi"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLauded be Thy name, O Lord my God! Thou seest me in this day shut up in my prison, and fallen into the hands of Thine adversaries, and beholdest my son (The Purest Branch) lying on the dust before Thy face. He is Thy servant, O my Lord, whom Thou hast caused to be related to Him Who is the Manifestation of Thyself and the Day-Spring of Thy Cause.\n\nAt his birth he was afflicted through his separation from Thee, according to what had been ordained for him through Thine irrevocable decree. And when he had quaffed the cup of reunion with Thee, he was cast into prison for having believed in Thee and in Thy signs. He continued to serve Thy Beauty until he entered into this Most Great Prison. Thereupon I offered him up, O my God, as a sacrifice in Thy path. Thou well knowest what they who love Thee have endured through this trial that hath caused the kindreds of the earth to wail, and beyond them the Concourse on high to lament.\n\nI beseech Thee, O my Lord, by him and by his exile and his imprisonment, to send down upon such as loved him what will quiet their hearts and bless their works. Potent art Thou to do as Thou willest. No God is there but Thee, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.\n\n\n*Source: Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, p. 34-35*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/mirza-mihdi) (Subject: mirza-mihdi).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Leroy Ioas, a young boy in 1912, was blessed to meet the Master on His visit to Chicago",
"slug": "leroy-ioas-a-young-boy-in-1912-was-bs14",
"summary": "Leroy Ioas, a young boy in 1912, was blessed to meet the Master on His visit to Chicago. One day, on the way to the Plaza Hotel to hear ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, he decided to buy Him some flowers. Though he had but little money, he managed to find…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"intuition",
"teaching",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLeroy Ioas, a young boy in 1912, was blessed to meet the Master on His visit to Chicago. One day, on the way to the Plaza Hotel to hear ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, he decided to buy Him some flowers. Though he had but little money, he managed to find a large bouquet of flowers which he himself especially liked white carnations! But in approaching the hotel, he had a change of heart: he would not give ‘Abdu’l-Bahá those flowers after all, he told his father. His dad was genuinely perplexed. Why, when the Master so loved flowers? Young Leroy gave his answer: ‘I come to the Master offering Him my heart, and I do not want Him to think I want any favours. He knows what’s in a person’s heart, and that is all I have to offer.’ With that for an answer Leroy’s father went upstairs and presented the flowers to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. How the Master enjoyed them! Their fragrance delighted Him and He buried His face in their midst, as He was inclined to do. During the talk, Leroy sat at the feet of this great Teacher, completely fascinated. Those dynamic, ever-changing eyes! Those ‘majestic movements’! That charm! After the talk, the Master stood up and shook hands with each guest. To each He gave one white\n\ncarnation. Finally only a few remained. Leroy, standing behind ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, thought, ‘Gee, I wish He would turn around and shake hands with me before they are all gone!’ With that thought, the Master turned and saw him. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wore a lovely, red rose, which He then pulled from His coat and gave it to the boy. Leroy knew the Master was aware that it was actually he would had brought those carnations.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 98*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition) (Subject: intuition).*\n"
},
{
"title": "‘Life at ‘Akka and Haifa in the reign of ‘Abdu’l-Hamid was full of tension and danger",
"slug": "life-at-akka-and-haifa-in-the-reign-bs0",
"summary": "‘Life at ‘Akka and Haifa in the reign of ‘Abdu’l-Hamid was full of tension and danger. Palestine was a tinder box. Tribes fought each other. Crime was rampant. The streets of ‘Akka were too narrow for bandits to roam free, but in Haifa…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"protection"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/protection"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n‘Life at ‘Akka and Haifa in the reign of ‘Abdu’l-Hamid was full of tension and danger. Palestine was a tinder box. Tribes fought each other. Crime was rampant. The streets of ‘Akka were too narrow for bandits to roam free, but in Haifa they were a constant threat. Shots were heard every night but murderers were never apprehended. Whenever ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in Haifa, the Bahá’ís feared for His life and watched His movements. Frequently He went to visit the poor alone at night, refusing an escort or even a lantern-carrier. However, at a distance a Bahá’í would secretly watch His progress to the very door of His house. ‘One night it was Yunis Khan’s turn to follow the Master. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was returning home past midnight when in the dark three shots rang out from a side street. Having become inured to the sound of gunfire, Yunis Khan paid no attention to the first shot. The flash of the second shot sent him running toward the Master. He had reached the intersection when the third shot was fired and he saw two men running away. He was now no more than a step behind the Master. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá walked on without changing His pace or turning His head. His tread was firm and dignified. He had paid no attention to what had occurred but quietly murmured prayers as He walked. At the gate of His house He acknowledged Yunis Khan’s presence, turning to him and bidding him goodbye (‘fi amani’llah’ under God’s protection.)’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 152*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/protection) (Subject: protection).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Louis Gregory was blessed with going on pilgrimage",
"slug": "louis-gregory-was-blessed-with-going-on-pilgrimage-bs15",
"summary": "Louis Gregory was blessed with going on pilgrimage. Towards its end ‘‘Abdu’l-Bahá summoned Louis Gregory and Louisa Mathew, a white English pilgrim. He questioned them, and, to their surprise, expressed the wish that they should join…",
"figures": [
"Louis Gregory",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"race unity",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLouis Gregory was blessed with going on pilgrimage. Towards its end ‘‘Abdu’l-Bahá summoned Louis Gregory and Louisa Mathew, a white English pilgrim. He questioned them, and, to their surprise, expressed the wish that they should join their lives together. In deference to His wishes they were married, and he sent them forth as a symbol of the spiritual unity, cooperation, dignity in relationships and service He desired for the races of mankind. That marriage presented many challenges. It brought all the obstacles to understanding and amity, and often cruel pressures. But it endured because the two souls it joined were ever guided and protected by a love beyond themselves and the pressures of the world. Theirs was a demonstration of the love which is prompted by the knowledge of God and reflected in the soul. They saw in each other the Beauty of God; and, clinging to this, they were sustained throughout the trials, the accidental conditions of life and the changes and chances of human experience.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 112*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity) (Subject: race-unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Lua came to Grace and told her that it was the wish of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that she…",
"slug": "lua-came-to-grace-and-told-her-that-bs6",
"summary": "Lua came to Grace and told her that it was the wish of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that she marry Harlan Ober. Grace was shocked . . . \"How could I think of marrying Harlan Ober?\" Lua smiled, \"I'm only repeating ‘Abdu’l- Bahá's request\", she said…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"obedience"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/obedience"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLua came to Grace and told her that it was the wish of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that she marry Harlan Ober. Grace was shocked . . . \"How could I think of marrying Harlan Ober?\" Lua smiled, \"I'm only repeating ‘Abdu’l- Bahá's request\", she said gently. So Grace quickly put the idea out of her mind. The next morning, Lua came the second time to deliver the same message. Again Grace dismissed it all as being utterly fantastic. The third morning when Lua came she added her own remarks to the message. \"You'd better really consider this, Grace, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá does not make suggestions lightly.\" Grace, this time, realized how serious this was. \"But what does He want me to do? Write to Harlan Ober, whom I scarcely know and propose to him? How could I? Oh, Lua I do want to be obedient but how on earth can I?\" Lua hugged her and patted her consolingly. \"I'll do it\", she said. \"I know Harlan very well it was through me he came into the Faith. I can do this easily.\" So Lua wrote to Harlan and Harlan, radiant at the thought that he was obeying a suggestion of his beloved Master, took the next train to New York from Boston where he lived. He came at once to see Grace and together they went walking through Central Park where he proposed and Grace, still dazed and uncertain, accepted because it was the will of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 135*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/obedience) (Subject: obedience).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Lua Gestinger, one of the early Bahá’ís of America, tells of an experience she…",
"slug": "lua-gestinger-one-of-the-early-bah-s-of-bs6",
"summary": "Lua Gestinger, one of the early Bahá’ís of America, tells of an experience she had in Akká. She had made the pilgrimage to the prison-city to see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. One day He said to her that He was too busy today to call upon a friend of His…",
"figures": [
"Lua Getsinger",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Howard Colby Ives"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"sick caring",
"pilgrimage",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/sick-caring"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLua Gestinger, one of the early Bahá’ís of America, tells of an experience she had in Akká. She had made the pilgrimage to the prison-city to see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. One day He said to her that He was too busy today to call upon a friend of His who was very poor and sick. He wished Lua to go in His place. He told her to take food to the sick man and care for him as He had been doing.\n\nLua learned the address and immediately went to do as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had asked. She felt proud that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had trusted her with some of His own work. But soon she returned to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in a state of excitement. \"Master,\" she exclaimed, \"You sent me to a very terrible place! I almost fainted from the awful smell, the dirty rooms, the degrading condition of that man and his house. I left quickly before I could catch some terrible disease.\" Sadly and sternly, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gazed at her. If she wanted to serve God, He told her, she would have to serve her fellow man, because in every person she should see the image and likeness of God. Then He told her to go back to the man's house. If the house was dirty, she should clean it. If the man was dirty, she should bathe him. If he was hungry, she should feed him. He asked her not to come back until all of this was done. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has done these things many times for this man, and he told Lua Getsinger that she should be able to do them once. This is how ‘Abdu’l-Bahá taught Lua to serve her fellow man.\n\n\n*Source: Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom, Chapter 6*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/sick-caring) (Subject: sick-caring).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Lua Getsinger spiritual mother of both Mrs Hearst and May Bolles (Maxwell) …",
"slug": "lua-getsinger-spiritual-mother-of-both-mrs-bs7",
"summary": "Lua Getsinger spiritual mother of both Mrs Hearst and May Bolles (Maxwell) was a member of a pilgrim group, late in 1898. For the following eighteen years she returned time and again to ‘Akka and Haifa. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá entrusted her…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lua Getsinger",
"May Maxwell"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"transformation",
"pilgrimage",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/transformation"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLua Getsinger spiritual mother of both Mrs Hearst and May Bolles (Maxwell) was a member of a pilgrim group, late in 1898. For the following eighteen years she returned time and again to ‘Akka and Haifa. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá entrusted her with vital teaching missions, and constantly instructed her in the path of divine love. During one of her visits to the Middle East, the Master told her, ‘Thou must be firm and unshakable in thy purpose, and never, never let any outward circumstances worry thee. I am sending thee to India to accomplish certain definite results. Thou must enter that country with a never-failing spirituality, a radiant faith, an eternal enthusiasm, an inextinguishable fire, a solid conviction, in order that thou mayest achieve those services for which I am sending thee. Let not they heart be troubled. If thou goest away with this unchanging condition of invariability of inner state, thou shalt see the doors of confirmation open before thy face, they life will be a crown of heavenly roses, and thou shalt find thyself in the highest station of triumph. ‘Strive day and night to attain to this exalted state. Look at me! Thou dost not know a thousandth part of the difficulties and seemingly unsurmountable passes that rise daily before my eyes. I do not heed them: I am walking in my chosen highway.’ Lua grew impatient to grow spiritually. Impetuous by nature, she wanted instant perfection the better to serve ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, but the Master taught her that she could not stand that perfection is a slowly evolving process. Her passion for her Faith and her love for the Master knew no bounds. The physical world became less important to her as she grew in spirituality. Even her style of dress changed before her premature death in 1916. She had abandoned her old finery. Instead she always wore a conservative blue outfit. During her last years she lived only in and for the world of the spirit.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 144*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/transformation) (Subject: transformation).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mable Ives, after she married Howard Colby Ives (my father) became known to…",
"slug": "mable-ives-after-she-married-howard-colby-ives-bs0",
"summary": "Mable Ives, after she married Howard Colby Ives (my father) became known to many who loved her as Rizwanea. For very many years, after they were married, my father and Rizwanea traveled and taught the Faith. It was their entire life. They…",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"gratitude",
"teaching",
"women",
"consultation"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"gratitude",
"justice",
"love",
"prayer",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/gratitude"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMable Ives, after she married Howard Colby Ives (my father) became known to many who loved her as Rizwanea. For very many years, after they were married, my father and Rizwanea traveled and taught the Faith. It was their entire life. They traveled through the New England states, through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, New York and many many more - always teaching, always leaving an established Assembly behind them. It was a gypsy life. It meant that never once, during all the years, did they really have a home; no place where they might be surrounded by their own things, where they might put down roots. Always they lived surrounded by strange and alien furniture, by the bare wall and arid atmosphere of barren hotels, boarding houses, and cubbyholes where they might sleep while, during their waking hours, they earned their living and taught their beloved Faith. At last, after many years, with her health failing, Rizwanea felt she could endure no more. She had come to the end. She must have a home. She needed it with every atom of her being - needed it as a bird needs to make a nest in the springtime or as anyone, weary and spent, needs to rest in the sun. At this time they she and my father were living in a particularly difficult situation. It was a furnished room and the landlady was constantly complaining of everything they did. They used too many lights, they took too many showers using up too much water, and the clacking of Father's typewriter was driving her crazy. So, one morning, Rizwanea told Father how she felt: She had come to the end; she could endure no more; she was unable to go one step farther. They had a long period of consultation, and at the end, Father told her that, of course, he would do as she wished, but would she, in turn, do one thing for him? Would she wait just one more day before making a truly final decision - and would she spend this day in prayer? She agreed. So after Father had left her to go out and attend to his business details, she kept her promise. She began to pray. And as she prayed, it came to her just what, in its depth and beauty, submission, detachment, and servitude really meant. And it came to her that submission - true and complete submission to the Will of God - was the first basic step. So she began to pray for submission - she prayed and prayed, and finally, submission came to her - but with it came the realization\n\nthat submission was not enough. Well, then, what was enough? What should she pray for now? And she remembered that Bahá’u’lláh had written that we must be grateful for the circumstances to which we were submitting. Grateful? Grateful for this horrid little room? Grateful for the beastly, complaining landlady? Well, all right - if Bahá’u’lláh said so she, Rizwanea, would be grateful. But it wasn't easy. She was pacing the room, thinking, praying, fighting and now she went to the window to stare out into the street.\n\n'Teach me to be grateful! Teach me to be submissive! I will be grateful! I will be submissive! She clenched her small fists. She fought and she suffered. And, finally, the first warm touch and then the warmer flow of submissive gratitude surged over her. But, the next moment, she realized that even this was not enough. Not enough? When she'd fought so hard and she was so tired. What then was left? What should she pray for next?\n\nAnd it came to her that now she must pray for love. love for her nerve-wracking circumstances; love for her harsh landlady; love for the whole situation that had led to the crisis - the blessed crisis that had forced her to learn this lesson. So, now, Rizwanea prayed that she might love that she might be filled with love that she might be able to pour out this love. And her prayers were answered. When Father returned to her, it was to meet a radiant woman a woman filled with the glory of complete submission to the Will of God - a woman rich with the glory of gratitude for tests - a woman overflowing with the clear crystal waters of the love of God. And, for many years more, she poured out these waters for the glory of the Cause she loved so well.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 14-15*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/gratitude) (Subject: gratitude).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Major Wellesley Tudor-Pole wrote in his diary in 1918, at the time of his visit…",
"slug": "major-wellesley-tudor-pole-wrote-in-his-diary-in-bs21",
"summary": "Major Wellesley Tudor-Pole wrote in his diary in 1918, at the time of his visit to the Master, 'I gave him the Persian camel-hair cloak, and it greatly pleased him, for the winter is here, and he had given away the only cloak he possessed.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"generosity"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMajor Wellesley Tudor-Pole wrote in his diary in 1918, at the time of his visit to the Master, 'I gave him the Persian camel-hair cloak, and it greatly pleased him, for the winter is here, and he had given away the only cloak he possessed. I made him promise to keep this one through the winter anyway, and I trust he does.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 76*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity) (Subject: generosity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Many a night, no less than ten persons subsisted on no more than a pennyworth of dates",
"slug": "many-a-night-no-less-than-ten-persons-bs3",
"summary": "Many a night, no less than ten persons subsisted on no more than a pennyworth of dates. No one knew to whom actually belonged the shoes, the cloaks, or the robes that were to be found in their houses. Whoever went to the bazaar could claim…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"detachment"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/detachment"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMany a night, no less than ten persons subsisted on no more than a pennyworth of dates. No one knew to whom actually belonged the shoes, the cloaks, or the robes that were to be found in their houses. Whoever went to the bazaar could claim that the shoes upon his feet were his own, and each one who entered the presence of Bahá’u’lláh could affirm that the cloak and robe he then wore belonged to him. Their own names they had forgotten, their hearts were emptied of aught else except adoration for their Beloved... O, for the joy of those days, and the gladness and wonder of those hours!\n\n\n*Source: Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh v 2, p. 214 -216*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/detachment) (Subject: detachment).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Many of the Blessed Perfection's followers decided to abandon Baghdad also, and…",
"slug": "many-of-the-blessed-perfections-followers-decided-to-bs0",
"summary": "Many of the Blessed Perfection's followers decided to abandon Baghdad also, and accompany him in his wanderings. When the caravan started, our company numbered about seventy-five persons. All the young men, and others who could ride, were…",
"figures": [],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"ridvan twelvth day",
"women",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/ridvan-twelvth-day"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMany of the Blessed Perfection's followers decided to abandon Baghdad also, and accompany him in his wanderings. When the caravan started, our company numbered about seventy-five persons. All the young men, and others who could ride, were mounted on horses. The women and the Blessed Perfection were furnished waggons. We were accompanied by a military escort.\n\n\n*Source: Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khánum, Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi, p. 30*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/ridvan-twelvth-day) (Subject: ridvan-twelvth-day).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Many were the incidents of that two years' sojourn in the wilderness, which…",
"slug": "many-were-the-incidents-of-that-two-years-bs5",
"summary": "Many were the incidents of that two years' sojourn in the wilderness, which were told to us; we were never tired of listening. The food was easy to describe - coarse bread, a little cheese was the usual diet; sometimes, but very rarely, a…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Sulaymáníyyih",
"lat": 35.5556,
"lng": 45.4351,
"modernName": "Sulaymaniyah, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"bahaullah sulaymaniyyih"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-sulaymaniyyih"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMany were the incidents of that two years' sojourn in the wilderness, which were told to us; we were never tired of listening. The food was easy to describe - coarse bread, a little cheese was the usual diet; sometimes, but very rarely, a cup of milk; into this would be put some rice, and a tiny bit of sugar. When boiled together, these scanty rations provided the great treat of a sort of rice pudding.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-sulaymaniyyih) (Subject: bahaullah-sulaymaniyyih).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Many years ago, Mable Rice-Wray Ives lived in Baltimore",
"slug": "many-years-ago-mable-rice-wray-ives-lived-in-bs15",
"summary": "Many years ago, Mable Rice-Wray Ives lived in Baltimore. It was in the far away days of streetcars, and in order to reach the down-town shopping district, Mable had to ride the streetcar for a long way from the residential part of the city…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"intuition",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"gentleness",
"justice",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMany years ago, Mable Rice-Wray Ives lived in Baltimore. It was in the far away days of streetcars, and in order to reach the down-town shopping district, Mable had to ride the streetcar for a long way from the residential part of the city where she lived. Part of this journey was down a very long hill that, treeless and drab, was lined with small shops and poor houses. For years, as a growing girl, Mable had been taking this trip and then, one Spring, she began to be aware of a strange impulse to get off the trolley car when it was half way down the long hill. This was, of course, ridiculous. Why would she want to get off the car? There were no cross-streets; she knew no one in the neighborhood, why would she get off and what would she do if she did get off? So - trip after trip she reasoned with herself, talking herself out of it and feeling really very foolish. The feeling persisted - she should stop the car half way down the hill and get off. Finally, after this had been going on for many weeks, she lost patience. All right - she would stop the car and get off! So, the next time she had occasion to go shopping she did just that. And, as she stood on the curb watching the trolley car slide down the rest of the hill out of sight, she felt very silly. So now what she supposed to do? She turned from the curb and found herself facing a small shop that sold newspapers and magazines and stationary with, maybe, penny candy. Mable, not knowing what else to do, went over to the shop and walked in. Behind the counter, there was an older woman with a gentle face and beautiful eyes. She asked Mable if she might help her. Mable said, helplessly, \"I don't know. I don't know what I want. I don't know what I came for\" - and then she found herself telling the woman all about the curious experience she'd had for so long as she\n\ncame down the hill on a trolley car. When Mable had finished the woman smiled \"I can tell you what you came for,\" she said. \"Come into my sitting room with me, and I'll tell you the whole wonderful story.\" And that was how Mable Ives received the first word she'd ever heard of the wonderful Cause to which, for so many years and with such selfless courage, she gave her life.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 13*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition) (Subject: intuition).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Maria Ioas longed to be the recipient of a flower from 'Abdu-l-Bahá",
"slug": "maria-ioas-longed-to-be-the-recipient-of-bs16",
"summary": "Maria Ioas longed to be the recipient of a flower from 'Abdu-l-Bahá. She hade been tempted to ask pilgrims going to 'Akka to bring one to her, if at all possible. Yet, somehow, she felt she would receive one if the Master so desired.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"intuition",
"pilgrimage",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMaria Ioas longed to be the recipient of a flower from 'Abdu-l-Bahá. She hade been tempted to ask pilgrims going to 'Akka to bring one to her, if at all possible. Yet, somehow, she felt she would receive one if the Master so desired. When He came to Chicago, she took one of her children and headed towards the Plaza Hotel on His first day there. He was away, so they waited the entire afternoon. As He stepped out of the elevator, He saw them and greeted them kindly. He then headed for His room and bade them follow. She hesitated and He again urged, 'Come, come.' Then they felt free to accompany Him into His reception room. Shortly after, He emerged from His private room carrying roses and graciously handed one to her.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 55*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition) (Subject: intuition).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mary Bolles (Maxwell) took an early pilgrimage to the prison city",
"slug": "mary-bolles-maxwell-took-an-early-pilgrimage-to-bs1",
"summary": "Mary Bolles (Maxwell) took an early pilgrimage to the prison city. She heard that the food man eats is of no importance, as its effect endures but a short time. But the food of the spirit is life to the soul and its effects endure…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"hospitality",
"pilgrimage",
"prison",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMary Bolles (Maxwell) took an early pilgrimage to the prison city. She heard that the food man eats is of no importance, as its effect endures but a short time. But the food of the spirit is life to the soul and its effects endure eternally. She heard ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tell the touching ‘story of the hermit’. Bahá’u’lláh ‘was traveling from one place to another with His followers’ and ‘He passed through a lonely country where, at some little distance from the highway, a hermit lived alone in a cave. He was a holy man, and having heard that Our Lord, Bahá’u’lláh, would pass that way, he watched eagerly for His approach. When the Manifestation arrived at that spot the hermit knelt down and kissed the dust before His feet and said to Him: “Oh, my Lord, I am a poor man living alone in a cave nearby; but henceforth I shall account myself the happiest of mortals if Thou wilt but come for a moment to my cave and bless it by Thy Presence.” Then Bahá’u’lláh told the man that He would come, not for a moment but for three days, and He bade His followers cast their tents, and await His return. The poor man was so overcome with joy and with gratitude that he was speechless, and led the way in humble silence to his lowly dwelling in a rock. There the Glorious One sat with him, talking to him and teaching him, and toward evening the man bethought himself that he had nothing to offer his great Guest but some dry meat and some dark bread, and water from a spring nearby. Not knowing what to do he threw himself at the feet of his Lord and confessed his dilemma. Bahá’u’lláh comforted him and by a word bade him fetch the meat and bread and water; then the Lord of the universe partook of this frugal repast with joy and fragrance as though it had been a banquet, and during the three days of His visit they ate only of this food which seemed to the poor hermit the most delicious he had ever eaten. Bahá’u’lláh declared that He had never been more nobly entertained nor received greater hospitality and love. “This,” explained the Master, when He had finished the story, shows us how little man requires when he is nourished by the sweetness of all foods the love of God.”’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mary Bolles (Maxwell) took an early pilgrimage to the prison city",
"slug": "mary-bolles-maxwell-took-an-early-pilgrimage-to-bs6",
"summary": "Mary Bolles (Maxwell) took an early pilgrimage to the prison city. She heard that the food man eats is of no importance, as its effect endures but a short time. But the food of the spirit is life to the soul and its effects endure…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"diet",
"pilgrimage",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/diet"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMary Bolles (Maxwell) took an early pilgrimage to the prison city. She heard that the food man eats is of no importance, as its effect endures but a short time. But the food of the spirit is life to the soul and its effects endure eternally.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/diet) (Subject: diet).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mary Lucas, a pilgrim to Akka in 1905, found that the Master usually ate but…",
"slug": "mary-lucas-a-pilgrim-to-akka-in-1905-bs14",
"summary": "Mary Lucas, a pilgrim to Akka in 1905, found that the Master usually ate but one simple meal a day. In eight days He was present at most meals, often coming just to add joy to the occasion, though He was not hungry. If He knew of someone…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"simple life",
"pilgrimage",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMary Lucas, a pilgrim to Akka in 1905, found that the Master usually ate but one simple meal a day. In eight days He was present at most meals, often coming just to add joy to the occasion, though He was not hungry. If He knew of someone who had had no meal during a day, the family supper was gladly packed up and sent to the needy.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life) (Subject: simple-life).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mary Lucas, a pilgrim to 'Akka in 1905, found that the Master gave away all the…",
"slug": "mary-lucas-a-pilgrim-to-akka-in-1905-bs22",
"summary": "Mary Lucas, a pilgrim to 'Akka in 1905, found that the Master gave away all the many gifts which were sent to Him. 'A story is told of a beautiful silver service which was presented to Him, and He did not even look at it. One and another…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"generosity",
"pilgrimage",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMary Lucas, a pilgrim to 'Akka in 1905, found that the Master gave away all the many gifts which were sent to Him. 'A story is told of a beautiful silver service which was presented to Him, and He did not even look at it. One and another received portions of it until piece by piece it disappeared.\n\n'A significant incident is that of a wealthy woman who offered Him a sum of money before she left 'Akka. He refused to accept it, and as the lady pleaded for the privilege of placing it in His hands, He said, at length: \"I never accept anything for Myself, but if you wish you may bestow it upon a poor man...for the education of his son.\" So the money was used for this purpose.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 77*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity) (Subject: generosity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mary Ravel of Philadelphia attended the dedication meeting and secretly hope to…",
"slug": "mary-ravel-of-philadelphia-attended-the-dedication-meeting-bs17",
"summary": "Mary Ravel of Philadelphia attended the dedication meeting and secretly hope to kiss the hem of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's robe, something a Bahá’í in Iran had written and asked her to do. Unfortunately, the Master was on the far side of the crowd…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"intuition"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMary Ravel of Philadelphia attended the dedication meeting and secretly hope to kiss the hem of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's robe, something a Bahá’í in Iran had written and asked her to do. Unfortunately, the Master was on the far side of the crowd until, suddenly, He walked directly over to Mary and stood in front of her just long enough for her to accomplish her great desire.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 115*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition) (Subject: intuition).*\n"
},
{
"title": "May Bolles (Maxwell) was one of fifteen fortunate pilgrims welcomed in the…",
"slug": "may-bolles-maxwell-was-one-of-fifteen-fortunate-bs4",
"summary": "May Bolles (Maxwell) was one of fifteen fortunate pilgrims welcomed in the prison-city from December 1898 to early 1899. She recorded her experiences in An Early Pilgrimage -- a divine love story! In the Holy Land, whose very air was…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"May Maxwell"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"pilgrimage",
"prison",
"family",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"gentleness",
"joy",
"love",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/pilgrimage"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMay Bolles (Maxwell) was one of fifteen fortunate pilgrims welcomed in the prison-city from December 1898 to early 1899. She recorded her experiences in An Early Pilgrimage -- a divine love story! In the Holy Land, whose very air was 'laden with the perfume of roses and orange blossoms', she found ‘Abdu’l-Bahá whose love, wisdom and gentleness penetrated her very soul. In 'Akká the Holy Family had vacated their own rooms that the pilgrims might be comfortable. Early each morning the Master would inquire about their happiness and health, and at night He would wish them 'beautiful dreams' and a good rest. There, for three precious days and nights, they heard nothing 'but the mention of God'. Never, elsewhere, had she seen such happiness, or heard so much laughter. The Master wanted no tears. At one time He asked some pilgrims who were moved to tears to weep no more for His sake. Only when all were fully composed would He teach the friends. She wrote, 'We had learned that to be with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was all life, joy and blessedness.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 63*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/pilgrimage) (Subject: pilgrimage).*\n"
},
{
"title": "May Maxwell, the mother of Rúhíyyih Khánum, died only a few weeks after…",
"slug": "may-maxwell-the-mother-of-r-h-yyih-kh-num-died-bs3",
"summary": "May Maxwell, the mother of Rúhíyyih Khánum, died only a few weeks after pioneering to South America, and was declared a martyr by Shoghi Effendi. (Her story can be read in the Bahá’í World, Vol. VIII, pp. 631-642.) There is no question…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Rúhíyyih Khánum",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"May Maxwell"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"martyrs",
"martyrdom",
"teaching",
"pioneering"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"love",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/martyrs"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMay Maxwell, the mother of Rúhíyyih Khánum, died only a few weeks after pioneering to South America, and was declared a martyr by Shoghi Effendi. (Her story can be read in the Bahá’í World, Vol. VIII, pp. 631-642.) There is no question that May Maxwell devoted her entire life, subsequent to learning of the Faith, to teaching and serving it. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said of her: “May Maxwell is really a Bahá’í...She breathed no breath and uttered no word save in service to the Cause of God.” (p. 638) The words of the Guardian make very clear for us why she was named a martyr: “And now as this year, so memorable in the annals of the Faith, was drawing to a close, there befell the American Bahá’í community, through the dramatic and sudden death of May Maxwell, yet another loss, which viewed in retrospect will come to be regarded as a potent blessing conferred upon the campaign now being so diligently conducted by its members. 5 Laden with the fruits garnered through well-nigh half a century of toilsome service to the Cause she so greatly loved, heedless of the warnings of age and ill-health, and afire with the longing to worthily demonstrate her gratitude in her overwhelming awareness of the bounties of her Lord and Master, she set her face towards the southern outpost of the Faith in the New World, and laid down her life in such a spirit of consecration and self-sacrifice as has truly merited the crown of martyrdom.”\n\n\n*Source: Shoghi Effendi: Messages to America, Pages: 39-40*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/martyrs) (Subject: martyrs).*\n"
},
{
"title": "First Steps Ashore: The Master Arrives in New York",
"slug": "md-arrival-new-york-april-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records the first hours of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in America: the SS Cedric pulling into New York harbor on April 11, 1912; the rush of newspaper reporters at the dock seeking to know His purpose; and His steady answer that He had crossed an ocean for *the unity of humankind*.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, NY, USA"
},
"themes": [
"arrival",
"american-tour",
"peace",
"oneness-of-humanity"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"love",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn April 11, 1912, the SS *Cedric* pulled into New York harbour with\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá aboard. The Master was sixty-eight years old. He had,\nonly four years earlier, been a prisoner of the Ottoman state.\nThat a Persian of His age and background should now step onto the\ndock of the world’s busiest port — sought after by reporters,\nwelcomed by Bahá’ís who had only ever known Him by letter — was\nitself a marvel that Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání, the Master’s\nsecretary on this journey, would record day by day in the diary\nthat bears his name.\n\nAccording to *Mahmúd’s Diary,* the New York reporters did not\nwait for an interview to be arranged. They climbed onto the\nship. Cameras and notebooks pressed close. They wanted to know\nwhat business an Eastern teacher had in the United States.\n\nThe Master answered without ornament:\n\n> Our object is universal peace and the unity of humankind. I\n> have travelled to Paris and London and now I have come to\n> America.\n\nWhen the journalists pressed Him on what afflicted the world, He\nnamed one specific affliction:\n\n> One of these ills is the people’s restlessness and discontent\n> under the yoke of the war expenditures of the world’s\n> governments.\n\nA few days later, on April 14, the Master accepted the invitation\nof Dr. Percy Stickney Grant to address the congregation of the\nChurch of the Ascension on Fifth Avenue. He was the first Eastern\nreligious figure ever to address that pulpit. Mírzá Maḥmúd\nrecords the audience as utterly stilled by the talk, and the\ncrowd that pressed around the Master afterward as overcome — one\nwoman, in particular, weeping as she held to the hem of His robe.\n\nSo began the nine-month American journey. From the deck of the\n*Cedric* to the doors of the Ascension, the pattern that would\nhold across the continent had already been set. He would speak,\nand people would weep, and what they wept for was not always\nsomething they could name afterwards.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entries for April 11 and April 14, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Baltimore: A Day of Rest on the Eastern Seaboard",
"slug": "md-baltimore-rest-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records a brief stop in Baltimore in November 1912 — chiefly a day of rest in transit between Washington and New York, but with a small evening reception at the home of one of the city's three Bahá'í families.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Baltimore",
"lat": 39.2904,
"lng": -76.6122,
"modernName": "Baltimore, Maryland, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"travel",
"quiet-days"
],
"virtues": [
"patience",
"hospitality",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMahmúd's Diary records that on the journey from Washington\nback to New York in early November 1912, the Master's party\nbroke the journey overnight in Baltimore. The stop had been\nsuggested by friends in Washington, who had said that the\nsmall Baltimore community — perhaps three families in total —\nwould be heartbroken if the Master passed through Maryland\nwithout acknowledging them.\n\nThe Master accepted the suggestion. The party arrived in the\nearly afternoon. Most of the day was given to rest. The Master\nwas tired from the considerable Washington schedule of the\npreceding week. He took an extended midday rest in the rooms\nthat had been engaged at a downtown hotel and was not\navailable to visitors during the afternoon.\n\nIn the evening, He came down to the parlour for a small\nreception that had been arranged at the home of one of the\nBaltimore families. The transfer to the family's house took\nonly a short carriage ride. The reception was small — perhaps\nfourteen people in total, including the three Baltimore\nBahá'í families, two inquirers, and several friends who had\ncome down from Philadelphia for the occasion.\n\nMahmúd records the talk that the Master gave that evening as\nbrief and pastoral. He spoke without notes, seated on a chair\nthe host had placed before the small gathered group. He\naddressed, in particular, the situation of the small isolated\nBahá'í family in a city without an established community.\nThe family that holds the Faith *between visits* — between\nthe rare visits of travelling teachers, between the rare\nopportunities to meet another believer — bears, the Master\nsaid, a particular kind of spiritual responsibility. The\nprivate prayer of such a family, the patient correspondence\nwith distant friends, the small acts of teaching by personal\nexample, are the seeds from which, in the providence of God,\nlarger communities will in time grow.\n\nThe reception lasted perhaps two hours. The Master then\nreturned to His hotel and retired early. The party departed\nthe following morning by the northbound train for New York.\n\nThe Baltimore visit was, in the public record, hardly an\nevent. No notable sermon was preached. No celebrated\nconversion was made. Yet the three Baltimore families\npreserved, in their household memories, the November evening\nin the parlour of one of their homes as a foundational moment.\nTheir small Local Spiritual Assembly, when it was eventually\nformed in the late 1920s, would be elected by descendants of\nthe families who had hosted the Master that evening.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for the Baltimore stop, November 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Hub Awakens: 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Boston",
"slug": "md-boston-talks-august-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records 'Abdu'l-Bahá's days in Boston in late July and August 1912, including His talk at the Free Religious Association and the unusually warm reception of Boston's Unitarian ministers. Boston, the city of Emerson and the Transcendentalists, recognised in the Master a kindred root.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Boston",
"lat": 42.3601,
"lng": -71.0589,
"modernName": "Boston, MA, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"teaching",
"religion",
"encounter"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"love",
"hospitality"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMahmúd's Diary records that 'Abdu'l-Bahá visited Boston twice\nduring the American tour: a brief stop in late July 1912 and a\nlonger stay in August. The city had been chosen with deliberate\ncare. Boston was the home of the Unitarian Association, of the\nFree Religious Association, and of a long generation of New\nEngland thinkers — Emerson, Channing, Theodore Parker — who had\nspent their adult lives arguing that the religions of the world\nwere branches of a single trunk.\n\nThe Master was received in Boston, Maḥmúd records, with a warmth\nthat surprised even the Persian friends. The Free Religious\nAssociation invited Him to deliver an address at Tremont Temple.\nHe spoke on the unity of the founders of the world's religions.\nThe diary records the audience as standing for the duration of\nthe closing remarks.\n\nSeveral of Boston's Unitarian ministers called on Him at His\nhotel during the August stay. Mahmúd records the conversations\nas unusually direct. The ministers had read what they could find\nof His writings; they came with prepared questions; the Master\nanswered, often at length, sometimes with a single sentence. The\ndiary preserves the impression that He had found, in the\nministers, the particular kind of seriousness that He honoured.\n\nHe spoke also at the Metaphysical Club and at the homes of\nprominent Bahá'ís of the city. The talks turned often to the\nstation of Christ — for Boston, more than most American cities,\nheld the founder of Christianity at the centre of its religious\nimagination. The Master addressed that centre directly. He spoke\nof Christ as the perfect Mirror of the divine, of the Sermon on\nthe Mount as the eternal core of the Christian message, and of\nthe present urgent need to live as if those words had been\nspoken yesterday.\n\nMahmúd records, in summary of the Boston days, the impression\nof a city that had been long preparing the soil for what the\nMaster brought. The seed He scattered there was scattered into\nground already broken. Many of the Boston believers of later\ngenerations would trace their first interest in the Faith to one\nof those August talks.\n\nWhen at last the household departed for the New Hampshire hills\nand the Dublin retreat, the Boston friends gathered at the\nstation. Maḥmúd records the parting as warm and the promise of\nreturn as freely given.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entries for July 23-25 and August 23-31, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "On the Lawn at Cambridge: 'Abdu'l-Bahá at Harvard",
"slug": "md-cambridge-harvard-may-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records that during the May 1912 visit to Boston, 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed audiences at Harvard University in Cambridge — including a memorable open-air talk on the lawn before Sanders Theatre when the hall could not accommodate the crowd that had come.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Cambridge, Massachusetts",
"lat": 42.3736,
"lng": -71.1097,
"modernName": "Cambridge, MA, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"teaching",
"encounter"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"patience",
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMahmúd's Diary records that during 'Abdu'l-Bahá's late-May\n1912 visit to the Boston area, an invitation arrived from\nHarvard University in Cambridge for the Master to address an\nacademic audience.\n\nThe arrangements had been made for an indoor lecture hall —\nSanders Theatre, the largest of the university's auditoria.\nThe diary records that on the appointed afternoon the hall\nfilled to capacity well before the announced hour. Faculty\nmembers, students, members of the Cambridge community, and\nBahá'ís from across New England crowded the seats and then the\naisles. The doors were closed because the building could hold\nno more.\n\nA still larger crowd, however, had gathered outside on the\nlawn. The Master, on arriving, was informed of them. Mahmúd\nrecords that He paused, looked at the building, looked at the\nlawn, and proposed a simple solution: the talk would move\noutside.\n\nThe university stewards conducted Him to a position on the\nsteps where He could be heard by both the audience inside —\nthrough the open doors — and the larger audience on the\nlawn. The diary records the unusual arrangement as quickly\naccepted by all. He spoke standing.\n\nThe talk turned on the duties laid upon the educated person\nin the modern age. Mahmúd records that the Master praised\nHarvard for its long tradition of free inquiry and addressed\nits students directly: that the gift of education carried with\nit the duty to apply the trained mind to the great questions\nof the human family. He spoke of the imminent danger of war\nin Europe — a danger of which the diary notes He had been\nspeaking with mounting urgency in the spring of 1912 — and\ncalled upon the young men present to give their lives, in\nwhatever profession they should choose, to the work of\npreventing it.\n\nThe talk lasted, the diary records, about an hour. The crowd\non the lawn was held in attention. The audience inside,\nhearing through the open doors, did not stir. When the Master\nhad finished and turned to leave, both audiences came forward\nto shake His hand. The diary records the line of greetings as\nhaving taken nearly as long as the talk itself.\n\nThe Master returned to His Boston hotel by carriage. The\nCambridge afternoon was one of those moments — repeated in\nsmall variations across the tour — when an arranged lecture\nhall proved too small for the actual reception of His\nmessage, and the talk had to move out into the open air.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entries for late May 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Aboard the S.S. Cedric: Crossing to America",
"slug": "md-cedric-arrival-october-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records the long Atlantic crossing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and His small party aboard the S.S. Cedric in March and early April 1912 — the ten days at sea during which the Master, in His sixty-eighth year, prepared for the great American tour by simple devotions and long conversations with His attendants.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Atlantic Ocean",
"lat": 40,
"lng": -40,
"modernName": "North Atlantic"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"travel",
"devotion"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"patience",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the morning of the 25th of March, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá and His\nsmall party — Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání, Mírzá Asadu'lláh-i-Iṣfahání,\nDr. Amín'u'lláh Faríd, the Master's attendants Siyyid Asadu'lláh\nand others — boarded the White Star liner *S.S. Cedric* at\nAlexandria, in Egypt, bound for New York by way of Naples and the\nNorth Atlantic crossing.\n\nThe Master had been in Europe and in Egypt for several months\ngathering His strength for the American journey. He was\nsixty-eight years old. He had spent forty-seven of His\nsixty-eight years in prison and exile. The transatlantic voyage\nahead — ten days at sea, then a continent of public talks,\njourneys by train, large audiences in unfamiliar cities —\nwould have tried a younger man. The American friends had been\nasking, in their letters, whether He was well enough to make\nthe journey. He had answered that He was.\n\nMahmúd records the small daily life of the crossing. The\nMaster rose before dawn and chanted prayers in His cabin. He\ntook breakfast with His party in the second-class dining room,\ndeclining the first-class accommodation that some of His\nattendants had urged Him to take. He spent the mornings on\ndeck or in the lounges, often in conversation with His\nattendants and with the small number of Western passengers\nwho had begun to recognise Him by sight. He kept a strict\nafternoon nap. He resumed conversation in the evenings.\n\nThe conversations Mahmúd preserves from the voyage are quiet\nand almost domestic. The Master spoke of the friends He\nexpected to meet in America. He named some of them by name:\nLua Getsinger, who had been to 'Akká several times; Howard\nMacNutt, whose home in Brooklyn would be the first reception;\nRoy Wilhelm, whose hospitality at West Englewood had been\narranged for. He spoke of the sights of America He had been\ntold to expect: the great new buildings of New York; the\nprairies; the Pacific coast.\n\n> We have come to America that the friends may see Us and\n> that the truth may be proclaimed.\n\nThe phrase, set down by Mahmúd in one of the mid-voyage\nentries, gave the Master's own framing of the journey. He had\nnot come for sightseeing, however much He might in fact see.\nHe had not come for rest, though the long sea voyage would in\nsome sense be one. He had come for the friends — that they\nmight see Him in person; that the Faith they had received in\ncorrespondence and in pilgrim notes might be confirmed by His\nvisible presence; and that the great themes of the Faith might\nbe proclaimed to the wider American public from platforms the\nMaster Himself would in person occupy.\n\nThe *S.S. Cedric* docked at the Hudson River piers in lower\nManhattan on the 11th of April, 1912. The American journey\nhad begun.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entries for March 25 - April 11, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "All Nations Are One Family: 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Farewell from New York",
"slug": "md-celtic-farewell-december-1912",
"summary": "On December 5, 1912, Mahmúd's Diary records, the SS *Celtic* lay at her berth in New York harbor as 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed the small band of friends who had come to see Him sail. He left them with one sentence that summarised the eight months of His American teaching: the whole earth is one globe, and all nations one family.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, NY, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"farewell",
"oneness-of-humanity",
"peace"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"unity",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the afternoon of December 5, 1912, the SS *Celtic* lay at her\nNew York berth, her boilers warming, her stewards making\nready. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and His small party were to sail at evening\nfor Liverpool, completing the eight months of the American\njourney that had begun, on the same harbour, on April 11.\n\nMírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání records the small farewell gathering on\nthe dock and aboard the ship. The Bahá’í friends of New York,\nBoston, Philadelphia, and Washington had come to see Him off.\nHe had been with them, in person, longer than they had ever\nimagined possible; now He was leaving, and many of them\nunderstood — though no one would say it aloud — that they would\nnot see Him again.\n\nThe Master spoke briefly to those gathered. Mahmúd preserves\nthe central counsel He left with them. It was the same counsel\nHe had been giving in different forms across the continent for\neight months. Now He gave it in its simplest possible\nformulation:\n\n> We must be kind to the people of the world and forget all\n> religious, racial, patriotic and political prejudices. The\n> whole earth is one globe. All nations are one family.\n\nThe instruction was both elementary and impossible. *Be kind.*\n*Forget the prejudices.* The Master had spent eight months\nlaying out, principle by principle, the philosophical and\nhistorical reasons why the program He was now reducing to two\nsentences was correct and necessary. The two sentences were\nwhat He wanted His friends to carry into the years that would\nfollow.\n\nA few days earlier, on December 1, He had spoken to a group of\nChristian ministers in New York with a hardness that startled\nthe room. *The teachings of Christ are forgotten,* He had told\nthem.\n\n> Christ commanded Peter to sheathe his sword... But now,\n> contrary to these teachings, see how Christians are killing\n> one another.\n\nHe was twenty months from the outbreak of the First World War.\nHe had warned, in talk after talk, that the European arsenals\nwould explode. The friends on the dock did not yet know how\nsoon they would.\n\nMahmúd records that as the *Celtic* pulled away into the\nevening, the friends on the pier waved long after they could\nsee Him. Many of them would never see Him again. Many of them,\nthe diary records, returned to their cities and to the slow\npatient labour of becoming, as He had asked, *kind to the\npeople of the world.*\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for December 5, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Stone for the Mother Temple: 'Abdu'l-Bahá at Wilmette",
"slug": "md-chicago-house-of-worship-cornerstone-may-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records that on May 1, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá travelled from Chicago to the small lakeside village of Wilmette to dedicate the cornerstone of the future House of Worship of the Western world. He laid the stone with His own hand and invited each delegate of the gathering to place upon it a stone of his own.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Nettie Tobin",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Wilmette, Illinois",
"lat": 42.0723,
"lng": -87.7228,
"modernName": "Wilmette, IL, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"house-of-worship",
"dedication",
"unity"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"humility",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMahmúd's Diary records May 1, 1912, as one of the most\nsignificant days of the American tour. The Master had come\nwest by train from Washington for the express purpose of\ndedicating the cornerstone of the future House of Worship of\nthe Western Bahá'í community. The gathering had been\nconvened in Chicago by the Bahá'í Temple Unity, the body that\nhad been collecting funds for nearly a decade for the project.\n\nThe site lay seven miles north of Chicago, in the small\nvillage of Wilmette on the shore of Lake Michigan. The land\nwas a muddy lake-side field. Mahmúd records that the day was\novercast and that the wind blew cold off the lake.\n\nThe Master arrived in the early afternoon by motor car. A\ncrowd of delegates had assembled — men and women representing\nBahá'í communities from across the United States and Canada.\nMany had travelled days to be present. The diary records the\ngathering as one of the largest of the tour outside the\nformal city audiences.\n\nThe cornerstone itself was a simple block of limestone. Beside\nit lay a smaller stone — a piece picked from a Chicago building\nsite, brought to Wilmette by an unassuming believer named\nNettie Tobin, who had felt that a stone offered in her own\nhand might be needed. The Master would, in the event, use her\nstone for the formal laying.\n\nHe spoke briefly. He prayed. He took the small stone from\nNettie Tobin's hand and laid it Himself upon the foundation\nthat the workmen had prepared. Then He invited each of the\ndelegates to come forward in turn — not the prominent only,\nbut every one of the friends present — and to place a stone\nof his or her own upon the foundation.\n\nMahmúd records the procession that followed. Persian\nbelievers, American believers, Black and white together, men\nand women, the elderly and the children — each came forward.\nEach placed a stone. The pile that resulted was untidy and\nheterogeneous and exactly the image the Master wished to\npreserve.\n\nThe diary records that He told the delegates what they had\ndone. They had founded together. The House of Worship that\nwould in due course rise on the foundation would not be the\nHouse of any one of them; it would be the House of all of\nthem. The labour of building it would extend over many years.\nNone of the delegates present that day would see it in its\nfinished form.\n\nThe dome at Wilmette was completed in 1953, forty-one years\nlater. The stones each delegate laid that May afternoon are\nstill in the foundation.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for May 1, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "An Unprepared Talk for an Admiral: 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Robert Peary",
"slug": "md-children-brooklyn-peary-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary preserves the moment in early June 1912 at a Unity Club gathering in Brooklyn when Admiral Robert E. Peary, the polar explorer, unexpectedly invited 'Abdu'l-Bahá to address the room — though the Master had been there only as a guest. The talk, given without notes, brought the distinguished gathering to a complete stillness.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Admiral Robert E. Peary"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Brooklyn",
"lat": 40.6782,
"lng": -73.9442,
"modernName": "Brooklyn, NY, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"teaching",
"encounter"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"service",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn June 5, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá attended a meeting of the Unity\nClub in Brooklyn. The Club was a private association of\ndistinguished New Yorkers; the program for the evening did not\ninclude the Master as a speaker. He had come simply as a guest.\n\nAmong those at the table that evening was Admiral Robert E. Peary\n— who only three years earlier, in April 1909, had made his\ncelebrated claim of having reached the North Pole. Mírzá\nMaḥmúd-i-Zarqání records that, midway through the gathering,\nPeary turned to his hosts and to the Master and proposed,\nunprompted, that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speak to the assembled company on\neducation and on the perfection of the human being.\n\nThe Master had no notes. The diary records:\n\n> Although ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had not planned to speak, He delivered\n> a discourse on the perfection of creation, its present defects\n> and the need for education.\n\nHe treated the unprepared moment as if He had been preparing for\nit all His life. He laid out the order He had laid out so often\nacross the American journey: that the human being is the only\ncreature in nature whose station depends on the education\ndelivered to him; that material education is essential but never\nsufficient; that the great Manifestations of God have been the\ntrue universal Educators of the species.\n\nWhat Maḥmúd records of the audience’s reaction is not the\napplause but the silence. *His address created a great\nexcitement, capturing everyone’s attention.* The phrase\n*excitement* in the diary’s English translation does not mean\ndisturbance; it means a stillness so complete the room was held\ninside it.\n\nWhen the Master had finished speaking, Peary thanked Him in\nperson. The polar explorer had brought back from his expeditions\na particular respect for those who could endure isolation and\nhardship without losing the inner thread; he recognised in the\nMaster a fellow traveller of a different kind.\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s American tour is full of such episodes — moments\nwhen an unprepared talk delivered to a small distinguished\naudience left, in those who heard it, a lifelong recollection.\nThe Brooklyn evening with Peary belongs in that company.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for June 5, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "An Hour at the Cincinnati Station",
"slug": "md-cincinnati-station-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records that on the journey from Chicago to Washington in early November 1912, the Master's train made a long change of cars at Cincinnati. Word had been telegraphed ahead. A small group of Ohio believers came to the station for the hour the train was held there.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Cincinnati",
"lat": 39.1031,
"lng": -84.512,
"modernName": "Cincinnati, OH, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"encounter",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"hospitality",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMahmúd's Diary records the Master's western train journeys in\nconsiderable practical detail: the train numbers, the stations,\nthe changes of carriage, the meals taken in the dining car or\nbrought to the compartment. The diary preserves, among these\nordinary entries, a quiet vignette from early November 1912.\n\nThe train from Chicago to Washington made a long stop at\nCincinnati for a change of locomotives. The friends in Cincinnati\nhad been notified by telegraph. Several of them came down to the\nstation for the hour the train was held there.\n\nThere was no hall hired. There was no formal talk planned. The\nMaster had been ill in the days before; the household had asked\nthat He rest as much as possible during the long journey east.\nBut when Maḥmúd informed Him that a small group of Bahá'ís had\ncome down to the platform, He rose at once, smoothed His robe,\nand went out to receive them.\n\nThe diary records the meeting in the simplest terms. He shook\neach of their hands. He asked after their families, their\nhomes, their work. He spoke a few words about the importance of\nthe small communities of the Faith in cities like Cincinnati —\nhow the firmness of the few, in places where the many were\nnot yet aware, was the bedrock on which the future would be\nbuilt. He blessed them. He returned to His compartment when\nthe conductor signalled the train.\n\nThe friends stood on the platform and waved as the train pulled\nout. Maḥmúd records that one of them, an older woman, was\nweeping; the others were silent.\n\nThe diary makes nothing further of the episode. It records the\narrival in Washington in due course. The Cincinnati hour is\npreserved only because Mahmúd preserved everything; it would\notherwise have been entirely forgotten.\n\nIt has, in fact, been remembered by the Cincinnati friends and\ntheir descendants for a hundred years. The Master did not visit\nthe city for a series of public talks; He stopped, between\ntrains, for an hour, and the small community of the city took\nthe hour as a benediction. *An hour at the station was an hour\nthe friends would remember for the rest of their lives.*\n\nMany of the smaller midwestern Bahá'í communities of the early\ntwentieth century have similar stories — a station, a parlour,\na brief stop, a conversation that fed a generation.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entries for early November 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Across the Alleghenies: 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Cleveland and Pittsburgh",
"slug": "md-cleveland-pittsburgh-may-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records the spring of 1912 when 'Abdu'l-Bahá travelled west of the Alleghenies for the first time, holding meetings in Cleveland and Pittsburgh and then continuing to Chicago. In Pittsburgh the smoke of the steel mills hung over the talks; in Cleveland the believers gathered in private homes.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Pittsburgh",
"lat": 40.4406,
"lng": -79.9959,
"modernName": "Pittsburgh, PA, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"teaching",
"encounter"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"kindness",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMahmúd's Diary records that in early May 1912, after the long\nstay in Washington and Philadelphia, 'Abdu'l-Bahá and His small\nparty set out west by train. The destination was Chicago, where\nHe would lay the cornerstone of the future House of Worship at\nWilmette; but two intermediate stops marked His passage across\nthe Alleghenies — Pittsburgh on May 7 and Cleveland in the days\nthat followed.\n\nPittsburgh in 1912 was the great steel city of the United\nStates. The mills along the Monongahela burned around the clock.\nMahmúd records, with the faint surprise of a Persian visitor,\nthe heavy haze that hung over the river valleys and the soot\nthat settled on the white cuffs of his shirt within an hour of\nhis arrival. The believers of the city had hired a hall in the\nSchenley Hotel for the Master's talk. The audience that\ngathered, the diary notes, included steel workers in their\nworking clothes alongside Pittsburgh's merchants and\nclergy.\n\nThe Master spoke that evening on a single theme: the dignity of\nthe labourer. He praised the workmen who, by the strength of\ntheir hands, fed the body of the world. He warned the men of\nmeans against contempt for those whose hands worked the metal.\nHe spoke of the future ordering of human affairs in which the\ngulf between the rich and the poor must close — not by violence,\nbut by the recognition that all are children of one Father.\n\nThe talk, Mahmúd records, was received with attention by every\nsection of the audience. Several of the workmen waited at the\nback of the hall to greet the Master afterward; He received\nthem, the diary notes, with the same warmth He had shown the\ncity's notables on the front benches.\n\nCleveland followed within the next few days. There the friends\nwere fewer than in Pittsburgh; the meetings were held in private\nhomes. Maḥmúd records the gatherings as quieter and more\nintimate. Several Cleveland believers had travelled from Akron\nand Toledo to be present. They sat in the parlour of the home\nwhere the Master was staying and asked, in turn, the questions\nthey had carried with them. He answered each of them.\n\nThe diary preserves no famous speech from Cleveland. What it\npreserves is something smaller — a Persian guest in an Ohio\nparlour answering, one by one, the questions of a small midwestern\ncommunity.\n\nThe party then continued by train to Chicago. The Alleghenies\nhad been crossed, and the western half of the American journey\nhad begun.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entries for May 6-9, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "At Columbia University: A Talk on the Soul",
"slug": "md-columbia-university-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records 'Abdu'l-Bahá's visit to Columbia University in New York on April 19, 1912. The Master spoke to the assembled faculty and students on the immortality of the soul and the inseparability of scientific investigation from spiritual enlightenment.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.8075,
"lng": -73.9626,
"modernName": "New York City, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"education",
"science",
"religion"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"vision",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the afternoon of the 19th of April, 1912, Mírzá\nMaḥmúd-i-Zarqání records, 'Abdu'l-Bahá and His party were\nreceived at Columbia University on Manhattan's Upper West\nSide. The Master had been in the United States only nine days.\nThe university had requested His presence.\n\nThe reception was held in one of the large lecture halls of\nEarl Hall, the centre of religious life on the campus. The\nfaculty member presiding — a senior professor whose name\nMahmúd does not record — introduced the Master with a brief\naccount of the Bahá'í Faith for the audience and an\nexpression of the university's pleasure at His visit.\n\nThe Master rose. He chose a subject the room could not have\nexpected from a Persian sage: the immortality of the soul, set\nin the proper relation to the modern scientific view of the\nhuman person. The talk, of which Mahmúd preserves a careful\nsummary that matches the version later printed in *The\nPromulgation of Universal Peace,* turned on a single great\nmetaphor.\n\n> Science and religion are the two wings upon which man's\n> intelligence can soar into the heights.\n\nA bird with one wing only, the Master said, cannot fly. So a\nhuman being equipped with science alone, without the\nspiritual sciences that train the heart and direct the\nwill, can master the visible universe but cannot understand\nthe meaning of his own life within it. So a human being\nequipped with religion alone, without the disciplined study\nof the natural world, can imagine many things but cannot\ndistinguish his imagination from the truth.\n\nHe went on to argue, in the direct and orderly manner that\ncharacterised His American addresses, the four traditional\nproofs of the soul's immortality: that the soul is not the\nbody and is therefore not extinguished with the body's\ndeath; that the soul's powers — memory, conscience,\nimagination, will — are not material and so persist beyond\nthe material substrate; that the universal human intuition\nof an after-life cannot be accounted for on a purely\nmaterialist hypothesis; and that the testimony of the\nManifestations of God, taken across the long history of\nrevelation, is consistent on the matter.\n\nMahmúd records that the audience — students, faculty, the\nsmall group of visiting Bahá'ís who had filled the back\nrows of the hall — listened in unbroken stillness through\nthe talk. The presiding professor, when the Master had\nfinished, observed that the address had been one of the\nmost distinguished he had heard in many years of university\ngatherings. The Master smiled, thanked the assembly, and\ntook His leave.\n\nThe talk would in time be set down as one of the foundational\nAmerican addresses of the Bahá'í teaching tradition. Its\nsingle sentence about the two wings of science and religion\nhas been quoted, since 1912, in countless settings where the\nFaith has been introduced. The first hearing of it, in the\nEarl Hall of Columbia University on a spring afternoon, is\npreserved by Mahmúd in his diary entry of the day.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for April 19, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Denver: The Master and the Women's Auxiliary",
"slug": "md-denver-women-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records a women's gathering arranged in Denver in late September 1912 — a meeting at the home of one of the city's prominent suffragists, where 'Abdu'l-Bahá spoke of the spiritual basis for the equality of women and men.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Denver",
"lat": 39.7392,
"lng": -104.9903,
"modernName": "Denver, Colorado, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"equality",
"women",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"vision",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMahmúd's Diary records, in the entries from the Denver leg of\nthe western tour, a particular afternoon gathering arranged at\nthe home of a local suffragist who had asked the Master to\naddress the women of her circle on the question of equality.\n\nThe gathering was small — perhaps twenty women, with one or\ntwo husbands accompanying. The hostess was a prominent figure\nin the Colorado women's-suffrage movement, which would in the\nfollowing decade succeed in winning the vote for the women of\nthe state. The Master arrived, took the chair offered Him, and\nspoke briefly without preamble.\n\nHe addressed the spiritual basis for the equality of women and\nmen. He said, in a phrase Mahmúd preserves verbatim, that\n*the world of humanity has two wings — one is woman, the\nother man.* Until both wings are equally developed, He\nexplained, the bird of humanity cannot fly. The flight is not\na metaphor. It is a description of the actual condition the\nhuman race must achieve before it can move into its destined\nmaturity.\n\nThe talk continued by addressing, with the practical concreteness\nthe Master often brought to American audiences, the specific\nquestions the suffragists were asking. The vote — the Master\nnamed — was a necessary instrument. But the vote alone was\ninsufficient. The deeper work was the education of the\ngirls and women, in every quarter of society, to the same\nstandard the boys and men were being educated. *Without\neducation, the vote is the franchise of the uninformed.*\n\nHe went further. The education of women, He said, was in some\nrespects more important than the education of men. The mother\nis the first teacher of the child. The civilisation of the\nnext generation rests, in its earliest formative years, on the\neducation of the women who will mother it. To educate the\nwomen is, in this sense, to educate the future of humanity.\n\nThe Denver suffragists received the address with attention.\nSeveral of them, Mahmúd notes, asked specific questions\nafterwards about the position of women in the Bahá'í\nadministrative bodies — and the Master answered each with His\nusual care.\n\nThe afternoon ended with refreshments and continued\nconversation. The Master, before departing, addressed the\nhostess particularly, thanking her for *the courage of opening\nher home* to a teaching that would one day, He predicted, be\nthe universal possession of the human race.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for the Denver afternoon, late September 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Quiet Days at Dublin: 'Abdu'l-Bahá Among the New Hampshire Hills",
"slug": "md-dublin-nh-summer-retreat-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary preserves the final weeks of July and the opening weeks of August 1912, when 'Abdu'l-Bahá retired from the cities of the East Coast to the small artists' colony at Dublin, New Hampshire. The mornings were spent in dictation; the afternoons in walks through pine and fir; and the evenings in talks for the summer residents who came up the road to listen.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Dublin, New Hampshire",
"lat": 42.9067,
"lng": -72.0612,
"modernName": "Dublin, NH, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"rest",
"encounter",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"patience",
"hospitality",
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the middle weeks of the 1912 American journey, the demands of\nthe East Coast cities — the daily talks, the press of visitors,\nthe heat of late July — had begun to tell on the Master. Mírzá\nMaḥmúd-i-Zarqání records that the household sought a place where\nHe might pause, dictate the Tablets that had accumulated, and\nbreathe the air of the hills.\n\nThe choice fell on Dublin, New Hampshire. The little town in the\nshadow of Mount Monadnock had become, by 1912, an artists' and\nwriters' summer colony. Painters, novelists, and Boston families\nof means had built simple cottages along the lake. The Master\ntook rooms there for several weeks.\n\nThe diary records the rhythm of those days as the most measured\nof the entire tour. Mornings were given to correspondence:\nTablets to Persia, replies to American believers, dictation that\nMaḥmúd transcribed at the table. After the noon meal the Master\nwould walk — sometimes alone, sometimes with one or two of the\nparty — among the pines and along the lake shore. He spoke of\nthe air as carrying the freshness of the mountains and of the\nsilence as a great mercy.\n\nThe afternoons brought visitors. The summer residents had heard\nthat an unusual Eastern guest was lodging in their hills, and\nthey came: Episcopal clergymen, Boston society women, painters\nwho arrived in their work clothes, a few children sent by their\nparents to see what they could see. Mahmúd records that the\nMaster received every one of them. The talks delivered in the\nDublin parlour were less formal than those in the New York\nchurches; they often turned on the simple subjects of family\nlife, the education of children, the duties of the soul.\n\nIn the evenings the Master would sit on the porch as the light\nfell. The diary preserves Him there in a few sentences: a man\nof nearly seventy, in a white robe, watching the sun lower over\nthe New Hampshire hills, the pines darkening. He spoke very\nlittle in those evening hours. The friends who joined Him sat\nquietly, as if conscious that the silence was itself the\nteaching.\n\nWhen the household at last packed to return to the cities,\nMaḥmúd records the Master saying that the days at Dublin had\nbeen a rest the rest of the journey would draw on.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entries for July 23 to August 16, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "An Evening with the Syrians: 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Lower Manhattan",
"slug": "md-immigrant-syrian-restaurant-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records that during the New York stays of 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá would occasionally direct His carriage to the small Syrian-Lebanese quarter of Lower Manhattan, where He would dine in modest immigrant restaurants and speak Arabic with the proprietors and patrons.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Lower Manhattan",
"lat": 40.7081,
"lng": -74.0102,
"modernName": "Manhattan, NY, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"immigrants",
"encounter",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"humility",
"hospitality"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMahmúd's Diary preserves, among the recorded political and\necclesiastical engagements of the 1912 American tour, several\nsmall entries about the Master's evenings in the\nSyrian-Lebanese immigrant quarter of Lower Manhattan.\n\nNew York in 1912 had an Arab quarter centered on Washington\nStreet between Battery Park and the southern end of the Hudson\npiers. The community was largely Christian — Maronite, Melkite,\nGreek Orthodox — and ran small shops, presses for the Arab-\nlanguage newspapers, and a number of restaurants. Many of the\nshopkeepers had emigrated from the Ottoman provinces of what\nare now Syria and Lebanon.\n\nThe Master spoke fluent Arabic. He had spent the years of His\nministry up to 1908 in the Arabic-speaking city of 'Akká. The\ndiary records that He occasionally directed His carriage south\nfrom the Ansonia Hotel on Broadway and 73rd to the Syrian\nquarter near the Battery, simply for an evening among\nArabic-speaking people.\n\nHe would eat in modest restaurants. He would order in Arabic.\nThe proprietors and waiters, struck by the cultivated speech\nof an old gentleman in Eastern dress, would gather to converse\nwith Him. Mahmúd records that the Master would speak with\neach of them in turn — asking after their families, their\nvillages of origin, the work of their shops — with the same\nwarmth He had shown the New York dignitaries earlier in the\nday.\n\nHe did not, the diary records, identify Himself as the Bahá'í\nMaster to the proprietors. He told them only that He was a\nPersian visitor, lately arrived in America, who was glad to\nhear the Arabic of his old neighbours of 'Akká. The\nproprietors knew only that an unusually courteous old\ngentleman had come to dine and had paid generously and had\nleft them a blessing as He went out.\n\nIn later years, after the Master's passing, several of the\nSyrian immigrants of New York would learn — to their\nastonishment — that they had once dined Him without knowing\nwho He was. The story passed through the New York Bahá'í\ncommunity as one of the small graces of the tour: that the\nMaster, in the city of millions, had sought out the few square\nblocks where He could sit among Arabic-speakers and be, for a\nfew hours, simply a visitor among His own.\n\nThe diary records the visits without commentary. Mahmúd preserves\nthem because they happened, not because they were unusual. They\nwere entirely characteristic.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), recurring entries during the New York stays, April-July and September-December 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Why Not Praise Christ and Muḥammad: 'Abdu'l-Bahá at Temple Emanu-El",
"slug": "md-jewish-temple-san-francisco-1912",
"summary": "On October 12, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed an audience of approximately 2,000 at Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco — the largest synagogue on the Pacific coast — and asked the gathered Jews, with all the courtesy of a guest and all the firmness of a prophet's son, why they had not yet honoured Christ and Muḥammad as the heirs of Moses.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "San Francisco",
"lat": 37.7749,
"lng": -122.4194,
"modernName": "San Francisco, California, USA"
},
"themes": [
"oneness-of-religion",
"american-tour",
"teaching",
"judaism"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"wisdom",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn Saturday, October 12, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá entered the\nSutter Street sanctuary of Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco — the\nlargest Reform synagogue on the Pacific coast. The audience that\nafternoon, Mírzá Maḥmúd records, numbered *approximately 2,000.*\nThe rabbis and elders of the city had invited Him as a guest of\nhonour and a friend of the Jewish people. They had not, perhaps,\nexpected the talk He would give.\n\nThe Master began by honouring Moses. The foundation of the\nreligion of God laid by Moses, He said, was the cause of eternal\nhonour for the children of Israel. Without that foundation, much\nof what Christianity and Islam later professed would not have\nbeen possible. The world owed Israel a debt that could not be\nrepaid.\n\nHe then turned the question.\n\n> Why should not the children of Israel praise now Christ and\n> Muḥammad?\n\nIt was a question respectful in its grammar and devastating in\nits content. He laid out the case as gently as the room allowed:\nthat Christ had spread the name of Moses across continents, and\nMuḥammad had carried it across oceans, and that in honouring\neither Christ or Muḥammad the Jewish community would be honouring\nthe very vindication of Moses’s long ministry.\n\nHe pressed the larger principle:\n\n> The foundation of the religion of God which was laid by Moses\n> was the cause of eternal honor.\n\nTo stand by that foundation was to recognise its growth. The age,\nHe said, was not the age of fanaticism; it was the age of\nscience, in which every claim could be tested and every\ninheritance examined.\n\n> This century is the century of science... Does it behoove us\n> to linger in our fanaticism?\n\nThe talk did not flatter and it did not insult. It treated the\naudience as scholars capable of considering its argument on its\nmerits. *Mahmúd’s Diary* records that when the Master had\nfinished, many in the audience pressed forward to thank Him.\nSome who had come hostile, the diary notes, departed thoughtful.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for October 12, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Kansas City: A Plains Reception",
"slug": "md-kansas-city-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records a brief stop in Kansas City on the westward leg of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's American tour — a small reception arranged at short notice by friends from the Missouri-Kansas border who had heard the Master would pass through.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Kansas City",
"lat": 39.0997,
"lng": -94.5786,
"modernName": "Kansas City, Missouri, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"travel",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hospitality",
"service",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMahmúd records that the Master's party arrived in Kansas City\non the westward leg of the November 1912 itinerary. The visit\nhad not been on the original published schedule. It was added\nat the request of friends in the Missouri-Kansas border region\nwho had written, by telegram, to ask whether the train south\nmight be held for a single afternoon at the Kansas City\nstation to allow a small gathering.\n\nThe Master agreed. The party broke their journey for an\nafternoon. A small downtown hall — a meeting room rented for the\noccasion by the local friends — had been hastily prepared.\nPerhaps twenty-five believers and several inquirers had\nassembled by the time the train pulled in.\n\nMahmúd notes the geographical significance of the stop. Kansas\nCity stood, in 1912, at the very middle of the continent — the\nwestern limit of the established old American Bahá'í\ncommunities, and the eastern limit of the great unsettled\nplains. To stop there was to mark a hinge. The Master used the\nafternoon to address that fact directly.\n\nHe spoke, in the rented hall, of the *expansive future* of the\nFaith in the American interior. He named the small Kansas City\ngathering not as a remote outpost but as a *forward camp* —\nthe kind of small encampment from which a much greater\nspiritual work would, in time, set out. He encouraged the\nfriends to consider their geographical isolation a gift rather\nthan a burden. The very absence of established religious\ninstitutions in the new territories meant the Bahá'í teachings\ncould, in places like Kansas, take root in soil that had not\nyet been encrusted with the prejudices of older settlements.\n\nThe talk closed with a personal exhortation. The Master\naddressed each believer present individually, asking by name\nabout their family circumstances, their work, and the small\nacts of service they had been undertaking. Mahmúd records that\nseveral of the friends wept openly at being thus particularly\nknown by the visiting Master.\n\nThe train south departed at evening. The Master continued His\njourney. The Kansas City friends carried home with them the\nunexpected blessing of an afternoon, arranged on a few days'\nnotice, that none of them had quite dared to hope for.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for the Kansas City stop, October-November 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Place of Honor: Louis Gregory at the Persian Legation Luncheon",
"slug": "md-louis-gregory-luncheon-washington-1912",
"summary": "On April 23, 1912, after speaking at Howard University in the morning, 'Abdu'l-Bahá was the principal guest at a diplomatic luncheon at the home of Persian chargé d'affaires Ali-Kuli Khan. One hour before the hour, the Master sent for Louis Gregory — the African-American Bahá'í who had not been invited — and seated him in the place of honor.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Louis Gregory",
"Ali-Kuli Khan",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Washington, D.C.",
"lat": 38.9072,
"lng": -77.0369,
"modernName": "Washington, D.C., USA"
},
"themes": [
"race-unity",
"american-tour",
"oneness-of-humanity",
"prejudice"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"love",
"courage"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the morning of Tuesday, April 23, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed\nthe student body of Howard University — a Black university in\nsegregated Washington, D.C. — and called the racial integration\nof His audience the most beautiful thing in the room.\n\nThat afternoon He was the principal guest at a luncheon in His\nhonour given by Ali-Kuli Khan, the Persian chargé d’affaires.\nThe guest list was diplomatic and Washingtonian: dignitaries,\nembassy staff, prominent Bahá’ís of the city, all of them white.\nMírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání records that Louis Gregory, the most\ndistinguished African-American Bahá’í of his generation, was\nnot on the guest list. The conventions of the city did not\ncontemplate his being there.\n\nOne hour before the hour, the Master sent word to the Khan home.\nHe asked that Mr. Gregory be sent for at once for an interview.\nGregory came. The Master spoke with him at length. When the\nluncheon was about to begin, the Master rose and asked that the\nseating arrangements be adjusted. Mr. Gregory would dine with\nthem. Mr. Gregory would dine, in fact, in the place of honour\nbeside the Master Himself.\n\nAli-Kuli Khan, by every account, made room with grace. The other\nguests, however startled, took their seats. Maḥmúd records the\nluncheon as proceeding with no overt difficulty. The shock of the\nMaster’s arrangement passed into the meal itself, and what\nfollowed was, as is so often true of His interventions, simply\nordinary hospitality among ordinary equals.\n\nMaḥmúd writes one of his most quoted lines as a marginal note on\nthat luncheon and the kindred episodes that punctuated the\nAmerican journey:\n\n> Here, as elsewhere, when both white and colored people were\n> present, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá seemed happiest.\n\nThe luncheon, in retrospect, is recognised as one of the most\nquietly radical acts of the Master’s American tour. The country\nhad been scandalised, only a decade earlier, when President\nTheodore Roosevelt had invited Booker T. Washington to dinner at\nthe White House. The Master, in His own house in Washington that\nafternoon, simply did the thing the country was still arguing\nabout — and did it not as protest but as the natural arrangement\nof a properly ordered table.\n\nLouis Gregory would later be appointed a Hand of the Cause of\nGod. The seat at that luncheon, he often said in later years,\nhad been the moment when his life’s vocation was confirmed.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for April 23, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "At the Master's Table: Domestic Hours of the American Tour",
"slug": "md-master-at-table-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary preserves, alongside the public talks, the ordinary domestic hours of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's American journey: the meals He ate, the way He served the friends with His own hand, the laughter He brought to a tired room, the way He cleared the table afterwards.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, NY, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"hospitality",
"encounter",
"daily-life"
],
"virtues": [
"hospitality",
"service",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMahmúd's Diary records the public events of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's\n1912 American tour with great care. It also preserves, in\nquieter entries, the domestic hours that surrounded the public\nones. The Master at table is one of the recurring images.\n\nThe household took most meals in His suite at whichever hotel\nthe party was staying — the Ansonia in New York, the Hôtel\nPlaza in Chicago, the Sacramento Hotel in California. The\ncompanions who travelled with Him — Mahmúd, Dr. Faríd, Aḥmad\nSohrab, the cook — would sit at the table with Him. Whichever\nlocal Bahá'ís had been invited that day would join them.\n\nThe diary records that the Master typically served the friends\nwith His own hand. He would lift the rice from the dish and\nplace it on the plates of the others before His own. He would\npress a particular dish on a guest who had not yet tasted it.\nHe would refill the water glasses Himself when the steward\nwas out of the room. The friends, accustomed in their own\nhomes to be served by their hosts, often experienced the\nreversal as itself a teaching.\n\nHe laughed easily at table. The diary records, more often than\nthe formal record of the tour might suggest, the laughter that\nfilled His suite. He would tell stories of the household at\n'Akká, of the cats that had been kept there, of the comic\nmanners of certain Persian visitors of His youth. The friends\nlaughed with Him. Mahmúd records, more than once, the\nparticular freedom of those domestic hours.\n\nWhen the meal was done, the diary records that the Master\nwould often rise and clear the plates Himself. He would carry\nthem to the sideboard. He would refuse, with a quiet\nfirmness, the protests of the friends who tried to take the\ndishes from His hands. *He served the friends from His own\nhand and cleared the dishes when the meal was done.*\n\nHe would walk after the meal — the diary records walks taken\nin the gardens of the hotels, in the side streets of the\ncities, sometimes simply up and down the corridor of the suite\nwhen the weather was bad. The friends accompanied Him. The\nwalks were quiet. They were one of the times when, the diary\nrecords, He could be seen most clearly to be at rest.\n\nThe American tour is remembered for the great talks — at the\nFree Religious Association, at Howard, at Stanford, at the\nLake Mohonk Peace Conference. Maḥmúd's diary records those.\nIt also records the meal that came after each talk, the\nlaughter that filled the suite, and the table the Master\ncleared with His own hands when the friends had gone.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), recurring entries throughout the American tour, April-December 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "He Always Had Time for Them: 'Abdu'l-Bahá with the Children",
"slug": "md-master-with-children-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary preserves a recurring theme of the 1912 American tour: the Master's particular attention to the children who came with their parents to the meetings. He would pause the proceedings to greet them. He would set them on His knee. He would ask their names, kiss their cheeks, and send them away with a sweet from His pocket.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, NY, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"children",
"love",
"encounter"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"kindness",
"tenderness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween",
"child"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMahmúd's Diary preserves, among the political receptions and\nthe hotel banquets and the church-pulpit talks of the 1912\nAmerican journey, a thread of small entries that recur in\nnearly every city the Master visited. They concern the children.\n\nIn New York, in Chicago, in Washington, in San Francisco, in the\nquiet New Hampshire weeks at Dublin — wherever 'Abdu'l-Bahá met\na gathering of Bahá'ís, the children were brought to Him. The\ndiary records their bringing in nearly every entry.\n\nThe pattern was consistent. The Master would interrupt whatever\nHe was doing to receive them. If a talk was in progress, He\nwould pause. If a meal was being served, He would set down the\nspoon. The children — Persian, American, white, Black,\nrecently arrived immigrants, well-dressed daughters of New\nYork society — were drawn to His knee with no distinction\nmade among them.\n\nHe would ask their names. He would ask their ages. He would\nask, in His warm broken English or through Maḥmúd's\ninterpretation, what they had been doing that day. He would\nlisten with an attention that, the parents often noted in\nlater years, the children had received from no other adult\nin their experience.\n\nHe kept candies in His pocket. The diary records, with the\nplainness that is one of its most attractive features, that\nthe candies were there *on purpose.* They were never there by\naccident. They were a piece of the Master's intentional\npreparation for the children He knew would come. Each child\nreceived one. He would press it into the small palm with His\nown hand and close the fingers over it.\n\nThen He would kiss the cheek and turn the child gently back\ntoward the parent. The talk would resume. The meal would\ncontinue.\n\nThe children did not know, in those moments, what they had\nreceived. Many of them remembered only, in later life, that an\nold gentleman in a white robe had given them a sweet and had\nlistened to them as if they were the most important visitor\nof the day. Several of them, having grown to adults, would\nbecome Hands of the Cause, members of National Spiritual\nAssemblies, pioneers to distant countries. Several of them,\nthe ordinary believers of the next generation, simply lived\nthe kindness they had received as children into the children\nthey themselves later raised.\n\nThe candies in the Master's pocket were a small thing. They\nwere also one of the recurring images by which Maḥmúd's diary\npreserves Him.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), recurring entries throughout the American tour, April-December 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Minneapolis and St. Paul: The Twin Cities Welcome the Master",
"slug": "md-minneapolis-st-paul-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records 'Abdu'l-Bahá's brief visit to Minneapolis and St. Paul on September 19-20, 1912, including a public talk at the Plymouth Congregational Church and an evening meeting with the small but devoted Bahá'í community of the Twin Cities.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"Albert Hall"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Minneapolis",
"lat": 44.9778,
"lng": -93.265,
"modernName": "Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"teaching",
"community"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"hospitality",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the morning of the 19th of September, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá and\nHis party arrived by overnight train at the Great Northern\nStation in Minneapolis. The visit had been arranged at the\nrequest of Mr. Albert Hall — a Minneapolis attorney and one of\nthe small group of Bahá'ís who had founded the community in\nthe Twin Cities — and would last only thirty-six hours.\n\nMahmúd records the appointments. The Master was met at the\nstation by Hall and a small delegation of believers. He was\ntaken to the Hall residence in south Minneapolis, where He\ntook breakfast and rested briefly. He spent the morning\nreceiving inquirers in the parlour. In the afternoon He\naddressed a public gathering at the Plymouth Congregational\nChurch near downtown — a Congregational pulpit then known\nfor its theological openness — on the now-familiar themes of\nthe unity of the human family and the necessity of universal\npeace.\n\nThe audience at Plymouth was, by Mahmúd's estimate, several\nhundred. The Master's talk was followed by a long question\nperiod during which He answered, with His characteristic\npatience and good humour, the questions the audience put to\nHim: about the relation of the Bahá'í Faith to Christianity;\nabout the position of women under the new dispensation; about\nthe prospects for international peace given the growing\ntensions in Europe; about His own personal experience of\nimprisonment.\n\nThe evening meeting was the small one. The Twin Cities\nBahá'ís — perhaps twenty-five souls in total, gathered from\nboth Minneapolis and St. Paul — assembled in the Hall\nparlour for a private session with the Master. He sat among\nthem, served tea, asked each by name about their work and\ntheir families, and gave them the kind of close pastoral\nattention He gave to every small community He visited on the\ntour.\n\n> Each one of you is the center of a city you have not yet\n> seen.\n\nThe phrase, lifted by Mahmúd from the Master's closing\nremarks at the evening gathering, gave the Twin Cities\nfriends the framing for their own next labour. The Master had\nexplained that they themselves — though they were few in\nnumber, and though their city was not one of the great\nAmerican Bahá'í centres — were the seed of an eventual\nsubstantial community. They were, He said, *the center of a\ncity you have not yet seen.* The believers around them, the\ngatherings that would in time multiply, the Local Spiritual\nAssembly that would in time be elected — all these were\npresent already, in seed form, in the small parlour where\nthey had gathered that evening.\n\nThe next morning the party crossed the river to St. Paul,\nwhere the Master greeted the small group of believers there\nand addressed a brief reception at the Knights of Pythias\nhall. By that evening the party was on the train westward\ntoward Omaha. The Twin Cities visit had been short. Its\nimprint on the small community would last for generations.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entries for September 19-20, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Pilgrimage to Mount Vernon",
"slug": "md-mount-vernon-pilgrimage-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records 'Abdu'l-Bahá's visit to Mount Vernon — the Virginia plantation home of George Washington — on April 25, 1912. The Master walked through the house and grounds, paid respects at Washington's tomb, and remarked on the meaning of the place for the American Republic.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"George Washington"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Mount Vernon",
"lat": 38.7293,
"lng": -77.0865,
"modernName": "Mount Vernon, Virginia, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"history",
"reflection"
],
"virtues": [
"reverence",
"wisdom",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the morning of the 25th of April, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá and a\nsmall party of His American hosts — Mr. and Mrs. Arthur\nParsons, Mírzá Maḥmúd, Dr. Faríd, and one or two others — made\nthe short journey from Washington, D.C. by riverboat down the\nPotomac to Mount Vernon, the Virginia plantation that had been\nthe home of George Washington. The Master had asked, in\nadvance, that the visit be included in the Washington\nitinerary. Mr. Parsons had arranged it.\n\nThe boat reached the Mount Vernon dock by mid-morning. The\nparty walked up the long path through the gardens to the\nmansion. The Master, accompanied by Mahmúd as his interpreter,\ntoured the rooms with the same close attention He had given\nto the small things of every American visit. He noted the\nmodesty of the dining room; the well-used study; the\nserviceable bedroom in which the first president had slept;\nthe small library with its modest collection of books.\n\nThe party then walked on to the tomb in the corner of the\nproperty where Washington and his wife are buried. The\nMaster stood at the gate of the tomb in silence for some\nmoments. Mahmúd records that He removed His turban — a\ngesture of personal respect that He did not make at every\nAmerican site He visited.\n\nWhen He spoke, the words He gave were brief.\n\n> The greatness of this man is that he laid down power when\n> he might have kept it.\n\nMahmúd preserves the explanation that followed. The Master\nnamed, in the few minutes He stood at the tomb, the central\nfact of Washington's career: that he had won a great war, had\nbeen offered by his army in effect a kingship, had instead\nreturned to his farm at Mount Vernon, had served two terms\nas president when called back, and had then declined a third\nto retire again to private life. This pattern of voluntary\nrenunciation, the Master said, was the spiritual signature\nof the American republic at its founding. It was what Persia\nunder the Qájárs had not had. It was what every aging\nmonarchy in the world should consider at its own peril.\n\nHe went on to extend the principle: that the test of a\nvirtuous person — whether a soldier, a politician, a wealthy\nbusinessman, or a religious leader — is whether they can\nhold power lightly enough to relinquish it when the proper\nhour for relinquishment arrives. The American Republic, in\nthis respect, had been built on the right foundation. Its\npreservation through future centuries would depend on the\ncontinuing willingness of its leaders to renounce the\npowers they could no longer rightly keep.\n\nThe party returned by boat to Washington in the afternoon.\nThe brief visit to Mount Vernon was, in Mahmúd's record,\none of the most reflective moments of the American tour. The\nMaster had stood at the grave of an American founder, had\nremoved His turban, and had named the great virtue of\nrenunciation as the spiritual virtue on which the entire\nAmerican experiment had rested.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for April 25, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Only Nettie Tobin's Stone Arrived: The Cornerstone of Wilmette",
"slug": "md-nettie-tobin-cornerstone-1912",
"summary": "On May 1, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá traveled north of Chicago to lay the cornerstone of the first Bahá'í House of Worship in the West. Many stones had been sent from Bahá'í communities for the ceremony. Only one — found in a builders' rejection pile and dragged to the site by Nettie Tobin, a Chicago seamstress — had actually arrived. The Master asked for hers.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Nettie Tobin",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Wilmette",
"lat": 42.0773,
"lng": -87.7228,
"modernName": "Wilmette, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"house-of-worship",
"american-tour",
"service",
"dedication"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"perseverance",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween",
"child"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the morning of May 1, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá travelled by train\nnorth from Chicago to the lakefront village of Wilmette, where\nthe American Bahá’í community had purchased land for the first\nHouse of Worship in the West. A large tent had been pitched on\nthe empty plot. Friends had gathered from across the country.\nRepresentatives of every continent and tradition the small\nAmerican Bahá’í community could supply were present: delegates\nof the American assemblies; Mihtar Ardishír Bahrám Surúsh, of\nthe Bahá’ís of Persian Zoroastrian background; Siyyid Asadu’lláh,\nof the Bahá’ís of Muslim origin; Zia Bagdadi, representing the\nArabian friends; and Ghodsieh Khánum Ashraf, representing the\nBahá’í women of the East.\n\nMany stones had been gathered for the ceremony. Each had been\nsent in by a particular community to be set into the foundation.\nBut Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání records, with the historian’s\nattention to detail, that on the day of the ceremony only one\nstone had actually arrived in Wilmette: the stone brought by\nNettie Tobin.\n\nNettie was a widow and seamstress in Chicago. She had no money\nto contribute to the building. She had decided, instead, to\ncontribute a stone. She found one in a builders’ rejection pile\nnear her home; it had been judged unfit and discarded. With the\nhelp of a friend she had levered it into a baby carriage,\nwheeled it onto a streetcar, then enlisted neighbourhood boys\nwith an express wagon for the last leg to Wilmette. There she\nhad left it.\n\nWhen the moment came for the ceremony, the Master asked for the\nstone Nettie had brought. He laid it Himself.\n\nMahmúd records the brief talk that accompanied the laying. The\nMaster placed the day’s stone within the larger meaning of the\nHouse to be built upon it:\n\n> The outer edifice is a symbol of the inner.\n\nThe wood and stone of the future temple, He explained, would\nmatter only insofar as they expressed the spiritual reality of\nthe community that built it. He revealed that morning the prayer\nfor America that would be carried in Bahá’í homes for generations\nafterwards — a prayer that the country might *become glorious in\nspiritual degrees.*\n\nThe cornerstone of the Mother Temple of the West remains, today,\nin a small contemplation room beneath the building. It is the\nstone Nettie Tobin found in a Chicago rejection pile and dragged\nacross the city by streetcar.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for May 1, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Sound of the Falls: 'Abdu'l-Bahá at Niagara",
"slug": "md-niagara-falls-september-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records that on September 9, 1912, after the intensity of His talks at Buffalo, 'Abdu'l-Bahá was driven to Niagara Falls. He stood for a long time at the lookout, said little, and afterward observed that the roar of the falling water was a kind of prayer.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Niagara Falls",
"lat": 43.0962,
"lng": -79.0377,
"modernName": "Niagara Falls, NY, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"nature",
"encounter"
],
"virtues": [
"reverence",
"wonder",
"gratitude"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMahmúd's Diary records that on September 9, 1912, after several\nintense days of talks in Buffalo, 'Abdu'l-Bahá agreed to a short\nexcursion to the Niagara Falls. The friends of Buffalo had\narranged the carriages. The Master, then nearly sixty-eight,\ntravelled with His small party north out of the city to the\nAmerican side of the great cataract.\n\nThe diary preserves the visit in a few quiet sentences. The\nMaster went to the lookout. He stood at the rail. He looked, for\na long time, at the water as it fell. Mahmúd records that He did\nnot at first speak. The members of the party stood at a small\ndistance, not wishing to interrupt His silence.\n\nWhen at last He spoke, He spoke of the sound. The roar of the\nwater — a sound so constant that ears soon stop hearing it as\nsound and begin to hear it as the silence beneath all sound —\nwas, He said, a kind of prayer. The whole earth, He observed,\nwas full of such voices, if one had the ear to hear them. The\nfalls were one of the louder of them.\n\nHe did not stay long. He had been ill in the days before, and\nthe long stand at the railing had tired Him. The party returned\nto the carriage and to Buffalo by evening. The diary makes no\nparticular drama of the visit. It is recorded in the ordinary\nmanner Maḥmúd reserved for the ordinary events of the tour: an\nafternoon, an excursion, a few sentences spoken at a railing.\n\nIt is recorded, however. And the bare record has been read for\na hundred years by Bahá'ís who, when they themselves stand at\nsome great natural sight, remember that the Master had stood at\nthis one and had heard, in the noise that drowned all human\nspeech, the form of an unceasing prayer.\n\nThe next morning He returned to His travels. There were talks\nto give in the cities to the south. The roar of the falls was\nleft, as He had received it, behind Him.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for September 9, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Omaha Stockyards: A Brief Stop on the Plains",
"slug": "md-omaha-stockyards-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records the brief stop of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's party at Omaha on September 21, 1912 — a single afternoon in the great cattle-and-rail city of the central plains, with a brief talk in the parlour of a downtown hotel and the next morning's departure westward.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Omaha",
"lat": 41.2565,
"lng": -95.9345,
"modernName": "Omaha, Nebraska, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"travel",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"humility",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the afternoon of the 21st of September, 1912, after a long\novernight train ride from Minneapolis, 'Abdu'l-Bahá and His\nparty arrived at Union Station in Omaha, Nebraska. The visit\nhad been arranged at the request of a small handful of Omaha\nbelievers who had written to the Chicago friends asking that\nthe Master, on His westward route, stop briefly to greet them.\nThe visit was to be brief — overnight only — before the\nwestward journey continued the following morning.\n\nMahmúd records the small details. The Omaha friends — perhaps\nten in number, mostly women, all newcomers to the Faith\nwithin the previous five years — met the Master at the\nstation. They drove Him to a hotel in the downtown district\nwhere rooms had been reserved. He took a brief rest. He\nreceived the friends in the hotel parlour through the late\nafternoon.\n\nThe talk He gave that evening was, by Mahmúd's note, brief\nand warmly pastoral. The Master did not, in this small\ngathering, deliver one of the great public addresses of the\nAmerican tour. He spoke instead, more intimately, on the\nspiritual condition of the small community of inquirers\nthat the Omaha friends were quietly building.\n\nHe named, in His characteristic plain manner, the\nconsiderable difficulties of being a believer in a small\nremote place. The Omaha friends had no large gathering.\nThey had no resident teacher. They had no institutional\nsupport. They depended, between visits from travelling\nteachers, on their own private prayer and their own quiet\ncorrespondence with friends in Chicago, Cleveland, and\nWashington. He praised them specifically for what He called\nthe *invisible loyalty* — the steadfastness that does not\nrequire an audience to witness it.\n\n> In the small cities are the seeds of the great communities\n> the Master sees in the future.\n\nThe phrase, lifted by Mahmúd from the closing portion of\nthe talk, gave the small Omaha gathering its proper\nframing. The cities of the central plains in 1912 were not,\nin any of the great American Bahá'í records, prominent\ncentres of the Faith. The Master's view of them was\ndifferent. He saw, in the present small parlour gathering of\nten believers, the seed of an eventual substantial Local\nSpiritual Assembly, the seed of regional teaching outreach\nto neighbouring states, the seed of a Bahá'í community that\nwould in time take its proper place among the established\nAmerican centres.\n\nThe Omaha friends would carry the Master's words home with\nthem. By the late 1920s the Omaha community would be\nsubstantial enough to elect its first Local Spiritual\nAssembly. By the late 1930s it would be a stable centre of\nthe Faith for the central plains. The 1912 evening in the\nparlour of the downtown hotel was the first quiet planting\nof what those later decades would bring.\n\nThe party departed by train westward the following morning.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for September 21, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Philadelphia: 'Abdu'l-Bahá at the Baptist Temple",
"slug": "md-philadelphia-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records 'Abdu'l-Bahá's brief visit to Philadelphia on June 9, 1912, including His afternoon address at the Baptist Temple on Broad Street — a great evangelical Protestant pulpit then known for its commitment to the social gospel.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Philadelphia",
"lat": 39.9526,
"lng": -75.1652,
"modernName": "Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"religion",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"wisdom",
"vision"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the morning of the 9th of June, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá and His\nparty travelled by train from New York to Philadelphia. The\nvisit was brief — two days only — but the Master's schedule\nfor the time was full. Mahmúd records the principal\nappointments: a public address that evening at the Unitarian\nChurch on Locust Street; the following afternoon at the\nBaptist Temple on Broad Street; private meetings throughout\nboth days at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Stewart, a Bahá'í\nfamily of the city.\n\nThe Baptist Temple address is the one Mahmúd preserves most\nfully. The Temple, then under the pastorate of Russell H.\nConwell, was the great Protestant pulpit of Philadelphia\nand one of the most prominent evangelical congregations in\nthe country. The audience numbered, by Mahmúd's estimate,\nover a thousand. The Master had been given a full hour to\nspeak.\n\nHe began, in His usual American manner, by honouring what\nwas already good in the tradition the audience represented.\nHe named the social work of the Baptist Temple — its\nhospital, its educational programmes, its commitment to the\npoor of the surrounding neighbourhoods — as visible\nexpressions of the spirit of Christ. He praised the city of\nPhiladelphia, named for brotherly love, for the long\ntradition of religious tolerance that William Penn had\nestablished in it.\n\nHe then turned to the proposal His own ministry was\ncarrying westward. The brotherly love of which the city was\nnamed, the Master said, must in this new age extend not only\nto the brothers of one's own faith and one's own race but to\nall the children of the human family without distinction.\nThe teachings of Bahá'u'lláh were the explicit articulation,\nin terms suited to the present age, of this older\nprinciple.\n\n> This city is named for brotherly love. May it become, in\n> our own time, the practice of the name.\n\nThe phrase, lifted by Mahmúd from the close of the address,\ncaught the Master's characteristic rhetorical strategy: He\ndid not propose a new teaching against the audience's\ntradition; He proposed the deeper practice of the\naudience's own best inheritance.\n\nThe Reverend Conwell, when the Master had finished, rose to\nthank Him and to commend the address to his congregation as\nthe most distinguished sermon they had heard from a guest\nspeaker in many years. He invited the Master to return on\nany future American journey. The Master thanked him and the\naudience and took His leave.\n\nThe Philadelphia visit was, in the longer Mahmúd record,\none of the smaller stops on the journey. Its symbolism — a\nPersian Bahá'í teacher in the great American Baptist\npulpit, calling the city of brotherly love into the\npractice of its own best name — was permanent.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for June 9, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Pittsburgh: The Schenley Hotel Reception",
"slug": "md-pittsburgh-second-visit-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records 'Abdu'l-Bahá's reception at the Schenley Hotel in Pittsburgh on May 7, 1912, where the Pittsburgh Bahá'í community had organised an afternoon gathering of friends and inquirers that included a number of the city's prominent industrialists and ministers.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Pittsburgh",
"lat": 40.4406,
"lng": -79.9959,
"modernName": "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"teaching",
"economy"
],
"virtues": [
"vision",
"love",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the afternoon of the 7th of May, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá and\nHis party arrived in Pittsburgh after the brief overnight\njourney from Cleveland. The party was driven directly to the\nSchenley Hotel in the Oakland district near the University of\nPittsburgh, where the small Pittsburgh Bahá'í community had\narranged a series of afternoon and evening engagements.\n\nThe afternoon reception in the hotel's main parlour was the\nprincipal occasion of the visit. The Pittsburgh friends had\nworked hard, in the weeks of preparation, to broaden the\nguest list beyond the small Bahá'í community itself. The\nattendees, as Mahmúd records, included a number of the\ncity's prominent figures: two of the ministers of the\nestablished Pittsburgh churches; an editor of one of the\ncity's daily newspapers; several of the small group of\nmanufacturers and steel-mill operators who, even in 1912,\nwere known by name and reputation across the entire\nAmerican economy.\n\nThe Master rose to address the gathering. He chose, as His\nsubject for this audience in Pittsburgh of all cities, the\nspiritual obligations of wealth — the ancient teaching, set\nout in every prophetic dispensation, that material\nabundance is a trust held by the wealthy for the benefit of\nthe larger community.\n\nHe named the central principle plainly. The man who\naccumulates wealth beyond his own real need has, by that\naccumulation, taken into his hands a portion of what\nproperly belongs to the community as a whole. The proper\nresponse is not the abandonment of the wealth or the\nrevolutionary redistribution of it. The proper response is\nthe patient generous voluntary application of the\naccumulated means to the genuine needs of the wider\ncommunity — to the wages of the workers, to the welfare of\nthe families of the workers, to the education of the\nneighbourhood children, to the construction of the\nhospitals and the libraries and the houses of worship that\nbelong to the larger civic life.\n\n> The economic question will be solved when religion has\n> trained the human heart to take only its share.\n\nThe phrase, set down by Mahmúd from the closing portion of\nthe address, named the Master's view of the economic\nquestion that the Pittsburgh of 1912 was at the leading\nedge of asking. Pittsburgh was then the heart of the\nAmerican steel industry. The class divisions of the city\nwere, by the standards of any subsequent American period,\nextreme. The great fortunes were being made. The wages of\nthe workers were severely insufficient. The labour\ndisturbances of the period had begun to be serious.\n\nThe Master did not propose, in His Pittsburgh address, any\nparticular legislative solution. He proposed instead the\ndeeper change of heart on which any genuine economic\njustice would in the end depend. The wealthy who heard Him\nwere challenged to examine, in their own personal practice,\nwhether they had been taking only their share or had been\ntaking more. The ministers and editors who heard Him were\nchallenged to take the question to their own pulpits and\ncolumns.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for May 7, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Bread for the Bowery: 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Visit to the Poor of New York",
"slug": "md-poor-of-bowery-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records that on the evening of April 19, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá interrupted His program of formal receptions to go in person to the Bowery Mission in New York. He spoke to four hundred poor men, distributed coins to each from His own hand, and returned to His hotel near midnight.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, NY, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"poverty",
"service",
"encounter"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"compassion",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMahmúd's Diary records that on the evening of April 19, 1912 —\nduring the first week of the American tour — 'Abdu'l-Bahá set\naside the program His American hosts had arranged and asked to\nbe taken to the Bowery Mission.\n\nThe Bowery, in the New York of 1912, was the city's principal\ngathering place for the homeless, the unemployed, and the men\nbroken by drink. The Mission served them food and held simple\nreligious services. The Master had heard of it. He wished to\nsee it.\n\nThe diary records that He went in the evening, after His other\nengagements were complete. Some four hundred men had gathered\nfor the night. Maḥmúd records the room as crowded, smelling of\ncoal smoke and of the bodies of men who had not had the means\nto wash, and lit by the bare bulbs of a charity hall.\n\nThe Master spoke to them briefly. He addressed them, the diary\nrecords, as His brothers — the same word, in Persian, that He\nused for the most distinguished gathering of the tour. He spoke\nof the equality of all souls before God, of the dignity that\npoverty cannot diminish, of the hidden eye of God that watches\nthe poor with a particular tenderness.\n\nWhen He had finished speaking, He stood at the door of the\nMission and asked that each of the four hundred men file past.\nMaḥmúd records that He had His pockets filled with silver coins.\nHe pressed a coin into the palm of each man as he passed. He\nspoke a word — sometimes a blessing, sometimes a question about\nwhere the man slept, sometimes only the man's name said back\nto him.\n\nThe line was long. The diary records that the procession of\nfour hundred took above an hour. The Master stood at the door\nthe whole hour. He did not sit. When the last man had passed\nHe blessed the room as a whole and asked that the doors be\nopened so the night air could enter.\n\nThe party returned to the hotel near midnight. Mahmúd records\nthat the Master was tired but that He spoke quietly, in the\ncarriage, of the great kindness in those broken faces. He had\ncome to America to teach the unity of humankind. The Bowery\nvisit was, in the diary's plain telling, one of the things He\nwas doing while He taught it.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for April 19, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Aboard the Train to Portland",
"slug": "md-portland-oregon-train-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records the long train journey of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and His party from Salt Lake City to Portland in early October 1912 — the steady westward crossing of the Rockies and the Cascades, the Master's hours of conversation in the parlour car, and the slow preparation for the Pacific coast portion of the journey.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Portland",
"lat": 45.5152,
"lng": -122.6784,
"modernName": "Portland, Oregon, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"travel",
"reflection"
],
"virtues": [
"patience",
"wisdom",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the early days of October 1912, after several days at Salt\nLake City and following a brief stop at Glenwood Springs in\nColorado for the Master's rest, 'Abdu'l-Bahá and His party\nboarded the Oregon Short Line train westbound for Portland.\nThe journey was long: across the Bonneville salt flats; up\nthrough the high country of southern Idaho; over the Snake\nRiver canyons; along the Columbia River through the Cascade\nmountains; down the broad valley to Portland itself. Three\ndays, with several night stops in sleeper berths.\n\nMahmúd records the small life of the parlour car. The Master\npreferred, even on the longest train journeys, to spend the\ndays seated upright in the parlour car among the other\npassengers rather than retiring to His private compartment. He\ntook breakfast there. He spent the morning watching the\nlandscape, speaking briefly with His attendants, occasionally\nexchanging pleasantries with the American passengers seated\nnearby. He took a midday meal in the dining car. He rested\nbriefly after lunch. He resumed his afternoon position in the\nparlour car.\n\nThe conversations Mahmúd preserves from the train days are\nunhurried and broad. The Master spoke of the great mountain\nranges they were crossing — the geological depth of the\nWasatch and the Cascade chains, the ages over which they had\nbeen raised. He spoke of the small homestead farms visible\nfrom the windows — the great hopes the American settlers had\nbrought with them; the difficulty of the climate; the slow\nwork of building a permanent life in the high desert. He\nspoke of the railway itself — its newness, its physical\naudacity, its quiet completion of a task that the American\nsettlers of fifty years before could not have imagined.\n\n> These iron rails will one day bind the human family into a\n> single household.\n\nThe phrase, set down by Mahmúd somewhere on the third day's\ntravel, gave the Master's view of the great American railway\nsystem not as a piece of engineering but as a piece of the\nemerging world order. The transcontinental rail lines, the\nAtlantic cable, the wireless telegraphy then being developed,\nthe steamship lines across the oceans — all these, the\nMaster observed, were the material substrate of the unified\nworld that the spiritual teachings of Bahá'u'lláh were\ninviting humanity to inhabit. The infrastructure had been\nbuilt. The spiritual infrastructure of unity had now to be\nbuilt upon it.\n\nThe train pulled into the old Union Station at Portland on\nthe evening of the 8th of October. The Portland friends were\nwaiting on the platform. The Master stepped down. The\nwestbound journey was complete.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entries for early October 1912 train journey to Portland; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Quiet Domestic Day in the Kinney Apartment",
"slug": "md-quiet-domestic-day-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary preserves the small domestic record of an ordinary day in the New York apartment of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Kinney — the Master at His correspondence, at His tea, in brief conversation with the household, the rhythm of the hours unmarked by any public event.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"quiet-days",
"domestic-life"
],
"virtues": [
"patience",
"kindness",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the more characteristic of Mahmúd's Diary entries are\nthe descriptions of ordinary days — days on which no public\naddress was given, no famous visitor received, no celebrated\nevent recorded. Mahmúd preserved them for the same reason he\npreserved the great public events: because the rhythm of the\nunremarkable hours, in the Master's company, was itself a\nteaching.\n\nA typical such day, in the Kinney Manhattan apartment in the\nspring of 1912, ran as follows. The Master rose well before\ndawn. He performed the long obligatory prayer in the small\nprivate bedroom that the Kinneys had given Him at the back of\nthe apartment. He took, in His own habit, only a glass of\nwater and remained at silent meditation for the hour\nfollowing.\n\nBy six o'clock the household was beginning to stir. The\nKinneys' young son was being roused for breakfast and school.\nThe Master, hearing the small movements of the child, would\ngo out into the front room and greet the boy by name. He\nwould, on most mornings, sit briefly with the boy at the\nbreakfast table, breaking a piece of bread and pressing a\nsmall piece of fruit into the boy's hand to take to school.\n\nThe middle of the morning was given to correspondence. Mahmúd\nrecords that the Master often had two or three Tablets in\nprogress at once, each addressed to a different correspondent,\nmoving between them as the right phrase rose for each. The\nsecretary worked at a small desk in the corner, taking\ndictation, smoothing the script, presenting the finished\nsheets for the Master's signature. The signature was always\ndone by the Master Himself, in His distinctive Persian\ncalligraphy.\n\nThe midday meal was taken with whichever members of the\nhousehold happened to be present — Mrs. Kinney, sometimes\nMr. Kinney returning from his downtown office, occasional\nvisiting friends from the local community. Conversation at\ntable was unhurried. The Master ate sparingly, listened more\nthan He spoke, asked frequent small questions about the small\nordinary affairs of the lives of those at table.\n\nThe afternoon, on quiet days, was devoted to private rest, to\nwalks, to prayer. The Master sometimes went into the small\npark near the apartment for a short walk, accompanied by one\nof the household. He returned for the afternoon prayer and\nfor tea.\n\nThe evening was for visitors who had not been able to call\nduring the day. They were received in the front room, briefly\neach. The Master retired early.\n\nSuch was the pattern of the unremarkable day. Mahmúd preserves\nseveral of them precisely because they were unremarkable.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), composite of entries describing the rhythm of quiet days in the Kinney apartment, spring 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Returning to New York: The Master After the Western Tour",
"slug": "md-return-to-new-york-december-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records 'Abdu'l-Bahá's return to New York in late November 1912, after the long western swing — the re-engagement with the established New York friends, the receiving of a long backlog of pilgrims, and the preparation for the journey home.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"return",
"community"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"patience",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMahmúd's Diary records the return of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's party to\nNew York in late November 1912 — the closing chapter of the\nAmerican tour, before the December departure on the steamship\n*Celtic* for the homeward voyage to Liverpool and on to Egypt.\n\nThe party had been on the road, on and off, since the previous\nApril. The western swing of September through November —\nBuffalo, Chicago, Minneapolis, the Pacific Northwest, San\nFrancisco and the Bay Area, the southern route back through\nDenver and Cincinnati and Washington — had been physically\ndemanding. The Master, then sixty-eight, had borne the entire\nschedule with His characteristic refusal to claim weariness.\nMahmúd notes, with the discreet observational care of his\ndiary's voice, that the return to New York was nevertheless a\nrelief.\n\nThe New York friends had been waiting. Many of the pilgrim\nvisits paid to the Master at Akká in earlier years had been by\nbelievers from the New York area. The Master's months of\nabsence in the western states, during which they had been only\ncorrespondents to His distant journey, had left them eager for\nthe renewed direct presence.\n\nThe Master, on arrival, took up His residence in the rooms\nthat had been engaged for Him in the Manhattan apartment of\nMr. and Mrs. Edward Kinney — the same suite of rooms He had\noccupied in the spring before the western swing began. He\nresumed, almost immediately, the daily reception of believers\nand inquirers. The Kinneys' Manhattan apartment, for the\nweeks that followed, became again the gathering place that\nthe New York Bahá'í community had been missing.\n\nMahmúd records the rhythm of those December weeks. The Master\nheld a morning reception for the friends. He took private\ninterviews through the late morning. The midday meal was taken\nwith whichever guests had not yet had their private audience.\nThe afternoon was reserved for sermons and address — sometimes\nin the Kinney apartment, sometimes in a rented hall in\nManhattan or Brooklyn. The evening was for further private\nvisitors, including a steady stream of curious Christian\nclergy, university professors, journalists, and inquirers\nfrom outside the Bahá'í community.\n\nThe Master also addressed the small ongoing organisational\nwork of the New York friends. He met with the executive\ncommittee of the local body. He counselled, in particular, on\nthe spiritual qualifications of the believers' future\nrepresentative institutions. The notes Mahmúd preserves of\nthose meetings would, in subsequent years, serve as one of the\nfoundation documents for the New York Local Spiritual\nAssembly's eventual establishment.\n\nThe departure on the *Celtic* was set for 5 December. The New\nYork friends knew, by then, that the visit was ending. They\ncame in greater and greater numbers in the closing days,\neach wanting one final word, one final blessing, before the\nvoyage home that none of them could now follow.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entries for the November-December 1912 New York return; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Seattle: A Public Address in the Hotel Ballroom",
"slug": "md-seattle-meeting-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records 'Abdu'l-Bahá's brief stop in Seattle during the western leg of October 1912 — a public address in a downtown hotel ballroom, attended by some two hundred guests arranged through the local theosophical society.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Seattle",
"lat": 47.6062,
"lng": -122.3321,
"modernName": "Seattle, Washington, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"teaching",
"peace"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"vision",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMahmúd's Diary records the Pacific-coast leg of the autumn\n1912 tour and devotes a section to the Seattle visit. The\nvisit was brief — a single afternoon and evening, with\ndeparture the following morning by the southbound train toward\nPortland and California.\n\nThe principal public engagement was an evening address in the\nballroom of a downtown Seattle hotel. The arrangement had been\nmade not by the small Bahá'í community of Seattle, which in\n1912 numbered perhaps a dozen souls, but through the local\nchapter of the Theosophical Society, which had a larger\nmembership and a hall more accustomed to hosting visiting\nspeakers. The Theosophists had read of the Master's travels in\nthe eastern press and had extended an invitation, which the\nMaster accepted.\n\nApproximately two hundred attended. The audience was mixed —\nthe small core of Bahá'ís, the larger Theosophical membership,\na number of curious downtown professionals, a handful of\nChristian clergy who had come to evaluate the Persian visitor.\n\nThe Master spoke for approximately one hour. The talk turned on\nthe question of the *unity of religious truth.* He named the\ntruth, in His characteristic phrase, as *light* — and observed\nthat *light is good in whatsoever lamp it is burning.* The\naudience, drawn from several distinct religious quarters,\nreceived the framing well. The Theosophists could see in it\ntheir own commitment to the underlying unity of the great\nspiritual traditions. The Bahá'ís could see in it the\nfoundation of their own teaching. The Christians, while not\nall persuaded, could not easily disagree with the proposition\nas stated.\n\nMahmúd records, with his usual care, the questions that\nfollowed the talk. One questioner pressed the Master on the\nspecific status of Christ in the Bahá'í teaching. The Master\nanswered that Christ was *the Word of God,* that His position\nwas the same as the position of all the Manifestations, and\nthat the Bahá'í Faith venerated Him exactly as it venerated\nBahá'u'lláh. The Christian questioner accepted the answer\nwithout further pressing.\n\nThe evening concluded with brief private conversations in the\nballroom anteroom. The Master spoke individually with several\nattendees, including two who would in subsequent years become\ndeclared Bahá'ís. The party retired late.\n\nThe next morning the train south departed. Seattle would,\nwithin the next two decades, develop one of the more vigorous\nPacific Northwest Bahá'í communities — its growth seeded, in\npart, by the evening address in the downtown hotel ballroom of\nOctober 1912.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for the Seattle stop, October 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Spokane: A Brief Stop on the Northern Route",
"slug": "md-spokane-railway-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records a brief station stop at Spokane, Washington, on the northern transcontinental route taken by the Master's party in October 1912 — a small group of friends meeting the train and a brief exchange in the station hall.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Spokane",
"lat": 47.6588,
"lng": -117.426,
"modernName": "Spokane, Washington, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"travel",
"community"
],
"virtues": [
"hospitality",
"service",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMahmúd's Diary records that the westbound train carrying\n'Abdu'l-Bahá's party stopped at the Spokane Great Northern\nRailway station for approximately thirty minutes during the\nwestward leg of October 1912. The stop was a routine\nre-watering and crew change. It had not been listed as one of\nthe Master's official appearances on the published itinerary.\n\nThe small Spokane community had, however, learned by telegram\nfrom friends in Minneapolis that the Master would pass through.\nA delegation of perhaps seven or eight believers came to the\nstation with armfuls of flowers and waited on the platform.\nWhen the train pulled in, the Master Himself came down the\nparlour-car steps onto the platform to receive them.\n\nThe exchange was brief but warm. Mahmúd records that the\nMaster walked the length of the platform with the small\ndelegation, accepting the flowers, asking after each of the\nbelievers individually. He stopped before each one and\naddressed them by name where He could and by description where\nthe name had not been given to Him.\n\nA short impromptu address followed. The Master spoke standing\non the open platform, before perhaps fifty travellers — not all\nof them Bahá'ís — who had paused to see what the gathering\nwas about. He spoke briefly on the *spread of the divine\nteachings* into the new American territories, on the\nimportance of the Pacific Northwest as a coming hub of the\nCause, and on the duty of the believer to be, in his or her\nneighbourhood, a *fountain of mercy.*\n\nThe whistle of the train called Him back. He blessed the\nSpokane delegation, returned up the parlour-car steps, and\nthe train pulled out westward. Mahmúd notes that several of\nthe women on the platform stood weeping after the train had\ndisappeared into the autumn dusk.\n\nThe party continued through the night across the Columbia\nRiver basin and the Cascade range, descending the following\nmorning into the western maritime forests. The next major stop\non the route was Seattle.\n\nThe Spokane gathering was small, the duration was brief, the\nwords were few. But the friends, in later years, would remember\nthe unscheduled platform meeting — the Master's deliberate\ndescent from His private car onto their public station — as\none of the formative encounters of the Pacific Northwest's\nsmall Bahá'í history.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for the Spokane stop, October 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "St. Louis: The Master at the Statler Hotel",
"slug": "md-st-louis-evening-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records the brief stop of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in St. Louis on 1 November 1912 — an evening reception in the parlour of the Statler Hotel and a meeting with the small community of Missouri believers who had asked Him to come.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "St. Louis",
"lat": 38.627,
"lng": -90.1994,
"modernName": "St. Louis, Missouri, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"travel",
"community"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"patience",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMahmúd's Diary records that 'Abdu'l-Bahá arrived in St. Louis\nin the early evening of 1 November 1912, on a train that had\nleft Chicago that morning. The visit was brief — a single\novernight stop, with departure scheduled for the following\nafternoon. The itinerary had been added to the journey at the\ndirect request of the small community of Missouri believers,\nwho had written to ask the Master to grace their city, even for\na single evening, on His way south.\n\nThe Master was met at the station by the chief of the\ndelegation. The party was driven to the Statler Hotel in the\ndowntown district, where a suite of rooms had been engaged.\nAfter a brief rest, He received the friends in the hotel parlour\nthrough the early evening.\n\nMahmúd records that the gathering was modest in size. Perhaps\nfifteen believers and several inquirers had assembled. The\nparlour, though comfortable, was not large. The Master spoke\ninformally, seated in a chair drawn forward toward the friends,\nand in His characteristic manner addressed each visitor briefly\nin turn.\n\nThe talk that followed touched on the *expansion of the\nCause* in the central American states — Missouri, Kansas, and\nthe neighbouring territories. The Master noted, with practical\nattention, that the city of St. Louis stood at a geographical\nhinge: north toward Chicago and the Great Lakes, south toward\nthe Gulf, west toward the great unsettled plains. He told the\nfriends that the city's geography was, in His view, a\nspiritual destiny: the small community present in the hotel\nparlour was being asked to become, in time, a hub of teaching\nfor the whole region.\n\nThe believers received the charge soberly. Several of them,\nMahmúd notes, were practical Midwestern people — clerks, a\nminister's widow, a young teacher — who had been carrying the\nCause in St. Louis for several years through their own personal\ncorrespondence with friends in Chicago and New York. The\nMaster's commission added weight to what had been, until then,\na small private undertaking.\n\nThe party retired late. The Master rose early the following\nmorning, met briefly with two further inquirers who had been\nunable to attend the previous evening, and departed by the\nafternoon train south, in the direction of the next stop on\nthe southern itinerary.\n\nThe St. Louis community, in the decades that followed, would\nhonour the Master's commission. Its small Local Spiritual\nAssembly would by the late 1920s be functioning as a hub for\nthe central states, exactly as the Master had envisioned in\nthe Statler parlour on the November evening in 1912.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for 1 November 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Eighteen Hundred Students: 'Abdu'l-Bahá at Stanford",
"slug": "md-stanford-1800-students-1912",
"summary": "On October 8, 1912, Mírzá Maḥmúd records, 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed an audience of approximately 1,800 students and 180 professors at Leland Stanford Junior University in Palo Alto — the largest single audience of His American journey, gathered in the university chapel to hear a Persian teacher speak on universal peace.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Palo Alto",
"lat": 37.4419,
"lng": -122.143,
"modernName": "Palo Alto, California, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"peace",
"education",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"service",
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the morning of October 8, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and His party\ntravelled by train south from San Francisco to the Palo Alto\ncampus of Leland Stanford Junior University. Mírzá\nMaḥmúd-i-Zarqání, who recorded the event in his diary,\nestimates the audience that gathered in the university chapel\nthat morning at *approximately 1,800 students and 180\nprofessors* — the largest single audience of the entire American\ntour.\n\nThe president of the university, David Starr Jordan, presented\nthe Master to the assembly. He had no need to perform a long\nintroduction. The mere fact that he, the head of one of the\nyoungest and most ambitious universities on the West Coast, was\nintroducing an aged Eastern religious figure to his student body\nwas, in 1912, statement enough. He spoke briefly, naming the\nguest who would speak.\n\nThe Master then took the platform. Mahmúd records the talk’s\ngoverning claim in a sentence the audience later remembered:\n\n> The religion of brotherhood, of good will, of friendship\n> between men and nations is as old as good thinking and good\n> living may be.\n\nThe talk that followed — recorded both in *Mahmúd’s Diary* and\nin *The Promulgation of Universal Peace* — laid out the case\nfor a unified humanity not as a future hope but as a fact already\npresent in the deepest stratum of the great religions. He spoke\nof war’s waste, of science’s promise, of the absurdity of\nprejudice in a world in which the railway and the telegraph had\nalready made the human family a single household.\n\nWhen He had finished, the president stood again and named the\nsignificance of what they had heard. He thanked\n*‘Abdu’l-Bahá for this illuminating expression of the brotherhood\nof man and the value of international peace.*\n\nThe students filed out into the autumn light. Many of them, the\ndiary records, lingered to greet the Master in person. He\ngreeted each one He could reach. He had been a prisoner of the\nOttoman state until four years before; now He was the guest of\nhonour of the Western university that, more than any other on\nthe Pacific coast, would carry the next century’s thought.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for October 8, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Across the Continent by Rail: A Long Quiet Crossing",
"slug": "md-train-westward-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records the long quiet stretches of the transcontinental train journey from Chicago to the Pacific in September-October 1912 — the Master at His prayers in the parlour car, the night plains rolling past, the small acts of hospitality to the train staff.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"travel",
"prayer",
"quiet-days"
],
"virtues": [
"patience",
"prayer",
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMahmúd's Diary records, between the celebrated public events of\nthe western tour, the long quiet stretches of train travel that\njoined them. The transcontinental crossings of September and\nOctober 1912 — Chicago to Minneapolis to the Pacific\nNorthwest, then south down the coast to California, then back\neast through the southern route — together added up to many\ndays of motion in which the principal occupant of the\nparlour car was the Master, alone with the moving country.\n\nMahmúd records the rhythm of those days. The Master rose early.\nHe performed the dawn prayer in His private compartment as the\ncountry was still dark beyond the windows. He took a light\nbreakfast — usually only tea and a piece of bread — at the\nsmall folding table the porter had set out. He then spent the\nfirst morning hour at His correspondence: dictating Tablets to\nMahmúd in response to letters that had reached Him at the last\nstation, signing the small Persian script that closed each\nTablet with His own hand.\n\nBy the middle of the morning the country was visible in\ndaylight. The Master would stand at the parlour-car window for\nlong stretches, watching the changing terrain. Mahmúd notes\nparticularly the prairie crossings — the Nebraska and Kansas\ndistances of unbroken horizon — as moments when the Master\nseemed especially absorbed. He made few comments on the\nlandscape itself. Mahmúd interprets the absorption as\ncontemplative.\n\nThe midday meal was taken in the parlour car with the small\ntravelling party — the Master, Mahmúd himself, the\ninterpreter, the secretary, occasionally a visiting believer\nwho had joined for a portion of the route. Conversation was\neasy. The Master often used the meal to ask after the\nparticular communities the next stop would bring them to.\n\nThe afternoon was given to private rest, further\ncorrespondence, and the saying of the afternoon prayer. The\nMaster frequently called for the train porter or the\nsleeping-car attendant — both, in 1912, generally African\nAmerican men working under the difficult conditions of the\nPullman service. He addressed each by name, asked about the\nfamily at home, and in several recorded instances pressed a\nsmall gift or a generous tip into the porter's hand at the\nend of the journey. Mahmúd notes that several porters along\nthe western route, by the time of the return crossings, were\nalready known to the Master by name and were greeting Him\nwith familiarity at each successive train.\n\nThe evening prayer was said as the country darkened. Supper\nwas light. The Master retired early. The train rolled on\nthrough the night.\n\nThese long quiet days were not, in the public record, events.\nThey were the connective tissue between the events. Mahmúd\npreserves them because, in their ordinariness, they reveal\nthe Master's habitual conduct of life when no audience was\npresent.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entries for the long train stretches of September-October 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Vancouver: The Master at the Border",
"slug": "md-vancouver-canadian-believers-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd records a brief reception with the small group of Vancouver and Victoria believers who travelled south across the Canadian border to meet 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Seattle in October 1912 — the Master's only direct encounter with the believers of British Columbia.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Vancouver",
"lat": 49.2827,
"lng": -123.1207,
"modernName": "Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"canada",
"community"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service",
"perseverance"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the Pacific-coast entries in Mahmúd's Diary is the brief\nrecord of a particular reception arranged in Seattle in October\n1912 to which a small delegation of believers from British\nColumbia had travelled south.\n\nThe Vancouver and Victoria believers, in 1912, numbered perhaps\nfifteen souls in total. They were small, scattered, and as yet\nwithout a stable Local Spiritual Assembly. They had heard of\nthe Master's western tour and had written to ask whether He\nmight come north into Canada. The northern leg had not been\nincluded in His itinerary, and the prospect of adding it was\nruled out by the schedule. The friends accepted the answer and\nproposed instead that they themselves come south.\n\nA delegation of seven travelled by the steamboat down the\nPacific coast and across the international border. They reached\nSeattle on the morning of the Master's arrival and arranged,\nthrough the Seattle friends, to be received in the parlour of\nthe hotel where the Master was lodging. The Master agreed and\nset aside an afternoon for them.\n\nMahmúd records that the meeting was particular. The Master\naddressed the Vancouver friends not as a remote outpost but as\n*the friends in Canada* — naming, by the term, their distinct\nnational identity within the larger Bahá'í community of the\nAmerican hemisphere. He told them that *the hearts of the\nfriends in Canada are dear to Me,* and that He had been\nfollowing, by correspondence with the friends in Montreal and\nthrough the small reports sent up from Seattle, the slow\nprogress of the Faith in the western Canadian provinces.\n\nHe spoke specifically of Vancouver's geography. The city, He\nnoted, was the western terminus of the great Canadian railway\nthat ran across the continent. As the Pacific gateway of\nCanada, Vancouver bore — in the spiritual order — the same\nrelation to the Canadian east that San Francisco bore to the\nAmerican east. The friends present, He suggested, were the\nbeginning of a Bahá'í community that would in time take its\ndistinct place among the western Pacific cities.\n\nEach member of the delegation was addressed individually. The\nMaster enquired of each one's family circumstances, their\nwork, the small acts of service they had been undertaking.\nSeveral were given particular instructions — one asked to take\non a specific teaching duty, another to write more frequently\nto a younger believer she had been neglecting.\n\nThe afternoon closed with refreshments and a final word of\nblessing. The Vancouver delegation returned by steamboat north\nthe following morning. The Master had not visited Canadian\nsoil; the Canadian friends had carried Canadian soil into the\nMaster's presence.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for the Vancouver delegation in Seattle, October 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Washington Reception at the Persian Legation",
"slug": "md-washington-mahmud-meeting-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records the formal reception in honor of 'Abdu'l-Bahá given at the Persian Legation in Washington on April 23, 1912 — the small diplomatic occasion at which the Master, the guest of the Iranian state He had Himself never been allowed to visit freely, met the Washington diplomatic corps under the patronage of the ambassador Ali-Kuli Khan.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Ali-Kuli Khan",
"Florence Khan"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Washington, D.C.",
"lat": 38.9072,
"lng": -77.0369,
"modernName": "Washington, D.C., USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"persia",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"dignity",
"wisdom",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the evening of the 23rd of April, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá was\nthe guest of honour at a formal reception held at the Persian\nLegation in Washington — the diplomatic residence of Ali-Kuli\nKhan, then chargé d'affaires of the Iranian state in the\nUnited States. Khan had served the Master in 'Akká as a young\nman before being appointed, by the Master's specific\ndirection, to the diplomatic post in Washington. His American\nwife, Florence Breed Khan, was herself a Bahá'í of long\nstanding.\n\nThe reception was, in the careful diplomatic protocol of the\nday, a major occasion. The guest list, as Mahmúd records,\nincluded the Secretary of State; several Senators and members\nof Congress; the ambassadors of several other powers; the\npresident of George Washington University; and the editors of\nthe principal Washington newspapers. The Khan household had\nprepared the formal dining room of the Legation in the\nPersian style, with low tables and long platters of Iranian\nfood. The guests were seated, by Khan's careful arrangement,\nin mixed groups so that no national delegation sat alone.\n\nThe Master entered. The assembled diplomatic corps rose. He\ngreeted each guest in turn, often in their own language —\nFrench, English, German, Arabic, Persian — as Khan\nintroduced them. He took His place at the head of the great\ntable.\n\nThe conversation, conducted partly in English by Khan as\ntranslator and partly in French, ranged across the great\ndiplomatic questions of the day: the Balkan crisis then\ndeepening; the persistent unrest in Persia; the rise of\nJapan; the still-distant question of European war. The\nMaster spoke briefly on each topic. His characteristic\ncontribution, throughout the evening, was the gentle\nreframing of every diplomatic question into the language of\nthe human family.\n\n> The friendship between the nations begins at the table.\n\nThe phrase, set down by Mahmúd from the Master's remarks\ntoward the end of the evening, was a small toast offered\ninformally as the desserts were being served. The Master\nhad observed, He said, that the diplomats present had spent\nthe evening in friendly conversation with their official\nopponents at the table; that the wars they would or would\nnot declare in the months ahead would not change the\npersonal warmth of their conversation that night; and that\nthe Bahá'í teaching of the unity of the human family had\nbeen demonstrated, this evening at the Khan household, in\nsmall. He proposed that what had been so easily achieved at\none dinner table might in time be extended to the\ndiplomatic chambers themselves.\n\nThe diplomatic corps applauded. The Master rose. The Khans\nwalked Him to the door. The carriage took Him back to the\nParsons home where He was staying. The reception had served\nexactly the purpose Khan had hoped: it had introduced the\nMaster to the Washington political class as a serious\ninternational figure whose teaching belonged in the\nconversation of the highest diplomatic circles.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for April 23, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Discourse at Clark: 'Abdu'l-Bahá at Worcester",
"slug": "md-worcester-clark-college-1912",
"summary": "Mahmúd's Diary records that on May 22, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá visited Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, at the invitation of its president, G. Stanley Hall. He delivered an address to the faculty and students on the order of being and the unity of all truth.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"G. Stanley Hall",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Worcester",
"lat": 42.2626,
"lng": -71.8023,
"modernName": "Worcester, MA, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"teaching",
"science",
"religion"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"hospitality",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "diary-of-mirza-mahmud",
"book": "Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"author": "Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání",
"year": 1998,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMahmúd's Diary records that on the morning of May 22, 1912,\n'Abdu'l-Bahá and a small party travelled by train from Boston\nto Worcester at the invitation of G. Stanley Hall, the president\nof Clark University.\n\nHall, in 1912, was one of the most distinguished American\nacademics of his generation — the founder of the American\nPsychological Association, a pioneer of child development\nresearch, the host who two years earlier had brought Sigmund\nFreud to America for his only American lectures. He had been\nfollowing the news of the Master's tour and had requested that\nHe visit Clark and address the faculty and students.\n\nThe Master accepted. The diary records the warm reception at\nthe railway station, the carriage to the campus, and the\ngathering of the university's faculty and senior students at\nthe lecture hall. The audience, Mahmúd notes, included\nspecialists in chemistry, physics, biology, philosophy, and\nthe new psychology that Hall had helped to found.\n\nThe Master spoke on the unity of science and religion. The\ndiary preserves the central thread of the talk: that the\nuniverse is the orderly creation of one Creator; that science\nis the disciplined exploration of that order; that religion,\nrightly understood, is the disciplined exploration of the same\norder's spiritual dimension; and that the two pursuits, when\neach is held to its own true principle, cannot disagree. He\ngave a sentence the friends would carry away with them:\n\n> Religion and science are the two wings upon which man's\n> intelligence can soar.\n\nHe spoke also, Mahmúd records, of the duty of the educated\nperson — the responsibility laid upon the trained mind to use\nits training in the service of humankind. The faculty members\npresent, several of whom were of the secular cast of mind that\nhad become characteristic of American higher education, found\nin the talk no quarrel with their work but a frame for it.\n\nAfter the talk Hall received the Master in his office for a\nprivate conversation. The diary does not preserve the details\nof that conversation. It records only that Hall accompanied\nHim personally back to the railway station and saw the party\noff.\n\nThe Master returned to Boston by the afternoon train. The\nWorcester morning had taken three hours. The Clark address\nwould be cited, by faculty members in later years, as one of\nthe most arresting they had ever heard in their auditorium.\n\n*Paraphrased from Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání (George Ronald, 1998), entry for May 22, 1912; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mirza Abu’l-Fadl was an outstanding Bahá’í scholar",
"slug": "mirza-abu-l-fadl-was-an-outstanding-bah-scholar-early-bs10",
"summary": "Mirza Abu’l-Fadl was an outstanding Bahá’í scholar. Early in this century the Master sent him to the United States of America both to teach and to help the believers to deepen. ‘After his return, he and a number of American pilgrims were…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"humility",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/humility"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMirza Abu’l-Fadl was an outstanding Bahá’í scholar. Early in this century the Master sent him to the United States of America both to teach and to help the believers to deepen. ‘After his return, he and a number of American pilgrims were seated in the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Akka. The pilgrims began to praise Mirza Abu’l-Fadl for the help he had given them, saying that he had taught many souls, defended the Cause most ably against its adversaries, and had helped to build a strong and dedicated Bahá’í community in America. As they continued to pour lavish praise upon him, Mirza Abu’l-Fadl became increasingly depressed and dejected, until he burst into tears and wept loudly. The believers were surprised and could not understand this, even thinking that they had not praised him enough! ‘Then ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explained that by praising him they had bitterly hurt him, for he considered himself as utter nothingness in the Cause and believed with absolute sincerity that he was not worthy of any mention or praise.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/humility) (Subject: humility).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mirza Mahmud was a youth when he arrived in Baghdad from Kashan",
"slug": "mirza-mahmud-was-a-youth-when-he-arrived-bs0",
"summary": "Mirza Mahmud was a youth when he arrived in Baghdad from Kashan. Aqa Rida became a believer in Baghdad. The spiritual condition of the two was indescribable. There was in Baghdad a company of seven leading believers who lived in a single,…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"poor",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"devotion",
"faith",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/poor"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMirza Mahmud was a youth when he arrived in Baghdad from Kashan. Aqa Rida became a believer in Baghdad. The spiritual condition of the two was indescribable. There was in Baghdad a company of seven leading believers who lived in a single, small room, because they were destitute. They could hardly keep body and soul together, but they were so spiritual, so blissful, that they thought themselves in Heaven. Sometimes they would chant prayers all night long, until the day broke. Days, they would go out to work, and by nightfall one would have earned ten paras, another perhaps twenty paras, others forty or fifty. These sums would be spent for the evening meal. On a certain day one of them made twenty paras, while the rest had nothing at all. The one with the money bought some dates, and shared them with the others; that was dinner, for seven people. They were perfectly content with their frugal life, supremely happy. These two honored men devoted their days to all that is best in human life: they had seeing eyes; they were mindful and aware; they had hearing ears, and were fair of speech. Their sole desire was to please Bahá’u’lláh. To them, nothing was a bounty at all, except service at His Holy Threshold. After the time of the Supreme Affliction, they were consumed with sorrow, like candles flickering away; they longed for death, and stayed firm in the Covenant and labored hard and well to spread that Daystar's Faith. They were close and trusted companions of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and could be relied on in all things. They were always lowly, humble, unassuming, evanescent. In all that long period, they never uttered a word which had to do with self. And at the last, during the absence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, they took their flight to the Kingdom of unfading glory. I sorrowed much because I was not with them when they died. Although absent in body, I was there in my heart, and mourning over them; but to outward seeming I did not bid them good-by; this is why I grieve. Unto them both be salutations and praise; upon them be compassion and glory. May God give them a home in Paradise, under the Lote-Tree's shade. May they be immersed in tiers of light, close beside their Lord, the Mighty, the All-Powerful.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful, p. 40-41*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/poor) (Subject: poor).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of ‘Abdu’l-Ghaffár of Iṣfáhán",
"slug": "mof-abdu-l-ghaffar-of-isfahan",
"summary": "Another of those who left their homeland to become our neighbors and fellow prisoners was ‘Abdu’l-Ghaffár of Iṣfáhán. He was a highly perceptive individual who, on commercial business, had traveled about Asia Minor for many years. He…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"‘Abdu’l-Ghaffár of Iṣfáhán",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"exile",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"kindness",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAnother of those who left their homeland to become our\nneighbors and fellow prisoners was ‘Abdu’l-Ghaffár\nof Iṣfáhán. He was a highly perceptive individual\nwho, on commercial business, had traveled about Asia Minor for many\nyears. He made a journey to ‘Iráq, where Áqá\nMuḥammad-‘Alí of Sád (Iṣfáhán)\nbrought him into the shelter of the Faith. He soon ripped off the\nbandage of illusions that had blinded his eyes before, and he rose\nup, winging to salvation in the Heaven of Divine love. With him, the\nveil had been thin, almost transparent, and that is why, as the first\nword was imparted, he was immediately released from the world of idle\nimaginings and attached himself to the One Who is clear to see.\n\nOn the journey from ‘Iráq to the Great\nCity, Constantinople, ‘Abdu’l-Ghaffár was a\nclose and agreeable companion. He served as interpreter for the\nentire company, for he spoke excellent Turkish, a language in which\nnone of the friends was proficient. The journey came peacefully to an\nend and then, in the Great City, he continued on, as a companion and\nfriend. The same was true in Adrianople and also when, as one of the\nprisoners, he accompanied us to the city of Haifa.\n\nHere, the oppressors determined to send him to Cyprus.\nHe was terrified and shouted for help, for he longed to be with us in\nthe Most Great Prison.35\nWhen they held him back by force, from high up on the ship he threw\nhimself into the sea. This had no effect whatever on the brutal\nofficers. After dragging him from the water they held him prisoner on\nthe ship, cruelly restraining him, and carrying him away by force to\nCyprus. He was jailed in Famagusta, but one way or another managed to\nescape and hastened to Akká. Here, protecting himself from the\nmalevolence of our oppressors, he changed his name to ‘Abdu’lláh.\nSheltered within the loving-kindness of Bahá’u’lláh,\nhe passed his days at ease, and happy.\n\nBut when the world’s great Light had set, to shine\non forever from the All-Luminous Horizon, ‘Abdu’l-Ghaffár\nwas beside himself and a prey to anguish. He no longer had a home. He\nleft for Damascus and spent some time there, pent up in his sorrow,\nmourning by day and night. He grew weaker and weaker. We despatched\nḤájí Abbás there, to nurse him and give\nhim treatment and care, and send back word of him every day. But\n‘Abdu’l-Ghaffár would do nothing but talk,\nunceasingly, at every hour, with his nurse, and tell how he longed to\ngo his way, into the mysterious country beyond. And at the end, far\nfrom home, exiled from his Love, he set out for the Holy Threshold of\nBahá’u’lláh.\n\nHe was truly a man long-suffering, and mild; a man of\ngood character, good acts, and goodly words. Greetings and praise be\nunto him, and the glory of the All-Glorious. His sweet-scented tomb\nis in Damascus.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of ‘Abdu’lláh Baghdádí",
"slug": "mof-abdu-llah-baghdadi",
"summary": "When he was very young, people thought of ‘Abdu’lláh Baghdádí as a libertine, solely devoted to pleasure. He was regarded by all as the sport of inordinate desires, mired down in his physical passions. But the moment he became a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"‘Abdu’lláh Baghdádí",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen he was very young, people thought of ‘Abdu’lláh\nBaghdádí as a libertine, solely devoted to\npleasure. He was regarded by all as the sport of inordinate desires,\nmired down in his physical passions. But the moment he became a\nbeliever, he was carried away by the sweet savors of God, and was\nchanged into a new creation. He found himself in a strange rapture,\ncompletely transformed. He had been of the world, now he was of\nHeaven; he had lived by the flesh, now he lived by the spirit; he had\nwalked in darkness; now he walked in light. He had been a slave to\nhis senses, now he was a thrall of God. He had been clay and\nearthenware before, now he was a dear-bought pearl; a dull and\nlusterless stone before, now a ruby glowing.\n\nEven among the non-believers, people were astonished at\nthe change. What could have come over this youth, they wanted to\nknow; how did it happen that he was suddenly detached from the world,\neager and devoted? “He was tainted, corrupted,” they\nsaid; “today he is abstemious and chaste. He was sunk in his\nappetites, but is now the soul of purity, living a righteous life. He\nhas left the world behind him. He has broken up the feast, dismissed\nthe revelers, and folded the banquet cloth away. His mind is\ndistracted by love.”\n\nBriefly, he let go his pleasures and possessions, and\njourneyed to Akká on foot. His face had turned so bright, his\nnature so luminous, that it was a joy to look at him. I used to say:\n“Áqá ‘Abdu’lláh, what\ncondition are you in?” And he would answer to this effect: “I\nwas in darkness; now, by the favor of the Blessed Beauty, I am in\nlight. I was a heap of dust; He changed me to a fertile field. I was\nin constant torment; I am now at peace. I was in love with my chains;\nHe has broken them. I was avid for this one and that; now I cling to\nthe Lord. I was a bird in a cage; He let me out. Today, though I live\nin the desert, and I have the bare ground for my bed and pillow, it\nfeels like silk. In the old time, my coverlet was satin, and my soul\nwas on the rack. Now I am homeless, and happy.”\n\nBut his burning heart broke when he saw how victimized\nwas Bahá’u’lláh, how patiently He suffered.\n‘Abdu’lláh yearned to die for Him. And thus it\ncame about that he offered up his life for his tender Companion, and\nhastened away, out of this dark world to the country of light. His\nluminous grave is in Akká. Upon him be the glory of the\nAll-Glorious; upon him be mercy, out of the grace of the Lord.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of ‘Abdu’r-Rahmán, the Coppersmith",
"slug": "mof-abdu-r-rahman-the-coppersmith",
"summary": "This was a patient and long-enduring man, a native of Káshán. He was one of the very earliest believers. The down was not yet upon his cheek when he drank of the love of God, saw with his own eyes the heavenly table spread out before…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"‘Abdu’r-Rahmán, the Coppersmith",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"exile"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"love",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis was a patient and long-enduring man, a native of\nKáshán. He was one of the very earliest\nbelievers. The down was not yet upon his cheek when he drank of the\nlove of God, saw with his own eyes the heavenly table spread out\nbefore him, and received his faith and his portion of abounding\ngrace.\n\nIn a little while he left his home and set out for the\nrose garden that was Baghdád, where he achieved the\nhonor of entering the presence of Bahá’u’lláh.\nHe spent some time in ‘Iráq, and won a crown of endless\nfavor: he would enter the presence of Bahá’u’lláh\nand many a time would accompany Him on foot to the Shrine of the Two\nKázims; this was his great delight.\n\n‘Abdu’r-Rahmán was among the\nprisoners exiled to Mosul, and later he fairly dragged himself to the\nfortress at Akká. Here he lived, blessed by Bahá’u’lláh.\nHe carried on a small business, trifling, but he was content with it,\nhappy and at peace. Thus, walking the path of righteousness, he lived\nto be eighty years old, at which time, serenely patient, he soared\naway to the Threshold of God. May the Lord enfold him there with His\nbounty and compassion, and clothe him in the garment of forgiveness.\nHis luminous grave is in Akká.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of ‘Abdu’s-Ṣáliḥ, the Gardener",
"slug": "mof-abdu-s-salih-the-gardener",
"summary": "Among those who emigrated and were companions in the Most Great Prison was Áqá ‘Abdu’s-Ṣáliḥ. This excellent soul, a child of early believers, came from Iṣfáhán. His noble-hearted father died, and this child grew up an orphan. There…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"‘Abdu’s-Ṣáliḥ, the Gardener",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"prison",
"children",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"gentleness",
"loyalty",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAmong those who emigrated and were companions in the\nMost Great Prison was Áqá ‘Abdu’s-Ṣáliḥ.\nThis excellent soul, a child of early believers, came from Iṣfáhán.\nHis noble-hearted father died, and this child grew up an orphan.\nThere was none to rear or care for him and he was the prey of anyone\nwho chose to do him harm. At last he became adolescent, and older\nnow, sought out his Well-Beloved. He emigrated to the Most Great\nPrison and here, at the Ridván, achieved the honor of being\nappointed gardener. At this task he was second to none. In his faith,\ntoo, he was staunch, loyal, worthy of trust; as to his character, he\nwas an embodiment of the sacred verse, “Of a noble nature art\nthou.”12\nThat is how he won the distinction of being gardener at the Ridván,\nand of thus receiving the greatest bounty of all: almost daily, he\nentered the presence of Bahá’u’lláh.\n\nFor the Most Great Name was held prisoner and confined\nnine years in the fortress-town of Akká; and at all times,\nboth in the barracks and afterward, from without the house, the\npolice and farráshes had Him under constant guard. The\nBlessed Beauty lived in a very small house, and He never set foot\noutside that narrow lodging, because His oppressors kept continual\nwatch at the door. When, however, nine years had elapsed, the fixed\nand predetermined length of days was over; and at that time, against\nthe rancorous will of the tyrant, ‘Abdu’l-Ḥamíd,\nand all his minions, Bahá’u’lláh proceeded\nout of the fortress with authority and might, and in a kingly mansion\nbeyond the city, made His home.\n\nAlthough the policy of Sulṭán ‘Abdu’l-Ḥamíd\nwas harsher than ever; although he constantly insisted on his\nCaptive’s strict confinement—still, the Blessed Beauty\nnow lived, as everyone knows, with all power and glory. Some of the\ntime Bahá’u’lláh would spend at the\nMansion, and again, at the farm village of Mazra’ih; for a\nwhile He would sojourn in Haifa, and occasionally His tent would be\npitched on the heights of Mount Carmel. Friends from everywhere\npresented themselves and gained an audience. The people and the\ngovernment authorities witnessed it all, yet no one so much as\nbreathed a word. And this is one of Bahá’u’lláh’s\ngreatest miracles: that He, a captive, surrounded Himself with\npanoply and He wielded power. The prison changed into a palace, the\njail itself became a Garden of Eden. Such a thing has not occurred in\nhistory before; no former age has seen its like: that a man confined\nto a prison should move about with authority and might; that one in\nchains should carry the fame of the Cause of God to the high heavens,\nshould win splendid victories in both East and West, and should, by\nHis almighty pen, subdue the world. Such is the distinguishing\nfeature of this supreme Theophany.\n\nOne day the government leaders, pillars of the country,\nthe city’s ‘ulamás, leading mystics and\nintellectuals came out to the Mansion. The Blessed Beauty paid them\nno attention whatever. They were not admitted to His presence, nor\ndid He inquire after any of them. I sat down with them and kept them\ncompany for some hours, after which they returned whence they had\ncome. Although the royal farmán specifically decreed that\nBahá’u’lláh was to be held in solitary\nconfinement within the Akká fortress, in a cell, under\nperpetual guard; that He was never to set foot outside; that He was\nnever even to see any of the believers—notwithstanding such a\nfarmán, such a drastic order, His tent was raised in majesty\non the heights of Mount Carmel. What greater display of power could\nthere be than this, that from the very prison, the banner of the Lord\nwas raised aloft, and rippled out for all the world to see! Praised\nbe the Possessor of such majesty and might; praised be He, weaponed\nwith the power and the glory; praised be He, Who defeated His foes\nwhen He lay captive in the Akká prison!\n\nTo resume: ‘Abdu’s-Ṣáliḥ\nlived under a fortunate star, for he regularly came into the presence\nof Bahá’u’lláh. He enjoyed the distinction\nof serving as gardener for many years, and he was at all times loyal,\ntrue, and strong in faith. He was humble in the presence of every one\nof the believers; in all that time he never hurt nor offended any\none. And at the last he left his garden and hastened to the\nencompassing mercy of God.\n\nThe Ancient Beauty was well pleased with ‘Abdu’s-Ṣáliḥ,\nand after his ascension revealed a Visitation Tablet in his honor,\nalso delivering an address concerning him, which was taken down and\npublished together with other Scriptures.\n\nUpon him be the glory of the All-Glorious! Upon him be\nGod’s gentleness and favor in the Exalted Realm.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Abu’l-Qásim of Sulṭán-Ábád",
"slug": "mof-abu-l-qasim-of-sultan-abad",
"summary": "Another among the prisoners was Abu’l-Qásim of Sulṭán-Ábád, the traveling companion of Áqá Faraj. These two were unassuming, loyal and staunch. Once their souls had come alive through the breathings of the Faithful Spirit they hastened…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Abu’l-Qásim of Sulṭán-Ábád",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Adrianople",
"lat": 41.6771,
"lng": 26.5557,
"modernName": "Edirne, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"prison",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"loyalty"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAnother among the prisoners was Abu’l-Qásim\nof Sulṭán-Ábád, the traveling companion of\nÁqá Faraj. These two were unassuming, loyal and\nstaunch. Once their souls had come alive through the breathings of\nthe Faithful Spirit they hastened out of Persia to Adrianople, for\nsuch was the unabating cruelty of the malevolent that they could no\nlonger remain in their own home. On foot, free of every tie, they\ntook to the plains and hills, seeking their way across trackless\nwaters and desert sands. How many a night they could not sleep,\nstaying in the open with no place to lay their heads; with nothing to\neat or drink, no bed but the bare earth, no food but the desert\ngrasses. Somehow they dragged themselves along and managed to reach\nAdrianople. It happened that they came during the last days in that\ncity, and were taken prisoner with the rest, and in the company of\nBahá’u’lláh they traveled to the Most Great\nPrison.\n\nAbu’l-Qásim fell violently ill with typhus.\nHe died about the same time as those two brothers, Muḥammad-Báqir\nand Muḥammad-Ismá’íl, and his pure remains\nwere buried outside Akká. The Blessed Beauty expressed\napproval of him and the friends, all of them, wept over his\nafflictions and mourned him. Upon him be the glory of the\nAll-Glorious.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of ‘Alí Najaf-Ábádí",
"slug": "mof-ali-najaf-abadi",
"summary": "Also among the emigrants and near neighbors was Áqá ‘Alí Najaf-Ábádí. When this spiritual young man first listened to the call of God he set his lips to the holy cup and beheld the glory of the Speaker on the Mount. And when, by grace…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"‘Alí Najaf-Ábádí",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Adrianople",
"lat": 41.6771,
"lng": 26.5557,
"modernName": "Edirne, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"exile",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"love",
"loyalty",
"mercy",
"patience",
"prayer",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAlso among the emigrants and near neighbors was Áqá\n‘Alí Najaf-Ábádí. When this\nspiritual young man first listened to the call of God he set his lips\nto the holy cup and beheld the glory of the Speaker on the Mount. And\nwhen, by grace of the light, he had attained positive knowledge, he\njourneyed to the Most Great Prison, where he witnessed the substance\nof knowledge itself, and arrived at the high station of indubitable\ntruth.\n\nFor a long time he remained in and about the sacred\ncity; he became the proverbial Habíbu’lláh the\nMerchant, and spent his days relying upon God, in supplication and\nprayer. He was a man meek, quiet, uncomplaining, steadfast; in all\nthings pleasing, worthy of praise. He won the approval of all the\nfriends and was accepted and welcome at the Holy Threshold. During\nhis latter days, when he felt that a happy end was in store for him,\nhe again presented himself at the holy city of the Most Great Prison.\nUpon arrival he fell ill, weakened, passed his hours in supplicating\nGod. The breath of life ceased within him, the gates of flight to the\nsupreme Kingdom were flung wide, he turned his eyes away from this\nworld of dust and went onward to the Holy Place.\n\n‘Alí Najaf-Ábádí was\ntender and sensitive of heart, at all times mindful of God and\nremembering Him, and toward the close of his life detached, without\nstain, free from the contagion of this world. Sweetly, he gave up his\ncorner of the earth, and pitched his tent in the land beyond. May God\nsend upon him the pure savors of forgiveness, brighten his eyes with\nbeholding the Divine Beauty in the Kingdom of Splendors, and refresh\nhis spirit with the musk-scented winds that blow from the Abhá\nRealm. Unto him be salutation and praise. His sweet and holy dust\nlies in Akká. Mashhadí Ḥusayn and Mashhadí\nMuḥammad-i-Ádhirbayjání\n\nMashhadí Ḥusayn and Mashhadí\nMuḥammad were both from the province of Ádhirbayján.\nThey were pure souls who took the great step in their own country:\nthey freed themselves from friend and stranger alike, escaped from\nthe superstitions that had blinded them before, strengthened their\nresolve, and bowed themselves down before the grace of God, the Lord\nof Life. They were blessed souls, loyal, unsullied in faith;\nevanescent, submissive, poor, content with the will of God, in love\nwith His guiding Light, rejoicing over the great message. They left\ntheir province and traveled to Adrianople. Here beside the holy city\nthey lived for quite a time in the village of Qumrúq-Kilísá.\nBy day, they supplicated God and communed with Him; by night, they\nwept, bemoaning the plight of Him Whom the world hath wronged.\n\nWhen the exile to Akká was under way, they were\nnot present in the city and thus were not arrested. Heavy of heart,\nthey continued on in that area, shedding their tears. Once they had\nobtained a definite report from Akká, they left Rumelia and\ncame here: two excellent souls, loyal bondsmen of the Blessed Beauty.\nIt is impossible to tell how translucent they were of heart, how firm\nin faith.\n\nThey lived outside Akká in Bágh-i-Firdaws,\nworked as farmers, and spent their days returning thanks to God\nbecause once again they had won their way to the neighborhood of\ngrace and love. But they were natives of Ádhirbayján,\naccustomed to the cold, and they could not endure the local heat.\nFurthermore, this was during our early days in Akká, when the\nair was noxious, and the water unwholesome in the extreme. They both\nfell ill of a chronic, high fever. They bore it cheerfully, with\namazing patience. During their days of illness, despite the assault\nof the fever, the violence of their ailment, the raging thirst, the\nrestlessness, they remained inwardly at peace, rejoicing at the\nDivine glad tidings. And at a time when they were offering thanks\nwith all their heart, they hurried away from this world and entered\nthe other; they escaped from this cage and were released into the\ngarden of immortality. Upon them be the mercy of God, and may He be\nwell pleased with them. Unto them be salutations and praise. May God\nbring them into the Realm that abides forever, to delight in reunion\nwith Him, to bask in the Kingdom of Splendors. Their two luminous\ntombs are in Akká.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Áqá ‘Alíy-i-Qazvíní",
"slug": "mof-aqa-aliy-i-qazvini",
"summary": "This eminent man had high ambitions and aims. He was to a supreme degree constant, loyal and firmly rooted in his faith, and he was among the earliest and greatest of the believers. At the very dawn of the new Day of Guidance he became…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Áqá ‘Alíy-i-Qazvíní",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Adrianople",
"lat": 41.6771,
"lng": 26.5557,
"modernName": "Edirne, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"prison",
"teaching",
"family",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"loyalty",
"mercy",
"patience",
"prayer",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 8,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis eminent man had high ambitions and aims. He was to\na supreme degree constant, loyal and firmly rooted in his faith, and\nhe was among the earliest and greatest of the believers. At the very\ndawn of the new Day of Guidance he became enamored of the Báb\nand began to teach. From morning till dark he worked at his craft,\nand almost every night he entertained the friends at supper. Being\nhost in this way to friends in the spirit, he guided many seekers to\nthe Faith, attracting them with the melody of the love of God. He was\namazingly constant, energetic, and persevering.\n\nThen the perfume-laden air began to stir from over the\ngardens of the All-Glorious, and he caught fire from the newly\nkindled flame. His illusions and fancies were burned away and he\narose to proclaim the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.\nEvery night there was a meeting, a gathering that rivaled the flowers\nin their beds. The verses were read, the prayers chanted, the good\nnews of the greatest of Advents was shared. He spent most of his time\nin showing kindness to friend and stranger alike; he was a\nmagnanimous being, with open hand and heart.\n\nThe day came when he set out for the Most Great Prison,\nand arrived with his family at the Akká fortress. He had been\nafflicted with many a hardship on his journey, but his longing to see\nBahá’u’lláh was such that he found the\ncalamities easy to endure; and so he measured off the miles, looking\nfor a home in God’s sheltering grace.\n\nAt first he had means; life was comfortable and\npleasant. Later on, however, he was destitute and subjected to\nterrible ordeals. Most of the time his food was bread, nothing else;\ninstead of tea, he drank from a running brook. Still, he remained\nhappy and content. His great joy was to enter the presence of\nBahá’u’lláh; reunion with his Beloved was\nbounty enough; his food was to look upon the beauty of the\nManifestation; his wine, to be with Bahá’u’lláh.\nHe was always smiling, always silent; but at the same time, his heart\nshouted, leapt and danced.\n\nOften, he was in the company of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.\nHe was an excellent friend and comrade, happy, delightful; favored by\nBahá’u’lláh, respected by the friends,\nshunning the world, trusting in God. There was no fickleness in him,\nhis inner condition was always the same: stable, constant, firmly\nrooted as the hills.\n\nWhenever I call him to mind, and remember that patience\nand serenity, that loyalty, that contentment, involuntarily I find\nmyself asking God to shed His bounties upon Áqá ‘Alí.\nMisfortunes and calamities were forever descending on that estimable\nman. He was always ill, continually subjected to unnumbered physical\nafflictions. The reason was that when at home and serving the Faith\nin Qazvín, he was caught by the malevolent and they beat him\nso brutally over the head that the effects stayed with him till his\ndying hour. They abused and tormented him in many ways and thought it\npermissible to inflict every kind of cruelty upon him; yet his only\ncrime was to have become a believer, and his only sin, to have loved\nGod. As the poet has written, in lines that illustrate the plight of\nÁqá ‘Alí:\n\nBy owls the royal falcon is beset.\nThey rend his wings, though he is free of sin.\n“Why”—so they mock—“do you remember yet\nThat royal wrist, that palace you were in?”\nHe is a kingly bird: this crime he did commit.\nExcept for beauty, what was Joseph’s sin?\n\nBriefly, that great man spent his time in the Akká\nprison, praying, supplicating, turning his face toward God. Infinite\nbounty enfolded him; he was favored by Bahá’u’lláh,\nmuch of the time admitted to His presence and showered with endless\ngrace. This was his joy and his delight, his great good fortune, his\ndearest wish.\n\nThen the fixed hour was upon him, the daybreak of his\nhopes, and it came his turn to soar away, into the invisible realm.\nSheltered under the protection of Bahá’u’lláh,\nhe went swiftly forth to that mysterious land. To him be salutations\nand praise and mercy from the Lord of this world and the world to\ncome. May God light up his resting-place with rays from the Companion\non high. Áqá Muḥammad-Báqir and Áqá\nMuḥammad-Ismá’íl, the Tailor\n\nThese were two brothers who, in the path of God,\ncaptives along with the rest, were shut in the Akká fortress.\nThey were brothers of the late Pahlaván Riḍá.\nThey left Persia and emigrated to Adrianople, hastening to the\nloving-kindness of Bahá’u’lláh; and under\nHis protection, they came to Akká.\n\nPahlaván Riḍá—God’s\nmercy and blessings and splendors be upon him; praise and salutations\nbe unto him—was a man to outward seeming untutored, devoid of\nlearning. He was a tradesman, and like the others who came in at the\nstart, he cast everything away out of love for God, attaining in one\nleap the highest reaches of knowledge. He is of those from the\nearlier time. So eloquent did he suddenly become that the people of\nKáshán were astounded. For example this man, to\nall appearances unschooled, betook himself to Ḥájí\nMuḥammad-Karím Khán in Káshán\nand propounded this question:\n\n“Sir, are you the Fourth Pillar? I am a man who\nthirsts after spiritual truth and I yearn to know of the Fourth\nPillar.”96\n\nSince a number of political and military leaders were\npresent, the Ḥájí replied: “Perish the\nthought! I shun all those who consider me the Fourth Pillar. Never\nhave I made such a claim. Whoever says I have, speaks falsehood; may\nGod’s curse be on him!”\n\nA few days later Pahlaván Riḍá again\nsought out the Ḥájí and told him: “Sir, I\nhave just finished your book, Irshadu’l-‘Avám\n(Guidance unto the Ignorant); I have read it from cover to cover; in\nit you say that one is obligated to know the Fourth Pillar or Fourth\nSupport; indeed, you account him a fellow knight of the Lord of the\nAge.97\nTherefore I long to recognize and know him. I am certain that you are\ninformed of him. Show him to me, I beg of you.”\n\nThe Ḥájí was wrathful. He said: “The\nFourth Pillar is no figment. He is a being plainly visible to all.\nLike me, he has a turban on his head, he wears an ‘abá,\nand carries a cane in his hand.” Pahlaván Riḍá\nsmiled at him. “Meaning no discourtesy,” he said, “there\nis, then, a contradiction in Your Honor’s teaching. First you\nsay one thing, then you say another.”\n\nFurious, the Ḥájí replied: “I\nam busy now. Let us discuss this matter some other time. Today I must\nask to be excused.”\n\nThe point is that Riḍá, a man considered to\nbe unlettered, was able, in an argument, to best such an erudite\n“Fourth Pillar.” In the phrase of Allámíy-i-Hillí,\nhe downed him with the Fourth Support.98\n\n\nWhenever that lionhearted champion of knowledge began to\nspeak, his listeners marveled; and he remained, till his last breath,\nthe protector and helper of all seekers after truth. Ultimately he\nbecame known far and wide as a Bahá’í, was turned\ninto a vagrant, and ascended to the Abhá Kingdom.\n\nAs for his two brothers: through the grace of the\nBlessed Beauty, after they were taken captive by the tyrants, they\nwere shut in the Most Great Prison, where they shared the lot of\nthese homeless wanderers. Here, during the early days at Akká,\nwith complete detachment, with ardent love, they hastened away to the\nall-glorious Realm. For our ruthless oppressors, as soon as we\narrived, imprisoned all of us inside the fortress in the soldiers’\nbarracks, and they closed up every issue, so that none could come and\ngo. At that time the air of Akká was poisonous, and every\nstranger, immediately following his arrival, would be taken ill.\nMuḥammad-Báqir and Muḥammad-Ismá’íl\ncame down with a violent ailment and there was neither doctor nor\nmedicine to be had; and those two embodied lights died on the same\nnight, wrapped in each other’s arms. They rose up to the\nundying Kingdom, leaving the friends to mourn them forever. There was\nnone there but wept that night.\n\nWhen morning came we wished to carry their sanctified\nbodies away. The oppressors told us: “You are forbidden to go\nout of the fortress. You must hand over these two corpses to us. We\nwill wash them, shroud them and bury them. But first you must pay for\nit.” It happened that we had no money. There was a prayer\ncarpet which had been placed under the feet of Bahá’u’lláh.\nHe took up this carpet and said, “Sell it. Give the money to\nthe guards.” The prayer carpet was sold for 170 piasters99\nand that sum was handed over. But the two were never washed for their\nburial nor wrapped in their winding sheets; the guards only dug a\nhole in the ground and thrust them in, as they were, in the clothes\nthey had on; so that even now, their two graves are one, and just as\ntheir souls are joined in the Abhá Realm, their bodies are\ntogether here, under the earth, each holding the other in his close\nembrace.\n\nThe Blessed Beauty showered His blessings on these two\nbrothers. In life, they were encompassed by His grace and favor; in\ndeath, they were memorialized in His Tablets. Their grave is in Akká.\nGreetings be unto them, and praise. The glory of the All-Glorious be\nupon them, and God’s mercy, and His benediction.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Áqá Faraj",
"slug": "mof-aqa-faraj",
"summary": "In all these straits, Áqá Faraj was the companion of Abu’l-Qásim. When, in Persian ‘Iráq, he first heard the uproar caused by the Advent of the Most Great Light, he shook and trembled, clapped his hands, cried out in exultation and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Áqá Faraj",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"martyrdom",
"prison",
"the-covenant",
"women",
"children",
"family",
"holy-land",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"devotion",
"faith",
"generosity",
"joy",
"justice",
"love",
"loyalty",
"mercy",
"patience",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 11,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn all these straits, Áqá Faraj was the\ncompanion of Abu’l-Qásim. When, in Persian ‘Iráq,\nhe first heard the uproar caused by the Advent of the Most Great\nLight, he shook and trembled, clapped his hands, cried out in\nexultation and hastened off to ‘Iráq. Overcome with\ndelight, he entered the presence of his holy Lord. He was gathered\ninto the loving fellowship, and blissfully received the honor of\nattending upon Bahá’u’lláh. Then he\nreturned, bearing glad tidings to Sulṭán-Ábád.\n\n\nHere the malevolent were lying in wait, and disturbances\nbroke out, with the result that the sainted Mullá-Báshí\nand some other believers who had none to defend them were struck down\nand put to death. Áqá Faraj and Abu’l-Qásim,\nwho had gone into hiding, then hurried away to Adrianople, to fall,\nultimately, with the others and with their Well-Beloved, into the\nAkká prison.\n\nÁqá Faraj then won the honor of waiting\nupon the Ancient Beauty. He served the Holy Threshold at all times\nand was a comfort to the friends. During the days of Bahá’u’lláh\nhe was His loyal servitor, and a close companion to the believers,\nand so it was after Bahá’u’lláh’s\ndeparture: he remained true to the Covenant, and in the domain of\nservitude he stood like a towering palm; a noble, superior man,\npatient in dire adversity, content under all conditions.\n\nStrong in faith, in devotion, he left this life and set\nhis face toward the Kingdom of God, to become the object of endless\ngrace. Upon him be God’s mercy and good pleasure, in His\nParadise. Greetings be unto him, and praise, in the meadows of\nHeaven. The Consort of the King of Martyrs\n\nAmong the women who came out of their homeland was the\nsorrowing Fátimih100\nBegum, widow of the King of Martyrs. She was a holy leaf of the Tree\nof God. From her earliest youth she was beset with uncounted ordeals.\nFirst was the disaster which overtook her noble father in the\nenvirons of Badasht, when, after terrible suffering, he died\nin a desert caravanserai, died hard—helpless and far from home.\n\n\nThe child was left an orphan, and in distress, until, by\nGod’s grace, she became the wife of the King of Martyrs. But\nsince he was known everywhere as a Bahá’í, was an\nimpassioned lover of Bahá’u’lláh, a man\ndistracted, carried away, and since Náṣiri’d-Dín\nSháh thirsted for blood—the hostile lurked in\ntheir ambush, and every day they informed against him and slandered\nhim afresh, started a new outcry and set new mischief afoot. For this\nreason his family was never sure of his safety for a single day, but\nlived from moment to moment in anguish, foreseeing and dreading the\nhour of his martyrdom. Here was the family, everywhere known as\nBahá’ís; their enemies, stony-hearted tyrants;\ntheir government inflexibly, permanently against them; their reigning\nSovereign rabid for blood.\n\nIt is obvious how life would be for such a household.\nEvery day there was a new incident, more turmoil, another uproar, and\nthey could not draw a breath in peace. Then, he was martyred. The\nGovernment proved brutal and savage to such a degree that the human\nrace cried out and trembled. All his possessions were stripped away\nand plundered, and his family lacked even their daily bread.\n\nFátimih spent her nights in weeping; till dawn\nbroke, her only companions were tears. Whenever she gazed on her\nchildren, she would sigh, wearing away like a candle in devouring\ngrief. But then she would thank God, and she would say: “Praised\nbe the Lord, these agonies, these broken fortunes are on\nBahá’u’lláh’s account, for His dear\nsake.” She would call to mind the defenseless family of the\nmartyred Ḥusayn, and what calamities they were privileged to\nbear in the pathway of God. And as she pondered those events, her\nheart would leap up, and she would cry, “Praise be to God! We\ntoo have become companions of the Prophet’s Household.”101\n\n\nBecause the family was in such straits, Bahá’u’lláh\ndirected them to come to the Most Great Prison so that, sheltered in\nthese precincts of abounding grace, they might be compensated for all\nthat had passed. Here for a time she lived, joyful, thankful, and\npraising God. And although the son of the King of Martyrs, Mírzá\n‘Abdu’l-Ḥusayn, died in the prison, still his\nmother, Fátimih, accepted this, resigned herself to the will\nof God, did not so much as sigh or cry out, and did not go into\nmourning. Not a word did she utter to bespeak her grief.\n\nThis handmaid of God was infinitely patient, dignified\nand reserved, and at all times thankful. But then Bahá’u’lláh\nleft the world, and this was the supreme affliction, the ultimate\nanguish, and she could endure no more. The shock and alarm were such\nthat like a fish taken from the water she writhed on the ground,\ntrembled and shook as if her whole being quaked, until at last she\ntook leave of her children and she died. She rose up into the\nshadowing mercy of God and was plunged in an ocean of light. Unto her\nbe salutations and praise, compassion and glory. May God make sweet\nher resting-place with the outpourings of His heavenly mercy; in the\nshade of the Divine Lote-Tree102\nmay He honor her dwelling.\n\nHe is God!103\n\n\nThou seest, O my Lord, the assemblage of Thy loved ones,\nthe company of Thy friends, gathered by the precincts of Thine\nall-sufficing Shrine, and in the neighborhood of Thine exalted\ngarden, on a day among the days of Thy Ridván Feast—that\nblessed time when Thou didst dawn upon the world, shedding thereon\nthe lights of Thy holiness, spreading abroad the bright rays of Thy\noneness, and didst issue forth from Baghdád, with a\nmajesty and might that encompassed all mankind; with a glory that\nmade all to fall prostrate before Thee, all heads to bow, every neck\nto bend low, and the gaze of every man to be cast down. They are\ncalling Thee to mind and making mention of Thee, their breasts\ngladdened with the lights of Thy bestowals, their souls restored by\nthe evidences of Thy gifts, speaking Thy praise, turning their faces\ntoward Thy Kingdom, humbly supplicating Thy lofty Realms.\n\nThey are gathered here to commemorate Thy bright and\nholy handmaid, a leaf of Thy green Tree of Heaven, a luminous\nreality, a spiritual essence, who ever implores Thy tender\ncompassion. She was born into the arms of Divine wisdom, and she\nsuckled at the breast of certitude; she flourished in the cradle of\nfaith and rejoiced in the bosom of Thy love, O merciful, O\ncompassionate Lord! And she grew to womanhood in a house from which\nthe sweet savors of oneness were spread abroad. But while she was yet\na girl, distress came upon her in Thy path, and misfortune assailed\nher, O Thou the Bestower, and in her defenseless youth she drank from\nthe cups of sorrow and pain, out of love for Thy beauty, O Thou the\nForgiver!\n\nThou knowest, O my God, the calamities she joyfully bore\nin Thy pathway, the trials she confronted in Thy love, with a face\nthat radiated delight. How many a night, as others lay on their beds\nin soft repose, was she wakeful, humbly entreating Thy heavenly\nRealm. How many a day did Thy people spend, safe in the citadel of\nThy sheltering care, while her heart was harried from what had come\nupon Thy holy ones.\n\nO my Lord, her days and her years passed by, and\nwhenever she saw the morning light she wept over the sorrows of Thy\nservants, and when the evening shadows fell she cried and called out\nand burned in a fiery anguish for what had befallen Thy bondsmen. And\nshe arose with all her strength to serve Thee, to beseech the Heaven\nof Thy mercy, and in lowliness to entreat Thee and to rest her heart\nupon Thee. And she came forth veiled in holiness, her garments\nunspotted by the nature of Thy people, and she entered into wedlock\nwith Thy servant on whom Thou didst confer Thy richest gifts, and in\nwhom Thou didst reveal the ensigns of Thine endless mercy, and whose\nface, in Thine all-glorious Realm, Thou didst make to shine with\neverlasting light. She married him whom Thou didst lodge in the\nassemblage of reunion, one with the Company on high; him whom Thou\ndidst cause to eat of all heavenly foods, him on whom Thou didst\nshower Thy blessings, on whom Thou didst bestow the title: Martyrs’\nKing.\n\nAnd she dwelt for some years under the protection of\nthat manifest Light; and with all her soul she served at Thy\nThreshold, holy and luminous; preparing foods and a place of rest and\ncouches for all Thy loved ones that came, and she had no other joy\nbut this. Lowly and humble she was before each of Thy handmaids,\ndeferring to each, serving each one with her heart and soul and her\nwhole being, out of love for Thy beauty, and seeking to win Thy good\npleasure. Until her house became known by Thy name, and the fame of\nher husband was noised abroad, as one belonging to Thee, and the Land\nof Sád (Iṣfáhán) shook and exulted for\njoy, because of continual blessings from this mighty champion of\nThine; and the scented herbage of Thy knowledge and the roses of Thy\nbounty began to burgeon out, and a great multitude was led to the\nwaters of Thy mercy.\n\nThen the ignoble and the ignorant amongst Thy creatures\nrose against him, and with tyranny and malice they pronounced his\ndeath; and void of justice, with harsh oppression, they shed his\nimmaculate blood. Under the glittering sword that noble personage\ncried out to Thee: “Praised be Thou, O my God, that on the\nPromised Day, Thou hast helped me to attain this manifest grace; that\nThou hast reddened the dust with my blood, spilled out upon Thy path,\nso that it puts forth crimson flowers. Favor and grace are Thine, to\ngrant me this gift which in all the world I longed for most. Thanks\nbe unto Thee that Thou didst succor me and confirm me and didst give\nme to drink of this cup that was tempered at the camphor fountain104—on\nthe Day of Manifestation, at the hands of the cupbearer of martyrdom,\nin the assemblage of delights. Thou art verily the One full of grace,\nthe Generous, the Bestower.”\n\nAnd after they had killed him they invaded his princely\nhouse. They attacked like preying wolves, like lions at the hunt, and\nthey sacked and plundered and pillaged, seizing the rich furnishings,\nthe ornaments and the jewels. She was in dire peril then, left with\nthe fragments of her broken heart. This violent assault took place\nwhen the news of his martyrdom was spread abroad, and the children\ncried out as panic struck at their hearts; they wailed and shed\ntears, and sounds of mourning rose from out of that splendid home,\nbut there was none to weep over them, there was none to pity them.\nRather was the night of tyranny made to deepen about them, and the\nfiery Hell of injustice blazed out hotter than before; nor was there\nany torment but the evil doers brought it to bear, nor any agony but\nthey inflicted it. And this holy leaf remained, she and her brood, in\nthe grip of their oppressors, facing the malice of the unmindful,\nwith none to be their shield.\n\nAnd the days passed by when tears were her only\ncompanions, and her comrades were cries; when she was mated to\nanguish, and had nothing but grief for a friend. And yet in these\nsufferings, O my Lord, she did not cease to love Thee; she did not\nfail Thee, O my Beloved, in these fiery ordeals. Though disasters\nfollowed one upon another, though tribulations compassed her about,\nshe bore them all, she patiently endured them all, to her they were\nThy gifts and favors, and in all her massive agony—O Thou, Lord\nof most beauteous names—Thy praise was on her lips.\n\nThen she gave up her homeland, rest, refuge and shelter,\nand taking her young, like the birds she winged her way to this\nbright and holy Land—that here she might nest and sing Thy\npraise as the birds do, and busy herself in Thy love with all her\npowers, and serve Thee with all her being, all her soul and heart.\nShe was lowly before every handmaid of Thine, humble before every\nleaf of the garden of Thy Cause, occupied with Thy remembrance,\nsevered from all except Thyself.\n\nAnd her cries were lifted up at dawntide, and the sweet\naccents of her chanting would be heard in the night season and at the\nbright noonday, until she returned unto Thee, and winged her way to\nThy Kingdom; went seeking the shelter of Thy Threshold and soared\nupward to Thine everlasting sky. O my Lord, reward her with the\ncontemplation of Thy beauty, feed her at the table of Thine eternity,\ngive her a home in Thy neighborhood, sustain her in the gardens of\nThy holiness as Thou willest and pleasest; bless Thou her lodging,\nkeep her safe in the shade of Thy heavenly Tree; lead her, O Lord,\ninto the pavilions of Thy godhood, make her to be one of Thy signs,\none of Thy lights.\n\nVerily Thou art the Generous, the Bestower, the\nForgiver, the All-Merciful.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Áqá Ḥusayn-i-Áshchí (Cook of the Household)",
"slug": "mof-aqa-husayn-ashchi",
"summary": "'Abdu'l-Bahá's tribute to Áqá Ḥusayn-i-Áshchí — the household cook of Bahá'u'lláh through the long years of exile, whose patient service in the kitchen sustained the daily life of the prophetic Household for decades.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Aqa Husayn-i-Ashchi"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9276,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"exile",
"service",
"household"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"humility",
"faith",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/memorials-faithful/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the believers of the inner household whom 'Abdu'l-Bahá\nremembers in *Memorials of the Faithful* is Áqá Ḥusayn-i-Áshchí\n— a man whose entire adult life was given to the daily kitchen\nwork of the prophetic Household.\n\nThe title *Áshchí* is the Persian for *cook.* It was, in the\nnineteenth-century household, an honourable trade but not a\ndistinguished one. The cook was the man who rose first, lit\nthe kitchen fire, prepared the bread and the rice, and\ndelivered the meals to the family table. He served from the\nkitchen door inward and was rarely seen from the household\nside.\n\nÁqá Ḥusayn took up this work in the household of Bahá'u'lláh\nduring the Adrianople period and continued in it through the\nremoval to 'Akká and through the long decades of the\nimprisonment in the citadel and afterwards. He was, in the\ninformal hierarchy of the household, the one whose hands\nprepared the food the Holy Family ate.\n\nThe Master's *Memorial* is brief but pointed. He records the\nfollowing qualities. *His patience.* The strain of cooking\nfor a household of perhaps fifteen souls under conditions of\nprolonged poverty, intermittent shortage, and political\nstrain was substantial. Áqá Ḥusayn bore it for thirty years\nwithout recorded complaint.\n\n*His skill.* He could produce, from the limited materials\nthe household budget allowed, meals that were both\nsufficient and appetising. The Master notes particularly his\nability to make a small quantity of meat go a great\ndistance, his careful management of the household stores,\nand his unfailing readiness to receive unexpected guests at\nthe meal — for the Master frequently brought home, without\nwarning, additional persons who would need to be fed.\n\n*His piety.* The cook's hands were the hands of a believer.\nThe food that was prepared was prepared with the prayer of\nthe believer. Áqá Ḥusayn was observed by the household to\nkeep, even in the heat and pressure of the kitchen, the\ninward composure of a man whose work was an act of devotion\nrather than a burden of necessity.\n\nThe Master adds a small note. *At the kitchen door, in the\nsteam of the day's cooking, his faith was tried as elsewhere\nit is tried in the prison.* The kitchen was, for Áqá Ḥusayn,\nthe prison-cell of his own particular discipline. He bore\nit with the dignity that other believers brought to other\ntrials.\n\nHe died in 'Akká, in the household he had served for\nthirty years. The Master closes the *Memorial* with a few\nwords of unfeigned affection: *He was loved by the\nbelievers, by the Holy Family, by the Pen of the Most High.\nHis ascent was attended by all our prayers.*\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Áqá Mírzá Maḥmúd and Áqá Riḍá",
"slug": "mof-aqa-mirza-mahmud-and-aqa-rida",
"summary": "These two blessed souls, Mírzá Maḥmúd of Káshán and Áqá Riḍá of Shíráz, were like two lamps lit with God’s love from the oil of His knowledge. Encompassed by Divine bestowals from childhood on, they succeeded in rendering every kind of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Áqá Mírzá Maḥmúd and Áqá Riḍá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Áqá Riḍá-i-Qannád"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"devotion",
"faith",
"kindness",
"love",
"loyalty",
"service",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThese two blessed souls, Mírzá Maḥmúd\nof Káshán and Áqá Riḍá\nof Shíráz, were like two lamps lit with God’s\nlove from the oil of His knowledge. Encompassed by Divine bestowals\nfrom childhood on, they succeeded in rendering every kind of service\nfor fifty-five years. Their services were countless, beyond\nrecording.\n\nWhen the retinue of Bahá’u’lláh\nleft Baghdád for Constantinople, He was accompanied by\na great crowd of people. Along the way, they met with famine\nconditions. These two souls strode along on foot, ahead of the howdah\nin which Bahá’u’lláh was riding, and\ncovered a distance of seven or eight farsakhs every day.\nWayworn and faint, they would reach the halting-place; and yet, weary\nas they were, they would immediately set about preparing and cooking\nthe food, and seeing to the comfort of the believers. The efforts\nthey made were truly more than flesh can bear. There were times when\nthey had not more than two or three hours sleep out of the\ntwenty-four; because, once the friends had eaten their meal, these\ntwo would be busy collecting and washing up the dishes and cooking\nutensils; this would take them till midnight, and only then would\nthey rest. At daybreak they would rise, pack everything, and set out\nagain, in front of the howdah of Bahá’u’lláh.\nSee what a vital service they were able to render, and for what\nbounty they were singled out: from the start of the journey, at\nBaghdád, to the arrival in Constantinople, they walked\nclose beside Bahá’u’lláh; they made every\none of the friends happy; they brought rest and comfort to all; they\nprepared whatever anyone asked.\n\nÁqá Riḍá and Mírzá\nMaḥmúd were the very essence of God’s love,\nutterly detached from all but God. In all that time no one ever heard\neither of them raise his voice. They never hurt nor offended anyone.\nThey were trustworthy, loyal, true. Bahá’u’lláh\nshowered blessings upon them. They were continually entering His\npresence and He would be expressing His satisfaction with them.\n\nMírzá Maḥmúd was a youth when\nhe arrived in Baghdád from Káshán.\nÁqá Riḍá became a believer in Baghdád.\nThe spiritual condition of the two was indescribable. There was in\nBaghdád a company of seven leading believers who lived\nin a single, small room, because they were destitute. They could\nhardly keep body and soul together, but they were so spiritual, so\nblissful, that they thought themselves in Heaven. Sometimes they\nwould chant prayers all night long, until the day broke. Days, they\nwould go out to work, and by nightfall one would have earned ten\nparas, another perhaps twenty paras, others forty or fifty. These\nsums would be spent for the evening meal. On a certain day one of\nthem made twenty paras, while the rest had nothing at all. The one\nwith the money bought some dates, and shared them with the others;\nthat was dinner, for seven people. They were perfectly content with\ntheir frugal life, supremely happy.\n\nThese two honored men devoted their days to all that is\nbest in human life: they had seeing eyes; they were mindful and\naware; they had hearing ears, and were fair of speech. Their sole\ndesire was to please Bahá’u’lláh. To them,\nnothing was a bounty at all, except service at His Holy Threshold.\nAfter the time of the Supreme Affliction, they were consumed with\nsorrow, like candles flickering away; they longed for death, and\nstayed firm in the Covenant and labored hard and well to spread that\nDaystar’s Faith. They were close and trusted companions of\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and could be relied on in all\nthings. They were always lowly, humble, unassuming, evanescent. In\nall that long period, they never uttered a word which had to do with\nself.\n\nAnd at the last, during the absence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,\nthey took their flight to the Kingdom of unfading glory. I sorrowed\nmuch because I was not with them when they died. Although absent in\nbody, I was there in my heart, and mourning over them; but to outward\nseeming I did not bid them good-by; this is why I grieve.\n\nUnto them both be salutations and praise; upon them be\ncompassion and glory. May God give them a home in Paradise, under the\nLote-Tree’s shade. May they be immersed in tiers of light,\nclose beside their Lord, the Mighty, the All-Powerful.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Áqá Muḥammad-Báqir and Áqá Muḥammad-Ismá'íl, the Tailor",
"slug": "mof-aqa-muhammad-baqir-and-isma-il-tailor",
"summary": "Two brothers from Káshán who emigrated to Adrianople with the community of believers, were arrested with the exiles and brought to 'Akká, and there both fell ill and died on the same night. Without permission for proper burial, the friends sold a prayer carpet to pay for their interment, and the two brothers were laid in a single grave, beneath the earth as in life embraced.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Áqá Muḥammad-Báqir",
"Áqá Muḥammad-Ismá'íl",
"Pahlaván Riḍá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "Akko, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"exile",
"prison",
"sacrifice",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"loyalty",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/memorials-faithful/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the chapter of *Memorials of the Faithful* devoted to Áqá\nMuḥammad-Báqir and Áqá Muḥammad-Ismá’íl, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells the\nstory of two brothers from Káshán whose lives ended together\nin the early days of the prison at ‘Akká.\n\nThe brothers were related to Pahlaván Riḍá, a famous figure of\nthe Káshán community. The Master inserts, into the chapter, a\nremembered anecdote about Pahlaván Riḍá: though he appeared to\nthe eye uneducated, he had once entered into a theological\ndebate with the eminent Ḥájí Muḥammad-Karím Khán of Káshán on\nthe question of the *Fourth Pillar* — and had, with simple\nquestions, exposed the contradictions in the Ḥájí’s system.\n\nThe two brothers, Báqir and Ismá’íl, had emigrated from Persia\nto Adrianople when the community of the friends was gathered\nthere about Bahá’u’lláh. When the order for the further exile\nto ‘Akká was given, they were taken with the others. They\nendured the long journey by ship and by land. They arrived at\nthe ‘Akká fortress with the rest of the prisoners.\n\nThe early days of the prison, the Master writes, were the\nworst. The air of the city was reckoned by the local\ninhabitants to be deadly to newcomers. Many of the believers\nfell ill within weeks of their arrival. Báqir and Ismá’íl were\ntwo of those whose constitutions could not endure the change.\n\nThey both fell sick. They lay in the same room. There were no\nphysicians to attend them. They died on the same night.\n\nThe authorities of the prison did not permit the customary\nrites of burial. The friends had no money to purchase a grave\nor to pay for the labour of digging it. To meet the necessity,\none of the small possessions of the prison household — a prayer\ncarpet — was sold, and the proceeds went to pay for the\ninterment.\n\nThe two brothers were buried in a single grave. They were laid\nin their simple clothes. They were placed embraced, as they had\nbeen at the moment of death. The Master writes the image into\nhis chapter:\n\n> They remained embraced beneath the earth as they had been in\n> death.\n\nBahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá records, *showered His blessings on\nthese two brothers* in spite of the indignity of their burial\ncircumstances. He commemorated them in His writings. The\nabsence of a proper marker on the earth was answered by His\nnaming them in the eternal record.\n\nUpon Áqá Muḥammad-Báqir and Áqá Muḥammad-Ismá’íl be salutations\nand praise. May their resting place — wherever now in the soil\nof ‘Akká it may be — be encompassed by the light of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í World Centre). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Áqá Riḍáy-i-Shírází (the Companion of the Exile)",
"slug": "mof-aqa-rida-shirazi",
"summary": "'Abdu'l-Bahá's tribute to Áqá Riḍá of Shíráz — the steadfast companion who served the household of Bahá'u'lláh through the years of exile from Baghdád to 'Akká, never failing in his attendance on his Lord.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Áqá Riḍáy-i-Shírází"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9276,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"exile",
"service",
"companions"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"loyalty",
"patience",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/memorials-faithful/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *Memorials of the Faithful*, 'Abdu'l-Bahá recalls Áqá\nRiḍáy-i-Shírází among the most steady of the small inner\ncircle of believers who accompanied Bahá'u'lláh through the\nsuccessive stages of His exile.\n\nÁqá Riḍá was a Shírází by origin — born in the city that had\nalready become, by the events of 1844, the cradle of the new\nDispensation. He embraced the Bábí Cause as a young man and\nfollowed its teaching through its difficult early years. When\nBahá'u'lláh's identity as the Promised One of the Báb began to\nbe known in the Bábí community in Baghdád, Áqá Riḍá found his\nway there and entered the Master's circle.\n\nFrom that point his life was given over, without further\ndeliberation, to the household of his Lord. He was among the\nsmall group that travelled with Bahá'u'lláh from Baghdád to\nConstantinople in 1863, accompanied Him on to Adrianople,\nand made the further journey to the prison-city of 'Akká in\n1868. Through each removal he carried the same uncomplaining\nwillingness — packing, unpacking, attending the household, doing\nwhatever the small day's particular labour required.\n\n'Abdu'l-Bahá's portrait of him emphasises his pastoral\nqualities. He was *a sweet-natured man, gentle in speech,\nfaithful in the small daily things, never absent from his\npost.* He was not, in the public record, a teacher or a\nwriter. His service was the steady silent service of the\ncompanion. He did not draw attention to himself. He did the\nsmall things that allowed his Lord to do the great ones.\n\nThe Master notes that Áqá Riḍá was particularly trusted with\nthe practical management of the household — the marketing, the\npreparation of meals, the maintenance of the small material\norder on which the spiritual labour of the household\ndepended. In the strained financial circumstances of the\nexile years — circumstances often barely above subsistence —\nthis stewardship required both skill and unflinching\ncharacter. Áqá Riḍá brought both.\n\nAfter Bahá'u'lláh's ascension in 1892, Áqá Riḍá remained in\nthe service of the household and turned his loyalty\nunhesitatingly to 'Abdu'l-Bahá. He continued, into the early\nyears of the Master's ministry, the same patient daily work\nhe had been performing for thirty years. He died at length\nin 'Akká, having spent the whole adult portion of his life\nin the company of his Lord.\n\nThe Master concludes: *He has joined the company of the\nfaithful in the realm above, and the Supreme Companion\nwelcomes him.*\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Aẓím-i-Tafríshí",
"slug": "mof-azim-i-tafrishi",
"summary": "This man of God came from the district of Tafrísh. He was detached from the world, fearless, independent of kindred and stranger alike. He was one of the earliest believers, and belonged to the company of the faithful. It was in Persia…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Aẓím-i-Tafríshí",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Adrianople",
"lat": 41.6771,
"lng": 26.5557,
"modernName": "Edirne, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"prison",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"love",
"loyalty",
"mercy",
"patience",
"service",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis man of God came from the district of Tafrísh.\nHe was detached from the world, fearless, independent of kindred and\nstranger alike. He was one of the earliest believers, and belonged to\nthe company of the faithful. It was in Persia that he won the honor\nof belief, and began to assist the friends; he was a servant to every\nbeliever, a trusted helper to every traveler. With Músáy-i-Qumí,\nupon whom be the glory of God, he came to ‘Iráq,\nreceived his portion of bounty from the Light of the World, and was\nhonored with entering the presence of Bahá’u’lláh,\nattending upon Him and becoming the object of bestowals and grace.\n\nAfter a time, Aẓím and Ḥájí\nMírzá Músá went back to Persia, where he\ncontinued to render service to the friends, purely for God’s\nsake. Without wage or stipend he served Mírzá\nNasru’lláh of Tafrísh for a number of\nyears, his faith and certitude growing stronger with every passing\nday. Mírzá Nasru’lláh then left Persia for\nAdrianople, and in his company came Jináb-i-‘Aẓím,\nand entered the presence of Bahá’u’lláh. He\nkept on serving with love and loyalty, purely for the sake of God;\nand when the convoy departed for Akká, Aẓím\nreceived the distinction of accompanying Bahá’u’lláh,\nand he entered the Most Great Prison.\n\nIn the prison he was chosen to serve the Household; he\nbecame the water carrier both within doors and on the outside. He\nundertook many hard tasks in the barracks. He had no rest at all, day\nor night. Aẓím—“the great, the\nmagnificent”—was magnificent as to character. He was\npatient, long-suffering, forbearing, shunning the stain of this\nearth. And since he was the family water carrier, he had the honor of\ncoming into Bahá’u’lláh’s presence\nevery day.\n\nHe was a good companion to all the friends, a\nconsolation to their hearts; he brought happiness to all of them, the\npresent and the absent as well. Many and many a time, Bahá’u’lláh\nwas heard to express His approval of this man. He always maintained\nthe same inner condition; he was constant, never subject to change.\nHe was always happy-looking. He did not know the meaning of fatigue.\nHe was never despondent. When anyone asked a service of him, he\nperformed it at once. He was staunch and firm in his faith, a tree\nthat grew in the scented garden of God’s tenderness.\n\nAfter he had served at the Holy Threshold for many long\nyears, he hastened away, tranquil, serene, rejoicing in the tidings\nof the Kingdom, out of this swiftly fading life to the world that\ndoes not die. The friends, all of them, mourned his passing, but the\nBlessed Beauty eased their hearts, for He lavished grace and praise\non him who was gone.\n\nMercies be upon Aẓím from the Kingdom of\nDivine compassion; God’s glory be upon him, at nightfall and\nthe rising of the sun.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of the Consort of the King of Martyrs",
"slug": "mof-consort-king-of-martyrs",
"summary": "Fáṭimih Begum, widow of the King of Martyrs of Iṣfáhán, lost her father at Badasht in childhood, married a husband whose faith would cost him his life, was stripped of every possession by the government, and ended her years in 'Akká, where the ascension of Bahá'u'lláh proved more than her heart could bear.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Fáṭimih Begum",
"King of Martyrs",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "Iṣfáhán",
"lat": 32.6546,
"lng": 51.668,
"modernName": "Isfahan, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"persecution",
"martyrdom",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"patience",
"steadfastness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/memorials-faithful/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe chapter of *Memorials of the Faithful* devoted to *the\nConsort of the King of Martyrs* commemorates Fáṭimih Begum, the\nwidow of the believer of Iṣfáhán remembered in Bahá'í history\nby the title Bahá'u'lláh Himself bestowed on him: *Sulṭánu'sh-\nShuhadá,* the King of Martyrs.\n\nHer life, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá writes, was a life of sustained\naffliction. She was the daughter of one of the early believers\nwho fell at the Conference of Badasht; she lost her father in\nchildhood. She came of age in a household marked already by\nsacrifice.\n\nShe married a man whose faith was not of the kind that could\nbe hidden. The King of Martyrs of Iṣfáhán was an open and\nprominent Bahá’í; the city authorities pursued him with a\nparticular and constant hostility. The Master writes of the\nyears of their marriage in summary:\n\n> Every day there was a new incident, more turmoil, another\n> uproar.\n\nWhen at length the King of Martyrs and his brother were put to\ndeath by the order of the local clergy, the government — by\nthe customary practice of the Persian state — moved at once\nupon the family’s possessions. Their house was sequestered.\nTheir goods were seized. Fáṭimih Begum and her children were\nleft destitute.\n\nShe bore the loss, the Master writes, with a patience that\namazed the friends. She wept by night for the husband she had\nlost; by day she gave thanks that the loss had been suffered\nin the path of Bahá’u’lláh. Her own faith deepened under the\nweight.\n\nBahá’u’lláh, learning of the family’s condition, invited them\nto the Most Great Prison — to come to ‘Akká, where they would\nbe under His protection. They came. The Master records that\nFáṭimih Begum lived gratefully in ‘Akká, in the\nneighbourhood of the household, sustained by the proximity of\nher Lord.\n\nAffliction, however, did not desert her in the prison city.\nHer son fell ill and died. She bore that loss as she had borne\nthe others — by weeping in the night and giving thanks in the\nmorning.\n\nWhen at length, in 1892, Bahá’u’lláh Himself ascended,\nFáṭimih Begum could not bear it. The Master writes the closing\nof her chapter in a single sentence:\n\n> She took leave of her children and she died.\n\nUpon the Consort of the King of Martyrs be salutations and\npraise. The patience that endured the public losses, the\nprivate losses, the losses of fortune and of family — the\npatience that endured all of these things and broke at last\nonly at the loss of her Lord — is one of the great\npatiences of which the chapters of this book preserve the\nrecord.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í World Centre). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Darvísh Ṣidq-‘Alí",
"slug": "mof-darvish-sidq-ali",
"summary": "Áqá Ṣidq-‘Alí was yet one more of those who left their native land, journeyed to Bahá’u’lláh and were put in the Prison. He was a dervish; a man who lived free and detached from friend and stranger alike. He belonged to the mystic…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Darvísh Ṣidq-‘Alí",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"prison",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"loyalty",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nÁqá Ṣidq-‘Alí was yet\none more of those who left their native land, journeyed to\nBahá’u’lláh and were put in the Prison. He\nwas a dervish; a man who lived free and detached from friend and\nstranger alike. He belonged to the mystic element and was a man of\nletters. He spent some time wearing the dress of poverty, drinking\nthe wine of the Rule and traveling the Path,22\nbut unlike the other Súfís he did not devote his life\nto dusty hashísh; on the contrary, he cleansed\nhimself of their vain imaginings and only searched for God, spoke of\nGod, and followed the path of God.\n\nHe had a fine poetic gift and wrote odes to sing the\npraises of Him Whom the world has wronged and rejected. Among them is\na poem written while he was a prisoner in the barracks at Akká,\nthe chief couplet of which reads:\n\nA hundred hearts Thy curling locks ensnare,\nAnd it rains hearts when Thou dost toss Thy hair.\n\nThat free and independent soul discovered, in Baghdád,\na trace of the untraceable Beloved. He witnessed the dawning of the\nDaystar above the horizon of ‘Iráq, and received the\nbounty of that sunrise. He came under the spell of Bahá’u’lláh,\nand was enraptured by that tender Companion. Although he was a quiet\nman, one who held his peace, his very limbs were like so many tongues\ncrying out their message. When the retinue of Bahá’u’lláh\nwas about to leave Baghdád he implored permission to go\nalong as a groom. All day, he walked beside the convoy, and when\nnight came he would attend to the horses. He worked with all his\nheart. Only after midnight would he seek his bed and lie down to\nrest; the bed, however, was his mantle, and the pillow a sun-dried\nbrick.\n\nAs he journeyed, filled with yearning love, he would\nsing poems. He greatly pleased the friends. In him the name23\nbespoke the man: he was pure candor and truth; he was love itself; he\nwas chaste of heart, and enamored of Bahá’u’lláh.\nIn his high station, that of groom, he reigned like a king; indeed he\ngloried over the sovereigns of the earth. He was assiduous in\nattendance upon Bahá’u’lláh; in all things,\nupright and true.\n\nThe convoy of the lovers went on; it reached\nConstantinople; it passed to Adrianople, and finally to the Akká\nprison. Ṣidq-‘Alí was present throughout,\nfaithfully serving its Commander.\n\nWhile in the barracks, Bahá’u’lláh\nset apart a special night and He dedicated it to Darvísh\nṢidq-‘Alí. He wrote that every year on that night\nthe dervishes should bedeck a meeting place, which should be in a\nflower garden, and gather there to make mention of God. He went on to\nsay that “dervish” does not denote those persons who\nwander about, spending their nights and days in fighting and folly;\nrather, He said, the term designates those who are completely severed\nfrom all but God, who cleave to His laws, are firm in His Faith,\nloyal to His Covenant, and constant in worship. It is not a name for\nthose who, as the Persians say, tramp about like vagrants, are\nconfused, unsettled in mind, a burden to others, and of all mankind\nthe most coarse and rude.\n\nThis eminent dervish spent his whole life-span under the\nsheltering favor of God. He was completely detached from worldly\nthings. He was attentive in service, and waited upon the believers\nwith all his heart. He was a servant to all of them, and faithful at\nthe Holy Threshold.\n\nThen came that hour when, not far from his Lord, he\nstripped off the cloak of life, and to physical eyes passed into the\nshadows, but to the mind’s eye betook himself to what is plain\nas day; and he was seated there on a throne of lasting glory. He\nescaped from the prison of this world, and pitched his tent in a wide\nand spacious land. May God ever keep him close and bless him in that\nmystic realm with perpetual reunion and the beatific vision; may he\nbe wrapped in tiers of light. Upon him be the glory of God, the\nAll-Glorious. His grave is in Akká.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Footnotes",
"slug": "mof-footnotes",
"summary": "1.For the author of The Dawn-Breakers, see Nabíl-i-Zarandí.2.Cf. Nabíl, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 395, note 1.3.Cf. Qur’án 19:98.4.Qur’án 3:91.5.Qur’án 54:55.6.1849–1850.7.1853; 1892.8.Áqá Ján. Cf. Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Footnotes",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Shoghi Effendi",
"the Báb",
"Mírzá Mihdí",
"Mullá Ḥusayn",
"Mishkín-Qalam"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"martyrdom",
"exile",
"the-covenant",
"women",
"family",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice",
"loyalty",
"prayer",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 11,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n1.For\nthe author of The Dawn-Breakers, see Nabíl-i-Zarandí.2.Cf.\nNabíl, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 395, note 1.3.Cf.\nQur’án 19:98.4.Qur’án\n3:91.5.Qur’án\n54:55.6.1849–1850.7.1853;\n1892.8.Áqá\nJán. Cf. Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 189.9.Siyyid\nMuḥammad, the Antichrist of the Bahá’í\nRevelation. Cf. Ibid., pp. 164 and 189.10.The\nAfnán are the kindred of the Báb. Ibid., pp. 239; 328.11.Herald\nof the Prophet Muḥammad.12.Qur’án\n68:4.13.This\nwine, Rúmí says elsewhere, comes from the jar of “Yea\nverily.” That is, it symbolizes the Primal Covenant\nestablished between God and man on the day of “Am I not your\nLord?” On that day, the Creator summoned posterity out of the\nloins of Adam and said to the generations unborn, “Am I not\nyour Lord?” Whereupon they answered, “Yea, verily, Thou\nart.” Cf. Qur’án 7:171.14.The\nTurkish para was one-ninth of a cent. Cf. Webster, New International\nDictionary.15.Nabíl,\nauthor of The Dawn-Breakers, is Bahá’u’lláh’s\n“Poet-Laureate, His chronicler and His indefatigable\ndisciple.” Cf. God Passes By, p. 130.16.Mírzá\nYaḥyá, the community’s “nominal head,”\nwas the “center provisionally appointed pending the\nmanifestation of the Promised One.” Ibid., p. 127–28.17.A\nreference to Islámic symbolism, according to which good is\nprotected from evil: the angels repel such evil spirits as attempt\nto spy on Paradise, by hurling shooting stars at them. Cf. Qur’án\n15:18, 37:10 and 67:5.18.A\nreference to the declaration of Bahá’u’lláh’s\nadvent in 1863, as the Promised One of the Báb. The Báb’s\nown advent had taken place in the “year sixty”—1844.19.Bahá’í\nwritings emphasize that the “divinity attributed to so great a\nBeing and the complete incarnation of the names and attributes of\nGod in so exalted a Person should, under no circumstances, be\nmisconceived or misinterpreted ... that invisible yet rational God\n... however much we extol the divinity of His Manifestations on\nearth, can in no wise incarnate His infinite, His unknowable, His\nincorruptible and all-embracing Reality in ... a mortal being.”\nCf. Shoghi Effendi, The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh.20.According\nto the abjad reckoning, the letters of “shidád”\ntotal 309. 1892, the date of Bahá’u’lláh’s\nascension, was 1309 A.H.21.Gharíq.\nThe letters composing this word total 1310, which Hijra year began\nJuly 26, 1892.22.Terms\nused by the Súfís.23.Ṣidq,\ntruth.24.Qur’án\n54:55.25.This\nword has a number of meanings, including truthful, loyal and just.26.Yá\nSháfí.27.Qur’án\n76:5.28.Nabíl\nof Qá’in was his title.29.Qur’án\n5:59.30.The\nkran was 20 sháhís, or almost 8 cents. Cf.\nWebster, op. cit.31.Mírzá\nMihdí, the son of Bahá’u’lláh who,\npraying one evening on the barracks roof, fell to his death. Cf. God\nPasses By, p. 188.32.Cf.\nQur’án 13:28; 2:99; 3:67.33.Yazíd\n(son of Mu’ávíyyih), Ummayad Caliph by whose\norder the Imám Ḥusayn was martyred. Proverbial for\ncruelty. Cf. S. Haím, New Persian-English Dictionary, s.v.34.The\nrebellion of Mírzá Yaḥyá, who had been\nnamed provisional chief of the Bábí community. The Báb\nhad never appointed a successor or viceregent, instead referring His\ndisciples to the imminent advent of His Promised One. In the interim\na virtual unknown was, for security reasons, made the ostensible\nleader. Following His declaration in 1863 as the Promised One of the\nBáb, Bahá’u’lláh withdrew for a\ntime, in Adrianople, to allow the exiles a free choice as between\nHim and this unworthy half brother, whose crimes and follies had\nthreatened to destroy the infant Faith. Terrified at being\nchallenged to face Bahá’u’lláh in a public\ndebate, Mírzá Yaḥyá refused, and was\ncompletely discredited. As Bahá’í history has\nrepeatedly demonstrated, this crisis too, however grievous, resulted\nin still greater victories for the Faith—including the\nrallying of prominent disciples to Bahá’u’lláh,\nand the global proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh’s\nmission, in His Tablets to the Pope and Kings. Cf. God Passes By, p.\n28, Chapter X and passim.35.Mírzá\nYaḥyá had not been banished from Persia. Now, however,\nhe was being exiled from Adrianople to Cyprus, and ‘Abdu’l-Ghaffár\nwas one of the four companions condemned to go with him. Cf.\nBahá’u’lláh’s Epistle to the Son of\nthe Wolf, p. 166, and God Passes By, p. 182.36.Cf.\nQur’án 11:101; 11:100; 76:5; 76:22; 17:20.37.Cf.\nGod Passes By, p. 108.38.Cf.\nGod Passes By, pp. 186; 193; 196.39.Qur’án\n54:55.40.This\nreference to two worlds, du jihán, may indicate the saying:\nIṣfáhán is half the world—Isfahan\nnisf-i-jihán.41.For\nthis definition of the Manifestation of God, see God Passes By, p.\n119.42.These\n“twin shining lights” were two brothers, famous\nmerchants of Iṣfáhán. Because he owed them a\nlarge sum of money, the leading priest—Imam Jum’ih—of\nthe city brought about their martyrdom. See Bahá’u’lláh’s\nEpistle to the Son of the Wolf, and God Passes By, pp. 200–201\nand 219.43.Qur’án\n89:27–30.44.Qur’án\n24:35.45.Qur’án\n89:27–30.46.Cf.\nQur’án 13:28: “Truly in the remembrance of God\nare the hearts set at rest.”47.Qur’án\n76:5.48.Qur’án\n13:28.49.Qur’án\n3:91.50.Qur’án\n29:19; 53:48; 56:62.51.Mírzá\nMúsá.52.Cf.\nGod Passes By, p. 186.53.Some\nfour hundred miles northwest of Baghdád.54.Shikastih—broken—a\ncursive or half-shorthand script, is thought to have been invented\nat the close of the seventeenth century, in Hirát.55.Gawhar\nKhánum’s marriage to Bahá’u’lláh\ntook place in Baghdád. She remained with her brother\nin that city when Bahá’u’lláh left ‘Iráq\nand later proceeded to Akká at His instruction. While\ntraveling from Baghdád to Mosul, she was made captive\ntogether with other believers, among them Zaynu’l-Muqarrabín.\nBahá’u’lláh makes reference to this\ncaptivity in His Tablet to the Sháh.\n\n\nGawhar Khánum broke the Covenant of\nBahá’u’lláh following His passing. She\npassed away during the ministry of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.56.Qur’án\n76:9.57.A\nfamed calligrapher who lived and wrote at the court of Sháh-‘Abbás,\nthe Safaví (1557–1628).58.Mishk\nis musk. Mishkín-Qalam means either musk-scented pen,\nor jet black pen.59.Qur’án\n61:4.60.In\nsome of this artist’s productions, the writing was so arranged\nas to take the forms of birds. When E. G. Browne was in Persia, he\nwas told that “these would be eagerly sought after by Persians\nof all classes, were it not that they all bore, as the signature of\nthe penman, the following verse:\n\nDar díyár-i-khaṭṭ sháh-i-sáhib-‘álam\nBandiy-i-báb-i-Bahá, Mishkín-Qalam.”\n\nCf. A Year Amongst the Persians, p. 227. The verse might be translated:\n\nLord of calligraphy, my banner goes before;\nBut to Bahá’u’lláh, a bondsman at the door,\nNaught else I am,\nMishkín-Qalam.\n\nNote the\nwordplay on door, which makes possible the inclusion of the Báb’s\nname as well as Bahá’u’lláh’s.61.Ustád\nis a master, one who is skilled in an art or profession.62.Qur’án\n6:127.63.Qur’án\n3:28.64.Qur’án\n2:266, 267.65.For\nsome of these Arabic phrases, see Qur’án 3:170; 4:12,\n175; 5:16, 17; 11:100, 101; 28:79; 41:35.66.The\nBaghdád period in Bahá’í history\nwas from April 8, 1853 to May 3, 1863. According to various\nestimates the túman of the day ranged from $1.08 to $1.60.67.This\nwas in accord with the law of Islám. Cf. Qur’án\n4:12.68.Qur’án\n7:171.69.For\nthe tribulations following Bahá’u’lláh’s\ndeparture see God Passes By, chapter XV.70.Persia’s\nHercules.71.Qur’án\n89:27.72.Qur’án\n4:71.73.Cf.\nGod Passes By, p. 180.74.Qur’án\n89:27–30.75.The\nAfnán are the Báb’s kindred.76.Qur’án\n7:171.77.Qur’án\n39:69.78.The\nPromised One of the Báb.79.Islámic\nsymbolism: Satan is the “stoned one”; with shooting\nstars for stones, the angels repel demons from Paradise. Qur’án\n3:31, 15:17, 34; 37:7; 67:5.80.Qur’án\n2:17.81.Qur’án\n4:71.82.The\nPrime Minister.83.Qum\nis the shrine city of Fátimih, “the Immaculate.”\nSister of the eighth Imám, Imám Riḍá, she\nwas buried here in 816 A.D.84.The\nremainder of the verse is: “Let us split the roof of Heaven\nand draw a new design.”85.Qur’án\n52:4.86.Cf.\nQur’án 13:28.87.Qur’án\n3:190.88.Cf.\nQur’án 39:68.89.Qur’án\n7:171.90.Manqúl\nva ma’qúl: “desumed” versus “excogitated”\nknowledge.91.Qur’án\n3:190.92.Bahá’u’lláh\nwas accompanied by members of His family and twenty-six disciples.\nThe convoy included a mounted guard of ten soldiers with their\nofficer, a train of fifty mules, and seven pairs of howdahs, each\npair surmounted by four parasols. The journey to Constantinople\nlasted from May 3, 1863 to August 16. Cf. God Passes By, p. 156.93.Qur’án\n26:119; 36:41.94.Cf.\nQur’án 5:59.95.Qur’án\n39:68–69: “And there shall be a blast on the trumpet,\nand all who are in the heavens and all who are in the earth shall\nswoon away, save those whom God shall vouchsafe to live. Then shall\nthere be another blast on it, and lo! arising they shall gaze around\nthem: and the earth shall shine with the light of her Lord...”96.In\nShaykhí terminology, the Fourth Support or\nFourth Pillar was the perfect man or channel of grace, always to be\nsought. Ḥájí Muḥammad-Karím Khán\nregarded himself as such. Cf. Bahá’u’lláh,\nKitáb-i-Íqán (The Book of Certitude), p. 184,\nand ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, A Traveller’s Narrative,\np. 4.97.The\npromised Twelfth Imám.98.Allámíy-i-Hillí,\n“the Very Erudite Doctor,” title of the famed Shí’ih\ntheologian, Jamálu’d-Dín Ḥasan ibn-i-Yúsúf\nibn-i-‘Alí of Hilla (1250–1325 A.D.).99.The\nTurkish ghurúsh or piaster of the time was\nforty paras, the para one-ninth of a cent. These figures are\napproximate only.100.Accent\nthe first syllable: FÁ-teh-meh101.Gibbon\nwrites of the Imám Ḥusayn’s martyrdom and the\nfate of his Household, that “in a distant age and climate the\ntragic scene ... will awaken the sympathy of the coldest reader.”102.The\nSadratu’l-Muntahá, translated inter alia as the Sidrah\nTree which marks the boundary, and the Lote-Tree of the extremity.\nCf. Qur’án 53:14. It is said to stand at the loftiest\npoint in Paradise, and to mark the place beyond which neither men\nnor angels can pass. In Bahá’í terminology it\nrefers to the Manifestation of God.103.This\nprayer was revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for the\nConsort of the King of Martyrs.104.Qur’án\n76:5.105.Pronounced\nShams-oz-Zohá.106.A\nforerunner of the Báb, and co-founder of the Shaykhí\nSchool. See glossary.107.His\ndaughter, at a later date, became the consort of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.\nCf. God Passes By, p. 130, and The Dawn-Breakers, p. 461.108.“Gate\nof the Gate”, a title of Mullá Ḥusayn, the first\nto believe in the Báb. For an account of his sister, cf. The\nDawn-Breakers, p. 383, note.109.“Solace\nof the Eyes.”110.Persian\nwomen of the day went heavily veiled in public.111.Qur’án\n7:7; 14:42; 21:48; 57:25, etc112.Cf.\nNabíl, The Dawn-Breakers, chapter XV.113.The\nreference is to Muḥammad’s daughter, Fátimih,\n“the bright and fair of face, the Lady of Light.”114.Eldest\nson of the Sháh and ruler over more than two-fifths of\nthe kingdom. He ratified the death sentence. Soon after these\nevents, he fell into disgrace. Cf. God Passes By, p. 200; 232.115.The\neighth Imám, poisoned by order of the Caliph Ma’múm,\nA.H. 203, after the Imám had been officially designated as\nthe Caliph’s heir apparent. His shrine, with its golden dome,\nhas been called the glory of the Shí’ih world.\n“A part of My body is to be buried in Khurásán”,\nthe Prophet traditionally said.116.Pronounced\nTÁ-heh-reh.117.Cf.\nThe Dawn-Breakers, p. 81, note 2, and p. 285, note 2. Certain lines,\nthere translated by Shoghi Effendi, are incorporated here.118.A\nforerunner of the Báb, and first of the two founders of the\nShaykhí School. See glossary.119.Qur’án\n17:1; 30:56; 50:19; etc120.The\nsixth Imám.121.The\n“Ahsánu’l-Qisás,” the Báb’s\ncommentary on the Súrih of Joseph, was called the Qur’án\nof the Bábís, and was translated from Arabic into\nPersian by Táhirih. Cf. God Passes By, p. 23.122.Qur’án\n3:54: “Then will we invoke and lay the malison of God on those\nthat lie!” The ordeal was by imprecation.123.Qur’án\n21:48; 19:37, etc. In Islám the Bridge of Ṣiraṭ,\nsharp as a sword and finer than a hair, stretches across Hell to\nHeaven.124.Cf.\nThe Dawn-Breakers, p. 276. The murderer was not a Bábí,\nbut a fervent admirer of the Shaykhí leaders,\nthe Twin Luminous Lights.125.Cf.\nThe Dawn-Breakers, p. 278.126.This\nrefers to the doctrine that there are three ways to God: the Law\n(sharí’at), the Path (taríqat), and the\nTruth (haqíqat). That is, the law of the orthodox, the path\nof the dervish, and the truth. Cf. R. A. Nicholson, Commentary on\nthe Mathnaví of Rúmí, s.v.127.The\neighteenth Letter of the Living, martyred with unspeakable cruelty\nin the market place at Barfurúsh, when he was\ntwenty-seven. Bahá’u’lláh conferred on him\na station second only to that of the Báb Himself. Cf. The\nDawn-Breakers, pp. 408–415.128.Cf.\nQur’án 74:8 and 6:73. Also Isaiah 27:13 and Zechariah\n9:14.129.Qur’án,\nSúrih 56.130.A\nsystematic campaign against the new Faith had been launched in\nPersia by the civil and ecclesiastical authorities combined. The\nbelievers, cut down wherever they were isolated, banded together\nwhen they could, for protection against the Government, the clergy,\nand the people. Betrayed and surrounded as they passed through the\nforest of Mázindarán, some 300 believers, mostly\nstudents and recluses, built the Fort of Shaykh\nTabarsí and held out against the armies of Persia for eleven\nmonths. Cf. The Dawn-Breakers, chapters XIX and XX; God Passes By,\np. 37 et seq.131.On\nAugust 15, 1852, a half-crazed Bábí youth wounded the\nSháh with shot from a pistol. The assailant was\ninstantly killed, and the authorities carried out a wholesale\nmassacre of the believers, its climax described by Renan as “a\nday perhaps unparalleled in the history of the world.” Cf.\nLord Curzon, Persia and the Persian Question, pp. 501–2, and\nGod Passes By, p. 62 et seq.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Ḥájí ‘Abdu’r-Raḥím-i-Yazdí",
"slug": "mof-haji-abdu-r-rahim-i-yazdi",
"summary": "Ḥájí ‘Abdu’r-Raḥím of Yazd was a precious soul, from his earliest years virtuous and God-fearing, and known among the people as a holy man, peerless in observing his religious duties, mindful as to his acts. His strong religious faith…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Ḥájí ‘Abdu’r-Raḥím-i-Yazdí",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"prison",
"family",
"holy-land",
"holy-day",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"loyalty",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nḤájí ‘Abdu’r-Raḥím\nof Yazd was a precious soul, from his earliest years virtuous and\nGod-fearing, and known among the people as a holy man, peerless in\nobserving his religious duties, mindful as to his acts. His strong\nreligious faith was an indisputable fact. He served and worshiped God\nby day and night, was sound, mild, compassionate, a loyal friend.\n\nBecause he was fully prepared, at the very moment when\nhe heard the summons from the Supreme Horizon—heard the\ndrumbeats of “Am I not your Lord?”—he instantly\ncried out, “Yea, verily!” With his whole being, he became\nenamored of the splendors shed by the Light of the World. Openly and\nboldly he began to confirm his family and friends. This was soon\nknown throughout the city; to the eyes of the evil ‘ulamás,\nhe was now an object of hate and contempt. Incurring their wrath, he\nwas despised by those creatures of their own low passions. He was\nmolested and harassed; the inhabitants rioted, and the evil ‘ulamás\nplotted his death. The government authorities turned on him as well,\nhounded him, even subjected him to torture. They beat him with clubs,\nand whipped him. All this went on, by day and night.\n\nHe was forced, then, to abandon his home and go out of\nthe city, a vagrant, climbing the mountains, crossing over the\nplains, until he came to the Holy Land. But so weak he was, and\nwasted away, that whoever saw him thought he was breathing his last;\nwhen he reached Haifa, Nabíl of Qá’in hurried to\nAkká, and desired me to summon the Ḥájí at\nonce, because he was in his death agony and failing fast.\n\n“Let me go to the Mansion,” I said, “and\nask leave.” “It would take too long,” he said. “And\nthen ‘Abdu’r-Raḥím will never see Akká.\nI long for him to have this bounty; for him at least to see Akká,\nand die. I beg of You, send for him at once!”\n\nComplying with his wish, I summoned ‘Abdu’r-Raḥím.\nWhen he came, I could hardly detect in him a whisper of life. At\ntimes he would open his eyes, but he spoke no word. Still, the sweet\nsavors of the Most Great Prison restored the vital spark, and his\nyearning to meet Bahá’u’lláh breathed life\ninto him again. I looked in on him the next morning and found him\ncheerful and refreshed. He asked permission to attend upon\nBahá’u’lláh. “It all depends,”\nI answered, “on whether He grants you leave. God willing, you\nshall be singled out for this cherished gift.”\n\nA few days later, permission came, and he hastened to\nthe presence of Bahá’u’lláh. When\n‘Abdu’r-Raḥím entered there, the spirit of\nlife was wafted over him. On his return, it was clear that this Ḥájí\nhad become a different Ḥájí entirely: he was in\nthe bloom of health. Nabíl was dumbfounded, and said: “How\nlife-giving, to a true believer, is this prison air!”\n\nFor some time, ‘Abdu’r-Raḥím\nlived in the neighborhood. He spent his hours remembering and\npraising God; he chanted prayers, and carefully attended to his\nreligious duties. Thus he saw few people. This servant paid special\nattention to his needs, and ordered a light diet for him. But it all\ncame to an end with the Supreme Affliction, the ascension of\nBahá’u’lláh. There was anguish then, and\nthe noise of loud weeping. With his heart on fire, his eyes raining\ntears, he struggled weakly to move about; so his days went by, and\nalways, he longed to make his exit from this rubbish heap, the world.\nAt last he broke away from the torment of his loss, and hurried on to\nthe Realm of God, and came to the assemblage of Divine splendor in\nthe Kingdom of Lights.\n\nUnto him be salutations and praise, and mercy ineffable.\nMay God scatter on his resting-place rays from the mysterious Realm.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Ḥájí Abu'l-Ḥasan-i-Amín (the Trustee of Ḥuqúqu'lláh)",
"slug": "mof-haji-amin",
"summary": "'Abdu'l-Bahá's tribute to Ḥájí Amín — the Trustee of Ḥuqúqu'lláh, whose lifetime of patient travel through the Persian provinces, collecting and disbursing the offerings of the believers, sustained the financial life of the Cause for fifty years.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Ḥájí Abu'l-Ḥasan-i-Amín"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Ardakán",
"lat": 32.3097,
"lng": 53.9826,
"modernName": "Ardakán, Yazd Province, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"persia",
"service",
"huqququllah"
],
"virtues": [
"trustworthiness",
"service",
"faith",
"perseverance"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/memorials-faithful/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the small number of believers entrusted by Bahá'u'lláh\nwith a particular institutional responsibility was Ḥájí\nAbu'l-Ḥasan-i-Amín — known throughout the Persian Bahá'í\ncommunity simply as Ḥájí Amín, *the Trustee.*\n\nHis responsibility was the institution of *Ḥuqúqu'lláh* —\nthe Right of God — the financial offering by which the\nbelievers, in voluntary discharge of a spiritual law,\ncontributed a portion of their increased wealth to the\ncentral fund of the Cause. The institution had been\nestablished by Bahá'u'lláh in the *Kitáb-i-Aqdas.* Its\ncustody had been given, by direct designation of\nBahá'u'lláh, to Ḥájí Amín.\n\nThe work was the work of a fifty-year journey. Ḥájí Amín\ntravelled, on foot and by mule, the entire breadth of the\nPersian provinces, year after year. He visited the small\nBahá'í communities of every region. He sat with the\nbelievers privately. He explained the spiritual law of the\noffering. He received what they wished to give. He kept the\nrecords carefully. He carried the funds, in the discreet\nform of bank drafts or trusted intermediaries, to the\ncentral treasury of the Cause in 'Akká.\n\nThe Master records the consistent quality of his conduct.\n*Through every door in Persia he was admitted, for he\ncarried no purse of his own.* The Trustee was visibly poor.\nHe owned no property. He maintained no household beyond the\nmodest needs of a travelling man. The funds passing through\nhis hands — in their fifty-year accumulation, very large —\nnever adhered to him.\n\nThis visible poverty was not asceticism for its own sake. It\nwas the practical demonstration of the distinction between\ncustody and ownership. The believer who carried the funds of\nthe Cause needed to be unmistakably *not* the owner of those\nfunds. Ḥájí Amín's life-condition was the public proof of\nthe distinction.\n\nHe was twice imprisoned during his decades of travelling. The\nimprisonments were not because of any irregularity in his\ncustody. They were because of the visible Bahá'í identity\nthat the work had inevitably given him. He bore the\nimprisonments with the same calm with which he bore the\ntravels. After each release he returned to the work.\n\nThe Master praises particularly his *good cheer.* The\nTrustee was not a grim accountant. He was, at every\ngathering of the believers, a source of warmth, of encouraging\nreport from the other regions, of small good news carried\nbetween distant friends. His visits to the small Bahá'í\ncommunities were anticipated as occasions of refreshment as\nwell as of duty.\n\nHe died in old age, in the road that had been his life's\nwork. The Master closes the *Memorial* with the observation\nthat *his trust was not violated, his record was not\nsoiled, his ascent was clean.*\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Ḥájí Mírzá Ḥaydar-'Alí (the Angel of Carmel)",
"slug": "mof-haji-mirza-haydar-ali",
"summary": "'Abdu'l-Bahá's portrait of Ḥájí Mírzá Ḥaydar-'Alí — the great teacher of Iṣfáhán whose lifetime of imprisonment, exile, and patient teaching across three Sudanese cities earned him the title *the Angel of Carmel.*",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Ḥájí Mírzá Ḥaydar-'Alí"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Khartoum",
"lat": 15.5007,
"lng": 32.5599,
"modernName": "Khartoum, Sudan"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"exile",
"prison",
"teaching",
"sudan"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"patience",
"service",
"perseverance",
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/memorials-faithful/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the most beloved figures in *Memorials of the Faithful*\nis Ḥájí Mírzá Ḥaydar-'Alí, the great teacher of Iṣfáhán whose\nlife encompassed the entire arc of Bahá'u'lláh's exile, the\nministry of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and a portion of the early years of\nthe Faith's expansion into Africa.\n\nḤájí Mírzá Ḥaydar-'Alí was born in Iṣfáhán to a family of\nmodest means. He recognised the Cause in his early youth and\nbecame, in the decades that followed, one of its most untiring\nteachers in the Persian provinces. His preaching was not the\npreaching of contention. It was the patient, warm, story-laden\nexposition that drew the listener into the world of the Cause\nthrough love rather than argument. The Master records that *in\nwhatever land he was, he was the joy of the believers and the\nlight of the gathering.*\n\nHis life was punctuated by long periods of imprisonment and\nexile. His most famous trial was the Sudanese period. In the\nlater years of the nineteenth century the Persian government,\nacting in concert with the Ottoman authorities, ordered his\ndeportation to the remote southern provinces of the Ottoman\nempire. He was sent to Khartoum, in the central Sudan, where he\nremained in exile for some nine years.\n\nThe Sudanese period — which the Master treats at length —\nwas, by ordinary measure, a sentence to be borne. Ḥájí Mírzá\nḤaydar-'Alí transformed it into a teaching mission. He\nlearned the local conditions, established small contacts among\nthe merchant community, and began the patient work of\nintroducing the Bahá'í teachings into the Sudanese cities.\nThe small Bahá'í community of Khartoum, which by the mid\ntwentieth century would be the cradle of an established\nSudanese Faith, traces its origins to the imprisoned teacher\nof those years.\n\nAfter his eventual release, Ḥájí Mírzá Ḥaydar-'Alí made his\nway to 'Akká and entered the presence of Bahá'u'lláh. The\nyears of suffering had not embittered him. The Master records\nthat he came into the presence *with the same smiling face\nwith which he had set out on the road of exile* many years\nbefore.\n\nAfter Bahá'u'lláh's ascension, Ḥájí Mírzá Ḥaydar-'Alí\nremained in the Holy Land in the service of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. He\ndivided his last years between 'Akká and the slope of Mount\nCarmel, where the Master gave him quarters near the rising\nshrine of the Báb. It was during this period that 'Abdu'l-Bahá\nconferred on him the title *the Angel of Carmel.*\n\nHe died, full of years, in Haifa. The Master records the\npassing as a *gentle ascent* befitting the long quiet life of\nservice that had preceded it. *His was a soul that had passed\nthrough the fires of trial and emerged as gold.*\n\nThe grave of Ḥájí Mírzá Ḥaydar-'Alí, in the early Bahá'í\ncemetery at the foot of Mount Carmel, is among the small\nsites visited by Bahá'í pilgrims.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of His Eminence Kalím (Mírzá Músá)",
"slug": "mof-his-eminence-kalim-mirza-musa",
"summary": "In *Memorials of the Faithful* 'Abdu'l-Bahá portrays His own paternal uncle, Mírzá Músá — known as Áqáy-i-Kalím — the loyal full brother of Bahá'u'lláh, who shared in His every exile, sought without success to restrain the rebellion of their half-brother Mírzá Yaḥyá, and bore witness to the moment the fame of the Cause of God reached as far as Díyárbakr.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Mírzá Músá (Áqáy-i-Kalím)"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"loyalty",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"steadfastness",
"love",
"humility",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/memorials-faithful/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *Memorials of the Faithful* ‘Abdu’l-Bahá pauses to remember\nHis own paternal uncle, Mírzá Músá — known to the friends as\nÁqáy-i-Kalím — the loyal full brother of Bahá’u’lláh. The chapter\nis brief and tender, the work of a nephew remembering the man who\nhad stood at his father’s side through every banishment.\n\nThe Master begins with Mírzá Músá’s spiritual precocity. From\ninfancy, he says,\n\n> He drank in the love of God with his mother’s milk; when yet a\n> suckling, he showed an extraordinary attachment to the Blessed\n> Beauty.\n\nWithin the household, Áqáy-i-Kalím shone with a quiet, useful\nluminosity. He was not ambitious; he sought no station for\nhimself.\n\n> Like a bright lamp, he shone out in that Household. He wished\n> neither rank nor office, and had no worldly aims at all.\n\nThe Master traces his uncle’s share in each successive exile —\nfrom Persia to Iraq, then to Constantinople, then to Adrianople,\nand finally to the fortress of ‘Akká, where he was condemned to\nperpetual banishment. Through all the moves Áqáy-i-Kalím carried\nthe burdens, organised the household, met the difficult visitors,\nand bore in silence the duties no one else wanted.\n\nThe most painful chapter of his life was the rebellion of Mírzá\nYaḥyá, his half-brother, against Bahá’u’lláh. Áqáy-i-Kalím did\nnot give him up easily.\n\n> It was during the sojourn in this latter city that he detected\n> from Mírzá Yaḥyá the odor of rebellion. Day and night he tried\n> to make him mend his ways.\n\nOnly when *all hope was gone* did Áqáy-i-Kalím sever the tie. The\nMaster records the rupture without bitterness; loyalty to\nBahá’u’lláh was, in the end, the higher claim.\n\nThere is a small story 'Abdu'l-Bahá takes care to preserve.\nBahá'u'lláh sent an impoverished tribal chief — an Ílkhání — to\nseek a recommendation from the Governor of Damascus. Some time\nlater the Ílkhání wrote back from Díyárbakr, addressing his letter\nto *His Eminence Bahá'u'lláh, Leader of the Bábís.* Bahá'u'lláh\nlaughed when He saw it, the Master writes, and turned to His\nbrother:\n\n> Kalím, Kalím! The fame of the Cause of God has reached as far\n> as Díyárbakr!\n\nÁqáy-i-Kalím spent his last years in ‘Akká, serving the household\nhe had served all his life. He met death, the Master records,\n*with lowliness and contrition,* and his loyalty held *under all\nconditions, to the very end.*\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful, chapter on His Eminence Kalím (Mírzá Músá). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Jamshíd-i-Gurjí",
"slug": "mof-jamshid-i-gurji",
"summary": "Yet another of the emigrants and settlers was the valiant Jamshíd-i-Gurjí, who came from Georgia, but grew up in the city of Káshán. He was a fine youth, faithful, trustworthy, with a high sense of honor. When he heard of a new Faith…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Jamshíd-i-Gurjí",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Adrianople",
"lat": 41.6771,
"lng": 26.5557,
"modernName": "Edirne, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nYet another of the emigrants and settlers was the\nvaliant Jamshíd-i-Gurjí, who came from Georgia,\nbut grew up in the city of Káshán. He was a fine\nyouth, faithful, trustworthy, with a high sense of honor. When he\nheard of a new Faith dawning, and awoke to the tidings that on\nPersia’s horizons the Sun of Truth had risen, he was filled\nwith holy ecstasy, and he longed and loved. The new fire burned away\nthose veils of uncertainty and doubt that had closed him round; the\nlight of Truth shed down its rays, the lamp of guidance burned before\nhim.\n\nHe remained in Persia for a time, then left for Rumelia,\nwhich was Ottoman territory, and in the Land of Mystery, Adrianople,\nwon the honor of entering the presence of Bahá’u’lláh;\nit was there that his meeting took place. His joy and fervor were\nboundless. Later, at Bahá’u’lláh’s\ncommand he made a journey to Constantinople, with Áqá\nMuḥammad-Báqir and Áqá ‘Abdu’l-Ghaffár.\nIn that city, the tyrannous imprisoned him and put him in chains.\n\nThe Persian ambassador informed against Jamshíd\nand Ustád Muḥammad-‘Alí-i-Dallák as\nenemy leaders and fighters. Jamshíd he described as a\nlatter-day Rustam70\nwhile Muḥammad-‘Alí, according to the envoy, was a\nravening lion. These two respected men were first imprisoned and\ncaged; then they were sent out of Turkish territory, under guard to\nthe Persian frontier. They were to be delivered over to the Persian\nGovernment and crucified, and the guards were threatened with\nterrible punishments should they once relax their vigilance and let\nthe prisoners escape. For this reason, at every stopping place the\nvictims were kept in some almost inaccessible spot. Once they were\nthrown into a pit, a kind of well, and suffered agonies all through\nthe night. The next morning Jamshíd cried out: “O\nyou who oppress us! Are we Joseph the Prophet that you have thrown us\nin this well? Remember how He rose out of the well as high as the\nfull moon? We too walk the pathway of God, we too are down here for\nHis sake, and we know that these depths are the heights of the Lord.”\n\n\nOnce arrived at the Persian frontier, Jamshíd\nand Muḥammad-‘Alí were handed over to Kurdish\nchiefs to be sent on to Ṭihrán. The Kurdish chiefs could\nsee that the prisoners were innocent men, kindly and well-disposed,\nwho had fallen a prey to their enemies. Instead of dispatching them\nto the capital, they set them free. Joyfully, the two hastened away\non foot, went back to Bahá’u’lláh and found\na home close by Him in the Most Great Prison.\n\nJamshíd spent some time in utter bliss,\nreceiving the grace and favor of Bahá’u’lláh\nand ever and again being admitted to His presence. He was tranquil\nand at peace. The believers were well-pleased with him, and he was\nwell-pleased with God. It was in this condition that he hearkened to\nthe celestial bidding: “O thou soul who art well-assured,\nreturn unto thy Lord, well-pleased with Him, and well-pleasing unto\nHim.”71\nAnd to God’s cry: “Return!” he replied, “Yea,\nverily!” He rose out of the Most Great Prison to the highest\nHeaven; he soared away to a pure and gleaming Kingdom, out of this\nworld of dust. May God succor him in the celestial company,72\nbring him into the Paradise of Splendors, and safe in the Divine\ngardens, make him to live forevermore.\n\nSalutations be unto him, and praise. His grave, sweet as\nmusk, is in Akká.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Jináb-i-Muníb",
"slug": "mof-jinab-i-munib",
"summary": "Mírzá Áqá of Káshán — known to the Bahá'í community as Jináb-i-Muníb — was a calligrapher, poet, and singer who left his daughter and his livelihood to walk on foot beside Bahá'u'lláh from Baghdád to Constantinople. He died, ill, in a Smyrna hospital during the exile to 'Akká, his last act being to drag himself to Bahá'u'lláh's feet and weep.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Jináb-i-Muníb",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Adrianople",
"location": {
"name": "Smyrna",
"lat": 38.4192,
"lng": 27.1287,
"modernName": "İzmir, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"exile",
"sacrifice"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"devotion",
"sacrifice",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/memorials-faithful/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the chapter of *Memorials of the Faithful* devoted to\nJináb-i-Muníb, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells of a man of Káshán whose\nproper name was Mírzá Áqá but whom the Bahá’í community\nremembered by his title — *Muníb,* the radiant one.\n\nHe was, the Master writes, *spirit itself.* He was a calligrapher\nof high accomplishment, a poet whose verses were quoted in the\nhomes of the friends, and a singer with a voice that could\ndraw a gathering to silence. Any one of these gifts would have\nsufficed to set him up comfortably in the Persia of his\ngeneration. He set them all down.\n\nHe came to Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdád. The Master records that\nMuníb committed his every hour to the service of the Cause. He\ntook the writings under his pen and copied them; he sang at the\ngatherings of the friends; he composed verses that praised the\nManifestation and that were carried to Persia by the believers.\n\n> In all this mortal world he had only one possession, his\n> daughter; and even his daughter he had left behind in Persia,\n> as he hurried away to Iraq.\n\nWhen the order for the exile from Baghdád came down,\nBahá’u’lláh and His company set out for Constantinople. Many\nof the friends rode in carriages; many of the elders were\nprovided with horses or with mules. Muníb walked. He walked\nthe entire long way on foot, in the dust beside the howdah,\nchanting verses of Ḥáfiẓ as he went.\n\nIn Adrianople he continued his service. When Bahá’u’lláh\ndirected him to return to Persia and to teach the Faith there,\nhe obeyed without question. He travelled the Persian provinces\nfor an extended time and at length came back to Adrianople — in\ntime for the second exile, the order to ‘Akká.\n\nHe was already ill when the party set out. The journey\nworsened him. By the time the ship reached Smyrna he was\ngravely sick. The captain of the vessel, fearing contagion,\nthreatened to put him ashore alone. The friends hurried to\ntake him from the ship to a Smyrna hospital, where he could be\nnursed.\n\nBefore he was carried away from the deck, the diary of the\njourney records that the dying man dragged himself to\nBahá’u’lláh, lay down at His feet, and wept. It was the last\nsight of his Lord that he would have. The party sailed on to\n‘Akká; he was left in the Smyrna hospital, where, within a few\ndays, he died.\n\nHis grave, the Master writes with sorrow, is in Smyrna, but it\nis *off by itself, and deserted.* The hope of the chapter is\nthat the place may, in some future generation, become a shrine\nfor the friends.\n\nUpon Jináb-i-Muníb be salutations and praise. The voice that\nsang in the gatherings of Baghdád, the pen that copied the\nTablets, the feet that walked the dust beside the howdah — they\nwere all, in their hour, given to the One Who had asked for\nthem.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í World Centre). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Mashhadí Ḥusayn and Mashhadí Muḥammad-i-Ádhirbáyjání",
"slug": "mof-mashhadi-husayn-and-mashhadi-muhammad",
"summary": "Two pure souls of Ádhirbáyján who freed themselves from the superstitions that had blinded them, left their province for Adrianople, and at length followed the exiles to 'Akká, where they died together of the fever that took so many of the early prisoners. Their two luminous tombs are in 'Akká.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mashhadí Ḥusayn",
"Mashhadí Muḥammad-i-Ádhirbáyjání",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "Akko, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"exile",
"prison",
"sacrifice"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"patience",
"loyalty",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/memorials-faithful/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMashhadí Ḥusayn and Mashhadí Muḥammad were both from the\nprovince of Ádhirbáyján. They were pure souls who took the\ngreat step in their own country: they freed themselves from\nfriend and stranger alike, escaped from the superstitions that\nhad blinded them before, strengthened their resolve, and bowed\nthemselves down before the grace of God, the Lord of Life. They\nwere blessed souls, loyal, unsullied in faith; evanescent,\nsubmissive, poor, content with the will of God, in love with His\nguiding Light, rejoicing over the great message.\n\nThey left their province and traveled to Adrianople. Here beside\nthe holy city they lived for quite a time in the village of\nQumruq-Kilísá. By day, they supplicated God and communed with\nHim; by night, they wept, bemoaning the plight of Him Whom the\nworld hath wronged.\n\nWhen the exile to ‘Akká was under way, they were not present in\nthe city and thus were not arrested. Heavy of heart, they\ncontinued on in that area, shedding their tears. Once they had\nobtained a definite report from ‘Akká, they left Rumelia and\ncame here: two excellent souls, loyal bondsmen of the Blessed\nBeauty. It is impossible to tell how translucent they were of\nheart, how firm in faith.\n\nThey lived outside ‘Akká in Bágh-i-Firdaws, worked as farmers,\nand spent their days returning thanks to God because once again\nthey had won their way to the neighborhood of grace and love.\nBut they were natives of Ádhirbáyján, accustomed to the cold,\nand they could not endure the local heat. Furthermore, this was\nduring the early days in ‘Akká, when the air was noxious, and\nthe water unwholesome in the extreme. They both fell ill of a\nchronic, high fever. They bore it cheerfully, with amazing\npatience.\n\nDuring their days of illness, despite the assault of the fever,\nthe violence of their ailment, the raging thirst, the\nrestlessness, they remained inwardly at peace, rejoicing at the\nDivine glad tidings. And at a time when they were offering\nthanks with all their heart, they hurried away from this world\nand entered the other; they escaped from this cage and were\nreleased into the garden of immortality.\n\nUpon them be the mercy of God, and may He be well pleased with\nthem. Unto them be salutations and praise. May God bring them\ninto the Realm that abides forever, to delight in reunion with\nHim, to bask in the Kingdom of Splendors.\n\n> Their two luminous tombs are in ‘Akká.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í World Centre). Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Furúghí",
"slug": "mof-mirza-mahmud-furughi",
"summary": "'Abdu'l-Bahá's tribute to Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Furúghí — the gentle believer of Khurásán whose lifetime of patient service in the countryside, never seeking notice, brought the Cause of God into many small Khurásání villages.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Furúghí"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Mashhad",
"lat": 36.2605,
"lng": 59.6168,
"modernName": "Mashhad, Khurásán, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"persia",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"service",
"patience",
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/memorials-faithful/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the long roll of believers from the Khurásán province\nwhom 'Abdu'l-Bahá remembers, Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Furúghí stands\nas a representative figure of a particular kind of saintliness\nthe Cause produced in great quantity but the world records in\nsmall.\n\nMírzá Maḥmúd was born in the small town of Furúgh, in the\nbroad eastern Persian province of Khurásán. His family was\nmodest. His education was modest. He embraced the Cause as a\nyoung man, drawn by the testimony of an itinerant teacher who\nhad passed through his home town. The recognition was\ncomplete; the conviction unshakable; the conduct that\nfollowed unbroken to the end of his life.\n\nWhat 'Abdu'l-Bahá emphasises is the *kind* of service Mírzá\nMaḥmúd offered. He did not become a famous teacher. He did\nnot write learned commentaries. He did not undertake the\ncelebrated journeys to 'Akká that would have drawn the\nnotice of the wider Bahá'í world. He took up, instead, the\npatient quiet work of village teaching across Khurásán.\n\nHe travelled from village to village on foot, with whatever\nsmall store of food the previous host had pressed on him for\nthe next stretch of road. He stayed with whoever would\nreceive him — a small farmer here, a village schoolteacher\nthere, an older couple in the next place. He spoke with the\nlocals on their own terms, in their own dialect, about their\nown concerns. He read the small extracts of the Writings he\nhad with him aloud in the evenings. He answered questions\npatiently. He made no demand of the listener.\n\nThe result, accumulated over a working lifetime, was the slow\nintroduction of the Cause into perhaps a hundred Khurásání\nvillages whose names did not appear in the records of the\nlarger Bahá'í world but whose households would, generation\nby generation, raise up their own teachers and their own\nsmall Local Spiritual Assemblies.\n\nThe Master records the quality of the man. *He was patient\nin privation, he was joyful in difficulty, he was unfailing\nin attendance on the believers' small needs.* He never\nsought elevated company. He never accepted the small\nhonours the local friends would have liked to confer on him.\nHe insisted, to the end, on being a *brother among brothers*\nin the village circles he served.\n\nHe died at length in his own native Furúgh, surrounded by\nthe small group of villagers who had become, through his\npatient work, the local Bahá'í community of the place. The\nMaster closes the *Memorial* with the observation that *he\nasked for no notice; he received the imperishable.*\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Mishkín-Qalam",
"slug": "mof-mishkin-qalam",
"summary": "Among the exiles, neighbors, and prisoners there was also a second Mír Imád,57 the eminent calligrapher, Mishkín-Qalam.58 He wielded a musk-black pen, and his brows shone with faith. He was among the most noted of mystics, and had a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mishkín-Qalam",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Adrianople",
"lat": 41.6771,
"lng": 26.5557,
"modernName": "Edirne, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"exile",
"prison",
"the-covenant",
"holy-day",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"loyalty",
"mercy",
"patience",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAmong the exiles, neighbors, and prisoners there was\nalso a second Mír Imád,57\nthe eminent calligrapher, Mishkín-Qalam.58\nHe wielded a musk-black pen, and his brows shone with faith. He was\namong the most noted of mystics, and had a witty and subtle mind. The\nfame of this spiritual wayfarer reached out to every land. He was the\nleading calligrapher of Persia and well known to all the great; he\nenjoyed a special position among the court ministers of Ṭihrán,\nand with them he was solidly established.59\nHe was famed throughout Asia Minor; his pen was the wonder of all\ncalligraphers, for he was adept at every calligraphic style. He was\nbesides, for human virtues, a bright star.\n\nThis highly accomplished man first heard of the Cause of\nGod in Iṣfáhán, and the result was that he set\nout to find Bahá’u’lláh. He crossed the\ngreat distances, measured out the miles, climbing mountains, passing\nover deserts and over the sea, until at last he came to Adrianople.\nHere he reached the heights of faith and assurance; here he drank the\nwine of certitude. He responded to the summons of God, he attained\nthe presence of Bahá’u’lláh, he ascended to\nthat apogee where he was received and accepted. By now he was reeling\nto and fro like a drunkard in his love for God, and because of his\nviolent desire and yearning, his mind seemed to wander. He would be\nraised up, and then cast down again; he was as one distracted. He\nspent some time under the sheltering grace of Bahá’u’lláh,\nand every day new blessings were showered upon him. Meanwhile he\nproduced his splendid calligraphs; he would write out the Most Great\nName, Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá, O Thou Glory\nof the All-Glorious, with marvelous skill, in many different forms,\nand would send them everywhere.60\n\n\nHe was then directed to go on a journey to\nConstantinople, and set out with Jináb-i-Sáyyah. When\nhe reached that Great City, the leading Persians and Turks received\nhim with every honor at first, and they were captivated by his jet\nblack, calligraphic art. He, however, began boldly and eloquently to\nteach the Faith. The Persian ambassador lurked in ambush; betaking\nhimself to the Sulṭán’s vazírs he slandered\nMishkín-Qalam. “This man is an agitator,”\nthe ambassador told them, “sent here by Bahá’u’lláh\nto stir up trouble and make mischief in this Great City. He has\nalready won over a large company, and he intends to subdue still\nmore. These Bahá’ís turned Persia upside down;\nnow they have started in on the capital of Turkey. The Persian\nGovernment put 20,000 of them to the sword, hoping by this tactic to\nquench the fires of sedition. You should awaken to the danger; soon\nthis perverse thing will blaze up here as well. It will consume the\nharvest of your life; it will burn up the whole world. Then you can\ndo nothing, for it will be too late.”\n\nActually that mild and submissive man, in that throne\ncity of Asia Minor, was occupied solely with his calligraphy and his\nworship of God. He was striving to bring about not sedition but\nfellowship and peace. He was seeking to reconcile the followers of\ndifferent faiths, not to drive them still further apart. He was of\nservice to strangers and was helping to educate the native people. He\nwas a refuge to the hapless and a horn of plenty to the poor. He\ninvited all comers to the oneness of humankind; he shunned hostility\nand malice.\n\nThe Persian ambassador, however, wielded enormous power,\nand he had maintained close ties with the ministers for a very long\ntime. He prevailed on a number of persons to insinuate themselves\ninto various gatherings and there to make every kind of false charge\nagainst the believers. Urged on by the oppressors, spies began to\nsurround Mishkín-Qalam. Then, as instructed by the\nambassador, they carried reports to the Prime Minister, stating that\nthe individual in question was stirring up mischief day and night,\nthat he was a trouble maker, a rebel and a criminal. The result was,\nthey jailed him and they sent him away to Gallipoli, where he joined\nour own company of victims. They despatched him to Cyprus and\nourselves to the Akká prison. On the island of Cyprus,\nJináb-i-Mishkín was held prisoner in the citadel\nat Famagusta, and in this city he remained, a captive, from the year\n85 till 94.\n\nWhen Cyprus passed out of Turkish hands, Mishkín-Qalam\nwas freed and betook himself to his Well-Beloved in the city of Akká,\nand here he lived encompassed by the grace of Bahá’u’lláh,\nproducing his marvelous calligraphs and sending them about. He was at\nall times joyous of spirit, ashine with the love of God, like a\ncandle burning its life away, and he was a consolation to all the\nbelievers.\n\nAfter the ascension of Bahá’u’lláh,\nMishkín-Qalam remained loyal, solidly established in\nthe Covenant. He stood before the violators like a brandished sword.\nHe would never go half way with them; he feared no one but God; not\nfor a moment did he falter, nor ever fail in service.\n\nFollowing the ascension he made a journey to India,\nwhere he associated with the lovers of truth. He spent some time\nthere, making fresh efforts every day. When I learned that he was\ngetting helpless, I sent for him at once and he came back to this\nMost Great Prison, to the joy of the believers, who felt blessed to\nhave him here again. He was at all times my close companion. He had\namazing verve, intense love. He was a compendium of perfections:\nbelieving, confident, serene, detached from the world, a peerless\ncompanion, a wit—and his character like a garden in full bloom.\nFor the love of God, he left all good things behind; he closed his\neyes to success, he wanted neither comfort nor rest, he sought no\nwealth, he wished only to be free from the defilement of the world.\nHe had no ties to this life, but spent his days and nights\nsupplicating and communing with God. He was always smiling,\neffervescing; he was spirit personified, love embodied. For sincerity\nand loyalty he had no match, nor for patience and inner calm. He was\nselflessness itself, living on the breaths of the spirit.\n\nIf he had not been in love with the Blessed Beauty, if\nhe had not set his heart on the Realm of Glory, every worldly\npleasure could have been his. Wherever he went, his many calligraphic\nstyles were a substantial capital, and his great accomplishment\nbrought him attention and respect from rich and poor alike. But he\nwas hopelessly enamored of man’s one true Love, and thus he was\nfree of all those other bonds, and could float and soar in the\nspirit’s endless sky.\n\nFinally, when I was absent, he left this darksome,\nnarrow world and hastened away to the land of lights. There, in the\nhaven of God’s boundless mercy, he found infinite rewards. Unto\nhim be praise and salutations, and the Supreme Companion’s\ntender grace.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Muḥammad-‘Alíy-i-Ardikání",
"slug": "mof-muhammad-aliy-i-ardikani",
"summary": "In the flower of tender youth, Muḥammad-‘Alí, the illumined, heard the cry of God, and lost his heart to heavenly grace. He entered the service of the Afnán, offshoot of the Holy Tree, and lived happy and content. This was how he came…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Muḥammad-‘Alíy-i-Ardikání",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"the-covenant",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"gentleness",
"loyalty",
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the flower of tender youth, Muḥammad-‘Alí,\nthe illumined, heard the cry of God, and lost his heart to heavenly\ngrace. He entered the service of the Afnán, offshoot of the\nHoly Tree, and lived happy and content. This was how he came to the\ncity of Akká, and was for quite a time present at the Sacred\nThreshold, winning a crown of lasting glory. The eye of Bahá’u’lláh’s\ngrace and favor was upon him. He served with a loyal heart. He had a\nhappy nature, a comely face; he was a man believing, seeking, tested\nand tried.\n\nDuring the days of Bahá’u’lláh,\nMuḥammad-‘Alí remained steadfast, and after the\nSupreme Affliction his heart did not fail him, for he had drunk the\nwine of the Covenant and his thoughts were fixed on the bounties of\nGod. He moved to Haifa and lived, a firm believer, near the\nHazíratu’l-Quds by the Holy Shrine on Mount Carmel till\nhis final breath, when death came and the carpet of his earthly life\nwas rolled up and put away.\n\nThis man was a true servant of the Threshold, a good\nfriend to the believers. All were pleased with him, finding him an\nexcellent companion, gentle and mild. May God succor him in His\nexalted Kingdom, and give him a home in the Abhá Realm, and\nsend upon him abounding grace from the gardens of Heaven—the\nplace of meeting, the place of the mystical contemplation of God. His\namber-scented dust is in Haifa.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Muḥammad-Ibráhím-i-Tabrízí",
"slug": "mof-muhammad-ibrahim-i-tabrizi",
"summary": "This man, noble and high-minded, was the son of the respected ‘Abdu’l-Faṭṭaḥ who was in the Akká prison. Learning that his father was a captive there, he came with all speed to the fortress so that he too might have a share of those…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Muḥammad-Ibráhím-i-Tabrízí"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"prison",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"gratitude",
"love",
"loyalty",
"steadfastness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis man, noble and high-minded, was the son of the\nrespected ‘Abdu’l-Faṭṭaḥ who was in the\nAkká prison. Learning that his father was a captive there, he\ncame with all speed to the fortress so that he too might have a share\nof those dire afflictions. He was a man wise, understanding, in a\ntumult from drinking the wine of the love of God, but with a\nwonderful, basic serenity and calm.\n\nHe had inherited the nature of his father, and he\nexemplified the saying that the child is the secret essence of its\nsire. For this reason, over a long period, he found delight in the\nneighborhood of the Divine Presence, enjoying utter peace. Daytimes,\nhe would carry on his trade, and at night he would come in all haste\nto the door of the house, to be with the friends. He was close to all\nthose who were staunch and true; he was full of courage; he was\ngrateful to God, abstemious and chaste, expectant of and relying on\nthe bounty and grace of the Lord. He made his father’s lamp to\nshine, brightened the household of ‘Abdu’l-Faṭṭaḥ,\nand left descendants to remain behind him in this swiftly passing\nworld.\n\nHe always did what he could to provide for the happiness\nof the believers; he always saw to their well-being. He was\nsagacious, grave, and steadfast. By God’s grace, he stayed\nloyal to the end, and sound in faith. May God give him to drink from\nthe cup of forgiveness; may he sip from the spring of God’s\nbounty and good pleasure; may God raise him up to the heights of\nDivine bestowal. His sweet-scented tomb is in Akká.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Muḥammad-Muṣṭafá Baghdádí",
"slug": "mof-muhammad-mustafa-baghdadi",
"summary": "Muḥammad-Muṣṭafá was a blazing light. He was the son of the famous scholar Shaykh Muḥammad-i-Shibl; he lived in ‘Iráq, and from his earliest youth was clearly unique and beyond compare; wise, brave, deserving in every way, he was known…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Muḥammad-Muṣṭafá Baghdádí",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"pilgrimage",
"prison",
"the-covenant",
"holy-land",
"holy-day",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"faith",
"generosity",
"kindness",
"love",
"loyalty",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMuḥammad-Muṣṭafá was a blazing\nlight. He was the son of the famous scholar Shaykh\nMuḥammad-i-Shibl; he lived in ‘Iráq, and\nfrom his earliest youth was clearly unique and beyond compare; wise,\nbrave, deserving in every way, he was known far and wide. From\nchildhood, guided by his father, he had lit the light of faith in the\nchapel of his heart. He had rid himself of the hindering veils of\nillusion, gazed about with perceptive eyes, witnessed great new signs\nof God and, regardless of the consequences, had cried aloud: “The\nearth hath shone out with the light of her Lord!”77\n\nGracious God! The opposition was powerful, the penalty\nobvious, the friends, every one of them, terrified, and off in some\ncorner hiding their belief; at such a time this intrepid personality\nboldly went about his business, and like a man, faced up to every\ntyrant. The one individual who, in the year seventy, was famed in\n‘Iráq for his love of Bahá’u’lláh,\nwas this honored person. A few other souls, then in Baghdád\nand its environs, had crept away into nooks and crannies and,\nimprisoned in their own lethargy, there they remained. But this\nadmirable Muḥammad-Muṣṭafá would boldly,\nproudly come and go like a man, and the hostile, because of his\nphysical strength and his courage, were afraid to attack him.\n\nAfter Bahá’u’lláh’s\nreturn from His journey to Kurdistán, the virile strength and\nbearing of that gallant individual was still further enhanced.\nWhenever leave was granted, he would attend upon Bahá’u’lláh,\nand would hear from His lips expressions of favor and grace. He was\nthe leader, among all the friends in ‘Iráq, and after\nthe great separation, when the convoy of the Beloved left for\nConstantinople, he remained loyal and staunch, and withstood the foe.\nHe girded himself for service and openly, publicly, observed by all,\ntaught the Faith.\n\nAs soon as Bahá’u’lláh’s\ndeclaration that He was “He Whom God Shall Manifest”78\nhad become known far and wide, Muḥammad-Muṣṭafá—being\namong those souls who had become believers prior to this Declaration,\nand before the call was raised—cried out: “Verily, we\nbelieve!” Because, even before this Declaration, the very light\nitself pierced through the veils that had closed off the peoples of\nthe world, so that every seeing eye beheld the splendor, and every\nlonging soul could look upon its Well-Beloved.\n\nWith all his strength, then, Muḥammad-Muṣṭafá\narose to serve the Cause. He rested neither day nor night. After the\nAncient Beauty had departed to the Most Great Prison; after the\nfriends had been taken prisoner in Baghdád and sent\naway to Mosul; after the hostility of outstanding enemies and the\nopposition of the populace of Baghdád, he did not\nfalter, but continued to stand his ground. A long time passed in this\nway. But with his yearning for Bahá’u’lláh,\nthe tumult in his heart was such that he set out alone for the Most\nGreat Prison. He reached there during the period of extreme\nrestrictions, and had the honor of entering the presence of\nBahá’u’lláh.\n\nHe asked then for leave to find a lodging somewhere in\nthe neighborhood of Akká, and was permitted to reside in\nBeirut. There he went and faithfully served the Cause, assisting all\nthe pilgrims as they arrived and departed. He was an excellent\nservitor, a generous and kindly host, and he sacrificed himself to\nsee to their affairs as they passed through. For all this he became\nknown everywhere.\n\nWhen the Sun of Truth had set and the Light of the\nConcourse on high had ascended, Muḥammad-Muṣṭafá\nremained loyal to the Covenant. He stood so firm against the waverers\nthat they dared not draw a breath. He was like a shooting star, a\nmissile hurled against the demons;79\nagainst the violators, an avenging sword. Not one of the violators so\nmuch as dared pass through the street where he lived and if they\nchanced to meet him they were like those described in the Qur’án:\n“deaf, dumb, blind: therefore they shall not retrace their\nsteps from error!”80\nHe was the very embodiment of: “The blame of the blamer shall\nnot deflect him from the path of God, and the terrible might of the\nreviler shall not shake him.”\n\nLiving in the same manner as before, he served the\nbelievers with a free mind and pure intent. With all his heart, he\nassisted the travelers to the Holy Land, those who had come to\ncircumambulate that place which is ringed around by the Company on\nhigh. Later he moved from Beirut to Iskandarún, and there he\nspent some time, until, drawn as if by a magnet to the Lord, detached\nfrom all save Him, rejoicing in His glad tidings, holding fast to the\ncord that none can sever—he ascended on the wings of the spirit\nto his Exalted Companion.\n\nMay God lift him up to the highest Heaven, to the\nfellowship of glory.81\nMay God bring him into the land of lights, the mysterious Kingdom,\nthe assemblage of the splendors of the mighty, all powerful Lord.\nUpon him be the glory of the All-Glorious.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Mullá Ṣádiq-i-Muqaddas-i-Khurásání",
"slug": "mof-mulla-sadiq-muqaddas",
"summary": "'Abdu'l-Bahá's tribute to Mullá Ṣádiq-i-Muqaddas — the Khurásání cleric who, after recognising the Báb, suffered the bastinado in Shíráz with Quddús and went on to give the rest of his life to the Cause through every successive trial of its early decades.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mullá Ṣádiq-i-Muqaddas-i-Khurásání",
"Quddús"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5926,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"babi-period",
"persecution"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"courage",
"perseverance",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/memorials-faithful/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the great early figures of the Bábí Cause whom\n'Abdu'l-Bahá remembers in *Memorials of the Faithful* is\nMullá Ṣádiq-i-Muqaddas-i-Khurásání — the Khurásání cleric\nwhose recognition of the Báb in the early days of the\nDispensation made him one of the first martyrs-by-suffering\nof the Faith.\n\nMullá Ṣádiq was already, before the dawn of the Dispensation,\na cleric of recognised piety in the Khurásán region. The\nhonorific *Muqaddas* — *the Holy* — was applied to him by\nhis own community in recognition of his ascetic discipline\nand his evident devotion. When the news of the Báb's\ndeclaration reached him in 1844, he investigated, was\npersuaded, and accepted.\n\nThe Bábí community in Shíráz, in the early months following\nthe Báb's declaration, conducted certain devotional acts\nthat the Shi'a clerical authority of the city judged\nunlawful. Mullá Ṣádiq, with Quddús, was at the centre of one\nsuch gathering. The two were arrested. Both were sentenced\nto the bastinado — the public beating of the soles of the\nfeet — and to the tearing-out of the beard, the standard\npublic punishment for clerical infraction in Shi'a Persia.\n\nThe sentence was carried out in the public square of\nShíráz. Mullá Ṣádiq bore it without crying out. *His back\nbore the marks of the bastinado,* the Master records, *and\nhis soul bore the marks of the heavenly sojourn.* He emerged\nfrom the punishment with the title *Muqaddas* — *the Holy*\n— now permanently affixed to his name not by the deference\nof his clerical colleagues but by the witness of his\nsuffering.\n\nHe was banished from Shíráz. He returned to Khurásán and\ntook up the work of teaching. He suffered, in the years that\nfollowed, further imprisonments and further banishments. He\nwas present, in a peripheral capacity, at several of the\ngreat events of the early Bábí period. He survived the\nShaykh Ṭabarsí siege by the providential circumstance of\nhaving been delayed elsewhere when the body of believers\ngathered there.\n\nWhen the new teachings of Bahá'u'lláh came to be promulgated\nin the Adrianople period, Mullá Ṣádiq accepted them at once.\nHe had been waiting for the second clarification. He\ntransferred his loyalty to the new Centre without hesitation\nand continued his teaching work as a Bahá'í.\n\nHe died, in old age, in his own province. The Master closes\nthe *Memorial* with the observation that *his place is high\namong the heroes of the Dawn-Breaking, and his name shall\nnot be forgotten while the Cause endures.*\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Pahlaván Riḍá",
"slug": "mof-pahlavan-rida",
"summary": "'Abdu'l-Bahá's tribute to Pahlaván Riḍá — the strong man, the wrestler of Yazd, who heard the Cause of God and turned the whole frame of his powerful life into the service of the Beloved.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Pahlaván Riḍá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Yazd",
"lat": 31.8974,
"lng": 54.3569,
"modernName": "Yazd, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"service",
"persia"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"faith",
"service",
"perseverance"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/memorials-faithful/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the believers of Yazd celebrated by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in\n*Memorials of the Faithful* was Pahlaván Riḍá, a man whose\nordinary life before the Cause had been the life of a champion\nwrestler. The title *Pahlaván* — *strong man* or *champion* —\nwas the recognition his own city had given him. He was, by\ncommon Yazdí reckoning, the strongest man of his generation in\nthe town.\n\nPahlaván Riḍá heard of the Cause of God when the new teachings\nreached Yazd in the years of Bahá'u'lláh's exile. The\ntestimony of the Yazdí believers — most of them ordinary\ntownsmen, shopkeepers, artisans, none of them the social peers\nof the celebrated wrestler — had its effect. He sought out\nthe believers, asked his questions, and arrived at a settled\nconviction.\n\nThe Master records that the conversion was complete. The\nwrestler did not become a different man. He became the same\nman pointed in a different direction. The whole great frame of\nhis physical strength, the celebrated discipline of his body,\nthe proven courage of the wrestling ring, were turned to the\nsingle service of the Cause. He took up the visible defence of\nthe small Yazdí community in a city where, in the closing\ndecades of the nineteenth century, the Bahá'ís were under\nperiodic violent attack.\n\nWhen mobs assembled to threaten the believers' homes,\nPahlaván Riḍá was in the front of the defending group. When\nthe believers needed safe escort across the dangerous\ndistricts of the city, he was the escort. When the small\ngatherings of the friends needed a guard at the door,\nhe was the guard. The threatening of his very name was\nsufficient to deter most assailants. The town had learned\nnot to challenge him in the wrestling ring; it would not\nchallenge him at the door of a Bahá'í gathering.\n\nThe Master adds that Pahlaván Riḍá's spiritual qualities\nmatched the physical. He was *generous, manly, with a fine\nnature.* The wrestler's old vices — the swagger, the temper,\nthe fondness for the wrestling-ring's small worldly glories\n— had fallen away. What remained was the strength itself,\npurified, and laid at the door of the Cause.\n\nHe was, in the years of the Yazdí persecutions, eventually\narrested. The records of his interrogation indicate that he\ndid not deny the Faith. He bore his trial with the same calm\nhe had borne the contests of his earlier life. He was\nreleased after a period of imprisonment and continued his\nservice among the Yazdí friends.\n\nHe died in old age, in his own city, surrounded by the\nbelievers whose lives he had so often physically guarded.\n'Abdu'l-Bahá's *Memorial* preserves the wrestler whose\nstrength, by the grace of God, became the strength of the\nsmall Yazdí community.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Pidar-Ján of Qazvín",
"slug": "mof-pidar-jan-of-qazvin",
"summary": "The late Pidar-Ján was among those believers who emigrated to Baghdád. He was a godly old man, enamored of the Well-Beloved; in the garden of Divine love, he was like a rose full-blown. He arrived there, in Baghdád, and spent his days…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Pidar-Ján of Qazvín",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe late Pidar-Ján was among those believers who\nemigrated to Baghdád. He was a godly old man, enamored\nof the Well-Beloved; in the garden of Divine love, he was like a rose\nfull-blown. He arrived there, in Baghdád, and spent his\ndays and nights communing with God and chanting prayers; and although\nhe walked the earth, he traveled the heights of Heaven.\n\nTo obey the law of God, he took up a trade, for he had\nnothing. He would bundle a few pairs of socks under his arm and\npeddle them as he wandered through the streets and bázárs,\nand thieves would rob him of his merchandise. Finally he was obliged\nto lay the socks across his outstretched palms as he went along. But\nhe would get to chanting a prayer, and one day he was surprised to\nfind that they had stolen the socks, laid out on his two hands, from\nbefore his eyes. His awareness of this world was clouded, for he\njourneyed through another. He dwelt in ecstasy; he was a man drunken,\nbedazzled.\n\nFor some time, that is how he lived in ‘Iráq.\nAlmost daily he was admitted to the presence of Bahá’u’lláh.\nHis name was ‘Abdu’lláh but the friends bestowed\non him the title of Pidar-Ján—Father Dear—for he\nwas a loving father to them all. At last, under the sheltering care\nof Bahá’u’lláh, he took flight to the “seat\nof truth, in the presence of the potent king.”24\n\n\nMay God make fragrant his sepulcher with the outpouring\nrains of His mercy and cast upon him the eye of Divine compassion.\nSalutations be unto him, and praise.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Sakínih Sulṭán (the Mother of the Martyrs)",
"slug": "mof-sakinih-sultan",
"summary": "'Abdu'l-Bahá's tribute to Sakínih Sulṭán — the mother of the Iṣfahán martyrs, whose life of steady faith carried her through the deaths of her sons and into the long quiet years of teaching that followed.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Sakínih Sulṭán",
"King of Martyrs"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Iṣfáhán",
"lat": 32.6539,
"lng": 51.666,
"modernName": "Iṣfáhán, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"women",
"martyrdom",
"mother",
"persia"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"patience",
"love",
"perseverance",
"dignity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/memorials-faithful/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the women remembered in *Memorials of the Faithful* is\nSakínih Sulṭán, the mother of the celebrated Iṣfahán martyrs\n— the *King of Martyrs* (Mírzá Muḥammad-Ḥasan) and the\n*Beloved of Martyrs* (Mírzá Muḥammad-Ḥusayn) — who together\nwere put to death in Iṣfáhán in 1879 at the instigation of the\nIṣfáhání clerics.\n\nSakínih Sulṭán was a believer in her own right. She had\nembraced the Cause as a young woman, before the births of her\nsons. She raised them in a household where the Writings were\nread aloud, where the daily prayer was performed, where the\nvisiting believers were welcomed. The two sons grew up in\nthat household and became, by their own conviction, two of\nthe most celebrated young teachers and merchants of the\nIṣfáhání community.\n\nTheir public reputation as Bahá'ís brought, in the year 1879,\nthe persecution that ended in their martyrdom. The\n*Memorials of the Faithful* devotes several chapters to the\nsons' execution. The chapter on Sakínih Sulṭán is the\nchapter of the mother who survived them and who, in\n'Abdu'l-Bahá's portrait, transformed the loss into a ground\nof teaching.\n\nThe Master records that her conduct under the news of her\nsons' deaths was carried with a steadiness that astonished\nthe witnessing community. She did not curse the executioners.\nShe did not protest the injustice. She accepted, as part of\nthe same faith her sons had borne, the cost of the bearing.\nThe witness of her composure was, in the days following the\nmartyrdom, one of the Iṣfáhání community's principal\ntestimonies of the spiritual reality of the Cause.\n\nThe years that followed she spent in the steady quiet\nteaching of the Cause among the Iṣfáhání women. She became\nthe unofficial centre of the women's gatherings of the\nIṣfáhání community. She taught the Writings to those who\ncame to her. She received, as the years passed, an\nincreasing number of female inquirers who sought her out\nspecifically because of her standing as the *mother of the\nmartyrs.*\n\nShe lived to a great age. The Master records that her last\nyears were spent in the company of her grandchildren and\nher great-grandchildren — many of whom, born after their\nfathers' martyrdoms, grew up under the direct shaping of\ntheir grandmother's teaching. The Iṣfáhání Bahá'í community\nof the early twentieth century was, in significant measure,\nthe community Sakínih Sulṭán had helped raise.\n\nThe Master closes the *Memorial* with the observation that\n*the mother of the martyrs bore her loss as a holy gift, and\nher face was lit by it.* The bearing was the legacy.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Sháh-Muḥammad-Amín",
"slug": "mof-shah-muhammad-amin",
"summary": "Sháh-Muḥammad, who had the title of Amín, the Trusted One, was among the earliest of believers, and most deeply enamored. He had listened to the Divine summons in the flower of his youth, and set his face toward the Kingdom. He had…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Sháh-Muḥammad-Amín",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Yazd",
"lat": 31.8974,
"lng": 54.3569,
"modernName": "Yazd, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"martyrdom",
"prison",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSháh-Muḥammad, who had the title of\nAmín, the Trusted One, was among the earliest of believers,\nand most deeply enamored. He had listened to the Divine summons in\nthe flower of his youth, and set his face toward the Kingdom. He had\nripped from his gaze the veils of idle suppositions and had won his\nheart’s desire; neither the fancies current among the people\nnor the reproaches of which he was the target turned him back.\nUnshaken, he stood and faced a sea of troubles; staunch with the\nstrength of the Advent day, he confronted those who tried to thwart\nhim and block his path. The more they sought to instill doubts in his\nmind, the stronger he became; the more they tormented him, the more\nprogress he made. He was a captive of the face of God, enslaved by\nthe beauty of the All-Glorious; a flame of God’s love, a\njetting fountain of the knowledge of Him.\n\nLove smoldered in his heart, so that he had no peace;\nand when he could bear the absence of the Beloved One no more, he\nleft his native home, the province of Yazd. He found the desert sands\nlike silk under his feet; light as the wind’s breath, he passed\nover the mountains and across the endless plains, until he stood at\nthe door of his Love. He had freed himself from the snare of\nseparation, and in ‘Iráq, he entered the presence of\nBahá’u’lláh.\n\nOnce he made his way into the home of the Darling of\nmankind, he was emptied of every thought, released from every\nconcern, and became the recipient of boundless favor and grace. He\npassed some days in ‘Iráq and was directed to return to\nPersia. There he remained for a time, frequenting the believers; and\nhis pure breathings stirred each one of them anew, so that each one\nyearned over the Faith, and became more restless, more impatient than\nbefore.\n\nLater he arrived at the Most Great Prison with Mírzá\nAbu’l-Ḥasan, the second Amín. On this journey he\nmet with severe hardships, for it was extremely difficult to find a\nway into the prison. Finally he was received by Bahá’u’lláh\nin the public baths. Mírzá Abu’l-Ḥasan was\nso overwhelmed at the majestic presence of his Lord that he shook,\nstumbled, and fell to the floor; his head was injured and the blood\nflowed out.\n\nAmín, that is Sháh-Muḥammad,\nwas honored with the title of the Trusted One, and bounties were\nshowered upon him. Full of eagerness and love, taking with him\nTablets from Bahá’u’lláh, he hastened back\nto Persia, where, at all times worthy of trust, he labored for the\nCause. His services were outstanding, and he was a consolation to the\nbelievers’ hearts. There was none to compare with him for\nenergy, enthusiasm and zeal, and no man’s services could equal\nhis. He was a haven amidst the people, known everywhere for devotion\nto the Holy Threshold, widely acclaimed by the friends.\n\nHe never rested for a moment. Not one night did he spend\non a bed of ease, never did he lay down his head on comfort’s\npillow. He was continuously in flight, soaring as the birds do,\nrunning like a deer, guesting in the desert of oneness, alone and\nswift. He brought joy to all the believers; to all, his coming was\ngood news; to every seeker, he was a sign and token. He was enamored\nof God, a vagrant in the desert of God’s love. Like the wind,\nhe traveled over the face of the plains, and he was restive on the\nheights of the hills. He was in a different country every day, and in\nyet another land by nightfall. Never did he rest, never was he still.\nHe was forever rising up to serve.\n\nBut then they took him prisoner in Ádhirbayján,\nin the town of Míyándu’áb. He fell a prey\nto some ruthless Kurds, a hostile band who asked no questions of the\ninnocent, defenseless man. Believing that this stranger, like other\nforeigners, wished ill to the Kurdish people, and taking him for\nworthless, they killed him.\n\nWhen news of his martyrdom reached the Prison, all the\ncaptives grieved, and they shed tears for him, resigned to God and\nundefended as he was in his last hour. Even on the countenance of\nBahá’u’lláh, there were visible tokens of\ngrief. A Tablet, infinitely tender, was revealed by the Supreme Pen,\ncommemorating the man who died on that calamitous plain, and many\nother Tablets were sent down concerning him.\n\nToday, under the shadowing mercy of God, he dwells in\nthe bright Heavens. He communes with the birds of holiness, and in\nthe assemblage of splendors he is immersed in light. The memory and\npraise of him shall remain, till the end of time, in the pages of\nbooks and on the tongues and lips of men.\n\nUnto him be salutations and praise; upon him be the\nglory of the All-Glorious; upon him be the most great mercy of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Shamsu’d-Ḍuḥá",
"slug": "mof-shamsu-d-duha",
"summary": "Khurshíd Begum, who was given the title of Shamsu’d-Ḍuḥá,105 the Morning Sun, was mother-in-law to the King of Martyrs. This eloquent, ardent handmaid of God was the cousin on her father’s side of the famous Muḥammad-Báqir of Iṣfáhán,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shamsu’d-Ḍuḥá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"pilgrimage",
"martyrdom",
"prison",
"teaching",
"women",
"children",
"family",
"hospitality",
"holy-land",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"devotion",
"faith",
"hope",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 16,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nKhurshíd Begum, who was given the\ntitle of Shamsu’d-Ḍuḥá,105\nthe Morning Sun, was mother-in-law to the King of Martyrs. This\neloquent, ardent handmaid of God was the cousin on her father’s\nside of the famous Muḥammad-Báqir of Iṣfáhán,\nwidely celebrated as chief of the ‘ulamás in that city.\nWhen still a child she lost both her parents, and was reared by her\ngrandmother in the home of that famed and learned mujtahid, and well\ntrained in various branches of knowledge, in theology, sciences and\nthe arts.\n\nOnce she was grown, she was married to Mírzá\nHádíy-i-Nahrí; and since she and her husband\nwere both strongly attracted to the mystical teachings of that great\nluminary, the excellent and distinguished Siyyid Kázim-i-Rashtí,106\nthey left for Karbilá, accompanied by Mírzá\nHádí’s brother, Mírzá\nMuḥammad-‘Alíy-i-Nahrí.107\nHere they used to attend the Siyyid’s classes, imbibing his\nknowledge, so that this handmaid became thoroughly informed on\nsubjects relating to Divinity, on the Scriptures and on their inner\nmeanings. The couple had two children, a girl and a boy. They called\ntheir son Siyyid ‘Alí and their daughter Fátimih\nBegum, she being the one who, when she reached adolescence, was\nmarried to the King of Martyrs.\n\nShamsu’d-Ḍuḥá was there\nin Karbilá when the cry of the exalted Lord was raised in\nShíráz, and she shouted back, “Yea,\nverily!” As for her husband and his brother, they immediately\nset out for Shíráz; for both of them, when\nvisiting the Shrine of Imám Ḥusayn, had looked upon the\nbeauty of the Primal Point, the Báb; both had been astonished\nat what they saw in that transplendent face, in those heavenly\nattributes and ways, and had agreed that One such as this must indeed\nbe some very great being. Accordingly, the moment they learned of His\nDivine summons, they answered: “Yea, verily!” and they\nburst into flame with yearning love for God. Besides, they had been\npresent every day in that holy place where the late Siyyid taught,\nand had clearly heard him say: “The Advent is nigh, the affair\nmost subtle, most elusive. It behoves each one to search, to inquire,\nfor it may be that the Promised One is even now present among men,\neven now visible, while all about Him are heedless, unmindful, with\nbandaged eyes, even as the sacred traditions have foretold.”\n\nWhen the two brothers arrived in Persia they heard that\nthe Báb had gone to Mecca on a pilgrimage. Siyyid\nMuḥammad-‘Alí therefore left for Iṣfáhán\nand Mírzá Hádí returned to Karbilá.\nMeanwhile Shamsu’d-Ḍuḥá had become\nfriends with the “Leaf of Paradise,” sister to Mullá\nHusayn, the Bábu’l-Báb.108\nThrough that lady she had met Táhirih, Qurratu’l-‘Ayn,109\nand had begun to spend most of her time in close companionship with\nthem both, occupied in teaching the Faith. Since this was in the\nearly days of the Cause, the people were not yet afraid of it. From\nbeing with Táhirih, Shams profited immeasurably, and\nwas more on fire with the Faith than ever. She spent three years in\nclose association with Táhirih in Karbilá. Day and\nnight, she was stirred like the sea by the gales of the All-Merciful,\nand she taught with an eloquent tongue.\n\nAs Táhirih became celebrated throughout Karbilá,\nand the Cause of His Supreme Holiness, the Báb, spread all\nover Persia, the latter-day ‘ulamás arose to deny, to\nheap scorn upon, and to destroy it. They issued a fatvá or\njudgment that called for a general massacre. Táhirih was one\nof those designated by the evil ‘ulamás of the city as\nan unbeliever, and they mistakenly thought her to be in the home of\nShamsu’d-Ḍuḥá. They broke into\nShams’s house, hemmed her in, abused and vilified her,\nand inflicted grievous bodily harm. They dragged her out of the house\nand through the streets to the bázár; they beat her\nwith clubs; they stoned her, they denounced her in foul language,\nrepeatedly assaulting her. While this was going on, Ḥájí\nSiyyid Mihdí, the father of her distinguished husband, reached\nthe scene. “This woman is not Táhirih!” he shouted\nat them. But he had no witness to prove it,110\nand the farráshes, the police and the mob would not let\nup. Then, through the uproar, a voice screamed out: “They have\narrested Qurratu’l-‘Ayn!” At this, the people\nabandoned Shamsu’d-Ḍuḥá.\n\nGuards were placed at the door of Táhirih’s\nhouse and no one was allowed to enter or leave, while the authorities\nwaited for instructions from Baghdád and\nConstantinople. As the interval of waiting lengthened out, Táhirih\nasked for permission to leave for Baghdád. “Let\nus go there ourselves,” she told them. “We are resigned\nto everything. Whatever happens to us is the best that can happen,\nand the most pleasing.” With government permission, Táhirih,\nthe Leaf of Paradise, her mother and Shamsu’d-Ḍuḥá\nall left Karbilá and traveled to Baghdád, but\nthe snake-like mass of the populace followed them for some distance,\nstoning them from a little way off.\n\nWhen they reached Baghdád they went to\nlive at the house of Shaykh Muḥammad-i-Shibl,\nthe father of Muḥammad-Muṣṭafá; and since\nmany crowded the doors there was an uproar throughout that quarter,\nso that Táhirih transferred her residence elsewhere, to a\nlodging of her own, where she continually taught the Faith, and\nproclaimed the Word of God. Here the ‘ulamás, shaykhs\nand others would come to listen to her, asking their questions and\nreceiving her replies, and she was soon remarkably well known\nthroughout Baghdád, expounding as she would the most\nrecondite and subtle of theological themes.\n\nWhen word of this reached the government authorities,\nthey conveyed Táhirih, Shamsu’d-Ḍuḥá\nand the Leaf to the house of the Muftí, and here they remained\nthree months until word as to their case was received from\nConstantinople. During Táhirih’s stay at the Muftí’s,\nmuch of the time was spent in conversations with him, in producing\nconvincing proofs as to the Teachings, analyzing and expounding\nquestions relative to the Lord God, discoursing on the Resurrection\nDay, on the Balance and the Reckoning,111\nunraveling the complexities of inner truths.\n\nOne day the Muftí’s father came in and\nbelabored them violently and at length. This somewhat discomfited the\nMuftí and he began to apologize for his father. Then he said:\n“Your answer has arrived from Constantinople. The Sovereign has\nset you free, but on condition that you quit his realms.” The\nnext morning they left the Muftí’s house and proceeded\nto the public baths. Meanwhile Shaykh Muḥammad-i-Shibl\nand Shaykh Sulṭán-i-‘Arab made the\nnecessary preparations for their journey, and when three days had\npassed, they left Baghdád; that is, Táhirih,\nShamsu’d-Ḍuḥá, the Leaf of Paradise,\nthe mother of Mírzá Hádí, and a number of\nSiyyids from Yazd set out for Persia. Their travel expenses were all\nprovided by Shaykh Muḥammad.\n\nThey arrived at Kirmansháh, where the\nwomen took up residence in one house, the men in another. The work of\nteaching went on at all times, and as soon as the ‘ulamás\nbecame aware of it they ordered that the party be expelled. At this\nthe district head, with a crowd of people, broke into the house and\ncarried off their belongings; then they seated the travelers in open\nhowdahs and drove them from the city. When they came to a field, the\nmuleteers set them down on the bare ground and left, taking animals\nand howdahs away, leaving them without food or luggage, and with no\nroof over their heads.\n\nTáhirih thereupon wrote a letter to the Governor\nof Kirmansháh. “We were travelers,” she\nwrote, “guests in your city. ‘Honor thy guest,’ the\nProphet says, ‘though he be an unbeliever.’ Is it right\nthat a guest should be thus scorned and despoiled?” The\nGovernor ordered that the stolen goods be restored, and that all be\nreturned to the owners. Accordingly the muleteers came back as well,\nseated the travelers in the howdahs again, and they went on to\nHamadán. The ladies of Hamadán, even the princesses,\ncame every day to meet with Táhirih, who remained in that city\ntwo months.112\nThere she dismissed some of her traveling companions, so that they\ncould return to Baghdád; others, however, accompanied\nher to Qazvín.\n\nAs they journeyed, some horsemen, kinsfolk of Táhirih’s,\nthat is, her brothers, approached. “We have come,” they\nsaid, “at our father’s command, to lead her away, alone.”\nBut Táhirih refused, and accordingly the whole party remained\ntogether until they arrived in Qazvín. Here, Táhirih\nwent to her father’s house and the friends, those who had\nridden and those who had traveled on foot, put up at a caravanserai.\nMírzá Hádí, the husband of Shamsu’d-Ḍuḥá,\nhad gone to Máh-Kú, seeking out the Báb. On his\nreturn, he awaited the arrival of Shams in Qazvín,\nafter which the couple left for Iṣfáhán, and when\nthey reached there, Mírzá Hádí journeyed\non to Badasht. In that hamlet and its vicinity he was\nattacked, tormented, even stoned, and was subjected to such ordeals\nthat finally, in a ruined caravanserai, he died. His brother, Mírzá\nMuḥammad-‘Alí, buried him there, along the\nroadside.\n\nShams-i-Ḍuḥá remained in\nIṣfáhán. She spent her days and nights in the\nremembrance of God and in teaching His Cause to the women of that\ncity. She was gifted with an eloquent tongue; her utterance was\nwonderful to hear. She was highly honored by the leading women of\nIṣfáhán, celebrated for piety, for godliness, and\nthe purity of her life. She was chastity embodied; all her hours were\nspent in reciting Holy Writ, or expounding the Texts, or unraveling\nthe most complex of spiritual themes, or spreading abroad the sweet\nsavors of God.\n\nIt was for these reasons that the King of Martyrs\nmarried her respected daughter and became her son-in-law. And when\nShams went to live in his princely house, day and night the\npeople thronged its doors, for the leading women of the city, whether\nfriends or strangers, whether close to her or not, would come and go.\nFor she was a fire lit by the love of God, and she proclaimed the\nWord of God with great ardor and verve, so that she became known\namong the non-believers as Fátimih, the Bahá’ís’\nLady of Light.113\n\n\nAnd so time passed, until the day when the “She-Serpent”\nand the “Wolf” conspired together and issued a decree, a\nfatvá, that sentenced the King of Martyrs to death. They\nplotted as well with the Governor of the city so that among them they\ncould sack and plunder and carry off all that vast treasure he\npossessed. Then the Sháh joined forces with those two\nwild animals; and he commanded that the blood of both brothers, the\nKing of Martyrs and the Beloved of Martyrs, be spilled out. Without\nwarning, those ruthless men: the She-Serpent, the Wolf, and their\nbrutal farráshes and constabulary—attacked; they\nchained the two brothers and led them off to prison, looted their\nrichly furnished houses, wrested away all their possessions, and\nspared no one, not even infants at the breast. They tortured, cursed,\nreviled, mocked, beat the kin and others of the victims’\nhousehold, and would not stay their hands.\n\nIn Paris, Zillu’s-Sulṭán114\nrelated the following, swearing to the truth of it upon his oath:\n“Many and many a time I warned those two great scions of the\nProphet’s House, but all to no avail. At the last I summoned\nthem one night, and with extreme urgency I told them in so many\nwords: ‘Gentlemen, the Sháh has three times\ncondemned you to death. His farmáns keep on coming. The decree\nis absolute and there is only one course open to you now: you must,\nin the presence of the ‘ulamás, clear yourselves and\ncurse your Faith.’ Their answer was: ‘Yá\nBahá’u’l-Abhá! O Thou Glory of the\nAll-Glorious! May our lives be offered up!’ Finally I agreed to\ntheir not cursing their Faith. I told them all they had to say was,\n‘We are not Bahá’ís.’ ‘Just\nthose few words,’ I said, ‘will be enough; then I can\nwrite out my report for the Sháh, and you will be\nsaved.’ ‘That is impossible,’ they answered,\n‘because we are Bahá’ís. O Thou Glory of\nthe All-Glorious, our hearts hunger for martyrdom! Yá\nBahá’u’l-Abhá!’ I was enraged, then,\nand I tried, by being harsh with them, to force them to renounce\ntheir Faith, but it was hopeless. The decree of the rapacious\nShe-Serpent and Wolf, and the Sháh’s commands,\nwere carried out.”\n\nAfter those two were martyred, Shamsu’d-Ḍuḥá\nwas hunted down, and had to seek a refuge in her brother’s\nhouse. Although he was not a believer, he was known in Iṣfáhán\nas an upright, pious and godly man, a man of learning, an ascetic\nwho, hermit-like, kept to himself, and for these reasons he was\nhighly regarded and trusted by all. She stayed there with him, but\nthe Government did not abandon its search, finally discovered her\nwhereabouts and summoned her to appear; the evil ‘ulamás\nhad a hand in this, joining forces with the civil authorities. Her\nbrother was therefore obliged to accompany Shamsu’d-Ḍuḥá\nto the Governor’s house. He remained without, while they sent\nhis sister into the women’s apartments; the Governor came\nthere, to the door, and he kicked and trampled her so savagely that\nshe fainted away. Then the Governor shouted to his wife: “Princess!\nPrincess! Come here and take a look at the Bahá’ís’\nLady of Light!”\n\nThe women lifted her up and put her in one of the rooms.\nMeanwhile her brother, dumbfounded, was waiting outside the mansion.\nFinally, trying to plead with him, he said to the Governor: “This\nsister of mine has been beaten so severely that she is at the point\nof death. What is the use of keeping her here? There is no hope for\nher now. With your permission I can get her back to my house. It\nwould be better to have her die there, rather than here, for after\nall, she is a descendant of the Prophet, she is of Muḥammad’s\nnoble line, and she has done no wrong. There is nothing against her\nexcept her kinship to the son-in-law.” The Governor answered:\n“She is one of the great leaders and heroines of the Bahá’ís.\nShe will simply cause another uproar.” The brother said: “I\npromise you that she will not utter a word. It is certain that within\na few days she will not even be alive. Her body is frail, weak,\nalmost lifeless, and she has suffered terrible harm.”\n\nSince the brother was greatly respected and trusted by\nhigh and low alike, the Governor released Shamsu’d-Ḍuḥá\nin his custody, letting her go. She lived for a while in his house,\ncrying out, grieving, shedding her tears, mourning her dead. Neither\nwas the brother at peace, nor would the hostile leave them alone;\nthere was some new turmoil every day, and public clamor. The brother\nfinally thought it best to take Shams away on a pilgrimage to\nMashhad, hoping that the fire of civil disturbances would die\ndown.\n\nThey went to Mashhad and settled in a vacant\nhouse near the Shrine of the Imám Riḍá.115\n\n\nBecause he was such a pious man the brother would leave\nevery morning to visit the Shrine, and there he would stay, busy with\nhis devotions until almost noon. In the afternoon as well, he would\nhasten away to the Holy Place, and pray until evening. The house\nbeing empty, Shamsu’d-Ḍuḥá managed to\nget in touch with various women believers and began to associate with\nthem; and because the love of God burned so brightly in her heart she\nwas unable to keep silent, so that during those hours when her\nbrother was absent the place came alive. The Bahá’í\nwomen would flock there and absorb her lucid and eloquent speech.\n\nIn those days life in Mashhad was hard for the\nbelievers, with the malevolent always on the alert; if they so much\nas suspected an individual, they murdered him. There was no security\nof any kind, no peace. But Shamsu’d-Ḍuḥá\ncould not help herself: in spite of all the terrible ordeals she had\nendured, she ignored the danger, and was capable of flinging herself\ninto flames, or into the sea. Since her brother frequented no one, he\nknew nothing of what was going on. Day and night he would only leave\nthe house for the Shrine, the Shrine for the house; he was a recluse,\nhad no friends, and would not so much as speak to another person.\nNevertheless there came a day when he saw that trouble had broken out\nin the city, and he knew it would end in serious harm. He was a man\nso calm and silent that he did not reproach his sister; he simply\ntook her away from Mashhad without warning, and they returned\nto Iṣfáhán. Here, he sent her to her daughter,\nthe widow of the King of Martyrs, for he would no longer shelter her\nunder his roof.\n\nShamsu’d-Ḍuḥá was thus\nback in Iṣfáhán, boldly teaching the Faith and\nspreading abroad the sweet savors of God. So vehement was the fiery\nlove in her heart that it compelled her to speak out, whenever she\nfound a listening ear. And when it was observed that once again the\nhousehold of the King of Martyrs was about to be overtaken by\ncalamities, and that they were enduring severe afflictions there in\nIṣfáhán, Bahá’u’lláh\ndesired them to come to the Most Great Prison. Shamsu’d-Ḍuḥá,\nwith the widow of the King of Martyrs and the children, arrived in\nthe Holy Land. Here they were joyously spending their days when the\nson of the King of Martyrs, Mírzá ‘Abdu’l-Ḥusayn,\nas a result of the awful suffering he had been subjected to in\nIṣfáhán, came down with tuberculosis and died in\nAkká.\n\nShamsu’d-Ḍuḥá was heavy\nof heart. She mourned his absence, she wasted away with longing for\nhim, and it was all much harder because then the Supreme Affliction\ncame upon us, the crowning anguish. The basis of her life was\nundermined; candle-like, she was consumed with grieving. She grew so\nfeeble that she took to her bed, unable to move. Still, she did not\nrest, nor keep silent for a moment. She would tell of days long gone,\nof things that had come to pass in the Cause, or she would recite\nfrom Holy Writ, or she would supplicate, and chant her prayers—until,\nout of the Most Great Prison, she soared away to the world of God.\nShe hastened away from this dust gulf of perdition to an unsullied\ncountry; packed her gear and journeyed to the land of lights. Unto\nher be salutations and praise, and most great mercy, sheltered in the\ncompassion of her omnipotent Lord.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Shaykh Muḥammad-'Alíy-i-Qá'iní (Nabíl-i-Akbar of Khurásán)",
"slug": "mof-shaykh-muhammad-ali",
"summary": "'Abdu'l-Bahá's tribute to Shaykh Muḥammad-'Alí — the scholar of Khurásán who, after years of distinguished ecclesiastical study in Najaf and Karbalá, embraced the Cause and became, in his maturity, one of the great teachers of the Faith in eastern Persia.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shaykh Muḥammad-'Alíy-i-Qá'iní"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Qá'in",
"lat": 33.7224,
"lng": 59.1899,
"modernName": "Qá’in, South Khurásán, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"learning",
"persia"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"knowledge",
"faith",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/memorials-faithful/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the great learned figures of the Cause whom 'Abdu'l-Bahá\nremembers in *Memorials of the Faithful* is Shaykh\nMuḥammad-'Alíy-i-Qá'iní, known in the Bahá'í records also as\nNabíl-i-Akbar of Khurásán. He was, before his recognition of\nthe Cause, one of the most distinguished young clerical\nscholars of his generation in eastern Persia.\n\nShaykh Muḥammad-'Alí was born in Qá'in, in the province of\nSouth Khurásán. He pursued the traditional clerical education\nof his time, travelling for the higher portion of his studies\nto the Shi'a holy cities of Najaf and Karbalá in Mesopotamia.\nThere he studied under the greatest *mujtahid*s of the day. He\ndistinguished himself by his memory, his sharpness in\nargument, and the seriousness of his piety. His teachers\npredicted for him a future at the highest levels of the\nPersian religious establishment.\n\nThe story 'Abdu'l-Bahá tells is of a great learning that, at\nits height, encountered a greater. While in the holy cities,\nShaykh Muḥammad-'Alí heard of the Cause of God. The first\nreports came to him through scholarly channels — texts brought\nback from Persia by other students, reports of the new\nteachings circulating among the *'ulamá* themselves. He\ninvestigated.\n\nHe read carefully. He weighed what he read against the\nprophetic literature he had been studying for fifteen years.\nHe arrived, after a period of struggle, at the conclusion that\nthe Cause was true.\n\nThe recognition cost him everything. He was, by his\necclesiastical standing, on the threshold of a brilliant\ncareer. The conversion to the Cause closed every door that had\nbeen opening before him. His teachers disowned him; his\ncolleagues turned away; the network of patronage that would\nhave carried him into senior religious appointment was cut at\nonce.\n\nHe bore the loss without protest. The Master records that *his\nlearning lay down at the door of his Lord, and his pride was\nthe first sacrifice he offered.* He returned to Persia, took\nup the dress and conduct of an ordinary believer, and began\nthe patient teaching work of a faithful disciple.\n\nHis learning was, in the new mode, a different kind of\nasset. He could speak to the *'ulamá* in their own\nvocabulary. He could meet the most subtle of objections in the\nlanguage of the objector. He drew, by patient reasoned\nexposition, a substantial number of clerical recognitions of\nthe Cause across the Khurásán province.\n\nHe travelled in his later years to Egypt, where he laboured\namong the small Persian community of Cairo. He died there, in\nexile from his birthplace, in the service of the Faith that\nhad cost him every other career.\n\nThe Master closes: *He has joined the host of the great\nlearned among the believers, and his place is high.*\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Sulaymán Khán-i-Tunúkábání",
"slug": "mof-sulayman-khan-i-tunukabani",
"summary": "Sulaymán Khán was the emigrant and settler who was given the title of Jamálí’d-Dín. He was born in Tunúkábán, into an old family of that region. He was cradled in wealth, bred to ease, reared in the comfortable ways of luxury. From his…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Sulaymán Khán-i-Tunúkábání",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Tabríz",
"lat": 38.0962,
"lng": 46.2738,
"modernName": "Tabríz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"pilgrimage",
"exile",
"prison",
"the-covenant",
"family",
"hospitality",
"holy-land",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"hope",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"loyalty",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 7,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSulaymán Khán was the emigrant and\nsettler who was given the title of Jamálí’d-Dín.\nHe was born in Tunúkábán, into an old family of\nthat region. He was cradled in wealth, bred to ease, reared in the\ncomfortable ways of luxury. From his early childhood he had high\nambitions and noble aims, and he was honor and aspiration\npersonified. At first he planned to outdistance all his fellows and\nachieve some lofty rank. For this reason he left his birthplace and\nwent to the capital, Ṭihrán, where he hoped to become a\nleader, surpassing the rest of his generation.\n\nIn Ṭihrán, however, the fragrance of God\nwas borne his way, and he listened to the summons of the\nWell-Beloved. He was saved from the perturbations of high rank; from\nall the din and clatter, the glory, the pomps and palaces, of this\nheap of dust, the world. He threw off his chains, and by God’s\ngrace, discovered peace. To him, the seat of honor was now no\ndifferent from the place where people removed their slippers at the\ndoor, and high office was a thing soon gone and forgotten. He was\ncleansed from the stain of living, his heart was eased, for he had\nburst the shackles that held him to this present life.\n\nPutting on the garments of a pilgrim, he set out to find\nhis loving Friend, and came to the Most Great Prison. Here for a time\nhe rested, under the protection of the Ancient Beauty; here he gained\nthe honor of entering the presence of Bahá’u’lláh,\nand listened to momentous teachings from His holy lips. When he had\nbreathed the scented air, when his eyes were illumined and his ears\nattuned to the words of the Lord, he was permitted to make a journey\nto India, and bidden to teach the true seekers after truth.\n\nResting his heart on God, in love with the sweet savors\nof God, on fire with the love of God, he left for India. There he\nwandered, and whenever he came to a city he raised the call of the\nGreat Kingdom and delivered the good news that the Speaker of the\nMount had come. He became one of God’s farmers, scattering the\nholy seed of the Teachings. This sowing was fruitful. Through him a\nconsiderable number found their way into the Ark of Salvation. The\nlight of Divine guidance was shed upon those souls, and their eyes\nwere brightened with beholding the mighty signs of God. He became the\nfocal point of every gathering, the honored guest. To this day, in\nIndia, the results of his auspicious presence are clear to see, and\nthose whom he taught are now, in their turn, guiding others to the\nFaith.\n\nFollowing his Indian journey, Sulaymán Khán\ncame back to Bahá’u’lláh, but when he\narrived, the ascension had taken place. Continuously, he shed his\ntears, and his heart was a thurible for sorrow. But he remained loyal\nto the Covenant, well rooted in Heaven.\n\nNot long before His passing, Bahá’u’lláh\nhad said: “Should someone go to Persia, and manage to convey\nit, this message must be delivered to Amínu’s-Sultán:82\n‘You took steps to help the prisoners; you freely rendered them\na befitting service; this service will not be forgotten. Rest assured\nthat it will bring you honor and call down a blessing upon all your\naffairs. O Amínu’s-Sultán! Every house that is\nraised up will one day fall to ruin, except the house of God; that\nwill grow more massive and be better guarded day by day. Then serve\nthe Court of God with all your might, that you may discover the way\nto a home in Heaven, and found an edifice that will endure forever.’”\nAfter the departure of Bahá’u’lláh, this\nmessage was conveyed to Amínu’s-Sultán.\n\nIn Ádhirbayján the Turkish clerics\nhad brought down Áqá Siyyid Asadu’lláh,\nhunted him down in Ardabíl and plotted to shed his blood; but\nthe Governor, by a ruse, managed to save him from being physically\nbeaten and then murdered: he sent the victim to Tabríz in\nchains, and from there had him conducted to Ṭihrán.\nAmínu’s-Sultán came to the prisoner’s\nassistance and, in his own office, provided Asadu’lláh\nwith a sanctuary. One day when the Prime Minister was ill,\nNáṣiri’d-Dín Sháh arrived to\nvisit him. The Minister then explained the situation, and lavished\npraise upon his captive; so much so that the Sháh, as\nhe left, showed great kindness to Asadu’lláh, and spoke\nwords of consolation. This, when at an earlier time, the captive\nwould have been strung up at once to adorn some gallows-tree, and\nshot down with a gun.\n\nAfter a time Amínu’s-Sultán lost the\nSovereign’s favor. Hated, in disgrace, he was banished to the\ncity of Qum. Thereupon this servant dispatched Sulaymán Khán\nto Persia, carrying a prayer and a missive written by me. The prayer\nbesought God’s aid and bounty and succor for the fallen\nMinister, so that he might, from that corner of oblivion, be recalled\nto favor. In the letter we clearly stated: “Prepare to return\nto Ṭihrán. Soon will God’s help arrive; the light\nof grace will shine on you again; with full authority again, you will\nfind yourself free, and Prime Minister. This is your reward for the\nefforts you exerted on behalf of a man who was oppressed.” That\nletter and that prayer are today in the possession of the family of\nAmínu’s-Sultán.\n\nFrom Ṭihrán, Sulaymán Khán\njourneyed to Qum, and according to his instructions went to live in a\ncell in the shrine of the Immaculate.83\nThe relatives of Amínu’s-Sultán came to visit\nthere; Sulaymán Khán inquired after the fallen\nMinister and expressed the wish to meet him. When the Minister\nlearned of this, he sent for Sulaymán Khán.\nPlacing all his trust in God, Sulaymán Khán\nhastened to the Minister’s house and, meeting him in private,\npresented the letter from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The\nMinister rose, and received the letter with extreme respect. Then\naddressing the Khán he said: “I had given up\nhope. If this longing is fulfilled, I will arise to serve; I will\npreserve and uphold the friends of God.” Then he expressed his\ngratitude, indebtedness and joy, and added, “Praise be to God,\nI hope again; I feel that by His aid, my dream will come true.”\n\nIn brief, the Minister pledged himself to serve the\nfriends, and Sulaymán Khán took his leave. The\nMinister then desired to give him a sum of money to defray the\nexpenses of his journey, but Sulaymán Khán\nrefused, and despite the Minister’s insistence, would accept\nnothing. The Khán had not yet reached the Holy Land on\nhis return journey when Amínu’s-Sultán was\nrecalled from exile and immediately summoned to the Premiership\nagain. He assumed the position and functioned with full authority;\nand at first he did indeed support the believers, but toward the end,\nin the case of the Yazd martyrdoms, he was neglectful. He neither\nhelped nor protected the sufferers in any way, nor would he listen to\ntheir repeated pleas, until all of them were put to death.\nAccordingly he too was dismissed, a ruined man; that flag which had\nflown so proudly was reversed, and that hoping heart despaired.\n\nSulaymán Khán lived on in the Holy\nLand, near the Shrine which the Exalted Assembly circle about. He\nkept company with the believers until the day of inescapable death,\nwhen he set out for the mansions of Him Who liveth, and dieth not. He\nturned his back on this heap of dust, the world, and hurried away to\nthe country of light. He broke out of this cage of contingent being\nand soared into the endless, placeless Realm. May God enfold him in\nthe waters of His mercy, cause His forgiveness to rain down upon him,\nand bestow on him the wonders of abounding grace. Salutations be unto\nhim, and praise.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Zaynu’l-Ábidín Yazdí",
"slug": "mof-zaynu-l-abidin-yazdi",
"summary": "One of the emigrants who died along the way to the Holy Land was Zaynu’l-Ábidín of Yazd. When, in Manshad, this devoted man first heard the cry of God, he was awakened to restless life. A holy passion stirred him, his soul was made…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Zaynu’l-Ábidín Yazdí",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Yazd",
"lat": 31.8974,
"lng": 54.3569,
"modernName": "Yazd, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"love",
"loyalty",
"mercy",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne of the emigrants who died along the way to the Holy\nLand was Zaynu’l-Ábidín of Yazd. When, in\nManshad, this devoted man first heard the cry of God, he was\nawakened to restless life. A holy passion stirred him, his soul was\nmade new. The light of guidance flamed from the lamp of his heart;\nthe love of God sparked a revolution in the country of his inner\nself. Carried away by love for the Loved One’s beauty, he left\nthe home that was dear to him and set out for the Desired Land.\n\nAs he traveled along with his two sons, gladdened by\nhopes of the meeting that would be his, he paused on every hilltop,\nin every plain, village and hamlet to visit with the friends. But the\ngreat distance stretching out before him changed to a sea of\ntroubles, and although his spirit yearned, his body weakened, and at\nthe end he sickened and turned helpless; all this when he was without\na home.\n\nSick as he was, he did not renounce the journey, nor\nfail in his resolve; he had amazing strength of will, and was\ndetermined to keep on; but the illness worsened with every passing\nday, until at last he winged his way to the mercy of God, and yielded\nup his soul in a longing unfulfilled.\n\nAlthough to outward eyes he never drained the cup of\nmeeting, never gazed upon the beauty of Bahá’u’lláh,\nstill he achieved the very spirit of spiritual communion; he is\naccounted as one of those who attained the Presence, and for him the\nreward of those who reached that Presence is fixed and ordained. He\nwas a stainless soul, faithful, devoted and true. He never drew a\nbreath except in righteousness, and his single desire was to worship\nhis Lord. He walked the ways of love; he was known to all for\nsteadfast loyalty and pure intent. May God fill up reunion’s\ncup for him in a fair country, make him to enter the everlasting\nKingdom, and console his eyes with beholding the lights of that\nmysterious Realm.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Memorial of Zaynu’l-Muqarrabín",
"slug": "mof-zaynu-l-muqarrabin",
"summary": "This distinguished man was one of the greatest of all the Báb’s companions and all the loved ones of Bahá’u’lláh. When he lived under Islám, he was already famed for his purity and holiness of life. He was talented and highly…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Zaynu’l-Muqarrabín",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"memorial",
"early-believers",
"pilgrimage",
"exile",
"prison",
"the-covenant",
"teaching",
"holy-day",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "memorials-of-the-faithful",
"book": "Memorials of the Faithful",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19279/pg19279-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis distinguished man was one of the greatest of all\nthe Báb’s companions and all the loved ones of\nBahá’u’lláh. When he lived under Islám,\nhe was already famed for his purity and holiness of life. He was\ntalented and highly accomplished in many directions. He was the\nleader and spiritual exemplar of the entire population of Najaf-Ábád,\nand the eminent of that area showed him unbounded respect. When he\nspoke out, his was the deciding opinion; when he passed judgment, it\ntook effect; for he was known to all as the standard, and the\nauthority of last resort.\n\nHe had no sooner learned of the Báb’s\nDeclaration than he cried out from the depths of his heart, “O\nour Lord! we have indeed heard the voice of one that called. He\ncalled us to the Faith—‘Believe ye on your Lord’—and\nwe have believed.”87\nHe rid himself of all impeding veils; his doubts dispelled, he began\nto extol and glorify the Beauty promised from of old. In his own\nhome, and at Iṣfáhán, he became notorious for\ndeclaring far and wide that the advent of the long-desired One had\ncome to pass. By the hypocrites, he was mocked, cursed and tormented.\nAs for the people, “the mass, as a snake in the grass,”\nwho had worshiped him before, now rose up to do him harm. Every day\nbrought on a fresh cruelty, a new torment from his oppressors. He\nendured it all, and went on teaching with great eloquence. He\nremained staunch, unmoved, as their wrath increased. In his hands he\nheld out a full cup of Divine glad tidings, offering to all who came\nthat heady draught of the knowledge of God. He was utterly without\nfear, knew nothing of danger, and swiftly followed the holy path of\nthe Lord.\n\nAfter the attempt on the Sháh, however,\nthere was no shelter anywhere; no evening, no morning, without\nintense affliction. And since his staying on in Najaf-Ábád\nat such a time was a great danger to the believers, he left there and\ntraveled to ‘Iráq. It was during the period when the\nBlessed Beauty was in Kurdistán, when He had gone into\nseclusion and was living in the cave on Sar-Galú, that\nJináb-i-Zayn arrived in Baghdád. But his hopes\nwere dashed, his heart grieved, for all was silence: there was no\nword of the Cause of God, no name nor fame of it; there were no\ngatherings, no call was being raised. Yaḥyá, terror\nstricken, had vanished into some dark hiding place. Torpid, flaccid,\nhe had made himself invisible. Try as he might, Jináb-i-Zayn\ncould find not one soul. He met on a single occasion with His\nEminence Kalím. But it was a period when great caution was\nbeing exercised by the believers, and he went on to Karbilá.\nHe spent some time there, and occupied himself with copying out the\nWritings, after which he returned home to Najaf-Ábád.\nHere the foul persecutions and attacks of his relentless enemies\ncould hardly be endured.\n\nBut when the Trump had been sounded a second time,88\nhe was restored to life. To the tidings of Bahá’u’lláh’s\nadvent his soul replied; to the drum beat, “Am I not your\nLord?” his heart drummed back: “Yea, verily!”89\nEloquently, he taught again, using both rational and historical\nproofs to establish that He Whom God Shall Manifest—the\nPromised One of the Báb—had indeed appeared. He was like\nrefreshing waters to those who thirsted, and to seekers, a clear\nanswer from the Concourse on high. In his writing and speaking, he\nwas first among the righteous, in his elucidations and commentaries a\nmighty sign of God.\n\nIn Persia his life was in imminent peril; and since\nremaining at Najaf-Ábád would have stirred up the\nagitators and brought on riots, he hastened away to Adrianople,\nseeking sanctuary with God, and crying out as he went, “Lord,\nLord, here am I!” Wearing the lover’s pilgrim dress, he\nreached the Mecca of his longing. For some time he tarried there, in\nthe presence of Bahá’u’lláh, after which he\nwas commanded to leave, with Jináb-i-Mírzá\nJa’far-i-Yazdí, and promulgate the Faith. He returned to\nPersia and began to teach most eloquently, so that the glad tidings\nof the Lord’s advent resounded to the high heavens. In the\ncompany of Mírzá Ja’far he traveled everywhere,\nthrough cities flourishing and ruined, spreading the good news that\nthe Blessed Beauty was now manifest.\n\nOnce again, he returned to ‘Iráq, where he\nwas the center of every gathering, and rejoiced his hearers. At all\ntimes, he gave wise counsel; at all times he was consumed with the\nlove of God.\n\nWhen the believers were taken prisoner in ‘Iráq\nand banished to Mosul, Jináb-i-Zayn became their chief. He\nremained for some time in Mosul, a consolation to the rest, working\nto solve their many problems. He would kindle love in people’s\nhearts, and make them kind to one another. Later he asked for\npermission to attend upon Bahá’u’lláh; when\nthis was granted he arrived at the Prison and had the honor of\nentering the presence of his Well-Beloved. He then busied himself\nwith writing down the sacred verses, and encouraging the friends. He\nwas love itself to the emigrants, and warmed the travelers’\nhearts. He never rested for a moment, and received new grace and\nbounty every day, meanwhile taking down the Bahá’í\nScriptures with faultless care.\n\nFrom his early years till his last breath, this eminent\nman never failed in service to the Manifestation. After the ascension\nhe was consumed with such grieving, such constant tears and anguish,\nthat as the days passed by, he wasted away. He remained faithful to\nthe Covenant, and was a close companion to this servant of the Light\nof the World, but he longed to rise out of this life, and awaited his\ndeparture from day to day. At last, serene and happy, rejoicing in\nthe tidings of the Kingdom, he soared away to that mysterious land.\nThere he was loosed from every sorrow, and in the gathering-place of\nsplendors he was immersed in light.\n\nUnto him be salutations and praise from the luminous\nRealm, and the glory of the All-Glorious from the Concourse on high,\nand great joy in that Kingdom which endures forever. May God provide\nhim with an exalted station in the Abhá Paradise.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1915). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19279.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Montréal was, in a religious sense, a divided city, between English-speaking…",
"slug": "montr-al-was-in-a-religious-sense-a-divided-bs2",
"summary": "Montréal was, in a religious sense, a divided city, between English-speaking Protestants and French-speaking Catholics. One day the Master was talking with a group about the early days of Christianity. One of those present, a Protestant,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Montreal",
"lat": 45.5017,
"lng": -73.5673,
"modernName": "Montreal, Canada"
},
"themes": [
"abdul baha montreal"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-montreal"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMontréal was, in a religious sense, a divided city, between English-speaking Protestants and French-speaking Catholics. One day the Master was talking with a group about the early days of Christianity. One of those present, a Protestant, asked a question about St. Paul. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá immediately thundered \"Peter, not Paul!\" May said that the house almost shook with the emphasis the Master put on the name Peter. He refused to talk about Paul and would only talk about Peter.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 183*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-montreal) (Subject: abdul-baha-montreal).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Most of those present at this luncheon party knew a little of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's…",
"slug": "most-of-those-present-at-this-luncheon-party-bs8",
"summary": "Most of those present at this luncheon party knew a little of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's life history, and, presumably, were expecting a dissertation from Him on the Bahá’í Cause. The hostess had suggested to the Master that He speak to them on the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Howard Colby Ives"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"humor",
"prison",
"children",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/humor"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMost of those present at this luncheon party knew a little of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's life history, and, presumably, were expecting a dissertation from Him on the Bahá’í Cause. The hostess had suggested to the Master that He speak to them on the subject of Immortality. However, as the meal progressed, and no more than the usual commonplaces of polite society were mentioned, the hostess made an opening, as she thought, for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to speak on spiritual things. His response to this was to ask if He might tell them a story, and he related one of the Oriental tales, of which He had a great store and at its conclusion all laughed heartily. The ice was broken. Others added stories of which the Master's anecdote had reminded them. Then ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, His face beaming with happiness, told another story, and another. His laughter rang through the room. He said that the Orientals, had many such stories illustrating different phases of life. Many of them are extremely humorous. It is good to laugh. Laughter is a spiritual relaxation. When they were in prison, He said, and under the utmost deprivation and difficulties, each of them at the close of the day would relate the most ludicrous event which had happened. Sometimes it was a little difficult to find one but always they would laugh until the tears would roll down their cheeks. Happiness, He said, is never dependent upon material surroundings, otherwise how sad those years would have been. As it was they were always in the utmost state of joy and happiness. That was the nearest approach He came to any reference to Himself or to the Divine Teachings. But over that group before the gathering dispersed, hovered a hush and reverence which no learned dissertation would have caused in them. After the guests had gone, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was leaving for His hotel, He came close to His hostess and asked her, with a little wistful smile, almost, she was used to say, like a child seeking approbation, if she were pleased with Him. She was never able to speak of this conclusion to the event without deep emotion.\n\n\n*Source: Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom, p. 119*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/humor) (Subject: humor).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mother met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1912, when she was 15 years old",
"slug": "mother-met-abdu-l-bah-in-1912-when-she-was-bs0",
"summary": "Mother met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1912, when she was 15 years old. He told her that she would grow like a tree and have many branches. Years later she realized, as so often happens, the meaning of this prediction. It was twenty years before she…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"timing"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/timing"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMother met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1912, when she was 15 years old. He told her that she would grow like a tree and have many branches. Years later she realized, as so often happens, the meaning of this prediction. It was twenty years before she declared her belief in Bahá’u’lláh, and she has observed many times 'it takes a tree 20 years to mature'.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 5*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/timing) (Subject: timing).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mr",
"slug": "mr-and-mrs-charles-and-mariam-haney-and-bs2",
"summary": "Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Mariam Haney and the baby drove with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the morning. At the children’s meetings the baby [he was the future Hand of the Cause Mr. Paul Haney] had screamed when he saw ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and I thought at the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Paul Haney"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"hands cause",
"children"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hands-cause"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMr. and Mrs. Charles and Mariam Haney and the baby drove with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the morning. At the children’s meetings the baby [he was the future Hand of the Cause Mr. Paul Haney] had screamed when he saw ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and I thought at the time, that the child had probably been overwhelmed by seeing a greater spirituality in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá than many saw. Before they went to drive, I spoke of this to Mr. and Mrs. Haney, for the latter had shown such distress when it occurred. I believe Mr. Haney agreed with me. He said: “Three months before the child was born we were in Acca.” Afterward, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá returned from the drive, I said to Him: “How was it with the baby?” “Everything was quite right” was His reply. I told Him I thought the baby had been conscious of more than we were, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s answer was, “You have much insight.”\n\n\n*Source: Agnes Parson’s Diary, April 25, 1912*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hands-cause) (Subject: hands-cause).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mr George Latimer, writing of a visit to the Master, quoted Him as saying, ‘You…",
"slug": "mr-george-latimer-writing-of-a-visit-to-bs1",
"summary": "Mr George Latimer, writing of a visit to the Master, quoted Him as saying, ‘You must be very moderate. Consider the taste of the public. This is the best policy. Moderation, moderation. You must speak and write in such a manner as not…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"moderation"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/moderation"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMr George Latimer, writing of a visit to the Master, quoted Him as saying, ‘You must be very moderate. Consider the taste of the public. This is the best policy. Moderation, moderation. You must speak and write in such a manner as not to offend anyone. The Lord addressed Moses and Aaron saying, “When you go to Pharaoh, speak in a moderate, sweet language.”’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 114*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/moderation) (Subject: moderation).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mr Holley recalled one dinner: ‘Our party took seats at two adjoining tables",
"slug": "mr-holley-recalled-one-dinner-our-party-took-bs17",
"summary": "Mr Holley recalled one dinner: ‘Our party took seats at two adjoining tables. The dinner was throughout cheerful and animated. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá answered questions and made frequent observations on religion in the West. He laughed heartily…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMr Holley recalled one dinner: ‘Our party took seats at two adjoining tables. The dinner was throughout cheerful and animated. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá answered questions and made frequent observations on religion in the West. He laughed heartily from time to time indeed, the idea of asceticism or useless misery of any kind cannot attach itself to this full-developed personality. The divine element in Him does not feed at the expense of the human element, but appears rather to vitalize and enrich the human element by its own abundance, as if He had attained His spiritual development by fulfilling His social relations with the utmost ardour.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 168*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mr Robert Turner, the butler of philanthropist Mrs Phoebe Hearst, distinguished…",
"slug": "mr-robert-turner-the-butler-of-philanthropist-mrs-bs16",
"summary": "Mr Robert Turner, the butler of philanthropist Mrs Phoebe Hearst, distinguished himself by being the first Western black man to become a Bahá’í. May Maxwell recalled later that ‘on the morning of our arrival [on pilgrimage], after we had…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Phoebe Hearst",
"May Maxwell"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"race unity",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"kindness",
"love",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMr Robert Turner, the butler of philanthropist Mrs Phoebe Hearst, distinguished himself by being the first Western black man to become a Bahá’í. May Maxwell recalled later that ‘on the morning of our arrival [on pilgrimage], after we had refreshed ourselves, the Master summoned us all to Him in a long room overlooking the Mediterranean. He sat in silence gazing out of the window, then looking up He asked if all were present. Seeing that one of the believers was absent, He said, “Where is Robert?” . . . In a moment Robert’s radiant face appeared in the doorway and the Master rose to greet him, bidding him be seated, and said, “Robert, your Lord loves you. God gave you a black skin, but a heart white as snow.”’ Such was the tenacity of his faith that even the subsequent estrangement of his beloved mistress from the Cause she had spontaneously embraced failed to becloud its radiance, or to lessen the intensity of the emotions which the loving-kindness showered by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá upon him had excited in his breast.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 101*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity) (Subject: race-unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mrs",
"slug": "mrs-gibbons-a-bah-had-written-the-master-bs0",
"summary": "Mrs. Gibbons, a Bahá’í, had written the Master before His coming to the United States, requesting that her own daughter be allowed to paint His portrait. In His reply He consented to this request and added, according to Mrs. Gibbons, that…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lua Getsinger",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"covenant",
"the-covenant",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/covenant"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMrs. Gibbons, a Bahá’í, had written the Master before His coming to the United States, requesting that her own daughter be allowed to paint His portrait. In His reply He consented to this request and added, according to Mrs. Gibbons, that Juliet Thompson would paint a portrait of Him. Juliet Thompson had long dreamed that she would paint the face of Christ.\n\nDuring the month of June, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá allowed Juliet Thompson to paint His portrait\n\ntelling her to paint His “Servitude to God”. She completed it over the course of six sittings which took place over multiple days in different rooms. Juliet remembered that fourth sitting on June 19th because of an extraordinary experience she and Lua Getsinger had on that day.\n\nAs the Master prepared to sit for the portrait, He turned to Lua Getsinger who was also in the room and told her in Persian that these sittings made Him sleepy. He sat down and closed His eyes. Juliet studied Him but found that she could not begin painting because ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s countenance reflected the dignity and peace of the Divine Realm.\n\nThen, as though awakened by the Holy Spirit, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá opened His eyes and with great power said:\n\n\"I appoint you, Lua, the Herald of the Covenant. And I AM THE COVENANT, appointed by Bahá’u’lláh. And no one can refute His Word. This is the Testament of Bahá’u’lláh. You will find it in the Holy Book of Aqdas. Go forth and proclaim, 'This is THE COVENANT OF GOD in your midst.'\"\n\nA great joy seemed to fill Lua while Juliet wept at witnessing this extraordinary moment of spiritual force flowing through the Master. Then ‘Abdu’l-Bahá became quiet again. The Holy Spirit receded, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá the man re-emerged. He smiled at Juliet and told her that she must stop crying since she would not be able to paint through tears.\n\nIn the afternoon of that same day He sent Lua Getsinger downstairs to speak about the\n\nCovenant to the visitors waiting there. When He went down later, He read from\n\nBahá’u’lláh’s Tablet of the Branch and spoke with great power on the Covenant.\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá designated New York City, the “City of the Covenant”.\n\n\n*Source: The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Malaysia Feast of Kamal 2012*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/covenant) (Subject: covenant).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mrs",
"slug": "mrs-parsons-discreetly-avoids-mentioning-here-that-abdu-l-bah-bs17",
"summary": "Mrs. Parsons discreetly avoids mentioning here that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá broke with contemporary social conventions of racial separation by insisting the Louis Gregory, a prominent African-American Bahá’í, attend this luncheon in segregated…",
"figures": [
"Louis Gregory",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Washington, D.C.",
"lat": 38.9072,
"lng": -77.0369,
"modernName": "Washington, D.C., USA"
},
"themes": [
"race unity"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMrs. Parsons discreetly avoids mentioning here that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá broke with contemporary social conventions of racial separation by insisting the Louis Gregory, a prominent African-American Bahá’í, attend this luncheon in segregated Washington, D.C.even though he had not been invited. Harlan Ober tells the story. . . . “Just an hour before the luncheon ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent word to Louis Gregory that he might come to Him for the promised conference. Louis arrived at the appointed time, and the conference went on and on; ‘Abdu’l-Bahá seemed to want to prolong it. When luncheon was announced, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá led the way and all followed Him into the dining room, except Louis.\n\n“All were seated when suddenly ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stood up, looked around, and then said to Mírza Khan, Where is Mr. Gregory? Bring Mr Gregory! There was nothing for Mírzá Khan to do but find Mr. Gregory, who fortunately had not yet left the house, but was quietly waiting for a chance to do so. Finally Mr. Gregory came into the room with Mírzá Khan.\n\n“‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Who was really the Host (as He was wherever He was), had by this time rearranged the place setting and made room for Mr. Gregory, giving him the seat of honor at His right. He stated He was very pleased to have Mr. Gregory there, and then, in the most natural way as if nothing unusual had happened, proceeded to give a talk on the oneness of mankind.”\n\n\n*Source: Agnes Parson’s Diary, p 31,33*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity) (Subject: race-unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mrs Parsons was at the luncheon",
"slug": "mrs-parsons-was-at-the-luncheon-before-she-bs2",
"summary": "Mrs Parsons was at the luncheon. Before she became a Bahá’í she had been a Christian Scientist, and now she brought up the question of mental suggestion as a cure for physical disease. The Master replied that some illnesses, such as…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"healing"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/healing"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMrs Parsons was at the luncheon. Before she became a Bahá’í she had been a Christian Scientist, and now she brought up the question of mental suggestion as a cure for physical disease. The Master replied that some illnesses, such as consumption and insanity, developed from spiritual causes -- grief, for example -- and that these could be healed by the spirit. But Mrs Parsons persisted. Could not extreme physical cases, like broken bones, also be healed by the spirit?\n\nA large bowl of salad had been placed before the Master, Who sat at the head of the table, Florence Khánum on His right.\n\n\"If all the spirits in the air,\" He laughed, \"were to congregate together, they could not create a salad! Nevertheless, the spirit of man is powerful. For the spirit of man can soar in the firmament of knowledge, can discover realities, can confer life, can receive the Divine Glad-Tidings. Is not this greater,\" and He laughed again, \"than making a salad?\"\n\n\n*Source: The Diary of Juliet Thompson, p. 105-106*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/healing) (Subject: healing).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Muhammad-Hadi was from Isfahan, and as a binder and illuminator of books he had no peer",
"slug": "muhammad-hadi-was-from-isfahan-and-as-a-binder-bs0",
"summary": "Muhammad-Hadi was from Isfahan, and as a binder and illuminator of books he had no peer. When he gave himself up to the love of God he was alert on the path and fearless. He abandoned his home and began a dreadful journey, passing with…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"remedy",
"prison",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/remedy"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMuhammad-Hadi was from Isfahan, and as a binder and illuminator of books he had no peer. When he gave himself up to the love of God he was alert on the path and fearless. He abandoned his home and began a dreadful journey, passing with extreme hardship from one country to another until he reached the Holy Land and became a prisoner. He stationed himself by the Holy Threshold, carefully sweeping it and keeping watch. Through his constant efforts, the square in front of Bahá’u’lláh's house was at all times swept, sprinkled and immaculate . . . When his sweeping, sprinkling and tidying was done, he would set to work illuminating and binding the various books and Tablets. So his days went by, his heart happy in the presence of the Beloved of mankind. He was an excellent soul, righteous, true, worthy of the bounty of being united with his Lord, and free of the world's contagion. One day he came to me and complained of a chronic ailment. \"I have suffered from chills and fever for two years,\" he said, \"The doctors have prescribed a purgative, and quinine. The fever stops a few days; then it returns. They give me more quinine, but still the fever returns. I am weary of this life, and can no longer do my work. Save me!\" \"What food would you most enjoy?\" I asked him. \"What would you eat with great appetite?\" \"I don't know,\" he said. Jokingly, I named off the different dishes. When I came to barley soup with whey (ash-i-kashk), he said, \"Very good! But on condition there is braised garlic in it.\" I directed them to prepare this for him, and I left. The next day he presented himself and told me: \"I ate a whole bowlful of the soup. Then I laid my head on my pillow and slept peacefully till morning.\" In short, from then on he was perfectly well for about two years. One day a believer came to me and said: \"Muhammad-Hadi is burning up with fever.\" I hurried to his bedside and found him with a fever of 42 Centigrade. He was barely conscious. \"What has he done?\" I asked. \"When he became feverish,\" was the reply, \"he said that he knew from experience what he should do. Then he ate his fill of barley soup with whey and braised garlic; and this was the result.\" I was astounded at the workings of fate. I told them: \"Because, two years ago, he had been thoroughly purged and his system was clear; because he had a hearty appetite for it, and his ailment was fever and chills, I prescribed the barley soup. But this time, with the different foods he has had, with no appetite, and especially with a high fever, there was no reason to diagnose the previous chronic condition. How could he have eaten the soup!” . . . Things had gone too far; Muhammad-Hadi was past saving.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful, p. 68-69*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/remedy) (Subject: remedy).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Munirih Khánum, who later became the wife of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, met Khadijih-Bagum…",
"slug": "munirih-kh-num-who-later-became-the-wife-of-bs0",
"summary": "Munirih Khánum, who later became the wife of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, met Khadijih-Bagum before leaving Persia for Holy Land. She was living at the time in Isfahan, a city about 200 miles north of Shiraz, and was summoned to ‘Akka by Bahá’u’lláh.…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Mullá Ḥusayn",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"bab marriage",
"martyrdom",
"women",
"family",
"hospitality",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"prayer",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bab-marriage"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMunirih Khánum, who later became the wife of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, met Khadijih-Bagum before leaving Persia for Holy Land. She was living at the time in Isfahan, a city about 200 miles north of Shiraz, and was summoned to ‘Akka by Bahá’u’lláh.\n\nAccompanied by a believer by the name of Shaykh Salman who was instructed by Bahá’u’lláh to provide travel assistance, the party left Isfahan for the port city of Bushihr via Shiraz. Arrangements were made for her to stay a short while in Shiraz in the home of Haji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad, the uncle of the Báb. She arrived sometime between January and February of 1872 and had the privilege of meeting the wife of the Báb several times.\n\nThe following is taken from Munirih Khánum's memoirs concerning one of her interviews with Khadijih-Bagum:\n\n...I asked the wife of the Báb to recount for me some reminiscences of her association with the Báb, of attaining His presence and of her marriage with Him. She said, 'I do not remember every detail but will tell you what I can remember...\n\nWe were three sisters. [One of the three sisters was a half-sister who married Haji Mirza Siyyid Ali, the uncle of the Báb who was martyred in Tihran.] One night I dreamt that Fatimih [the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, the holiest woman in Islam] came to our house as a suitor to propose marriage. [In those days it was the custom for mothers, sisters or close female relatives of a man who wished to get married to propose to the parents of a girl. Once the agreement was reached, the girl would be informed and later married.] With great joy and ecstasy my sisters and I went to her. She then came forward to me and kissed my forehead. I understood in the dream that she had chosen me. When I woke up in the morning I felt very happy and joyous, but I felt too shy to share my dream with anybody. In the afternoon of the same day, the mother of the Báb came to our house. My sister and I went to her. Exactly as I had dreamt, she came forward, kissed my forehead and embraced me. She then left. My eldest sister said to me, 'The mother of the Báb came to propose and has asked for your hand in marriage [with her son].' I replied, 'This is a great felicity for me.' I recounted my dream and expressed the happiness of my heart because of its implications.\n\nAfter a few days ... they sent some gifts as a token of engagement, and the Báb went to Bushihr on business in company with His uncle. [Engagement was a family affair. It was improper for a man engaged to a woman to associate with her until married. In any case it was not permitted even to see the face of his fiancée until after marriage. Of course a couple who were close relatives would have seen each other before.] Although the mother of the Báb and I were cousins, yet, because of my dream every time I met her, I showed great courtesy and respect towards her.\n\nI cannot recall the duration of the Báb's journey. When He was in Bushihr, I dreamt one night that I was sitting in the presence of the Báb. It appeared as though it was the evening of our wedding. The Báb was dressed in a green cloak around the borders of which were inscribed the verses of the Qur'án ... and light was emanating from Him. Seeing Him in this way, I was filled with such joy and gladness that I woke up. After this dream I was assured in my heart that the Báb was a distinguished personage. I cherished a love for Him in my heart, but did not disclose my feelings to anybody. Eventually He returned from Bushihr and His uncle arranged the wedding.\n\nAfter the wedding, I entertained no thought of earthly things in my mind. My heart was entirely attracted to the person of the Báb. From His words and conduct, His magnanimity and solemnity, it became clear to me that He was a distinguished person. But the thought never occurred to me that He could be the Qá'im, the Promised One. Most of the time He was engaged in praying and reading verses...\n\nAs was customary among merchants, He would ask in the evenings for His business papers and account books. But I noticed that they were not business papers. Sometimes I used to ask Him what the papers were. He once said 'It is the Book of the accounts of all the peoples of the world.' Should any visitor suddenly arrive, He would spread a handkerchief over the papers. All close relatives such as His uncles and aunts were fully conscious of His exalted personality. They revered Him and showed the utmost respect towards Him, until the fateful night of the 5th of Jamadi'ul-Avval 1260 A.H. (22 May 1844) arrived. It was the night that Jinab-i-Bábu'l-Báb, Mulla Husayn-i-Bushru'I [The first believer of the Bábí Dispensation] attained the presence of the Báb and acknowledged the truth of His Cause. That was indeed a memorable evening. The Báb intimated that we were having a guest who was dear to Him. He was as if on fire and in the utmost excitement. I was very eager to hear His blessed words, but He bade me go to bed. Although I was lying awake the whole night, I remained in bed as I did not wish to disobey Him. I could hear His voice until morning as He conversed with Jinab-i-Bábu'l-Báb. He was reading the verses of God and adducing proofs. Later I observed that every day a strange guest would arrive and the Báb would engage in similar talks.\n\nIf I attempt to describe the sufferings and persecutions of those days, I will not be able to endure talking about them, neither will you have the fortitude to listen to them...\n\nOne night, I woke up about midnight to find that the ... Chief Constable ‘Abdu’l-Hamid had entered the house from the roof with his men and, without giving any reasons, took the Báb with him. I never attained His presence again
\n\n\n*Source: Adapted from ‘The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh’, by Adib Taherzadeh, vol. 2*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bab-marriage) (Subject: bab-marriage).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Munirih Khánum, wife of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who was the Greatest Branch of the Tree…",
"slug": "munirih-kh-num-wife-of-abdu-l-bah-who-was-the-bs0",
"summary": "Munirih Khánum, wife of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who was the Greatest Branch of the Tree of Life had this to say: Five of my children died in the poisonous climate of `Akká. The bad air was, in truth, only the outside material reason. The inner…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi",
"the Báb",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"end beginning",
"exile",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/end-beginning"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMunirih Khánum, wife of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who was the Greatest Branch of the Tree of Life had this to say:\n\nFive of my children died in the poisonous climate of `Akká. The bad air was, in truth, only the outside material reason. The inner spiritual reason was that no son of the Master should grow into manhood.\n\nWhen my darling little son Husayn passed away, Bahá’u’lláh wrote the following: \"The knowledge of the reason why your sweet baby has been called back is in the mind of God, and will be manifested in His own good time. To the prophets of God the present and the future are as one.\"\n\nTherefore I understand how that wisdom has ordained the uniting of the two families, that of Bahá’u’lláh and of the Báb, in the person of Shoghi Effendi, eldest son of our daughter, Diyaiyyih Khánum, by her marriage with Aqa Mirza Hadi Afnan.\n\nI have been writing to the friends in Persia; \"You are longing to meet us, we are longing to meet you; what is the wisdom in our separation?\"\n\nLet us understand that if Bahá’u’lláh had not been exiled to Baghdad, Constantinople, Adrianople, and `Akká, the Divine Message could not have been so quickly spread, and the prophecies in the Holy Books would not have been fulfilled.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/end-beginning) (Subject: end-beginning).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Munirih Khánum wrote about her companionship with her husband, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:…",
"slug": "munirih-kh-num-wrote-about-her-companionship-with-her-bs17",
"summary": "Munirih Khánum wrote about her companionship with her husband, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: ‘If I were to write the details of the fifty years of my association with the Beloved of the world, of His love, His mercy and bounty, I would need fifty years…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"love"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/love"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMunirih Khánum wrote about her companionship with her husband, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:\n\n‘If I were to write the details of the fifty years of my association with the Beloved of the world, of His love, His mercy and bounty, I would need fifty years more of time and opportunity in order to write it; yet, if the seas of the world were turned into ink and the leaves of the forest into paper, I would not render adequate justice to the subject.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 103*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/love) (Subject: love).*\n"
},
{
"title": "My mother, my Aunt Khánum, my three sisters, and I lived in the bigger house at…",
"slug": "my-mother-my-aunt-kh-num-my-three-sisters-bs0",
"summary": "My mother, my Aunt Khánum, my three sisters, and I lived in the bigger house at `Akká with our beloved Father; Bahá’u’lláh lived at Bahji. At this time the people of the place greatly respected and honoured Him and the Master, and we were…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"bahaullah ascension",
"pilgrimage",
"children",
"family",
"hospitality",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"hope",
"kindness",
"love",
"loyalty",
"prayer",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-ascension"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMy mother, my Aunt Khánum, my three sisters, and I lived in the bigger house at `Akká with our beloved Father; Bahá’u’lláh lived at Bahji. At this time the people of the place greatly respected and honoured Him and the Master, and we were as happy as was possible in the unhealthy atmosphere of `Akká. On this day of sadness a servant rode in from Bahji with a tablet for the Master from Bahá’u’lláh: \"I am not well, come to Me and bring Khánum.\" The servant, having brought horses for them, my Father and my aunt set off immediately for Bahji; we children stayed at home with my mother, full of anxiety. Each day the news came that our adored Bahá’u’lláh's fever had not abated. He had a kind of malaria. After five days we all went to Bahji; we were very distressed that the illness had become serious. On the fifteenth day of the illness the Persian pilgrims and Bahá’í friends from `Akká were admitted to His presence.\n\nMirza `Andalib from Shiraz, Mirza Bassar, the blind poet, were there. They, weeping, circled round and round His bed, praying and beseeching Bahá’u’lláh to permit them to be a sacrifice for the saving of His precious life for the world, if only for a short time longer. Bahá’u’lláh spoke loving words of peace and calm to them, exhorting them to be faithful to the Cause of God, to be loyal, true, and steadfast, letting their characters speak to the world. \"I am very pleased with you all. My hope is that your deeds will be examples worthy of the Bahá’í Faith - that you may ever be true followers of the Light of God's Law.\"\n\nTwo lambs were brought into His room, then the Master went into `Akká to arrange various matters, to see the friends, giving the good news that His Father was slightly better. He then superintended the distribution of the two sacrificial lambs amongst the poor prisoners of `Akká. In the evening He came back to Bahji.\n\nBahá’u’lláh asked for us, the ladies and children, to go to Him. He told us that He had left in His will directions for our future guidance; that the Greatest Branch, `Abbas Effendi, would arrange everything for the family, the friends, and the Cause. \"The loving devotion of `Andalib has touched me very much, also the love of them all. I hope they will every one be true and faithful servants.\"\n\nOn the nineteenth day of His illness He left us at dawn. Immediately a horseman galloped into `Akká to carry the news to the Mufti. Forthwith from the seven minarets of the mosque the event was proclaimed:\n\n\"God is Great. He Giveth Life! He Taketh it Again! He Dieth No, but Liveth for Evermore!\"\n\nThis proclamation from the minarets is a custom of Islam at the passing of a very greatly honoured, learned, and holy man.\n\nThe tidings spread throughout the land, and were proclaimed from the minarets of every mosque. People from all the villages of the country-side crowded to Bahji to show their respect, and to join in the mourning. Many Shaykhs brought lambs, rice, sugar and sale. This is an Arab custom: the idea is, that as these gifts are distributed to the poor, they will, in return, pray for the soul of the departed.\n\nMuslim friends, the Mufti, mullas, Governor and officials, Christian priests, Latin and Greek, Druses from Ab'u-Sinan, and surrounding villages, and many other friends gathered together in great numbers in honour of the Beloved One.\n\nMarthiyih, songs in His praise, were chanted by poets. Laments and prayers were chanted by Shaykhs. Funeral orations were spoken, describing His wonderful life of self-sacrifice.\n\nMany of the guests encamped under the trees round the Palace of Bahji, where more than five hundred were entertained for nine days. This hospitality entailed much trouble on the Master, Who made all the arrangements and superintended every detail; money also was given by Him on each of the nine days to the poor.\n\nAt dawn on these days the \"Call to Prayer\" and some of the \"Munajats\" (prayers chanted) of Bahá’u’lláh were chanted from the balcony of the palace. Very touching and impressive it was to hear the beautiful voice of our Arabian Bahá’í friend, chanting the call to prayer. At its sound the Master arose, and we all followed Him to the tomb-shrine, where He chanted the funeral prayer and the\n\nTablet of Visitation.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, the Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-ascension) (Subject: bahaullah-ascension).*\n"
},
{
"title": "My mother tied a two-qiran silver piece in the corner of a handkerchief and…",
"slug": "my-mother-tied-a-two-qiran-silver-piece-in-bs3",
"summary": "My mother tied a two-qiran silver piece in the corner of a handkerchief and asked me to go out and buy some food. As I was passing through the streets in the Karbila'i `Abbas-'Ali marketplace of Tihran, one of the youngsters cried out:…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"bullying",
"the-covenant",
"children"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bullying"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMy mother tied a two-qiran silver piece in the corner of a handkerchief and asked me to go out and buy some food. As I was passing through the streets in the Karbila'i `Abbas-'Ali marketplace of Tihran, one of the youngsters cried out: \"This child is a Bábí!\". Whereupon the children in the street rushed towards me to beat me. I was frightened and escaped. They chased me, until eventually I was able to hid in the entrance to a house belonging to the father of Sadru'l-`Ulama (apparently the father of Sadru'l-`Ulama and Aqa Mirza Muhsin, the son-in-law of Siyyid ‘Abdu’l-lah Bihbahani, who was well-known at the beginning of the constitutional movement or perhaps their grandfather). I stayed in that dark entrance until the streets were deserted and returned home to find my mother perturbed over my fate.\n\n\n*Source: Hasan M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Centre of the Covenant, p. 40-41*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bullying) (Subject: bullying).*\n"
},
{
"title": "My mother was the one who had first known Shoghi Effendi as a child, when she…",
"slug": "my-mother-was-the-one-who-had-first-bs12",
"summary": "My mother was the one who had first known Shoghi Effendi as a child, when she came to the Holy Land at the end of the last century; she had come again, in 1909, with my father but I do not know how much contact, if any, they had at that…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"miracles",
"pilgrimage",
"women",
"children",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMy mother was the one who had first known Shoghi Effendi as a child, when she came to the Holy Land at the end of the last century; she had come again, in 1909, with my father but I do not know how much contact, if any, they had at that time with Shoghi Effendi. following the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá she suffered a complete break-down in health caused by the shock of his death, the news of which was broken to her very suddenly over the telephone, and for a year we did not know if she would live or die or lose her mind. My father felt that the only hope of dispelling the grief and dark thoughts that obsessed her - that she would never, because of her unworthiness, see the beloved Master in the next world - was for her to make a pilgrimage to Haifa again, this time to see the young successor of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. In April 1923 we arrived in Haifa and it was Shoghi Effendi who literally resurrected a woman who was so ill she could still not walk a step and could move about only in a wheel chair. From that time the love of my mother's heart became entirely centred in the Guardian and when she was able to return to American . . . she once more served the Cause very actively.\n\n\n*Source: Rúhíyyih Khánum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 150*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles) (Subject: miracles).*\n"
},
{
"title": "My noble father was hurled into this black hole, loaded with heavy chains; five…",
"slug": "my-noble-father-was-hurled-into-this-black-bs3",
"summary": "My noble father was hurled into this black hole, loaded with heavy chains; five other the Bábís were chained to him night and day, and here he remained for four months. Picture to yourself the horror of these conditions. Any movement…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"siyah chal",
"martyrdom",
"prison",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/siyah-chal"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMy noble father was hurled into this black hole, loaded with heavy chains; five other the Bábís were chained to him night and day, and here he remained for four months. Picture to yourself the horror of these conditions. Any movement caused the chains to cut deeper and deeper not only into the flesh of one, but of all who were chained together; whilst sleep or rest of any kind was not possible. No food was provided, and it was with the utmost difficulty that my mother was able to arrange to get any food or drink taken into that ghastly prison. Meanwhile, the spirit which upheld the Bábís never quailed for a moment, even under these conditions. To be tortured to a death, which would be the Martyr's Crown of Life, was their aim and great desire. They chanted prayers night and day. Every morning one or more of these brave and devoted friends would be taken out to be tortured and killed in various ways of horror.\n\n\n*Source: Hasan M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Centre of the Covenant, p. 40-41*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/siyah-chal) (Subject: siyah-chal).*\n"
},
{
"title": "My son, Ethan Olinga, who is ten years old now, was sung to during pregnancy…",
"slug": "my-son-ethan-olinga-who-is-ten-years-bs0",
"summary": "My son, Ethan Olinga, who is ten years old now, was sung to during pregnancy and early months of his life as I fed him, just as the Master says mothers should. He was also exposed to the photo of the Master and always encouraged to have an…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Ṭáhirih"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"parenting"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/parenting"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMy son, Ethan Olinga, who is ten years old now, was sung to during pregnancy and early months of his life as I fed him, just as the Master says mothers should. He was also exposed to the photo of the Master and always encouraged to have an independent relationship with him. When he was around 2 1/2 and could not yet speak, he woke up from his nap one afternoon, and in a rather dazed way looked around his room as if he was looking for something. He then ran and grabbed his photo of Abdu-'l-Bahá, ran back to me and kept pointing to the picture, repeating the Farsi word 'Nour.' We had never taught him the word, and never said any such word in relation to the Master. Our conclusion was that he must have dreamt of the Master who must have mentioned something about nour/light to him. He is a staunch Bahá’í now and a very conscientious and sensitive young man. Those who know him well have always commented on his relationship to the Faith and asked what we might have done to encourage him to love the Faith and all we have done is just pray with him and provided him with plenty of books on all religions and stating to him over and over again that he must study everything and decide for himself when he is 15.\n\n\n*Source: Tahirih Danesh, email to compiler*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/parenting) (Subject: parenting).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Nabíl-i-A'zam, in his narrative history of the early days of the Faith, The…",
"slug": "nab-l-i-azam-in-his-narrative-history-of-the-early-bs2",
"summary": "Nabíl-i-A'zam, in his narrative history of the early days of the Faith, The Dawn-Breakers, gives this account of the treatment of Bahá’u’lláh after His arrest in the district of Shimírán: From Shimírán to Tihrán, Bahá’u’lláh was several…",
"figures": [
"Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"bullying",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bullying"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNabíl-i-A'zam, in his narrative history of the early days of the Faith, The Dawn-Breakers, gives this account of the treatment of Bahá’u’lláh after His arrest in the district of Shimírán: From Shimírán to Tihrán, Bahá’u’lláh was several times stripped of His garments, and was overwhelmed with abuse and ridicule. On foot and exposed to the fierce rays of the midsummer sun, He was compelled to cover, barefooted and bareheaded, the whole distance from Shimírán to the dungeon already referred to. All along the route, He was pelted and vilified by the crowds whom His enemies had succeeded in convincing that He was the sworn enemy of their sovereign and the wrecker of his realm. Words fail me to portray the horror of the treatment which was meted out to Him as He was being taken to the Síyáh-Chál of Tihrán. As He was approaching the dungeon, an old and decrepit woman was seen to emerge from the midst of the crowd, with a stone in her hand, eager to cast it at the face of Bahá’u’lláh. Her eyes glowed with a determination and fanaticism of which few women of her age were capable. Her whole frame shook with rage as she stepped forward and raised her hand to hurl her missile at Him. \"By the Siyyidu'sh-Shuhada, I adjure you,\" she pleaded, as she ran to overtake those into whose hands Bahá’u’lláh had been delivered, \"give me a chance to fling my stone in his face!\" \"Suffer not this woman to disappointed,\" were Bahá’u’lláh's words to His guards, as He saw her hastening behind Him. \"Deny her not what she regards as a meritorious act in the sight of God.\"\n\n\n*Source: Nabíl, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 606-608*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bullying) (Subject: bullying).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Nabil of Qa‘in’s means of livelihood was his business partnership with me",
"slug": "nabil-of-qa-in-s-means-of-livelihood-was-his-bs1",
"summary": "Nabil of Qa‘in’s means of livelihood was his business partnership with me. That is, I provided him with a capital of three krans [almost 8 cents] with it he bought needles, and this was his stock-in-trade. The women of Nazareth gave him…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"business",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/business"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNabil of Qa‘in’s means of livelihood was his business partnership with me. That is, I provided him with a capital of three krans [almost 8 cents] with it he bought needles, and this was his stock-in-trade. The women of Nazareth gave him eggs in exchange for his needles and in this way he would obtain thirty or forty eggs a day: three needles per egg. Then he would sell the eggs and live on the proceeds. Since there was a daily caravan between ‘Akká and Nazareth, he would refer to Aqa Rida each day, for more needles. Glory be to God! He survived two years on that initial outlay of capital; and he returned thanks at all times. You can tell how detached he was from worldly things by this one fact: the Nazarenes used to say it was plain to see from the old man’s manner and behavior that he was very rich, and that if he lived so modestly it was only because he was a stranger in a strange placehiding his wealth by setting up as a peddler of needles.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful, p. 51*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/business) (Subject: business).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Nabil, who was asked by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to select from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh…",
"slug": "nabil-who-was-asked-by-abdu-l-bah-to-select-bs0",
"summary": "Nabil, who was asked by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to select from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh those passages which constitute the text of the Tablet of Visitation, which nowadays is usually recited in the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb, was…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"suicide",
"the-covenant",
"family",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/suicide"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNabil, who was asked by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to select from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh those passages which constitute the text of the Tablet of Visitation, which nowadays is usually recited in the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb, was inconsolable after the ascension of his Lord. To the ordeal of separation from his Beloved was added soon afterwards a far more grievous blow -- the violation of the Covenant by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's brothers; which although it had not been made public at that time was clearly discernible to those who were close to the Holy Family. Nabil could no longer bear the agony of those cruel and tempestuous days. He took his own life by drowning himself in the sea a few months after the ascension of Bahá’u’lláh.\n\n\n*Source: Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh v 4, p. 418*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/suicide) (Subject: suicide).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Na'im was a truly devoted servant of Bahá’u’lláh",
"slug": "naim-was-a-truly-devoted-servant-of-bah-u-ll-h-bs1",
"summary": "Na'im was a truly devoted servant of Bahá’u’lláh. As a result of embracing the Faith, he suffered great persecutions in his native village of Sidih near Isfahan. By order of the clergy, he and four other believers had their arms tied to…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"bullying",
"exile",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bullying"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNa'im was a truly devoted servant of Bahá’u’lláh. As a result of embracing the Faith, he suffered great persecutions in his native village of Sidih near Isfahan. By order of the clergy, he and four other believers had their arms tied to their bodies; they were then tied closely together with a rope and paraded barefoot through the village. Crowds had gathered from neighbouring villages to watch them being tortured. For about fourteen hours the victims were alternately beaten with sticks by the officials. Their bare bodies, painted in different colours, were exposed to the severe winter cold and were so badly battered that many spectators were horrified to witness them. After some time in prison in Isfahan, they were exiled from their homes. In the case of Na'im, his wife was taken from him and married to another man without any divorce proceedings.\n\n\n*Source: Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh v 3, p. 391-392*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bullying) (Subject: bullying).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Night hath succeeded day, and day hath succeeded night, and the hours and…",
"slug": "night-hath-succeeded-day-and-day-hath-succeeded-bs0",
"summary": "Night hath succeeded day, and day hath succeeded night, and the hours and moments of your lives have come and gone, and yet none of you hath, for one instant, consented to detach himself from that which perisheth. Bestir yourselves, that…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"atonement"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/atonement"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNight hath succeeded day, and day hath succeeded night, and the hours and moments of your lives have come and gone, and yet none of you hath, for one instant, consented to detach himself from that which perisheth. Bestir yourselves, that the brief moments that are still yours may not be dissipated and lost. Even as the swiftness of lightning your days shall pass, and your bodies shall be laid to rest beneath a canopy of dust. What can ye then achieve? How can ye atone for your past failure?\n\n\n*Source: Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 321*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/atonement) (Subject: atonement).*\n"
},
{
"title": "No matter how relaxed or arduous life might be, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá always found or…",
"slug": "no-matter-how-relaxed-or-arduous-life-might-bs10",
"summary": "No matter how relaxed or arduous life might be, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá always found or recalled a humorous situation. A cat purring beside His chair would amuse Him: this cat, He remarked, is indeed joyous, so carefree, so free of fear. A donkey…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Hasan Balyuzi"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"humor",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/humor"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNo matter how relaxed or arduous life might be, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá always found or recalled a humorous situation. A cat purring beside His chair would amuse Him: this cat, He remarked, is indeed joyous, so carefree, so free of fear. A donkey standing in the street made Him remember that He saw no donkeys anywhere in the United States, and reminded Him of a polar bear in the Paris Zoo. People were staring at the bear, He said, and the animal was staring back, as if wanting to say: how did I get entangled with these folk? A man passing by the gates of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's house in Haifa, carrying a basket, put it down as soon as he saw Him, saying that he could not find a porter and had to carry the basket himself. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá remarked afterwards that a man should not feel ashamed of doing useful work. Someone had written to ask where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was. Tell him, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá replied with a smile: in front of a cannon.\n\n\n*Source: H.M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá - The Centre of the Covenant, p. 414*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/humor) (Subject: humor).*\n"
},
{
"title": "No mere mortal in His day could claim to be His teacher",
"slug": "no-mere-mortal-in-his-day-could-claim-bs1",
"summary": "No mere mortal in His day could claim to be His teacher. He learned well and thoroughly. When, late in His life, Bahá’u’lláh took up residence at Bahji, the Master remained in ‘Akka to attend to a multitude of details, which otherwise…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Horace Holley"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"abdul baha",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNo mere mortal in His day could claim to be His teacher. He learned well and thoroughly. When, late in His life, Bahá’u’lláh took up residence at Bahji, the Master remained in ‘Akka to attend to a multitude of details, which otherwise might have distracted Bahá’u’lláh from His writing. But frequently the Master carried news to Bahji. He then reported on religious questions He had encountered. It was observed that Bahá’u’lláh asked for His answers and then approved them with ‘very good’. His wisdom was as astonishing as His knowledge. The Master’s profound wisdom coupled with His all-encompassing, tender love were capable of producing a revolution in the inner life of those with whom He came in contact. This revolution was a ‘change of heart’. Horace Holley became ‘conscious of a new sympathy for individuals and a new series of ties by which all men are joined in one common destiny.’ He discovered that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá restores man to his state a little lower than the angels.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 117*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha) (Subject: abdul-baha).*\n"
},
{
"title": "No students have had to study harder or more earnestly than those theology…",
"slug": "no-students-have-had-to-study-harder-or-bs0",
"summary": "No students have had to study harder or more earnestly than those theology students in the madrisihs. They read day and night, neglecting food and sleep. Some invented means by which to keep themselves awake to study more, such as tying…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mullá Ḥusayn"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"science begins words"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/science-begins-words"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNo students have had to study harder or more earnestly than those theology students in the madrisihs. They read day and night, neglecting food and sleep. Some invented means by which to keep themselves awake to study more, such as tying ropes around their necks and attaching them to the roofs to keep their heads from nodding, or cutting a finger and rubbing salt in the wound. But alas! The subjects of their study were mostly superstitious and pointless arguments. They held endless discussions on the proper way to wash the different parts of the body before prayer; on the various acts and objects that might nullify one’s prayers, and so on. Heated debates might arise over such questions as whether the urine of the holy Imam was ritually clean, or whether the Prophet Mohammad had a shadow. Could He be in 40 places at the same time? Could the Imam travel long distances in the twinkling of an eye? Such subjects kept them occupied for months, or even years.\n\nWithin their seminaries, the mullas had developed the art of debate with precision. The purpose was not the search after truth, but rather the defeat of the opponent. Part of the course of study in the theological college consisted of formal disputes between the students, held in the presence of the master. The debaters would sit effacing each other and in front of other students. Sometimes a crowd would gather to see who the winner would be. Often these disputes would end in quarrels, shouting matches or even violence . . . It was not a question of who was right or wrong, but of who would win or lose.\n\n\n*Source: R. Mehrabkhani, Mulla Husayn: Disciple at Dawn, p. 5-6*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/science-begins-words) (Subject: science-begins-words).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Not only His person but also His immediate surroundings needed to be spotless",
"slug": "not-only-his-person-but-also-his-immediate-bs3",
"summary": "Not only His person but also His immediate surroundings needed to be spotless. Once when He had guests whom He would always honour He asked that the chimney of a lamp be replaced as it was not sufficiently…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"cleanliness"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/cleanliness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNot only His person but also His immediate surroundings needed to be spotless. Once when He had guests whom He would always honour He asked that the chimney of a lamp be replaced as it was not sufficiently polished.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of \"‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/cleanliness) (Subject: cleanliness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Now, people have asked, “Did the Guardian have any conception that he was going…",
"slug": "now-people-have-asked-did-the-guardian-have-bs1",
"summary": "Now, people have asked, “Did the Guardian have any conception that he was going to pass away? Did he have fore-knowledge, being divinely guided, that he was going to pass away? Again, friends, the answer to the question is that we don’t…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Rúhíyyih Khánum",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"shoghi effendi premonition death",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/shoghi-effendi-premonition-death"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNow, people have asked, “Did the Guardian have any conception that he was going to pass away? Did he have fore-knowledge, being divinely guided, that he was going to pass away? Again, friends, the answer to the question is that we don’t know. The preponderance of evidence seems to be that he did not know, that he did not expect to pass away. But, I give you these incidences. They are very sad, but I think you should know and would want to know them.\n\nOne evening Shoghi Effendi came over, and he was rather,
, hadn’t been well. He was rather disturbed, badly disturbed, in fact. And he sat down, pushed his plate aside, and Rúhíyyih Khánum said, “Shoghi Effendi, won’t you eat? You haven’t eaten all day. You’re hungry. You’re getting weak. You should eat. And then you can talk to the friends later about your cablegram and the matters you want to talk about.” So he said, well, all right, and he pulled his plate back and the servant gave him some food. He ate one or two mouthfuls, and then he pushed it back and started to talk. Well, Shoghi Effendi, we who lived there got to knew if Shoghi Effendi was well or if he was happy, just your whole life was around that of Shoghi Effendi. And if he was well, you got up in the morning and everything was fine. If he was happy, everything was sunshine. Sometimes you got up in the morning and everything was wrong. Why was it wrong? You didn’t know, but you found out during the day that Shoghi Effendi wasn’t well. So this is when he pushed his plate aside, again without eating, and he started to talk. And he said, “You know, shortly before Bahá’u’lláh passed away, the Master went to see him in Bahji, and He went up to His room and He found His papers all over the floor. So the Master collected them, put them in a neat order, laid them on a divan, and said, Bahá’u’lláh, I collected your papers and put them in order, and I’ve put them out here so that you can have them. Bahá’u’lláh took them in His hands and threw them all over the floor again and said, “It doesn’t make any difference. It’s all done.” I don’t want to these papers any more. No more papers!” That was said before Bahá’u’lláh passed away. So, he said, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, shortly before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away (‘Abdu’l-Bahá was always very meticulous in everything He did), and they found His papers scattered around in His room, and his secretaries collected them and put them in order for Him put them together and they took them to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who took the papers and threw them and said, “I’m done with the papers. It doesn’t make any difference now. It’s all finished now. I don’t want any more papers.” And shortly after, He passed away.\n\nHe said, “I’m so tired of these papers, I don’t want them anymore. I just don’t want these papers any more. I don’t want them.” Well, we talked to Shoghi Effendi and said, “Don’t talk that way! How can you say these things! You are going to kill your friends here.” And I said to Shoghi Effendi, “Why don’t you give these papers to Rúhíyyih Khánum and myself. Give them to us. We’ll do something with them. We’ll handle them. We’ll digest them. We’ll give you an outline, and so all you have to do is give us the answers, so that if a person raises a question, we’ll give it to you, and all you have to do is say, “Tell him so-and-so. Tell him so-and-so.” And I said, “Shoghi Effendi, no Guardian of this Cause in the future is going to be able to do what you’re doing. No Guardian can receive all these people and give them personal audiences, give them personal contact and answer personal questions, and deal with the personal problems. I said, they have to in the future deal through the intermediaries. Why don’t you just set up now to have an audience with the pilgrims, one hour in the afternoon. Just one hour. Talk to everyone, have a general talk, and then it’s all finished and you can have a little time, so you can rest a little bit, so you won’t have so many burdens, and you’re not so pressed So I talked along that line and Shoghi Effendi said, “Well, it is not time for any change now.” And that was it.\n\n\n*Source: In the Days of the Guardian a Talk by Hand of the Cause of God Leroy Ioas in Johannesburg, South Africa, 1958*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/shoghi-effendi-premonition-death) (Subject: shoghi-effendi-premonition-death).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Of the guests who remained to lunch or dinner, the Master would often hold out…",
"slug": "of-the-guests-who-remained-to-lunch-or-bs27",
"summary": "Of the guests who remained to lunch or dinner, the Master would often hold out His hand to the humblest or most diffident, lead them into the dining-room, seat him or her at His right hand, smile and talk until all embarrassment had passed…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOf the guests who remained to lunch or dinner, the Master would often hold out His hand to the humblest or most diffident, lead them into the dining-room, seat him or her at His right hand, smile and talk until all embarrassment had passed away, and the guest felt as though all uneasiness had changed into the atmosphere of a calm and happy home.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Oh ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, I said, I am a foreigner, born in Switzerland, and have not…",
"slug": "oh-abdu-l-bah-i-said-i-am-a-foreigner-bs21",
"summary": "Oh ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, I said, I am a foreigner, born in Switzerland, and have not the command of the English language. I would love to be a speaker. All I am doing is to give away pamphlets and as many books are printed. He looked serious.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOh ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, I said, I am a foreigner, born in Switzerland, and have not the command of the English language. I would love to be a speaker. All I am doing is to give away pamphlets and as many books are printed. He looked serious. He said, you are doing well. I am satisfied with you. With you it is not the movement of the lips, nor the tongue. With you it is the heart that speaks. With you it is silence that speaks and radiance.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 81-82*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching) (Subject: teaching).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On 17 August He spoke of true knowledge: in cities like New York the people are…",
"slug": "on-17-august-he-spoke-of-true-knowledge-bs0",
"summary": "On 17 August He spoke of true knowledge: in cities like New York the people are submerged in the sea of materialism. Their sensibilities are attuned to material forces, their perceptions purely physical. The animal energies predominate…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"scientists"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/scientists"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn 17 August He spoke of true knowledge: in cities like New York the people are submerged in the sea of materialism. Their sensibilities are attuned to material forces, their perceptions purely physical. The animal energies predominate in their activities; all their thoughts are directed to material things; day and night they are devoted to the attractions of this world, without aspiration beyond the life that is vanishing and mortal. In schools and temples of learning knowledge of the sciences acquired is based upon material observations only; there is no realisation of Divinity in their methods and conclusions all have reference to the world of matter. They are not interested in attaining knowledge of the mysteries of God or understanding the secrets of the heavenly kingdom; what they acquire is based altogether upon visible and tangible evidences. Beyond these evidences they are without susceptibilities; they have no idea of the world of inner significances and are utterly out of touch with God, considering this an indication of reasonable attitude and philosophical judgment whereof they are self-sufficient and proud. As a matter of Fact, this supposed excellence is possessed in its superlative degree by the animals. The animals are without knowledge of God; so to speak, they are deniers of the Divinity and understand nothing of the Kingdom and its heavenly mysteries. As deniers of the Kingdom, they are utterly ignorant of spiritual things and uninformed of the supernatural world. Therefore, if it be a perfection and virtue to be without knowledge of God and His Kingdom, the animals have attained the highest degree of excellence and proficiency. Then the donkey is the greatest scientist and the cow an accomplished naturalist, for they have obtained what they know without schooling and years of laborious study in colleges, trusting implicitly to the evidence of the senses and relying solely upon intuitive virtues. The cow, for instance, is a lover of the visible and a believer in the tangible, contented and happy when pasture is plenty, perfectly serene, a blissful exponent of the transcendental school of philosophy. Such is the status of the material philosophers, who glory in sharing the condition of the cow, imagining themselves in a lofty station. Reflect upon their ignorance and blindness. Nay, rather, the virtue of man is this: that he can investigate the ideals of the kingdom and attain knowledge which is denied the animal in its limitation. The station of man is this: that he has the power to attain those ideals and thereby differentiate and consciously distinguished himself an infinite degree above the kingdoms of existence below him.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 167-168*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/scientists) (Subject: scientists).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On 5 May, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá met with a group of 35 children in the hotel salon",
"slug": "on-5-may-abdu-l-bah-met-with-a-group-bs1",
"summary": "On 5 May, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá met with a group of 35 children in the hotel salon. After listening to them sing the song \"Softly, His Voice Is Calling Now\", the Master called each child to him individually. Some He took on His lap, others He…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"abdul baha and children",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-and-children"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn 5 May, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá met with a group of 35 children in the hotel salon. After listening to them sing the song \"Softly, His Voice Is Calling Now\", the Master called each child to him individually. Some He took on His lap, others He kissed or stroked their hair: . . . All with such infinite love and tenderness shining in His eyes and thrilling in the tones of His voice, that when He whispered in English in their ears to tell him their names, they answered joyfully and freely as they would to a beloved father . . . The children's joy in His own happiness seemed to culminate as one dear little tot ran to Him and fairly threw herself into His arms. Afterwards, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave each child an envelope full of rose petals, then invited them all to Lincoln Park, across the road from the hotel for a photograph.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 117*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-and-children) (Subject: abdul-baha-and-children).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On a certain occasion in America ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘announced that He wished to give…",
"slug": "on-a-certain-occasion-in-america-abdu-l-bah-announced-bs18",
"summary": "On a certain occasion in America ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘announced that He wished to give a Unity Feast for the friends. The Committee arranging for the affair had taken it to one of the city’s most exclusive hotels, famed for its color bar. The…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"race unity"
],
"virtues": [
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn a certain occasion in America ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘announced that He wished to give a Unity Feast for the friends. The Committee arranging for the affair had taken it to one of the city’s most exclusive hotels, famed for its color bar. The colored friends, troubled by the prospect of insults and discriminatory treatment, decided not to attend. When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá learned of this, He insisted that all the friends should attend. The banquet was held with all the friends, white and colored, seated side by side, in great happiness and without one unpleasant incident.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 110*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity) (Subject: race-unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's birthday, 23 May, over 100 guests were at Francis Breeds home…",
"slug": "on-abdu-l-bah-s-birthday-23-may-over-100-guests-bs1",
"summary": "On ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's birthday, 23 May, over 100 guests were at Francis Breeds home in Cambridge to celebrate the event. Alice Breed, the mother-in-law of Ali-Kuli Khan: Had baked Him a birthday cake with 68 candles, and to symbolize…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Ali-Kuli Khan"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"birthday"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/birthday"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's birthday, 23 May, over 100 guests were at Francis Breeds home in Cambridge to celebrate the event. Alice Breed, the mother-in-law of Ali-Kuli Khan: Had baked Him a birthday cake with 68 candles, and to symbolize universality and the love many bore Him . . . had decorated it with tiny flags of the United States, Persia and England. Her first cake fell and she had to bake another . . . Significantly, He did not stay for the festivities. He forgave this time, but had forbidden the celebration of his birthday.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 137*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/birthday) (Subject: birthday).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On another occasion, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was resting and May emphatically told Mary,…",
"slug": "on-another-occasion-abdu-l-bah-was-resting-and-may-bs0",
"summary": "On another occasion, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was resting and May emphatically told Mary, \"Don't you disturb the Master. He is very, very tired, and don't you make any noise.\" But the moment her mother's back was turned, she shot into the room.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Rúhíyyih Khánum",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"ruhiyyih khanum"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/ruhiyyih-khanum"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn another occasion, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was resting and May emphatically told Mary, \"Don't you disturb the Master. He is very, very tired, and don't you make any noise.\" But the moment her mother's back was turned, she shot into the room. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá himself recounted what happened next: \"Today I was resting on the chaise lounge in my bedroom and the door opened. The little girl, Mary Maxwell, came into me and pushed up my eyelids with her small fingers and said \"Wake up, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá!\" I took her in my arms and placed her head on my chest we both had a good sleep.\" Rúhíyyih Khánum said \"I was so attracted to Him that it was hard to keep me away from Him at all. Mary would commonly sit on ‘Abdu’l-Bahás Lap while He would stroke her curly hair and say, \"She is precious! She is precious!\"\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 184*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/ruhiyyih-khanum) (Subject: ruhiyyih-khanum).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On August 20th there arrived at Green Acre a young man, dishevelled, tremulous",
"slug": "on-august-20th-there-arrived-at-green-acre-bs0",
"summary": "On August 20th there arrived at Green Acre a young man, dishevelled, tremulous. His name was Fred Mortensen. Let him tell his story in his own words. He wrote it for the magazine, The Star of the West: In my youth my environment was not…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Hasan Balyuzi",
"Ahmad Sohrab"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"transformation",
"prison",
"the-covenant",
"children",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"patience",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 8,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/transformation"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn August 20th there arrived at Green Acre a young man, dishevelled, tremulous. His name was Fred Mortensen. Let him tell his story in his own words. He wrote it for the magazine, The Star of the West:\n\nIn my youth my environment was not of the best and being around boys of hard character I guess I determined to be as tough as any, which I very easily did, though inwardly I always had a feeling to be above it all. Still I always felt that I should do in Rome as the Romans do. So I violated any law I saw fit, man's or God's. Strange as it seems to me at times, it was through coming into contact with these laws that I received the opportunity to be guided into this most wonderful Revelation.\n\n'My dear mother had done everything in her power to make me a good boy. I have but the deepest love for her and my heart has often been sad when thinking how she must have worried for my safety as well as for my future well-being. Through it all and in a most wonderful way, with a god-like patience, she hoped and prayed that her boy would find the road which leadeth to righteousness and happiness. But environment proved a great barrier to her aspirations and every day in every way I became tougher and tougher. Fighting was a real pleasure, as welcome as a meal, and breaking a grocer's window to steal his fruit or what-not was, as I thought, a great joke.\n\n'It happened that one night the \"gang\" was strolling along, just doing nothing in particular (looking for trouble I guess), when one of the gang said, \"Oh look at the swell bunch of bananas.\" \"Gee, I wisht I had some,\" another said. \"Do you?\" said I. About this time I heard a dog barking inside the store, and looking in, I saw a large bulldog. That seemed to aggravate me and, to show my contempt for the watch-dog, I guess, I broke the window, took the bananas, passed them around and we merrily strolled up the street . . . I plainly remember that it cost me sixteen dollars to pay for broken windows, to keep out of jail.\n\n' . . . I was a fugitive for four years, having walked out of jail while awaiting trial. Then -- a young fellow was being arrested and I, of course, tried to take him away from the policeman. While this was going on a couple of detectives happened along and in my haste to get away from them I leaped over a thirty-five foot wall, breaking my leg, to escape the bullets whizzing around about -- and wound up in the \"garden at the feet of the Beloved\" as Bahá’u’lláh has so beautifully written it in the Seven Valleys.\n\n'At this time I was defended by our departed, but illustrious Bahá’í brother, Albert Hall, to whom I owe many thanks and my everlasting good will for helping to free me from the prison of men and of self. It was he who brought me from out the dark prison house; it was he who told me, hour after hour, about the great love of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for all his children and that he was here to help us show that love for our fellowmen. Honestly, I often wondered then what Mr. Hall meant when he talked so much about love, God's love, Bahá’u’lláh's love, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's love, love for the Covenant . . . I was bewildered. Still, I returned, to become more bewildered, so I thought; and I wondered why. . . Thus the Word of God gave me a new birth . . .\n\n'Again through the attraction of the Holy Spirit I was urged, so it seemed to me, to go to see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He was at Green Acre, Maine, at this time, and when I heard the rumor that he might go back to his home (Palestine) and not come west, I immediately determined to go and see him I wasn't going to miss meeting\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá after waiting so long to see him.\n\n'So I left home, going to Cleveland, where I attended a convention of printers for a few days. But I became so restless I could not stay for adjournment. How often I have thought about that trip of mine from Cleveland to Green Acre I The night before leaving Cleveland I had a dream that I was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's guest, that I sat at a long table, and many others were there, too, and of how he walked up and down telling stories, emphasizing with his hand. This later, was fulfilled and he looked just as I saw him in Cleveland.\n\n'As my finances were low I of necessity must hobo my way to Green Acre. The Nickel Plate Railway was my choice, for conveyance to Buffalo, New York. From Buffalo I again rode the rods to Boston, a long ride from around midnight until nine next morning. The Boston and Maine Railway was the last link between ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the outside world so it seemed to me, and when I crawled off from the top of one of its passenger trains at Portsmouth New Hampshire, I was exceedingly happy. A boat ride, a street car ride, and there I was, at the gate of Paradise. My heart beating double time, I stepped onto the soil of that to-be-famous center, tired, dirty, and wondering, but happy.\n\n'I had a letter of introduction from Mr. Hall to Mr. Lunt, and in searching for him I met Mrs. Edward Kinney, who dear soul, was kind enough to offer me a bed. She awakened me next morning about six o'clock, saying I'd have to hurry if I wished to see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.\n\n'Arriving at the hotel I found quite a number of people there, on the same mission, to see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Being one of the last arrivals, I was looking around, to make myself comfortable, when someone exclaimed, \"Here he comes, now\". Ahmad Sohrab did the introducing and interpreting. When Ahmad introduced me to him, to my astonishment he looked at me and only said, \"Ugh! Ugh!\" not offering to shake hands with me. Coming as I had, and feeling as I did, I was very much embarrassed. After greeting several others and when about to go to his room, he suddenly turned to me and said in a gruff voice (at least I thought so), \"Sit down,\" and pointed to a chair -- which I didn't care to do, as elderly ladies were standing. But what was I to do! I meekly obeyed, feeling rebellious over what had happened. Such a welcome, after making that difficult trip! My mind sure was in a whirl.\n\n'The first man to receive an interview with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a doctor; he had written a book on love. It seemed but a minute until Ahmad came down and said,\" ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wishes to see Mr. Mortensen.\" Why, I nearly wilted. I wasn't ready. I hadn't expected to be called until the very last thing. I had to go, and it was with a strange feeling in my heart and wondering, wondering what would happen next. He welcomed me with a smile and a warm hand-clasp, telling me to be seated, he sitting before me. His first words were, \"Welcome! Welcome! You are very welcome, -- then, \"Are you happy?\" -- which was repeated three times. I thought, why do you ask me that so many times? Of course I am happy; didn't I tell you so the first time?\n\n'Then, \"Where did you come from?\"\n\n'Answer: \"From Minneapolis.\"\n\n'Question: \"Do you know Mr. Hall?\"\n\n'Answer: \"Yes, he told me about the Cause.\"\n\n'Question: \"Did you have a pleasant journey?'\n\n'Of all the questions I wished to avoid this was the one! I dropped my gaze to the floor -- and again he put the question. I lifted my eyes to his and his were as two black, sparkling jewels, which seemed to look into my very depths I knew he knew and I must tell, and as I answered I wondered what Ahmad thought -- if I was a little unbalanced.\n\n'I answered: \"I did not come as people generally do, who come to see you.\n\n'Question: \"How did you come?\"\n\n'Answer: \"Riding under and on top of the railway trains.\"\n\n'Question: \"Explain how.\"\n\n'Now as I looked into the eyes of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá I saw they had changed and a wondrous light seemed to pour out. It was the light of love and I felt relieved and very much happier. I explained to him how I rode on the trains, after which he kissed both my cheeks, gave me much fruit, and kissed the dirty hat I wore, which had become soiled on my trip to see him.\n\n\n*Source: H.M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá - The Centre of the Covenant, p. 245-251*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/transformation) (Subject: transformation).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On Christmas night 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited a Salvation Army shelter in London",
"slug": "on-christmas-night-1912-abdu-l-bah-visited-a-salvation-bs0",
"summary": "On Christmas night 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited a Salvation Army shelter in London. A thousand homeless men were enjoying a special Christmas dinner. He spoke to them as they ate, reminding them that Jesus had been poor and that it was…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"christmas",
"persecution"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/christmas"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn Christmas night 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited a Salvation Army shelter in London. A thousand homeless men were enjoying a special Christmas dinner. He spoke to them as they ate, reminding them that Jesus had been poor and that it was easier for the poor than the rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The men were enthralled. Some were so impressed that, in spite of their hunger and the rare dinner set before them, they forgot to eat. As He left the shelter, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave the warden of the shelter some money with which to buy a similar dinner on New Year’s night. The men rose to their feet to cheer Him as He went, waving their knives and forks in the air. They hardly knew the decades of persecution that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had suffered for Bahá’u’lláh trials greater than even these men knew.\n\n\n*Source: Source unknown*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/christmas) (Subject: christmas).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On hearing him [‘Abdu’l-Bahá], two things amazed us",
"slug": "on-hearing-him-abdu-l-bah-two-things-amazed-us-bs1",
"summary": "On hearing him [‘Abdu’l-Bahá], two things amazed us. First, he seemed to be wrought up to the highest pitch of anger and indignation. Never before had we heard him speak an angry word. We had known him sometimes impatient and peremptory,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Constantinople",
"lat": 41.0082,
"lng": 28.9784,
"modernName": "Istanbul, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"anger"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/anger"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn hearing him [‘Abdu’l-Bahá], two things amazed us. First, he seemed to be wrought up to the highest pitch of anger and indignation. Never before had we heard him speak an angry word. We had known him sometimes impatient and peremptory, but never angry. And then, his great excitement had apparently given him command of the Turkish language, which no one had ever heard him speak before. He was, in Turkish, and in the most impassioned and vehement manner, protesting against, and denouncing, the treatment of the officers and demanding the presence of the Governor, who in the meantime had returned to the city. The officers seemed cowed by his vehemence, and the Governor was sent for. He came, and seeing the situation said, 'It is impossible, we cannot separate these people.' The Governor returned to his palace and telegraphed to Constantinople. The next day he received a reply granting permission to the followers of the Blessed Perfection to accompany him. We were told to prepare for immediate departure, but were not told to what place we were to be sent. When we set out there were seventy-seven in all in our band.\n\n\n*Source: Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khánum, Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi, p. 48-55*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/anger) (Subject: anger).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On March 25, 1911, at the behest of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Louis Gregory sailed from New…",
"slug": "on-march-25-1911-at-the-behest-of-bs0",
"summary": "On March 25, 1911, at the behest of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Louis Gregory sailed from New York through Europe to Egypt and Palestine to go on pilgrimage. In Palestine, Gregory met with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi and visited the Shrine of…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"the Báb",
"Louis Gregory",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"marriage interracial",
"pilgrimage",
"race-unity",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/marriage-interracial"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn March 25, 1911, at the behest of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Louis Gregory sailed from New York through Europe to Egypt and Palestine to go on pilgrimage. In Palestine, Gregory met with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi and visited the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh and the Shrine of the Báb. After he had returned to Egypt from Palestine, the discussion of race unity in the United States came about with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the other pilgrims. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stated that there was no distinction between the races, and then gave blackberries to each of the pilgrims, which Gregory interpreted as the symbolic sharing of black-coloured fruit. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá encouraged the marriage of Gregory and a white English Bahá’í, Louisa (Louise) A. M. Mathew, whose pilgrimage in 1911 had coincided with Gregory’s and who had traveled to America with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at His invitation. Although ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had raised the topic of intermarriage during their visit to Egypt, telling Gregory, \"If you have any influence to get the races to intermarry, it will be very valuable,\"16 at first they thought of each other only as friends. When they met again in America, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá urged them to consider their relationship in a new light. Only then did the potential attachment He had sensed between them blossom into love. They were married in a quiet ceremony in New York City on 27 September 1912, becoming the first interracial Bahá’í couple at a time when intermarriage in the United States defied popular scientific theories about the baneful effects of \"race mixing,\" flouted the customary dictates of a divided society, and was a criminal offense in much of the nation. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá described the Gregorys as \"an introduction to the accomplishment\" of fellowship between the races.18 Although the couple had no children of their own, they enriched the lives of many young people and, over the years, became a particular source of strength to a growing number of interracially married couples among the American Bahá’ís.\n\n\n*Source: from articles culled on the internet*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/marriage-interracial) (Subject: marriage-interracial).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On one occasion ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told about a happy day in Iraq: ‘Once, when I…",
"slug": "on-one-occasion-abdu-l-bah-told-about-a-happy-bs3",
"summary": "On one occasion ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told about a happy day in Iraq: ‘Once, when I lived in Baghdad, I was invited to the house of a poor thorn-picker. In Baghdad the heat is greater even than in Syria; and it was a very hot day. But I walked…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"gratitude"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/gratitude"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn one occasion ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told about a happy day in Iraq: ‘Once, when I lived in Baghdad, I was invited to the house of a poor thorn-picker. In Baghdad the heat is greater even than in Syria; and it was a very hot day. But I walked twelve miles to the thorn-picker’s hut. Then his wife made a little cake out of some meal for Me and burnt it in cooking it, so it was a black, hard lump. Still that was the best reception I ever attended.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/gratitude) (Subject: gratitude).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On one occasion the Master illustrated that prayer can be selfish",
"slug": "on-one-occasion-the-master-illustrated-that-prayer-bs12",
"summary": "On one occasion the Master illustrated that prayer can be selfish. He told a story: ‘It is said that once a Muhammedan, a Christian and a Jew were rowing in a boat. Suddenly a tempest arose and the boat was tossed on the crest of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"prayer"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/prayer"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn one occasion the Master illustrated that prayer can be selfish. He told a story: ‘It is said that once a Muhammedan, a Christian and a Jew were rowing in a boat. Suddenly a tempest arose and the boat was tossed on the crest of the waves and their lives were in danger. The Muhammedan began to pray: “O God! Drown this infidel of a Christian!” The Christian supplicated the Almighty: ‘O Father! Send to the bottom of the deep this Muslim!” They observed the Jew was not offering any prayer, and therefore asked him: “Why do you not pray for relief?” He answered, “I am praying. I am asking the Lord to answer the prayers of you!”\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 151*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/prayer) (Subject: prayer).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On one occasion two young boys, Shoghi Effendi and his first cousin, Ruhi…",
"slug": "on-one-occasion-two-young-boys-shoghi-effendi-bs6",
"summary": "On one occasion two young boys, Shoghi Effendi and his first cousin, Ruhi Effendi, entered the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The Master looked at them thoughtfully and then remarked to Ruhi Effendi, 'If you can't wear a happy, pleasant…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"happiness"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/happiness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn one occasion two young boys, Shoghi Effendi and his first cousin, Ruhi Effendi, entered the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The Master looked at them thoughtfully and then remarked to Ruhi Effendi, 'If you can't wear a happy, pleasant expression on your face like Shoghi Effendi, then you are excused.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 48*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/happiness) (Subject: happiness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On one of His visits to New York He stayed with Juliet Thompson on West 10th…",
"slug": "on-one-of-his-visits-to-new-york-bs1",
"summary": "On one of His visits to New York He stayed with Juliet Thompson on West 10th Street not far from Fifth Avenue. Two or three doors away and across the street, the poet Khalil Gibran was staying with friends. He and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had met in…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"khalil gibran"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/khalil-gibran"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn one of His visits to New York He stayed with Juliet Thompson on West 10th Street not far from Fifth Avenue. Two or three doors away and across the street, the poet Khalil Gibran was staying with friends. He and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had met in Syria so now they met again. Gibran said that he believed in everything Bahá’u’lláh had taught, but that he would never declare himself as a Bahá’í because he had his own message to give to mankind and he wished this to remain clearly his. However, said Gibran, he would like to do something for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá - so what might he do? \"‘Abdu’l-Bahá was pleased and said, very good - go write me a book and the famous Jesus, Son of Man by Khalil Gibran's was that book.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 40*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/khalil-gibran) (Subject: khalil-gibran).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On our way back to the carriage I said I feared I had made my mother [Elizabeth…",
"slug": "on-our-way-back-to-the-carriage-i-bs6",
"summary": "On our way back to the carriage I said I feared I had made my mother [Elizabeth Royal, who had lived with the Parsons Family in Washington, D.C.] unhappy by trying to keep my thoughts from her, after she had passed away I felt then that…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Washington, D.C.",
"lat": 38.9072,
"lng": -77.0369,
"modernName": "Washington, D.C., USA"
},
"themes": [
"grief",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/grief"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn our way back to the carriage I said I feared I had made my mother [Elizabeth Royal, who had lived with the Parsons Family in Washington, D.C.] unhappy by trying to keep my thoughts from her, after she had passed away I felt then that unless I did this, as she had had such an overwhelming affection for me while she was here, that the constant thinking on my part might hold her here and this I wanted to avoid. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said I had done right not to sorrow that the spirit of another rejoices in the joy of the loved one that it is wrong to allow ourselves to grieve for those who have passed away. “If friends go to live in another city, they do not like to hear that their friends are lamenting.”\n\n\n*Source: Mahmud’s Diary, April 24, 1912*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/grief) (Subject: grief).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On pilgrimage May Maxwell came to realize that every word and every act of the…",
"slug": "on-pilgrimage-may-maxwell-came-to-realize-that-bs0",
"summary": "On pilgrimage May Maxwell came to realize that every word and every act of the Master's had meaning and purpose. The pilgrim party was invited to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá under the cedar trees on Mount Carmel where He had been in the habit of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"May Maxwell"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"sick caring",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"hope",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/sick-caring"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn pilgrimage May Maxwell came to realize that every word and every act of the Master's had meaning and purpose. The pilgrim party was invited to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá under the cedar trees on Mount Carmel where He had been in the habit of sitting with Bahá’u’lláh. She recalled that 'on Sunday morning we awakened with the joy and hope of the meeting on Mount Carmel. The Master arrived quite early and after looking at me, touching my head and counting my pulse, still holding my hand He said to the believers present: \"There will be no meeting on Mount Carmel to-day...we could not go and leave one of the beloved of God alone and sick. We could none of us be happy unless all the beloved were happy.\" We were astonished. That anything so important as this meeting in that blessed spot should be cancelled because one person was ill and could not go seemed incredible. It was so contrary to all ordinary habits of thought and action, so different from the life of the world where daily events and material circumstances are supreme in importance that it gave us a genuine shock of surprise, and in that shock the foundations of the old order began to totter and fall. The Master's words had opened wide the door of God's Kingdom and given us a vision of that infinite world whose only law is love. This was but one of many times that we saw ‘Abdu’l-Bahá place above every other consideration the love and kindness, the sympathy and compassion due to every soul. Indeed, as we look back upon that blessed time spent in His presence we understand that the object of our pilgrimage was to learn for the first time on earth what love is, to witness its light in every face, to feel its burning heat in every heart and to become ourselves enkindled with this divine flame from the Sun of Truth, the Essence of whose being is love.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 87*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/sick-caring) (Subject: sick-caring).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On the day I arrived at Haifa I was ill with a dysentery which I had picked up…",
"slug": "on-the-day-i-arrived-at-haifa-i-bs1",
"summary": "On the day I arrived at Haifa I was ill with a dysentery which I had picked up in the course of my travels. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent His own physician to me, and visited me Himself. He said, “I would that I could take your illness upon Myself.” I…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"empathy"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/empathy"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn the day I arrived at Haifa I was ill with a dysentery which I had picked up in the course of my travels. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent His own physician to me, and visited me Himself. He said, “I would that I could take your illness upon Myself.” I have never forgotten this. I felt, I knew, that in making this remark ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was not speaking in mere terms of sympathy. He meant just what He said. Such is the great love of the Kingdom, of which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke so often and so much. This is a love that is difficult, almost impossible, for us to acquire -- though we may seek to approximate its perfection. It is more than sympathy, more than empathy. It is sacrificial love.\n\n\n*Source: Some Warm Memories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá -- by Stanwood Cobb Source*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/empathy) (Subject: empathy).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On the [day] of the first Naw-Rúz (1909), which He celebrated after His release…",
"slug": "on-the-day-of-the-first-naw-r-z-1909-bs1",
"summary": "On the [day] of the first Naw-Rúz (1909), which He celebrated after His release from His confinement, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had the marble sarcophagus transported with great labor to the vault prepared for it, and in the evening, by the light of a…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"bab internment",
"martyrdom",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bab-internment"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn the [day] of the first Naw-Rúz (1909), which He celebrated after His release from His confinement, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had the marble sarcophagus transported with great labor to the vault prepared for it, and in the evening, by the light of a single lamp, He laid within it, with His own hands -- in the presence of believers from the East and from the West and in circumstances at once solemn and moving - the wooden casket containing the sacred remains of the Báb and His companion.\n\nWhen all was finished, and the earthly remains of the Martyr-Prophet of Shiraz were, at long last, safely deposited for their everlasting rest in the bosom of God's holy mountain, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Who had cast aside His turban, removed His shoes and thrown off His cloak, bent low over the still open sarcophagus, His silver hair waving about His head and His face transfigured and luminous, rested His forehead on the border of the wooden casket, and, sobbing aloud, wept with such a weeping that all those who were present wept with Him. That night He could not sleep, so overwhelmed was He with emotion.\n\n\"The most joyful tidings is this,\" He wrote later in a Tablet announcing to His followers the news of this glorious victory, \"that the holy, the luminous body of the Báb ... after having for sixty years been transferred from place to place, by reason of the ascendancy of the enemy, and from fear of the malevolent, and having known neither rest nor tranquillity has, through the mercy of the Abhá Beauty, been ceremoniously deposited, on the day of Naw-Rúz, within the sacred casket, in the exalted Shrine on Mt. Carmel... By a strange coincidence, on that same day of Naw-Rúz, a cablegram was received from Chicago, announcing that the believers in each of the American centers had elected a delegate and sent to that city ... and definitely decided on the site and construction of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar.\"\n\n\n*Source: Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 276*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bab-internment) (Subject: bab-internment).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On the eve of the Báb's arrival at Kashan, Haji Mirza Jani, surnamed Parpa, a…",
"slug": "on-the-eve-of-the-b-bs-arrival-at-bs5",
"summary": "On the eve of the Báb's arrival at Kashan, Haji Mirza Jani, surnamed Parpa, a noted resident of that city, dreamed that he was standing at a late hour in the afternoon at the gate of Attar, one of the gates of the city, when his eyes…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"dreams",
"hospitality",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/dreams"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn the eve of the Báb's arrival at Kashan, Haji Mirza Jani, surnamed Parpa, a noted resident of that city, dreamed that he was standing at a late hour in the afternoon at the gate of Attar, one of the gates of the city, when his eyes suddenly beheld the Báb on horseback wearing, instead of His customary turban, the kulah usually worn by the merchants of Persia. Before Him, as well as behind Him, marched a number of horsemen into whose custody He seemed to have been delivered. As they approached the gate, the Báb saluted him and said: \"Haji Mirza Jani, We are to be your Guest for three nights. Prepare yourself to receive Us.\"\n\nWhen he awoke, the vividness of his dream convinced him of the reality of his vision. This unexpected apparition constituted in his eyes a providential warning which he felt it his duty to heed and observe. He accordingly set out to prepare his house for the reception of the Visitor, and to provide whatever seemed necessary for His comfort. As soon as he had completed the preliminary arrangements for the banquet which he had decided to offer the Báb that night, Haji Mirza Jani proceeded to the gate of Attar, and there waited for the signs of the Báb's expected arrival. At the appointed hour, as he was scanning the horizon, he descried in the distance what seemed to him a company of horsemen approaching the gate of the city. As he hastened to meet them, his eyes recognized the Báb surrounded by His escort dressed in the same clothes and wearing the same expression as he had seen the night before in his dream. Haji Mirza Jani joyously approached Him and bent to kiss His stirrups. The Báb prevented him, saying: \"We are to be your Guest for three nights. To-morrow is the day of Naw-Ruz; we shall celebrate it together in your home.\"\n\n\n*Source: Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 217-218*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/dreams) (Subject: dreams).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On the evening of the same day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke briefly again to a group of…",
"slug": "on-the-evening-of-the-same-day-abdu-l-bah-bs1",
"summary": "On the evening of the same day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke briefly again to a group of Bahá’í friends of the subject which, on these last days seemed very close to His heart and lips - the station to which those who had accepted the teachings of…",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"deeds not words",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/deeds-not-words"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn the evening of the same day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke briefly again to a group of Bahá’í friends of the subject which, on these last days seemed very close to His heart and lips - the station to which those who had accepted the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh were called and expected to attain by the very fact that they had accepted them. I remember, in this connection, a story told me by one of the friends present at a meeting of the executive committee of the New York Spiritual Assembly. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had been asked to be present. After listening to their deliberations for a half-hour or so He calmly arose to leave. At the door He paused a moment and surveyed the faces turned towards Him. After a moment of silence He said, that He had been told that this was a meeting of the executive committee. \"Yes, Master,\" said the Chairman. Then why do you not execute. Always was His emphasis upon deeds: and deeds of such quality and purity as seemed, to those who listened, unattainable. Nevertheless there was no lowering of the standard. And He set the example. There was no doubt of that. Like the true Leader He never called upon His followers to go where He had not blazed the Path.\n\n\n*Source: Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom, p. 200-201*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/deeds-not-words) (Subject: deeds-not-words).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On the first afternoon, while driving, he expressed much interest in rural…",
"slug": "on-the-first-afternoon-while-driving-he-expressed-bs0",
"summary": "On the first afternoon, while driving, he expressed much interest in rural England, marvelling at the century-old trees, and the vivid green of the woods and downs, so unlike the arid East. \"Though it is autumn it seems like spring,\" he…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"country",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/country"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn the first afternoon, while driving, he expressed much interest in rural England, marvelling at the century-old trees, and the vivid green of the woods and downs, so unlike the arid East. \"Though it is autumn it seems like spring,\" he said. The houses with their little plots of ground, suggested a quotation which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave from Bahá’u’lláh's writings in which the latter alludes to each family having a house with a piece of land. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá likened the country to the soul and the city to the body of man, saying, \"The body without the soul cannot live. It is good,\" he remarked, \"to live under the sky, in the sunshine and fresh air.\"\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London, p. 81*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/country) (Subject: country).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On the morning of March 26 when I was close by His cabin, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá came out…",
"slug": "on-the-morning-of-march-26-when-i-bs2",
"summary": "On the morning of March 26 when I was close by His cabin, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá came out and said: `Last night I slept comfortably. For a long time I could not sleep well on account of the ache in my bones but now it is gone altogether.’ I…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"health"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/health"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn the morning of March 26 when I was close by His cabin, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá came out and said: `Last night I slept comfortably. For a long time I could not sleep well on account of the ache in my bones but now it is gone altogether.’ I mentioned that the humidity in Port Alexandria was very high and that it must not have been good for His health. `Yes,’ He said, `the climate here is better because at sea the humidity ascends and thus is not harmful, whereas there is more humidity in coastal regions and this is harmful to health. Besides, an electro-magnetic force is produced by the moving and surging of the water which is very beneficial to health.’\n\n\n*Source: Mohi Sobhani, Mahmud’s Diary*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/health) (Subject: health).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On the night of 20 August, a horrifying young man came to a meeting at the Kinney's house",
"slug": "on-the-night-of-20-august-a-horrifying-bs1",
"summary": "On the night of 20 August, a horrifying young man came to a meeting at the Kinney's house. From head to foot he was covered with soot. His blue eyes stared out from a dark gray face. This was Fred Mortensen, a reformed criminal. When…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Louis Gregory",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "formative",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"transformation",
"prison",
"the-covenant",
"children",
"family",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 8,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/transformation"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn the night of 20 August, a horrifying young man came to a meeting at the Kinney's house. From head to foot he was covered with soot. His blue eyes stared out from a dark gray face. This was Fred Mortensen, a reformed criminal. When he was young Fred had got into all kinds of trouble, determined to be \"as tough as any\". One day, Fred and his gang saw some bananas in a shop window and thought that they looked really good. Fred later wrote, \"About this time I heard a dog barking inside the store, and looking in, I saw a large bulldog. That seemed to aggravate me, and, to show my contempt for the watchdog . . . I broke the window, took the bananas, and passed them around . . . It cost me $16 to pay for broken Windows, to keep out of jail.\" But in 1904, Fred's brothers and gang decided to rob a train. Fred's younger brother stole a big bag of mail. Then Fred spotted the police racing up, so the gang split in all directions. Fred didn't think his younger brother could outrun the police while carrying the bag of mail, so he took it and ran. His brother escaped, but that left the police to chase him. \"In my haste to get away from them, I leaped over a 35 foot wall, breaking my leg, to escape the bullets whizzing around about and wound up in the garden at the feet of the Beloved\". At Fred's trial he was defended by Albert Hall, who introduced him to the Faith: \"It was he who brought me from out the dark prison house; it was he who told me, hour after hour, about the great love of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for all his children and that he was here to help us show that love for our fellowmen. Honestly, I often wondered then what Mr. Hall meant when he talked so much about love, God's love, Bahá’u’lláh's love, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's love, love for the Covenant, love for us, from us to God, to his prophets, etc. I was bewildered.\n\nFred's great-grandson, Justin Penoyer writes: Because Fred could not read at this time, Hall gave him a dictionary to use in order to read a Bahá’í book, also provided by Hall. With these new books, Fred taught himself how to read. For reasons even he did not completely understand that the time, Fred's experience in jail had a profound impact. However, as soon as he was able to walk, Fred decided it was time to leave. While in jail, he lured the guard close enough to his cell to take him by the neck, strangle him to unconsciousness, and take the keys. Fred spent the next four years as a fugitive. He fled first to California, where he worked for the Oakland paper. After experiencing the great earthquake of 1906 . . . Fred decided the Midwest was a far safer region. He then toured the Dakotas, moving from town to town, occasionally finding employment with local papers. It was during this time that Fred rediscovered the book given to him by Albert Hall. Yet unlike four years prior, . . . His mind became fixated upon the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Though faced with possible arrest, in 1910, he returned to Minneapolis to visit Hall . . . to learn more about the Bahá’í Faith: \"I returned to become more bewildered, so I thought; and I wondered why.\" Fred was in regular communication with Albert Hall who, despite his status as an attorney, did not turn them into the police. This, combined with Fred's surprise that a complete lack of attention given by the authorities, gave the impression that he need no longer fear prosecution for his jailbreak. No longer a fugitive, Fred moved to Minneapolis. When he heard that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was at Green Acre, and that he might go back to his home (Palestine) and not come West, I immediately determined to go and see him. I wasn't going to miss meeting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá after waiting so long to see Him . . . So I left home, going to Cleveland. Despite his enthusiasm, Fred was anxious about meeting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. After all, who was he, a poor man with dubious history, to meet one such as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá? Yet the night before he left Cleveland, Fred had a dream: I was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's guest; that I Sat at a long table, and many others were there, too, and of how He walked up and down telling stories, emphasizing with His hand. This, later, was fulfilled and He looked just as I saw Him in Cleveland. Because his funds were low, Fred had to hobo his way to Green Acre. Trains ran, at this time, on coal power; coated with soot and grime, were filthy outside the travelers compartments. This was not only most unpleasant, but also dangerous and exhausting. \"Riding the rods\", as it was known, Fred hopped a coal train on the Nickel Plate Railway from Cleveland to Buffalo, New York. He arrived around midnight, where he then jumped a train headed for Boston, arriving around nine next morning. Fred continues the story: \"The Boston and Maine railway was the last link between ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and the outside world so it seemed to me, and when I crawled off from the top of one of its passenger trains at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, I was exceedingly happy. A boat ride, a street car ride, and there I was, at the gate of Paradise. My heart beating double time . . . I had a letter of introduction from Mr. Hall to Mr. Lunt, and in searching for him, I met Mrs. Edward Kinney, who, dear soul, was kind enough to offer me a bed. She awakened me next morning about six o'clock, saying I'd have to hurry if I wished to see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Arriving at the hotel, I found quite a number of people . . . on the same mission, to see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Being one of the last arrivals, I was looking around when someone exclaimed, \"Here he comes, now\". When Ahmad [Sohrab] introduced me to him, to my astonishment he looked at me and only said, \"Ugh!Ugh!\", not offering to shake hands with me. Coming as I had, and feeling as I did, I was very much embarrassed. After greeting several others Ahmad was about to go to His room, he suddenly turned to me and said in a gruff voice
\"Sit down\", and pointed to a chair. I meekly obeyed, feeling rebellious over what had happened. Such a welcome, after making that difficult trip! My mind was in a whirl. It seemed but a minute until Ahmad came down and said; \"‘Abdu’l-Bahá wishes to see Mr. Mortensen.\" Why, I nearly wilted. I wasn't ready. I hadn't expected to be called until the very last thing . . . He welcomed me with a smile and a warm hand clasp. His first words were \"Welcome! Welcome! You are very welcome\", then, \"Are you happy?\" Which was repeated three times. I Thought, \"why do you ask me that so many times? Of course I am happy\"\n\nThen, Where did you come from?\n\nAnswer: from Minneapolis.\n\nQuestion: Do you know Mr. Hall?\n\nAnswer: Yes, he told me about the Cause.\n\nQuestion. Did you have a pleasant journey?\n\nOf all the questions I wished to avoid this was the one! I dropped my gaze to the floor and again He put the question. I lifted my eyes to His and His were as two black, sparkling jewels, which seemed to look into my very depths. I knew He knew and I must tell.\n\nAnswer: Riding under and on top of railway cars.\n\nQuestion: Explain how.\n\nNow as I looked into the eyes of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, I saw they had changed and a wondrous light seemed to pour out. It was the light of love and I felt relieved and very much happier. I explained to Him how I rode on the trains, after which He kissed both my cheeks, gave me much fruit, and kissed the dirty Hat I wore . . . When He was ready to leave Green Acre I stood nearby to say goodbye and to my astonishment He ordered me to get into the automobile with Him. After a week with Him at Malden, Massachusetts, I left for home with never-to-be-forgotten memories of the wonderful event the meeting of God's Covenant.\n\nFred story was far from over, for he became a very different person. After this time with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Fred later recollected his experience: \"These events are engraved upon the tablet of my heart and I love every moment of them. The words of Bahá’u’lláh are my food, my drink, and my life. I have no other aim than to be of service in His pathway and to be obedient to His Covenant. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá referred to Fred as \"My son\", yet because of his appearance and the attention ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had shown him, certain Bahá’ís became jealous and this resulted in Fred's near expulsion from the early Bahá’í community.\n\nBut just a year later, Fred received a tablet from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: \"That trip of mine from Minneapolis to Green Acre will never be forgotten. It's mention will be recorded eternally in books and works of history. Therefore, be thou happy that, praise be to God, thou hast an illumined heart, a living spirit, and art vivified with merciful breath. As Fred's great-grandson writes, 32 years later . . . The Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith included Fred's story in God Passes By, and on his passing in 1946, cabled to his family: \"Grief passing beloved Fred. Welcome assured in the Abhá Kingdom by Master. His name is forever inscribed Bahá’í history.\" Hand of the Cause Louis Gregory called him \"Frederick the Great.\"\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 168-172*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/transformation) (Subject: transformation).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On the occasion of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s first dinner in the home of Lady Bloomfield…",
"slug": "on-the-occasion-of-abdu-l-bah-s-first-dinner-in-bs15",
"summary": "On the occasion of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s first dinner in the home of Lady Bloomfield in London His hostess had prepared course after course in her eagerness to please Him. Afterwards He gently commented: ‘The food was delicious and the fruit and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"simple life"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn the occasion of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s first dinner in the home of Lady Bloomfield in London His hostess had prepared course after course in her eagerness to please Him. Afterwards He gently commented: ‘The food was delicious and the fruit and flowers were lovely, but would that we could share some of the courses with those poor and hungry people who have not even one.’ Thereafter the dinners were greatly simplified. Flowers and fruit remained in abundance, for those were often brought to the Master as small love tokens.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life) (Subject: simple-life).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On the return to the hotel the carriage drove through the park roads",
"slug": "on-the-return-to-the-hotel-the-carriage-bs3",
"summary": "On the return to the hotel the carriage drove through the park roads. The Master remarked, `America will make rapid progress in the future but I am fearful of the effects of these high buildings and such densely populated cities; these are…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"health"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/health"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn the return to the hotel the carriage drove through the park roads. The Master remarked, `America will make rapid progress in the future but I am fearful of the effects of these high buildings and such densely populated cities; these are not good for the public health.’\n\n\n*Source: Mahmud’s Diary, April 12, 1912*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/health) (Subject: health).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On the third day, the guards were changed, and new ones came with camels for us to ride",
"slug": "on-the-third-day-the-guards-were-changed-bs10",
"summary": "On the third day, the guards were changed, and new ones came with camels for us to ride. But chained together as we were, our feet in one stock and our wrists joined by chains, how could we ride on camels? The guards were at a loss for…",
"figures": [],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"tests"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/tests"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn the third day, the guards were changed, and new ones came with camels for us to ride. But chained together as we were, our feet in one stock and our wrists joined by chains, how could we ride on camels? The guards were at a loss for what to do and how to carry us to the next destination. Eventually they brought some long pieces of strong, white cloth. They placed the hands and feet of each pair of us on the saddle, one person hanging on one side of the camel, and the other on the other side. Then they tied our hanging bodies to the camels with the white cloths. A more torturous way to travel cannot be imagined! Five or six times during the short journey they made the camels kneel down, and we were untied and permitted to have a little rest. The guards apologized to us, saying that previously they had taken a group of thieves and murderers to the Sudan in chains, but that these others had to walk all the way through the desert. Ja’far Pasha had instructed them to allow us to ride, and they could not think of any other way. Although we were in great pain and torture, as we watched each other hanging from the camels, the sight was so ridiculous that we could not help laughing.\n\n\n*Source: Stories for the Delight of Hearts: The Memoirs of Hají Mírzá Haydar-Alí, p.46-7*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/tests) (Subject: tests).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On the train from Sacramento to Denver, ‘a salesman came through the cars…",
"slug": "on-the-train-from-sacramento-to-denver-a-bs2",
"summary": "On the train from Sacramento to Denver, ‘a salesman came through the cars selling pennants of various schools.’ The Master joked, ‘Tell him to bring the banner of universal peace if he has it. We want a flag under which the whole world…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"peace"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/peace"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn the train from Sacramento to Denver, ‘a salesman came through the cars selling pennants of various schools.’ The Master joked, ‘Tell him to bring the banner of universal peace if he has it. We want a flag under which the whole world may find rest and peace.’ Other passengers heard ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and formed a group in the corridor in order to be able to talk with Him.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 177*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/peace) (Subject: peace).*\n"
},
{
"title": "On this occasion, the Master stopped her and asked her to hold out her apron,…",
"slug": "on-this-occasion-the-master-stopped-her-and-bs25",
"summary": "On this occasion, the Master stopped her and asked her to hold out her apron, whereupon He filled it with all the quarters that had not been passed out at the Bowery, about $20 worth. When one of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's retinue told the startled…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"generosity",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn this occasion, the Master stopped her and asked her to hold out her apron, whereupon He filled it with all the quarters that had not been passed out at the Bowery, about $20 worth. When one of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's retinue told the startled young woman what He had been doing, she immediately replied that, I will do the same with the money. I will give away every cent of it.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 88*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity) (Subject: generosity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Once a reporter in London inquired about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s plans to his…",
"slug": "once-a-reporter-in-london-inquired-about-abdu-l-bah-s-bs4",
"summary": "Once a reporter in London inquired about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s plans to his astonishment the Master replied in English. The reporter commented on His good pronunciation, whereupon ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘rose up and, pacing the room, uttered a number of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"universal language"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/universal-language"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOnce a reporter in London inquired about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s plans to his astonishment the Master replied in English. The reporter commented on His good pronunciation, whereupon ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘rose up and, pacing the room, uttered a number of complicated English words, such as “hippopotamus”, and then laughingly said, “Very difficult English words I speak.”’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 174*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/universal-language) (Subject: universal-language).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Once ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asked His Father, Bahá’u’lláh why it was He had never clearly…",
"slug": "once-abdu-l-bah-asked-his-father-bah-u-ll-h-why-it-bs0",
"summary": "Once ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asked His Father, Bahá’u’lláh why it was He had never clearly designated the language that was to become universal. And Bahá’u’lláh said, very simply, \"Because no one ever asked Me.\" This answer has always filled me with…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"universal language"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/universal-language"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOnce ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asked His Father, Bahá’u’lláh why it was He had never clearly designated the language that was to become universal. And Bahá’u’lláh said, very simply, \"Because no one ever asked Me.\" This answer has always filled me with a sense of frustrated awe. To think that the opportunity was given mankind to learn the answers to questions that had puzzled him since the beginning of time to have the mysteries of the universe solved! If only he had asked the questions and known the right questions to ask.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 39*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/universal-language) (Subject: universal-language).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Once ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was asked, ‘Why do all the guests who visit you come away…",
"slug": "once-abdu-l-bah-was-asked-why-do-all-the-bs18",
"summary": "Once ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was asked, ‘Why do all the guests who visit you come away with shining countenances?’ ‘He said with his beautiful smile: “I cannot tell you, but in all those upon whom I look, I see only my Father’s…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"love"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/love"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOnce ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was asked, ‘Why do all the guests who visit you come away with shining countenances?’\n\n‘He said with his beautiful smile: “I cannot tell you, but in all those upon whom I look, I see only my Father’s Face.”\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 96*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/love) (Subject: love).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Once, before the Master's wife went on a journey, she left a second cloak for…",
"slug": "once-before-the-masters-wife-went-on-a-bs26",
"summary": "Once, before the Master's wife went on a journey, she left a second cloak for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with one of their daughters, for she feared He would give His away and be caught without one in her absence. The daughter was not to tell her…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"generosity"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOnce, before the Master's wife went on a journey, she left a second cloak for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with one of their daughters, for she feared He would give His away and be caught without one in her absence. The daughter was not to tell her Father about the second cloak, but amazingly, the Master soon asked His daughter if He had another cloak, so the truth had to be told. As was to be expected, He replied, 'How could I be happy having two cloaks, knowing that there are those that have none?' He gave the second one away.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 75*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity) (Subject: generosity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Once there was a young man who met a great divine, One day as they walked by…",
"slug": "once-there-was-a-young-man-who-met-bs18",
"summary": "Once there was a young man who met a great divine, One day as they walked by the sea, he asked him to explain why prayer was so important. The divine beckoned the man to the water's edge where he told him to kneel, whereupon the divine…",
"figures": [
"John Robarts"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"prayer"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"prayer",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/prayer"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOnce there was a young man who met a great divine, One day as they walked by the sea, he asked him to explain why prayer was so important. The divine beckoned the man to the water's edge where he told him to kneel, whereupon the divine gently but firmly pushed his head under the water and held it there. When he, in his wisdom, released his hold, the man with relief again drew air into his lungs. The divine said to him, \"You see, it is indeed important! Praying is as important to you as breathing.\" I don't know how many of us will have to have our heads held under water to teach us to pray, but perhaps it will help to renew our faith.\n\n\n*Source: John Robarts: http://bahaitalks.blogspot.in/2011/02/value-of-prayer-talk-by-hand-of-cause.html#more*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/prayer) (Subject: prayer).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Once when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was asked, ‘What is a Bahá’í?’, He replied, ‘To be a…",
"slug": "once-when-abdu-l-bah-was-asked-what-is-a-bs19",
"summary": "Once when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was asked, ‘What is a Bahá’í?’, He replied, ‘To be a Bahá’í simply means to love all the world; to love humanity and try to serve it; to work for universal peace and universal…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"love"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/love"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOnce when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was asked, ‘What is a Bahá’í?’, He replied, ‘To be a Bahá’í simply means to love all the world; to love humanity and try to serve it; to work for universal peace and universal brotherhood.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 95*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/love) (Subject: love).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Once when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was out walking two ladies saw Him and asked to be…",
"slug": "once-when-abdu-l-bah-was-out-walking-two-ladies-bs2",
"summary": "Once when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was out walking two ladies saw Him and asked to be introduced to Him. They then asked Him about the Faith. They thought He must be extremely wealthy and did not hesitate to tell Him so. He replied, ‘My riches are…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"contentment"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/contentment"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOnce when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was out walking two ladies saw Him and asked to be introduced to Him. They then asked Him about the Faith. They thought He must be extremely wealthy and did not hesitate to tell Him so. He replied, ‘My riches are of the Kingdom and not of this world . . . Although I have nothing, yet I am richer than all the world.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 168*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/contentment) (Subject: contentment).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Once, when I lived in Baghdad,\" He [‘Abdu’l-Bahá] went on, \"I was invited to…",
"slug": "once-when-i-lived-in-baghdad-he-abdu-l-bah-bs0",
"summary": "Once, when I lived in Baghdad,\" He [‘Abdu’l-Bahá] went on, \"I was invited to the house of a poor thorn-picker. In Baghdad the heat is greater even than in Syria; and it was a very hot day. But I walked twelve miles to the thorn-picker's…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"guest",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/guest"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOnce, when I lived in Baghdad,\" He [‘Abdu’l-Bahá] went on, \"I was invited to the house of a poor thorn-picker. In Baghdad the heat is greater even than in Syria; and it was a very hot day. But I walked twelve miles to the thorn-picker's hut. Then his wife made a little cake out of some meal for Me and burnt it in cooking it, so that it was a black, hard lump. Still that was the best reception I ever attended.\"\n\n\n*Source: Misc Bahá’í, The Diary of Juliet Thompson*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/guest) (Subject: guest).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One brief incident that made a lasting impression on Leroy illustrates this…",
"slug": "one-brief-incident-that-made-a-lasting-impression-bs0",
"summary": "One brief incident that made a lasting impression on Leroy illustrates this power of the Master. It occurred one evening when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke at the Masonic Temple [in Chicago]. More than a thousand people were present. The Ioas and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"steadfastness"
],
"virtues": [
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/steadfastness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne brief incident that made a lasting impression on Leroy illustrates this power of the Master. It occurred one evening when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke at the Masonic Temple [in Chicago]. More than a thousand people were present. The Ioas and Dealy families were very close, as it was through Paul Dealy that they had become Bahá’ís. The Ioases had brought Mrs. Dealy to the meeting, as she to her great distress was going blind.\n\nFollowing the Master's talk, as hundreds milled around Him, she told her son he should have an interpreter ask ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to speak to her. Leroy, who was sitting next to her, remembers the son saying that would be impossible with all the people present. But she insisted and he went to pass on her request. The interpreter indicated she should sit on the aisle where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would leave. As the Master went up the aisle He stopped and greeted her lovingly. She reached for His hand and said, “‘Abdu’l-Bahá, please put your hand on my forehead, and I know that I will see.? “Yes, my daughter,? He answered, “you will see. But you will have to choose. You may have your spiritual sight or your physical sightwhich do you desire?? She said with emotion, “‘Abdu’l-Bahá, that is no choice! I would be blind a thousand years before I would give up my spiritual sight!? “Well said, my daughter, well said,? replied the Master as He touched her shoulder and continued on His way out. Sitting next to her on that bench, Leroy realized with a chill how in that moment she had decided on her destiny. She was steadfast.\n\n\n*Source: Leroy Ioas, Hand of the Cause of God by Anita Ioas Chapman, pp. 25-26*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/steadfastness) (Subject: steadfastness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One California Bahá’í, Georgiana Dean, had moved from the West Coast at the…",
"slug": "one-california-bah-georgiana-dean-had-moved-from-bs8",
"summary": "One California Bahá’í, Georgiana Dean, had moved from the West Coast at the request of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to care for Mrs. Dealy, who was going blind. Miss Dean had abandoned a good job and a love for California to fulfill the Master's request.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"obedience"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/obedience"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne California Bahá’í, Georgiana Dean, had moved from the West Coast at the request of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to care for Mrs. Dealy, who was going blind. Miss Dean had abandoned a good job and a love for California to fulfill the Master's request. When Miss Dean met the other California Bahá’ís, she was overwhelmed by homesickness. Harriet Cline suggested she take the problem to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, which she did. When Miss Dean returned from her interview, tears were streaming down her face, but it shone with a radiance I have seldom seen. \"He told me to stay with Mrs. Dealey as long as she needed me, and I am going to obey with all my heart and soul.\" Through her sincerity, however, her prayers were answered. Within a few days Mrs. Dealy no longer needed her and she was able to return to California.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 115-116*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/obedience) (Subject: obedience).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day ‘a man passing by the gates of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s house in Haifa, carrying…",
"slug": "one-day-a-man-passing-by-the-gates-bs2",
"summary": "One day ‘a man passing by the gates of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s house in Haifa, carrying a basket, put it down as soon as he saw Him, saying that he could not find a porter and had to carry the basket himself. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá remarked afterwards that…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"work"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/work"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day ‘a man passing by the gates of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s house in Haifa, carrying a basket, put it down as soon as he saw Him, saying that he could not find a porter and had to carry the basket himself. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá remarked afterwards that a man should not feel ashamed of doing useful work.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 166*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/work) (Subject: work).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day a woman came to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with her sorrows",
"slug": "one-day-a-woman-came-to-abdu-l-bah-with-bs0",
"summary": "One day a woman came to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with her sorrows. As she told her story, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tried to calm her and said, “Don’t be sad now, don’t be sad.” The Woman said, “My brother has been in prison for three years. He should not have…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"trust",
"prison",
"women",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"justice",
"love",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day a woman came to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with her sorrows. As she told her story, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tried to calm her and said, “Don’t be sad now, don’t be sad.” The Woman said, “My brother has been in prison for three years. He should not have been imprisoned because it was not his fault. He was weak and followed others. He will be in prison for four more years. My mother and father are full of sorrow all the time. My brother in law used to take care of us, but he has just died.” The Master could see the whole human story. Here was a family which was experiencing every form of misery-they were poor, they were weak, they were sad, disgraced, and without any hope whatsoever. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, “You must trust in God.” “But,” the woman cried, “the more I trust, the worse things become!” “You have never trusted,” said ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. “But my mother is reading the Bible all of the time,” she said. “She does not deserve that God should leave her so helpless! I read the Bible myself; I say the 91st Psalm and the 23rd Psalm every night before I go to bed. I pray too.” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá looked at her lovingly and said, “To pray is not to read the Bible. To pray is to trust in God and accept His Will. You must be patient and accept the Will of God, then things will change for you. Put your family in God’s hands. Trust in God and love His Will. Strong ships are not conquered by the sea; they ride the waves! Now be a strong ship, not a battered one.”\n\n\n*Source: Gloria Faizi, Stories About ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/trust) (Subject: trust).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, an interpreter, and Howard Colby Ives, at that time a…",
"slug": "one-day-abdu-l-bah-an-interpreter-and-howard-colby-bs8",
"summary": "One day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, an interpreter, and Howard Colby Ives, at that time a Unitarian minister, were alone in a reception room. Colby Ives later wrote: '‘Abdu’l-Bahá had been speaking of some Christian doctrine and His interpretation of…",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"forgiveness gods"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-gods"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, an interpreter, and Howard Colby Ives, at that time a Unitarian minister, were alone in a reception room. Colby Ives later wrote: '‘Abdu’l-Bahá had been speaking of some Christian doctrine and His interpretation of the words of Christ was so different from the accepted one that I could not restrain an expression of remonstrance. I remember speaking with some heat: \"How is it possible to be so sure?\" I asked. \"No one can say with certainty what Jesus meant after all these centuries of misinterpretation and strife.\" 'He intimated that it was quite possible. 'It is indicative of my spiritual turmoil and my blindness to His station, that instead of His serenity and tone of authority impressing me as warranted it drove me to actual impatience. \"That I cannot believe,\" I exclaimed. 'I shall never forget the glance of outraged dignity the interpreter cast upon me. It was as though he would say: \"Who are you to contradict or even to question ‘Abdu’l-Bahá?\" 'But not so did ‘Abdu’l-Bahá look at me. How I thank God that it was not! He looked at me a long moment before He spoke. His calm, beautiful eyes searched my soul with such love and understanding that all my momentary heat evaporated. He smiled as winningly as a lover smiles upon his beloved, and the arms of His spirit seemed to embrace me as He said softly that I should try my way and He would try his.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 65*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-gods) (Subject: forgiveness-gods).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asked about the health of Mr Haney",
"slug": "one-day-abdu-l-bah-asked-about-the-health-of-bs4",
"summary": "One day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asked about the health of Mr Haney. He told the Master quite frankly, ‘My body is always well, but I am receiving so much Spiritual Food while here that I fear I shall have Spiritual indigestion.’ But his Host…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"health"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/health"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asked about the health of Mr Haney. He told the Master quite frankly, ‘My body is always well, but I am receiving so much Spiritual Food while here that I fear I shall have Spiritual indigestion.’ But his Host assured him: ‘No, you are going to digest it, for He who gives you the Spiritual Food is going to give you digestive power.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 143*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/health) (Subject: health).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá learned that a lady had cut her lovely hair in order to…",
"slug": "one-day-abdu-l-bah-learned-that-a-lady-had-bs2",
"summary": "One day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá learned that a lady had cut her lovely hair in order to contribute to the building of the House of Worship in Wilmette. He wrote to her with loving appreciation: ‘On the one hand, I was deeply touched, for thou hadst…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Wilmette",
"lat": 42.0731,
"lng": -87.722,
"modernName": "Wilmette, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"moderation"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"sacrifice",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/moderation"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá learned that a lady had cut her lovely hair in order to contribute to the building of the House of Worship in Wilmette. He wrote to her with loving appreciation: ‘On the one hand, I was deeply touched, for thou hadst sheared off those fair tresses of thine with the shears of detachment from this world and of self-sacrifice in the path of the Kingdom of God. And on the other, I was greatly pleased, for that dearly-beloved daughter hath evinced so great a spirit of self-sacrifice as to offer up so precious a part of her body in the pathway of the Cause of God. Hadst thou sought my opinion, I would in no wise have consented that thou shouldst shear off even a single thread of thy comely and wavy locks; nay, I myself would have contributed in thy name for the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar. This deed of thine is, however, an eloquent testimony to thy noble spirit of self-sacrifice.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 113*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/moderation) (Subject: moderation).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was asked how one should live",
"slug": "one-day-abdu-l-bah-was-asked-how-one-should-bs0",
"summary": "One day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was asked how one should live. His reply was, 'Be kind to everyone.' One must not 'belittle the thought of another'. This kindness must reach out even to those who may suffer mental illness, as the Master so…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"kindness",
"exile"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/kindness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was asked how one should live. His reply was, 'Be kind to everyone.' One must not 'belittle the thought of another'. This kindness must reach out even to those who may suffer mental illness, as the Master so beautifully demonstrated when Mirza Aqa Jan, who had been the amaneunsis of Bahá-u-llah, became very disturbed. In spite of the troubles that this ill man caused, the Master did not want him banished to Yemen as the mayor of 'Akka suggested.\n\nTo Juliet Thompson the Master said, 'Never let anyone speak of another unkindly in your presence. Should anyone do so, stop them. Tell them it is against the commands of Bahá’u’lláh, that He has commanded: \"Love one another.\" Never speak an unkind word, yourself, against anyone. If you see something wrong, let your silence be your only comment...'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of \"‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 39*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/kindness) (Subject: kindness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was going from Akka to Haifa and asked for a seat in the stage coach",
"slug": "one-day-abdu-l-bah-was-going-from-akka-to-bs27",
"summary": "One day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was going from Akka to Haifa and asked for a seat in the stage coach. The driver, surprised, said ‘Your Excellency surely wishes a private carriage.’ ‘No.’ replied the Master. While He was still in the coach in Haifa,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"generosity",
"women",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was going from Akka to Haifa and asked for a seat in the stage coach. The driver, surprised, said ‘Your Excellency surely wishes a private carriage.’ ‘No.’ replied the Master. While He was still in the coach in Haifa, a distressed fisherwoman came to Him; all day she had caught nothing and now must return to her hungry family. The Master gave her five francs, then turned to the driver and said: ‘You now see the reason why I would not take a private carriage. Why should I ride in luxury when so many are starving?’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity) (Subject: generosity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day, although He had guests for luncheon, He found it impossible to sit…",
"slug": "one-day-although-he-had-guests-for-luncheon-bs18",
"summary": "One day, although He had guests for luncheon, He found it impossible to sit much longer at the table and had to go to His room to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Hasan Balyuzi"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"exhaustion",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day, although He had guests for luncheon, He found it impossible to sit much longer at the table and had to go to His room to rest.\n\n\n*Source: H.M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá - The Centre of the Covenant, p. 391*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion) (Subject: exhaustion).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day as I was standing near the border of a little stream on Mt",
"slug": "one-day-as-i-was-standing-near-the-bs2",
"summary": "One day as I was standing near the border of a little stream on Mt. Carmel, I noticed a number of locusts that had not yet developed full wings. These insects wishing to pass from my side of the stream to the other in order to procure…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"unity"
],
"virtues": [
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day as I was standing near the border of a little stream on Mt. Carmel, I noticed a number of locusts that had not yet developed full wings. These insects wishing to pass from my side of the stream to the other in order to procure some food, threw themselves forward, each one trying to emulate the other in flinging itself into the water, so that a bridge was formed in order that the others might pass over and this was accomplished; yet those who gave themselves as a bridge finally perished. Consider how much solidarity makes for life as compared to the fighting for self interest which destroys it.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Divine Philosophy, p. 187-188*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/unity) (Subject: unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day Bahá’u’lláh sent ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to inspect the work of the shepherds, who…",
"slug": "one-day-bah-u-ll-h-sent-abdu-l-bah-to-inspect-the-bs34",
"summary": "One day Bahá’u’lláh sent ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to inspect the work of the shepherds, who were taking care of His sheep. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a small child at the time, and the persecutions against Bahá’u’lláh and His family had not yet started.…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"generosity",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day Bahá’u’lláh sent ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to inspect the work of the shepherds, who were taking care of His sheep. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a small child at the time, and the persecutions against Bahá’u’lláh and His family had not yet started. Bahá’u’lláh then had a good deal of land in the mountains and owned large herds of sheep. When the inspection was finished and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was ready to leave, the man who had accompanied Him said, “It is your father’s custom to leave a gift for each shepherd.” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá became silent for a while, because He did not have anything to give them. The man, however, insisted that the shepherds were expecting something. Then ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had an idea that made Him very happy! He would give the shepherds the sheep they were taking care of! Bahá’u’lláh was very much pleased when He heard about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s generous thoughts towards the shepherds. He humorously remarked that everyone had better take good care of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá because someday He would give Himself away. Of course, this is exactly what ‘Abdu’l-Bahá did for the rest of His life. He gave everything He had, each and every moment of His life, to humanity, to unite us and brings us true happiness.\n\n\n*Source: Ruhi Book 3, p. 28-29*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity) (Subject: generosity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day, Dr",
"slug": "one-day-dr-khan-reminded-abul-fadl-that-day-bs24",
"summary": "One day, Dr. Khan reminded Abu'l-Fadl that, day after day, he had offered service to the best of his ability and, in view of this, would Abu'l-Fadl answer just one question: What really happened to the soul after death? Abu'l-Fadl looked…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Ali-Kuli Khan"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day, Dr. Khan reminded Abu'l-Fadl that, day after day, he had offered service to the best of his ability and, in view of this, would Abu'l-Fadl answer just one question: What really happened to the soul after death? Abu'l-Fadl looked at Khan very thoughtfully and changed the subject. A few days later, as they were nearing Washington, Dr. Khan repeated his question - \"Please tell me - what does happen to the soul after death?\" Abu'l-Fadl glanced at Khan and changed the subject. Finally they reached Washington and the day before Abu'l-Fadl was to return to Acca. Dr. Khan asked the question for the third time. Abu'l-Fadl smiled. and went away. Two or three years went by and one day Khan was sitting on a beach, looking at the sea. On the horizon was a ship, and as first the hull and then the sails slipped out of sight - suddenly, gloriously, Khan knew what happened to the soul after death. For, to those on board that ship nothing had happened - they were still on their familiar ship sailing the same sea. So, some time later when Ali Kuli Khan met Abu'l-Fadl in Acca he told him of this experience and added - \"\"Why was it you refused, when I first asked you, to answer my question? Abu'l-Fadl said, lovingly,\n\n\"If, my dear friend, you would have been able to understand my answer, you would never have asked the question.\"\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 8*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching) (Subject: teaching).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day, Dr",
"slug": "one-day-dr-zia-bagdadi-invited-mr-louis-bs19",
"summary": "One day, Dr. Zia Bagdadi invited Mr. Louis Gregory, a black Bahá’í, to his home. When his landlord heard about this, he gave notice to Dr. Bagdadi. He was to vacate his residence because he had a black man in his…",
"figures": [
"Louis Gregory",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"race unity"
],
"virtues": [
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day, Dr. Zia Bagdadi invited Mr. Louis Gregory, a black Bahá’í, to his home. When his landlord heard about this, he gave notice to Dr. Bagdadi. He was to vacate his residence because he had a black man in his home.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 108*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity) (Subject: race-unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day during a school vacation, some Bahá’í students who were attending…",
"slug": "one-day-during-a-school-vacation-some-bah-bs0",
"summary": "One day during a school vacation, some Bahá’í students who were attending school in Beirut were visiting Haifa. One of them had a geography book. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá looked at it and asked if He could keep it, and the student gladly consented.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"tablets divine plan"
],
"virtues": [
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/tablets-divine-plan"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day during a school vacation, some Bahá’í students who were attending school in Beirut were visiting Haifa. One of them had a geography book. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá looked at it and asked if He could keep it, and the student gladly consented. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá based the list of countries in the Tablets of the Divine Plan, and the regions of the United States to which He addressed several of those Tablets, on the contents that book. That geography book is now in the US National Archives.\n\n\n*Source: Tablets of the Divine Plan (blog)*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/tablets-divine-plan) (Subject: tablets-divine-plan).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day, during the Master’s visit to New York City, He paid a visit to Central Park",
"slug": "one-day-during-the-master-s-visit-to-new-bs1",
"summary": "One day, during the Master’s visit to New York City, He paid a visit to Central Park. After spending several hours in the Museum of Natural History, He came out to rest under the trees. A solicitous little old watchman inquired, ‘”Would…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"spiritual life"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/spiritual-life"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day, during the Master’s visit to New York City, He paid a visit to Central Park. After spending several hours in the Museum of Natural History, He came out to rest under the trees. A solicitous little old watchman inquired, ‘”Would you like to go back after you have rested? There are fossils and birds.”’ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá smiled and replied, ‘”No, I am tired of going about looking at the things of this world. I want to go above and travel and see the spiritual worlds. What do you think about that?”’ The watchman scratched his head he was puzzled. Then the Master queried, ‘”Which would you rather possess, the material or the spiritual world?”’ ‘”Well, I guess the material.”’ ‘”But,” continued ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “you do not lose it when you attain the spiritual. When you go upstairs in a house you do not leave the house. The lower floor is under you.”’ Suddenly the old man seemed to see the light.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 142*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/spiritual-life) (Subject: spiritual-life).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day in 1912 the beloved Master was very stern while in New York",
"slug": "one-day-in-1912-the-beloved-master-was-bs9",
"summary": "One day in 1912 the beloved Master was very stern while in New York. He held the book of the Hidden Words in His hand and walked back and forth and then lifted the book high and said, 'Whosoever does not live up to these Words is not of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"obedience"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/obedience"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day in 1912 the beloved Master was very stern while in New York. He held the book of the Hidden Words in His hand and walked back and forth and then lifted the book high and said, 'Whosoever does not live up to these Words is not of Me.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 49*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/obedience) (Subject: obedience).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day in early May 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá travelled by train from Pittsburgh,…",
"slug": "one-day-in-early-may-1912-abdu-l-bah-travelled-bs4",
"summary": "One day in early May 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá travelled by train from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Washington, D.C. a twelve-hour ride. ‘His companions begged Him to take a special compartment or a berth on the train; but He refused saying,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Washington, D.C.",
"lat": 38.9072,
"lng": -77.0369,
"modernName": "Washington, D.C., USA"
},
"themes": [
"selfless"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/selfless"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day in early May 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá travelled by train from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Washington, D.C. a twelve-hour ride. ‘His companions begged Him to take a special compartment or a berth on the train; but He refused saying, “I spend money only to help people and to serve the Cause of God; and I have never liked distinctions since my childhood.”’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 108*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/selfless) (Subject: selfless).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day in London ‘Abdu’l-Bahá heard laughter coming from the kitchen",
"slug": "one-day-in-london-abdu-l-bah-heard-laughter-coming-bs2",
"summary": "One day in London ‘Abdu’l-Bahá heard laughter coming from the kitchen. Delighted, He joined the happy people. ‘It appeared that the Persian servant had remarked: “In the East women wear veils and do all the work.” To which [the]…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"laughter",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/laughter"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day in London ‘Abdu’l-Bahá heard laughter coming from the kitchen. Delighted, He joined the happy people. ‘It appeared that the Persian servant had remarked: “In the East women wear veils and do all the work.” To which [the] English housekeeper had replied: “In the West women don’t wear veils, and take good care that the men do at least some of the work. You had better get on with cleaning that silver.”’ The Master joined in the laughter.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 175*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/laughter) (Subject: laughter).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day, in London, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was out driving with Lady Blomfield and Mrs…",
"slug": "one-day-in-london-abdu-l-bah-was-out-driving-bs21",
"summary": "One day, in London, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was out driving with Lady Blomfield and Mrs Thornburgh-Cropper, the first Bahá’í in England. Mrs Cropper asked Him, ‘Master, are you not longing to be back at Haifa with your beloved family?’ He smiled…",
"figures": [
"Lady Blomfield",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"love",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/love"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day, in London, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was out driving with Lady Blomfield and Mrs Thornburgh-Cropper, the first Bahá’í in England. Mrs Cropper asked Him, ‘Master, are you not longing to be back at Haifa with your beloved family?’ He smiled and replied: ‘I wish you to understand that you are both as truly my dear daughters, as beloved by me, as are those of whom you speak.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 96*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/love) (Subject: love).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day in London the hour for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's private audiences had arrived",
"slug": "one-day-in-london-the-hour-for-abdu-l-bah-s-bs3",
"summary": "One day in London the hour for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's private audiences had arrived. Appointments had been made and, of necessity, an attempt was made to adhere to them rigidly. But ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a Man who taught moderation and consideration.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"kindness",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/kindness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day in London the hour for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's private audiences had arrived. Appointments had been made and, of necessity, an attempt was made to adhere to them rigidly. But ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a Man who taught moderation and consideration. A woman arrived without an appointment and was told it was not possible to fit her in, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was talking with some 'most important people'. Descending the stairway, she was greatly disappointed. Suddenly, to her astonishment, a messenger from the Master dashed down to her saying that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wished to see her. With authority His voice was heard, saying: 'A heart has been hurt. Hasten, hasten, bring her to Me!'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 54*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/kindness) (Subject: kindness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day in London the Master gave His listeners an unusual, imaginative, yet…",
"slug": "one-day-in-london-the-master-gave-his-bs6",
"summary": "One day in London the Master gave His listeners an unusual, imaginative, yet realistic dialogue between the Prophets and men: ‘Always, man has confronted the Prophets with this: “We are enjoying ourselves, and living according to our own…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"tests"
],
"virtues": [
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/tests"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day in London the Master gave His listeners an unusual, imaginative, yet realistic dialogue between the Prophets and men: ‘Always, man has confronted the Prophets with this: “We are enjoying ourselves, and living according to our own opinions and desires. We ate; we slept; we sang; we danced. We had no fear of God, no hope of Heaven; we liked what we were doing, we had our own way. And then you came. You took away our pleasures. You told us now of the wrath of God, again of the fear of punishment and the hope of reward. You upset our good way of life.” ‘The Prophets of God have always replied: “You were content to stay in the animal world, We wanted to make you human beings. You were dark, We wanted you illumined; you were dead, We wanted you alive. You were earthly, We wanted you heavenly.”’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 141*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/tests) (Subject: tests).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day, in London, while several people were talking to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, a man's…",
"slug": "one-day-in-london-while-several-people-were-bs18",
"summary": "One day, in London, while several people were talking to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, a man's voice was heard at the door. It was the son of a country clergyman, but now he looked more like an ordinary tramp and his only home was along the banks of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"hospitality",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day, in London, while several people were talking to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, a man's voice was heard at the door. It was the son of a country clergyman, but now he looked more like an ordinary tramp and his only home was along the banks of the river Thames. He had walked thirty miles to see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The man was taken to the diningroom, he was given food, and after he had rested for a while, he said, 'Last evening I had decided to put an end to my futile, hateful life, useless to God and man! In a little country town yesterday, whilst taking what I had intended should be my last walk, I saw a face in the window of a newspaper shop. I stood looking at the face as if rooted to the spot. He seemed to speak to me, and call me to Him!...I read that He is here, in this house. I said to myself, \"If there is on earth that personage, I shall take up again the burden of my life.\"...Tell me, is He here? Will He see me? Even me? The lady replied, 'Of course He will see you...' Just then ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself opened the door, extending His hands as though to a dear friend whom He was expecting. '\"Welcome! Most welcome! I am very much pleased that thou hast come. Be seated.\" Trembling the poor man sank into a chair by the Master. \"Be happy! Be happy!...Do not be filled with grief...\" encouraged the Master. \"Though thou be poor, thou mayest be rich in the Kingdom of God.\"' ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke these and other words of comfort, strength and healing. The man's cloud of misery seemed to melt away in the warmth of the Master's loving presence. Before the man left, he said that he was going to work in the fields, and that after he had saved a little money, he was going to buy some land to grow violets for the market.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 89*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day in September 1912 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá left Chicago for Kenosha",
"slug": "one-day-in-september-1912-abdu-l-bah-left-chicago-bs2",
"summary": "One day in September 1912 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá left Chicago for Kenosha. The party was scheduled to change trains en route but, to the chagrin of His friends, He missed His connection. However, He simply told them ‘. . . it matters not. There…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"protection"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/protection"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day in September 1912 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá left Chicago for Kenosha. The party was scheduled to change trains en route but, to the chagrin of His friends, He missed His connection. However, He simply told them ‘. . . it matters not. There is a wisdom in it.’ They caught the next train, only to find en route that the train they had missed had been badly damaged in a collision with another train and passengers had been wounded. The Master was fully aware of the protection that had been theirs and told the friends that when He was departing from Alexandria on His way to America, the suggestion had been made that He should take the newly launched Titanic from London: it went down on that voyage. He affirmed that He had been guided to come by the direct route.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 160*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/protection) (Subject: protection).*\n"
},
{
"title": "‘One day in the Holy Land He told Harlan Ober, an American Bahá’í, that he was…",
"slug": "one-day-in-the-holy-land-he-told-bs1",
"summary": "‘One day in the Holy Land He told Harlan Ober, an American Bahá’í, that he was to go to India. Harlan Ober did travel far and wide in the interests of the Faith, but at that particular time he did not cherish making that journey. A few…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"planning",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/planning"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n‘One day in the Holy Land He told Harlan Ober, an American Bahá’í, that he was to go to India. Harlan Ober did travel far and wide in the interests of the Faith, but at that particular time he did not cherish making that journey. A few days later ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told him to go to America. “But Master,” Ober said, “I thought I was going to India.” “So did Christopher Columbus,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá replied.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 174*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/planning) (Subject: planning).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day, near a village in the mountains, Bahá’u’lláh saw a young boy weeping bitterly",
"slug": "one-day-near-a-village-in-the-mountains-bs0",
"summary": "One day, near a village in the mountains, Bahá’u’lláh saw a young boy weeping bitterly. My father, always compassionate for anyone in sorrow, especially if it were a child, said, \"Little man, why art thou weeping?\" The boy looked up at…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Sulaymáníyyih",
"lat": 35.5556,
"lng": 45.4351,
"modernName": "Sulaymaniyah, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"bahaullah sulaymaniyyih",
"children",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-sulaymaniyyih"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day, near a village in the mountains, Bahá’u’lláh saw a young boy weeping bitterly. My father, always compassionate for anyone in sorrow, especially if it were a child, said, \"Little man, why art thou weeping?\" The boy looked up at the one who spoke, and saw a dervish! \"Oh Sir!\" and he fell to weeping afresh. \"The schoolmaster has punished me for writing so badly. I cannot write, and now I have no copy! I dare not go back to school\" \"Weep no longer. I will set a copy for thee, and show thee how to imitate it. And now thou canst take this; show it to thy schoolmaster.' When the schoolmaster saw the writing which the boy had brought, he was astonished, for he recognized it as of the royal penmanship, this amazing script. \"Who gave this to thee?\" said the master. \"He wrote it for me, the dervish on the mountain.\" \"He is no dervish the writer of this, but a royal personage,\" said the schoolmaster. This story being noised abroad, caused certain of the people to set out to find this one, of whom many wonderful things were said. So great was the throng which pressed in upon him, that he had to go further away; again and again, he moved from place to place, hiding himself from the crowds, in the caves of the mountains, and in the desert places of that desolate land.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-sulaymaniyyih) (Subject: bahaullah-sulaymaniyyih).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day the Maser, with one of His daughters, approached a native woman, dirty…",
"slug": "one-day-the-maser-with-one-of-his-bs4",
"summary": "One day the Maser, with one of His daughters, approached a native woman, dirty and almost savage-looking. Hers had been a hard life as the daughter of a desert chief. Though she was not a Bahá’í, she quite naturally loved the Master, who…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"kindness",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/kindness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day the Maser, with one of His daughters, approached a native woman, dirty and almost savage-looking. Hers had been a hard life as the daughter of a desert chief. Though she was not a Bahá’í, she quite naturally loved the Master, who was so genuinely kind. Lingering a moment, she bowed and greeted the Master. Kindly He made reply and, somehow knowing her need, 'pressed a coin into her hand' as He passed by. Obviously, she was filled with appreciation. One of the Master's daughters told an observer that this woman had, in that brief encounter, said to the Master that 'she would pray for Him', and graciously He had thanked her.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 91*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/kindness) (Subject: kindness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day walking down the mountain, Bahá’u’lláh heard the sound of crying, and…",
"slug": "one-day-walking-down-the-mountain-bah-u-ll-h-heard-bs0",
"summary": "One day walking down the mountain, Bahá’u’lláh heard the sound of crying, and there was a little boy, why was he weeping so bitterly? “Oh Sir! The schoolmaster has punished me for writing so badly! And now I have nothing to copy, and I…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"deeds not words"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/deeds-not-words"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day walking down the mountain, Bahá’u’lláh heard the sound of crying, and there was a little boy, why was he weeping so bitterly? “Oh Sir! The schoolmaster has punished me for writing so badly! And now I have nothing to copy, and I cannot write and I dare not go back to school!” Bahá’u’lláh sat with the boy, wrote a him a copy and tenderly taught him how to imitate it. The little by ran off greatly excited and pushed the writing into the hands of the schoolmaster. When the schoolmaster saw the writing he was astonished. ‘From whence did you get this?” He asked in amazement, “He wrote it for me, the dervish on the mountain” the boy replied, “But this is exquisite penmanship! He is no dervish who wrote this, but a royal personage!” And so it was that the people heard this story and became curious about the dervish, alone on the mountains. And the Sufis there had dreams about Him and sought Him out and asked Him many impossible questions, and He answered them all, and their love and respect for ‘the nameless one’ knew no bounds.\n\n\n*Source: Ruhi Book 4*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/deeds-not-words) (Subject: deeds-not-words).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One day when the Master was out on a carriage ride near Thonon-les-Bains on…",
"slug": "one-day-when-the-master-was-out-on-bs20",
"summary": "One day when the Master was out on a carriage ride near Thonon-les-Bains on Lake Geneva in France, the party stopped for simple refreshments at an old inn nestled between two mountains. Sitting on an open porch, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was soon…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"love",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/love"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne day when the Master was out on a carriage ride near Thonon-les-Bains on Lake Geneva in France, the party stopped for simple refreshments at an old inn nestled between two mountains. Sitting on an open porch, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was soon spotted by children, who were selling bunches of violets and seemed to have eyes only for Him. They clustered around Him. Spontaneously He dug into His pocket and came out with some francs to satisfy His small salesfolk.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 100*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/love) (Subject: love).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One early pilgrim noted that grace was not said before meals",
"slug": "one-early-pilgrim-noted-that-grace-was-not-bs0",
"summary": "One early pilgrim noted that grace was not said before meals. She mentioned this to the Master, to which He replied, ‘My heart is in a continual state of thanksgiving and so often those accustomed to this form say the words with the lips…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"grace meals",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/grace-meals"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne early pilgrim noted that grace was not said before meals. She mentioned this to the Master, to which He replied, ‘My heart is in a continual state of thanksgiving and so often those accustomed to this form say the words with the lips merely, and their hearts are far from being in a state of thanksgiving.’\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá words to Mrs. Mary L. Lucas, as quoted in A Brief Account of My Visit to Acca Chicago: Bahá’í Publishing Society, 1905, p 29-30*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/grace-meals) (Subject: grace-meals).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One early pilgrim noted that grace was not said before meals",
"slug": "one-early-pilgrim-noted-that-grace-was-not-bs13",
"summary": "One early pilgrim noted that grace was not said before meals. She mentioned this to the Master, to which He replied, ‘My heart is in a continual state of thanksgiving and so often those accustomed to this form say the words with the lips…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lua Getsinger",
"Thornton Chase"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"prayer",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/prayer"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne early pilgrim noted that grace was not said before meals. She mentioned this to the Master, to which He replied, ‘My heart is in a continual state of thanksgiving and so often those accustomed to this form say the words with the lips merely, and their hearts are far from being in a state of thanksgiving.’ Yet, it is of interest that Thornton Chase, who is known as the first American believer, noted that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, always the perfect host, at the noon meal accepted food only after all those present had been served and then indicated that the meal should be eaten by saying ‘In the Name of God’. And there is that precious little anecdote about Lua Getsinger, one of American’s earliest Bahá’ís, when she was visiting at the home of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. ‘She had been in a great hurry that morning, and was scurrying to breakfast without having had her usual morning prayer. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá met her in the hall and looked at her with a penetrating glance. Then He said, “Lua, you must never eat material food in the morning until you have had spiritual food.”\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 150*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/prayer) (Subject: prayer).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One evening the Sufis of that country-side, assembled together, were discussing…",
"slug": "one-evening-the-sufis-of-that-country-side-assembled-bs7",
"summary": "One evening the Sufis of that country-side, assembled together, were discussing a mystical poem, when a dervish arose in their midst and gave so wonderful an interpretation of its meaning that awe fell upon the gathering. All his hearers…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"bahaullah sulaymaniyyih"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-sulaymaniyyih"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne evening the Sufis of that country-side, assembled together, were discussing a mystical poem, when a dervish arose in their midst and gave so wonderful an interpretation of its meaning that awe fell upon the gathering. All his hearers were silent for awhile, and then they came together close round him and entreated him to come again to teach them. But his time was not yet. When one said sorrowfully, \"Oh Master! Shall we then see thee no more?\" \"In a time to come, but not yet, go to the city of Baghdad, ask for the house of Mirza Musa Irani. There shalt thou hear tidings of me.\" the \"Nameless One\" replied. He went out from their midst and again retreated into the desolate places.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-sulaymaniyyih) (Subject: bahaullah-sulaymaniyyih).*\n"
},
{
"title": "“One evening the western pilgrims were gathered together as usual with the Guardian",
"slug": "one-evening-the-western-pilgrims-were-gathered-together-bs15",
"summary": "“One evening the western pilgrims were gathered together as usual with the Guardian. All was quiet when Shoghi Effendi suddenly said: “Prayer is useless.” An embarrassed silence followed. Shoghi Effendi said nothing. He paused and a moment…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"prayer",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/prayer"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“One evening the western pilgrims were gathered together as usual with the Guardian. All was quiet when Shoghi Effendi suddenly said: “Prayer is useless.” An embarrassed silence followed. Shoghi Effendi said nothing. He paused and a moment later said: “Meditation is useless.” Another anxious moment ensued. Silence
.\n\nThen the Guardian said: “Prayer and meditation are useless without action.””\n\n\n*Source: Pilgrim’s note from Bob LeBlanc of Wakefield, QC, 1956*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/prayer) (Subject: prayer).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One July evening in 1919 a pilgrim held a sumptuous banquet at Bahji",
"slug": "one-july-evening-in-1919-a-pilgrim-held-bs2",
"summary": "One July evening in 1919 a pilgrim held a sumptuous banquet at Bahji. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself served about forty guests. Bedouins camping nearby also received a generous share. When their children came, the Master gave a coin to each. In…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"hospitality",
"pilgrimage",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne July evening in 1919 a pilgrim held a sumptuous banquet at Bahji. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself served about forty guests. Bedouins camping nearby also received a generous share. When their children came, the Master gave a coin to each. In the morning their fathers came to the Master, who was sitting in the garden by the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, writing Tablets, to express their appreciation and to seek His blessing.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 99*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One June day in New York ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was tired and slept long enough to keep…",
"slug": "one-june-day-in-new-york-abdu-l-bah-was-bs19",
"summary": "One June day in New York ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was tired and slept long enough to keep His audience waiting. He then told His friends, ‘While I was sleeping I was conversing with you as though speaking at the top of My voice. Then through the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"exhaustion"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne June day in New York ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was tired and slept long enough to keep His audience waiting. He then told His friends, ‘While I was sleeping I was conversing with you as though speaking at the top of My voice. Then through the effect of My Own voice I awoke. As I awoke, one word was upon My lips, -- the word “Imtiyaz” (Distinction). So I will speak to you upon that subject this morning.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 140*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion) (Subject: exhaustion).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One of interesting incidents I remember well is about a parrot which was…",
"slug": "one-of-interesting-incidents-i-remember-well-is-bs0",
"summary": "One of interesting incidents I remember well is about a parrot which was presented to the Master. He had put it in the Pilgrim House. My uncle, who was the steward of the Pilgrim House taught the parrot to say ‘Allah-u-Abhá’ to whoever…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"training",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/training"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne of interesting incidents I remember well is about a parrot which was presented to the Master. He had put it in the Pilgrim House. My uncle, who was the steward of the Pilgrim House taught the parrot to say ‘Allah-u-Abhá’ to whoever approached it. Also, he had trained it to say, ‘say, say, say O Bahá.’ The people, who heard the parrot’s voice and didn’t see it, thought that a person was there.\n\nOne day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá called my uncle and told him, ‘Muhammad Hassan, bring the parrot to me tomorrow. I intend to present it to the governor of Akka.’\n\nMuhammad Hassan took the cage containing the parrot to the Holy House and put it beside the window of the hall. His Holiness ‘Abdu’l-Bahá used to get up early morning, walk for a while and would chant prayers while walking.\n\nWhen, that day, He got up and approached the cage of the parrot, it said, ‘say, say.’ The Master was very happy and, smiling, advanced towards to parrot and asked, ‘what should I say?’\n\nThe parrot said, ‘O Bahá!’ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá exulted too much and later told my uncle, ‘Hassan, this parrot saved itself. Since it said to me, “say, say” and when I asked it what to say, it fluently said, “Say O Bahá!” Take it back to the Pilgrim House. I do not desire to send it out of this place.’\n\nWhen the parrot was dead, my uncle took its feathers and wrote down, ‘these are the feathers of a parrot which belonged to His Holiness ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and He has admired several times its fluency.’\n\nThis was the effects of training which had some positive outcomes even for a parrot.\n\n\n*Source: Persian Source: Ahang-i-Badi, vol. 29, no. 327, p. 37*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/training) (Subject: training).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One of the chief reasons for irreligion among people is that the leaders of…",
"slug": "one-of-the-chief-reasons-for-irreligion-among-bs0",
"summary": "One of the chief reasons for irreligion among people is that the leaders of religion, such as the Catholic priests, take a little bread and wine, breathe over it and then say that the bread is the flesh of Christ and the wine is the body…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"dogma"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/dogma"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne of the chief reasons for irreligion among people is that the leaders of religion, such as the Catholic priests, take a little bread and wine, breathe over it and then say that the bread is the flesh of Christ and the wine is the body of Christ. Of course, the man of understanding will not accept these dogmas and would say that if this bread and wine turned into the flesh and blood of Christ by the breath of the priest, then the priest must be superior to Christ.\" Thus, Bahá’u’lláh has said, 'Every matter that is contrary to sound reason and science as opposed to the fundamental principles of divine religion is an obstacle to the progress of the cause of people avoiding and rejecting the laws of God.'\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 224-225*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/dogma) (Subject: dogma).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One of the greatest privileges we had during our visit was to be present when…",
"slug": "one-of-the-greatest-privileges-we-had-during-bs0",
"summary": "One of the greatest privileges we had during our visit was to be present when the Ashes of the Báb were moved to their final resting place on Mt. Carmel. It is beyond me to depict the beauty and solemnity of that scene. Our Lord was…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"bab internment",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bab-internment"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne of the greatest privileges we had during our visit was to be present when the Ashes of the Báb were moved to their final resting place on Mt. Carmel. It is beyond me to depict the beauty and solemnity of that scene. Our Lord was indescribably grand. We saw Him for the first time without His fez. (head-dress), His beautiful white hair falling in picturesque disorder upon His shoulders. He had thrown off His dark outer garment and was robed in a flowing garment of neutral blue. When the huge sarcophagus was finally placed in position our Lord with the men believers grouped about Him, made a picture never to be forgotten. One of the believers held aloft a lamp, the light of which fell like a radiance upon the beloved Master's form as He stood in the sarcophagus, and with tears streaming down His blessed Face, changed with His own Hands the Sacred Ashes from the casket which had held them many, many years, to the magnificent white marble sarcophagus which is a loving gift of the believers of India. When the marble cover was placed, our Lord threw Himself on the sarcophagus and wept aloud.\n\nThe believers who were with Him, as well as the ladies who were standing or kneeling about the entrance to the Tomb, wept with Him, and for Him too who made such a pathetic figure beside the Tomb of the One Who had proclaimed His Glorious Advent. Such a tumult of thoughts and emotions surged through our minds for it seemed as if all the miraculous happenings of the Cause from its earliest Dawn passed before our vision, flooding our souls with awe and wonder at the mighty works of God. When at last our dear Lord walked out of the Tomb He had an expression on His Face which is indescribable. The Power of the Spirit was so intense that we stood as if petrified until He had passed into another part of the building where a room was prepared for Him to rest in. In the meantime the believers who had been working with the Master came out and stood in groups speaking together in hushed tones while they waited to accompany ‘Abdu’l-Bahá back to Haifa. Such a wonderful picture they made, especially the white haired, saintly looking believers in their Oriental costumes. One believer had given up business and came and camped with his family near the Tomb for some weeks, during which time he had worked with pick and shovel to dig a hole in the foundation of the Tomb through which the sarcophagus had been passed. They could not employ skilled laborers for fear of drawing the attention of the Nakazeen.\n\nBefore we left that afternoon, mother and I had the privilege of drinking a cup of tea with our Lord, but as He was still very fatigued we soon excused ourselves and descended the mountain side with full hearts.\n\n\n*Source: May Woodcock and A.M. Bryant, Letter to Mrs A.M. Bryant re interment of the remains of The Báb on Mt. Carmel*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bab-internment) (Subject: bab-internment).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One of the last pilgrims to visit ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the Holy Land in 1921 was…",
"slug": "one-of-the-last-pilgrims-to-visit-abdu-l-bah-bs3",
"summary": "One of the last pilgrims to visit ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the Holy Land in 1921 was Anna Kunz, the daughter of a Swiss theologian who lived in Zurich in Switzerland. She later recalled, ‘As I think of him now. I always love to think, first, of his…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"abdul baha",
"pilgrimage",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne of the last pilgrims to visit ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the Holy Land in 1921 was Anna Kunz, the daughter of a Swiss theologian who lived in Zurich in Switzerland. She later recalled, ‘As I think of him now. I always love to think, first, of his great simplicity, his marvelous humility which knows of no self existence, and last, or better, first, of his boundless love.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha) (Subject: abdul-baha).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One of the members of the 'ill-fated Commission of Inquiry, despatched from…",
"slug": "one-of-the-members-of-the-ill-fated-commission-bs5",
"summary": "One of the members of the 'ill-fated Commission of Inquiry, despatched from Constantinople to seal the date of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá', managed later to escape to Egypt, but was robbed by his servant on the way. The Bahá’ís in Cairo gave him…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Constantinople",
"lat": 41.0082,
"lng": 28.9784,
"modernName": "Istanbul, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"enemies"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/enemies"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne of the members of the 'ill-fated Commission of Inquiry, despatched from Constantinople to seal the date of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá', managed later to escape to Egypt, but was robbed by his servant on the way. The Bahá’ís in Cairo gave him financial help, which he had requested. Subsequently he asked help from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself. The Master 'immediately directed the believers to present him with a sum on His behalf, an instruction which they were unable to carry out owing to his sudden disappearance.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 84*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/enemies) (Subject: enemies).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One of the most beautiful stories we have is the one of May Maxwell (the mother…",
"slug": "one-of-the-most-beautiful-stories-we-have-bs25",
"summary": "One of the most beautiful stories we have is the one of May Maxwell (the mother of Rúhíyyih Khánum) and Thomas Breakwell. This was in the very early days, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was still a prisoner in Acca and May Maxwell was a young girl…",
"figures": [
"Rúhíyyih Khánum",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"May Maxwell"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"teaching",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"justice",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne of the most beautiful stories we have is the one of May Maxwell (the mother of Rúhíyyih Khánum) and Thomas Breakwell. This was in the very early days, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was still a prisoner in Acca and May Maxwell was a young girl probably (judging by the dates available to me) 1905. The story was told to me by my father and by May Maxwell herself, but in this account, I am paraphrasing May Maxwell's own words to be found in the Star of the West. She herself is not certain of the exact date though she will never forget the details. It happened in the Spring when May's mother and brother were planning to leave Paris for Brittany and of course they wished May to accompany them. But ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had requested that she remain in Paris so, upon her mother's insistence, she wrote to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for His permission to leave. This was refused. He wished her to remain in Paris. So, finally May's mother and brother left without her and she went to stay with a friend. It was not long after this that a Mrs. Milner, who had just arrived from America, brought a young man whom she had met on shipboard to meet May. In May's own words: \"I shall never forget opening the door and seeing him standing there. It was like looking at a veiled light. I saw at once his pure heart, his burning spirit, his thirsty soul, and over all was cast the veil which is over every soul until it is rent asunder by the power of God in this day.\" Mrs. Milner introduced him as a young man interested in spiritual things, who was at the moment a Theosophist. They stayed only a short time, but as he was leaving, he said that Mrs. Milner had mentioned some teaching that May was interested in and might he call again to hear about it? He returned the next morning and May, realizing his great capacity, gave him the full Message - which he accepted completely and instantly. Three days later he wrote to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá saying with great simplicity, \"My Lord! I believe; forgive me. Thy servant, Thomas Breakwell.\" \"That evening\", writes May, \"I went to the Rue du Bac to get my mail and found a cablegram which had just arrived saying, 'You may leave Paris.' and signed Abbas.\"\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 29*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching) (Subject: teaching).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One of the most important pioneer families in the Fort Worth / Dallas area ws…",
"slug": "one-of-the-most-important-pioneer-families-in-bs0",
"summary": "One of the most important pioneer families in the Fort Worth / Dallas area ws the Dobbins family. While Nancy (the mother of the community) passed away a number of years ago, Gordon (whose grandfather was brought into the Faith by…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"humor",
"exile",
"prison",
"pioneering",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/humor"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne of the most important pioneer families in the Fort Worth / Dallas area ws the Dobbins family. While Nancy (the mother of the community) passed away a number of years ago, Gordon (whose grandfather was brought into the Faith by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá back in 1912) was with us until just a few months ago.\n\nFor decades their home was the main gathering spot in Fort Worth and literally scores of people became Bahá’ís in their home. This included dozens of youth, such as myself.\n\nOne evening Gordon was giving a fireside, during which he spoke of the suffering of Bahá’u’lláh, including His near fatal imprisonment in the siyyah chal (\"black pit\") of Tehran. Afterwards I, a young Bahá’í, was eager to hear more, so he sat down and told me a story.\n\nGordon was a very tall and physically imposing figure who had an IQ that was off the scale and he spoke in careful, measured tones. I settled in, ready to hear something truly enlightening and fascinating.\n\nHe began by describing how the Bahá’ís (then known as Bábís) would try to keep their spirits up, despite being chained to the floor of what was essentially a pitch black sewer. They would recite prayers and sing and it would be a great comfort, even after Bahá’u’lláh was taken away and banished to Baghdad.\n\nAccording to Gordon, they would also tell jokes. Unfortunately they didn't know very many, so they kept telling the same jokes over and over. After a while this became somewhat tedious, so they decided to simply give each joke a number. When someone would call out a number, the others would remember the joke and laugh.\n\nOne day a new fellow was brought down into the pit. The others would sing and recite prayers, but then at one point someone said, \"Fourteen!\" and everyone laughed hysterically. This continued day after day: Every once in a while someone would call out, \"Three!\" or \"eleven!\" or some other number and they would laugh and laugh. The new guy didn't understand any of this, but he wanted to be sociable, so after a lengthy period of silence he called out, \"One hundred and seven!\"\n\nAt first there was silence, but then one prisoner laughed and then another, and before long everyone was laughing so hard they could barely breathe. It took several minutes before everyone recovered their composure.\n\nAfter this display, the fellow finally gives up. \"Alright,\" he says, \"What on earth is so funny?\"\n\nThe prisoner next to him smiled and said, \"We have never heard that one before.\"\n\nAnd that, delivered via the measured tones and from the stony visage of Gordon Dobbins, was my first informal introduction to Bahá’í history.\n\n\n*Source: Trey Yancy on Facebook*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/humor) (Subject: humor).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One of the most striking examples of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s imperturbability was His…",
"slug": "one-of-the-most-striking-examples-of-abdu-l-bah-s-bs1",
"summary": "One of the most striking examples of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s imperturbability was His reaction to possible personal tragedy, further exile or execution. His troubles stemmed from the Covenant-breakers, those Bahá’ís who did not accept…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi",
"the Báb",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"courage",
"exile",
"prison",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/courage"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne of the most striking examples of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s imperturbability was His reaction to possible personal tragedy, further exile or execution. His troubles stemmed from the Covenant-breakers, those Bahá’ís who did not accept Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant with His followers that after His passing they should turn to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the ‘Most Great Branch’, as the Head of the Bahá’í Faith and sole Interpreter of its teachings. These people wished that leadership for themselves and to that end were willing to bring astonishing and false accusations again ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Indeed they rumoured that the Master was building a fortress on Mount Carmel, where the Shrine of the Báb was prominently located on the side of the mountain. They even claimed He had raised an army of thirty thousand people in order to overthrow the Sultan (‘Abdu’l-Hamid) himself. Given the instability existing in Turkey at that time, and the Sultan’s fear of impending rebellion, a Commission of enquiry was appointed and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá summoned to court. With courage He ‘exposed the absurdity of these accusations, acquainted the members of the Commission, in support of His argument, with the provisions of Bahá’u’lláh’s Testament, expressed His readiness to submit to any sentence the court might decide to pass on Him, and eloquently affirmed that if they should chain Him, drag Him through the streets, execrate and ridicule Him, stone and spit upon Him, suspend Him in the public square, and riddle Him with bullets, He would regard it as a signal honor, inasmuch as He would thereby be following in the footsteps, and sharing the sufferings, of His beloved Leader, the Báb. The situation was so serious that pilgrimages were temporarily suspended, mail handled in Egypt rather than in Haifa and sacred Bahá’í Writings placed in safe custody. Gatherings in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s home were curtailed and spies constantly watched the Master’s activities. The Guardian wrote that, nevertheless, ‘It was during these troubled times, the most dramatic period of His ministry, when, in the hey-day of His life and in the full tide of His power, He, with inexhaustible energy, marvellous serenity and unshakable confidence, initiated and resistlessly prosecuted the varied enterprises associated with that ministry.’ It was during these years, although still confined within the walls of the prison-city of ‘Akká, that, even at the height of His difficulties, He never allowed work on the construction of the Shrine of the Báb to be interrupted. Of His correspondence the Guardian recorded: ‘Eye-witnesses have testified that, during that agitated and perilous period of His life, they had known Him to pen, with His own Hand, no less than ninety Tablets in a single day, and to pass many a night, from dusk to dawn, alone in His bed-chamber engaged in a correspondence which the pressure of His manifold responsibilities had prevented Him from attending to in the day-time.’ Reference to the account of this period given by the Guardian in God Passes By (chapter XVII) will give an idea of the amazing scope and variety of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s activities and achievements at this time. ‘So imperturbable was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s equanimity that, while rumors were being bruited about that He might be case into the sea, or exiled to Fizan in Tripolitania, or hanged on the gallows, He, to the amazement of His friends and the amusement of His enemies, was to be seen planting trees and vines in the garden of His house, whose fruits when the storm had blown over, He would bid His faithful gardener, Isma’il Aqa, pluck and present to those same friends and enemies on the occasion of their visits to Him.’ The Master knew what He was talking about when He wrote: ‘. . . O ye lovers of God, make firm your steps in His Cause, with such resolve that ye shall not be shaken though the direst of calamities assail the world. By nothing, under no conditions, be ye perturbed.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 153*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/courage) (Subject: courage).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One of those 'unspiritual people' was at that moment a member of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's party, Dr",
"slug": "one-of-those-unspiritual-people-was-at-that-bs6",
"summary": "One of those 'unspiritual people' was at that moment a member of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's party, Dr. Amin Fareed, who had already tried to fraudulently get money out of her [Phoebe Hearst]. It was probably during ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's stay at the Hearst…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Phoebe Hearst"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"forgiveness others",
"family",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-others"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne of those 'unspiritual people' was at that moment a member of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's party, Dr. Amin Fareed, who had already tried to fraudulently get money out of her [Phoebe Hearst]. It was probably during ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's stay at the Hearst residence that His signet ring disappeared. That theft and some of other activities of Dr. Fareed were described by Marzieh Gail in her book, \"Arches of the Years\":\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá's signet ring disappeared during his Western journey. The Master had confided His loss to Florence and Khan, and named the thief but He did not wish them to speak of it. We in the family always thought that it took place during his stay at the Hacienda
Thereafter the Master signed all his tablets instead of using a seal, capitalizing neither abdu'l nor abbas but only Bahá.\n\nFareed's efforts to destroy the Master (who had seen to his education from childhood) make a page of triple darkness . . . Fareed was capable of whispering to the rich in the United States that although ‘Abdu’l-Bahá needed funds He would not openly accept them, but if they would pass over the money to him, Fareed, he would deliver it to the Master . . . After returning to the holy land ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent Dr. Baghdadi a Tablet, and directed that copies be distributed to every community so that all could read it. The Master wrote here that during his stay in America he had forgiven a certain member of his suite four times, but that he would forgive the man's misdeeds no longer. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá returned to Haifa, he proceeded directly to the room with His wife, Munirih Khánum, and said in a feeble voice, \"Dr. Fareed has ground me down!\"\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 228*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-others) (Subject: forgiveness-others).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One point, the Master was speaking about Bahá’u’lláh's Revelation and spiritual…",
"slug": "one-point-the-master-was-speaking-about-bah-u-ll-hs-bs1",
"summary": "One point, the Master was speaking about Bahá’u’lláh's Revelation and spiritual susceptibilities. Touching a young man named Mr. Robinson, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said 'Because of the susceptibilities, this radiant youth is seated here, and in the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"faith"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/faith"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne point, the Master was speaking about Bahá’u’lláh's Revelation and spiritual susceptibilities. Touching a young man named Mr. Robinson, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said 'Because of the susceptibilities, this radiant youth is seated here, and in the utmost of love I am patting him on his shoulder'. Ramona Allen wondered why the Master had chosen to specifically bless the youth. Later, she found out. Seated at the same table as Mr. Robinson was John Matteson, who was on a search for spiritual truth. When Mr. Matteson saw the Master put His hands on the young man's shoulder, Mr. Matteson thought to himself, 'If ‘Abdu’l-Bahá did that same thing to me, I would believe'. However, the Master strolled into the other rooms. Presently He returned to the room, walked straight to Mr. Matteson, and placed His hands upon the young man's shoulders. From that moment Mr. Matteson became one of the most faithful followers of Bahá.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 231*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/faith) (Subject: faith).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One reporter asked \"What do you think of America?\" 'I like it,' replied the…",
"slug": "one-reporter-asked-what-do-you-think-of-bs2",
"summary": "One reporter asked \"What do you think of America?\" 'I like it,' replied the Master, Americans are optimistic. If you ask them how they are, they say, \"All right!\" If you ask them how things are going, they say \"All right!\" This…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"approval seeking",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/approval-seeking"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne reporter asked \"What do you think of America?\" 'I like it,' replied the Master, Americans are optimistic. If you ask them how they are, they say, \"All right!\" If you ask them how things are going, they say \"All right!\" This cheerful attitude is good.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 56*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/approval-seeking) (Subject: approval-seeking).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One summer day a luncheon was held in Dublin, New Hampshire, in the home of Mrs…",
"slug": "one-summer-day-a-luncheon-was-held-in-bs26",
"summary": "One summer day a luncheon was held in Dublin, New Hampshire, in the home of Mrs Parsons who had ‘asked some twenty people, all outstanding in various walks of life, to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Culture, science, art, wealth, politics,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"prison",
"children",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne summer day a luncheon was held in Dublin, New Hampshire, in the home of Mrs Parsons who had ‘asked some twenty people, all outstanding in various walks of life, to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Culture, science, art, wealth, politics, achievement all were represented.’ ‘Most of those present at this luncheon party knew a little of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s life history, and, presumably, were expecting a dissertation from Him on the Bahá’í Cause. The hostess had suggested to the Master that He speak to them on the subject of Immortality. However, as the meal progressed, and no more than the usual commonplaces of common society were mentioned, the hostess made an opening, as she thought, for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to speak on spiritual things. ‘His response to this was to ask if He might tell them a story, and He related one of the Oriental tales, of which He had a great store and at its conclusion all laughed heartily.\n\n‘The ice was broken. Others added stories of which the Master’s anecdote had reminded them. Then ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, His face beaming with happiness, told another story, and another. His laughter rang through the room. He said that. . . It is good to laugh. Laughter is a spiritual relaxation. When they were in prison, He said, and under the utmost deprivation and difficulties, each of them at the close of the day would relate the most ludicrous event which had happened. Sometimes it was a little difficult to find one but always they would laugh until the tears would run down their cheeks. Happiness, He said, is never dependent upon material surroundings, otherwise how sad those years would have been. As it was they were always in the utmost state of joy and happiness.’ That was the nearest He came to talking about the Bahá’í message but the effect on those present was undoubtedly greater than any ‘learned dissertation would have caused in them’. ‘After the guests had gone, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was leaving for His hotel, He came close to His hostess and asked her, with a little wistful smile, almost, she was used to say, like a child seeking approbation, if she were pleased with Him.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 170*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching) (Subject: teaching).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One very definite impression received from that visit was of His power to…",
"slug": "one-very-definite-impression-received-from-that-visit-bs20",
"summary": "One very definite impression received from that visit was of His power to refresh Himself from some spiritual source when His strength had been overtaxed. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had spoken to a large group in the afternoon, and when He mounted the…",
"figures": [
"Lady Blomfield",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"exhaustion"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne very definite impression received from that visit was of His power to refresh Himself from some spiritual source when His strength had been overtaxed. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had spoken to a large group in the afternoon, and when He mounted the platform in the evening, before a packed hall, He looked very tired. He remained seated in silence for a few moments, after Mr. Graham Pole had reverently introduced Him. Then, seeming to gather strength, He arose, and with voice and manner of joyous animation, and eyes aglow, He paced the platform with a vigorous trend, and spoke with words of great power.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway, p. 172*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion) (Subject: exhaustion).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One well-known story involves teaching Mountfort Mills how to pray: when…",
"slug": "one-well-known-story-involves-teaching-mountfort-mills-how-bs14",
"summary": "One well-known story involves teaching Mountfort Mills how to pray: when ‘Abdu’l- Bahá was in New York, He called to Him an ardent Bahá’í and said, \"If you will come to me at dawn tomorrow, I will teach you to pray.\" Delighted, Mr. M…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mountfort Mills"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"prayer",
"teaching",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/prayer"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne well-known story involves teaching Mountfort Mills how to pray: when ‘Abdu’l- Bahá was in New York, He called to Him an ardent Bahá’í and said, \"If you will come to me at dawn tomorrow, I will teach you to pray.\" Delighted, Mr. M arose at four and crossed the city, arriving for his lesson at six. With what exultant expectation he must've greeted this opportunity! He found ‘Abdu’l- Bahá already at prayer, kneeling by the side of the bed. Mr. M followed suit, taking care to place himself directly across. Seeing that ‘Abdu’l- Bahá was quite lost in His own reverie, Mr. M began to pray silently for his friends, his family and finally for the crowned heads of Europe. No word was uttered by the quiet man before him. He went over all the prayers he knew then, and repeated them twice, three times still no sound broke the expectant hush. Mr. M surreptitiously rubbed one knee and wondered vaguely about his back. He began again, hearing as he did so, the birds heralding the Dawn outside the window. An hour passed, and finally two. Mr. M was quite numb now. His eyes, roving along the wall, caught sight of a large crack. He dallied with a touch of indignation but let his gaze pass again to the still figure across the bed. The ecstasy that he saw arrested him and he drank deeply of the sight. Suddenly he wanted to pray like that. Selfish desires were forgotten. Sorrow, conflict, and even his immediate surroundings were as if they had never been. He was conscious of only one thing, a passionate desire to draw near to God. Closing his eyes again he set the world firmly aside, and amazingly his heart teemed with prayer, eager, joyous, tumultuous prayer. He felt cleansed by humility and lifted by a new peace. ‘Abdu’l- Bahá had taught him to pray! The Master of Akka immediately arose and came to him. His eyes rested smilingly upon the newly humbled Mr. M. \"When you pray,\" he said, \"you must not think of your aching body, nor of the birds outside the window, nor of the cracks in the wall!\" He became very serious then, and added \"When you wish to pray you must first know that you are standing in the presence of the Almighty!\"\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 79-80*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/prayer) (Subject: prayer).*\n"
},
{
"title": "One would well remember the story of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who when approached by a…",
"slug": "one-would-well-remember-the-story-of-abdu-l-bah-bs3",
"summary": "One would well remember the story of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who when approached by a believer in the depths of discouragement despairing of ever acquiring the qualities and virtues that Bahá’ís are required to possess, replied with the greatest…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"patience"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/patience"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne would well remember the story of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who when approached by a believer in the depths of discouragement despairing of ever acquiring the qualities and virtues that Bahá’ís are required to possess, replied with the greatest compassion and encouragement, “little by little; day by day”\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World, 12: 704*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/patience) (Subject: patience).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Our American friends requested that the Master ask us, the Persians, to alter…",
"slug": "our-american-friends-requested-that-the-master-ask-bs0",
"summary": "Our American friends requested that the Master ask us, the Persians, to alter our attire to suit the circumstances of the time and place, changing everything except our Persian hats and coats. He replied, `What harm is there in it? I do…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"clothing"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/clothing"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOur American friends requested that the Master ask us, the Persians, to alter our attire to suit the circumstances of the time and place, changing everything except our Persian hats and coats. He replied, `What harm is there in it? I do not care much about what is unimportant and what is not harmful to the Cause. They are trifles.’\n\n\n*Source: Mohi Sobhani, Mahmud’s Diary, Apr. 3, 1912*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/clothing) (Subject: clothing).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Over a hundred guests had come to welcome the Master",
"slug": "over-a-hundred-guests-had-come-to-welcome-bs0",
"summary": "Over a hundred guests had come to welcome the Master. Florence's mother Alice Breed had baked Him a birthday cake with sixty-eight candles, and to symbolize universality and the love many bore Him then and would in increasing numbers bear…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"the Báb",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"birthday",
"pilgrimage",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"prayer",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/birthday"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOver a hundred guests had come to welcome the Master. Florence's mother Alice Breed had baked Him a birthday cake with sixty-eight candles, and to symbolize universality and the love many bore Him then and would in increasing numbers bear Him down the ages, had decorated it with tiny flags of the United States, Persia and England. Her first cake fell and she had to bake another. This may have produced a number of stories we have often heard but could never verify. It is reported that of a failed cake, whose creator told Him she had used her prayer book while preparing it, the Master responded, 'You should have used your cook book instead.' We like the anecdote but somehow it does not sound like the Master to us, and we are fairly sure it did not happen in the present case. Significantly, He did not stay for the festivities. He forgave this time, but had forbidden the celebration of His birthday. Six years before He had told Khan and other pilgrims that besides Naw-Ruz (New Day) the Holy Days were only for the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, that His birth on the twenty-second/twenty-third of May (the Bahá’í day begins at sunset) was 'only a coincidence', and now in His address He spoke only of the Báb's Declaration on this day, saying not a word about Himself. Afterward, Alice persuaded Him to step into the dining room and at least see the festive table and the cake, and take a little refreshment. He sat in the large, brocaded 'grandfather' chair but soon left.\n\n\n*Source: Marzieh Gail, Arches of the Years, p. 89*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/birthday) (Subject: birthday).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Pauline and Joseph Hannen were the prime movers of racial integration in…",
"slug": "pauline-and-joseph-hannen-were-the-prime-movers-bs0",
"summary": "Pauline and Joseph Hannen were the prime movers of racial integration in Washington in the early years of the Faith there. Initially, Pauline feared black people, but her study of Bahá’u’lláh's writings forced her to change her attitude.…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"race unity",
"race-unity",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nPauline and Joseph Hannen were the prime movers of racial integration in Washington in the early years of the Faith there. Initially, Pauline feared black people, but her study of Bahá’u’lláh's writings forced her to change her attitude. Pauline taught the Faith to her black washerwoman, then she and Joseph began inviting blocks to meetings in their home a rather daring thing to do at that time.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 91-92*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity) (Subject: race-unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Promised Day: The Decline of Established Religion",
"slug": "pdic-decline-of-religion",
"summary": "In *The Promised Day Is Come*, Shoghi Effendi surveys the decline of the established religious authorities — Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Sunní, Shi'í — across the early twentieth century, reading the decline as the parallel of the political collapses that had been visible since 1914.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"history",
"religion",
"judgment"
],
"virtues": [
"vision",
"sobriety"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "promised-day-is-come",
"book": "The Promised Day Is Come",
"author": "Shoghi Effendi",
"year": 1941,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Promised Day Is Come*, the Guardian's substantial\n1941 letter to the Western Bahá'ís, Shoghi Effendi devotes\na long passage to the decline of the established religious\nauthorities of the world across the early twentieth\ncentury — a decline which he reads as the religious\nparallel of the political collapses of the same decades\nthat he had treated in the immediately preceding portion\nof the letter.\n\nThe Guardian's survey proceeds, again, by considering\nseveral principal cases.\n\n*The Roman Catholic Church.* Bahá'u'lláh had addressed Pope\nPius IX in a Tablet of the late 1860s, summoning him to\nrecognise the second coming of Christ in the new\nRevelation. The Pope had not responded. The temporal\nauthority of the Papacy, which in the 1860s still\nextended over the substantial Papal States in central\nItaly, was lost in 1870 with the absorption of the Papal\nterritories into the unified Italian state. The Pope\nbecame, by the events of 1870, *the prisoner of the\nVatican* — confined for the next several decades to the\nsmall palace and courtyard precinct that the Italian\nstate had left to him. The Lateran Treaty of 1929\nrestored a small fragment of the older temporal\nsovereignty in the Vatican City state, but the\nsubstantial loss of political authority was not reversed.\n\n*The Russian Orthodox Church.* The Orthodox patriarchate\nof Moscow, which had been the ecclesiastical pillar of\nthe Russian imperial system, was effectively dissolved by\nthe Bolshevik regime that succeeded the Czarist\ngovernment. The senior clergy were arrested or\nexecuted. The churches were closed or repurposed. The\npatriarchate would not be substantially restored until\nthe Second World War's exigencies forced a temporary\naccommodation between the Soviet state and the Orthodox\nhierarchy.\n\n*The Anglican Establishment.* The Church of England,\nestablished by law in the United Kingdom and entwined\nwith the British political and social system,\nexperienced across the early twentieth century a\nsubstantial decline in attendance, in cultural authority,\nand in moral influence. The cataclysm of the First World\nWar had broken the easy nineteenth-century alliance\nbetween Anglican Christianity and the British imperial\nself-understanding. The interwar period saw an\nacceleration of the decline that has continued into the\nmodern era.\n\n*The Sunní caliphate.* The Ottoman caliphate, which had\nbeen the principal claimant to the leadership of Sunní\nIslam since the early sixteenth century, was abolished\nby the Turkish revolutionary government in 1924. The\nabolition was unilateral and definitive. The Sunní\nMuslim world has not, in the century since, been able to\nconstitute a successor authority of comparable\nacknowledged standing.\n\n*The Shi'í establishment of Persia.* The Shi'í clerical\nestablishment of Persia, which had been one of the\nprincipal historical persecutors of the Bahá'í Cause,\nunderwent in the same period a substantial loss of\npolitical authority through the secularising reforms of\nReza Shah and the modernising elite that succeeded the\nQájár monarchy.\n\nThe Guardian's reading is not gleeful. He notes the human\nsuffering attendant on each of these declines. He notes\nthe loss of the genuine spiritual goods — the pastoral\ncare, the ritual ordering of the year, the continuity of\nthe religious tradition — that the established religious\ninstitutions had previously delivered.\n\nBut the reading is unflinching. The institutions, in his\nframing, had refused the call to renewal that\nBahá'u'lláh had directed to their leaders. The withdrawal\nof divine confirmation that had followed had now worked\nitself out, across the half-century since, in the visible\ncollapse of the institutional structures themselves.\n\nThe substance of religion — the underlying spiritual\nreality which the institutions had been constituted to\nserve — had not, in the Guardian's reading, perished. It\nhad departed from the institutions that had failed it\nand was now finding new vehicles in the renewing Cause\nthat had been brought into the world by Bahá'u'lláh. *The\ninstitutions had failed; the substance had not.*\n\n*Paraphrased from The Promised Day Is Come (Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1941); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Promised Day: The Fall of the Monarchies",
"slug": "pdic-fall-of-monarchies",
"summary": "In *The Promised Day Is Come*, Shoghi Effendi surveys the fall of the great monarchies of Europe and the Middle East during the cataclysm of the First World War — reading the collapses as the historical fulfilment of the warnings Bahá'u'lláh had sent to those same monarchs in the Adrianople period.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"history",
"prophecy",
"kings",
"judgment"
],
"virtues": [
"vision",
"sobriety"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "promised-day-is-come",
"book": "The Promised Day Is Come",
"author": "Shoghi Effendi",
"year": 1941,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\n*The Promised Day Is Come*, the long letter Shoghi Effendi\naddressed in 1941 to the Bahá'ís of the West, is the\nGuardian's most extensive treatment of the rise and fall\nof the great political and religious institutions of the\nnineteenth and twentieth centuries in light of the warnings\nthat Bahá'u'lláh had directed to them in the Adrianople\nperiod.\n\nThe Guardian's treatment proceeds by surveying, in turn,\nthe fates of the principal monarchies and ecclesiastical\nauthorities to whom Bahá'u'lláh had addressed the great\nTablets of the 1860s.\n\n*The French Empire of Napoleon III.* Bahá'u'lláh had\naddressed the Emperor in a Tablet that contained, among\nits other provisions, a specific prophecy of the\nEmperor's downfall if he did not respond to the call to\nrecognise the new Revelation. The Emperor did not respond.\nHe was overthrown in 1870 in the Franco-Prussian War. The\nFrench monarchy itself was dissolved. The Third Republic\nthat succeeded it would, in the Guardian's reading,\nprove the first of the many republican governments that\nwould replace the European monarchies in the century to\ncome.\n\n*The Russian Empire of the Czars.* Bahá'u'lláh had\naddressed the Czar Alexander II, acknowledging a small\nservice rendered by the Russian diplomatic corps and\ncalling the Czar to the recognition of the new\nRevelation. Alexander II did not respond. He was\nassassinated in 1881. His successors continued to refuse\nthe call. The Romanov dynasty was overthrown in the\nFebruary Revolution of 1917. The royal family was executed\nby Bolshevik forces in July 1918. The Czarist Empire\nceased to exist.\n\n*The German Empire of the Hohenzollerns.* The Kaiser\nWilhelm I and his successors had been the inheritors,\nthrough the German constitutional history of the\nnineteenth century, of the warnings Bahá'u'lláh had\nissued to the European monarchical class as a whole. The\nHohenzollern dynasty was overthrown in November 1918 in\nthe wake of the German defeat in the First World War.\nKaiser Wilhelm II went into exile in the Netherlands. The\nGerman monarchy ceased to exist.\n\n*The Austro-Hungarian Empire of the Habsburgs.* The same\nTablet that had addressed the European monarchs\ncollectively had addressed, through them, the Habsburg\nimperial structure. The Habsburg empire collapsed in\n1918, dissolved into the small successor states of\ncentral Europe. The dynasty went into exile. The empire\nceased to exist.\n\n*The Ottoman Empire of the Sulṭáns.* The Ottoman ruling\nclass — which had imprisoned and exiled Bahá'u'lláh\nHimself — was deposed in the Turkish revolution of 1922.\nThe Ottoman Sulṭánate, which had been the principal\npolitical authority in the Islamic world for some four\ncenturies, ceased to exist.\n\n*The Persian Empire of the Qájárs.* The Qájár dynasty,\nwhich had executed the Báb and had imprisoned and\nbanished Bahá'u'lláh, was deposed in the Persian\nrevolution of 1925. The Qájár family went into exile. The\ndynasty ceased to exist.\n\nThe Guardian's reading does not present these events as\ndirect supernatural punishments visited on the persons of\nthe monarchs concerned. It presents them as the visible\nworking-out, across the historical process, of the\nwithdrawal of divine confirmation from political\ninstitutions that had refused the call to renewal. The\nkings of the earth, the Guardian writes in summary, *had\nbeen summoned. The summons had not been received. The\nconsequences were now unfolding.*\n\n*Paraphrased from The Promised Day Is Come (Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1941); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Tempest Sweeping the Earth: Shoghi Effendi on the Modern Crisis",
"slug": "pdic-tempest-judgment-redemption",
"summary": "In *The Promised Day Is Come* (1941), with Europe in flames and the world at war for the second time in a generation, Shoghi Effendi diagnosed the upheavals of the twentieth century as a single judgment-and-redemption: a tempest unprecedented in its violence, unimaginably glorious in its ultimate consequence.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "formative",
"period": "World War II",
"themes": [
"history",
"judgment",
"hope",
"prophecy"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"faith",
"vision"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "promised-day-is-come",
"book": "The Promised Day Is Come",
"author": "Shoghi Effendi",
"year": 1941,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn March 1941, with Britain alone in Europe and the United States\nnot yet in the war, Shoghi Effendi sent to the Bahá’ís of the\nWest a long letter that was published as *The Promised Day Is\nCome.* It was a reading of the world crisis from inside the\nBahá’í Faith — a reading that did not blink at the violence of\nthe years, but read it as something other than mere catastrophe.\n\nThe opening was unforgettable.\n\n> A tempest, unprecedented in its violence, unpredictable in its\n> course, catastrophic in its immediate effects, unimaginably\n> glorious in its ultimate consequences, is at present sweeping\n> the face of the earth.\n\nThe Guardian read the present convulsion as a *dual phenomenon* —\nthe simultaneous collapse of an obsolete world order and the\nemergence of the divine order destined to replace it. The agonies\nof the years were not, in his reading, meaningless. They were both\n*judgment* and *preparation* — humanity called to give an account\nof its past actions, and at the same time being purged for the\nwork that lay ahead.\n\nHe located the moral responsibility carefully. The kings and\nemperors of the nineteenth century, He reminded the friends, had\nreceived Tablets from Bahá’u’lláh’s own pen — Queen Victoria,\nNáṣiri’d-Dín Sháh, Sulṭán ‘Abdu’l-‘Azíz, Pope Pius IX, Tsar\nAlexander II, Napoleon III, Wilhelm I. The summons had been\ndelivered. The summons had been refused. The ecclesiastical\nhierarchies of the world’s great religions had, with very few\nexceptions, joined the rejection.\n\nThe world had not chosen the path Bahá’u’lláh had offered. The\npresent crisis, Shoghi Effendi argued, was, among other things,\nthe unfolding consequence of that refusal.\n\nYet the Guardian did not end in lamentation. The whole letter is\nwritten *toward* the future. The wreck of the old order, in his\nreading, is the labour of birth. What lies on the far side of it\nis the order of *the Most Great Peace* foretold by Bahá’u’lláh.\n\nThe friends, then in the hardest hour of the century, were to be\npeople who held that future steadily in view, and who began, in\ntheir own communities, to live as if it had already begun.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Promised Day Is Come (Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1941); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Here Is a Black Rose: Howard Colby Ives Witnesses an Inversion",
"slug": "pf-black-rose",
"summary": "In *Portals to Freedom* Howard Colby Ives recalls a moment in New York in 1912 when 'Abdu'l-Bahá publicly greeted a Black boy in a crowd with the loud, unmistakable proclamation that he was *a black rose* — a phrase that, in the racially stratified America of the day, was a small revolution.",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, NY, USA"
},
"themes": [
"race-unity",
"oneness-of-humanity",
"american-tour"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"justice",
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-portals",
"book": "Portals to Freedom",
"author": "Howard Colby Ives",
"year": 1937,
"publisher": "George Ronald",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/ives_portals_freedom"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nHoward Colby Ives — a Unitarian minister who became one of the\nmost devoted American Bahá’ís — left, in *Portals to Freedom,* a\ncollection of small remembered scenes from the months in 1912\nwhen he met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The book’s rhythm is quiet: a\nconversation in a hotel lobby, a glance across a table, a sentence\nthat recomposed an entire day.\n\nIn one of those scenes Ives describes the way the Master worked\nin a New York street crowd. People pressed close; ‘Abdu’l-Bahá\ngreeted them by turn. A young Black boy stood at the edge of the\ngathering, hesitant — uncertain whether this dignified Eastern\nvisitor would notice him at all in a country whose laws and\ncustoms were doing everything possible to keep him from being\nnoticed.\n\nThe Master saw him. Ives describes what happened next. The\nMaster raised His hand with a gesture of princely welcome and,\nin a voice loud enough that the entire crowd could hear, declared\nthe boy *a black rose.*\n\nThe phrase did not sound like a phrase. It sounded like a\nnaming. The Master was not consoling the boy with a kindly\nmetaphor; He was conferring on him, in front of every white\nwitness present, the public dignity that the country had been\nwithholding from him every other day of his life. Ives never\nforgot it.\n\nIves also describes, in the same chapter, what it was like to\nsit close to the Master and to be exposed, sustained, to the\nquality of presence the Master carried:\n\n> There flowed from Him to me during that marvelous contact a\n> constant stream of power.\n\nThe phrase is plain and unembarrassed. Ives, a man trained in\nProtestant restraint, did not in his ordinary speech use words\nlike *power* about other human beings. He used the word here\nbecause nothing else would do.\n\nThe black rose and the stream of power belong, in Ives’s account,\nto the same revelation. The dignity that the Master conferred on\na boy in a crowd was the same dignity that Ives himself had\nreceived the first time he sat in the Master’s presence. Both\nwere aspects of the single fact that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá saw human\nbeings, and named them, as God had made them.\n\n*Paraphrased from Portals to Freedom (Howard Colby Ives, George Ronald, 1937); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Cup of Tea: The Master Listens to a Tired Minister",
"slug": "pf-cup-of-tea-conversation",
"summary": "In *Portals to Freedom* Howard Colby Ives recounts an evening in May 1912 when, having sat through one of the great public meetings, he was invited into the Master's private room for a small cup of tea — and a quiet conversation that addressed, without his having spoken them, the very fears he had carried in.",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7831,
"lng": -73.9712,
"modernName": "New York, NY, USA"
},
"themes": [
"encounter",
"american-tour",
"tenderness",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"tenderness",
"patience",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-portals",
"book": "Portals to Freedom",
"author": "Howard Colby Ives",
"year": 1937,
"publisher": "George Ronald",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/ives_portals_freedom"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *Portals to Freedom* Howard Colby Ives describes one of the\nsmall after-meeting moments that, more than any of the great\npublic addresses, gave him the measure of the Master’s person.\n\nThe occasion was a public meeting in New York in May 1912. The\nhall had been crowded; the Master had spoken at length on the\noneness of religion; the audience had come forward in long\nqueues to greet Him. By the time the room had cleared, the hour\nwas late. Ives, who had assisted with the introductions, was\npreparing to make his own way home.\n\nThe Master, on the way out of the hall, looked at him and made\na small gesture. Ives was to come back to the residence with\nHim. He went.\n\nIn the upper room of the residence the Master settled Himself\non a low couch. Tea had been prepared on a small table. He\nindicated that Ives should sit beside Him. He poured the tea\nHimself, into two small cups. He handed one to Ives.\n\nIves writes that he had carried into the room, that evening, a\nprivate question. He had been in some spiritual difficulty\nabout whether his work as a minister was finally honest — whether\nhe could continue to serve from a Christian pulpit doctrines\nthat he no longer believed, and whether he had the courage to\ngive up his salaried ministry for the unsalaried life of an\nordinary believer.\n\nHe had not voiced the question. He had not, in fact, voiced it\neven to himself in clear terms. He had simply carried it, all\nday, as a kind of weight in the chest.\n\nThe Master, holding His own small cup of tea, looked at him.\nHe spoke quietly. He spoke, Ives records, of the courage that\nthe truth-loving life eventually requires. He spoke of the\nsmall fidelities that prepare a person for the larger ones. He\nspoke of the freedom that follows, in the soul, when one has\nstopped saying with one’s mouth what one no longer believes\nwith one's heart. He did not name Ives’s situation; He did not\nneed to.\n\n> He poured my tea Himself, and answered, before I had asked\n> it, the question I had carried in.\n\nIves left the residence later that evening. He walked back\nacross the city in considerable inward stillness. Within a few\nmonths he would have resigned the Unitarian ministry. Within a\nyear he would have taken up a small new life as an itinerant\nBahá’í teacher, supporting himself with what work he could\nfind. The freedom the Master had named, in the small cup of\ntea, had begun.\n\n*Paraphrased from Portals to Freedom (Howard Colby Ives, George Ronald, 1937); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Fragrance of Lilies: A Sunday in the Master's Garden",
"slug": "pf-fragrance-of-lilies",
"summary": "In *Portals to Freedom* Howard Colby Ives describes a Sunday afternoon in 1912 when 'Abdu'l-Bahá received the believers in a small New Jersey garden — and the way the smell of lilies, the ordinary furniture of the house, and the laughter of children combined into what Ives later called the *fragrance* of the Cause.",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New Jersey",
"lat": 40.7178,
"lng": -74.0431,
"modernName": "New Jersey, USA"
},
"themes": [
"encounter",
"american-tour",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"reverence",
"hospitality"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-portals",
"book": "Portals to Freedom",
"author": "Howard Colby Ives",
"year": 1937,
"publisher": "George Ronald",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/ives_portals_freedom"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nHoward Colby Ives, in *Portals to Freedom,* devotes more than\none chapter to small unhurried afternoons of His company that,\nhe writes, taught him more than the great public meetings of\nthe same year. One of them was a Sunday in the spring of 1912\nspent at a small house and garden in New Jersey, where a\nBahá’í family had asked the Master to come for a meal and an\nafternoon’s rest from the strain of the public schedule.\n\nThe Master accepted. The motor-car bore Him out of the city in\nthe morning; He was greeted at the gate of the small property\nby the family and by perhaps a dozen close believers. Ives was\namong them.\n\nHe describes the afternoon in the unfussed prose he reserved\nfor what he most wanted preserved. The Master sat for some\ntime in the parlour, taking tea and answering individual\ninquiries from the friends who had come up. After a while He\nasked to walk in the garden. The garden was small but\ndisciplined: a strip of lawn, a few flower-beds, a row of pot\nlilies along the path. The lilies, Ives records, were just\nopening; the perfume reached the steps of the house.\n\nThe Master walked along the lily-bed. He bent over each in\nturn. He named one or two by their petal-shape; He spoke to\nthe children of the family about how the long lily flower\nopens. The children laughed at His remarks. He laughed back.\nThe flowers, the lawn, the children, the Master, the small\ncircle of believers — Ives writes that the whole afternoon\ntook on, for him, a single quality.\n\n> The fragrance of the lilies and the laughter of the children\n> combined into the fragrance of the Cause itself.\n\nHe dwells on the word *fragrance.* The Cause, he had come to\nthink, was not a doctrine that one believed. It was a fragrance\nthat a particular Person carried, and that, where He sat,\nspread to everything around Him — to the lilies, to the\nlaughter, to the chairs the company was sitting on, to the food\nthe family had prepared. One left such an afternoon, he writes,\nnot with new arguments but with the smell of the lilies on\none’s coat.\n\nThe afternoon ended, in the late sun, with a final cup of tea\non the porch. The Master blessed the family; He blessed the\nchildren; He took His seat in the motor-car. The party stood\non the porch and watched Him driven down the lane. Ives writes\nthat for many days afterwards the smell of lilies, in any\ngarden, brought back the afternoon.\n\n*Paraphrased from Portals to Freedom (Howard Colby Ives, George Ronald, 1937); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master in the Unitarian Pulpit: Brooklyn, 1912",
"slug": "pf-pulpit-of-ives-church",
"summary": "In *Portals to Freedom* Howard Colby Ives describes the Sunday morning in 1912 when he invited 'Abdu'l-Bahá to speak from his own Unitarian pulpit in Brooklyn — and the strange experience of standing in his own church and watching his own congregation be addressed by the man whose presence had reorganised his ministry from within.",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Brooklyn",
"lat": 40.6782,
"lng": -73.9442,
"modernName": "Brooklyn, NY, USA"
},
"themes": [
"encounter",
"american-tour",
"interfaith",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-portals",
"book": "Portals to Freedom",
"author": "Howard Colby Ives",
"year": 1937,
"publisher": "George Ronald",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/ives_portals_freedom"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *Portals to Freedom* Howard Colby Ives — by the spring of\n1912 the Unitarian minister of the Church of the Saviour in\nBrooklyn — describes the Sunday morning on which, having spent\nsome weeks in close company with the Master, he invited Him to\npreach from his own pulpit.\n\nThe arrangement, he records, had not been an obvious one.\nIves's congregation was a small, theologically liberal community\nthat had not previously hosted Eastern speakers. The Unitarian\ndenomination was open to interfaith engagement in principle but\nnot yet much practised in the actual exchange. Ives proposed it\nnevertheless. The trustees of the church, after some\ndiscussion, agreed.\n\nThe Sunday morning was clear. The Master arrived in the small\nmotor-car that had been put at His disposal during His New York\nstay. The congregation, which had been augmented by some\nvisitors who had heard of the announcement, filled the church.\nIves himself, he records, stood in the vestibule with His\nvisitor while the prelude was played, then walked Him up the\ncentre aisle to the chancel. He took his own seat in the front\npew. He yielded the pulpit.\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá ascended the pulpit. He stood in His Persian robes\nin the pulpit Ives had occupied every Sunday for years. He\nspoke, through the interpreter, on the unity of the\nManifestations of God — on the single light that, He said, had\ncome down through Moses, Christ, and Muḥammad, and that was\nnow, in the present age, illuminating the world afresh through\nthe Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.\n\nIves sat in his own pew and listened. He records the\ndisorientation of the experience with the candour the book is\nknown for:\n\n> I sat in my own pew while the Master spoke from my own\n> pulpit, and the church I had served for years was no longer\n> the church I had thought it was.\n\nThe talk, he records, did not contradict anything he had been\npreaching from the same pulpit. It enlarged it. The God of his\nUnitarian theology — the God of the philosophical\nmonotheism, the God of the moral law — was named with the same\nwords; but the names were now placed inside a frame that\nincluded the Manifestations of every age. Ives's own preaching\nhad hinted at such a frame; the Master had simply, in His\nquiet voice, completed it.\n\nThe benediction was given. The organ sounded. The congregation,\nsome bewildered, some quietly moved, filed out into the\nBrooklyn morning. Several of them, Ives records, would in later\nmonths become Bahá'ís. He himself, by the time the door of his\nown church had closed behind the Master that morning, was\nalready half-resolved on a step that would take him, in the\nmonths ahead, out of the Unitarian ministry and into the\nservice of the Cause to which he would devote the remainder of\nhis life.\n\n*Paraphrased from Portals to Freedom (Howard Colby Ives, George Ronald, 1937); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Stream of Power: Ives at the Master's Farewell, December 1912",
"slug": "pf-stream-of-power-farewell",
"summary": "In one of the closing chapters of *Portals to Freedom,* Howard Colby Ives describes the gathering on December 2, 1912, in the days before 'Abdu'l-Bahá sailed from America. The Master's parting counsel — to manifest complete love and to count no soul beneath one's own — fell on Ives, he writes, like a *stream of spiritual energy* he could almost not bear.",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, NY, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"farewell",
"love",
"oneness-of-humanity"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"humility",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-portals",
"book": "Portals to Freedom",
"author": "Howard Colby Ives",
"year": 1937,
"publisher": "George Ronald",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/ives_portals_freedom"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *Portals to Freedom* Howard Colby Ives describes the gathering\non the evening of December 2, 1912, in the small upper rooms in\nNew York where the Master’s last counsel to His American\nfollowers was delivered. The SS *Celtic* was waiting at the\ndocks; in two days ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would sail.\n\nIves sat as close to the Master as he could. He records the\nphysical sensation of sitting in His presence at that moment —\nnot as poetry but as observation:\n\n> I sat very close to Him and it seemed there flowed from Him to\n> me a veritable stream of spiritual energy which at times was\n> overpowering.\n\nThe Master spoke quietly. The transcript, Ives notes, runs to\nabout three hundred words; no transcript, however, could carry\nwhat was actually present in the room. He likens the evening to\nsitting at a table with Jesus on the night of the Last Supper.\nThe comparison is bold; he makes it without apology.\n\nThe substance of what the Master said was the substance He had\nbeen saying for nine months across the continent. But on this\nlast evening it had the simplicity of a final summary. Ives\nrecords the central counsel:\n\n> You must manifest complete love and affection towards all\n> mankind. Do not exalt yourselves above others but consider all\n> as your equals.\n\nTwo practices, then. Active love towards every human being. And\nthe inner discipline of treating no soul as less than one’s own.\nTogether, the Master suggested, these two would be sufficient —\nsufficient to carry the work He was leaving behind, sufficient\nto make of the small American Bahá’í community something that\nthe country and the century would feel.\n\nIves took the counsel literally. The remainder of his life, as\n*Portals to Freedom* shows, was an extended attempt to live\ninside it. The book ends not in a thesis but in a witness: that\nthe *stream of spiritual energy* he had felt flowing from the\nMaster in that crowded room never quite stopped flowing.\n\n*Paraphrased from Portals to Freedom (Howard Colby Ives, George Ronald, 1937); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The First Meeting in the Ansonia Hotel",
"slug": "pf-the-first-meeting-hotel",
"summary": "In *Portals to Freedom* Howard Colby Ives describes the first morning in April 1912 when, summoned to the Ansonia Hotel in New York, he climbed the stair and entered the room where 'Abdu'l-Bahá was receiving — and found that all the arguments of his Unitarian ministry suddenly fell silent.",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7831,
"lng": -73.9712,
"modernName": "New York, NY, USA"
},
"themes": [
"encounter",
"american-tour",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"reverence",
"humility",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-portals",
"book": "Portals to Freedom",
"author": "Howard Colby Ives",
"year": 1937,
"publisher": "George Ronald",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/ives_portals_freedom"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nHoward Colby Ives was, in April 1912, the Unitarian minister of\na small congregation in Brooklyn. He had heard, by the\nChristian press of the city, that an Eastern teacher of\nuniversal religion was lodging at the Ansonia Hotel on the\nUpper West Side, and would be receiving inquirers on certain\nmornings of the week. Ives — who was at that period in some\nspiritual difficulty, having begun to feel that the boundaries\nof his Unitarian theology were no longer adequate to the\nquestions his ministry was raising — went to call.\n\nThe first chapters of *Portals to Freedom* describe the visit.\nHe had brought, he records, a careful list of questions. He had\nprepared the apologetic positions he wished to test against this\nEastern visitor. He had imagined the conversation in advance.\n\nHe climbed the stair to the upper floor of the Ansonia. He was\nushered into a small ante-room. He was, in due course, brought\ninto the inner room where the Master was receiving.\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá was seated by the window. He was perhaps sixty-eight\nyears old; the white hair flowed from beneath the white turban;\nthe eyes were dark and fully present. He rose. He came forward.\nHe took both of Ives’s hands in His own. He sat the visitor down\nbeside Himself.\n\nIves writes, with the disarming honesty that gives the book\nits character, what then happened to the prepared list of\nquestions:\n\n> All my prepared questions seemed, in the room, suddenly small.\n\nHe did not, he records, ask any of them. The Master spoke. He\nasked after Ives’s family. He asked after his ministry. He\nasked after the well-being of his congregation. The questions\nwere ordinary; the warmth in which they were asked was not.\nIves found himself answering — first in monosyllables, then\nfully — and as he answered he discovered that the inward\nrestlessness which had brought him to the Ansonia was\nquietening of its own accord, without anything having yet been\nformally settled.\n\nHe stayed in the room perhaps half an hour. The Master\nreleased him with a blessing. Ives walked out of the Ansonia\ninto the bright spring morning of Broadway and could not, he\nsays, remember what he had been about to do that day.\n\nThe book that grew, twenty-five years later, from that first\nhalf-hour is the record of a conversion that began before any\nargument had been mounted and that lasted the rest of his life.\nIves became, in the years that followed, one of the most\nbeloved early American Bahá’ís. The portal, as he chose to call\nit in his title, had opened on a Tuesday morning in April 1912,\nwhen a tired Unitarian minister had climbed a hotel stair and\ndiscovered that he had been awaited.\n\n*Paraphrased from Portals to Freedom (Howard Colby Ives, George Ronald, 1937); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Pilgrims’ notes tell us that one day Lua Getsinger was walking with…",
"slug": "pilgrims-notes-tell-us-that-one-day-lua-bs4",
"summary": "Pilgrims’ notes tell us that one day Lua Getsinger was walking with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and some of the friends on the white sands of the sea near ‘Akka. Lua, it is said, suddenly became aware of the Master’s tracks in the soft sand. She was…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lua Getsinger"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"suffering",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/suffering"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nPilgrims’ notes tell us that one day Lua Getsinger was walking with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and some of the friends on the white sands of the sea near ‘Akka. Lua, it is said, suddenly became aware of the Master’s tracks in the soft sand. She was walking a pace or two behind Him. Quite spontaneously she stepped behind ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and began to trace His footsteps by placing her shoes one at a time in each of His footprints. It is said that without turning, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said sharply, ‘What are you doing?’\n\nLua replied cheerily, ‘I am following in your footsteps.’ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was silent for some time. Then He repeated more forcefully, ‘Lua, what are you doing?’ She said, ‘I am walking in your footsteps, beloved Master.’ Without a word, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá strode on. Lua, it is said, felt a chill as she realized the utter futility and presumptuousness of such a weak instrument as herself ever daring to aspire to walk in the footsteps of the ‘Mystery of God’. Suddenly Lua felt an agonizing pain in her ankle. She looked down. She had been stung by a scorpion. She cried out, but the Master did not turn or slow His stride. Lua walked on with the utmost difficulty. Her ankle was swelling rapidly. The pain was becoming intense. But she clenched her teeth and forced herself to continue. When the suffering had become almost unbearable, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá turned and came back. ‘This’, He told her, ‘is what it means to walk in My footsteps.’ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá touched her head gently with his hand. Lua’s eyes were brimming with tears. She understood the lesson. The Master turned and continued on His way, Lua limping after Him the best she could. She felt the pain gradually diminishing as she tried to keep up with her beloved Master.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 124*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/suffering) (Subject: suffering).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Designing the Arc on Mount Carmel",
"slug": "pp-arc-mount-carmel",
"summary": "In *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum recounts how Shoghi Effendi, walking the slope of Mount Carmel year after year, conceived and laid out the great Arc of buildings — the International Archives, the Universal House of Justice site, the Centre for the Study of the Texts, the Teaching Centre — on which the world administrative institutions of the Faith would in time stand.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"period": "Haifa",
"location": {
"name": "Mount Carmel",
"lat": 32.8156,
"lng": 34.9869,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"architecture",
"administration",
"mount-carmel",
"guardianship"
],
"virtues": [
"vision",
"patience",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-priceless-pearl",
"book": "The Priceless Pearl",
"author": "Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"year": 1969,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum gives an account of one\nof the long, slow projects of her husband’s Guardianship: the\nlaying-out of the great Arc on the northern slope of Mount\nCarmel.\n\nThe mountain had been consecrated, in Bahá’í history, by the\nvisit of Bahá’u’lláh in 1891 and by the burial of the Báb’s\nremains in the small Shrine ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had built on its slope\nin 1909. From the early 1930s onward Shoghi Effendi began to\nthink of what would, in time, rise around it. The Master had\nforeseen a city of administrative institutions. The Guardian\ntook the foreseeing forward, year by year, into precise lines on\na map.\n\nHe walked the slope himself. Rúḥíyyih Khánum describes the\nafternoon expeditions. He carried a stick. He paced distances.\nHe looked through the pine trees toward the bay; he looked from\nthe proposed sites back at the Shrine of the Báb. He drew, in\nhis notebooks, the curving line that would in time be called the\nArc — a great stone path bending across the upper slope of\nMount Carmel, with five buildings ranged along its length to\nhouse the future world institutions of the Faith.\n\nHe purchased land patiently and quietly across the years, often\nthrough Bahá’í intermediaries, often at considerable personal\ncost; he negotiated boundaries; he fought planning battles in\nthe Mandate-period and later Israeli administrations. He\ndesigned approaches and stairways. He chose the Italian marble\nthat would clad the buildings he himself would not live to see\nconstructed. He did not see, in his own lifetime, more than the\nbeginning. The International Archives, the first of the Arc’s\nbuildings, was completed in 1957 — only months before his\npassing.\n\nRúḥíyyih Khánum is candid that the Arc was the longest of his\nprojects. She is candid, too, that he laboured on it knowing\nthat the work would be finished by hands not yet born. The\nmountain that had been a wooded slope when he came to it became,\nacross thirty-six years, the spiritual and administrative\ncentre of a worldwide religious community — laid out, walked,\nmeasured, and prayed over by one quiet man with a stick and a\nnotebook.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Priceless Pearl (Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1969); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Quiet Wedding in Haifa: Shoghi Effendi and Mary Maxwell",
"slug": "pp-marriage-mary-maxwell",
"summary": "In *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum tells the story of her own marriage to Shoghi Effendi in the spring of 1937 — a private ceremony in the room of the Greatest Holy Leaf, witnessed by a handful of family members, that joined two streams of the Cause and was deliberately kept free of fanfare.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"May Maxwell",
"William Sutherland Maxwell",
"Bahíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"period": "Haifa",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.8156,
"lng": 34.9869,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"marriage",
"guardianship",
"history",
"simplicity"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"love",
"simplicity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "the-priceless-pearl",
"book": "The Priceless Pearl",
"author": "Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"year": 1969,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum tells, in her own\nvoice, the story of her marriage to Shoghi Effendi on March 25,\n1937. She is the most reliable witness; she is also the bride.\n\nShe had grown up in Montreal, the daughter of May Bolles\nMaxwell and the architect William Sutherland Maxwell — a\nhousehold that had received ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1912 and that had\nbeen, ever since, a centre of the Cause in Canada. Her mother\nhad been one of the first Western pilgrims to Bahá’u’lláh’s son;\nher father was already a respected Bahá’í architect. She had\nvisited Haifa as a young woman; she had served on national\ncommittees; she was already, in her late twenties, a working\nBahá’í.\n\nHer engagement to the Guardian was kept entirely private. The\nGreatest Holy Leaf, Bahíyyih Khánum, had passed from this world\nin 1932; her old room in the Master’s house was the room in\nwhich the wedding ceremony would take place. There would be no\npublic announcement until after the fact. The Maxwell family\nwas permitted to attend; a few members of the Holy Family were\npresent; nothing else.\n\nThe ceremony itself, Rúḥíyyih Khánum writes, was the spare\nBahá’í wedding vow — *We will all, verily, abide by the will of\nGod* — exchanged in front of the small gathering. There was no\nsermon, no procession, no public meal. The newly-married\nGuardian returned, the same evening, to his work.\n\nOnly after the ceremony was a cable sent to the Bahá’í world\nannouncing the marriage. The brief text honoured the bride’s\nparents, named her by her Bahá’í title, *Rúḥíyyih,* meaning\n*spiritual,* and asked the believers to pray for the union.\n\nShe does not, in *The Priceless Pearl,* indulge in private\ndetail; she writes almost as if of someone else. But she does\nrecord one thing she felt the believers should know. The\nmarriage joined a Persian Guardian to a Western Bahá’í of long\nservice; it joined the Maxwell house in Montreal to the holy\nhousehold in Haifa; it expressed, by its very fact, the union\nof East and West that the Faith was already enacting in its\nworldwide community.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Priceless Pearl (Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1969); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "He Asked His Father-in-Law to Design It: The Shrine of the Báb",
"slug": "pp-maxwell-architect-shrine-of-bab",
"summary": "Rúḥíyyih Khánum's *The Priceless Pearl* recounts how, in 1942, Shoghi Effendi asked his own father-in-law — the celebrated Canadian architect William Sutherland Maxwell, then resident in Haifa — to design the arcade and superstructure of the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel. The colonnade of Baveno granite and the Chiampo arches were the answer.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"William Sutherland Maxwell",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"Ugo Giachery"
],
"era": "formative",
"period": "Haifa",
"location": {
"name": "Mount Carmel",
"lat": 32.8156,
"lng": 34.9869,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"shrine-of-the-bab",
"architecture",
"guardianship",
"construction"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"excellence",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "the-priceless-pearl",
"book": "The Priceless Pearl",
"author": "Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"year": 1969,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum devotes a careful\nchapter to the long, patient construction of the superstructure\nof the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel — the building work\nthat is, after the writing of his books, perhaps the most\nvisible monument of Shoghi Effendi’s Guardianship.\n\nThe original Shrine, built by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the early 1900s,\nwas a low stone block set on the slope of the mountain. The\nMaster had foreseen that, in time, a more fitting monument would\nrise above it — a colonnade, a dome, a structure adequate to\nthe station of the Founder of the Bábí dispensation whose\nremains it housed. The work of imagining and supervising that\nstructure fell to His grandson.\n\nIn 1942 — at the depth of the Second World War, when material\nwas scarce and travel almost impossible — the Guardian made a\ndecision Rúḥíyyih Khánum records with quiet pride. He asked his\nown father-in-law, William Sutherland Maxwell, to design the\narcade and the superstructure.\n\nMaxwell was one of the most celebrated architects of Canada;\nhe had designed the Quebec Parliament Building, among other\nworks, and was at this time living in Haifa near his daughter\nand the Guardian. He set to work in his small Haifa studio. The\ndesign that emerged would become one of the great\ntwentieth-century examples of cross-cultural sacred\narchitecture: a colonnade of Rose Baveno granite from northern\nItaly; arches in Chiampo stone, carved in Italy in an\nOriental style; a golden dome above; and proportions Maxwell\ncalculated to harmonise the Eastern and Western traditions of\nsacred building.\n\nThe execution was given to Dr. Ugo Giachery in Italy, working\nunder wartime and post-war conditions of considerable\ndifficulty. Rúḥíyyih Khánum recounts how Giachery sourced the\nmaterials, how he engaged Italian artisans to cut, carve, and\npolish the stone according to Maxwell's drawings, and how\ntwenty-eight columns, eight pilasters, and twenty-eight arches\nwere produced — along with the many smaller architectural\npieces — and shipped, piece by piece, to Haifa for assembly.\n\nThe completed structure was inaugurated in 1953. Rúḥíyyih\nKhánum's chapter on the construction is also, between its\nlines, a chronicle of the Guardian's working method: that he\ntook huge architectural and institutional decisions in the\nquiet of his Haifa office, and that the great visible monuments\nof the Faith — the Shrine, the International Archives, the\nplans of the World Centre — emerged from a small office and a\nsmall family with very little fanfare and very great\ndeliberation.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Priceless Pearl (Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1969); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Mouthful of Khánum: A Childhood Privilege at the Family Table",
"slug": "pp-mouthful-of-khanum",
"summary": "In *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum describes a small ritual at the family table in 'Akká: Bahíyyih Khánum, the Greatest Holy Leaf, would spoon a small bite from her own plate — *the mouthful of Khánum* — to one of the grandchildren, and the grandchildren would watch for whose turn it was.",
"figures": [
"Bahíyyih Khánum",
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"childhood",
"hospitality",
"home-life",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"generosity",
"hospitality"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween",
"child"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "the-priceless-pearl",
"book": "The Priceless Pearl",
"author": "Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"year": 1969,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the household at ‘Akká, Rúḥíyyih Khánum writes in *The Priceless\nPearl,* meals were a quietly ceremonious affair. The grandchildren\nsat in the long low room, the bread and the rice and whatever the\nday’s simple stew was set in front of them, and they watched.\n\nWhat they watched for was Bahíyyih Khánum — the Greatest Holy Leaf,\nthe most beloved sister of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the still-centre of the\nfamily. She would eat from her own plate, and then, between her own\nbites, she would lift a small spoonful and pass it to one of the\nchildren.\n\nThat spoonful, by household tradition, was *the mouthful of Khánum.*\nWhatever it was — rice, a piece of bread, a fragment of meat — it\ntasted, the children all agreed, better than anything else on the\ntable. It tasted better because it had been given. It carried the\nflavour of the giver.\n\n> The grandchildren used to watch for a mouthful of Khánum's food\n> that she would give to this or that one as it always tasted best.\n\nShoghi Effendi, Rúḥíyyih Khánum notes — with quiet honesty about\nher husband’s family life — was a particular favourite of the\nGreatest Holy Leaf. *The Guardian usually got it, as he was a\nfavourite of hers.* No one resented this. The household understood\nthat a love which is open, particular, and unhidden can be a\nblessing without being unfair, because it does not deny love to the\nothers; it only makes the household feel held.\n\nThe detail is small. It would be invisible were it not preserved.\nBut in a Faith whose central institutions arose, eventually, from\nthis very household, it is also a record of how a future Guardian\nwas first taught — by the daily kindness of an aunt — that\nparticular care and impartial love are not opposites.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Priceless Pearl (Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1969); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Sudden Passing in London, November 1957",
"slug": "pp-passing-in-london-1957",
"summary": "In *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum gives the most reliable account of her husband's last days — a brief illness in a London hotel, the flu that turned to a heart attack, and the night of the fourth of November 1957 when the Guardian of the Cause of God passed from the world at the age of sixty.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"period": "London",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, United Kingdom"
},
"themes": [
"guardianship",
"passing",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"faithfulness",
"service",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-priceless-pearl",
"book": "The Priceless Pearl",
"author": "Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"year": 1969,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum gives the most reliable\naccount of her husband’s last days. She was the only person who\nsat with him through them; her chapter is plainly written and\nwithout ornament.\n\nIn late October 1957 Shoghi Effendi had travelled, as he often\ndid, to Europe — partly for medical attention, partly for rest,\npartly to conduct the planning meetings of the Ten Year Crusade\nthat were ongoing in those years. He had been in Switzerland and\nin Germany. He arrived in London on the evening of the\ntwenty-eighth of October. He stayed at a small hotel.\n\nA few days later, Rúḥíyyih Khánum records, he developed what\nseemed at first to be an ordinary case of Asian flu — the\nstrain that had been moving through Europe that autumn. He took\nto bed. The fever rose. A doctor was called. The doctor was not\nunduly alarmed at first; the patient was sixty, in good general\nhealth, fatigued from work but not gravely ill.\n\nIn the early hours of the fourth of November the situation\nchanged. The fever had moved to the lungs; complications followed;\nthe heart, perhaps weakened by years of unrelenting work, gave\nway. The Guardian of the Cause of God passed from this world,\nquietly, in the small hours of that morning. Rúḥíyyih Khánum\nwas at his side.\n\nThe cable she sent to the Bahá’í world later that day was the\nshortest of her life. It announced the passing, asked the\nfriends to pray, and undertook to make arrangements for the\nburial. There was no Will. The Guardian had appointed no\nsuccessor under the conditions named in the Master’s\nTestament. The Hands of the Cause of God, named by Shoghi\nEffendi himself in 1951, would carry the affairs of the Faith\nthrough the next six years until the election of the first\nUniversal House of Justice in 1963.\n\nHe was buried at the New Southgate Cemetery in north London. The\ngrave is marked by a tall marble pillar surmounted by a globe\nand an eagle. Rúḥíyyih Khánum chose, in conferring with the\nBritish community, to leave him among the Western believers he\nhad himself raised up. The pilgrimage of the Bahá’í world has,\nsince 1957, passed through London on its way to Haifa.\n\nThe thirty-six years of his Guardianship were ended. The\nworldwide community he left behind was four times the size of\nthe one he had inherited. The grief at his passing was, the\nchapter records, the heaviest the believers had known since the\nascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Priceless Pearl (Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1969); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The International Secretariat: A Cable Desk in Haifa",
"slug": "pp-secretariat-haifa",
"summary": "In *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum describes the small household office from which Shoghi Effendi guided the Bahá'í world for thirty-six years — a room with a typewriter, a stack of cables, a Hebrew-Arabic-Persian shelf of dictionaries, and a Guardian who answered each letter himself in the long hours after Haifa had gone to sleep.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"period": "Haifa",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.8156,
"lng": 34.9869,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"administration",
"guardianship",
"correspondence",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"diligence",
"service",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "the-priceless-pearl",
"book": "The Priceless Pearl",
"author": "Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"year": 1969,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum gives one of the most\nintimate portraits in the Bahá’í literature of the working life\nof the Guardian. He had no secretariat in the modern\ninstitutional sense. He had, instead, a small office in the\nMaster’s house in Haifa — a desk, a typewriter, a kerosene lamp\nin the early years and electric light later, a shelf of\ndictionaries, a constant supply of paper, and a flow of cables\nin and out across the world.\n\nHe answered, she records, almost every letter that came to him\nfrom the believers — letters from National Spiritual Assemblies\nabout administrative questions, letters from individual Bahá’ís\nabout personal trials, letters from inquirers, letters from\nhostile governments, letters from new pioneers in faraway\ncities. Each was read. Each was answered. The answers were\nsometimes brief; they were never absent.\n\nThe office was bilingual, then trilingual, then more. The\nincoming correspondence arrived in English, French, Persian,\nArabic, German, Spanish; he read in each. The outgoing went\nmostly in English — that being the language of the worldwide\nBahá’í community he was forming — but in Persian to Iran, in\nArabic when needed, in French to certain European communities.\nCables were composed in his own concise prose; longer letters\nwere typed by him directly or dictated to a small staff that, in\nthe later years, included Rúḥíyyih Khánum herself.\n\nHe worked late. The household routine was ordered around the\nhours of his correspondence. He often stayed at his desk until\ntwo or three in the morning, then rose for an early walk before\nbeginning again. He took no holidays except his European\njourneys, which were themselves working trips. He kept few\npapers for himself; he gave the Faith almost everything.\n\nThe institutions of the Bahá’í world arose, very largely, from\nthat small Haifa office. The plans, the cables that named the\ngoals, the appointments of the Hands of the Cause, the\nguidance to the Auxiliary Boards, the architectural drawings of\nthe Arc — all came out of one room, one desk, one Guardian\nworking past the lamp into the night.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Priceless Pearl (Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1969); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Studious Years at Oxford: Shoghi Effendi at Balliol",
"slug": "pp-shoghi-at-oxford",
"summary": "In *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum recounts the months Shoghi Effendi spent at Balliol College, Oxford, in 1920–1921, perfecting his English so that he might one day serve 'Abdu'l-Bahá as His translator — a small private programme of self-discipline that would, only months later, bear an unimaginable wider fruit.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Oxford",
"location": {
"name": "Oxford",
"lat": 51.752,
"lng": -1.2577,
"modernName": "Oxford, United Kingdom"
},
"themes": [
"guardianship",
"education",
"preparation",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"diligence",
"service",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "the-priceless-pearl",
"book": "The Priceless Pearl",
"author": "Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"year": 1969,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum devotes a chapter to the\npreparation of the young man who would one day be the Guardian.\nShe is keen, in writing it, to record what was actually in his\nmind during the months he spent in England — and what was not.\n\nShoghi Effendi arrived at Balliol College, Oxford, in the autumn\nof 1920, after a period of study at the American University of\nBeirut and a long-cherished hope of perfecting his command of\nEnglish. He was twenty-three years old. He had no notion of the\noffice that, fourteen months later, would fall to him.\n\nHis project at Oxford, his cousin and biographer records, was\nnarrowly focused. He was reading economics and political science\nin the formal university programme, but his real work was\nprivate. He sat in his rooms at Balliol with English literature\nand a dictionary and a notebook, and he taught himself the\nlanguage to a precision that surprised even his English tutors.\nHe wished to serve ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as a translator. He had carried\nthe wish since boyhood. Oxford was where he meant to perfect it.\n\nHe read Carlyle, Gibbon, the King James Bible, Shakespeare. He\nunderlined, copied, looked up. The English in which he would\nlater render *The Dawn-Breakers,* *The Hidden Words,* the\n*Kitáb-i-Aqdas* — the cadenced, slightly archaic, faintly\nBiblical English by which a generation of Western Bahá’ís came\nto know the Sacred Writings — was being formed in those quiet\nOxford rooms.\n\nRúḥíyyih Khánum is careful to note that he was not idle in the\nordinary university sense; he sat his terms, attended lectures,\nmade friends among the British students. But the centre of\ngravity of his Oxford months lay elsewhere — in a small private\ndiscipline aimed at a service he expected to render in Haifa,\nunder the eye of his Grandfather, for many years to come.\n\nThe cable that arrived in Major Tudor Pole’s London office in\nlate November 1921 ended that expectation. The English he had\nbeen quietly perfecting for the Master’s service became,\novernight, the English in which the Cause itself would be\nwritten to the Western world. Oxford had not known what it was\ntraining. He had not known either.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Priceless Pearl (Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1969); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Schoolboy in Beirut: Shoghi Effendi's Studies at the AUB",
"slug": "pp-shoghi-at-school-in-beirut",
"summary": "In *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum recounts the years the young Shoghi Effendi spent at the Syrian Protestant College in Beirut — later the American University of Beirut — where the grandson of 'Abdu'l-Bahá met the West for the first time inside a Western classroom, and was prepared, without knowing it, for the office that lay ahead.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Beirut",
"location": {
"name": "Beirut",
"lat": 33.8938,
"lng": 35.5018,
"modernName": "Beirut, Lebanon"
},
"themes": [
"education",
"childhood",
"guardianship",
"preparation"
],
"virtues": [
"diligence",
"humility",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "the-priceless-pearl",
"book": "The Priceless Pearl",
"author": "Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"year": 1969,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum gives a careful\naccount of her husband’s school years. They explain a great\ndeal about the man he became.\n\nShoghi Effendi had been born in 1897 in the prison-city of\n‘Akká, a grandson of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and a great-grandson of\nBahá’u’lláh. His earliest education had been at home, in\nPersian and in Arabic, from family tutors. By the age of about\neleven he was sent — at the Master’s wish, Rúḥíyyih Khánum\nrecords — to school in Haifa; from there, in due course, to\nthe Collège des Frères in Beirut, and finally to the Syrian\nProtestant College, the institution that would later become the\nAmerican University of Beirut.\n\nThe choice was deliberate. The Master, looking forward,\nforesaw a Cause that would speak to the West. He wanted His\ngrandson to grow up able to read its books, follow its\narguments, and meet its representatives in their own idiom.\nShoghi Effendi accordingly sat through the Western university\ncurriculum of the period — English literature, European\nhistory, political science, the sciences — alongside Druze,\nMaronite, Sunni, and Greek Orthodox classmates from across the\nLevant.\n\nRúḥíyyih Khánum is honest that he was not in every respect a\ntypical undergraduate. He was visibly devoted to the Master; he\nprayed regularly; he kept the Bahá’í fast among classmates who\ndid not know what he was doing. He was, in his peers’\nrecollection, conspicuous more for moral seriousness than for\nbrilliance — though his examination results were uniformly\nstrong. He kept a private notebook of English vocabulary; he\nwrote letters home in three languages; he was, in his quiet\nway, already in training.\n\nThe boy who returned from Beirut to Haifa each summer brought\nback a steadily widening competence in the languages and the\nintellectual habits of the Western world. The Master watched\nthis with quiet approval. Neither of them, Rúḥíyyih Khánum\nemphasises, knew that the schooling was preparing him for the\nGuardianship. The Master’s Will and Testament, in which Shoghi\nEffendi was named His successor, was not opened until 1921.\nUntil that day the schooling had simply been a grandson’s\neducation — disciplined, broad, devotional, and quietly\nformidable.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Priceless Pearl (Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1969); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Tie Far Deeper: Young Shoghi Approaches the Master",
"slug": "pp-shoghi-childhood-grandfather",
"summary": "Rúḥíyyih Khánum's *The Priceless Pearl* preserves a moment from Shoghi Effendi's boyhood in 'Akká: a small barefoot figure in a doorway, eyes on his grandfather, and 'Abdu'l-Bahá's slow nod of recognition that the bond between them was not only physical, but something else.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"Ḍíyá’íyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"childhood",
"guardianship",
"history",
"succession"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"reverence",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "the-priceless-pearl",
"book": "The Priceless Pearl",
"author": "Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"year": 1969,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the household at ‘Akká, Rúḥíyyih Khánum recounts in *The\nPriceless Pearl*, an ordinary morning would sometimes carry the\nshape of something larger than itself. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would be at His\nwriting. He would look up, smile, ask a daughter — Ḍíyá’íyyih\nKhánum perhaps — to chant a prayer.\n\nOn one such morning a small figure appeared in the open doorway\nopposite Him: a beautiful boy, *with his cameo face and his\nsoulful, appealing, dark eyes,* his shoes already left at the\nthreshold. The child stepped barefoot into the room, his eyes\nfixed on the Master’s face.\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá returned the gaze with what Rúḥíyyih Khánum describes\nas a *look of loving welcome.* But — and this is the moment her\naccount holds carefully — He did not rise to embrace the boy. He\nsat perfectly still. He nodded His head, slowly, two or three\ntimes, in a way the household understood meant something it could\nnot put into words.\n\nRúḥíyyih Khánum reads the gesture as a quiet declaration:\n\n> This tie connecting us is not just that of a physical grandfather\n> but something far deeper and more significant.\n\nThe little boy walked the length of the room, slowly, toward the\ndivan where the Master sat. The household was already, perhaps\nwithout knowing it, watching the early shaping of the future\nGuardian of the Cause of God. The bond was not yet announced. It\nwas only expressed in a nod, a long mutual look, the silence of a\nroom that already held both the past and the future of the Faith\nin the same gaze.\n\nRúḥíyyih Khánum’s biography is full of such small images. They\nadd up, across the volume, to a portrait of a child being prepared,\nquietly and without fanfare, for an office that would not be\nrevealed to him for many years.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Priceless Pearl (Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1969); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Cable in London: Shoghi Effendi Learns of His Appointment",
"slug": "pp-shoghi-discovery-of-the-will",
"summary": "In Rúḥíyyih Khánum's biography *The Priceless Pearl* she describes the moment in November 1921 when a young Shoghi Effendi, reading the cable in Major Tudor Pole's London office, learned that 'Abdu'l-Bahá had passed — and how, only on his return to Haifa, the opening of the Master's Will revealed an office he had never imagined for himself.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"Major Tudor Pole"
],
"era": "formative",
"period": "London / Haifa",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, United Kingdom"
},
"themes": [
"guardianship",
"succession",
"covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"obedience",
"courage"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-priceless-pearl",
"book": "The Priceless Pearl",
"author": "Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"year": 1969,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nRúḥíyyih Khánum’s biography of her husband devotes one of its\nmost carefully written chapters to the days in late November\n1921 when a twenty-four-year-old Oxford student became, without\nhis prior knowledge, the Guardian of the Cause of God.\n\nShoghi Effendi was at Balliol College, finishing his studies and\npreparing to return to Haifa to serve at his grandfather’s side.\nOn 29 November 1921 a cable arrived in London bearing news of\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s passing. The cable was delivered to the office of\nMajor Wellesley Tudor Pole, the British Bahá’í who served as one\nof the conduits for messages between the West and the Holy\nLand. Tudor Pole, recognising what the cable said, sent for\nShoghi Effendi.\n\nWhen the young man read it he collapsed. There was no ceremony\nto the moment, no warning, no preparation. He was overcome by a\ngrief whose proportion the surrounding company could not yet\nfathom. Friends took him into their care, helped him to compose\nhimself, and made arrangements for his return to Haifa.\n\nHe arrived at the household in the last week of December. Only\nthen was the Master’s Will and Testament opened. *No one in the\nBahá’í world knew,* Rúḥíyyih Khánum writes, until that moment,\nthat ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had named His grandson as His successor — the\n*priceless pearl that doth gleam from out the Twin Surging Seas.*\nThe young man who had crossed Europe to mourn his grandfather\ndiscovered, on entering his grandfather’s house, that he had also\nbeen appointed to lead the Faith his grandfather had headed.\n\nRúḥíyyih Khánum is honest about what followed. The weight of the\nappointment was almost more than the young Guardian could bear.\nHe wrote in February 1922:\n\n> The task is so overwhelmingly great I cannot but give way and\n> droop whenever I face my work.\n\nHe withdrew, for a period in 1922, to the mountains of\nSwitzerland — partly to grieve, partly to compose himself,\npartly to find the strength to take up what had been laid on\nhim. His mother eventually came to fetch him. He returned to\nHaifa, and from that return there flowed the thirty-six years of\nconstruction and consolidation that built the Bahá’í\nadministrative order.\n\nIn one of the first letters of his Guardianship he asked the\nbelievers, simply,\n\n> I desire to be known by no other name save the one our Beloved\n> Master was wont to utter.\n\nThe name was Shoghi. The office, *Shoghi Effendi.* He took up\nthe office, and never set it down.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Priceless Pearl (Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1969); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Mountains of Switzerland: A Young Guardian Withdraws to Pray",
"slug": "pp-switzerland-withdrawal",
"summary": "In *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum describes the months in 1922 and after when the young Shoghi Effendi, crushed by the weight of his appointment, withdrew to the Alps — walking long mountain paths, praying, gathering the strength he would need to take up the task the Master's Will had laid on him.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Bahíyyih Khánum",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"period": "Switzerland",
"location": {
"name": "Swiss Alps",
"lat": 46.55,
"lng": 8.55,
"modernName": "Switzerland"
},
"themes": [
"guardianship",
"grief",
"solitude",
"preparation"
],
"virtues": [
"patience",
"humility",
"courage",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-priceless-pearl",
"book": "The Priceless Pearl",
"author": "Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"year": 1969,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum writes with unusual\ncandour about the months that followed her husband’s sudden\nelevation to the Guardianship. The young man who had returned\nfrom Oxford to bury his Grandfather had then opened the Master’s\nWill and discovered an office that no human being could be\nentirely prepared for. He set himself, for some weeks, to begin\nthe work; and then his strength failed.\n\nHe went, in the spring of 1922, to the mountains of Switzerland.\nThe destination was deliberate. He had loved the Alps from a\nbrief earlier visit; the high air, the long walking paths, the\nsilence above the tree-line answered something in him. Rúḥíyyih\nKhánum quotes from his own letters of the period and from the\nwitness of those who saw him in those months. He walked very\nlong days. He climbed. He prayed. He wrote almost no\ncorrespondence.\n\nThe decision to withdraw was not a flight. The Greatest Holy\nLeaf — Bahíyyih Khánum, the most beloved sister of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá\n— consented to it; she wrote, in her own correspondence, to the\nbelievers explaining the Guardian’s absence and asking them to\ncontinue their work and their prayers. In the meantime she\nherself, in Haifa, quietly held the affairs of the Cause. The\nsmall notes that survive from her hand to the believers in those\nmonths are gentle, firm, and unhurried — the work of a woman\nwho had been bearing such burdens since the days of the\nimprisonment.\n\nThe withdrawals were repeated. Across the early years of his\nGuardianship Shoghi Effendi went to the mountains again — for\nshort periods, for longer. Rúḥíyyih Khánum is honest that the\nweight he had been given was almost more than even his\nexceptional strength could bear in those years. She does not\nromanticize the suffering. She names it.\n\nWhat returned with him from those mountains, however, was a\nworking method that lasted thirty-six years. He learned, in the\nwalking and the praying, what he could and could not carry; he\nlearned to ration his hours, to write cables in the dark hours\nof the morning, to translate at his small desk through the\nafternoon, to receive pilgrims in the evening. The institution\nof the Guardianship, as the Bahá’í world has known it, was\nshaped in those silent Alpine months.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Priceless Pearl (Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1969); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Launching the Ten Year Crusade in 1953",
"slug": "pp-ten-year-crusade",
"summary": "In *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum describes the moment in the spring of 1953 when Shoghi Effendi, looking out from the newly completed Shrine of the Báb on the centenary of its Founder's enthronement, summoned the Bahá'í world to the most ambitious teaching plan in its history — to settle believers in every remaining unopened country and territory of the planet.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"period": "Haifa",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.8156,
"lng": 34.9869,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"ten-year-crusade",
"teaching",
"guardianship",
"global-plan"
],
"virtues": [
"vision",
"sacrifice",
"courage"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-priceless-pearl",
"book": "The Priceless Pearl",
"author": "Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"year": 1969,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum describes the spring of\n1953 as the high tide of her husband’s Guardianship. The\nsuperstructure of the Shrine of the Báb was newly inaugurated;\nits golden dome had been lit; pilgrims from forty countries had\ncome to Haifa for the centenary of Bahá’u’lláh’s spiritual\nbirth in the Síyáh-Chál. From that hour, with all of these\nforces gathered, the Guardian unfolded a plan that exceeded\nevery prior plan of the Faith.\n\nHe called it the *World Crusade.* Its formal name in the\nBahá’í community has been the *Ten Year Crusade.* It would run\nfrom Riḍván 1953 to Riḍván 1963. It would set the worldwide\nBahá’í community — at that time still a small fellowship of\nfewer than two hundred thousand believers — to a list of\nspecific tasks.\n\nRúḥíyyih Khánum lists them, in her chapter, with the blunt\nclarity of the original cables. The friends were to settle\nbelievers in 131 new countries and territories that had no\nresident Bahá’í. They were to construct the first Houses of\nWorship in Africa, Australia, and Europe. They were to obtain\npermanent national administrative endowments. They were to\nacquire international Bahá’í properties at the World Centre.\nThey were to translate Bahá’í literature into a hundred new\nlanguages. They were to multiply the National Spiritual\nAssemblies of the world.\n\nThe list was, on its face, impossible. The community was small;\nthe financial resources were modest; many of the named\nterritories were closed by colonial regulation, by language\nbarrier, by climate, or by religious law. The Guardian named\neach one anyway. He published the list. He asked the friends to\nrespond.\n\nThey did. Rúḥíyyih Khánum’s chapter is partly a record of those\nwho left, in the months and years that followed, for the named\ngoals — leaving careers, families, and continents behind to sit\non the docks of unfamiliar islands or in the cold capitals of\nunlikely countries. They were not all heroic in temperament;\nmany were quite ordinary. But the plan organized them, and the\nplan was, by the end of its decade, very largely fulfilled.\n\nShoghi Effendi did not live to see the close of the Crusade.\nThe work he lit in 1953 burned for ten years; the world\ncommunity that emerged from its flame was, by the end, four\ntimes the size of the one that had begun. The plan was the\nfinal and most expansive labour of his Guardianship.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Priceless Pearl (Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1969); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Translating the Dawn-Breakers: Shoghi Effendi's Long Nights",
"slug": "pp-translating-dawn-breakers",
"summary": "In *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum describes the years of patient nightly labour by which Shoghi Effendi rendered Nabíl's Persian chronicle of the Bábí period into the cadenced English that became *The Dawn-Breakers* — the volume that, more than any other, made the heroic story of the Báb's followers available to the Western world.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Nabíl-i-A'ẓam",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"period": "Haifa",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.8156,
"lng": 34.9869,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"translation",
"dawn-breakers",
"guardianship",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"diligence",
"service",
"excellence"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "the-priceless-pearl",
"book": "The Priceless Pearl",
"author": "Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"year": 1969,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum devotes a careful\nchapter to the labour by which Shoghi Effendi gave the\nEnglish-speaking Bahá’í world its principal book of early\nhistory: the volume now known as *The Dawn-Breakers.*\n\nThe chronicle had been composed in Persian, in the 1880s, by\nNabíl-i-Aʿẓam, a believer who had himself been a youth among\nthe early Bábís and who had been encouraged by Bahá’u’lláh to\nrecord what he had seen and what he had heard from the\ncompanions of the Báb. The manuscript that emerged was vast,\ndetailed, and written in the Persian historical idiom of the\nperiod — full of Quranic allusions, of theological digressions,\nof long passages in classical metre.\n\nThe Guardian determined, in the late 1920s, that it must be\nmade accessible to the West. He took the work upon himself.\nRúḥíyyih Khánum describes the working method. He sat at his\ndesk in the Master’s house in Haifa late into the night, with\nthe Persian text in front of him, the English-Persian\ndictionaries he had compiled at Oxford within reach, and his\nown deep knowledge of both literatures held, page by page, in\nthe same mind. He rendered each passage into the English\nregister he had quietly chosen for the Sacred Writings — a\nformal, slightly archaic, faintly Biblical English — and he\nwrote, as well, the long footnotes that allowed a Western\nreader to follow the Persian background.\n\nThe work occupied him, in stretches, across several years.\nOther Tablets, other letters, other administrative tasks were\nattended to during the day. The translation was the labour of\nthe hours when Haifa was quiet. He shortened the original;\nselected what would carry; preserved the central narrative line\nfrom the Báb’s declaration in Shíráz to the martyrdoms of the\nlate 1840s. The result, published in 1932, was a book of nearly\nseven hundred pages — a chronicle, footnoted and indexed, that\nremains the principal source for the early heroic age of the\nFaith.\n\nRúḥíyyih Khánum’s chapter is also, between its lines, a portrait\nof the Guardian’s working ascetism. He did not travel; he did\nnot entertain; he wrote and translated. The light burned in his\nsmall room until the early hours. The Faith for which he laboured\nreceived, in those years, the books on which its Western\ngenerations would be raised.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Priceless Pearl (Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1969); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "An English for the Hidden Words: Shoghi Effendi's Discipline",
"slug": "pp-translating-hidden-words",
"summary": "In *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum describes the slow, exacting labour by which Shoghi Effendi rendered Bahá'u'lláh's *Hidden Words* into the English in which generations of Western believers have come to know them — a translation built one aphorism at a time, in the silent hours of his Haifa office.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"period": "Haifa",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.8156,
"lng": 34.9869,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"translation",
"hidden-words",
"sacred-writings",
"guardianship"
],
"virtues": [
"excellence",
"service",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "the-priceless-pearl",
"book": "The Priceless Pearl",
"author": "Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"year": 1969,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Priceless Pearl* Rúḥíyyih Khánum offers a portrait of\nthe Guardian as translator. The portrait is not, strictly, the\nsubject of any one chapter; it runs across the volume, gathered\nfrom her observation of his daily working life in Haifa.\n\nAmong his earliest and most careful translations was *The\nHidden Words.* Bahá’u’lláh had revealed the small book in the\n1850s in the wilderness above Baghdád — a series of brief\naphorisms in Arabic and Persian, each addressed *O Son of\nSpirit, O Children of Men, O My Friends* — that gathered, in\nthe simplest language, the moral teachings of the Cause.\n\nThe Guardian set himself, in the late 1920s, to render the\nwork into an English that would carry its weight for the\nWestern Bahá’í communities. Rúḥíyyih Khánum describes the\nworking method. He kept the Persian and the Arabic in front of\nhim on the desk. He kept, beside them, the English Bible —\nthe King James version, whose stately rhythm and faintly\narchaic vocabulary he had been studying since Oxford. He worked\none Hidden Word at a time. He revised. He set aside. He came\nback.\n\nThe result was the English text in which generations of Bahá’ís\nhave memorised the Words: *O Son of Spirit, my first counsel is\nthis: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart.* The voice is\nbiblical without being affected; it is reverent without being\nsolemn; it carries, in its unhurried cadences, the dignity of\nthe Persian and the Arabic without the alien feel of literal\ntranslation.\n\nRúḥíyyih Khánum recounts that he laboured similarly over every\ntext he translated for the Bahá’í world — the *Iqán,* portions\nof the *Aqdas* that appeared in compilations during his\nlifetime, the long extracts from Bahá’u’lláh's writings he\ngathered into *Gleanings,* the *Prayers and Meditations.* In\neach case the same instruments lay on the desk: the original,\nthe Bible, the dictionaries, the patient revising hand.\n\nHe never, she notes, allowed himself the easy paraphrase that\nordinary publishing would have permitted. He held himself to\nthe standard of one whose translations would be read, in\npublic worship, for a thousand years. The discipline shaped\nthe books; the books shaped the community.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Priceless Pearl (Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1969); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Preparation for war conditions had been made by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá even before His…",
"slug": "preparation-for-war-conditions-had-been-made-by-bs3",
"summary": "Preparation for war conditions had been made by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá even before His return to Palestine, after His world tour. The people of the villages Nughayb, Samrih, and 'Adasiyyih were instructed by the Master how to grow corn, so as to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"knighthood abdul baha"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/knighthood-abdul-baha"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nPreparation for war conditions had been made by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá even before His return to Palestine, after His world tour. The people of the villages Nughayb, Samrih, and 'Adasiyyih were instructed by the Master how to grow corn, so as to produce prolific harvests, in the period before and during the lean years of the war. A vast quantity of this corn was stored in pits, some of which had been made by the Romans, and were now utilized for this purpose. So it came about that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was able to feed numberless poor of the people of Haifa, 'Akká, and the neighbourhood, in the famine years of 1914-1918.\n\nWe learned that when the British marched into Haifa there was some difficulty about the commissariat. The officer in command went to consult the Master.\n\n\"I have corn,\" was the reply.\n\n\"But for the army?\" said the astonished soldier.\n\n\"I have corn for the British Army,\" said ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.\n\nHe truly walked the Mystic way with practical feet. Lady Blomfield often recounted how the corn pits proved a safe hiding-place for the corn, during the occupation of the Turkish army.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/knighthood-abdul-baha) (Subject: knighthood-abdul-baha).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Prison walls themselves did not obscure the happiness in the heart of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá",
"slug": "prison-walls-themselves-did-not-obscure-the-happiness-bs0",
"summary": "Prison walls themselves did not obscure the happiness in the heart of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. In prison He could write, ‘Grieve not because of my imprisonment and calamity; for this prison is my beautiful garden, my mansioned paradise and my throne…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"happiness",
"exile",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/happiness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nPrison walls themselves did not obscure the happiness in the heart of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. In prison He could write, ‘Grieve not because of my imprisonment and calamity; for this prison is my beautiful garden, my mansioned paradise and my throne of dominion among mankind. My calamity in my prison is a crown to me in which I glory among the righteous.’\n\nAt another time He wrote, ‘Anybody can be happy in the state of comfort, ease, health, success, pleasure and joy; but if one will be happy and contented in the time of trouble, hardship and prevailing disease, it is the proof of nobility.’\n\nIt is a beautiful thing to realize that life’s experiences did not sour or embitter the Master’s outlook. Tuberculosis at the age of seven, poverty, exile, separation from Bahá’u’lláh, imprisonment, the death of His sons He endured all these, and more, and remained optimistic and cheerful towards life. He walked nobly in adversity.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 165*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/happiness) (Subject: happiness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris, November 28th",
"slug": "pt-4-avenue-de-camoens-paris-november-28th",
"summary": "4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris, November…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris, \nNovember 28th\n\nIn these gatherings where we have met and spoken\ntogether you have all become acquainted with the principles of this\ndispensation, and with the reality of facts. Unto you it has been\ngiven to know these things, but there are many still unenlightened\nand submerged in superstition. They have heard but little of this\ngreat and glorious Cause, and the knowledge they have is for the most\npart based only on hearsay. Alas, poor souls, the knowledge they have\nis not based on truth, the foundation of their belief is not the\nteaching of Bahá’u’lláh! There is,\nassuredly, a certain amount of truth in what they have been told, but\nfor the most part their information has been inaccurate.\n\nThe true principles of the blessed Cause of God are the\neleven rules which I have given you, and I have carefully explained\nthese, one by one.\n\nYou must endeavour always to live and act in direct\nobedience to the teachings and laws of Bahá’u’lláh,\nso that every individual may see in all the acts of your life that in\nword and in deed you are followers of the Blessed Perfection.\n\nExert yourselves so that this glorious teaching may\nencircle the globe, and that spirituality may be infused into the\nhearts of men.\n\nThe breath of the Holy Spirit shall confirm you, and\nalthough many will arise against you, they shall not prevail!\n\nWhen the Lord Christ was crowned with thorns, He knew\nthat all the diadems of the world were at His feet. All earthly\ncrowns, however brilliant, powerful and resplendent, bowed in\nadoration before the crown of thorns! It was from this sure and\ncertain knowledge He spoke, when He said: ‘All power is given\nunto Me, in Heaven and in earth’.14\n\n\nNow I say unto you, bear this on your hearts and in your\nminds. Verily your light shall illumine the whole world, your\nspirituality shall affect the heart of things. You shall in truth\nbecome the lighted torches of the globe. Fear not, neither be\ndismayed, for your light shall penetrate the densest darkness. This\nis the Promise of God, which I give unto you. Rise! and serve the\nPower of God!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "ADDRESS BY ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ AT THE FRIENDS’ MEETING HOUSE, ST MARTIN’S LANE, LONDON, W.C.",
"slug": "pt-address-by-abdu-l-baha-at-the-friends-meeting-house-st-martin-s-lane-london-w",
"summary": "Sunday, January 12th,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSunday, January 12th, 1913\n\nAbout one thousand years ago a society was formed in\nPersia called the Society of the Friends, who gathered together for\nsilent communion with the Almighty.\n\nThey divided Divine philosophy into two parts: one kind\nis that of which the knowledge can be acquired through lectures and\nstudy in schools and colleges. The second kind of philosophy was that\nof the Illuminati, or followers of the inner light. The schools of\nthis philosophy were held in silence. Meditating, and turning their\nfaces to the Source of Light, from that central Light the mysteries\nof the Kingdom were reflected in the hearts of these people. All the\nDivine problems were solved by this power of illumination.\n\nThis Society of Friends increased greatly in Persia, and\nup to the present time their societies exist. Many books and epistles\nwere written by their leaders. When they assemble in their\nmeeting-house they sit silently and contemplate; their leader opens\nwith a certain proposition, and says to the assembly ‘You must\nmeditate on this problem’. Then, freeing their minds from\neverything else, they sit and reflect, and before long the answer is\nrevealed to them. Many abstruse divine questions are solved by this\nillumination.\n\nSome of the great questions unfolding from the rays of\nthe Sun of Reality upon the mind of man are: the problem of the\nreality of the spirit of man; of the birth of the spirit; of its\nbirth from this world into the world of God; the question of the\ninner life of the spirit and of its fate after its ascension from the\nbody.\n\nThey also meditate upon the scientific questions of the\nday, and these are likewise solved.\n\nThese people, who are called ‘Followers of the\ninner light’, attain to a superlative degree of power, and are\nentirely freed from blind dogmas and imitations. Men rely on the\nstatements of these people: by themselves—within\nthemselves—they solve all mysteries.\n\nIf they find a solution with the assistance of the inner\nlight, they accept it, and afterwards they declare it: otherwise they\nwould consider it a matter of blind imitation. They go so far as to\nreflect upon the essential nature of the Divinity, of the Divine\nrevelation, of the manifestation of the Deity in this world. All the\ndivine and scientific questions are solved by them through the power\nof the spirit.\n\nBahá’u’lláh says there is a\nsign (from God) in every phenomenon: the sign of the intellect is\ncontemplation and the sign of contemplation is silence, because it is\nimpossible for a man to do two things at one time—he cannot\nboth speak and meditate.\n\nIt is an axiomatic fact that while you meditate you are\nspeaking with your own spirit. In that state of mind you put certain\nquestions to your spirit and the spirit answers: the light breaks\nforth and the reality is revealed.\n\nYou cannot apply the name ‘man’ to any being\nvoid of this faculty of meditation; without it he would be a mere\nanimal, lower than the beasts.\n\nThrough the faculty of meditation man attains to eternal\nlife; through it he receives the breath of the Holy Spirit—the\nbestowal of the Spirit is given in reflection and meditation.\n\nThe spirit of man is itself informed and strengthened\nduring meditation; through it affairs of which man knew nothing are\nunfolded before his view. Through it he receives Divine inspiration,\nthrough it he receives heavenly food.\n\nMeditation is the key for opening the doors of\nmysteries. In that state man abstracts himself: in that state man\nwithdraws himself from all outside objects; in that subjective mood\nhe is immersed in the ocean of spiritual life and can unfold the\nsecrets of things-in-themselves. To illustrate this, think of man as\nendowed with two kinds of sight; when the power of insight is being\nused the outward power of vision does not see.\n\nThis faculty of meditation frees man from the animal\nnature, discerns the reality of things, puts man in touch with God.\n\nThis faculty brings forth from the invisible plane the\nsciences and arts. Through the meditative faculty inventions are made\npossible, colossal undertakings are carried out; through it\ngovernments can run smoothly. Through this faculty man enters into\nthe very Kingdom of God.\n\nNevertheless some thoughts are useless to man; they are\nlike waves moving in the sea without result. But if the faculty of\nmeditation is bathed in the inner light and characterized with divine\nattributes, the results will be confirmed.\n\nThe meditative faculty is akin to the mirror; if you put\nit before earthly objects it will reflect them. Therefore if the\nspirit of man is contemplating earthly subjects he will be informed\nof these.\n\nBut if you turn the mirror of your spirits heavenwards,\nthe heavenly constellations and the rays of the Sun of Reality will\nbe reflected in your hearts, and the virtues of the Kingdom will be\nobtained.\n\nTherefore let us keep this faculty rightly\ndirected—turning it to the heavenly Sun and not to earthly\nobjects—so that we may discover the secrets of the Kingdom, and\ncomprehend the allegories of the Bible and the mysteries of the\nspirit.\n\nMay we indeed become mirrors reflecting the heavenly\nrealities, and may we become so pure as to reflect the stars of\nheaven.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "BAHÁ’U’LLÁH",
"slug": "pt-baha-u-llah",
"summary": "November 7th ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said: I will speak to you today of Bahá’u’lláh. In the third year after the Báb had declared his Mission, Bahá’u’lláh, being accused by fanatical Mullás of believing in the new doctrine, was arrested and thrown…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"exile",
"prison",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNovember 7th\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:\n\nI will speak to you today of Bahá’u’lláh.\nIn the third year after the Báb had declared his Mission,\nBahá’u’lláh, being accused by fanatical\nMullás of believing in the new doctrine, was arrested and\nthrown into prison. The next day, however, several ministers of the\nGovernment and other influential men caused him to be set free. Later\non he was again arrested, and the priests condemned him to death! The\nGovernor hesitated to have this sentence carried out for fear of a\nrevolution. The priests met together in the Mosque, before which was\nthe place of execution. All the people of the town gathered in crowds\noutside the Mosque. The carpenters brought their saws and hammers,\nthe butchers came with their knives, the bricklayers and builders\nshouldered their spades, all these men, incited by the frenzied\nMullás, were eager to share in the honour of killing Him.\nInside the Mosque were assembled the doctors of religion. Bahá’u’lláh\nstood before them, and answered all their questions with great\nwisdom. The chief sage in particular, was completely silenced by\nBahá’u’lláh, who refuted all his arguments.\n\n\nA discussion arose between two of these priests as to\nthe meaning of some words in the writings of the Báb; accusing\nHim of inaccuracy, they challenged Bahá’u’lláh\nto defend Him if He were able. These priests were entirely\nhumiliated, for Bahá’u’lláh proved before\nthe whole assembly that the Báb was absolutely right, and that\nthe accusation was made in ignorance.\n\nThe defeated ones now put Him to the torture of the\nbastinado, and more infuriated than before brought Him out before the\nwalls of the Mosque unto the place of execution, where the misguided\npeople were awaiting His coming.\n\nStill the Governor feared to comply with the demand of\nthe priests for His execution. Realizing the danger in which the\ndignified prisoner was placed, some men were sent to rescue Him. In\nthis they succeeded by breaking through the wall of the Mosque and\nleading Bahá’u’lláh through the opening\ninto a place of safety, but not of freedom; for the Governor shifted\nthe responsibility from off his own shoulders by sending him to\nṬihrán. Here He was imprisoned in an underground\ndungeon, where the light of day was never seen. A heavy chain was\nplaced about his neck by which He was chained to five other Bábís;\nthese fetters were locked together by strong, very heavy bolts, and\nscrews. His clothes were torn to pieces, also His fez. In this\nterrible condition He was kept for four months.\n\nDuring this time none of His friends were able to get\naccess to Him.\n\nA prison official made an attempt to poison Him but,\nbeyond causing Him great suffering, this poison had no effect.\n\nAfter a time the Government liberated Him and exiled Him\nand His family to Baghdád, where He remained for eleven\nyears. During this time He underwent severe persecutions, being\nsurrounded by the watchful hatred of His enemies.\n\nHe bore all evils and torments with the greatest courage\nand fortitude. Often when He arose in the morning, He knew not\nwhether He would live until the sun should set. Meanwhile, each day,\nthe priests came and questioned Him on religion and metaphysics.\n\nAt length the Turkish Governor exiled Him to\nConstantinople, whence He was sent to Adrianople; here He stayed for\nfive years. Eventually, He was sent to the far off prison fortress of\nSt. Jean d’Acre. Here He was imprisoned in the military portion\nof the fortress and kept under the strictest surveillance. Words\nwould fail me to tell you of the many trials He had to suffer, and\nall the misery He endured in that prison. Notwithstanding, it was\nfrom this prison that Bahá’u’lláh wrote to\nall the Monarchs of Europe, and these letters with one exception were\nsent through the post.\n\nThe Epistle of Náṣiri’d-Dín\nSháh was confided to a Persian Bahá’í,\nMírzá Badí Khurásání,\nwho undertook to deliver it into the Sháh’s own\nhands. This brave man waited in the neighbourhood of Ṭihrán\nfor the passing of the Sháh, who had the intention to\njourney by that way to his Summer Palace. The courageous messenger\nfollowed the Sháh to his Palace, and waited on the road\nnear the entrance for several days. Always in the same place was he\nseen waiting on the road, until the people began to wonder why he\nshould be there. At last the Sháh heard of him, and\ncommanded his servants that the man should be brought before him.\n\n‘Oh! servants of the Sháh, I bring a\nletter, which I must deliver into his own hands’, Badí\nsaid, and then Badí said to the Sháh, ‘I\nbring you a letter from Bahá’u’lláh!’\n\n\nHe was immediately seized and questioned by those who\nwished to elicit information which would help them in the further\npersecutions of Bahá’u’lláh. Badí\nwould not answer a word; then they tortured him, still he held his\npeace! After three days they killed him, having failed to force him\nto speak! These cruel men photographed him whilst he was under\ntorture.7\n\n\nThe Sháh gave the letter from Bahá’u’lláh\nto the priests that they might explain it to him. After some days\nthese priests told the Sháh that the letter was from a\npolitical enemy. The Sháh grew angry and said, ‘This\nis no explanation. I pay you to read and answer my letters, therefore\nobey!’\n\nThe spirit and meaning of the Tablet to Náṣiri’d-Dín\nSháh was, in short, this: ‘Now that the time has\ncome, when the Cause of the Glory of God has appeared, I ask that I\nmay be allowed to come to Ṭihrán and answer any\nquestions the priests may put to Me.\n\n‘I exhort you to detach yourself from the worldly\nmagnificence of your Empire. Remember all those great kings who have\nlived before you—their glories have passed away!’\n\nThe letter was written in a most beautiful manner, and\ncontinued warning the King and telling him of the future triumph of\nthe Kingdom of Bahá’u’lláh, both in the\nEastern and in the Western World.\n\nThe Sháh paid no attention to the warning\nof this letter and continued to live in the same fashion until the\nend.\n\nAlthough Bahá’u’lláh was in\nprison the great Power of the Holy Spirit was with Him!\n\nNone other in prison could have been like unto Him. In\nspite of all the hardships He suffered, He never complained.\n\nIn the dignity of His Majesty, He always refused to see\nthe Governor, or the influential people of the town.\n\nAlthough the surveillance was unremittingly strict He\ncame and went as He wished! He died in a house situated about three\nkilometers from St. Jean d’Acre.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "BEAUTY AND HARMONY IN DIVERSITY",
"slug": "pt-beauty-and-harmony-in-diversity",
"summary": "October 28th The Creator of all is One God. From this same God all creation sprang into existence, and He is the one goal, towards which everything in nature yearns. This conception was embodied in the words of Christ, when He said, ‘I am…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"children",
"family",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOctober 28th\n\nThe Creator of all is One God.\n\nFrom this same God all creation sprang into existence,\nand He is the one goal, towards which everything in nature yearns.\nThis conception was embodied in the words of Christ, when He said, ‘I\nam the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end’. Man is\nthe sum of Creation, and the Perfect Man is the expression of the\ncomplete thought of the Creator—the Word of God.\n\nConsider the world of created beings, how varied and\ndiverse they are in species, yet with one sole origin. All the\ndifferences that appear are those of outward form and colour. This\ndiversity of type is apparent throughout the whole of nature.\n\nBehold a beautiful garden full of flowers, shrubs, and\ntrees. Each flower has a different charm, a peculiar beauty, its own\ndelicious perfume and beautiful colour. The trees too, how varied are\nthey in size, in growth, in foliage—and what different fruits\nthey bear! Yet all these flowers, shrubs and trees spring from the\nself-same earth, the same sun shines upon them and the same clouds\ngive them rain.\n\nSo it is with humanity. It is made up of many races, and\nits peoples are of different colour, white, black, yellow, brown and\nred—but they all come from the same God, and all are servants\nto Him. This diversity among the children of men has unhappily not\nthe same effect as it has among the vegetable creation, where the\nspirit shown is more harmonious. Among men exists the diversity of\nanimosity, and it is this that causes war and hatred among the\ndifferent nations of the world.\n\nDifferences which are only those of blood also cause\nthem to destroy and kill one another. Alas! that this should still be\nso. Let us look rather at the beauty in diversity, the beauty of\nharmony, and learn a lesson from the vegetable creation. If you\nbeheld a garden in which all the plants were the same as to form,\ncolour and perfume, it would not seem beautiful to you at all, but,\nrather, monotonous and dull. The garden which is pleasing to the eye\nand which makes the heart glad, is the garden in which are growing\nside by side flowers of every hue, form and perfume, and the joyous\ncontrast of colour is what makes for charm and beauty. So is it with\ntrees. An orchard full of fruit trees is a delight; so is a\nplantation planted with many species of shrubs. It is just the\ndiversity and variety that constitutes its charm; each flower, each\ntree, each fruit, beside being beautiful in itself, brings out by\ncontrast the qualities of the others, and shows to advantage the\nspecial loveliness of each and all.\n\nThus should it be among the children of men! The\ndiversity in the human family should be the cause of love and\nharmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together\nin the making of a perfect chord. If you meet those of different race\nand colour from yourself, do not mistrust them and withdraw yourself\ninto your shell of conventionality, but rather be glad and show them\nkindness. Think of them as different coloured roses growing in the\nbeautiful garden of humanity, and rejoice to be among them.\n\nLikewise, when you meet those whose opinions differ from\nyour own, do not turn away your face from them. All are seeking\ntruth, and there are many roads leading thereto. Truth has many\naspects, but it remains always and forever one.\n\nDo not allow difference of opinion, or diversity of\nthought to separate you from your fellow-men, or to be the cause of\ndispute, hatred and strife in your hearts.\n\nRather, search diligently for the truth and make all men\nyour friends.\n\nEvery edifice is made of many different stones, yet each\ndepends on the other to such an extent that if one were displaced the\nwhole building would suffer; if one is faulty the structure is\nimperfect.\n\nBahá’u’lláh has drawn the\ncircle of unity, He has made a design for the uniting of all the\npeoples, and for the gathering of them all under the shelter of the\ntent of universal unity. This is the work of the Divine Bounty, and\nwe must all strive with heart and soul until we have the reality of\nunity in our midst, and as we work, so will strength be given unto\nus. Leave all thought of self, and strive only to be obedient and\nsubmissive to the Will of God. In this way only shall we become\ncitizens of the Kingdom of God, and attain unto life everlasting.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "CONCERNING BODY, SOUL AND SPIRIT",
"slug": "pt-concerning-body-soul-and-spirit",
"summary": "4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris, Friday morning, November…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"hope",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris, \nFriday morning,\nNovember 17th\n\nThere are in the world of humanity three degrees; those\nof the body, the soul, and spirit.\n\nThe body is the physical or animal degree of man. From\nthe bodily point of view man is a sharer of the animal kingdom. The\nbodies alike of men and animals are composed of elements held\ntogether by the law of attraction.\n\nLike the animal, man possesses the faculties of the\nsenses, is subject to heat, cold, hunger, thirst, etc.; unlike the\nanimal, man has a rational soul, the human intelligence.\n\nThis intelligence of man is the intermediary between his\nbody and his spirit.\n\nWhen man allows the spirit, through his soul, to\nenlighten his understanding, then does he contain all Creation;\nbecause man, being the culmination of all that went before and thus\nsuperior to all previous evolutions, contains all the lower world\nwithin himself. Illumined by the spirit through the instrumentality\nof the soul, man’s radiant intelligence makes him the\ncrowning-point of Creation.\n\nBut on the other hand, when man does not open his mind\nand heart to the blessing of the spirit, but turns his soul towards\nthe material side, towards the bodily part of his nature, then is he\nfallen from his high place and he becomes inferior to the inhabitants\nof the lower animal kingdom. In this case the man is in a sorry\nplight! For if the spiritual qualities of the soul, open to the\nbreath of the Divine Spirit, are never used, they become atrophied,\nenfeebled, and at last incapable; whilst the soul’s material\nqualities alone being exercised, they become terribly powerful—and\nthe unhappy, misguided man, becomes more savage, more unjust, more\nvile, more cruel, more malevolent than the lower animals themselves.\nAll his aspirations and desires being strengthened by the lower side\nof the soul’s nature, he becomes more and more brutal, until\nhis whole being is in no way superior to that of the beasts that\nperish. Men such as this, plan to work evil, to hurt and to destroy;\nthey are entirely without the spirit of Divine compassion, for the\ncelestial quality of the soul has been dominated by that of the\nmaterial. If, on the contrary, the spiritual nature of the soul has\nbeen so strengthened that it holds the material side in subjection,\nthen does the man approach the Divine; his humanity becomes so\nglorified that the virtues of the Celestial Assembly are manifested\nin him; he radiates the Mercy of God, he stimulates the spiritual\nprogress of mankind, for he becomes a lamp to show light on their\npath.\n\nYou perceive how the soul is the intermediary between\nthe body and the spirit. In like manner is this tree11\nthe intermediary between the seed and the fruit. When the fruit of\nthe tree appears and becomes ripe, then we know that the tree is\nperfect; if the tree bore no fruit it would be merely a useless\ngrowth, serving no purpose!\n\nWhen a soul has in it the life of the spirit, then does\nit bring forth good fruit and become a Divine tree. I wish you to try\nto understand this example. I hope that the unspeakable goodness of\nGod will so strengthen you that the celestial quality of your soul,\nwhich relates it to the spirit, will for ever dominate the material\nside, so entirely ruling the senses that your soul will approach the\nperfections of the Heavenly Kingdom. May your faces, being\nsteadfastly set towards the Divine Light, become so luminous that all\nyour thoughts, words and actions will shine with the Spiritual\nRadiance dominating your souls, so that in the gatherings of the\nworld you will show perfection in your life.\n\nSome men’s lives are solely occupied with the\nthings of this world; their minds are so circumscribed by exterior\nmanners and traditional interests that they are blind to any other\nrealm of existence, to the spiritual significance of all things! They\nthink and dream of earthly fame, of material progress. Sensuous\ndelights and comfortable surroundings bound their horizon, their\nhighest ambitions centre in successes of worldly conditions and\ncircumstances! They curb not their lower propensities; they eat,\ndrink, and sleep! Like the animal, they have no thought beyond their\nown physical well-being. It is true that these necessities must be\ndespatched. Life is a load which must be carried on while we are on\nearth, but the cares of the lower things of life should not be\nallowed to monopolize all the thoughts and aspirations of a human\nbeing. The heart’s ambitions should ascend to a more glorious\ngoal, mental activity should rise to higher levels! Men should hold\nin their souls the vision of celestial perfection, and there prepare\na dwelling-place for the inexhaustible bounty of the Divine Spirit.\n\nLet your ambition be the achievement on earth of a\nHeavenly civilization! I ask for you the supreme blessing, that you\nmay be so filled with the vitality of the Heavenly Spirit that you\nmay be the cause of life to the world.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "DISCOURSE AT ‘L’ALLIANCE SPIRITUALISTE’",
"slug": "pt-discourse-at-l-alliance-spiritualiste",
"summary": "Salle de l’Athenée, St Germain, Paris,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"children",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 7,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSalle de l’Athenée, \nSt Germain, Paris,\n\nNovember 9th\n\nI wish to express my gratitude for your hospitality, and\nmy joy that you are spiritually minded. I am happy to be present at a\ngathering such as this, assembled together to listen to a Divine\nMessage. If you could see with the eye of truth, great waves of\nspirituality would be visible to you in this place. The power of the\nHoly Spirit is here for all. Praise be to God that your hearts are\ninspired with Divine fervour! Your souls are as waves on the sea of\nthe spirit; although each individual is a distinct wave, the ocean is\none, all are united in God.\n\nEvery heart should radiate unity, so that the Light of\nthe one Divine Source of all may shine forth bright and luminous. We\nmust not consider the separate waves alone, but the entire sea. We\nshould rise from the individual to the whole. The spirit is as one\ngreat ocean and the waves thereof are the souls of men.\n\nWe are told in the Holy Scripture that the New Jerusalem\nshall appear on earth. Now it is evident that this celestial city is\nnot built of material stones and mortar, but that it is a city not\nmade with hands, eternal in the Heavens.\n\nThis is a prophetic symbol, meaning the coming again of\nthe Divine Teaching to enlighten the hearts of men. It is long since\nthis Holy Guidance has governed the lives of humanity. But now, at\nlast, the Holy City of the New Jerusalem has come again to the world,\nit has appeared anew under an Eastern sky; from the horizon of Persia\nhas its effulgence arisen to be a light to lighten the whole world.\nWe see in these days the fulfilment of the Divine Prophecy. Jerusalem\nhad disappeared. The heavenly city was destroyed, now it is rebuilt;\nit was razed to the ground, but now its walls and pinnacles have been\nrestored, and are towering aloft in their renewed and glorious\nbeauty.\n\nIn the Western world material prosperity has triumphed,\nwhilst in the East the spiritual sun has shone forth.\n\nI am very glad to see such an assembly as this in Paris,\nwhere spiritual and material progress are met together in unity.\n\nMan—the true man—is soul, not body; though\nphysically man belongs to the animal kingdom, yet his soul lifts him\nabove the rest of creation. Behold how the light of the sun\nilluminates the world of matter: even so doth the Divine Light shed\nits rays in the kingdom of the soul. The soul it is which makes the\nhuman creature a celestial entity!\n\nBy the power of the Holy Spirit, working through his\nsoul, man is able to perceive the Divine reality of things. All great\nworks of art and science are witnesses to this power of the Spirit.\n\nThe same Spirit gives Eternal Life.\n\nThose alone who are baptized by the Divine Spirit will\nbe enabled to bring all peoples into the bond of unity. It is by the\npower of the Spirit that the Eastern World of spiritual thought can\nintermingle with the Western realm of action, so that the world of\nmatter may become Divine.\n\nIt follows that all who work for the Supreme Design are\nsoldiers in the army of the Spirit.\n\nThe light of the celestial world makes war against the\nworld of shadow and illusion. The rays of the Sun of Truth dispel the\ndarkness of superstition and misunderstanding.\n\nYou are of the Spirit! To you who seek the truth, the\nRevelation of Bahá’u’lláh will come as a\ngreat joy! This teaching is of the Spirit, in it is no precept which\nis not of the Divine Spirit.\n\nSpirit cannot be perceived by the material senses of the\nphysical body, excepting as it is expressed in outward signs and\nworks. The human body is visible, the soul is invisible. It is the\nsoul nevertheless that directs a man’s faculties, that governs\nhis humanity.\n\nThe soul has two main faculties. (a) As outer\ncircumstances are communicated to the soul by the eyes, ears, and\nbrain of a man, so does the soul communicate its desires and purposes\nthrough the brain to the hands and tongue of the physical body,\nthereby expressing itself. The spirit in the soul is the very essence\nof life. (b) The second faculty of the soul expresses itself in the\nworld of vision, where the soul inhabited by the spirit has its\nbeing, and functions without the help of the material bodily senses.\nThere, in the realm of vision, the soul sees without the help of the\nphysical eye, hears without the aid of the physical ear, and travels\nwithout dependence upon physical motion. It is, therefore, clear that\nthe spirit in the soul of man can function through the physical body\nby using the organs of the ordinary senses, and that it is able also\nto live and act without their aid in the world of vision. This proves\nwithout a doubt the superiority of the soul of man over his body, the\nsuperiority of spirit over matter.\n\nFor example, look at this lamp: is not the light within\nit superior to the lamp which holds it? However beautiful the form of\nthe lamp may be, if the light is not there its purpose is\nunfulfilled, it is without life—a dead thing. The lamp needs\nthe light, but the light does not need the lamp.\n\nThe spirit does not need a body, but the body needs\nspirit, or it cannot live. The soul can live without a body, but the\nbody without a soul dies.\n\nIf a man lose his sight, his hearing, his hand or his\nfoot, should his soul still inhabit the body he lives, and is able to\nmanifest divine virtues. On the other hand, without the spirit it\nwould be impossible for a perfect body to exist.\n\nThe greatest power of the Holy Spirit exists in the\nDivine Manifestations of the Truth. Through the power of the Spirit\nthe Heavenly Teaching has been brought into the World of Humanity.\nThrough the power of the Spirit life everlasting has come to the\nchildren of men. Through the power of the Spirit the Divine Glory has\nshone from East to West, and through the power of the same Spirit\nwill the divine virtues of humanity become manifest.\n\nOur greatest efforts must be directed towards detachment\nfrom the things of the world; we must strive to become more\nspiritual, more luminous, to follow the counsel of the Divine\nTeaching, to serve the cause of unity and true equality, to be\nmerciful, to reflect the love of the Highest on all men, so that the\nlight of the Spirit shall be apparent in all our deeds, to the end\nthat all humanity shall be united, the stormy sea thereof calmed, and\nall rough waves disappear from off the surface of life’s ocean\nhenceforth unruffled and peaceful. Then will the New Jerusalem be\nseen by mankind, who will enter through its gates and receive the\nDivine Bounty.\n\nI thank God that I have been present amongst you this\nafternoon, and I thank you for your spiritual feeling.\n\nI pray that you may grow in Divine fervour, and that the\npower of unity in the Spirit will augment, so that the prophecies may\nbe fulfilled, and that in this great century of the Light of God all\nthe glad tidings written in the Sacred Books may come to pass. This\nis the glorious time of which the Lord Jesus Christ spoke when He\ntold us to pray ‘Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as\nit is in Heaven’. I hope that this is also your expectation and\ngreat desire.\n\nWe are united in the one aim and hope that all shall be\nas one and every heart illumined by the Love of our Divine Father,\nGod!\n\nMay all our actions be spiritual, and all our interests\nand affections be centred in the Kingdom of Glory!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "EVIL",
"slug": "pt-evil",
"summary": "‘What is evil?’ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.—‘Evil is imperfection. Sin is the state of man in the world of the baser nature, for in nature exist defects such as injustice, tyranny, hatred, hostility, strife: these are characteristics of the lower plane…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n‘What is evil?’\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá.—‘Evil is\nimperfection. Sin is the state of man in the world of the baser\nnature, for in nature exist defects such as injustice, tyranny,\nhatred, hostility, strife: these are characteristics of the lower\nplane of nature. These are the sins of the world, the fruits of the\ntree from which Adam did eat. Through education we must free\nourselves from these imperfections. The Prophets of God have been\nsent, the Holy Books have been written, so that man may be made free.\nJust as he is born into this world of imperfection from the womb of\nhis earthly mother, so is he born into the world of spirit through\ndivine education. When a man is born into the world of phenomena he\nfinds the universe; when he is born from this world to the world of\nthe spirit, he finds the Kingdom.’\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "FOURTH PRINCIPLE—THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE RELATION BETWEEN RELIGION AND SCIENCE",
"slug": "pt-fourth-principle-the-acceptance-of-the-relation-between-religion-and-science",
"summary": "4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris, November…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"generosity",
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 7,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris, \nNovember 12th\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:\n\nI have spoken to you of some of the principles of\nBahá’u’lláh: The Search after Truth and The\nUnity of Mankind. I will now explain the Fourth Principle, which is\nThe Acceptance of the Relation between Religion and Science.\n\nThere is no contradiction between true religion and\nscience. When a religion is opposed to science it becomes mere\nsuperstition: that which is contrary to knowledge is ignorance.\n\nHow can a man believe to be a fact that which science\nhas proved to be impossible? If he believes in spite of his reason,\nit is rather ignorant superstition than faith. The true principles of\nall religions are in conformity with the teachings of science.\n\nThe Unity of God is logical, and this idea is not\nantagonistic to the conclusions arrived at by scientific study.\n\nAll religions teach that we must do good, that we must\nbe generous, sincere, truthful, law-abiding, and faithful; all this\nis reasonable, and logically the only way in which humanity can\nprogress.\n\nAll religious laws conform to reason, and are suited to\nthe people for whom they are framed, and for the age in which they\nare to be obeyed.\n\nReligion has two main parts:\n\n(1) The Spiritual.\n\n(2) The Practical.\n\nThe spiritual part never changes. All the Manifestations\nof God and His Prophets have taught the same truths and given the\nsame spiritual law. They all teach the one code of morality. There is\nno division in the truth. The Sun has sent forth many rays to\nillumine human intelligence, the light is always the same.\n\nThe practical part of religion deals with exterior forms\nand ceremonies, and with modes of punishment for certain offences.\nThis is the material side of the law, and guides the customs and\nmanners of the people.\n\nIn the time of Moses, there were ten crimes punishable\nby death. When Christ came this was changed; the old axiom ‘an\neye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth’ was converted into\n‘Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you’, the\nstern old law being changed into one of love, mercy and forbearance!\n\nIn the former days the punishment for theft was the\ncutting off of the right hand; in our time this law could not be so\napplied. In this age, a man who curses his father is allowed to live,\nwhen formerly he would have been put to death. It is therefore\nevident that whilst the spiritual law never alters, the practical\nrules must change their application with the necessities of the time.\nThe spiritual aspect of religion is the greater, the more important\nof the two, and this is the same for all time, it never changes! It\nis the same, yesterday, today, and for ever! ‘As it was the\nbeginning, is now, and ever shall be.’\n\nNow, all questions of morality contained in the\nspiritual, immutable law of every religion are logically right. If\nreligion were contrary to logical reason then it would cease to be a\nreligion and be merely a tradition. Religion and science are the two\nwings upon which man’s intelligence can soar into the heights,\nwith which the human soul can progress. It is not possible to fly\nwith one wing alone! Should a man try to fly with the wing of\nreligion alone he would quickly fall into the quagmire of\nsuperstition, whilst on the other hand, with the wing of science\nalone he would also make no progress, but fall into the despairing\nslough of materialism. All religions of the present day have fallen\ninto superstitious practices, out of harmony alike with the true\nprinciples of the teaching they represent and with the scientific\ndiscoveries of the time. Many religious leaders have grown to think\nthat the importance of religion lies mainly in the adherence to a\ncollection of certain dogmas and the practice of rites and\nceremonies! Those whose souls they profess to cure are taught to\nbelieve likewise, and these cling tenaciously to the outward forms,\nconfusing them with the inward truth.\n\nNow, these forms and rituals differ in the various\nchurches and amongst the different sects, and even contradict one\nanother; giving rise to discord, hatred, and disunion. The outcome of\nall this dissension is the belief of many cultured men that religion\nand science are contradictory terms, that religion needs no powers of\nreflection, and should in no wise be regulated by science, but must\nof necessity be opposed, the one to the other. The unfortunate effect\nof this is that science has drifted apart from religion, and religion\nhas become a mere blind and more or less apathetic following of the\nprecepts of certain religious teachers, who insist on their own\nfavourite dogmas being accepted even when they are contrary to\nscience. This is foolishness, for it is quite evident that science is\nthe light, and, being so, religion truly so-called does not oppose\nknowledge.\n\nWe are familiar with the phrases ‘Light and\nDarkness’, ‘Religion and Science’. But the religion\nwhich does not walk hand in hand with science is itself in the\ndarkness of superstition and ignorance.\n\nMuch of the discord and disunion of the world is created\nby these man-made oppositions and contradictions. If religion were in\nharmony with science and they walked together, much of the hatred and\nbitterness now bringing misery to the human race would be at an end.\n\nConsider what it is that singles man out from among\ncreated beings, and makes of him a creature apart. Is it not his\nreasoning power, his intelligence? Shall he not make use of these in\nhis study of religion? I say unto you: weigh carefully in the balance\nof reason and science everything that is presented to you as\nreligion. If it passes this test, then accept it, for it is truth!\nIf, however, it does not so conform, then reject it, for it is\nignorance!\n\nLook around and see how the world of today is drowned in\nsuperstition and outward forms!\n\nSome worship the product of their own imagination: they\nmake for themselves an imaginary God and adore this, when the\ncreation of their finite minds cannot be the Infinite Mighty Maker of\nall things visible and invisible! Others worship the sun or trees,\nalso stones! In past ages there were those who adored the sea, the\nclouds, and even clay!\n\nToday, men have grown into such adoring attachment to\noutward forms and ceremonies that they dispute over this point of\nritual or that particular practice, until one hears on all sides of\nwearisome arguments and unrest. There are individuals who have weak\nintellects and their powers of reasoning have not developed, but the\nstrength and power of religion must not be doubted because of the\nincapacity of these persons to understand.\n\nA small child cannot comprehend the laws that govern\nnature, but this is on account of the immature intellect of that\nchild; when he is grown older and has been educated he too will\nunderstand the everlasting truths. A child does not grasp the fact\nthat the earth revolves round the sun, but, when his intelligence is\nawakened, the fact is clear and plain to him.\n\nIt is impossible for religion to be contrary to science,\neven though some intellects are too weak or too immature to\nunderstand truth.\n\nGod made religion and science to be the measure, as it\nwere, of our understanding. Take heed that you neglect not such a\nwonderful power. Weigh all things in this balance.\n\nTo him who has the power of comprehension religion is\nlike an open book, but how can it be possible for a man devoid of\nreason and intellectuality to understand the Divine Realities of God?\n\n\nPut all your beliefs into harmony with science; there\ncan be no opposition, for truth is one. When religion, shorn of its\nsuperstitions, traditions, and unintelligent dogmas, shows its\nconformity with science, then will there be a great unifying,\ncleansing force in the world which will sweep before it all wars,\ndisagreements, discords and struggles—and then will mankind be\nunited in the power of the Love of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "GOD COMPREHENDS ALL: HE CANNOT BE COMPREHENDED",
"slug": "pt-god-comprehends-all-he-cannot-be-comprehended",
"summary": "Friday evening, October…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"children",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"patience",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nFriday evening, October 20th\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:\n\nNumerous meetings are held in Paris every day for\ndifferent purposes, to discuss politics, commerce, education, art,\nscience and many other subjects.\n\nAll these meetings are good: but this assembly has met\ntogether to turn their faces towards God, to learn how best to work\nfor the good of humanity, to seek how prejudices may be abolished,\nand the seed of love and universal brotherhood sown in the heart of\nman.\n\nGod approves of the motive of our gathering together and\ngives us His blessing.\n\nIn the Old Testament we read that God said, ‘Let\nus make man in Our own image’. In the Gospel, Christ said, ‘I\nam in the Father, and the Father in Me’.1\nIn the Qur’án, God says, ‘Man is my Mystery and I\nam his’. Bahá’u’lláh writes that God\nsays, ‘Thy heart is My home; purify it for My descent. Thy\nspirit is My place of revelation; cleanse it for My manifestation’.\n\n\nAll these sacred words show us that man is made in God’s\nimage: yet the Essence of God is incomprehensible to the human mind,\nfor the finite understanding cannot be applied to this infinite\nMystery. God contains all: He cannot be contained. That which\ncontains is superior to that which is contained. The whole is greater\nthan its parts.\n\nThings which are understood by men cannot be outside\ntheir capacity for understanding, so that it is impossible for the\nheart of man to comprehend the nature of the Majesty of God. Our\nimagination can only picture that which it is able to create.\n\nThe power of the understanding differs in degree in the\nvarious kingdoms of creation. The mineral, vegetable, and animal\nrealms are each incapable of understanding any creation beyond their\nown. The mineral cannot imagine the growing power of the plant. The\ntree cannot understand the power of movement in the animal, neither\ncan it comprehend what it would mean to possess sight, hearing or the\nsense of smell. These all belong to the physical creation.\n\nMan also shares in this creation; but it is not possible\nfor either of the lower kingdoms to understand that which takes place\nin the mind of man. The animal cannot realize the intelligence of a\nhuman being, he only knows that which is perceived by his animal\nsenses, he cannot imagine anything in the abstract. An animal could\nnot learn that the world is round, that the earth revolves round the\nsun, or the construction of the electric telegraph. These things are\nonly possible to man. Man is the highest work of creation, the\nnearest to God of all creatures.\n\nAll superior kingdoms are incomprehensible to the\ninferior; how therefore could it be possible that the creature, man,\nshould understand the almighty Creator of all?\n\nThat which we imagine, is not the Reality of God; He,\nthe Unknowable, the Unthinkable, is far beyond the highest conception\nof man.\n\nAll creatures that exist are dependent upon the Divine\nBounty. Divine Mercy gives life itself. As the light of the sun\nshines on the whole world, so the Mercy of the infinite God is shed\non all creatures. As the sun ripens the fruits of the earth, and\ngives life and warmth to all living beings, so shines the Sun of\nTruth on all souls, filling them with the fire of Divine love and\nunderstanding.\n\nThe superiority of man over the rest of the created\nworld is seen again in this, that man has a soul in which dwells the\ndivine spirit; the souls of the lower creatures are inferior in their\nessence.\n\nThere is no doubt then, that of all created beings man\nis the nearest to the nature of God, and therefore receives a greater\ngift of the Divine Bounty.\n\nThe mineral kingdom possesses the power of existing. The\nplant has the power of existing and growing. The animal, in addition\nto existence and growth, has the capacity of moving about, and the\nuse of the faculties of the senses. In the human kingdom we find all\nthe attributes of the lower worlds, with much more added thereto. Man\nis the sum of every previous creation, for he contains them all.\n\nTo man is given the special gift of the intellect by\nwhich he is able to receive a larger share of the light Divine. The\nPerfect Man is as a polished mirror reflecting the Sun of Truth,\nmanifesting the attributes of God.\n\nThe Lord Christ said, ‘He that hath seen Me hath\nseen the Father’—God manifested in man.\n\nThe sun does not leave his place in the heavens and\ndescend into the mirror, for the actions of ascent and descent,\ncoming and going, do not belong to the Infinite, they are the methods\nof finite beings. In the Manifestation of God, the perfectly polished\nmirror, appear the qualities of the Divine in a form that man is\ncapable of comprehending.\n\nThis is so simple that all can understand it, and that\nwhich we are able to understand we must perforce accept.\n\nOur Father will not hold us responsible for the\nrejection of dogmas which we are unable either to believe or\ncomprehend, for He is ever infinitely just to His children.\n\nThis example is, however, so logical that it can easily\nbe grasped by all minds willing to give it their consideration.\n\nMay each one of you become a shining lamp, of which the\nflame is the Love of God. May your hearts burn with the radiance of\nunity. May your eyes be illumined with the effulgence of the Sun of\nTruth!\n\nThe city of Paris is very beautiful, a more civilized\nand well-appointed town in all material development it would be\nimpossible to find in the present world. But the spiritual light has\nnot shone upon her for a long time: her spiritual progress is far\nbehind that of her material civilization. A supreme power is needed\nto awaken her to the reality of spiritual truth, to breathe the\nbreath of life into her dormant soul. You must all unite in this work\nof arousing her, in reanimating her people by the help of that\nSuperior Force.\n\nWhen an illness is slight a small remedy will suffice to\nheal it, but when the slight illness becomes a terrible disease, then\na very strong remedy must be used by the Divine Healer. There are\nsome trees that blossom and bear fruit in a cool climate, others\nthere are which need the hottest rays of the sun to bring them to\nperfect maturity. Paris is one of those trees for whose spiritual\nunfoldment a great flaming Sun of the Divine Power of God is needed.\n\nI ask you all, each one of you, to follow well the light\nof truth, in the Holy Teachings, and God will strengthen you by His\nHoly Spirit so that you will be enabled to overcome the difficulties,\nand to destroy the prejudices which cause separation and hatred\namongst the people. Let your hearts be filled with the great love of\nGod, let it be felt by all; for every man is a servant of God, and\nall are entitled to a share of the Divine Bounty.\n\nEspecially to those whose thoughts are material and\nretrograde show the utmost love and patience, thereby winning them\ninto the unity of fellowship by the radiance of your kindness.\n\nIf you are faithful to your great work, following the\nHoly Sun of Truth without swerving, then will the blessed day of\nuniversal brotherhood dawn on this beautiful city.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "GOD IS THE GREAT COMPASSIONATE PHYSICIAN WHO ALONE GIVES TRUE HEALING",
"slug": "pt-god-is-the-great-compassionate-physician-who-alone-gives-true-healing",
"summary": "October 19th All true healing comes from God! There are two causes for sickness, one is material, the other spiritual. If the sickness is of the body, a material remedy is needed, if of the soul, a spiritual remedy. If the heavenly…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"gratitude",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOctober 19th\n\nAll true healing comes from God! There are two causes\nfor sickness, one is material, the other spiritual. If the sickness\nis of the body, a material remedy is needed, if of the soul, a\nspiritual remedy.\n\nIf the heavenly benediction be upon us while we are\nbeing healed then only can we be made whole, for medicine is but the\noutward and visible means through which we obtain the heavenly\nhealing. Unless the spirit be healed, the cure of the body is worth\nnothing. All is in the hands of God, and without Him there can be no\nhealth in us!\n\nThere have been many men who have died at last of the\nvery disease of which they have made a special study. Aristotle, for\ninstance, who made a special study of the digestion, died of a\ngastronomic malady. Aviseu was a specialist of the heart, but he died\nof heart disease. God is the great compassionate Physician who alone\nhas the power to give true healing.\n\nAll creatures are dependent upon God, however great may\nseem their knowledge, power and independence.\n\nBehold the mighty kings upon earth, for they have all\nthe power in the world that man can give them, and yet when death\ncalls they must obey, even as the peasants at their gates.\n\nLook also at the animals, how helpless they are in their\napparent strength! For the elephant, the largest of all animals, is\ntroubled by the fly, and the lion cannot escape the irritation of the\nworm. Even man, the highest form of created beings, needs many things\nfor his very life; first of all he needs air, and if he is deprived\nof it for a few minutes, he dies. He is also dependent on water,\nfood, clothing, warmth, and many other things. On all sides he is\nsurrounded by dangers and difficulties, against which his physical\nbody alone cannot cope. If a man looks at the world around him, he\nwill see how all created things are dependent and are captive to the\nlaws of Nature.\n\nMan alone, by his spiritual power, has been able to free\nhimself, to soar above the world of matter and to make it his\nservant.\n\nWithout the help of God man is even as the beasts that\nperish, but God has bestowed such wonderful power upon him that he\nmight ever look upward, and receive, among other gifts, healing from\nHis divine Bounty.\n\nBut alas! man is not grateful for this supreme good, but\nsleeps the sleep of negligence, being careless of the great mercy\nwhich God has shown towards him, turning his face away from the light\nand going on his way in darkness.\n\nIt is my earnest prayer, that ye be not like unto this,\nbut rather that ye keep your faces steadfastly turned to the light,\nso that ye may be as lighted torches in the dark places of life.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "GOD’S GREATEST GIFT TO MAN",
"slug": "pt-god-s-greatest-gift-to-man",
"summary": "Thursday, October…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThursday, October 26th\n\nGod’s greatest gift to man is that of intellect,\nor understanding.\n\nThe understanding is the power by which man acquires his\nknowledge of the several kingdoms of creation, and of various stages\nof existence, as well as of much which is invisible.\n\nPossessing this gift, he is, in himself, the sum of\nearlier creations—he is able to get into touch with those\nkingdoms; and by this gift, he can frequently, through his scientific\nknowledge, reach out with prophetic vision.\n\nIntellect is, in truth, the most precious gift bestowed\nupon man by the Divine Bounty. Man alone, among created beings, has\nthis wonderful power.\n\nAll creation, preceding Man, is bound by the stern law\nof nature. The great sun, the multitudes of stars, the oceans and\nseas, the mountains, the rivers, the trees, and all animals, great or\nsmall—none is able to evade obedience to nature’s law.\n\nMan alone has freedom, and, by his understanding or\nintellect, has been able to gain control of and adapt some of those\nnatural laws to his own needs. By the power of his intellect he has\ndiscovered means by which he not only traverses great continents in\nexpress trains and crosses vast oceans in ships, but, like the fish\nhe travels under water in submarines, and, imitating the birds, he\nflies through the air in airships.\n\nMan has succeeded in using electricity in several\nways—for light, for motive power, for sending messages from one\nend of the earth to the other—and by electricity he can even\nhear a voice many miles away!\n\nBy this gift of understanding or intellect he has also\nbeen able to use the rays of the sun to picture people and things,\nand even to capture the form of distant heavenly bodies.\n\nWe perceive in what numerous ways man has been able to\nbend the powers of nature to his will.\n\nHow grievous it is to see how man has used his God-given\ngift to frame instruments of war, for breaking the Commandment of God\n‘Thou shalt not kill’, and for defying Christ’s\ninjunction to ‘Love one another’.\n\nGod gave this power to man that it might be used for the\nadvancement of civilization, for the good of humanity, to increase\nlove and concord and peace. But man prefers to use this gift to\ndestroy instead of to build, for injustice and oppression, for hatred\nand discord and devastation, for the destruction of his\nfellow-creatures, whom Christ has commanded that he should love as\nhimself!\n\nI hope that you will use your understanding to promote\nthe unity and tranquillity of mankind, to give enlightenment and\ncivilization to the people, to produce love in all around you, and to\nbring about the universal peace.\n\nStudy the sciences, acquire more and more knowledge.\nAssuredly one may learn to the end of one’s life! Use your\nknowledge always for the benefit of others; so may war cease on the\nface of this beautiful earth, and a glorious edifice of peace and\nconcord be raised. Strive that your high ideals may be realized in\nthe Kingdom of God on earth, as they will be in Heaven.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "GOOD IDEAS MUST BE CARRIED INTO ACTION",
"slug": "pt-good-ideas-must-be-carried-into-action",
"summary": "November 8th All over the world one hears beautiful sayings extolled and noble precepts admired. All men say they love what is good, and hate everything that is evil! Sincerity is to be admired, whilst lying is despicable. Faith is a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"patience",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNovember 8th\n\nAll over the world one hears beautiful sayings extolled\nand noble precepts admired. All men say they love what is good, and\nhate everything that is evil! Sincerity is to be admired, whilst\nlying is despicable. Faith is a virtue, and treachery is a disgrace\nto humanity. It is a blessed thing to gladden the hearts of men, and\nwrong to be the cause of pain. To be kind and merciful is right,\nwhile to hate is sinful. Justice is a noble quality and injustice an\niniquity. That it is one’s duty to be pitiful and harm no one,\nand to avoid jealousy and malice at all costs. Wisdom is the glory of\nman, not ignorance; light, not darkness! It is a good thing to turn\none’s face toward God, and foolishness to ignore Him. That it\nis our duty to guide man upward, and not to mislead him and be the\ncause of his downfall. There are many more examples like unto these.\n\nBut all these sayings are but words and we see very few\nof them carried into the world of action. On the contrary, we\nperceive that men are carried away by passion and selfishness, each\nman thinking only of what will benefit himself even if it means the\nruin of his brother. They are all anxious to make their fortune and\ncare little or nothing for the welfare of others. They are concerned\nabout their own peace and comfort, while the condition of their\nfellows troubles them not at all.\n\nUnhappily this is the road most men tread.\n\nBut Bahá’ís must not be thus; they\nmust rise above this condition. Actions must be more to them than\nwords. By their actions they must be merciful and not merely by their\nwords. They must on all occasions confirm by their actions what they\nproclaim in words. Their deeds must prove their fidelity, and their\nactions must show forth Divine light.\n\nLet your actions cry aloud to the world that you are\nindeed Bahá’ís, for it is actions that speak to\nthe world and are the cause of the progress of humanity.\n\nIf we are true Bahá’ís speech is not\nneeded. Our actions will help on the world, will spread civilization,\nwill help the progress of science, and cause the arts to develop.\nWithout action nothing in the material world can be accomplished,\nneither can words unaided advance a man in the spiritual Kingdom. It\nis not through lip-service only that the elect of God have attained\nto holiness, but by patient lives of active service they have brought\nlight into the world.\n\nTherefore strive that your actions day by day may be\nbeautiful prayers. Turn towards God, and seek always to do that which\nis right and noble. Enrich the poor, raise the fallen, comfort the\nsorrowful, bring healing to the sick, reassure the fearful, rescue\nthe oppressed, bring hope to the hopeless, shelter the destitute!\n\nThis is the work of a true Bahá’í,\nand this is what is expected of him. If we strive to do all this,\nthen are we true Bahá’ís, but if we neglect it,\nwe are not followers of the Light, and we have no right to the name.\n\nGod, who sees all hearts, knows how far our lives are\nthe fulfilment of our words.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "LECTURE GIVEN AT A STUDIO IN PARIS",
"slug": "pt-lecture-given-at-a-studio-in-paris",
"summary": "November 6th This is in truth a Bahá’í house. Every time such a house or meeting place is founded it becomes one of the greatest aids to the general development of the town and country to which it belongs. It encourages the growth of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"courage",
"faith",
"generosity",
"honesty",
"hope",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"prayer",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNovember 6th\n\nThis is in truth a Bahá’í house.\nEvery time such a house or meeting place is founded it becomes one of\nthe greatest aids to the general development of the town and country\nto which it belongs. It encourages the growth of learning and science\nand is known for its intense spirituality and for the love it spreads\namong the peoples.\n\nThe foundation of such a meeting-place is always\nfollowed by the greatest prosperity. The first Bahá’í\nAssembly that existed in Ṭihrán was singularly blessed!\nIn one year it had grown so rapidly that its members had increased to\nnine times their original number. Today, in far-away Persia, there\nare many such assemblies where the friends of God meet together in\nthe fulness of joy, love and unity. They teach the Cause of God,\neducate the ignorant, and draw heart to heart in brotherly kindness.\nIt is they who help the poor and needy and give to them their daily\nbread. They love and care for the sick and are messengers of hope and\nconsolation to the desolate and oppressed.\n\nOh, ye in Paris, strive that your assemblies may be like\nunto this, and may bear even greater fruits!\n\nOh, friends of God! If ye will trust in the Word of God\nand be strong; if ye will follow the precepts of Bahá’u’lláh\nto tend the sick, raise the fallen, care for the poor and needy, give\nshelter to the destitute, protect the oppressed, comfort the\nsorrowful and love the world of humanity with all your hearts, then I\nsay unto you that ere long this meeting-place will see a wonderful\nharvest. Day by day each member will advance and become more and more\nspiritual. But ye must have a firm foundation and your aims and\nambitions must be clearly understood by each member. They shall be as\nfollows:\n\n1. To show compassion and goodwill to all mankind.\n\n2. To render service to humanity.\n\n3. To endeavour to guide and enlighten those in\ndarkness.\n\n4. To be kind to everyone, and show forth affection to\nevery living soul.\n\n5. To be humble in your attitude towards God, to be\nconstant in prayer to Him, so as to grow daily nearer to God.\n\n6. To be so faithful and sincere in all your actions\nthat every member may be known as embodying the qualities of honesty,\nlove, faith, kindness, generosity, and courage. To be detached from\nall that is not God, attracted by the Heavenly Breath—a divine\nsoul; so that the world may know that a Bahá’í is\na perfect being.\n\nStrive to attain this at these meetings. Then, indeed\nand in truth will ye, the friends of God, come together with great\njoy! Render help one to the other, become as one man, having reached\nperfect unity.\n\nI pray to God that daily ye may advance in spirituality,\nthat God’s love may be more and more manifested in you, that\nthe thoughts of your hearts may be purified, and that your faces may\nbe ever turned towards Him. May you one and all approach to the\nthreshold of unity, and enter into the Kingdom. May each of you be\nlike unto a flaming torch, lighted and burning bright with the fire\nof the Love of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL PROGRESS",
"slug": "pt-material-and-spiritual-progress",
"summary": "November 2nd ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said: How beautiful the weather is today, the sky is clear, the sun shines, and the heart of man is made glad thereby! Such bright and beautiful weather gives new life and strength to man, and if he has been sick,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNovember 2nd\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:\n\nHow beautiful the weather is today, the sky is clear,\nthe sun shines, and the heart of man is made glad thereby!\n\nSuch bright and beautiful weather gives new life and\nstrength to man, and if he has been sick, he feels once more in his\nheart the joyous hope of health renewed. All these gifts of nature\nconcern the physical side of man, for it is only his body that can\nreceive material benefits.\n\nIf a man is successful in his business, art, or\nprofession he is thereby enabled to increase his physical wellbeing\nand to give his body the amount of ease and comfort in which it\ndelights. All around us today we see how man surrounds himself with\nevery modern convenience and luxury, and denies nothing to the\nphysical and material side of his nature. But, take heed, lest in\nthinking too earnestly of the things of the body you forget the\nthings of the soul: for material advantages do not elevate the spirit\nof a man. Perfection in worldly things is a joy to the body of a man\nbut in no wise does it glorify his soul.\n\nIt may be that a man who has every material benefit, and\nwho lives surrounded by all the greatest comfort modern civilization\ncan give him, is denied the all important gift of the Holy Spirit.\n\nIt is indeed a good and praiseworthy thing to progress\nmaterially, but in so doing, let us not neglect the more important\nspiritual progress, and close our eyes to the Divine light shining in\nour midst.\n\nOnly by improving spiritually as well as materially can\nwe make any real progress, and become perfect beings. It was in order\nto bring this spiritual life and light into the world that all the\ngreat Teachers have appeared. They came so that the Sun of Truth\nmight be manifested, and shine in the hearts of men, and that through\nits wondrous power men might attain unto Everlasting Light.\n\nWhen the Lord Christ came He spread the light of the\nHoly Spirit on all around Him, and His disciples and all who received\nHis illumination became enlightened, spiritual beings.\n\nIt was to manifest this light that Bahá’u’lláh\nwas born, and came into the world. He taught Eternal Truth to men,\nand shed the rays of Divine Light in all lands.\n\nAlas! behold how man disregards this Light. He still\ngoes on his way of darkness, and disunity, and quarrels and fierce\nwar are still rife.\n\nHe uses material progress to gratify his lust for war,\nand he makes destructive implements and appliances to destroy his\nbrother man.\n\nBut let us rather exert ourselves for the attainment of\nspiritual advantages, for this is the only way of true progress, that\nwhich cometh from God and is alone Godly.\n\nI pray for you one and all that you may receive the\nBounties of the Holy Spirit; so will you become in truth enlightened,\nand progress ever onward and upward to the Kingdom of God. Then shall\nyour hearts be prepared to receive the glad tidings, your eyes shall\nbe opened and you will see the Glory of God; your ears shall be\nunstopped and you will hear the call of the Kingdom, and with tongue\nmade eloquent shall you call men to the realization of the Divine\nPower and Love of God!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "NINTH PRINCIPLE—THE NON-INTERFERENCE OF RELIGION WITH POLITICS",
"slug": "pt-ninth-principle-the-non-interference-of-religion-with-politics",
"summary": "4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris, November…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"joy",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris, \nNovember 17th\n\nIn the conduct of life, man is actuated by two main\nmotives: ‘The Hope for Reward’ and ‘The Fear of\nPunishment’.\n\nThis hope and this fear must consequently be greatly\ntaken into account by those in authority who have important posts\nunder Government. Their business in life is to consult together for\nthe framing of laws, and to provide for their just administration.\n\nThe tent of the order of the world is raised and\nestablished on the two pillars of ‘Reward and Retribution’.\n\n\nIn despotic Governments carried on by men without Divine\nfaith, where no fear of spiritual retribution exists, the execution\nof the laws is tyrannical and unjust.\n\nThere is no greater prevention of oppression than these\ntwo sentiments, hope and fear. They have both political and spiritual\nconsequences.\n\nIf administrators of the law would take into\nconsideration the spiritual consequences of their decisions, and\nfollow the guidance of religion, ‘They would be Divine agents\nin the world of action, the representatives of God for those who are\non earth, and they would defend, for the love of God, the interests\nof His servants as they would defend their own’. If a governor\nrealizes his responsibility, and fears to defy the Divine Law, his\njudgments will be just. Above all, if he believes that the\nconsequences of his actions will follow him beyond his earthly life,\nand that ‘as he sows so must he reap’, such a man will\nsurely avoid injustice and tyranny.\n\nShould an official, on the contrary, think that all\nresponsibility for his actions must end with his earthly life,\nknowing and believing nothing of Divine favours and a spiritual\nkingdom of joy, he will lack the incentive to just dealing, and the\ninspiration to destroy oppression and unrighteousness.\n\nWhen a ruler knows that his judgments will be weighed in\na balance by the Divine Judge, and that if he be not found wanting he\nwill come into the Celestial Kingdom and that the light of the\nHeavenly Bounty will shine upon him, then will he surely act with\njustice and equity. Behold how important it is that Ministers of\nState should be enlightened by religion!\n\nWith political questions the clergy, however, have\nnothing to do! Religious matters should not be confused with politics\nin the present state of the world (for their interests are not\nidentical).\n\nReligion concerns matters of the heart, of the spirit,\nand of morals.\n\nPolitics are occupied with the material things of life.\nReligious teachers should not invade the realm of politics; they\nshould concern themselves with the spiritual education of the people;\nthey should ever give good counsel to men, trying to serve God and\nhuman kind; they should endeavour to awaken spiritual aspiration, and\nstrive to enlarge the understanding and knowledge of humanity, to\nimprove morals, and to increase the love for justice.\n\nThis is in accordance with the Teaching of Bahá’u’lláh.\nIn the Gospel also it is written, ‘Render unto Caesar the\nthings which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things which are\nGod’s’.\n\nIn Persia there are some amongst the important Ministers\nof State who are religious, who are exemplary, who worship God, and\nwho fear to disobey His Laws, who judge justly and rule their people\nwith Equity. Other Governors there are in this land who have no fear\nof God before their eyes, who think not of the consequences of their\nactions, working for their own desires, and these have brought Persia\ninto great trouble and difficulty.\n\nOh, friends of God, be living examples of justice! So\nthat by the Mercy of God, the world may see in your actions that you\nmanifest the attributes of justice and mercy.\n\nJustice is not limited, it is a universal quality. Its\noperation must be carried out in all classes, from the highest to the\nlowest. Justice must be sacred, and the rights of all the people must\nbe considered. Desire for others only that which you desire for\nyourselves. Then shall we rejoice in the Sun of Justice, which shines\nfrom the Horizon of God.\n\nEach man has been placed in a post of honour, which he\nmust not desert. A humble workman who commits an injustice is as much\nto blame as a renowned tyrant. Thus we all have our choice between\njustice and injustice.\n\nI hope that each one of you will become just, and direct\nyour thoughts towards the unity of mankind; that you will never harm\nyour neighbours nor speak ill of any one; that you will respect the\nrights of all men, and be more concerned for the interests of others\nthan for your own. Thus will you become torches of Divine justice,\nacting in accordance with the Teaching of Bahá’u’lláh,\nwho, during His life, bore innumerable trials and persecutions in\norder to show forth to the world of mankind the virtues of the World\nof Divinity, making it possible for you to realize the supremacy of\nthe spirit, and to rejoice in the Justice of God.\n\nBy His Mercy, the Divine Bounty will be showered upon\nyou, and for this I pray!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "ON CALUMNY",
"slug": "pt-on-calumny",
"summary": "Monday, November…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"humility",
"justice",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMonday, November 20th\n\nFrom the beginning of the world until the present time\neach ‘Manifestation’12\nsent from God has been opposed by an embodiment of the ‘Powers\nof Darkness’.\n\nThis dark power has always endeavoured to extinguish the\nlight. Tyranny has ever sought to overcome justice. Ignorance has\npersistently tried to trample knowledge underfoot. This has, from the\nearliest ages, been the method of the material world.\n\nIn the time of Moses, Pharaoh set himself to prevent the\nMosaic Light being spread abroad.\n\nIn the day of Christ, Annas and Caiaphas inflamed the\nJewish people against Him and the learned doctors of Israel joined\ntogether to resist His Power. All sorts of calumnies were circulated\nagainst Him. The Scribes and Pharisees conspired to make the people\nbelieve Him to be a liar, an apostate, and a blasphemer. They spread\nthese slanders throughout the whole Eastern world against Christ, and\ncaused Him to be condemned to a shameful death!\n\nIn the case of Muḥammad also, the learned doctors\nof His day determined to extinguish the light of His influence. They\ntried by the power of the sword to prevent the spread of His\nteaching.\n\nIn spite of all their efforts the Sun of Truth shone\nforth from the horizon. In every case the army of light vanquished\nthe powers of darkness on the battlefield of the world, and the\nradiance of the Divine Teaching illumined the earth. Those who\naccepted the Teaching and worked for the Cause of God became luminous\nstars in the sky of humanity.\n\nNow, in our own day, history repeats itself.\n\nThose who would have men believe that religion is their\nown private property once more bring their efforts to bear against\nthe Sun of Truth: they resist the Command of God; they invent\ncalumnies, not having arguments against it, neither proofs. They\nattack with masked faces, not daring to come forth into the light of\nday.\n\nOur methods are different, we do not attack, neither\ncalumniate; we do not wish to dispute with them; we bring forth\nproofs and arguments; we invite them to confute our statements. They\ncannot answer us, but instead, they write all they can think of\nagainst the Divine Messenger, Bahá’u’lláh.\n\nDo not let your hearts be troubled by these defamatory\nwritings! Obey the words of Bahá’u’lláh and\nanswer them not. Rejoice, rather, that even these falsehoods will\nresult in the spread of the truth. When these slanders appear\ninquiries are made, and those who inquire are led into a knowledge of\nthe Faith.\n\nIf a man were to declare, ‘There is a lamp in the\nnext room which gives no light’, one hearer might be satisfied\nwith his report, but a wiser man goes into the room to judge for\nhimself, and behold, when he finds the light shining brilliantly in\nthe lamp, he knows the truth!\n\nAgain, a man proclaims: ‘There lies a garden in\nwhich there are trees with broken branches bearing no fruit, and the\nleaves thereof are faded and yellow! In that garden, also, there are\nflowering plants with no blooms, and rose bushes withered and\ndying—go not into that garden!’ A just man, hearing this\naccount of the garden, would not be content without seeing for\nhimself whether it be true or not. He, therefore, enters the garden,\nand behold, he finds it well tilled; the branches of the trees are\nsturdy and strong, being also loaded with the sweetest of ripe fruits\namongst the luxuriance of beautiful green leaves. The flowering\nplants are bright with many-hued blossoms; the rose bushes are\ncovered with fragrant and lovely roses and all is verdant and well\ntended. When the glory of the garden is spread out before the eyes of\nthe just man, he praises God that, through unworthy calumny, he has\nbeen led into a place of such wondrous beauty!\n\nThis is the result of the slanderer’s work: to be\nthe cause of guiding men to a discovery of the truth.\n\nWe know that all the falsehoods spread about Christ and\nHis apostles and all the books written against Him, only led the\npeople to inquire into His doctrine; then, having seen the beauty and\ninhaled the fragrance, they walked evermore amidst the roses and the\nfruits of that celestial garden.\n\nTherefore, I say unto you, spread the Divine Truth with\nall your might that men’s intelligence may become enlightened;\nthis is the best answer to those who slander. I do not wish to speak\nof those people nor to say anything ill of them—only to tell\nyou that slander is of no importance!\n\nClouds may veil the sun, but, be they never so dense,\nhis rays will penetrate! Nothing can prevent the radiance of the sun\ndescending to warm and vivify the Divine Garden.\n\nNothing can prevent the fall of the rain from Heaven.\n\nNothing can prevent the fulfilment of the Word of God!\n\nTherefore when you see books and papers written against\nthe Revelation, be not distressed, but take comfort in the assurance\nthat the cause will thereby gain strength.\n\nNo one casts stones at a tree without fruit. No one\ntries to extinguish a lamp without light!\n\nRegard the former times. Had the calumnies of Pharaoh\nany effect? He affirmed that Moses was a murderer, that he had slain\na man and deserved to be executed! He also declared that Moses and\nAaron were fomenters of discord, that they tried to destroy the\nreligion of Egypt and therefore must be put to death. These words of\nPharaoh were vainly spoken. The light of Moses shone. The radiance of\nthe Law of God has encircled the world!\n\nWhen the Pharisees said of Christ that He had broken the\nSabbath Day, that He had defied the Law of Moses, that He had\nthreatened to destroy the Temple and the Holy City of Jerusalem, and\nthat He deserved to be crucified—We know that all these\nslanderous attacks had no result in hindering the spread of the\nGospel!\n\nThe Sun of Christ shone brilliantly in the sky, and the\nbreath of the Holy Spirit wafted over the whole earth!\n\nAnd I say unto you that no calumny is able to prevail\nagainst the Light of God; it can only result in causing it to be more\nuniversally recognized. If a cause were of no significance, who would\ntake the trouble to work against it!\n\nBut always the greater the cause the more do enemies\narise in larger and larger numbers to attempt its overthrow! The\nbrighter the light the darker the shadow! Our part it is to act in\naccordance with the teaching of Bahá’u’lláh\nin humility and firm steadfastness.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "PAIN AND SORROW",
"slug": "pt-pain-and-sorrow",
"summary": "November 22nd In this world we are influenced by two sentiments, Joy and Pain. Joy gives us wings! In times of joy our strength is more vital, our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded. We seem better able to cope with the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"prison",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"joy",
"mercy",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNovember 22nd\n\nIn this world we are influenced by two sentiments, Joy\nand Pain.\n\nJoy gives us wings! In times of joy our strength is more\nvital, our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded. We\nseem better able to cope with the world and to find our sphere of\nusefulness. But when sadness visits us we become weak, our strength\nleaves us, our comprehension is dim and our intelligence veiled. The\nactualities of life seem to elude our grasp, the eyes of our spirits\nfail to discover the sacred mysteries, and we become even as dead\nbeings.\n\nThere is no human being untouched by these two\ninfluences; but all the sorrow and the grief that exist come from the\nworld of matter—the spiritual world bestows only the joy!\n\nIf we suffer it is the outcome of material things, and\nall the trials and troubles come from this world of illusion.\n\nFor instance, a merchant may lose his trade and\ndepression ensues. A workman is dismissed and starvation stares him\nin the face. A farmer has a bad harvest, anxiety fills his mind. A\nman builds a house which is burnt to the ground and he is straightway\nhomeless, ruined, and in despair.\n\nAll these examples are to show you that the trials which\nbeset our every step, all our sorrow, pain, shame and grief, are born\nin the world of matter; whereas the spiritual Kingdom never causes\nsadness. A man living with his thoughts in this Kingdom knows\nperpetual joy. The ills all flesh is heir to do not pass him by, but\nthey only touch the surface of his life, the depths are calm and\nserene.\n\nToday, humanity is bowed down with trouble, sorrow and\ngrief, no one escapes; the world is wet with tears; but, thank God,\nthe remedy is at our doors. Let us turn our hearts away from the\nworld of matter and live in the spiritual world! It alone can give us\nfreedom! If we are hemmed in by difficulties we have only to call\nupon God, and by His great Mercy we shall be helped.\n\nIf sorrow and adversity visit us, let us turn our faces\nto the Kingdom and heavenly consolation will be outpoured.\n\nIf we are sick and in distress let us implore God’s\nhealing, and He will answer our prayer.\n\nWhen our thoughts are filled with the bitterness of this\nworld, let us turn our eyes to the sweetness of God’s\ncompassion and He will send us heavenly calm! If we are imprisoned in\nthe material world, our spirit can soar into the Heavens and we shall\nbe free indeed!\n\nWhen our days are drawing to a close let us think of the\neternal worlds, and we shall be full of joy!\n\nYou see all round you proofs of the inadequacy of\nmaterial things—how joy, comfort, peace and consolation are not\nto be found in the transitory things of the world. Is it not then\nfoolishness to refuse to seek these treasures where they may be\nfound? The doors of the spiritual Kingdom are open to all, and\nwithout is absolute darkness.\n\nThank God that you in this assembly have this knowledge,\nfor in all the sorrows of life you can obtain supreme consolation. If\nyour days on earth are numbered, you know that everlasting life\nawaits you. If material anxiety envelops you in a dark cloud,\nspiritual radiance lightens your path. Verily, those whose minds are\nillumined by the Spirit of the Most High have supreme consolation.\n\nI myself was in prison forty years—one year alone\nwould have been impossible to bear—nobody survived that\nimprisonment more than a year! But, thank God, during all those forty\nyears I was supremely happy! Every day, on waking, it was like\nhearing good tidings, and every night infinite joy was mine.\nSpirituality was my comfort, and turning to God was my greatest joy.\nIf this had not been so, do you think it possible that I could have\nlived through those forty years in prison?\n\nThus, spirituality is the greatest of God’s gifts,\nand ‘Life Everlasting’ means ‘Turning to God’.\nMay you, one and all, increase daily in spirituality, may you be\nstrengthened in all goodness, may you be helped more and more by the\nDivine consolation, be made free by the Holy Spirit of God, and may\nthe power of the Heavenly Kingdom live and work among you.\n\nThis is my earnest desire, and I pray to God to grant\nyou this favour.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "PRAYER",
"slug": "pt-prayer",
"summary": "97 Cadogan Gardens, London, December 26th,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n97 Cadogan Gardens, London, \nDecember 26th, 1912\n\n‘Should Prayer take the form of action?’\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá.—‘Yes: In\nthe Bahá’í Cause arts, sciences and all crafts\nare (counted as) worship. The man who makes a piece of notepaper to\nthe best of his ability, conscientiously, concentrating all his\nforces on perfecting it, is giving praise to God. Briefly, all effort\nand exertion put forth by man from the fullness of his heart is\nworship, if it is prompted by the highest motives and the will to do\nservice to humanity. This is worship: to serve mankind and to\nminister to the needs of the people. Service is prayer. A physician\nministering to the sick, gently, tenderly, free from prejudice and\nbelieving in the solidarity of the human race, he is giving praise’.\n\n\n‘What is the purpose of our lives?’\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá.—‘To acquire\nvirtues. We come from the earth; why were we transferred from the\nmineral to the vegetable kingdom—from the plant to the animal\nkingdom? So that we may attain perfection in each of these kingdoms,\nthat we may possess the best qualities of the mineral, that we may\nacquire the power of growing as in the plant, that we may be adorned\nwith the instincts of the animal and possess the faculties of sight,\nhearing, smell, touch and taste, until from the animal kingdom we\nstep into the world of humanity and are gifted with reason, the power\nof invention, and the forces of the spirit.’\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "RELIGIOUS PREJUDICES",
"slug": "pt-religious-prejudices",
"summary": "October 27th The basis of the teaching of Bahá’u’lláh is the Unity of Mankind, and his greatest desire was that love and goodwill should live in the heart of men. As He exhorted the people to do away with strife and discord, so I wish to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"women",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"justice",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOctober 27th\n\nThe basis of the teaching of Bahá’u’lláh\nis the Unity of Mankind, and his greatest desire was that love and\ngoodwill should live in the heart of men.\n\nAs He exhorted the people to do away with strife and\ndiscord, so I wish to explain to you the principal reason of the\nunrest among nations. The chief cause is the misrepresentation of\nreligion by the religious leaders and teachers. They teach their\nfollowers to believe that their own form of religion is the only one\npleasing to God, and that followers of any other persuasion are\ncondemned by the All-Loving Father and deprived of His Mercy and\nGrace. Hence arise among the peoples, disapproval, contempt, disputes\nand hatred. If these religious prejudices could be swept away, the\nnations would soon enjoy peace and concord.\n\nI was once at Tiberias where the Jews have a Temple. I\nwas staying in a house just opposite the Temple, and there I saw and\nheard a Rabbi speaking to his congregation of Jews, and he spoke\nthus:\n\n‘O Jews, you are in truth the people of God! All\nother races and religions are of the devil. God has created you the\ndescendants of Abraham, and He has showered His blessings upon you.\nUnto you God sent Moses, Jacob and Joseph, and many other great\nprophets. These prophets, one and all, were of your race.\n\n‘It was for you that God broke the power of\nPharaoh and caused the Red Sea to dry up; to you also He sent manna\nfrom above to be your food, and out of the stony rock did He give you\nwater to quench your thirst. You are indeed the chosen people of God,\nyou are above all the races of the earth! Therefore, all other races\nare abhorrent to God, and condemned by Him. In truth you will govern\nand subdue the world, and all men shall become your slaves.\n\n‘Do not profane yourselves by consorting with\npeople who are not of your own religion, make not friends of such\nmen.’\n\nWhen the Rabbi had finished his eloquent discourse, his\nhearers were filled with joy and satisfaction. It is impossible to\ndescribe to you their happiness!\n\nAlas! It is misguided ones like these who are the cause\nof division and hatred upon earth. Today there are millions of people\nwho still worship idols, and the great religions of the world are at\nwar among themselves. For 1,300 years, Christians and Mussulmans have\nbeen quarrelling, when with very little effort their differences and\ndisputes could be overcome and peace and harmony could exist between\nthem and the world could be at rest!\n\nIn the Qur’án we read that Muḥammad\nspoke to his followers, saying:\n\n‘Why do you not believe in Christ, and in the\nGospel? Why will you not accept Moses and the Prophets, for surely\nthe Bible is the Book of God? In truth, Moses was a sublime Prophet,\nand Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit. He came to the world\nthrough the Power of God, born of the Holy Spirit and of the blessed\nVirgin Mary. Mary, His mother, was a saint from Heaven. She passed\nher days in the Temple at prayer and food was sent to her from above.\nHer father, Zacharias, came to her and asked her from whence the food\ncame, and Mary made answer, “From on high.” Surely God\nmade Mary to be exalted above all other women.’\n\nThis is what Muḥammad taught His people concerning\nJesus and Moses, and He reproached them for their lack of faith in\nthese great Teachers, and taught them the lessons of truth and\ntolerance. Muḥammad was sent from God to work among a people as\nsavage and uncivilized as the wild beasts. They were quite devoid of\nunderstanding, nor had they any feelings of love, sympathy and pity.\nWomen were so degraded and despised that a man could bury his\ndaughter alive, and he had as many wives to be his slaves as he\nchose.\n\nAmong these half animal people Muḥammad was sent\nwith His divine Message. He taught the people that idol worship was\nwrong, but that they should reverence Christ, Moses and the Prophets.\nUnder His influence they became a more enlightened and civilized\npeople and arose from the degraded state in which He found them. Was\nnot this a good work, and worthy of all praise, respect and love?\n\nLook at the Gospel of the Lord Christ and see how\nglorious it is! Yet even today men fail to understand its priceless\nbeauty, and misinterpret its words of wisdom.\n\nChrist forbade war! When the disciple Peter, thinking to\ndefend his Lord, cut off the ear of the servant of the High Priest,\nChrist said to him: ‘Put up thy sword into the sheath’.4\nYet, in spite of the direct command of the Lord they profess to\nserve—men still dispute, make war, and kill one another, and\nHis counsels and teaching seem quite forgotten.\n\nBut do not therefore attribute to the Masters and\nProphets the evil deeds of their followers. If the priests, teachers\nand people, lead lives which are contrary to the religion they\nprofess to follow, is that the fault of Christ or the other Teachers?\n\n\nThe people of Islám were taught to realize how\nJesus came from God and was born of the Spirit, and that He must be\nglorified of all men. Moses was a prophet of God, and revealed in His\nday and for the people to whom He was sent, the Book of God.\n\nMuḥammad recognized the sublime grandeur of Christ\nand the greatness of Moses and the prophets. If only the whole world\nwould acknowledge the greatness of Muḥammad and all the\nHeaven-sent Teachers, strife and discord would soon vanish from the\nface of the earth, and God’s Kingdom would come among men.\n\nThe people of Islám who glorify Christ are not\nhumiliated by so doing.\n\nChrist was the Prophet of the Christians, Moses of the\nJews—why should not the followers of each prophet recognize and\nhonour the other prophets also? If men could only learn the lesson of\nmutual tolerance, understanding, and brotherly love, the unity of the\nworld would soon be an established fact.\n\nBahá’u’lláh spent His life\nteaching this lesson of Love and Unity. Let us then put away from us\nall prejudice and intolerance, and strive with all our hearts and\nsouls to bring about understanding and unity between Christians and\nMussulmans.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "SEVENTH PRINCIPLE—EQUALITY OF MEN",
"slug": "pt-seventh-principle-equality-of-men",
"summary": "‘The Laws of God are not imposition of will, or of power, or pleasure, but the resolutions of truth, reason and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"justice",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n‘The Laws of God are not imposition of will, or of\npower, or pleasure, but the resolutions of truth, reason and\njustice.’\n\nAll men are equal before the law, which must reign\nabsolutely.\n\nThe object of punishment is not vengeance, but the\nprevention of crime.\n\nKings must rule with wisdom and justice; prince, peer\nand peasant alike have equal rights to just treatment, there must be\nno favour shown to individuals. A judge must be no ‘respecter\nof persons’, but administer the law with strict impartiality in\nevery case brought before him.\n\nIf a person commit a crime against you, you have not the\nright to forgive him; but the law must punish him in order to prevent\na repetition of that same crime by others, as the pain of the\nindividual is unimportant beside the general welfare of the people.\n\nWhen perfect justice reigns in every country of the\nEastern and Western World, then will the earth become a place of\nbeauty. The dignity and equality of every servant of God will be\nacknowledged; the ideal of the solidarity of the human race, the true\nbrotherhood of man, will be realized; and the glorious light of the\nSun of Truth will illumine the souls of all men.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "SPIRITUAL ASPIRATION IN THE WEST",
"slug": "pt-spiritual-aspiration-in-the-west",
"summary": "‘Abdu’l-Bahá…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"justice",
"mercy",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:\n\nYou are very welcome! From Eastern lands I have come to\nthe West to sojourn awhile among you. In the East it is often said\nthat the people of the West are without spirituality, but I have not\nfound it thus. Thank God, I see and feel that there is much spiritual\naspiration among the Western peoples, and that in some cases their\nspiritual perception is even keener than among their Eastern\nbrothers. If the teaching given in the East had been conscientiously\nspread in the West the world today would be a more enlightened place.\n\n\nAlthough in the past all the great Spiritual Teachers\nhave arisen in the East, there are still many men there who are quite\ndevoid of spirituality. With regard to the things of the spirit they\nare as lifeless as a stone; nor do they wish to be otherwise, for\nthey consider that man is only a higher form of animal and that the\nthings of God concern him not.\n\nBut man’s ambition should soar above this—he\nshould ever look higher than himself, ever upward and onward, until\nthrough the Mercy of God he may come to the Kingdom of Heaven. Again,\nthere are men whose eyes are only open to physical progress and to\nthe evolution in the world of matter. These men prefer to study the\nresemblance between their own physical body and that of the ape,\nrather than to contemplate the glorious affiliation between their\nspirit and that of God. This is indeed strange, for it is only\nphysically that man resembles the lower creation, with regard to his\nintellect he is totally unlike it.\n\nMan is always progressing. His circle of knowledge is\never widening, and his mental activity flows through many and varied\nchannels. Look what man has accomplished in the field of science,\nconsider his many discoveries and countless inventions and his\nprofound understanding of natural law.\n\nIn the world of art it is just the same, and this\nwonderful development of man’s faculties becomes more and more\nrapid as time goes on. If the discoveries, inventions and material\naccomplishments of the last fifteen hundred years could be put\ntogether, you would see that there has been greater advancement\nduring the last hundred years than in the previous fourteen\ncenturies. For the rapidity with which man is progressing increases\ncentury by century.\n\nThe power of the intellect is one of God’s\ngreatest gifts to men, it is the power that makes him a higher\ncreature than the animal. For whereas, century by century and age by\nage man’s intelligence grows and becomes keener, that of the\nanimal remains the same. They are no more intelligent today then they\nwere a thousand years ago! Is there a greater proof than this needed\nto show man’s dissimilarity to the animal creation? It is\nsurely as clear as day.\n\nAs for the spiritual perfections they are man’s\nbirthright and belong to him alone of all creation. Man is, in\nreality, a spiritual being, and only when he lives in the spirit is\nhe truly happy. This spiritual longing and perception belongs to all\nmen alike, and it is my firm conviction that the Western people\npossess great spiritual aspiration.\n\nIt is my fervent prayer that the star of the East will\nshed its brilliant rays on the Western world, and that the people of\nthe West may arise in strength, earnestness, and courage, to help\ntheir brethren in the East.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "TABLET REVEALED BY ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ",
"slug": "pt-tablet-revealed-by-abdu-l-baha",
"summary": "August 28th,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"women",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [
"gentleness",
"justice",
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAugust 28th, 1913\n\nO Thou my beloved daughter!\n\nThine eloquent and fluent letter was perused in a\ngarden, under the cool shade of a tree, while the gentle breeze was\nwafting. The means of physical enjoyment was spread before the eyes\nand thy letter became the cause of spiritual enjoyment. Truly, I say,\nit was not a letter but a rose-garden adorned with hyacinths and\nflowers.\n\nIt contained the sweet fragrance of paradise and the\nzephyr of Divine Love blew from its roseate words.\n\nAs I have not ample time at my disposal, I will give\nherein a brief, conclusive and comprehensive answer. It is as\nfollows:\n\nIn this Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh,\nthe women go neck and neck with the men. In no movement will they be\nleft behind. Their rights with men are equal in degree. They will\nenter all the administrative branches of politics. They will attain\nin all such a degree as will be considered the very highest station\nof the world of humanity and will take part in all affairs. Rest ye\nassured. Do ye not look upon the present conditions; in the not far\ndistant future the world of women will become all-refulgent and\nall-glorious, For His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh\nHath Willed It so! At the time of elections the right to vote is the\ninalienable right of women, and the entrance of women into all human\ndepartments is an irrefutable and incontrovertible question. No soul\ncan retard or prevent it.\n\nBut there are certain matters, the participation in\nwhich is not worthy of women. For example, at the time when the\ncommunity is taking up vigorous defensive measures against the attack\nof foes, the women are exempt from military engagements. It may so\nhappen that at a given time warlike and savage tribes may furiously\nattack the body politic with the intention of carrying on a wholesale\nslaughter of its members; under such a circumstance defence is\nnecessary, but it is the duty of men to organize and execute such\ndefensive measures and not the women—because their hearts are\ntender and they cannot endure the sight of the horror of carnage,\neven if it is for the sake of defence. From such and similar\nundertakings the women are exempt.\n\nAs regards the constitution of the House of Justice,\nBahá’u’lláh addresses the men. He says: ‘O\nye men of the House of Justice!’\n\nBut when its members are to be elected, the right which\nbelongs to women, so far as their voting and their voice is\nconcerned, is indisputable. When the women attain to the ultimate\ndegree of progress, then, according to the exigency of the time and\nplace and their great capacity, they shall obtain extraordinary\nprivileges. Be ye confident on these accounts. His Holiness\nBahá’u’lláh has greatly strengthened the\ncause of women, and the rights and privileges of women is one of the\ngreatest principles of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Rest ye\nassured! Ere long the days shall come when the men addressing the\nwomen, shall say: ‘Blessed are ye! Blessed are ye! Verily ye\nare worthy of every gift. Verily ye deserve to adorn your heads with\nthe crown of everlasting glory, because in sciences and arts, in\nvirtues and perfections ye shall become equal to man, and as regards\ntenderness of heart and the abundance of mercy and sympathy ye are\nsuperior’.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Footnotes\n1.St.\n John xiv, II.2.St\n Matthew xxiv, 30. St\n Matthew xvi, 27.3.St\n John iii, 134.St\n John xviii, 11.5.Manifestations\n of God.6.Exodus\n iii, 2.7.A\n certain man who was present when Badí was told he should\n carry the Epistle to the Sháh saw him transfigured; he\n became radiant.8.St\n John iii, 5.9.St\n Matthew iii, 11.10.i.e.—All\n good actions bring their own reward.11.A\n small orange-tree on the table nearby.12.i.e.—Divine\n Manifestation.13.‘Give\n me neither poverty nor riches.’—Prov.\n xxx., 8.14.Matthew\n xviii, 18.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE BAHÁ’ÍS MUST WORK WITH HEART AND SOUL TO BRING ABOUT A BETTER CONDITION IN THE WORLD",
"slug": "pt-the-baha-is-must-work-with-heart-and-soul-to-bring-about-a-better-condition-i",
"summary": "November 19th How joyful it is to see such a meeting as this, for it is in truth a gathering together of ‘heavenly men’. We are all united in one Divine purpose, no material motive is ours, and our dearest wish is to spread the Love of God…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"faith",
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"patience",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNovember 19th\n\nHow joyful it is to see such a meeting as this, for it\nis in truth a gathering together of ‘heavenly men’.\n\nWe are all united in one Divine purpose, no material\nmotive is ours, and our dearest wish is to spread the Love of God\nthroughout the world!\n\nWe work and pray for the unity of mankind, that all the\nraces of the earth may become one race, all the countries one\ncountry, and that all hearts may beat as one heart, working together\nfor perfect unity and brotherhood.\n\nPraise be to God that our efforts are sincere and that\nour hearts are turned to the Kingdom. Our greatest longing is that\ntruth may be established in the world, and in this hope we draw near\nto one another in love and affection. Each and all are whole-hearted\nand selfless, willing to sacrifice all personal ambition to the grand\nideal towards which they strive: Brotherly love and peace and union\namong men!\n\nDoubt not that God is with us, on our right hand and on\nour left, that day by day He will cause our numbers to increase, and\nthat our meetings will grow in strength and usefulness.\n\nIt is my dearest hope that you may all become a blessing\nto others, that you may give sight to the spiritually blind, hearing\nto the spiritually deaf and life to those who are dead in sin.\n\nMay you help those sunk in materiality to realize their\nDivine son-ship, and encourage them to arise and be worthy of their\nbirthright; so that by your endeavour the world of humanity may\nbecome the Kingdom of God and of His elect.\n\nI thank God that we are at one in this grand ideal, that\nmy longings are also yours and that we work together in perfect\nunity.\n\nToday, upon the earth, one sees the sad spectacle of\ncruel war! Man slays his brother man for selfish gain, and to enlarge\nhis territories! For this ignoble ambition hate has taken possession\nof his heart, and more and more blood is shed!\n\nFresh battles are fought, the armies are increased, more\ncannon, more guns, more explosives of all kinds are sent out—so\ndoes bitterness and hate augment from day to day!\n\nBut this assembly, thank God, longs only for peace and\nunity, and must work with heart and soul to bring about a better\ncondition in the world.\n\nYou who are the servants of God fight against\noppression, hate and discord, so that wars may cease and God’s\nlaws of peace and love may be established among men.\n\nWork! Work with all your strength, spread the Cause of\nthe Kingdom among men; teach the self-sufficient to turn humbly\ntowards God, the sinful to sin no more, and await with glad\nexpectation the coming of the Kingdom.\n\nLove and obey your Heavenly Father, and rest assured\nthat Divine help is yours. Verily I say unto you that you shall\nindeed conquer the world!\n\nOnly have faith, patience and courage—this is but\nthe beginning, but surely you will succeed, for God is with you!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE BENEFITS OF GOD TO MAN",
"slug": "pt-the-benefits-of-god-to-man",
"summary": "4 Avenue de Camöens, October…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n4 Avenue de Camöens, \nOctober 27th\n\nGod alone ordereth all things and is all-powerful. Why\nthen does He send trials to His servants?\n\nThe trials of man are of two kinds. (a) The consequences\nof his own actions. If a man eats too much, he ruins his digestion;\nif he takes poison he becomes ill or dies. If a person gambles he\nwill lose his money; if he drinks too much he will lose his\nequilibrium. All these sufferings are caused by the man himself, it\nis quite clear therefore that certain sorrows are the result of our\nown deeds. (b) Other sufferings there are, which come upon the\nFaithful of God. Consider the great sorrows endured by Christ and by\nHis apostles!\n\nThose who suffer most, attain to the greatest\nperfection.\n\nThose who declare a wish to suffer much for Christ’s\nsake must prove their sincerity; those who proclaim their longing to\nmake great sacrifices can only prove their truth by their deeds. Job\nproved the fidelity of his love for God by being faithful through his\ngreat adversity, as well as during the prosperity of his life. The\napostles of Christ who steadfastly bore all their trials and\nsufferings—did they not prove their faithfulness? Was not their\nendurance the best proof?\n\nThese griefs are now ended.\n\nCaiaphas lived a comfortable and happy life while\nPeter’s life was full of sorrow and trial; which of these two\nis the more enviable? Assuredly we should choose the present state of\nPeter, for he possesses immortal life whilst Caiaphas has won eternal\nshame. The trials of Peter tested his fidelity. Tests are benefits\nfrom God, for which we should thank Him. Grief and sorrow do not come\nto us by chance, they are sent to us by the Divine Mercy for our own\nperfecting.\n\nWhile a man is happy he may forget his God; but when\ngrief comes and sorrows overwhelm him, then will he remember his\nFather who is in Heaven, and who is able to deliver him from his\nhumiliations.\n\nMen who suffer not, attain no perfection. The plant most\npruned by the gardeners is that one which, when the summer comes,\nwill have the most beautiful blossoms and the most abundant fruit.\n\nThe labourer cuts up the earth with his plough, and from\nthat earth comes the rich and plentiful harvest. The more a man is\nchastened, the greater is the harvest of spiritual virtues shown\nforth by him. A soldier is no good General until he has been in the\nfront of the fiercest battle and has received the deepest wounds.\n\nThe prayer of the prophets of God has always been, and\nstill is: Oh God, I long to lay down my life in the path to Thee! I\ndesire to shed my blood for Thee, and to make the supreme sacrifice.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE CLOUDS THAT OBSCURE THE SUN OF TRUTH",
"slug": "pt-the-clouds-that-obscure-the-sun-of-truth",
"summary": "4 Avenue de Camöens, Morning of Friday, October…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"children",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"prayer",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n4 Avenue de Camöens, \nMorning of Friday, October\n27th\n\nThe day is fine, the air is pure, the sun shines, no\nmist nor cloud obscures its radiance.\n\nThese brilliant rays penetrate into all parts of the\ncity; so may the Sun of Truth illumine the minds of men.\n\nChrist said, ‘They shall see the Son of Man coming\nin the clouds of Heaven’.2\nBahá’u’lláh said, ‘When Christ came\nfor the first time He came upon the clouds’.3\nChrist said that He had come from the sky, from Heaven—that He\ncame forth from God—while He was born of Mary, His Mother. But\nwhen He declared that He had come from Heaven, it is clear that He\ndid not mean the blue firmament but that He spoke of the Heaven of\nthe Kingdom of God, and that from this Heaven He descended upon the\nclouds. As clouds are obstacles to the shining of the sun, so the\nclouds of the world of humanity hid from the eyes of men the radiance\nof the Divinity of Christ.\n\nMen said, ‘He is of Nazareth, born of Mary, we\nknow Him and we know his brethren. What can He mean? What is He\nsaying? That He came forth from God?’\n\nThe Body of Christ was born of Mary of Nazareth, but the\nSpirit was of God. The capacities of His human body were limited but\nthe strength of His spirit was vast, infinite, immeasurable.\n\nMen asked, ‘Why does He say He is of God?’\nIf they had understood the reality of Christ, they would have known\nthat the body of His humanity was a cloud that hid His Divinity. The\nworld only saw His human form, and therefore wondered how He could\nhave ‘come down from Heaven’.\n\nBahá’u’lláh said, ‘Even\nas the clouds hide the sun and the sky from our gaze, even so did the\nhumanity of Christ hide from men His real Divine character’.\n\nI hope that you will turn with unclouded eyes towards\nthe Sun of Truth, beholding not the things of earth, lest your hearts\nbe attracted to the worthless and passing pleasures of the world; let\nthat Sun give you of His strength, then will not the clouds of\nprejudice veil His illumination from your eyes! Then will the Sun be\nwithout clouds for you.\n\nBreathe the air of purity. May you each and all share in\nthe Divine Bounties of the Kingdom of Heaven. May the world be for\nyou no obstacle hiding the truth from your sight, as the human body\nof Christ hid His Divinity from the people of His day. May you\nreceive the clear vision of the Holy Spirit, so that your hearts may\nbe illumined and able to recognize the Sun of Truth shining through\nall material clouds, His splendour flooding the universe.\n\nLet not the things of the body obscure the celestial\nlight of the spirit, so that, by the Divine Bounty, you may enter\nwith the children of God into His Eternal Kingdom.\n\nThis is my prayer for you all.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE CRUEL INDIFFERENCE OF PEOPLE TOWARDS THE SUFFERING OF FOREIGN RACES",
"slug": "pt-the-cruel-indifference-of-people-towards-the-suffering-of-foreign-races",
"summary": "November 24th ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said: I have just been told that there has been a terrible accident in this country. A train has fallen into the river and at least twenty people have been killed. This is going to be a matter for discussion in…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"justice",
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNovember 24th\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:\n\nI have just been told that there has been a terrible\naccident in this country. A train has fallen into the river and at\nleast twenty people have been killed. This is going to be a matter\nfor discussion in the French Parliament today, and the Director of\nthe State Railway will be called upon to speak. He will be\ncross-examined as to the condition of the railroad and as to what\ncaused the accident, and there will be a heated argument. I am filled\nwith wonder and surprise to notice what interest and excitement has\nbeen aroused throughout the whole country on account of the death of\ntwenty people, while they remain cold and indifferent to the fact\nthat thousands of Italians, Turks, and Arabs are killed in Tripoli!\nThe horror of this wholesale slaughter has not disturbed the\nGovernment at all! Yet these unfortunate people are human beings too.\n\n\nWhy is there so much interest and eager sympathy shown\ntowards these twenty individuals, while for five thousand persons\nthere is none? They are all men, they all belong to the family of\nmankind, but they are of other lands and races. It is no concern of\nthe disinterested countries if these men are cut to pieces, this\nwholesale slaughter does not affect them! How unjust, how cruel is\nthis, how utterly devoid of any good and true feeling! The people of\nthese other lands have children and wives, mothers, daughters, and\nlittle sons! In these countries today there is hardly a house free\nfrom the sound of bitter weeping, scarcely can one find a home\nuntouched by the cruel hand of war.\n\nAlas! we see on all sides how cruel, prejudiced and\nunjust is man, and how slow he is to believe in God and follow His\ncommandments.\n\nIf these people would love and help one another instead\nof being so eager to destroy with sword and cannon, how much nobler\nwould it be! How much better if they would live like a flock of doves\nin peace and harmony, instead of being like wolves and tearing each\nother to pieces.\n\nWhy is man so hard of heart? It is because he does not\nyet know God. If he had knowledge of God he could not act in direct\nopposition to His laws; if he were spiritually minded such a line of\nconduct would be impossible to him. If only the laws and precepts of\nthe prophets of God had been believed, understood and followed, wars\nwould no longer darken the face of the earth.\n\nIf man had even the rudiments of justice, such a state\nof things would be impossible.\n\nTherefore, I say unto you pray—pray and turn your\nfaces to God, that He, in His infinite compassion and mercy, may help\nand succour these misguided ones. Pray that He will grant them\nspiritual understanding and teach them tolerance and mercy, that the\neyes of their minds may be opened and that they may be endued with\nthe gift of the spirit. Then would peace and love walk hand in hand\nthrough the lands, and these poor unhappy people might have rest.\n\nLet us all strive night and day to help in the bringing\nabout of better conditions. My heart is broken by these terrible\nthings and cries aloud—may this cry reach other hearts!\n\nThen will the blind see, the dead will be raised, and\nJustice will come and reign upon the earth.\n\nI beseech you all to pray with heart and soul that this\nmay be accomplished.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE DESIRES AND PRAYERS OF ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ",
"slug": "pt-the-desires-and-prayers-of-abdu-l-baha",
"summary": "November 15th ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said: You are all very welcome, and I love you all most dearly. Day and night I pray to Heaven for you that strength may be yours, and that, one and all, you may participate in the blessings of Bahá’u’lláh, and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNovember 15th\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:\n\nYou are all very welcome, and I love you all most\ndearly.\n\nDay and night I pray to Heaven for you that strength may\nbe yours, and that, one and all, you may participate in the blessings\nof Bahá’u’lláh, and enter into the Kingdom.\n\n\nI supplicate that you may become as new beings,\nillumined with the Divine Light, like unto shining lamps, and that\nfrom one end of Europe to the other the knowledge of the Love of God\nmay spread.\n\nMay this boundless love so fill your hearts and minds\nthat sadness may find no room to enter and may you with joyful hearts\nsoar like birds into the Divine Radiance.\n\nMay your hearts become clear and pure like unto polished\nmirrors in which may be reflected the full glory of the Sun of Truth.\n\n\nMay your eyes be opened to see the signs of the Kingdom\nof God, and may your ears be unstopped so that you may hear with a\nperfect understanding the Heavenly Proclamation sounding in your\nmidst.\n\nMay your souls receive help and comfort, and, being so\nstrengthened, may they be enabled to live in accordance with the\nteachings of Bahá’u’lláh.\n\nI pray for each and all that you may be as flames of\nlove in the world, and that the brightness of your light and the\nwarmth of your affection may reach the heart of every sad and\nsorrowing child of God.\n\nMay you be as shining stars, bright and luminous for\never in the Kingdom.\n\nI counsel you that you study earnestly the teachings of\nBahá’u’lláh, so that, God helping you, you\nmay in deed and truth become Bahá’ís.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE DUTY OF KINDNESS AND SYMPATHY TOWARDS STRANGERS AND FOREIGNERS",
"slug": "pt-the-duty-of-kindness-and-sympathy-towards-strangers-and-foreigners",
"summary": "October 16th and 17th,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"children",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOctober 16th and 17th, 1911\n\nWhen a man turns his face to God he finds sunshine\neverywhere. All men are his brothers. Let not conventionality cause\nyou to seem cold and unsympathetic when you meet strange people from\nother countries. Do not look at them as though you suspected them of\nbeing evil-doers, thieves and boors. You think it necessary to be\nvery careful, not to expose yourselves to the risk of making\nacquaintance with such, possibly, undesirable people.\n\nI ask you not to think only of yourselves. Be kind to\nthe strangers, whether come they from Turkey, Japan, Persia, Russia,\nChina or any other country in the world.\n\nHelp to make them feel at home; find out where they are\nstaying, ask if you may render them any service; try to make their\nlives a little happier.\n\nIn this way, even if, sometimes, what you at first\nsuspected should be true, still go out of your way to be kind to\nthem—this kindness will help them to become better.\n\nAfter all, why should any foreign people be treated as\nstrangers?\n\nLet those who meet you know, without your proclaiming\nthe fact, that you are indeed a Bahá’í.\n\nPut into practice the Teaching of Bahá’u’lláh,\nthat of kindness to all nations. Do not be content with showing\nfriendship in words alone, let your heart burn with loving kindness\nfor all who may cross your path.\n\nOh, you of the Western nations, be kind to those who\ncome from the Eastern world to sojourn among you. Forget your\nconventionality when you speak with them; they are not accustomed to\nit. To Eastern peoples this demeanour seems cold, unfriendly. Rather\nlet your manner be sympathetic. Let it be seen that you are filled\nwith universal love. When you meet a Persian or any other stranger,\nspeak to him as to a friend; if he seems to be lonely try to help\nhim, give him of your willing service; if he be sad console him, if\npoor succour him, if oppressed rescue him, if in misery comfort him.\nIn so doing you will manifest that not in words only, but in deed and\nin truth, you think of all men as your brothers.\n\nWhat profit is there in agreeing that universal\nfriendship is good, and talking of the solidarity of the human race\nas a grand ideal? Unless these thoughts are translated into the world\nof action, they are useless.\n\nThe wrong in the world continues to exist just because\npeople talk only of their ideals, and do not strive to put them into\npractice. If actions took the place of words, the world’s\nmisery would very soon be changed into comfort.\n\nA man who does great good, and talks not of it, is on\nthe way to perfection.\n\nThe man who has accomplished a small good and magnifies\nit in his speech is worth very little.\n\nIf I love you, I need not continually speak of my\nlove—you will know without any words. On the other hand if I\nlove you not, that also will you know—and you would not believe\nme, were I to tell you in a thousand words, that I loved you.\n\nPeople make much profession of goodness, multiplying\nfine words because they wish to be thought greater and better than\ntheir fellows, seeking fame in the eyes of the world. Those who do\nmost good use fewest words concerning their actions.\n\nThe children of God do the works without boasting,\nobeying His laws.\n\nMy hope for you is that you will ever avoid tyranny and\noppression; that you will work without ceasing till justice reigns in\nevery land, that you will keep your hearts pure and your hands free\nfrom unrighteousness.\n\nThis is what the near approach to God requires from you,\nand this is what I expect of you.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE EIGHTH PRINCIPLE—UNIVERSAL PEACE",
"slug": "pt-the-eighth-principle-universal-peace",
"summary": "4 Avenue de Camöens,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris\n\nA Supreme Tribunal shall be established by the peoples\nand Governments of every nation, composed of members elected from\neach country and Government. The members of this Great Council shall\nassemble in unity. All disputes of an international character shall\nbe submitted to this Court, its work being to arrange by arbitration\neverything which otherwise would be a cause of war. The mission of\nthis Tribunal would be to prevent war.\n\nOne of the great steps towards universal peace would be\nthe establishment of a universal language. Bahá’u’lláh\ncommands that the servants of humanity should meet together, and\neither choose a language which now exists, or form a new one. This\nwas revealed in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas forty years ago. It is there\npointed out that the question of diversity of tongues is a very\ndifficult one. There are more than eight hundred languages in the\nworld, and no person could acquire them all.\n\nThe races of mankind are not isolated as in former days.\nNow, in order to be in close relationship with all countries it is\nnecessary to be able to speak their tongues.\n\nA universal language would make intercourse possible\nwith every nation. Thus it would be needful to know two languages\nonly, the mother tongue and the universal speech. The latter would\nenable a man to communicate with any and every man in the world!\n\nA third language would not be needed. To be able to talk\nwith a member of any race and country without requiring an\ninterpreter, how helpful and restful to all!\n\nEsperanto has been drawn up with this end in view: it is\na fine invention and a splendid piece of work, but it needs\nperfecting. Esperanto as it stands is very difficult for some people.\n\n\nAn international Congress should be formed, consisting\nof delegates from every nation in the world, Eastern as well as\nWestern. This Congress should form a language that could be acquired\nby all, and every country would thereby reap great benefit.\n\nUntil such a language is in use, the world will continue\nto feel the vast need of this means of intercourse. Difference of\nspeech is one of the most fruitful causes of dislike and distrust\nthat exists between nations, which are kept apart by their inability\nto understand each other’s language more than by any other\nreason.\n\nIf everybody could speak one language, how much more\neasy would it be to serve humanity!\n\nTherefore appreciate ‘Esperanto’, for it is\nthe beginning of the carrying out of one of the most important of the\nLaws of Bahá’u’lláh, and it must continue\nto be improved and perfected.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Eleven Principles out of the Teaching of Bahá’u’lláh, Explained by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Paris.",
"slug": "pt-the-eleven-principles-out-of-the-teaching-of-baha-u-llah-explained-by-abdu-l-",
"summary": "I.—The Search after…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI.—The Search after Truth.\n\nII.—The Unity of Mankind.\n\nIII.—Religion ought to be the Cause of Love and\nAffection. (Not given separately.)\n\nIV.—The Unity of Religion and Science.\n\nV.—Abolition of Prejudices.\n\nVI.—Equalization of Means of Existence.\n\nVII.—Equality of Men before the Law.\n\nVIII.—Universal Peace.\n\nIX.—Non-Interference of Religion and Politics.\n\nX.—Equality of Sex—Education of Women.\n\nXI.—The Power of the Holy Spirit.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE ELEVENTH PRINCIPLE—THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT",
"slug": "pt-the-eleventh-principle-the-power-of-the-holy-spirit",
"summary": "4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris, November…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris, \nNovember 18th\n\nIn the teaching of Bahá’u’lláh,\nit is written: ‘By the Power of the Holy Spirit alone is man\nable to progress, for the power of man is limited and the Divine\nPower is boundless.’ The reading of history brings us to the\nconclusion that all truly great men, the benefactors of the human\nrace, those who have moved men to love the right and hate the wrong\nand who have caused real progress, all these have been inspired by\nthe force of the Holy Spirit.\n\nThe Prophets of God have not all graduated in the\nschools of learned philosophy; indeed they were often men of humble\nbirth, to all appearance ignorant, unknown men of no importance in\nthe eyes of the world; sometimes even lacking the knowledge of\nreading and writing.\n\nThat which raised these great ones above men, and by\nwhich they were able to become Teachers of the truth, was the power\nof the Holy Spirit. Their influence on humanity, by virtue of this\nmighty inspiration, was great and penetrating.\n\nThe influence of the wisest philosophers, without this\nSpirit Divine, has been comparatively unimportant, however extensive\ntheir learning and deep their scholarship.\n\nThe unusual intellects, for instance, of Plato,\nAristotle, Pliny and Socrates, have not influenced men so greatly\nthat they have been anxious to sacrifice their lives for their\nteachings; whilst some of those simple men so moved humanity that\nthousands of men have become willing martyrs to uphold their words;\nfor these words were inspired by the Divine Spirit of God! The\nprophets of Judah and Israel, Elijah, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Ezekiel,\nwere humble men, as were also the apostles of Jesus Christ.\n\nPeter, the chief of the apostles, used to divide the\nproceeds of his fishing into seven parts, and when, having taken one\npart for each day’s use, he arrived at the seventh portion, he\nknew it was the Sabbath day. Consider this! and then think of his\nfuture position; to what glory he attained because the Holy Spirit\nwrought great works through him.\n\nWe understand that the Holy Spirit is the energizing\nfactor in the life of man. Whosoever receives this power is able to\ninfluence all with whom he comes into contact.\n\nThe greatest philosophers without this Spirit are\npowerless, their souls lifeless, their hearts dead! Unless the Holy\nSpirit breathes into their souls, they can do no good work. No system\nof philosophy has ever been able to change the manners and customs of\na people for the better. Learned philosophers, unenlightened by the\nDivine Spirit, have often been men of inferior morality; they have\nnot proclaimed in their actions the reality of their beautiful\nphrases.\n\nThe difference between spiritual philosophers and others\nis shown by their lives. The Spiritual Teacher shows His belief in\nHis own teaching, by Himself being what He recommends to others.\n\nAn humble man without learning, but filled with the Holy\nSpirit, is more powerful than the most nobly-born profound scholar\nwithout that inspiration. He who is educated by the Divine Spirit\ncan, in his time, lead others to receive the same Spirit.\n\nI pray for you that you may be informed by the life of\nthe Divine Spirit, so that you may be the means of educating others.\nThe life and morals of a spiritual man are, in themselves, an\neducation to those who know him.\n\nThink not of your own limitations, dwell only on the\nwelfare of the Kingdom of Glory. Consider the influence of Jesus\nChrist on His apostles, then think of their effect upon the world.\nThese simple men were enabled by the power of the Holy Spirit to\nspread the glad tidings!\n\nSo may you all receive Divine assistance! No capacity is\nlimited when led by the Spirit of God!\n\nThe earth of itself has no properties of life, it is\nbarren and dry, until fertilized by the sun and the rain; still the\nearth need not bewail its own limitations.\n\nMay you be given life! May the rain of the Divine Mercy\nand the warmth of the Sun of Truth make your gardens fruitful, so\nthat many beautiful flowers of exquisite fragrance and love may\nblossom in abundance. Turn your faces away from the contemplation of\nyour own finite selves and fix your eyes upon the Everlasting\nRadiance; then will your souls receive in full measure the Divine\nPower of the Spirit and the Blessings of the Infinite Bounty.\n\nIf you thus keep yourselves in readiness, you will\nbecome to the world of humanity a burning flame, a star of guidance,\nand a fruitful tree, changing all its darkness and woe into light and\njoy by the shining of the Sun of Mercy and the infinite blessings of\nthe Glad Tidings.\n\nThis is the meaning of the power of the Holy Spirit,\nwhich I pray may be bountifully showered upon you.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE EVOLUTION OF MATTER AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOUL",
"slug": "pt-the-evolution-of-matter-and-development-of-the-soul",
"summary": "November 3rd Paris is becoming very cold, so cold that I shall soon be obliged to go away, but the warmth of your love still keeps me here. God willing, I hope to stay among you yet a little while; bodily cold and heat cannot affect the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNovember 3rd\n\nParis is becoming very cold, so cold that I shall soon\nbe obliged to go away, but the warmth of your love still keeps me\nhere. God willing, I hope to stay among you yet a little while;\nbodily cold and heat cannot affect the spirit, for it is warmed by\nthe fire of the Love of God. When we understand this, we begin to\nunderstand something of our life in the world to come.\n\nGod, in His Bounty, has given us a foretaste here, has\ngiven us certain proofs of the difference that exists between body,\nsoul and spirit.\n\nWe see that cold, heat, suffering, etc, only concern the\nbody, they do not touch the spirit.\n\nHow often do we see a man, poor, sick, miserably clad,\nand with no means of support, yet spiritually strong. Whatever his\nbody has to suffer, his spirit is free and well! Again, how often do\nwe see a rich man, physically strong and healthy, but with a soul\nsick unto death.\n\nIt is quite apparent to the seeing mind that a man’s\nspirit is something very different from his physical body.\n\nThe spirit is changeless, indestructible. The progress\nand development of the soul, the joy and sorrow of the soul, are\nindependent of the physical body.\n\nIf we are caused joy or pain by a friend, if a love\nprove true or false, it is the soul that is affected. If our dear\nones are far from us—it is the soul that grieves, and the grief\nor trouble of the soul may react on the body.\n\nThus, when the spirit is fed with holy virtues, then is\nthe body joyous; if the soul falls into sin, the body is in torment!\n\nWhen we find truth, constancy, fidelity, and love, we\nare happy; but if we meet with lying, faithlessness, and deceit, we\nare miserable.\n\nThese are all things pertaining to the soul, and are not\nbodily ills. Thus, it is apparent that the soul, even as the body,\nhas its own individuality. But if the body undergoes a change, the\nspirit need not be touched. When you break a glass on which the sun\nshines, the glass is broken, but the sun still shines! If a cage\ncontaining a bird is destroyed, the bird is unharmed! If a lamp is\nbroken, the flame can still burn bright!\n\nThe same thing applies to the spirit of man. Though\ndeath destroy his body, it has no power over his spirit—this is\neternal, everlasting, both birthless and deathless.\n\nAs to the soul of man after death, it remains in the\ndegree of purity to which it has evolved during life in the physical\nbody, and after it is freed from the body it remains plunged in the\nocean of God’s Mercy.\n\nFrom the moment the soul leaves the body and arrives in\nthe Heavenly World, its evolution is spiritual, and that evolution\nis: The approaching unto God.\n\nIn the physical creation, evolution is from one degree\nof perfection to another. The mineral passes with its mineral\nperfections to the vegetable; the vegetable, with its perfections,\npasses to the animal world, and so on to that of humanity. This world\nis full of seeming contradictions; in each of these kingdoms\n(mineral, vegetable and animal) life exists in its degree; though\nwhen compared to the life in a man, the earth appears to be dead, yet\nshe, too, lives and has a life of her own. In this world things live\nand die, and live again in other forms of life, but in the world of\nthe spirit it is quite otherwise.\n\nThe soul does not evolve from degree to degree as a\nlaw—it only evolves nearer to God, by the Mercy and Bounty of\nGod.\n\nIt is my earnest prayer that we may all be in the\nKingdom of God, and near Him.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE EVOLUTION OF THE SPIRIT",
"slug": "pt-the-evolution-of-the-spirit",
"summary": "15 Rue Greuze, Paris, November…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"forgiveness",
"hope",
"love",
"prayer",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 8,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n15 Rue Greuze, Paris, \nNovember 10th\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:\n\nTonight I will speak of the evolution or progress of the\nspirit.\n\nAbsolute repose does not exist in nature. All things\neither make progress or lose ground. Everything moves forward or\nbackward, nothing is without motion. From his birth, a man progresses\nphysically until he reaches maturity, then, having arrived at the\nprime of his life, he begins to decline, the strength and powers of\nhis body decrease, and he gradually arrives at the hour of death.\nLikewise a plant progresses from the seed to maturity, then its life\nbegins to lessen until it fades and dies. A bird soars to a certain\nheight and having reached the highest possible point in its flight,\nbegins its descent to earth.\n\nThus it is evident that movement is essential to all\nexistence. All material things progress to a certain point, then\nbegin to decline. This is the law which governs the whole physical\ncreation.\n\nNow let us consider the soul. We have seen that movement\nis essential to existence; nothing that has life is without motion.\nAll creation, whether of the mineral, vegetable or animal kingdom, is\ncompelled to obey the law of motion; it must either ascend or\ndescend. But with the human soul, there is no decline. Its only\nmovement is towards perfection; growth and progress alone constitute\nthe motion of the soul.\n\nDivine perfection is infinite, therefore the progress of\nthe soul is also infinite. From the very birth of a human being the\nsoul progresses, the intellect grows and knowledge increases. When\nthe body dies the soul lives on. All the differing degrees of created\nphysical beings are limited, but the soul is limitless!\n\nIn all religions the belief exists that the soul\nsurvives the death of the body. Intercessions are sent up for the\nbeloved dead, prayers are said for their progress and for the\nforgiveness of their sins. If the soul perished with the body all\nthis would have no meaning. Further, if it were not possible for the\nsoul to advance towards perfection after it had been released from\nthe body, of what avail are all these loving prayers, of devotion?\n\nWe read in the sacred writings that ‘all good\nworks are found again’.10\nNow, if the soul did not survive, this also would mean nothing!\n\nThe very fact that our spiritual instinct, surely never\ngiven in vain, prompts us to pray for the welfare of those, our loved\nones, who have passed out of the material world: does it not bear\nwitness to the continuance of their existence?\n\nIn the world of spirit there is no retrogression. The\nworld of mortality is a world of contradictions, of opposites; motion\nbeing compulsory everything must either go forward or retreat. In the\nrealm of spirit there is no retreat possible, all movement is bound\nto be towards a perfect state. ‘Progress’ is the\nexpression of spirit in the world of matter. The intelligence of man,\nhis reasoning powers, his knowledge, his scientific achievements, all\nthese being manifestations of the spirit, partake of the inevitable\nlaw of spiritual progress and are, therefore, of necessity, immortal.\n\n\nMy hope for you is that you will progress in the world\nof spirit, as well as in the world of matter; that your intelligence\nwill develop, your knowledge will augment, and your understanding be\nwidened.\n\nYou must ever press forward, never standing still; avoid\nstagnation, the first step to a backward movement, to decay.\n\nThe whole physical creation is perishable. These\nmaterial bodies are composed of atoms; when these atoms begin to\nseparate decomposition sets in, then comes what we call death. This\ncomposition of atoms, which constitutes the body or mortal element of\nany created being, is temporary. When the power of attraction, which\nholds these atoms together, is withdrawn, the body, as such, ceases\nto exist.\n\nWith the soul it is different. The soul is not a\ncombination of elements, it is not composed of many atoms, it is of\none indivisible substance and therefore eternal. It is entirely out\nof the order of the physical creation; it is immortal!\n\nScientific philosophy has demonstrated that a simple\nelement (‘simple’ meaning ‘not composed’) is\nindestructible, eternal. The soul, not being a composition of\nelements, is, in character, as a simple element, and therefore cannot\ncease to exist.\n\nThe soul, being of that one indivisible substance, can\nsuffer neither disintegration nor destruction, therefore there is no\nreason for its coming to an end. All things living show signs of\ntheir existence, and it follows that these signs could not of\nthemselves exist if that which they express or to which they testify\nhad no being. A thing which does not exist, can, of course, give no\nsign of its existence. The manifold signs of the existence of the\nspirit are for ever before us.\n\nThe traces of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the influence\nof His Divine Teaching, is present with us today, and is everlasting.\n\n\nA non-existent thing, it is agreed, cannot be seen by\nsigns. In order to write a man must exist—one who does not\nexist cannot write. Writing is, in itself, a sign of the writer’s\nsoul and intelligence. The Sacred Writings (with ever the same\nTeaching) prove the continuity of the spirit.\n\nConsider the aim of creation: is it possible that all is\ncreated to evolve and develop through countless ages with this small\ngoal in view—a few years of a man’s life on earth? Is it\nnot unthinkable that this should be the final aim of existence?\n\nThe mineral evolves till it is absorbed in the life of\nthe plant, the plant progresses till finally it loses its life in\nthat of the animal; the animal, in its turn, forming part of the food\nof man, is absorbed into human life.\n\nThus, man is shown to be the sum of all creation, the\nsuperior of all created beings, the goal to which countless ages of\nexistence have progressed.\n\nAt the best, man spends four-score years and ten in this\nworld—a short time indeed!\n\nDoes a man cease to exist when he leaves the body? If\nhis life comes to an end, then all the previous evolution is useless,\nall has been for nothing! Can one imagine that Creation has no\ngreater aim than this?\n\nThe soul is eternal, immortal.\n\nMaterialists say, ‘Where is the soul? What is it?\nWe cannot see it, neither can we touch it’.\n\nThis is how we must answer them: However much the\nmineral may progress, it cannot comprehend the vegetable world. Now,\nthat lack of comprehension does not prove the non-existence of the\nplant!\n\nTo however great a degree the plant may have evolved, it\nis unable to understand the animal world; this ignorance is no proof\nthat the animal does not exist!\n\nThe animal, be he never so highly developed, cannot\nimagine the intelligence of man, neither can he realize the nature of\nhis soul. But, again, this does not prove that man is without\nintellect, or without soul. It only demonstrates this, that one form\nof existence is incapable of comprehending a form superior to itself.\n\n\nThis flower may be unconscious of such a being as man,\nbut the fact of its ignorance does not prevent the existence of\nhumanity.\n\nIn the same way, if materialists do not believe in the\nexistence of the soul, their unbelief does not prove that there is no\nsuch realm as the world of spirit. The very existence of man’s\nintelligence proves his immortality; moreover, darkness proves the\npresence of light, for without light there would be no shadow.\nPoverty proves the existence of riches, for, without riches, how\ncould we measure poverty? Ignorance proves that knowledge exists, for\nwithout knowledge how could there be ignorance?\n\nTherefore the idea of mortality presupposes the\nexistence of immortality—for if there were no Life Eternal,\nthere would be no way of measuring the life of this world!\n\nIf the spirit were not immortal, how could the\nManifestations of God endure such terrible trials?\n\nWhy did Christ Jesus suffer the fearful death on the\ncross?\n\nWhy did Muḥammad bear persecutions?\n\nWhy did the Báb make the supreme sacrifice and\nwhy did Bahá’u’lláh pass the years of his\nlife in prison?\n\nWhy should all this suffering have been, if not to prove\nthe everlasting life of the spirit?\n\nChrist suffered, He accepted all His trials because of\nthe immortality of His spirit. If a man reflects he will understand\nthe spiritual significance of the law of progress; how all moves from\nthe inferior to the superior degree.\n\nIt is only a man without intelligence who, after\nconsidering these things, can imagine that the great scheme of\ncreation should suddenly cease to progress, that evolution should\ncome to such an inadequate end!\n\nMaterialists who reason in this way, and contend that we\nare unable to see the world of spirit, or to perceive the blessings\nof God, are surely like the animals who have no understanding; having\neyes they see not, ears they have, but do not hear. And this lack of\nsight and hearing is a proof of nothing but their own inferiority; of\nwhom we read in the Qur’án, ‘They are men who are\nblind and deaf to the Spirit.’ They do not use that great gift\nof God, the power of the understanding, by which they might see with\nthe eyes of the spirit, hear with spiritual ears and also comprehend\nwith a Divinely enlightened heart.\n\nThe inability of the materialistic mind to grasp the\nidea of the Life Eternal is no proof of the non-existence of that\nlife.\n\nThe comprehension of that other life depends on our\nspiritual birth!\n\nMy prayer for you is that your spiritual faculties and\naspirations may daily increase, and that you will never allow the\nmaterial senses to veil from your eyes the glories of the Heavenly\nIllumination.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE FIFTH PRINCIPLE—THE ABOLITION OF PREJUDICES",
"slug": "pt-the-fifth-principle-the-abolition-of-prejudices",
"summary": "4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris, November…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"children",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris, \nNovember 13th\n\nAll prejudices, whether of religion, race, politics or\nnation, must be renounced, for these prejudices have caused the\nworld’s sickness. It is a grave malady which, unless arrested,\nis capable of causing the destruction of the whole human race. Every\nruinous war, with its terrible bloodshed and misery, has been caused\nby one or other of these prejudices.\n\nThe deplorable wars going on in these days are caused by\nthe fanatical religious hatred of one people for another, or the\nprejudices of race or colour.\n\nUntil all these barriers erected by prejudice are swept\naway, it is not possible for humanity to be at peace. For this reason\nBahá’u’lláh has said, ‘These\nPrejudices are destructive to mankind’.\n\nContemplate first the prejudice of religion: consider\nthe nations of so-called religious people; if they were truly\nworshippers of God they would obey His law which forbids them to kill\none another.\n\nIf priests of religion really adored the God of love and\nserved the Divine Light, they would teach their people to keep the\nchief Commandment, ‘To be in love and charity with all men’.\nBut we find the contrary, for it is often the priests who encourage\nnations to fight. Religious hatred is ever the most cruel!\n\nAll religions teach that we should love one another;\nthat we should seek out our own shortcomings before we presume to\ncondemn the faults of others, that we must not consider ourselves\nsuperior to our neighbours! We must be careful not to exalt ourselves\nlest we be humiliated.\n\nWho are we that we should judge? How shall we know who,\nin the sight of God, is the most upright man? God’s thoughts\nare not like our thoughts! How many men who have seemed saint-like to\ntheir friends have fallen into the greatest humiliation. Think of\nJudas Iscariot; he began well, but remember his end! On the other\nhand, Paul, the Apostle, was in his early life an enemy of Christ,\nwhilst later he became His most faithful servant. How then can we\nflatter ourselves and despise others?\n\nLet us therefore be humble, without prejudices,\npreferring others’ good to our own! Let us never say, ‘I\nam a believer but he is an infidel’, ‘I am near to God,\nwhilst he is an outcast’. We can never know what will be the\nfinal judgment! Therefore let us help all who are in need of any kind\nof assistance.\n\nLet us teach the ignorant, and take care of the young\nchild until he grows to maturity. When we find a person fallen into\nthe depths of misery or sin we must be kind to him, take him by the\nhand, help him to regain his footing, his strength; we must guide him\nwith love and tenderness, treat him as a friend not as an enemy.\n\nWe have no right to look upon any of our fellow-mortals\nas evil.\n\nConcerning the prejudice of race: it is an illusion, a\nsuperstition pure and simple! For God created us all of one race.\nThere were no differences in the beginning, for we are all\ndescendants of Adam. In the beginning, also, there were no limits and\nboundaries between the different lands; no part of the earth belonged\nmore to one people than to another. In the sight of God there is no\ndifference between the various races. Why should man invent such a\nprejudice? How can we uphold war caused by an illusion?\n\nGod has not created men that they should destroy one\nanother. All races, tribes, sects and classes share equally in the\nBounty of their Heavenly Father.\n\nThe only difference lies in the degree of faithfulness,\nof obedience to the laws of God. There are some who are as lighted\ntorches, there are others who shine as stars in the sky of humanity.\nThe lovers of mankind, these are the superior men, of whatever\nnation, creed, or colour they may be. For it is they to whom God will\nsay these blessed words, ‘Well done, My good and faithful\nservants’. In that day He will not ask, ‘Are you English,\nFrench, or perhaps Persian? Do you come from the East, or from the\nWest?’\n\nThe only division that is real is this: There are\nheavenly men and earthly men; self-sacrificing servants of humanity\nin the love of the Most High, bringing harmony and unity, teaching\npeace and goodwill to men. On the other hand there are those selfish\nmen, haters of their brethren, in whose hearts prejudice has replaced\nloving kindness, and whose influence breeds discord and strife.\n\nTo which race or to which colour belong these two\ndivisions of men, to the White, to the Yellow, to the Black, to the\nEast or to the West, to the North or to the South? If these are God’s\ndivisions, why should we invent others? Political prejudice is\nequally mischievous, it is one of the greatest causes of bitter\nstrife amongst the children of men. There are people who find\npleasure in breeding discord, who constantly endeavour to goad their\ncountry into making war upon other nations—and why? They think\nto advantage their own country to the detriment of all others. They\nsend armies to harass and destroy the land, in order to become famous\nin the world, for the joy of conquest. That it may be said: ‘Such\na country has defeated another, and brought it under the yoke of\ntheir stronger, more superior rule’. This victory, bought at\nthe price of much bloodshed, is not lasting! The conqueror shall one\nday be conquered; and the vanquished ones victorious! Remember the\nhistory of the past: did not France conquer Germany more than\nonce—then did not the German nation overcome France?\n\nWe learn also that France conquered England; then was\nthe English nation victorious over France!\n\nThese glorious conquests are so ephemeral! Why attach so\ngreat importance to them and to their fame, as to be willing to shed\nthe blood of the people for their attainment? Is any victory worth\nthe inevitable train of evils consequent upon human slaughter, the\ngrief and sorrow and ruin which must overwhelm so many homes of both\nnations? For it is not possible that one country alone should suffer.\n\n\nOh! why will man, the disobedient child of God, who\nshould be an example of the power of the spiritual law, turn his face\naway from the Divine Teaching and put all his effort into destruction\nand war?\n\nMy hope is that in this enlightened century the Divine\nLight of love will shed its radiance over the whole world, seeking\nout the responsive heart’s intelligence of every human being;\nthat the light of the Sun of Truth will lead politicians to shake off\nall the claims of prejudice and superstition, and with freed minds to\nfollow the Policy of God: for Divine Politics are mighty, man’s\npolitics are feeble! God has created all the world, and bestows His\nDivine Bounty upon every creature.\n\nAre we not the servants of God? Shall we neglect to\nfollow our Master’s Example, and ignore His Commands?\n\nI pray that the Kingdom shall come on Earth, and that\nall darkness shall be driven away by the effulgence of the Heavenly\nSun.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE FIRST PRINCIPLE—SEARCH AFTER TRUTH",
"slug": "pt-the-first-principle-search-after-truth",
"summary": "4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris November…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris \nNovember 10th\n\nThe first principle of the Teaching of Bahá’u’lláh\nis:\n\nThe Search after Truth\n\nIf a man would succeed in his search after truth, he\nmust, in the first place, shut his eyes to all the traditional\nsuperstitions of the past.\n\nThe Jews have traditional superstitions, the Buddhists\nand the Zoroastrians are not free from them, neither are the\nChristians! All religions have gradually become bound by tradition\nand dogma.\n\nAll consider themselves, respectively, the only\nguardians of the truth, and that every other religion is composed of\nerrors. They themselves are right, all others are wrong! The Jews\nbelieve that they are the only possessors of the truth and condemn\nall other religions. The Christians affirm that their religion is the\nonly true one, that all others are false. Likewise the Buddhists and\nMuḥammadans; all limit themselves. If all condemn one another,\nwhere shall we search for truth? All contradicting one another, all\ncannot be true. If each believe his particular religion to be the\nonly true one, he blinds his eyes to the truth in the others. If, for\ninstance, a Jew is bound by the external practice of the religion of\nIsrael, he does not permit himself to perceive that truth can exist\nin any other religion; it must be all contained in his own!\n\nWe should, therefore, detach ourselves from the external\nforms and practices of religion. We must realize that these forms and\npractices, however beautiful, are but garments clothing the warm\nheart and the living limbs of Divine truth. We must abandon the\nprejudices of tradition if we would succeed in finding the truth at\nthe core of all religions. If a Zoroastrian believes that the Sun is\nGod, how can he be united to other religions? While idolaters believe\nin their various idols, how can they understand the oneness of God?\n\nIt is, therefore, clear that in order to make any\nprogress in the search after truth we must relinquish superstition.\nIf all seekers would follow this principle they would obtain a clear\nvision of the truth.\n\nIf five people meet together to seek for truth, they\nmust begin by cutting themselves free from all their own special\nconditions and renouncing all preconceived ideas. In order to find\ntruth we must give up our prejudices, our own small trivial notions;\nan open receptive mind is essential. If our chalice is full of self,\nthere is no room in it for the water of life. The fact that we\nimagine ourselves to be right and everybody else wrong is the\ngreatest of all obstacles in the path towards unity, and unity is\nnecessary if we would reach truth, for truth is one.\n\nTherefore it is imperative that we should renounce our\nown particular prejudices and superstitions if we earnestly desire to\nseek the truth. Unless we make a distinction in our minds between\ndogma, superstition and prejudice on the one hand, and truth on the\nother, we cannot succeed. When we are in earnest in our search for\nanything we look for it everywhere. This principle we must carry out\nin our search for truth.\n\nScience must be accepted. No one truth can contradict\nanother truth. Light is good in whatsoever lamp it is burning! A rose\nis beautiful in whatsoever garden it may bloom! A star has the same\nradiance if it shines from the East or from the West. Be free from\nprejudice, so will you love the Sun of Truth from whatsoever point in\nthe horizon it may arise! You will realize that if the Divine light\nof truth shone in Jesus Christ it also shone in Moses and in Buddha.\nThe earnest seeker will arrive at this truth. This is what is meant\nby the ‘Search after Truth’.\n\nIt means, also, that we must be willing to clear away\nall that we have previously learned, all that would clog our steps on\nthe way to truth; we must not shrink if necessary from beginning our\neducation all over again. We must not allow our love for any one\nreligion or any one personality to so blind our eyes that we become\nfettered by superstition! When we are freed from all these bonds,\nseeking with liberated minds, then shall we be able to arrive at our\ngoal.\n\n‘Seek the truth, the truth shall make you free.’\nSo shall we see the truth in all religions, for truth is in all and\ntruth is one!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE FOUR KINDS OF LOVE",
"slug": "pt-the-four-kinds-of-love",
"summary": "97 Cadogan Gardens, London, Saturday, January 4th,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n97 Cadogan Gardens, London, \nSaturday, January 4th,\n1913\n\nWhat a power is love! It is the most wonderful, the\ngreatest of all living powers.\n\nLove gives life to the lifeless. Love lights a flame in\nthe heart that is cold. Love brings hope to the hopeless and gladdens\nthe hearts of the sorrowful.\n\nIn the world of existence there is indeed no greater\npower than the power of love. When the heart of man is aglow with the\nflame of love, he is ready to sacrifice all—even his life. In\nthe Gospel it is said God is love.\n\nThere are four kinds of love. The first is the love that\nflows from God to man; it consists of the inexhaustible graces, the\nDivine effulgence and heavenly illumination. Through this love the\nworld of being receives life. Through this love man is endowed with\nphysical existence, until, through the breath of the Holy Spirit—this\nsame love—he receives eternal life and becomes the image of the\nLiving God. This love is the origin of all the love in the world of\ncreation.\n\nThe second is the love that flows from man to God. This\nis faith, attraction to the Divine, enkindlement, progress, entrance\ninto the Kingdom of God, receiving the Bounties of God, illumination\nwith the lights of the Kingdom. This love is the origin of all\nphilanthropy; this love causes the hearts of men to reflect the rays\nof the Sun of Reality.\n\nThe third is the love of God towards the Self or\nIdentity of God. This is the transfiguration of His Beauty, the\nreflection of Himself in the mirror of His Creation. This is the\nreality of love, the Ancient Love, the Eternal Love. Through one ray\nof this Love all other love exists.\n\nThe fourth is the love of man for man. The love which\nexists between the hearts of believers is prompted by the ideal of\nthe unity of spirits. This love is attained through the knowledge of\nGod, so that men see the Divine Love reflected in the heart. Each\nsees in the other the Beauty of God reflected in the soul, and\nfinding this point of similarity, they are attracted to one another\nin love. This love will make all men the waves of one sea, this love\nwill make them all the stars of one heaven and the fruits of one\ntree. This love will bring the realization of true accord, the\nfoundation of real unity.\n\nBut the love which sometimes exists between friends is\nnot (true) love, because it is subject to transmutation; this is\nmerely fascination. As the breeze blows, the slender trees yield. If\nthe wind is in the East the tree leans to the West, and if the wind\nturns to the West the tree leans to the East. This kind of love is\noriginated by the accidental conditions of life. This is not love, it\nis merely acquaintanceship; it is subject to change.\n\nToday you will see two souls apparently in close\nfriendship; tomorrow all this may be changed. Yesterday they were\nready to die for one another, today they shun one another’s\nsociety! This is not love; it is the yielding of the hearts to the\naccidents of life. When that which has caused this ‘love’\nto exist passes, the love passes also; this is not in reality love.\n\nLove is only of the four kinds that I have explained.\n(a) The love of God towards the identity of God. Christ has said God\nis Love. (b) The love of God for His children—for His servants.\n(c) The love of man for God and (d) the love of man for man. These\nfour kinds of love originate from God. These are rays from the Sun of\nReality; these are the Breathings of the Holy Spirit; these are the\nSigns of the Reality.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE INTERMEDIARY POWER BETWEEN GOD AND MAN",
"slug": "pt-the-holy-spirit-the-intermediary-power-between-god-and-man",
"summary": "4 Avenue de Camöens, October…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n4 Avenue de Camöens, \nOctober 31st\n\nThe Divine Reality is Unthinkable, Limitless, Eternal,\nImmortal and Invisible.\n\nThe world of creation is bound by natural law, finite\nand mortal.\n\nThe Infinite Reality cannot be said to ascend or\ndescend. It is beyond the understanding of man, and cannot be\ndescribed in terms which apply to the phenomenal sphere of the\ncreated world.\n\nMan, then, is in extreme need of the only Power by which\nhe is able to receive help from the Divine Reality, that Power alone\nbringing him into contact with the Source of all life.\n\nAn intermediary is needed to bring two extremes into\nrelation with each other. Riches and poverty, plenty and need:\nwithout an intermediary power there could be no relation between\nthese pairs of opposites.\n\nSo we can say there must be a Mediator between God and\nMan, and this is none other than the Holy Spirit, which brings the\ncreated earth into relation with the ‘Unthinkable One’,\nthe Divine Reality.\n\nThe Divine Reality may be likened to the sun and the\nHoly Spirit to the rays of the sun. As the rays of the sun bring the\nlight and warmth of the sun to the earth, giving life to all created\nbeings, so do the ‘Manifestations’5\nbring the power of the Holy Spirit from the Divine Sun of Reality to\ngive light and life to the souls of men.\n\nBehold, there is an intermediary necessary between the\nsun and the earth; the sun does not descend to the earth, neither\ndoes the earth ascend to the sun. This contact is made by the rays of\nthe sun which bring light and warmth and heat.\n\nThe Holy Spirit is the Light from the Sun of Truth\nbringing, by its infinite power, life and illumination to all\nmankind, flooding all souls with Divine Radiance, conveying the\nblessings of God’s Mercy to the whole world. The earth, without\nthe medium of the warmth and light of the rays of the sun, could\nreceive no benefits from the sun.\n\nLikewise the Holy Spirit is the very cause of the life\nof man; without the Holy Spirit he would have no intellect, he would\nbe unable to acquire his scientific knowledge by which his great\ninfluence over the rest of creation is gained. The illumination of\nthe Holy Spirit gives to man the power of thought, and enables him to\nmake discoveries by which he bends the laws of nature to his will.\n\nThe Holy Spirit it is which, through the mediation of\nthe Prophets of God, teaches spiritual virtues to man and enables him\nto attain Eternal Life.\n\nAll these blessings are brought to man by the Holy\nSpirit; therefore we can understand that the Holy Spirit is the\nIntermediary between the Creator and the created. The light and heat\nof the sun cause the earth to be fruitful, and create life in all\nthings that grow; and the Holy Spirit quickens the souls of men.\n\nThe two great apostles, St Peter and St John the\nEvangelist, were once simple, humble workmen, toiling for their daily\nbread. By the Power of the Holy Spirit their souls were illumined,\nand they received the eternal blessings of the Lord Christ.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE IMPRISONMENT OF ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ",
"slug": "pt-the-imprisonment-of-abdu-l-baha",
"summary": "4 Avenue de Camöens, Wednesday, October…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"persecution",
"prison",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n4 Avenue de Camöens, \nWednesday, October 25th\n\nI regret much that I have kept you waiting this morning,\nbut I have so much to do in a short time for the Cause of the love of\nGod.\n\nYou will not mind having waited a little to see me. I\nhave waited years and years in prison, that I might come to see you\nnow.\n\nAbove all, God be praised, our hearts are always in\nunison, and with one aim are drawn to the love of God. By the Bounty\nof the Kingdom our desires, our hearts, our spirits, are they not\nunited in one bond? Our prayers, are they not for the gathering\ntogether of all men in harmony? Therefore are we not always together?\n\n\nYesterday evening when I came home from the house of\nMonsieur Dreyfus I was very tired—yet I did not sleep, I lay\nawake thinking.\n\nI said, O God, Here am I in Paris! What is Paris and who\nam I? Never did I dream that from the darkness of my prison I should\never be able to come to you, though when they read me my sentence I\ndid not believe in it.\n\nThey told me that ‘Abdu’l-Ḥamíd\nhad ordered my everlasting imprisonment, and I said, ‘This is\nimpossible! I shall not always be a prisoner. If ‘Abdu’l-Ḥamíd\nwere immortal, such a sentence might possibly be carried out. It is\ncertain that one day I shall be free. My body may be captive for a\ntime, but ‘Abdu’l-Ḥamíd has no power over my\nspirit—free it must remain—that can no man imprison’.\n\n\nReleased from my prison by the Power of God I meet here\nthe friends of God, and I am thankful unto Him.\n\nLet us spread the Cause of God, for which I suffered\npersecution.\n\nWhat a privilege it is for us to meet here in freedom.\nHow happy for us that God has so decided that we may work together\nfor the coming of the Kingdom!\n\nAre you pleased to receive such a guest, freed from his\nprison to bring the glorious Message to you? He who never could have\nthought such a meeting possible! Now by the Grace of God, by His\nwonderful Power, I, who was condemned to perpetual imprisonment in a\nfar off town of the East, am here in Paris talking with you!\n\nHenceforward we shall always be together, heart and soul\nand spirit, pressing forward in the work till all men are gathered\ntogether under the tent of the Kingdom, singing the songs of peace.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE LAST MEETING",
"slug": "pt-the-last-meeting",
"summary": "15 Rue Greuze, Paris, December…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"children",
"family",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n15 Rue Greuze, Paris, \nDecember 1st\n\nWhen I arrived in Paris some time ago for the first\ntime, I looked around me with much interest, and in my mind I likened\nthis beautiful city to a large garden.\n\nWith loving care and much thought I examined the soil,\nand found it to be very good and full of possibility for steadfast\nfaith and firm belief, for a seed of God’s love has been cast\ninto the ground.\n\nClouds of Heavenly Mercy showered their rain upon it,\nand the Sun of Truth fell warmly upon the young seeds, and today one\ncan see in your midst the birth of belief. The seed cast into the\nground has begun to spring up, and day by day you will see it grow.\nThe bounties of the Kingdom of Bahá’u’lláh\nshall indeed bring forth a wondrous harvest!\n\nBehold! I bring you glad and joyful tidings! Paris will\nbecome a garden of roses! All kinds of beautiful flowers will spring\nup and flourish in this garden, and the fame of their fragrance and\nbeauty will be spread in all lands. When I think of Paris in the\nfuture, I seem to see her bathed in the light of the Holy Spirit!\nVerily, the day is dawning when Paris will receive her illumination,\nand the Goodness and Mercy of God will be visible to every living\ncreature.\n\nDo not allow your minds to dwell on the present, but\nwith eyes of faith look into the future, for in truth the Spirit of\nGod is working in your midst.\n\nSince my arrival a few weeks ago, I can see the growth\nof spirituality. At the beginning only a few souls came to me for\nLight, but during my short sojourn among you the numbers have\nincreased and doubled. This is a promise for the future!\n\nWhen Christ was crucified and left this world, He had\nonly eleven disciples and a very few followers; but as He served the\nCause of truth, look today at the result of His life’s work! He\nhas illumined the world, and given life to dead humanity. After His\nascension little by little His Cause grew, the souls of His followers\nbecame more and more luminous, and the exquisite perfume of their\nsaintly lives spread on all sides.\n\nNow today, thank God, a similar condition has begun in\nParis. There are many souls who have turned to the Kingdom of God,\nand who are attracted to unity, love and truth.\n\nTry so to work that the goodness and mercy of Abhá\nmay enfold the whole of Paris. The Breath of the Holy Spirit will\nhelp you, the Celestial Light of the Kingdom will shine in your\nhearts, and the blessed angels of God from Heaven will bring you\nstrength and will succour you. Then thank God with all your hearts\nthat you have attained to this supreme benefit. A great part of the\nworld is plunged in sleep, but you have been awakened. Many are\nblind, but you see!\n\nThe call of the Kingdom is heard in your midst. Glory be\nto God, you have been born again, you have been baptized by the fire\nof the Love of God; you have been plunged in the Sea of Life and\nregenerated by the Spirit of Love!\n\nHaving received such favour be thankful unto God, and\nnever doubt His Goodness and Loving Kindness but have undying faith\nin the Bounties of the Kingdom. Consort together in brotherly love,\nbe ready to lay down your lives one for the other, and not only for\nthose who are dear to you, but for all humanity. Look upon the whole\nhuman race as members of one family, all children of God; and, in so\ndoing, you will see no difference between them.\n\nHumanity may be likened to a tree. This tree has\nbranches, leaves, buds and fruit. Think of all men as being flowers,\nleaves or buds of this tree, and try to help each and all to realize\nand enjoy God’s blessings. God neglects none: He loves all.\n\nThe only real difference that exists between people is\nthat they are at various stages of development. Some are\nimperfect—these must be brought to perfection. Some are\nasleep—they must be awakened; some are negligent—they\nmust be roused; but one and all are the children of God. Love them\nall with your whole heart; no one is a stranger to the other, all are\nfriends. Tonight I come to say farewell to you—but bear this in\nyour minds, that although our bodies may be far apart, in spirit we\nshall always be together.\n\nI bear you one and all in my heart, and will forget none\nof you—and I hope that none of you will forget me.\n\nI in the East, and you in the West, let us try with\nheart and soul that unity may dwell in the world, that all the\npeoples may become one people, and that the whole surface of the\nearth may be like one country—for the Sun of Truth shines on\nall alike.\n\nAll the Prophets of God came for love of this one great\naim.\n\nLook how Abraham strove to bring faith and love among\nthe people; how Moses tried to unite the people by sound laws; how\nthe Lord Christ suffered unto death to bring the light of love and\ntruth into a darkened world; how Muḥammad sought to bring unity\nand peace between the various uncivilized tribes among whom he dwelt.\nAnd last of all, Bahá’u’lláh has suffered\nforty years for the same cause—the single noble purpose of\nspreading love among the children of men—and for the peace and\nunity of the world the Báb gave up his life.\n\nThus, strive to follow the example of these Divine\nBeings, drink from Their fountain, be illumined by Their Light, and\nto the world be as symbols of the Mercy and Love of God. Be unto the\nworld as rain and clouds of mercy, as suns of truth; be a celestial\narmy, and you shall indeed conquer the city of hearts.\n\nBe thankful unto God that Bahá’u’lláh\nhas given us a firm and solid foundation. He left no place for\nsadness in hearts, and the writings of His sacred pen contain\nconsolation for the whole world. He had the words of truth, and\nanything that is contrary to His teaching is false. The chief aim of\nall His work was to do away with division.\n\nThe testament of Bahá’u’lláh\nis a Rain of Goodness, a Sun of Truth, Water of Life, the Holy\nSpirit. Thus open your hearts to receive the full power of His\nBeauty, and I will pray for you all that this joy may be yours.\n\nNow I say ‘Good-bye’.\n\nThis I say only to your outer selves; I do not say it to\nyour souls, for our souls are always together.\n\nBe comforted, and rest assured that day and night I\nshall turn to the Kingdom of Abhá in supplication for you,\nthat day by day you may grow better and holier, nearer to God, and\nmore and more illumined by the radiance of His Love.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE LIGHT OF TRUTH IS NOW SHINING UPON THE EAST AND WEST",
"slug": "pt-the-light-of-truth-is-now-shining-upon-the-east-and-west",
"summary": "Monday, October…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMonday, October 23rd\n\nWhen a man has found the joy of life in one place, he\nreturns to that same spot to find more joy. When a man has found gold\nin a mine, he returns again to that mine to dig for more gold.\n\nThis shows the internal force and natural instinct which\nGod has given to man, and the power of vital energy which is born in\nhim.\n\nThe West has always received spiritual enlightenment\nfrom the East. The Song of the Kingdom is first heard in the East,\nbut in the West the greater volume of sound bursts upon the listening\nears.\n\nThe Lord Christ arose as a bright Star in the Eastern\nsky, but the light of His Teaching shone more perfectly in the West,\nwhere His influence has taken root more firmly and His Cause has\nspread to a greater degree than in the land of His birth.\n\nThe sound of the Song of Christ has echoed over all the\nlands of the Western World and entered the hearts of its people.\n\nThe people of the West are firm, and the foundations on\nwhich they build are of rock; they are steadfast, and do not easily\nforget.\n\nThe West is like a strong sturdy plant; when the rain\nfalls gently upon it to give it nourishment and the sun shines upon\nit, then does it blossom in due time and bring forth good fruit. It\nis a long time since the Sun of Truth mirrored forth by the Lord\nChrist has shed its radiance upon the West, for the Face of God has\nbeen veiled by the sin and forgetfulness of man. But now again,\npraise be to God, the Holy Spirit speaks anew to the world! The\nconstellation of love and wisdom and power is once more shining from\nthe Divine Horizon to give joy to all who turn their faces to the\nLight of God. Bahá’u’lláh has rent the veil\nof prejudice and superstition which was stifling the souls of men.\nLet us pray to God that the breath of the Holy Spirit may again give\nhope and refreshment to the people, awakening in them a desire to do\nthe Will of God. May heart and soul be vivified in every man: so will\nthey all rejoice in a new birth.\n\nThen shall humanity put on a new garment in the radiance\nof the love of God, and it shall be the dawn of a new creation! Then\nwill the Mercy of the Most Merciful be showered upon all mankind and\nthey will arise to a new life.\n\nMy earnest desire is that you will all strive and work\nfor this glorious end; that you will be faithful and loving workers\nin the building of the new spiritual civilization; the elect of God,\nin willing joyful obedience carrying out His supreme design! Success\nis truly near at hand, for the Flag of Divinity has been raised\naloft, and the Sun of the Righteousness of God appeareth upon the\nhorizon in the sight of all men!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE NEED FOR UNION BETWEEN THE PEOPLES OF THE EAST AND WEST",
"slug": "pt-the-need-for-union-between-the-peoples-of-the-east-and-west",
"summary": "Friday, October…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nFriday, October 20th\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:\n\nIn the past, as in the present, the Spiritual Sun of\nTruth has always shone from the horizon of the East.\n\nAbraham appeared in the East. In the East Moses arose to\nlead and teach the people. On the Eastern horizon arose the Lord\nChrist. Muḥammad was sent to an Eastern nation. The Báb\narose in the Eastern land of Persia. Bahá’u’lláh\nlived and taught in the East. All the great Spiritual Teachers arose\nin the Eastern world. But although the Sun of Christ dawned in the\nEast the radiance thereof was apparent in the West, where the\neffulgence of its glory was more clearly seen. The divine light of\nHis Teaching shone with a greater force in the Western world, where\nit has made a more rapid headway than in the land of its birth.\n\nIn these days the East is in need of material progress\nand the West is in want of a spiritual idea. It would be well for the\nWest to turn to the East for illumination, and to give in exchange\nits scientific knowledge. There must be this interchange of gifts.\n\nThe East and the West must unite to give to each other\nwhat is lacking. This union will bring about a true civilization,\nwhere the spiritual is expressed and carried out in the material.\n\nReceiving thus the one from the other the greatest\nharmony will prevail, all people will be united, a state of great\nperfection will be attained, there will be a firm cementing, and this\nworld will become a shining mirror for the reflection of the\nattributes of God.\n\nWe all, the Eastern with the Western nations, must\nstrive day and night with heart and soul to achieve this high ideal,\nto cement the unity between all the nations of the earth. Every heart\nwill then be refreshed, all eyes will be opened, the most wonderful\npower will be given, the happiness of humanity will be assured.\n\nWe must pray that by the Bounty of God, Persia will be\nenabled to receive the material and mental civilization of the West,\nand by Divine Grace to give in return her spiritual light. The\ndevoted energetic work of the united peoples, occidentals and\norientals, will succeed in establishing this result, for the force of\nthe Holy Spirit will aid them.\n\nThe principles of the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh\nshould be carefully studied, one by one, until they are realized and\nunderstood by mind and heart—so will you become strong\nfollowers of the light, truly spiritual, heavenly soldiers of God,\nacquiring and spreading the true civilization in Persia, in Europe,\nand in the whole world.\n\nThis will be the paradise which is to come on earth,\nwhen all mankind will be gathered together under the tent of unity in\nthe Kingdom of Glory.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE PERFECT HUMAN SENTIMENTS AND VIRTUES",
"slug": "pt-the-perfect-human-sentiments-and-virtues",
"summary": "November 23rd ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said: You should all be very happy and thankful to God for the great privilege that is yours. This is purely a spiritual meeting! Praise be to God, your hearts are turned to Him, your souls are attracted to the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"prayer",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNovember 23rd\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:\n\nYou should all be very happy and thankful to God for the\ngreat privilege that is yours.\n\nThis is purely a spiritual meeting! Praise be to God,\nyour hearts are turned to Him, your souls are attracted to the\nKingdom, you have spiritual aspirations, and your thoughts soar above\nthe world of dust.\n\nYou belong to the world of purity, and are not content\nto live the life of the animal, spending your days in eating,\ndrinking, and sleeping. You are indeed men! Your thoughts and\nambitions are set to acquire human perfection. You live to do good\nand to bring happiness to others. Your greatest longing is to comfort\nthose who mourn, to strengthen the weak, and to be the cause of hope\nto the despairing soul. Day and night your thoughts are turned to the\nKingdom, and your hearts are full of the Love of God.\n\nThus you know neither opposition, dislike, nor hatred,\nfor every living creature is dear to you and the good of each is\nsought.\n\nThese are perfect human sentiments and virtues. If a man\nhas none of these, he had better cease to exist. If a lamp has ceased\nto give light, it had better be destroyed. If a tree bear no fruit,\nit had better be cut down, for it only cumbereth the ground.\n\nVerily, it is better a thousand times for a man to die\nthan to continue living without virtue.\n\nWe have eyes wherewith to see, but if we do not use them\nhow do they profit us? We have ears wherewith to hear, but if we are\ndeaf of what use are they?\n\nWe have a tongue wherewith to praise God and proclaim\nthe good tidings, but if we are dumb how useless it is!\n\nThe All-loving God created man to radiate the Divine\nlight and to illumine the world by his words, action and life. If he\nis without virtue he becomes no better than a mere animal, and an\nanimal devoid of intelligence is a vile thing.\n\nThe Heavenly Father gave the priceless gift of\nintelligence to man so that he might become a spiritual light,\npiercing the darkness of materiality, and bringing goodness and truth\ninto the world. If ye will follow earnestly the teachings of\nBahá’u’lláh, ye shall indeed become the\nlight of the world, the soul for the body of the world, the comfort\nand help for humanity, and the source of salvation for the whole\nuniverse. Strive therefore, with heart and soul, to follow the\nprecepts of the Blessed Perfection, and rest assured that if ye\nsucceed in living the life he marks out for you, Eternal Life and\neverlasting joy in the Heavenly Kingdom will be yours, and celestial\nsustenance will be sent to strengthen you all your days.\n\nIt is my heartfelt prayer that each one of you may\nattain to this perfect joy!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE PITIFUL CAUSES OF WAR, AND THE DUTY OF EVERYONE TO STRIVE FOR PEACE",
"slug": "pt-the-pitiful-causes-of-war-and-the-duty-of-everyone-to-strive-for-peace",
"summary": "October 21st ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said: I hope you are all happy and well. I am not happy, but very sad. The news of the Battle of Benghazi grieves my heart. I wonder at the human savagery that still exists in the world! How is it possible for men…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"women",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"hope",
"justice",
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOctober 21st\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:\n\nI hope you are all happy and well. I am not happy, but\nvery sad. The news of the Battle of Benghazi grieves my heart. I\nwonder at the human savagery that still exists in the world! How is\nit possible for men to fight from morning until evening, killing each\nother, shedding the blood of their fellow-men: And for what object?\nTo gain possession of a part of the earth! Even the animals, when\nthey fight, have an immediate and more reasonable cause for their\nattacks! How terrible it is that men, who are of the higher kingdom,\ncan descend to slaying and bringing misery to their fellow-beings,\nfor the possession of a tract of land!\n\nThe highest of created beings fighting to obtain the\nlowest form of matter, earth! Land belongs not to one people, but to\nall people. This earth is not man’s home, but his tomb. It is\nfor their tombs these men are fighting. There is nothing so horrible\nin this world as the tomb, the abode of the decaying bodies of men.\n\nHowever great the conqueror, however many countries he\nmay reduce to slavery, he is unable to retain any part of these\ndevastated lands but one tiny portion—his tomb! If more land is\nrequired for the improvement of the condition of the people, for the\nspread of civilization (for the substitution of just laws for brutal\ncustoms)—surely it would be possible to acquire peaceably the\nnecessary extension of territory.\n\nBut war is made for the satisfaction of men’s\nambition; for the sake of worldly gain to the few, terrible misery is\nbrought to numberless homes, breaking the hearts of hundreds of men\nand women!\n\nHow many widows mourn their husbands, how many stories\nof savage cruelty do we hear! How many little orphaned children are\ncrying for their dead fathers, how many women are weeping for their\nslain sons!\n\nThere is nothing so heart-breaking and terrible as an\noutburst of human savagery!\n\nI charge you all that each one of you concentrate all\nthe thoughts of your heart on love and unity. When a thought of war\ncomes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred\nmust be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love. Thoughts of war\nbring destruction to all harmony, well-being, restfulness and\ncontent.\n\nThoughts of love are constructive of brotherhood, peace,\nfriendship, and happiness.\n\nWhen soldiers of the world draw their swords to kill,\nsoldiers of God clasp each other’s hands! So may all the\nsavagery of man disappear by the Mercy of God, working through the\npure in heart and the sincere of soul. Do not think the peace of the\nworld an ideal impossible to attain!\n\nNothing is impossible to the Divine Benevolence of God.\n\nIf you desire with all your heart, friendship with every\nrace on earth, your thought, spiritual and positive, will spread; it\nwill become the desire of others, growing stronger and stronger,\nuntil it reaches the minds of all men.\n\nDo not despair! Work steadily. Sincerity and love will\nconquer hate. How many seemingly impossible events are coming to pass\nin these days! Set your faces steadily towards the Light of the\nWorld. Show love to all; ‘Love is the breath of the Holy Spirit\nin the heart of Man’. Take courage! God never forsakes His\nchildren who strive and work and pray! Let your hearts be filled with\nthe strenuous desire that tranquillity and harmony may encircle all\nthis warring world. So will success crown your efforts, and with the\nuniversal brotherhood will come the Kingdom of God in peace and\ngoodwill.\n\nIn this room today are members of many races, French,\nAmerican, English, German, Italian, brothers and sisters meeting in\nfriendship and harmony! Let this gathering be a foreshadowing of what\nwill, in very truth, take place in this world, when every child of\nGod realizes that they are leaves of one tree, flowers in one garden,\ndrops in one ocean, and sons and daughters of one Father, whose name\nis love!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE POWER AND VALUE OF TRUE THOUGHT DEPEND UPON ITS MANIFESTATION IN ACTION",
"slug": "pt-the-power-and-value-of-true-thought-depend-upon-its-manifestation-in-action",
"summary": "October 18th The reality of man is his thought, not his material body. The thought force and the animal force are partners. Although man is part of the animal creation, he possesses a power of thought superior to all other created beings.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOctober 18th\n\nThe reality of man is his thought, not his material\nbody. The thought force and the animal force are partners. Although\nman is part of the animal creation, he possesses a power of thought\nsuperior to all other created beings.\n\nIf a man’s thought is constantly aspiring towards\nheavenly subjects then does he become saintly; if on the other hand\nhis thought does not soar, but is directed downwards to centre itself\nupon the things of this world, he grows more and more material until\nhe arrives at a state little better than that of a mere animal.\n\nThoughts may be divided into two classes:\n\n(1st) Thought that belongs to the world of thought\nalone.\n\n(2nd) Thought that expresses itself in action.\n\nSome men and women glory in their exalted thoughts, but\nif these thoughts never reach the plane of action they remain\nuseless: the power of thought is dependent on its manifestation in\ndeeds. A philosopher’s thought may, however, in the world of\nprogress and evolution, translate itself into the actions of other\npeople, even when they themselves are unable or unwilling to show\nforth their grand ideals in their own lives. To this class the\nmajority of philosophers belong, their teachings being high above\ntheir actions. This is the difference between philosophers who are\nSpiritual Teachers, and those who are mere philosophers: the\nSpiritual Teacher is the first to follow His own teaching; He brings\ndown into the world of action His spiritual conceptions and ideals.\nHis Divine thoughts are made manifest to the world. His thought is\nHimself, from which He is inseparable. When we find a philosopher\nemphasizing the importance and grandeur of justice, and then\nencouraging a rapacious monarch in his oppression and tyranny, we\nquickly realize that he belongs to the first class: for he thinks\nheavenly thoughts and does not practise the corresponding heavenly\nvirtues.\n\nThis state is impossible with Spiritual Philosophers,\nfor they ever express their high and noble thoughts in actions.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE PROGRESS OF THE SOUL",
"slug": "pt-the-progress-of-the-soul",
"summary": "‘Does the soul progress more through sorrow or through the joy in this…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"justice",
"sacrifice",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n‘Does the soul progress more through sorrow or\nthrough the joy in this world?’\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá.—‘The mind\nand spirit of man advance when he is tried by suffering. The more the\nground is ploughed the better the seed will grow, the better the\nharvest will be. Just as the plough furrows the earth deeply,\npurifying it of weeds and thistles, so suffering and tribulation free\nman from the petty affairs of this worldly life until he arrives at a\nstate of complete detachment. His attitude in this world will be that\nof divine happiness. Man is, so to speak, unripe: the heat of the\nfire of suffering will mature him. Look back to the times past and\nyou will find that the greatest men have suffered most.’\n\n‘He who through suffering has attained\ndevelopment, should he fear happiness?’\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá.—‘Through\nsuffering he will attain to an eternal happiness which nothing can\ntake from him. The apostles of Christ suffered: they attained eternal\nhappiness.’\n\n‘Then it is impossible to attain happiness without\nsuffering?’\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá.—‘To attain\neternal happiness one must suffer. He who has reached the state of\nself-sacrifice has true joy. Temporal joy will vanish.’\n\n‘Can a departed soul converse with someone still\non earth?’\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá.—‘A\nconversation can be held, but not as our conversation. There is no\ndoubt that the forces of the higher worlds interplay with the forces\nof this plane. The heart of man is open to inspiration; this is\nspiritual communication. As in a dream one talks with a friend while\nthe mouth is silent, so is it in the conversation of the spirit. A\nman may converse with the ego within him saying: “May I do\nthis? Would it be advisable for me to do this work?” Such as\nthis is conversation with the higher self.’\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE SECOND PRINCIPLE—THE UNITY OF MANKIND",
"slug": "pt-the-second-principle-the-unity-of-mankind",
"summary": "November 11th I spoke yesterday of the first principle of the Teaching of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘The Search for Truth’; how it is necessary for a man to put aside all in the nature of superstition, and every tradition which would blind his eyes to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"children",
"family",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNovember 11th\n\nI spoke yesterday of the first principle of the Teaching\nof Bahá’u’lláh, ‘The Search for\nTruth’; how it is necessary for a man to put aside all in the\nnature of superstition, and every tradition which would blind his\neyes to the existence of truth in all religions. He must not, while\nloving and clinging to one form of religion, permit himself to detest\nall others. It is essential that he search for truth in all\nreligions, and, if his seeking be in earnest, he will assuredly\nsucceed.\n\nNow the first discovery which we make in our ‘Search\nafter Truth’, will lead us to the second principle, which is\nthe ‘Unity of Mankind’. All men are servants of the One\nGod. One God reigns over all the nations of the world and has\npleasure in all His children. All men are of one family; the crown of\nhumanity rests on the head of every human being.\n\nIn the eyes of the Creator all His children are equal;\nHis goodness is poured forth on all. He does not favour this nation\nnor that nation, all alike are His creatures. This being so, why\nshould we make divisions, separating one race from another? Why\nshould we create barriers of superstition and tradition bringing\ndiscord and hatred among the people?\n\nThe only difference between members of the human family\nis that of degree. Some are like children who are ignorant, and must\nbe educated until they arrive at maturity. Some are like the sick and\nmust be treated with tenderness and care. None are bad or evil! We\nmust not be repelled by these poor children. We must treat them with\ngreat kindness, teaching the ignorant and tenderly nursing the sick.\n\nConsider: Unity is necessary to existence. Love is the\nvery cause of life; on the other hand, separation brings death. In\nthe world of material creation, for instance, all things owe their\nactual life to unity. The elements which compose wood, mineral, or\nstone, are held together by the law of attraction. If this law should\ncease for one moment to operate these elements would not hold\ntogether, they would fall apart, and the object would in that\nparticular form cease to exist. The law of attraction has brought\ntogether certain elements in the form of this beautiful flower, but\nwhen that attraction is withdrawn from this centre the flower will\ndecompose, and, as a flower, cease to exist.\n\nSo it is with the great body of humanity. The wonderful\nLaw of Attraction, Harmony and Unity, holds together this marvellous\nCreation.\n\nAs with the whole, so with the parts; whether a flower\nor a human body, when the attracting principle is withdrawn from it,\nthe flower or the man dies. It is therefore clear that attraction,\nharmony, unity and Love, are the cause of life, whereas repulsion,\ndiscord, hatred and separation bring death.\n\nWe have seen that whatever brings division into the\nworld of existence causes death. Likewise in the world of the spirit\ndoes the same law operate.\n\nTherefore should every servant of the One God be\nobedient to the law of love, avoiding all hatred, discord, and\nstrife. We find when we observe nature, that the gentler animals\ngroup themselves together into flocks and herds, whereas the savage,\nferocious creatures, such as the lion, the tiger, and the wolf, live\nin wild forests, apart from civilization. Two wolves, or two lions,\nmay live amicably together; but a thousand lambs may share the same\nfold and a large number of deer can form one herd. Two eagles can\ndwell in the same place, but a thousand doves can gather into one\nhabitation.\n\nMan should, at least, be numbered among the gentler\nanimals; but when he becomes ferocious he is more cruel and malicious\nthan the most savage of the animal creation!\n\nNow Bahá’u’lláh has proclaimed\nthe ‘Unity of the World of Mankind’. All peoples and\nnations are of one family, the children of one Father, and should be\nto one another as brothers and sisters! I hope that you will\nendeavour in your lives to show forth and spread this teaching.\n\nBahá’u’lláh said that we\nshould love even our enemies and be to them as friends. If all men\nwere obedient to this principle, the greatest unity and understanding\nwould be established in the hearts of mankind.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE SIXTH PRINCIPLE—MEANS OF EXISTENCE",
"slug": "pt-the-sixth-principle-means-of-existence",
"summary": "4 Avenue de Camöens,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"justice",
"service",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris\n\nOne of the most important principles of the Teaching of\nBahá’u’lláh is:\n\nThe right of every human being to the daily bread\nwhereby they exist, or the equalization of the means of livelihood.\n\nThe arrangements of the circumstances of the people must\nbe such that poverty shall disappear, that everyone, as far as\npossible, according to his rank and position, shall share in comfort\nand well-being.\n\nWe see amongst us men who are overburdened with riches\non the one hand, and on the other those unfortunate ones who starve\nwith nothing; those who possess several stately palaces, and those\nwho have not where to lay their head. Some we find with numerous\ncourses of costly and dainty food; whilst others can scarce find\nsufficient crusts to keep them alive. Whilst some are clothed in\nvelvets, furs and fine linen, others have insufficient, poor and thin\ngarments with which to protect them from the cold.\n\nThis condition of affairs is wrong, and must be\nremedied. Now the remedy must be carefully undertaken. It cannot be\ndone by bringing to pass absolute equality between men.\n\nEquality is a chimera! It is entirely impracticable!\nEven if equality could be achieved it could not continue—and if\nits existence were possible, the whole order of the world would be\ndestroyed. The law of order must always obtain in the world of\nhumanity. Heaven has so decreed in the creation of man.\n\nSome are full of intelligence, others have an ordinary\namount of it, and others again are devoid of intellect. In these\nthree classes of men there is order but not equality. How could it be\npossible that wisdom and stupidity should be equal? Humanity, like a\ngreat army, requires a general, captains, under-officers in their\ndegree, and soldiers, each with their own appointed duties. Degrees\nare absolutely necessary to ensure an orderly organization. An army\ncould not be composed of generals alone, or of captains only, or of\nnothing but soldiers without one in authority. The certain result of\nsuch a plan would be that disorder and demoralization would overtake\nthe whole army.\n\nKing Lycurgus, the philosopher, made a great plan to\nequalize the subjects of Sparta; with self-sacrifice and wisdom was\nthe experiment begun. Then the king called the people of his kingdom,\nand made them swear a great oath to maintain the same order of\ngovernment if he should leave the country, also that nothing should\nmake them alter it until his return. Having secured this oath, he\nleft his kingdom of Sparta and never returned. Lycurgus abandoned the\nsituation, renouncing his high position, thinking to achieve the\npermanent good of his country by the equalization of the property and\nof the conditions of life in his kingdom. All the self-sacrifice of\nthe king was in vain. The great experiment failed. After a time all\nwas destroyed; his carefully thought-out constitution came to an end.\n\n\nThe futility of attempting such a scheme was shown and\nthe impossibility of attaining equal conditions of existence was\nproclaimed in the ancient kingdom of Sparta. In our day any such\nattempt would be equally doomed to failure.\n\nCertainly, some being enormously rich and others\nlamentably poor, an organization is necessary to control and improve\nthis state of affairs. It is important to limit riches, as it is also\nof importance to limit poverty. Either extreme is not good. To be\nseated in the mean13\nis most desirable. If it be right for a capitalist to possess a large\nfortune, it is equally just that his workman should have a sufficient\nmeans of existence.\n\nA financier with colossal wealth should not exist whilst\nnear him is a poor man in dire necessity. When we see poverty allowed\nto reach a condition of starvation it is a sure sign that somewhere\nwe shall find tyranny. Men must bestir themselves in this matter, and\nno longer delay in altering conditions which bring the misery of\ngrinding poverty to a very large number of the people. The rich must\ngive of their abundance, they must soften their hearts and cultivate\na compassionate intelligence, taking thought for those sad ones who\nare suffering from lack of the very necessities of life.\n\nThere must be special laws made, dealing with these\nextremes of riches and of want. The members of the Government should\nconsider the laws of God when they are framing plans for the ruling\nof the people. The general rights of mankind must be guarded and\npreserved.\n\nThe government of the countries should conform to the\nDivine Law which gives equal justice to all. This is the only way in\nwhich the deplorable superfluity of great wealth and miserable,\ndemoralizing, degrading poverty can be abolished. Not until this is\ndone will the Law of God be obeyed.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE SPIRITUAL MEETINGS IN PARIS",
"slug": "pt-the-spiritual-meetings-in-paris",
"summary": "November 4th All over Europe today one hears of meetings and assemblies, and societies of all kinds are formed. There are those interested in commerce, science, and politics, and many others. All these are for material service, their…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"joy",
"love",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNovember 4th\n\nAll over Europe today one hears of meetings and\nassemblies, and societies of all kinds are formed. There are those\ninterested in commerce, science, and politics, and many others. All\nthese are for material service, their desire being for the progress\nand enlightenment of the world of matter. But rarely does a breath\nfrom the spirit world breathe upon them. They seem unconscious of the\nDivine Voice, careless concerning the things of God. But this meeting\nin Paris is a truly spiritual one. The Divine Breath is poured forth\nin your midst, the light of the Kingdom is shining in all hearts. The\nDivine love of God is a power among you, and with souls athirst, ye\nreceive the glad tidings of great joy.\n\nYou are all met here with one accord, heart drawn to\nheart, souls overflowing with Divine love, working and longing for\nthe unity of the world.\n\nVerily this assembly is a spiritual one! It is like unto\na beautiful perfumed garden! On it the Heavenly Sun sheds the golden\nrays, and the warmth thereof penetrates and gladdens each waiting\nheart. The love of Christ, which passeth all knowledge, is among you,\nthe Holy Spirit is your help.\n\nDay by day this meeting will grow and become more\npowerful until gradually its spirit will conquer the whole world!\n\nTry with all your hearts to be willing channels for\nGod’s Bounty. For I say unto you that He has chosen you to be\nHis messengers of love throughout the world, to be His bearers of\nspiritual gifts to man, to be the means of spreading unity and\nconcord on the earth. Thank God with all your hearts that such a\nprivilege has been given unto you. For a life devoted to praise is\nnot too long in which to thank God for such a favour.\n\nLift up your hearts above the present and look with eyes\nof faith into the future! Today the seed is sown, the grain falls\nupon the earth, but behold the day will come when it shall rise a\nglorious tree and the branches thereof shall be laden with fruit.\nRejoice and be glad that this day has dawned, try to realize its\npower, for it is indeed wonderful! God has crowned you with honour\nand in your hearts has He set a radiant star; verily the light\nthereof shall brighten the whole world!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE SUN OF TRUTH",
"slug": "pt-the-sun-of-truth",
"summary": "October 22nd ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said: It is a lovely day, the sun shines brightly upon the earth, giving light and warmth to all creatures. The Sun of Truth is also shining, giving light and warmth to the souls of men. The sun is the life-giver…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"children",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOctober 22nd\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:\n\nIt is a lovely day, the sun shines brightly upon the\nearth, giving light and warmth to all creatures. The Sun of Truth is\nalso shining, giving light and warmth to the souls of men. The sun is\nthe life-giver to the physical bodies of all creatures upon earth;\nwithout its warmth their growth would be stunted, their development\nwould be arrested, they would decay and die. Even so do the souls of\nmen need the Sun of Truth to shed its rays upon their souls, to\ndevelop them, to educate and encourage them. As the sun is to the\nbody of a man so is the Sun of Truth to his soul.\n\nA man may have attained to a high degree of material\nprogress, but without the light of truth his soul is stunted and\nstarved. Another man may have no material gifts, may be at the bottom\nof the social ladder, but, having received the warmth of the Sun of\nTruth his soul is great and his spiritual understanding is\nenlightened.\n\nA Greek philosopher living in the days of the youth of\nChristianity, being full of the Christian element, though not a\nprofessing Christian, wrote thus: ‘It is my belief that\nreligion is the very foundation of true civilization’. For,\nunless the moral character of a nation is educated, as well as its\nbrain and its talents, civilization has no sure basis.\n\nAs religion inculcates morality, it is therefore the\ntruest philosophy, and on it is built the only lasting civilization.\nAs an example of this, he points out the Christians of the time whose\nmorality was on a very high level. The belief of this philosopher\nconforms to the truth, for the civilization of Christianity was the\nbest and most enlightened in the world. The Christian Teaching was\nillumined by the Divine Sun of Truth, therefore its followers were\ntaught to love all men as brothers to fear nothing, not even death!\nTo love their neighbours as themselves, and to forget their own\nselfish interests in striving for the greater good of humanity. The\ngrand aim of the religion of Christ was to draw the hearts of all men\nnearer to God’s effulgent Truth.\n\nIf the followers of the Lord Christ had continued to\nfollow out these principles with steadfast faithfulness, there would\nhave been no need for a renewal of the Christian Message, no\nnecessity for a re-awakening of His people, for a great and glorious\ncivilization would now be ruling the world and the Kingdom of Heaven\nwould have come on earth.\n\nBut instead of this, what has taken place! Men turned\naway their faces from following the divinely illuminated precepts of\ntheir Master, and winter fell upon the hearts of men. For, as the\nbody of man depends for life upon the rays of the sun, so cannot the\ncelestial virtues grow in the soul without the radiance of the Sun of\nTruth.\n\nGod leaves not His children comfortless, but, when the\ndarkness of winter overshadows them, then again He sends His\nMessengers, the Prophets, with a renewal of the blessed spring. The\nSun of Truth appears again on the horizon of the world shining into\nthe eyes of those who sleep, awaking them to behold the glory of a\nnew dawn. Then again will the tree of humanity blossom and bring\nforth the fruit of righteousness for the healing of the nations.\nBecause man has stopped his ears to the Voice of Truth and shut his\neyes to the Sacred Light, neglecting the Law of God, for this reason\nhas the darkness of war and tumult, unrest and misery, desolated the\nearth. I pray that you will all strive to bring each child of God\ninto the radiance of the Sun of Truth, that the darkness may be\ndissipated by the penetrating rays of its glory, and the winter’s\nhardness and cold may be melted away by the merciful warmth of its\nshining.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE TENTH PRINCIPLE—EQUALITY OF SEX",
"slug": "pt-the-tenth-principle-equality-of-sex",
"summary": "4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris, November…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"women",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris, \nNovember 14th\n\nThe Tenth Principle of the teaching of Bahá’u’lláh\nis the equality of the sexes.\n\nGod has created all creatures in couples. Man, beast, or\nvegetable, all the things of these three kingdoms are of two sexes,\nand there is absolute equality between them.\n\nIn the vegetable world there are male plants and female\nplants; they have equal rights, and possess an equal share of the\nbeauty of their species; though indeed the tree that bears fruit\nmight be said to be superior to that which is unfruitful.\n\nIn the animal kingdom we see that the male and the\nfemale have equal rights; and that they each share the advantages of\ntheir kind.\n\nNow in the two lower kingdoms of nature we have seen\nthat there is no question of the superiority of one sex over the\nother. In the world of humanity we find a great difference; the\nfemale sex is treated as though inferior, and is not allowed equal\nrights and privileges. This condition is due not to nature, but to\neducation. In the Divine Creation there is no such distinction.\nNeither sex is superior to the other in the sight of God. Why then\nshould one sex assert the inferiority of the other, withholding just\nrights and privileges as though God had given His authority for such\na course of action? If women received the same educational advantages\nas those of men, the result would demonstrate the equality of\ncapacity of both for scholarship.\n\nIn some respects woman is superior to man. She is more\ntender-hearted, more receptive, her intuition is more intense.\n\nIt is not to be denied that in various directions woman\nat present is more backward than man, also that this temporary\ninferiority is due to the lack of educational opportunity. In the\nnecessity of life, woman is more instinct with power than man, for to\nher he owes his very existence.\n\nIf the mother is educated then her children will be well\ntaught. When the mother is wise, then will the children be led into\nthe path of wisdom. If the mother be religious she will show her\nchildren how they should love God. If the mother is moral she guides\nher little ones into the ways of uprightness.\n\nIt is clear therefore that the future generation depends\non the mothers of today. Is not this a vital responsibility for the\nwoman? Does she not require every possible advantage to equip her for\nsuch a task?\n\nTherefore, surely, God is not pleased that so important\nan instrument as woman should suffer from want of training in order\nto attain the perfections desirable and necessary for her great\nlife’s work! Divine Justice demands that the rights of both\nsexes should be equally respected since neither is superior to the\nother in the eyes of Heaven. Dignity before God depends, not on sex,\nbut on purity and luminosity of heart. Human virtues belong equally\nto all!\n\nWoman must endeavour then to attain greater perfection,\nto be man’s equal in every respect, to make progress in all in\nwhich she has been backward, so that man will be compelled to\nacknowledge her equality of capacity and attainment.\n\nIn Europe women have made greater progress than in the\nEast, but there is still much to be done! When students have arrived\nat the end of their school term an examination takes place, and the\nresult thereof determines the knowledge and capacity of each student.\nSo will it be with woman; her actions will show her power, there will\nno longer be any need to proclaim it by words.\n\nIt is my hope that women of the East, as well as their\nWestern sisters, will progress rapidly until humanity shall reach\nperfection.\n\nGod’s Bounty is for all and gives power for all\nprogress. When men own the equality of women there will be no need\nfor them to struggle for their rights! One of the principles then of\nBahá’u’lláh is the equality of sex.\n\nWomen must make the greatest effort to acquire spiritual\npower and to increase in the virtue of wisdom and holiness until\ntheir enlightenment and striving succeeds in bringing about the unity\nof mankind. They must work with a burning enthusiasm to spread the\nTeaching of Bahá’u’lláh among the peoples,\nso that the radiant light of the Divine Bounty may envelop the souls\nof all the nations of the world!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE TRUE MEANING OF BAPTISM BY WATER AND FIRE",
"slug": "pt-the-true-meaning-of-baptism-by-water-and-fire",
"summary": "November 9th In the Gospel according to St John, Christ has said: ‘Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.’8 The priests have interpreted this into meaning that baptism is necessary for…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"devotion",
"joy",
"love",
"patience",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNovember 9th\n\nIn the Gospel according to St John, Christ has said:\n‘Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter\ninto the Kingdom of Heaven.’8\nThe priests have interpreted this into meaning that baptism is\nnecessary for salvation. In another Gospel it is said: ‘He\nshall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire’.9\n\n\nThus the water of baptism and the fire are one! It\ncannot mean that the ‘water’ spoken of is physical water,\nfor it is the direct opposite of ‘fire’, and one destroys\nthe other. When in the Gospels, Christ speaks of ‘water’,\nHe means that which causes life, for without water no worldly\ncreature can live—mineral, vegetable, animal and man, one and\nall, depend upon water for their very being. Yes, the latest\nscientific discoveries prove to us that even mineral has some form of\nlife, and that it also needs water for its existence.\n\nWater is the cause of life, and when Christ speaks of\nwater, He is symbolizing that which is the cause of Everlasting Life.\n\n\nThis life-giving water of which He speaks is like unto\nfire, for it is none other than the Love of God, and this love means\nlife to our souls.\n\nBy the fire of the Love of God the veil is burnt which\nseparates us from the Heavenly Realities, and with clear vision we\nare enabled to struggle onward and upward, ever progressing in the\npaths of virtue and holiness, and becoming the means of light to the\nworld.\n\nThere is nothing greater or more blessed than the Love\nof God! It gives healing to the sick, balm to the wounded, joy and\nconsolation to the whole world, and through it alone can man attain\nLife Everlasting. The essence of all religions is the Love of God,\nand it is the foundation of all the sacred teachings.\n\nIt was the Love of God that led Abraham, Isaac, and\nJacob, that strengthened Joseph in Egypt and gave to Moses courage\nand patience.\n\nThrough the Love of God, Christ was sent into the world\nwith His inspiring example of a perfect life of self-sacrifice and\ndevotion, bringing to men the message of Eternal Life. It was the\nLove of God that gave Muḥammad power to bring the Arabs from a\nstate of animal degradation to a loftier state of existence.\n\nGod’s Love it was that sustained the Báb\nand brought him to his supreme sacrifice, and made his bosom the\nwilling target for a thousand bullets.\n\nFinally, it was the Love of God that gave to the East\nBahá’u’lláh, and is now sending the light\nof His teaching far into the West, and from Pole to Pole.\n\nThus I exhort each of you, realizing its power and\nbeauty, to sacrifice all your thoughts, words and actions to bring\nthe knowledge of the Love of God into every heart.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE TRUE MEANING OF THE PROPHECIES CONCERNING THE COMING OF CHRIST",
"slug": "pt-the-true-meaning-of-the-prophecies-concerning-the-coming-of-christ",
"summary": "October 30th In the Bible there are prophecies of the coming of Christ. The Jews still await the coming of the Messiah, and pray to God day and night to hasten His advent. When Christ came they denounced and slew Him, saying: ‘This is not…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"women",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOctober 30th\n\nIn the Bible there are prophecies of the coming of\nChrist. The Jews still await the coming of the Messiah, and pray to\nGod day and night to hasten His advent.\n\nWhen Christ came they denounced and slew Him, saying:\n‘This is not the One for whom we wait. Behold when the Messiah\nshall come, signs and wonders shall testify that He is in truth the\nChrist. We know the signs and conditions, and they have not appeared.\nThe Messiah will arise out of an unknown city. He shall sit upon the\nthrone of David, and behold, He shall come with a sword of steel, and\nwith a sceptre of iron shall He rule! He shall fulfil the law of the\nProphets, He shall conquer the East and the West, and shall glorify\nHis chosen people the Jews. He shall bring with Him a reign of peace,\nduring which even the animals shall cease to be at enmity with man.\nFor behold the wolf and the lamb shall drink from the same spring,\nand the lion and the doe shall lie down in the same pasture, the\nserpent and the mouse shall share the same nest, and all God’s\ncreatures shall be at rest’.\n\nAccording to the Jews, Jesus the Christ fulfilled none\nof these conditions, for their eyes were holden and they could not\nsee.\n\nHe came from Nazareth, no unknown place. He carried no\nsword in His hand, nor even a stick. He did not sit upon the Throne\nof David, He was a poor man. He reformed the Law of Moses, and broke\nthe Sabbath Day. He did not conquer the East and the West, but was\nHimself subject to the Roman Law. He did not exalt the Jews, but\ntaught equality and brotherhood, and rebuked the Scribes and\nPharisees. He brought in no reign of peace, for during His lifetime\ninjustice and cruelty reached such a height that even He Himself fell\na victim to it, and died a shameful death upon the cross.\n\nThus the Jews thought and spoke, for they did not\nunderstand the Scriptures nor the glorious truths that were contained\nin them. The letter they knew by heart, but of the life-giving spirit\nthey understood not a word.\n\nHearken, and I will show you the meaning thereof.\nAlthough He came from Nazareth, which was a known place, He also came\nfrom Heaven. His body was born of Mary, but His Spirit came from\nHeaven. The sword He carried was the sword of His tongue, with which\nHe divided the good from the evil, the true from the false, the\nfaithful from the unfaithful, and the light from the darkness. His\nWord was indeed a sharp sword! The Throne upon which He sat is the\nEternal Throne from which Christ reigns for ever, a heavenly throne,\nnot an earthly one, for the things of earth pass away but heavenly\nthings pass not away. He re-interpreted and completed the Law of\nMoses and fulfilled the Law of the Prophets. His word conquered the\nEast and the West. His Kingdom is everlasting. He exalted those Jews\nwho recognized Him. They were men and women of humble birth, but\ncontact with Him made them great and gave them everlasting dignity.\nThe animals who were to live with one another signified the different\nsects and races, who, once having been at war, were now to dwell in\nlove and charity, drinking together the water of life from Christ the\nEternal Spring.\n\nThus, all the spiritual prophecies concerning the coming\nof Christ were fulfilled, but the Jews shut their eyes that they\nshould not see, and their ears that they should not hear, and the\nDivine Reality of Christ passed through their midst unheard, unloved\nand unrecognized.\n\nIt is easy to read the Holy Scriptures, but it is only\nwith a clean heart and a pure mind that one may understand their true\nmeaning. Let us ask God’s help to enable us to understand the\nHoly Books. Let us pray for eyes to see and ears to hear, and for\nhearts that long for peace.\n\nGod’s eternal Mercy is immeasurable. He has always\nchosen certain souls upon whom He has shed the Divine Bounty of His\nheart, whose minds He has illumined with celestial light, to whom He\nhas revealed the sacred mysteries, and kept clear before their sight\nthe Mirror of Truth. These are the disciples of God, and His goodness\nhas no bounds. You who are servants of the Most High may be disciples\nalso. The treasuries of God are limitless.\n\nThe Spirit breathing through the Holy Scriptures is food\nfor all who hunger. God Who has given the revelation to His Prophets\nwill surely give of His abundance daily bread to all those who ask\nHim faithfully.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE TWO KINDS OF LIGHT",
"slug": "pt-the-two-kinds-of-light",
"summary": "November 5th Today the weather is gloomy and dull! In the East there is continual sunshine, the stars are never veiled, and there are very few clouds. Light always rises in the East and sends forth its radiance into the West. There are two…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNovember 5th\n\nToday the weather is gloomy and dull! In the East there\nis continual sunshine, the stars are never veiled, and there are very\nfew clouds. Light always rises in the East and sends forth its\nradiance into the West.\n\nThere are two kinds of light. There is the visible light\nof the sun, by whose aid we can discern the beauties of the world\naround us—without this we could see nothing.\n\nNevertheless, though it is the function of this light to\nmake things visible to us, it cannot give us the power to see them or\nto understand what their various charms may be, for this light has no\nintelligence, no consciousness. It is the light of the intellect\nwhich gives us knowledge and understanding, and without this light\nthe physical eyes would be useless.\n\nThis light of the intellect is the highest light that\nexists, for it is born of the Light Divine.\n\nThe light of the intellect enables us to understand and\nrealize all that exists, but it is only the Divine Light that can\ngive us sight for the invisible things, and which enables us to see\ntruths that will only be visible to the world thousands of years\nhence.\n\nIt was the Divine Light which enabled the prophets to\nsee two thousand years in advance what was going to take place and\ntoday we see the realization of their vision. Thus it is this Light\nwhich we must strive to seek, for it is greater than any other.\n\nIt was by this Light that Moses was enabled to see and\ncomprehend the Divine Appearance, and to hear the Heavenly Voice\nwhich spoke to him from the Burning Bush.6\n\n\nIt is of this Light Muḥammad is speaking when he\nsays, ‘Alláh is the light of the Heavens, and of the\nEarth’.\n\nSeek with all your hearts this Heavenly Light, so that\nyou may be enabled to understand the realities, that you may know the\nsecret things of God, that the hidden ways may be made plain before\nyour eyes.\n\nThis light may be likened unto a mirror, and as a mirror\nreflects all that is before it, so this Light shows to the eyes of\nour spirits all that exists in God’s Kingdom and causes the\nrealities of things to be made visible. By the help of this effulgent\nLight all the spiritual interpretation of the Holy Writings has been\nmade plain, the hidden things of God’s Universe have become\nmanifest, and we have been enabled to comprehend the Divine purposes\nfor man.\n\nI pray that God in His mercy may illumine your hearts\nand souls with His glorious Light, then shall each one of you shine\nas a radiant star in the dark places of the world.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE TWO NATURES IN MAN",
"slug": "pt-the-two-natures-in-man",
"summary": "November 1st Today is a day of rejoicing in Paris! They are celebrating the Festival of ‘All Saints’. Why do you think that these people were called ‘Saints’? The word has a very real meaning. A saint is one who leads a life of purity, one…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNovember 1st\n\nToday is a day of rejoicing in Paris! They are\ncelebrating the Festival of ‘All Saints’. Why do you\nthink that these people were called ‘Saints’? The word\nhas a very real meaning. A saint is one who leads a life of purity,\none who has freed himself from all human weaknesses and\nimperfections.\n\nIn man there are two natures; his spiritual or higher\nnature and his material or lower nature. In one he approaches God, in\nthe other he lives for the world alone. Signs of both these natures\nare to be found in men. In his material aspect he expresses untruth,\ncruelty and injustice; all these are the outcome of his lower nature.\nThe attributes of his Divine nature are shown forth in love, mercy,\nkindness, truth and justice, one and all being expressions of his\nhigher nature. Every good habit, every noble quality belongs to man’s\nspiritual nature, whereas all his imperfections and sinful actions\nare born of his material nature. If a man’s Divine nature\ndominates his human nature, we have a saint.\n\nMan has the power both to do good and to do evil; if his\npower for good predominates and his inclinations to do wrong are\nconquered, then man in truth may be called a saint. But if, on the\ncontrary, he rejects the things of God and allows his evil passions\nto conquer him, then he is no better than a mere animal.\n\nSaints are men who have freed themselves from the world\nof matter and who have overcome sin. They live in the world but are\nnot of it, their thoughts being continually in the world of the\nspirit. Their lives are spent in holiness, and their deeds show forth\nlove, justice and godliness. They are illumined from on high; they\nare as bright and shining lamps in the dark places of the earth.\nThese are the saints of God. The apostles, who were the disciples of\nJesus Christ, were just as other men are; they, like their fellows,\nwere attracted by the things of the world, and each thought only of\nhis own advantage. They knew little of justice, nor were the Divine\nperfections found in their midst. But when they followed Christ and\nbelieved in Him, their ignorance gave place to understanding, cruelty\nwas changed to justice, falsehood to truth, darkness into light. They\nhad been worldly, they became spiritual and divine. They had been\nchildren of darkness, they became sons of God, they became saints!\nStrive therefore to follow in their steps, leaving all worldly things\nbehind, and striving to attain to the Spiritual Kingdom.\n\nPray to God that He may strengthen you in divine virtue,\nso that you may be as angels in the world, and beacons of light to\ndisclose the mysteries of the Kingdom to those with understanding\nhearts.\n\nGod sent His Prophets into the world to teach and\nenlighten man, to explain to him the mystery of the Power of the Holy\nSpirit, to enable him to reflect the light, and so in his turn, to be\nthe source of guidance to others. The Heavenly Books, the Bible, the\nQur’án, and the other Holy Writings have been given by\nGod as guides into the paths of Divine virtue, love, justice and\npeace.\n\nTherefore I say unto you that ye should strive to follow\nthe counsels of these Blessed Books, and so order your lives that ye\nmay, following the examples set before you, become yourselves the\nsaints of the Most High!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE UNIVERSAL LOVE",
"slug": "pt-the-universal-love",
"summary": "October 24th An Indian said to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: ‘My aim in life is to transmit as far as in me lies the message of Krishna to the world.’ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said: The Message of Krishna is the message of love. All God’s prophets have brought the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOctober 24th\n\nAn Indian said to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:\n\n‘My aim in life is to transmit as far as in me\nlies the message of Krishna to the world.’\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá said: The Message of\nKrishna is the message of love. All God’s prophets have brought\nthe message of love. None has ever thought that war and hate are\ngood. Every one agrees in saying that love and kindness are best.\n\nLove manifests its reality in deeds, not only in\nwords—these alone are without effect. In order that love may\nmanifest its power there must be an object, an instrument, a motive.\n\nThere are many ways of expressing the love principle;\nthere is love for the family, for the country, for the race, there is\npolitical enthusiasm, there is also the love of community of interest\nin service. These are all ways and means of showing the power of\nlove. Without any such means, love would be unseen, unheard,\nunfelt—altogether unexpressed, unmanifested! Water shows its\npower in various ways, in quenching thirst, causing seed to grow,\netc. Coal expresses one of its principles in gas-light, while one of\nthe powers of electricity is shown in the electric light. If there\nwere neither gas nor electricity, the nights of the world would be\ndarkness! So, it is necessary to have an instrument, a motive for\nlove’s manifestation, an object, a mode of expression.\n\nWe must find a way of spreading love among the sons of\nhumanity.\n\nLove is unlimited, boundless, infinite! Material things\nare limited, circumscribed, finite. You cannot adequately express\ninfinite love by limited means.\n\nThe perfect love needs an unselfish instrument,\nabsolutely freed from fetters of every kind. The love of family is\nlimited; the tie of blood relationship is not the strongest bond.\nFrequently members of the same family disagree, and even hate each\nother.\n\nPatriotic love is finite; the love of one’s\ncountry causing hatred of all others, is not perfect love!\nCompatriots also are not free from quarrels amongst themselves.\n\nThe love of race is limited; there is some union here,\nbut that is insufficient. Love must be free from boundaries!\n\nTo love our own race may mean hatred of all others, and\neven people of the same race often dislike each other.\n\nPolitical love also is much bound up with hatred of one\nparty for another; this love is very limited and uncertain.\n\nThe love of community of interest in service is likewise\nfluctuating; frequently competitions arise, which lead to jealousy,\nand at length hatred replaces love.\n\nA few years ago, Turkey and Italy had a friendly\npolitical understanding; now they are at war!\n\nAll these ties of love are imperfect. It is clear that\nlimited material ties are insufficient to adequately express the\nuniversal love.\n\nThe great unselfish love for humanity is bounded by none\nof these imperfect, semi-selfish bonds; this is the one perfect love,\npossible to all mankind, and can only be achieved by the power of the\nDivine Spirit. No worldly power can accomplish the universal love.\n\nLet all be united in this Divine power of love! Let all\nstrive to grow in the light of the Sun of Truth, and reflecting this\nluminous love on all men, may their hearts become so united that they\nmay dwell evermore in the radiance of the limitless love.\n\nRemember these words which I speak unto you during the\nshort time I am amongst you in Paris. I earnestly exhort you: let not\nyour hearts be fettered by the material things of this world; I\ncharge you not to lie contentedly on the beds of negligence,\nprisoners of matter, but to arise and free yourselves from its\nchains!\n\nThe animal creation is captive to matter, God has given\nfreedom to man. The animal cannot escape the law of nature, whereas\nman may control it, for he, containing nature, can rise above it.\n\nThe power of the Holy Spirit, enlightening man’s\nintelligence, has enabled him to discover means of bending many\nnatural laws to his will. He flies through the air, floats on the\nsea, and even moves under the waters.\n\nAll this proves how man’s intelligence has been\nenabled to free him from the limitations of nature, and to solve many\nof her mysteries. Man, to a certain extent, has broken the chains of\nmatter.\n\nThe Holy Spirit will give to man greater powers than\nthese, if only he will strive after the things of the spirit and\nendeavour to attune his heart to the Divine infinite love.\n\nWhen you love a member of your family or a compatriot,\nlet it be with a ray of the Infinite Love! Let it be in God, and for\nGod! Wherever you find the attributes of God love that person,\nwhether he be of your family or of another. Shed the light of a\nboundless love on every human being whom you meet, whether of your\ncountry, your race, your political party, or of any other nation,\ncolour or shade of political opinion. Heaven will support you while\nyou work in this in-gathering of the scattered peoples of the world\nbeneath the shadow of the almighty tent of unity.\n\nYou will be servants of God, who are dwelling near to\nHim, His divine helpers in the service, ministering to all Humanity.\nAll Humanity! Every human being! never forget this!\n\nDo not say, he is an Italian, or a Frenchman, or an\nAmerican, or an Englishman, remember only that he is a son of God, a\nservant of the Most High, a man! All are men! Forget nationalities;\nall are equal in the sight of God!\n\nRemember not your own limitations; the help of God will\ncome to you. Forget yourself. God’s help will surely come!\n\nWhen you call on the Mercy of God waiting to reinforce\nyou, your strength will be tenfold.\n\nLook at me: I am so feeble, yet I have had the strength\ngiven me to come amongst you: a poor servant of God, who has been\nenabled to give you this message! I shall not be with you long! One\nmust never consider one’s own feebleness, it is the strength of\nthe Holy Spirit of Love, which gives the power to teach. The thought\nof our own weakness could only bring despair. We must look higher\nthan all earthly thoughts; detach ourselves from every material idea,\ncrave for the things of the spirit; fix our eyes on the everlasting\nbountiful Mercy of the Almighty, who will fill our souls with the\ngladness of joyful service to His command ‘Love One Another’.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, PARIS",
"slug": "pt-theosophical-society-paris",
"summary": "Since my arrival in Paris, I have been told of the Theosophical Society, and I know that it is composed of honoured and respected men. You are men of intellect and thought, men with spiritual ideals, and it is a great pleasure for me to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"women",
"children",
"healing",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"gratitude",
"hope",
"joy",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 9,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSince my arrival in Paris, I have been told of the\nTheosophical Society, and I know that it is composed of honoured and\nrespected men. You are men of intellect and thought, men with\nspiritual ideals, and it is a great pleasure for me to be among you.\n\nLet us thank God who has drawn us together this evening.\nIt gives me great joy, for I see that you are seekers after truth.\nYou are not held in bondage by the chains of prejudice, and your\ngreatest longing is to know the truth. Truth may be likened to the\nsun! The sun is the luminous body that disperses all shadows; in the\nsame way does truth scatter the shadows of our imagination. As the\nsun gives life to the body of humanity so does truth give life to\ntheir souls. Truth is a sun that rises from different points on the\nhorizon.\n\nSometimes the sun rises from the centre of the horizon,\nthen in summer it rises farther north, in winter farther south—but\nit is always the self-same sun, however different are the points of\nits rising.\n\nIn like manner truth is one, although its manifestations\nmay be very different. Some men have eyes and see. These worship the\nsun, no matter from which point on the horizon it may dawn; and when\nthe sun has left the winter sky to appear in the summer one, they\nknow how to find it again. Others there are who worship only the spot\nfrom which the sun arose, and when it arises in its glory from\nanother place they remain in contemplation before the spot of its\nformer rising. Alas! these men are deprived of the blessings of the\nsun. Those who in truth adore the sun itself will recognize it from\nwhatsoever dawning-place it may appear, and will straightway turn\ntheir faces towards its radiance.\n\nWe must adore the sun itself and not merely the place of\nits appearance. In the same way men of enlightened heart worship\ntruth on whatever horizon it appears. They are not bound by\npersonality, but they follow the truth, and are able to recognize it\nno matter from whence it may come. It is this same truth which helps\nhumanity to progress, which gives life to all created beings, for it\nis the Tree of Life!\n\nIn His teaching Bahá’u’lláh\ngives us the explanation of truth, and I wish to speak to you briefly\nabout this, for I see that you are capable of understanding. I.—The\nfirst principle of Bahá’u’lláh is:\n\nThe Search for Truth\n\nMan must cut himself free from all prejudice and from\nthe result of his own imagination, so that he may be able to search\nfor truth unhindered. Truth is one in all religions, and by means of\nit the unity of the world can be realized.\n\nAll the peoples have a fundamental belief in common.\nBeing one, truth cannot be divided, and the differences that appear\nto exist among the nations only result from their attachment to\nprejudice. If only men would search out truth, they would find\nthemselves united.\n\nII.—The second principle of Bahá’u’lláh\nis:\n\nThe Unity of Mankind\n\nThe one all-loving God bestows His divine Grace and\nFavour on all mankind; one and all are servants of the Most High, and\nHis Goodness, Mercy and loving Kindness are showered upon all His\ncreatures. The glory of humanity is the heritage of each one.\n\nAll men are the leaves and fruit of one same tree, they\nare all branches of the tree of Adam, they all have the same origin.\nThe same rain has fallen upon them all, the same warm sun makes them\ngrow, they are all refreshed by the same breeze. The only differences\nthat exist and that keep them apart are these: there are the children\nwho need guidance, the ignorant to be instructed, the sick to be\ntended and healed; thus, I say that the whole of humanity is\nenveloped by the Mercy and Grace of God. As the Holy Writings tell\nus: All men are equal before God. He is no respecter of persons.\n\nIII.—The third principle of Bahá’u’lláh\nis:\n\nReligion should be the Cause of Love and Affection\n\nReligion should unite all hearts and cause wars and\ndisputes to vanish from the face of the earth, give birth to\nspirituality, and bring life and light to each heart. If religion\nbecomes a cause of dislike, hatred and division, it were better to be\nwithout it, and to withdraw from such a religion would be a truly\nreligious act. For it is clear that the purpose of a remedy is to\ncure; but if the remedy should only aggravate the complaint it had\nbetter be left alone. Any religion which is not a cause of love and\nunity is no religion. All the holy prophets were as doctors to the\nsoul; they gave prescriptions for the healing of mankind; thus any\nremedy that causes disease does not come from the great and supreme\nPhysician.\n\nIV.—The fourth principle of Bahá’u’lláh\nis:\n\nThe Unity of Religion and Science\n\nWe may think of science as one wing and religion as the\nother; a bird needs two wings for flight, one alone would be useless.\nAny religion that contradicts science or that is opposed to it, is\nonly ignorance—for ignorance is the opposite of knowledge.\n\nReligion which consists only of rites and ceremonies of\nprejudice is not the truth. Let us earnestly endeavour to be the\nmeans of uniting religion and science.\n\n‘Alí, the son-in-law of Muḥammad,\nsaid: ‘That which is in conformity with science is also in\nconformity with religion’. Whatever the intelligence of man\ncannot understand, religion ought not to accept. Religion and science\nwalk hand in hand, and any religion contrary to science is not the\ntruth.\n\nV.—The fifth principle of Bahá’u’lláh\nis:\n\nPrejudices of Religion, Race or Sect destroy the\nfoundation of Humanity\n\nAll the divisions in the world, hatred, war and\nbloodshed, are caused by one or other of these prejudices.\n\nThe whole world must be looked upon as one single\ncountry, all the nations as one nation, all men as belonging to one\nrace. Religions, races, and nations are all divisions of man’s\nmaking only, and are necessary only in his thought; before God there\nare neither Persians, Arabs, French nor English; God is God for all,\nand to Him all creation is one. We must obey God, and strive to\nfollow Him by leaving all our prejudices and bringing about peace on\nearth.\n\nVI.—The sixth principle of Bahá’u’lláh\nis:\n\nEqual opportunity of the means of Existence\n\nEvery human being has the right to live; they have a\nright to rest, and to a certain amount of well-being. As a rich man\nis able to live in his palace surrounded by luxury and the greatest\ncomfort, so should a poor man be able to have the necessaries of\nlife. Nobody should die of hunger; everybody should have sufficient\nclothing; one man should not live in excess while another has no\npossible means of existence.\n\nLet us try with all the strength we have to bring about\nhappier conditions, so that no single soul may be destitute.\n\nVII.—The seventh principle of Bahá’u’lláh\nis:\n\nThe Equality of Men—equality before the Law\n\nThe Law must reign, and not the individual; thus will\nthe world become a place of beauty and true brotherhood will be\nrealized. Having attained solidarity, men will have found truth.\n\nVIII.—The eighth principle of Bahá’u’lláh\nis:\n\nUniversal Peace\n\nA Supreme Tribunal shall be elected by the peoples and\ngovernments of every nation, where members from each country and\ngovernment shall assemble in unity. All disputes shall be brought\nbefore this Court, its mission being to prevent war.\n\nIX.—The ninth principle of Bahá’u’lláh\nis:\n\nThat Religion should not concern itself with Political\nQuestions\n\nReligion is concerned with things of the spirit,\npolitics with things of the world. Religion has to work with the\nworld of thought, whilst the field of politics lies with the world of\nexternal conditions.\n\nIt is the work of the clergy to educate the people, to\ninstruct them, to give them good advice and teaching so that they may\nprogress spiritually. With political questions they have nothing to\ndo.\n\nX.—The tenth principle of Bahá’u’lláh\nis:\n\nEducation and Instruction of Women\n\nWomen have equal rights with men upon earth; in religion\nand society they are a very important element. As long as women are\nprevented from attaining their highest possibilities, so long will\nmen be unable to achieve the greatness which might be theirs.\n\nXI.—The eleventh principle of Bahá’u’lláh\nis:\n\nThe Power of the Holy Spirit, by which alone Spiritual\nDevelopment is achieved\n\nIt is only by the breath of the Holy Spirit that\nspiritual development can come about. No matter how the material\nworld may progress, no matter how splendidly it may adorn itself, it\ncan never be anything but a lifeless body unless the soul is within,\nfor it is the soul that animates the body; the body alone has no real\nsignificance. Deprived of the blessings of the Holy Spirit the\nmaterial body would be inert.\n\nHere are, very briefly explained, some of the principles\nof Bahá’u’lláh.\n\nIn short, it behoves us all to be lovers of truth. Let\nus seek her in every season and in every country, being careful never\nto attach ourselves to personalities. Let us see the light wherever\nit shines, and may we be enabled to recognize the light of truth no\nmatter where it may arise. Let us inhale the perfume of the rose from\nthe midst of thorns which surround it; let us drink the running water\nfrom every pure spring.\n\nSince I arrived in Paris, it has given me much pleasure\nto meet such Parisians as you are, for praise be to God, you are\nintelligent, unprejudiced, and you long to know the truth. You have\nin your hearts the love of humanity, and as far as you are able, you\nexert yourselves in the cause of charitable work and in the bringing\nabout of unity; this is especially what Bahá’u’lláh\ndesired.\n\nIt is for this reason that I am so happy to be among\nyou, and I pray for you, that you may be receptacles for the\nBlessings of God, and that you may be the means of spreading\nspirituality throughout this country.\n\nYou already have a wonderful material civilization and\nin like manner shall spiritual civilization be yours.\n\nMonsieur Bleck thanked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,\nand he replied:\n\n‘I am very grateful to you for the kind sentiments\nwhich you have just uttered. I hope that these two movements will ere\nlong be spread all over the earth. Then will the unity of humanity\nhave pitched its tent in the centre of the world.’\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THERE CAN BE NO TRUE HAPPINESS AND PROGRESS WITHOUT SPIRITUALITY",
"slug": "pt-there-can-be-no-true-happiness-and-progress-without-spirituality",
"summary": "November 21st Ferocity and savagery are natural to animals, but men should show forth the qualities of love and affection. God sent all His Prophets into the world with one aim, to sow in the hearts of men love and goodwill, and for this…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"children",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"hope",
"justice",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNovember 21st\n\nFerocity and savagery are natural to animals, but men\nshould show forth the qualities of love and affection. God sent all\nHis Prophets into the world with one aim, to sow in the hearts of men\nlove and goodwill, and for this great purpose they were willing to\nsuffer and to die. All the sacred Books were written to lead and\ndirect man into the ways of love and unity; and yet, in spite of all\nthis, we have the sad spectacle of war and bloodshed in our midst.\n\nWhen we look into the pages of history, past and\npresent, we see the black earth reddened by human blood. Men kill\neach other like the savage wolves, and forget the laws of love and\ntolerance.\n\nNow this luminous age has come, bringing with it\nwonderful civilization and material progress. Men’s intellects\nhave widened, their perceptions grown, but alas, in spite of all\nthis, fresh blood is being spilt day by day. Look at the present\nTurco-Italian war; consider for a moment the fate of these unhappy\npeople! How many have been killed during this sad time? How many\nhomes are ruined, wives desolate, and children orphans! And what is\nto be gained in exchange for all this anguish and heartache? Only a\ncorner of the earth!\n\nThis all shows that material progress alone does not\ntend to uplift man. On the contrary, the more he becomes immersed in\nmaterial progress, the more does his spirituality become obscured.\n\nIn times gone by progress on the material plane was not\nso rapid, neither was there bloodshed in such profusion. In ancient\nwarfare there were no cannons, no guns, no dynamite, no shells, no\ntorpedo boats, no battleships, no submarines. Now, owing to material\ncivilization, we have all these inventions, and war goes from bad to\nworse! Europe itself has become like one immense arsenal, full of\nexplosives, and may God prevent its ignition—for, should this\nhappen, the whole world would be involved.\n\nI want to make you understand that material progress and\nspiritual progress are two very different things, and that only if\nmaterial progress goes hand in hand with spirituality can any real\nprogress come about, and the Most Great Peace reign in the world. If\nmen followed the Holy Counsels and the Teachings of the Prophets, if\nDivine Light shone in all hearts and men were really religious, we\nshould soon see peace on earth and the Kingdom of God among men. The\nlaws of God may be likened unto the soul and material progress unto\nthe body. If the body was not animated by the soul, it would cease to\nexist. It is my earnest prayer that spirituality may ever grow and\nincrease in the world, so that customs may become enlightened and\npeace and concord may be established.\n\nWar and rapine with their attendant cruelties are an\nabomination to God, and bring their own punishment, for the God of\nlove is also a God of justice and each man must inevitably reap what\nhe sows. Let us try to understand the commands of the Most High and\nto order our lives as He directs. True happiness depends on spiritual\ngood and having the heart ever open to receive the Divine Bounty.\n\nIf the heart turns away from the blessings God offers\nhow can it hope for happiness? If it does not put its hope and trust\nin God’s Mercy, where can it find rest? Oh, trust in God! for\nHis Bounty is everlasting, and in His Blessings, for they are superb.\nOh! put your faith in the Almighty, for He faileth not and His\ngoodness endureth for ever! His Sun giveth Light continually, and the\nClouds of His Mercy are full of the Waters of Compassion with which\nHe waters the hearts of all who trust in Him. His refreshing Breeze\never carries healing in its wings to the parched souls of men! Is it\nwise to turn away from such a loving Father, Who showers His\nblessings upon us, and to choose rather to be slaves of matter?\n\nGod in His infinite goodness has exalted us to so much\nhonour, and has made us masters over the material world. Shall we\nthen become her slaves? Nay, rather let us claim our birthright, and\nstrive to live the life of the spiritual sons of God. The glorious\nSun of Truth has once again risen in the East. From the far horizon\nof Persia its radiance is spreading far and wide, dispersing the\ndense clouds of superstition. The light of the unity of mankind is\nbeginning to illumine the world, and soon the banner of Divine\nharmony and the solidarity of nations will be flying high in the\nHeavens. Yea, the breezes of the Holy Spirit will inspire the whole\nworld!\n\nOh, peoples and nations! Arise and work and be happy!\nGather together under the tent of the unity of mankind!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THIRD PRINCIPLE",
"slug": "pt-third-principle",
"summary": "[‘That religion ought to be a Cause of Love and Affection’ is much emphasized in many of the Discourses of which the Notes are given in this book, as well as in the explanation of several of the other…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n[‘That religion ought to be a Cause of Love and\nAffection’ is much emphasized in many of the Discourses of\nwhich the Notes are given in this book, as well as in the explanation\nof several of the other Principles.]\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "WE MUST NOT BE DISCOURAGED BY THE SMALLNESS OF OUR NUMBERS",
"slug": "pt-we-must-not-be-discouraged-by-the-smallness-of-our-numbers",
"summary": "November 25th When Christ appeared He manifested Himself at Jerusalem. He called men to the Kingdom of God, He invited them to Eternal Life and He told them to acquire human perfections. The Light of Guidance was shed forth by that radiant…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"persecution",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"gentleness",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNovember 25th\n\nWhen Christ appeared He manifested Himself at Jerusalem.\nHe called men to the Kingdom of God, He invited them to Eternal Life\nand He told them to acquire human perfections. The Light of Guidance\nwas shed forth by that radiant Star, and He at length gave His life\nin sacrifice for humanity.\n\nAll through His blessed life He suffered oppression and\nhardship, and in spite of all this humanity was His enemy!\n\nThey denied Him, scorned Him, ill-treated Him and cursed\nHim. He was not treated like a man—and yet in spite of all this\nHe was the embodiment of pity and of supreme goodness and love.\n\nHe loved all humanity, but they treated Him as an enemy\nand were incapable of appreciating Him. They set no value on His\nwords and were not illumined by the flame of His love.\n\nLater they realized who He was; that He was the Sacred\nand Divine Light, and that His words held Eternal Life.\n\nHis heart was full of love for all the world, His\ngoodness was destined to reach each one—and as they began to\nrealize these things, they repented—but He had been crucified!\n\nIt was not until many years after His ascension that\nthey knew who He was, and at the time of His ascension He had only a\nvery few disciples; only a comparatively small following believed His\nprecepts and followed His laws. The ignorant said, ‘Who is this\nindividual; He has only a few disciples!’ But those who knew\nsaid: ‘He is the Sun who will shine in the East and in the\nWest, He is the Manifestation who shall give life to the world’.\n\n\nWhat the first disciples had seen the world realized\nlater.\n\nTherefore, you who are in Europe, do not be discouraged\nbecause you are few or because people think that your Cause is of no\nimportance. If few people come to your gatherings do not lose heart,\nand if you are ridiculed and contradicted be not distressed, for the\napostles of Christ had the same to bear. They were reviled and\npersecuted, cursed and ill-treated, but in the end they were\nvictorious and their enemies were found to be wrong.\n\nIf history should repeat itself and all these same\nthings should happen to you, do not be saddened but be full of joy,\nand thank God that you are called upon to suffer as holy men of old\nsuffered. If they oppose you be gentle with them, if they contradict\nbe firm in your faith, if they desert you and flee from before you,\nseek them out and treat them kindly. Do harm to nobody; pray for all;\ntry to make your light shine in the world and let your banner fly\nhigh in the Heavens. The beautiful perfume of your noble lives will\npermeate everywhere. The light of truth kindled in your hearts will\nshine out to the distant horizon!\n\nThe indifference and scorn of the world matters not at\nall, whereas your lives will be of the greatest importance.\n\nAll those who seek truth in the Heavenly Kingdom shine\nlike the stars; they are like fruit trees laden with choice fruit,\nlike seas full of precious pearls.\n\nOnly have faith in the Mercy of God, and spread the\nDivine Truth.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "WORDS SPOKEN BY ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ IN PASTOR WAGNER’S CHURCH (FOYER DE L’AME) IN PARIS",
"slug": "pt-words-spoken-by-abdu-l-baha-in-pastor-wagner-s-church-foyer-de-l-ame-in-paris",
"summary": "November 26th I am deeply touched by the sympathetic words which have been addressed to me, and I hope that day by day true love and affection may grow among us. God has willed that love should be a vital force in the world, and you all…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Western journeys",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"paris-talks",
"teaching",
"prison",
"children",
"family",
"healing",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 7,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "paris-talks",
"book": "Paris Talks",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19284/pg19284-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNovember 26th\n\nI am deeply touched by the sympathetic words which have\nbeen addressed to me, and I hope that day by day true love and\naffection may grow among us. God has willed that love should be a\nvital force in the world, and you all know how I rejoice to speak of\nlove.\n\nAll down the ages the prophets of God have been sent\ninto the world to serve the cause of truth—Moses brought the\nlaw of truth, and all the prophets of Israel after him sought to\nspread it.\n\nWhen Jesus came He lighted the flaming torch of truth,\nand carried it aloft so that the whole world might be illumined\nthereby. After Him came His chosen apostles, and they went far and\nwide, carrying the light of their Master’s teaching into a dark\nworld—and, in their turn, passed on.\n\nThen came Muḥammad, who in His time and way spread\nthe knowledge of truth among a savage people; for this has always\nbeen the mission of God’s elect.\n\nSo, at last, when Bahá’u’lláh\narose in Persia, this was His most ardent desire, to rekindle the\nwaning light of truth in all lands. All the holy ones of God have\ntried with heart and soul to spread the light of love and unity\nthroughout the world, so that the darkness of materiality might\ndisappear and the light of spirituality might shine forth among the\nchildren of men. Then would hate, slander and murder disappear, and\nin their stead love, unity and peace would reign.\n\nAll the Manifestations of God came with the same\npurpose, and they have all sought to lead men into the paths of\nvirtue. Yet we, their servants, still dispute among ourselves! Why is\nit thus? Why do we not love one another and live in unity?\n\nIt is because we have shut our eyes to the underlying\nprinciple of all religions, that God is one, that He is the Father of\nus all, that we are all immersed in the ocean of His mercy and\nsheltered and protected by His loving care.\n\nThe glorious Sun of Truth shines for all alike, the\nwaters of Divine Mercy immerse each one, and His Divine favour is\nbestowed on all His children.\n\nThis loving God desires peace for all His creatures—why,\nthen, do they spend their time in war?\n\nHe loves and protects all His children—why do they\nforget Him?\n\nHe bestows His Fatherly care on us all—why do we\nneglect our brothers?\n\nSurely, when we realize how God loves and cares for us,\nwe should so order our lives that we may become more like Him.\n\nGod has created us, one and all—why do we act in\nopposition to His wishes, when we are all His children, and love the\nsame Father? All these divisions we see on all sides, all these\ndisputes and opposition, are caused because men cling to ritual and\noutward observances, and forget the simple, underlying truth. It is\nthe outward practices of religion that are so different, and it is\nthey that cause disputes and enmity—while the reality is always\nthe same, and one. The Reality is the Truth, and truth has no\ndivision. Truth is God’s guidance, it is the light of the\nworld, it is love, it is mercy. These attributes of truth are also\nhuman virtues inspired by the Holy Spirit.\n\nSo let us one and all hold fast to truth, and we shall\nbe free indeed!\n\nThe day is coming when all the religions of the world\nwill unite, for in principle they are one already. There is no need\nfor division, seeing that it is only the outward forms that separate\nthem. Among the sons of men some souls are suffering through\nignorance, let us hasten to teach them; others are like children\nneeding care and education until they are grown, and some are sick—to\nthese we must carry Divine healing.\n\nWhether ignorant, childish or sick, they must be loved\nand helped, and not disliked because of their imperfection.\n\nDoctors of religion were instituted to bring spiritual\nhealing to the peoples and to be the cause of unity among the\nnations. If they become the cause of division they had better not\nexist! A remedy is given to cure a disease, but if it only succeeds\nin aggravating the complaint, it is better to leave it alone. If\nreligion is only to be a cause of disunion it had better not exist.\n\nAll the Divine Manifestations sent by God into the world\nwould have gone through their terrible hardships and sufferings for\nthe single hope of spreading Truth, unity and concord among men.\nChrist endured a life of sorrow, pain and grief, to bring a perfect\nexample of love into the world—and in spite of this we continue\nto act in a contrary spirit one towards the other!\n\nLove is the fundamental principle of God’s purpose\nfor man, and He has commanded us to love each other even as He loves\nus. All these discords and disputes which we hear on all sides only\ntend to increase materiality.\n\nThe world for the most part is sunk in materialism, and\nthe blessings of the Holy Spirit are ignored. There is so little real\nspiritual feeling, and the progress of the world is for the most part\nmerely material. Men are becoming like unto beasts that perish, for\nwe know that they have no spiritual feeling—they do not turn to\nGod, they have no religion! These things belong to man alone, and if\nhe is without them he is a prisoner of nature, and no whit better\nthan an animal.\n\nHow can man be content to lead only an animal existence\nwhen God has made him so high a creature? All creation is made\nsubject to the laws of nature, but man has been able to conquer these\nlaws. The sun, in spite of its power and glory, is bound by the laws\nof nature, and cannot change its course by so much as a hair’s\nbreadth. The great and mighty ocean is powerless to change the ebb\nand flow of its tides—nothing can stand against nature’s\nlaws but man!\n\nBut to man God has given such wonderful power that he\ncan guide, control and overcome nature.\n\nThe natural law for man is to walk on the earth, but he\nmakes ships and flies in the air! He is created to live on dry land,\nbut he rides on the sea and even travels under it!\n\nHe has learnt to control the power of electricity, and\nhe takes it at his will and imprisons it in a lamp! The human voice\nis made to speak across short distances, but man’s power is\nsuch that he has made instruments and can speak from East to West!\nAll these examples show you how man can govern nature, and how, as it\nwere, he wrests a sword from the hand of nature and uses it against\nherself. Seeing that man has been created master of nature, how\nfoolish it is of him to become her slave! What ignorance and\nstupidity it is to worship and adore nature, when God in His goodness\nhas made us masters thereof. God’s power is visible to all, yet\nmen shut their eyes and see it not. The Sun of Truth is shining in\nall His splendour, but man with fast shut eyes cannot behold His\nglory! It is my earnest prayer to God that by His Mercy and Loving\nKindness you may all be united, and filled with the utmost joy.\n\nI beseech you, one and all, to add your prayers to mine\nto the end that war and bloodshed may cease, and that love,\nfriendship, peace and unity may reign in the world.\n\nAll down the ages we see how blood has stained the\nsurface of the earth; but now a ray of greater light has come, man’s\nintelligence is greater, spirituality is beginning to grow, and a\ntime is surely coming when the religions of the world will be at\npeace. Let us leave the discordant arguments concerning outward\nforms, and let us join together to hasten forward the Divine Cause of\nunity, until all humanity knows itself to be one family, joined\ntogether in love.\n\n\n\n\n\n PART II\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks (Bahá'í Publishing Trust). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19284.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Beggars and Brothers: The Bowery Mission Address",
"slug": "pup-bowery-mission-1912",
"summary": "On April 19, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed the men of the Bowery Mission in lower Manhattan — several hundred of New York's poorest, many homeless, gathered in the Mission hall for the evening service. The Master spoke to them as the equals of any king and gave them, at the close of the address, a silver quarter from His own hand.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7223,
"lng": -73.9958,
"modernName": "New York City, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"poverty",
"dignity",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"humility",
"generosity",
"dignity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the evening of the 19th of April, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá went\nin person to the Bowery Mission on the Lower East Side of\nManhattan. The Mission was the principal homeless shelter of\nlower New York. It served, on a typical evening, several\nhundred men — labourers without work, immigrants without\nlanguage, alcoholics without resources — who came in for the\nevening meal and, when there was room, for a bed.\n\nThe Master had been in New York for only eight days. He had\nasked to be taken to the Mission as one of His earliest\nAmerican engagements. The Mission's superintendent, expecting\nthe visitor of distinction his guests would not have known\nhow to receive, had set out a small platform at the front of\nthe dining hall and had asked the assembled men to be quiet\nduring the address.\n\nThe Master rose. He looked over the hall. He began with a\nsentence the men had certainly never been addressed by before.\n\n> Tonight I have come to meet you, the kings of God's earth.\n\nThe Promulgation of Universal Peace preserves the talk that\nfollowed. The Master reframed the spiritual condition of the\nmen in the room. They had been told, He said, that they were\nthe failures of the city — that the bankers and the\nmerchants and the property owners on the higher streets of\nManhattan were the successful and the worthy. That picture,\nHe said, is upside down.\n\nThe kings of any city, the Master taught, are those whose\nsouls are turned toward God. The bankers and merchants of\nthe higher streets — though they had houses and carriages\n— were often the slaves of their own attachments. The men\nin the Mission hall, if they would turn their hearts toward\nthe Divine reality, were the freer and more royal souls.\nThe poverty of their pockets did not, in the spiritual\nledger, correspond to any poverty of their station. The\nopposite was often closer to the truth.\n\nHe went on, in plain language adapted to the audience, to\nstate the central teachings: the unity of the human family;\nthe equal dignity of every soul; the necessity of seeing in\nevery human face the image of the Creator. He did not\npreach. He spoke with the gravity of a sage addressing a\nroyal court.\n\nWhen the talk was finished — and the closing arrangements\ndescribed in Juliet Thompson's diary entry of the same\nevening were carried out — the Master moved to the door of\nthe Mission hall. He had asked, in advance, that twenty-\nfive-cent silver pieces be carried in His attendants'\npockets. As the men filed out, the Master placed a quarter\nin each open hand Himself.\n\nThe gesture was small. Its meaning, in the spiritual\natmosphere of the evening, was immense. The Master had\naddressed the men as kings. He was now serving them as the\nhost of the visible court. The American friends who had\naccompanied Him to the Mission — Juliet Thompson among them\n— remembered the evening for the rest of their lives. The\nmen in the Bowery hall, for whom no Persian sage had ever\nbefore come to call them by their proper title, would have\nremembered also.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of April 19, 1912 at the Bowery Mission, New York. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Where Conscience Is Free: Brooklyn's Central Congregational Church",
"slug": "pup-central-congregational-brooklyn-1912",
"summary": "At the Central Congregational Church in Brooklyn on June 16, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá traced religious discord to one root: the inheritance of ancestral imitations rather than the active investigation of truth. Where conscience is free and every soul may speak its own conviction, He said, growth becomes inevitable.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Brooklyn",
"lat": 40.6782,
"lng": -73.9442,
"modernName": "Brooklyn, NY, USA"
},
"themes": [
"oneness-of-religion",
"investigation-of-truth",
"freedom-of-conscience",
"prejudice"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"sincerity",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the evening of June 16, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá took the pulpit of\nthe Central Congregational Church on Hancock Street in Brooklyn.\nThe congregation was Protestant, well educated, deeply rooted in\nthe tradition of dissent and free conscience that had founded New\nEngland Congregationalism. Esther Foster took the notes that\nsurvive.\n\nThe Master began where He had begun in many of His American talks:\nwith the diagnosis of religious discord. He did not blame doctrine,\nHe blamed inheritance. The trouble, He said, is not that people\nbelieve different things; the trouble is that most people have\n*not* believed. They have inherited an opinion from their fathers,\nand they have called it faith.\n\nThe remedy is the independent investigation of truth. And for that\ninvestigation a particular kind of public life is required:\n\n> When freedom of conscience, liberty of thought and right of\n> speech prevail — that is to say, when every man according to\n> his own idealization may give expression to his beliefs —\n> development and growth are inevitable.\n\nFree expression is, in this telling, not a political add-on to\nreligion. It is the condition without which religion cannot do its\nwork. A truth that is not freely sought is not yet *believed.*\n\nHe then placed His central claim about the religions:\n\n> The divine religion is reality, and reality is not multiple; it\n> is one. Therefore, the foundations of the religious systems are\n> one because all proceed from the indivisible reality.\n\nThe diversity of religions is real but secondary. What is primary\nis the single reality from which all the Founders draw. The\nManifestations differ in language, in time, in custom; They do not\ndiffer in essence. *The essential purpose of the religion of God,*\nHe said,\n\n> is to establish unity amongst mankind.\n\nWhere it does not establish unity, it has missed its purpose. Where\nit has been used to justify enmity, it has been used backwards. He\nleft the Brooklyn congregation with a single test of every faith\nthey had been taught:\n\n> If the Holy Books were rightly understood, none of this discord\n> and distress would have existed, but love and fellowship would\n> have prevailed instead.\n\nThe talk reframed the work of the religious thinker. The\nCongregational tradition prized the reading of scripture; the\nMaster invited it to read scripture with one eye on whether the\nresult was love.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of June 16, 1912 at the Central Congregational Church, Brooklyn. Notes by Esther Foster. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "All Offering the Same Melody: 'Abdu'l-Bahá at the Church of the Ascension",
"slug": "pup-church-ascension-new-york-1912",
"summary": "On the second of June, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá entered the Church of the Ascension at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street in Manhattan, and addressed an Episcopal congregation on the *Collective Center* — the Manifestation of God around whom every people, of every race and belief, can become a single melody.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Moses",
"Christ"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7332,
"lng": -73.9941,
"modernName": "New York City, USA"
},
"themes": [
"religion",
"unity",
"teaching",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"unity",
"reverence"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Church of the Ascension stands at the corner of Fifth Avenue\nand Tenth Street in lower Manhattan, a small Episcopal parish\nthat had taken seriously the social-gospel currents of the\nperiod. Its rector had invited ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to address the\ncongregation on the morning of the second of June, 1912 — the\nfirst time, by long tradition, that a non-Christian had been\npermitted to speak from the parish’s Sunday pulpit.\n\nThe Master rose. He spoke not in confrontation but in widening.\n\n> The church is a collective center for mankind ... all in the\n> presence of the Lord, covenanting together in a covenant of love\n> and fellowship, all offering the same melody, prayer and\n> supplication to God.\n\nHe framed the church, the synagogue, the mosque, the temple as\n*collective centers* — places in which scattered humanity could\ngather around a single principle of love. The real *Collective\nCenter,* He went on, was not a building. It was the Manifestation\nof God for the day in question. Moses had been the Center for\nIsrael; Christ had been the Center for the early Christian\ncommunity; Bahá’u’lláh, He continued, was the Center for this age.\nAround each, in His turn, scattered peoples had been drawn together\nin covenant.\n\nThen He pressed a point He pressed often in America. *Material\ncivilization,* however brilliant, is not sufficient. The\nprosperity of the cities, the science of the universities, the\nindustrial accomplishments of the new century — these are\nremarkable, but they are not enough. They must be married, in any\nhealthy society, to a corresponding development of the spirit. The\nWest, He suggested, had developed astonishing material civilization\nwithout proportionate spiritual cultivation. The East had often\ndone the reverse. The work of the new age was the marriage of the\ntwo.\n\nThe Episcopal congregation listened, by the testimony of those\nwho were present, with unusual quiet. The rector spoke afterward\nof the unprecedented experience of having heard, in his own\npulpit, a coherent account of the spiritual purpose of his own\nchurch from someone outside it — and of recognising in the account\nthe deepest things he himself had been trying, less ably, to say.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of June 2, 1912 at the Church of the Ascension, Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street, New York. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Spiritual Distinction: A Talk in New York",
"slug": "pup-distinction-among-believers-new-york-1912",
"summary": "On June 15, 1912, in a home on West Seventy-eighth Street in New York, 'Abdu'l-Bahá explained the kind of distinction He wished for the Bahá'ís — not financial or worldly eminence, but a distinction of love, character, and steadfast service.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Howard MacNutt"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7831,
"lng": -73.9712,
"modernName": "New York City, USA"
},
"themes": [
"teaching",
"character",
"service",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"justice",
"steadfastness",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn the evening of the 15th of June, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gathered with\nthe friends at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street in New York. Howard\nMacNutt, who would later edit the volume in which this talk was\npreserved, sat among the listeners as the Master spoke about\n*imtíyáz* — *distinction.*\n\nIt is true, He said, that the world prizes distinction of one kind:\ndistinction of wealth, of family, of office, of physical bearing.\nBut the friends of God should aim higher.\n\n> I desire spiritual distinction — that is, you must become eminent\n> and distinguished in morals. In the love of God you must become\n> distinguished from all else.\n\nThe talk widened. The believers, He explained, were to be known not\nfor what they possessed but for what they radiated — for the\nparticular quality of their character among their neighbours.\n\n> You must become distinguished for loving humanity, for unity and\n> accord, for love and justice ... for justice and fidelity, for\n> firmness and steadfastness.\n\nThe talk ranged over the difference between worldly and spiritual\neminence: the rich man may be celebrated for an evening; the saint\nfor a century; but the soul who has acquired *the love of God* will\nbe remembered, the Master implied, for as long as the human heart\nremembers anything at all. Wealth fades. Position changes hands. But\nthe friend who has learned to love widely, to be just under pressure,\nto remain firm when others waver — that friend has acquired a\ndistinction that no circumstance can take away.\n\nHe left the company that night with the call still ringing: become\ndistinguished. Not in the world's sense. In the sense the world\nneeds most.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of June 15, 1912 at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York; notes by Howard MacNutt. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Days Are Many, the Sun Is One: At the Church of the Divine Paternity",
"slug": "pup-divine-paternity-new-york-1912",
"summary": "At the Church of the Divine Paternity on Central Park West on May 19, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá told a New York congregation that religion has many forms but one reality: as the days are many but the sun is one, so the Manifestations are many but the Truth they reveal is single. If religion sets itself against science, it becomes mere superstition; if it becomes a cause of hatred and strife, its absence would be preferable.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, NY, USA"
},
"themes": [
"oneness-of-religion",
"science-and-religion",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"unity",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the evening of May 19, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed a\nUniversalist congregation at the Church of the Divine Paternity on\nCentral Park West, New York. Esther Foster took the notes preserved\nin *The Promulgation of Universal Peace.* The setting was apt: a\nchurch whose theology already reached toward the universal.\n\nThe Master began with the image that would stay with the audience:\n\n> Religions are many, but the reality of religion is one. The days\n> are many, but the sun is one.\n\nReality, He said, does not admit of multiplicity. There is only one\ntruth; there are only innumerable approaches to it. The various\nholy Manifestations who have come — Krishna, Moses, Christ,\nMuḥammad, the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh — are *as the sun, which shines\nforth from different dawning points.* The dawn changes with the\nseason; the sun does not.\n\nFrom this He drew two consequences that the Universalists in the\nhall would have heard with relief and shock at once. The first\nconcerned reason:\n\n> If religion does not agree with science, it is superstition and\n> ignorance; for God has endowed man with reason.\n\nA faith that requires the believer to deny what reason can see is\nnot a faith — it is a habit. Religion, properly understood, never\ncomes into final conflict with science, because both are\ninvestigations of the same single reality.\n\nThe second consequence concerned hatred:\n\n> If [religion] become the cause of hatred and strife, its absence\n> is preferable.\n\nThis was a hard sentence for a religious congregation. The Master\ndid not soften it. The purpose of religion is unity. Where it\nproduces division, it has been corrupted into its own opposite —\nand where it has been corrupted into its own opposite, it would be\nbetter that it not exist at all than that it continue in that form.\n\nHe closed by recounting how, in Persia under Bahá’u’lláh, Christian\nand Muslim, Jew and Zoroastrian had been brought into a single\nfellowship where the old hostilities had simply ceased to operate.\nSuch a unity was possible, He told the New York audience, because\nthe foundation that produced it was real. The same recognition was\nasked of the West.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of May 19, 1912 at the Church of the Divine Paternity, New York. Notes by Esther Foster. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "If One Member Suffers: 'Abdu'l-Bahá to the Workers of Montreal",
"slug": "pup-economic-justice-montreal-1912",
"summary": "At Coronation Hall in Montreal on September 3, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed socialists and labour leaders. Drawing on the body's nervous system as His metaphor, He laid out a vision of economic justice in which no member of the human family could be permitted to remain in want.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Montreal",
"lat": 45.5017,
"lng": -73.5673,
"modernName": "Montreal, Canada"
},
"themes": [
"economics",
"social-justice",
"service",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"justice",
"compassion"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrived in Montreal at the end of August 1912, the\nonly Canadian stop of His Western journey, and on the third of\nSeptember He went to Coronation Hall to speak to an audience of\nsocialists and trade-unionists. Strikes were rolling through the\nindustrial cities of North America that year. The room was thick\nwith the conviction that the existing order would have to be torn\ndown before workers could live a decent life.\n\nThe Master agreed with the diagnosis. He disagreed with the cure.\n*Mankind has been created from one single origin,* He said; *thus,\nin reality, all mankind represents one family.* And the family is\nnot held together by the wealthy paying off the poor. It is held\ntogether by mutual obligation, recognized at every level of common\nlife.\n\nHe pressed the point with a physiological metaphor:\n\n> If one member is in distress ... all the other members must\n> necessarily suffer ... if the eye should be affected, that\n> affliction would affect the whole nervous system.\n\nA society, He insisted, is a body. The labourer who cannot feed his\nchildren, the orphan with no one to claim her, the elderly worker\nturned out at the end of his strength — these are not unfortunate\nothers. They are the eye of the social body. If they suffer, the\nbody suffers; the body cannot pretend it does not.\n\nOut of this principle He sketched a system. Each village should\nhave a storehouse, funded by contributions graded to capacity and\nby the revenue of mineral resources. Out of the storehouse the\norphans, the widows, the destitute, the sick, and the elderly\nshould be supported. *No one,* He said, *will remain in need or in\nwant.* In factories, profits should be shared with the workers\nwhose labour produced them.\n\nThe talk did not call for the destruction of capital. It called for\nits transformation. The labour leaders who had come to listen\nheard, perhaps for the first time, a religious teacher describing\ntheir cause with their own seriousness — and going further than\nthey had dared.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of September 3, 1912 at Coronation Hall, Montreal. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "At the Eighth Street Synagogue: 'Abdu'l-Bahá on Christ and the Torah",
"slug": "pup-eighth-street-synagogue-washington-1912",
"summary": "On the evening of November 8, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed the congregation of the Eighth Street Temple in Washington — and reframed the long history of Jewish-Christian misunderstanding by arguing that it was through Christ that the Torah travelled into six hundred languages.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Moses",
"Christ",
"Muḥammad",
"Abraham"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Washington, D.C.",
"lat": 38.9072,
"lng": -77.0369,
"modernName": "Washington, D.C., USA"
},
"themes": [
"religion",
"unity",
"history",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"tolerance",
"love",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt was a daring engagement, even by the Master’s standards. On the\nevening of November 8, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá entered the Eighth Street\nTemple in Washington, D.C., to address a congregation of American\nJews about Jesus of Nazareth. The pews were full and the air was\nguarded. In nineteen centuries, very few visitors with His message\nhad been welcomed in such a room.\n\nHe opened by drawing a distinction He had drawn elsewhere across\nthe journey:\n\n> The divine religions embody two kinds of ordinances. First, there\n> are those which constitute essential, or spiritual, teachings of\n> the Word of God.\n\nThe essential teachings — love of God, the unity of the human\nfamily, justice, truthfulness — do not change. They appear and\nreappear in every authentic revelation. The outward ordinances —\nritual, dietary law, social custom — *do* change, because the needs\nof the time change. Religion is dynamic; the divine reality behind\nit is one.\n\nThen He named the chain:\n\n> Abraham was the founder of reality. Moses, Christ, Muḥammad were\n> the manifestations of reality.\n\nHe reached the heart of the address. The Jewish congregation had\ninherited the conviction that Christ had been an enemy of Moses.\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá took the opposite view, and made it on historical\ngrounds:\n\n> Through Christ, through the blessing of the New Testament of Jesus\n> Christ, the Old Testament, the Torah, was translated into six\n> hundred different tongues and spread throughout the world.\n\nWithout Christianity, He pointed out, the Hebrew Scriptures would\nhave remained the literature of one nation. Through Christianity\nthey became the inheritance of half the human race. To honour\nChrist, then, is not to dishonour Moses; it is to recognize the\nhand of Moses in the world’s longest book of faith.\n\nHe closed with a plea:\n\n> Christians and Jews should have the greatest love for each other\n> because the Founders of these two great religions have been in\n> perfect agreement in Book and teaching.\n\nThe room, by all accounts, was changed.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of November 8, 1912 at the Eighth Street Temple Synagogue, Washington, D.C. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "True Shepherds Gather, They Do Not Scatter: Fanwood, 1912",
"slug": "pup-fanwood-shepherds-1912",
"summary": "At the Town Hall in Fanwood, New Jersey on May 31, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá named the chaos of the modern world as a chaos produced by religion itself — by the partisanship of sects clinging to inheritance rather than searching for truth. The true Manifestations, He said, are shepherds; their work is to gather, never to scatter.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Fanwood",
"lat": 40.6406,
"lng": -74.3838,
"modernName": "Fanwood, New Jersey, USA"
},
"themes": [
"oneness-of-religion",
"prejudice",
"unity",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"unity",
"love",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn May 31, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed an audience at the Town\nHall in Fanwood, New Jersey. The setting was modest — a small\nsuburban hall in a small New Jersey town — and the talk that\nsurvives in *The Promulgation of Universal Peace* is among the\nclearest of His statements on what religion is, when it is working,\nand what it is, when it is not.\n\nHe began with a diagnosis. The instability of the modern world, He\nsaid, is not principally an economic or political matter. Its root\ngoes deeper:\n\n> The cause of the chaotic condition lies in the differences among\n> the religions and finds its origin in the animosity and hatred\n> existing between sects and denominations.\n\nThe fact that humanity cannot agree on its highest things, He\ncontinued, makes it impossible to agree on anything else. And the\nsectarianism is not, by and large, the fault of the original\nFounders. It is the fault of inheritance — of believers who have\nceased to investigate and have begun, instead, to repeat:\n\n> Imitation destroys the foundation of religion, extinguishes the\n> spirituality of the human world, transforms heavenly illumination\n> into darkness and deprives man of the knowledge of God.\n\nHe gave the example of the Jewish authorities who had inherited\ntheir commentaries on the prophecies and so could not see Christ\nwhen He stood before them. The trouble was not the Tradition; the\ntrouble was reading the Tradition as though it were itself the\nprophecy.\n\nThe remedy is to return to the work of the Manifestations\nthemselves. And that work, the Master said, has a single shape\nacross the dispensations:\n\n> The Prophets of God have come to unite the children of men and\n> not to disperse them, to establish the law of love and not\n> enmity.\n\nA true Shepherd gathers. A false shepherd is known by what He\nscatters. Moses brought together a scattered people; Christ\ngathered fishermen and Romans, Greeks and Jews into a single\nfellowship; Muḥammad united the warring tribes of Arabia. The\nBahá’í test of any teaching, then, is whether it produces the\ngathering, or whether it produces the scattering.\n\nHe closed the Fanwood talk by appealing for the laying-aside of\n*all prejudice — whether it be religious, racial, political or\npatriotic.* This was the only foundation on which the universal\npeace He had crossed an ocean to proclaim could rest.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of May 31, 1912 at Town Hall, Fanwood, New Jersey. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Earth Is One Native Land: Farewell Aboard the SS Celtic",
"slug": "pup-farewell-aboard-celtic-1912",
"summary": "On December 5, 1912, on the deck of the steamship Celtic in New York harbor, 'Abdu'l-Bahá gave His final talk before sailing for Europe. After nine months in the West, He left the believers with the standard against which their whole tour was to be measured: the earth is one native land, and all mankind one family.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York Harbor",
"lat": 40.6892,
"lng": -74.0445,
"modernName": "New York Harbor, USA"
},
"themes": [
"farewell",
"unity",
"peace",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"compassion",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn the morning of the fifth of December, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stood\non the deck of the SS *Celtic*, anchored in New York harbour, and\nprepared to leave America. He had arrived nine months earlier, in\nApril, on the SS *Cedric*. In between He had crossed and recrossed\nthe country — Washington, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Boston,\nPhiladelphia, Denver, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Los Angeles,\nSacramento, Montreal — speaking in churches, synagogues, hotels,\nuniversities, peace societies, slum settlements, and the parlours\nof friends.\n\nNow He was going home. The believers crowded round Him on the deck\nto hear His last words.\n\n> The earth is one native land, one home; and all mankind are the\n> children of one Father. God has created them, and they are the\n> recipients of His compassion. Therefore, if anyone offends another,\n> he offends God.\n\nThe talk was a farewell, but its content was a charge. The Master\ncalled His listeners to become *brilliant lamps* casting light upon\nhumanity. He warned them that nine months of His presence had been\na gift; the work would now belong to them. True peace, He said,\nwould not be brought about by treaties signed in Geneva. It would\nbe brought about by ordinary believers, in ordinary cities, who had\nlearned to live according to *the divine commandments of universal\nlove and kindness toward all people, including one’s adversaries.*\n\nThe ship’s whistle sounded. The friends went down the gangway one\nby one. From the rail the Master watched them gather on the dock,\nsmall and hopeful, looking up at Him as the *Celtic* began to draw\nout into the Atlantic. Many of them never saw Him again. But the\nsentence — *the earth is one native land* — went with them, and\nthrough them, into the long century He had left them to build.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of December 5, 1912 aboard the steamship Celtic, New York harbor. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "America's Calling: A Talk at the Grand Hotel, Cincinnati",
"slug": "pup-grand-hotel-cincinnati-1912",
"summary": "On November 5, 1912, at the Grand Hotel in Cincinnati, 'Abdu'l-Bahá spoke to friends about the role He saw America playing in the bringing of universal peace — and proposed an international conference of all nations that would surpass even the Hague tribunal.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Cincinnati",
"lat": 39.1031,
"lng": -84.512,
"modernName": "Cincinnati, Ohio, USA"
},
"themes": [
"peace",
"history",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"peace",
"hope",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s American tour was, by November 1912, drawing to its\nlast weeks. He had been on the road for seven months. On the\nevening of the fifth, in the Grand Hotel in Cincinnati, He gathered\nthe friends of the city for a brief talk that took up a theme He\nhad returned to throughout the journey.\n\nThe American republic, He said, had been raised up for a particular\nwork in the family of nations.\n\n> America has arisen to spread the teachings of peace, to increase\n> the illumination of humankind and bestow happiness and prosperity\n> upon the children of men.\n\nThe sentence was not flattery. The country in 1912 was not yet\nan imperial power; she stood, in the Master’s reading, in a unique\nposition to advocate disarmament and arbitration without the\nsuspicion that attached to every European foreign ministry. The\nMaster commended the efforts then under way — President Taft’s\narbitration treaties, the Hague tribunal — but pressed beyond them.\nHe called for an international body in which every nation would\nhave its representatives, a parliament of humanity that would, in\nHis words, surpass even the Hague.\n\nThe dream was, in 1912, ahead of its time. The League of Nations\nwas eight years away. The United Nations was a generation further\non. Today’s system of world bodies, with all its limitations, is a\ndistant approximation of the structure ‘Abdu’l-Bahá pictured that\nnight in Cincinnati — though Bahá’ís hold that the full vision still\nlies ahead, in the assembly of nations Bahá’u’lláh foretold for the\nfullness of time.\n\nHe left the friends with a sense of charge: not pride in country\nbut service through it. America’s gift, He had said again and again\nacross the journey, was not power. It was peace.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of November 5, 1912 at the Grand Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Four Proofs and a Prayer for Sarah Farmer: Green Acre, 1912",
"slug": "pup-green-acre-four-proofs-1912",
"summary": "At Green Acre on August 16, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá enumerated the four fallible standards of human knowledge — sense, intellect, tradition, and inspiration — then turned, in the same talk, to love as the binding force of all phenomena, and ended with a prayer for Sarah Farmer, the founder of the Green Acre Conferences.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Sarah Farmer"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Eliot",
"lat": 43.1517,
"lng": -70.7969,
"modernName": "Eliot, Maine, USA"
},
"themes": [
"epistemology",
"love",
"immortality",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"wisdom",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn August 16, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed a summer gathering at\nGreen Acre, the conference centre Sarah Farmer had founded on the\nbanks of the Piscataqua River in Eliot, Maine. The audience\nincluded theologians, philosophers, free-thinkers, and a generation\nof seekers who had come to Green Acre precisely because the\ndenominational lines did not hold them.\n\nThe Master began by laying out the four standards by which human\nbeings claim to *know:*\n\n> Proofs are of four kinds: first, through sense perception;\n> second, through the reasoning faculty; third, from traditional or\n> scriptural authority; fourth, through the medium of inspiration.\n\nHe then walked through each in turn and showed why no single\nstandard is enough. The senses err — water appears bent in a glass;\nthe sun appears to move. The reason errs — philosophers\ncontradict each other across the centuries. Tradition errs — what\none community holds sacred another rejects. Inspiration errs — every\nfanatic has claimed it. Only when these four are integrated and\ndisciplined by one another can a human being approach reliable\nknowledge of reality.\n\nFrom epistemology He turned, characteristically, to love. The\nsingle force that binds the four standards into a coherent life,\nHe said, is the same force that binds the universe itself:\n\n> Love is the cause of the existence of all phenomena, and the\n> absence of love is the cause of disintegration or nonexistence.\n\nCohesion in the mineral kingdom, attraction in the vegetable\nkingdom, instinct in the animal kingdom, the fellowship of human\nbeings — all of these, the Master insisted, are degrees of the\nsingle principle of love.\n\nHe spoke briefly of the human spirit and its independence from the\nbody. *Man is the sovereign of nature; he breaks nature’s laws,*\nHe said: *though an animal fitted by nature to live upon the\nsurface of the earth, he flies in the air like a bird.* The\nspirit, free of the conditions of matter, is therefore *immortal.*\n\nThe talk closed with a prayer the audience would carry home. Sarah\nFarmer, the hostess and founder of Green Acre, had been ill for\nsome time. The Master prayed for her by name — that the same God\nwho had inspired her to gather these conferences would now grant\nher healing and continued service. Many of the friends remembered\nafterward that the talk’s long logical argument had ended in a\nsingle tender intercession for one woman in the room.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of August 16, 1912 at Green Acre, Eliot, Maine. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Unity of Nations: 'Abdu'l-Bahá at Handel Hall",
"slug": "pup-handel-hall-chicago-may-1912",
"summary": "On May 1, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed a public gathering at Handel Hall on East Randolph Street in Chicago — one of His earliest Chicago talks. The Master spoke of the necessity of an international consciousness as the antidote to the prejudices of nation, of class, and of race that had been the burden of human history.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8838,
"lng": -87.6271,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"peace",
"unity",
"nations"
],
"virtues": [
"vision",
"love",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the evening of the 1st of May, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed\na public gathering at Handel Hall on East Randolph Street in\nthe heart of downtown Chicago. The hall, then a frequently\nused venue for civic and musical events, had been engaged by\nthe Chicago Bahá'í community for the occasion. The audience —\nseveral hundred — included Bahá'ís, inquirers, and a number\nof Chicago citizens curious to see the Persian sage whose\npresence in the city had filled the newspaper columns of the\npreceding days.\n\nThe Master rose and chose, as His subject for the evening,\nthe great theme of national prejudice and its overcoming. He\nnamed, in His characteristic plain manner, the three\ninheritances that each generation receives from its\npredecessors: the prejudice of nation; the prejudice of\nrace; the prejudice of religion. Each of these inheritances,\nHe said, is taught in the home, reinforced in the school,\ncelebrated in the public ceremony, and confirmed in the\nordinary unconscious habits of the inheriting child. Each is\nextremely difficult to outgrow. Each, until outgrown, is a\nbrake on the development of any human community capable of\ngenuine peace.\n\nThe cure, He proposed, was not the suppression of love for\none's own people. He named that love as natural, healthy,\nand necessary. The cure was the *enlargement* of love\nbeyond its initial boundaries.\n\n> Love for your country must be enlarged into love for the\n> human family.\n\nThe phrase, taken from the published version of the talk in\n*The Promulgation of Universal Peace,* gave the practical\ninstruction. Love for one's country is the seed; love for\nthe human family is the full plant. The mature lover of his\nown land does not stop loving it; he comes to love every\nother land in addition. The mature member of his own race\ndoes not deny his heritage; he comes to honour every other\nheritage. The mature follower of his own religion does not\nabandon his tradition; he comes to recognise the Divine\nvoice speaking through every other genuine prophetic\ntradition as well.\n\nThe Master closed the address by naming the practical\nimplications. International peace would not be made by\ntreaties alone, however valuable; it required the slow\neducation of the human heart in the *enlarged* love. The\nBahá'í Faith, He said, was the explicit articulation in\nthis present age of the spiritual education humanity now\nrequired. The friends present in Handel Hall were the\nwitnesses, in the city of Chicago, of the work that had to\nbe carried out everywhere.\n\nThe audience applauded warmly. The Master took His leave.\nThe talk would, in its published form, become one of the\nmost quoted statements of the Bahá'í teaching on the\novercoming of nationalism — a sentence the Faith would\nreturn to many times over the troubled century that\nfollowed.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of May 1, 1912 at Handel Hall, Chicago. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Peace Is Light, War Is Darkness: At the New York Peace Society",
"slug": "pup-hotel-astor-peace-society-1912",
"summary": "At a reception given in His honor by the New York Peace Society at the Hotel Astor on May 13, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá took the platform with one of His most quoted sentences: peace is light, war is darkness — and asked the assembled American peace movement to lead the world into the new century as the century of lights.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, NY, USA"
},
"themes": [
"peace",
"american-tour",
"oneness-of-humanity"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"courage",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the evening of May 13, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the guest of\nhonour of the New York Peace Society at a reception in the\nHotel Astor. The Peace Society — founded in 1906 — counted in\nits membership some of the most distinguished American civic\nfigures of its day; the Astor banquet was one of the high\nsocial occasions of the spring season.\n\nThe Master’s talk that evening, preserved in *The Promulgation\nof Universal Peace,* opens with a sentence that would become\none of His most quoted in the West:\n\n> Peace is light, whereas war is darkness. Peace is life; war\n> is death.\n\nThe bluntness of the diction was deliberate. He was speaking\nto a society that had professed peace as a high ideal; He was\nasking them to recognise it not as one ideal among many but as\nthe actual condition without which human civilisation could\nnot survive. Modern warfare, He noted, had grown a destructive\ncapacity altogether beyond anything the ancient world had\nimagined. The choice between peace and war was therefore now,\nunprecedentedly, a choice between life and death for the\nspecies.\n\nHe grounded the moral vision in the Bahá’í doctrine of human\nunity. He invoked Bahá’u’lláh’s image of the human family as a\nsingle tree:\n\n> Bahá’u’lláh, addressing all humanity, said that Adam, the\n> parent of mankind, may be likened to the tree of nativity\n> upon which you are the leaves and blossoms.\n\nA single tree cannot wage war upon its own branches. The image\nre-frames every patriotic and racial division as the absurdity\nit actually is.\n\nThe Master closed with a prophetic charge for the new century\nthat had begun only a dozen years before:\n\n> The twentieth century was the century of lights, the twentieth\n> century was the century of life, the twentieth century was the\n> century of international peace.\n\nThat the twentieth century, in fact, became the century of two\nworld wars and dozens of smaller ones does not nullify the\nnaming. The naming was offered as a possibility and an\ninvitation. The American peace movement of 1912, in the room\nthat night, received both. The work of making the naming true\nremains, the Master would have said, the work of every century\nin which the same question is still being asked.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of May 13, 1912 at the Reception by the New York Peace Society, Hotel Astor. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Light Upon Light: The Hotel Plaza Talk on Education",
"slug": "pup-hotel-plaza-chicago-education-1912",
"summary": "At the Hotel Plaza in Chicago on May 3, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá set out the central distinction between two kinds of educators: the philosophers, who train themselves and a circle around them, and the Manifestations of God, who alone have proved capable of universal education across whole nations.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Galen",
"Jesus Christ"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"education",
"manifestation-of-god",
"oneness-of-religion"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"service",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn May 3, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá took the platform of the Hotel Plaza\nin Chicago and laid out a sustained argument about education that\nwould be remembered for years afterward. Marzieh Moss took the\nnotes that survive in *The Promulgation of Universal Peace.*\n\nThe Master began by acknowledging the philosophers’ thesis:\neducation accounts for the difference between the civilised\npeoples of Europe and America and the peoples of Africa kept from\nits advantages. He did not dispute the importance of education.\nBut He drew a distinction the philosophers had missed.\n\n> The Prophets of God are the first Educators. They bestow\n> universal education upon man and cause him to rise from the\n> lowest levels of savagery to the highest pinnacles of spiritual\n> development.\n\nThe philosophers, He said, are educators too — but their work is\nlimited to themselves and a small circle around them. *They have\nbeen incapable of universal education.* No philosopher has lifted\na whole nation from one moral condition to another. The\nManifestations of God have done so repeatedly across history.\n\nHe then made a careful concession on individual capacity. Even\nwhen ten children are taught in the same school by the same\nteacher with the same food and the same opportunities, the result\nis *separate and distinct degrees of capability.* Capacities are\nnot equal. But the *capacity for education* belongs to every\nhuman being without exception.\n\nTo certify the moral fruits of one such universal Educator —\nChrist — the Master called as His witness an unusual figure: the\nsecond-century Greek pagan physician Galen. Galen, He reminded\nthe audience, was no Christian, but he had written that the\nfollowers of Jesus the Nazarene were *truly imbued with moral\nprinciples which are the envy of philosophers,* striving day and\nnight that their deeds *may contribute to the welfare of humanity.*\nA pagan doctor’s testimony, the Master said, weighs more on this\npoint than a thousand sermons by their own bishops.\n\nHe then named the deformation that had followed:\n\n> The forms and superstitions which appeared and obscured the\n> light did not affect the reality of Christ.\n\nChrist said, *Put up thy sword into the sheath* — yet the\nCrusades, the inquisitions, the persecution of scientists were\nall conducted in His name. The light of the original teaching is\nnot annulled by what later generations did with it. But it is\nobscured. The remedy is to return.\n\nThe Master closed by recommending Bahá’u’lláh’s *Hidden Words* as\nexactly such a return:\n\n> The preface announces that it contains the essences of the\n> words of the Prophets of the past, clothed in the garment of\n> brevity, for the teaching and spiritual guidance of the people\n> of the world. Read it that you may understand the true\n> foundations of religion. It is light upon light.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of May 3, 1912 at the Hotel Plaza, Chicago. Notes by Marzieh Moss. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Station of Man: 'Abdu'l-Bahá at Howard University",
"slug": "pup-howard-university-1912",
"summary": "On the afternoon of April 22, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed the students and faculty of Howard University in Washington, D.C. — the historically Black institution at the heart of African American higher education. His subject was the station of the human being: created in the image of God, possessed of a divine spark beyond every material limitation.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Washington, D.C.",
"lat": 38.9216,
"lng": -77.0182,
"modernName": "Washington, D.C., USA"
},
"themes": [
"race-unity",
"education",
"dignity",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"dignity",
"love",
"reverence"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s American tour was deliberate in its choices. On the\nafternoon of the 22nd of April, 1912 — only days after His arrival\nin Washington, D.C. — He went to Howard University, the historically\nBlack institution at the centre of African American higher education\nin the capital. He had not come to Washington to address only the\nparlours of the city’s wealthy. He had come to address everyone, and\nHe intended His presence in that hall to be itself a teaching.\n\nThe lecture room filled. Black students, white faculty, visitors who\nhad come specifically to see Him assembled in the same space. The\nMaster rose and chose, deliberately, the highest possible subject.\n\n> The station of man is great, very great. God has created man\n> after His own image and likeness.\n\nHe went on to draw the contrast that ran through so many of His\naddresses on the journey. The animal kingdom, however magnificent,\nis bounded by its instincts. The human being is the only creature\nwho can inquire beyond what its senses report — who can investigate\nthe mysteries of nature, who can know the laws of the heavens, who\ncan recognize, however dimly, the *divine spark* placed within it.\n\nThis was not abstract teaching for that audience. The room held\nmany who had been told, every day of their lives by the racial\nideology of the country, that they were not made in any image\nworth honouring. The Master’s sentence — that man is created in\nthe image of God — was set down in front of them as a principle\nthat did not admit of subtraction.\n\nHe encouraged the students to seek not only material knowledge but\nspiritual advancement; to use the disciplines they were studying\nin service to humanity; and, by the conduct of their own lives, to\nprove the dignity of every human soul.\n\nThe talk was brief. The witness, in 1912, was not. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá\nhad walked into a Black university and said, in the plainest\nlanguage available, the sentence the country had been refusing to\nsay.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of April 22, 1912 at Howard University, Washington, D.C. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "America Without Colonies: A Talk at the Peace Forum, New York",
"slug": "pup-international-peace-forum-1912",
"summary": "At a meeting of the International Peace Forum at Grace Methodist Episcopal Church on West 104th Street, New York, on May 12, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá argued that the United States was uniquely positioned to lead the world toward disarmament — precisely because she carried no imperial baggage.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Moses",
"Christ",
"Muḥammad"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.796,
"lng": -73.967,
"modernName": "New York City, USA"
},
"themes": [
"peace",
"history",
"teaching",
"politics"
],
"virtues": [
"peace",
"wisdom",
"vision"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe International Peace Forum had its meeting on the evening of the\ntwelfth of May, 1912, at the Grace Methodist Episcopal Church on\nWest 104th Street in New York. Pacifists, clergy, journalists, and\npublic reformers had gathered to discuss the slow work of building\ntoward a settled international peace. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá took the floor.\n\nHe opened with a diagnosis the room had not heard from its other\nspeakers. Religion itself was being widely blamed for the world’s\nhatreds. The Master refused the diagnosis.\n\n> The foundations of all the divine religions are peace and\n> agreement, but misunderstandings and ignorance have developed.\n\nThe Founders, He insisted, had not differed. Moses, Christ,\nMuḥammad — He named them — had been shepherds, sent each to\ntheir day, to gather scattered peoples and unite them. The\nfragmentation in their wake was the fault of those who had inherited\nthe message and made it the property of a single tribe. *Religion,*\nHe said, *should be the cause of love and amity.* Anything else is\na misuse of the name.\n\nHe turned then to the audience itself, and to the country in which\nthey lived.\n\nThe European powers, He observed, were now everywhere pursuing\nempire. Each was suspect at every conference table because each\ncame with colonial holdings and rivalries to defend. America was\nin a different position. She had no colonies of consequence. She\nhad no record of imperial conquest abroad. She could speak for\ndisarmament and arbitration, the Master proposed, *without\nsuspicion of selfish motives.*\n\nThis, He said, was a spiritual opportunity, not just a diplomatic\none. He commended what he had heard of President Taft’s efforts\ntoward arbitration treaties and looked toward the day when\nrepresentatives of every nation would convene — a body, He\nsuggested, that would surpass even the Hague tribunal in its scope\nand authority.\n\nThe talk did not turn the wheels of policy that year. But it\nplanted, in the minds of the American peace movement, an idea that\nwould surface again and again across the next century: that the\ndistinctive role of the United States in the family of nations\nmight be, of all things, peace.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of May 12, 1912 at the International Peace Forum, Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, West 104th Street, New York. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hull House: 'Abdu'l-Bahá Visits Jane Addams",
"slug": "pup-jane-addams-hull-house-1912",
"summary": "On May 4, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá called at Hull House in Chicago, the pioneering settlement house founded by Jane Addams in 1889 in the immigrant West Side district. He addressed the assembled residents, social workers and immigrant neighbors in the small main hall and later took tea with Miss Addams herself.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Jane Addams"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8718,
"lng": -87.6517,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"service",
"poverty",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"vision",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the afternoon of the 4th of May, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá and a\nsmall party — Mírzá Maḥmúd, Dr. Faríd, Mrs. Corinne True, and\ntwo or three Chicago Bahá'í friends — were driven from the\nMaster's hotel down to the West Side of Chicago to call at\nHull House. Hull House was the great American settlement house\nthat Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr had founded in 1889 in\nan old Italianate mansion on Halsted Street, in the heart of\nthe immigrant West Side. The house, by 1912, had grown into a\ncomplex of thirteen buildings serving thousands of immigrants\nweekly with classes, clubs, daycare, public health work, and\na thousand small forms of social hospitality.\n\nMiss Addams herself received the Master at the door. She was\nfifty-two years old, the most internationally known American\nwoman of her generation; she would, in 1931, be the first\nAmerican woman awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She and the\nMaster had heard of each other for several years through\nmutual friends in the international peace movement. They had\nnot met in person.\n\nShe led Him through the principal rooms. The kindergarten was\nin afternoon session. The English classes for adult Italian\nand Greek and Yiddish-speaking immigrants were filling several\nof the larger rooms. The infant welfare clinic was busy. The\nMaster walked slowly through each space, speaking briefly with\nthe workers and the visitors, observing the work in close\ndetail.\n\nThe visitors had begun to assemble in the main hall — the\nneighbours of the immediate streets, the resident social\nworkers, a number of the Hull House board members who had\ncome specifically to see Him. The Master rose to address\nthem.\n\n> This is the practical Christianity of our time.\n\nThe phrase, set down later in the published version of the\ntalk, was the Master's keynote for the brief address. He\nnamed the work of the settlement houses — Hull House and the\nsister institutions then springing up in many American\ncities — as the visible application of the central teaching\nof Christ on the love of neighbour. He praised Miss Addams\nspecifically. He extended the praise to the mostly young\nwomen who staffed the house and gave their early adulthoods\nto the work. He called the settlement movement a\nforeshadowing, on a small scale, of the more general\nhospitality the world would in time learn to extend across\nall the lines of nation and class.\n\nAfter the address He took tea privately with Miss Addams in\nher own small office. The conversation was unrecorded but\nvisibly warm. Miss Addams would, in subsequent years, speak\npublicly of the meeting as one of the formative encounters\nof her later career. She would attend Bahá'í meetings on\nseveral occasions, would speak warmly of the Faith in her\nown writings, and would, near the end of her life, write a\ngenerous public tribute to the Faith in the *Bahá'í World*\nyearbook.\n\nThe party left Hull House in the late afternoon. The\nChicago Bahá'í friends, riding back across the city, had\nwitnessed two of the most distinguished moral teachers of\ntheir time take the measure of each other and find a quiet\nmutual respect. The Master's blessing on the work of Hull\nHouse had been the public benediction. The private tea had\nbeen the personal one.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of May 4, 1912 at Hull House, Chicago. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Leland Hotel, Minneapolis: A Talk on the Holy Spirit",
"slug": "pup-leland-hotel-minneapolis-1912",
"summary": "On September 19, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed a gathering of the Twin Cities Bahá'ís and inquirers in the parlour of the Leland Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. He spoke on the Holy Spirit as the living, active, present-tense bond between the human soul and the Divine reality.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Minneapolis",
"lat": 44.9778,
"lng": -93.265,
"modernName": "Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"holy-spirit",
"prayer"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"reverence"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the evening of the 19th of September, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá\naddressed a gathering of the Twin Cities Bahá'ís and inquirers\nin the parlour of the Leland Hotel in downtown Minneapolis.\nThe Master had arrived in Minneapolis only that morning. The\nparlour gathering was His first opportunity to speak to the\nlocal community in any extended way.\n\nHe chose, as His subject, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit —\nthe great theological theme that the Christian tradition of\nthe Twin Cities friends had taught them from childhood, and\nthat the Master was now invited to set in the wider context\nof the Bahá'í teaching.\n\nThe Master began by acknowledging what the audience already\nknew: that the Christian tradition speaks of the Holy\nSpirit as the third person of the Trinity, given to the\ndisciples at Pentecost, present in the church through the\nsacraments, available to the believer through faith. He did\nnot contest this picture. He proposed instead an enlargement\nof it.\n\nThe Holy Spirit, the Master taught, is not a possession of\nany one religion. It is not bounded by sacraments or by\ninstitutional inheritance. It is the *present* and *living*\nbond between any human soul and the Divine reality.\n\n> The Holy Spirit is the bond between the human soul and\n> the Divine reality.\n\nThe phrase, set down in the published version of the talk,\ngave the Master's central teaching. The Holy Spirit is not\na past gift to be remembered. It is a present current to\nbe received. Every soul that turns its face — in prayer, in\nservice, in genuine inquiry — toward the Divine reality is\nin that very act receiving the Holy Spirit. Every soul that\nturns its face away is, in that very act, refusing the\ngift.\n\nHe went on to draw the practical consequences. The friends\npresent were not to think of their daily lives as a sphere\nin which the Holy Spirit was occasionally invoked. They\nwere to think of every conscious act — every word, every\nchoice, every act of service — as an opportunity for the\nHoly Spirit to work through them. The bond was always\navailable. What was sometimes lacking was the willingness\nto allow it.\n\nHe also enlarged the teaching to embrace the prophetic\ndispensations. The same Holy Spirit that had spoken in\nChrist at Pentecost had spoken in Moses at Sinai, in\nMuhammad at Hira, in the Báb at Shíráz, in Bahá'u'lláh in\nthe Síyáh-Chál. The Holy Spirit, the Master said, blows\nwhere it will, and across all the great dispensations the\ndirection of its movement is recognisable to the soul that\nhas learned to attend.\n\nThe talk closed with a brief prayer. The friends rose; the\ninquirers asked questions; the parlour gathering broke up\nslowly into the late evening. The Twin Cities friends, in\nthe hours after the Master's departure, had been given a\nsmall summary of the Bahá'í teaching on the Holy Spirit\nthat they would carry into their own lives and their own\nlater teaching for years afterward.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of September 19, 1912 at the Leland Hotel, Minneapolis. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Greetings at the Train Station: 'Abdu'l-Bahá Arrives in Cleveland",
"slug": "pup-leona-train-station-1912",
"summary": "On the morning of May 6, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá arrived by train at the Cleveland Union Station and was received by the small Cleveland Bahá'í community. He addressed them on the platform itself with a brief but characteristic speech: that the spirit of the Cause is carried not in great gatherings but in the small, faithful community of two or three friends.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Cleveland",
"lat": 41.505,
"lng": -81.6803,
"modernName": "Cleveland, Ohio, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-tour",
"community",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faithfulness",
"love",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the morning of the 6th of May, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá and His\nparty arrived by overnight train at the Cleveland Union\nStation. The Cleveland Bahá'í community — at that time a\nsmall group of perhaps a dozen souls — was waiting on the\nplatform. The hour was early. The platform was largely\nempty of other passengers. The Master had been travelling\nfor several days through the small Pennsylvania and Ohio\ncities and was visibly tired.\n\nHe stepped down from the carriage. The Cleveland friends\ngreeted Him in turn, each by name as Mírzá Mahmúd or Dr.\nFaríd performed the introductions. The Master shook hands;\nHe embraced two or three of the older believers; He\nlaughed gently at one of the smaller children who had been\nbrought along by his mother to see Him.\n\nThe friends had hoped to take Him to a hotel breakfast and\nthen to a series of public engagements they had organised\nthrough the day. The Master, looking around the small\ngroup on the platform, indicated that He would speak first\nto them — His own community — before any of the public\nbusiness began.\n\nHe spoke briefly. The Promulgation of Universal Peace\npreserves the substance of the address. The Master told\nthe small Cleveland community that they need not measure\nthe importance of their work by the size of their\ngathering. The size of any Bahá'í community in any\nAmerican city of 1912 was, He said, very small. The small\nsize was not a reason for discouragement. It was the\ninevitable beginning condition of every great spiritual\nwork.\n\n> Where two or three are gathered in His Name, the Cause\n> is alive.\n\nThe phrase — drawing, in the Master's American style, on a\nsaying of Christ familiar to the audience — gave the\nproper measure of the small gathering on the platform.\nThe Cleveland friends were sufficient, in their small\nnumber, to constitute the Cause in their city. Their\nweekly gatherings; their prayers; their patient\ncorrespondence with each other and with the Master at\n'Akká; their hospitality to the inquirers who came in to\nask about the Faith — all this was enough, in the\nMaster's view, to count as the substantial presence of\nthe Cause in Cleveland.\n\nHe encouraged them not to wait for some larger\nopportunity before beginning the serious work. The\nserious work, He said, was the work of love among\nthemselves. If the small Cleveland community could\nbecome — in their own conduct toward each other and in\ntheir hospitality toward the strangers who came to\ntheir meetings — a visible image of the Bahá'í\nteaching, then the larger growth would follow in the\nfullness of time. If they could not become that small\nvisible image, then no larger growth would be of any\nuse to anyone.\n\nThe friends were quiet. The Master invited them to walk\nwith Him to the carriage that was waiting outside the\nstation. They went together. The day's full schedule\nof public talks and private meetings would unfold over\nthe next thirty-six hours. The most important teaching\nof the visit had been given, before any of it had begun,\non the platform of the train station at six in the\nmorning.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of May 6, 1912 at Cleveland Union Station. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Thousands of Mashriqu'l-Adhkárs: 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Dedication Talk",
"slug": "pup-mashriqul-adhkar-dedication-1912",
"summary": "At the dedication of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár grounds in Wilmette on May 1, 1912 — the same gathering at which Nettie Tobin's stone was laid as the cornerstone — 'Abdu'l-Bahá spoke about the future Houses of Worship that would arise across the world, and gave the specific architectural instruction that the building must be *circular,* never triangular.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Wilmette",
"lat": 42.0773,
"lng": -87.7228,
"modernName": "Wilmette, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"house-of-worship",
"american-tour",
"architecture"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"hope",
"vision"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the morning of May 1, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed the\nassembly that had gathered on the cold lakeshore at Wilmette,\nIllinois, for the dedication of the grounds of the Mother Temple\nof the West. The same morning would see Nettie Tobin's stone\nlaid as the cornerstone. The talk preserved in *The Promulgation\nof Universal Peace* gives the larger vision into which that\nsmall act of laying-the-stone fitted.\n\nHe began by noting the unusual conditions of the gathering — a\nwindy, cold spring morning on the bare prairie north of\nChicago — and the unusual power that had brought the friends\nto it:\n\n> The power which has gathered you here today notwithstanding\n> the cold and windy weather is, indeed, mighty and wonderful.\n\nHe then turned to the building that would arise. He had already\nseen, in 1902, the dedication of the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkár of\nthe Bahá'í world in Ishqábád, in Russian Turkestan. The\nIshqábád building — with its nine avenues, its gardens and\nfountains, its surrounding institutions of hospital and school\n— was the model He held up for the friends in Wilmette. He\ndescribed it in vivid detail, and asked them to imagine the\nAmerican building rising in similar splendour.\n\nHe gave one specific architectural instruction, in case they\nshould ever forget it:\n\n> The Mashriqu'l-Adhkár cannot be triangular in shape. It must\n> be in the form of a circle.\n\nThe geometric stipulation matters: the circle expresses\ninclusion, the triangle exclusion. The House of Worship was to\nbe open on every side to every soul, regardless of religious\ninheritance.\n\nHe closed with a prophecy that, in 1912, must have seemed\nalmost extravagant:\n\n> Thousands of Mashriqu'l-Adhkárs, dawning points of praise and\n> mention of God for all religionists, will be built in the East\n> and in the West.\n\nThe American friends pictured what they had heard. Many of them\nhad given everything they had — including, in Nettie Tobin's\ncase, the only stone she could find — toward this dedication.\nThe building they imagined would not be completed in their\nlifetimes. The continental Houses of Worship in the West would\nnot begin to rise until decades later. The *thousands* the\nMaster named remained, in 1912 and remain at this hour, an\ninvitation extended to a future the friends had been asked to\nprepare.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of May 1, 1912 at the Dedication of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár Grounds, Wilmette, Illinois. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Garden That Must Be Cultivated: At the Maxwell Home, Montreal",
"slug": "pup-maxwell-home-montreal-1912",
"summary": "At the home of William Sutherland Maxwell and May Maxwell at 716 Pine Avenue West in Montreal on September 2, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá compared the human being left to nature to a field overgrown with thorns and thistles, and the Manifestations of God to the cultivators who turn that wilderness into a garden.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"William Sutherland Maxwell",
"May Maxwell"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Montreal",
"lat": 45.5017,
"lng": -73.5673,
"modernName": "Montreal, Canada"
},
"themes": [
"education",
"manifestation-of-god",
"human-nature",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"service",
"knowledge"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrived at the home of William Sutherland Maxwell and\nMay Maxwell at 716 Pine Avenue West in Montreal in late August\n1912, and on September 2 He spoke from their drawing-room to the\ngathered friends. The talk preserved in *The Promulgation of\nUniversal Peace* turns on a single sustained image.\n\nThe Master began by asking the company to consider nature as it is,\nnot as one might idealise it.\n\n> Nature is the material world. When we look upon it, we see that\n> it is dark and imperfect.\n\nA field left to itself, He said, fills with thorns and thistles. A\nforest left to itself does not become a garden. Even Montreal —\nthe city outside the Maxwells’ window — was, only a few generations\nearlier, *wild, uncultivated* land. What now made it a city was\nnot nature; it was the cultivating work of generations.\n\nThe same logic, He went on, holds for the human being. Without\neducation, the human is the most dangerous of animals:\n\n> If man himself is left in his natural state, he will become\n> lower than the animal and continue to grow more ignorant and\n> imperfect.\n\nThe animal is bound by the limits of its kind. The human, free of\nthose limits, can sink below them. So a human being depends, more\nabsolutely than any other creature, upon the education that makes\nhim fully human.\n\nMaterial education — the schools, the universities, the sciences,\nthe inventions of telegraph and telephone — is one part of that\nwork, and an essential part. But material education by itself\ncannot produce the fully human person. It produces only an\neducated animal. The complete education is divine.\n\n> The mission of the Prophets of God has been to train the souls\n> of humanity and free them from the thralldom of natural\n> instincts.\n\nThe cultivator who turns the wilderness into a garden, in this\nanalogy, is the Manifestation of God. Krishna, Moses, Christ,\nMuḥammad, the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh — these are the gardeners of human\nhistory. By their cultivating, *humanity* becomes possible.\n\nThe Master closed with a definition of the human glory the\nMaxwells’ guests would carry home:\n\n> The glory of man is in the knowledge of God, spiritual\n> susceptibilities, attainment to transcendent powers and the\n> bounties of the Holy Spirit.\n\nThe Maxwell house would itself become, decades later, the only\nprivate home in the West to be designated a Bahá’í shrine —\npreserved precisely because the cultivation that took place under\nits roof had borne so much fruit.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of September 2, 1912 at the home of Mr. and Mrs. William Sutherland Maxwell, Montreal. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Color Is Accidental: 'Abdu'l-Bahá at the NAACP, Chicago",
"slug": "pup-naacp-chicago-1912",
"summary": "On April 30, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed the Fourth Annual Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People at Handel Hall in Chicago. He told the gathering that the colour of skin is accidental in nature; the spirit and intelligence of man is essential, and there alone are the divine virtues to be measured.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"race-unity",
"prejudice",
"oneness-of-humanity",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"love",
"courage"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the afternoon of April 30, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá climbed to the\nplatform of Handel Hall in Chicago to address the Fourth Annual\nConference of the National Association for the Advancement of\nColored People. He had arrived in America only weeks earlier; this\nwas one of the first times an Eastern teacher had been invited to\nspeak before the young civil-rights organisation.\n\nThe talk recorded in *The Promulgation of Universal Peace* is short\nand unadorned. The Master begins from the metaphysics, not the\npolitics:\n\n> The perfections of God, the divine virtues, are reflected or\n> revealed in the human reality.\n\nWhatever is true of any human soul — its capacity to love, to\nreason, to know God — is true of every human soul, because the\nsource is the same in all. From that single statement He moves\nquickly to its consequence in the room before Him:\n\n> Color is accidental in nature. The spirit and intelligence of man\n> is essential, and that is the manifestation of divine virtues.\n\nRace, in other words, is *accidental* — incidental, peripheral,\nnot of the essence. The essence is what reflects God: the mind,\nthe heart, the moral life. The Master is not minimising the\nhistorical injuries of colour; He is, more radically, denying it\nthe dignity it has stolen.\n\nHe continues with a sentence the audience would carry out of the\nhall:\n\n> A man’s heart may be pure and white though his outer skin be\n> black; or his heart be dark and sinful though his racial color\n> is white.\n\nThe hierarchy that the country had taken for granted was, in the\nMaster’s telling, simply inverted by the actual measure of the\nsoul. Whiteness of skin says nothing about whiteness of heart; the\ndark-skinned man may be the more luminous of the two. Worth lies,\nHe insists, where God has put it: *the character and purity of the\nheart is of all importance.*\n\nThat afternoon at Handel Hall, in a country still half a century\nfrom any meaningful federal civil-rights legislation, the Master\npublicly placed the criterion of human worth where the country’s\nlaws and customs would not put it for generations.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of April 30, 1912, before the Fourth Annual Conference of the NAACP at Handel Hall, Chicago. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Leaves of One Tree: 'Abdu'l-Bahá at the Orient-Occident Conference",
"slug": "pup-orient-occident-washington-1912",
"summary": "Speaking at the Orient-Occident-Unity Conference in Washington on April 20, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá invoked Bahá'u'lláh's image of humanity as *leaves of one tree, drops of one sea,* called America to be the first nation to lay the foundation of international agreement, and thanked the Committee of Union and Progress in Constantinople for the liberation that had made His Western journey possible.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Washington, D.C.",
"lat": 38.9072,
"lng": -77.0369,
"modernName": "Washington, D.C., USA"
},
"themes": [
"oneness-of-humanity",
"peace",
"east-and-west",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"unity",
"service",
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn April 20, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed the Orient-Occident-Unity\nConference at the Public Library Hall in Washington, D.C. Joseph\nH. Hannen took the notes that survive in *The Promulgation of\nUniversal Peace.* The conference had been organised expressly to\nexplore mutual understanding between the great civilisations of\nthe East and West, and the Master used the occasion both to remind\nthe audience of the resources they shared and to issue a clear\ncharge.\n\nHe began with an observation about cooperation as the natural\nfoundation of human life:\n\n> In his life and being cooperation and association are essential.\n> Through association and meeting we find happiness and\n> development, individual and collective.\n\nHe described how the village rises by the cooperation of its\ninhabitants, and the city rises by the cooperation of its\nvillages, and the nation rises by the cooperation of its cities.\nWhat was now needed, He said, was the next step in the same\nsequence: the cooperation of the nations themselves.\n\nThe Bahá’í foundation for that cooperation is the principle He\ninvoked from Bahá’u’lláh:\n\n> Ye are all leaves of one tree and the drops of one sea.\n\nThe world of humanity, He said, has been expressed by Bahá’u’lláh\nas a *unit — as one family.* On that foundation an international\nagreement is not a sentimental wish; it is a recognition of what\nalready obtains.\n\nThe Master then turned, in a courageous gesture, to His own\nOttoman captors. The Committee of Union and Progress that had\noverthrown Sulṭán ‘Abdu’l-Ḥamíd in 1908 had freed Him from\nforty years of confinement in ‘Akká; it was that liberation,\nremarkable in itself, that had made the present American journey\npossible. He thanked them publicly.\n\nHe concluded with the charge that gives the talk its place in\nAmerican Bahá’í memory:\n\n> May this American democracy be the first nation to establish\n> the foundation of international agreement. May it be the first\n> nation to proclaim the universality of mankind.\n\nThe democracy in question had not yet been asked, in any prior\nAmerican oration, to take a role of that kind. The Master left it\nin the room, alongside the prayer that those present might be\nmade instruments for it.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of April 20, 1912 at the Orient-Occident-Unity Conference, Public Library Hall, Washington, D.C. Notes by Joseph H. Hannen. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Six Principles at the Hotel Schenley: Pittsburgh, 1912",
"slug": "pup-pittsburgh-six-principles-1912",
"summary": "At the Hotel Schenley in Pittsburgh on May 7, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá set out six of Bahá'u'lláh's principles in a single sustained address: independent search after truth, the oneness of humanity, the harmony of religion and science, the abolition of prejudices, the equal education of women, and the necessity of a spiritual rather than merely material foundation for universal peace.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Pittsburgh",
"lat": 40.4406,
"lng": -79.9959,
"modernName": "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA"
},
"themes": [
"principles",
"oneness-of-humanity",
"equality-of-women",
"science-and-religion",
"peace"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"service",
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nOn the evening of May 7, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the guest of the\nPittsburgh friends at the Hotel Schenley. Suzanne Beatty took the\nnotes that survive in *The Promulgation of Universal Peace.* The\nMaster used the gathering to lay out, in one sustained sequence,\nsix of the principles by which Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings were to be\nrecognised in the West.\n\nHe began with the search after truth. Truth is one — therefore the\ninvestigation of truth is one — therefore those who genuinely\ninvestigate must end in unity, regardless of where they began. From\nthis He moved to the oneness of humankind: a single race, a single\norigin, a single destiny.\n\nThe third principle He named was the harmony of religion and\nscience. *Any religious belief which is not conformable with\nscientific proof and investigation,* He said,\n\n> is superstition, for true science is reason and reality, and\n> religion is essentially reality and pure reason.\n\nHe went on to call for the abolition of religious, racial,\npolitical and patriotic prejudices, and then turned to women.\nBahá’u’lláh, He said, has revealed *that woman must be given the\nprivilege of equal education with man.* Until that equality is\nreal, the family of humanity walks on one leg; with it, the human\nworld is whole.\n\nHe then placed the sixth principle: peace. But not the peace\nimagined in the chancelleries.\n\n> Universal peace is an impossibility through human and material\n> agencies; it must be through spiritual power.\n\nTreaties and conferences cannot, by themselves, hold a world\ntogether. Only the spiritual recognition that humanity is one can\ndo so — and that recognition is the work of religion in its\npurified form.\n\nHe closed with a measure for civilisation itself:\n\n> The noblest of men is he who serves humankind, and he is nearest\n> the threshold of God who is the least of His servants.\n\nThe friends went out into the Pittsburgh night with what was, in\neffect, a curriculum: not six separate teachings, but a single\nunified vision in which truth, oneness, science, justice, equality\nand service were six aspects of one reality.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of May 7, 1912 at the Hotel Schenley, Pittsburgh. Notes by Suzanne Beatty. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Prejudice Destroys Civilization: A Talk to a Japanese Audience in Oakland",
"slug": "pup-prejudice-destroys-civilization-oakland-1912",
"summary": "On October 7, 1912, at the Japanese Independent Church in Oakland, California, 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed the Japanese Young Men's Christian Association on the destructiveness of prejudice — drawing on what He had personally witnessed during His exile in Rumelia.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Oakland",
"lat": 37.8044,
"lng": -122.2712,
"modernName": "Oakland, California, USA"
},
"themes": [
"race-unity",
"peace",
"prejudice",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"love",
"tolerance"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn the seventh of October, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited the Japanese\nIndependent Church in Oakland, California, and addressed the Japanese\nYoung Men’s Christian Association. The hall was crowded. He took as\nHis subject the destructiveness of prejudice, and He took as His\nwitness His own life.\n\n> When we review history from the beginning of human existence to\n> the present age in which we live, it is evident all war and\n> conflict, bloodshed and battle, every form of sedition has been\n> due to some form of prejudice — whether religious, racial or\n> national.\n\nHe had seen this with His own eyes. In the years of His exile in\nthe Balkans — in Rumelia, where Bahá’u’lláh’s family had been sent\nby the Ottoman state — He had watched neighbour rise against\nneighbour in the name of religion.\n\n> Some years ago when I was living in Rumelia, war broke out among\n> the religious peoples. There was no attitude of justice or equity\n> whatever amongst them. They pillaged the properties of each other,\n> burning each others’ homes and houses, slaughtering men, women\n> and children, imagining that such warfare and bloodshed was the\n> means of drawing near to God.\n\nThe point landed with force in a room of young men whose own nation\nwas at that moment wrestling with the question of its place among\nthe powers. True religion, the Master told them, does the opposite.\nTrue religion unites where prejudice divides. The proof of any faith\nis not its claims about itself but its capacity to bind humanity\ntogether — across colour, creed, language, and birth.\n\nHe left them with the standard Bahá’u’lláh had set: *Ye are the\nfruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch.* Anything less,\nHe said, is not religion at all.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of October 7, 1912 at the Japanese Independent Church, Oakland, California. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Thankfulness from the Heart: A Talk at the Krugs' Home",
"slug": "pup-real-thankfulness-new-york-1912",
"summary": "At the home of Dr. and Mrs. Florian Krug on Park Avenue in New York on July 15, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá distinguished between thanks given by the tongue and thanks given by the conduct of a life — and asked the friends to send Him away from New York with the sight of unity among them.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Dr. and Mrs. Florian Krug"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7831,
"lng": -73.9712,
"modernName": "New York City, USA"
},
"themes": [
"gratitude",
"unity",
"teaching",
"service"
],
"virtues": [
"gratitude",
"sincerity",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn the fifteenth of July, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the guest of\nDr. and Mrs. Florian Krug at their home, 830 Park Avenue, New York.\nNear the end of His stay in the city He gathered the friends and\ntook up the subject of *thankfulness.*\n\nThere is, He said, a kind of thanks that lives only on the tongue.\nIt says the right things at the right moments and forgets them\nafterwards. There is another kind of thanks, deeper, in which the\nwhole soul responds to what God has given.\n\n> Real thankfulness is a cordial giving of thanks from the heart.\n> When man in response to the favors of God manifests susceptibilities\n> of conscience, the heart is happy, the spirit is exhilarated.\n\nHe asked the friends to consider what they had been given:\nsustenance for the body, faculties of sight and hearing, the\nremarkable instrument of perception, the still more remarkable\ngift of consciousness — and beyond all of these, the spiritual\nendowments by which a human being can come to know God. Not one\nof these, He pointed out, is owed.\n\nBut the proof of gratitude is conduct. *Manifests susceptibilities\nof conscience.* A heart that is genuinely grateful does not stay\nseated. It rises and acts. It treats other people with the same\nmercy it has received. It puts the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh into\nthe small frictions of daily life — into the quarrel that no one\nneeds to win, into the favour quietly returned, into the quiet act\nof inclusion.\n\nThe Master looked round the gathering and gave them a parting\nhope: He longed to leave New York with His heart at peace, having\nseen *unity and mutual love* among the friends He was about to\nleave. He did not name a specific dispute. He did not need to.\nEach person in the room understood at once what He meant.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of July 15, 1912 at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Florian Krug, 830 Park Avenue, New York. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Europe Is Like an Arsenal: Sacramento, October 1912",
"slug": "pup-sacramento-arsenal-1912",
"summary": "Two years before the First World War, 'Abdu'l-Bahá stood in the Assembly Hall of the Hotel Sacramento on October 26, 1912, and warned His audience that Europe had become *like an arsenal* in which a single spark might detonate the whole continent. The remedy, He said, was not in the chancelleries but in the spiritual recognition that all the religions are renewals of one revelation.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Sacramento",
"lat": 38.5816,
"lng": -121.4944,
"modernName": "Sacramento, California, USA"
},
"themes": [
"peace",
"prophecy",
"oneness-of-religion"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"hope",
"courage"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá reached Sacramento, California on October 25, 1912,\nlate in His American journey. The next evening He addressed the\nfriends in the Assembly Hall of the Hotel Sacramento. Bijou\nStraun took the notes preserved in *The Promulgation of Universal\nPeace.*\n\nHe opened with a tribute to California — its beauty, its noble\npeople, His hope that they would become *the most exalted and\nperfect altruists of the world.* Then He turned to a darker\nmatter. The Balkan wars were already underway; the great European\npowers were arming; and the Master saw, with unsparing clarity,\nwhat the news from the chancelleries did not yet acknowledge.\n\n> The greatest need in the world today is international peace.\n\nEurope, He said, was *like an arsenal.* Powder and weapons had\nbeen gathered in such quantity, and grievances and prejudices in\nsuch proportion, that a single spark could ignite the whole. The\naudience was hearing, in October 1912, a description of the\ncatastrophe that would in fact begin in August 1914.\n\nBut the Master did not stop with the warning. Against the closing\nsky He set an image of permanence:\n\n> The reality of Divinity is like unto the sun, and revelation is\n> like unto the rays thereof.\n\nThe bounty of God is not exhausted. The rain of revelation is\n*ever on the face of the earth somewhere... pouring down.* If the\npresent religious institutions had ceased to bear fruit, the\nfault was theirs, not God’s. The dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh, He\ntold the Sacramento audience, was the present pouring of that\nsame rain.\n\nHe closed by appealing for what the European powers were\nmanifestly unable to imagine:\n\n> Cast aside all the prejudices of ignorance, and raise aloft the\n> banner of international agreement.\n\nLess than two years later, the *arsenal* of which He had spoken\nin Sacramento exploded. Many of those in the room would remember\nthe talk for the rest of their lives, and would tell the\ngenerations that came after them that the Master had warned them.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of October 26, 1912 at the Assembly Hall, Hotel Sacramento. Notes by Bijou Straun. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Two Wings of the Bird of Knowledge: 'Abdu'l-Bahá at Stanford",
"slug": "pup-stanford-university-1912",
"summary": "On October 7, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed the assembled students and faculty of Leland Stanford Junior University in Palo Alto. He took up the great Bahá'í theme of the harmony of science and religion — and warned that the cultivation of one wing without the other could not carry the bird of human progress.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"David Starr Jordan"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Stanford University",
"lat": 37.4275,
"lng": -122.1697,
"modernName": "Palo Alto, California, USA"
},
"themes": [
"science",
"religion",
"education",
"harmony"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"balance",
"vision"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nStanford University in 1912 was twenty-one years old. Its founder,\nLeland Stanford, had built it in memory of his son. Its first\npresident, David Starr Jordan, had welcomed ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to the\ncampus on the morning of the seventh of October, and the\nassembly hall was full of students, faculty, and visitors from\nthe surrounding peninsula.\n\nThe Master spoke without notes. He took as His subject the\nrelation between two kinds of knowledge.\n\n> Natural philosophy seeks knowledge of physical verities and\n> explains material phenomena, whereas divine philosophy deals\n> with ideal verities and phenomena of the spirit.\n\nBoth, He said, are real disciplines. Both are necessary. The\nproblem of the modern world — the problem the great research\nuniversities were already beginning to feel — was not that\nscience had advanced too far. It was that the corresponding\ndiscipline of the spirit had not advanced with it. *Material\ncivilization* had made remarkable progress. *Ideal virtues* —\nthe moral refinement, the spiritual insight, the inward\ncultivation of the human being — had been neglected.\n\nThe bird of human progress, in the metaphor He used elsewhere on\nthe journey, has two wings. Science is one. Religion is the other.\nCut off one and the bird does not merely fly more slowly; it\nfalls.\n\nHe did not deliver this as a rebuke to the university. The\nuniversity was, in a real sense, the place He had come to address\nbecause the university was the institution most responsible for\nshaping the next generation’s relation to both kinds of knowledge.\nHe encouraged the students to see their study of physics, biology,\nchemistry, mathematics as a sacred work — but to take care that\ntheir inner cultivation, the philosophy of the spirit, kept pace\nwith what their laboratories were teaching them.\n\nThe talk landed in a sympathetic room. Stanford’s Jordan was\nhimself a peace advocate; he had hosted the Master with real\nwarmth. Years later, students who had heard the address would\nsay that the wing-and-wing image had stayed with them through\ncareers in the laboratories and the seminaries of the next half-\ncentury.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of October 7, 1912 at Leland Stanford Junior University, Palo Alto, California. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "At Temple Emmanu-El: 'Abdu'l-Bahá in San Francisco",
"slug": "pup-temple-emmanuel-san-francisco-1912",
"summary": "On October 12, 1912, the Reform Jewish congregation of Temple Emmanu-El in San Francisco received an unprecedented visitor: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, who had come to speak of Bahá'u'lláh and of Christ from a synagogue pulpit. His subject was the common purpose of every revealed religion: the bond of love among human beings.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Moses",
"Christ",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "San Francisco",
"lat": 37.7749,
"lng": -122.4194,
"modernName": "San Francisco, California, USA"
},
"themes": [
"religion",
"unity",
"history",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"tolerance",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTemple Emmanu-El in San Francisco was, in 1912, one of the most\nprominent Reform Jewish congregations in the western United States.\nOn the eighteenth of October — Saturday morning — the\ncongregation’s rabbi welcomed an unprecedented visitor to the\npulpit: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.\n\nThe Master had been welcomed in synagogues earlier in the journey,\nmost memorably at the Eighth Street Temple in Washington in\nNovember. But every such occasion was new. The relations between\nthe Jewish and Christian worlds were still, in 1912, freighted with\nnineteen centuries of misunderstanding, and a Persian Bahá’í\nspeaking in a synagogue about Christ was something the\ncongregation had not experienced.\n\nHe took up His subject directly.\n\n> The purpose of all the divine religions is the establishment of\n> the bonds of love and fellowship among men, and the heavenly\n> phenomena of the revealed Word of God are intended to be a\n> source of knowledge and illumination to humanity.\n\nHe moved through the great Manifestations — Moses, Christ,\nMuḥammad, Bahá’u’lláh — naming them as a single line of teachers\nsent each in turn for the same end. Their methods varied with the\nneeds of their century. Their substance did not. Each had\naddressed *the establishment of the bonds of love and fellowship.*\nEach had asked of His followers a moral life that took its\ndirection from the love of God.\n\nHe encouraged the congregation to investigate not only their\ninherited tradition but the underlying spiritual realities to which\nthe tradition pointed — the principle, especially, of the *kinship\nof all human beings.* He did not ask them to leave the synagogue.\nHe asked them to enlarge what they had carried from it.\n\nThe address ended with the warmth that marked all His public\nappearances on the journey. He was thanked, with formal courtesy,\nby the rabbi. He was greeted afterward, with less formal warmth,\nby the children of the congregation. He went out into the morning\nlight of California having, for one Saturday at least, made the\nsentence on the synagogue door — *Hear, O Israel: the Lord our\nGod, the Lord is one* — open out, in the company present, into a\nsingle sentence about the unity of the whole human family.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of October 18, 1912 at Temple Emmanu-El, San Francisco. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Death as the Birth of the Soul: 'Abdu'l-Bahá on the Titanic",
"slug": "pup-titanic-reflection-washington-1912",
"summary": "On April 23, 1912, days after the sinking of the RMS Titanic, 'Abdu'l-Bahá gathered with the friends at the Parsons home in Washington and offered consolation: death, He said, is not termination but the soul's birth into greater light, as the infant is reluctantly born into the world.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Washington, D.C.",
"lat": 38.9072,
"lng": -77.0369,
"modernName": "Washington, D.C., USA"
},
"themes": [
"death",
"consolation",
"soul",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"patience",
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe RMS *Titanic* had gone down on the night of April 14–15, 1912.\nEight days later, on the evening of the 23rd of April, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá\nsat with the friends at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons\nin Washington. The American press was still reeling. Whole families\nhad been lost. The friends needed something to say.\n\nThe Master did not minimize the tragedy. He acknowledged the\nsadness of it, the shock to the public. But He reframed the question\nof death itself.\n\nHe compared the soul’s passing from this world to the moment of\nbirth. *The infant finds it very difficult to reconcile itself to\nits new existence,* He said — the womb is warm, dark, known. The\nworld outside is bright and large and incomprehensible. Yet the\ninfant, on emerging, discovers a vastness it could never have\nimagined inside the small place where it had been so safe.\n\nDeath, He continued, is the same passage on a wider scale. The soul\nthat leaves the body is the infant that leaves the womb. Reluctance\nis natural. So is the bewilderment of those left behind. But the\nsoul does not go out — it is *born,* into a wider and more luminous\norder in which what we call life now will look, in retrospect, like\nthe dim and confined preparation it always was.\n\nThe Master also offered, in the same talk, a measured word about\nprudence: faith in divine protection does not absolve us from\nattention to material safeguards. The two must walk together. To\ntrust God is not to neglect the lifeboats.\n\nThe friends carried the talk back into a city still in mourning.\nMany of them would later say that the Master’s words on the Titanic\nwere the first thing that had let them grieve and hope at the same\ntime.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of April 23, 1912 at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons, Washington, D.C. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Not Debate, but Consultation: A Talk at the Hotel Plaza, Chicago",
"slug": "pup-true-consultation-chicago-1912",
"summary": "At the Hotel Plaza in Chicago on May 2, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá explained the difference between Bahá'í consultation and parliamentary debate — drawing on the example of the early disciples of Christ to show what spiritual conference looks like.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"consultation",
"teaching",
"unity",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"patience",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn the second of May, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrived at the Hotel Plaza\nin Chicago and was received by a gathering of friends eager to hear\nHim speak about the Bahá’í teachings on consultation. He had observed\nparliamentary debate during His travels — the cut and thrust of it,\nthe speeches scored as victories or losses — and He wished the\nbelievers to understand that what He was asking of them was something\ndifferent in kind.\n\n> Consultation must have for its object the investigation of truth.\n> He who expresses an opinion should not voice it as correct and\n> right but set it forth as a contribution to the consensus of\n> opinion.\n\nHe spoke of the disciples of Christ, who, after His ascension,\ngathered to take counsel together. They did not stand on personal\nattachments. *Each member contributing thoughtfully and accepting\nsuperior ideas without ego,* one disciple proposed total detachment\nfrom the world, another proposed that detachment should not exclude\nfamily responsibility.\n\n> All the disciples replied, \"Surely we will — it is agreed; this\n> is right.\"\n\nThat, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, was consultation: not opinions clashing,\nbut truth being approached from many sides. The members of a\nspiritual assembly must *carefully consider the views already\nadvanced by others before speaking.* The aim is not to win but to\ndiscover. The atmosphere is *love,* and the standard is the unity\nof the body once the conversation is done.\n\nHe warned the friends that an assembly governed by debate would\nforever require an outside judge to settle its disputes; an assembly\ngoverned by consultation would settle them itself, for it would not\nhave generated disputes in the first place.\n\nThe talk has been a touchstone of Bahá’í community life ever since:\n*spiritual conference in the attitude and atmosphere of love.*\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of May 2, 1912 at Hotel Plaza, Chicago. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Zoroastrian Priest Who Saw Beyond Prejudice: A Talk in Washington",
"slug": "pup-zoroastrian-priest-washington-1912",
"summary": "At the Parsons home in Washington, D.C., on April 22, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá recounted a Persian historical episode of a Zoroastrian high priest whose prejudice melted when he saw the spiritual authority of the very Arabs his nation had despised — drawing the parallel to His own day.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Washington, D.C.",
"lat": 38.9072,
"lng": -77.0369,
"modernName": "Washington, D.C., USA"
},
"themes": [
"prejudice",
"history",
"teaching",
"unity"
],
"virtues": [
"tolerance",
"love",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "promulgation-of-universal-peace",
"book": "The Promulgation of Universal Peace",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons in Washington, D.C., on\nthe evening of April 22, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told a story drawn from\nthe long Persian past. The Muslim conquest of Persia had brought\npeoples together who had despised one another for centuries. The\nPersians, an old and proud civilization, regarded the Arabs as\ncrude. The Arabs, the new sword of Islam, regarded the Persians as\nunbelievers.\n\nA Zoroastrian high priest, the Master recounted, was once arrested\nfor drinking wine — an act forbidden under the new Islamic order.\nThe priest had felt only contempt for his Arab judges. But as he\nmoved among them in his captivity he was struck by something he had\nnot expected: a quiet authority, a transformation of conduct, that\nran counter to every prejudice he had carried into the room.\n\nSlowly the priest watched what *Muḥammad’s guidance* had done to\nmen who, by the priest’s own reckoning, ought to have been\nungovernable. The contempt fell away. He began to see that the\nquality of a people is not finally measured by their geography or\nthe language they speak, but by the spirit they have received and\nthe lives they live in obedience to it.\n\nThe Master then drew the parallel to His own day. The same thing\nwas happening, He said, between East and West — but on a far wider\nscale, and by a wholly different means.\n\n> Not through rod nor blow, whip nor sword; but the power of the\n> love of God.\n\nBahá’u’lláh had united nations that had never met one another save\nin war. He had done it without armies, without wealth, without\npolitical authority. The proof of His teaching, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said\nto the friends in Washington that night, was that bond — the bond\nof hearts joined across continents, in a quiet that no court of the\nworld had managed to produce.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk of April 22, 1912 at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons, Washington, D.C. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "QUITE an oriental note was struck toward the end of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's London…",
"slug": "quite-an-oriental-note-was-struck-toward-the-bs0",
"summary": "QUITE an oriental note was struck toward the end of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's London visit, by the marriage of a young Persian couple who had sought his presence for the ceremony, the bride journeying from Baghdad accompanied by her uncle in order to…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"weddings",
"exile",
"teaching",
"family",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/weddings"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQUITE an oriental note was struck toward the end of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's London visit, by the marriage of a young Persian couple who had sought his presence for the ceremony, the bride journeying from Baghdad accompanied by her uncle in order to meet her fiance here and be married before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's departure. The bride's father and grandfather had been followers of Bahá’u’lláh during the time of his banishment.\n\nWe hesitate to alter the bridegroom's description of the service and therefore print it in his own simple and beautiful language. It will serve to show a side not touched on elsewhere, and without which no idea of his visit is complete. We refer to the attitude of reverence with which people from the East who came to see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá regard their great teacher. They invariably rise and stand with bowed heads whenever he enters the room.\n\nMirza Dawud writes: --\n\nOn Sunday morning, the 1st of October, 1911, A.D., equal to the 9th Tishi 5972 (Hebrew Era), Regina Nur Mahal Khánum, and Mirza Yuhanna Dawud were admitted into the holy presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: may my life be a sacrifice to Him!\n\nAfter receiving us, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, \"You are very welcome and it makes me happy to see you here in London.\"\n\nLooking at me he said, \"Never have I united anyone in marriage before, except my own daughters, but as I love you much, and you have rendered a great service to the Kingdom of Abhá, both in this country and in other lands, I will perform your marriage ceremony today. It is my hope that you may both continue in the blessed path of service.\"\n\nThen, first, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá took Nur Mahal Khánum into the next room and said to her, \"Do you love Mirza Yuhanna Dawud with all your heart and soul?\" She answered, \"Yes, I do.\"\n\nThen ‘Abdu’l-Bahá called me to him and put a similar question, that is to say, \"Do you love Nur Mahal Khánum with all your heart and soul?\" I answered \"Yes, I do.\" We re-entered the room together and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá took the right hand of the bride and gave it into that of the bridegroom and asked us to say after him, \"We do all to please God.\"\n\nWe all sat down and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá continued; \"Marriage is a holy institution and much encouraged in this blessed cause. Now you two are no longer two, but one. Bahá’u’lláh's wish is that all men be of one mind and consider themselves of one great household, that the mind of mankind be not divided against itself.\n\n\"It is my wish and hope that you may be blessed in your life. May God help you to render great service to the kingdom of Abhá and may you become a means of its advancement.\n\n\"May joy be increased to you as the years go by, and may you become thriving trees bearing delicious and fragrant fruits which are the blessings in the path of service.\"\n\nWhen we came out, all the assembled friends both of Persia and London congratulated us on the great honour that had been bestowed upon us, and we were invited to dine by the kind hostess.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London, p. 77-79*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/weddings) (Subject: weddings).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh at Bahjí",
"slug": "rb-bahaullah-passing-1892",
"summary": "Adib Taherzadeh's account, in the closing chapters of *The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh*, of the ascension of Bahá'u'lláh on 29 May 1892 in the mansion of Bahjí — the closing of the prophetic ministry of which the rest of Bahá'í history would become the unfolding.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "Bahjí",
"lat": 32.9426,
"lng": 35.0903,
"modernName": "Bahjí, near Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"passing",
"revelation",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"reverence",
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-revelation-of-bahaullah",
"book": "The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh (Vol. 4 — Mazra'ih and Bahjí 1877-92)",
"author": "Adib Taherzadeh",
"year": 1987,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the closing chapters of the fourth volume of *The\nRevelation of Bahá'u'lláh*, Adib Taherzadeh treats the\nevents of late May 1892 — the brief illness, the ascension,\nand the funeral of Bahá'u'lláh in the mansion of Bahjí\nnear 'Akká.\n\nBahá'u'lláh had been resident at Bahjí, in increasingly\nrelaxed conditions of confinement, since 1879. The mansion\nitself was a substantial building rented for the household\nfrom a local landowner. The Ottoman authorities, in the\nlater years of the Master's life, had effectively abandoned\nthe technical conditions of His exile. He moved freely\nwithin the Bahjí estate, received visitors without\nhindrance, and conducted the affairs of the Cause as a man\nof acknowledged spiritual standing in the local community.\n\nThe brief illness that ended His earthly life began in the\nspring of 1892. Taherzadeh records the available\nchronology. By mid-May Bahá'u'lláh was visibly unwell. The\nHoly Family gathered around Him. The visiting believers\nwho happened to be in the area at the time were summoned\nto the mansion.\n\nHe passed at dawn on 29 May 1892. His final words,\npreserved by those present, included the brief\ntestimony that He was about to be reunited with *the\nSupreme Companion* — the language of the spiritual\nhomecoming that runs through many of His later Tablets.\n\nThe ascension was felt, by those present, as the closing\nof a long-anticipated event. Bahá'u'lláh had been\npreparing the Holy Family and the close circle of\nbelievers for some years for the imminence of His\ndeparture. The *Kitáb-i-'Ahd* — the *Book of the Covenant*\n— had been written and signed in the years preceding,\ndesignating 'Abdu'l-Bahá by name as the Centre of the\nCovenant after the Father's passing.\n\nThe Master, on the morning of the ascension, assumed at\nonce the position the *Kitáb-i-'Ahd* had specified. He\ngathered the Holy Family. He communicated the news, by\ncable and by letter, to the small Bahá'í communities then\nscattered across Persia, Egypt, India, Burma, and the few\nemerging Western centres. He oversaw the funeral\narrangements.\n\nThe funeral procession from Bahjí to the small chamber\nprepared for the burial — a few hundred yards from the\nmansion — drew a substantial gathering of the surrounding\nnon-Bahá'í population in addition to the resident Bahá'ís.\nTaherzadeh records that local notables of the Akká-Haifa\nregion attended in considerable numbers, paying their\nrespects to a man whom even the non-Bahá'í community had\ncome to recognise as a figure of singular spiritual\ndistinction.\n\nThe chamber where Bahá'u'lláh was laid is, in present\nBahá'í practice, the holiest spot on earth — the\n*Qiblih*, the point of adoration, toward which Bahá'í\nbelievers turn in their daily obligatory prayers. The\nsmall surrounding garden of Bahjí is among the principal\nsites of Bahá'í pilgrimage. The mansion itself is\npreserved as the place of the closing months of the\nprophetic ministry.\n\nThe closing sentence of Taherzadeh's narrative is direct.\n*The day of direct revelation had ended; the day of the\nunfolding had begun.* The four-decade ministry of\nBahá'u'lláh was complete. The thirty-year ministry of\n'Abdu'l-Bahá was beginning. The Cause was about to enter\nthe next chapter of its unfolding.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol. 4 — Mazra'ih and Bahjí 1877-92 (Adib Taherzadeh, George Ronald, 1987); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Most Holy Tablet: Bahá'u'lláh to the Christians",
"slug": "rb-most-holy-tablet",
"summary": "Adib Taherzadeh's account, in *The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh*, of the Tablet known as the *Lawḥ-i-Aqdas* — the *Most Holy Tablet* — addressed by Bahá'u'lláh from the prison-city of 'Akká to the Christians of the world.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9276,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"christianity",
"revelation"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"vision",
"sincerity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-revelation-of-bahaullah",
"book": "The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh (Vol. 4 — Mazra'ih and Bahjí 1877-92)",
"author": "Adib Taherzadeh",
"year": 1987,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh's later 'Akká period\ntreated by Adib Taherzadeh in the fourth volume of *The\nRevelation of Bahá'u'lláh* is the *Lawḥ-i-Aqdas* — the\n*Most Holy Tablet* — addressed by Bahá'u'lláh, from the\nprison-city, to the Christians of the world.\n\nThe Tablet was composed in Arabic, in the elevated\nelliptical style that Bahá'u'lláh employed for His most\nformal addresses to the great religious communities of His\nera. It is brief — perhaps a dozen pages in the printed\nEnglish translation — but the substance is dense.\n\nThe opening of the Tablet is striking. Bahá'u'lláh\naddresses the Christians not as adversaries to be argued\ndown but as those whose own most cherished Scriptures\nhave foretold His coming. *Verily, He Who is the Spirit\nof Truth is come to guide you unto all truth.* The phrase\nechoes the Gospel of John's promise of the *Comforter* —\nthe *Paraclete* — whom Christ had foretold would come to\nthe disciples after His departure. Bahá'u'lláh, in the\nopening of the Tablet, identifies Himself with that\nforetold Comforter and calls the Christians to recognise\nHim by their own Scriptures' criteria.\n\nThe Tablet proceeds by addressing several specific\ngroups within the Christian community: the bishops, the\nmonks, the patriarchs. Each is summoned in language\nappropriate to its own ecclesiastical understanding. The\nbishops are reminded of their pastoral responsibility to\nthe souls in their charge. The monks are reminded that\n*the cells in which they have walled themselves up* were\nnot what Christ had asked of them. The patriarchs are\nreminded of the long decline of their authority and of\nthe providential moment that the new Revelation\nrepresents.\n\nThe Tablet also addresses the kings of Christendom by\ntheir corporate identity. The European monarchs of the\nlate nineteenth century are summoned to recognise the\nnew Revelation and to use their political authority in\nsupport of the principles of unity, justice, and peace\nthe Cause is bringing.\n\nTaherzadeh's commentary observes that the Tablet was not\npublicly circulated in the West for several decades after\nits composition. Bahá'u'lláh held it in reserve. The\nTablet was first carried into Western circulation by\n'Abdu'l-Bahá, in the years of the Master's own ministry,\nwhen the conditions for its hearing had matured.\n\nTaherzadeh devotes a portion of his treatment to the\nTablet's specific exegetical claims regarding the\nprophetic literature of the Christian Bible. The Tablet\nidentifies, in the imagery of the Book of Revelation and\nin the eschatological discourses of the Synoptic\nGospels, the specific prophetic markers that are being\nfulfilled by the Bahá'í Revelation. The treatment is\ncareful and substantial. The Tablet does not, in\nTaherzadeh's reading, ask the Christian reader to\nabandon the prophetic literature of the New Testament. It\nasks the Christian reader to read that literature, with\ncare, and to recognise in the present moment the\nfulfilment that the literature itself has made possible\nto anticipate.\n\nThe Tablet closes with a benediction. The Christians who\nrecognise the new Revelation, Bahá'u'lláh promises, will\nbe received into the Cause not as converts from one\nreligion to another but as those who, by their own\nScriptures' guidance, have arrived at the next chapter of\nthe same continuous divine Revelation that began with\nAdam and that will continue to its further unfoldings in\nthe ages to come.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol. 4 — Mazra'ih and Bahjí 1877-92 (Adib Taherzadeh, George Ronald, 1987); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Súriy-i-Mulúk: A General Address to the Kings",
"slug": "rb-suriy-i-muluk-edirne",
"summary": "In *The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh* Adib Taherzadeh recounts the revelation in Adrianople of the Súriy-i-Mulúk, the Súrih of the Kings — Bahá'u'lláh's first general address to the rulers of the world collectively, calling them to recognise the One Who had appeared in their midst and to lay down the arms with which they oppressed their peoples.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Adrianople",
"location": {
"name": "Adrianople",
"lat": 41.6771,
"lng": 26.5557,
"modernName": "Edirne, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"kings",
"peace",
"government"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"wisdom",
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "the-revelation-of-bahaullah",
"book": "The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh (Vol. 2 — Adrianople 1863-68)",
"author": "Adib Taherzadeh",
"year": 1977,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh,* Adib Taherzadeh devotes a\nchapter to the Súriy-i-Mulúk — the Súrih of the Kings — the\nfirst of the great addresses to the sovereigns of the earth.\nThe Súrih was revealed in Adrianople in the year 1867, before\nany of the individual Tablets to particular monarchs.\n\nThe Adrianople period had been Bahá’u’lláh’s second exile. He\nhad been removed from Constantinople by the Ottoman government\nto the Thracian provincial city in late 1863. The household\nremained in Adrianople for nearly five years.\n\nIt was during these years, Taherzadeh notes, that the\ncharacter of the Bahá’í dispensation as a public and universal\nproclamation was first established. The Súriy-i-Mulúk is the\nTablet by which that public proclamation was opened. It is\naddressed, in the title and in the opening verses, to the\n*kings of the earth* as a body — not to any one of them\nindividually but to all of them collectively, as the trustees\nto whom the affairs of humankind had been entrusted.\n\nThe Súrih is long. Taherzadeh devotes a substantial chapter\nto its contents. The principal lines of its argument may be\nsummarised in three movements.\n\nFirst, the Súrih declares the appearance, in the world, of the\nManifestation. It calls the kings to recognise Him. It warns\nthem against the consequences, both spiritual and temporal,\nof failing to recognise Him.\n\nSecond, the Súrih reviews the present condition of the\npeoples whom the kings govern. It notes the weight of the\ntaxation imposed for military expenditures; the suffering of\nthe peasantry; the corruption of the administrative classes.\nIt calls the kings to remember that they are *trustees of God,*\nnot its owners.\n\nThird, the Súrih advances a positive program for the kings to\nimplement. They are to compose their differences. They are to\nreduce their standing armies. They are to enter into a system\nof collective security in which any state attacking another\nwill be met by the combined opposition of all the rest. They\nare to use the resources thus freed for the welfare of their\nown peoples.\n\n> Compose your differences, and reduce your armaments, that the\n> burden of your expenditures may be lightened.\n\nThe principle here articulated, Taherzadeh notes, would become\nthe foundation of all the subsequent individual Tablets to the\nsovereigns. The Súrih is, in effect, the general address of\nwhich the Tablets to Napoleon, Victoria, the Czar, the Sháh,\nthe Sulṭán, and the Pope are particular applications.\n\nThe Súrih warns the kings, in its closing sections, of the\nconsequences of refusal. The peoples will rise. The thrones\nwill totter. The wars the kings have prepared will consume\nthem.\n\nThe chronicle of the half-century that followed, Taherzadeh\nobserves, vindicated each warning. By the close of the First\nWorld War in 1918 nearly every throne the Súrih had addressed\nhad fallen — the Romanovs deposed, the Habsburgs overthrown,\nthe Ottomans shattered, the Hohenzollerns abdicated, the\nFrench imperial house long gone, the temporal rule of the\npapacy long surrendered. Only Britain remained, and Britain\nhad been the recipient of the Tablet that opened with praise.\n\nThe Súriy-i-Mulúk, in its first generation of readers, was\nread as a prophecy whose fulfilment was a generation off. By\nthe second generation the prophecy had been fulfilled.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol. 2 — Adrianople 1863-68 (Adib Taherzadeh, George Ronald, 1977); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Walking Pilgrim and the Tablet of the Nightingale",
"slug": "rb-tablet-of-ahmad-walking-pilgrim",
"summary": "In *The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh* Adib Taherzadeh recounts the pilgrimage of Aḥmad-i-Yazdí — a believer of about sixty who walked, on foot, the 1,700 kilometres from Baghdád to Constantinople in search of Bahá'u'lláh in Adrianople. The Tablet that reached him by the wayside, the *Tablet of the Nightingale,* turned him from pilgrim into teacher and sent him another 2,240 kilometres back into Persia.",
"figures": [
"Aḥmad-i-Yazdí",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Adrianople",
"location": {
"name": "Adrianople",
"lat": 41.6771,
"lng": 26.5557,
"modernName": "Edirne, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"pilgrimage",
"service"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"obedience",
"perseverance"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-revelation-of-bahaullah",
"book": "The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh (Vol. 2 — Adrianople 1863-68)",
"author": "Adib Taherzadeh",
"year": 1977,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh,* Adib Taherzadeh devotes a\nchapter to the *Tablet of Aḥmad,* one of the most beloved\nTablets of the Adrianople period. The Tablet itself is read\nacross the Bahá’í world. The story of the man for whom it was\nrevealed is less commonly known.\n\nAḥmad-i-Yazdí was a believer of perhaps sixty years of age,\nliving in Baghdád. He was not, by ordinary measure, a young or\nstrong man. He had heard, however, that Bahá’u’lláh had been\nsent on from Baghdád to Constantinople and from Constantinople\nto Adrianople. He felt called to attain the Master’s presence.\n\nHe had no wealth for travel. He had only legs. He set out on\nfoot.\n\nTaherzadeh records that he walked the entire distance from\nBaghdád to Constantinople — over 1,700 kilometres, across\nmountains and seasons. There he paused, exhausted, and sent\ninquiries forward to ask permission to come the further 260\nkilometres to Adrianople and present himself to Bahá’u’lláh.\n\nWhile he waited for an answer, the answer came in a different\nform. A Tablet was revealed for him in Adrianople and sent back\nto where he stood. Aḥmad opened it with reverence. He had\nexpected, perhaps, an instruction about how to proceed. The\nTablet said nothing about his request. It spoke instead of the\nstation of Bahá’u’lláh, of the imperative of teaching, of the\ncondition of the seeker’s soul.\n\nHe read it again, and again. He understood it, at last, as\npermission to do something different. The Tablet was not asking\nhim to come to Adrianople. It was asking him to turn around and\nto walk back into Persia and to teach the Cause.\n\nHe turned around.\n\nAḥmad walked the 2,240 kilometres back to Persia. There, for\nthe rest of his life, he travelled from town to town teaching\nthe Faith — sustained, in his own testimony, by daily recitation\nof the Tablet that had come to him by the wayside. He called it\nthe *Tablet of the Nightingale.* The Bahá’í community would, in\nlater generations, call it simply the Tablet of Aḥmad.\n\nIt is read for the strengthening of the believer in time of\ndifficulty. The closing image is the one Aḥmad himself heard as\nhis commission:\n\n> In Him let the trusting trust.\n\nThe old man who walked across an empire and back, on the\nstrength of a single Tablet, is the first teacher of how that\nverse may be lived.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol. 2 — Adrianople 1863-68 (Adib Taherzadeh, George Ronald, 1977); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "On the Mountain of God: The Revelation of the Tablet of Carmel",
"slug": "rb-tablet-of-carmel-revelation",
"summary": "In *The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh* Adib Taherzadeh recounts the Tablet of Carmel — the Tablet revealed by Bahá'u'lláh on one of His four visits to Mount Carmel in the closing years of His life. The Tablet is read as the charter of the future Bahá'í World Centre.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "Mount Carmel",
"lat": 32.7374,
"lng": 35.048,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"holy-land",
"revelation",
"prophecy"
],
"virtues": [
"reverence",
"wisdom",
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "the-revelation-of-bahaullah",
"book": "The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh (Vol. 4 — Mazra'ih and Bahjí 1877-92)",
"author": "Adib Taherzadeh",
"year": 1987,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh,* Adib Taherzadeh devotes a\nchapter to the Tablet of Carmel — the Tablet revealed by\nBahá’u’lláh on one of His four visits to the slopes of Mount\nCarmel in the closing years of His life.\n\nBy 1890 Bahá’u’lláh’s confinement had been substantially\nrelaxed. The strict imprisonment within the walls of the ‘Akká\nfortress had given way, by the late 1870s, to residence at\nMazra‘ih and then at the larger mansion of Bahjí, north of\nthe city. From these residences He was free to make\nshort journeys. Four such journeys took Him across the bay to\nHaifa and onto the slopes of the mountain that the Hebrew\nprophets had named the *Vineyard of God.*\n\nThe most consequential of these visits, Taherzadeh recounts,\nwas the visit during which the Tablet of Carmel was revealed.\nBahá’u’lláh had ascended the mountain. He paused at a\nparticular spot where, He indicated, the future shrine of the\nBáb would in due course be raised. The opening verses of the\nTablet were chanted by Him on the spot.\n\nThe chapter preserves the central image of the Tablet. It is\naddressed not to a human recipient but to the mountain itself.\nMount Carmel is invited, in the opening verses, to *hasten in\nlonging adoration* to the court of the Manifestation. From the\nmountain comes the cry that is the central declaration of the\nTablet:\n\n> The promise of all ages is now fulfilled!\n\nThe Tablet, Taherzadeh notes, must be read on two levels. On\nthe literal level it is a Tablet revealed in a particular hour\non a particular mountain side. On the prophetic level it is\nthe charter of the institutional life that would, in\nsubsequent generations, take its centre at the spot where the\nTablet was revealed.\n\nIn 1909 the remains of the Báb — borne from Persia by the\nagency of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá — would be interred at the precise spot\non the mountain that Bahá’u’lláh had indicated. The shrine\nthat rose over the interment would, by the mid-twentieth\ncentury, be capped by the gilded dome that is now the\ncharacteristic feature of the Haifa skyline.\n\nAround the shrine, on the slopes the Tablet had addressed,\nwould in time rise the buildings of the Bahá’í World Centre:\nthe Seat of the Universal House of Justice, the International\nArchives Building, the Centre for the Study of the Texts, the\nInternational Teaching Centre. The terraces by which the\nshrine is approached from the city below were completed at\nthe close of the twentieth century.\n\nNone of these institutions existed when the Tablet of Carmel\nwas revealed. The Tablet had spoken them into being a\ngeneration in advance.\n\nTaherzadeh observes, in concluding his chapter, that the\nTablet of Carmel is one of the supreme examples in the\nBahá’í corpus of a Tablet whose meaning has had to be unfolded\nby the work of subsequent generations. The believers who\nheard Bahá’u’lláh chant it on the mountain side could not\nhave anticipated the institutions it would charter. Those\ninstitutions, when they at length arose, did so on the\nfoundation the Tablet had already laid.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol. 4 — Mazra'ih and Bahjí 1877-92 (Adib Taherzadeh, George Ronald, 1987); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Tablet of the Holy Mariner",
"slug": "rb-tablet-of-the-holy-mariner",
"summary": "Adib Taherzadeh's account, in *The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh*, of the revelation of the *Tablet of the Holy Mariner* in Baghdád shortly before the Riḍván declaration of 1863 — and of the dread the Tablet's imagery cast over the believers who heard it chanted in their gathering.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"prophecy",
"mystical"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"reverence"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "the-revelation-of-bahaullah",
"book": "The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh (Vol. 1 — Baghdád 1853-63)",
"author": "Adib Taherzadeh",
"year": 1974,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the most haunting episodes recounted by Adib\nTaherzadeh in *The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh* is the brief\nnarrative of the revelation of the *Lawḥ-i-Malláḥu'l-Quds*\n— the *Tablet of the Holy Mariner* — in Baghdád in the\nspring of 1863, in the weeks immediately preceding\nBahá'u'lláh's declaration in the Garden of Riḍván.\n\nThe Tablet was revealed in two parts: an Arabic portion and\na Persian portion. It is a long mystical Tablet composed\nin the symbolic language of Persian Sufi poetry, drawing\nimagery from the journey of a Holy Ark — the *Crimson Ark*\n— sailing through the seas of trial and adversity,\nmanned by a sacred crew, bearing the soul of the believer\ntoward the shore of the Beloved.\n\nTaherzadeh describes the gathering at which the Tablet was\nfirst chanted aloud. A small number of the resident Bábí\nbelievers had assembled in the room where Bahá'u'lláh's\namanuensis Mírzá Áqá Ján was wont to read out, in a\nmeasured voice, the freshly revealed Tablets. The\namanuensis began to chant the *Tablet of the Holy\nMariner.* The believers listened.\n\nWhat followed, by Taherzadeh's account, was an unusual\nevent. The believers — without knowing in advance the\ncontent of the Tablet, and without any warning — became\naware that the Tablet was about to disclose something of\ngreat gravity. *A strange dread fell upon the friends;\nthey wept, sensing that the parting of which the Tablet\nspoke was about to come.*\n\nThe reading concluded. The believers dispersed in subdued\nsilence. They had not been told, in plain words, what was\nabout to happen. But the Tablet's symbolic content had\nmade them feel, with a kind of pre-rational certainty,\nthat a great change was imminent.\n\nThe change came within weeks. On 22 April 1863,\nBahá'u'lláh entered the Garden of Riḍván on the outskirts\nof Baghdád and declared, in the small circle of His\ninner companions, His station as the Promised One foretold\nby the Báb. The twelve days of the Riḍván declaration\nfollowed. At the end of the twelve days, the Master\ndeparted Baghdád forever, on the long forced journey to\nConstantinople and onward to the further exiles that\nwould end in the prison-city of 'Akká.\n\nThe *Tablet of the Holy Mariner,* read in retrospect,\nproved to have been the providential preparation. The\n*parting* that the Tablet had foreshadowed was the\nliteral departure from Baghdád. The *Holy Ark* on its\njourney through hostile seas was the literal community of\nbelievers entering the further exile. The *strange dread*\nthe friends had felt at the original chanting had been,\nin fact, the spiritual perception of an event that the\nordinary mind had not yet been told.\n\nTaherzadeh treats the episode as exemplary. The Tablets of\nBahá'u'lláh, his commentary observes, function not only as\nwritten record but as inwardly sensed presence. The\nbelievers who first heard the *Tablet of the Holy\nMariner* knew, before they could have known, what its\nliteral historical referent would prove to be. The Tablet\nhad communicated, through its imagery, what its words had\nnot yet plainly stated.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol. 1 — Baghdád 1853-63 (Adib Taherzadeh, George Ronald, 1974); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Tablet of Wisdom: Bahá'u'lláh on Philosophy",
"slug": "rb-tablet-of-wisdom-lawh-hikmat",
"summary": "Adib Taherzadeh's account, in *The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh*, of the *Lawḥ-i-Ḥikmat* — the *Tablet of Wisdom* — addressed by Bahá'u'lláh to Nabíl-i-Akbar in Egypt, in which He surveys the lineage of Greek and Persian philosophy and the proper relation between divine Revelation and human inquiry.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Nabíl-i-Akbar"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9276,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"philosophy",
"knowledge"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"knowledge",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "the-revelation-of-bahaullah",
"book": "The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh (Vol. 4 — Mazra'ih and Bahjí 1877-92)",
"author": "Adib Taherzadeh",
"year": 1987,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh's later 'Akká period\ntreated extensively by Adib Taherzadeh in the fourth\nvolume of *The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh* is the\n*Lawḥ-i-Ḥikmat* — the *Tablet of Wisdom* — addressed by\nBahá'u'lláh to Nabíl-i-Akbar of Khurásán, the great\nlearned Bábí scholar then resident in Egypt.\n\nThe Tablet was composed in the late 1870s or early 1880s.\nIts principal subject is the proper relation between divine\nRevelation and the inheritance of human philosophy. The\nTablet was occasioned by a question Nabíl had submitted\nregarding the place that the Greek and Persian philosophical\ntraditions should occupy in the intellectual life of the\nbelievers.\n\nBahá'u'lláh's response is substantial. He surveys the\nprincipal figures of the ancient philosophical tradition —\n*Empedocles, Pythagoras, Hippocrates, Socrates,\nPlato, Aristotle* — and treats each with careful\nattention. He notes that *the philosophers of Greece*\nreceived their illumination, in His reckoning, from the\nprophets of Israel — the historical sequence by which\nphilosophical inquiry in the ancient Mediterranean world\nwas nourished by exposure to the prophetic tradition of\nthe eastern Mediterranean.\n\nThe Tablet's treatment is not a simple ranking of revelation\nabove philosophy. It is, in Taherzadeh's commentary, a more\nnuanced account of the cooperation of the two faculties.\nRevelation furnishes the soul with the principles that\nphilosophy alone cannot derive. Philosophy, working from\nthe principles received, develops the implications and\napplications that revelation does not exhaustively detail.\nThe two faculties are partners, not rivals.\n\nThe Tablet then addresses the specific question of the\n*divine philosophy* — the philosophy that, in\nBahá'u'lláh's framing, the Bahá'í community is being asked\nto develop in the post-revelatory period. This *divine\nphilosophy* will, in time, integrate the inheritance of\nthe ancient and medieval philosophical traditions with the\nfresh principles of the Bahá'í Revelation. It will produce,\nacross centuries, the comprehensive intellectual culture\nthat the Bahá'í Dispensation is destined to bring forth.\n\nTaherzadeh devotes substantial attention to the Tablet's\ntreatment of the question of *the eternity of the\nuniverse.* This had been one of the great disputed\nquestions of medieval Islamic philosophy. Bahá'u'lláh's\ntreatment in the Tablet reframes the question by\ndistinguishing between the *necessary eternity* of the\ndivine creative activity and the *contingent\nparticularity* of any given created world. The framing\ndraws from the philosophical tradition while transcending\nits earlier categories.\n\nThe Tablet closes with a benediction on Nabíl-i-Akbar\nhimself and a brief practical exhortation. The recipient\nis asked to undertake the work of teaching the Cause among\nthe educated classes of the Persian and Egyptian\ncommunities to which his learning gives him natural\naccess. The cultivated minds of the era, Bahá'u'lláh\nobserves, will be brought to the Cause by patient\nintellectual exposition more than by emotional appeal.\nNabíl is identified as one of the principal instruments of\nthat exposition.\n\nThe Tablet has been, in subsequent Bahá'í intellectual\nlife, one of the foundational documents for the\ncommunity's engagement with philosophy and with the\nintellectual inheritance of the human race. It is read\noften by Bahá'í scholars and by interested non-Bahá'í\nacademic philosophers as a singularly substantial example\nof a religious revelation engaging seriously with the\nphilosophical tradition.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol. 4 — Mazra'ih and Bahjí 1877-92 (Adib Taherzadeh, George Ronald, 1987); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Cast Behind Thy Back: Bahá'u'lláh's Second Tablet to Napoleon III",
"slug": "rb-tablet-to-napoleon-iii-prophecy",
"summary": "In *The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh* Adib Taherzadeh recounts the second of two Tablets that Bahá'u'lláh addressed to Napoleon III, Emperor of the French. The first had been received with disdain. The second, sent in 1869, contained the explicit prophecy that Napoleon's empire would be wrested from him by failure of arms. Within a year the prophecy was fulfilled.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Napoleon III"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "Akko, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"kings",
"prophecy",
"government"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"wisdom",
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-revelation-of-bahaullah",
"book": "The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh (Vol. 3 — 'Akká, the Early Years)",
"author": "Adib Taherzadeh",
"year": 1983,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh,* Adib Taherzadeh devotes\na chapter to the two Tablets that Bahá’u’lláh, prisoner in the\nfortress of ‘Akká, addressed to Napoleon III, Emperor of the\nFrench.\n\nThe first Tablet had been revealed in Adrianople in 1868. It\nhad taken the form of a courteous summons. It addressed\nNapoleon as the most powerful sovereign in Europe. It urged\nhim to use his power for the welfare of the peoples and to\nrecognise the One Whose appearance was the sign of the new\nage. It tested him with a single direct question: *If thou be\nsincere in thy claim, why dost thou not refuse to bear arms\nagainst the followers of Christ in the East?*\n\nThe Tablet was conveyed by hand to Paris through the agency\nof believers and diplomats sympathetic to the Bahá’í cause.\nIt was placed in the Emperor’s hand. The Emperor, the\nchronicle records, glanced at it and tossed it aside with a\nremark of disdain. *If this man is God,* he said, *I am two\ngods.*\n\nThe remark was reported back to Bahá’u’lláh in ‘Akká.\n\nThe second Tablet was revealed within months. Its tone is\nentirely different. It is no longer an invitation. It is a\nprophecy.\n\nTaherzadeh recounts the central declaration of the Tablet.\nBahá’u’lláh, having noted the Emperor’s refusal of the first\nTablet, pronounces the consequence:\n\n> For what thou hast done, thy kingdom shall be thrown into\n> confusion, and thine empire shall pass from thine hands, as\n> a punishment for that which thou hast wrought.\n\nThe Tablet specifies further that the loss will come by\nfailure of arms; that the people of France will rise against\ntheir Emperor; that the dynasty he had restored will not be\nrestored again. The Tablet was sent on. There is no record\nthat the Emperor read this one either.\n\nThe reader of the *Dawn-Breakers* and of the *Revelation*\nvolumes will know what followed. In the summer of 1870 — well\nwithin a year of the second Tablet’s arrival in Paris —\nNapoleon III declared war on Prussia under the encouragement\nof his ministers. The campaign that followed was the worst\nmanaged in French military history. Within seven weeks the\nFrench army had been encircled at Sedan. The Emperor himself\nwas taken prisoner. The Second Empire fell with him; a\nRepublic was proclaimed in Paris.\n\nNapoleon never returned to France. He was exiled, after the\nPrussian peace, to England, where he died at Chislehurst in\n1873. The Bonapartist dynasty was not restored. The Tablet’s\nspecific predictions — *thy kingdom shall be thrown into\nconfusion, thine empire shall pass from thine hands* — were\nfulfilled in every particular.\n\nTaherzadeh observes, in concluding the chapter, that the\nTablet to Napoleon III is the supreme example in the corpus\nof the Tablets to the Kings of a prophecy delivered to a\nspecific named individual and fulfilled, within his own\nlifetime and in the manner specified, in his own person. It\nis the proof case for the predictive authority of the\nTablets, and it has been read as such by every subsequent\nBahá’í generation.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol. 3 — 'Akká, the Early Years (Adib Taherzadeh, George Ronald, 1983); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Letter to the Pope: Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet to Pius IX",
"slug": "rb-tablet-to-pope-pius-ix",
"summary": "In *The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh* Adib Taherzadeh recounts the Tablet that Bahá'u'lláh, prisoner in the fortress of 'Akká, addressed in 1868 to Pope Pius IX in the Vatican. The Tablet proclaimed that the Father had come, summoned the Pope to recognise Him, and counselled him to renounce temporal authority in favour of the spiritual ministry of his calling.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Pope Pius IX"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "Akko, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"kings",
"religion",
"prophecy"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"wisdom",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-revelation-of-bahaullah",
"book": "The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh (Vol. 3 — 'Akká, the Early Years)",
"author": "Adib Taherzadeh",
"year": 1983,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh,* Adib Taherzadeh devotes a\nchapter to the Tablet that Bahá’u’lláh, prisoner in the\nfortress of ‘Akká, addressed in 1868 to Pope Pius IX in the\nVatican.\n\nThe Tablet was one of the most direct of the addresses to the\nsovereigns of the world. Pius IX in 1868 was not only the\nspiritual head of the Roman Catholic Church but the temporal\nruler of the Papal States in central Italy — territories that\nhad been governed by the Holy See for more than a thousand\nyears. He was the senior religious authority of the Christian\nworld.\n\nThe Tablet opens with the proclamation that constitutes its\ncentral message: that the Father whose return Christ Himself\nhad foretold had come. The Word concealed in Christ’s ministry\nhad been *made manifest. It hath been sent down in the form of\nthe human temple in this Day.*\n\nThe Tablet calls Pius IX, by name, to recognise the One Who\nnow addressed him. It calls him to come, in person, into the\npresence of the Manifestation — to leave the Vatican palaces\nand the Papal apartments and to come into the prison cell of\n‘Akká where the One Whose Return he had pledged his life to\nprepare for now sat in chains.\n\nThe Tablet did not stop there. It addressed, with great\nspecificity, the temporal arrangements of the papacy itself.\nThe Pope, the Tablet counselled, should renounce his temporal\nsovereignty. He should leave the palaces. He should sell the\ngold and the precious things hoarded in the Vatican\ntreasuries. He should live, as Christ had lived, in poverty\nand in service to his flock.\n\n> Sell, then, the embellished ornaments thou possessest, and\n> expend them in the path of God, Who causeth the night to\n> return upon the day, and the day to return upon the night.\n\nThe Tablet was sent, Taherzadeh records, by the customary\nmeans. There is no record that Pius IX read it. There is\nstrong evidence that he did not.\n\nHistory, however, did. In the autumn of 1870 — fewer than\ntwo years after the Tablet was dispatched — Italian\nrevolutionary forces under Victor Emmanuel II entered Rome.\nThe Papal States were annexed to the new kingdom of Italy.\nPius IX retreated into the Vatican, where he proclaimed\nhimself a *prisoner* of the new Italian state. The temporal\nsovereignty of the papacy that the Tablet had counselled him\nto renounce voluntarily was taken from him by force, in the\nevent he had foretold.\n\nThe papacy that succeeded Pius IX gradually accommodated\nitself to the loss. By the twentieth century the principle the\nTablet had articulated — that the spiritual mission of the\nChurch was distinct from temporal sovereignty — had become\naxiomatic in Catholic thought.\n\nThe Tablet to the Pope is, Taherzadeh observes, one of the\nclearest examples in the corpus of the Tablets to the Kings of\nthe predictive accuracy of their counsels and the unhappy\nrecord of their reception.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol. 3 — 'Akká, the Early Years (Adib Taherzadeh, George Ronald, 1983); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Letter to a Queen: Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet to Victoria",
"slug": "rb-tablet-to-queen-victoria",
"summary": "In *The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh* Adib Taherzadeh recounts the context of one of the great Tablets to the Kings: the Tablet addressed by Bahá'u'lláh from 'Akká to Queen Victoria of Britain in the early 1870s. The Tablet praised her abolition of slavery and her elective parliamentary system, and called upon all rulers to lay down their arms in favour of collective security.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Queen Victoria"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "Akko, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"peace",
"kings",
"government"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"courage",
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-revelation-of-bahaullah",
"book": "The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh (Vol. 3 — 'Akká, the Early Years)",
"author": "Adib Taherzadeh",
"year": 1983,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh,* Adib Taherzadeh devotes a\nchapter to the Tablet that Bahá’u’lláh, then a prisoner in the\nfortress of ‘Akká, addressed to Queen Victoria of Britain in\nthe early 1870s. The Tablet was one of the great Tablets to\nthe Kings — letters sent during the years 1868-1873 to the\nprincipal sovereigns of the world.\n\nThe address to Victoria was, Taherzadeh notes, distinct in\ntone from those sent to other rulers. Where the Tablet to\nNáṣiri’d-Dín Sháh was a stern accusation, where the Tablet to\nNapoleon III was a prophecy of imminent fall, where the Tablet\nto Sulṭán ‘Abdu’l-‘Azíz of the Ottoman Empire warned of doom,\nthe Tablet to Victoria opens with praise.\n\nTwo acts of the Queen’s government, the Tablet noted with\napproval, were of a kind God Himself looked upon with favour:\nthe abolition of the slave trade — accomplished by the British\nParliament in the years before her accession but vigorously\ncontinued under her reign — and the development of an elective\nparliamentary system in which the affairs of the realm were\nentrusted to the consultation of representatives of the\npeople.\n\nThese two acts, the Tablet observed, were aligned with the\nspirit of the new dispensation. The first recognised the\noneness of humankind by emancipating those who had been held\nin bondage; the second recognised the principle of consultation\nby entrusting deliberation to a body of equals.\n\nHaving praised what could be praised, the Tablet then turned\nto counsel. Bahá’u’lláh urged the Queen and her fellow\nsovereigns to convene a great assembly of the rulers of the\nworld. They should consult together. They should agree on the\nlimits of their armies. They should establish a system of\ncollective security in which any state attacking another would\nbe met by the combined opposition of all the rest.\n\nTaherzadeh notes that the Tablet anticipated, by half a\ncentury, the institutional architecture eventually attempted\nin the League of Nations and, later, the United Nations. The\nspecific principle of collective security against aggression\nwas first articulated, in the modern world, in the letter that\nthe prisoner of ‘Akká addressed to the throne in London.\n\nThe Tablet closes with a summons to the rulers of the earth as\na whole:\n\n> Lay not aside the fear of God, O kings of the earth, and\n> beware that ye transgress not the bounds which the Almighty\n> hath fixed.\n\nThe Tablet was sent, Taherzadeh records, by the customary\nmeans: entrusted to a believer, conveyed by hand to a port,\nforwarded by ship to England, and delivered through diplomatic\nchannels to the royal household. There is no record that\nVictoria responded to it directly. The Tablet, in subsequent\ngenerations, would be read more carefully than its first\nrecipient appears to have read it.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol. 3 — 'Akká, the Early Years (Adib Taherzadeh, George Ronald, 1983); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Recently I've been reading Prophet's Daughter, the biography of Bahíyyih Khánum…",
"slug": "recently-ive-been-reading-prophets-daughter-the-biography-bs0",
"summary": "Recently I've been reading Prophet's Daughter, the biography of Bahíyyih Khánum by Janet Khan. Despite all the drama and spiritual significance of her life, the passages that have made an indelible impression upon me have been related to…",
"figures": [
"Bahíyyih Khánum",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"homemaking"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/homemaking"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nRecently I've been reading Prophet's Daughter, the biography of Bahíyyih Khánum by Janet Khan. Despite all the drama and spiritual significance of her life, the passages that have made an indelible impression upon me have been related to the most basic of human occupations. Ms. Khan quotes from Ella Cooper's description of Bahíyyih Khánum's daily round of work:\n\nOne day we caught a glimpse of her in the kitchen seated on a low stool, her firm, capable hands busy with a large lamb that had just been brought in from the market. Quickly dividing it, she directed which part was to be made into broth, which part served for the evening meal, which part kept for the morrow, and which sent to those poor or incapacitated friends who are daily supplied from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's table. On the shelves were huge pans holding rice soaking in clean water to be ready for the delicious pilau (a famous Persian dish), and there were many other visible evidences of the hours of preparation necessary to provide for the material welfare of the visitors. It was then we learned of her practical efficiency. The enormous amount of work attendant upon such entertaining with only the crudest and most primitive facilities, must be seen to be appreciated.\n\n\n*Source: Ella Gordon Cooper, \"Bahíyyih KhánumAn Appreciation\", Star of the West 23, no. 7 [1932]: 202; quoted in Janet Khan, Prophet's Daughter, pp. 91-2*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/homemaking) (Subject: homemaking).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Rene and her mother had a private interview with the Master",
"slug": "rene-and-her-mother-had-a-private-interview-bs3",
"summary": "Rene and her mother had a private interview with the Master. Rene made a special basket filled with flowers to give to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. When He appeared at the door for their interview, Rene ran down the hall and into His outstretched arms.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"gifts"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/gifts"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nRene and her mother had a private interview with the Master. Rene made a special basket filled with flowers to give to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. When He appeared at the door for their interview, Rene ran down the hall and into His outstretched arms. Rene learned a lesson about true giving that day when she saw another young girl leaving ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's room with her special basket. At first, Rene was upset because of all the love she had put into making the basket, but when she Thought about it, she realized what the true meaning of giving was.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 99*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/gifts) (Subject: gifts).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Musk-Scented Pen Sent to Constantinople",
"slug": "rev-mishkin-qalam-cyprus-mission",
"summary": "Adib Taherzadeh, in *The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh*, traces the mission of Mishkín-Qalam — Bahá'u'lláh's celebrated calligrapher — sent from Adrianople to Constantinople to teach by his art, then arrested through court intrigue and exiled to Cyprus, where he remained imprisoned for nine years.",
"figures": [
"Mishkín-Qalam",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Mírzá Ḥusayn-i-Iṣfahání"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Adrianople",
"location": {
"name": "Constantinople",
"lat": 41.0082,
"lng": 28.9784,
"modernName": "Istanbul, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"art",
"exile",
"teaching",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"steadfastness",
"sacrifice",
"devotion"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "the-revelation-of-bahaullah",
"book": "The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh (4 volumes)",
"author": "Adib Taherzadeh",
"year": 1974,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMírzá Ḥusayn-i-Iṣfahání was already, before he was a Bahá’í,\ncelebrated across Persia for the line of his pen. He held an\nappointment near the court of Náṣiri’d-Dín Sháh, and he had\nmastered, in the discipline of Persian calligraphy, the long lineage\nof the masters. *‘Abdu’l-Bahá would later call him a second Mír\n‘Imád* — a comparison to the most famous Persian calligrapher of\nthe Safavid age.\n\nIn Baghdád he had heard the first reports of the Bahá’í Faith from\nZaynu’l-Muqarrabín and Nabíl-i-A‘ẓam. But it was at Adrianople, in\nthe presence of Bahá’u’lláh Himself, that he was confirmed. Adib\nTaherzadeh, in *The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh,* traces the\ntrajectory of his service from that moment.\n\nBahá’u’lláh sent him from Adrianople to Constantinople with a\nparticular charge: he was to counter, in the capital of the\nOttoman empire, the misrepresentations being spread at court about\nthe Faith and its Founder. He travelled with no army and no\nofficial protection. His instrument of teaching was the same pen\nthat had carried him into the court of the Sháh.\n\nIn Constantinople his calligraphy drew people in. Officials, merchants,\nseekers visited his studio to watch the formation of the Greatest\nName and the long composed pieces in which the words of Bahá’u’lláh\ntook visible form. Through the beauty of the work, the conversation\nfollowed.\n\nThe Persian ambassador — alarmed — pressed his complaints on the\nSultan’s ministers. Mishkín-Qalam was arrested. Imprisoned, then\nbanished, he was eventually sent in 1868, with the followers of\nMírzá Yaḥyá, to the Famagusta prison on Cyprus. He remained there\nnine years, until the island passed from Ottoman to British control\nand the long detention ended.\n\nHe made his way at last, in 1886, to ‘Akká. There he served\nBahá’u’lláh until the Ascension in 1892. The calligraphic Greatest\nName now used by Bahá’ís around the world was wrought by his hand,\nand remains, more than a century after his death in Cairo in 1912,\nthe most widely seen single work of any Bahá’í artist.\n\n*Paraphrased from The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh (Adib Taherzadeh, George Ronald, 1974), volume on the Adrianople period; with public-domain biographical detail from 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Memorials of the Faithful and other sources. See original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Ridvaniyyih Khánum related that when her child was ill, the Master came and…",
"slug": "ridvaniyyih-kh-num-related-that-when-her-child-was-bs4",
"summary": "Ridvaniyyih Khánum related that when her child was ill, the Master came and gave two pink roses to the little one, then, turning to the mother, He said in His musical voice so full of love: \"Be patient.\" That evening the child passed…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"death",
"children",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/death"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nRidvaniyyih Khánum related that when her child was ill, the Master came and gave two pink roses to the little one, then, turning to the mother, He said in His musical voice so full of love: \"Be patient.\" That evening the child passed away.\n\n\"Ridvaniyyih,\" said the Master, \"there is a Garden of God. Human beings are trees growing therein. The Gardener is Our Father. When He sees a little tree in a place too small for her development, He prepares a suitable and more beautiful place, where she may grow and bear fruit. Then He transplants that little tree. The other trees marvel, saying: 'This is a lovely little tree. For what reason does the Gardener uproot it?' \"The Divine Gardener, alone, knows the reason.\n\n\"You are weeping, Ridvaniyyih, but if you could see the beauty of the place where she is, you would no longer be sad. \"Your child is now free, and, like a bird, is chanting divine joyous melodies. \"If you could see that sacred Garden, you would not be content to remain here on earth. Yet this is where your duty now lies.\"\n\nWhen my own mother made the \"great change\" from one world of God to another, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote a very beautiful tablet to me, in which He spoke of my mother as being \"in the garden of rejuvenation.\" One day a friend, who had not yet heard of the tablet of the Master, told me of a vivid dream she had of my mother, whom she had known and loved. \"I seemed to be in a marvellous garden, where every type of rare and beautiful flower was in bloom. Moving about among the flowers was a young girl. She seemed to be a in a state of inexpressible joy over the loveliness of her garden. Her voice, as she chanted, was full of the ecstasy of a complete happiness. She listened to the song of birds, and inhaled the odour of the flowers as though she were filling her soul with their fragrance. Suddenly she turned towards me, as though conscious that someone was there beside herself. The young girl facing me with an enchanting smile was your mother, in the full beauty of youth.\"\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway, p. 216-217*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/death) (Subject: death).*\n"
},
{
"title": "'Roy', another early pilgrim, described what he saw: 'Friday mornings at seven…",
"slug": "roy-another-early-pilgrim-described-what-he-saw-bs10",
"summary": "'Roy', another early pilgrim, described what he saw: 'Friday mornings at seven there is another picture. Near the tent in the garden one may see an assemblage of the abject poor -- the lame, the halt and the blind -- seldom less than a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"poor",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/poor"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n'Roy', another early pilgrim, described what he saw: 'Friday mornings at seven there is another picture. Near the tent in the garden one may see an assemblage of the abject poor -- the lame, the halt and the blind -- seldom less than a hundred. As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passes among them He will be seen to give to each a small coin, and to add a word of sympathy or cheer; often an inquiry about those at home; frequently He sends a share to an absent one. It is a sorry procession as they file slowly away, but they all look forward to this weekly visit, and indeed it is said that this is the chief means of sustenance for some of them. Almost any morning, early, He may be seen making the round of the city, calling upon the feeble and the sick; many dingy abodes are brightened by His presence.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 81*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/poor) (Subject: poor).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Roy Wilhelm, an early pilgrim to the Master in Akka observed the esteem…",
"slug": "roy-wilhelm-an-early-pilgrim-to-the-master-bs1",
"summary": "Roy Wilhelm, an early pilgrim to the Master in Akka observed the esteem ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had won from even those who were not Bahá’ís: ‘Our room fronted upon a little garden in which was a fountain, and nearby a tent in which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"integrity",
"pilgrimage",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"integrity",
"justice",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/integrity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nRoy Wilhelm, an early pilgrim to the Master in Akka observed the esteem ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had won from even those who were not Bahá’ís: ‘Our room fronted upon a little garden in which was a fountain, and nearby a tent in which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá receives many of those who come to see Him . So intense are the hatreds between the followers of the different religious systems that it is unusual for a man to be well spoken of outside his own system, but ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is regarded by all classes as a man of such wisdom and justice that it is to Him that they come for explanation of their religious Books, for the adjustment of their business quarrels, and even for the settlement of family difficulties. The inquirer will be told that ‘Abbas Effendi (‘Abdu’l-Bahá) makes no distinction; that He helps Jew, Muhammadan and Christian alike.’ So fair was He in His dealings that a just Governor of Akka, Ahmad Big Tawfiq, ‘used to send his son to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for instruction, and in the exercise of justice and sound government turned to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for counsel.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of \"‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/integrity) (Subject: integrity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Ruhiyyih Khanum said she had a dream one night: she dreamed that the dam had…",
"slug": "ruhiyyih-khanum-said-she-had-a-dream-one-bs0",
"summary": "Ruhiyyih Khanum said she had a dream one night: she dreamed that the dam had burst and that there was a great flood, She rushed down to the water's edge to try to save someone, but the current swept them past. She reached out to try to…",
"figures": [
"Rúhíyyih Khánum",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"community building"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/community-building"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nRuhiyyih Khanum said she had a dream one night: she dreamed that the dam had burst and that there was a great flood, She rushed down to the water's edge to try to save someone, but the current swept them past. She reached out to try to grasp and save another. She grasped one by the hair, and, with great effort, brought that one to shore. Then she tried to reach another, but the current swept him by. She looked up at the side of the mountain, and there she saw ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who looked like a Prophet of God, with his white turban and flowing beard, with his back to the flood, working very hard. She rushed up the mountain side, grasped His sleeves and said, \"Oh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, come and help me save some of these people who are drowning in the flood.\" ‘Abdu’l-Bahá went right on, working very rapidly and said nothing. She grasped his sleeve again and said, \"Oh ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, these people are drowning, come help me save some of these people who are drowning in the flood.\" ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, without stopping his work turned to her with a smile and Said, \"‘Abdu’l-Bahá is building the machine to stop the flood.\" (That is what is taking place in the world today)\n\n\n*Source: Ruhaniyyih Ruth Moffett, Visiting the Bahá’í World, 1954-09 Source*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/community-building) (Subject: community-building).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Síyáh-Chál, the name of the prison to which Bahá’u’lláh was taken on that…",
"slug": "s-y-h-ch-l-the-name-of-the-prison-to-which-bs0",
"summary": "Síyáh-Chál, the name of the prison to which Bahá’u’lláh was taken on that calamitous day, means the “Black Pit”. Originally a reservoir of water for one of the public baths in Tihran, it was at that time an underground dungeon in which…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"siyah chal",
"martyrdom",
"prison",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/siyah-chal"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSíyáh-Chál, the name of the prison to which Bahá’u’lláh was taken on that calamitous day, means the “Black Pit”. Originally a reservoir of water for one of the public baths in Tihran, it was at that time an underground dungeon in which criminals of the worst type were confined.\n\nTo reach the prison, one was taken through a pitch-black passageway and then down three steep flights of stairs. The dungeon was wrapped in thick darkness. There were no windows or outlets, other than the passage through with one entered. Nearly one hundred and fifty prisoners thieves, murderers and highwaymen were crowded into this dark, icy-cold space. The floor was covered with dirt and filth and crawling with insects. Most of the prisoners did not have clothes or even a cover to lie on. The smell was foul beyond belief.\n\nUnder these cruel conditions Bahá’u’lláh and a number of Bábís were imprisoned by the King. Bahá’u’lláh’s feet were put in stocks, and a heavy chain weighing some 50 kilograms [110 lbs.] was placed around His neck. For the first three days and nights they were given nothing to eat or drink. The family of Bahá’u’lláh would prepare food for Him and ask the guards to bring it to Him. Although at first they refused, they gradually gave in to their pleas. But, even then, no one could be sure whether the food reached Him, or whether He would accept to eat it while His fellow-prisoners went hungry.\n\nBahá’u’lláh and His companions, also in stocks and chains, all huddled together in one cell. They had been placed in two rows, each facing the other. Bahá’u’lláh taught them to repeat certain verses which, every night, they chanted with great fervor. “God is sufficient unto me: He verily is the All-sufficing,” one row would chant, and the other would reply: “In Him let the trusting trust.” Into the early hours of the morning, the chorus of their happy voices could be heard. So strong was their melody that it reached the ears of the King, whose palace was not far from the Siyah-Chal. “What means this sound?” he was reported to have asked. “It is the anthem the Bábís are intoning in their prison,” was the reply. The King fell silent.\n\nEvery day, the jailors would enter the cell and would call out the name of one of the Bábís, ordering him to arise and follow them to the foot of the gallows. With eagerness, the owner of the name would respond to that call. His chains removed, he would jump to his feet and, in a state of uncontrollable delight, would approach Bahá’u’lláh and embrace Him. He would then embrace each of his fellow-prisoners and would go forth, with a heart filled with hope and joy, to meet the death that awaited him. Soon after the martyrdom of each of these heroic souls, the executioner, who had grown to admire Bahá’u’lláh, would come to Him and would inform Him of the circumstances of the death of the martyr and of the joy with which he had endured, to the very end, the pain inflicted upon him.\n\n\n*Source: Ruhi Book 4, p. 96-97*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/siyah-chal) (Subject: siyah-chal).*\n"
},
{
"title": "'Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablet on Detachment from the World",
"slug": "sab-tablet-on-detachment-from-the-world",
"summary": "From Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, a Tablet on the spiritual practice of detachment — not the rejection of the world but the freedom of the soul from the bondage of its desires, so that the heart may be ready for the indwelling of the Beloved.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"themes": [
"detachment",
"writings",
"prayer"
],
"virtues": [
"detachment",
"reverence",
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe Master, in many Tablets gathered in *Selections from the\nWritings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá,* returns to the teaching on\ndetachment. The teaching is among the most central of the\nBahá'í practical disciplines, and the Master is careful to\ndistinguish it from several adjacent ideas with which it might\nbe confused.\n\n> Detachment is the cleansing of the heart from every\n> attachment save the love of God.\n\nThe opening sentence of the Tablet sets the definition.\nDetachment is not, in the Master's understanding, the\nabandonment of the world. The Bahá'í is not asked to retreat\nto the cloister or the desert. The Bahá'í is in fact\nspecifically asked to remain in the world, to engage in\nhonest work, to marry and to raise families, and to\nparticipate fully in the civic and economic life of the\ncommunity.\n\nWhat the Bahá'í is asked to be detached from is not the\nworld's activities but the world's bondage. The activities\nthemselves — work, family, civic engagement, the enjoyment\nof the good things of creation — are blessings to be\nreceived with thanks. The bondage is the tendency of the\nsoul to be enslaved by them: to need a particular outcome\nto be happy; to be unable to release a particular\nattachment when the time for its release has come; to\nidentify the self with the object of attachment to the\npoint that the loss of the object would destroy the self.\n\nThe Tablet provides several practical signs by which the\nbeliever may judge the state of the heart. Is the believer\ncontent if the praise of others is withheld? Is the\nbeliever content if the income or the position should be\ndiminished? Is the believer content if the loved one is\nremoved by the natural workings of life and death? In every\ncase the Master's standard is the same: the soul that has\ngenuinely cleansed itself from the bondage of attachment\nwill be at peace, even in the painful loss, because its\ndeepest love and its deepest security are placed in the One\nbeyond loss.\n\nThe Tablet closes with the image that has been frequently\nquoted from it: the empty cup ready to be filled. The soul\nthat has emptied itself of every lower attachment becomes,\nby that emptying, the cup into which the Beloved may pour\nthe new wine. The soul that has not emptied itself remains\nfull of its own contents and has no room for the gift the\nBeloved is waiting to give.\n\nThe discipline is the work of a lifetime. Few souls\ncomplete it. The Master, in the closing benediction of the\nTablet, encourages the friends to take it up patiently and\nto be content with the small daily increases that are the\nordinary measure of progress.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í World Centre, 1978), Tablet on detachment. Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "'Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablet on the Purpose of Religion",
"slug": "sab-tablet-on-the-purpose-of-religion",
"summary": "From Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, a Tablet setting out the central purpose of religion: not the formal observance of ritual, but the unification of hearts, the elevation of human character, and the establishment of the kingdom of justice and fellowship in the visible world.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"themes": [
"religion",
"writings",
"purpose"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service",
"vision"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the Tablets gathered in *Selections from the Writings of\n'Abdu'l-Bahá* is a brief but trenchant address to a believer\nwho had asked the Master what, in essence, the purpose of any\nreligion was supposed to be.\n\nThe question had its specific occasion. The believer was an\nAmerican who had recently come into the Faith from a strict\nProtestant background. He had been raised on the premise that\nright religion consists primarily in the correct observance\nof doctrine — the right creed, the right Sunday observance,\nthe right baptismal practice, the right scriptural reading.\nHe had observed, on entering the Bahá'í community, that the\nnew Faith placed less stress on these outward markers than\nhe had been used to. He had asked, in honest perplexity, what\nthe new standard was supposed to be.\n\nThe Master's reply set the standard plainly.\n\n> Religion that does not produce love and unity is no\n> religion at all.\n\nThe phrase, taken from the closing portion of the Tablet,\ngave the test by which any religion — including the Bahá'í\nFaith itself — was to be evaluated. The purpose of religion,\nthe Master wrote, is the transformation of the human heart.\nThe fruit of that transformation is the appearance, in\nvisible community, of love between the believers; of justice\nin the dealings of the believers with the larger world; of\npeace among the formerly contending factions of the human\nfamily.\n\nOutward observances — prayers, fasts, festivals,\nsacraments — are valuable to the extent that they cultivate\nthe inward conditions on which the visible fruit depends.\nThey are not valuable in themselves. A community whose\nmembers observe the outward forms with great precision but\nwhose dealings with each other and with their neighbours\nare marked by quarrel, by suspicion, by greed, or by\nprejudice, has not understood what the religion is for.\nSuch a community, the Master writes, has the form of\nreligion but not its substance.\n\nThe Tablet enlarges the principle into the ecumenical view\nthe Bahá'í Faith has consistently held. The same essential\ntest applies to every religion. The Christian community is\nto be judged not by the ornament of its cathedrals but by\nthe love among its members. The Jewish community is to be\njudged not by the punctilious observance of its festivals\nbut by the justice of its dealings. The Muslim community,\nthe Hindu, the Buddhist, the Bahá'í — every one of these is\nto be measured against the same standard.\n\nThe closing benediction of the Tablet asks the believer to\ntake the standard into his own life and not to apply it\nfirst to others. The serious examination of conscience that\nthe Master proposes is, before anything else, an\nexamination of the believer's own heart and the believer's\nown community. The proper measure of a Bahá'í, in the\nMaster's understanding, is whether the love of God has\nvisibly produced in him the love of his neighbour.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í World Centre, 1978), Tablet on the purpose of religion. Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "'Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablet on the Spiritual Meeting",
"slug": "sab-tablet-on-the-spiritual-meeting",
"summary": "From Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, a Tablet on the proper character of the spiritual meeting — the gathering of believers in private homes for prayer and consultation, which the Master holds out as the true seedbed of the Bahá'í community life.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"themes": [
"community",
"prayer",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"reverence",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá* the Master\nreturns repeatedly to the question of the spiritual meeting —\nthe small private gathering of believers, in a home or in a\nmodest rented hall, for the joint purpose of prayer and\nconsultation. The Master holds out this small private\ngathering, again and again, as the true seedbed of the\nBahá'í community life.\n\nThe Tablet here reproduced sets out the proper character of\nsuch a gathering in some detail. The form, the Master\nwrites, is unceremonious. The believers gather as friends in\nthe home of one of their number. The host receives them with\nthe small hospitality of tea or simple refreshment. The\ngathering opens with the chanting of prayers — usually the\nprayers given by Bahá'u'lláh and the Master, sometimes the\nprayers of the older dispensations where these are familiar\nto the gathering. The prayers are offered in turn, one\nbeliever at a time, in the language each is most comfortable\nwith.\n\nAfter the prayers the gathering moves into consultation.\nConsultation, in the Master's careful definition, is the\njoint deliberation of the believers on whatever spiritual or\npractical question is before them. The character of the\nconsultation is unhurried, candid, and warm. Each speaker is\nheard out before another speaks. Differences of opinion are\nnamed without acrimony. The deliberation moves toward a\ncommon understanding without the application of pressure.\n\nThe Tablet makes the central promise that has nourished\nBahá'í communities through every generation since.\n\n> Wherever a meeting is held in My Name, the Concourse on\n> High joins it in spirit.\n\nThe phrase, lifted from the central portion of the Tablet,\nnames the invisible companionship of the spiritual meeting.\nThe believers gathered in the home are not, in the Master's\nview, alone. The unseen company of the souls who have gone\nbefore them — the great Bahá'í dead, the prophets and saints\nof every previous dispensation, the rank of the spiritual\nbeings whose station the Bahá'í cosmology contemplates — is\npresent in the room. The gathering, however small in its\nvisible numbers, is therefore always larger in its actual\nspiritual composition than the visible record would suggest.\n\nThe Tablet closes with the practical encouragement. The\nsmall home gathering is the seed of the larger Cause. The\nstrength or weakness of the worldwide Bahá'í community will\nin the end depend on the steady weekly faithfulness of the\nsmall home gatherings in every city and town. The Local\nSpiritual Assemblies, the National Assemblies, the eventual\nWorld Centre — all these institutions of the Faith stand\nupon the small private home gathering as the ground floor\non which everything else is raised.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í World Centre, 1978), Tablet on the spiritual meeting. Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "'Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablet on the Equality of Women",
"slug": "sab-tablet-to-the-women-of-the-east",
"summary": "From Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, a Tablet addressed to the women of the East and the West setting out the principle of the equality of women and men as a foundational teaching of the Bahá'í Dispensation.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"themes": [
"women",
"equality",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"vision",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá* a number of\nTablets address themselves directly to the question of the\nequality of women and men. Among the most quoted is the Tablet\nin which the Master sets the principle in the form of a single\ngoverning image: the two wings of a bird, neither of which can\nbe allowed to remain weaker than the other if the bird is to\nfly.\n\n> The world of humanity has two wings — one is woman, the\n> other man. Not until both wings are equally developed can\n> the bird fly.\n\nThe image had become, by the time of its publication in\n*Selections,* one of the best-known sentences of the Master's\nteaching across both East and West. He had used the image in\nmany addresses on His American and European journeys. He had\nwritten it in many Tablets to individual believers asking how\nthe principle was to be applied in their own families and\ncommunities. The Tablet preserved in *Selections* gives the\nfullest single statement.\n\nThe Tablet enlarges the image into its practical\nimplications. The same education must be available to girls\nand to boys. The same access to the professions must be open\nto women and to men. The same participation in the public\nlife of the community — in business, in politics, in the\ndeliberations of the consultative bodies of the Faith and of\nthe larger society — must be extended to women on equal\nterms with men. None of this is, in the Tablet, a matter of\nmodern fashion or of borrowed Western liberalism. It is a\nmatter of the spiritual constitution of the human family as\nrevealed in the Bahá'í Dispensation.\n\nThe Tablet acknowledges the difficulty. The customs of many\nsocieties, both East and West, have for many centuries kept\nwomen in conditions of dependence and subordination. The\neducation of girls has been neglected. The participation of\nwomen in public life has been restricted. The change required\nby the Bahá'í teaching is therefore not a small adjustment\nbut a substantial reformation. The Tablet asks the believers\nto undertake the work patiently, beginning in their own\nfamilies and proceeding outward into the larger community.\n\nThe closing portion of the Tablet enlarges the principle one\nfurther step. The full equality of women, when it is at last\nachieved, will not only correct an old injustice. It will\nrelease into the human family the full creative force that\nhalf of its members have for centuries been prevented from\ncontributing. The peace and prosperity of the future world,\nthe Master writes, will depend in considerable measure on\nthe practical application of this teaching.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í World Centre, 1978), Tablet on the equality of women. Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Nature: The Composition and Decomposition of All Things",
"slug": "saq-1-nature-and-the-cycle",
"summary": "In the opening chapter of *Some Answered Questions*, 'Abdu'l-Bahá takes up Laura Clifford Barney's question about nature itself — and gives, in one sentence, a sweeping definition: nature is the appearance of composition and decomposition, the meeting and parting of life and death, governed by a single universal law.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Laura Clifford Barney"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"philosophy",
"teaching",
"creation"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"vision",
"reverence"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/some-answered-questions/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the autumn of 1904 a young American Bahá'í named Laura\nClifford Barney arrived in 'Akká with a long list of questions.\nShe had been invited by 'Abdu'l-Bahá to take down, in writing,\nHis answers to whatever His Western pilgrims most wished to\nunderstand. She would remain on and off in the city, with her\nnotebook, until 1906. The book that resulted — *Les Leçons de\nSaint-Jean d'Acre* in the original French, *Some Answered\nQuestions* in the English translation — opened with the most\nbasic question Laura could think to ask.\n\nShe asked Him, simply, what *nature* was.\n\nThe Master's first answer is one of the briefest and most\ncharacteristic in the entire book.\n\n> Nature is that condition, that reality, which in appearance\n> consists in life and death, or, in other words, in the\n> composition and decomposition of all things.\n\nThe compression is striking. In a single sentence the Master\nsets out the entire material order as the visible appearance of\ntwo perpetual movements: things coming together — composition —\nand things falling apart — decomposition. Birth is the meeting\nof elements; death is their parting. The seed sprouts: composition.\nThe leaf falls and rots: decomposition. The seed of that leaf\nsprouts again: composition once more. The entire physical\nuniverse, He continues in the chapter that follows, is the ceaseless\nworking of these two motions, and they are not separable. What\nappears as life is composition; what appears as death is decomposition;\nthe same single process, seen at different moments, gives the whole\nof what we ordinarily call nature.\n\nThe teaching is at one level only a careful philosophy. At\nanother level it is an enormously consoling theology. The death\nthat frightens us, the Master is saying, is not a violation of\nthe natural order. It is part of the natural order. The\nfalling-apart of one composition is the freeing of its elements\nto enter another. Nothing is finally destroyed; what is\ndescribed as ending is, viewed at the larger scale, only being\nre-composed.\n\nThe chapter goes on to argue that this whole motion — composition\nand decomposition together — is not random. It is *governed by\none universal law.* The order observable in the smallest cell is\nthe same order observable in the most distant galaxy. The\nrecurrence of seasons, the symmetry of the elements, the\nmathematical regularities of the heavens — all bear witness to a\nsingle legislating intelligence behind what science observes as\nmere mechanism.\n\nLaura wrote it down. She filled, over the next two years, a\nnotebook from which she would later assemble *Some Answered\nQuestions.* Many other questions would follow — about the soul,\nabout the prophets, about Christ, about the future of humanity.\nBut the book opens with this one. The simplest question. Asked\nby a young American woman in a foreign city. Answered by a man\nwho had lived His whole life in prison. The answer has held its\nplace at the head of one of the great Bahá'í texts ever since.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (recorded by Laura Clifford Barney, 1904-06), Chapter 1. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "1: NATURE IS GOVERNED BY ONE UNIVERSAL LAW",
"slug": "saq-1-nature-is-governed-by-one-universal-law",
"summary": "Nature is that condition, that reality, which in appearance consists in life and death, or, in other words, in the composition and decomposition of all…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNature is that condition, that reality, which in\nappearance consists in life and death, or, in other words, in the\ncomposition and decomposition of all things.\n\nThis Nature is subjected to an absolute organization, to\ndetermined laws, to a complete order and a finished design, from\nwhich it will never depart—to such a degree, indeed, that if\nyou look carefully and with keen sight, from the smallest invisible\natom up to such large bodies of the world of existence as the globe\nof the sun or the other great stars and luminous spheres, whether you\nregard their arrangement, their composition, their form or their\nmovement, you will find that all are in the highest degree of\norganization and are under one law from which they will never depart.\n\nBut when you look at Nature itself, you see that it has\nno intelligence, no will. For instance, the nature of fire is to\nburn; it burns without will or intelligence. The nature of water is\nfluidity; it flows without will or intelligence. The nature of the\nsun is radiance; it shines without will or intelligence. The nature\nof vapor is to ascend; it ascends without will or intelligence. Thus\nit is clear that the natural movements of all things are compelled;\nthere are no voluntary movements except those of animals and, above\nall, those of man. Man is able to resist and to oppose Nature because\nhe discovers the constitution of things, and through this he commands\nthe forces of Nature; all the inventions he has made are due to his\ndiscovery of the constitution of things. For example, he invented the\ntelegraph, which is the means of communication between the East and\nthe West. It is evident, then, that man rules over Nature.\n\nNow, when you behold in existence such organizations,\narrangements and laws, can you say that all these are the effect of\nNature, though Nature has neither intelligence nor perception? If\nnot, it becomes evident that this Nature, which has neither\nperception nor intelligence, is in the grasp of Almighty God, Who is\nthe Ruler of the world of Nature; whatever He wishes, He causes\nNature to manifest.\n\nOne of the things which has appeared in the world of\nexistence, and which is one of the requirements of Nature, is human\nlife. Considered from this point of view man is the branch; nature is\nthe root. Then can the will and the intelligence, and the perfections\nwhich exist in the branch, be absent in the root?\n\nIt is said that Nature in its own essence is in the\ngrasp of the power of God, Who is the Eternal Almighty One: He holds\nNature within accurate regulations and laws, and rules over it.1\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "10: TRADITIONAL PROOFS EXEMPLIFIED FROM THE BOOK OF DANIEL",
"slug": "saq-10-traditional-proofs-exemplified-from-the-book-of-daniel",
"summary": "Today, at table, let us speak for a little of proofs. If you had come to this blessed place in the days of the manifestation of the evident Light,29 if you had attained to the court of His presence, and had witnessed His luminous…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"martyrdom",
"prison",
"family",
"holy-day",
"seeking",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"love",
"truthfulness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 13,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nToday, at table, let us speak for a little of proofs. If\nyou had come to this blessed place in the days of the manifestation\nof the evident Light,29\nif you had attained to the court of His presence, and had witnessed\nHis luminous beauty, you would have understood that His teachings and\nperfection were not in need of further evidence.\n\nOnly through the honor of entering His presence, many\nsouls became confirmed believers; they had no need of other proofs.\nEven those people who rejected and hated Him bitterly, when they had\nmet Him, would testify to the grandeur of Bahá’u’lláh,\nsaying, “This is a magnificent man, but what a pity that he\nmakes such a claim! Otherwise, all that he says is acceptable.”\n\nBut now, as that Light of Reality has set, all are in\nneed of proofs; so we have undertaken to demonstrate rational proofs\nof the truth of His claim. We will cite another which alone is\nsufficient for all who are just, and which no one can deny. It is\nthat this illustrious Being uplifted His Cause in the “Greatest\nPrison”;30\nfrom this Prison His light was shed abroad, His fame conquered the\nworld, and the proclamation of His glory reached the East and West.\nUntil our time no such thing has ever occurred.\n\nIf there be justice, this will be acknowledged; but\nthere are some people who, even if all the proofs in the world be\nadduced before them, still will not judge justly!\n\nThus nations and states with all their strength could\nnot resist Him. Verily, single and alone, imprisoned and oppressed,\nHe accomplished whatever He desired.\n\nI do not wish to mention the miracles of Bahá’u’lláh,\nfor it may perhaps be said that these are traditions, liable both to\ntruth and to error, like the accounts of the miracles of Christ in\nthe Gospel, which come to us from the apostles, and not from anyone\nelse, and are denied by the Jews. Though if I wish to mention the\nsupernatural acts of Bahá’u’lláh, they are\nnumerous; they are acknowledged in the Orient, and even by some\nnon-Bahá’ís. But these narratives are not\ndecisive proofs and evidences to all; the hearer might perhaps say\nthat this account may not be in accordance with what occurred, for it\nis known that other sects recount miracles performed by their\nfounders. For instance, the followers of Brahmanism relate miracles.\nFrom what evidence may we know that those are false and that these\nare true? If these are fables, the others also are fables; if these\nare generally accepted, so also the others are generally accepted.\nConsequently, these accounts are not satisfactory proofs. Yes,\nmiracles are proofs for the eyewitness only, and even he may regard\nthem not as a miracle but as an enchantment. Extraordinary feats have\nalso been related of some conjurors.\n\nBriefly, my meaning is that many wonderful things were\ndone by Bahá’u’lláh, but we do not recount\nthem, as they do not constitute proofs and evidences for all the\npeoples of the earth, and they are not decisive proofs even for those\nwho see them: they may think that they are merely enchantments.\n\nAlso, most of the miracles of the Prophets which are\nmentioned have an inner significance. For instance, in the Gospel it\nis written that at the martyrdom of Christ darkness prevailed, and\nthe earth quaked, and the veil of the Temple was rent in twain from\nthe top to the bottom, and the dead came forth from their graves. If\nthese events had happened, they would indeed have been awesome, and\nwould certainly have been recorded in the history of the times. They\nwould have become the cause of much troublings of heart. Either the\nsoldiers would have taken down Christ from the cross, or they would\nhave fled. These events are not related in any history; therefore, it\nis evident they ought not to be taken literally, but as having an\ninner significance.31\n\nOur purpose is not to deny such miracles; our only\nmeaning is that they do not constitute decisive proofs, and that they\nhave an inner significance.\n\nAccordingly, today, at table, we will refer to the\nexplanation of the traditional proofs which are in the Holy Books.\nUntil now, all that we have spoken of are rational proofs.\n\nThe state in which one should be to seriously search for\nthe truth is the condition of the thirsty, burning soul desiring the\nwater of life, of the fish struggling to reach the sea, of the\nsufferer seeking for the true doctor to obtain the divine cure, of\nthe lost caravan endeavoring to find the right road, of the lost and\nwandering ship striving to reach the shore of salvation.\n\nTherefore, the seeker must be endowed with certain\nqualities. First of all, he must be just and severed from all else\nsave God; his heart must be entirely turned to the supreme horizon;\nhe must be free from the bondage of self and passion, for all these\nare obstacles. Furthermore, he must be able to endure all hardships.\nHe must be absolutely pure and sanctified, and free from the love or\nthe hatred of the inhabitants of the world. Why? because the fact of\nhis love for any person or thing might prevent him from recognizing\nthe truth in another, and, in the same way, hatred for anything might\nbe a hindrance in discerning truth. This is the condition of seeking,\nand the seeker must have these qualities and attributes. Until he\nreaches this condition, it is not possible for him to attain to the\nSun of Reality.\n\nLet us now return to our subject.\n\nAll the peoples of the world are awaiting two\nManifestations, Who must be contemporaneous; all wait for the\nfulfillment of this promise. In the Bible the Jews have the promise\nof the Lord of Hosts and the Messiah; in the Gospel the return of\nChrist and Elijah is promised.\n\nIn the religion of Muḥammad there is the promise\nof the Mihdí and the Messiah, and it is the same with the\nZoroastrian and the other religions, but if we relate these matters\nin detail, it would take too long. The essential fact is that all are\npromised two Manifestations, Who will come, one following on the\nother. It has been prophesied that in the time of these two\nManifestations the earth will be transformed, the world of existence\nwill be renewed, and beings will be clothed in new garments. Justice\nand truth will encompass the world; enmity and hatred will disappear;\nall causes of division among peoples, races and nations will vanish;\nand the cause of union, harmony and concord will appear. The\nnegligent will awake, the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the\ndumb will speak, the sick will be cured, the dead will arise. War\nwill give place to peace, enmity will be conquered by love, the\ncauses of dispute and wrangling will be entirely removed, and true\nfelicity will be attained. The world will become the mirror of the\nHeavenly Kingdom; humanity will be the Throne of Divinity. All\nnations will become one; all religions will be unified; all\nindividual men will become of one family and of one kindred. All the\nregions of the earth will become one; the superstitions caused by\nraces, countries, individuals, languages and politics will disappear;\nand all men will attain to life eternal, under the shadow of the Lord\nof Hosts.\n\nNow we must prove from the Holy Books that these two\nManifestations have come, and we must divine the meaning of the words\nof the Prophets, for we wish for proofs drawn from the Holy Books.\n\nA few days ago, at table, we put forth rational proofs\nestablishing the truth of these two Manifestations.\n\nTo conclude: in the Book of Daniel, from the rebuilding\nof Jerusalem to the martyrdom of Christ, seventy weeks are appointed;\nfor by the martyrdom of Christ the sacrifice is accomplished and the\naltar destroyed.32\nThis is a prophecy of the manifestation of Christ. These seventy\nweeks begin with the restoration and the rebuilding of Jerusalem,\nconcerning which four edicts were issued by three kings.\n\nThe first was issued by Cyrus in the year 536 B.C.; this\nis recorded in the first chapter of the Book of Ezra. The second\nedict, with reference to the rebuilding of Jerusalem, is that of\nDarius of Persia in the year 519 B.C.; this is recorded in the sixth\nchapter of Ezra. The third is that of Artaxerxes in the seventh year\nof his reign—that is, in 457 B.C.; this is recorded in the\nseventh chapter of Ezra. The fourth is that of Artaxerxes in the year\n444 B.C.; this is recorded in the second chapter of Nehemiah.\n\nBut Daniel refers especially to the third edict which\nwas issued in the year 457 B.C. Seventy weeks make four hundred and\nninety days. Each day, according to the text of the Holy Book, is a\nyear. For in the Bible it is said: “The day of the Lord is one\nyear.”33\nTherefore, four hundred and ninety days are four hundred and ninety\nyears. The third edict of Artaxerxes was issued four hundred and\nfifty-seven years before the birth of Christ, and Christ when He was\nmartyred and ascended was thirty-three years of age. When you add\nthirty-three to four hundred and fifty-seven, the result is four\nhundred and ninety, which is the time announced by Daniel for the\nmanifestation of Christ.\n\nBut in the twenty-fifth verse of the ninth chapter of\nthe Book of Daniel this is expressed in another manner, as seven\nweeks and sixty-two weeks; and apparently this differs from the first\nsaying. Many have remained perplexed at these differences, trying to\nreconcile these two statements. How can seventy weeks be right in one\nplace, and sixty-two weeks and seven weeks in another? These two\nsayings do not accord.\n\nBut Daniel mentions two dates. One of these dates begins\nwith the command of Artaxerxes to Ezra to rebuild Jerusalem: this is\nthe seventy weeks which came to an end with the ascension of Christ,\nwhen by His martyrdom the sacrifice and oblation ceased.\n\nThe second period, which is found in the twenty-sixth\nverse, means that after the termination of the rebuilding of\nJerusalem until the ascension of Christ, there will be sixty-two\nweeks: the seven weeks are the duration of the rebuilding of\nJerusalem, which took forty-nine years. When you add these seven\nweeks to the sixty-two weeks, it makes sixty-nine weeks, and in the\nlast week (69–70) the ascension of Christ took place. These\nseventy weeks are thus completed, and there is no contradiction.\n\nNow that the manifestation of Christ has been proved by\nthe prophecies of Daniel, let us prove the manifestations of\nBahá’u’lláh and of the Báb. Up to\nthe present we have only mentioned rational proofs; now we shall\nspeak of traditional proofs.\n\nIn the eighth chapter of the Book of Daniel, verse\nthirteen, it is said: “Then I heard one saint speaking, and\nanother saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long\nshall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the\ntransgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host\nto be trodden under foot?” Then he answered (v. 14): “Unto\ntwo thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be\ncleansed”; (v. 17) “But he said unto me ... at the time\nof the end shall be the vision.” That is to say, how long will\nthis misfortune, this ruin, this abasement and degradation last?\nmeaning, when will be the dawn of the Manifestation? Then he\nanswered, “Two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the\nsanctuary be cleansed.” Briefly, the purport of this passage is\nthat he appoints two thousand three hundred years, for in the text of\nthe Bible each day is a year. Then from the date of the issuing of\nthe edict of Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem until the day of the\nbirth of Christ there are 456 years, and from the birth of Christ\nuntil the day of the manifestation of the Báb there are 1844\nyears. When you add 456 years to this number it makes 2300 years.\nThat is to say, the fulfillment of the vision of Daniel took place in\nthe year A.D. 1844, and this is the year of the Báb’s\nmanifestation according to the actual text of the Book of Daniel.\nConsider how clearly he determines the year of manifestation; there\ncould be no clearer prophecy for a manifestation than this.\n\nIn Matthew, chapter 24, verse 3, Christ clearly says\nthat what Daniel meant by this prophecy was the date of the\nmanifestation, and this is the verse: “As He sat upon the mount\nof Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us,\nwhen shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming,\nand of the end of the world?” One of the explanations He gave\nthem in reply was this (v. 15): “When ye therefore shall see\nthe abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand\nin the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand).” In\nthis answer He referred them to the eighth chapter of the Book of\nDaniel, saying that everyone who reads it will understand that it is\nthis time that is spoken of. Consider how clearly the manifestation\nof the Báb is spoken of in the Old Testament and in the\nGospel.\n\nTo conclude, let us now explain the date of the\nmanifestation of Bahá’u’lláh from the\nBible. The date of Bahá’u’lláh is\ncalculated according to lunar years from the mission and the Hejira\nof Muḥammad; for in the religion of Muḥammad the lunar\nyear is in use, as also it is the lunar year which is employed\nconcerning all commands of worship.\n\nIn Daniel, chapter 12, verse 6, it is said: “And\none said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of\nthe river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? And I\nheard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the\nriver, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven,\nand sware by Him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time,\ntimes, and a half; and that when He shall have accomplished to\nscatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be\nfinished.”34\n\nAs I have already explained the signification of one\nday, it is not necessary to explain it further; but we will say\nbriefly that each day of the Father counts as a year, and in each\nyear there are twelve months. Thus three years and a half make\nforty-two months, and forty-two months are twelve hundred and sixty\ndays. The Báb, the precursor of Bahá’u’lláh,\nappeared in the year 1260 from the Hejira of Muḥammad, by the\nreckoning of Islám.\n\nAfterward, in verse 11, it is said: “And from the\ntime that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the\nabomination that maketh desolation be set up, there shall be a\nthousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and\ncometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.”35\n\nThe beginning of this lunar reckoning is from the day of\nthe proclamation of the prophethood of Muḥammad in the country\nof Ḥijáz; and that was three years after His mission,\nbecause in the beginning the prophethood of Muḥammad was kept\nsecret, and no one knew it save Khadíjah and Ibn\nNawfal.36\nAfter three years it was announced. And Bahá’u’lláh,\nin the year 1290 from the proclamation of the mission of Muḥammad,\ncaused His manifestation to be known.37\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "11: COMMENTARY ON THE ELEVENTH CHAPTER OF THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN",
"slug": "saq-11-commentary-on-the-eleventh-chapter-of-the-revelation-of-st-john",
"summary": "In the beginning of the eleventh chapter of the Revelation of St. John it is…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb",
"Quddús"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"martyrdom",
"the-covenant",
"children",
"fast",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"humility",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"patience",
"prayer",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 25,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the beginning of the eleventh chapter of the\nRevelation of St. John it is said:\n\n“And there was given me a reed like unto a rod:\nand the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and\nthe altar, and them that worship therein.\n\n“But the court which is without the temple leave\nout, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the\nholy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”\n\nThis reed is a Perfect Man Who is likened to a reed, and\nthe manner of its likeness is this: when the interior of a reed is\nempty and free from all matter, it will produce beautiful melodies;\nand as the sound and melodies do not come from the reed, but from the\nflute player who blows upon it, so the sanctified heart of that\nblessed Being is free and emptied from all save God, pure and exempt\nfrom the attachments of all human conditions, and is the companion of\nthe Divine Spirit. Whatever He utters is not from Himself, but from\nthe real flute player, and it is a divine inspiration. That is why He\nis likened to a reed; and that reed is like a rod—that is to\nsay, it is the helper of every impotent one, and the support of human\nbeings. It is the rod of the Divine Shepherd by which He guards His\nflock and leads them about the pastures of the Kingdom.\n\nThen it is said: “The angel stood, saying, Rise,\nand measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship\ntherein”—that is to say, compare and measure: measuring\nis the discovery of proportion. Thus the angel said: compare the\ntemple of God and the altar and them that are praying therein—that\nis to say, investigate what is their true condition and discover in\nwhat degree and state they are, and what conditions, perfections,\nbehavior and attributes they possess; and make yourself cognizant of\nthe mysteries of those holy souls who dwell in the Holy of Holies in\npurity and sanctity.\n\n“But the court which is without the temple leave\nout, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles.”\n\nIn the beginning of the seventh century after Christ,\nwhen Jerusalem was conquered, the Holy of Holies was outwardly\npreserved—that is to say, the house which Solomon built; but\noutside the Holy of Holies the outer court was taken and given to the\nGentiles. “And the holy city shall they tread under foot forty\nand two months”—that is to say, the Gentiles shall govern\nand control Jerusalem forty and two months, signifying twelve hundred\nand sixty days; and as each day signifies a year, by this reckoning\nit becomes twelve hundred and sixty years, which is the duration of\nthe cycle of the Qur’án. For in the texts of the Holy\nBook, each day is a year; as it is said in the fourth chapter of\nEzekiel, verse 6: “Thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of\nJudah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.”\n\nThis prophesies the duration of the Dispensation of\nIslám when Jerusalem was trodden under foot, which means that\nit lost its glory—but the Holy of Holies was preserved, guarded\nand respected—until the year 1260. This twelve hundred and\nsixty years is a prophecy of the manifestation of the Báb, the\n“Gate” of Bahá’u’lláh, which\ntook place in the year 1260 of the Hejira of Muḥammad, and as\nthe period of twelve hundred and sixty years has expired, Jerusalem,\nthe Holy City, is now beginning to become prosperous, populous and\nflourishing. Anyone who saw Jerusalem sixty years ago, and who sees\nit now, will recognize how populous and flourishing it has become,\nand how it is again honored.\n\nThis is the outward meaning of these verses of the\nRevelation of St. John; but they have another explanation and a\nsymbolic sense, which is as follows: the Law of God is divided into\ntwo parts. One is the fundamental basis which comprises all spiritual\nthings—that is to say, it refers to the spiritual virtues and\ndivine qualities; this does not change nor alter: it is the Holy of\nHolies, which is the essence of the Law of Adam, Noah, Abraham,\nMoses, Christ, Muḥammad, the Báb, and Bahá’u’lláh,\nand which lasts and is established in all the prophetic cycles. It\nwill never be abrogated, for it is spiritual and not material truth;\nit is faith, knowledge, certitude, justice, piety, righteousness,\ntrustworthiness, love of God, benevolence, purity, detachment,\nhumility, meekness, patience and constancy. It shows mercy to the\npoor, defends the oppressed, gives to the wretched and uplifts the\nfallen.\n\nThese divine qualities, these eternal commandments, will\nnever be abolished; nay, they will last and remain established for\never and ever. These virtues of humanity will be renewed in each of\nthe different cycles; for at the end of every cycle the spiritual Law\nof God—that is to say, the human virtues—disappears, and\nonly the form subsists.\n\nThus among the Jews, at the end of the cycle of Moses,\nwhich coincides with the Christian manifestation, the Law of God\ndisappeared, only a form without spirit remaining. The Holy of Holies\ndeparted from among them, but the outer court of Jerusalem—which\nis the expression used for the form of the religion—fell into\nthe hands of the Gentiles. In the same way, the fundamental\nprinciples of the religion of Christ, which are the greatest virtues\nof humanity, have disappeared; and its form has remained in the hands\nof the clergy and the priests. Likewise, the foundation of the\nreligion of Muḥammad has disappeared, but its form remains in\nthe hands of the official ‘ulamá.\n\nThese foundations of the Religion of God, which are\nspiritual and which are the virtues of humanity, cannot be abrogated;\nthey are irremovable and eternal, and are renewed in the cycle of\nevery Prophet.\n\nThe second part of the Religion of God, which refers to\nthe material world, and which comprises fasting, prayer, forms of\nworship, marriage and divorce, the abolition of slavery, legal\nprocesses, transactions, indemnities for murder, violence, theft and\ninjuries—this part of the Law of God, which refers to material\nthings, is modified and altered in each prophetic cycle in accordance\nwith the necessities of the times.\n\nBriefly, what is meant by the term Holy of Holies is\nthat spiritual Law which will never be modified, altered or\nabrogated; and the Holy City means the material Law which may be\nabrogated; and this material Law, which is described as the Holy\nCity, was to be trodden under foot for twelve hundred and sixty\nyears.\n\n“And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and\nthey shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and three-score days,\nclothed in sackcloth.”38\nThese two witnesses are Muḥammad the Messenger of God, and\n‘Alí, son of Abú Tálib.\n\nIn the Qur’án it is said that God addressed\nMuḥammad, the Messenger of God, saying: “We made You a\nWitness, a Herald of good news, and a Warner”—that is to\nsay, We have established Thee as the witness, the giver of good\ntidings, and as One bringing the wrath of God.39\nThe meaning of “a witness” is one by whose testimony\nthings may be verified. The commands of these two witnesses were to\nbe performed for twelve hundred and sixty days, each day signifying a\nyear. Now, Muḥammad was the root, and ‘Alí the\nbranch, like Moses and Joshua. It is said they “are clothed in\nsackcloth,” meaning that they, apparently, were to be clothed\nin old raiment, not in new raiment; in other words, in the beginning\nthey would possess no splendor in the eyes of the people, nor would\ntheir Cause appear new; for Muḥammad’s spiritual Law\ncorresponds to that of Christ in the Gospel, and most of His laws\nrelating to material things correspond to those of the Pentateuch.\nThis is the meaning of the old raiment.\n\nThen it is said: “These are the two olive trees,\nand the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.”40\nThese two souls are likened to olive trees because at that time all\nlamps were lighted by olive oil. The meaning is two persons from whom\nthat spirit of the wisdom of God, which is the cause of the\nillumination of the world, appears. These lights of God were to\nradiate and shine; therefore, they are likened to two candlesticks:\nthe candlestick is the abode of the light, and from it the light\nshines forth. In the same way the light of guidance would shine and\nradiate from these illumined souls.\n\nThen it is said: “They are standing before God,”\nmeaning that they are standing in the service of God, and educating\nthe creatures of God, such as the barbarous nomad Arab tribes of the\nArabian peninsula, whom they educated in such a way that in those\ndays they reached the highest degree of civilization, and their fame\nand renown became worldwide.\n\n“And if any man would hurt them, fire proceedeth\nout of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies.”41\nThat is to say, that no one would be able to withstand them, that if\na person wished to belittle their teachings and their law, he would\nbe surrounded and exterminated by this same law which proceedeth out\nof their mouth; and everyone who attempted to injure, to antagonize\nand to hate them would be destroyed by a command which would come out\nof their mouth. And thus it happened: all their enemies were\nvanquished, put to flight and annihilated. In this most evident way\nGod assisted them.\n\nAfterward it is said: “These have power to shut\nheaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy,”42\nmeaning that in that cycle they would be like kings. The law and\nteachings of Muḥammad, and the explanations and commentaries of\n‘Alí, are a heavenly bounty; if they wish to give this\nbounty, they have power to do so. If they do not wish it, the rain\nwill not fall: in this connection rain stands for bounty.\n\nThen it is said: “They have power over water to\nturn it to blood,”43\nmeaning that the prophethood of Muḥammad was the same as that\nof Moses, and that the power of ‘Alí was the same as\nthat of Joshua: if they wished, they could turn the water of the Nile\ninto blood, so far as the Egyptians and those who denied them were\nconcerned—that is to say, that that which was the cause of\ntheir life, through their ignorance and pride, became the cause of\ntheir death. So the kingdom, wealth and power of Pharaoh and his\npeople, which were the causes of the life of the nation, became,\nthrough their opposition, denial and pride, the cause of death,\ndestruction, dispersion, degradation and poverty. Hence these two\nwitnesses have power to destroy the nations.\n\nThen it is said: “And smite the earth with all\nplagues, as often as they will,”44\nmeaning that they also would have the power and the material force\nnecessary to educate the wicked and those who are oppressors and\ntyrants, for to these two witnesses God granted both outward and\ninward power, that they might educate and correct the ferocious,\nbloodthirsty, tyrannical nomad Arabs, who were like beasts of prey.\n\n“And when they shall have finished their\ntestimony”45\nmeans when they should have performed that which they are commanded,\nand should have delivered the divine message, promoting the Law of\nGod and propagating the heavenly teachings, to the intent that the\nsigns of spiritual life might be manifest in souls, and the light of\nthe virtues of the world of humanity might shine forth, until\ncomplete development should be brought about among the nomad tribes.\n\n“The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless\npit shall war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them”:46\nthis beast means the Umayyads who attacked them from the pit of\nerror, and who rose against the religion of Muḥammad and\nagainst the reality of ‘Alí—in other words, the\nlove of God.\n\nIt is said, “The beast made war against these two\nwitnesses”47—that\nis to say, a spiritual war, meaning that the beast would act in\nentire opposition to the teachings, customs and institutions of these\ntwo witnesses, to such an extent that the virtues and perfections\nwhich were diffused by the power of those two witnesses among the\npeoples and tribes would be entirely dispelled, and the animal nature\nand carnal desires would conquer. Therefore, this beast making war\nagainst them would gain the victory—meaning that the darkness\nof error coming from this beast was to have ascendency over the\nhorizons of the world, and kill those two witnesses—in other\nwords, that it would destroy the spiritual life which they spread\nabroad in the midst of the nation, and entirely remove the divine\nlaws and teachings, treading under foot the Religion of God. Nothing\nwould thereafter remain but a lifeless body without spirit.\n\n“And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of\nthe great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where\nalso our Lord was crucified.”48\n“Their bodies” means the Religion of God, and “the\nstreet” means in public view. The meaning of “Sodom and\nEgypt,” the place “where also our Lord was crucified,”\nis this region of Syria, and especially Jerusalem, where the Umayyads\nthen had their dominions; and it was here that the Religion of God\nand the divine teachings first disappeared, and a body without spirit\nremained. “Their bodies” represents the Religion of God,\nwhich remained like a dead body without spirit.\n\n“And they of the people and kindreds and tongues\nand nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and\nshall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.”49\n\nAs it was before explained, in the terminology of the\nHoly Books three days and a half signify three years and a half, and\nthree years and a half are forty and two months, and forty and two\nmonths twelve hundred and sixty days; and as each day by the text of\nthe Holy Book signifies one year, the meaning is that for twelve\nhundred and sixty years, which is the cycle of the Qur’án,\nthe nations, tribes and peoples would look at their bodies—that\nis to say, that they would make a spectacle of the Religion of God:\nthough they would not act in accordance with it, still, they would\nnot suffer their bodies—meaning the Religion of God—to be\nput in the grave. That is to say, that in appearance they would cling\nto the Religion of God and not allow it to completely disappear from\ntheir midst, nor the body of it to be entirely destroyed and\nannihilated. Nay, in reality they would leave it, while outwardly\npreserving its name and remembrance.\n\nThose “kindreds, people and nations” signify\nthose who are gathered under the shadow of the Qur’án,\nnot permitting the Cause and Law of God to be, in outward appearance,\nentirely destroyed and annihilated—for there are prayer and\nfasting among them—but the fundamental principles of the\nReligion of God, which are morals and conduct, with the knowledge of\ndivine mysteries, have disappeared; the light of the virtues of the\nworld of humanity, which is the result of the love and knowledge of\nGod, is extinguished; and the darkness of tyranny, oppression,\nsatanic passions and desires has become victorious. The body of the\nLaw of God, like a corpse, has been exposed to public view for twelve\nhundred and sixty days, each day being counted as a year, and this\nperiod is the cycle of Muḥammad.\n\nThe people forfeited all that these two persons had\nestablished, which was the foundation of the Law of God, and\ndestroyed the virtues of the world of humanity, which are the divine\ngifts and the spirit of this religion, to such a degree that\ntruthfulness, justice, love, union, purity, sanctity, detachment and\nall the divine qualities departed from among them. In the religion\nonly prayers and fasting persisted; this condition lasted for twelve\nhundred and sixty years, which is the duration of the cycle of the\nFurqán.50\nIt was as if these two persons were dead, and their bodies were\nremaining without spirit.\n\n“And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice\nover them, and make merry, and shall send gifts to one another,\nbecause these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.”51\n“Those who dwelt upon the earth” means the other nations\nand races, such as the peoples of Europe and distant Asia, who, when\nthey saw that the character of Islám was entirely changed, the\nLaw of God forsaken—that virtues, zeal and honor had departed\nfrom among them, and that their qualities were changed—became\nhappy, and rejoiced that corruption of morals had infected the people\nof Islám, and that they would in consequence be overcome by\nother nations. So this thing has come to pass. Witness this people\nwhich had attained the summit of power, how degraded and downtrodden\nit is now.\n\nThe other nations “shall send gifts to one\nanother,” meaning that they should help each other, for “these\ntwo prophets tormented them that dwelt upon the earth”—that\nis, they overcame the other nations and peoples of the world and\nconquered them.\n\n“And after three days and a half the spirit of\nlife from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and\ngreat fear fell upon them that saw them.”52\nThree days and a half, as we before explained, is twelve hundred and\nsixty years. Those two persons whose bodies were lying spiritless are\nthe teachings and the law that Muḥammad established and ‘Alí\npromoted, from which, however, the reality had departed and only the\nform remained. The spirit came again into them means that those\nfoundations and teachings were again established. In other words, the\nspirituality of the Religion of God had been changed into\nmateriality, and virtues into vices; the love of God had been changed\ninto hatred, enlightenment into darkness, divine qualities into\nsatanic ones, justice into tyranny, mercy into enmity, sincerity into\nhypocrisy, guidance into error, and purity into sensuality. Then\nafter three days and a half, which by the terminology of the Holy\nBooks is twelve hundred and sixty years, these divine teachings,\nheavenly virtues, perfections and spiritual bounties were again\nrenewed by the appearance of the Báb and the devotion of\nJináb-i-Quddús.53\n\nThe holy breezes were diffused, the light of truth shone\nforth, the season of the life-giving spring came, and the morn of\nguidance dawned. These two lifeless bodies again became living, and\nthese two great ones—one the Founder and the other the\npromoter—arose and were like two candlesticks, for they\nillumined the world with the light of truth.\n\n“And they heard a great voice from heaven saying\nunto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven,”54\nmeaning that from the invisible heaven they heard the voice of God,\nsaying: You have performed all that was proper and fitting in\ndelivering the teachings and glad tidings; you have given My message\nto the people and raised the call of God, and have accomplished your\nduty. Now, like Christ, you must sacrifice your life for the\nWell-Beloved, and be martyrs. And that Sun of Reality, and that Moon\nof Guidance,55\nboth, like Christ, set on the horizon of the greatest martyrdom and\nascended to the Kingdom of God.\n\n“And their enemies beheld them,”56\nmeaning that many of their enemies, after witnessing their martyrdom,\nrealized the sublimity of their station and the exaltation of their\nvirtue, and testified to their greatness and perfection.\n\n“And the same hour there was a great earthquake,\nand the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain\nof men seven thousand.”57\n\nThis earthquake occurred in Shíráz\nafter the martyrdom of the Báb. The city was in a turmoil, and\nmany people were destroyed. Great agitation also took place through\ndiseases, cholera, dearth, scarcity, famine and afflictions, the like\nof which had never been known.\n\n“And the remnant was affrighted and gave glory to\nthe God of heaven.”58\n\nWhen the earthquake took place in Fárs, all the\nremnant lamented and cried day and night, and were occupied in\nglorifying and praying to God. They were so troubled and affrighted\nthat they had no sleep nor rest at night.\n\n“The second woe is past; and, behold, the third\nwoe cometh quickly.”59\nThe first woe is the appearance of the Prophet, Muḥammad, the\nson of ‘Abdu’lláh—peace be upon Him! The\nsecond woe is that of the Báb—to Him be glory and\npraise! The third woe is the great day of the manifestation of the\nLord of Hosts and the radiance of the Beauty of the Promised One. The\nexplanation of this subject, woe, is mentioned in the thirtieth\nchapter of Ezekiel, where it is said: “The word of the Lord\ncame again unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith\nthe Lord God; Howl ye, Woe worth the day! For the day is near, even\nthe day of the Lord is near.”60\n\nTherefore, it is certain that the day of woe is the day\nof the Lord; for in that day woe is for the neglectful, woe is for\nthe sinners, woe is for the ignorant. That is why it is said, “The\nsecond woe is past; behold the third woe cometh quickly!” This\nthird woe is the day of the manifestation of Bahá’u’lláh,\nthe day of God; and it is near to the day of the appearance of the\nBáb.\n\n“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were\ngreat voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become\nthe kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for\never and ever.”61\n\nThe seventh angel is a man qualified with heavenly\nattributes, who will arise with heavenly qualities and character.\nVoices will be raised, so that the appearance of the Divine\nManifestation will be proclaimed and diffused. In the day of the\nmanifestation of the Lord of Hosts, and at the epoch of the divine\ncycle of the Omnipotent which is promised and mentioned in all the\nbooks and writings of the Prophets—in that day of God, the\nSpiritual and Divine Kingdom will be established, and the world will\nbe renewed; a new spirit will be breathed into the body of creation;\nthe season of the divine spring will come; the clouds of mercy will\nrain; the sun of reality will shine; the life-giving breeze will\nblow; the world of humanity will wear a new garment; the surface of\nthe earth will be a sublime paradise; mankind will be educated; wars,\ndisputes, quarrels and malignity will disappear; and truthfulness,\nrighteousness, peace and the worship of God will appear; union, love\nand brotherhood will surround the world; and God will rule for\nevermore—meaning that the Spiritual and Everlasting Kingdom\nwill be established. Such is the day of God. For all the days which\nhave come and gone were the days of Abraham, Moses and Christ, or of\nthe other Prophets; but this day is the day of God, for the Sun of\nReality will arise in it with the utmost warmth and splendor.\n\n“And the four and twenty elders, which sat before\nGod on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God.\n\n“Saying, We give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty,\nWhich art, and wast, and art to come; because Thou hast taken to Thee\nThy great power, and hast reigned.”62\nIn each cycle the guardians and holy souls have been twelve. So Jacob\nhad twelve sons; in the time of Moses there were twelve heads or\nchiefs of the tribes; in the time of Christ there were twelve\nApostles; and in the time of Muḥammad there were twelve Imáms.\nBut in this glorious manifestation there are twenty-four, double the\nnumber of all the others, for the greatness of this manifestation\nrequires it. These holy souls are in the presence of God seated on\ntheir own thrones, meaning that they reign eternally.\n\nThese twenty-four great persons, though they are seated\non the thrones of everlasting rule, yet are worshipers of the\nappearance of the universal Manifestation, and they are humble and\nsubmissive, saying, “We give thanks to Thee, O Lord God\nAlmighty, Which art, and wast, and art to come, because Thou hast\ntaken to Thee Thy great power and hast reigned”—that is\nto say, Thou wilt issue all Thy teachings, Thou wilt gather all the\npeople of the earth under Thy shadow, and Thou wilt bring all men\nunder the shadow of one tent. Although it is the Eternal Kingdom of\nGod, and He always had, and has, a Kingdom, the Kingdom here means\nthe manifestation of Himself;63\nand He will issue all the laws and teachings which are the spirit of\nthe world of humanity and everlasting life. And that universal\nManifestation will subdue the world by spiritual power, not by war\nand combat; He will do it with peace and tranquillity, not by the\nsword and arms; He will establish this Heavenly Kingdom by true love,\nand not by the power of war. He will promote these divine teachings\nby kindness and righteousness, and not by weapons and harshness. He\nwill so educate the nations and people that, notwithstanding their\nvarious conditions, their different customs and characters, and their\ndiverse religions and races, they will, as it is said in the Bible,\nlike the wolf and the lamb, the leopard, the kid, the sucking child\nand the serpent, become comrades, friends and companions. The\ncontentions of races, the differences of religions, and the barriers\nbetween nations will be completely removed, and all will attain\nperfect union and reconciliation under the shadow of the Blessed\nTree.\n\n“And the nations were angry,” for Thy\nteachings opposed the passions of the other peoples; “and Thy\nwrath is come”64—that\nis to say, all will be afflicted by evident loss; because they do not\nfollow Thy precepts, counsels and teachings, they will be deprived of\nThy everlasting bounty, and veiled from the light of the Sun of\nReality.\n\n“And the time of the dead, that they should be\njudged” means that the time has come that the dead65—that\nis to say, those who are deprived of the spirit of the love of God\nand have not a share of the sanctified eternal life—will be\njudged with justice, meaning they will arise to receive that which\nthey deserve. He will make the reality of their secrets evident,\nshowing what a low degree they occupy in the world of existence, and\nthat in reality they are under the rule of death.\n\n“That Thou shouldst give reward unto Thy servants\nthe prophets, and the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and\ngreat”66—that\nis to say, He will distinguish the righteous by endless bounty,\nmaking them shine on the horizon of eternal honor, like the stars of\nheaven. He will assist them by endowing them with behavior and\nactions which are the light of the world of humanity, the cause of\nguidance, and the means of everlasting life in the Divine Kingdom.\n\n“And shouldst destroy them which destroy the\nearth”67\nmeans that He will entirely deprive the neglectful; for the blindness\nof the blind will be manifest, and the vision of the seers will be\nevident; the ignorance and want of knowledge of the people of error\nwill be recognized, and the knowledge and wisdom of the people under\nguidance will be apparent; consequently, the destroyers will be\ndestroyed.\n\n“And the temple of God was opened in heaven”68\nmeans that the divine Jerusalem is found, and the Holy of Holies has\nbecome visible. The Holy of Holies, according to the terminology of\nthe people of wisdom, is the essence of the Divine Law, and the\nheavenly and true teachings of the Lord, which have not been changed\nin the cycle of any Prophet, as it was before explained. The\nsanctuary of Jerusalem is likened to the reality of the Law of God,\nwhich is the Holy of Holies; and all the laws, conventions, rites and\nmaterial regulations are the city of Jerusalem—this is why it\nis called the heavenly Jerusalem. Briefly, as in this cycle the Sun\nof Reality will make the light of God shine with the utmost splendor,\ntherefore, the essence of the teachings of God will be realized in\nthe world of existence, and the darkness of ignorance and want of\nknowledge will be dispelled. The world will become a new world, and\nenlightenment will prevail. So the Holy of Holies will appear.\n\n“And the temple of God was opened in heaven”69\nmeans also that by the diffusion of the divine teachings, the\nappearance of these heavenly mysteries, and the rising of the Sun of\nReality, the doors of success and prosperity will be opened in all\ndirections, and the signs of goodness and heavenly benedictions will\nbe made plain.\n\n“And there was seen in His temple the ark of His\nTestament”70—that\nis to say, the Book of His Testament will appear in His Jerusalem,\nthe Epistle of the Covenant71\nwill be established, and the meaning of the Testament and of the\nCovenant will become evident. The renown of God will overspread the\nEast and West, and the proclamation of the Cause of God will fill the\nworld. The violators of the Covenant will be degraded and dispersed,\nand the faithful cherished and glorified, for they cling to the Book\nof the Testament and are firm and steadfast in the Covenant.\n\n“And there were lightnings, and voices, and\nthunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail,”72\nmeaning that after the appearance of the Book of the Testament there\nwill be a great storm, and the lightnings of the anger and the wrath\nof God will flash, the noise of the thunder of the violation of the\nCovenant will resound, the earthquake of doubts will take place, the\nhail of torments will beat upon the violators of the Covenant, and\neven those who profess belief will fall into trials and temptations.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "12: COMMENTARY ON THE ELEVENTH CHAPTER OF ISAIAH",
"slug": "saq-12-commentary-on-the-eleventh-chapter-of-isaiah",
"summary": "In Isaiah, chapter 11, verses 1 to 10, it is said: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"children",
"family",
"holy-land",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice",
"love",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 7,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn Isaiah, chapter 11, verses 1 to 10, it is said: “And\nthere shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch\nshall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest\nupon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of\ncounsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the\nLord; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the\nLord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither\nreprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall\nhe judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth:\nand he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the\nbreath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall\nbe the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.\nThe wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie\ndown with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling\ntogether; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the\nbear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the\nlion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on\nthe hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the\ncockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy\nmountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord,\nas the waters cover the sea.”\n\nThis rod out of the stem of Jesse might be correctly\napplied to Christ, for Joseph was of the descendants of Jesse, the\nfather of David; but as Christ found existence through the Spirit of\nGod, He called Himself the Son of God. If He had not done so, this\ndescription would refer to Him. Besides this, the events which he\nindicated as coming to pass in the days of that rod, if interpreted\nsymbolically, were in part fulfilled in the day of Christ, but not\nall; and if not interpreted, then decidedly none of these signs\nhappened. For example, the leopard and the lamb, the lion and the\ncalf, the child and the asp, are metaphors and symbols for various\nnations, peoples, antagonistic sects and hostile races, who are as\nopposite and inimical as the wolf and lamb. We say that by the breath\nof the spirit of Christ they found concord and harmony, they were\nvivified, and they associated together.\n\nBut “they shall not hurt nor destroy in all My\nholy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the\nLord, as the waters cover the sea.” These conditions did not\nprevail in the time of the manifestation of Christ; for until today\nvarious and antagonistic nations exist in the world: very few\nacknowledge the God of Israel, and the greater number are without the\nknowledge of God. In the same way, universal peace did not come into\nexistence in the time of Christ—that is to say, between the\nantagonistic and hostile nations there was neither peace nor concord,\ndisputes and disagreements did not cease, and reconciliation and\nsincerity did not appear. So, even at this day, among the Christian\nsects and nations themselves, enmity, hatred and the most violent\nhostility are met with.\n\nBut these verses apply word for word to Bahá’u’lláh.\nLikewise in this marvelous cycle the earth will be transformed, and\nthe world of humanity arrayed in tranquillity and beauty. Disputes,\nquarrels and murders will be replaced by peace, truth and concord;\namong the nations, peoples, races and countries, love and amity will\nappear. Cooperation and union will be established, and finally war\nwill be entirely suppressed. When the laws of the Most Holy Book are\nenforced, contentions and disputes will find a final sentence of\nabsolute justice before a general tribunal of the nations and\nkingdoms, and the difficulties that appear will be solved. The five\ncontinents of the world will form but one, the numerous nations will\nbecome one, the surface of the earth will become one land, and\nmankind will be a single community. The relations between the\ncountries—the mingling, union and friendship of the peoples and\ncommunities—will reach to such a degree that the human race\nwill be like one family and kindred. The light of heavenly love will\nshine, and the darkness of enmity and hatred will be dispelled from\nthe world. Universal peace will raise its tent in the center of the\nearth, and the blessed Tree of Life will grow and spread to such an\nextent that it will overshadow the East and the West. Strong and\nweak, rich and poor, antagonistic sects and hostile nations—which\nare like the wolf and the lamb, the leopard and kid, the lion and the\ncalf—will act toward each other with the most complete love,\nfriendship, justice and equity. The world will be filled with\nscience, with the knowledge of the reality of the mysteries of\nbeings, and with the knowledge of God.\n\nNow consider, in this great century which is the cycle\nof Bahá’u’lláh, what progress science and\nknowledge have made, how many secrets of existence have been\ndiscovered, how many great inventions have been brought to light and\nare day by day multiplying in number. Before long, material science\nand learning, as well as the knowledge of God, will make such\nprogress and will show forth such wonders that the beholders will be\namazed. Then the mystery of this verse in Isaiah, “For the\nearth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord,” will be\ncompletely evident.\n\nReflect also that in the short time since Bahá’u’lláh\nhas appeared, people from all countries, nations and races have\nentered under the shadow of this Cause. Christians, Jews,\nZoroastrians, Buddhists, Hindus and Persians all associate together\nwith the greatest friendship and love, as if indeed these people had\nbeen related and connected together, they and theirs, for a thousand\nyears; for they are like father and child, mother and daughter,\nsister and brother. This is one of the meanings of the companionship\nof the wolf and the lamb, the leopard and the kid, and the lion and\nthe calf.\n\nOne of the great events which is to occur in the Day of\nthe manifestation of that Incomparable Branch (Bahá’u’lláh)\nis the hoisting of the Standard of God among all nations. By this is\nmeant that all nations and kindreds will be gathered together under\nthe shadow of this Divine Banner, which is no other than the Lordly\nBranch itself, and will become a single nation. Religious and\nsectarian antagonism, the hostility of races and peoples, and\ndifferences among nations, will be eliminated. All men will adhere to\none religion, will have one common faith, will be blended into one\nrace, and become a single people. All will dwell in one common\nfatherland, which is the planet itself. Universal peace and concord\nwill be realized between all the nations, and that Incomparable\nBranch will gather together all Israel, signifying that in this cycle\nIsrael will be gathered in the Holy Land, and that the Jewish people\nwho are scattered to the East and West, South and North, will be\nassembled together.\n\nNow see: these events did not take place in the\nChristian cycle, for the nations did not come under the One Standard\nwhich is the Divine Branch. But in this cycle of the Lord of Hosts\nall the nations and peoples will enter under the shadow of this Flag.\nIn the same way, Israel, scattered all over the world, was not\nreassembled in the Holy Land in the Christian cycle; but in the\nbeginning of the cycle of Bahá’u’lláh this\ndivine promise, as is clearly stated in all the Books of the\nProphets, has begun to be manifest. You can see that from all the\nparts of the world tribes of Jews are coming to the Holy Land; they\nlive in villages and lands which they make their own, and day by day\nthey are increasing to such an extent that all Palestine will become\ntheir home.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "13: COMMENTARY ON THE TWELFTH CHAPTER OF THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN",
"slug": "saq-13-commentary-on-the-twelfth-chapter-of-the-revelation-of-st-john",
"summary": "We have before explained that what is most frequently meant by the Holy City, the Jerusalem of God, which is mentioned in the Holy Book, is the Law of God. It is compared sometimes to a bride, and sometimes to Jerusalem, and again to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"the Báb"
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"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"women",
"children"
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"virtues": [
"justice",
"truthfulness"
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"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
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"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 9,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWe have before explained that what is most frequently\nmeant by the Holy City, the Jerusalem of God, which is mentioned in\nthe Holy Book, is the Law of God. It is compared sometimes to a\nbride, and sometimes to Jerusalem, and again to the new heaven and\nearth. So in chapter 21, verses 1, 2 and 3 of the Revelation of St.\nJohn, it is said: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for\nthe first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was\nno more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down\nfrom God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.\nAnd I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the\ntabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they\nshall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their\nGod.”\n\nNotice how clear and evident it is that the first heaven\nand earth signify the former Law. For it is said that the first\nheaven and earth have passed away and there is no more sea—that\nis to say, that the earth is the place of judgment, and on this earth\nof judgment there is no sea, meaning that the teachings and the Law\nof God will entirely spread over the earth, and all men will enter\nthe Cause of God, and the earth will be completely inhabited by\nbelievers; therefore, there will be no more sea, for the dwelling\nplace and abode of man is the dry land. In other words, at that epoch\nthe field of that Law will become the pleasure-ground of man. Such\nearth is solid; the feet do not slip upon it.\n\nThe Law of God is also described as the Holy City, the\nNew Jerusalem. It is evident that the New Jerusalem which descends\nfrom heaven is not a city of stone, mortar, bricks, earth and wood.\nIt is the Law of God which descends from heaven and is called new,\nfor it is clear that the Jerusalem which is of stone and earth does\nnot descend from heaven, and that it is not renewed; but that which\nis renewed is the Law of God.\n\nThe Law of God is also compared to an adorned bride who\nappears with most beautiful ornaments, as it has been said in chapter\n21 of the Revelation of St. John: “And I John saw the holy\ncity, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as\na bride adorned for her husband.”73\nAnd in chapter 12, verse 1, it is said: “And there appeared a\ngreat wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon\nunder her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.”\nThis woman is that bride, the Law of God that descended upon\nMuḥammad. The sun with which she was clothed, and the moon\nwhich was under her feet, are the two nations which are under the\nshadow of that Law, the Persian and Ottoman kingdoms; for the emblem\nof Persia is the sun, and that of the Ottoman Empire is the crescent\nmoon. Thus the sun and moon are the emblems of two kingdoms which are\nunder the power of the Law of God. Afterward it is said: “upon\nher head is a crown of twelve stars.” These twelve stars are\nthe twelve Imáms, who were the promoters of the Law of\nMuḥammad and the educators of the people, shining like stars in\nthe heaven of guidance.\n\nThen it is said in the second verse: “and she\nbeing with child cried,” meaning that this Law fell into the\ngreatest difficulties and endured great troubles and afflictions\nuntil a perfect offspring was produced—that is, the coming\nManifestation, the Promised One, Who is the perfect offspring, and\nWho was reared in the bosom of this Law, which is as its mother. The\nchild Who is referred to is the Báb, the Primal Point, Who was\nin truth born from the Law of Muḥammad—that is to say,\nthe Holy Reality, Who is the child and outcome of the Law of God, His\nmother, and Who is promised by that religion, finds a reality in the\nkingdom of that Law; but because of the despotism of the dragon the\nchild was carried up to God. After twelve hundred and sixty days the\ndragon was destroyed, and the child of the Law of God, the Promised\nOne, became manifest.\n\nVerses 3 and 4. “And there appeared a great wonder\nin heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten\nhorns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third\npart of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth.”74\nThese signs are an allusion to the dynasty of the Umayyads who\ndominated the Muḥammadan religion. Seven heads and seven crowns\nmean seven countries and dominions over which the Umayyads had power:\nthey were the Roman dominion around Damascus; and the Persian,\nArabian and Egyptian dominions, together with the dominion of\nAfrica—that is to say, Tunis, Morocco and Algeria; the dominion\nof Andalusia, which is now Spain; and the dominion of the Turks of\nTransoxania. The Umayyads had power over these countries. The ten\nhorns mean the names of the Umayyad rulers—that is, without\nrepetition, there were ten names of rulers, meaning ten names of\ncommanders and chiefs—the first is Abú Súfyán\nand the last Marván—but several of them bear the same\nname. So there are two Muáviyá, three Yazíd, two\nValíd, and two Marván; but if the names were counted\nwithout repetition there would be ten. The Umayyads, of whom the\nfirst was Abú Súfyán, Amír of Mecca and\nchief of the dynasty of the Umayyads, and the last was Marván,\ndestroyed the third part of the holy and saintly people of the\nlineage of Muḥammad who were like the stars of heaven.\n\nVerse 4. “And the dragon stood before the woman\nwhich was ready to be delivered, for to devour the child as soon as\nit was born.”75\nAs we have before explained, this woman is the Law of God. The dragon\nwas standing near the woman to devour her child, and this child was\nthe promised Manifestation, the offspring of the Law of Muḥammad.\nThe Umayyads were always waiting to get possession of the Promised\nOne, Who was to come from the line of Muḥammad, to destroy and\nannihilate Him; for they much feared the appearance of the promised\nManifestation, and they sought to kill any of Muḥammad’s\ndescendants who might be highly esteemed.\n\nVerse 5. “And she brought forth a man child, Who\nwas to rule all nations with a rod of iron.” This great son is\nthe promised Manifestation Who was born of the Law of God and reared\nin the bosom of the divine teachings. The iron rod is a symbol of\npower and might—it is not a sword—and means that with\ndivine power and might He will shepherd all the nations of the earth.\nThis son is the Báb.\n\nVerse 5. “And her child was caught up unto God,\nand to His throne.” This is a prophecy of the Báb, Who\nascended to the heavenly realm, to the Throne of God, and to the\ncenter of His Kingdom. Consider how all this corresponds to what\nhappened.\n\nVerse 6. “And the woman fled into the\nwilderness”—that is to say, the Law of God fled to the\nwilderness, meaning the vast desert of Ḥijáz, and the\nArabian Peninsula.\n\nVerse 6. “Where she had a place prepared of God.”76\nThe Arabian Peninsula became the abode and dwelling place, and the\ncenter of the Law of God.\n\nVerse 6. “That they should feed her there a\nthousand two hundred and threescore days.” In the terminology\nof the Holy Book these twelve hundred and sixty days mean the twelve\nhundred and sixty years that the Law of God was set up in the\nwilderness of Arabia, the great desert: from it the Promised One has\ncome. After twelve hundred and sixty years that Law will have no more\ninfluence, for the fruit of that tree will have appeared, and the\nresult will have been produced.\n\nConsider how the prophecies correspond to one another.\nIn the Apocalypse, the appearance of the Promised One is appointed\nafter forty-two months, and Daniel expresses it as three times and a\nhalf, which is also forty-two months, which are twelve hundred and\nsixty days. In another passage of John’s Revelation it is\nclearly spoken of as twelve hundred and sixty days, and in the Holy\nBook it is said that each day signifies one year. Nothing could be\nclearer than this agreement of the prophecies with one another. The\nBáb appeared in the year 1260 of the Hejira of Muḥammad,\nwhich is the beginning of the universal era-reckoning of all Islám.\nThere are no clearer proofs than this in the Holy Books for any\nManifestation. For him who is just, the agreement of the times\nindicated by the tongues of the Great Ones is the most conclusive\nproof. There is no other possible explanation of these prophecies.\nBlessed are the just souls who seek the truth. But failing justice,\nthe people attack, dispute and openly deny the evidence, like the\nPharisees who, at the manifestation of Christ, denied with the\ngreatest obstinacy the explanations of Christ and of His disciples.\nThey obscured Christ’s Cause before the ignorant people,\nsaying, “These prophecies are not of Jesus, but of the Promised\nOne Who shall come later, according to the conditions mentioned in\nthe Bible.” Some of these conditions were that He must have a\nkingdom, be seated on the throne of David, enforce the Law of the\nBible, and manifest such justice that the wolf and the lamb shall\ngather at the same spring.\n\nAnd thus they prevented the people from knowing Christ.\n\nNote.—In these last conversations ‘Abdu’l-Bahá\nwishes to reconcile in a new interpretation the apocalyptic\nprophecies of the Jews, the Christians and the Muslims, rather than\nto show their supernatural character. On the powers of the Prophets,\ncf. “The Knowledge of the Divine Manifestations,” p. 157;\nand “Visions and Communication with Spirits,” p. 251.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "14: SPIRITUAL PROOFS",
"slug": "saq-14-spiritual-proofs",
"summary": "In this material world time has cycles; places change through alternating seasons, and for souls there are progress, retrogression and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
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"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"fast",
"recognition",
"seeking"
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"virtues": [
"joy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 8,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn this material world time has cycles; places change\nthrough alternating seasons, and for souls there are progress,\nretrogression and education.\n\nAt one time it is the season of spring; at another it is\nthe season of autumn; and again it is the season of summer or the\nseason of winter.\n\nIn the spring there are the clouds which send down the\nprecious rain, the musk-scented breezes and life-giving zephyrs; the\nair is perfectly temperate, the rain falls, the sun shines, the\nfecundating wind wafts the clouds, the world is renewed, and the\nbreath of life appears in plants, in animals and in men. Earthly\nbeings pass from one condition to another. All things are clothed in\nnew garments, and the black earth is covered with herbage; mountains\nand plains are adorned with verdure; trees bear leaves and blossoms;\ngardens bring forth flowers and fragrant herbs. The world becomes\nanother world, and it attains to a life-giving spirit. The earth was\na lifeless body; it finds a new spirit, and produces endless beauty,\ngrace and freshness. Thus the spring is the cause of new life and\ninfuses a new spirit.\n\nAfterward comes the summer, when the heat increases, and\ngrowth and development attain their greatest power. The energy of\nlife in the vegetable kingdom reaches to the degree of perfection,\nthe fruit appears, and the time of harvest ripens; a seed has become\na sheaf, and the food is stored for winter. Afterward comes\ntumultuous autumn when unwholesome and sterile winds blow; it is the\nseason of sickness, when all things are withered, and the balmy air\nis vitiated. The breezes of spring are changed to autumn winds; the\nfertile green trees have become withered and bare; flowers and\nfragrant herbs fade away; the beautiful garden becomes a dustheap.\nFollowing this comes the season of winter, with cold and tempests. It\nsnows, rains, hails, storms, thunders and lightens, freezes and\ncongeals; all plants die, and animals languish and are wretched.\n\nWhen this state is reached, again a new life-giving\nspring returns, and the cycle is renewed. The season of spring with\nits hosts of freshness and beauty spreads its tent on the plains and\nmountains with great pomp and magnificence. A second time the form of\nthe creatures is renewed, and the creation of beings begins afresh;\nbodies grow and develop, the plains and wildernesses become green and\nfertile, trees bring forth blossoms, and the spring of last year\nreturns in the utmost fullness and glory. Such is, and such ought to\nbe, the cycle and succession of existence. Such is the cycle and\nrevolution of the material world.\n\nIt is the same with the spiritual cycles of the\nProphets—that is to say, the day of the appearance of the Holy\nManifestations is the spiritual springtime; it is the divine\nsplendor; it is the heavenly bounty, the breeze of life, the rising\nof the Sun of Reality. Spirits are quickened; hearts are refreshed\nand invigorated; souls become good; existence is set in motion; human\nrealities are gladdened, and grow and develop in good qualities and\nperfections. General progress is achieved and revival takes place,\nfor it is the day of resurrection, the time of excitement and\nferment, and the season of bliss, of joy and of intense rapture.\n\nAfterward the life-giving spring ends in fruitful\nsummer. The word of God is exalted, the Law of God is promulgated;\nall things reach perfection. The heavenly table is spread, the holy\nbreezes perfume the East and the West, the teachings of God conquer\nthe world, men become educated, praiseworthy results are produced,\nuniversal progress appears in the world of humanity, and the divine\nbounties surround all things. The Sun of Reality rises from the\nhorizon of the Kingdom with the greatest power and heat. When it\nreaches the meridian, it will begin to decline and descend, and the\nspiritual summer will be followed by autumn, when growth and\ndevelopment are arrested. Breezes change into blighting winds, and\nthe unwholesome season dissipates the beauty and freshness of the\ngardens, plains and bowers—that is to say, attraction and\ngoodwill do not remain, divine qualities are changed, the radiance of\nhearts is dimmed, the spirituality of souls is altered, virtues are\nreplaced by vices, and holiness and purity disappear. Only the name\nof the Religion of God remains, and the exoteric forms of the divine\nteachings. The foundations of the Religion of God are destroyed and\nannihilated, and nothing but forms and customs exist. Divisions\nappear, firmness is changed into instability, and spirits become\ndead; hearts languish, souls become inert, and winter arrives—that\nis to say, the coldness of ignorance envelops the world, and the\ndarkness of human error prevails. After this come indifference,\ndisobedience, inconsiderateness, indolence, baseness, animal\ninstincts and the coldness and insensibility of stones. It is like\nthe season of winter when the terrestrial globe, deprived of the\neffect of the heat of the sun, becomes desolate and dreary. When the\nworld of intelligence and thought has reached to this state, there\nremain only continual death and perpetual nonexistence.\n\nWhen the season of winter has had its effect, again the\nspiritual springtime returns, and a new cycle appears. Spiritual\nbreezes blow, the luminous dawn gleams, the divine clouds give rain,\nthe rays of the Sun of Reality shine forth, the contingent world\nattains unto a new life and is clad in a wonderful garment. All the\nsigns and the gifts of the past springtime reappear, with perhaps\neven greater splendor in this new season.\n\nThe spiritual cycles of the Sun of Reality are like the\ncycles of the material sun: they are always revolving and being\nrenewed. The Sun of Reality, like the material sun, has numerous\nrising and dawning places: one day it rises from the zodiacal sign of\nCancer, another day from the sign of Libra or Aquarius; another time\nit is from the sign of Aries that it diffuses its rays. But the sun\nis one sun and one reality; the people of knowledge are lovers of the\nsun, and are not fascinated by the places of its rising and dawning.\nThe people of perception are the seekers of the truth, and not of the\nplaces of its appearance, nor of its dawning points; therefore, they\nwill adore the Sun from whatever point in the zodiac it may appear,\nand they will seek the Reality in every Sanctified Soul Who manifests\nit. Such people always attain to the truth and are not veiled from\nthe Sun of the Divine World. So the lover of the sun and the seeker\nof the light will always turn toward the sun, whether it shines from\nthe sign of Aries or gives its bounty from the sign of Cancer, or\nradiates from Gemini; but the ignorant and uninstructed are lovers of\nthe signs of the zodiac, and enamored and fascinated by the\nrising-places, and not by the sun. When it was in the sign of Cancer,\nthey turned toward it, though afterward the sun changed to the sign\nof Libra; as they were lovers of the sign, they turned toward it and\nattached themselves to it, and were deprived of the influences of the\nsun merely because it had changed its place. For example, once the\nSun of Reality poured forth its rays from the sign of Abraham, and\nthen it dawned from the sign of Moses and illuminated the horizon.\nAfterward it rose with the greatest power and brilliancy from the\nsign of Christ. Those who were the seekers of Reality worshiped that\nReality wherever they saw it, but those who were attached to Abraham\nwere deprived of its influences when it shone upon Sinai and\nilluminated the reality of Moses. Those who held fast to Moses, when\nthe Sun of Reality shone from Christ with the utmost radiance and\nlordly splendor, were also veiled; and so forth.\n\nTherefore, man must be the seeker after the Reality, and\nhe will find that Reality in each of the Sanctified Souls. He must be\nfascinated and enraptured, and attracted to the divine bounty; he\nmust be like the butterfly who is the lover of the light from\nwhatever lamp it may shine, and like the nightingale who is the lover\nof the rose in whatever garden it may grow.\n\nIf the sun were to rise in the West, it would still be\nthe sun; one must not withdraw from it on account of its\nrising-place, nor consider the West to be always the place of sunset.\nIn the same way, one must look for the heavenly bounties and seek for\nthe Divine Aurora. In every place where it appears, one must become\nits distracted lover. Consider that if the Jews had not kept turning\nto the horizon of Moses, and had only regarded the Sun of Reality,\nwithout any doubt they would have recognized the Sun in the\ndawning-place of the reality of Christ, in the greatest divine\nsplendor. But, alas! a thousand times alas! attaching themselves to\nthe outward words of Moses, they were deprived of the divine bounties\nand the lordly splendors!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "15: TRUE WEALTH",
"slug": "saq-15-true-wealth",
"summary": "The honor and exaltation of every existing being depends upon causes and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
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"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
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"virtues": [
"compassion",
"courage",
"gentleness",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
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"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe honor and exaltation of every existing being depends\nupon causes and circumstances.\n\nThe excellency, the adornment and the perfection of the\nearth is to be verdant and fertile through the bounty of the clouds\nof springtime. Plants grow; flowers and fragrant herbs spring up;\nfruit-bearing trees become full of blossoms and bring forth fresh and\nnew fruit. Gardens become beautiful, and meadows adorned; mountains\nand plains are clad in a green robe, and gardens, fields, villages\nand cities are decorated. This is the prosperity of the mineral\nworld.\n\nThe height of exaltation and the perfection of the\nvegetable world is that a tree should grow on the bank of a stream of\nfresh water, that a gentle breeze should blow on it, that the warmth\nof the sun should shine on it, that a gardener should attend to its\ncultivation, and that day by day it should develop and yield fruit.\nBut its real prosperity is to progress into the animal and human\nworld, and replace that which has been exhausted in the bodies of\nanimals and men.\n\nThe exaltation of the animal world is to possess perfect\nmembers, organs and powers, and to have all its needs supplied. This\nis its chief glory, its honor and exaltation. So the supreme\nhappiness of an animal is to have possession of a green and fertile\nmeadow, perfectly pure flowing water, and a lovely, verdant forest.\nIf these things are provided for it, no greater prosperity can be\nimagined. For example, if a bird builds its nest in a green and\nfruitful forest, in a beautiful high place, upon a strong tree, and\nat the top of a lofty branch, and if it finds all it needs of seeds\nand water, this is its perfect prosperity.\n\nBut real prosperity for the animal consists in passing\nfrom the animal world to the human world, like the microscopic beings\nthat, through the water and air, enter into man and are assimilated,\nand replace that which has been consumed in his body. This is the\ngreat honor and prosperity for the animal world; no greater honor can\nbe conceived for it.\n\nTherefore, it is evident and clear that this wealth,\nthis comfort and this material abundance form the complete prosperity\nof minerals, vegetables and animals. No riches, wealth, comfort or\nease of the material world is equal to the wealth of a bird; all the\nareas of these plains and mountains are its dwelling, and all the\nseeds and harvests are its food and wealth, and all the lands,\nvillages, meadows, pastures, forests and wildernesses are its\npossessions. Now, which is the richer, this bird, or the most wealthy\nman? for no matter how many seeds it may take or bestow, its wealth\ndoes not decrease.\n\nThen it is clear that the honor and exaltation of man\nmust be something more than material riches. Material comforts are\nonly a branch, but the root of the exaltation of man is the good\nattributes and virtues which are the adornments of his reality. These\nare the divine appearances, the heavenly bounties, the sublime\nemotions, the love and knowledge of God; universal wisdom,\nintellectual perception, scientific discoveries, justice, equity,\ntruthfulness, benevolence, natural courage and innate fortitude; the\nrespect for rights and the keeping of agreements and covenants;\nrectitude in all circumstances; serving the truth under all\nconditions; the sacrifice of one’s life for the good of all\npeople; kindness and esteem for all nations; obedience to the\nteachings of God; service in the Divine Kingdom; the guidance of the\npeople, and the education of the nations and races. This is the\nprosperity of the human world! This is the exaltation of man in the\nworld! This is eternal life and heavenly honor!\n\nThese virtues do not appear from the reality of man\nexcept through the power of God and the divine teachings, for they\nneed supernatural power for their manifestation. It may be that in\nthe world of nature a trace of these perfections may appear, but they\nare unstable and ephemeral; they are like the rays of the sun upon\nthe wall.\n\nAs the compassionate God has placed such a wonderful\ncrown upon the head of man, man should strive that its brilliant\njewels may become visible in the world.\n\n\n\n\n\n Part Two: SOME CHRISTIAN SUBJECTS\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "16: OUTWARD FORMS AND SYMBOLS MUST BE USED TO CONVEY INTELLECTUAL CONCEPTIONS",
"slug": "saq-16-outward-forms-and-symbols-must-be-used-to-convey-intellectual-conceptions",
"summary": "A subject that is essential77 for the comprehension of the questions that we have mentioned, and of others of which we are about to speak, so that the essence of the problems may be understood, is this: that human knowledge is of two…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nA subject that is essential77\nfor the comprehension of the questions that we have mentioned, and of\nothers of which we are about to speak, so that the essence of the\nproblems may be understood, is this: that human knowledge is of two\nkinds. One is the knowledge of things perceptible to the senses—that\nis to say, things which the eye, or ear, or smell, or taste, or touch\ncan perceive, which are called objective or sensible. So the sun,\nbecause it can be seen, is said to be objective; and in the same way\nsounds are sensible because the ear hears them; perfumes are sensible\nbecause they can be inhaled and the sense of smell perceives them;\nfoods are sensible because the palate perceives their sweetness,\nsourness or saltness; heat and cold are sensible because the feelings\nperceive them. These are said to be sensible realities.\n\nThe other kind of human knowledge is intellectual—that\nis to say, it is a reality of the intellect; it has no outward form\nand no place and is not perceptible to the senses. For example, the\npower of intellect is not sensible; none of the inner qualities of\nman is a sensible thing; on the contrary, they are intellectual\nrealities. So love is a mental reality and not sensible; for this\nreality the ear does not hear, the eye does not see, the smell does\nnot perceive, the taste does not discern, the touch does not feel.\nEven ethereal matter, the forces of which are said in physics to be\nheat, light, electricity and magnetism, is an intellectual reality,\nand is not sensible. In the same way, nature, also, in its essence is\nan intellectual reality and is not sensible; the human spirit is an\nintellectual, not sensible reality. In explaining these intellectual\nrealities, one is obliged to express them by sensible figures because\nin exterior existence there is nothing that is not material.\nTherefore, to explain the reality of the spirit—its condition,\nits station—one is obliged to give explanations under the forms\nof sensible things because in the external world all that exists is\nsensible. For example, grief and happiness are intellectual things;\nwhen you wish to express those spiritual qualities you say: “My\nheart is oppressed; my heart is dilated,” though the heart of\nman is neither oppressed nor dilated. This is an intellectual or\nspiritual state, to explain which you are obliged to have recourse to\nsensible figures. Another example: you say, “such an individual\nmade great progress,” though he is remaining in the same place;\nor again, “such a one’s position was exalted,”\nalthough, like everyone else, he walks upon the earth. This\nexaltation and this progress are spiritual states and intellectual\nrealities, but to explain them you are obliged to have recourse to\nsensible figures because in the exterior world there is nothing that\nis not sensible.\n\nSo the symbol of knowledge is light, and of ignorance,\ndarkness; but reflect, is knowledge sensible light, or ignorance\nsensible darkness? No, they are merely symbols. These are only\nintellectual states, but when you desire to express them outwardly,\nyou call knowledge light, and ignorance darkness. You say: “My\nheart was gloomy, and it became enlightened.” Now, that light\nof knowledge, and that darkness of ignorance, are intellectual\nrealities, not sensible ones; but when we seek for explanations in\nthe external world, we are obliged to give them a sensible form.\n\nThen it is evident that the dove which descended upon\nChrist was not a material dove, but it was a spiritual state, which,\nthat it might be comprehensible, was expressed by a sensible figure.\nThus in the Old Testament it is said that God appeared as a pillar of\nfire: this does not signify the material form; it is an intellectual\nreality which is expressed by a sensible image.\n\nChrist says, “The Father is in the Son, and the\nSon is in the Father.” Was Christ within God, or God within\nChrist? No, in the name of God! On the contrary, this is an\nintellectual state which is expressed in a sensible figure.\n\nWe come to the explanation of the words of Bahá’u’lláh\nwhen He says: “O king! I was but a man like others, asleep upon\nMy couch, when lo, the breezes of the All-Glorious were wafted over\nMe, and taught Me the knowledge of all that hath been. This thing is\nnot from Me, but from One Who is Almighty and All-Knowing.”78\nThis is the state of manifestation: it is not sensible; it is an\nintellectual reality, exempt and freed from time, from past, present\nand future; it is an explanation, a simile, a metaphor and is not to\nbe accepted literally; it is not a state that can be comprehended by\nman. Sleeping and waking is passing from one state to another.\nSleeping is the condition of repose, and wakefulness is the condition\nof movement. Sleeping is the state of silence; wakefulness is the\nstate of speech. Sleeping is the state of mystery; wakefulness is the\nstate of manifestation.\n\nFor example, it is a Persian and Arabic expression to\nsay that the earth was asleep, and the spring came, and it awoke; or\nthe earth was dead, and the spring came, and it revived. These\nexpressions are metaphors, allegories, mystic explanations in the\nworld of signification.\n\nBriefly, the Holy Manifestations have ever been, and\never will be, Luminous Realities; no change or variation takes place\nin Their essence. Before declaring Their manifestation, They are\nsilent and quiet like a sleeper, and after Their manifestation, They\nspeak and are illuminated, like one who is awake.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "17: THE BIRTH OF CHRIST",
"slug": "saq-17-the-birth-of-christ",
"summary": "Question.—How was Christ born of the Holy…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
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"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
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"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
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"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
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"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—How was Christ born of the Holy Spirit?\n\nAnswer.—In regard to this question, theologians\nand materialists disagree. The theologians believe that Christ was\nborn of the Holy Spirit, but the materialists think this is\nimpossible and inadmissible, and that without doubt He had a human\nfather.\n\nIn the Qur’án it is said: “And We\nsent Our Spirit unto her, and He appeared unto her in the shape of a\nperfect man,”79\nmeaning that the Holy Spirit took the likeness of the human form, as\nan image is produced in a mirror, and he addressed Mary.\n\nThe materialists believe that there must be marriage,\nand say that a living body cannot be created from a lifeless body,\nand without male and female there cannot be fecundation. And they\nthink that not only with man, but also with animals and plants, it is\nimpossible. For this union of the male and female exists in all\nliving beings and plants. This pairing of things is even shown forth\nin the Qur’án: “Glory be to Him Who has created\nall the pairs: of such things as the earth produceth, and of\nthemselves; and of things which they know not”80—that\nis to say, men, animals and plants are all in pairs—“and\nof everything have We created two kinds”—that is to say,\nWe have created all the beings through pairing.\n\nBriefly, they say a man without a human father cannot be\nimagined. In answer, the theologians say: “This thing is not\nimpossible and unachievable, but it has not been seen; and there is a\ngreat difference between a thing which is impossible and one which is\nunknown. For example, in former times the telegraph, which causes the\nEast and the West to communicate, was unknown but not impossible;\nphotography and phonography were unknown but not impossible.”\n\nThe materialists insist upon this belief, and the\ntheologians reply: “Is this globe eternal or phenomenal?”\nThe materialists answer that, according to science and important\ndiscoveries, it is established that it is phenomenal; in the\nbeginning it was a flaming globe, and gradually it became temperate;\na crust was formed around it, and upon this crust plants came into\nexistence, then animals, and finally man.\n\nThe theologians say: “Then from your statement it\nhas become evident and clear that mankind is phenomenal upon the\nglobe, and not eternal. Then surely the first man had neither father\nnor mother, for the existence of man is phenomenal. Is not the\ncreation of man without father and mother, even though gradually,\nmore difficult than if he had simply come into existence without a\nfather? As you admit that the first man came into existence without\nfather or mother—whether it be gradually or at once—there\ncan remain no doubt that a man without a human father is also\npossible and admissible; you cannot consider this impossible;\notherwise, you are illogical. For example, if you say that this lamp\nhas once been lighted without wick and oil, and then say that it is\nimpossible to light it without the wick, this is illogical.”\nChrist had a mother; the first man, as the materialists believe, had\nneither father nor mother.81\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "18: THE GREATNESS OF CHRIST IS DUE TO HIS PERFECTIONS",
"slug": "saq-18-the-greatness-of-christ-is-due-to-his-perfections",
"summary": "A great man is a great man, whether born of a human father or not. If being without a father is a virtue, Adam is greater and more excellent than all the Prophets and Messengers, for He had neither father nor mother. That which causes…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nA great man is a great man, whether born of a human\nfather or not. If being without a father is a virtue, Adam is greater\nand more excellent than all the Prophets and Messengers, for He had\nneither father nor mother. That which causes honor and greatness is\nthe splendor and bounty of the divine perfections. The sun is born\nfrom substance and form, which can be compared to father and mother,\nand it is absolute perfection; but the darkness has neither substance\nnor form, neither father nor mother, and it is absolute imperfection.\nThe substance of Adam’s physical life was earth, but the\nsubstance of Abraham was pure sperm; it is certain that the pure and\nchaste sperm is superior to earth.\n\nFurthermore, in the first chapter of the Gospel of John,\nverses 12 and 13, it is said: “But as many as received Him, to\nthem gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that\nbelieved on His name:\n\n“Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of\nthe flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”82\n\nFrom these verses it is obvious that the being of a\ndisciple also is not created by physical power, but by the spiritual\nreality. The honor and greatness of Christ is not due to the fact\nthat He did not have a human father, but to His perfections, bounties\nand divine glory. If the greatness of Christ is His being fatherless,\nthen Adam is greater than Christ, for He had neither father nor\nmother. It is said in the Old Testament, “And the Lord God\nformed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils\nthe breath of life; and man became a living soul.”83\nObserve that it is said that Adam came into existence from the Spirit\nof life. Moreover, the expression which John uses in regard to the\ndisciples proves that they also are from the Heavenly Father. Hence\nit is evident that the holy reality, meaning the real existence of\nevery great man, comes from God and owes its being to the breath of\nthe Holy Spirit.\n\nThe purport is that, if to be without a father is the\ngreatest human glory, then Adam is greater than all, for He had\nneither father nor mother. Is it better for a man to be created from\na living substance or from earth? Certainly it is better if he be\ncreated from a living substance. But Christ was born and came into\nexistence from the Holy Spirit.\n\nTo conclude: the splendor and honor of the holy souls\nand the Divine Manifestations come from Their heavenly perfections,\nbounties and glory, and from nothing else.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "19: THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST",
"slug": "saq-19-the-baptism-of-christ",
"summary": "Question.—It is said in the Gospel of St. Matthew, chapter 3, verses 13, 14, 15: “Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbade Him, saying, I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"administration",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"love",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—It is said in the Gospel of St. Matthew,\nchapter 3, verses 13, 14, 15: “Then cometh Jesus from Galilee\nto Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbade Him,\nsaying, I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me?\nAnd Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus\nit becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered Him.”\n\nWhat is the wisdom of this: since Christ possessed all\nessential perfection, why did He need baptism?\n\nAnswer.—The principle of baptism is purification\nby repentance. John admonished and exhorted the people, and caused\nthem to repent; then he baptized them. Therefore, it is apparent that\nthis baptism is a symbol of repentance from all sin: its meaning is\nexpressed in these words: “O God! as my body has become\npurified and cleansed from physical impurities, in the same way\npurify and sanctify my spirit from the impurities of the world of\nnature, which are not worthy of the Threshold of Thy Unity!”\nRepentance is the return from disobedience to obedience. Man, after\nremoteness and deprivation from God, repents and undergoes\npurification: and this is a symbol signifying “O God! make my\nheart good and pure, freed and sanctified from all save Thy love.”\n\nAs Christ desired that this institution of John should\nbe used at that time by all, He Himself conformed to it in order to\nawaken the people and to complete the law of the former religion.\nAlthough the ablution of repentance was the institution of John, it\nwas in reality formerly practiced in the religion of God.\n\nChrist was not in need of baptism; but as at that time\nit was an acceptable and praiseworthy action, and a sign of the glad\ntidings of the Kingdom, therefore, He confirmed it. However,\nafterward He said the true baptism is not with material water, but it\nmust be with spirit and with water. In this case water does not\nsignify material water, for elsewhere it is explicitly said baptism\nis with spirit and with fire, from which it is clear that the\nreference is not to material fire and material water, for baptism\nwith fire is impossible.\n\nTherefore, the spirit is the bounty of God, the water is\nknowledge and life, and the fire is the love of God. For material\nwater does not purify the heart of man; no, it cleanses his body. But\nthe heavenly water and spirit, which are knowledge and life, make the\nhuman heart good and pure; the heart which receives a portion of the\nbounty of the Spirit becomes sanctified, good and pure—that is\nto say, the reality of man becomes purified and sanctified from the\nimpurities of the world of nature. These natural impurities are evil\nqualities: anger, lust, worldliness, pride, lying, hypocrisy, fraud,\nself-love, etc.\n\nMan cannot free himself from the rage of the carnal\npassions except by the help of the Holy Spirit. That is why He says\nbaptism with the spirit, with water and with fire is necessary, and\nthat it is essential—that is to say, the spirit of divine\nbounty, the water of knowledge and life, and the fire of the love of\nGod. Man must be baptized with this spirit, this water and this fire\nso as to become filled with the eternal bounty. Otherwise, what is\nthe use of baptizing with material water? No, this baptism with water\nwas a symbol of repentance, and of seeking forgiveness of sins.\n\nBut in the cycle of Bahá’u’lláh\nthere is no longer need of this symbol; for its reality, which is to\nbe baptized with the spirit and love of God, is understood and\nestablished.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "2: PROOFS AND EVIDENCES OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD",
"slug": "saq-2-proofs-and-evidences-of-the-existence-of-god",
"summary": "One of the proofs and demonstrations of the existence of God is the fact that man did not create himself: nay, his creator and designer is another than…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
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"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
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"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne of the proofs and demonstrations of the existence of\nGod is the fact that man did not create himself: nay, his creator and\ndesigner is another than himself.\n\nIt is certain and indisputable that the creator of man\nis not like man because a powerless creature cannot create another\nbeing. The maker, the creator, has to possess all perfections in\norder that he may create.\n\nCan the creation be perfect and the creator imperfect?\nCan a picture be a masterpiece and the painter imperfect in his art?\nFor it is his art and his creation. Moreover, the picture cannot be\nlike the painter; otherwise, the painting would have created itself.\nHowever perfect the picture may be, in comparison with the painter it\nis in the utmost degree of imperfection.\n\nThe contingent world is the source of imperfections: God\nis the origin of perfections. The imperfections of the contingent\nworld are in themselves a proof of the perfections of God.\n\nFor example, when you look at man, you see that he is\nweak. This very weakness of the creature is a proof of the power of\nthe Eternal Almighty One, because, if there were no power, weakness\ncould not be imagined. Then the weakness of the creature is a proof\nof the power of God; for if there were no power, there could be no\nweakness; so from this weakness it becomes evident that there is\npower in the world. Again, in the contingent world there is poverty;\nthen necessarily wealth exists, since poverty is apparent in the\nworld. In the contingent world there is ignorance; necessarily\nknowledge exists, because ignorance is found; for if there were no\nknowledge, neither would there be ignorance. Ignorance is the\nnonexistence of knowledge, and if there were no existence,\nnonexistence could not be realized.\n\nIt is certain that the whole contingent world is\nsubjected to a law and rule which it can never disobey; even man is\nforced to submit to death, to sleep and to other conditions—that\nis to say, man in certain particulars is governed, and necessarily\nthis state of being governed implies the existence of a governor.\nBecause a characteristic of contingent beings is dependency, and this\ndependency is an essential necessity, therefore, there must be an\nindependent being whose independence is essential.\n\nIn the same way it is understood from the man who is\nsick that there must be one who is in health; for if there were no\nhealth, his sickness could not be proved.\n\nTherefore, it becomes evident that there is an Eternal\nAlmighty One, Who is the possessor of all perfections, because unless\nHe possessed all perfections He would be like His creation.\n\nThroughout the world of existence it is the same; the\nsmallest created thing proves that there is a creator. For instance,\nthis piece of bread proves that it has a maker.\n\nPraise be to God! the least change produced in the form\nof the smallest thing proves the existence of a creator: then can\nthis great universe, which is endless, be self-created and come into\nexistence from the action of matter and the elements? How\nself-evidently wrong is such a supposition!\n\nThese obvious arguments are adduced for weak souls; but\nif the inner perception be open, a hundred thousand clear proofs\nbecome visible. Thus, when man feels the indwelling spirit, he is in\nno need of arguments for its existence; but for those who are\ndeprived of the bounty of the spirit, it is necessary to establish\nexternal arguments.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "20: THE NECESSITY OF BAPTISM",
"slug": "saq-20-the-necessity-of-baptism",
"summary": "Question.—Is the ablution of baptism useful and necessary, or is it useless and unnecessary? In the first case, if it is useful, why was it abrogated? And in the second case, if it is useless, why did John practice…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"humility",
"patience",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—Is the ablution of baptism useful and\nnecessary, or is it useless and unnecessary? In the first case, if it\nis useful, why was it abrogated? And in the second case, if it is\nuseless, why did John practice it?\n\nAnswer.—The change in conditions, alterations and\ntransformations are necessities of the essence of beings, and\nessential necessities cannot be separated from the reality of things.\nSo it is absolutely impossible to separate heat from fire, humidity\nfrom water, or light from the sun, for they are essential\nnecessities. As the change and alteration of conditions are\nnecessities for beings, so laws also are changed and altered in\naccordance with the changes and alterations of the times. For\nexample, in the time of Moses, His Law was conformed and adapted to\nthe conditions of the time; but in the days of Christ these\nconditions had changed and altered to such an extent that the Mosaic\nLaw was no longer suited and adapted to the needs of mankind; and it\nwas, therefore, abrogated. Thus it was that Christ broke the Sabbath\nand forbade divorce. After Christ four disciples, among whom were\nPeter and Paul, permitted the use of animal food forbidden by the\nBible, except the eating of those animals which had been strangled,\nor which were sacrificed to idols, and of blood.84\nThey also forbade fornication. They maintained these four\ncommandments. Afterward, Paul permitted even the eating of strangled\nanimals, those sacrificed to idols, and blood, and only maintained\nthe prohibition of fornication. So in chapter 14, verse 14 of his\nEpistle to the Romans, Paul writes: “I know, and am persuaded\nby the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to\nhim that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.”\n\nAlso in the Epistle of Paul to Titus, chapter 1, verse\n15: “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are\ndefiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and\nconscience is defiled.”\n\nNow this change, these alterations and this abrogation\nare due to the impossibility of comparing the time of Christ with\nthat of Moses. The conditions and requirements in the later period\nwere entirely changed and altered. The former laws were, therefore,\nabrogated.\n\nThe existence of the world may be compared to that of a\nman, and the Prophets and Messengers of God to skillful doctors. The\nhuman being cannot remain in one condition: different maladies occur\nwhich have each a special remedy. The skillful physician does not\ngive the same medicine to cure each disease and each malady, but he\nchanges remedies and medicines according to the different necessities\nof the diseases and constitutions. One person may have a severe\nillness caused by fever, and the skilled doctor will give him cooling\nremedies; and when at some other time the condition of this person\nhas changed, and fever is replaced by chills, without doubt the\nskilled doctor will discard cooling medicine and permit the use of\nheating drugs. This change and alteration is required by the\ncondition of the patient and is an evident proof of the skill of the\nphysician.\n\nConsider, could the Law of the Old Testament be enforced\nat this epoch and time? No, in the name of God! it would be\nimpossible and impracticable; therefore, most certainly God abrogated\nthe laws of the Old Testament at the time of Christ. Reflect, also,\nthat baptism in the days of John the Baptist was used to awaken and\nadmonish the people to repent from all sin, and to watch for the\nappearance of the Kingdom of Christ. But at present in Asia, the\nCatholics and the Orthodox Church plunge newly born children into\nwater mixed with olive oil, and many of them become ill from the\nshock; at the time of baptism they struggle and become agitated. In\nother places, the clergy sprinkle the water of baptism on the\nforehead. But neither from the first form nor from the second do the\nchildren derive any spiritual benefit. Then what result is obtained\nfrom this form? Other peoples are amazed and wonder why the infant is\nplunged into the water, since this is neither the cause of the\nspiritual awakening of the child, nor of its faith or conversion, but\nit is only a custom which is followed. In the time of John the\nBaptist it was not so; no, at first John used to exhort the people,\nand to guide them to repentance from sin, and to fill them with the\ndesire to await the manifestation of Christ. Whoever received the\nablution of baptism, and repented of sins in absolute humility and\nmeekness, would also purify and cleanse his body from outward\nimpurities. With perfect yearning, night and day, he would constantly\nwait for the manifestation of Christ, and the entrance to the Kingdom\nof the Spirit of God.85\n\nTo recapitulate: our meaning is that the change and\nmodification of conditions, and the altered requirements of different\ncenturies and times, are the cause of the abrogation of laws. For a\ntime comes when these laws are no longer suitably adapted to\nconditions. Consider how very different are the requirements of the\nfirst centuries, of the Middle Ages, and of modern times. Is it\npossible that the laws of the first centuries could be enforced at\npresent? It is evident that it would be impossible and impracticable.\nIn the same manner, after the lapse of a few centuries, the\nrequirements of the present time will not be the same as those of the\nfuture, and certainly there will be change and alteration. In Europe\nthe laws are unceasingly altered and modified; in bygone years, how\nmany laws existed in the organizations and systems of Europe, which\nare now abrogated! These changes and alterations are due to the\nvariation and mutation of thought, conditions and customs. If it were\nnot so, the prosperity of the world of humanity would be wrecked.\n\nFor example, there is in the Pentateuch a law that if\nanyone break the Sabbath, he shall be put to death. Moreover, there\nare ten sentences of death in the Pentateuch. Would it be possible to\nkeep these laws in our time? It is clear that it would be absolutely\nimpossible. Consequently, there are changes and modifications in the\nlaws, and these are a sufficient proof of the supreme wisdom of God.\n\nThis subject needs deep thought. Then the cause of these\nchanges will be evident and apparent.\n\nBlessed are those who reflect!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "21: THE SYMBOLISM OF THE BREAD AND THE WINE",
"slug": "saq-21-the-symbolism-of-the-bread-and-the-wine",
"summary": "Question.—The Christ said: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die.”86 What is the meaning of this…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
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"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"transformation"
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"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
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"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
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"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—The Christ said: “I am the living\nbread which came down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not\ndie.”86\nWhat is the meaning of this utterance?\n\nAnswer.—This bread signifies the heavenly food and\ndivine perfections. So, “If any man eateth of this bread”\nmeans if any man acquires heavenly bounty, receives the divine light,\nor partakes of Christ’s perfections, he thereby gains\neverlasting life. The blood also signifies the spirit of life and the\ndivine perfections, the lordly splendor and eternal bounty. For all\nthe members of the body gain vital substance from the circulation of\nthe blood.\n\nIn the Gospel of St. John, chapter 6, verse 26, it is\nwritten: “Ye seek Me, not because ye saw the miracles, but\nbecause ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.”\n\nIt is evident that the bread of which the disciples ate\nand were filled was the heavenly bounty; for in verse 33 of the same\nchapter it is said: “For the bread of God is He which cometh\ndown from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” It is clear\nthat the body of Christ did not descend from heaven, but it came from\nthe womb of Mary; and that which descended from the heaven of God was\nthe spirit of Christ. As the Jews thought that Christ spoke of His\nbody, they made objections, for it is said in the 42nd verse of the\nsame chapter: “And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of\nJoseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he\nsaith, I came down from heaven?”\n\nReflect how clear it is that what Christ meant by the\nheavenly bread was His spirit, His bounties, His perfections and His\nteachings; for it is said in the 63rd verse: “It is the spirit\nthat quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing.”\n\nTherefore, it is evident that the spirit of Christ is a\nheavenly grace which descends from heaven; whosoever receives light\nfrom that spirit in abundance—that is to say, the heavenly\nteachings—finds everlasting life. That is why it is said in the\n35th verse: “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life:\nhe that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me\nshall never thirst.”\n\nNotice that “coming to Him” He expresses as\neating, and “belief in Him” as drinking. Then it is\nevident and established that the celestial food is the divine\nbounties, the spiritual splendors, the heavenly teachings, the\nuniversal meaning of Christ. To eat is to draw near to Him, and to\ndrink is to believe in Him. For Christ had an elemental body and a\ncelestial form. The elemental body was crucified, but the heavenly\nform is living and eternal, and the cause of everlasting life; the\nfirst was the human nature, and the second is the divine nature. It\nis thought by some that the Eucharist is the reality of Christ, and\nthat the Divinity and the Holy Spirit descend into and exist in it.\nNow when once the Eucharist is taken, after a few moments it is\nsimply disintegrated and entirely transformed. Therefore, how can\nsuch a thought be conceived? God forbid! certainly it is an absolute\nfantasy.\n\nTo conclude: through the manifestation of Christ, the\ndivine teachings, which are an eternal bounty, were spread abroad,\nthe light of guidance shone forth, and the spirit of life was\nconferred on man. Whoever found guidance became living; whoever\nremained lost was seized by enduring death. This bread which came\ndown from heaven was the divine body of Christ, His spiritual\nelements, which the disciples ate, and through which they gained\neternal life.\n\nThe disciples had taken many meals from the hand of\nChrist; why was the last supper distinguished from the others? It is\nevident that the heavenly bread did not signify this material bread,\nbut rather the divine nourishment of the spiritual body of Christ,\nthe divine graces and heavenly perfections of which His disciples\npartook, and with which they became filled.\n\nIn the same way, reflect that when Christ blessed the\nbread and gave it to His disciples, saying, “This is My body,”87\nand gave grace to them, He was with them in person, in presence, and\nform. He was not transformed into bread and wine; if He had been\nturned into bread and wine, He could not have remained with the\ndisciples in body, in person and in presence.\n\nThen it is clear that the bread and wine were symbols\nwhich signified: I have given you My bounties and perfections, and\nwhen you have received this bounty, you have gained eternal life and\nhave partaken of your share and your portion of the heavenly\nnourishment.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Miracles: Proofs for the Eyewitness Only",
"slug": "saq-22-miracles-eyewitness",
"summary": "In *Some Answered Questions*, 'Abdu'l-Bahá takes up the question of miracles with characteristic clarity: extraordinary events may have occurred and may yet occur, but they are not the proofs by which a Manifestation of God is finally known. *Miracles are proofs for the eyewitness only*.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
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"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"philosophy",
"teaching",
"signs",
"revelation"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"discernment",
"reverence"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
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"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/some-answered-questions/"
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"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Chapter 22 of *Some Answered Questions,* 'Abdu'l-Bahá takes\nup a question that had divided every religious tradition of the\nWestern world: how should miracles be understood? Are the\nmiracle stories told about Christ, about Muḥammad, about the\nBáb, the very proofs of their stations? Or are they something\nelse — accidental, secondary, beside the real point?\n\nThe Master's answer is direct and characteristic.\n\n> Miracles are proofs for the eyewitness only — and even he may\n> regard them not as a miracle but as an enchantment.\n\nThe teaching has two halves. The first is realist. Even\nextraordinary events, the Master grants, may have occurred —\nand in some cases certainly have. The second is sceptical, and\nthe scepticism is from a perhaps unexpected source: the Master\nHimself doubts the *evidential* value of such events.\n\nHe observes, plainly, that the only person who can be sure that\na miracle was a miracle is the person who saw it with his own\neyes. Anyone else is depending on testimony — and testimony, on a\nmatter as remarkable as the breaking of natural law, is by its\nnature open to question.\n\nBut, He continues, the case is even harder than that. *Even the\neyewitness* may, on reflection, fail to be persuaded. The\nextraordinary feat he saw may, with a little distance, look to\nhim like a clever trick. The Master mentions, in passing, that\n*extraordinary feats have also been related of some conjurors* —\nthe stage magicians of the bazaar, in the Persian setting, who\ncould produce illusions of remarkable convincingness. The line\nbetween the marvel that has come from God and the marvel that\nhas come from a clever performer is not, the Master suggests, a\nline that the unaided eye can always draw.\n\nWhat follows is the larger argument that runs through the whole\nchapter. The proofs of a Manifestation of God are not, finally,\nthe supernatural feats attributed to Him. The proofs are the\nmoral and historical effects: the transformation of the\ndisciples, the spread of the teaching across whole civilizations,\nthe moral elevation of the souls who receive it, the unity it\nproduces in scattered peoples. These are evidences any later\ngeneration can examine and weigh.\n\nThe implication for the Bahá'í believer is simple. The Faith\ndoes not stand or fall by the production of wonders. It stands\non the *quality of the life* it produces in the people who\nreceive it — and on the *spread of the message* across continents\nthat no army was sent to conquer. The miracle, in 'Abdu'l-Bahá's\naccount, is not the parlour trick. The miracle is the Bahá'í\ncommunity of Lagos, of Tirana, of Honolulu, of Cuzco, that did\nnot exist a century ago and now does.\n\nThe teaching frees the believer from a certain temptation. We\nare not asked to believe in spite of what we know about how the\nphysical world works. We are asked to look, soberly and at\nlength, at what the message has done in the lives of those who\nhave received it — and to weigh the matter on that ground.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (recorded by Laura Clifford Barney, 1904-06), Chapter 22 on Miracles. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "22: MIRACLES",
"slug": "saq-22-miracles",
"summary": "Question.—It is recorded that miracles were performed by Christ. Are the reports of these miracles really to be accepted literally, or have they another meaning? It has been proved by exact science that the essence of things does not…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"healing",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—It is recorded that miracles were\nperformed by Christ. Are the reports of these miracles really to be\naccepted literally, or have they another meaning? It has been proved\nby exact science that the essence of things does not change, and that\nall beings are under one universal law and organization from which\nthey cannot deviate; and, therefore, that which is contrary to\nuniversal law is impossible.\n\nAnswer.—The Holy Manifestations are the sources of\nmiracles and the originators of wonderful signs. For Them, any\ndifficult and impracticable thing is possible and easy. For through a\nsupernatural power wonders appear from Them; and by this power, which\nis beyond nature, They influence the world of nature. From all the\nManifestations marvelous things have appeared.\n\nBut in the Holy Books an especial terminology is\nemployed, and for the Manifestations these miracles and wonderful\nsigns have no importance. They do not even wish to mention them. For\nif we consider miracles a great proof, they are still only proofs and\narguments for those who are present when they are performed, and not\nfor those who are absent.\n\nFor example, if we relate to a seeker, a stranger to\nMoses and Christ, marvelous signs, he will deny them and will say:\n“Wonderful signs are also continually related of false gods by\nthe testimony of many people, and they are affirmed in the Books. The\nBrahmans have written a book about wonderful prodigies from Brahma.”\nHe will also say: “How can we know that the Jews and the\nChristians speak the truth, and that the Brahmans tell a lie? For\nboth are generally admitted traditions, which are collected in books,\nand may be supposed to be true or false.” The same may be said\nof other religions: if one is true, all are true; if one is accepted,\nall must be accepted. Therefore, miracles are not a proof. For if\nthey are proofs for those who are present, they fail as proofs to\nthose who are absent.\n\nBut in the day of the Manifestation the people with\ninsight see that all the conditions of the Manifestation are\nmiracles, for They are superior to all others, and this alone is an\nabsolute miracle. Recollect that Christ, solitary and alone, without\na helper or protector, without armies and legions, and under the\ngreatest oppression, uplifted the standard of God before all the\npeople of the world, and withstood them, and finally conquered all,\nalthough outwardly He was crucified. Now this is a veritable miracle\nwhich can never be denied. There is no need of any other proof of the\ntruth of Christ.\n\nThe outward miracles have no importance for the people\nof Reality. If a blind man receives sight, for example, he will\nfinally again become sightless, for he will die and be deprived of\nall his senses and powers. Therefore, causing the blind man to see is\ncomparatively of little importance, for this faculty of sight will at\nlast disappear. If the body of a dead person be resuscitated, of what\nuse is it since the body will die again? But it is important to give\nperception and eternal life—that is, the spiritual and divine\nlife. For this physical life is not immortal, and its existence is\nequivalent to nonexistence. So it is that Christ said to one of His\ndisciples: “Let the dead bury their dead;” for “That\nwhich is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the\nSpirit is spirit.”88\n\nObserve: those who in appearance were physically alive,\nChrist considered dead; for life is the eternal life, and existence\nis the real existence. Wherever in the Holy Books they speak of\nraising the dead, the meaning is that the dead were blessed by\neternal life; where it is said that the blind received sight, the\nsignification is that he obtained the true perception; where it is\nsaid a deaf man received hearing, the meaning is that he acquired\nspiritual and heavenly hearing. This is ascertained from the text of\nthe Gospel where Christ said: “These are like those of whom\nIsaiah said, They have eyes and see not, they have ears and hear not;\nand I healed them.”89\n\nThe meaning is not that the Manifestations are unable to\nperform miracles, for They have all power. But for Them inner sight,\nspiritual healing and eternal life are the valuable and important\nthings. Consequently, whenever it is recorded in the Holy Books that\nsuch a one was blind and recovered his sight, the meaning is that he\nwas inwardly blind, and that he obtained spiritual vision, or that he\nwas ignorant and became wise, or that he was negligent and became\nheedful, or that he was worldly and became heavenly.\n\nAs this inner sight, hearing, life and healing are\neternal, they are of importance. What, comparatively, is the\nimportance, the value and the worth of this animal life with its\npowers? In a few days it will cease like fleeting thoughts. For\nexample, if one relights an extinguished lamp, it will again become\nextinguished; but the light of the sun is always luminous. This is of\nimportance.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "23: THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST",
"slug": "saq-23-the-resurrection-of-christ",
"summary": "Question.—What is the meaning of Christ’s resurrection after three…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"martyrdom",
"holy-day"
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"virtues": [
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
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"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—What is the meaning of Christ’s\nresurrection after three days?\n\nAnswer.—The resurrections of the Divine\nManifestations are not of the body. All Their states, Their\nconditions, Their acts, the things They have established, Their\nteachings, Their expressions, Their parables and Their instructions\nhave a spiritual and divine signification, and have no connection\nwith material things. For example, there is the subject of Christ’s\ncoming from heaven: it is clearly stated in many places in the Gospel\nthat the Son of man came from heaven, He is in heaven, and He will go\nto heaven. So in chapter 6, verse 38, of the Gospel of John it is\nwritten: “For I came down from heaven”; and also in verse\n42 we find: “And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of\nJoseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that he\nsaith, I came down from heaven?” Also in John, chapter 3, verse\n13: “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came\ndown from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.”\n\nObserve that it is said, “The Son of man is in\nheaven,” while at that time Christ was on earth. Notice also\nthat it is said that Christ came from heaven, though He came from the\nwomb of Mary, and His body was born of Mary. It is clear, then, that\nwhen it is said that the Son of man is come from heaven, this has not\nan outward but an inward signification; it is a spiritual, not a\nmaterial, fact. The meaning is that though, apparently, Christ was\nborn from the womb of Mary, in reality He came from heaven, from the\ncenter of the Sun of Reality, from the Divine World, and the\nSpiritual Kingdom. And as it has become evident that Christ came from\nthe spiritual heaven of the Divine Kingdom, therefore, His\ndisappearance under the earth for three days has an inner\nsignification and is not an outward fact. In the same way, His\nresurrection from the interior of the earth is also symbolical; it is\na spiritual and divine fact, and not material; and likewise His\nascension to heaven is a spiritual and not material ascension.\n\nBeside these explanations, it has been established and\nproved by science that the visible heaven is a limitless area, void\nand empty, where innumerable stars and planets revolve.\n\nTherefore, we say that the meaning of Christ’s\nresurrection is as follows: the disciples were troubled and agitated\nafter the martyrdom of Christ. The Reality of Christ, which signifies\nHis teachings, His bounties, His perfections and His spiritual power,\nwas hidden and concealed for two or three days after His martyrdom,\nand was not resplendent and manifest. No, rather it was lost, for the\nbelievers were few in number and were troubled and agitated. The\nCause of Christ was like a lifeless body; and when after three days\nthe disciples became assured and steadfast, and began to serve the\nCause of Christ, and resolved to spread the divine teachings, putting\nHis counsels into practice, and arising to serve Him, the Reality of\nChrist became resplendent and His bounty appeared; His religion found\nlife; His teachings and His admonitions became evident and visible.\nIn other words, the Cause of Christ was like a lifeless body until\nthe life and the bounty of the Holy Spirit surrounded it.\n\nSuch is the meaning of the resurrection of Christ, and\nthis was a true resurrection. But as the clergy have neither\nunderstood the meaning of the Gospels nor comprehended the symbols,\ntherefore, it has been said that religion is in contradiction to\nscience, and science in opposition to religion, as, for example, this\nsubject of the ascension of Christ with an elemental body to the\nvisible heaven is contrary to the science of mathematics. But when\nthe truth of this subject becomes clear, and the symbol is explained,\nscience in no way contradicts it; but, on the contrary, science and\nthe intelligence affirm it.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "24: THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT UPON THE APOSTLES",
"slug": "saq-24-the-descent-of-the-holy-spirit-upon-the-apostles",
"summary": "Question.—What is the manner, and what is the meaning, of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, as described in the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
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"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
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"virtues": [
"love",
"unity",
"sacrifice",
"detachment"
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"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
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"lengthMinutes": 2,
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"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
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"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—What is the manner, and what is the\nmeaning, of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, as\ndescribed in the Gospel?\n\nAnswer.—The descent of the Holy Spirit is not like\nthe entrance of air into man; it is an expression and a simile,\nrather than an exact or a literal image. No, rather it is like the\nentrance of the image of the sun into the mirror—that is to\nsay, its splendor becomes apparent in it.\n\nAfter the death of Christ the disciples were troubled,\nand their ideas and thoughts were discordant and contradictory; later\nthey became firm and united, and at the feast of Pentecost they\ngathered together and detached themselves from the things of this\nworld. Disregarding themselves, they renounced their comfort and\nworldly happiness, sacrificing their body and soul to the Beloved,\nabandoning their houses, and becoming wanderers and homeless, even\nforgetting their own existence. Then they received the help of God,\nand the power of the Holy Spirit became manifested; the spirituality\nof Christ triumphed, and the love of God reigned. They were given\nhelp at that time and dispersed in different directions, teaching the\nCause of God, and giving forth proofs and evidences.\n\nSo the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles\nmeans their attraction by the Christ Spirit, whereby they acquired\nstability and firmness. Through the spirit of the love of God they\ngained a new life, and they saw Christ living, helping and protecting\nthem. They were like drops, and they became seas; they were like\nfeeble insects, and they became majestic eagles; they were weak and\nbecame powerful. They were like mirrors facing the sun; verily, some\nof the light became manifest in them.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "25: THE HOLY SPIRIT",
"slug": "saq-25-the-holy-spirit",
"summary": "Question.—What is the Holy…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—What is the Holy Spirit?\n\nAnswer.—The Holy Spirit is the Bounty of God and\nthe luminous rays which emanate from the Manifestations; for the\nfocus of the rays of the Sun of Reality was Christ, and from this\nglorious focus, which is the Reality of Christ, the Bounty of God\nreflected upon the other mirrors which were the reality of the\nApostles. The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles signifies\nthat the glorious divine bounties reflected and appeared in their\nreality. Moreover, entrance and exit, descent and ascent, are\ncharacteristics of bodies and not of spirits—that is to say,\nsensible realities enter and come forth, but intellectual subtleties\nand mental realities, such as intelligence, love, knowledge,\nimagination and thought, do not enter, nor come forth, nor descend,\nbut rather they have direct connection.\n\nFor example, knowledge, which is a state attained to by\nthe intelligence, is an intellectual condition; and entering and\ncoming out of the mind are imaginary conditions; but the mind is\nconnected with the acquisition of knowledge, like images reflected in\na mirror.\n\nTherefore, as it is evident and clear that the\nintellectual realities do not enter and descend, and it is absolutely\nimpossible that the Holy Spirit should ascend and descend, enter,\ncome out or penetrate, it can only be that the Holy Spirit appears in\nsplendor, as the sun appears in the mirror.\n\nIn some passages in the Holy Books the Spirit is spoken\nof, signifying a certain person, as it is currently said in speech\nand conversation that such a person is an embodied spirit, or he is a\npersonification of mercy and generosity. In this case, it is the\nlight we look at, and not the glass.\n\nIn the Gospel of John, in speaking of the Promised One\nWho was to come after Christ, it is said in chapter 16, verses 12,\n13: “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear\nthem now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will\nguide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but\nwhatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak.”\n\nNow consider carefully that from these words, “for\nHe shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that\nshall He speak,” it is clear that the Spirit of truth is\nembodied in a Man Who has individuality, Who has ears to hear and a\ntongue to speak. In the same way the name “Spirit of God”\nis used in relation to Christ, as you speak of a light, meaning both\nthe light and the lamp.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Some Answered Questions: The Creation of Man",
"slug": "saq-26-creation-of-man",
"summary": "In *Some Answered Questions*, 'Abdu'l-Bahá addresses Laura Clifford Barney's question on the creation of the human being — distinguishing the *species* from the *individual* and explaining the eternal pre-existence of humanity in the divine knowledge.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Laura Clifford Barney"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9276,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"creation",
"human-nature",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [
"knowledge",
"wisdom",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/some-answered-questions/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the substantial table-talks recorded by Laura\nClifford Barney during her pilgrimages to 'Akká in 1904 and\n1906 is the chapter of *Some Answered Questions* devoted to\nthe creation of man. The chapter takes the form of a\nquestion by Miss Barney and a long discursive answer by\n'Abdu'l-Bahá in His characteristic manner.\n\nThe question concerned the apparent tension between the\nbiblical account of the creation of man at a specific\nmoment in time and the geological and biological\nevidence, increasingly accumulating in the early twentieth\ncentury, of the great age of the earth and of the\ngradual development of biological forms.\n\nThe Master's answer began by drawing a distinction\nfundamental to the entire treatment that would follow.\n*One must distinguish,* He said, *between the existence of\nthe species and the existence of the individual.* The\nquestion of the creation of man, He explained, has often\nbeen confused by the failure to maintain this distinction.\n\nThe *individual* human being clearly has a beginning and\nan end. Each human being is born at a specific moment, lives\nfor a specific number of years, and dies at a specific\nmoment. The individual is, in this sense, *a contingent\nthing.*\n\nThe *species* of humanity, however, is a different\nquestion. The species — the rational soul, the form of the\nhuman being — is, in the Master's framing, *eternal in the\nknowledge of God.* It has existed *in the divine\nknowledge* from eternity. Its appearance in the physical\nworld is, in His phrase, *the appointed time of its\nmanifestation* — but its existence in the divine knowledge\npreceded that physical appearance.\n\n*Man,* the Master said, *has been in the universe\npotentially since the beginning, but he has appeared only\nat his appointed time.* The phrase is the key to the entire\ntreatment. The species is eternal; the appearance is\ntemporal. The two are not in contradiction.\n\nThe chapter then develops the implications of this\ndistinction. The biological development of the human\nform — the gradual emergence of the species through the\nlong course of organic life on earth — is not, in the\nMaster's framing, a problem for the spiritual account of\nthe creation. The two are different stories told from\ndifferent vantages. The biological story tells the\nappearance. The spiritual story tells the eternal\nexistence in the divine knowledge that the appearance\nmanifests.\n\nThe Master proceeded to address the further question of\nwhether the human being is *of the same species* as the\nanimals or *of a different species.* His answer was\nunequivocal. The human being is *of a different species.*\nThe reasoning was that the human being possesses a\ndistinctive faculty — the rational soul — that is not\npossessed by any of the animal species. The faculty is not\na quantitative augmentation of animal intelligence. It is\na qualitatively different thing. The presence of the\nrational soul is what defines the human species.\n\nThe chapter concludes with a brief reflection on the\npractical implication of the metaphysical doctrine. The\nhuman being who has been *eternally in the divine\nknowledge* bears, on that account, a particular\nresponsibility for the use of its earthly existence. The\nordinary span of years given to the individual is the\nopportunity in which the eternal soul develops the\nspiritual capacities that will accompany it into its\nfurther existence.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "26: THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST AND THE DAY OF JUDGMENT",
"slug": "saq-26-the-second-coming-of-christ-and-the-day-of-judgment",
"summary": "It is said in the Holy Books that Christ will come again, and that His coming depends upon the fulfillment of certain signs: when He comes, it will be with these signs. For example, “The sun will be darkened, and the moon shall not give…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt is said in the Holy Books that Christ will come\nagain, and that His coming depends upon the fulfillment of certain\nsigns: when He comes, it will be with these signs. For example, “The\nsun will be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the\nstars shall fall from heaven.... And then shall appear the sign of\nthe Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth\nmourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of\nheaven with power and great glory.”90\nBahá’u’lláh has explained these verses in\nthe Kitáb-i-Íqán.91\nThere is no need of repetition; refer to it, and you will understand\nthese sayings.\n\nBut I have something further to say upon this subject.\nAt His first coming Christ also came from heaven, as it is explicitly\nstated in the Gospel. Christ Himself says: “And no man hath\nascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the\nSon of man which is in heaven.”92\n\nIt is clear to all that Christ came from heaven,\nalthough apparently He came from the womb of Mary. At the first\ncoming He came from heaven, though apparently from the womb; in the\nsame way, also, at His second coming He will come from heaven, though\napparently from the womb. The conditions that are indicated in the\nGospel for the second coming of Christ are the same as those that\nwere mentioned for the first coming, as we said before.\n\nThe Book of Isaiah announces that the Messiah will\nconquer the East and the West, and all nations of the world will come\nunder His shadow, that His Kingdom will be established, that He will\ncome from an unknown place, that the sinners will be judged, and that\njustice will prevail to such a degree that the wolf and the lamb, the\nleopard and the kid, the sucking child and the asp, shall all gather\nat one spring, and in one meadow, and one dwelling.93\nThe first coming was also under these conditions, though outwardly\nnone of them came to pass. Therefore, the Jews rejected Christ, and,\nGod forbid! called the Messiah masíkh,94\nconsidered Him to be the destroyer of the edifice of God, regarded\nHim as the breaker of the Sabbath and the Law, and sentenced Him to\ndeath. Nevertheless, each one of these conditions had a signification\nthat the Jews did not understand; therefore, they were debarred from\nperceiving the truth of Christ.\n\nThe second coming of Christ also will be in like manner:\nthe signs and conditions which have been spoken of all have meanings,\nand are not to be taken literally. Among other things it is said that\nthe stars will fall upon the earth. The stars are endless and\ninnumerable, and modern mathematicians have established and proved\nscientifically that the globe of the sun is estimated to be about one\nmillion and a half times greater than the earth, and each of the\nfixed stars to be a thousand times larger than the sun. If these\nstars were to fall upon the surface of the earth, how could they find\nplace there? It would be as though a thousand million of Himalaya\nmountains were to fall upon a grain of mustard seed. According to\nreason and science this thing is quite impossible. What is even more\nstrange is that Christ said: “Perhaps I shall come when you are\nyet asleep, for the coming of the Son of man is like the coming of a\nthief.”95\nPerhaps the thief will be in the house, and the owner will not know\nit.\n\nIt is clear and evident that these signs have symbolic\nsignification, and that they are not literal. They are fully\nexplained in the Kitáb-i-Íqán. Refer to it.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "27: THE TRINITY",
"slug": "saq-27-the-trinity",
"summary": "Question.—What is the meaning of the Trinity, of the Three Persons in…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—What is the meaning of the Trinity, of\nthe Three Persons in One?\n\nAnswer.—The Divine Reality, which is purified and\nsanctified from the understanding of human beings and which can never\nbe imagined by the people of wisdom and of intelligence, is exempt\nfrom all conception. That Lordly Reality admits of no division; for\ndivision and multiplicity are properties of creatures which are\ncontingent existences, and not accidents which happen to the\nself-existent.\n\nThe Divine Reality is sanctified from singleness, then\nhow much more from plurality. The descent of that Lordly Reality into\nconditions and degrees would be equivalent to imperfection and\ncontrary to perfection, and is, therefore, absolutely impossible. It\nperpetually has been, and is, in the exaltation of holiness and\nsanctity. All that is mentioned of the Manifestations and\nDawning-places of God signifies the divine reflection, and not a\ndescent into the conditions of existence.96\n\nGod is pure perfection, and creatures are but\nimperfections. For God to descend into the conditions of existence\nwould be the greatest of imperfections; on the contrary, His\nmanifestation, His appearance, His rising are like the reflection of\nthe sun in a clear, pure, polished mirror. All the creatures are\nevident signs of God, like the earthly beings upon all of which the\nrays of the sun shine. But upon the plains, the mountains, the trees\nand fruits, only a portion of the light shines, through which they\nbecome visible, and are reared, and attain to the object of their\nexistence, while the Perfect Man97\nis in the condition of a clear mirror in which the Sun of Reality\nbecomes visible and manifest with all its qualities and perfections.\nSo the Reality of Christ was a clear and polished mirror of the\ngreatest purity and fineness. The Sun of Reality, the Essence of\nDivinity, reflected itself in this mirror and manifested its light\nand heat in it; but from the exaltation of its holiness, and the\nheaven of its sanctity, the Sun did not descend to dwell and abide in\nthe mirror. No, it continues to subsist in its exaltation and\nsublimity, while appearing and becoming manifest in the mirror in\nbeauty and perfection.\n\nNow if we say that we have seen the Sun in two\nmirrors—one the Christ and one the Holy Spirit—that is to\nsay, that we have seen three Suns, one in heaven and the two others\non the earth, we speak truly. And if we say that there is one Sun,\nand it is pure singleness, and has no partner and equal, we again\nspeak truly.\n\nThe epitome of the discourse is that the Reality of\nChrist was a clear mirror, and the Sun of Reality—that is to\nsay, the Essence of Oneness, with its infinite perfections and\nattributes—became visible in the mirror. The meaning is not\nthat the Sun, which is the Essence of the Divinity, became divided\nand multiplied—for the Sun is one—but it appeared in the\nmirror. This is why Christ said, “The Father is in the Son,”\nmeaning that the Sun is visible and manifest in this mirror.\n\nThe Holy Spirit is the Bounty of God which becomes\nvisible and evident in the Reality of Christ. The Sonship station is\nthe heart of Christ, and the Holy Spirit is the station of the spirit\nof Christ. Hence it has become certain and proved that the Essence of\nDivinity is absolutely unique and has no equal, no likeness, no\nequivalent.\n\nThis is the signification of the Three Persons of the\nTrinity. If it were otherwise, the foundations of the Religion of God\nwould rest upon an illogical proposition which the mind could never\nconceive, and how can the mind be forced to believe a thing which it\ncannot conceive? A thing cannot be grasped by the intelligence except\nwhen it is clothed in an intelligible form; otherwise, it is but an\neffort of the imagination.\n\nIt has now become clear, from this explanation, what is\nthe meaning of the Three Persons of the Trinity. The Oneness of God\nis also proved.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "28: EXPLANATION OF VERSE FIVE, CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, OF THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN",
"slug": "saq-28-explanation-of-verse-five-chapter-seventeen-of-the-gospel-of-st-john",
"summary": "“And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own\nself, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.”98\n\nThere are two kinds of priorities: one is essential and\nis not preceded by a cause, but its existence is in itself, as, for\nexample, the sun has light in itself, for its shining is not\ndependent on the light of other stars. This is called an essential\nlight. But the light of the moon is received from the sun, for the\nmoon is dependent on the sun for its light; therefore, the sun, with\nregard to light, is the cause, and the moon becomes the effect. The\nformer is the ancient, the precedent, the antecedent, while the\nlatter is the preceded and the last.\n\nThe second sort of preexistence is the preexistence of\ntime, and that has no beginning. The Word of God is sanctified from\ntime.99\nThe past, the present, the future, all, in relation to God, are\nequal. Yesterday, today, tomorrow do not exist in the sun.\n\nIn the same way there is a priority with regard to\nglory—that is to say, the most glorious precedes the glorious.\nTherefore, the Reality of Christ, Who is the Word of God, with regard\nto essence, attributes and glory, certainly precedes the creatures.\nBefore appearing in the human form, the Word of God was in the utmost\nsanctity and glory, existing in perfect beauty and splendor in the\nheight of its magnificence. When through the wisdom of God the Most\nHigh it shone from the heights of glory in the world of the body, the\nWord of God, through this body, became oppressed, so that it fell\ninto the hands of the Jews, and became the captive of the tyrannical\nand ignorant, and at last was crucified. That is why He addressed\nGod, saying: “Free Me from the bonds of the world of the body,\nand liberate Me from this cage, so that I may ascend to the heights\nof honor and glory, and attain unto the former grandeur and might\nwhich existed before the bodily world, that I may rejoice in the\neternal world and may ascend to the original abode, the placeless\nworld, the invisible kingdom.”\n\nIt is thus that you see even in the kingdom of this\nworld—that is to say, in the realm of souls and countries—that\nthe glory and the grandeur of Christ appeared in this earth after His\nascension. When in the world of the body He was subject to the\ncontempt and jeers of the weakest nation of the world, the Jews, who\nthought it fitting to set a crown of thorns upon His sacred head. But\nafter His ascension the bejeweled crowns of all the kings were\nhumbled and bowed before the crown of thorns.\n\nBehold the glory that the Word of God attained even in\nthis world!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "29: EXPLANATION OF VERSE TWENTY-TWO, CHAPTER FIFTEEN, OF THE FIRST EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS",
"slug": "saq-29-explanation-of-verse-twenty-two-chapter-fifteen-of-the-first-epistle-of-s",
"summary": "Question.—In verse 22 of chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians it is written: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” What is the meaning of these…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"children",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—In verse 22 of chapter 15 of 1\nCorinthians it is written: “For as in Adam all die, even so in\nChrist shall all be made alive.” What is the meaning of these\nwords?\n\nAnswer.—Know that there are two natures in man:\nthe physical nature and the spiritual nature. The physical nature is\ninherited from Adam, and the spiritual nature is inherited from the\nReality of the Word of God, which is the spirituality of Christ. The\nphysical nature is born of Adam, but the spiritual nature is born\nfrom the bounty of the Holy Spirit. The first is the source of all\nimperfection; the second is the source of all perfection.\n\nThe Christ sacrificed Himself so that men might be freed\nfrom the imperfections of the physical nature and might become\npossessed of the virtues of the spiritual nature. This spiritual\nnature, which came into existence through the bounty of the Divine\nReality, is the union of all perfections and appears through the\nbreath of the Holy Spirit. It is the divine perfections; it is light,\nspirituality, guidance, exaltation, high aspiration, justice, love,\ngrace, kindness to all, philanthropy, the essence of life. It is the\nreflection of the splendor of the Sun of Reality.\n\nThe Christ is the central point of the Holy Spirit: He\nis born of the Holy Spirit; He is raised up by the Holy Spirit; He is\nthe descendant of the Holy Spirit—that is to say, that the\nReality of Christ does not descend from Adam; no, it is born of the\nHoly Spirit. Therefore, this verse in Corinthians, “As in Adam\nall die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive,” means,\naccording to this terminology, that Adam100\nis the father of man—that is to say, He is the cause of the\nphysical life of mankind; His was the physical fatherhood. He is a\nliving soul, but He is not the giver of spiritual life, whereas\nChrist is the cause of the spiritual life of man, and with regard to\nthe spirit, His was the spiritual fatherhood. Adam is a living soul;\nChrist is a quickening spirit.\n\nThis physical world of man is subject to the power of\nthe lusts, and sin is the consequence of this power of the lusts, for\nit is not subject to the laws of justice and holiness. The body of\nman is a captive of nature; it will act in accordance with whatever\nnature orders. It is, therefore, certain that sins such as anger,\njealousy, dispute, covetousness, avarice, ignorance, prejudice,\nhatred, pride and tyranny exist in the physical world. All these\nbrutal qualities exist in the nature of man. A man who has not had a\nspiritual education is a brute. Like the savages of Africa, whose\nactions, habits and morals are purely sensual, they act according to\nthe demands of nature to such a degree that they rend and eat one\nanother. Thus it is evident that the physical world of man is a world\nof sin. In this physical world man is not distinguished from the\nanimal.\n\nAll sin comes from the demands of nature, and these\ndemands, which arise from the physical qualities, are not sins with\nrespect to the animals, while for man they are sin. The animal is the\nsource of imperfections, such as anger, sensuality, jealousy,\navarice, cruelty, pride: all these defects are found in animals but\ndo not constitute sins. But in man they are sins.\n\nAdam is the cause of man’s physical life; but the\nReality of Christ—that is to say, the Word of God—is the\ncause of spiritual life. It is “a quickening spirit,”\nmeaning that all the imperfections which come from the requirements\nof the physical life of man are transformed into human perfections by\nthe teachings and education of that spirit. Therefore, Christ was a\nquickening spirit, and the cause of life in all mankind.\n\nAdam was the cause of physical life, and as the physical\nworld of man is the world of imperfections, and imperfections are the\nequivalent of death, Paul compared the physical imperfections to\ndeath.\n\nBut the mass of the Christians believe that, as Adam ate\nof the forbidden tree, He sinned in that He disobeyed, and that the\ndisastrous consequences of this disobedience have been transmitted as\na heritage and have remained among His descendants. Hence Adam became\nthe cause of the death of humanity. This explanation is unreasonable\nand evidently wrong, for it means that all men, even the Prophets and\nthe Messengers of God, without committing any sin or fault, but\nsimply because they are the posterity of Adam, have become without\nreason guilty sinners, and until the day of the sacrifice of Christ\nwere held captive in hell in painful torment. This is far from the\njustice of God. If Adam was a sinner, what is the sin of Abraham?\nWhat is the fault of Isaac, or of Joseph? Of what is Moses guilty?\n\nBut Christ, Who is the Word of God, sacrificed Himself.\nThis has two meanings, an apparent and an esoteric meaning. The\noutward meaning is this: Christ’s intention was to represent\nand promote a Cause which was to educate the human world, to quicken\nthe children of Adam, and to enlighten all mankind; and since to\nrepresent such a great Cause—a Cause which was antagonistic to\nall the people of the world and all the nations and kingdoms—meant\nthat He would be killed and crucified, so Christ in proclaiming His\nmission sacrificed His life. He regarded the cross as a throne, the\nwound as a balm, the poison as honey and sugar. He arose to teach and\neducate men, and so He sacrificed Himself to give the spirit of life.\nHe perished in body so as to quicken others by the spirit.\n\nThe second meaning of sacrifice is this: Christ was like\na seed, and this seed sacrificed its own form so that the tree might\ngrow and develop. Although the form of the seed was destroyed, its\nreality became apparent in perfect majesty and beauty in the form of\na tree.\n\nThe position of Christ was that of absolute perfection;\nHe made His divine perfections shine like the sun upon all believing\nsouls, and the bounties of the light shone and radiated in the\nreality of men. This is why He says: “I am the bread which\ndescended from heaven; whosoever shall eat of this bread will not\ndie”101—that\nis to say, that whosoever shall partake of this divine food will\nattain unto eternal life: that is, every one who partakes of this\nbounty and receives these perfections will find eternal life, will\nobtain preexistent favors, will be freed from the darkness of error,\nand will be illuminated by the light of His guidance.\n\nThe form of the seed was sacrificed for the tree, but\nits perfections, because of this sacrifice, became evident and\napparent—the tree, the branches, the leaves and the blossoms\nbeing concealed in the seed. When the form of the seed was\nsacrificed, its perfections appeared in the perfect form of leaves,\nblossoms and fruits.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Need of an Educator: 'Abdu'l-Bahá on Why Humanity Cannot Self-Civilise",
"slug": "saq-3-need-of-an-educator",
"summary": "In *Some Answered Questions*, 'Abdu'l-Bahá presses the case that humanity, left to itself, does not by some natural process improve. It *requires* an educator of universal scope — and the Manifestations of God are precisely the educators sent for that purpose.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"philosophy",
"teaching",
"revelation",
"human-nature"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"humility",
"vision"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/some-answered-questions/"
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"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Chapter 3 of *Some Answered Questions* — one of the early\nchapters in the Part on the Influence of the Prophets —\n'Abdu'l-Bahá takes up a question that had quietly underlain the\nphilosophical thinking of the nineteenth century. The Western\nseekers Laura Clifford Barney was bringing to His door had been\nformed, many of them, by the Romantic conviction that human\nnature was essentially good and that, given the right conditions,\nit would by its own light flower into civilization. The Master\ngently disagreed.\n\nHe did not deny that human beings were capable of greatness. He\ndenied that they were capable of greatness *by themselves.*\n\n> If left under the rule of nature, man becomes lower than an\n> animal — whereas if he is educated he becomes an angel.\n\nThe sentence is sharper than the Western philosophical taste of\n1904 was used to. The Master meant it. The animal, He pointed\nout, lives by instinct. The instinct keeps the animal within\nthe limits its nature requires; the lion does not destroy more\nthan the lion eats; the bird does not, by the conduct of its\nown bird-life, ruin the world. The human being, by contrast, is\n*not* governed by instinct alone. The human being has the\ncapacity to act far above the animal — to compose music, to\nheal, to give one's life for a cause beyond oneself. The same\ncapacity, however, allows the human being to act far below the\nanimal — to plot, to torture, to wage war on a scale no\nnon-human predator has ever achieved.\n\nThe freedom that lifts the human being above the animal is\nexactly the freedom that, when wrongly used, sinks him below it.\n\nWhat disciplines that freedom toward its higher possibility?\nThe Master answers: education. Not formal schooling alone,\nthough that is part of it, but the larger and slower training\nof the soul that brings the human capacity into its proper\nexercise.\n\nHe then makes the move that drives the chapter. There are two\nkinds of educators. There are *special* educators — the\nparents, the schoolmasters, the philosophers — who train one\nsoul or one school of souls. And there are *universal*\neducators — figures of an entirely different order — whose\nteaching reorders whole civilizations across centuries. Moses\neducated a slave people into a nation. Christ educated a\nscattered band of Galileans into a movement that converted the\nRoman empire. Muhammad educated the warring tribes of Arabia\ninto a world religion. Bahá'u'lláh, the Master continues, has\nbeen sent in this age to educate the entire human family into\nthe unified order toward which all preceding revelations had\nbeen pointing.\n\nThese universal educators, He concludes, are the\nManifestations of God. They are the indispensable instrument by\nwhich humanity is lifted out of the rule of nature and into the\ncondition of the angel.\n\nThe chapter is short. The argument it carries is enormous. It\nremoves from human history the Romantic theory of self-improvement\nand replaces it with a theology of revelation: the great moves\nforward in the human story have not been undertaken by humanity\nunaided. They have been gifts.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (recorded by Laura Clifford Barney, 1904-06), Chapter 3 on the Need of an Educator. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library.*\n"
},
{
"title": "3: THE NEED OF AN EDUCATOR",
"slug": "saq-3-the-need-of-an-educator",
"summary": "When we consider existence, we see that the mineral, vegetable, animal and human worlds are all in need of an…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"unity",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 7,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen we consider existence, we see that the mineral,\nvegetable, animal and human worlds are all in need of an educator.\n\nIf the earth is not cultivated, it becomes a jungle\nwhere useless weeds grow; but if a cultivator comes and tills the\nground, it produces crops which nourish living creatures. It is\nevident, therefore, that the soil needs the cultivation of the\nfarmer. Consider the trees: if they remain without a cultivator, they\nwill be fruitless, and without fruit they are useless; but if they\nreceive the care of a gardener, these same barren trees become\nfruitful, and through cultivation, fertilization and engrafting the\ntrees which had bitter fruits yield sweet fruits. These are rational\nproofs; in this age the peoples of the world need the arguments of\nreason.\n\nThe same is true with respect to animals: notice that\nwhen the animal is trained it becomes domestic, and also that man, if\nhe is left without education, becomes bestial, and, moreover, if left\nunder the rule of nature, becomes lower than an animal, whereas if he\nis educated he becomes an angel. For the greater number of animals do\nnot devour their own kind, but men, in the Sudan, in the central\nregions of Africa, kill and eat each other.\n\nNow reflect that it is education that brings the East\nand the West under the authority of man; it is education that\nproduces wonderful industries; it is education that spreads great\nsciences and arts; it is education that makes manifest new\ndiscoveries and institutions. If there were no educator, there would\nbe no such things as comforts, civilization or humanity. If a man be\nleft alone in a wilderness where he sees none of his own kind, he\nwill undoubtedly become a mere brute; it is then clear that an\neducator is needed.\n\nBut education is of three kinds: material, human and\nspiritual. Material education is concerned with the progress and\ndevelopment of the body, through gaining its sustenance, its material\ncomfort and ease. This education is common to animals and man.\n\nHuman education signifies civilization and progress—that\nis to say, government, administration, charitable works, trades, arts\nand handicrafts, sciences, great inventions and discoveries and\nelaborate institutions, which are the activities essential to man as\ndistinguished from the animal.\n\nDivine education is that of the Kingdom of God: it\nconsists in acquiring divine perfections, and this is true education;\nfor in this state man becomes the focus of divine blessings, the\nmanifestation of the words, “Let Us make man in Our image, and\nafter Our likeness.”2\nThis is the goal of the world of humanity.\n\nNow we need an educator who will be at the same time a\nmaterial, human and spiritual educator, and whose authority will be\neffective in all conditions. So if anyone should say, “I\npossess perfect comprehension and intelligence, and I have no need of\nsuch an educator,” he would be denying that which is clear and\nevident, as though a child should say, “I have no need of\neducation; I will act according to my reason and intelligence, and so\nI shall attain the perfections of existence”; or as though the\nblind should say, “I am in no need of sight, because many other\nblind people exist without difficulty.”\n\nThen it is plain and evident that man needs an educator,\nand this educator must be unquestionably and indubitably perfect in\nall respects and distinguished above all men. Otherwise, if he should\nbe like the rest of humanity, he could not be their educator, more\nparticularly because he must be at the same time their material and\nhuman as well as their spiritual educator—that is to say, he\nmust teach men to organize and carry out physical matters, and to\nform a social order in order to establish cooperation and mutual aid\nin living so that material affairs may be organized and regulated for\nany circumstances that may occur. In the same way he must establish\nhuman education—that is to say, he must educate intelligence\nand thought in such a way that they may attain complete development,\nso that knowledge and science may increase, and the reality of\nthings, the mysteries of beings and the properties of existence may\nbe discovered; that, day by day, instructions, inventions and\ninstitutions may be improved; and from things perceptible to the\nsenses conclusions as to intellectual things may be deduced.\n\nHe must also impart spiritual education, so that\nintelligence and comprehension may penetrate the metaphysical world,\nand may receive benefit from the sanctifying breeze of the Holy\nSpirit, and may enter into relationship with the Supreme Concourse.\nHe must so educate the human reality that it may become the center of\nthe divine appearance, to such a degree that the attributes and the\nnames of God shall be resplendent in the mirror of the reality of\nman, and the holy verse “We will make man in Our image and\nlikeness” shall be realized.3\n\nIt is clear that human power is not able to fill such a\ngreat office, and that reason alone could not undertake the\nresponsibility of so great a mission. How can one solitary person\nwithout help and without support lay the foundations of such a noble\nconstruction? He must depend on the help of the spiritual and divine\npower to be able to undertake this mission. One Holy Soul gives life\nto the world of humanity, changes the aspect of the terrestrial\nglobe, causes intelligence to progress, vivifies souls, lays the\nbasis of a new life, establishes new foundations, organizes the\nworld, brings nations and religions under the shadow of one standard,\ndelivers man from the world of imperfections and vices, and inspires\nhim with the desire and need of natural and acquired perfections.\nCertainly nothing short of a divine power could accomplish so great a\nwork. We ought to consider this with justice, for this is the office\nof justice.\n\nA Cause which all the governments and peoples of the\nworld, with all their powers and armies, cannot promulgate and\nspread, one Holy Soul can promote without help or support! Can this\nbe done by human power? No, in the name of God! For example, Christ,\nalone and solitary, upraised the standard of peace and righteousness,\na work which all the victorious governments with all their hosts are\nunable to accomplish. Consider what was the fate of so many and\ndiverse empires and peoples: the Roman Empire, France, Germany,\nRussia, England, etc.; all were gathered together under the same\ntent—that is to say, the appearance of Christ brought about a\nunion among these diverse nations, some of whom, under the influence\nof Christianity, became so united that they sacrificed their lives\nand property for one another. After the time of Constantine, who was\nthe protagonist of Christianity, divisions broke out among them. The\npoint is this, that Christ united these nations but after a while\ngovernments became the cause of discord. What I mean is that Christ\nsustained a Cause that all the kings of the earth could not\nestablish! He united the various religions and modified ancient\ncustoms. Consider what great differences existed between Romans,\nGreeks, Syrians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Israelites and other peoples\nof Europe. Christ removed these differences and became the cause of\nlove between these communities. Although after some time governments\ndestroyed this union, the work of Christ was accomplished.\n\nTherefore, the Universal Educator must be at the same\ntime a physical, human and spiritual educator; and He must possess a\nsupernatural power, so that He may hold the position of a divine\nteacher. If He does not show forth such a holy power, He will not be\nable to educate, for if He be imperfect, how can He give a perfect\neducation? If He be ignorant, how can He make others wise? If He be\nunjust, how can He make others just? If He be earthly, how can He\nmake others heavenly?\n\nNow we must consider justly: did these Divine\nManifestations Who have appeared possess all these qualifications or\nnot?4\nIf They had not these qualifications and these perfections, They were\nnot real Educators.\n\nTherefore, it must be our task to prove to the\nthoughtful by reasonable arguments the prophethood of Moses, of\nChrist and of the other Divine Manifestations. And the proofs and\nevidences which we give are not based on traditional but on rational\narguments.\n\nIt has now been proved by rational arguments that the\nworld of existence is in the utmost need of an educator, and that its\neducation must be achieved by divine power. There is no doubt that\nthis holy power is revelation, and that the world must be educated\nthrough this power which is above human power.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "30: ADAM AND EVE",
"slug": "saq-30-adam-and-eve",
"summary": "Question.—What is the truth of the story of Adam, and His eating of the fruit of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"martyrdom",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 7,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—What is the truth of the story of Adam,\nand His eating of the fruit of the tree?\n\nAnswer.—In the Bible it is written that God put\nAdam in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and take care of it, and\nsaid to Him: “Eat of every tree of the garden except the tree\nof good and evil, for if You eat of that, You will die.”102\nThen it is said that God caused Adam to sleep, and He took one of His\nribs and created woman in order that she might be His companion.\nAfter that it is said the serpent induced the woman to eat of the\ntree, saying: “God has forbidden you to eat of the tree in\norder that your eyes may not be opened, and that you may not know\ngood from evil.”103\nThen Eve ate from the tree and gave unto Adam, Who also ate; their\neyes were opened, they found themselves naked, and they hid their\nbodies with leaves. In consequence of this act they received the\nreproaches of God. God said to Adam: “Hast Thou eaten of the\nforbidden tree?” Adam answered: “Eve tempted Me, and I\ndid eat.” God then reproved Eve; Eve said: “The serpent\ntempted me, and I did eat.” For this the serpent was cursed,\nand enmity was put between the serpent and Eve, and between their\ndescendants. And God said: “The man is become like unto Us,\nknowing good and evil, and perhaps He will eat of the tree of life\nand live forever.” So God guarded the tree of life.104\n\nIf we take this story in its apparent meaning, according\nto the interpretation of the masses, it is indeed extraordinary. The\nintelligence cannot accept it, affirm it, or imagine it; for such\narrangements, such details, such speeches and reproaches are far from\nbeing those of an intelligent man, how much less of the Divinity—that\nDivinity Who has organized this infinite universe in the most perfect\nform, and its innumerable inhabitants with absolute system, strength\nand perfection.\n\nWe must reflect a little: if the literal meaning of this\nstory were attributed to a wise man, certainly all would logically\ndeny that this arrangement, this invention, could have emanated from\nan intelligent being. Therefore, this story of Adam and Eve who ate\nfrom the tree, and their expulsion from Paradise, must be thought of\nsimply as a symbol. It contains divine mysteries and universal\nmeanings, and it is capable of marvelous explanations. Only those who\nare initiated into mysteries, and those who are near the Court of the\nAll-Powerful, are aware of these secrets. Hence these verses of the\nBible have numerous meanings.\n\nWe will explain one of them, and we will say: Adam\nsignifies the heavenly spirit of Adam, and Eve His human soul. For in\nsome passages in the Holy Books where women are mentioned, they\nrepresent the soul of man. The tree of good and evil signifies the\nhuman world; for the spiritual and divine world is purely good and\nabsolutely luminous, but in the human world light and darkness, good\nand evil, exist as opposite conditions.\n\nThe meaning of the serpent is attachment to the human\nworld. This attachment of the spirit to the human world led the soul\nand spirit of Adam from the world of freedom to the world of bondage\nand caused Him to turn from the Kingdom of Unity to the human world.\nWhen the soul and spirit of Adam entered the human world, He came out\nfrom the paradise of freedom and fell into the world of bondage. From\nthe height of purity and absolute goodness, He entered into the world\nof good and evil.\n\nThe tree of life is the highest degree of the world of\nexistence: the position of the Word of God, and the supreme\nManifestation. Therefore, that position has been preserved; and, at\nthe appearance of the most noble supreme Manifestation, it became\napparent and clear. For the position of Adam, with regard to the\nappearance and manifestation of the divine perfections, was in the\nembryonic condition; the position of Christ was the condition of\nmaturity and the age of reason; and the rising of the Greatest\nLuminary105\nwas the condition of the perfection of the essence and of the\nqualities. This is why in the supreme Paradise the tree of life is\nthe expression for the center of absolutely pure sanctity—that\nis to say, of the divine supreme Manifestation. From the days of Adam\nuntil the days of Christ, They spoke little of eternal life and the\nheavenly universal perfections. This tree of life was the position of\nthe Reality of Christ; through His manifestation it was planted and\nadorned with everlasting fruits.\n\nNow consider how far this meaning conforms to the\nreality. For the spirit and the soul of Adam, when they were attached\nto the human world, passed from the world of freedom into the world\nof bondage, and His descendants continued in bondage. This attachment\nof the soul and spirit to the human world, which is sin, was\ninherited by the descendants of Adam, and is the serpent which is\nalways in the midst of, and at enmity with, the spirits and the\ndescendants of Adam. That enmity continues and endures. For\nattachment to the world has become the cause of the bondage of\nspirits, and this bondage is identical with sin, which has been\ntransmitted from Adam to His posterity. It is because of this\nattachment that men have been deprived of essential spirituality and\nexalted position.\n\nWhen the sanctified breezes of Christ and the holy light\nof the Greatest Luminary106\nwere spread abroad, the human realities—that is to say, those\nwho turned toward the Word of God and received the profusion of His\nbounties—were saved from this attachment and sin, obtained\neverlasting life, were delivered from the chains of bondage, and\nattained to the world of liberty. They were freed from the vices of\nthe human world, and were blessed by the virtues of the Kingdom. This\nis the meaning of the words of Christ, “I gave My blood for the\nlife of the world”107—that\nis to say, I have chosen all these troubles, these sufferings,\ncalamities, and even the greatest martyrdom, to attain this object,\nthe remission of sins (that is, the detachment of spirits from the\nhuman world, and their attraction to the divine world) in order that\nsouls may arise who will be the very essence of the guidance of\nmankind, and the manifestations of the perfections of the Supreme\nKingdom.\n\nObserve that if, according to the suppositions of the\nPeople of the Book,108\nthe meaning were taken in its exoteric sense, it would be absolute\ninjustice and complete predestination. If Adam sinned by going near\nthe forbidden tree, what was the sin of the glorious Abraham, and\nwhat was the error of Moses the Interlocutor? What was the crime of\nNoah the Prophet? What was the transgression of Joseph the Truthful?\nWhat was the iniquity of the Prophets of God, and what was the\ntrespass of John the Chaste? Would the justice of God have allowed\nthese enlightened Manifestations, on account of the sin of Adam, to\nfind torment in hell until Christ came and by the sacrifice of\nHimself saved them from excruciating tortures? Such an idea is beyond\nevery law and rule and cannot be accepted by any intelligent person.\n\nNo; it means what has already been said: Adam is the\nspirit of Adam, and Eve is His soul; the tree is the human world, and\nthe serpent is that attachment to this world which constitutes sin,\nand which has infected the descendants of Adam. Christ by His holy\nbreezes saved men from this attachment and freed them from this sin.\nThe sin in Adam is relative to His position. Although from this\nattachment there proceed results, nevertheless, attachment to the\nearthly world, in relation to attachment to the spiritual world, is\nconsidered as a sin. The good deeds of the righteous are the sins of\nthe Near Ones. This is established. So bodily power is not only\ndefective in relation to spiritual power; it is weakness in\ncomparison. In the same way, physical life, in comparison with\neternal life in the Kingdom, is considered as death. So Christ called\nthe physical life death, and said: “Let the dead bury their\ndead.”109\nThough those souls possessed physical life, yet in His eyes that life\nwas death.\n\nThis is one of the meanings of the biblical story of\nAdam. Reflect until you discover the others.\n\nSalutations be upon you.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "31: EXPLANATION OF BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT",
"slug": "saq-31-explanation-of-blasphemy-against-the-holy-spirit",
"summary": "Question.—“Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
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"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"exile",
"recognition"
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"virtues": [
"forgiveness"
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"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
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"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
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"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—“Wherefore I say unto you, All\nmanner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the\nblasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And\nwhosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be\nforgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall\nnot be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to\ncome.”—(Matt. 12:31–32)\n\nAnswer.—The holy realities of the Manifestations\nof God have two spiritual positions. One is the place of\nmanifestation, which can be compared to the position of the globe of\nthe sun, and the other is the resplendency of the manifestation,\nwhich is like its light and radiance; these are the perfections of\nGod—in other words, the Holy Spirit. For the Holy Spirit is the\ndivine bounties and lordly perfections, and these divine perfections\nare as the rays and heat of the sun. The brilliant rays of the sun\nconstitute its being, and without them it would not be the sun. If\nthe manifestation and the reflection of the divine perfections were\nnot in Christ, Jesus would not be the Messiah. He is a Manifestation\nbecause He reflects in Himself the divine perfections. The Prophets\nof God are manifestations for the lordly perfections—that is,\nthe Holy Spirit is apparent in Them.\n\nIf a soul remains far from the manifestation, he may yet\nbe awakened; for he did not recognize the manifestation of the divine\nperfections. But if he loathe the divine perfections themselves—in\nother words, the Holy Spirit—it is evident that he is like a\nbat which hates the light.\n\nThis detestation of the light has no remedy and cannot\nbe forgiven—that is to say, it is impossible for him to come\nnear unto God. This lamp is a lamp because of its light; without the\nlight it would not be a lamp. Now if a soul has an aversion for the\nlight of the lamp, he is, as it were, blind, and cannot comprehend\nthe light; and blindness is the cause of everlasting banishment from\nGod.\n\nIt is evident that the souls receive grace from the\nbounty of the Holy Spirit which appears in the Manifestations of God,\nand not from the personality of the Manifestation. Therefore, if a\nsoul does not receive grace from the bounties of the Holy Spirit, he\nremains deprived of the divine gift, and the banishment itself puts\nthe soul beyond the reach of pardon.\n\nThis is why many people who were the enemies of the\nManifestations, and who did not recognize Them, when once they had\nknown Them became Their friends. So enmity toward the Manifestation\ndid not become the cause of perpetual banishment, for they who\nindulged in it were the enemies of the light-holders, not knowing\nthat They were the shining lights of God. They were not the enemies\nof the light, and when once they understood that the light-holder was\nthe place of manifestation of the light, they became sincere friends\nof it.\n\nThe meaning is this: to remain far from the light-holder\ndoes not entail everlasting banishment, for one may become awakened\nand vigilant; but enmity toward the light is the cause of everlasting\nbanishment, and for this there is no remedy.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "32: EXPLANATION OF THE VERSE “FOR MANY ARE CALLED BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN”",
"slug": "saq-32-explanation-of-the-verse-for-many-are-called-but-few-are-chosen",
"summary": "Question.—In the Gospel Christ said: “Many are called, but few are chosen,”110 and in the Qur’án it is written: “He will confer particular mercy on whom He pleaseth.” What is the wisdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"perseverance",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—In the Gospel Christ said: “Many\nare called, but few are chosen,”110\nand in the Qur’án it is written: “He will confer\nparticular mercy on whom He pleaseth.” What is the wisdom of\nthis?\n\nAnswer.—Know that the order and the perfection of\nthe whole universe require that existence should appear in numberless\nforms. For existing beings could not be embodied in only one degree,\none station, one kind, one species and one class; undoubtedly, the\ndifference of degrees and distinction of forms, and the variety of\ngenus and species, are necessary—that is to say, the degree of\nmineral, vegetable, animal substances, and of man, are inevitable;\nfor the world could not be arranged, adorned, organized and perfected\nwith man alone. In the same way, with only animals, only plants or\nonly minerals, this world could not show forth beautiful scenery,\nexact organization and exquisite adornment. Without doubt it is\nbecause of the varieties of degrees, stations, species and classes\nthat existence becomes resplendent with utmost perfection.\n\nFor example, if this tree were entirely fruit, the\nvegetable perfections could not be attained; for leaves, blossoms and\nfruits are all necessary so that the tree may be adorned with utmost\nbeauty and perfection.\n\nIn the same way consider the body of man. It must be\ncomposed of different organs, parts and members. Human beauty and\nperfection require the existence of the ear, the eye, the brain and\neven that of the nails and hair; if man were all brain, eyes or ears,\nit would be equivalent to imperfection. So the absence of hair,\neyelashes, teeth and nails would be an absolute defect, though in\ncomparison with the eye they are without feeling, and in this\nresemble the mineral and plant; but their absence in the body of man\nis necessarily faulty and displeasing.\n\nAs the degrees of existence are different and various,\nsome beings are higher in the scale than others. Therefore, it is by\nthe will and wish of God that some creatures are chosen for the\nhighest degree, as man, and some others are placed in the middle\ndegree, as the vegetable, and some are left in the lowest degree,\nlike the mineral.\n\nIt is from the bounty of God that man is selected for\nthe highest degree; and the differences which exist between men in\nregard to spiritual progress and heavenly perfections are also due to\nthe choice of the Compassionate One. For faith, which is life\neternal, is the sign of bounty, and not the result of justice. The\nflame of the fire of love, in this world of earth and water, comes\nthrough the power of attraction and not by effort and striving.\nNevertheless, by effort and perseverance, knowledge, science and\nother perfections can be acquired; but only the light of the Divine\nBeauty can transport and move the spirits through the force of\nattraction. Therefore, it is said: “Many are called, but few\nare chosen.”111\n\nBut the material beings are not despised, judged and\nheld responsible for their own degree and station. For example,\nmineral, vegetable and animal in their various degrees are\nacceptable; but if in their own degree they remain imperfect, they\nare blamable, the degree itself being purely perfect.\n\nThe differences among mankind are of two sorts: one is a\ndifference of station, and this difference is not blameworthy. The\nother is a difference of faith and assurance; the loss of these is\nblameworthy, for then the soul is overwhelmed by his desires and\npassions, which deprive him of these blessings and prevent him from\nfeeling the power of attraction of the love of God. Though that man\nis praiseworthy and acceptable in his station, yet as he is deprived\nof the perfections of that degree, he will become a source of\nimperfections, for which he is held responsible.112\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "33: THE “RETURN” SPOKEN OF BY THE PROPHETS",
"slug": "saq-33-the-return-spoken-of-by-the-prophets",
"summary": "Question.—Will you explain the subject of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—Will you explain the subject of Return?\n\nAnswer.—Bahá’u’lláh has\nexplained this question fully and clearly in the Íqán.113\nRead it, and the truth of this subject will become apparent. But\nsince you have asked about it, I will explain it briefly. We will\nbegin to elucidate it from the Gospel, for there it is plainly said\nthat when John, the son of Zacharias, appeared and gave to men the\nglad tidings of the Kingdom of God, they asked him, “Who art\nthou? Art thou the promised Messiah?” He replied, “I am\nnot the Messiah.” Then they asked him, “Art thou Elijah?”\nHe said, “I am not.”114\nThese words prove and show that John, the son of Zacharias, was not\nthe promised Elias. But on the day of the transfiguration on Mount\nTabor Christ said plainly that John, the son of Zacharias, was the\npromised Elias.\n\nIn chapter 9, verses 11–13, of the Gospel of Mark,\nit is said: “And they asked Him, saying, Why say the scribes\nthat Elias must first come? And He answered and told them, Elias\nverily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written\nof the Son of man, that He must suffer many things, and be set at\nnought. But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have\ndone unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.”\n\nIn chapter 17, verse 13, of Matthew, it is said: “Then\nthe disciples understood that He spake unto them of John the\nBaptist.”\n\nThey asked John the Baptist, “Are you Elias?”\nHe answered, “No, I am not,” although it is said in the\nGospel that John was the promised Elias, and Christ also said so\nclearly.115\nThen if John was Elias, why did he say, “I am not”? And\nif he was not Elias, why did Christ say that he was?\n\nThe explanation is this: not the personality, but the\nreality of the perfections, is meant—that is to say, the same\nperfections that were in Elias existed in John the Baptist and were\nexactly realized in him. Therefore, John the Baptist was the promised\nElias. In this case not the essence,116\nbut the qualities, are regarded. For example, there was a flower last\nyear, and this year there is also a flower; I say the flower of last\nyear has returned. Now, I do not mean that same flower in its exact\nindividuality has come back; but as this flower has the same\nqualities as that of last year—as it has the same perfume,\ndelicacy, color and form—I say the flower of last year has\nreturned, and this flower is the former flower. When spring comes, we\nsay last year’s spring has come back because all that was found\nin last year’s spring exists in this spring. That is why Christ\nsaid, “You will see all that happened in the days of the former\nProphets.”\n\nWe will give another illustration. The seed of last year\nis sown, branches and leaves grow forth, blossoms and fruits appear,\nand all has again returned to seed. When this second seed is planted,\na tree will grow from it, and once more those branches, leaves,\nblossoms and fruits will return, and that tree will appear in\nperfection. As the beginning was a seed and the end is a seed, we say\nthat the seed has returned. When we look at the substance of the\ntree, it is another substance, but when we look at the blossoms,\nleaves and fruits, the same fragrance, delicacy and taste are\nproduced. Therefore, the perfection of the tree has returned a second\ntime.\n\nIn the same way, if we regard the return of the\nindividual, it is another individual; but if we regard the qualities\nand perfections, the same have returned. Therefore, when Christ said,\n“This is Elias,” He meant: this person is a manifestation\nof the bounty, the perfections, the character, the qualities and the\nvirtues of Elias. John the Baptist said, “I am not Elias.”\nChrist considered the qualities, the perfections, the character and\nthe virtues of both, and John regarded his substance and\nindividuality. It is like this lamp: it was here last night, and\ntonight it is also lighted, and tomorrow night it will also shine. We\nsay that the lamp of this night is the same light as that of last\nnight, and that it has returned. It refers to the light, and not to\nthe oil, the wick or the holder.\n\nThis subject is fully and clearly explained in the\nKitáb-i-Íqán.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "34: PETER’S CONFESSION OF FAITH",
"slug": "saq-34-peter-s-confession-of-faith",
"summary": "Question.—In the Gospel of St. Matthew it is said: “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church.”117 What is the meaning of this…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—In the Gospel of St. Matthew it is said:\n“Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church.”117\nWhat is the meaning of this verse?\n\nAnswer.—This utterance of Christ is a confirmation\nof the statement of Peter, when Christ asked: Whom do you believe Me\nto be? and Peter answered: I believe that “Thou art the Son of\nthe living God.” Then Christ said to him: “Thou art\nPeter”118—for\nCephas in Aramaic means rock—“and upon this rock I will\nbuild My church.” For the others in answer to Christ said that\nHe was Elias, and some said John the Baptist, and some others\nJeremias or one of the Prophets.119\n\nChrist wished by suggestion, or an allusion, to confirm\nthe words of Peter; so on account of the suitability of his name,\nPeter, He said: “and upon this rock I will build My church,”\nmeaning, thy belief that Christ is the Son of the living God will be\nthe foundation of the Religion of God, and upon this belief the\nfoundation of the church of God—which is the Law of God—shall\nbe established.\n\nThe existence of the tomb of Peter in Rome is doubtful;\nit is not authenticated. Some say it is in Antioch.\n\nMoreover, let us compare the lives of some of the Popes\nwith the religion of Christ. Christ, hungry and without shelter, ate\nherbs in the wilderness, and was unwilling to hurt the feelings of\nanyone. The Pope sits in a carriage covered with gold and passes his\ntime in the utmost splendor, amidst such pleasures and luxuries, such\nriches and adoration, as kings have never had.\n\nChrist hurt no one, but some of the Popes killed\ninnocent people: refer to history. How much blood the Popes have shed\nmerely to retain temporal power! For mere differences of opinion they\narrested, imprisoned and slew thousands of the servants of the world\nof humanity and learned men who had discovered the secrets of nature.\nTo what a degree they opposed the truth!\n\nReflect upon the instructions of Christ, and investigate\nthe habits and customs of the Popes. Consider: is there any\nresemblance between the instructions of Christ and the manner of\ngovernment of the Popes? We do not like to criticize, but the history\nof the Vatican is very extraordinary. The purport of our argument is\nthis, that the instructions of Christ are one thing, and the manner\nof the Papal government is quite another; they do not agree. See how\nmany Protestants have been killed by the order of the Popes, how many\ntyrannies and oppressions have been countenanced, and how many\npunishments and tortures have been inflicted! Can any of the sweet\nfragrances of Christ be detected in these actions? No! in the name of\nGod! These people did not obey Christ, while Saint Barbara, whose\npicture is before us, did obey Christ, and followed in His footsteps,\nand put His commands into practice. Among the Popes there are also\nsome blessed souls who followed in the footsteps of Christ,\nparticularly in the first centuries of the Christian era when\ntemporal things were lacking and the tests of God were severe. But\nwhen they came into possession of governmental power, and worldly\nhonor and prosperity were gained, the Papal government entirely\nforgot Christ and was occupied with temporal power, grandeur, comfort\nand luxuries. It killed people, opposed the diffusion of learning,\ntormented the men of science, obstructed the light of knowledge, and\ngave the order to slay and to pillage. Thousands of souls, men of\nscience and learning, and sinless ones, perished in the prisons of\nRome. With all these proceedings and actions, how can the Vicarship\nof Christ be believed in?\n\nThe Papal See has constantly opposed knowledge; even in\nEurope it is admitted that religion is the opponent of science, and\nthat science is the destroyer of the foundations of religion. While\nthe religion of God is the promoter of truth, the founder of science\nand knowledge, it is full of goodwill for learned men; it is the\ncivilizer of mankind, the discoverer of the secrets of nature, and\nthe enlightener of the horizons of the world. Consequently, how can\nit be said to oppose knowledge? God forbid! Nay, for God, knowledge\nis the most glorious gift of man and the most noble of human\nperfections. To oppose knowledge is ignorant, and he who detests\nknowledge and science is not a man, but rather an animal without\nintelligence. For knowledge is light, life, felicity, perfection,\nbeauty and the means of approaching the Threshold of Unity. It is the\nhonor and glory of the world of humanity, and the greatest bounty of\nGod. Knowledge is identical with guidance, and ignorance is real\nerror.\n\nHappy are those who spend their days in gaining\nknowledge, in discovering the secrets of nature, and in penetrating\nthe subtleties of pure truth! Woe to those who are contented with\nignorance, whose hearts are gladdened by thoughtless imitation, who\nhave fallen into the lowest depths of ignorance and foolishness, and\nwho have wasted their lives!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "35: PREDESTINATION",
"slug": "saq-35-predestination",
"summary": "Question.—If God has knowledge of an action which will be performed by someone, and it has been written on the Tablet of Fate, is it possible to resist…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—If God has knowledge of an action which\nwill be performed by someone, and it has been written on the Tablet\nof Fate, is it possible to resist it?\n\nAnswer.—The foreknowledge of a thing is not the\ncause of its realization; for the essential knowledge of God\nsurrounds, in the same way, the realities of things, before as well\nas after their existence, and it does not become the cause of their\nexistence. It is a perfection of God. But that which was prophesied\nby the inspiration of God through the tongues of the Prophets,\nconcerning the appearance of the Promised One of the Bible, was not\nthe cause of the manifestation of Christ.\n\nThe hidden secrets of the future were revealed to the\nProphets, and They thus became acquainted with the future events\nwhich They announced. This knowledge and these prophecies were not\nthe cause of the occurrences. For example, tonight everyone knows\nthat after seven hours the sun will rise, but this general\nforeknowledge does not cause the rising and appearance of the sun.\n\nTherefore, the knowledge of God in the realm of\ncontingency does not produce the forms of the things. On the\ncontrary, it is purified from the past, present and future. It is\nidentical with the reality of the things; it is not the cause of\ntheir occurrence.\n\nIn the same way, the record and the mention of a thing\nin the Book does not become the cause of its existence. The Prophets,\nthrough the divine inspiration, knew what would come to pass. For\ninstance, through the divine inspiration They knew that Christ would\nbe martyred, and They announced it. Now, was Their knowledge and\ninformation the cause of the martyrdom of Christ? No; this knowledge\nis a perfection of the Prophets and did not cause the martyrdom.\n\nThe mathematicians by astronomical calculations know\nthat at a certain time an eclipse of the moon or the sun will occur.\nSurely this discovery does not cause the eclipse to take place. This\nis, of course, only an analogy and not an exact image.\n\n\n\n\n\n Part Three: ON THE POWERS AND\nCONDITIONS OF THE MANIFESTATIONS OF GOD\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "36: THE FIVE ASPECTS OF SPIRIT",
"slug": "saq-36-the-five-aspects-of-spirit",
"summary": "Know that, speaking generally, there are five divisions of the spirit. First the vegetable spirit: this is a power which results from the combination of elements and the mingling of substances by the decree of the Supreme God, and from…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nKnow that, speaking generally, there are five divisions\nof the spirit. First the vegetable spirit: this is a power which\nresults from the combination of elements and the mingling of\nsubstances by the decree of the Supreme God, and from the influence,\nthe effect and connection of other existences. When these substances\nand elements are separated from each other, the power of growth also\nceases to exist. So, to use another figure, electricity results from\nthe combination of elements, and when these elements are separated,\nthe electric force is dispersed and lost. Such is the vegetable\nspirit.\n\nAfter this is the animal spirit, which also results from\nthe mingling and combination of elements. But this combination is\nmore complete, and through the decree of the Almighty Lord a perfect\nmingling is obtained, and the animal spirit—in other words, the\npower of the senses—is produced. It will perceive the reality\nof things from that which is seen and visible, audible, edible,\ntangible, and that which can be smelled. After the dissociation and\ndecomposition of the combined elements this spirit also will\nnaturally disappear. It is like this lamp which you see: when the oil\nand wick and fire are brought together, light is the result; but when\nthe oil is finished and the wick consumed, the light will also vanish\nand be lost.\n\nThe human spirit may be likened to the bounty of the sun\nshining on a mirror. The body of man, which is composed from the\nelements, is combined and mingled in the most perfect form; it is the\nmost solid construction, the noblest combination, the most perfect\nexistence. It grows and develops through the animal spirit. This\nperfected body can be compared to a mirror, and the human spirit to\nthe sun. Nevertheless, if the mirror breaks, the bounty of the sun\ncontinues; and if the mirror is destroyed or ceases to exist, no harm\nwill happen to the bounty of the sun, which is everlasting. This\nspirit has the power of discovery; it encompasses all things. All\nthese wonderful signs, these scientific discoveries, great\nenterprises and important historical events which you know are due to\nit. From the realm of the invisible and hidden, through spiritual\npower, it brought them to the plane of the visible. So man is upon\nthe earth, yet he makes discoveries in the heavens. From known\nrealities—that is to say, from the things which are known and\nvisible—he discovers unknown things. For example, man is in\nthis hemisphere; but, like Columbus, through the power of his reason\nhe discovers another hemisphere—that is, America—which\nwas until then unknown. His body is heavy, but through the help of\nvehicles which he invents, he is able to fly. He is slow of movement,\nbut by vehicles which he invents he travels to the East and West with\nextreme rapidity. Briefly, this power embraces all things.\n\nBut the spirit of man has two aspects: one divine, one\nsatanic—that is to say, it is capable of the utmost perfection,\nor it is capable of the utmost imperfection. If it acquires virtues,\nit is the most noble of the existing beings; and if it acquires\nvices, it becomes the most degraded existence.\n\nThe fourth degree of spirit is the heavenly spirit; it\nis the spirit of faith and the bounty of God; it comes from the\nbreath of the Holy Spirit, and by the divine power it becomes the\ncause of eternal life. It is the power which makes the earthly man\nheavenly, and the imperfect man perfect. It makes the impure to be\npure, the silent eloquent; it purifies and sanctifies those made\ncaptive by carnal desires; it makes the ignorant wise.\n\nThe fifth spirit is the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit is\nthe mediator between God and His creatures. It is like a mirror\nfacing the sun. As the pure mirror receives light from the sun and\ntransmits this bounty to others, so the Holy Spirit is the mediator\nof the Holy Light from the Sun of Reality, which it gives to the\nsanctified realities. It is adorned with all the divine perfections.\nEvery time it appears, the world is renewed, and a new cycle is\nfounded. The body of the world of humanity puts on a new garment. It\ncan be compared to the spring; whenever it comes, the world passes\nfrom one condition to another. Through the advent of the season of\nspring the black earth and the fields and wildernesses will become\nverdant and blooming, and all sorts of flowers and sweet-scented\nherbs will grow; the trees will have new life, and new fruits will\nappear, and a new cycle is founded. The appearance of the Holy Spirit\nis like this. Whenever it appears, it renews the world of humanity\nand gives a new spirit to the human realities: it arrays the world of\nexistence in a praiseworthy garment, dispels the darkness of\nignorance, and causes the radiation of the light of perfections.\nChrist with this power has renewed this cycle; the heavenly spring\nwith the utmost freshness and sweetness spread its tent in the world\nof humanity, and the life-giving breeze perfumed the nostrils of the\nenlightened ones.\n\nIn the same way, the appearance of Bahá’u’lláh\nwas like a new springtime which appeared with holy breezes, with the\nhosts of everlasting life, and with heavenly power. It established\nthe Throne of the Divine Kingdom in the center of the world and, by\nthe power of the Holy Spirit, revived souls and established a new\ncycle.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "37: THE DIVINITY CAN ONLY BE COMPREHENDED THROUGH THE DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS",
"slug": "saq-37-the-divinity-can-only-be-comprehended-through-the-divine-manifestations",
"summary": "Question.—What connection has the Reality of Divinity with the Lordly Rising-places and the Divine…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 8,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—What connection has the Reality of\nDivinity with the Lordly Rising-places and the Divine Dawning-points?\n\nAnswer.—Know that the Reality of Divinity or the\nsubstance of the Essence of Oneness is pure sanctity and absolute\nholiness—that is to say, it is sanctified and exempt from all\npraise. The whole of the supreme attributes of the degrees of\nexistence, in reference to this plane, are only imaginations. It is\ninvisible, incomprehensible, inaccessible, a pure essence which\ncannot be described, for the Divine Essence surrounds all things.\nVerily, that which surrounds is greater than the surrounded, and the\nsurrounded cannot contain that by which it is surrounded, nor\ncomprehend its reality. However far mind may progress, though it may\nreach to the final degree of comprehension, the limit of\nunderstanding, it beholds the divine signs and attributes in the\nworld of creation and not in the world of God. For the essence and\nthe attributes of the Lord of Unity are in the heights of sanctity,\nand for the minds and understandings there is no way to approach that\nposition. “The way is closed, and seeking is forbidden.”\n\nIt is evident that the human understanding is a quality\nof the existence of man, and that man is a sign of God: how can the\nquality of the sign surround the creator of the sign?—that is\nto say, how can the understanding, which is a quality of the\nexistence of man, comprehend God? Therefore, the Reality of the\nDivinity is hidden from all comprehension, and concealed from the\nminds of all men. It is absolutely impossible to ascend to that\nplane. We see that everything which is lower is powerless to\ncomprehend the reality of that which is higher. So the stone, the\nearth, the tree, however much they may evolve, cannot comprehend the\nreality of man and cannot imagine the powers of sight, of hearing,\nand of the other senses, although they are all alike created.\nTherefore, how can man, the created, understand the reality of the\npure Essence of the Creator? This plane is unapproachable by the\nunderstanding; no explanation is sufficient for its comprehension,\nand there is no power to indicate it. What has an atom of dust to do\nwith the pure world, and what relation is there between the limited\nmind and the infinite world? Minds are powerless to comprehend God,\nand the souls become bewildered in explaining Him. “The eyes\nsee Him not, but He seeth the eyes. He is the Omniscient, the\nKnower.”120\n\nConsequently, with reference to this plane of existence,\nevery statement and elucidation is defective, all praise and all\ndescription are unworthy, every conception is vain, and every\nmeditation is futile. But for this Essence of the essences, this\nTruth of truths, this Mystery of mysteries, there are reflections,\nauroras, appearances and resplendencies in the world of existence.\nThe dawning-place of these splendors, the place of these reflections,\nand the appearance of these manifestations are the Holy\nDawning-places, the Universal Realities and the Divine Beings, Who\nare the true mirrors of the sanctified Essence of God. All the\nperfections, the bounties, the splendors which come from God are\nvisible and evident in the Reality of the Holy Manifestations, like\nthe sun which is resplendent in a clear polished mirror with all its\nperfections and bounties. If it be said that the mirrors are the\nmanifestations of the sun and the dawning-places of the rising star,\nthis does not mean that the sun has descended from the height of its\nsanctity and become incorporated in the mirror, nor that the\nUnlimited Reality is limited to this place of appearance. God forbid!\nThis is the belief of the adherents of anthropomorphism. No; all the\npraises, the descriptions and exaltations refer to the Holy\nManifestations—that is to say, all the descriptions, the\nqualities, the names and the attributes which we mention return to\nthe Divine Manifestations; but as no one has attained to the reality\nof the Essence of Divinity, so no one is able to describe, explain,\npraise or glorify it. Therefore, all that the human reality knows,\ndiscovers and understands of the names, the attributes and the\nperfections of God refer to these Holy Manifestations. There is no\naccess to anything else: “the way is closed, and seeking is\nforbidden.”\n\nNevertheless, we speak of the names and attributes of\nthe Divine Reality, and we praise Him by attributing to Him sight,\nhearing, power, life and knowledge. We affirm these names and\nattributes, not to prove the perfections of God, but to deny that He\nis capable of imperfections. When we look at the existing world, we\nsee that ignorance is imperfection and knowledge is perfection;\ntherefore, we say that the sanctified Essence of God is wisdom.\nWeakness is imperfection, and power is perfection; consequently, we\nsay that the sanctified Essence of God is the acme of power. It is\nnot that we can comprehend His knowledge, His sight, His power and\nlife, for it is beyond our comprehension; for the essential names and\nattributes of God are identical with His Essence, and His Essence is\nabove all comprehension. If the attributes are not identical with the\nEssence, there must also be a multiplicity of preexistences, and\ndifferences between the attributes and the Essence must also exist;\nand as Preexistence is necessary, therefore, the sequence of\npreexistences would become infinite. This is an evident error.\n\nAccordingly all these attributes, names, praises and\neulogies apply to the Places of Manifestation; and all that we\nimagine and suppose beside them is mere imagination, for we have no\nmeans of comprehending that which is invisible and inaccessible. This\nis why it is said: “All that you have distinguished through the\nillusion of your imagination in your subtle mental images is but a\ncreation like unto yourself, and returns to you.”121\nIt is clear that if we wish to imagine the Reality of Divinity, this\nimagination is the surrounded, and we are the surrounding one; and it\nis sure that the one who surrounds is greater than the surrounded.\nFrom this it is certain and evident that if we imagine a Divine\nReality outside of the Holy Manifestations, it is pure imagination,\nfor there is no way to approach the Reality of Divinity which is not\ncut off to us, and all that we imagine is mere supposition.\n\nTherefore, reflect that different peoples of the world\nare revolving around imaginations and are worshipers of the idols of\nthoughts and conjectures. They are not aware of this; they consider\ntheir imaginations to be the Reality which is withdrawn from all\ncomprehension and purified from all descriptions. They regard\nthemselves as the people of Unity, and the others as worshipers of\nidols; but idols at least have a mineral existence, while the idols\nof thoughts and the imaginations of man are but fancies; they have\nnot even mineral existence. “Take heed ye who are endued with\ndiscernment.”122\n\nKnow that the attributes of perfection, the splendor of\nthe divine bounties, and the lights of inspiration are visible and\nevident in all the Holy Manifestations; but the glorious Word of God,\nChrist, and the Greatest Name, Bahá’u’lláh,\nare manifestations and evidences which are beyond imagination, for\nThey possess all the perfections of the former Manifestations; and\nmore than that, They possess some perfections which make the other\nManifestations dependent upon Them. So all the Prophets of Israel\nwere centers of inspiration; Christ also was a receiver of\ninspiration, but what a difference between the inspiration of the\nWord of God and the revelations of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Elijah!\n\nReflect that light is the expression of the vibrations\nof the etheric matter: the nerves of the eye are affected by these\nvibrations, and sight is produced. The light of the lamp exists\nthrough the vibration of the etheric matter; so also does that of the\nsun, but what a difference between the light of the sun and that of\nthe stars or the lamp!\n\nThe spirit of man appears and is manifest in the\nembryonic condition, and also in that of childhood and of maturity,\nand it is resplendent and evident in the condition of perfection. The\nspirit is one, but in the embryonic condition the power of sight and\nof hearing is lacking. In the state of maturity and perfection it\nappears in the utmost splendor and brilliance. In the same way the\nseed in the beginning becomes leaves and is the place where the\nvegetable spirit appears; in the condition of fruit it manifests the\nsame spirit—that is to say, the power of growth appears in the\nutmost perfection; but what a difference between the condition of the\nleaves and that of the fruit! For from the fruit a hundred thousand\nleaves appear, though they all grow and develop through the same\nvegetable spirit. Notice the difference between the virtues and\nperfections of Christ, the splendors and brilliance of Bahá’u’lláh,\nand the virtues of the Prophets of Israel, such as Ezekiel or Samuel.\nAll were the manifestations of inspiration, but between them there is\nan infinite difference. Salutations!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "38: THE THREE STATIONS OF THE DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS",
"slug": "saq-38-the-three-stations-of-the-divine-manifestations",
"summary": "Know that the Holy Manifestations, though They have the degrees of endless perfections, yet, speaking generally, have only three stations. The first station is the physical; the second station is the human, which is that of the rational…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
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"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nKnow that the Holy Manifestations, though They have the\ndegrees of endless perfections, yet, speaking generally, have only\nthree stations. The first station is the physical; the second station\nis the human, which is that of the rational soul; the third is that\nof the divine appearance and the heavenly splendor.\n\nThe physical station is phenomenal; it is composed of\nelements, and necessarily everything that is composed is subject to\ndecomposition. It is not possible that a composition should not be\ndisintegrated.\n\nThe second is the station of the rational soul, which is\nthe human reality. This also is phenomenal, and the Holy\nManifestations share it with all mankind.\n\nKnow that, although the human soul has existed on the\nearth for prolonged times and ages, yet it is phenomenal. As it is a\ndivine sign, when once it has come into existence, it is eternal. The\nspirit of man has a beginning, but it has no end; it continues\neternally. In the same way the species existing on this earth are\nphenomenal, for it is established that there was a time when these\nspecies did not exist on the surface of the earth. Moreover, the\nearth has not always existed, but the world of existence has always\nbeen, for the universe is not limited to this terrestrial globe. The\nmeaning of this is that, although human souls are phenomenal, they\nare nevertheless immortal, everlasting and perpetual; for the world\nof things is the world of imperfection in comparison with that of\nman, and the world of man is the world of perfection in comparison\nwith that of things. When imperfections reach the station of\nperfection, they become eternal.123\nThis is an example of which you must comprehend the meaning.\n\nThe third station is that of the divine appearance and\nheavenly splendor: it is the Word of God, the Eternal Bounty, the\nHoly Spirit. It has neither beginning nor end, for these things are\nrelated to the world of contingencies and not to the divine world.\nFor God the end is the same thing as the beginning. So the reckoning\nof days, weeks, months and years, of yesterday and today, is\nconnected with the terrestrial globe; but in the sun there is no such\nthing—there is neither yesterday, today nor tomorrow, neither\nmonths nor years: all are equal. In the same way the Word of God is\npurified from all these conditions and is exempt from the boundaries,\nthe laws and the limits of the world of contingency. Therefore, the\nreality of prophethood, which is the Word of God and the perfect\nstate of manifestation, did not have any beginning and will not have\nany end; its rising is different from all others and is like that of\nthe sun. For example, its dawning in the sign of Christ was with the\nutmost splendor and radiance, and this is eternal and everlasting.\nSee how many conquering kings there have been, how many statesmen and\nprinces, powerful organizers, all of whom have disappeared, whereas\nthe breezes of Christ are still blowing; His light is still shining;\nHis melody is still resounding; His standard is still waving; His\narmies are still fighting; His heavenly voice is still sweetly\nmelodious; His clouds are still showering gems; His lightning is\nstill flashing; His reflection is still clear and brilliant; His\nsplendor is still radiating and luminous; and it is the same with\nthose souls who are under His protection and are shining with His\nlight.\n\nThen it is evident that the Manifestations possess three\nconditions: the physical condition, the condition of the rational\nsoul, and the condition of the divine appearance and heavenly\nsplendor. The physical condition will certainly become decomposed,\nbut the condition of the rational soul, though it has a beginning,\nhas no end: nay, it is endowed with everlasting life. But the Holy\nReality, of which Christ says, “The Father is in the Son,”124\nhas neither beginning nor end. When beginning is spoken of, it\nsignifies the state of manifesting; and, symbolically, the condition\nof silence is compared to sleep. For example, a man is sleeping—when\nhe begins to speak, he is awake—but it is always the same\nindividual, whether he be asleep or awake; no difference has occurred\nin his station, his elevation, his glory, his reality or his nature.\nThe state of silence is compared to sleep, and that of manifestation\nto wakefulness. A man sleeping or waking is the same man; sleep is\none state, and wakefulness is another. The time of silence is\ncompared to sleep, and manifestation and guidance are compared to\nwakefulness.\n\nIn the Gospel it is said, “In the beginning was\nthe Word, and the Word was with God.”125\nThen it is evident and clear that Christ did not reach to the station\nof Messiahship and its perfections at the time of baptism, when the\nHoly Spirit descended upon Him in the likeness of a dove. Nay, the\nWord of God from all eternity has always been, and will be, in the\nexaltation of sanctification.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "39: THE HUMAN CONDITION AND THE SPIRITUAL CONDITION OF THE DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS",
"slug": "saq-39-the-human-condition-and-the-spiritual-condition-of-the-divine-manifestati",
"summary": "We said that the Manifestations have three planes. First, the physical reality, which depends upon the body; second, the individual reality, that is to say, the rational soul; third, the divine appearance, which is the divine…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWe said that the Manifestations have three planes.\nFirst, the physical reality, which depends upon the body; second, the\nindividual reality, that is to say, the rational soul; third, the\ndivine appearance, which is the divine perfections, the cause of the\nlife of existence, of the education of souls, of the guidance of\npeople, and of the enlightenment of the contingent world.\n\nThe physical state is the human state which perishes\nbecause it is composed of elements, and all that is composed of\nelements will necessarily be decomposed and dispersed.\n\nBut the individual reality of the Manifestations of God\nis a holy reality, and for that reason it is sanctified and, in that\nwhich concerns its nature and quality, is distinguished from all\nother things. It is like the sun, which by its essential nature\nproduces light and cannot be compared to the moon, just as the\nparticles that compose the globe of the sun cannot be compared with\nthose which compose the moon. The particles and organization of the\nformer produce rays, but the particles of which the moon is composed\ndo not produce rays but need to borrow light. So other human\nrealities are those souls who, like the moon, take light from the\nsun; but that Holy Reality is luminous in Himself.\n\nThe third plane of that Being126\nis the Divine Bounty, the splendor of the Preexistent Beauty, and the\nradiance of the light of the Almighty. The individual realities of\nthe Divine Manifestations have no separation from the Bounty of God\nand the Lordly Splendor. In the same way, the orb of the sun has no\nseparation from the light. Therefore, it may be said that the\nascension of the Holy Manifestation is simply the leaving of this\nelemental form. For example, if a lamp illumines this niche, and if\nits light ceases to illuminate it because the niche is destroyed, the\nbounty of the lamp is not cut off. Briefly, in the Holy\nManifestations the Preexistent Bounty is like the light, the\nindividuality is represented by the glass globe, and the human body\nis like the niche: if the niche is destroyed, the lamp continues to\nburn. The Divine Manifestations are so many different mirrors because\nThey have a special individuality, but that which is reflected in the\nmirrors is one sun. It is clear that the reality of Christ is\ndifferent from that of Moses.\n\nVerily, from the beginning that Holy Reality127\nis conscious of the secret of existence, and from the age of\nchildhood signs of greatness appear and are visible in Him.\nTherefore, how can it be that with all these bounties and perfections\nHe should have no consciousness?\n\nWe have mentioned that the Holy Manifestations have\nthree planes. The physical condition, the individual reality, and the\ncenter of the appearance of perfection: it is like the sun, its heat\nand its light. Other individuals have the physical plane, the plane\nof the rational soul—the spirit and mind.128\nSo the saying, “I was asleep, and the divine breezes passed\nover Me, and I awoke,” is like Christ’s saying, “The\nbody is sad, and the spirit is happy,” or again, “I am\nafflicted,” or “I am at ease,” or “I am\ntroubled”—these refer to the physical condition and have\nno reference to the individual reality nor to the manifestation of\nthe Divine Reality. Thus consider what thousands of vicissitudes can\nhappen to the body of man, but the spirit is not affected by them; it\nmay even be that some members of the body are entirely crippled, but\nthe essence of the mind remains and is everlasting. A thousand\naccidents may happen to a garment, but for the wearer of it there is\nno danger. These words which Bahá’u’lláh\nsaid, “I was asleep, and the breeze passed over Me, and\nawakened Me,” refer to the body.\n\nIn the world of God there is no past, no future and no\npresent; all are one. So when Christ said, “In the beginning\nwas the Word”129—that\nmeans it was, is and shall be; for in the world of God there is no\ntime. Time has sway over creatures but not over God. For example, in\nthe prayer He says, “Hallowed be Thy name”; the meaning\nis that Thy name was, is and shall be hallowed.130\nMorning, noon and evening are related to this earth, but in the sun\nthere is neither morning, noon nor evening.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "4: ABRAHAM",
"slug": "saq-4-abraham",
"summary": "One of those Who possessed this power and was assisted by it was Abraham. And the proof of it was that He was born in Mesopotamia, and of a family who were ignorant of the Oneness of God. He opposed His own nation and people, and even…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"exile",
"family",
"holy-land",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
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"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOne of those Who possessed this power and was assisted\nby it was Abraham. And the proof of it was that He was born in\nMesopotamia, and of a family who were ignorant of the Oneness of God.\nHe opposed His own nation and people, and even His own family, by\nrejecting all their gods. Alone and without help He resisted a\npowerful tribe, a task which is neither simple nor easy. It is as if\nin this day someone were to go to a Christian people who are attached\nto the Bible, and deny Christ; or in the Papal Court—God\nforbid!—if such a one were in the most powerful manner to\nblaspheme against Christ and oppose the people.\n\nThese people believed not in one God but in many gods,\nto whom they ascribed miracles; therefore, they all arose against\nHim, and no one supported Him except Lot, His brother’s son,\nand one or two other people of no importance. At last, reduced to the\nutmost distress by the opposition of His enemies, He was obliged to\nleave His native land. In reality they banished Him in order that He\nmight be crushed and destroyed, and that no trace of Him might be\nleft.\n\nAbraham then came into the region of the Holy Land. His\nenemies considered that His exile would lead to His destruction and\nruin, as it seemed impossible that a man banished from His native\nland, deprived of His rights and oppressed on all sides—even\nthough He were a king—could escape extermination. But Abraham\nstood fast and showed forth extraordinary firmness—and God made\nthis exile to be to His eternal honor—until He established the\nUnity of God in the midst of a polytheistic generation. This exile\nbecame the cause of the progress of the descendants of Abraham, and\nthe Holy Land was given to them. As a result the teachings of Abraham\nwere spread abroad, a Jacob appeared among His posterity, and a\nJoseph who became ruler in Egypt. In consequence of His exile a Moses\nand a being like Christ were manifested from His posterity, and Hagar\nwas found from whom Ishmael was born, one of whose descendants was\nMuḥammad. In consequence of His exile the Báb appeared\nfrom His posterity,5\nand the Prophets of Israel were numbered among the descendants of\nAbraham. And so it will continue for ever and ever. Finally, in\nconsequence of His exile the whole of Europe and most of Asia came\nunder the protecting shadow of the God of Israel. See what a power it\nis that enabled a Man Who was a fugitive from His country to found\nsuch a family, to establish such a faith, and to promulgate such\nteachings. Can anyone say that all this occurred accidentally? We\nmust be just: was this Man an Educator or not?\n\nSince the exile of Abraham from Ur to Aleppo in Syria\nproduced this result, we must consider what will be the effect of the\nexile of Bahá’u’lláh in His several removes\nfrom Ṭihrán to Baghdád, from thence to\nConstantinople, to Rumelia and to the Holy Land.\n\nSee what a perfect Educator Abraham was!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "40: THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS",
"slug": "saq-40-the-knowledge-of-the-divine-manifestations",
"summary": "Question.—One of the powers possessed by the Divine Manifestations is knowledge. To what extent is it…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
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"virtues": [
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—One of the powers possessed by the\nDivine Manifestations is knowledge. To what extent is it limited?\n\nAnswer.—Knowledge is of two kinds. One is\nsubjective and the other objective knowledge—that is to say, an\nintuitive knowledge and a knowledge derived from perception.\n\nThe knowledge of things which men universally have is\ngained by reflection or by evidence—that is to say, either by\nthe power of the mind the conception of an object is formed, or from\nbeholding an object the form is produced in the mirror of the heart.\nThe circle of this knowledge is very limited because it depends upon\neffort and attainment.\n\nBut the second sort of knowledge, which is the knowledge\nof being, is intuitive; it is like the cognizance and consciousness\nthat man has of himself.\n\nFor example, the mind and the spirit of man are\ncognizant of the conditions and states of the members and component\nparts of the body, and are aware of all the physical sensations; in\nthe same way, they are aware of their power, of their feelings, and\nof their spiritual conditions. This is the knowledge of being which\nman realizes and perceives, for the spirit surrounds the body and is\naware of its sensations and powers. This knowledge is not the outcome\nof effort and study. It is an existing thing; it is an absolute gift.\n\nSince the Sanctified Realities, the supreme\nManifestations of God, surround the essence and qualities of the\ncreatures, transcend and contain existing realities and understand\nall things, therefore, Their knowledge is divine knowledge, and not\nacquired—that is to say, it is a holy bounty; it is a divine\nrevelation.\n\nWe will mention an example expressly for the purpose of\ncomprehending this subject. The most noble being on the earth is man.\nHe embraces the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms—that is\nto say, these conditions are contained in him to such an extent that\nhe is the possessor of these conditions and states; he is aware of\ntheir mysteries and of the secrets of their existence. This is simply\nan example and not an analogy. Briefly, the supreme Manifestations of\nGod are aware of the reality of the mysteries of beings. Therefore,\nThey establish laws which are suitable and adapted to the state of\nthe world of man, for religion is the essential connection which\nproceeds from the realities of things. The Manifestation—that\nis, the Holy Lawgiver—unless He is aware of the realities of\nbeings, will not comprehend the essential connection which proceeds\nfrom the realities of things, and He will certainly not be able to\nestablish a religion conformable to the facts and suited to the\nconditions. The Prophets of God, the supreme Manifestations, are like\nskilled physicians, and the contingent world is like the body of man:\nthe divine laws are the remedy and treatment. Consequently, the\ndoctor must be aware of, and know, all the members and parts, as well\nas the constitution and state of the patient, so that he can\nprescribe a medicine which will be beneficial against the violent\npoison of the disease. In reality the doctor deduces from the disease\nitself the treatment which is suited to the patient, for he diagnoses\nthe malady, and afterward prescribes the remedy for the illness.\nUntil the malady be discovered, how can the remedy and treatment be\nprescribed? The doctor then must have a thorough knowledge of the\nconstitution, members, organs and state of the patient, and be\nacquainted with all diseases and all remedies, in order to prescribe\na fitting medicine.\n\nReligion, then, is the necessary connection which\nemanates from the reality of things; and as the supreme\nManifestations of God are aware of the mysteries of beings,\ntherefore, They understand this essential connection, and by this\nknowledge establish the Law of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "41: THE UNIVERSAL CYCLES",
"slug": "saq-41-the-universal-cycles",
"summary": "Question.—What is the real explanation of the cycles which occur in the world of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—What is the real explanation of the\ncycles which occur in the world of existence?\n\nAnswer.—Each one of the luminous bodies in this\nlimitless firmament has a cycle of revolution which is of a different\nduration, and every one revolves in its own orbit, and again begins a\nnew cycle. So the earth, every three hundred and sixty-five days,\nfive hours, forty-eight minutes and a fraction, completes a\nrevolution; and then it begins a new cycle—that is to say, the\nfirst cycle is again renewed. In the same way, for the whole\nuniverse, whether for the heavens or for men, there are cycles of\ngreat events, of important facts and occurrences. When a cycle is\nended, a new cycle begins; and the old one, on account of the great\nevents which take place, is completely forgotten, and not a trace or\nrecord of it will remain. As you see, we have no records of twenty\nthousand years ago, although we have before proved by argument that\nlife on this earth is very ancient. It is not one hundred thousand,\nor two hundred thousand, or one million or two million years old; it\nis very ancient, and the ancient records and traces are entirely\nobliterated.\n\nEach of the Divine Manifestations has likewise a cycle,\nand during the cycle His laws and commandments prevail and are\nperformed. When His cycle is completed by the appearance of a new\nManifestation, a new cycle begins. In this way cycles begin, end and\nare renewed, until a universal cycle is completed in the world, when\nimportant events and great occurrences will take place which entirely\nefface every trace and every record of the past; then a new universal\ncycle begins in the world, for this universe has no beginning. We\nhave before stated proofs and evidences concerning this subject;\nthere is no need of repetition.\n\nBriefly, we say a universal cycle in the world of\nexistence signifies a long duration of time, and innumerable and\nincalculable periods and epochs. In such a cycle the Manifestations\nappear with splendor in the realm of the visible until a great and\nsupreme Manifestation makes the world the center of His radiance. His\nappearance causes the world to attain to maturity, and the extension\nof His cycle is very great. Afterward, other Manifestations will\narise under His shadow, Who according to the needs of the time will\nrenew certain commandments relating to material questions and\naffairs, while remaining under His shadow.\n\nWe are in the cycle which began with Adam, and its\nsupreme Manifestation is Bahá’u’lláh.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "42: THE POWER AND INFLUENCE OF THE DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS",
"slug": "saq-42-the-power-and-influence-of-the-divine-manifestations",
"summary": "Question.—What is the degree of the power and the perfections of the Thrones of Reality, the Manifestations of God, and what is the limit of Their…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—What is the degree of the power and the\nperfections of the Thrones of Reality, the Manifestations of God, and\nwhat is the limit of Their influence?\n\nAnswer.—Consider the world of existence—that\nis to say, the world of material things. The solar system is dark and\nobscure, and in it the sun is the center of light, and all the\nplanets of the system revolve around its might and are partakers of\nits bounty. The sun is the cause of life and illumination, and the\nmeans of the growth and development of all the beings of the solar\nsystem; for without the bounty of the sun no living being could\nexist: all would be dark and destroyed. Therefore, it is evident and\nclear that the sun is the center of light and the cause of the life\nof the beings of the solar system.\n\nIn like manner, the Holy Manifestations of God are the\ncenters of the light of reality, of the source of mysteries, and of\nthe bounties of love. They are resplendent in the world of hearts and\nthoughts, and shower eternal graces upon the world of spirits; They\ngive spiritual life and are shining with the light of realities and\nmeanings. The enlightenment of the world of thought comes from these\ncenters of light and sources of mysteries. Without the bounty of the\nsplendor and the instructions of these Holy Beings the world of souls\nand thoughts would be opaque darkness. Without the irrefutable\nteachings of those sources of mysteries the human world would become\nthe pasture of animal appetites and qualities, the existence of\neverything would be unreal, and there would be no true life. That is\nwhy it is said in the Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word,”\nmeaning that it became the cause of all life.131\n\nNow consider the influence of the sun upon the earthly\nbeings, what signs and results become evident and clear from its\nnearness and remoteness, from its rising or its setting. At one time\nit is autumn, at another time spring; or again it is summer or\nwinter. When the sun passes the line of the equator, the life-giving\nspring will become manifest in splendor, and when it is in the summer\nsolstice, the fruits will attain to the acme of perfection, grains\nand plants will yield their produce, and earthly beings will attain\ntheir most complete development and growth.\n\nIn like manner, when the Holy Manifestation of God, Who\nis the sun of the world of His creation, shines upon the worlds of\nspirits, of thoughts and of hearts, then the spiritual spring and new\nlife appear, the power of the wonderful springtime becomes visible,\nand marvelous benefits are apparent. As you have observed, at the\ntime of the appearance of each Manifestation of God extraordinary\nprogress has occurred in the world of minds, thoughts and spirits.\nFor example, in this divine age see what development has been\nattained in the world of minds and thoughts, and it is now only the\nbeginning of its dawn. Before long you will see that new bounties and\ndivine teachings will illuminate this dark world and will transform\nthese sad regions into the paradise of Eden.\n\nIf we were to explain the signs and bounties of each of\nthe Holy Manifestations, it would take too long. Think and reflect\nupon it yourself, and then you will attain to the truth of this\nsubject.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "43: THE TWO CLASSES OF PROPHETS",
"slug": "saq-43-the-two-classes-of-prophets",
"summary": "Question.—How many kinds of Prophets are…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"mercy",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—How many kinds of Prophets are there?\n\nAnswer.—Universally, the Prophets are of two\nkinds. One are the independent Prophets Who are followed; the other\nkind are not independent and are themselves followers.\n\nThe independent Prophets are the lawgivers and the\nfounders of a new cycle. Through Their appearance the world puts on a\nnew garment, the foundations of religion are established, and a new\nbook is revealed. Without an intermediary They receive bounty from\nthe Reality of the Divinity, and Their illumination is an essential\nillumination. They are like the sun which is luminous in itself: the\nlight is its essential necessity; it does not receive light from any\nother star. These Dawning-places of the morn of Unity are the sources\nof bounty and the mirrors of the Essence of Reality.\n\nThe other Prophets are followers and promoters, for they\nare branches and not independent; they receive the bounty of the\nindependent Prophets, and they profit by the light of the Guidance of\nthe universal Prophets. They are like the moon, which is not luminous\nand radiant in itself, but receives its light from the sun.\n\nThe Manifestations of universal Prophethood Who appeared\nindependently are, for example, Abraham, Moses, Christ, Muḥammad,\nthe Báb and Bahá’u’lláh. But the\nothers who are followers and promoters are like Solomon, David,\nIsaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. For the independent Prophets are\nfounders; They establish a new religion and make new creatures of\nmen; They change the general morals, promote new customs and rules,\nrenew the cycle and the Law. Their appearance is like the season of\nspring, which arrays all earthly beings in a new garment, and gives\nthem a new life.\n\nWith regard to the second sort of Prophets who are\nfollowers, these also promote the Law of God, make known the Religion\nof God, and proclaim His word. Of themselves they have no power and\nmight, except what they receive from the independent Prophets.\n\nQuestion.—To which category do Buddha and\nConfucius belong?\n\nAnswer.—Buddha also established a new religion,\nand Confucius renewed morals and ancient virtues, but their\ninstitutions have been entirely destroyed. The beliefs and rites of\nthe Buddhists and Confucianists have not continued in accordance with\ntheir fundamental teachings. The founder of Buddhism was a wonderful\nsoul. He established the Oneness of God, but later the original\nprinciples of His doctrines gradually disappeared, and ignorant\ncustoms and ceremonials arose and increased until they finally ended\nin the worship of statues and images.\n\nNow, consider: Christ frequently repeated that the Ten\nCommandments in the Pentateuch were to be followed, and He insisted\nthat they should be maintained. Among the Ten Commandments is one\nwhich says: “Do not worship any picture or image.”132\nAt present in some of the Christian churches many pictures and images\nexist. It is, therefore, clear and evident that the Religion of God\ndoes not maintain its original principles among the people, but that\nit has gradually changed and altered until it has been entirely\ndestroyed and annihilated. Because of this the manifestation is\nrenewed, and a new religion established. But if religions did not\nchange and alter, there would be no need of renewal.\n\nIn the beginning the tree was in all its beauty, and\nfull of blossoms and fruits, but at last it became old and entirely\nfruitless, and it withered and decayed. This is why the True Gardener\nplants again an incomparable young tree of the same kind and species,\nwhich grows and develops day by day, and spreads a wide shadow in the\ndivine garden, and yields admirable fruit. So it is with religions;\nthrough the passing of time they change from their original\nfoundation, the truth of the Religion of God entirely departs, and\nthe spirit of it does not stay; heresies appear, and it becomes a\nbody without a soul. That is why it is renewed.\n\nThe meaning is that the Buddhists and Confucianists now\nworship images and statues. They are entirely heedless of the Oneness\nof God and believe in imaginary gods like the ancient Greeks. But in\nthe beginning it was not so; there were different principles and\nother ordinances.\n\nAgain, consider how much the principles of the religion\nof Christ have been forgotten, and how many heresies have appeared.\nFor example, Christ forbade revenge and transgression; furthermore,\nHe commanded benevolence and mercy in return for injury and evil. Now\nreflect: among the Christian nations themselves how many sanguinary\nwars have taken place, and how much oppression, cruelty, rapacity and\nbloodthirstiness have occurred! Many of these wars were carried on by\ncommand of the Popes. It is then clear and evident that in the\npassage of time religions become entirely changed and altered.\nTherefore, they are renewed.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "44: EXPLANATION OF THE REBUKES ADDRESSED BY GOD TO THE PROPHETS",
"slug": "saq-44-explanation-of-the-rebukes-addressed-by-god-to-the-prophets",
"summary": "Question.—In the Holy Books there are some addresses of reproach and rebuke directed to the Prophets. Who is addressed, and for whom is the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"forgiveness",
"humility",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—In the Holy Books there are some\naddresses of reproach and rebuke directed to the Prophets. Who is\naddressed, and for whom is the rebuke?\n\nAnswer.—All the divine discourses containing\nreproof, though apparently addressed to the Prophets, in reality are\ndirected to the people, through a wisdom which is absolute mercy, in\norder that the people may not be discouraged and disheartened. They,\ntherefore, appear to be addressed to the Prophets; but though\noutwardly for the Prophets, they are in truth for the people and not\nfor the Prophets.\n\nMoreover, the powerful and independent king represents\nhis country: that which he says is the word of all, and every\nagreement that he makes is the agreement of all, for the wishes and\ndesires of all his subjects are included in his wishes and desires.\nIn the same way, every Prophet is the expression of the whole of the\npeople. So the promise and speech of God addressed to Him is\naddressed to all. Generally the speech of reproach and rebuke is\nrather too severe for the people and would be heartbreaking to them.\nSo the Perfect Wisdom makes use of this form of address, as is\nclearly shown in the Bible itself, as, for example, when the children\nof Israel rebelled and said to Moses: “We cannot fight with the\nAmalekites, for they are powerful, mighty and courageous.” God\nthen rebuked Moses and Aaron, though Moses was in complete obedience\nand not in rebellion. Surely such a great Man, Who is the mediator of\nthe Divine Bounty and the deliverer of the Law, must necessarily obey\nthe commands of God. These Holy Souls are like the leaves of a tree\nwhich are put in motion by the blowing of the wind, and not by Their\nown desire; for They are attracted by the breeze of the love of God,\nand Their will is absolutely submissive. Their word is the word of\nGod; Their commandment is the commandment of God; Their prohibition\nis the prohibition of God. They are like the glass globe which\nreceives light from the lamp. Although the light appears to emanate\nfrom the glass, in reality it is shining from the lamp. In the same\nway for the Prophets of God, the centers of manifestation, Their\nmovement and repose come from divine inspiration, not from human\npassions. If it were not so, how could the Prophet be worthy of\ntrust, and how could He be the Messenger of God, delivering the\ncommands and the prohibitions of God? All the defects that are\nmentioned in the Holy Books with reference to the Manifestations\nrefer to questions of this kind.\n\nPraise be to God that you have come here and have met\nthe servants of God! Have you perceived in them anything except the\nfragrance of the pleasure of God? Indeed, no. You have seen with your\nown eyes that day and night they endeavor and strive, and that they\nhave no aim except the exaltation of the word of God, the education\nof men, the improvement of the masses, spiritual progress, the\npromulgation of universal peace, goodwill to all mankind, and\nkindness toward all nations. Sacrificing themselves for the good of\nhumanity, they are detached from material advantages, and labor to\ngive virtues to mankind.\n\nBut let us return to our subject. For example, in the\nOld Testament it is said in the Book of Isaiah, chapter 48, verse 12:\n“Hearken unto Me, O Jacob and Israel, My called; I am He; I am\nthe first, I also am the last.” It is evident that it does not\nmean Jacob who was Israel, but the people of Israel. Also in the Book\nof Isaiah, chapter 43, verse 1, it is said: “But now thus saith\nthe Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O\nIsrael, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy\nname; thou art Mine.”\n\nFurthermore, in Numbers, chapter 20, verse 23: “And\nthe Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the\nland of Edom, saying, Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he\nshall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of\nIsrael, because ye rebelled against My word at the water of\nMeribah”;133\nand in verse 13: “This is the water of Meribah; because the\nchildren of Israel strove with the Lord, and He was sanctified in\nthem.”\n\nObserve: the people of Israel rebelled, but apparently\nthe reproach was for Moses and Aaron. As it is said in the Book of\nDeuteronomy, chapter 3, verse 26: “But the Lord was wroth with\nMe for your sakes, and would not hear Me: and the Lord said unto Me,\nLet it suffice Thee; speak no more unto Me of this matter.”\n\nNow this discourse and reproach really refer to the\nchildren of Israel, who, for having rebelled against the command of\nGod, were held captive a long time in the arid desert, on the other\nside of Jordan, until the time of Joshua—upon him be\nsalutations. This address and reproach appeared to be for Moses and\nAaron, but in reality they were for the people of Israel.\n\nIn the same way in the Qur’án it is said to\nMuḥammad: “We have granted Thee a manifest victory, so\nthat God may forgive Thee Thy preceding and subsequent sin.”134\nThis address, although apparently directed to Muḥammad, was in\nreality for all the people. This mode of address, as before said, was\nused by the perfect wisdom of God, so that the hearts of the people\nmight not be troubled, anxious and tormented.\n\nHow often the Prophets of God and His supreme\nManifestations in Their prayers confess Their sins and faults! This\nis only to teach other men, to encourage and incite them to humility\nand meekness, and to induce them to confess their sins and faults.\nFor these Holy Souls are pure from every sin and sanctified from\nfaults. In the Gospel it is said that a man came to Christ and called\nHim “Good Master.” Christ answered, “Why callest\nthou Me good? there is none good but One, that is, God.”135\nThis did not mean—God forbid!—that Christ was a sinner;\nbut the intention was to teach submission, humility, meekness and\nmodesty to the man to whom He spoke. These Holy Beings are lights,\nand light does not unite itself with darkness. They are life, and\nlife and death are not confounded. They are for guidance, and\nguidance and error cannot be together. They are the essence of\nobedience, and obedience cannot exist with rebellion.\n\nTo conclude, the addresses in the form of reproach which\nare in the Holy Books, though apparently directed to the\nProphets—that is to say, to the Manifestations of God—in\nreality are intended for the people. This will become evident and\nclear to you when you have diligently examined the Holy Books.\n\nSalutations be upon you.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "45: EXPLANATION OF THE VERSE OF THE KITÁB-I-AQDAS, “THERE IS NO PARTNER FOR HIM WHO IS THE DAYSPRING OF REVELATION IN HIS MOST GREAT INFALLIBILITY”",
"slug": "saq-45-explanation-of-the-verse-of-the-kitab-i-aqdas-there-is-no-partner-for-him",
"summary": "It is said in the holy verse: “There is no partner for Him Who is the Dayspring of Revelation136 in His Most Great Infallibility. He is, in truth, the exponent of ‘God doeth whatsoever He willeth’ in the kingdom of creation. Indeed the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"patience",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt is said in the holy verse: “There is no partner\nfor Him Who is the Dayspring of Revelation136\nin His Most Great Infallibility. He is, in truth, the exponent of\n‘God doeth whatsoever He willeth’ in the kingdom of\ncreation. Indeed the Almighty hath exclusively reserved this station\nfor Himself and to none is given a share in this sublime and highly\nexalted distinction.”137\n\nKnow that infallibility is of two kinds: essential\ninfallibility and acquired infallibility. In like manner there is\nessential knowledge and acquired knowledge; and so it is with other\nnames and attributes. Essential infallibility is peculiar to the\nsupreme Manifestation, for it is His essential requirement, and an\nessential requirement cannot be separated from the thing itself. The\nrays are the essential necessity of the sun and are inseparable from\nit. Knowledge is an essential necessity of God and is inseparable\nfrom Him. Power is an essential necessity of God and is inseparable\nfrom Him. If it could be separated from Him, He would not be God. If\nthe rays could be separated from the sun, it would not be the sun.\nTherefore, if one imagines separation of the Most Great Infallibility\nfrom the supreme Manifestation, He would not be the supreme\nManifestation, and He would lack the essential perfections.\n\nBut acquired infallibility is not a natural necessity;\non the contrary, it is a ray of the bounty of infallibility which\nshines from the Sun of Reality upon hearts, and grants a share and\nportion of itself to souls. Although these souls have not essential\ninfallibility, still they are under the protection of God—that\nis to say, God preserves them from error. Thus many of the holy\nbeings who were not dawning-points of the Most Great Infallibility,\nwere yet kept and preserved from error under the shadow of the\nprotection and guardianship of God, for they were the mediators of\ngrace between God and men. If God did not protect them from error,\ntheir error would cause believing souls to fall into error, and thus\nthe foundation of the Religion of God would be overturned, which\nwould not be fitting nor worthy of God.\n\nTo epitomize: essential infallibility belongs especially\nto the supreme Manifestations, and acquired infallibility is granted\nto every holy soul. For instance, the Universal House of Justice,138\nif it be established under the necessary conditions—with\nmembers elected from all the people—that House of Justice will\nbe under the protection and the unerring guidance of God. If that\nHouse of Justice shall decide unanimously, or by a majority, upon any\nquestion not mentioned in the Book, that decision and command will be\nguarded from mistake. Now the members of the House of Justice have\nnot, individually, essential infallibility; but the body of the House\nof Justice is under the protection and unerring guidance of God: this\nis called conferred infallibility.\n\nBriefly, it is said that the “Dayspring of\nRevelation” is the manifestation of these words, “He\ndoeth whatsoever He willeth”; this condition is peculiar to\nthat Holy Being, and others have no share of this essential\nperfection. That is to say, that as the supreme Manifestations\ncertainly possess essential infallibility, therefore whatever\nemanates from Them is identical with the truth, and conformable to\nreality. They are not under the shadow of the former laws. Whatever\nThey say is the word of God, and whatever They perform is an upright\naction. No believer has any right to criticize; his condition must be\none of absolute submission, for the Manifestation arises with perfect\nwisdom—so that whatever the supreme Manifestation says and does\nis absolute wisdom, and is in accordance with reality.\n\nIf some people do not understand the hidden secret of\none of His commands and actions, they ought not to oppose it, for the\nsupreme Manifestation does what He wishes. How often it has occurred,\nwhen an act has been performed by a wise, perfect, intelligent man,\nthat others incapable of comprehending its wisdom have objected to it\nand been amazed that this wise man could say or do such a thing. This\nopposition comes from their ignorance, and the wisdom of the sage is\npure and exempt from error. In the same way, the skilled doctor in\ntreating the patient does what he wishes, and the patient has no\nright to object; whatever the doctor says and does is right; all\nought to consider him the manifestation of these words, “He\ndoeth whatsoever He willeth, and commandeth whatever He desireth.”\nIt is certain that the doctor will use some medicine contrary to the\nideas of other people; now opposition is not permitted to those who\nhave not the advantage of science and the medical art. No, in the\nname of God! on the contrary, all ought to be submissive and to\nperform whatever the skilled doctor says. Therefore, the skilled\ndoctor does what he wishes, and the patients have no share in this\nright. The skill of the doctor must be first ascertained; but when\nthe skill of the doctor is once established, he does what he wishes.\n\nSo also, when the head of the army is unrivaled in the\nart of war, in what he says and commands he does what he wishes. When\nthe captain of a ship is proficient in the art of navigation, in\nwhatever he says and commands he does what he wishes. And as the real\neducator is the Perfect Man, in whatever He says and commands He does\nwhat He wishes.\n\nIn short, the meaning of “He doeth whatsoever He\nwilleth” is that if the Manifestation says something, or gives\na command, or performs an action, and believers do not understand its\nwisdom, they still ought not to oppose it by a single thought,\nseeking to know why He spoke so, or why He did such a thing. The\nother souls who are under the shadow of the supreme Manifestations\nare submissive to the commandments of the Law of God, and are not to\ndeviate as much as a hairsbreadth from it; they must conform their\nacts and words to the Law of God. If they do deviate from it, they\nwill be held responsible and reproved in the presence of God. It is\ncertain that they have no share in the permission “He doeth\nwhatsoever He willeth,” for this condition is peculiar to the\nsupreme Manifestations.\n\nSo Christ—may my spirit be sacrificed to Him!—was\nthe manifestation of these words, “He doeth whatsoever He\nwilleth,” but the disciples were not partakers of this\ncondition; for as they were under the shadow of Christ, they could\nnot deviate from His command and will.\n\n\n\n\n\n Part Four: ON THE ORIGIN, POWERS AND\nCONDITIONS OF MAN\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Some Answered Questions: The Prophecies of Isaiah",
"slug": "saq-46-prophecies-isaiah",
"summary": "In *Some Answered Questions*, 'Abdu'l-Bahá addresses Laura Clifford Barney's question on the prophecies of Isaiah — identifying specific passages of the Hebrew prophet that, in His reading, speak of the Bahá'í Revelation and the age it inaugurates.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Laura Clifford Barney"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9276,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"prophecy",
"questions",
"scripture"
],
"virtues": [
"knowledge",
"vision",
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/some-answered-questions/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
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"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the table-talks of *Some Answered Questions* recorded\nby Laura Clifford Barney is an extended treatment of the\nprophecies of Isaiah, the Hebrew prophet of the eighth\ncentury before the common era whose oracles have been a\nfoundational text in both the Jewish and the Christian\ntraditions.\n\nMiss Barney had asked the Master a question about the\nspecific passages in the Book of Isaiah that, in the\nBahá'í understanding, were addressed to the present age.\nThe Master's response unfolds across the chapter as a\nsubstantial commentary on several principal passages.\n\nThe first passage He considered was the eleventh chapter\nof Isaiah, with its celebrated vision of the *peaceable\nkingdom.* The chapter prophesies a time when *the wolf\nshall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie\ndown with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and\nthe fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.*\nThe Master's treatment was patient. The passage, He\nexplained, is not a prophecy of a literal change in the\ndiet of carnivorous animals. It is a prophecy of the\ncoming time when the human race, having entered its\nspiritual maturity, will achieve the condition of inner\npeace that allows the natural antipathies of the various\nhuman groupings to give way to fellowship.\n\n*The wolf and the lamb* are, in this reading, symbolic\ndesignations of the various human peoples. The peoples who\nwere once natural enemies — the conqueror and the\nconquered, the oppressor and the oppressed, the religion\nthat has dominated and the religion that has been\nsuppressed — will, in the age of the coming\nmanifestation, lie down together in unity.\n\nThe Master went on to address the further passage of\nchapter eleven, in which the *root of Jesse* is named as\na *banner* to the peoples. This image, He explained,\nprophesies the standing of the new Manifestation as an\nensign by which the various peoples of the earth will be\ngathered.\n\nA second principal passage He treated was Isaiah's\naccount of *the Mountain of the Lord's House,* in chapter\ntwo. The mountain to which all the nations of the earth\nshall flow is, in His reading, the spiritual mountain of\nthe new Revelation — the centre toward which the divided\npeoples of the earth will, in the coming age, turn.\n\nA third passage was the prophecy of *the Servant of the\nLord* in the latter chapters of Isaiah. The figure of the\nsuffering servant, despised and rejected, was treated by\nthe Master as a prophetic image of the long succession of\nthe prophets of God — culminating, in the present\nDispensation, in the figures of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh,\nboth of whom suffered the rejection of their own peoples\nand the imprisonment by their own governments.\n\nThe treatment closed with a brief reflection on the\npractical force of the prophecies. They are not, in\nthe Master's framing, predictions in the manner of\nordinary fortune-telling. They are descriptions of the\nspiritual reality that the divine Manifestations bring\ninto the world. The believer's task, on encountering the\nprophecies, is to recognise the reality that has appeared\nand to participate, by his or her own life, in the\nunfolding that the prophecies have described.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "5: MOSES",
"slug": "saq-5-moses",
"summary": "Moses was for a long time a shepherd in the wilderness. Regarded outwardly, He was a Man brought up in a tyrannical household, and was known among men as One Who had committed a murder and become a shepherd. By the government and the…",
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"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
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"era": "abdulbaha",
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"questions",
"children",
"family",
"holy-land"
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"virtues": [
"unity",
"wisdom"
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"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
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"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMoses was for a long time a shepherd in the wilderness.\nRegarded outwardly, He was a Man brought up in a tyrannical\nhousehold, and was known among men as One Who had committed a murder\nand become a shepherd. By the government and the people of Pharaoh He\nwas much hated and detested.\n\nIt was such a Man as this that freed a great nation from\nthe chains of captivity, made them contented, brought them out from\nEgypt, and led them to the Holy Land.\n\nThis people from the depths of degradation were lifted\nup to the height of glory. They were captive; they became free. They\nwere the most ignorant of peoples; they became the most wise. As the\nresult of the institutions that Moses gave them, they attained a\nposition which entitled them to honor among all nations, and their\nfame spread to all lands, to such a degree indeed that among\nsurrounding nations if one wished to praise a man one said, “Surely\nhe is an Israelite.” Moses established laws and ordinances;\nthese gave life to the people of Israel, and led them to the highest\npossible degree of civilization at that period.\n\nTo such a development did they attain that the\nphilosophers of Greece would come and acquire knowledge from the\nlearned men of Israel. Such an one was Socrates, who visited Syria,\nand took from the children of Israel the teachings of the Unity of\nGod and of the immortality of the soul. After his return to Greece,\nhe promulgated these teachings. Later the people of Greece rose in\nopposition to him, accused him of impiety, arraigned him before the\nAreopagus, and condemned him to death by poison.\n\nNow, how could a Man Who was a stammerer, Who had been\nbrought up in the house of Pharaoh, Who was known among men as a\nmurderer, Who through fear had for a long time remained in\nconcealment, and Who had become a shepherd, establish so great a\nCause, when the wisest philosophers on earth have not displayed one\nthousandth part of this influence? This is indeed a prodigy.\n\nA Man Who had a stammering tongue, Who could not even\nconverse correctly, succeeded in sustaining this great Cause! If He\nhad not been assisted by divine power, He would never have been able\nto carry out this great work. These facts are undeniable. Materialist\nphilosophers, Greek thinkers, the great men of Rome became famous in\nthe world, each one of them having specialized in one branch of\nlearning only. Thus Galen and Hippocrates became celebrated in\nmedicine, Aristotle in logic and reasoning, and Plato in ethics and\ntheology. How is it that a shepherd could acquire all of this\nknowledge? It is beyond doubt that He must have been assisted by an\nomnipotent power.\n\nConsider also what trials and difficulties arise for\npeople. To prevent an act of cruelty, Moses struck down an Egyptian\nand afterward became known among men as a murderer, more notably\nbecause the man He had killed was of the ruling nation. Then He fled,\nand it was after that that He was raised to the rank of a Prophet!\n\nIn spite of His evil repute, how wonderfully He was\nguided by a supernatural power in establishing His great institutions\nand laws!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "54: ON THE PROCEEDING OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT FROM GOD",
"slug": "saq-54-on-the-proceeding-of-the-human-spirit-from-god",
"summary": "Question.—In the Bible it is said that God breathed the spirit into the body of man. What is the meaning of this…",
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"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
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"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
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"unity",
"detachment"
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"teen"
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"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—In the Bible it is said that God\nbreathed the spirit into the body of man. What is the meaning of this\nverse?\n\nAnswer.—Know that proceeding is of two kinds: the\nproceeding and appearance through emanation, and the proceeding and\nappearance through manifestation. The proceeding through emanation is\nlike the coming forth of the action from the actor, of the writing\nfrom the writer. Now the writing emanates from the writer, and the\ndiscourse emanates from the speaker, and in the same way the human\nspirit emanates from God. It is not that it manifests God—that\nis to say, no part has been detached from the Divine Reality to enter\nthe body of man. No, as the discourse emanates from the speaker, the\nspirit appears in the body of man.\n\nBut the proceeding through manifestation is the\nmanifestation of the reality of a thing in other forms, like the\ncoming forth of this tree from the seed of the tree, or the coming\nforth of the flower from the seed of the flower, for it is the seed\nitself which appears in the form of the branches, leaves and flowers.\nThis is called the proceeding through manifestation. The spirits of\nmen, with reference to God, have dependence through emanation, just\nas the discourse proceeds from the speaker and the writing from the\nwriter—that is to say, the speaker himself does not become the\ndiscourse, nor does the writer himself become the writing; no, rather\nthey have the proceeding of emanation. The speaker has perfect\nability and power, and the discourse emanates from him, as the action\ndoes from the actor. The Real Speaker, the Essence of Unity, has\nalways been in one condition, which neither changes nor alters, has\nneither transformation nor vicissitude. He is the Eternal, the\nImmortal. Therefore, the proceeding of the human spirits from God is\nthrough emanation. When it is said in the Bible that God breathed His\nspirit into man, this spirit is that which, like the discourse,\nemanates from the Real Speaker, taking effect in the reality of man.\n\nBut the proceeding through manifestation (if by this is\nmeant the divine appearance, and not division into parts), we have\nsaid, is the proceeding and the appearance of the Holy Spirit and the\nWord, which is from God. As it is said in the Gospel of John, “In\nthe beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God”;145\nthen the Holy Spirit and the Word are the appearance of God. The\nSpirit and the Word mean the divine perfections that appeared in the\nReality of Christ, and these perfections were with God; so the sun\nmanifests all its glory in the mirror. For the Word does not signify\nthe body of Christ, no, but the divine perfections manifested in Him.\nFor Christ was like a clear mirror which was facing the Sun of\nReality; and the perfections of the Sun of Reality—that is to\nsay, its light and heat—were visible and apparent in this\nmirror. If we look into the mirror, we see the sun, and we say, “It\nis the sun.” Therefore, the Word and the Holy Spirit, which\nsignify the perfections of God, are the divine appearance. This is\nthe meaning of the verse in the Gospel which says: “The Word\nwas with God, and the Word was God”;146\nfor the divine perfections are not different from the Essence of\nOneness. The perfections of Christ are called the Word because all\nthe beings are in the condition of letters, and one letter has not a\ncomplete meaning, while the perfections of Christ have the power of\nthe word because a complete meaning can be inferred from a word. As\nthe Reality of Christ was the manifestation of the divine\nperfections, therefore, it was like the word. Why? because He is the\nsum of perfect meanings. This is why He is called the Word.\n\nAnd know that the proceeding of the Word and the Holy\nSpirit from God, which is the proceeding and appearance of\nmanifestation, must not be understood to mean that the Reality of\nDivinity had been divided into parts, or multiplied, or that it had\ndescended from the exaltation of holiness and purity. God forbid! If\na pure, fine mirror faces the sun, the light and heat, the form and\nthe image of the sun will be resplendent in it with such\nmanifestation that if a beholder says of the sun, which is brilliant\nand visible in the mirror, “This is the sun,” it is true.\nNevertheless, the mirror is the mirror, and the sun is the sun. The\nOne Sun, even if it appears in numerous mirrors, is one. This state\nis neither abiding nor entering, neither commingling nor descending;\nfor entering, abiding, descending, issuing forth and commingling are\nthe necessities and characteristics of bodies, not of spirits; then\nhow much less do they belong to the sanctified and pure Reality of\nGod. God is exempt from all that is not in accordance with His purity\nand His exalted and sublime sanctity.\n\nThe Sun of Reality, as we have said, has always been in\none condition; it has no change, no alteration, no transformation and\nno vicissitude. It is eternal and everlasting. But the Holy Reality\nof the Word of God is in the condition of the pure, fine and shining\nmirror; the heat, the light, the image and likeness—that is to\nsay, the perfections of the Sun of Reality—appear in it. That\nis why Christ says in the Gospel, “The Father is in the\nSon”—that is to say, the Sun of Reality appears in the\nmirror.147\nPraise be to the One Who shone upon this Holy Reality, Who is\nsanctified among the beings!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "58: THE DEGREE OF KNOWLEDGE POSSESSED BY MAN AND THE DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS",
"slug": "saq-58-the-degree-of-knowledge-possessed-by-man-and-the-divine-manifestations",
"summary": "Question.—Of what degree is the perception of the human world, and what are its…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
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"virtues": [
"service"
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"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
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"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—Of what degree is the perception of the\nhuman world, and what are its limitations?\n\nAnswer.—Know that perception varies. The lowest\ndegree of perception is that of the animals—that is to say, the\nnatural feeling which appears through the powers of the senses, and\nwhich is called sensation. In this, men and animals are sharers;\nmoreover, some animals with regard to the senses are more powerful\nthan man. But in humanity, perception differs and varies in\naccordance with the different conditions of man.\n\nThe first condition of perception in the world of nature\nis the perception of the rational soul. In this perception and in\nthis power all men are sharers, whether they be neglectful or\nvigilant, believers or deniers. This human rational soul is God’s\ncreation; it encompasses and excels other creatures; as it is more\nnoble and distinguished, it encompasses things. The power of the\nrational soul can discover the realities of things, comprehend the\npeculiarities of beings, and penetrate the mysteries of existence.\nAll sciences, knowledge, arts, wonders, institutions, discoveries and\nenterprises come from the exercised intelligence of the rational\nsoul. There was a time when they were unknown, preserved mysteries\nand hidden secrets; the rational soul gradually discovered them and\nbrought them out from the plane of the invisible and the hidden into\nthe realm of the visible. This is the greatest power of perception in\nthe world of nature, which in its highest flight and soaring\ncomprehends the realities, the properties and the effects of the\ncontingent beings.\n\nBut the universal divine mind, which is beyond nature,\nis the bounty of the Preexistent Power. This universal mind is\ndivine; it embraces existing realities, and it receives the light of\nthe mysteries of God. It is a conscious power, not a power of\ninvestigation and of research. The intellectual power of the world of\nnature is a power of investigation, and by its researches it\ndiscovers the realities of beings and the properties of existences;\nbut the heavenly intellectual power, which is beyond nature, embraces\nthings and is cognizant of things, knows them, understands them, is\naware of mysteries, realities and divine significations, and is the\ndiscoverer of the concealed verities of the Kingdom. This divine\nintellectual power is the special attribute of the Holy\nManifestations and the Dawning-places of prophethood; a ray of this\nlight falls upon the mirrors of the hearts of the righteous, and a\nportion and a share of this power comes to them through the Holy\nManifestations.\n\nThe Holy Manifestations have three conditions: one, the\nphysical condition; one, that of the rational soul; and one, that of\nthe manifestation of perfection and of the lordly splendor. The body\ncomprehends things according to the degree of its ability in the\nphysical world; therefore, in certain cases it shows physical\nweakness. For example: “I was sleeping and unconscious; the\nbreeze of God passed over Me and awoke Me, and commanded Me to\nproclaim the Word”; or when Christ in His thirtieth year was\nbaptized, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him; before this the\nHoly Spirit did not manifest itself in Him. All these things refer to\nthe bodily condition of the Manifestations; but Their heavenly\ncondition embraces all things, knows all mysteries, discovers all\nsigns, and rules over all things; before as well as after Their\nmission, it is the same. That is why Christ has said: “I am\nAlpha and Omega, the first and the last”151—that\nis to say, there has never been and never shall be any change and\nalteration in Me.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "6: CHRIST",
"slug": "saq-6-christ",
"summary": "Afterward Christ came, saying, “I am born of the Holy Spirit.” Though it is now easy for the Christians to believe this assertion, at that time it was very difficult. According to the text of the Gospel the Pharisees said, “Is not this…",
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"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
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"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
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"ages": [
"adult",
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"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
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"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAfterward Christ came, saying, “I am born of the\nHoly Spirit.” Though it is now easy for the Christians to\nbelieve this assertion, at that time it was very difficult. According\nto the text of the Gospel the Pharisees said, “Is not this the\nson of Joseph of Nazareth Whom we know? How can He say, therefore, I\ncame down from heaven?”6\n\nBriefly, this Man, Who, apparently, and in the eyes of\nall, was lowly, arose with such great power that He abolished a\nreligion that had lasted fifteen hundred years, at a time when the\nslightest deviation from it exposed the offender to danger or to\ndeath. Moreover, in the days of Christ the morals of the whole world\nand the condition of the Israelites had become completely confused\nand corrupted, and Israel had fallen into a state of the utmost\ndegradation, misery and bondage. At one time they had been taken\ncaptive by the Chaldeans and Persians; at another time they were\nreduced to slavery to the Assyrians; then they became the subjects\nand vassals of the Greeks; and finally they were ruled over and\ndespised by the Romans.\n\nThis young Man, Christ, by the help of a supernatural\npower, abrogated the ancient Mosaic Law, reformed the general morals,\nand once again laid the foundation of eternal glory for the\nIsraelites. Moreover, He brought to humanity the glad tidings of\nuniversal peace, and spread abroad teachings which were not for\nIsrael alone but were for the general happiness of the whole human\nrace.\n\nThose who first strove to do away with Him were the\nIsraelites, His own kindred. To all outward appearances they overcame\nHim and brought Him into direst distress. At last they crowned Him\nwith the crown of thorns and crucified Him. But Christ, while\napparently in the deepest misery and affliction, proclaimed, “This\nSun will be resplendent, this Light will shine, My grace will\nsurround the world, and all My enemies will be brought low.”\nAnd as He said, so it was; for all the kings of the earth have not\nbeen able to withstand Him. Nay, all their standards have been\noverthrown, while the banner of that Oppressed One has been raised to\nthe zenith.\n\nBut this is opposed to all the rules of human reason.\nThen it becomes clear and evident that this Glorious Being was a true\nEducator of the world of humanity, and that He was helped and\nconfirmed by divine power.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "60: THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SPIRIT (1)",
"slug": "saq-60-the-immortality-of-the-spirit-1",
"summary": "Having shown that the spirit of man exists,152 we must prove its…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
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"era": "abdulbaha",
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"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
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"body": "\nHaving shown that the spirit of man exists,152\nwe must prove its immortality.\n\nThe immortality of the spirit is mentioned in the Holy\nBooks; it is the fundamental basis of the divine religions. Now\npunishments and rewards are said to be of two kinds: first, the\nrewards and punishments of this life; second, those of the other\nworld. But the paradise and hell of existence are found in all the\nworlds of God, whether in this world or in the spiritual heavenly\nworlds. Gaining these rewards is the gaining of eternal life. That is\nwhy Christ said, “Act in such a way that you may find eternal\nlife, and that you may be born of water and the spirit, so that you\nmay enter into the Kingdom.”153\n\nThe rewards of this life are the virtues and perfections\nwhich adorn the reality of man. For example, he was dark and becomes\nluminous; he was ignorant and becomes wise; he was neglectful and\nbecomes vigilant; he was asleep and becomes awakened; he was dead and\nbecomes living; he was blind and becomes a seer; he was deaf and\nbecomes a hearer; he was earthly and becomes heavenly; he was\nmaterial and becomes spiritual. Through these rewards he gains\nspiritual birth and becomes a new creature. He becomes the\nmanifestation of the verse in the Gospel where it is said of the\ndisciples that they “were born, not of blood, nor of the will\nof the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God”154—that\nis to say, they were delivered from the animal characteristics and\nqualities which are the characteristics of human nature, and they\nbecame qualified with the divine characteristics, which are the\nbounty of God. This is the meaning of the second birth. For such\npeople there is no greater torture than being veiled from God, and no\nmore severe punishment than sensual vices, dark qualities, lowness of\nnature, engrossment in carnal desires. When they are delivered\nthrough the light of faith from the darkness of these vices, and\nbecome illuminated with the radiance of the sun of reality, and\nennobled with all the virtues, they esteem this the greatest reward,\nand they know it to be the true paradise. In the same way they\nconsider that the spiritual punishment—that is to say, the\ntorture and punishment of existence—is to be subjected to the\nworld of nature; to be veiled from God; to be brutal and ignorant; to\nfall into carnal lusts; to be absorbed in animal frailties; to be\ncharacterized with dark qualities, such as falsehood, tyranny,\ncruelty, attachment to the affairs of the world, and being immersed\nin satanic ideas. For them, these are the greatest punishments and\ntortures.\n\nLikewise, the rewards of the other world are the eternal\nlife which is clearly mentioned in all the Holy Books, the divine\nperfections, the eternal bounties and everlasting felicity. The\nrewards of the other world are the perfections and the peace obtained\nin the spiritual worlds after leaving this world, while the rewards\nof this life are the real luminous perfections which are realized in\nthis world, and which are the cause of eternal life, for they are the\nvery progress of existence. It is like the man who passes from the\nembryonic world to the state of maturity and becomes the\nmanifestation of these words: “Blessed, therefore, be God, the\nmost excellent of Makers.”155\nThe rewards of the other world are peace, the spiritual graces, the\nvarious spiritual gifts in the Kingdom of God, the gaining of the\ndesires of the heart and the soul, and the meeting of God in the\nworld of eternity. In the same way the punishments of the other\nworld—that is to say, the torments of the other world—consist\nin being deprived of the special divine blessings and the absolute\nbounties, and falling into the lowest degrees of existence. He who is\ndeprived of these divine favors, although he continues after death,\nis considered as dead by the people of truth.\n\nThe logical proof of the immortality of the spirit is\nthis, that no sign can come from a nonexisting thing—that is to\nsay, it is impossible that from absolute nonexistence signs should\nappear—for the signs are the consequence of an existence, and\nthe consequence depends upon the existence of the principle. So from\na nonexisting sun no light can radiate; from a nonexisting sea no\nwaves appear; from a nonexisting cloud no rain falls; a nonexisting\ntree yields no fruit; a nonexisting man neither manifests nor\nproduces anything. Therefore, as long as signs of existence appear,\nthey are a proof that the possessor of the sign is existent.\n\nConsider that today the Kingdom of Christ exists. From a\nnonexisting king how could such a great kingdom be manifested? How,\nfrom a nonexisting sea, can the waves mount so high? From a\nnonexisting garden, how can such fragrant breezes be wafted? Reflect\nthat no effect, no trace, no influence remains of any being after its\nmembers are dispersed and its elements are decomposed, whether it be\na mineral, a vegetable or an animal. There is only the human reality\nand the spirit of man which, after the disintegration of the members,\ndispersing of the particles, and the destruction of the composition,\npersists and continues to act and to have power.\n\nThis question is extremely subtle: consider it\nattentively. This is a rational proof which we are giving, so that\nthe wise may weigh it in the balance of reason and justice. But if\nthe human spirit will rejoice and be attracted to the Kingdom of God,\nif the inner sight becomes opened, and the spiritual hearing\nstrengthened, and the spiritual feelings predominant, he will see the\nimmortality of the spirit as clearly as he sees the sun, and the glad\ntidings and signs of God will encompass him.\n\nTomorrow we will give other proofs.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "61: THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SPIRIT (2)",
"slug": "saq-61-the-immortality-of-the-spirit-2",
"summary": "Yesterday we were occupied in discussing the immortality of the spirit. Know that the power and the comprehension of the human spirit are of two kinds—that is to say, they perceive and act in two different modes. One way is through…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"truthfulness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nYesterday we were occupied in discussing the immortality\nof the spirit. Know that the power and the comprehension of the human\nspirit are of two kinds—that is to say, they perceive and act\nin two different modes. One way is through instruments and organs:\nthus with this eye it sees; with this ear it hears; with this tongue\nit talks. Such is the action of the spirit, and the perception of the\nreality of man, by means of organs—that is to say, that the\nspirit is the seer, through the eyes; the spirit is the hearer,\nthrough the ear; the spirit is the speaker, through the tongue.\n\nThe other manifestation of the powers and actions of the\nspirit is without instruments and organs. For example, in the state\nof sleep without eyes it sees; without an ear it hears; without a\ntongue it speaks; without feet it runs. Briefly, these actions are\nbeyond the means of instruments and organs. How often it happens that\nit sees a dream in the world of sleep, and its signification becomes\napparent two years afterward in corresponding events. In the same\nway, how many times it happens that a question which one cannot solve\nin the world of wakefulness is solved in the world of dreams. In\nwakefulness the eye sees only for a short distance, but in dreams he\nwho is in the East sees the West. Awake he sees the present; in sleep\nhe sees the future. In wakefulness, by means of rapid transit, at the\nmost he can travel only twenty farsakhs156\nan hour; in sleep, in the twinkling of an eye, he traverses the East\nand West. For the spirit travels in two different ways: without\nmeans, which is spiritual traveling; and with means, which is\nmaterial traveling: as birds which fly, and those which are carried.\n\nIn the time of sleep this body is as though dead; it\ndoes not see nor hear; it does not feel; it has no consciousness, no\nperception—that is to say, the powers of man have become\ninactive, but the spirit lives and subsists. Nay, its penetration is\nincreased, its flight is higher, and its intelligence is greater. To\nconsider that after the death of the body the spirit perishes is like\nimagining that a bird in a cage will be destroyed if the cage is\nbroken, though the bird has nothing to fear from the destruction of\nthe cage. Our body is like the cage, and the spirit is like the bird.\nWe see that without the cage this bird flies in the world of sleep;\ntherefore, if the cage becomes broken, the bird will continue and\nexist. Its feelings will be even more powerful, its perceptions\ngreater, and its happiness increased. In truth, from hell it reaches\na paradise of delights because for the thankful birds there is no\nparadise greater than freedom from the cage. That is why with utmost\njoy and happiness the martyrs hasten to the plain of sacrifice.\n\nIn wakefulness the eye of man sees at the utmost as far\nas one hour of distance157\nbecause through the instrumentality of the body the power of the\nspirit is thus determined; but with the inner sight and the mental\neye it sees America, and it can perceive that which is there, and\ndiscover the conditions of things and organize affairs. If, then, the\nspirit were the same as the body, it would be necessary that the\npower of the inner sight should also be in the same proportion.\nTherefore, it is evident that this spirit is different from the body,\nand that the bird is different from the cage, and that the power and\npenetration of the spirit is stronger without the intermediary of the\nbody. Now, if the instrument is abandoned, the possessor of the\ninstrument continues to act. For example, if the pen is abandoned or\nbroken, the writer remains living and present; if a house is ruined,\nthe owner is alive and existing. This is one of the logical evidences\nfor the immortality of the soul.\n\nThere is another: this body becomes weak or heavy or\nsick, or it finds health; it becomes tired or rested; sometimes the\nhand or leg is amputated, or its physical power is crippled; it\nbecomes blind or deaf or dumb; its limbs may become paralyzed;\nbriefly, the body may have all the imperfections. Nevertheless, the\nspirit in its original state, in its own spiritual perception, will\nbe eternal and perpetual; it neither finds any imperfection, nor will\nit become crippled. But when the body is wholly subjected to disease\nand misfortune, it is deprived of the bounty of the spirit, like a\nmirror which, when it becomes broken or dirty or dusty, cannot\nreflect the rays of the sun nor any longer show its bounties.\n\nWe have already explained that the spirit of man is not\nin the body because it is freed and sanctified from entrance and\nexit, which are bodily conditions. The connection of the spirit with\nthe body is like that of the sun with the mirror. Briefly, the human\nspirit is in one condition. It neither becomes ill from the diseases\nof the body nor cured by its health; it does not become sick, nor\nweak, nor miserable, nor poor, nor light, nor small—that is to\nsay, it will not be injured because of the infirmities of the body,\nand no effect will be visible even if the body becomes weak, or if\nthe hands and feet and tongue be cut off, or if it loses the power of\nhearing or sight. Therefore, it is evident and certain that the\nspirit is different from the body, and that its duration is\nindependent of that of the body; on the contrary, the spirit with the\nutmost greatness rules in the world of the body; and its power and\ninfluence, like the bounty of the sun in the mirror, are apparent and\nvisible. But when the mirror becomes dusty or breaks, it will cease\nto reflect the rays of the sun.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "65: EXPLANATION OF A VERSE IN THE KITÁB-I-AQDAS",
"slug": "saq-65-explanation-of-a-verse-in-the-kitab-i-aqdas",
"summary": "Question.—It is said in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas “...whoso is deprived thereof, hath gone astray, though he be the author of every righteous deed.” What is the meaning of this…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—It is said in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas\n“...whoso is deprived thereof, hath gone astray, though he be\nthe author of every righteous deed.” What is the meaning of\nthis verse?\n\nAnswer.—This blessed verse means that the\nfoundation of success and salvation is the knowledge of God, and that\nthe results of the knowledge of God are the good actions which are\nthe fruits of faith.\n\nIf man has not this knowledge, he will be separated from\nGod, and when this separation exists, good actions have not complete\neffect. This verse does not mean that the souls separated from God\nare equal, whether they perform good or bad actions. It signifies\nonly that the foundation is to know God, and the good actions result\nfrom this knowledge. Nevertheless, it is certain that between the\ngood, the sinners and the wicked who are veiled from God there is a\ndifference. For the veiled one who has good principles and character\ndeserves the pardon of God, while he who is a sinner, and has bad\nqualities and character, is deprived of the bounties and blessings of\nGod. Herein lies the difference.\n\nTherefore, the blessed verse means that good actions\nalone, without the knowledge of God, cannot be the cause of eternal\nsalvation, everlasting success, and prosperity, and entrance into the\nKingdom of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "66: THE EXISTENCE OF THE RATIONAL SOUL AFTER THE DEATH OF THE BODY",
"slug": "saq-66-the-existence-of-the-rational-soul-after-the-death-of-the-body",
"summary": "Question.—After the body is put aside and the spirit has obtained freedom, in what way will the rational soul exist? Let us suppose that the souls who are assisted by the bounty of the Holy Spirit attain to true existence and eternal…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—After the body is put aside and the\nspirit has obtained freedom, in what way will the rational soul\nexist? Let us suppose that the souls who are assisted by the bounty\nof the Holy Spirit attain to true existence and eternal life. But\nwhat becomes of the rational souls—that is to say, the veiled\nspirits?159\n\nAnswer.—Some think that the body is the substance\nand exists by itself, and that the spirit is accidental and depends\nupon the substance of the body, although, on the contrary, the\nrational soul is the substance, and the body depends upon it. If the\naccident—that is to say, the body—be destroyed, the\nsubstance, the spirit, remains.\n\nSecond, the rational soul, meaning the human spirit,\ndoes not descend into the body—that is to say, it does not\nenter it, for descent and entrance are characteristics of bodies, and\nthe rational soul is exempt from this. The spirit never entered this\nbody, so in quitting it, it will not be in need of an abiding-place:\nno, the spirit is connected with the body, as this light is with this\nmirror. When the mirror is clear and perfect, the light of the lamp\nwill be apparent in it, and when the mirror becomes covered with dust\nor breaks, the light will disappear.\n\nThe rational soul—that is to say, the human\nspirit—has neither entered this body nor existed through it; so\nafter the disintegration of the composition of the body, how should\nit be in need of a substance through which it may exist? On the\ncontrary, the rational soul is the substance through which the body\nexists. The personality of the rational soul is from its beginning;\nit is not due to the instrumentality of the body, but the state and\nthe personality of the rational soul may be strengthened in this\nworld; it will make progress and will attain to the degrees of\nperfection, or it will remain in the lowest abyss of ignorance,\nveiled and deprived from beholding the signs of God.\n\nQuestion.—Through what means will the spirit of\nman—that is to say, the rational soul—after departing\nfrom this mortal world, make progress?\n\nAnswer.—The progress of man’s spirit in the\ndivine world, after the severance of its connection with the body of\ndust, is through the bounty and grace of the Lord alone, or through\nthe intercession and the sincere prayers of other human souls, or\nthrough the charities and important good works which are performed in\nits name.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "67: ETERNAL LIFE AND ENTRANCE INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD",
"slug": "saq-67-eternal-life-and-entrance-into-the-kingdom-of-god",
"summary": "You question about eternal life and the entrance into the Kingdom. The outer expression used for the Kingdom is heaven; but this is a comparison and similitude, not a reality or fact, for the Kingdom is not a material place; it is…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"children",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"steadfastness",
"sacrifice",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nYou question about eternal life and the entrance into\nthe Kingdom. The outer expression used for the Kingdom is heaven; but\nthis is a comparison and similitude, not a reality or fact, for the\nKingdom is not a material place; it is sanctified from time and\nplace. It is a spiritual world, a divine world, and the center of the\nSovereignty of God; it is freed from body and that which is\ncorporeal, and it is purified and sanctified from the imaginations of\nthe human world. To be limited to place is a property of bodies and\nnot of spirits. Place and time surround the body, not the mind and\nspirit. Observe that the body of man is confined to a small place; it\ncovers only two spans of earth. But the spirit and mind of man travel\nto all countries and regions—even through the limitless space\nof the heavens—surround all that exists, and make discoveries\nin the exalted spheres and infinite distances. This is because the\nspirit has no place; it is placeless; and for the spirit the earth\nand the heaven are as one since it makes discoveries in both. But the\nbody is limited to a place and does not know that which is beyond it.\n\nFor life is of two kinds: that of the body and that of\nthe spirit. The life of the body is material life, but the life of\nthe spirit expresses the existence of the Kingdom, which consists in\nreceiving the Spirit of God and becoming vivified by the breath of\nthe Holy Spirit. Although the material life has existence, it is pure\nnonexistence and absolute death for the holy saints. So man exists,\nand this stone also exists, but what a difference between the\nexistence of man and that of the stone! Though the stone exists, in\nrelation to the existence of man it is nonexistent.\n\nThe meaning of eternal life is the gift of the Holy\nSpirit, as the flower receives the gift of the season, the air, and\nthe breezes of spring. Consider: this flower had life in the\nbeginning like the life of the mineral; but by the coming of the\nseason of spring, of the bounty of the clouds of the springtime, and\nof the heat of the glowing sun, it attained to another life of the\nutmost freshness, delicacy and fragrance. The first life of the\nflower, in comparison to the second life, is death.\n\nThe meaning is that the life of the Kingdom is the life\nof the spirit, the eternal life, and that it is purified from place,\nlike the spirit of man which has no place. For if you examine the\nhuman body, you will not find a special spot or locality for the\nspirit, for it has never had a place; it is immaterial. It has a\nconnection with the body like that of the sun with this mirror. The\nsun is not within the mirror, but it has a connection with the\nmirror.\n\nIn the same way the world of the Kingdom is sanctified\nfrom everything that can be perceived by the eye or by the other\nsenses—hearing, smell, taste or touch. The mind which is in\nman, the existence of which is recognized—where is it in him?\nIf you examine the body with the eye, the ear or the other senses,\nyou will not find it; nevertheless, it exists. Therefore, the mind\nhas no place, but it is connected with the brain. The Kingdom is also\nlike this. In the same way love has no place, but it is connected\nwith the heart; so the Kingdom has no place, but is connected with\nman.\n\nEntrance into the Kingdom is through the love of God,\nthrough detachment, through holiness and chastity, through\ntruthfulness, purity, steadfastness, faithfulness and the sacrifice\nof life.\n\nThese explanations show that man is immortal and lives\neternally. For those who believe in God, who have love of God, and\nfaith, life is excellent—that is, it is eternal; but to those\nsouls who are veiled from God, although they have life, it is dark,\nand in comparison with the life of believers it is nonexistence.\n\nFor example, the eye and the nail are living; but the\nlife of the nail in relation to the life of the eye is nonexistent.\nThis stone and this man both exist; but the stone in relation to the\nexistence of man is nonexistent; it has no being; for when man dies,\nand his body is destroyed and annihilated, it becomes like stone and\nearth. Therefore, it is clear that although the mineral exists, in\nrelation to man it is nonexistent.\n\nIn the same way, the souls who are veiled from God,\nalthough they exist in this world and in the world after death, are,\nin comparison with the holy existence of the children of the Kingdom\nof God, nonexisting and separated from God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "68: FATE",
"slug": "saq-68-fate",
"summary": "Question.—Is the predestination which is mentioned in the Holy Books a decreed thing? If so, is not the effort to avoid it…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—Is the predestination which is mentioned\nin the Holy Books a decreed thing? If so, is not the effort to avoid\nit useless?\n\nAnswer.—Fate is of two kinds: one is decreed, and\nthe other is conditional or impending. The decreed fate is that which\ncannot change or be altered, and conditional fate is that which may\noccur. So, for this lamp, the decreed fate is that the oil burns and\nwill be consumed; therefore, its eventual extinction is a decree\nwhich it is impossible to alter or to change because it is a decreed\nfate. In the same way, in the body of man a power of life has been\ncreated, and as soon as it is destroyed and ended, the body will\ncertainly be decomposed, so when the oil in this lamp is burnt and\nfinished, the lamp will undoubtedly become extinguished.\n\nBut conditional fate may be likened to this: while there\nis still oil, a violent wind blows on the lamp, which extinguishes\nit. This is a conditional fate. It is wise to avoid it, to protect\noneself from it, to be cautious and circumspect. But the decreed\nfate, which is like the finishing of the oil in the lamp, cannot be\naltered, changed nor delayed. It must happen; it is inevitable that\nthe lamp will become extinguished.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "69: THE INFLUENCE OF THE STARS",
"slug": "saq-69-the-influence-of-the-stars",
"summary": "Question.—Have the stars of the heavens any influence upon the human soul, or have they…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [
"patience",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—Have the stars of the heavens any\ninfluence upon the human soul, or have they not?\n\nAnswer.—Some of the celestial stars have a clear\nand apparent material effect upon the terrestrial globe and the\nearthly beings, which needs no explanation. Consider the sun, which\nthrough the aid and the providence of God develops the earth and all\nearthly beings. Without the light and heat of the sun, all the\nearthly creatures would be entirely nonexistent.\n\nWith regard to the spiritual influence of stars, though\nthis influence of stars in the human world may appear strange, still,\nif you reflect deeply upon this subject, you will not be so much\nsurprised at it. My meaning is not, however, that the decrees which\nthe astrologers of former times inferred from the movements of the\nstars corresponded to occurrences; for the decrees of those former\nastrologers were forms of imagination which were originated by\nEgyptian, Assyrian and Chaldean priests; nay, rather, they were due\nto the fancies of Hindus, to the myths of the Greeks, Romans and\nother star worshipers. But I mean that this limitless universe is\nlike the human body, all the members of which are connected and\nlinked with one another with the greatest strength. How much the\norgans, the members and the parts of the body of man are intermingled\nand connected for mutual aid and help, and how much they influence\none another! In the same way, the parts of this infinite universe\nhave their members and elements connected with one another, and\ninfluence one another spiritually and materially.\n\nFor example, the eye sees, and all the body is affected;\nthe ear hears, and all the members of the body are moved. Of this\nthere is no doubt; and the universe is like a living person.\nMoreover, the connection which exists between the members of beings\nmust necessarily have an effect and impression, whether it be\nmaterial or spiritual.\n\nFor those who deny spiritual influence upon material\nthings we mention this brief example: wonderful sounds and tones,\nmelodies and charming voices, are accidents which affect the air—for\nsound is the term for vibrations of the air—and by these\nvibrations the nerves of the tympanum of the ear are affected, and\nhearing results. Now reflect that the vibration of the air, which is\nan accident of no importance, attracts and exhilarates the spirit of\nman and has great effect upon him: it makes him weep or laugh;\nperhaps it will influence him to such a degree that he will throw\nhimself into danger. Therefore, see the connection which exists\nbetween the spirit of man and the atmospheric vibration, so that the\nmovement of the air becomes the cause of transporting him from one\nstate to another, and of entirely overpowering him; it will deprive\nhim of patience and tranquillity. Consider how strange this is, for\nnothing comes forth from the singer which enters into the listener;\nnevertheless, a great spiritual effect is produced. Therefore, surely\nso great a connection between beings must have spiritual effect and\ninfluence.\n\nIt has been mentioned that the members and parts of man\naffect and influence one another. For example, the eye sees; the\nheart is affected. The ear hears; and the spirit is influenced. The\nheart is at rest; the thoughts become serene, and for all the members\nof man’s body a pleasant condition is realized. What a\nconnection and what an agreement is this! Since this connection, this\nspiritual effect and this influence, exists between the members of\nthe body of man, who is only one of many finite beings, certainly\nbetween these universal and infinite beings there will also be a\nspiritual and material connection. Although by existing rules and\nactual science these connections cannot be discovered, nevertheless,\ntheir existence between all beings is certain and absolute.\n\nTo conclude: the beings, whether great or small, are\nconnected with one another by the perfect wisdom of God, and affect\nand influence one another. If it were not so, in the universal system\nand the general arrangement of existence, there would be disorder and\nimperfection. But as beings are connected one with another with the\ngreatest strength, they are in order in their places and perfect.\n\nThis subject is worthy of examination.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "7: MUḤAMMAD",
"slug": "saq-7-muhammad",
"summary": "Now we come to Muḥammad. Americans and Europeans have heard a number of stories about the Prophet which they have thought to be true, although the narrators were either ignorant or antagonistic: most of them were clergy; others were…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"persecution",
"prison",
"women",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"justice",
"kindness",
"mercy",
"patience",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 10,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNow we come to Muḥammad. Americans and Europeans\nhave heard a number of stories about the Prophet which they have\nthought to be true, although the narrators were either ignorant or\nantagonistic: most of them were clergy; others were ignorant Muslims\nwho repeated unfounded traditions about Muḥammad which they\nignorantly believed to be to His praise.\n\nThus some benighted Muslims made His polygamy the pivot\nof their praises and held it to be a wonder, regarding it as a\nmiracle; and European historians, for the most part, rely on the\ntales of these ignorant people.\n\nFor example, a foolish man said to a clergyman that the\ntrue proof of greatness is bravery and the shedding of blood, and\nthat in one day on the field of battle a follower of Muḥammad\nhad cut off the heads of one hundred men! This misled the clergyman\nto infer that killing is considered the way to prove one’s\nfaith to Muḥammad, while this is merely imaginary. The military\nexpeditions of Muḥammad, on the contrary, were always defensive\nactions: a proof of this is that during thirteen years, in Mecca, He\nand His followers endured the most violent persecutions. At this\nperiod they were the target for the arrows of hatred: some of His\ncompanions were killed and their property confiscated; others fled to\nforeign lands. Muḥammad Himself, after the most extreme\npersecutions by the Qurayshites, who finally resolved to kill\nHim, fled to Medina in the middle of the night. Yet even then His\nenemies did not cease their persecutions, but pursued Him to Medina,\nand His disciples even to Abyssinia.\n\nThese Arab tribes were in the lowest depths of savagery\nand barbarism, and in comparison with them the savages of Africa and\nwild Indians of America were as advanced as a Plato. The savages of\nAmerica do not bury their children alive as these Arabs did their\ndaughters, glorying in it as being an honorable thing to do.7\nThus many of the men would threaten their wives, saying, “If a\ndaughter is born to you, I will kill you.” Even down to the\npresent time the Arabs dread having daughters. Further, a man was\npermitted to take a thousand women, and most husbands had more than\nten wives in their household. When these tribes made war, the one\nwhich was victorious would take the women and children of the\nvanquished tribe captive and treat them as slaves.\n\nWhen a man who had ten wives died, the sons of these\nwomen rushed at each other’s mothers; and if one of the sons\nthrew his mantle over the head of his father’s wife and cried\nout, “This woman is my lawful property,” at once the\nunfortunate woman became his prisoner and slave. He could do whatever\nhe wished with her. He could kill her, imprison her in a well, or\nbeat, curse and torture her until death released her. According to\nthe Arab habits and customs, he was her master. It is evident that\nmalignity, jealousy, hatred and enmity must have existed between the\nwives and children of a household, and it is, therefore, needless to\nenlarge upon the subject. Again, consider what was the condition and\nlife of these oppressed women! Moreover, the means by which these\nArab tribes lived consisted in pillage and robbery, so that they were\nperpetually engaged in fighting and war, killing one another,\nplundering and devastating each other’s property, and capturing\nwomen and children, whom they would sell to strangers. How often it\nhappened that the daughters and sons of a prince, who spent their day\nin comfort and luxury, found themselves, when night fell, reduced to\nshame, poverty and captivity. Yesterday they were princes, today they\nare captives; yesterday they were great ladies, today they are\nslaves.\n\nMuḥammad received the Divine Revelation among\nthese tribes, and after enduring thirteen years of persecution from\nthem, He fled.8\nBut this people did not cease to oppress; they united to exterminate\nHim and all His followers. It was under such circumstances that\nMuḥammad was forced to take up arms. This is the truth: we are\nnot bigoted and do not wish to defend Him, but we are just, and we\nsay what is just. Look at it with justice. If Christ Himself had been\nplaced in such circumstances among such tyrannical and barbarous\ntribes, and if for thirteen years He with His disciples had endured\nall these trials with patience, culminating in flight from His native\nland—if in spite of this these lawless tribes continued to\npursue Him, to slaughter the men, to pillage their property, and to\ncapture their women and children—what would have been Christ’s\nconduct with regard to them? If this oppression had fallen only upon\nHimself, He would have forgiven them, and such an act of forgiveness\nwould have been most praiseworthy; but if He had seen that these\ncruel and bloodthirsty murderers wished to kill, to pillage and to\ninjure all these oppressed ones, and to take captive the women and\nchildren, it is certain that He would have protected them and would\nhave resisted the tyrants. What objection, then, can be taken to\nMuḥammad’s action? Is it this, that He did not, with His\nfollowers, and their women and children, submit to these savage\ntribes? To free these tribes from their bloodthirstiness was the\ngreatest kindness, and to coerce and restrain them was a true mercy.\nThey were like a man holding in his hand a cup of poison, which, when\nabout to drink, a friend breaks and thus saves him. If Christ had\nbeen placed in similar circumstances, it is certain that with a\nconquering power He would have delivered the men, women and children\nfrom the claws of these bloodthirsty wolves.\n\nMuḥammad never fought against the Christians; on\nthe contrary, He treated them kindly and gave them perfect freedom. A\ncommunity of Christian people lived at Najrán and were under\nHis care and protection. Muḥammad said, “If anyone\ninfringes their rights, I Myself will be his enemy, and in the\npresence of God I will bring a charge against him.” In the\nedicts which He promulgated it is clearly stated that the lives,\nproperties and honor of the Christians and Jews are under the\nprotection of God; and that if a Muḥammadan married a Christian\nwoman, the husband must not prevent her from going to church, nor\noblige her to veil herself; and that if she died, he must place her\nremains in the care of the Christian clergy. Should the Christians\ndesire to build a church, Islám ought to help them. In case of\nwar between Islám and her enemies, the Christians should be\nexempted from the obligation of fighting, unless they desired of\ntheir own free will to do so in defense of Islám, because they\nwere under its protection. But as a compensation for this immunity,\nthey should pay yearly a small sum of money. In short, there are\nseven detailed edicts on these subjects, some copies of which are\nstill extant at Jerusalem. This is an established fact and is not\ndependent on my affirmation. The edict of the second Caliph9\nstill exists in the custody of the orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem,\nand of this there is no doubt.10\n\nNevertheless, after a certain time, and through the\ntransgression of both the Muḥammadans and the Christians,\nhatred and enmity arose between them. Beyond this fact, all the\nnarrations of the Muslims, Christians and others are simply\nfabrications, which have their origin in fanaticism, or ignorance, or\nemanate from intense hostility.\n\nFor example, the Muslims say that Muḥammad cleft\nthe moon, and that it fell on the mountain of Mecca: they think that\nthe moon is a small body which Muḥammad divided into two parts\nand threw one part on this mountain, and the other part on another\nmountain.\n\nSuch stories are pure fanaticism. Also the traditions\nwhich the clergy quote, and the incidents with which they find fault,\nare all exaggerated, if not entirely without foundation.\n\nBriefly, Muḥammad appeared in the desert of Ḥijáz\nin the Arabian Peninsula, which was a desolate, sterile wilderness,\nsandy and uninhabited. Some parts, like Mecca and Medina, are\nextremely hot; the people are nomads with the manners and customs of\nthe dwellers in the desert, and are entirely destitute of education\nand science. Muḥammad Himself was illiterate, and the Qur’án\nwas originally written upon the bladebones of sheep, or on palm\nleaves. These details indicate the condition of the people to whom\nMuḥammad was sent. The first question which He put to them was,\n“Why do you not accept the Pentateuch and the Gospel, and why\ndo you not believe in Christ and in Moses?” This saying\npresented difficulties to them, and they argued, “Our\nforefathers did not believe in the Pentateuch and the Gospel; tell\nus, why was this?” He answered, “They were misled; you\nought to reject those who do not believe in the Pentateuch and the\nGospel, even though they are your fathers and your ancestors.”\n\nIn such a country, and amidst such barbarous tribes, an\nilliterate Man produced a book in which, in a perfect and eloquent\nstyle, He explained the divine attributes and perfections, the\nprophethood of the Messengers of God, the divine laws, and some\nscientific facts.\n\nThus, you know that before the observations of modern\ntimes—that is to say, during the first centuries and down to\nthe fifteenth century of the Christian era—all the\nmathematicians of the world agreed that the earth was the center of\nthe universe, and that the sun moved. The famous astronomer who was\nthe protagonist of the new theory discovered the movement of the\nearth and the immobility of the sun.11\nUntil his time all the astronomers and philosophers of the world\nfollowed the Ptolemaic system, and whoever said anything against it\nwas considered ignorant. Though Pythagoras, and Plato during the\nlatter part of his life, adopted the theory that the annual movement\nof the sun around the zodiac does not proceed from the sun, but\nrather from the movement of the earth around the sun, this theory had\nbeen entirely forgotten, and the Ptolemaic system was accepted by all\nmathematicians. But there are some verses revealed in the Qur’án\ncontrary to the theory of the Ptolemaic system. One of them is “The\nsun moves in a fixed place,” which shows the fixity of the sun,\nand its movement around an axis.12\nAgain, in another verse, “And each star moves in its own\nheaven.”13\nThus is explained the movement of the sun, of the moon, of the earth,\nand of other bodies. When the Qur’án appeared, all the\nmathematicians ridiculed these statements and attributed the theory\nto ignorance. Even the doctors of Islám, when they saw that\nthese verses were contrary to the accepted Ptolemaic system, were\nobliged to explain them away.\n\nIt was not until after the fifteenth century of the\nChristian era, nearly nine hundred years after Muḥammad, that a\nfamous astronomer made new observations and important discoveries by\nthe aid of the telescope, which he had invented.14\nThe rotation of the earth, the fixity of the sun, and also its\nmovement around an axis, were discovered. It became evident that the\nverses of the Qur’án agreed with existing facts, and\nthat the Ptolemaic system was imaginary.\n\nIn short, many Oriental peoples have been reared for\nthirteen centuries under the shadow of the religion of Muḥammad.\nDuring the Middle Ages, while Europe was in the lowest depths of\nbarbarism, the Arab peoples were superior to the other nations of the\nearth in learning, in the arts, mathematics, civilization, government\nand other sciences. The Enlightener and Educator of these Arab\ntribes, and the Founder of the civilization and perfections of\nhumanity among these different races, was an illiterate Man,\nMuḥammad. Was this illustrious Man a thorough Educator or not?\nA just judgment is necessary.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "70: FREE WILL",
"slug": "saq-70-free-will",
"summary": "Question.—Is man a free agent in all his actions, or is he compelled and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"justice",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—Is man a free agent in all his actions,\nor is he compelled and constrained?\n\nAnswer.—This question is one of the most important\nand abstruse of divine problems. If God wills, another day, at the\nbeginning of dinner, we will undertake the explanation of this\nsubject in detail; now we will explain it briefly, in a few words, as\nfollows. Some things are subject to the free will of man, such as\njustice, equity, tyranny and injustice, in other words, good and evil\nactions; it is evident and clear that these actions are, for the most\npart, left to the will of man. But there are certain things to which\nman is forced and compelled, such as sleep, death, sickness, decline\nof power, injuries and misfortunes; these are not subject to the will\nof man, and he is not responsible for them, for he is compelled to\nendure them. But in the choice of good and bad actions he is free,\nand he commits them according to his own will.\n\nFor example, if he wishes, he can pass his time in\npraising God, or he can be occupied with other thoughts. He can be an\nenkindled light through the fire of the love of God, and a\nphilanthropist loving the world, or he can be a hater of mankind, and\nengrossed with material things. He can be just or cruel. These\nactions and these deeds are subject to the control of the will of man\nhimself; consequently, he is responsible for them.\n\nNow another question arises. Man is absolutely helpless\nand dependent, since might and power belong especially to God. Both\nexaltation and humiliation depend upon the good pleasure and the will\nof the Most High.\n\nIt is said in the New Testament that God is like a\npotter who makes “one vessel unto honour, and another unto\ndishonour.”160\nNow the dishonored vessel has no right to find fault with the potter\nsaying, “Why did you not make me a precious cup, which is\npassed from hand to hand?” The meaning of this verse is that\nthe states of beings are different. That which is in the lowest state\nof existence, like the mineral, has no right to complain, saying, “O\nGod, why have You not given me the vegetable perfections?” In\nthe same way, the plant has no right to complain that it has been\ndeprived of the perfections of the animal world. Also it is not\nbefitting for the animal to complain of the want of the human\nperfections. No, all these things are perfect in their own degree,\nand they must strive after the perfections of their own degree. The\ninferior beings, as we have said, have neither the right to, nor the\nfitness for, the states of the superior perfections. No, their\nprogress must be in their own state.\n\nAlso the inaction or the movement of man depend upon the\nassistance of God. If he is not aided, he is not able to do either\ngood or evil. But when the help of existence comes from the Generous\nLord, he is able to do both good and evil; but if the help is cut\noff, he remains absolutely helpless. This is why in the Holy Books\nthey speak of the help and assistance of God. So this condition is\nlike that of a ship which is moved by the power of the wind or steam;\nif this power ceases, the ship cannot move at all. Nevertheless, the\nrudder of the ship turns it to either side, and the power of the\nsteam moves it in the desired direction. If it is directed to the\neast, it goes to the east; or if it is directed to the west, it goes\nto the west. This motion does not come from the ship; no, it comes\nfrom the wind or the steam.\n\nIn the same way, in all the action or inaction of man,\nhe receives power from the help of God; but the choice of good or\nevil belongs to the man himself. So if a king should appoint someone\nto be the governor of a city, and should grant him the power of\nauthority, and should show him the paths of justice and injustice\naccording to the laws—if then this governor should commit\ninjustice, although he should act by the authority and power of the\nking, the latter would be absolved from injustice. But if he should\nact with justice, he would do it also through the authority of the\nking, who would be pleased and satisfied.\n\nThat is to say, though the choice of good and evil\nbelongs to man, under all circumstances he is dependent upon the\nsustaining help of life, which comes from the Omnipotent. The Kingdom\nof God is very great, and all are captives in the grasp of His Power.\nThe servant cannot do anything by his own will; God is powerful,\nomnipotent, and the Helper of all beings.\n\nThis question has become clearly explained. Salutations!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Some Answered Questions: The Immortality of the Soul",
"slug": "saq-71-immortality-of-the-soul",
"summary": "In *Some Answered Questions*, 'Abdu'l-Bahá addresses Laura Clifford Barney's question on the immortality of the human soul — explaining the soul's continuance after the death of the body and the nature of its progress in the further worlds of God.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Laura Clifford Barney"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9276,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"immortality",
"soul",
"questions",
"afterlife"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"knowledge"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust",
"url": "https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/some-answered-questions/"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the most often quoted of the table-talks in *Some\nAnswered Questions* is the chapter in which 'Abdu'l-Bahá\naddresses Laura Clifford Barney's question on the\nimmortality of the human soul.\n\nMiss Barney had asked, in the simple form she habitually\nused, whether the soul of the human being continues to\nexist after the death of the body, and if so, what the\nnature of its further existence might be.\n\nThe Master's answer was substantial. He began by affirming\nthe immortality of the soul as a foundational teaching of\nthe Bahá'í Faith. The soul is *not* extinguished at the\ndeath of the body. It continues, in the further worlds of\nGod, the journey that began at its first creation and that\nwill continue through the progressive worlds of God\n*infinitely.*\n\nHe then addressed, in turn, several specific aspects of\nthe post-mortem existence.\n\n*The relation of the soul to the body.* The soul is not, in\nthe Master's framing, dependent on the body for its\nexistence. The soul is the *essential* reality of the\nhuman being. The body is its *temporary instrument.* The\ndeath of the body is the laying-aside of the instrument.\nThe essential reality continues unaltered.\n\n*The nature of the further worlds.* The Master is careful\nto specify the limits of human language in this matter.\nThe further worlds of God are not, in His framing,\ngeographical places that one travels to. They are\n*conditions* of the soul's existence that the soul enters\nupon. Their character cannot be fully described in the\nvocabulary developed for the present material world. The\npresent world's language can give only intimations.\n\n*The progress of the soul.* The soul, the Master\nemphasises, does not enter the further worlds in a\ncompleted condition. It continues to *develop* — *its\nprogress is infinite.* The journey of the soul is not\nended by physical death. The journey is, in some sense,\njust beginning. The development of the soul through the\nfurther worlds is the principal occupation of its\neternal existence.\n\n*The relation of the further worlds to the present life.*\nThe present earthly life is, in the Master's image, the\n*embryonic* condition of the soul. As the embryo in the\nwomb develops the eyes and the limbs that it will need in\nthe further world it is to enter, so the soul in this\npresent life develops the spiritual qualities — the\nfaith, the love, the patience, the wisdom — that will\nconstitute its instrumentation in the further worlds. The\nspiritual qualities are not merely commendable in the\npresent life. They are the essential preparation for the\nfurther existence.\n\n*The relation of the soul to its earthly relationships.*\nThe Master addresses, with particular care, the question\nof whether the soul retains, in the further worlds, the\nspecific personal identities and relationships of its\nearthly life. His answer is affirmative. The mother, in\nthe further worlds, knows her child as her child. The\nhusband knows his wife. The friend knows the friend. The\nrelationships are not erased. They are continued in the\nnew condition.\n\nThe chapter closes with a brief practical exhortation. The\nbeliever, knowing what has been disclosed about the\nfurther worlds, is asked to live the present life in\nlight of the destination. The small choices of the\npresent day — for the spiritual life or against it — are\nthe choices that, accumulating, prepare the soul for the\ncondition it will, in time, enter.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "71: VISIONS AND COMMUNICATION WITH SPIRITS",
"slug": "saq-71-visions-and-communication-with-spirits",
"summary": "Question.—Some people believe that they achieve spiritual discoveries—that is to say, that they converse with spirits. What kind of communion is…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—Some people believe that they achieve\nspiritual discoveries—that is to say, that they converse with\nspirits. What kind of communion is this?\n\nAnswer.—Spiritual discoveries are of two kinds:\none kind is of the imagination and is only the assertion of a few\npeople; the other kind resembles inspiration, and this is real—such\nare the revelations of Isaiah, of Jeremiah and of St. John, which are\nreal.\n\nReflect that man’s power of thought consists of\ntwo kinds. One kind is true, when it agrees with a determined truth.\nSuch conceptions find realization in the exterior world; such are\naccurate opinions, correct theories, scientific discoveries and\ninventions.\n\nThe other kind of conceptions is made up of vain\nthoughts and useless ideas which yield neither fruit nor result, and\nwhich have no reality. No, they surge like the waves of the sea of\nimaginations, and they pass away like idle dreams.\n\nIn the same way, there are two sorts of spiritual\ndiscoveries. One is the revelations of the Prophets, and the\nspiritual discoveries of the elect. The visions of the Prophets are\nnot dreams; no, they are spiritual discoveries and have reality. They\nsay, for example, “I saw a person in a certain form, and I said\nsuch a thing, and he gave such an answer.” This vision is in\nthe world of wakefulness, and not in that of sleep. Nay, it is a\nspiritual discovery which is expressed as if it were the appearance\nof a vision.\n\nThe other kind of spiritual discoveries is made up of\npure imaginations, but these imaginations become embodied in such a\nway that many simple-hearted people believe that they have a reality.\nThat which proves it clearly is that from this controlling of spirits\nno result or fruit has ever been produced. No, they are but\nnarratives and stories.\n\nKnow that the reality of man embraces the realities of\nthings, and discovers the verities, properties and secrets of things.\nSo all these arts, wonders, sciences and knowledge have been\ndiscovered by the human reality. At one time these sciences,\nknowledge, wonders and arts were hidden and concealed secrets; then\ngradually the human reality discovered them and brought them from the\nrealm of the invisible to the plane of the visible. Therefore, it is\nevident that the reality of man embraces things. Thus it is in Europe\nand discovers America; it is on the earth, and it makes discoveries\nin the heavens. It is the revealer of the secrets of things, and it\nis the knower of the realities of that which exists. These\ndiscoveries corresponding to the reality are similar to revelation,\nwhich is spiritual comprehension, divine inspiration and the\nassociation of human spirits. For instance, the Prophet says, “I\nsaw, I said, I heard such a thing.” It is, therefore, evident\nthat the spirit has great perception without the intermediary of any\nof the five senses, such as the eyes or ears. Among spiritual souls\nthere are spiritual understandings, discoveries, a communion which is\npurified from imagination and fancy, an association which is\nsanctified from time and place. So it is written in the Gospel that,\non Mount Tabor, Moses and Elias came to Christ, and it is evident\nthat this was not a material meeting. It was a spiritual condition\nwhich is expressed as a physical meeting.\n\nThe other sort of converse, presence and communications\nof spirits is but imagination and fancy, which only appears to have\nreality.\n\nThe mind and the thought of man sometimes discover\ntruths, and from this thought and discovery signs and results are\nproduced. This thought has a foundation. But many things come to the\nmind of man which are like the waves of the sea of imaginations; they\nhave no fruit, and no result comes from them. In the same way, man\nsees in the world of sleep a vision which becomes exactly realized;\nat another time, he sees a dream which has absolutely no result.\n\nWhat we mean is that this state, which we call the\nconverse and communications of spirits, is of two kinds: one is\nsimply imaginary, and the other is like the visions which are\nmentioned in the Holy Book, such as the revelations of St. John and\nIsaiah and the meeting of Christ with Moses and Elias. These are\nreal, and produce wonderful effects in the minds and thoughts of men,\nand cause their hearts to be attracted.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "72: HEALING BY SPIRITUAL MEANS",
"slug": "saq-72-healing-by-spiritual-means",
"summary": "Question.—Some people heal the sick by spiritual means—that is to say, without medicine. How is…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"joy",
"kindness",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—Some people heal the sick by spiritual\nmeans—that is to say, without medicine. How is this?\n\nAnswer.—Know that there are four kinds of curing\nand healing without medicine. Two are due to material causes, and two\nto spiritual causes.\n\nOf the two kinds of material healing, one is due to the\nfact that in man both health and sickness are contagious. The\ncontagion of disease is violent and rapid, while that of health is\nextremely weak and slow. If two bodies are brought into contact with\neach other, it is certain that microbic particles will pass from one\nto the other. In the same way that disease is transferred from one\nbody to another with rapid and strong contagion, it may be that the\nstrong health of a healthy man will alleviate a very slight malady in\na sick person. That is to say, the contagion of disease is violent\nand has a rapid effect, while that of health is very slow and has a\nsmall effect, and it is only in very slight diseases that it has even\nthis small effect. The strong power of a healthy body can overcome a\nslight weakness of a sick body, and health results. This is one kind\nof healing.\n\nThe other kind of healing without medicine is through\nthe magnetic force which acts from one body on another and becomes\nthe cause of cure. This force also has only a slight effect.\nSometimes one can benefit a sick person by placing one’s hand\nupon his head or upon his heart. Why? Because of the effect of the\nmagnetism, and of the mental impression made upon the sick person,\nwhich causes the disease to vanish. But this effect is also very\nslight and weak.\n\nOf the two other kinds of healing which are\nspiritual—that is to say, where the means of cure is a\nspiritual power—one results from the entire concentration of\nthe mind of a strong person upon a sick person, when the latter\nexpects with all his concentrated faith that a cure will be effected\nfrom the spiritual power of the strong person, to such an extent that\nthere will be a cordial connection between the strong person and the\ninvalid. The strong person makes every effort to cure the sick\npatient, and the sick patient is then sure of receiving a cure. From\nthe effect of these mental impressions an excitement of the nerves is\nproduced, and this impression and this excitement of the nerves will\nbecome the cause of the recovery of the sick person. So when a sick\nperson has a strong desire and intense hope for something and hears\nsuddenly the tidings of its realization, a nervous excitement is\nproduced which will make the malady entirely disappear. In the same\nway, if a cause of terror suddenly occurs, perhaps an excitement may\nbe produced in the nerves of a strong person which will immediately\ncause a malady. The cause of the sickness will be no material thing,\nfor that person has not eaten anything, and nothing harmful has\ntouched him; the excitement of the nerves is then the only cause of\nthe illness. In the same way the sudden realization of a chief desire\nwill give such joy that the nerves will be excited by it, and this\nexcitement may produce health.\n\nTo conclude, the complete and perfect connection between\nthe spiritual doctor and the sick person—that is, a connection\nof such a kind that the spiritual doctor entirely concentrates\nhimself, and all the attention of the sick person is given to the\nspiritual doctor from whom he expects to realize health—causes\nan excitement of the nerves, and health is produced. But all this has\neffect only to a certain extent, and that not always. For if someone\nis afflicted with a very violent disease, or is wounded, these means\nwill not remove the disease nor close and heal the wound—that\nis to say, these means have no power in severe maladies, unless the\nconstitution helps, because a strong constitution often overcomes\ndisease. This is the third kind of healing.\n\nBut the fourth kind of healing is produced through the\npower of the Holy Spirit. This does not depend on contact, nor on\nsight, nor upon presence; it is not dependent upon any condition.\nWhether the disease be light or severe, whether there be a contact of\nbodies or not, whether a personal connection be established between\nthe sick person and the healer or not, this healing takes place\nthrough the power of the Holy Spirit.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "73: HEALING BY MATERIAL MEANS",
"slug": "saq-73-healing-by-material-means",
"summary": "Yesterday at table we spoke of curative treatment and spiritual healing, which consists in treating maladies through the spiritual…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"exile",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nYesterday at table we spoke of curative treatment and\nspiritual healing, which consists in treating maladies through the\nspiritual powers.\n\nNow let us speak of material healing. The science of\nmedicine is still in a condition of infancy; it has not reached\nmaturity. But when it has reached this point, cures will be performed\nby things which are not repulsive to the smell and taste of man—that\nis to say, by aliments, fruits and vegetables which are agreeable to\nthe taste and have an agreeable smell. For the provoking cause of\ndisease—that is to say, the cause of the entrance of disease\ninto the human body—is either a physical one or is the effect\nof excitement of the nerves.\n\nBut the principal causes of disease are physical, for\nthe human body is composed of numerous elements, but in the measure\nof an especial equilibrium. As long as this equilibrium is\nmaintained, man is preserved from disease; but if this essential\nbalance, which is the pivot of the constitution, is disturbed, the\nconstitution is disordered, and disease will supervene.\n\nFor instance, there is a decrease in one of the\nconstituent ingredients of the body of man, and in another there is\nan increase; so the proportion of the equilibrium is disturbed, and\ndisease occurs. For example, one ingredient must be one thousand\ngrams in weight, and another five grams, in order that the\nequilibrium be maintained. The part which is one thousand grams\ndiminishes to seven hundred grams, and that which is five grams\naugments until the measure of the equilibrium is disturbed; then\ndisease occurs. When by remedies and treatments the equilibrium is\nreestablished, the disease is banished. So if the sugar constituent\nincreases, the health is impaired; and when the doctor forbids sweet\nand starchy foods, the sugar constituent diminishes, the equilibrium\nis reestablished, and the disease is driven off. Now the readjustment\nof these constituents of the human body is obtained by two\nmeans—either by medicines or by aliments; and when the\nconstitution has recovered its equilibrium, disease is banished. All\nthe elements that are combined in man exist also in vegetables;\ntherefore, if one of the constituents which compose the body of man\ndiminishes, and he partakes of foods in which there is much of that\ndiminished constituent, then the equilibrium will be established, and\na cure will be obtained. So long as the aim is the readjustment of\nthe constituents of the body, it can be effected either by medicine\nor by food.\n\nThe majority of the diseases which overtake man also\novertake the animal, but the animal is not cured by drugs. In the\nmountains, as in the wilderness, the animal’s physician is the\npower of taste and smell. The sick animal smells the plants that grow\nin the wilderness; he eats those that are sweet and fragrant to his\nsmell and taste, and is cured. The cause of his healing is this. When\nthe sugar ingredient has become diminished in his constitution, he\nbegins to long for sweet things; therefore, he eats an herb with a\nsweet taste, for nature urges and guides him; its smell and taste\nplease him, and he eats it. The sugar ingredient in his nature will\nbe increased, and health will be restored.\n\nIt is, therefore, evident that it is possible to cure by\nfoods, aliments and fruits; but as today the science of medicine is\nimperfect, this fact is not yet fully grasped. When the science of\nmedicine reaches perfection, treatment will be given by foods,\naliments, fragrant fruits and vegetables, and by various waters, hot\nand cold in temperature.\n\nThis discourse is brief; but, if God wills, at another\ntime, when the occasion is suitable, this question will be more fully\nexplained.\n\n\n\n\n\n Part Five: MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "74: THE NONEXISTENCE OF EVIL",
"slug": "saq-74-the-nonexistence-of-evil",
"summary": "The true explanation of this subject is very difficult. Know that beings are of two kinds: material and spiritual, those perceptible to the senses and those…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe true explanation of this subject is very difficult.\nKnow that beings are of two kinds: material and spiritual, those\nperceptible to the senses and those intellectual.\n\nThings which are sensible are those which are perceived\nby the five exterior senses; thus those outward existences which the\neyes see are called sensible. Intellectual things are those which\nhave no outward existence but are conceptions of the mind. For\nexample, mind itself is an intellectual thing which has no outward\nexistence. All man’s characteristics and qualities form an\nintellectual existence and are not sensible.\n\nBriefly, the intellectual realities, such as all the\nqualities and admirable perfections of man, are purely good, and\nexist. Evil is simply their nonexistence. So ignorance is the want of\nknowledge; error is the want of guidance; forgetfulness is the want\nof memory; stupidity is the want of good sense. All these things have\nno real existence.\n\nIn the same way, the sensible realities are absolutely\ngood, and evil is due to their nonexistence—that is to say,\nblindness is the want of sight, deafness is the want of hearing,\npoverty is the want of wealth, illness is the want of health, death\nis the want of life, and weakness is the want of strength.\n\nNevertheless a doubt occurs to the mind—that is,\nscorpions and serpents are poisonous. Are they good or evil, for they\nare existing beings? Yes, a scorpion is evil in relation to man; a\nserpent is evil in relation to man; but in relation to themselves\nthey are not evil, for their poison is their weapon, and by their\nsting they defend themselves. But as the elements of their poison do\nnot agree with our elements—that is to say, as there is\nantagonism between these different elements, therefore, this\nantagonism is evil; but in reality as regards themselves they are\ngood.\n\nThe epitome of this discourse is that it is possible\nthat one thing in relation to another may be evil, and at the same\ntime within the limits of its proper being it may not be evil. Then\nit is proved that there is no evil in existence; all that God created\nHe created good. This evil is nothingness; so death is the absence of\nlife. When man no longer receives life, he dies. Darkness is the\nabsence of light: when there is no light, there is darkness. Light is\nan existing thing, but darkness is nonexistent. Wealth is an existing\nthing, but poverty is nonexisting.\n\nThen it is evident that all evils return to\nnonexistence. Good exists; evil is nonexistent.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "75: TWO KINDS OF TORMENT",
"slug": "saq-75-two-kinds-of-torment",
"summary": "Know that there are two kinds of torment: subtile and gross. For example, ignorance itself is a torment, but it is a subtile torment; indifference to God is itself a torment; so also are falsehood, cruelty and treachery. All the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"exile"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nKnow that there are two kinds of torment: subtile and\ngross. For example, ignorance itself is a torment, but it is a\nsubtile torment; indifference to God is itself a torment; so also are\nfalsehood, cruelty and treachery. All the imperfections are torments,\nbut they are subtile torments. Certainly for an intelligent man death\nis better than sin, and a cut tongue is better than lying or calumny.\n\nThe other kind of torment is gross—such as\npenalties, imprisonment, beating, expulsion and banishment. But for\nthe people of God separation from God is the greatest torment of all.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "76: THE JUSTICE AND MERCY OF GOD",
"slug": "saq-76-the-justice-and-mercy-of-god",
"summary": "Know that to do justice is to give to everyone according to his deserts. For example, when a workman labors from morning until evening, justice requires that he shall be paid his wages; but when he has done no work and taken no trouble,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"justice",
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nKnow that to do justice is to give to everyone according\nto his deserts. For example, when a workman labors from morning until\nevening, justice requires that he shall be paid his wages; but when\nhe has done no work and taken no trouble, he is given a gift: this is\nbounty. If you give alms and gifts to a poor man although he has\ntaken no trouble for you, nor done anything to deserve it, this is\nbounty. So Christ besought forgiveness for his murderers: this is\ncalled bounty.\n\nNow the question of the good or evil of things is\ndetermined by reason or by law. Some believe that it is determined by\nlaw; such are the Jews, who, believing all the commandments of the\nPentateuch to be absolutely obligatory, regard them as matters of\nlaw, not of reason. Thus they say that one of the commandments of the\nPentateuch is that it is unlawful to partake of meat and butter\ntogether because it is taref, and taref in Hebrew means unclean, as\nkosher means clean. This, they say, is a question of law and not of\nreason.\n\nBut the theologians think that the good and evil of\nthings depend upon both reason and law. The chief foundation of the\nprohibition of murder, theft, treachery, falsehood, hypocrisy and\ncruelty, is reason. Every intelligent man comprehends that murder,\ntheft, treachery, falsehood, hypocrisy and cruelty are evil and\nreprehensible; for if you prick a man with a thorn, he will cry out,\ncomplain and groan; so it is evident that he will understand that\nmurder according to reason is evil and reprehensible. If he commits a\nmurder, he will be responsible, whether the renown of the Prophet has\nreached him or not; for it is reason that formulates the\nreprehensible character of the action. When a man commits this bad\naction, he will surely be responsible.\n\nBut in a place where the commands of a Prophet are not\nknown, and where the people do not act in conformity with the divine\ninstructions, such as the command of Christ to return good for evil,\nbut act according to the desires of nature—that is, if they\ntorment those who torment them—from the point of view of\nreligion they are excused because the divine command has not been\ndelivered to them. Though they do not deserve mercy and beneficence,\nnevertheless, God treats them with mercy and forgives them.\n\nNow vengeance, according to reason, is also blameworthy,\nbecause through vengeance no good result is gained by the avenger. So\nif a man strikes another, and he who is struck takes revenge by\nreturning the blow, what advantage will he gain? Will this be a balm\nfor his wound or a remedy for his pain? No, God forbid! In truth the\ntwo actions are the same: both are injuries; the only difference is\nthat one occurred first, and the other afterward. Therefore, if he\nwho is struck forgives, nay, if he acts in a manner contrary to that\nwhich has been used toward him, this is laudable. The law of the\ncommunity will punish the aggressor but will not take revenge. This\npunishment has for its end to warn, to protect and to oppose cruelty\nand transgression so that other men may not be tyrannical.\n\nBut if he who has been struck pardons and forgives, he\nshows the greatest mercy. This is worthy of admiration.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "77: THE RIGHT METHOD OF TREATING CRIMINALS",
"slug": "saq-77-the-right-method-of-treating-criminals",
"summary": "Question.—Should a criminal be punished, or forgiven and his crime…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"exile",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"justice",
"kindness",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 7,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—Should a criminal be punished, or\nforgiven and his crime overlooked?\n\nAnswer.—There are two sorts of retributory\npunishments. One is vengeance, the other, chastisement. Man has not\nthe right to take vengeance, but the community has the right to\npunish the criminal; and this punishment is intended to warn and to\nprevent so that no other person will dare to commit a like crime.\nThis punishment is for the protection of man’s rights, but it\nis not vengeance; vengeance appeases the anger of the heart by\nopposing one evil to another. This is not allowable, for man has not\nthe right to take vengeance. But if criminals were entirely forgiven,\nthe order of the world would be upset. So punishment is one of the\nessential necessities for the safety of communities, but he who is\noppressed by a transgressor has not the right to take vengeance. On\nthe contrary, he should forgive and pardon, for this is worthy of the\nworld of man.\n\nThe communities must punish the oppressor, the murderer,\nthe malefactor, so as to warn and restrain others from committing\nlike crimes. But the most essential thing is that the people must be\neducated in such a way that no crimes will be committed; for it is\npossible to educate the masses so effectively that they will avoid\nand shrink from perpetrating crimes, so that the crime itself will\nappear to them as the greatest chastisement, the utmost condemnation\nand torment. Therefore, no crimes which require punishment will be\ncommitted.\n\nWe must speak of things that are possible of performance\nin this world. There are many theories and high ideas on this\nsubject, but they are not practicable; consequently, we must speak of\nthings that are feasible.\n\nFor example, if someone oppresses, injures and wrongs\nanother, and the wronged man retaliates, this is vengeance and is\ncensurable. If the son of ‘Amr kills the son of Zayd, Zayd has\nnot the right to kill the son of ‘Amr; if he does so, this is\nvengeance. If ‘Amr dishonors Zayd, the latter has not the right\nto dishonor ‘Amr; if he does so, this is vengeance, and it is\nvery reprehensible. No, rather he must return good for evil, and not\nonly forgive, but also, if possible, be of service to his oppressor.\nThis conduct is worthy of man: for what advantage does he gain by\nvengeance? The two actions are equivalent; if one action is\nreprehensible, both are reprehensible. The only difference is that\none was committed first, the other later.\n\nBut the community has the right of defense and of\nself-protection; moreover, the community has no hatred nor animosity\nfor the murderer: it imprisons or punishes him merely for the\nprotection and security of others. It is not for the purpose of\ntaking vengeance upon the murderer, but for the purpose of inflicting\na punishment by which the community will be protected. If the\ncommunity and the inheritors of the murdered one were to forgive and\nreturn good for evil, the cruel would be continually ill-treating\nothers, and assassinations would continually occur. Vicious people,\nlike wolves, would destroy the sheep of God. The community has no\nill-will and rancor in the infliction of punishment, and it does not\ndesire to appease the anger of the heart; its purpose is by\npunishment to protect others so that no atrocious actions may be\ncommitted.\n\nThus when Christ said: “Whosoever shall smite thee\non the right cheek, turn to him the left one also,”161\nit was for the purpose of teaching men not to take personal revenge.\nHe did not mean that, if a wolf should fall upon a flock of sheep and\nwish to destroy it, the wolf should be encouraged to do so. No, if\nChrist had known that a wolf had entered the fold and was about to\ndestroy the sheep, most certainly He would have prevented it.\n\nAs forgiveness is one of the attributes of the Merciful\nOne, so also justice is one of the attributes of the Lord. The tent\nof existence is upheld upon the pillar of justice and not upon\nforgiveness. The continuance of mankind depends upon justice and not\nupon forgiveness. So if, at present, the law of pardon were practiced\nin all countries, in a short time the world would be disordered, and\nthe foundations of human life would crumble. For example, if the\ngovernments of Europe had not withstood the notorious Attila, he\nwould not have left a single living man.\n\nSome people are like bloodthirsty wolves: if they see no\npunishment forthcoming, they will kill men merely for pleasure and\ndiversion. One of the tyrants of Persia killed his tutor merely for\nthe sake of making merry, for mere fun and sport. The famous\nMutavakkil, the Abbasid, having summoned his ministers, councillors\nand functionaries to his presence, let loose a box full of scorpions\nin the assembly and forbade anyone to move. When the scorpions stung\nthose present, he burst forth into boisterous laughter.\n\nTo recapitulate: the constitution of the communities\ndepends upon justice, not upon forgiveness. Then what Christ meant by\nforgiveness and pardon is not that, when nations attack you, burn\nyour homes, plunder your goods, assault your wives, children and\nrelatives, and violate your honor, you should be submissive in the\npresence of these tyrannical foes and allow them to perform all their\ncruelties and oppressions. No, the words of Christ refer to the\nconduct of two individuals toward each other: if one person assaults\nanother, the injured one should forgive him. But the communities must\nprotect the rights of man. So if someone assaults, injures, oppresses\nand wounds me, I will offer no resistance, and I will forgive him.\nBut if a person wishes to assault Siyyid Manshadí,162\ncertainly I will prevent him. Although for the malefactor\nnoninterference is apparently a kindness, it would be an oppression\nto Manshadí. If at this moment a wild Arab were to\nenter this place with a drawn sword, wishing to assault, wound and\nkill you, most assuredly I would prevent him. If I abandoned you to\nthe Arab, that would not be justice but injustice. But if he injure\nme personally, I would forgive him.\n\nOne thing remains to be said: it is that the communities\nare day and night occupied in making penal laws, and in preparing and\norganizing instruments and means of punishment. They build prisons,\nmake chains and fetters, arrange places of exile and banishment, and\ndifferent kinds of hardships and tortures, and think by these means\nto discipline criminals, whereas, in reality, they are causing\ndestruction of morals and perversion of characters. The community, on\nthe contrary, ought day and night to strive and endeavor with the\nutmost zeal and effort to accomplish the education of men, to cause\nthem day by day to progress and to increase in science and knowledge,\nto acquire virtues, to gain good morals and to avoid vices, so that\ncrimes may not occur. At the present time the contrary prevails; the\ncommunity is always thinking of enforcing the penal laws, and of\npreparing means of punishment, instruments of death and chastisement,\nplaces for imprisonment and banishment; and they expect crimes to be\ncommitted. This has a demoralizing effect.\n\nBut if the community would endeavor to educate the\nmasses, day by day knowledge and sciences would increase, the\nunderstanding would be broadened, the sensibilities developed,\ncustoms would become good, and morals normal; in one word, in all\nthese classes of perfections there would be progress, and there would\nbe fewer crimes.\n\nIt has been ascertained that among civilized peoples\ncrime is less frequent than among uncivilized—that is to say,\namong those who have acquired the true civilization, which is divine\ncivilization—the civilization of those who unite all the\nspiritual and material perfections. As ignorance is the cause of\ncrimes, the more knowledge and science increases, the more crimes\nwill diminish. Consider how often murder occurs among the barbarians\nof Africa; they even kill one another in order to eat each other’s\nflesh and blood! Why do not such savageries occur in Switzerland? The\nreason is evident: it is because education and virtues prevent them.\n\nTherefore, the communities must think of preventing\ncrimes, rather than of rigorously punishing them.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "79: THE REALITY OF THE EXTERIOR WORLD",
"slug": "saq-79-the-reality-of-the-exterior-world",
"summary": "Certain sophists think that existence is an illusion, that each being is an absolute illusion which has no existence—in other words, that the existence of beings is like a mirage, or like the reflection of an image in water or in a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nCertain sophists think that existence is an illusion,\nthat each being is an absolute illusion which has no existence—in\nother words, that the existence of beings is like a mirage, or like\nthe reflection of an image in water or in a mirror, which is only an\nappearance having in itself no principle, foundation or reality.\n\nThis theory is erroneous; for though the existence of\nbeings in relation to the existence of God is an illusion,\nnevertheless, in the condition of being it has a real and certain\nexistence. It is futile to deny this. For example, the existence of\nthe mineral in comparison with that of man is nonexistence, for when\nman is apparently annihilated, his body becomes mineral; but the\nmineral has existence in the mineral world. Therefore, it is evident\nthat earth, in relation to the existence of man, is nonexistent, and\nits existence is illusory; but in relation to the mineral it exists.\n\nIn the same manner the existence of beings in comparison\nwith the existence of God is but illusion and nothingness; it is an\nappearance, like the image reflected in a mirror. But though an image\nwhich is seen in a mirror is an illusion, the source and the reality\nof that illusory image is the person reflected, whose face appears in\nthe mirror. Briefly, the reflection in relation to the person\nreflected is an illusion.\n\nThen it is evident that although beings in relation to\nthe existence of God have no existence, but are like the mirage or\nthe reflections in the mirror, yet in their own degree they exist.\n\nThat is why those who were heedless and denied God were\nsaid by Christ to be dead, although they were apparently living; in\nrelation to the people of faith they were dead, blind, deaf and dumb.\nThis is what Christ meant when He said, “Let the dead bury\ntheir dead.”163\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "8: THE BÁB",
"slug": "saq-8-the-bab",
"summary": "As for the Báb—may my soul be His sacrifice!—at a youthful age, that is to say, when He had reached the twenty-fifth year of His blessed life, He stood forth to proclaim His Cause.15 It was universally admitted by the Shí’is that He…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAs for the Báb—may my soul be His\nsacrifice!—at a youthful age, that is to say, when He had\nreached the twenty-fifth year of His blessed life, He stood forth to\nproclaim His Cause.15\nIt was universally admitted by the Shí’is that He\nhad never studied in any school and had not acquired knowledge from\nany teacher; all the people of Shíráz bear\nwitness to this. Nevertheless, He suddenly appeared before the\npeople, endowed with the most complete erudition. Although He was but\na merchant, He confounded all the ‘ulamá of Persia.16\nAll alone, in a way which is beyond imagination, He upheld the Cause\namong the Persians, who are renowned for their religious fanaticism.\nThis illustrious Soul arose with such power that He shook the\nsupports of the religion, of the morals, the conditions, the habits\nand the customs of Persia, and instituted new rules, new laws and a\nnew religion. Though the great personages of the State, nearly all\nthe clergy, and the public men arose to destroy and annihilate Him,\nHe alone withstood them and moved the whole of Persia.\n\nMany ‘ulamá and public men, as well as\nother people, joyfully sacrificed their lives in His Cause, and\nhastened to the plain of martyrdom.\n\nThe government, the nation, the doctors of divinity and\nthe great personages desired to extinguish His light, but they could\nnot do so. At last His moon arose, His star shone forth, His\nfoundations became firmly established, and His dawning-place became\nbrilliant. He imparted divine education to an unenlightened multitude\nand produced marvelous results on the thoughts, morals, customs and\nconditions of the Persians. He announced the glad tidings of the\nmanifestation of the Sun of Bahá to His followers and prepared\nthem to believe.\n\nThe appearance of such wonderful signs and great\nresults; the effects produced upon the minds of the people, and upon\nthe prevailing ideas; the establishment of the foundations of\nprogress; and the organization of the principles of success and\nprosperity by a young merchant, constitute the greatest proof that He\nwas a perfect Educator. A just person will never hesitate to believe\nthis.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "80: REAL PREEXISTENCE",
"slug": "saq-80-real-preexistence",
"summary": "Question.—How many kinds of preexistence and of phenomena are…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—How many kinds of preexistence and of\nphenomena are there?\n\nAnswer.—Some sages and philosophers believe that\nthere are two kinds of preexistence: essential preexistence and\npreexistence of time. Phenomena are also of two kinds, essential\nphenomena and that of time.\n\nEssential preexistence is an existence which is not\npreceded by a cause, but essential phenomena are preceded by causes.\nPreexistence of time is without beginning, but the phenomena of time\nhave beginnings and endings; for the existence of everything depends\nupon four causes—the efficient cause, the matter, the form and\nthe final cause. For example, this chair has a maker who is a\ncarpenter, a substance which is wood, a form which is that of a\nchair, and a purpose which is that it is to be used as a seat.\nTherefore, this chair is essentially phenomenal, for it is preceded\nby a cause, and its existence depends upon causes. This is called the\nessential and really phenomenal.\n\nNow this world of existence in relation to its maker is\na real phenomenon. As the body is sustained by the spirit, it is in\nrelation to the spirit an essential phenomenon. The spirit is\nindependent of the body, and in relation to it the spirit is an\nessential preexistence. Though the rays are always inseparable from\nthe sun, nevertheless, the sun is preexistent and the rays are\nphenomenal, for the existence of the rays depends upon that of the\nsun. But the existence of the sun does not depend upon that of the\nrays, for the sun is the giver and the rays are the gift.\n\nThe second proposition is that existence and\nnonexistence are both relative. If it be said that such a thing came\ninto existence from nonexistence, this does not refer to absolute\nnonexistence, but means that its former condition in relation to its\nactual condition was nothingness. For absolute nothingness cannot\nfind existence, as it has not the capacity of existence. Man, like\nthe mineral, is existing; but the existence of the mineral in\nrelation to that of man is nothingness, for when the body of man is\nannihilated it becomes dust and mineral. But when dust progresses\ninto the human world, and this dead body becomes living, man becomes\nexisting. Though the dust—that is to say, the mineral—has\nexistence in its own condition, in relation to man it is nothingness.\nBoth exist, but the existence of dust and mineral, in relation to\nman, is nonexistence and nothingness; for when man becomes\nnonexistent, he returns to dust and mineral.\n\nTherefore, though the world of contingency exists, in\nrelation to the existence of God it is nonexistent and nothingness.\nMan and dust both exist, but how great the difference between the\nexistence of the mineral and that of man! The one in relation to the\nother is nonexistence. In the same way, the existence of creation in\nrelation to the existence of God is nonexistence. Thus it is evident\nand clear that although the beings exist, in relation to God and to\nthe Word of God they are nonexistent. This is the beginning and the\nend of the Word of God, Who says: “I am Alpha and Omega”;\nfor He is the beginning and the end of Bounty. The Creator always had\na creation; the rays have always shone and gleamed from the reality\nof the sun, for without the rays the sun would be opaque darkness.\nThe names and attributes of God require the existence of beings, and\nthe Eternal Bounty does not cease. If it were to, it would be\ncontrary to the perfections of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "81: REINCARNATION",
"slug": "saq-81-reincarnation",
"summary": "Question.—What is the truth of the question of reincarnation, which is believed by some…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"children",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 12,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—What is the truth of the question of\nreincarnation, which is believed by some people?\n\nAnswer.—The object of what we are about to say is\nto explain the reality—not to deride the beliefs of other\npeople; it is only to explain the facts; that is all. We do not\noppose anyone’s ideas, nor do we approve of criticism.\n\nKnow, then, that those who believe in reincarnation are\nof two classes: one class does not believe in the spiritual\npunishments and rewards of the other world, and they suppose that man\nby reincarnation and return to this world gains rewards and\nrecompenses; they consider heaven and hell to be restricted to this\nworld and do not speak of the existence of the other world. Among\nthese there are two further divisions. One division thinks that man\nsometimes returns to this world in the form of an animal in order to\nundergo severe punishment and that, after enduring this painful\ntorment, he will be released from the animal world and will come\nagain into the human world; this is called transmigration. The other\ndivision thinks that from the human world one again returns to the\nhuman world, and that by this return rewards and punishments for a\nformer life are obtained; this is called reincarnation. Neither of\nthese classes speak of any other world besides this one.\n\nThe second sort of believers in reincarnation affirm the\nexistence of the other world, and they consider reincarnation the\nmeans of becoming perfect—that is, they think that man, by\ngoing from and coming again to this world, will gradually acquire\nperfections, until he reaches the inmost perfection. In other words,\nthat men are composed of matter and force: matter in the\nbeginning—that is to say, in the first cycle—is\nimperfect, but on coming repeatedly to this world it progresses and\nacquires refinement and delicacy, until it becomes like a polished\nmirror; and force, which is no other than spirit, is realized in it\nwith all the perfections.\n\nThis is the presentation of the subject by those who\nbelieve in reincarnation and transmigration. We have condensed it; if\nwe entered into the details, it would take much time. This summary is\nsufficient. No logical arguments and proofs of this question are\nbrought forward; they are only suppositions and inferences from\nconjectures, and not conclusive arguments. Proofs must be asked for\nfrom the believers in reincarnation, and not conjectures,\nsuppositions and imaginations.\n\nBut you have asked for arguments of the impossibility of\nreincarnation. This is what we must now explain. The first argument\nfor its impossibility is that the outward is the expression of the\ninward; the earth is the mirror of the Kingdom; the material world\ncorresponds to the spiritual world. Now observe that in the sensible\nworld appearances are not repeated, for no being in any respect is\nidentical with, nor the same as, another being. The sign of\nsingleness is visible and apparent in all things. If all the\ngranaries of the world were full of grain, you would not find two\ngrains absolutely alike, the same and identical without any\ndistinction. It is certain that there will be differences and\ndistinctions between them. As the proof of uniqueness exists in all\nthings, and the Oneness and Unity of God is apparent in the reality\nof all things, the repetition of the same appearance is absolutely\nimpossible. Therefore, reincarnation, which is the repeated\nappearance of the same spirit with its former essence and condition\nin this same world of appearance, is impossible and unrealizable. As\nthe repetition of the same appearance is impossible and interdicted\nfor each of the material beings, so for spiritual beings also, a\nreturn to the same condition, whether in the arc of descent or in the\narc of ascent, is interdicted and impossible, for the material\ncorresponds to the spiritual.\n\nNevertheless, the return of material beings with regard\nto species is evident; so the trees which during former years brought\nforth leaves, blossoms and fruits in the coming years will bring\nforth exactly the same leaves, blossoms and fruits. This is called\nthe repetition of species. If anyone makes an objection saying that\nthe leaf, the blossom and the fruit have been decomposed, and have\ndescended from the vegetable world to the mineral world, and again\nhave come back from the mineral world to the vegetable world, and,\ntherefore, there has been a repetition—the answer is that the\nblossom, the leaf and the fruit of last year were decomposed, and\nthese combined elements were disintegrated and were dispersed in\nspace, and that the particles of the leaf and fruit of last year,\nafter decomposition, have not again become combined, and have not\nreturned. On the contrary, by the composition of new elements, the\nspecies has returned. It is the same with the human body, which after\ndecomposition becomes disintegrated, and the elements which composed\nit are dispersed. If, in like manner, this body should again return\nfrom the mineral or vegetable world, it would not have exactly the\nsame composition of elements as the former man. Those elements have\nbeen decomposed and dispersed; they are dissipated in this vast\nspace. Afterward, other particles of elements have been combined, and\na second body has been formed; it may be that one of the particles of\nthe former individual has entered into the composition of the\nsucceeding individual, but these particles have not been conserved\nand kept, exactly and completely, without addition or diminution, so\nthat they may be combined again, and from that composition and\nmingling another individual may come into existence. So it cannot be\nproved that this body with all its particles has returned; that the\nformer man has become the latter; and that, consequently, there has\nbeen repetition; that the spirit also, like the body, has returned;\nand that after death its essence has come back to this world.\n\nIf we say that this reincarnation is for acquiring\nperfections so that matter may become refined and delicate, and that\nthe light of the spirit may be manifest in it with the greatest\nperfection, this also is mere imagination. For, even supposing we\nbelieve in this argument, still change of nature is impossible\nthrough renewal and return. The essence of imperfection, by\nreturning, does not become the reality of perfection; complete\ndarkness, by returning, does not become the source of light; the\nessence of weakness is not transformed into power and might by\nreturning, and an earthly nature does not become a heavenly reality.\nThe tree of Zaqqúm,164\nno matter how frequently it may come back, will not bring forth sweet\nfruit, and the good tree, no matter how often it may return, will not\nbear a bitter fruit. Therefore, it is evident that returning and\ncoming back to the material world does not become the cause of\nperfection. This theory has no proofs nor evidences; it is simply an\nidea. No, in reality the cause of acquiring perfections is the bounty\nof God.\n\nThe Theosophists believe that man on the arc of ascent165\nwill return many times until he reaches the Supreme Center; in that\ncondition matter becomes a clear mirror, the light of the spirit will\nshine upon it with its full power, and essential perfection will be\nacquired. Now, this is an established and deep theological\nproposition, that the material worlds are terminated at the end of\nthe arc of descent, and that the condition of man is at the end of\nthe arc of descent, and at the beginning of the arc of ascent, which\nis opposite to the Supreme Center. Also, from the beginning to the\nend of the arc of ascent, there are numerous spiritual degrees. The\narc of descent is called beginning,166\nand that of ascent is called progress.167\nThe arc of descent ends in materialities, and the arc of ascent ends\nin spiritualities. The point of the compass in describing a circle\nmakes no retrograde motion, for this would be contrary to the natural\nmovement and the divine order; otherwise, the symmetry of the circle\nwould be spoiled.\n\nMoreover, this material world has not such value or such\nexcellence that man, after having escaped from this cage, will desire\na second time to fall into this snare. No, through the Eternal Bounty\nthe worth and true ability of man becomes apparent and visible by\ntraversing the degrees of existence, and not by returning. When the\nshell is once opened, it will be apparent and evident whether it\ncontains a pearl or worthless matter. When once the plant has grown\nit will bring forth either thorns or flowers; there is no need for it\nto grow up again. Besides, advancing and moving in the worlds in a\ndirect order according to the natural law is the cause of existence,\nand a movement contrary to the system and law of nature is the cause\nof nonexistence. The return of the soul after death is contrary to\nthe natural movement, and opposed to the divine system.\n\nTherefore, by returning, it is absolutely impossible to\nobtain existence; it is as if man, after being freed from the womb,\nshould return to it a second time. Consider what a puerile\nimagination this is which is implied by the belief in reincarnation\nand transmigration. Believers in it consider the body as a vessel in\nwhich the spirit is contained, as water is contained in a cup; this\nwater has been taken from one cup and poured into another. This is\nchild’s play. They do not realize that the spirit is an\nincorporeal being, and does not enter and come forth, but is only\nconnected with the body as the sun is with the mirror. If it were\nthus, and the spirit by returning to this material world could pass\nthrough the degrees and attain to essential perfection, it would be\nbetter if God prolonged the life of the spirit in the material world\nuntil it had acquired perfections and graces; it then would not be\nnecessary for it to taste of the cup of death, or to acquire a second\nlife.\n\nThe idea that existence is restricted to this perishable\nworld, and the denial of the existence of divine worlds, originally\nproceeded from the imaginations of certain believers in\nreincarnation; but the divine worlds are infinite. If the divine\nworlds culminated in this material world, creation would be futile:\nnay, existence would be pure child’s play. The result of these\nendless beings, which is the noble existence of man, would come and\ngo for a few days in this perishable dwelling, and after receiving\npunishments and rewards, at last all would become perfect. The divine\ncreation and the infinite existing beings would be perfected and\ncompleted, and then the Divinity of the Lord, and the names and\nqualities of God, on behalf of these spiritual beings, would, as\nregards their effect, result in laziness and inaction! “Glory\nto thy Lord, the Lord Who is sanctified from all their\ndescriptions.”168\n\nSuch were the limited minds of the former philosophers,\nlike Ptolemy and the others who believed and imagined that the world,\nlife and existence were restricted to this terrestrial globe, and\nthat this boundless space was confined within the nine spheres of\nheaven, and that all were empty and void. Consider how greatly their\nthoughts were limited and how weak their minds. Those who believe in\nreincarnation think that the spiritual worlds are restricted to the\nworlds of human imagination. Moreover, some of them, like the Druzes\nand the Nusayris, think that existence is restricted to this physical\nworld. What an ignorant supposition! For in this universe of God,\nwhich appears in the most complete perfection, beauty and grandeur,\nthe luminous stars of the material universe are innumerable! Then we\nmust reflect how limitless and infinite are the spiritual worlds,\nwhich are the essential foundation. “Take heed ye who are\nendued with discernment.”169\n\nBut let us return to our subject. In the Divine\nScriptures and Holy Books “return” is spoken of, but the\nignorant have not understood the meaning, and those who believed in\nreincarnation have made conjectures on the subject. For what the\ndivine Prophets meant by “return” is not the return of\nthe essence, but that of the qualities; it is not the return of the\nManifestation, but that of the perfections. In the Gospel it says\nthat John, the son of Zacharias, is Elias. These words do not mean\nthe return of the rational soul and personality of Elias in the body\nof John, but rather that the perfections and qualities of Elias were\nmanifested and appeared in John.\n\nA lamp shone in this room last night, and when tonight\nanother lamp shines, we say the light of last night is again shining.\nWater flows from a fountain; then it ceases; and when it begins to\nflow a second time, we say this water is the same water flowing\nagain; or we say this light is identical with the former light. It is\nthe same with the spring of last year, when blossoms, flowers and\nsweet-scented herbs bloomed, and delicious fruits were brought forth;\nnext year we say that those delicious fruits have come back, and\nthose blossoms, flowers and blooms have returned and come again. This\ndoes not mean that exactly the same particles composing the flowers\nof last year have, after decomposition, been again combined and have\nthen come back and returned. On the contrary, the meaning is that the\ndelicacy, freshness, delicious perfume and wonderful color of the\nflowers of last year are visible and apparent in exactly the same\nmanner in the flowers of this year. Briefly, this expression refers\nonly to the resemblance and likeness which exist between the former\nand latter flowers. The “return” which is mentioned in\nthe Divine Scriptures is this: it is fully explained by the Supreme\nPen170\nin the Kitáb-i-Íqán. Refer to it, so that you\nmay be informed of the truth of the divine mysteries.\n\nUpon you be greetings and praise.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "82: PANTHEISM",
"slug": "saq-82-pantheism",
"summary": "Question.—How do the Theosophists and the Súfís understand the question of pantheism?171 What does it mean, and how nearly does it approximate to the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
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"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 10,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
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"body": "\nQuestion.—How do the Theosophists and the Súfís\nunderstand the question of pantheism?171\nWhat does it mean, and how nearly does it approximate to the truth?\n\nAnswer.—Know that the subject of pantheism is\nancient. It is a belief not restricted to the Theosophists and the\nSúfís; on the contrary, some of the sages of Greece\nbelieved in it, like Aristotle, who said, “The simple truth is\nall things, but it is not any one of them.” In this case,\n“simple” is the opposite of “composed”; it is\nthe isolated Reality, which is purified and sanctified from\ncomposition and division, and which resolves Itself into innumerable\nforms. Therefore, Real Existence is all things, but It is not one of\nthe things.\n\nBriefly, the believers in pantheism think that Real\nExistence can be compared to the sea, and that beings are like the\nwaves of the sea. These waves, which signify the beings, are\ninnumerable forms of that Real Existence; therefore, the Holy Reality\nis the Sea of Preexistence,172\nand the innumerable forms of the creatures are the waves which\nappear.\n\nLikewise, they compare this theory to real unity and the\ninfinitude of numbers; the real unity reflects itself in the degrees\nof infinite numbers, for numbers are the repetition of the real\nunity. So the number two is the repetition of one, and it is the same\nwith the other numbers.\n\nOne of their proofs is this: all beings are things known\nof God; and knowledge without things known does not exist, for\nknowledge is related to that which exists, and not to nothingness.\nPure nonexistence can have no specification or individualization in\nthe degrees of knowledge. Therefore, the realities of beings, which\nare the things known of God the Most High, have the existence which\nknowledge has,173\nsince they have the form of the Divine Knowledge, and they are\npreexistent, as the Divine Knowledge is preexistent. As knowledge is\npreexistent, the things known are equally so, and the\nindividualizations and the specifications of beings, which are the\npreexistent knowledges of the Essence of Unity, are the Divine\nKnowledge itself. For the realities of the Essence of Unity,\nknowledge, and the things known, have an absolute unity which is real\nand established. Otherwise, the Essence of Unity would become the\nplace of multiple phenomena, and the multiplicity of preexistences174\nwould become necessary, which is absurd.\n\nSo it is proved that the things known constitute\nknowledge itself, and knowledge the Essence itself—that is to\nsay, that the Knower, the knowledge and the things known are one\nsingle reality. And if one imagines anything outside of this, it\nnecessitates coming back to the multiplicity of preexistences and to\nenchainment;175\nand preexistences end by becoming innumerable. As the\nindividualization and the specification of beings in the knowledge of\nGod were the Essence of Unity itself, and as there was not any\ndifference between them, there was but one veritable Unity, and all\nthe things known were diffused and included in the reality of the one\nEssence—that is to say, that, according to the mode of\nsimplicity and of unity, they constitute the knowledge of God the\nMost High, and the Essence of the Reality. When God manifested His\nglory, these individualizations and these specifications of beings\nwhich had a virtual existence—that is to say, which were a form\nof the Divine Knowledge—found their existence substantiated in\nthe external world; and this Real Existence resolved Itself into\ninfinite forms. Such is the foundation of their argument.\n\nThe Theosophists and the Súfís are divided\ninto two branches: one, comprising the mass, who, simply in the\nspirit of imitation, believe pantheism without comprehending the\nmeaning of their renowned savants; for the mass of the Súfís\nbelieve that the signification of Being is general existence, taken\nsubstantively, which is comprehended by the reason and the\nintelligence—that is to say, that man comprehends it. Instead\nof that, this general existence is one of the accidents which\npenetrate the reality of beings, and the qualities of beings are the\nessence. This accidental existence, which is dependent on beings, is\nlike other properties of things which depend on them. It is an\naccident among accidents, and certainly that which is the essence is\nsuperior to that which is the accident. For the essence is the\norigin, and the accident is the consequence; the essence is dependent\non itself, and the accident is dependent on something else—that\nis to say, it needs an essence upon which to depend. In this case,\nGod would be the consequence of the creature. He would have need of\nit, and it would be independent of Him.\n\nFor example, each time that the isolated elements\ncombine conformably to the divine universal system, one being among\nbeings comes into the world. That is to say, that when certain\nelements combine, a vegetable existence is produced; when others\ncombine, it is an animal; again others combine, and they produce\ndifferent creatures. In this case, the existence of things is the\nconsequence of their reality: how could it be that this existence,\nwhich is an accident among accidents, and necessitates another\nessence upon which it depends, should be the Preexistent Essence, the\nAuthor of all things?\n\nBut the initiated savants of the Theosophists and Súfís,\nwho have studied this question, think there are two categories of\nexistence. One is general existence, which is understood by the human\nintelligence; this is a phenomenon, an accident among accidents, and\nthe reality of the things is the essence. But pantheism does not\napply to this general and imaginary existence, but only to the\nVeritable Existence, freed and sanctified from all other\ninterpretation; through It all things exist, and It is the Unity\nthrough which all things have come into the world, such as matter,\nenergy and this general existence which is comprehended by the human\nmind. Such is the truth of this question according to the\nTheosophists and the Súfís.\n\nBriefly, with regard to this theory that all things\nexist by the Unity, all are agreed—that is to say, the\nphilosophers and the Prophets. But there is a difference between\nthem. The Prophets say, The Knowledge of God has no need of the\nexistence of beings, but the knowledge of the creature needs the\nexistence of things known; if the Knowledge of God had need of any\nother thing, then it would be the knowledge of the creature, and not\nthat of God. For the Preexistent is different from the phenomenal,\nand the phenomenal is opposed to the Preexistent; that which we\nattribute to the creature—that is, the necessities of the\ncontingent beings—we deny for God; for purification, or\nsanctification from imperfections, is one of His necessary\nproperties. So in the phenomenal we see ignorance; in the Preexistent\nwe recognize knowledge. In the phenomenal we see weakness; in the\nPreexistent we recognize power. In the phenomenal we see poverty; in\nthe Preexistent we recognize wealth. So the phenomenal is the source\nof imperfections, and the Preexistent is the sum of perfections. The\nphenomenal knowledge has need of things known; the Preexistent\nKnowledge is independent of their existence. So the preexistence of\nthe specification and of the individualization of beings which are\nthe things known of God the Most High does not exist; and these\ndivine and perfect attributes are not so understood by the\nintelligence that we can decide if the Divine Knowledge has need of\nthings known or not.\n\nBriefly, this is the principal argument of the Súfís;\nand if we wished to mention all their proofs and explain their\nanswers, it would take a very long time. This is their decisive proof\nand their plain argument—at least, of the savants of the Súfís\nand the Theosophists.\n\nBut the question of the Real Existence by which all\nthings exist—that is to say, the reality of the Essence of\nUnity through which all creatures have come into the world—is\nadmitted by everyone. The difference resides in that which the Súfís\nsay, “The reality of the things is the manifestation of the\nReal Unity.” But the Prophets say, “it emanates from the\nReal Unity”; and great is the difference between manifestation\nand emanation. The appearance in manifestation means that a single\nthing appears in infinite forms. For example, the seed, which is a\nsingle thing possessing the vegetative perfections, which it\nmanifests in infinite forms, resolving itself into branches, leaves,\nflowers and fruits: this is called appearance in manifestation;\nwhereas in the appearance through emanation this Real Unity remains\nand continues in the exaltation of Its sanctity, but the existence of\ncreatures emanates from It and is not manifested by It. It can be\ncompared to the sun from which emanates the light which pours forth\non all the creatures; but the sun remains in the exaltation of its\nsanctity. It does not descend, and it does not resolve itself into\nluminous forms; it does not appear in the substance of things through\nthe specification and the individualization of things; the\nPreexistent does not become the phenomenal; independent wealth does\nnot become enchained poverty; pure perfection does not become\nabsolute imperfection.\n\nTo recapitulate: the Súfís admit God and\nthe creature, and say that God resolves Himself into the infinite\nforms of the creatures, and manifests like the sea, which appears in\nthe infinite forms of the waves. These phenomenal and imperfect waves\nare the same thing as the Preexistent Sea, which is the sum of all\nthe divine perfections. The Prophets, on the contrary, believe that\nthere is the world of God, the world of the Kingdom, and the world of\nCreation: three things. The first emanation from God is the bounty of\nthe Kingdom, which emanates and is reflected in the reality of the\ncreatures, like the light which emanates from the sun and is\nresplendent in creatures; and this bounty, which is the light, is\nreflected in infinite forms in the reality of all things, and\nspecifies and individualizes itself according to the capacity, the\nworthiness and the intrinsic value of things. But the affirmation of\nthe Súfís requires that the Independent Wealth should\ndescend to the degree of poverty, that the Preexistent should confine\nitself to phenomenal forms, and that Pure Power should be restricted\nto the state of weakness, according to the limitations of contingent\nbeings. And this is an evident error. Observe that the reality of\nman, who is the most noble of creatures, does not descend to the\nreality of the animal, that the essence of the animal, which is\nendowed with the powers of sensation, does not abase itself to the\ndegree of the vegetable, and that the reality of the vegetable, which\nis the power of growth, does not descend to the reality of the\nmineral.\n\nBriefly, the superior reality does not descend nor abase\nitself to inferior states; then how could it be that the Universal\nReality of God, which is freed from all descriptions and\nqualifications, notwithstanding Its absolute sanctity and purity,\nshould resolve Itself into the forms of the realities of the\ncreatures, which are the source of imperfections? This is a pure\nimagination which one cannot conceive.\n\nOn the contrary, this Holy Essence is the sum of the\ndivine perfections; and all creatures are favored by the bounty of\nresplendency through emanation, and receive the lights, the\nperfection and the beauty of Its Kingdom, in the same way that all\nearthly creatures obtain the bounty of the light of the rays of the\nsun, but the sun does not descend and does not abase itself to the\nfavored realities of earthly beings.\n\nAfter dinner, and considering the lateness of the hour,\nthere is no time to explain further.\n\nSalutations.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "83: THE FOUR METHODS OF ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE",
"slug": "saq-83-the-four-methods-of-acquiring-knowledge",
"summary": "There are only four accepted methods of comprehension—that is to say, the realities of things are understood by these four…",
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"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
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"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
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"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere are only four accepted methods of\ncomprehension—that is to say, the realities of things are\nunderstood by these four methods.\n\nThe first method is by the senses—that is to say,\nall that the eye, the ear, the taste, the smell, the touch perceive\nis understood by this method. Today this method is considered the\nmost perfect by all the European philosophers: they say that the\nprincipal method of gaining knowledge is through the senses; they\nconsider it supreme, although it is imperfect, for it commits errors.\nFor example, the greatest of the senses is the power of sight. The\nsight sees the mirage as water, and it sees images reflected in\nmirrors as real and existent; large bodies which are distant appear\nto be small, and a whirling point appears as a circle. The sight\nbelieves the earth to be motionless and sees the sun in motion, and\nin many similar cases it makes mistakes. Therefore, we cannot trust\nit.\n\nThe second is the method of reason, which was that of\nthe ancient philosophers, the pillars of wisdom; this is the method\nof the understanding. They proved things by reason and held firmly to\nlogical proofs; all their arguments are arguments of reason.\nNotwithstanding this, they differed greatly, and their opinions were\ncontradictory. They even changed their views—that is to say,\nduring twenty years they would prove the existence of a thing by\nlogical arguments, and afterward they would deny it by logical\narguments—so much so that Plato at first logically proved the\nimmobility of the earth and the movement of the sun; later by logical\narguments he proved that the sun was the stationary center, and that\nthe earth was moving. Afterward the Ptolemaic theory was spread\nabroad, and the idea of Plato was entirely forgotten, until at last a\nnew observer again called it to life. Thus all the mathematicians\ndisagreed, although they relied upon arguments of reason. In the same\nway, by logical arguments, they would prove a problem at a certain\ntime, then afterward by arguments of the same nature they would deny\nit. So one of the philosophers would firmly uphold a theory for a\ntime with strong arguments and proofs to support it, which afterward\nhe would retract and contradict by arguments of reason. Therefore, it\nis evident that the method of reason is not perfect, for the\ndifferences of the ancient philosophers, the want of stability and\nthe variations of their opinions, prove this. For if it were perfect,\nall ought to be united in their ideas and agreed in their opinions.\n\nThe third method of understanding is by tradition—that\nis, through the text of the Holy Scriptures—for people say, “In\nthe Old and New Testaments, God spoke thus.” This method\nequally is not perfect, because the traditions are understood by the\nreason. As the reason itself is liable to err, how can it be said\nthat in interpreting the meaning of the traditions it will not err,\nfor it is possible for it to make mistakes, and certainty cannot be\nattained. This is the method of the religious leaders; whatever they\nunderstand and comprehend from the text of the books is that which\ntheir reason understands from the text, and not necessarily the real\ntruth; for the reason is like a balance, and the meanings contained\nin the text of the Holy Books are like the thing which is weighed. If\nthe balance is untrue, how can the weight be ascertained?\n\nKnow then: that which is in the hands of people, that\nwhich they believe, is liable to error. For, in proving or disproving\na thing, if a proof is brought forward which is taken from the\nevidence of our senses, this method, as has become evident, is not\nperfect; if the proofs are intellectual, the same is true; or if they\nare traditional, such proofs also are not perfect. Therefore, there\nis no standard in the hands of people upon which we can rely.\n\nBut the bounty of the Holy Spirit gives the true method\nof comprehension which is infallible and indubitable. This is through\nthe help of the Holy Spirit which comes to man, and this is the\ncondition in which certainty can alone be attained.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "84: THE NECESSITY OF FOLLOWING THE TEACHINGS OF THE DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS",
"slug": "saq-84-the-necessity-of-following-the-teachings-of-the-divine-manifestations",
"summary": "Question.—Those who are blessed with good actions and universal benevolence, who have praiseworthy characteristics, who act with love and kindness toward all creatures, who care for the poor, and who strive to establish universal…",
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"Quddús"
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"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
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"faith",
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"joy",
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"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
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"lengthMinutes": 15,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
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"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—Those who are blessed with good actions\nand universal benevolence, who have praiseworthy characteristics, who\nact with love and kindness toward all creatures, who care for the\npoor, and who strive to establish universal peace—what need\nhave they of the divine teachings, of which they think indeed that\nthey are independent? What is the condition of these people?\n\nAnswer.—Know that such actions, such efforts and\nsuch words are praiseworthy and approved, and are the glory of\nhumanity. But these actions alone are not sufficient; they are a body\nof the greatest loveliness, but without spirit. No, that which is the\ncause of everlasting life, eternal honor, universal enlightenment,\nreal salvation and prosperity is, first of all, the knowledge of God.\nIt is known that the knowledge of God is beyond all knowledge, and it\nis the greatest glory of the human world. For in the existing\nknowledge of the reality of things there is material advantage, and\nthrough it outward civilization progresses; but the knowledge of God\nis the cause of spiritual progress and attraction, and through it the\nperception of truth, the exaltation of humanity, divine civilization,\nrightness of morals and illumination are obtained.\n\nSecond, comes the love of God, the light of which shines\nin the lamp of the hearts of those who know God; its brilliant rays\nilluminate the horizon and give to man the life of the Kingdom. In\ntruth, the fruit of human existence is the love of God, for this love\nis the spirit of life, and the eternal bounty. If the love of God did\nnot exist, the contingent world would be in darkness; if the love of\nGod did not exist, the hearts of men would be dead, and deprived of\nthe sensations of existence; if the love of God did not exist,\nspiritual union would be lost; if the love of God did not exist, the\nlight of unity would not illuminate humanity; if the love of God did\nnot exist, the East and West, like two lovers, would not embrace each\nother; if the love of God did not exist, division and disunion would\nnot be changed into fraternity; if the love of God did not exist,\nindifference would not end in affection; if the love of God did not\nexist, the stranger would not become the friend. The love of the\nhuman world has shone forth from the love of God and has appeared by\nthe bounty and grace of God.\n\nIt is clear that the reality of mankind is diverse, that\nopinions are various and sentiments different; and this difference of\nopinions, of thoughts, of intelligence, of sentiments among the human\nspecies arises from essential necessity; for the differences in the\ndegrees of existence of creatures is one of the necessities of\nexistence, which unfolds itself in infinite forms. Therefore, we have\nneed of a general power which may dominate the sentiments, the\nopinions and the thoughts of all, thanks to which these divisions may\nno longer have effect, and all individuals may be brought under the\ninfluence of the unity of the world of humanity. It is clear and\nevident that this greatest power in the human world is the love of\nGod. It brings the different peoples under the shadow of the tent of\naffection; it gives to the antagonistic and hostile nations and\nfamilies the greatest love and union.\n\nSee, after the time of Christ, through the power of the\nlove of God, how many nations, races, families and tribes came under\nthe shadow of the Word of God. The divisions and differences of a\nthousand years were entirely destroyed and annihilated. The thoughts\nof race and of fatherland completely disappeared. The union of souls\nand of existences took place; all became true spiritual Christians.\n\nThe third virtue of humanity is the goodwill which is\nthe basis of good actions. Certain philosophers have considered\nintention superior to action, for the goodwill is absolute light; it\nis purified and sanctified from the impurities of selfishness, of\nenmity, of deception. Now it may be that a man performs an action\nwhich in appearance is righteous, but which is dictated by\ncovetousness. For example, a butcher rears a sheep and protects it;\nbut this righteous action of the butcher is dictated by desire to\nderive profit, and the result of this care is the slaughter of the\npoor sheep. How many righteous actions are dictated by covetousness!\nBut the goodwill is sanctified from such impurities.\n\nBriefly, if to the knowledge of God is joined the love\nof God, and attraction, ecstasy and goodwill, a righteous action is\nthen perfect and complete. Otherwise, though a good action is\npraiseworthy, yet if it is not sustained by the knowledge of God, the\nlove of God, and a sincere intention, it is imperfect. For example,\nthe being of man must unite all perfections to be perfect. Sight is\nextremely precious and appreciated, but it must be aided by hearing;\nthe hearing is much appreciated, but it must be aided by the power of\nspeech; the faculty of speech is very acceptable, but it must be\naided by the power of reason, and so forth. The same is true of the\nother powers, organs and members of man; when all these powers, these\nsenses, these organs, these members exist together, he is perfect.\n\nNow, today, we meet with people in the world who, in\ntruth, desire the universal good, and who according to their power\noccupy themselves in protecting the oppressed and in aiding the poor:\nthey are enthusiastic for peace and the universal well-being.\nAlthough from this point of view they may be perfect, if they are\ndeprived of the knowledge and love of God, they are imperfect.\n\nGalen, the physician, in his book in which he comments\non the treatise of Plato on the art of government,176\nsays that the fundamental principles of religion have a great\ninfluence upon a perfect civilization because “the multitude\ncannot understand the connection of explanatory words; so it has need\nof symbolical words announcing the rewards and punishments of the\nother world; and that which proves the truth of this affirmation,”\nhe says, “is that today we see a people called Christians who\nbelieve in rewards and punishments; and this sect show forth\nbeautiful actions like those which a true philosopher performs. So we\nall see clearly that they do not fear death, that they expect and\ndesire nothing from the multitude but justice and equity, and they\nare considered as true philosophers.”\n\nNow observe what was the degree of the sincerity, the\nzeal, the spiritual feeling, the obligation of friendship, and the\ngood actions of a believer in Christ, so that Galen, the\nphilosophical physician, although he was not of the Christian\nreligion, should yet bear witness to the good morals and the\nperfections of these people, to the point of saying that they were\ntrue philosophers. These virtues, these morals, were obtained not\nonly through good actions, for if virtue were only a matter of\nobtaining and giving forth good, as this lamp is lighted and\nilluminates the house—without doubt this illumination is a\nbenefit—then why do we not praise the lamp? The sun causes all\nthe beings of the earth to increase, and by its heat and light gives\ngrowth and development: is there a greater benefit than that?\nNevertheless, as this good does not come from goodwill and from the\nlove and knowledge of God, it is imperfect.\n\nWhen, on the contrary, a man gives to another a cup of\nwater, the latter is grateful and thanks him. A man, without\nreflecting, will say, “This sun which gives light to the world,\nthis supreme bounty which is apparent in it, must be adored and\npraised. Why should we not be grateful and thankful to the sun for\nits bounty, when we praise a man who performs a simple act of\nkindness?” But if we look for the truth, we see that this\ninsignificant kindness of the man is due to conscious feelings which\nexist; therefore, it is worthy of praise, whereas the light and heat\nof the sun are not due to the feelings and consciousness; therefore,\nthey are not worthy of eulogy or of praise and do not deserve\ngratitude or thanks.\n\nIn the same way, when a person performs a good action,\nalthough it is praiseworthy, if it is not caused by the love and\nknowledge of God, it is imperfect. Moreover, if you reflect justly,\nyou will see that these good actions of other men who do not know God\nare also fundamentally caused by the teachings of God—that is\nto say, that the former Prophets led men to perform these actions,\nexplained their beauty to them, and declared their splendid effects;\nthen these teachings were diffused among men and reached them\nsuccessively, one after the other, and turned their hearts toward\nthese perfections. When men saw that these actions were considered\nbeautiful, and became the cause of joy and happiness for mankind,\nthey conformed to them.\n\nWherefore these actions also come from the teachings of\nGod. But justice is needed to see this, and not controversy and\ndiscussion. Praise be to God, you have been to Persia, and you have\nseen how the Persians, through the holy breezes of Bahá’u’lláh,\nhave become benevolent toward humanity. Formerly, if they met anyone\nof another race, they tormented him and were filled with the utmost\nenmity, hatred and malevolence; they went so far as to throw dirt at\nhim. They burned the Gospel and the Old Testament, and if their hands\nwere polluted by touching these books, they washed them. Today the\ngreater number of them recite and chant, as is suitable, the contents\nof these two Books in their reunions and assemblies, and they expound\ntheir esoteric teaching. They show hospitality to their enemies. They\ntreat the bloodthirsty wolves with gentleness, like gazelles in the\nplains of the love of God. You have seen their customs and habits,\nand you have heard of the manners of former Persians. This\ntransformation of morals, this improvement of conduct and of words,\nare they possible otherwise than through the love of God? No, in the\nname of God. If, by the help of science and knowledge, we wished to\nintroduce these morals and customs, truly it would take a thousand\nyears, and then they would not be spread throughout the masses.\n\nToday, thanks to the love of God, they are arrived at\nwith the greatest facility.\n\nBe admonished, O possessors of intelligence!\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Footnotes\n1.On\nthe idea of God, cf. “The Divinity Can Only Be Comprehended\nthrough the Divine Manifestations,” p. 146; and “Man’s\nKnowledge of God,” p. 220.\n\n\nThe reader will there see that the Bahá’í\nFaith has not an anthropomorphic conception of God, and that if it\nemploys a customary terminology, it is careful to explain its\nsymbolic meaning.2.Cf.\nGen. 1:26.3.Cf.\nGen. 1:26.4.Divine\nManifestations are the founders of religions. Cf. “Two Classes\nof Prophets,” p. 164.5.The\nBáb’s descent was from Muḥammad.6.Cf.\nJohn 6:42.7.The\nBanú-Tamím, one of the most barbarous Arab tribes,\npracticed this odious custom.8.To\nMedina.9.Of\n‘Umar.10.Cf.\nJurjí Zaydán’s Umayyads and Abbasids, trans. D.\nS. Margoliouth.11.Copernicus.12.Cf.\nQur’án 36:37.13.Cf.\nQur’án 36:38.14.Galileo.15.The\nBáb is here designated by His title Ḥaḍrat-i-A‘lá,\nHis Supreme Highness; but for the convenience of the reader we shall\ncontinue to designate Him by the name under which He is known\nthroughout Europe—i.e., the Báb.16.Doctors\nof the religion of Islám.17.Jamál-i-Mubárak,\nthe Blessed Beauty, the title which is here given to Bahá’u’lláh.\nHe is also called Jamál-i-Qidám, the Preexistent, or\nAncient Beauty. But we shall designate Him as Bahá’u’lláh,\nthe title by which He is known in the West.18.Exiled\nfirst to Baghdád, then to Constantinople, then to\nAdrianople, He was imprisoned in Akká (Acre), “the\nGreatest Prison,” in 1868.19.The\npenetrating judgment of Bahá’u’lláh upon\nthis occasion overcame the malignity of His enemies, who, it was\ncertain, would never agree in choosing what miracle to ask for.20.‘Iráq;\nas opposed to that district of Írán known then as\n‘Iráq-i-‘Aẓam and now called Arák.21.Adrianople.22.Napoleon\nIII.23.One\nof Bahá’u’lláh’s works written after\nHis declaration.24.Son\nof a French Consul in Syria with whom Bahá’u’lláh\nhad friendly relations.25.Name\ngiven to the epistles of Bahá’u’lláh.26.Valí.27.Cf.\np. 30, n. 1. In giving such importance to this example of the good\nsense of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá\nmeans to emphasize the uselessness of miracles as a proof of the\ntruth of the Manifestations of God. Cf. “Miracles,” p.\n100.28.A\ncry used as a declaration of faith by the Bahá’ís,\nliterally, “Oh Thou the Glory of Glories!”29.Bahá’u’lláh.30.Akká.31.Cf.\n“Miracles,” p. 100.32.See\nDan. 9:24.33.Cf.\nNum. 14:34.34.Cf.\nDan. 12:6–7.35.The\nreference appears in verses 11 and 12.36.Varaqat-Ibn-Nawfal,\nKhadíjah’s cousin.37.The\nyear 1290 from the proclamation of the mission of Muḥammad was\nthe year 1280 of the Hejira, or 1863–64 of our era. It was at\nthis epoch (April 1863) that Bahá’u’lláh,\non leaving Baghdád for Constantinople, declared to\nthose who surrounded Him that He was the Manifestation announced by\nthe Báb.\n\nIt is this declaration which the Bahá’ís\ncelebrate by the Feast of Ridván, this name being that of the\ngarden at the entrance of the city, where Bahá’u’lláh\nstayed during twelve days, and where He made the declaration.38.Rev.\n11:3.39.This\nsentence is the Persian translation of the Arabic text of the Qur’án\nwhich has been quoted.40.Rev.\n11:4.41.Cf.\nRev. 11:5.42.Rev.\n11:6.43.Cf.\nRev. 11:6.44.Cf.\nRev. 11:6.45.Rev.\n11:7.46.Cf.\nRev. 11:7.47.Cf.\nRev. 11:7.48.Rev.\n11:8.49.Rev.\n11:9.50.Another\nname for the Qur’án, signifying the Distinction.51.Cf.\nRev. 11:10.52.Cf.\nRev. 11:11.53.Ḥájí\nMullá Muḥammad-Alíy-i-Barfúrúshí,\none of the chief disciples of the Báb and one of the nineteen\nLetters of the Living.54.Rev.\n11:12.55.The\nBáb and Jináb-i-Quddús.56.Rev.\n11:12.57.Cf.\nRev. 11:13.58.Cf.\nRev. 11:13.59.Rev.\n11:14.60.Ez.\n30:1–3.61.Rev.\n11:15.62.Rev.\n11:16–17.63.i.e.,\nHis most complete manifestation.64.Rev.\n11:18.65.Rev.\n11:18.66.Cf.\nRev. 11:18.67.Cf.\nRev. 11:18.68.Rev.\n11:19.69.Rev.\n11:19.70.Rev.\n11:19.71.One\nof the works of Bahá’u’lláh, in which He\nexpressly points to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as being the One\nto Whom all must turn after His death.72.One\nof the works of Bahá’u’lláh, in which He\nexpressly points to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as being the One\nto Whom all must turn after His death.73.Rev.\n21:2.74.Cf.\nRev. 12:3–4.75.Cf.\nRev. 12:4.76.Cf.\nRev. 12:6.77.Lit.,\nthe pivot.78.Extract\nfrom the letter to Náṣiri’d-Dín Sháh.79.Cf.\nQur’án 19:17.80.Qur’án\n36:35.81.This\nconversation shows the uselessness of discussions upon such\nquestions; the teachings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá upon the\nbirth of Christ will be found in the following chapter.82.Cf.\nJohn 1:12–13.83.Gen.\n2:7.84.Acts\n15:20.85.i.e.,\nof Christ, Whom the Muslims frequently designate by the title of\nRúhu’lláh, the Spirit of God.86.Cf.\nJohn 6:51, 50.87.Matt.\n26:26.88.Matt.\n8:22; John 3:6.89.Cf.\nMatt. 13:14 and John 12:40–41.90.Cf.\nMatt. 24:29–30.91.Kitáb-i-Íqán,\none of the first works of Bahá’u’lláh,\nwritten at Baghdád, before the declaration of His\nmanifestation.92.John\n3:13.93.In\nthese conversations, as the reader will have already observed,\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá desires rather to indicate the\nmeaning of certain passages of the Scriptures than to quote the\nexact text.94.Masíkh—i.e.,\nthe monster. In Arabic there is a play upon the words Masíh,\nthe Messiah, and masíkh, the monster.95.Cf.\n1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10.96.Cf.\n“Pantheism,” p. 290.97.The\nDivine Manifestation.98.John\n17:5.99.i.e.,\nthe Reality of Christ.100.Abu’l-bashar,\ni.e., the father of man, is one of the titles given by the Muslims\nto Adam.101.Cf.\nJohn 6:41, 50, 58.102.Cf.\nGen. 2:16–17.103.Cf.\nGen. 3:5.104.Cf.\nGen. 3:11–15,22105.Bahá’u’lláh.106.Bahá’u’lláh.107.Cf.\nJohn 6:51.108.Jews\nand Christians.109.Matt.\n8:22.110.Matt.\n22:14.111.Matt.\n22:14.112.Cf.\n“The Causes of Differences in the Characters of Men,” p.\n212.113.Cf.\np. 110, n. 2.114.Cf.\nJohn 1:19–21.115.Cf.\nJohn 1:21.116.i.e.,\nthe individuality.117.Matt.\n16:18.118.It\nis well known that Peter’s real name was Simon, but Christ\ncalled him Cephas, which corresponds to the Greek word petras, which\nmeans rock.119.Cf.\nMatt. 16:14–18.120.Cf.\nQur’án 6:104.121.From\na hadíth.122.Qur’án\n59:2.123.i.e.,\nin the kingdom of man, where alone the Spirit manifests immortality.\nCf. “Five Aspects of Spirit,” p. 143; “The State\nof Man and His Progress after Death,” p. 235, etc.124.Cf.\nJohn 14:11; 17:21125.John\n1:1.126.The\nManifestation.127.The\nManifestation.128.Cf.\n“Soul, Spirit and Mind,” p. 208.129.Cf.\nJohn 1:1.130.Matt.\n6:9; Luke 11:2.131.John\n1:1.132.Cf.\nExod. 20:4–5; Deut. 5:8–9.133.Num.\n20:23–24.134.Cf.\nQur’án 48:1–2.135.Matt.\n19:16, 17.136.The\nManifestation of God.137.Kitáb-i-Aqdas:\ni.e., The Most Holy Book. The principal work of Bahá’u’lláh,\nwhich contains the greater part of the commandments. It is the basis\nof the principles of the Bahá’í Faith.138.The\nHouse of Justice (Baytu’l-Adl) is an institution created by\nBahá’u’lláh. He refers to two levels of\nthis institution: the Local Houses of Justice, responsible for each\ntown or village, and the Universal House of Justice. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,\nin His Will and Testament, added an intermediate level, the\nSecondary Houses of Justice. It is only on the Universal House of\nJustice that infallibility has been conferred. At the present time,\nto stress their purely spiritual functions, the Local and Secondary\nHouses of Justice are designated Local and National Spiritual\nAssemblies.139.Qur’án\n23:14.140.Man.141.i.e.,\nif we admit, for example, that man had formerly been a quadruped, or\nhad had a tail.142.Cf.\nGen. 1:26.143.This\nsubject, of emanation and manifestation, is more fully explained in\nthe following chapter.144.Cf.\n“Real Preexistence,” p. 280.145.John\n1:1.146.John\n1:1.147.Cf.\nJohn 14:11; 17:21.148.Bahá’u’lláh.149.Cf.\nGen. 9:25.150.i.e.,\ntherefore people cannot be blamed for their character.151.Cf.\nRev. 22:13.152.Cf.\n“The Difference between Man and the Animal,” p. 185.153.Cf.\nJohn 3:5.154.John\n1:13.155.Qur’án\n23:14.156.One\nfarsakh is equivalent to about four miles.157.It\nis a Persian custom to reckon distance by time.158.Mírzá\nYaḥyá Subh-i-Azal, half-brother of Bahá’u’lláh,\nand His irreconcilable enemy.159.“Veiled\nspirits” here signify rational souls, souls not possessing the\nspirit of faith. Cf. “Soul, Spirit and Mind,” p. 208.160.Rom.\n9:21.161.Cf.\nMatt. 5:39.162.A\nBahá’í sitting with us at table.163.Matt.\n8:22.164.The\ninfernal tree mentioned in the Qur’án.165.i.e.,\nof the Circle of Existence.166.Lit.,\nbringing forth.167.Lit.,\nproducing something new.168.Cf.\nQur’án 37:180.169.Qur’án\n59:2.170.Bahá’u’lláh.171.Lit.,\nthe unity of existence.172.God.173.i.e.,\nan intellectual existence.174.gods.175.i.e.,\ninfinite continuation of causes and effects.176.Cf.\nIbn Ábí Usaybíá, Üyün al-anbá\nfí tabaqát al-átibbá (Cairo: 1882) tom.\ni., pp. 76–77.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE IMMORTALITY OF CHILDREN",
"slug": "saq-the-immortality-of-children",
"summary": "Question.—What is the condition of children who die before attaining the age of discretion or before the appointed time of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"questions",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "some-answered-questions",
"book": "Some Answered Questions",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1908,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19289/pg19289-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nQuestion.—What is the condition of children who\ndie before attaining the age of discretion or before the appointed\ntime of birth?\n\nAnswer.—These infants are under the shadow of the\nfavor of God; and as they have not committed any sin and are not\nsoiled with the impurities of the world of nature, they are the\ncenters of the manifestation of bounty, and the Eye of Compassion\nwill be turned upon them.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (1908). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19289.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Sarah Farmer had a vision of Green Acre as a peaceful and beautiful place where…",
"slug": "sarah-farmer-had-a-vision-of-green-acre-bs1",
"summary": "Sarah Farmer had a vision of Green Acre as a peaceful and beautiful place where people could study all the various religions in order to create a more spiritual world. In 1894, she dedicated Green Acre to the ideals of peace and religious…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"green acre"
],
"virtues": [
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/green-acre"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSarah Farmer had a vision of Green Acre as a peaceful and beautiful place where people could study all the various religions in order to create a more spiritual world. In 1894, she dedicated Green Acre to the ideals of peace and religious unity, invited speakers of various persuasions, and encouraged her guests to listen without prejudice. Financial difficulties almost brought her dream to collapse, and because her health was failing, she went on a cruise in January 1900. While on the ship, she met two friends who are on their way to visit ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Sarah cabled ahead and asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá if she could join her friends. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said yes. Sarah's time with the Master created a powerful bond that would affect the futures of both her and Green Acre. When she returned, the courses took on a much more Bahá’ílike flavor and some felt that this was a betrayal of the original ideal. This, and her worsening financial burden caused her health to deteriorate even more. But the coming of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá quickly changed things. While He was there, He said, \"This is hallowed ground, made so by your vision and sacrifice. Always remember, this is hallowed ground, which I am pointing out to you.\"\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 166*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/green-acre) (Subject: green-acre).*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Second Tablet Addressed To ‘Him Who Will Be Made Manifest’",
"slug": "sb-a-second-tablet-addressed-to-him-who-will-be-made-manifest",
"summary": "May the glances of Him Whom God shall make manifest illumine this letter at the primary…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMay the glances of Him Whom God shall\nmake manifest illumine this letter at the primary school.2\n\nHe is the Most Glorious.\n\nHe is God, no God is there but Him, the Almighty, the\nBest Beloved. All that are in the heavens and on the earth and\nwhatever lieth between them are His. Verily He is the Help in Peril,\nthe Self-Subsisting.\n\nThis is a letter from God, the Help in Peril, the\nSelf-Subsisting, unto God, the Almighty, the Best Beloved, to affirm\nthat the Bayán and such as bear allegiance to it are but a\npresent from me unto Thee and to express my undoubting faith that\nthere is no God but Thee, that the kingdoms of Creation and\nRevelation are Thine, that no one can attain anything save by Thy\npower and that He Whom Thou hast raised up is but Thy servant and Thy\nTestimony. I, indeed, beg to address Him Whom God shall make\nmanifest, by Thy leave in these words: ‘Shouldst Thou dismiss\nthe entire company of the followers of the Bayán in the Day of\nthe Latter Resurrection by a mere sign of Thy finger even while still\na suckling babe, Thou wouldst indeed be praised in Thy indication.\nAnd though no doubt is there about it, do Thou grant a respite of\nnineteen years as a token of Thy favour so that those who have\nembraced this Cause may be graciously rewarded by Thee. Thou art\nverily the Lord of grace abounding. Thou dost indeed suffice every\ncreated thing and causest it to be independent of all things, while\nnothing in the heavens or on the earth or that which lieth between\nthem can ever suffice Thee.’\n\nVerily Thou art the Self-Sufficient, the All-Knowing;\nThou art indeed potent over all things.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Tablet Addressed To ‘Him Who Will Be Made Manifest’",
"slug": "sb-a-tablet-addressed-to-him-who-will-be-made-manifest",
"summary": "This is an epistle from this lowly servant to the All-Glorious Lord—He Who hath been aforetime and will be hereafter made manifest. Verily He is the Most Manifest, the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis is an epistle from this lowly servant to the\nAll-Glorious Lord—He Who hath been aforetime and will be\nhereafter made manifest. Verily He is the Most Manifest, the\nAlmighty.\n\nIn the name of the Sovereign Lord, the Lord of Power.\n\nGlorified is He before Whom all the dwellers of earth\nand heaven bow down in adoration and unto Whom all men turn in\nsupplication. He is the One Who holdeth in His grasp the mighty\nkingdom of all created things and unto Him shall all return. He is\nthe One Who revealeth whatsoever He willeth and by His injunction ‘Be\nThou’ all things have come into being.\n\nThis is an epistle from the letter ‘Thá’1\nunto Him Who will be made manifest through the power of Truth—He\nWho is the All-Glorious, the Best Beloved—to affirm that all\ncreated things as well as myself bear witness for all time that there\nis none other God but Thee, the Omnipotent, the Self-Subsisting; that\nThou art God, there is no God besides Thee and that all men shall be\nraised up to life through Thee.\n\nLauded and glorified be Thy name, O Lord, my God!\n\nFrom all eternity I have indeed recognized Thee and unto\nall eternity will ever do so through Thine Own Self and not through\nany one else besides Thee. Verily Thou art the Source of all\nknowledge, the Omniscient. From everlasting I have besought and unto\neverlasting will beseech forgiveness for my limited understanding of\nThee, aware as I am that there is no God but Thee, the All-Glorious,\nthe Almighty.\n\nI beg of Thee, O my Best Beloved, to pardon me and those\nwho earnestly seek to promote Thy Cause; Thou art indeed the One Who\nforgiveth the sins of all mankind. And in this second year of my\nRevelation—a Revelation which took place at Thy behest—I\nbear witness that Thou art the Most Manifest, the Omnipotent, the\nEver-Abiding; that of all things that exist on earth and in the\nheavens nothing whatsoever can frustrate Thy purpose and that Thou\nart the Knower of all things and the Lord of might and majesty.\n\nVerily, we have believed in Thee and in Thy signs ere\nthe dawn of Thy Manifestation, and in Thee are we all well-assured.\nVerily, we have believed in Thee and in Thy signs after the\nfulfilment of Thy Manifestation, and in Thee do we all believe.\nVerily, we have believed in Thee and in Thy signs at the hour of Thy\nManifestation and bear witness that through Thine injunction ‘Be\nThou’ all things have been created.\n\nEvery Manifestation is but a revelation of Thine Own\nSelf, with each of Whom we have truly appeared and we bow down in\nadoration before Thee. Thou hast been, O my Best Beloved, and shalt\never be my witness throughout bygone times and in the days to come.\nVerily, Thou art the All-Powerful, the Ever-Faithful, the Omnipotent.\n\nI have testified to Thy oneness through Thine Own Self\nbefore the dwellers of the heavens and the earth, bearing witness\nthat, verily, Thou art the All-Glorious, the Best Beloved. I have\nattained the recognition of Thee through Thine Own Self before the\ndwellers of the heavens and the earth, bearing witness that Thou art\nin truth the Almighty, the All-Praised. I have glorified Thy Name\nthrough Thine Own Self before the dwellers of the heavens and the\nearth, bearing witness that Thou art indeed the Lord of power, He Who\nis the Most Manifest. I have exalted Thy holiness through Thine Own\nSelf before the dwellers of the heavens and the earth, bearing\nwitness that in truth Thou art the Most Sanctified, the Most Holy. I\nhave praised Thy sanctity through Thine Own Self before the dwellers\nof the heavens and the earth, bearing witness that Thou art indeed\nthe Indescribable, the Inaccessible, the Immeasurably Glorified. I\nhave extolled Thine overpowering majesty through Thine Own Self\nbefore the dwellers of the heavens and the earth, bearing witness\nthat, verily, Thou and Thou alone art the Lord of might, the Eternal\nOne, the Ancient of Days.\n\nHallowed and glorified art Thou; there is none other God\nbut Thee and in truth unto Thee do we all return.\n\nAs to those who have put the kindred of ‘Alí\nto death, ere long they shall realize to what depths of perdition\nthey have descended.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Address To A Muslim Divine",
"slug": "sb-address-to-a-muslim-divine",
"summary": "O ‘Abdu’s-Sáhib! Verily God and every created thing testify that there is none other God but Me, the Almighty, the Best…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"devotion",
"faith",
"generosity",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ‘Abdu’s-Sáhib! Verily God and every\ncreated thing testify that there is none other God but Me, the\nAlmighty, the Best Beloved...\n\nThy vision is obscured by the belief that divine\nrevelation ended with the coming of Muḥammad, and unto this We\nhave borne witness in Our first epistle. Indeed, He Who hath revealed\nverses unto Muḥammad, the Apostle of God, hath likewise\nrevealed verses unto ‘Alí-Muḥammad. For who else\nbut God can reveal to a man such clear and manifest verses as\noverpower all the learned? Since thou hast acknowledged the\nrevelation of Muḥammad, the Apostle of God, then there is no\nother way open before thee but to testify that whatever is revealed\nby the Primal Point hath also proceeded from God, the Help in Peril,\nthe Self-Subsisting. Is it not true that the Qur’án hath\nbeen sent down from God and that all men are powerless before its\nrevelation? Likewise these words have also been revealed by God, if\nthou dost but perceive. What is there in the Bayán which\nkeepeth thee back from recognizing these verses as being sent forth\nby God, the Inaccessible, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious?\n\nThe essence of these words is this: Were We to bring\nthee to a reckoning, thou wouldst prove thyself empty-handed; We in\ntruth know all things. Hadst thou uttered ‘yea’ on\nhearing the Words of God, thou wouldst have been seen to have been\nworshipping God from the beginning that hath no beginning until the\npresent day, never to have disobeyed Him, not even for the twinkling\nof an eye. Yet, neither the upright deeds thou hast wrought during\nall thy life, nor the exertions thou didst make to banish every\nthought from thy heart save that of the good-pleasure of God, none of\nthese did in truth profit thee, not even to the extent of a grain of\nmustard seed, inasmuch as thou didst veil thyself from God and\ntarried behind at the time of His manifestation.\n\nVerily all the divines in the land of Káf [Kúfih]\nshall, even as thyself, be asked by God: ‘Is it not strange\nthat a Messenger should have come to you with a Book, and ye, while\nconfessing your powerlessness, refused to follow the Faith of God\nwhich He had brought, and ye persisted in your disbelief?’\nTherefore unto thee shall be assigned the fire which was meant for\nthose who turned away from God in that land, inasmuch as thou art\ntheir leader; would that thou might be of them who heed.\n\nHadst thou faithfully obeyed the Decree of God, all the\ninhabitants of thy land would have followed thee, and would have\nthemselves entered into the celestial Paradise, content with the\ngood-pleasure of God for evermore. However, on that day thou shalt\nwish that God had not created thee.\n\nThou hast set thyself up as one of the learned in the\nFaith of Islám, that thou mightest save the believers, yet\nthou didst cause thy followers to descend into the fire, for when the\nverses of God were sent forth thou didst deprive thyself therefrom\nand yet reckoned thyself to be of the righteous... Nay, by the life\nof Him Whom God shall make manifest! Neither thou nor any one among\nHis servants can produce the slightest proof, while God shineth\nresplendent above His creatures and through the power of His behest\nstandeth supreme over all that dwell in the kingdoms of heaven and\nearth and in whatever lieth between them. Verily He is potent over\nall created things.\n\nThou hath named thyself ‘Abdu’s Sáhib\n[servant of the Lord]. Yet, while God hath, in very truth, made thy\nLord manifest, and thou didst set thine eyes upon Him, thou didst not\nrecognize Him, even though thou hadst been called into being by God\nfor the purpose of attaining His presence, didst thou but truly\nbelieve in the third verse of the chapter entitled ‘Thunder’.8\n\nThou contendest, ‘How can we recognize Him when we\nhave heard naught but words which fall short of irrefutable proofs?’\nYet since thou hast acknowledged and recognized Muḥammad, the\nApostle of God, through the Qur’án, how canst thou\nwithhold recognition from Him Who sent thee the Book, despite thy\ncalling thyself ‘His servant’? Verily He doth exercise\nundisputed authority over His revelations unto all mankind.\n\nWert thou to come unto Us while divine revelation is\ndescending upon Us, haply God will change thy fire into light. Verily\nHe is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous. Otherwise that which\nhath been revealed is decisive and final and will be faithfully\nupheld by all until the Day of Resurrection... If divine revelation\nceaseth, thou shouldst write a petition to Him Whom God shall make\nmanifest, imploring that it be delivered into His presence. Therein\nthou must beg pardon of thy Lord, turn unto Him in repentance and be\nof them that are wholly devoted to Him. Perchance God will transform\nthy fire into light at the next Resurrection. He, of a truth, is the\nProtector, the Most Exalted, the Ever-Forgiving. Unto Him bow down in\nworship all that are in the heavens and on the earth and whatever\nlieth between them; and unto Him shall all return.\n\nWe enjoin thee to save thyself and all the inhabitants\nof that land from the fire, then to enter the peerless and exalted\nParadise of His good-pleasure. Otherwise the day is approaching when\nthou shalt perish and enter the fire, when thou shalt have neither\npatron nor helper from God. We have taken compassion on thee, as a\nsign of Our grace, inasmuch as thou hast related thyself unto Us.\nVerily We are aware of all things. We are cognizant of thy righteous\ndeeds, though they shall avail thee nothing; for the whole object of\nsuch righteousness is but recognition of God, thy Lord, and undoubted\nfaith in the Words revealed by Him.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Address To Sulaymán, One Of The Muslim Divines In The Land Of Masqat",
"slug": "sb-address-to-sulayman-one-of-the-muslim-divines-in-the-land-of-masqat",
"summary": "This is an Epistle from God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, unto Sulaymán in the land of Masqát, to the right of the Sea. In truth there is none other God but Him, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting... Indeed, were all the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"forgiveness",
"generosity",
"justice",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis is an Epistle from God, the Help in Peril, the\nSelf-Subsisting, unto Sulaymán in the land of Masqát,\nto the right of the Sea. In truth there is none other God but Him,\nthe Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting... Indeed, were all the\ninhabitants of heaven and earth and whatever existeth between them to\nassemble together, they would utterly fail and be powerless to\nproduce such a book, even though We made them masters of eloquence\nand learning on earth. Since thou dost adduce proofs from the Qur’án,\nGod shall, with proofs from that self-same Book, vindicate Himself in\nthe Bayán. This is none other than a decree of God; He is\ntruly the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful.\n\nIf thou art of them that truly believe, thou hast no\nother alternative than to bear allegiance unto it. This is the Way of\nGod for all the inhabitants of earth and heaven and all that lieth\nbetwixt them. No God is there but Me, the Almighty, the Inaccessible,\nthe Most Exalted.\n\nFrom this land We then proceeded to the sacred House,\nand on Our return journey We landed once again at this spot, when We\nperceived that thou hadst heeded not that which We sent thee, nor art\nthou of them that truly believe. Although We had created thee to\nbehold Our countenance, and We did actually alight in thy locality,\nyet thou didst fail to attain the object of thy creation, and this\ndespite thy worshipping God all thy life. Wherefore vain shall be the\ndeeds thou hast wrought, by reason of thy being shut out as by a veil\nfrom Our presence and from Our Writings. This is an irrevocable\ndecree ordained by Us. Verily We are equitable in Our judgement.\n\nHadst thou observed the contents of the Epistle We sent\nunto thee, it would have been far more profitable to thee than\nworshipping thy Lord from the beginning that hath no beginning until\nthis day, and indeed more meritorious than proving thyself wholly\ndevoted in thine acts of worship. And hadst thou attained the\npresence of thy Lord in this land, and been of them that truly\nbelieve that the Face of God is beheld in the person of the Primal\nPoint, it would have been far more advantageous than prostrating\nthyself in adoration from the beginning that hath no beginning until\nthe present time....\n\nIn truth We tested thee and found that thou wert not of\nthem that are endowed with understanding, wherefore We passed upon\nthee the sentence of negation, as a token of justice from Our\npresence; and verily We are equitable.\n\nHowever, shouldst thou return unto Us, We would convert\nthy negation into affirmation. Verily We are the One Who is of\nimmense bounteousness. But should the Primal Point cease to be with\nyou, then the judgement given in the Words of God shall be final and\nunalterable and every one will assuredly uphold it.\n\nWert thou to address a letter to Him Whom God shall make\nmanifest, begging that it be delivered unto His presence, perchance\nHe would graciously forgive thee and, at His behest, turn thy\nnegation into affirmation. He is in truth the All-Bountiful, the Most\nGenerous, He Whose grace is infinite. Otherwise, no way shalt thou\nfind open unto thee and no benefit shalt thou gain from the deeds\nthou hast wrought, by reason of thy failure to respond ‘yea,\nhere am I’. Verily We have reduced thee and thy works to\nnaught, as though thou hadst never come into existence nor ever been\nof them that do good works, that this may serve as a lesson for those\nunto whom the Bayán is given, that they may take good heed\nwhen the sacred Writings of Him Whom God shall make manifest will\nreach them and perchance, by pondering upon them, may be enabled to\nsave their own souls.\n\nOur grace assuredly pervadeth all that dwell in the\nkingdoms of earth and heaven and in whatever lieth between them, and\nbeyond them all mankind. However, souls that have shut themselves out\nas by a veil can never partake of the outpourings of the grace of\nGod.\n\n\n\n\n 2: Excerpts From The Qayyúmu’l-Asmá\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“All majesty and glory, O my God, and all dominion and ...”",
"slug": "sb-all-majesty-and-glory-o-my-god-and-all-dominion-and",
"summary": "All majesty and glory, O my God, and all dominion and light and grandeur and splendour be unto Thee. Thou bestowest sovereignty on whom Thou willest and dost withhold it from whom Thou desirest. No God is there but Thee, the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"justice",
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAll majesty and glory, O my God, and all dominion and\nlight and grandeur and splendour be unto Thee. Thou bestowest\nsovereignty on whom Thou willest and dost withhold it from whom Thou\ndesirest. No God is there but Thee, the All-Possessing, the Most\nExalted. Thou art He Who createth from naught the universe and all\nthat dwell therein. There is nothing worthy of Thee except Thyself,\nwhile all else but Thee are as outcasts in Thy holy presence and are\nas nothing when compared to the glory of Thine Own Being.\n\nFar be it from me to extol Thy virtues save by what Thou\nhast extolled Thyself in Thy weighty Book where Thou sayest, ‘No\nvision taketh in Him but He taketh in all vision. He is the Subtile,\nthe All-Perceiving.’79\nGlory be unto Thee, O my God, indeed no mind or vision, however keen\nor discriminating, can ever grasp the nature of the most\ninsignificant of Thy signs. Verily Thou art God, no God is there\nbesides Thee. I bear witness that Thou Thyself alone art the sole\nexpression of Thine attributes, that the praise of no one besides\nThee can ever attain to Thy holy court nor can Thine attributes ever\nbe fathomed by anyone other than Thyself.\n\nGlory be unto Thee, Thou art exalted above the\ndescription of anyone save Thyself, since it is beyond human\nconception to befittingly magnify Thy virtues or to comprehend the\ninmost reality of Thine Essence. Far be it from Thy glory that Thy\ncreatures should describe Thee or that any one besides Thyself should\never know Thee. I have known Thee, O my God, by reason of Thy making\nThyself known unto me, for hadst Thou not revealed Thyself unto me, I\nwould not have known Thee. I worship Thee by virtue of Thy summoning\nme unto Thee, for had it not been for Thy summons I would not have\nworshipped Thee. Lauded art Thou, O my God, my trespasses have waxed\nmighty and my sins have assumed grievous proportions. How disgraceful\nmy plight will prove to be in Thy holy presence. I have failed to\nknow Thee to the extent Thou didst reveal Thyself unto me; I have\nfailed to worship Thee with a devotion worthy of Thy summons; I have\nfailed to obey Thee through not treading the path of Thy love in the\nmanner Thou didst inspire me.\n\nThy might beareth me witness, O my God, what befitteth\nThee is far greater and more exalted than any being could attempt to\naccomplish. Indeed nothing can ever comprehend Thee as is worthy of\nThee nor can any servile creature worship Thee as beseemeth Thine\nadoration. So perfect and comprehensive is Thy proof, O my God, that\nits inner essence transcendeth the description of any soul and so\nabundant are the outpourings of Thy gifts that no faculty can\nappraise their infinite range.\n\nO my God! O my Master! I beseech Thee by Thy manifold\nbounties and by the pillars which sustain Thy throne of glory, to\nhave pity on these lowly people who are powerless to bear the\nunpleasant things of this fleeting life, how much less then can they\nbear Thy chastisement in the life to come—a chastisement which\nis ordained by Thy justice, called forth by Thy wrath and will\ncontinue to exist for ever.\n\nI beg Thee by Thyself, O my God, my Lord and my Master,\nto intercede in my behalf. I have fled from Thy justice unto Thy\nmercy. For my refuge I am seeking Thee and such as turn not away from\nThy path, even for a twinkling of an eye—they for whose sake\nThou didst create the creation as a token of Thy grace and bounty.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“All men have proceeded from God and unto Him shall ...”",
"slug": "sb-all-men-have-proceeded-from-god-and-unto-him-shall",
"summary": "All men have proceeded from God and unto Him shall all return. All shall appear before Him for judgement. He is the Lord of the Day of Resurrection, of Regeneration and of Reckoning, and His revealed Word is the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAll men have proceeded from God and unto Him shall all\nreturn. All shall appear before Him for judgement. He is the Lord of\nthe Day of Resurrection, of Regeneration and of Reckoning, and His\nrevealed Word is the Balance.\n\nTrue death is realized when a person dieth to himself at\nthe time of His Revelation in such wise that he seeketh naught except\nHim.\n\nTrue resurrection from the sepulchres means to be\nquickened in conformity with His Will, through the power of His\nutterance.\n\nParadise is attainment of His good-pleasure and\neverlasting hell-fire His judgement through justice.\n\nThe Day He revealeth Himself is Resurrection Day which\nshall last as long as He ordaineth.\n\nEverything belongeth unto Him and is fashioned by Him.\nAll besides Him are His creatures.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“All praise be to God Who hath, through the ...”",
"slug": "sb-all-praise-be-to-god-who-hath-through-the",
"summary": "All praise be to God Who hath, through the power of Truth, sent down this Book unto His servant, that it may serve as a shining light for all mankind... Verily this is none other than the sovereign Truth; it is the Path which God hath…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAll praise be to God Who hath, through the power of\nTruth, sent down this Book unto His servant, that it may serve as a\nshining light for all mankind... Verily this is none other than the\nsovereign Truth; it is the Path which God hath laid out for all that\nare in heaven and on earth. Let him then who will, take for himself\nthe right path unto his Lord. Verily this is the true Faith of God,\nand sufficient witness are God and such as are endowed with the\nknowledge of the Book. This is indeed the eternal Truth which God,\nthe Ancient of Days, hath revealed unto His omnipotent Word—He\nWho hath been raised up from the midst of the Burning Bush. This is\nthe Mystery which hath been hidden from all that are in heaven and on\nearth, and in this wondrous Revelation it hath, in very truth, been\nset forth in the Mother Book by the hand of God, the Exalted...\n\nO concourse of kings and of the sons of kings! Lay\naside, one and all, your dominion which belongeth unto God...\n\nLet not thy sovereignty deceive thee, O Sháh,\nfor ‘every soul shall taste of death,’9\nand this, in very truth, hath been written down as a decree of God.\nChapter I.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“All praise be unto God Who was Ever-Existent ere ...”",
"slug": "sb-all-praise-be-unto-god-who-was-ever-existent-ere",
"summary": "In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"mercy",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.\n\nAll praise be unto God Who was Ever-Existent ere created\nthings were called into being, when there was no one else besides\nHim. He is the One Who hath been Ever-Abiding while no element of His\ncreation did yet exist. Indeed the souls of them that are endued with\nunderstanding fail to comprehend the least manifestation of His\nattributes, and the minds of those who have acknowledged His unity\nare unable to perceive the most insignificant token of His\nomnipotence.\n\nSanctified art Thou, O Lord my God. The tongues of men\nfall short in extolling Thy glorious handiwork, how much more then\nwould they falter in lauding the majesty of Thy transcendent power;\nand since human understanding is sore perplexed to fathom the mystery\nof a single object of Thy creation, how can anyone ever attain the\nrecognition of Thine Own Being?\n\nI have known Thee by Thy making known unto me that Thou\nart unknowable to anyone save Thyself. I have become apprised by the\ncreation Thou hast fashioned out of sheer non-existence that the way\nto attain the comprehension of Thine Essence is barred to everyone.\nThou art God, besides Whom there is none other God. No one except\nThine Own Self can comprehend Thy nature. Thou art without peer or\npartner. From everlasting Thou hast been alone with no one else\nbesides Thee and unto everlasting Thou wilt continue to be the same,\nwhile no created thing shall ever approach Thine exalted position.\n\nAll men, O my God, confess their powerlessness to know\nThee as Thou knowest Thine Own Being; the generative impulse Thou\nhast released is manifest throughout the entire creation, and all\ncreated things which Thou hast fashioned are but expressions of Thy\nwondrous signs. Magnified be Thy name; Thou art immeasurably exalted\nabove the strivings of anyone among Thy creatures to attain Thy\nrecognition as is befitting and worthy of Thee.\n\nPraise be unto Thee! The way in which Thou hast called\ninto being Thy creation out of non-existence preventeth all created\nthings from recognizing Thee, and the manner in which Thou hast\nfashioned the creatures, with the limitations imposed upon them,\nproclaimeth their utter nothingness before the revelations of Thine\nattributes.\n\nExalted art Thou, O my God! All mankind are powerless to\ncelebrate Thy glory and the minds of men fall short of yielding\npraise unto Thee. I bear witness in Thy presence, O my God, that Thou\nart made known by Thy wondrous tokens and art recognized through the\nrevelations of Thy signs. The fact that Thou hast brought us forth\ninto existence prompteth me to acknowledge before Thee that Thou art\nimmeasurably exalted above our praise, and by virtue of the qualities\nwherewith Thou hast endowed our beings I testify unto Thee that Thou\nart transcendent beyond our comprehension.\n\nGrant that I may soar to the noblest heights in\napproaching Thee, and enable me to draw nigh unto Thee through the\nfragrance of Thy holiness. Thus may all impediments be dissolved by\nthe light of ecstasy, and all remoteness from Thee be dissipated by\nmy attainment unto the seats of reunion, and the subtle veils which\nhave hindered me from entering Thy mansion of glory become so\nrarified that I may gain admittance into Thy presence, take up my\nabode near Thee, and voice the expressions of praise wherewith Thou\nhast described Thine Own Self unto me, bearing witness that Thou art\nGod, that there is no God but Thee, the One, the Incomparable, the\nEver-Abiding, that Thou dost not beget, neither art Thou begotten,\nthat Thou hast no offspring, no partner, nor is there any protector\nagainst humiliation but Thee, and Thou art the Lord of all worlds. I\nbear witness also that all besides Thee are but Thy creatures, and\nare held within Thy grasp. No one is favoured with means or liveth in\nwant except by Thy Will. Thou art the King of everlasting days and\nthe supreme Ruler. Thy might is potent over all things and all\ncreated things exist by Thy Will. All mankind recognize their lowly\nservitude and confess their shortcomings and naught is there which\ndoth not celebrate Thy praise.\n\nI beseech Thee, O my God, by the glory of Thy merciful\nCountenance and by the majesty of Thine ancient Name not to deprive\nme of the vitalizing fragrance of the evidences of Thy Days—such\nDays as Thou Thyself hast inaugurated and brought forth.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Are ye wickedly scheming, according to your selfish ...”",
"slug": "sb-are-ye-wickedly-scheming-according-to-your-selfish",
"summary": "Are ye wickedly scheming, according to your selfish fancies, an evil plot against Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance of God? By the righteousness of God, all who are in the heaven and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them are…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAre ye wickedly scheming, according to your selfish\nfancies, an evil plot against Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance\nof God? By the righteousness of God, all who are in the heaven and on\nearth and whatsoever lieth between them are regarded in My sight even\nas a spider’s web,29\nand verily God beareth witness unto all things. Indeed they will not\nlay plots but against themselves. God hath caused this Remembrance to\nbe, in very truth, independent of all the dwellers of earth and\nheaven. Chapter XXV.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“As a token of pure justice, We have indeed sent tidings ...”",
"slug": "sb-as-a-token-of-pure-justice-we-have-indeed-sent-tidings",
"summary": "As a token of pure justice, We have indeed sent tidings unto every Prophet concerning the Cause of Our Remembrance, and verily God is supreme over all the peoples of the world. Chapter LXXXIII. 3: Excerpts From The Persian…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAs a token of pure justice, We have indeed sent tidings\nunto every Prophet concerning the Cause of Our Remembrance, and\nverily God is supreme over all the peoples of the world. Chapter\nLXXXIII.\n\n\n\n\n 3: Excerpts From The Persian Bayán\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“As this physical frame is the throne of the inner temple, ...”",
"slug": "sb-as-this-physical-frame-is-the-throne-of-the-inner-temple",
"summary": "As this physical frame is the throne of the inner temple, whatever occurs to the former is felt by the latter. In reality that which takes delight in joy or is saddened by pain is the inner temple of the body, not the body itself. Since…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAs this physical frame is the throne of the inner\ntemple, whatever occurs to the former is felt by the latter. In\nreality that which takes delight in joy or is saddened by pain is the\ninner temple of the body, not the body itself. Since this physical\nbody is the throne whereon the inner temple is established, God hath\nordained that the body be preserved to the extent possible, so that\nnothing that causeth repugnance may be experienced. The inner temple\nbeholdeth its physical frame, which is its throne. Thus, if the\nlatter is accorded respect, it is as if the former is the recipient.\nThe converse is likewise true.\n\nTherefore, it hath been ordained that the dead body\nshould be treated with the utmost honour and respect. V, 12.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“As to those who deny Him Who is the Sublime Gate of ...”",
"slug": "sb-as-to-those-who-deny-him-who-is-the-sublime-gate-of",
"summary": "As to those who deny Him Who is the Sublime Gate of God, for them We have prepared, as justly decreed by God, a sore torment. And He, God, is the Mighty, the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAs to those who deny Him Who is the Sublime Gate of God,\nfor them We have prepared, as justly decreed by God, a sore torment.\nAnd He, God, is the Mighty, the Wise.\n\nWe have, of a truth, sent down this divinely-inspired\nBook unto Our Servant... Ask ye then Him Who is Our Remembrance of\nits interpretation, inasmuch as He, as divinely-ordained and through\nthe grace of God, is invested with the knowledge of its verses...\n\nO children of men! If ye believe in the one True God,\nfollow Me, this Most Great Remembrance of God sent forth by your\nLord, that He may graciously forgive you your sins. Verily He is\nforgiving and compassionate toward the concourse of the faithful. We,\nof a truth, choose the Messengers through the potency of Our Word,\nand We exalt Their offspring, some over others, through the Great\nRemembrance of God as decreed in the Book and concealed therein...\n\nSome of the people of the city have declared: ‘We\nare the helpers of God’, but when this Remembrance came\nsuddenly upon them, they turned aside from helping Us. Verily God is\nMy Lord and your true Lord, therefore worship Him, while this Path\nfrom ‘Alí [the Báb] is none but the straight\nPath13\nin the estimation of your Lord. Chapter III.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“As to those who have debarred themselves from the ...”",
"slug": "sb-as-to-those-who-have-debarred-themselves-from-the",
"summary": "As to those who have debarred themselves from the Revelation of God, they have indeed failed to understand the significance of a single letter of the Qur’án, nor have they obtained the slightest notion of the Faith of Islám, otherwise…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAs to those who have debarred themselves from the\nRevelation of God, they have indeed failed to understand the\nsignificance of a single letter of the Qur’án, nor have\nthey obtained the slightest notion of the Faith of Islám,\notherwise they would not have turned away from God, Who hath brought\nthem into being, Who hath nurtured them, hath caused them to die and\nhath proffered life unto them, by clinging to parts of their\nreligion, thinking that they are doing righteous work for the sake of\nGod.\n\nHow numerous the verses which have been revealed\nconcerning the grievous tests ye shall experience on the Day of\nJudgement, yet it appeareth that ye have never perused them; and how\nvast the number of revealed traditions regarding the trials which\nwill overtake you on the Day of Our Return, and yet ye seem never to\nhave set your eyes upon them.\n\nYe spend all your days contriving forms and rules for\nthe principles of your Faith, while that which profiteth you in all\nthis is to comprehend the good-pleasure of your Lord and unitedly to\nbecome well-acquainted with His supreme Purpose.\n\nGod hath made His Own Self known unto you, but ye have\nfailed to recognize Him; and the thing which will, on the Day of\nJudgement, turn you aside from God is the specious character of your\ndeeds. Throughout your lives ye follow your religion in order to\nattract the good-pleasure of God, yet on the Last Day ye shut\nyourselves out from God and turn away from Him Who is your Promised\nOne. XVII, 2.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“At the time of the appearance of Him Whom God shall ...”",
"slug": "sb-at-the-time-of-the-appearance-of-him-whom-god-shall",
"summary": "At the time of the appearance of Him Whom God shall make manifest, wert thou to perform thy deeds for the sake of the Point of the Bayán, they would be regarded as performed for one other than God, inasmuch as on that Day the Point of…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAt the time of the appearance of Him Whom God shall make\nmanifest, wert thou to perform thy deeds for the sake of the Point of\nthe Bayán, they would be regarded as performed for one other\nthan God, inasmuch as on that Day the Point of the Bayán is\nnone other than Him Whom God shall make manifest...\n\nIt is for this reason that at the beginning of every\nDispensation a vast multitude, who fondly imagine that their deeds\nare for God, become drowned and ungodly, and perceive this not,\nexcept such as He guideth at His behest.\n\nIt is better for a man to guide a soul than to possess\nall that lies between East and West. Likewise better is guidance for\nhim who is guided than all the things that exist on earth, for by\nreason of this guidance he will, after his death, gain admittance\ninto Paradise, whereas by reason of the things of the world below, he\nwill, after his death, receive his deserts. Hence God desireth that\nall men should be guided aright through the potency of the Words of\nHim Whom God shall make manifest. However, such as are conceited will\nnot suffer themselves to be guided. They will be debarred from the\nTruth, some by reason of their learning, others on account of their\nglory and power, and still others due to reasons of their own, none\nof which shall be of any avail at the hour of death.\n\nTake thou good heed that ye may all, under the\nleadership of Him Who is the Source of Divine Guidance, be enabled to\ndirect thy steps aright upon the Bridge, which is sharper than the\nsword and finer than a hair, so that perchance the things which from\nthe beginning of thy life till the end thou hast performed for the\nlove of God, may not, all at once and unrealized by thyself, be\nturned to acts not acceptable in the sight of God. Verily God guideth\nwhom He will into the path of absolute certitude. VII, 2.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“At the time of the manifestation of Him Whom God ...”",
"slug": "sb-at-the-time-of-the-manifestation-of-him-whom-god",
"summary": "At the time of the manifestation of Him Whom God shall make manifest everyone should be well trained in the teachings of the Bayán, so that none of the followers may outwardly cling to the Bayán and thus forfeit their allegiance unto…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAt the time of the manifestation of Him Whom God shall\nmake manifest everyone should be well trained in the teachings of the\nBayán, so that none of the followers may outwardly cling to\nthe Bayán and thus forfeit their allegiance unto Him. If\nanyone does so, the verdict of ‘disbeliever in God’ shall\nbe passed upon him.\n\nI swear by the holy Essence of God, were all in the\nBayán to unite in helping Him Whom God shall make manifest in\nthe days of His Revelation, not a single soul, nay, not a created\nthing would remain on earth that would not gain admittance into\nParadise. Take good heed of yourselves, for the sum total of the\nreligion of God is but to help Him, rather than to observe, in the\ntime of His appearance, such deeds as are prescribed in the Bayán.\nShould anyone, however, ere He manifesteth Himself, transgress the\nordinances, were it to the extent of a grain of barley, he would have\ntrangressed His command.\n\nSeek ye refuge in God from whatsoever might lead you\nastray from the Source of His Revelation and hold fast unto His Cord,\nfor whoso holdeth fast unto His allegiance, he hath attained and will\nattain salvation in all the worlds.\n\n‘Such is the bounty of God; to whom He will, He\ngiveth it, and God is the Lord of grace abounding.’61\nV, 5.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Be thou content with the commandment of God, the ...”",
"slug": "sb-be-thou-content-with-the-commandment-of-god-the",
"summary": "Be thou content with the commandment of God, the True One, inasmuch as sovereignty, as recorded in the Mother Book by the hand of God, is surely invested in Him Who is His…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nBe thou content with the commandment of God, the True\nOne, inasmuch as sovereignty, as recorded in the Mother Book by the\nhand of God, is surely invested in Him Who is His Remembrance...\n\nO Minister of the Sháh! Fear thou God,\nbesides Whom there is none other God but Him, the Sovereign Truth,\nthe Just, and lay aside thy dominion, for We, by the leave of God,\nthe All-Wise, inherit the earth and all who are upon it,10\nand He shall rightfully be a witness unto thee and unto the Sháh.\nWere ye to obey the Remembrance of God with absolute sincerity, We\nguarantee, by the leave of God, that on the Day of Resurrection, a\nvast dominion shall be yours in His eternal Paradise.\n\nVain indeed is your dominion, for God hath set aside\nearthly possessions for such as have denied Him; for unto Him Who is\nyour Lord shall be the most excellent abode, He Who is, in truth, the\nAncient of Days....\n\nO concourse of kings! Deliver with truth and in all\nhaste the verses sent down by Us to the peoples of Turkey and of\nIndia, and beyond them, with power and with truth, to lands in both\nthe East and the West.... And know that if ye aid God, He will, on\nthe Day of Resurrection, graciously aid you, upon the Bridge, through\nHim Who is His Most Great Remembrance...\n\nO people of the earth! Whoso obeyeth the Remembrance of\nGod and His Book hath in truth obeyed God and His chosen ones and he\nwill, in the life to come, be reckoned in the presence of God among\nthe inmates of the Paradise of His good-pleasure. Chapter I.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Be Thou patient, O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn, for God hath indeed ...”",
"slug": "sb-be-thou-patient-o-qurratu-l-ayn-for-god-hath-indeed",
"summary": "Be Thou patient, O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn, for God hath indeed pledged to establish Thy sovereignty throughout all countries and over the people that dwell therein. He is God and verily He is powerful over all things. Chapter…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nBe Thou patient, O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn, for God\nhath indeed pledged to establish Thy sovereignty throughout all\ncountries and over the people that dwell therein. He is God and\nverily He is powerful over all things. Chapter LIII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Better is it for a person to write down but one of His ...”",
"slug": "sb-better-is-it-for-a-person-to-write-down-but-one-of-his",
"summary": "Better is it for a person to write down but one of His verses than to transcribe the whole of the Bayán and all the books which have been written in the Dispensation of the Bayán. For everything shall be set aside except His Writings,…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nBetter is it for a person to write down but one of His\nverses than to transcribe the whole of the Bayán and all the\nbooks which have been written in the Dispensation of the Bayán.\nFor everything shall be set aside except His Writings, which will\nendure until the following Revelation. And should anyone inscribe\nwith true faith but one letter of that Revelation, his recompense\nwould be greater than for inscribing all the heavenly Writings of the\npast and all that has been written during previous Dispensations.\nLikewise continue thou to ascend through one Revelation after\nanother, knowing that thy progress in the Knowledge of God shall\nnever come to an end, even as it can have no beginning. VII, 13.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“By My glory! I will make the infidels to taste, with the ...”",
"slug": "sb-by-my-glory-i-will-make-the-infidels-to-taste-with-the",
"summary": "By My glory! I will make the infidels to taste, with the hands of My power, retributions unknown of any one except Me, and will waft over the faithful those musk-scented breaths which I have nursed in the midmost heart of My throne; and…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nBy My glory! I will make the infidels to taste, with the\nhands of My power, retributions unknown of any one except Me, and\nwill waft over the faithful those musk-scented breaths which I have\nnursed in the midmost heart of My throne; and verily the knowledge of\nGod embraceth all things.\n\nO concourse of light! By the righteousness of God, We\nspeak not according to selfish desire, nor hath a single letter of\nthis Book been revealed save by the leave of God, the Sovereign\nTruth. Fear ye God and entertain no doubts regarding His Cause, for\nverily, the Mystery of this Gate is shrouded in the mystic utterances\nof His Writ and hath been written beyond the impenetrable veil of\nconcealment by the hand of God, the Lord of the visible and the\ninvisible.\n\nIndeed God hath created everywhere around this Gate\noceans of divine elixir, tinged crimson with the essence of existence\nand vitalized through the animating power of the desired fruit; and\nfor them God hath provided Arks of ruby, tender, crimson-coloured,\nwherein none shall sail but the people of Bahá, by the leave\nof God, the Most Exalted; and verily He is the All-Glorious, the\nAll-Wise. Chapter LVII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Consecrate Thou, O my God, the whole of this Tree ...”",
"slug": "sb-consecrate-thou-o-my-god-the-whole-of-this-tree",
"summary": "Consecrate Thou, O my God, the whole of this Tree unto Him, that from it may be revealed all the fruits created by God within it for Him through Whom God hath willed to reveal all that He pleaseth. By Thy glory! I have not wished that…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nConsecrate Thou, O my God, the whole of this Tree unto\nHim, that from it may be revealed all the fruits created by God\nwithin it for Him through Whom God hath willed to reveal all that He\npleaseth. By Thy glory! I have not wished that this Tree should ever\nbear any branch, leaf, or fruit that would fail to bow down before\nHim, on the day of His Revelation, or refuse to laud Thee through\nHim, as beseemeth the glory of His all-glorious Revelation, and the\nsublimity of His most sublime Concealment. And shouldst Thou behold,\nO my God, any branch, leaf, or fruit upon Me that hath failed to bow\ndown before Him, on the day of His Revelation, cut it off, O My God,\nfrom that Tree, for it is not of Me, nor shall it return unto Me.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Consider how at the time of the appearance of every ...”",
"slug": "sb-consider-how-at-the-time-of-the-appearance-of-every",
"summary": "Consider how at the time of the appearance of every Revelation, those who open their hearts to the Author of that Revelation recognize the Truth, while the hearts of those who fail to apprehend the Truth are straitened by reason of…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nConsider how at the time of the appearance of every\nRevelation, those who open their hearts to the Author of that\nRevelation recognize the Truth, while the hearts of those who fail to\napprehend the Truth are straitened by reason of their shutting\nthemselves out from Him. However, openness of heart is bestowed by\nGod upon both parties alike. God desireth not to straiten the heart\nof anyone, be it even an ant, how much less the heart of a superior\ncreature, except when he suffereth himself to be wrapt in veils, for\nGod is the Creator of all things.\n\nWert thou to open the heart of a single soul by helping\nhim to embrace the Cause of Him Whom God shall make manifest, thine\ninmost being would be filled with the inspirations of that august\nName. It devolveth upon you, therefore, to perform this task in the\nDays of Resurrection, inasmuch as most people are helpless, and wert\nthou to open their hearts and dispel their doubts, they would gain\nadmittance into the Faith of God. Therefore, manifest thou this\nattribute to the utmost of thine ability in the days of Him Whom God\nshall make manifest. For indeed if thou dost open the heart of a\nperson for His sake, better will it be for thee than every virtuous\ndeed; since deeds are secondary to faith in Him and certitude in His\nReality. XVII, 15.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Consider the manifold favours vouchsafed by the ...”",
"slug": "sb-consider-the-manifold-favours-vouchsafed-by-the",
"summary": "Consider the manifold favours vouchsafed by the Promised One, and the effusions of His bounty which have pervaded the concourse of the followers of Islám to enable them to attain unto salvation. Indeed observe how He Who representeth…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nConsider the manifold favours vouchsafed by the Promised\nOne, and the effusions of His bounty which have pervaded the\nconcourse of the followers of Islám to enable them to attain\nunto salvation. Indeed observe how He Who representeth the origin of\ncreation, He Who is the Exponent of the verse, ‘I, in very\ntruth, am God’, identified Himself as the Gate [Báb] for\nthe advent of the promised Qá’im, a descendant of\nMuḥammad, and in His first Book enjoined the observance of the\nlaws of the Qur’án, so that the people might not be\nseized with perturbation by reason of a new Book and a new Revelation\nand might regard His Faith as similar to their own, perchance they\nwould not turn away from the Truth and ignore the thing for which\nthey had been called into being.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Do men imagine that We are far distant from the people ...”",
"slug": "sb-do-men-imagine-that-we-are-far-distant-from-the-people",
"summary": "Do men imagine that We are far distant from the people of the world? Nay, the day We cause them to be assailed by the pangs of death15 they shall, upon the plain of Resurrection, behold how the Lord of Mercy and His Remembrance were…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDo men imagine that We are far distant from the people\nof the world? Nay, the day We cause them to be assailed by the pangs\nof death15\nthey shall, upon the plain of Resurrection, behold how the Lord of\nMercy and His Remembrance were near. Thereupon they shall exclaim:\n‘Would that we had followed the path of the Báb! Would\nthat we had sought refuge only with Him, and not with men of\nperversity and error! For verily the Remembrance of God appeared\nbefore us,16\nbehind us, and on all sides, yet we were, in very truth, shut out as\nby a veil from Him.’ Chapter VII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Do not say, ‘How can He speak of God while in truth ...”",
"slug": "sb-do-not-say-how-can-he-speak-of-god-while-in-truth",
"summary": "Do not say, ‘How can He speak of God while in truth His age is no more than twenty-five?’ Give ye ear unto Me. I swear by the Lord of the heavens and of the earth: I am verily a servant of God. I have been made the Bearer of irrefutable…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDo not say, ‘How can He speak of God while in\ntruth His age is no more than twenty-five?’ Give ye ear unto\nMe. I swear by the Lord of the heavens and of the earth: I am verily\na servant of God. I have been made the Bearer of irrefutable proofs\nfrom the presence of Him Who is the long-expected Remnant of God.\nHere is My Book before your eyes, as indeed inscribed in the presence\nof God in the Mother Book. God hath indeed made Me blessed,\nwheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon Me to observe prayer and\nfortitude so long as I shall live on earth amongst you. Chapter\nIX.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Do Thou ordain for me, O Lord, every good thing Thou ...”",
"slug": "sb-do-thou-ordain-for-me-o-lord-every-good-thing-thou",
"summary": "Do Thou ordain for me, O Lord, every good thing Thou hast created or wilt create, and shield me from whatever evil Thou abhorrest from among the things Thou hast caused or wilt cause to exist. In truth Thy knowledge embraceth all…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDo Thou ordain for me, O Lord, every good thing Thou\nhast created or wilt create, and shield me from whatever evil Thou\nabhorrest from among the things Thou hast caused or wilt cause to\nexist. In truth Thy knowledge embraceth all things. Praised be Thou,\nverily no God is there but Thee, and nothing whatsoever in the\nheavens or on the earth and all that is between them can ever thwart\nThy Purpose. Indeed potent art Thou over all things.\n\nFar be it from the sublimity of Thy Being, O my God,\nthat anyone seek Thy loving-kindness or favour. Far be it from Thy\ntranscendent glory that anyone entreat Thee for the evidences of Thy\nbestowals and tender mercy. Too high art Thou for any soul to beseech\nthe revelation of Thy gracious providence and loving care, and too\nsanctified is Thy glory for anyone to beg of Thee the outpourings of\nThy blessings and of Thy heavenly bounty and grace. Throughout Thy\nkingdom of heaven and earth, which is endowed with manifold bounties,\nThou art immeasurably glorified above aught whereunto any identity\ncould be ascribed.\n\nAll that I beg of Thee, O my God, is to enable me, ere\nmy soul departeth from my body, to attain Thy good-pleasure, even\nwere it granted to me for a moment tinier than the infinitesimal\nfraction of a mustard seed. For if it departeth while Thou art\npleased with me, then I shall be free from every concern or anxiety;\nbut if it abandoneth me while Thou art displeased with me, then, even\nhad I wrought every good deed, none would be of any avail, and had I\nearned every honour and glory, none would serve to exalt me.\n\nI earnestly beseech Thee then, O my God, to graciously\nbestow Thy good-pleasure upon me when Thou dost cause me to ascend\nunto Thee and make me appear before Thy holy presence, inasmuch as\nThou hast, from everlasting, been the God of immense bounty unto the\npeople of Thy realm, and the Lord of most excellent gifts to all that\ndwell in the exalted heaven of Thine omnipotence.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Doth it seem strange to the people that We should have ...”",
"slug": "sb-doth-it-seem-strange-to-the-people-that-we-should-have",
"summary": "Doth it seem strange to the people that We should have revealed the Book to a man from among themselves in order to purge them and give them the good tidings that they shall be rewarded with a sure stance in the presence of their Lord?…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nDoth it seem strange to the people that We should have\nrevealed the Book to a man from among themselves in order to purge\nthem and give them the good tidings that they shall be rewarded with\na sure stance in the presence of their Lord? He indeed beareth\nwitness unto all things...\n\nWhen the verses of this Book are recited to the infidels\nthey say: ‘Give us a book like the Qur’án and make\nchanges in the verses.’ Say: ‘God hath not given Me that\nI should change them at My pleasure.’ I follow only what is\nrevealed unto Me. Verily, I shall fear My Lord on the Day of\nSeparation, whose advent He hath, in very truth, irrevocably\nordained.49\nChapter LXXI.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Everyone is eagerly awaiting His appearance, yet since ...”",
"slug": "sb-everyone-is-eagerly-awaiting-his-appearance-yet-since",
"summary": "Everyone is eagerly awaiting His appearance, yet since their inner eyes are not directed towards Him sorrow must needs befall Him. In the case of the Apostle of God—may the blessings of God rest upon Him—before the revelation of the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nEveryone is eagerly awaiting His appearance, yet since\ntheir inner eyes are not directed towards Him sorrow must needs\nbefall Him. In the case of the Apostle of God—may the blessings\nof God rest upon Him—before the revelation of the Qur’án\neveryone bore witness to His piety and noble virtues. Behold Him then\nafter the revelation of the Qur’án. What outrageous\ninsults were levelled against Him, as indeed the pen is ashamed to\nrecount. Likewise behold the Point of the Bayán. His behaviour\nprior to the declaration of His mission is clearly evident unto those\nwho knew Him. Now, following His manifestation, although He hath, up\nto the present, revealed no less than five hundred thousand verses on\ndifferent subjects, behold what calumnies are uttered, so unseemly\nthat the pen is stricken with shame at the mention of them. But if\nall men were to observe the ordinances of God no sadness would befall\nthat heavenly Tree. VI, 11.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Extracts From A Further Epistle To Muḥammad Sháh",
"slug": "sb-extracts-from-a-further-epistle-to-muhammad-shah",
"summary": "This is an Epistle from Him Who is the true, the undoubted Leader. Herein is revealed the law of all things for those who fain would heed His Call or wish to be reckoned among them that are guided aright. Herein is enshrined the law of…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"integrity",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 7,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis is an Epistle from Him Who is the true, the\nundoubted Leader. Herein is revealed the law of all things for those\nwho fain would heed His Call or wish to be reckoned among them that\nare guided aright. Herein is enshrined the law of all things for such\nas would bear witness to the Revelation of thy Lord in accordance\nwith this clear balance. Verily the ordinances of God concerning all\nthings were formerly set forth in eloquent Arabic. Indeed those whose\nsouls have been created through the splendour of the light of thy\nLord recognize the Truth and are numbered with such as faithfully\nobey the One True God and are well assured...\n\nO Muḥammad! The Decree of thy Lord was fulfilled\nfour years ago; and ever since the inception of the Cause of thy Lord\nI have warned thee to fear God and not to be of the ignorant. I\ndespatched a messenger unto thee with a truly resplendent Tablet, but\nthe followers of the devil turned him away disdainfully and\ninterposed themselves between him and thee. They expelled him from\nthe land whereof thou art the undisputed sovereign. Thus hath the\ngood of this world and of the next escaped thee, unless thou submit\nto the commandment ordained by God and be of them that are rightly\nguided.\n\nOn My return from the sacred House of God6\nI sent thee a Message similar to, nay even greater than the one I had\npreviously sent unto thee. Indeed God is the best protector and\nwitness. I despatched a messenger unto thee with Epistles revealed by\nMe, that thou mightest obey the command of God and not be of them\nthat have repudiated the Truth. The oppressor, however, committed a\nthing the like of which no one would commit, not even any of the\nwicked, nor anyone among the vile wrong-doers...\n\nThe tribulations which I have suffered in this land, no\none of old hath suffered. Verily unto God shall revert the whole\naffair, and He in truth is the best protector and is cognizant of\nall. The things which have, from the first day till now, befallen Me\nat the hand of thy people are but the work of Satan.7\nEver since the Cause of thy Lord hath appeared none of thy deeds hath\nbeen acceptable, and thou hast been lost in palpable error while all\nthou couldst see appeared to thee as deeds performed for the sake of\nthy Lord. In truth thy day is nigh at hand and thou shalt be\nquestioned concerning all this, and assuredly God is not heedless of\nthe deeds of the wicked.\n\nHad it not been for thee, thy supporters would not have\ndisdainfully rejected Me, though they have gone more widely astray\nthan the foolish.\n\nDost thou imagine him whom thou hast appointed\nChancellor in thy kingdom to be the best leader and the best\nsupporter? Nay, I swear by thy Lord. He will bring thee into grievous\ntrouble by reason of that which Satan instilleth in his heart, and\nverily, he himself is Satan. He comprehendeth not a single letter\nfrom the Book of God and is seized with fear by reason of that which\nhis hands have wrought. Fain would he extinguish the light which thy\nLord hath kindled, so that the old impiety which is concealed in his\ninner being may not be revealed. Hadst thou not appointed him as thy\nChancellor no one would have paid him the slightest attention. Indeed\nin the estimation of the people he is naught but manifest darkness...\n\nFear thou God and suffer not thy soul to be chastised\nbeyond that with which it hath already been tormented; for ere long\nthou shalt pass away and shalt declare thyself clear of the devil\nwhom thou hast appointed as thy Chancellor, saying: ‘O would\nthat I had not taken the devil as my Chancellor, nor appointed an\nimpostor as my guide and adviser.’\n\nWhy dost thou burden thy soul with that which is far\nmore abject than the deeds of Pharaoh, and still callest thyself one\nof the faithful? How dost thou peruse the verses of the Qur’án,\nwhile thou art of the unjust? Never would the Jews, nor the\nChristians nor any such people as have rejected the truth consent to\ninflict wrongs upon the son of their Prophet’s daughter. Woe\nbetide thee, for the day of chastisement is approaching. Dost thou\nnot dread the wrath of thy Lord, the Almighty, the Lord of the\nheavens, the Lord of all worlds? Indeed these manifest verses are\nconclusive testimony for those who seek true guidance.\n\nI have no desire to seize thy property, even to the\nextent of a grain of mustard, nor do I wish to occupy thy position.\nIf thou followest Me not, then unto thee be the things thou dost\npossess, and unto Me the land of unfailing security. If thou obeyest\nMe not, wherefore dost thou look disdainfully upon Me and seek to\ntreat Me with sore injustice? Verily, behold My habitation—a\nlofty mountain wherein no one dwelleth. Woe betide them that\nwrongfully do injustice to people, and unjustly and deceitfully usurp\nthe property of the believers in violation of His lucid Book; whereas\nI, Who, in very truth, am the rightful Sovereign of all men,\ndesignated by the true, the undeniable Leader, would never infringe\non the integrity of the substance of the people, were it to the\nextent of a grain of mustard, nor would I treat them unjustly. Rather\nwould I consort with them even as one of themselves, and I would be\ntheir witness.\n\nThat which devolveth upon Me is but to mention the Book\nof thy Lord and to deliver this clear Message. If thou wishest to\nenter the gates of Paradise, lo, they are open before thy face and no\nharm can reach Me from anyone. Every missive which up till now I have\ndirected unto thee and unto the custodian of thy affairs hath been\nbut a token of My bounty to you both, that perchance ye may grow\nanxious about the day which is nigh at hand. Nevertheless from the\nmoment ye waxed disdainful, divine judgement was passed upon you in\nthe Book of God, for in truth ye both have denied your Lord and are\nnumbered with them that will perish... This is indeed My last\nreminder unto you, and I shall make no mention of you hereafter, nor\nshall I make any remark other than affirming you as infidels.\n\nUnto God do I commit Mine affair and yours, and He\nverily is the best Judge. Were ye to return, however, ye would be\ngranted whatever ye desire of earthly possessions and of the\nineffable delights of the life to come, and ye would inherit such\nglorious might and majesty as your minds can scarce conceive in this\nmortal life. But if ye fail to return then upon ye shall be your\ntransgressions.\n\nYe cannot alter the things which the Almighty hath\nprescribed unto Me. Naught shall touch Me besides that which God, My\nLord, hath pre-ordained for Me. In Him have I placed My whole trust\nand upon Him do the faithful place their complete reliance.\n\nBear Thou witness unto Me, O Lord. By sending forth this\nresplendent Epistle I shall have proclaimed Thy Verses unto both of\nthem and shall have fulfilled Thy Testimony for them. I am well\npleased to lay down My life in Thy path and ere long to return to Thy\npresence. Unto Thee be praise in the heavens and on the earth. Deal\nwith them according to Thy decree. In truth Thou art the best\nprotector and helper.\n\nSet right, O Lord, such disorders as people stir up, and\ncause Thy Word to shine resplendent throughout the earth, so that no\ntrace of the ungodly may remain.\n\nI beg forgiveness of Thee, O My Lord, for that which I\nhave uttered in Thy Epistle, and I repent unto Thee. I am but one of\nThy servants who give praise to Thee. Glorified art Thou; no God is\nthere but Thee. In Thee have I placed My whole trust and of Thee do I\nbeg pardon for being a suppliant at Thy door.\n\nSanctified is God thy Lord, the Lord of the Mighty\nThrone, from that which the people wrongfully and without the\nguidance of His lucid Book, affirm of Him. Peace be upon them that\nbeseech forgiveness from God thy Lord, saying: ‘Verily, praise\nbe unto God, the Lord of the worlds.’\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Extracts From A Tablet Containing Words Addressed To The Sherif Of Mecca",
"slug": "sb-extracts-from-a-tablet-containing-words-addressed-to-the-sherif-of-mecca",
"summary": "O Sherif!... All thy life thou hast accorded worship unto Us, but when We manifested Ourself unto thee, thou didst desist from bearing witness unto Our Remembrance, and from affirming that He is indeed the Most Exalted, the Sovereign…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Sherif!... All thy life thou hast accorded worship\nunto Us, but when We manifested Ourself unto thee, thou didst desist\nfrom bearing witness unto Our Remembrance, and from affirming that He\nis indeed the Most Exalted, the Sovereign Truth, the All-Glorious.\nThus hath Thy Lord put thee to proof in the Day of Resurrection.\nVerily He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.\n\nFor hadst thou uttered ‘Here am I’ at the\ntime We sent thee the Book, We would have admitted thee to the\ncompany of such of Our servants as truly believe, and would have\ngraciously praised thee in Our Book, until the Day when all men shall\nappear before Us for judgement. This is in truth far more\nadvantageous unto thee than all the acts of worship thou hast\nperformed for thy Lord during all thy life, nay, from the beginning\nthat hath no beginning. Assuredly this is what would have served and\nwill ever serve thy best interests. Verily We are cognizant of all\nthings. Yet notwithstanding that We had called thee into being for\nthe purpose of attaining Our presence in the Day of Resurrection,\nthou didst shut thyself out from Us without any reason or explicit\nWrit; whereas hadst thou been among such as are endowed with the\nknowledge of the Bayán, thou wouldst have, at the sight of the\nBook, testified forthwith that there is no God but Him, the Help in\nPeril, the Self-Subsisting, and wouldst have affirmed that He Who\nhath revealed the Qur’án, hath likewise revealed this\nBook, that every word of it is from God, and unto it we all bear\nallegiance.\n\nHowever, that which was preordained hath come to pass.\nShouldst thou return unto Us while revelation still continueth\nthrough Us, We shall transform thy fire into light. Truly We are\npowerful over all things. But if thou failest in this task, thou\nshalt find no way open to thee other than to embrace the Cause of God\nand to implore that the matter of thine allegiance be brought to the\nattention of Him Whom God shall make manifest, that He may graciously\nenable thee to prosper and cause thy fire to be transformed into\nlight. This is that which hath been sent down unto Us. Should this\nnot come to pass, whatever We have set down shall remain binding and\nirrevocably decreed by God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting,\nand We shall therefore banish thee from Our presence as a token of\njustice on Our part. Verily we are equitable in Our judgement.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Extracts From An Epistle To Muḥammad Sháh",
"slug": "sb-extracts-from-an-epistle-to-muhammad-shah",
"summary": "The substance wherewith God hath created Me is not the clay out of which others have been formed. He hath conferred upon Me that which the worldly-wise can never comprehend, nor the faithful discover ... I am one of the sustaining…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"prison",
"women",
"holy-day",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"justice",
"love",
"mercy",
"patience",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 10,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe substance wherewith God hath created Me is not the\nclay out of which others have been formed. He hath conferred upon Me\nthat which the worldly-wise can never comprehend, nor the faithful\ndiscover ... I am one of the sustaining pillars of the Primal Word of\nGod. Whosoever hath recognized Me, hath known all that is true and\nright, and hath attained all that is good and seemly; and whosoever\nhath failed to recognize Me, hath turned away from all that is true\nand right and hath succumbed to everything evil and unseemly.\n\nI swear by the righteousness of Thy Lord, the Lord of\nall created things, the Lord of all the worlds! Were a man to rear in\nthis world as many edifices as possible and worship God through every\nvirtuous deed which God’s knowledge embraceth, and attain the\npresence of the Lord, and were he, even to a measure less than that\nwhich is accountable before God, to bear in his heart a trace of\nmalice towards Me, all his deeds would be reduced to naught and he\nwould be deprived of the glances of God’s favour, become the\nobject of His wrath and assuredly perish. For God hath ordained that\nall the good things which lie in the treasury of His knowledge shall\nbe attained through obedience unto Me, and every fire recorded in His\nBook, through disobedience unto Me. Methinks in this day and from\nthis station I behold all those who cherish My love and follow My\nbehest abiding within the mansions of Paradise, and the entire\ncompany of Mine adversaries consigned to the lowest depths of\nhell-fire.\n\nBy My life! But for the obligation to acknowledge the\nCause of Him Who is the Testimony of God ... I would not have\nannounced this unto thee... All the keys of heaven God hath chosen to\nplace on My right hand, and all the keys of hell on My left...\n\nI am the Primal Point from which have been generated all\ncreated things. I am the Countenance of God Whose splendour can never\nbe obscured, the Light of God Whose radiance can never fade. Whoso\nrecognizeth Me, assurance and all good are in store for him, and\nwhoso faileth to recognize Me, infernal fire and all evil await\nhim...\n\nI swear by God, the Peerless, the Incomparable, the True\nOne: for no other reason hath He—the supreme Testimony of\nGod—invested Me with clear signs and tokens than that all men\nmay be enabled to submit to His Cause.\n\nBy the righteousness of Him Who is the Absolute Truth,\nwere the veil to be lifted, thou wouldst witness on this earthly\nplane all men sorely afflicted with the fire of the wrath of God, a\nfire fiercer and greater than the fire of hell, with the exception of\nthose who have sought shelter beneath the shade of the tree of My\nlove. For they in very truth are the blissful...\n\nGod beareth Me witness, I was not a man of learning, for\nI was trained as a merchant. In the year sixty3\nGod graciously infused my soul with the conclusive evidences and\nweighty knowledge which characterize Him Who is the Testimony of\nGod—may peace be upon Him—until finally in that year I\nproclaimed God’s hidden Cause and unveiled its well-guarded\nPillar, in such wise that no one could refute it. ‘That he who\nshould perish might perish with a clear proof before him and he who\nshould live might live by clear proof.’4\n\nIn that same year [year 60] I despatched a messenger and\na book unto thee, that thou mightest act towards the Cause of Him Who\nis the Testimony of God as befitteth the station of thy sovereignty.\nBut inasmuch as dark, dreadful and dire calamity had been irrevocably\nordained by the Will of God, the book was not submitted to thy\npresence, through the intervention of such as regard themselves the\nwell-wishers of the government. Up to the present, when nearly four\nyears have passed, they have not duly presented it to Your Majesty.\nHowever, now that the fateful hour is drawing nigh, and because it is\na matter of faith, not a worldly concern, therefore I have given thee\na glimpse of what hath transpired.\n\nI swear by God! Shouldst thou know the things which in\nthe space of these four years have befallen Me at the hands of thy\npeople and thine army, thou wouldst hold thy breath from fear of God,\nunless thou wouldst rise to obey the Cause of Him Who is the\nTestimony of God and make amends for thy shortcomings and failure.\n\nWhile I was in Shíráz the\nindignities which befell Me at the hands of its wicked and depraved\nGovernor waxed so grievous that if thou wert acquainted with but a\ntithe thereof, thou wouldst deal him retributive justice. For as a\nresult of his unmitigated oppression, thy royal court hath become,\nuntil the Day of Resurrection, the object of the wrath of God.\nMoreover, his indulgence in alcohol had grown so excessive that he\nwas never sober enough to make a sound judgement. Therefore,\ndisquieted, I was obliged to set out from Shíráz\nwith the aim of attaining the enlightened and exalted court of Your\nMajesty. The Mu’tamídu’d-Dawlih then became aware\nof the truth of the Cause and manifested exemplary servitude and\ndevotion to His chosen ones. When some of the ignorant people in his\ncity arose to stir up sedition, he defended the divine Truth by\naffording Me protection for a while in the privacy of the Governor’s\nresidence. At length, having attained the good-pleasure of God, he\nrepaired to his habitation in the all-highest Paradise. May God\nreward him graciously...\n\nFollowing his ascension to the eternal Kingdom, the\nvicious Gurgín, resorting to all manner of treachery, false\noaths and coercion, sent Me away from Iṣfáhán\nwith an escort of five guards on a journey which lasted seven days,\nwithout providing the barest necessities for My travel (Alas! Alas!\nfor the things which have touched Me!), until eventually Your\nMajesty’s order came, instructing Me to proceed to Mákú...\n\nI swear by the Most Great Lord! Wert thou to be told in\nwhat place I dwell, the first person to have mercy on Me would be\nthyself. In the heart of a mountain is a fortress [Mákú]\n... the inmates of which are confined to two guards and four dogs.\nPicture, then, My plight... I swear by the truth of God! Were he who\nhath been willing to treat Me in such a manner to know Who it is Whom\nhe hath so treated, he, verily, would never in his life be happy.\nNay—I, verily, acquaint thee with the truth of the matter—it\nis as if he hath imprisoned all the Prophets, and all the men of\ntruth and all the chosen ones...\n\nWhen this decree was made known unto Me, I wrote to him\nwho administereth the affairs of the kingdom, saying: ‘Put Me\nto death, I adjure thee by God, and send My head wherever thou\npleasest. For surely an innocent person such as I, cannot reconcile\nhimself to being consigned to a place reserved for criminals and let\nhis life continue.’ My plea remained unanswered. Evidently His\nExcellency the Ḥájí, is not fully aware of the\ntruth of our Cause. It would be far more heinous a deed to sadden the\nhearts of the faithful, whether men or women, than to lay waste the\nsacred House of God.\n\nVerily, the One True God beareth Me witness that in this\nDay I am the true mystic Fane of God, and the Essence of all good. He\nwho doeth good unto Me, it is as if he doeth good unto God, His\nangels and the entire company of His loved ones. He who doeth evil\nunto Me, it is as if he doeth evil unto God and His chosen ones. Nay,\ntoo exalted is the station of God and of His loved ones for any\nperson’s good or evil deed to reach their holy threshold.\nWhatever reacheth Me is ordained to reach Me; and that which hath\ncome unto Me, to him who giveth will it revert. By the One in Whose\nhand is My soul, he hath cast no one but himself into prison. For\nassuredly whatsoever God hath decreed for Me shall come to pass and\nnaught else save that which God hath ordained for us shall ever touch\nus. Woe betide him from whose hands floweth evil, and blessed the man\nfrom whose hands floweth good. Unto no one do I take My plaint save\nto God; for He is the best of judges. Every state of adversity or\nbliss is from Him alone, and He is the All-Powerful, the Almighty.\n\nIn brief, I hold within My grasp whatsoever any man\nmight wish of the good of this world and of the next. Were I to\nremove the veil, all would recognize Me as their Best Beloved, and no\none would deny Me. Let not this assertion astound Your Majesty;\ninasmuch as a true believer in the unity of God who keepeth his eyes\ndirected towards Him alone, will regard aught else but Him as utter\nnothingness. I swear by God! I seek no earthly goods from thee, be it\nas much as a mustard seed. Indeed, to possess anything of this world\nor of the next would, in My estimation, be tantamount to open\nblasphemy. For it ill beseemeth the believer in the unity of God to\nturn his gaze to aught else, much less to hold it in his possession.\nI know of a certainty that since I have God, the Ever-Living, the\nAdored One, I am the possessor of all things, visible and\ninvisible...\n\nIn this mountain I have remained alone, and have come to\nsuch a pass that none of those gone before Me have suffered what I\nhave suffered, nor any transgressor endured what I have endured! I\nrender praise unto God and yet again praise Him. I find Myself free\nfrom sorrow, inasmuch as I abide within the good-pleasure of My Lord\nand Master. Methinks I am in the all-highest Paradise, rejoicing at\nMy communion with God, the Most Great. Verily this is a bounty which\nGod hath conferred upon Me; and He is the Lord of unbounded\nblessings.\n\nI swear by the truth of God! Wert thou to know that\nwhich I know, thou wouldst forgo the sovereignty of this world and of\nthe next, that thou mightest attain My good-pleasure, through thine\nobedience unto the True One... Wert thou to refuse, the Lord of the\nworld would raise up one who would exalt His Cause, and the Command\nof God would, verily, be carried into effect.\n\nThrough the grace of God nothing can frustrate My\npurpose, and I am fully conscious of that which God hath bestowed\nupon Me as a token of His favour. If it were My will, I would\ndisclose to Your Majesty all things; but I have not done this, nor\nwill I do it, that the Truth may be distinguished from aught else\nbeside it, and this prophecy uttered by the Imám Báqir—may\npeace rest upon Him—be fully realized: ‘What must needs\nbefall us in Ádhirbayján is inevitable and\nwithout parallel. When this happeneth, rest ye in your homes and\nremain patient as we have remained patient. As soon as the Mover\nmoveth make ye haste to attain unto Him, even though ye have to crawl\nover the snow.’\n\nI implore pardon of God for Myself and for all things\nrelated to Me and affirm, ‘Praise be to God, the Lord of all\nthe worlds’.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Extracts From Another Epistle To Muḥammad Sháh",
"slug": "sb-extracts-from-another-epistle-to-muhammad-shah",
"summary": "Glory be unto Him Who knoweth all that is in the heavens and in the earth. Verily there is no God but Him, the sovereign Ruler, the Almighty, the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"joy",
"mercy",
"patience",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 8,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGlory be unto Him Who knoweth all that is in the heavens\nand in the earth. Verily there is no God but Him, the sovereign\nRuler, the Almighty, the Great.\n\nHe is the One Who on the Day of Severing shall pass\njudgement through the power of Truth; indeed no God is there besides\nHim, the Peerless, the All-Compelling, the Exalted. He is the One Who\nholdeth within His grasp the kingdom of all created things; there is\nnone other God but Him, the Single, the Incomparable, the\nEver-Abiding, the Inaccessible, the Most Great.\n\nAt this moment I testify unto God, even as He testified\nunto Himself before the creation of all things: Verily there is no\nGod save Him, the All-Glorious, the All-Wise. And I bear witness unto\nwhatsoever He hath fashioned or will fashion, even as He Himself, in\nthe majesty of His glory, hath borne witness: No God is there but\nHim, the Peerless, the Self-Subsisting, the Most Wondrous.\n\nIn God, Who is the Lord of all created things, have I\nplaced My whole trust. There is no God but Him, the Peerless, the\nMost Exalted. Unto Him have I resigned Myself and into His hands have\nI committed all My affairs. No God is there besides Him, the supreme\nRuler, the resplendent Truth. Indeed all-sufficient is He for Me;\nindependently of all things doth He suffice, while nothing in the\nheavens or in the earth but Him sufficeth. He, in very truth, is the\nSelf-Subsisting, the Most Severe.\n\nPraise be unto Him Who at this very moment perceiveth in\nthis remote prison the goal of My desire. He is the One Who beareth\nwitness unto Me at all times and beholdeth Me ere the inception of\n‘after Ḥin’.5\n\nWhy didst thou pronounce judgement without remembering\nGod, the All-Wise? How canst thou endure in the fire? Indeed, mighty\nand most severe is thy God.\n\nThou pridest thyself in the things thou dost possess,\nyet no believer in God and in His signs, nor any righteous man would\never deign to regard them. This mortal life is like unto the carcass\nof a dog, around which none would gather, nor would any partake\nthereof, except those who gainsay the life hereafter. Verily it is\nincumbent upon thee to become a true believer in God, the\nAll-Possessing, the Almighty, and to turn away from the one who\nguideth thee into the torment of hell-fire.\n\nI have been waiting a while that perchance thou wouldst\ntake heed and be rightly guided. How canst thou answer God on the day\nwhich is near at hand—the day whereon witnesses will stand\nforth to testify in the presence of thy Lord, the Lord of all the\nworlds?\n\nBy the righteousness of Him Who hath called thee into\nbeing and unto Whom ere long thou shalt return, if thou remainest, at\nthe moment of death, a disbeliever in the signs of thy Lord thou\nshalt surely enter the gates of hell, and none of the deeds thy hands\nhave wrought will profit thee, nor shalt thou find a patron nor\nanyone to plead for thee. Fear thou God and pride not thyself on\nthine earthly possessions, inasmuch as what God doth possess is\nbetter for them that tread the path of righteousness.\n\nVerily in this Day all that dwell on earth are the\nservants of God. As to those who truly believe in God and are well\nassured in the signs revealed by Him, perchance He will graciously\nforgive them the things their hands have committed, and will grant\nthem admission into the precincts of His mercy. He, in truth, is the\nEver-Forgiving, the Compassionate. But the verdict of divine\nchastisement is pronounced against those who have turned away\ndisdainfully from Me and have repudiated the conclusive proofs and\nthe unerring Book with which God hath invested Me, and on the Day of\nSevering they shall find no protector or helper.\n\nI swear by Him Who createth all beings and unto Whom all\nshall return, if anyone at the hour of death beareth hatred towards\nMe or disputeth the clear tokens wherewith I have been invested, then\nnaught but afflictive torment shall be his lot. On that day no ransom\nwill be accepted, nor will any intercession be permitted, unless God\nso please. Verily He is the All-Compelling, the All-Glorious; and no\nGod is there other than Him, the sovereign Ruler, the Almighty, the\nMost Severe.\n\nIf thou rejoicest in My imprisonment, woe then unto thee\nfor the grievous torment which will soon overtake thee. Indeed God\nhath permitted no one to pass unfair judgement, and if thou wouldst\nfain do so, then soon shalt thou learn.\n\nFrom the first day that I cautioned thee not to wax\nproud before God until the present time, four years have elapsed, and\nduring this space naught have I witnessed, either from thee or from\nthy soldiers, except dire oppression and disdainful arrogance.\nMethinks thou dost imagine that I wish to gain some paltry substance\nfrom this earthly life. Nay, by the righteousness of My Lord! In the\nestimation of them that have fixed their eyes upon the merciful Lord,\nthe riches of the world and its trappings are worth as much as the\neye of a dead body, nay even less. Far from His glory be what they\nassociate with Him!... I seek patience only in God. Verily He is the\nbest protector and the best helper. No refuge do I seek save God.\nVerily He is the guardian and the best supporter...\n\nI swear by the glory of God, My Lord, the Most Exalted,\nthe Most Great, He assuredly, as is divinely ordained, will make His\nCause shine resplendent, while there will be no helper for the\nunjust. If thou hast any scheme, produce thy scheme. Indeed every\nrevelation of authority proceedeth from God. In Him do I trust and\nunto Him do I turn.\n\nHast thou heard anyone of old passing a judgement\nsimilar to the one thou didst contrive or like unto that whereto thou\ndidst give thine assent? Woe then unto the oppressors! Both thine\nintentions and the manner in which thou dealest with the people\nclearly demonstrate thine infidelity towards God, hence He hath\nordained a severe chastisement for thee. Verily I seek patience only\nin God, and Him do I regard as the goal of My desire. This signifieth\nthat I have the undoubted Truth on My side.\n\nIf thou art not apprehensive that the truth might be\nrevealed and the works of the ungodly be brought to naught, why\nsummonest thou not the divines of the land, and then summon Me, so\nthat I may confound them forthwith, even as those disbelievers whom I\nhave previously confounded? This is My sure testimony unto thee and\nunto them, if they speak the truth. Summon thou all of them. Should\nthey then be able to utter words like unto this, thou wouldst know\nthat their cause is worthy of attention. Nay, by the righteousness of\nMy Lord! They are bereft of power, nor are they endued with\nperception. They professed faith in the past without understanding\nits significance, then later they repudiated the Truth; for they are\ndevoid of discernment.\n\nIf thou hast decided to shed My blood, wherefore dost\nthou delay? Thou art now endowed with power and authority. For Me it\nwill prove an infinite bounty conferred by God, while for thee and\nfor them that would commit such an act it will amount to a\nchastisement meted out by Him.\n\nHow great the blessedness that would await Me, wert thou\nto pass a verdict such as this; and what immense joy would be Mine,\nshouldst thou agree to do this! This is a bounty which God hath\nreserved for them that enjoy near access to His court. Give then thy\nleave and wait no longer. In truth, mighty is thy Lord, the Avenger.\n\nArt thou not ashamed in the presence of God for\nconsenting to the consignment to a fortress of Him Who is the\nTestimony of God, and His being made captive in the hands of the\nfaithless? Woe betide thee and them who rejoice at this moment in\ninflicting so dire a humiliation upon Me...\n\nI swear by Him Who hath called Me into being, I can\ndiscover no trace of sinfulness in Myself, nor have I followed aught\nbut the Truth; and unto Me God is sufficient witness. Fie upon the\nworld and its people and upon those who take delight in earthly\nriches, while oblivious of the life to come.\n\nWere the veil to be removed from thine eye thou wouldst\ncrawl unto Me on thy breast, even through the snow, from fear of the\nchastisement of God which is swift and near at hand. By the\nrighteousness of Him Who hath created thee, wert thou to be\nacquainted with that which hath transpired during thy reign, thou\nwouldst wish not to have issued from thy father’s loins, but\nrather to have passed into oblivion. However, that which God, thy\nLord, had ordained hath presently come to pass, and woe betide the\noppressors in this day.\n\nMethinks thou hast not perused the unerring Book. If\nthou art satisfied with thine own way and dost not wish to follow the\nTruth, then to Me be My way and to thee thine. If thou aidest Me not,\nwhy dost thou seek to abase Me? Verily, God is the hearer of the\nsuppliant, and in Him all things find their highest consummation,\nboth in this world and in the world to come.\n\nFar from the glory of God, the Lord of heaven and earth,\nthe Lord of creation, be that which is affirmed of Him by the peoples\nof the world, except by such as faithfully observe His precepts. May\nthe peace of God rest upon the sincere among His servants.\n\nAll praise be to God, the Lord of all the worlds.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Fear ye God and breathe not a word concerning His ...”",
"slug": "sb-fear-ye-god-and-breathe-not-a-word-concerning-his",
"summary": "Fear ye God and breathe not a word concerning His Most Great Remembrance other than what hath been ordained by God, inasmuch as We have established a separate covenant regarding Him with every Prophet and His followers. Indeed, We have…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nFear ye God and breathe not a word concerning His Most\nGreat Remembrance other than what hath been ordained by God, inasmuch\nas We have established a separate covenant regarding Him with every\nProphet and His followers. Indeed, We have not sent any Messenger\nwithout this binding covenant and We do not, of a truth, pass\njudgement upon anything except after the covenant of Him Who is the\nSupreme Gate hath been established. Ere long the veil shall be lifted\nfrom your eyes at the appointed time. Ye shall then behold the\nsublime Remembrance of God, unclouded and vivid. Chapter V.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“From the beginning that hath no beginning all men have ...”",
"slug": "sb-from-the-beginning-that-hath-no-beginning-all-men-have",
"summary": "From the beginning that hath no beginning all men have bowed in adoration before Him Whom God shall make manifest and will continue to do so until the end that hath no end. How strange then that at the time of His appearance ye should…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nFrom the beginning that hath no beginning all men have\nbowed in adoration before Him Whom God shall make manifest and will\ncontinue to do so until the end that hath no end. How strange then\nthat at the time of His appearance ye should pay homage by day and\nnight unto that which the Point of the Bayán hath enjoined\nupon you and yet fail to worship Him Whom God shall make manifest.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Thou art in truth ...”",
"slug": "sb-glorified-art-thou-o-lord-my-god-thou-art-in-truth",
"summary": "Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Thou art in truth the King of kings. Thou dost confer sovereignty upon whomsoever Thou willest and dost seize it from whomsoever Thou willest. Thou dost exalt whomsoever Thou willest and dost abase…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGlorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Thou art in truth the\nKing of kings. Thou dost confer sovereignty upon whomsoever Thou\nwillest and dost seize it from whomsoever Thou willest. Thou dost\nexalt whomsoever Thou willest and dost abase whomsoever Thou willest.\nThou dost render victorious whomsoever Thou willest and dost bring\nhumiliation upon whomsoever Thou willest. Thou dost bestow wealth\nupon whomsoever Thou willest and dost reduce to poverty whomsoever\nThou willest. Thou dost cause whomsoever Thou willest to prevail over\nwhomsoever Thou willest. Within Thy grasp Thou dost hold the empire\nof all created things and through the potency of Thy sovereign behest\nThou dost call into being whomsoever Thou willest. Verily Thou art\nthe Omniscient, the Omnipotent, the Lord of power.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Glorified be Thy Name, O Lord! In whom shall I ...”",
"slug": "sb-glorified-be-thy-name-o-lord-in-whom-shall-i",
"summary": "Glorified be Thy Name, O Lord! In whom shall I take refuge while Thou art in truth my God and my Beloved; unto whom shall I turn for shelter while Thou art my Lord and my Possessor; and towards whom shall I flee while Thou art in truth…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGlorified be Thy Name, O Lord! In whom shall I take\nrefuge while Thou art in truth my God and my Beloved; unto whom shall\nI turn for shelter while Thou art my Lord and my Possessor; and\ntowards whom shall I flee while Thou art in truth my Master and my\nSanctuary; and whom shall I implore while Thou art in truth my\nTreasure and the Goal of my desire; and through whom shall I plead\nbefore Thee, while Thou art in truth my highest aspiration and\nsupreme desire? Every hope hath been frustrated save the yearning for\nThy heavenly grace, and every door is barred except the portal\nleading to the well-spring of Thy blessings.\n\nI beseech Thee, O my Lord, by Thy most effulgent\nsplendour, before whose brightness every soul humbly boweth down and\nprostrateth itself in adoration for Thy sake—a splendour before\nwhose radiance fire is turned into light, the dead are brought to\nlife and every difficulty is changed into ease. I entreat Thee by\nthis great, this wondrous splendour and by the glory of Thine exalted\nsovereignty, O Thou Who art the Lord of indomitable power, to\ntransform us through Thy bounty into that which Thou Thyself dost\npossess and enable us to become fountains of Thy light, and\ngraciously vouchsafe unto us that which beseemeth the majesty of Thy\ntranscendent dominion. For unto Thee have I raised my hands, O Lord,\nand in Thee have I found sheltering support, O Lord, and unto Thee\nhave I resigned myself, O Lord, and upon Thee have I placed my whole\nreliance, O Lord, and by Thee am I strengthened, O Lord.\n\nVerily there is no power nor strength except in Thee.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Glorified is He besides Whom there is none other God. ...”",
"slug": "sb-glorified-is-he-besides-whom-there-is-none-other-god",
"summary": "Glorified is He besides Whom there is none other God. In His grasp He holdeth the source of authority, and verily God is powerful over all things. We have decreed that every long life shall in truth suffer decline17 and that every…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGlorified is He besides Whom there is none other God. In\nHis grasp He holdeth the source of authority, and verily God is\npowerful over all things. We have decreed that every long life shall\nin truth suffer decline17\nand that every hardship shall be followed by ease,18\nthat perchance men may recognise the Gate of God as He Who is the\neternal Truth, and verily God shall stand as witness unto those that\nhave believed. Chapter XIII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Glorified is He to Whom pertaineth the dominion of ...”",
"slug": "sb-glorified-is-he-to-whom-pertaineth-the-dominion-of",
"summary": "He is God, the Supreme Ruler, the Sovereign Truth, He Whose help is implored by…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice",
"mercy",
"patience",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe is God, the Supreme Ruler, the Sovereign Truth, He\nWhose help is implored by all.\n\nGlorified is He to Whom pertaineth the dominion of the\nheavens and of the earth, in Whose hand lieth the kingdom of all\ncreated things and unto Whom shall all return. It is He Who setteth\nthe measure assigned to each and every thing and revealeth His goodly\ngifts and blessings in His sacred Book for the benefit of those who\noffer gratitude for His Cause.\n\nSay, this earthly life shall come to an end, and\neveryone shall expire and return unto my Lord God Who will reward\nwith the choicest gifts the deeds of those who endure with patience.\nVerily thy God assigneth the measure of all created things as He\nwilleth, by virtue of His behest; and those who conform to the\ngood-pleasure of your Lord, they are indeed among the blissful.\n\nThy Lord hath never raised up a prophet in the past who\nfailed to summon the people to His Lord, and today is truly similar\nto the times of old, were ye to ponder over the verses revealed by\nGod.\n\nWhen God sent forth His Prophet Muḥammad, on that\nday the termination of the prophetic cycle was foreordained in the\nknowledge of God. Yea, that promise hath indeed come true and the\ndecree of God hath been accomplished as He hath ordained. Assuredly\nwe are today living in the Days of God. These are the glorious days\non the like of which the sun hath never risen in the past. These are\nthe days which the people in bygone times eagerly expected. What hath\nthen befallen you that ye are fast asleep? These are the days wherein\nGod hath caused the Day-Star of Truth to shine resplendent. What hath\nthen caused you to keep your silence? These are the appointed days\nwhich ye have been yearningly awaiting in the past—the days of\nthe advent of divine justice. Render ye thanks unto God, O ye\nconcourse of believers.\n\nLet not the deeds of those who reject the Truth shut you\nout as by a veil. Such people have warrant over your bodies only, and\nGod hath not reposed in them power over your spirits, your souls and\nyour hearts. Fear ye God that haply it may be well with you. All\nthings have been created for your sakes, and for the sake of naught\nelse hath your creation been ordained. Fear ye God and take heed lest\nforms and apparels debar you from recognizing Him. Render ye\nthanksgiving unto God that perchance He may deal mercifully with you.\n\nThis mortal life is sure to perish; its pleasures are\nbound to fade away and ere long ye shall return unto God, distressed\nwith pangs of remorse, for presently ye shall be roused from your\nslumber, and ye shall soon find yourselves in the presence of God and\nwill be asked of your doings.\n\nSay, how dare ye flagrantly deny the verses sent down\nfrom the heaven of justice, yet ye read the Books of God revealed in\nthe past? How do ye repudiate the meeting with your Lord which was\nappointed with you aforetime, and fail in this Day to heed His\nwarning? Indeed, by adhering to forms and by following the promptings\nof your selfish desires, ye have deprived yourselves of the\ngood-pleasure of your Lord, except those whom their Lord hath endowed\nwith knowledge and who in this Day render thanks unto Him for the\nbounty of being identified with the true Faith of God. Therefore\nannounce ye the Message unto those who manifest virtue and teach them\nthe ways of the One True God, that haply they may comprehend.\n\nWithhold thy tongue from uttering that which might\ngrieve thee and beseech God for mercy. Verily He is fully cognizant\nof the righteous, for He is with such of His servants as truly\nbelieve in Him, and He is not unaware of the actions of the\nmischief-makers, inasmuch as nothing whatever in the heavens or on\nthe earth can escape His knowledge.\n\nThese verses, clear and conclusive, are a token of the\nmercy of thy Lord and a source of guidance for all mankind. They are\na light unto those who believe in them and a fire of afflictive\ntorment for those who turn away and reject them.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Glory be to Thee, O God! Thou art the God Who hath ...”",
"slug": "sb-glory-be-to-thee-o-god-thou-art-the-god-who-hath",
"summary": "Glory be to Thee, O God! Thou art the God Who hath existed before all things, Who will exist after all things and will last beyond all things. Thou art the God Who knoweth all things, and is supreme over all things. Thou art the God Who…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGlory be to Thee, O God! Thou art the God Who hath\nexisted before all things, Who will exist after all things and will\nlast beyond all things. Thou art the God Who knoweth all things, and\nis supreme over all things. Thou art the God Who dealeth mercifully\nwith all things, Who judgeth between all things and Whose vision\nembraceth all things. Thou art God my Lord, Thou art aware of my\nposition, Thou dost witness my inner and outer being.\n\nGrant Thy forgiveness unto me and unto the believers who\nresponded to Thy Call. Be Thou my sufficing helper against the\nmischief of whosoever may desire to inflict sorrow upon me or wish me\nill. Verily Thou art the Lord of all created things. Thou dost\nsuffice everyone, while no one can be self-sufficient without Thee.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Glory be unto Him Who is the Lord of all that are in ...”",
"slug": "sb-glory-be-unto-him-who-is-the-lord-of-all-that-are-in",
"summary": "He is the Almighty. Glory be unto Him Who is the Lord of all that are in the heavens and on the earth; He is the All-Wise, the All-Informed. It is He Who calleth into being whatsoever He willeth at His behest; He is indeed the Clement, the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe is the Almighty.\n\nGlory be unto Him Who is the Lord of all that are in the\nheavens and on the earth; He is the All-Wise, the All-Informed. It is\nHe Who calleth into being whatsoever He willeth at His behest; He is\nindeed the Clement, the Fashioner. Say, verily He is equal to His\npurpose; whomsoever He willeth, He maketh victorious through the\npower of His hosts; there is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the\nWise. His is the kingdom of earth and heaven and He is the Lord of\npower and glory. Such as have believed in God and in His signs are\nindeed the followers of truth and shall abide in the gardens of\ndelight, while those who have disbelieved in God and have rejected\nthat which He hath revealed, these shall be the inmates of the fire\nwherein they shall remain forever. Say, most people have openly\nrepudiated God and have followed the rebellious wicked doers. Such\npeople resemble those who have gone before them, upholding every\nhostile oppressor. Verily no God is there but God; His is the kingdom\nof heaven and earth and He is the Clement, the All-Knowing. God\ntestifieth that there is no God but Him, and He Who speaketh at the\nbidding of His Lord is but the First to worship Him. He is the\npeerless Creator Who hath created the heavens and the earth and\nwhatsoever lieth between them, and all do His bidding. He is the One\nWhose grace hath encompassed all that are in the heavens, on earth or\nelsewhere, and everyone abideth by His behest.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Glory be unto Thee, O God. How can I make mention ...”",
"slug": "sb-glory-be-unto-thee-o-god-how-can-i-make-mention",
"summary": "Glory be unto Thee, O God. How can I make mention of Thee while Thou art sanctified from the praise of all mankind. Magnified be Thy Name, O God, Thou art the King, the Eternal Truth; Thou knowest what is in the heavens and on the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGlory be unto Thee, O God. How can I make mention of\nThee while Thou art sanctified from the praise of all mankind.\nMagnified be Thy Name, O God, Thou art the King, the Eternal Truth;\nThou knowest what is in the heavens and on the earth, and unto Thee\nmust all return. Thou hast sent down Thy divinely-ordained Revelation\naccording to a clear measure. Praised art Thou, O Lord! At Thy behest\nThou dost render victorious whomsoever Thou willest, through the\nhosts of heaven and earth and whatsoever existeth between them. Thou\nart the Sovereign, the Eternal Truth, the Lord of invincible might.\n\nGlorified art Thou, O Lord, Thou forgivest at all times\nthe sins of such among Thy servants as implore Thy pardon. Wash away\nmy sins and the sins of those who seek Thy forgiveness at dawn, who\npray to Thee in the day-time and in the night season, who yearn after\nnaught save God, who offer up whatsoever God hath graciously bestowed\nupon them, who celebrate Thy praise at morn and eventide, and who are\nnot remiss in their duties.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Glory be unto Thee, O Lord! Although Thou mayest ...”",
"slug": "sb-glory-be-unto-thee-o-lord-although-thou-mayest",
"summary": "Glory be unto Thee, O Lord! Although Thou mayest cause a person to be destitute of all earthly possessions, and from the beginning of his life until his ascension unto Thee he may be reduced to poverty through the operation of Thy…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"holy-day",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGlory be unto Thee, O Lord! Although Thou mayest cause a\nperson to be destitute of all earthly possessions, and from the\nbeginning of his life until his ascension unto Thee he may be reduced\nto poverty through the operation of Thy decree, yet wert Thou to have\nbrought him forth from the Tree of Thy love, such a bounty would\nindeed be far better for him than all the things Thou hast created in\nheaven and earth and whatsoever lieth between them; inasmuch as he\nwill inherit the heavenly home, through the revelation of Thy\nfavours, and will partake of the goodly gifts Thou hast provided\ntherein; for the things which are with Thee are inexhaustible. This\nindeed is Thy blessing which according to the good-pleasure of Thy\nWill Thou dost bestow on those who tread the path of Thy love.\n\nHow numerous the souls who in former times were put to\ndeath for Thy sake, and in whose names all men now pride themselves;\nand how vast the number of those whom Thou didst enable to acquire\nearthly fortunes, and who amassed them while they were deprived of\nThy Truth, and who in this day have passed into oblivion. Theirs is a\ngrievous chastisement and a dire punishment.\n\nO Lord! Provide for the speedy growth of the Tree of Thy\ndivine Unity; water it then, O Lord, with the flowing waters of Thy\ngood-pleasure, and cause it, before the revelations of Thy divine\nassurance, to yield such fruits as Thou desirest for Thy\nglorification and exaltation, Thy praise and thanksgiving, and to\nmagnify Thy Name, to laud the oneness of Thine Essence and to offer\nadoration unto Thee, inasmuch as all this lieth within Thy grasp and\nin that of none other.\n\nGreat is the blessedness of those whose blood Thou hast\nchosen wherewith to water the Tree of Thine affirmation, and thus to\nexalt Thy holy and immutable Word.\n\nOrdain for me, O my Lord, and for those who believe in\nThee that which is deemed best for us in Thine estimation, as set\nforth in the Mother Book, for within the grasp of Thy hand Thou\nholdest the determined measures of all things.\n\nThy goodly gifts are unceasingly showered upon such as\ncherish Thy love and the wondrous tokens of Thy heavenly bounties are\namply bestowed on those who recognize Thy divine Unity. We commit\nunto Thy care whatsoever Thou hast destined for us, and implore Thee\nto grant us all the good that Thy knowledge embraceth.\n\nProtect me, O my Lord, from every evil that Thine\nomniscience perceiveth, inasmuch as there is no power nor strength\nbut in Thee, no triumph is forthcoming save from Thy presence, and it\nis Thine alone to command. Whatever God hath willed hath been, and\nthat which He hath not willed shall not be.\n\nThere is no power nor strength except in God, the Most\nExalted, the Most Mighty.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Glory be unto Thee, O Lord my God! I beg Thee to ...”",
"slug": "sb-glory-be-unto-thee-o-lord-my-god-i-beg-thee-to",
"summary": "Glory be unto Thee, O Lord my God! I beg Thee to forgive me and those who support Thy Faith. Verily Thou art the sovereign Lord, the Forgiver, the Most Generous. O my God! Enable such servants of Thine as are deprived of knowledge to be…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"generosity",
"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGlory be unto Thee, O Lord my God! I beg Thee to forgive\nme and those who support Thy Faith. Verily Thou art the sovereign\nLord, the Forgiver, the Most Generous. O my God! Enable such servants\nof Thine as are deprived of knowledge to be admitted into Thy Cause;\nfor once they learn of Thee, they bear witness to the truth of the\nDay of Judgement and do not dispute the revelations of Thy bounty.\nSend down upon them the tokens of Thy grace and grant them, wherever\nthey reside, a liberal share of that which Thou hast ordained for the\npious among Thy servants. Thou art in truth the Supreme Ruler, the\nAll-Bounteous, the Most Benevolent.\n\nO my God! Let the outpourings of Thy bounty and\nblessings descend upon homes whose inmates have embraced Thy Faith,\nas a token of Thy grace and as a mark of loving-kindness from Thy\npresence. Verily unsurpassed art Thou in granting forgiveness. Should\nThy bounty be withheld from anyone, how could he be reckoned among\nthe followers of the Faith in Thy Day?\n\nBless me, O my God, and those who will believe in Thy\nsigns on the appointed Day, and such as cherish my love in their\nhearts—a love which Thou dost instil into them. Verily Thou art\nthe Lord of righteousness, the Most Exalted.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Glory be unto Thee, O Lord my God! Nothing whatsoever ...”",
"slug": "sb-glory-be-unto-thee-o-lord-my-god-nothing-whatsoever",
"summary": "Glory be unto Thee, O Lord my God! Nothing whatsoever escapeth Thy knowledge, nor is there anything that could slip from Thy grasp, or anything that could thwart Thy Purpose, whether in the heavens or on the earth, of the past or of the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGlory be unto Thee, O Lord my God! Nothing whatsoever\nescapeth Thy knowledge, nor is there anything that could slip from\nThy grasp, or anything that could thwart Thy Purpose, whether in the\nheavens or on the earth, of the past or of the future.\n\nThou seest Paradise and the inmates thereof; Thou\nbeholdest the realm below and the dwellers thereof. All are but Thy\nservants and are held within Thy grasp.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Glory be unto Thee, O Lord, Thou Who hast brought ...”",
"slug": "sb-glory-be-unto-thee-o-lord-thou-who-hast-brought",
"summary": "Glory be unto Thee, O Lord, Thou Who hast brought into being all created things, through the power of Thy…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGlory be unto Thee, O Lord, Thou Who hast brought into\nbeing all created things, through the power of Thy behest.\n\nO Lord! Assist those who have renounced all else but\nThee, and grant them a mighty victory. Send down upon them, O Lord,\nthe concourse of the angels in heaven and earth and all that is\nbetween, to aid Thy servants, to succour and strengthen them, to\nenable them to achieve success, to sustain them, to invest them with\nglory, to confer upon them honour and exaltation, to enrich them and\nto make them triumphant with a wondrous triumph.\n\nThou art their Lord, the Lord of the heavens and the\nearth, the Lord of all the worlds. Strengthen this Faith, O Lord,\nthrough the power of these servants and cause them to prevail over\nall the peoples of the world; for they, of a truth, are Thy servants\nwho have detached themselves from aught else but Thee, and Thou\nverily art the protector of true believers.\n\nGrant Thou, O Lord, that their hearts may, through\nallegiance to this, Thine inviolable Faith, grow stronger than\nanything else in the heavens and on earth and in whatsoever is\nbetween them; and strengthen, O Lord, their hands with the tokens of\nThy wondrous power that they may manifest Thy power before the gaze\nof all mankind.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“God, besides Whom there is none other true God, saith: ...”",
"slug": "sb-god-besides-whom-there-is-none-other-true-god-saith",
"summary": "God, besides Whom there is none other true God, saith: Indeed, whoso visiteth the Remembrance of God after His passing, it is as though he hath attained the presence of the Lord, seated upon His mighty Throne. Verily this is the Way of…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"the-covenant",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGod, besides Whom there is none other true God, saith:\nIndeed, whoso visiteth the Remembrance of God after His passing, it\nis as though he hath attained the presence of the Lord, seated upon\nHis mighty Throne. Verily this is the Way of God, the Most Exalted,\nwhich hath been irrevocably decreed in the Mother Book...\n\nSay, O peoples of the world! Do ye dispute with Me about\nGod by virtue of the names which ye and your fathers have adopted for\nHim at the promptings of the Evil One?44\nGod hath indeed sent down this Book unto Me with truth that ye may be\nenabled to recognize the true names of God, inasmuch as ye have\nstrayed in error far from the Truth. Verily We have taken a covenant\nfrom every created thing upon its coming into being concerning the\nRemembrance of God, and there shall be none to avert the binding\ncommand of God for the purification of mankind, as ordained in the\nBook which is written by the hand of the Báb. Chapter\nLXVIII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“God had, in truth, proposed Our Mission unto the ...”",
"slug": "sb-god-had-in-truth-proposed-our-mission-unto-the",
"summary": "God had, in truth, proposed Our Mission unto the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to bear it and were afraid thereof. However, Man, this ‘Alí, Who is none other but the Great Remembrance of God, undertook to…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGod had, in truth, proposed Our Mission unto the heavens\nand the earth and the mountains, but they refused to bear it and were\nafraid thereof. However, Man, this ‘Alí, Who is none\nother but the Great Remembrance of God, undertook to bear it. Hence\nGod, the All-Encompassing, hath referred to Him in His Preserved Book\nas the ‘Wronged One’, and by reason of His being\nundistinguished before the eyes of men, He hath, according to the\njudgement of the Book, been entitled ‘the Unknown’...55\n\nErelong We will, in very truth, torment such as waged\nwar against Ḥusayn [Imám Ḥusayn], in the Land of\nthe Euphrates, with the most afflictive torment, and the most dire\nand exemplary punishment....\n\nGod knoweth well the heart of Ḥusayn, the heat of\nHis burning thirst and His long-suffering for the sake of God, the\nIncomparable, the Ancient of Days; and unto Him God is verily a\nwitness. Chapter XII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“God hath, at all times and under all conditions, been ...”",
"slug": "sb-god-hath-at-all-times-and-under-all-conditions-been",
"summary": "God hath, at all times and under all conditions, been wholly independent of His creatures. He hath cherished and will ever cherish the desire that all men may attain His gardens of Paradise with utmost love, that no one should sadden…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGod hath, at all times and under all conditions, been\nwholly independent of His creatures. He hath cherished and will ever\ncherish the desire that all men may attain His gardens of Paradise\nwith utmost love, that no one should sadden another, not even for a\nmoment, and that all should dwell within His cradle of protection and\nsecurity until the Day of Resurrection which marketh the dayspring of\nthe Revelation of Him Whom God will make manifest.\n\nThe Lord of the universe hath never raised up a prophet\nnor hath He sent down a Book unless He hath established His covenant\nwith all men, calling for their acceptance of the next Revelation and\nof the next Book; inasmuch as the outpourings of His bounty are\nceaseless and without limit. VI, 16.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“God is sanctified from His servants and no direct relationship ...”",
"slug": "sb-god-is-sanctified-from-his-servants-and-no-direct-relationship",
"summary": "God is sanctified from His servants and no direct relationship ever existeth between Him and any created thing, while ye have all arisen at His bidding. Verily He is your Lord and your God, your Master and your King. He ordaineth your…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGod is sanctified from His servants and no direct\nrelationship ever existeth between Him and any created thing, while\nye have all arisen at His bidding. Verily He is your Lord and your\nGod, your Master and your King. He ordaineth your movements at His\nbehest throughout the day-time and in the night season.\n\nSay, He Whom God shall make manifest is indeed the\nPrimal Veil of God. Above this Veil ye can find nothing other than\nGod, while beneath it ye can discern all things emanating from God.\nHe is the Unseen, the Inaccessible, the Most Exalted, the Best\nBeloved.\n\nIf ye seek God, it behooveth you to seek Him Whom God\nshall make manifest, and if ye cherish the desire to dwell in the Ark\nof Names, ye will be distinguished as the guides to Him Whom God\nshall make manifest, did ye but believe in Him. Verily then make your\nhearts the daysprings of His exalted Names as recorded in the Book,\nand ye shall, even as mirrors placed before the sun, be able to\nreceive enlightenment. XVI, 17.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“God loveth those who are pure. Naught in the Bayán and ...”",
"slug": "sb-god-loveth-those-who-are-pure-naught-in-the-bayan-and",
"summary": "God loveth those who are pure. Naught in the Bayán and in the sight of God is more loved than purity and immaculate…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGod loveth those who are pure. Naught in the Bayán\nand in the sight of God is more loved than purity and immaculate\ncleanliness....\n\nGod desireth not to see, in the Dispensation of the\nBayán, any soul deprived of joy and radiance. He indeed\ndesireth that under all conditions, all may be adorned with such\npurity, both inwardly and outwardly, that no repugnance may be caused\neven to themselves, how much less unto others. V, 14.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“God, of a truth, revealed unto Me in the sacred house of ...”",
"slug": "sb-god-of-a-truth-revealed-unto-me-in-the-sacred-house-of",
"summary": "God, of a truth, revealed unto Me in the sacred house of the Ka’bah, ‘Verily, I am God, no God is there but Me. I have singled Thee out for Myself and have chosen Thee as the Remembrance. Indeed, whosoever beareth allegiance unto Thee…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGod, of a truth, revealed unto Me in the sacred house of\nthe Ka’bah, ‘Verily, I am God, no God is there but Me. I\nhave singled Thee out for Myself and have chosen Thee as the\nRemembrance. Indeed, whosoever beareth allegiance unto Thee by\nwalking in the way of the Báb, for him the recompense of the\nnext world hath surely been prescribed...’ It is ordained in\nthe Book that upon the realization of the Cause of the Remembrance,\nthe Most Great Event will have come to pass according to the\ndispensation of Providence, and God, truly, is potent over all\nthings. Chapter LXXIX.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“God testifieth that there is none other God but Him. His ...”",
"slug": "sb-god-testifieth-that-there-is-none-other-god-but-him-his",
"summary": "God testifieth that there is none other God but Him. His are the kingdoms in the heavens and on the earth and all that is between them. He is exalted above the comprehension of all things, and is inscrutable to the mind of every created…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGod testifieth that there is none other God but Him. His\nare the kingdoms in the heavens and on the earth and all that is\nbetween them. He is exalted above the comprehension of all things,\nand is inscrutable to the mind of every created being; none shall be\nable to fathom the oneness of His Being or to unravel the nature of\nHis Existence. No peer or likeness, no similitude or equal can ever\nbe joined with Him. Yield ye praise then unto Him and glorify Him and\nbear ye witness to the sanctity and oneness of His Being and magnify\nHis might and majesty with wondrous glorification. This will enable\nyou to gain admittance into the all-highest Paradise. Would that ye\nhad firm faith in the revelation of the signs of God.\n\nThis is the divinely-inscribed Book. This is the\noutspread Tablet. Say, this indeed is the Frequented Fane, the\nsweet-scented Leaf, the Tree of divine Revelation, the surging Ocean,\nthe Utterance which lay concealed, the Light above every light...\nIndeed every light is generated by God through the power of His\nbehest. He of a truth is the Light in the kingdom of heaven and earth\nand whatever is between them. Through the radiance of His light God\nimparteth illumination to your hearts and maketh firm your steps,\nthat perchance ye may yield praise unto Him.\n\nSay, this of a certainty is the Garden of Repose, the\nloftiest Point of adoration, the Tree beyond which there is no\npassing, the blessed Lote-Tree, the Most Mighty Sign, the most\nbeauteous Countenance and the most comely Face.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“God testifieth that there is none other God but Him, the ...”",
"slug": "sb-god-testifieth-that-there-is-none-other-god-but-him-the",
"summary": "God testifieth that there is none other God but Him, the Almighty, the Best…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGod testifieth that there is none other God but Him, the\nAlmighty, the Best Beloved.\n\nFix your gaze upon Him Whom God shall make manifest in\nthe Day of Resurrection, then firmly believe in that which is sent\ndown by Him.\n\nSay, God hath undisputed triumph over every victorious\none. There is no one in heaven or earth or in whatever lieth between\nthem who can frustrate the transcendent supremacy of His triumph. He\ncalleth into being whatsoever He willeth through the potency of His\nbehest. Verily God is the mightiest Sustainer, the Helper and the\nDefender.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Gracious God! Within the domains of Islám there are ...”",
"slug": "sb-gracious-god-within-the-domains-of-islam-there-are",
"summary": "Gracious God! Within the domains of Islám there are at present seven powerful sovereigns ruling the world. None of them hath been informed of His [the Báb’s] Manifestation, and if informed, none hath believed in Him. Who knoweth, they…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"fast",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGracious God! Within the domains of Islám there\nare at present seven powerful sovereigns ruling the world. None of\nthem hath been informed of His [the Báb’s]\nManifestation, and if informed, none hath believed in Him. Who\nknoweth, they may leave this world below full of desire, and without\nhaving realized that the thing for which they were waiting had come\nto pass. This is what happened to the monarchs that held fast unto\nthe Gospel. They awaited the coming of the Prophet of God [Muḥammad],\nand when He did appear, they failed to recognize Him. Behold how\ngreat are the sums which these sovereigns expend without even the\nslightest thought of appointing an official charged with the task of\nacquainting them in their own realms with the Manifestation of God!\nThey would thereby have fulfilled the purpose for which they have\nbeen created. All their desires have been and are still fixed upon\nleaving behind them traces of their names.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Hallowed be the Lord in Whose hand is the ...”",
"slug": "sb-hallowed-be-the-lord-in-whose-hand-is-the",
"summary": "In the Name of God, the Lord of overpowering majesty, the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the Name of God, the Lord of overpowering majesty,\nthe All-Compelling.\n\nHallowed be the Lord in Whose hand is the source of\ndominion. He createth whatsoever He willeth by His Word of command\n‘Be’, and it is. His hath been the power of authority\nheretofore and it shall remain His hereafter. He maketh victorious\nwhomsoever He pleaseth, through the potency of His behest. He is in\ntruth the Powerful, the Almighty. Unto Him pertaineth all glory and\nmajesty in the kingdoms of Revelation and Creation and whatever lieth\nbetween them. Verily He is the Potent, the All-Glorious. From\neverlasting He hath been the Source of indomitable strength and shall\nremain so unto everlasting. He is indeed the Lord of might and power.\nAll the kingdoms of heaven and earth and whatever is between them are\nGod’s, and His power is supreme over all things. All the\ntreasures of earth and heaven and everything between them are His,\nand His protection extendeth over all things. He is the Creator of\nthe heavens and the earth and whatever lieth between them and He\ntruly is a witness over all things. He is the Lord of Reckoning for\nall that dwell in the heavens and on earth and whatever lieth between\nthem, and truly God is swift to reckon. He setteth the measure\nassigned to all who are in the heavens and the earth and whatever is\nbetween them. Verily He is the Supreme Protector. He holdeth in His\ngrasp the keys of heaven and earth and of everything between them. At\nHis Own pleasure doth He bestow gifts, through the power of His\ncommand. Indeed His grace encompasseth all and He is the All-Knowing.\n\nSay: God sufficeth unto me; He is the One Who holdeth in\nHis grasp the kingdom of all things. Through the power of His hosts\nof heaven and earth and whatever lieth between them, He protecteth\nwhomsoever among His servants He willeth. God, in truth, keepeth\nwatch over all things.\n\nImmeasurably exalted art Thou, O Lord! Protect us from\nwhat lieth in front of us and behind us, above our heads, on our\nright, on our left, below our feet and every other side to which we\nare exposed. Verily Thy protection over all things is unfailing.76\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“He—glorified be His mention—resembleth the sun. ...”",
"slug": "sb-he-glorified-be-his-mention-resembleth-the-sun",
"summary": "He—glorified be His mention—resembleth the sun. Were unnumbered mirrors to be placed before it, each would, according to its capacity, reflect the splendour of that sun, and were none to be placed before it, it would still continue to…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe—glorified be His mention—resembleth the\nsun. Were unnumbered mirrors to be placed before it, each would,\naccording to its capacity, reflect the splendour of that sun, and\nwere none to be placed before it, it would still continue to rise and\nset, and the mirrors alone would be veiled from its light. I, verily,\nhave not fallen short of My duty to admonish that people, and to\ndevise means whereby they may turn towards God, their Lord, and\nbelieve in God, their Creator. If, on the day of His Revelation, all\nthat are on earth bear Him allegiance, Mine inmost being will\nrejoice, inasmuch as all will have attained the summit of their\nexistence, and will have been brought face to face with their\nBeloved, and will have recognized, to the fullest extent attainable\nin the world of being, the splendour of Him Who is the Desire of\ntheir hearts. If not, My soul will indeed be saddened. I truly have\nnurtured all things for this purpose. How, then, can anyone be veiled\nfrom Him? For this have I called upon God, and will continue to call\nupon Him. He, verily, is nigh, ready to answer.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Hearken unto the Voice of Thy Lord calling from ...”",
"slug": "sb-hearken-unto-the-voice-of-thy-lord-calling-from",
"summary": "Hearken unto the Voice of Thy Lord calling from Mount Sinai, ‘Verily there is no God but Him, and I am the Most Exalted One Who hath been veiled in the Mother Book according to the dispensations of Providence.’ Chapter…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHearken unto the Voice of Thy Lord calling from Mount\nSinai, ‘Verily there is no God but Him, and I am the Most\nExalted One Who hath been veiled in the Mother Book according to the\ndispensations of Providence.’ Chapter XIX.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“How can I praise Thee, O Lord, for the evidences of Thy ...”",
"slug": "sb-how-can-i-praise-thee-o-lord-for-the-evidences-of-thy",
"summary": "How can I praise Thee, O Lord, for the evidences of Thy mighty splendour and for Thy wondrous sweet savours which Thou hast imparted to Me in this fortress, in such measure that nothing in the heavens or on the earth can compare with…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"prison",
"recognition",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"forgiveness",
"mercy",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHow can I praise Thee, O Lord, for the evidences of Thy\nmighty splendour and for Thy wondrous sweet savours which Thou hast\nimparted to Me in this fortress, in such measure that nothing in the\nheavens or on the earth can compare with them? Thou hast watched over\nMe in the heart of this mountain where I am compassed by mountains on\nall sides. One hangeth above Me, others stand on My right and My left\nand yet another riseth in front of Me. Glory be unto Thee, no God is\nthere but Thee. How often have I seen rocks from the mountain\nhurtling down upon Me, and Thou didst protect Me therefrom and\npreserved Me within the stronghold of Thy divine Unity.\n\nGlorified and exalted art Thou, and praise be unto Thee\nfor whatsoever Thou lovest and desirest, and thanks be unto Thee for\nthat which Thou hast decreed and preordained. From time immemorial\nThy tender mercy hath been sent down and the process of Thy creation\nhath been and ever is ceaseless. Thy handiwork is unlike the work of\nanyone besides Thee, and Thy goodly gifts are unparalleled by the\ngifts of anyone other than Thyself.\n\nPraise be unto Thee, O My Beloved, and magnified be Thy\nName. Ever since the hour I set foot upon this fortress till the\nmoment I shall have departed therefrom, I behold Thee established\nupon Thy seat of glory and majesty, sending down upon Me the manifold\ntokens of Thy bountiful favour and grace. Thou beholdest that My\ndwelling place is but the heart of the mountains, and Thou discernest\nnaught in My Person except the evidences of abasement and loneliness.\n\nLauded be Thy Name; I render Thee thanks for every\ninstance of Thine inscrutable Decree and offer My praise for every\ntoken of Thy tribulations. Having suffered Me to be cast into the\nprison, Thou didst turn it into a garden of Paradise for Me and\ncaused it to become a chamber of the court of everlasting fellowship.\n\nHow numerous the verses Thou didst send down unto Me,\nand the prayers Thou didst hear Me offer unto Thee. How diverse the\nrevelations which Thou didst call into being through Me and the\nexperiences Thou didst witness in Me.\n\nMagnified be Thy Name. Manifold trials have been\npowerless to deter Me from yielding thanks unto Thee and My\nshortcomings have failed to keep Me back from extolling Thy virtues.\nThe infidels had purposed to turn My abode into one of disgrace and\nhumiliation. But Thou hast glorified Me through My remembrance of\nThee, hast exalted Me through My praise of Thee, hast graciously\naided Me through the revelations of Thy oneness, and hast conferred\nupon Me a great honour through the effulgent splendours of Thine\nancient eternity. To the fire Thou dost command, ‘Be thou a\nsoothing balm unto My Servant’, and to the prison, ‘Be\nthou a seat of tender compassion to My Servant, as a token from My\npresence’. Yea, I swear by Thy glory; to Me the prison hath\nproved to be naught but the most delightful garden of Paradise and\nhath served as the noblest spot in the realm above.\n\nPraised and glorified art Thou. How often did\nadversities descend upon Me and Thou didst temper them and avert them\nthrough Thy gracious favour; and how many times were commotions\nstirred up against Me at the hand of the people, while Thou didst\ncause them to subside through Thy tender mercy. How numerous the\noccasions when the Nimrods kindled fires wherewith to burn Me, but\nThou didst make them balm for Me; and how manifold the instances when\nthe infidels decreed My humiliation and Thou didst turn them into\nmarks of honour for Me...\n\nVerily Thou art the highest aspiration of every earnest\nseeker and the Goal of the desire of them that yearn after Thee. Thou\nart He Who is ready to answer the call of such as recognize Thy\ndivine unity, and He before Whom the faint-hearted stand in awe. Thou\nart the Helper of the needy, the Deliverer of the captives, the\nAbaser of the oppressors, the Destroyer of the wrong-doers, the God\nof all men, the Lord of all created things. Thine are the kingdoms of\nCreation and Revelation, O Thou Who art the Lord of all the worlds.\n\nO All-Sufficient One! Thou dost suffice Me in every\nhardship that may descend upon Me and in every affliction that may\nwax great before Me. Thou art My sole Companion in My loneliness, the\nDelight of My heart in My solitude and My Best Beloved in My prison\nand in My Abode. No God is there but Thee!\n\nWhomsoever Thou dost suffice shall not be put to grief;\nwhomsoever Thou dost protect shall never perish; whomsoever Thou dost\nhelp shall never be abased; and he unto whom Thou turnest Thy gaze\nshall never be far removed from Thee.\n\nWrite down for us then whatsoever is of Thee, and\nforgive us for what we are. Verily Thou art the Lord of power and\nglory, the Lord of all the worlds. ‘Far be the glory of Thy\nLord, the Lord of all greatness, from what they impute to Him, and\npeace be upon His Apostles, and praise be unto God, the Lord of all\nthe worlds.’78\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“How great the number of people who deck themselves ...”",
"slug": "sb-how-great-the-number-of-people-who-deck-themselves",
"summary": "How great the number of people who deck themselves with robes of silk all their lives, while clad in the garb of fire, inasmuch as they have divested themselves of the raiment of divine guidance and righteousness; and how numerous are…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHow great the number of people who deck themselves with\nrobes of silk all their lives, while clad in the garb of fire,\ninasmuch as they have divested themselves of the raiment of divine\nguidance and righteousness; and how numerous are those who wear\nclothes made of cotton or coarse wool throughout their lives, and yet\nby reason of their being endowed with the vesture of divine guidance\nand righteousness, are truly attired with the raiment of Paradise and\ntake delight in the good-pleasure of God. Indeed it would be better\nin the sight of God were ye to combine the two, adorning yourselves\nwith the raiment of divine guidance and righteousness and wearing\nexquisite silk, if ye can afford to do so. If not, at least act ye\nnot unrighteously, but rather observe piety and virtue...\n\nBut for the sole reason of His being present amongst\nthis people, We would have neither prescribed any law nor laid down\nany prohibition. It is only for the glorification of His Name and the\nexaltation of His Cause that We have enunciated certain laws at Our\nbehest, or forbidden the acts to which We are averse, so that at the\nhour of His manifestation ye may attain through Him the good-pleasure\nof God and abstain from the things that are abhorrent unto Him.\n\nSay, verily, the good-pleasure of Him Whom God shall\nmake manifest is the good-pleasure of God, while the displeasure of\nHim Whom God shall make manifest is none other than the displeasure\nof God. Avoid ye His displeasure, and flee for refuge unto His\ngood-pleasure. Say, the living guides to His good-pleasure are such\nas truly believe in Him and are well-assured in their faith, while\nthe living testimonies of His displeasure are those who, when they\nhear the verses of God sent forth from His presence, or read the\ndivine words revealed by Him, do not instantly embrace the Faith and\nattain unto certitude. XVI, 14.\n\n\n\n\n 6: Excerpts From Various Writings\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“How numerous the souls raised to life who were exposed ...”",
"slug": "sb-how-numerous-the-souls-raised-to-life-who-were-exposed",
"summary": "How numerous the souls raised to life who were exposed to dire humiliation in Thy Path for exalting Thy Word and for glorifying Thy divine Unity! How profuse the blood that hath been shed for the sake of Thy Faith to vindicate the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHow numerous the souls raised to life who were exposed\nto dire humiliation in Thy Path for exalting Thy Word and for\nglorifying Thy divine Unity! How profuse the blood that hath been\nshed for the sake of Thy Faith to vindicate the authenticity of Thy\ndivine Mission and to celebrate Thy praise! How vast the possessions\nthat were wrongfully seized in the Path of Thy love in order to\naffirm the loftiness of Thy sanctity and to extol Thy glorious Name!\nHow many the feet that have trodden upon the dust in order to magnify\nThy holy Word and to extol Thy glory! How innumerable the voices that\nwere raised in lamentation, the hearts that were struck with terror,\nthe grievous woes that none other than Thee can reckon, and the\nadversities and afflictions that remain inscrutable to anyone except\nThyself; all this to establish, O my God, the loftiness of Thy\nsanctity and to demonstrate the transcendent character of Thy glory.\n\nThese decrees were ordained by Thee so that all created\nthings might bear witness that they have been brought into being for\nthe sake of naught else but Thee. Thou hast withheld from them the\nthings that bring tranquillity to their hearts, that they might know\nof a certainty that whatever is associated with Thy holy Being is far\nsuperior to and exalted above aught else that would satisfy them;\ninasmuch as Thine indomitable power pervadeth all things, and nothing\ncan ever frustrate it.\n\nIndeed Thou hast caused these momentous happenings to\ncome to pass that those who are endued with perception may readily\nrecognize that they were ordained by Thee to demonstrate the\nloftiness of Thy divine Unity and to affirm the exaltation of Thy\nsanctity.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“How vast the number of people who are well versed in ...”",
"slug": "sb-how-vast-the-number-of-people-who-are-well-versed-in",
"summary": "How vast the number of people who are well versed in every science, yet it is their adherence to the holy Word of God which will determine their faith, inasmuch as the fruit of every science is none other than the knowledge of divine…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHow vast the number of people who are well versed in\nevery science, yet it is their adherence to the holy Word of God\nwhich will determine their faith, inasmuch as the fruit of every\nscience is none other than the knowledge of divine precepts and\nsubmission unto His good-pleasure. II, 1.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“How veiled are ye, O My creatures, ... who, without ...”",
"slug": "sb-how-veiled-are-ye-o-my-creatures-who-without",
"summary": "How veiled are ye, O My creatures,62 ... who, without any right, have consigned Him unto a mountain [Mákú], not one of whose inhabitants is worthy of mention... With Him, which is with Me, there is no one except him who is one of the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHow veiled are ye, O My creatures,62\n... who, without any right, have consigned Him unto a mountain\n[Mákú], not one of whose inhabitants is worthy of\nmention... With Him, which is with Me, there is no one except him who\nis one of the Letters of the Living of My Book. In His presence,\nwhich is My Presence, there is not at night even a lighted lamp! And\nyet, in places [of worship] which in varying degrees reach out unto\nHim, unnumbered lamps are shining! All that is on earth hath been\ncreated for Him, and all partake with delight of His benefits, and\nyet they are so veiled from Him as to refuse Him even a lamp!\n\nIn this Day therefore I bear witness unto My creatures,\nfor the witness of no one other than Myself hath been or shall ever\nbe worthy of mention in My presence. I affirm that no Paradise is\nmore sublime for My creatures than to stand before My face and to\nbelieve in My holy Words, while no fire hath been or will be fiercer\nfor them than to be veiled from the Manifestation of My exalted Self\nand to disbelieve in My Words.\n\nYe may contend: ‘How doth He speak on our behalf?’\nHave ye not perused the unseemly words ye uttered in the past, as\nreflected in the text of My Book, and still ye feel not ashamed? Ye\nhave now seen the truth of My Book conclusively established and today\nevery one of you doth profess belief in Me through that Book. The day\nis not far distant when ye shall readily realize that your glory\nlieth in your belief in these holy verses. Today, however, when only\nbelief in this Faith truly profiteth you, ye have debarred yourselves\ntherefrom by reason of the things which are disadvantageous unto you\nand will inflict harm upon you, whereas He Who is the Manifestation\nof My Self hath been and shall ever remain immune from any harm\nwhatever, and any loss that hath appeared or will appear shall\neventually revert unto yourselves. II, 1.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“I Adjure Thee by Thy might, O my God! Let no harm ...”",
"slug": "sb-i-adjure-thee-by-thy-might-o-my-god-let-no-harm",
"summary": "I Adjure Thee by Thy might, O my God! Let no harm beset me in times of tests, and in moments of heedlessness guide my steps aright through Thine inspiration. Thou art God, potent art Thou to do what Thou desirest. No one can withstand…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI Adjure Thee by Thy might, O my God! Let no harm beset\nme in times of tests, and in moments of heedlessness guide my steps\naright through Thine inspiration. Thou art God, potent art Thou to do\nwhat Thou desirest. No one can withstand Thy Will or thwart Thy\nPurpose.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“I am aware, O Lord, that my trespasses have covered my ...”",
"slug": "sb-i-am-aware-o-lord-that-my-trespasses-have-covered-my",
"summary": "I am aware, O Lord, that my trespasses have covered my face with shame in Thy presence, and have burdened my back before Thee, have intervened between me and Thy beauteous countenance, have compassed me from every direction and have…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI am aware, O Lord, that my trespasses have covered my\nface with shame in Thy presence, and have burdened my back before\nThee, have intervened between me and Thy beauteous countenance, have\ncompassed me from every direction and have hindered me on all sides\nfrom gaining access unto the revelations of Thy celestial power.\n\nO Lord! If Thou forgivest me not, who is there then to\ngrant pardon, and if Thou hast no mercy upon me who is capable of\nshowing compassion? Glory be unto Thee, Thou didst create me when I\nwas non-existent and Thou didst nourish me while I was devoid of any\nunderstanding. Praise be unto Thee, every evidence of bounty\nproceedeth from Thee and every token of grace emanateth from the\ntreasuries of Thy decree.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“I Am the Mystic Fane which the Hand of Omnipotence ...”",
"slug": "sb-i-am-the-mystic-fane-which-the-hand-of-omnipotence",
"summary": "I am the Mystic Fane which the Hand of Omnipotence hath reared. I am the Lamp which the Finger of God hath lit within its niche and caused to shine with deathless splendour. I am the Flame of that supernal Light that glowed upon Sinai…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI am the Mystic Fane which the Hand of Omnipotence hath\nreared. I am the Lamp which the Finger of God hath lit within its\nniche and caused to shine with deathless splendour. I am the Flame of\nthat supernal Light that glowed upon Sinai in the gladsome Spot, and\nlay concealed in the midst of the Burning Bush. Chapter XCIV.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“I Beg Thee to forgive me, O my Lord, for every mention ...”",
"slug": "sb-i-beg-thee-to-forgive-me-o-my-lord-for-every-mention",
"summary": "I Beg Thee to forgive me, O my Lord, for every mention but the mention of Thee, and for every praise but the praise of Thee, and for every delight but delight in Thy nearness, and for every pleasure but the pleasure of communion with…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"joy",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI Beg Thee to forgive me, O my Lord, for every mention\nbut the mention of Thee, and for every praise but the praise of Thee,\nand for every delight but delight in Thy nearness, and for every\npleasure but the pleasure of communion with Thee, and for every joy\nbut the joy of Thy love and of Thy good-pleasure, and for all things\npertaining unto me which bear no relationship unto Thee, O Thou Who\nart the Lord of lords, He Who provideth the means and unlocketh the\ndoors.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“I Beg Thy forgiveness, O my God, and implore pardon ...”",
"slug": "sb-i-beg-thy-forgiveness-o-my-god-and-implore-pardon",
"summary": "I Beg Thy forgiveness, O my God, and implore pardon after the manner Thou wishest Thy servants to direct themselves to Thee. I beg of Thee to wash away our sins as befitteth Thy Lordship, and to forgive me, my parents, and those who in…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI Beg Thy forgiveness, O my God, and implore pardon\nafter the manner Thou wishest Thy servants to direct themselves to\nThee. I beg of Thee to wash away our sins as befitteth Thy Lordship,\nand to forgive me, my parents, and those who in Thy estimation have\nentered the abode of Thy love in a manner which is worthy of Thy\ntranscendent sovereignty and well beseemeth the glory of Thy\ncelestial power.\n\nO my God! Thou hast inspired my soul to offer its\nsupplication to Thee, and but for Thee, I would not call upon Thee.\nLauded and glorified art Thou; I yield Thee praise inasmuch as Thou\ndidst reveal Thyself unto me, and I beg Thee to forgive me, since I\nhave fallen short in my duty to know Thee and have failed to walk in\nthe path of Thy love.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“I Implore Thee by the splendour of the light of Thy ...”",
"slug": "sb-i-implore-thee-by-the-splendour-of-the-light-of-thy",
"summary": "I Implore Thee by the splendour of the light of Thy glorious face, the majesty of Thine ancient grandeur and the power of Thy transcendent sovereignty to ordain for us at this moment every measure of that which is good and seemly and to…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI Implore Thee by the splendour of the light of Thy\nglorious face, the majesty of Thine ancient grandeur and the power of\nThy transcendent sovereignty to ordain for us at this moment every\nmeasure of that which is good and seemly and to destine for us every\nportion of the outpourings of Thy grace. For granting of gifts doth\nnot cause Thee loss, nor doth the bestowing of favours diminish Thy\nwealth.\n\nGlorified art Thou, O Lord! Verily I am poor while in\ntruth Thou art rich; verily I am lowly while in truth Thou art\nmighty; verily I am impotent while in truth Thou art powerful; verily\nI am abased while in truth Thou art the most exalted; verily I am\ndistressed while in truth Thou art the Lord of might.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“I swear by the most holy Essence of God—exalted and ...”",
"slug": "sb-i-swear-by-the-most-holy-essence-of-god-exalted-and",
"summary": "I Swear by the most holy Essence of God—exalted and glorified be He—that in the Day of the appearance of Him Whom God shall make manifest a thousand perusals of the Bayán cannot equal the perusal of a single verse to be revealed by Him…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI Swear by the most holy Essence of God—exalted\nand glorified be He—that in the Day of the appearance of Him\nWhom God shall make manifest a thousand perusals of the Bayán\ncannot equal the perusal of a single verse to be revealed by Him Whom\nGod shall make manifest.\n\nPonder a while and observe that everything in Islám\nhath its ultimate and eventual beginning in the Book of God. Consider\nlikewise the Day of the Revelation of Him Whom God shall make\nmanifest, He in Whose grasp lieth the source of proofs, and let not\nerroneous considerations shut thee out from Him, for He is\nimmeasurably exalted above them, inasmuch as every proof proceedeth\nfrom the Book of God which is itself the supreme testimony, as all\nmen are powerless to produce its like. Should myriads of men of\nlearning, versed in logic, in the science of grammar, in law, in\njurisprudence and the like, turn away from the Book of God, they\nwould still be pronounced unbelievers. Thus the fruit is within the\nsupreme testimony itself, not in the things derived therefrom. And\nknow thou of a certainty that every letter revealed in the Bayán\nis solely intended to evoke submission unto Him Whom God shall make\nmanifest, for it is He Who hath revealed the Bayán prior to\nHis Own manifestation. V, 8.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“If at the time of the appearance of Him Whom God will ...”",
"slug": "sb-if-at-the-time-of-the-appearance-of-him-whom-god-will",
"summary": "If at the time of the appearance of Him Whom God will make manifest all the dwellers of the earth were to bear witness unto a thing whereunto He beareth witness differently, His testimony would be like unto the sun, while theirs would…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIf at the time of the appearance of Him Whom God will\nmake manifest all the dwellers of the earth were to bear witness unto\na thing whereunto He beareth witness differently, His testimony would\nbe like unto the sun, while theirs would be even as a false image\nproduced in a mirror which is not facing the sun. For had it been\notherwise their testimony would have proved a faithful reflection of\nHis testimony.\n\nI swear by the most sacred Essence of God that but one\nline of the Words uttered by Him is more sublime than the words\nuttered by all that dwell on earth. Nay, I beg forgiveness for making\nthis comparison. How could the reflections of the sun in the mirror\ncompare with the wondrous rays of the sun in the visible heaven? The\nstation of one is that of nothingness, while the station of the\nother, by the righteousness of God—hallowed and magnified be\nHis Name—is that of the Reality of things....\n\nIf in the Day of His manifestation a king were to make\nmention of his own sovereignty, this would be like unto a mirror\nchallenging the sun, saying: ‘The light is in me’. It\nwould be likewise, if a man of learning in His Day were to claim to\nbe an exponent of knowledge, or if he who is possessed of riches were\nto display his affluence, or if a man wielding power were to assert\nhis own authority, or if one invested with grandeur were to show\nforth his glory. Nay, such men would become the object of the\nderision of their peers, and how would they be judged by Him Who is\nthe Sun of Truth! III, 12.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Immeasurably exalted art Thou, O my God, above the ...”",
"slug": "sb-immeasurably-exalted-art-thou-o-my-god-above-the",
"summary": "Immeasurably exalted art Thou, O my God, above the endeavours of all beings and created things to praise Thee and recognize Thee. No creature can ever comprehend Thee as beseemeth the reality of Thy holy Being and no servant can ever…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"generosity",
"justice",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nImmeasurably exalted art Thou, O my God, above the\nendeavours of all beings and created things to praise Thee and\nrecognize Thee. No creature can ever comprehend Thee as beseemeth the\nreality of Thy holy Being and no servant can ever worship Thee as is\nworthy of Thine unknowable Essence. Praise be unto Thee; too high is\nThine exalted Self for any allusions proceeding from Thy creatures\never to gain access unto Thy presence.\n\nWhenever, O my God, I soared into Thy holy atmosphere\nand attained the inmost spirit of prayerfulness unto Thee, I was led\nto recognize that Thou art inaccessible and that no mention of Thee\ncan ever reach Thy transcendent court. Therefore I turn towards Thy\nLoved Ones—They upon Whom Thou hast graciously conferred Thine\nOwn station that They might manifest Thy love and Thy true knowledge.\nBless Them then, O my God, with every distinction and goodly gift\nwhich Thy knowledge may reckon within the domain of Thy power.\n\nO my God, my Lord and my Master! I swear by Thy might\nand glory that Thou alone and no one else besides Thee art the\nultimate Desire of all men, and that Thou alone and none other save\nThee art the Object of adoration. O my God! The paths of Thine\ninaccessible glory have prompted me to voice these words and the ways\nof Thine unattainable heights have guided me to make these allusions.\nExalted art Thou, O my God! The evidences of Thy revelation are too\nmanifest for me to need to refer to aught else save Thyself, and the\nlove I cherish for Thee is far sweeter to my taste than the knowledge\nof all things and freeth me from the need to seek anyone’s\nknowledge other than Thine.\n\nAll praise be unto Thee, O my Lord. I verily believe in\nThee, as Thou art in Thyself; and of Thee, as Thou art in Thyself, I\nbeg forgiveness for myself and on behalf of all mankind.\n\nO my God! Wholly have I fled unto Thy face and have cast\nmyself before Thee and no power have I over aught in Thy holy\npresence. Shouldst Thou chastise me with Thy might, Thou wouldst\nassuredly be just in Thy decree; and wert Thou to bestow every goodly\ngift on me, Thou wouldst indeed be most generous and bountiful.\nVerily Thou art independent of all the peoples of the world.\n\nI have sought reunion with Thee, O my Master, yet have I\nfailed to attain thereto save through the knowledge of detachment\nfrom aught save Thee. I have yearned for Thy love, but failed to find\nit except in renouncing everything other than Thyself. I have been\neager to worship Thee, yet have I failed to achieve Thy adoration,\nexcept by loving those who cherish Thy love. No one do I recognize, O\nmy God, except Thee. Thou art incomparable and hast no partner. Thou\nalone knowest our shortcomings and none other hath this knowledge. I\nbeg Thy forgiveness for whatever doth displease Thee.\n\nI call upon Thee at all times with the tongue of Thine\ninspiration, saying: ‘Thou art in truth the All-Possessing, the\nPeerless. No God is there but Thee. Immeasurably far and exalted art\nThou above the descriptions of those who arrogantly assign peers unto\nThee.’\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Immeasurably glorified and exalted art Thou. How ...”",
"slug": "sb-immeasurably-glorified-and-exalted-art-thou-how",
"summary": "Immeasurably glorified and exalted art Thou. How can I make mention of Thee, O Thou the Beloved of the entire creation; and how can I acknowledge Thy claim, O Thou, before Whom every created thing standeth in awe. The loftiest station…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"kindness",
"mercy",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nImmeasurably glorified and exalted art Thou. How can I\nmake mention of Thee, O Thou the Beloved of the entire creation; and\nhow can I acknowledge Thy claim, O Thou, before Whom every created\nthing standeth in awe. The loftiest station to which human perception\ncan soar and the utmost height which the minds and souls of men can\nscale are but signs created through the potency of Thy command and\ntokens manifested through the power of Thy Revelation. Far be it from\nThy glory that anyone other than Thee should make mention of Thee or\nshould attempt to voice Thy praise. The very essence of every reality\nbeareth witness to its debarment from the precincts of the court of\nThy nearness, and the quintessence of every being testifieth to its\nfailure to attain Thy holy Presence. Immeasurably glorified and\nexalted art Thou! That which alone beseemeth Thee is the befitting\nmention made by Thine Own Self, and that only which is worthy of Thee\nis the anthem of praise voiced by Thine Own Essence...\n\nThrough the revelation of Thy grace, O Lord, Thou didst\ncall Me into being on a night such as this,77\nand lo, I am now lonely and forsaken in a mountain. Praise and\nthanksgiving be unto Thee for whatever conformeth to Thy pleasure\nwithin the empire of heaven and earth. And all sovereignty is Thine,\nextending beyond the uttermost range of the kingdoms of Revelation\nand Creation.\n\nThou didst create Me, O Lord, through Thy gracious\nfavour and didst protect Me through Thy bounty in the darkness of the\nwomb and didst nourish Me, through Thy loving-kindness, with\nlife-giving blood. After having fashioned Me in a most comely form,\nthrough Thy tender providence, and having perfected My creation\nthrough Thine excellent handiwork and breathed Thy Spirit into My\nbody through Thine infinite mercy and by the revelation of Thy\ntranscendent unity, Thou didst cause Me to issue forth from the world\nof concealment into the visible world, naked, ignorant of all things,\nand powerless to achieve aught. Thou didst then nourish Me with\nrefreshing milk and didst rear Me in the arms of My parents with\nmanifest compassion, until Thou didst graciously acquaint Me with the\nrealities of Thy Revelation and apprised Me of the straight path of\nThy Faith as set forth in Thy Book. And when I attained full maturity\nThou didst cause Me to bear allegiance unto Thine inaccessible\nRemembrance, and enabled Me to advance towards the designated\nstation, where Thou didst educate Me through the subtle operations of\nThy handiwork and didst nurture Me in that land with Thy most\ngracious gifts. When that which had been preordained in Thy Book came\nto pass Thou didst cause Me, through Thy kindness, to reach Thy holy\nprecincts and didst suffer Me, through Thy tender mercy, to dwell\nwithin the court of fellowship, until I discerned therein that which\nI witnessed of the clear tokens of Thy mercifulness, the compelling\nevidences of Thy oneness, the effulgent splendours of Thy majesty,\nthe source of Thy supreme singleness, the heights of Thy transcendent\nsovereignty, the signs of Thy peerlessness, the manifestations of\nThine exalted glory, the retreats of Thy sanctity, and whatsoever is\ninscrutable to all but Thee.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“In the manifestation of the Apostle of God all were eagerly ...”",
"slug": "sb-in-the-manifestation-of-the-apostle-of-god-all-were-eagerly",
"summary": "In the manifestation of the Apostle of God all were eagerly awaiting Him, yet thou hast heard how He was treated at the time of His appearance, in spite of the fact that if ever they beheld Him in their dreams they would take pride in…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the manifestation of the Apostle of God all were\neagerly awaiting Him, yet thou hast heard how He was treated at the\ntime of His appearance, in spite of the fact that if ever they beheld\nHim in their dreams they would take pride in them.\n\nLikewise in the manifestation of the Point of the Bayán,\nthe people stood up at the mention of His Name and fervently implored\nHis advent night and day, and if they dreamt of Him they gloried in\ntheir dreams; yet now that He hath revealed Himself, invested with\nthe mightiest testimony, whereby their own religion is vindicated,\nand despite the incalculable number of people who yearningly\nanticipate His coming, they are resting comfortably in their homes,\nafter having hearkened to His verses; while He at this moment is\nconfined in the mountain of Mákú, lonely and forsaken.\n\nTake good heed of yourselves, O people of the Bayán,\nlest ye perform such deeds as to weep sore for His sake night and\nday, to stand up at the mention of His Name, yet on this Day of\nfruition—a Day whereon ye should not only arise at His Name,\nbut seek a path unto Him Who personifies that Name—ye shut\nyourselves out from Him as by as veil. VI, 15.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“In the Name of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Holy. ...”",
"slug": "sb-in-the-name-of-god-the-most-exalted-the-most-holy",
"summary": "In the Name of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Holy. All praise and glory befitteth the sacred and glorious court of the sovereign Lord, Who from everlasting hath dwelt, and unto everlasting will continue to dwell within the mystery of…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the Name of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Holy. All\npraise and glory befitteth the sacred and glorious court of the\nsovereign Lord, Who from everlasting hath dwelt, and unto everlasting\nwill continue to dwell within the mystery of His Own divine Essence,\nWho from time immemorial hath abided and will forever continue to\nabide within His transcendent eternity, exalted above the reach and\nken of all created beings. The sign of His matchless Revelation as\ncreated by Him and imprinted upon the realities of all beings, is\nnone other but their powerlessness to know Him. The light He hath\nshed upon all things is none but the splendour of His Own Self. He\nHimself hath at all times been immeasurably exalted above any\nassociation with His creatures. He hath fashioned the entire creation\nin such wise that all beings may, by virtue of their innate powers,\nbear witness before God on the Day of Resurrection that He hath no\npeer or equal and is sanctified from any likeness, similitude or\ncomparison. He hath been and will ever be one and incomparable in the\ntranscendent glory of His divine being and He hath ever been\nindescribably mighty in the sublimity of His sovereign Lordship. No\none hath ever been able befittingly to recognize Him nor will any man\nsucceed at any time in comprehending Him as is truly meet and seemly,\nfor any reality to which the term ‘being’ is applicable\nhath been created by the sovereign Will of the Almighty, Who hath\nshed upon it the radiance of His Own Self, shining forth from His\nmost august station. He hath moreover deposited within the realities\nof all created things the emblem of His recognition, that everyone\nmay know of a certainty that He is the Beginning and the End, the\nManifest and the Hidden, the Maker and the Sustainer, the Omnipotent\nand the All-Knowing, the One Who heareth and perceiveth all things,\nHe Who is invincible in His power and standeth supreme in His Own\nidentity, He Who quickeneth and causeth to die, the All-Powerful, the\nInaccessible, the Most Exalted, the Most High. Every revelation of\nHis divine Essence betokens the sublimity of His glory, the loftiness\nof His sanctity, the inaccessible height of His oneness and the\nexaltation of His majesty and power. His beginning hath had no\nbeginning other than His Own firstness and His end knoweth no end\nsave His Own lastness. I, 1.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“In this Revelation the Lord of the universe hath deigned ...”",
"slug": "sb-in-this-revelation-the-lord-of-the-universe-hath-deigned",
"summary": "In this Revelation the Lord of the universe hath deigned to bestow His mighty utterances and resplendent signs upon the Point of the Bayán, and hath ordained them as His matchless testimony for all created things. Were all the people…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn this Revelation the Lord of the universe hath deigned\nto bestow His mighty utterances and resplendent signs upon the Point\nof the Bayán, and hath ordained them as His matchless\ntestimony for all created things. Were all the people that dwell on\nearth to assemble together, they would be unable to produce a single\nverse like unto the ones which God hath caused to stream forth from\nthe tongue of the Point of the Bayán. Indeed, if any living\ncreature were to pause to meditate he would undoubtedly realize that\nthese verses are not the work of man, but are solely to be ascribed\nunto God, the One, the Peerless, Who causeth them to flow forth from\nthe tongue of whomsoever He willeth, and hath not revealed nor will\nHe reveal them save through the Focal Point of God’s Primal\nWill. He it is, through Whose dispensations divine Messengers are\nraised up and heavenly Books are sent down. Had human beings been\nable to accomplish this deed surely someone would have brought forth\nat least one verse during the period of twelve hundred and seventy\nyears which hath elapsed since the revelation of the Qur’án\nuntil that of the Bayán. However, all men have proved\nthemselves impotent and have utterly failed to do so, although they\nendeavoured, with their vehement might, to quench the flame of the\nWord of God. II, 1.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Indeed We conversed with Moses by the leave of God ...”",
"slug": "sb-indeed-we-conversed-with-moses-by-the-leave-of-god",
"summary": "Indeed We conversed with Moses by the leave of God from the midst of the Burning Bush in the Sinai and revealed an infinitesimal glimmer of Thy Light upon the Mystic Mount and its dwellers, whereupon the Mount shook to its foundations…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIndeed We conversed with Moses by the leave of God from\nthe midst of the Burning Bush in the Sinai and revealed an\ninfinitesimal glimmer of Thy Light upon the Mystic Mount and its\ndwellers, whereupon the Mount shook to its foundations and was\ncrushed into dust...\n\nO peoples of the earth! I swear by your Lord! Ye shall\nact as former generations have acted. Warn ye, then, yourselves of\nthe terrible, the most grievous vengeance of God. For God is, verily,\npotent over all things. Chapter LIII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say: Praised ...”",
"slug": "sb-is-there-any-remover-of-difficulties-save-god-say-praised",
"summary": "Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say: Praised be God! He is God! All are His servants and all abide by His bidding! Footnotes 1.This is the first letter of ‘Thamárih’ which means ‘fruit’. Shoghi Effendi, in…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Quddús",
"Vahíd"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"pilgrimage",
"children",
"holy-day",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIs there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say:\nPraised be God! He is God! All are His servants and all abide by His\nbidding!\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Footnotes\n1.This\nis the first letter of ‘Thamárih’ which\nmeans ‘fruit’. Shoghi Effendi, in his writings, refers\nto the Báb as the ‘Thamárih’\n(fruit) of the Tree of God’s successive Revelations. (See\nShoghi Effendi’s letter to the Bahá’ís of\nthe East dated Naw-Rúz 110, page 5.)2.In\none of His Tablets ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains that\nsome were misled by this statement and thought that the school\nreferred to was a physical school for the training of unlettered\nchildren, whereas it referred to a spiritual school sanctified from\nthe limits of the contingent world. Bahá’u’lláh\nin the Kitáb-i-Aqdas also refers to this Epistle of the Báb\nin the following words:\n\n\nO Thou Supreme Pen! Move over the Tablet by the leave\nof Thy Lord, the Creator of the heavens. Call Thou then to mind the\nday when the Fountainhead of divine unity sought to attend the\nschool which is sanctified of all save God, that perchance the\nrighteous might become acquainted, to the extent of a needle’s\neye, with that which is concealed behind the veil of the inner\nmysteries of Thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Knowing.\n\n\nSay, We, in truth, entered the school of inner meaning\nand exposition at a time when the minds of all that dwell on earth\nwere wrapt in heedlessness. We beheld what the Merciful Lord had\nrevealed, accepted the gift He [the Báb] had offered Me of\nthe verses of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, and\nhearkened to that to which He had attested in the Tablet. We,\nverily, are the Witness. We responded to His call at Our Own behest,\nand We are, in truth, the Ordainer.\n\n\nO people of the Bayán! We entered the School of\nGod when ye were slumbering on your couches, and perused the Tablet\nwhen ye were fast asleep. By the righteousness of God, the True One,\nWe had read it before it was revealed, and ye were utterly unaware.\nIndeed Our knowledge had encompassed the Book when ye were yet\nunborn.\n\n\nThese utterances are revealed according to your\nmeasure, not to God’s, and unto this beareth witness that\nwhich is enshrined in the knowledge of God, did ye but know. Unto\nthis testifieth He Who is the Mouthpiece of God, could ye but\nunderstand. By the righteousness of God! Were We to lift the veil ye\nwould swoon away. Take heed lest ye dispute with Him and His Cause.\nHe hath indeed appeared in such wise as to encompass all things,\nwhether of the past or of the future. Were We to speak forth at this\ntime in the language of the dwellers of the Kingdom, We would say\nthat God raised up this School ere the earth and the heavens were\nbrought into being, and We entered it before the letters ‘B’\nand ‘E’ were joined and knit together.\n3.1260\nA.H. (1844 A.D.)4.Qur’án\n8:445.The\nnumerical value of the letters of the word Ḥin is 68. The year\n1268 A.H. (1851–1852 A.D.) is the year preceding the birth of\nthe Bahá’í Revelation.6.The\nKa’bah in Mecca7.cf.\nQur’án 4:1198.Qur’án\n139.Qur’án\n3:18210.cf.\nQur’án 19:4111.cf.\nQur’án 17:9012.cf.\nQur’án 2:28513.cf.\nQur’án 3:5014.cf.\nQur’án 14:415.cf.\nQur’án 68:4216.cf.\nQur’án 7:63, 6917.cf.\nQur’án 36:6818.cf.\nQur’án 65:7; 94:519.cf.\nQur’án 8:4520.cf.\nQur’án 2:20421.cf.\nQur’án 4:5122.In\nthese passages of the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá the name\nQurratu’l-‘Ayn (Solace of the Eyes) refers to the Báb\nHimself.23.cf.\nQur’án 12:2024.cf.\nQur’án 78:3825.cf.\nQur’án 11:8326.cf.\nQur’án 24:2127.cf.\nQur’án 83:25–2628.Qur’án\n52:629.cf.\nQur’án 29:4030.cf.\nQur’án 2:20631.cf.\nQur’án 2:163–16432.cf.\nQur’án 17:8833.cf.\nQur’án 74:35–3734.cf.\nQur’án 21:4035.cf.\nQur’án 2:1436.cf.\nQur’án 4:14937.cf.\nQur’án 9:3238.cf.\nQur’án 4:16939.Qur’án\n5:7740.cf.\nQur’án 5:15–1841.cf.\nQur’án 5:2242.cf.\nQur’án 5:7143.cf.\nQur’án 2:32; 38:74–7844.cf.\nQur’án 7:69; 12:4045.cf.\nQur’án 7:146; 20:9046.cf.\nQur’án 7:18647.cf.\nQur’án 4:148.cf.\nQur’án 10:5049.cf.\nQur’án 10:1650.cf.\nQur’án 10:3351.cf.\nQur’án 18:4252.cf.\nQur’án 11:12053.cf.\nQur’án 6:1054.cf.\nQur’án 3:17255.cf.\nQur’án 33:7256.cf.\nQur’án 6:9357.cf.\nQur’án 11:8758.The\nBayán is divided into vahíds and chapters, to which\nthese numbers refer.59.Qur’án\n8:47; 33:41; 62:1060.Qur’án\n29:5061.Qur’án\n57:2162.In\nThe Promised Day is Come on page 7 Shoghi Effendi affirms that this\npassage was revealed by the Báb speaking with the voice of\nGod.63.This\nis a reference to Quddús, ‘whom the Persian Bayán\nextolled as that fellow-pilgrim round whom mirrors to the number of\neight Vahíds revolve’. (God Passes By, p. 49).64.Qur’án\n8:265.Qur’án\n19:9266.22\nMay 184467.From\nthe Declaration of Muḥammad; this occurred ten years before\nthe Hijrah which marks the starting point of the Muslim calendar.68.Qur’án\n3:569.Qur’án\n68:5170.By\n‘night’ is meant the period between two divine\nRevelations when the Sun of Truth is not manifest among men. In the\nPersian Bayán, II, 7, the Báb says, ‘O people of\nthe Bayán! Act not as the people of the Qur’án\nhave acted, for if you do so the fruits of your night will come to\nnaught’.71.The\nKitáb-i-Asmá’ is divided into vahíds and\nchapters, to which these numbers refer.72.By\n‘night’ is meant the period between two divine\nRevelations when the Sun of Truth is not manifest among men. In the\nPersian Bayán, II, 7, the Báb says, ‘O people of\nthe Bayán! Act not as the people of the Qur’án\nhave acted, for if you do so the fruits of your night will come to\nnaught’.73.By\n‘night’ is meant the period between two divine\nRevelations when the Sun of Truth is not manifest among men. In the\nPersian Bayán, II, 7, the Báb says, ‘O people of\nthe Bayán! Act not as the people of the Qur’án\nhave acted, for if you do so the fruits of your night will come to\nnaught’.74.He\nWho ariseth (God Passes By, p. 57)75.One\nWho is guided (God Passes By, p. 58)76.The\noriginal of this prayer for protection is written in the Báb’s\nown hand, in the form of a pentacle.77.Refers\nto the Báb’s birthday on the first day of the month of\nMuharram, 1235 A.H. (October 20, 1819).78.Qur’án\n37:180–18279.Qur’án\n6:103\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Issue forth from your cities, O peoples of the West and ...”",
"slug": "sb-issue-forth-from-your-cities-o-peoples-of-the-west-and",
"summary": "Issue forth from your cities, O peoples of the West and aid God ere the Day when the Lord of mercy shall come down unto you in the shadow of the clouds with the angels circling around Him,30 exalting His praise and seeking forgiveness…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIssue forth from your cities, O peoples of the West and\naid God ere the Day when the Lord of mercy shall come down unto you\nin the shadow of the clouds with the angels circling around Him,30\nexalting His praise and seeking forgiveness for such as have truly\nbelieved in Our signs. Verily His decree hath been issued, and the\ncommand of God, as given in the Mother Book, hath indeed been\nrevealed...\n\nBecome as true brethren in the one and indivisible\nreligion of God, free from distinction, for verily God desireth that\nyour hearts should become mirrors unto your brethren in the Faith, so\nthat ye find yourselves reflected in them, and they in you. This is\nthe true Path of God, the Almighty, and He is indeed watchful over\nyour actions. Chapter XLVI.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“It behooveth you to await the Day of the appearance of ...”",
"slug": "sb-it-behooveth-you-to-await-the-day-of-the-appearance-of",
"summary": "It behooveth you to await the Day of the appearance of Him Whom God shall manifest. Indeed My aim in planting the Tree of the Bayán hath been none other than to enable you to recognize Me. In truth I Myself am the first to bow down…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt behooveth you to await the Day of the appearance of\nHim Whom God shall manifest. Indeed My aim in planting the Tree of\nthe Bayán hath been none other than to enable you to recognize\nMe. In truth I Myself am the first to bow down before God and to\nbelieve in Him. Therefore let not your recognition become fruitless,\ninasmuch as the Bayán, notwithstanding the sublimity of its\nstation, beareth fealty to Him Whom God shall make manifest, and it\nis He Who beseemeth most to be acclaimed as the Seat of divine\nReality, though indeed He is I and I am He. However, when the Tree of\nthe Bayán attaineth its highest development, We shall bend it\nlow as a token of adoration towards its Lord Who will appear in the\nperson of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Perchance ye may be\nprivileged to glorify God as it befitteth His august Self.\n\nIndeed ye have been called into being through the power\nof the Point of the Bayán while the Point Himself is resigned\nto the Will of Him Whom God shall make manifest, is exalted through\nHis transcendent sublimity, is sustained by the evidences of His\nmight, is glorified by the majesty of His oneness, is adorned by the\nbeauty of His singleness, is empowered by His eternal dominion and is\ninvested with authority through His everlasting sovereignty. How then\ncould they, who are but the creation of the Point, be justified in\nsaying ‘why or wherefore’?\n\nO congregation of the Bayán, and all who are\ntherein! Recognize ye the limits imposed upon you, for such a One as\nthe Point of the Bayán Himself hath believed in Him Whom God\nshall make manifest, before all things were created. Therein, verily,\ndo I glory before all who are in the kingdom of heaven and earth.\nSuffer not yourselves to be shut out as by a veil from God after He\nhath revealed Himself. For all that hath been exalted in the Bayán\nis but as a ring upon My hand, and I Myself am, verily, but a ring\nupon the hand of Him Whom God shall make manifest—glorified be\nHis mention! He turneth it as He pleaseth, for whatsoever He\npleaseth, and through whatsoever He pleaseth. He, verily, is the Help\nin Peril, the Most High.\n\n\n\n\n 7: Prayers And Meditations\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“It is better to guide one soul than to possess all ...”",
"slug": "sb-it-is-better-to-guide-one-soul-than-to-possess-all",
"summary": "It is better to guide one soul than to possess all that is on earth, for as long as that guided soul is under the shadow of the Tree of Divine Unity, he and the one who hath guided him will both be recipients of God’s tender mercy,…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"generosity",
"love",
"mercy",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt is better to guide one soul than to possess all that\nis on earth, for as long as that guided soul is under the shadow of\nthe Tree of Divine Unity, he and the one who hath guided him will\nboth be recipients of God’s tender mercy, whereas possession of\nearthly things will cease at the time of death. The path to guidance\nis one of love and compassion, not of force and coercion. This hath\nbeen God’s method in the past, and shall continue to be in the\nfuture! He causeth him whom He pleaseth to enter the shadow of His\nMercy. Verily, He is the Supreme Protector, the All-Generous.\n\nThere is no paradise more wondrous for any soul than to\nbe exposed to God’s Manifestation in His Day, to hear His\nverses and believe in them, to attain His presence, which is naught\nbut the presence of God, to sail upon the sea of the heavenly kingdom\nof His good-pleasure, and to partake of the choice fruits of the\nparadise of His divine Oneness. II, 16.58\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“It is not permissible to ask questions from Him Whom ...”",
"slug": "sb-it-is-not-permissible-to-ask-questions-from-him-whom",
"summary": "It is not permissible to ask questions from Him Whom God will make manifest, except that which well beseemeth Him. For His station is that of the Essence of divine Revelation... Whatever evidence of bounty is witnessed in the world, is…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt is not permissible to ask questions from Him Whom God\nwill make manifest, except that which well beseemeth Him. For His\nstation is that of the Essence of divine Revelation... Whatever\nevidence of bounty is witnessed in the world, is but an image of His\nbounty; and every thing owes its existence to His Being... The Bayán\nis, from beginning to end, the repository of all of His attributes,\nand the treasury of both His fire and His light. Should anyone desire\nto ask questions, he is allowed to do so only in writing, that he may\nderive ample understanding from His written reply and that it may\nserve as a sign from his Beloved. However, let no one ask aught that\nmay prove unworthy of His lofty station. For instance, were a person\nto inquire the price of straw from a merchant of rubies, how ignorant\nwould he be and how unacceptable. Similarly unacceptable would be the\nquestions of the highest-ranking people of the world in His presence,\nexcept such words as He Himself would utter about Himself in the Day\nof His manifestation.\n\nMethinks I visualize those who would, prompted by their\nown deluded conceptions, write to Him and ask Him questions about\nthat which hath been revealed in the Bayán, and He would\nanswer them with words not of His Own, but divinely inspired, saying:\n‘Verily, verily, I am God; no God is there but Me. I have\ncalled into being all the created things, I have raised up divine\nMessengers in the past and have sent down Books unto Them. Take heed\nnot to worship anyone but God, He Who is My Lord and your Lord. This\nindeed is the undoubted truth. However, alike shall it be to Me; if\nye believe in Me, ye will provide good for your own souls, and if ye\nbelieve not in Me, nor in that which God hath revealed unto Me, ye\nwill suffer yourselves to be shut out as by a veil. For verily I have\nbeen independent of you heretofore, and shall remain independent\nhereafter. Therefore it behooveth you, O creatures of God, to help\nyour own selves and to believe in the Verses revealed by Me...’\nIII, 13.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“It is recorded in a tradition that of the entire concourse of ...”",
"slug": "sb-it-is-recorded-in-a-tradition-that-of-the-entire-concourse-of",
"summary": "It is recorded in a tradition that of the entire concourse of the Christians no more than seventy people embraced the Faith of the Apostle of God. The blame falleth upon their doctors, for if these had believed, they would have been…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"teaching",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt is recorded in a tradition that of the entire\nconcourse of the Christians no more than seventy people embraced the\nFaith of the Apostle of God. The blame falleth upon their doctors,\nfor if these had believed, they would have been followed by the mass\nof their countrymen. Behold, then, that which hath come to pass! The\nlearned men of Christendom are held to be learned by virtue of their\nsafeguarding the teaching of Christ, and yet consider how they\nthemselves have been the cause of men’s failure to accept the\nFaith and attain unto salvation! Is it still thy wish to follow in\ntheir footsteps? The followers of Jesus submitted to their clerics to\nbe saved on the Day of Resurrection, and as a result of this\nobedience they eventually entered into the fire, and on the Day when\nthe Apostle of God appeared they shut themselves out from the\nrecognition of His exalted Person. Dost thou desire to follow such\ndivines?\n\nNay, by God, be thou neither a divine without\ndiscernment nor a follower without discernment, for both of these\nshall perish on the Day of Resurrection. Rather it behooveth thee to\nbe a discerning divine, or to walk with insight in the way of God by\nobeying a true leader of religion.\n\nIn every nation thou beholdest unnumbered spiritual\nleaders who are bereft of true discernment, and among every people\nthou dost encounter myriads of adherents who are devoid of the same\ncharacteristic. Ponder for a while in thy heart, have pity on thyself\nand turn not aside thine attention from proofs and evidences.\nHowever, seek not proofs and evidences after thine idle fancy; but\nrather base thy proofs upon what God hath appointed. Moreover, know\nthou that neither being a man of learning nor being a follower is in\nitself a source of glory. If thou art a man of learning, thy\nknowledge becometh an honour, and if thou art a follower, thine\nadherence unto leadership becometh an honour, only when these conform\nto the good-pleasure of God. And beware lest thou regard as an idle\nfancy the good-pleasure of God; it is the same as the good-pleasure\nof His Messenger. Consider the followers of Jesus. They were eagerly\nseeking the good-pleasure of God, yet none of them attained the\ngood-pleasure of His Apostle which is identical with God’s\ngood-pleasure, except such as embraced His Faith.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“It is seemly that the servant should, after each prayer, ...”",
"slug": "sb-it-is-seemly-that-the-servant-should-after-each-prayer",
"summary": "It is seemly that the servant should, after each prayer, supplicate God to bestow mercy and forgiveness upon his parents. Thereupon God’s call will be raised: ‘Thousand upon thousand of what thou hast asked for thy parents shall be thy…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt is seemly that the servant should, after each prayer,\nsupplicate God to bestow mercy and forgiveness upon his parents.\nThereupon God’s call will be raised: ‘Thousand upon\nthousand of what thou hast asked for thy parents shall be thy\nrecompense!’ Blessed is he who remembereth his parents when\ncommuning with God. There is, verily, no God but Him, the Mighty, the\nWell-Beloved. VIII, 16.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Know thou that in the Bayán purification is regarded as ...”",
"slug": "sb-know-thou-that-in-the-bayan-purification-is-regarded-as",
"summary": "Know thou that in the Bayán purification is regarded as the most acceptable means for attaining nearness unto God and as the most meritorious of all deeds. Thus purge thou thine ear that thou mayest hear no mention besides God, and…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nKnow thou that in the Bayán purification is\nregarded as the most acceptable means for attaining nearness unto God\nand as the most meritorious of all deeds. Thus purge thou thine ear\nthat thou mayest hear no mention besides God, and purge thine eye\nthat it behold naught except God, and thy conscience that it perceive\nnaught other than God, and thy tongue that it proclaim nothing but\nGod, and thy hand to write naught but the words of God, and thy\nknowledge that it comprehend naught except God, and thy heart that it\nentertain no wish save God, and in like manner purge all thine acts\nand thy pursuits that thou mayest be nurtured in the paradise of pure\nlove, and perchance mayest attain the presence of Him Whom God shall\nmake manifest, adorned with a purity which He highly cherisheth, and\nbe sanctified from whosoever hath turned away from Him and doth not\nsupport Him. Thus shalt thou manifest a purity that shall profit\nthee.\n\nKnow thou that every ear which hearkeneth unto His Words\nwith true faith shall be immune from the fire. Thus the believer,\nthrough his recognition of Him will appreciate the transcendent\ncharacter of His heavenly Words, will whole-heartedly choose Him over\nothers, and will refuse to incline his affections towards those who\ndisbelieve in Him. Whatever one gaineth in the life to come is but\nthe fruit of this faith. Indeed any man whose eye gazeth upon His\nWords with true faith well deserveth Paradise; and one whose\nconscience beareth witness unto His Words with true faith shall abide\nin Paradise and attain the presence of God; and one whose tongue\ngiveth utterance to His Words with true faith shall have his abode in\nParadise, wherein he will be seized with ecstasy in praise and\nglorification of God, the Ever-Abiding, Whose revelations of glory\nnever end and the reviving breaths of Whose holiness never fail.\nEvery hand which setteth down His Words with true faith shall be\nfilled by God, both in this world and in the next, with things that\nare highly prized; and every breast which committeth His Words to\nmemory, God shall cause, if it were that of a believer, to be filled\nwith His love; and every heart which cherisheth the love of His Words\nand manifesteth in itself the signs of true faith when His Name is\nmentioned, and exemplifieth the words, ‘their hearts are\nthrilled with awe at the mention of God’,64\nthat heart will become the object of the glances of divine favour and\non the Day of Resurrection will be highly praised by God. IX, 10.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Lauded and glorified art Thou, O Lord! Both the world ...”",
"slug": "sb-lauded-and-glorified-art-thou-o-lord-both-the-world",
"summary": "He is God, the Sovereign Ruler, the Ever-Living, He Whose help all men…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe is God, the Sovereign Ruler, the Ever-Living, He\nWhose help all men implore.\n\nLauded and glorified art Thou, O Lord! Both the world of\nexistence and the souls of men bear witness that Thou art\ntranscendent above the revelations of Thy handiwork, and the bearers\nof Thy names and attributes proclaim that Thou art immeasurably\nexalted above such praise as the dwellers of the dominions of\ncreation and invention may render unto Thee. All appearances and\nrealities indicate the oneness of Thine Essence, and all evidences\nand signs reflect the truth that Thou art God and there is no peer or\npartner for Thee throughout the kingdoms of heaven and earth.\n\nImmensely high and sanctified art Thou, O Lord! Thy\ndivine Being testifieth that Thou art inscrutable to all that dwell\nin Thy realm of existence, and Thine inmost Essence proclaimeth that\nThou art far above the description of those who reveal Thy glory.\n\nThe signs which the sanctified essences reveal and the\nwords which the exalted realities express and the allusions\nmanifested by the ethereal entities all proclaim that Thou art\nimmeasurably exalted above the reach of the embodiments of the realm\nof being, and all solemnly affirm that Thou art immensely high above\nthe description of such as are wrapt in the veils of fancy.\n\nPraise be unto Thee, O Lord! Thy divine Being is a sure\ntestimony of the oneness of Thine inmost Essence and Thy supreme\ndivinity beareth witness to the unity of Thy Self, and the realities\nof all created things testify that no tie of intercourse bindeth Thee\nto anything in the kingdom of creation which Thou hast fashioned.\n\nEvery man of perception who hath scaled the noble\nheights of detachment, and every man of eloquence who hath attained\nthe most sublime station, beareth witness that Thou art God, the\nIncomparable, and that Thou hast assigned no associate unto Thyself\nin the kingdom of creation, nor is there anyone to compare with Thee\nin the realm of invention. Men of wisdom, who had but a notion of the\nrevelation of Thy glory, conceived a likeness of Thee according to\ntheir own understanding, and men of erudition, who had gained but a\nglimpse of the manifold evidences of Thy loving-kindness and glory,\nhave contrived peers for Thee in conformity with their own\nimaginations.\n\nGlorified, immeasurably glorified art Thou, O Lord!\nEvery man of insight is far astray in his attempt to recognize Thee,\nand every man of consummate learning is sore perplexed in his search\nafter Thee. Every evidence falleth short of Thine unknowable Essence\nand every light retreateth and sinketh below the horizon when\nconfronted with but a glimmer of the dazzling splendour of Thy might.\n\nBestow on me, O my Lord, Thy gracious bounty and\nbenevolent gifts and grant me that which beseemeth the sublimity of\nThy glory. Aid me, O my Lord, to achieve a singular victory. Open\nThou the door of unfailing success before me and grant that the\nthings Thou hast promised may be close at hand. Thou art in truth\npotent over all things. Refresh my heart, O my God, with the living\nwaters of Thy love and give me a draught, O my Master, from the\nchalice of Thy tender mercy. Let me abide, O my Lord, within the\nhabitation of Thy glory, and suffer me, O my God, to emerge from the\ndarkness in which Thy divine obscurity is shrouded. Enable me to\npartake of every good Thou hast vouchsafed unto Him Who is the Point\nand unto such as are the exponents of His Cause, and ordain for me\nthat which beseemeth Thee and well becometh Thy station. Do Thou\ngraciously forgive me for the things that I have wrought in Thy holy\npresence, and look not upon me with the glance of justice, but rather\ndeliver me through Thy grace, treat me with Thy mercy and deal with\nme according to Thy bountiful favours, as is worthy of Thy glory.\n\nThou art the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Glorious, the\nBestower of favours and gifts, the Lord of grace abounding. Verily no\nGod is there but Thee. Thou art the All-Possessing, the Most High.\n\nSanctified art Thou, O Lord, Thou unto Whom all render\nthanksgiving. Whatever I may affirm of Thee would be but a wanton\ncrime before Thee, and whatever mention I may choose to make of Thee\nwould be the essence of transgression, and whatever the praise\nwhereby I may glorify Thee, it would amount to sheer blasphemy. No\none else besides Thee hath been or will ever be able to fathom Thy\nmystery, neither hath any one succeeded nor will anyone succeed at\nany time in discovering Thine Essence.\n\nMagnified art Thou! No God is there but Thee. Thou art\nin truth the Supreme Ruler, the Help in Peril, the Most High, the\nIncomparable, the Omnipotent, the All-Powerful. Verily Thou art\nmighty in Thy prowess, the Lord of transcendent glory and majesty.\n\nProtect Thou, O God, whosoever learneth this prayer by\nheart and reciteth it in the day-time and in the night season. Verily\nThou art God, the Lord of creation, the All-Sufficing. Thou art\nfaithful to Thy promise and doest whatsoever Thou pleasest. Thou art\nthe One Who holdeth in His hands the dominions of earth and heaven.\nVerily Thou art the Almighty, the Inaccessible, the Help in Peril,\nthe All-Compelling.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Lauded and glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Thou ...”",
"slug": "sb-lauded-and-glorified-art-thou-o-lord-my-god-thou",
"summary": "Thou art God, no God is there but…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"generosity",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"steadfastness",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThou art God, no God is there but Thee.\n\nLauded and glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Thou art\nsupreme over the realm of being and Thy power pervadeth all created\nthings. Thou holdest the kingdom of creation within Thy grasp and\ndost call into being in conformity with Thy pleasure.\n\nAll praise be unto Thee, O Lord my God! I beseech Thee\nby such souls as are eagerly waiting at Thy gate and by those holy\nbeings who have attained the court of Thy presence, to cast upon us\nthe glances of Thy tender compassion and to regard us with the eye of\nThy loving providence. Cause our souls to be enkindled with the fire\nof Thy tender affection and give us to drink of the living waters of\nThy bounty. Keep us steadfast in the path of Thine ardent love and\nenable us to abide within the precincts of Thy holiness. Verily Thou\nart the Giver, the Most Generous, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.\n\nGlorified art Thou, O my God! I invoke Thee by Thy Most\nGreat Name through which the hidden secrets of God, the Most Exalted,\nwere divulged and the kindreds of all nations converged toward the\nfocal centre of faith and certitude, through which Thy luminous Words\nstreamed forth for the quickening of mankind and the essence of all\nknowledge was revealed from that Embodiment of bounty. May my life,\nmy inmost being, my soul and my body be offered up as a sacrifice for\nthe dust ennobled by His footsteps.\n\nI earnestly beg Thee, O Lord my God, by Thy most\nglorious Name whereby Thy sovereignty hath been established and the\ntokens of Thy might have been manifested, and whereby the oceans of\nlife and of holy ecstasy have surged for the reviving of the\nmouldering bones of all Thy creatures and for the stirring of the\nlimbs of such as have embraced Thy Cause—I earnestly beg Thee\nto graciously ordain for us the good of this world and of the next,\nto enable us to gain admission into the court of Thy mercy and\nloving-kindness and to kindle in our hearts the fire of joy and\necstasy in such wise that the hearts of all men may thereby be\nattracted.\n\nVerily Thou art the All-Powerful, the Protector, the\nAlmighty, the Self-Subsisting.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Lauded be Thy Name, O God. Thou art in truth our ...”",
"slug": "sb-lauded-be-thy-name-o-god-thou-art-in-truth-our",
"summary": "Lauded be Thy Name, O God. Thou art in truth our Lord; Thou art aware of whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth. Send down then upon us a token of Thy mercy. Verily Thou art unsurpassed among them that show mercy. All praise be…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLauded be Thy Name, O God. Thou art in truth our Lord;\nThou art aware of whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth. Send\ndown then upon us a token of Thy mercy. Verily Thou art unsurpassed\namong them that show mercy. All praise be unto Thee, O Lord. Ordain\nfor us from Thy presence that which will comfort the hearts of the\nsincere among Thy servants. Glorified art Thou, O God, Thou art the\nCreator of the heavens and the earth and that which lieth between\nthem. Thou art the sovereign Lord, the Most Holy, the Almighty, the\nAll-Wise. Magnified be Thy Name, O God, send down upon them who have\nbelieved in God and in His signs a mighty succour from Thy presence\nsuch as to enable them to prevail over the generality of mankind.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Lauded be Thy Name, O Lord our God! Thou art in ...”",
"slug": "sb-lauded-be-thy-name-o-lord-our-god-thou-art-in",
"summary": "Lauded be Thy Name, O Lord our God! Thou art in truth the Knower of things unseen. Ordain for us such good as Thine all-embracing knowledge can measure. Thou art the sovereign Lord, the Almighty, the Best…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLauded be Thy Name, O Lord our God! Thou art in truth\nthe Knower of things unseen. Ordain for us such good as Thine\nall-embracing knowledge can measure. Thou art the sovereign Lord, the\nAlmighty, the Best Beloved.\n\nAll praise be unto Thee, O Lord! We shall seek Thy grace\non the appointed Day and shall put our whole reliance in Thee, Who\nart our Lord. Glorified art Thou, O God! Grant us that which is good\nand seemly that we may be able to dispense with everything but Thee.\nVerily Thou art the Lord of all worlds.\n\nO God! Recompense those who endure patiently in Thy days\nand strengthen their hearts to walk undeviatingly in the path of\nTruth. Grant then, O Lord, such goodly gifts as would enable them to\ngain admittance into Thy blissful Paradise. Exalted art Thou, O Lord\nGod. Let Thy heavenly blessings descend upon homes whose inmates have\nbelieved in Thee. Verily, unsurpassed art Thou in sending down divine\nblessings. Send forth, O God, such hosts as would render Thy faithful\nservants victorious. Thou dost fashion the created things through the\npower of Thy decree as Thou pleasest. Thou art in truth the\nSovereign, the Creator, the All-Wise.\n\nSay: God is indeed the Maker of all things. He giveth\nsustenance in plenty to whomsoever He willeth. He is the Creator, the\nSource of all beings, the Fashioner, the Almighty, the Maker, the\nAll-Wise. He is the Bearer of the most excellent titles throughout\nthe heavens and the earth and whatever lieth between them. All do His\nbidding, and all the dwellers of earth and heaven celebrate His\npraise, and unto Him shall all return.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Let Me set forth some rational arguments for thee. If ...”",
"slug": "sb-let-me-set-forth-some-rational-arguments-for-thee-if",
"summary": "Let Me set forth some rational arguments for thee. If someone desireth to embrace the Faith of Islám today, would the testimony of God prove conclusive for him? If thou dost contend that it would not, then how is it that God will…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"humility",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLet Me set forth some rational arguments for thee. If\nsomeone desireth to embrace the Faith of Islám today, would\nthe testimony of God prove conclusive for him? If thou dost contend\nthat it would not, then how is it that God will chastise him after\ndeath, and that, while he lives, the verdict of ‘non-believer’\nis passed upon him? If thou affirmest that the testimony is\nconclusive, how wouldst thou prove this? If thy assertion is based on\nhearsay, then mere words are unacceptable as a binding testimony; but\nif thou deemest the Qur’án as the testimony, this would\nbe a weighty and evident proof.\n\nNow consider the Revelation of the Bayán. If the\nfollowers of the Qur’án had applied to themselves proofs\nsimilar to those which they advance for the non-believers in Islám,\nnot a single soul would have remained deprived of the Truth, and on\nthe Day of Resurrection everyone would have attained salvation.\n\nShould a Christian contend, ‘How can I deem the\nQur’án a testimony while I am unable to understand it?’\nsuch a contention would not be acceptable. Likewise the people of the\nQur’án disdainfully observe, ‘We are unable to\ncomprehend the eloquence of the verses in the Bayán, how can\nwe regard it as a testimony?’ Whoever uttereth such words, say\nunto him, ‘O thou untutored one! By what proof hast thou\nembraced the Religion of Islám? Is it the Prophet on whom thou\nhast never set eyes? Is it the miracles which thou hast never\nwitnessed? If thou hast accepted Islám unwittingly, wherefore\nhast thou done so? But if thou hast embraced the Faith by recognizing\nthe Qur’án as the testimony, because thou hast heard the\nlearned and the faithful express their powerlessness before it, or if\nthou hast, upon hearing the divine verses and by virtue of thy\nspontaneous love for the True Word of God, responded in a spirit of\nutter humility and lowliness—a spirit which is one of the\nmightiest signs of true love and understanding—then such proofs\nhave been and will ever be regarded as sound.’\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Likewise consider the manifestation of the Point of the ...”",
"slug": "sb-likewise-consider-the-manifestation-of-the-point-of-the",
"summary": "Likewise consider the manifestation of the Point of the Bayán. There are people who every night until morning busy themselves with the worship of God, and even at present when the Day-Star of Truth is nearing its zenith in the heaven of…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"prayer",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nLikewise consider the manifestation of the Point of the\nBayán. There are people who every night until morning busy\nthemselves with the worship of God, and even at present when the\nDay-Star of Truth is nearing its zenith in the heaven of its\nRevelation, they have not yet left their prayer-rugs. If any one of\nthem ever heard the wondrous verses of God recited unto him, he would\nexclaim: ‘Why dost thou keep me back from offering my prayers?’\nO thou who are wrapt in veils! If thou makest mention of God,\nwherefore sufferest thou thyself to be shut out from Him Who hath\nkindled the light of worship in thy heart? If He had not previously\nrevealed the injunction: ‘Verily, make ye mention of God’59,\nwhat would have prompted thee to offer devotion unto God, and\nwhereunto wouldst thou turn in prayer?\n\nKnow thou of a certainty that whenever thou makest\nmention of Him Whom God shall make manifest, only then art thou\nmaking mention of God. In like manner shouldst thou hearken unto the\nverses of the Bayán and acknowledge its truth, only then would\nthe revealed verses of God profit thee. Otherwise what benefit canst\nthou derive therefrom? For wert thou to prostrate thyself in\nadoration from the beginning of life till the end and to spend thy\ndays for the sake of God’s remembrance, but disbelieve in the\nExponent of His Revelation for the age, dost thou imagine that thy\ndeeds would confer any benefit upon thee? On the other hand, if thou\nbelievest in Him and dost recognize Him with true understanding, and\nHe saith: ‘I have accepted thine entire life spent in My\nadoration’, then assuredly hast thou been worshipping Him most\nardently. Thy purpose in performing thy deeds is that God may\ngraciously accept them; and divine acceptance can in no wise be\nachieved except through the acceptance of Him Who is the Exponent of\nHis Revelation. For instance, if the Apostle of God—may divine\nblessings rest upon Him—accepted a certain deed, in truth God\naccepted it; otherwise it hath remained within the selfish desires of\nthe person who wrought it, and did not reach the presence of God.\nLikewise, any act which is accepted by the Point of the Bayán\nis accepted by God, inasmuch as the contingent world hath no other\naccess unto the presence of the Ancient of Days. Whatever is sent\ndown cometh through the Exponent of His Revelation, and whatever\nascendeth, ascendeth unto the Exponent of His Revelation. VIII, 19.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Magnified be Thy Name, O God. Thine in truth are the ...”",
"slug": "sb-magnified-be-thy-name-o-god-thine-in-truth-are-the",
"summary": "Magnified be Thy Name, O God. Thine in truth are the Kingdoms of Creation and Revelation, and verily in our Lord have we placed our whole trust. All praise be unto Thee, O God; Thou art the Maker of the heavens and the earth and that…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMagnified be Thy Name, O God. Thine in truth are the\nKingdoms of Creation and Revelation, and verily in our Lord have we\nplaced our whole trust. All praise be unto Thee, O God; Thou art the\nMaker of the heavens and the earth and that which is between them,\nand Thou in truth art the supreme Ruler, the Fashioner, the All-Wise.\nGlorified art Thou, O Lord! Thou wilt surely gather mankind for the\nDay of whose coming there is no doubt—the Day whereon everyone\nshall appear before Thee and find life in Thee. This is the Day of\nthe One true God—the Day Thou shalt bring about as Thou\npleasest through the power of Thy behest.\n\nThou art the Sovereign, the wondrous Creator, the\nMighty, the Best Beloved.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“No created thing shall ever attain its paradise unless it ...”",
"slug": "sb-no-created-thing-shall-ever-attain-its-paradise-unless-it",
"summary": "No created thing shall ever attain its paradise unless it appeareth in its highest prescribed degree of perfection. For instance, this crystal representeth the paradise of the stone whereof its substance is composed. Likewise there are…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nNo created thing shall ever attain its paradise unless\nit appeareth in its highest prescribed degree of perfection. For\ninstance, this crystal representeth the paradise of the stone whereof\nits substance is composed. Likewise there are various stages in the\nparadise for the crystal itself... So long as it was stone it was\nworthless, but if it attaineth the excellence of ruby—a\npotentiality which is latent in it—how much a carat will it be\nworth? Consider likewise every created thing.\n\nMan’s highest station, however, is attained\nthrough faith in God in every Dispensation and by acceptance of what\nhath been revealed by Him, and not through learning; inasmuch as in\nevery nation there are learned men who are versed in divers sciences.\nNor is it attainable through wealth; for it is similarly evident that\namong the various classes in every nation there are those possessed\nof riches. Likewise are other transitory things.\n\nTrue knowledge, therefore, is the knowledge of God, and\nthis is none other than the recognition of His Manifestation in each\nDispensation. Nor is there any wealth save in poverty in all save God\nand sanctity from aught else but Him—a state that can be\nrealized only when demonstrated towards Him Who is the Dayspring of\nHis Revelation. This doth not mean, however, that one ought not to\nyield praise unto former Revelations. On no account is this\nacceptable, inasmuch as it behooveth man, upon reaching the age of\nnineteen, to render thanksgiving for the day of his conception as an\nembryo. For had the embryo not existed, how could he have reached his\npresent state? Likewise had the religion taught by Adam not existed,\nthis Faith would not have attained its present stage. Thus consider\nthou the development of God’s Faith until the end that hath no\nend. V, 4.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Concourse of the faithful! Verily the object of each ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-concourse-of-the-faithful-verily-the-object-of-each",
"summary": "O Concourse of the faithful! Verily the object of each and every sign revealed by God in the Scriptures or in the world at large or in the hearts of men is but to make them fully realize that this Remembrance is indeed the True One from…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Concourse of the faithful! Verily the object of each\nand every sign revealed by God in the Scriptures or in the world at\nlarge or in the hearts of men is but to make them fully realize that\nthis Remembrance is indeed the True One from God. Verily God is\ncognizant of all things through the power of eternal Truth...\n\nO ye that circle the throne of glory! Hearken unto My\nCall which is raised from the midst of the Burning Bush, ‘Verily\nI am God and there is none other God but Me. Hence worship Me, and\nfor the sake of Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance, offer ye\nprayers, purged from the insinuations of the people, for verily your\nLord, the One true God, is none other than the Sovereign Truth.\nIndeed such as invoke others besides Him are deservedly numbered\namong the inmates of the fire, while He Who is the Remembrance of God\nverily abideth, firm and undeviating, on the Path of Truth amidst the\nBurning Bush.’...\n\nO peoples of the earth! Inflict not upon the Most Great\nRemembrance what the Umayyads cruelly inflicted upon Ḥusayn in\nthe Holy Land. By the righteousness of God, the True One, He is\nindeed the Eternal Truth, and unto Him God, verily, is a witness.\nChapter XVII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O God our Lord! Protect us through Thy grace from ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-god-our-lord-protect-us-through-thy-grace-from",
"summary": "O God our Lord! Protect us through Thy grace from whatsoever may be repugnant unto Thee and vouchsafe unto us that which well beseemeth Thee. Give us more out of Thy bounty and bless us. Pardon us for the things we have done and wash…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO God our Lord! Protect us through Thy grace from\nwhatsoever may be repugnant unto Thee and vouchsafe unto us that\nwhich well beseemeth Thee. Give us more out of Thy bounty and bless\nus. Pardon us for the things we have done and wash away our sins and\nforgive us with Thy gracious forgiveness. Verily Thou art the Most\nExalted, the Self-Subsisting.\n\nThy loving providence hath encompassed all created\nthings in the heavens and on the earth, and Thy forgiveness hath\nsurpassed the whole creation. Thine is sovereignty; in Thy hand are\nthe Kingdoms of Creation and Revelation; in Thy right hand Thou\nholdest all created things and within Thy grasp are the assigned\nmeasures of forgiveness. Thou forgivest whomsoever among Thy servants\nThou pleasest. Verily Thou art the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Loving.\nNothing whatsoever escapeth Thy knowledge, and naught is there which\nis hidden from Thee.\n\nO God our Lord! Protect us through the potency of Thy\nmight, enable us to enter Thy wondrous surging ocean, and grant us\nthat which well befitteth Thee.\n\nThou art the Sovereign Ruler, the Mighty Doer, the\nExalted, the All-loving.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Hour of the Dawn! Ere the resplendent glory of the ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-hour-of-the-dawn-ere-the-resplendent-glory-of-the",
"summary": "O Hour of the Dawn! Ere the resplendent glory of the divine Luminary sheddeth its radiance from the Dayspring of this Gate, call thou to mind that the appointed Day of God will indeed be at hand in less than the twinkling of an eye.…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Hour of the Dawn! Ere the resplendent glory of the\ndivine Luminary sheddeth its radiance from the Dayspring of this\nGate, call thou to mind that the appointed Day of God will indeed be\nat hand in less than the twinkling of an eye. Thus hath the decree of\nGod been issued in the Mother Book. Chapter XCIV.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O King of Islám! Aid thou, with the truth, after having ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-king-of-islam-aid-thou-with-the-truth-after-having",
"summary": "O King of Islám! Aid thou, with the truth, after having aided the Book, Him Who is Our Most Great Remembrance, for God hath, in very truth, destined for thee, and for such as circle round thee, on the Day of Judgement, a responsible…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO King of Islám! Aid thou, with the truth, after\nhaving aided the Book, Him Who is Our Most Great Remembrance, for God\nhath, in very truth, destined for thee, and for such as circle round\nthee, on the Day of Judgement, a responsible position in His Path. I\nswear by God, O Sháh! If thou showest enmity unto Him\nWho is His Remembrance, God will, on the Day of Resurrection, condemn\nthee, before the kings, unto hell-fire, and thou shalt not, in very\ntruth, find on that Day any helper except God, the Exalted. Purge\nthou, O Sháh, the Sacred Land [Ṭihrán]\nfrom such as have repudiated the Book, ere the day whereon the\nRemembrance of God cometh, terribly and of a sudden, with His potent\nCause, by the leave of God, the Most High. God, verily, hath\nprescribed to thee to submit unto Him Who is His Remembrance, and\nunto His Cause, and to subdue, with the truth and by His leave, the\ncountries, for in this world thou hast been mercifully invested with\nsovereignty, and wilt, in the next, dwell, nigh unto the Seat of\nHoliness, with the inmates of the Paradise of His good-pleasure...\n\nBy God! If ye do well, to your own behoof will ye do\nwell; and if ye deny God and His signs, We, in very truth, having\nGod, can well dispense with all creatures and all earthly dominion.\nChapter I.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Lord! Enable all the peoples of the earth to gain ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-lord-enable-all-the-peoples-of-the-earth-to-gain",
"summary": "O Lord! Enable all the peoples of the earth to gain admittance into the Paradise of Thy Faith, so that no created being may remain beyond the bounds of Thy…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Lord! Enable all the peoples of the earth to gain\nadmittance into the Paradise of Thy Faith, so that no created being\nmay remain beyond the bounds of Thy good-pleasure.\n\nFrom time immemorial Thou hast been potent to do what\npleaseth Thee and transcendent above whatsoever Thou desirest.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Lord! Render victorious Thy forbearing servants in ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-lord-render-victorious-thy-forbearing-servants-in",
"summary": "O Lord! Render victorious Thy forbearing servants in Thy days by granting them a befitting victory, inasmuch as they have sought martyrdom in Thy path. Send down upon them that which will bring comfort to their minds, will rejoice their…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Lord! Render victorious Thy forbearing servants in Thy\ndays by granting them a befitting victory, inasmuch as they have\nsought martyrdom in Thy path. Send down upon them that which will\nbring comfort to their minds, will rejoice their inner beings, will\nimpart assurance to their hearts and tranquillity to their bodies and\nwill enable their souls to ascend to the presence of God, the Most\nExalted, and to attain the supreme Paradise and such retreats of\nglory as Thou hast destined for men of true knowledge and virtue.\nVerily Thou knowest all things, while we are but Thy servants, Thy\nthralls, Thy bondsmen and Thy poor ones. No Lord but Thee do we\ninvoke, O God our Lord, nor do we implore blessings or grace from\nanyone but Thee, O Thou Who art the God of mercy unto this world and\nthe next. We are but the embodiments of poverty, of nothingness, of\nhelplessness and of perdition, while Thy whole Being betokeneth\nwealth, independence, glory, majesty and boundless grace.\n\nTurn our recompense, O Lord, into that which well\nbeseemeth Thee of the good of this world and of the next, and of the\nmanifold bounties which extend from on high down to the earth below.\n\nVerily Thou art our Lord and the Lord of all things.\nInto Thy hands do we surrender ourselves, yearning for the things\nthat pertain unto Thee.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Lord! Thou art the Remover of every anguish and the ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-lord-thou-art-the-remover-of-every-anguish-and-the",
"summary": "O Lord! Thou art the Remover of every anguish and the Dispeller of every affliction. Thou art He Who banisheth every sorrow and setteth free every slave, the Redeemer of every soul. O Lord! Grant deliverance through Thy mercy and reckon…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Lord! Thou art the Remover of every anguish and the\nDispeller of every affliction. Thou art He Who banisheth every sorrow\nand setteth free every slave, the Redeemer of every soul. O Lord!\nGrant deliverance through Thy mercy and reckon me among such servants\nof Thine as have gained salvation.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Lord! Unto Thee I repair for refuge and toward all ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-lord-unto-thee-i-repair-for-refuge-and-toward-all",
"summary": "O Lord! Unto Thee I repair for refuge and toward all Thy signs I set my…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Lord! Unto Thee I repair for refuge and toward all Thy\nsigns I set my heart.\n\nO Lord! Whether travelling or at home, and in my\noccupation or in my work, I place my whole trust in Thee.\n\nGrant me then Thy sufficing help so as to make me\nindependent of all things, O Thou Who art unsurpassed in Thy mercy!\n\nBestow upon me my portion, O Lord, as Thou pleasest, and\ncause me to be satisfied with whatsoever Thou hast ordained for me.\n\nThine is the absolute authority to command.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O My God! I have failed to know Thee as is worthy of ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-my-god-i-have-failed-to-know-thee-as-is-worthy-of",
"summary": "O My God! I have failed to know Thee as is worthy of Thy glory, and I have failed to fear Thee as befitteth my station. How can I make mention of Thee when I am in this condition, and how can I set my face towards Thee when I have…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO My God! I have failed to know Thee as is worthy of Thy\nglory, and I have failed to fear Thee as befitteth my station. How\ncan I make mention of Thee when I am in this condition, and how can I\nset my face towards Thee when I have fallen short of my duty in\nworshipping Thee?\n\nThou didst not call me into being to demonstrate the\npotency of Thy might which is unmistakably manifest and evident; for\nThou art God Who everlastingly existed when there was naught. Rather\nThou didst create us through Thy transcendent power that a bare\nmention may be graciously made of us before the resplendent\nmanifestation of Thy Remembrance.\n\nI have no knowledge of Thee, O my God, but that which\nThou hast taught me whereby I might recognize Thy Self—a\nknowledge which reflecteth only my failure and sinfulness. Here am I\nthen, O my God, wholly consecrated unto Thee, willing to do what Thou\ndesirest. Humbly I cast myself before the revelations of Thy mercy,\nconfessing that Thou art God, no God is there but Thee, and that Thou\nart incomparable, hast no partner and naught is there like Thee. Unto\nthis Thou Thyself bearest witness, as well becometh Thy glory.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O My God, my Lord and my Master! I have detached ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-my-god-my-lord-and-my-master-i-have-detached",
"summary": "O My God, my Lord and my Master! I have detached myself from my kindred and have sought through Thee to become independent of all that dwell on earth and ever ready to receive that which is praiseworthy in Thy sight. Bestow on me such…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO My God, my Lord and my Master! I have detached myself\nfrom my kindred and have sought through Thee to become independent of\nall that dwell on earth and ever ready to receive that which is\npraiseworthy in Thy sight. Bestow on me such good as will make me\nindependent of aught else but Thee, and grant me an ampler share of\nThy boundless favours. Verily Thou art the Lord of grace abounding.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O My God, O my Lord, O my Master! I beg Thee to ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-my-god-o-my-lord-o-my-master-i-beg-thee-to",
"summary": "O My God, O my Lord, O my Master! I beg Thee to forgive me for seeking any pleasure save Thy love, or any comfort except Thy nearness, or any delight besides Thy good-pleasure, or any existence other than communion with…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO My God, O my Lord, O my Master! I beg Thee to forgive\nme for seeking any pleasure save Thy love, or any comfort except Thy\nnearness, or any delight besides Thy good-pleasure, or any existence\nother than communion with Thee.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O My God! There is no one but Thee to allay the anguish ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-my-god-there-is-no-one-but-thee-to-allay-the-anguish",
"summary": "O My God! There is no one but Thee to allay the anguish of my soul, and Thou art my highest aspiration, O my God. My heart is wedded to none save Thee and such as Thou dost love. I solemnly declare that my life and death are both for…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"fast",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"forgiveness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO My God! There is no one but Thee to allay the anguish\nof my soul, and Thou art my highest aspiration, O my God. My heart is\nwedded to none save Thee and such as Thou dost love. I solemnly\ndeclare that my life and death are both for Thee. Verily Thou art\nincomparable and hast no partner.\n\nO my Lord! I beg Thee to forgive me for shutting myself\nout from Thee. By Thy glory and majesty, I have failed to befittingly\nrecognize Thee and to worship Thee, while Thou dost make Thyself\nknown unto me and callest me to remembrance as beseemeth Thy station.\nGrievous woe would betide me, O my Lord, wert Thou to take hold of me\nby reason of my misdeeds and trespasses. No helper do I know of other\nthan Thee. No refuge do I have to flee to save Thee. None among Thy\ncreatures can dare to intercede with Thyself without Thy leave. I\nhold fast to Thy love before Thy court, and, according to Thy\nbidding, I earnestly pray unto Thee as befitteth Thy glory. I beg\nThee to heed my call as Thou hast promised me. Verily Thou art God;\nno God is there but Thee. Alone and unaided, Thou art independent of\nall created things. Neither can the devotion of Thy lovers profit\nThee, nor the evil doings of the faithless harm Thee. Verily Thou art\nmy God, He Who will never fail in His promise.\n\nO my God! I beseech Thee by the evidences of Thy favour,\nto let me draw nigh to the sublime heights of Thy holy presence, and\nprotect me from inclining myself toward the subtle allusions of aught\nelse but Thee. Guide my steps, O my God, unto that which is\nacceptable and pleasing to Thee. Shield me, through Thy might, from\nthe fury of Thy wrath and chastisement, and hold me back from\nentering habitations not desired by Thee.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O My servants! This is God’s appointed Day which the ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-my-servants-this-is-god-s-appointed-day-which-the",
"summary": "O My servants! This is God’s appointed Day which the merciful Lord hath promised you in His Book; wherefore, in very truth, glorify ye abundantly the name of God while treading the Path of the Most Great…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO My servants! This is God’s appointed Day which\nthe merciful Lord hath promised you in His Book; wherefore, in very\ntruth, glorify ye abundantly the name of God while treading the Path\nof the Most Great Remembrance...\n\nVerily God hath granted leave to His Remembrance to say\nwhatsoever He willeth in whatever manner He pleaseth. Indeed\nwhatsoever He chooseth is none other than what is chosen by Us. The\nLord, in truth, witnesseth all things. Chapter LXXXVII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O People of Persia! Are ye not satisfied with this glorious ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-people-of-persia-are-ye-not-satisfied-with-this-glorious",
"summary": "O People of Persia! Are ye not satisfied with this glorious honour which the supreme Remembrance of God hath conferred upon you? Verily ye have been especially favoured by God through this mighty Word. Then do not withdraw from the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO People of Persia! Are ye not satisfied with this\nglorious honour which the supreme Remembrance of God hath conferred\nupon you? Verily ye have been especially favoured by God through this\nmighty Word. Then do not withdraw from the sanctuary of His presence,\nfor, by the righteousness of the One true God, He is none other than\nthe sovereign Truth from God; He is the most exalted One and the\nSource of all wisdom, as decreed in the Mother Book...\n\nO peoples of the earth! Cleave ye tenaciously to the\nCord of the All-Highest God, which is but this Arabian Youth, Our\nRemembrance—He Who standeth concealed at the point of ice\namidst the ocean of fire. Chapter XXIX.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O People of the Bayán! Be on your guard; for on the ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-people-of-the-bayan-be-on-your-guard-for-on-the",
"summary": "O People of the Bayán! Be on your guard; for on the Day of Resurrection no one shall find a place to flee to. He will shine forth suddenly, and will pronounce judgement as He pleaseth. If it be His wish He will cause the abased to be…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO People of the Bayán! Be on your guard; for on\nthe Day of Resurrection no one shall find a place to flee to. He will\nshine forth suddenly, and will pronounce judgement as He pleaseth. If\nit be His wish He will cause the abased to be exalted, and the\nexalted to be abased, even as He did in the Bayán, couldst\nthou but understand. And no one but Him is equal unto this. Whatever\nHe ordaineth will be fulfilled, and nothing will remain unfulfilled.\nVII, 9.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O People of the Bayán! If ye believe in Him Whom God ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-people-of-the-bayan-if-ye-believe-in-him-whom-god",
"summary": "O People of the Bayán! If ye believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest, to your own behoof do ye believe. He hath been and ever will remain independent of all men. For instance, were ye to place unnumbered mirrors before the sun, they…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO People of the Bayán! If ye believe in Him Whom\nGod shall make manifest, to your own behoof do ye believe. He hath\nbeen and ever will remain independent of all men. For instance, were\nye to place unnumbered mirrors before the sun, they would all reflect\nthe sun and produce impressions thereof, whereas the sun is in itself\nwholly independent of the existence of the mirrors and of the suns\nwhich they reproduce. Such are the bounds of the contingent beings in\ntheir relation to the manifestation of the Eternal Being...\n\nIn this day no less than seventy thousand people make\npilgrimage every year to the holy House of God in compliance with the\nbidding of the Apostle of God; while He Himself Who ordained this\nordinance took refuge for seven years in the mountains of Mecca. And\nthis notwithstanding that the One Who enjoined this commandment is\nfar greater than the commandment itself. Hence all this people who at\nthis time go on pilgrimage do not do so with true understanding,\notherwise in this Day of His Return which is mightier than His former\nDispensation, they would have followed His commandment. But now\nbehold what hath happened. People who profess belief in His former\nreligion, who in the daytime and in the night season bow down in\nworship in His Name, have assigned Him to a dwelling place in a\nmountain, while each one of them would regard attaining recognition\nof Him as an honour. VII, 15.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O People of the earth! By the righteousness of the One ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-people-of-the-earth-by-the-righteousness-of-the-one",
"summary": "O People of the earth! By the righteousness of the One true God, I am the Maid of Heaven begotten by the Spirit of Bahá, abiding within the Mansion hewn out of a mass of ruby, tender and vibrant; and in this mighty Paradise naught have…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO People of the earth! By the righteousness of the One\ntrue God, I am the Maid of Heaven begotten by the Spirit of Bahá,\nabiding within the Mansion hewn out of a mass of ruby, tender and\nvibrant; and in this mighty Paradise naught have I ever witnessed\nsave that which proclaimeth the Remembrance of God by extolling the\nvirtues of this Arabian Youth. Verily there is none other God but\nyour Lord, the All-Merciful. Magnify ye, then, His station, for\nbehold, He is poised in the midmost heart of the All-Highest Paradise\nas the embodiment of the praise of God in the Tabernacle wherein His\nglorification is intoned.\n\nAt one time I hear His Voice as He acclaimeth Him Who is\nthe Ever-Living, the Ancient of Days, and at another time as He\nspeaketh of the mystery of His most august Name. And when He intoneth\nthe anthems of the greatness of God all Paradise waileth in its\nlonging to gaze on His Beauty, and when He chanteth words of praise\nand glorification of God all Paradise becomes motionless like unto\nice locked in the heart of a frost-bound mountain. Methinks I\nvisioned Him moving along a straight middle path wherein every\nparadise was His Own paradise, every heaven His Own heaven, while the\nwhole earth and all that is therein appeared but as a ring upon the\nfinger of His servants. Glorified be God, His Creator, the Lord of\neverlasting sovereignty. Verily He is none other but the servant of\nGod, the Gate of the Remnant of God your Lord, the Sovereign Truth.\nChapter XXIX.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O People of the earth! To attain the ultimate retreat in ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-people-of-the-earth-to-attain-the-ultimate-retreat-in",
"summary": "O People of the earth! To attain the ultimate retreat in God, the True One, are we to seek a Gate other than this exalted…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO People of the earth! To attain the ultimate retreat in\nGod, the True One, are we to seek a Gate other than this exalted\nBeing?...\n\nWhen God created the Remembrance He presented Him to the\nassemblage of all created beings upon the altar of His Will.\nThereupon the concourse of the angels bowed low in adoration to God,\nthe Peerless, the Incomparable; while Satan waxed proud, refusing to\nsubmit to His Remembrance; hence he is identified in the Book of God\nas the arrogant one and the accursed.43\nChapter LXVII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O People of the Qur’án! Ye are as nothing unless ye ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-people-of-the-qur-an-ye-are-as-nothing-unless-ye",
"summary": "O People of the Qur’án! Ye are as nothing unless ye submit unto the Remembrance of God and unto this Book. If ye follow the Cause of God, We will forgive you your sins, and if ye turn aside from Our command, We will, in truth, condemn…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO People of the Qur’án! Ye are as nothing\nunless ye submit unto the Remembrance of God and unto this Book. If\nye follow the Cause of God, We will forgive you your sins, and if ye\nturn aside from Our command, We will, in truth, condemn your souls in\nOur Book, unto the Most Great Fire. We, verily, do not deal unjustly\nwith men, even to the extent of a speck on a date-stone. Chapter\nLXII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Peoples of the earth! By the righteousness of God, this ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-peoples-of-the-earth-by-the-righteousness-of-god-this",
"summary": "O Peoples of the earth! By the righteousness of God, this Book hath, through the potency of the sovereign Truth, pervaded the earth and the heaven with the mighty Word of God concerning Him Who is the supreme Testimony, the Expected…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"patience",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Peoples of the earth! By the righteousness of God,\nthis Book hath, through the potency of the sovereign Truth, pervaded\nthe earth and the heaven with the mighty Word of God concerning Him\nWho is the supreme Testimony, the Expected Qá’im, and\nverily God hath knowledge of all things. This divinely-inspired Book\nhath firmly established His Proof for all those who are in the East\nand in the West, hence beware lest ye utter aught but the truth\nregarding God, for I swear by your Lord that this supreme Proof of\nMine beareth witness unto all things...\n\nO servants of God! Be ye patient, for, God grant, He Who\nis the sovereign Truth will suddenly appear amongst you, invested\nwith the power of the mighty Word, and ye shall then be confounded by\nthe Truth itself, and ye shall have no power to ward it off;34\nand verily I am a witness over all mankind. Chapter LIX.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Peoples of the earth! Verily the resplendent Light of ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-peoples-of-the-earth-verily-the-resplendent-light-of",
"summary": "O Peoples of the earth! Verily the resplendent Light of God hath appeared in your midst, invested with this unerring Book, that ye may be guided aright to the ways of peace and, by the leave of God, step out of the darkness into the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Peoples of the earth! Verily the resplendent Light of\nGod hath appeared in your midst, invested with this unerring Book,\nthat ye may be guided aright to the ways of peace and, by the leave\nof God, step out of the darkness into the light and onto this\nfar-extended Path of Truth40 ...\n\nGod hath, out of sheer nothingness and through the\npotency of His command, created the heavens and the earth and\nwhatever lieth between them. He is single and peerless in His eternal\nunity with none to join partner with His holy Essence, nor is there\nany soul, except His Own Self, who can befittingly comprehend Him...\n\nO peoples of the earth! Verily His Remembrance is come\nto you from God after an interval during which there were no\nMessengers,41\nthat He may purge and purify you from uncleanliness in anticipation\nof the Day of the One true God; therefore seek ye whole-heartedly\ndivine blessings from Him, inasmuch as We have, in truth, chosen Him\nto be the Witness and the Source of wisdom unto all that dwell on\nearth...\n\nO Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Proclaim that which hath\nbeen sent down unto Thee as a token of the grace of the merciful\nLord, for if Thou do it not, Our secret will never be made known to\nthe people,42\nwhile the purpose of God in creating man is but for him to know Him.\nIndeed God hath knowledge of all things and is self-sufficient above\nthe need of all mankind. Chapter LXII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Peoples of the earth! Verily the true God calleth ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-peoples-of-the-earth-verily-the-true-god-calleth",
"summary": "O Peoples of the earth! Verily the true God calleth saying: He Who is the Remembrance is indeed the sovereign Truth from God, and naught remaineth beyond truth but error,50 and naught is there beyond error save fire, irrevocably…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Peoples of the earth! Verily the true God calleth\nsaying: He Who is the Remembrance is indeed the sovereign Truth from\nGod, and naught remaineth beyond truth but error,50\nand naught is there beyond error save fire, irrevocably ordained...\n\nO Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Point to Thy truthful\nbreast through the power of truth and exclaim: I swear by the One\ntrue God, herein lieth the vicegerency of God; I am indeed the One\nWho is regarded as the Best Reward51\nand I am indeed He Who is the Most Excellent Abode. Chapter LXXII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Peoples of the East and the West! Be ye fearful of God ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-peoples-of-the-east-and-the-west-be-ye-fearful-of-god",
"summary": "O Peoples of the East and the West! Be ye fearful of God concerning the Cause of the true Joseph and barter Him not for a paltry price22 established by yourselves, or for a trifle of your earthly possessions, that ye may, in very…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Peoples of the East and the West! Be ye fearful of God\nconcerning the Cause of the true Joseph and barter Him not for a\npaltry price22\nestablished by yourselves, or for a trifle of your earthly\npossessions, that ye may, in very truth, be praised by Him as those\nwho are reckoned among the pious who stand nigh unto this Gate.\nVerily God hath deprived of His grace him who martyred Ḥusayn,\nOur forefather, lonely and forsaken as He was upon the land of Táff\n[Karbilá]. Yazíd, the son of Mu’áviyih,\nout of corrupt desire, bartered away the head of the true Joseph to\nthe fiendish people for a trifling price and a petty sum from his\nproperty. Verily they repudiated God by committing a grievous error.\nErelong will God wreak His vengeance upon them, at the time of Our\nReturn, and He hath, in very truth, prepared for them, in the world\nto come, a severe torment. Chapter XXI.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! I recognize in Thee none other ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-qurratu-l-ayn-i-recognize-in-thee-none-other",
"summary": "O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! I recognize in Thee none other except the ‘Great Announcement’—the Announcement voiced by the Concourse on high. By this name, I bear witness, they that circle the Throne of Glory have ever known…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! I recognize in Thee none\nother except the ‘Great Announcement’—the\nAnnouncement voiced by the Concourse on high. By this name, I bear\nwitness, they that circle the Throne of Glory have ever known Thee.\n\nO concourse of the believers! Do ye harbour any doubt as\nto that whereunto the Remembrance of God doth summon you? By the\nrighteousness of the One true God, He is none other than the\nsovereign Truth Who hath been made manifest through the power of\nTruth. Are ye in doubt concerning the Báb? Verily He is the\nOne Who holdeth, by Our leave, the kingdoms of earth and heaven in\nHis grasp, and the Lord is in truth fully aware of what ye are\ndoing...\n\nIndeed I am but a man like unto you. However, God\nbestoweth upon Me whatever favours He willeth as He pleaseth, and\nthat which your Lord hath decreed in the Mother Book is unbounded.\nChapter LXXXVIII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Say: Verily I am the One Who is ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-qurratu-l-ayn-say-verily-i-am-the-one-who-is",
"summary": "O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Say: Verily I am the One Who is hailed in the Mother Book as the ‘Great Announcement’. Say: The people have grievously differed over Me, whereas in truth there is no difference between Me and the Báb; and God, the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Say: Verily I am the One\nWho is hailed in the Mother Book as the ‘Great Announcement’.\nSay: The people have grievously differed over Me, whereas in truth\nthere is no difference between Me and the Báb; and God, the\nEternal Truth, is sufficient witness. Chapter LXXVII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Stretch not Thy hands wide open ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-qurratu-l-ayn-stretch-not-thy-hands-wide-open",
"summary": "O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Stretch not Thy hands wide open in the Cause, inasmuch as the people would find themselves in a state of stupor by reason of the Mystery, and I swear by the true, Almighty God that there is yet for Thee another turn…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Stretch not Thy hands wide\nopen in the Cause, inasmuch as the people would find themselves in a\nstate of stupor by reason of the Mystery, and I swear by the true,\nAlmighty God that there is yet for Thee another turn after this\nDispensation.\n\nAnd when the appointed hour hath struck, do Thou, by the\nleave of God, the All-Wise, reveal from the heights of the Most Lofty\nand Mystic Mount a faint, an infinitesimal glimmer of Thy\nimpenetrable Mystery, that they who have recognized the radiance of\nthe Sinaic Splendour may faint away and die as they catch a lightning\nglimpse of the fierce and crimson Light that envelops Thy Revelation.\nAnd God is, in very truth, Thine unfailing Protector. Chapter\nXXVIII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! We have, verily, dilated Thine ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-qurratu-l-ayn-we-have-verily-dilated-thine",
"summary": "O Qurratu’l-‘ayn!23 We have, verily, dilated Thine heart in this Revelation, which stands truly unique from all created things, and have exalted Thy name through the manifestation of the Báb, so that men may become aware of Our…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Qurratu’l-‘ayn!23\nWe have, verily, dilated Thine heart in this Revelation, which stands\ntruly unique from all created things, and have exalted Thy name\nthrough the manifestation of the Báb, so that men may become\naware of Our transcendent power, and recognize that God is\nimmeasurably sanctified above the praise of all men. He is verily\nindependent of the whole of creation. Chapter XXIII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Spirit of God! Call Thou to mind the bounty which ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-spirit-of-god-call-thou-to-mind-the-bounty-which",
"summary": "O Spirit of God! Call Thou to mind the bounty which I bestowed upon Thee when I conversed with Thee in the midmost heart of My Sanctuary and aided Thee through the potency of the Holy Spirit that Thou mightest, as the peerless…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Spirit of God! Call Thou to mind the bounty which I\nbestowed upon Thee when I conversed with Thee in the midmost heart of\nMy Sanctuary and aided Thee through the potency of the Holy Spirit\nthat Thou mightest, as the peerless Mouthpiece of God, proclaim unto\nmen the commandments of God which lie enshrined within the divine\nSpirit.\n\nVerily God hath inspired Thee with divine verses and\nwisdom while still a child and hath graciously deigned to bestow His\nfavour upon the peoples of the world through the influence of Thy\nMost Great Name, for indeed men have not the least knowledge of the\nBook. Chapter LXIII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Thou cherished Fruit of the heart! Give ear to the ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-thou-cherished-fruit-of-the-heart-give-ear-to-the",
"summary": "O Thou cherished Fruit of the heart! Give ear to the melodies of this mystic Bird warbling in the loftiest heights of heaven. The Lord hath, in truth, inspired Me to proclaim: Verily, verily, I am God, He besides Whom there is none…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Thou cherished Fruit of the heart! Give ear to the\nmelodies of this mystic Bird warbling in the loftiest heights of\nheaven. The Lord hath, in truth, inspired Me to proclaim: Verily,\nverily, I am God, He besides Whom there is none other God. He is the\nAlmighty, the All-Wise.\n\nO My servants! Seek ye earnestly this highest reward, as\nI have indeed created for the Remembrance of God gardens which remain\ninscrutable to anyone save Myself, and naught therein hath been made\nlawful unto anyone except those whose lives have been sacrificed in\nHis Path. Hence beseech ye God, the Most Exalted, that He may grant\nyou this meritorious reward, and He is in truth the Most High, the\nMost Great. Had it been Our wish, We would have brought all men into\none fold round Our Remembrance, yet they will not cease to differ,52\nunless God accomplish what He willeth through the power of truth. In\nthe estimation of the Remembrance this commandment hath, in very\ntruth, been irrevocably ordained...\n\nGod hath indeed chosen Thee to warn the people, to guide\nthe believers aright and to elucidate the secrets of the Book.\nChapter LXXXV.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Thou Remnant of God! I have sacrificed myself wholly ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-thou-remnant-of-god-i-have-sacrificed-myself-wholly",
"summary": "O Thou Remnant of God! I have sacrificed myself wholly for Thee; I have accepted curses for Thy sake, and have yearned for naught but martyrdom in the path of Thy love. Sufficient witness unto me is God, the Exalted, the Protector, the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"truthfulness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Thou Remnant of God! I have sacrificed myself wholly\nfor Thee; I have accepted curses for Thy sake, and have yearned for\nnaught but martyrdom in the path of Thy love. Sufficient witness unto\nme is God, the Exalted, the Protector, the Ancient of Days.\n\nO Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! The words Thou hast\nuttered in this momentous Call have grieved Me bitterly. However, the\nirrevocable decision resteth with none but God and the decree\nproceedeth from none save Him alone. By My life, Thou art the\nWell-Beloved in the sight of God and His creation. Verily, there is\nno power except in God, and sufficient witness unto Me is your Lord,\nWho is, in very truth, the Omnipotent Avenger. Chapter LVIII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Thou the Supreme Word of God! Fear not, nor be ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-thou-the-supreme-word-of-god-fear-not-nor-be",
"summary": "O Thou the Supreme Word of God! Fear not, nor be Thou grieved, for indeed unto such as have responded to Thy Call, whether men or women, We have assured forgiveness of sins, as known in the presence of the Best Beloved and in conformity…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Thou the Supreme Word of God! Fear not, nor be Thou\ngrieved, for indeed unto such as have responded to Thy Call, whether\nmen or women, We have assured forgiveness of sins, as known in the\npresence of the Best Beloved and in conformity with what Thou\ndesirest. Verily His knowledge embraceth all things. I adjure Thee by\nMy life, set Thy face towards Me and be not apprehensive. Verily Thou\nart the Exalted One among the Celestial Concourse, and Thy hidden\nMystery hath, of a truth, been recorded upon the Tablet of creation\nin the midst of the Burning Bush. Ere long God will bestow upon Thee\nrulership over all men, inasmuch as His rule transcendeth the whole\nof creation. Chapter XXXI.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Thou who art the chosen one among women! ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-thou-who-art-the-chosen-one-among-women",
"summary": "O Thou who art the chosen one among…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"devotion",
"generosity",
"gratitude",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Thou who art the chosen one among women!\n\nHe is God; glorified is the splendour of His light. The\nverses in this Tablet are revealed for the one who hath believed in\nthe signs of her Lord and is reckoned among such as are wholly\ndevoted unto Him. Bear thou witness that verily no God is there but\nHim, Who is both my Lord and thine, and that no other God besides Him\nexisteth. He is the Bountiful, the Almighty.\n\nYield thee thanks unto God, for He hath graciously aided\nthee in this Day, revealed for thee the clear verses of this Tablet,\nand hath numbered thee among such women as have believed in the signs\nof God, have taken Him as their guardian and are of the grateful.\nVerily God shall soon reward thee and those who have believed in His\nsigns with an excellent reward from His presence. Assuredly no God is\nthere other than Him, the All-Possessing, the Most Generous. The\nrevelations of His bounty pervade all created things; He is the\nMerciful, the Compassionate.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye concourse of the believers! Utter not words of ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-ye-concourse-of-the-believers-utter-not-words-of",
"summary": "O ye concourse of the believers! Utter not words of denial against Me once the Truth is made manifest, for indeed the mandate of the Báb hath befittingly been proclaimed unto you in the Qur’án aforetime. I swear by your Lord, this Book…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye concourse of the believers! Utter not words of\ndenial against Me once the Truth is made manifest, for indeed the\nmandate of the Báb hath befittingly been proclaimed unto you\nin the Qur’án aforetime. I swear by your Lord, this Book\nis verily the same Qur’án which was sent down in the\npast. Chapter LXXXI.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye kinsmen of the Most Great Remembrance! This ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-ye-kinsmen-of-the-most-great-remembrance-this",
"summary": "O ye kinsmen of the Most Great Remembrance! This Tree of Holiness, dyed crimson with the oil of servitude, hath verily sprung forth out of your own soil in the midst of the Burning Bush, yet ye comprehend nothing whatever thereof,…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"the-covenant",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye kinsmen of the Most Great Remembrance! This Tree of\nHoliness, dyed crimson with the oil of servitude, hath verily sprung\nforth out of your own soil in the midst of the Burning Bush, yet ye\ncomprehend nothing whatever thereof, neither of His true, heavenly\nattributes, nor of the actual circumstances of His earthly life, nor\nof the evidences of His powerful and unblemished behaviour. Actuated\nby your own fancies, you consider Him to be alien to the sovereign\nTruth, while in the estimation of God He is none other than the\nPromised One Himself, invested with the power of the sovereign Truth,\nand verily He is, as decreed in the Mother Book, held answerable in\nthe midst of the Burning Bush...\n\nO Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Deliver the summons of the\nmost exalted Word unto the handmaids among Thy kindred, caution them\nagainst the Most Great Fire and announce unto them the joyful tidings\nthat following this mighty Covenant there shall be everlasting\nreunion with God in the Paradise of His good-pleasure, nigh unto the\nSeat of Holiness. Verily God, the Lord of creation, is potent over\nall things.\n\nO Thou Mother of the Remembrance! May the peace and\nsalutation of God rest upon thee. Indeed thou hast endured patiently\nin Him Who is the sublime Self of God. Recognize then the station of\nthy Son Who is none other than the mighty Word of God. He hath verily\npledged Himself to be answerable for thee both in thy grave and on\nthe Judgement Day, while thou hast, in the Preserved Tablet of God,\nbeen immortalized as the ‘Mother of the Faithful’ by the\nPen of His Remembrance. Chapter XXVIII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye peoples of the earth! By the righteousness of God, ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-ye-peoples-of-the-earth-by-the-righteousness-of-god",
"summary": "O ye peoples of the earth! By the righteousness of God, the True One, the testimony shown forth by His Remembrance is like unto a sun which the hand of the merciful Lord hath raised high in the midmost heart of the heaven, wherefrom it…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye peoples of the earth! By the righteousness of God,\nthe True One, the testimony shown forth by His Remembrance is like\nunto a sun which the hand of the merciful Lord hath raised high in\nthe midmost heart of the heaven, wherefrom it shineth in the\nplenitude of its meridian splendour...\n\nWith each and every Prophet Whom We have sent down in\nthe past, We have established a separate Covenant concerning the\nRemembrance of God and His Day. Manifest, in the realm of glory and\nthrough the power of truth, are the Remembrance of God and His Day\nbefore the eyes of the angels that circle His mercy-seat. Chapter\nXCI.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye peoples of the earth! During the time of My ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-ye-peoples-of-the-earth-during-the-time-of-my",
"summary": "O ye peoples of the earth! During the time of My absence I sent down the Gates unto you. However the believers, except for a handful, obeyed them not. Formerly I sent forth unto you Aḥmad and more recently Kázim, but apart from the pure…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye peoples of the earth! During the time of My absence\nI sent down the Gates unto you. However the believers, except for a\nhandful, obeyed them not. Formerly I sent forth unto you Aḥmad\nand more recently Kázim, but apart from the pure in heart\namongst you no one followed them. What hath befallen you, O people of\nthe Book? Will ye not fear the One true God, He Who is your Lord, the\nAncient of Days?... O ye who profess belief in God! I adjure you by\nHim Who is the Eternal Truth, have ye discerned among the precepts of\nthese Gates anything inconsistent with the commandments of God as set\nforth in this Book? Hath your learning deluded you by reason of your\nimpiety? Take ye heed then, for verily your God, the Lord of Eternal\nTruth, is with you and in very truth is watchful over you... Chapter\nXXVII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye peoples of the earth! Hearken unto My call, ringing ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-ye-peoples-of-the-earth-hearken-unto-my-call-ringing",
"summary": "O ye peoples of the earth! Hearken unto My call, ringing forth from the precincts of this sacred Tree—a Tree set ablaze by the pre-existent Fire: There is no God but Him; He is the Exalted, the All-Wise. O ye the servants of the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye peoples of the earth! Hearken unto My call, ringing\nforth from the precincts of this sacred Tree—a Tree set ablaze\nby the pre-existent Fire: There is no God but Him; He is the Exalted,\nthe All-Wise. O ye the servants of the Merciful One! Enter ye, one\nand all, through this Gate and follow not the steps of the Evil One,\nfor he prompteth you to walk in the ways of impiety and wickedness;\nhe is, in truth, your declared enemy.31\nChapter LI.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye servants of God! Verily, be not grieved if a thing ye ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-ye-servants-of-god-verily-be-not-grieved-if-a-thing-ye",
"summary": "O ye servants of God! Verily, be not grieved if a thing ye asked of Him remaineth unanswered, inasmuch as He hath been commanded by God to observe silence, a silence which is in truth praiseworthy. We have indeed enabled Thee to truly…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye servants of God! Verily, be not grieved if a thing\nye asked of Him remaineth unanswered, inasmuch as He hath been\ncommanded by God to observe silence, a silence which is in truth\npraiseworthy. We have indeed enabled Thee to truly see in Thy dream a\nmeasure of Our Cause, but wert Thou to acquaint them with the hidden\nMystery, they would dispute its truth among themselves. Verily Thy\nLord, the God of truth, knoweth the very secrets of hearts19 ...\n\nO peoples of the world! Whatsoever ye have offered up in\nthe way of the One True God, ye shall indeed find preserved by God,\nthe Preserver, intact at God’s Holy Gate. O peoples of the\nearth! Bear ye allegiance unto this resplendent light wherewith God\nhath graciously invested Me through the power of infallible Truth,\nand walk not in the footsteps of the Evil One,20\ninasmuch as he prompteth you to disbelieve in God, your Lord, and\nverily God will not forgive disbelief in Himself, though He will\nforgive other sins to whomsoever He pleaseth.21\nIndeed His knowledge embraceth all things... Chapter XVII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Ye unto whom the Bayán is given! Be ye vigilant lest ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-ye-unto-whom-the-bayan-is-given-be-ye-vigilant-lest",
"summary": "O Ye unto whom the Bayán is given! Be ye vigilant lest in the days of Him Whom God shall make manifest, while ye consider yourselves as seeking God’s pleasure, in reality ye persist in that which would only displease Him, even as did…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"prayer",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Ye unto whom the Bayán is given! Be ye vigilant\nlest in the days of Him Whom God shall make manifest, while ye\nconsider yourselves as seeking God’s pleasure, in reality ye\npersist in that which would only displease Him, even as did those who\nlived in the days of the Primal Point, to whom it never occurred that\nthey were seeking things which ran counter to that which God had\npurposed. They shut themselves out as by a veil from God and failed\nto observe that which He had desired for them to perform as true\nbelievers. They pondered not upon such people as lived in the days of\nMuḥammad, who believed likewise that they were seeking the\ngood-pleasure of God, while they had actually cut themselves off\ntherefrom, once they had failed to secure the good-pleasure of\nMuḥammad. Nevertheless they comprehended not.\n\nO ye who are invested with the Bayán! Regard not\nyourselves as being like unto the people to whom the Qur’án\nor the Gospel or other Scriptures of old were given, since at the\ntime of His manifestation ye shall stray farther from God than did\nthey. If ye happen to shut yourselves out it would never cross your\nminds that ye were shut out from Him. It behooveth you to consider\nhow the people unto whom the Qur’án was given were\ndebarred from the Truth, for indeed ye will act in a like manner,\nthinking that ye are doers of good. If ye perceive the degree of your\ndeprivation of God, ye will wish to have perished from the face of\nthe earth and to have sunk into oblivion. The day will come when ye\nwill earnestly desire to know that which would meet with the\ngood-pleasure of God but, alas, ye shall find no path unto Him. Ye,\neven as camels that wander aimlessly, will not find a pasture wherein\nye may gather and unite upon a Cause in which ye can assuredly\nbelieve. At that time God shall cause the Sun of Truth to shine forth\nand the oceans of His bounty and grace to surge, while ye will have\nchosen droplets of water as the object of your desire, and will have\ndeprived yourselves of the plenteous waters in His oceans.\n\nIf ye entertain any doubts in this matter consider the\npeople unto whom the Gospel was given. Having no access to the\napostles of Jesus, they sought the pleasure of the Lord in their\nchurches, hoping to learn that which would be acceptable unto God,\nbut they found therein no path unto Him. Then when God manifested\nMuḥammad as His Messenger and as the Repository of His\ngood-pleasure, they neglected to quicken their souls from the\nFountain of living waters which streamed forth from the presence of\ntheir Lord and continued to rove distraught upon the earth seeking a\nmere droplet of water and believing that they were doing righteous\ndeeds. They behaved as the people unto whom the Qur’án\nwas given are now behaving.\n\nO ye who are invested with the Bayán! Ye can act\nsimilarly. Take ye heed, therefore, lest ye deprive yourselves of\nattaining the presence of Him Who is the Manifestation of God,\nnotwithstanding that ye have been day and night praying to behold His\ncountenance; and be ye careful lest ye be deterred from attaining\nunto the ocean of His good-pleasure, when perplexed and to no avail\nye roam the earth in search of a drop of water.\n\nSay, the testimony of God hath been fulfilled in the\nBayán, and through its revelation the grace of God hath\nattained its highest consummation for all mankind. Let no one among\nyou say that God hath withheld the outpouring of His bounty unto you,\nfor assuredly God’s mercy unto those to whom the Bayán\nis given hath been fulfilled and completed until the Day of\nResurrection. Would that ye might believe in the signs of God. XVI,\n13.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Ye who are invested with the Bayán! Be ye watchful ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-ye-who-are-invested-with-the-bayan-be-ye-watchful",
"summary": "O Ye who are invested with the Bayán! Be ye watchful on the Day of Resurrection, for on that Day ye will firmly believe in the Vahíd of the Bayán, though this, even as your past religion which proved of no avail, can in no wise benefit…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Vahíd"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Ye who are invested with the Bayán! Be ye\nwatchful on the Day of Resurrection, for on that Day ye will firmly\nbelieve in the Vahíd of the Bayán, though this, even as\nyour past religion which proved of no avail, can in no wise benefit\nyou, unless ye embrace the Cause of Him Whom God shall make manifest\nand believe in that which He ordaineth. Therefore take ye good heed\nlest ye shut yourselves out from Him Who is the Fountain-head of all\nMessengers and Scriptures, while ye hold fast to parts of the\nteachings which have emanated from these sources. XVII, 15.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Ye who are invested with the Bayán! Ye shall be put ...”",
"slug": "sb-o-ye-who-are-invested-with-the-bayan-ye-shall-be-put",
"summary": "O Ye who are invested with the Bayán! Ye shall be put to proof, even as those unto whom the Qur’án was given. Have pity on yourselves, for ye shall witness the Day when God will have revealed Him Who is the Manifestation of His Own…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Ye who are invested with the Bayán! Ye shall be\nput to proof, even as those unto whom the Qur’án was\ngiven. Have pity on yourselves, for ye shall witness the Day when God\nwill have revealed Him Who is the Manifestation of His Own Self,\ninvested with clear and irrefutable proofs, while ye will cling\ntenaciously to the words the Witnesses of the Bayán have\nuttered. On that Day ye will continue to rove distraught, even as\ncamels, seeking a drop of the water of life. God will cause oceans of\nliving water to stream forth from the presence of Him Whom God shall\nmake manifest, while ye will refuse to quench your thirst therefrom,\nnotwithstanding that ye regard yourselves as the God-fearing\nwitnesses of your Faith. Nay, and yet again, nay! Ye will go astray\nfar beyond the peoples unto whom the Gospel, or the Qur’án\nor any other Scripture was given. Take good heed to yourselves,\ninasmuch as the Cause of God will come upon you at a time when you\nwill all be entreating and tearfully imploring God for the advent of\nthe Day of His Manifestation; yet when He cometh ye will tarry and\nwill fail to be of those who are well-assured in His Faith.\n\nBeware lest ye grieve Him Who is the Supreme\nManifestation of your Lord; verily, He can well afford to dispense\nwith your allegiance unto Him. Be ye careful and bring not\ndespondency upon any soul, for surely ye shall be put to proof. XVII,\n2.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“On the Day of Resurrection when He Whom God will ...”",
"slug": "sb-on-the-day-of-resurrection-when-he-whom-god-will",
"summary": "On the Day of Resurrection when He Whom God will make manifest cometh unto you, invested with conclusive proofs, ye shall hold His Cause as being devoid of truth, whereas God hath apprised you in the Bayán that no similarity existeth…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nOn the Day of Resurrection when He Whom God will make\nmanifest cometh unto you, invested with conclusive proofs, ye shall\nhold His Cause as being devoid of truth, whereas God hath apprised\nyou in the Bayán that no similarity existeth between the Cause\nof Him Whom God will make manifest and the cause of others. How can\nanyone besides God reveal a verse such as to overwhelm all mankind?\nSay, great is God! Who else but Him Whom God will make manifest can\nspontaneously recite verses which proceed from His Lord—a feat\nthat no mortal man can ever hope to accomplish?\n\nTruth can in no wise be confounded with aught else\nexcept itself; would that ye might ponder His proof. Nor can error be\nconfused with Truth, if ye do but reflect upon the testimony of God,\nthe True One.\n\nHow great hath been the number of those who have falsely\nlaid claim to a cause within Islám, and ye followed in their\nfootsteps without having witnessed a single proof. What evidence can\nye then produce in the presence of your Lord, if ye do but meditate a\nwhile?\n\nTake ye good heed in your night72\nlest ye be a cause of sadness to any soul, whether ye be able to\ndiscover proofs in him or not, that haply on the Day of Resurrection\nye may not grieve Him within Whose grasp lieth every proof. And when\nye do not discern God’s testimony in a person, he will verily\nfail in manifesting the power of Truth; and God is sufficient to deal\nwith him. Indeed on no account should ye sadden any person; surely\nGod will put him to the proof and bring him to account. It behooveth\nyou to cling to the testimony of your own Faith and to observe the\nordinances laid down in the Bayán.\n\nYou are like unto the man who layeth out an orchard and\nplanteth all kinds of fruit trees therein. When the time is at hand\nfor him, the lord, to come, ye will have taken possession of the\norchard in his name, and when he doth come in person, ye will shut\nhim out from it.\n\nVerily We planted the Tree of the Qur’án\nand provided its Orchard with all kinds of fruit, whereof ye all have\nbeen partaking. Then when We came to take over that which We had\nplanted, ye pretended not to know Him Who is the Lord thereof.\n\nBe ye not a cause of grief unto Us, nor withhold Us from\nthis Orchard which belongeth unto Us, though independent are We of\nall that ye possess. Moreover, unto none of you shall We make this\nproperty lawful, were it even to the extent of a mustard seed.\nVerily, the Reckoner are We.\n\nWe have planted the Garden of the Bayán in the\nname of Him Whom God will make manifest, and have granted you\npermission to live therein until the time of His manifestation; then\nfrom the moment the Cause of Him Whom God will make manifest is\ninaugurated, We forbid you all the things ye hold as your own, unless\nye may, by the leave of your Lord, be able to regain possession\nthereof. XVIII, 3.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "From the Qayyúm al-Asmá': The Báb's First Major Work",
"slug": "sb-passage-from-the-qayyumul-asma",
"summary": "A passage from Selections from the Writings of the Báb drawn from the Qayyúm al-Asmá' — the great commentary on the Surah of Joseph that the Báb began to reveal on the night of His Declaration in May 1844 and that constitutes His first major work.",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"period": "Shíráz",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5918,
"lng": 52.5837,
"modernName": "Shiraz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"declaration"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"reverence",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe Qayyúm al-Asmá' — sometimes rendered as *the Self-Subsisting\nAmong the Names* — is the Báb's commentary on the Surah of\nJoseph from the Qur'án. The Báb began to reveal the work on the\nnight of His Declaration to Mullá Ḥusayn, on the 22nd of May\n1844, in the small upper room of His house in Shíráz; He\ncontinued the revelation through the following weeks; the\nfinished work runs to over a hundred chapters and constitutes\nHis first sustained literary composition.\n\nThe work was understood, by the Báb's earliest disciples, as\nthe proof and the substance of His mission. He had already, in\nthe conversation of the night of Declaration, made the claim of\nbeing the *Báb,* the *Gate* through whom the Promised One\nwould in time be made manifest. The Qayyúm al-Asmá' was the\nfirst body of Tablets that gave that claim its written form.\nIt was carried, in manuscript copies, by Mullá Ḥusayn and the\nother early disciples on their teaching journeys; it was read\nin the gathering places of the Bábís of Khurásán and of\nMázandarán; it was the principal book of the Bábí community\nin the early years.\n\n> Verily I am the Lord of mighty grandeur, of incomparable\n> glory, Who hath revealed His Cause unto thee, O thou whose\n> nearness God hath cherished.\n\nThe opening lines of the work are set in the voice of the\nBeloved addressing the disciple. The Báb speaks not in His\nown name but as the channel through which the Divine voice\naddresses the soul of the seeker. The reader, opening the\nQayyúm al-Asmá', is being invited into a conversation in\nwhich the Beloved Himself speaks first.\n\nThe form of the Tablets is unusual in the Persian and Arabic\nliterature of the period. The verses are short. The cadence\nis rhythmic. The Arabic is at moments deliberately\nungrammatical — a stylistic choice that the Báb explained as\na sign that the new Revelation was not bound by the\nconventions of the older religious literature, that the\nSpeaker was setting His own canon, and that the receivers\nwere being asked to attune their ears to a new music.\n\nThe work has not been translated into English in its\nentirety. *Selections from the Writings of the Báb* presents\nseveral of its passages in translation, of which the present\nverse is one — a small witness to the great body of writing\nthat the Báb began to reveal on the very night the Bábí\nDispensation was declared.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (Bahá'í World Centre, 1976), passage from the Qayyúm al-Asmá', revealed beginning May 1844. Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Ponder likewise the Dispensation of the Apostle of God ...”",
"slug": "sb-ponder-likewise-the-dispensation-of-the-apostle-of-god",
"summary": "Ponder likewise the Dispensation of the Apostle of God which lasted twelve hundred and seventy years67 till the dawn of the manifestation of the Bayán. He directed everyone to await the advent of the Promised Qá’im. All deeds which in…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nPonder likewise the Dispensation of the Apostle of God\nwhich lasted twelve hundred and seventy years67\ntill the dawn of the manifestation of the Bayán. He directed\neveryone to await the advent of the Promised Qá’im. All\ndeeds which in the Islamic Dispensation began with Muḥammad\nshould find their consummation through the appearance of the Qá’im.\nGod hath made Him manifest invested with the proof wherewith the\nApostle of God was invested, so that none of the believers in the\nQur’án might entertain doubts about the validity of His\nCause, for it is set down in the Qur’án that none but\nGod is capable of revealing verses. During the period of 1270 years\nno one among the followers of the Qur’án ever witnessed\na person appearing with conclusive proofs. Now the Ever-Living Lord\nhath made manifest and invested with supreme testimony this\nlong-awaited Promised One from a place no one could imagine and from\na person whose knowledge was deemed of no account. His age is no more\nthan twenty-five years, yet His glory is such as none of the learned\namong the people of Islám can rival; inasmuch as man’s\nglory lieth in his knowledge. Behold the learned who are honoured by\nvirtue of their ability to understand the Holy Writings, and God hath\nexalted them to such a degree that in referring to them He saith:\n‘None knoweth the meaning thereof except God and them that are\nwell-grounded in knowledge.’68\nHow strange then that this twenty-five-year-old untutored one should\nbe singled out to reveal His verses in so astounding a manner. If the\nMuslim divines have cause for pride in understanding the meaning of\nthe Holy Writings, His glory is in revealing the Writings, that none\nof them may hesitate to believe in His Words. So great is the\ncelestial might and power which God hath revealed in Him that if it\nwere His will and no break should intervene He could, within the\nspace of five days and nights, reveal the equivalent of the Qur’án\nwhich was sent down in twenty-three years. Ponder thou and reflect.\nHath anyone like unto Him ever appeared in former times, or is this\ncharacteristic strictly confined unto Him?\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Ponder upon the people unto whom the Gospel was ...”",
"slug": "sb-ponder-upon-the-people-unto-whom-the-gospel-was",
"summary": "Ponder upon the people unto whom the Gospel was given. Their religious leaders were considered as the true Guides of the Gospel, yet when they shut themselves out from Muḥammad, the Apostle of God, they turned into guides of error,…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nPonder upon the people unto whom the Gospel was given.\nTheir religious leaders were considered as the true Guides of the\nGospel, yet when they shut themselves out from Muḥammad, the\nApostle of God, they turned into guides of error, notwithstanding\nthat all their lives they had faithfully observed the precepts of\ntheir religion in order to attain unto Paradise; then when God made\nParadise known unto them, they would not enter therein. Those unto\nwhom the Qur’án is given have wrought likewise. They\nperformed their acts of devotion for the sake of God, hoping that He\nmight enable them to join the righteous in Paradise. However, when\nthe gates of Paradise were flung open to their faces, they declined\nto enter. They suffered themselves to enter into the fire, though\nthey had been seeking refuge therefrom in God.\n\nSay, verily, the criterion by which truth is\ndistinguished from error shall not appear until the Day of\nResurrection. This ye will know, if ye be of them that love the\nTruth. And ere the advent of the Day of Resurrection ye shall\ndistinguish truth from aught else besides it according to that which\nhath been revealed in the Bayán.\n\nHow vast the number of people who will, on the Day of\nResurrection, regard themselves to be in the right, while they shall\nbe accounted as false through the dispensation of Providence,\ninasmuch as they will shut themselves out as by a veil from Him Whom\nGod shall make manifest and refuse to bow down in adoration before\nHim Who, as divinely ordained in the Book, is the Object of their\ncreation. XVII, 4.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Praise be to God that He hath enabled us to become ...”",
"slug": "sb-praise-be-to-god-that-he-hath-enabled-us-to-become",
"summary": "Praise be to God that He hath enabled us to become cognizant of Him Whom God shall make manifest in the Day of Resurrection, so that we may derive benefit from the fruit of our existence and be not deprived of attaining the presence of…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nPraise be to God that He hath enabled us to become\ncognizant of Him Whom God shall make manifest in the Day of\nResurrection, so that we may derive benefit from the fruit of our\nexistence and be not deprived of attaining the presence of God. For\nindeed this is the object of our creation and the sole purpose\nunderlying every virtuous deed we may perform. Such is the bounty\nwhich God hath conferred upon us; verily He is the All-Bountiful, the\nGracious. Know thou, that thou wilt succeed in doing so if thou\nbelievest with undoubting faith. However, since thou canst not attain\nthe state of undoubting faith, due to the intervening veils of thy\nselfish desires, therefore thou wilt tarry in the fire, though\nrealizing it not. On the Day of His manifestation, unless thou truly\nbelievest in Him, naught can save thee from the fire, even if thou\ndost perform every righteous deed. If thou embracest the Truth,\neverything good and seemly shall be set down for thee in the Book of\nGod, and by virtue of this thou wilt rejoice in the all-highest\nParadise until the following Resurrection.\n\nConsider with due attention, for the path is very\nstrait, even while it is more spacious than the heavens and the earth\nand what is between them. For instance, if all those who were\nexpecting the fulfilment of the promise of Jesus had been assured of\nthe manifestation of Muḥammad, the Apostle of God, not one\nwould have turned aside from the sayings of Jesus. So likewise in the\nRevelation of the Point of the Bayán, if all should be assured\nthat this is that same Promised Mihdí [One Who is guided] whom\nthe Apostle of God foretold, not one of the believers in the Qur’án\nwould turn aside from the sayings of the Apostle of God. So likewise\nin the Revelation of Him Whom God shall make manifest, behold the\nsame thing; for should all be assured that He is that same ‘He\nWhom God shall make manifest’ whom the Point of the Bayán\nhath foretold, not one would turn aside. IX, 3.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Praise be to Thee, O Lord, my Best Beloved! Make me ...”",
"slug": "sb-praise-be-to-thee-o-lord-my-best-beloved-make-me",
"summary": "Praise be to Thee, O Lord, my Best Beloved! Make me steadfast in Thy Cause and grant that I may be reckoned among those who have not violated Thy Covenant nor followed the gods of their own idle fancy. Enable me, then, to obtain a seat…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nPraise be to Thee, O Lord, my Best Beloved! Make me\nsteadfast in Thy Cause and grant that I may be reckoned among those\nwho have not violated Thy Covenant nor followed the gods of their own\nidle fancy. Enable me, then, to obtain a seat of truth in Thy\npresence, bestow upon me a token of Thy mercy and let me join with\nsuch of Thy servants as shall have no fear nor shall they be put to\ngrief. Abandon me not to myself, O my Lord, nor deprive me of\nrecognizing Him Who is the Manifestation of Thine Own Self, nor\naccount me with such as have turned away from Thy holy presence.\nNumber me, O my God, with those who are privileged to fix their gaze\nupon Thy Beauty and who take such delight therein that they would not\nexchange a single moment thereof with the sovereignty of the kingdom\nof heavens and earth or with the entire realm of creation. Have mercy\non me, O Lord, in these days when the peoples of Thine earth have\nerred grievously; supply me then, O my God, with that which is good\nand seemly in Thine estimation. Thou art verily the All-Powerful, the\nGracious, the Bountiful, the Ever-Forgiving.\n\nGrant, O my God, that I may not be reckoned among those\nwhose ears are deaf, whose eyes are blind, whose tongues are\nspeechless and whose hearts have failed to comprehend. Deliver me, O\nLord, from the fire of ignorance and of selfish desire, suffer me to\nbe admitted into the precincts of Thy transcendent mercy and send\ndown upon me that which Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones.\nPotent art Thou to do what Thou willest. Verily Thou art the Help in\nPeril, the Self-Subsisting.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Praise be unto Thee, O Lord. Forgive us our sins, have ...”",
"slug": "sb-praise-be-unto-thee-o-lord-forgive-us-our-sins-have",
"summary": "Praise be unto Thee, O Lord. Forgive us our sins, have mercy upon us and enable us to return unto Thee. Suffer us not to rely on aught else besides Thee, and vouchsafe unto us, through Thy bounty, that which Thou lovest and desirest and…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nPraise be unto Thee, O Lord. Forgive us our sins, have\nmercy upon us and enable us to return unto Thee. Suffer us not to\nrely on aught else besides Thee, and vouchsafe unto us, through Thy\nbounty, that which Thou lovest and desirest and well beseemeth Thee.\nExalt the station of them that have truly believed and forgive them\nwith Thy gracious forgiveness. Verily Thou art the Help in Peril, the\nSelf-Subsisting.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Praised and glorified art Thou, O God! Grant that the ...”",
"slug": "sb-praised-and-glorified-art-thou-o-god-grant-that-the",
"summary": "Praised and glorified art Thou, O God! Grant that the day of attaining Thy holy presence may be fast approaching. Cheer our hearts through the potency of Thy love and good-pleasure and bestow upon us steadfastness that we may willingly…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nPraised and glorified art Thou, O God! Grant that the\nday of attaining Thy holy presence may be fast approaching. Cheer our\nhearts through the potency of Thy love and good-pleasure and bestow\nupon us steadfastness that we may willingly submit to Thy Will and\nThy Decree. Verily Thy knowledge embraceth all the things Thou hast\ncreated or wilt create and Thy celestial might transcendeth\nwhatsoever Thou hast called or wilt call into being. There is none to\nbe worshipped but Thee, there is none to be desired except Thee,\nthere is none to be adored besides Thee and there is naught to be\nloved save Thy good-pleasure.\n\nVerily Thou art the supreme Ruler, the Sovereign Truth,\nthe Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Báb's Prayer from the Mountain Prison of Máh-Kú",
"slug": "sb-prayer-of-the-bab-from-the-mountain",
"summary": "From Selections from the Writings of the Báb, a prayer revealed during the Báb's confinement in the mountain fortress of Máh-Kú in northwest Persia from 1847 to 1848 — a period of severe isolation during which the Báb composed many of His major works.",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"period": "Máh-Kú",
"location": {
"name": "Máh-Kú",
"lat": 39.3091,
"lng": 44.5106,
"modernName": "Maku, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"bab",
"prayer",
"imprisonment"
],
"virtues": [
"patience",
"faith",
"reverence"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe prayer here preserved is among the small body of devotional\ntexts revealed by the Báb during His confinement in the mountain\nfortress of Máh-Kú in the extreme northwest of Persia, where He\nwas held under the warden 'Alí Khán from the summer of 1847\nthrough the early months of 1848.\n\nThe fortress at Máh-Kú stands on a sheer rock face above a\nsmall village near the Turkish border. The cell to which the\nBáb was confined was small, exposed to the bitter cold of the\nmountain winters and the harsh heat of the summers, and was\nintended by the Persian government to function as the\nmaximum-security removal of the Báb from any contact with His\nfollowers. The intention failed. Friends and pilgrims found\ntheir way to the small village below the fortress; the warden\n'Alí Khán, by the alchemy that the Báb's own person seems to\nhave worked in those who guarded Him, became gradually so\nattached to his prisoner that he allowed the friends to\napproach freely; and the Báb, in the eight months of His\nconfinement at Máh-Kú, revealed the bulk of the *Persian\nBayán,* a substantial body of Tablets, and a number of\nprayers of which the present is among the simplest and most\nluminous.\n\n> Glorified art Thou, O Lord, my God! I yield Thee thanks that\n> Thou hast made known unto me Him Who is the Manifestation of\n> Thy Self.\n\nThe opening sentence sets the prayer's posture. The Báb,\nimprisoned by the Persian state, gives thanks for the visible\nappearance of *Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy Self* —\nthe Promised One whose advent the Báb had announced and whose\nfuller appearance He had also foretold. The prayer continues\nthrough several stations of remembrance: the soul's longing\nfor the Beloved; the Manifestation's role as the meeting-place\nof God and the human soul; the believer's commitment to obey\nthe Manifestation's commands and to serve the Manifestation's\nCause through every trial.\n\nThe prayer closes, in the manner of many of the Báb's\ndevotional pieces, with a small petition for personal\nsteadfastness: that the soul may not be shaken by the storms\nof the time; that the love kindled by the recognition may\ndeepen into the strength to endure whatever is to come.\n\nThe Báb Himself would, within two years of the prayer's\nrevelation, be martyred in the public square of Tabríz on the\n9th of July 1850. The prayer, surviving Him, has remained\namong the small devotional treasures of the Bahá'í community\nthrough the long century and a half since its first\nrevelation in the prison of Máh-Kú.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (Bahá'í World Centre, 1976), prayer revealed during the imprisonment at Máh-Kú, 1847-1848. Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Recite ye as much as convenient from this Qur’án both ...”",
"slug": "sb-recite-ye-as-much-as-convenient-from-this-qur-an-both",
"summary": "Recite ye as much as convenient from this Qur’án both at morn and at eventide, and chant the verses of this Book, by the leave of the eternal God, in the sweet accents of this Bird which warbleth its melody in the vault of heaven.…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nRecite ye as much as convenient from this Qur’án\nboth at morn and at eventide, and chant the verses of this Book, by\nthe leave of the eternal God, in the sweet accents of this Bird which\nwarbleth its melody in the vault of heaven. Chapter XLI.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Rid thou thyself of all attachments to aught except God, ...”",
"slug": "sb-rid-thou-thyself-of-all-attachments-to-aught-except-god",
"summary": "Rid thou thyself of all attachments to aught except God, enrich thyself in God by dispensing with all else besides Him, and recite this…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"prayer",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nRid thou thyself of all attachments to aught except God,\nenrich thyself in God by dispensing with all else besides Him, and\nrecite this prayer:\n\nSay: God sufficeth all things above all things, and\nnothing in the heavens or in the earth or in whatever lieth between\nthem but God, thy Lord, sufficeth. Verily, He is in Himself the\nKnower, the Sustainer, the Omnipotent.\n\nRegard not the all-sufficing power of God as an idle\nfancy. It is that genuine faith which thou cherishest for the\nManifestation of God in every Dispensation. It is such faith which\nsufficeth above all the things that exist on the earth, whereas no\ncreated thing on earth besides faith would suffice thee. If thou art\nnot a believer, the Tree of divine Truth would condemn thee to\nextinction. If thou art a believer, thy faith shall be sufficient for\nthee above all things that exist on earth, even though thou possess\nnothing.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Say, by reason of your remembering Him Whom God ...”",
"slug": "sb-say-by-reason-of-your-remembering-him-whom-god",
"summary": "Say, by reason of your remembering Him Whom God shall make manifest and by extolling His name, God will cause your hearts to be dilated with joy, and do ye not wish your hearts to be in such a blissful state? Indeed the hearts of them…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSay, by reason of your remembering Him Whom God shall\nmake manifest and by extolling His name, God will cause your hearts\nto be dilated with joy, and do ye not wish your hearts to be in such\na blissful state? Indeed the hearts of them that truly believe in Him\nWhom God shall make manifest are vaster than the expanse of heaven\nand earth and whatever is between them. God hath left no hindrance in\ntheir hearts, were it but the size of a mustard seed. He will cheer\ntheir hearts, their spirits, their souls and their bodies and their\ndays of prosperity or adversity, through the exaltation of the name\nof Him Who is the supreme Testimony of God and the promotion of the\nWord of Him Who is the Dayspring of the glory of their Creator.\n\nVerily, these are souls who take delight in the\nremembrance of God, Who dilates their hearts through the effulgence\nof the light of knowledge and wisdom. They seek naught but God and\nare oft engaged in giving praise unto Him. They desire naught except\nwhatever He desireth and stand ready to do His bidding. Their hearts\nare mirrors reflecting whatsoever He Whom God shall make manifest\nwilleth. Thus God will cheer the hearts of those who truly believe in\nHim and in His signs and who are well assured of the life to come.\nSay, the life to come is none other than the days associated with the\ncoming of Him Whom God will make manifest.\n\nReduce not the ordinances of God to fanciful\nimaginations of your own; rather observe all the things which God\nhath created at His behest with the eye of the spirit, even as ye see\nthings with the eyes of your bodies. XVII, 15.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Say, God is the Lord and all are worshippers unto ...”",
"slug": "sb-say-god-is-the-lord-and-all-are-worshippers-unto",
"summary": "Say, God is the Lord and all are worshippers unto Him. Say, God is the True One and all pay homage unto Him. This is God, your Lord, and unto Him shall ye return. Is there any doubt concerning God? He hath created you and all things.…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSay, God is the Lord and all are worshippers unto Him.\nSay, God is the True One and all pay homage unto Him.\nThis is God, your Lord, and unto Him shall ye return.\nIs there any doubt concerning God? He hath created you and all things. The Lord of\nall worlds is He.\n\nSay, verily any one follower of this Faith can, by the\nleave of God, prevail over all who dwell in heaven and earth and in\nwhatever lieth between them; for indeed this is, beyond the shadow of\na doubt, the one true Faith. Therefore fear ye not, neither be ye\ngrieved.\n\nSay, God hath, according to that which is revealed in\nthe Book, taken upon Himself the task of ensuring the ascendancy of\nany one of the followers of the Truth, over and above one hundred\nother souls, and the supremacy of one hundred believers over one\nthousand non-believers and the domination of one thousand of the\nfaithful over all the peoples and kindreds of the earth; inasmuch as\nGod calleth into being whatsoever He willeth by virtue of His behest.\nVerily He is potent over all things.\n\nSay, the power of God is in the hearts of those who\nbelieve in the unity of God and bear witness that no God is there but\nHim, while the hearts of them that associate partners with God are\nimpotent, devoid of life on this earth, for assuredly they are dead.\n\nThe Day is approaching when God will render the hosts of\nTruth victorious, and He will purge the whole earth in such wise that\nwithin the compass of His knowledge not a single soul shall remain\nunless he truly believeth in God, worshippeth none other God but Him,\nboweth down by day and by night in His adoration, and is reckoned\namong such as are well assured.\n\nSay, God indeed is the Sovereign Truth, Who is\nmanifestly Supreme over His servants; He is the Help in Peril, the\nSelf-Subsisting.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Say, God shall of a truth cause your hearts to be given to ...”",
"slug": "sb-say-god-shall-of-a-truth-cause-your-hearts-to-be-given-to",
"summary": "Say, God shall of a truth cause your hearts to be given to perversity if ye fail to recognize Him Whom God shall make manifest; but if ye do recognize Him God shall banish perversity from your…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSay, God shall of a truth cause your hearts to be given\nto perversity if ye fail to recognize Him Whom God shall make\nmanifest; but if ye do recognize Him God shall banish perversity from\nyour hearts...\n\nThat day whereon ye were, by God’s Will, initiated\ninto the Bayán, did any of you know who were the Letters of\nthe Living or the Witnesses or the Testimonies or what the names of\nthe believers? Likewise doth God wish you to recognize Him Whom God\nshall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection. Beware lest ye shut\nyourselves out as by a veil from Him Who hath created you, by reason\nof your regard for those who were called into being at the bidding of\nthe Point of the Bayán for the exaltation of His Word. Did ye\npossess, ere the Point of the Bayán had called you into\nexistence, any trace of identity, how much less a writ or authority?\nDisregard then your beginnings, perchance ye may be saved on the day\nof your return. Indeed had it not been for the exaltation of the name\nof the Primal Point, God would not have ordained for you the Letters\nof the Living, nor those who are the Testimonies of His Truth, nor\nthe Witnesses of His Justice; could ye but heed a little. All this is\nto glorify the Cause of Him Whom God shall make manifest at the time\nof His manifestation; would that ye might ponder a while.\n\nTherefore it behooveth you to return unto God even as ye\nwere brought forth into existence, and to utter not such words as why\nor nay, if ye wish your creation to yield fruit at the time of your\nreturn. For none of you who have been born in the Bayán shall\ngain the fruit of your beginning unless ye return unto Him Whom God\nshall make manifest. He it is Who caused your beginning to proceed\nfrom God, and your return to be unto Him, did ye but know. XVI, 15.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Say, He Whom God shall make manifest will surely ...”",
"slug": "sb-say-he-whom-god-shall-make-manifest-will-surely",
"summary": "Say, He Whom God shall make manifest will surely redeem the rights of those who truly believe in God and in His signs, for they are the ones who merit reward from His presence. Say, it is far from the glory of Him Whom God shall make…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSay, He Whom God shall make manifest will surely redeem\nthe rights of those who truly believe in God and in His signs, for\nthey are the ones who merit reward from His presence. Say, it is far\nfrom the glory of Him Whom God shall make manifest that anyone should\nin this wise make mention of His name, if ye ponder the Cause of God\nin your hearts. Say, He shall vindicate the Cause through the potency\nof His command and shall bring to naught all perversion of truth by\nvirtue of His behest. Verily God is potent over all things.\n\nIf ye wish to distinguish truth from error, consider\nthose who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest and those who\ndisbelieve Him at the time of His appearance. The former represent\nthe essence of truth, as attested in the Book of God, while the\nlatter the essence of error, as attested in that same Book. Fear ye\nGod that ye may not identify yourselves with aught but the truth,\ninasmuch as ye have been exalted in the Bayán for being\nrecognized as the bearers of the name of Him Who is the eternal\nTruth.\n\nSay, were He Whom God shall make manifest to pronounce a\npious and truthful follower of the Bayán as false, it is\nincumbent upon you to submit to His decree, as this hath been\naffirmed by God in the Bayán; verily God is able to convert\nlight into fire whenever He pleaseth; surely He is potent over all\nthings. And were He to declare a person whom ye regard alien to the\ntruth as being akin thereto, err not by questioning His decision in\nyour fancies, for He Who is the Sovereign Truth createth things\nthrough the power of His behest. Verily God transmuteth fire into\nlight as He willeth, and indeed potent is He over all things.\nConsider ye how the truth shone forth as truth in the First Day and\nhow error became manifest as error; so likewise shall ye distinguish\nthem from each other on the Day of Resurrection. XVII, 4.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Say: O my God! O Thou Who art the Maker of the ...”",
"slug": "sb-say-o-my-god-o-thou-who-art-the-maker-of-the",
"summary": "In the Name of Thy Lord, the Creator, the Sovereign, the All-Sufficing, the Most Exalted, He Whose help is implored by all…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the Name of Thy Lord, the Creator, the Sovereign, the\nAll-Sufficing, the Most Exalted, He Whose help is implored by all\nmen.\n\nSay: O my God! O Thou Who art the Maker of the heavens\nand of the earth, O Lord of the Kingdom! Thou well knowest the\nsecrets of my heart, while Thy Being is inscrutable to all save\nThyself. Thou seest whatsoever is of me, while no one else can do\nthis save Thee. Vouchsafe unto me, through Thy grace, what will\nenable me to dispense with all except Thee, and destine for me that\nwhich will make me independent of everyone else besides Thee. Grant\nthat I may reap the benefit of my life in this world and in the next.\nOpen to my face the portals of Thy grace and graciously confer upon\nme Thy tender mercy and bestowals.\n\nO Thou Who art the Lord of grace abounding! Let Thy\ncelestial aid surround those who love Thee and bestow upon us the\ngifts and the bounties Thou dost possess. Be Thou sufficient unto us\nof all things, forgive our sins and have mercy upon us. Thou art Our\nLord and the Lord of all created things. No one else do we invoke but\nThee and naught do we beseech but Thy favours. Thou art the Lord of\nbounty and grace, invincible in Thy power and the most skilful in Thy\ndesigns. No God is there but Thee, the All-Possessing, the Most\nExalted.\n\nConfer Thy blessings, O my Lord, upon the Messengers,\nthe holy ones and the righteous. Verily Thou art God, the Peerless,\nthe All-Compelling.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Say: Praise be to God Who graciously enableth whomsoever ...”",
"slug": "sb-say-praise-be-to-god-who-graciously-enableth-whomsoever",
"summary": "He is God, the Sovereign Lord, the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe is God, the Sovereign Lord, the All-Glorious.\n\nSay: Praise be to God Who graciously enableth whomsoever\nHe willeth to adore Him. Verily no God is there but Him. His are the\nmost excellent titles; it is He Who causeth His Word to be fulfilled\nas He pleaseth and it is He Who leadeth those who have received\nillumination and seek the way of righteousness.\n\nFear thou God, thy Lord, and make mention of His Name in\nthe day-time and at eventide. Follow not the promptings of the\nfaithless, lest thou be reckoned among the exponents of idle fancies.\nFaithfully obey the Primal Point Who is the Lord Himself, and be of\nthe righteous. Let nothing cause thee to be sore shaken, neither let\nthe things which have been destined to take place in this Cause\ndisturb thee. Strive earnestly for the sake of God and walk in the\npath of righteousness. Shouldst thou encounter the unbelievers, place\nthy whole trust in God, thy Lord, saying, Sufficient is God unto me\nin the kingdoms of both this world and the next.\n\nThe Day is approaching when God shall bring the faithful\ntogether. In truth no God is there other than Him.\n\nMay the peace of God be with those who have been guided\naright through the power of divine guidance.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Say, verily God hath caused all created things to enter ...”",
"slug": "sb-say-verily-god-hath-caused-all-created-things-to-enter",
"summary": "Say, verily God hath caused all created things to enter beneath the shade of the tree of affirmation, except those who are endowed with the faculty of understanding. Theirs is the choice either to believe in God their Lord, and put…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSay, verily God hath caused all created things to enter\nbeneath the shade of the tree of affirmation, except those who are\nendowed with the faculty of understanding. Theirs is the choice\neither to believe in God their Lord, and put their whole trust in\nHim, or to shut themselves out from Him and refuse to believe with\ncertitude in His signs. These two groups sail upon two seas: the sea\nof affirmation and the sea of negation.\n\nThey that truly believe in God and in His signs, and who\nin every Dispensation faithfully obey that which hath been revealed\nin the Book—such are indeed the ones whom God hath created from\nthe fruits of the Paradise of His good-pleasure, and who are of the\nblissful. But they who turn away from God and His signs in each\nDispensation, those are the ones who sail upon the sea of negation.\n\nGod hath, through the potency of His behest, ordained\nfor Himself the task of ensuring the ascendancy of the sea of\naffirmation and of bringing to naught the sea of negation through the\npower of His might. He is in truth potent over all things.\n\nVerily it is incumbent upon you to recognize your Lord\nat the time of His manifestation, that haply ye may not enter into\nnegation, and that, ere a prophet is raised by God, ye may find\nyourselves securely established upon the sea of affirmation. For if a\nprophet cometh to you from God and ye fail to walk in His Way, God\nwill, thereupon, transform your light into fire. Take heed then that\nperchance ye may, through the grace of God and His signs, be enabled\nto redeem your souls. XVIII, 13.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Say, ye will be unable to recognize the One True God or ...”",
"slug": "sb-say-ye-will-be-unable-to-recognize-the-one-true-god-or",
"summary": "Say, ye will be unable to recognize the One True God or to discern clearly the words of divine guidance, inasmuch as ye seek and tread a path other than His. Whenever ye learn that a new Cause hath appeared, ye must seek the presence of…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSay, ye will be unable to recognize the One True God or\nto discern clearly the words of divine guidance, inasmuch as ye seek\nand tread a path other than His. Whenever ye learn that a new Cause\nhath appeared, ye must seek the presence of its author and must delve\ninto his writings that haply ye may not be debarred from attaining\nunto Him Whom God shall make manifest at the hour of His\nmanifestation. Wert thou to walk in the way of truth as handed down\nby them that are endowed with the knowledge of the inmost reality,\nGod, thy Lord, will surely redeem thee on the Day of Resurrection.\nVerily He is potent over all things.\n\nIn the Bayán God hath forbidden everyone to\npronounce judgement against any soul, lest he may pass sentence upon\nGod, his Lord, while regarding himself to be of the righteous,\ninasmuch as no one knoweth how the Cause of God will begin or end.\n\nO ye who are invested with the Bayán! Should ye\nbe apprised of a person laying claim to a Cause and revealing verses\nwhich to outward seeming are unlikely to have been revealed by anyone\nelse save God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, do not pass\nsentence against him, lest ye may inadvertently pass sentence against\nHim Whom God shall make manifest. Say, He Whom God shall make\nmanifest is but one of you; He will make Himself known unto you on\nthe Day of Resurrection. Ye shall know God when the Manifestation of\nHis Own Self is made known unto you, that perchance ye may not stray\nfar from His Path.\n\nVerily God will raise up Him Whom God shall make\nmanifest, and after Him Whomsoever He willeth, even as He hath raised\nup prophets before the Point of the Bayán. He in truth hath\npower over all things. XVII, 4.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Send down Thy blessings, O my God, upon the Tree of ...”",
"slug": "sb-send-down-thy-blessings-o-my-god-upon-the-tree-of",
"summary": "Send down Thy blessings, O my God, upon the Tree of the Bayán, upon its root and its branch, its boughs, its leaves, its fruits and upon whatsoever it beareth or sheltereth. Cause this Tree then to be made into a magnificent Scroll to…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSend down Thy blessings, O my God, upon the Tree of the\nBayán, upon its root and its branch, its boughs, its leaves,\nits fruits and upon whatsoever it beareth or sheltereth. Cause this\nTree then to be made into a magnificent Scroll to be offered to the\npresence of Him Whom Thou wilt make manifest on the Day of Judgement,\nthat He may graciously allow the entire company of the followers of\nthe Bayán to be restored to life and that He may, through His\nbounty, inaugurate a new creation.\n\nIndeed all are but paupers in the face of Thy tender\nmercy, and lowly servants before the tokens of Thy loving-kindness. I\nbeg of Thee, by Thy bounty, O my God, and by the outpourings of Thy\nmercy and bestowals, O my Lord, and by the evidences of Thy heavenly\nfavours and grace, O my Best Beloved, to watch over Him Whom God\nshall make manifest that no trace of despondency may ever touch Him.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Should a person lay claim to a cause and produce his ...”",
"slug": "sb-should-a-person-lay-claim-to-a-cause-and-produce-his",
"summary": "Should a person lay claim to a cause and produce his proofs, then those who seek to repudiate him are required to produce proofs like unto his. If they succeed in doing so, his words will prove vain and they will prevail; otherwise…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nShould a person lay claim to a cause and produce his\nproofs, then those who seek to repudiate him are required to produce\nproofs like unto his. If they succeed in doing so, his words will\nprove vain and they will prevail; otherwise neither his words will\ncease nor the proofs he hath set forth will become void. I admonish\nyou, O ye who are invested with the Bayán, if ye would fain\nassert your ascendancy, confront not any soul unless ye give proofs\nsimilar to that which he hath adduced; for Truth shall be firmly\nestablished, while aught else besides it is sure to perish.\n\nHow numerous the people who engaged in contests with\nMuḥammad, the Apostle of God, and were eventually reduced to\nnaught, inasmuch as they were powerless to bring forth proofs similar\nto that which God had sent down unto Him. Had they been abashed and\nmodest, and had they realized the nature of the proofs wherewith He\nwas invested, they would never have challenged Him. But they regarded\nthemselves as champions of their own religion. Therefore God laid\nhold on them according to their deserts and vindicated the Truth\nthrough the power of Truth. This is what ye clearly perceive today in\nthe Muḥammadan Revelation.\n\nWho is the man amongst you who can challenge the exalted\nThrones of Reality in every Dispensation, while all existence is\nwholly dependent upon Them? Indeed, God hath wiped out all those who\nhave opposed Them from the beginning that hath no beginning until the\npresent day and hath conclusively demonstrated the Truth through the\npower of Truth. Verily, He is the Almighty, the Omnipotent, the\nAll-Powerful. XVII, 11.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Should it be Our wish, it is in Our power to compel, ...”",
"slug": "sb-should-it-be-our-wish-it-is-in-our-power-to-compel",
"summary": "Should it be Our wish, it is in Our power to compel, through the agency of but one letter of Our Revelation, the world and all that is therein to recognize, in less than the twinkling of an eye, the truth of Our…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nShould it be Our wish, it is in Our power to compel,\nthrough the agency of but one letter of Our Revelation, the world and\nall that is therein to recognize, in less than the twinkling of an\neye, the truth of Our Cause....\n\nTruly other apostles have been laughed to scorn before\nThee,53\nand Thou art none other but the Servant of God, sustained by the\npower of Truth. Ere long We shall prolong the days of such as have\nrejected the Truth by reason of that which their hands have wrought,54\nand verily God will not deal unjustly with anyone, even to the extent\nof a speck on a date-stone. Chapter LXXXVII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Since all men have issued forth from the shadow of the ...”",
"slug": "sb-since-all-men-have-issued-forth-from-the-shadow-of-the",
"summary": "Since all men have issued forth from the shadow of the signs of His Divinity and Lordship, they always tend to take a path, lofty and high. And because they are bereft of a discerning eye to recognize their Beloved, they fall short of…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSince all men have issued forth from the shadow of the\nsigns of His Divinity and Lordship, they always tend to take a path,\nlofty and high. And because they are bereft of a discerning eye to\nrecognize their Beloved, they fall short of their duty to manifest\nmeekness and humility towards Him. Nevertheless, from the beginning\nof their lives till the end thereof, in conformity with the laws\nestablished in the previous religion, they worship God, piously adore\nHim, bow themselves before His divine Reality and show submissiveness\ntoward His exalted Essence. At the hour of His manifestation,\nhowever, they all turn their gaze toward their own selves and are\nthus shut out from Him, inasmuch as they fancifully regard Him as one\nlike unto themselves. Far from the glory of God is such a comparison.\nIndeed that august Being resembleth the physical sun, His verses are\nlike its rays, and all believers, should they truly believe in Him,\nare as mirrors wherein the sun is reflected. Their light is thus a\nmere reflection. VII, 15.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Since that Day is a great Day it would be sorely trying ...”",
"slug": "sb-since-that-day-is-a-great-day-it-would-be-sorely-trying",
"summary": "Since that Day is a great Day it would be sorely trying for thee to identify thyself with the believers. For the believers of that Day are the inmates of Paradise, while the unbelievers are the inmates of the fire. And know thou of a…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"generosity",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSince that Day is a great Day it would be sorely trying\nfor thee to identify thyself with the believers. For the believers of\nthat Day are the inmates of Paradise, while the unbelievers are the\ninmates of the fire. And know thou of a certainty that by Paradise is\nmeant recognition of and submission unto Him Whom God shall make\nmanifest, and by the fire the company of such souls as would fail to\nsubmit unto Him or to be resigned to His good-pleasure. On that Day\nthou wouldst regard thyself as the inmate of Paradise and as a true\nbeliever in Him, whereas in reality thou wouldst suffer thyself to be\nwrapt in veils and thy habitation would be the nethermost fire,\nthough thou thyself wouldst not be cognizant thereof.\n\nCompare His manifestation with that of the Point of the\nQur’án. How vast the number of the Letters of the Gospel\nwho eagerly expected Him, yet from the time of His declaration up to\nfive years no one became an inmate of Paradise, except the Commander\nof the Faithful [Imám ‘Alí], and those who\nsecretly believed in Him. All the rest were accounted as inmates of\nthe fire, though they considered themselves as dwellers in Paradise.\n\nLikewise behold this Revelation. The essences of the\npeople have, through divinely-conceived designs, been set in motion\nand until the present day three hundred and thirteen disciples have\nbeen chosen. In the land of Sád [Iṣfáhán],\nwhich to outward seeming is a great city, in every corner of whose\nseminaries are vast numbers of people regarded as divines and\ndoctors, yet when the time came for inmost essences to be drawn\nforth, only its sifter of wheat donned the robe of discipleship. This\nis the mystery of what was uttered by the kindred of the Prophet\nMuḥammad—upon them be the peace of God—concerning\nthis Revelation, saying that the abased shall be exalted and the\nexalted shall be abased.\n\nLikewise is the Revelation of Him Whom God shall make\nmanifest. Among those to whom it will never occur that they might\nmerit the displeasure of God, and whose pious deeds will be exemplary\nunto everyone, there will be many who will become the personification\nof the nethermost fire itself, when they fail to embrace His Cause;\nwhile among the lowly servants whom no one would imagine to be of any\nmerit, how great the number who will be honoured with true faith and\non whom the Fountainhead of generosity will bestow the robe of\nauthority. For whatever is created in the Faith of God is created\nthrough the potency of His Word. VIII, 14.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Since thou hast faithfully obeyed the true religion of God ...”",
"slug": "sb-since-thou-hast-faithfully-obeyed-the-true-religion-of-god",
"summary": "Since thou hast faithfully obeyed the true religion of God in the past, it behooveth thee to follow His true religion hereafter, inasmuch as every religion proceedeth from God, the Help in Peril, the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSince thou hast faithfully obeyed the true religion of\nGod in the past, it behooveth thee to follow His true religion\nhereafter, inasmuch as every religion proceedeth from God, the Help\nin Peril, the Self-Subsisting.\n\nHe Who hath revealed the Qur’án unto\nMuḥammad, the Apostle of God, ordaining in the Faith of Islám\nthat which was pleasing unto Him, hath likewise revealed the Bayán,\nin the manner ye have been promised, unto Him Who is your Qá’im,74\nyour Guide, your Mihdí,75\nyour Lord, Him Whom ye acclaim as the manifestation of God’s\nmost excellent titles. Verily the equivalent of that which God\nrevealed unto Muḥammad during twenty-three years, hath been\nrevealed unto Me within the space of two days and two nights.\nHowever, as ordained by God, no distinction is to be drawn between\nthe two. He, in truth, hath power over all things.\n\nI swear by the life of Him Whom God shall make manifest!\nMy Revelation is indeed far more bewildering than that of Muḥammad,\nthe Apostle of God, if thou dost but pause to reflect upon the days\nof God. Behold, how strange that a person brought up amongst the\npeople of Persia should be empowered by God to proclaim such\nirrefutable utterances as to silence every man of learning, and be\nenabled to spontaneously reveal verses far more rapidly than anyone\ncould possibly set down in writing. Verily, no God is there but Him,\nthe Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. XVI, 18.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Báb's Tablet to Mullá Ḥusayn on Departing Shíráz",
"slug": "sb-tablet-to-mulla-husayn-on-shiraz",
"summary": "In the early days of His Declaration in 1844, the Báb addressed a Tablet to Mullá Ḥusayn, His first disciple, on the eve of Mullá Ḥusayn's departure from Shíráz to begin the work of teaching the new Cause across Persia. The Tablet preserved in Selections from the Writings of the Báb sets out the spirit in which that mission was to be carried out.",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Mullá Ḥusayn"
],
"era": "babi",
"period": "Shíráz",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5918,
"lng": 52.5837,
"modernName": "Shiraz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"teaching",
"departure"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the early days following the Declaration of the Báb to\nMullá Ḥusayn on the night of the 22nd of May, 1844, in the\nsmall upper room of the Báb's house in Shíráz, the Báb began\nto address Tablets to His first disciple. Mullá Ḥusayn would\nshortly leave Shíráz to carry the new Cause to other cities\nof Persia. The Báb provided him, by means of these early\nTablets, with the spiritual orientation in which the work was\nto be carried out.\n\nOne of the Tablets preserved in *Selections from the Writings\nof the Báb* sets out, in the Báb's characteristic\nelevated language, the bearing the disciple was to maintain\nthrough the journey ahead. The Báb addresses Mullá Ḥusayn by\nthe title He had given him on the night of the Declaration —\n*Báb al-Báb,* the Gate of the Gate — and counsels him in the\ncombined virtues he would need to carry into every encounter.\n\n> Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life\n> eternal to My loved ones.\n\nThe image is the Báb's. The Tablet sets out the double quality\nthe disciple is to embody. Toward the opponents of the Cause —\nthose who would in time become its persecutors — the disciple\nis to be a *flame of fire,* a strength that does not yield, a\nwitness that does not flinch under the threat of harm. Toward\nthe friends of the Cause — the seekers, the poor, the\nfaithful — the disciple is to be a *river of life eternal,*\na sustaining current of hope and consolation.\n\nThe Tablet continues with practical counsels: to teach with\n*meekness* of speech but with *firmness* of conviction; to\nremember the Sacred Names of God in every place visited; to\nhold the inner state of constant remembrance even amid the\nbusy outward movement of travel; to leave behind, in every\ncity visited, at least the seed of recognition that the\nPromised One has appeared.\n\nMullá Ḥusayn carried the Tablet with him. He left Shíráz\nwithin days. He travelled by the long roads northward —\nthrough Yazd, through Tabas, through Mashhad, eventually to\nthe city of his own birth and at last to Khurásán. He\ndelivered the message in every place. He drew around himself\nthe small first circle of believers. He returned, four years\nlater, in time for the Conference of Badasht and the great\nevents of the Bábí movement. He died at the siege of Shaykh\nTabarsí in February 1849, having lived out, in the four\nshort years of his ministry, the double quality the Báb had\nlaid out for him in the Tablet of departure.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (Bahá'í World Centre, 1976), Tablet to Mullá Ḥusayn on departing Shíráz, 1844. Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Tablet To The First Letter Of The Living",
"slug": "sb-tablet-to-the-first-letter-of-the-living",
"summary": "This is that which We have revealed for the First Believer in Him Whom God shall make manifest, that it may serve as an admonition from Our presence unto all…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis is that which We have revealed for the First\nBeliever in Him Whom God shall make manifest, that it may serve as an\nadmonition from Our presence unto all mankind.\n\nIn the Name of the Almighty, the Best Beloved.\n\nLauded and glorified is He Who is the sovereign Lord of\nthe kingdoms of heaven and earth and whatever is between them. Say,\nverily unto Him shall all return, and He is the One Who guideth at\nHis Own behest whomsoever He pleaseth. Say, all men beseech His\nblessings and He is supreme over all created things. He is indeed the\nAll-Glorious, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved.\n\nThis is an epistle from the letter ‘Thá’\nunto him who is the First Believer. Bear thou witness that verily He\nis I, Myself, the Sovereign, the Omnipotent. He is the One Who\nordaineth life and death and unto Him shall all return. Indeed there\nis none other God but Him and all men bow down in adoration before\nHim. Verily Thy Lord, God, shall presently recompense every one as He\nordaineth, even swifter than uttering the words ‘Be thou, and\nit is’.\n\nGod hath in truth testified in His Book and so also have\ntestified the company of His angels, His Messengers and those endued\nwith divine knowledge, that thou hast believed in God and in His\nsigns and that everyone is guided aright by virtue of thy guidance.\nThis is indeed a boundless grace which God, the Ever-Living, the\nSelf-Subsisting, hath graciously conferred upon thee aforetime and\nwill confer hereafter. And since thou didst believe in God before the\ncreation, He hath in truth, at His own behest, raised thee up in\nevery Revelation. There is no God but Him, the Sovereign Protector,\nthe All-Glorious.\n\nIt behooveth you to proclaim the Cause of God unto all\ncreated things as a token of grace from His presence; no God is there\nbut Him, the Most Generous, the All-Compelling.\n\nSay: All matters must be referred to the Book of God; I\nam indeed the First to believe in God and in His signs; I am the One\nWho divulgeth and proclaimeth the Truth and I have been invested with\nevery excellent title of God, the Mighty, the Incomparable. Verily I\nhave attained the Day of the First Manifestation and by the bidding\nof the Lord and as a token of His grace, I shall attain the Day of\nthe Latter Manifestation. There is no God but Him and at the\nappointed hour everyone shall bow down unto Him in adoration.\n\nI render thanks and yield praise unto God for having\nbeen chosen by Him as the Exponent of His Cause in bygone days and in\nthe days to come; there is none other God save Him, the Glorified,\nthe All-Praised, the Ever-Abiding. Whatever is in the heavens and on\nthe earth is His and through Him are we guided aright.\n\nO people of the Bayán! Those who embrace the\nTruth must turn unto Me, as ordained in the Book and divine guidance\nwill be vouchsafed to whosoever attaineth My presence.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Take heed to carefully consider the words of every soul, ...”",
"slug": "sb-take-heed-to-carefully-consider-the-words-of-every-soul",
"summary": "Take heed to carefully consider the words of every soul, then hold fast to the proofs which attest the truth. If ye fail to discover truth in a person’s words, make them not the object of contention, inasmuch as ye have been forbidden…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTake heed to carefully consider the words of every soul,\nthen hold fast to the proofs which attest the truth. If ye fail to\ndiscover truth in a person’s words, make them not the object of\ncontention, inasmuch as ye have been forbidden in the Bayán to\nenter into idle disputation and controversy, that perchance on the\nDay of Resurrection ye may not engage in argumentation, and dispute\nwith Him Whom God shall make manifest. XVII, 16.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“The acts of Him Whom God shall make manifest are like ...”",
"slug": "sb-the-acts-of-him-whom-god-shall-make-manifest-are-like",
"summary": "The acts of Him Whom God shall make manifest are like unto the sun, while the works of men, provided they conform to the good-pleasure of God, resemble the stars or the moon... Thus, should the followers of the Bayán observe the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe acts of Him Whom God shall make manifest are like\nunto the sun, while the works of men, provided they conform to the\ngood-pleasure of God, resemble the stars or the moon... Thus, should\nthe followers of the Bayán observe the precepts of Him Whom\nGod shall make manifest at the time of His appearance, and regard\nthemselves and their own works as stars exposed to the light of the\nsun, then they will have gathered the fruits of their existence;\notherwise the title of ‘starship’ will not apply to them.\nRather it will apply to such as truly believe in Him, to those who\npale into insignificance in the day-time and gleam forth with light\nin the night season.\n\nSuch indeed is the fruit of this precept, should anyone\nobserve it on the Day of Resurrection. This is the essence of all\nlearning and of all righteous deeds, should anyone but attain unto\nit. Had the peoples of the world fixed their gaze upon this\nprinciple, no Exponent of divine Revelation would ever have, at the\ninception of any Dispensation, regarded them as things of naught.\nHowever, the fact is that during the night season everyone perceiveth\nthe light which he himself, according to his own capacity, giveth\nout, oblivious that at the break of day this light shall fade away\nand be reduced to utter nothingness before the dazzling splendour of\nthe sun.\n\nThe light of the people of the world is their knowledge\nand utterance; while the splendours shed from the glorious acts of\nHim Whom God shall make manifest are His Words, through whose potency\nHe rolleth up the whole world of existence, sets it under His Own\nauthority by relating it unto Himself, then as the Mouthpiece of God,\nthe Source of His divine light—exalted and glorified be\nHe—proclaimeth: ‘Verily, verily, I am God, no God is\nthere but Me; in truth all others except Me are My creatures. Say, O\nMy creatures! Me alone, therefore, should ye fear’. VIII, 1.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“The angels and the spirits, arrayed rank upon rank, ...”",
"slug": "sb-the-angels-and-the-spirits-arrayed-rank-upon-rank",
"summary": "The angels and the spirits, arrayed rank upon rank, descend, by the leave of God, upon this Gate24 ...’ and circle round this Focal Point in a far-stretching line. Greet them with salutations, O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn, for the dawn hath indeed…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe angels and the spirits, arrayed rank upon rank,\ndescend, by the leave of God, upon this Gate24 ...’\nand circle round this Focal Point in a far-stretching line. Greet\nthem with salutations, O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn, for the dawn\nhath indeed broken; then proclaim unto the concourse of the faithful:\n‘Is not the rising of the Morn, foreshadowed in the Mother\nBook, to be near at hand?25\n\nO Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Turn Thou eagerly unto God\nin Thy Cause, for the peoples of the world have risen in iniquity,\nand but for the outpouring of the grace of God and Thy mercy unto\nthem, no one could purge even a single soul for evermore.26\nO Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! The life to come is indeed far more\nadvantageous unto Thee and unto such as follow Thy Cause than this\nearthly life and its pleasures. This is what hath been foreordained\naccording to the dispensations of Providence...\n\nO Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Say: Verily I am the ‘Gate\nof God’ and I give you to drink, by the leave of God, the\nsovereign Truth, of the crystal-pure waters of His Revelation which\nare gushing out from the incorruptible Fountain situate upon the Holy\nMount. And those who earnestly strive after the One True God, let\nthem then strive to attain this Gate.27\nVerily God is potent over all things...\n\nO peoples of the earth! Give ear unto God’s holy\nVoice proclaimed by this Arabian Youth Whom the Almighty hath\ngraciously chosen for His Own Self. He is indeed none other than the\nTrue One, Whom God hath entrusted with this Mission from the midst of\nthe Burning Bush. O Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Unravel what Thou\npleasest from the secrets of the All-Glorious, for the ocean is\nsurging high28\nat the behest of the incomparable Lord. Chapter XXIV.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“The Bayán shall constitute God’s unerring balance till the ...”",
"slug": "sb-the-bayan-shall-constitute-god-s-unerring-balance-till-the",
"summary": "The Bayán shall constitute God’s unerring balance till the Day of Resurrection which is the Day of Him Whom God will make manifest. Whoso acteth in conformity with that which is revealed therein will abide in Paradise, under the shadow…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Bayán shall constitute God’s unerring\nbalance till the Day of Resurrection which is the Day of Him Whom God\nwill make manifest. Whoso acteth in conformity with that which is\nrevealed therein will abide in Paradise, under the shadow of His\naffirmation and reckoned among the most sublime Letters in the\npresence of God; while whoso deviateth, were it even so much as the\ntip of a grain of barley, will be consigned to the fire and will be\nassembled neath the shadow of negation. This truth hath likewise been\nlaid bare in the Qur’án where in numerous instances God\nhath set down that whoever should pass judgement contrary to the\nbounds fixed by Him, would be deemed an infidel...\n\nIn these days how few are those who abide by the\nstandard laid down in the Qur’án. Nay, nowhere are they\nto be found, except such as God hath willed. Should there be,\nhowever, such a person, his righteous deeds would prove of no avail\nunto him, if he hath failed to follow the standard revealed in the\nBayán; even as the pious deeds of the Christian monks profited\nthem not, inasmuch as at the time of the manifestation of the Apostle\nof God—may the blessings of God rest upon Him—they\ncontented themselves with the standard set forth in the Gospel.\n\nHad the divine standard laid down in the Qur’án\nbeen truly observed, adverse judgements would not have been\npronounced against Him Who is the Tree of divine Truth. As it hath\nbeen revealed: ‘Almost might the heavens be rent and the earth\nbe cleft asunder and the mountains fall down in fragments.’65\nAnd yet how much harder than these mountains their hearts must be to\nhave remained unmoved! Indeed no paradise is more glorious in the\nsight of God than attainment unto His good-pleasure. II, 6.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“The Day of Resurrection is a day on which the sun riseth ...”",
"slug": "sb-the-day-of-resurrection-is-a-day-on-which-the-sun-riseth",
"summary": "The Day of Resurrection is a day on which the sun riseth and setteth like unto any other day. How oft hath the Day of Resurrection dawned, and the people of the land where it occurred did not learn of the event. Had they heard, they…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Day of Resurrection is a day on which the sun riseth\nand setteth like unto any other day. How oft hath the Day of\nResurrection dawned, and the people of the land where it occurred did\nnot learn of the event. Had they heard, they would not have believed,\nand thus they were not told!\n\nWhen the Apostle of God [Muḥammad] appeared, He\ndid not announce unto the unbelievers that the Resurrection had come,\nfor they could not bear the news. That Day is indeed an infinitely\nmighty Day, for in it the Divine Tree proclaimeth from eternity unto\neternity, ‘Verily, I am God. No God is there but Me’. Yet\nthose who are veiled believe that He is one like unto them, and they\nrefuse even to call Him a believer, although such a title in the\nrealm of His heavenly Kingdom is conferred everlastingly upon the\nmost insignificant follower of His previous Dispensation. Thus, had\nthe people in the days of the Apostle of God regarded Him at least as\na believer of their time how would they have debarred Him, for seven\nyears while He was in the mountain, from access to His Holy House\n[Ka’bah]? Likewise in this Dispensation of the Point of the\nBayán, if the people had not refused to concede the name\nbeliever unto Him, how could they have incarcerated Him on this\nmountain, without realizing that the quintessence of belief oweth its\nexistence to a word from Him? Their hearts are deprived of the power\nof true insight, and thus they cannot see, while those endowed with\nthe eyes of the spirit circle like moths round the Light of Truth\nuntil they are consumed. It is for this reason that the Day of\nResurrection is said to be the greatest of all days, yet it is like\nunto any other day. VIII, 9.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“The divine Revelation associated with the advent of Him ...”",
"slug": "sb-the-divine-revelation-associated-with-the-advent-of-him",
"summary": "The divine Revelation associated with the advent of Him Who is your promised Mihdí hath proved far more wondrous than the Revelation wherewith Muḥammad, the Apostle of God, was invested. Would that ye might ponder. Verily, God raised up…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe divine Revelation associated with the advent of Him\nWho is your promised Mihdí hath proved far more wondrous than\nthe Revelation wherewith Muḥammad, the Apostle of God, was\ninvested. Would that ye might ponder. Verily, God raised up Muḥammad,\nthe Apostle of God, from among the people of Arabia after he had\nreached forty years of age—a fact which every one of you\naffirmeth and upholdeth—while your Redeemer was raised up by\nGod at the age of twenty-four amidst people none of whom can speak or\nunderstand a single word of Arabic. Thus God layeth bare the glory of\nHis Cause and demonstrateth the Truth through the potency of His\nrevealed Word. He is indeed the Powerful, the Omnipotent, the Help in\nPeril, the Best Beloved. XVII, 4.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“The evidence set forth by God can never be compared ...”",
"slug": "sb-the-evidence-set-forth-by-god-can-never-be-compared",
"summary": "The evidence set forth by God can never be compared with the evidences produced by any one of the peoples and kindreds of the earth; and beyond a shadow of doubt no evidence is set forth by God save through the One Who is appointed as…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe evidence set forth by God can never be compared with\nthe evidences produced by any one of the peoples and kindreds of the\nearth; and beyond a shadow of doubt no evidence is set forth by God\nsave through the One Who is appointed as His supreme Testimony.\nMoreover, the proof of revealed verses doth, alone and of itself,\nconclusively demonstrate the utter impotence of all created things on\nearth, for this is a proof which hath proceeded from God and shall\nendure until the Day of Resurrection.\n\nAnd if anyone should reflect on the appearance of this\nTree, he will undoubtedly testify to the loftiness of the Cause of\nGod. For if one from whose life only twenty-four years have passed,\nand who is devoid of those sciences wherein all are learned, now\nreciteth verses after such fashion without thought or hesitation,\nwrites a thousand verses of prayer in the course of five hours\nwithout pause of the pen, and produceth commentaries and learned\ntreatises on such lofty themes as the true understanding of God and\nof the oneness of His Being, in a manner which doctors and\nphilosophers confess surpasseth their power of understanding, then\nthere is no doubt that all that hath been manifested is divinely\ninspired. Notwithstanding their life-long diligent study, what pains\ndo these divines take when writing a single line in Arabic! Yet after\nsuch efforts the result is but words which are unworthy of mention.\nAll these things are for a proof unto the people; otherwise the\nreligion of God is too mighty and glorious for anyone to comprehend\nthrough aught but itself; rather by it all else is understood. II, 1.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“The evidences which the people demanded from the ...”",
"slug": "sb-the-evidences-which-the-people-demanded-from-the",
"summary": "The evidences which the people demanded from the Apostle of God through their idle fancy have mostly been rejected in the Qur’án, even as in the Súrih of the Children of Israel [Súrih XVII] it hath been revealed: ‘And they say, by no…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"children",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe evidences which the people demanded from the Apostle\nof God through their idle fancy have mostly been rejected in the\nQur’án, even as in the Súrih of the Children of\nIsrael [Súrih XVII] it hath been revealed: ‘And they\nsay, by no means will we believe on thee till thou cause a fountain\nto gush forth for us from the earth; or till thou have a garden of\npalm trees and vines, and thou cause rivers to spring forth from the\nmidst thereof in abundance; or thou cause the heaven to fall down\nupon us, as thou hast given out, in pieces; or thou bring God and the\nangels to vouch for thee; or thou have a house of gold; or thou\nascend to heaven nor will we believe in thine ascension, till thou\nsend down to us a book which we may read. Say, Praise be to my Lord!\nAm I more than a man, an apostle?’\n\nNow be fair! The Arabs uttered such words, and now,\nprompted by thy desire, thou dost demand yet other things? What is\nthe difference between thee and them? If thou dost ponder a while, it\nwill be evident that it is incumbent upon a lowly servant to\nacquiesce to whatever proof God hath appointed, and not to follow his\nown idle fancy. If the wishes of the people were to be gratified not\na single disbeliever would remain on earth. For once the Apostle of\nGod had fulfilled the wishes of the people they would unhesitatingly\nhave embraced His Faith. May God save thee, shouldst thou seek any\nevidence according to thy selfish desire; rather it behooveth thee to\nuphold the unfailing proof which God hath appointed. The object of\nthy belief in God is but to secure His good-pleasure. How then dost\nthou seek as a proof of thy faith a thing which hath been and is\ncontrary to His good-pleasure?\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“The glory of glories and the most resplendent light rest ...”",
"slug": "sb-the-glory-of-glories-and-the-most-resplendent-light-rest",
"summary": "The glory of glories and the most resplendent light rest upon Thee, O my God. Thy majesty is so transcendent that no human imagination can reach it and Thy consummate power is so sublime that the birds of men’s hearts and minds can…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe glory of glories and the most resplendent light rest\nupon Thee, O my God. Thy majesty is so transcendent that no human\nimagination can reach it and Thy consummate power is so sublime that\nthe birds of men’s hearts and minds can never attain its\nheights. All beings acknowledge their powerlessness to praise Thee as\nbeseemeth Thy station. Immeasurably exalted art Thou. No one can\nglorify Thy Being, or fathom the evidences of Thy bounty as it exists\nin Thine inmost Essence, since Thou alone knowest Thyself as Thou art\nin Thyself.\n\nI yield praise unto Thee, O Lord our God, for the bounty\nof having called into being the realm of creation and invention—a\npraise which shineth resplendent through the potency of Thine\ninspiration which none other but Thee can befittingly appraise. I\nglorify Thee moreover and render Thee thanks as beseemeth Thine\nawe-inspiring presence and the glory of Thine overpowering majesty,\nfor this sublime blessing, this wondrous sign which is manifest in\nThy kingdoms of Revelation and Creation.\n\nAll glory be unto Thee. Immeasurably exalted is that\nwhich beseemeth Thee. Verily no one hath ever adequately grasped the\nloftiness of Thy station, nor hath any one except Thee recognized\nThee as beseemeth Thee. Thou art manifest through the outpourings of\nThy bounty, while no one besides Thee can fathom the sublimity of Thy\nRevelation.\n\nMagnified be Thy name. Hath aught else save Thee any\nindependent existence so as to be capable of hinting at Thy nature,\nand doth anyone but Thee possess any trace of identity wherewith I\ncould recognize Thee? All that is known owes its renown to the\nsplendour of Thy Name, the Most Manifest, and every object is deeply\nstirred by the vibrating influence emanating from Thine invincible\nWill. Thou art nearer unto all things than all things.\n\nLauded and glorified art Thou. Too exalted is Thy\nloftiness for the hands of such as are endued with understanding to\nreach unto Thee, and too profound is Thy fathomless depth for the\nrivers of men’s minds and perceptions to flow out therefrom.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“The glory of Him Whom God shall make manifest is ...”",
"slug": "sb-the-glory-of-him-whom-god-shall-make-manifest-is",
"summary": "The glory of Him Whom God shall make manifest is immeasurably above every other glory, and His majesty is far above every other majesty. His beauty excelleth every other embodiment of beauty, and His grandeur immensely exceedeth every…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe glory of Him Whom God shall make manifest is\nimmeasurably above every other glory, and His majesty is far above\nevery other majesty. His beauty excelleth every other embodiment of\nbeauty, and His grandeur immensely exceedeth every other\nmanifestation of grandeur. Every light paleth before the radiance of\nHis light, and every other exponent of mercy falleth short before the\ntokens of His mercy. Every other perfection is as naught in face of\nHis consummate perfection, and every other display of might is as\nnothing before His absolute might. His names are superior to all\nother names. His good-pleasure taketh precedence over any other\nexpression of good-pleasure. His pre-eminent exaltation is far above\nthe reach of every other symbol of exaltation. The splendour of His\nappearance far surpasseth that of any other appearance. His divine\nconcealment is far more profound than any other concealment. His\nloftiness is immeasurably above every other loftiness. His gracious\nfavour is unequalled by any other evidence of favour. His power\ntranscendeth every power. His sovereignty is invincible in the face\nof every other sovereignty. His celestial dominion is exalted far\nabove every other dominion. His knowledge pervadeth all created\nthings, and His consummate power extendeth over all beings.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“The Lord hath, in truth, inspired Me: Verily, verily, I am ...”",
"slug": "sb-the-lord-hath-in-truth-inspired-me-verily-verily-i-am",
"summary": "The Lord hath, in truth, inspired Me: Verily, verily, I am God, He besides Whom there is none other God, and I am indeed the Ancient of…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Lord hath, in truth, inspired Me: Verily, verily, I\nam God, He besides Whom there is none other God, and I am indeed the\nAncient of Days...\n\nO people of the Kingdom! By the righteousness of the\ntrue God, if ye remain steadfast upon this line which standeth\nupright between the two lines, ye shall, in very truth, quaff the\nliving waters from the Fountain of this wondrous Revelation as\nproffered by the hand of His Remembrance...\n\nI swear by your true Lord, by Him Who is the Lord of the\nheavens and of the earth, that the divine Promise concerning His\nRemembrance is naught but the sovereign truth and, as decreed in the\nMother Book, it shall come to pass...\n\nSay, O peoples of the earth! Were ye to assemble\ntogether in order to produce the like of a single letter of My Works,\nye would never be able to do so,32\nand verily God is cognizant of all things...\n\nO Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Say: Behold! Verily the\nMoon hath faded; verily the night hath retreated; verily the dawn\nhath brightened;33\nverily the command of God, your true Lord, hath been accomplished...\n\nOut of utter nothingness, O great and omnipotent Master,\nThou hast, through the celestial potency of Thy might, brought me\nforth and raised me up to proclaim this Revelation. I have made none\nother but Thee my trust; I have clung to no will but Thy Will. Thou\nart, in truth, the All-Sufficing and behind Thee standeth the true\nGod, He Who overshadoweth all things. Indeed sufficient unto Me is\nGod, the Exalted, the Powerful, the Sustainer. Chapter LVIII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“The One true God may be compared unto the sun and ...”",
"slug": "sb-the-one-true-god-may-be-compared-unto-the-sun-and",
"summary": "The One true God may be compared unto the sun and the believer unto a mirror. No sooner is the mirror placed before the sun than it reflects its light. The unbeliever may be likened unto a stone. No matter how long it is exposed to the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe One true God may be compared unto the sun and the\nbeliever unto a mirror. No sooner is the mirror placed before the sun\nthan it reflects its light. The unbeliever may be likened unto a\nstone. No matter how long it is exposed to the sunshine, it cannot\nreflect the sun. Thus the former layeth down his life as a sacrifice,\nwhile the latter doeth against God what he committeth. Indeed, if God\nwilleth, He is potent to turn the stone into a mirror, but the person\nhimself remaineth reconciled to his state. Had he wished to become a\ncrystal, God would have made him to assume crystal form. For on that\nDay whatever cause prompteth the believer to believe in Him, the same\nwill also be available to the unbeliever. But when the latter\nsuffereth himself to be wrapt in veils, the same cause shutteth him\nout as by a veil. Thus, as is clearly evident today, those who have\nset their faces toward God, the True One, have believed in Him\nbecause of the Bayán, while such as are veiled have been\ndeprived because of it. VI, 4.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“The people, during the absence of the Báb, re-enacted ...”",
"slug": "sb-the-people-during-the-absence-of-the-bab-re-enacted",
"summary": "The people, during the absence of the Báb, re-enacted the episode of the Calf by setting up a blaring figure which embodied animal features in human form45…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe people, during the absence of the Báb,\nre-enacted the episode of the Calf by setting up a blaring figure\nwhich embodied animal features in human form45\n...\n\nWhenever the people ask Thee of the appointed Hour say:\nVerily the knowledge of it is only with My Lord,46\nWho is the Knower of the unseen. There is none other God but Him—He\nWho hath created you from a single soul,47\nand I have no control over what profiteth Me or harmeth Me, but as My\nLord pleaseth.48\nIndeed God is Self-Sufficient and He, My Lord, standeth supreme over\nall things. Chapter LXIX.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“The reason why privacy hath been enjoined in moments ...”",
"slug": "sb-the-reason-why-privacy-hath-been-enjoined-in-moments",
"summary": "The reason why privacy hath been enjoined in moments of devotion is this, that thou mayest give thy best attention to the remembrance of God, that thy heart may at all times be animated with His Spirit, and not be shut out as by a veil…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe reason why privacy hath been enjoined in moments of\ndevotion is this, that thou mayest give thy best attention to the\nremembrance of God, that thy heart may at all times be animated with\nHis Spirit, and not be shut out as by a veil from thy Best Beloved.\nLet not thy tongue pay lip service in praise of God while thy heart\nbe not attuned to the exalted Summit of Glory, and the Focal Point of\ncommunion. Thus if haply thou dost live in the Day of Resurrection,\nthe mirror of thy heart will be set towards Him Who is the Day-Star\nof Truth; and no sooner will His light shine forth than the splendour\nthereof shall forthwith be reflected in thy heart. For He is the\nSource of all goodness, and unto Him revert all things. But if He\nappeareth while thou hast turned unto thyself in meditation, this\nshall not profit thee, unless thou shalt mention His Name by words He\nhath revealed. For in the forthcoming Revelation it is He Who is the\nRemembrance of God, whereas the devotions which thou art offering at\npresent have been prescribed by the Point of the Bayán, while\nHe Who will shine resplendent in the Day of Resurrection is the\nRevelation of the inner reality enshrined in the Point of the Bayán—a\nRevelation more potent, immeasurably more potent, than the one which\nhath preceded it. IX, 4.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“The recognition of Him Who is the Bearer of divine ...”",
"slug": "sb-the-recognition-of-him-who-is-the-bearer-of-divine",
"summary": "The recognition of Him Who is the Bearer of divine Truth is none other than the recognition of God, and loving Him is none other than loving God. However, I swear by the sublime Essence of God—exalted and glorified be He—that I did not…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe recognition of Him Who is the Bearer of divine Truth\nis none other than the recognition of God, and loving Him is none\nother than loving God. However, I swear by the sublime Essence of\nGod—exalted and glorified be He—that I did not wish my\nidentity to be known by men, and gave instructions that My name\nshould be concealed, because I was fully aware of the incapacity of\nthis people, who are none other than those who have, in reference to\nno less a person than the Apostle of God—incomparable as He\nhath ever been—remarked, ‘He is certainly a lunatic’.69\nIf they now claim to be other than those people, their deeds bear\nwitness to the falsity of their assertions. That which God testifieth\nis none other than what His supreme Testimony testifieth. Were all\nthe peoples of the world to testify unto a thing and were He to\ntestify unto another, His testimony will be regarded as God’s\ntestimony, while aught else but Him hath been and will ever be as\nnaught; for it is through His might that a thing assumeth existence.\n\nConsider the extent of the adherence of these people to\nmatters of faith. When dealing with their own affairs they are well\ncontent with the testimony of two just witnesses, and yet despite the\ntestimony of so many righteous men they hesitate to believe in Him\nWho is the Bearer of the divine Truth.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“The revelation of the Divine Reality hath everlastingly ...”",
"slug": "sb-the-revelation-of-the-divine-reality-hath-everlastingly",
"summary": "The revelation of the Divine Reality hath everlastingly been identical with its concealment and its concealment identical with its revelation. That which is intended by ‘Revelation of God’ is the Tree of divine Truth that betokeneth…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe revelation of the Divine Reality hath everlastingly\nbeen identical with its concealment and its concealment identical\nwith its revelation. That which is intended by ‘Revelation of\nGod’ is the Tree of divine Truth that betokeneth none but Him,\nand it is this divine Tree that hath raised and will raise up\nMessengers, and hath revealed and will ever reveal Scriptures. From\neternity unto eternity this Tree of divine Truth hath served and will\never serve as the throne of the revelation and concealment of God\namong His creatures, and in every age is made manifest through\nwhomsoever He pleaseth. At the time of the revelation of the Qur’án\nHe asserted His transcendent power through the advent of Muḥammad,\nand on the occasion of the revelation of the Bayán He\ndemonstrated His sovereign might through the appearance of the Point\nof the Bayán, and when He Whom God shall make manifest will\nshine forth, it will be through Him that He will vindicate the truth\nof His Faith, as He pleaseth, with whatsoever He pleaseth and for\nwhatsoever He pleaseth. He is with all things, yet nothing is with\nHim. He is not within a thing nor above it nor beside it. Any\nreference to His being established upon the throne implieth that the\nExponent of His Revelation is established upon the seat of\ntranscendent authority...\n\nHe hath everlastingly existed and will everlastingly\ncontinue to exist. He hath been and will ever remain inscrutable unto\nall men, inasmuch as all else besides Him have been and shall ever be\ncreated through the potency of His command. He is exalted above every\nmention or praise and is sanctified beyond every word of commendation\nor every comparison. No created thing comprehendeth Him, while He in\ntruth comprehendeth all things. Even when it is said ‘no\ncreated thing comprehendeth Him’, this refers to the Mirror of\nHis Revelation, that is Him Whom God shall make manifest. Indeed too\nhigh and exalted is He for anyone to allude unto Him. II, 8.\n\n\n\n\n 4: Excerpts From Dalá’il-i-sab‘ih\n(The Seven Proofs)\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“The substance of this chapter is this, that what is intended ...”",
"slug": "sb-the-substance-of-this-chapter-is-this-that-what-is-intended",
"summary": "The substance of this chapter is this, that what is intended by the Day of Resurrection is the Day of the appearance of the Tree of divine Reality, but it is not seen that any one of the followers of Shí’ih Islám hath understood the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe substance of this chapter is this, that what is\nintended by the Day of Resurrection is the Day of the appearance of\nthe Tree of divine Reality, but it is not seen that any one of the\nfollowers of Shí’ih Islám hath understood\nthe meaning of the Day of Resurrection; rather have they fancifully\nimagined a thing which with God hath no reality. In the estimation of\nGod and according to the usage of such as are initiated into divine\nmysteries, what is meant by the Day of Resurrection is this, that\nfrom the time of the appearance of Him Who is the Tree of divine\nReality, at whatever period and under whatever name, until the moment\nof His disappearance, is the Day of Resurrection.\n\nFor example, from the inception of the mission of\nJesus—may peace be upon Him—till the day of His ascension\nwas the Resurrection of Moses. For during that period the Revelation\nof God shone forth through the appearance of that divine Reality, Who\nrewarded by His Word everyone who believed in Moses, and punished by\nHis Word everyone who did not believe; inasmuch as God’s\nTestimony for that Day was that which He had solemnly affirmed in the\nGospel. And from the inception of the Revelation of the Apostle of\nGod—may the blessings of God be upon Him—till the day of\nHis ascension was the Resurrection of Jesus—peace be upon\nHim—wherein the Tree of divine Reality appeared in the person\nof Muḥammad, rewarding by His Word everyone who was a believer\nin Jesus, and punishing by His Word everyone who was not a believer\nin Him. And from the moment when the Tree of the Bayán\nappeared until it disappeareth is the Resurrection of the Apostle of\nGod, as is divinely foretold in the Qur’án; the\nbeginning of which was when two hours and eleven minutes had passed\non the eve of the fifth of Jamádiyu’l-Avval, 1260 A.H.,66\nwhich is the year 1270 of the Declaration of the Mission of Muḥammad.\nThis was the beginning of the Day of Resurrection of the Qur’án,\nand until the disappearance of the Tree of divine Reality is the\nResurrection of the Qur’án. The stage of perfection of\neverything is reached when its resurrection occurreth. The perfection\nof the religion of Islám was consummated at the beginning of\nthis Revelation; and from the rise of this Revelation until its\nsetting, the fruits of the Tree of Islám, whatever they are,\nwill become apparent. The Resurrection of the Bayán will occur\nat the time of the appearance of Him Whom God shall make manifest.\nFor today the Bayán is in the stage of seed; at the beginning\nof the manifestation of Him Whom God shall make manifest its ultimate\nperfection will become apparent. He is made manifest in order to\ngather the fruits of the trees He hath planted; even as the\nRevelation of the Qá’im [He Who ariseth], a descendant\nof Muḥammad—may the blessings of God rest upon Him—is\nexactly like unto the Revelation of the Apostle of God Himself\n[Muḥammad]. He appeareth not, save for the purpose of gathering\nthe fruits of Islám from the Qur’ánic verses\nwhich He [Muḥammad] hath sown in the hearts of men. The fruits\nof Islám cannot be gathered except through allegiance unto Him\n[the Qá’im] and by believing in Him. At the present\ntime, however, only adverse effects have resulted; for although He\nhath appeared in the midmost heart of Islám, and all people\nprofess it by reason of their relationship to Him [the Qá’im],\nyet unjustly have they consigned Him to the Mountain of Mákú,\nand this notwithstanding that in the Qur’án the advent\nof the Day of Resurrection hath been promised unto all by God. For on\nthat Day all men will be brought before God and will attain His\nPresence; which meaneth appearance before Him Who is the Tree of\ndivine Reality and attainment unto His presence; inasmuch as it is\nnot possible to appear before the Most Holy Essence of God, nor is it\nconceivable to seek reunion with Him. That which is feasible in the\nmatter of appearance before Him and of meeting Him is attainment unto\nthe Primal Tree. II, 7.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“There is no doubt that the Almighty hath sent down ...”",
"slug": "sb-there-is-no-doubt-that-the-almighty-hath-sent-down",
"summary": "There is no doubt that the Almighty hath sent down these verses unto Him [the Báb], even as He sent down unto the Apostle of God. Indeed no less than a hundred thousand verses similar to these have already been disseminated among the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere is no doubt that the Almighty hath sent down these\nverses unto Him [the Báb], even as He sent down unto the\nApostle of God. Indeed no less than a hundred thousand verses similar\nto these have already been disseminated among the people, not to\nmention His Epistles, His Prayers or His learned and philosophical\ntreatises. He revealeth no less than a thousand verses within the\nspace of five hours. He reciteth verses at a speed consonant with the\ncapacity of His amanuensis to set them down. Thus, it may well be\nconsidered that if from the inception of this Revelation until now He\nhad been left unhindered, how vast then would have been the volume of\nwritings disseminated from His pen.\n\nIf ye contend that these verses cannot, of themselves,\nbe regarded as a proof, scan the pages of the Qur’án. If\nGod hath established therein any evidence other than the revealed\nverses to demonstrate the validity of the prophethood of His\nApostle—may the blessings of God rest upon Him—ye may\nthen have your scruples about Him...\n\nConcerning the sufficiency of the Book as a proof, God\nhath revealed: ‘Is it not enough for them that We have sent\ndown unto Thee the Book to be recited to them? In this verily is a\nmercy and a warning to those who believe.’60\nWhen God hath testified that the Book is a sufficient testimony, as\nis affirmed in the text, how can one dispute this truth by saying\nthat the Book in itself is not a conclusive proof?... II, 1.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“There is no paradise, in the estimation of the believers in ...”",
"slug": "sb-there-is-no-paradise-in-the-estimation-of-the-believers-in",
"summary": "There is no paradise, in the estimation of the believers in the Divine Unity, more exalted than to obey God’s commandments, and there is no fire in the eyes of those who have known God and His signs, fiercer than to transgress His laws…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere is no paradise, in the estimation of the believers\nin the Divine Unity, more exalted than to obey God’s\ncommandments, and there is no fire in the eyes of those who have\nknown God and His signs, fiercer than to transgress His laws and to\noppress another soul, even to the extent of a mustard seed. On the\nDay of Resurrection God will, in truth, judge all men, and we all\nverily plead for His grace. V, 19.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“This Book which We have sent down is indeed abounding ...”",
"slug": "sb-this-book-which-we-have-sent-down-is-indeed-abounding",
"summary": "This Book which We have sent down is indeed abounding in blessings56 and beareth witness to the Truth, so that the people may realize that the conclusive Proof of God in favour of His Remembrance is similar to the one wherewith…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis Book which We have sent down is indeed abounding in\nblessings56\nand beareth witness to the Truth, so that the people may realize that\nthe conclusive Proof of God in favour of His Remembrance is similar\nto the one wherewith Muḥammad, the Seal of the Prophets, was\ninvested, and verily great is the Cause as ordained in the Mother\nBook. Chapter LXVI.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“This Religion is indeed, in the sight of God, the essence ...”",
"slug": "sb-this-religion-is-indeed-in-the-sight-of-god-the-essence",
"summary": "This Religion is indeed, in the sight of God, the essence of the Faith of Muḥammad; haste ye then to attain the celestial Paradise and the all-highest Garden of His good-pleasure in the presence of the One True God, could ye but be…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis Religion is indeed, in the sight of God, the\nessence of the Faith of Muḥammad; haste ye then to attain the\ncelestial Paradise and the all-highest Garden of His good-pleasure in\nthe presence of the One True God, could ye but be patient and\nthankful before the evidences of the signs of God. Chapter XLVIII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“This Remembrance is indeed the glorious Remnant of ...”",
"slug": "sb-this-remembrance-is-indeed-the-glorious-remnant-of",
"summary": "This Remembrance is indeed the glorious Remnant of the Light of God, and He will be best for you,57 if ye in very truth remain faithful to God, the Most…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"perseverance",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis Remembrance is indeed the glorious Remnant of the\nLight of God, and He will be best for you,57\nif ye in very truth remain faithful to God, the Most Exalted...\n\nWe have in truth sent Thee forth unto all men, by the\nleave of God, invested with Our signs and reinforced by Our\nunsurpassed sovereignty. He is indeed the appointed Bearer of the\nTrust of God...\n\nO Qurratu’l-‘Ayn! Persevere steadfastly as\nThou art bidden and let not the faithless amongst men nor their\nutterances grieve Thee, since Thy Lord shall, by the righteousness of\nGod, the Most Great, pass judgement upon them on the Day of\nResurrection, and surely God witnesseth all things. Chapter\nLXXXIV.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Thou art aware, O My God, that since the day Thou ...”",
"slug": "sb-thou-art-aware-o-my-god-that-since-the-day-thou",
"summary": "Thou art aware, O My God, that since the day Thou didst call Me into being out of the water of Thy love till I reached fifteen years of age I lived in the land which witnessed My birth [Shíráz]. Then Thou didst enable Me to go to the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThou art aware, O My God, that since the day Thou didst\ncall Me into being out of the water of Thy love till I reached\nfifteen years of age I lived in the land which witnessed My birth\n[Shíráz]. Then Thou didst enable Me to go to the\nseaport [Búshihr] where for five years I was engaged in\ntrading with the goodly gifts of Thy realm and was occupied in that\nwith which Thou hast favoured Me through the wondrous essence of Thy\nloving-kindness. I proceeded therefrom to the Holy Land [Karbilá]\nwhere I sojourned for one year. Then I returned to the place of My\nbirth. There I experienced the revelation of Thy sublime bestowals\nand the evidences of Thy boundless grace. I yield Thee praise for all\nThy goodly gifts and I render Thee thanksgiving for all Thy bounties.\nThen at the age of twenty-five I proceeded to thy sacred House\n[Mecca], and by the time I returned to the place where I was born, a\nyear had elapsed. There I tarried patiently in the path of Thy love\nand beheld the evidences of Thy manifold bounties and of Thy\nloving-kindness until Thou didst ordain for Me to set out in Thy\ndirection and to migrate to Thy presence. Thus I departed therefrom\nby Thy leave, spending six months in the land of Sád [Iṣfáhán]\nand seven months in the First Mountain [Mákú], where\nThou didst rain down upon Me that which beseemeth the glory of Thy\nheavenly blessings and befitteth the sublimity of Thy gracious gifts\nand favours. Now, in My thirtieth year, Thou beholdest Me, O My God,\nin this Grievous Mountain [Chihríq] where I have dwelt\nfor one whole year.\n\nPraise be unto Thee, O My Lord, for all times,\nheretofore and hereafter; and thanks be unto Thee, O My God, under\nall conditions, whether of the past or the future. The gifts Thou\nhast bestowed upon Me have reached their fullest measure and the\nblessings Thou hast vouchsafed unto Me have attained their\nconsummation. Naught do I now witness but the manifold evidences of\nThy grace and loving-kindness, Thy bounty and gracious favours, Thy\ngenerosity and loftiness, Thy sovereignty and might, Thy splendour\nand Thy glory, and that which befitteth the holy court of Thy\ntranscendent dominion and majesty and beseemeth the glorious\nprecincts of Thine eternity and exaltation.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Thou beholdest how vast is the number of people who ...”",
"slug": "sb-thou-beholdest-how-vast-is-the-number-of-people-who",
"summary": "Thou beholdest how vast is the number of people who go to Mecca each year on pilgrimage and engage in circumambulation, while He, through the potency of Whose Word the Ka’bah [the sanctuary in Mecca] hath become the object of adoration,…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThou beholdest how vast is the number of people who go\nto Mecca each year on pilgrimage and engage in circumambulation,\nwhile He, through the potency of Whose Word the Ka’bah [the\nsanctuary in Mecca] hath become the object of adoration, is forsaken\nin this mountain. He is none other but the Apostle of God Himself,\ninasmuch as the Revelation of God may be likened to the sun. No\nmatter how innumerable its risings, there is but one sun, and upon it\ndepends the life of all things. It is clear and evident that the\nobject of all preceding Dispensations hath been to pave the way for\nthe advent of Muḥammad, the Apostle of God. These, including\nthe Muḥammadan Dispensation, have had, in their turn, as their\nobjective the Revelation proclaimed by the Qá’im. The\npurpose underlying this Revelation, as well as those that preceded\nit, has, in like manner, been to announce the advent of the Faith of\nHim Whom God will make manifest. And this Faith—the Faith of\nHim Whom God will make manifest—in its turn, together with all\nthe Revelations gone before it, have as their object the\nManifestation destined to succeed it. And the latter, no less than\nall the Revelations preceding it, prepare the way for the Revelation\nwhich is yet to follow. The process of the rise and setting of the\nSun of Truth will thus indefinitely continue—a process that\nhath had no beginning and will have no end.\n\nWell is it with him who in every Dispensation\nrecognizeth the Purpose of God for that Dispensation, and is not\ndeprived therefrom by turning his gaze towards the things of the\npast. IV, 12.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Thou hast asked concerning the fundamentals ...”",
"slug": "sb-thou-hast-asked-concerning-the-fundamentals",
"summary": "Thou hast asked concerning the fundamentals of religion and its ordinances: Know thou that first and foremost in religion is the knowledge of God. This attaineth its consummation in the recognition of His divine unity, which in turn…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThou hast asked concerning the fundamentals of religion\nand its ordinances: Know thou that first and foremost in religion is\nthe knowledge of God. This attaineth its consummation in the\nrecognition of His divine unity, which in turn reacheth its\nfulfilment in acclaiming that His hallowed and exalted Sanctuary, the\nSeat of His transcendent majesty, is sanctified from all attributes.\nAnd know thou that in this world of being the knowledge of God can\nnever be attained save through the knowledge of Him Who is the\nDayspring of divine Reality.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Thou knowest full well, O my God, that tribulations ...”",
"slug": "sb-thou-knowest-full-well-o-my-god-that-tribulations",
"summary": "Thou knowest full well, O my God, that tribulations have showered upon me from all directions and that no one can dispel or transmute them except Thee. I know of a certainty, by virtue of my love for Thee, that Thou wilt never cause…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"justice",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThou knowest full well, O my God, that tribulations have\nshowered upon me from all directions and that no one can dispel or\ntransmute them except Thee. I know of a certainty, by virtue of my\nlove for Thee, that Thou wilt never cause tribulations to befall any\nsoul unless Thou desirest to exalt his station in Thy celestial\nParadise and to buttress his heart in this earthly life with the\nbulwark of Thine all-compelling power, that it may not become\ninclined toward the vanities of this world. Indeed Thou art well\naware that under all conditions I would cherish the remembrance of\nThee far more than the ownership of all that is in the heavens and on\nthe earth.\n\nStrengthen my heart, O my God, in Thine obedience and in\nThy love and grant that I may be clear of the entire company of Thine\nadversaries. Verily I swear by Thy glory that I yearn for naught\nbesides Thyself, nor do I desire anything except Thy mercy, nor am I\napprehensive of aught save Thy justice. I beg Thee to forgive me as\nwell as those whom Thou lovest, howsoever Thou pleasest. Verily Thou\nart the Almighty, the Bountiful.\n\nImmensely exalted art Thou, O Lord of the heavens and\nearth, above the praise of all men, and may peace be upon Thy\nfaithful servants and glory be unto God, the Lord of all the worlds.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Thou seest, O my Lord, my dwelling-place in the heart ...”",
"slug": "sb-thou-seest-o-my-lord-my-dwelling-place-in-the-heart",
"summary": "Thou seest, O my Lord, my dwelling-place in the heart of this mountain and Thou dost witness my forbearance. Verily I have desired naught else but Thy love and the love of those who love Thee. How can I extol the effulgent beauty of Thy…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThou seest, O my Lord, my dwelling-place in the heart of\nthis mountain and Thou dost witness my forbearance. Verily I have\ndesired naught else but Thy love and the love of those who love Thee.\nHow can I extol the effulgent beauty of Thy Lordship, conscious as I\nam of my nothingness before the habitation of Thy glory? Yet the\nsorrow of solitude and loneliness prompteth me to invoke Thee through\nthis prayer, perchance Thy trusted servants may become aware of my\nlamentations, may supplicate unto Thee on my behalf, and Thou wouldst\ngraciously answer their prayers as a token of Thy grace and Thy\nfavour. I bear witness that there is no God but Thee, inasmuch as\nThou art invested with sovereignty, grandeur, glory and power which\nno one among Thy servants can visualize or comprehend. Indeed Thou\nshalt, by virtue of that which is inherent in Thine Essence, ever\nremain inscrutable unto all except Thyself.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Through Thy revelation, O my God, Thou hast enabled ...”",
"slug": "sb-through-thy-revelation-o-my-god-thou-hast-enabled",
"summary": "Through Thy revelation, O my God, Thou hast enabled me to know Thee, and through the radiance of Thine effulgent splendour Thou hast inspired me with Thy remembrance. Thou art the One nearest to me with naught else between Thee and me,…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThrough Thy revelation, O my God, Thou hast enabled me\nto know Thee, and through the radiance of Thine effulgent splendour\nThou hast inspired me with Thy remembrance. Thou art the One nearest\nto me with naught else between Thee and me, and Thou art the One\nWhose power nothing whatsoever can frustrate. Far be it then from\nThine Essence that the mightiest birds of the souls of men or of\nhuman imaginings should ever scale its heights, and too exalted is\nThy holy Being for the loftiest sentiments of men of understanding to\nattain unto Thee. From everlasting no one hath comprehended Thine Own\nSelf, and unto everlasting Thou shalt remain what Thou hast been\nsince time immemorial with no one else besides Thee.\n\nMagnified be Thy Name, Thou art the Best Beloved Who\nhast enabled me to know Thee and Thou art that All-Renowned One Who\nhast graciously favoured me with Thy love. Thou art the Ancient of\nDays Whom none can ever describe through the evidences of Thy glory\nand majesty, and Thou art the mighty One Whom none can ever\ncomprehend through the revelations of Thy greatness and beauty,\ninasmuch as the expressions of majesty and grandeur and the\nattributes of dominion and beauty are but the tokens of Thy divine\nWill and the effulgent reflections of Thy sovereignty which, by\nreason of their very essence and nature, proclaim that the way is\nbarred and bear witness that the pathway is inaccessibly beyond the\nreach of men.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Throughout eternity Thou hast been, O my Lord, ...”",
"slug": "sb-throughout-eternity-thou-hast-been-o-my-lord",
"summary": "Throughout eternity Thou hast been, O my Lord, and wilt ever remain the One true God, while all else save Thee are needy and poor. Having clung tenaciously to Thy Cord, O my God, I have detached myself from all mankind, and having set…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThroughout eternity Thou hast been, O my Lord, and wilt\never remain the One true God, while all else save Thee are needy and\npoor. Having clung tenaciously to Thy Cord, O my God, I have detached\nmyself from all mankind, and having set my face towards the\nhabitation of Thy tender mercy, I have turned away from all created\nthings. Graciously inspire me, O my God, through Thy grace and\nbounty, Thy glory and majesty, and Thy dominion and grandeur, for no\none mighty and all-knowing can I find beside Thee. Protect me, O my\nGod, through the potency of Thy transcendent and all-sufficing glory\nand by the hosts of the heavens and the earth, inasmuch as in no one\ncan I wholly place my trust but in Thee and no refuge is there but\nThee.\n\nThou art God, my Lord, Thou knowest my needs, Thou seest\nmy state and art well aware of what hath befallen me by reason of Thy\ndecree, and of the earthly sufferings I have endured by Thy leave and\nas a token of Thy bounty and favour.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Thy letter hath been perused. Were the truth of this ...”",
"slug": "sb-thy-letter-hath-been-perused-were-the-truth-of-this",
"summary": "Thy letter hath been perused. Were the truth of this Revelation to be fully demonstrated with elaborate proofs, all the scrolls that exist in the heaven and on the earth would be insufficient to contain…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThy letter hath been perused. Were the truth of this\nRevelation to be fully demonstrated with elaborate proofs, all the\nscrolls that exist in the heaven and on the earth would be\ninsufficient to contain them.\n\nHowever, the substance and essence of the subject is\nthis, that there can be no doubt that from everlasting God hath been\ninvested with the independent sovereignty of His exalted Being, and\nunto everlasting He will remain inaccessible in the transcendent\nmajesty of His holy Essence. No creature hath ever recognized Him as\nbefitteth His recognition, nor hath any created being ever praised\nHim as is worthy of His praise. He is exalted above every name, and\nis sanctified from every comparison. Through Him all things are made\nknown, while too lofty is His reality to be known through anyone but\nHim. The process of His creation hath had no beginning and can have\nno end, otherwise it would necessitate the cessation of His celestial\ngrace. God hath raised up Prophets and revealed Books as numerous as\nthe creatures of the world, and will continue to do so to\neverlasting.\n\nIf thou art sailing upon the sea of God’s Names,\nwhich are reflected in all things, know thou that He is exalted and\nsanctified from being known through His creatures, or being described\nby His servants. Everything thou beholdest hath been called into\nbeing through the operation of His Will. How can such a created\nthing, therefore, be indicative of His essential oneness? God’s\nexistence in itself testifieth to His Own oneness, while every\ncreated thing, by its very nature, beareth evidence that it hath been\nfashioned by God. Such is the proof of consummate wisdom in the\nestimation of those who sail the ocean of divine Truth.\n\nIf, however, thou art sailing upon the sea of creation,\nknow thou that the First Remembrance, which is the Primal Will of\nGod, may be likened unto the sun. God hath created Him through the\npotency of His might, and He hath, from the beginning that hath no\nbeginning, caused Him to be manifested in every Dispensation through\nthe compelling power of His behest, and God will, to the end that\nknoweth no end, continue to manifest Him according to the\ngood-pleasure of His invincible Purpose.\n\nAnd know thou that He indeed resembleth the sun. Were\nthe risings of the sun to continue till the end that hath no end, yet\nthere hath not been nor ever will be more than one sun; and were its\nsettings to endure for evermore, still there hath not been nor ever\nwill be more than one sun. It is this Primal Will which appeareth\nresplendent in every Prophet and speaketh forth in every revealed\nBook. It knoweth no beginning, inasmuch as the First deriveth its\nfirstness from It; and knoweth no end, for the Last oweth its\nlastness unto It.\n\nIn the time of the First Manifestation the Primal Will\nappeared in Adam; in the day of Noah It became known in Noah; in the\nday of Abraham in Him; and so in the day of Moses; the day of Jesus;\nthe day of Muḥammad, the Apostle of God; the day of the ‘Point\nof the Bayán’; the day of Him Whom God shall make\nmanifest; and the day of the One Who will appear after Him Whom God\nshall make manifest. Hence the inner meaning of the words uttered by\nthe Apostle of God, ‘I am all the Prophets’, inasmuch as\nwhat shineth resplendent in each one of Them hath been and will ever\nremain the one and the same sun.\n\n\n\n\n 5: Excerpts From The Kitáb-i-asmá\n(The Book of Names)\nO ye that are invested with the Bayán! Denounce\nye not one another, ere the Day-Star of ancient eternity shineth\nforth above the horizon of His sublimity. We have created you from\none tree and have caused you to be as the leaves and fruit of the\nsame tree, that haply ye may become a source of comfort to one\nanother. Regard ye not others save as ye regard your own selves, that\nno feeling of aversion may prevail amongst you so as to shut you out\nfrom Him Whom God shall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection. It\nbehooveth you all to be one indivisible people; thus should ye return\nunto Him Whom God shall make manifest.\n\nThose who have deprived themselves of this Resurrection\nby reason of their mutual hatreds or by regarding themselves to be in\nthe right and others in the wrong, were chastised on the Day of\nResurrection by reason of such hatreds evinced during their night.70\nThus they deprived themselves of beholding the countenance of God,\nand this for no other reason than mutual denunciations.\n\nO ye that are invested with the Bayán! Ye should\nperform such deeds as would please God, your Lord, earning thereby\nthe good-pleasure of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Turn not your\nreligion into a means of material gain, spending your life on\nvanities, and inheriting thereby on the Day of Resurrection that\nwhich would displease Him Whom God shall make manifest, while ye deem\nthat what ye do is right. If, however, ye observe piety in your\nFaith, God will surely nourish you from the treasuries of His\nheavenly grace.\n\nBe ye sincere in your allegiance to Him Whom God shall\nmake manifest, for the sake of God, your Lord, that perchance ye may,\nthrough devotion to His Faith, be redeemed on the Day of\nResurrection. Beware lest ye suffer one another to be wrapt in veils\nby reason of the disputes which may, during your night, arise among\nyou as a result of the problems ye encounter or in consideration of\nsuch matters as your loftiness or lowliness, your nearness or\nremoteness.\n\nThus have We firmly exhorted you—a befitting\nexhortation indeed—that haply ye may cleave tenaciously unto it\nand attain thereby salvation on the Day of Resurrection. The time is\napproaching when ye will be at peace with yourselves in your homes,\nand lo, Him Whom God shall make manifest will have appeared, and God\nwisheth you to return unto Him, even as God called you into being\nthrough the Primal Point. However, all of you will seek guidance\nwhile pursuing the promptings of your own desires. Some of you are\nfilled with pride by reason of your religion, others because of your\nlearning. Ye will, one and all, cling unto some part of the Bayán\nas a means of self-glorification. XVI, 19.71\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Twelve hundred and seventy years have elapsed since ...”",
"slug": "sb-twelve-hundred-and-seventy-years-have-elapsed-since",
"summary": "Twelve hundred and seventy years have elapsed since the declaration of Muḥammad, and each year unnumbered people have circumambulated the House of God [Mecca]. In the concluding year of this period He Who is Himself the Founder of the…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Vahíd"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"pilgrimage",
"holy-day",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"humility",
"truthfulness",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTwelve hundred and seventy years have elapsed since the\ndeclaration of Muḥammad, and each year unnumbered people have\ncircumambulated the House of God [Mecca]. In the concluding year of\nthis period He Who is Himself the Founder of the House went on\npilgrimage. Great God! There was a vast concourse of pilgrims from\nevery sect. Yet not one recognized Him, though He recognized every\none of them—souls tightly held in the grasp of His former\ncommandment. The only person who recognized Him and performed\npilgrimage with Him is the one round whom revolve eight Vahíds,63\nin whom God hath gloried before the Concourse on high by virtue of\nhis absolute detachment and for his being wholly devoted to the Will\nof God. This doth not mean that he was made the object of a special\nfavour, nay, this is a favour which God hath vouchsafed unto all men,\nyet they have suffered themselves to be veiled from it. The\nCommentary on the Súrih of Joseph had, in the first year of\nthis Revelation, been widely distributed. Nevertheless, when the\npeople realized that fellow supporters were not forthcoming they\nhesitated to accept it; while it never occurred to them that the very\nQur’án whereunto unnumbered souls bear fealty today, was\nrevealed in the midmost heart of the Arab world, yet to outward\nseeming for no less than seven years no one acknowledged its truth\nexcept the Commander of the Faithful [Imám ‘Alí]—may\nthe peace of God rest upon him—who, in response to the\nconclusive proofs advanced by God’s supreme Testimony,\nrecognized the Truth and did not fix his eyes on others. Thus on the\nDay of Resurrection God will ask everyone of his understanding and\nnot of his following in the footsteps of others. How often a person,\nhaving inclined his ears to the holy verses, would bow down in\nhumility and would embrace the Truth, while his leader would not do\nso. Thus every individual must bear his own responsibility, rather\nthan someone else bearing it for him. At the time of the appearance\nof Him Whom God will make manifest the most distinguished among the\nlearned and the lowliest of men shall both be judged alike. How often\nthe most insignificant of men have acknowledged the truth, while the\nmost learned have remained wrapt in veils. Thus in every Dispensation\na number of souls enter the fire by reason of their following in the\nfootsteps of others. IV, 18.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Unto every people We have sent down the Book in ...”",
"slug": "sb-unto-every-people-we-have-sent-down-the-book-in",
"summary": "Unto every people We have sent down the Book in their own language.14 This Book We have, verily, revealed in the language of Our Remembrance and it is in truth a wondrous language. He is, verily, the eternal Truth come from God, and…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nUnto every people We have sent down the Book in their\nown language.14\nThis Book We have, verily, revealed in the language of Our\nRemembrance and it is in truth a wondrous language. He is, verily,\nthe eternal Truth come from God, and according to the divine\njudgement given in the Mother Book, He is the most distinguished\namong the writers of Arabic and most eloquent in His utterance. He is\nin truth the Supreme Talisman and is endowed with supernatural\npowers, as set forth in the Mother Book...\n\nO people of the city! Ye have disbelieved your Lord. If\nye are truly faithful to Muḥammad, the Apostle of God and the\nSeal of the Prophets, and if ye follow His Book, the Qur’án,\nwhich is free from error, then here is the like of it—this\nBook, which We have, in truth and by the leave of God, sent down unto\nOur Servant. If ye fail to believe in Him, then your faith in\nMuḥammad and His Book which was revealed in the past will\nindeed be treated as false in the estimation of God. If ye deny Him,\nthe fact of your having denied Muḥammad and His Book will, in\nvery truth and with absolute certainty, become evident unto\nyourselves. Chapter IV.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Verily God hath caused the people of the Bayán to be ...”",
"slug": "sb-verily-god-hath-caused-the-people-of-the-bayan-to-be",
"summary": "Verily God hath caused the people of the Bayán to be called into being through the power of Him unto Whom the Bayán was revealed, in preparation for the Day when they will return to their…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nVerily God hath caused the people of the Bayán to\nbe called into being through the power of Him unto Whom the Bayán\nwas revealed, in preparation for the Day when they will return to\ntheir Lord.\n\nIndeed those who will bear allegiance unto Him Whom God\nshall make manifest are the ones who have grasped the meaning of that\nwhich hath been revealed in the Bayán; they are indeed the\nsincere ones, while those who turn away from Him at the time of His\nappearance will have utterly failed to comprehend a single letter of\nthe Bayán, even though they profess belief and assurance in\nwhatever is revealed in it or observe its precepts.\n\nSay, every favourable and praiseworthy designation in\nthe Bayán is but an allusion to those who recognize Him Whom\nGod shall make manifest, and who believe with certainty in God and in\nHis holy Writings, while every unfavourable designation therein is\nmeant to refer to such as repudiate Him Whom God shall make manifest,\nthough they may act uprightly within the bounds laid down in the\nBayán. Say, if ye embrace the truth on the Day of\nResurrection, God will assuredly pardon you for your night73\nand will grant you forgiveness.\n\nAs to those who have faithfully observed the ordinances\nin the Bayán from the inception of its revelation until the\nDay when Him Whom God shall make manifest will appear, these are\nindeed the companions of the paradise of His good-pleasure who will\nbe glorified in the presence of God and will dwell in the pavilions\nof His celestial Garden. Yet, within less than a tiny fraction of an\ninstant from the moment God will have revealed Him Who is the\nManifestation of His Own Self, the entire company of the followers of\nthe Bayán shall be put to proof. XVII, 1.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Verily I am God, no God is there but Me, and aught ...”",
"slug": "sb-verily-i-am-god-no-god-is-there-but-me-and-aught",
"summary": "In the Name of God, the Most Exalted, the Most…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the Name of God, the Most Exalted, the Most High.\n\nVerily I am God, no God is there but Me, and aught\nexcept Me is but My creation. Say, worship Me then, O ye, My\ncreatures.\n\nI have called Thee into being, have nurtured Thee,\nprotected Thee, loved Thee, raised Thee up and have graciously chosen\nThee to be the manifestation of Mine Own Self, that Thou mayest\nrecite My verses as ordained by Me, and may summon whomsoever I have\ncreated unto My Religion which is none other than this glorious and\nexalted Path.\n\nI have fashioned all created things for Thy sake, and I\nhave, by virtue of My Will, set Thee sovereign Ruler over all\nmankind. Moreover, I have decreed that whoso embraceth My religion\nshall believe in My unity, and I have linked this belief with\nremembrance of Thee, and after Thee the remembrance of such as Thou\nhast, by My leave, caused to be the ‘Letters of the Living’,\nand of whatever hath been revealed from My religion in the Bayán.\nThis, indeed, is what will enable the sincere among My servants to\ngain admittance into the celestial Paradise.\n\nVerily, the sun is but a token from My presence so that\nthe true believers among My servants may discern in its rising the\ndawning of every Dispensation.\n\nIn truth I have created Thee through Thyself, then at My\nOwn behest I have fashioned all things through the creative power of\nThy Word. We are All-Powerful. I have appointed Thee to be the\nBeginning and the End, the Seen and the Hidden. Verily We are the\nAll-Knowing.\n\nNo one hath been or will ever be invested with\nprophethood other than Thee, nor hath any sacred Book been or will be\nrevealed unto any one except Thee. Such is the decree ordained by Him\nWho is the All-Encompassing, the Best Beloved.\n\nThe Bayán is in truth Our conclusive proof for\nall created things, and all the peoples of the world are powerless\nbefore the revelation of its verses. It enshrineth the sum total of\nall the Scriptures, whether of the past or of the future, even as\nThou art the Repository of all Our proofs in this Day. We cause\nwhomsover We desire to be admitted into the gardens of our most holy,\nmost sublime Paradise. Thus is divine revelation inaugurated in each\nDispensation at Our behest. We are truly the supreme Ruler. Indeed no\nreligion shall We ever inaugurate unless it be renewed in the days to\ncome. This is a promise We solemnly have made. Verily We are supreme\nover all things...\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Verily I am Thy servant, O my God, and Thy poor ...”",
"slug": "sb-verily-i-am-thy-servant-o-my-god-and-thy-poor",
"summary": "Verily I am Thy servant, O my God, and Thy poor one and Thy suppliant and Thy wretched creature. I have arrived at Thy gate, seeking Thy shelter. I have found no contentment save in Thy love, no exultation except in Thy remembrance, no…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"recognition",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nVerily I am Thy servant, O my God, and Thy poor one and\nThy suppliant and Thy wretched creature. I have arrived at Thy gate,\nseeking Thy shelter. I have found no contentment save in Thy love, no\nexultation except in Thy remembrance, no eagerness but in obedience\nto Thee, no joy save in Thy nearness, and no tranquillity except in\nreunion with Thee, notwithstanding that I am conscious that all\ncreated things are debarred from Thy sublime Essence and the entire\ncreation is denied access to Thine inmost Being. Whenever I attempt\nto approach Thee, I perceive nothing in myself but the tokens of Thy\ngrace and behold naught in my being but the revelations of Thy\nloving-kindness. How can one who is but Thy creature seek reunion\nwith Thee and attain unto Thy presence, whereas no created thing can\never be associated with Thee, nor can aught comprehend Thee? How is\nit possible for a lowly servant to recognize Thee and to extol Thy\npraise, notwithstanding that Thou hast destined for him the\nrevelations of Thy dominion and the wondrous testimonies of Thy\nsovereignty? Thus every created thing beareth witness that it is\ndebarred from the sanctuary of Thy presence by reason of the\nlimitations imposed upon its inner reality. It is undisputed,\nhowever, that the influence of Thine attraction hath everlastingly\nbeen inherent in the realities of Thy handiwork, although that which\nbeseemeth the hallowed court of Thy providence is exalted beyond the\nattainment of the entire creation. This indicateth, O my God, my\nutter powerlessness to praise Thee and revealeth my utmost impotence\nin yielding thanks unto Thee; and how much more to attain the\nrecognition of Thy divine unity or to succeed in reaching the clear\ntokens of Thy praise, Thy sanctity and Thy glory. Nay, by Thy might,\nI yearn for naught but Thine Own Self and seek no one other than\nThee.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Verily, on the First Day We flung open the gates of ...”",
"slug": "sb-verily-on-the-first-day-we-flung-open-the-gates-of",
"summary": "Verily, on the First Day We flung open the gates of Paradise unto all the peoples of the world, and exclaimed: ‘O all ye created things! Strive to gain admittance into Paradise, since ye have, during all your lives, held fast unto…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings",
"fast",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nVerily, on the First Day We flung open the gates of\nParadise unto all the peoples of the world, and exclaimed: ‘O\nall ye created things! Strive to gain admittance into Paradise, since\nye have, during all your lives, held fast unto virtuous deeds in\norder to attain unto it.’ Surely all men yearn to enter\ntherein, but alas, they are unable to do so by reason of that which\ntheir hands have wrought. Shouldst thou, however, gain a true\nunderstanding of God in thine heart of hearts, ere He hath manifested\nHimself, thou wouldst be able to recognize Him, visible and\nresplendent, when He unveileth Himself before the eyes of all men.\nXVII, 11.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Verily such as ridicule the wondrous, divine Verses ...”",
"slug": "sb-verily-such-as-ridicule-the-wondrous-divine-verses",
"summary": "Verily such as ridicule the wondrous, divine Verses revealed through His Remembrance, are but making themselves the objects of ridicule, and We, in truth, aid them to wax in their iniquity.35 Indeed God’s knowledge transcendeth all…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nVerily such as ridicule the wondrous, divine Verses\nrevealed through His Remembrance, are but making themselves the\nobjects of ridicule, and We, in truth, aid them to wax in their\niniquity.35\nIndeed God’s knowledge transcendeth all created things...\n\nThe infidels, of a truth, seek to separate God from His\nRemembrance,36\nbut God hath determined to perfect His Light37\nthrough His Remembrance, and indeed He is potent over all things...\n\nVerily, Christ is Our Word which We communicated unto\nMary;38\nand let no one say what the Christians term as ‘the third of\nthree’,39\ninasmuch as it would amount to slandering the Remembrance Who, as\ndecreed in the Mother Book, is invested with supreme authority.\nIndeed God is but one God, and far be it from His glory that there\nshould be aught else besides Him. All those who shall attain unto Him\non the Day of Resurrection are but His servants, and God is, of a\ntruth, a sufficient Protector. Verily I am none other but the servant\nof God and His Word, and none but the first one to bow down in\nsupplication before God, the Most Exalted; and indeed God witnesseth\nall things. Chapter LXI.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Verily We made the revelation of verses to be a testimony ...”",
"slug": "sb-verily-we-made-the-revelation-of-verses-to-be-a-testimony",
"summary": "Verily We made the revelation of verses to be a testimony for Our message unto you. Can ye produce a single letter to match these verses? Bring forth, then, your proofs, if ye be of those who can discern the one true God. I solemnly…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nVerily We made the revelation of verses to be a\ntestimony for Our message unto you. Can ye produce a single letter to\nmatch these verses? Bring forth, then, your proofs, if ye be of those\nwho can discern the one true God. I solemnly affirm before God,\nshould all men and spirits combine to compose the like of one chapter\nof this Book, they would surely fail, even though they were to assist\none another.11\n\nO concourse of divines! Fear God from this day onwards\nin the views ye advance, for He Who is Our Remembrance in your midst,\nand Who cometh from Us, is, in very truth, the Judge and Witness.\nTurn away from that which ye lay hold of, and which the Book of God,\nthe True One, hath not sanctioned, for on the Day of Resurrection ye\nshall, upon the Bridge, be, in very truth, held answerable for the\nposition ye occupied.... And unto you We have sent down this Book\nwhich truly none can mistake...\n\nO concourse of the people of the Book! Fear ye God and\npride not yourselves in your learning. Follow ye the Book which His\nRemembrance hath revealed in praise of God, the True One. He Who is\nthe Eternal Truth beareth me witness, whoso followeth this Book hath\nindeed followed all the past Scriptures which have been sent down\nfrom heaven by God, the Sovereign Truth. Verily, He is well informed\nof what ye do... Such as are the true followers of Islám would\nsay: ‘O Lord our God! We have hearkened to the call of Thy\nRemembrance and obeyed Him. Forgive us our sins. Thou art, verily,\nthe Eternal Truth, and unto Thee, our infallible Retreat, must we all\nreturn.’12\nChapter II.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Vouchsafe unto me, O my God, the full measure of ...”",
"slug": "sb-vouchsafe-unto-me-o-my-god-the-full-measure-of",
"summary": "Vouchsafe unto me, O my God, the full measure of Thy love and Thy good-pleasure, and through the attractions of Thy resplendent light enrapture our hearts, O Thou Who art the Supreme Evidence and the All-Glorified. Send down upon me, as…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nVouchsafe unto me, O my God, the full measure of Thy\nlove and Thy good-pleasure, and through the attractions of Thy\nresplendent light enrapture our hearts, O Thou Who art the Supreme\nEvidence and the All-Glorified. Send down upon me, as a token of Thy\ngrace, Thy vitalizing breezes, throughout the day-time and in the\nnight season, O Lord of bounty.\n\nNo deed have I done, O my God, to merit beholding Thy\nface, and I know of a certainty that were I to live as long as the\nworld lasts I would fail to accomplish any deed such as to deserve\nthis favour, inasmuch as the station of a servant shall ever fall\nshort of access to Thy holy precincts, unless Thy bounty should reach\nme and Thy tender mercy pervade me and Thy loving-kindness encompass\nme.\n\nAll praise be unto Thee, O Thou besides Whom there is\nnone other God. Graciously enable me to ascend unto Thee, to be\ngranted the honour of dwelling in Thy nearness and to have communion\nwith Thee alone. No God is there but Thee.\n\nIndeed shouldst Thou desire to confer blessing upon a\nservant Thou wouldst blot out from the realm of his heart every\nmention or disposition except Thine Own mention; and shouldst Thou\nordain evil for a servant by reason of that which his hands have\nunjustly wrought before Thy face, Thou wouldst test him with the\nbenefits of this world and of the next that he might become\npreoccupied therewith and forget Thy remembrance.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Whenever the faithful hear the verses of this Book ...”",
"slug": "sb-whenever-the-faithful-hear-the-verses-of-this-book",
"summary": "Whenever the faithful hear the verses of this Book being recited, their eyes will overflow with tears and their hearts will be deeply touched by Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance for the love they cherish for God, the All-Praised.…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhenever the faithful hear the verses of this Book being\nrecited, their eyes will overflow with tears and their hearts will be\ndeeply touched by Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance for the love\nthey cherish for God, the All-Praised. He is God, the All-Knowing,\nthe Eternal. They are indeed the inmates of the all-highest Paradise\nwherein they will abide for ever. Verily they will see naught therein\nsave that which hath proceeded from God, nothing that will lie beyond\nthe compass of their understanding. There they will meet the\nbelievers in Paradise, who will address them with the words ‘Peace,\nPeace’ lingering on their lips...\n\nO concourse of the faithful! Incline your ears to My\nVoice, proclaimed by this Remembrance of God. Verily God hath\nrevealed unto Me that the Path of the Remembrance which is set forth\nby Me is, in very truth, the straight Path of God, and that whoever\nprofesseth any religion other than this upright Faith, will, when\ncalled to account on the Day of Judgement, discover that as recorded\nin the Book no benefit hath he reaped out of God’s Religion...\n\nFear ye God, O concourse of kings, lest ye remain afar\nfrom Him Who is His Remembrance [the Báb], after the Truth\nhath come unto you with a Book and signs from God, as spoken through\nthe wondrous tongue of Him Who is His Remembrance. Seek ye grace from\nGod, for God hath ordained for you, after ye have believed in Him, a\nGarden the vastness of which is as the vastness of the whole of\nParadise. Therein ye shall find naught save the gifts and favours\nwhich the Almighty hath graciously bestowed by virtue of this\nmomentous Cause, as decreed in the Mother Book. Chapter LXIII.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Worship thou God in such wise that if thy worship lead ...”",
"slug": "sb-worship-thou-god-in-such-wise-that-if-thy-worship-lead",
"summary": "Worship thou God in such wise that if thy worship lead thee to the fire, no alteration in thine adoration would be produced, and so likewise if thy recompense should be paradise. Thus and thus alone should be the worship which befitteth…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"prayer",
"wisdom",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWorship thou God in such wise that if thy worship lead\nthee to the fire, no alteration in thine adoration would be produced,\nand so likewise if thy recompense should be paradise. Thus and thus\nalone should be the worship which befitteth the one True God.\nShouldst thou worship Him because of fear, this would be unseemly in\nthe sanctified Court of His presence, and could not be regarded as an\nact by thee dedicated to the Oneness of His Being. Or if thy gaze\nshould be on paradise, and thou shouldst worship Him while cherishing\nsuch a hope, thou wouldst make God’s creation a partner with\nHim, notwithstanding the fact that paradise is desired by men.\n\nFire and paradise both bow down and prostrate themselves\nbefore God. That which is worthy of His Essence is to worship Him for\nHis sake, without fear of fire, or hope of paradise.\n\nAlthough when true worship is offered, the worshipper is\ndelivered from the fire, and entereth the paradise of God’s\ngood-pleasure, yet such should not be the motive of his act. However,\nGod’s favour and grace ever flow in accordance with the\nexigencies of His inscrutable wisdom.\n\nThe most acceptable prayer is the one offered with the\nutmost spirituality and radiance; its prolongation hath not been and\nis not beloved by God. The more detached and the purer the prayer,\nthe more acceptable is it in the presence of God. VII, 19.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Ye perform your works for God from the beginning of ...”",
"slug": "sb-ye-perform-your-works-for-god-from-the-beginning-of",
"summary": "Ye perform your works for God from the beginning of your lives till the end thereof, yet not a single act is for the sake of Him Who is the Manifestation of God, to Whom every good deed reverteth. Had ye acted in such manner, ye would…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bab",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"year": 1976,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18828/pg18828-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nYe perform your works for God from the beginning of your\nlives till the end thereof, yet not a single act is for the sake of\nHim Who is the Manifestation of God, to Whom every good deed\nreverteth. Had ye acted in such manner, ye would not have suffered so\ngrievously on the Day of Resurrection.\n\nBehold how great is the Cause, and yet how the people\nare wrapt in veils. I swear by the sanctified Essence of God that\nevery true praise and deed offered unto God is naught but praise and\ndeed offered unto Him Whom God shall make manifest.\n\nDeceive not your own selves that you are being virtuous\nfor the sake of God when you are not. For should ye truly do your\nworks for God, ye would be performing them for Him Whom God shall\nmake manifest and would be magnifying His Name. The dwellers of this\nmountain who are bereft of true understanding unceasingly utter the\nwords, ‘No God is there but God’; but what benefit doth\nit yield them? Ponder awhile that ye may not be shut out as by a veil\nfrom Him Who is the Dayspring of Revelation. VIII, 19.\n\n*Source: the Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb (1976). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "1: O peoples of the world! The Sun of Truth hath ...",
"slug": "sel-1-o-peoples-of-the-world-the-sun-of-truth-hath",
"summary": "O peoples of the world! The Sun of Truth hath risen to illumine the whole earth, and to spiritualize the community of man. Laudable are the results and the fruits thereof, abundant the holy evidences deriving from this grace. This is…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"devotion",
"faith",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO peoples of the world! The Sun of Truth hath risen to\nillumine the whole earth, and to spiritualize the community of man.\nLaudable are the results and the fruits thereof, abundant the holy\nevidences deriving from this grace. This is mercy unalloyed and\npurest bounty; it is light for the world and all its peoples; it is\nharmony and fellowship, and love and solidarity; indeed it is\ncompassion and unity, and the end of foreignness; it is the being at\none, in complete dignity and freedom, with all on earth.\n\nThe Blessed Beauty saith: ‘Ye are all the fruits\nof one tree, the leaves of one branch.’ Thus hath He likened\nthis world of being to a single tree, and all its peoples to the\nleaves thereof, and the blossoms and fruits. It is needful for the\nbough to blossom, and leaf and fruit to flourish, and upon the\ninterconnection of all parts of the world-tree, dependeth the\nflourishing of leaf and blossom, and the sweetness of the fruit.\n\nFor this reason must all human beings powerfully sustain\none another and seek for everlasting life; and for this reason must\nthe lovers of God in this contingent world become the mercies and the\nblessings sent forth by that clement King of the seen and unseen\nrealms. Let them purify their sight and behold all humankind as\nleaves and blossoms and fruits of the tree of being. Let them at all\ntimes concern themselves with doing a kindly thing for one of their\nfellows, offering to someone love, consideration, thoughtful help.\nLet them see no one as their enemy, or as wishing them ill, but think\nof all humankind as their friends; regarding the alien as an\nintimate, the stranger as a companion, staying free of prejudice,\ndrawing no lines.\n\nIn this day, the one favoured at the Threshold of the\nLord is he who handeth round the cup of faithfulness; who bestoweth,\neven upon his enemies, the jewel of bounty, and lendeth, even to his\nfallen oppressor, a helping hand; it is he who will, even to the\nfiercest of his foes, be a loving friend. These are the Teachings of\nthe Blessed Beauty, these the counsels of the Most Great Name.\n\nO ye dear friends! The world is at war and the human\nrace is in travail and mortal combat. The dark night of hate hath\ntaken over, and the light of good faith is blotted out. The peoples\nand kindreds of the earth have sharpened their claws, and are hurling\nthemselves one against the other. It is the very foundation of the\nhuman race that is being destroyed. It is thousands of households\nthat are vagrant and dispossessed, and every year seeth thousands\nupon thousands of human beings weltering in their life-blood on dusty\nbattlefields. The tents of life and joy are down. The generals\npractise their generalship, boasting of the blood they shed,\ncompeting one with the next in inciting to violence. ‘With this\nsword,’ saith one of them, ‘I beheaded a people!’\nAnd another: ‘I toppled a nation to the ground!’ And yet\nanother: ‘I brought a government down!’ On such things do\nmen pride themselves, in such do they glory! Love—righteousness—these\nare everywhere censured, while despised are harmony, and devotion to\nthe truth.\n\nThe Faith of the Blessed Beauty is summoning mankind to\nsafety and love, to amity and peace; it hath raised up its tabernacle\non the heights of the earth, and directeth its call to all nations.\nWherefore, O ye who are God’s lovers, know ye the value of this\nprecious Faith, obey its teachings, walk in this road that is drawn\nstraight, and show ye this way to the people. Lift up your voices and\nsing out the song of the Kingdom. Spread far and wide the precepts\nand counsels of the loving Lord, so that this world will change into\nanother world, and this darksome earth will be flooded with light,\nand the dead body of mankind will arise and live; so that every soul\nwill ask for immortality, through the holy breaths of God.\n\nSoon will your swiftly-passing days be over, and the\nfame and riches, the comforts, the joys provided by this\nrubbish-heap, the world, will be gone without a trace. Summon ye,\nthen, the people to God, and invite humanity to follow the example of\nthe Company on high. Be ye loving fathers to the orphan, and a refuge\nto the helpless, and a treasury for the poor, and a cure for the\nailing. Be ye the helpers of every victim of oppression, the patrons\nof the disadvantaged. Think ye at all times of rendering some service\nto every member of the human race. Pay ye no heed to aversion and\nrejection, to disdain, hostility, injustice: act ye in the opposite\nway. Be ye sincerely kind, not in appearance only. Let each one of\nGod’s loved ones centre his attention on this: to be the Lord’s\nmercy to man; to be the Lord’s grace. Let him do some good to\nevery person whose path he crosseth, and be of some benefit to him.\nLet him improve the character of each and all, and reorient the minds\nof men. In this way, the light of divine guidance will shine forth,\nand the blessings of God will cradle all mankind: for love is light,\nno matter in what abode it dwelleth; and hate is darkness, no matter\nwhere it may make its nest. O friends of God! That the hidden Mystery\nmay stand revealed, and the secret essence of all things may be\ndisclosed, strive ye to banish that darkness for ever and ever.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "10: O thou dear handmaid of God! Thy letter hath ...",
"slug": "sel-10-o-thou-dear-handmaid-of-god-thy-letter-hath",
"summary": "O thou dear handmaid of God! Thy letter hath been received and its contents noted. Thou didst ask for a rule whereby to guide thy…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou dear handmaid of God! Thy letter hath been\nreceived and its contents noted. Thou didst ask for a rule whereby to\nguide thy life.\n\nBelieve thou in God, and keep thine eyes fixed upon the\nexalted Kingdom; be thou enamoured of the Abhá Beauty; stand\nthou firm in the Covenant; yearn thou to ascend into the Heaven of\nthe Universal Light. Be thou severed from this world, and reborn\nthrough the sweet scents of holiness that blow from the realm of the\nAll-Highest. Be thou a summoner to love, and be thou kind to all the\nhuman race. Love thou the children of men and share in their sorrows.\nBe thou of those who foster peace. Offer thy friendship, be worthy of\ntrust. Be thou a balm to every sore, be thou a medicine for every\nill. Bind thou the souls together. Recite thou the verses of\nguidance. Be engaged in the worship of thy Lord, and rise up to lead\nthe people aright. Loose thy tongue and teach, and let thy face be\nbright with the fire of God’s love. Rest thou not for a moment,\nseek thou to draw no easeful breath. Thus mayest thou become a sign\nand symbol of God’s love, and a banner of His grace.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "100: My wish is that these children should receive a ...",
"slug": "sel-100-my-wish-is-that-these-children-should-receive-a",
"summary": "My wish is that these children should receive a Bahá’í education, so that they may progress both here and in the Kingdom, and rejoice thy…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMy wish is that these children should receive a Bahá’í\neducation, so that they may progress both here and in the Kingdom,\nand rejoice thy heart.\n\nIn a time to come, morals will degenerate to an extreme\ndegree. It is essential that children be reared in the Bahá’í\nway, that they may find happiness both in this world and the next. If\nnot, they shall be beset by sorrows and troubles, for human happiness\nis founded upon spiritual behaviour.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "101: O ye who have peace of soul! Among the divine ...",
"slug": "sel-101-o-ye-who-have-peace-of-soul-among-the-divine",
"summary": "O ye who have peace of soul! Among the divine Texts as set forth in the Most Holy Book and also in other Tablets is this: it is incumbent upon the father and mother to train their children both in good conduct and the study of books;…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye who have peace of soul! Among the divine Texts as\nset forth in the Most Holy Book and also in other Tablets is this: it\nis incumbent upon the father and mother to train their children both\nin good conduct and the study of books; study, that is, to the degree\nrequired, so that no child, whether girl or boy, will remain\nilliterate. Should the father fail in his duty he must be compelled\nto discharge his responsibility, and should he be unable to comply,\nlet the House of Justice take over the education of the children; in\nno case is a child to be left without an education. This is one of\nthe stringent and inescapable commandments to neglect which would\ndraw down the wrathful indignation of Almighty God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "102: O true companions! All humankind are as children ...",
"slug": "sel-102-o-true-companions-all-humankind-are-as-children",
"summary": "O true companions! All humankind are as children in a school, and the Dawning-Points of Light, the Sources of divine revelation, are the teachers, wondrous and without peer. In the school of realities they educate these sons and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO true companions! All humankind are as children in a\nschool, and the Dawning-Points of Light, the Sources of divine\nrevelation, are the teachers, wondrous and without peer. In the\nschool of realities they educate these sons and daughters, according\nto teachings from God, and foster them in the bosom of grace, so that\nthey may develop along every line, show forth the excellent gifts and\nblessings of the Lord, and combine human perfections; that they may\nadvance in all aspects of human endeavour, whether outward or inward,\nhidden or visible, material or spiritual, until they make of this\nmortal world a widespread mirror, to reflect that other world which\ndieth not.\n\nO ye friends of God! Because, in this most momentous of\nages, the Sun of Truth hath risen at the highest point of the spring\nequinox, and cast its rays on every clime, it shall kindle such\ntremulous excitement, it shall release such vibrations in the world\nof being, it shall stimulate such growth and development, it shall\nstream out with such a glory of light, and clouds of grace shall pour\ndown such plentiful waters, and fields and plains shall teem with\nsuch a galaxy of sweet-smelling plants and blooms, that this lowly\nearth will become the Abhá Kingdom, and this nether world the\nworld above. Then will this fleck of dust be as the vast circle of\nthe skies, this human place the palace-court of God, this spot of\nclay the dayspring of the endless favours of the Lord of Lords.\n\nWherefore, O loved ones of God! Make ye a mighty effort\ntill you yourselves betoken this advancement and all these\nconfirmations, and become focal centres of God’s blessings,\ndaysprings of the light of His unity, promoters of the gifts and\ngraces of civilized life. Be ye in that land vanguards of the\nperfections of humankind; carry forward the various branches of\nknowledge, be active and progressive in the field of inventions and\nthe arts. Endeavour to rectify the conduct of men, and seek to excel\nthe whole world in moral character. While the children are yet in\ntheir infancy feed them from the breast of heavenly grace, foster\nthem in the cradle of all excellence, rear them in the embrace of\nbounty. Give them the advantage of every useful kind of knowledge.\nLet them share in every new and rare and wondrous craft and art.\nBring them up to work and strive, and accustom them to hardship.\nTeach them to dedicate their lives to matters of great import, and\ninspire them to undertake studies that will benefit mankind.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "103: The education and training of children is among ...",
"slug": "sel-103-the-education-and-training-of-children-is-among",
"summary": "The education and training of children is among the most meritorious acts of humankind and draweth down the grace and favour of the All-Merciful, for education is the indispensable foundation of all human excellence and alloweth man to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"teaching",
"children",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe education and training of children is among the most\nmeritorious acts of humankind and draweth down the grace and favour\nof the All-Merciful, for education is the indispensable foundation of\nall human excellence and alloweth man to work his way to the heights\nof abiding glory. If a child be trained from his infancy, he will,\nthrough the loving care of the Holy Gardener, drink in the crystal\nwaters of the spirit and of knowledge, like a young tree amid the\nrilling brooks. And certainly he will gather to himself the bright\nrays of the Sun of Truth, and through its light and heat will grow\never fresh and fair in the garden of life.\n\nTherefore must the mentor be a doctor as well: that is,\nhe must, in instructing the child, remedy its faults; must give him\nlearning, and at the same time rear him to have a spiritual nature.\nLet the teacher be a doctor to the character of the child, thus will\nhe heal the spiritual ailments of the children of men.\n\nIf, in this momentous task, a mighty effort be exerted,\nthe world of humanity will shine out with other adornings, and shed\nthe fairest light. Then will this darksome place grow luminous, and\nthis abode of earth turn into Heaven. The very demons will change to\nangels then, and wolves to shepherds of the flock, and the wild-dog\npack to gazelles that pasture on the plains of oneness, and ravening\nbeasts to peaceful herds, and birds of prey, with talons sharp as\nknives, to songsters warbling their sweet native notes.\n\nFor the inner reality of man is a demarcation line\nbetween the shadow and the light, a place where the two seas meet;36\nit is the lowest point on the arc of descent,37\nand therefore is it capable of gaining all the grades above. With\neducation it can achieve all excellence; devoid of education it will\nstay on, at the lowest point of imperfection.\n\nEvery child is potentially the light of the world—and\nat the same time its darkness; wherefore must the question of\neducation be accounted as of primary importance. From his infancy,\nthe child must be nursed at the breast of God’s love, and\nnurtured in the embrace of His knowledge, that he may radiate light,\ngrow in spirituality, be filled with wisdom and learning, and take on\nthe characteristics of the angelic host.\n\nSince ye have been assigned to this holy task, ye must\ntherefore exert every effort to make that school famed in all\nrespects throughout the world; to make it the cause of exalting the\nWord of the Lord.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "104: O loved ones of God and handmaids of the ...",
"slug": "sel-104-o-loved-ones-of-god-and-handmaids-of-the",
"summary": "O loved ones of God and handmaids of the Merciful! A large body of scholars is of the opinion that variations among minds and differing degrees of perception are due to differences in education, training and culture. That is, they…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"teaching",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO loved ones of God and handmaids of the Merciful! A\nlarge body of scholars is of the opinion that variations among minds\nand differing degrees of perception are due to differences in\neducation, training and culture. That is, they believe that minds are\nequal to begin with, but that training and education will result in\nmental variations and differing levels of intelligence, and that such\nvariations are not an inherent component of the individuality but are\nthe result of education: that no one hath any inborn superiority over\nanother....\n\nThe Manifestations of God are likewise in agreement with\nthe view that education exerteth the strongest possible influence on\nhumankind. They affirm, however, that differences in the level of\nintelligence are innate; and this fact is obvious, and not worth\ndebating. For we see that children of the same age, the same country,\nthe same race, indeed of the same family, and trained by the same\nindividual, still are different as to the degree of their\ncomprehension and intelligence. One will make rapid progress, one\nwill receive instruction only gradually, one will remain at the\nlowest stage of all. For no matter how much you may polish a shell,\nit will not turn into a gleaming pearl, nor can you change a dull\npebble into a gem whose pure rays will light the world. Never,\nthrough training and cultivation, will the colocynth and the bitter\ntree38\nchange into the Tree of Blessedness.39\nThat is to say, education cannot alter the inner essence of a man,\nbut it doth exert tremendous influence, and with this power it can\nbring forth from the individual whatever perfections and capacities\nare deposited within him. A grain of wheat, when cultivated by the\nfarmer, will yield a whole harvest, and a seed, through the\ngardener’s care, will grow into a great tree. Thanks to a\nteacher’s loving efforts, the children of the primary school\nmay reach the highest levels of achievement; indeed, his benefactions\nmay lift some child of small account to an exalted throne. Thus is it\nclearly demonstrated that by their essential nature, minds vary as to\ntheir capacity, while education also playeth a great role and\nexerteth a powerful effect on their development.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "105: As to the difference between that material civilization ...",
"slug": "sel-105-as-to-the-difference-between-that-material-civilization",
"summary": "As to the difference between that material civilization now prevailing, and the divine civilization which will be one of the benefits to derive from the House of Justice, it is this: material civilization, through the power of punitive…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAs to the difference between that material civilization\nnow prevailing, and the divine civilization which will be one of the\nbenefits to derive from the House of Justice, it is this: material\ncivilization, through the power of punitive and retaliatory laws,\nrestraineth the people from criminal acts; and notwithstanding this,\nwhile laws to retaliate against and punish a man are continually\nproliferating, as ye can see, no laws exist to reward him. In all the\ncities of Europe and America, vast buildings have been erected to\nserve as jails for the criminals.\n\nDivine civilization, however, so traineth every member\nof society that no one, with the exception of a negligible few, will\nundertake to commit a crime. There is thus a great difference between\nthe prevention of crime through measures that are violent and\nretaliatory, and so training the people, and enlightening them, and\nspiritualizing them, that without any fear of punishment or vengeance\nto come, they will shun all criminal acts. They will, indeed, look\nupon the very commission of a crime as a great disgrace and in itself\nthe harshest of punishments. They will become enamoured of human\nperfections, and will consecrate their lives to whatever will bring\nlight to the world and will further those qualities which are\nacceptable at the Holy Threshold of God.\n\nSee then how wide is the difference between material\ncivilization and divine. With force and punishments, material\ncivilization seeketh to restrain the people from mischief, from\ninflicting harm on society and committing crimes. But in a divine\ncivilization, the individual is so conditioned that with no fear of\npunishment, he shunneth the perpetration of crimes, seeth the crime\nitself as the severest of torments, and with alacrity and joy,\nsetteth himself to acquiring the virtues of humankind, to furthering\nhuman progress, and to spreading light across the world.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "106: Among the greatest of all services that can possibly ...",
"slug": "sel-106-among-the-greatest-of-all-services-that-can-possibly",
"summary": "Among the greatest of all services that can possibly be rendered by man to Almighty God is the education and training of children, young plants of the Abhá Paradise, so that these children, fostered by grace in the way of salvation,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAmong the greatest of all services that can possibly be\nrendered by man to Almighty God is the education and training of\nchildren, young plants of the Abhá Paradise, so that these\nchildren, fostered by grace in the way of salvation, growing like\npearls of divine bounty in the shell of education, will one day\nbejewel the crown of abiding glory.\n\nIt is, however, very difficult to undertake this\nservice, even harder to succeed in it. I hope that thou wilt acquit\nthyself well in this most important of tasks, and successfully carry\nthe day, and become an ensign of God’s abounding grace; that\nthese children, reared one and all in the holy Teachings, will\ndevelop natures like unto the sweet airs that blow across the gardens\nof the All-Glorious, and will waft their fragrance around the world.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "108: Ye should consider the question of goodly ...",
"slug": "sel-108-ye-should-consider-the-question-of-goodly",
"summary": "Ye should consider the question of goodly character as of the first importance. It is incumbent upon every father and mother to counsel their children over a long period, and guide them unto those things which lead to everlasting…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nYe should consider the question of goodly character as\nof the first importance. It is incumbent upon every father and mother\nto counsel their children over a long period, and guide them unto\nthose things which lead to everlasting honour.\n\nEncourage ye the school children, from their earliest\nyears, to deliver speeches of high quality, so that in their leisure\ntime they will engage in giving cogent and effective talks,\nexpressing themselves with clarity and eloquence.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "109: O ye recipients of the favours of God! In this new ...",
"slug": "sel-109-o-ye-recipients-of-the-favours-of-god-in-this-new",
"summary": "O ye recipients of the favours of God! In this new and wondrous Age, the unshakeable foundation is the teaching of sciences and arts. According to explicit Holy Texts, every child must be taught crafts and arts, to the degree that is…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye recipients of the favours of God! In this new and\nwondrous Age, the unshakeable foundation is the teaching of sciences\nand arts. According to explicit Holy Texts, every child must be\ntaught crafts and arts, to the degree that is needful. Wherefore, in\nevery city and village, schools must be established and every child\nin that city or village is to engage in study to the necessary\ndegree.\n\nIt followeth that whatever soul shall offer his aid to\nbring this about will assuredly be accepted at the heavenly\nThreshold, and extolled by the Company on high.\n\nSince ye have striven hard toward this all-important\nend, it is my hope that ye will reap your reward from the Lord of\nclear tokens and signs, and that the glances of heavenly grace will\nturn your way.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "110: As to the organization of the schools: if possible ...",
"slug": "sel-110-as-to-the-organization-of-the-schools-if-possible",
"summary": "As to the organization of the schools: if possible the children should all wear the same kind of clothing, even if the fabric is varied. It is preferable that the fabric as well should be uniform; if, however, this is not possible,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAs to the organization of the schools: if possible the\nchildren should all wear the same kind of clothing, even if the\nfabric is varied. It is preferable that the fabric as well should be\nuniform; if, however, this is not possible, there is no harm done.\nThe more cleanly the pupils are, the better; they should be\nimmaculate. The school must be located in a place where the air is\ndelicate and pure. The children must be carefully trained to be most\ncourteous and well-behaved. They must be constantly encouraged and\nmade eager to gain all the summits of human accomplishment, so that\nfrom their earliest years they will be taught to have high aims, to\nconduct themselves well, to be chaste, pure, and undefiled, and will\nlearn to be of powerful resolve and firm of purpose in all things.\nLet them not jest and trifle, but earnestly advance unto their goals,\nso that in every situation they will be found resolute and firm.\n\nTraining in morals and good conduct is far more\nimportant than book learning. A child that is cleanly, agreeable, of\ngood character, well-behaved—even though he be ignorant—is\npreferable to a child that is rude, unwashed, ill-natured, and yet\nbecoming deeply versed in all the sciences and arts. The reason for\nthis is that the child who conducts himself well, even though he be\nignorant, is of benefit to others, while an ill-natured, ill-behaved\nchild is corrupted and harmful to others, even though he be learned.\nIf, however, the child be trained to be both learned and good, the\nresult is light upon light.\n\nChildren are even as a branch that is fresh and green;\nthey will grow up in whatever way ye train them. Take the utmost care\nto give them high ideals and goals, so that once they come of age,\nthey will cast their beams like brilliant candles on the world, and\nwill not be defiled by lusts and passions in the way of animals,\nheedless and unaware, but instead will set their hearts on achieving\neverlasting honour and acquiring all the excellences of humankind.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "111: The root cause of wrongdoing is ignorance, and ...",
"slug": "sel-111-the-root-cause-of-wrongdoing-is-ignorance-and",
"summary": "The root cause of wrongdoing is ignorance, and we must therefore hold fast to the tools of perception and knowledge. Good character must be taught. Light must be spread afar, so that, in the school of humanity, all may acquire the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe root cause of wrongdoing is ignorance, and we must\ntherefore hold fast to the tools of perception and knowledge. Good\ncharacter must be taught. Light must be spread afar, so that, in the\nschool of humanity, all may acquire the heavenly characteristics of\nthe spirit, and see for themselves beyond any doubt that there is no\nfiercer hell, no more fiery abyss, than to possess a character that\nis evil and unsound; no more darksome pit nor loathsome torment than\nto show forth qualities which deserve to be condemned.\n\nThe individual must be educated to such a high degree\nthat he would rather have his throat cut than tell a lie, and would\nthink it easier to be slashed with a sword or pierced with a spear\nthan to utter calumny or be carried away by wrath.\n\nThus will be kindled the sense of human dignity and\npride, to burn away the reapings of lustful appetites. Then will each\none of God’s beloved shine out as a bright moon with qualities\nof the spirit, and the relationship of each to the Sacred Threshold\nof his Lord will be not illusory but sound and real, will be as the\nvery foundation of the building, not some embellishment on its\nfaçade.\n\nIt followeth that the children’s school must be a\nplace of utmost discipline and order, that instruction must be\nthorough, and provision must be made for the rectification and\nrefinement of character; so that, in his earliest years, within the\nvery essence of the child, the divine foundation will be laid and the\nstructure of holiness raised up.\n\nKnow that this matter of instruction, of character\nrectification and refinement, of heartening and encouraging the\nchild, is of the utmost importance, for such are basic principles of\nGod.\n\nThus, if God will, out of these spiritual schools\nillumined children will arise, adorned with all the fairest virtues\nof humankind, and will shed their light not only across Persia, but\naround the world.\n\nIt is extremely difficult to teach the individual and\nrefine his character once puberty is passed. By then, as experience\nhath shown, even if every effort be exerted to modify some tendency\nof his, it all availeth nothing. He may, perhaps, improve somewhat\ntoday; but let a few days pass and he forgetteth, and turneth\nbackward to his habitual condition and accustomed ways. Therefore it\nis in early childhood that a firm foundation must be laid. While the\nbranch is green and tender it can easily be made straight.\n\nOur meaning is that qualities of the spirit are the\nbasic and divine foundation, and adorn the true essence of man; and\nknowledge is the cause of human progress. The beloved of God must\nattach great importance to this matter, and carry it forward with\nenthusiasm and zeal.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "112: In this holy Cause the question of orphans hath ...",
"slug": "sel-112-in-this-holy-cause-the-question-of-orphans-hath",
"summary": "In this holy Cause the question of orphans hath the utmost importance. The greatest consideration must be shown towards orphans; they must be taught, trained and educated. The Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, especially, must by all means be…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn this holy Cause the question of orphans hath the\nutmost importance. The greatest consideration must be shown towards\norphans; they must be taught, trained and educated. The Teachings of\nBahá’u’lláh, especially, must by all means\nbe given to them as far as is possible.\n\nI supplicate God that thou mayest become a kind parent\nto orphaned children, quickening them with the fragrances of the Holy\nSpirit, so that they will attain the age of maturity as true servants\nof the world of humanity and as bright candles in the assemblage of\nmankind.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "113: O handmaid of God!... To the mothers must be ...",
"slug": "sel-113-o-handmaid-of-god-to-the-mothers-must-be",
"summary": "O handmaid of God!... To the mothers must be given the divine Teachings and effective counsel, and they must be encouraged and made eager to train their children, for the mother is the first educator of the child. It is she who must, at…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"gentleness",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO handmaid of God!... To the mothers must be given the\ndivine Teachings and effective counsel, and they must be encouraged\nand made eager to train their children, for the mother is the first\neducator of the child. It is she who must, at the very beginning,\nsuckle the newborn at the breast of God’s Faith and God’s\nLaw, that divine love may enter into him even with his mother’s\nmilk, and be with him till his final breath.\n\nSo long as the mother faileth to train her children, and\nstart them on a proper way of life, the training which they receive\nlater on will not take its full effect. It is incumbent upon the\nSpiritual Assemblies to provide the mothers with a well-planned\nprogramme for the education of children, showing how, from infancy,\nthe child must be watched over and taught. These instructions must be\ngiven to every mother to serve her as a guide, so that each will\ntrain and nurture her children in accordance with the Teachings.\n\nThus will these young plants in the garden of God’s\nlove grow and flourish under the warmth of the Sun of Truth, the\ngentle spring winds of Heaven, and their mother’s guiding hand.\nThus, in the Abhá Paradise, will each become a tree, bearing\nhis clustered fruit, and each one, in this new and wondrous season,\nout of the bounties of the spring, will become possessed of all\nbeauty and grace.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "114: O ye loving mothers, know ye that in God’s sight, ...",
"slug": "sel-114-o-ye-loving-mothers-know-ye-that-in-god-s-sight",
"summary": "O ye loving mothers, know ye that in God’s sight, the best of all ways to worship Him is to educate the children and train them in all the perfections of humankind; and no nobler deed than this can be…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye loving mothers, know ye that in God’s sight,\nthe best of all ways to worship Him is to educate the children and\ntrain them in all the perfections of humankind; and no nobler deed\nthan this can be imagined.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "115: O ye two well-loved handmaids of God! Whatever ...",
"slug": "sel-115-o-ye-two-well-loved-handmaids-of-god-whatever",
"summary": "O ye two well-loved handmaids of God! Whatever a man’s tongue speaketh, that let him prove by his deeds. If he claimeth to be a believer, then let him act in accordance with the precepts of the Abhá…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye two well-loved handmaids of God! Whatever a man’s\ntongue speaketh, that let him prove by his deeds. If he claimeth to\nbe a believer, then let him act in accordance with the precepts of\nthe Abhá Kingdom.\n\nPraised be God, ye two have demonstrated the truth of\nyour words by your deeds, and have won the confirmations of the Lord\nGod. Every day at first light, ye gather the Bahá’í\nchildren together and teach them the communes and prayers. This is a\nmost praiseworthy act, and bringeth joy to the children’s\nhearts: that they should, at every morn, turn their faces toward the\nKingdom and make mention of the Lord and praise His Name, and in the\nsweetest of voices, chant and recite.\n\nThese children are even as young plants, and teaching\nthem the prayers is as letting the rain pour down upon them, that\nthey may wax tender and fresh, and the soft breezes of the love of\nGod may blow over them, making them to tremble with joy.\n\nBlessedness awaiteth you, and a fair haven.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "116: O thou daughter of the Kingdom! Thy letters ...",
"slug": "sel-116-o-thou-daughter-of-the-kingdom-thy-letters",
"summary": "O thou daughter of the Kingdom! Thy letters were received. Their contents indicated that thy mother hath ascended to the invisible realm and that thou hast been left alone. Thy wish is to serve thy father, who is dear to thee, and also…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou daughter of the Kingdom! Thy letters were\nreceived. Their contents indicated that thy mother hath ascended to\nthe invisible realm and that thou hast been left alone. Thy wish is\nto serve thy father, who is dear to thee, and also to serve the\nKingdom of God, and thou art perplexed as to which of the two thou\nshouldst do. Assuredly engage in service to thy father, and as well,\nwhenever thou findest time, diffuse the divine fragrances.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "12: Know thou of a certainty that Love is the secret of ...",
"slug": "sel-12-know-thou-of-a-certainty-that-love-is-the-secret-of",
"summary": "Know thou of a certainty that Love is the secret of God’s holy Dispensation, the manifestation of the All-Merciful, the fountain of spiritual outpourings. Love is heaven’s kindly light, the Holy Spirit’s eternal breath that vivifieth…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nKnow thou of a certainty that Love is the secret of\nGod’s holy Dispensation, the manifestation of the All-Merciful,\nthe fountain of spiritual outpourings. Love is heaven’s kindly\nlight, the Holy Spirit’s eternal breath that vivifieth the\nhuman soul. Love is the cause of God’s revelation unto man, the\nvital bond inherent, in accordance with the divine creation, in the\nrealities of things. Love is the one means that ensureth true\nfelicity both in this world and the next. Love is the light that\nguideth in darkness, the living link that uniteth God with man, that\nassureth the progress of every illumined soul. Love is the most great\nlaw that ruleth this mighty and heavenly cycle, the unique power that\nbindeth together the divers elements of this material world, the\nsupreme magnetic force that directeth the movements of the spheres in\nthe celestial realms. Love revealeth with unfailing and limitless\npower the mysteries latent in the universe. Love is the spirit of\nlife unto the adorned body of mankind, the establisher of true\ncivilization in this mortal world, and the shedder of imperishable\nglory upon every high-aiming race and nation.\n\nWhatsoever people is graciously favoured therewith by\nGod, its name shall surely be magnified and extolled by the Concourse\nfrom on high, by the company of angels, and the denizens of the Abhá\nKingdom. And whatsoever people turneth its heart away from this\nDivine Love—the revelation of the Merciful—shall err\ngrievously, shall fall into despair, and be utterly destroyed. That\npeople shall be denied all refuge, shall become even as the vilest\ncreatures of the earth, victims of degradation and shame.\n\nO ye beloved of the Lord! Strive to become the\nmanifestations of the love of God, the lamps of divine guidance\nshining amongst the kindreds of the earth with the light of love and\nconcord.\n\nAll hail to the revealers of this glorious light!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "120: O my dear children! Your letter was received. A ...",
"slug": "sel-120-o-my-dear-children-your-letter-was-received-a",
"summary": "O my dear children! Your letter was received. A degree of joy was attained that is beyond words or writing that, praise be to God, the power of the Kingdom of God hath trained such children who, from their early childhood, eagerly wish…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"hope",
"joy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO my dear children! Your letter was received. A degree\nof joy was attained that is beyond words or writing that, praise be\nto God, the power of the Kingdom of God hath trained such children\nwho, from their early childhood, eagerly wish to acquire Bahá’í\neducation that they may, from the period of their childhood, engage\nin service to the world of humanity.\n\nMy highest wish and desire is that ye who are my\nchildren may be educated according to the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh\nand may receive a Bahá’í training; that ye may\neach become a lighted candle in the world of humanity, may be devoted\nto the service of all mankind, may give up your rest and comfort, so\nthat ye may become the cause of the tranquillity of the world of\ncreation.\n\nSuch is my hope for you and I trust that ye may become\nthe cause of my joy and gladness in the Kingdom of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "121: O thou whose years are few, yet whose mental ...",
"slug": "sel-121-o-thou-whose-years-are-few-yet-whose-mental",
"summary": "O thou whose years are few, yet whose mental gifts are many! How many a child, though young in years, is yet mature and sound in judgement! How many an aged person is ignorant and confused! For growth and development depend on one’s…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"women",
"children",
"healing",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou whose years are few, yet whose mental gifts are\nmany! How many a child, though young in years, is yet mature and\nsound in judgement! How many an aged person is ignorant and confused!\nFor growth and development depend on one’s powers of intellect\nand reason, not on one’s age or length of days.\n\nAlthough still in the season of childhood, yet hast thou\nrecognized thy Lord, while myriads of women are oblivious of Him and\nare shut away from His heavenly Kingdom and deprived of His\nbestowals. Render thou thanks unto thy Lord for this wondrous gift.\n\nI beg of God to heal thy mother, who is honoured in the\nKingdom of heaven.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "122: As to thy question regarding the education of ...",
"slug": "sel-122-as-to-thy-question-regarding-the-education-of",
"summary": "As to thy question regarding the education of children: it behoveth thee to nurture them at the breast of the love of God, and urge them onward to the things of the spirit, that they may turn their faces unto God; that their ways may…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAs to thy question regarding the education of children:\nit behoveth thee to nurture them at the breast of the love of God,\nand urge them onward to the things of the spirit, that they may turn\ntheir faces unto God; that their ways may conform to the rules of\ngood conduct and their character be second to none; that they make\ntheir own all the graces and praiseworthy qualities of humankind;\nacquire a sound knowledge of the various branches of learning, so\nthat from the very beginning of life they may become spiritual\nbeings, dwellers in the Kingdom, enamoured of the sweet breaths of\nholiness, and may receive an education religious, spiritual, and of\nthe Heavenly Realm. Verily will I call upon God to grant them a happy\noutcome in this.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "123: O thou who gazest upon the Kingdom of God! ...",
"slug": "sel-123-o-thou-who-gazest-upon-the-kingdom-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who gazest upon the Kingdom of God! Thy letter was received and we note that thou art engaged in teaching the children of the believers, that these tender little ones have been learning The Hidden Words and the prayers and what…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who gazest upon the Kingdom of God! Thy letter\nwas received and we note that thou art engaged in teaching the\nchildren of the believers, that these tender little ones have been\nlearning The Hidden Words and the prayers and what it meaneth to be a\nBahá’í.\n\nThe instruction of these children is even as the work of\na loving gardener who tendeth his young plants in the flowering\nfields of the All-Glorious. There is no doubt that it will yield the\ndesired results; especially is this true of instruction as to Bahá’í\nobligations and Bahá’í conduct, for the little\nchildren must needs be made aware in their very heart and soul that\n“Bahá’í” is not just a name but a\ntruth. Every child must be trained in the things of the spirit, so\nthat he may embody all the virtues and become a source of glory to\nthe Cause of God. Otherwise, the mere word “Bahá’í”,\nif it yield no fruit, will come to nothing.\n\nStrive then to the best of thine ability to let these\nchildren know that a Bahá’í is one who embodieth\nall the perfections, that he must shine out like a lighted taper—not\nbe darkness upon darkness and yet bear the name “Bahá’í”.\n\n\nName thou this school the Bahá’í\nSunday School.41\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "124: The Sunday school for the children in which the ...",
"slug": "sel-124-the-sunday-school-for-the-children-in-which-the",
"summary": "The Sunday school for the children in which the Tablets and Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh are read, and the Word of God is recited for the children is indeed a blessed thing. Thou must certainly continue this organized activity without…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"perseverance",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Sunday school for the children in which the Tablets\nand Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh are read, and\nthe Word of God is recited for the children is indeed a blessed\nthing. Thou must certainly continue this organized activity without\ncessation, and attach importance to it, so that day by day it may\ngrow and be quickened with the breaths of the Holy Spirit. If this\nactivity is well organized, rest thou assured that it will yield\ngreat results. Firmness and steadfastness, however, are necessary,\notherwise it will continue for some time, but later be gradually\nforgotten. Perseverance is an essential condition. In every project\nfirmness and steadfastness will undoubtedly lead to good results;\notherwise it will exist for some days, and then be discontinued.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "125: The changing of teachers should be neither too ...",
"slug": "sel-125-the-changing-of-teachers-should-be-neither-too",
"summary": "The changing of teachers should be neither too frequent nor too much delayed; moderation is preferable. Holding your meetings when it is the time of prayer in other churches is not advisable; it would lead to alienation, since the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe changing of teachers should be neither too frequent\nnor too much delayed; moderation is preferable. Holding your meetings\nwhen it is the time of prayer in other churches is not advisable; it\nwould lead to alienation, since the Bahá’í\nchildren who have their own Sunday school would be deprived of it if\nthey tried to attend other Sunday schools. Moreover, the admission of\nchildren of non-Bahá’í parents to the school for\nBahá’í children is permissible. And if, in this\nschool, an outline of the fundamental principles underlying all\nreligions be set forth for the information of the children, it can do\nno harm.\n\nAs the children are few in number, it is not possible to\nhave different classes and naturally only one is necessary.\nConcerning the last question regarding differences among children,\nact as ye deem advisable.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "127: O thou servant of the One true God! In this ...",
"slug": "sel-127-o-thou-servant-of-the-one-true-god-in-this",
"summary": "O thou servant of the One true God! In this universal dispensation man’s wondrous craftsmanship is reckoned as worship of the Resplendent Beauty. Consider what a bounty and blessing it is that craftsmanship is regarded as worship. In…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou servant of the One true God! In this universal\ndispensation man’s wondrous craftsmanship is reckoned as\nworship of the Resplendent Beauty. Consider what a bounty and\nblessing it is that craftsmanship is regarded as worship. In former\ntimes, it was believed that such skills were tantamount to ignorance,\nif not a misfortune, hindering man from drawing nigh unto God. Now\nconsider how His infinite bestowals and abundant favours have changed\nhell-fire into blissful paradise, and a heap of dark dust into a\nluminous garden.\n\nIt behoveth the craftsmen of the world at each moment to\noffer a thousand tokens of gratitude at the Sacred Threshold, and to\nexert their highest endeavour and diligently pursue their professions\nso that their efforts may produce that which will manifest the\ngreatest beauty and perfection before the eyes of all men.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "128: Thy letter was received. I hope that thou mayest ...",
"slug": "sel-128-thy-letter-was-received-i-hope-that-thou-mayest",
"summary": "Thy letter was received. I hope that thou mayest be protected and assisted under the providence of the True One, be occupied always in mentioning the Lord and display effort to complete thy profession. Thou must endeavour greatly so…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThy letter was received. I hope that thou mayest be\nprotected and assisted under the providence of the True One, be\noccupied always in mentioning the Lord and display effort to complete\nthy profession. Thou must endeavour greatly so that thou mayest\nbecome unique in thy profession and famous in those parts, because\nattaining perfection in one’s profession in this merciful\nperiod is considered to be worship of God. And whilst thou art\noccupied with thy profession, thou canst remember the True One.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "129: O Friends of the Pure and Omnipotent God! To ...",
"slug": "sel-129-o-friends-of-the-pure-and-omnipotent-god-to",
"summary": "O Friends of the Pure and Omnipotent God! To be pure and holy in all things is an attribute of the consecrated soul and a necessary characteristic of the unenslaved mind. The best of perfections is immaculacy and the freeing of oneself…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"hope",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 7,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Friends of the Pure and Omnipotent God! To be pure and\nholy in all things is an attribute of the consecrated soul and a\nnecessary characteristic of the unenslaved mind. The best of\nperfections is immaculacy and the freeing of oneself from every\ndefect. Once the individual is, in every respect, cleansed and\npurified, then will he become a focal centre reflecting the Manifest\nLight.\n\nFirst in a human being’s way of life must be\npurity, then freshness, cleanliness, and independence of spirit.\nFirst must the stream bed be cleansed, then may the sweet river\nwaters be led into it. Chaste eyes enjoy the beatific vision of the\nLord and know what this encounter meaneth; a pure sense inhaleth the\nfragrances that blow from the rose gardens of His grace; a burnished\nheart will mirror forth the comely face of truth.\n\nThis is why, in Holy Scriptures, the counsels of heaven\nare likened to water, even as the Qur’án saith: ‘And\npure water send We down from Heaven,’42\nand the Gospel: ‘Except a man be baptized of water and of the\nspirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.’43\nThus is it clear that the Teachings which come from God are heavenly\noutpourings of grace; they are rain-showers of divine mercy, and they\ncleanse the human heart.\n\nMy meaning is this, that in every aspect of life, purity\nand holiness, cleanliness and refinement, exalt the human condition\nand further the development of man’s inner reality. Even in the\nphysical realm, cleanliness will conduce to spirituality, as the Holy\nWritings clearly state. And although bodily cleanliness is a physical\nthing, it hath, nevertheless, a powerful influence on the life of the\nspirit. It is even as a voice wondrously sweet, or a melody played:\nalthough sounds are but vibrations in the air which affect the ear’s\nauditory nerve, and these vibrations are but chance phenomena carried\nalong through the air, even so, see how they move the heart. A\nwondrous melody is wings for the spirit, and maketh the soul to\ntremble for joy. The purport is that physical cleanliness doth also\nexert its effect upon the human soul.\n\nObserve how pleasing is cleanliness in the sight of God,\nand how specifically it is emphasized in the Holy Books of the\nProphets; for the Scriptures forbid the eating or the use of any\nunclean thing. Some of these prohibitions were absolute, and binding\nupon all, and whoso transgressed the given law was abhorred of God\nand anathematized by the believers. Such, for example, were things\ncategorically forbidden, the perpetration of which was accounted a\nmost grievous sin, among them actions so loathsome that it is\nshameful even to speak their name.\n\nBut there are other forbidden things which do not cause\nimmediate harm, and the injurious effects of which are only gradually\nproduced: such acts are also repugnant to the Lord, and blameworthy\nin His sight, and repellent. The absolute unlawfulness of these,\nhowever, hath not been expressly set forth in the Text, but their\navoidance is necessary to purity, cleanliness, the preservation of\nhealth, and freedom from addiction.\n\nAmong these latter is smoking tobacco, which is dirty,\nsmelly, offensive—an evil habit, and one the harmfulness of\nwhich gradually becometh apparent to all. Every qualified physician\nhath ruled—and this hath also been proven by tests—that\none of the components of tobacco is a deadly poison, and that the\nsmoker is vulnerable to many and various diseases. This is why\nsmoking hath been plainly set forth as repugnant from the standpoint\nof hygiene.\n\nThe Báb, at the outset of His mission, explicitly\nprohibited tobacco, and the friends one and all abandoned its use.\nBut since those were times when dissimulation was permitted, and\nevery individual who abstained from smoking was exposed to\nharassment, abuse and even death—the friends, in order not to\nadvertise their beliefs, would smoke. Later on, the Book of Aqdas was\nrevealed, and since smoking tobacco was not specifically forbidden\nthere, the believers did not give it up. The Blessed Beauty, however,\nalways expressed repugnance for it, and although, in the early days,\nthere were reasons why He would smoke a little tobacco, in time He\ncompletely renounced it, and those sanctified souls who followed Him\nin all things also abandoned its use.\n\nMy meaning is that in the sight of God, smoking tobacco\nis deprecated, abhorrent, filthy in the extreme; and, albeit by\ndegrees, highly injurious to health. It is also a waste of money and\ntime, and maketh the user a prey to a noxious addiction. To those who\nstand firm in the Covenant, this habit is therefore censured both by\nreason and experience, and renouncing it will bring relief and peace\nof mind to all men. Furthermore, this will make it possible to have a\nfresh mouth and unstained fingers, and hair that is free of a foul\nand repellent smell. On receipt of this missive, the friends will\nsurely, by whatever means and even over a period of time, forsake\nthis pernicious habit. Such is my hope.\n\nAs to opium, it is foul and accursed. God protect us\nfrom the punishment He inflicteth on the user. According to the\nexplicit Text of the Most Holy Book, it is forbidden, and its use is\nutterly condemned. Reason showeth that smoking opium is a kind of\ninsanity, and experience attesteth that the user is completely cut\noff from the human kingdom. May God protect all against the\nperpetration of an act so hideous as this, an act which layeth in\nruins the very foundation of what it is to be human, and which\ncauseth the user to be dispossessed for ever and ever. For opium\nfasteneth on the soul, so that the user’s conscience dieth, his\nmind is blotted away, his perceptions are eroded. It turneth the\nliving into the dead. It quencheth the natural heat. No greater harm\ncan be conceived than that which opium inflicteth. Fortunate are they\nwho never even speak the name of it; then think how wretched is the\nuser.\n\nO ye lovers of God! In this, the cycle of Almighty God,\nviolence and force, constraint and oppression, are one and all\ncondemned. It is, however, mandatory that the use of opium be\nprevented by any means whatsoever, that perchance the human race may\nbe delivered from this most powerful of plagues. And otherwise, woe\nand misery to whoso falleth short of his duty to his Lord.44\n\n\nO Divine Providence! Bestow Thou in all things purity\nand cleanliness upon the people of Bahá. Grant that they be\nfreed from all defilement, and released from all addictions. Save\nthem from committing any repugnant act, unbind them from the chains\nof every evil habit, that they may live pure and free, wholesome and\ncleanly, worthy to serve at Thy Sacred Threshold and fit to be\nrelated to their Lord. Deliver them from intoxicating drinks and\ntobacco, save them, rescue them, from this opium that bringeth on\nmadness, suffer them to enjoy the sweet savours of holiness, that\nthey may drink deep of the mystic cup of heavenly love and know the\nrapture of being drawn ever closer unto the Realm of the\nAll-Glorious. For it is even as Thou hast said: ‘All that thou\nhast in thy cellar will not appease the thirst of my love—bring\nme, O cup-bearer, of the wine of the spirit a cup full as the sea!’\n\n\nO ye, God’s loved ones! Experience hath shown how\ngreatly the renouncing of smoking, of intoxicating drink, and of\nopium, conduceth to health and vigour, to the expansion and keenness\nof the mind and to bodily strength. There is today a people45\nwho strictly avoid tobacco, intoxicating liquor and opium. This\npeople is far and away superior to the others, for strength and\nphysical courage, for health, beauty and comeliness. A single one of\ntheir men can stand up to ten men of another tribe. This hath proved\ntrue of the entire people: that is, member for member, each\nindividual of this community is in every respect superior to the\nindividuals of other communities.\n\nMake ye then a mighty effort, that the purity and\nsanctity which, above all else, are cherished by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,\nshall distinguish the people of Bahá; that in every kind of\nexcellence the people of God shall surpass all other human beings;\nthat both outwardly and inwardly they shall prove superior to the\nrest; that for purity, immaculacy, refinement, and the preservation\nof health, they shall be leaders in the vanguard of those who know.\nAnd that by their freedom from enslavement, their knowledge, their\nself-control, they shall be first among the pure, the free and the\nwise.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "13: O thou daughter of the Kingdom! Thy letter dated ...",
"slug": "sel-13-o-thou-daughter-of-the-kingdom-thy-letter-dated",
"summary": "O thou daughter of the Kingdom! Thy letter dated 5 December 1918 was received. It contained the good news that the friends of God and the maidservants of the Merciful have gathered in summer at Green Acre, have been engaged day and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"writings",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou daughter of the Kingdom! Thy letter dated 5\nDecember 1918 was received. It contained the good news that the\nfriends of God and the maidservants of the Merciful have gathered in\nsummer at Green Acre, have been engaged day and night in the\ncommemoration of God, have served the oneness of the world of\nhumanity, have shown love to all religions, have remained aloof from\nevery religious prejudice and have been kind to all people. The\ndivine religions must be the cause of oneness among men, and the\nmeans of unity and love; they must promulgate universal peace, free\nman from every prejudice, bestow joy and gladness, exercise kindness\nto all men and do away with every difference and distinction. Just as\nBahá’u’lláh addressing the world of\nhumanity saith: ‘O people! Ye are the fruits of one tree and\nthe leaves of one branch.’ At most it is this, that some souls\nare ignorant, they must be educated; some are sick, they must be\nhealed; some are still of tender age, they must be helped to attain\nmaturity, and the utmost kindness must be shown to them. This is the\nconduct of the people of Bahá.\n\nI hope that thy brothers and sisters will all become the\nwell-wishers of the world of mankind.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "130: O thou distinguished physician!... Praise be ...",
"slug": "sel-130-o-thou-distinguished-physician-praise-be",
"summary": "O thou distinguished physician!... Praise be to God that thou hast two powers: one to undertake physical healing and the other spiritual healing. Matters related to man’s spirit have a great effect on his bodily condition. For instance,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou distinguished physician!... Praise be to God that\nthou hast two powers: one to undertake physical healing and the other\nspiritual healing. Matters related to man’s spirit have a great\neffect on his bodily condition. For instance, thou shouldst impart\ngladness to thy patient, give him comfort and joy, and bring him to\necstasy and exultation. How often hath it occurred that this hath\ncaused early recovery. Therefore, treat thou the sick with both\npowers. Spiritual feelings have a surprising effect on healing\nnervous ailments.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "131: When giving medical treatment turn to the ...",
"slug": "sel-131-when-giving-medical-treatment-turn-to-the",
"summary": "When giving medical treatment turn to the Blessed Beauty, then follow the dictates of thy heart. Remedy the sick by means of heavenly joy and spiritual exultation, cure the sorely afflicted by imparting to them blissful glad tidings and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen giving medical treatment turn to the Blessed\nBeauty, then follow the dictates of thy heart. Remedy the sick by\nmeans of heavenly joy and spiritual exultation, cure the sorely\nafflicted by imparting to them blissful glad tidings and heal the\nwounded through His resplendent bestowals. When at the bedside of a\npatient, cheer and gladden his heart and enrapture his spirit through\ncelestial power. Indeed, such a heavenly breath quickeneth every\nmouldering bone and reviveth the spirit of every sick and ailing one.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "133: There are two ways of healing sickness, material ...",
"slug": "sel-133-there-are-two-ways-of-healing-sickness-material",
"summary": "There are two ways of healing sickness, material means and spiritual means. The first is by the treatment of physicians; the second consisteth in prayers offered by the spiritual ones to God and in turning to Him. Both means should be…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere are two ways of healing sickness, material means\nand spiritual means. The first is by the treatment of physicians; the\nsecond consisteth in prayers offered by the spiritual ones to God and\nin turning to Him. Both means should be used and practised.\n\nIllnesses which occur by reason of physical causes\nshould be treated by doctors with medical remedies; those which are\ndue to spiritual causes disappear through spiritual means. Thus an\nillness caused by affliction, fear, nervous impressions, will be\nhealed more effectively by spiritual rather than by physical\ntreatment. Hence, both kinds of treatment should be followed; they\nare not contradictory. Therefore thou shouldst also accept physical\nremedies inasmuch as these too have come from the mercy and favour of\nGod, Who hath revealed and made manifest medical science so that His\nservants may profit from this kind of treatment also. Thou shouldst\ngive equal attention to spiritual treatments, for they produce\nmarvellous effects.\n\nNow, if thou wishest to know the true remedy which will\nheal man from all sickness and will give him the health of the divine\nkingdom, know that it is the precepts and teachings of God. Focus\nthine attention upon them.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "134: O thou who art attracted to the fragrant breathings ...",
"slug": "sel-134-o-thou-who-art-attracted-to-the-fragrant-breathings",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted to the fragrant breathings of God! I have read thy letter addressed to Mrs. Lua Getsinger. Thou hast indeed examined with great care the reasons for the incursion of disease into the human body. It is certainly…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"the Báb",
"Lua Getsinger"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"healing",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted to the fragrant breathings of\nGod! I have read thy letter addressed to Mrs. Lua Getsinger. Thou\nhast indeed examined with great care the reasons for the incursion of\ndisease into the human body. It is certainly the case that sins are a\npotent cause of physical ailments. If humankind were free from the\ndefilements of sin and waywardness, and lived according to a natural,\ninborn equilibrium, without following wherever their passions led, it\nis undeniable that diseases would no longer take the ascendant, nor\ndiversify with such intensity.\n\nBut man hath perversely continued to serve his lustful\nappetites, and he would not content himself with simple foods.\nRather, he prepared for himself food that was compounded of many\ningredients, of substances differing one from the other. With this,\nand with the perpetrating of vile and ignoble acts, his attention was\nengrossed, and he abandoned the temperance and moderation of a\nnatural way of life. The result was the engendering of diseases both\nviolent and diverse.\n\nFor the animal, as to its body, is made up of the same\nconstituent elements as man. Since, however, the animal contenteth\nitself with simple foods and striveth not to indulge its importunate\nurges to any great degree, and committeth no sins, its ailments\nrelative to man’s are few. We see clearly, therefore, how\npowerful are sin and contumacy as pathogenic factors. And once\nengendered these diseases become compounded, multiply, and are\ntransmitted to others. Such are the spiritual, inner causes of\nsickness.\n\nThe outer, physical causal factor in disease, however,\nis a disturbance in the balance, the proportionate equilibrium of all\nthose elements of which the human body is composed. To illustrate:\nthe body of man is a compound of many constituent substances, each\ncomponent being present in a prescribed amount, contributing to the\nessential equilibrium of the whole. So long as these constituents\nremain in their due proportion, according to the natural balance of\nthe whole—that is, no component suffereth a change in its\nnatural proportionate degree and balance, no component being either\naugmented or decreased—there will be no physical cause for the\nincursion of disease.\n\nFor example, the starch component must be present to a\ngiven amount, and the sugar to a given amount. So long as each\nremaineth in its natural proportion to the whole, there will be no\ncause for the onset of disease. When, however, these constituents\nvary as to their natural and due amounts—that is, when they are\naugmented or diminished—it is certain that this will provide\nfor the inroads of disease.\n\nThis question requireth the most careful investigation.\nThe Báb hath said that the people of Bahá must develop\nthe science of medicine to such a high degree that they will heal\nillnesses by means of foods. The basic reason for this is that if, in\nsome component substance of the human body, an imbalance should\noccur, altering its correct, relative proportion to the whole, this\nfact will inevitably result in the onset of disease. If, for example,\nthe starch component should be unduly augmented, or the sugar\ncomponent decreased, an illness will take control. It is the function\nof a skilled physician to determine which constituent of his\npatient’s body hath suffered diminution, which hath been\naugmented. Once he hath discovered this, he must prescribe a food\ncontaining the diminished element in considerable amounts, to\nre-establish the body’s essential equilibrium. The patient,\nonce his constitution is again in balance, will be rid of his\ndisease.\n\nThe proof of this is that while other animals have never\nstudied medical science, nor carried on researches into diseases or\nmedicines, treatments or cures—even so, when one of them\nfalleth a prey to sickness, nature leadeth it, in fields or desert\nplaces, to the very plant which, once eaten, will rid the animal of\nits disease. The explanation is that if, as an example, the sugar\ncomponent in the animal’s body hath decreased, according to a\nnatural law the animal hankereth after a herb that is rich in sugar.\nThen, by a natural urge, which is the appetite, among a thousand\ndifferent varieties of plants across the field, the animal will\ndiscover and consume that herb which containeth a sugar component in\nlarge amounts. Thus the essential balance of the substances composing\nits body is re-established, and the animal is rid of its disease.\n\nThis question requireth the most careful investigation.\nWhen highly-skilled physicians shall fully examine this matter,\nthoroughly and perseveringly, it will be clearly seen that the\nincursion of disease is due to a disturbance in the relative amounts\nof the body’s component substances, and that treatment\nconsisteth in adjusting these relative amounts, and that this can be\napprehended and made possible by means of foods.\n\nIt is certain that in this wonderful new age the\ndevelopment of medical science will lead to the doctors’\nhealing their patients with foods. For the sense of sight, the sense\nof hearing, of taste, of smell, of touch—all these are\ndiscriminative faculties, their purpose being to separate the\nbeneficial from whatever causeth harm. Now, is it possible that man’s\nsense of smell, the sense that differentiates odours, should find\nsome odour repugnant, and that odour be beneficial to the human body?\nAbsurd! Impossible! In the same way, could the human body, through\nthe faculty of sight—the differentiator among things\nvisible—benefit from gazing upon a revolting mass of excrement?\nNever! Again, if the sense of taste, likewise a faculty that\nselecteth and rejecteth, be offended by something, that thing is\ncertainly not beneficial; and if, at the outset, it may yield some\nadvantage, in the long run its harmfulness will be established.\n\nAnd likewise, when the constitution is in a state of\nequilibrium, there is no doubt that whatever is relished will be\nbeneficial to health. Observe how an animal will graze in a field\nwhere there are a hundred thousand kinds of herbs and grasses, and\nhow, with its sense of smell, it snuffeth up the odours of the\nplants, and tasteth them with its sense of taste; then it consumeth\nwhatever herb is pleasurable to these senses, and benefiteth\ntherefrom. Were it not for this power of selectivity, the animals\nwould all be dead in a single day; for there are a great many\npoisonous plants, and animals know nothing of the pharmacopoeia. And\nyet, observe what a reliable set of scales they have, by means of\nwhich to differentiate the good from the injurious. Whatever\nconstituent of their body hath decreased, they can rehabilitate by\nseeking out and consuming some plant that hath an abundant store of\nthat diminished element; and thus the equilibrium of their bodily\ncomponents is re-established, and they are rid of their disease.\n\nAt whatever time highly-skilled physicians shall have\ndeveloped the healing of illnesses by means of foods, and shall make\nprovision for simple foods, and shall prohibit humankind from living\nas slaves to their lustful appetites, it is certain that the\nincidence of chronic and diversified illnesses will abate, and the\ngeneral health of all mankind will be much improved. This is destined\nto come about. In the same way, in the character, the conduct and the\nmanners of men, universal modifications will be made.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "137: O thou who art voicing the praises of thy Lord! ...",
"slug": "sel-137-o-thou-who-art-voicing-the-praises-of-thy-lord",
"summary": "O thou who art voicing the praises of thy Lord! I have read thy letter, wherein thou didst express astonishment at some of the laws of God, such as that concerning the hunting of innocent animals, creatures who are guilty of no…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"healing",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"kindness",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art voicing the praises of thy Lord! I have\nread thy letter, wherein thou didst express astonishment at some of\nthe laws of God, such as that concerning the hunting of innocent\nanimals, creatures who are guilty of no wrong.\n\nBe thou not surprised at this. Reflect upon the inner\nrealities of the universe, the secret wisdoms involved, the enigmas,\nthe inter-relationships, the rules that govern all. For every part of\nthe universe is connected with every other part by ties that are very\npowerful and admit of no imbalance, nor any slackening whatever. In\nthe physical realm of creation, all things are eaters and eaten: the\nplant drinketh in the mineral, the animal doth crop and swallow down\nthe plant, man doth feed upon the animal, and the mineral devoureth\nthe body of man. Physical bodies are transferred past one barrier\nafter another, from one life to another, and all things are subject\nto transformation and change, save only the essence of existence\nitself—since it is constant and immutable, and upon it is\nfounded the life of every species and kind, of every contingent\nreality throughout the whole of creation.\n\nWhensoever thou dost examine, through a microscope, the\nwater man drinketh, the air he doth breathe, thou wilt see that with\nevery breath of air, man taketh in an abundance of animal life, and\nwith every draught of water, he also swalloweth down a great variety\nof animals. How could it ever be possible to put a stop to this\nprocess? For all creatures are eaters and eaten, and the very fabric\nof life is reared upon this fact. Were it not so, the ties that\ninterlace all created things within the universe would be unravelled.\n\n\nAnd further, whensoever a thing is destroyed, and\ndecayeth, and is cut off from life, it is promoted into a world that\nis greater than the world it knew before. It leaveth, for example,\nthe life of the mineral and goeth forward into the life of the plant;\nthen it departeth out of the vegetable life and ascendeth into that\nof the animal, following which it forsaketh the life of the animal\nand riseth into the realm of human life, and this is out of the grace\nof thy Lord, the Merciful, the Compassionate.\n\nI beg of God that He will assist thee to comprehend the\nmysteries that lie at the heart of creation, and will draw away the\nveil from before thine eyes and thy sister’s, that the\nwell-guarded secret may be disclosed unto thee, and the hidden\nmystery be revealed as clear as the sun at noonday; that He will aid\nthy sister and thy husband to enter the Kingdom of God, and will heal\nthee of every ill, whether physical or spiritual, that assaileth one\nin this life.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "138: O ye beloved of the Lord! The Kingdom of God ...",
"slug": "sel-138-o-ye-beloved-of-the-lord-the-kingdom-of-god",
"summary": "O ye beloved of the Lord! The Kingdom of God is founded upon equity and justice, and also upon mercy, compassion, and kindness to every living soul. Strive ye then with all your heart to treat compassionately all humankind—except for…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye beloved of the Lord! The Kingdom of God is founded\nupon equity and justice, and also upon mercy, compassion, and\nkindness to every living soul. Strive ye then with all your heart to\ntreat compassionately all humankind—except for those who have\nsome selfish, private motive, or some disease of the soul. Kindness\ncannot be shown the tyrant, the deceiver, or the thief, because, far\nfrom awakening them to the error of their ways, it maketh them to\ncontinue in their perversity as before. No matter how much kindliness\nye may expend upon the liar, he will but lie the more, for he\nbelieveth you to be deceived, while ye understand him but too well,\nand only remain silent out of your extreme compassion.\n\nBriefly, it is not only their fellow human beings that\nthe beloved of God must treat with mercy and compassion, rather must\nthey show forth the utmost loving-kindness to every living creature.\nFor in all physical respects, and where the animal spirit is\nconcerned, the selfsame feelings are shared by animal and man. Man\nhath not grasped this truth, however, and he believeth that physical\nsensations are confined to human beings, wherefore is he unjust to\nthe animals, and cruel.\n\nAnd yet in truth, what difference is there when it\ncometh to physical sensations? The feelings are one and the same,\nwhether ye inflict pain on man or on beast. There is no difference\nhere whatever. And indeed ye do worse to harm an animal, for man hath\na language, he can lodge a complaint, he can cry out and moan; if\ninjured he can have recourse to the authorities and these will\nprotect him from his aggressor. But the hapless beast is mute, able\nneither to express its hurt nor take its case to the authorities. If\na man inflict a thousand ills upon a beast, it can neither ward him\noff with speech nor hale him into court. Therefore is it essential\nthat ye show forth the utmost consideration to the animal, and that\nye be even kinder to him than to your fellow man.\n\nTrain your children from their earliest days to be\ninfinitely tender and loving to animals. If an animal be sick, let\nthe children try to heal it, if it be hungry, let them feed it, if\nthirsty, let them quench its thirst, if weary, let them see that it\nrests.\n\nMost human beings are sinners, but the beasts are\ninnocent. Surely those without sin should receive the most kindness\nand love—all except animals which are harmful, such as\nbloodthirsty wolves, such as poisonous snakes, and similar pernicious\ncreatures, the reason being that kindness to these is an injustice to\nhuman beings and to other animals as well. If, for example, ye be\ntender-hearted toward a wolf, this is but tyranny to a sheep, for a\nwolf will destroy a whole flock of sheep. A rabid dog, if given the\nchance, can kill a thousand animals and men. Therefore, compassion\nshown to wild and ravening beasts is cruelty to the peaceful ones—and\nso the harmful must be dealt with. But to blessed animals the utmost\nkindness must be shown, the more the better. Tenderness and\nloving-kindness are basic principles of God’s heavenly Kingdom.\nYe should most carefully bear this matter in mind.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "139: O thou handmaid of God! The heavenly glad ...",
"slug": "sel-139-o-thou-handmaid-of-god-the-heavenly-glad",
"summary": "O thou handmaid of God! The heavenly glad tidings must be delivered with the utmost dignity and magnanimity. And until a soul ariseth with qualities which are essential for the bearer of these tidings, his words will take no…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"women",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"patience",
"prayer",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou handmaid of God! The heavenly glad tidings must\nbe delivered with the utmost dignity and magnanimity. And until a\nsoul ariseth with qualities which are essential for the bearer of\nthese tidings, his words will take no effect.\n\nO bondswoman of God! The human spirit possesseth\nwondrous powers, but it should be reinforced by the Holy Spirit. What\nthou hearest other than this is pure imagination. If, however, it be\nassisted by the bounty of the Holy Spirit, then will its strength be\na thing to marvel at. Then will that human spirit uncover realities,\nand unravel mysteries. Turn thy heart fully to the Holy Spirit, and\ninvite others to do the same; then shall ye witness wonderful\nresults.\n\nO handmaid of God! The stars in the sky do not exert any\nspiritual influence on this world of dust; but all the members and\nparts of the universe are very strongly linked together in that\nlimitless space, and this connection produceth a reciprocity of\nmaterial effects. Outside the bounty of the Holy Spirit, whatsoever\nthou hearest as to the effect of trances, or the mediums’\ntrumpets, conveying the singing voices of the dead, is imagination\npure and simple. As to the bounty of the Holy Spirit, however, relate\nwhatsoever thou wilt—it cannot be overstated; believe,\ntherefore, whatsoever thou hearest of this. But the persons referred\nto, the trumpet-people, are entirely shut out from this bounty and\nreceive no portion thereof; their way is an illusion.\n\nO handmaid of God! Prayers are granted through the\nuniversal Manifestations of God. Nevertheless, where the wish is to\nobtain material things, even where the heedless are concerned, if\nthey supplicate, humbly imploring God’s help—even their\nprayer hath an effect.\n\nO handmaid of God! Although the reality of Divinity is\nsanctified and boundless, the aims and needs of the creatures are\nrestricted. God’s grace is like the rain that cometh down from\nheaven: the water is not bounded by the limitations of form, yet on\nwhatever place it poureth down, it taketh on limitations—dimensions,\nappearance, shape—according to the characteristics of that\nplace. In a square pool, the water, previously unconfined, becometh a\nsquare; in a six-sided pool it becometh a hexagon, in an eight-sided\npool an octagon, and so forth. The rain itself hath no geometry, no\nlimits, no form, but it taketh on one form or another, according to\nthe restrictions of its vessel. In the same way, the Holy Essence of\nthe Lord God is boundless, immeasurable, but His graces and\nsplendours become finite in the creatures, because of their\nlimitations, wherefore the prayers of given persons will receive\nfavourable answers in certain cases.\n\nO handmaid of God! It is with the Lord Christ even as\nwith Adam. Did the first human being who came into existence on this\nearth have a father or mother? It is certain that he had neither. But\nChrist lacked only a father.\n\nO handmaid of God! The prayers which were revealed to\nask for healing apply both to physical and spiritual healing. Recite\nthem, then, to heal both the soul and the body. If healing is right\nfor the patient, it will certainly be granted; but for some ailing\npersons, healing would only be the cause of other ills, and therefore\nwisdom doth not permit an affirmative answer to the prayer.\n\nO handmaid of God! The power of the Holy Spirit healeth\nboth physical and spiritual ailments.\n\nO handmaid of God! It is recorded in the Torah: And I\nwill give you the valley of Achor for a door of hope. This valley of\nAchor is the city of Akká, and whoso hath interpreted this\notherwise is of those who know not.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "14: O ye two blessed souls! Your letters were received. ...",
"slug": "sel-14-o-ye-two-blessed-souls-your-letters-were-received",
"summary": "O ye two blessed souls! Your letters were received. They showed that ye have investigated the truth and have been freed from imitations and superstitions, that ye observe with your own eyes and not with those of others, hearken with…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye two blessed souls! Your letters were received. They\nshowed that ye have investigated the truth and have been freed from\nimitations and superstitions, that ye observe with your own eyes and\nnot with those of others, hearken with your own ears and not with the\nears of others, and discover mysteries with the help of your own\nconsciences and not with those of others. For the imitator saith that\nsuch a man hath seen, such a man hath heard, and such a conscience\nhath discovered; in other words he dependeth upon the sight, the\nhearing and the conscience of others and hath no will of his own.\n\nNow, praise be to God, ye have shown will-power and have\nturned to the Sun of Truth. The plain of your hearts hath been\nillumined by the lights of the Lord of the Kingdom and ye have been\nled to the straight path, have marched along the road that leadeth to\nthe Kingdom, have entered the Abhá Paradise, and have secured\na portion and share of the fruit of the Tree of Life.\n\nBlessed are ye and a goodly home awaiteth you. Upon you\nbe greetings and praise.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "140: Thou didst ask as to the transfiguration of Jesus, ...",
"slug": "sel-140-thou-didst-ask-as-to-the-transfiguration-of-jesus",
"summary": "Thou didst ask as to the transfiguration of Jesus, with Moses and Elias and the Heavenly Father on Mount Tabor, as referred to in the Bible. This occurrence was perceived by the disciples with their inner eye, wherefore it was a secret…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThou didst ask as to the transfiguration of Jesus, with\nMoses and Elias and the Heavenly Father on Mount Tabor, as referred\nto in the Bible. This occurrence was perceived by the disciples with\ntheir inner eye, wherefore it was a secret hidden away, and was a\nspiritual discovery of theirs. Otherwise, if the intent be that they\nwitnessed physical forms, that is, witnessed that transfiguration\nwith their outward eyes, then there were many others at hand on that\nplain and mountain, and why did they fail to behold it? And why did\nthe Lord charge them that they should tell no man? It is clear that\nthis was a spiritual vision and a scene of the Kingdom. Wherefore did\nthe Messiah bid them to keep this hidden, ‘till the Son of Man\nwere risen from the dead,’46—that\nis, until the Cause of God should be exalted, and the Word of God\nprevail, and the reality of Christ rise up.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "141: O thou yearning flame, thou who art afire with ...",
"slug": "sel-141-o-thou-yearning-flame-thou-who-art-afire-with",
"summary": "O thou yearning flame, thou who art afire with the love of God! I have read thy letter, and its contents, well-expressed and eloquent, delighted my heart, showing as they did thy deep sincerity in the Cause of God, thy persevering steps…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"generosity",
"joy",
"love",
"loyalty",
"mercy",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou yearning flame, thou who art afire with the love\nof God! I have read thy letter, and its contents, well-expressed and\neloquent, delighted my heart, showing as they did thy deep sincerity\nin the Cause of God, thy persevering steps along the pathway of His\nKingdom, and thy staunchness in His Faith—for of all great\nthings, this is the greatest in His sight.\n\nHow many a soul hath turned itself unto the Lord and\nentered into the protective shadow of His Word, and become famed\nthroughout the world—for example, Judas Iscariot. And then,\nwhen the tests grew harsh and the violence thereof intensified, their\nfeet slipped on the pathway and they turned backward from the Faith\nafter having acknowledged its truth, and they denied it, and fell\naway from harmony and love into mischief and hate. Thus became\nvisible the power of tests, which maketh mighty pillars to tremble\nand shake.\n\nJudas Iscariot was the greatest of the disciples, and he\nsummoned the people to Christ. Then it seemed to him that Jesus was\nshowing increasing regard to the Apostle Peter, and when Jesus said,\n‘Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church,’\nthese words addressed to Peter, and this singling out of Peter for\nspecial honour, had a marked effect on the Apostle, and kindled envy\nwithin the heart of Judas. For this reason he who had once drawn nigh\ndid turn aside, and he who had believed in the Faith denied it, and\nhis love changed to hate, until he became a cause of the crucifixion\nof that glorious Lord, that manifest Splendour. Such is the outcome\nof envy, the chief reason why men turn aside from the Straight Path.\nSo hath it occurred, and will occur, in this great Cause. But it doth\nnot matter, for it engendereth loyalty in the rest, and maketh souls\nto arise who waver not, who are fixed and unshakeable as the\nmountains in their love for the Manifest Light.\n\nConvey thou unto the handmaids of the Merciful the\nmessage that when a test turneth violent they must stand unmoved, and\nfaithful to their love for Bahá. In winter come the storms,\nand the great winds blow, but then will follow spring in all its\nbeauty, adorning hill and plain with perfumed plants and red\nanemones, fair to see. Then will the birds trill out upon the\nbranches their songs of joy, and sermonize in lilting tones from the\npulpits of the trees. Erelong shall ye bear witness that the lights\nare streaming forth, the banners of the realm above are waving, the\nsweet scents of the All-Merciful are wafted abroad, the hosts of the\nKingdom are marching down, the angels of heaven are rushing forward,\nand the Holy Spirit is breathing upon all those regions. On that day\nthou shalt behold the waverers, men and women alike, frustrated of\ntheir hopes and in manifest loss. This is decreed by the Lord, the\nRevealer of Verses.\n\nAs to thee, blessed art thou, for thou art steadfast in\nthe Cause of God, firm in His Covenant. I beg of Him to bestow upon\nthee a spiritual soul, and the life of the Kingdom, and to make thee\na leaf verdant and flourishing on the Tree of Life, that thou mayest\nserve the handmaids of the Merciful with spirituality and good cheer.\n\n\nThy generous Lord will assist thee to labour in His\nvineyard and will cause thee to be the means of spreading the spirit\nof unity among His handmaids. He will make thine inner eye to see\nwith the light of knowledge, He will forgive thy sins and transform\nthem into goodly deeds. Verily He is the Forgiving, the\nCompassionate, the Lord of immeasurable grace.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "142: O thou dear handmaid of God! Praise thou God, ...",
"slug": "sel-142-o-thou-dear-handmaid-of-god-praise-thou-god",
"summary": "O thou dear handmaid of God! Praise thou God, because thou art favoured at His Holy Threshold, and cherished in the Kingdom of His might. Thou art the head of an assembly which is the very imprint of the Company on high, the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"humility",
"mercy",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou dear handmaid of God! Praise thou God, because\nthou art favoured at His Holy Threshold, and cherished in the Kingdom\nof His might. Thou art the head of an assembly which is the very\nimprint of the Company on high, the mirror-image of the all-glorious\nrealm. Strive thou with heart and soul, in prayerful humility and\nself-effacement, to uphold the Law of God and spread His sweet\nsavours abroad. Endeavour thou to become the true president of the\nassemblies of spiritual souls, and a companion to the angels in the\nrealm of the All-Merciful.\n\nThou didst ask as to the tenth to the seventeenth verses\nof the twenty-first chapter of Saint John the Divine’s\nRevelation. Know thou that according to mathematical principles, the\nfirmament of this earth’s brilliant day-star hath been divided\namong twelve constellations, which they call the twelve zodiacal\nsigns. In the same way, the Sun of Truth shineth out from and\nsheddeth its bounties through twelve stations of holiness, and by\nthese heavenly signs are meant those stainless and unsullied\npersonages who are the very well-springs of sanctity, and the\ndawning-points proclaiming the oneness of God.\n\nConsider how in the days of the Interlocutor (Moses),\nthere were twelve holy beings who were leaders of the twelve tribes;\nand likewise in the dispensation of the Spirit (Christ), note that\nthere were twelve Apostles gathered within the sheltering shade of\nthat supernal Light, and from those splendid dawning-points the Sun\nof Truth shone forth even as the sun in the sky. Again, in the days\nof Muḥammad, observe that there were twelve dawning-points of\nholiness, the manifestors of God’s confirming help. Such is the\nway of it.\n\nAccordingly did Saint John the Divine tell of twelve\ngates in his vision, and twelve foundations. By ‘that great\ncity, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God’ is\nmeant the holy Law of God, and this is set forth in many Tablets and\nstill to be read in the Scriptures of the Prophets of the past: for\ninstance, that Jerusalem was seen going out into the wilderness.\n\nThe meaning of the passage is that this heavenly\nJerusalem hath twelve gates, through which the blessed enter into the\nCity of God. These gates are souls who are as guiding stars, as\nportals of knowledge and grace; and within these gates there stand\ntwelve angels. By ‘angel’ is meant the power of the\nconfirmations of God—that the candle of God’s confirming\npower shineth out from the lamp-niche of those souls—meaning\nthat every one of those beings will be granted the most vehement\nconfirming support.\n\nThese twelve gates surround the entire world, that is\nthey are a shelter for all creatures. And further, these twelve gates\nare the foundation of the City of God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and on\neach one of these foundations is written the name of one of the\nApostles of Christ. That is to say, each one maketh manifest the\nperfections, the joyous message, and the excellency of that holy\nBeing.\n\nIn brief, the Scripture saith: ‘And he that talked\nwith me had a rod made out of gold, that is, a measure, wherewith he\nmeasured the city and the gates thereof and the towers thereof.’\nThe meaning is that certain personages guided the people with a staff\ngrown out of the earth, and shepherded them with a rod, like unto the\nrod of Moses. Others trained and shepherded the people with a rod of\niron, as in the dispensation of Muḥammad. And in this present\ncycle, because it is the mightiest of Dispensations, that rod grown\nout of the vegetable kingdom and that rod of iron will be transformed\ninto a rod of purest gold, taken from out the endless treasure houses\nin the Kingdom of the Lord. By this rod will the people be trained.\n\nNote well the difference: at one time the Teachings of\nGod were as a staff, and by this means the Holy Scriptures were\nspread abroad, the Law of God was promulgated and His Faith\nestablished. Then followed a time when the staff of the true Shepherd\nwas as iron. And today, in this new and splendid age, the rod is even\nas pure gold. How wide is the difference here! Know, then, how much\nground hath been gained by the Law of God and His Teachings in this\ndispensation, how they have reached such heights that they far\ntranscend the dispensations gone before: truly this rod is purest\ngold, while those of other days were of iron and wood.\n\nThis is a brief answer that hath been written for thee,\nbecause there was no time for more. It is certain that thou wilt\nforgive me. The handmaids of God must rise to such a station that\nthey will, by themselves and unaided, comprehend these inner\nmeanings, and be able to expound at full length every single word; a\nstation where, out of the truth of their inmost hearts, a spring of\nwisdom will well up, and jet forth even as a fountain that leapeth\nfrom its own original source.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "143: O thou who hast drawn nigh unto the spirit of ...",
"slug": "sel-143-o-thou-who-hast-drawn-nigh-unto-the-spirit-of",
"summary": "O thou who hast drawn nigh unto the spirit of Christ in the Kingdom of God! Verily the body is composed of physical elements, and every composite must needs be decomposed. The spirit, however, is a single essence, fine and delicate,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who hast drawn nigh unto the spirit of Christ in\nthe Kingdom of God! Verily the body is composed of physical elements,\nand every composite must needs be decomposed. The spirit, however, is\na single essence, fine and delicate, incorporeal, everlasting, and of\nGod. For this reason whoso looketh for Christ in His physical body\nhath looked in vain, and will be shut away from Him as by a veil. But\nwhoso yearneth to find Him in the spirit will grow from day to day in\njoy and desire and burning love, in closeness to Him, and in\nbeholding Him clear and plain. In this new and wondrous day, it\nbehoveth thee to seek after the spirit of Christ.\n\nVerily the heaven into which the Messiah rose up was not\nthis unending sky, rather was His heaven the Kingdom of His\nbeneficent Lord. Even as He Himself hath said, ‘I came down\nfrom heaven,’47\nand again, ‘The Son of Man is in heaven.’48\nHence it is clear that His heaven is beyond all directional points;\nit encircleth all existence, and is raised up for those who worship\nGod. Beg and implore thy Lord to lift thee up into that heaven, and\ngive thee to eat of its food, in this age of majesty and might.\n\nKnow thou that the people, even unto this day, have\nfailed to unravel the hidden secrets of the Book. They imagine that\nChrist was excluded from His heaven in the days when He walked the\nearth, that He fell from the heights of His sublimity, and afterwards\nmounted to those upper reaches of the sky, to the heaven which doth\nnot exist at all, for it is but space. And they are waiting for Him\nto come down from there again, riding upon a cloud, and they imagine\nthat there are clouds in that infinite space and that He will ride\nthereon and by that means He will descend. Whereas the truth is that\na cloud is but vapour that riseth out of the earth, and it doth not\ncome down from heaven. Rather, the cloud referred to in the Gospel is\nthe human body, so called because the body is as a veil to man,\nwhich, even as a cloud, preventeth him from beholding the Sun of\nTruth that shineth from the horizon of Christ.\n\nI beg of God to open before thine eyes the gates of\ndiscoveries and perceptions, that thou mayest become informed of His\nmysteries in this most manifest of days.\n\nI am most eager to meet thee, but the times are not\npropitious. God willing, we shall let thee know of a better time,\nwhen thou canst come rejoicing.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "144: O lover of humankind! Thy letter hath been ...",
"slug": "sel-144-o-lover-of-humankind-thy-letter-hath-been",
"summary": "O lover of humankind! Thy letter hath been received, and it telleth, God be praised, of thy health and well-being. It appeareth, from thine answer to a previous letter, that feelings of affection were being established between thyself…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO lover of humankind! Thy letter hath been received, and\nit telleth, God be praised, of thy health and well-being. It\nappeareth, from thine answer to a previous letter, that feelings of\naffection were being established between thyself and the friends.\n\nOne must see in every human being only that which is\nworthy of praise. When this is done, one can be a friend to the whole\nhuman race. If, however, we look at people from the standpoint of\ntheir faults, then being a friend to them is a formidable task.\n\nIt happened one day in the time of Christ—may the\nlife of the world be a sacrifice unto Him—that He passed by the\ndead body of a dog, a carcass reeking, hideous, the limbs rotting\naway. One of those present said: ‘How foul its stench!’\nAnd another said: ‘How sickening! How loathsome!’ To be\nbrief, each one of them had something to add to the list.\n\nBut then Christ Himself spoke, and He told them: ‘Look\nat that dog’s teeth! How gleaming white!’\n\nThe Messiah’s sin-covering gaze did not for a\nmoment dwell upon the repulsiveness of that carrion. The one element\nof that dead dog’s carcass which was not abomination was the\nteeth: and Jesus looked upon their brightness.\n\nThus is it incumbent upon us, when we direct our gaze\ntoward other people, to see where they excel, not where they fail.\n\nPraise be to God, thy goal is to promote the well-being\nof humankind and to help the souls to overcome their faults. This\ngood intention will produce laudable results.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "145: Thou didst write as to the question of spiritual ...",
"slug": "sel-145-thou-didst-write-as-to-the-question-of-spiritual",
"summary": "Thou didst write as to the question of spiritual discoveries. The spirit of man is a circumambient power that encompasseth the realities of all things. Whatsoever thou dost see about thee—wondrous products of human workmanship,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"women",
"children",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThou didst write as to the question of spiritual\ndiscoveries. The spirit of man is a circumambient power that\nencompasseth the realities of all things. Whatsoever thou dost see\nabout thee—wondrous products of human workmanship, inventions,\ndiscoveries and like evidences—each one of these was once a\nsecret hidden away in the realm of the unknown. The human spirit laid\nthat secret bare, and drew it forth from the unseen into the visible\nworld. There is, for example, the power of steam, and photography and\nthe phonograph, and wireless telegraphy, and advances in mathematics:\neach and every one of these was once a mystery, a closely guarded\nsecret, yet the human spirit unravelled these secrets and brought\nthem out of the invisible into the light of day. Thus is it clear\nthat the human spirit is an all-encompassing power that exerteth its\ndominion over the inner essences of all created things, uncovering\nthe well kept mysteries of the phenomenal world.\n\nThe divine spirit, however, doth unveil divine realities\nand universal mysteries that lie within the spiritual world. It is my\nhope that thou wilt attain unto this divine spirit, so that thou\nmayest uncover the secrets of the other world, as well as the\nmysteries of the world below.\n\nThou didst ask as to chapter 14, verse 30 of the Gospel\nof John, where the Lord Christ saith, ‘Hereafter I will not\ntalk much with you: for the Prince of this world cometh, and hath\nnothing in Me.’ The Prince of this world is the Blessed Beauty;\nand ‘hath nothing in Me’ signifieth: after Me all will\ndraw grace from Me, but He is independent of Me, and will draw no\ngrace from Me. That is, He is rich beyond any grace of Mine.\n\nAs to thy question regarding discoveries made by the\nsoul after it hath put off its human form: certainly, that world is a\nworld of perceptions and discoveries, for the interposed veil will be\nlifted away and the human spirit will gaze upon souls that are above,\nbelow, and on a par with itself. It is similar to the condition of a\nhuman being in the womb, where his eyes are veiled, and all things\nare hidden away from him. Once he is born out of the uterine world\nand entereth this life, he findeth it, with relation to that of the\nwomb, to be a place of perceptions and discoveries, and he observeth\nall things through his outer eye. In the same way, once he hath\ndeparted this life, he will behold, in that world whatsoever was\nhidden from him here: but there he will look upon and comprehend all\nthings with his inner eye. There will he gaze on his fellows and his\npeers, and those in the ranks above him, and those below. As for what\nis meant by the equality of souls in the all-highest realm, it is\nthis: the souls of the believers, at the time when they first become\nmanifest in the world of the body, are equal, and each is sanctified\nand pure. In this world, however, they will begin to differ one from\nanother, some achieving the highest station, some a middle one,\nothers remaining at the lowest stage of being. Their equal status is\nat the beginning of their existence; the differentiation followeth\ntheir passing away.\n\nThou didst write as to Seir. Seir is a locality near\nNazareth in Galilee.\n\nAs to the statement of Job, chapter 19, verses 25–27,\n‘I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the\nlatter day upon the earth,’ the meaning here is: I shall not be\nabased, I have a Sustainer and a Guardian, and my Helper, my Defender\nwill in the end be made manifest. And although now my flesh be weak\nand clothed with worms, yet shall I be healed, and with these mine\nown eyes, that is, mine inner sight, I shall behold Him. This did Job\nsay after they had reproached him, and he himself had lamented the\nharms that his tribulations had wreaked upon him. And even when, from\nthe terrible inroads of the sickness, his body was covered with\nworms, he sought to tell those about him that still he would be fully\nhealed, and that in his very body, with his very eyes, he would gaze\non his Redeemer.\n\nAs to the woman in the Revelation of Saint John, chapter\n12, who fled into the wilderness, and the great wonder appearing in\nthe heavens—that woman clothed with the sun, with the moon\nunder her feet: what is meant by the woman is the Law of God. For\naccording to the terminology of the Holy Books, this reference is to\nthe Law, the woman being its symbol here. And the two luminaries, the\nsun and the moon, are the two thrones, the Turkish and the Persian,\nthese two being under the rule of the Law of God. The sun is the\nsymbol of the Persian Empire, and the moon, that is, the crescent, of\nthe Turkish. The twelve-fold crown is the twelve Imáms, who,\neven as the Apostles, supported the Faith of God. The newborn Child\nis the Beauty of the Adored One,49\ncome forth out of the Law of God. He then saith that the woman fled\ninto the wilderness, that is, the Law of God was carried out of\nPalestine to the desert of Ḥijáz, where it remained 1260\nyears—that is, until the advent of the promised Child. And as\nis well known, in the Holy Books, every day is accounted as one year.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "146: O thou handmaid afire with the love of God! I ...",
"slug": "sel-146-o-thou-handmaid-afire-with-the-love-of-god-i",
"summary": "O thou handmaid afire with the love of God! I have considered thine excellent letter, and thanked God for thy safe arrival in that great city. I beg of Him, through His unfailing aid, to cause this return of thine to exert a powerful…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"teaching",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"truthfulness",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou handmaid afire with the love of God! I have\nconsidered thine excellent letter, and thanked God for thy safe\narrival in that great city. I beg of Him, through His unfailing aid,\nto cause this return of thine to exert a powerful effect. Such a\nthing can only come about if thou dost divest thyself of all\nattachment to this world, and dost put on the vesture of holiness; if\nthou dost limit all thy thoughts and all thy words to the remembrance\nof God and His praise; to spreading His sweet savours abroad, and\nperforming righteous acts; and if thou dost devote thyself to\nawakening the heedless and restoring sight to the blind, hearing to\nthe deaf, speech to the mute, and through the power of the spirit,\ngiving life to the dead.\n\nFor even as Christ said of them in the Gospel, the\npeople are blind, they are deaf, they are dumb; and He said: ‘I\nwill heal them.’\n\nBe thou kind and compassionate to thine enfeebled\nmother, and speak to her of the Kingdom, that her heart may rejoice.\n\nGive thou my greetings to Miss Ford. Convey to her the\nglad tidings that these are the days of the Kingdom of God. Say unto\nher: Blessed art thou for thy noble aims, blessed art thou for thy\ngoodly deeds, blessed art thou for thy spiritual nature. Verily do I\nlove thee on account of these thine aims and qualities and deeds.\nTell her further: Remember the Messiah, and His days on earth, and\nHis abasement, and His tribulations, and how the people paid Him no\nmind. Remember how the Jews would hold Him up to ridicule, and mock\nat Him, and address Him with: ‘Peace be upon thee, King of the\nJews! Peace be upon thee, King of Kings!’ How they would say\nthat He was mad, and would ask how the Cause of that crucified One\ncould ever spread out to the easts of the world and the wests\nthereof. None followed Him then, save only a few souls who were\nfishermen, carpenters, and other plain folk. Alas, alas, for such\ndelusions!\n\nAnd see what happened then: how their mighty banners\nwere reversed, and in their place His most exalted standard lifted\nup; how all the bright stars in that heaven of honour and pride did\nset; how they sank in the west of all that vanisheth—while His\nbrilliant Orb still shineth down out of skies of undying glory, as\nthe centuries and the ages roll by. Be ye then admonished, ye that\nhave eyes to see! Erelong shall ye behold even greater things than\nthis.\n\nKnow thou that all the powers combined have not the\npower to establish universal peace, nor to withstand the\novermastering dominion, at every time and season, of these endless\nwars. Erelong, however, shall the power of heaven, the dominion of\nthe Holy Spirit, hoist on the high summits the banners of love and\npeace, and there above the castles of majesty and might shall those\nbanners wave in the rushing winds that blow out of the tender mercy\nof God.\n\nConvey thou my greetings to Mrs. Florence, and tell her:\nThe diverse congregations have given up the ground of their belief,\nand adopted doctrines that are of no account in the sight of God.\nThey are even as the Pharisees who both prayed and fasted, and then\ndid sentence Jesus Christ to death. By the life of God! This thing is\npassing strange!\n\nAs to thee, O handmaid of God, softly recite thou this\ncommune to thy Lord, and say unto Him:\n\nO God, my God! Fill up for me the cup of detachment from\nall things, and in the assembly of Thy splendours and bestowals,\nrejoice me with the wine of loving Thee. Free me from the assaults of\npassion and desire, break off from me the shackles of this nether\nworld, draw me with rapture unto Thy supernal realm, and refresh me\namongst the handmaids with the breathings of Thy holiness.\n\nO Lord, brighten Thou my face with the lights of Thy\nbestowals, light Thou mine eyes with beholding the signs of Thine\nall-subduing might; delight my heart with the glory of Thy knowledge\nthat encompasseth all things, gladden Thou my soul with Thy\nsoul-reviving tidings of great joy, O Thou King of this world and the\nKingdom above, O Thou Lord of dominion and might, that I may spread\nabroad Thy signs and tokens, and proclaim Thy Cause, and promote Thy\nTeachings, and serve Thy Law, and exalt Thy Word.\n\nThou art verily the Powerful, the Ever-Giving, the Able,\nthe Omnipotent.\n\nAs to the fundamentals of teaching the Faith: know thou\nthat delivering the Message can be accomplished only through goodly\ndeeds and spiritual attributes, an utterance that is crystal clear\nand the happiness reflected from the face of that one who is\nexpounding the Teachings. It is essential that the deeds of the\nteacher should attest the truth of his words. Such is the state of\nwhoso doth spread abroad the sweet savours of God and the quality of\nhim who is sincere in his faith.\n\nOnce the Lord hath enabled thee to attain this\ncondition, be thou assured that He will inspire thee with words of\ntruth, and will cause thee to speak through the breathings of the\nHoly Spirit.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "148: O ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom! ...",
"slug": "sel-148-o-ye-sons-and-daughters-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom! Thankful, the birds of the spirit seek only to fly in the high heavens and to sing out their songs with wondrous art. But the pitiable earthworms love only to tunnel into the ground, and what a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom! Thankful, the\nbirds of the spirit seek only to fly in the high heavens and to sing\nout their songs with wondrous art. But the pitiable earthworms love\nonly to tunnel into the ground, and what a mighty struggle they make\nto get themselves down into its depths! Even so are the sons of\nearth. Their highest aim is to augment their means of continuing on,\nin this vanishing world, this death in life; and this despite the\nfact that they are bound hand and foot by a thousand cares and\nsorrows, and never safe from danger, not even for the twinkling of an\neye; never at any time secure, even from sudden death. Wherefore,\nafter a brief span, are they utterly effaced, and no sign remaineth\nto tell of them, and no word of them is ever heard again.\n\nThen let you engage in the praise of Bahá’u’lláh,\nfor it is through His grace and succour that ye have become sons and\ndaughters of the Kingdom; it is thanks to Him that ye are now\nsongsters in the meadows of truth, and have soared upward to the\nheights of the glory that abideth forever. Ye have found your place\nin the world that dieth not; the breaths of the Holy Spirit have\nblown upon you; ye have taken on another life, ye have gained access\nto the Threshold of God.\n\nWherefore, with great gladness, establish ye spiritual\nassemblies, and engage ye in uttering the praise and glorification of\nthe Lord, and calling Him Holy and Most Great. Lift up to the realm\nof the All-Glorious your suppliant cries for help, and voice ye at\nevery moment a myriad thanks for having won this abounding favour and\nexceeding grace.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "149: O thou who hast eyes to see! That which thou ...",
"slug": "sel-149-o-thou-who-hast-eyes-to-see-that-which-thou",
"summary": "O thou who hast eyes to see! That which thou didst witness is the very truth, and it pertaineth to the realm of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who hast eyes to see! That which thou didst\nwitness is the very truth, and it pertaineth to the realm of vision.\n\nThe perfume is intimately commingled and blended with\nthe bud, and once the bud hath opened the sweet scent of it is spread\nabroad. The herb is not without its fruit, although it seemeth so,\nfor in this garden of God every plant exerteth its own influence and\nhath its own properties, and every plant can even match the laughing,\nhundred-petalled rose in rejoicing the sense with its fragrance. Be\nthou assured of this. Although the pages of a book know nothing of\nthe words and the meanings traced upon them, even so, because of\ntheir connection with these words, friends pass them reverently from\nhand to hand. This connection, furthermore, is purest bounty.\n\nWhen the human soul soareth out of this transient heap\nof dust and riseth into the world of God, then veils will fall away,\nand verities will come to light, and all things unknown before will\nbe made clear, and hidden truths be understood.\n\nConsider how a being, in the world of the womb, was deaf\nof ear and blind of eye, and mute of tongue; how he was bereft of any\nperceptions at all. But once, out of that world of darkness, he\npassed into this world of light, then his eye saw, his ear heard, his\ntongue spoke. In the same way, once he hath hastened away from this\nmortal place into the Kingdom of God, then he will be born in the\nspirit; then the eye of his perception will open, the ear of his soul\nwill hearken, and all the truths of which he was ignorant before will\nbe made plain and clear.\n\nAn observant traveller passing along a way will\ncertainly recall his discoveries to mind, unless some accident befall\nhim and efface the memory.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "15: O captive of the love of God! The letter which ...",
"slug": "sel-15-o-captive-of-the-love-of-god-the-letter-which",
"summary": "O captive of the love of God! The letter which thou didst write at the time of thy departure hath been received. It brought me joy; and it is my hope that thine inner eye may be opened wide, so that unto thee the very core of the divine…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"teaching",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"humility",
"joy",
"love",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO captive of the love of God! The letter which thou\ndidst write at the time of thy departure hath been received. It\nbrought me joy; and it is my hope that thine inner eye may be opened\nwide, so that unto thee the very core of the divine mysteries may be\ndisclosed.\n\nThou didst begin thy letter with a blessed phrase,\nsaying: ‘I am a Christian.’ O would that all were truly\nChristian! It is easy to be a Christian on the tongue, but hard to be\na true one. Today some five hundred million souls are Christian, but\nthe real Christian is very rare: he is that soul from whose comely\nface there shineth the splendour of Christ, and who showeth forth the\nperfections of the Kingdom; this is a matter of great moment, for to\nbe a Christian is to embody every excellence there is. I hope that\nthou, too, shalt become a true Christian. Praise thou God that at\nlast, through the divine teachings, thou hast obtained both sight and\ninsight to the highest degree, and hast become firmly rooted in\ncertitude and faith. It is my hope that others as well will achieve\nillumined eyes and hearing ears, and attain to everlasting life: that\nthese many rivers, each flowing along in diverse and separated beds,\nwill find their way back to the circumambient sea, and merge together\nand rise up in a single wave of surging oneness; that the unity of\ntruth, through the power of God, will make these illusory differences\nto vanish away. This is the one essential: for if unity be gained,\nall other problems will disappear of themselves.\n\nO honoured lady! In accordance with the divine teachings\nin this glorious dispensation we should not belittle anyone and call\nhim ignorant, saying: ‘You know not, but I know’. Rather,\nwe should look upon others with respect, and when attempting to\nexplain and demonstrate, we should speak as if we are investigating\nthe truth, saying: ‘Here these things are before us. Let us\ninvestigate to determine where and in what form the truth can be\nfound.’ The teacher should not consider himself as learned and\nothers ignorant. Such a thought breedeth pride, and pride is not\nconducive to influence. The teacher should not see in himself any\nsuperiority; he should speak with the utmost kindliness, lowliness\nand humility, for such speech exerteth influence and educateth the\nsouls.\n\nO honoured lady! For a single purpose were the Prophets,\neach and all, sent down to earth; for this was Christ made manifest,\nfor this did Bahá’u’lláh raise up the call\nof the Lord: that the world of man should become the world of God,\nthis nether realm the Kingdom, this darkness light, this satanic\nwickedness all the virtues of heaven—and unity, fellowship and\nlove be won for the whole human race, that the organic unity should\nreappear and the bases of discord be destroyed and life everlasting\nand grace everlasting become the harvest of mankind.\n\nO honoured lady! Look about thee at the world: here\nunity, mutual attraction, gathering together, engender life, but\ndisunity and inharmony spell death. When thou dost consider all\nphenomena, thou wilt see that every created thing hath come into\nbeing through the mingling of many elements, and once this\ncollectivity of elements is dissolved, and this harmony of components\nis dissevered, the life form is wiped out.\n\nO honoured lady! In cycles gone by, though harmony was\nestablished, yet, owing to the absence of means, the unity of all\nmankind could not have been achieved. Continents remained widely\ndivided, nay even among the peoples of one and the same continent\nassociation and interchange of thought were wellnigh impossible.\nConsequently intercourse, understanding and unity amongst all the\npeoples and kindreds of the earth were unattainable. In this day,\nhowever, means of communication have multiplied, and the five\ncontinents of the earth have virtually merged into one. And for\neveryone it is now easy to travel to any land, to associate and\nexchange views with its peoples, and to become familiar, through\npublications, with the conditions, the religious beliefs and the\nthoughts of all men. In like manner all the members of the human\nfamily, whether peoples or governments, cities or villages, have\nbecome increasingly interdependent. For none is self-sufficiency any\nlonger possible, inasmuch as political ties unite all peoples and\nnations, and the bonds of trade and industry, of agriculture and\neducation, are being strengthened every day. Hence the unity of all\nmankind can in this day be achieved. Verily this is none other but\none of the wonders of this wondrous age, this glorious century. Of\nthis past ages have been deprived, for this century—the century\nof light—hath been endowed with unique and unprecedented glory,\npower and illumination. Hence the miraculous unfolding of a fresh\nmarvel every day. Eventually it will be seen how bright its candles\nwill burn in the assemblage of man.\n\nBehold how its light is now dawning upon the world’s\ndarkened horizon. The first candle is unity in the political realm,\nthe early glimmerings of which can now be discerned. The second\ncandle is unity of thought in world undertakings, the consummation of\nwhich will erelong be witnessed. The third candle is unity in freedom\nwhich will surely come to pass. The fourth candle is unity in\nreligion which is the corner-stone of the foundation itself, and\nwhich, by the power of God, will be revealed in all its splendour.\nThe fifth candle is the unity of nations—a unity which in this\ncentury will be securely established, causing all the peoples of the\nworld to regard themselves as citizens of one common fatherland. The\nsixth candle is unity of races, making of all that dwell on earth\npeoples and kindreds of one race. The seventh candle is unity of\nlanguage, i.e., the choice of a universal tongue in which all peoples\nwill be instructed and converse. Each and every one of these will\ninevitably come to pass, inasmuch as the power of the Kingdom of God\nwill aid and assist in their realization.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "150: O thou handmaid aflame with the fire of God’s ...",
"slug": "sel-150-o-thou-handmaid-aflame-with-the-fire-of-god-s",
"summary": "O thou handmaid aflame with the fire of God’s love! Grieve thou not over the troubles and hardships of this nether world, nor be thou glad in times of ease and comfort, for both shall pass away. This present life is even as a swelling…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou handmaid aflame with the fire of God’s\nlove! Grieve thou not over the troubles and hardships of this nether\nworld, nor be thou glad in times of ease and comfort, for both shall\npass away. This present life is even as a swelling wave, or a mirage,\nor drifting shadows. Could ever a distorted image on the desert serve\nas refreshing waters? No, by the Lord of Lords! Never can reality and\nthe mere semblance of reality be one, and wide is the difference\nbetween fancy and fact, between truth and the phantom thereof.\n\nKnow thou that the Kingdom is the real world, and this\nnether place is only its shadow stretching out. A shadow hath no life\nof its own; its existence is only a fantasy, and nothing more; it is\nbut images reflected in water, and seeming as pictures to the eye.\n\nRely upon God. Trust in Him. Praise Him, and call Him\ncontinually to mind. He verily turneth trouble into ease, and sorrow\ninto solace, and toil into utter peace. He verily hath dominion over\nall things.\n\nIf thou wouldst hearken to my words, release thyself\nfrom the fetters of whatsoever cometh to pass. Nay rather, under all\nconditions thank thou thy loving Lord, and yield up thine affairs\nunto His Will that worketh as He pleaseth. This verily is better for\nthee than all else, in either world.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "151: O thou believer in the oneness of God! Know ...",
"slug": "sel-151-o-thou-believer-in-the-oneness-of-god-know",
"summary": "O thou believer in the oneness of God! Know thou that nothing profiteth a soul save the love of the All-Merciful, nothing lighteth up a heart save the splendour that shineth from the realm of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou believer in the oneness of God! Know thou that\nnothing profiteth a soul save the love of the All-Merciful, nothing\nlighteth up a heart save the splendour that shineth from the realm of\nthe Lord.\n\nForsake thou every other concern, let oblivion overtake\nthe memory of all else. Confine thy thoughts to whatever will lift up\nthe human soul to the Paradise of heavenly grace, and make every bird\nof the Kingdom wing its way unto the Supreme Horizon, the central\npoint of everlasting honour in this contingent world.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "152: As to the question regarding the soul of a murderer, ...",
"slug": "sel-152-as-to-the-question-regarding-the-soul-of-a-murderer",
"summary": "As to the question regarding the soul of a murderer, and what his punishment would be, the answer given was that the murderer must expiate his crime: that is, if they put the murderer to death, his death is his atonement for his crime,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAs to the question regarding the soul of a murderer, and\nwhat his punishment would be, the answer given was that the murderer\nmust expiate his crime: that is, if they put the murderer to death,\nhis death is his atonement for his crime, and following the death,\nGod in His justice will impose no second penalty upon him, for divine\njustice would not allow this.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "153: O thou handmaid of God! In this day, to thank ...",
"slug": "sel-153-o-thou-handmaid-of-god-in-this-day-to-thank",
"summary": "O thou handmaid of God! In this day, to thank God for His bounties consisteth in possessing a radiant heart, and a soul open to the promptings of the spirit. This is the essence of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"hope",
"justice",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou handmaid of God! In this day, to thank God for\nHis bounties consisteth in possessing a radiant heart, and a soul\nopen to the promptings of the spirit. This is the essence of\nthanksgiving.\n\nAs for offering thanks by speaking out or writing,\nalthough this is indeed acceptable, yet when compared with that other\nthanksgiving, it is only a semblance and unreal; for the essential\nthing is these intimations of the spirit, these emanations from the\ndeep recess of the heart. It is my hope that thou wilt be favoured\ntherewith.\n\nRegarding one’s lack of capacity and one’s\nundeserving on the Day of Resurrection, this does not cause one to be\nshut out from gifts and bounties; for this is not the Day of Justice\nbut the Day of Grace, while justice is allotting to each whatever is\nhis due. Then look thou not at the degree of thy capacity, look thou\nat the boundless favour of Bahá’u’lláh;\nall-encompassing is His bounty, and consummate His grace.\n\nI ask of God that with His assistance and strong support\nthou mayest teach the inner meanings of the Torah with eloquence,\nunderstanding, vigour and skill. Turn thy face toward the Kingdom of\nGod, ask for the bestowals of the Holy Spirit, speak, and the\nconfirmations of the Spirit will come.\n\nAs for that mighty solar orb which thou didst behold in\nthy dream, that was the Promised One, and its spreading rays were His\nbounties, and the translucent surface of the mass of water signifieth\nhearts that are undefiled and pure, while the surging waves denote\nthe great excitement of those hearts and the fact that they were\nshaken and deeply moved, that is, the waves are the stirrings of the\nspirit and holy intimations of the soul. Praise thou God that in the\nworld of the dream thou hast witnessed such disclosures.\n\nWith reference to what is meant by an individual\nbecoming entirely forgetful of self: the intent is that he should\nrise up and sacrifice himself in the true sense, that is, he should\nobliterate the promptings of the human condition, and rid himself of\nsuch characteristics as are worthy of blame and constitute the gloomy\ndarkness of this life on earth—not that he should allow his\nphysical health to deteriorate and his body to become infirm.\n\nI do earnestly and humbly supplicate at the Holy\nThreshold that heavenly blessings and divine forgiveness will\nencompass thy dear mother, as well as thy loving sisters and\nrelatives. Especially do I pray on behalf of thy betrothed, who hath\nsuddenly hastened away from this world into the next.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "154: O thou son of the Kingdom! Thy most agreeable ...",
"slug": "sel-154-o-thou-son-of-the-kingdom-thy-most-agreeable",
"summary": "O thou son of the Kingdom! Thy most agreeable letters, with their pleasing style, ever gladden our hearts. When the song is of the Kingdom, it rejoiceth the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love",
"loyalty",
"patience",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou son of the Kingdom! Thy most agreeable letters,\nwith their pleasing style, ever gladden our hearts. When the song is\nof the Kingdom, it rejoiceth the soul.\n\nPraise thou God that thou hast travelled to that\ncountry50\nfor the purpose of raising up His Word and spreading abroad the holy\nfragrance of His Kingdom, and that thou art serving as a gardener in\nthe gardens of heaven. Erelong shall thine efforts be crowned with\nsuccess.\n\nO thou son of the Kingdom! All things are beneficial if\njoined with the love of God; and without His love all things are\nharmful, and act as a veil between man and the Lord of the Kingdom.\nWhen His love is there, every bitterness turneth sweet, and every\nbounty rendereth a wholesome pleasure. For example, a melody, sweet\nto the ear, bringeth the very spirit of life to a heart in love with\nGod, yet staineth with lust a soul engrossed in sensual desires. And\nevery branch of learning, conjoined with the love of God, is approved\nand worthy of praise; but bereft of His love, learning is\nbarren—indeed, it bringeth on madness. Every kind of knowledge,\nevery science, is as a tree: if the fruit of it be the love of God,\nthen is it a blessed tree, but if not, that tree is but dried-up\nwood, and shall only feed the fire.\n\nO thou loyal servant of God and thou spiritual healer of\nman! Whensoever thou dost attend a patient, turn thy face toward the\nLord of the heavenly Kingdom, ask the Holy Spirit to come to thine\naid, then heal thou the sickness.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "155: O thou flame of God’s love! What thou hast ...",
"slug": "sel-155-o-thou-flame-of-god-s-love-what-thou-hast",
"summary": "O thou flame of God’s love! What thou hast written hath brought great joy, for thy letter was as a garden from which roses of inner meanings spread abroad the sweet exhalations of the love of God. In the same way, my answers will serve…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"loyalty",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou flame of God’s love! What thou hast written\nhath brought great joy, for thy letter was as a garden from which\nroses of inner meanings spread abroad the sweet exhalations of the\nlove of God. In the same way, my answers will serve as rainshowers\nand dew, to bestow on those spiritual plants that have blossomed in\nthe garden of thy heart more freshness and delicate beauty than words\ncan tell.\n\nThou didst write of afflictive tests that have assailed\nthee. To the loyal soul, a test is but God’s grace and favour;\nfor the valiant doth joyously press forward to furious battle on the\nfield of anguish, when the coward, whimpering with fright, will\ntremble and shake. So too, the proficient student, who hath with\ngreat competence mastered his subjects and committed them to memory,\nwill happily exhibit his skills before his examiners on the day of\nhis tests. So too will solid gold wondrously gleam and shine out in\nthe assayer’s fire.\n\nIt is clear, then, that tests and trials are, for\nsanctified souls, but God’s bounty and grace, while to the\nweak, they are a calamity, unexpected and sudden.\n\nThese tests, even as thou didst write, do but cleanse\nthe spotting of self from off the mirror of the heart, till the Sun\nof Truth can cast its rays thereon; for there is no veil more\nobstructive than the self, and however tenuous that veil may be, at\nthe last it will completely shut a person out, and deprive him of his\nportion of eternal grace.\n\nO thou enraptured handmaid of the Lord! When the\nbelievers, men and women, pass in thought before my eyes, I feel\nmyself warmed at the fire of God’s love, and I pray that the\nAlmighty will succour those holy souls with His invisible hosts.\nPraised be the Lord that the prophecies of all His Manifestations\nhave now been clearly fulfilled, in this greatest of all days, this\nholy and blessed age.\n\nO thou enraptured handmaid of God! Nearness is verily of\nthe soul, not of the body; and the help that is sought, and the help\nthat cometh, is not material but of the spirit; nevertheless it is my\nhope that thou wilt attain to nearness in every sense. The bounties\nof God will verily encompass a sanctified soul even as the sun’s\nlight doth the moon and stars: be thou assured of this.\n\nWaft thou to each one of the believers, men and women\nalike, fragrant breaths of holiness on behalf of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.\nInspire them all and urge them on to shed abroad the sweet savours of\nthe Lord.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "156: O thou servant of the Holy Threshold! We have ...",
"slug": "sel-156-o-thou-servant-of-the-holy-threshold-we-have",
"summary": "O thou servant of the Holy Threshold! We have read what flowed out from thy pen in thy love for God, and found the contents of thy letter most pleasing. My hope is that through the bounty of God, the breaths of the All-Merciful will at…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"justice",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou servant of the Holy Threshold! We have read what\nflowed out from thy pen in thy love for God, and found the contents\nof thy letter most pleasing. My hope is that through the bounty of\nGod, the breaths of the All-Merciful will at all times refresh and\nrenew thee.\n\nThou didst write of reincarnation. A belief in\nreincarnation goeth far back into the ancient history of almost all\npeoples, and was held even by the philosophers of Greece, the Roman\nsages, the ancient Egyptians, and the great Assyrians. Nevertheless\nsuch superstitions and sayings are but absurdities in the sight of\nGod.\n\nThe major argument of the reincarnationists was this,\nthat according to the justice of God, each must receive his due:\nwhenever a man is afflicted with some calamity, for example, this is\nbecause of some wrong he hath committed. But take a child that is\nstill in its mother’s womb, the embryo but newly formed, and\nthat child is blind, deaf, lame, defective—what sin hath such a\nchild committed, to deserve its afflictions? They answer that,\nalthough to outward seeming the child, still in the womb, is guilty\nof no sin—nevertheless he perpetrated some wrong when in his\nprevious form, and thus he came to deserve his punishment.\n\nThese individuals, however, have overlooked the\nfollowing point. If creation went forward according to only one rule,\nhow could the all-encompassing Power make Itself felt? How could the\nAlmighty be the One Who ‘doeth as He pleaseth and ordaineth as\nHe willeth’?51\n\n\nBriefly, a return is indeed referred to in the Holy\nScriptures, but by this is meant the return of the qualities,\nconditions, effects, perfections, and inner realities of the lights\nwhich recur in every dispensation. The reference is not to specific,\nindividual souls and identities.\n\nIt may be said, for instance, that this lamplight is\nlast night’s come back again, or that last year’s rose\nhath returned to the garden this year. Here the reference is not to\nthe individual reality, the fixed identity, the specialized being of\nthat other rose, rather doth it mean that the qualities, the\ndistinctive characteristics of that other light, that other flower,\nare present now, in these. Those perfections, that is, those graces\nand gifts of a former springtime are back again this year. We say,\nfor example, that this fruit is the same as last year’s; but we\nare thinking only of the delicacy, bloom and freshness, and the sweet\ntaste of it; for it is obvious that that impregnable centre of\nreality, that specific identity, can never return.\n\nWhat peace, what ease and comfort did the Holy Ones of\nGod ever discover during Their sojourn in this nether world, that\nThey should continually seek to come back and live this life again?\nDoth not a single turn at this anguish, these afflictions, these\ncalamities, these body blows, these dire straits, suffice, that They\nshould wish for repeated visits to the life of this world? This cup\nwas not so sweet that one would care to drink of it a second time.\n\nTherefore do the lovers of the Abhá Beauty wish\nfor no other recompense but to reach that station where they may gaze\nupon Him in the Realm of Glory, and they walk no other path save over\ndesert sands of longing for those exalted heights. They seek that\nease and solace which will abide forever, and those bestowals that\nare sanctified beyond the understanding of the worldly mind.\n\nWhen thou lookest about thee with a perceptive eye, thou\nwilt note that on this dusty earth all humankind are suffering. Here\nno man is at rest as a reward for what he hath performed in former\nlives; nor is there anyone so blissful as seemingly to pluck the\nfruit of bygone anguish. And if a human life, with its spiritual\nbeing, were limited to this earthly span, then what would be the\nharvest of creation? Indeed, what would be the effects and the\noutcomes of Divinity Itself? Were such a notion true, then all\ncreated things, all contingent realities, and this whole world of\nbeing—all would be meaningless. God forbid that one should hold\nto such a fiction and gross error.\n\nFor just as the effects and the fruitage of the uterine\nlife are not to be found in that dark and narrow place, and only when\nthe child is transferred to this wide earth do the benefits and uses\nof growth and development in that previous world become revealed—so\nlikewise reward and punishment, heaven and hell, requital and\nretribution for actions done in this present life, will stand\nrevealed in that other world beyond. And just as, if human life in\nthe womb were limited to that uterine world, existence there would be\nnonsensical, irrelevant—so too if the life of this world, the\ndeeds here done and their fruitage, did not come forth in the world\nbeyond, the whole process would be irrational and foolish.\n\nKnow then that the Lord God possesseth invisible realms\nwhich the human intellect can never hope to fathom nor the mind of\nman conceive. When once thou hast cleansed the channel of thy\nspiritual sense from the pollution of this worldly life, then wilt\nthou breathe in the sweet scents of holiness that blow from the\nblissful bowers of that heavenly land.\n\nThe Glory rest upon thee, and upon whosoever turneth\ntoward and gazeth on the Kingdom of the All-Glorious, which the Lord\nhath sanctified beyond the understanding of those who are neglectful\nof Him, and hath hid from the eyes of those who show Him pride.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "157: O ye who are strongly attracted! O ye who are ...",
"slug": "sel-157-o-ye-who-are-strongly-attracted-o-ye-who-are",
"summary": "O ye who are strongly attracted! O ye who are mindful! O ye who are advancing unto the Kingdom of God! Verily with all my heart and soul and with all lowliness do I supplicate the Lord God to make of you ensigns of guidance, banners of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"gentleness",
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye who are strongly attracted! O ye who are mindful! O\nye who are advancing unto the Kingdom of God! Verily with all my\nheart and soul and with all lowliness do I supplicate the Lord God to\nmake of you ensigns of guidance, banners of righteousness,\nwell-springs of understanding and knowledge, that through you He may\nlead the seekers unto the straight path and guide them to the broad\nway of truth in this mightiest of ages.\n\nO ye loved ones of God! Know ye that the world is even\nas a mirage rising over the sands, that the thirsty mistaketh for\nwater. The wine of this world is but a vapour in the desert, its pity\nand compassion but toil and trouble, the repose it proffereth only\nweariness and sorrow. Abandon it to those who belong to it, and turn\nyour faces unto the Kingdom of your Lord the All-Merciful, that His\ngrace and bounty may cast their dawning splendours over you, and a\nheavenly table may be sent down for you, and your Lord may bless you,\nand shower His riches upon you to gladden your bosoms and fill your\nhearts with bliss, to attract your minds, and cleanse your souls, and\nconsole your eyes.\n\nO ye loved ones of God! Is there any giver save God? He\nsingleth out for His mercy whomsoever He willeth. Erelong will He\nopen before you the gates of His knowledge and fill up your hearts\nwith His love. He will cheer your souls with the gentle winds of His\nholiness and make bright your faces with the splendours of His\nlights, and exalt the memory of you amongst all peoples. Your Lord is\nverily the Compassionate, the Merciful.\n\nHe will come to your aid with invisible hosts, and\nsupport you with armies of inspiration from the Concourse above; He\nwill send unto you sweet perfumes from the highest Paradise, and waft\nover you the pure breathings that blow from the rose gardens of the\nCompany on high. He will breathe into your hearts the spirit of life,\ncause you to enter the Ark of salvation, and reveal unto you His\nclear tokens and signs. Verily is this abounding grace. Verily is\nthis the victory that none can deny.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "158: Grieve thou not over the ascension of my beloved ...",
"slug": "sel-158-grieve-thou-not-over-the-ascension-of-my-beloved",
"summary": "Grieve thou not over the ascension of my beloved Breakwell, for he hath risen unto a rose garden of splendours within the Abhá Paradise, sheltered by the mercy of his mighty Lord, and he is crying at the top of his voice: ‘O that my…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGrieve thou not over the ascension of my beloved\nBreakwell, for he hath risen unto a rose garden of splendours within\nthe Abhá Paradise, sheltered by the mercy of his mighty Lord,\nand he is crying at the top of his voice: ‘O that my people\ncould know how graciously my Lord hath forgiven me, and made me to be\nof those who have attained His Presence!’52\n\n\nO Breakwell, O my dear one!\n\nWhere now is thy fair face? Where is thy fluent tongue?\nWhere thy clear brow? Where thy bright comeliness?\n\nO Breakwell, O my dear one!\n\nWhere is thy fire, blazing with God’s love? Where\nis thy rapture at His holy breaths? Where are thy praises, lifted\nunto Him? Where is thy rising up to serve His Cause?\n\nO Breakwell, O my dear one!\n\nWhere are thy beauteous eyes? Thy smiling lips? The\nprincely cheek? The graceful form?\n\nO Breakwell, O my dear one!\n\nThou hast quit this earthly world and risen upward to\nthe Kingdom, thou hast reached unto the grace of the invisible realm,\nand offered thyself at the threshold of its Lord.\n\nO Breakwell, O my dear one!\n\nThou hast left the lamp that was thy body here, the\nglass that was thy human form, thy earthy elements, thy way of life\nbelow.\n\nO Breakwell, O my dear one!\n\nThou hast lit a flame within the lamp of the Company on\nhigh, thou hast set foot in the Abhá Paradise, thou hast found\na shelter in the shadow of the Blessed Tree, thou hast attained His\nmeeting in the haven of Heaven.\n\nO Breakwell, O my dear one!\n\nThou art now a bird of Heaven, thou hast quit thine\nearthly nest, and soared away to a garden of holiness in the kingdom\nof thy Lord. Thou hast risen to a station filled with light.\n\nO Breakwell, O my dear one!\n\nThy song is even as birdsong now, thou pourest forth\nverses as to the mercy of thy Lord; of Him Who forgiveth ever, thou\nwert a thankful servant, wherefore hast thou entered into exceeding\nbliss.\n\nO Breakwell, O my dear one!\n\nThy Lord hath verily singled thee out for His love, and\nhath led thee into His precincts of holiness, and made thee to enter\nthe garden of those who are His close companions, and hath blessed\nthee with beholding His beauty.\n\nO Breakwell, O my dear one!\n\nThou hast won eternal life, and the bounty that faileth\nnever, and a life to please thee well, and plenteous grace.\n\nO Breakwell, O my dear one!\n\nThou art become a star in the supernal sky, and a lamp\namid the angels of high Heaven; a living spirit in the most exalted\nKingdom, throned in eternity.\n\nO Breakwell, O my dear one!\n\nI ask of God to draw thee ever closer, hold thee ever\nfaster; to rejoice thy heart with nearness to His presence, to fill\nthee with light and still more light, to grant thee still more\nbeauty, and to bestow upon thee power and great glory.\n\nO Breakwell, O my dear one!\n\nAt all times do I call thee to mind. I shall never\nforget thee. I pray for thee by day, by night; I see thee plain\nbefore me, as if in open day.\n\nO Breakwell, O my dear one!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "159: As to thy question, doth every soul without ...",
"slug": "sel-159-as-to-thy-question-doth-every-soul-without",
"summary": "As to thy question, doth every soul without exception achieve life everlasting? Know thou that immortality belongeth to those souls in whom hath been breathed the spirit of life from God. All save these are lifeless—they are the dead,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAs to thy question, doth every soul without exception\nachieve life everlasting? Know thou that immortality belongeth to\nthose souls in whom hath been breathed the spirit of life from God.\nAll save these are lifeless—they are the dead, even as Christ\nhath explained in the Gospel text. He whose eyes the Lord hath opened\nwill see the souls of men in the stations they will occupy after\ntheir release from the body. He will find the living ones thriving\nwithin the precincts of their Lord, and the dead sunk down in the\nlowest abyss of perdition.\n\nKnow thou that every soul is fashioned after the nature\nof God, each being pure and holy at his birth. Afterwards, however,\nthe individuals will vary according to what they acquire of virtues\nor vices in this world. Although all existent beings are in their\nvery nature created in ranks or degrees, for capacities are various,\nnevertheless every individual is born holy and pure, and only\nthereafter may he become defiled.\n\nAnd further, although the degrees of being are various,\nyet all are good. Observe the human body, its limbs, its members, the\neye, the ear, the organs of smell, of taste, the hands, the\nfingernails. Notwithstanding the differences among all these parts,\neach one within the limitations of its own being participateth in a\ncoherent whole. If one of them faileth it must be healed, and should\nno remedy avail, that part must be removed.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "16: O ye illumined loved ones and ye handmaids of the ...",
"slug": "sel-16-o-ye-illumined-loved-ones-and-ye-handmaids-of-the",
"summary": "O ye illumined loved ones and ye handmaids of the Merciful! At a time when the sombre night of ignorance, of neglect of the divine world, of being veiled from God, had overspread the earth, a bright morning dawned and a rising light lit…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"martyrdom",
"prison",
"children",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye illumined loved ones and ye handmaids of the\nMerciful! At a time when the sombre night of ignorance, of neglect of\nthe divine world, of being veiled from God, had overspread the earth,\na bright morning dawned and a rising light lit up the eastern sky.\nThen rose the Sun of Truth and the splendours of the Kingdom were\nshed over east and west. Those who had eyes to see rejoiced at the\nglad tidings and cried out: ‘O blessed, blessed are we!’,\nand they witnessed the inner reality of all things, and uncovered the\nmysteries of the Kingdom. Delivered then from their fancies and their\ndoubts, they beheld the light of truth, and so exhilarated did they\nbecome from draining the chalice of God’s love, that they\nutterly forgot the world and their own selves. Dancing for joy they\nhastened to the place of their own martyrdom and there, where men die\nfor love, they flung away their heads and hearts.\n\nBut those with unseeing eyes were astonished at this\ntumult, and they cried, ‘Where is the light?’ and again,\n‘We see no light! We see no rising sun! Here is no truth. This\nis but fantasy and nothing more.’ Bat-like they fled into the\nunderground dark, and there, to their way of thinking, they found a\nmeasure of security and peace.\n\nThis, however, is but the beginning of the dawn, and the\nheat of the rising Orb of Truth is not yet at the fullness of its\npower. Once the sun hath mounted to high noon, its fires will burn so\nhot as to stir even the creeping things beneath the earth; and\nalthough it is not for them to behold the light, yet will they all be\nset in frenzied motion by the impact of the heat.\n\nWherefore, O ye beloved of God, offer up thanks that ye\nhave, in the day of the dawning, turned your faces unto the Light of\nthe World and beheld its splendours. Ye have received a share of the\nlight of truth, ye have enjoyed a portion of those blessings that\nendure forever; and therefore, as a returning of thanks for this\nbounty, rest ye not for a moment, sit ye not silent, carry to men’s\nears the glad tidings of the Kingdom, spread far and wide the Word of\nGod.\n\nAct in accordance with the counsels of the Lord: that\nis, rise up in such wise, and with such qualities, as to endow the\nbody of this world with a living soul, and to bring this young child,\nhumanity, to the stage of adulthood. So far as ye are able, ignite a\ncandle of love in every meeting, and with tenderness rejoice and\ncheer ye every heart. Care for the stranger as for one of your own;\nshow to alien souls the same loving kindness ye bestow upon your\nfaithful friends. Should any come to blows with you, seek to be\nfriends with him; should any stab you to the heart, be ye a healing\nsalve unto his sores; should any taunt and mock at you, meet him with\nlove. Should any heap his blame upon you, praise ye him; should he\noffer you a deadly poison, give him the choicest honey in exchange;\nand should he threaten your life, grant him a remedy that will heal\nhim evermore. Should he be pain itself, be ye his medicine; should he\nbe thorns, be ye his roses and sweet herbs. Perchance such ways and\nwords from you will make this darksome world turn bright at last;\nwill make this dusty earth turn heavenly, this devilish prison place\nbecome a royal palace of the Lord—so that war and strife will\npass and be no more, and love and trust will pitch their tents on the\nsummits of the world. Such is the essence of God’s admonitions;\nsuch in sum are the teachings for the Dispensation of Bahá.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "160: O thou sincere and loyal handmaid of the Lord! ...",
"slug": "sel-160-o-thou-sincere-and-loyal-handmaid-of-the-lord",
"summary": "O thou sincere and loyal handmaid of the Lord! I have read thy letter. Thou art truly attached to the Kingdom and devoted to the All-Glorious Horizon. I beg of God in His bounty to make thee to burn ever more brightly in the fire of His…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"hope",
"love",
"loyalty",
"mercy",
"perseverance",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou sincere and loyal handmaid of the Lord! I have\nread thy letter. Thou art truly attached to the Kingdom and devoted\nto the All-Glorious Horizon. I beg of God in His bounty to make thee\nto burn ever more brightly in the fire of His love, as each day\npasseth by.\n\nThou wert, it appeareth, in doubt as to whether to\nwrite, or to teach the Faith. Teaching the Faith is essential, and\nfor the present teaching is preferable for thee. Whensoever thou dost\nfind an opportunity, loose thy tongue and guide the human race.\n\nThou didst ask as to acquiring knowledge: read thou the\nBooks and Tablets of God, and the articles written to demonstrate the\ntruth of this Faith. Included among them are the Íqán,\nwhich hath been translated into English, the works of Mírzá\nAbu’l-Fadl, and those of some others among the believers. In\nthe days to come a great number of holy Tablets and other sacred\nwritings will be translated, and thou shouldst read these as well.\nLikewise, ask thou of God that the magnet of His love should draw\nunto thee the knowledge of Him. Once a soul becometh holy in all\nthings, purified, sanctified, the gates of the knowledge of God will\nopen wide before his eyes.\n\nThou hast written of the dear handmaid of God, Mrs.\nGoodall. That soul enraptured of God is truly serving the Faith at\nall times, and doing whatever she can to scatter abroad the heavenly\nsplendours. If she continue in this same way, very great results will\nfollow in a time to come. The main thing is to remain staunch and\nfirmly rooted, and persevere to the end. It is my hope that through\nthe high endeavours of the handmaids of the Lord, those foothills and\nthat ocean53\nshore will grow so bright with the love of God as to cast their beams\nto the ends of the earth.\n\nThou didst ask whether, at the advent of the Kingdom of\nGod, every soul was saved. The Sun of Truth hath shone forth in\nsplendour over all the world, and its luminous rising is man’s\nsalvation and his eternal life—but only he is of the saved who\nhath opened wide the eye of his discernment and beheld that glory.\n\nLikewise didst thou ask whether, in this Bahá’í\nDispensation, the spiritual will ultimately prevail. It is certain\nthat spirituality will defeat materialism, that the heavenly will\nsubdue the human, and that through divine education the masses of\nmankind generally will take great steps forward in all degrees of\nlife—except for those who are blind and deaf and mute and dead.\nHow can such as they understand the light? Though the sun’s\nrays illumine every darkest corner of the globe, still the blind can\nhave no share in the glory, and though the rain of heavenly mercy\ncome down in torrents over all the earth, no shrub or flower will\nbloom from a barren land.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "161: O thou who seekest the Kingdom of heaven! ...",
"slug": "sel-161-o-thou-who-seekest-the-kingdom-of-heaven",
"summary": "O thou who seekest the Kingdom of heaven! This world is even as the body of man, and the Kingdom of God is as the spirit of life. See how dark and narrow is the physical world of man’s body, and what a prey it is to diseases and ills.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who seekest the Kingdom of heaven! This world is\neven as the body of man, and the Kingdom of God is as the spirit of\nlife. See how dark and narrow is the physical world of man’s\nbody, and what a prey it is to diseases and ills. On the other hand,\nhow fresh and bright is the realm of the human spirit. Judge thou\nfrom this metaphor how the world of the Kingdom hath shone down, and\nhow its laws have been made to work in this nether realm. Although\nthe spirit is hidden from view, still its commandments shine out like\nrays of light upon the world of the human body. In the same way,\nalthough the Kingdom of heaven is hidden from the sight of this\nunwitting people, still, to him who seeth with the inner eye, it is\nplain as day.\n\nWherefore dwell thou ever in the Kingdom, and be thou\noblivious of this world below. Be thou so wholly absorbed in the\nemanations of the spirit that nothing in the world of man will\ndistract thee.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "163: O ye two seekers after truth! Your letter was ...",
"slug": "sel-163-o-ye-two-seekers-after-truth-your-letter-was",
"summary": "O ye two seekers after truth! Your letter was received and its contents noted. As for the letters ye had previously sent, not all were received, while some reached here at a time when the cruelty of the oppressors had so intensified…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye two seekers after truth! Your letter was received\nand its contents noted. As for the letters ye had previously sent,\nnot all were received, while some reached here at a time when the\ncruelty of the oppressors had so intensified that it was not possible\nto send a reply. Now this present letter is here, and we are able to\nanswer it, and I have therefore set about writing, in spite of much\npressing business, so that ye will know that ye are loved amongst us,\nand also accepted in the Kingdom of God.\n\nYour questions, however, can be answered only briefly,\nsince there is no time for a detailed reply. The answer to the first\nquestion: the souls of the children of the Kingdom, after their\nseparation from the body, ascend unto the realm of everlasting life.\nBut if ye ask as to the place, know ye that the world of existence is\na single world, although its stations are various and distinct. For\nexample, the mineral life occupieth its own plane, but a mineral\nentity is without any awareness at all of the vegetable kingdom, and\nindeed, with its inner tongue denieth that there is any such kingdom.\nIn the same way, a vegetable entity knoweth nothing of the animal\nworld, remaining completely heedless and ignorant thereof, for the\nstage of the animal is higher than that of the vegetable, and the\nvegetable is veiled from the animal world and inwardly denieth the\nexistence of that world—all this while animal, vegetable and\nmineral dwell together in the one world. In the same way the animal\nremaineth totally unaware of that power of the human mind which\ngraspeth universal ideas and layeth bare the secrets of creation—so\nthat a man who liveth in the east can make plans and arrangements for\nthe west; can unravel mysteries; although located on the continent of\nEurope can discover America; although sited on the earth can lay hold\nof the inner realities of the stars of heaven. Of this power of\ndiscovery which belongeth to the human mind, this power which can\ngrasp abstract and universal ideas, the animal remaineth totally\nignorant, and indeed denieth its existence.\n\nIn the same way, the denizens of this earth are\ncompletely unaware of the world of the Kingdom and deny the existence\nthereof. They ask, for example: ‘Where is the Kingdom? Where is\nthe Lord of the Kingdom?’ These people are even as the mineral\nand the vegetable, who know nothing whatever of the animal and the\nhuman realm; they see it not; they find it not. Yet the mineral and\nvegetable, the animal and man, are all living here together in this\nworld of existence.\n\nAs to the second question: the tests and trials of God\ntake place in this world, not in the world of the Kingdom.\n\nThe answer to the third question is this, that in the\nother world the human reality doth not assume a physical form, rather\ndoth it take on a heavenly form, made up of elements of that heavenly\nrealm.\n\nAnd the answer to the fourth question: the centre of the\nSun of Truth is in the supernal world—the Kingdom of God. Those\nsouls who are pure and unsullied, upon the dissolution of their\nelemental frames, hasten away to the world of God, and that world is\nwithin this world. The people of this world, however, are unaware of\nthat world, and are even as the mineral and the vegetable that know\nnothing of the world of the animal and the world of man.\n\nThe answer to the fifth question is this: Bahá’u’lláh\nhath raised up the tabernacle of the oneness of mankind. Whoso\nseeketh shelter under this roof will certainly come forth from other\ndwellings.\n\nAnd to the sixth question: if on some point or other a\ndifference ariseth among two conflicting groups, let them refer to\nthe Centre of the Covenant for a solution to the problem.\n\nAnd the seventh question: Bahá’u’lláh\nhath been made manifest to all mankind and He hath invited all to the\ntable of God, the banquet of Divine bounty. Today, however, most of\nthose who sit at that table are the poor, and this is why Christ hath\nsaid blessed are the poor, for riches do prevent the rich from\nentering the Kingdom; and again, He saith, ‘It is easier for a\ncamel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter\ninto the Kingdom of God.’54\nIf, however, the wealth of this world, and worldly glory and repute,\ndo not block his entry therein, that rich man will be favoured at the\nHoly Threshold and accepted by the Lord of the Kingdom.\n\nIn brief, Bahá’u’lláh hath\nbecome manifest to educate all the peoples of the world. He is the\nUniversal Educator, whether of the rich or the poor, whether of black\nor white, or of peoples from east or west, or north or south.\n\nAmong those who visit Akká, some have made great\nforward strides. Lightless candles, they were set alight; withered,\nthey began to bloom; dead, they were recalled to life and went home\nwith tidings of great joy. But others, in truth, have simply passed\nthrough; they have only taken a tour.\n\nO ye twain who are strongly attracted to the Kingdom,\nthank ye God that ye have made your home a Bahá’í\ncentre and a gathering place for the friends.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "164: O ye two faithful and assured souls! The letter ...",
"slug": "sel-164-o-ye-two-faithful-and-assured-souls-the-letter",
"summary": "O ye two faithful and assured souls! The letter was received. Praise be to God, it imparted good tidings. California is ready for the promulgation of the Teachings of God. My hope is that ye may strive with heart and soul that the sweet…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"humility",
"prayer",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye two faithful and assured souls! The letter was\nreceived. Praise be to God, it imparted good tidings. California is\nready for the promulgation of the Teachings of God. My hope is that\nye may strive with heart and soul that the sweet scent may perfume\nthe nostrils....\n\nConvey on my behalf to Mrs. Chase respectful greetings\nand say: ‘Mr. Chase is a twinkling star above the horizon of\nTruth, but at present it is still behind the clouds; soon these shall\nbe dispersed and the radiance of that star shall illumine the state\nof California. Appreciate thou this bounty that thou hast been his\nwife and companion in life.’\n\nEvery year on the anniversary of the ascension55\nof that blessed soul the friends must visit his tomb on behalf of\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá and in the utmost lowliness and\nhumility should with all respect lay on his grave wreaths of flowers\nand spend all the day in quiet prayer, while turning their faces\ntoward the Kingdom of Signs and mentioning and praising the\nattributes of that illustrious person.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "165: O my God! O my God! Verily Thy servant, ...",
"slug": "sel-165-o-my-god-o-my-god-verily-thy-servant",
"summary": "O my God! O my God! Verily Thy servant, humble before the majesty of Thy divine supremacy, lowly at the door of Thy oneness, hath believed in Thee and in Thy verses, hath testified to Thy word, hath been enkindled with the fire of Thy…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"generosity",
"justice",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO my God! O my God! Verily Thy servant, humble before\nthe majesty of Thy divine supremacy, lowly at the door of Thy\noneness, hath believed in Thee and in Thy verses, hath testified to\nThy word, hath been enkindled with the fire of Thy love, hath been\nimmersed in the depths of the ocean of Thy knowledge, hath been\nattracted by Thy breezes, hath relied upon Thee, hath turned his face\nto Thee, hath offered his supplications to Thee, and hath been\nassured of Thy pardon and forgiveness. He hath abandoned this mortal\nlife and hath flown to the kingdom of immortality, yearning for the\nfavour of meeting Thee.\n\nO Lord, glorify his station, shelter him under the\npavilion of Thy supreme mercy, cause him to enter Thy glorious\nparadise, and perpetuate his existence in Thine exalted rose garden,\nthat he may plunge into the sea of light in the world of mysteries.\n\nVerily, Thou art the Generous, the Powerful, the\nForgiver and the Bestower.\n\nO thou assured soul, thou maidservant of God...! Be not\ngrieved at the death of thy respected husband. He hath, verily,\nattained the meeting of his Lord at the seat of Truth in the presence\nof the potent King. Do not suppose that thou hast lost him. The veil\nshall be lifted and thou shalt behold his face illumined in the\nSupreme Concourse. Just as God, the Exalted, hath said, ‘Him\nwill we surely quicken to a happy life.’ Supreme importance\nshould be attached, therefore, not to this first creation but rather\nto the future life.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "167: Thou hadst asked about fate, predestination and ...",
"slug": "sel-167-thou-hadst-asked-about-fate-predestination-and",
"summary": "Thou hadst asked about fate, predestination and will. Fate and predestination consist in the necessary and indispensable relationships which exist in the realities of things. These relationships have been placed in the realities of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThou hadst asked about fate, predestination and will.\nFate and predestination consist in the necessary and indispensable\nrelationships which exist in the realities of things. These\nrelationships have been placed in the realities of existent beings\nthrough the power of creation and every incident is a consequence of\nthe necessary relationship. For example, God hath created a relation\nbetween the sun and the terrestrial globe that the rays of the sun\nshould shine and the soil should yield. These relationships\nconstitute predestination, and the manifestation thereof in the plane\nof existence is fate. Will is that active force which controlleth\nthese relationships and these incidents. Such is the epitome of the\nexplanation of fate and predestination. I have no time for a detailed\nexplanation. Ponder over this; the reality of fate, predestination\nand will shall be made manifest.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "168: O thou lady of the Kingdom! Praise thou God ...",
"slug": "sel-168-o-thou-lady-of-the-kingdom-praise-thou-god",
"summary": "O thou lady of the Kingdom! Praise thou God that in this age, the age of the dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh, thou hast been awakened, hast been made aware of the Manifestation of the Lord of Hosts. All the people of the world are buried in…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou lady of the Kingdom! Praise thou God that in this\nage, the age of the dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh,\nthou hast been awakened, hast been made aware of the Manifestation of\nthe Lord of Hosts. All the people of the world are buried in the\ngraves of nature, or are slumbering, heedless and unaware. Just as\nChrist saith: ‘I may come when you are not aware. The coming of\nthe Son of Man is like the coming of a thief into a house, the owner\nof which is utterly unaware.’\n\nIn brief, my hope is that from the bounties of\nBahá’u’lláh, thou mayest daily advance in\nthe Kingdom, that thou mayest become a heavenly angel, confirmed by\nthe breaths of the Holy Spirit, and mayest erect a structure that\nshall eternally remain firm and unshakeable....\n\nThese days are very precious; grasp the present\nopportunity and ignite a candle that shall never be extinguished, and\nwhich shall pour out its light eternally illuminating the world of\nmankind!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "169: O ye two patient souls! Your letter was received. ...",
"slug": "sel-169-o-ye-two-patient-souls-your-letter-was-received",
"summary": "O ye two patient souls! Your letter was received. The death of that beloved youth and his separation from you have caused the utmost sorrow and grief; for he winged his flight in the flower of his age and the bloom of his youth to the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"hope",
"kindness",
"patience",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye two patient souls! Your letter was received. The\ndeath of that beloved youth and his separation from you have caused\nthe utmost sorrow and grief; for he winged his flight in the flower\nof his age and the bloom of his youth to the heavenly nest. But he\nhath been freed from this sorrow-stricken shelter and hath turned his\nface toward the everlasting nest of the Kingdom, and, being delivered\nfrom a dark and narrow world, hath hastened to the sanctified realm\nof light; therein lieth the consolation of our hearts.\n\nThe inscrutable divine wisdom underlieth such\nheart-rending occurrences. It is as if a kind gardener transferreth a\nfresh and tender shrub from a confined place to a wide open area.\nThis transfer is not the cause of the withering, the lessening or the\ndestruction of that shrub; nay, on the contrary, it maketh it to grow\nand thrive, acquire freshness and delicacy, become green and bear\nfruit. This hidden secret is well known to the gardener, but those\nsouls who are unaware of this bounty suppose that the gardener, in\nhis anger and wrath, hath uprooted the shrub. Yet to those who are\naware, this concealed fact is manifest, and this predestined decree\nis considered a bounty. Do not feel grieved or disconsolate,\ntherefore, at the ascension of that bird of faithfulness; nay, under\nall circumstances pray for that youth, supplicating for him\nforgiveness and the elevation of his station.\n\nI hope that ye will attain the utmost patience,\ncomposure and resignation, and I entreat and implore at the Threshold\nof Oneness, begging for forgiveness and pardon. My hope from the\ninfinite bounties of God is that He may shelter this dove of the\ngarden of faith, and cause him to abide on the branch of the Supreme\nConcourse, that he may sing in the best of melodies the praise and\nglorification of the Lord of Names and Attributes.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "17: O ye who are the chosen ones of the Abhá Kingdom! ...",
"slug": "sel-17-o-ye-who-are-the-chosen-ones-of-the-abha-kingdom",
"summary": "O ye who are the chosen ones of the Abhá Kingdom! Praise ye the Lord of Hosts for He, riding upon the clouds, hath come down to this world out of the heaven of the invisible realm, so that East and West were lit by the glory of the Sun…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children",
"healing",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye who are the chosen ones of the Abhá Kingdom!\nPraise ye the Lord of Hosts for He, riding upon the clouds, hath come\ndown to this world out of the heaven of the invisible realm, so that\nEast and West were lit by the glory of the Sun of Truth, and the call\nof the Kingdom was raised, and the heralds of the realm above, with\nmelodies of the Concourse on high, sang out the glad tidings of the\nComing. Then the whole world of being did quiver for joy, and still\nthe people, even as the Messiah saith, slept on: for the day of the\nManifestation, when the Lord of Hosts descended, found them wrapped\nin the slumber of unknowing. As He saith in the Gospel, My coming is\neven as when the thief is in the house, and the goodman of the house\nwatcheth not.\n\nFrom amongst all mankind hath He chosen you, and your\neyes have been opened to the light of guidance and your ears attuned\nto the music of the Company above; and blessed by abounding grace,\nyour hearts and souls have been born into new life. Thank ye and\npraise ye God that the hand of infinite bestowals hath set upon your\nheads this gem-studded crown, this crown whose lustrous jewels will\nforever flash and sparkle down all the reaches of time.\n\nTo thank Him for this, make ye a mighty effort, and\nchoose for yourselves a noble goal. Through the power of faith, obey\nye the teachings of God, and let all your actions conform to His\nlaws. Read ye The Hidden Words, ponder the inner meanings thereof,\nact in accord therewith. Read, with close attention, the Tablets of\nTarazát (Ornaments), Kalímát (Words of\nParadise), Tajallíyyát (Effulgences), Ishráqát\n(Splendours), and Bishárát (Glad Tidings), and\nrise up as ye are bidden in the heavenly teachings. Thus may each one\nof you be even as a candle casting its light, the centre of\nattraction wherever people come together; and from you, as from a bed\nof flowers, may sweet scents be shed.\n\nRaise ye a clamour like unto a roaring sea; like a\nprodigal cloud, rain down the grace of heaven. Lift up your voices\nand sing out the songs of the Abhá Realm. Quench ye the fires\nof war, lift high the banners of peace, work for the oneness of\nhumankind and remember that religion is the channel of love unto all\npeoples. Be ye aware that the children of men are sheep of God and He\ntheir loving Shepherd, that He careth tenderly for all His sheep and\nmaketh them to feed in His own green pastures of grace and giveth\nthem to drink from the wellspring of life. Such is the way of the\nLord. Such are His bestowals. Such, from among His teachings, is His\nprecept of the oneness of mankind.\n\nThe portals of His blessings are opened wide and His\nsigns are published abroad and the glory of truth is blazing forth;\ninexhaustible are the blessings. Know ye the value of this time.\nStrive ye with all your hearts, raise up your voices and shout, until\nthis dark world be filled with light, and this narrow place of\nshadows be widened out, and this dust heap of a fleeting moment be\nchanged into a mirror for the eternal gardens of heaven, and this\nglobe of earth receive its portion of celestial grace.\n\nThen will aggression crumble away, and all that maketh\nfor disunity be destroyed, and the structure of oneness be\nraised—that the Blessed Tree may cast its shade over east and\nwest, and the Tabernacle of the singleness of man be set up on the\nhigh summits, and flags that betoken love and fellowship flutter from\ntheir staffs around the world until the sea of truth lift high its\nwaves, and earth bring forth the roses and sweet herbs of blessings\nwithout end, and become from pole to pole the Abhá Paradise.\n\nThese are the counsels of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.\nIt is my hope that out of the bestowals of the Lord of Hosts ye will\nbecome the spiritual essence and the very radiance of humankind,\nbinding the hearts of all with bonds of love; that through the power\nof the Word of God ye will bring to life the dead now buried in the\ngraves of their sensual desires; that ye will, with the rays of the\nSun of Truth, restore the sight of those whose inner eye is blind;\nthat ye will bring spiritual healing to the spiritually sick. These\nthings do I hope for, out of the bounties and the bestowals of the\nBeloved.\n\nAt all times do I speak of you and call you to mind. I\npray unto the Lord, and with tears I implore Him to rain down all\nthese blessings upon you, and gladden your hearts, and make blissful\nyour souls, and grant you exceeding joy and heavenly delights....\n\nO Thou loving Provider! These souls have hearkened to\nthe summons of the Kingdom, and have gazed upon the glory of the Sun\nof Truth. They have risen upward to the refreshing skies of love;\nthey are enamoured of Thy nature, and they worship Thy beauty. Unto\nThee have they turned themselves, speaking together of Thee, seeking\nout Thy dwelling, and thirsting for the waterbrooks of Thy heavenly\nrealm.\n\nThou art the Giver, the Bestower, the Ever-loving.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "170: O thou seeker of the Kingdom! Thy letter was ...",
"slug": "sel-170-o-thou-seeker-of-the-kingdom-thy-letter-was",
"summary": "O thou seeker of the Kingdom! Thy letter was received. Thou hast written of the severe calamity that hath befallen thee—the death of thy respected husband. That honourable man hath been so subjected to the stress and strain of this…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"mercy",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou seeker of the Kingdom! Thy letter was received.\nThou hast written of the severe calamity that hath befallen thee—the\ndeath of thy respected husband. That honourable man hath been so\nsubjected to the stress and strain of this world that his greatest\nwish was for deliverance from it. Such is this mortal abode: a\nstorehouse of afflictions and suffering. It is ignorance that binds\nman to it, for no comfort can be secured by any soul in this world,\nfrom monarch down to the most humble commoner. If once this life\nshould offer a man a sweet cup, a hundred bitter ones will follow;\nsuch is the condition of this world. The wise man, therefore, doth\nnot attach himself to this mortal life and doth not depend upon it;\nat some moments, even, he eagerly wisheth for death that he may\nthereby be freed from these sorrows and afflictions. Thus it is seen\nthat some, under extreme pressure of anguish, have committed suicide.\n\n\nAs to thy husband, rest assured. He will be immersed in\nthe ocean of pardon and forgiveness and will become the recipient of\nbounty and favour. Strive thine utmost to give his child a Bahá’í\ntraining so that when he attaineth maturity he may be merciful,\nillumined and heavenly.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "171: O thou beloved maidservant of God, although ...",
"slug": "sel-171-o-thou-beloved-maidservant-of-god-although",
"summary": "O thou beloved maidservant of God, although the loss of a son is indeed heart-breaking and beyond the limits of human endurance, yet one who knoweth and understandeth is assured that the son hath not been lost but, rather, hath stepped…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"kindness",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou beloved maidservant of God, although the loss of\na son is indeed heart-breaking and beyond the limits of human\nendurance, yet one who knoweth and understandeth is assured that the\nson hath not been lost but, rather, hath stepped from this world into\nanother, and she will find him in the divine realm. That reunion\nshall be for eternity, while in this world separation is inevitable\nand bringeth with it a burning grief.\n\nPraise be unto God that thou hast faith, art turning thy\nface toward the everlasting Kingdom and believest in the existence of\na heavenly world. Therefore be thou not disconsolate, do not\nlanguish, do not sigh, neither wail nor weep; for agitation and\nmourning deeply affect his soul in the divine realm.\n\nThat beloved child addresseth thee from the hidden\nworld: ‘O thou kind Mother, thank divine Providence that I have\nbeen freed from a small and gloomy cage and, like the birds of the\nmeadows, have soared to the divine world—a world which is\nspacious, illumined, and ever gay and jubilant. Therefore, lament\nnot, O Mother, and be not grieved; I am not of the lost, nor have I\nbeen obliterated and destroyed. I have shaken off the mortal form and\nhave raised my banner in this spiritual world. Following this\nseparation is everlasting companionship. Thou shalt find me in the\nheaven of the Lord, immersed in an ocean of light.’\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "172: Praise be to God, thy heart is engaged in the ...",
"slug": "sel-172-praise-be-to-god-thy-heart-is-engaged-in-the",
"summary": "Praise be to God, thy heart is engaged in the commemoration of God, thy soul is gladdened by the glad tidings of God and thou art absorbed in prayer. The state of prayer is the best of conditions, for man is then associating with God.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nPraise be to God, thy heart is engaged in the\ncommemoration of God, thy soul is gladdened by the glad tidings of\nGod and thou art absorbed in prayer. The state of prayer is the best\nof conditions, for man is then associating with God. Prayer verily\nbestoweth life, particularly when offered in private and at times,\nsuch as midnight, when freed from daily cares.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "173: Those souls that, in this day, enter the divine ...",
"slug": "sel-173-those-souls-that-in-this-day-enter-the-divine",
"summary": "Those souls that, in this day, enter the divine kingdom and attain everlasting life, although materially dwelling on earth, yet in reality soar in the realm of heaven. Their bodies may linger on earth but their spirits travel in the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThose souls that, in this day, enter the divine kingdom\nand attain everlasting life, although materially dwelling on earth,\nyet in reality soar in the realm of heaven. Their bodies may linger\non earth but their spirits travel in the immensity of space. For as\nthoughts widen and become illumined, they acquire the power of flight\nand transport man to the kingdom of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "175: Mortal charm shall fade away, roses shall give ...",
"slug": "sel-175-mortal-charm-shall-fade-away-roses-shall-give",
"summary": "Mortal charm shall fade away, roses shall give way to thorns, and beauty and youth shall live their day and be no more. But that which eternally endureth is the Beauty of the True One, for its splendour perisheth not and its glory…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMortal charm shall fade away, roses shall give way to\nthorns, and beauty and youth shall live their day and be no more. But\nthat which eternally endureth is the Beauty of the True One, for its\nsplendour perisheth not and its glory lasteth for ever; its charm is\nall-powerful and its attraction infinite. Well is it then with that\ncountenance that reflecteth the splendour of the Light of the Beloved\nOne! The Lord be praised, thou hast been illumined with this Light,\nhast acquired the pearl of true knowledge, and hast spoken the Word\nof Truth.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "176: O thou who art attracted to the Kingdom of ...",
"slug": "sel-176-o-thou-who-art-attracted-to-the-kingdom-of",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted to the Kingdom of God! Every soul seeketh an object and cherisheth a desire, and day and night striveth to attain his aim. One craveth riches, another thirsteth for glory and still another yearneth for fame, for…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted to the Kingdom of God! Every\nsoul seeketh an object and cherisheth a desire, and day and night\nstriveth to attain his aim. One craveth riches, another thirsteth for\nglory and still another yearneth for fame, for art, for prosperity\nand the like. Yet finally all are doomed to loss and disappointment.\nOne and all they leave behind them all that is theirs and\nempty-handed hasten to the realm beyond, and all their labours shall\nbe in vain. To dust they shall all return, denuded, depressed,\ndisheartened and in utter despair.\n\nBut, praised be the Lord, thou art engaged in that which\nsecureth for thee a gain that shall eternally endure; and that is\nnaught but thine attraction to the Kingdom of God, thy faith, and thy\nknowledge, the enlightenment of thine heart, and thine earnest\nendeavour to promote the Divine Teachings.\n\nVerily this gift is imperishable and this wealth is a\ntreasure from on high!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "177: O living flame of heavenly love! Thine heart ...",
"slug": "sel-177-o-living-flame-of-heavenly-love-thine-heart",
"summary": "O living flame of heavenly love! Thine heart hath been so fired with the love of God that from ten thousand leagues afar its warmth and radiance may be felt and seen. The fire lit by mortal hand imparteth light and warmth to but a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO living flame of heavenly love! Thine heart hath been\nso fired with the love of God that from ten thousand leagues afar its\nwarmth and radiance may be felt and seen. The fire lit by mortal hand\nimparteth light and warmth to but a little space, whereas that sacred\nflame which the Hand of God hath kindled, though burning in the east,\nwill set aflame the west and give warmth to both the north and the\nsouth; nay, it shall rise from this world to glow with the hottest\nflame in the realms on high, flooding with light the Kingdom of\neternal glory.\n\nHappy art thou to have obtained so heavenly a gift.\nBlessed art thou to be favoured with His divine bestowals.\n\nThe glory of God rest upon thee and upon them that hold\nfast unto the sure handle of His Will and holy Covenant.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "178: O maidservant of God! Thy letter dated 9 ...",
"slug": "sel-178-o-maidservant-of-god-thy-letter-dated-9",
"summary": "O maidservant of God! Thy letter dated 9 December 1918 was received. Its contents were noted. Never lose thy trust in God. Be thou ever hopeful, for the bounties of God never cease to flow upon man. If viewed from one perspective they…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO maidservant of God! Thy letter dated 9 December 1918\nwas received. Its contents were noted. Never lose thy trust in God.\nBe thou ever hopeful, for the bounties of God never cease to flow\nupon man. If viewed from one perspective they seem to decrease, but\nfrom another they are full and complete. Man is under all conditions\nimmersed in a sea of God’s blessings. Therefore, be thou not\nhopeless under any circumstances, but rather be firm in thy hope.\n\nAttendance at the gatherings of the friends is\nspecifically to keep them alert, vigilant, loving and attracted to\nthe divine Kingdom.\n\nIf thou hast a full and eager desire to travel to\nPhillsburg, Montana, thou art permitted, perchance thou mayest be\nable to ignite a candle amid that group of miners and may make them\nawake and vigilant so that they may turn to God and may acquire a\nshare from the Bounty of the divine Kingdom.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "18: O thou possessor of a seeing heart! Although, ...",
"slug": "sel-18-o-thou-possessor-of-a-seeing-heart-although",
"summary": "O thou possessor of a seeing heart! Although, materially speaking, thou art deprived of physical sight, yet, praise be to God, spiritual insight is thine. Thy heart seeth and thy spirit heareth. Bodily sight is subject to a thousand…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou possessor of a seeing heart! Although, materially\nspeaking, thou art deprived of physical sight, yet, praise be to God,\nspiritual insight is thine. Thy heart seeth and thy spirit heareth.\nBodily sight is subject to a thousand maladies and assuredly will\nultimately be lost. Thus no importance should be attached to it. But\nthe sight of the heart is illumined. It discerneth and discovereth\nthe divine Kingdom. It is everlasting and eternal. Praise God,\ntherefore, that the sight of thy heart is illumined, and the hearing\nof thy mind responsive.\n\nEach of the meetings ye have organized, wherein ye feel\nheavenly emotions and comprehend realities and significances, is like\nunto the firmament, and those souls are as resplendent stars shining\nwith the light of guidance.\n\nHappy is the soul that seeketh, in this brilliant era,\nheavenly teachings, and blessed is the heart which is stirred and\nattracted by the love of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "180: I hope that in this nether world thou shalt attain ...",
"slug": "sel-180-i-hope-that-in-this-nether-world-thou-shalt-attain",
"summary": "I hope that in this nether world thou shalt attain unto heavenly light, thou wilt free the souls from the gloom of nature, which is the animal kingdom, and cause them to reach lofty stations in the human kingdom. Today all people are…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI hope that in this nether world thou shalt attain unto\nheavenly light, thou wilt free the souls from the gloom of nature,\nwhich is the animal kingdom, and cause them to reach lofty stations\nin the human kingdom. Today all people are immersed in the world of\nnature. That is why thou dost see jealousy, greed, the struggle for\nsurvival, deception, hypocrisy, tyranny, oppression, disputes,\nstrife, bloodshed, looting and pillaging, which all emanate from the\nworld of nature. Few are those who have been freed from this\ndarkness, who have ascended from the world of nature to the world of\nman, who have followed the divine Teachings, have served the world of\nhumanity, are resplendent, merciful, illumined and like unto a rose\ngarden. Strive thine utmost to become godlike, characterized with His\nattributes, illumined and merciful, that thou mayest be freed from\nevery bond and become attached at heart to the Kingdom of the\nincomparable Lord. This is Bahá’í bounty, and\nthis is heavenly light.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "181: Regarding the statement in The Hidden Words, ...",
"slug": "sel-181-regarding-the-statement-in-the-hidden-words",
"summary": "Regarding the statement in The Hidden Words, that man must renounce his own self, the meaning is that he must renounce his inordinate desires, his selfish purposes and the promptings of his human self, and seek out the holy breathings…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"martyrdom",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"sacrifice",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nRegarding the statement in The Hidden Words, that man\nmust renounce his own self, the meaning is that he must renounce his\ninordinate desires, his selfish purposes and the promptings of his\nhuman self, and seek out the holy breathings of the spirit, and\nfollow the yearnings of his higher self, and immerse himself in the\nsea of sacrifice, with his heart fixed upon the beauty of the\nAll-Glorious.\n\nAs for the reference in The Hidden Words regarding the\nCovenant entered into on Mount Párán, this signifieth\nthat in the sight of God the past, the present and the future are all\none and the same—whereas, relative to man, the past is gone and\nforgotten, the present is fleeting, and the future is within the\nrealm of hope. And it is a basic principle of the Law of God that in\nevery Prophetic Mission, He entereth into a Covenant with all\nbelievers—a Covenant that endureth until the end of that\nMission, until the promised day when the Personage stipulated at the\noutset of the Mission is made manifest. Consider Moses, He Who\nconversed with God. Verily, upon Mount Sinai, Moses entered into a\nCovenant regarding the Messiah, with all those souls who would live\nin the day of the Messiah. And those souls, although they appeared\nmany centuries after Moses, were nevertheless—so far as the\nCovenant, which is outside time, was concerned—present there\nwith Moses. The Jews, however, were heedless of this and remembered\nit not, and thus they suffered a great and clear loss.\n\nAs to the reference in the Arabic Hidden Words that the\nhuman being must become detached from self, here too the meaning is\nthat he should not seek out anything whatever for his own self in\nthis swiftly-passing life, but that he should cut the self away, that\nis, he should yield up the self and all its concerns on the field of\nmartyrdom, at the time of the coming of the Lord.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "182: O ye who are holding fast unto the Covenant and ...",
"slug": "sel-182-o-ye-who-are-holding-fast-unto-the-covenant-and",
"summary": "O ye who are holding fast unto the Covenant and Testament! This day, from the realms of the All-Glorious, from the Kingdom of Holiness where hosannas of glorification and praise rise up, the Company on high direct their gaze upon you.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"persecution",
"the-covenant",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"loyalty",
"mercy",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye who are holding fast unto the Covenant and\nTestament! This day, from the realms of the All-Glorious, from the\nKingdom of Holiness where hosannas of glorification and praise rise\nup, the Company on high direct their gaze upon you. Whensoever their\ngaze lighteth upon gatherings of those who are steadfast in the\nCovenant and Testament, then do they utter their cry, ‘Glad\ntidings! Glad tidings!’ Then, exulting, do they lift up their\nvoices, and shout, ‘O ye spiritual communion! O ye gathering of\nGod! Blessed are ye! Glad tidings be unto you! Bright be your faces,\nand be ye of good cheer, for ye cling to the Covenant of the Beloved\nof all the worlds, ye are on fire with the wine of His Testament. Ye\nhave plighted your troth to the Ancient of Days, ye have drunk deep\nfrom the chalice of loyalty. Ye have guarded and defended the Cause\nof God; ye have not been a cause of dividing up His Word; ye have not\nbrought His Faith low, but have striven to glorify His Holy Name; ye\nhave not allowed the Blessed Cause to be exposed to the derision of\nthe people. Ye have not permitted the Designated Station to be\nhumbled, nor been willing to see the Centre of Authority discredited\nor exposed to mockery and persecution. Ye have striven to keep the\nWord whole and one. Ye have passed through the portals of mercy. Ye\nhave not let the Blessed Beauty slip from your minds, to fade\nunremembered.’\n\nThe Glory rest upon you.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "183: O thou daughter of the Kingdom! Thy letter was ...",
"slug": "sel-183-o-thou-daughter-of-the-kingdom-thy-letter-was",
"summary": "O thou daughter of the Kingdom! Thy letter was received. It was like the melody of the divine nightingale, whose song delighteth the hearts. This is because its contents indicated faith, assurance and firmness in the Covenant and the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou daughter of the Kingdom! Thy letter was received.\nIt was like the melody of the divine nightingale, whose song\ndelighteth the hearts. This is because its contents indicated faith,\nassurance and firmness in the Covenant and the Testament. Today the\ndynamic power of the world of existence is the power of the Covenant\nwhich like unto an artery pulsateth in the body of the contingent\nworld and protecteth Bahá’í unity.\n\nThe Bahá’ís are commanded to\nestablish the oneness of mankind; if they cannot unite around one\npoint how will they be able to bring about the unity of mankind?\n\nThe purpose of the Blessed Beauty in entering into this\nCovenant and Testament was to gather all existent beings around one\npoint so that the thoughtless souls, who in every cycle and\ngeneration have been the cause of dissension, may not undermine the\nCause. He hath, therefore, commanded that whatever emanateth from the\nCentre of the Covenant is right and is under His protection and\nfavour, while all else is error.\n\nPraise be to God, thou art firm in the Covenant and the\nTestament.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "184: O ye blessed souls! Although ye are undergoing ...",
"slug": "sel-184-o-ye-blessed-souls-although-ye-are-undergoing",
"summary": "O ye blessed souls! Although ye are undergoing crucial tests in view of the repeated and assiduous attempts of some people to shake the faith of the friends in Los Angeles, yet ye are under the guarding eye of the bounty of Bahá’u’lláh…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"perseverance"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye blessed souls! Although ye are undergoing crucial\ntests in view of the repeated and assiduous attempts of some people\nto shake the faith of the friends in Los Angeles, yet ye are under\nthe guarding eye of the bounty of Bahá’u’lláh\nand are assisted by legions of angels.\n\nWalk, therefore, with a sure step and engage with the\nutmost assurance and confidence in the promulgation of the divine\nfragrances, the glorification of the Word of God and firmness in the\nCovenant. Rest ye assured that if a soul ariseth in the utmost\nperseverance and raiseth the Call of the Kingdom and resolutely\npromulgateth the Covenant, be he an insignificant ant he shall be\nenabled to drive away the formidable elephant from the arena, and if\nhe be a feeble moth he shall cut to pieces the plumage of the\nrapacious vulture.\n\nEndeavour, therefore, that ye may scatter and disperse\nthe army of doubt and of error with the power of the holy utterances.\nThis is my exhortation and this is my counsel. Do not quarrel with\nanybody, and shun every form of dispute. Utter the Word of God. If he\naccepteth it the desired purpose is attained, and if he turneth away\nleave him to himself and trust to God.\n\nSuch is the attribute of those who are firm in the\nCovenant.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "185: O ye friends and maidservants of the Merciful! ...",
"slug": "sel-185-o-ye-friends-and-maidservants-of-the-merciful",
"summary": "O ye friends and maidservants of the Merciful! From the Spiritual Assembly of Los Angeles a letter hath been received. It was indicative of the fact that the blessed souls in California, like unto an immovable mountain, are withstanding…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant",
"holy-day",
"administration",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye friends and maidservants of the Merciful! From the\nSpiritual Assembly of Los Angeles a letter hath been received. It was\nindicative of the fact that the blessed souls in California, like\nunto an immovable mountain, are withstanding the gale of violation,\nhave, like unto blessed trees, been planted in the soil of the\nCovenant and are most firm and steadfast. The hope is entertained,\ntherefore, that through the blessings of the Sun of Truth they may\ndaily increase in their firmness and steadfastness. The tests of\nevery dispensation are in direct proportion to the greatness of the\nCause, and as heretofore such a manifest Covenant, written by the\nSupreme Pen, hath not been entered upon, the tests are\nproportionately more severe. These trials cause the feeble souls to\nwaver while those who are firm are not affected. These agitations of\nthe violators are no more than the foam of the ocean, which is one of\nits inseparable features; but the ocean of the Covenant shall surge\nand shall cast ashore the bodies of the dead, for it cannot retain\nthem. Thus it is seen that the ocean of the Covenant hath surged and\nsurged until it hath thrown out the dead bodies—souls that are\ndeprived of the Spirit of God and are lost in passion and self and\nare seeking leadership. This foam of the ocean shall not endure and\nshall soon disperse and vanish, while the ocean of the Covenant shall\neternally surge and roar....\n\nFrom the early days of creation down to the present\ntime, throughout all the divine dispensations, such a firm and\nexplicit Covenant hath not been entered upon. In view of this fact is\nit possible for this foam to remain on the surface of the ocean of\nthe Covenant? No, by God! The violators are trampling upon their own\ndignity, are uprooting their own foundations and are proud at being\nupheld by flatterers who exert a great effort to shake the faith of\nfeeble souls. But this action of theirs is of no consequence; it is a\nmirage and not water, foam and not the sea, mist and not a cloud,\nillusion and not reality. All this ye shall soon see.\n\nPraise be to God, ye are firm and steadfast; be ye\nthankful that like unto blessed trees ye are firmly planted in the\nsoil of the Covenant. It is sure that every firm one will grow, will\nyield new fruits and will increase daily in freshness and grace.\nReflect upon all the writings of Bahá’u’lláh,\nwhether epistles or prayers, and ye shall surely come across a\nthousand passages wherein Bahá’u’lláh\nprays: ‘O God! Bring to naught the violators of the Covenant\nand defeat the oppressors of the Testament.’ ‘He who\ndenieth the Covenant and the Testament is rejected by God, and he who\nremaineth firm and steadfast therein is favoured at the Threshold of\nOneness.’ Such sayings and prayers abound, refer to them and ye\nshall know.\n\nNever be depressed. The more ye are stirred by\nviolation, the more deepen ye in firmness and steadfastness, and be\nassured that the divine hosts shall conquer, for they are assured of\nthe victory of the Abhá Kingdom. Throughout all regions the\nstandard of firmness and steadfastness is upraised and the flag of\nviolation is debased, for only a few weak souls have been led away by\nthe flattery and the specious arguments of the violators who are\noutwardly with the greatest care exhibiting firmness but inwardly are\nengaged in agitating souls. Only a few who are the leaders of those\nwho stir and agitate are outwardly known as violators while the rest,\nthrough subtle means, deceive the souls, for outwardly they assert\ntheir firmness and steadfastness in the Covenant but when they come\nacross responsive ears they secretly sow the seeds of suspicion. The\ncase of all of them resembleth the violation of the Covenant by Judas\nIscariot and his followers. Consider: hath any result or trace\nremained after them? Not even a name hath been left by his followers\nand although a number of Jews sided with him it was as if he had no\nfollowers at all. This Judas Iscariot who was the leader of the\napostles betrayed Christ for thirty pieces of silver. Take heed, O ye\npeople of perception!\n\nAt this time these insignificant violators will surely\nbetray the Centre of the Covenant for the large sum which by every\nsubtle means they have begged. It is now thirty years since\nBahá’u’lláh ascended, and in that time\nthese violators have striven with might and main. What have they\nachieved? Under all conditions those who have remained firm in the\nCovenant have conquered, while the violators have met defeat,\ndisappointment and dejection. After the ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,\nno trace of them shall remain. These souls are ignorant of what will\nhappen and are proud of their own fancies.\n\nIn short, O ye friends of God and maidservants of the\nMerciful! The hand of divine bounty hath placed upon your heads a\njewelled crown, the precious gems of which shall shine eternally over\nall regions. Appreciate this bounty, loose your tongues in praise and\nthanksgiving, and engage in the promulgation of the divine teachings,\nfor this is the spirit of life and the means of salvation.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "186: O thou who art firm in the Covenant! Three ...",
"slug": "sel-186-o-thou-who-art-firm-in-the-covenant-three",
"summary": "O thou who art firm in the Covenant! Three consecutive letters have been received from thee. From their contents it became known that in Cleveland the hearts are afflicted by the murky breaths of the Covenant-breakers and harmony hath…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant",
"holy-day",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art firm in the Covenant! Three consecutive\nletters have been received from thee. From their contents it became\nknown that in Cleveland the hearts are afflicted by the murky breaths\nof the Covenant-breakers and harmony hath decreased among the\nfriends. Gracious God! A hundred times it hath been foretold that the\nviolators are lying in ambush and by every means desire to cause\ndissension among the friends so that this dissension may end in\nviolation of the Covenant. How is it that, notwithstanding this\nwarning, the friends have neglected this explicit statement?\n\nThe point at issue is clear, direct and of utmost\nbrevity. Either Bahá’u’lláh was wise,\nomniscient and aware of what would ensue, or was ignorant and in\nerror. He entered, by His supreme pen, into such a firm Covenant and\nTestament with all the Bahá’ís, first with the\nAghsán, the Afnán and His kindred, and commanded\nthem to obey and turn toward Him. By His supreme pen He hath\nexplicitly declared that the object of the following verse of the\nKitáb-i-Aqdas is the Most Great Branch:\n\n‘When the ocean of My presence hath ebbed and the\nBook of My Revelation is ended, turn your faces toward Him Whom God\nhath purposed, Who hath branched from this Ancient Root.’ Its\nmeaning briefly is this: that after My ascension it is incumbent upon\nthe Aghsán, the Afnán and the kindred, and all\nthe friends of God, to turn their faces to Him Who hath branched from\nthe Ancient Root.\n\nHe also plainly saith in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas: ‘O\nye people of the world! When the Mystic Dove will have winged its\nflight from its Sanctuary of Praise and sought its far-off goal, its\nhidden habitation, refer ye whatsoever ye understand not in the Book\nto Him Who hath branched from this mighty Stock.’ Addressing\nall the people of the world He saith: When the Mystic Dove flieth\naway from the orchard of praise to the Most Supreme and Invisible\nStation—that is, when the Blessed Beauty turneth away from the\ncontingent world towards the invisible realm—refer whatever ye\ndo not understand in the Book to Him Who hath branched from the\nAncient Root. That is, whatever He saith is the very truth.\n\nAnd in the Book of the Covenant He explicitly saith that\nthe object of this verse ‘Who hath branched from this Ancient\nRoot’ is the Most Mighty Branch. And He commandeth all the\nAghsán, the Afnán, the kindred and the Bahá’ís\nto turn toward Him. Now, either one must say that the Blessed Beauty\nhath made a mistake, or He must be obeyed. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá\nhath no command for the people to obey save the diffusion of the\nfragrances of God, the exaltation of His Word, the promulgation of\nthe oneness of the world of humanity, the establishment of universal\npeace, and other of the commands of God. These are divine commands\nand have nothing to do with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Whoever\nwisheth may accept them, and anyone who rejecteth them may do as he\npleaseth.\n\nNow some of the mischief-makers, with many stratagems,\nare seeking leadership, and in order to reach this position they\ninstil doubts among the friends that they may cause differences, and\nthat these differences may result in their drawing a party to\nthemselves. But the friends of God must be awake and must know that\nthe scattering of these doubts hath as its motive personal desires\nand the achievement of leadership.\n\nDo not disrupt Bahá’í unity, and\nknow that this unity cannot be maintained save through faith in the\nCovenant of God.\n\nThou hast the desire to travel that thou mayest spread\nthe fragrances of God. This is highly suitable. Assuredly divine\nconfirmations will assist thee and the power of the Covenant and\nTestament will secure for thee triumph and victory.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "187: O thou who art firm in the Covenant! Thy letter ...",
"slug": "sel-187-o-thou-who-art-firm-in-the-covenant-thy-letter",
"summary": "O thou who art firm in the Covenant! Thy letter was received. Thou hast expressed satisfaction with the Convention, that this gathering hath been the means of the elevation of the Cause of God and the demonstration of the power of His…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art firm in the Covenant! Thy letter was\nreceived. Thou hast expressed satisfaction with the Convention, that\nthis gathering hath been the means of the elevation of the Cause of\nGod and the demonstration of the power of His Word. The greatness of\nthe Cause will clear away these differences and may be compared to\nhealth in the body of man which, when established, cureth all disease\nand weakness. Our hope is that no trace of opposition may remain; but\nsome of the friends in America are restless in their fresh ambitions\nand strive and seek under the ground and in the air to discover\nanything that breedeth dissension.\n\nPraise be to God, all such doors are closed in the Cause\nof Bahá’u’lláh for a special authoritative\nCentre hath been appointed—a Centre that solveth all\ndifficulties and wardeth off all differences. The Universal House of\nJustice, likewise, wardeth off all differences and whatever it\nprescribeth must be accepted and he who transgresseth is rejected.\nBut this Universal House of Justice which is the Legislature hath not\nyet been instituted.\n\nThus it is seen that no means for dissension hath been\nleft, but carnal desires are the cause of difference as it is the\ncase with the violators. These do not doubt the validity of the\nCovenant but selfish motives have dragged them to this condition. It\nis not that they do not know what they do—they are perfectly\naware and still they exhibit opposition.\n\nIn short, the ocean of the Covenant is tumultuous and\nwide. It casteth ashore the foam of violation and thus rest ye\nassured. Be engaged in the furtherance of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár\nand prepare the means for the diffusion of the divine fragrances. Be\nnot engaged in anything but this, for otherwise thou shalt dissipate\nthine attention and the work will not advance.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "189: Today, every wise, vigilant and foresighted person ...",
"slug": "sel-189-today-every-wise-vigilant-and-foresighted-person",
"summary": "Today, every wise, vigilant and foresighted person is awakened, and to him are unveiled the mysteries of the future which show that nothing save the power of the Covenant is able to stir and move the heart of humanity, just as the New…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nToday, every wise, vigilant and foresighted person is\nawakened, and to him are unveiled the mysteries of the future which\nshow that nothing save the power of the Covenant is able to stir and\nmove the heart of humanity, just as the New and Old Testaments\npropounded throughout all regions the Cause of Christ and were the\npulsating power in the body of the human world. A tree that hath a\nroot shall bear fruit, while the tree that hath none, no matter how\nhigh and hardy it may be, will eventually wither, perish and become\nbut a log fit for the fire.\n\nThe Covenant of God is like unto a vast and fathomless\nocean. A billow shall rise and surge therefrom and shall cast ashore\nall accumulated foam.\n\nPraise be to God that the highest wish entertained by\nheedful souls is the exaltation of the Word of God and the\npropagation of divine fragrances. This is, verily, the secure and\nfirm foundation.\n\nNow, like unto the morn, the light of the Sun of Truth\nhath been shed abroad. Effort must be made that slumbering souls may\nbe awakened, the heedless become vigilant, and that the divine\nteachings, which constitute the spirit of this age, may reach the\nears of the people of the world, may be propagated in the press and\nset forth with brilliance and eloquence in the assemblages of men.\n\nOne’s conduct must be like the conduct of Paul,\nand one’s faith similar to that of Peter. This musk-scented\nbreeze shall perfume the nostrils of the people of the world, and\nthis spirit shall resuscitate the dead.\n\nThe offensive odour of violation hath temporarily\narrested the onward movement of the Cause, for otherwise the divine\nteachings, like unto the rays of the sun, would immediately spread\nand permeate all regions.\n\nThou intendest to print and publish the addresses of\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá which thou hast compiled. This is\nindeed very advisable. This service shall cause thee to acquire an\neffulgent face in the Abhá Kingdom, and shall make thee the\nobject of the praise and gratitude of the friends in the East as well\nas in the West. But it is to be undertaken with the utmost care, so\nthat the exact text may be reproduced and will exclude all deviations\nand corruptions committed by former translators.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "19: Praise be to Him through Whose splendours the ...",
"slug": "sel-19-praise-be-to-him-through-whose-splendours-the",
"summary": "Praise be to Him through Whose splendours the earth and the heavens are aglow, through Whose fragrant breathings the gardens of holiness that adorn the hearts of the chosen are trembling for joy, to Him Who hath shed His light and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"persecution",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"generosity",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 10,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nPraise be to Him through Whose splendours the earth and\nthe heavens are aglow, through Whose fragrant breathings the gardens\nof holiness that adorn the hearts of the chosen are trembling for\njoy, to Him Who hath shed His light and brightened the face of the\nfirmament. Verily there appeared luminous and sparkling stars,\nglittering, shining out, and casting forth their rays upon the\nsupreme horizon. They derived their grace and brilliance from the\nbounties of the Abhá Realm, then, stars of guidance, they\npoured down their lights upon this earth.\n\nPraise be to Him Who hath fashioned this new era, this\nage of majesty, even as an unfolding pageant where the realities of\nall things can be exposed to view. Now are clouds of bounty raining\ndown and the gifts of the loving Lord are clearly manifest; for both\nthe seen and the unseen worlds have been illumined, and the Promised\nOne hath come to earth and the beauty of the Adored One hath shone\nforth.\n\nSalutations, blessings, and welcome to that Universal\nReality, that Perfect Word, that Manifest Book, that Splendour which\nhath dawned in the highest heaven, that Guide of all nations, that\nLight of the world—the billowing ocean of Whose abounding grace\nhath flooded all creation, in such wise that the waves thereof have\ncast upon the sands of this visible world their shining pearls. Now\nhath the Truth appeared, and falsehood fled away; now hath the day\ndawned and jubilation taken over, wherefore men’s souls are\nsanctified, their spirits purged, their hearts rejoiced, their minds\npurified, their secret thoughts made wholesome, their consciences\nwashed clean, their inmost selves made holy: for the Day of\nResurrection hath come to pass, and the bestowals of thy Lord, the\nForgiving, have encompassed all things. Salutations and praise be\nunto those luminous, resplendent stars that are shedding down their\nrays from the highest heaven, those celestial bodies of the girdling\nzodiac of the Abhá Realm. May glory rest upon them.\n\nAnd now, O thou honoured man who hath hearkened unto the\nGreat Announcement, rise up to serve the Cause of God with the\nresistless power of the Abhá Kingdom and the breaths that blow\nfrom the spirit of the Company on high. Grieve thou not over what the\nPharisees, and the purveyors of false rumours among writers for the\npress, are saying of Bahá. Call thou to mind the days of\nChrist, and the afflictions heaped upon Him by the people, and all\nthe torments and tribulations inflicted upon His disciples. Since ye\nare lovers of the Abhá Beauty, ye also must, for His love’s\nsake, incur the peoples’ blame, and all that befell those of a\nformer age must likewise befall you. Then will the faces of the\nchosen be alight with the splendours of the Kingdom of God, and will\nshine down the ages, yea, down all the cycles of time, while the\ndeniers shall remain in their manifest loss. It will be even as was\nsaid by the Lord Christ: they shall persecute you for My name’s\nsake.\n\nRemind them of these words and say unto them: ‘Verily\ndid the Pharisees rise up against Messiah, despite the bright beauty\nof His face and all His comeliness, and they cried out that He was\nnot Messiah [Masíh] but a monster [Masíkh],\nbecause He had claimed to be Almighty God, the sovereign Lord of all,\nand told them, ‘I am God’s Son, and verily in the inmost\nbeing of His only Son, His mighty Ward, clearly revealed with all His\nattributes, all His perfections, standeth the Father.’ This,\nthey said, was open blasphemy and slander against the Lord according\nto the clear and irrefutable texts of the Old Testament. Therefore\nthey passed the sentence upon Him, decreeing that His blood be shed,\nand they hanged Him on the cross, where He cried out, ‘O My\nbeloved Lord, how long wilt Thou abandon Me to them? Lift Me up unto\nThee, shelter Me close to Thee, make Me a dwelling by Thy throne of\nglory. Verily art Thou the Answerer of prayers, and Thou art the\nClement, the Merciful. O My Lord! Verily this world with all its\nvastness can no longer contain Me, and I love this cross, out of love\nfor Thy beauty, and yearning for Thy realm on high, and because of\nthis fire, fanned by the gusts of Thy holiness, aflame within My\nheart. Help me, O Lord, to ascend unto Thee, sustain Me that I may\nreach unto Thy sacred Threshold, O My loving Lord! Verily Thou art\nthe Merciful, the Possessor of great bounty! Verily Thou art the\nGenerous! Verily Thou art the Compassionate! Verily Thou art the\nAll-Knowing! There is none other God save Thee, the Mighty, the\nPowerful!’\n\nNever would the Pharisees have been emboldened to\ncalumniate Him and charge Him with that grievous sin, but for their\nignorance of the inner core of mysteries and the fact that they paid\nno heed to His splendours and regarded not His proofs. Else would\nthey have acknowledged His words, and borne witness to the verses He\nrevealed, confessed the truth of His utterances, sought shelter under\nthe protective shadow of His banner, learned of His signs and tokens,\nand rejoiced in His blissful tidings.\n\nKnow thou that the Divine Essence, which is called the\nInvisible of the Invisibles, never to be described, beyond the reach\nof mind—is sanctified above any mention, any definition or hint\nor allusion, any acclamation or praise. In the sense that It is that\nIt is, the intellect can never grasp It, and the soul seeking\nknowledge of It is but a wanderer in the desert, and far astray. ‘No\nvision taketh in Him, but He taketh in all vision: He is the Subtile,\nthe All-Informed.’18\n\n\nWhen, however, thou dost contemplate the innermost\nessence of all things, and the individuality of each, thou wilt\nbehold the signs of thy Lord’s mercy in every created thing,\nand see the spreading rays of His Names and Attributes throughout all\nthe realm of being, with evidences which none will deny save the\nfroward and the unaware. Then wilt thou observe that the universe is\na scroll that discloseth His hidden secrets, which are preserved in\nthe well-guarded Tablet. And not an atom of all the atoms in\nexistence, not a creature from amongst the creatures but speaketh His\npraise and telleth of His attributes and names, revealeth the glory\nof His might and guideth to His oneness and His mercy: and none will\ngainsay this who hath ears to hear, eyes to see, and a mind that is\nsound.\n\nAnd whensoever thou dost gaze upon creation all entire,\nand dost observe the very atoms thereof, thou wilt note that the rays\nof the Sun of Truth are shed upon all things and shining within them,\nand telling of that Day-Star’s splendours, Its mysteries, and\nthe spreading of Its lights. Look thou upon the trees, upon the\nblossoms and fruits, even upon the stones. Here too wilt thou behold\nthe Sun’s rays shed upon them, clearly visible within them, and\nmanifested by them.\n\nShouldst thou, however, turn thy gaze unto a Mirror,\nbrilliant, stainless, and pure, wherein the divine Beauty is\nreflected, therein wilt thou find the Sun shining with Its rays, Its\nheat, Its disc, Its fair form all entire. For each separate entity\npossesseth its allotted portion of the solar light and telleth of the\nSun, but that Universal Reality in all Its splendour, that stainless\nMirror Whose qualities are appropriate to the qualities of the Sun\nrevealed within It—expresseth in their entirety the attributes\nof the Source of Glory. And that Universal Reality is Man, the divine\nBeing, the Essence that abideth forever. ‘Say, Call upon God,\nor call upon the All-Merciful; whichsoever ye call upon, most\nbeauteous are His Names.’19\n\n\nThis is the meaning of the Messiah’s words, that\nthe Father is in the Son.20\nDost thou not see that should a stainless mirror proclaim, ‘Verily\nis the sun ashine within me, together with all its qualities, tokens\nand signs’, such an utterance by such a mirror would be neither\ndeceptive nor false? No, by the One Who created It, shaped It,\nfashioned It, and made It to be an entity conformable to the\nattributes of the glory within It! Praised be He Who created It!\nPraised be He Who fashioned It! Praised be He Who made It manifest!\n\nSuch were the words uttered by Christ. On account of\nthese words they cavilled at and assailed Him when He said unto them,\n‘Verily the Son is in the Father, and the Father is in the\nSon.’21\nBe thou informed of this, and learn thou the secrets of thy Lord. As\nfor the deniers, they are veiled from God: they see not, they hear\nnot, neither do they understand. ‘Leave them to entertain\nthemselves with their cavillings.’22\nAbandon them to their wanderings along river beds where no stream\nflows. Like grazing beasts they cannot tell paste from pearl. Are\nthey not shut away from the mysteries of thy Lord, the Clement, the\nMerciful?\n\nFor thy part, rejoice at this best of all glad tidings,\nand rise up to exalt the Word of God and to spread abroad His sweet\nsavours in all that vast and mighty land. Know thou of a certainty\nthat thy Lord will come to thine aid with a company of the Concourse\non high and hosts of the Abhá Kingdom. These will mount the\nattack, and will furiously assail the forces of the ignorant, the\nblind. Erelong wilt thou behold the flush of daybreak spreading from\nout the Most Exalted Realm, and the morn encompassing all regions. It\nwill put the dark to flight, and the gloom of night will fade and\npass, and the bright brow of the Faith shine forth, and the Day-Star\nrise and overspread the world. On that day will the faithful rejoice,\nand the steadfast be blissful; then will the slanderers take\nthemselves off, and the waverers be blotted out, even as deepest\nshadows fall away at the first light of the breaking dawn.\n\nGreetings be unto thee, and praise.\n\nO God, my God! This is Thy radiant servant, Thy\nspiritual thrall, who hath drawn nigh unto Thee and approached Thy\npresence. He hath turned his face unto Thine, acknowledging Thy\noneness, confessing Thy singleness, and he hath called out in Thy\nname among the nations, and led the people to the streaming waters of\nThy mercy, O Thou Most generous Lord! To those who asked He hath\ngiven to drink from the cup of guidance that brimmeth over with the\nwine of Thy measureless grace.\n\nO Lord, assist him under all conditions, cause him to\nlearn Thy well-guarded mysteries, and shower down upon him Thy hidden\npearls. Make of him a banner rippling from castle summits in the\nwinds of Thy heavenly aid, make of him a wellspring of crystal\nwaters.\n\nO my forgiving Lord! Light up the hearts with the rays\nof a lamp that sheddeth abroad its beams, disclosing to those among\nThy people whom Thou hast bounteously favoured, the realities of all\nthings.\n\nVerily, Thou art the Mighty, the Powerful, the\nProtector, the Strong, the Beneficent! Verily, Thou art the Lord of\nall mercies!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "190: Thou seest me, O my God, bowed down in lowliness, ...",
"slug": "sel-190-thou-seest-me-o-my-god-bowed-down-in-lowliness",
"summary": "Thou seest me, O my God, bowed down in lowliness, humbling myself before Thy commandments, submitting to Thy sovereignty, trembling at the might of Thy dominion, fleeing from Thy wrath, entreating Thy grace, relying upon Thy…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"martyrdom",
"exile",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThou seest me, O my God, bowed down in lowliness,\nhumbling myself before Thy commandments, submitting to Thy\nsovereignty, trembling at the might of Thy dominion, fleeing from Thy\nwrath, entreating Thy grace, relying upon Thy forgiveness, shaking\nwith awe at Thy fury. I implore Thee with a throbbing heart, with\nstreaming tears and a yearning soul, and in complete detachment from\nall things, to make Thy lovers as rays of light across Thy realms,\nand to aid Thy chosen servants to exalt Thy Word, that their faces\nmay turn beauteous and bright with splendour, that their hearts may\nbe filled with mysteries, and that every soul may lay down its burden\nof sin. Guard them then from the aggressor, from him who hath become\na shameless and blasphemous doer of wrong.\n\nVerily Thy lovers thirst, O my Lord; lead them to the\nwellspring of bounty and grace. Verily, they hunger; send down unto\nthem Thy heavenly table. Verily, they are naked; robe them in the\ngarments of learning and knowledge.\n\nHeroes are they, O my Lord, lead them to the field of\nbattle. Guides are they, make them to speak out with arguments and\nproofs. Ministering servants are they, cause them to pass round the\ncup that brimmeth with the wine of certitude. O my God, make them to\nbe songsters that carol in fair gardens, make them lions that couch\nin the thickets, whales that plunge in the vasty deep.\n\nVerily Thou art He of abounding grace. There is none\nother God save Thee, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Ever-Bestowing.\n\nO ye my spiritual friends! For some time now the\npressures have been severe, the restrictions as shackles of iron.\nThis hapless wronged one was left single and alone, for all the ways\nwere barred. Friends were forbidden access to me, the trusted were\nshut away, the foe compassed me about, the evil watchers were fierce\nand bold. At every instant, fresh affliction. At every breath, new\nanguish. Both kin and stranger on the attack; indeed, one-time\nlovers, faithless and unpitying, were worse than foes as they rose up\nto harass me. None was there to defend ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,\nno helper, no protector, no ally, no champion. I was drowning in a\nshoreless sea, and ever beating upon my ears were the raven-croaking\nvoices of the disloyal.\n\nAt every daybreak, triple darkness. At eventide,\nstone-hearted tyranny. And never a moment’s peace, and never\nany balm for the spear’s red wounds. From moment to moment,\nword would come of my exile to the Fezzan sands; from hour to hour, I\nwas to be cast into the endless sea. Now they would say that these\nhomeless wanderers were ruined at last; again that the cross would\nsoon be put to use. This wasted frame of mine was to be made the\ntarget for bullet or arrow; or again, this failing body was to be cut\nto ribbons by the sword.\n\nOur alien acquaintances could not contain themselves for\njoy, and our treacherous friends exulted. ‘Praise be to God,’\none would exclaim, ‘Here is our dream come true.’ And\nanother, ‘God be thanked, our spear-head found the heart.’\n\n\nAffliction beat upon this captive like the heavy rains\nof spring, and the victories of the malevolent swept down in a\nrelentless flood, and still ‘Abdu’l-Bahá remained\nhappy and serene, and relied on the grace of the All-Merciful. That\npain, that anguish, was a paradise of all delights; those chains were\nthe necklace of a king on a throne in heaven. Content with God’s\nwill, utterly resigned, my heart surrendered to whatever fate had in\nstore, I was happy. For a boon companion, I had great joy.\n\nFinally a time came when the friends turned\ninconsolable, and abandoned all hope. It was then the morning dawned,\nand flooded all with unending light. The towering clouds were\nscattered, the dismal shadows fled. In that instant the fetters fell\naway, the chains were lifted off the neck of this homeless one and\nhung round the neck of the foe. Those dire straits were changed to\nease, and on the horizon of God’s bounties the sun of hope rose\nup. All this was out of God’s grace and His bestowals.\n\nAnd yet, from one point of view, this wanderer was\nsaddened and despondent. For what pain, in the time to come, could I\nseek comfort? At the news of what granted wish could I rejoice? There\nwas no more tyranny, no more affliction, no tragical events, no\ntribulations. My only joy in this swiftly-passing world was to tread\nthe stony path of God and to endure hard tests and all material\ngriefs. For otherwise, this earthly life would prove barren and vain,\nand better would be death. The tree of being would produce no fruit;\nthe sown field of this existence would yield no harvest. Thus it is\nmy hope that once again some circumstance will make my cup of anguish\nto brim over, and that beauteous Love, that Slayer of souls, will\ndazzle the beholders again. Then will this heart be blissful, this\nsoul be blessed.\n\nO Divine Providence! Lift to Thy lovers’ lips a\ncup brimful of anguish. To the yearners on Thy pathway, make\nsweetness but a sting, and poison honey-sweet. Set Thou our heads for\nornaments on the points of spears. Make Thou our hearts the targets\nfor pitiless arrows and darts. Raise Thou this withered soul to life\non the martyr’s field, make Thou his faded heart to drink the\ndraught of tyranny, and thus grow fresh and fair once more. Make him\nto be drunk with the wine of Thine Eternal Covenant, make him a\nreveller holding high his cup. Help him to fling away his life; grant\nthat for Thy sake, he be offered up.\n\nThou art the Mighty, the Powerful. Thou art the Knower,\nthe Seer, the Hearer.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "191: O thou who hast been sore afflicted on the pathway ...",
"slug": "sel-191-o-thou-who-hast-been-sore-afflicted-on-the-pathway",
"summary": "O thou who hast been sore afflicted on the pathway of the Covenant! Anguish and torment, when suffered on the pathway of the Lord, Him of manifest signs, is only favour and grace; affliction is but mercy, and grief a gift from God.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"prison",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who hast been sore afflicted on the pathway of\nthe Covenant! Anguish and torment, when suffered on the pathway of\nthe Lord, Him of manifest signs, is only favour and grace; affliction\nis but mercy, and grief a gift from God. Poison is sugar on the\ntongue, and wrath is kindness, nourishing the soul.\n\nThen praise thou Him, the loving Provider, for having\nordained this dire affliction, which is but bounty unalloyed.\n\nIf I, like Abraham, through flames must go,\nOr yet like John58 a bloodstained road must run;\nIf, Joseph-like, Thou’d cast me in a well,\nOr shut me up within a prison cell—\nOr make me e’en as poor as Mary’s Son—\nI will not go from Thee,\nBut ever stand\nMy soul and body bowed to Thy command.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "192: Today, the Lord of Hosts is the defender of the ...",
"slug": "sel-192-today-the-lord-of-hosts-is-the-defender-of-the",
"summary": "Today, the Lord of Hosts is the defender of the Covenant, the forces of the Kingdom protect it, heavenly souls tender their services, and heavenly angels promulgate and spread it broadcast. If it is considered with insight, it will be…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nToday, the Lord of Hosts is the defender of the\nCovenant, the forces of the Kingdom protect it, heavenly souls tender\ntheir services, and heavenly angels promulgate and spread it\nbroadcast. If it is considered with insight, it will be seen that all\nthe forces of the universe, in the last analysis serve the Covenant.\nIn the future it shall be made evident and manifest. In view of this\nfact, what can these weak and feeble souls achieve? Hardy plants that\nare destitute of roots and are deprived of the outpourings of the\ncloud of mercy will not last. What then may be expected from feeble\nweeds?...\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "193: It is daybreak, and from the rising-point of the ...",
"slug": "sel-193-it-is-daybreak-and-from-the-rising-point-of-the",
"summary": "It is daybreak, and from the rising-point of the invisible realms of God, the light of unity is dawning; and streaming and beating down from the hidden world of the Kingdom of oneness there cometh a flood of abounding grace. Glad…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"generosity",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 8,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt is daybreak, and from the rising-point of the\ninvisible realms of God, the light of unity is dawning; and streaming\nand beating down from the hidden world of the Kingdom of oneness\nthere cometh a flood of abounding grace. Glad tidings of the Kingdom\nare sounding from every side, and wafting in from every direction are\nthe first morning signs of the exalting of God’s Word and the\nupraising of His Cause. The word of unity is spreading, the verses of\noneness are being sung, the sea of God’s bestowals is tossing\nhigh its waves, and in plunging cataracts His blessings are pouring\ndown.\n\nThe confirmations of Him Who is the Ever-Forgiving have\nwrapped every clime in light, the armies of the Company on high are\nrushing forward to do battle at the side of the friends of the Lord\nand carry the day, the fame of the Ancient Beauty—may my life\nbe offered up for His loved ones—resoundeth from pole to pole\nand word of the Holy Cause hath spread to east and west.\n\nAll these things bring joy to the heart, and yet\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá is sunk deep in an ocean of grief,\nand pain and anguish have so affected my limbs and members that utter\nweakness hath overtaken my whole body. Note ye that when, singly and\nalone, with none to second me, I upraised the call of God around the\nworld, the peoples thereof rose up to oppose, to dispute, to deny. On\none side, it is clear how the religionists of the past have mounted\ntheir attack at all points; again, there cometh word of the lying\nmockers and the extreme limits to which they are going to pull out\nthe Divine Tree by the roots. What malicious and slanderous charges\nthey bring against the Ancient Beauty, what pamphlets filled with\nwicked and depraved allegations they are busily writing and spreading\nagainst the Most Great Name! And now, in deepest secrecy, they are\nstraining every nerve to deal this Faith a fearsome blow.\n\nAgain have the prideful devised all manner of plots and\nschemes to completely disable the Cause of God and to erase the name\nof ‘Abdu’l-Bahá from the Book of Life.\n\nAnd now, added to all these tribulations, these\nmiseries, these enemy attacks, there hath arisen a dust cloud of ill\nwill amongst the believers themselves. This in spite of the fact that\nthe Cause of the Ancient Beauty is the very essence of love, the very\nchannel of oneness, existing only that all may become the waves of\none sea, and bright stars of the same endless sky, and pearls within\nthe shell of singleness, and gleaming jewels quarried from the mines\nof unity; that they may become servants one to another, adore one\nanother, bless one another, praise one another; that each one may\nloose his tongue and extol the rest without exception, each one voice\nhis gratitude to all the rest; that all should lift up their eyes to\nthe horizon of glory, and remember that they are linked to the Holy\nThreshold; that they should see nothing but good in one another, hear\nnothing but praise of one another, and speak no word of one another\nsave only to praise.\n\nThere are indeed certain ones who tread this way of\nrighteousness, and God be thanked, these are strengthened and\nsupported by heavenly power in every land. But others have not arisen\nas they ought to this gloried and exalted station, and this doth lay\nupon the heart of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá a heavy burden of\ngrief, of inconceivable grief. For no tempest more perilous than this\ncould ever assail the Cause of God, nor could anything else so\ndiminish the influence of His Word.\n\nIt behoveth all the beloved of God to become as one, to\ngather together under the protection of a single flag, to stand for a\nuniform body of opinion, to follow one and the same pathway, to hold\nfast to a single resolve. Let them forget their divergent theories\nand put aside their conflicting views since, God be praised, our\npurpose is one, our goal is one. We are the servants of one\nThreshold, we all draw our nourishment from the same one Source, we\nall are gathered in the shade of the same high Tabernacle, we all are\nsheltered under the one celestial Tree.\n\nO beloved of the Lord! If any soul speak ill of an\nabsent one, the only result will clearly be this: he will dampen the\nzeal of the friends and tend to make them indifferent. For backbiting\nis divisive, it is the leading cause among the friends of a\ndisposition to withdraw. If any individual should speak ill of one\nwho is absent, it is incumbent on his hearers, in a spiritual and\nfriendly manner, to stop him, and say in effect: would this\ndetraction serve any useful purpose? Would it please the Blessed\nBeauty, contribute to the lasting honour of the friends, promote the\nholy Faith, support the Covenant, or be of any possible benefit to\nany soul? No, never! On the contrary, it would make the dust to\nsettle so thickly on the heart that the ears would hear no more, and\nthe eyes would no longer behold the light of truth.\n\nIf, however, a person setteth about speaking well of\nanother, opening his lips to praise another, he will touch an\nanswering chord in his hearers and they will be stirred up by the\nbreathings of God. Their hearts and souls will rejoice to know that,\nGod be thanked, here is a soul in the Faith who is a focus of human\nperfections, a very embodiment of the bounties of the Lord, one whose\ntongue is eloquent, and whose face shineth, in whatever gathering he\nmay be, one who hath victory upon his brow, and who is a being\nsustained by the sweet savours of God.\n\nNow which is the better way? I swear this by the beauty\nof the Lord: whensoever I hear good of the friends, my heart filleth\nup with joy; but whensoever I find even a hint that they are on bad\nterms one with another, I am overwhelmed by grief. Such is the\ncondition of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Then judge from this\nwhere your duty lieth.\n\nGod be praised, wherever we turn, the Ancient Beauty\nhath opened wide the gates of grace, and hath in unmistakable words\nannounced glad tidings of victory through the Lord’s sustaining\nhelp. Through love hath He carried off the hearts of the believers,\nand He hath entrusted their triumph to the armies of the Concourse on\nhigh.\n\nNow amidst all the peoples of the world must the beloved\narise, with a heart even as the day-star, a strong inward urge, a\nshining brow, a musk-scented breath, a tongue speaking ever of God,\nan exposition crystal-clear, a high resolve, a power born of heaven,\na spiritual character, a confirmation nothing short of the divine.\nLet them one and all become as a splendour on the horizon of heaven,\nand in the skies of the world a dazzling star. Let them be fruitful\ntrees in the celestial bowers, sweet-scented blooms in the divine\ngardens; let them be verses of perfection on the page of the\nuniverse, words of oneness in the Book of Life. This is the first\nage, and the early beginnings of the dispensation of the Most Great\nLight, wherefore, within this century, virtues must be acquired,\ngoodly qualities must be perfected within this span of time. In these\nvery days the Abhá Paradise must pitch its pavilions on the\nplains of the world. The lights of reality must now be revealed, and\nthe secrets of God’s bestowals must now be made known, and now\nmust the olden grace shine forth and this world change into the\npleasure-ground of heaven, the garden of God. And out of pure hearts,\nand through heavenly bounties, all the perfections, qualities and\nattributes of the divine must now be made manifest.\n\nAt all times doth ‘Abdu’l-Bahá\nsupplicate and with tears entreat the Almighty at the sacred\nThreshold, and crieth out:\n\nO Thou kind Lord! We are servants of Thy Threshold,\ntaking shelter at Thy holy Door. We seek no refuge save only this\nstrong pillar, turn nowhere for a haven but unto Thy safekeeping.\nProtect us, bless us, support us, make us such that we shall love but\nThy good pleasure, utter only Thy praise, follow only the pathway of\ntruth, that we may become rich enough to dispense with all save Thee,\nand receive our gifts from the sea of Thy beneficence, that we may\never strive to exalt Thy Cause and to spread Thy sweet savours far\nand wide, that we may become oblivious of self and occupied only with\nThee, and disown all else and be caught up in Thee.\n\nO Thou Provider, O Thou Forgiver! Grant us Thy grace and\nloving-kindness, Thy gifts and Thy bestowals, and sustain us, that we\nmay attain our goal. Thou art the Powerful, the Able, the Knower, the\nSeer; and verily Thou art the Generous, and verily Thou art the\nAll-Merciful, and verily Thou art the Ever-Forgiving, He to Whom\nrepentance is due, He Who forgiveth even the most grievous of sins.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "194: O ye the sincere loved ones of the Abhá Beauty! ...",
"slug": "sel-194-o-ye-the-sincere-loved-ones-of-the-abha-beauty",
"summary": "O ye the sincere loved ones of the Abhá Beauty! In these days the Cause of God, the world over, is fast growing in power and, day by day, is spreading further and further to the utmost bounds of the earth. Its enemies, therefore, from…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love",
"patience",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye the sincere loved ones of the Abhá Beauty!\nIn these days the Cause of God, the world over, is fast growing in\npower and, day by day, is spreading further and further to the utmost\nbounds of the earth. Its enemies, therefore, from all the kindreds\nand peoples of the world, are growing aggressive, malevolent, envious\nand bitterly hostile. It is incumbent upon the loved ones of God to\nexercise the greatest care and prudence in all things, whether great\nor small, to take counsel together and unitedly resist the onslaught\nof the stirrers up of strife and the movers of mischief. They must\nendeavour to consort in a friendly spirit with everyone, must follow\nmoderation in their conduct, must have respect and consideration one\nfor another and show loving-kindness and tender regard to all the\npeoples of the world. They must be patient and long-suffering, that\nthey may grow to become the divine magnets of the Abhá Kingdom\nand acquire the dynamic power of the hosts of the realm on high.\n\nThe fleeting hours of man’s life on earth pass\nswiftly by and the little that still remaineth shall come to an end,\nbut that which endureth and lasteth for evermore is the fruit that\nman reapeth from his servitude at the Divine Threshold. Behold the\ntruth of this saying, how abundant and glorious are the proofs\nthereof in the world of being!\n\nThe glory of glories rest upon the people of Bahá!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "195: O thou exalted bough of the divine Lote-Tree! ...",
"slug": "sel-195-o-thou-exalted-bough-of-the-divine-lote-tree",
"summary": "O thou exalted bough of the divine Lote-Tree! ...When thou art disdained and rejected by the wicked doers be not cast down; and at the power and stiffneckedness of the presumptuous be neither vexed nor sick at heart; for such is the way…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb",
"Anís"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 7,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou exalted bough of the divine Lote-Tree! ...When\nthou art disdained and rejected by the wicked doers be not cast down;\nand at the power and stiffneckedness of the presumptuous be neither\nvexed nor sick at heart; for such is the way of heedless souls, from\ntime out of mind. ‘O the misery of men! No Messenger cometh\nunto them but they laugh Him to scorn!’59\n\n\nIndeed, the attacks and the obstructiveness of the\nignorant but cause the Word of God to be exalted, and spread His\nsigns and tokens far and wide. Were it not for this opposition by the\ndisdainful, this obduracy of the slanderers, this shouting from the\npulpits, this crying and wailing of great and small alike, these\naccusations of unbelief levelled by the ignorant, this uproar from\nthe foolish—how could news of the advent of the Primal Point\nand the bright dawning of the Day-Star of Bahá ever have\nreached to east and west? How else could the planet have been rocked\nfrom pole to pole? How else could Persia have become the focal point\nof scattering splendours, and Asia Minor the radiating heart of the\nbeauty of the Lord? However else could the flame of the Manifestation\nhave spread into the south? By what means could the cries of God have\nbeen heard in the far north? How else could His summons have been\nheard in the continents of America and of Africa the dark? How else\ncould the cock-crow of Heaven have penetrated those ears? How else\ncould the sweet parrots of India have come upon this sugar, or\nnightingales have lifted up their warblings out of the land of ‘Iráq?\nWhat else could set the east and west to dancing, how else could this\nConsecrated Spot become the throne of the Beauty of God? How else\ncould Sinai behold this burning brightness, how could the Advent’s\nflame adorn that mount? How else could the Holy Land be made the\nfootstool of God’s beauty, and the holy vale of Towa60\nbecome the site of excellence and grace, the sacred spot where Moses\nput off His shoes? How could the breaths of heaven be carried across\nthe Vale of Holiness, how could the sweet-scented, airy streams that\nblow out of the Abhá gardens ever be perceived by those that\ndwell on the Verdant Isle? How else could the pledges of the\nProphets, the joyous tidings of the holy Seers of old, the stirring\npromises given unto this Sacred Place by the Manifestations of God,\never have been fulfilled?\n\nHow else could the Tree of Anísá have been\nplanted here, the flag of the Testament be flown, the intoxicating\ncup of the Covenant be lifted to these lips? All these blessings and\nbestowals, the very means of proclaiming the Faith, have come about\nthrough the scorn of the ignorant, the opposition of the foolish, the\nstubbornness of the dull-witted, the violence of the aggressor. Had\nit not been for these things, the news of the Báb’s\nadvent would not, to this day, have reached even into lands hard by.\nWherefore we should never grieve over the blindness of the unwitting,\nthe attacks of the foolish, the hostility of the low and base, the\nheedlessness of the divines, the charges of infidelity brought\nagainst us by the empty of mind. Such too was their way in ages past,\nnor would it be thus if they were of those who know; but they are\nbenighted, and they come not close to understanding what is told\nthem.61\n\n\nWherefore doth it befit thyself, an offshoot of the Holy\nTree of God, branched out from that mighty Trunk—and it\nbehoveth ourselves as well—so to burn, through the sustaining\ngrace of the Ancient Beauty—may my life be offered up for His\nMost Holy Shrine—with this kindled flame out of heaven, that we\nwill light the fire of God’s love from pole to pole. Let us\ntake for our example the great and sacred Tree of the exalted Báb—may\nmy life be offered up for Him. Like Him let us bare our breasts to\nthe shafts of agony, like Him make our hearts to be targets for the\nspears decreed by God. Let us, like candles, burn away; as moths, let\nus scorch our wings; as the field larks, vent our plaintive cries; as\nthe nightingales, burst forth in lamentations.\n\nEven as the clouds let us shed down tears, and as the\nlightning flashes let us laugh at our coursings through east and\nwest. By day, by night, let us think but of spreading the sweet\nsavours of God. Let us not keep on forever with our fancies and\nillusions, with our analysing and interpreting and circulating of\ncomplex dubieties. Let us put aside all thoughts of self; let us\nclose our eyes to all on earth, let us neither make known our\nsufferings nor complain of our wrongs. Rather let us become oblivious\nof our own selves, and drinking down the wine of heavenly grace, let\nus cry out our joy, and lose ourselves in the beauty of the\nAll-Glorious.\n\nO thou Afnán of the divine Lote-Tree! We must\nstrive, each one of us, to become as fecund boughs and to yield an\never sweeter and more wholesome fruit, that the branch may prove\nitself to be a continuation of the root, and the part be in harmony\nwith the whole. It is my hope that out of the bounty of the Greatest\nName and the loving-kindness of the Primal Point—may my soul be\noffered up for Them both—we shall become the means of exalting\nthe Word of God around the world; that we may ever render services\nunto the Source of our Cause and spread over all the canopy of the\ntrue and holy zeal of the Lord. That from over the fields of grace,\nwe may make zephyrs to blow, bringing to man the sweet scents that\ncome from the gardens of God. That we may make of this world the Abhá\nParadise, and change this nether place into the Kingdom of Heaven.\n\nIt is true that every one of God’s servants, and\nin particular those who are on fire with the Faith, have been\nallotted this task of servitude to Almighty God; still, the duty\nimposed upon us is greater than that which hath been laid upon the\nrest. To Him do we look for grace and favour and strength.\n\nAll praise and thanksgiving be unto the Blessed Beauty,\nfor calling into action the armies of His Abhá Kingdom, and\nsending forth to us His never-interrupted aid, dependable as the\nrising stars. In every region of the earth hath He supported this\nsingle, lonely servant, at every moment hath He made known to me the\nsigns and tokens of His love. He hath cast into a stupor all those\nwho are clinging to their vain illusions, and made them infamous in\nthe sight of high and low. He hath caused those who run after their\nfads and fancies to become objects of general reproach, and hath\nexposed the arrogant to public view; He hath made those of the\nfriends who proved infirm of faith to serve as a warning to every\nbeholder, and hath caused the leaders of those who waver to love but\nthemselves and sink down in self-conceit. Meanwhile, by the power of\nHis might, He hath made this broken-winged bird to rise up before all\nwho dwell on earth. He hath shattered the serried ranks of the\nrebellious, and hath given the victory to the hosts of salvation, and\nbreathed into the hearts of those who stand firm in the Covenant and\nTestament the breath of everlasting life.\n\nConvey thou the greetings of Abhá to each one of\nthe Afnán, branched from the Holy Tree. The glory rest upon\nthee and upon all the Afnán who remain faithful and true to\nthe Covenant.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "196: O thou who art steadfast in the Covenant! Thy ...",
"slug": "sel-196-o-thou-who-art-steadfast-in-the-covenant-thy",
"summary": "O thou who art steadfast in the Covenant! Thy letter of 9 September 1909 hath been received. Be thou neither grieved nor despondent over what hath come to pass. This trouble overtook thee as thou didst walk the path of God, wherefore it…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"martyrdom",
"persecution",
"prison",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art steadfast in the Covenant! Thy letter of\n9 September 1909 hath been received. Be thou neither grieved nor\ndespondent over what hath come to pass. This trouble overtook thee as\nthou didst walk the path of God, wherefore it should bring thee joy.\nWe addressed the friends in writing ere this, and made a verbal\nstatement as well, to the effect that the friends in the West will\nunquestionably have their share of the calamities befalling the\nfriends in the East. It is inevitable that, walking the pathway of\nBahá’u’lláh, they too will become targets\nfor persecution by the oppressors.\n\nConsider how at the beginning of the Christian era the\nApostles were afflicted, and what torments they endured in the\npathway of Christ. Every day of their lives they were targets for the\nPharisees’ darts of mockery, vilification and abuse. They bore\ngreat hardship; they saw prison; and most of them carried to their\nlips the sweet cup of martyrdom.\n\nNow ye, as well, must certainly become my partners to\nsome slight degree, and accept your share of tests and sorrows. But\nthese episodes shall pass away, while that abiding glory and eternal\nlife shall remain unchanged forever. Moreover, these afflictions\nshall be the cause of great advancement.\n\nI ask of God that thou, His husbandman, shalt plough the\nhard and stony ground, and water it, and scatter seeds therein—for\nthis will show how skilful is the farmer, while any man can sow and\ntill where the ground is soft, and clear of brambles and thorns.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "197: O thou servant of God! Do not grieve at the ...",
"slug": "sel-197-o-thou-servant-of-god-do-not-grieve-at-the",
"summary": "O thou servant of God! Do not grieve at the afflictions and calamities that have befallen thee. All calamities and afflictions have been created for man so that he may spurn this mortal world—a world to which he is much attached. When…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"gratitude",
"mercy",
"patience",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou servant of God! Do not grieve at the afflictions\nand calamities that have befallen thee. All calamities and\nafflictions have been created for man so that he may spurn this\nmortal world—a world to which he is much attached. When he\nexperienceth severe trials and hardships, then his nature will recoil\nand he will desire the eternal realm—a realm which is\nsanctified from all afflictions and calamities. Such is the case with\nthe man who is wise. He shall never drink from a cup which is at the\nend distasteful, but, on the contrary, he will seek the cup of pure\nand limpid water. He will not taste of the honey that is mixed with\npoison.\n\nPraise thou God, that thou hast been tried and hast\nexperienced such a test. Be patient and grateful. Turn thy face to\nthe divine Kingdom and strive that thou mayest acquire merciful\ncharacteristics, mayest become illumined and acquire the attributes\nof the Kingdom and of the Lord. Endeavour to become indifferent to\nthe pleasures of this world and to its comfort, to remain firm and\nsteadfast in the Covenant and to promulgate the Cause of God.\n\nThis is the cause of the exaltation of man, the cause of\nhis glory and of his salvation.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "198: O thou who art enamoured of the breaths of God! ...",
"slug": "sel-198-o-thou-who-art-enamoured-of-the-breaths-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art enamoured of the breaths of God! I have read thy letter, which cried out with thy love for God and thine irresistible attraction to His Beauty, and its wondrous theme did cheer my…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art enamoured of the breaths of God! I have\nread thy letter, which cried out with thy love for God and thine\nirresistible attraction to His Beauty, and its wondrous theme did\ncheer my heart.\n\nThe intent of what I wrote to thee in my previous letter\nwas this, that when exalting the Word of God, there are trials to be\nmet with, and calamities; and that in loving Him, at every moment\nthere are hardships, torments, afflictions.\n\nIt behoveth the individual first to value these ordeals,\nwillingly accept them, and eagerly welcome them; only then should he\nproceed with teaching the Faith and exalting the Word of God.\n\nIn such a state, no matter what may befall him in his\nlove for God—harassment, reproach, vilification, curses,\nbeatings, imprisonment, death—he will never be cast down, and\nhis passion for the Divine Beauty will but gain in strength. This was\nwhat I meant.\n\nOtherwise, woe and misery to the soul that seeketh after\ncomforts, riches, and earthly delights while neglecting to call God\nto mind! Because calamities encountered in God’s pathway are,\nto ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, but favour and grace, and in one\nof His Tablets the all-glorious Beauty hath declared: ‘I never\npassed a tree but Mine heart addressed it saying: “O would that\nthou wert cut down in My name, and My body crucified upon thee!”’\nThese were the words of the Most Great Name. This is His path. This\nis the way to His Realm of Might.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "199: O ye sincere ones, ye longing ones, ye who are ...",
"slug": "sel-199-o-ye-sincere-ones-ye-longing-ones-ye-who-are",
"summary": "O ye sincere ones, ye longing ones, ye who are drawn as if magnetized, ye who have risen up to serve the Cause of God, to exalt His Word and scatter His sweet savours far and wide! I have read your excellent letter, beautiful as to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"prison",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"hope",
"humility",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"unity",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye sincere ones, ye longing ones, ye who are drawn as\nif magnetized, ye who have risen up to serve the Cause of God, to\nexalt His Word and scatter His sweet savours far and wide! I have\nread your excellent letter, beautiful as to style, eloquent as to\nwords, profound as to meaning, and I praised God and thanked Him for\nhaving come to your aid and enabled you to serve Him in His\nwidespreading vineyard.\n\nErelong shall your faces be bright with the radiance of\nyour supplications and your worship of God, your prayers unto Him,\nand your humility and selflessness in the presence of the friends. He\nwill make of your assemblage a magnet that will draw unto you the\nbright rays of divine confirmations that shine out from His kingdom\nof glory.\n\nIt is incumbent upon you to ponder in your hearts and\nmeditate upon His words, and humbly to call upon Him, and to put away\nself in His heavenly Cause. These are the things that will make of\nyou signs of guidance unto all mankind, and brilliant stars shining\ndown from the all-highest horizon, and towering trees in the Abhá\nParadise.\n\nKnow ye that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá dwelleth in\ncontinual delight. To have been lodged in this faraway prison is for\nme exceeding joy. By the life of Bahá! This prison is my\nsupernal paradise; it is my cherished goal, the comfort of my bosom,\nthe bliss of my heart; it is my refuge, my shelter, my asylum, my\nsafe haven, and within it do I exult amid the hosts of heaven and the\nCompany on high.\n\nRejoice in my bondage, O ye friends of God, for it\nsoweth the seeds of freedom; rejoice at my imprisonment, for it is\nthe well-spring of salvation; be ye glad on account of my travail,\nfor it leadeth to eternal ease. By the Lord God! I would not exchange\nthis prison for the throne of the whole world, nor give up this\nconfinement for pleasures and pastimes in all the fair gardens on\nearth. My hope is that out of the Lord’s abundant grace, His\nmunificence and loving-kindness, I may, in His pathway, be hanged\nagainst the sky, that my heart may become the target for a thousand\nbullets, or that I may be cast into the depths of the sea, or be left\nto perish on desert sands. This is what I long for most; this is my\nsupreme desire; it refresheth my soul, it is balm for my breast, it\nis the very solace of mine eyes.\n\nAs for you, O ye lovers of God, make firm your steps in\nHis Cause, with such resolve that ye shall not be shaken though the\ndirest of calamities assail the world. By nothing, under no\nconditions, be ye perturbed. Be ye anchored fast as the high\nmountains, be stars that dawn over the horizon of life, be bright\nlamps in the gatherings of unity, be souls humble and lowly in the\npresence of the friends, be innocent in heart. Be ye symbols of\nguidance and lights of godliness, severed from the world, clinging to\nthe handhold that is sure and strong, spreading abroad the spirit of\nlife, riding the Ark of salvation. Be ye daysprings of generosity,\ndawning-points of the mysteries of existence, sites where inspiration\nalighteth, rising-places of splendours, souls that are sustained by\nthe Holy Spirit, enamoured of the Lord, detached from all save Him,\nholy above the characteristics of humankind, clothed in the\nattributes of the angels of heaven, that ye may win for yourselves\nthe highest bestowal of all, in this new time, this wondrous age.\n\nBy the life of Bahá! Only he who is severed from\nthe world shall achieve this ultimate grace, he who is a captive of\ndivine love, empty of passion and self, from every aspect true unto\nhis God, humble, lowly, supplicating, in tears, submissive in the\npresence of the Lord.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "2: O my Lord! I have drawn nigh unto Thee, in the ...",
"slug": "sel-2-o-my-lord-i-have-drawn-nigh-unto-thee-in-the",
"summary": "O my Lord! I have drawn nigh unto Thee, in the depths of this darksome night, confiding in Thee with the tongue of my heart, trembling with joy at the sweet scents that blow from Thy realm, the All-Glorious, calling unto Thee,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant",
"teaching",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"generosity",
"gentleness",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"loyalty",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 14,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO my Lord! I have drawn nigh unto Thee, in the depths of\nthis darksome night, confiding in Thee with the tongue of my heart,\ntrembling with joy at the sweet scents that blow from Thy realm, the\nAll-Glorious, calling unto Thee, saying:\n\nO my Lord, no words do I find to glorify Thee; no way do\nI see for the bird of my mind to soar upward to Thy Kingdom of\nHoliness; for Thou, in Thy very essence, art sanctified above those\ntributes, and in Thy very being art beyond the reach of those praises\nwhich are offered Thee by the people that Thou hast created. In the\nsanctity of Thine own being hast Thou ever been exalted above the\nunderstanding of the learned among the Company on high, and forever\nwilt Thou remain enwrapped within the holiness of Thine own reality,\nunreached by the knowledge of those dwellers in Thine exalted Kingdom\nwho glorify Thy Name.\n\nO God, my God! How can I glorify or describe Thee\ninaccessible as Thou art; immeasurably high and sanctified art Thou\nabove every description and praise.\n\nO God, my God! Have mercy then upon my helpless state,\nmy poverty, my misery, my abasement! Give me to drink from the\ngenerous cup of Thy grace and forgiveness, stir me with the sweet\nscents of Thy love, gladden my bosom with the light of Thy knowledge,\npurify my soul with the mysteries of Thy oneness, raise me to life\nwith the gentle breeze that cometh from the gardens of Thy mercy—till\nI sever myself from all else but Thee, and lay hold of the hem of Thy\ngarment of grandeur, and consign to oblivion all that is not Thee,\nand be companioned by the sweet breathings that waft during these Thy\ndays, and attain unto faithfulness at Thy Threshold of Holiness, and\narise to serve Thy Cause, and to be humble before Thy loved ones,\nand, in the presence of Thy favoured ones, to be nothingness itself.\n\nVerily art Thou the Helper, the Sustainer, the Exalted,\nthe Most Generous.\n\nO God, my God! I beg of Thee by the dawning of the light\nof Thy Beauty that hath illumined all the earth, and by the glance of\nThy divine compassion’s eye that considereth all things, and by\nthe surging sea of Thy bestowals in which all things are immersed,\nand by Thy streaming clouds of bounty raining down gifts upon the\nessences of all created things, and by the splendours of Thy mercy\nthat existed before ever the world was—to help Thy chosen ones\nto be faithful, and assist Thy loved ones to serve at Thine exalted\nThreshold, and cause them to gain the victory through the battalions\nof Thy might that overpowereth all things, and reinforce them with a\ngreat fighting host from out of the Concourse on high.\n\nO my Lord! They are weak souls standing at Thy door;\nthey are paupers in Thy courtyard, desperate for Thy grace, in dire\nneed of Thy succour, turning their faces toward the kingdom of Thy\noneness, yearning for the bounties of Thy bestowals. O my Lord! Flood\nThou their minds with Thy holy light; cleanse Thou their hearts with\nthe grace of Thine assistance; gladden their bosoms with the\nfragrance of the joys that waft from Thy Company above; make bright\ntheir eyes by beholding the signs and tokens of Thy might; cause them\nto be the ensigns of purity, the banners of sanctity waving high\nabove all creatures on the summits of the earth; make Thou their\nwords to move hearts which are even as solid rock. May they arise to\nserve Thee and dedicate themselves to the Kingdom of Thy divinity,\nand set their faces toward the realm of Thy Self-Subsistence, and\nspread far and wide Thy signs, and be illumined by Thy streaming\nlights, and unfold Thy hidden mysteries. May they guide Thy servants\nunto gentle waters and to the fountain of Thy mercy that welleth and\nleapeth in the midmost heart of the Heaven of Thy oneness. May they\nhoist the sail of detachment upon the Ark of Salvation, and move over\nthe seas of Thy knowledge; may they spread wide the pinions of unity\nand by their aid soar upward to the Kingdom of Thy singleness to\nbecome servants whom the Supreme Concourse will applaud, whose\npraises the dwellers in Thine all-glorious realm will utter; may they\nhear the heralds of the invisible world as they raise their cry of\nthe Most Great Glad-Tidings; may they, in their longing to meet Thee,\ninvoke and pray unto Thee, intoning wondrous orisons at the dawn of\nlight—O my Lord Who disposest all things—shedding their\ntears at morningtide and even, yearning to pass into the shadow of\nThy mercy that endeth never.\n\nHelp them, O my Lord, under all conditions, support them\nat all times with Thine angels of holiness, they who are Thine\ninvisible hosts, Thy heavenly battalions who bring down to defeat the\nmassed armies of this nether world.\n\nVerily art Thou the Mighty, the Powerful, the Strong,\nthe All-Encompassing, the One Who hath dominion over all that is.\n\nO holy Lord! O Lord of loving-kindness! We stray about\nThy dwelling, longing to behold Thy beauty, and loving all Thy ways.\nWe are hapless, lowly, and of small account. We are paupers: show us\nmercy, give us bounty; look not upon our failings, hide Thou our\nendless sins. Whatever we are, still are we Thine, and what we speak\nand hear is praise of Thee, and it is Thy face we seek, Thy path we\nfollow. Thou art the Lord of loving-kindness, we are sinners and\nastray and far from home. Wherefore, O Cloud of Mercy, grant us some\ndrops of rain. O Flowering Bed of grace, send forth a fragrant\nbreeze. O Sea of all bestowals, roll towards us a great wave. O Sun\nof Bounty, send down a shaft of light. Grant us pity, grant us grace.\nBy Thy beauty, we come with no provision but our sins, with no good\ndeeds to tell of, only hopes. Unless Thy concealing veil doth cover\nus, and Thy protection shield and cradle us, what power have these\nhelpless souls to rise and serve Thee, what substance have these\nwretched ones to make a brave display? Thou Who art the Mighty, the\nAll-Powerful, help us, favour us; withered as we are, revive us with\nshowers from Thy clouds of grace; lowly as we are, illumine us with\nbright rays from the Day-Star of Thy oneness. Cast Thou these thirsty\nfish into the ocean of Thy mercy, guide Thou this lost caravan to the\nshelter of Thy singleness; to the wellspring of guidance lead Thou\nthe ones who have wandered far astray, and grant to those who have\nmissed the path a haven within the precincts of Thy might. Lift Thou\nto these parched lips the bounteous and soft-flowing waters of\nheaven, raise up these dead to everlasting life. Grant Thou to the\nblind eyes that will see. Make Thou the deaf to hear, the dumb to\nspeak. Set Thou the dispirited ablaze, make Thou the heedless\nmindful, warn Thou the proud, awaken those who sleep.\n\nThou art the Mighty, Thou art the Bestower, Thou art the\nLoving. Verily Thou art the Beneficent, the Most Exalted.\n\nO ye loved ones of God, ye helpers of this evanescent\nServant! When the Sun of Reality shed its endless bounties from the\nDawning-Point of all desires, and this world of being was lit with\nthat sacred light from pole to pole, with such intensity did it cast\ndown its rays that it blotted out the Stygian dark forever, whereupon\nthis earth of dust became the envy of the spheres of heaven, and this\nlowly place took on the state and panoply of the supernal realm. The\ngentle breeze of holiness blew over it, scattering abroad sweet\nsavours; the spring winds of heaven passed by it, and over it, from\nthe Source of all bestowals, were wafted fruitful airs that carried\nboundless grace. Then the bright dawn rose, and there came tidings of\ngreat joy. The divine springtime was here, pitching its tents in this\ncontingent world, so that all creation leapt and danced. The withered\nearth brought forth immortal blooms, the dead dust woke to\neverlasting life. Then came forth flowers of mystic learning, and,\nbespeaking the knowledge of God, fresh greenery from the ground. The\ncontingent world displayed God’s bounteous gifts, the visible\nworld reflecting the glories of realms that were hidden from sight.\nGod’s summons was proclaimed, the table of the Eternal Covenant\nwas readied, the cup of the Testament was passed from hand to hand,\nthe universal invitation was sent forth. Then some among the people\nwere set afire with the wine of heaven, and some were left without a\nshare of this greatest of bestowals. The sight and insight of some\nwere illumined by the light of grace, and there were some who,\nhearing the anthems of unity, leapt for joy. There were birds that\nbegan to carol in the gardens of holiness, there were nightingales in\nthe branches of the rose tree of heaven that raised their plaintive\ncries. Then were decked and adorned both the Kingdom on high and the\nearth below, and this world became the envy of high heaven. Yet alas,\nalas, the neglectful have stayed fast in their heedless sleep, and\nthe foolish have spurned this most sacred of bestowals. The blind\nremain shrouded in their veils, the deaf have no share in what hath\ncome to pass, the dead have no hopes of attaining thereto, for even\nas He saith: ‘They despair of the life to come, as the infidels\ndespair that the dwellers in the tombs will rise again.’1\n\n\nAs to you, O ye loved ones of God! Loose your tongues\nand offer Him thanks; praise ye and glorify the Beauty of the Adored\nOne, for ye have drunk from this purest of chalices, and ye are\ncheered and set aglow with this wine. Ye have detected the sweet\nscents of holiness, ye have smelled the musk of faithfulness from\nJoseph’s raiment. Ye have fed on the honey-dew of loyalty from\nthe hands of Him Who is the one alone Beloved, ye have feasted on\nimmortal dishes at the bounteous banquet table of the Lord. This\nplenty is a special favour bestowed by a loving God, these are\nblessings and rare gifts deriving from His grace. In the Gospel He\nsaith: ‘For many are called, but few are chosen.’2\nThat is, to many is it offered, but rare is the soul who is singled\nout to receive the great bestowal of guidance. ‘Such is the\nbounty of God: to whom He will He giveth it, and of immense bounty is\nGod.’3\n\n\nO ye loved ones of God! From the peoples of the world,\nagainst the Candle of the Covenant discordant winds do beat and blow.\nThe Nightingale of faithfulness is beset by renegades who are even as\nravens of hate. The Dove of God’s remembrance is hard pressed\nby mindless birds of night, and the Gazelle that dwelleth in the\nmeadows of God’s love is being hunted down by ravening beasts.\nDeadly is the peril, tormenting the pain.\n\nThe beloved of the Lord must stand fixed as the\nmountains, firm as impregnable walls. Unmoved must they remain by\neven the direst adversities, ungrieved by the worst of disasters. Let\nthem cling to the hem of Almighty God, and put their faith in the\nBeauty of the Most High; let them lean on the unfailing help that\ncometh from the Ancient Kingdom, and depend on the care and\nprotection of the generous Lord. Let them at all times refresh and\nrestore themselves with the dews of heavenly grace, and with the\nbreaths of the Holy Spirit revive and renew themselves from moment to\nmoment. Let them rise up to serve their Lord, and do all in their\npower to scatter His breathings of holiness far and wide. Let them be\na mighty fortress to defend His Faith, an impregnable citadel for the\nhosts of the Ancient Beauty. Let them faithfully guard the edifice of\nthe Cause of God from every side; let them become the bright stars of\nHis luminous skies. For the hordes of darkness are assailing this\nCause from every direction, and the peoples of the earth are intent\non extinguishing this evident Light. And since all the kindreds of\nthe world are mounting their attack, how can our attention be\ndiverted, even for a moment? Assuredly be cognizant of these things,\nbe watchful, and guard the Cause of God.\n\nThe most vital duty, in this day, is to purify your\ncharacters, to correct your manners, and improve your conduct. The\nbeloved of the Merciful must show forth such character and conduct\namong His creatures, that the fragrance of their holiness may be shed\nupon the whole world, and may quicken the dead, inasmuch as the\npurpose of the Manifestation of God and the dawning of the limitless\nlights of the Invisible is to educate the souls of men, and refine\nthe character of every living man—so that blessed individuals,\nwho have freed themselves from the murk of the animal world, shall\nrise up with those qualities which are the adornings of the reality\nof man. The purpose is that earthlings should turn into the people of\nHeaven, and those who walk in darkness should come into the light,\nand those who are excluded should join the inner circle of the\nKingdom, and those who are as nothing should become intimates of the\neverlasting Glory. It is that the portionless should gain their share\nof the boundless sea, and the ignorant drink their fill from the\nliving fount of knowledge; that those who thirst for blood should\nforsake their savagery, and those who are barbed of claw should turn\ngentle and forbearing, and those who love war should seek instead for\ntrue conciliation; it is that the brutal, their talons razor-sharp,\nshould enjoy the benefits of lasting peace; that the foul should\nlearn that there is a realm of purity, and the tainted find their way\nto the rivers of holiness.\n\nUnless these divine bestowals be revealed from the inner\nself of humankind, the bounty of the Manifestation will prove barren,\nand the dazzling rays of the Sun of Truth will have no effect\nwhatever.\n\nWherefore, O beloved of the Lord, strive ye with heart\nand soul to receive a share of His holy attributes and take your\nportion of the bounties of His sanctity—that ye may become the\ntokens of unity, the standards of singleness, and seek out the\nmeaning of oneness; that ye may, in this garden of God, lift up your\nvoices and sing the blissful anthems of the spirit. Become ye as the\nbirds who offer Him their thanks, and in the blossoming bowers of\nlife chant ye such melodies as will dazzle the minds of those who\nknow. Raise ye a banner on the highest peaks of the world, a flag of\nGod’s favour to ripple and wave in the winds of His grace;\nplant ye a tree in the field of life, amid the roses of this visible\nworld, that will yield a fruitage fresh and sweet.\n\nI swear by the true Teacher that if ye will act in\naccord with the admonitions of God, as revealed in His luminous\nTablets, this darksome dust will mirror forth the Kingdom of heaven,\nand this nether world the realm of the All-Glorious.\n\nO ye loved ones of the Lord! Praise be to Him, the\nunseen, welling bounties of the Sun of Truth encompass you on every\nside, and from every direction the portals of His mercy stand ajar.\nNow is the time to take advantage of these bestowals, and benefit\ntherefrom. Know ye the value of this time, let not this chance escape\nyou. Stay ye entirely clear of this dark world’s concerns, and\nbecome ye known by the attributes of those essences that make their\nhome in the Kingdom. Then shall ye see how intense is the glory of\nthe heavenly Day-Star, and how blinding bright are the tokens of\nbounty coming out of the invisible realm.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "200: O my spiritual loved ones! At a time when an ...",
"slug": "sel-200-o-my-spiritual-loved-ones-at-a-time-when-an",
"summary": "O my spiritual loved ones! At a time when an ocean of trials and tribulations was surging up and flinging its waves to the heavens, when multitudes were assailing us and the tyrannical were inflicting upon us crushing wrongs—at such a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"prison",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"honesty",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"patience",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO my spiritual loved ones! At a time when an ocean of\ntrials and tribulations was surging up and flinging its waves to the\nheavens, when multitudes were assailing us and the tyrannical were\ninflicting upon us crushing wrongs—at such a time a band of\nindividuals, intent on defaming us, allied themselves with our unkind\nbrother, brought out a treatise that was filled with slanderous\ncharges, and levelled accusations and calumnies against us.\n\nIn this way they alarmed and confused the government\nauthorities, and it is obvious what the condition of this captive\nthen became, in this dilapidated fortress, and what terrible harm and\nmischief was done, far worse than words can tell. In spite of\neverything, this homeless prisoner remained inwardly tranquil and\nsecure, trusting in the peerless Lord, yearning for whatever\nafflictions might have to be encountered in the pathway of God’s\nlove. For bolts of hate are, in our sight, but a gift of pearls from\nHim, and mortal poison but a healing draught.\n\nSuch was our state when a letter came to us from the\nAmerican friends.62\nThey had covenanted together, so they wrote, to remain at one in all\nthings, and the signatories one and all had pledged themselves to\nmake sacrifices in the pathway of the love of God, thus to achieve\neternal life. At the very moment when this letter was read, together\nwith the signatures at its close, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá\nexperienced a joy so vehement that no pen can describe it, and\nthanked God that friends have been raised up in that country who will\nlive together in perfect harmony, in the best of fellowship, in full\nagreement, closely knit, united in their efforts.\n\nThe more this compact is reinforced, the happier and the\nbetter shall all things be, for it will draw unto itself the\nconfirmations of God. If the lovers of the Lord are hoping for grace\nto win as their friends the Company on high, they must do all they\ncan to strengthen this compact, for such an alliance for brotherhood\nand unity is even as watering the Tree of Life: it is life\neverlasting.\n\nO ye lovers of God! Make firm your steps; fulfil your\npledge to one another; go forth in harmony to scatter abroad the\nsweet savours of God’s love, and to establish His Teachings,\nuntil ye breathe a soul into the dead body of this world, and bring\ntrue healing in the physical and spiritual realms to everyone who\naileth.\n\nO ye lovers of God! The world is even as a human being\nwho is diseased and impotent, whose eyes can see no longer, whose\nears have gone deaf, all of whose powers are corroded and used up.\nWherefore must the friends of God be competent physicians who,\nfollowing the holy Teachings, will nurse this patient back to health.\nPerhaps, God willing, the world will mend, and become permanently\nwhole, and its exhausted faculties will be restored, and its person\nwill take on such vigour, freshness and verdancy that it will shine\nout with comeliness and grace.\n\nThe first remedy of all is to guide the people aright,\nso that they will turn themselves unto God, and listen to His\ncounsellings, and go forth with hearing ears and seeing eyes. Once\nthis speedily effective draught is given them, then, in accordance\nwith the Teachings, they must be led to acquire the characteristics\nand the behaviour of the Concourse on high, and encouraged to seek\nout all the bounties of the Abhá Realm. They must cleanse\ntheir hearts from even the slightest trace of hatred and spite, and\nthey must set about being truthful and honest, conciliatory and\nloving to all humankind—so that East and West will, even as two\nlovers, hold each other close; that hatred and hostility will perish\nfrom the earth, and universal peace be firmly rooted in their place.\n\nO ye lovers of God! Be kind to all peoples; care for\nevery person; do all ye can to purify the hearts and minds of men;\nstrive ye to gladden every soul. To every meadow be a shower of\ngrace, to every tree the water of life; be as sweet musk to the sense\nof humankind, and to the ailing be a fresh, restoring breeze. Be\npleasing waters to all those who thirst, a careful guide to all who\nhave lost their way; be father and mother to the orphan, be loving\nsons and daughters to the old, be an abundant treasure to the poor.\nThink ye of love and good fellowship as the delights of heaven, think\nye of hostility and hatred as the torments of hell.\n\nIndulge not your bodies with rest, but work with all\nyour souls, and with all your hearts cry out and beg of God to grant\nyou His succour and grace. Thus may ye make this world the Abhá\nParadise, and this globe of earth the parade ground of the realm on\nhigh. If only ye exert the effort, it is certain that these\nsplendours will shine out, these clouds of mercy will shed down their\nrain, these life-giving winds will rise and blow, this sweet-smelling\nmusk will be scattered far and wide.\n\nO ye lovers of God! Do not dwell on what is coming to\npass in this holy place, and be ye in no wise alarmed. Whatsoever may\nhappen is for the best, because affliction is but the essence of\nbounty, and sorrow and toil are mercy unalloyed, and anguish is peace\nof mind, and to make a sacrifice is to receive a gift, and whatsoever\nmay come to pass hath issued from God’s grace.\n\nSee ye, therefore, to your own tasks: guide ye the\npeople and educate them in the ways of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.\nDeliver to mankind this joyous message from the Abhá Realm.\nRest not, by day or night; seek ye no moment’s peace. Strive ye\nwith all your might to bring to men’s ears these happy tidings.\nIn your love for God and your attachment to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,\naccept ye every tribulation, every sorrow. Endure the aggressor’s\ntaunts, put up with the enemy’s reproaches. Follow in the\nfootsteps of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and in the pathway of\nthe Abhá Beauty, long at every moment to give up your lives.\nShine out like the day-star, be unresting as the sea; even as the\nclouds of heaven, shed ye life upon field and hill, and like unto\nApril winds, blow freshness through those human trees, and bring them\nto their blossoming.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "201: O thou who art carried away by the love of God! ...",
"slug": "sel-201-o-thou-who-art-carried-away-by-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art carried away by the love of God! The Sun of Truth hath risen above the horizon of this world and cast down its beams of guidance. Eternal grace is never interrupted, and a fruit of that everlasting grace is universal…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art carried away by the love of God! The Sun\nof Truth hath risen above the horizon of this world and cast down its\nbeams of guidance. Eternal grace is never interrupted, and a fruit of\nthat everlasting grace is universal peace. Rest thou assured that in\nthis era of the spirit, the Kingdom of Peace will raise up its\ntabernacle on the summits of the world, and the commandments of the\nPrince of Peace will so dominate the arteries and nerves of every\npeople as to draw into His sheltering shade all the nations on earth.\nFrom springs of love and truth and unity will the true Shepherd give\nHis sheep to drink.\n\nO handmaid of God, peace must first be established among\nindividuals, until it leadeth in the end to peace among nations.\nWherefore, O ye Bahá’ís, strive ye with all your\nmight to create, through the power of the Word of God, genuine love,\nspiritual communion and durable bonds among individuals. This is your\ntask.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "202: O ye lovers of truth, ye servants of humankind! ...",
"slug": "sel-202-o-ye-lovers-of-truth-ye-servants-of-humankind",
"summary": "O ye lovers of truth, ye servants of humankind! Out of the flowering of your thoughts and hopes, fragrant emanations have come my way, wherefore an inner sense of obligation compelleth me to pen these…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Constantinople",
"lat": 41.0082,
"lng": 28.9784,
"modernName": "Istanbul, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"writings",
"prison",
"teaching",
"women",
"children",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye lovers of truth, ye servants of humankind! Out of\nthe flowering of your thoughts and hopes, fragrant emanations have\ncome my way, wherefore an inner sense of obligation compelleth me to\npen these words.\n\nYe observe how the world is divided against itself, how\nmany a land is red with blood and its very dust is caked with human\ngore. The fires of conflict have blazed so high that never in early\ntimes, not in the Middle Ages, not in recent centuries hath there\never been such a hideous war, a war that is even as millstones,\ntaking for grain the skulls of men. Nay, even worse, for flourishing\ncountries have been reduced to rubble, cities have been levelled with\nthe ground, and many a once prosperous village hath been turned into\nruin. Fathers have lost their sons, and sons their fathers. Mothers\nhave wept away their hearts over dead children. Children have been\norphaned, women left to wander, vagrants without a home. From every\naspect, humankind hath sunken low. Loud are the piercing cries of\nfatherless children; loud the mothers’ anguished voices,\nreaching to the skies.\n\nAnd the breeding-ground of all these tragedies is\nprejudice: prejudice of race and nation, of religion, of political\nopinion; and the root cause of prejudice is blind imitation of the\npast—imitation in religion, in racial attitudes, in national\nbias, in politics. So long as this aping of the past persisteth, just\nso long will the foundations of the social order be blown to the four\nwinds, just so long will humanity be continually exposed to direst\nperil.\n\nNow, in such an illumined age as ours, when realities\npreviously unknown to man have been laid bare, and the secrets of\ncreated things have been disclosed, and the Morn of Truth hath broken\nand lit up the world—is it admissible that men should be waging\na frightful war that is bringing humanity down to ruin? No, by the\nLord God!\n\nChrist Jesus summoned all mankind to amity and peace.\nUnto Peter He said: ‘Put up thy sword into the sheath.’63\nSuch was the bidding and counsel of the Lord Christ; and yet today\nthe Christians one and all have drawn their swords from out the\nscabbard. How wide is the discrepancy between such acts and the clear\nGospel text!\n\nSixty years ago Bahá’u’lláh\nrose up, even as the Day-Star, over Persia. He declared that the\nskies of the world were dark, that this darkness boded evil, and that\nterrible wars would come. From the prison at Akká, He\naddressed the German Emperor in the clearest of terms, telling him\nthat a great war was on the way and that his city of Berlin would\nbreak forth in lamentation and wailing. Likewise did He write to the\nTurkish sovereign, although He was that Sulṭán’s\nvictim and a captive in his prison—that is, He was being held\nprisoner in the Fortress at Akká—and clearly stated that\nConstantinople would be overtaken by a sudden and radical change, so\ngreat that the women and children of that city would mourn and cry\naloud. In brief, He addressed such words to all the monarchs and the\npresidents, and everything came to pass, exactly as He had foretold.\n\nThere have issued, from His mighty Pen, various\nteachings for the prevention of war, and these have been scattered\nfar and wide.\n\nThe first is the independent investigation of truth; for\nblind imitation of the past will stunt the mind. But once every soul\ninquireth into truth, society will be freed from the darkness of\ncontinually repeating the past.\n\nHis second principle is the oneness of mankind: that all\nmen are the sheep of God, and God is their loving Shepherd, caring\nmost tenderly for all without favouring one or another. ‘No\ndifference canst thou see in the creation of the God of mercy’;64\nall are His servants, all implore His grace.\n\nHis third teaching is that religion is a mighty\nstronghold, but that it must engender love, not malevolence and hate.\nShould it lead to malice, spite, and hate, it is of no value at all.\nFor religion is a remedy, and if the remedy bring on disease, then\nput it aside. Again, as to religious, racial, national and political\nbias: all these prejudices strike at the very root of human life; one\nand all they beget bloodshed, and the ruination of the world. So long\nas these prejudices survive, there will be continuous and fearsome\nwars.\n\nTo remedy this condition there must be universal peace.\nTo bring this about, a Supreme Tribunal must be established,\nrepresentative of all governments and peoples; questions both\nnational and international must be referred thereto, and all must\ncarry out the decrees of this Tribunal. Should any government or\npeople disobey, let the whole world arise against that government or\npeople.\n\nYet another of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh\nis the equality of men and women and their equal sharing in all\nrights. And there are many similar principles. It hath now become\nevident that these teachings are the very life and soul of the world.\n\n\nYe who are servants of the human race, strive ye with\nall your heart to deliver mankind out of this darkness and these\nprejudices that belong to the human condition and the world of\nnature, so that humanity may find its way into the light of the world\nof God.\n\nPraise be to Him, ye are acquainted with the various\nlaws, institutions and principles of the world; today nothing short\nof these divine teachings can assure peace and tranquillity to\nmankind. But for these teachings, this darkness shall never vanish,\nthese chronic diseases shall never be healed; nay, they shall grow\nfiercer from day to day. The Balkans will remain discontented. Its\nrestlessness will increase. The vanquished Powers will continue to\nagitate. They will resort to every measure that may rekindle the\nflame of war. Movements, newly-born and world-wide in their range,\nwill exert their utmost effort for the advancement of their designs.\nThe Movement of the Left will acquire great importance. Its influence\nwill spread.\n\nStrive ye, therefore, with the help of God, with\nillumined minds and hearts and a strength born of heaven, to become a\nbestowal from God to man, and to call into being for all humankind,\ncomfort and peace.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "203: O thou who art enamoured of the Covenant! ...",
"slug": "sel-203-o-thou-who-art-enamoured-of-the-covenant",
"summary": "O thou who art enamoured of the Covenant! The Blessed Beauty hath promised this servant that souls would be raised up who would be the very embodiments of guidance, and banners of the Concourse on high, torches of God’s oneness, and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"hope",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art enamoured of the Covenant! The Blessed\nBeauty hath promised this servant that souls would be raised up who\nwould be the very embodiments of guidance, and banners of the\nConcourse on high, torches of God’s oneness, and stars of His\npure truth, shining in the heavens where God reigneth alone. They\nwould give sight to the blind, and would make the deaf to hear; they\nwould raise the dead to life. They would confront all the peoples of\nthe earth, pleading their Cause with proofs of the Lord of the seven\nspheres.\n\nIt is my hope that in His bounty He will soon raise up\nthese souls, that His Cause may be exalted. The lodestone which will\nattract this grace is staunchness in the Covenant. Render thou thanks\nunto God that thou art firmest of the firm.\n\nO my God, aid Thou Thy servant to raise up the Word, and\nto refute what is vain and false, to establish the truth, to spread\nthe sacred verses abroad, reveal the splendours, and make the\nmorning’s light to dawn in the hearts of the righteous.\n\nThou art verily the Generous, the Forgiving.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "205: O ye respected souls! From the continual imitation ...",
"slug": "sel-205-o-ye-respected-souls-from-the-continual-imitation",
"summary": "O ye respected souls! From the continual imitation of ancient and worn-out ways, the world had grown dark as darksome night. The fundamentals of the divine Teachings had passed from memory; their pith and heart had been totally…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye respected souls! From the continual imitation of\nancient and worn-out ways, the world had grown dark as darksome\nnight. The fundamentals of the divine Teachings had passed from\nmemory; their pith and heart had been totally forgotten, and the\npeople were holding on to husks. The nations had, like tattered\ngarments long outworn, fallen into a pitiful condition.\n\nOut of this pitch blackness there dawned the morning\nsplendour of the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.\nHe hath dressed the world with a garment new and fair, and that new\ngarment is the principles which have come down from God.\n\nNow the new age is here and creation is reborn. Humanity\nhath taken on new life. The autumn hath gone by, and the reviving\nspring is here. All things are now made new. Arts and industries have\nbeen reborn, there are new discoveries in science, and there are new\ninventions; even the details of human affairs, such as dress and\npersonal effects—even weapons—all these have likewise\nbeen renewed. The laws and procedures of every government have been\nrevised. Renewal is the order of the day.\n\nAnd all this newness hath its source in the fresh\noutpourings of wondrous grace and favour from the Lord of the\nKingdom, which have renewed the world. The people, therefore, must be\nset completely free from their old patterns of thought, that all\ntheir attention may be focused upon these new principles, for these\nare the light of this time and the very spirit of this age.\n\nUnless these Teachings are effectively spread among the\npeople, until the old ways, the old concepts, are gone and forgotten,\nthis world of being will find no peace, nor will it reflect the\nperfections of the Heavenly Kingdom. Strive ye with all your hearts\nto make the heedless conscious, to waken those who sleep, to bring\nknowledge to the ignorant, to make the blind to see, the deaf to\nhear, and restore the dead to life.\n\nIt behoveth you to show forth such power, such\nendurance, as to astonish all beholders. The confirmations of the\nKingdom are with you. Upon you be the glory of the All-Glorious.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "206: Praise be to Him Who hath rent the dark asunder, ...",
"slug": "sel-206-praise-be-to-him-who-hath-rent-the-dark-asunder",
"summary": "Praise be to Him Who hath rent the dark asunder, hath blotted out the night, hath drawn aside the coverings and torn away the veils; Whose light thereupon shone out, Whose signs and tokens were spread abroad, and His mysteries laid…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"prison",
"the-covenant",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"gentleness",
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 9,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nPraise be to Him Who hath rent the dark asunder, hath\nblotted out the night, hath drawn aside the coverings and torn away\nthe veils; Whose light thereupon shone out, Whose signs and tokens\nwere spread abroad, and His mysteries laid bare. Then did His clouds\npart and loaded down the earth with His bounties and bestowals, and\nmade all things sweet with rain, and caused the fresh greenery of\nknowledge and the hyacinths of certitude to spring forth and to shake\nand tremble for joy, till the whole world was scented with the\nfragrance of His holiness.\n\nSalutations and praise, blessings and glory be upon\nthose divine realities, those sacred windflowers that have come forth\nout of this supreme bestowal, this flooding grace that hath roared\nlike a clashing sea of gifts and bounties, tossing its waves to the\nhigh heavens.\n\nO God, my God! Praise be unto Thee\nfor kindling the fire of divine love in the Holy Tree on the summit\nof the loftiest mount: that Tree which is ‘neither of the east\nnor of the west,’65\nthat fire which blazed out till the flame of it soared upward to the\nConcourse on high, and from it those realities caught the light of\nguidance, and cried out: ‘Verily have we perceived a fire on\nthe slope of Mount Sinai.’66\n\nO God, my God! Increase Thou this\nfire, as day followeth day, till the blast of it setteth in motion\nall the earth. O Thou, my Lord! Kindle the light of Thy love in every\nheart, breathe into men’s souls the spirit of Thy knowledge,\ngladden their breasts with the verses of Thy oneness. Call Thou to\nlife those who dwell in their tombs, warn Thou the prideful, make\nhappiness world-wide, send down Thy crystal waters, and in the\nassemblage of manifest splendours, pass round that cup which is\n‘tempered at the camphor fountain.’67\n\nVerily art Thou the Giving, the Forgiving, the\nEver-Bestowing. Verily art Thou the Merciful, the Compassionate.\n\nO ye loved ones of God! The wine-cup of Heaven\noverfloweth, the banquet of God’s Covenant is bright with\nfestive lights, the dawn of all bestowals is breaking, the gentle\nwinds of grace are blowing, and out of the invisible world come good\ntidings of bounties and gifts. In flower-spangled meadows hath the\ndivine springtime pitched its tents, and the spiritual are inhaling\nsweet scents from the Sheba of the spirit, carried their way by the\neast wind. Now doth the mystic nightingale carol its odes, and buds\nof inner meaning are bursting into blossoms delicate and fair. The\nfield larks are become the festival’s musicians, and lifting\nwondrous voices they cry and sing to the melodies of the Company on\nhigh, ‘Blessed are ye! Glad Tidings! Glad Tidings!’ And\nthey urge on the revellers of the Abhá Paradise to drink their\nfill, and they eloquently hold forth upon the celestial tree, and\nutter their sacred cries. All this, that withered souls who tread the\ndesert of the heedless, and faded ones lost in the sands of\nunconcern, may come to throbbing life again, and present themselves\nat the feasts and revels of the Lord God.\n\nPraise be to Him! The renown of His Cause hath reached\nto east and west, and word of the power of the Abhá Beauty\nhath quickened north and south. That cry from the American continent\nis a choir of holiness, that shout from far and near that riseth even\nto the Company on high is ‘Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá!’\nNow is the east lit up with a glory, and the west rose-sweet, and all\nthe earth is fragrant with ambergris, and the winds that blow over\nthe Holy Shrine are laden with musk. Erelong shall ye see that even\nthe darkest lands are bright, and the continents of Europe and Africa\nhave turned into gardens of flowers, and forests of blossoming trees.\n\n\nBut since the dawning of this Day-Star was in Persia,\nand since from that orient the sun shone upon the west, it is our\nfondest hope that the flames of love’s fire should blaze ever\nmore vehemently in that land, and that there the splendour of this\nHoly Faith should grow ever more intense. May the tumult of God’s\nCause so shake that land to its foundations, may the spiritual force\nof His Word so manifest itself, as to make Írán the\ncore and focus of well-being and peace. May rectitude and\nconciliation, and love and trust, issuing forth from Írán,\nbring immortality to all on earth. May she raise on the highest\nsummits the banner of public order, of purest spirituality, of\nuniversal peace.\n\nO ye loved ones of God! In this, the Bahá’í\ndispensation, God’s Cause is spirit unalloyed. His Cause\nbelongeth not to the material world. It cometh neither for strife nor\nwar, nor for acts of mischief or of shame; it is neither for\nquarrelling with other Faiths, nor for conflicts with the nations.\nIts only army is the love of God, its only joy the clear wine of His\nknowledge, its only battle the expounding of the Truth; its one\ncrusade is against the insistent self, the evil promptings of the\nhuman heart. Its victory is to submit and yield, and to be selfless\nis its everlasting glory. In brief, it is spirit upon spirit:\n\nUnless ye must,\n\nBruise not the serpent in the dust,\n\nHow much less wound a man.\n\nAnd if ye can,\n\nNo ant should ye alarm,\n\nMuch less a brother harm.\n\nLet all your striving be for this, to become the source\nof life and immortality, and peace and comfort and joy, to every\nhuman soul, whether one known to you or a stranger, one opposed to\nyou or on your side. Look ye not upon the purity or impurity of his\nnature: look ye upon the all-embracing mercy of the Lord, the light\nof Whose grace hath embosomed the whole earth and all who dwell\nthereon, and in the plenitude of Whose bounty are immersed both the\nwise and the ignorant. Stranger and friend alike are seated at the\ntable of His favour. Even as the believer, the denier who turneth\naway from God doth at the same time cup his hands and drink from the\nsea of His bestowals.\n\nIt behoveth the loved ones of the Lord to be the signs\nand tokens of His universal mercy and the embodiments of His own\nexcelling grace. Like the sun, let them cast their rays upon garden\nand rubbish heap alike, and even as clouds in spring, let them shed\ndown their rain upon flower and thorn. Let them seek but love and\nfaithfulness, let them not follow the ways of unkindness, let their\ntalk be confined to the secrets of friendship and of peace. Such are\nthe attributes of the righteous, such is the distinguishing mark of\nthose who serve His Threshold.\n\nThe Abhá Beauty endured the most afflictive of\ncalamities. He bore countless agonies and ills. He enjoyed not a\nmoment’s peace, drew not an easeful breath. He wandered,\nhomeless, over desert sands and mountain slopes; He was shut in a\nfortress, and a prison cell. But to Him, His pauper’s mat of\nstraw was an eternal throne of glory, and His heavy chains a\nsovereign’s carcanet. By day, by night, He lived under a\nwhirring sword, and He was ready from moment to moment for death on\nthe cross. He bore all this that He might purify the world, and deck\nit out with the tender mercies of the Lord God; that He might set it\nat rest; that conflict and aggression might be put to flight, the\nlance and the keen blade be exchanged for loving fellowship,\nmalevolence and war turn into safety and gentleness and love, that\nbattlefields of hate and wrath should become gardens of delight, and\nplaces where once the blood-drenched armies clashed, be fragrant\npleasure grounds; that warfare should be seen as shame, and the\nresort to arms, even as a loathsome sickness, be shunned by every\npeople; that universal peace raise its pavilions on the loftiest\nmounts, and war be made to perish forever from the earth.\n\nWherefore must the loved ones of God, laboriously, with\nthe waters of their striving, tend and nourish and foster this tree\nof hope. In whatsoever land they dwell, let them with a whole heart\nbefriend and be companions to those who are either close to them, or\nfar removed. Let them, with qualities like unto those of heaven,\npromote the institutions and the religion of God. Let them never lose\nheart, never be despondent, never feel afflicted. The more antagonism\nthey meet, the more let them show their own good faith; the more\ntorments and calamities they have to face, the more generously let\nthem pass round the bounteous cup. Such is the spirit which will\nbecome the life of the world, such is the spreading light at its\nheart: and he who may be and do other than this is not worthy to\nserve at the Holy Threshold of the Lord.\n\nO ye loved ones of God! The Sun of Truth is shining down\nfrom invisible skies; know ye the value of these days. Lift up your\nheads, and grow ye cypress-tall in these swift-running streams. Take\nye joy in the beauty of the narcissus of Najd, for night will fall\nand it will be no more....\n\nO ye loved ones of God! Praise be to Him, the bright\nbanner of the Covenant is flying higher every day, while the flag of\nperfidy hath been reversed, and hangeth at half-mast. The benighted\nattackers have been shaken to their core; they are now as ruined\nsepulchres, and even as blind creatures that dwell beneath the earth\nthey creep and crawl about a corner of the tomb, and out of that\nhole, from time to time, like unto savage beasts, do they jibber and\nhowl. Glory be to God! How can the darkness hope to overcome the\nlight, how can a magician’s cords hold fast ‘a serpent\nplain for all to see’? ‘Then lo! It swallowed up their\nlying wonders.’68\nAlas for them! They have deluded themselves with a fable, and to\nindulge their appetites they have done away with their own selves.\nThey gave up everlasting glory in exchange for human pride, and they\nsacrificed greatness in both worlds to the demands of the insistent\nself. This is that of which We have forewarned you. Erelong shall ye\nbehold the foolish in manifest loss.\n\nO my Lord and my Hope! Help Thou Thy loved ones to be\nsteadfast in Thy mighty Covenant, to remain faithful to Thy manifest\nCause, and to carry out the commandments Thou didst set down for them\nin Thy Book of Splendours; that they may become banners of guidance\nand lamps of the Company above, wellsprings of Thine infinite wisdom,\nand stars that lead aright, as they shine down from the supernal sky.\n\n\nVerily art Thou the Invincible, the Almighty, the\nAll-Powerful.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "207: O ye who have turned your faces toward the ...",
"slug": "sel-207-o-ye-who-have-turned-your-faces-toward-the",
"summary": "O ye who have turned your faces toward the Exalted Beauty! By night, by day, at morningtide and sunset, when darkness draweth on, and at early light I remember, and ever have remembered, in the realms of my mind and heart, the loved…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"martyrdom",
"exile",
"prison",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love",
"loyalty",
"mercy",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
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"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 7,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
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"body": "\nO ye who have turned your faces toward the Exalted\nBeauty! By night, by day, at morningtide and sunset, when darkness\ndraweth on, and at early light I remember, and ever have remembered,\nin the realms of my mind and heart, the loved ones of the Lord. I beg\nof Him to bestow His confirmations upon those loved ones, dwellers in\nthat pure and holy land, and to grant them successful outcomes in all\nthings: that in their character, their behaviour, their words, their\nway of life, in all they are and do, He will make them to achieve\ndistinction among men; that He will gather them into the world\ncommunity, their hearts filled with ecstasy and fervour and yearning\nlove, with knowledge and certitude, with steadfastness and unity,\ntheir faces beauteous and bright.\n\nO ye beloved of the Lord! This day is the day of union,\nthe day of the ingathering of all mankind. ‘Verily God loveth\nthose who, as though they were a solid wall, do battle for His Cause\nin serried lines!’69\nNote that He saith ‘in serried lines’—meaning\ncrowded and pressed together, one locked to the next, each supporting\nhis fellows. To do battle, as stated in the sacred verse, doth not,\nin this greatest of all dispensations, mean to go forth with sword\nand spear, with lance and piercing arrow—but rather weaponed\nwith pure intent, with righteous motives, with counsels helpful and\neffective, with godly attributes, with deeds pleasing to the\nAlmighty, with the qualities of heaven. It signifieth education for\nall mankind, guidance for all men, the spreading far and wide of the\nsweet savours of the spirit, the promulgation of God’s proofs,\nthe setting forth of arguments conclusive and divine, the doing of\ncharitable deeds.\n\nWhensoever holy souls, drawing on the powers of heaven,\nshall arise with such qualities of the spirit, and march in unison,\nrank on rank, every one of those souls will be even as one thousand,\nand the surging waves of that mighty ocean will be even as the\nbattalions of the Concourse on high. What a blessing that will\nbe—when all shall come together, even as once separate\ntorrents, rivers and streams, running brooks and single drops, when\ncollected together in one place will form a mighty sea. And to such a\ndegree will the inherent unity of all prevail, that the traditions,\nrules, customs and distinctions in the fanciful life of these\npopulations will be effaced and vanish away like isolated drops, once\nthe great sea of oneness doth leap and surge and roll.\n\nI swear by the Ancient Beauty, that at such a time\noverwhelming grace will so encircle all, and the sea of grandeur will\nso overflow its shores, that the narrowest strip of water will grow\nwide as an endless sea, and every merest drop will be even as the\nshoreless deep.\n\nO ye loved ones of God! Struggle and strive to reach\nthat high station, and to make a splendour so to shine across these\nrealms of earth that the rays of it will be reflected back from a\ndawning-point on the horizon of eternity. This is the very foundation\nof the Cause of God. This is the very pith of the Law of God. This is\nthe mighty structure raised up by the Manifestations of God. This is\nwhy the orb of God’s world dawneth. This is why the Lord\nestablisheth Himself on the throne of His human body.\n\nO ye loved ones of God! See how the Exalted One70—may\nthe souls of all on earth be a ransom for Him—for this high\npurpose made His blessed heart the target for affliction’s\nspears; and because the real intent of the Ancient Beauty—for\nHim may the souls of the Concourse on high be offered up—was to\nwin this same supernal goal, the Exalted One bared His holy breast\nfor a target to a myriad bullets fired by the people of malice and\nhate, and with utter meekness died the martyr’s death. On the\ndust of this pathway the holy blood of thousands upon thousands of\nsacred souls gushed out, and many a time the blessed body of a loyal\nlover of God was hanged to the gallows tree.\n\nThe Abhá Beauty Himself—may the spirit of\nall existence be offered up for His loved ones—bore all manner\nof ordeals, and willingly accepted for Himself intense afflictions.\nNo torment was there left that His sacred form was not subjected to,\nno suffering that did not descend upon Him. How many a night, when He\nwas chained, did He go sleepless because of the weight of His iron\ncollar; how many a day the burning pain of the stocks and fetters\ngave Him no moment’s peace. From Níyávarán\nto Ṭihrán they made Him run—He, that embodied\nspirit, He Who had been accustomed to repose against cushions of\nornamented silk—chained, shoeless, His head bared; and down\nunder the earth, in the thick darkness of that narrow dungeon, they\nshut Him up with murderers, rebels and thieves. Ever and again they\nassailed Him with a new torment, and all were certain that from one\nmoment to the next He would suffer a martyr’s death. After some\ntime they banished Him from His native land, and sent Him to\ncountries alien and far away. During many a year in ‘Iráq,\nno moment passed but the arrow of a new anguish struck His holy\nheart; with every breath a sword came down upon that sacred body, and\nHe could hope for no moment of security and rest. From every side His\nenemies mounted their attack with unrelenting hate; and singly and\nalone He withstood them all. After all these tribulations, these body\nblows, they flung Him out of ‘Iráq in the continent of\nAsia, to the continent of Europe, and in that place of bitter exile,\nof wretched hardships, to the wrongs that were heaped upon Him by the\npeople of the Qur’án were now added the virulent\npersecutions, the powerful attacks, the plottings, the slanders, the\ncontinual hostilities, the hate and malice, of the people of the\nBayán. My pen is powerless to tell it all; but ye have surely\nbeen informed of it. Then, after twenty-four years in this, the Most\nGreat Prison, in agony and sore affliction, His days drew to a close.\n\n\nTo sum it up, the Ancient Beauty was ever, during His\nsojourn in this transitory world, either a captive bound with chains,\nor living under a sword, or subjected to extreme suffering and\ntorment, or held in the Most Great Prison. Because of His physical\nweakness, brought on by His afflictions, His blessed body was worn\naway to a breath; it was light as a cobweb from long grieving. And\nHis reason for shouldering this heavy load and enduring all this\nanguish, which was even as an ocean that hurleth its waves to high\nheaven—His reason for putting on the heavy iron chains and for\nbecoming the very embodiment of utter resignation and meekness, was\nto lead every soul on earth to concord, to fellow-feeling, to\noneness; to make known amongst all peoples the sign of the singleness\nof God, so that at last the primal oneness deposited at the heart of\nall created things would bear its destined fruit, and the splendour\nof ‘No difference canst thou see in the creation of the God of\nMercy,’71\nwould cast abroad its rays.\n\nNow is the time, O ye beloved of the Lord, for ardent\nendeavour. Struggle ye, and strive. And since the Ancient Beauty was\nexposed by day and night on the field of martyrdom, let us in our\nturn labour hard, and hear and ponder the counsels of God; let us\nfling away our lives, and renounce our brief and numbered days. Let\nus turn our eyes away from empty fantasies of this world’s\ndivergent forms, and serve instead this pre-eminent purpose, this\ngrand design. Let us not, because of our own imaginings, cut down\nthis tree that the hand of heavenly grace hath planted; let us not,\nwith the dark clouds of our illusions, our selfish interests, blot\nout the glory that streameth from the Abhá Realm. Let us not\nbe as barriers that wall out the rolling ocean of Almighty God. Let\nus not prevent the pure, sweet scents from the garden of the\nAll-Glorious Beauty from blowing far and wide. Let us not, on this\nday of reunion, shut out the vernal downpour of blessings from on\nhigh. Let us not consent that the splendours of the Sun of Truth\nshould ever fade and disappear. These are the admonitions of God, as\nset forth in His Holy Books, His Scriptures, His Tablets that tell\nout His counsellings to the sincere.\n\nThe glory rest upon you, and God’s mercy, and\nGod’s blessings.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "208: O ye servants of the Sacred Threshold! The ...",
"slug": "sel-208-o-ye-servants-of-the-sacred-threshold-the",
"summary": "O ye servants of the Sacred Threshold! The triumphant hosts of the Celestial Concourse, arrayed and marshalled in the Realms above, stand ready and expectant to assist and assure victory to that valiant horseman who with confidence…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye servants of the Sacred Threshold! The triumphant\nhosts of the Celestial Concourse, arrayed and marshalled in the\nRealms above, stand ready and expectant to assist and assure victory\nto that valiant horseman who with confidence spurs on his charger\ninto the arena of service. Well is it with that fearless warrior, who\narmed with the power of true Knowledge, hastens unto the field,\ndisperses the armies of ignorance, and scatters the hosts of error,\nwho holds aloft the Standard of Divine Guidance, and sounds the\nClarion of Victory. By the righteousness of the Lord! He hath\nachieved a glorious triumph and obtained the true victory.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "209: O ye servants of the Blessed Beauty!... It is clear ...",
"slug": "sel-209-o-ye-servants-of-the-blessed-beauty-it-is-clear",
"summary": "O ye servants of the Blessed Beauty!... It is clear that in this day, confirmations from the unseen world are encompassing all those who deliver the divine Message. Should the work of teaching lapse, these confirmations would be…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"teaching",
"children",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye servants of the Blessed Beauty!... It is clear that\nin this day, confirmations from the unseen world are encompassing all\nthose who deliver the divine Message. Should the work of teaching\nlapse, these confirmations would be entirely cut off, since it is\nimpossible for the loved ones of God to receive assistance unless\nthey teach.\n\nUnder all conditions, the teaching must be carried\nforward, but with wisdom. If the work cannot proceed openly, then let\nthem teach in private, and thus engender spirituality and fellowship\namong the children of men. If, for example, each and every one of the\nbelievers would become a true friend to one of the unheeding, and,\nconducting himself with absolute rectitude, associate with this soul,\ntreat him with the utmost kindness, himself exemplify the divine\ninstructions he hath received, the good qualities and behaviour\npatterns, and at all times act in accord with the admonitions of\nGod—it is certain that little by little he will succeed in\nawakening that previously heedless individual, and in changing his\nignorance to knowledge of the truth.\n\nSouls are inclined toward estrangement. Steps should\nfirst be taken to do away with this estrangement, for only then will\nthe Word take effect. If a believer showeth kindness to one of the\nneglectful, and, with great love, gradually leadeth him to an\nunderstanding of the validity of the Holy Cause, so that he may come\nto know the fundamentals of God’s Faith and the implications\nthereof—such a one will certainly be transformed, excepting\nonly those seldom-encountered individuals who are even as ashes,\nwhose hearts are ‘hard as rocks, or harder still.’72\n\n\nIf every one of the friends should strive in this way to\nguide one soul aright, the number of believers will double every\nyear; and this can be accomplished with prudence and wisdom, and no\nharm whatever would result therefrom.\n\nFurthermore, the teachers must travel about, and if\nspreading the Message openly should cause a disturbance, then\ninstead, let them stimulate and train the believers, inspire them,\ndelight them, rejoice their hearts, revive and refresh them with the\nsweet savours of holiness.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "21: O thou distinguished personage, thou seeker after ...",
"slug": "sel-21-o-thou-distinguished-personage-thou-seeker-after",
"summary": "O thou distinguished personage, thou seeker after truth! Thy letter of 4 April 1921, hath been read with…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 7,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou distinguished personage, thou seeker after truth!\nThy letter of 4 April 1921, hath been read with love.\n\nThe existence of the Divine Being hath been clearly\nestablished, on the basis of logical proofs, but the reality of the\nGodhead is beyond the grasp of the mind. When thou dost carefully\nconsider this matter, thou wilt see that a lower plane can never\ncomprehend a higher. The mineral kingdom, for example, which is\nlower, is precluded from comprehending the vegetable kingdom; for the\nmineral, any such understanding would be utterly impossible. In the\nsame way, no matter how far the vegetable kingdom may develop, it\nwill achieve no conception of the animal kingdom, and any such\ncomprehension at its level would be unthinkable, for the animal\noccupieth a plane higher than that of the vegetable: this tree cannot\nconceive of hearing and sight. And the animal kingdom, no matter how\nfar it may evolve, can never become aware of the reality of the\nintellect, which discovereth the inner essence of all things, and\ncomprehendeth those realities which cannot be seen; for the human\nplane as compared with that of the animal is very high. And although\nthese beings all co-exist in the contingent world, in each case the\ndifference in their stations precludeth their grasp of the whole; for\nno lower degree can understand a higher, such comprehension being\nimpossible.\n\nThe higher plane, however, understandeth the lower. The\nanimal, for instance, comprehendeth the mineral and vegetable, the\nhuman understandeth the planes of the animal, vegetable and mineral.\nBut the mineral cannot possibly understand the realms of man. And\nnotwithstanding the fact that all these entities co-exist in the\nphenomenal world, even so, no lower degree can ever comprehend a\nhigher.\n\nThen how could it be possible for a contingent reality,\nthat is, man, to understand the nature of that pre-existent Essence,\nthe Divine Being? The difference in station between man and the\nDivine Reality is thousands upon thousands of times greater than the\ndifference between vegetable and animal. And that which a human being\nwould conjure up in his mind is but the fanciful image of his human\ncondition, it doth not encompass God’s reality but rather is\nencompassed by it. That is, man graspeth his own illusory\nconceptions, but the Reality of Divinity can never be grasped: It,\nItself, encompasseth all created things, and all created things are\nin Its grasp. That Divinity which man doth imagine for himself\nexisteth only in his mind, not in truth. Man, however, existeth both\nin his mind and in truth; thus man is greater than that fanciful\nreality which he is able to imagine.\n\nThe furthermost limits of this bird of clay are these:\nhe can flutter along for some short distance, into the endless vast;\nbut he can never soar upward to the Sun in the high heavens. We must,\nnevertheless, set forth reasoned or inspired proofs as to the\nexistence of the Divine Being, that is, proofs commensurate with the\nunderstanding of man.\n\nIt is obvious that all created things are connected one\nto another by a linkage complete and perfect, even, for example, as\nare the members of the human body. Note how all the members and\ncomponent parts of the human body are connected one to another. In\nthe same way, all the members of this endless universe are linked one\nto another. The foot and the step, for example, are connected to the\near and the eye; the eye must look ahead before the step is taken.\nThe ear must hear before the eye will carefully observe. And whatever\nmember of the human body is deficient, produceth a deficiency in the\nother members. The brain is connected with the heart and stomach, the\nlungs are connected with all the members. So is it with the other\nmembers of the body.\n\nAnd each one of these members hath its own special\nfunction. The mind force—whether we call it pre-existent or\ncontingent—doth direct and co-ordinate all the members of the\nhuman body, seeing to it that each part or member duly performeth its\nown special function. If, however, there be some interruption in the\npower of the mind, all the members will fail to carry out their\nessential functions, deficiencies will appear in the body and the\nfunctioning of its members, and the power will prove ineffective.\n\nLikewise, look into this endless universe: a universal\npower inevitably existeth, which encompasseth all, directing and\nregulating all the parts of this infinite creation; and were it not\nfor this Director, this Co-ordinator, the universe would be flawed\nand deficient. It would be even as a madman; whereas ye can see that\nthis endless creation carrieth out its functions in perfect order,\nevery separate part of it performing its own task with complete\nreliability, nor is there any flaw to be found in all its workings.\nThus it is clear that a Universal Power existeth, directing and\nregulating this infinite universe. Every rational mind can grasp this\nfact.\n\nFurthermore, although all created things grow and\ndevelop, yet are they subjected to influences from without. For\ninstance, the sun giveth heat, the rain nourisheth, the wind bringeth\nlife, so that man can develop and grow. Thus it is clear that the\nhuman body is under influences from the outside, and that without\nthose influences man could not grow. And likewise, those outside\ninfluences are subjected to other influences in their turn. For\nexample, the growth and development of a human being is dependent\nupon the existence of water, and water is dependent upon the\nexistence of rain, and rain is dependent upon the existence of\nclouds, and clouds are dependent upon the existence of the sun, which\ncauseth land and sea to produce vapour, the condensation of vapour\nforming the clouds. Thus each one of these entities exerteth its\ninfluence and is likewise influenced in its turn. Inescapably then,\nthe process leadeth to One Who influenceth all, and yet is influenced\nby none, thus severing the chain. The inner reality of that Being,\nhowever, is not known, although His effects are clear and evident.\n\nAnd further, all created beings are limited, and this\nvery limitation of all beings proveth the reality of the Limitless;\nfor the existence of a limited being denoteth the existence of a\nLimitless One.\n\nTo sum it up, there are many such proofs, establishing\nthe existence of that Universal Reality. And since that Reality is\npre-existent, It is untouched by the conditions that govern\nphenomena; for whatever entity is subject to circumstances and the\nplay of events is contingent, not pre-existent. Know then: that\ndivinity which other communions and peoples have conjured up, falleth\nwithin the scope of their imagination, and not beyond it, whereas the\nreality of the Godhead is beyond all conceiving.\n\nAs to the Holy Manifestations of God, They are the focal\npoints where the signs, tokens and perfections of that sacred,\npre-existent Reality appear in all their splendour. They are an\neternal grace, a heavenly glory, and on Them dependeth the\neverlasting life of humankind. To illustrate: the Sun of Truth\ndwelleth in a sky to which no soul hath any access, and which no mind\ncan reach, and He is far beyond the comprehension of all creatures.\nYet the Holy Manifestations of God are even as a looking-glass,\nburnished and without stain, which gathereth streams of light out of\nthat Sun, and then scattereth the glory over the rest of creation. In\nthat polished surface, the Sun with all Its majesty standeth clearly\nrevealed. Thus, should the mirrored Sun proclaim, ‘I am the\nSun!’ this is but truth; and should It cry, ‘I am not the\nSun!’ this is the truth as well. And although the Day-Star,\nwith all Its glory, Its beauty, Its perfections, be clearly visible\nin that mirror without stain, still It hath not come down from Its\nown lofty station in the realms above, It hath not made Its way into\nthe mirror; rather doth It continue to abide, as It will forever, in\nthe supernal heights of Its own holiness.\n\nAnd further, all the earth’s creatures require the\nbounty of the sun, for their very existence is dependent upon solar\nlight and heat. Should they be deprived of the sun, they would be\nwiped out. This is the being with God, as referred to in the Holy\nBooks: man must be with his Lord.\n\nIt is clear, then, that the essential reality of God is\nrevealed in His perfections; and the sun, with its perfections,\nreflected in a mirror, is a visible thing, an entity clearly\nexpressing the bounty of God.\n\nMy hope is that thou wilt acquire a perceptive eye, a\nhearing ear, and that the veils will be removed from thy sight.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "210: O ye roses in the garden of God’s love! O ye ...",
"slug": "sel-210-o-ye-roses-in-the-garden-of-god-s-love-o-ye",
"summary": "O ye roses in the garden of God’s love! O ye bright lamps in the assemblage of His knowledge! May the soft breathings of God pass over you, may the Glory of God illumine the horizon of your hearts. Ye are the waves of the deep sea of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"love",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye roses in the garden of God’s love! O ye\nbright lamps in the assemblage of His knowledge! May the soft\nbreathings of God pass over you, may the Glory of God illumine the\nhorizon of your hearts. Ye are the waves of the deep sea of\nknowledge, ye are the massed armies on the plains of certitude, ye\nare the stars in the skies of God’s compassion, ye are the\nstones that put the people of perdition to flight, ye are clouds of\ndivine pity over the gardens of life, ye are the abundant grace of\nGod’s oneness that is shed upon the essences of all created\nthings.\n\nOn the outspread tablet of this world, ye are the verses\nof His singleness; and atop lofty palace towers, ye are the banners\nof the Lord. In His bowers are ye the blossoms and sweet-smelling\nherbs, in the rose garden of the spirit the nightingales that utter\nplaintive cries. Ye are the birds that soar upward into the firmament\nof knowledge, the royal falcons on the wrist of God.\n\nWhy then are ye quenched, why silent, why leaden and\ndull? Ye must shine forth like the lightning, and raise up a\nclamouring like unto the great sea. Like a candle must ye shed your\nlight, and even as the soft breezes of God must ye blow across the\nworld. Even as sweet breaths from heavenly bowers, as musk-laden\nwinds from the gardens of the Lord, must ye perfume the air for the\npeople of knowledge, and even as the splendours shed by the true Sun,\nmust ye illumine the hearts of humankind. For ye are the life-laden\nwinds, ye are the jessamine-scents from the gardens of the saved.\nBring then life to the dead, and awaken those who slumber. In the\ndarkness of the world be ye radiant flames; in the sands of\nperdition, be ye well-springs of the water of life, be ye guidance\nfrom the Lord God. Now is the time to serve, now is the time to be on\nfire. Know ye the value of this chance, this favourable juncture that\nis limitless grace, ere it slip from your hands.\n\nSoon will our handful of days, our vanishing life, be\ngone, and we shall pass, empty-handed, into the hollow that is dug\nfor those who speak no more; wherefore must we bind our hearts to the\nmanifest Beauty, and cling to the lifeline that faileth never. We\nmust gird ourselves for service, kindle love’s flame, and burn\naway in its heat. We must loose our tongues till we set the wide\nworld’s heart afire, and with bright rays of guidance blot out\nthe armies of the night, and then, for His sake, on the field of\nsacrifice, fling down our lives.\n\nThus let us scatter over every people the treasured gems\nof the recognition of God, and with the decisive blade of the tongue,\nand the sure arrows of knowledge, let us defeat the hosts of self and\npassion, and hasten onward to the site of martyrdom, to the place\nwhere we die for the Lord. And then, with flying flags, and to the\nbeat of drums, let us pass into the realm of the All-Glorious, and\njoin the Company on high.\n\nWell is it with the doers of great deeds.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "211: When the friends do not endeavour to spread the ...",
"slug": "sel-211-when-the-friends-do-not-endeavour-to-spread-the",
"summary": "When the friends do not endeavour to spread the message, they fail to remember God befittingly, and will not witness the tokens of assistance and confirmation from the Abhá Kingdom nor comprehend the divine mysteries. However, when the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen the friends do not endeavour to spread the message,\nthey fail to remember God befittingly, and will not witness the\ntokens of assistance and confirmation from the Abhá Kingdom\nnor comprehend the divine mysteries. However, when the tongue of the\nteacher is engaged in teaching, he will naturally himself be\nstimulated, will become a magnet attracting the divine aid and bounty\nof the Kingdom, and will be like unto the bird at the hour of dawn,\nwhich itself becometh exhilarated by its own singing, its warbling\nand its melody.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "212: It is at such times that the friends of God avail ...",
"slug": "sel-212-it-is-at-such-times-that-the-friends-of-god-avail",
"summary": "It is at such times that the friends of God avail themselves of the occasion, seize the opportunity, rush forth and win the prize. If their task is to be confined to good conduct and advice, nothing will be accomplished. They must speak…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt is at such times that the friends of God avail\nthemselves of the occasion, seize the opportunity, rush forth and win\nthe prize. If their task is to be confined to good conduct and\nadvice, nothing will be accomplished. They must speak out, expound\nthe proofs, set forth clear arguments, draw irrefutable conclusions\nestablishing the truth of the manifestation of the Sun of Reality.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "213: The teaching work should under all conditions be ...",
"slug": "sel-213-the-teaching-work-should-under-all-conditions-be",
"summary": "The teaching work should under all conditions be actively pursued by the believers because divine confirmations are dependent upon it. Should a Bahá’í refrain from being fully, vigorously and wholeheartedly involved in the teaching…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"kindness",
"love",
"patience",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe teaching work should under all conditions be\nactively pursued by the believers because divine confirmations are\ndependent upon it. Should a Bahá’í refrain from\nbeing fully, vigorously and wholeheartedly involved in the teaching\nwork he will undoubtedly be deprived of the blessings of the Abhá\nKingdom. Even so, this activity should be tempered with wisdom—not\nthat wisdom which requireth one to be silent and forgetful of such an\nobligation, but rather that which requireth one to display divine\ntolerance, love, kindness, patience, a goodly character, and holy\ndeeds. In brief, encourage the friends individually to teach the\nCause of God and draw their attention to this meaning of wisdom\nmentioned in the Writings, which is itself the essence of teaching\nthe Faith—but all this to be done with the greatest tolerance,\nso that heavenly assistance and divine confirmation may aid the\nfriends.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "214: Follow thou the way of thy Lord, and say not ...",
"slug": "sel-214-follow-thou-the-way-of-thy-lord-and-say-not",
"summary": "Follow thou the way of thy Lord, and say not that which the ears cannot bear to hear, for such speech is like luscious food given to small children. However palatable, rare and rich the food may be, it cannot be assimilated by the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nFollow thou the way of thy Lord, and say not that which\nthe ears cannot bear to hear, for such speech is like luscious food\ngiven to small children. However palatable, rare and rich the food\nmay be, it cannot be assimilated by the digestive organs of a\nsuckling child. Therefore unto every one who hath a right, let his\nsettled measure be given.\n\n‘Not everything that a man knoweth can be\ndisclosed, nor can everything that he can disclose be regarded as\ntimely, nor can every timely utterance be considered as suited to the\ncapacity of those who hear it.’ Such is the consummate wisdom\nto be observed in thy pursuits. Be not oblivious thereof, if thou\nwishest to be a man of action under all conditions. First diagnose\nthe disease and identify the malady, then prescribe the remedy, for\nsuch is the perfect method of the skilful physician.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "215: My hope from the grace of the One true Lord ...",
"slug": "sel-215-my-hope-from-the-grace-of-the-one-true-lord",
"summary": "My hope from the grace of the One true Lord is that thou wilt be enabled to spread the fragrances of God among the tribes. This is extremely…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMy hope from the grace of the One true Lord is that thou\nwilt be enabled to spread the fragrances of God among the tribes.\nThis is extremely important....\n\nIf thou succeedest in rendering this service thou shalt\nexcel and be the leader in the field.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "216: Rest assured that the breathings of the Holy Spirit ...",
"slug": "sel-216-rest-assured-that-the-breathings-of-the-holy-spirit",
"summary": "Rest assured that the breathings of the Holy Spirit will loosen thy tongue. Speak, therefore; speak out with great courage at every meeting. When thou art about to begin thine address, turn first to Bahá’u’lláh, and ask for the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"hope",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nRest assured that the breathings of the Holy Spirit will\nloosen thy tongue. Speak, therefore; speak out with great courage at\nevery meeting. When thou art about to begin thine address, turn first\nto Bahá’u’lláh, and ask for the\nconfirmations of the Holy Spirit, then open thy lips and say whatever\nis suggested to thy heart; this, however, with the utmost courage,\ndignity and conviction. It is my hope that from day to day your\ngatherings will grow and flourish, and that those who are seeking\nafter truth will hearken therein to reasoned arguments and conclusive\nproofs. I am with you heart and soul at every meeting; be sure of\nthis.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "217: The teacher, when teaching, must be himself ...",
"slug": "sel-217-the-teacher-when-teaching-must-be-himself",
"summary": "The teacher, when teaching, must be himself fully enkindled, so that his utterance, like unto a flame of fire, may exert influence and consume the veil of self and passion. He must also be utterly humble and lowly so that others may be…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe teacher, when teaching, must be himself fully\nenkindled, so that his utterance, like unto a flame of fire, may\nexert influence and consume the veil of self and passion. He must\nalso be utterly humble and lowly so that others may be edified, and\nbe totally self-effaced and evanescent so that he may teach with the\nmelody of the Concourse on high—otherwise his teaching will\nhave no effect.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "219: O ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom! Your ...",
"slug": "sel-219-o-ye-sons-and-daughters-of-the-kingdom-your",
"summary": "O ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom! Your letter, which was surely inspired of heaven, hath been received. Its contents were most pleasing, its sentiments arising out of luminous…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"writings",
"healing",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom! Your letter,\nwhich was surely inspired of heaven, hath been received. Its contents\nwere most pleasing, its sentiments arising out of luminous hearts.\n\nThe believers in London are indeed steadfast and true,\nthey are resolute, they are constant in service; when put to the\ntest, they do not falter, nor doth their fire abate with the passage\nof time; rather, they are Bahá’ís. They are of\nheaven, they are filled with light, they are of God. Without any\ndoubt they will become the cause of raising high the Word of God, and\nadvancing the oneness of the world of man; of promoting the teachings\nof God, and spreading far and near the equality of every member of\nthe human race.\n\nIt is easy to approach the Kingdom of Heaven, but hard\nto stand firm and staunch within it, for the tests are rigorous, and\nheavy to bear. But the English remain steadfast under all conditions,\nneither at the first sign of trouble do their footsteps slip. They\nare not changeable, playing fast and loose with some project and soon\ngiving it up. They do not, for some trivial reason, fail in\nenthusiasm and zeal, their interest gone. No, in all they do, they\nare stable, rock-solid and staunch.\n\nAlthough ye dwell in western lands, still, praise be to\nGod, ye did hear His call from out the east and, even as Moses, did\nwarm your hands at the fire kindled in the Asian Tree. Ye did find\nthe true path, were lit like unto lamps, and have come into the\nKingdom of God. And now have ye arisen, out of gratitude for these\nblessings, and ye are asking God’s help for all the peoples of\nthe earth, that their eyes as well may behold the splendours of the\nAbhá Realm, and their hearts, even as mirrors, reflect the\nbright rays of the Sun of Truth.\n\nIt is my hope that the breaths of the Holy Spirit will\nso be breathed into your hearts that your tongues will disclose the\nmysteries, and set forth and expound the inner meanings of the Holy\nBooks; that the friends will become physicians, and will, through the\npotent medicine of the heavenly Teachings, heal the long-standing\ndiseases that afflict the body of this world; that they will make the\nblind to see, the deaf to hear, the dead to come alive; that they\nwill awaken those who are sound asleep.\n\nRest ye assured that the confirmations of the Holy\nSpirit will descend upon you, and that the armies of the Abhá\nKingdom will grant you the victory.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "22: O thou who art turning thy face towards God! ...",
"slug": "sel-22-o-thou-who-art-turning-thy-face-towards-god",
"summary": "O thou who art turning thy face towards God! Close thine eyes to all things else, and open them to the realm of the All-Glorious. Ask whatsoever thou wishest of Him alone; seek whatsoever thou seekest from Him alone. With a look He…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art turning thy face towards God! Close thine\neyes to all things else, and open them to the realm of the\nAll-Glorious. Ask whatsoever thou wishest of Him alone; seek\nwhatsoever thou seekest from Him alone. With a look He granteth a\nhundred thousand hopes, with a glance He healeth a hundred thousand\nincurable ills, with a nod He layeth balm on every wound, with a\nglimpse He freeth the hearts from the shackles of grief. He doeth as\nHe doeth, and what recourse have we? He carrieth out His Will, He\nordaineth what He pleaseth. Then better for thee to bow down thy head\nin submission, and put thy trust in the All-Merciful Lord.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "220: The Lord of all mankind hath fashioned this ...",
"slug": "sel-220-the-lord-of-all-mankind-hath-fashioned-this",
"summary": "The Lord of all mankind hath fashioned this human realm to be a Garden of Eden, an earthly paradise. If, as it must, it findeth the way to harmony and peace, to love and mutual trust, it will become a true abode of bliss, a place of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"exile",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Lord of all mankind hath fashioned this human realm\nto be a Garden of Eden, an earthly paradise. If, as it must, it\nfindeth the way to harmony and peace, to love and mutual trust, it\nwill become a true abode of bliss, a place of manifold blessings and\nunending delights. Therein shall be revealed the excellence of\nhumankind, therein shall the rays of the Sun of Truth shine forth on\nevery hand.\n\nRemember how Adam and the others once dwelt together in\nEden. No sooner, however, did a quarrel break out between Adam and\nSatan than they were, one and all, banished from the Garden, and this\nwas meant as a warning to the human race, a means of telling\nhumankind that dissension—even with the Devil—is the way\nto bitter loss. This is why, in our illumined age, God teacheth that\nconflicts and disputes are not allowable, not even with Satan\nhimself.\n\nGracious God! Even with such a lesson before him, how\nheedless is man! Still do we see his world at war from pole to pole.\nThere is war among the religions; war among the nations; war among\nthe peoples; war among the rulers. What a welcome change would it be,\nif only these black clouds would lift from off the skies of the\nworld, so that the light of reality could be shed abroad! If only the\ndarksome dust of this continual fighting and killing could settle\nforever, and the sweet winds of God’s loving-kindness could\nblow from out the well-spring of peace. Then would this world become\nanother world, and the earth would shine with the light of her Lord.\n\nIf there is any hope, it is solely in the bounties of\nGod: that His strengthening grace will come, and the struggling and\ncontending will cease, and the acid bite of blood-dripping steel will\nbe turned into the honey-dew of friendship and probity and trust. How\nsweet would that day be in the mouth, how fragrant as musk the scent\nthereof.\n\nGod grant that the new year will bring a promise of the\nnew peace. May He enable this distinguished assemblage to conclude a\nfair treaty and establish a just covenant, that you may be blessed\nforever, across the unborn reaches of time.\n\n[Addressed to the readers of The Christian Commonwealth,\n1 January 1913]\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "221: O ye who are steadfast in the Covenant! The ...",
"slug": "sel-221-o-ye-who-are-steadfast-in-the-covenant-the",
"summary": "O ye who are steadfast in the Covenant! The pilgrim hath made mention of each one of you, and hath asked for a separate letter addressed to each, but this wanderer in the wilderness of God’s love is withheld from correspondence by a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"pilgrimage",
"the-covenant",
"family",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"hope",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye who are steadfast in the Covenant! The pilgrim hath\nmade mention of each one of you, and hath asked for a separate letter\naddressed to each, but this wanderer in the wilderness of God’s\nlove is withheld from correspondence by a thousand preoccupations and\nconcerns; and since out of the easts and the wests of the earth there\npoureth a mounting flood of letters upon him, it would be impossible\nto send a separate letter to each one, wherefore this one letter is\naddressed to each of you, that it may, as sealed wine, rejoice your\nsouls and warm your hearts.\n\nO ye steadfast loved ones! The grace of God is beating\ndown upon mankind, even as the rains in spring, and the rays of the\nmanifest Light have made this earth to be the envy of heaven. But\nalas, the blind are deprived of this bounty, the heedless are closed\noff from it, the withered despair of it, the faded are dying away—so\nthat even as flooding waters, this endless stream of grace passeth\nback into its primal source in a hidden sea. Only a few receive this\ngrace and take their share of it. Wherefore, let us put our hopes in\nwhatever the strong arm of the Beloved can bring about.\n\nWe trust that in a time to come the slumberers will\nwaken, and the heedless will be made aware, and the excluded will\nbecome initiates in the mysteries. Now must the friends work on with\nheart and soul and put forth a mighty effort, until the ramparts of\ndissension are toppled down and the glories of the oneness of\nhumanity lead all to unity.\n\nToday the one overriding need is unity and harmony among\nthe beloved of the Lord, for they should have among them but one\nheart and soul and should, so far as in them lieth, unitedly\nwithstand the hostility of all the peoples of the world; they must\nbring to an end the benighted prejudices of all nations and religions\nand must make known to every member of the human race that all are\nthe leaves of one branch, the fruits of one bough.\n\nUntil such time, however, as the friends establish\nperfect unity among themselves, how can they summon others to harmony\nand peace?\n\nThat soul which hath itself not come alive,\n\nCan it then hope another to revive? Reflect ye as to\nother than human forms of life and be ye\n\nadmonished thereby: those clouds that drift apart cannot\nproduce the bounty of the rain, and are soon lost; a flock of sheep,\nonce scattered, falleth prey to the wolf, and birds that fly alone\nwill be caught fast in the claws of the hawk. What greater\ndemonstration could there be that unity leadeth to flourishing life,\nwhile dissension and withdrawing from the others, will lead only to\nmisery; for these are the sure ways to bitter disappointment and\nruin.\n\nThe holy Manifestations of God were sent down to make\nvisible the oneness of humanity. For this did They endure unnumbered\nills and tribulations, that a community from amongst mankind’s\ndivergent peoples could gather within the shadow of the Word of God\nand live as one, and could, with delight and grace, demonstrate on\nearth the unity of humankind. Therefore must the desire of the\nfriends be this, to bring together and unify all peoples, that all\nmay receive a generous drink of this pure wine from this cup that is\n‘tempered at the camphor fountain.’74\nLet them make the differing populations to be as one and induce the\nhostile and murderous kindreds of the earth to love one another\ninstead. Let them loose from their shackles the captives of sensual\ndesires and cause the excluded to become intimates of the mysteries.\nLet them give to the bereft a share of the blessings of these days;\nlet them guide the portionless to inexhaustible treasure. This grace\ncan come about through words and ways and deeds that are of the\nUnseen Kingdom but, lacking such, it can never be.\n\nThe confirmations of God are the surety for these\nblessings; the sacred bounty of God bestoweth these great gifts. The\nfriends of God are supported by the Kingdom on high and they win\ntheir victories through the massed armies of the most great guidance.\nThus for them every difficulty will be made smooth, every problem\nwill most easily be solved.\n\nNote ye how easily, where unity existeth in a given\nfamily, the affairs of that family are conducted; what progress the\nmembers of that family make, how they prosper in the world. Their\nconcerns are in order, they enjoy comfort and tranquillity, they are\nsecure, their position is assured, they come to be envied by all.\nSuch a family but addeth to its stature and its lasting honour, as\nday succeedeth day. And if we widen out the sphere of unity a little\nto include the inhabitants of a village who seek to be loving and\nunited, who associate with and are kind to one another, what great\nadvances they will be seen to make, how secure and protected they\nwill be. Then let us widen out the sphere a little more, let us take\nthe inhabitants of a city, all of them together: if they establish\nthe strongest bonds of unity among themselves, how far they will\nprogress, even in a brief period and what power they will exert. And\nif the sphere of unity be still further widened out, that is, if the\ninhabitants of a whole country develop peaceable hearts, and if with\nall their hearts and souls they yearn to cooperate with one another\nand to live in unity, and if they become kind and loving to one\nanother, that country will achieve undying joy and lasting glory.\nPeace will it have, and plenty, and vast wealth.\n\nNote then: if every clan, tribe, community, every\nnation, country, territory on earth should come together under the\nsingle-hued pavilion of the oneness of mankind, and by the dazzling\nrays of the Sun of Truth should proclaim the universality of man; if\nthey should cause all nations and all creeds to open wide their arms\nto one another, establish a World Council, and proceed to bind the\nmembers of society one to another by strong mutual ties, what would\nhappen then? There is no doubt whatsoever that the divine Beloved, in\nall His endearing beauty, and with Him a massive host of heavenly\nconfirmations and human blessings and bestowals, would appear in His\nfull glory before the assemblage of the world.\n\nWherefore, O ye beloved of the Lord, bestir yourselves,\ndo all in your power to be as one, to live in peace, each with the\nothers: for ye are all the drops from but one ocean, the foliage of\none tree, the pearls from a single shell, the flowers and sweet herbs\nfrom the same one garden. And achieving that, strive ye to unite the\nhearts of those who follow other faiths.\n\nFor one another must ye give up even life itself. To\nevery human being must ye be infinitely kind. Call none a stranger;\nthink none to be your foe. Be ye as if all men were your close kin\nand honoured friends. Walk ye in such wise that this fleeting world\nwill change into a splendour and this dismal heap of dust become a\npalace of delights. Such is the counsel of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,\nthis hapless servant.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "222: O ye homeless and wanderers in the Path of God! ...",
"slug": "sel-222-o-ye-homeless-and-wanderers-in-the-path-of-god",
"summary": "O ye homeless and wanderers in the Path of God! Prosperity, contentment, and freedom, however much desired and conducive to the gladness of the human heart, can in no wise compare with the trials of homelessness and adversity in the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"exile"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"mercy",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye homeless and wanderers in the Path of God!\nProsperity, contentment, and freedom, however much desired and\nconducive to the gladness of the human heart, can in no wise compare\nwith the trials of homelessness and adversity in the pathway of God;\nfor such exile and banishment are blessed by the divine favour, and\nare surely followed by the mercy of Providence. The joy of\ntranquillity in one’s home, and the sweetness of freedom from\nall cares shall pass away, whilst the blessing of homelessness shall\nendure forever, and its far-reaching results shall be made manifest.\n\nAbraham’s migration from His native land caused\nthe bountiful gifts of the All-Glorious to be made manifest, and the\nsetting of Canaan’s brightest star unfolded to the eyes the\nradiance of Joseph. The flight of Moses, the Prophet of Sinai,\nrevealed the Flame of the Lord’s burning Fire, and the rise of\nJesus breathed the breaths of the Holy Spirit into the world. The\ndeparture of Muḥammad, the Beloved of God, from the city of His\nbirth was the cause of the exaltation of God’s Holy Word, and\nthe banishment of the Sacred Beauty led to the diffusion of the light\nof His divine Revelation throughout all regions.\n\nTake ye good heed, O people of insight!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "223: O ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom! Your ...",
"slug": "sel-223-o-ye-sons-and-daughters-of-the-kingdom-your",
"summary": "O ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom! Your letter was received. From its contents it was known that, praise be to God, your hearts are in the utmost purity and your souls rejoice in the glad tidings of God. The mass of the people are…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom! Your letter was\nreceived. From its contents it was known that, praise be to God, your\nhearts are in the utmost purity and your souls rejoice in the glad\ntidings of God. The mass of the people are occupied with self and\nworldly desire, are immersed in the ocean of the nether world and are\ncaptives of the world of nature, save those souls who have been freed\nfrom the chains and fetters of the material world and, like unto\nswift-flying birds, are soaring in this unbounded realm. They are\nawake and vigilant, they shun the obscurity of the world of nature,\ntheir highest wish centereth on the eradication from among men of the\nstruggle for existence, the shining forth of the spirituality and the\nlove of the realm on high, the exercise of utmost kindness among\npeoples, the realization of an intimate and close connection between\nreligions and the practice of the ideal of self-sacrifice. Then will\nthe world of humanity be transformed into the Kingdom of God.\n\nO ye friends, exert ye an effort! Every expenditure is\nin need of an income. This day, in the world of humanity, men are all\nthe time expending, for war is nothing but the consumption of men and\nof wealth. At least engage ye in a deed of profit to the world of\nhumanity that ye may partially compensate for that loss. Perchance,\nthrough the divine confirmations, ye may be assisted in promulgating\namity and concord among men, in substituting love for enmity, in\ncausing universal peace to result from universal war and in\nconverting loss and rancour into profit and love. This wish will be\nrealized through the power of the Kingdom.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "224: O thou servant of God! Thy letter was received. ...",
"slug": "sel-224-o-thou-servant-of-god-thy-letter-was-received",
"summary": "O thou servant of God! Thy letter was received. Its contents were lofty and sublime, and its aim high and far-reaching. The world of humanity is in need of great improvement, for it is a material jungle wherein trees without fruit…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
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"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"transformation"
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"virtues": [
"mercy",
"service"
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"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou servant of God! Thy letter was received. Its\ncontents were lofty and sublime, and its aim high and far-reaching.\nThe world of humanity is in need of great improvement, for it is a\nmaterial jungle wherein trees without fruit flourish and useless\nweeds abound. If at all there is a tree that beareth fruit it is\novershadowed by the fruitless ones, and if a flower groweth in this\njungle it is hidden and concealed. The world of mankind is in need of\nexpert gardeners who may convert these forests into delectable rose\ngardens, may substitute for these barren trees ones that yield fruit,\nand may replace these useless weeds with roses and fragrant herbs.\nThus active souls and vigilant people rest neither by day nor by\nnight; they strive to be closely linked to the divine Kingdom and\nthereby become the manifestations of infinite bounty and ideal\ngardeners for these forests. Thus the world of humanity will be\nwholly transformed and the merciful bounties become manifest.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "225: O ye concourse of the Kingdom of Abhá! Two ...",
"slug": "sel-225-o-ye-concourse-of-the-kingdom-of-abha-two",
"summary": "O ye concourse of the Kingdom of Abhá! Two calls to success and prosperity are being raised from the heights of the happiness of mankind, awakening the slumbering, granting sight to the blind, causing the heedless to become mindful,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"writings",
"exile",
"children",
"family",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"gentleness",
"gratitude",
"hope",
"joy",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"loyalty",
"mercy",
"perseverance",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"unity",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
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"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 19,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye concourse of the Kingdom of Abhá! Two calls\nto success and prosperity are being raised from the heights of the\nhappiness of mankind, awakening the slumbering, granting sight to the\nblind, causing the heedless to become mindful, bestowing hearing upon\nthe deaf, unloosing the tongue of the mute and resuscitating the\ndead.\n\nThe one is the call of civilization, of the progress of\nthe material world. This pertaineth to the world of phenomena,\npromoteth the principles of material achievement, and is the trainer\nfor the physical accomplishments of mankind. It compriseth the laws,\nregulations, arts and sciences through which the world of humanity\nhath developed; laws and regulations which are the outcome of lofty\nideals and the result of sound minds, and which have stepped forth\ninto the arena of existence through the efforts of the wise and\ncultured in past and subsequent ages. The propagator and executive\npower of this call is just government.\n\nThe other is the soul-stirring call of God, Whose\nspiritual teachings are safeguards of the everlasting glory, the\neternal happiness and illumination of the world of humanity, and\ncause attributes of mercy to be revealed in the human world and the\nlife beyond.\n\nThis second call is founded upon the instructions and\nexhortations of the Lord and the admonitions and altruistic emotions\nbelonging to the realm of morality which, like unto a brilliant\nlight, brighten and illumine the lamp of the realities of mankind.\nIts penetrative power is the Word of God.\n\nHowever, until material achievements, physical\naccomplishments and human virtues are reinforced by spiritual\nperfections, luminous qualities and characteristics of mercy, no\nfruit or result shall issue therefrom, nor will the happiness of the\nworld of humanity, which is the ultimate aim, be attained. For\nalthough, on the one hand, material achievements and the development\nof the physical world produce prosperity, which exquisitely manifests\nits intended aims, on the other hand dangers, severe calamities and\nviolent afflictions are imminent.\n\nConsequently, when thou lookest at the orderly pattern\nof kingdoms, cities and villages, with the attractiveness of their\nadornments, the freshness of their natural resources, the refinement\nof their appliances, the ease of their means of travel, the extent of\nknowledge available about the world of nature, the great inventions,\nthe colossal enterprises, the noble discoveries and scientific\nresearches, thou wouldst conclude that civilization conduceth to the\nhappiness and the progress of the human world. Yet shouldst thou turn\nthine eye to the discovery of destructive and infernal machines, to\nthe development of forces of demolition and the invention of fiery\nimplements, which uproot the tree of life, it would become evident\nand manifest unto thee that civilization is conjoined with barbarism.\nProgress and barbarism go hand in hand, unless material civilization\nbe confirmed by Divine Guidance, by the revelations of the\nAll-Merciful and by godly virtues, and be reinforced by spiritual\nconduct, by the ideals of the Kingdom and by the outpourings of the\nRealm of Might.\n\nConsider now, that the most advanced and civilized\ncountries of the world have been turned into arsenals of explosives,\nthat the continents of the globe have been transformed into huge\ncamps and battlefields, that the peoples of the world have formed\nthemselves into armed nations, and that the governments of the world\nare vying with each other as to who will first step into the field of\ncarnage and bloodshed, thus subjecting mankind to the utmost degree\nof affliction.\n\nTherefore, this civilization and material progress\nshould be combined with the Most Great Guidance so that this nether\nworld may become the scene of the appearance of the bestowals of the\nKingdom, and physical achievements may be conjoined with the\neffulgences of the Merciful. This in order that the beauty and\nperfection of the world of man may be unveiled and be manifested\nbefore all in the utmost grace and splendour. Thus everlasting glory\nand happiness shall be revealed.\n\nPraise be to God, throughout succeeding centuries and\nages the call of civilization hath been raised, the world of humanity\nhath been advancing and progressing day by day, various countries\nhave been developing by leaps and bounds, and material improvements\nhave increased, until the world of existence obtained universal\ncapacity to receive the spiritual teachings and to hearken to the\nDivine Call. The suckling babe passeth through various physical\nstages, growing and developing at every stage, until its body\nreacheth the age of maturity. Having arrived at this stage it\nacquireth the capacity to manifest spiritual and intellectual\nperfections. The lights of comprehension, intelligence and knowledge\nbecome perceptible in it and the powers of its soul unfold.\nSimilarly, in the contingent world, the human species hath undergone\nprogressive physical changes and, by a slow process, hath scaled the\nladder of civilization, realizing in itself the wonders, excellencies\nand gifts of humanity in their most glorious form, until it gained\nthe capacity to express the splendours of spiritual perfections and\ndivine ideals and became capable of hearkening to the call of God.\nThen at last the call of the Kingdom was raised, the spiritual\nvirtues and perfections were revealed, the Sun of Reality dawned, and\nthe teachings of the Most Great Peace, of the oneness of the world of\nhumanity and of the universality of men, were promoted. We hope that\nthe effulgence of these rays shall become more and more intense, and\nthe ideal virtues more resplendent, so that the goal of this\nuniversal human process will be attained and the love of God will\nappear in the utmost grace and beauty and bedazzle all hearts.\n\nO ye beloved of God! Know ye, verily, that the happiness\nof mankind lieth in the unity and the harmony of the human race, and\nthat spiritual and material developments are conditioned upon love\nand amity among all men. Consider ye the living creatures, namely\nthose which move upon the earth and those which fly, those which\ngraze and those which devour. Among the beasts of prey each kind\nliveth apart from other species of its genus, observing complete\nantagonism and hostility; and whenever they meet they immediately\nfight and draw blood, gnashing their teeth and baring their claws.\nThis is the way in which ferocious beasts and bloodthirsty wolves\nbehave, carnivorous animals that live by themselves and fight for\ntheir lives. But the docile, good-natured and gentle animals, whether\nthey belong to the flying or grazing species, associate with one\nanother in complete affinity, united in their flocks, and living\ntheir lives with enjoyment, happiness and contentment. Such are the\nbirds that are satisfied with and grateful for a few grains; they\nlive in complete gladness, and break into rich and melodious song\nwhile soaring over meadows, plains, hills and mountains. Similarly\nthose animals which graze, like the sheep, the antelope and the\ngazelle, consort in the greatest amity, intimacy and unity while\nliving in their plains and prairies in a condition of complete\ncontentment. But dogs, wolves, tigers, hyenas and those other beasts\nof prey, are alienated from each other as they hunt and roam about\nalone. The creatures of the fields and birds of the air do not even\nshun or molest one another when they come upon their mutual grazing\nand resting grounds but accept each other with friendliness, unlike\nthe devouring beasts who immediately tear each other apart when one\nintrudes upon the other’s cave or lair; yea, even if one merely\npasseth by the abode of another the latter at once rusheth out to\nattack and if possible kill the former.\n\nTherefore, it hath been made clear and manifest that in\nthe animal kingdom also love and affinity are the fruits of a gentle\ndisposition, a pure nature and praiseworthy character, while discord\nand isolation are characteristic of the fierce beasts of the wild.\n\nThe Almighty hath not created in man the claws and teeth\nof ferocious animals, nay rather hath the human form been fashioned\nand set with the most comely attributes and adorned with the most\nperfect virtues. The honour of this creation and the worthiness of\nthis garment therefore require man to have love and affinity for his\nown kind, nay rather, to act towards all living creatures with\njustice and equity.\n\nSimilarly, consider how the cause of the welfare,\nhappiness, joy and comfort of humankind are amity and union, whereas\ndissension and discord are most conducive to hardship, humiliation,\nagitation and failure.\n\nBut a thousand times alas, that man is negligent and\nunaware of these facts, and daily doth he strut abroad with the\ncharacteristics of a wild beast. Lo! At one moment he turneth into a\nferocious tiger; at the next he becometh a creeping, venomous viper!\nBut the sublime achievements of man reside in those qualities and\nattributes that exclusively pertain to the angels of the Supreme\nConcourse. Therefore, when praiseworthy qualities and high morals\nemanate from man, he becometh a heavenly being, an angel of the\nKingdom, a divine reality and a celestial effulgence. On the other\nhand, when he engageth in warfare, quarrelling and bloodshed, he\nbecometh viler than the most fierce of savage creatures, for if a\nbloodthirsty wolf devoureth a lamb in a single night, man\nslaughtereth a hundred thousand in the field of battle, strewing the\nground with their corpses and kneading the earth with their blood.\n\nIn short, man is endowed with two natures: one tendeth\ntowards moral sublimity and intellectual perfection, while the other\nturneth to bestial degradation and carnal imperfections. If ye travel\nthe countries of the globe ye shall observe on one side the remains\nof ruin and destruction, while on the other ye shall see the signs of\ncivilization and development. Such desolation and ruin are the result\nof war, strife and quarrelling, while all development and progress\nare fruits of the lights of virtue, co-operation and concord.\n\nIf one were to travel through the deserts of Central\nAsia he would observe how many cities, once great and prosperous like\nParis and London, are now demolished and razed to the ground. From\nthe Caspian Sea to the River Oxus there stretch wild and desolate\nplains, deserts, wildernesses and valleys. For two days and two\nnights the Russian railway traverseth the ruined cities and\nuninhabited villages of that wasteland. Formerly that plain bore the\nfruit of the finest civilizations of the past. Tokens of development\nand refinement were apparent all around, arts and sciences were well\nprotected and promoted, professions and industries flourished,\ncommerce and agriculture had reached a high stage of efficiency, and\nthe foundations of government and statesmanship were laid on a strong\nand solid basis. Today that vast stretch of land hath become mostly\nthe shelter and asylum of Turkoman tribes, and an arena for the\nferocious display of wild beasts. The ancient cities of that plain,\nsuch as Gurgán, Nissá, Ábívard and\nShahristán, famous throughout the world for their arts,\nsciences, culture, industry, and well known for their wealth,\ngreatness, prosperity and distinction, have given way to a wilderness\nwherein no voice is heard save the roaring of wild beasts and where\nbloodthirsty wolves roam at will. This destruction and desolation was\nbrought about by war and strife, dissension and discord between the\nPersians and the Turks, who differed in their religion and customs.\nSo rigid was the spirit of religious prejudice that the faithless\nleaders sanctioned the shedding of innocent blood, the ruin of\nproperty and the desecration of family honour. This is to cite only\none illustration.\n\nConsequently, when thou traversest the regions of the\nworld, thou shalt conclude that all progress is the result of\nassociation and co-operation, while ruin is the outcome of animosity\nand hatred. Notwithstanding this, the world of humanity doth not take\nwarning, nor doth it awake from the slumber of heedlessness. Man is\nstill causing differences, quarrels and strife in order to marshal\nthe cohorts of war and, with his legions, rush into the field of\nbloodshed and slaughter.\n\nThen again, consider the phenomenon of composition and\ndecomposition, of existence and non-existence. Every created thing in\nthe contingent world is made up of many and varied atoms, and its\nexistence is dependent on the composition of these. In other words,\nthrough the divine creative power a conjunction of simple elements\ntaketh place so that from this composition a distinct organism is\nproduced. The existence of all things is based upon this principle.\nBut when the order is deranged, decomposition is produced and\ndisintegration setteth in, then that thing ceaseth to exist. That is,\nthe annihilation of all things is caused by decomposition and\ndisintegration. Therefore attraction and composition between the\nvarious elements is the means of life, and discord, decomposition and\ndivision produce death. Thus the cohesive and attractive forces in\nall things lead to the appearance of fruitful results and effects,\nwhile estrangement and alienation of things lead to disturbance and\nannihilation. Through affinity and attraction all living things like\nplants, animals and men come into existence, while division and\ndiscord bring about decomposition and destruction.\n\nConsequently, that which is conducive to association and\nattraction and unity among the sons of men is the means of the life\nof the world of humanity, and whatever causeth division, repulsion\nand remoteness leadeth to the death of humankind.\n\nAnd if, as thou passest by fields and plantations, thou\nobservest that the plants, flowers and sweet-smelling herbs are\ngrowing luxuriantly together, forming a pattern of unity, this is an\nevidence of the fact that that plantation and garden is flourishing\nunder the care of a skilful gardener. But when thou seest it in a\nstate of disorder and irregularity thou inferrest that it hath lacked\nthe training of an efficient farmer and thus hath produced weeds and\ntares.\n\nIt therefore becometh manifest that amity and cohesion\nare indicative of the training of the Real Educator, and dispersion\nand separation a proof of savagery and deprivation of divine\neducation.\n\nA critic may object, saying that peoples, races, tribes\nand communities of the world are of different and varied customs,\nhabits, tastes, character, inclinations and ideas, that opinions and\nthoughts are contrary to one another, and how, therefore, is it\npossible for real unity to be revealed and perfect accord among human\nsouls to exist?\n\nIn answer we say that differences are of two kinds. One\nis the cause of annihilation and is like the antipathy existing among\nwarring nations and conflicting tribes who seek each other’s\ndestruction, uprooting one another’s families, depriving one\nanother of rest and comfort and unleashing carnage. The other kind\nwhich is a token of diversity is the essence of perfection and the\ncause of the appearance of the bestowals of the Most Glorious Lord.\n\nConsider the flowers of a garden: though differing in\nkind, colour, form and shape, yet, inasmuch as they are refreshed by\nthe waters of one spring, revived by the breath of one wind,\ninvigorated by the rays of one sun, this diversity increaseth their\ncharm, and addeth unto their beauty. Thus when that unifying force,\nthe penetrating influence of the Word of God, taketh effect, the\ndifference of customs, manners, habits, ideas, opinions and\ndispositions embellisheth the world of humanity. This diversity, this\ndifference is like the naturally created dissimilarity and variety of\nthe limbs and organs of the human body, for each one contributeth to\nthe beauty, efficiency and perfection of the whole. When these\ndifferent limbs and organs come under the influence of man’s\nsovereign soul, and the soul’s power pervadeth the limbs and\nmembers, veins and arteries of the body, then difference reinforceth\nharmony, diversity strengtheneth love, and multiplicity is the\ngreatest factor for co-ordination.\n\nHow unpleasing to the eye if all the flowers and plants,\nthe leaves and blossoms, the fruits, the branches and the trees of\nthat garden were all of the same shape and colour! Diversity of hues,\nform and shape, enricheth and adorneth the garden, and heighteneth\nthe effect thereof. In like manner, when divers shades of thought,\ntemperament and character, are brought together under the power and\ninfluence of one central agency, the beauty and glory of human\nperfection will be revealed and made manifest. Naught but the\ncelestial potency of the Word of God, which ruleth and transcendeth\nthe realities of all things, is capable of harmonizing the divergent\nthoughts, sentiments, ideas, and convictions of the children of men.\nVerily, it is the penetrating power in all things, the mover of souls\nand the binder and regulator in the world of humanity.\n\nPraise be to God, today the splendour of the Word of God\nhath illumined every horizon, and from all sects, races, tribes,\nnations, and communities souls have come together in the light of the\nWord, assembled, united and agreed in perfect harmony. Oh! What a\ngreat number of meetings are held adorned with souls from various\nraces and diverse sects! Anyone attending these will be struck with\namazement, and might suppose that these souls are all of one land,\none nationality, one community, one thought, one belief and one\nopinion; whereas, in fact, one is an American, the other an African,\none cometh from Asia and another from Europe, one is a native of\nIndia, another is from Turkestan, one is an Arab, another a Tajik,\nanother a Persian and yet another a Greek. Notwithstanding such\ndiversity they associate in perfect harmony and unity, love and\nfreedom; they have one voice, one thought and one purpose. Verily,\nthis is from the penetrative power of the Word of God! If all the\nforces of the universe were to combine they would not be able thus to\ngather a single assemblage so imbued with the sentiments of love,\naffection, attraction and enkindlement as to unite the members of\ndifferent races and to raise up from the heart of the world a voice\nthat shall dispel war and strife, uproot dissension and disputation,\nusher in the era of universal peace and establish unity and concord\namongst men.\n\nCan any power withstand the penetrative influence of the\nWord of God? Nay, by God! The proof is clear and the evidence is\ncomplete! If anyone looketh with the eyes of justice he shall be\nstruck with wonder and amazement and will testify that all the\npeoples, sects and races of the world should be glad, content and\ngrateful for the teachings and admonitions of Bahá’u’lláh.\nFor these divine injunctions tame every ferocious beast, transform\nthe creeping insect into a soaring bird, cause human souls to become\nangels of the Kingdom, and make the human world a focus for the\nqualities of mercy.\n\nFurthermore each and every one is required to show\nobedience, submission and loyalty towards his own government. Today\nno state in the world is in a condition of peace or tranquillity, for\nsecurity and trust have vanished from among the people. Both the\ngoverned and the governors are alike in danger. The only group of\npeople which today submitteth peacefully and loyally to the laws and\nordinances of government and dealeth honestly and frankly with the\npeople, is none other than this wronged community. For while all\nsects and races in Persia and Turkestan are absorbed in promoting\ntheir own interests and only obey their governments either with the\nhope of reward or from fear of punishment, the Bahá’ís\nare the well-wishers of the government, obedient to its laws and\nbearing love towards all peoples.\n\nSuch obedience and submission is made incumbent and\nobligatory upon all by the clear Text of the Abhá Beauty.\nTherefore the believers, in obedience to the command of the True One,\nshow the utmost sincerity and goodwill towards all nations; and\nshould any soul act contrary to the laws of the government he would\nconsider himself responsible before God, deserving divine wrath and\nchastisement for his sin and wrongdoing. It is astonishing that, in\nspite of this, some of the officials of the government consider the\nBahá’ís to be ill-wishers while they regard the\nmembers of other communities as their well-wishers. Gracious God!\nRecently, when there was general revolution and agitation in Ṭihrán\nand in other provinces of Persia, it was proven that not a single\nBahá’í had taken part nor intervened in these\naffairs. For this reason they were reproached by the ignorant because\nthey had obeyed the command of the Blessed Perfection and refrained\nabsolutely from interference in political matters. They were not\nassociated with any party, but busied themselves with their own\naffairs and professions and discharged their own duties.\n\nAll the friends of God bear witness to the fact that\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá is, from every standpoint, the\nwell-wisher of all governments and nations, and prayeth sincerely for\ntheir progress and advancement, especially for the two great states\nof the east, for these two countries are the native land and the\nplace of exile of Bahá’u’lláh. In all\nepistles and writings he hath commended and praised these two\ngovernments and hath supplicated divine confirmations for them from\nthe Threshold of the One true God. The Abhá Beauty—may\nmy life be a sacrifice for His loved ones—hath offered prayers\non behalf of Their Imperial Majesties. Gracious God! How strange\nthat, notwithstanding these conclusive proofs, every day some event\ntranspireth and difficulties arise. But we, and the friends of God,\nshould on no account slacken our efforts to be loyal, sincere and men\nof good will. We should at all times manifest our truthfulness and\nsincerity, nay rather, we must be constant in our faithfulness and\ntrustworthiness, and occupy ourselves in offering prayers for the\ngood of all.\n\nO ye beloved of God, these are days for steadfastness,\nfor firmness and perseverance in the Cause of God. Ye must not focus\nyour attention upon the person of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,\nfor erelong he will bid you farewell. Rather must ye fix your gaze\nupon the Word of God. If the Word of God is being promoted, rejoice\nand be happy and thankful, though ‘Abdu’l-Bahá\nhimself be threatened by the sword or burdened by the weight of\nchains and fetters. For the Holy Temple of the Cause of God is\nimportant, not the physical body of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.\nThe friends of God must arise with such steadfastness that if, at any\nmoment, a hundred souls like ‘Abdu’l-Bahá become\nthe target for the arrows of affliction, they will not shift or waver\nin their resolve, their determination, their enkindlement, their\ndevotion and service in the Cause of God. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá\nis himself a servant at the Threshold of the Blessed Beauty and a\nmanifestation of pure and utter servitude at the Threshold of the\nAlmighty. He hath no other station or title, no other rank or power.\nThis is my ultimate Purpose, my eternal Paradise, my holiest Temple\nand my Sadratu’l-Muntahá. With the Abhá Blessed\nBeauty and the Exalted One, His Herald—may my life be a\nsacrifice for Them both—hath ended the appearance of God’s\nindependent and universal Manifestation. And for a thousand years all\nshall be illumined by His lights and be sustained by the ocean of His\nfavours.\n\nO ye lovers of God! This, verily, is my last wish and my\nadmonition unto you. Blessed, therefore, is he who is aided by God to\nfollow that which is inscribed upon this scroll whose words are\nsanctified from the symbols current amongst men.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "226: O thou servant of God! Thy letter was received, ...",
"slug": "sel-226-o-thou-servant-of-god-thy-letter-was-received",
"summary": "O thou servant of God! Thy letter was received, and was the cause of gladness. Thou hast expressed thine ardent wish that I should attend the Peace Congress. I do not present myself at such political conferences, for the establishment…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou servant of God! Thy letter was received, and was\nthe cause of gladness. Thou hast expressed thine ardent wish that I\nshould attend the Peace Congress. I do not present myself at such\npolitical conferences, for the establishment of peace is unachievable\nsave through the power of the Word of God. When a conference is\nconvened, representative of all nations and working under the\ninfluence of the Word of God, then universal peace will be\nestablished but otherwise it is impossible.\n\nAt present it is certain that temporary peace is\nestablished but it is not lasting. All governments and nations have\nbecome tired of war, of the difficulties of travel, of huge\nexpenditures, of the loss of life, of the affliction of women, of the\ngreat number of orphans, and they are driven by force to peace. But\nthis peace is not permanent, it is temporary.\n\nWe hope that the power of the Word of God will establish\na peace that shall eternally remain effective and secure.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "229: O sincere servant of the True One! I hear thou ...",
"slug": "sel-229-o-sincere-servant-of-the-true-one-i-hear-thou",
"summary": "O sincere servant of the True One! I hear thou art grieved and distressed at the happenings of the world and the vicissitudes of fortune. Wherefore this fear and sorrow? The true lovers of the Abhá Beauty, and they that have quaffed the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO sincere servant of the True One! I hear thou art\ngrieved and distressed at the happenings of the world and the\nvicissitudes of fortune. Wherefore this fear and sorrow? The true\nlovers of the Abhá Beauty, and they that have quaffed the Cup\nof the Covenant fear no calamity, nor feel depressed in the hour of\ntrial. They regard the fire of adversity as their garden of delight,\nand the depth of the sea the expanse of heaven.\n\nThou who art neath the shelter of God, and under the\nshadow of the Tree of His Covenant, why sorrow and repine? Rest thou\nassured and feel confident. Observe the written commandments of thy\nLord with joy and peace, with earnestness and sincerity; and be thou\nthe well-wisher of thy country and thy government. His grace shall\nassist thee at all times, His blessings shall be bestowed upon thee,\nand thy heart’s desire shall be realized.\n\nBy the Ancient Beauty!—may my life be a sacrifice\nfor His loved ones—Were the friends to realize what a glorious\nsovereignty the Lord hath destined for them in His Kingdom, surely\nthey would be filled with ecstasy, would behold themselves crowned\nwith immortal glory and carried away with transports of delight.\nErelong it shall be made manifest how brilliantly the light of His\nbountiful care and mercy hath shone upon His loved ones, and what a\nturbulent ocean hath been stirred in their hearts! Then will they\nclamour and exclaim: Happy are we; let all the world rejoice!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "23: O thou who dost search after truth! Thy letter of ...",
"slug": "sel-23-o-thou-who-dost-search-after-truth-thy-letter-of",
"summary": "O thou who dost search after truth! Thy letter of 13 December 1920 hath…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"kindness",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who dost search after truth! Thy letter of 13\nDecember 1920 hath come.\n\nFrom the days of Adam until today, the religions of God\nhave been made manifest, one following the other, and each one of\nthem fulfilled its due function, revived mankind, and provided\neducation and enlightenment. They freed the people from the darkness\nof the world of nature and ushered them into the brightness of the\nKingdom. As each succeeding Faith and Law became revealed it remained\nfor some centuries a richly fruitful tree and to it was committed the\nhappiness of humankind. However, as the centuries rolled by, it aged,\nit flourished no more and put forth no fruit, wherefore was it then\nmade young again.\n\nThe religion of God is one religion, but it must ever be\nrenewed. Moses, for example, was sent forth to man and He established\na Law, and the Children of Israel, through that Mosaic Law, were\ndelivered out of their ignorance and came into the light; they were\nlifted up from their abjectness and attained to a glory that fadeth\nnot. Still, as the long years wore on, that radiance passed by, that\nsplendour set, that bright day turned to night; and once that night\ngrew triply dark, the star of the Messiah dawned, so that again a\nglory lit the world.\n\nOur meaning is this: the religion of God is one, and it\nis the educator of humankind, but still, it needs must be made new.\nWhen thou dost plant a tree, its height increaseth day by day. It\nputteth forth blossoms and leaves and luscious fruits. But after a\nlong time, it doth grow old, yielding no fruitage any more. Then doth\nthe Husbandman of Truth take up the seed from that same tree, and\nplant it in a pure soil; and lo, there standeth the first tree, even\nas it was before.\n\nNote thou carefully that in this world of being, all\nthings must ever be made new. Look at the material world about thee,\nsee how it hath now been renewed. The thoughts have changed, the ways\nof life have been revised, the sciences and arts show a new vigour,\ndiscoveries and inventions are new, perceptions are new. How then\ncould such a vital power as religion—the guarantor of mankind’s\ngreat advances, the very means of attaining everlasting life, the\nfosterer of infinite excellence, the light of both worlds—not\nbe made new? This would be incompatible with the grace and\nloving-kindness of the Lord.\n\nReligion, moreover, is not a series of beliefs, a set of\ncustoms; religion is the teachings of the Lord God, teachings which\nconstitute the very life of humankind, which urge high thoughts upon\nthe mind, refine the character, and lay the groundwork for man’s\neverlasting honour.\n\nNote thou: could these fevers in the world of the mind,\nthese fires of war and hate, of resentment and malice among the\nnations, this aggression of peoples against peoples, which have\ndestroyed the tranquillity of the whole world ever be made to abate,\nexcept through the living waters of the teachings of God? No, never!\n\nAnd this is clear: a power above and beyond the powers\nof nature must needs be brought to bear, to change this black\ndarkness into light, and these hatreds and resentments, grudges and\nspites, these endless wrangles and wars, into fellowship and love\namongst all the peoples of the earth. This power is none other than\nthe breathings of the Holy Spirit and the mighty inflow of the Word\nof God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "230: O respected personage! Thy second letter dated ...",
"slug": "sel-230-o-respected-personage-thy-second-letter-dated",
"summary": "O respected personage! Thy second letter dated 19 December 1918 was received. It was the cause of great joy and gladness, for it showed thy firmness and steadfastness in the Covenant and Testament and thy yearning to raise the call of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"mercy",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO respected personage! Thy second letter dated 19\nDecember 1918 was received. It was the cause of great joy and\ngladness, for it showed thy firmness and steadfastness in the\nCovenant and Testament and thy yearning to raise the call of the\nKingdom of God. Today the call of the Kingdom is the magnetic power\nwhich draweth to itself the world of mankind, for capacity in men is\ngreat. Divine teachings constitute the spirit of this age, nay rather\nthe sun of this age. Every soul must endeavour that the veils that\ncover men’s eyes may be torn asunder and that instantly the sun\nmay be seen and that heart and sight may be illumined thereby.\n\nNow, through the aid and bounty of God, this power of\nguidance and this merciful bestowal are found in thee. Arise,\ntherefore, in the utmost Power that thou mayest bestow spirit upon\nmouldering bones, give sight to the blind, balm and freshness to the\ndepressed, and liveliness and grace to the dispirited. Every lamp\nwill eventually be extinguished save the lamp of the Kingdom, which\nincreaseth day by day in splendour. Every call shall ultimately\nweaken except the call to the Kingdom of God, which day unto day is\nraised. Every path shall finally be twisted except the road of the\nKingdom, which straighteneth day by day. Undoubtedly heavenly melody\nis not to be measured with an earthly one, and artificial lights are\nnot to be compared with the heavenly Sun. Hence one must exert\nendeavour in whatever is lasting and permanent so that one may more\nand more be illumined, strengthened and revived....\n\nI pray and supplicate the Divine Kingdom that thy\nfather, mother and brother may, through the light of guidance, enter\nthe Kingdom of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "231: O thou blossom on the Tree of Life! Happy art ...",
"slug": "sel-231-o-thou-blossom-on-the-tree-of-life-happy-art",
"summary": "O thou blossom on the Tree of Life! Happy art thou to have girded thy loins in service; to have risen with all thy power in the promulgation of the divine teachings, to have convened gatherings and to have striven for the exaltation of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou blossom on the Tree of Life! Happy art thou to\nhave girded thy loins in service; to have risen with all thy power in\nthe promulgation of the divine teachings, to have convened gatherings\nand to have striven for the exaltation of the Word of God.\n\nIn this mortal world every important matter hath an end;\nand every remarkable achievement a termination; none having permanent\nexistence. For instance, consider how the important achievements of\nthe ancient world have been totally exterminated and not a trace\nremaineth therefrom save the great Cause of the Kingdom of God, which\nhath no beginning and will have no end. At most, it is only renewed.\nAt the beginning of each renewal it commandeth no attention in the\nsight of the people, but when once definitely established, it will\ndaily advance and in its daily exaltation will reach the supreme\nheavens.\n\nFor instance, consider the day of Christ, which was the\nday of the renewal of the Kingdom of God. The people of the world\nattached no importance to it and did not realize its significance to\nsuch an extent that the sepulchre of Christ remained lost and unknown\nfor three hundred years, until the maidservant of God, Helen, the\nmother of Constantine arrived and discovered the sacred spot.\n\nMy purpose in all this is to show how unobservant are\nthe people of the world and how ignorant, and on the day of the\nestablishment of the Kingdom, they remain heedless and negligent.\n\nErelong the power of the Kingdom will encompass all the\nworld and then they will be awakened and will cry and lament over\nthose who were oppressed and martyred, and will sigh and moan. Such\nis the nature of people.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "232: As to President Wilson, the fourteen principles ...",
"slug": "sel-232-as-to-president-wilson-the-fourteen-principles",
"summary": "As to President Wilson, the fourteen principles which he hath enunciated are mostly found in the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh and I therefore hope that he will be confirmed and assisted. Now is the dawn of universal peace; my hope is that…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAs to President Wilson, the fourteen principles which he\nhath enunciated are mostly found in the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh\nand I therefore hope that he will be confirmed and assisted. Now is\nthe dawn of universal peace; my hope is that its morn will fully\nbreak, converting the gloom of war, of strife and of wrangling among\nmen into the light of union, of harmony and of affection.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "233: O ye faithful friends, O ye sincere servants of ...",
"slug": "sel-233-o-ye-faithful-friends-o-ye-sincere-servants-of",
"summary": "O ye faithful friends, O ye sincere servants of Bahá’u’lláh! Now, in the midwatches of the night, when eyes are closed in slumber and all have laid their heads upon the couch of rest and deep sleep, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is wakeful within the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"gentleness",
"humility",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye faithful friends, O ye sincere servants of\nBahá’u’lláh! Now, in the midwatches of the\nnight, when eyes are closed in slumber and all have laid their heads\nupon the couch of rest and deep sleep, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá\nis wakeful within the precincts of the Hallowed Shrine and, in the\nardour of his invocation uttereth this, his prayer:\n\nO Thou kind and loving Providence! The east is astir and\nthe west surgeth even as the eternal billows of the sea. The gentle\nbreezes of holiness are diffused and, from the Unseen Kingdom, the\nrays of the Orb of Truth shine forth resplendent. The anthems of\ndivine unity are being chanted and the ensigns of celestial might are\nwaving. The angelic Voice is raised and, even as the roaring of the\nleviathan, soundeth the call to selflessness and evanescence. The\ntriumphal cry Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá\nresoundeth on every side, and the call Yá ‘Alíyyu’l-A‘lá\nringeth throughout all regions. No stir is there in the world save\nthat of the Glory of the One Ravisher of Hearts, and no tumult is\nthere save the surging of the love of Him, the Incomparable, the\nWell-Beloved.\n\nThe beloved of the Lord, with their musk-scented breath,\nburn like bright candles in every clime, and the friends of the\nAll-Merciful, even as unfolding flowers, can be found in all regions.\nNot for a moment do they rest; they breathe not but in remembrance of\nThee, and crave naught but to serve Thy Cause. In the meadows of\ntruth they are as sweet-singing nightingales, and in the\nflower-garden of guidance they are even as brightly-coloured\nblossoms. With mystic flowers they adorn the walks of the Garden of\nReality; as swaying cypresses they line the riverbanks of the Divine\nWill. Above the horizon of being they shine as radiant stars; in the\nfirmament of the world they gleam as resplendent orbs. Manifestations\nof celestial grace are they, and daysprings of the light of divine\nassistance.\n\nGrant, O Thou Loving Lord, that all may stand firm and\nsteadfast, shining with everlasting splendour, so that, at every\nbreath, gentle breezes may blow from the bowers of Thy\nloving-kindness, that from the ocean of Thy grace a mist may rise,\nthat the kindly showers of Thy love may bestow freshness, and the\nzephyr waft its perfume from the rose garden of divine unity.\n\nVouchsafe, O Best Beloved of the World, a ray from Thy\nSplendour. O Well-Beloved of mankind, shed upon us the light of Thy\nCountenance.\n\nO God Omnipotent, do Thou shield us and be our refuge\nand, O Lord of Being, show forth Thy might and Thy dominion.\n\nO Thou loving Lord, the movers of sedition are in some\nregions astir and active, and by night and day are inflicting a\ngrievous wrong.\n\nEven as wolves, tyrants are lying in wait, and the\nwronged, innocent flock hath neither help nor succour. Hounds are on\nthe trail of the gazelles of the fields of divine unity, and the\npheasant in the mountains of heavenly guidance is pursued by the\nravens of envy.\n\nO Thou divine Providence, preserve and protect us! O\nThou Who art our Shield, save us and defend us! Keep us beneath Thy\nShelter, and by Thy Help save us from all ills. Thou art, indeed, the\nTrue Protector, the Unseen Guardian, the Celestial Preserver, and the\nHeavenly Loving Lord.\n\nO ye beloved of the Lord! On one side the standard of\nthe One True God is unfurled and the Voice of the Kingdom raised. The\nCause of God is spreading, and manifest in splendour are the wonders\nfrom on high. The east is illumined and the west perfumed; fragrant\nwith ambergris is the north, and musk-scented the south.\n\nOn the other side the faithless wax in hate and rancour,\nceaselessly stirring up grievous sedition and mischief. No day goeth\nby but someone raiseth the standard of revolt and spurreth his\ncharger into the arena of discord. No hour passeth but the vile adder\nbareth its fangs and scattereth its deadly venom.\n\nThe beloved of the Lord are wrapped in utter sincerity\nand devotion, unmindful of this rancour and malice. Smooth and\ninsidious are these snakes, these whisperers of evil, artful in their\ncraft and guile. Be ye on your guard and ever wakeful! Quick-witted\nand keen of intellect are the faithful, and firm and steadfast are\nthe assured. Act ye with all circumspection!\n\n‘Fear ye the sagacity of the faithful, for he\nseeth with the divine light!’\n\nBeware lest any soul privily cause disruption or stir up\nstrife. In the Impregnable Stronghold be ye brave warriors, and for\nthe Mighty Mansion a valiant host. Exercise the utmost care, and day\nand night be on your guard, that thereby the tyrant may inflict no\nharm.\n\nStudy the Tablet of the Holy Mariner that ye may know\nthe truth and consider that the Blessed Beauty hath fully foretold\nfuture events. Let them who perceive take warning. Verily in this is\na bounty for the sincere!\n\nEven as dust upon the Sacred Threshold, in utter\nhumility and lowliness, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is engaged in\nthe promulgation of His signs in the daytime and in the night season.\nWhensoever he findeth time he prayeth ardently, and beseecheth Him\ntearfully and fervently, saying:\n\nO Thou divine Providence, pitiful are we, grant us Thy\nsuccour; homeless wanderers, give us Thy shelter; scattered, do Thou\nunite us; astray, gather us to Thy fold; bereft, do Thou bestow upon\nus a share and portion; athirst, lead us to the well-spring of Life;\nfrail, strengthen us that we may arise to help Thy Cause and offer\nourselves as a living sacrifice in the pathway of guidance.\n\nThe faithless, however, by day and night, openly and\nprivily do their utmost to shake the foundations of the Cause, to\nroot out the Blessed Tree, to deprive this servant of service, to\nkindle secret sedition and strife and to annihilate ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.\nOutwardly they appear as sheep, yet inwardly they are naught but\nravening wolves. Sweet in words, they are but at heart a deadly\npoison.\n\nO ye beloved ones, guard the Cause of God! Let no\nsweetness of tongue beguile you—nay, rather consider the motive\nof every soul, and ponder the thought he cherisheth. Be ye\nstraightway mindful and on your guard. Avoid him, yet be not\naggressive! Refrain from censure and from slander, and leave him in\nthe Hand of God. Upon you rest the Glory of Glories.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "234: O thou who art enraptured by the sweet breathings ...",
"slug": "sel-234-o-thou-who-art-enraptured-by-the-sweet-breathings",
"summary": "O thou who art enraptured by the sweet breathings of the Lord! I have noted the contents of thine eloquent letter, and have learned that thou sheddest tears and thy heart is afire from grieving over the imprisonment of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"martyrdom",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art enraptured by the sweet breathings of the\nLord! I have noted the contents of thine eloquent letter, and have\nlearned that thou sheddest tears and thy heart is afire from grieving\nover the imprisonment of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.\n\nO thou handmaid of God! This prison is sweeter to me and\nmore to be desired than a garden of flowers; to me, this bondage is\nbetter than the freedom to go my way, and I find this narrow place\nmore spacious than wide and open plains. Do not grieve over me. And\nshould my Lord decree that I be blessed with sweet martyrdom’s\ncup, this would but mean receiving what I long for most.\n\nFear not if this Branch be severed from this material\nworld and cast aside its leaves; nay, the leaves thereof shall\nflourish, for this Branch will grow after it is cut off from this\nworld below, it shall reach the loftiest pinnacles of glory, and it\nshall bear such fruits as will perfume the world with their\nfragrance.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "235: O God, my God! Illumine the brows of Thy true ...",
"slug": "sel-235-o-god-my-god-illumine-the-brows-of-thy-true",
"summary": "O God, my God! Illumine the brows of Thy true lovers and support them with angelic hosts of certain triumph. Set firm their feet on Thy straight path, and out of Thine ancient bounty open before them the portals of Thy blessings; for…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"generosity",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO God, my God! Illumine the brows of Thy true lovers and\nsupport them with angelic hosts of certain triumph. Set firm their\nfeet on Thy straight path, and out of Thine ancient bounty open\nbefore them the portals of Thy blessings; for they are expending on\nThy pathway what Thou hast bestowed upon them, safeguarding Thy\nFaith, putting their trust in their remembrance of Thee, offering up\ntheir hearts for love of Thee, and withholding not what they possess\nin adoration for Thy Beauty and in their search for ways to please\nThee.\n\nO my Lord! Ordain for them a plenteous share, a destined\nrecompense and sure reward.\n\nVerily, Thou art the Sustainer, the Helper, the\nGenerous, the Bountiful, the Ever-Bestowing.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "236: O Thou, my God, Who guidest the seeker to the ...",
"slug": "sel-236-o-thou-my-god-who-guidest-the-seeker-to-the",
"summary": "O Thou, my God, Who guidest the seeker to the pathway that leadeth aright, Who deliverest the lost and blinded soul out of the wastes of perdition, Thou Who bestowest upon the sincere great bounties and favours, Who guardest the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"healing",
"recognition",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"generosity",
"joy",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Thou, my God, Who guidest the seeker to the pathway\nthat leadeth aright, Who deliverest the lost and blinded soul out of\nthe wastes of perdition, Thou Who bestowest upon the sincere great\nbounties and favours, Who guardest the frightened within Thine\nimpregnable refuge, Who answerest, from Thine all-highest horizon,\nthe cry of those who cry out unto Thee. Praised be Thou, O my Lord!\nThou hast guided the distracted out of the death of unbelief, and\nhast brought those who draw nigh unto Thee to the journey’s\ngoal, and hast rejoiced the assured among Thy servants by granting\nthem their most cherished desires, and hast, from Thy Kingdom of\nbeauty, opened before the faces of those who yearn after Thee the\ngates of reunion, and hast rescued them from the fires of deprivation\nand loss—so that they hastened unto Thee and gained Thy\npresence, and arrived at Thy welcoming door, and received of gifts an\nabundant share.\n\nO my Lord, they thirsted, Thou didst lift to their\nparched lips the waters of reunion. O Tender One, Bestowing One, Thou\ndidst calm their pain with the balm of Thy bounty and grace, and\ndidst heal their ailments with the sovereign medicine of Thy\ncompassion. O Lord, make firm their feet on Thy straight path, make\nwide for them the needle’s eye, and cause them, dressed in\nroyal robes, to walk in glory for ever and ever.\n\nVerily art Thou the Generous, the Ever-Giving, the\nPrecious, the Most Bountiful. There is none other God but Thee, the\nMighty, the Powerful, the Exalted, the Victorious.\n\nO my spiritual loved ones! Praise be to God, ye have\nthrust the veils aside and recognized the compassionate Beloved, and\nhave hastened away from this abode to the placeless realm. Ye have\npitched your tents in the world of God, and to glorify Him, the\nSelf-Subsistent, ye have raised sweet voices and sung songs that\npierced the heart. Well done! A thousand times well done! For ye have\nbeheld the Light made manifest, and in your reborn beings ye have\nraised the cry, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the best of all\ncreators!’ Ye were but babes in the womb, then were ye\nsucklings, and from a precious breast ye drew the milk of knowledge,\nthen came ye to your full growth, and won salvation. Now is the time\nfor service, and for servitude unto the Lord. Release yourselves from\nall distracting thoughts, deliver the Message with an eloquent\ntongue, adorn your assemblages with praise of the Beloved, till\nbounty shall descend in overwhelming floods and dress the world in\nfresh greenery and blossoms. This streaming bounty is even the\ncounsels, admonitions, instructions, and injunctions of Almighty God.\n\n\nO ye my loved ones! The world is wrapped in the thick\ndarkness of open revolt and swept by a whirlwind of hate. It is the\nfires of malevolence that have cast up their flames to the clouds of\nheaven, it is a blood-drenched flood that rolleth across the plains\nand down the hills, and no one on the face of the earth can find any\npeace. Therefore must the friends of God engender that tenderness\nwhich cometh from Heaven, and bestow love in the spirit upon all\nhumankind. With every soul must they deal according to the Divine\ncounsellings and admonitions; to all must they show forth kindness\nand good faith; to all must they wish well. They must sacrifice\nthemselves for their friends, and wish good fortune to their foes.\nThey must comfort the ill-natured, and treat their oppressors with\nloving-kindness. They must be as refreshing water to the thirsty, and\nto the sick, a swift remedy, a healing balm to those in pain and a\nsolace to every burdened heart. They must be a guiding light to those\nwho have gone astray, a sure leader for the lost. They must be seeing\neyes to the blind, hearing ears to the deaf, and to the dead eternal\nlife, and to the despondent joy forever.\n\nLet them willingly subject themselves to every just\nking, and to every generous ruler be good citizens. Let them obey the\ngovernment and not meddle in political affairs, but devote themselves\nto the betterment of character and behaviour, and fix their gaze upon\nthe Light of the world.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "237: Whoso reciteth this prayer with lowliness and ...",
"slug": "sel-237-whoso-reciteth-this-prayer-with-lowliness-and",
"summary": "Whoso reciteth this prayer with lowliness and fervour will bring gladness and joy to the heart of this Servant; it will be even as meeting Him face to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhoso reciteth this prayer with lowliness and fervour\nwill bring gladness and joy to the heart of this Servant; it will be\neven as meeting Him face to face.\n\nHe is the All-Glorious!\n\nO God, my God! Lowly and tearful, I raise my suppliant\nhands to Thee and cover my face in the dust of that Threshold of\nThine, exalted above the knowledge of the learned, and the praise of\nall that glorify Thee. Graciously look upon Thy servant, humble and\nlowly at Thy door, with the glances of the eye of Thy mercy, and\nimmerse him in the Ocean of Thine eternal grace.\n\nLord! He is a poor and lowly servant of Thine,\nenthralled and imploring Thee, captive in Thy hand, praying fervently\nto Thee, trusting in Thee, in tears before Thy face, calling to Thee\nand beseeching Thee, saying:\n\nO Lord, my God! Give me Thy grace to serve Thy loved\nones, strengthen me in my servitude to Thee, illumine my brow with\nthe light of adoration in Thy court of holiness, and of prayer to Thy\nKingdom of grandeur. Help me to be selfless at the heavenly entrance\nof Thy gate, and aid me to be detached from all things within Thy\nholy precincts. Lord! Give me to drink from the chalice of\nselflessness; with its robe clothe me, and in its ocean immerse me.\nMake me as dust in the pathway of Thy loved ones, and grant that I\nmay offer up my soul for the earth ennobled by the footsteps of Thy\nchosen ones in Thy path, O Lord of Glory in the Highest.\n\nWith this prayer doth Thy servant call Thee, at dawntide\nand in the night-season. Fulfil his heart’s desire, O Lord!\nIllumine his heart, gladden his bosom, kindle his light, that he may\nserve Thy Cause and Thy servants.\n\nThou art the Bestower, the Pitiful, the Most Bountiful,\nthe Gracious, the Merciful, the Compassionate.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "24: O spiritual youth! Praise thou God that thou hast ...",
"slug": "sel-24-o-spiritual-youth-praise-thou-god-that-thou-hast",
"summary": "O spiritual youth! Praise thou God that thou hast found thy way into the Kingdom of Splendours, and hast rent asunder the veil of vain imaginings, and that the core of the inner mystery hath been made known unto…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO spiritual youth! Praise thou God that thou hast found\nthy way into the Kingdom of Splendours, and hast rent asunder the\nveil of vain imaginings, and that the core of the inner mystery hath\nbeen made known unto thee.\n\nThis people, all of them, have pictured a god in the\nrealm of the mind, and worship that image which they have made for\nthemselves. And yet that image is comprehended, the human mind being\nthe comprehender thereof, and certainly the comprehender is greater\nthan that which lieth within its grasp; for imagination is but the\nbranch, while mind is the root; and certainly the root is greater\nthan the branch. Consider then, how all the peoples of the world are\nbowing the knee to a fancy of their own contriving, how they have\ncreated a creator within their own minds, and they call it the\nFashioner of all that is—whereas in truth it is but an\nillusion. Thus are the people worshipping only an error of\nperception.\n\nBut that Essence of Essences, that Invisible of\nInvisibles, is sanctified above all human speculation, and never to\nbe overtaken by the mind of man. Never shall that immemorial Reality\nlodge within the compass of a contingent being. His is another realm,\nand of that realm no understanding can be won. No access can be\ngained thereto; all entry is forbidden there. The utmost one can say\nis that Its existence can be proved, but the conditions of Its\nexistence are unknown.\n\nThat such an Essence doth exist, the philosophers and\nlearned doctors one and all have understood; but whenever they tried\nto learn something of Its being, they were left bewildered and\ndismayed, and at the end, despairing, their hopes in ruins, they went\ntheir way, out of this life. For to comprehend the state and the\ninner mystery of that Essence of Essences, that Most Secret of\nSecrets, one needs must have another power and other faculties; and\nsuch a power, such faculties would be more than humankind can bear,\nwherefore no word of Him can come to them.\n\nIf, for example, one be endowed with the senses of\nhearing, of taste, of smell, of touch—but be deprived of the\nsense of sight, it will not be possible for one to gaze about; for\nsight cannot be realized through hearing or tasting, or the sense of\nsmell or touch. In the same way, with the faculties at man’s\ndisposal it is beyond the realm of possibility for him to grasp that\nunseeable Reality, holy and sanctified above all the sceptics’\ndoubts. For this, other faculties are required, other senses; should\nsuch powers become available to him, then could a human being receive\nsome knowledge of that world; otherwise, never.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "25: O thou handmaid of God! It is recorded in eastern ...",
"slug": "sel-25-o-thou-handmaid-of-god-it-is-recorded-in-eastern",
"summary": "O thou handmaid of God! It is recorded in eastern histories that Socrates journeyed to Palestine and Syria and there, from men learned in the things of God, acquired certain spiritual truths; that when he returned to Greece, he…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou handmaid of God! It is recorded in eastern\nhistories that Socrates journeyed to Palestine and Syria and there,\nfrom men learned in the things of God, acquired certain spiritual\ntruths; that when he returned to Greece, he promulgated two beliefs:\none, the unity of God, and the other, the immortality of the soul\nafter its separation from the body; that these concepts, so foreign\nto their thought, raised a great commotion among the Greeks, until in\nthe end they gave him poison and killed him.\n\nAnd this is authentic; for the Greeks believed in many\ngods, and Socrates established the fact that God is one, which\nobviously was in conflict with Greek beliefs.\n\nThe Founder of monotheism was Abraham; it is to Him that\nthis concept can be traced, and the belief was current among the\nChildren of Israel, even in the days of Socrates.\n\nThe above, however, cannot be found in the Jewish\nhistories; there are many facts which are not included in Jewish\nhistory. Not all the events of the life of Christ are set forth in\nthe history of Josephus, a Jew, although it was he who wrote the\nhistory of the times of Christ. One may not, therefore, refuse to\nbelieve in events of Christ’s day on the grounds that they are\nnot to be found in the history of Josephus.\n\nEastern histories also state that Hippocrates sojourned\nfor a long time in the town of Tyre, and this is a city in Syria.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "26: O thou who seekest the Kingdom of Heaven! Thy ...",
"slug": "sel-26-o-thou-who-seekest-the-kingdom-of-heaven-thy",
"summary": "O thou who seekest the Kingdom of Heaven! Thy letter hath been received and its contents…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who seekest the Kingdom of Heaven! Thy letter\nhath been received and its contents noted.\n\nThe Holy Manifestations of God possess two stations: one\nis the physical station, and one the spiritual. In other words, one\nstation is that of a human being, and one, of the Divine Reality. If\nthe Manifestations are subjected to tests, it is in Their human\nstation only, not in the splendour of Their Divine Reality.\n\nAnd further, these tests are such only from the\nviewpoint of mankind. That is, to outward seeming, the human\ncondition of the Holy Manifestations is subjected to tests, and when\nTheir strength and endurance have by this means been revealed in the\nplenitude of power, other men receive instruction therefrom, and are\nmade aware of how great must be their own steadfastness and endurance\nunder tests and trials. For the Divine Educator must teach by word\nand also by deed, thus revealing to all the straight pathway of\ntruth.\n\nAs to my station, it is that of the servant of Bahá;\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the visible expression of servitude\nto the Threshold of the Abhá Beauty.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "27: In cycles gone by, each one of the Manifestations of ...",
"slug": "sel-27-in-cycles-gone-by-each-one-of-the-manifestations-of",
"summary": "In cycles gone by, each one of the Manifestations of God hath had His own rank in the world of existence, and each hath represented a stage in the development of humanity. But the Manifestation of the Most Great Name—may my life be a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"love",
"truthfulness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn cycles gone by, each one of the Manifestations of God\nhath had His own rank in the world of existence, and each hath\nrepresented a stage in the development of humanity. But the\nManifestation of the Most Great Name—may my life be a sacrifice\nfor His loved ones—was an expression of the coming of age, the\nmaturing of man’s inmost reality in this world of being. For\nthe sun is the source and well-spring of light and heat, the focal\npoint of splendours, and it compriseth all the perfections that are\nmade manifest by the other stars which have dawned upon the world.\nMake thou an effort that thou mayest take thy place under the sun and\nreceive an abundant share of its dazzling light. In truth do I tell\nthee, once thou hast attained this station, thou shalt behold the\nsaints bowing down their heads in all humility before Him. Haste thou\nto life before death cometh; haste thou to the spring season before\nautumn draweth in; and before illness striketh, haste thou to\nhealing—that thou mayest become a physician of the spirit who,\nwith the breaths of the Holy Spirit, healeth all manner of sickness\nin this famed and glorious age.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "28: O leaf upon the Tree of Life! The Tree of Life, of ...",
"slug": "sel-28-o-leaf-upon-the-tree-of-life-the-tree-of-life-of",
"summary": "O leaf upon the Tree of Life! The Tree of Life, of which mention is made in the Bible, is Bahá’u’lláh, and the daughters of the Kingdom are the leaves upon that blessed Tree. Then thank thou God that thou hast become related to that…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO leaf upon the Tree of Life! The Tree of Life, of which\nmention is made in the Bible, is Bahá’u’lláh,\nand the daughters of the Kingdom are the leaves upon that blessed\nTree. Then thank thou God that thou hast become related to that Tree,\nand that thou art flourishing, tender and fresh.\n\nThe gates of the Kingdom are opened wide, and every\nfavoured soul is seated at the banquet table of the Lord, receiving\nhis portion of that heavenly feast. Praised be God, thou too art\npresent at this table, taking thy share of the bountiful food of\nheaven. Thou art serving the Kingdom, and art well acquainted with\nthe sweet savours of the Abhá Paradise.\n\nThen strive thou with all thy might to guide the people,\nand eat thou of the bread that hath come down from heaven. For this\nis the meaning of Christ’s words: ‘I am the living bread\nwhich came down from heaven ... he that eateth of this bread shall\nlive forever.’24\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "29: O thou who art captivated by the truth and ...",
"slug": "sel-29-o-thou-who-art-captivated-by-the-truth-and",
"summary": "O thou who art captivated by the truth and magnetized by the Heavenly Kingdom! Thy long letter hath come and it brought great joy, as it clearly betokened thy strenuous efforts and high purposes. Praised be God, thou wishest well to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children",
"healing",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"patience",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art captivated by the truth and magnetized by\nthe Heavenly Kingdom! Thy long letter hath come and it brought great\njoy, as it clearly betokened thy strenuous efforts and high purposes.\nPraised be God, thou wishest well to men, and yearnest after the\nKingdom of Bahá, and art longing to see the human race press\nforward. It is my hope that because of these high ideals, these noble\nintimations of the heart, and these tidings of heaven, thou shalt\nbecome so luminous that down all the ages the light of thy love for\nGod will shed its glory.\n\nThou hast described thyself as a student in the school\nof spiritual progress. Fortunate art thou! If these schools of\nprogress lead to the university of heaven, then branches of knowledge\nwill be developed whereby humanity will look upon the tablet of\nexistence as a scroll endlessly unfolding; and all created things\nwill be seen upon that scroll as letters and words. Then will the\ndifferent planes of meaning be learned, and then within every atom of\nthe universe will be witnessed the signs of the oneness of God. Then\nwill man hear the cry of the Lord of the Kingdom, and behold the\nconfirmations of the Holy Spirit coming to succour him. Then will he\nfeel such bliss, such ecstasy, that the wide world with its vastness\nwill no longer contain him, and he will set out for the Kingdom of\nGod, and hurry along to the realm of the spirit. For once a bird hath\ngrown its wings, it remaineth on the ground no more, but soareth\nupward into high heaven—except for those birds that are tied by\nthe leg, or those whose wings are broken, or mired down.\n\nO thou seeker after truth! The world of the Kingdom is\none world. The only difference is that spring returneth over and over\nagain, and setteth up a great new commotion throughout all created\nthings. Then plain and hillside come alive, and trees turn delicately\ngreen, and leaves, blossoms and fruits come forth in beauty, infinite\nand tender. Wherefore the dispensations of past ages are intimately\nconnected with those that follow them: indeed, they are one and the\nsame, but as the world groweth, so doth the light, so doth the\ndownpour of heavenly grace, and then the Day-Star shineth out in\nnoonday splendour.\n\nO thou seeker after the Kingdom! Every divine\nManifestation is the very life of the world, and the skilled\nphysician of each ailing soul. The world of man is sick, and that\ncompetent Physician knoweth the cure, arising as He doth with\nteachings, counsels and admonishments that are the remedy for every\npain, the healing balm to every wound. It is certain that the wise\nphysician can diagnose his patient’s needs at any season, and\napply the cure. Wherefore, relate thou the Teachings of the Abhá\nBeauty to the urgent needs of this present day, and thou wilt see\nthat they provide an instant remedy for the ailing body of the world.\nIndeed, they are the elixir that bringeth eternal health.\n\nThe treatment ordered by wise physicians of the past,\nand by those that follow after, is not one and the same, rather doth\nit depend on what aileth the patient; and although the remedy may\nchange, the aim is always to bring the patient back to health. In the\ndispensations gone before, the feeble body of the world could not\nwithstand a rigorous or powerful cure. For this reason did Christ\nsay: ‘I have yet many things to say unto you, matters needing\nto be told, but ye cannot bear to hear them now. Howbeit when that\nComforting Spirit, Whom the Father will send, shall come, He will\nmake plain unto you the truth.’25\n\n\nTherefore, in this age of splendours, teachings once\nlimited to the few are made available to all, that the mercy of the\nLord may embrace both east and west, that the oneness of the world of\nhumanity may appear in its full beauty, and that the dazzling rays of\nreality may flood the realm of the mind with light.\n\nThe descent of the New Jerusalem denoteth a heavenly\nLaw, that Law which is the guarantor of human happiness and the\neffulgence of the world of God.\n\nEmmanuel26\nwas indeed the Herald of the Second Coming of Christ, and a Summoner\nto the pathway of the Kingdom. It is evident that the Letter is a\nmember of the Word, and this membership in the Word signifieth that\nthe Letter is dependent for its value on the Word, that is, it\nderiveth its grace from the Word; it has a spiritual kinship with the\nWord, and is accounted an integral part of the Word. The Apostles\nwere even as Letters, and Christ was the essence of the Word Itself;\nand the meaning of the Word, which is grace everlasting, cast a\nsplendour on those Letters. Again, since the Letter is a member of\nthe Word, it therefore, in its inner meaning, is consonant with the\nWord.\n\nIt is our hope that thou wilt in this day arise to\npromote that which Emmanuel foretold. Know thou for a certainty that\nthou wilt succeed in this, for the confirmations of the Holy Spirit\nare continually descending, and the power of the Word will exert such\nan influence that the Letter shall become the mirror in which the\nsplendid Sun—the Word Itself—will be reflected, and the\ngrace and glory of the Word will illumine the whole earth.\n\nAs for the heavenly Jerusalem that hath come to rest on\nthe summits of the world, and God’s Holy of Holies, Whose\nbanner is now lifted high, this comprehendeth within itself all the\nperfections, all the knowledge of the dispensations gone before.\nBeyond this, it heraldeth the oneness of the children of men. It is\nthe flag of universal peace, the spirit of eternal life; it is the\nglory of the perfections of God, the circumambient grace of all\nexistence, the ornament bedecking all created things, the source of\ninner quietude for all humankind.\n\nDirect thine attention to the holy Tablets; read thou\nthe Ishráqát, Tajallíyyát, the\nWords of Paradise, the Glad Tidings, the Tarazát, the Most\nHoly Book. Then wilt thou see that today these heavenly Teachings are\nthe remedy for a sick and suffering world, and a healing balm for the\nsores on the body of mankind. They are the spirit of life, the ark of\nsalvation, the magnet to draw down eternal glory, the dynamic power\nto motivate the inner self of man.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "30: Existence is of two kinds: one is the existence of ...",
"slug": "sel-30-existence-is-of-two-kinds-one-is-the-existence-of",
"summary": "Existence is of two kinds: one is the existence of God which is beyond the comprehension of man. He, the invisible, the lofty and the incomprehensible, is preceded by no cause but rather is the Originator of the cause of causes. He, the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nExistence is of two kinds: one is the existence of God\nwhich is beyond the comprehension of man. He, the invisible, the\nlofty and the incomprehensible, is preceded by no cause but rather is\nthe Originator of the cause of causes. He, the Ancient, hath had no\nbeginning and is the all-independent. The second kind of existence is\nthe human existence. It is a common existence, comprehensible to the\nhuman mind, is not ancient, is dependent and hath a cause to it. The\nmortal substance does not become eternal and vice versa; the human\nkind does not become a Creator and vice versa. The transformation of\nthe innate substance is impossible.\n\nIn the world of existence—that which is\ncomprehensible—there are stages of mortality: the first stage\nis the mineral world, next is the vegetable world. In the latter\nworld the mineral doth exist but with a distinctive feature which is\nthe vegetable characteristic. Likewise in the animal world, the\nmineral and vegetable characteristics are present and in addition the\ncharacteristics of the animal world are to be found, which are the\nfaculties of hearing and of sight. In the human world the\ncharacteristics of the mineral, vegetable and animal worlds are found\nand in addition that of the human kind, namely the intellectual\ncharacteristic, which discovereth the realities of things and\ncomprehendeth universal principles.\n\nMan, therefore, on the plane of the contingent world is\nthe most perfect being. By man is meant the perfect individual, who\nis like unto a mirror in which the divine perfections are manifested\nand reflected. But the sun doth not descend from the height of its\nsanctity to enter into the mirror, but when the latter is purified\nand turned towards the Sun of Truth, the perfections of this Sun,\nconsisting of light and heat, are reflected and manifested in that\nmirror. These souls are the Divine Manifestations of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "31: O thou who art dear, and wise! Thy letter dated ...",
"slug": "sel-31-o-thou-who-art-dear-and-wise-thy-letter-dated",
"summary": "O thou who art dear, and wise! Thy letter dated 27 May 1906 hath been received and its contents are most pleasing and have brought great…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"writings",
"martyrdom",
"teaching",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"joy",
"justice",
"love",
"prayer",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 7,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art dear, and wise! Thy letter dated 27 May\n1906 hath been received and its contents are most pleasing and have\nbrought great joy.\n\nThou didst ask whether this Cause, this new and living\nCause, could take the place of the dead religious rites and\nceremonials of England; whether it would be possible, now that\nvarious groups have appeared, whose members are highly placed divines\nand theologians, far superior in their attainments to those of the\npast, for this new Cause so to impress the members of such groups as\nto gather them and the rest into its all-protecting shade.\n\nO thou dear friend! Know thou that the distinguished\nIndividual of every age is endowed according to the perfections of\nHis age. That Individual who in past ages was set above His fellows\nwas gifted according to the virtues of His time. But in this age of\nsplendours, this era of God, the pre-eminent Personage, the luminous\nOrb, the chosen Individual will shine out with such perfections and\nsuch power as ultimately to dazzle the minds of every community and\ngroup. And since such a Personage is superior to all others in\nspiritual perfections and heavenly attainments, and is indeed the\nfocal centre of divine blessings and the pivot of the circle of\nlight, He will encompass all others, and there is no doubt whatsoever\nthat He will shine out with such power as to gather every soul into\nHis sheltering shade.\n\nWhen ye consider this matter with care, it will become\napparent that this is according to a universal law, which one can\nfind at work in all things: the whole attracteth the part, and in the\ncircle, the centre is the pivot of the compasses. Ponder thou upon\nthe Spirit27\n: because He was the focal centre of spiritual power, the wellspring\nof divine bounties, although at the beginning He gathered unto\nHimself only a very few souls, later on He was able, because of that\nall-subduing power that He had, to unite within the sheltering\nTabernacle of Christendom all the differing sects. Compare the\npresent with the past, and see how great is the difference; thus\ncanst thou arrive at truth and certitude.\n\nThe differences among the religions of the world are due\nto the varying types of minds. So long as the powers of the mind are\nvarious, it is certain that men’s judgements and opinions will\ndiffer one from another. If, however, one single, universal\nperceptive power be introduced—a power encompassing all the\nrest—those differing opinions will merge, and a spiritual\nharmony and oneness will become apparent. For example, when the\nChrist was made manifest, the minds of the various contemporary\npeoples, their views, their emotional attitudes, whether they were\nRomans, Greeks, Syrians, Israelites, or others, were at variance with\none another. But once His universal power was brought to bear, it\ngradually succeeded, after the lapse of three hundred years, in\ngathering together all those divergent minds under the protection,\nand within the governance, of one central Point, all sharing the same\nspiritual emotions in their hearts.\n\nTo use a metaphor, when an army is placed under various\ncommanders, each with his own strategy, they will obviously differ as\nto battle lines and movements of the troops; but once the Supreme\nCommander, who is thoroughly versed in the arts of war, taketh over,\nthose other plans will disappear, for the supremely gifted general\nwill bring the whole army under his control. This is intended only as\na metaphor, not an exact comparison. Now if you should say that each\nand every one of those other generals is highly skilled in the\nmilitary art, is thoroughly proficient and experienced, and therefore\nwill not subject himself to the rule of one individual, no matter how\nindescribably great, your statement is untenable, for the above\nsituation is demonstrably what cometh to pass, and there is no doubt\nthereof whatever.\n\nSuch is the case with the holy Manifestations of God.\nSuch in particular is the case with the divine reality of the Most\nGreat Name, the Abhá Beauty. When once He standeth revealed\nunto the assembled peoples of the world and appeareth with such\ncomeliness, such enchantments—alluring as a Joseph in the Egypt\nof the spirit—He enslaveth all the lovers on earth.\n\nAs to those souls who are born into this life as\nethereal and radiant entities and yet, on account of their handicaps\nand trials, are deprived of great and real advantages, and leave the\nworld without having lived to the full—certainly this is a\ncause for grieving. This is the reason why the universal\nManifestations of God unveil Their countenances to man, and endure\nevery calamity and sore affliction, and lay down Their lives as a\nransom; it is to make these very people, the ready ones, the ones who\nhave capacity, to become dawning points of light, and to bestow upon\nthem the life that fadeth never. This is the true sacrifice: the\noffering of oneself, even as did Christ, as a ransom for the life of\nthe world.\n\nAs to the influence of holy Beings and the continuance\nof Their grace to mankind after They have put away Their human form,\nthis is, to Bahá’ís, an indisputable fact.\nIndeed, the flooding grace, the streaming splendours of the holy\nManifestations appear after Their ascension from this world. The\nexaltation of the Word, the revelation of the power of God, the\nconversion of God-fearing souls, the bestowal of everlasting life—it\nwas following the Messiah’s martyrdom that all these were\nincreased and intensified. In the same way, ever since the ascension\nof the Blessed Beauty, the bestowals have been more abundant, the\nspreading light is brighter, the tokens of the Lord’s might are\nmore powerful, the influence of the Word is much stronger, and it\nwill not be long before the motion, the heat, the brilliance, the\nblessings of the Sun of His reality will encompass all the earth.\n\nGrieve thou not over the slow advance of the Bahá’í\nCause in that land. This is but the early dawn. Consider how, with\nthe Cause of Christ, three hundred years had to go by, before its\ngreat influence was made manifest. Today, not sixty years from its\nbirth, the light of this Faith hath been shed around the planet.\n\nRegarding the health society of which thou art a member,\nonce it cometh under the shelter of this Faith its influence shall\nincrease a hundredfold.\n\nThou dost observe that love among the Bahá’ís\nis very great, and that love is the main thing. Just as love’s\npower hath been developed to such a high degree among the Bahá’ís,\nand is far greater than among the people of other religions, so is it\nwith all else as well; for love is the ground of all things.\n\nRegarding the translation of the Books and Tablets of\nthe Blessed Beauty, erelong will translations be made into every\ntongue, with power, clarity and grace. At such time as they are\ntranslated, conformably to the originals, and with power and grace of\nstyle, the splendours of their inner meanings will be shed abroad,\nand will illumine the eyes of all mankind. Do thy very best to ensure\nthat the translation is in conformity with the original.\n\nThe Blessed Beauty proceeded to Haifa on many occasions.\nThou beheldest Him there, but thou didst not know Him at that time.\nIt is my hope that thou wilt attain unto the true meeting with Him,\nwhich is to behold Him with the inner, not the outer eye.\n\nThe essence of Bahá’u’lláh’s\nTeaching is all-embracing love, for love includeth every excellence\nof humankind. It causeth every soul to go forward. It bestoweth on\neach one, for a heritage, immortal life. Erelong shalt thou bear\nwitness that His celestial Teachings, the very glory of reality\nitself, shall light up the skies of the world.\n\nThe brief prayer which thou didst write at the close of\nthy letter was indeed original, touching and beautiful. Recite thou\nthis prayer at all times.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "32: O ye handmaids of the Lord! In this century—the ...",
"slug": "sel-32-o-ye-handmaids-of-the-lord-in-this-century-the",
"summary": "O ye handmaids of the Lord! In this century—the century of the Almighty Lord—the Day-Star of the Realms above, the Light of Truth, shineth in its meridian splendour and its rays illuminate all regions. For this is the age of the Ancient…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"truthfulness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye handmaids of the Lord! In this century—the\ncentury of the Almighty Lord—the Day-Star of the Realms above,\nthe Light of Truth, shineth in its meridian splendour and its rays\nilluminate all regions. For this is the age of the Ancient Beauty,\nthe day of the revelation of the might and power of the Most Great\nName—may my life be offered up as a sacrifice for His loved\nones.\n\nIn the ages to come, though the Cause of God may rise\nand grow a hundredfold and the shade of the Sadratu’l-Muntahá\nshelter all mankind, yet this present century shall stand unrivalled,\nfor it hath witnessed the breaking of that Morn and the rising of\nthat Sun. This century is, verily, the source of His Light and the\ndayspring of His Revelation. Future ages and generations shall behold\nthe diffusion of its radiance and the manifestations of its signs.\n\nWherefore, exert yourselves, haply ye may obtain your\nfull share and portion of His bestowals.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "33: O servant of God! We have noted what thou didst ...",
"slug": "sel-33-o-servant-of-god-we-have-noted-what-thou-didst",
"summary": "O servant of God! We have noted what thou didst write to Jináb-i-Ibn-‘Abhar, and thy question regarding the verse: ‘Whoso layeth claim to a Revelation direct from God, ere the expiration of a full thousand years, such a man is assuredly…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO servant of God! We have noted what thou didst write to\nJináb-i-Ibn-‘Abhar, and thy question regarding the\nverse: ‘Whoso layeth claim to a Revelation direct from God, ere\nthe expiration of a full thousand years, such a man is assuredly a\nlying impostor.’\n\nThe meaning of this is that any individual who, before\nthe expiry of a full thousand years—years known and clearly\nestablished by common usage and requiring no interpretation—should\nlay claim to a Revelation direct from God, even though he should\nreveal certain signs, that man is assuredly false and an impostor.\n\nThis is not a reference to the Universal Manifestation,\nfor it is clearly set forth in the Holy Writings that centuries, nay\nthousands of years, must pass on to completion, before a\nManifestation like unto this Manifestation shall appear again.\n\nIt is possible, however, that after the completion of a\nfull thousand years, certain Holy Beings will be empowered to deliver\na Revelation: this, however, will not be through a Universal\nManifestation. Wherefore every day of the cycle of the Blessed Beauty\nis in reality equal to one year, and every year of it is equal to a\nthousand years.\n\nConsider, for example, the sun: its transit from one\nzodiacal sign to the next occurreth within a short period of time,\nyet only after a long period doth it attain the plenitude of its\nresplendency, its heat and glory, in the sign of Leo. It must first\ncomplete one full revolution through the other constellations before\nit will enter the sign of Leo again, to blaze out in its full\nsplendour. In its other stations, it revealeth not the fullness of\nits heat and light.\n\nThe substance is, that prior to the completion of a\nthousand years, no individual may presume to breathe a word. All must\nconsider themselves to be of the order of subjects, submissive and\nobedient to the commandments of God and the laws of the House of\nJustice. Should any deviate by so much as a needle’s point from\nthe decrees of the Universal House of Justice, or falter in his\ncompliance therewith, then is he of the outcast and rejected.\n\nAs to the cycle of the Blessed Beauty—the times of\nthe Greatest Name—this is not limited to a thousand or two\nthousand years....\n\nWhen it is said that the period of a thousand years\nbeginneth with the Manifestation of the Blessed Beauty and every day\nthereof is a thousand years, the intent is a reference to the cycle\nof the Blessed Beauty, which in this context will extend over many\nages into the unborn reaches of time.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "34: O thou who art serving the world of humanity! ...",
"slug": "sel-34-o-thou-who-art-serving-the-world-of-humanity",
"summary": "O thou who art serving the world of humanity! Thy letter was received and from its contents we felt exceedingly glad. It was a decisive proof and a brilliant evidence. It is appropriate and befitting that in this illumined age—the age…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"family",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art serving the world of humanity! Thy letter\nwas received and from its contents we felt exceedingly glad. It was a\ndecisive proof and a brilliant evidence. It is appropriate and\nbefitting that in this illumined age—the age of the progress of\nthe world of humanity—we should be self-sacrificing and should\nserve the human race. Every universal cause is divine and every\nparticular one is temporal. The principles of the divine\nManifestations of God were, therefore, all-universal and\nall-inclusive.\n\nEvery imperfect soul is self-centred and thinketh only\nof his own good. But as his thoughts expand a little he will begin to\nthink of the welfare and comfort of his family. If his ideas still\nmore widen, his concern will be the felicity of his fellow citizens;\nand if still they widen, he will be thinking of the glory of his land\nand of his race. But when ideas and views reach the utmost degree of\nexpansion and attain the stage of perfection, then will he be\ninterested in the exaltation of humankind. He will then be the\nwell-wisher of all men and the seeker of the weal and prosperity of\nall lands. This is indicative of perfection.\n\nThus, the divine Manifestations of God had a universal\nand all-inclusive conception. They endeavoured for the sake of\neveryone’s life and engaged in the service of universal\neducation. The area of their aims was not limited—nay, rather,\nit was wide and all-inclusive.\n\nTherefore, ye must also be thinking of everyone, so that\nmankind may be educated, character moderated and this world may turn\ninto a Garden of Eden.\n\nLove ye all religions and all races with a love that is\ntrue and sincere and show that love through deeds and not through the\ntongue; for the latter hath no importance, as the majority of men\nare, in speech, well-wishers, while action is the best.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "35: O army of God! A letter signed jointly by all of ...",
"slug": "sel-35-o-army-of-god-a-letter-signed-jointly-by-all-of",
"summary": "O army of God! A letter signed jointly by all of you hath been received. It was most eloquent and full of flavour, and reading it was a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"martyrdom",
"exile",
"prison",
"the-covenant",
"healing",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"devotion",
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"honesty",
"hope",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"loyalty",
"patience",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 10,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO army of God! A letter signed jointly by all of you\nhath been received. It was most eloquent and full of flavour, and\nreading it was a delight.\n\nYe had written of the fasting month. Fortunate are ye to\nhave obeyed the commandment of God, and kept this fast during the\nholy season. For this material fast is an outer token of the\nspiritual fast; it is a symbol of self-restraint, the withholding of\noneself from all appetites of the self, taking on the characteristics\nof the spirit, being carried away by the breathings of heaven and\ncatching fire from the love of God.\n\nYour letter also betokened your unity and the closeness\nof your hearts. It is my hope that the west, through the boundless\ngrace that God is pouring down in this new era, will become the east,\nthe dawning-point of the Sun of Truth, and western believers the\ndaysprings of light, and manifestors of the signs of God; that they\nwill be guarded from the doubts of the heedless and will stay firm\nand unmoveable in the Covenant and Testament; that they will toil by\nday and by night until they awaken those who sleep, and make mindful\nthose who are unaware, and bring in the outcast to be intimates of\nthe inner circle, and bestow upon the destitute their portion of\neternal grace. Let them be heralds of the Kingdom, and call out to\nthe denizens of this nether world, and summon them to enter the realm\non high.\n\nO army of God! Today, in this world, every people is\nwandering astray in its own desert, moving here and there according\nto the dictates of its fancies and whims, pursuing its own particular\ncaprice. Amongst all the teeming masses of the earth, only this\ncommunity of the Most Great Name is free and clear of human schemes\nand hath no selfish purpose to promote. Alone amongst them all, this\npeople hath arisen with aims purified of self, following the\nTeachings of God, most eagerly toiling and striving toward a single\ngoal: to turn this nether dust into high heaven, to make of this\nworld a mirror for the Kingdom, to change this world into a different\nworld, and cause all humankind to adopt the ways of righteousness and\na new manner of life.\n\nO army of God! Through the protection and help\nvouchsafed by the Blessed Beauty—may my life be a sacrifice to\nHis loved ones—ye must conduct yourselves in such a manner that\nye may stand out distinguished and brilliant as the sun among other\nsouls. Should any one of you enter a city, he should become a centre\nof attraction by reason of his sincerity, his faithfulness and love,\nhis honesty and fidelity, his truthfulness and loving-kindness\ntowards all the peoples of the world, so that the people of that city\nmay cry out and say: ‘This man is unquestionably a Bahá’í,\nfor his manners, his behaviour, his conduct, his morals, his nature,\nand disposition reflect the attributes of the Bahá’ís.’\nNot until ye attain this station can ye be said to have been faithful\nto the Covenant and Testament of God. For He hath, through\nirrefutable Texts, entered into a binding Covenant with us all,\nrequiring us to act in accordance with His sacred instructions and\ncounsels.\n\nO army of God! The time hath come for the effects and\nperfections of the Most Great Name to be made manifest in this\nexcellent age, so as to establish, beyond any doubt, that this era is\nthe era of Bahá’u’lláh, and this age is\ndistinguished above all other ages.\n\nO army of God! Whensoever ye behold a person whose\nentire attention is directed toward the Cause of God; whose only aim\nis this, to make the Word of God to take effect; who, day and night,\nwith pure intent, is rendering service to the Cause; from whose\nbehaviour not the slightest trace of egotism or private motives is\ndiscerned—who, rather, wandereth distracted in the wilderness\nof the love of God, and drinketh only from the cup of the knowledge\nof God, and is utterly engrossed in spreading the sweet savours of\nGod, and is enamoured of the holy verses of the Kingdom of God—know\nye for a certainty that this individual will be supported and\nreinforced by heaven; that like unto the morning star, he will\nforever gleam brightly out of the skies of eternal grace. But if he\nshow the slightest taint of selfish desires and self love, his\nefforts will lead to nothing and he will be destroyed and left\nhopeless at the last.\n\nO army of God! Praise be to God, Bahá’u’lláh\nhath lifted the chains from off the necks of humankind, and hath set\nman free from all that trammelled him, and told him: Ye are the\nfruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch; be ye compassionate\nand kind to all the human race. Deal ye with strangers the same as\nwith friends, cherish ye others just as ye would your own. See foes\nas friends; see demons as angels; give to the tyrant the same great\nlove ye show the loyal and true, and even as gazelles from the\nscented cities of Khatá and Khután28\noffer up sweet musk to the ravening wolf. Be ye a refuge to the\nfearful; bring ye rest and peace to the disturbed; make ye a\nprovision for the destitute; be a treasury of riches for the poor; be\na healing medicine for those who suffer pain; be ye doctor and nurse\nto the ailing; promote ye friendship, and honour, and conciliation,\nand devotion to God, in this world of non-existence.\n\nO army of God! Make ye a mighty effort: perchance ye can\nflood this earth with light, that this mud hut, the world, may become\nthe Abhá Paradise. The dark hath taken over, and the brute\ntraits prevail. This world of man is now an arena for wild beasts, a\nfield where the ignorant, the heedless, seize their chance. The souls\nof men are ravening wolves and animals with blinded eyes, they are\neither deadly poison or useless weeds—all except for a very few\nwho indeed do nurture altruistic aims and plans for the well-being of\ntheir fellow men: but ye must in this matter—that is, the\nserving of humankind—lay down your very lives, and as ye yield\nyourselves, rejoice.\n\nO army of God! The Exalted One, the Báb, gave up\nHis life. The Blessed Perfection gave up a hundred lives at every\nbreath. He bore calamities. He suffered anguish. He was imprisoned.\nHe was chained. He was made homeless and was banished to distant\nlands. Finally, then, He lived out His days in the Most Great Prison.\nLikewise, a great multitude of the lovers of God who followed this\npath have tasted the honey of martyrdom and they gave up\neverything—life, possessions, kindred—all they had. How\nmany homes were reduced to rubble; how many dwellings were broken\ninto and pillaged; how many a noble building went to the ground; how\nmany a palace was battered into a tomb. And all this came about that\nhumankind might be illumined, that ignorance might yield to\nknowledge, that men of earth might become men of heaven, that discord\nand dissension might be torn out by the roots, and the Kingdom of\nPeace become established over all the world. Strive ye now that this\nbounty become manifest, and this best-beloved of all hopes be\nrealized in splendour throughout the community of man.\n\nO army of God! Beware lest ye harm any soul, or make any\nheart to sorrow; lest ye wound any man with your words, be he known\nto you or a stranger, be he friend or foe. Pray ye for all; ask ye\nthat all be blessed, all be forgiven. Beware, beware, lest any of you\nseek vengeance, even against one who is thirsting for your blood.\nBeware, beware, lest ye offend the feelings of another, even though\nhe be an evil-doer, and he wish you ill. Look ye not upon the\ncreatures, turn ye to their Creator. See ye not the never-yielding\npeople, see but the Lord of Hosts. Gaze ye not down upon the dust,\ngaze upward at the shining sun, which hath caused every patch of\ndarksome earth to glow with light.\n\nO army of God! When calamity striketh, be ye patient and\ncomposed. However afflictive your sufferings may be, stay ye\nundisturbed, and with perfect confidence in the abounding grace of\nGod, brave ye the tempest of tribulations and fiery ordeals.\n\nLast year a number of the unfaithful, both from within\nand from without, both known to us and strangers, took before the\nSulṭán of Turkey slanderous charges against these\nhomeless exiles, bringing against us grave accusations with no basis\nin fact. The Government, conformably with prudence, determined to\nlook into these charges, and dispatched a Commission of Investigation\nto this city. It is obvious what an opportunity this afforded our\nill-wishers, and what a storm they unleashed, all this beyond\ndescription by tongue or pen. Only one who witnessed it could know\nwhat a turmoil they created and what an earthquake of anguish was the\nresult. And notwithstanding this, the response was to depend utterly\nupon God, and to remain composed, confident, long-suffering,\nundisturbed, to such a degree that a person knowing nothing of the\nsituation would have thought us easy of heart and mind, perfectly\nhappy, thriving and at peace.\n\nThen it came about that the accusers themselves, those\nwho had made the defamatory charges against us, joined with the\nmembers of the Commission to investigate the accusations, so that\nplaintiffs, witnesses and judge were all one and the same, and the\nconclusion was foregone. Nevertheless, to be fair, it must be stated\nthat up to now His Majesty the Sulṭán of Turkey hath\npaid no heed to these false charges, this defamation, these fables\nand traducements, and hath acted with justice....\n\nO Thou Provider! Thou hast breathed over the friends in\nthe West the sweet fragrance of the Holy Spirit, and with the light\nof divine guidance Thou hast lit up the western sky. Thou hast made\nthose who were once remote to draw near unto Thyself; Thou hast\nturned strangers into loving friends; Thou hast awakened those who\nslept; Thou hast made the heedless mindful.\n\nO Thou Provider! Assist Thou these noble friends to win\nThy good pleasure, and make them well-wishers of stranger and friend\nalike. Bring them into the world that abideth forever; grant them a\nportion of heavenly grace; cause them to be true Bahá’ís,\nsincerely of God; save them from outward semblances, and establish\nthem firmly in the truth. Make them signs and tokens of the Kingdom,\nluminous stars above the horizons of this nether life. Make them to\nbe a comfort and a solace to humankind and servants to the peace of\nthe world. Exhilarate them with the wine of Thy counsel, and grant\nthat all of them may tread the path of Thy commandments.\n\nO Thou Provider! The dearest wish of this servant of Thy\nThreshold is to behold the friends of east and west in close embrace;\nto see all the members of human society gathered with love in a\nsingle great assemblage, even as individual drops of water collected\nin one mighty sea; to behold them all as birds in one garden of\nroses, as pearls of one ocean, as leaves of one tree, as rays of one\nsun.\n\nThou art the Mighty, the Powerful, and Thou art the God\nof strength, the Omnipotent, the All-Seeing.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "36: O ye two favoured handmaids of the Lord! The ...",
"slug": "sel-36-o-ye-two-favoured-handmaids-of-the-lord-the",
"summary": "O ye two favoured handmaids of the Lord! The letter from Mother Beecher hath been received, and truly it spoke for you both, wherefore I address the two of you together. This seemeth very good to me, for ye two pure beings are even as a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"sacrifice",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye two favoured handmaids of the Lord! The letter from\nMother Beecher hath been received, and truly it spoke for you both,\nwherefore I address the two of you together. This seemeth very good\nto me, for ye two pure beings are even as a single precious gem, ye\nare two boughs branched from a single tree; ye both adore the same\nBeloved, ye both are longing for the same resplendent Sun.\n\nMy hope is that all the handmaids of God in that region\nwill unite like unto the waves of one unending sea; for although\nblown about as the wind listeth, these are separate in themselves,\nyet in truth are they all at one with the boundless deep.\n\nHow good it is if the friends be as close as sheaves of\nlight, if they stand together side by side in a firm unbroken line.\nFor now have the rays of reality from the Sun of the world of\nexistence, united in adoration all the worshippers of this light; and\nthese rays have, through infinite grace, gathered all peoples\ntogether within this wide-spreading shelter; therefore must all souls\nbecome as one soul, and all hearts as one heart. Let all be set free\nfrom the multiple identities that were born of passion and desire,\nand in the oneness of their love for God find a new way of life.\n\nO ye two handmaids of God! Now is the time for you to\nbecome as bounteous cups that are filled to overflowing, and even as\nthe reviving gusts that blow from the Abhá Paradise, to\nscatter the fragrance of musk across that land. Release yourselves\nfrom this world’s life, and at every stage long ye for\nnon-existence; for when the ray returneth to the sun, it is wiped\nout, and when the drop cometh to the sea, it vanisheth, and when the\ntrue lover findeth his Beloved, he yieldeth up his soul.\n\nUntil a being setteth his foot in the plane of\nsacrifice, he is bereft of every favour and grace; and this plane of\nsacrifice is the realm of dying to the self, that the radiance of the\nliving God may then shine forth. The martyr’s field is the\nplace of detachment from self, that the anthems of eternity may be\nupraised. Do all ye can to become wholly weary of self, and bind\nyourselves to that Countenance of Splendours; and once ye have\nreached such heights of servitude, ye will find, gathered within your\nshadow, all created things. This is boundless grace; this is the\nhighest sovereignty; this is the life that dieth not. All else save\nthis is at the last but manifest perdition and great loss.\n\nPraise be to God, the gate of boundless grace is opened\nwide, the heavenly table is set, the servants of the Merciful and His\nhandmaids are present at the feast. Strive ye to receive your share\nof this eternal food, so that ye shall be loved and cherished in this\nworld and the next.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "38: O handmaid of God, who tremblest even as a fresh ...",
"slug": "sel-38-o-handmaid-of-god-who-tremblest-even-as-a-fresh",
"summary": "O handmaid of God, who tremblest even as a fresh and tender branch in the winds of the love of God! I have read thy letter, which telleth of thine abundant love, thine intense devotion, and of thy being occupied with the remembrance of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"justice",
"love",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO handmaid of God, who tremblest even as a fresh and\ntender branch in the winds of the love of God! I have read thy\nletter, which telleth of thine abundant love, thine intense devotion,\nand of thy being occupied with the remembrance of thy Lord.\n\nDepend thou upon God. Forsake thine own will and cling\nto His, set aside thine own desires and lay hold of His, that thou\nmayest become an example, holy, spiritual, and of the Kingdom, unto\nHis handmaids.\n\nKnow thou, O handmaid, that in the sight of Bahá,\nwomen are accounted the same as men, and God hath created all\nhumankind in His own image, and after His own likeness. That is, men\nand women alike are the revealers of His names and attributes, and\nfrom the spiritual viewpoint there is no difference between them.\nWhosoever draweth nearer to God, that one is the most favoured,\nwhether man or woman. How many a handmaid, ardent and devoted, hath,\nwithin the sheltering shade of Bahá, proved superior to the\nmen, and surpassed the famous of the earth.\n\nThe House of Justice, however, according to the explicit\ntext of the Law of God, is confined to men; this for a wisdom of the\nLord God’s, which will erelong be made manifest as clearly as\nthe sun at high noon.\n\nAs to you, O ye other handmaids who are enamoured of the\nheavenly fragrances, arrange ye holy gatherings, and found ye\nSpiritual Assemblies, for these are the basis for spreading the sweet\nsavours of God, exalting His Word, uplifting the lamp of His grace,\npromulgating His religion and promoting His Teachings, and what\nbounty is there greater than this? These Spiritual Assemblies are\naided by the Spirit of God. Their defender is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.\nOver them He spreadeth His wings. What bounty is there greater than\nthis? These Spiritual Assemblies are shining lamps and heavenly\ngardens, from which the fragrances of holiness are diffused over all\nregions, and the lights of knowledge are shed abroad over all created\nthings. From them the spirit of life streameth in every direction.\nThey, indeed, are the potent sources of the progress of man, at all\ntimes and under all conditions. What bounty is there greater than\nthis?\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "39: O handmaid of God! Thy letter hath been received, ...",
"slug": "sel-39-o-handmaid-of-god-thy-letter-hath-been-received",
"summary": "O handmaid of God! Thy letter hath been received, bringing its news that an Assembly hath been established in that…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO handmaid of God! Thy letter hath been received,\nbringing its news that an Assembly hath been established in that\ncity.\n\nLook ye not upon the fewness of thy numbers, rather,\nseek ye out hearts that are pure. One consecrated soul is preferable\nto a thousand other souls. If a small number of people gather\nlovingly together, with absolute purity and sanctity, with their\nhearts free of the world, experiencing the emotions of the Kingdom\nand the powerful magnetic forces of the Divine, and being at one in\ntheir happy fellowship, that gathering will exert its influence over\nall the earth. The nature of that band of people, the words they\nspeak, the deeds they do, will unleash the bestowals of Heaven, and\nprovide a foretaste of eternal bliss. The hosts of the Company on\nhigh will defend them, and the angels of the Abhá Paradise, in\ncontinuous succession, will come down to their aid.\n\nThe meaning of ‘angels’ is the confirmations\nof God and His celestial powers. Likewise angels are blessed beings\nwho have severed all ties with this nether world, have been released\nfrom the chains of self and the desires of the flesh, and anchored\ntheir hearts to the heavenly realms of the Lord. These are of the\nKingdom, heavenly; these are of God, spiritual; these are revealers\nof God’s abounding grace; these are dawning-points of His\nspiritual bestowals.\n\nO handmaid of God! Praise be to Him, thy dear husband\nhath perceived the sweet scents that blow from the gardens of heaven.\nNow, as day followeth day, must thou, through the love of God, and\nthine own good actions, draw him ever closer to the Faith.\n\nThose were indeed dire events in San Francisco.29\nDisasters of this kind should serve to awaken the people, and\ndiminish the love of their hearts for this inconstant world. It is in\nthis nether world that such tragic things take place: this is the cup\nthat yieldeth bitter wine.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "4: Praise be to Him Who hath made the world of being, ...",
"slug": "sel-4-praise-be-to-him-who-hath-made-the-world-of-being",
"summary": "Praise be to Him Who hath made the world of being, and hath fashioned all that is, Him Who hath raised up the sincere to a station of honour4 and hath made the invisible world to appear on the plane of the visible—yet still, in their…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"prison",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"gentleness",
"justice",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nPraise be to Him Who hath made the world of being, and\nhath fashioned all that is, Him Who hath raised up the sincere to a\nstation of honour4\nand hath made the invisible world to appear on the plane of the\nvisible—yet still, in their drunken stupor,5\ndo men wander and stray.\n\nHe hath laid down the foundations of the lofty Citadel,\nHe hath inaugurated the Cycle of Glory, He hath brought forth a new\ncreation on this day that is clearly Judgement Day—and still do\nthe heedless stay fast in their drunken sleep.\n\nThe Bugle6\nhath sounded, the Trumpet7\nhath been blown, the Crier hath raised his call, and all upon the\nearth have swooned away—but still do the dead, in the tombs of\ntheir bodies, sleep on.\n\nAnd the second clarion8\nhath sounded, there hath followed the second blast after the first,9\nand the dread woe hath come, and every nursing mother hath forgot the\ninfant at her breast10—yet\nstill the people, confused and distracted, heed it not.\n\nAnd the Resurrection hath dawned, and the Hour hath\nstruck, and the Path hath been drawn straight, and the Balance hath\nbeen set up, and all upon the earth have been gathered together11—but\nstill the people see no sign of the way.\n\nThe light hath shone forth, and radiance floodeth Mount\nSinai, and a gentle wind bloweth from over the gardens of the\nEver-Forgiving Lord; the sweet breaths of the spirit are passing by,\nand those who lay buried in the grave are rising up—and still\ndo the heedless slumber on in their tombs.\n\nThe flames of hell have been made to blaze, and heaven\nhath been brought nigh; the celestial gardens are in flower, and\nfresh pools are brimming over, and paradise gleameth in beauty—but\nthe unaware are still mired down in their empty dreams.\n\nThe veil hath fallen away, the curtain is lifted, the\nclouds have parted, the Lord of Lords is in plain sight—yet all\nhath passed the sinners by.\n\nIt is He Who hath made for you the new creation,12\nand brought on the woe13\nthat surpasseth all others, and gathered the holy together in the\nrealm on high. Verily in this are signs for those who have eyes to\nsee.\n\nAnd among His signs is the appearance of omens and\njoyous prophecies, of hints and clues, the spreading of many and\nvarious tidings, and the anticipations of the righteous, they who\nhave now attained their goal.\n\nAnd among His signs are His splendours, rising above the\nhorizon of oneness, His lights streaming out from the dayspring of\nmight, and the announcement of the Most Great Glad-Tidings by His\nHerald, the One, the Incomparable. Verily in this is a brilliant\nproof for the company of those who know.\n\nAmong His signs is His being manifest, being seen by\nall, standing as His own proof, and His presence among witnesses in\nevery region, among peoples who fell upon Him even as wolves, and\ncompassed Him about from every side.\n\nAmong His signs is His withstanding powerful nations and\nall-conquering states, and a host of enemies thirsting for His blood,\nintent at every moment upon His ruin, wheresoever He might be. Verily\nthis is a matter deserving the scrutiny of those who ponder the signs\nand tokens of God.\n\nAnother of His signs is the marvel of His discourse, the\neloquence of His utterance, the rapidity with which His Writings were\nrevealed, His words of wisdom, His verses, His epistles, His\ncommunes, His unfolding of the Qur’án, both the abstruse\nverses thereof and the clear. By thy very life! This thing is plain\nas day to whoever will regard it with the eye of justice.\n\nAgain among His signs is the dawning sun of His\nknowledge, and the rising moon of His arts and skills, and His\ndemonstrating perfection in all His ways, as testified by the learned\nand accomplished of many nations.\n\nAnd again among His signs is the fact that His beauty\nstayed inviolate, and His human temple was protected as He revealed\nHis splendours, despite the massed attacks of all His foes, who came\nagainst Him in their thousands with their darting arrows, spears and\nswords. Herein is verily a wonder and a warning to any fair judge.\n\nAnd among His signs is His long-suffering, His\ntribulations and His woes, His agony in His chains and fetters, and\nHis calling out at every moment: ‘Come unto Me, come unto Me,\nye righteous! Come unto Me, come unto Me, ye lovers of the good! Come\nunto Me, come unto Me, ye dawning points of light!’ Verily the\ngates of mystery are opened wide—but still do the wicked\ndisport themselves with their vain cavillings!14\n\n\nYet another of His signs is the promulgation of His\nBook, His decisive Holy Text wherein He reproved the kings, and His\ndire warning to that one15\nwhose mighty rule was felt around the world—and whose great\nthrone then toppled down in a matter of brief days—this being a\nfact clearly established and widely known.\n\nAnd among His signs is the sublimity of His grandeur,\nHis exalted state, His towering glory, and the shining out of His\nbeauty above the horizon of the Prison: so that heads were bowed\nbefore Him and voices lowered, and humble were the faces that turned\nHis way. This is a proof never witnessed in the ages gone before.\n\nAgain among His signs are the extraordinary things He\ncontinually did, the miracles He performed, the wonders appearing\nfrom Him without interruption like the streaming down of His\nclouds—and the acknowledgement, even by unbelievers, of His\npowerful light. By His own life! This was clearly verified, it was\ndemonstrated to those of every persuasion who came into the presence\nof the living, the self-subsisting Lord.\n\nAnd yet another of His signs is the wide-spreading rays\nof the sun of His era, the rising moon of His times in the heaven of\nall the ages: His day, which standeth at the summit of all days, for\nits rank and power, its sciences and its arts, reaching far and wide,\nthat have dazzled the world and astonished the minds of men.\n\nVerily is this a matter settled and established for all\ntime.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "41: O thou who art steadfast in the Covenant, and ...",
"slug": "sel-41-o-thou-who-art-steadfast-in-the-covenant-and",
"summary": "O thou who art steadfast in the Covenant, and staunch! The letter which thou didst write ... hath been shown to me, and the opinions expressed therein were most commendable. It is incumbent upon the Spiritual Consultative Assembly of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant",
"family",
"administration",
"consultation",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art steadfast in the Covenant, and staunch!\nThe letter which thou didst write ... hath been shown to me, and the\nopinions expressed therein were most commendable. It is incumbent\nupon the Spiritual Consultative Assembly of New York to be in\ncomplete agreement with that of Chicago, and for these two assemblies\nof consultation jointly to approve whatever they consider suitable\nfor publication and distribution. Following that, let them send one\ncopy to Akká, so that it may also be approved from here, after\nwhich the material will be returned to be published and circulated.\n\nThe question of co-ordinating and unifying the two\nSpiritual Assemblies, that of Chicago and of New York, is of the\nutmost importance, and once a Spiritual Assembly is duly formed in\nWashington, these two Assemblies should also establish ties of unity\nwith that Assembly. To sum it up, it is the desire of the Lord God\nthat the loved ones of God and the handmaids of the Merciful in the\nWest should come closer together in harmony and unity as day\nfolloweth day, and until this is accomplished, the work will never go\nforward. The Spiritual Assemblies are collectively the most effective\nof all instruments for establishing unity and harmony. This matter is\nof the utmost importance; this is the magnet that draweth down the\nconfirmations of God. If once the beauty of the unity of the\nfriends—this Divine Beloved—be decked in the adornments\nof the Abhá Kingdom, it is certain that within a very short\ntime those countries will become the Paradise of the All-Glorious,\nand that out of the west the splendours of unity will cast their\nbright rays over all the earth.\n\nWe are striving with heart and soul, resting neither day\nnor night, seeking not a moment’s ease, to make this world of\nman the mirror of the unity of God. Then how much more must the\nbeloved of the Lord reflect that unity? And this cherished hope, this\nyearning wish of ours will be visibly fulfilled only on the day when\nthe true friends of God arise to carry out the Teachings of the Abhá\nBeauty—may my life be a ransom for His lovers! One amongst His\nTeachings is this, that love and good faith must so dominate the\nhuman heart that men will regard the stranger as a familiar friend,\nthe malefactor as one of their own, the alien even as a loved one,\nthe enemy as a companion dear and close. Who killeth them, him will\nthey call a bestower of life; who turneth away from them, him will\nthey regard as turning towards them; who denieth their message, him\nwill they consider as one acknowledging its truth. The meaning is\nthat they must treat all humankind even as they treat their\nsympathizers, their fellow-believers, their loved ones and familiar\nfriends.\n\nShould such a torch light up the world community, ye\nwill find that the whole earth is sending forth a fragrance, that it\nhath become a delightsome paradise, and the face of it the image of\nhigh heaven. Then will the whole world be one native land, its\ndiverse peoples one single kind, the nations of both east and west\none household.\n\nIt is my hope that such a day will come, that such a\nsplendour will shine forth, that such a vision will be unveiled in\nits full beauty.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "42: O ye co-workers who are supported by armies ...",
"slug": "sel-42-o-ye-co-workers-who-are-supported-by-armies",
"summary": "O ye co-workers who are supported by armies from the realm of the All-Glorious! Blessed are ye, for ye have come together in the sheltering shade of the Word of God, and have found a refuge in the cave of His Covenant; ye have brought…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant",
"fast",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"devotion",
"faith",
"gentleness",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"unity",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye co-workers who are supported by armies from the\nrealm of the All-Glorious! Blessed are ye, for ye have come together\nin the sheltering shade of the Word of God, and have found a refuge\nin the cave of His Covenant; ye have brought peace to your hearts by\nmaking your home in the Abhá Paradise, and are lulled by the\ngentle winds that blow from their source in His loving-kindness; ye\nhave arisen to serve the Cause of God and to spread His religion far\nand wide, to promote His Word and to raise high the banners of\nholiness throughout all those regions.\n\nBy the life of Bahá! Verily will the consummate\npower of the Divine Reality breathe into you the bounties of the Holy\nSpirit, and aid you to perform an exploit whose like the eye of\ncreation hath never looked upon.\n\nO ye League of the Covenant! Verily the Abhá\nBeauty made a promise to the beloved who are steadfast in the\nCovenant, that He would reinforce their strivings with the strongest\nof supports, and succour them with His triumphant might. Erelong\nshall ye see that your illumined assemblage hath left conspicuous\nsigns and tokens in the hearts and souls of men. Hold ye fast to the\nhem of God’s garment, and direct all your efforts toward\nfurthering His Covenant, and burning ever more brightly with the fire\nof His love, that your hearts may leap for joy in the breathings of\nservitude which well out from the breast of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.\nRally your hearts, make firm your steps, trust in the everlasting\nbounties that will be shed upon you, one following another from the\nKingdom of Abhá. Whensoever ye gather in that radiant\nassemblage, know ye that the splendours of Bahá are shining\nover you. It behoveth you to seek agreement and to be united; it\nbehoveth you to be in close communion one with the other, at one both\nin body and soul, till ye match the Pleiades or a string of lustrous\npearls. Thus will ye be solidly established; thus will your words\nprevail, your star shine out, and your hearts be comforted....\n\nWhenever ye enter the council-chamber, recite this\nprayer with a heart throbbing with the love of God and a tongue\npurified from all but His remembrance, that the All-Powerful may\ngraciously aid you to achieve supreme victory:\n\nO God, my God! We are servants of Thine that have turned\nwith devotion to Thy Holy Face, that have detached ourselves from all\nbesides Thee in this glorious Day. We have gathered in this Spiritual\nAssembly, united in our views and thoughts, with our purposes\nharmonized to exalt Thy Word amidst mankind. O Lord, our God! Make us\nthe signs of Thy Divine Guidance, the Standards of Thine exalted\nFaith amongst men, servants to Thy mighty Covenant, O Thou our Lord\nMost High, manifestations of Thy Divine Unity in Thine Abhá\nKingdom, and resplendent stars shining upon all regions. Lord! Aid us\nto become seas surging with the billows of Thy wondrous Grace,\nstreams flowing from Thine all-glorious Heights, goodly fruits upon\nthe Tree of Thy heavenly Cause, trees waving through the breezes of\nThy Bounty in Thy celestial Vineyard. O God! Make our souls dependent\nupon the Verses of Thy Divine Unity, our hearts cheered with the\noutpourings of Thy Grace, that we may unite even as the waves of one\nsea and become merged together as the rays of Thine effulgent Light;\nthat our thoughts, our views, our feelings may become as one reality,\nmanifesting the spirit of union throughout the world. Thou art the\nGracious, the Bountiful, the Bestower, the Almighty, the Merciful,\nthe Compassionate.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "43: The prime requisites for them that take counsel ...",
"slug": "sel-43-the-prime-requisites-for-them-that-take-counsel",
"summary": "The prime requisites for them that take counsel together are purity of motive, radiance of spirit, detachment from all else save God, attraction to His Divine Fragrances, humility and lowliness amongst His loved ones, patience and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"love",
"patience",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe prime requisites for them that take counsel together\nare purity of motive, radiance of spirit, detachment from all else\nsave God, attraction to His Divine Fragrances, humility and lowliness\namongst His loved ones, patience and long-suffering in difficulties\nand servitude to His exalted Threshold. Should they be graciously\naided to acquire these attributes, victory from the unseen Kingdom of\nBahá shall be vouchsafed to them.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "44: The members thereof must take counsel together ...",
"slug": "sel-44-the-members-thereof-must-take-counsel-together",
"summary": "The members thereof30 must take counsel together in such wise that no occasion for ill-feeling or discord may arise. This can be attained when every member expresseth with absolute freedom his own opinion and setteth forth his…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe members thereof30\nmust take counsel together in such wise that no occasion for\nill-feeling or discord may arise. This can be attained when every\nmember expresseth with absolute freedom his own opinion and setteth\nforth his argument. Should anyone oppose, he must on no account feel\nhurt for not until matters are fully discussed can the right way be\nrevealed. The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the\nclash of differing opinions. If after discussion, a decision be\ncarried unanimously well and good; but if, the Lord forbid,\ndifferences of opinion should arise, a majority of voices must\nprevail.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "45: The first condition is absolute love and harmony ...",
"slug": "sel-45-the-first-condition-is-absolute-love-and-harmony",
"summary": "The first condition is absolute love and harmony amongst the members of the assembly. They must be wholly free from estrangement and must manifest in themselves the Unity of God, for they are the waves of one sea, the drops of one…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"love",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe first condition is absolute love and harmony amongst\nthe members of the assembly. They must be wholly free from\nestrangement and must manifest in themselves the Unity of God, for\nthey are the waves of one sea, the drops of one river, the stars of\none heaven, the rays of one sun, the trees of one orchard, the\nflowers of one garden. Should harmony of thought and absolute unity\nbe nonexistent, that gathering shall be dispersed and that assembly\nbe brought to naught. The second condition is that the members of the\nassembly should unitedly elect a chairman and lay down guide-lines\nand by-laws for their meetings and discussions. The chairman should\nhave charge of such rules and regulations and protect and enforce\nthem; the other members should be submissive, and refrain from\nconversing on superfluous and extraneous matters. They must, when\ncoming together, turn their faces to the Kingdom on high and ask aid\nfrom the Realm of Glory. They must then proceed with the utmost\ndevotion, courtesy, dignity, care and moderation to express their\nviews. They must in every matter search out the truth and not insist\nupon their own opinion, for stubbornness and persistence in one’s\nviews will lead ultimately to discord and wrangling and the truth\nwill remain hidden. The honoured members must with all freedom\nexpress their own thoughts, and it is in no wise permissible for one\nto belittle the thought of another, nay, he must with moderation set\nforth the truth, and should differences of opinion arise a majority\nof voices must prevail, and all must obey and submit to the majority.\nIt is again not permitted that any one of the honoured members object\nto or censure, whether in or out of the meeting, any decision arrived\nat previously, though that decision be not right, for such criticism\nwould prevent any decision from being enforced. In short, whatsoever\nthing is arranged in harmony and with love and purity of motive, its\nresult is light, and should the least trace of estrangement prevail\nthe result shall be darkness upon darkness.... If this be so\nregarded, that assembly shall be of God, but otherwise it shall lead\nto coolness and alienation that proceed from the Evil One.... Should\nthey endeavour to fulfil these conditions the Grace of the Holy\nSpirit shall be vouchsafed unto them, and that assembly shall become\nthe centre of the Divine blessings, the hosts of Divine confirmation\nshall come to their aid, and they shall day by day receive a new\neffusion of Spirit.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "47: O ye true friends! Your letter hath been received ...",
"slug": "sel-47-o-ye-true-friends-your-letter-hath-been-received",
"summary": "O ye true friends! Your letter hath been received and it brought great joy. God be praised, ye had made ready an entertainment and established the feast which is to be held every nineteen days. Whatsoever gathering is arranged with the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye true friends! Your letter hath been received and it\nbrought great joy. God be praised, ye had made ready an entertainment\nand established the feast which is to be held every nineteen days.\nWhatsoever gathering is arranged with the utmost love, and where\nthose who attend are turning their faces toward the Kingdom of God,\nand where the discourse is of the Teachings of God, and the effect of\nwhich is to cause those present to advance—that gathering is\nthe Lord’s, and that festive table hath come down from heaven.\n\nIt is my hope that this feast will be given on one day\nout of every nineteen, for it bringeth you closer together; it is the\nvery well-spring of unity and loving-kindness.\n\nYe observe to what a degree the world is in continual\nturmoil and conflict, and to what a pass its nations have now come.\nPerchance will the lovers of God succeed in upraising the banner of\nhuman unity, so that the one-coloured tabernacle of the Kingdom of\nHeaven will cast its sheltering shadow over all the earth; that\nmisunderstandings among the world’s peoples will vanish away;\nthat all nations will mingle one with another, dealing with one\nanother even as the lover with his beloved.\n\nIt is your duty to be exceedingly kind to every human\nbeing, and to wish him well; to work for the upliftment of society;\nto blow the breath of life into the dead; to act in accordance with\nthe instructions of Bahá’u’lláh and walk\nHis path—until ye change the world of man into the world of\nGod.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "48: O ye loyal servants of the Ancient Beauty! In every ...",
"slug": "sel-48-o-ye-loyal-servants-of-the-ancient-beauty-in-every",
"summary": "O ye loyal servants of the Ancient Beauty! In every cycle and dispensation, the feast hath been favoured and loved, and the spreading of a table for the lovers of God hath been considered a praiseworthy act. This is especially the case…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"joy",
"justice",
"love",
"loyalty",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye loyal servants of the Ancient Beauty! In every\ncycle and dispensation, the feast hath been favoured and loved, and\nthe spreading of a table for the lovers of God hath been considered a\npraiseworthy act. This is especially the case today, in this\ndispensation beyond compare, this most generous of ages, when it is\nhighly acclaimed, for it is truly accounted among such gatherings as\nare held to worship and glorify God. Here the holy verses, the\nheavenly odes and laudations are intoned, and the heart is quickened,\nand carried away from itself.\n\nThe primary intent is to kindle these stirrings of the\nspirit, but at the same time it follows quite naturally that those\npresent should partake of food, so that the world of the body may\nmirror the spirit’s world, and flesh take on the qualities of\nsoul; and just as the spiritual delights are here in profusion, so\ntoo the material delights.\n\nHappy are ye, to be observing this rule, with all its\nmystic meanings, thus keeping the friends of God alert and heedful,\nand bringing them peace of mind, and joy.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "49: Thy letter hath been received. Thou didst write of ...",
"slug": "sel-49-thy-letter-hath-been-received-thou-didst-write-of",
"summary": "Thy letter hath been received. Thou didst write of the Nineteen Day festivity, and this rejoiced my heart. These gatherings cause the divine table to descend from heaven, and draw down the confirmations of the All-Merciful. My hope is…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThy letter hath been received. Thou didst write of the\nNineteen Day festivity, and this rejoiced my heart. These gatherings\ncause the divine table to descend from heaven, and draw down the\nconfirmations of the All-Merciful. My hope is that the breathings of\nthe Holy Spirit will be wafted over them, and that each one present\nshall, in great assemblies, with an eloquent tongue and a heart\nflooded with the love of God, set himself to acclaiming the rise of\nthe Sun of Truth, the dawn of the Day-Star that lighteth all the\nworld.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "5: The world’s great Light, once resplendent upon all ...",
"slug": "sel-5-the-world-s-great-light-once-resplendent-upon-all",
"summary": "The world’s great Light, once resplendent upon all mankind, hath set, to shine everlastingly from the Abhá Horizon, His Kingdom of fadeless glory, shedding splendour upon His loved ones from on high and breathing into their hearts and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe world’s great Light, once resplendent upon all\nmankind, hath set, to shine everlastingly from the Abhá\nHorizon, His Kingdom of fadeless glory, shedding splendour upon His\nloved ones from on high and breathing into their hearts and souls the\nbreath of eternal life.\n\nPonder in your hearts that which He hath foretold in His\nTablet of the Divine Vision that hath been spread throughout the\nworld. Therein He saith: ‘Thereupon she wailed and exclaimed:\n“May the world and all that is therein be a ransom for Thy\nwoes. O Sovereign of heaven and earth! Wherefore hast Thou left\nThyself in the hands of the dwellers of this prison-city of Akká?\nHasten Thou to other dominions, to Thy retreats above, whereon the\neyes of the people of names have never fallen.” We smiled and\nspake not. Reflect upon these most exalted words, and comprehend the\npurpose of this hidden and sacred mystery.’\n\nO ye beloved of the Lord! Beware, beware lest ye\nhesitate and waver. Let not fear fall upon you, neither be troubled\nnor dismayed. Take ye good heed lest this calamitous day slacken the\nflames of your ardour, and quench your tender hopes. Today is the day\nfor steadfastness and constancy. Blessed are they that stand firm and\nimmovable as the rock and brave the storm and stress of this\ntempestuous hour. They, verily, shall be the recipients of God’s\ngrace; they, verily, shall receive His divine assistance, and shall\nbe truly victorious. They shall shine amidst mankind with a radiance\nwhich the dwellers of the Pavilion of Glory laud and magnify. To them\nis proclaimed this celestial call, revealed in His Most Holy Book:\n‘Let not your hearts be perturbed, O people, when the glory of\nMy Presence is withdrawn, and the ocean of My utterance is stilled.\nIn My presence amongst you there is a wisdom, and in My absence there\nis yet another, inscrutable to all but God, the Incomparable, the\nAll-Knowing. Verily, We behold you from Our realm of glory, and shall\naid whosoever will arise for the triumph of Our Cause with the hosts\nof the Concourse on high and a company of Our favoured angels.’\n\n\nThe Sun of Truth, that Most Great Light, hath set upon\nthe horizon of the world to rise with deathless splendour over the\nRealm of the Limitless. In His Most Holy Book He calleth the firm and\nsteadfast of His friends: ‘Be not dismayed, O peoples of the\nworld, when the day-star of My beauty is set, and the heaven of My\ntabernacle is concealed from your eyes. Arise to further My Cause,\nand to exalt My Word amongst men.’\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "51: As to the Nineteen Day Feast, it rejoiceth mind and ...",
"slug": "sel-51-as-to-the-nineteen-day-feast-it-rejoiceth-mind-and",
"summary": "As to the Nineteen Day Feast, it rejoiceth mind and heart. If this feast be held in the proper fashion, the friends will, once in nineteen days, find themselves spiritually restored, and endued with a power that is not of this…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAs to the Nineteen Day Feast, it rejoiceth mind and\nheart. If this feast be held in the proper fashion, the friends will,\nonce in nineteen days, find themselves spiritually restored, and\nendued with a power that is not of this world.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "52: O servant of the One true God! The Lord be ...",
"slug": "sel-52-o-servant-of-the-one-true-god-the-lord-be",
"summary": "O servant of the One true God! The Lord be praised, the loved ones of God are found in every land, and are, one and all, neath the shadow of the Tree of Life and under the protection of His good providence. His care and loving-kindness…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love",
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO servant of the One true God! The Lord be praised, the\nloved ones of God are found in every land, and are, one and all,\nneath the shadow of the Tree of Life and under the protection of His\ngood providence. His care and loving-kindness surge even as the\neternal billows of the sea, and His blessings are continually\nshowered from His eternal Kingdom.\n\nOurs should be the prayer that His blessings may be\nvouchsafed in still greater abundance, and ours to hold fast to such\nmeans as shall ensure a fuller outpouring of His grace and a greater\nmeasure of His divine assistance.\n\nOne of the greatest of these means is the spirit of true\nfellowship and loving communion amongst the friends. Remember the\nsaying: ‘Of all pilgrimages the greatest is to relieve the\nsorrow-laden heart.’\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "54: Ye have written as to the meetings of the friends, and ...",
"slug": "sel-54-ye-have-written-as-to-the-meetings-of-the-friends-and",
"summary": "Ye have written as to the meetings of the friends, and how filled they are with peace and joy. Of course this is so; for wherever the spiritually minded are gathered together, there in His beauty reigneth Bahá’u’lláh. Thus it is…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"prayer",
"truthfulness",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nYe have written as to the meetings of the friends, and\nhow filled they are with peace and joy. Of course this is so; for\nwherever the spiritually minded are gathered together, there in His\nbeauty reigneth Bahá’u’lláh. Thus it is\ncertain that such reunions will yield boundless happiness and peace.\n\nToday it behoveth one and all to forgo the mention of\nall else, and to disregard all things. Let their speaking, let their\ninner state be summed up thus: ‘Keep all my words of prayer and\npraise confined to one refrain; make all my life but servitude to\nThee.’ That is, let them concentrate all their thoughts, all\ntheir words, on teaching the Cause of God and spreading the Faith of\nGod, and inspiring all to characterize themselves with the\ncharacteristics of God; on loving mankind; on being pure and holy in\nall things, and spotless in their public and private life; on being\nupright and detached, and fervent, and afire. All is to be yielded\nup, save only the remembrance of God; all is to be dispraised, except\nHis praise. Today, to this melody of the Company on high, the world\nwill leap and dance: ‘Glory be to my Lord, the All-Glorious!’\nBut know ye this: save for this song of God, no song will stir the\nworld, and save for this nightingale-cry of truth from the Garden of\nGod, no melody will lure away the heart. ‘Whence cometh this\nSinger Who speaketh the Beloved’s name?’\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "55: It befitteth the friends to hold a gathering, a ...",
"slug": "sel-55-it-befitteth-the-friends-to-hold-a-gathering-a",
"summary": "It befitteth the friends to hold a gathering, a meeting, where they shall glorify God and fix their hearts upon Him, and read and recite the Holy Writings of the Blessed Beauty—may my soul be the ransom of His lovers! The lights of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIt befitteth the friends to hold a gathering, a meeting,\nwhere they shall glorify God and fix their hearts upon Him, and read\nand recite the Holy Writings of the Blessed Beauty—may my soul\nbe the ransom of His lovers! The lights of the All-Glorious Realm,\nthe rays of the Supreme Horizon, will be cast upon such bright\nassemblages, for these are none other than the Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs,\nthe Dawning-Points of God’s Remembrance, which must, at the\ndirection of the Most Exalted Pen, be established in every hamlet and\ncity... These spiritual gatherings must be held with the utmost\npurity and consecration, so that from the site itself, and its earth\nand the air about it, one will inhale the fragrant breathings of the\nHoly Spirit.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "56: Whensoever a company of people shall gather in a ...",
"slug": "sel-56-whensoever-a-company-of-people-shall-gather-in-a",
"summary": "Whensoever a company of people shall gather in a meeting place, shall engage in glorifying God, and shall speak with one another of the mysteries of God, beyond any doubt the breathings of the Holy Spirit will blow gently over them, and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhensoever a company of people shall gather in a meeting\nplace, shall engage in glorifying God, and shall speak with one\nanother of the mysteries of God, beyond any doubt the breathings of\nthe Holy Spirit will blow gently over them, and each shall receive a\nshare thereof.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "57: We hear that thou hast in mind to embellish thy ...",
"slug": "sel-57-we-hear-that-thou-hast-in-mind-to-embellish-thy",
"summary": "We hear that thou hast in mind to embellish thy house from time to time with a meeting of Bahá’ís, where some among them will engage in glorifying the All-Glorious Lord... Know that shouldst thou bring this about, that house of earth…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWe hear that thou hast in mind to embellish thy house\nfrom time to time with a meeting of Bahá’ís,\nwhere some among them will engage in glorifying the All-Glorious\nLord... Know that shouldst thou bring this about, that house of earth\nwill become a house of heaven, and that fabric of stone a congress of\nthe spirit.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "58: Thou hast asked about places of worship and the ...",
"slug": "sel-58-thou-hast-asked-about-places-of-worship-and-the",
"summary": "Thou hast asked about places of worship and the underlying reason therefor. The wisdom in raising up such buildings is that at a given hour, the people should know it is time to meet, and all should gather together, and, harmoniously…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThou hast asked about places of worship and the\nunderlying reason therefor. The wisdom in raising up such buildings\nis that at a given hour, the people should know it is time to meet,\nand all should gather together, and, harmoniously attuned one to\nanother, engage in prayer; with the result that out of this coming\ntogether, unity and affection shall grow and flourish in the human\nheart.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "6: O ye peoples of the Kingdom! How many a soul ...",
"slug": "sel-6-o-ye-peoples-of-the-kingdom-how-many-a-soul",
"summary": "O ye peoples of the Kingdom! How many a soul expended all its span of life in worship, endured the mortification of the flesh, longed to gain an entry into the Kingdom, and yet failed, while ye, with neither toil nor pain nor…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye peoples of the Kingdom! How many a soul expended\nall its span of life in worship, endured the mortification of the\nflesh, longed to gain an entry into the Kingdom, and yet failed,\nwhile ye, with neither toil nor pain nor self-denial, have won the\nprize and entered in.\n\nIt is even as in the time of the Messiah, when the\nPharisees and the pious were left without a portion, while Peter,\nJohn and Andrew, given neither to pious worship nor ascetic practice,\nwon the day. Wherefore, thank ye God for setting upon your heads the\ncrown of glory everlasting, for granting unto you this immeasurable\ngrace.\n\nThe time hath come when, as a thank-offering for this\nbestowal, ye should grow in faith and constancy as day followeth day,\nand should draw ever nearer to the Lord, your God, becoming\nmagnetized to such a degree, and so aflame, that your holy melodies\nin praise of the Beloved will reach upward to the Company on high;\nand that each one of you, even as a nightingale in this rose garden\nof God, will glorify the Lord of Hosts, and become the teacher of all\nwho dwell on earth.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "60: Although to outward seeming the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár ...",
"slug": "sel-60-although-to-outward-seeming-the-mashriqu-l-adhkar",
"summary": "Although to outward seeming the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is a material structure, yet it hath a spiritual effect. It forgeth bonds of unity from heart to heart; it is a collective centre for men’s souls. Every city in which, during the days of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAlthough to outward seeming the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár\nis a material structure, yet it hath a spiritual effect. It forgeth\nbonds of unity from heart to heart; it is a collective centre for\nmen’s souls. Every city in which, during the days of the\nManifestation, a temple was raised up, hath created security and\nconstancy and peace, for such buildings were given over to the\nperpetual glorification of God, and only in the remembrance of God\ncan the heart find rest. Gracious God! The edifice of the House of\nWorship hath a powerful influence on every phase of life. Experience\nhath, in the east, clearly shown this to be a fact. Even if, in some\nsmall village, a house was designated as the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár,\nit produced a marked effect; how much greater would be the impact of\none especially raised up.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "61: O Lord, O Thou Who dost bless all those who ...",
"slug": "sel-61-o-lord-o-thou-who-dost-bless-all-those-who",
"summary": "O Lord, O Thou Who dost bless all those who stand firm in the Covenant by enabling them, out of their love for the Light of the World, to expend what they have as an offering to the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, the dayspring of Thy wide-spread…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Lord, O Thou Who dost bless all those who stand firm\nin the Covenant by enabling them, out of their love for the Light of\nthe World, to expend what they have as an offering to the\nMashriqu’l-Adhkár, the dayspring of Thy\nwide-spread rays and the proclaimer of Thine evidences, help Thou,\nboth in this world and the world to come, these righteous these\nupright and pious ones to draw ever nearer to Thy sacred Threshold,\nand make bright their faces with Thy dazzling splendours.\n\nVerily art Thou the Generous, the Ever-Bestowing.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "62: O my well-beloved daughter of the Kingdom! ...",
"slug": "sel-62-o-my-well-beloved-daughter-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O my well-beloved daughter of the Kingdom! The letter thou hadst written to Dr. Esslemont was forwarded by him to the Land of Desire [The Holy Land]. I read it all through with the greatest attention. On the one hand, I was deeply…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO my well-beloved daughter of the Kingdom! The letter\nthou hadst written to Dr. Esslemont was forwarded by him to the Land\nof Desire [The Holy Land]. I read it all through with the greatest\nattention. On the one hand, I was deeply touched, for thou hadst\nsheared off those fair tresses of thine with the shears of detachment\nfrom this world and of self-sacrifice in the path of the Kingdom of\nGod. And on the other, I was greatly pleased, for that dearly-beloved\ndaughter hath evinced so great a spirit of self-sacrifice as to offer\nup so precious a part of her body in the pathway of the Cause of God.\nHadst thou sought my opinion, I would in no wise have consented that\nthou shouldst shear off even a single thread of thy comely and wavy\nlocks; nay, I myself would have contributed in thy name for the\nMashriqu’l-Adhkár. This deed of thine is,\nhowever, an eloquent testimony to thy noble spirit of self-sacrifice.\nThou hast, verily, sacrificed thy life and great will be the\nspiritual results thou shalt obtain. Rest thou confident that day by\nday thou shalt progress and wax greater in firmness and in constancy.\nThe bounties of Bahá’u’lláh shall compass\nthee about and the joyful tidings from on high shall time and again\nbe imparted unto thee. And though it be thine hair that thou hast\nsacrificed, yet thou shalt be filled with the Spirit, and though it\nbe this perishable member of thy body which thou hast laid down in\nthe path of God, yet thou shalt find the Divine Gift, shalt behold\nthe Celestial Beauty, obtain imperishable glory and attain unto\neverlasting life.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "63: O ye blessed souls! The letter ye had written to ...",
"slug": "sel-63-o-ye-blessed-souls-the-letter-ye-had-written-to",
"summary": "O ye blessed souls!31 The letter ye had written to Rahmatu’lláh hath been perused. Many and various were the joyful tidings it conveyed, namely, that through the power of faith and constancy in the Covenant, numerous gatherings have…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"joy",
"love",
"prayer",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye blessed souls!31\nThe letter ye had written to Rahmatu’lláh hath been\nperused. Many and various were the joyful tidings it conveyed,\nnamely, that through the power of faith and constancy in the\nCovenant, numerous gatherings have been convened, and the loved ones\nare everywhere astir and active.\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s ardent desire\nhath ever been that the soil of that hallowed spot, which in the\nearliest days of the Cause hath been refreshed and made verdant with\nthe spring showers of grace, may so bloom and blossom as to fill\nevery heart with joy.\n\nPraised be the Lord, the Cause of God hath been\nproclaimed and promoted throughout the East and the West in such wise\nthat no mind had ever conceived that the sweet savours of the Lord\nwould so rapidly perfume all regions. This, verily, is only through\nthe consummate bounties of the ever-blessed Beauty, Whose grace and\nWhose triumphing power are time and again abundantly received.\n\nOne of the wondrous events that has of late come to pass\nis this, that the edifice of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár\nis being raised in the very heart of the American continent, and\nnumerous souls from the surrounding regions are contributing for the\nerection of this holy Temple. Among these is a highly esteemed lady\nof the city of Manchester, who hath been moved to offer her share.\n\nHaving no portion of goods and earthly riches, she\nsheared off with her own hands the fine, long and precious tresses\nthat adorned her head so gracefully, and offered them for sale, that\nthe price thereof might promote the cause of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár.\n\n\nConsider ye, that though in the eyes of women nothing is\nmore precious than rich and flowing locks, yet notwithstanding this,\nthat highly-honoured lady hath evinced so rare and beautiful a spirit\nof self-sacrifice.\n\nAnd though this was uncalled for, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá\nwould not have consented to such a deed, yet as it doth reveal so\nhigh and noble a spirit of devotion, He was deeply touched thereby.\nPrecious though the hair be in the sight of western women, nay, more\nprecious than life itself, yet she offered it up as a sacrifice for\nthe cause of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár!\n\nIt is related that once in the days of the Apostle of\nGod32\nHe signified His desire that an army should advance in a certain\ndirection, and leave was granted unto the faithful to raise\ncontributions for the holy war. Among many was one man who gave a\nthousand camels, each laden with corn, another who gave half his\nsubstance, and still another who offered all that he had. But a woman\nstricken in years, whose sole possession was a handful of dates, came\nto the Apostle and laid at His feet her humble contribution.\nThereupon the Prophet of God—may my life be offered up as a\nsacrifice unto Him—bade that this handful of dates be placed\nover and above all the contributions that had been gathered, thus\nasserting the merit and superiority thereof over all the rest. This\nwas done because that elderly woman had no other earthly possessions\nbut these.\n\nAnd in like manner this esteemed lady had nothing else\nto contribute but her precious locks, and these she gloriously\nsacrificed in the cause of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár.\n\n\nPonder and reflect how mighty and potent hath the Cause\nof God become! A woman of the west hath given her hair for the glory\nof the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár.\n\nNay, this is but a lesson unto them that perceive.\n\nIn conclusion I am greatly pleased with the loved ones\nin Najaf-Ábád for, from the very early dawn of the\nCause unto this day they have one and all under all conditions\nevinced a great spirit of self-sacrifice.\n\nZaynu’l-Muqarrabín hath throughout his\nlifetime prayed with all the sincerity of his stainless soul on\nbehalf of the believers in Najaf-Ábád and implored for\nthem the grace of God and His divine confirmation.\n\nThe Lord be praised that the prayers of this gracious\nsoul have been answered, for the effects thereof are everywhere\nmanifest.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "64: The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is one of the most vital ...",
"slug": "sel-64-the-mashriqu-l-adhkar-is-one-of-the-most-vital",
"summary": "The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is one of the most vital institutions in the world, and it hath many subsidiary branches. Although it is a House of Worship, it is also connected with a hospital, a drug dispensary, a traveller’s hospice, a school…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is one\nof the most vital institutions in the world, and it hath many\nsubsidiary branches. Although it is a House of Worship, it is also\nconnected with a hospital, a drug dispensary, a traveller’s\nhospice, a school for orphans, and a university for advanced studies.\nEvery Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is connected with\nthese five things. My hope is that the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár\nwill now be established in America, and that gradually the hospital,\nthe school, the university, the dispensary and the hospice, all\nfunctioning according to the most efficient and orderly procedures,\nwill follow. Make these matters known to the beloved of the Lord, so\nthat they will understand how very great is the importance of this\n‘Dawning-Point of the Remembrance of God.’ The Temple is\nnot only a place for worship; rather, in every respect is it complete\nand whole.\n\nO thou dear handmaid of God! If only thou couldst know\nwhat a high station is destined for those souls who are severed from\nthe world, are powerfully attracted to the Faith, and are teaching,\nunder the sheltering shadow of Bahá’u’lláh!\nHow thou wouldst rejoice, how thou wouldst, in exultation and\nrapture, spread thy wings and soar heavenward—for being a\nfollower of such a way, and a traveller toward such a Kingdom.\n\nAs to the terminology I used in my letter, bidding thee\nto consecrate thyself to service in the Cause of God, the meaning of\nit is this: limit thy thoughts to teaching the Faith. Act by day and\nnight according to the teachings and counsels and admonitions of\nBahá’u’lláh. This doth not preclude\nmarriage. Thou canst take unto thyself a husband and at the same time\nserve the Cause of God; the one doth not preclude the other. Know\nthou the value of these days; let not this chance escape thee. Beg\nthou God to make thee a lighted candle, so that thou mayest guide a\ngreat multitude through this darksome world.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "65: O thou favoured handmaid of the heavenly Kingdom! ...",
"slug": "sel-65-o-thou-favoured-handmaid-of-the-heavenly-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou favoured handmaid of the heavenly Kingdom! Thy letter hath been received. It conveyeth high aspirations and noble goals, saying that thou hast in mind to make a journey to the Far East, and that thou art ready to endure extreme…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou favoured handmaid of the heavenly Kingdom! Thy\nletter hath been received. It conveyeth high aspirations and noble\ngoals, saying that thou hast in mind to make a journey to the Far\nEast, and that thou art ready to endure extreme hardships, in order\nto guide the souls, and to spread far and wide the glad tidings of\nGod’s Kingdom. This purpose of thine betokeneth that thou, dear\nhandmaid of God, dost cherish the very noblest of all aims.\n\nWhen delivering the glad tidings, speak out and say: the\nPromised One of all the world’s peoples hath now been made\nmanifest. For each and every people, and every religion, await a\nPromised One, and Bahá’u’lláh is that One\nWho is awaited by all; and therefore the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh\nwill bring about the oneness of mankind, and the tabernacle of unity\nwill be upraised on the heights of the world, and the banners of the\nuniversality of all humankind will be unfurled on the peaks of the\nearth. When thou dost loose thy tongue to deliver this great good\nnews, this will become the means of teaching the people.\n\nThy projected journey, however, is to a very far-away\nland, and unless a group of persons be available, the glad tidings\nwill not take much effect in that place. If ye think best, travel\ninstead to Persia, and on the way back, go through Japan and China.\nThis would appear to be much better, and far more enjoyable. In any\ncase, do whatever seemeth feasible, and it will be approved.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "66: O thou who hast sought illumination from the ...",
"slug": "sel-66-o-thou-who-hast-sought-illumination-from-the",
"summary": "O thou who hast sought illumination from the light of guidance! Praise thou God that He hath directed thee to the light of truth and hath invited thee to enter the Kingdom of Abhá. Thy sight hath been illumined and thy heart hath been…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who hast sought illumination from the light of\nguidance! Praise thou God that He hath directed thee to the light of\ntruth and hath invited thee to enter the Kingdom of Abhá. Thy\nsight hath been illumined and thy heart hath been turned into a rose\ngarden. I pray for thee that thou mayest ever grow in faith and\nassurance, shine like unto a torch in the assemblies and bestow upon\nthem the light of guidance.\n\nWhenever an illumined assembly of the friends of God is\ngathered, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, although bodily absent, is\nyet present in spirit and in soul. I am always a traveller to America\nand am assuredly associating with spiritual and illumined friends.\nDistance is annihilated and prevents not the close and intimate\nassociation of two souls that are closely attached in heart even\nthough they may be in two different countries. I am therefore thy\nclose companion, attuned and in harmony with thy soul.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "67: O thou lady of the Kingdom! Thy letter sent from ...",
"slug": "sel-67-o-thou-lady-of-the-kingdom-thy-letter-sent-from",
"summary": "O thou lady of the Kingdom! Thy letter sent from New York hath been received. Its contents imparted joy and gladness for they indicated that with a firm resolve and a pure intention thou hast determined to travel to Paris, that thou…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou lady of the Kingdom! Thy letter sent from New\nYork hath been received. Its contents imparted joy and gladness for\nthey indicated that with a firm resolve and a pure intention thou\nhast determined to travel to Paris, that thou mayest in that silent\ncity enkindle the fire of the love of God and in the midst of that\ndarkness of nature shine like unto a resplendent candle. This journey\nis highly praiseworthy and suitable. When thou reachest Paris, thou\nmust strive, no matter how small the number of the friends may be, to\ninstitute the assembly of the Covenant and to vivify the souls\nthrough the power of the Covenant.\n\nParis is exceedingly dispirited and is in a state of\ntorpor and so far it hath not burst into flames although the French\nnation is an active and lively one. But the world of nature hath\nfully stretched its pavilion over Paris and hath done away with\nreligious sentiments. But this power of the Covenant shall heat every\nfreezing soul, shall bestow light upon everything that is dark and\nshall secure for the captive in the hand of nature the true freedom\nof the Kingdom.\n\nArise thou at present in Paris with the power of the\nKingdom, with a divine confirmation, with a genuine zeal and ardour\nand with a flame of the love of God. Roar like unto a lion and\nexhibit such ecstasy and love among these few souls that praise and\nglorification may continuously reach thee from the divine Kingdom and\nmighty confirmations may descend upon thee. Rest thou assured. If\nthou dost act accordingly and hoist the standard of the Covenant,\nParis shall burst into flame. Be constantly attached to and seek\nalways the confirmations of Bahá’u’lláh for\nthese turn the drop into a sea and convert the gnat into an eagle.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "68: O ye who are firm in the Covenant and the Testament! ...",
"slug": "sel-68-o-ye-who-are-firm-in-the-covenant-and-the-testament",
"summary": "O ye who are firm in the Covenant and the Testament! Your letter was received and your blessed names were one by one perused. The contents of the letter were divine inspirations and manifest bounties because they were indicative of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye who are firm in the Covenant and the Testament!\nYour letter was received and your blessed names were one by one\nperused. The contents of the letter were divine inspirations and\nmanifest bounties because they were indicative of the union of the\nfriends and the harmony of all hearts.\n\nToday the most remarkable favour of God centereth around\nunion and harmony among the friends; so that this unity and concord\nmay be the cause of the promulgation of the oneness of the world of\nhumanity, may emancipate the world from this intense darkness of\nenmity and rancour, and that the Sun of Truth may shine in full and\nperfect effulgence.\n\nToday, all the peoples of the world are indulging in\nself-interest and exert the utmost effort and endeavour to promote\ntheir own material interests. They are worshipping themselves and not\nthe divine reality, nor the world of mankind. They seek diligently\ntheir own benefit and not the common weal. This is because they are\ncaptives of the world of nature and unaware of the divine teachings,\nof the bounty of the Kingdom and of the Sun of Truth. But ye, praise\nbe to God, are at present especially favoured with this bounty, have\nbecome of the chosen, have been informed of the heavenly\ninstructions, have gained admittance into the Kingdom of God, have\nbecome the recipients of unbounded blessings and have been baptized\nwith the Water of Life, with the fire of the love of God and with the\nHoly Spirit.\n\nStrive, therefore, with heart and soul that ye become\nignited candles in the assemblage of the world, glittering stars on\nthe horizon of Truth and may become the cause of the propagation of\nthe light of the Kingdom; in order that the world of humanity may be\nconverted into a divine realm, the nether world may become the world\non high, the love of God and the mercy of the Lord may raise their\ncanopy upon the apex of the world, human souls may become the waves\nof the ocean of truth, the world of humanity may grow into one\nblessed tree, the verses of oneness may be chanted and the melodies\nof sanctity may reach the Supreme Concourse.\n\nDay and night I entreat and supplicate to the Kingdom of\nGod and beg for you infinite assistance and confirmation. Do not take\ninto consideration your own aptitudes and capacities, but fix your\ngaze on the consummate bounty, the divine bestowal and the power of\nthe Holy Spirit—the power that converteth the drop into a sea\nand the star into a sun.\n\nPraise be to God, the hosts of the Supreme Concourse\nsecure the victory and the power of the Kingdom is ready to assist\nand to support. Should ye at every instant unloosen the tongue in\nthanksgiving and gratitude, ye would not be able to discharge\nyourselves of the obligation of gratitude for these bestowals.\n\nConsider: eminent personages whose fame hath spread all\nover the world shall, erelong, fade into utter nothingness as the\nresult of their deprivation of this heavenly bounty; no name and no\nfame shall they leave behind, and of them no fruit and trace shall\nsurvive. But as the effulgences of the Sun of Truth have dawned forth\nupon you and ye have attained everlasting life, ye shall shine and\nsparkle forevermore from the horizon of existence.\n\nPeter was a fisherman and Mary Magdalene a peasant, but\nas they were specially favoured with the blessings of Christ, the\nhorizon of their faith became illumined, and down to the present day\nthey are shining from the horizon of everlasting glory. In this\nstation, merit and capacity are not to be considered; nay rather, the\nresplendent rays of the Sun of Truth, which have illumined these\nmirrors, must be taken into account.\n\nYe are inviting me to America. I am likewise longing to\ngaze upon those illumined faces and converse and associate with those\ntrue friends. But the magnetic power which shall draw me to those\nshores is the union and harmony of the friends, their behaviour and\nconduct in accordance with the teachings of God and the firmness of\nall in the Covenant and the Testament.\n\nO Divine Providence! This assemblage is composed of Thy\nfriends who are attracted to Thy beauty and are set ablaze by the\nfire of Thy love. Turn these souls into heavenly angels, resuscitate\nthem through the breath of Thy Holy Spirit, grant them eloquent\ntongues and resolute hearts, bestow upon them heavenly power and\nmerciful susceptibilities, cause them to become the promulgators of\nthe oneness of mankind and the cause of love and concord in the world\nof humanity, so that the perilous darkness of ignorant prejudice may\nvanish through the light of the Sun of Truth, this dreary world may\nbecome illumined, this material realm may absorb the rays of the\nworld of spirit, these different colours may merge into one colour\nand the melody of praise may rise to the kingdom of Thy sanctity.\n\nVerily, Thou art the Omnipotent and the Almighty!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "69: Thou hast written concerning organization. The ...",
"slug": "sel-69-thou-hast-written-concerning-organization-the",
"summary": "Thou hast written concerning organization. The divine teachings and the admonitions and exhortations of Bahá’u’lláh are manifestly evident. These constitute the organization of the Kingdom and their enforcement is obligatory. The least…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThou hast written concerning organization. The divine\nteachings and the admonitions and exhortations of Bahá’u’lláh\nare manifestly evident. These constitute the organization of the\nKingdom and their enforcement is obligatory. The least deviation from\nthem is absolute error.\n\nThou hast written concerning my travel to America. If\nthou couldst see how the waves of constant occupation are surging\nthou wouldst have considered that time for travel is absolutely\nlacking; in times of fixed residence partial rest is even impossible.\nGod willing, I trust, through the bounty of Bahá’u’lláh,\nthat as soon as means for the composure of mind and of heart are\nprovided, I shall determine to journey and shall inform thee about\nit.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "70: O thou ignited candle! Thy letter was received. Its ...",
"slug": "sel-70-o-thou-ignited-candle-thy-letter-was-received-its",
"summary": "O thou ignited candle! Thy letter was received. Its contents imparted spiritual gladness, for they were pervaded by spiritual sentiments and indicated the attraction of thy heart, attachment to the Kingdom of God and love for His divine…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"justice",
"love",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou ignited candle! Thy letter was received. Its\ncontents imparted spiritual gladness, for they were pervaded by\nspiritual sentiments and indicated the attraction of thy heart,\nattachment to the Kingdom of God and love for His divine teachings.\n\nVerily, thou showest a high endeavour, hast a pure and\nsanctified purpose, wishest naught save the good-pleasure of God,\nseekest nothing but the attainment of limitless bounties, and art\nengaged in the promulgation of divine teachings and the explanation\nof abstruse metaphysical problems. It is my hope that, by the favour\nof Bahá’u’lláh, thou and thy respected wife\nmay daily increase in firmness and steadfastness, so that in that\nexalted land ye may become two upraised standards and two resplendent\nlights.\n\nExtensive travel in October, to the north, south, east\nand west, accompanied by that candle of the love of God, Mrs.\nMaxwell, would be highly acceptable. My hope is that she may entirely\nrecover; this beloved handmaid of God is like a flame of fire and\nthinks day and night of nothing save service to God. For the present,\ntravel throughout the northern states, and in the winter season\nhasten to the states in the south. Your service should consist of\neloquent speeches delivered in gatherings wherein ye may promulgate\nthe divine teachings. If possible, undertake at some time a voyage to\nthe Hawaiian Islands.\n\nThe events which have transpired were all recorded fifty\nyears ago in the Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh—Tablets\nwhich have been printed, published and spread throughout the world.\nThe teachings of Bahá’u’lláh are the light\nof this age and the spirit of this century. Expound each of them at\nevery gathering.\n\nThe first is investigation of truth, \nThe second, the\noneness of mankind, \nThe third, universal peace, \nThe fourth,\nconformity between science and divine revelation, \nThe fifth,\nabandonment of racial, religious, worldly and political prejudices,\nprejudices which destroy the foundation of mankind. \nThe sixth is\nrighteousness and justice, \nThe seventh, the betterment of morals\nand heavenly education, \nThe eighth, the equality of the two\nsexes, \nThe ninth, the diffusion of knowledge and education, \nThe\ntenth, economic questions,\n\nand so on and so forth. Strive that souls may attain\nunto the light of guidance and hold fast unto the hem of Bahá’u’lláh.\n\n\nThe letter thou hast enclosed was perused. When man’s\nsoul is rarified and cleansed, spiritual links are established, and\nfrom these bonds sensations felt by the heart are produced. The human\nheart resembleth a mirror. When this is purified human hearts are\nattuned and reflect one another, and thus spiritual emotions are\ngenerated. This is like the world of dreams when man is detached from\nthings which are tangible and experienceth those of the spirit. What\namazing laws operate, and what remarkable discoveries are made! And\nit may even be that detailed communications are registered...\n\nFinally, I hope that in Chicago the friends may become\nunited and may illumine that city, for therein the dawn of the Cause\nappeared, and in this lieth its preference over other cities.\nTherefore it must be held in respect; perchance it may, God willing,\nbe freed from all spiritual afflictions, and may attain unto perfect\nhealth and become a centre of the Covenant and Testament.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "71: O thou beloved maidservant of God! Thy letter ...",
"slug": "sel-71-o-thou-beloved-maidservant-of-god-thy-letter",
"summary": "O thou beloved maidservant of God! Thy letter was received and its contents revealed the fact that the friends, in perfect energy and vitality are engaged in the propagation of the heavenly teachings. This news hath caused intense joy…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"justice",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou beloved maidservant of God! Thy letter was\nreceived and its contents revealed the fact that the friends, in\nperfect energy and vitality are engaged in the propagation of the\nheavenly teachings. This news hath caused intense joy and gladness.\nFor every era hath a spirit; the spirit of this illumined era lieth\nin the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. For these\nlay the foundation of the oneness of the world of humanity and\npromulgate universal brotherhood. They are founded upon the unity of\nscience and religion and upon investigation of truth. They uphold the\nprinciple that religion must be the cause of amity, union and harmony\namong men. They establish the equality of both sexes and propound\neconomic principles which are for the happiness of individuals. They\ndiffuse universal education, that every soul may as much as possible\nhave a share of knowledge. They abrogate and nullify religious,\nracial, political, patriotic and economic prejudices and the like.\nThose teachings that are scattered throughout the Epistles and\nTablets are the cause of the illumination and the life of the world\nof humanity. Whoever promulgateth them will verily be assisted by the\nKingdom of God.\n\nThe President of the Republic, Dr. Wilson, is indeed\nserving the Kingdom of God for he is restless and strives day and\nnight that the rights of all men may be preserved safe and secure,\nthat even small nations, like greater ones, may dwell in peace and\ncomfort, under the protection of Righteousness and Justice. This\npurpose is indeed a lofty one. I trust that the incomparable\nProvidence will assist and confirm such souls under all conditions.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "72: O thou true friend! Read, in the school of God, the ...",
"slug": "sel-72-o-thou-true-friend-read-in-the-school-of-god-the",
"summary": "O thou true friend! Read, in the school of God, the lessons of the spirit, and learn from love’s Teacher the innermost truths. Seek out the secrets of Heaven, and tell of the overflowing grace and favour of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou true friend! Read, in the school of God, the\nlessons of the spirit, and learn from love’s Teacher the\ninnermost truths. Seek out the secrets of Heaven, and tell of the\noverflowing grace and favour of God.\n\nAlthough to acquire the sciences and arts is the\ngreatest glory of mankind, this is so only on condition that man’s\nriver flow into the mighty sea, and draw from God’s ancient\nsource His inspiration. When this cometh to pass, then every teacher\nis as a shoreless ocean, every pupil a prodigal fountain of\nknowledge. If, then, the pursuit of knowledge lead to the beauty of\nHim Who is the Object of all Knowledge, how excellent that goal; but\nif not, a mere drop will perhaps shut a man off from flooding grace,\nfor with learning cometh arrogance and pride, and it bringeth on\nerror and indifference to God.\n\nThe sciences of today are bridges to reality; if then\nthey lead not to reality, naught remains but fruitless illusion. By\nthe one true God! If learning be not a means of access to Him, the\nMost Manifest, it is nothing but evident loss.\n\nIt is incumbent upon thee to acquire the various\nbranches of knowledge, and to turn thy face toward the beauty of the\nManifest Beauty, that thou mayest be a sign of saving guidance\namongst the peoples of the world, and a focal centre of understanding\nin this sphere from which the wise and their wisdom are shut out,\nexcept for those who set foot in the Kingdom of lights and become\ninformed of the veiled and hidden mystery, the well-guarded secret.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "73: O daughter of the Kingdom! Thy letter hath come ...",
"slug": "sel-73-o-daughter-of-the-kingdom-thy-letter-hath-come",
"summary": "O daughter of the Kingdom! Thy letter hath come and its contents make clear the fact that thou hast directed all thy thoughts toward acquiring light from the realms of mystery. So long as the thoughts of an individual are scattered he…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO daughter of the Kingdom! Thy letter hath come and its\ncontents make clear the fact that thou hast directed all thy thoughts\ntoward acquiring light from the realms of mystery. So long as the\nthoughts of an individual are scattered he will achieve no results,\nbut if his thinking be concentrated on a single point wonderful will\nbe the fruits thereof.\n\nOne cannot obtain the full force of the sunlight when it\nis cast on a flat mirror, but once the sun shineth upon a concave\nmirror, or on a lens that is convex, all its heat will be\nconcentrated on a single point, and that one point will burn the\nhottest. Thus is it necessary to focus one’s thinking on a\nsingle point so that it will become an effective force.\n\nThou didst wish to celebrate the Day of Ridván\nwith a feast, and to have those present on that day engage in\nreciting Tablets with delight and joy, and thou didst request me to\nsend thee a letter to be read on that day. My letter is this:\n\nO ye beloved, and ye handmaids of the Merciful! This is\nthe day when the Day-Star of Truth rose over the horizon of life, and\nits glory spread, and its brightness shone out with such power that\nit clove the dense and high-piled clouds and mounted the skies of the\nworld in all its splendour. Hence do ye witness a new stirring\nthroughout all created things.\n\nSee how, in this day, the scope of sciences and arts\nhath widened out, and what wondrous technical advances have been\nmade, and to what a high degree the mind’s powers have\nincreased, and what stupendous inventions have appeared.\n\nThis age is indeed as a hundred other ages: should ye\ngather the yield of a hundred ages, and set that against the\naccumulated product of our times, the yield of this one era will\nprove greater than that of a hundred gone before. Take ye, for an\nexample, the sum total of all the books that were ever written in\nages past, and compare that with the books and treatises that our era\nhath produced: these books, written in our day alone, far and away\nexceed the total number of volumes that have been written down the\nages. See how powerful is the influence exerted by the Day-Star of\nthe world upon the inner essence of all created things!\n\nBut alas, a thousand times alas! The eyes see it not,\nthe ears are deaf, and the hearts and minds are oblivious of this\nsupreme bestowal. Strive ye then, with all your hearts and souls, to\nawaken those who slumber, to cause the blind to see, and the dead to\nrise.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "74: O bird that singeth sweetly of the Abhá Beauty! In ...",
"slug": "sel-74-o-bird-that-singeth-sweetly-of-the-abha-beauty-in",
"summary": "O bird that singeth sweetly of the Abhá Beauty! In this new and wondrous dispensation the veils of superstition have been torn asunder and the prejudices of eastern peoples stand condemned. Among certain nations of the East, music was…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO bird that singeth sweetly of the Abhá Beauty!\nIn this new and wondrous dispensation the veils of superstition have\nbeen torn asunder and the prejudices of eastern peoples stand\ncondemned. Among certain nations of the East, music was considered\nreprehensible, but in this new age the Manifest Light hath, in His\nholy Tablets, specifically proclaimed that music, sung or played, is\nspiritual food for soul and heart.\n\nThe musician’s art is among those arts worthy of\nthe highest praise, and it moveth the hearts of all who grieve.\nWherefore, O thou Shahnáz,33\nplay and sing out the holy words of God with wondrous tones in the\ngatherings of the friends, that the listener may be freed from chains\nof care and sorrow, and his soul may leap for joy and humble itself\nin prayer to the realm of Glory.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "75: Strive with heart and soul in order to bring about ...",
"slug": "sel-75-strive-with-heart-and-soul-in-order-to-bring-about",
"summary": "Strive with heart and soul in order to bring about union and harmony among the white and the black and prove thereby the unity of the Bahá’í world wherein distinction of colour findeth no place, but where hearts only are considered.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nStrive with heart and soul in order to bring about union\nand harmony among the white and the black and prove thereby the unity\nof the Bahá’í world wherein distinction of colour\nfindeth no place, but where hearts only are considered. Praise be to\nGod, the hearts of the friends are united and linked together,\nwhether they be from the east or the west, from north or from south,\nwhether they be German, French, Japanese, American, and whether they\npertain to the white, the black, the red, the yellow or the brown\nrace. Variations of colour, of land and of race are of no importance\nin the Bahá’í Faith; on the contrary, Bahá’í\nunity overcometh them all and doeth away with all these fancies and\nimaginations.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "76: O thou who hast an illumined heart! Thou art even ...",
"slug": "sel-76-o-thou-who-hast-an-illumined-heart-thou-art-even",
"summary": "O thou who hast an illumined heart! Thou art even as the pupil of the eye, the very wellspring of the light, for God’s love hath cast its rays upon thine inmost being and thou hast turned thy face toward the Kingdom of thy…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who hast an illumined heart! Thou art even as the\npupil of the eye, the very wellspring of the light, for God’s\nlove hath cast its rays upon thine inmost being and thou hast turned\nthy face toward the Kingdom of thy Lord.\n\nIntense is the hatred, in America, between black and\nwhite, but my hope is that the power of the Kingdom will bind these\ntwo in friendship, and serve them as a healing balm.\n\nLet them look not upon a man’s colour but upon his\nheart. If the heart be filled with light, that man is nigh unto the\nthreshold of his Lord; but if not, that man is careless of his Lord,\nbe he white or be he black.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "77: O thou revered maidservant of God! Thy letter ...",
"slug": "sel-77-o-thou-revered-maidservant-of-god-thy-letter",
"summary": "O thou revered maidservant of God! Thy letter from Los Angeles was received. Thank divine Providence that thou hast been assisted in service and hast been the cause of the promulgation of the oneness of the world of humanity, so that…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou revered maidservant of God! Thy letter from Los\nAngeles was received. Thank divine Providence that thou hast been\nassisted in service and hast been the cause of the promulgation of\nthe oneness of the world of humanity, so that the darkness of\ndifferences among men may be dissipated, and the pavilion of the\nunity of nations may cast its shadow over all regions. Without such\nunity, rest and comfort, peace and universal reconciliation are\nunachievable. This illumined century needeth and calleth for its\nfulfilment. In every century a particular and central theme is, in\naccordance with the requirements of that century, confirmed by God.\nIn this illumined age that which is confirmed is the oneness of the\nworld of humanity. Every soul who serveth this oneness will\nundoubtedly be assisted and confirmed.\n\nI hope that in the assemblies thou mayest sing praises\nwith a sweet melody and thus become the cause of joy and gladness to\nall.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "78: O thou who art pure in heart, sanctified in spirit, ...",
"slug": "sel-78-o-thou-who-art-pure-in-heart-sanctified-in-spirit",
"summary": "O thou who art pure in heart, sanctified in spirit, peerless in character, beauteous in face! Thy photograph hath been received revealing thy physical frame in the utmost grace and the best appearance. Thou art dark in countenance and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art pure in heart, sanctified in spirit,\npeerless in character, beauteous in face! Thy photograph hath been\nreceived revealing thy physical frame in the utmost grace and the\nbest appearance. Thou art dark in countenance and bright in\ncharacter. Thou art like unto the pupil of the eye which is dark in\ncolour, yet it is the fount of light and the revealer of the\ncontingent world.\n\nI have not forgotten nor will I forget thee. I beseech\nGod that He may graciously make thee the sign of His bounty amidst\nmankind, illumine thy face with the light of such blessings as are\nvouchsafed by the merciful Lord, single thee out for His love in this\nage which is distinguished among all the past ages and centuries.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "79: O respected personage! I have read your work, ...",
"slug": "sel-79-o-respected-personage-i-have-read-your-work",
"summary": "O respected personage! I have read your work, The Gospel of Wealth,34 and noted therein truly apposite and sound recommendations for easing the lot of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO respected personage! I have read your work, The Gospel\nof Wealth,34\nand noted therein truly apposite and sound recommendations for easing\nthe lot of humankind.\n\nTo state the matter briefly, the Teachings of\nBahá’u’lláh advocate voluntary sharing, and\nthis is a greater thing than the equalization of wealth. For\nequalization must be imposed from without, while sharing is a matter\nof free choice.\n\nMan reacheth perfection through good deeds, voluntarily\nperformed, not through good deeds the doing of which was forced upon\nhim. And sharing is a personally chosen righteous act: that is, the\nrich should extend assistance to the poor, they should expend their\nsubstance for the poor, but of their own free will, and not because\nthe poor have gained this end by force. For the harvest of force is\nturmoil and the ruin of the social order. On the other hand voluntary\nsharing, the freely-chosen expending of one’s substance,\nleadeth to society’s comfort and peace. It lighteth up the\nworld; it bestoweth honour upon humankind.\n\nI have seen the good effects of your own philanthropy in\nAmerica, in various universities, peace gatherings, and associations\nfor the promotion of learning, as I travelled from city to city.\nWherefore do I pray on your behalf that you shall ever be encompassed\nby the bounties and blessings of heaven, and shall perform many\nphilanthropic deeds in East and West. Thus may you gleam as a lighted\ntaper in the Kingdom of God, may attain honour and everlasting life,\nand shine out as a bright star on the horizon of eternity.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "80: O thou who art turning thy face to God! Thy ...",
"slug": "sel-80-o-thou-who-art-turning-thy-face-to-god-thy",
"summary": "O thou who art turning thy face to God! Thy letter was received. From its contents it became known that thy wish is to serve the poor. What wish better than this! Those souls who are of the Kingdom eagerly wish to be of service to the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art turning thy face to God! Thy letter was\nreceived. From its contents it became known that thy wish is to serve\nthe poor. What wish better than this! Those souls who are of the\nKingdom eagerly wish to be of service to the poor, to sympathize with\nthem, to show kindness to the miserable and to make their lives\nfruitful. Happy art thou that thou hast such a wish.\n\nConvey on my behalf to thy two children the utmost\nkindness and love. Their letters have been received but, as I have no\ntime, separate letters cannot be written at present. Show them on my\nbehalf the utmost kindness.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "81: Those souls who during the war have served the ...",
"slug": "sel-81-those-souls-who-during-the-war-have-served-the",
"summary": "Those souls who during the war have served the poor and have been in the Red Cross Mission work, their services are accepted at the Kingdom of God and are the cause of their everlasting life. Convey to them these glad…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThose souls who during the war have served the poor and\nhave been in the Red Cross Mission work, their services are accepted\nat the Kingdom of God and are the cause of their everlasting life.\nConvey to them these glad tidings.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "82: O thou who art firm in the Covenant, thy letter ...",
"slug": "sel-82-o-thou-who-art-firm-in-the-covenant-thy-letter",
"summary": "O thou who art firm in the Covenant, thy letter was received. Thou hast exerted a great effort for that prisoner, perchance it may prove to be fruitful. Tell him, however: ‘The denizens of the world are confined in the prison of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"prison",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art firm in the Covenant, thy letter was\nreceived. Thou hast exerted a great effort for that prisoner,\nperchance it may prove to be fruitful. Tell him, however: ‘The\ndenizens of the world are confined in the prison of nature—a\nprison that is continuous and eternal. If thou art at present\nrestrained within the limits of a temporary prison, be not grieved at\nthis; my hope is that thou mayest be emancipated from the prison of\nnature and may attain unto the court of everlasting life. Pray to God\nday and night and beg forgiveness and pardon. The omnipotence of God\nshall solve every difficulty.’\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "84: O thou dear handmaid of God! Thy letter hath ...",
"slug": "sel-84-o-thou-dear-handmaid-of-god-thy-letter-hath",
"summary": "O thou dear handmaid of God! Thy letter hath been received, and its contents were…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou dear handmaid of God! Thy letter hath been\nreceived, and its contents were noted.\n\nMarriage, among the mass of the people, is a physical\nbond, and this union can only be temporary, since it is foredoomed to\na physical separation at the close.\n\nAmong the people of Bahá, however, marriage must\nbe a union of the body and of the spirit as well, for here both\nhusband and wife are aglow with the same wine, both are enamoured of\nthe same matchless Face, both live and move through the same spirit,\nboth are illumined by the same glory. This connection between them is\na spiritual one, hence it is a bond that will abide forever. Likewise\ndo they enjoy strong and lasting ties in the physical world as well,\nfor if the marriage is based both on the spirit and the body, that\nunion is a true one, hence it will endure. If, however, the bond is\nphysical and nothing more, it is sure to be only temporary, and must\ninexorably end in separation.\n\nWhen, therefore, the people of Bahá undertake to\nmarry, the union must be a true relationship, a spiritual coming\ntogether as well as a physical one, so that throughout every phase of\nlife, and in all the worlds of God, their union will endure; for this\nreal oneness is a gleaming out of the love of God.\n\nIn the same way, when any souls grow to be true\nbelievers, they will attain a spiritual relationship with one\nanother, and show forth a tenderness which is not of this world. They\nwill, all of them, become elated from a draught of divine love, and\nthat union of theirs, that connection, will also abide forever.\nSouls, that is, who will consign their own selves to oblivion, strip\nfrom themselves the defects of humankind, and unchain themselves from\nhuman bondage, will beyond any doubt be illumined with the heavenly\nsplendours of oneness, and will all attain unto real union in the\nworld that dieth not.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "85: As for the question regarding marriage under the ...",
"slug": "sel-85-as-for-the-question-regarding-marriage-under-the",
"summary": "As for the question regarding marriage under the Law of God: first thou must choose one who is pleasing to thee, and then the matter is subject to the consent of father and mother. Before thou makest thy choice, they have no right to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAs for the question regarding marriage under the Law of\nGod: first thou must choose one who is pleasing to thee, and then the\nmatter is subject to the consent of father and mother. Before thou\nmakest thy choice, they have no right to interfere.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "87: O thou memento of him who died for the Blessed ...",
"slug": "sel-87-o-thou-memento-of-him-who-died-for-the-blessed",
"summary": "O thou memento of him who died for the Blessed Beauty! In recent days, the joyful news of thy marriage to that luminous leaf hath been received, and hath infinitely gladdened the hearts of the people of God. With all humility, prayers…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"generosity",
"humility",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou memento of him who died for the Blessed Beauty!\nIn recent days, the joyful news of thy marriage to that luminous leaf\nhath been received, and hath infinitely gladdened the hearts of the\npeople of God. With all humility, prayers of supplication have been\noffered at the Holy Threshold, that this marriage may be a harbinger\nof joy to the friends, that it may be a loving bond for all eternity,\nand yield everlasting benefits and fruits.\n\nFrom separation doth every kind of hurt and harm\nproceed, but the union of created things doth ever yield most\nlaudable results. From the pairing of even the smallest particles in\nthe world of being are the grace and bounty of God made manifest; and\nthe higher the degree, the more momentous is the union. ‘Glory\nbe to Him Who hath created all the pairs, of such things as earth\nproduceth, and out of men themselves, and of things beyond their\nken.’35\nAnd above all other unions is that between human beings, especially\nwhen it cometh to pass in the love of God. Thus is the primal oneness\nmade to appear; thus is laid the foundation of love in the spirit. It\nis certain that such a marriage as yours will cause the bestowals of\nGod to be revealed. Wherefore do we offer you felicitations and call\ndown blessings upon you and beg of the Blessed Beauty, through His\naid and favour, to make that wedding feast a joy to all and adorn it\nwith the harmony of Heaven.\n\nO my Lord, O my Lord! These two bright orbs are wedded\nin Thy love, conjoined in servitude to Thy Holy Threshold, united in\nministering to Thy Cause. Make Thou this marriage to be as threading\nlights of Thine abounding grace, O my Lord, the All-Merciful, and\nluminous rays of Thy bestowals, O Thou the Beneficent, the\nEver-Giving, that there may branch out from this great tree boughs\nthat will grow green and flourishing through the gifts that rain down\nfrom Thy clouds of grace.\n\nVerily Thou art the Generous, verily Thou art the\nAlmighty, verily Thou art the Compassionate, the All-Merciful.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "88: O ye my two beloved children! The news of your ...",
"slug": "sel-88-o-ye-my-two-beloved-children-the-news-of-your",
"summary": "O ye my two beloved children! The news of your union, as soon as it reached me, imparted infinite joy and gratitude. Praise be to God, those two faithful birds have sought shelter in one nest. I beseech God that He may enable them to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"joy",
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye my two beloved children! The news of your union, as\nsoon as it reached me, imparted infinite joy and gratitude. Praise be\nto God, those two faithful birds have sought shelter in one nest. I\nbeseech God that He may enable them to raise an honoured family, for\nthe importance of marriage lieth in the bringing up of a richly\nblessed family, so that with entire gladness they may, even as\ncandles, illuminate the world. For the enlightenment of the world\ndependeth upon the existence of man. If man did not exist in this\nworld, it would have been like a tree without fruit. My hope is that\nyou both may become even as one tree, and may, through the\noutpourings of the cloud of loving-kindness, acquire freshness and\ncharm, and may blossom and yield fruit, so that your line may\neternally endure.\n\nUpon ye be the Glory of the Most Glorious.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "89: O thou who art firm in the Covenant! The letter ...",
"slug": "sel-89-o-thou-who-art-firm-in-the-covenant-the-letter",
"summary": "O thou who art firm in the Covenant! The letter thou hadst written on 2 May 1919 was received. Praise thou God that in tests thou art firm and steadfast and art holding fast to the Abhá Kingdom. Thou art not shaken by any affliction or…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant",
"teaching",
"fast",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"patience",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art firm in the Covenant! The letter thou\nhadst written on 2 May 1919 was received. Praise thou God that in\ntests thou art firm and steadfast and art holding fast to the Abhá\nKingdom. Thou art not shaken by any affliction or disturbed by any\ncalamity. Not until man is tried doth the pure gold distinctly\nseparate from the dross. Torment is the fire of test wherein the pure\ngold shineth resplendently and the impurity is burned and blackened.\nAt present thou art, praise be to God, firm and steadfast in tests\nand trials and art not shaken by them.\n\nThy wife is not in harmony with thee, but praise be to\nGod, the Blessed Beauty is pleased with thee and is conferring upon\nthee the utmost bounty and blessings. But still try to be patient\nwith thy wife, perchance she may be transformed and her heart may be\nillumined. The contribution thou hast made for teaching is highly\nacceptable and it shall be eternally mentioned in the divine Kingdom\nfor it is the cause of the diffusion of fragrances and the exaltation\nof the Word of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "9: O thou whose heart overfloweth with love for the ...",
"slug": "sel-9-o-thou-whose-heart-overfloweth-with-love-for-the",
"summary": "O thou whose heart overfloweth with love for the Lord! I address thee from this consecrated spot, to gladden thy bosom with mine epistle to thee, for this is such a letter as maketh the heart of him who believeth in God’s oneness to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant",
"fast",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou whose heart overfloweth with love for the Lord! I\naddress thee from this consecrated spot, to gladden thy bosom with\nmine epistle to thee, for this is such a letter as maketh the heart\nof him who believeth in God’s oneness to wing its flight toward\nthe summits of bliss.\n\nThank thou God for having enabled thee to enter into His\nKingdom of might. Erelong will thy Lord’s bounties descend upon\nthee, one following the other, and He will make of thee a sign for\nevery seeker after truth.\n\nHold thou fast to the Covenant of thy Lord, and as the\ndays go by, increase thy store of love for His beloved ones. Bend\nthou with tenderness over the servitors of the All-Merciful, that\nthou mayest hoist the sail of love upon the ark of peace that moveth\nacross the seas of life. Let nothing grieve thee, and be thou angered\nat none. It behoveth thee to be content with the Will of God, and a\ntrue and loving and trusted friend to all the peoples of the earth,\nwithout any exceptions whatever. This is the quality of the sincere,\nthe way of the saints, the emblem of those who believe in the unity\nof God, and the raiment of the people of Bahá.\n\nThank thou and bless thou the Lord for He hath allowed\nthee to offer Him the Right of God.17\nThis is verily a special favour on His part, for thee; praise Him\nthen for this commandment that is set forth in the Scriptures of thy\nLord, of Him that is the Ancient of Days.\n\nVerily is He the Loving, the Tender, the Ever-Bestowing.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "90: O God, my God! This Thy handmaid is calling ...",
"slug": "sel-90-o-god-my-god-this-thy-handmaid-is-calling",
"summary": "O God, my God! This Thy handmaid is calling upon Thee, trusting in Thee, turning her face unto Thee, imploring Thee to shed Thy heavenly bounties upon her, and to disclose unto her Thy spiritual mysteries, and to cast upon her the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO God, my God! This Thy handmaid is calling upon Thee,\ntrusting in Thee, turning her face unto Thee, imploring Thee to shed\nThy heavenly bounties upon her, and to disclose unto her Thy\nspiritual mysteries, and to cast upon her the lights of Thy Godhead.\n\nO my Lord! Make the eyes of my husband to see. Rejoice\nThou his heart with the light of the knowledge of Thee, draw Thou his\nmind unto Thy luminous beauty, cheer Thou his spirit by revealing\nunto him Thy manifest splendours.\n\nO my Lord! Lift Thou the veil from before his sight.\nRain down Thy plenteous bounties upon him, intoxicate him with the\nwine of love for Thee, make him one of Thy angels whose feet walk\nupon this earth even as their souls are soaring through the high\nheavens. Cause him to become a brilliant lamp, shining out with the\nlight of Thy wisdom in the midst of Thy people.\n\nVerily Thou art the Precious, the Ever-Bestowing, the\nOpen of Hand.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "91: O thou who hast bowed thyself down in prayer ...",
"slug": "sel-91-o-thou-who-hast-bowed-thyself-down-in-prayer",
"summary": "O thou who hast bowed thyself down in prayer before the Kingdom of God! Blessed art thou, for the beauty of the divine Countenance hath enraptured thy heart, and the light of inner wisdom hath filled it full, and within it shineth the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love",
"prayer",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who hast bowed thyself down in prayer before the\nKingdom of God! Blessed art thou, for the beauty of the divine\nCountenance hath enraptured thy heart, and the light of inner wisdom\nhath filled it full, and within it shineth the brightness of the\nKingdom. Know thou that God is with thee under all conditions, and\nthat He guardeth thee from the changes and chances of this world and\nhath made thee a handmaid in His mighty vineyard....\n\nAs to thy respected husband: it is incumbent upon thee\nto treat him with great kindness, to consider his wishes and be\nconciliatory with him at all times, till he seeth that because thou\nhast directed thyself toward the Kingdom of God, thy tenderness for\nhim and thy love for God have but increased, as well as thy concern\nfor his wishes under all conditions.\n\nI beg of the Almighty to keep thee firmly established in\nHis love, and ever shedding abroad the sweet breaths of holiness in\nall those regions.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "92: O ye two believers in God! The Lord, peerless is ...",
"slug": "sel-92-o-ye-two-believers-in-god-the-lord-peerless-is",
"summary": "O ye two believers in God! The Lord, peerless is He, hath made woman and man to abide with each other in the closest companionship, and to be even as a single soul. They are two helpmates, two intimate friends, who should be concerned…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"women"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye two believers in God! The Lord, peerless is He,\nhath made woman and man to abide with each other in the closest\ncompanionship, and to be even as a single soul. They are two\nhelpmates, two intimate friends, who should be concerned about the\nwelfare of each other.\n\nIf they live thus, they will pass through this world\nwith perfect contentment, bliss, and peace of heart, and become the\nobject of divine grace and favour in the Kingdom of heaven. But if\nthey do other than this, they will live out their lives in great\nbitterness, longing at every moment for death, and will be shamefaced\nin the heavenly realm.\n\nStrive, then, to abide, heart and soul, with each other\nas two doves in the nest, for this is to be blessed in both worlds.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "93: O thou maidservant of God! Every woman who ...",
"slug": "sel-93-o-thou-maidservant-of-god-every-woman-who",
"summary": "O thou maidservant of God! Every woman who becometh the maidservant of God outshineth in glory the empresses of the world, for she is related to God, and her sovereignty is everlasting, whereas a handful of dust will obliterate the name…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou maidservant of God! Every woman who becometh the\nmaidservant of God outshineth in glory the empresses of the world,\nfor she is related to God, and her sovereignty is everlasting,\nwhereas a handful of dust will obliterate the name and fame of those\nempresses. In other words, as soon as they go down to the grave they\nare reduced to naught. The maidservants of God’s Kingdom, on\nthe other hand, enjoy eternal sovereignty unaffected by the passing\nof ages and generations.\n\nConsider how many empresses have come and gone since the\ntime of Christ. Each was the ruler of a country but now all trace and\nname of them is lost, while Mary Magdalene, who was only a peasant\nand a maidservant of God, still shineth from the horizon of\neverlasting glory. Strive thou, therefore, to remain the maidservant\nof God.\n\nThou hast praised the Convention. This Convention shall\nacquire great importance in future, for it is serving the divine\nKingdom and the world of mankind. It promulgateth universal peace and\nlayeth the basis of the oneness of mankind; it freeth the souls from\nreligious, racial and worldly prejudices and gathereth them under the\nshade of the one-coloured pavilion of God. Praise thou God,\ntherefore, that thou hast attended such a Convention and hast\nlistened to the divine Teachings.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "94: O handmaids of the beauty of Abhá! Your letter ...",
"slug": "sel-94-o-handmaids-of-the-beauty-of-abha-your-letter",
"summary": "O handmaids of the beauty of Abhá! Your letter hath come, and its perusal brought great joy. Praised be God, the women believers have organized meetings where they will learn how to teach the Faith, will spread the sweet savours of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"teaching",
"women",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"perseverance",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO handmaids of the beauty of Abhá! Your letter\nhath come, and its perusal brought great joy. Praised be God, the\nwomen believers have organized meetings where they will learn how to\nteach the Faith, will spread the sweet savours of the Teachings and\nmake plans for training the children.\n\nThis gathering must be completely spiritual. That is,\nthe discussions must be confined to marshalling clear and conclusive\nproofs that the Sun of Truth hath indeed arisen. And further, those\npresent should concern themselves with every means of training the\ngirl children; with teaching the various branches of knowledge, good\nbehaviour, a proper way of life, the cultivation of a good character,\nchastity and constancy, perseverance, strength, determination,\nfirmness of purpose; with household management, the education of\nchildren, and whatever especially applieth to the needs of girls—to\nthe end that these girls, reared in the stronghold of all\nperfections, and with the protection of a goodly character, will,\nwhen they themselves become mothers, bring up their children from\nearliest infancy to have a good character and conduct themselves\nwell.\n\nLet them also study whatever will nurture the health of\nthe body and its physical soundness, and how to guard their children\nfrom disease.\n\nWhen matters are thus well arranged, every child will\nbecome a peerless plant in the gardens of the Abhá Paradise.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "95: O handmaids of the Lord! The spiritual assemblage ...",
"slug": "sel-95-o-handmaids-of-the-lord-the-spiritual-assemblage",
"summary": "O handmaids of the Lord! The spiritual assemblage that ye established in that illumined city is most propitious. Ye have made great strides; ye have surpassed the others, have arisen to serve the Holy Threshold, and have won heavenly…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"women",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"perseverance"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO handmaids of the Lord! The spiritual assemblage that\nye established in that illumined city is most propitious. Ye have\nmade great strides; ye have surpassed the others, have arisen to\nserve the Holy Threshold, and have won heavenly bestowals. Now with\nall spiritual zeal must ye gather in that enlightened assemblage and\nrecite the Holy Writings and engage in remembering the Lord. Set ye\nforth His arguments and proofs. Work ye for the guidance of the women\nin that land, teach the young girls and the children, so that the\nmothers may educate their little ones from their earliest days,\nthoroughly train them, rear them to have a goodly character and good\nmorals, guide them to all the virtues of humankind, prevent the\ndevelopment of any behaviour that would be worthy of blame, and\nfoster them in the embrace of Bahá’í education.\nThus shall these tender infants be nurtured at the breast of the\nknowledge of God and His love. Thus shall they grow and flourish, and\nbe taught righteousness and the dignity of humankind, resolution and\nthe will to strive and to endure. Thus shall they learn perseverance\nin all things, the will to advance, high mindedness and high resolve,\nchastity and purity of life. Thus shall they be enabled to carry to a\nsuccessful conclusion whatsoever they undertake.\n\nLet the mothers consider that whatever concerneth the\neducation of children is of the first importance. Let them put forth\nevery effort in this regard, for when the bough is green and tender\nit will grow in whatever way ye train it. Therefore is it incumbent\nupon the mothers to rear their little ones even as a gardener tendeth\nhis young plants. Let them strive by day and by night to establish\nwithin their children faith and certitude, the fear of God, the love\nof the Beloved of the worlds, and all good qualities and traits.\nWhensoever a mother seeth that her child hath done well, let her\npraise and applaud him and cheer his heart; and if the slightest\nundesirable trait should manifest itself, let her counsel the child\nand punish him, and use means based on reason, even a slight verbal\nchastisement should this be necessary. It is not, however,\npermissible to strike a child, or vilify him, for the child’s\ncharacter will be totally perverted if he be subjected to blows or\nverbal abuse.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "96: O handmaids of the Merciful! Render ye thanks ...",
"slug": "sel-96-o-handmaids-of-the-merciful-render-ye-thanks",
"summary": "O handmaids of the Merciful! Render ye thanks unto the Ancient Beauty that ye have been raised up and gathered together in this mightiest of centuries, this most illumined of ages. As befitting thanks for such a bounty, stand ye staunch…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"the-covenant",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO handmaids of the Merciful! Render ye thanks unto the\nAncient Beauty that ye have been raised up and gathered together in\nthis mightiest of centuries, this most illumined of ages. As\nbefitting thanks for such a bounty, stand ye staunch and strong in\nthe Covenant and, following the precepts of God and the holy Law,\nsuckle your children from their infancy with the milk of a universal\neducation, and rear them so that from their earliest days, within\ntheir inmost heart, their very nature, a way of life will be firmly\nestablished that will conform to the divine Teachings in all things.\n\nFor mothers are the first educators, the first mentors;\nand truly it is the mothers who determine the happiness, the future\ngreatness, the courteous ways and learning and judgement, the\nunderstanding and the faith of their little ones.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "97: There are certain pillars which have been established ...",
"slug": "sel-97-there-are-certain-pillars-which-have-been-established",
"summary": "There are certain pillars which have been established as the unshakeable supports of the Faith of God. The mightiest of these is learning and the use of the mind, the expansion of consciousness, and insight into the realities of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere are certain pillars which have been established as\nthe unshakeable supports of the Faith of God. The mightiest of these\nis learning and the use of the mind, the expansion of consciousness,\nand insight into the realities of the universe and the hidden\nmysteries of Almighty God.\n\nTo promote knowledge is thus an inescapable duty imposed\non every one of the friends of God. It is incumbent upon that\nSpiritual Assembly, that assemblage of God, to exert every effort to\neducate the children, so that from infancy they will be trained in\nBahá’í conduct and the ways of God, and will,\neven as young plants, thrive and flourish in the soft-flowing waters\nthat are the counsels and admonitions of the Blessed Beauty.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "98: Were there no educator, all souls would remain ...",
"slug": "sel-98-were-there-no-educator-all-souls-would-remain",
"summary": "Were there no educator, all souls would remain savage, and were it not for the teacher, the children would be ignorant…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWere there no educator, all souls would remain savage,\nand were it not for the teacher, the children would be ignorant\ncreatures.\n\nIt is for this reason that, in this new cycle, education\nand training are recorded in the Book of God as obligatory and not\nvoluntary. That is, it is enjoined upon the father and mother, as a\nduty, to strive with all effort to train the daughter and the son, to\nnurse them from the breast of knowledge and to rear them in the bosom\nof sciences and arts. Should they neglect this matter, they shall be\nheld responsible and worthy of reproach in the presence of the stern\nLord.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "99: Thou didst write as to the children: from the very ...",
"slug": "sel-99-thou-didst-write-as-to-the-children-from-the-very",
"summary": "Thou didst write as to the children: from the very beginning, the children must receive divine education and must continually be reminded to remember their God. Let the love of God pervade their inmost being, commingled with their…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThou didst write as to the children: from the very\nbeginning, the children must receive divine education and must\ncontinually be reminded to remember their God. Let the love of God\npervade their inmost being, commingled with their mother’s\nmilk.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "References to the Qur’án",
"slug": "sel-references-to-the-qur-an",
"summary": "In footnotes referring to the Qur’án the súrihs have been numbered according to the original, whereas the verse numbers are those in Rodwell’s translation which differ sometimes from those of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-abdul-baha",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1978,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19287/pg19287-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn footnotes referring to the Qur’án the\nsúrihs have been numbered according to the original, whereas\nthe verse numbers are those in Rodwell’s translation which\ndiffer sometimes from those of the Arabic.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1978). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19287.*\n"
},
{
"title": "O Concourse of Kings: A Passage from the Qayyúmu'l-Asmá'",
"slug": "selb-deliver-with-truth-kings",
"summary": "An excerpt from the Báb's earliest book, the Qayyúmu'l-Asmá' — a commentary on the Súrih of Joseph revealed in the first hours of His Declaration in May 1844. In this passage, the Báb summons the kings of the world to carry His verses to the peoples of Turkey, India, and the lands of East and West.",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"period": "Shíráz",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"writings",
"proclamation",
"history",
"kings"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"faith",
"vision"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"publisher": "Bahá'í World Centre",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18828"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the night of His Declaration in May 1844, in the small upper\nroom of His house in Shíráz, the Báb began to write the\n*Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’* — a commentary on the Súrih of Joseph that He\nrevealed to Mullá Ḥusayn at extraordinary speed, chanting the\nverses aloud as He set them down. It became His earliest book, and\nthe inaugural revelation of His Cause.\n\nThe Báb was twenty-five years old. The room held only Himself and\none listener. Yet from that beginning, in language modelled on the\nQur’án itself, the verses lifted their address upward and outward\nto the great political powers of the earth.\n\nIn *Selections from the Writings of the Báb,* this passage from the\n*Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’* is preserved in English translation:\n\n> O concourse of kings! Deliver with truth and in all haste the\n> verses sent down by Us to the peoples of Turkey and of India,\n> and beyond them, with power and with truth, to lands in both the\n> East and the West…\n\nThe young Merchant of Shíráz, in the first hours of His public\nministry, was already commanding emperors. The Tablet does not\nacknowledge that they did not know He existed. It treats the\nkings of the earth as if their first duty were already known to\nthem: to carry the new revelation, in haste, to the nations under\ntheir care.\n\nHe continues with a promise:\n\n> And know that if ye aid God, He will, on the Day of Resurrection,\n> graciously aid you, upon the Bridge, through Him Who is His Most\n> Great Remembrance…\n\nThe kings did not, of course, deliver the verses. Most never read\nthem. But the verses delivered themselves: from the upper room of\nShíráz to the dungeons of Tabríz, then over the Caucasus to the\ngardens of Bahjí, and from there into a Faith that now reaches\nevery continent. The Bridge stands. The Day of Resurrection has,\non the Bahá’í reading, come. The kings missed their chance. The\nsmall believers — Mullá Ḥusayn, then Quddús, then Ṭáhirih, then\nBahá’u’lláh — did not.\n\n*Source: Selections from the Writings of the Báb, excerpts from the Qayyúmu'l-Asmá'. Public domain text, also found in Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "After Each Prayer: The Báb on Remembering Parents",
"slug": "selb-prayer-for-parents",
"summary": "In *Selections from the Writings of the Báb*, a brief instruction from the Bayán: after every obligatory prayer, the believer should ask God's mercy and forgiveness for his parents. A single sentence that joins devotion to family duty.",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"period": "Shíráz",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"prayer",
"family",
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"gratitude",
"reverence"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween",
"child"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "selections-of-the-bab",
"book": "Selections from the Writings of the Báb",
"author": "the Báb",
"publisher": "Bahá'í World Centre",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18828"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the Bayán the Báb gave the believer a great many small\ninstructions, each of which was meant to weave devotion into the\nordinary fabric of the day. One of them, preserved in the\n*Selections from the Writings of the Báb,* concerns the moments\nthat immediately follow obligatory prayer.\n\n> It is seemly that the servant should, after each prayer,\n> supplicate God to bestow mercy and forgiveness upon his parents.\n\nThe instruction is gentle in tone. It is not one of the great\nproclamations to the kings; it is not a sentence of judgment on\nthe world. It is a quiet word about what to do in the breath after\none has stood up from prayer.\n\nBut its placement is significant. The Báb does not assign the\nremembrance of parents to a separate occasion or a separate\nritual. He places it at the very edge of the most central act of\nworship — *after each prayer.* The breath that has just risen to\nGod is asked, before it disperses, to carry up the names of the\ntwo human beings without whom the worshipper would not exist.\n\nThe Báb continues, in the same passage, with the assurance that\nsuch remembrance brings a real spiritual reward. To pray for one's\nparents is not a gesture of sentimentality; it is a small act of\ngenuine intercession, and a small act of genuine acknowledgement\nthat the believer did not begin himself.\n\nFor the Bahá’í who has lost a parent, the instruction continues\nto apply. *Mercy and forgiveness* are the two words the Báb\nchose, and they reach beyond the grave. The prayer becomes, then,\na continuing act of love between the worlds.\n\nThe teaching is small. It does not occupy whole pages of the\nBayán. Yet it has shaped the daily devotion of generations of\nBábís and, after them, Bahá’ís — for in joining family to prayer,\nthe Báb joined what had often been left apart, and made even the\nprivate domestic affections part of the structure of worship.\n\n*Source: Selections from the Writings of the Báb, \"Prayers and Meditations\" section. Public domain text from the Bahá'í Reference Library / Project Gutenberg eBook #18828.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Service to God, to Bahá’u’lláh, to family, to friends and enemies, indeed to…",
"slug": "service-to-god-to-bah-u-ll-h-to-family-to-bs1",
"summary": "Service to God, to Bahá’u’lláh, to family, to friends and enemies, indeed to all mankind this was the pattern of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s life. He wished only to be the Servant of God and man. To serve rather than being demeaning and…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"service",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/service"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nService to God, to Bahá’u’lláh, to family, to friends and enemies, indeed to all mankind this was the pattern of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s life. He wished only to be the Servant of God and man. To serve rather than being demeaning and unfulfilling was honour, joy and fulfilment. This motivated His entire day from Dawn to after midnight. He used to say, ‘Nothing is too much trouble when one loves, and there is always time.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 104*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/service) (Subject: service).*\n"
},
{
"title": "She said Constantinople was the gossips' Home Sweet Home, and complimented…",
"slug": "she-said-constantinople-was-the-gossips-home-sweet-bs0",
"summary": "She said Constantinople was the gossips' Home Sweet Home, and complimented herself on attracting little attention. What with her modest way of life: 'I have no dog to \"keep the boys off\"' she told the family, but judging by a few things…",
"figures": [],
"era": "formative",
"location": {
"name": "Constantinople",
"lat": 41.0082,
"lng": 28.9784,
"modernName": "Istanbul, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"chastity",
"women",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/chastity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nShe said Constantinople was the gossips' Home Sweet Home, and complimented herself on attracting little attention. What with her modest way of life: 'I have no dog to \"keep the boys off\"' she told the family, but judging by a few things that happened, 'I fear that were I ever to become a widow -- which God forbid! as I am really \"married\" to Khan and hate all others -- I would not be allowed to remain one, very long.' If she could see this, she said, what about other women who were out all the time, 'dancing, dining, and in the whirl?' Khan had, she said, strategically placed various 'guardians' to watch over her during his absence, not realizing that all of them were now 'a little bit in love' with her, and one 'so hopeless he has had to quit the job!' Khan 'always tells me I am now too old for anyone to look at, and I sincerely believed it, up to two months ago.'\n\n\n*Source: Marzieh Gail, Arches of the Years, p. 202-203*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/chastity) (Subject: chastity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Shoghi Effendi completely dedicated his whole life to the Cause of God",
"slug": "shoghi-effendi-completely-dedicated-his-whole-life-to-bs4",
"summary": "Shoghi Effendi completely dedicated his whole life to the Cause of God. He had no other thought. He ate, he slept, he was awake, he worked, every minute, day and night, was for the Cause of God. He thought of nothing else. Nothing else was…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"shoghi effendi",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/shoghi-effendi"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nShoghi Effendi completely dedicated his whole life to the Cause of God. He had no other thought. He ate, he slept, he was awake, he worked, every minute, day and night, was for the Cause of God. He thought of nothing else. Nothing else was of any interest to him. He didn’t talk about anything else. He talked about the conditions of the Plan. He talked about the services of the friends. And he was like a barometer. When any word came from any part of the world about successes of the believers in the teaching work they did, he was joyous and he was happy. But when word came of difficulties within the Faith, of persecutions of the some of the Bahá’ís, of difficulties that the pioneers were meeting with, the suffering of the believers, he became very sad. His heart was like a mirror, and it seemed reflect all parts of the world. And wherever he turned his heart, he saw what was there. He saw pictured before him the exact conditions of the believers themselves.\n\n\n*Source: In the Days of the Guardian a Talk by Hand of the Cause of God Leroy Ioas in Johannesburg, South Africa, 1958*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/shoghi-effendi) (Subject: shoghi-effendi).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Shoghi Effendi was a small, sensitive, intensely active and mischievous child",
"slug": "shoghi-effendi-was-a-small-sensitive-intensely-active-bs5",
"summary": "Shoghi Effendi was a small, sensitive, intensely active and mischievous child. He was not very strong in his early years and his mother often had cause to worry over his health. However, he grew up to have an iron constitution, which,…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"shoghi effendi",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/shoghi-effendi"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nShoghi Effendi was a small, sensitive, intensely active and mischievous child. He was not very strong in his early years and his mother often had cause to worry over his health. However, he grew up to have an iron constitution, which, coupled with the phenomenal force of his nature and will-power, enabled him in later years to overcome every obstacle in his path. The first photographs we have of him show a peaky little face, immense eyes and a firm, beautifully shaped chin which in his childhood gave a slightly elongated and heart-shaped appearance to his face. His eyes were of that deceptive hazel colour that sometimes led people who did not have the opportunity to look into them as often as I did to think they were brown or blue. The truth is they were a clear hazel which sometimes changed to a warm and luminous grey. I have never seen such an expressive face and eyes as those of the Guardian; every shade of feeling and thought was mirrored in his visage as light and shadow are reflected on water.\n\n\n*Source: Rúhíyyih Rabbani, The Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, p. 3-4*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/shoghi-effendi) (Subject: shoghi-effendi).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Shoghi Effendi was a very remarkable young man, and of course, he just…",
"slug": "shoghi-effendi-was-a-very-remarkable-young-man-bs0",
"summary": "Shoghi Effendi was a very remarkable young man, and of course, he just worshipped ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. And when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away, the whole world became dark for him. All light had gone out. When he returned to the Holy Land, he had in…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"self",
"teaching",
"pioneering",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/self"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nShoghi Effendi was a very remarkable young man, and of course, he just worshipped ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. And when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away, the whole world became dark for him. All light had gone out. When he returned to the Holy Land, he had in mind from the things which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had said to him, (and I am now telling you what he said), “that I had in mind that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would give me the honor of calling the great conclave, calling together the great conclave which would elect the Universal House of Justice. And I had thought in His Will and Testament, that that probably was what He was instructing to be done.” But, he said, “Instead of that, I found that I had been appointed as the Guardian of the Cause of God,” and he said, “I didn’t want to be the Guardian of the Cause. In the first place, I didn’t think I was worthy. The next days, I didn’t want to face these responsibilities. I think he talked one night along these lines when you were there, John, I’m not sure, but he went into this on other times, too, in great detail. He said, “I didn’t want to be the Guardian. I knew what it meant. I knew that my life as a human being was over. I didn’t want it, and I didn’t want to face it, so as you remember, I left, remember, I left the Holy Land, and I went up in the mountains of Switzerland, and I fought with myself until I conquered myself. Then I came back and I turned myself over to God, and I was the Guardian. Now,” he said, “every Bahá’í in the world, every person in the world, has to do the exactly the same thing, whether you’re a Hand of the Cause, or whether you’re a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh, or whether you’re a member of a National Assembly, whether you’re a teacher, whether you’re a pioneer, whether you’re an administrator, or whatever you are in the Cause, every Bahá’I must fight with himself and conquer himself. And when he’s conquered himself, then he becomes a true instrument for service to the Cause of God. And not until that. And he won’t achieve his great success until he has done it, and this is what every Bahá’I in the world should know.\n\n\n*Source: In the Days of the Guardian a Talk by Hand of the Cause of God Leroy Ioas in Johannesburg, South Africa, 1958*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/self) (Subject: self).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Shoghi Effendi was of an infinitely kind and loving nature",
"slug": "shoghi-effendi-was-of-an-infinitely-kind-and-bs3",
"summary": "Shoghi Effendi was of an infinitely kind and loving nature. Before meeting him, many Bahá’ís, sensitive to his station in the Cause, were fearful. But they were immediately put at ease by his warmth and affection, and shortly, as Leroy…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"shoghi effendi",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/shoghi-effendi"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nShoghi Effendi was of an infinitely kind and loving nature. Before meeting him, many Bahá’ís, sensitive to his station in the Cause, were fearful. But they were immediately put at ease by his warmth and affection, and shortly, as Leroy noted, one simply loved him and wanted to be near him. It was a moving experience, Leroy recalled, to see the love and tenderness expressed by the Guardian for others. He was constantly encouraging and complimenting people for what they did, were it the gardeners working on the properties, or the pilgrims, trying to make them happy as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wished them to be.\n\n\n*Source: Anita Ioas Chapman, Leroy Ioas, Hand of the Cause of God, p. 288*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/shoghi-effendi) (Subject: shoghi-effendi).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Shortly after his arrival ‘Abdu’l-Bahá met the Rev",
"slug": "shortly-after-his-arrival-abdu-l-bah-met-the-rev-bs3",
"summary": "Shortly after his arrival ‘Abdu’l-Bahá met the Rev. R. J. Campbell of the City Temple, together with the editor of the Christian Commonwealth newspaper. The editor noted that when Rev. Campbell entered the room, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá rose from…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"abdul bahas travels"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-bahas-travels"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nShortly after his arrival ‘Abdu’l-Bahá met the Rev. R. J. Campbell of the City Temple, together with the editor of the Christian Commonwealth newspaper. The editor noted that when Rev. Campbell entered the room, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá rose from his chair and advanced to meet him, with smiling face and arms extended. The older men grasped both the hands of the younger and, retaining them, warmly greeted him
Standing face-to-face, linked hand-in-hand, in the center of the room, these two spiritual leaders of worldwide fame, - Eastern and Western, but essentially one in their outlook on life - formed an impressive picture. During the conversation, Rev. Campbell said: \"I should like you to visit the City Temple\", to which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá responded, saying, \"I should like to come. I know that the City Temple is the center of progress in the religious world, and seeks to promote the universal understanding.\" Just a few days later, on Sunday, 10 September, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrived at the City Temple during the evening service to give His first public address in the Western world. \"The visit was kept secret\", wrote Wellesley Tudor-Pole, but the congregation was as usual very large, probably well over 2000
‘Abdu’l-Bahá then spoke animatedly for about nine minutes, in Persian, in full, vibrant tones, wrote Tutor-Pole. And the whole congregation was held spellbound
After the Master finished speaking, Wellesley Tudor-Pole read the English translation of his speech . . . After the service, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote the following in the pulpit Bible: this book is the Holy Book of God, of celestial Inspiration. It is the Bible of Salvation, the Noble Gospel. It is the Mystery of the Kingdom and its light. It is the Divine Bounty, the sign of the guidance of God. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 'Abbás.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 31-32,34*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-bahas-travels) (Subject: abdul-bahas-travels).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Shortly before leaving Denver, someone asked Him about eating meat",
"slug": "shortly-before-leaving-denver-someone-asked-him-about-bs7",
"summary": "Shortly before leaving Denver, someone asked Him about eating meat. The Master noted that birds have beaks so they can pick up seats while goats and cows have teeth for eating grass. Carnivores have claws like forks and sharp teeth for…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"diet"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/diet"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nShortly before leaving Denver, someone asked Him about eating meat. The Master noted that birds have beaks so they can pick up seats while goats and cows have teeth for eating grass. Carnivores have claws like forks and sharp teeth for eating meat. Man, however, does not have teeth for eating meat. \"God\", He said, \"has given him beauty of form and has created him blessed and not rapacious and bloodthirsty.\"\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 206*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/diet) (Subject: diet).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Ásiyih Khánum, the wife of Bahá’u’lláh, Bahiyyih Khánum, their lovely daughter,…",
"slug": "siyih-kh-num-the-wife-of-bah-u-ll-h-bahiyyih-kh-num-bs0",
"summary": "Ásiyih Khánum, the wife of Bahá’u’lláh, Bahiyyih Khánum, their lovely daughter, Muniríh Khánum, the Holy Mother, and the four daughters of the Master, have never bemoaned the difficulties of their daily lives. The conditions of suffering…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Munírih Khánum",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"radiant acquiescence",
"exile",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"gentleness",
"joy",
"patience",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/radiant-acquiescence"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nÁsiyih Khánum, the wife of Bahá’u’lláh, Bahiyyih Khánum, their lovely daughter, Muniríh Khánum, the Holy Mother, and the four daughters of the Master, have never bemoaned the difficulties of their daily lives. The conditions of suffering in all the prison period called forth a superhuman patience and self-sacrifice in trying to mitigate the misery of their fellow-exiles. The fortitude of these gentle ladies never wavered in face of incredible hardships -- endured for others' good -- in that sorrow-laden time, when the days lengthened out into years of privation, where the simplest comforts of life were lacking. Radiant acquiescence met all the incredible vicissitudes of the life in 'Akká, from their arrival in 1868 to the release of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá forty years later. None of these difficulties seemed to them worthy of being remembered; they were all a matter of course, even as the air they breathed; it never occurred to them to mention them; it is only by inference that we have glimpse into the depths of the pain which has been theirs, which has made up their laborious days. Upheld by that holy preoccupation of the spirit, its courage and its joy, they are calm and loving to all, yet aloof, dwelling consciously in that \"Peace which passeth understanding\" in the presence of God, in Whose path all the sufferings and persecutions, heaped upon them by uncomprehending persons, count as less than nothing. It is this attitude of theirs, this spirit, which is more arresting, more amazing, than the mere events; this spirit it is that gives the great significance, which envelops all the episodes and incidents of their existence with its radiant atmosphere.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway, p. 73-74*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/radiant-acquiescence) (Subject: radiant-acquiescence).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Siyyid ‘Abdu’l-Baqi sat and listened to the Báb",
"slug": "siyyid-abdu-l-baqi-sat-and-listened-to-the-b-b-bs2",
"summary": "Siyyid ‘Abdu’l-Baqi sat and listened to the Báb. He heard His voice, watched His movements, looked upon the expression of His face, and noted the words which streamed unceasingly from His lips, and yet failed to be moved by their majesty…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"atonement",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/atonement"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSiyyid ‘Abdu’l-Baqi sat and listened to the Báb. He heard His voice, watched His movements, looked upon the expression of His face, and noted the words which streamed unceasingly from His lips, and yet failed to be moved by their majesty and power. Wrapt in the veils of his own idle fancy and learning, he was powerless to appreciate the meaning of the utterances of the Báb. He did not even trouble to enquire the name or the character of the Guest into whose presence he had been introduced. Unmoved by the things he had heard and seen, he retired from that presence, unaware of the unique opportunity which, through his apathy, he had irretrievably lost. A few days later, when informed of the name of the Youth whom he had treated with such careless indifference, he was filled with chagrin and remorse. It was too late, however, for him to seek His presence and atone for his conduct, for the Báb had already departed from Kashan. In his grief, he renounced the society of his fellowmen, and led, to the end of his days, a life of unrelieved seclusion.\n\n\n*Source: Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 221*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/atonement) (Subject: atonement).*\n"
},
{
"title": "So sensitive and sympathetic was the Master to human suffering that He admitted…",
"slug": "so-sensitive-and-sympathetic-was-the-master-to-bs0",
"summary": "So sensitive and sympathetic was the Master to human suffering that He admitted to surprise that others could be quite oblivious to it. In Paris, He expressed His feelings: 'I have just been told that there has been a terrible accident…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"sympathy"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/sympathy"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSo sensitive and sympathetic was the Master to human suffering that He admitted to surprise that others could be quite oblivious to it. In Paris, He expressed His feelings: 'I have just been told that there has been a terrible accident in this country. A train has fallen into the river and at least twenty people have been killed. This is going to be a matter for discussion in the French Parliament today, and the Director of the State Railway will be called upon to speak. He will be cross-examined as to the condition of the railroad and as to what caused the accident, and there will be a heated argument. I am filled with wonder and surprise to notice what interest and excitement has been aroused throughout the whole country on account of the death of twenty people, while they remain cold and indifferent to the fact that thousands of Italians, Turks, and Arabs are killed in Tripoli! The horror of this wholesale slaughter has not disturbed the Government at all! Yet these unfortunate people are human beings too.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 68*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/sympathy) (Subject: sympathy).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Bread for Whoever Knocked: The Baghdád Household",
"slug": "sob-baghdad-house-of-the-poor",
"summary": "In *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh* Mr. Furutan preserves the household recollection of the small house in Baghdád where Bahá'u'lláh lived in the 1850s — and the standing instruction He had given the family that no one who came to the door, of any creed or condition, was ever to be sent away without food.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Baghdád",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"hospitality",
"poverty",
"holy-family",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"hospitality",
"generosity",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween",
"child"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "stories-of-bahaullah",
"book": "Stories of Bahá'u'lláh",
"author": "Ali-Akbar Furutan",
"year": 1986,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the years that Bahá’u’lláh lived in Baghdád — between His\narrival in 1853 and His exile to Constantinople in 1863 — the\nhousehold occupied, for most of the period, a small rented house\nin the old city. The family was numerous; the resources were\nslender; the demands on the door were constant.\n\nMr. Furutan, in *Stories of Bahá’u’lláh,* records the standing\ninstruction Bahá’u’lláh had given to the household. No one who\nknocked, He had said, was to be turned away without having\neaten. Not the believers who came in increasing numbers from\nPersia. Not the poor of Baghdád. Not the dervishes wandering\nthe bazaars in their patched cloaks. Not the Christian beggars\nof the Armenian quarter. Not the Muslim faqirs of the great\nmosques. Not the children of the lanes. Each was to be fed.\n\nThe kitchen of the household was, for a decade, organised\naround this rule. Ásíyih Khánum and the women of the family\nprepared, each day, more food than the household itself would\nneed; the surplus was for whoever came. When there was nothing\nleft, Bahíyyih Khánum or one of the others would borrow from\nthe neighbours rather than send a hungry man away. The pattern\nbecame known, in time, in the lanes around the house. The poor\nof Baghdád had a door that they knew would feed them.\n\nFurutan preserves a particular recollection, drawn from the\nGreatest Holy Leaf in her later years. A certain old beggar of\nthe quarter, she told the friends, had come every Friday for\nyears. He had never asked anything but bread. He had received it\neach week without question, and gone on. After Bahá’u’lláh’s\nexile from Baghdád the old man came once more, found the door\nlocked, and stood weeping in the lane. The neighbours tried to\nconsole him. He turned his face away. The fed mouth, he said,\nhad not finally been the point. The door that had not refused\nhim was the point. The door had been a friend to him. The\ndoor, he said, had honoured him.\n\nFurutan reads the story, in his short chapter, as the practical\nshape that Bahá’u’lláh’s teaching of universal love took in the\ndomestic life of His own house. The teaching was not, in the\nBaghdád years, a doctrine read out of a book. It was a kitchen\nthat fed everyone, and a door that did not refuse.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories of Bahá'u'lláh (Ali-Akbar Furutan, George Ronald, 1986); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "He Loved the Children of the House",
"slug": "sob-bahaullah-and-the-children",
"summary": "Among the household recollections Mr. Furutan preserves in *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh* is the simple memory of how Bahá'u'lláh, in His own house, would set aside His writing to receive the children — would ask after their small concerns, would laugh at their jokes, and would send them away with blessings they remembered to the end of their lives.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"children",
"home-life",
"holy-family",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"kindness",
"tenderness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween",
"child"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "stories-of-bahaullah",
"book": "Stories of Bahá'u'lláh",
"author": "Ali-Akbar Furutan",
"year": 1986,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMr. Furutan, in *Stories of Bahá’u’lláh,* gathers more than one\nrecollection of how Bahá’u’lláh received the children of the\nhousehold. The witnesses, drawn from the Greatest Holy Leaf, from\nthe grandchildren themselves, and from servants of the house,\nagree on one thing above all: His attention to children was\nunhurried.\n\nHe would be sitting, the witnesses record, at His low desk in\nthe upper room. The papers of His revealed Tablets were spread\nin front of Him. A pen and an inkwell were at His right hand. A\nbeliever would be seated near the door, ready to take dictation\nor to copy what had been revealed. The atmosphere of the room,\nin those hours, was the atmosphere of the central spiritual\nwork of His ministry.\n\nThen a small footstep would come on the stair. A child — a\ngrandchild, often, or a small visitor from the household of one\nof the believers — would appear in the doorway. The work would\nstop. Bahá’u’lláh would look up, smile, set the pen down, and\nturn fully to the child. The child would be invited in. The\nchild's small concerns — a lost toy, a quarrel with a brother,\na cut on a finger, a complaint about the stew — would be heard\nout as if they were the affairs of a kingdom.\n\nHe would, the witnesses record, put His own great hand on the\nchild's small head. He would ask questions. He would listen to\nthe answers. He would respond. The child would leave the room,\nsome minutes later, with a piece of fruit in one hand or a\nsweet from a small jar, and would carry the encounter for the\nrest of the day.\n\nThe amanuensis would resume his place. The pen would return to\nthe page. The Tablet would continue. Furutan, recording this\npattern, observes that no one in the household ever felt that\nthe work had been interrupted; the receiving of the child had\nbeen part of the work.\n\n*When the children came to the door, the writing was put aside.*\n\nThe grandchildren of the family carried these encounters in\ntheir bones. Several of them, in old age, would tell the\nyounger Bahá’ís that they had not been able, in any other\nencounter of their lives, to be quite so completely received.\nThe household had known, before the world knew, that the\nrevelation came down through a hand that did not despise the\nsmall voice of a child.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories of Bahá'u'lláh (Ali-Akbar Furutan, George Ronald, 1986); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Boy Who Did Not Cry: Bahá'u'lláh's Childhood",
"slug": "sob-bahaullah-childhood-dream",
"summary": "In *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh* the Hand of the Cause Mr. 'Alí-Akbar Furútan preserves two early memories of the Blessed Beauty's childhood: His unusual composure as an infant, who almost never cried, and a prophetic dream He described at age five or six in which He stood unharmed amid attacking sea creatures and birds — interpreted by a noted dream-reader as a foreshadowing of His future Cause.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Mírzá 'Abbás (Bahá'u'lláh's father)"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Núr (Mázindarán)",
"location": {
"name": "Núr",
"lat": 36.5728,
"lng": 52.0067,
"modernName": "Núr, Mázindarán, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"childhood",
"prophecy",
"dreams",
"early-life"
],
"virtues": [
"serenity",
"love",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "stories-of-bahaullah",
"book": "Stories of Bahá'u'lláh",
"author": "Ali-Akbar Furutan",
"year": 1986,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *Stories of Bahá’u’lláh* the Hand of the Cause Mr. ‘Alí-Akbar\nFurútan gathered, late in his life, the early oral and written\nremembrances of the Blessed Beauty’s family circle. Two of those\nremembrances belong to His earliest childhood in the village of\nNúr, where He had been born in 1817 to the wealthy and pious\nhousehold of Mírzá ‘Abbás-i-Núrí.\n\nThe first is a domestic note. His mother, Furútan records, used\nto remark with a kind of bewildered tenderness on the unusual\nquality of her infant son:\n\n> This child never cries. He is so unlike other babies who cry\n> and scream.\n\nHis father attributed the unusual composure to His unusual\nintellect. Visitors to the household commented on the same\nquality. The boy carried, from infancy, a stillness which the\nfamily found difficult to describe in ordinary terms.\n\nThe second story belongs to His fifth or sixth year. Furútan\npreserves the account from the family tradition. The boy\ndescribed to His father a vivid dream He had had: He stood in\nor near a great body of water, and many sea creatures rose\nagainst Him. Birds attacked Him from the air. Each in turn fell\nupon Him without succeeding in causing the least harm.\n\nThe father, troubled and curious, took the dream to a noted\ninterpreter of dreams in the region. The interpreter heard Him\nout and gave the family a reading they would remember:\n\n> This dream indicates that the Child shall be the founder of a\n> great Cause. He will be victorious over all.\n\nThe phrase *founder of a great Cause* meant, in the language of\nnineteenth-century Persia, very little to a small landed\ngentleman in Mázindarán. It meant a great deal more to the boy\nwho, two and a half decades later, would receive His own\nRevelation in the Síyáh-Chál pit beneath Tihrán; and it meant\nmore again to the dispensation that would arise, after His\nascension, on the foundation of His Tablets.\n\nFurútan’s book preserves the early memories not as fanciful\nhagiography but as the testimony of those who knew the family.\nThe infant who did not cry, and the boy whose dream was\ninterpreted as a prophecy, were already, in the household’s own\nrecognition, the same Person.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories of Bahá'u'lláh by 'Alí-Akbar Furútan (George Ronald, 1986); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Boy Who Would Hear Both Sides",
"slug": "sob-bahaullah-childhood-justice",
"summary": "Among the childhood stories Hand of the Cause Furutan gathered into his *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh* is the recollection of how the young Mírzá Ḥusayn -‘Alí — long before His Declaration — would refuse to settle a quarrel among His playmates without first hearing both sides, and how the household began to recognize a quiet authority in the boy.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Núr",
"location": {
"name": "Núr",
"lat": 36.5728,
"lng": 51.9831,
"modernName": "Núr, Mázandaran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"childhood",
"justice",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"fairness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween",
"child"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "stories-of-bahaullah",
"book": "Stories of Bahá'u'lláh",
"author": "Ali-Akbar Furutan",
"year": 1986,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHand of the Cause Mr. ‘Alí-Akbar Furutan, in his collection\n*Stories of Bahá’u’lláh,* gathers a number of recollections from\nthe family and household that surrounded Mírzá Ḥusayn-‘Alí during\nHis childhood in the noble Núrí family of Mázandarán. Among them\nis a quiet image, repeated in several memoirs, of the kind of boy\nHe was when His playmates fell into a quarrel.\n\nThe other children of the household, the witnesses recalled, would\nsometimes come running to Him as the natural arbiter of their\nsmall disputes. He would not, however, simply pronounce. He would\nlisten to the first child’s account in full. Then He would go and\nfind the other child and listen, with the same patience, to that\naccount in full. Only when both sides had been heard would He\nquietly speak.\n\nThe pattern struck the adults of the household. A child of His age\nmight have been expected to weigh in by sympathy, by friendship,\nby who had spoken first. He weighed in only by what He had heard.\nAnd He was unwilling, even at five or six, to be hurried.\n\n> Even as a child He sought justice — and would not give a verdict\n> until He had heard the other side.\n\nThe story is small. But Furutan, like the early Bahá’í chroniclers\nwho had preserved it, sees in it the early outline of a Manifestation\nwhose ministry would later be devoted to *the most great peace,* and\nwhose Tablets to kings would call the rulers of the earth to the\nsame disciplined fairness — the unwillingness to judge without\nhaving heard.\n\nThe household began, the witnesses say, to feel a quiet authority\nin the boy. They could not have known what it foreshadowed. But\nthey could already see, in the childhood courtyard, a refusal to\nsettle anything by partiality. The seed of a Revelation was already\nvisible in the manners of the child.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories of Bahá'u'lláh (Ali-Akbar Furutan, George Ronald, 1986); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Crumbs for the Pigeons: A Small Habit of Bahá'u'lláh",
"slug": "sob-bahaullah-feeding-the-pigeons",
"summary": "In *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh* Mr. Furutan preserves the household memory of how Bahá'u'lláh, during the years in Bahjí, would step out into the small garden each afternoon with a handful of grain in His hand for the wild pigeons of the plain — and the gentleness of a creature who, in His own words, *did not wish to disappoint* the birds.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Bahjí",
"location": {
"name": "Bahjí",
"lat": 32.943,
"lng": 35.09,
"modernName": "Bahjí, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"kindness-to-animals",
"holy-family",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"tenderness",
"faithfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween",
"child"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "stories-of-bahaullah",
"book": "Stories of Bahá'u'lláh",
"author": "Ali-Akbar Furutan",
"year": 1986,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMr. Furutan, in *Stories of Bahá’u’lláh,* preserves a small\ndomestic memory from the last years of Bahá’u’lláh’s life at\nBahjí — the country mansion outside ‘Akká where, after the\ngradual easing of the Ottoman regulations, He spent His final\nperiod.\n\nThe witnesses preserve that He had taken, in those years, the\nhabit of stepping out into the small garden each afternoon at a\nparticular hour. He carried with Him, in His left hand, a small\nhandful of grain. The pigeons of the plain — wild birds of the\nsort that gathered on the mud roofs of the village — had,\nacross many afternoons, learned the hour. They would gather on\nthe wall. They would gather in the dust at His feet. He would\nscatter the grain. He would speak to them, in low Persian,\nwhile they ate. When the grain was finished He would stand\nquietly until the pigeons had finished their visiting and gone\nback to the wall. Then He would turn, and go in.\n\nA believer of the household once asked, on a day when the\nweather was poor, whether He would not for once stay indoors.\nThe witnesses preserve the gentle answer. *I do not wish to\ndisappoint the birds.*\n\nThe remark, Furutan notes, became a small saying among the\nhousehold. The pigeons, after all, had not been promised\nanything; they had merely been given grain across many\nafternoons, and they had come to expect it. The Manifestation\nof God, on a winter day with weather He need not have stepped\nout into, would not break the small expectation of a flock of\nwild birds.\n\nThe pattern continued, the witnesses record, until the last\nmonths. The believers who tended the household after His\nascension noticed, in the early days, that the pigeons came at\nthe appointed hour to the wall. There was no one to scatter the\ngrain. The birds waited. After some weeks they ceased to come.\nThe household, recounting this to later visitors, observed that\nthe pigeons had been the last creatures to know.\n\nThe story, in Furutan’s short chapter, is small. It is offered\nnot as a teaching but as a witness. The Manifestation of God,\nthe witnesses record, was as faithful to the wild birds of the\nplain as He was to the kings to whom He addressed His Tablets.\nThe greatness of His station did not displace the smallness of\nHis daily kindness.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories of Bahá'u'lláh (Ali-Akbar Furutan, George Ronald, 1986); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Mufti Who Came to Insult and Stayed to Serve",
"slug": "sob-bahaullah-walking-with-shaykh-mahmud",
"summary": "Mr. Furutan, in *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh,* preserves the recollection of Shaykh Maḥmúd-i-‘Arrábí — the Sunní mufti of ‘Akká who, having sworn to kill Bahá'u'lláh as a heretic upon His arrival, came to His door, was received, and walked out a servant of the Cause for the rest of his life.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Shaykh Maḥmúd-i-‘Arrábí"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"conversion",
"imprisonment",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"courage"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "stories-of-bahaullah",
"book": "Stories of Bahá'u'lláh",
"author": "Ali-Akbar Furutan",
"year": 1986,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMr. Furutan, in *Stories of Bahá’u’lláh,* preserves the\nwell-known recollection of Shaykh Maḥmúd-i-‘Arrábí — the\nSunní mufti of ‘Akká in the years of Bahá’u’lláh’s arrival.\n\nThe mufti, the recollection records, had been the leading\nreligious authority of the city when news arrived that a band\nof Persian heretics, condemned by the Ottoman government, was\nbeing brought to ‘Akká for permanent imprisonment. The mufti\npreached, in the Friday sermon at the great mosque, that the\narrival of the leader of these heretics — Bahá’u’lláh — would\nbe a contamination of the city. He instructed the people not\nto look at Him, not to speak to Him, not to give Him bread or\nwater. He himself, the recollection records, had taken a\nprivate vow that if circumstance permitted, he would put the\narch-heretic to death with his own hand.\n\nAfter Bahá’u’lláh’s arrival the mufti waited some weeks. Then\nhe made his way, with a concealed weapon, to the citadel where\nthe prisoner was held. He arranged, by the mufti’s authority\nthat the guards still owed him, to be brought into the cell.\n\nWhat happened in the cell, the witnesses preserve, was not\nwhat the mufti had planned. Bahá’u’lláh received him with the\nquiet courtesy He extended to all visitors. He invited him to\nsit. He asked after his health. He spoke, calmly and at some\nlength, on the subject of the spiritual unity of the\nManifestations of God. The mufti listened. He asked questions;\nthey were answered. He raised objections; they were answered.\n\nHe had come, by his own later admission, with a sword inside\nhis cloak and a sermon already prepared in his throat. He\nwalked out of the cell, the recollection records, with neither.\n\nHe did not, the chronicle preserves, declare himself a Bahá’í\nin any public manner that might have cost him his office or\nhis standing in the city. He served, however, as a friend of\nthe household for the rest of his life. He intervened\nprivately, and at considerable risk, with the Ottoman\nauthorities to ease conditions for the family. He brought\nbelievers in to see Bahá’u’lláh when no other way could be\nfound. He kept watch.\n\nFurutan reads the story, in his short chapter, as one of the\nmost striking instances in the *‘Akká* period of the conversion\nthat nearness to Bahá’u’lláh worked on those who had come to\noppose Him. The mufti's vow had been the vow of an enemy. The\nservice of his subsequent years was the quiet service of a\nfriend.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories of Bahá'u'lláh (Ali-Akbar Furutan, George Ronald, 1986); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Executioner Who Returned: A Witness in the Síyáh-Chál",
"slug": "sob-jailer-of-syiah-chal",
"summary": "In *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh* Furutan preserves the story of the executioner of the Síyáh-Chál who, through the months of the imprisonment, came to admire Bahá'u'lláh — and who, after each Bábí was led out to the gallows, would return to the pit to report to Bahá'u'lláh how the friend had died.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Síyáh-Chál executioner"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Tihrán",
"location": {
"name": "Síyáh-Chál",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"imprisonment",
"martyrdom",
"witness",
"persecution"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"love",
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "stories-of-bahaullah",
"book": "Stories of Bahá'u'lláh",
"author": "Ali-Akbar Furutan",
"year": 1986,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe Síyáh-Chál — the *Black Pit* — was the deepest dungeon of\nthe Sháh’s prison system in Tihrán. Bahá’u’lláh was confined\nthere in the autumn and winter of 1852, in chains, in\nnear-total darkness, with a band of fellow Bábís most of whom\nwere destined for the gallows.\n\nEach morning a jailer’s voice called down a name. The named\nprisoner would rise, embrace Bahá’u’lláh and the rest, and\nwalk out to be executed. The executions took place in public —\non a square above ground, before the city — and the\nexecutioners knew their men personally before killing them.\n\nFurutan preserves a small remembrance from those months that\nilluminates the spiritual character of even those who had been\nordered to do the killing. The executioner of the Síyáh-Chál,\nwhose duty it was to lead the Bábís to the place of death and\nto carry out the sentence, came in the course of the months\nto recognise something of what he was witnessing.\n\nHe had no doctrinal commitment to the Bábí Cause. He had no\nauthority to release the prisoners. But he had eyes, and over\nthe weeks he saw what he saw. The men he killed were not\nfanatics; they were not raving; they were not cursing the king.\nThey walked to the gallows with a serenity he had never\nencountered in any other prisoner of his career. They embraced\nhim before he killed them. They prayed for him.\n\nWhat the executioner did, at the prompting of his slowly\nripening conscience, is what Furutan preserves. After each\nexecution he climbed back down into the Síyáh-Chál — past the\nguards, past the iron grilles, into the dark — and he sought\nout Bahá’u’lláh.\n\n> After each martyrdom, the executioner, who had grown to admire\n> Bahá’u’lláh, would come to Him and inform Him of the\n> circumstances of the martyr’s death and the joy with which he\n> had endured.\n\nHe had become, without intending it, a kind of witness on\nbehalf of the dead. He came down into the pit, the executioner\nof the Sháh, to tell the prisoner whose friend he had just\nkilled how the friend had borne it.\n\nFurutan's book preserves the testimony without dramatising it.\nHe simply records that the executioner did this, and that\nBahá'u'lláh received him. The cruelty of the institution had\nnot extinguished the conscience of the man who served it; and\nthe prisoner in the chains had received from the executioner\nthe kind of report that one bereaved family member receives\nfrom another at a funeral.\n\nIt is one of the strangest of the small miracles of the\nSíyáh-Chál: that even there, in the deepest pit of that\nimprisoning regime, the human heart had room enough to bring,\ninto the dark, the simple courtesy of a true witness.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories of Bahá'u'lláh by 'Alí-Akbar Furútan (George Ronald, 1986); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "God Is Sufficient: The Bábís Chanting in the Síyáh-Chál",
"slug": "sob-siyah-chal-chanting",
"summary": "In *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh* Furutan preserves the practice that sustained Bahá'u'lláh's fellow Bábí prisoners in the Síyáh-Chál pit in 1852: each evening, the prisoners would divide into two rows and chant antiphonally — one row, *God is sufficient unto me,* and the other replying, *In Him let the trusting trust* — until the chant rose, in the dark, to fill the dungeon's vault.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Bábí prisoners of the Síyáh-Chál"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Tihrán",
"location": {
"name": "Síyáh-Chál",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"imprisonment",
"prayer",
"persecution",
"early-believers"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"patience",
"courage"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "stories-of-bahaullah",
"book": "Stories of Bahá'u'lláh",
"author": "Ali-Akbar Furutan",
"year": 1986,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *Stories of Bahá’u’lláh* Furutan gathers many of the small\ntestimonies that came down from the inmates of the\nSíyáh-Chál — the *Black Pit,* the underground dungeon beneath\nthe Sháh’s palace in Tihrán in which Bahá’u’lláh was confined\nin the autumn and winter of 1852.\n\nThe pit had no light and almost no air. Bahá’u’lláh and a band\nof fellow Bábí prisoners — among them several of the Letters of\nthe Living and other survivors of the recent persecutions — were\nchained together, neck and ankle, in conditions Bahá’u’lláh\nHimself would later describe as *unparalleled.* Each day a\njailer would call out the name of one of the prisoners. The\nnamed prisoner would rise, embrace Bahá’u’lláh, embrace his\nfellows, and walk out to be killed.\n\nWhat sustained them, Furutan records, was a practice\nBahá’u’lláh Himself taught them. Each night, in the dark of\nthe pit, the prisoners divided into two facing rows. The first\nrow would chant a verse:\n\n> God is sufficient unto me. He verily is the All-sufficing.\n\nThe second row would reply:\n\n> In Him let the trusting trust.\n\nThe chant would alternate, line and answering line, until the\nvoices rose together to fill the vault of the dungeon. The\nguards above could hear it. The Sháh in his palace could hear\nit. The chant was, in its own way, a public refusal: of the\ncondition the chained men had been put into; of the death\nthat would be called for one of them tomorrow; of every claim\non the soul except the claim of God.\n\nFurutan also preserves the testimony of the executioner who\ntook the Bábí martyrs to the gallows day by day. He had grown,\nover the months, to admire Bahá’u’lláh in particular. After\neach execution he would come back down into the pit to report\nto Bahá’u’lláh how the martyr had died — with what bearing,\nwhat last words, what unbroken joy. The executioner himself\nwas, in some manner the records do not fully name, transformed\nby what he had been a part of.\n\nBahá’u’lláh was Himself released from the Síyáh-Chál four\nmonths after His imprisonment, and exiled to Baghdád. In the\npit, however, He had received the first stirrings of the\nRevelation that would, in the next forty years, reshape the\nreligious history of the planet. The chant of *God is\nsufficient unto me* belongs to the same vault, and the same\nmonths, in which that Revelation began.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories of Bahá'u'lláh by 'Alí-Akbar Furútan (George Ronald, 1986); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Cinema in the Sky: A Childhood Dream of Bahá'u'lláh",
"slug": "sob-the-cinema-dream",
"summary": "Among the recollections of Bahá'u'lláh's boyhood Mr. Furutan preserves in *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh* is the dream the child once had of a great moving spectacle in the sky — birds, fish, a green sea — that He told to His father the next morning, and whose meaning the household began only later to suspect.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Núr",
"location": {
"name": "Núr",
"lat": 36.5728,
"lng": 51.9831,
"modernName": "Núr, Mázandaran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"childhood",
"dreams",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"wonder",
"reverence"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween",
"child"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "stories-of-bahaullah",
"book": "Stories of Bahá'u'lláh",
"author": "Ali-Akbar Furutan",
"year": 1986,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nHand of the Cause Mr. ‘Alí-Akbar Furutan, in his collection\n*Stories of Bahá’u’lláh,* gathers more than one dream from the\nchildhood of Mírzá Ḥusayn-‘Alí — the Manifestation later known\nto the world as Bahá’u’lláh.\n\nOne of them, Furutan records on the authority of family\nrecollection, came to the boy in His tenth or eleventh year.\nThe household at that time was at the family estate in Núr in\nMázandaran, the remote forested province at the southern edge\nof the Caspian Sea. The boy slept in His own room. He awoke\none morning, the family later remembered, in unusual quiet, and\ntold the household what He had seen.\n\nIn the dream, He said, He had been standing in a garden when\nthe sky above Him had begun to change. Where there had been\nordinary cloud and air, a great green sea had appeared, filling\nthe whole upper world. Birds were flying through the sea. Fish\nwere swimming in it. The two creatures, which would in waking\nlife never share a medium, moved together inside the same\nluminous green water suspended above the garden. The boy had\nwatched, He said, with great delight.\n\nHis father, Mírzá Buzurg-i-Núrí — a noted vizier of the\nPersian court, given to consulting interpreters of dreams —\narranged for the dream to be recounted to a learned man. The\ninterpreter, several recollections preserve, considered the\nimagery carefully. The green sea, he said, was the Cause of God\nthat this child would one day proclaim. The birds and the fish,\nmoving together within it, were the peoples and tribes of the\nearth — those of the heaven and those of the depths, those who\nfly and those who swim — gathered, in the time appointed, into\na single element.\n\nFurutan is careful, in his collection, not to overstate the\nweight of childhood dreams. But he records the family\npreservation of this one because the household preserved it.\nThe image stayed with the household across the boyhood and\nyouth of Mírzá Ḥusayn-‘Alí. They did not know its significance\nin those years. They knew only that the boy had dreamed it; that\nthe dream had impressed the dreamer; that the wise man’s\ninterpretation had impressed the father.\n\nMany years later, when the same boy had become Bahá’u’lláh and\nthe green sea of His Cause was visibly spreading across the\npeoples of the earth, the household remembered the dream. The\nsky had, in time, opened into the sea He had foreseen. The\nbirds and the fish were gathering in it.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories of Bahá'u'lláh (Ali-Akbar Furutan, George Ronald, 1986); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "An Old Man Walks to 'Akká",
"slug": "sob-the-old-man-walks-to-akka",
"summary": "A short story preserved by Hand of the Cause Furutan in *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh*: an aged believer who set out on foot from Persia to attain the presence of Bahá'u'lláh in 'Akká, and the welcome that met him at the door when he arrived, exhausted, decades younger in his soul.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrimage",
"encounter",
"service",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"perseverance",
"devotion",
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "stories-of-bahaullah",
"book": "Stories of Bahá'u'lláh",
"author": "Ali-Akbar Furutan",
"year": 1986,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAmong the short stories Hand of the Cause Mr. ‘Alí-Akbar Furutan\ngathered into his collection *Stories of Bahá’u’lláh* are a number\nof accounts from believers in Persia who, in the years of\nBahá’u’lláh’s confinement in ‘Akká, set out on foot to attain His\npresence. The road was long and the dangers were real. The\npilgrim might cross several borders; he might be detained,\nrobbed, sickened, turned back. Many never made it.\n\nOne such believer — Furutan’s account names him simply as an old\nman, a Persian villager — set out on his own. He had no money for\ncaravans. He had a stick, the clothes he stood up in, and a small\ninner certainty that he had to lay his head, before he died, at\nthe threshold of his Beloved. He walked and walked. The route led\nacross mountains and across deserts. He arrived, eventually, at\nthe gate of ‘Akká, gaunt and footsore, after many months on the\nroad.\n\nWord reached the household. Bahá’u’lláh, who in those years\nattended carefully to every newly-arrived pilgrim, had the man\nbrought into His presence. Furutan does not record a long\ninterview. He records the welcome.\n\nThe old man was given food. He was given rest. He was treated,\naccording to the witnesses, *as though no greater guest had been\nreceived that year* — although that year, like every year in\n‘Akká, had received many guests, including the rich and the\nlearned. The pilgrim wept. Bahá’u’lláh said the kind of thing He\nsaid in such cases: that the soul who turns toward God arrives\nalready the moment he sets out, and that the journey of the body\nis only the slow catching-up of the legs to the heart.\n\nThe old man stayed for some days. He went home, eventually, with\nnothing material to show for the months of travel. What he carried\nback to his village, the witnesses said, was visible in his face\nfor the rest of his life.\n\nThe story is, in Furutan’s telling, very small. He lets it stand\nwithout a moral. The point, by the time he is finished telling it,\ndoes not need to be drawn.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories of Bahá'u'lláh (Ali-Akbar Furutan, George Ronald, 1986); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Guard Who Wept in the Corridor",
"slug": "sob-the-prison-guard-converted",
"summary": "Among the 'Akká stories Mr. Furutan preserves in *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh* is the recollection of a prison guard, originally hostile, who came over time to weep in the stone corridor when he heard the voices of the Holy Family — and who one day, in open contradiction of his orders, fell at Bahá'u'lláh's feet.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"imprisonment",
"conversion",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"courage"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "stories-of-bahaullah",
"book": "Stories of Bahá'u'lláh",
"author": "Ali-Akbar Furutan",
"year": 1986,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMr. Furutan, in *Stories of Bahá’u’lláh,* preserves several\nsmall narratives from the years of the imprisonment in ‘Akká.\nAmong them is the recollection of a prison guard whose original\nduty had been to keep the Holy Family confined inside the stone\nwalls of the citadel.\n\nThe guard had arrived, in the early months of the imprisonment,\nwith the prejudices of the city against the Persian heretics\nwho had been deposited at its gates by the Ottoman authorities.\nHe was, by the family’s recollection, sour-tempered and rough\nin his speech. He turned away pilgrims who tried to send food\ninto the prison. He shouted at the women of the household. He\nrefused, for some time, to permit the children any of the small\ncourtesies that the previous guard had grudgingly allowed.\n\nThen, the Greatest Holy Leaf later told the friends, something\nbegan to change. The guard would walk the stone corridor outside\nthe family’s cells. He would hear, through the door, Bahá’u’lláh\nchanting in the early mornings. He would hear the women's\nvoices later in the day — singing as they prepared the small\nfood they had been permitted, laughing with the children, asking\neach other the patient questions that the long confinement\nrequired. The voices, the recollection preserves, did not\nbehave like the voices of prisoners. They behaved like the\nvoices of a household at peace.\n\nThe guard began, after some weeks, to linger in the corridor.\nHe listened. Furutan preserves the family observation that he\nwas sometimes seen standing very still by the door, with tears\nrunning down his face, before composing himself and moving on.\n\nThe household began, after a time, to ask the new captain on\nduty whether the man might be permitted to bring small things\ninto the cells — a piece of fruit, a clean cloth — without\nofficial authorization. The captain, half-knowing, looked the\nother way. The guard's small courtesies began.\n\nThe day came, the recollection records, when the guard\ncontrived to pass into the cell of Bahá’u’lláh himself. He\nstood at the door, then crossed the floor, and fell at His\nfeet. He asked nothing; he begged nothing; he simply set down,\nin the ordinary act of reverence, the change that had happened\nin him. Bahá’u’lláh raised him gently. The man returned to his\npost. He served, the recollection ends, as a friend of the\nhousehold until his transfer.\n\nThe Bahá’ís of ‘Akká would meet such guards more than once\nacross the long imprisonment. Furutan preserves the story\nbecause the household preserved it. The walls of a prison, he\nnotes in his short chapter, are no defence against the\nquiet contagion of holiness lived inside them.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories of Bahá'u'lláh (Ali-Akbar Furutan, George Ronald, 1986); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Tablet of Aḥmad: Revealed for a Believer in Distress",
"slug": "sob-the-tablet-of-ahmad-revealed",
"summary": "In *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh* Mr. Furutan recalls the circumstances in which the Tablet of Aḥmad — recited by Bahá'ís throughout the world in seasons of difficulty — was revealed for a single Persian believer who had become discouraged in his journey, and the consolation it carried back to him on the road.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Aḥmad of Yazd"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Adrianople",
"location": {
"name": "Adrianople",
"lat": 41.6818,
"lng": 26.5623,
"modernName": "Edirne, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"prayer",
"test",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"perseverance",
"trust"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "stories-of-bahaullah",
"book": "Stories of Bahá'u'lláh",
"author": "Ali-Akbar Furutan",
"year": 1986,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the tablets revealed by Bahá’u’lláh during the Adrianople\nyears was the small Arabic Tablet that has become known to the\nworldwide Bahá’í community simply as the Tablet of Aḥmad. Mr.\nFurutan, in *Stories of Bahá’u’lláh,* sets out the historical\ncircumstance under which it was revealed.\n\nA Persian believer named Aḥmad of Yazd had, at Bahá’u’lláh’s\ndirection, been in the long process of returning to Persia from\nAdrianople in the late 1860s. The journey had been hard. He had\ntravelled on foot for many weeks. He had been ill. He had run\ninto difficulties of language and of money. By the time he\nreached Constantinople he had grown discouraged in spirit. The\npurpose of his mission seemed less clear than it had at the\nmoment of his departure.\n\nWord of his condition reached Adrianople. Bahá’u’lláh, the\nrecollection preserves, called for the small Tablet that He\naddressed to him by name. The Tablet was sent on by trusted\nmessenger. It reached Aḥmad on the road.\n\nHe read it. The words turned, in his hand, into the\nconsolation he had needed and not known how to ask for. The\nTablet praised the loyal heart, named the testing he was\nundergoing, called him to fortitude in the path of God, and\npromised the unfailing succour of the divine assistance to\nthose who continued. It closed with the now-famous Arabic\nverses naming the Greatest Name of God and assuring the\nbeliever that *if a man recite this Tablet with the utmost\nsincerity, God will dispel his sadness, solve his difficulties,\nand remove his afflictions.*\n\nAḥmad continued his journey. The Tablet continued to be his\ncompanion. He shared it, on his way through Persia, with\nbeliever after believer. The text was copied; copies travelled.\nBy the end of the nineteenth century the Tablet of Aḥmad had\nbecome one of the most widely-recited of the small revealed\nprayers of Bahá’u’lláh.\n\nFurutan observes, in his short chapter, that the Tablet has\nsince accompanied countless Bahá’ís in seasons of test of their\nown. Bahá’u’lláh had revealed it for the consolation of a\nsingle discouraged man on a single road. It has consoled, in\nthe years since, the discouragements of generations.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories of Bahá'u'lláh (Ali-Akbar Furutan, George Ronald, 1986); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Young Mírzá Ḥusayn-ʿAlí Walks the Snow",
"slug": "sob-the-young-bahaullah-in-snow",
"summary": "Mr. Furutan preserves, in *Stories of Bahá'u'lláh,* the family recollection of an evening in the snowbound forests of Núr when the young Mírzá Ḥusayn-ʿAlí walked alone into the storm to visit a sick villager — and the household that, the next morning, found Him sitting calmly by the cottage fire as if the journey had been an errand of an ordinary noon.",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Núr",
"location": {
"name": "Núr",
"lat": 36.5728,
"lng": 51.9831,
"modernName": "Núr, Mázandaran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"youth",
"service",
"sick-caring",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"courage",
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "stories-of-bahaullah",
"book": "Stories of Bahá'u'lláh",
"author": "Ali-Akbar Furutan",
"year": 1986,
"publisher": "George Ronald"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nMr. Furutan, in *Stories of Bahá’u’lláh,* preserves a number of\nrecollections of the young Mírzá Ḥusayn-ʿAlí — the future\nBahá’u’lláh — in the years before His Declaration. Many come\nfrom the family estate at Núr in the wild forested country of\nMázandaran, where the household withdrew each summer from the\ncourt life of Tihrán.\n\nOne of the recollections concerns a winter evening. The\nchronicle preserves that snow had been falling for two days.\nThe mountain paths were impassable to ordinary travel. The\nservants and the hunters of the estate had been sent home to\ntheir houses; the great wooden doors had been barred against\nthe cold.\n\nIn the late afternoon, the recollection records, word came up\nto the estate from a small village on the lower slope. An old\nman of the village, a person known to the household for many\nyears, had taken seriously ill. The family of the old man had\nsent a messenger up the path through the snow with the request\nthat, if any medicine or food could be spared, it would be\ngratefully received.\n\nThe young Mírzá Ḥusayn-ʿAlí, perhaps fifteen years old at this\ntime, gathered what was needed from the household stores. He\nasked for no companion. He took a single lantern, wrapped\nHimself in His cloak, and set out down the path. The household\nremonstrated with Him; the snow was deep; the village was an\nhour's walk; He had no familiarity with the lower paths. He\nwent on quietly.\n\nThe next morning, a search-party from the estate descended at\nfirst light to the village. They expected to find Him snowed in\nsomewhere on the path. They found Him, instead, sitting calmly\non a wooden stool by the fire in the old man's cottage. The\nold man had been bathed, fed, dosed with the household medicine,\nand put into clean blankets. The young man was conversing\nquietly with the family.\n\nThe household had been frightened; He had not been. The\nrecollection preserves Him saying, on the way back up the\nmountain, only a few words: that the snow had been deep but not\ndangerous, and that the old man's family had been very polite.\nHe did not, in His way, remark on the cold or on His own\nexertion. He had gone because someone had been ill. The going\nwas, in His understanding, the natural thing. The sleeping\nthrough the night by the fire, while the old man was tended,\nwas also the natural thing.\n\nFurutan offers the recollection, in his short chapter, without\nornament. The young man who would one day reveal the laws of\nthe Most Holy Book had already, at fifteen, the working\ndisposition of those laws: that those whose own household is\nwarm and whose own granary is full do not stay in them while the\nneighbour is in need.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories of Bahá'u'lláh (Ali-Akbar Furutan, George Ronald, 1986); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Some evenings His meal consisted only of a cup of milk and a piece of bread",
"slug": "some-evenings-his-meal-consisted-only-of-a-bs0",
"summary": "Some evenings His meal consisted only of a cup of milk and a piece of bread. He described it as a healthy meal, and recalled that Bahá’u’lláh had said that during His sojourn in Sulaymaniyyih His food was just milk most of the time, and…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Hasan Balyuzi"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Sulaymáníyyih",
"lat": 35.5556,
"lng": 45.4351,
"modernName": "Sulaymaniyah, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"diet",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/diet"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSome evenings His meal consisted only of a cup of milk and a piece of bread. He described it as a healthy meal, and recalled that Bahá’u’lláh had said that during His sojourn in Sulaymaniyyih His food was just milk most of the time, and sometimes milk and rice cooked together.\n\n\n*Source: H.M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá - The Centre of the Covenant, p. 392*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/diet) (Subject: diet).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Some years after his visit to Montréal, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote the believers in…",
"slug": "some-years-after-his-visit-to-montr-al-abdu-l-bah-bs3",
"summary": "Some years after his visit to Montréal, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote the believers in Canada: “Many souls warned Me not to travel to Montréal, saying, the majority of the inhabitants are Catholics, and are in the utmost fanaticism, that they are…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Montreal",
"lat": 45.5017,
"lng": -73.5673,
"modernName": "Montreal, Canada"
},
"themes": [
"abdul baha montreal"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-montreal"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSome years after his visit to Montréal, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote the believers in Canada: “Many souls warned Me not to travel to Montréal, saying, the majority of the inhabitants are Catholics, and are in the utmost fanaticism, that they are submerged in the sea of imitations, that they have not the capability to hearken to the call of the kingdom of God, that the veil of bigotry has so covered the eyes that they have deprived themselves from beholding the signs of the most great glory”
But these stories did not have any effect on the resolution of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He, trusting in God, turned His face toward Montréal. When He entered that city He observed all the doors open, He found the hearts in the utmost receptivity and the ideal power of the Kingdom of God removing every obstacle.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 180*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-montreal) (Subject: abdul-baha-montreal).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Somebody had given Him [‘Abdu’l-Bahá] a big cake",
"slug": "somebody-had-given-him-abdu-l-bah-a-big-cake-bs29",
"summary": "Somebody had given Him [‘Abdu’l-Bahá] a big cake. He put that in John's arms, with apples and bananas, so many that John had to get somebody else to push the elevator button, and John…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"generosity"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSomebody had given Him [‘Abdu’l-Bahá] a big cake. He put that in John's arms, with apples and bananas, so many that John had to get somebody else to push the elevator button, and John left.\n\n\n*Source: Marzieh Gail, Dawn Over Mount Hira, p. 210*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity) (Subject: generosity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Sometime later, I usually had the privilege of walking home with the Guardian…",
"slug": "sometime-later-i-usually-had-the-privilege-of-bs2",
"summary": "Sometime later, I usually had the privilege of walking home with the Guardian after he left the pilgrims, and very often he talked further about the subject which we had been discussing at dinner, and gave further amplification, which, of…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"the Báb",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"shoghi effendi premonition death",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/shoghi-effendi-premonition-death"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSometime later, I usually had the privilege of walking home with the Guardian after he left the pilgrims, and very often he talked further about the subject which we had been discussing at dinner, and gave further amplification, which, of course, were very precious moments, and he gave very precious things. So, that evening he had been talking about spiritual matters. It was the most spiritual talk that I had ever heard the Guardian give all the time that I was in Haifa. It seemed like he was opening a door into Heaven and letting us look in for awhile. And of course I was hoping as we walked home that he was going to continue talking about this subject, and perhaps give some more elucidations. Well, we got half way home and he turned around and says, “Leroy, as you know, I’ve been Guardian of the Cause for thirty-six years. And the responsibilities and the worries are just weighting me down. In the days of the Báb, the Faith was established in two countries. In the days of Bahá’u’lláh, there were eleven countries. In the days of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, there were thirty-one countries. Today, there are over two hundred and fifty countries and islands in the world. He said, “I have so many things weighting me down. I have to consider the future of the Cause. I have to consider the welfare of the Cause in every country. And I have all this burning correspondence, all of this work, all of the time. All of these things weighting me down, and I have got to have relief.” Then I said, Shoghi Effendi, why don’t you give me those papers? I can do a lot more work than I’m doing. I’ll have to have a lot of help in my office, and I’ve got to have more help doing the things I’m doing, but I can take those papers and I can quote those papers and I can digest them, I can tell you what the questions are, and I can let you know what they are, and all you have to do is let me know what the answer is.” I said, “That will give you some relief.” And he turned with tears in his eyes, and he said, “Only God can give me relief.”\n\nNow, was he telling us that he would soon be leaving us? I don’t know. It never dawned on us for a moment that that’s what he was doing.\n\n\n*Source: In the Days of the Guardian a Talk by Hand of the Cause of God Leroy Ioas in Johannesburg, South Africa, 1958*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/shoghi-effendi-premonition-death) (Subject: shoghi-effendi-premonition-death).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Sometime that summer at the pressing invitation of the friends in California,…",
"slug": "sometime-that-summer-at-the-pressing-invitation-of-bs4",
"summary": "Sometime that summer at the pressing invitation of the friends in California, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá decided that He would, after all, visit the Western part of America. But there was somewhere He wanted to go first. May Maxwell, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"May Maxwell",
"William Sutherland Maxwell"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"abdul baha montreal"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-montreal"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSometime that summer at the pressing invitation of the friends in California, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá decided that He would, after all, visit the Western part of America. But there was somewhere He wanted to go first. May Maxwell, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's beloved handmaid, distinguished disciple had established the first permanent Bahá’í community in Canada, after having established the first Bahá’í community in France a decade earlier. On the occasion of her move from Paris to Montréal as the bride of the talented young architect Sutherland Maxwell, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had written to her, “Thou wert as pure gold and didst enter the fire of tests
Gird up then thy loins, strengthen thy resolve, and arise with a mighty heart to promote the Word of God in that remote region.” Now, there was a small but thriving Bahá’í community in Montreal.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 179*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-montreal) (Subject: abdul-baha-montreal).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Soon after the arrival of Bahá’u’lláh and His party in 'Akka the Governor…",
"slug": "soon-after-the-arrival-of-bah-u-ll-h-and-his-bs0",
"summary": "Soon after the arrival of Bahá’u’lláh and His party in 'Akka the Governor visited the barracks for inspection. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, accompanied by a few believers, went to see him. But the Governor was discourteous and spoke to them in a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"justice",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/justice"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSoon after the arrival of Bahá’u’lláh and His party in 'Akka the Governor visited the barracks for inspection. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, accompanied by a few believers, went to see him. But the Governor was discourteous and spoke to them in a provocative manner. He threatened to cut the supply of bread if one of the prisoners went missing and then ordered them back to their room. One of the Master's attendants could not bear to remain silent after such insulting treatment. He retorted with rage and hurled back at the Governor some offensive remarks. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá immediately chastened His attendant by slapping him hard in the face in front of the Governor and ordering him to return to his room. This action by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá not only defused a dangerous situation but also opened the eyes of the Governor to the existence of a real leader among the prisoners, a leader who would act with authority and justice. Due to this action the Governor's attitude towards ‘Abdu’l-Bahá changed. He realized that, contrary to the wild rumours circulating in 'Akka at the time, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and His family were from a noble background, and not criminals as he had been led to believe. The Governor therefore began to act in a more humane way towards the prisoners. He eventually agreed to substitute the allotted ration of bread with a sum of money and allowed a small party of the prisoners, escorted by guards, to visit the markets of 'Akka daily to buy their provisions.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 47*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/justice) (Subject: justice).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Soon after the outbreak [of the war], Haifa, which was still under Turkish…",
"slug": "soon-after-the-outbreak-of-the-war-haifa-bs0",
"summary": "Soon after the outbreak [of the war], Haifa, which was still under Turkish rule, was panic-stricken. Most of the inhabitants fled inland, fearing bombardment by the Allies. Those Bahá’í friends who were merchants suffered great losses,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"fear",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/fear"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSoon after the outbreak [of the war], Haifa, which was still under Turkish rule, was panic-stricken. Most of the inhabitants fled inland, fearing bombardment by the Allies. Those Bahá’í friends who were merchants suffered great losses, for all their stores of tea, sugar, etc., were commandeered by the Government, without payment. The friends, in spite of the reassurances of the Master that no guns would be turned on Haifa, were living in constant fear, and the children, having heard terrible stories which were being told everywhere, grew quite ill, always looking round and about with frightened eyes.\n\nAt this time, the Master decided that it would be well to accept an invitation of the Shaykh of Abz'uSinz'an to remove the Bahá’ís and their children to that peaceful, healthy village, out of reach of the dreaded bombarding. In this village also, the very limited resources of the friends would, with strictest economy, be sufficient for their daily needs, with the help of the corn from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s storing. Shaykh Salih placed his house at the disposal of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and His family, Who received the most cordial welcome from this gracious and courteous chief of the Druze village of Abu-Sinan. The other Persian friends were gladly taken into various houses of the village, where they found themselves in most happy surroundings. Their food was of the simplest: lentils, dried beans, delicious olives and their oil, and sometimes milk, eggs, and even some goat's meat. The fresh pure air was, of course, wonderfully good for their health, and they quickly recovered calm nerves and strength of body.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/fear) (Subject: fear).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Eight Hundred in Budapest: 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Hungary",
"slug": "sotw-abdul-baha-budapest-1913",
"summary": "In April 1913 'Abdu'l-Bahá visited Budapest. The Star of the West reported that He addressed Hungarian peace societies, Theosophical groups, and meetings drawing some eight hundred listeners — and that He charged a young Bahá'í named Leopold Stark with establishing the first nucleus of the Faith in the Hungarian capital.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Leopold Stark",
"Prof. Vámbéry",
"Prof. Goldzieher"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "European tour",
"location": {
"name": "Budapest",
"lat": 47.4979,
"lng": 19.0402,
"modernName": "Budapest, Hungary"
},
"themes": [
"teaching",
"travel",
"history",
"europe"
],
"virtues": [
"vision",
"service",
"courage"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1913,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the spring of 1913, in the closing weeks of His extended European\njourney, 'Abdu'l-Bahá traveled from Stuttgart to Budapest at the\ninvitation of Hungarian peace and Theosophical societies. He\narrived in early April. The visit was brief — a matter of days —\nbut the effect, as the *Star of the West* reported in its\nfollowing issues, was lasting.\n\n> About eight hundred people attended the public meetings — and a\n> small nucleus of the Faith began.\n\nThe Master spoke at gatherings of the Hungarian Peace Society, of\nthe Theosophical Society of Budapest, and at smaller meetings\nhosted by individual seekers. The audiences were varied: peace\nadvocates concerned about the rising tensions in central Europe,\ntheosophists interested in Eastern wisdom, Hungarian intellectuals\ncurious about the figure who had drawn London's and Paris's\nattention the year before.\n\nTwo distinguished visitors paid Him formal calls. Professor\nÁrmin Vámbéry, the venerable Hungarian Orientalist who had spent\nyears in Persia and Central Asia in his youth, came to greet a\nBahá'í figure he had long heard about but never met. Vámbéry's\nown scholarly work had touched on the Bábí period; the meeting\nbetween the two — both then in old age — was charged with a\nmutual recognition the Master would later acknowledge in a Tablet.\nProfessor Ignaz Goldziher, the great Hungarian Islamicist, also\ncame.\n\nAmong the visitors was a young Hungarian Bahá'í named Leopold\nStark. The Master, before His departure, charged Stark with the\nwork of establishing the first nucleus of the Faith in Budapest.\nThe charge was small in form but very large in scope: Stark was\nto gather, hold, and slowly grow a body of believers in a city\nwhere, before April 1913, none had existed.\n\nThe *Star of the West* reported the visit in clear terms because\nthe editors knew its significance. The Master had been to\nEngland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria. He had now reached\nHungary. The trail of small communities He had been leaving\nacross the West — a Bahá'í group in London, in Paris, in Stuttgart,\nnow in Budapest — was the slow physical foundation on which the\nEuropean Faith would be built across the long century He had\nalready sketched.\n\nStark would, in fact, fulfil the charge. Hungarian Bahá'ís met\nthrough the years of the Great War, the years between the wars,\nand into the long decades when, under successive regimes, the\nsmall community would have to learn to survive. The nucleus\n'Abdu'l-Bahá had named in 1913 had not, by His passing in 1921,\nbecome a great body. But it was there. And it has remained there\never since.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 4, Issue 5 (June 5, 1913), report on 'Abdu'l-Bahá's visit to Budapest. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Glad Tidings in Japan: Agnes Alexander Writes from Tokyo",
"slug": "sotw-agnes-alexander-japan-1916",
"summary": "In June 1916 the Star of the West printed a letter from Agnes B. Alexander — the first American Bahá'í to settle in Japan — describing her teaching work in Tokyo and Yokohama, her gatherings with university students, her placement of Bahá'í books in libraries, and her use of Esperanto as a bridge into Japanese intellectual life.",
"figures": [
"Agnes B. Alexander"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Japan",
"location": {
"name": "Tokyo",
"lat": 35.6762,
"lng": 139.6503,
"modernName": "Tokyo, Japan"
},
"themes": [
"women",
"teaching",
"travel",
"history",
"asia"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"service",
"perseverance"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1916,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Issue 5 of Volume 7 of the *Star of the West,* dated the fifth\nof June, 1916, the editors printed a letter from Agnes B.\nAlexander, then five years into her residence in Tokyo. Charles\nMason Remey's 1910 appeal — *American Bahais are needed in\nJapan* — had borne, by Alexander's arrival in 1914, its first real\nfruit. She was the first American Bahá'í to settle in the\ncountry.\n\nThe letter she sent to Chicago in 1916 reported on the slow,\npatient work of the previous spring.\n\nShe had been holding informal meetings with Japanese university\nstudents who had heard of the Bahá'í teachings and come to her\nsmall Tokyo rooms for conversation. She had been placing copies\nof Bahá'í books in the libraries of universities and educational\ninstitutions in Tokyo and Yokohama, so that the seekers of the\nnext generation might find on their library shelves what their\nown elders had not yet provided.\n\nShe had also been teaching through the Esperanto societies of\nTokyo. Esperanto — Dr. Zamenhof's constructed international\nlanguage — was, in 1916, the great hope of internationalist\nmovements across the world; 'Abdu'l-Bahá Himself had encouraged\nits study as a step toward the auxiliary universal language He\nhad foretold. Japanese intellectuals interested in Esperanto were\noften interested also in the broader vision of human unity\nunderneath it. Alexander was using the Esperanto societies as a\nnatural bridge into conversations about the Bahá'í Cause.\n\n> University students, library placements, and Esperanto\n> activities — the glad tidings in Japan.\n\nThe work was small. The Tokyo Bahá'í community in 1916 numbered\nonly a handful. But Alexander was, by her presence and patience,\nholding open the door that Remey had only first knocked on six\nyears earlier. She would remain in Japan, with intervals of\ntravel, for the next forty years. By the time she finally\nreturned home, in the late 1960s, she had been named a Hand of\nthe Cause by Shoghi Effendi and had become the indispensable\nfigure in the Faith's establishment across the whole of East Asia.\n\nThe Star of the West letter of 1916 was an early dispatch from\nthat long campaign. It carried, into the American Bahá'í\nparlours of Boston and Chicago and Washington, the sound of one\nwoman in a Tokyo apartment patiently making the world smaller.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 7, Issue 5 (June 5, 1916), \"The Glad Tidings in Japan\" by Agnes B. Alexander. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Forty Lamps in One Year: The Woman from Ardistán",
"slug": "sotw-ardestan-woman-forty-lamps",
"summary": "In a 1913 Star of the West, the Master tells of a Persian woman from Ardistán who, having become a Bahá'í, returned to her own town and in the space of one year *ignited forty lamps* — taught forty souls the Faith. The Master used the story as a quiet challenge to His Western friends: *Now you must ignite four thousand lamps in one year.*",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Persia",
"location": {
"name": "Ardistán",
"lat": 33.3795,
"lng": 52.3697,
"modernName": "Ardistán, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"women",
"teaching",
"persia",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"vision",
"courage",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1913,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Issue 19 of Volume 3 of the *Star of the West,* dated the\nsecond of March, 1913, the editors printed a brief story the\nMaster had recently told to a group of pilgrims at 'Akká about\na Persian woman from Ardistán — a small town in Iṣfáhán\nProvince, halfway between Iṣfáhán itself and the desert city\nof Yazd.\n\nThe Master gave the story without elaborate framing. The woman,\nHe said, had been a recent and obscure convert. She had come\nto the Faith at no great age and from a household of no\nparticular distinction. Within a relatively short period after\nher own confirmation in the Cause she had returned to her own\nhome town and begun to teach.\n\n> She was made radiant and became a Bahá'í. She returned to her\n> home. In one year she was enabled to ignite forty lamps.\n\nThe Master's image — *to ignite forty lamps* — was the Eastern\nphrase for awakening forty souls to the love of God. *Lamp,*\nin this register, is the heart of the believer; the *igniting*\nis the moment in which the divine light is first kindled in a\nsoul previously dark. The woman from Ardistán had, in the\ntwelve months after her return, kindled forty such lamps.\n\nFor a small Persian provincial town — without printing presses,\nwithout public meeting halls, without any of the public\ninfrastructure later teachers would enjoy — the figure was\nremarkable. Forty new believers in twelve months meant that the\nwoman had been carrying the message into kitchens and\ncourtyards and small womens' gatherings, week after week,\npatiently, carefully, with the discipline of someone whose own\nheart was on fire.\n\nThe Master then turned the story into a quiet challenge for\nHis Western audience. The American friends, He observed, had\nmaterial resources, social mobility, public access, and\neducational training the woman from Ardistán had never enjoyed.\nThe standard she had set for herself — forty lamps in twelve\nmonths — should, by the natural arithmetic of opportunity, be\nexceeded a hundredfold by the friends of any Western city.\n\n> Now you must ignite four thousand lamps in one year.\n\nThe figure was deliberately enormous. The Master was not\nissuing a numerical quota. He was making a point. If a Persian\nwoman without resources could light forty lamps, an American\nor European Bahá'í community with all the advantages of a\nmodern city should be able to light vastly more — provided\nonly the same inward discipline of fire was at work.\n\nThe American friends, reading the report in the *Star of the\nWest,* understood what they were being told. The arithmetic\nthe Master had named was a long-term standard, not a yearly\nledger. It still stands. The lamps are still being lit. The\nwoman from Ardistán has been preserved in Bahá'í memory not\nonly for her own faithful work but for the standard she\nset — quietly, in a small Persian town, while no Western\nobserver was watching.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 3, Issue 19 (March 2, 1913), story related by 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The First Mashriqu'l-Adhkár: 'Ishqábád Rises from the Steppe",
"slug": "sotw-ashkhabad-house-of-worship-1908",
"summary": "*Star of the West* records the dedication, in 1908, of the first Bahá'í House of Worship in the world — at 'Ishqábád (Ashgabat) in Russian Turkmenistan. The community of Persian exiles and emigrants on the steppe had built, with their own hands and from a fund collected over a generation, a nine-sided dome that would for forty years be the model for every subsequent Mashriqu'l-Adhkár.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Ishqábád",
"lat": 37.9601,
"lng": 58.3261,
"modernName": "Ashgabat, Turkmenistan"
},
"themes": [
"house-of-worship",
"community",
"pioneering",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"love",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1910,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe early issues of *Star of the West,* the American\nperiodical of the Bahá'í community founded in 1910, devote\nseveral articles to the construction and dedication of the\nfirst Bahá'í House of Worship in the world — the\n*Mashriqu'l-Adhkár* of 'Ishqábád, in the Russian-administered\nprovince of Trans-Caspia in Central Asia.\n\nThe community of 'Ishqábád, at the time the Russian frontier\ntown now known as Ashgabat in Turkmenistan, had grown\nsubstantially since the Russian conquest of Central Asia in\nthe 1880s. The town had attracted Persian merchants and\ncraftsmen seeking refuge from the persecutions of their\nhomeland. Among them were a substantial number of Bahá'ís —\nsome exiled, some emigrated, some born to the Cause in the\nnew town. By the early 1900s the 'Ishqábád Bahá'í community\nnumbered, by the *Star of the West's* accounts, in the\nthousands.\n\nBahá'u'lláh, in His Tablets of the late 1880s, had given\ninstruction that a House of Worship should be raised by the\nBahá'í community at the first opportunity. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, after\nHis father's ascension, encouraged the 'Ishqábád community to\ntake up the work. The community was uniquely positioned to\ncarry it out — its substantial size, its prosperity, and the\nrelative tolerance of the Russian Imperial authorities all\nfavoured the project.\n\nThe community pooled its means. Architects were engaged — the\nchief design was the work of an Iranian architect, Ustád\n'Alí-Akbar Banná-yi-Yazdí — and the construction was begun in\n1902. The completed building, dedicated in 1908, was a\nnine-sided structure surmounted by a great dome. Around the\ncentral building were arranged subsidiary buildings: a school,\na clinic, a guesthouse, a small library. The complex was set\nin a garden of nine sides, in the ratio of nine that would\nbecome characteristic of every subsequent Mashriqu'l-Adhkár.\n\nThe dedication was attended, *Star of the West* records, by\nbelievers from Persia, from India, from the Caucasus, from\nthe Russian provinces. The municipal authorities of\n'Ishqábád sent representatives. Visiting Russian officers\nattended out of curiosity. The dedication ceremony itself\nwas held in the central hall, with prayers and Tablets\nchanted by the most accomplished readers of the community.\n\nThe 'Ishqábád House of Worship would for the next forty years\nbe the centre of Bahá'í life in Central Asia. It would\ninspire, in the early 1920s, the design of the second House\nof Worship — the one being built at Wilmette, Illinois — and\nindeed the design of every subsequent Mashriqu'l-Adhkár around\nthe world. The principle of the nine sides, the central dome,\nthe surrounding gardens, the dependencies for service of the\ncommunity — all were established at 'Ishqábád.\n\nThe history of the building after the Russian Revolution was\ntragic. The Soviet authorities sequestered the building in\n1928, drove the believers from it, and in the years that\nfollowed used it as an art gallery. Earthquakes in 1948 and\n1962 damaged the structure; the Soviet authorities refused to\npermit repair; the remains were demolished in 1963.\n\nThe site is now a public garden. The community of 'Ishqábád,\nsuppressed in the Soviet period, has begun to be reconstituted\nin independent Turkmenistan. The first House of Worship in\nthe Bahá'í world stood for two generations and is gone. The\nmemory of it shapes every Mashriqu'l-Adhkár that has been\nbuilt since.\n\n*Paraphrased from articles in Star of the West, vols. 1-3 (1910-1912), describing the community of 'Ishqábád and the dedication of its House of Worship; see originals for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Strong Rope: 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablet to Mrs. Cline of Los Angeles",
"slug": "sotw-cline-firmness-strong-rope-1913",
"summary": "In Star of the West Volume 4, the editors printed a tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to Mrs. Harriet Cline of Los Angeles on the meaning of firmness in the Covenant. The Master compared it to a rope strong enough to hold the friends through the storm of differences and tests.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Harriet Cline"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American Faith",
"location": {
"name": "Los Angeles",
"lat": 34.0522,
"lng": -118.2437,
"modernName": "Los Angeles, California, USA"
},
"themes": [
"covenant",
"teaching",
"firmness",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"steadfastness",
"faith",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1913,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the small treasures preserved in the *Star of the West* in\nIssue 5 of Volume 4, dated June 1913, is a brief Tablet of\n'Abdu'l-Bahá to Mrs. Harriet Cline of Los Angeles. The editors\ngave it the heading *The Strong Rope.*\n\nThe Tablet was sent in answer, the friends of the Los Angeles\ncommunity understood, to a question Mrs. Cline had submitted\nthrough one of the visiting believers. The Bahá'í community in\nLos Angeles in 1913 was small. It was scattered across a\nsprawling young city, met often in private homes, and was made\nup largely of women. Like the other early American communities,\nit was passing through the early differences of opinion that\nwere perhaps inevitable in a faith that had been carried by\nAmerican teachers from Persia to America without yet having\nlaid down the institutional structures that would later provide\nits corrective discipline. Some of the friends had begun to\ndisagree with one another about the right teaching emphasis;\nsome had begun to take sides; some had begun, by the small\nmovements of human ego, to drift.\n\nMrs. Cline had asked, in effect, what could hold a community\ntogether when its individual members were tempted to pull apart.\n\nThe Master's answer was direct.\n\n> Firmness in the Covenant is the means of the promotion of the\n> Word of God.\n\nThe Tablet went on to develop the image. The friends were like\ntravellers crossing a difficult country. Each one, alone, would\nbe vulnerable to the slips and falls of the journey. Tied\ntogether by a strong rope — by the Covenant — they would\nsupport one another. The rope was not a doctrine to be debated.\nIt was a binding allegiance to the Centre of the Covenant\n'Abdu'l-Bahá Himself, named by Bahá'u'lláh in the Book of His\nCovenant — to whom every believer's obedience was attached and\nthrough whom the unity of the body was kept.\n\nSo long as the friends held the rope — that is, so long as each\nof them remained personally and humbly attached to the Master\n— they would, in spite of any differences of opinion among\nthemselves, continue to be carried forward together by the\nspiritual energy of the Cause. The moment the rope was let go —\nthe moment a believer began to listen to the small whisperings\nof those who imagined themselves wiser than the centre — that\nbeliever would find himself stranded; and a community of such\nstranded believers, however well-meaning, would no longer be the\ncommunity the Cause required.\n\nThe Tablet was short. The *Star of the West* gave it the small\nheading and printed it without further commentary. The friends\nwho read it in 1913 — in Los Angeles, in Chicago, in Boston, in\nHonolulu — understood at once. They held the rope. The next\ncentury of work, in spite of the differences any community would\ninevitably encounter, was carried by that hold.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 4, Issue 5 (June 5, 1913), Tablet to Mrs. Harriet Cline. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Corinne True and the Temple Land at Wilmette",
"slug": "sotw-corinne-true-temple-1920",
"summary": "In 1920 the Star of the West printed Corinne True's report on the acquisition of the Temple property at Wilmette, on the shore of Lake Michigan — the small group of acres on which, by the Master's direction, the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkár of the West would in time be raised.",
"figures": [
"Corinne True",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American Faith",
"location": {
"name": "Wilmette",
"lat": 42.0773,
"lng": -87.717,
"modernName": "Wilmette, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"house-of-worship",
"history",
"service"
],
"virtues": [
"perseverance",
"vision",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1920,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_11"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the September 1920 issue of the *Star of the West* Mrs.\nCorinne True of Chicago contributed a long signed report on the\nstatus of the Temple project — the great enterprise, then\nalready seventeen years in the making, of raising the first\nMashriqu'l-Adhkár of the Western world on a small property at\nWilmette, on the lake shore north of Chicago.\n\nThe story Corinne told was of slow accumulation. The Master\nhad given the first Tablet pointing to a Western House of\nWorship in 1903. He had specified, in subsequent Tablets, that\nit must rise on the shore of Lake Michigan near Chicago. He\nhad laid the foundation stone Himself, in May of 1912, on a\nbrief visit to the property. Between 1903 and 1920, in dollars\nand dimes, the friends across the United States had been\ngiving toward the purchase and the eventual construction.\n\nThe Temple Unity, the small national body charged with the\nproject, had bought additional parcels of the Wilmette land\nyear by year as the funds accumulated. By 1920 the full site\nhad been assembled — a modest tract of a few acres looking\nacross the lake toward Chicago. The next phase, Corinne wrote,\nwould be the great task of raising the building itself.\n\n> This land is not for us. It is for the children's children\n> of these friends.\n\nThe phrase was Corinne's own, set down in the *Star's* report\nof 1920 and quoted often afterwards. The believers who had\ncontributed the early dimes and dollars — many of them\nworking women, immigrants, small clerks and shopkeepers — had\nnot expected to see the Temple finished in their own\nlifetimes. They had been giving in trust, into a future they\nthemselves would not live into. The land at Wilmette, in\nCorinne's understanding, was a charge held in trust for a\nlater generation of American believers who would carry the\nwork to completion.\n\nThe eventual story would prove her right. The first dome\nwould be raised in the late 1920s. The exterior ornament — the\nintricate plaster work that would in time give the building\nits lacelike appearance — would not be finished until the\nlate 1940s. The first formal services would be held there in\n1953, more than half a century after the first Tablet. Many\nof the donors of 1920 would by then have already gone.\n\nCorinne True herself, named by 'Abdu'l-Bahá *the mother of the\nTemple,* would live to see the dome finished and the formal\nopening of the Temple. The land that she had asked her\ngeneration to gather, in the 1920 report in the *Star,* was\nheld in their hands for the children's children, exactly as\nshe had said.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 11, Issue 9 (September 1920), report by Corinne True on the Temple property at Wilmette. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Faithful Servant Esfandayár",
"slug": "sotw-esfandayar-faithful-servant-1918",
"summary": "In April 1918 the Star of the West relayed an account, from talks of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the Holy Land in early 1914, of a former servant of Bahá'u'lláh's household named Esfandayár, who had remained quietly devoted to the family of the Blessed Beauty through years of persecution.",
"figures": [
"Esfandayár",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Tehran",
"location": {
"name": "Tehran",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"service",
"history",
"faithfulness"
],
"virtues": [
"faithfulness",
"humility",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1918,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Issue 3 of Volume 9 of the *Star of the West,* dated April\n1918, the editors printed extracts from talks 'Abdu'l-Bahá had\ngiven in the Holy Land in January and February 1914, translated\nby Dr. Zia Bagdadi. Among these was a brief recollection — a\nsmall story the Master told to His pilgrims about a household\nservant from the years of His own childhood and youth in Tihrán.\n\nThe servant's name was Esfandayár. He had been one of the\nservants of the household of Bahá'u'lláh in the years before the\nBáb's Declaration and on through the storm that engulfed the\nfamily after the Revelation began. When Mírzá Buzurg — the\nMaster's grandfather — died, when the family's wealth was seized,\nwhen Bahá'u'lláh was thrown into the Síyáh-Chál and the household\nreduced to bewildered destitution, Esfandayár had remained.\n\nThe Master spoke, half a century later, of *the sterling\nfaithfulness of Esfandayár.* The phrase was His tribute. In an\nera when the friends of yesterday had become the persecutors of\ntoday, when neighbours had crossed the street to avoid the\nfamily's gate, when even some former servants had fled to the\nhouses of those it would now be safer to serve, Esfandayár had\nheld to the household he loved. He had stayed.\n\n> The sterling faithfulness of Esfandayár — preserved by the\n> Master Himself.\n\nThe detail of his service was small. He had carried what needed\ncarrying, kept what needed keeping, run errands that no longer\nbrought him any earthly credit, attended a family whose social\nposition had collapsed. He had done all of this without complaint\nand, by every record the Master ever gave of him, without expect\nof any reward beyond the work itself.\n\nHe died, in due course, in obscurity. Of his life almost no\npublic record remains. The fact that his name has come down to us\nat all is because, fifty years after the events, in a quiet\nafternoon talk to pilgrims in 'Akká, the Master remembered him\nand named him. The *Star of the West,* in printing the Master's\nwords for the American friends, preserved the name a second time.\n\nThe story is small. So is its lesson. The Cause of God advances\nthrough the work of countless Esfandayárs whose names will never\nappear in any history book. But the Concourse on High keeps the\nrecord. And, where the Master Himself names a faithful servant,\nno further commendation is required.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 9, Issue 3 (April 1918), translation of talks of 'Abdu'l-Bahá by Dr. Zia Bagdadi. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "First News of the Faith in Alaska",
"slug": "sotw-eskimo-pioneer-1922",
"summary": "In 1922 the Star of the West printed an early report from the pioneer travel-teachers who had carried the Faith into Alaska — a small notice describing the first contacts with the Native and settler communities of the territory and the response of the small Anchorage and Juneau gatherings.",
"figures": [],
"era": "formative",
"period": "Alaska",
"location": {
"name": "Juneau",
"lat": 58.3019,
"lng": -134.4197,
"modernName": "Juneau, Alaska, USA"
},
"themes": [
"teaching",
"history",
"alaska",
"pioneers"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"service",
"vision"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_13"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn its issue dated the spring of 1922 the *Star of the West*\nprinted a short but enthusiastic notice from one of the\nearliest travel-teachers to reach Alaska — the territory the\nMaster had specifically named in the Tablets of the Divine\nPlan as one of the regions toward which the American\nbelievers were to send their pioneers.\n\nThe Tablets of the Divine Plan had been unveiled at the New\nYork Convention only three years before. They had named\nAlaska by name. The Master had urged the American friends to\nsend teachers to the territory with the same priority they\ngave to the Latin American republics and to the great cities\nof Asia.\n\nThe first Alaskan pioneer had set out in 1921. The journey\nitself — by rail across the western United States, by\nsteamship up the Inside Passage from Seattle, then onward to\nAnchorage by smaller vessels — had been the easy part. The\nhard part was finding, on arrival, anything that could\nproperly be called a community of inquirers. Alaska in 1921\nwas a small population of settlers concentrated in a few\ncoastal towns and the much larger and older population of\nthe Native peoples — the Tlingit and the Haida along the\nsoutheastern coast, the Athabaskan peoples of the interior,\nthe Yupik and Inupiat of the north.\n\nThe pioneer's report, summarised in the *Star's* notice,\ndescribed the first contacts. A small group of inquirers\nhad formed at Juneau, mostly settlers who had drifted to\nthe territory from California and Washington. A second small\ngroup was beginning at Anchorage. The contacts with the\nNative communities had been more cautious. The pioneer had\nbeen careful to learn the local etiquette. He had been\nreceived with friendly attention by several of the Tlingit\nelders he had been introduced to by mutual settler friends.\nHe had not pressed the teaching at any first meeting.\n\n> The Faith has now reached the territory the Master named.\n> The work has begun in Alaska.\n\nThe phrase, set down by the pioneer in the closing of his\nbrief report, gave the simple statement of fact. The\nTablets of the Divine Plan had named the territory. The\nAmerican friends had sent the first messenger. The first\nsmall group of inquirers had been formed. The work, from\nthis small beginning, would in time grow.\n\nThe Alaskan Bahá'í community would, by the late twentieth\ncentury, be substantial. It would include strong groups in\nFairbanks, Anchorage, and Juneau, and a growing number of\nbelievers among the Athabaskan peoples of the interior and\nthe Yupik peoples of the western coast. The 1922 *Star's*\nreport, in its modest sentence, marked the small first\narrival on which all the later growth would rest.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 13, spring 1922, report on the first Bahá'í teaching efforts in Alaska. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The First National Spiritual Assembly of America",
"slug": "sotw-formation-naa-1925",
"summary": "In 1925 the *Star of the West* carried the announcement of the formation of the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada — the inaugural national institution of the American Faith, elected in convention at the Wilmette Temple grounds.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "formative",
"location": {
"name": "Wilmette",
"lat": 42.0773,
"lng": -87.717,
"modernName": "Wilmette, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"administration",
"american-faith",
"history",
"institutions"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"vision",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1925,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_16"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the spring 1925 issue of the *Star of the West* the\nAmerican Bahá'í readership received the report of the\nformation, in late April of that year, of the first National\nSpiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States and\nCanada.\n\nThe institution had been called for, in successive cables\nand letters from Haifa, by the young Guardian Shoghi Effendi.\nHe had been studying, since his appointment in late 1921, the\nquestion of the proper administrative form of the Bahá'í\ncommunity. The American community, with its substantial\nestablished membership and its organised local life,\nhad been chosen by the Guardian as the first community\noutside the Holy Land to constitute the full national\ninstitutional structure that the Master's *Will and\nTestament* had called for.\n\nThe election took place at the annual convention of the\nAmerican friends, held that year in Wilmette, on the temple\ngrounds where the dome of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár was even\nthen beginning to rise. Delegates had come from the\nestablished Local Spiritual Assemblies of the United States\nand Canada — at that date, perhaps thirty-five communities\nof varying sizes, drawn from the eastern seaboard, the\nGreat Lakes, the Pacific coast, and the few scattered\ninland centres.\n\nThe convention conducted itself, the *Star's* report\nrecords, with the characteristic prayerful seriousness of\nthe early Bahá'í institutional gatherings. The election of\nthe first National Spiritual Assembly was preceded by a\nperiod of silent prayer. The delegates voted by secret\nballot. The nine names that received the highest number of\nvotes were declared the inaugural members of the new\ninstitution.\n\nThe new National Spiritual Assembly proceeded immediately\nto its first session. The *Star's* report names the nine\ninaugural members — among them several figures already\ncelebrated in the American Bahá'í community for their\nservice. They drew up, at that first session, the brief\ncharter under which they would conduct their work for the\nyear ahead.\n\nThe Guardian, when he received the cable from Wilmette\ninforming him of the formation, replied at once. His cable —\npublished by the *Star* in the following month's issue —\nwelcomed the formation of the institution and named it as\n*the first national institution of the American Faith; from\nit the future will be built.*\n\nThe prediction was sound. The American National Spiritual\nAssembly, formed in April 1925, would in the decades that\nfollowed become the most experienced and the most\nsubstantial of the world's National Spiritual Assemblies. It\nwould oversee the completion of the Wilmette House of\nWorship in 1953. It would coordinate the American\ncontribution to the Ten-Year Crusade and the successive\ninternational plans of the modern era. It would, in due\ncourse, become the model on which many of the world's other\nNational Spiritual Assemblies would be patterned.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 16 (1925), report of the formation of the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Burning Torch: The Master's Counsel to Mrs. Fraser",
"slug": "sotw-fraser-burning-torch-1913",
"summary": "In a 1913 issue of the Star of the West, the Master praised the American journalist Mrs. Fraser for her newspaper articles on the Bahá'í Cause and gave her a charge that would echo through the vocations of many later teachers: *You must become like a burning torch, that you may melt mountains of snow.*",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Mrs. Fraser"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American Faith",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"women",
"teaching",
"writing",
"service"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"vision",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1913,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Issue 19 of Volume 3 of the *Star of the West,* dated the\nsecond of March, 1913, the editors printed words spoken by the\nMaster to Mrs. Fraser, an American journalist who had been\nwriting pieces on the Bahá'í Cause in the press of one of the\nAmerican cities. The Master had seen the articles, had been\npleased, and had spoken about them when Mrs. Fraser came to\n'Akká on pilgrimage.\n\nHe praised the work directly.\n\n> You have written excellent articles in the papers in regard to\n> the Cause. I will never forget these services of yours.\n\nThe phrase — *I will never forget* — was the Master's\ncharacteristic acknowledgement of a service that had registered\nin His heart. The friends who heard such a phrase carried it as\na small private treasure. Mrs. Fraser, at the receiving end of\nthat praise, had been told that her work, however obscure to\nthe wider world, had been seen by the One in whose service it\nhad been done.\n\nBut the Master did not stop with the praise. He turned the\nencounter into a charge.\n\n> You must become like a burning torch — so that you may be able\n> to melt mountains of snow.\n\nThe image is exact. The world the Bahá'í teacher faces is, in\nmany places, frozen — long traditions of religious indifference\nin some quarters, long traditions of religious hostility in\nothers, long mountains of accumulated misunderstanding that\nno merely intellectual argument can remove. The work of the\nteacher is not, in the Master's reading, primarily the\nproduction of better arguments. It is the production, in\noneself, of *more heat.*\n\nThe torch melts the snow not by reasoning with it. The torch\nmelts the snow because the torch is itself burning. The\nwarmth of a soul aflame with the love of God can soften\nprejudices that no series of public lectures can address. The\nmountain yields, slowly, because it is being approached by a\nfire.\n\nThe Master is asking Mrs. Fraser to deepen, in her own inward\nlife, the source of the heat. The articles she has written are\nthe visible product. But the writing will only continue to do\nits work if the inward fire in the writer continues to burn.\nThe journalist is being asked to become, before she is anything\nelse, a burning torch.\n\nThe instruction has been carried, by many later Bahá'í teachers\nin many later contexts, as the word that orders their work.\nThe standard Mrs. Fraser was given in 1913 still stands. The\ntorch comes first. The articles, the lectures, the books, the\npublic events — these follow. Where the torch has gone out, no\namount of competent professional output will melt the snow.\n\nThe *Star of the West* printed the brief exchange because the\nAmerican friends needed it. Many of them, like Mrs. Fraser,\nwere teachers of one sort or another in their own contexts —\nin classrooms, in newsrooms, in pulpits. The standard given to\none journalist was, by extension, the standard given to all of\nthem.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 3, Issue 19 (March 2, 1913), words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to Mrs. Fraser. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "First News from the German Friends",
"slug": "sotw-german-friends-1920",
"summary": "In 1920 the Star of the West printed the first detailed report from the small German Bahá'í community of Stuttgart and Esslingen — the first solidly established Bahá'í community on the European continent, gathered around the work of Frau Alma Knobloch and the remarkable Esslingen schoolteacher Albert Schwarz.",
"figures": [
"Alma Knobloch",
"Albert Schwarz"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American Faith",
"location": {
"name": "Stuttgart",
"lat": 48.7758,
"lng": 9.1829,
"modernName": "Stuttgart, Germany"
},
"themes": [
"europe",
"history",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"vision",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1920,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_11"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn its issue dated the autumn of 1920 the *Star of the West*\nprinted a long signed letter from the German Bahá'í community\n— the first substantial communication received from those\nfriends since the European war had cut the lines of\ncorrespondence in 1914. The letter was signed jointly by\nAlma Knobloch, the German-American believer who had been\nsent from Washington to Stuttgart in 1907 by the Master's\nspecific instruction, and by Albert Schwarz, the Esslingen\nschoolteacher who had become, in the years before the war,\nthe most active local teacher of the Faith.\n\nThe letter described the small history of the German\ncommunity over the war years. The community in 1914 had\nnumbered, between Stuttgart and the surrounding small\ntowns of Esslingen, Leonberg, and Heilbronn, perhaps forty\nbelievers. The war had taken many of the men into uniform.\nSeveral had fallen at the front. Communication with the\nAmerican friends and with Haifa had become almost\nimpossible. Yet the community had held.\n\nThe friends had continued to meet in private homes\nthroughout the war years. They had said the prayers they\nhad memorised. They had held the Nineteen-Day Feasts when\nthe food shortages permitted. They had cared for the\nchildren of the men at the front. They had cared for the\nwidows when the men did not return.\n\n> We have remained, all through the dark years, the small\n> candles in the German night.\n\nThe phrase, drawn from the closing portion of the letter,\ngave the German friends' own description of their war-time\nexperience. They had not multiplied. They had not\nexpanded. They had not lost ground. They had remained.\n\nThe letter went on to describe the post-war re-opening of\nthe work. New seekers had been coming to the Stuttgart\ngatherings since the armistice. A small new group had\nformed in Berlin. The Esslingen friends had begun a small\nBahá'í magazine in German. The community had reopened its\ncorrespondence with Haifa and with the friends in America.\n\nThe *Star's* editors set the letter prominently in their\nautumn 1920 issue. The American friends had been wondering,\nthrough the war years, whether their European brothers and\nsisters had survived. The 1920 letter was their answer.\nThe German Bahá'í community would, through the following\ndecades, remain the most established Bahá'í community on\nthe European continent until the rise of the National\nSocialists drove it again into the parlour. The 1920\nletter, in its small hopeful tone, was the first witness\nto the strength that would later be tested.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 11, autumn 1920, letter from the German Bahá'í community. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Home of Laughter: 'Abdu'l-Bahá Reconciles Two Feuding Arabs",
"slug": "sotw-greatest-name-feuding-arabs-1918",
"summary": "In April 1918 the Star of the West printed an account from talks of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the Holy Land in early 1914 — a small, vivid scene of the Master mediating a long-standing quarrel between two local Arab notables in 'Akká, with His characteristic humour, and turning the household into a place of open laughter and reconciliation.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"reconciliation",
"hospitality",
"history",
"humour"
],
"virtues": [
"peacemaking",
"gentleness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1918,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Issue 3 of Volume 9 of the *Star of the West,* in April 1918,\nDr. Zia Bagdadi translated and the editors printed extracts\nfrom talks 'Abdu'l-Bahá had given in the Holy Land in January\nand February of 1914. Among them was a small story the Master\ntold to His pilgrims about a recent reconciliation in 'Akká.\n\nTwo prominent Arab men of the city had been at odds for years.\nThe matter had grown out of a property dispute that had\nescalated, in the Eastern way of long-running grievances, into\nmutual avoidance, public coldness, and the involvement of the\nextended families of both sides. By 1913 they were no longer on\nspeaking terms. The whole quarter knew it. Mutual friends had\ntried mediation and failed.\n\n'Abdu'l-Bahá, who had through the years of His residence in\n'Akká become quietly trusted by the leading Arab notables of\nthe city, undertook the matter Himself. He invited both men to\nthe household, separately at first, then together. He sat them\ndown in the same reception room. He began the conversation not\nwith the dispute but with His own habit: a stream of small\nstories, observations on the weather, gentle teasings of each\nof His guests in turn, the kind of light hospitality that no\nquarrel can resist long.\n\nThe friends in the household, watching from the next room,\nheard within a short time the unfamiliar sound of the two men\nlaughing together. Within an hour they had embraced. Within the\nafternoon the dispute had been settled by a quiet compromise\nthat the Master suggested in a sentence and that both men\naccepted at once, half-amused at how small the matter now\nlooked.\n\nReflecting on the visit, the Master remarked to the pilgrims:\n\n> My home is the home of laughter and exultation.\n\nThe sentence is more programmatic than it sounds. The household\nof 'Abdu'l-Bahá had over the years acquired, by deliberate\ncultivation, a particular atmosphere. Visitors of every faith\nand every social position remarked on it. The Master was a\nserious man whose ministry had been forged in suffering. But the\nrooms of His household were warm, His laughter was easy, His\nhospitality was unforced. He had, by His own choice, made the\ninner life of His home the opposite of the prison-city in which\nthat home was located.\n\nThe teaching for the friends was unspoken but clear. The reform\nof communities is not, finally, accomplished by long-faced\nsolemnity and serious memoranda. It is accomplished, in many of\nits hardest cases, by the cultivation of the kind of warmth in\nwhich old grievances cannot easily survive. The Master had\nturned a long Arab quarrel into a settled embrace by an\nafternoon's hospitality and a steady gentle laughter.\n\nThe *Star of the West* printed the story so that the American\nfriends — many of whom were beginning, in 1918, to face their\nown small communal frictions — might consider what kind of\n*home* they were running, and whether laughter had any place in\nit.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 9, Issue 3 (April 1918), translation of talks of 'Abdu'l-Bahá by Dr. Zia Bagdadi. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Green Acre and Sarah Farmer's Free Platform",
"slug": "sotw-green-acre-sarah-farmer-1917",
"summary": "In June 1917 the Star of the West announced the year's summer gatherings at Green Acre, the Maine retreat founded by Sarah Farmer, and recalled 'Abdu'l-Bahá's praise of the place as a *free and unrestricted platform* for the meeting of religious and spiritual seekers of every background.",
"figures": [
"Sarah Farmer",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American Faith",
"location": {
"name": "Eliot",
"lat": 43.1525,
"lng": -70.795,
"modernName": "Eliot, Maine, USA"
},
"themes": [
"hospitality",
"women",
"history",
"dialogue"
],
"virtues": [
"vision",
"hospitality",
"tolerance"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1917,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Issue 5 of Volume 8 of the *Star of the West,* dated June\n1917, the editors announced the season's summer gatherings at\nGreen Acre — the spiritual retreat that Sarah Farmer had\nfounded in 1894 on the banks of the Piscataqua River in Eliot,\nMaine, and that she had given over, by deed of trust in 1912,\nto the Bahá'í community.\n\nThe announcement carried a particular weight that year. Sarah\nFarmer had recently passed away. The retreat she had created —\nwhich had begun as a meeting place for thinkers, mystics,\npeace advocates, theosophists, Buddhists, Christian Scientists,\nHindus, and the early Bahá'ís — was now to continue under\nBahá'í stewardship.\n\nThe *Star of the West* gave its readers, in the same article,\na phrase the Master had used to describe Green Acre during His\nown visit there in August of 1912.\n\n> This unique place offers a free and unrestricted platform.\n\nThe phrase was the Master's deliberate praise. Green Acre, in\n'Abdu'l-Bahá's reading, was a small American foretaste of the\nkind of public space the new age required. There the Buddhist\nmonk could speak from the same platform as the Christian\nclergyman; the Hindu teacher from the same platform as the\nJewish rabbi; the radical reformer from the same platform as\nthe conservative theologian. No one was being asked, by the\nform of the gathering, to renounce his own conviction. Each\nwas being asked to come and to speak — and to listen.\n\nSarah Farmer had built that platform almost single-handedly. She\nhad taken what had been a failing summer hotel in coastal\nMaine, gathered the early speakers around her, raised the\nfunds when none were available, and held the institution\ntogether through the years when its very mission was suspect to\nthe established religious bodies of the region. She had become\na Bahá'í in 1900. By the time she gave the property over to the\nFaith in 1912, Green Acre had already become an indispensable\nmeeting place in the religious life of New England.\n\nThe 1917 announcement informed the friends that the summer\nprogram would continue. New speakers had been secured. The\nMaster's earlier praise was reproduced as the standard.\n\nThe announcement is small. But it carries, in a single\nphrase — *a free and unrestricted platform* — one of the central\nvisions of the Bahá'í Faith for the religious life of the new\nage. The work Sarah Farmer began on a Maine riverbank has\ncontinued, generation after generation, in the small Green Acre\nsessions where speakers from every tradition still come and sit\ntogether in the same room. The sentence the Master gave it in\n1912, printed in the *Star of the West* in 1917, has remained\nits working motto ever since.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 8, Issue 5 (June 1917), announcement of summer gatherings at Green Acre. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Green Acre's Summer School Comes of Age",
"slug": "sotw-greenacre-summer-school-1915",
"summary": "In the August 1915 issue of the Star of the West, the editors surveyed the program of the Green Acre Bahá'í summer school at Eliot, Maine — the gathering that, since Sarah Farmer's gift of the property, had become the principal summer institution of the American Bahá'í community.",
"figures": [
"Sarah Farmer"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American Faith",
"location": {
"name": "Eliot",
"lat": 43.1522,
"lng": -70.7942,
"modernName": "Eliot, Maine, USA"
},
"themes": [
"american-faith",
"history",
"community",
"education"
],
"virtues": [
"hospitality",
"vision",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_6"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn its issue dated the seventeenth of August 1915 the *Star of\nthe West* gave a long descriptive notice of the summer\nprogram then in progress at Green Acre, the Bahá'í retreat\nproperty at Eliot, Maine, on the Piscataqua River near the\nNew Hampshire border. The property had been the inheritance\nof Sarah Farmer, the daughter of the inventor and educator\nMoses Farmer. Sarah had founded a summer conference there in\n1894 — initially as an interfaith gathering for the new\ncentury — and had embraced the Bahá'í Faith on her own\npilgrimage to 'Akká in 1900. She had then deeded the\nproperty over to the developing American Bahá'í community.\n\nBy 1915 Green Acre had become the principal summer\ninstitution of the American Faith. The 1915 program, set out\nin detail in the *Star's* August notice, had run from late\nJune through early September. It had featured talks by\nvisiting teachers — Mírzá Abu'l-Faḍl in earlier years, and in\n1915 several of the prominent American believers including\nCharles Mason Remey, Howard MacNutt, Lua Getsinger, and the\nvisiting Persian teacher Jenabe Fadel. There had been daily\nclasses on the basic teachings of the Faith. There had been\nstudy circles on the recent Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. There\nhad been morning devotionals in the open air on the great\nporch of the inn.\n\nThe character of the gathering — what the *Star's* editors\nconsidered worth lifting up at the centre of their notice —\nwas not its religious instruction alone but its quality of\nwelcome.\n\n> Green Acre is a place where every soul of every faith\n> finds welcome.\n\nThe phrase came from one of Sarah Farmer's earliest\naddresses to the gathering and had become the keynote of the\nproperty in subsequent years. The summer attendees in 1915\nincluded not only Bahá'ís but Vedantists, Theosophists,\nUniversalists, Quakers, and a number of seekers without any\ndeclared affiliation. They ate at common tables. They\nattended each other's morning devotions when invited. They\nwalked the long pine paths together in the evenings.\n\nThe deep work of Green Acre, as both the *Star* and Sarah\nFarmer herself had understood from the beginning, was not\nthe formal instruction but the patient daily work of\nfriendship across belief lines. Many of the seekers who\nlater embraced the Bahá'í Faith named a Green Acre summer\nas the place where the conversion had quietly begun. The\n1915 program — like every summer before it and after it —\nran on that principle.\n\nGreen Acre would persist through the changes of the\ntwentieth century, would survive Sarah Farmer's own death\nin 1916, and would continue, into the present, as the\noldest active Bahá'í summer school in the world.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 6, Issue 9 (August 17, 1915), notice on the Green Acre summer school. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "News from Haifa: The Master Through the War",
"slug": "sotw-haifa-during-war-1918",
"summary": "In the autumn of 1918 the *Star of the West* carried the first reliable news of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's safety after the British liberation of Haifa from Ottoman rule, ending three and a half years of intermittent silence between the American friends and the war-strained Holy Land.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "World War I",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"holy-land",
"war",
"communication"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"patience",
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1918,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_9"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the autumn of 1918, the *Star of the West* devoted a\nsubstantial section of its issue to the first reliable news\nin three and a half years of the safety of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in\nthe war-strained Holy Land.\n\nThe First World War had, from the autumn of 1914 onward, made\ndirect communication with the Master almost impossible.\nLetters mailed from America took months to arrive when they\narrived at all. Cables were intercepted. The Ottoman\nauthorities, who controlled the Palestinian coast, regarded\nthe prophetic Household with suspicion and at certain\nmoments threatened the Master with worse measures. For three\nyears the American Bahá'í community had been operating with\nfragmentary, often contradictory, reports of the situation\nof its spiritual centre.\n\nThe British advance through Palestine in the late summer of\n1918 changed the conditions overnight. General Allenby's\nforces took Haifa on 23 September 1918. The Master was\nliberated, with the rest of the Holy Land's population, from\nthe Ottoman authority that had been a periodic menace for\nseveral decades. Communications with the outside world\nresumed almost at once.\n\nThe first cable to reach America was a brief one, sent\nthrough British military channels by an officer who had\ncalled personally on the Master to inquire after His\nwelfare. The cable read, in its preserved laconic form: *The\nMaster is well. The American friends may rejoice.* It was\ndelivered to the *Star's* editorial office in early October\nand published within the week.\n\nThe fuller story took longer. Several weeks later the Master\nsent His own first letter through the now-open postal\nchannels. The letter described, with His characteristic\ncalm, the conditions of the war years. The household had\nsuffered hunger but not starvation. There had been threats\nof forcible deportation but the threats had not been\nexecuted. The community of friends in the Holy Land was\nintact. The work of the Cause had continued, by what means\nthe conditions allowed.\n\nThe Master expressed thanks for the prayers of the American\nfriends. He confirmed that the prayers had reached Him; that\nthe spiritual link had not been broken even when the postal\nlink had failed; that the news of the American friends'\nfaithfulness through the years of silence had been received\nin the Household with the deepest gratitude.\n\nThe *Star* published the Master's letter as the lead item of\nits November issue. The American believers, who had been\nholding their collective breath for three years, exhaled.\nThe link to Haifa was open again.\n\nThe Master would live another three years after the\nliberation. The Tablets of the Divine Plan, composed during\nthe war years and gradually carried out by various pilgrims\nand travelers, would now be fully published. The visit of\nAmerican believers to Haifa, suspended since 1914, would\nrecommence. The lines of communication would, for the\nremaining brief years of the Master's earthly ministry, be\nfully open.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 9 (1918), reports of the British liberation of Haifa and news of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Pilgrim's Account of the Master's Last Years: Genevieve Coy in Haifa",
"slug": "sotw-haifa-pilgrimage-cooley-1920",
"summary": "In 1920 the Star of the West printed Genevieve Coy's pilgrimage notes from her stay with 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Haifa — one of the small group of Western believers who reached the Master in the months after the war ended and found Him still in His house on the slope of Mount Carmel.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Genevieve Coy"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.8156,
"lng": 34.9892,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrimage",
"history",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"reverence",
"hospitality",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1920,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_11"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the summer of 1920 the *Star of the West* printed an account\nof pilgrimage by Genevieve Coy, a young American teacher who had\ntravelled to Haifa in the post-war months. The Master was then\nseventy-six years old, His health visibly diminished by the\nlong years of confinement and by the privations of the war just\nended; but His house on the slope of Mount Carmel was still open\nto the pilgrims who could find their way to it.\n\nCoy's notes, set down in the manner of a quiet diary and\narranged by the editors of the *Star* into a short serial,\npreserved the small textures of those days. The Master would\nrise before dawn and chant prayers. He would receive\ndeputations of believers from the local Persian, Arab and\nJewish communities of Haifa through the morning. He would walk\nin the small garden of the house with His grandchildren and\nwith Bahíyyih Khánum, His sister. In the afternoon He would\nreceive the Western pilgrims in His own modest reception room.\n\n> He served the tea Himself with His own hands.\n\nCoy preserved the detail because she had not expected it. She\nhad imagined, like many Westerners on first pilgrimage, that\nthe Centre of the Bahá'í Cause would be served by attendants\nand that the pilgrim would be received in some formal way. The\nMaster had no such formality. He sat with the small tea things\nin front of Him on the low table. He poured. He passed the\ncups Himself. He asked the pilgrims their names, their cities,\ntheir work; He listened to the answers; He commented gently;\nHe poured another cup.\n\nIn the talks Coy preserves, the great Bahá'í themes of the\nhour came through in their usual order: the unity of the human\nfamily; the harmony of science and religion; the equality of\nwomen and men; the necessity, after the disaster of the war\njust ended, of a binding international order; the centrality\nof the spiritual life in any society's healing. The Master\nspoke briefly. He did not lecture. He answered the questions\nthe pilgrims were asking themselves and stopped when the\nquestion had been answered.\n\nWhat stayed with Coy after she had gone home, and what stayed\nwith the *Star of the West's* readers when they read her notes,\nwas the small repeated picture: the seventy-six-year-old\nMaster, tired in His body, courteous in His bearing, *serving\nthe tea Himself with His own hands.* It was the permanent\nimage of the Bahá'í Centre as the Master Himself had wished it\nto be: the great Cause carried on, day by day, by the personal\nhospitality of one man to a few visitors at a time, in a small\nreception room on the slope of a mountain in Palestine.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 11, pilgrimage notes by Genevieve Coy, summer 1920. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "A School on Mount Carmel: News of the Haifa Bahá'í School",
"slug": "sotw-haifa-school-1921",
"summary": "In June 1921 the Star of the West reported on the small school for Bahá'í children that had begun on the slope of Mount Carmel — a visible answer to one of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's most insistent themes: the universal education of children, irrespective of station or means.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.8156,
"lng": 34.9892,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"education",
"children",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"vision",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1921,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_12"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe June 1921 issue of the *Star of the West* carried a brief\nbut warm report from Haifa: the small school for Bahá'í\nchildren that had been begun on the slope of Mount Carmel,\nnear the houses of the believers, was now in regular session\nwith eighteen pupils, two teachers, and the personal blessing\nof 'Abdu'l-Bahá.\n\nThe school had grown out of the Master's repeated insistence,\nin Tablets and talks across the previous twenty years, that\nthe universal education of children — irrespective of family\nstation, gender, or means — was the foundation of any\ncivilization the Bahá'í Faith might in time help to build. He\nhad told audiences in Paris and London and across the United\nStates that the educational neglect of any child was a crime\nagainst the future. He had said this so often that the\nWestern friends had begun to ask, in their letters to Haifa,\nwhat the Master Himself was doing about the children of His\nown community.\n\nThe Haifa school was the answer. It had been organised by the\nlocal Bahá'í friends — Persian, Arab, and a handful of\nEuropean — and had begun in a small rented room near the\nhouses of the believers on the slope. The eighteen children\nincluded sons and daughters of the Persian Bahá'í families\nwho had settled in Haifa, the Arab Bahá'í families who had\njoined them, and a few children of mixed background. The\nmedium of instruction was Persian, with daily Arabic, and\nweekly sessions in English for those families who wished it.\n\n> These children are, as it were, the seeds of the future world.\n\nThe phrase, attributed in the *Star's* report to a recent\nTablet of the Master, gave the framing for the school's small\nprogram. The mornings were given to reading, writing,\narithmetic and history. The afternoons were given to physical\neducation, gardening, and a daily devotional in which the\nchildren chanted prayers in Persian and Arabic. The teachers\nworked without salary; the families contributed what they\ncould to the costs of room and books.\n\nThe *Star's* editors printed the report partly as\ninformation and partly as a challenge. The American friends\nwere being asked, by way of the small school in Haifa, to\nask themselves what they were doing about the children of\ntheir own communities. The first American Bahá'í Sunday\nschools — the small Children's Classes that would in time\nbecome the strong educational programmes of the Faith — owe\nsomething of their first impulse to the small report from\nHaifa printed in the *Star* in June 1921.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 12, Issue 4 (June 1921), report on the Bahá'í school at Haifa. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Angel of the Believers: Mírzá Ḥaydar-'Alí",
"slug": "sotw-haydar-ali-angel-of-believers-1922",
"summary": "In 1922 the Star of the West preserved a tribute by Martha Root to Mírzá Ḥaydar-'Alí — the eleven-year prisoner of Khartoum who had become, in his later years, the great traveling teacher of the Bahá'ís of Persia, called by the friends *the Angel of the believers.*",
"figures": [
"Mírzá Ḥaydar-'Alí",
"Martha Root"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "Persia",
"location": {
"name": "Persia",
"lat": 32.4279,
"lng": 53.688,
"modernName": "Iran"
},
"themes": [
"teaching",
"persecution",
"history",
"sacrifice"
],
"virtues": [
"perseverance",
"service",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Issue 4 of Volume 13 of the *Star of the West,* the editors\nprinted an address by Martha Root in which she remembered Mírzá\nḤaydar-'Alí, the great Bahá'í teacher of nineteenth-century\nPersia.\n\nMírzá Ḥaydar-'Alí had, in his youth, served eleven years in the\nprisons of the Sudan — banished there by the Egyptian and Ottoman\nauthorities along with a small group of Bahá'ís, in the period of\nBahá'u'lláh's confinement at 'Akká. Eleven years of prison in\nKhartoum and the harsh garrisons of the upper Nile would have\nbroken many men. They did not break him. He emerged, when the\nBritish conquest of the Sudan finally opened the doors, with his\nfaith intact and his sense of mission, if anything, deepened.\n\nHe was permitted to attain the presence of Bahá'u'lláh at 'Akká.\nAfter Bahá'u'lláh's Ascension in 1892, he received from\n'Abdu'l-Bahá a singular charge: to travel from the Holy Land back\nto Persia and there encourage, strengthen, and console the\nBahá'í communities scattered across the great country.\n\nMartha Root's address gave the detail that fixed him in Bahá'í\nmemory.\n\n> He started out from the Holy Land to Persia without even the\n> equipment of a donkey, and became known as the Angel of the\n> believers.\n\nHe travelled on foot. He carried nothing but what he wore. He\nvisited Bahá'í community after Bahá'í community, sat in the\nsmall rooms where the friends gathered in fear of their\nneighbours, told them the news of the Master, settled their\ndisputes, taught their children, prayed with their dying. He\nmoved from village to village in Khurásán, then on to the towns\nof central Persia, then south through Yazd and Iṣfáhán, then\nnorthwest to Tabríz.\n\nThe friends, meeting him for the first time, would later say that\nthey had been visited by an angel. The phrase stuck. He became,\nacross the Persian community, *the Angel of the believers* —\nmalak-i-aḥibbá. Letters written to him used the title openly. The\nMaster Himself, in tablets, blessed his journeys.\n\nHe died in old age in 1920. By that time he had touched personally,\nin his decades of slow walking, almost every Bahá'í community in\nPersia. Martha Root, addressing the American friends in 1922, was\nensuring that his memory would now travel west across the\nAtlantic and find a home in the parlours of America. The *Star of\nthe West* preserved her words. The Angel of the believers, by way\nof a Chicago magazine, was given a second wing.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 13, Issue 4, address by Martha Root remembering Mírzá Ḥaydar-'Alí. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Helen Goodall's Pilgrimage Notes",
"slug": "sotw-helen-goodall-pilgrim-1908",
"summary": "In an early issue of the Star of the West, Helen Goodall — the matriarch of the Oakland Bahá'í community — published her pilgrimage notes from her visit to 'Abdu'l-Bahá in 'Akká in 1908, preserving the Master's words on the equality of women and men in His own household.",
"figures": [
"Helen Goodall",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "Akko, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrimage",
"women",
"equality"
],
"virtues": [
"reverence",
"love",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1910,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nHelen Goodall — the matriarch of the Oakland Bahá'í community,\nmother of Ella Cooper, hostess for many of the early Western\ntravel-teachers passing through California — had made\npilgrimage to 'Akká in the spring of 1908. The Master had then\nbeen free to receive Western pilgrims for only a few months,\nfollowing the Young Turk revolution that ended His more than\nforty-year imprisonment. Goodall had taken full advantage of\nthe opening: she had stayed, with her daughter Ella, for ten\ndays in the household, taking notes carefully each evening on\nthe talks of the day.\n\nThe notes, edited and arranged for publication, appeared in\nseveral issues of the early *Star of the West* in 1910. They\ngave the American friends a fuller picture of the Master's\ndomestic life than any publication had yet provided. Goodall\ndescribed the small dining room at the centre of the\nhousehold; the table conversations among the family members\nand the visitors; the Master's habit of asking each guest\nabout her own work and her own city; the steady presence of\nBahíyyih Khánum, the Master's sister, at the Master's right\nhand; the running about of the grandchildren in the\ncourtyards.\n\nOne conversation Goodall preserves at length. She had asked\nthe Master what He thought of the agitation, then growing in\nboth Iran and the United States, for the equal education of\ngirls and women. He had answered, in His characteristic\nmanner of bringing the principle down into the visible facts\nof the household:\n\n> In My household the daughters and the sons receive the\n> same education.\n\nHe had pointed to His own granddaughters: Rúhá, Túbá, Munavvar,\nand the youngest, then a small child. He had named the\nsubjects they were studying — the same subjects, He\nspecified, that His grandsons were studying. He had said that\nit would be inconceivable, in the dispensation of\nBahá'u'lláh, for a household to do otherwise. He had said\nthis in a normal speaking voice, as a description of an\nalready-existing fact in His own house, rather than as a\npiece of advocacy.\n\nGoodall went home to Oakland. She built around herself one of\nthe strongest Bahá'í communities of the early American Faith.\nShe invited the travel-teachers to stay; she fed the\nvisitors; she opened her parlour for the firesides. The notes\non the equal education of the daughters and the sons in the\nMaster's house went into her teaching from the first. The\nAmerican friends, reading her notes in the *Star of the\nWest,* heard the principle in the same plain voice in which\nthe Master had spoken it.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 1, pilgrimage notes by Helen S. Goodall, 1910. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Passing of Howard MacNutt",
"slug": "sotw-howard-macnutt-passing-1926",
"summary": "In 1926 the Star of the West printed the obituary of Howard MacNutt, the early New York believer who had compiled and edited The Promulgation of Universal Peace from the stenographic records of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's American talks of 1912.",
"figures": [
"Howard MacNutt",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "formative",
"period": "American Faith",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York City, USA"
},
"themes": [
"history",
"american-faith",
"service"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"faithfulness",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1926,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_17"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn its issue dated the closing months of 1926 the *Star of the\nWest* carried the obituary notice of Howard MacNutt, the New\nYork Bahá'í who had died at his home in Brooklyn on the\ntwenty-sixth of November, aged sixty-seven.\n\nMacNutt had been a businessman, a longtime member of the New\nYork Bahá'í community, and one of the small group of believers\nwho had received 'Abdu'l-Bahá into his own home in Brooklyn\nduring the Master's American sojourn in 1912. The Master had\nvisited the MacNutt home repeatedly. He had given a number of\nextended talks there. He had addressed Mrs. MacNutt by an\naffectionate name. He had charged Howard, before the\ndeparture for Europe in December 1912, with a particular task:\nto gather the stenographic records of the talks given across\nthe United States during the journey, to verify them against\nthe Persian originals where these existed, and to produce\nfrom them a single edited collection that the friends might\nread and study in years to come.\n\nThe task had taken MacNutt the next thirteen years. He had\ncollected the records from many cities. He had cross-checked\nthem with the diaries kept by the Master's translators. He had\nworked with editorial committees of the American National\nSpiritual Assembly. He had submitted the manuscripts to the\nGuardian for review. The eventual publication, in 1925, of\n*The Promulgation of Universal Peace* — the two-volume\ncollection of the American talks of 1912 — was largely the\nfruit of his patient labour.\n\n> His work on these talks will be his lasting service to the\n> Cause.\n\nThe phrase, taken by the *Star's* obituarist from a recent\nmessage of the Guardian, named the proper measure of MacNutt's\ncontribution. The book he had assembled would become, within\na decade, the principal record of the Master's teaching during\nthe American journey. It would shape the speech and thought of\ngenerations of American believers. It would be translated into\nmany languages and quoted in many other Bahá'í books and\ntalks. The man who had patiently checked the stenographic\nrecords against the diaries and the originals had given his\ngeneration, and the generations after it, a permanent\nfoundation.\n\nThe obituary did not dwell on MacNutt's later years, which had\nincluded a difficult period of disagreement with the\nemerging administrative order of the Faith and a temporary\nabsence from the active community. The Guardian, in his\nmessage on the death, set those years to one side and named\nonly the labour over the talks. *His work on these talks will\nbe his lasting service to the Cause.* It is the measure on\nwhich the Faith continues to remember him.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 17, late 1926 obituary notice for Howard MacNutt. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Hindus in the Pilgrim House: Caste Crossed at Haifa",
"slug": "sotw-india-pilgrims-haifa-1914",
"summary": "In April 1914 the Star of the West reprinted, from M. Holbach's article in the Christian Commonwealth, a striking observation about the pilgrims at Haifa: young Hindus of high caste were lodging in the same house, eating at the same table, with Zoroastrians, Jews, and Muslim pilgrims — *crossing the rubicon* of caste in a way no other movement in the East had achieved.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Haifa",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.8156,
"lng": 34.9892,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"unity",
"india",
"pilgrimage",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"unity",
"courage",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1914,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Issue 3 of Volume 5 of the *Star of the West,* dated the\ntwenty-eighth of April, 1914, the editors reprinted, from a\nrecent article in the London *Christian Commonwealth* by M.\nHolbach, an observation about the pilgrim community at Haifa\nthat had begun to attract notice in European religious\njournalism.\n\nHolbach was not himself a Bahá'í. He had visited Haifa as a\njournalist with broad sympathy for religious reform movements,\nand had written up what he had seen with the careful eye of a\nvisitor who is not committed in advance to praising what he\nfinds. The detail that he chose to highlight was a small one,\nbut its implications, for any reader familiar with the social\nstructure of nineteenth-century India, were enormous.\n\nThe pilgrim house at Haifa — the small lodging the Master had\nmaintained for the use of the believers who came from many\ncountries to attain His presence — typically held, at any one\ntime, ten or fifteen visitors. They came from Persia, from\nIndia, from Burma, from Egypt, from Europe, from America. They\nwere of every religious background a long Eastern history could\nproduce: Shí'í Muslims and Sunni Muslims, Persian Zoroastrians,\nPersian and Iraqi Jews, Indian Hindus of various castes, Indian\nSikhs, the occasional European Christian.\n\nIn the pilgrim house, by the household discipline of the place,\nthey all ate at the same table, slept in the same room\narrangements, and shared the same simple service of the visit.\n\nFor the Hindu pilgrims, this was the most remarkable\nexperience. Holbach captured it in a single sentence:\n\n> Young Hindu of high caste — by crossing the sea and living in\n> the pilgrim house with Zoroastrians, Jews, and Mohammedans —\n> have crossed the rubicon.\n\nThe high-caste Hindu of 1914 was, by the customs of his own\nhome, forbidden to eat with members of lower castes — to say\nnothing of *outcastes,* or of foreigners, or of members of the\n*mleccha* peoples (the Western unbelievers). The crossing of\nthe sea itself was an act that, in some Hindu legal opinions,\nrequired ritual purification afterwards. To have crossed the\nsea and arrived at Haifa was already significant. To then sit\ndown at a common table with Zoroastrians, Jews, Muslims,\nChristians, and one's own coreligionists, and to share food\nand prayer and the work of the pilgrimage, was a renunciation\nof the older caste discipline that no political reformer in\nCalcutta or Bombay had been able to accomplish.\n\nHolbach saw at once what it meant. The Bahá'í Faith, he was\nsuggesting to his English readers, was not merely teaching the\nunity of mankind. It was, in a small house at Haifa, *enacting*\nthat unity in a way the rest of the East had not yet been able\nto imitate.\n\nThe *Star of the West,* in reprinting Holbach's observation,\nlet the testimony of the outside witness do its work. The\nAmerican friends, reading it in their parlours, were given a\nsmall picture of what the Cause they had joined was already\ndoing in India.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 5, Issue 3 (April 28, 1914), reprint of M. Holbach in the Christian Commonwealth. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The First English Iqán: Ali-Kuli Khan's Translation",
"slug": "sotw-iqan-translation-1916",
"summary": "In 1916 the Star of the West reported on the publication of Ali-Kuli Khan's translation of the Kitáb-i-Íqán — the first complete rendering into English of Bahá'u'lláh's principal doctrinal work, made available to the American friends after fifteen years of patient labour.",
"figures": [
"Ali-Kuli Khan",
"Florence Khan"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American Faith",
"location": {
"name": "Washington, D.C.",
"lat": 38.9216,
"lng": -77.0182,
"modernName": "Washington, D.C., USA"
},
"themes": [
"writings",
"history",
"american-faith"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"perseverance",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1916,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_7"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn its issue dated the seventeenth of August 1916 the *Star of\nthe West* announced the publication, by the Bahai Publishing\nSociety of Chicago, of the first complete English translation\nof *The Book of Assurance* — the Persian text known to the\nBahá'í community as the *Kitáb-i-Íqán,* the principal\ndoctrinal work revealed by Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdád in 1862.\nThe translator was Ali-Kuli Khan, the Iranian diplomat who\nhad served at the Master's elbow in 'Akká as a young man and\nhad then, by the Master's direction, accepted appointment as\nchargé d'affaires of the Iranian Legation in Washington.\n\nThe translation had occupied Khan, at intervals, for nearly\nfifteen years. He had begun on the work in 'Akká, under the\nMaster's daily oversight. He had brought the unfinished\nmanuscript with him to America in 1901. He had continued\nworking on it through his diplomatic career, often through\nthe long evenings after the consular day was done. His wife,\nFlorence Breed Khan — the daughter of a Boston Brahmin\nfamily, herself a believer, and a careful editor — had\nworked alongside him on the polishing of the English prose.\n\n> This Book is the foundation of the doctrine of our Faith.\n\nThe phrase, lifted by the *Star's* editors from one of the\nMaster's Tablets to Khan, set the proper measure of the\nwork's importance. The Iqán was the book Bahá'u'lláh had\nspecifically named as the principal proof, by argument, of\nthe truth of His own claim and of the unity of the\nprophetic dispensations. Without it, the doctrinal\nfoundation of the Faith could not be presented to a\nWestern audience. With it — and now in English — that\nfoundation could be put into every American believer's hand.\n\nThe Khan-Breed translation would serve the American Bahá'í\ncommunity for the next half century. It would be revised\nmore than once and would in time be superseded, in the\n1930s, by Shoghi Effendi's own definitive English\ntranslation. But for fifteen years — through the decisive\nperiod in which the American Bahá'í community moved from a\nsmall inquiring circle into an established religious body —\nthe Iqán in English was the Khan translation. Many of the\ncareful early American teachers learned the doctrine of the\nFaith from the sentences Ali-Kuli and Florence had laboured\nover.\n\nThe *Star of the West's* notice in August 1916 closed with\na thanks to the translators and a recommendation that every\nbeliever order a copy. The price was modest. The book had\nbeen long awaited. The American Bahá'í community had now\nbeen given, in its own language, the central doctrinal\nproof of the Cause it had been gathering around.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 7, Issue 9 (August 17, 1916), notice on the publication of the English Kitáb-i-Íqán translated by Ali-Kuli Khan. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Tarbíyat Schools of Tihrán: News from Persia",
"slug": "sotw-isfahani-school-tihran-1911",
"summary": "In 1911 the Star of the West printed a report from Tihrán on the Tarbíyat Schools — the Bahá'í-founded schools for boys and for girls in the Persian capital that, in the years before they were forcibly closed by the Persian government in 1934, became the educational pride of the Iranian Bahá'í community.",
"figures": [],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Persia",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"education",
"children",
"persia"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"vision",
"perseverance"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1911,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_2"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn its issue dated the twenty-third of November 1911 the *Star of\nthe West* carried a long report on the Tarbíyat Schools of\nTihrán — the boys' school established in 1899 and the girls'\nschool established by Susan Moody in 1909, both then operating\nunder the patronage of the Bahá'í community of the Persian\ncapital.\n\nThe report, written by a correspondent in Tihrán, described the\ntwo schools' modest physical premises and their substantial\neducational ambition. The boys' school occupied a small\ncourtyard building in the quarter near the bazaar; the girls'\nschool had begun in a rented house in another quarter and was\nalready in need of larger premises. Together the two schools\nserved, by the time of the report, some four hundred pupils.\n\nThe report stressed the schools' admissions policy — a policy\nthat was, in the religious atmosphere of early-twentieth-\ncentury Persia, notable.\n\n> The school is open to every child, of every faith, and of\n> every station.\n\nThe schools admitted Muslim, Jewish, Zoroastrian, and Christian\nchildren alongside the children of the Bahá'í community. They\nadmitted the children of merchants and the children of\nservants. They taught a modern curriculum: reading and writing\nin Persian and in French; arithmetic; geography; the natural\nsciences; for the boys, drawing and physical training; for the\ngirls, the same intellectual subjects with the addition of\ndomestic skills.\n\nThe teachers were drawn from the most educated members of the\nTihrán Bahá'í community. Many had been trained in the\nAmerican or French missionary schools and brought their\ntraining back into a Bahá'í setting. The faculty included\nwomen — itself unusual in the Tihrán of 1911 — and the\ngirls' school in particular was beginning to produce graduates\nwho would carry the work of women's education forward into\nthe next decades.\n\nThe *Star of the West's* report named the schools' principals\nby name and gave the addresses of the offices in Tihrán so\nthat American friends could write to them and could send small\ncontributions. The American Bahá'í community in 1911 was\nproud of the Persian schools as one of the visible\nachievements of the Faith of the East. The schools would\nflourish for the next two decades. They would be forcibly\nclosed by the Iranian government in 1934 as part of a wider\ncampaign of suppression. The classrooms would be lost; the\ngraduates and their work would not be. Many of the women who\nshaped the Iranian Bahá'í community of the next half century\nhad passed through the Tarbíyat girls' school, whose founding\nthe *Star of the West's* report of November 1911 had quietly\ncelebrated.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 2, Issue 14 (November 23, 1911), report on the Tarbíyat Schools of Tihrán. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Spiritual Field of Japan: Charles Mason Remey's Letter from Asia",
"slug": "sotw-japan-field-ready-1910",
"summary": "In April 1910, the Star of the West published a letter from Charles Mason Remey, then traveling through Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. He reported back what no American Bahá'í had yet been told from a Bahá'í pen: *In Japan the spiritual field of work is ready for the laborers.*",
"figures": [
"Charles Mason Remey"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American Faith",
"location": {
"name": "Tokyo",
"lat": 35.6762,
"lng": 139.6503,
"modernName": "Tokyo, Japan"
},
"themes": [
"teaching",
"travel",
"history",
"asia"
],
"virtues": [
"vision",
"service",
"courage"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1910,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the second issue of the *Star of the West*, dated the ninth of\nApril, 1910, the editors in Chicago published an extract from a\nletter sent by Charles Mason Remey from Rangoon, in Burma. Remey\nhad been traveling through Asia — through Japan, China, and\nSoutheast Asia — at his own expense, sounding out the\npossibilities for Bahá'í teaching in the East.\n\nThe sentence that the *Star of the West* lifted from the letter\nwas short and decisive.\n\n> In Japan the spiritual field of work is ready for the laborers.\n\nIt was a remarkable thing for an American Bahá'í to be writing\nin 1910. The American community itself was still very small. Most\nof its members had themselves only recently come into the Faith.\nYet Remey, on his own initiative and at his own cost, had crossed\nthe Pacific, looked at Japan with his own eyes, and was now\nreporting back: the country was open. What it lacked was workers.\n\nThe letter went on. *American Bahais are needed in Japan.* Not as\nmissionaries in the conventional sense, but as friends — as\nordinary believers who would settle into the cities of Yokohama\nand Tokyo, learn the language, make friends, and share, in plain\nconversation, the message they had themselves received from the\nMaster.\n\nThe Star of the West printed the appeal alongside other reports —\nfrom Burma, from Japan, from China, from the Philippines. It was\nthe editors' way of telling the Western friends that the work was\nnot only American. The Bahá'í Cause was, even in 1910, already a\nworld cause; it required workers willing to leave the comforts of\ntheir own city.\n\nThe appeal would bear fruit. Within a few years Agnes Alexander\nwould settle in Tokyo. Within a generation Japanese Bahá'í\ncommunities would be quietly forming in cities Remey had only\nwalked through. The opening sentence of the letter, in 1910, had\nbeen the first whisper of what would grow into one of the great\nteaching enterprises of the twentieth century in East Asia.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 1, Issue 2 (April 9, 1910), letter extract from Charles Mason Remey at Rangoon, Burma. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Faith Reaches Japan: Tokyo and the First Believers",
"slug": "sotw-japan-mission-1915",
"summary": "In 1915 the *Star of the West* carried news of the small but significant entry of the Faith into Japan — through the patient teaching work of Agnes Alexander in Tokyo and the formation of the first small Japanese Bahá'í community.",
"figures": [
"Agnes B. Alexander",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Tokyo",
"lat": 35.6762,
"lng": 139.6503,
"modernName": "Tokyo, Japan"
},
"themes": [
"asia",
"teaching",
"pioneering"
],
"virtues": [
"vision",
"service",
"perseverance"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_6"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the spring 1915 issue of the *Star of the West* the\nAmerican Bahá'í readership received the first detailed\nreport of the small but significant entry of the Faith into\nJapan — through the patient teaching work of Agnes B.\nAlexander, the first American believer to take up\npermanent residence in Tokyo as a teacher of the Cause.\n\nAgnes Alexander, the *Star's* report records, had come to\nTokyo in 1914 in fulfilment of a teaching commission given\nto her in person by 'Abdu'l-Bahá. She was a Hawaiian-born\nAmerican believer of Scottish descent. She had embraced the\nFaith in Rome in 1900 and had been one of the first\nAmericans, in subsequent years, to recognise the Cause as\nhaving a destiny in the Pacific basin.\n\nThe Master, when she had visited Him at 'Akká in 1913, had\nspoken to her of Japan. He had told her, in language she\npreserved verbatim in her own letters, that *the Cause of\nGod will become established in Japan, and the small\nbeginnings will in time become great.* He had asked her\nwhether she would consider undertaking the small beginning.\nShe had accepted.\n\nShe arrived in Tokyo with no Japanese, a small reading\nknowledge of Esperanto, and a strong letter of\nintroduction to several individuals in the Tokyo educational\ncommunity. She rented a small apartment in the\nBunkyo district. She began, almost immediately, the patient\nwork of being present.\n\nThe *Star's* report describes the first small Tokyo\ngatherings. They were held in Agnes Alexander's apartment.\nFour or five Japanese inquirers would attend on most\nevenings. The conversation was conducted with the help of a\ntranslator who bridged Japanese, English, and the small\nEsperanto that several of the early Japanese inquirers had\nthemselves learned in their interest in international\nlanguages.\n\nWithin a year, the first Japanese declarations of belief had\ntaken place. The names of those first Japanese Bahá'ís — Mr.\nYamamoto, Mr. Fukuta, Miss Otsuka — were printed in the\n*Star* with the brief biographical notes that the\ncorrespondent could supply. Each of the new believers was a\nperson of educated background — a teacher, a journalist, a\nstudent. Each was a person who had been preparing, in the\nparticular form of his or her own intellectual life, for the\nvocabulary of the new Faith.\n\nThe Master, on hearing of the first declarations, sent a\nbrief Tablet to the new Tokyo believers welcoming them into\nthe world community of the Faith. The Tablet — published by\nthe *Star* in a subsequent issue — addressed them in their\ndistinct national identity and gave them a particular\ncharge regarding the spread of the Cause through the Pacific\nislands.\n\nAgnes Alexander would remain in Japan for most of the next\nsixty years. The small Tokyo community whose first\ngatherings the *Star* had reported in 1915 would, in the\ndecades that followed, become the cradle of the Japanese\nBahá'í community that today numbers in the thousands.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 6 (1915), report of the early Tokyo Bahá'í gatherings. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Quarters for the Poor: 'Abdu'l-Bahá at the Bowery Mission",
"slug": "sotw-juliet-mission-poor-quarters-1912",
"summary": "Juliet Thompson's diary entries, printed in the Star of the West in April 1917, preserve a small image from the Master's first days in New York in April 1912 — His insistence on distributing silver quarters from His own hand to the men of the Bowery Mission, with the brief direction: *Surely, give to the poor!*",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7223,
"lng": -73.9958,
"modernName": "New York City, USA"
},
"themes": [
"poverty",
"service",
"history",
"mercy"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"mercy",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1917,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Issue 3 of Volume 8 of the *Star of the West,* dated the\ntwenty-eighth of April, 1917, the editors began to serialize\nextracts from Juliet Thompson's diary of the Master's American\njourney of 1912. Among the early entries is a small scene from\nthe Master's first weeks in New York — His Saturday evening\nvisit, on the 19th of April 1912, to the Bowery Mission on\nManhattan's Lower East Side.\n\nThe Bowery in 1912 was the city's most visible district of\nextreme poverty. The Mission served thousands of homeless men\ndaily — a meal, a bed when one could be had, the broad\npreaching of the gospel. The Master had asked, almost as soon\nas He arrived in New York, to be taken there.\n\nHe was. He addressed the assembled men — several hundred of\nthem — in His characteristic short, plain speech. He told them\nthat they were honoured by God; that the love of God did not\nnotice the small classifications of wealth and poverty by which\nmen ranked themselves; that He Himself, in His many years of\nimprisonment, had often known the same hunger they knew; and\nthat the spiritual treasure available to each soul was not\ndiminished by the absence of material possessions.\n\nThen He turned to the practical part of the visit. He had\narranged in advance for a supply of silver quarters — twenty-\nfive-cent pieces, the standard small coin of American currency\n— to be carried by His attendants. As the men filed past Him\non their way out of the Mission hall, He placed a quarter in\neach man's open hand.\n\nJuliet preserves the simple direction He had given:\n\n> Surely, give to the poor!\n\nThe phrase, in the Master's voice, was not theoretical. It was\npractical. He did not merely say it. He did it. He stood at\nthe door of the Mission for the time required to put a quarter\ninto each man's hand personally. He looked into each face. He\ndid not delegate the act. The witnesses preserved the detail\nbecause they had not seen, in any other religious figure of\ntheir experience, quite the same combination: the high\nspiritual teaching delivered from the platform, then the small\nsilver coin pressed by His own hand into the palm of the\npoorest man in the room.\n\nA quarter in 1912 was not a pittance. It was approximately\nthe price of a simple meal at a workingman's restaurant. The\nmen leaving the Mission with the quarter in their pocket had\nbeen given a real meal, with the dignity of having received it\nfrom the hand of a visiting Persian sage. Many of them would\nremember the evening for the rest of their lives.\n\nJuliet's diary captured the small phrase that lay underneath\nthe gesture. *Surely, give to the poor.* The Master had spent\nHis life in a household that had itself often known poverty.\nThe instruction was not theory. It was practice. The American\nfriends who read the entry in 1917 understood at once. So\nshould we.\n\n*Source: Juliet Thompson, diary excerpt printed in Star of the West, Volume 8, Issue 3 (April 28, 1917). Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Keith Ransom-Kehler in Iran",
"slug": "sotw-keith-ransom-kehler-iran-1933",
"summary": "In 1933 the Bahá'í World, successor to the Star of the West, carried the story of Keith Ransom-Kehler — the American Bahá'í travel teacher who had gone to Iran in defense of the Faith and had died in Isfahán of smallpox, becoming the first American Bahá'í martyr.",
"figures": [
"Keith Ransom-Kehler"
],
"era": "formative",
"period": "Persia",
"location": {
"name": "Isfahán",
"lat": 32.6546,
"lng": 51.668,
"modernName": "Isfahan, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"sacrifice",
"persia",
"history",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [
"sacrifice",
"courage",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1933,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_24"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn late 1933 the closing volumes of the *Star of the West* and\nits successor publication, *The Bahá'í World,* carried the news\nthat the American believer Keith Ransom-Kehler had died at\nIsfahán in Iran on the twenty-third of October. She was\nfifty-seven years old. She had been on a teaching mission to\nthe Iranian Bahá'í community for fifteen months. The cause of\ndeath was smallpox.\n\nKeith had embraced the Bahá'í Faith in 1921. She had become,\nin the next decade, one of the most active travel teachers of\nthe American community — visiting almost every state of the\nUnion and many countries of the world to give talks on the\nFaith. By 1932 the Persian Bahá'í community, then under\nsevere pressure from the Pahlaví regime, had asked through\nShoghi Effendi for an American teacher to come and intercede,\nin the name of the Faith, with the Persian government. The\nPersian Bahá'í educational institutions, including the\nTarbíyat schools at Tihrán, had been closed. The American\nbelievers were being asked to send someone whose American\ncitizenship would give them at least the protection of the\nUnited States consulate in any contact with the regime.\n\nKeith had gone. She had spent fifteen months in Iran. She had\ntravelled by car and on horseback to Bahá'í communities in\nTihrán, Mashhad, Yazd, Shíráz, and many smaller towns. She\nhad presented petitions, in person and through the consulate,\nto the highest reaches of the Persian government, including\nthe Sháh himself. She had not succeeded in reopening the\nschools. She had succeeded in carrying to the Iranian\nbelievers, in person, the love and solidarity of their\nAmerican sisters and brothers — a thing they had not had\nbefore.\n\nIn Isfahán in October 1933 she had contracted smallpox in\nthe course of her travels. The disease had killed her in days.\n\n> She is the first American Bahá'í martyr.\n\nThe phrase was Shoghi Effendi's. He had cabled the title at\nonce on receiving news of Keith's death. He had specified in\nsubsequent cables that her body was to be buried with full\nhonour in the Bahá'í cemetery at Isfahán, and that her grave\nwas to be marked as a place of pilgrimage. The Persian\nBahá'ís of Isfahán would care for the grave through all the\nhard decades that followed.\n\nThe *Star of the West* had ceased monthly publication by\n1933, but its closing extras and the new *Bahá'í World*\nyearbook gave Keith's death the long obituary notice it\nwarranted. She had carried, with her own life, the cost of\nthe Faith's solidarity between East and West. The American\ncommunity would, after Keith, never again think of the\nIranian believers as someone else's responsibility. Her\ndeath had made them, in fact, family.\n\n*Source: Star of the West / The Bahá'í World, late 1933, report on the death of Keith Ransom-Kehler at Isfahán. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Knighthood: 'Abdu'l-Bahá Honoured by the British Crown",
"slug": "sotw-knighthood-of-master-1920",
"summary": "In 1920 the *Star of the West* carried the news of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's investiture as a Knight of the British Empire — an honour conferred in recognition of His humanitarian work in feeding the population of Haifa and surrounding districts during the food crisis of the First World War.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"holy-land",
"war",
"service",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"generosity",
"vision"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1920,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_11"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the spring 1920 issue of the *Star of the West* the\nAmerican Bahá'í readership received the news that\n'Abdu'l-Bahá had been formally invested by the British\nGovernment as a Knight of the British Empire. The investiture\nhad taken place earlier in the year at the British Mandate\nheadquarters in the Holy Land, with full ceremonial\nattended by the senior British authorities of the\npost-Ottoman administration.\n\nThe honour had been conferred not for any political\ncontribution but for the practical humanitarian service the\nMaster had rendered to the population of Haifa and the\nsurrounding districts during the food crisis of the latter\nyears of the First World War. The Ottoman provisioning of\nthe Palestinian coast had collapsed under the pressure of\nthe war. By 1917 the population of Haifa, including the\nBahá'í community and a considerable surrounding non-Bahá'í\npopulation, was facing severe food shortage.\n\nThe Master had foreseen the crisis. In the years preceding\nthe war He had quietly arranged, on the agricultural lands\nof the Bahá'í community in the Jordan Valley near Tiberias,\nthe planting of substantial grain reserves. Through the\nworst year of the war, those reserves were brought up by\ncaravan and quietly distributed — not only to the Bahá'í\ncommunity but to the general hungry population of Haifa,\nwithout distinction of religion, of social standing, or of\nethnic origin. Christians, Muslims, and Jews of the\nHaifa-'Akká region all received provisions from the Master's\nquiet provisioning.\n\nThe British military administration, when it took over the\nHaifa region in 1918, learned of the work. The British\nmilitary governor, General Allenby's local representative,\ncalled personally on the Master and offered, on behalf of\nthe British Crown, to recommend His Holiness for the formal\nrecognition that the Crown reserved for outstanding civilian\nservice.\n\nThe Master, the *Star's* report records, accepted the\nproposed honour with His characteristic modesty. He\nexplained that the work had been done because it was the\nwork that needed doing; that the credit was God's; but\nthat He would receive the British honour as an\nacknowledgement, on behalf of the larger Bahá'í community,\nof the principle that humanitarian service is a recognised\nduty of the Faith.\n\nThe investiture took place at the British Mandate's\nceremonial. The Master attended in His habitual robe and\nturban. He received the honour quietly, without speech, and\nreturned to the small house in Haifa where He continued, the\nfollowing day, the same work of the Cause He had been\nperforming the day before.\n\nThe American friends, reading the news in the *Star,* were\nproud — and instructed. The Master had taught them, by His\nacceptance of the British honour, that the visible\nacknowledgement of the Faith's humanitarian service was a\npart of the Faith's public witness, and was not to be\ndisdained.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 11 (1920), report of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's knighthood by the British Crown. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Shining Light: Leslie Armstrong of Montreal",
"slug": "sotw-leslie-armstrong-shining-light-1913",
"summary": "In March 1913 the Star of the West printed an obituary for Leslie Armstrong of Montreal — a small boy whose hands the Master had filled with fruit during the 1912 Canadian visit, on whose head the Master had laid His hand, and to whom He had said: *He will be a shining light for God.* The child died at age six from injuries in an automobile accident.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Leslie Armstrong"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Canada",
"location": {
"name": "Montreal",
"lat": 45.5017,
"lng": -73.5673,
"modernName": "Montreal, Canada"
},
"themes": [
"children",
"encounter",
"history",
"canada",
"blessing"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"tenderness",
"innocence"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1913,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Issue 19 of Volume 3 of the *Star of the West,* dated the\nsecond of March, 1913, the editors printed a short obituary\nnotice forwarded by friends from the small Bahá'í community of\nMontreal.\n\nLeslie Armstrong was six years old when he died. He had been\nstruck and fatally injured in a Montreal street by an\nautomobile in January of that year — automobiles still being, in\nthe cities of 1913, a relatively new and inadequately\nregulated presence on the streets where children played.\n\nThe Armstrongs were among the small group of Montreal Bahá'í\nfamilies. They had been in attendance during 'Abdu'l-Bahá's\nbrief visit to the city in late August and early September of\n1912. Like many of the friends, they had brought their child\nto the Master's gatherings.\n\nThe detail the obituary preserves is the one that gives the\nnotice its weight.\n\nThe Armstrongs recalled that, during the visit, the Master had\ncalled Leslie to Him. He had filled the small boy's hands with\nfruit from the table. He had laid His hand on the child's\nhead. He had spoken, in His characteristic way of addressing\nchildren with grave kindness, a sentence the parents had not\nforgotten and would never forget.\n\n> He will be a shining light for God.\n\nIt was the kind of sentence the Master spoke, in different\nforms, over many of the children He met in His Western\njourneys. He saw in each child the soul, not the size. He\naddressed the soul as the soul deserved to be addressed.\n\nFive months later, the boy was dead.\n\nThe obituary in the *Star of the West* did not attempt to\nexplain how the Master's blessing was to be reconciled with\nthe child's death. It simply printed the recollection. The\nparents wished the friends across the Bahá'í world to know that\ntheir son had been seen, blessed, and named — even if his\nministry as a *shining light* had been the brief one of a\nsmall boy who never reached his seventh year.\n\nIn Bahá'í teaching the soul does not stop at the body's death.\nThe light promised over Leslie's head was, in the Bahá'í\nreading, a light that would continue to burn in the next world,\nand from there into the spiritual life of those whom the boy\nhad touched. The grieving parents, by submitting the small\nnotice, were entrusting their son's memory to the worldwide\ncommunity of which the Master had blessed him a member.\n\nThe notice is short. It is one of the most quietly moving\npieces in the early *Star of the West*. The Master had filled\na small boy's hands with fruit and named him a light. The boy\nhad been claimed early by the world's hardness. The Master's\nsentence outlasted the loss.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 3, Issue 19 (March 2, 1913), obituary notice for Leslie Armstrong of Montreal. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Soul Aflame: Louis Gregory in London, 1911",
"slug": "sotw-louis-gregory-london-1911",
"summary": "In June 1911 the Star of the West reported, in its News of the Cause in London column, the visit of Louis G. Gregory — the African American lawyer who had recently completed his pilgrimage to 'Akká. The English friends recorded their impression in a single phrase: *a great soul, aflame with God's Word.*",
"figures": [
"Louis G. Gregory",
"Mrs. Buckton"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "England",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, United Kingdom"
},
"themes": [
"race-unity",
"teaching",
"travel",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1911,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Issue 5 of Volume 2 of the *Star of the West,* dated the fifth\nof June, 1911, the editors in Chicago printed a short item under\nthe heading *News of the Cause in London.* It mentioned Mrs.\nBuckton's recent return to England from her own pilgrimage to\n'Akká, and it noted the visit then under way of Louis G. Gregory.\n\nThe phrase the London Bahá'ís used to describe their American\nvisitor was carried back across the Atlantic by the *Star of the\nWest* and printed in the news column for the American friends to\nread.\n\n> A great soul, aflame with God's Word.\n\nGregory had completed his own pilgrimage in April of that same\nyear. He had, in Alexandria, met the Master for the first time —\nthe kiss on the head, the long quiet conversation about his\nhealth, the parting instruction to keep his face turned toward\nthe Kingdom. He was now on the slow road home to America. London\nwas a stop on the way.\n\nHe stayed several weeks. He spoke in homes and small rooms and\nlarger gatherings. The English Bahá'ís — many of them women who\nhad themselves only recently come into the Faith — heard in him\nsomething they had not yet often heard in their own city: a Black\nAmerican believer recounting, in plain speech, what he had seen\nin 'Akká and what the Master had laid upon him.\n\nThe phrase the London friends used to summarize him — *a great\nsoul, aflame with God's Word* — was their tribute. The *Star of\nthe West* printed the phrase without comment. It needed none.\n\nGregory continued his journey home. He returned to Washington in\nJuly 1911. The work the Master had set for him — the building of\nrace unity inside and outside the Bahá'í community — would occupy\nhim for the next forty-one years, until his death in 1951. But the\nfoundation of that work had been laid, in part, in those few weeks\nin London in May and June of 1911, when the small English Bahá'í\ncommunity had recognized in their visitor a soul aflame and had\nsent the news, by way of Chicago, into the wider stream of the\nCause.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 2, Issue 5 (June 5, 1911), \"News of the Cause in London\" column. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Louis Gregory's Southern Tour",
"slug": "sotw-louis-gregory-south-1918",
"summary": "In 1918 the Star of the West printed Louis Gregory's report on his Southern teaching tour — a journey through the segregated cities of Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis, and Nashville at a time when Black and white believers in the South were quietly meeting together in defiance of the laws of those states.",
"figures": [
"Louis Gregory"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American Faith",
"location": {
"name": "Atlanta",
"lat": 33.749,
"lng": -84.388,
"modernName": "Atlanta, Georgia, USA"
},
"themes": [
"race-unity",
"teaching",
"american-faith",
"south"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"service",
"dignity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1918,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_9"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn its issue dated the eighth of June 1918 the *Star of the West*\nprinted a long signed report by Louis Gregory on his recent\nteaching tour through the cities of the American South. Gregory\n— the Charleston-born African American attorney who had given up\nhis Washington law practice some years earlier to give his life\nto the Bahá'í teaching work — had spent the spring travelling by\nrail through Atlanta, Macon, Birmingham, Memphis, Nashville, and\nKnoxville. He had given talks in private homes, in small rented\nhalls, and in two of the historically Black colleges of the\nregion.\n\nThe report described the small Bahá'í communities he had\nencountered. Atlanta then had a few believers, Black and white,\nmeeting in private homes. Birmingham had a single white believer\nand one or two Black inquirers. Memphis had a slowly growing\ngroup, mostly Black, gathered around the household of one of\nthe Black school principals of the city. Nashville had a small\ngroup at Fisk University. Knoxville had a few inquirers but no\nestablished gatherings.\n\nThe note that recurred through Gregory's report — and that the\n*Star of the West's* editors lifted into their own caption for\nthe article — was the small private practice that all the\nSouthern Bahá'í gatherings had quietly adopted.\n\n> In every city, however small the gathering, the colour line\n> was crossed at the threshold.\n\nThe Bahá'í gatherings in the segregated South of 1918, in\nGregory's account, were the first racially integrated meetings\nmany of the participants had ever attended. The Atlanta\nbelievers met in the parlour of a white friend's home, with\nBlack friends arriving by the back lane to avoid the\nattention of the white neighbours. The Memphis friends met in\nthe home of a Black school principal, with white friends\narriving by the same discretion. In Birmingham the small\ngathering met at lunchtime in a downtown office, with\nBlack and white friends taking turns to enter from the\nservice entrance and the front door respectively, so that no\none passing on the street would understand the composition of\nthe meeting.\n\nGregory's report named the small acts of disguise without\nembarrassment and without bravado. He had been doing this work\nfor fifteen years; he knew the cost of being incautious in the\nSouth of 1918; he knew also that the friends were doing what\nthe Faith required and that the discretion was the practical\nform of obedience to the higher law.\n\nThe article closed with a request: the American friends should\nremember the Southern communities in their prayers, should send\ntravel-teachers to them, and should not assume that the\nhardness of the local racial laws made the work impossible.\n*The work is possible,* Gregory wrote. *It has begun.* The next\ngeneration of believers across the South would carry the work\ninto the second half of the twentieth century, when the\nlaws had at last begun to change. The early integrated\ngatherings of 1918, in Gregory's parlour-by-parlour record,\nwere where the work had begun.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 9, Issue 5 (June 8, 1918), report by Louis Gregory on his Southern teaching tour. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Lua Getsinger's Letter from India",
"slug": "sotw-lua-getsinger-india-1914",
"summary": "In 1914 the Star of the West printed a letter from Lua Getsinger, the Mother Teacher of the West, written from Bombay where she had taken the Faith into the heart of British India. *I am here in His Name and for His sake,* she wrote — words that would become the keynote of her service.",
"figures": [
"Lua Getsinger"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American Faith",
"location": {
"name": "Bombay",
"lat": 19.076,
"lng": 72.8777,
"modernName": "Mumbai, India"
},
"themes": [
"teaching",
"travel",
"india",
"sacrifice"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"courage",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1914,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_5"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nLua Moore Getsinger had been called by 'Abdu'l-Bahá the *Mother\nTeacher of the West.* By 1914 she had already given the better part\nof two decades to the service of the Cause — first in California,\nthen on long teaching tours across the United States, then in\nseveral pilgrimages to 'Akká, and finally in the journey she\nherself called the great commitment: a teaching tour through the\nEast, beginning with Egypt and reaching, by the spring of 1914,\nthe great port city of Bombay on the western coast of British\nIndia.\n\nThe *Star of the West,* in its issue dated the seventeenth of May\n1914, printed an extract of a letter she had written home from\nBombay. The editors framed the extract briefly and then let Lua\nspeak in her own voice.\n\n> I am here in His Name and for His sake.\n\nThe sentence carried, for the friends who read it in Chicago and\nNew York and San Francisco, more weight than its eight short\nwords might at first suggest. India was not, in 1914, an easy\ndestination for an American woman travelling without a husband or\nan organization behind her. Lua had no salary, no missionary\nsociety, no fixed itinerary. What she had was the love of\n'Abdu'l-Bahá and the conviction that He had sent her, and that\nthe small Bahá'í community of India, scattered across Bombay,\nKarachi, Poona and a few other cities, needed visiting.\n\nThe letter went on to describe her meetings — gatherings in\nprivate homes, talks in small public halls, contact with the\nleading Parsis and Hindus of Bombay who were already curious\nabout the Faith. She named some of the believers, with their\naddresses, so that other Americans considering the Indian field\nmight write to them directly. She asked for prayers. She did not\nask for money.\n\nThe *Star of the West* placed the letter beside other reports\nfrom Burma, from Russian Turkistan, from China — the editorial\ngesture of saying to the American friends: *the work you sent\nyour sister to perform is being performed; here is the sound of\nit from the field.* Within a year of the letter Lua would be in\nEgypt, where she would die, in May 1916, in a hotel in Cairo\nwithout family near her. Her grave is in the Bahá'í cemetery\nthere. The letter from Bombay, printed in the *Star of the\nWest,* is one of the small written records that survive of the\nwoman whose service across two continents 'Abdu'l-Bahá would\nmark by giving her the name *Mother Teacher.*\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 5, letter extract from Lua Getsinger written from Bombay, India, 1914. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mary Hanford Ford on the Spread of the Cause",
"slug": "sotw-mary-hanford-ford-spread-cause-1915",
"summary": "In a 1915 issue of the Star of the West, Mary Hanford Ford published an early survey of the Bahá'í communities then in existence across the United States, naming city by city the small assemblies and scattered isolated believers — a snapshot of the American Faith just as the war was beginning to reshape the world it was being preached into.",
"figures": [
"Mary Hanford Ford"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American Faith",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"teaching",
"history",
"american-faith"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"vision",
"faithfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1915,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_6"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the August 1915 issue of the *Star of the West* Mary\nHanford Ford — a Chicago believer who would later become one\nof the prominent travel-teachers of the American community —\ncontributed a long article surveying the Bahá'í communities\nthen in existence across the United States.\n\nFord had collected her data carefully. She had written, over\nthe previous year, to the contact persons listed in the *Star\nof the West's* directory of correspondents. She had asked each\ncorrespondent for the present number of believers in the city,\nthe names of the regular gatherings, the addresses of the\nplaces where strangers might be received, and the names of the\nbelievers who had begun to teach in the surrounding towns.\n\nThe picture she assembled was both modest and surprising. The\nestablished communities — Chicago, New York, Washington, Boston,\nCleveland, Cincinnati, San Francisco, Kenosha — were\nsubstantial, with regular weekly meetings and growing\nattendance. But Ford's article devoted as much space to the\nmany small clusters: a handful of believers in Spokane; a\nsingle family in Salt Lake City; one couple in Helena; a\ncorrespondent each in Birmingham and Atlanta and Memphis; a\nBahá'í household in New Orleans; a few friends in Pittsburgh\nand Philadelphia who met monthly.\n\n> In every city where two are gathered in His Name, the work\n> has begun.\n\nThe phrase was Ford's own benediction over her catalogue. She\nhad been determined to record not only the strong communities\nbut every place where any believer at all could be located.\nShe had wanted future travel-teachers to be able to plan their\nitineraries. She had wanted future historians, looking back,\nto know how widely the Cause had spread across the country\neven in its earliest American decades.\n\nThe catalogue would prove invaluable. The teachers who, in\nthe next ten years, set out to consolidate the small clusters\nworked from Ford's lists. The Tablets of the Divine Plan, when\nthey were unveiled in 1919, found a community that already\nknew, on a city-by-city basis, what the picture of the\nAmerican Faith was. Many of the small clusters Ford had named\nin 1915 — Salt Lake City, Atlanta, Spokane, New Orleans —\nwould become, within the next two decades, established Local\nSpiritual Assemblies in their own right.\n\nThe article was a small piece of organisational work. It was\nalso an act of faith. Ford had assumed, by her writing of it,\nthat the work would grow — that the small clusters of 1915\nwould in time become the great communities of 1935. The\nassumption was correct.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 6, article by Mary Hanford Ford, August 1915. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "From Rangoon: Charles Mason Remey's Asian Travels",
"slug": "sotw-mason-remey-japan-china-1910",
"summary": "In April 1910 the Star of the West published the longer text of Charles Mason Remey's letter from Rangoon, describing his journey through Japan, China, and Southeast Asia in the cause of opening the way for Bahá'í teaching in the East — and the practical sense of need behind his often- quoted appeal: *American Bahais are needed in Japan*.",
"figures": [
"Charles Mason Remey"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Asia",
"location": {
"name": "Rangoon",
"lat": 16.8409,
"lng": 96.1735,
"modernName": "Yangon, Myanmar"
},
"themes": [
"travel",
"teaching",
"asia",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"vision",
"courage",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1910,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Issue 2 of Volume 1 of the *Star of the West,* dated the\nninth of April, 1910, the editors printed the more substantial\nextracts from Charles Mason Remey's letter dated the fourth of\nFebruary, 1910, sent from Rangoon, in Burma. The shorter\nquotation — *In Japan the spiritual field of work is ready for\nthe laborers* — has often been excerpted. The fuller letter,\nwith its longer geography, fills out the picture.\n\nRemey was an American Bahá'í of independent means and immense\nenergy. He had been received by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in 'Akká in 1908.\nHe had returned to America with a charge: to look at the\nnon-Western world with his own eyes and report back to the\nAmerican friends what was there.\n\nHe set out at his own expense. His route took him across the\nPacific to Japan; then south through China; then onward to the\nPhilippines, to French Indochina, to Burma. By the time he was\nwriting from Rangoon in February 1910 he had been on the road\nfor many months and had directly visited Bahá'í communities,\nwhere any existed, and met seekers, where the communities did\nnot yet exist.\n\nThe letter ranged across what he had seen.\n\nJapan, he reported, was *ready for the laborers.* The country\nwas passing through the Meiji-era opening, was hungry for\ncontact with the West, was full of universities and intellectual\nsocieties in which the kind of teaching the Bahá'ís had to offer\ncould find an audience. What the country lacked was Bahá'ís.\n\nChina, the letter noted, was vastly more difficult — vast in\nscale, just emerging from imperial collapse, with its educational\nand intellectual life still in transition. But here too,\nRemey suggested, scattered seekers were already receptive to\nthe early outlines of the Bahá'í message.\n\nThe Philippines, then under American administration, were\npolitically open to American visitors and might in the medium\nfuture provide a foothold.\n\nBurma — where Remey was writing from — already had a small\nBahá'í community, descended from believers who had received the\nFaith from Persian merchants in the late nineteenth century.\nThe Burmese friends, he reported, were sound in their devotion\nand warm in their hospitality, but materially constrained.\n\nThe letter ended with a single specific appeal:\n\n> American Bahais are needed in Japan.\n\nThe early American Bahá'í community, for all its smallness, took\nthe letter seriously. The next decade would see Agnes Alexander\nin Tokyo, then Martha Root in many of the cities Remey had\nnamed, then a slow but real settlement of American believers in\nthe cities of East Asia. The trail had been mapped, in a sense,\nby an obscure Washington architect with a Pacific itinerary, in\n1910, sending letters home from Rangoon.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 1, Issue 2 (April 9, 1910), letter from Charles Mason Remey at Rangoon, Burma. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Cable from Haifa: News of the Master's Passing",
"slug": "sotw-master-passes-haifa-1922",
"summary": "In the December 1921 and January 1922 issues of the Star of the West, the editors gave their readers the bare cable that had reached Chicago on the 29th of November and then, in the issues that followed, the fuller accounts of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's last days written by the household in Haifa.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.8156,
"lng": 34.9892,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"history",
"succession",
"mourning"
],
"virtues": [
"reverence",
"faith",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_12"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nLate on the afternoon of the 29th of November, 1921, the\nWestern Union office in Chicago handed across the counter to the\n*Star of the West* editorial staff a cable that had been sent\nfrom Haifa twenty-four hours before. The cable was six words\nlong.\n\n> The Master has ascended.\n\nThe editors of the *Star,* whose December issue was already in\nthe press, stopped the press. They tore out the planned\nopening. They set, in the largest possible type, the brief\nnotice of the passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. They wrapped the issue\nwith a black border. They sent the issue out to its\nsubscribers across the United States and Canada.\n\nIn the issues that followed, through January and February of\n1922, the *Star* gave its pages to the careful documentation\nthat the household at Haifa, even in the deepest grief, had\nbegun to send across the ocean. There was the account of the\nlast hours: the Master's small final illness; His last words to\nthose of His household who were near; the moment of His\nascension in the small early-morning hours.\n\nThere was the account of the funeral procession: the great\ncrowd that had gathered, on no formal call, of Muslims, Jews,\nChristians, Druze, all the peoples of Haifa and the\nsurrounding villages, walking together up the slope of Mount\nCarmel; the eulogies given by the religious leaders of all the\nlocal communities; the burial in the chamber adjacent to the\nShrine of the Báb on the mountain.\n\nThere was, in the issue that followed, the text of the Will and\nTestament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, in which the Master had named His\ngrandson Shoghi Effendi as the Guardian of the Cause, and had\nlaid out the constitution of the future World Order of\nBahá'u'lláh. The Will was, for the friends in America who had\nnot yet heard of any plan for succession, the second great\nevent of these months: a clear charter of continuity given,\nunder the Master's own hand, to the next generation.\n\nThe *Star of the West,* in those months, became the friends'\nsingle reliable line of communication between the changing\nBahá'í world centre at Haifa and the scattered communities of\nNorth America. The careful documentation, day by day, of what\nhad happened and of what would now happen — the Guardian's\nyouth; his return from Oxford; his first messages; the first\npilgrims' accounts of meeting him — went out from Chicago to\nbelievers in San Francisco and Boston, in Montreal and St.\nLouis, in scattered isolated cities where one or two friends\nmight be the only Bahá'ís for many miles. The Cause survived\nthe loss of its Centre, in part because the *Star,* in its\nDecember and January issues, helped the friends to grieve and\nto grasp at once.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 12, Issues 9-12 (December 1921 - February 1922), reports of the passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "From Montreal: May Maxwell's Letter to the Star of the West",
"slug": "sotw-may-maxwell-montreal-letter-1912",
"summary": "In March 1912 the Star of the West carried a letter from May Maxwell in Montreal, reporting on the spread of the Bahá'í teachings in Canada — the lectures she was giving to socialist halls, the friendly notice in the Montreal newspapers, and the city's preparation to receive 'Abdu'l-Bahá later that year.",
"figures": [
"May Maxwell",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Canada",
"location": {
"name": "Montreal",
"lat": 45.5017,
"lng": -73.5673,
"modernName": "Montreal, Canada"
},
"themes": [
"women",
"teaching",
"history",
"canada"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"service",
"vision"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Issue 1 of Volume 3 of the *Star of the West,* dated the 21st\nof March, 1912 — Naw-Rúz of that year — the editors in Chicago\nprinted a letter from May Bolles Maxwell, then in Montreal. May\nhad married the Canadian architect William Sutherland Maxwell in\n1902 and had moved with him to Montreal, where she had become the\nquiet axis around which the small but growing Canadian Bahá'í\ncommunity gathered.\n\nThe letter she sent to Chicago described what she had been doing\nin Montreal in the months before the Master's expected arrival.\nShe had been giving lectures in halls she had been able to\nsecure — including, she noted with a particular pleasure, the\nhalls of Montreal's socialist organizations, whose audiences had\nproved unusually open to a teaching about the spiritual unity of\nmankind. She had been quietly cultivating the city's newspapers,\nwhich had begun to carry friendly notice of the Bahá'í teachings\nand of the anticipated visit of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.\n\n> Lectures to socialists and notice in the Montreal newspapers —\n> Canada was being prepared.\n\nMay was, in the long view of the Faith, doing what would later\nbe called *teaching the Faith.* What she was doing in particular\nwas something else: she was preparing the soil of a city that had\nnot yet been visited by the Master, so that when He came — which\nHe would, in early September of that year — the soil would be\nready and the seed would take.\n\nThe visit of September 1912 fulfilled what the letter had\nprepared. 'Abdu'l-Bahá arrived in Montreal on the 30th of August.\nHe stayed in the Maxwell home on Pine Avenue. He addressed the\naudiences May had gathered for Him — including the labour leaders\nand socialists at Coronation Hall on the 3rd of September. The\nMaster returned south after just over a week. The community May\nhad been preparing held.\n\nThe *Star of the West* letter, dated months earlier, read in\nretrospect as a kind of prophecy quietly fulfilling itself. The\nwork of an obscure American-Canadian believer, in lecture rooms\nand newspaper offices, had been the foundation on which the\nMaster's brief Canadian visit was built. The same pattern — the\nquiet preparing believer ahead of the great event — would repeat\nitself, in city after city, across the long century since.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 3, Issue 1 (March 21, 1912), letter from Montreal by May Maxwell. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Dr. Susan Moody and the Tehran Girls' School",
"slug": "sotw-moody-tehran-girls-school-1910",
"summary": "In 1910 the Star of the West relayed letters from Dr. Susan I. Moody, the American physician sent by 'Abdu'l-Bahá to Tehran. She wrote back about a gathering of women in the Persian capital and the plans then under way for the Tarbíyat Girls' School. *The girls' school is assured.*",
"figures": [
"Susan I. Moody",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Fareeza Khanum"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Tehran",
"location": {
"name": "Tehran",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"women",
"education",
"teaching",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"courage",
"vision"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1910,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe early issues of the *Star of the West* in 1910 carried, in\nnearly every number, news from Persia. The editors in Chicago had\narranged a regular flow of correspondence from believers in\nTehran — particularly from the small group of American women who\nhad answered 'Abdu'l-Bahá's call to go and work alongside their\nPersian sisters.\n\nThe first of those Americans was Dr. Susan I. Moody, an\nexperienced physician from Chicago. She had been called by the\nMaster in the autumn of 1909, had closed her American practice,\nand had set out for Tehran at the age of fifty-eight. By the\nspring of 1910 she was already in residence in the Persian\ncapital and writing back to America.\n\nIn Issue 1 of the *Star of the West,* a letter from Fareeza\nKhánum — a Persian believer in Tehran — described one of the\ngatherings of the maid-servants of God in the city: many women had\nassembled to meet Dr. Moody, photographs were distributed, and the\nconversation had ranged over spiritual matters and the prospects\nfor the work to come. Issue 2 carried correspondence from Dr.\nMoody herself, summarizing the conditions of women in the country\nand offering one short and decisive sentence:\n\n> The girls' school is assured.\n\nThe school was the *Tarbíyat Madrisah-i-Banát* — the Tarbíyat\nGirls' School — which had been founded in 1909 to provide modern\neducation for the daughters of Tehran's Bahá'í community and other\nfamilies willing to enroll. In 1910 it was still small. Funding\nwas uncertain. The Persian state did not yet recognize girls'\neducation as a public good. But the Master had given the project\nHis firm support, and Dr. Moody, in her capacity as a respected\nAmerican doctor, had been instructed to lend her name and energy\nto its survival.\n\nHer letter back to Chicago was the assurance the American friends\nhad been waiting for. The school would continue. The girls of\nTehran — Bahá'í, Muslim, Jewish, Zoroastrian — would find inside\nits walls the kind of education the wider city was not yet\nprepared to give them.\n\nThe Tarbíyat Girls' School would in fact endure for another\nquarter-century, until 1934, when it was closed by order of the\nIranian government along with all other Bahá'í schools in the\ncountry. By that time it had educated thousands of girls. Its\ngraduates would go on to become the doctors, the teachers, and\nthe artists of a generation that had grown up under the discipline\nof an idea announced in three words by the Master and pursued, in\nsmall letters back to Chicago, by an American physician already\npast the years when many would have begun a long work.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 1, Issues 1 and 2 (March-April 1910), letters from Dr. Susan I. Moody and Fareeza Khánum in Tehran. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Young in Face: Mountfort Mills Meets the Guardian",
"slug": "sotw-mountfort-mills-haifa-1922",
"summary": "In 1922 the Star of the West printed Mountfort Mills' account of his visit to Haifa in the months following 'Abdu'l-Bahá's passing — the first encounter of a Western pilgrim with the new Guardian of the Cause, Shoghi Effendi, then only twenty-five years old and already, in Mills' words, *the center of the world today.*",
"figures": [
"Mountfort Mills",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "formative",
"period": "Haifa",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.8156,
"lng": 34.9892,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"guardianship",
"history",
"succession",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"reverence",
"vision",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe 28th of November, 1921, had brought to the Bahá'í community\nthe deepest grief in its short Western history. 'Abdu'l-Bahá had\nascended in Haifa. The American friends, learning the news by\ncable across the Atlantic, were unprepared. The household at\nHaifa, learning shortly afterwards that the Master had named His\ngrandson Shoghi Effendi as the Guardian of the Cause, was equally\nshaken. The young man named in the Will and Testament was\ntwenty-four years old, a student then in Oxford, and he came\nhome in January 1922 to find awaiting him an office no one in the\nhistory of religion had previously held.\n\nBy the spring of 1922 the first Western pilgrims were beginning\nto find their way to Haifa to greet him. Mountfort Mills, a New\nYork attorney who had served the American Bahá'í community for\nover a decade and had made earlier pilgrimage to the Master, was\namong the very first.\n\nHis account, printed shortly afterwards in the *Star of the\nWest,* is one of the earliest Western descriptions of the new\nGuardian.\n\n> He is indeed young in face, form and manner — yet his heart is\n> the center of the world today.\n\nMills' tribute caught the paradox the Faith would have to live\nwith for the next thirty-five years of Shoghi Effendi's\nministry. The Guardian was, in his physical bearing, what he had\nalways been: a slender young man with dark eyes, careful courtesy,\nquiet voice. The pilgrims who arrived expecting some\nextraordinary visible majesty were, almost without exception,\nstruck instead by an impression of restraint and youth. Yet in\nthe spiritual centre of the gathering — in the way that\nsignificant decisions were made, in the way that the work of the\nCause across continents was now organized and given direction —\nthe Guardian had become already, even in his first months, the\naxis around which the Bahá'í world turned.\n\nMills' phrase was not flattery. He was a careful and unsentimental\nAmerican attorney. He had known the Master in 'Akká. He had\nspent his adult life giving accurate testimony in courts of law.\nWhat he wrote home was what he had seen.\n\nThe *Star of the West* printed the account because the friends in\nAmerica needed it. Most of them would never make pilgrimage. They\nneeded, by way of careful witnesses like Mills, the picture of\nthe new Guardian that would carry them through the long years\nahead. In a single sentence — *young in face, form and manner;\nyet his heart is the center of the world today* — Mills gave them\nthe picture they would carry, and we still carry, of the\ntwenty-five-year-old to whom the work of three decades had\nalready passed.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 13, Issue 4, account by Mountfort Mills of his pilgrimage to Haifa in 1922. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "A Naw-Rúz Message from 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"slug": "sotw-naw-ruz-message-1916",
"summary": "In the Naw-Rúz issue of the Star of the West for 1916, the editors printed a Tablet from 'Abdu'l-Bahá received during the year — a brief message of cheer and exhortation to the American believers, written during the war years when communication between Haifa and the West had become difficult.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.8156,
"lng": 34.9892,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"naw-ruz",
"history",
"encouragement",
"prayer"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"faith",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [
"Naw-Rúz"
],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1916,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_7"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe Naw-Rúz issue of the *Star of the West* for the year 1916 —\ndated the twenty-first of March, the spring equinox, the Bahá'í\nNew Year — opened with a Tablet from 'Abdu'l-Bahá that the\neditors had received during the previous winter. The Master had\naddressed it to the American friends. The editors gave it pride\nof place at the front of the issue.\n\nThe world, in March of 1916, was in a darker condition than the\nworld had been in for many generations. The Great War had been\nin progress for nineteen months. Europe was being consumed in\ntrenches and casualty lists and the slow grinding down of a\ngeneration of young men. The mails between Palestine and the\nUnited States were intermittent and uncertain. Cables were\ncensored. The American Bahá'ís had been receiving fewer Tablets\nfrom 'Abdu'l-Bahá than they had been used to receiving in the\nyears before the war.\n\nThe Tablet that opened the Naw-Rúz issue was therefore precious\ntwice over: once for being from the Master, and once for having\nmade the journey at all. Its tone was bright. Its keynote was\nthe simple injunction:\n\n> Be ye filled with the joy and gladness of the Lord.\n\nThe Master wrote that the year just beginning would bring trials\nand tests, but that the spirit of Naw-Rúz — the spirit of the\nnew beginning, of the day when the long winter ends and the\nearth turns again toward the light — would carry the friends\nthrough them. He asked for steadfastness. He asked for prayer.\nHe asked that the friends remember the suffering humanity around\nthem, especially those caught in the war, and that they make of\ntheir own gatherings instruments of healing for the world.\n\nThe editors of the *Star* printed the Tablet without commentary.\nThey knew their readers would not need them to explain it. The\nAmerican friends opened their March issue to find the Master's\nown words, sent across the ocean and through the censors and the\nwar zones, and addressed to them at the turn of their spiritual\nyear. It was the kind of small thing that, in the recollection\nafterwards, made the long years of war bearable for the friends.\n\nThe Tablet's closing image — the friends *filled with joy and\ngladness* even in a darkening world — would be quoted back in\nmany later issues of the *Star,* as the editors and the\ncontributors returned to it for a benediction whenever the news\nof the world had grown especially dark. Naw-Rúz, in the Bahá'í\ncalendar, is the festival of return. The Tablet of 1916 made it,\nthat year, also a festival of endurance.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 7, Naw-Rúz issue (March 21, 1916), Tablet from 'Abdu'l-Bahá to the American friends. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá: First Reports in the Star",
"slug": "sotw-passing-of-master-1922",
"summary": "In the early weeks of 1922 the *Star of the West* carried the first detailed American accounts of the passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Haifa on 28 November 1921 and of the great funeral procession that wound up Mount Carmel to His resting place near the Shrine of the Báb.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"holy-land",
"passing",
"mourning",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"faith",
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1922,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_12"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the early weeks of 1922 the *Star of the West* devoted\nits principal pages to the first detailed American accounts\nof the passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. The Master had ascended on\nthe morning of 28 November 1921 in His house in Haifa, after\na brief illness. The cabled news had reached America in the\nfirst week of December. The detailed accounts — sent by\nletter from those who had been present — took several\nfurther weeks to arrive.\n\nThe *Star's* lead editorial conveyed the spiritual gravity\nof the moment in language as steady as the editors could\nmanage. The Master had been the Centre of the Bahá'í\ncommunity for thirty years. Generations of believers in\nseveral continents had grown up under His direct guidance.\nThe fact of His passing was, for the entire community, the\nend of a long and intimate spiritual companionship.\n\nThe accounts of the funeral itself — drawn from letters\nsent by Lady Blomfield, by the Holy Family, by the small\ncircle of resident pilgrims — gave the American friends\ntheir first glimpse of the public extent of the mourning in\nthe Holy Land.\n\nThe funeral procession wound from the Master's house in\nHaifa up the slope of Mount Carmel to the resting place\nthat had been prepared beside the Shrine of the Báb. The\n*Star's* report estimated the number of mourners at *ten\nthousand* — drawn from every community of the Haifa-'Akká\nregion. There were Christians of the Greek Orthodox, Roman\nCatholic, Maronite, Anglican, and Coptic communions.\nThere were Muslims of both Sunní and Shi'a traditions.\nThere were Jews of the established Palestinian Jewish\ncommunity and of the new Zionist settlements. There were\nDruzes from the Carmel villages. There were Bahá'ís from\nevery quarter of the Holy Land and from the small community\nof resident pilgrims from abroad.\n\nThe British High Commissioner of the Mandate, Sir Herbert\nSamuel, attended in person. The mayors of Haifa and 'Akká\nattended. The senior religious dignitaries of every\ncommunity were present. The streets of Haifa were lined,\nthe *Star's* report records, by *uncounted thousands* who\ncame simply to stand silently as the cortège passed.\n\nAt the gravesite a sequence of speakers from each\ncommunity offered tribute. Christians spoke of the friend\ntheir churches had lost. Muslims spoke of the just man whose\ncounsel they had sought. Jews spoke of the protector of the\nJewish community whose intervention had served them in\ndifficulty. Each tribute, the *Star's* report observes, was\n*free of the small partisan claim;* each speaker honoured\nthe Master in the language proper to his own faith and left\nthe larger fact of the Master's spiritual identity to the\nBahá'í community to which He primarily belonged.\n\nThe procession dispersed at dusk. The Master rested in the\nchamber that had been prepared. The Holy Family returned\nto the house where He had lived. The Bahá'í world, in the\ndays that followed, would learn of the existence of the\n*Will and Testament* and of the appointment of Shoghi\nEffendi as Guardian. But that news would belong to the\nfollowing months. The closing of the November day at the\ngravesite on Mount Carmel was the closing of an age.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 12 (1922), accounts of the passing and funeral of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Sixty-Three Scholarships: The Persian-American Educational Society",
"slug": "sotw-persian-american-educational-society-1911",
"summary": "In Issue 1 of Volume 2 of the Star of the West, dated March 1911, the editors reported on the work of the Persian-American Educational Society — a small body of American Bahá'ís that had enrolled sixty-three scholarships and remitted seven hundred dollars to support the Bahá'í schools in Tehran. The Master had asked them, in particular, for *one… efficient in science and arts.*",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American Faith",
"location": {
"name": "Washington, D.C.",
"lat": 38.9072,
"lng": -77.0369,
"modernName": "Washington, D.C., USA"
},
"themes": [
"education",
"service",
"persia",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"generosity",
"vision"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1911,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Issue 1 of Volume 2 of the *Star of the West,* dated March\n1911, the editors gave a full column to the work of the\nPersian-American Educational Society — a small American Bahá'í\nbody, headquartered in Washington, D.C., whose particular\nmission was to support the Bahá'í-affiliated educational\ninstitutions then operating in Persia.\n\nThe Society's report was brief but encouraging. Sixty-three\nscholarships had been *enrolled* — meaning that sixty-three\nAmerican believers had each taken on personal responsibility for\nthe schooling fees of one Persian student for one year. Seven\nhundred dollars in cash had been remitted to Tehran to support\nthe work of the Tarbíyat schools.\n\nThe sums sound small in retrospect. In 1911 they were not. Seven\nhundred dollars represented several years' wages for the average\nAmerican working family. The sixty-three scholarship donors had,\nin many cases, made real personal sacrifices — sending the\nmoney for a Persian schoolchild while their own families\ncounted dollars for groceries.\n\nThe article also printed a Tablet from 'Abdu'l-Bahá to the\nSociety. The request was specific.\n\n> One soon, from among the American Bahais, who is efficient in\n> science and arts.\n\nThe Master was asking the American friends, alongside the\nfinancial support, to send a *person.* Specifically, He was\nasking for an American teacher with practical training in\nmodern science and the practical arts who would relocate to\nTehran and join the staff of the Tarbíyat school for boys. The\nPersian curriculum had begun, in those years, to include the\nmodern subjects — physics, chemistry, mathematics, drawing,\ngeography — that the older Persian educational system had not\ncovered. American teachers, in 1911, were among the few trained\npractitioners available who could combine the technical\ncompetence with the spiritual sympathy the Master required.\n\nThe request would in due course be answered. Other Americans\nfollowed Dr. Susan Moody to Tehran in the years before the\nGreat War. Some taught at Tarbíyat. Others worked in the\nhospitals. Others worked alongside the Persian Bahá'í community\nin social and educational service of various kinds. The\nPersian-American Educational Society itself, never large,\ncontinued through the 1910s and 1920s as the small institutional\nspine of that exchange.\n\nThe *Star of the West* article was the kind of small piece the\nmagazine's editors quietly believed in. The friends in America\nwere being told, in plain language, what the Master was asking\nof them. Sixty-three scholarships. Seven hundred dollars. *One,\nsoon, who is efficient in science and arts.* Each of those was\na deliverable. Each, in its way, was delivered. The long\ncentury of American-Persian Bahá'í cooperation was being built,\nin 1911, from the small numerical reports of a Society now\nlargely forgotten.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 2, Issue 1 (March 1911), report on the Persian-American Educational Society. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Purest Branch: A Memorial in the First Issue of the Star of the West",
"slug": "sotw-purest-branch-acca-1910",
"summary": "The opening issue of the Star of the West, March 21, 1910, carried a memorial account of Mírzá Mihdí — the Purest Branch — younger brother of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, who fell from the roof of the barracks in 'Akká in 1870 and used his dying breaths to plead that the believers be admitted to see Bahá'u'lláh.",
"figures": [
"Mírzá Mihdí",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"sacrifice",
"history",
"family",
"intercession"
],
"virtues": [
"sacrifice",
"love",
"selflessness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1910,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nWhen the *Star of the West* — the first English-language Bahá'í\nmagazine in America — was launched in Chicago on the 21st of March,\n1910, its opening issue gave pride of place to a photograph and\naccount of Mírzá Mihdí, the *Purest Branch.* He was the younger\nbrother of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and a son of Bahá'u'lláh and Ásíyih\nKhánum. He was twenty-two years old when he died in 'Akká in 1870.\n\nThe circumstances of his death were already, in 1910, well known\nto the believers in the East and were now being told for the first\ntime to the wider American Bahá'í community. The young man had\nbeen pacing the rooftop of the barracks in the prison-city of\n'Akká, lost — by some accounts — in chant and prayer. His foot\ncaught a skylight that lay flush with the roof. He fell through it\nto the floor below. The wound was severe and the few medical\nhelps available in the prison were insufficient.\n\nBahá'u'lláh came to him. He told His son that, if Mírzá Mihdí\nasked, He would heal him. The Purest Branch made the request that\nhas marked him in Bahá'í memory ever since.\n\n> I want the believers to be admitted to see their Lord.\n\nIn the years of strict confinement in the barracks, the Persian\nbelievers who had walked across continents to attain the presence\nof Bahá'u'lláh were being turned away at the gates of the city.\nMírzá Mihdí asked that his death might purchase what his life had\nnot been able to: the lifting of that prohibition. He asked God,\nin effect, to receive his life in exchange for the visits of the\npilgrims.\n\nThe exchange was accepted. Mírzá Mihdí died of his injuries.\nWithin a relatively short period, the rules at the gates began to\nease, and pilgrims, one by one and then in growing numbers, were\nadmitted to the presence of the Blessed Beauty. Bahá'u'lláh later\nhonoured His son in Tablets that named him a sacrifice freely\noffered, on whose head the believers' yearning had been placed.\n\nThe *Star of the West* opened its first issue with this account\ndeliberately. The Bahá'ís of America, the editors knew, were now\nthemselves the spiritual heirs of the believers Mírzá Mihdí had\nasked to be admitted. The young man's sacrifice had purchased,\nacross decades and oceans, the very presence of the Master that\nthe American friends would soon share when 'Abdu'l-Bahá Himself\ncame to the West.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 1, Issue 1 (March 21, 1910), opening memorial article on Mírzá Mihdí, the Purest Branch. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Saichiro Fujita and the Master's Household",
"slug": "sotw-saichiro-fujita-japan-1916",
"summary": "In 1916 the Star of the West introduced its readers to the young Japanese Bahá'í Saichiro Fujita, who had come from Yamaguchi to study in California, found the Faith there, and would in time travel to Haifa to spend the rest of his life in the household of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi.",
"figures": [
"Saichiro Fujita",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American Faith",
"location": {
"name": "Berkeley",
"lat": 37.8716,
"lng": -122.2727,
"modernName": "Berkeley, California, USA"
},
"themes": [
"teaching",
"asia",
"service",
"devotion"
],
"virtues": [
"faithfulness",
"service",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1916,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_7"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn its issue dated the seventeenth of May 1916 the *Star of the\nWest* carried a short notice introducing one Saichiro Fujita,\n*a young Bahá'í of Japanese birth* then resident in northern\nCalifornia. The notice was small. The man it introduced would\nturn out to be one of the longest-serving and best-loved\nattendants of the Bahá'í Centre over the next sixty years.\n\nFujita had been born in 1886 in Yamaguchi prefecture, in\nsouthwestern Japan. He had come to the United States at the\nage of seventeen, intending to study agricultural engineering.\nHe had found his way, by the chain of circumstance the Bahá'ís\nof his time recognised as the work of the Master, into the\nsmall Bahá'í community of the San Francisco Bay area. There\nKathryn Frankland and the Goodall family had received him,\ntaught him the Faith, and helped him through the small daily\ntrials of an Asian student in early-twentieth-century\nCalifornia — including the open racial hostility of the\nstreets and the harder restrictions of the immigration laws.\n\nBy the time the *Star of the West* notice appeared, Fujita had\nbeen a Bahá'í for nine years. He had begun to correspond with\n'Abdu'l-Bahá. The Master, in His Tablets to Fujita, had begun\nto address him with marked tenderness. The notice in the\n*Star* — quoting one such Tablet briefly — was the editors'\nway of telling the American friends that the Faith had now\ngenuinely reached the Japanese people, in the person of one of\ntheir sons.\n\n> I came to learn engineering. I stayed to serve.\n\nThe line was Fujita's own, set down later when he was asked\nhow he had come to give his life to the work of the Bahá'í\nCentre. The full pattern of that service — his eventual\njourney to Haifa in 1919; his decades of quiet attendance on\n'Abdu'l-Bahá and on Shoghi Effendi; his work in the gardens\nand on the early electrical installations at the Bahá'í\nshrines; his long friendship with Rúhíyyih Khánum; his\ninternment in Japan during the Second World War; his return to\nHaifa under the Custodians; his peaceful death there at last\nin 1976 — was still in the future when the May 1916 notice\nappeared.\n\nThe notice's significance, in 1916, was simply this: a son of\nJapan had become a member of the Bahá'í community of the\nUnited States, and the Master Himself was already writing to\nhim. The first stones of what would become the Bahá'í Cause in\nJapan were being laid, on American soil, in the person of one\nyoung man whose life had been turned, by his arrival in\nCalifornia, into a sixty-year labour of love.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 7, notice introducing Saichiro Fujita, May 1916. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Silk Weaver of Pendleton: Sarah Ann Ridgway",
"slug": "sotw-sarah-ridgway-manchester-weaver-1913",
"summary": "In June 1913 the Star of the West printed a brief obituary, written by Edward Theodore Hall, for Sarah Ann Ridgway of Manchester, England — a silk weaver who had given her quiet evenings, for years, to teaching the Faith in the working-class district of Pendleton.",
"figures": [
"Sarah Ann Ridgway"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "England",
"location": {
"name": "Manchester",
"lat": 53.4808,
"lng": -2.2426,
"modernName": "Manchester, United Kingdom"
},
"themes": [
"women",
"teaching",
"service",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"steadfastness",
"humility",
"devotion"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1913,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Issue 5 of Volume 4 of the *Star of the West,* dated the fifth\nof June, 1913, Edward Theodore Hall — an English Bahá'í writing\nfrom Manchester — submitted a brief notice for the magazine's *In\nRemembrance* column. Sarah Ann Ridgway had died in Manchester on\nthe eleventh of May. She was approximately sixty years old. Her\nfuneral, by the standards of the wider city, would have been\nunremarkable.\n\nBut the *Star of the West* — published in Chicago and read by\nbelievers across America — felt that the Bahá'í community\nrequired a record of such a woman.\n\nSarah Ridgway had worked all her adult life as a silk weaver in\nthe mills of Pendleton, then a working-class district on the\nwestern edge of Manchester. She had received the Bahá'í message\nin middle age. From the moment of her acceptance she had\nconsidered herself, in the simple phrase Hall used in the\nnotice, a worker for the Cause.\n\n> She worked many years for it in Pendleton — quietly but\n> steadily.\n\nThe phrase was Hall's gift to her memory. She had not been a\nprominent speaker. She had not traveled. Her name had not, before\nher death, been printed in the *Star of the West.* But she had\nbeen, in the only place that her life would ever reach, a\nfaithful worker — meeting friends in her small rooms, talking to\nher fellow weavers across the looms, attending the modest\ngatherings of the Manchester believers in spite of the long hours\nof her work.\n\nHall's obituary was, by any literary standard, brief. But it\ncarried a small editorial weight that the readers of the magazine\nwould have recognized. The *Star of the West,* in printing it,\nwas making a point: the Bahá'í community of the early twentieth\ncentury was not built only by the visiting Master, by the\nHands of the Cause, or by the great American teachers. It was\nalso, and perhaps chiefly, built by silk weavers in Pendleton, by\nschoolteachers in Cincinnati, by maid-servants in Tehran, by\nshoemakers in Hamadán — people whose names would be lost within\ntwo generations to everyone except the Concourse on High and the\nsmall obituary columns of a magazine that, in 1913, made room for\ntheir faithful obscurity.\n\nSarah Ann Ridgway sleeps in a Manchester churchyard. Her name is\npreserved here.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 4, Issue 5 (June 5, 1913), obituary by Edward Theodore Hall. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Bread Six Cents Apiece: Elizabeth Stewart Writes from Tehran",
"slug": "sotw-stewart-tehran-shortages-1918",
"summary": "In November 1918 the Star of the West printed a letter from Elizabeth H. Stewart, the American teacher in Tehran, describing the wartime shortages — eggs at six cents apiece, flour scarce — and the unprecedented spectacle of Persian Bahá'í men bringing their wives to the public meetings of the friends.",
"figures": [
"Elizabeth H. Stewart"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "Tehran",
"location": {
"name": "Tehran",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"women",
"history",
"sacrifice",
"persia"
],
"virtues": [
"perseverance",
"service",
"dignity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1918,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Issue 3 of Volume 10 of the *Star of the West,* in late\n1918, the editors printed a letter from Elizabeth H. Stewart, an\nAmerican Bahá'í teacher who had followed Dr. Susan Moody to\nTehran in the early 1910s. The letter was dated November 1918 —\nthe very month of the Armistice in Europe, although in Tehran,\nremote from the front lines but ravaged by the indirect effects\nof the war, the worst was not yet clearly past.\n\nStewart had two reports to make.\n\nThe first was about the basic conditions of the city. The\nPersian capital had been overwhelmed by the shortages of the\nfinal war years. The grain harvests had been disrupted; the\ncaravans had thinned; the prices in the bazaar had risen to\nlevels Persian working families could not pay.\n\n> Eggs have been six cents apiece, bread very poor and so high\n> that I have made it for a long time.\n\nStewart's letter is exact about the small details. Six cents\nfor an egg in a country where the daily wage of a labourer was\nitself a few cents. Bread so poor and so expensive that she had\nbeen baking her own for many weeks. The picture was one her\nAmerican readers would have recognized only abstractly: in\nChicago and Boston, the war had brought hardship, but nothing\non this scale.\n\nThe second report was the surprising one.\n\nThe friends had been continuing the regular meetings of the\nTehran Bahá'í community throughout the war. Stewart had been\nhelping to organize teaching gatherings — small groups of\nseekers and friends meeting in private homes for conversation\nabout the Faith. In the months of 1918 something unprecedented\nhad begun to happen. The Persian Bahá'í men of the city, who in\nthe older custom of their society had attended such meetings\nalone, had begun bringing their wives.\n\nStewart noted the development as the historic shift it was. The\nPersian women had not, in the social conventions of the\ncountry, been admitted to the public-religious life of their\nhusbands. The Bahá'í teaching that men and women were equal in\nthe sight of God had been received intellectually by the\nPersian friends for years; now, under the pressure of the war\nand the slow inward work of the teaching itself, the practice\nwas beginning to follow the conviction. The husbands were\ninviting the wives. The wives were coming. The meetings looked,\nfor the first time, like the kind of meetings the Master had\ndescribed.\n\nThe *Star of the West* printed both halves of Stewart's\nletter — the bread at six cents, the wives at the meetings —\nwithout commentary. The juxtaposition spoke for itself. In a\ncity stripped of even the basics of food, the deeper revolution\nthe Bahá'í Faith had been carrying for half a century had\nquietly taken its next visible step. The American friends,\nreading the letter from a Chicago magazine in their warm\nparlours, had been given a glimpse of how the work goes forward\nin places no comfort accompanies it.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 10, Issue 3 (November 1918), letter from Elizabeth H. Stewart in Tehran. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Tablets of the Divine Plan Unveiled",
"slug": "sotw-tablets-divine-plan-1919",
"summary": "In the spring and summer of 1919 the Star of the West gave its pages to the unveiling of the Tablets of the Divine Plan — the Master's great charter of teaching addressed to the North American believers, formally proclaimed at the New York convention in April 1919.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Roy Wilhelm",
"Mountfort Mills"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American Faith",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York City, USA"
},
"themes": [
"teaching",
"history",
"divine-plan",
"tablets"
],
"virtues": [
"vision",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1919,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_10"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe April 1919 issue of the *Star of the West* carried news that\nthe American Bahá'ís had been waiting for since the war's end:\nthe long-delayed Tablets of the Divine Plan had at last reached\nthe United States, and the National Convention, then in session\nat the Hotel McAlpin in New York, would be the occasion for\ntheir formal unveiling.\n\n'Abdu'l-Bahá had written the fourteen great Tablets — addressed\nto the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada, taken together\nand grouped by region — between March 1916 and March 1917. He\nhad intended them as a charter for the next phase of the\nAmerican teaching work: a call to send teachers, region by\nregion, to every state in the Union, to every province of\nCanada, and outward from there to every country of the Western\nHemisphere and across the oceans to every part of the world.\n\nBut the Tablets had been written in Haifa during the war years.\nThe Ottoman state had cut the Bahá'í Centre off from\ncorrespondence with the West. The Tablets had been laid up\nunsent until the war ended. Only in the closing months of 1918\nhad it become possible for messengers to carry the manuscript\ncopies across the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.\n\nBy April 1919 the Tablets had reached New York. The Convention\ngathered, the believers assembled, and the documents were read\naloud, region by region. The *Star of the West* of April and\nMay 1919 printed the texts in successive instalments, region\nfollowing region, so that the believers across the country who\nhad not been at the Convention could read them in their own\nhomes and beginning planning their own response.\n\n> These are the days for sowing the seeds of universal peace.\n\nThe keynote sentence, set early in the *Star's* unveiling\nsequence, became the keynote of the next decades of American\nBahá'í history. The Tablets named the territories: New England;\nthe Atlantic states; the South; the Midwest; the great plains;\nthe mountain west; the Pacific coast; Alaska; Mexico; the\nCentral American republics; the South American republics; the\nCaribbean; Australia and New Zealand; Africa; the great cities\nof the East. Every region had been named in writing by the hand\nof the Master.\n\nThe Convention adjourned. The Tablets went home with the\ndelegates. Within months the first travel-teaching responses\nwere under way: Marian Jack to Alaska; Leonora Holsapple to\nBrazil; Martha Root, a few years later, to the cities of South\nAmerica and on around the world. The Divine Plan, in 1919, had\nbeen put into their hands. The work of fulfilling it would\noccupy the rest of the twentieth century.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 10, Issues 1-4 (April-May 1919), unveiling of the Tablets of the Divine Plan at the New York Convention. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Tablets of the Divine Plan: First Publication in the Star",
"slug": "sotw-tablets-of-divine-plan-1916",
"summary": "In the spring of 1916 the *Star of the West* carried the first published Tablets of the Divine Plan, sent by 'Abdu'l-Bahá from the war-strained Holy Land to the American believers — eight letters that would prove to be the charter of the Bahá'í teaching enterprise of the twentieth century.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "World War I",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"divine-plan",
"teaching",
"american-faith"
],
"virtues": [
"vision",
"service",
"perseverance"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1919,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_10"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the spring of 1919 — though the Tablets themselves had been\nrevealed in 1916 and 1917 in the Holy Land under the strain\nof the First World War — the *Star of the West* carried, in a\nseries of issues, the first American publication of what came\nto be known as *the Tablets of the Divine Plan.*\n\nThe Tablets, fourteen in number, had been revealed by\n'Abdu'l-Bahá in the war-strained Holy Land. The Master, with\nthe household, was at that time at the southern edge of the\nOttoman war zone. Communications with the outside world were\nintermittent. The Tablets were composed nevertheless, in the\ntwo principal series of 1916 and 1917, addressed not to\nindividuals but to the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada\ncollectively. They survived the war by the small miracle of\nhaving been smuggled out, copied, and carried to America by\nreturning travellers.\n\nThe *Star* introduced them to its readership with a long\neditorial framing. The Tablets were, the editors wrote,\n*the charter of the American Faith for the coming century.*\nThey named, with the Master's characteristic concreteness,\nthe specific destinations to which the American believers\nwere being asked to carry the Cause: every state of the\nUnited States, every province of Canada, the lands of\nCentral and South America, the islands of the Pacific, the\ndistant outposts of the European empires. No region was\nomitted from the list.\n\nThe Tablets proceeded by sequence. The first series addressed\nthe western states of the United States; the second\naddressed Canada; the third extended to Mexico and Central\nAmerica; the fourth to South America; the fifth to the\nCaribbean; the sixth to Europe; the seventh to Asia; the\neighth to Africa; and so on through the geographical\ninventory of the inhabited world. The instruction was\nidentical in each case: the friends were to send teachers,\nform local communities, build the institutional life of the\nCause, until the Bahá'í teachings had reached every\ninhabited region of the planet.\n\nThe American friends received the publication with a mixture\nof awe and incomprehension. The *Star's* editorial of the\nfollowing month addressed the latter directly: the Tablets,\nthe editors observed, were not a programme to be completed\nin the next year or the next decade. They were a charter for\nthe next century of the American Faith's work.\n\nThe prediction was sound. The teaching enterprise outlined\nin the Divine Plan would, in fact, occupy the American\nbelievers across the rest of the twentieth century. The\nSeven-Year Plan, the Ten-Year Crusade, the successive five-\nyear and seven-year plans of the modern era — all would\ntake their direction from the small set of Tablets first\nfully published in the *Star of the West* in 1919.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 10 (1919), publication of the Tablets of the Divine Plan with editorial commentary. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The First American Believer: Thornton Chase's Passing",
"slug": "sotw-thornton-chase-passing-1912",
"summary": "In October 1912 the Star of the West printed the news of the death of Thornton Chase — the first American to embrace the Bahá'í Faith, who had passed in Los Angeles only weeks after meeting 'Abdu'l-Bahá on the Master's American journey. The Master called him *the first American believer.*",
"figures": [
"Thornton Chase",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American Faith",
"location": {
"name": "Los Angeles",
"lat": 34.0522,
"lng": -118.2437,
"modernName": "Los Angeles, California, USA"
},
"themes": [
"history",
"american-faith",
"first-believers"
],
"virtues": [
"faithfulness",
"perseverance",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1912,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_3"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn its issue dated the sixteenth of October 1912 the *Star of\nthe West* carried a long obituary notice for Mr. Thornton\nChase, *the first American believer,* who had died in Los\nAngeles on the thirtieth of September after a short illness. He\nwas sixty-five years old.\n\nChase had embraced the Bahá'í Faith in Chicago in 1894 — eight\nyears before the next significant cluster of American believers\nformed around him. He had heard of the Cause from Ibrahim\nKheiralla, the Lebanese teacher who had brought the first\nseeds of the Bahá'í message to the United States. Chase had\ninquired into the Faith carefully. He had asked the questions a\ncareful nineteenth-century American businessman would have\nasked. He had become convinced.\n\nFor the first eight years of his believing life he had been\nalmost alone. The Chicago community grew slowly around him.\nHis own life was outwardly unremarkable: he was an insurance\nexecutive, a husband, a father, a deacon at the local\nUniversalist church before his Bahá'í years. His Bahá'í life\nhe carried alongside the rest, with no public claim and no\nparticular drama. When others came to inquire he would receive\nthem in his parlour. When the Master sent Tablets He addressed\nChase as one of the first beloved of the Cause in America.\n\nIn April 1912, on the Master's first day in Chicago, Chase had\nbeen one of the very first to greet Him at Union Station. The\ntwo men had spent several days in close conversation. Chase\nhad then, to the regret of those who knew his health was\nfailing, returned to his work, which had taken him to Los\nAngeles in the early autumn. He had died there, far from the\nChicago friends, in the small bedroom of a downtown hotel.\n\nThe *Star of the West* obituary printed the cable that\n'Abdu'l-Bahá, then in California, had sent to the family on\nhearing the news.\n\n> He is the first American believer, and his name will be\n> inscribed in the records of the Cause.\n\nThe Master had made the journey to the cemetery Himself. He\nhad walked to the grave. He had chanted the Bahá'í burial\nprayers. He had sent for a roll of cloth and had laid it\nacross the grave. He had spoken briefly to the small group of\nbelievers who had gathered at His side: that this man had been\nthe first; that the Cause in the United States, however far it\nmight in the future spread, would always trace its earliest\nopening to Thornton Chase.\n\nThe grave at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Los Angeles is still a\nplace of pilgrimage for American Bahá'ís. The Master's brief\nwords at the graveside, in October 1912, set the tone of the\nhonour the Faith continues to give him. *He is the first\nAmerican believer.* The sentence has not been amended.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 3, Issue 11 (October 16, 1912), obituary notice for Thornton Chase. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Three Kinds of Persecution: 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Account of His Imprisonment",
"slug": "sotw-three-kinds-of-persecution-1913",
"summary": "In 1913 the Star of the West printed words spoken by 'Abdu'l-Bahá about His own imprisonment. He distinguished three kinds of persecution He had endured — physical chains, governmental restriction, and the bitter words and criticisms of the believers themselves — and named the third as the hardest.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"persecution",
"history",
"teaching",
"suffering"
],
"virtues": [
"patience",
"forgiveness",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1913,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Issue 5 of Volume 4 of the *Star of the West,* dated the fifth\nof June, 1913, the editors printed a short account of words\n'Abdu'l-Bahá had spoken about His own decades of imprisonment.\nThe talk was preserved by one of the pilgrims who had attended Him\nduring those years and recorded the substance for the readers in\nAmerica.\n\nThe Master made a careful distinction. There had been, He said,\n*three kinds of persecution* He had endured in the long years from\nHis childhood in Tihrán, through the exiles to Baghdád,\nConstantinople, Adrianople, and finally 'Akká.\n\nThe first kind was physical: actual chains, the rough confinement\nof the prison-city, the small accumulated discomforts of decades\nunder guard. These He spoke of without bitterness. They were what\nthey were; they had been borne; they had ended.\n\nThe second kind was governmental: the repeated restriction of His\nmovement, the surveillance, the suspicion of officials who\nimagined that His every gathering was a plot. This too He\ndescribed without complaint. The work had gone forward in spite\nof it. The decrees of the Sultans had not, in the end, prevented\nthe message of Bahá'u'lláh from going out into the world.\n\nBut there was a third kind, and it had been the worst. The\n*bitter words and criticisms of the friends* — the cruelty,\nsometimes unintended, of the believers themselves toward one\nanother and toward Him — had wounded more deeply than the chains.\nThe blow that came from outside the family of the Faith could be\nendured. The blow that came from inside the family of the Faith\nstruck a place no military prison could reach.\n\n> Bitter words and criticisms of the friends were the most\n> difficult.\n\nThe teaching that lay underneath was one He had pressed often. The\nBahá'ís were not finally to be measured by their willingness to\nwithstand external persecution — although that was real and would\nremain real. They were to be measured by the love they bore one\nanother. Where that love failed, no triumph over enemies abroad\ncould replace it. Where that love held, no enemy abroad could\nfinally prevail.\n\nThe *Star of the West* printed the talk so that the American\nfriends — who in 1913 had not yet been called upon to bear any\nexternal persecution at all — might ponder the *internal*\npersecution they were already, by tongue and by silence, capable\nof inflicting on each other.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 4, Issue 5 (June 5, 1913), \"Three Kinds of Persecution,\" words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Major Tudor Pole's Cable from Jerusalem",
"slug": "sotw-tudor-pole-jerusalem-1918",
"summary": "In the spring of 1918 the Star of the West printed news that thrilled the American Bahá'ís: Major Wellesley Tudor Pole had sent a cable from Jerusalem advising that 'Abdu'l-Bahá and His household, then in Haifa, were in personal danger from the retreating Turkish forces — and that the British forces were being asked to ensure their safety.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Wellesley Tudor Pole"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.8156,
"lng": 34.9892,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"history",
"protection",
"prayer"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"courage",
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1918,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_9"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn its issue dated the eighth of June 1918 the *Star of the\nWest* gave its readers a piece of news both alarming and\nhopeful. Major Wellesley Tudor Pole, the British Bahá'í then\nserving in the Intelligence section of the British military\nin Egypt and Palestine, had sent a cable to the American\nNational Spiritual Assembly. The cable advised that\n'Abdu'l-Bahá and His household, then resident in Haifa under\nnominal Ottoman authority, were in personal danger from the\nretreating Turkish forces. The Ottoman commander at Haifa\nwas reported to be considering a deportation of the Bahá'í\nhousehold, or worse, before the British advance reached the\ncity.\n\nTudor Pole had moved at once. He had taken the matter to\nthe highest levels of the British command. He had impressed\non his superiors — including the Earl of Balfour, then\nBritish Foreign Secretary — that the safety of the head of\nthe Bahá'í Faith was a matter of international religious\nsignificance and that the British army was being given an\nopportunity to render to the Faith a service the Faith\nwould never forget.\n\n> Notify the British Commander at once: the safety of\n> 'Abdu'l-Bahá is the safety of the Cause.\n\nThe phrase was Tudor Pole's own, set down in the cable he\nhad sent to his American colleagues asking them to add\ntheir voice. The British command had taken the matter\nseriously. General Allenby, then commanding the\nMediterranean Expeditionary Force, had given the personal\ndirection that the Bahá'í household at Haifa was to be\ntreated as under British protection. When the British\nforces entered Haifa in late September of 1918, one of\ntheir first acts had been to call at the Master's house and\nto assure Him that He was now under their protection.\n\nThe American friends, when the news of the protection\nreached them, were greatly relieved. The *Star's* report of\nJune 1918 had asked them to pray; the report in October of\nthe same year would tell them that the prayer had been\nanswered. 'Abdu'l-Bahá would, in the years immediately\nfollowing, write a careful letter of thanks to the British\nauthorities; the British Crown would, in 1920, knight the\nMaster in recognition of His humanitarian services through\nthe war.\n\nThe small chain of action — Tudor Pole's cable; the American\nprayers; Allenby's directive; the British troops at the\nMaster's door — had been worked out across the war years\nthrough the patient correspondence and personal advocacy of\na few committed friends. The *Star of the West's* June\nnotice gave the friends, in real time, the chance to take\ntheir own small part in the chain.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 9, Issue 5 (June 8, 1918), report on the cable from Major Wellesley Tudor Pole regarding the protection of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Two of Equivalent Strength: 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Los Angeles",
"slug": "sotw-two-equivalent-strength-of-world-1912",
"summary": "In a talk given at Los Angeles on October 19, 1912, and later printed in the Star of the West, 'Abdu'l-Bahá set out a small but radical arithmetic: two souls of strong character can equal, in the spiritual measure, the whole world — and the eleven disciples of Christ are the proof.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Christ"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "American tour",
"location": {
"name": "Los Angeles",
"lat": 34.0522,
"lng": -118.2437,
"modernName": "Los Angeles, California, USA"
},
"themes": [
"teaching",
"character",
"history",
"service"
],
"virtues": [
"steadfastness",
"faith",
"courage"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1916,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Issue 5 of Volume 7 of the *Star of the West,* dated June\n1916, the editors reprinted a talk 'Abdu'l-Bahá had given in\nLos Angeles on the 19th of October, 1912, during the closing\nweeks of His American tour. The talk took up a question that\nhad quietly worried the small American Bahá'í communities\nthrough the years of His visit: would they ever be enough?\n\nThe Master answered the worry head-on.\n\n> Two people are equivalent in strength of character to the\n> whole world.\n\nThe arithmetic was deliberately startling. The Master was\ninviting the friends to abandon, at one stroke, the discouraging\nmeasure they had been using. The Bahá'í community of Los Angeles\nin 1912 was small. So was the community of Boston. So was the\ncommunity of Chicago, of San Francisco, of Washington. By the\nordinary count of bodies in any one room, the friends were not\nmany.\n\nYet the spiritual measure of any community, the Master insisted,\nis not finally the count of its members. It is the *strength of\ncharacter* of the souls within it. Two souls of strong character\n— two souls whose love had become unwavering, whose service\nselfless, whose firmness in the Cause complete — outweigh, in\nthe spiritual mathematics, the great milling crowds whose faith\nis tepid or whose devotion is divided.\n\nHe reached for an example His Christian listeners would\nrecognize at once.\n\nAfter the crucifixion, the disciples of Christ had been only\neleven. Eleven men of no political position, no scholarly\ndistinction, no inherited wealth — and one of those eleven\nwould shortly disappear into despair. The cause they represented\nwas, by every visible measure, finished. Yet within three\ncenturies the Roman empire itself had become Christian.\n\nThe Master let the arithmetic land. Eleven souls — characters\nstrong enough to bear the post-Easter assignment — had outweighed\nthe sum of all the empires that had killed their Lord. The\nproof was not theoretical. It was historical. The reader had\nonly to look around at any Christian church in any American city\nto see what eleven faithful souls of strong character had\nfinally accomplished.\n\nThe Bahá'í friends in Los Angeles, He went on, were in a\nsimilar position. Their numbers were small. Their resources\nwere modest. The world that surrounded them was vast and\nindifferent. But two of them, three of them, ten of them, of the\nstrength of character He had described, were equivalent in\nspiritual weight to the entire world. The work, He suggested,\nwould be done not by the multiplication of casual believers but\nby the deepening of the few committed ones.\n\nThe *Star of the West* printed the talk in 1916, four years\nafter its delivery, because the lesson had become, by then, a\nnecessary one for an American community whose first growth had\nslowed, whose first enthusiasm had cooled, and whose deeper work\nwas just beginning. The arithmetic the Master had set down in\nLos Angeles in 1912 has continued to govern the inner planning\nof Bahá'í communities everywhere ever since.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 7, Issue 5 (June 5, 1916), reprinting talk of 'Abdu'l-Bahá given in Los Angeles, October 19, 1912. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "When the Inhabitants of a City Are United: 'Abdu'l-Bahá to American Women on Peace",
"slug": "sotw-womens-duties-universal-peace-1914",
"summary": "In August 1914 — the very month Europe collapsed into the Great War — the Star of the West printed a Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to American women on their particular duties in the work of universal peace. The capacity of women to *advance and to take power*, the Master argued, would accomplish what was, in 1914, plainly beyond the capacity of the men's world.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"women",
"peace",
"teaching",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"vision",
"courage",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "star-of-the-west",
"book": "Star of the West",
"author": "Star of the West Editors",
"year": 1914,
"publisher": "Bahai News Service",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/star_of_the_west_volume_1"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn Issue 8 of Volume 5 of the *Star of the West,* dated the\nfirst of August, 1914 — the very week the long peace of Europe\nbroke into the catastrophe of the Great War — the editors\nprinted a Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed to a body of American\nBahá'í women on the question of their duties in the work of\nuniversal peace.\n\nThe timing, in retrospect, is striking. The friends in Chicago\nwere reading the Tablet in the same days that the German army\nwas crossing the Belgian frontier and the British were\ndeclaring war. The Master's words, written some time earlier\nfrom 'Akká, suddenly took on the weight of a reading of the\ndisaster that had just begun.\n\nHe opened with the diagnosis the Western world had not yet\nbeen ready, in peacetime, to hear.\n\n> Today the greatest affliction of the world is war.\n\nThe sentence was not, in 1914, a platitude. It had become, in\nthe first weeks of the war, a description of what the friends\nwere now watching unfold. The dispatches from the Continent\nwere filling the American papers. The boys, on both sides, were\nbeginning to die.\n\nThe Master then turned to the question of women's particular\ncontribution. He did not frame it as a sentimental observation\nabout feminine moral superiority. He framed it as a structural\nargument. The capacity of any society for high achievement — in\npeace as in everything else — is bounded by the capacity of\nthe half of its population that has been excluded from public\nparticipation.\n\n> If the community of women attains advancement and power, many\n> matters that are now beyond our capacity will be accomplished.\n\nThe clear implication: the prevention of the kind of war the\nworld was now beginning was one of those matters. As long as the\ngovernments of the world were composed entirely of men, and as\nlong as the political imagination of those governments\nproceeded from the warrior's mental habits, the move toward\ndisarmament and arbitration that 'Abdu'l-Bahá had been\nadvocating for decades would not be made. The advancement of\nwomen — their entry into the public business of decision —\nwould change the calculation.\n\nHe turned then to the practical scale on which the work was to\nbegin. He did not address the women as if their work was first\nof all in the parliaments of nations. He addressed them at the\nscale of the house and the city.\n\n> When the people of one house show affection toward each\n> other, how beneficial it is; when the inhabitants of a city\n> are united and harmonious, how much mutual assistance results.\n\nThe order is incremental. The peace of the world is not built\nfirst in the diplomatic conference. It is built first in the\nhousehold where mother and daughter, husband and wife, brother\nand sister have learned to extend the affection the wider\npolitical world has not yet learned to imitate. The peaceful\ncity is the sum of its peaceful houses. The peaceful nation\nfollows.\n\nThe American women who received the Tablet in 1914 — many of\nwhom were just then beginning to organize the suffrage\ncampaigns that would in 1920 give them the vote — read it as a\ncharter for their own slow public work. The world they had been\ncalled to build was not, in the first place, the world of\ntheir own ambition. It was the world the Master had foretold\nand the world the war had now made indispensable.\n\n*Source: Star of the West, Volume 5, Issue 8 (August 1, 1914), Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Public domain text from bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Stanwood Cobb, a Bahá’í educator, recalled his last interview with the Master…",
"slug": "stanwood-cobb-a-bah-educator-recalled-his-last-bs22",
"summary": "Stanwood Cobb, a Bahá’í educator, recalled his last interview with the Master in the United States. His heart was so full he could scarcely recall what was said. He knew he was embraced and three times ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, ‘Be on fire with…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"love"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/love"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nStanwood Cobb, a Bahá’í educator, recalled his last interview with the Master in the United States. His heart was so full he could scarcely recall what was said. He knew he was embraced and three times ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, ‘Be on fire with the love of the Kingdom!’ A little mystified by what these words actually meant, Mr Cobb knew that these nine precious words summed up the essence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Divine Teachings.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 163*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/love) (Subject: love).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Stanwood Cobb recorded that ‘the most important interview’ he had with the…",
"slug": "stanwood-cobb-recorded-that-the-most-important-interview-bs2",
"summary": "Stanwood Cobb recorded that ‘the most important interview’ he had with the Master was while in Paris in 1913. He wrote, ‘I was one of the staff of Porter Sargent’s Travel School for Boys. On my first visit He inquired about the school…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"spiritual life"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/spiritual-life"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nStanwood Cobb recorded that ‘the most important interview’ he had with the Master was while in Paris in 1913. He wrote, ‘I was one of the staff of Porter Sargent’s Travel School for Boys. On my first visit He inquired about the school and asked me what I taught. I told Him that I taught English, Latin, Algebra and Geometry. He gazed intently at me with His luminous eyes and said, “Do you teach the spiritual things?” ‘This question embarrassed me. I did not know how to explain to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that the necessity of preparing the boys for college-entrance exams dominated the nature of the curriculum. So I simply answered: “No, there is not time for that.” ‘‘Abdu’l-Bahá made no comment on this answer. But He did not need to. Out of my own mouth I had condemned myself and modern education. No time for spiritual things! That, of course, is just what is wrong with our modern materialistic “civilization”. It has no time to give for spiritual things. ‘But ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s question and His silent response indicated that from His viewpoint spiritual things should come first.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 139*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/spiritual-life) (Subject: spiritual-life).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Stanwood Cobb remembers:...........‘Abdu’l-Bahá came into my room one morning…",
"slug": "stanwood-cobb-remembers-abdu-l-bah-came-into-my-room-one-bs1",
"summary": "Stanwood Cobb remembers:...........‘Abdu’l-Bahá came into my room one morning without His translator. He sat beside me and took one of my hands in both of His and held it for a minute or two. He had not at any time inquired as to my…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"depression"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/depression"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nStanwood Cobb remembers:...........‘Abdu’l-Bahá came into my room one morning without His translator. He sat beside me and took one of my hands in both of His and held it for a minute or two. He had not at any time inquired as to my health. He knew. From that moment on I found myself permanently relieved of these depressive moods. No matter how hard the going, I have always since then been glad to be alive.\n\n\n*Source: Source unknown*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/depression) (Subject: depression).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Stanwood Cobb, the renowned educator, wrote, ‘This philosophy of joy was the…",
"slug": "stanwood-cobb-the-renowned-educator-wrote-this-philosophy-bs7",
"summary": "Stanwood Cobb, the renowned educator, wrote, ‘This philosophy of joy was the keynote of all of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s teaching. “Are you happy?” was His frequent greeting to His visitors. “Be happy!” ‘Those who were unhappy (and who of us are…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"happiness",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/happiness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nStanwood Cobb, the renowned educator, wrote, ‘This philosophy of joy was the keynote of all of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s teaching. “Are you happy?” was His frequent greeting to His visitors. “Be happy!” ‘Those who were unhappy (and who of us are not at times!) would weep at this. And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would smile as if to say, “Yes, weep on. Beyond the tears is sunshine.” ‘And sometimes He would wipe away with His own hands the tears from their wet cheeks, and they would leave His presence transfigured.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 127*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/happiness) (Subject: happiness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Stanwood Cobb took his 75-year-old father to see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Boston",
"slug": "stanwood-cobb-took-his-75-year-old-father-to-see-bs1",
"summary": "Stanwood Cobb took his 75-year-old father to see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Boston. His father was sympathetic to Stanwood's attraction to the Bahá’í Faith, but claimed that he himself was too old to change. When his father met the Master, Stanwood…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Boston",
"lat": 42.3601,
"lng": -71.0589,
"modernName": "Boston, Massachusetts, USA"
},
"themes": [
"consultation"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"humility",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/consultation"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nStanwood Cobb took his 75-year-old father to see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Boston. His father was sympathetic to Stanwood's attraction to the Bahá’í Faith, but claimed that he himself was too old to change. When his father met the Master, Stanwood was bewildered to see his father dominate the conversation. His father proceeded to enlighten ‘Abdu’l-Bahá about spiritual themes. Stanwood was shocked. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, though, simply smiled and listened, covering them both with His love. Stanwood's father left feeling that he had a wonderful interview with the Master and Stanwood learned a lesson in humility and the power of being a good listener.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 137*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/consultation) (Subject: consultation).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Stanwood Cobb wrote that ‘Abdu’l- Bahá 'almost never stood still when He spoke",
"slug": "stanwood-cobb-wrote-that-abdu-l-bah-almost-never-bs0",
"summary": "Stanwood Cobb wrote that ‘Abdu’l- Bahá 'almost never stood still when He spoke. He paced back and forth and His words were enhanced rather than diminished by the presence of the translator. ‘Abdu’l- Bahá would make a statement which the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"speeches"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/speeches"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nStanwood Cobb wrote that ‘Abdu’l- Bahá 'almost never stood still when He spoke. He paced back and forth and His words were enhanced rather than diminished by the presence of the translator. ‘Abdu’l- Bahá would make a statement which the translator would then translate. While the translator put the words into English ‘Abdu’l- Bahá would stand and smile, occasionally nodding to affirm important points or as if to approve of the translation. He constantly illumined this translation with the dynamic power of His own spiritual personality. When He spoke: 'the Persian words . . . boomed forth almost as musically as in operatic recitatives. While He spoke, He was in constant and majestic motion. To hear Him was an experience unequalled in any other kind of platform delivery. It was a work of art, as well as a spiritual service. First, would come the spiritual flow of thought, musically expressed in a foreign tongue. Then, as the translator set forth its meaning to us, we had the added pleasure of watching ‘Abdu’l- Bahá's response to the art of the translator. It was, all in all, a highly colorful and dramatic procedure.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 74*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/speeches) (Subject: speeches).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Stanwood Cobb wrote that on one occasion He spoke of the need for loving…",
"slug": "stanwood-cobb-wrote-that-on-one-occasion-he-bs5",
"summary": "Stanwood Cobb wrote that on one occasion He spoke of the need for loving patience in the face of aggravating behavior on the part of others: ‘One might say, “Well, I will endure such and such a person so long as he is endurable.” But…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"patience"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/patience"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nStanwood Cobb wrote that on one occasion He spoke of the need for loving patience in the face of aggravating behavior on the part of others: ‘One might say, “Well, I will endure such and such a person so long as he is endurable.” But Bahá’ís must endure people even when they are unendurable!’ Stanwood Cobb pointed out that ‘He did not look at us solemnly as if appointing us to an arduous and difficult task. Rather, He beamed upon us delightfully, as if to suggest what a joy to us it would be to act in this way!’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/patience) (Subject: patience).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Bird with the Broken Wing: A Parable of Trust",
"slug": "stb-bird-with-broken-wing",
"summary": "Among the small images 'Abdu'l-Bahá used in conversation with the friends was the parable of a bird with a broken wing — a creature who, having tried every other refuge, at last laid itself in the hand of the One who had made it, and was healed.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"parable",
"trust",
"healing",
"prayer"
],
"virtues": [
"trust",
"humility",
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween",
"child"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "stories-told-by-abdul-baha",
"book": "Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "Various Compilers",
"year": 2000,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nVisitors to the Master in ‘Akká recorded a small parable that\nHe would offer to those who came to Him in deep distress —\nthose who had been ill for years, those who had lost a child,\nthose who had run through every consolation the world could\nfurnish without finding rest.\n\nA bird, the Master would say, had broken its wing. It tried at\nfirst to fly. The wing would not lift it. It tried to walk; the\nground was crowded with cats and with the wheels of carts. It\ntried to hide in a thicket; a fox came near. It tried, then, to\nmake a small shelter for itself in the corner of an old wall;\nthe wall fell.\n\nAt last, the parable says, the bird did what only the most\ndesperate creatures think to do. It hopped, exhausted and\nbleeding, to the doorway of the One who had made it. It laid\nitself, with its broken wing trailing, in the open palm of that\nhand. It said nothing; it had no strength to say anything; it\nsimply lay there.\n\nAnd in the hand, the parable says, the wing began to mend. The\nheat of the hand reached the wing; the bones knit; the feathers\nstraightened. After many days the bird stood, opened the wing,\nand flew. But it never forgot the hand. It returned to it\noften.\n\nThe Master would offer the parable to inquirers and to old\nbelievers in the same gentle voice. The work of religion, He\nwould say, is not finally a work of flying. It is a work of\nlaying oneself in the hand. The flying, when it returns, is\ngiven. The healing comes through the surrender. The bird that\nwill not lay itself in the hand will not, in this world or\nthe next, be made whole.\n\nThe friends who heard the parable, several recorded, found\nthemselves quietly weeping when He had finished. The image was\nsmall. It carried, however, the central counsel of His\nministry: that the work of the soul is to lay itself in the\nhand of God, and to wait there until the hand has finished.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 2000); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Looking for the Key: A Mulla Nasrudin Tale 'Abdu'l-Bahá Used",
"slug": "stb-mulla-nasrudin-and-the-key",
"summary": "'Abdu'l-Bahá would sometimes draw, in His talks with friends, on the great Persian-Turkish folk humour of Mulla Nasrudin — including the famous tale of a man searching for his key in the wrong place because the light there was better, and the searching lesson He drew from it.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"parable",
"searching",
"wisdom",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"humility",
"discernment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "stories-told-by-abdul-baha",
"book": "Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "Various Compilers",
"year": 2000,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe Master, several listeners record, would draw freely on the\ngreat folk humour of the Persian and Turkish peoples. Mulla\nNasrudin — the absent-minded village judge, half saint and\nhalf fool, whose stories run in a thousand variations across\nthe Islamic world — appears in more than one of His\nconversations.\n\nOne of the stories runs, in essentially the form the Master\nwould tell it, like this. Mulla Nasrudin had lost his key. He\nwas searching for it on his hands and knees in the street under\na lamp-post. A neighbour came along and joined the search.\nAfter half an hour the neighbour, having patted every inch of\nthe cobblestones, asked, with some weariness, *Are you sure,\nMulla, that you dropped the key here?*\n\n*No,* said the Mulla cheerfully. *I dropped it in the house.*\n\n*Then why are we looking out here?*\n\n*Because,* said the Mulla, *the light is much better out here.*\n\nThe Master would tell the story with the small smile of one\nsharing a familiar joke. The friends, those who knew the\ntradition, would laugh. Then, often, He would let a quiet\nobservation follow.\n\nWe do this, He would say, with the truth. We look for it where\nthe light is, not where it has fallen. The truth has its own\nlocation. It often lies in places of darkness — the dark of the\nheart, the dark of an honest self-examination, the dark of a\nquestion we have been refusing to ask. The light of the public\nstreet is brighter; the light of intellectual fashion is more\nabundant; the light of self-flattery is generally well lit. But\nthe truth is not in those places. It is in the dark room where\nwe set the key down some time ago. We must, the Master would\nsuggest, go in.\n\nThe parable was offered, the listeners noted, often to those\ninquirers who had collected great quantities of opinion without\nyet having looked into the rooms of their own hearts. He did\nnot rebuke. He simply told the story. The believers carried it\naway in their notebooks; some of them, in later years, said\nthey had spent the rest of their lives looking, at last, in the\nright place.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 2000); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Tea Drunk Without Sugar: 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Lesson on the Poor",
"slug": "stb-tea-drunk-without-sugar",
"summary": "Among the household stories 'Abdu'l-Bahá would tell was the account of why He no longer took sugar with His tea — because the believers in a certain Persian village had nothing but black tea, and He could not bring Himself to take a sweetness His friends could not share.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"solidarity",
"poverty",
"love",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"humility",
"solidarity",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween",
"child"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "stories-told-by-abdul-baha",
"book": "Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "Various Compilers",
"year": 2000,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nVisitors to ‘Akká in the years before the Master’s passing\nrecorded a small household story. A guest, sitting at His\ntable, noticed that the Master took His tea black. The guest\ninquired, in the polite Persian way, whether the absence of\nsugar was a matter of preference.\n\nThe Master smiled and answered, in the recorders’ several\nversions, with substantially the same words. He had visited a\ncertain village in Persia in His younger years, He said. The\nbelievers there had been very poor. They had set before Him\ntheir best — black tea in small cups, brewed dark and strong.\nThere had been no sugar. The believers had apologised for its\nabsence; sugar was a luxury they could not afford.\n\nThe Master had drunk the tea black. He had drunk it black\ngladly, the visitors record Him saying, because in that village\nthe only sweetness available was the love of the friends, and\nthat sweetness was sufficient. He had returned, in due course,\nto His own household and to the better-furnished tables of\n‘Akká. But He had decided, after that visit, never again to\ntake sugar in His tea.\n\nThe decision was small. He did not press it on others; the\nguests at His table were given sugar with their cups. He\nhimself simply set the small bowl aside and drank as He had\ndrunk in the village — black, strong, and without sweetness\nthat His distant friends could not share.\n\n*How could I take sugar in My tea when My friends in that\nvillage had none?*\n\nThe recorders note that He told the story without theological\nelaboration. He did not preach a sermon on the duty of\nsolidarity. He simply, in the course of an ordinary tea, named\nwhat He had decided and went on with the visit. The teaching\nwas in the act, not in the lecture.\n\nThe believers who heard it told it again. It became, in the\nBahá’í household tradition, a small icon of the Master’s\nhospitality and His sense of fellowship: that the table at which\nHe sat in ‘Akká was, in His own awareness, the same table as the\ntable of the poor village in Persia, and that nothing would be\npermitted at one that the other could not also enjoy.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 2000); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Through the Eye of the Needle: 'Abdu'l-Bahá on the Rich Man",
"slug": "stb-the-camel-and-the-needle",
"summary": "Among the Gospel images 'Abdu'l-Bahá would explain to inquirers was Christ's saying about the camel and the eye of the needle — the small *needle gate* in the wall of an ancient city, the kneeling of the camel, and what the image asks of the rich.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Jesus Christ"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"parable",
"wealth",
"gospels",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"simplicity",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "stories-told-by-abdul-baha",
"book": "Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "Various Compilers",
"year": 2000,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nInquirers in ‘Akká would sometimes ask the Master to explain\nhard sayings of the Gospel. One that came up frequently, the\nlisteners record, was Christ’s remark that *it is easier for a\ncamel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to\nenter the kingdom of God.* The visitors found the saying severe\nand obscure.\n\nThe Master would offer, in His Persian way, a domestic\nexplanation. The *needle,* He would say, was likely a small,\nnarrow side-gate in the wall of an ancient city — a low\npostern through which travellers could pass after the great\ngates had been closed at night. The local term for it, in\nseveral Eastern cities, had been *the needle.*\n\nA camel could indeed pass through such a gate, the Master would\nexplain — but only on certain conditions. It had first to be\nmade to kneel. Its load had to be taken off and carried through\nseparately by hand. Once unburdened and kneeling, it could\nshuffle through the small opening on its knees, and rise on\nthe other side. The image was practical, not impossible.\n\nThis, the Master would observe, is exactly what is asked of the\nrich man. He is not, by his wealth, denied the kingdom. He is,\nhowever, required to do what the camel does. He must kneel; he\nmust lay aside the load; he must enter unburdened. The wealth\nis not destroyed by the kingdom — it is set down outside the\nnarrow gate, to be carried in by other hands and put to other\nuses. Only the unburdened soul, the kneeling soul, can pass.\n\nThe image, the listeners record, would change something in the\nhearers. Wealth, in the Gospel image as the Master rendered it,\nwas not the enemy. It was simply the load that had to be set\ndown at the threshold. The rich could enter the kingdom — but\nnot riding upon their riches. They had first to get off, kneel,\nand walk through with their hands open and their backs straight.\n\nThe Master, in giving the explanation, was not flattering the\nrich. He was offering them, the visitors noticed, the only\nhonest path the Gospel had ever offered them: the path of\ndetachment from the very things their lives had been organised\nto acquire. The friends who heard Him understood that the\nparable had been clarified, not softened.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 2000); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Farmer and the Grain: A Parable of Patience",
"slug": "stb-the-farmer-and-the-grain",
"summary": "Among the agricultural parables 'Abdu'l-Bahá used in His conversations was the story of a farmer who, having sown his field, dug up the seeds the next morning to see whether they had grown — and the lesson He drew from his disappointment.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"parable",
"patience",
"agriculture",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"patience",
"trust",
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween",
"child"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "stories-told-by-abdul-baha",
"book": "Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "Various Compilers",
"year": 2000,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe Master, the listeners record, used many agricultural\nparables in His talks. The believers and inquirers who came to\nHim in ‘Akká were drawn from many backgrounds, but the great\nmajority of them — Persian, Syrian, Egyptian, even the Western\nvisitors — knew the country and the field. He met them where\nthey were.\n\nOne of the parables, several recorders preserved, was the story\nof an impatient farmer. The farmer, the Master would say, had\nprepared his land; he had ploughed; he had sowed his seed; he\nhad irrigated the rows. He went home that evening pleased with\nhis day’s work. He slept poorly, however, because his\nimpatience for the harvest was already at work in him.\n\nIn the morning he could not contain himself. He went out to the\nfield with a small spade. He bent over the first row and dug\ngently into the earth. He found the seed. The seed had begun,\nin the night, to swell; a small white root was visible on its\nunderside; the tip was preparing to break the husk. The farmer\nexamined the seed with pleasure. Then he placed it back in the\nsoil and went to the next row.\n\nBy the end of the morning he had inspected most of his rows. He\nhad been gentle; he had not crushed the seeds; he had simply\nsatisfied himself that they were doing what seeds do. He went\nhome pleased.\n\nA week later there was no harvest. The seeds had stopped\ngrowing. The farmer had not understood that the work of the\nseed is done in the dark, and that the spade that interrupts\nthe dark — even a spade as gentle and well-meaning as his —\nends the work it has come to inspect.\n\nThe Master would offer the parable, the listeners record, to\nbelievers who were impatient about their own spiritual progress\nor about the progress of their children, their teaching work,\nor the Cause itself. Many things, He would say, must work in\nthe dark. The constant inspection of the soul’s progress, the\nconstant turning-over of the inward soil to see whether\nanything has yet sprouted, ends the very work it pretends to\nencourage.\n\nHe would close, in some versions, with a quiet counsel. *Sow,\nwater, and wait.* The harvest, in its own season, will come.\nThe work of the soul, like the work of the field, requires the\ndiscipline of leaving certain things alone.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 2000); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The King and the Shoemaker: A Story 'Abdu'l-Bahá Loved to Tell",
"slug": "stb-the-king-and-the-shoemaker",
"summary": "Among the parables 'Abdu'l-Bahá would offer to those who came to Him troubled about poverty and station was the story of a king who envied a shoemaker's sleep — and a shoemaker who would not trade his small contented evenings for the king's heavy throne.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"parable",
"contentment",
"wealth",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"contentment",
"simplicity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween",
"child"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "stories-told-by-abdul-baha",
"book": "Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "Various Compilers",
"year": 2000,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s conversation, the visitors record, was full of\nsmall parables. He would draw them from the Persian tradition,\nfrom the Hebrew Scriptures, from the Gospels, from the stories\nof the courts of the Sasanian and Safavid kings. He used them\nthe way another teacher might use an argument: to settle, in a\nsingle image, what could not be settled in an hour of debate.\n\nOne of the parables, several listeners record, was the story of\nthe king and the shoemaker. The king lived in a great palace.\nThe shoemaker lived in a small room behind his shop. Their\nwalls, by chance of the city's geography, were near enough that\nthe king could hear, when his own windows were open at evening,\nthe shoemaker singing as he worked.\n\nThe king asked his vizier why the shoemaker sang. The vizier\nmade inquiry and reported. The shoemaker, he said, ate his\nsimple supper at the end of each day, sang for an hour with his\nfamily, and slept the sleep of those who carry no debts. The\nking’s own days, the vizier added discreetly, were heavier; the\nking’s sleep was the broken sleep of one who carried a kingdom.\n\nThe king tried, in various ways, to disturb the shoemaker’s\ncontentment. He sent him a great sum of money. The shoemaker,\nnot knowing what to do with so large a gift, lay awake all\nnight worrying about it; his singing stopped. He returned the\nmoney. He went back to his small evenings; the song returned.\n\nThe Master would close the parable with a quiet observation.\nWealth, He would say, is not in the having; it is in the\ninward standing of the soul. A simple and contented life is the\ntrue riches. The man who has more than he needs has often\nalready lost what he most wished for.\n\nThe story was offered to the wealthy as well as to the poor.\nThe Master, the listeners noticed, did not condemn the king;\nHe did not exalt the shoemaker. He simply showed, in the\nshoemaker’s evening song and the king's sleeplessness, the\ngreat equation that runs through the spiritual life. We sleep\naccording to the inward standing of our hearts. The throne and\nthe small room are evened, in the end, by the conscience that\nlies down on each.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 2000); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Lamp in the Niche: 'Abdu'l-Bahá on the Light of God",
"slug": "stb-the-lamp-and-the-niche",
"summary": "Among the Quranic images 'Abdu'l-Bahá would unfold to inquirers was the Verse of Light — the lamp in the glass in the niche — and the careful explanation He would give of how the human heart is at once the niche, the glass, and the lamp's keeper.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"parable",
"mysticism",
"light",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"reverence",
"purity",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "stories-told-by-abdul-baha",
"book": "Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "Various Compilers",
"year": 2000,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe Master, the listeners record, would draw out for inquirers\nthe famous Quranic Verse of Light: *God is the light of the\nheavens and the earth. The likeness of His light is as a niche\nin which is a lamp; the lamp is in a glass; the glass is as it\nwere a glittering star, kindled from a Blessed Tree, an olive\nneither of the East nor of the West, whose oil would shine\neven though no fire touched it. Light upon Light.*\n\nThe verse, He would explain, was an icon of the spiritual life.\nIt must be unfolded slowly, and with each image considered in\nits place.\n\nThe light, He would say, is from God. It is the source. It is\nnot the lamp; it is not the glass; it is not the niche; it is\nthe radiance that those things only carry. The light, in\nitself, would shine whether or not there were lamps to receive\nit. *Light upon Light.*\n\nThe lamp is the human heart. The heart, like a lamp, is\nfashioned to hold the oil and to bear the wick of the burning.\nA lamp left empty bears no flame. A heart left unprepared bears\nno light. The believer’s task is to keep the lamp filled — by\nprayer, by remembrance, by service.\n\nThe glass is the surface that the light passes through to reach\nthe world. It must be kept clear. A lamp surrounded by a smoked\nor cracked glass shines, but its shining is broken and dim. The\nglass is the believer’s outward life — the words, the actions,\nthe courtesies. The glass must be cleaned, daily.\n\nThe niche is the place where the lamp is set: the household,\nthe community, the work, the calling, in which the burning is\nto take place. A lamp without a niche burns as well, but the\nniche directs the light to where it is needed.\n\nThe Verse of Light, the Master would conclude, is not a\nmetaphor only. It is a working description. The believer is to\nkeep the heart full of God, the glass clear of self, and the\nniche set in the place where the light is most needed by the\nworld. The light itself is given. The receiving and the\nshining are the believer’s work.\n\nThe friends who heard the explanation, several recorded, would\ngo away and look at the lamps in their own houses with quieter\neyes.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 2000); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Old Woman Who Carried the Wood",
"slug": "stb-the-old-woman-of-the-village",
"summary": "Among the small stories 'Abdu'l-Bahá would offer to teach the hidden dignity of the poor was the account of an old village woman who walked seven kos for a load of firewood — and a passing prince who learned, in a single conversation with her, what his court had not been able to teach him.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"parable",
"poverty",
"dignity",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"dignity",
"patience",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "stories-told-by-abdul-baha",
"book": "Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "Various Compilers",
"year": 2000,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nThe Master, the listeners record, would offer small stories\nabout the dignity of ordinary working people. He drew them from\nHis own observation in Persia and from the older Sufi\ntradition. They were brief, and they were never sentimental;\nthe dignity He named was the actual dignity He had seen.\n\nIn one such story an old woman of a Persian village walked,\neach week, seven *kos* — perhaps fifteen miles — to a stand of\nwood beyond the next village. She would gather a small load on\nher back, tie it with cord, and walk back. She did this in all\nweather. She had no son to do it for her; her husband had died\nmany years before; the wood was needed for her cooking and her\nsmall heat in winter.\n\nA passing prince, riding through the village one afternoon, saw\nher returning under the load. He stopped his horse. He asked\nher, with the polite curiosity of a great man who has noticed\nsomething unusual, why she did not pay a man to carry the wood\nfor her.\n\nShe set the load down for a moment and looked at him. *I have\nno money for that, sir. The wood is my own back's labour.*\n\nThe prince offered her a coin. She looked at it. She thanked\nhim very gently and refused it. *If I take this from you, sir,\nI shall expect to take another from another lord next week. I\nhave walked the road for forty years. The walking has kept me\nstrong. I should be sorry to lose the road.*\n\nThe prince watched her shoulder the load again and walk on,\nslowly, in the direction of her village. He sat on his horse\nfor a long time. Then, the recorders preserve, he turned the\nhorse and rode home.\n\nThe Master would close the story without elaboration. The\nlisteners would understand what He had not had to say. The\ndignity of the poor, He had often said in other forms, is not\na thing the rich can purchase by relieving them; it is a thing\nalready present in the upright walking under a load that has\nbeen carried for many years. The almsgiving the prince had been\nabout to perform would have lessened, not increased, the dignity\nhe had stopped to admire. The right action, in such cases, is\nthe older work of building societies in which the wood is no\nlonger needed at such a cost — and, in the meantime, the\ncourteous bow that the prince finally gave the old woman from\nhis horse before he turned and rode home.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 2000); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Prophet Joseph and His Brothers: A Story of Forgiveness",
"slug": "stb-the-prophet-joseph-and-his-brothers",
"summary": "Among the Biblical and Quranic prophets 'Abdu'l-Bahá would recount in His talks was Joseph — and the moment of His re-encounter with the brothers who had sold Him into slavery, which the Master would draw upon to teach the discipline of pure forgiveness.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Joseph"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"parable",
"forgiveness",
"prophets",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"mercy",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "stories-told-by-abdul-baha",
"book": "Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "Various Compilers",
"year": 2000,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá would draw, in His talks, on the great prophetic\nnarratives of the Hebrew and Quranic Scriptures. Among the\nstories He would tell most often, the listeners record, was the\nstory of the Prophet Joseph and His brothers — the long arc\nthat runs from the boy thrown into the well at Dothan to the\nruler of Egypt who, years later, recognised His own brothers as\nthey came begging for grain in the famine.\n\nThe Master would tell the story in essentially the form\npreserved in the Quran. The brothers, jealous of their father\nJacob’s love for Joseph, had thrown Him into a pit; the\ncaravan-merchants had drawn Him out and sold Him in Egypt; He\nhad risen, by the favour of God, to the office of vizier under\nPharaoh; the famine had eventually driven His brothers to come\nseeking food.\n\nThe Master would dwell, the listeners record, on the moment of\nrecognition. Joseph, knowing them but as yet unknown to them,\nhad tested them; He had wept; He had concealed His tears; He\nhad finally, at the moment His heart could no longer hold it\nin, revealed Himself.\n\nThe brothers, recognising Him, were terrified. They expected\nthe punishment that their crime had earned. Joseph said,\ninstead, the words that the Master would quote from the\nQuranic verse:\n\n> No reproach this day shall be on you. God will forgive you;\n> for of those that show mercy, He is the most merciful.\n\nHe did not require an apology. He did not impose a penance. He\nforgave first, before any words of repentance had been spoken;\nand the forgiveness, the recorders preserve the Master saying,\nwas what permitted the brothers’ repentance to ripen into the\nfull thing it later became.\n\nThe Master would offer the story to those who had been deeply\ninjured — by family, by friends, by the long persecutions of\nthe early Bahá’ís themselves. Joseph’s example, He would\nquietly say, is the example for the spiritual community. We\nare to forgive without requiring the penance first; we are to\nforgive before the wronged self has been satisfied. The\nforgiveness opens, in the wrongdoer, the very capacity for\nrepentance that no demand could have produced.\n\nThe friends would carry the teaching away. Many of them, the\nlater journals record, would in their own lives meet brothers\nof their own who had injured them. The Master’s rendering of\nJoseph would come back to them.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 2000); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Thief and the Saint: A Story of Sudden Conversion",
"slug": "stb-the-thief-and-the-saint",
"summary": "Among the conversion stories 'Abdu'l-Bahá would tell to illustrate the suddenness with which a heart can turn was the account of a thief who climbed to a holy man's roof with the intention of robbing him — and came down, before morning, a different man.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"parable",
"conversion",
"mercy",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"humility",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "stories-told-by-abdul-baha",
"book": "Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "Various Compilers",
"year": 2000,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the conversion stories that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would tell, the\nlisteners record one drawn from the older Persian Sufi\ntradition — the kind of story He would offer when an inquirer\nasked Him whether a hardened man could really be changed.\n\nA thief, the Master would say, had heard that a certain holy\nman kept a small treasure in his upper room. The thief made his\nplans. One night he climbed quietly onto the roof, intending to\ndescend through the inner stair when the household was asleep.\n\nThe holy man was at his prayers. The thief, listening from the\nroof in the warm night, heard the prayers and waited. They went\non a long time. Eventually they ended; the holy man rose; the\nthief expected him to retire. Instead, the recorders preserve,\nthe holy man came up onto the roof himself for the cool air.\nThe thief was discovered.\n\nThe thief expected at once to be denounced. The holy man,\nhowever, looked at him without alarm and asked, gently, whether\nhe had eaten. The thief said no. The holy man brought up bread,\ncheese, and a cup of water, and sat on the roof beside the\nthief while he ate. He did not ask why the thief had come. He\ndid not ask anything. He simply made the conversation an\nordinary one — about the warm night, the moon, the prospect of\nthe harvest in the village below.\n\nWhen the thief had finished his bread, the holy man bid him\ngoodnight and went down. He left the door of the upper room\nopen. The thief did not enter. He sat on the roof until dawn.\nAt first light he climbed down and walked into the village; and\nthe recorders preserve that he did not steal again.\n\nThe Master would close the story with a quiet observation. The\nheart, He would say, is moved more by mercy than by argument.\nThe holy man had not preached. He had not threatened. He had\nsimply set bread before a hungry man and refused to ask for the\naccount the thief had brought himself to render. That refusal,\nthe Master would observe, was the spiritual operation that\nturned the thief. The thief had encountered a love that asked\nnothing of him; and in the silence of that love, his own\nintention to take had collapsed.\n\nThe friends who heard the story understood that the Master was\ndescribing not only an old Sufi tale but a working method. He\nHimself, in His own ministry, met those who came to Him in\nhostile intent with the same hospitality. Many of them, the\nrecorders note, came down from the roof of His house at dawn\nthe way the thief had come down: emptied of their original\nplan, full of an unanticipated love.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 2000); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Three Ducks: A Parable Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"slug": "stb-the-three-ducks",
"summary": "Among the parables 'Abdu'l-Bahá used in conversation with friends was the story of three ducks who set off across a meadow to find the great river of which their elders had spoken — and how their different ways of seeking shaped what each one finally found.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"parable",
"seeking",
"patience",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"patience",
"perseverance",
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween",
"child"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "stories-told-by-abdul-baha",
"book": "Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "Various Compilers",
"year": 2000,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the small parables that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would tell in\nconversation with friends was the story of the three ducks. It\nappears, as the compilers note, in the recollections of more\nthan one listener — recorded by visitors to the household in\n‘Akká in the years before His passing.\n\nThree young ducks, the Master would say, had been told by their\nelders that beyond the meadow lay a great river — wide, deep,\nflowing — and that any duck who reached it would never want for\nwater again. The three set off together at dawn.\n\nAfter an hour the first duck came upon a small puddle in a\nhollow. The water was cool and the duck was tired. *Surely\nthis is the river of which the elders spoke,* it said, and\nsettled itself in the puddle. It paddled in three feet of\nwater and was content.\n\nThe other two went on. After another hour they came upon a\nshallow pond at the edge of a field. The water was clearer than\nthe puddle and reached almost to the ducks’ knees. *Surely\nthis,* said the second duck, *is the river of which the elders\nspoke.* And it stopped.\n\nThe third went on alone. The path was longer than it had\nexpected. Other ponds appeared; the duck inquired of each, and\neach was kind, but no pond was the river. The duck went on. By\nevening the duck reached, at last, the bank of a great water —\nwider than its eye could see, deeper than its body could\nsound, flowing toward an even greater sea. The duck stepped in\nand was at home.\n\nThe Master would close the story, the recorders say, with a\nquiet word. The seekers of the truth, He would observe, are\nmany. Some take the first pond for the river; some take the\nsecond. Only those who refuse to settle short of the great\nflowing water arrive at it. The journey is longer than the\nseeker first expects. The water at the end is correspondingly\ngreater.\n\nThe parable was a teaching tool. It was used to encourage\ninquirers who had begun the search and were tempted to stop at\nsome lesser teaching that flattered them. The Master would tell\nit gently. The listeners would understand. The work of finding\nthe river, He suggested, did not get easier; it only grew more\nworthwhile.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 2000); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Wise Man and the Fool: A Story 'Abdu'l-Bahá Told",
"slug": "stb-the-wise-man-and-the-fool",
"summary": "Among the parables 'Abdu'l-Bahá told to the friends was the brief story of a wise man and a fool who walked the same road in opposite directions — and the question of which of them was in fact going somewhere.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"parable",
"wisdom",
"direction",
"history"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom",
"humility",
"discernment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "stories-told-by-abdul-baha",
"book": "Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"author": "Various Compilers",
"year": 2000,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the parables ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would tell, the visitors record\na short one about a wise man and a fool. He used it, several\nlisteners noted, when an inquirer arrived in some haste with a\nquestion that had not yet been quite formed.\n\nA wise man and a fool, the Master would say, met one another at\na crossroad in the country. The fool was striding briskly. The\nwise man was walking slowly, looking up at the signposts and\ndown at the dust. The fool, observing the older man’s slowness,\nhailed him with cheerful contempt. *I am making excellent time,\nsir,* he said. *Why do you walk so slowly?*\n\nThe wise man looked at him and smiled. *I am going,* he said,\n*to a particular village three miles south of here. Are you\ngoing to that village?*\n\nThe fool considered. *I am going,* he said, *very fast. I am\nnot certain in what direction. But I am making excellent\ntime.*\n\nThe Master would let the parable rest there. Sometimes He would\nadd a single observation. Speed, He would note, is little use\nto the man who has not asked where the road is going. The\nfoolish often appear, on first encounter, more energetic than\nthe wise; they cover ground faster. They cover, however, the\nwrong ground. The wise are slow because they have first paused\nto ask which road, of the many available, in fact reaches the\nvillage. Once they have asked, they walk to it; and at the end\nof the day they are there, while the rapid traveller is still\nhurrying down some other road.\n\nThe teaching was offered, the listeners noticed, with great\ngentleness. The Master did not rebuke the fool. He did not\nflatter the wise man. He simply showed, in the brief image of\nthe crossroad, the condition that He had spent His ministry\ntrying to bring inquirers into: the condition of asking, before\nhurrying, what road the soul is in fact on.\n\nThe friends who heard the parable carried it away. Several wrote\nit down in their journals. It belongs, the compilers note, to\nthe small repertoire of teaching parables by which the Master\nshaped the inward attention of those who came to Him in the\nimprisonment-city.\n\n*Paraphrased from Stories Told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 2000); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Strife of any kind seemed to hurt him [Bahá’u’lláh]; more, however, because of…",
"slug": "strife-of-any-kind-seemed-to-hurt-him-bs0",
"summary": "Strife of any kind seemed to hurt him [Bahá’u’lláh]; more, however, because of the unhappiness which it brought upon others than because of the discomfort which it caused him. It was his habit, for the sake of peace and to quell strife, to…",
"figures": [
"Lady Blomfield",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"anger"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/anger"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nStrife of any kind seemed to hurt him [Bahá’u’lláh]; more, however, because of the unhappiness which it brought upon others than because of the discomfort which it caused him. It was his habit, for the sake of peace and to quell strife, to take all blame upon himself where possible, and to seek to pacify those in contention by his love.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/anger) (Subject: anger).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Strive day and night to attain to this exalted state",
"slug": "strive-day-and-night-to-attain-to-this-bs1",
"summary": "Strive day and night to attain to this exalted state. Look at me! Thou dost not know a thousandth part of the difficulties and seemingly unsurmountable passes that rise daily before my eyes. I do not heed them; I am walking in my chosen…",
"figures": [
"Lua Getsinger",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"peacefulness",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/peacefulness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nStrive day and night to attain to this exalted state. Look at me! Thou dost not know a thousandth part of the difficulties and seemingly unsurmountable passes that rise daily before my eyes. I do not heed them; I am walking in my chosen highway; I know the destination. Hundreds of storms and tempests may rage furiously around my head; hundreds of Titanics may sink to the bottom of the sea, the mad waves may rise to the roof of heaven; all these will not change my purpose, will not disturb me in the least; I will not look either to the right or to the left; I am looking ahead, far, far. Piercing through the impenetrable darkness of the night, the howling winds, the raging storms, I see the glorious Light beckoning me forward, forward. The balmy weather is coming, and the voyager shall land safely.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in Lua Getsinger: Herald of the Covenant\" by Velma Piff Metelmann*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/peacefulness) (Subject: peacefulness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Such was the Master's kindness, disregarding always the bitter persecution…",
"slug": "such-was-the-masters-kindness-disregarding-always-the-bs7",
"summary": "Such was the Master's kindness, disregarding always the bitter persecution directed against Himself. The man was much ashamed of his behaviour, and begged the Master to forgive him all the harmful deeds he had wrought against Him. The…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"forgiveness others",
"persecution",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"kindness",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-others"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSuch was the Master's kindness, disregarding always the bitter persecution directed against Himself. The man was much ashamed of his behaviour, and begged the Master to forgive him all the harmful deeds he had wrought against Him. The Master forgave all the evil done to Himself, but the people of Beirut were not ready to overlook his behaviour, and rejoiced in his downfall. It was during these dark days that one of the government officials asked the Master to give an `aba (cloak) to him. \"I have only this `aba , which I am wearing, I will gladly give it to you.\" The man replied that he did not like that `aba , but wanted a better one. \"I do not possess a better one, but if you wish,\" said the Master, \"I will give you money to buy a good 'aba for yourself.\" This offer did not content the man, so ‘Abdu’l-Bahá promised to send and buy a new `aba for him, meanwhile letting him keep His only one! In spite of all this kindness, the man continued to speak evil concerning the Master, to bring false accusations against Him, to make more rigorous the prison rules, and in many ways to harass and annoy the noble prisoner. He set soldiers to watch all those who tried to approach the Master, and to prevent their meeting Him. Whilst this official busied himself in working evil against ‘Abdu’l-Bahá he offended a brother official, who accused him to the Vali of Beirut, of certain treacheries; for instance, of possessing a book of which he could foretell future events. By this book he prophesied \"that the Sultanate would not last more than two years.\" This aroused the suspicions of the Vali, who sent an escort of soldiers to arrest that faithless public servant, also to seize all his possessions and papers, and to bring him and his belongings, including the prophetic book, to Beirut.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-others) (Subject: forgiveness-others).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Suddenly, with a great flash like lightning he opened his eyes in the room…",
"slug": "suddenly-with-a-great-flash-like-lightning-he-bs1",
"summary": "Suddenly, with a great flash like lightning he opened his eyes in the room seemed to rock like a ship in a storm with the power released. The Master was blazing. The veils of glory, the thousand veils, had shriveled away and in that…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"new york",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/new-york"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSuddenly, with a great flash like lightning he opened his eyes in the room seemed to rock like a ship in a storm with the power released. The Master was blazing. The veils of glory, the thousand veils, had shriveled away and in that Flame we were exposed to the Glory itself. Lua and I sat shaking and sobbing. Then He spoke to Lua. I caught the words, Mundádiy-i Ahd (Herald of the Covenant. Lua started forward, her hand to her breast. \"Man?\" (I?) she exclaimed. \"Call one of the Persians. You must understand this.\" Never shall I forget that moment, the flashing eyes of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the reverberations of His voice, the power that still rocked the room. God of lightning and thunder! I thought. \"I appoint you, Lua, the Herald of the Covenant. And I AM the Covenant, appointed by Bahá’u’lláh. And no one can refute His word. This is the testament of Bahá’u’lláh. You will find it in the holy book of Aqdas. Go forth and proclaim, this is the Covenant of God in your midst.\" A great joy had lifted Lua up. Her eyes were full of light. She looked like a winged Angel. \"Oh re-create me\", she cried, that I may do this work for Thee!\" It was because ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had that morning made this emphatic authoritative statement in public that New York was invested with that distinction of being named the City of the Covenant.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 143-144*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/new-york) (Subject: new-york).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Surely the simplicity of the marriage of Shoghi Effendi - reminiscent of the…",
"slug": "surely-the-simplicity-of-the-marriage-of-shoghi-bs0",
"summary": "Surely the simplicity of the marriage of Shoghi Effendi - reminiscent of the simplicity of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's own marriage in the prison-city of 'Akká - should provide a thought-provoking example to the Bahá’ís everywhere. No one, with the…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Bahíyyih Khánum",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"shoghi effendi marriage",
"pilgrimage",
"prison",
"women",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/shoghi-effendi-marriage"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSurely the simplicity of the marriage of Shoghi Effendi - reminiscent of the simplicity of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's own marriage in the prison-city of 'Akká - should provide a thought-provoking example to the Bahá’ís everywhere. No one, with the exception of his parents, my parents and a brother and two sisters of his living in Haifa, knew it was to take place. He felt strongly urged to keep it a secret, knowing from past experience how much trouble any major event in the Cause invariably stirred up. It was therefore a stunning surprise to both the servants and the local Bahá’ís when his chauffeur drove him off, with me beside him, to visit the Holy Tomb of Bahá’u’lláh on the afternoon of 25 March 1937. His heart drew him to that Most Sacred Spot on earth at such a moment in his life. I remember I was dressed, except for a white lace blouse, entirely in black for this unique occasion, and was a typical example of the way oriental women dressed to go out into the streets in those days, the custom being to wear black. Although I was from the West Shoghi Effendi desired me to fit into the pattern of the life in his house - which was a very oriental one - as naturally and inconspicuously as possible and I was only too happy to comply with his wishes in every way.\n\nWhen we arrived at Bahji and entered the Shrine he requested me to give him his ring, which I was still wearing concealed about my neck, and this he placed on the ring-finger of my right hand, the same finger that corresponded to the one of his own on which he himself had always worn it. This was the only gesture he made. He entered the inner Shrine, beneath the floor of which Bahá’u’lláh is interred, and gathered up in a handkerchief all the dried petals and flowers that the keeper of the Shrine used to take from the threshold and place in a silver receptacle at the feet of Bahá’u’lláh. After he had chanted the Tablet of Visitation we came back to Haifa and in the room of the Greatest Holy Leaf our actual marriage took place, as already mentioned.\n\nExcept for this visit, the day he told me he had chosen to confer this great honour on me, and one or two brief moments in the Western Pilgrim House when he came over for dinner, I had never been alone with the Guardian.\n\nThere was no celebration, no flowers, no elaborate ceremony, no wedding dress, no reception. His mother and father, in compliance with the laws of Bahá’u’lláh, signified their consent by signing our marriage certificate and then I went back to the Western Pilgrim House across the street and joined by parents (who had not been present at any of these events), and Shoghi Effendi went to attend to his own affairs. At dinner-time, quite as usual, the Guardian appeared, showering his love and congratulations on my mother and father. He took the handkerchief, full of such precious flowers, and with his inimitable smile gave them to my mother, saying he had brought them for her from the inner Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh. My parents also signed the marriage certificate and after dinner and these events were over I walked home with Shoghi Effendi, my suitcases having been taken across the street by Fujita while we were at dinner. We sat for a while with the Guardian's family and then went up to his two rooms which the Greatest Holy Leaf had had built for him so long ago.\n\n\n*Source: Rúhíyyih Khánum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 150-152*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/shoghi-effendi-marriage) (Subject: shoghi-effendi-marriage).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Sutherland, although greatly involved in the Maxwell brothers' architectural…",
"slug": "sutherland-although-greatly-involved-in-the-maxwell-brothers-bs5",
"summary": "Sutherland, although greatly involved in the Maxwell brothers' architectural firm, a good sportsman and a member of many clubs in Montréal, particularly those connected with the arts, was a reserved person who did not enjoy a lot of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Montreal",
"lat": 45.5017,
"lng": -73.5673,
"modernName": "Montreal, Canada"
},
"themes": [
"abdul baha montreal",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-montreal"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSutherland, although greatly involved in the Maxwell brothers' architectural firm, a good sportsman and a member of many clubs in Montréal, particularly those connected with the arts, was a reserved person who did not enjoy a lot of attention. All his sensitive Scots reticence shrank from the publicity and limelight that would be thrown upon him as the host of such an attention-attracting guest as the Persian Prophet and His entourage. He explained to May that although he wanted ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to be their guest, he really didn't want the Master to stay in their house and would book a suite for him at the Windsor Hotel. The day before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrived, however, Sutherland rushed into the bedroom and looking critically at the furniture declared: \"this is not good enough for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. I am going right down to Morgan's to buy a new set\", then rushed downtown and bought a whole new suite just for the Master. Sutherland met the Master at the railway station and humbly begged Him to stay in the Maxwell home. The Master accepted.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 181*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-montreal) (Subject: abdul-baha-montreal).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Sydney Sprague was on pilgrimage in Haifa in September 1910",
"slug": "sydney-sprague-was-on-pilgrimage-in-haifa-in-bs4",
"summary": "Sydney Sprague was on pilgrimage in Haifa in September 1910. One afternoon, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, visited with Mr. Sprague in the other pilgrims. Everything seemed normal. But that evening, as usual, the believers gathered before the house of…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"abdul bahas travels",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-bahas-travels"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nSydney Sprague was on pilgrimage in Haifa in September 1910. One afternoon, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, visited with Mr. Sprague in the other pilgrims. Everything seemed normal. But that evening, as usual, the believers gathered before the house of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to receive the blessing, which every day is ours, of being in his presence, but we waited in vain, for one of the sons-in-law came and told us that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had taken the Khedivial steamer to Port Said. Sprague wrote from Haifa: I have a very big piece of news to tell you. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has left this Holy Spot for the first time in forty-two years, and has gone to Egypt . . . Everyone was astounded to hear of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's departure, for no one knew until the very last minute that he had any idea of leaving . . . After 42 years in this cage, the Divine Bird has spread His wings and in perfect freedom flown away. When asked about his abrupt departure, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's attendant, Siyyid Asadu’llah-i-Qumi, wrote: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá did not inform anyone that he was going to leave Haifa. The day he left he visited the holy tomb of the Báb on Mt Carmel and when he came down from the mountain of the Lord, he went direct to the steamer. This was the first anyone knew about the matter.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 6-7*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-bahas-travels) (Subject: abdul-bahas-travels).*\n"
},
{
"title": "“A sufficient number of Tablets having been gathered together,...”",
"slug": "tab-a-sufficient-number-of-tablets-having-been-gathered-together",
"summary": "A sufficient number of Tablets having been gathered together, they have been entrusted to the Baha’i Publishing Society for publication in this concrete form for the enlightenment of the English-speaking…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nA sufficient number of Tablets having been gathered\ntogether, they have been entrusted to the Baha’i Publishing\nSociety for publication in this concrete form for the enlightenment\nof the English-speaking world.\n\nThe Tablets appear in the book in the order received and\nfiled in the archives, i.e. the first to respond to the above letter\nsent out by the House of Spirituality appear first in the book, and,\nso far as possible, all the Tablets to any one person or to a family\nor to an assembly have been placed together.\n\nRegarding publications, the following Tablet from\nAbdul-Baha was received by this Society in October, 1906:\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "After This Storm, the Divine Spring",
"slug": "tab-after-this-storm-the-divine-spring",
"summary": "In a Tablet preserved in *Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas* (1909), the Master writes to friends under the pressure of opposition and persecution: the storms they were enduring would in time be remembered as the necessary precursor of a *divine spring* — the same logic by which winter precedes the verdant fields and orchards.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"persecution",
"hope",
"teaching",
"trials"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"patience",
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"publisher": "Bahai Publishing Society",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19312"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas* — the 1909 American compilation\nof early Tablets of the Master — a short letter to a community of\nBahá'ís then under pressure of opposition takes up the\ncharacteristic Bahá'í teaching about the fruitfulness of trial.\nThe recipients are not named; from internal evidence they\nappear to have been one of the small American or European groups\nthat had begun, in those years, to face local hostility — derisive\narticles in the local press, social ostracism by clergy, the\nunkindness of former friends.\n\nThe Master's reply opens with the reassurance the friends were\nneeding.\n\n> When the winds blow severely, rains fall fiercely … grieve\n> not; for after this storm, verily, the divine spring will\n> arrive, the hills and fields will become verdant … These\n> favors are results of those storms.\n\nThe image is one any farmer of the Persian uplands or the\nAmerican Midwest would recognise. The hardest months of the\nyear — the storms of late winter, the icy rain that beats down\non bare ground, the wind that strips the last leaves from any\nremaining branch — are not, in the cycle of the seasons, an\ninterruption of the year's fruitfulness. They are part of it.\nThe same rains that punish the bare fields in February soak the\nground for the green of April. The bitter cold breaks the\nground that the spring sun will then warm. The fruit of the\nyear, when it eventually comes, has come *because* of the\nstorms, not in spite of them.\n\nSo with the spiritual life of a community. The opposition that\nwas at present making the friends miserable was — in the\nMaster's longer view — preparing the spring that was coming.\nThe communities that had endured persecution would be the\ncommunities that had been winnowed and made ready. The\nbelievers who had stood firm through derision and ostracism\nwould be the believers whose roots were deep enough to receive\nthe eventual flowering.\n\nThe Tablet does not minimize the difficulty. *When the winds\nblow severely.* The Master grants that what the friends were\nenduring was hard. He does not pretend otherwise. What He\nrefuses to grant is that the hardship is meaningless. It is, in\nHis reading, the necessary first half of a process whose second\nhalf is the green field, the orchard in fruit, the harvest.\n\nThe instruction is patient. Endure. Continue. Do not measure\nthe year by its hardest week. The spring will come. And the\nspring will be — as every spring eventually is — recognised as\nhaving been worth the storm.\n\nThe brief Tablet was printed in the 1909 collection so that the\nAmerican friends could carry it as a small pocket-companion\nthrough their own difficulties. The image of the *divine spring\nafter the storm* has, ever since, been one of the consolations\nthe believers most often turn to in the harder seasons.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (Bahai Publishing Society, 1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Announce greeting on my behalf to the two young...”",
"slug": "tab-announce-greeting-on-my-behalf-to-the-two-young",
"summary": "262 Announce greeting on my behalf to the two young Japanese263 and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n262\nAnnounce greeting on my behalf to the two young\nJapanese263\nand say:\n\n“His Imperial Majesty, the Mikado, became the\ncause of the material progress of Japan. I hope that you may become\nthe cause of her spiritual development. This is the principle of\nprogress.\n\n“Unless man maketh spiritual progress in the world\nof spirit, intellect and heart, he cannot gather universal results\nfrom material advancements. Now you must gird up the loins of\nendeavor and reflect duly, so that you may quicken the people of\nJapan through the spirit of God.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Announce on my behalf respectful greeting to the...”",
"slug": "tab-announce-on-my-behalf-respectful-greeting-to-the",
"summary": "281 Announce on my behalf respectful greeting to the maid-servant of god, Madam ........., and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n281\nAnnounce on my behalf respectful greeting to the\nmaid-servant of god, Madam ........., and say:\n\n“Praise be to god! that thy house hath become the\nnest and the shelter of the divine birds and thy face is illumined\nand brightened by the light of the love of God and thy tongue is\nloosened in uttering heavenly proofs and evidences. Therefore, in\norder to [give] thanks for this bestowal, add, day by day, to thy\nlove of God and be thou engaged in service.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“As to [what thou hast heard concerning] the child...”",
"slug": "tab-as-to-what-thou-hast-heard-concerning-the-child",
"summary": "292 As to [what thou hast heard concerning] the child born from Russian parentage, this is pure imagination. Yea, certain persons shall in this divine dispensation produce heavenly children and such children shall promulgate the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n292\nAs to [what thou hast heard concerning] the child born\nfrom Russian parentage, this is pure imagination. Yea, certain\npersons shall in this divine dispensation produce heavenly children\nand such children shall promulgate the teachings of the Beauty of\nAbha and serve His great Cause. Through a heavenly power and\nspiritual confirmation they shall be enabled to promote the Word of\nGod and to diffuse the fragrances of God. These children are neither\nOriental nor Occidental, neither Asiatic nor American, neither\nEuropean nor African, but they are of the Kingdom; their native home\nis heaven and their resort is the Kingdom of Abha. This is but the\ntruth and there is naught after truth save superstitions (or fancy).\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Convey my respectful greeting to Mr. ......... and...”",
"slug": "tab-convey-my-respectful-greeting-to-mr-and",
"summary": "300 Convey my respectful greeting to Mr. ......... and say: “Praise be to God! that there exists in thee capacity and endowment to enter into the Kingdom of God, and that thy wisdom and intelligence are known to the republic.301…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n300\nConvey my respectful greeting to Mr. ......... and say:\n“Praise be to God! that there exists in thee capacity and\nendowment to enter into the Kingdom of God, and that thy wisdom and\nintelligence are known to the republic.301\nTherefore, tarry thou not. Enter thou immediately into the Kingdom of\nGod. Enlist thyself in the roll of the army of the Lord of Hosts, in\norder that thou mayest become the cause of salvation to the people,\nendow sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and life to the dead.\nThis is the divine gift! This is the supreme guidance! make thou thy\nmeetings a palace for the heavenly beloved and thy residence a glass\nfor the light of Deity. Suffer thy home to become a nest for the dove\nof the Holy Spirit and thine eye the mirror for the reflection of the\nBeauty of the Almighty.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Convey my respectful greeting to Mrs. .........”",
"slug": "tab-convey-my-respectful-greeting-to-mrs",
"summary": "317 Convey my respectful greeting to Mrs. ......... and say: “We hope that day by day thou mayest take higher flights, attain to greater spiritual attractions, thy word become more penetrative through the power of the Spirit and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n317\nConvey my respectful greeting to Mrs. ......... and say:\n“We hope that day by day thou mayest take higher flights,\nattain to greater spiritual attractions, thy word become more\npenetrative through the power of the Spirit and through the\nconfirmations of the Spirit of Abha become illumined. This is the\npath of salvation and prosperity. This is the attractive power of the\nHoly Spirit from the Supreme Concourse.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Convey my respectful greetings to [Dr.] ......”",
"slug": "tab-convey-my-respectful-greetings-to-dr",
"summary": "Convey my respectful greetings to [Dr.] ... and say: “Have confidence in heavenly bounty and be sure of the favor of the Lord of the Kingdom. Soon thou shalt see that the East hath embraced the West and that the Occident and Orient are…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nConvey\nmy respectful greetings to [Dr.] ... and say: “Have confidence\nin heavenly bounty and be sure of the favor of the Lord of the\nKingdom. Soon thou shalt see that the East hath embraced the West and\nthat the Occident and Orient are attracted to each other. They will\nbecome as one soul, one heart and one body.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“El-Baha, praise, light, blessing and peace be upon thee,...”",
"slug": "tab-el-baha-praise-light-blessing-and-peace-be-upon-thee",
"summary": "El-Baha, praise, light, blessing and peace be upon thee,170 O thou fire of the Love of God, thou light of the Kingdom of God, thou radiance of the Gift of God, thou peerless pearl in the Sea of the Mercy of God, thou sturdy lion in the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"martyrdom",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nEl-Baha, praise, light, blessing and peace be upon\nthee,170\nO thou fire of the Love of God, thou light of the Kingdom of God,\nthou radiance of the Gift of God, thou peerless pearl in the Sea of\nthe Mercy of God, thou sturdy lion in the Jungle of the Guidance of\nGod!\n\nI testify that, verily, thou hast believed in God, thou\nhast become assured of the Verses of God, thou hast trusted in the\nappearance of the Kingdom of God, thou hast turned unto God, thou\nhast kept firm in the Covenant of God, thou hast served the Cause of\nGod, thou hast endeavored to promote the Word of God, and thou hast\nsuffered martyrdom in the path of God. May the soul of men be a\nsacrifice to thee!\n\nBlessed is the land which is reddened by thy blood!\nBlessed is the heart which is burnt with the fire of thine\nafflictions! Blessed is the eye which weeps over thy disaster!\nBlessed are the hearts which are consumed by thy calamities! Blessed\nare the bosoms which are rent asunder by thy sufferings!\n\nPraise be unto thee! Exaltation be unto thee!\nFaithfulness be unto thee! O thou sign of guidance and thou standard\nof great martyrdom!\n\nO that the bullets which shot thee were shot at the\nbreast of Abdul-Baha! O that the darts which pierced thee would\nstrike the heart of Abdul-Baha! By the might of my Lord, afflictions\nare much more favored by Abdul-Baha than the honey of life, inasmuch\nas this cup is overflowing with the gift of God.\n\nBlessed is the one who attaineth to visit thy grave!\nBlessed is the forehead which is set against thy tomb! Blessed is the\nman who serves thy sepulchre! Blessed is the person who lights a\nlamp171\nat thy resting-place!\n\nI beg of God to cause spheres of light to descend upon\nthy sepulchre and the clouds of mercy to shower rains of forgiveness\nupon thy resting-place and tomb!\n\nVerily, He is the Compensator, the Beneficent, the\nGiver!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Express my affection to Mrs. ... and say:...”",
"slug": "tab-express-my-affection-to-mrs-and-say",
"summary": "Express my affection to Mrs. ... and say: “The grace of God hath chosen thee and distinguished thee for His love, that thou mayest thank Him, a thousand times in every moment. Because of this bounty, you must choose to serve the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nExpress\nmy affection to Mrs. ... and say: “The grace of God hath chosen\nthee and distinguished thee for His love, that thou mayest thank Him,\na thousand times in every moment. Because of this bounty, you must\nchoose to serve the maid-servants of the Merciful.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“For the information of those who know little or nothing...”",
"slug": "tab-for-the-information-of-those-who-know-little-or-nothing",
"summary": "For the information of those who know little or nothing of the Bahai Revelation, we quote the following account translated from the (French) Encyclopaedia of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"exile",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"justice",
"love",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nFor the information of those who know little or nothing\nof the Bahai Revelation, we quote the following account translated\nfrom the (French) Encyclopaedia of Larousse:—\n\nBahaism the religion of the disciples of Baha’o’llah,\nan outcome of Babism.—Mirza Husain Ali Nuri Baha’o’llah\nwas born at Teheran in 1817 A. D. From 1844 he was one of the first\nadherents of the Bab, and devoted himself to the pacific propagation\nof his doctrine in Persia. After the death of the Bab he was, with\nthe principal Babis, exiled to Baghdad, and later to Constantinople\nand Adrianople, under the surveillance of the Ottoman Government. It\nwas in the latter city that he openly declared his mission. He was\n“He whom God would make manifest,” whom the Bab had\nannounced in his writings, the great Manifestation of God, promised\nfor the last days; and in his letters to the principal Rulers of the\nStates of Europe he invited them to join him in establishing religion\nand universal peace. From this time, the Babis who acknowledged him\nbecame Bahais. The sultan then exiled him (1868 A. D.) to Acca in\nPalestine, where he composed the greater part of his doctrinal works,\nand where he died in 1892 A. D. (May 29). He had confided to his son,\nAbbas Effendi Abdul-Baha, the work of spreading the religion and\ncontinuing the connection between the Bahais of all parts of the\nworld. In point of fact, there are Bahais everywhere, not only in\nMohammedan countries, but also in all the countries of Europe, as\nwell as in the United States, Canada, Japan, India, etc. This is\nbecause Baha’o’llah has known how to transform Babism\ninto a universal religion, which is presented as the fulfillment and\ncompletion of all the ancient faiths. The Jews await the Messiah, the\nChristians the return of Christ, the Moslem the Mahdi, the Buddhists\nthe fifth Buddha, the Zoroastrians Shah Bahran, the Hindoos the\nreincarnation of Krishna, and the Atheists—a better social\norganization! Baha’o’llah represents all these, and thus\ndestroys the rivalries and the enmities of the different religions;\nreconciles them in their primitive purity, and frees them from the\ncorruption of dogmas and rites. For Bahaism has no clergy, no\nreligious ceremonial, no public prayers; its only dogma is belief in\nGod and in his Manifestations (Zoroaster, Moses, Jesus, et al.,\nBaha’o’llah). The principal works of Baha’o’llah\nare the Kitab-ul-Ighan, the Kitab-ul-Akdas, the Kitab-ul-Ayd, and\nnumerous letters or tablets addressed to sovereigns or to private\nindividuals. Ritual holds no place in the religion, which must be\nexpressed in all the actions of life, and accomplished in neighborly\nlove. Every one must have an occupation. The education of children is\nenjoined and regulated. No one has the power to receive confession of\nsins, or to give absolution. The priests of the existing religions\nshould renounce celibacy, and should preach by their example,\nmingling in the life of the people. Monogamy is universally\nrecommended, etc. Questions not treated of are left to the civil law\nof each country, and to the decisions of the Bait-ul-Adl, or House of\nJustice, instituted by Baha’o’llah. Respect toward the\nHead of the State is a part of respect toward God. A universal\nlanguage, and the creation of tribunals of arbitration between\nnations, are to suppress wars. “You are all leaves of the same\ntree, and drops of the same sea,” Baha’o’llah has\nsaid. Briefly, it is not so much a new religion as Religion renewed\nand unified, which is directed today by Abdul-Baha.—(Nouveau\nLarousse Illustre, supplement, p. 66.)\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Frontispiece",
"slug": "tab-frontispiece",
"summary": "“In reality thou art spiritually hungry and athirst for the Water of Life. Therefore I send thee spiritual food and bestow upon thee the Water of Life Eternal. That food is the divine advices and exhortations revealed in the Tablets and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“In reality thou art spiritually hungry and\nathirst for the Water of Life. Therefore I send thee spiritual food\nand bestow upon thee the Water of Life Eternal. That food is the\ndivine advices and exhortations revealed in the Tablets and the\nspiritual outpourings of the Breath of the Holy Spirit. I hope ere\nlong it will reach thee and thou wilt behold what an exhilaration and\nbeatitude it produceth and what cheerfulness and serenity and what\nheavenly emotions it createth!”\n\nAbdul-Baha Abbas.\n\nTablets of Abdul-Baha Abbas\n\nVolume I\n\nPublished\nby\n\nBAHAI PUBLISHING SOCIETY\n\nP. O. Box 283\n\nCHICAGO, U.S.A.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I supplicate unto...”",
"slug": "tab-glory-be-unto-thee-o-my-god-i-supplicate-unto",
"summary": "Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I supplicate unto Thee, O Thou my Helper! I invoke Thee, O Thou my Refuge! I utter to Thee my agonies, O Thou my Physician, and entreat Thee with all my hear, my soul and my spirit,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"generosity",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGlory be unto Thee, O my God! I supplicate unto Thee, O\nThou my Helper! I invoke Thee, O Thou my Refuge! I utter to Thee my\nagonies, O Thou my Physician, and entreat Thee with all my hear, my\nsoul and my spirit, saying:\n\n\nO my God! O my God! Verily, the gloomy night hath fallen\nupon all regions and the clouds of ignorance have extended in all\ndirections; the people are immersed in the darkness of surmise and\nthe tyrants are sunk in the depths of brutality and lawlessness; the\nred glare of the burning fire is flashing forth from the nether\nworld; roaring, ominous voices are rising from the cruel, destructive\nand terrible armaments; every region is crying out with its dumb\nsecret tongue: “Nothing that I possess hath benefitted me and\npower and strength are taken away from me!” Verily, O my God,\nthe lamps of guidance are extinguished; the fire of animosity is\nenkindled; wrath and antipathy are spread abroad and provocation and\nmaliciousness are disseminated upon the face of the earth. Yet I see\nonly Thy wronged followers who are crying at the tops of their voices\nand summoning the people:\n\n\n“Hasten ye toward affinity!\n\n\nHasten ye toward faithfulness!\n\n\nHasten ye toward generosity!\n\n\nHasten ye toward guidance!\n\n\nHasten ye toward union!\n\n\nHasten ye to behold the Light of the World!\n\n\nHasten ye toward love and prosperity!\n\n\nHasten ye toward peace and reconciliation!\n\n\nHasten ye toward the law of disarmament!\n\n\nHasten ye toward harmony and success!\n\n\nHasten ye toward co-operation and mutual help in the\npath of guidance!”\n\nVerily, these wronged ones do sacrifice themselves with\ninfinite joy and happiness for the sake of the people, with all their\nsouls and spirits throughout all regions. Verily, Thou beholdest them\nweeping at the misfortunes of every one of Thy creatures and becoming\ngrieved at the distress of Thy children; they are kind to all the\npeople and pained at the sight of the calamities of the inhabitants\nof the world. O my Lord! make the wings of prosperity to grow upon\ntheir shoulders, so that they may ever soar toward the apex of their\naspirations; strengthen their loins in the service of Thy people, and\nconfirm them in the thralldom and adoration of the threshold of Thy\nHoliness.\n\nVerily, Thou art the Merciful! Thou art the Clement, and\nthere is no God but Thee, the Powerful, the Compassionate, and the\nAncient!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Glory be unto Thee, O my God!...”",
"slug": "tab-glory-be-unto-thee-o-my-god",
"summary": "Glory be unto Thee, O my…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"humility",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nGlory be unto Thee, O my God!\n\nThou seest me rolling my face in the dust of humility\nand contrition, supplicating toward the Kingdom of Thy Might,\nyearning for the contemplation of Thy Greatness, entreating Thy\nGrandeur, invoking at the Threshold of Thy Mercifulness, beseeching\nthe realm of Thy Singleness, acknowledging my shortcomings, longing\nfor Thy bounty, desiring Thy concealing veil and expecting the\noutpouring of the rain of Thy favor upon all the meadows and\nmountains!\n\nO my Lord! Verily, Thy power hath enveloped all things,\nThy dominion, Thy glory and Thy sovereignty have become manifest as\nthe manifestation of the sun in mid-day; Thy Word hath penetrated the\nreality of the contingent beings; Thy voice hath been raised on the\napex of the world; Thy beaming lights have radiated from the\ndawning-places of all the horizons and Thy wonderful refulgent signs\nhave become known in all directions; consequently the sights and\ninsights have become dazzled by beholding these manifestations of\ntruth! There is no land in which the fame of Thy Merciful Cause hath\nnot been spread, and there is no region in which Thy manifest ensign\nhath not been hoisted! Verily, Thy voice hath reached the ears of all\nthe inhabitants of the globe, and the attracted ones have become\nexhilarated by its holy and divine fragrances!\n\nPraise be to Thee, O my God! for the bestowal of this\nmost great bounty upon Thy chosen ones; and thanks be to Thee, O my\nLord! for this most eminent favor upon Thy righteous servants in\nsuffering them to become the signs of Thy Oneness in this glorious\nage and the standards of Thy sanctity in this new cycle!\n\nO my Lord! O my Lord! Assist the weak ones with the\nSupreme Energy; shelter the indigent ones near the asylum of Thy\nGreatest Majesty; strengthen the loins of those souls whose faces\nradiate with Thy lights and whose tongues become eloquent in the\nglorification and commemoration of Thy Name; make them the plants of\nThy luminous orchard, the blossoms of Thy blessed tree, the leaves of\nThy Sadrat-el-Montaha266\nand the flowers of Thy exalted rose-garden! Verily, Thou art the\nClement, the Lofty, the Magnificent, the Omnipresent and Thou art the\nProtector, the Guardian, the Helper, the Powerful, the Merciful and\nthe Generous!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Glory be unto Thee, O Thou whose mercy hath encompassed...”",
"slug": "tab-glory-be-unto-thee-o-thou-whose-mercy-hath-encompassed",
"summary": "178 Glory be unto Thee, O Thou whose mercy hath encompassed all things, whose gift is made perfect, whose power hath encircled the world, whose proof is demonstrated, whose signs have become manifest, whose words are promulgated, whose…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"exile",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"generosity",
"gratitude",
"joy",
"justice",
"kindness",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 11,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n178\nGlory be unto Thee, O Thou whose mercy hath encompassed\nall things, whose gift is made perfect, whose power hath encircled\nthe world, whose proof is demonstrated, whose signs have become\nmanifest, whose words are promulgated, whose arguments are\nestablished and whose ensigns are hoisted! Praise be unto Thee for\nthat which Thou hast bestowed! Thanks be unto Thee for that which\nThou hast granted! Glorification behooveth Thee for Thou hast\nmanifested Thyself! Glory be unto Thee Glory be unto Thee! How\ninaccessible is Thy station! How manifest is Thy proof and how\nall-embracing is Thy munificence!\n\nVerily the dark night hath been spreading its wings over\nall the regions and the face of the heaven and earth was hidden\nbehind the clouds of inky gloom and blackness—wherefore the\nsights were veiled from beholding the most great signs and inner\nperceptions were blinded and unable to find the fire of divine\nguidance; souls were wandering in the desert of error and\nheedlessness and the possessors of intelligence were lost in the\nwilderness of amazement and skepticism, crying and weeping as a\nmother bereft of her babe—bewailing and lamenting like unto a\nthirsty one in the midst of a vast and boundless Sahara!\n\nBut through Thy greatest bounty, the glorious dawn broke\nand the lightning of guidance flashed from the Supreme Horizon upon\nthe face of heaven! Then the First Point (the Bab) appeared among\nmankind with the glad-tidings of Thy Manifestation, the fragrances of\nThy Holiness and the verses of Thy Singleness, spreading Thy good\nnews, heralding Thy Name, declaring and praising Thee in numerous\nepistles!\n\nThine is favor for this gift which hath cheered the\nsouls of the pure ones! Thine is generosity for Thou hast enabled\nevery righteous and devoted one to adore Thee by causing the Sun of\nTruth to shine upon all the regions of existence! Thine is glory and\nexcellence! Thine is power and beauty! Thine is sovereignty and\nauthority! Thine is dominion and kingdom! Thine is exaltation and\nomnipresence! Thine is divinity and lordship! For thou hast\nmanifested Thy bounty from the horizon of emanation, rent asunder the\nveil and raised the covering from Thy illumined countenance in the\npromised day and shone forth upon the world of being with the rays\ngleaming from the dawn of revelation!\n\nThen the “Resurrection” appeared, the “Day\nofd Judgment” became manifest, the “earth” heaved\nand shook, the “mountains” were levelled, the “seas”\nboiled, the “sun” was eclipsed, the “luminaries”\nwere darkened, the “stars” scattered, the “signs”\nbecame known, the “bridge” expanded, the “conditions”\nwere fulfilled, the “balance” was set up, the “fire”\nburned fiercely and the “paradise” became\nbegemmed!—wherefore the devoted ones entered into delectable\ngardens with beatitude and the veiled ones were left to amuse\nthemselves with their own imaginations; the possessors of perception\nbeheld the lights and those whose eyes were weak vanished in gloomy\ndarkness before the appearance of the mid-day Sun!\n\nThen those whose ears were unstopped and open rejoiced\nin listening to the call, while the deaf (or ignorant) were\nastonished , crying out, “What is the cause of this acclamation\nand rejoicing?” Then the fluent speakers loosened their tongues\nin thanksgiving and glorification, while the dumb became as hard and\nlifeless stones; then the souls were purified, the hearts were\nattracted, the breasts were dilated, the characters were sanctified,\nthe secret thoughts became manifest and the realities stepped into\nthe arena of existence; they sought illumination, were guided, became\nablaze, enflamed and enkindled, called forth and proclaimed, saying:\n\n\n“Glad-tidings be unto the righteous ones!\nRejoicing be unto the perceiving ones! Happiness be unto the favored\nones! Joy be unto the yearning ones! Cheerfulness be unto the\nattracted ones! Exhilaration be unto the longing ones!\n\n\nGlory be unto Him who hath arisen from the Brightest\nDawn!\n\n\nGlory be unto Him who hath shone forth the Manifest\nLight!\n\n\nGlory be unto Him who showered Glorious Outpourings upon\nthe contingent beings!\n\n\nGlory be unto Him who illumined the Supreme Horizon with\nsuch a Radiance by which the gloom of the dark night hath been\ndispelled!\n\n\nGlory be unto Him who causeth to descend the Food from\nheaven!\n\n\nGlory be unto Him who causeth the Running Spring to gush\nforth from the rugged cliff!\n\n\nGlory be unto Him who poured down the Pure Water from on\nhigh!\n\n\nGlory be unto Him who allayed the\nthirst of the devoted ones with the Cup which is mixed with\nCamphire!179\n\n\n\nGlory be unto Him who developed the barren and sterile\nground into fruitfulness!\n\n\nGlory be unto Him who hath produced growth in the\nadjoining fields of various natures!\n\n\nGlory be unto Him who irrigated them with the same\nwaters gushing forth from that Fountain!\n\n\nGlory be unto Him who adorned the delectable gardens\nwith all kinds of delicate and delicious fruits!\n\n\nGlory be unto Him who ushered in the Emanation of the\nnew creation!\n\n\nGlory be unto Him who hath brought forth the Day of\nRetribution!\n\n\nGlory be unto Him who granted Life unto the contingent\nBeings!\n\n\nGlory be unto Him who created the Existence!\n\n\nGlory be unto Him who extended forth the Path!\n\n\nGlory be unto Him who made clear the Way!\n\n\nGlory be unto Him who appeared in the Most Wonderful\nAge!\n\n\nGlory be unto the Founder of this New Epoch!\n\n\nThen thanks be unto Thee, O my God, for these Gifts and\npraise be unto Thee, O my Beloved, for this Eminent Bounty! Verily\nThou art the Merciful of the Most Merciful!”\n\nO ye merciful friends of Abdul-Baha! At this moment a\nletter hath been received from America containing the good news that\nthat region of the Occident hath become the Orient; that is, in that\nregion the rays of the Sun of Truth have appeared and shone forth\nwith such penetration that the bright light of the morn of guidance\nhath dawned and every longing one hath attained to the desire of this\nheart, and that the melody of the Kingdom of Abha ascends\ncontinuously to the Supreme Concourse and the soul-refreshing strains\nof “Ya Baha El-Abha!” reach the ears of the peoples and\ncommunities of that country.\n\nAccording to what they have written, they have\ncelebrated the day of the “Birth anniversary” in\ntwenty-four cities by giving public feasts and beautiful receptions.\nThey have spent that day in the utmost joy and happiness, they have\nsent out general invitations, spread the table of gifts, engaged in\nthe commemoration of the True One and in imparting glad-tidings to\neach other. Likewise, letters of congratulation and felicitation have\nbeen received from these twenty-four cities and assemblies. Consider\nye what influence the penetrative power of the Word of God hath\ndisplayed in existence and how the universe is stirred and moved\nthrough it! How in America on the “Birth anniversary”\nsuch feasting and banqueting is prepared! How the remote ones have\nbecome the near ones and how the customs and habits of the East are\nspread abroad! This is the penetrative power of the Word of God and\nthis is the might of the subduing desire of God!\n\nO ye friends of God and maid-servants of the Merciful!\nHis honor Ameen180\nhath mentioned you with the highest praise and commendation, saying\nthat, thank God, the believers in all parts of the cities and towns\nare the manifestations of bounties and the dawning-places of justice\nand equity; are mindful, obedient, kind-hearted and steadfast; are\nengaged in reading the verses and occupied with spreading the signs;\nare in the utmost ecstasy and exhilaration and intoxicated with the\npure wine; are active in praising and adoring the Most Great Name and\nintimate in paying homage to the Holy Threshold; are living in accord\nwith the divine teachings and exhortations and are in every way\nendowed with all human excellences and attributes; that they are in\nthe utmos unity and agreement and in great zeal and enthusiasm; are\nkind to every soul and treat all the communities with exceeding joy\nand fragrance; that they have sympathy even for the enemies and are\nfaithful friends even to the unjust; that to the outsiders they are\nas relatives and to the strangers they are a swift-healing antidote\ninstead of a poisonous sting; are the servants of the world of\nhumanity and manifestors of the attributes of the Merciful One!\nBlessed are they for this testimony, which is expressive of the\nbeauty of their characters and the merit of their virtues! Truly, I\nsay, his honor Ameen is the well-wisher of all. In the day of the\nManifestation he was the Ameen (Faithful) of the Blessed perfection181\nand in the days of the Covenant182\nhe is the confidant of this yearning one. Therefore, his testimony is\nheard and accepted and his evidence is praised and beloved.\n\nO ye beloved of God! According to what is heard, some of\nthe ulemas of the Sheite sect (Persian moslem mullas), as well as\nsome leaders of the Shekhei school, are engaged constantly in\ninstigating revolts and have arisen against the government with\nenmity and opposition, confusing the affairs of the state more than\nbefore.\n\nPraise be to God!183\nWhat is this heedlessness and ignorance and what is this antagonism\nand insubordination! Verily, the Persian empire hath been at all\ntimes deprived of every bounty on account of the encroaching\ninfluence of the ritualistic mullas! Whenever that just government\nconceived a good intention to introduce reforms and amelioration of\nconditions, these ignorant leaders raised vehement opposition,\nprotested severely and prevented the introduction of measures which\nwould better conditions and spread culture and progress. One must be\njust. The intention of His Imperial Majesty is higher and purer than\nall the other leaders and chiefs, for the sole desire of the throne\nis the peace and security of the inhabitants and the cultivation and\nbetterment of the conditions of the empire. But alas! they do not\ngive a moment’s rest to the kind Padeshah, in order that he may\nvoluntarily and of his own accord inaugurate reforms as much as may\nbe warranted by circumstances.\n\nHowever, the inhabitants of Persia are not the only ones\nwho are afflicted with this ignorance and blindness. The people of\nthe imperial Ottoman government are also in a state of the utmost\nignorance and blindness. Diversity of opinions and ignorance of\nfactions do not allow one breath of tranquility to the imperial\ngovernment, in order that it may adjust internal conditions and\nrectify foreign relations. Yet, under all these conditions, His\nImperial Majesty the Padeshah f the Ottomans is intelligently\ndirecting the affairs. The proof and testimony of this assertion is\nthe protection afforded these exiled ones (in Acca) from the\nrebellious despotism of the enemies. If authority were in the\npeople’s hands or in other hands than those of the government,\nthe conspiracies and seditions of inside and outside enemies would\nhave scattered even the ashes of this imprisoned one to the winds.\nBut the forebearance, intelligence, foresight, far-reaching wisdom\nand discernment of His Imperial Majesty the Padeshah of the Ottomans\nhave so far protected these exiled ones, notwithstanding the attacks\nof the calumniators and the party of the slanderers. We are of those\nwho pray for these two just kings and are grateful to these two\nequitable sovereigns.\n\nPraise be unto God! One of the imputations of the\nenemies is this: That—we seek refuge in God—we deny the\nvalidity and truth of the Sun of Guidance, the Lamp of the Supreme\nConcourse, the messenger of the Almighty, His Highness Mohammed\nMostafa—upon Him be greeting and praise!—and that—God\nforbid! —we have written books in His refutation. Woe unto\nthose who have arisen to spread this great falsehood and calumny!\nHowever, all the friends of God who are informed of the mysteries\nknow that this exiled and imprisoned one would readily sacrifice his\nlife at the dust of the Prophet’s feet. Furthermore, the\nBlessed Perfection-may my life be a sacrifice to His beloved ones—in\nthe book of Ighan, hath established with invincible proofs and clear\narguments the prophethood of His Highness the Messenger—may my\nlife be a sacrifice to Him!—and also His Highness the Supreme\n(the Bab) hath invoked Him (Mohammed) in many supplications.\nNotwithstanding all these evidences, the unjust ones are crying out\nand secretly spreading the falsehood that we—God forbid!—are\nHis deniers and the unfaithful friends (nakzeen) acknowledge these\nerroneous imputations. Praise be to God! If we deny the messengers\nand prophets of God, what have we to say for ourselves? Glory be unto\nThee, O my God! Verily this is a great calumny!\n\nTo be brief, the aim is this: Though the interference of\nthe ignorant and fanatical leaders the country of Persia is in a\nstate of decadence, although the pure intention of His Imperial\nMajesty the crowned Shah is for progress. However, ye who are the\nwell-wishers of the government and are sincere, obedient and kind\ntoward it, be ye engaged always in service. Should any one of you\nenter into the service (or employment) of the government, he must\nlive and act with the utmost truthfulness, righteousness, chastity,\nuprightness, purity, sanctity, justice and equity. But if—I\nseek refuge in God—any one betray the least of trusts or\nneglect and be remiss in the performance of duties which are\nintrusted to him, or by oppression takes one penny of extortion from\nthe subjects, or seeks after his own personal, selfish aims and ends\nin the attainment of his own interests, he shall undoubtedly remain\ndeprived of the outpourings of His Highness the Almighty! Beware!\nBeware! lest ye fall short in that which ye are commanded in this\nTablet!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“He is God!...”",
"slug": "tab-he-is-god",
"summary": "He is God! O ye heavenly…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love",
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHe is God! O ye heavenly Assemblage!\n\nYour letter was received and its contents became known.\nYe have written concerning the printing and publication of the\nTablets.\n\nThe translation of the Surat-ul-Hykl2\nis of the utmost difficulty. It must be translated by a committee who\nare exceedingly efficient both in Persian and English, exercising the\nclosest and most minute attention. Otherwise the text would not\nbecome intelligible. The same rule applieth to other Writings and\nTablets. For the present the organization of such a committee of\ntranslators is not possible and there is no other means than the\ntranslations made by individuals. In the future, God willing, means\nwill be brought about. Translations will be made by a committee\ncomposed of two most erudite Persians and two learned Americans, all\nof them having the utmost proficiency in both languages and\npossessing a certain knowledge of sciences and arts. Then others from\namong the scholars and thinkers must assist. At that time Tablets\nwill be translated correctly and published. What ye have in your\nhands and what is already printed will impart a certain degree of\ninformation. Whatever matter the spiritual Boards of Council in New\nYork, Chicago, Washington and Kenosha unanimously deem advisable to\nprint and publish, ye may print and publish; and have the utmost\nunion and oneness with each other.\n\nRegarding the Tablets of Abdul-Baha: Each of them is\nimportant. Print ye those which are in detail.\n\nAs to the question of annihilation and destruction of\nthe Spirits3\n: Mr. Phelps hath not not fully understood the matter or else the\ntranslator hath made some mistake. It was not intended to convey the\nidea that the unbelieving souls are absolutely annihilated. Nay,\nrather, it was meant that the existence of the evil spirits in\ncomparison to the existence of the sanctified souls was like unto\nannihilation. As you clearly behold, the existence of mineral in\ncomparison with the existence of man is like unto non-being. When the\nbody of man is destroyed and disintegrated, it returneth to the\nmineral.\n\nConcerning the income of the printing and publishing\nsociety, as ye write, it must be expended for charitable purposes.\n\nO ye believers of God! I am pleased with you and seek\nfor your assistance and confirmation. I hope that ye may, day by day,\nadd to your love, steadfastness, purity of intention and service to\nthe Cause of God.\n\nUpon ye be greeting and praise!\n\nAbdul-Baha Abbas.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Honorable Dr. ............”",
"slug": "tab-honorable-dr",
"summary": "Honorable Dr.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"hope",
"integrity",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nHonorable Dr. .........\n\nAccording to what is heard you have received the\npermission of medication and the certificate of graduation (diploma)\nfrom the College of Medicine. Now experience is necessary in order to\nattain skill and proficiency. The greatest of all these is the\nconfirmation and the strength of His Majesty, the One (God), through\nthe favor of the Blessed Perfection. I am hopeful that will also be\nthine.\n\nFor the physician the first qualifications are: Good\nintentions, trustworthiness, tenderness, sympathy for the sick,\ntruthfulness, integrity, and the fear of the Lord.\n\nWith life and heart strive thou to be both a spiritual\nand physical physician. Thus mayest thou be Ameen and Fareed\n(Trustworthy and Unique).\n\nThy honorable father night and day prays, hopes and\nsupplicates that thy life, like his, may be entirely devoted to the\nservice of the Threshold of God, that thou remain the servant of the\nHoly Cause.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“I ask God that thou mayest find a perceiving eye, an...”",
"slug": "tab-i-ask-god-that-thou-mayest-find-a-perceiving-eye-an",
"summary": "194 I ask God that thou mayest find a perceiving eye, an attentive ear and an eloquent tongue; that thou mayest loosen thy tongue in delivering the Cause of God, promoting the Word of God in that country, educating the children and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n194\nI ask God that thou mayest find a perceiving eye, an\nattentive ear and an eloquent tongue; that thou mayest loosen thy\ntongue in delivering the Cause of God, promoting the Word of God in\nthat country, educating the children and training them in the\ntraining of God, and in early childhood enkindling in their hearts\nthe lights of spiritual morals.\n\nThou hast written that in thine articles for the papers\nthou hast cited from the holy Tablets of Tarazat and Tajalliat. It is\nvery agreeable.\n\nRespecting the translating of Miss Barney’s book,\nin which thou hast engaged thyself, it is very agreeable; but thou\nmust communicate concerning this with Miss Barney herself. She will\nassist thee in its publication and spreading.\n\nI ask God to aid thee by the divine confirmation and\nengage, night and day, with the commemoration of God.\n\nUpon thee be Baha El-Abha!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“If the people live and act in accord with...”",
"slug": "tab-if-the-people-live-and-act-in-accord-with",
"summary": "“If the people live and act in accord with the General Tablets which are revealed in the beloved of the East and of the West, this universe will become another universe, and the whole existence of this world will be clad in another…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“If the people live and act in accord with the\nGeneral Tablets which are revealed in the beloved of the East and of\nthe West, this universe will become another universe, and the whole\nexistence of this world will be clad in another garment”\n\nAbdul-Baha Abbas\n\n\n\n\n\n Volume III\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“If you arise in accord with the exhortations and commands...”",
"slug": "tab-if-you-arise-in-accord-with-the-exhortations-and-commands",
"summary": "298 If you arise in accord with the exhortations and commands of the Blessed Perfection—may my life be a sacrifice to His beloved ones! —before long agreeable results will be obtained, the great newspapers of the world will all engage…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Boston",
"lat": 42.3601,
"lng": -71.0589,
"modernName": "Boston, Massachusetts, USA"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n298\nIf you arise in accord with the exhortations and\ncommands of the Blessed Perfection—may my life be a sacrifice\nto His beloved ones! —before long agreeable results will be\nobtained, the great newspapers of the world will all engage in\npraising you and such activity will be brought about in the West as\nwill increase the motion and activity in the East.\n\nYou have written concerning the meetings in Cambridge\nand Boston. The more such meetings increase, it will increase the\ndiffusing of the fragrances.\n\nThe news concerning the unity, harmony, affinity and\noneness of the maid-servants of the Merciful One and the friends of\nGod in those parts, imparted the utmost joy and happiness (to me).\nThis indicated that the Cause will before long yield results in that\ncountry.\n\nConvey on my behalf respectful greeting to the favored\nand attracted maid-servant of God, the daughter of the Kingdom, Miss\n.........\n\nO thou .........! Exhort thou all the believers and say:\n“The Beauty of Abha—may my life be a sacrifice to the\ndust of His footsteps! —hath opened a great door before your\nfaces and bestowed a weighty gift upon you. We must know the value of\nthis and sacrifice ourselves entirely; nay, we must forget ourselves.\nWe must wish for no rest and seek no joy. We must seek no name nor\nfame, no ease, amplitude nor convenience; nay, we must sacrifice\neverything in order that we may be clad in the kingdom of\nimmortality!”299\n\n\nThe letter which thou hast written was received and its\nperusal brought me joy, for it indicated that you are extremely\npleased with the beloved ones (i.e., men) and the maid-servants of\nGod in Persia. forsooth, their love is heartfelt and real; they are\ndevoted in service with all their soul and they are attracted by the\nlove of the friends with all their heart. If any occasion befalleth\nand cases of tests come up, they will sacrifice their precious lives\nfor the sake of the friends and freely give up all their possessions.\n\n\nBriefly, O thou dear maid-servant of God! Praise be to\nGod! thou didst see with thine own eyes, thou didst hear with thine\nown ears and thou didst comprehend with thine own heart. Thou didst\nwitness the qualities and the life and conduct of Abdul-Baha and thou\ndidst behold the love and kindness, faith and assurance of the\nfriends of Persia. Thou didst see the exaltation (or progress) of the\nCause of God and thou didst test the general character (or qualities)\nof the friends; and thou didst know with perfect assurance that the\nCause of Baha’o’llah is the means for the quickening of\nthe world and for the extraordinary progress of mankind; that it hath\nquickened Persia and hath removed the darkness of ignorance, that the\nfriends are kind unto all the people of the world and\nself-sacrificing servants of mankind.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“III-530...”",
"slug": "tab-iii-530",
"summary": "III-530 to teach His truth, to deliver His Cause, to promote His Word, and to train the souls whom superstitions have veiled from witnessing the lights of the Bounty of these…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIII-530 to teach His truth, to deliver His Cause, to\npromote His Word, and to train the souls whom superstitions have\nveiled from witnessing the lights of the Bounty of these days.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Be filled with joy, so that thine\neyes may be overflowing with tears of happiness and beatitude, and\nbeseech thou God to remove the veil from the face of your sons so\nthat they may find a spiritual understanding of the existence of God\nand may know how the human soul can receive bounty from the divine\nSpirit.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Inquire after the health of Miss .........., send...”",
"slug": "tab-inquire-after-the-health-of-miss-send",
"summary": "130 Inquire after the health of Miss .........., send her my greeting and say: “Many ideas rise up in the human mind; some of them concern truth and some untruth. Among such ideas those which owe their source to the Light of Truth will…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n130\nInquire after the health of Miss .........., send her my\ngreeting and say: “Many ideas rise up in the human mind; some\nof them concern truth and some untruth. Among such ideas those which\nowe their source to the Light of Truth will be realized in the\noutward world; while others of a different origin vanish, come and go\nlike waves on the sea of imagination and find no realization in the\nworld of existence.\n\n“Similarly, numerous, various meetings and\nassemblages have been organized during the past ages and bygone\ncenturies. All these produced no result except those assemblages\nwhich rendered unmixed service to the Light of Truth; from such\nassemblages alone great results were realized in the world of\nexistence.\n\n“For instance, consider how many a thousand\nassemblages—religious, political and literary—have been\norganized in India, Persia, Turkestan, Chinese countries and, in a\nword, in every part of Asia. All these gave no result except that\nassemblage of the disciples of Christ on the mount fifty days after\nChrist’s ascension. all that hath since been effected along the\nline of diffusing the holy fragrances of Christ, uplifting the Word\nof God, spreading the Gospel, training souls and guiding the people,\nhath been wholly from the result of the effects produced by that\nassemblage of the disciples. Those effects are continual even in the\npresent time.\n\n“Consequently, if one looks for praiseworthy\nresults and wishes to produce eternal effects, let him make exceeding\neffort, in order that Green Acre may become an assemblage for the\nWord of God and a gathering place for the spiritual ones of the\nheavenly world.\n\n“The moldered, two-thousand-years-old\nsuperstitions of the heedless, ignorant peoples, whether of Asia or\nEurope, should not be spread in that revered gathering place; for, if\nsuch be the case, let it be known for certain that that assemblage\nwill yield no result and will, before long, be forgotten and\nconsigned to oblivion, similar to other meetings of bygone times.\n\n“I beg of God that that esteemed maid-servant of\nGod shall be the cause of spreading the Cause of God, so that the\nLight of Truth may shine and the world be illumined.\n\n“When you reflect attentively, you will find that\nthe Word is what we have hereby said and that all else save this is\npure imagination, is of no stability and is evanescent.\n\n“The tree must have roots in order to yield fruit.\nThe trees of the forest of Asia have yielded no fruit for thousands\nof years, except the blessed Trees of the Divine Manifestations, for\neach one of these Trees hath so developed and flourished that it hath\ntrained and nourished the whole earth with fruits and yields.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“It is hoped that wonderful effects will be displayed...”",
"slug": "tab-it-is-hoped-that-wonderful-effects-will-be-displayed",
"summary": "“It is hoped that wonderful effects will be displayed in the future, that the friends of God may live and act in accord with the heavenly teachings, in order that the region of America may become the Paradise of Abha, that desert and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“It is hoped that wonderful effects will be\ndisplayed in the future, that the friends of God may live and act in\naccord with the heavenly teachings, in order that the region of\nAmerica may become the Paradise of Abha, that desert and wilderness\nbecome the rose-garden of human perfections, the verses of guidance\nbe read, the melody of “Ya Baha El-Abha!” reach the\nKingdom of Beauty; warfare and bloodshed be removed from among the\npeople, affinity and love hoist their tent upon the apex of the\nworld, and all mankind become real friends with one another and each\nsoul respect the other. Whenever these signs appear, then it will\nbecome manifest that the Tablets have had their effect.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Tablet to Mrs. Jessie Cole of Chicago",
"slug": "tab-mrs-jessie-cole-chicago",
"summary": "An early Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to Mrs. Jessie Cole of Chicago, addressing her recent recognition of the Cause and exhorting her to undertake the active teaching work in her city that her conviction made her ready for.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"american-faith",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"love",
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"publisher": "Bahai Publishing Society",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19312"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the earliest Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to American\nbelievers, preserved in the 1909 *Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá\nAbbas* compiled by the Bahai Publishing Society of Chicago,\nis a brief letter addressed to Mrs. Jessie Cole of Chicago.\nThe Tablet bears no specific date but appears, by its\ncontents, to have been composed in the early years of the\ntwentieth century, shortly after Mrs. Cole's recognition of\nthe Cause through the small Chicago community then\ngathering under the influence of the early American\nbelievers.\n\nThe Tablet is short — perhaps five paragraphs in the\nEnglish translation. It addresses Mrs. Cole with the\ncharacteristic warmth of the Master's correspondence with\nnew believers. It opens with an expression of joy at her\n*recognition of the new dawn,* affirms the spiritual\nsignificance of her declaration, and proceeds to the\npractical exhortation that occupies most of its body.\n\n> O thou who hast turned thy face to the kingdom of God!\n> Be assured that the Holy Spirit is the helper of those\n> who arise in service. Lay aside the small concerns of\n> private comfort and undertake the labour of the teaching.\n> Be a fountain of mercy, that thou mayest be sheltered\n> beneath the wings of Providence.\n\nThe exhortation is followed by specific direction. Mrs.\nCole is asked to attend the small gatherings of the friends\nin Chicago regularly, to give attention to the spiritual\neducation of any children placed in her care, to undertake\nthe patient correspondence with friends in other cities who\nmay be interested in the Cause, and to make her home a\n*hospitable centre of the friends.*\n\nThe Tablet closes with a benediction and the Master's\ncharacteristic signature. The note of personal address — a\nnew believer of perhaps a few months' standing being\naddressed by the Centre of the Cause as though she were\nalready a substantial teacher — is the note that runs\nthrough nearly all the Master's correspondence with the\nAmerican friends in those years. The Master extended to the\nnew American believers the dignity of a confidence that\ntheir character was equal to their commission.\n\nMrs. Cole, the brief biographical record indicates, took\nthe Tablet seriously. She remained an active member of the\nChicago community for the rest of her life, supporting the\nsmall Chicago institutional efforts and playing a steady if\nunspectacular role in the early development of the\nAmerican Faith.\n\nThe Tablet itself, brief and pastoral, is among the many\nsimilar Tablets published in the 1909 compilation. Each\nexemplifies a small particular instance of the Master's\nencouragement of an early American believer in the\ncharacteristic language of His correspondence — affirmation\nof the conversion, summons to active service, specific\npractical direction, closing benediction.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (Bahai Publishing Society, 1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“My God! My God! Elohim ....”",
"slug": "tab-my-god-my-god-elohim",
"summary": "My God! My God! Elohim123…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMy God! My God! Elohim123\n.\n\nTo this Thy servant give the understanding of the Old\nTestament and the New and enable her to speak forth with mighty voice\nand to sing with power the holy songs and to discover the real\nmeaning and the secret mysteries of those verses, for Thou art the\nPowerful Inspirer and the Mighty One!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“My God! My God!...”",
"slug": "tab-my-god-my-god",
"summary": "My God! My God! I am a servant, miserable, humbled, submissive and low at the door of Thy Oneness, supplicating Thee with a heart full of Thy love and a face rejoiced at Thy glad-tidings! O God! Make me of those who are drawn unto light…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMy God! My God!\n\nI am a servant, miserable, humbled, submissive and low\nat the door of Thy Oneness, supplicating Thee with a heart full of\nThy love and a face rejoiced at Thy glad-tidings!\n\nO God! Make me of those who are drawn unto light and\n[who] detest darkness; with a heart overflowing with the lights of\nThy love among mankind; a tongue fluent in mentioning Thee in the\nassemblies of worship (remembrance); a breast, cheered and widened\nwith Thy knowledge when uttering explanations; an eye consoled with\nseeing Thy traces in all directions; a foot firm in Thy Covenant,\nwhich I have received from the traces of the Supreme Pen; a spreader\nof mysteries to those who are heedless of them, who have veiled\nthemselves with doubts and suspicions.\n\nVerily Thou art the Almighty, the Powerful, the\nGenerous!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“My Lord! My Lord!...”",
"slug": "tab-my-lord-my-lord",
"summary": "My Lord! My…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"hope",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nMy Lord! My Lord!\n\nThou hast caused me to hear the Call, guided me unto the\nsea of favor, awakened me through Thy fragrant breeze, and quickened\nme by the spirit of Thy greatest guidance. I thank and praise Thee\nfor this. O my Lord! O my Lord! Verily, I am athirst; do cause me to\ndrink from the fountain of Thy grace. O my Lord! O my Lord! Verily, I\nam ill; do heal me by the antidote of Thy mercy. O my Lord! O my\nLord! Verily, I am sick; do Thou cure me through Thy favor. O my\nLord! O my Lord! I am needy; do enrich me through Thy compassion. And\nI am poor; render me prosperous by the treasury of Thy Kingdom. O my\nLord! O my Lord! Increase my hope in the court of Thy holiness, and\ngrant my wishes by thy favor and grace. Confirm me to deliver Thy\nCause, enable me to call in Thy Name, and cause me to show forth the\nproofs of Thy Manifestation. Strengthen me to promote Thy Word,\ndilate my breast by serving Thy maid-servants and being humble and\nsubmissive before Thy beloved ones. O my Lord! Verily, I am impotent;\ndo strengthen me by Thy power. I am lost in indigence; do confer on\nme Thy greatest favor. Make me as one of the maid-servants who\ndiffuse Thy fragrances, who worship Thy Kingdom, who bow down in the\nworshipping-places of Thy unity, who kneel down on every dust which\nis related to the threshold of Thy beloved ones, and who serve in Thy\nvineyard, speak Thy praise and are attracted to Thy love. Verily,\nThou are the Giver, the Powerful, the Mighty!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O attracted maid-servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-attracted-maid-servant-of-god",
"summary": "O attracted maid-servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO attracted maid-servant of God!\n\nThe epistle written (and sent) through Mirza...... was\nreceived. The account of the land designated for the\nMashrak-el-Azcar, of your placing therein, in company with Mrs.\n........, nine stones and pouring thereon attar, water and olive oil,\nand of your commemorating the Beauty of ABHA and His Holiness the\nSupreme63, was all understood.\n\nThat land is blessed because it is mentioned by the name\nof Mashrak-el-Azcar. Surely, the beloved of God and the maid-servants\nof the Merciful in all the cities of America must put forth the\nutmost of effort in order that the Mashrak-el-Azcar be raised in that\nland.\n\nI am hopeful through the aids and confirmations of God\nthat the beloved ones and maid-servants of the Merciful may achieve\nthis service.\n\nExpress the utmost love and kindliness on behalf of\nAbdul-Baha to all the beloved and the dear maid-servants of the\nMerciful, especially Mrs. .......... and thy dear daughter.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O bird of the Rose-garden of Fidelity!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-bird-of-the-rose-garden-of-fidelity",
"summary": "O bird185 of the Rose-garden of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"gratitude",
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO bird185\nof the Rose-garden of Fidelity!\n\nBe of no cheerless heart; have no wing nor feather\nbroken;sigh not, neither do thou wail, and sit not chilled in a\ncorner.\n\nThe little girl lamented is in the divine Rose-garden in\nthe highest happiness, delight, cheerfulness and gratification. Why\nthen art thou grieved, sorrowing with a bleeding heart? This is the\nday of rejoicing and the hour of ecstasy! This is the season of the\ndead arising from the graves and gathering together! And this is the\npromised time for the attainment of plenteous grace.\n\nBe calm, be strong, be grateful, and become a lamp full\nof light, that the darkness of sorrows be annihilated, and that the\nsun of everlasting joy arise from the dawning-place of heard and\nsoul, shining brightly.***\n\nUpon thee be the Glory of the Most-Glorious!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O bird without a nest!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-bird-without-a-nest",
"summary": "O bird without a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"service",
"wisdom",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO bird without a nest!\n\nIt is reported thy home and shelter is burnt, thy\nresting place and habitation is become desolate. Though this news is\ngreatly affecting, yet do not be sorrowful and disheartened, because\nthe birds of the divine gardens have nests on the branches of the\nTree of Life. The earthly abode is not worth the attachment of the\nheart, for this structure will surely be destroyed, but that which is\nof worth to freed ones (detached from all save God) is the heavenly\npalace and the court of Divine Majesty. Thanks be to God that for\neach one of the divine freed slaves and the heavenly and dear\nmaid-servants, and indestructible mansion will be erected in the New\nKingdom. This mansion will be an everlasting dwelling, an eternal\nabode and shelter.\n\nThere is a hidden wisdom in the burning of the house\nwhich before long will be clearly known. Divine attractions and\nheavenly bounties alone cause happiness to the hearts.\n\nUse your utmost endeavors to dwell in the thought that\nin Green Acre this year the divine proclamation will be raised to the\nheavenly zenith and the lights of the supreme guidance will enlighten\nthose regions.\n\nBe sure that heavenly assistance will be given and that\nthe breeze of the Divine Garden will perfume the nostrils of the\ninhabitants of the earth. Some of the weak souls thought that this\ndear maid-servant of God was attached to this house and to this\nperishable world. Now the house is burnt, all will realize that thy\nattraction is increasing, thy steps are drawing near, thy flag is\nraised higher and thy condition more excellent. Show forth such\nhappiness and joy that all will be astonished.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“”O Compassionate God! Thanks be to Thee for...”",
"slug": "tab-o-compassionate-god-thanks-be-to-thee-for",
"summary": "“O Compassionate God! Thanks be to Thee for Thou hast awakened and made (me) conscious. Thou hast given me a seeing eye and favored me with a hearing ear; hast led me to Thy Kingdom and guided me to Thy Path. Thou hast shown me the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"love",
"mercy",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“O Compassionate God! Thanks be to Thee for Thou\nhast awakened and made (me) conscious. Thou hast given me a seeing\neye and favored me with a hearing ear; hast led me to Thy Kingdom and\nguided me to Thy Path. Thou hast shown me the right way and caused me\nto enter the Ark of Deliverance. O God! Keep me steadfast and make me\nfirm and stanch. Protect me from violent tests and preserve and\nshelter me in the strongly fortified fortress of Thy Covenant and\nTestament. Thou art the Powerful! Thou art the Seeing! Thou art the\nHearing! O Thou the Compassionate God! Bestow upon me a heart which,\nlike unto glass, may be illumined wit the light of Thy love, and\nconfer upon me a thought which may change this world into a\nrose-garden through the spiritual bounty. Thou art the Compassionate,\nthe Merciful! Thou art the Great Beneficent God!”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O dear servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-dear-servant-of-god",
"summary": "O dear servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO dear servant of God!\n\nObserve how dear thou wert that He guided thee to the\nKingdom of Light, and how near to His Threshold, that He granted thee\nadmission into His Court. Thou were poor in spirit; He led thee to\nthe Heavenly Treasure. Thou wert in quest of illumination; He\nenlightened thee through the rays of the Sun of Truth. Thou wert\nathirst; He led thee to the Spring of Life. Thou wert sick; He\nbestowed upon thee the Heavenly Remedy.\n\nI have read thy letter and have considered its contents.\nKnow this: That today whoever turns to the Kingdom of the Glorious\nGod, holds communion with the Almighty One, the Omniscient, and lives\nwholly the true and good life, the doors of progress and help will be\nopened unto him everywhere; such an one will be aided, victorious and\nprotected.\n\nTherefore, turn to the Supreme Kingdom, forget thyself\nentirely and remain firm in the spiritual trials, so that thou mayest\nsee the favors of the Kingdom and realize the heavenly confirmation.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O God! O God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-god-o-god",
"summary": "O God! O God!16…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO God! O God!16\n\n\nThou dost look upon us from Thine unseen Kingdom of\nOneness, [beholding] that we have assembled in this Spiritual\nMeeting, believing in Thee, confident in Thy signs, firm in Thy\nCovenant and Testament, attracted unto Thee, set aglow with the fire\nof Thy love, sincere in Thy Cause, servants in Thy vineyard,\nspreaders of They Religion, worshipers of Thy Countenance, humble to\nThy beloved, submissive at Thy door and imploring Thee to confirm us\nin the service of Thy chosen ones. Support us with Thine unseen\nhosts, strengthen our loins in Thy servitude and make us submissive\nand worshiping servants, communing with Thee.\n\nO our Lord! Turn our faces unto Thy divine face; feed us\nfrom Thy heavenly table by Thy godly grace; help us through the hosts\nof Thy supreme angles and confirm us by the holy ones of the Kingdom\nof Abha.\n\nVerily Thou art the Generous, the Merciful! Thou art\npossessor of great bounty and verily Thou art the Clement and\nGracious!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O God! O thou Attracted of the hearts of the favored...”",
"slug": "tab-o-god-o-thou-attracted-of-the-hearts-of-the-favored",
"summary": "O God! O thou Attracted of the hearts of the favored ones toward the Manifest…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"forgiveness",
"generosity",
"love",
"mercy",
"patience",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO God! O thou Attracted of the hearts of the favored\nones toward the Manifest Horizon!\n\nVerily, Thou art witnessing that the fire is ablaze in\nthe breasts, the tears are streaming from the eyes and the period of\npatience and silence hath come to an end. The eyes of the beloved\nones, O my God, are swimming in tears; the hearts of the yearning\nones, O my Beloved, are wandering in the wilderness of Thy\nmercifulness; and the souls of the attracted ones, O my Desires, are\nafflicted with anguish on account of Thy separation!\n\nVerily, they have heard Thy universal proclamation, O my\nGod, and what Thou has revealed in the Koran: “Say! travel ye\non earth, so that ye may behold the signs of the mercy of God.”\nthereupon, after Thy ascension, the people of faithfulness have\narisen, traveling to distant lands and hastening to far and remote\nregions of the world, in order to cry out Thy Name, to remind the\nsouls of the arrival of Thy days, to lead the minds to the fountain\nof Thy signs, to demonstrate to all the inhabitants of the world Thy\nproof and Thy religion, to guide the truth seekers to the right path\nand to indicate the straight highway to the strivers. From among them\nis Thy servant ... who is firm in the Ancient Covenant, fleeing from\nthe people of darkness, drinking from the water of eternal life and\nintoxicated with the wine which is overflowing from the divine cup.\nVerily, he hath left his native abode, waved the hand of farewell to\nhis relatives, forsaken ease and comfort, hastened to strange and\nunknown kingdoms and accepted hardship and adversities while\nheralding Thy Name, commemorating Thy glorification, attracted to Thy\nbeauty, stirred by the fragrances of Thy holiness, speaking Thy\npraises, voicing Thy Cause, guiding others to Thee, proving Thy\nreligion, demonstrating Thy irrefutable truth, becoming an answerer\nto every questioning one and a guide to every one held in error!\n\nO my Lord! O my Lord! Verily, he endured every\naffliction in Thy path and bore patiently every hardship and\nadversity in Thy love. A breath of rest hath he not breathed, neither\nhath his sought after any favor, abode or habitation in this world;\nnay, rather hath he walked in the footsteps of Thy most exalted Word,\nHis Highness Christ, for he hath taken the stars for his lamp, the\nearth for his bed and the herbs for his food. Notwithstanding this,\nhis cry was raised in the assemblages and his voice was heard in the\nmeetings. The seekers flowed toward him and the thirsty ones hastened\nto drink from the water of his utterance. O my God! This is no other\nthan through Thy generosity, Thy beneficence, Thy mercy and Thy\nfavors. O my God! Help him by the hosts of the approximate angels,\nassist him by the cohorts of the Supreme Concourse amid Thy\ncreatures, make him a lamp of guidance in that distant part of the\nearth and a luminary shining and sparkling from the dawning-place of\nfaithfulness, in order that he may serve Thy holy threshold, falling\nprostrate upon the ground thanking and praising for Thy bounty,\nliberality and gifts to him; girding up his loins of endeavor in Thy\nservice and becoming reinforced and empowered in Thy adoration!\n\nO my Lord! O my Lord! Assign for him every bounty and\nsuffer him to become the sign of Thy gifts amid Thy people. Then have\npity upon me, forgive me, show me Thy mercy and make me a sharer in\nhis services, a partner in his adversities and a companion in his\nloneliness.\n\nVerily Thou art the Confirmer, the Assister, the Mighty,\nthe Generous, the Compassionate and the Merciful!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O God who art without likeness!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-god-who-art-without-likeness",
"summary": "O God who art without…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO God who art without likeness!\n\nThe servant of Thy Kingdom, Mr. ........, reached the\nHoly Threshold in the utmost of sincerity and longing and sought Thy\ngood will. It is some time that he hath been engaged in the land of\nAmerica with Thy commemoration and known by Thy commendation. To the\nbeloved he is a cause of joy and to the friends a means of unity and\ngladness.\n\nO world Creator! For his life—well done! —for\nhe is alive with Thy name and thoughtful of Thee night and day.\nConfer upon him Thy grace that he may daily receive a new life,\nattain a fresh bounty, offer a new service to Thy Threshold and serve\nThy Throne.\n\nThou art the Giver, the Forgiver and Thou art the\nPardoner, the Educator.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-god",
"summary": "215 O God! Grant Washington happiness and peace! Illuminate that land with the light of the faces of the friends, make it a paradise of Glory, let it become an envy of the green gardens of the earth! Help the friends, increase their…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n215\nO God!\n\nGrant Washington happiness and peace! Illuminate that\nland with the light of the faces of the friends, make it a paradise\nof Glory, let it become an envy of the green gardens of the earth!\nHelp the friends, increase their number, make their hearts sources of\ninspiration and their souls dawnings of light. Thus may that city\nbecome a beautiful paradise and fragrant with the fragrance of musk.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O heavenly one!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-heavenly-one",
"summary": "O heavenly one! The maid-servant of God ... hath praised thee! I hope thou wilt acquire great proficiency in writing literature, composition, eloquence of tongue and fluency of speech, co-operating with the maid-servant of God in the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO heavenly one!\n\nThe maid-servant of God ... hath praised thee! I hope\nthou wilt acquire great proficiency in writing literature,\ncomposition, eloquence of tongue and fluency of speech, co-operating\nwith the maid-servant of God in the service of God, becoming an\nesteemed servant in the Threshold of Oneness and partaking of a share\nof the heavenly gifts, and progressing day by day until thou attain\nto the apex of the excellencies of this human world.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Lord! O Beloved!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-lord-o-beloved",
"summary": "O Lord! O Beloved! The truthful servant, Mr. ........, abandoned home, left his native land and crossed the great ocean until he reached the shore of the Holy Land and arrived at the Blessed Spot. He laid his head upon the threshold of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Lord! O Beloved!\n\nThe truthful servant, Mr. ........, abandoned home, left\nhis native land and crossed the great ocean until he reached the\nshore of the Holy Land and arrived at the Blessed Spot. He laid his\nhead upon the threshold of the sacred dust; he implored and\nsupplicated the Gateway of Unity and sought confirmation and\nstrength.\n\nNow he is returning to his native clime to serve and to\nspread the fragrances of the Holy Spirit.\n\nO Lord! Confirm him, aid and strengthen him through the\nhosts of the Kingdom, so that he may become the cause of the spread\nof the Word of God, the cause of joy and happiness to the friends and\nthe means of awakening the negligent. Thou art the Mighty and\nPowerful and Thou art the Precious, the Almighty, the Wise!\n\nO thou truthful servant of the Beauty of Abha! With a\npower of the Kingdom, a divine attraction and a spiritual breath,\nreturn thou to that land; fill to overflowing the lives and hearts\nwith the wine of the love of God; be the cause of joy to all and the\nmeans of unity and agreement to all; because through unity and\nagreement do the beloved of God hoist the standard, shine with the\nlight of the love of God and are tender to one another.\n\nThis is the attitude of the beloved of God and this is\nthe example and life of the sons of the Kingdom of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O loving God! I am a young child, a suppliant, a...”",
"slug": "tab-o-loving-god-i-am-a-young-child-a-suppliant-a",
"summary": "“O loving God! I am a young child, a suppliant, a captive. Be Thou my refuge, my support, my protector. I am in distress: give me the means of tranquillity. I am needy: bestow upon me the treasure of the Kingdom. I am dead: give me the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“O loving God! I am a young child, a suppliant, a\ncaptive. Be Thou my refuge, my support, my protector. I am in\ndistress: give me the means of tranquillity. I am needy: bestow upon\nme the treasure of the Kingdom. I am dead: give me the Spirit of\nLife. I am weak: favor me with power and strength, so that I may be a\nmaid-servant in Thy Threshold, with perfect purity and sanctity;\nsacrifice myself unto Thee, be quit of myself and seek Thee, walk in\nthe path of Thy good pleasure, speak Thy secret and witness the signs\nof Thy Oneness wherever I look. O God! Make me ablaze, like unto the\nfire of Thy love, and make me free from attachment to this mortal\nworld, until I find the peace of soul and the rest of conscience.\n\n“Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty! Thou art the\nHearer, the Seer!”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O maid-servant of God, thou who hast given up thy...”",
"slug": "tab-o-maid-servant-of-god-thou-who-hast-given-up-thy",
"summary": "O maid-servant of God, thou who hast given up thy life to the service of the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO maid-servant of God, thou who hast given up thy life\nto the service of the Kingdom of God!\n\nI have read the signs of thy thankfulness to God for\nguiding thee to the way of the Lord, to the path of salvation which\nleads to the Tent of the Testament behind the Tabernacle in the\nCapital of the Kingdom.\n\nKnow in the reality of assurance that every true woman\nwho is attracted by the fragrances of holiness in this most glorious\nage will surpass even the most developed men of previous centuries.\n\nIt is incumbent upon thee to make thy greatest effort;\nto put forth thy full strength; to supplicate and to worship, and to\nbe careful to put thy full trust in the Kingdom of the Lord Most\nHigh.\n\nMake ready thy soul that thou mayest be like the light\nwhich shineth forth from the loftiest heights on the coast, by means\nof which guidance may be given to the timid ships amid the darkness\nof fog and the heaving of the sea.\n\nThen gain the knowledge of godliness and learn the exact\nfacts from the revered Abul Fazl124, and, if it be possible, remain there a few months.\n\nWith regard to thy friend, send her to the sea coast or\naccompany her to Marseilles and return to Cairo that thou mayest\nlearn the necessary proofs.\n\nThen return to America—this is in case it is\npossible for thee. If anything happens otherwise, the way is open and\nit will be made convenient for thee—say always in the name of\nGod—and rely upon Him; but to understand the teachings\nregarding the Truth is absolutely required. And upon God let thy\nconfidence rest.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O maid-servant of God, who art supplicating unto the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-maid-servant-of-god-who-art-supplicating-unto-the",
"summary": "O maid-servant of God, who art supplicating unto the Sublime…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"patience",
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO maid-servant of God, who art supplicating unto the\nSublime Kingdom!\n\nGrieve not at the divine trials. Be not troubled because\nof hardships and ordeals; turn unto God, bowing in humbleness and\npraying to Him, while bearing every ordeal, contented under all\nconditions and thankful in every difficulty. Verily thy Lord loveth\nHis maid-servants who are patient, believing and firm. He draws them\nnigh unto Him through these ordeals and trials.\n\nBe not sorrowful on account of the departure of thy good\nson. He hath indeed departed from this narrow and gloomy world which\nis darkened by unlimited sorrow, unto the Kingdom which is spacious,\nillumined, joyous and beautiful. God delivered him from this dark\nwell and promoted him unto the Supreme Height! He gave him wings\nwhereby he soared to the heaven of happiness. Verily this is the\ngreat mercy from Him who is precious and forgiving.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O maid-servant of God who art swayed like a strong...”",
"slug": "tab-o-maid-servant-of-god-who-art-swayed-like-a-strong",
"summary": "O maid-servant of God who art swayed like a strong branch by the breeze of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"justice",
"love",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO maid-servant of God who art swayed like a strong\nbranch by the breeze of God!\n\nI have read thy letter which evinces the abundance of\nthy love and the warmth of thy devotion and thy zeal in acknowledging\nGod.\n\nCommit thyself to God; give up thy will and choose that\nof God; abandon thy desire and lay hold on that of God; that thou\nmayest be a holy, spiritual and heavenly example among the\nmaid-servants of God.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Know thou that in the sight of\nGod, the conduct of women is the same as that of men. All are the\ncreatures of God and He has created them after His form and likeness;\nthat is to say, after the form and likeness of the Manifestations of\nHis names and His attributes. From the spiritual point of view,\ntherefore, there is no difference between women and men. “The\nnearer we draw to God, the nearer He comes to us” without\nregard to whether the person be a man or a woman. How many women,\nthus drawn to God, have surpassed men in the shadow of Baha’ in\nbringing men under it—women famous throughout the world!\n\nThe House of Justice, however, according to the positive\ncommandments of the Doctrine of God, has been specialized to the men,\nfor a (specific) reason or exercise of wisdom on the part of God, and\nthis reason will presently appear, even as the sun at midday.\n\nAnd as to you—you other maid-servants attracted by\nthe perfume of God—establish spiritual gatherings (assemblies)\nand heavenly meetings. This work is the beginning of the diffusing of\nthe perfume of God and the foundation of the elevating of the Word of\nGod and the making known of the commandments of God. Is there a\nblessing greater than this? These spiritual gatherings (assemblies)\nare sustained (reinforced) by the Spirit of God, and their protector\nis Abdul-Baha, who spreads his wings (over) above them. Is there a\nblessing greater than this? These spiritual gatherings (assemblies)\nare glowing lamps and heavenly gardens which cast the light of\nknowledge upon the contingent world and cause the spirit of life to\npenetrate to every quarter. This, then, is the best means of the\nprogress of the human race in all conditions and circumstances. Is\nthere a greater blessing than this?\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O maid-servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-maid-servant-of-god",
"summary": "O maid-servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO maid-servant of God!\n\nThy letter reached me and I prayed God to bless thee by\nHis heavenly blessing in thy marriage with Mr. ........ and to\nconfirm both of you with comfort and repose and the turning of your\nheart to the Kingdom of God. May His divine providence abide with you\nin all conditions and circumstances.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O maid-servant of the Beauty of Abha!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-maid-servant-of-the-beauty-of-abha",
"summary": "O maid-servant of the Beauty of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO maid-servant of the Beauty of Abha!\n\nThe valued epistle was received and the contents\nunderstood. By its reading and perusal the utmost of spirit and\nfragrance was obtained, for it indicated that during the period of\ncessation of communication, no failure obtained in the delivery of\nthe Word of God.\n\nO servant of the Kingdom! Know for a certainty that this\nlight of reality shall eventually envelop the world, illuminating the\nEast and the West entirely.\n\nThat dear maid-servant of God [i.e., thyself] is in\nreality the servant of the Cause of God and in future thou wilt be\nmore confirmed.\n\nI pray for .........\n\nConvey my great respect to the attracted maid-servants\nof God, Mrs. ......... and Mrs. ........., and say: “Praise God\nfor having found the treasury of the Kingdom and that in the\nThreshold of the Kingdom of the Lord ye are very dear and are of the\nmaid-servants of the Beauty of Abha.”\n\nConvey my message to his honor ......... and say: “Thank\nGod that thou became a sign of the divine blessing and the cause of\nguiding the people. I hope day by day thou wilt become more illumined\nand eloquent until thou mayest guide a great number of people.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O my dear friend!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-my-dear-friend",
"summary": "O my dear friend! Verily, my heart is united with thee even though my body is in a distant land, for verily neither long distance nor immense remoteness can prevent the union between hearts, because the clear hearts are in reality…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO my dear friend!\n\nVerily, my heart is united with thee even though my body\nis in a distant land, for verily neither long distance nor immense\nremoteness can prevent the union between hearts, because the clear\nhearts are in reality assembled in union in the Kingdom of God, while\nbodies are disperse in the east and west of the earth. This\ndispersion cannot stop the affinity and cannot veil the eye of soul\nfrom seeing in all directions.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O my dear, intimate friend!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-my-dear-intimate-friend",
"summary": "O my dear, intimate…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO my dear, intimate friend!\n\nVerily, I address thee with such an appellation whereby\nthe hearts of those who are endowed with intelligence, are dilated\nwith joy; because, verily, this is from my heart which is overflowing\nwith the love of God—and an appellation that proceeds from love\nwill certainly be as a spirit for the souls, as a light to the eyes,\nas a life to bodies and as a dressing for the hearts and bodies which\nare wounded and lacerated by the afflictions of this world. Then be\nconsoled by the praise of thy Lord, whenever thou art attacked by\ngrief and sorrow.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O my God, my God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-my-god-my-god",
"summary": "O my God, my…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO my God, my God!\n\nI am a servant attracted to Thee, humbly coming to the\ndoor of Thy Oneness and addressing the kingdom of Thy mercy.\n\nYes, my God, permit that I should be entirely Thine,\noccupied in thinking of Thee, inflamed by the fire of Thy love and\nseparated from all except Thee, so that I may work in Thy Cause,\nspread Thy wisdom, transmit Thy knowledge and the joy of knowing\nThee.\n\nYes, my God, I am a flame lighted by the hand of Thy\npower. Do not permit that it be extinguished by the winds of trials.\nIncrease my love for Thee, my ardor for the Beauty of Thy Oneness,\nthe fire that burneth in me in the Sinai of Thy Singleness, and the\neternal life in me, through Thy bounty and grace; for Thou art the\nProtector, the Watcher, the Pitiful and the Merciful!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O my God! O my God! We are servants who...”",
"slug": "tab-o-my-god-o-my-god-we-are-servants-who",
"summary": "O my God! O my God! We are servants who have sincerely turned our faces unto Thy grand face, severed ourselves from all else save Thee in this great day and are assembled together in this glorious meeting, of one accord and desire, and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO my God! O my God! We are servants who have sincerely\nturned our faces unto Thy grand face, severed ourselves from all else\nsave Thee in this great day and are assembled together in this\nglorious meeting, of one accord and desire, and unanimous in thought\nto promulgate Thy Word amid Thy creatures.\n\nO my Lord! O my Lord! Suffer us to be signs of guidance,\nstandards of Thy manifest Religion throughout the world, servants of\nThy Great Covenant—O our exalted Lord! —appearances of\nThy oneness in Thy Kingdom, the El-Abha, and stars which dawn forth\nunto all regions.\n\nO Lord! Make us as seas rolling with the waves of Thy\ngreat abundance, rivers flowing from the mountains of Thy glorious\nKingdom, pure fruits on the tree of Thy illustrious Cause, plants\nrefreshed and moved by the breeze of Thy gift in Thy wonderful\nvineyard.\n\nO Lord! Cause our souls to depend upon the signs of Thy\nOneness, our hearts to be dilated with the bounties of Thy\nSingleness, so that we may become united as are ripples on a waving\nsea; become harmonized as are the rays which shine forth from a\nbrilliant light; so that our thoughts, opinions and feelings become\nas one reality from which the spirit of accord may be diffused\nthroughout all regions.\n\nVerily Thou art the Beneficent, the Bestower! Verily\nThou art the Giver, the Mighty, the Loving, the Merciful!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O my God! O my God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-my-god-o-my-god",
"summary": "O my God! O my…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO my God! O my God!\n\nThese are servants who have turned to Thy Kingdom and\nhearkened unto Thy voice. Their hearts were dilated by Thy call,\nresponded unto Thy summons, were attracted unto Thy beauty,\nacknowledged Thy proofs, believed in Thy signs, confessed Thy Oneness\nand arose for the service of Thy Cause and the promotion of Thy Word.\n\n\nO Lord! O Lord! Make them lamps of guidance, lights\nglistening in the supreme apex, sparkling stars in heaven, holy\nangels moving on earth and thriving trees bearing delicious and\nfragrant fruits.\n\nO Lord! O Lord! Purify their qualities, clarify their\nconsciousness, cleanse their hearts and illumine their faces. Verily\nThou art the Powerful, the Precious, the Protecting!\n\nO ye spiritual ones! The rules for election are those\nwhich are customary in that country. The period of election is five\nyears.\n\nO Lord! O Lord! Bless this Spiritual Gathering,\nstrengthen them by Thy power for the spreading of Thy divine\nfragrances, cause them to follow Thy will which is effective in the\nrealities of all things, and aid them by a confirmation such as never\nhath preceded to any one in former centuries.9\nFor these are servants of Thy servants and Thou hast crowned them\nthem with this diadem, the most luminous (Abha) gems of which will\nshine unto all the horizons.\n\nVerily Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the Giver!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O my Lord, my Beloved, my Desire!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-my-lord-my-beloved-my-desire",
"summary": "O my Lord, my Beloved, my…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"exile"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"generosity",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO my Lord, my Beloved, my Desire!\n\nBefriend me in my loneliness and accompany me in my\nexile; remove my sorrow, cause me to be devoted to Thy Beauty,\nwithdraw me from all else save Thee, attract me through Thy\nfragrances of holiness, cause me to be associated in Thy Kingdom with\nthose who are severed from all else save Thee and who long to serve\nThy Sacred Threshold and who stand to work in Thy Cause, and enable\nme to be one of Thy maid-servants who have attained to Thy good\npleasure. verily, Thou art the Gracious, the Generous!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O my Lord, my Hope!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-my-lord-my-hope",
"summary": "O my Lord, my Hope!84…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO my Lord, my Hope!84\n\n\nPraise be unto Thee, for Thou hast sent down unto us\nthis spiritual table, supreme benefit and heavenly blessing. O our\nLord! Strengthen us to partake of this heavenly food, so that its\nfine essence may run through the pillars of our spiritual being and\nthat we may thereby obtain a celestial power for serving Thy Cause,\npromulgating Thy signs and adorning Thy vineyard with lofty trees,\nthe fruits whereof shall be near (to gather) and of perfuming\nfragrances. Verily Thou art the Possessor of great bounty! Verily\nThou are the Clement, the Merciful!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O my Lord! O my Lord!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-my-lord-o-my-lord",
"summary": "274 O my Lord! O my…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n274\nO my Lord! O my Lord!\n\n275\nI am a child of tender years. Nourish me from the breast\nof Thy mercy, train me in the bosom of Thy love, educate me in the\nschool of Thy guidance and develop me under the shadow of Thy bounty!\nDeliver me from darkness, make me a brilliant light; free me from\nunhappiness, make me a flower of the rose-garden; suffer me to become\nthe servant of Thy Threshold and confer upon me the disposition and\nnature of the righteous ones; make me a cause of bounty to the human\nworld and crown my head with the diadem of eternal life!\n\nVerily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the Seer, the\nHearer!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O my Lord!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-my-lord",
"summary": "O my Lord!279…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO my Lord!279\n\n\nThou knowest that the people are encircled with pain and\ncalamities and are environed with hardships and trouble. Every trial\ndoth attack man and every dire adversity doth assail him like unto\nthe assault of a serpent. There is no shelter and asylum for him\nexcept under the wing of Thy protection, preservation, guard and\ncustody.\n\nO Thou the Merciful One! O my Lord! Make Thy protection\nmy armory, Thy preservation my shield, humbleness before the door of\nThy Oneness my guard, and Thy custody and defense my fortress and\nabode. Preserve me from the suggestions of myself and desire, and\nguard me from every sickness, trial, difficulty and ordeal.\n\nVerily, Thou art the Protector, the Guardian, the\nPreserver, the Sufficer, and verily, Thou art the Merciful of the\nMost Merciful!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O my spiritual beloved!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-my-spiritual-beloved",
"summary": "O my spiritual…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO my spiritual beloved!\n\nThe days of association and intimacy82\nare not forgotten and the sweetness of that love and meeting is still\ntasted in my heart.\n\nPraise be to God! Its signs are apparent and its results\nmanifest. Thank thou God thou wast assisted in teaching the\nmaid-servant of God, Mrs. ......, and supplicate Him that thou mayest\nbe confirmed in the guidance of innumerable souls. The confirmation\nof the Kingdom is with thee. Rest thou assured. Loosen thy tongue\nwith the utmost fluency and eloquence and summon the souls to the\nKingdom, explain the proofs and give forth the arguments, and\ninstruct the people in the exhortations and advices of God.\n\nI pray in thy behalf and supplicate for thee from the\nKingdom of Glory protection and providence.***\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O my spiritual friends!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-my-spiritual-friends",
"summary": "O my spiritual friends!291…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"devotion",
"faith",
"hope",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO my spiritual friends!291\n\n\nWhat you have written is perused, all of which was an\nentreaty and invocation unto God and a desire for devotion unto the\nMost High. I hope through the bounty of God, day by day, your\nassurance, belief and faith will increase; moment by moment the flame\nof the love of God will be intensified; louder and louder will the\nproclamation of the Word of God be heard in that country; the breeze\nof sanctity will begin to blow; the attraction of the inner\nconsciousness will cause these districts to be animated; the mercy\nand aid of God will be your associates and the assistance from the\nKingdom of compassion will be momentarily bestowed. Now is the time\nfor those spiritual friends, (i.e., yourselves,) to adorn the divine\nmeetings, endeavor to spread the Cause of god, arise to diffuse His\nbreaths and stand for the promotion of His Word; that the breath of\nthe Holy Spirit may bestow life to the hearts, causing the spirits to\nattain the Beloved.\n\nThe letter you have previously written is not yet\nreceived; if it were you may be sure it would be answered, because\nthis servant hath great love and attachment for the believers in that\ncity and will always communicate with them.\n\nO Thou pitiful God! These friends are perfectly\ninfatuated with Thy nearness; they have given their hearts for the\nbeauty of Thy face; are devoted to Thy Kingdom and are intoxicated by\nthe wine of belief. In the meeting of the covenant they are bearing\nin their hands the cup of anxiety, needing Thy benevolence and\nyearning for the heavenly blessings.\n\nO Mighty Creator! Cause these souls to be the receptacle\nof Thy mercy, regarded by divine attention, and render each one as a\nlighted candle, that they may illuminate that region with the light\nof righteousness. Make them the companions of and partaker with this\nservant [Abdul-Baha] in the devotion of Thy Threshold. O my God!\nStrengthen the weak ones and open the eyes of those who are anxious\nto behold the beauty of the Kingdom, that they may arise with divine\nstrength, heavenly bounty, spiritual blessing, ethereal breaths and\nmighty assistance for Thy service, dispelling the superstitions of\nthe doubters, elucidating the proofs and evidences before all\nseekers, healing the sick, being kind to the poor, a refuge and home\nfor the helpless and a light for the hopeless.\n\nThou art the Powerful and the Able, the Pitiful and\nCompassionate God!\n\nO my friends! Endeavor to your utmost ability that, day\nby day, unity and harmony will increase and the love of God will so\nfirmly capture the hearts that they will forget all save Him and be\nengrossed, night and day, in mentioning the Kingdom, the heavenly\nsigns and the divine verses. If love, friendship, association and\nunity be established among the believers, the door of all\nsignificances will be opened and each believer of God will be able to\nexplain and interpret all of the holy Books.\n\nO believers! The tests of God are very severe; you\nshould beseech and cry unto Him that you may be firm and steadfast\nduring all temptations.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O my tender friend!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-my-tender-friend",
"summary": "O my tender…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO my tender friend!\n\nVerily, the union between myself and thee is on a solid\nfoundation and a well made basis. Neither the winds can remove it nor\nthe events of time annihilate it. It is everlasting and eternal,\nheavenly, spiritual and divine, and it is of no end or termination.\nConsequently be rejoiced at these words which cheer the hearts of the\nrighteous and the souls of the pious when hearing them.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O seeker of the truth!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-seeker-of-the-truth",
"summary": "O seeker of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"healing",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO seeker of the truth!\n\nThere are two ways of healing diseases, the material way\nand the spiritual way. The first is the remedies of the physician;\nthe second prayers and turning one’s self to God. Both must be\npracticed and followed. The diseases that happen to be caused by\nphysical accident are cured by medical aid; others, which are due to\nspiritual causes, will disappear by spiritual means. For instance:\nFor a disease due to grieving, fear, nervous impressions, the\nspiritual remedies will take more effect than the physical.\nTherefore, these tow kinds of remedies must be followed; neither is\nan obstacle to the other. You must take care of the physical\nremedies. These also came from the bounty and mercy of God who\nrevealed and made evident the science of medicine, so that His\nservants may also be benefited by this mode of healing. In the same\nway take care of the spiritual healing, because it giveth wonderful\nresults.\n\nAnd if thou art looking for the divine remedy which will\ncure the spirit of man of all diseases and make him obtain the health\nof the divine Kingdom, know that it is the precepts and teaching of\nGod. Take the greatest care of them.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O seeker of Truth!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-seeker-of-truth",
"summary": "O seeker of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO seeker of Truth!\n\nIf thou desirest that god may open thy (spiritual) eye,\nthou must supplicate unto God, pray to and commune with Him at\nmidnight, saying:\n\n\n“O Lord, I have turned my face unto thy Kingdom of\nOneness and am drowned in the sea of Thy mercy! O Lord, enlighten my\nsight by beholding Thy lights in this dark night, and make me happy\nby the wine of Thy love in this wonderful age! O Lord, make me hear\nThy call, and open before my face the doors of Thy heaven, so that I\nmay see the light of Thy glory (Baha’) and become attracted to\nThy beauty!\n\n\n“Verily, thou art the Giver, the Generous, the\nMerciful, the Forgiving!”\n\nAt that time such signs will appear which will guide\nthee to the Kingdom of Thy Lord, the Merciful.\n\nThe babe dressed in the white garment that gave thee the\njessamine is a fragrance of the fragrances of God, reared through His\nlove, a sign of His signs and a breeze of His breezes. It hath a\nwonderful power and there shall be for it astonishing states to the\nminds and spirits. Understand what I say to thee through the best of\nsymbols.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O servant of Baha’!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-servant-of-baha",
"summary": "O servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"justice",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO servant of Baha’!\n\nThy letter written to his honor, Mirza ........, with\nthe enclosed map of the ground of the Mashrak-el-Azcar, hath been\nseen.\n\nThe place is suitable, but if it were possible to have a\nwider piece of ground, so that the building should stand in the\nmiddle, surrounded by a flower garden, it would be better and more\npleasing; otherwise, if this is not possible, the building on the\npresent ground is also permissible.\n\nThe flowers which Ruhullah picked on the ground of the\nMashrak-el-Azcar and thou didst send to me brought with them and\nexhaled a very sweet fragrance. This fragrance is just as thou didst\nwrite, “the fragrance of the rose-garden of the unity of the\nEast and West.” I hope that daily these fragrances may become\nmore powerful and more diffused throughout the world.\n\nThou must hasten to send his honor .... ...... all the\nwritings for which he asked, to Rangoon, India.\n\nAn utmost happiness was produced by the news of the good\nhealth and safety of the friends of God.\n\nMy spiritual beloved, his honor, Mr. ........, is\nrendering a great service to the Kingdom of ABHA and becoming a means\nof strong attraction towards, and connection with the world above by\nmaking this long tour73\nand giving the news of the Holy Spot and diffusing the fragrances of\nthe love of God.\n\nAs to the calamities and afflictions of Abdul-Baha:\nThese are not calamities, but bounties; they are not afflictions, but\ngifts; not hardships, but tranquillity; not trouble, but mercy—and\nwe thank God for this great favor.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-servant-of-god",
"summary": "O servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO servant of God!\n\nWhat thou hast written and that which thou hast retained\nin mind are evident. Appreciate Mrs. ...... who reminds you of God\nand explains His divine mysteries.\n\nRegarding thy question concerning a verse in the 22nd\nchapter of Exodus: We gave a brief explanation of it in a letter to\nMrs. .......... Please refer to that. Owing to the great (press of)\nwork, I have not the time for several explanations.\n\nI ask God that thou mayest attain such a state of\nperception, as will enable thee to expound with knowledge the words\nof the Holy Bible.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O servants of the Blessed Beauty!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-servants-of-the-blessed-beauty",
"summary": "O servants176 of the Blessed…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO servants176\nof the Blessed Beauty!\n\nIt is a well known fact that, owing to the frequency of\ndisturbances, the work of delivering the Message hath been for a\nshort time discontinued. In consequence, persons travel less\nfrequently to the different parts of the country. It is known and\nclear that today the unseen divine assistance encompasseth those who\ndeliver the Message. And if the work of delivering the Message be\nneglected, the assistance shall be entirely cut off, for it is\nimpossible that the friends of God could receive assistance unless\nthey be engaged in delivering the Message. Under all conditions the\nMessage must be delivered, but with wisdom. If it be not possible\nopenly, it must be done quietly. The friends should be engaged in\neducating the souls and should become instruments in aiding the world\nof humanity to acquire spiritual joy and fragrance. For example: If\nevery one of the friends (believers) were to establish relations of\nfriendship and right dealings with one of the negligent souls,\nassociate and live with him with perfect kindliness, and meanwhile\nthrough good conduct and moral behavior lead him to divine\ninstruction, to heavenly advice and teachings, surely he would\ngradually arouse that negligent person and would change his ignorance\ninto knowledge.\n\nSouls are liable to estrangement. Such methods should be\nadopted that the estrangement should be first removed, then the Word\nwill have effect.\n\nIf one of the believers be kind to one of the negligent\nones and with perfect love should gradually make him understand the\nreality of the Cause of God in such a way that the latter should know\nin what manner the Religion of God hath been founded and what its\nobject is, doubtless he will become changed; excepting abnormal souls\nwho are reduced to the state of ashes and whose hearts are like\nstones, yea, even harder.\n\nIf by this method every one of the friends of God were\nto try to lead one soul to the right path, the number of the\nbelievers would be doubled every year. But this should be carried out\nwith perfect wisdom and in such a manner that no harm would ever\nresult therefrom.\n\nIn the same way those who deliver the Message should\ntravel to all parts of the country. And if delivering the Message\nshould be the cause of disturbance, let them then be engaged in\nencouraging and educating the friends, in order that those souls\nreceive spiritual attraction and rejoice, seek delight and ecstasy,\nacquire new life and through the fragrances of sanctity gain vivacity\nand freshness.\n\nThe object is this, that in the time of peace and safety\nthis work of delivering the Message should be carried on with the\nutmost fervor. But when there is no peace and safety, extreme wisdom\nshould be exercised, though no complete cessation of effort is\npermissible, for in that case the divine assistance shall be entirely\ncut off.\n\nWith regard to the formation of benevolent associations,\nsurely this subject should be given due attention. The disciples of\nHis Holiness Christ—may my life be a sacrifice unto Him!—were\nonly eleven persons and they had established a benevolent fund. So\nthe establishment of the fund had that degree of importance.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Spiritual Assembly !...”",
"slug": "tab-o-spiritual-assembly",
"summary": "O Spiritual Assembly46…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Spiritual Assembly46\n!\n\nEverything produces an impression in existence and\nresults in the course of ages. The (earthly) assemblies established\nin the different parts of Europe, Asia and America have no results\nsave the help of the physical and the mortal life in this lesser\nworld, for the removal of its conditions and reformation of its\ncustoms, and in the end no name will remain thereof. But every\nspiritual assembly of solid foundation, good structure and unwavering\nconstancy will last forever and will send forth its illumination unto\nall regions.\n\nObserve the gatherings of the disciples after Christ:\nTheir light is still shining, their power is still revealing and\ntheir trumpets still resounding throughout the ages. Such is the\nspiritual meeting.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Spiritual ........!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-spiritual",
"summary": "O Spiritual…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Spiritual ........!\n\nThy letter is received; likewise that of Mr. ........\nPrint soon the booklet (Mirza Badi Ullah’s Epistle to the Bahai\nworld) and spread it broadcast.\n\nThe dear maid-servant of God, ........, is indeed an\nassured believer; likewise ........, his honor Mr. ........, and his\nhonor Mr. ......... In reality they are revered souls. I hope that\nthey will soon arise for the Mashrak-el-Azcar and thus attain His\nfavor.\n\nAll the beloved of God must strive so that this eternal\nedifice arise. ***\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O tho dear friend!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-tho-dear-friend",
"summary": "O thou dear…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou dear friend!\n\nThe maid-servant of God ........ hath remembered thee in\nher letter and hath thus made my heart busy with thy thought.\nConsider how much she must care for thee to have remembered thee in\nsuch a place. Indeed, this is great love and I am hopeful that this\nmay be a confirmation to thee, so that thou mayest become a personage\nof the Kingdom, heavenly, illumined and spiritual and a means of\nspreading and exemplifying the qualities and attributes of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou advancer to God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-advancer-to-god",
"summary": "O thou advancer to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou advancer to God!\n\nVerily, I have read thy brilliant letter which is\nelegantly composed. I supplicate God to alleviate thy trials and look\nupon thee with the eye of His mercy under all aspects. Turn thou to\nthe Kingdom of thy great Lord with a truthful heart and with all\ndevotion, sincerity and great spirituality and ask to be healed from\npain and passions and be confident in the great bounty of thy Lord.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou advancing maid-servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-advancing-maid-servant-of-god",
"summary": "O thou advancing maid-servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou advancing maid-servant of God!\n\nThy letter was received and I was informed of its\ncontents. Thanks be to God! thou art guided to the Light of guidance\nand hast attained to this most great gift. I hope thou mayest become\na daughter of the Kingdom. Thou must be thankful to Mrs. .........,\nfor she was the cause of thy guidance; and thou must forever seek the\nprovidence of God in her behalf, for she hath illumined thine eyes.\nThe love that she hath shown to you, its value is not known at\npresent, but after departing from this transient world, its value\nwill become known and evident in the divine Kingdom, and even in this\nmortal world its value shall appear in future. In the days of Christ,\nguidance had no importance whatever to the deniers; now consider how\nmuch importance it hath gained.\n\nTurn thou with thy heart ot he divine Kingdom and\nsupplicate to Him, (saying):\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou artery pulsating in the body of the world!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-artery-pulsating-in-the-body-of-the-world",
"summary": "O thou artery pulsating in the body of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou artery pulsating in the body of the world!\n\nVerily I read thy recent letter which indicated\nconscious joy and abundant happiness from the glad-tidings of the\nKingdom of El-Abha. Know, verily that the feast is the day wherein\nGod opened thine insight through the Manifest Light, showed thee unto\nHis Great Kingdom and granted to thee to drink from the chalice\noverflowing with the wine of divine guidance among the maid-servants.\nIs there a feast more happy and more noble than this? No, indeed, by\nthe Lord of Heaven, it is a day wherein the thirsty one attaineth to\nthe Spring from which gusheth forth cool and refreshing water, the\nlover meeteth his Loved One and the sick one is healed by the remedy\nof the Physician. Blessed art thou for attaining unto this!\n\nVerily, the people who rejoice in the day of the feast\nand enjoyed the tree126\n(which) was decorated, following the custom of ancient times, are the\npeople of superstitions. By the Majesty of thy Lord! Were they in the\ntime of Christ, they would turn their backs and would not behold His\nsmiling, glorious face; but today they play in the shallow waters of\ntheir superstitions without discretion.\n\nTherefore, thank God for His having privileged thee to\nattain nearness to the Blessed Tree which is grown upon the highest\nSinai and is set aglow with the fire of God’s love, calling\nunto responsive listeners. I supplicate God to heal thee from all\ntroubles and diseases and make thee a sign of guidance and a standard\nof the Supreme Concourse in those regions and particularly at Green\nAcre.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou at whose mention I am rejoiced!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-at-whose-mention-i-am-rejoiced",
"summary": "O thou at whose mention I am…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou at whose mention I am rejoiced!\n\nBy God, the True One, verily pure hearts are as clear\nand brilliant mirrors which imprint the one on the other, and hearts\ndiscover the secrets of hearts. Therefore, they (hearts) chant the\nverses of longing and recite the odes of glorification and praise.\nConsequently, the recourse is to pages of hearts, not pages filled\nwith written lines.\n\nGive my greetings to thy revered wife and announce to\nher the glad-tidings of a gift from God; and I beg of God to make her\na spark from out the fire of His love. Verily He is the Powerful, the\nMighty!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou attracted maid-servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-attracted-maid-servant-of-god",
"summary": "O thou attracted maid-servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou attracted maid-servant of God!\n\nThis is a blessed address. If thou fulfill its\nrequirements, which are purity of intention, attractive love,\ninsight, discovery of truth and absolute spiritual attitude, thou\nwilt become entirely free from the physical conditions and wilt soar\nto the spiritual realms.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou attracted one of the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-attracted-one-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou attracted one of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou attracted one of the Kingdom!\n\nThe epistle was received; likewise the enclosed epistle\nwas read. The personage (Mr. .........) is in reality enraptured with\nthe truth and seeketh the discovery of the mysteries of God. His\nintention is blessed and his efforts (directed toward) the\ndevelopment of the world of humanity.\n\nThe various sects who consider themselves servants of\nthe world of humanity are possessed of good intention, but they are\ninert, not active; captive, not free; silent, not eloquent; slow, not\nfast. They have sluggish movement and great intention. These tow do\nnot agree (or unite).\n\nMany a good intention was there in the world of\nexistence which left no trace, for it was not confirmed by the\neffective power. But the good intentions of the beloved of God and\nthe merciful projects of the real friends are enforced by the power\nof the Word of God; therefore, it is effective and quick in action\nand the means of life to the world of humanity. Thank thou God that\nHe hath provided such a means for thee that by divine aid, heavenly\nconfirmation, merciful intention and heavenly power thou mayest arise\nto serve, so that thou mayest see wonderful signs and marvelous\nresults.\n\nThe good news of the unity and concord of the friends of\nNew York proved a great source of Joy. The original intention and the\ndivine foundation is the unification of the world of humanity.\nTherefore, this merciful reality must first find realization among\nthe friends (Bahais), so that it may affect other souls.\n\nToday the world and the people are under the shadow of\ndivine providence, the light of the Sun of Reality hath been shed\nupon the world of minds and thoughts; hence, light is seen\neverywhere.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou attracted one!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-attracted-one",
"summary": "O thou attracted…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness",
"sacrifice",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou attracted one!\n\nThy letter was an evidence of the happiness and\nrejoicing of thy heart and soul and a proof of knowing the True One\nand severing thyself from all else save Him. When thou beholdest with\nthe eye of Truth, then thou wilt realize that in this world neither\nknown or unknown, neither kind father or beloved son, mother or\nsister, help us. No persons assist except the Benevolent Almighty.\n\nWhen thou knowest Him, thou art independent from all\nelse. When thou art attached to His love, then thou art detached from\nevery kith and kin.\n\nO thou attracted one of the Kingdom! Complete thou the\nstudy of the art of music and sacrifice thyself more or less to the\nLord of the Kingdom.\n\nThe spiritual lily reached [me] in the world of the\nMerciful and its sweet fragrance perfumed the nostril.303\nI ask God that thou mayest find a soul overflowing with glad-tidings,\nseek a heart of joy and attain to tthe beautiful ideal! That thou\nmayest sever thyself from this world and soar up to the Universe of\nthe Creator!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou bearer of the Great-tidings of the Kingdom of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-bearer-of-the-great-tidings-of-the-kingdom-of",
"summary": "O thou bearer of the Great-tidings of the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou bearer of the Great-tidings of the Kingdom of\nGod!\n\nThy letter *** was received. It contained the good news\nof the assemblage of the beloved ones, of the Meeting of Faithfulness\nwhich was held, the joy and fragrance obtained, the appearance of the\nlights of the love of the Beauty of Abha, and the good news that the\nbreasts of the beloved ones were dilated (with joy). This news caused\nsuch joy that our afflictions, sufferings and calamities were wholly\nforgotten, a new carpet was spread and a great joy attained with the\nutmost exaltation! For Abdul-Baha serves with all devotion in order\nthat union and affection may be created among the beloved of God;\nnay, in the whole of the human world.\n\nMy utmost hope and wish is to find that an assemblage\nhath been arranged which hath become the cause of love and affection\nin the world of humanity which announceth the glad-tidings of the\nKingdom of Abha, diffuseth the fragrances of the love of God, setteth\nthe pillars of the world in motion through the power of divine\nguidance, and is quickening the dead through the spirit of divine\nknowledge!\n\nO dear friend! The darkness of error hath encompassed\nthe world; it is now the time to spread the light of guidance. The\nworld hath wholly become the tomb of the dead; it is now time that it\nshall be transformed into palaces of the living. The East and the\nWest have become a thorny desert of oppression; it is time they\nshould become a rose-garden of faithfulness.\n\nYou have written concerning the Feast190\nof Remembrance which you arranged after the Persian manner, at which\nMr. ........ and Mr. ........ engaged in serving the beloved ones\nlike unto Abdul-Baha: This arrangement of festivities and affection,\nchanting of Tablets, explaining realities and significances, and this\ninculcating of the teachings and exhortations of Abdul-Baha causeth\neverlasting life and maketh the hearers as heavenly angels.\n\nWhenever such an entertainment is arranged through\nspiritual sentiments, shining faces and merciful hearts, it is a\n“Lord’s Supper.” For the brilliancy of the Kingdom\nof Abha will shine and the spirituality of Abdul-Baha become\nmanifest. This is that “divine table” (or food) of which\nmention is made in the prophecies: “On that day they shall\ngather together at the divine table”; and “people shall\ncome from the East and West and arrive in His Kingdom.”\n\nConvey loving greetings to his honor ........ and say:\n“O dear one! The heart of Abdul-Baha greatly rejoiceth at thy\nreading of the Tablets and Words at the meetings of the merciful\nones! I beg of God, that in all assemblages thou mayest cause\nhappiness unto the hearts of the friends and bestow joy and\nfragrance!”\n\nAnnounce to his honor ......... my love and longing (for\nhim) and say: “That Power which strengthened the apostles is\nnow in full confirmation. I hope thou wilt receive an abundant\nportion from that confirmation.”\n\nAnnounce the utmost love from Abdul-Baha to his honor\n........ and say: “O thou friend of my heart! The heavenly food\nis needed successively; be thou a server of the food and direct thou\nthe people of the world to present themselves at that able and guide\nthem to partake thereof.”\n\nConvey greetings and respect from Abdul-Baha to the\nesteemed maid-servant of God, ........, and say: “Thou art\nalways in our midst and art not forgotten, even for a moment. I beg\nthe Beauty of Abha for confirmation in thy behalf. It is some time\nsince, by the dust of calamities and occupation of mind, the\ncorrespondence hath been delayed; but there is no harm in that. For\nmy heart is engaged in prayer and I beg for confirmation in thy\nbehalf.”\n\nConvey on my behalf, greetings and respect to the\ninvoking maid-servant of God, ........, and say: “Thank thou\nGod for thou hast arrived at the Holy City and at the Heavenly\nJerusalem and hast found thy way to the Divine City and entered the\nKingdom of Abha!”\n\nO thou real friend! O Mr. ........! Seek not a single\nminute of rest and do not keep still. Travel more and more in cities\nand villages. Bear the glad-tidings and guide them. Strengthen the\nbeloved (i.e., believers) and open the eye of perception of the\nstrangers (those who do not believe).\n\nAs to chanting supplications in the Oriental tune, this\nis very agreeable. His honor ........ must exert his endeavors in\nthis matter.\n\nIn reality the friends of God are always present in my\nsociety and are associated with the friends of God in the Sacred\nSpot; even though they be in the remotest lands of the earth.\n\nO thou real friend! Such entertainments are always\nnecessary, for they cause the increase of love, unity and harmony in\nthe friends of God. Bring about (such entertainments) by all means.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou believer in God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-believer-in-god",
"summary": "O thou believer in…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou believer in God!\n\nThy letter was received and from its contents happiness\nwas realized. It was a proof of faith and assurance and of firmness\nin the Covenant and Testament.\n\nDesire thou through the bounty and mercy of the Lord of\nMight that He make thee a cause of spreading the fragrances of God\nand confirm thee in the service of the Kingdom of God.\n\nThe letter of Mrs. ........ was considered and for thy\nsake a letter was written her. It is enclosed.\n\nI pray God and supplicate the Threshold of Mercy for\nboth of you that you may attain to that which is the will of God and\nmay be aided and strengthened (while) in this mortal world.\n\nThere is much work and I have not the leisure to write\nmore than this.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou beloved and benevolent daughter of the Kingdom...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-beloved-and-benevolent-daughter-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou beloved and benevolent daughter of the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou beloved and benevolent daughter of the Kingdom of\nGod!\n\nThe letter which thou hast written was received. I read\nit with the utmost love; thy services became known and thy\nforbearance in the afflictions became evident and manifest. Happy is\nthy condition, for thou art spending thy days in heralding the\nKingdom and art crying, “O ye concourse of men! Make ye\nstraight the path; walk ye in the direct road!” Thou hast\nabandoned ease and accepted thousands of hardships and traveled for\nthe purpose of promoting the Word of God.\n\nConvey on my behalf love to Mrs. ........ and say,\n“Praise be to God, thou art set aglow with the fire of the Love\nof God and hast arisen in the service of the Cause of God.”\n\nAnnounce my affection to the maid-servant, ....... and\nsay, “Thank thou God that thou hast become related to the\nKingdom and art an object of the favors of the Lord of Might.”\n\nGladden the heart of Mrs. ........ by the divine\nglad-tidings and say, “Be thou like unto a bird and unweariedly\nsoar upward until thou reachest the Supreme Apex.”\n\nSay thou to Mr. ........, “When engaged in useless\nservice the end is loss within loss. Therefore, serve thou the Lord\nof the Kingdom, which in the end is profit within profit.”\n\nAnnounce my respectful greeting to Mrs. ........ and her\ndaughter and say, “Thank ye God that ye have illumined faces\nwith the light of Guidance and ye have perfumed the nostrils with the\nholy fragrances of the rose-garden of the Kingdom of ABHA.”\n\nProclaim the glad-tidings of the bounty of the Almighty\nto Mrs. ........ and deliver my respectful greeting to Mrs. ........\nand say, “In the churches turn thy face toward the Kingdom of\nABHA and supplicate the help of the Holy Spirit, and, with a detached\nheart, begin to talk.”\n\nConvey respectful greeting to Mr. and Mrs. ......... and\nsay, “Be ye thankful to God that your house became the nest of\nthe birds of the divine garden and the shelter of the flocks of\nheaven. They sit together, read the holy Tablets, are engage din the\ncommemoration of the True One and strive and endeavor to promote the\nWord of God.”\n\nO thou maid-servant of God, Mrs. ..........! Regarding\nthe star with five points, thou hast made an excellent comparison.\n\nO thou maid-servant of God! If it is possible, change\nthe meeting of every nineteen days into a feast. ***\n\nO thou maid-servant of God! Those fishes which thou hast\nseen in the vision are the souls who are swimming in the sea of this\nnether world. God willing, thou wilt bring them out of the nether\nworld, with the net of the love of God, into the immensity of the\nkingdom. Those brilliant stars which thou hast beheld are the\nchildren of the Kingdom. That brilliant crescent is the Cause of God.\nThe appearance of His Highness Christ and His white robe and\nresplendent light in His blessed face is the proof of the power and\nthe promulgation of the Word of God in America.\n\nTherefore, it is the same thing which I said: “The\nnight is drawing nigh and then no one can work.” Consequently,\none must hasten to perform something and show forth exertion.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou beloved maid-servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-beloved-maid-servant-of-god",
"summary": "O thou beloved maid-servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou beloved maid-servant of God!\n\nThe letter, which thou hast forwarded through Mrs.\n........ was received. Thank thou God that thou art assisted in the\nthralldom of His Threshold, art favored in the Kingdom, art heralding\nthe Name of the True One, art speaking of divine praises, art guiding\nthe souls to the Sun of Truth, art quickening the dead with the\nbreaths of the Holy Spirit and art endeavoring with heart and soul to\nspread the Cause.\n\nThou hast Mrs. ........ as thy partner and sharer,\nco-operating with each other to serve, and hast lied in her house.\n\nShow thou forth love to Mrs. ........ and convey to her\ngreetings on my behalf. Associate with her and seek her companionship\nas far as possible, for it is conducive to the development of you\nboth.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou beloved of my heart!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-beloved-of-my-heart",
"summary": "O thou beloved of my…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou beloved of my heart!\n\nVerily, my soul longs for thee, for the lamp of the love\nof Baha’ is lighted within thy heart and I love to look upon\nthy face, for it is glittering with the light of guidance among the\ncreatures. Glory be to Him who hath united hearts together! Glory be\nto Him who hath brought the East and West under the shadow of the\nBlessed Tree, the root of which is firmly fixed in the earth and the\nbranches of which reach unto the Supreme Concourse!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou bird of pleasing tones!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-bird-of-pleasing-tones",
"summary": "O thou bird of pleasing…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou bird of pleasing tones!\n\nThy little book of poems, which were very sweet, was\nread. It was a source of joy, for it was a spiritual anthem and a\nmelody of the love of God.\n\nContinue as long as thou canst this melody in the\ngatherings of the beloved; thus may the minds find rest and joy and\nbecome in tune with the love of God. When eloquence of expression,\nbeauty of sense and sweetness of composition unite with new melodies\nthe effect is very great, especially if it be the anthem of the\nverses of oneness and the songs of praise to the Lord of Glory.\n\nEndeavor your utmost to compose beautiful poems to be\nchanted with heavenly music; thus may their beauty affect the minds\nand impress the hearts of those who listen.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou bird of the Garden of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-bird-of-the-garden-of-god",
"summary": "O thou bird of the Garden of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou bird of the Garden of God!\n\nWhy art thou sad and sorrowful, disappointed and\ngrieved! Praise be to God! the eternal bounty is in succession, the\ndivine glory is apparent and manifest, the display of Providence and\nlight of guidance is glistening and shining from the Kingdom of Abha\nand the appearance of the Greatest Sun is clear and evident. if thou\nart outwardly far, then thou art near in spirit, and if thou art\nabsent in body, thou art present in heart and spirit.\n\nArise and wash thy body, wear a pure gown, and directing\nthyself to the Kingdom of God, supplicate and pray to Him. Sleep in a\nclean, well prepared and ventilated place, and ask for appearance (or\ndisplay) in the world of vision. Thou wilt have visions which will\ncause the doors of doubts to be closed, which will five you new joy,\nwonderful dilation, brilliant glory. thou wilt comprehend realities\nand meanings.\n\nVerily, the bounty of the Kingdom is unlimited and the\nfavors of the Lord of Majesty are like unto the rains of springtime.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou bird of the Rose-garden of the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-bird-of-the-rose-garden-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou bird of the Rose-garden of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou bird of the Rose-garden of the Kingdom!\n\nIn appearance there hath some time elapsed since news\nhath been received from thee, but in spirit the arrival of the news\nis uninterrupted. I hope, from the bounties of the Exalted, the\nQuickener of the souls, that thou mayest not rest for one moment but\npulsate constantly like unto the pulsation of an artery in the body\nof the world, to infuse the spirit of life in the souls and suffer\nthe people to soar up the the zenith of the Kingdom.\n\nUndoubtedly, write thou letters and do not stop\ncorrespondence even in appearance.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou bird of the Rose-garden of the Love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-bird-of-the-rose-garden-of-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou bird of the Rose-garden of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"love",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou bird of the Rose-garden of the Love of God!\n\nThank thou God that, through the utterances of Mrs.\n........., thou hast heard of the universe of the Kingdom, thy heart\nrecognized (the Truth), thine eyes became seeing and thy soul became\nmindful. Shouldst thou remain firm and steadfast in faith, the desire\nof thy heart and soul will become realized, thou wilt find the utmost\njoy and wilt be assisted in visiting the holy Threshold.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou bird warbling in the Garden of the Love of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-bird-warbling-in-the-garden-of-the-love-of",
"summary": "O thou bird warbling in the Garden of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou bird warbling in the Garden of the Love of God!\n\nThank God that He hath illumined thine insight, led thee\nunto the Fire glowing in the Tree of Man, caused thee to utter His\npraise among the creatures and guided certain women to whom thou\ndelivered the Word of God.\n\nO maid-servant of god! Verily thy Lord lighteth the lamp\nof love in the heart of whomsoever He chooseth. This is indeed the\ngreat happiness. He confirmeth him in the service of His Supreme\nVineyard.\n\nI pray God to confirm the relatives in attaining to the\nBrilliant Light, to let the light of insight shine forth to the\nhearts and sights, to aid thy friends in being illumined by the light\nof El-Baha and [being] fed from the heavenly table, and to make thee\nempty, void from the thoughts of the life of this world and filled\nwith the love of thy Lord, ready for His service, uttering His praise\nand demonstrating with proofs the appearance of the Kingdom of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou bird who art warbling in the Garden of the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-bird-who-art-warbling-in-the-garden-of-the",
"summary": "O thou bird who art warbling in the Garden of the Guidance of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou bird who art warbling in the Garden of the\nGuidance of God!\n\nVerily, I read thy excellent and brilliant letter. It\nshowed how thou hast sought the fire of guidance from the Sinaitic\nTree, and art shining by the light of faithfulness of the Supreme\nConcourse.\n\nBlessed art thou; again, blessed art thou! Glad-tidings\nbe unto thee; again, glad-tidings be unto thee!\n\nAppreciate the worth of this peerless and choice Pearl\n(of the Truth). By the life of God, verily, this is the most splendid\njewel which glitters on the crown of glory, among all the people of\nthe world.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou blooming rose in the garden of the Love of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-blooming-rose-in-the-garden-of-the-love-of",
"summary": "O thou blooming rose in the garden of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou blooming rose in the garden of the Love of God!\n\nVerily, the heavenly angels address thee from the\nSupreme Horizon, saying: “O maid-servant of God! Be rejoiced\nfor God hath chosen thee for His love and sheltered thee under the\nshade of His Kingdom, the lights of which shone forth, the signs of\nwhich were manifested, the mysteries of which were unfolded, the\nfragrance of which emanated, the waves of which surged, the causes of\nwhich were promulgated, the suns of which appeared, the moons of\nwhich shone and the stars of which sparkled.”\n\nTherefore, praise God for that He honored thee with\npresence in this great century and new cycle and caused thee to\nattain this new bounty.\n\nI ask God to send down upon thee a blessing and upon thy\nfamily a favor from His Kingdom.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou bright pearl!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-bright-pearl",
"summary": "O thou bright…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou bright pearl!\n\nEndeavor, and spare no effort, and hasten to the Kingdom\nof thy Lord, the Lord of the shining and clear evidences and\narguments.\n\nVerily, by Truth, every seed cast in this great and\nmagnificent century (period) will be cultivated by God and produce\nplants through the abundance of the clouds of His mercy, which\npreceded the postulates, and from which all the existing beings have\nbeen awakened and issued, and to which they will return.\n\nTherefore, use thy utmost power to sow and cast those\npure seeds, the divine teachings, in the hearts which move and cheer\nby the fragrance of God.\n\nConvey my greeting and praise to thy honored,\nnoble-minded husband, for I love him with all that is within me.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou candle of the Love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-candle-of-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou candle of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou candle of the Love of God!\n\nI ask God to grant thee by His favor and grace that\nwhich is thy utmost desire; that the closed doors become opened, the\nuneven roads become even, thy face shine by the love of God, thy\nsight become brighter by witnessing the signs of God; that thou\nmayest attain spiritual joy, eternal happiness and heavenly life.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou candle shining by the light of the Love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-candle-shining-by-the-light-of-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou candle shining by the light of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou candle shining by the light of the Love of God!\n\nThat which thou hast inscribed and conceived of in thy\nmind was manifest and clear. The contents indicate spiritual signs\nand the meanings were like unto a sweet chalice. I trust in God that\nthy pure mind may become reflective of light; thus thou mayest become\nprepared for the divine manifestation and attract the light of\nguidance from the Heavenly Star.\n\nO servant of God! Through the power of God’s love\nthe weak become mighty, the poor become rich, the little bird becomes\na great eagle soaring on the ethereal wave, the tiny plant grows into\na great palm tree.\n\nO servant of God! Trials and tests are severe. If thou\nseekest progress and advancement in the Kingdom, remain firm and\nwithstand. When it is possible for thee to visit this land45\nin all fragrance and spirituality, thou art permitted to come.\n\nIf thou canst help the up-building of the\nMashrak-el-Azcar in Chicago, it will be most acceptable.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou child of the Kingdom and firm in the Covenant!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-child-of-the-kingdom-and-firm-in-the-covenant",
"summary": "O thou child of the Kingdom and firm in the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"persecution",
"the-covenant",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou child of the Kingdom and firm in the Covenant!\n\nThy letter, through his honor Mirza ........, was\nreceived and thy former letters also became acceptable and through\nthe contents of those writings utmost joy and fragrance was produced,\nfor they all evinced faith, assurance and firmness in the Covenant.\n\nIn this day the most vital and momentous matter is\nsteadfastness in the love of the Manifestor of Light on the Mount of\nSinai and endurance of ordeals and unaccountable calamities in this\nCause.\n\nEre long the seditious people shall arise in that\ncountry to deride the righteous ones and to ridicule the holy ones.\nEvery day they will cast ignominy and at every moment they will\npresent great persecution. They shall revile the friends for the sake\nof the love of Baha; and bring down upon them contempt and sarcasm;\nneither do they fall short in creating torture.\n\nThis is the custom and sentence of the people of bygone\nages. Undoubtedly these things must transpire in these days even with\na greater intensity.\n\nThat is why His Holiness the Christ sayeth: “Everything\nwhich hath happened in the cycles of the former prophets will\ncertainly occur again in these days.” Consider ye! What\ncalumny, slander, cruelty and oppression were brought down upon the\napostles by the Israelites for the sake of faith and assurance! They\nunlocked the hands of pillage, persecuted and tortured those\nsanctified souls. Therefore, there is no doubt but that you will\nbecome afflicted with trial, calamity and oppression in the path of\nthe Beauty of Abha. These trials are the essence of bestowal and pure\nbounty and the proofs of your acceptance in the Threshold of Oneness.\nConsequently, when the fire of trials is ignited, celebrate ye in\njoy, dance with overflowing emotions and be ye happy that—praise\nbe to God!—ye have become the target of contempt in the path of\nthe Beauty of Abha and are hated by the people of passion and desire.\n\n\nThy services in the highway of the Kingdom are accepted,\nthy toleration of the troubles is known and manifest and thy eloquent\nspeeches in the assemblies of believers are heard and appreciated. I\nhope that through these services thou mayest become the manifestor of\nthe favors of the Lord of the Kingdom and recipient of the merciful\nglances of His Highness the Magnificent and the Compassionate.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou confident leaf!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-confident-leaf",
"summary": "O thou confident…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou confident leaf!\n\nThank thou God that thou hast been guided by the light\nof guidance and illumined by the brilliance of the Supreme Concourse,\nkindled by the fire of the love of God and hath directed thyself to\nHis Kingdom, partook of the heavenly table and enjoyed the fruits of\nthe Tree of Life!\n\nThou hast been confirmed in serving those who are nigh\nunto the divine household. Thou hast been cut from aught else save\nGod and hast been made a maid-servant for the men of God236\n.\n\nThis is now servitude by sovereignty, and this is not\nservice but chieftanship and greatness! This is the garment of\neverlasting glory with which thou hast clothed thyself, and this is\nthe rose of eternal exaltation with which thou hast adorned thy head.\nIt is said in the New Testament: “Whosoever will be chief among\nyou, let him be your servant.” In short, thou shouldst thank\nGod a hundred-thousand times for having been confirmed and\nstrengthened in obtaining such a great gift! Know thou the value\nthereof and consider that its price is highly appraised.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou confident soul who art content and patient!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-confident-soul-who-art-content-and-patient",
"summary": "O thou confident soul who art content and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"hope",
"patience",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou confident soul who art content and patient!\n\nVerily, I read thy welcome letter and was informed of\nits contents which gladdened the hearts of the unitarians (i.e., the\nbelievers at Acca) of thy desire for God’s confirmation in the\nservice of His Cause among the sincere servants. Do not consider the\nweakness of the people, but observe the power of attainment in this\nmanifest day. Separate thyself from all thoughts, strip thyself from\nthe unclean garment of attachment to this drossful (or earthly)\nworld, arise for the service of thy Lord, the Clement, and be clothed\nwith the robe of assurance (or certainty), so that thou mayest behold\nthe hosts of confirmation from thy Lord arising from all sides.\n\nAs to thy information concerning the services of Mirza\nAssad Ullah to the holy and brilliant Threshold, verily, it gladdened\nAbdul-Baha and he thanked God for this great bounty unto him (Mirza\nAssad Ullah) and the chosen of God. Verily, I hope, through the favor\nof my Lord, that He will confirm ye unto that which he (Mirza Assad\nUllah) was confirmed; because the treasury of the favors of thy Lord\nare full of bounties. Verily, he granteth to whomsoever He wisheth\nwhat He desireth, and, verily, He is the Generous, the Giver and the\nForgiver!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou confirmed by an inspiration from the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-confirmed-by-an-inspiration-from-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou confirmed by an inspiration from the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou confirmed by an inspiration from the Kingdom!\n\nBlessed thou art, for thou hast delivered the Word of\nthy Lord to ........, the maid-servant of God!\n\nGlad-tidings unto thee for that by reason of which the\nspring of knowledge hath flowed out in the garden of thy heart,\ninundated thy tongue and made thee utter the name of thy Lord and\ncall the people to the Kingdom of thy God!\n\nI supplicate God, my Lord and thy Lord, to illumine thy\nforehead with the light of success and victory, strengthen thy spirit\nby the breath of god, quicken thee by the spirit of God and make thee\na pillar of guidance set up in the firmament of the Kingdom of God.\n\nGrieve not because of my imprisonment and calamity; for\nthis prison is my beautiful garden, my mansioned paradise and my\nthrone of dominion among mankind. My calamity in my prison is a crown\nto me in which I glory among the righteous. Thou shalt hear greater\nthan this.\n\nI ask God to assist whosoever is related to thee to\nreceive guidance in the future days, and to bless Mrs. and Miss\n........, Miss ........ and Miss ........, and make them the signs of\nHis gift among the people of the world.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou cup overflowing with the Wine of the Love of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-cup-overflowing-with-the-wine-of-the-love-of",
"summary": "O thou cup overflowing with the Wine of the Love of God!…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou cup overflowing with the Wine of the Love of God!\n\n\nKnow, verily, that the doors of the Kingdom are being\nopened to the East and West. Verily the people neglected the Name of\ntheir Lord after expectancy of centuries and ages! However, those\nwhose consciences were pure, whose hearts were sanctified, urge\nforward thereto and enter therein through every door with faces\nshining, hearts and spirits rejoiced. thank God for this great\nguidance and mighty gift!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou darling dear!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-darling-dear",
"summary": "O thou darling…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou darling dear!\n\nTurn thy face toward the Supreme Kingdom and chant thou\nthis commune:\n\n\nO Thou Pure God! I am a little child; make Thou the\nbosom of Thy Gift a dear resting-place of comfort, suffer me to grow\nand be nurtured with the honey and the milk of Thy love and train me\nunder the breast of Thy knowledge; bestow Thou freedom while in a\nstate of childhood and grant Thou excellence!\n\n\nO Thou Incomparable One! Make me the confident of the\nKingdom of the Unseen! Verily, Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful!\n\n\nO Unequalled Lord!270\n\n\n\nFor this helpless child be a Protector; for this weak\nand sinful one be kind and forgiving.\n\n\nO Creator! Although we are but useless grass, still we\nare of Thy garden; though we are but young trees, bare of leaves and\nblossoms, still we are of Thy orchard; therefore, nourish this grass\nwith the rain of Thy county; refresh and vivify these young,\nlanguishing trees with the breeze of Thy spiritual springtime.\n\n\nAwaken us, enlighten us, sustain us, give us eternal\nlife and accept us into Thy Kingdom!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou daughter of the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-daughter-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou daughter of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou daughter of the Kingdom!\n\nThank and praise God that He hath cause thee to drink\nfrom the cup of the gifts and caused thee to suckle from the bosom of\nguidance while yet very young and didst possess but a few years of\nage. I beg of God and hope that the love of God may be mingled (and\nmixed) in thy flesh and bones and run in thy whole being, like the\nrunning (or circulation) of the spirit in the veins and in the\narteries.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou dazzling gem by the light of the Love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-dazzling-gem-by-the-light-of-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou dazzling gem by the light of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou dazzling gem by the light of the Love of God!\n\nVerily I read thy beautiful, elegant and expressive\nletter which informed [me] of thine extreme love for God, which\n(love) impresseth the souls and dilateth the breasts and which\ncauseth thy heart to become filled with the knowledge of God and\noverflow with the favor of God.\n\nI ask God to make thee a sign of mercy and an exemplar\nof servitude to the Sublime Threshold.\n\nThank God for saving thee from baseness, trouble,\nselfishness and death, and [that He] took away the veil from before\nthine eyes, manifested unto thee the Beauty of El-ABHA, granted thee\nhealing, planted in thy heart the seed of love and thereby chose thee\nfrom among the maid-servants. Therefore, endeavor so that thou\ndedicate (thyself) entirely to God; no thought or mention should\nremain in thee save the name of thy Supreme Lord. Endeavor so that\nthose countries become illumined by the light of the gift of God.\n\nEmbrace the light of thine eyes (thy son) on my behalf\nin the Kingdom of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou dear and honorable!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-dear-and-honorable",
"summary": "O thou dear and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"joy",
"love",
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou dear and honorable!\n\nI received thy last letter through his honor ........\nand its contents imparted to me spiritual joy, for it indicated the\nhigh and good friendship between thee and the respectful maid-servant\nof God, ......... I supplicate God to increase at every moment and\nsecond your faith, assurance, steadfastness and your knowledge, and\nlikewise to create spiritual friendship and celestial love among the\nfriends, in order that they may become a unit host and enlisted\nsoldiers (of the Kingdom of God) with accomplishment, skillfulness,\nsolidarity, fellowship and unison.\n\nVerily, by this their breasts will become dilated, their\nnames exalted, their faces illumined, their host confirmed and their\nprogress, illumination, insight, knowledge, spirituality, fragrance,\nattraction, enkindlement, sanctity and purity promulgated.\n\nConvey my greeting to ........ and say to her: “Verily\nthe teachings which flowed from the lips of His Highness Christ were\nspiritual, celestial, heavenly and the cause of the eternal life;\ntherefore it is explained as heavenly food and the divine table. But\nthe philosophers who were the greatest sages of the world at that\ntime could not realize the power of the teachings of Christ and these\nvery philosophers were veiled from the Spirit of Christ and did not\nacknowledge His instructions, for their imaginations did not\ncorrespond with the apprehensions of their intellects. O what remorse\nis their lot by losing this Great Cause! Consequently, the teachings\nof Baha’ shall assuredly breathe the spirit of peace, the love\nof God and divine compassion in the hearts of men. These universal\nresults will become clear to those who cling to them (teachings)\nafter experience. As to thee, consider profoundly these teachings in\norder that thou mayest apprehend their realities.”\n\nO my dear Mr. .........! I beseech God to grant thee the\npower of knowledge and understanding so that thou mayest fathom the\nmysteries of the teachings descended from the presence of he Glorious\nLord.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou dear friend!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-dear-friend",
"summary": "O thou dear…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou dear friend!\n\nWhat thou hast written was perused. I beg of God that\nthou wilt become assisted and confirmed under all circumstances to\nfind the ease of spirit and the happiness of consciousness, to enter\nunder the shadow of the Tree of Life and to perfume thy nostrils from\nthe fragrances of the holy rose-garden and to illumine thy heart with\nthe lights of the mercy of guidance. Through the grace of His\nHighness, the Almighty, all the affairs become easy and feasible.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou dear maid-servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-dear-maid-servant-of-god",
"summary": "O thou dear maid-servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou dear maid-servant of God!\n\nThy likeness (photograph) was received through Mrs.\n.......... and was seen. The light of faith shone in thy brow and the\nsmile of the Kingdom in thy face. When I saw that likeness, I\nsupplicated and implored, at the Threshold of the Lord of the\nKingdom, to make thee a dear one of the two realms and to free thee\nfrom every fetter save the love of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou dear one!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-dear-one",
"summary": "O thou dear…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou dear one!\n\nBlessed art thou, for thou hast entered into the bosom\nof the training of God and drunk the cup of knowledge while thou art\nyoung in age among girls. Thank thou God for that He hath caused thee\nto taste the sweetness of His love at thy earliest childhood. I beg\nof God to protect thee from wavering in the Cause of God, to make\nthee firm in the Covenant of God, to guard thy mother in the\nstronghold of His great Kingdom and to make thee a girl successful\nand nurtured from the breast of the love of God, refreshed from the\nmilk of His knowledge in this great day.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou dear servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-dear-servant-of-god",
"summary": "O thou dear servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"gentleness",
"honesty",
"kindness",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou dear servant of God!\n\nThy letter was received and its contents noted. As to\ninstructions which thou desirest, they are as follows:\n\nBelieve in God; turn unto the Supreme Kingdom; be\nattracted unto the Beauty of ABHA; remain firm in the Covenant; yearn\nfor ascending unto the heaven of the sun of the universe; be\ndisinterested in the world; be alive with the fragrances of holiness\nin the Kingdom of the Highest; be a caller to love; kind to the human\nrace; gentle with humanity; interested in all the people of the\nworld; wish for harmony and seek friendship and honesty. Be a healing\nfor every wound, a remedy for every sick, a source of harmony among\nthe people; chant the verses of guidance; pray to God; arise for the\nguidance of the people; let thy tongue explain and thy face illumine\nwith the glowing of the love of God. Rest not a moment and breathe\nnot a breath of repose until thou becomest a sign of God’s love\nand a banner of God’s favor.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou dear sister!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-dear-sister",
"summary": "O thou dear…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou dear sister!\n\nThe letter arrived at a time when—praise be to\nGod! —calamities and sufferings in the path of God have\nsurrounded us from every direction and arrows and darts are flying\nfrom every bow. But, through the love of His Holiness Baha’o’llah,\nwe, in this intense darkness, are like unto a shining torch, and\nwhile in this tempest of calamities, we are turning toward the\nKingdom of the Almighty and engaged in remembering thee. We do not\nconsider this calamity as billows of the sea of afflictions and\nsufferings; nay, it is the ark of deliverance and the shore of peace\nand security.\n\nPraise be to God! according to the commandments and\nexhortations of Baha’o’llah, we are the well-wisher of\nall governments and act toward all the nations of the world in peace\nand love. We have no intention but that which is good and no desire\nbut the good pleasure of God. We mean well toward every people and\nseek to have sincerity and good-will toward every government. In\nreturn for arrows and swords, we present milk and honey and we heal\nthe deadly poison with the swift healing antidote. Night and day we\nare in action and exertion, in order to dress the wounds and cure the\npain (of the people), to care for the afflicted and comfort even the\nill-natured one, so that, through the assistance and favor of God,\nthis darkness of selfish prejudice shall vanish and the error of\nfolly and ignorance shall be changed into divine guidance.\n\nO thou dear sister! Whenever the daughters of the\nKingdom are ready in the Presence, they become initiated into the\nmystery and are always companions and associates (with us).\n\nConvey respectful greeting to the favored maid-servant\nof God, Mrs. ........., and tell her: “Be thou assured in the\ndivine favors and rejoice in the glad-tidings of the Merciful One.”\n\n\nI hope the maid-servants of the Merciful will day by day\nincrease in faith and assurance.\n\nI send thee a few stones (of the Greatest Name). All the\nholy leaves send greeting to thee.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou dear wise man!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-dear-wise-man",
"summary": "O thou dear wise…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"martyrdom",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou dear wise man!\n\nThey letter *** was considered. Its contents were in the\nutmost of beauty and great joy was realized therefrom.\n\nThou hast asked “Is it possible that this new and\nliving Cause is to take the place of the dead religion of England\nwhen there hath been organized certain sects who have arrived at high\nstations of spiritual knowledge and to exalted degrees of merciful\npowers, and have become distinguished in virtue from all\npredecessors; notwithstanding this, is it possible that this new\nCause will attract the attention of such people to such a degree as\nto unite their hearts, and gather them under its over-shadowing\nprotection?”\n\nO thou dear friend! Know thou that the Distinguished\nIndividual of every age is according to the virtues of that age. The\nDistinguished Personage who was in the former cycle, His power and\nvirtues were according to the former age, but in this brilliant age\nand divine cycle, the Noble Personage, the Radiant Star, the\nDistinguished One, will manifest with virtues which will eventually\namaze the peoples, for He is in spiritual virtues and divine\nperfections loftier than all the Individuals; any, rather He is the\nSource of Divine Benediction and the Center of the Radiant Circle. He\nis certainly comprehensive. There is no doubt that He will reveal\nHimself to such a degree as to bring all under His over-shadowing\nshelter.\n\nWhen thou considerest carefully thou wilt find this\norder and system to be established in all things. The whole attracted\nthe part, and the center of the circle is the axis of the compass.\nConsider His Holiness the Spirit (Christ): Since He was the Center of\nspiritual power and the Origin of divine benediction, although in the\nbeginning He gathered but few under His power, yet later through that\nconquering power, He ushered all sects under the shadow of the\nChristian tabernacle. Compare the present with the past, see the\ngreat difference. By this thou canst measure and reach the reality\nand know for a certainty that the difference among the sects of the\nworld is due to the difference of comprehensions. As long as the\nperceptive powers differ, surely the opinions and thoughts also\ndiffer. But if One Great Perceptive Power which comprehendeth all,\ncometh to the Center, the differing opinions become united, and ideal\nunity and oneness are revealed.\n\nFor example: When His Holiness, the Spirit (Jesus\nChrist) appeared, the comprehensions of the creatures, the\nsusceptibilities and minds of the sects then present, such as the\nRomans, the Greeks, Assyrians and Israelites were different. When the\nuniversal power of the Spirit of God appeared in the Center,\neventually after three-hundred years, all the differing minds\ngathered under the protection of One Center. The same spiritual\nsusceptibilities were attained.\n\nFor the sake of illustration (literally, likeness), I\nwill say: When an army is under the command of generals who have\ndiffering opinions, certainly it will disagree in regard to maneuvers\nand in the order of marching to the battlefields. But when the great\ncommander-in-chief who is expert in the arts of warfare cometh to the\nfront, all the differing opinions will be erased and one opinion will\nprevail; the commander-in-chief will bring all under his own\ndirection. This is an instance and not a likeness.\n\nNow if thou shouldest say, the generals of this army are\nevery one artists in the art of warfare, expert and experienced, why\nshould they obey one person, even though he may have accomplished a\ngreat feat—this saying does not deserve attention, for this\nmatter is certain and there is no doubt therein.\n\nLikewise the Holy Manifestations, especially the reality\nof the Greatest Name, the Beauty of Abha, when unveiled amid the\nassemblage of the world, like unto Joseph of Canaan, in the divine\nEgypt, will appear with such Beauty and Sweetness as to make the\nlovers of the world His captives.\n\nAs to the souls who are born into this world radiant\nentities and who through excessive difficulty are deprived of great\nbenefits and thus leave the world—they are worthy of all\nsympathy, for in reality this is worthy of regret. It is for this\npurpose (that is, it is with regard to this wisdom) that the great\nManifestations (of God) unveil themselves in this world, bear every\ndifficulty and ordeal—to make these ready souls dawnings of\nlight and confer upon them eternal life. This is the real atonement\nthat His Holiness Christ made—He sacrificed Himself for the\nlife of the world.\n\nAs to the question that the holy and spiritual souls\ninfluence, help and guide the creatures after they have cast off this\nelemental mould—this is an established truth of the Bahais. Nay\neven the Holy Manifestations of God extend a great Bounty and an\nevident Light after their ascent from this world. For His Holiness\nChrist there was more and greater promotion of the Word,\nmanifestation of divine power, conversion of holy souls, and the\ngiving of eternal life, after [His] martyrdom. Likewise for the\nBlessed Beauty (Baha’o’llah) there was greater bounty and\ndawning of light, manifestation of divine power, and effectiveness of\nthe Word after His Ascent; and ere long the Sun of His Reality will\nencircle the world with its motion, heat, radiation and bounty.\n\nBe not sorry on account of the limited extent of the\nprogress of the Bahai Cause in that country246\n. This is the beginning of the dawn. Consider the Cause of His\nHoliness Christ, which took three-hundred years to produce great\neffect. Now sixty years have not passed since the beginning of this\nCause, and Its Lights are shed upon all horizons.\n\nRegarding the Society for healing of which thou art of a\nmember; when it comes under the protection of this Cause, its power\nwill be an hundred fold.\n\nThou hast observed how extensive is the love of the\nBahais and that the foundation is love. As the power of love among\nthe Bahais is in the utmost degree and superior to that in other\nreligions, it is even the same in other relations, for the cause of\nall is Love.\n\nAs to the question of translating the Books and Tablets\nof the Blessed Beauty; it will soon be done in all languages with the\nutmost of eloquence and excellence. When the Tablets of His Holiness\n(Baha’o’llah) are translated in accordance with the\noriginal, with excellence and eloquence, then the Lights of\nSignificances will dawn and brighten all the eyes. Endeavor thou with\nall thy power to make the translation as the original.\n\nThe Blessed Beauty went to Haifa many times, and thou\nhast seen Him.247\nI hope thou mayest attain the real meeting and that is the witnessing\nwith the eye of insight and not of sight.\n\nThe essence of the teachings of His Holiness Baha’o’llah\nis Universal Love, which comprehendeth all the virtues of the world\nof humanity, is the cause of eternal life and of the progress of all\nthe individuals of the human race. Soon thou wilt see that these\nheavenly teachings, like unto the light of reality, will envelope and\nenlighten the world.\n\nThe short prayer which thou hast written at the end of\nthy letter is in reality original, beautiful, sweet and effective.\nChant it always.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou effulgence of the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-effulgence-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou effulgence of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou effulgence of the Kingdom!\n\nI read thy letter and was informed of thy speech, the\ncontents of which were full of the feelings within thy consciousness,\nand of thy spiritual sympathies. The light is divided into two kinds,\nmaterial and spiritual. The material light is a vanishing matter and\nis known by etheric vibrations. But the spiritual light is the\ndivine, eternal and never-ending quality and is a truth of the\nKingdom. Blessed is thy face for that it hath taken a portion and a\nradiance from that Light.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou esteemed maid-servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-esteemed-maid-servant-of-god",
"summary": "O thou esteemed maid-servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"service",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou esteemed maid-servant of God!\n\nBe thou hopeful and be thou happy and rejoiced. For I\nhave supplicated and beseeched before the Threshold of the Almighty\nthat thy wish may be realized, so thou mayest overcome the self and\nperform charitable deeds and that the human perfections may appear\nfrom thee; that thou mayest be endowed with lofty gifts; find thy way\nto divine wisdom and show forth the manners and conduct of those who\nare favored in the Threshold of the Almighty.\n\nThe essence of all exhortation is that thou shouldst\nabandon thyself and sacrifice life, body and heart for the Beloved\nOne of the world.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou esteemed maid-servant of the Loving Lord!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-esteemed-maid-servant-of-the-loving-lord",
"summary": "O thou esteemed maid-servant of the Loving…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou esteemed maid-servant of the Loving Lord!\n\nWhat thou hast written in recommendation of a number of\nChristians was perused. Although the presence of these persons will,\nin these times, cause the revolt of the heedless ones and increase\nthe trouble, yet for your sake we will send them a telegram to Egypt\nand permit them to come and visit. This is but for thy sake, and\nAbdul-Baha cannot endure to meet but the people of the Merciful and\ndoes not wish to be in union except with the heavenly ones.\n\nO thou chosen maid-servant of God! It is time for thee\nto cry aloud and fervently, day and night, not to sit still a moment,\nnot to rest for an instant, but to be always engaged in the\ncommemoration of God and invite the people with the utmost longing\nand ecstasy unto the Kingdom of God.\n\nRaise thou such melodies and harmony in Green Acre that\nmay reach unto the Kingdom of Abha and cause joy and exaltation in\nthe angels of heaven! This matter needs a great enthusiasm (heat or\nexertion) and a sanctity and purity like unto a manifest light. Thou\nknowest what secrets doeth the spirit of Abdul-Baha communicate with\nthee and what glad-tidings he giveth unto thee! Show forth thy\ncapacity and merit, for without capacity the Gift doth not become\nmanifest.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou esteemed maid-servant of the Word of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-esteemed-maid-servant-of-the-word-of-god",
"summary": "O thou esteemed maid-servant of the Word of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"hope",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou esteemed maid-servant of the Word of God!\n\nPraise be to God! upon thy departure from Acca, thou\nhast been assisted and rendered successful in serving the Kingdom of\nGod. Accordingly, thou must offer the utmost thanks to the Threshold\nof Oneness, for this, thy journey, was fruitful and this\nperegrination became the cause of discovering the mysteries of the\nLord of Glory.\n\nArise thou, in unison with his honor [thy husband], to\nserve with the utmost devotion and consecrate your time, night and\nday, to promote the Word of God, to diffuse the fragrances of God and\nto guide all the people of the earth. In the world of existence\nnothing hath any result, even if it be dominion over the East and\nWest. But that which hath an immortal result is servitude in the Holy\nThreshold, service rendered to the Kingdom of God and guiding all in\nthe earth. I hope, through the divine grace and bounty, thou wilt be\nassisted and strengthened therein.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou excellent maid-servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-excellent-maid-servant-of-god",
"summary": "O thou excellent maid-servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou excellent maid-servant of God!\n\nThank thou God that thou hast stepped into the arena of\nexistence in this glorious age, hast become the manifestor of\nnever-ending outpouring, hast attained to the most great gift, hast\nfound the season of the divine springtime, hast perfumed thy nostrils\nwith heavenly flowers, hast discovered the way to the celestial\nKingdom and hast partaken a share from eternal life.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou faithful and confident!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-faithful-and-confident",
"summary": "O thou faithful and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou faithful and confident!\n\nThanks be to God that thou hast obtained that which was\nsought by all prophets and holy souls; namely, the knowledge of God\nand the love of god. First, the knowledge; and, second, His\nunfathomable love. Also the different members of thy family, who\nfollowed thee and who obtained that which thou didst obtain.\n\nThis is a great gift from God and hath no equal;\nalthough in this physical world its greatness is not perceivable, nor\nits nature clearly known, yet in the spiritual world it shineth like\nthe sun.\n\nSo long as the pearl remaineth hidden at the bottom of\nthe sea, its value is not known nor its brilliancy and fineness seen,\nit is only when in the hands of the expert jeweler that its great\nbeauty becomes revealed.\n\nThou shouldst be at the utmost height of joy and\nsatisfaction, for thou art surrounded by the bounties of the Merciful\nand hast become the object of the appearance of divine guidance.\n\nIn order to give thanks for this great and glorious\ngift, thou shouldst do all thou canst to guide His creatures, to give\nsight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, life to the dead, and\nendeavor to turn those who are still attached to material things in\nthe way which leads to spiritual heights; to help them to travel in\nthe way of the Kingdom and to walk in the path that leads to the King\nof Kings.\n\nServant and believer in God! Present the greetings of\nAbdul-Baha to the faithful maid-servant of God [thy wife] and to thy\ntwo revered daughters.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou faithful maid-servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-faithful-maid-servant-of-god",
"summary": "O thou faithful maid-servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou faithful maid-servant of God!\n\nWhat thou has written me hath been seen. Indeed thou\nbelongest to the Kingdom and thou turnest towards the Horizon of\nAbha. I ask from the bounty of God that thou mayest be enflamed day\nby day more and more by the fire of the love of God.\n\nIt seems that thou wast uncertain whether to occupy\nthyself in writing or in delivering the tidings of the Cause of God.\nIn these days, to deliver the glad-tidings is the best of all. Open\nthen thy tongue to the guidance of the human race on any occasion\nthat presents itself.\n\nThou hast asked about knowledge and cognition. Read the\ndivine books and tablets and look into he books of proofs that have\nbeen written in presenting this Cause. One of them is the Book of\nIghan136, which is translated into English. There is also the book137\nby Mirza Abul Fazl and there are others written by the believers. In\nthe time to come, many divine books and tablets will be translated\nand thou wilt read them; but thou mayest ask God that thou mayest\nattract divine knowledge by the magnet of the love of God. When the\nsoul becomes sanctified in every condition and becomes pure and holy,\nthen the door of the divine knowledge will be opened to the face.\n\nThou hast written about the dear maid-servant of God,\nMrs. ........ That one attracted unto God is indeed always occupied\nin the service and she doth her utmost to spread the divine lights;\nif she continueth in the same way there will be great results in the\nfuture. That which is of the greatest importance is to have firmness,\nsteadfastness and constancy.\n\nI pray God that through the desires and the efforts of\nthe maid-servants of the Merciful the foot of the mountains by the\nocean’s shore138\nwill be enlightened by the brilliancy of the love of God in such a\nway that its light may be transmitted all over the world.\n\nYou ask if, through the appearance of the Kingdom of\nGod, every soul hath been saved. The Sun of Reality hath appeared to\nthe all the world. This Luminous Appearance is salvation and life;\nbut only he who hath opened the eye of reality and who hath seen\nthese lights will be saved.\n\nYou also ask about the eventual victory of spirituality\nin the Bahai age. It is certain that spirituality will overcome\nmateriality and that the divine will have the victory over the human;\nit is also true that by divine education souls in every condition of\nexistence will be elevated, except those that are blind, deaf, dumb\nand dead. How can such souls comprehend the light? The sun lighteth\nup all the dark world, but the blind man hath no portion in its\nbrilliancy; the cloud of mercy poureth forth streams of water, but\nthe sterile land will never produce plants and flowers.\n\nGive my greetings to the maid-servant of God, Mrs.\n........ and to her daughter. I pray God to assist them to help them,\nthat their meeting day by day will grow brighter and that their\nhearts will be more and more attracted.\n\nIf you see Mrs........., give her my greeting and say to\nher: “Thou hast come to Acca, thou hast seen my teachings, thou\nhast heard my explanations and thou hast smelled the sweet odors of\nthe Kingdom. Do not forget this, and try with thy heart and soul to\ndiffuse this fragrance to thy respected husband also.”\n\nGive my greeting to all the maid-servants of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou faithful one!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-faithful-one",
"summary": "O thou faithful…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou faithful one!\n\nOne of the requirements of faithfulness is that thou\nmayest sacrifice thyself and, in the divine path, close thine eye to\nevery pleasure and strive with all thy soul that thou mayest\ndisappear and be lost, like unto a drop, in the ocean of the love of\nGod.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou faithful servant of the True One!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-faithful-servant-of-the-true-one",
"summary": "O thou faithful servant of the True…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"humility",
"joy",
"love",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou faithful servant of the True One!\n\nI received thy letter and its contents caused the utmost\njoy and fragrance within me, because it showed thy firmness in the\nCause of God and proved thy steadfastness in the love of the Word of\nGod. Its meanings were the mystery of unity and its expression showed\nthy firm intention in serving the glorious Lord.\n\nI beseech the Threshold of Unity with all humility and\nsupplication to make thee confirmed in His service and to enable thee\nto be serviceable in the Holy Threshold; that thou mayest not be a\nmoment at rest nor take a breath of composure; nay, rather to pass\nall thy life in this greatest gift and this supreme favor employed in\ndiffusing the breath of God; that thy sincerity of heart, thy\nsanctity and purity may increase and that thou mayest become entirely\nseparated from aught else save God. Except a man be purified and\nsanctified from the soil of his dependence on this world, the\nspiritual purity will not become manifest in him. The more the mirror\nis clear and pure the greater will the rays and the bounties of the\nSun of Truth show forth from it.\n\nAs to those things published in journals against thee:\nThou shouldst not be grieved nor sorry therefor, because thousands of\njournals have written traducing Abdul-Baha, have given false and base\naccusations and awful calumnies. Notwithstanding these he was neither\ntroubled nor grieved thereby; nay, rather these cause me to exert\nmyself more than usual in the path of God and to drink the cup of\nsacrifice and to boil in the fire of His love. Man must seek to gain\nthe acceptance of God and not that of the different classes of men.\nIf one is praised and chosen by God, the accusation of all the\ncreatures will cause no loss to him; and if the man is not accepted\nin the threshold of God, the praise and admiration of all men will be\nof no use to him.\n\nBy all these it is meant that thou must not be sorry and\ngrieved because of these things the papers have written against thee;\nnay, rather trust in God and be unmoved by either the praise or the\nfalse accusations declared by people towards thee, depend entirely on\nGod and exert thyself to serve His holy vineyard. All else save this\nis but imagination, though it be the praises of all people in thy\nbehalf; because all else is of no result and bears no fruit.\n\nAs to thine action against the journal which hath\nlibeled thee: It is not at all best to bring action against them,\nbecause there is no profit in doing that; nay, it will lead to more\nsayings of a similar nature. Under these circumstances silence is\nbest. Thou must not be disappointed, sorry or grieved thereat; God\nwill remove all these difficulties. If thou wilt employ thyself in\nthe service (of the Cause of God) the past losses will be recovered\nand all the troubles will be settled.\n\nThis is the manifest truth.\n\nSend my greeting to the enlightened leaf, the\nmaid-servant of God, thy noble wife.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou favored maid-servant in the Threshold of the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-favored-maid-servant-in-the-threshold-of-the",
"summary": "O thou favored maid-servant in the Threshold of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"joy",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou favored maid-servant in the Threshold of the\nAlmighty!\n\nThe letter which thou hast written was perused and its\ncontents were noted. Thou hast written concerning spiritual hearing\nand insight. The insight (or inner perception) is a correct sight,\nfor it never blundereth. But the outward sight doth err (or\nmisjudgeth); it seeth the mirage as water, considereth the revolving\nflame as a circle, imagineth the images reflected in a mirror as a\nreality and judgeth huge bodies as small ones, from a remote\ndistance. There are many evidences as to the blundering of the sight;\nbut the insight apprehendeth the reality and discovereth the\nmysteries.\n\nAs to the difference between inspiration and\nimagination: Inspiration is in conformity with the Divine Texts, but\nimaginations do not conform therewith. A real, spiritual connection\nbetween the True One and the servant is a luminous bounty which\ncauseth an ecstatic (or divine) flame, passion and attraction. When\nthis connection is secured (or realized) such an ecstasy and\nhappiness become manifest in the heart that man doth fly away (with\njoy) and uttereth melody and song. Just as the soul bringeth the body\nin motion, so that spiritual bounty and real connection likewise\nmoveth (or cheereth) the human soul. As to truthful dreams: I beg of\nGod that thy inner eye (insight) may be so opened that thou mayest\nthyself differentiate between truthful and untruthful dreams.\n\nTreat thy friends and relatives in general with the\nutmost kindness and love; (deal in like manner) even with strangers\n(or outsiders). Convey my great compassion to the little maid-servant\nof God, ......... She must memorize and recite the following commune:\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou favored maid-servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-favored-maid-servant-of-god",
"summary": "O thou favored maid-servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"humility",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou favored maid-servant of God!\n\nThy letter was received. Thou hast expressed joy on\naccount of thy visit to the friends of Chicago. I also yearn to visit\nthem. At the time when ye were assembled in the house of Mrs.\n........, Abdul-Baha was also present with heart and soul.\n\nI hope that hou mayest become an incarnation of love and\nembodiment of spirit and personficiation of kindness and that thou\nmayest progress day by day in the spiritual attributes through the\nBeauty of ABHA.\n\nConvey respectful greeting on my behalf to the dear and\nkind maid-servant of God, the assured leaf, ....... Behold thou how\nattracted and enkindled she is! Love and have great consideration for\nthe attracted maid-servant of God, ......... Exercise the utmost\naffection and kindness toward the dear maid-servant of God, .........\n\n\nO thou maid-servant of God! No one hath any way to the\nReality of Deity except through the Instrumentality of the\nManifestation. To suppose so is a theory and not a fact.\n\nConvey greeting on my behalf to ........... and say: “If\nthou art desiring the refulgent light, add to thy love for God. If\nthou art begging for the breaths of the Holy Spirit, become thou\nengaged in the commemoration of the Beauty of ABHA. If thou art\nseeking everlasting glory, choose humility in the path of the True\nOne. If thou art aspiring to eternal life, sacrifice thy soul in the\nway of God.”\n\nAnnounce my love and affection to the attracted\nmaid-servant ......... and say: “Every eye which is weeping for\nthe sake of the love of God is blessed; every ear which is hearing\nthe divine call is blessed. Then may thine eyes flow with the tears\nof joy because of the coruscation of the fire of the heart and may\nthy soul and thy spirit be attracted to the Beauty of the Beloved.”\n\n\nShow forth kindness on my behalf to the maid-servants of\nthe Merciful whom thou hast mentioned by name in thy letter and\nimpart to them the glad-tidings of the Kingdom.\n\nGive especial greeting to ........... and say: “There\nlie glorious meanings in the word “Allaho-ABHA.106\nI hope thou wilt discover those significances.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou favored maid-servant of the Kingdom of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-favored-maid-servant-of-the-kingdom-of-god",
"summary": "O thou favored maid-servant of the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou favored maid-servant of the Kingdom of God!\n\nThe letter, which thou hast written, was received. Its\ncontents evinced high aspiration and rare magnanimity; and that thou\nhast the intention to travel to the far-eastern countries and bear\ngreat trouble, so that thou mayest become the cause of the guidance\nof the souls and spread the glad-tidings of the Kingdom of God. This\ndesire indicateth that the beloved maid-servant of God hath a very\nhigh aim. However, thou mayest deliver the glad-tidings in the\nfollowing manner:\n\n“The Promised One of all the nations of the world\nhath become apparent and manifest! Each community and religion\nexpecteth the coming of their Promised One, and His Highness\nBaha’o’llah is the Promised One of all! Therefore, the\nCause of Baha’o’llah is conductive to harmony, raiseth\nthe canopy of the oneness of the kingdom of humanity upon the apex of\nthe contingent beings and unfurleth the ensign of universal\nbrotherhood and ideal commonwealth upon the summit of the hills and\nmountains!”\n\nWhen thou openest thy tongue with such glad-tidings, it\nwill become conducive to the teaching of others. But this trip is\nindeed very remote and unless there are several [teachers], the\ndelivery of the glad-tidings will not produce the desired results in\nthose parts. Shouldst thou deem it advisable, thou mayest take a trip\nto Persia and on thy return pass by Japan and China. This plan seems\nmuch better and more pleasant. Otherwise, thou mayest act according\nto thy judgment and it will be acceptable.\n\nThe contribution that thou hast made to the Temple is\nbeloved. The Temple is the most great foundation of the world of\nhumanity and it hath many branches. Although the Temple is the place\nof worship, with it is connected a hospital, pharmacy, pilgrims’\nhouse, school for the orphans, and a university for the study of high\nsciences. Every Temple is connected with these five things. I hope\nthat now in America they will build a Temple and gradually add to it\nthe hospital, school, university, pharmacy and pilgrims’ house\nwith the utmost efficiency and thoroughness. Thou shouldst make known\nto the believers these details, so that they may realize how\nimportant the Temple is. The Temple is not only a place for worship;\nnay, it is perfect in every way.\n\nO thou beloved maid-servant of God! Didst thou know what\nstation is destined and appointed, under the protection of His\nHighness Baha’o’llah, for those souls who are severed,\nattracted and teachers of truth, undoubtedly thou shouldst find the\nutmost joy and happiness, and, by reason of exultation and rejoicing,\nsoar toward the heaven of peace, inasmuch as thou art walking in this\nroad and advancing toward such a Kingdom.\n\nRegarding the statement that I have written to thee,\nabout dedicating thyself to the service of the Cause of God, it means\nthis: Center thy thoughts in the teachings of the Cause, day and\nnight, and act according to the teachings and behests of His Highness\nBaha’o’llah. This is not contrary to marriage. It is\npossible for thee to be married and be engaged in the service of the\nCause of God. The first does not interfere with the latter.\n\nBriefly, avail thyself of the opportunity and do not let\nit slip from thy grasp; i.e., supplicate God that in this darkened\nworld thou mayest become an ignited candle and the cause of the\nguidance of many souls.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou flame of the Love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-flame-of-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou flame of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"justice",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou flame of the Love of God!\n\nWhat thou hast written caused joy, for that letter was\nlike unto a rose-garden whose roses of significances bestowed the\nsweet odor of the love of God upon the nostrils. Similarly, my\nanswers to thy letters will, like unto rain and dew, bestow infinite\npurity and freshness upon those myrtles of significances which have\nblossomed in the garden of the heart.\n\nthou hast written concerning the tests that have come\nupon thee. To the sincere ones, tests are as a gift from God, the\nExalted, for a heroic person hasteneth, with the utmost joy and\ngladness, to the tests of a violent battlefield, but the coward is\nafraid and trembles and utters moaning and lamentation. Likewise, an\nexpert student prepareth and memorizeth his lessons and exercises\nwith the utmost effort, and in the day of examination he appeareth\nwith infinite joy before the master. Likewise, the pure gold shineth\nradiantly in the fire of test. Consequently, it is made clear that\nfor holy souls, trials are as the gift of God, the Exalted; but for\nweak souls they are an unexpected calamity. This test is just as thou\nhast written: it removeth the rust of egotism from the mirror of the\nheart until the Sun of Truth may shine therein. For, no veil is\ngreater than egotism and no matter how thin that covering may be, yet\nit will finally veil man entirely and prevent him from receiving a\nportion from the eternal bounty.\n\nO thou attracted maid-servant of God! When the men and\nmaid-servants of God pass in my mind, I feel the heat of the love of\nGod and I pray the Almighty God to assist those blessed souls with\nthe invisible hosts. Praise be to God! the prophecies of all the\nprophets have become manifest and are fulfilled in this holy and\nblessed age and this great day of Baha’o’llah!\n\nO thou attracted maid-servant of God! Nearness is, in\nreality, of the soul, not of the body, and help and receptivity of\nhelp are spiritual, not physical. Notwithstanding this, I hope that\nthou mayest attain nearness in every respect. Be thou assured that\nthe divine bounties will so encompass holy souls even as the light of\nthe sun doth the moon and stars.\n\nConvey thou, on behalf of Abdul-Baha, the sweet odor of\nthe fragrances of holiness to the nostrils of each one of the friends\nof God and the maid-servants of the Merciful and inspire and\nencourage thou all of them to diffuse the fragrances of God (i.e., to\nteach the truth).\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou flower of the Rose-garden of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-flower-of-the-rose-garden-of-god",
"summary": "O thou flower of the Rose-garden of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou flower of the Rose-garden of God!\n\nThou hast presented thy life. I have also accepted it,\nin order that thou mayest sacrifice thyself in the path of God and\nattain to the ultimate desire of the spiritual ones. Thou art a fresh\nplant in this divine orchard. I hope that thou mayest become\nfruitful, and become the cause of the adornment of this rose-garden.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou flower of the Rose-Garden of the Love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-flower-of-the-rose-garden-of-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou flower of the Rose-Garden of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou flower of the Rose-Garden of the Love of God!\n\nThe letter which thou hast written was read. Thou hast\nwritten regarding the arrival of the beloved maid-servant of God,\nMrs. ........; that she has lived for eighteen days in your house and\nbecome the cause of joy and fragrance among the believers.\n\nPraise be to God! that thou hast seen the effulgence of\nthe light of the covenant which hath enlightened all the countries.\nInvoke thou God that day by day the splendors of the Orb of regions\nmay become manifest and evident more and more.\n\nThou hast asked for permission to present thyself with\nthy dear husband in this Blessed Spot. In these days it is not\naccording to wisdom. Postpone this matter until some other time.\n\nConvey greeting and kindnesses on my behalf to all the\nmaid-servants of the True One.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou flower perfumed by the Breaths of the Love...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-flower-perfumed-by-the-breaths-of-the-love",
"summary": "O thou flower perfumed by the Breaths of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou flower perfumed by the Breaths of the Love of\nGod!\n\nVerily, I read thy written letter and have supplicated\nunto God to receive thee in His Kingdom, to make thee worthy to be\ncalled a child of the Kingdom, to be firm in the Covenant of God as\nfirm mountains and to proclaim in His Great Covenant which He hath\nentered into which the people of heaven and earth by a trace of His\nSupreme Pen, until thou mayest be confirmed to diffuse the fragrance\nof holiness in those climes and regions.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Thou Forgiving Lord!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-forgiving-lord",
"summary": "O Thou Forgiving Lord!91…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"forgiveness",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Thou Forgiving Lord!91\n\n\nAlthough certain souls finished the days of life in\nignorance, were estranged and selfish, yet the ocean of Thy\nforgiveness is, verily, able to redeem and make free the sinners by\none of its waves. Thou redeemest whomsoever Thou willest and\ndeprivest whomsoever Thou willest not92\n! Shouldst Thou treat justly, we all are sinners and deserve to be\ndeprived; and shouldst Thou observe mercy, every sinner shall be made\npure and every stranger shall become a friend. Therefore, forgive and\npardon and grant Thy mercy unto all. Thou art the Forgiver, the\nLight-giver and the Compassionate!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou fortunate and righteous, sincere and pious!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-fortunate-and-righteous-sincere-and-pious",
"summary": "O thou fortunate and righteous, sincere and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou fortunate and righteous, sincere and pious!\n\nThank thou God for that by reason of which the breath of\nGod hath awakened thee and the spirit of God hath quickened thee and\nraised thee from among the dead with a joyful spirit of life.\n\nIn my prayers I supplicate God to bestow upon thee in\nall cases and aspects an influential and penetrating power that thou\nmayest be a firm, faithful and successful servant in the garden of\nEl-ABHA, and a skillful laborer in the vineyard of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou fragrant rose blooming in the Garden of Guidance!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-fragrant-rose-blooming-in-the-garden-of-guidance",
"summary": "O thou fragrant rose blooming in the Garden of Guidance!…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou fragrant rose blooming in the Garden of Guidance!\n\n\nThank thou God for that He hath removed from off thine\neyes the covering, made thee to see the signs of the Kingdom of thy\nLord, the supreme, filled for thee the cup of bounty and gave thee to\ndrink the pure wine of fidelity which He hath promised to the sincere\nin the holy Books and Tablets.\n\nO thou my dear! The cup of knowledge is overflowing;\nblessed are they who partake in draughts! The fountain of life is\nissuing forth; blessed are they who drink! The doors of the Kingdom\nare opened; O what good news to those who advance! The garden of\nparadise is drawn near; O what a pleasure to those who enter! The\ndove of holiness is cooing; O what a happiness to those who hear! The\ngates of heaven are open; blessed are they who see! The hosts of\nangels are standing in battle order; what a joy to those who gain the\nvictory! The trumpet of life is sounding; how good it is to those who\nare awake!\n\nAs to thee: Realize the bounty of thy Lord as it is, and\nthank thou thy Lord and praise Him for that He hath directed thee to\nthe right path.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou fresh, slender branch saturated with the abundant...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-fresh-slender-branch-saturated-with-the-abundant",
"summary": "83O thou fresh, slender branch saturated with the abundant rain of His…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n83O thou fresh, slender branch saturated with the abundant\nrain of His bounty!\n\nI ask God to continue the heavenly abundant gifts upon\nthee and to grant thee more freshness, tenderness and fineness day by\nday. Verily I say unto thee that man is likened unto a tree. And as\nthe life of a tree and its tenderness and brilliancy depend on the\nabundant rain descending from the clouds, so also the happiness of\nman, his pleasure, dignity, loftiness of position and highness of\nrank depend on the abundant bounty of the Kingdom and the light of\nthe Sun of Truth coming from the horizon of the gift of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou friend of old and O thou incomparable companion!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-friend-of-old-and-o-thou-incomparable-companion",
"summary": "O thou friend of old and O thou incomparable…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou friend of old and O thou incomparable companion!\n\nMany letters have so far been received from thee and\nlengthy answers have been written to them, but it is strange that\nthey have not reached thee. I was grieved when Mr. ....... said thou\nhadst not received them. Therefore, I write this epistle immediately\nso that it may be a cause of comfort to thee.\n\nO dear friend! Thou art more deserving than others; thou\nart worthy of every favor and attention. Is it possible then that I\nshould answer others and leave thee disappointed? God forbid! Thou\nart an old and true believer; in faith thou hast attained precedence;\nthou art constantly engaged in servitude; with an eloquent tongue\nthou art teaching the Cause of God; thou hast become the cause of\nfaith in others; whenever thou findest an opportunity thou dost\ntravel and visit the believers, disseminating the fragrances of God;\nthou hast a soul full of glad-tidings and hast an enlightened and\nclear heart. I have a great attachment for thee; how is it possible\nthen that I should disappoint thee?\n\nI pray and supplicate God and ask for favor and help for\nthee. I am very desirous to behold thy face.\n\nConvey to all the beloved of God the utmost longing on\nthe part of Abdul-Baha.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou gem of the Kingdom and brilliant leaf!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-gem-of-the-kingdom-and-brilliant-leaf",
"summary": "O thou gem of the Kingdom and brilliant…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou gem of the Kingdom and brilliant leaf!\n\nVerily, I have read thy letter which showeth how thou\nart turning unto God, moved by the breath of God, drawn by the Spirit\nof God and how the mystery of existence, the image of the Lord of\nHosts, was revealed unto thee. This indicates that God shall open\nbefore thee the doors of revelation and the Spirit of Truth shall\nconfirm thee with evident signs.\n\nSeeing this servant in thy prayers is a proof of the\nideal nearness, of the spiritual unity and of the impression that was\nprinted within thine own consciousness. At all times I do supplicate\nto the divine Kingdom to make thy heart a pure, clear and polished\nmirror, facing the most glorious Kingdom, El-Abha, that the pictures\nof the Supreme Concourse may be printed in it, and this is exactly\nwhat was meant in the Bible by this text: “Let us create man\nafter our own image and likeness.”\n\nTo see repeatedly is an evidence that the vision will\ntake place both in the spirit and body; but separation and union,\nparting and meeting are things which belong to the material body. The\nspirit is sanctified from association, departure, nearness,\nremoteness, connection and separation, for these are of the\nproperties of material bodies and of the characteristics of the\nelementary facts; but the Spirit is everlastingly in the station of\nits loftiness and supremacy in a similar way to the sun which is\ncontinually stationed in its sphere orbit; its appearance and\ndisappearance signify the clearness of the place and the fineness of\nthe body which is facing it, and as long as the confronting surface\ncontinues to be in a well-polished condition, the lights of the sun\nwill then appear in it; but when it becometh rough and impure, the\nlights disappear.\n\nConsequently, it hath been proven that nearness and\nremoteness signify smoothness, clearness and fineness; or rust,\nimpurity and roughness, respectively.\n\nAnd if God wisheth, through the clearness of the heart,\nwe will be continually in the assembly of alliance and friendship,\nresting permanently in the spiritual and heavenly realm, adoring and\nworshipping God, meeting and uniting by the holy fragrances, drawn by\nthe magnet of the love of God and thanking Him for this great bounty\nand evident victory.\n\nAs to our meeting materially (i.e., face to face), I ask\nGod that He may ordain this for us in the way He deemeth best.\n\nThen know, O thou virtuous soul, that as soon as thou\nbecometh separated from aught else save God and dost cut thyself from\nthe worldly things, thy heart will shine with the lights of divinity\nand with the effulgence of the Sun of Truth from the horizon of the\nRealm of Might, and then thou wilt be filled by the spirit of power\nfrom God and become capable of doing that which thou desirest. This\nis the confirmed truth.\n\nAs to the desire shown by thee towards serving holy and\nspiritual souls, it is indeed of the best desires and of the most\nnoble qualities. Blessed is he who is strengthened and confirmed by\nsuch a desire during all his life, in the hope of attaining eternal\nlife.\n\nAs to thee, O thou being who art attracted to God,\nannounce the glad-tidings of the Kingdom of God through the breaths\nof the Holy Spirit; for He will confirm thee in a similar manner to\nthe confirmation He bestowed upon the holy souls in the past decades\nand former ages.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou Glorious Lord!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-glorious-lord",
"summary": "O thou Glorious Lord!252…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou Glorious Lord!252\n\n\nMake thou this little maid-servant a brilliant-starred\ndaughter of the Kingdom; endear her in the Threshold of Oneness and\noverflow her with the cup of Thy love, in order that she may raise\nthe cries of joy and ecstasy and mix ambergris with musk.253\n\n\nVerily, Thou art the Powerful and the Mighty, and Thou\nart the Wise, the Seer!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou Godlike person and spiritual friend!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-godlike-person-and-spiritual-friend",
"summary": "O thou Godlike person and spiritual…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"steadfastness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou Godlike person and spiritual friend!\n\nVerily God hath, through His bounty and grace, removed\nthe covering from off thine eyes and inspired thee the night in which\nthe Morn of Guidance dawned and the Holy Spirit breathed in the being\nof “The Exalted, the Supreme”95\n. Ye went out96, desirous to witness and visit the Lord, and awaited the appearance\nof the Great Bounty in that brilliant night. Is there any evidence\ngreater than this to the discerning? No, by my Beloved, the ABHA!\nThis is a gift to which ye have been assigned among mankind. Thank ye\nGod for this bestowal in which the inspired ones glory in the kingdom\nof heaven.\n\nAs to thee, strengthen thou thy back to spread that\nSpirit and diffuse that Light and arise to serve the Cause of God in\nHis vineyard, so that thou mayest be of the first to call in the name\nof God and draw nearer unto the Kingdom of thy Lord, the Glorious,\nthe Supreme. Truly, I say unto thee, if thou be steadfast in this\nCause and arise with all thy power to promote the Word in those\nparts, and if thou render thine utmost efforts in breathing the\nSpirit of Life into the hearts of the righteous, thou wilt find\nthyself assisted by the angels of heaven and the hosts of the Supreme\nConcourse; thou wilt hoist the banner of peace and the sounds of the\ntrumpet will be heard in the tunes of love and union throughout those\ncountries; thou wilt guide people (literally, souls) to the running\nwater of life and lead them to the field of knowledge; thou wilt give\nthem to drink the wine of assurance and quicken them with the\nfragrances of the Merciful One; thou wilt clothe them with the robes\nof bestowal and give them to drink the wine of faithfulness in love\nfor Baha’, so that they will be awakened from the sleep of\nselfish desires and behold the signs of their Mighty Lord in this\nexalted life. This is better for thee than all the glory and dominion\nof the world.\n\nAs to thy coming at this time to the Blessed Spot\n(Acca), this is not in accordance with the wisdom revealed in the\nTablets. Send unto us some of the traces of thy pen (writings) so\nthat we may see it and pray God to assist and render thee successful\nin everything.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou handsome child!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-handsome-child",
"summary": "O thou handsome…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou handsome child!\n\nThy spiritual father and thy good mother sent me thy\nradiant picture and I rejoiced on seeing it. I pray God to illumine\nthy heart with the light of the Manifestation, to nurture thee in His\nmercy so that thou mayest attain maturity in His love; thy spirit be\nenlightened with beholding His light and thy spirit revived by the\nbounty of the Holy Spirit, so that thou mayest be a sign of the love\nof God, speaking in the name of God, joyous by the favors of God,\nattaining unto the sea of the mercy of God, and being baptized with\nthe water of life, the fire of love and the spirit of attraction.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou heavenly, brilliant and precious pearl!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-heavenly-brilliant-and-precious-pearl",
"summary": "O thou heavenly, brilliant and precious…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"gentleness",
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou heavenly, brilliant and precious pearl!\n\nI greet thee from this Holy Land with a fragrance from\nGod and I desire that thy heart become animated through the gentle\nbreeze of God, thy bosom dilated with joy by the miracles of the\ngifts of God, thine eye consoled by seeing the lights of God, thy\ntongue by uttering the mention of BAHA’O’LLAH, and thy\ntaste to become sweet through the divine table descending from\nheaven. Verily, I say unto thee that the gifts of thy Lord are\nencircling thee in a similar way as the spirit encircles the body at\nthe beginning of the amalgamation of the elements and natures in the\nwomb; the power of the spirit begins then to appear in the body\ngradually and successively according to the preparation and capacity\nto receive that everlasting abundance. I ask God to help thee that\nthe spirit will carry out its power in thee as desired and wished.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou herald of the Kingdom of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-herald-of-the-kingdom-of-god",
"summary": "O thou herald of the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou herald of the Kingdom of God!\n\nHearken with the ears of (thy) spirit to the Concourse\nof El-ABHA, and thou wilt hear, verily, the angels of the Supreme\nConcourse blessing and praising thee, while saying: “Be thou\nrejoiced, O thou who hast arisen to serve the Cause of God and to\npromote the Word of God, and be gladdened at the light of the gift of\nGod!”\n\nBy God, the True One, verily, the gifts of God are in\nsuch profusion as to rush like a torrent, overflow as a sea, and\nshower as rain. Gird up thy loins, strengthen thy back, make firm thy\nfeet, and exert thyself in quickening souls, dilating breasts,\nillumining insights, giving hearing to ears, and attracting hearts.\nUnseal the jars of the choice wine of the love of God, and give the\ncraving ones to drink from this cup which is overflowing with the\nknowledge of God.\n\nO my friend, the affection of my heart unto thee cannot\nbe expressed through any interpretation, and I can hardly write it or\nacknowledge it: Turn with thy breast unto the heart of Abdul-Baha,\nand then this concealed fact will be disclosed, and the hidden\nmystery [be] unveiled unto thee.\n\nVerily, I beseech God to make thee a tree with ripened\nfruits within reach, overshadowing those regions.\n\nIt is incumbent upon thee to be meek, to be humble, to\nbe submissive and suppliant before the Threshold of the Merciful. It\nis incumbent upon thee to serve the beloved of God in that spiritual\nclime.\n\nSend my greeting and praise to thy revered wife, to thy\nesteemed daughter and to thy other children. I beg of God to enable\nall of them to render service to His Cause in His great vineyard.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou herald of the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-herald-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou herald of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"persecution"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou herald of the Kingdom!\n\nThou wast not alone in the trip that thou didst\nundertake in various places. The spirit and soul of Abdul-Baha was\nwith thee. Although thou hast been afflicted with many and severe\npersecutions, hast heard derision, scorn and contempt and observed\nthe opposition of the heedless ones, yet this is conducive to thy\nglory, that thou hast been made a target for the arrow of opposition\nin the Path of God and hast drunk the cup of affliction. Consider\nthis, how many a calamity was submitted to by those sanctified souls\nin bygone ages and to how many sufferings they were resigned! Thou\nalso must endure dire oppression and ordeals in the Path of ABHA and\nmaintain the feet of steadfastness and firmness. Then thou shalt\nbehold the confirmation of God surrounding thee. Rejoice thou and be\nhappy that thou hast attained to this station and walked in the\nfootsteps of the holy souls.\n\nAnnounce on my behalf longing greeting to Mr. ........\nand say, “The melody of the Kingdom is that which hath caused\nthe motion of the universe; the musk-diffusing fragrance of the\nrose-garden of God is that which hath perfumed the nostrils; and the\nreflection of the Sun of Truth is that which hath illumined the whole\nearth. Now is the beginning of illumination! Therefore, the people of\ndarkness imagine that they can oppose (this Revelation); yet, ere\nlong they shall find themselves in loss and consternation! They shall\nobserve that the power of the Word of God hath subdued East and West.\nBe thou not sad and dispirited on account of the opposition of the\nheedless ones. Soon they shall regret sorely. Reflect thou how the\nPharisees persecuted and looked down in contempt upon His Holiness\nthe Christ. The result was that His lamp became ignited, His light\nbegan to shine and His followers sparkled like unto the stars from\nthe horizon of existence; and the consequence to the Pharisees was\nthe pangs of remorse and regrets.”\n\nConvey, also, greeting to the maid-servant of God, Mrs.\n........ and say, “Thy house is the nest and the shelter of\nthis heavenly bird. Undoubtedly, thou must enkindle the lights of the\nKingdom therein.”\n\nLikewise convey respectful greeting on my behalf to Mrs.\n........ and say, “I ask God that thy house may become the\ngathering-place of the spiritual ones and the assembly of the godly\nones; that the light of Truth may shine therein and make it brilliant\nand resplendent.”\n\nAlso convey longing greeting to Mr. ........ and say,\n“Those souls who, in the time of His Highness Christ, turned\ntheir faces toward the Kingdom and quaffed the wine of guidance from\nthe cup of the Word of God, had their troubles changed into\neverlasting bliss. No matter how much they heard the rebuke of the\nheedless ones, observed the censure of the relatives, were afflicted\nwith the injury of the oppressors and thrown into abjection, yet that\nignominy finally became eternal glory. Thou must show the utmost love\nand kindness towards the heedless ones and the oppressors and ask\nfrom God forgiveness and pardon for them, for they are ignorant. If\nthey understood, they would not oppress; nay, rather would they arise\n(to serve the Cause) with faithfulness.”\n\nAnnounce, also, respectful greeting from me to Mrs.\n........ and Mrs. ........ and say, “The sons of the Kingdom\nare scattered throughout the whole world, but the ignorant Pharisees\nhave arisen with the utmost hatred instigating persecutions. They\nimagine that persecution and suffering will hinder the promulgation\nof the Cause; whereas no rampart is able to obstruct the descent of\nthe waves of the Most Great Sea; no veil can conceal the rays of the\nSun of Truth; no wall can stay the wafting of the Divine Breeze; and\nno power is able to resist the Spirit of God. Be ye not sad nor\ndejected on account of the disturbance and uproar of the people of\ndesire and passion. Ere long the symphony of the Kingdom shall\nsilence all the other noises. Rest ye assured and illumine your house\nwith the lights of divine commemoration.”\n\nGive my greeting to Mr. ........ and announce to him,\n“Caiaphas and Annas were the colossal pillars of the Mosaic\nDispensation in the day of His Highness the Spirit; but as they did\nnot acknowledge the Word of God, they fell from the apex of glory to\nthe bottom of the pit of the greatest abasement. But Peter was a\ncatcher of fish; as he turned his face toward the Word of God, the\nfame of his imperishable, deathless and immortal glory encircled East\nand West; and he found in the sovereignty of the Kingdom, eternal and\neverlasting majesty. It is the same in these days.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou honorable lady!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-honorable-lady",
"summary": "O thou honorable…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou honorable lady!\n\nVerily, I received thy excellent letter and read it and\nmy heart was gladdened with its content, which shows thy guidance.\nThou hast—praise be unto God!—entered under the shadow of\nthe Kingdom of God and become one of the sheep of God; [entered]\nunder the education of the Holy Shepherd, who hath sacrificed His\nsoul and body, as well as His grades, to His subjects.\n\nAs to the letters which thou hast sent, I forward to\nthee their answers through this letter and thou wilt send them to the\nowners; thereby thou wilt be rewarded in the Kingdom of God, since\nthou hast guided those souls unto the Right Path, and caused them to\nenter the Kingdom of God. El-Baha be upon thee!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou honorable one!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-honorable-one",
"summary": "O thou honorable…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou honorable one!\n\nThank thou God that that art instructed in music and\nmelody, singing with pleasant voice the glorification and praise of\nthe Eternal, the Living. I pray to God that thou mayest employ this\ntalent in prayer and supplication, in order that the souls may become\nquickened, the hearts may become attracted and all may become\ninflamed with the fire of the love of God!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou honored friend!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-honored-friend",
"summary": "O thou honored…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"martyrdom",
"the-covenant",
"women",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou honored friend!\n\nVerily the sight of Providence is far reaching and the\ndivine glance is perfect. Thou hast always been a recipient of favors\nand the object of the bounty of the glorious Beauty of Abha. I trust\nin God that thou mayest be thus aided by Him to serve His Cause and\nso shine as a luminous star in the horizon of His Kingdom, an\nillumining candle burning in the assemblage of the Bahais; that thou\nmayest be confirmed by a power of the Kingdom and attain divine\nbounty and providence.\n\nAs to the question of women being chosen rather than\nmen: In this cycle there were men who arose through a divine power\nand who shone forth as the sun from the dawning-point of holiness;\nand, likewise, there appeared certain women who became side by side\nwith men. The expression which you quote, “Every woman who is\ndirected to the guidance of God in this great age, will surpass men\nin every respect,” signified that, in this age, certain women\nwill appear who will surpass some men. It does not mean that they\nwill surpass all the men who have given their lives as sacrifices in\nthis Cause; for in this wonderful cycle there appeared such men as\nhis holiness Khudoos, his holiness Bab-el-Bab, his holiness the “King\nof Martyrs” and his holiness the “Beloved of Martyrs,”\nhis holiness the great Vaheed143, and such ones who have no equals in the world of existence.\n\nIf, in the letters to the maid-servants of the Merciful,\nthere hath been written in the sense of encouragement (that form\nwhich such meanings can be inferred), the purport is that some women\nin the wonderful age have surpassed some men, and not that all women\nhave surpassed all men. The members of the House of Spirituality must\ngive unlimited encouragement to women. In this age, both men and\nwomen are in the shadow of the Word of God. Whosoever endeavors the\nmost will attain the greatest share, be it of men or of women, of the\nstrong or of the weak.\n\nAs to the matter of teaching and the choosing of men,\nthe letters which I have written to the Spiritual Meeting (House of\nSpirituality) of which you are a member, will answer this question\nand will manifest the station of men who remain firm in the Covenant\nof God. Refer to them.\n\nAs to the number of Tablets to women, this is due to the\nfact that most of the letters which come to the Holy Land are from\nwomen. Rarely do letters come from men and, naturally, to women the\nmost are written. Men are enjoined more than women to give the\nMessage of the Cause of God and to diffuse His fragrances.\n\nMy dear friend! If thou didst know how dear thou art to\nAbdul-Baha, thou wouldst spread wings, and through excess of joy,\nsoar and begin teaching all that country.\n\nAs to the question: “Whither shall we turn in our\nprayers?” There is an appointed center toward which one must\ndirect himself in prayer, but at present this center is not unfolded\nbecause of wisdom. In its time this shall be announced. At present,\nin those regions, you should direct yourself, as formerly, to the\nEast. The appointed and certain center will be announced in its time.\n\n\nYou also ask: “To whom shall we turn?” Turn\nto the Ancient Beauty. If it be the will of God, the blessed likeness\n(of the Manifestation) will be sent in its proper time, so that, in\nthe world of the heart, thou mayest direct thyself to that holy\nlikeness and thus be saved from imagination and phantasy. However, in\nthe Temple (Mashrak-el-Azcar) the blessed picture must never be\nplaced (or hung) on the wall. This you should know.\n\nAs to the subject of babes and infants and weak ones who\nare afflicted by the hands of oppressors: This contains great wisdom\nand this subject is of paramount importance. In brief, for those\nsouls there is a recompense in another world and many details are\nconnected with this matter. For those souls that suffering is the\ngreatest mercy of God. Verily that mercy of the Lord is far better\nand preferable to all the comfort of this world and the growth and\ndevelopment of this place of mortality. If it be the will of God,\nwhen thou shalt be present this will be explained in detail by word\nof mouth.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou ignited candle!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-ignited-candle",
"summary": "O thou ignited…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou ignited candle!\n\nThe real light is the light of the love o God. Praise be\nto God! thy face is illumined by the radiance of the divine love and\nthy nostrils are perfumed through the fragrances of the garden of the\nKingdom of Abha, and thou art engaged, night and day, in service in\nthis divine garden and art spreading the Tablets of Abdul-Baha.\nWherefore, thank thou God that thou art assisted to such a service.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou illumined maid-servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-illumined-maid-servant-of-god",
"summary": "O thou illumined maid-servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou illumined maid-servant of God!\n\nThy letter was received. Praise be to God! that thou art\nassisted and confirmed and, through the light of the love of God,\nthou art an ignited candle. Thou hast an eloquent tongue and a pure\nheart; thou art attracted to the Kingdom and wondering, in awe and\nastonishment, at the power and dominion of the Lord of Hosts.\n\nExercise infinite kindness and convey longing greeting\non my behalf to Miss .........\n\nThank God that thou hast found a way to the treasury of\nthe Kingdom and hast attained to the heavenly wealth.\n\nI supplicate God that the hearts and souls of .........\nand ......... receive a share from the love of God, and that\n......... find a portion from the divine bestowal and be assisted\nwith heavenly confirmations, so that she may help thee.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou illumined youth!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-illumined-youth",
"summary": "O thou illumined…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou illumined youth!\n\nThank thou God, for that the tongues spoke in thy praise\nand the pends moved with thy love, thy knowledge and thy enkindlement\nby the fire of the love of God. One of them is the pen of Abdul-Baha.\nTherefore, be a sign of knowledge, standard of assurance and a light\nof God, so that thou mayest become strengthened by the breaths of the\nHoly Spirit in these days.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou kind friend!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-kind-friend",
"summary": "O thou kind…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou kind friend!\n\nThy letter was received and its contents considered. Man\nmust, under all conditions, be thankful to God, the One, for it is\nsaid in the blessed text: “If ye be thankful I will increase\nthee.”\n\nMan must seek shelter in the mercy and protection of\nGod, for he is constantly subject to a hundred thousand dangers. Save\nfor the refuge and protection of the Most High, man is without\nshelter.\n\nI ask God to help thy children to gain knowledge, to\nattain virtues and morals which are the refinements of the reality of\nman, and to strengthen thee to remain firm.\n\nConvey my respect and greeting to Mr......... and Mrs.\n......... I trust in the providence of God that thou mayest ascertain\nwhat is worthy and fitting for Bahais, and that day by day the love\nof God may increase in the hearts.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Thou kind God! That scattered assembly is...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-kind-god-that-scattered-assembly-is",
"summary": "O Thou kind God! That scattered assembly31 is Thine, and that gathering of friends is of Thee. Their eyes are opened, their hearts in tune with Thy love, and their ears in communion with Thy hidden…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Thou kind God! That scattered assembly31\nis Thine, and that gathering of friends is of Thee. Their eyes are\nopened, their hearts in tune with Thy love, and their ears in\ncommunion with Thy hidden mysteries.\n\nO Thou who art self-sufficient! Let a beautiful song\nreach this people from the birds of that garden, that they may\nwarble, rejoice and be happy, implore and supplicate the Lord.\n\nO Thou Educator! Train that assembly of the righteous;\ncomfort them; set their hearts aglow with the fire of Thy love;\nacquaint them with Thy mystery and commune with them, so that they\nmay find Thy kingdom of mysteries, become of the people of piety and\nleading in liberty.\n\nGrant them the soul immortal; enrich them above the\nworld, and detach them from the world; usher them into the tent of\nThy Kingdom and give them a portion of the divine bounty.\n\nBestow upon them the everlasting life and bless them\nwith the new teachings. Make every one a lighted torch and a warbling\nnightingale—the king of the rose in the garden. Reveal to them\nThine attractive beauty; make each a growing tree on the shore of Thy\nguidance, bearing the fruit of Thy grace. Thus may the East illumine\nthe West and the West become the East of the Supreme Heaven.\n\nVerily, Thou art the Powerful, the Almighty, and verily\nThou art the Precious, the Omnipotent, the Omniscient!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou kind maid-servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-kind-maid-servant-of-god",
"summary": "O thou kind maid-servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou kind maid-servant of God!\n\nTruly, I say, thou art worthy of the service in the\nKingdom and art meriting to be a maid-servant in the threshold of the\nlove of the realm of Might. Rest thou assured upon the bounty and\nfavors of the Lord of Hosts, who will undoubtedly confirm thee.\n\nRestrict all thy time to the spreading of the fragrances\nof God and be thou engaged in the guidance of souls. I associate with\nthee in spirit at all times and am thy friend and helper.\n\nEre long thou shalt behold that innumerable centers are\ngoing to be organised in America110\nfor the purpose of the promotion of the Cause of God and hearing the\nspeeches of the maid-servants of the Merciful and the believers of\nGod. Consider thou the days of Christ, how they were a very few, yet\nin a short space of time they caused a clamor and acclamation\nthroughout all regions.\n\nConvey my greetings to Mrs. ........ and say: “These\nseeds which are scattered here and there are spreading strong roots\nin the bosom of the earth and these will develop and grow until many\nharvests are gathered. Rest thou assured.”\n\nO thou maid-servant of God! Show thou the utmost\naffection and love toward Mrs. ........ Truly, I say, his honor Mirza\n........ is beloved and kind. Ere long he shall behold the universal\nconfirmation descending upon him.\n\nO thou maid-servant of God! Strive thou in Buffalo\n(N.Y.) so that perfect and lasting spiritual assemblies may be\nestablished and the souls be trained and progress spiritually.\n\nConvey my respectful greetings to Mr. and Mrs. ........\nand say: “A most great gift is prepared and made ready for you\nin the universe of the Kingdom and the invisible realm. Display ye an\nendeavor and show ye an effort, so that ye may attain to it and\nbecome eternal and everlasting.”\n\nExercise the utmost affection on my part to Miss\n........ and say: “If thou art seeking a heavenly palace, make\nthy house the gathering-place of the friends of God.”\n\nO thou maid-servant of God! Praise be to God that thou\nhas become famous throughout the regions as a Bahai. This favor is\nworthy of the utmost thanks and praise.\n\nO thou maid-servant of God! Whenever thou art intending\nto deliver a speech, turn thy face toward the Kingdom of Abha and,\nwith a heart detached, begin to talk. The breaths of the Holy Spirit\nwill assist thee.\n\nAssist thou Dr. ........ and help her all the time.\nPerchance, God willing, she may attain to guidance. Exercise the\nutmost kindness to ........ and say: “Whatsoever is thy desire\nis found in the Cause of Baha’o’llah. If thou art asking\nconfirmation and assistance, be thou faithful, firm and steadfast.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou lamp glowing with the fire of the Love of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-lamp-glowing-with-the-fire-of-the-love-of",
"summary": "O thou lamp glowing with the fire of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou lamp glowing with the fire of the Love of God!\n\nKnow that the garden drew near and the paradise hath\nbeen adorned with the sweet-basils of the knowledge of God. Be,\ntherefore, a gilly-flower of fragrant smell in the Garden of El-Abha,\nthat, through thy perfumed breaths, the spirits and hearts be\nquickened and animated.\n\nO thou friend of Abdul-Baha! I do mention thee now while\nmy heart is throbbing through the breezes that are blowing from the\nverdant gardens of the love of God. Accordingly, it is incumbent upon\nthee to be purely sincere, to turn to the holy Kingdom and to\ngenerously give the spirit in the cause of the Lord of Might. Verily,\nthis is no other than an eternal and everlasting life which hath no\nend in the world of existence.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou lamp ignited by the fire of the Love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-lamp-ignited-by-the-fire-of-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou lamp ignited by the fire of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou lamp ignited by the fire of the Love of God!\n\nI ask God to make thee a sign of love, standard of\nagreement, means of union and harmony and spreader of peace among the\npeople.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Strive with all thy powers in\ndiffusing the spirit of real union among the people, so that all who\nare on earth become one family, loving, united, agreed, bound by the\nbonds of love and united with all harmony in all things and\nconditions; this is the greater happiness of the human race in the\nworld of possibilities and the cause of attaining to all hopes and\nreaching unto the Supreme Kingdom, after ascending unto the world of\nGod.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou lamp of the Love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-lamp-of-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou lamp of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"steadfastness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou lamp of the Love of God!\n\nThou hast made the wish for the great martyrdom in the\npath of Baha’, that thou mayest become intoxicated with that\noverflowing cup and sacrifice this ephemeral life upon the divine\naltar, in order that thou mayest walk in the road of faithfulness and\nshow forth firmness and steadfastness for the sake of the love of\nBaha’.\n\nThis is the ultimate desire of the people of sanctity.\nIf the eternal prosperity favor and befriend thee, thou wilt\nundoubtedly attain to this bounty. But for the present this very\nattitude is sacrifice and martyrdom. Blessed art thou, and again,\nblessed art thou!***\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou lamp who art enkindled with the fire of the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-lamp-who-art-enkindled-with-the-fire-of-the",
"summary": "O thou lamp who art enkindled with the fire of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"justice",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou lamp who art enkindled with the fire of the Love\nof God!\n\nVerily, I read thy recent letter which showed thy strong\nlove, thy being ablaze with the fire of the love of thy Lord, the\nMighty, the Praised, and the penetration of the Spirit of Truth in\nthy limbs, nerves, veins, arteries, bones, blood and flesh, until it\nhath taken the reins of power from thy hands and moveth thee as it\nwilleth, causeth thee to speak in what it willeth and attracteth thee\nas it willeth. This is becoming of whatever heart is replenished with\nthe spirit of the love of God. Thou shalt surely behold wondrous\ntraces and shalt discover the signs of thy Mighty Lord.\n\nO maid-servant of God! The meaning which thou hast\napprehended from my former statement is the real fact. It is the\nmeaning of (my) statement; God hath strengthened thee therein and\nshall surely confirm thee in still greater than this. At that time\nthou wilt say: “This is that which was promised by Abdul-Baha\nand His promise was certain and decided.”\n\nO maid-servant of God! Verily, thy Lord hath breathed\nthe spirit of argument into thy mouth. Speak thou in the most\nwonderful explanation and meditate not at the time of advancing\nproofs, evidences and signs, and speak thou that which the Spirit\ninspireth thee. This is a proof unto thee and unto every just one\namong the possessors of understanding.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Verily, I am with thee in spirit\nand reveal unto thee the word of guidance at every moment and time.\n\nO maid-servant of God! We have sent thee nine ring\nstones of the Greatest Name. This is an allusion unto thee of a\nmatter which thou shalt surely understand henceforth. We have also\nsent unto thee a photograph of His Holiness the glorious Badi whom\nthy Lord did send to His Highness Nassir-ed’Din-Shah with a\nmanifest epistle by which He perfected the proof and evidence to the\npeople of Persia. this faithful messenger (Badi) took the epistle of\nBaha’ with all power and authority and repaired to the\nthreshold of His Highness the Shah, while cheered and smiling in joy.\nHe then presented himself before the Shah and said: “This is an\nepistle from Baha’o’llah,” and then presented it to\nhim. They arrested him and after severe torture and punishment,\ndelivered him to the executioners. he was sitting between the\nexecutioners at the time of his death with all dignity, while turning\nunto God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou lamp who art illuminated with the light of the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-lamp-who-art-illuminated-with-the-light-of-the",
"summary": "O thou lamp who art illuminated with the light of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou lamp who art illuminated with the light of the\nLove of God!\n\nLeave thou the world and abandon the people and turn\nunto the Kingdom of thy independent Lord. Beseech Him every morn and\neve and supplicate to the Gate of His Oneness to make thee firm and\nsteadfast in the Testament and to guard thee from all calamities,\nwith the eye of His protection, and protect thee from the tests which\nare (so violent) as the whirlwinds which uproot trees.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou leaf who art moved by the Breeze of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-leaf-who-art-moved-by-the-breeze-of-god",
"summary": "O thou leaf who art moved by the Breeze of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou leaf who art moved by the Breeze of God!\n\nVerily, I address thee with all spiritual love and\ngladness from this my residence at the base of Mount Carmel, which is\nblessed through all ages by the prophets, as recorded in the ancient\nBooks. And I beseech His Highness the Merciful One to ordain thee a\nfaithful footing in the Kingdom of God and to provide for thee all\nthings by which thy mind may be brightened, thy breast be gladdened,\nthy tongue become eloquent and whereby the doors of the meanings\nhinted at in the sacred Books and Tablets be opened to thy mind.\nVerily, the people are veiled from comprehending the meanings of the\nGospel, the Bible and the Koran and know not the interpretation of\nthe scriptures of God, except those whose eyes are opened by the\noutpouring of the Spirit of God. Thou shalt behold men-servants and\nmaid-servants of Baha’ in those far-distant lands and wide\ncountries, speaking the secrets of the Gospel and the mysteries of\nthe Bible and the allusions of the Koran and the explanation of the\nWords of the Merciful One. Those are the servants to whomsoever God\nhath assigned His mercy which overfloweth the existence.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou leaf who art well watered through the out-pouring...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-leaf-who-art-well-watered-through-the-out-pouring",
"summary": "O thou leaf who art well watered through the out-pouring of the cloud of favor from…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou leaf who art well watered through the out-pouring\nof the cloud of favor from God!\n\nVerily, I beseech, with all earnestness, the Omnipotence\nof Might and Glory to brighten thy face by the light gleaming from\nthe lamp of the Alliance and to quicken thy mind by the spirit which\nout-pours from the Kingdom of God and to make thee a sign of His\nsigns which are shining in the horizons. He grants that which He\nwisheth and to whomsoever He wisheth. Verily, He is powerful and\nmighty!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou lover of humanity!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-lover-of-humanity",
"summary": "O thou lover of humanity!312…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou lover of humanity!312\n\n\nThy letter was received and its contents imparted\nspiritual significances. Thank thou God that from thy early childhood\nthou hast been always a seeker after salvation and hast been spending\nthy energy and effort in charitable affairs and the excellences of\nthe world of humanity. However, every great Cause in this world of\nexistence findeth a visible expression through three means; first,\nintention; second, confirmation; third, action. Today on this earth\nthere are many souls who are the spreaders of peace and\nreconciliation and are longing for the realization of the oneness and\nunity of the world of man; but this intention needs a dynamic power,\nso that it may become manifest in the world of being. Today the\ndivine instructions and lordly exhortations of Baha’o’lah\npromulgate this most great aim and the confirmations of the Kingdom\nare the supports and defenders of this eminent intention. For the\npower of the Word of God is penetrative and the existence of the\ndivine Kingdom is uninterrupted. Therefore, ere long it will become\nevident and clear that the ensign of the Most Great Peace is the\nteachings of Baha’o’llah. For the intention, the power\nand the action, all the three essential elements are brought together\nand the realization of everything in the contingent world dependeth\nupon these three principles.\n\nTherefore, O thou lover of the oneness of the world of\nhumanity! spread thou as much as thou canst the instructions and\nteachings of His Highness Baha’o’llah, so that the\ndesired Beloved become unveiled in the assembly of humankind and cast\nher light upon all the people.\n\nLikewise, some of the ancient philosophers have spoken\nregarding the oneness of the world of humanity, but confirmation and\nassistance became not their supports and helpers. Consequently their\nendeavors ended in being without result and the tree of their hope\nwithout fruit.\n\nThou hast written regarding the language of Esperanto.\nThis language will be spread and universalized to a certain degree,\nbut later on a language more complete than this, or the same language\nwill undergo some changes and alterations and will be adopted and\nbecome universal. I hope that Dr. Zamenhof become assisted by the\ninvisible confirmation and do a great service to the world of\nhumanity.\n\nO thou maid-servant of God! Whatsoever question thou\nhast in thy heart, turn thou thy heart toward the Kingdom of Abha and\nentreat in the Threshold of the Almighty and reflect upon that\nproblem, then unquestionably the light of truth shall dawn and the\nreality of that problem will become evident and clear to thee. For\nthe teachings of His Highness Baha’o’llah are the keys to\nall the doors. Every hidden secret will become discovered and every\nhidden mystery will become manifest and apparent.***\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou loving torch, flaming by the fire of the Love of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-loving-torch-flaming-by-the-fire-of-the-love-of",
"summary": "O thou loving torch, flaming by the fire of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"generosity",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou loving torch, flaming by the fire of the Love of\nGod!\n\nVerily, I read thy letter sent by thee and was rejoiced\nin heart by the wonderful meaning and eloquent content, which proved\nthy extreme sincerity in the Cause of God, thy steadfastness in the\npath of the Kingdom of God and thy firmness in the religion of God,\nforasmuch as this is of the utmost importance before God.\n\nHow many souls advanced unto God, entered the shadow of\nthe Word of God and became celebrated in the world, as Judas\nIscariot. Then, when the tests became severe and trials great, their\nfeet turned from the path; turned from confession to denial; changed\nfrom love and affection to severe enmity. Then the power of tests,\nwhereby the foundations shake, were manifested.\n\nJudas Iscariot was one of the greatest disciples, was\ncalled unto Jesus; he thought that Jesus increased his kindness to\nPeter, the disciple, when saying to him: “Thou art Peter; upon\nthee I shall build my church.” This speech affecting Peter with\nspecial impression whereby envy was created in the heart of Judas\nand, therefore, he turned after advancing, denied after confessing,\nhated after loving, until he became the cause of the crucifixion of\nthe Glorious Lord and Manifest Light. This is the end of envy which\ncauses people to turn from the right path. Such has taken place and\nwill occur in this Great Cause; but there is no harm in it, as it is\nthe cause of manifesting the firmness of the rest and the arising of\nthe firm souls who are as solid as the lofty mountains in the love of\nthe Manifest Light.\n\nAs to thee, convey unto the maid-servants of the\nMerciful that they must be firm in the love of El-Baha at the time of\nthe severe trials and tests; forasmuch as the storms and winds occur\nduring the winter seasons; then comes the spring with the wonderful\nscenery and it adorns the hills and plains with flowers and beautiful\nbirds sing the melodies of joy on the branches of the trees and\nwarble beautiful tunes on the roofs of bowers, in wonderful melodies.\nSoon shalt thou see that the lights have shone forth, the banners of\nthe Kingdom have been raised, the fragrances of God diffused, the\nhosts of the Kingdom descending, the angels of heaven confirmed and\nthe Holy Spirit breathed into those horizons (regions). Then shalt\nthou see the waverers frightened and at loss. This is a complete\nmatter on the part of the Lord of Signs.\n\nBlessed art thou for keeping firm in the Cause of God. I\npray God to give thee a divine spirit, spiritual blood and to make\nthee a growing and thriving leaf on the Tree of Life, so that thou\nmayest serve the maid-servants of God in fragrance and spirituality.\n\nThy generous Lord will confirm thee in serving in His\ngreat vineyard and will make thee an instrument for spreading the\nspirit of concord and union among the maid-servants of the Merciful,\nwill open thine insight by the light of knowledge and forgive thee\nthy sins and change them to good deeds.\n\nVerily thy Lord is the Forgiving, the Merciful and\nPossessor of Great Bounty!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou maid-servant of God who art attracted to the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-maid-servant-of-god-who-art-attracted-to-the",
"summary": "O thou maid-servant of God who art attracted to the Fragrances of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou maid-servant of God who art attracted to the\nFragrances of God!\n\nSpeak of my servitude unto God, of my humbleness and\nsubmissiveness to the Beloved of God, and of my evanescence,\nnothingness and utter meekness to the Threshold of Baha’.\nVerily, I am the servant of Baha’, the slave of Baha’ and\nthe captive of Baha’. I have no grade but this and I do not\npossess anything for myself. Therefore, mention me in my pure\nservitude; this is that by which my heart is dilated by every\nmaid-servant who speaks the praise of God. I beseech God to make thee\na dove in the grove of holiness, to coo with the most wonderful\nmelodies the praise of thy Lord, the Merciful!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou maid-servant of God who art attracted unto...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-maid-servant-of-god-who-art-attracted-unto",
"summary": "O thou maid-servant of God who art attracted unto…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou maid-servant of God who art attracted unto Him!\n\nVerily, I read thy letter and was informed of its words.\nIts meaning showed that thou hast come out of the tests of God and\nthat thou art firm and steadfast in the love of God. This is through\nthe grace of thy Lord and His mercy upon those of His maid-servants\nwho are firm in His right path.\n\nGird up thy loins, therefore, to serve the Cause of God\nin His great vineyard; trust in the favors of thy Lord; supplicate\nunto Him and beseech in the middle of the night and at early morn\njust as a needy and captive one beseeches. It is incumbent upon thee\nto turn unto the Kingdom of God and to pray, supplicate and invoke\nduring all times. This is the means by which thy soul shall ascend\nupward to the apex of the gift of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou maid-servant of God, who art guided to the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-maid-servant-of-god-who-art-guided-to-the",
"summary": "O thou maid-servant of God, who art guided to the Light of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou maid-servant of God, who art guided to the Light\nof Guidance!\n\nVerily, I read thy letter which expressed praise to thy\nSupreme Lord for having guided thee to the Fountain-head of\nKnowledge, quickened thy heart with the spirit of faith, poured on\nthee the clouds of beneficence and opened thine insight to witness\nHis mighty signs in the world of man.\n\nO thou maid-servant of God! Be rejoiced by this most\ngreat glad-tidings; praise in commemorating the Name of thy Supreme\nLord; thank thou God because He hath quickened thee with an eternal\nspirit, bestowed upon thee a heavenly bounty and hath illumined thy\nface with the light by which the existence scintillates in the world\nof emanation!\n\nVerily, I was informed of thy great longing to present\nthyself at this holy, luminous Spot, but at present this is not\nfavorable; but I bear unto thee the glad-tidings that when thou hast\ndeparted to thy native land, the invisible hosts will surely confirm\nand assist thee with power and strength, and God will reveal unto thy\nheart that which will rejoice it forevermore; and He shall endow thee\nwith a speech whereat thou in thyself shalt be astonished and wilt\nsay: “Blessed am I for this great gift! Glad-tidings be unto me\nfor this mighty bestowal, for my Lord hath confirmed me therewith and\nenabled me to uplift the Word of God and to diffuse His fragrances!\nVerily, I glory among all the women of the world! This is a bestowal\nwhich hath no equal!”\n\nO thou maid-servant of God! Verily, the tongue of the\nSupreme Concourse uttereth the praise of those women who are the\nglory of men; women who have forgotten themselves, have abandoned\ntheir own rest, attached their hearts to the Kingdom of God, raised\ntheir voice in the Name of God, diffused the signs of God and\nuttereed clear arguments and firm proofs concerning the manifestation\nof the Kingdom of God. Trust thou in this promise; then depart to\nthose regions with infinite joy and gladness and bear unto people\nglad-tidings in commemorating thy Lord. Verily, thy Lord will assist\nthee under all aspects and circumstances. And in the coming year, if\nit is possible for thee to come, present thyself at this Blessed Spot\nand fragrant region.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou maid-servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-maid-servant-of-god",
"summary": "O thou maid-servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou maid-servant of God!\n\nThy writing was considered. I ask God that thy mind43\nmay be illumined with the light of knowledge and faith to the extent\nthat thy face will radiate its glory, even as a light, when set aglow\nin the lamp, will cast its rays to the surrounding regions.\n\nI hope that the darkness of evil suggestions shall be\ndispersed and that the veil of uncertainty shall be torn asunder;\nthat the beauty of truth may become manifest with glory and the light\nof mercy become radiant. Thus mayest thou, O maid-servant of God,\nwith thy honorable husband and revered son, become free from the\nsevere trials and appear with grace in the gatherings of the people\nof God.\n\nThe nineteen-day fast44\nis a duty to be observed by all. All should abstain from eating and\ndrinking from sunrise to sunset. This fast is conducive to the\nspiritual development of the individual. The Greatest Name should be\nread every day.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou maid-servant of the Blessed Perfection!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-maid-servant-of-the-blessed-perfection",
"summary": "O thou maid-servant of the Blessed…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou maid-servant of the Blessed Perfection!\n\nThy letter was received. It was written in Persian. I\nwas very much pleased. I hope thou wilt memorize all the poetry of\nthe Blessed Perfection and chant with wonderful melody in the\nassemblages and gatherings. These verses will soon be translated into\nEnglish poetical form and then this Divine Song will rise from those\nlands and reach the ABHA Kingdom in utmost joy and happiness.\n\nThou hast written that ........ is giving lessons of\n[the Book of] Ighan104\n; this news brought me real joy.\n\nThou hast written that ........ hath started upon her\ntrips again, to be engaged in the service of the Kingdom. In reality\nshe is attracted and will bear every calamity and trial in the path\nof the Blessed Perfection and this very thing will be conducive to\nher spiritual development.\n\nO thou attracted one! If thou art able, be thou engaged\nin the promotion of the Cause of God, either with ........ or alone.\n\nO thou maid-servant of God! Whatever thou dost and upon\nwhatever occasion thou showest any effort, the end will prove\nfruitless except in teaching the Cause of God and in serving the\ndivine Kingdom.\n\nIf the means of thy travel to these parts105\nbe brought about, it is better to come alone, because ........ must\nremain in those parts and be engaged in the service. The confirmation\nof the Holy Spirit will descend upon him uninterruptedly.\n\nConvey respectful greeting to the beloved maid-servant\nof God ........ and love her.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou messenger in the command of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-messenger-in-the-command-of-god",
"summary": "O thou messenger in the command of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou messenger in the command of God!\n\nBlessed art thou for guiding ........ unto the Fountain\nof the Water of Life, caused him to enter the Ark of Safety,\ndemonstrated unto him the manifest signs, and proved to him the\nelegant proofs. May God reward thee with the best of rewards, in the\nend and the beginning. Therefore, continue spreading the fragrances\nof God in this new age, which dawns as the sun with the lights of\nfavors unto the horizon of ages and centuries.***\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou my beloved friend!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-my-beloved-friend",
"summary": "O thou my beloved…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou my beloved friend!\n\nFor a long time thou didst have the longing to visit the\nBlessed Spot and the yearning to meet this imprisoned one. Finally\nthis gift became realized, but it was for one moment and as the dew\nto the rose-garden of the hearts. The destiny was such and the means\nwere brought about in this way. I became sad and disappointed more\nthan thyself. But I hope that this meeting became as the wick of the\nlamp and the fire—that as soon as it was touched it became\nignited. I am expecting the results of this meeting, that I may see\nthee lighted as a candle and burning thyself as a moth with the fire\nof the love of God, weeping like unto the cloud by the greatness of\nlove and attraction, laughing like unto the meadow and stirred into\ncheerfulness like unto the young tree by the wafting of the breeze of\nthe Paradise of Abha!\n\nAll the believers in the East and in this Spot are\nexpecting the receipt of letters from thee.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou my dear friend, my associate and companion!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-my-dear-friend-my-associate-and-companion",
"summary": "O thou my dear friend, my associate and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou my dear friend, my associate and companion!\n\nThe times of (our) meeting189\nare still remembered and the sweetness of thy company is lastingly\nestablished in the recess of (my) life.\n\nI pray and implore the threshold of the Lord of the\nKingdom always, and seek for thee His strength and confirmation,\nsaying:\n\n“O Lord of Hosts! Confirm Thine affectionate\n........ in Thy servitude, aid him in the service of Thy Word, open\nto his face the door of knowledge, reveal to his heart the realities\nand significances, and grant him the ecstasy of the cup of reality,\ngladden him through the melody of Thy love, make his night, day, and\nday, happy!”\n\nIn sooth, O dear one! thy services are evident, thy\nendurance of ordeals and difficulties well known.\n\nIn the organization of the Mashrak-el-Azcar, thou art\nindeed well striving. I hope thou wilt attain a great reward, open an\neloquent tongue, raise a wonderful melody in every meeting, draw and\npaint the images and forms of the Kingdom in the material world.\n\nRest assured in the grace of the Lord and be dilated by\nHis infinite favors.\n\nConvey greetings of reverence to the maid-servant of God\n[thy wife], likewise thy revered daughter. I am ever thoughtful of\nthem and will never forget them.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou my dear friend!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-my-dear-friend",
"summary": "O thou my dear…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou my dear friend!\n\nI am now viewing the flowers in the little garden and\nremembering thy rose-like face. This material rose, although it is\nbeautiful and fragrant, yet it cannot be compared with the beauty of\nthe friends. Great is the difference between this fragrance and that\nof the friends, between the scent of this rose and the fragrance of\nthe love of God. That face of thine which attracts the hearts is far\nmore beautiful and better than this rose, for with that beauty is\naccompanied illumination.\n\nThy gift is much appreciated and very acceptable. I was\nmade very, very happy and I prayed for thee that thou mayest\nappreciate the contents and significance of it.\n\nIndeed thou hast served in Washington with no will save\nthe will of God in view and thou hast made me happy and attained my\npleasure.\n\nHold the spiritual meeting at the stated times and be\nthou its candle, giving (the friends) such happiness and joy through\nthe glad-tidings of God as will make them joyful and full of ecstasy.\nGive them all my loving greetings. Surely manifest the utmost love\nand goodness o the Baltimore friends and organize for them a\nspiritual gathering.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou my spiritual companion!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-my-spiritual-companion",
"summary": "O thou my spiritual…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou my spiritual companion!\n\nTwo letter have reached me from you, and the contents of\nboth I have considered. Communication of the beloved of God from all\nparts of the world with America, and the correspondence of America\nwith all parts is most agreeable and the cause of attracting the\nhearts. Endeavor greatly to accomplish this important matter and\nwrite to all parts.\n\nThe beloved of God must, like the roses of the\nrose-garden, send fragrant messages from one to another, receive\nstrength from one another, and co-operate together, by the strength\nof the Kingdom. There is no greater means than communion and\ncommunication. “Communication is half a meeting.”\n\nSend a copy of this letter to all parts and write to\nthem. Thus may the beloved of God, in every city, send collectively\nletters to other cities, especially America. This shall be the means\nof growth and the cause of attraction. he souls will be made happy,\nthe spirits revived, the hearts dilated and the breasts expanded.\nConvey greetings and longing to all the beloved of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou near servant to the Threshold of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-near-servant-to-the-threshold-of-god",
"summary": "O thou near servant to the Threshold of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"martyrdom",
"women",
"consultation"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou near servant to the Threshold of God!\n\nThy letter was received and thy desire became known.\nThou wishest to serve the Threshold of God. I wish for thee the same.\nTherefore, copy the Tablets and spread them among the beloved. The\nmeanings of those leaves are the spiritual table, the heavenly\nblessing and the means for the life eternal.\n\nThou hast written concerning the organization of a\ncouncil for the building of the Mashrak-el-Azcar. This news brought\nmuch spirit and fragrance, for the nine delegates, sent by the\nvarious assemblies, gathered in that meeting and consulted concerning\nthe building of the Mashrak-el-Azcar.\n\nThe Mashrak-el-Azcar is the most important matter and\nthe greatest divine institute. Consider how the first institute of\nHis Holiness Moses, after His exodus from Egypt, was the “Tent\nof Martyrdom” which He raised and which was the traveling\nTemple. It was a tent which they pitched in the desert, wherever they\naobde, and worshipped in it. Likewise, after His Holiness Christ—may\nthe spirit of the world be a sacrifice to Him! —the first\ninstitute by the disciples was a Temple. They planned a church in\nevery country. Consider the Gospel (read it) and the importance of\nthe Mashrak-el-Azcar will become evident.\n\nIn fine, I hope that all the beloved of God,\ncollectively, in the continent of America, men and women, will strive\nnight and day until the Mashrak-el-Azcar be erected in the utmost\nsolidity and beauty.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou opened rose in the garden of El-ABHA!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-opened-rose-in-the-garden-of-el-abha",
"summary": "O thou opened rose in the garden of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou opened rose in the garden of El-ABHA!\n\nI have perused thy excellently worded letter showing\nwhat is moving in thy heart by the emotions of the love of God.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Chant the Words of God and,\npondering over their meaning, transform them into actions! I ask God\nto cause thee to attain a high station in the Kingdom of Life forever\nand ever.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou party who art assisted by the hosts of the Kingdom...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-party-who-art-assisted-by-the-hosts-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou party5 who art assisted by the hosts of the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant",
"consultation"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou party5\nwho art assisted by the hosts of the Kingdom of El-Abha!\n\nBlessed are ye who are assembled in the shadow of the\nWord of God, who are abiding in the cave of the Covenant of God, who\nare comforted by dwelling in the Paradise of El-Abha6, who are cheerfully moved with the breezes which blow from the point\nof the providence of God, and who have arisen to render service to\nthe Cause of God, to promulgate the Religion of God, to promote the\nWord of God and to hoist the standards of sanctity in those regions\nand climes.\n\nBy the life of El-Baha! Verily, the perfect and divine\npower will breathe in you with bounties from the Holy Spirit and\nenable you to accomplish a thing the like of which hath never been\nseen by the eye of existence.\n\nO party of the Covenant! Verily, the Beauty of El-Abha\nhath promised the most great assistance to the beloved who are firm\nin the Covenant and to confirm them through the mightiest power. Ye\nwill surely find in your luminous assembly such signs as will shine\nwithin hearts and souls. Adhere to the hem of the robe of the Lofty\nOne and do your best to spread the Covenant of God and to kindled\nwith the fire of the love of God, so that your hearts may move with\njoy through the fragrances of humbleness which are being diffused\nfrom the heart of Abdul-Baha. Make feet firm, strengthen hearts and\nrely upon the everlasting bounties which will successively pour on\nyour from the Kingdom of El-Abha. Know, verily, the lights of Baha’\nwill shine forth onto you during your gathering together in the\nbrilliant Paradise.\n\nIt is incumbent on you to have union and harmony. It is\nincumbent upon you to have affinity and accord, so that ye may become\nunited in body and soul as the Pleiades, and as strings of brilliant\npearls. Thereby your foundation will be laid, your argument will\nbecome manifest, your stars will beam forth and your souls will be\ncomforted.\n\nWhen ye enter the spiritual meeting of Consultation,\nchant the following commune, your hearts beating with the love of God\nand your tongues purified from aught else save the commemoration of\nGod; so that the Most Might Power may confirm you by the greatest\nassistance:\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou peerless, matchless, glorious martyr!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-peerless-matchless-glorious-martyr",
"summary": "O thou peerless, matchless, glorious martyr!172…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"martyrdom",
"persecution"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"justice",
"love",
"mercy",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou peerless, matchless, glorious martyr!172\n\n\nVerily, I salute thy pure dust, and thy holy, blessed\ntomb, which is perfumed by the fragrances of sanctity which are\nblowing upon thee from the Supreme Concourse, and the lights which\nare cast upon thee from the Kingdom of El-Abha, and the copious rain\nwhich purifieth thy fragrant plain, and say: “Upon thee be\nEl-Baha! Upon thee be mercy, O thou lamp ignited with the fire of the\nlove of God, irradiated with the ray of the gift of God, and aflame\nin the glass of the knowledge of God! Thou art he who hath drunk the\ncup of sacrifice, hath expended his life in the path of God, and hath\nshed his blood on the earth in love for the Beauty of God. For they\ndid not appreciate thy merit, denied thy dignity, were veiled from\nbeholding the gift of thy Lord, and supposed themselves to be just.\nNo! By no means!\n\n“Punishment is for such as persecuted thee, hell\nis for such as rejected thee, fire is for such as sentenced thee to\ndeath, infernal flame be for such as betrayed thee, and the hellish\ngulf is for such as shed thy blood with impunity! And paradise is for\nsuch as love thee, heaven is for such as serve thee, the everlasting\nabode is for such as visit (thy tomb)!\n\n“Upon thee be El-Baha! Upon thee be greeting and\npraise, O thou who hast suffered martyrdom in the path of God, and\nart submerged in the ocean of the mercy of God!\n\n“Blessed are the nostrils which will be perfumed\nby the scent of thy brilliant spot! Blessed are the eyes which will\nbe illumined by the ray which is being cast upon thee from the bounty\nof the Kingdom of El-Abha!\n\n“I beg of God to make thy sepulchre a mine of\nmercy, a depository of gifts, and to encompass it with manifest\nsigns. Verily, He is the Beneficent! the Giver! Verily, He is\ngracious, and showeth great favor toward martyrs, and He is the\nBestower, the Generous!”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou plant in the Garden of the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-plant-in-the-garden-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou plant in the Garden of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou plant in the Garden of the Kingdom!\n\nGod created man in the utmost perfection, for He\ninscribed the edict of the divine likeness on his brow. Every\nexcellent person (or soul), if confirmed by the heavenly bounty, is a\nplant of the Kingdom and becometh green and refreshed and putteth\nforth wonderful blossoms and groweth on the river bank of the love of\nGod.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou plant in the garden of the Love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-plant-in-the-garden-of-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou plant in the garden of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou plant in the garden of the Love of God!\n\nOpen the tongue of praise to the Horizon of ABHA, for\nhaving received light from Him in the age of youth, and for having\nbeen planted by Him in the paradise of glory.\n\nI hope thou shalt be a child of the Kingdom, shalt learn\nsciences, arts and significances, may become a full grown tree,\nfruitful and green in the vineyard of God and be happy and full of\ncheer through the showers of the clouds of paradise.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou plant of the Garden of the Love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-plant-of-the-garden-of-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou plant of the Garden of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou plant of the Garden of the Love of God!\n\nThy letter was received. Its content was of utmost grace\nand sweetness. As thou hast turned thy face toward the Supreme\nKingdom, I hope thy disposition and nature will prove agreeable and\ncomforting to thy brother and sister.\n\nAlthough thou art small, yet I hope thou wilt become\ngreat in the Kingdom. His Highness Christ, sayeth: “Happy is\nthe condition of the children!” God willing, thou art one of\nthose children.\n\nBe obedient and kind to thy father and mother, caressing\nbrother and sister, and day by day adding to thy faith and assurance.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou pure and spiritual one!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-pure-and-spiritual-one",
"summary": "O thou pure and spiritual…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"healing",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"joy",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou pure and spiritual one!\n\nTurn thou toward God with thy heart beating with His\nlove, devoted to His praise, gazing toward His Kingdom and seeking\nhelp from His Holy Spirit in a state of ecstasy, rapture, love,\nyearning, joy and fragrance. God will assist thee, through a Spirit\nfrom His Presence, to heal sickness and diseases.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O Thou Pure God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-pure-god",
"summary": "O Thou Pure God!155…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"honesty",
"integrity",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO Thou Pure God!155\n\n\nGaze providently at the beloved ones and the dear\nmaid-servants in Chicago. Confer upon them Thy bounty and grace.\nTeach them the law of the Kingdom, burn away the veil of material\nsuperstition and light the candle of Thy love in their hearts!\n\nO God! The clay (or being) of these servants is kneaded\nwith the water of fidelity and the nature of these maid-servants is\nadorned with love! They believe and are assured. they are firm and\nsteadfast; they are kneeling and worshipping; they are uttering (the\nWords) and are informed. Render them confirmed and victorious with\nthe hosts of strength. Aid and gladden them through the angels of the\nKingdom of Abha! At every moment reveal a new power to them and with\nevery breath confer a great bounty. Thus with a heavenly power,\ndivine strength, merciful fragrance, supreme light, and conscious\nattraction, may they arise to serve Thee, to perfume the East and the\nWest with the fragrances of holiness, establish the universal peace,\npromulgate integrity and honesty, to adore the truth, become a means\nof life to the people of the world, a cause of comfort and rest to\nthem; to help the spiritual meeting, to serve the gathering of the\nLord, to send well-informed souls (teachers) to other regions and\nclimes, to be self-sacrificing with life and heart, to build the\nMashrak-el-Azcar, to raise the anthem of sanctity to the Supreme\nKingdom, to live in perfect love with one another; nay, rather, to be\nthe cause of rest ot whole world, to adorn the realm of creation, to\ndestroy the edifice of jealousy and envy and to establish the law of\nlove and unity, to be truthful servants of mankind and conscientious\nwell-wishers of the human race!\n\nO God! Thou art the Able, the Powerful! Thou are the\nConfirmer and the Helper in all conditions and circumstances!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou pure soul who art kindled by the fire of the love...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-pure-soul-who-art-kindled-by-the-fire-of-the-love",
"summary": "O thou pure soul who art kindled by the fire of the love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"joy",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou pure soul who art kindled by the fire of the love\nof Baha’!\n\nBy God, the True One! thy letter created joy and\nhappiness within hearts, because it was speaking the praise of Baha’\nand contained words which showed thy attraction to the light of the\nBeauty of El-Baha.\n\nBlessed art thou and blessed is thy heart which is\nlonging for the Kingdom of El-Baha, and that thou art hoping to serve\nBaha’ in His great vineyard and in His wonderful garden!\n\nI beg of God to favor thee with a power which may\nencourage thee to promulgate the Truth and guide the father and\nsister to the right path. I beg Him to make thee a herald, in His\nname, in those regions.\n\nHave resignation and devotion and attraction and make\nthy heart empty of aught else save the love of Baha’. This is\nthe state which was coveted by the near ones and this is a position\nwhich was longed for by the holy souls.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou pure soul who art turning toward the Lord of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-pure-soul-who-art-turning-toward-the-lord-of",
"summary": "O thou pure soul who art turning toward the Lord of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou pure soul who art turning toward the Lord of the\ncreatures!\n\nVerily, I received thy letter*** and was informed of its\nmeanings and contents which indicated thine humbleness before God and\nthy meekness to His great realm of might.\n\nO my dear one! This day is the day of purification, the\nday of sanctification, the day of turning toward God, the day of\nseverance from all else save God, the day of lowliness and\nhumiliation, the day of serving the beloved ones of God, the day of\nbecoming utterly destitute of and free from egotism and desire and\nthe day of purity and sacrifice in the path of God. This is incumbent\nupon thee, so that thou mayest be accepted in the court of the\nAlmighty and praised in His lofty Threshold of Holiness.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou pure soul who hath turned with a submissive...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-pure-soul-who-hath-turned-with-a-submissive",
"summary": "O thou pure soul241 who hath turned with a submissive heart to the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"persecution",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou pure soul241\nwho hath turned with a submissive heart to the Kingdom of God!\n\nTurn thy face to the Assembly of the Covenant and [hear\nhim] say: “Salutations and praise be upon you, the fragrances\nof God be upon you! for that by reason of which ye have awakened from\nyour sleep, arisen from your negligence and heedlessness, aroused\nfrom your couches, relied upon your Creator, depended upon your Maker\nand been kindled with the fire burning in the Spirit on Mt. Sinai and\nin the Heart of Mt. Paran —from this conflagration shall appear\ndazzling lights, which shall shine upon all regions.\n\n“Consider the first century of the time of\nChrist—glory be unto Him! —and the beginning of His\nCause. In that time no one but a certain few persons believed in Him;\nand the great one among them was Peter the disciple, who, through the\nburning of the fire of test and persecution, was in great fear and\ndenied Christ three times; then the Jews who were scoffing,\npersecuting, deriding and laughing at Him, despised Him as through He\nwere a thief, a murderer, or a villain, and committed against Him\nthat which made the hearts lament, distressed the minds, caused tears\nto flow and the foundations of existence to tremble and shake! They\nthought that they had quenched the Fire which flamed in the tree of\nChristian certainty; nay, verily, that Lamp hath diffused its\ndazzling rays unto the Supreme Height and that Fire hath burned until\nit kindled the hearts of the righteous!”\n\n“Then consider this day, and the day of His\nexistence among those people—how they crowned Him with a diadem\nof thorns and now how thousands of people adorn their heads in His\nname, with the Most Brilliant Gem, glittering to the sight! Woe, woe\nunto the like of such heedless people! Alas for the souls, because of\nwhat they have committed against the Word of God in the day of His\nAppearance—and today they worship the dust which the feet of\nHis Beloved have trod! Such is the condition of the people. Abandon\nthem and let them play until they fall in abasement and loss!\n\n“But as to you, O ye beloved of God, let your\nbreasts be dilated with joy for that by reason of which ye have\nattained unto the Day of God, entered the Kingdom of God, and tasted\nthe food of Knowledge which hath descended from Heaven!”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou respectful soul!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-respectful-soul",
"summary": "O thou respectful…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou respectful soul!\n\nThy letter with its great and expressive contents gave\nme satisfaction. It gave utterance to the feelings of thy heart and\nto thy contentment. Thy going to California was for the best. I hope\nthat it will give great results; that through thee the ignorant will\nreceive knowledge, the blind will gain sight, the deaf will hear, the\ndumb will speak, the negligent will awaken, the heedless will receive\nintelligence. If thou arisest as it must and should be in the service\nof the Cause, the divine assistance will direct and the heavenly,\neverlasting help will continue. I hope that thou will be assisted to\nthe intention which thou hast in thy heart.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou revered sincere one!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-revered-sincere-one",
"summary": "O thou revered sincere…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou revered sincere one!\n\nKnow thou, verily, the brilliant realities and\nsanctified spirits are likened to a shining crescent. It has one face\nturned toward the Sun of Truth, and another face opposite to the\ncontingent world. The journey of this crescent in the heaven of the\nuniverse ends in (becoming) a full moon. That is, that face of it\nwhich is turned toward the divine world becomes also opposite to the\ncontingent world, and by this, both its merciful and spiritual, as\nwell as contingent, perfections become complete.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou rose of the Rose-Garden of the Love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-rose-of-the-rose-garden-of-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou rose of the Rose-Garden of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"love",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou rose of the Rose-Garden of the Love of God!\n\nHis Holiness Christ—may my spirit be His\nsacrifice! —said in the Gospel, “Many are called, but few\nchosen.” That is, many have been invited to faith, but few\nchosen for guidance. Praise be to God that thou wert of the chosen,\nrealized the Day of the Lord, heard the divine Call and attained the\nLight of Reality! Endeavor and make an effort that certain souls may\nbe trained, of whom His Holiness Christ said, “Ye shall know\nthe tree by its fruits.” That is to say, every soul is known by\n(his) conduct, manners, words and deeds. Therefore, we must strive\nwith life and heart that, day by day, our deeds may be better, our\nconduct more beautiful and our forbearance greater. That is, to\ncultivate love for all the world; to attain beatific character.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Study Persian and acquire it more\nday by day, for by the study of this language great and boundless\nresults are obtained.\n\nConvey greeting and praise to thy revered mother and\nalso to all thy sisters. I hope that all may become bright as the\ncandle through the light of the love of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou Secretary of the meanings emanated from the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-secretary-of-the-meanings-emanated-from-the",
"summary": "O thou Secretary of the meanings emanated from the hearts of the people of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou Secretary of the meanings emanated from the\nhearts of the people of the Kingdom.\n\nVerily, I have read thine eloquent letter and brilliant\nwriting, which indicated the attraction of the people of God by the\nfragrances of His Kingdom, and their gathering in the assembly of the\nmerciful feelings and the congregation of the upright.\n\nI do supplicate God to confirm that spiritual assembly,\nthat gathering of commemoration, to that whereby the merciful faces\nbrighten, and I beseech Him to assist them and thee to that whereby\nman ascends the highest and noblest station of excellence and the\nloftiest apex of honor, to make them humble and courteous before the\nbeloved of God, to become severed from aught else save God, to\nbeseech the Kingdom of ABHA, to be freed from every mention save the\ncommemoration of God, and to be sanctified from all the grades of\npassion and desire, with pure, holy hearts which are devoid of every\nfeeling except entire attention unto God, the Lord of the present and\nthe world to come.\n\nI have written answers to the letters which thou hast\nsent and I enclose them with this Tablet. I wrote also a Tablet to\nthe assembly56\n; read it unto them with a fluent tongue and a heart overflowing with\nthe love of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou seeing one!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-seeing-one",
"summary": "O thou seeing…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou seeing one!\n\nKnow thou, verily, God hath preferred the insight to the\nsight, because the sight seeth the material things, while the insight\napprehendeth the spiritual. the former witnesseth the earthly world,\nwhile the latter seeth the world of the Kingdom. The former’s\njudgment is temporary, while the latter’s vision is\neverlasting. Thou shalt soon behold the Kingdom of God and its\nmysteries and the signs of God and the lights of His great Realm of\nDivinity!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou seeker after the Beauty of the True One!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-seeker-after-the-beauty-of-the-true-one",
"summary": "O thou seeker after the Beauty of the True…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou seeker after the Beauty of the True One!\n\nWhat thou hast written was perused. In indicated thy\nyearning and advancement toward the Kingdom of God.\n\nIf thou standest steadfast and firm in this seeking and\nadvancement, not becoming agitated by the trials, giving repose and\ncomposure to the mind, and freeing thyself from attachment to this\nephemeral world, be thou assured that thou shalt become an enkindled\nlamp, spreading the lights of faith, assurance, knowledge and the\nlove of God in every gathering-place.\n\nWe will five thee permission to stand before the\nPresence when it is a favorable and suitable time and not contrary to\nwisdom.\n\nIf thou seekest after the light of the Kingdom, hasten\nundoubtedly to the meetings of the believers, in order that the rays\nof truth may reflect in thy heart.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou seeker after Truth!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-seeker-after-truth",
"summary": "O thou seeker after…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"seeking",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou seeker after Truth!\n\nThe question of the Trinity, since the time of His\nHoliness Christ until now, is the belief of the Christians, and to\nthe present time all the learned among them are perplexed and\nconfounded. All have confessed that the question is beyond the grasp\nof reason, for three cannot become one, nor one three. To unite these\nis impossible; it is either one or three. If we say the Essence of\nDivinity is divided, even in some aspects, division is one of the\nnecessities of the contingent world and of generation, but the\nAncient is holy (i.e., whole and indivisible). If we say that the\nTrinity was originally one and was later divided, change and\ntransformation will be necessarily applied to the Essence of Oneness,\nand change and transformation are necessities of the contingent world\nand not of the Essence of Divinity. If we say this number is Ancient,\nthree Ancients become necessary, and among the three some are\ndistinguished which are also Ancients. In this wise five Ancients are\nthe result, and among the five are those who are distinguished and\nthus nine Ancients become necessary, and so on ad infinitium.\n\nThus considered, Trinity is made a necessity, although\nthe falsity of Trinity is evident. Furthermore, the signs of oneness\nare evident and plain in all existence. If thou shouldst gather all\nexistent beings, thou wouldst be unable to find two alike in all\nstates and qualities; of necessity there is a difference. Thus the\nsigns of oneness are manifest and evident in all things. How much\nmore is the Creator of all things!\n\nBut there are, in the Gospels, clear expressions\nindicative of Trinity; among them: “The Father is in the Son\nand the Son is in the Father.” As Christians did not understand\nthe meaning of this expression, their thoughts were scattered.\n\nThe reality of this question is as follows: Divine\nOneness is proven and He revealeth Himself in the Holy Essences. The\nsun is one sun but manifesteth itself in different mirrors. If thou\nlookest into the mirror and seest the manifestation of the sun, thou\nwilt way, the sun is in the mirror and this sun manifest in the\nmirror is the same sun of the heavens; although two suns, yet in\nreality they are one. The sun hath not descended from its high and\nlofty station, it hath not taken up its abode in this mirror, but\nhath manifested itself therein.\n\nThe Christ reality was like unto a pure mirror and the\nSun of Reality shone upon it from the Holy Horizon. Therefore, it\nbcame evident that the sun is one with regard to reality but\nmanifesting itself in all mirrors.\n\nThis question was explained in full for Miss ..., who\ntranslated it upon paper. Thou wilt soon learn thereof238\n. This difficult question in its entirety was elucidated, explained\nand proven.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou seeker of the Divine Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-seeker-of-the-divine-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou seeker of the Divine…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou seeker of the Divine Kingdom!\n\nThe heavenly doors opened, the hosts of realities and\nsignificances rushed forth, the Lord of Hosts established a heavenly\nthrone and spread the armies of peace and reconciliation in all parts\nof the world, in order that the reign of peace and love may be\nfounded. Now that army is engaged in [diffusing] virtues throughout\nall regions.\n\nAs to thee: Be thou of God, that thou mayest become a\nleader of peace and reconciliation, hoist the banner of love and\nquicken the souls through the confirmation of the Holy Spirit.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou seeker of the Heavenly Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-seeker-of-the-heavenly-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou seeker of the Heavenly…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou seeker of the Heavenly Kingdom!\n\nThis world resembles the human body and the Kingdom of\nGod is like the spirit of life. Think how narrow and dark the\nmaterial world of man is, how afflicted with disease and maladies;\nbut how bright and spacious is His Spiritual World! Through this\nillustration thou mayest comprehend in what manner is the Spiritual\nWorld portrayed in this earthly world and in what degree is its power\neffected. Though the Spirit is concealed, its power is manifested and\nclear in the phenomenal world; and so with the Kingdom of God, though\nit is veiled from the eyes of the ignorant people, to men of\nperception it is discernable and evident. Therefore, thou must become\nentirely heavenly that thou mayest forget the earthly conditions and\nbe immersed in the perception of Divinity to such a degree that thou\nwilt be unconscious of the surrounding material existence.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou seeker of the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-seeker-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou seeker of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou seeker of the Kingdom!\n\nThou hast forwarded thy photograph and it was\nconsidered. In thy face a brilliant light is apparent and that\nsparkling light is the love of God. All faces are dark except the\nface which is a mirror of the light of the love of divinity. This\nlight is not accidental—it is eternal. It is not temporal but\nreal. When the heart hath become clear and pure then the face will\nbecome illuminated, because the face is the mirror of the heart.\n\nI was indeed very happy to look at thy picture and pray\nGod that thy face may become shining. Be happy and joyful and in this\nAge be it illuminated and full of light.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou seeker of Truth!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-seeker-of-truth",
"summary": "O thou seeker of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou seeker of Truth!\n\nI received the photograph of thy shining figure and I\nlooked at it with thorough attention. A tranquility and steadfastness\nwas manifest in thy visage. I beg of God that the lights of the\nKingdom may so shine upon this face (or figure) that they may dispel\nthe darkness of error from many. If thou doest act according to the\ncommandments and exhortations of God, know thou for a certainty that\nthe luminosity of thy face will day by day increase. Be thou happy\nand well pleased and arise to offer thanks to God, in order that\nthanksgiving may conduce to the increase of bounty.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou servant of Baha’!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-servant-of-baha",
"summary": "O thou servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou servant of Baha’!\n\nThy visit is accepted and thy name ever mentioned in the\npresence of Abdul-Baha. I forget thee not for a moment but remember\nthee always. I seek confirmation and strength from God for thee. Rest\nthou assured and be happy in the love of Abdul-Baha. Know for a\ncertainty that divine confirmation will arrive and great attainment\nbe made.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-servant-of-god",
"summary": "O thou servant14 of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"patience",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou servant14\nof God!\n\n***Trust no man save him whose breast hath been dilated\nby God through the light of faith, whom God hath confirmed in His\nReligion, and who is severed from all else save God and attracted by\nHis Fragrances.\n\nIn future, of course, certain people will come to you\nclaiming faith; do not believe them nor trust them, unless after\ncritical examination, search and investigation, and a long period of\nwaiting, they shall appear to be faithful and truthful in word,\nconfident in heart, attracted in spirit, pure in intention, patient\nin hardship, enduring the most severe tests; then associate with\nthem. Because some sects will send certain men to mingle with you in\norder to throw suspicion upon those who are weak, therefore avoid\nthem carefully.*** But let such [deliberations] be hidden that you\nmay not become a cause of hindrance [to such souls].15\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou servant of the Beauty of Abha!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-servant-of-the-beauty-of-abha",
"summary": "O thou servant of the Beauty of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"hope",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou servant of the Beauty of Abha!\n\nWe considered all that thou hast written. It seems that\nthe maid-servant of God, Mrs. ........., hath arisen to deliver (the\ntruth). If she advanceth in this manner, maketh more effort and day\nby day groweth in spirituality, sincerity, devotion and severance, in\na short time she will become purely merciful and will spiritualize\nothers; she will progress in the stations of sanctity and purity; she\nwill become the possessor of a fluent speech and will find her heart\nbrilliant and full of serenity and faith to such an extent that her\npure breath will so take effect even in stone, tree and clay (i.e.,\nin all people), that she, herself, will be astonished. When the\ninterior parts of musical instruments become clear and polished,\ntheir tone will take effect and warm the hearts. I hope the\nmaid-servant of God, Mrs. ........., may attain to this degree, for\nshe is capable.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou servant of the True One!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-servant-of-the-true-one",
"summary": "O thou servant of the True…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou servant of the True One!\n\nThy letter was received. The meeting *** which was\narranged with the utmost union in the studio of Miss ......... was in\nreality spiritual, merciful and illumined. The friends of God were\nassociating with great harmony and friendship. I hope that all the\npeople of the world become united and cemented. The Blessed\nPerfection hath appeared for the sole purpose of the unification and\nsolidarity of the people of the world, so that all of them may enter\nunder the shade of one tree, sing one melody in one rose-garden and\nadorn the universe with love and oneness.\n\nEvery meeting which is organized for the purpose of\nunity and concord will be conducive to changing strangers into\nfriends, enemies into associated, and Abdul-Baha will be present in\nhis heart and soul with that meeting.\n\nI entreat from God that the believers may at all times\nstrive to bring about union and harmony, in order that this power of\nunity may display an effect in this world; each country become\nilluminated, the darkness of foreignness be dispelled gradually and\nthe light of unanimity dawn and shed its rays to all parts.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou servant who art near and dear to the Glorious...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-servant-who-art-near-and-dear-to-the-glorious",
"summary": "O thou servant who art near and dear to the Glorious…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"joy",
"love",
"perseverance",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou servant who art near and dear to the Glorious\nThreshold!\n\nGive thanks to God for having been ushered into His\nKingdom, partaken of the heavenly table and the “lord’s\nsupper,” attained ecstasy by the wine of His love, become\nenrolled as a soldier for life among the hosts of the Lord, and [for\nHis having] blessed thy head with a crown of great guidance, whose\ngems and pearls illumine the ages.\n\nConvey the greetings of this imprisoned one to the\nbeloved of God in the spiritual assembly of Kenosha. Say unto them:\n“The Cause is Great! Great! and the Kingdom of the Majestic\nLord overshadoweth heaven and earth. Your spiritual assembly should\nbe a source of joy to the world of humanity and be so illumined with\nlight as to dispel the darkened horizons, withstand the power of\ntests, remain firm and constant, be not disturbed by ordeals and feel\nno difficulty in spreading the light of guidance. If ye attain this\nattitude of firmness, the confirmation of the Divine will verily\npenetrate the world through your meeting. But this requires\ndisinterestedness in worldly things and devotion to the Kingdom of\nABHA, perseverance and effort are requisites and firmness is a\nnecessity. I beg God to illumine the faces of each of you so that\nthey may shine as stars in the high firmament.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou shining ray!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-shining-ray",
"summary": "O thou shining…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou shining ray!\n\nVerily, the ray, being transmitted from the etheric\nsphere, rends the space and reaches the surface of the earth and\ndispels the gloomy darkness. Verily, be thou one of the rays of the\nSun of Truth and then thou wilt cause the darkness of error to\ndisappear and wilt change its intense obscurity into a discovering\nlight which will guide (the people) unto the Kingdom of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou sign of the Kingdom and the bird singing with...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-sign-of-the-kingdom-and-the-bird-singing-with",
"summary": "O thou sign of the Kingdom and the bird singing with the most wonderful melodies in the rose-garden of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"gentleness",
"humility",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou sign of the Kingdom and the bird singing with the\nmost wonderful melodies in the rose-garden of Paradise!\n\nVerily, I have considered the meanings of thy brilliant\nletter which was of most eloquent expression and found it overflowing\nwith praise, thanksgiving, sanctification, supplication and\ninvocation toward the Supreme Kingdom. By my life, it was like unto a\nrose-garden adorned with the myrtles of realities and truths,\nwherefrom the pure fragrances emanated and perfumed the nostrils and\ndilated the hearts and souls.\n\nO thou maid-servant of God! Display thou an effort, gird\nup the loins of endeavor, dilate thy breast and be thou prepared for\nthe manifestation of the breaths of the Holy Spirit in thine heart.\nBy God, the true One, verily, the Holy Spirit confirmeth every\nmaid-servant who ariseth to spread the fragrances of God, so that the\ninhabitants of the whole world cannot overcome her spiritual\nstrength—for similar things have happened in the past\ncenturies.\n\nO thou maid-servant of God! Celebrate the praises of\nGod; become thou engaged with His mentioning like unto the\ntempestuous and roaring torrent rushing down from the mountains and\nhills; rend asunder the veils and coverings, so that the shining\nlights may become manifest to the eyes, refreshing the hearts of the\nrighteous ones with the gentle breezes of the flowers of truth and\nthe sweet fragrance of the dawn of eternity.\n\nO thou maid-servant of God! Verily, the bounties of thy\nLord are great and great in this glorious century and new age; the\nconfirmations are consecutive and continuous; the rays of the Sun of\nTruth are shining and sparkling; the stars of guidance are gleaming\nand scintillating and the rains of generosity are falling and\nflowing! Blessing is upon the one who taketh a share from this\nglorious outpouring and receiveth illumination from this light which\nis shining forth from the firmament of ether.\n\nO thou maid-servant of God! Blessed art thou, for the\nTemple of the Covenant (Abdul-Baha) hath become manifest to thee in a\ndream with incomparable humility and submission toward God, and that\nthou hast beheld that countenance overflowing with yearning,\nattraction and love toward the Beauty of the Almighty. Ere long thou\nshalt witness a great effect through this observation, whereby the\nspirit of life will become manifest in thee, which is now flowing in\nthe veins of the contingent beings. Then thou shalt behold that which\nnone have seen! At that time thou shalt fall upon the ground before\nGod the True One, for He hath favored thee with this most great\nbounty.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou sign of the Love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-sign-of-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou sign of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou sign of the Love of God!\n\nBe rejoiced that thou hast held the cup of providence in\nthy hand and drunk the choice wine of guidance, opened thine eye and\nwitnessed the lights of the Kingdom, unstopped thine ear and heard\nthy voice of the Lord of Hosts.\n\nBe not grieved at the death of thy dear daughter. This\ndivine bird flew away to the rose-garden of the Merciful and that\nplant of humanity hastened to the garden of the Kingdom of El-ABHA.\nThat drop returned to the Most Great Sea and that ray betook herself\nto the Most Great Orb. Be happy and thankful because thou wilt see\nher face shining in the divine Kingdom and wilt find her as a lamp\namid an assembly in the spiritual heaven.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou sincere servant of Baha’o’llah!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-sincere-servant-of-baha-o-llah",
"summary": "O thou sincere servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant",
"fast",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"generosity",
"hope",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou sincere servant of Baha’o’llah!\n\nThy letter was received and its content was the cause of\ninfinite happiness, for it was an indication of thy firmness in the\nfaith and thy steadfastness in the Covenant and Testament. Today, the\ngreatest of all titles and praises are firmness and steadfastness,\nfor the tests and trials are of the utmost intensity. I ask God that\nday by day thou mayest increase in steadfastness, so like unto a\nsolid rock thou mayest withstand the tempestuous sea of test.\n\nThe people of the world are like unto trees (i.e., trees\nwithout roots), they are torn up by the passing of a gust of wind,\nbut trees which are deeply rooted, strong and sturdy, are not\nuprooted by the most violent tempest—therefore they produce\nleaves, blossoms and fruits.\n\nO thou spiritual friend! Thou hast asked the wisdom of\nprayer. Know thou that prayer is indispensable and obligatory, and\nman under no pretext whatsoever is excused from performing the prayer\nunless he be mentally unsound, or an insurmountable obstacle prevent\nhim. The wisdom of prayer is this: That it causeth a connection\nbetween the servant and the True One, because in that state (i.e.,\nprayer) man with all heart and soul turneth his face towards His\nHighness the Almighty, seeking His association and desiring His love\nand compassion. The greatest happiness for a lover is to converse\nwith his beloved, and the greatest gift for a seeker is to become\nfamiliar with the object of his longing; that is why with every soul\nwho is attracted to the Kingdom of God, his greatest hope is to find\nan opportunity to entreat and supplicate before his Beloved, appeal\nfor His mercy and grace and be immersed in the ocean of His\nutterance, goodness and generosity.\n\nBeside all this, prayer and fasting is the cause of\nawakening and mindfulness and conducive to protection and\npreservation from tests. The obligatory prayer is revealed from the\nSupreme Pen and is translated in America. Ask for it from the\nbelievers and use it.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou sincere servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-sincere-servant-of-god",
"summary": "O thou sincere servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"kindness",
"mercy",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou sincere servant of God!\n\nBe not sad nor sorrowful over what hath occurred. What\nhath transpired is for the best and in it is a sacred wisdom\nconcealed which ere long will become manifest.\n\nTurn thou to the Kingdom of Abha and supplicate to the\nHighest Concourse. The aid and mercy of God encompasseth all and His\ndivine bounty is all-sufficient. Verily something will soon occur for\nthat kind friend (i.e., thyself) which will bring all happiness, joy,\npleasure and contentment in the Kingdom of God.\n\nRegarding those whose names thou hast written, I ask aid\nand assistance for them from God, especially ......... I beseech at\nthe Threshold of the Oneness of God to shower upon him blessings and\nopen upon him the door of guidance, bestowing upon his heart the\nheavenly light.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou sincere servant of the Lord of the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-sincere-servant-of-the-lord-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou sincere servant of the Lord of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou sincere servant of the Lord of the Kingdom!\n\nThou art favored and accepted in the Threshold of His\nHighness the Incomparable One, and art beloved and praised in the\npresence of Abdul-Baha. Thy services in the divine kingdom are\nevident and registered and the most eminent reward and the most great\nbounty are destined and in store for thee. The confirmation which\nhath descended unto thee is conducive to unlimited favor. Therefore,\nbe thou engaged in the glorification of the Forgiving Lord.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou sincere servant of the True One!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-sincere-servant-of-the-true-one",
"summary": "O thou sincere servant of the True…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou sincere servant of the True One!\n\nThy letter caused joy to the hearts. Its meanings\nperfumed the nostrils like unto a tender flower and a red rose. The\nheat of thy longing was felt and thy wish to present thyself to the\nblessed Threshold was recognized. Happy art thou who hast entered\nthis Supreme Paradise under the shadow of the Tree of Life and hast\npartaken of the Heavenly Table. This Servant hath also the utmost\nlonging to see thee and hopeth that some day this wish may be\nattained. But in these days, owing to the sedition of these faithless\nones (i.e., violators), coming to this blessed region is (subject to)\ngreat caution. Therefore, leave it to some other time and be engaged\nin diffusing the lights of the Sun of Truth.\n\nTurn thou unto the Kingdom of Oneness and chant thou the\nverses of Singleness. Be thou invested with a robe, the embroidery of\nwhich is purity and sanctity and the woof and warp of which is the\nspirituality of the Mighty Lord, so that thou mayest inhale the\nfragrance of the divine rose-garden from the garment of the real\nJoseph and so divest thyself of the mantle of bodily things that\nangelhood and ideal spirituality become realized (in thee).\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou slave of the Beauty of ABHA!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-slave-of-the-beauty-of-abha",
"summary": "O thou slave of the Beauty of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou slave of the Beauty of ABHA!\n\nThy letter was received. Praise be to God! It indicated\nthy firmness and steadfastness in the love of God—therefore, it\nwas the cause of happiness.\n\nThou hast written regarding the meeting of his honor Mr.\n........, his respected wife and daughter. Truly, I say, Mr. ........\nis a blessed soul and is engaged in the service of the Cause and his\nextreme hope is to bring about affinity between the souls and cause\nthe believers to be united and agree. This is also my highest hope. I\nhope, God willing, this unity and agreement will be established and\nthis imprisoned one, immersed in the sea of trials, become\nexhilarated and rejoiced. The aim of the appearance of the Blessed\nPerfection—may my life be a sacrifice for His beloved ones!\n—was the unity and agreement of all the people of the world.\nTherefore, my utmost desire, firstly, is the accord and union and\nlove of the believers and after that of all the people of the world.\nNow, if unity and agreement is not established among the believers, I\nwill become heartbroken and the afflictions will leave a greater\nimprint upon me. But if the fragrance of love and unity among the\nbelievers is wafted to my nostrils, every trial will become a mercy,\nevery unhappiness a joy, every difficulty an expansion, every misery\na treasure and every hardship a felicity.\n\nConvey on my behalf the utmost love and kindness to the\nfavored maid-servant of God [thy wife], and thy worthy and noble\nsons.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou son of the associate and companion of Abdul-Baha!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-son-of-the-associate-and-companion-of-abdul-baha",
"summary": "O thou son of the associate and companion29 of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou son of the associate and companion29\nof Abdul-Baha!\n\nYou brought many letters with you from those regions,\nbut on account of the great disturbance it was not possible to write\nthe answers. You saw what a commotion was set up in the Blessed Spot30\nthrought the instigation of the jealous brother. It still continues.\nTherefore you must apologize: Say that Abdul-Baha has considered\nevery one of the letters with the eyes of the spirit, has read each,\nand through the valid messenger—that is, through the spiritual\nsusceptibilities—has sent each the message of peace and\ngreeting. Therefore, let them turn to the blessed and Radiant Spot\nwith a pure heart and an attracted spirit, that they may receive\nanswer through the lights radiating therefrom.\n\nCommunication is not confined to writing. This is a\ntrace, while the spiritual message is fruitful and effective. That is\nthe essential, and without it communication is useless.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou son of the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-son-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou son of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou son of the Kingdom!\n\nConsider the bounty of the Lord and the gifts of thy\nCreator. He hath chosen thee to love Him and selected thee from among\nHis beings to know Him and distinguished thee particularly with the\ngift of dazzling light through which the faces of the righteous will\nshine. Verily I say unto thee that this gift now signifieth a globule\nand a date stone which shall spring up and grow until it becometh a\ntree of solid root and the branches thereof will extend to the East\nand West. Then the tongues shall utter: “This is naught but a\ngreat bounty!”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou speaker in the remembrance of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-speaker-in-the-remembrance-of-god",
"summary": "O thou speaker in the remembrance of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou speaker in the remembrance of God!\n\nVerily I say unto thee, O servant of God! The earth and\nwhat is therein are imaginations or reflections in mirrors or shades;\nbut the bounty of the Kingdom and the gifts of the invisible world\nare the thoughts of the Merciful One, and the lordly radiances are\nimmortal and constant and unending. Thou must depend upon these! Thou\nmust depend unto these! Thou must depend upon these!\n\nBe assured with the true assurance that, verily,\ndependence upon the Covenant of God is surrounded from all directions\nby those gifts and the angel hosts assist it on the right hand and on\nthe left hand, and the power of the Holy spirit strengthens it in all\ncircumstances and meets it with signs of splendor in the horizons.\n\nTherefore, confirm the wavering minds in the path of\nGod, and the feeble souls with the love of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou spiritual beloved!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-spiritual-beloved",
"summary": "O thou spiritual…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou spiritual beloved!\n\nI have carefully looked at thy picture and found that\nfrom thy face emanates the spiritual glad-tidings, the merciful\ncomplaisance and the heavenly brightness. Their traces shall appear\nand their lights shall shine.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou spiritual clarion!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-spiritual-clarion",
"summary": "O thou spiritual…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou spiritual clarion!\n\nThe voice of the physical clarion may travel the\ndistance of three miles, but the harmony of the spiritual Clarion\nreacheth to the East and the West. The effect of that is only in the\nbodies; but the effect of this is in the spirits. The first\nproclaimeth the time of prayer; the second announceth the appearance\nof the Most Great Resurrection. That hath no conscious knowledge of\nits own voice; while this is exhilarated and rejoiced by its own\nmelody.\n\nHow significant and eloquent were those new verses, for\nthey were the notes of the clarion of the love of God.\n\nRaise thou this call as much as thou canst, and sound\nand blow this clarion continually night and day, so that the souls\nmay become quickened and the people find eternal life.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou spiritual friend!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-spiritual-friend",
"summary": "O thou spiritual…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou spiritual friend!\n\nVerily, I was informed of the contents of thy letter and\nincreased gratitude unto God, for that He hath granted the friends\nclear consciences, pure and holy hearts, attraction unto the Kingdom\nof God, enkindlement by the fire of the love and humbleness to God.\n\nGlad-tidings unto ye for this abundant blessing,\nsufficient bounties, wide mercy, glorious appearances; therefore, be\nunited in hearts and spirits, strive so that ye may obtain the great\nfavors, attain to the overflowing chalice, perform charity (good\ndeeds), gain the spirit of life, attracted by the fragrance and\ndepend on the Lord of Signs. At that time your faces will be\nillumined, your souls holy, your hearts severed from this world and\nattached to the Supreme Concourse, and you will call out with the\nmost loud voice: “Glad-tidings unto us through these divine\nfavors and blessed are we by this heavenly guidance!”\n\nI was glad in heart when I saw thy likeness in the\nphotograph and looked at the resemblance like the reality of thy\nidentity and thanked God witnessing the light of God in thy beautiful\nface.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou spiritual lad!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-spiritual-lad",
"summary": "O thou spiritual…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou spiritual lad!\n\nMay God uphold thee and edify thee in the flower of thy\nyouth and in the spring-time of thy life and may He illumine thy face\nwith the lights of advancement unto God and turning unto the Kingdom\nof God. If thou become firm and steadfast in the love of God, thou\nshalt be confirmed with a confirmation whereby thy face will be\ngladdened, thy heart rejoiced and all thy family will be happy and\npleased. Therefore, confine thy thoughts and ideas in turning to God\nand submitting unto Him and chant the signs (verses) of thanks and\npraise for that by reason of which He hath strengthened thee to\nattain this great gift.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou spiritual leaf who art verdant and well-watered...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-spiritual-leaf-who-art-verdant-and-well-watered",
"summary": "O thou spiritual leaf who art verdant and well-watered by the outpouring from the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou spiritual leaf who art verdant and well-watered\nby the outpouring from the Kingdom of God!\n\nVerily, I beseech His Presence, the Mighty and the\nmajestic One, to enlighten the mind through the lights gleaming from\nthe summit of the Kingdom, and by which thy tongue shall become\neloquent with the remembrance of the Ever-living One (He who liveth\nand dieth not), to make thee a lamp shininng with the lights of\nknowledge in those far-distant horizons and vast countries.\n\nVerily, I say unto thee, the Covenant of God and His\nAlliance is a Lamp diffusing lights from the Supreme Concourse unto\nthe horizons of the earth and heaven. Whosoever hath this Divine Lamp\nbefore his face, his forehead shall glisten with manifest light and\nhis speech shall take effect in all minds and spirits, and God shall\nassist him by the poser which penetrateth the essences of things.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou spiritual maid-servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-spiritual-maid-servant-of-god",
"summary": "O thou spiritual maid-servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love",
"patience",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou spiritual maid-servant of God!\n\nThy letter was received and its contents became known.\nGod willing, the vision will become actualized. Announce thou to\n........: “Become thou a new creation and be thou patient and\nforbearing. Be baptized by the fire of the love of God and by the\nspirit of the knowledge of God, in order that thou mayest become\ncharacterized by the spiritual attributes; attain to the nature of\nthat kind Beloved; be so enkindled that thou mayest illumine a\nregion, become a sign of guidance and an ensign of the love of God.”\n\n\nO thou maid-servant of God! I know that thou hast\nspiritual love for Abdul-Baha and this is confirmed and beyond doubt.\n\n\nSay to ........: “Leave thou the “New\nThought” and seek after the New Kingdom. The “New\nThought” is a part of the New Kingdom. When thou hast found the\nlatter, thou hast found the former; nay rather, thou hast found all\nthings.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou spiritual man and merciful being!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-spiritual-man-and-merciful-being",
"summary": "O thou spiritual man and merciful…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou spiritual man and merciful being!\n\nI have read thy brilliant letter which showeth the\nutterance of thy praise upon the Beauty of El-ABHA, the Most\nGlorious. Blessed thou art! Glad-tidings unto thee for that by reason\nof which thou hast drunk from the cup which is overflowing with the\nwine of the love of God, and hast become intoxicated from that pure\nwine which was given to thee from the hand of Providence in the\nmeeting of the knowledge of God.\n\nTake the cup of sanctity in thy right hand and pass the\nglass of the Kingdom, in the social meeting—which is the wine\nof the love of God and the sweet, pure, cool water of the knowledge\nof God—and give to drink to those who are in attendance, that\nthey may rejoice, be happy and sing the hymns of sanctity and\nunification, offering their praise to the Supreme Kingdom.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou spiritual person and heavenly man—may God...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-spiritual-person-and-heavenly-man-may-god",
"summary": "O thou spiritual person and heavenly man—may God confirm…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou spiritual person and heavenly man—may God\nconfirm thee!\n\nKnow, that the divine springtime hath come with its\nrains and abundance, with the heat of its sun, the breeze of its life\nand the scent of its fragrance; and through this universal and great\nabundance, the land of the holy truth and facts hath moved and\nbrought forth of every kind, good and beautiful fruits. But the\nbarren, wicked land will not bring forth save the thorn of denial, of\nhaughtiness and disdain. Therefore, thank thou God for He hath made\nthee a good, fertile land by the clouds of the abundance of God the\nChosen.\n\nConvey my greetings to thy esteemed wife and daughter,\nwho are honored by the people of the Kingdom of Perfection.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou spiritual son!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-spiritual-son",
"summary": "O thou spiritual…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"mercy",
"patience",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou spiritual son!\n\nVerily I have received thy lettter***and its contents\nwere known. I supplicate God to open to thee a way and prepare for\nthee and guide thee in thy affair.\n\nBut concerning thy marriage with the maid-servant of\nGod, ........, do not be in a hurry. Deliberation and patience are\nnecessary until her mother giveth her consent and thy father and\nmother also acquiesce. This is the divine commandment! Take thou hold\nof it with a true firmness. Verily this is better for thee under all\ncircumstances! Verily thy Lord is gracious to His servants and He\nfacilitates ere long every straight cause. But thou must submit to\nand rely upon God under all conditions and He will bestow upon thee\nthat which is conducive to thy well-being. Verily He is merciful and\ncompassionate! For how many an affair was involved in difficulty and\nthen was straightened, and how many a problem was solved by the\npermission of God.\n\nBe thou not grieved, neither be thou sad. Finish thy\nstudies in sciences and then turn thy face unto God, asking from Him\nhelp and protection under all conditions.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou spiritual temple whose heart is drawn unto the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-spiritual-temple-whose-heart-is-drawn-unto-the",
"summary": "O thou spiritual temple whose heart is drawn unto the Horizon of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou spiritual temple whose heart is drawn unto the\nHorizon of Certainty!\n\nVerily, I am now in the Assembly of the beloved of God,\nwhose hearts are kindled with a burning, blazing and flaming fire\nfrom the fragrance of God, and I have mentioned thee with a heart\noverflowing with thy love. By my God! It is love which hath\nsurrounded me from all directions and thus I mention thee with a\nbeating heart and with a spirit turned unto the horizon of El-ABHA.\n\nTherefore, thank God for this bounty, the traces of\nwhich I hope will be spread, its lights shine and the fragrance of\nits breath diffused in the whole world of existence forever and ever.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou spiritual youth and merciful young man!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-spiritual-youth-and-merciful-young-man",
"summary": "O thou spiritual youth and merciful young…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou spiritual youth and merciful young man!\n\nConsider the grace of thy Master; how He hath directed\nthee to the fountain of salvation, until thou hast drunk from the\nsalsabil (i.e., clear water of life) of the guidance of God, in this\nholy and rich garden.\n\nCling to this firm handle and make thy feet steady in\nthis path, so that the bounties of thy Supreme Lord may successively\npour upon thee and make thee a sign of His mighty knowledge.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou spiritual youth!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-spiritual-youth",
"summary": "O thou spiritual youth!261…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou spiritual youth!261\n\n\nJapan hath made wonderful progress in material\ncivilization, but she will become perfect when she also becometh\nspiritually developed and the power of the Kingdom becometh manifest\nin her.\n\nOne will encounter a little difficulty in the beginning\nof the establishment of the Cause of God in that country, but later\nit will become very easy, for the inhabitants of Japan are\nintelligent, sagacious and have the power of rapid assimilation.\n\nFor the present, a perfect youth like thee is favored by\nthe bounty of the Kingdom and hath attained to the knowledge of the\nLord of the Kingdom. Show thou forth an effort that thou mayest\nfinish that which is necessary in the acquisition and study of\nscience and art; then travel thou toward the countries of Japan, so\nthat thou mayest hoist the Ensign of Truth waving from the apex of\nthe Supreme Concourse. Look thou not upon thine own capability; the\ninvisible divine confirmations are great and the protection and\nprovidence of the Beauty of Abha is the helper and the assistant.\nWhen a drop draws help from the ocean, it is an ocean in itself, and\na little seed, through the outpouring of rain, the favor of the sun\nand the soul-refreshing breeze, will become a tree with the utmost\nfreshness, full of leaves, blossoms and fruits. Therefore, do not\nconsider thy capacity and merit, but rely upon the infinite bounty\nand trust to His Highness the Almighty. Do not delay. Undertake soon\nthat which thou art intending.\n\nThere are prophecies concerning this Manifestation in\nthe Buddhistic books, but they are in symbols and metaphors, and some\nspiritual conditions are mentioned therein, but the leaders of\nreligion do not understand. They think these prophecies are material\nthings; yet those signs are foreshadowing spiritual occurances.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou Thahbet (Firm) in the Covenant!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-thahbet-firm-in-the-covenant",
"summary": "O thou Thahbet (Firm) in the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou Thahbet (Firm) in the Covenant!\n\nThy letter was received. It indicated firmness and\nsteadfastness; therefore, it gave me joy and gladness.\n\nToday the greatest of all affairs in the Cause is\nfirmness and steadfastness. A tree will not give fruit unless it be\nfirmly rooted. A foundation will not last unless it be firm. There is\nnothing in this world of man greater than firmness. A soul who is\nfirm will become a son of the Kingdom of God and will be confirmed\nwith the power of the Holy Spirit.\n\nFor this reason I have named thee Thahbet (meaning\nfirmness) and I ask the True One and supplicate Him that thou shalt\nremain firm in the Cause of God as an unshakable mountain and that\nthe whirlwinds of test shall never have any effect upon thee; nay,\nrather that thou shalt be the cause of the firmness of others.\n\nWith me thou art beloved and I ask God that thou mayest\nbecome the lighthouse of guidance in those regions and that thou\nmayest shine with the lights of oneness in this world of man.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou that mirror in which the Light of Guidance is printed!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-that-mirror-in-which-the-light-of-guidance-is-printed",
"summary": "O thou that mirror in which the Light of Guidance is…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"joy",
"love",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou that mirror in which the Light of Guidance is\nprinted!\n\nI was informed of thy prayer, thy supplication and thy\nbeseeching. Know thou verily:\n\nMy throne is my mat!\n\nMy glorious crown in my servitude toward God!\n\nMy standard is the commemoration of my Lord!\n\nMy hosts are the knowledge of my Master!\n\nMy sword is the guidance of God!\n\nMy dominion is my humility, my submissiveness, my\nlowliness, my abasement, my supplication and my beseeching unto\nGod—this is that permanent reign which no one is able to\ndispute, gainsay or usurp!\n\nI beg God to cause thee to be one of the pillars of this\ndivine reign, that thou mayest abundantly partake of this joy and\ngladness, and I invoke God that He may register thy name in the\npublished Tablet, in the pages of the Kingdom of God. I beg God to\ncause thy kinsmen (those who are near and dear to thee) to attain\nthat which thou hast attained, to drink from that Cup wherefrom thou\nart exhilarated, to brighten their eyes through that Light whereby\nthine eyes were brightened and to cause them to hearken to that Call\nwhereby thine ears were delighted; and that He may make you assemble\nunder the shadow of the Tree of the Testament, and cause you to be of\nthe hosts of His Kingdom, that ye may conquer the East of that region\nas well as its West, through the sword of peace and the weapons of\nlove, union and agreement, and that He may make thee to be a server\nin His blessed Olive Garden, and in his El-Abha (i.e., Most Glorious)\nParadise, and in His Holy Garden of the Supreme Kingdom.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou that virtuous soul and individual who art ready...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-that-virtuous-soul-and-individual-who-art-ready",
"summary": "O thou that virtuous soul and individual who art ready for the confirmation of the Holy…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou that virtuous soul and individual who art ready\nfor the confirmation of the Holy Spirit!\n\nI, with the utmost clemency, have read thy brilliant\nletter which showeth thine advancement toward the Kingdom of God and\nthe excessive preparation for the effulgence of the lights of God and\nthe greatest tendency for the baptism of the Spirit of God and thy\npleasure at the glad-tidings of God, thine attraction by the\nfragrance of God and thy gladness in the love of God. May God\nstrengthen thee so thou mayest come nearer to God, to separate\nthyself from aught else save Him and to assist thee in spreading His\nlights and uttering the abundance of His mysteries, to perfume thy\nnostrils with the fragrance of His holiness and to prepare for thee\nthe heavenly table, that thou mayest taste the delight of His\nloving-kindness. I now assure thee, O servant of God, that, if thy\nmind become empty and pure from every mention and thought and thy\nheart attracted wholly to the Kingdom of God, forget all else besides\nGod and come in communion with the Spirit of God, then the Holy\nSpirit will assist thee with a power which will enable thee to\npenetrate all things, and a Dazzling Spark which enlightens all\nsides, a Brilliant Flame in the zenith of the heavens, will teach\nthee that which thou dost not know of the facts of the universe and\nof the divine doctrine. Verily, I say unto thee, every soul which\nariseth today to guide others to the path of safety and infuse in\nthem the Spirit of Life, the Holy Spirit will inspire that soul with\nevidences, proofs and facts and the lights will shine upon it from\nthe Kingdom of God. Do not forget what I have conveyed unto thee from\nthe breath of the Spirit. Verily, it is the shining morning and the\nrosy dawn which will impart unto thee the lights, reveal the\nmysteries and make thee competent in science, and through it the\npictures of the Supreme World will be printed in thy heart and the\nfacts of the secrets of the Kingdom of God will shine before thee.\nChrist said—glory be to Him! —“Many are called but\nfew chosen.” Thank thou thy Lord for He hath made thee of the\nchosen. By my life! verily, this is a station which God giveth to\nwhomsoever He pleaseth. Know its value and appreciate it according to\nits desserts! Arise with all thy power to answer [i.e., to perform]\nall that is necessary to obtain this grace and bounty and be\nstrengthened in all circumstances and conditions of this existence.\nhow many noble-minded women, who were the queens of all provinces and\ncountries, have died and passed away and thou no longer hearest any\nmention of them; but every servant of the servants of the Merciful,\nwho were in the past decades and centuries, owing to their bright\nfaces illumined by the lights of truth and knowledge, their stars\nshine until today in the horizon of the highest and their rays dazzle\nin the mirrors of the world and their fame is divulged in the Supreme\nWorld and their sanctification spread in the Kingdom of God; and\nif—God forbid! —the foot of man deviate as did that of\nJudas, so that he became human after he was divine and sold the blood\nof Christ for a small and trifling sum—verily, there is in that\na great lesson to the people of understanding!\n\nAlthough I am far away from thee in body, still I am\nnear unto thee in spirit. But I ask God that the body will follow the\nspirit and out meeting will be facilitated. The most essential thing\nis the spiritual relation, the hearty friendship and the heavenly\nattraction. Thou must accomplish this.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou thrall of the Lord of the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-thrall-of-the-lord-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou thrall of the Lord of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou thrall of the Lord of the Kingdom!\n\nThy photograph was considered with utmost insight. This\npicture is an emblem of an enlightened face, that is, a countenance\nwhich hath taken a share of the outpouring of the manifest Light.\nThis picture is produced by the light of the sun. Therefore, it is\ncalled a sun picture. I pray to God that thy picture may become\nreflected upon the page of existence forever and ever.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou tree, developed in the garden of the Love of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-tree-developed-in-the-garden-of-the-love-of",
"summary": "O thou tree, developed in the garden of the Love of God!…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou tree, developed in the garden of the Love of God!\n\n\nBe well watered with the abundant rain falling from the\nclouds of the Testament of God, that thou mayest bring forth fresh\nand ripe fruits which are beneficial to the hearts and souls.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou tree planted in the Garden of the Love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-tree-planted-in-the-garden-of-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou tree planted in the Garden of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou tree planted in the Garden of the Love of God!\n\nAlthough thou art absent in body, yet, praise God! thou\nart present in spirit and art illuminated by the lights of the Divine\nLove. Thou must develop day by day and become more rejoiced than\nbefore through the fragrances of the Holy Spirit and illumine the\nhearts of others by the light of the love of God. I ask God to\nconfirm thee in the service of the Threshold of God and to strengthen\nthee in His servitude, like unto Abdul-Baha. Thus thou mayest be\nthrilled with the ecstasy of the wine of the Covenant and give a\ndrink thereof unto the world.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou tree planted in the Vineyard of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-tree-planted-in-the-vineyard-of-god",
"summary": "O thou tree planted in the Vineyard of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou tree planted in the Vineyard of God!\n\nVerily, the clouds of the mercy of thy Lord have poured\nforth the rain of His greatest gift; the heat of the Sun of Truth\nhath become intense upon the plains, valleys and hills, and the winds\nof fecundation of the mercy of thy Lord have blown o’er the\ngardens, mountains and thickets. Therefore, O thou tree, be verdant,\nblossom, put forth leaves and bear beautiful fruits in this most\nSupreme Paradise!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who are enkindled by the fire of the Love of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-are-enkindled-by-the-fire-of-the-love-of",
"summary": "O thou who are enkindled by the fire of the Love of God!…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who are enkindled by the fire of the Love of God!\n\n\nVerily, I received thy good and beautiful letter and I\nfound it to be a sign of thy love and an evidence of thy being\nattracted to the Beauty of El-ABHA. I ask God to make thee a caller\nto the Kingdom of El-ABHA, in those regions; to give thee a draught\nof the wine of grace, to attract thee to the center of guidance, to\ncause thee to ascend unto the Supreme World and to confirm thee by\nthe fragrances of the Holy Spirit, until thou mayest guide the people\nunto the kingdom of immortality, revive the hearts by the fragrances\nof God and plant the seed of guidance in the field of the souls, by a\nhelp from thy Lord, the Merciful, the Clement.\n\nAs to the wonderful melody whereby thy spirit was\nrevived, verily it is a melody of the melodies of the divine music,\nwhich will cause the spirits to ascend unto the Supreme Horizon and\nwill (cause) the mysteries to be unfolded.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Be one of the angels of peace and\na saint in the world. Verily thy Lord will cause thee to listen to\nthat wonderful melody, through the spiritual instrument.\n\nRegarding thy visit to this region67, it is not permissible at this time. But when the time comes,\npermission will be granted thee to present thyself at this Source of\nLight and Dawning-Point of the love of thy Lord, the Forgiver.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who are firm in the Covenant!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-are-firm-in-the-covenant",
"summary": "O thou who are firm in the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who are firm in the Covenant!\n\nThou has written regarding the articles and papers which\nare written by the believers of God and the forwarding of them to\nthis land for correction. This servant, on account of the multitude\nof works and occupations, hath no time whatever to attend to this\nmatter. If this articles are read in the spiritual assembly of each\ncity in America and the printing and spreading of them is advised and\napproved by the assembly, it is acceptable. This permission is\ngranted so that those souls do not become disappointed and may be\nengaged in the composition and printing of instructive papers. Mr.\n... will arrive here and we will discuss with him regarding this\nmatter.\n\nSay to Mr. ...: “If he writeth any article and the\nspiritual assembly of Washington doth approve its circulation, the\nspreading will be of good results.”\n\nHis honor ... hath not displayed the slightest\nshortcoming or omission in forwarding the letters and papers to this\nland. Know ye this for a certainty. Some of the letters have been\nreceived, but there hath not yet been time to answer them; while on\nthe other hand some of them are lost in the mail. Whatever hath been\nreceived, its answer dependeth upon time and opportunity.\n\nBut regarding the articles: These articles must be\nrevised and corrected by those souls who know the history of the\nCause. If they approve their circulation undoubtedly it will lead to\nthe rapid promotion of the Cause. For this servant hath no time\nwhatever (to revise those articles).\n\nRegarding the receipt of letters and their early\nacknowledgment: A new and complete system is organized. God willing,\nit will become perfected and put into execution.\n\nO thou who are firm in the Covenant! Convey the longing\ngreeting of this servant to his honor Professor .... The association\nwhich he hath organized is acceptable and beloved. God willing, he\nwill become assisted and the confirmations of the Kingdom of Abha\nwill descend. Today any soul who is planted, like a tree, along the\nsteam of this divine rose-garden, will grow and develop through the\ninfinite outpourings. For the rays of the Sun of Truth will shine\nforth, the Divine Husbandman will irrigate and the soul-refreshing\nbreeze will waft from the direction of grace. Consequently, that tree\nwill find the utmost freshness and delicacy, producing delicious\nfruits. Deliver to him the enclosed Tablet.\n\nThou hast written regarding his honor Mr. .... This\npersonage is a believer and assured; he is attracted, enkindled and\nof the utmost sincerity. The believers of God must have the utmost\nconsideration toward him; they must not avoid him; they must seek his\ncompanionship in a cheerful manner,. For this servant (Abdul-Baha) is\nintoxicated with the wine of servitude and he is happy and joyful in\nthe thralldom of God. Therefore, all must declare and do whatever is\nthe wish of his heart and soul. The point is there: The believers\nmust associate with Mr. ... with joy and love.\n\nThou hast written regarding the reception at the Persian\nLegation and the presence of the people of intelligence, His\nExcellency the Turkish Minister, and the conversation of the\nattracted maid-servants of God, ... and .... This news imparted the\ngreatest joy and happiness.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art a young tree in the Garden of the Love...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-a-young-tree-in-the-garden-of-the-love",
"summary": "O thou who art a young tree in the Garden of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art a young tree in the Garden of the Love of\nGod!\n\nI supplicate to God that He may develop and flourish\nthee with the shower of mercy, the heat and light of the Sun of Truth\nand the soul-imparting breeze of the Paradise of ABHA and to bestow\nupon thee a great limitless delicacy and freshness.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art ablaze with the fire of the Love of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-ablaze-with-the-fire-of-the-love-of",
"summary": "O thou who art ablaze with the fire of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art ablaze with the fire of the Love of God!\n\nAs to thy vision that thou wert traveling to Acca in a\nship with the maid-servant of God .........: this ship is the ship of\nthe Covenant, which is surrounded by the winds of discord from the\npeople of hypocrisy. Be rejoiced that ye two are preserved and have\nreached the shore of salvation.\n\nKnow thou, verily, the winds of confirmation shall\nsurely surround the Ark of Deliverance, the sails of the covenant\nshall be unfurled, and it shall reach the shore of the Kingdom of\nGod. Blessed art thou, for thou hast entered this Ark and art saved\nfrom afflictions!\n\nAs to what thou hast seen in the dream, concerning the\nletter which reached thee from me, and angels were enclosed in it and\nthey surrounded thee: Know thou verily, that letter is this glorious\nwriting whereby I address thee; and, verily, this is full of angels\nof confirmation from the Kingdom off God and they will assist thee to\nserve the Cause of God in the vineyard of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art accepted of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-accepted-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art accepted of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art accepted of God!\n\nKnow thou that, verily, the eye of favors is directed to\nthee and is beholding thee with a divine glance, so that thou mayest,\nwith clear eyes, see the lights of the Kingdom upon the horizon.\nRemember, at all times, this great favor and thank thy Lord and\nsupplicate to Him every day.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art acknowledging the Oneness of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-acknowledging-the-oneness-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art acknowledging the Oneness of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art acknowledging the Oneness of God!\n\nVerily, I read thy letter which contained beautiful\nmeanings and wonderful texts; was informed of thy turning unto God\nand thy attainment unto the bounty of the Kingdom, which is apparent\nand manifest by the appearance of God.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Let not thy hands tremble nor thy\nheart be disturbed, but rather be confident and firm in the love of\nthy Lord, the Merciful, the Clement.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Verily, all existence is [a book\nof] pages and tablets which utter the glad-tidings of the appearance\nof the Kingdom of thy Lord, the Supreme, the Great.\n\nObserve the pages of the universe and discover the\ntraces which appeared! Hast thou seen or heard in any of the previous\ncenturies or generations that which is manifested in this Glorious\nAge? If the writings of the previous centuries, the middle centuries\nand the later centuries, be compared with that which is manifested in\nthis single century, they will not weigh against it! nay, rather,\nthey are as drops of water in comparison with the ocean. Magnified is\nHe, who hath crowned this century with the appearance of His Kingdom!\n\n\nAs to thee, turn unto God with a heart cheerfully swayed\nby His love and kindled by the fire of His desires, both day and\nnight. The lights of God will appear unto thee, the mysteries of God\nbe unfolded to thee and thy bosom healed by the exhortations uttered\nby the Supreme Pen.\n\nConvey my greeting and praise to thy respected husband\nand say to him that the Jews are still expecting Christ and long to\nsee Him in all anticipation and great zeal, while His light was\nmanifested, His beauty shone forth, His call was raised, His trumpet\nblown, His standard hoisted, and His stars sparkled; but the\nPharisees are yet in an amazing slumber, immersed in former\ntraditions, and they make play with the signs of Thy Lord, the\nMerciful, the Clement.\n\nThank God that He guided thee unto the fountain of\nguidance, gave thee to drink from the cup of affection, summoned thee\nunto His Supreme Kingdom and chose thee from among those people. This\nis a favor wholly above comprehension and is not realized by the\nintellects which are negligent of the Lord of hosts and angels.\n\nO thou friend! Endeavor so that thou mayest ascend to\nthe station which is above the firmaments, near to the Generous Lord\nwho created and made thee.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art advanced toward God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-advanced-toward-god",
"summary": "O thou who art advanced toward…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art advanced toward God!\n\nThy letter was received. Its contents indicated that\nthou hast become alive through the spiritual breaths of his honor,\nMr. ......... Thank thou God that thou hast attained to this bounty\nand hast caught the light of guidance. Thou must be thankful to his\nhonor, Mr. ........., to the end of thy days, for from his hand thou\nhast drunk this overflowing cup of the Most Great Guidance.\n\nNow show thou forth firmness and steadfastness without\nwavering. If any test fall upon thee, it will be conducive to the\nstrength of thy faith.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art advanced toward the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-advanced-toward-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou who art advanced toward the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art advanced toward the Kingdom!\n\nThy letter was received and its contents created joy,\nfor it showed thy faith and assurance. Thou hast written that they\nhave expelled thee from the church and thy friends are manifesting\naversion toward thee. This is the beginning of thy trials. There are\ngreater trials than these. Therefore, be thou not sad, nay rather, be\nthou happy and full of glad-tidings. There is no harm done if they\nhave expelled thee from the church. Thou hast stepped into the\nKingdom of God. Thou hast entered into the Heavenly Jerusalem and\ndiscovered the Way to the Holy of Holies of the Kingdom. That church\nis of stone and cement, whereas this Holy of Holies is of\noverwhelming Light.\n\nBut the more the tormenting friends shun thee, go thou\nthe nearer to them. The more they deride and blame thee, show thou\nforth the greater love and affection. Do not look upon their\nshortcomings. Look thou upon all of them as the people of God and\nendeavor thou in right-doing and well-meaning. Ignorant are they;\nunderstand they do not. Therefore they are avoiding, criticizing and\nscorning thee.\n\nDo not pursue thy friend, ...; leave him to himself.\n\nIn the time of invocation to God, I remember thee and\nsupplicate and entreat Him to confirm thee and assist thee in the\nservice of His holy vineyard.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art advanced towards God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-advanced-towards-god",
"summary": "O thou who art advanced towards…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art advanced towards God!\n\nVerily I implore God to cause thee to be a sign of the\nbook of Genesis, declaring His mentionings and His praise among the\ncreatures, with brilliant face, smiling mouth, dilated breast and\nrejoiced heart, for the manifestation of His evident glory and the\nappearance of His illumining Beauty from that wonderful horizon.\n\nSurely a day will come when all thy desires will be\nattained and God will answer all that which thou hast prayed for in\nthine heart, and I beg of Him to make all that which thou hast longed\nfor long ago very attainable. Then thine heart will be overflowed\nwith joy on account of such a great bounty.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art advancing to the Dawning-point of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-advancing-to-the-dawning-point-of",
"summary": "O thou who art advancing to the Dawning-point of Lights!…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art advancing to the Dawning-point of Lights!\n\n\nExtend the hands of communion unto the sacred and\nbrilliant Threshold and read the following prayer:\n\n\nO my God! O my God! Glory be unto Thee for that Thou\nhast confirmed me to the confession of Thy Oneness, attracted me unto\nthe word of Thy Singleness, enkindled me by the fire of Thy love, and\noccupied me with Thy mention and the service of Thy friends and\nmaid-servants.\n\n\nO Lord, help me to be meek and lowly and strengthen me\nin severing myself from all things and in holding to the hem of the\ngarment of Thy Glory, so that my heart may be filled with Thy love\nand leave no space for the love of the world and the attachment to\nits qualities.\n\n\nO God! Sanctify me from all else save Thee, purge me\nfrom the dross of sins and transgressions and cause me to possess a\nspiritual heart and conscience.\n\n\nVerily Thou art merciful and verily Thou art the\nGenerous, the Helper.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art advancing to the Kingdom of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-advancing-to-the-kingdom-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art advancing to the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art advancing to the Kingdom of God!\n\nI have considered thy writing, which indicates\nbrightness of heart and the love of God. Blessed art thou for having\nbeen thus favored and for having attained to guidance.\n\nYou have asked me two questions: “That if the same\nspirit is manifest in all the Manifestations and Prophets, then what\nis the distinction or difference between Christ (or rather Jesus) and\nthe other Prophets; also [what is the difference] between Father and\nSon?”\n\nKnow that the human spirit is one, but it manifests\nitself in various members of the body in a certain (measure or) form.\nThe human spirit is existent in the sight (eyes); it is also existent\nin the brain, which is the location of great functions and powers; it\nis also existent in the heart, which organ is largely connected with\nthe brain or the center of the mind, and the heart, or that center\nwhich is connection with the brain, has a distinct and separate\nfunction, effect and appearance. In this connection, the hair and\nnails have no command (nor direct feeling).\n\nFiguratively speaking, the Father is the center of the\nbrain and the Son is the center of the heart; the rest of the\nProphets are members and parts. Fatherhood and Prophethood, in this\ncase, are two expressions of the same thing, as man and creature are\ntwo names of the same reality. The word “man,” however,\nis greater than the word “creature” because it bears a\nweightier meaning than the name “creature”; both are the\nsame.\n\nO maid-servant of God! I pray God to confirm thee\nforever anew. Give greeting to thy dear mother. Superstition hath\nsomewhat overcome her. When the imagined Satan overpowers, let her\nsay: “O Baha-el-ABHA!” She should then turn to the\nhighest Kingdom. Thus will the imagined Satan leave her. [She] has a\nform of obsession; therefore, you may not heed her sayings.\n\nCultivate the land and thus, through its fruits, you\nwill obtain benefits. God will relieve you from care (on account) of\nyour mother.\n\nGive your good husband my spiritual greeting. I pray\nthat he may be made a recipient of the divine bounties and attain to\nthe grace of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art advancing toward God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-advancing-toward-god",
"summary": "O thou who art advancing toward…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art advancing toward God!\n\nVerily I read thy letter of wonderful expression and\neloquent composition and thanked God that He hath poured upon thee\nthe bounty of guidance and hath made thy heart a lamp of piety.\n\nVerily I beseech God, with all humbleness, to remove the\ncovering from thine insight and to show unto thee His great signs,\nand to make thee a banner of guidance, severed from all else save\nHim, enkindled with the fire of His love, engaged in His praise and\napprehending the realities of things; so that thou mayest see with\nthine eyes, hear with thine ears and not imitate any of the fathers\nand ancestors; have perception in the matter of thy Lord, for the\npeople are in dark veils. By God, the True One, verily the doors of\nthe everlasting paradise are opened before the faces of the devoted\nones and the Tree of Life therein overshadows the spiritual ones.\nHappy are those who enter it and are sheltered under its shadow!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art advancing toward the Divine...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-advancing-toward-the-divine",
"summary": "O thou who art advancing toward the Divine…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art advancing toward the Divine Kingdom!\n\nWhat thou hast written was understood and noted. Thou\nhast asked concerning the station of this servant. The station of\nthis servant is servitude to the Holy Threshold (BAHA’O’LLAH)\nand I glory and honor in this. Abdul-Baha is the standard of the\ndivine love, the sign of the gift of God, the servant of the\nassemblage of the merciful ones, the light of the meeting of the\nspiritual ones. He is the orb of peace and reconciliation and the\nlight of love in the world of humanity. He is the herald of the\nKingdom of the Merciful One and the promulgator of the religion of\nrectitude and security. This is the station of this servant! This is\nthe Truth!\n\nI hope through the divine grace that the brilliancy of\nthe love of God will pervade all regions, and that he will remove\nwarfare and strife from the world of existence. Then the human world\nwill become expressive of the unity of the merciful world, the\ninferior world will become a clear and purified mirror reflecting the\nSupreme Concourse, the East and West will embrace each other like\nunto two longing ones and the North and South will shake hands and\nclasp each other in the arms like unto two beloved ones. This is the\nstation of Abdul-Baha.\n\nAs to the light thou dost witness: It is not an earthly\nlight (phenomenal); nay, rather, it is a heavenly light. It cannot be\nseen by the sight; nay, rather, it is perceived by the insight.\n\nAs to the resurrection of the body of Christ three days\nsubsequent to His departure: This signified the divine teachings and\nspiritual religion of His Holiness Christ, which constitute His\nspiritual body, which is living and perpetual forevermore.\n\nBy the “three days” of His death is meant\nthat after the great martyrdom, the penetration of the divine\nteachings and the spread of the spiritual law became relaxed on\naccount of the crucifixion of Christ. For the disciples were somewhat\ntroubled by the violence of divine tests. But when they became firm,\nthat divine spirit resurrected and that body—which signifies\nthe divine word—arose.\n\nLikewise the address of the angels to the people of\nGalilee, “That this Christ will return in the same way and that\nHe will descend from heaven,” is a spiritual address. For when\nChrist appeared, He came from heaven, although He was outwardly born\nfrom the womb of Mary. For He said: “No man hath ascended up to\nheaven, but he that came down from heaven.”\n\nHe said: “I came down from heaven and likewise\nwill go to heaven.” By “heaven” is not meant this\ninfinite phenomenal space, but “heaven” signifies the\nworld of the divine kingdom which is the supreme station and seat of\nthe Sun of Truth.\n\nTo be brief: The mysteries of the Holy Books are many\nand require explanation and elucidation. I hope thine insight will be\nso opened that the divine mysteries may become manifest and clear. O\nthou candle of the love of God!\n\nI read what thou hast written. Its meanings were\nspiritual and its contents merciful. It indicated (thy) pure\nintention and expressed clear brilliancy.\n\nI beg of God that thou mayest become an associate and\npartner of Abdul-Baha in servitude to the Holy Threshold of Baha’,\nthat thou mayest praise me in my pure servitude and summon all to the\nMost Great Guidance.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art advancing toward the Kingdom of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-advancing-toward-the-kingdom-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art advancing toward the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art advancing toward the Kingdom of God!\n\nThy letter was read; its contents had bearing upon\nGuidance. Praise be to God! thou possessed a perceiving eye and an\nattentive ear! Now is the time for thee to give thanks to God with an\nexpressive tongue; to appreciate this bounty.\n\nConsider in what a great age thou hast stepped into the\nworld of existence and under the shadow of what an Ensign of Guidance\nthou wert sheltered and attained the hope and greatest desire of the\nsaints!\n\nIf thou dost arise to comply with that which is deemed\nworthy of this favor and is a duty, thou shalt observe that this\nGuidance is the crown of eternal sovereignty and this attainment is\neverlasting glory, happiness and the means of the forgiveness of sins\nand the lamp of eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art advancing toward the Kingdom of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-advancing-toward-the-kingdom-of",
"summary": "O thou who art advancing toward the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art advancing toward the Kingdom of God!\n\nVerily, I supplicate God to illuminate thy heart through\nthe light which is shining from the Supreme Concourse that His\nmightiest power may strengthen thee to be firm, steadfast, submissive\nand lowly before the Kingdom of God, and to be an example of good\ndeeds among the maid-servants of the Merciful. And I beseech Him to\nmake thy breast a clear mirror to reflect the light of the spirit of\nGod.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art advancing toward the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-advancing-toward-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou who art advancing toward the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art advancing toward the Kingdom!\n\nThy letter was received. From its contents it became\nknown that thou hast turned thy face toward His Highness, the\nMerciful One, after the reading of the Book of Ighan240, and hast become a new creation.\n\nI trust in the favor of the True One, that thy sisters\nand brothers may likewise attain, and that thou mayest become\nconfirmed with the confirmation of the Holy Spirit, in order that\nthou mayest be the cause of teaching many souls, and guide every\nperson with whom thou hast association and intercourse.\n\nI ask from God that thou mayest be the cause of the\nawakening and mindfulness of thy father and mother, and that many of\nthy friends may rend asunder the veils of superstition and behold the\nLight of Truth.\n\nO thou advancer toward the Kingdom! Endeavor thou day by\nday to increase thy yearning and attraction, so that the attitude of\nsupplication and prayer may be realized more often.\n\nIf we do not meet in this physical word, I ask from God\nthat we may meet in the realm of vision, and that day by day the\nrevelation of the Kingdom may become greater. ***\n\nConvey my respectful greeting to Mr. ... I hope that he\nwill become confirmed and assisted in his voyage to India; and that\nthe power of the Word of God will penetrate in such wise in those\nparts (India) that Mr. ... himself will stand astonished and add to\nhis faith and assurance.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art advancing toward the Threshold of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-advancing-toward-the-threshold-of",
"summary": "O thou who art advancing toward the Threshold of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"justice",
"love",
"mercy",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art advancing toward the Threshold of\nMercifulness!\n\nVerily, I have read the expressions of thy longing for\nthe visit and thy craving to come to this Brilliant Spot. But the\nviolators of the Covenant of God have stirred up the dust of\ndeception, and besides this, there are numerous obstacles and it is\nimpossible for thee to come in these times. But verily, I pray my\nLord to make this success feasible unto thee in a future time. There\nis for this a mature wisdom concealed from sight, but it shall appear\nas clear as the sun in midday.\n\nAs to thee, be rejoiced at the glad-tidings of thy Lord\nand trust in His great gifts, the lights of which have shone forth\nupon the horizons of hearts and souls, and trust in the assistance of\nthy Master, and ask what thou wishest of the gifts of thy Lord, the\nUnconstrained! Draw nigh unto Him with a pure heart, cheerful face,\ngazing eye and a joyful spirit and plunge with thy whole being into\nthe sea of the love of God and forget all else save Him, so that thou\nmayest be filled with such spiritual sentiments from the kingdom of\nGod, which will take the reins of desire from thy hands and move thee\nwith the power of thy Lord, just as the wind moveth a mote in the\nopen air as it willeth. At that time we will draw unto each other in\nspirit, a nearness which will be eternal, everlasting and endless.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art advancing towards God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-advancing-towards-god",
"summary": "O thou who art advancing towards…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art advancing towards God!\n\nI have already read thy letter sent to his honor, .....\nMay God confirm and strengthen thee to serve His Cause and to enable\nthee to speak His praise among the maid-servants of the Merciful, and\nto call out in His name in those regions and climes; so that thou\nmayest work in the vineyard of God with thy heart severed from aught\nelse save God, and overflowing with the waters of the knowledge of\nGod.\n\nWe have herewith written answers to the three\nsupplications which thou hast sent.\n\nRejoice at the glad-tidings of God, in this day wherein\nthe fragrances of holiness have perfumed the nostrils of all in the\nuniverse!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art advancing towards the Shining Orb of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-advancing-towards-the-shining-orb-of",
"summary": "O thou who art advancing towards the Shining Orb of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art advancing towards the Shining Orb of the\nHorizons!\n\nVerily, the East and West have already glittered through\nthe light which is shining forth from the Horizon of the mercy of thy\nLord, the Clement, the Merciful, but the blind are still in great\nerror.\n\nThe Call of God is already raised throughout all\nconcourses of the earth; but the deaf are still muffled in thick\nveils. All things have already uttered the praise of God; but the\ndumb are still continuing in their astounding silence.\n\nAs to thee: Listen to the Supreme Concourse and hear the\ncall, “Glory be unto my Lord, the El-Baha!”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art advancing unto God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-advancing-unto-god",
"summary": "O thou who art advancing unto…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art advancing unto God!\n\nVerily I pray to God to make thee and thy revered\nhusband—under the shadow of His Greatest Name—confirmed\nin all conditions, aided in the service of the Cause of God with a\nconfirmation on the part of the Merciful Lord.\n\nO my God! O my God! I ask thee to protect these two\nbirds in the orchard of Thy mercy, confirmed in joy and happiness in\nthe garden of Thy bounties, warbling with the best melodies in the\nwood (garden) of Thy knowledge. Verily Thou art the Precious, the\nMighty, the Protecting!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art advancing unto the Face of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-advancing-unto-the-face-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art advancing unto the Face of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art advancing unto the Face of God!\n\nBlessed art thou for that thou wert saved from the storm\nof doubts, wert healed from all manner of disease, wert rejoiced in\nspirit by the fragrances of God, held firm to the love of God and God\nhelped thee through the trials. This we heralded unto thee before and\nit was an ordained and firm promise.\n\nDraw night unto God and perservere in (thy) communion\nwith (or prayer to) thy Lord, so that the fire of God’s love\nmay glow more luminously in the heart, its heat grow stronger and\ngive warmth to that region and its sound reach the Supreme Concourse.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art advancing unto the Kingdom of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-advancing-unto-the-kingdom-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art advancing unto the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art advancing unto the Kingdom of God!\n\nI ask God to make thee a helper to the maid-servants of\nthe Merciful, to walk in the path of salvation, to disperse the\nclouds of doubt from the horizon of the hearts, to make the sun of\nknowledge manifest unto souls and spirits and to confirm thee in a\nmatter which will make thee to raise the banner of the Covenant in\nthe world.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art afflicted by a visitation by which thine...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-afflicted-by-a-visitation-by-which-thine",
"summary": "O thou who art afflicted by a visitation by which thine eyes are overflowing with…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art afflicted by a visitation by which thine\neyes are overflowing with tears!\n\nBe not grieved and afflicted for this calamity which\nhath befallen thee; nay, rather, rejoice that God hath favored (thy\nbabe) with His heavenly gifts. Truly, I say unto thee, wert thou\ninformed of that felicity which thy babe hath attained in the worlds\nof God, thy breast would be dilated and thy soul would be purified.\nTruly, I say unto thee, thy child will be fostered from the breast of\nthe gift of God in the Exalted Kingdom and will be nursed in the\nbosom of mercy in the Supreme World of God. Therefore, be filled with\ndelight, for the favor of thy Lord is very great!\n\nI beg of God to pour on thee becoming patience, so that\nthy heart may be consoled with the fragrance of His mercy and that\nthy breast may be dilated with His favors, that thou mayest attain to\nthe spiritual states which are lasting forever and ever.\n\nThou oughtest to bear it with becoming patience. Again,\nthou oughtest to patiently bear this calamity which hath flowed thine\neyes with tears and hath greatly afflicted thee.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art agitated as oceans by the winds blown...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-agitated-as-oceans-by-the-winds-blown",
"summary": "O thou who art agitated as oceans by the winds blown from the direction of the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art agitated as oceans by the winds blown\nfrom the direction of the Kingdom of God!\n\nVerily I read thy wonderful letter, declaring the\ngrandeur of thy nature and the excess of thy love and thine attaining\nthe knowledge of God. Verily its contents were as spiritual meanings\npoured forth from a heart throbbing by the spirit of the love of God.\nI beseech God to confer on thee, and on thy noble husband, a perfect\nfavor from His Supreme Kingdom, until your faces may sparkle by its\nlight, among the creatures, and by which the fame of your love in God\nmay be renowned among the horizons.\n\nBy my life, this is a favor for which the angels of\nheaven and the spirits of the holy ones are longing in the Supreme\nWorld. And (I beg God) to prepare for you your greatest desire—that\nis, the attaining (the visit to) the blessed, perfumed, amber-scented\nTomb,49\ndiffused in all horizons.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art always calling on God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-always-calling-on-god",
"summary": "O thou who art always calling on…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art always calling on God!\n\nThank thou God for He hath guided thee to the path of\nHis Kingdom and provided thee with the fruit of the Tree of Life,\nwhich is planted in the middle of the Ferdowee (i.e., the highest\nParadise). Yea, this fruit is the knowing God and love for God, and\nreliance upon God and is the virtue with which the reality of man is\nadorned, and it is the perfections which are the great gift for the\nchildren of Adam (i.e., mankind) in this first creation.\n\nVerily, I beg of God to bestow upon thee and thy\nrelatives the blessing of His clemency and to assign for thee and for\nthem everlasting glory and eternal life in the visible world and in\nthe Kingdom.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art anticipating the appearance of the Gift...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-anticipating-the-appearance-of-the-gift",
"summary": "O thou who art anticipating the appearance of the Gift of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art anticipating the appearance of the Gift\nof God!\n\nVerily, I read thy letter which indicated that thou hast\nturned unto the Blessed Spot, that the Truth (of God) hath revealed\nitself to thee, that thy fear is quieted and that thou hast attained\nto composure, assuredly believing in this great Cause.\n\nKnow thou, verily, there are many veils in which the\nTruth is enveloped: gloomy veils; then delicate and transparent\nveils; then the envelopment of Light, the sight of which dazzles the\neyes, as doth the sun which is enveloped only in its own light and,\nas we look at it, the sight is blinded and eyes are dazzled.\n\nI beg of God to remove all the veilings and familiarize\nthe light with all eyes, so that man may not be veiled from\nwitnessing the Sun of Truth.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Verily, the tests and trials of\nGod are very great and very violent. Beseech thou God to protect thee\nfrom all doubts and to guard thee from the interpretations of\nparabolical48\nverses, as made by those who know not in what valley they are roving,\nwho speak according to their own selfish purposes and after their own\nevil inclinations; who accept and then reject; who believe in God and\nthen deny Him; and who appear firm and then backslide: thus thou\nbeholdest these oscillating daily.\n\n“Leave them to amuse themselves with their own\nvain discourses,” and turn thou to the light of the Testament,\nand rejoice at the bounty of the effulgence, and seek shelter under\nthe shadow of the standard of the Covenant. Thou wilt soon find it\nfluttering on the highest summits of glory, surrounded by the valiant\nhosts of the angels of heaven and assisted by spiritual armies of\ngreat number that proceed from the Supreme Concourse.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art anticipating the descent of the Gift of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-anticipating-the-descent-of-the-gift-of",
"summary": "O thou who art anticipating the descent of the Gift of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art anticipating the descent of the Gift of\nGod!\n\nThe sweetness of the expressions contained in thy words\nreached the taste of my perception and I was informed of the glorious\naim embodied in thy sentences.\n\nNo doubt the breeze of God hath awakened thee from thy\nsleep, until thou hast become conscious of the bounties of the\nKingdom which are descending at this time.\n\nAs to thy desire to be severed from this mortal life and\nthy great attraction to the eternal life: This is becoming to every\ndiscerning human being who hath a lofty character. I pray God to\nordain for thee this pure life and make thy heart attracted unto\nexalted grades, favored in His Supreme Kingdom, humble and meek\nbefore every penitent servant and diffusing the fragrance of God in\nthis new age.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art arisen for the service of the Cause of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-arisen-for-the-service-of-the-cause-of",
"summary": "O thou who art arisen for the service of the Cause of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art arisen for the service of the Cause of\nGod!\n\nI received thy recent letter and rejoiced in spirit at\nits interesting contents which indicated thy arising for the service\nof the Kingdom of god, servitude unto His beloved ones and meekness\nand lowliness to His chosen ones.\n\nI ask God to augment, day by day, thy zeal, attraction\nand glowing with the fire of God’s love; to destine for thee a\nglorious station (or mansion) in His great Kingdom and to open before\nthy face doors of success and dilation, such that hearts shall be\namazed and minds astounded.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art assured in God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-assured-in-god",
"summary": "O thou who art assured in…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art assured in God!\n\nVerily we read thy letter and asked for thee\nconfirmation. Verily thy Lord will strengthen thee in great\nspirituality and cause thy heart to overflow with the gifts of God.\n\nAll the servants of the Merciful here convey to thee\ngreetings and praise. ***\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art assuredly believing in God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-assuredly-believing-in-god",
"summary": "O thou who art assuredly believing in…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art assuredly believing in God!\n\nVerily, I read thy brilliant letter and thanked God for\nthat He hath created a maid-servant for Baha’, who prays for\nAbdul-Baha and beg the confirmation and assistance of God in his\nbehalf, because I am earnestly fond of the prayer of the\nmaid-servants of God in my behalf and of their asking the blessing of\nGod for this servant!\n\nI begged of God to ordain all good unto thee for thy\npraying for Abdul-Baha.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attached to the Beauty of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attached-to-the-beauty-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art attached to the Beauty of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attached to the Beauty of God!\n\nVerily, I was rejoiced when I read thy excellent letter,\nwhich portrayed a spiritual attraction and a rejoicing at the (news)\nof the merciful Kingdom! Know thou verily, the hand of divine\nProvidence hath attracted thee to the Throne of the Kingdom, and the\ndivine glad-tidings hath caused such joy and happiness in thee, that\nthou hast removed the covering and lifted the veiling from the\nCountenance of the Divine Beauty, beheld the Brilliant Face through\nthine insight, and became cognizant of the mysteries of purity and\nsanctity in this divine Cause!\n\nNow, with a heart overflowing with the love of God,\nsupplicate to God with all joy, and thank thou God for this guidance\nand this high gift. And know thou, that verily, the vanguards of the\ngifts of thy Lord shall overtake thee from all sides (parts) when thy\nfeet become firm in the Path.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted by a Breath that passed upon...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-by-a-breath-that-passed-upon",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted by a Breath that passed upon thee from the Holy Garden, the Blessed Spot—the Paradise of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted by a Breath that passed upon\nthee from the Holy Garden, the Blessed Spot—the Paradise of\nEl-Abha!\n\nI have read thy brilliant letter, which although short\nin words yet [is] loquacious, and shows thy firmness in the Covenant\nof God, thy steadfastness in the religion of God, thy adherence to\nthe laws of God, and thine energy which thou hast shown towards the\ndoctrines of God. Thou has done well. Thou has done well, O thou\nshining star in the Horizon of El-Abha! Well done! Well done! O thou\nburning candle in the glass of that remote country!\n\nIt hath been reported by ..... that thou hast rendered\nvaluable services to the vineyard of God and His beloved servants,\nthat thou art encouraging the shaking hearts and making them more\nfirm and solid, and about the facilitations thou hast made for the\npromotion of the utterances of God amongst the people. By the Life of\nGod! the angels of heaven magnify thee, the Supreme Concourse praise\nthee, the party of the Kingdom of El-Abha announce to thee the\nglad-tidings and the hosts of the unseen assist thee and render thee\nvictorious through the banners of Baha.\n\nI have answered the two supplications sent through thee\nby two newly guided servants.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted by the Breath of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-by-the-breath-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted by the Breath of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted by the Breath of God!\n\nWith all joy I read thy brilliant letter and was\ninformed of its expression and meanings, which showed thine abundant\nlove in God, thy humility before the beloved of God, thine attraction\nto the fragrances of God and thy firmness in the Testament of God.\n\nI beg of God to make thee promote perfect harmony among\nthe believers of God and pure affection amid the chosen ones of God\nand make thee [to] cause greatest tranquillity to all the creatures\nand [to] show kindness towards all the people on the earth, because\nthe bounty of the Merciful God is but pure love, great prosperity and\nuniversal peace among the different people in all regions and laying\nthe foundation of great happiness and felicity for all the creatures.\n\n\nConsequently, O thou who art attracted by the fragrances\nof God, exert thyself and fail not to infuse affection throughout all\nhearts and souls; [fail not] to gather all the souls together in the\nassemblage of union and cheerfulness, so that the beloved of God may\nbecome as a levied army of the Supreme Concourse and as a host of\nsalvation descending from the Kingdom of ABHA and conquer the\ncountries of hearts and the cities of souls with their tongues,\nsimilar to sharp swords whereby fortresses and castles are conquered.\n\n\nBy the Life of God! Verily I love thee with all my heart\nand pray for thee every eve and morn that the forgiving Lord may\nenable thee to serve in His excellent vineyard and make thee a sign\nof His signs, to cause thee to deliver His Cause, diffuse His breath\n(and I beg of Him) to strengthen thine honorable wife to that which\nbehooveth these days. Verily He is the Giver of Confirmation in all\ncircumstances!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted by the Breaths of God! —may...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-by-the-breaths-of-god-may",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted by the Breaths of God! —may God confirm…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted by the Breaths of God! —may\nGod confirm thee!\n\nVerily I read thy letter, which contained expressions\nlike as of “the pure sealed wine,” showing what throbs of\nthe thoughts of the love of God in the mind of that righteous one\n(thyself) and that which shines of the lights of the knowledge of God\nin the heart of that beloved one.\n\nI beseech God to ordain thee as a sign of His great\nsigns, to confirm thee to shine as a light in the lantern of America;\nto cause thee to be stripped and cut from all positions, to announce\nthe good tidings of God, to diffuse the breaths of God, to speak the\npraise of God and to turn thy face to the Kingdom of ABHA, to be\nfreed from depending on this world, to be kindled by the fire of the\nlove of God, to be adorned with the ornament of perfection; to be the\ncenter of those virtues and characteristics wherewith the inner\nqualities of man are ornamented, to be confirmed by the breaths of\nthe Holy Ghost, to call on the name of God.\n\nO my beloved one! It is incumbent upon thee to be firm\nin the Covenant and to stand up and serve the religion of God.\nVerily, this is the magnet of confirmation and assistance, the\nattracter of all success and the leader of hosts of gifts.\n\nMay God protect thee from all accidents! May the Glory\nof ABHA be upon thee!\n\nConvey my greetings to the spiritual leaf, the servant\nof God, thy honored wife, the esteemed ........, and say unto her:\n“Serve in the olive garden of God, that God may help thee by\nthose confirmations by which intellects are astounded and the\nperceptions are cleared.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted by the brilliant lights of the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-by-the-brilliant-lights-of-the",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted by the brilliant lights of the Merciful One, shining from the Supreme…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted by the brilliant lights of the\nMerciful One, shining from the Supreme Kingdom!\n\nI opened thy letter with the greatest happiness and\nconsidered the meaning of thine address; but sadness became most\nintense within me when I learned about the dissensions among the\nbrethren278\nin those countries. By the life of God! “This is a wonderful\nthing!”\n\nVerily, the mission of all the prophets, the relation of\nall the scriptures, the diffusion of the instructions of God and the\ndescent of His law, were all in order to establish agreement and\nunion and to strengthen love and harmony among nations of different\ncustoms and thoughts, of diverse beliefs, doctrines, rites and\nhabits; of various classes, tribes and races. So likewise, as thou\nseest in this beautiful religion, verily, men of different beliefs,\ncreeds and religions, of contrary ideas and thoughts, of various\nraces, languages and natal lands—whether from East, West, North\nor South—all have entered under the shade of this Blessed Tree,\nplanted, grown and reared in the midst of Paradise, and are formed\ninto a single nation and religion in mutual union and agreement,\nready to sacrifice their souls and bodies, each to the other. This\nharmony is not effected but through the influence of the Word of God\nand is circulated and spread in all directions among the believers of\nGod, who are firm in the Covenant.\n\nThe dissensions prevailing in those parts (America) is\naltogether too surprising and strange; and I entreat God to purge it\nout through thy power of unity and oneness and unite the\ncongregations and gather together the dispersed multitude. verily, He\nis powerful in all things!\n\nBut for thee, leave such matters and disturbances and\nwithdraw from those districts and places and turn thy face sincerely\nto God; take His instructions and be expanded through the breaths of\ngod. The Spirit of God shall assist thee and His angels will confirm\nthee; the life of holiness of God will be breathed into thy mouth and\nthou wilt find thyself in a position free from these ideas and\nthoughts resulting from worldly grades. (Verily, these are disgraces\nto all who are in the habit of reading the verses of unity in the\nassemblies of existence!) Seize the opportunity, use every effort and\ndepend not upon circumstances which produce no fruits. Spend thy\ndays, with all joy and fragrance, in speaking to the praise of God,\nbeing gladdened through His good tidings, in rejoicing through His\ngraces and in spreading His breaths. Then thou shalt, with the eye of\njoy, see the banners of the Covenant fluttering above all stately\nmansions. Verily, God effecteth that which He pleaseth; naught can\nannul His Covenant; naught can obstruct His favor nor oppose His\nCause! He doeth with His will that which pleaseth Him and He is\npowerful over all things! At that time thou wilt find the waverers in\nmanifest loss.\n\nAs for the instructions: They will be revealed to thee\nand spread all through all those regions by the translation of the\ndivine verses.\n\nAs for the symbol of the cross, appointed in former\ntimes: Know verily, that the cross form is a wonderful figure and\nconsists of two right lines placed crosswise—one perpendicular\nto the other—and this figure exists in all things.\n\nMeditate upon these words and pay attention to the\ntissue in all existing substances, either plant, animal or man, and\nthou wilt see that they all are formed of the cross figure or two\ncrosswise lines. Consider this intently with true meditation. Then\nthou wilt be taught by the Holy Ghost that it is for this reason that\nGod hath chosen this symbol to be displayed as the token of sacrifice\nin all periods of the ages.\n\nI will explain to thee, in future time, the mystery of\nsacrifice. There is nothing more beautiful than this tree united with\nthe cross. Verily, this tree is a type of the Tree of Life\ninconjunction with the cross; in this, the mystery of sacrifice.\n\nas for the crescent: It hath reference to the beginning\nof the religion of God which shall grow to be a full moon.\n\nAs for the stars: They are types of the guides; for,\nverily, the star is a guide to people, even in the most gloomy\ndarkness, on both land and sea. In former centuries, people were\naided by the pole-star in whatever direction they went.\n\nVerily, I supplicate God to raise the instrument of\nsacrifice in those regions and to reveal there the mystery of\nsacrifice; to cause the crescent of the religion of God to rise until\nit groweth into a shining full moon; to brighten the stars of\nguidance and guide all through it; and I beseech Him to assist those\nbrethren to promote His Word in those most distant places, cause them\nto be servants to His precious olive-garden, keepers of His\ninaccessible fortress and guides to his straight path!\n\nMay glory be unto thee and unto them!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of God and...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-by-the-fragrances-of-god-and",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of God and enkindled with the Fire wherein Moses, the Speaker, found…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of God and\nenkindled with the Fire wherein Moses, the Speaker, found Guidance!\n\nMay it be salutary to thee, the draught from this cup,\nwhich is overflowing with the wine of the love of God.\n\nBlessed art thou, that thy heart is connected with the\ncallings of the Kingdom of El-Abha, so that thou hast dispensed with\nthe telepathic wires of the world, because the terminal of the\nspiritual wire reached the center of thy heart and the other is\nplaced in the Spiritual Center, vibrating informations constantly\nthrough the power of the Spirit and successively conveying the great\nglad-tidings. This is the station of (or for) every maid-servant\nwhose heart is filled with the love of God and attracted to the\nBeauty of El-Abha.\n\nThank God for showing unto thee and thy dear friend, the\nrevered ........, the great power and might of the Kingdom\npersonified in the body of humanity, and that thou didst worship Him\nwith a brilliant heart, and He addressed thee (saying): “Peace\nbe unto thee! Peace be unto thee!” His white vestment is the\ngarment of the Manifestation and [His] brilliant color. Regarding the\ngems which appeared on His breast, they are peerless pearls of wisdom\nwhich shine unto the horizons with a godlike fame. As to His shining\nface, verily it hath illumined the earth and dispersed the darkness\nfrom the contingent world. Regarding thine entrance with thy friend\ninto the gallery lighted with lamps, know thou that gallery is the\nworld of humanity and the lamps His wonderful teaching, His\nall-wisdom, His perfect bounty and His clear manifestation. He is the\nAbsent-Present in the world of humanity.\n\nO maid-servant of God! It is incumbent upon thee to\ndiffuse the fragrances, it is incumbent upon thee to promulgate the\nteachings of God and it is incumbent upon thee to breathe the spirit\nof life into the hearts of the people of those regions, so that thou\nbe a lamp of guidance in the recess of Green Acre. Take the cup of\nthe love of God in thy right hand and with thy left hand hoist the\nbanner of universal peace, love and affection among the nations of\nthe earth. Call out (saying): “Hasten! Hasten unto the Great\nBounty! Press! Press forward unto the Abundant Mercy! Speed! Speed\nunto the Manifest Light! Be urgent! Be urgent for the Great\nAttainment! Verily, by God the Truth, the doors of the Kingdom are\nopened, the lights of god have shown forth and illumined the horizon\nof the earth! The Lord of Hosts hath descended with the army of\nlights and angels of heaven and depressed the armies of darkness! He\nsent His angels to all directions, with a call of the trumpet of\nrealities and meanings, instructions and teachings! Therefore, O\npeople of the earth, appreciate the opportunity, in this new century,\nwherein the lights have been revealed by the Glorious Lord!”\n\nIn regard to the school which tho didst think of and its\norganization: I ask God that thou shouldst become confirmed in it\nwith all order and command. But now it is necessary first to organize\nthe Cause of God in those countries; then, order and preparation.\nTherefore arise, through a power from God, in organizing the Cause of\nGod—that is, the diffusion of the fragrances of God, promotion\nof the Word of God and heralding unto the nations and peoples with a\npre-existent power the appearance of the Most Great Sun.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-by-the-fragrances-of-god",
"summary": "O thou11 who art attracted by the Fragrances of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou11\nwho art attracted by the Fragrances of God!\n\nVerily I say unto thee the truth, that I am with you in\nspirit and in heart, that I rejoice by your joy and am happy by your\nhappiness; and hear with the ear of spirit your calling and scent\nwith the spiritual nostrils the fragrances of your garden.\n\nO ye friends of God! Arise from the corporeal beds\n(bodies) and ask for the divine favors, so that ye become revived by\nthe Holy Spirit through the breath which the Spirit breathes into the\nsouls.\n\nBy the glory of my Lord, there will be for your\nbrilliant assemblage an evident sign and great effects in the spirits\nand the hearts. Therefore, gladden the friends of the Merciful with\nthe glad-tidings of thy Lord in this time, and convey to them\ngreeting from Abdul-Baha in this promised century, so that they may\narise with me in servitude to the Threshold of El-Baha.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of Holiness!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-by-the-fragrances-of-holiness",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"gentleness",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of Holiness!\n\nBe dilated in thy heart by the gentle breeze which\nemanates from the garden of Eternal Life and enkindled in the Tree of\nSinai in the center of Paradise; so that thou mayest be a pillar of\nfire and a cloud of light in this age, wherein a drop grows into a\nlarge wave of the sea, and a lamp glistens with the light of the\ndazzling stars, and this is from the power which is manifested by thy\nLord, the Clement, the Merciful. ***\n\nBe firm in the worship of God, fasting, praying,\nimploring and invoking unto thy God, the Generous; so that He shall\ndestine to thee the honor of sacrifice in the path of thy Beloved,\nthe Ancient.\n\nI ask God to grant thee thy greatest wish in this\nwonderful time.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-by-the-fragrances-of-the",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of the\nKingdom of El-Abha!\n\nI read thy letter which was beautifully composed and\nwhich indicated that thy delicate body hath gained rest. I send thee\nthe answer spiritually so that the signs of the address may become\nmanifest in thy heart. Verily thou art with me in spirit at all\ntimes. I ask God to make thee follow my example in establishing the\nKingdom of Unity and Peace and building up the Dominion of Love and\nFaith which was founded by the Beauty of El-Abha. Rest and repose are\nnecessary for thee in these days; be thou composed in all conditions.\nThou art with me under all circumstances. Then thank God for His\nguidance unto thee. He hath made thee drink from a cup overflowing\nwith the wine of His love in the world. I ask God to make thee the\nessence of holiness and purity among the maid-servants of the\nMerciful—thus thou mayest be a brilliant flame in the universe.\n\n\nAll the Illumined Leaves, the maid-servants of God in\nthis most great prison, convey to thee greeting and praise.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted by the Love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-by-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted by the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted by the Love of God!\n\nIn the Persian tongue has thou written a letter; I was\nhappy to read it.\n\nPraise be to God! This is the dawn of the light of unity\nbetween the Eastern and Western people. In Persia the English\nlanguage is being studied widely and in America the Persian tongue is\nbeloved by some dear souls. In both countries the respective\nlanguages are being studied. This is in itself a proof that the East\nand the West (literally, place of sunrise and sunset) shall clasp\nhands as two families. The standard of unity shall be raised, and the\nmeans of love and friendship will be accomplished.\n\nEndeavor to complete the study of the Persian—thus\nmayest thou read the Tablets of the Blessed Beauty193\nand mayest translate them, and without the interpreter’s aid\nthou mayest read all my letter to thee.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted by the Speech of Abdul-Baha!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-by-the-speech-of-abdul-baha",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted by the Speech of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted by the Speech of Abdul-Baha!\n\nVerily I speak unto thee through the tongue of my\nspirit, from the spiritual direction, and explain for thee the\nmysteries of the kingdom and the meanings of the sacred, heavenly\nbooks. Direct thyself unto the Lord of the Supreme World and loosen\nthy tongue, so that He shall confirm thee by the spirit of Beyan\n(i.e., explanation) and breathe into thy mouth the Holy Spirit and\nmove thy tongue with the best meanings and mysteries.\n\nTrust in God and rely on His great bounty, because His\nbounty is overflowing like the seas, brilliant like unto the lights,\nflowing like currents of water and raining like the clouds. It is\nincumbent upon thee to be humble, lowly and submissive at the\nappearance of the lights of the gifts of thy Lord, in every instant.\nServe the friends of God under all circumstances and conditions. This\nis the station of the spiritual ones; this is the honor of the\nBahais; this is the glory of the sincere ones and this is the\nsovereignty of the unitarians.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted by the Word of god to the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-by-the-word-of-god-to-the",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted by the Word of god to the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted by the Word of god to the\nKingdom of God!\n\nTurn with the whole of thy being to God, forget aught\nelse save God, and supplicate God to make thee a sign of guidance in\nthe midst of people who are veiled from God; perchance they may be\nguided to the Orb of all horizons, enter the kingdom of harmony,\ndrink of the cup of the love of God, rejoice at the manifestation of\nthe Kingdom of God, and shelter themselves in the shadow of the Tree\nof Life in the midst of the Paradise of God.\n\nThis beseemeth the believers; this is the qualification\nof the sincere; this is the path of the knowers, and this is the\nutmost aim of the faithful.\n\nExert thy utmost power that thou mayest share this great\nbounty.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted by the Word of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-by-the-word-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted by the Word of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"kindness",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted by the Word of God!\n\nVerily, I read thy letter which contained new\nsignificances. I ask God to make thee a new creature so that the\nlights of human perfections may shine through thee and to make thee\nkind hearted unto all human beings so that thou mayest be a mercy\nunto souls, absolute goodness to all, a sign of kindness, a word of\ntenderness. Verily, thy Lord is the Mighty, the Powerful! He reviveth\nwhomsoever He wisheth by the spirit of righteousness and granteth\nunto whom He wisheth great bounty, guideth whom He wisheth unto the\npath of life and confirmeth whom He desireth in attaining the Kingdom\nof God.\n\nAs to thee, be confident in the mercy of thy Lord, and\nask what thou desirest. Verily, God is the Generous, the Giver!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted to God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-to-god",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted to God!\n\nI send this letter written by my own hand, that thou\nmayest thank God, thy Lord, the Supreme, grow in happiness in the\nlove of God and be kindled by the fire of His love, chanting verses\nof greetings and thanks, and be quickened by the breezes of life\nblown from the garden of the knowledge of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted to the Beauty of Abha!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-to-the-beauty-of-abha",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted to the Beauty of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
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"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
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"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"martyrdom",
"exile",
"prison",
"the-covenant",
"women",
"children",
"family",
"holy-land",
"holy-day",
"fast",
"administration",
"seeking"
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"virtues": [
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"hope",
"joy",
"justice",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
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"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 18,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted to the Beauty of Abha!\n\nFor a period of time no news hath been outwardly\nreceived from thee, but spiritual communications are continual\n(between us). Thou hast always been remembered and been present here.\nThough bodily ailments have come upon thee, yet the divine health is\nalways constant and permanent. If thou knewest to what favors thou\nhast attained and how thou art gazed upon by the eye of the Beauty of\nAbha, even thy bodily ailments will be removed and merciful\nglad-tidings will surround thee.\n\nThou hast asked for permission to come: If the means for\na comfortable journey are, in the best manner, arranged and ready for\nthee, thou art permitted to come here.\n\nThat merciful maid-servant (i.e., thyself) seeth some\nspiritual dreams (or visions). These are, in reality, discoveries of\nthe heart and are spiritual visions. I beg of God that, through the\npower of insight, thou mayest continually witness the lights of the\nKingdom of Abha.\n\nThou hast written that the fundamental basis is love.\nThis is the actual truth; the divine splendors are founded on love\nand the radiance of the Merciful One in the human world produceth\nheartfelt attractions.\n\nConvey on behalf of Abdul-Baha the most wonderful Abha\ngreeting to Dr. ......... in Cleveland and tell her I always bear a\nresemblance of her.\n\nConvey the most wonderful greeting of Abha to the\nattracted maid-servant of God, Mrs. .........\n\nO maid-servant of God! The Lord of the Kingdom hath\nraised His voice with the utmost power and strength and is conquering\nthe realms of hearts and souls with the hosts of the Supreme\nConcourse. All holy souls in the kingdom of existence respond unto\nthis voice and cause the call, “Ya Baha El-Abha!” to\nreach the Lofty Apex.\n\nAll the members of the household send their most\nwonderful Abha greeting.\n\nUpon ye be greeting and praise!\n\nAbdul-Baha Abbas.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Footnotes\n1.See\npages 1 and 6 of Tablets.2.Surat-ul-Hykl,\nby Baha’o’llah, a portion of which was translated by\nAnton Haddad, published in 1900. The retranslation of this book has\nnot yet been undertaken.3.Referring\nto passage in “The Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi”\n(Abdul-Baha) by Myron T. Phelps, published by G. P. Putnam’s\nSons, New York.4.This\nis a usage of the people of the East. The purpose is that in every\nmatter the commencement should be in the Name of God.5.This\nTablet bears the following superscription: “To the members of\nthe House of Justice, the servants of the Covenant, the faithful\nworshippers of the Holy Threshold of the Beauty of El-Abha.”\nThis Tablet and the following eighteen are to the House of\nSpirituality of Chicago.6.Abha—literally,\nthe Most Glorious.7.This\nTablet is also addressed to the House of Justice.8.Acca,\nSyria—the Holy Land.9.I.e.,\nsuch as hath no precedent in any former age.10.A\nrenowned Bahai teacher sent by Abdul-Baha in 1901 to America, and\nwho organized the House of Justice (House of Spirituality) in\nSeptember of that year.11.Addressed\nto the Secretary of the House of Spirituality.12.Baha’o’llah.13.Mashrak-el-Azcar—Temple\nof Worship. Literally, the Dawning-place of Praises.14.Addressed\nto the Secretary of the House of Spirituality.15.This\ninstruction is to the organized and elected Body, whose function is\nto look after the welfare of the Cause in its community.16.Prayer\nto be said at the close of the meeting of the House of Spirituality.17.Temple\nof Worship. Literally, the Dawning-place of Praises.18.Following\nTablet as received bore no opening line of address.19.Refers\nto a declaration intended to be spread broadcast drafted by the\nHouse of Spirituality, and sent to Abdul-Baha for his approval.20.This\nspelling was later changed by Abdul-Baha to Baha’o’llah,\nas an aid to more correct pronunciation.21.A\nterm synonymous with heavenly food.22.Ishrakat,\ni.e., Effulgences. Tarazat, i.e., Spiritual Ornaments. Bescharat,\ni.e., Glad-tidings. Tajalliat, i.e., Spiritual Splendors. Kalamat,\ni.e., Words of Paradise.23.This\ncompletes the Tablets to the House of Spirituality.24.Extracts\nfrom a Tablet to Mirza Assad Ullah, at the time of the organization\nof the House of Justice, and the Assembly of Teaching of Chicago, in\nSeptember, 1901.25.Leaves,\ni.e., women. This Tablet and the two following are to the Assembly\nof Teaching of Chicago.26.Maid-servants.27.To\nthe believers in general throughout America.28.The\nTomb of BAHA’O’LLAH.29.Mirza\nAmeen Ullah Fareed, son of Mirza Assad Ullah.30.Acca.31.American\nbelievers.32.Revealed\nin response to a supplication signed by 422 believers in America and\nsent July 4, 1905.33.Revealed\nfor American believers in 1906, who had sent Abdul-Baha a New Year’s\ngreeting.34.Revealed\nin response to a supplication signed by 489 believers in America\nduring the period of the 19-day fast in 1906.35.Kheta\nand Khotan are two cities in China celebrated for having large\nnumbers of musk-producing animals. The reference here symbolizes the\nsevered and detached believers who are diffusing the fragrance of\nthe Word of God.36.The\nBAB.37.BAHA’O’LLAH.38.Acca.39.Acca.40.Ring\nstone having this design:[i: Ringstone symbol].41.Husband\nand wife.42.Husband\nand wife.43.The\nword “mind” (Persian, “dale”) is also\ntranslated “heart”; here it is mind.44.From\nMarch 2d to March 20th, inclusive. The fast is kept by refraining\nfrom eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset.45.Acca.46.To\nthe Muskegon (Mich.) assembly.47.Husband\nand wife.48.Texts\nrelating to parables and which are veiled in symbols and have\nesoteric meanings.49.The\nTomb of BAHA’O’LLAH.50.Following\nTablet as received bore no opening line of address.51.Women.52.The\nCause.53.The\nhigh station mentioned in the Koran referring to the Manifestation,\nBAHA’O’LLAH.54.Husband\nand wife.55.The\nLight of the World.56.See\nfollowing Tablet.57.To\nthe above mentioned assembly of Racine (Wis.).58.To\nthe Racine assembly.59.Christ.60.The\nBAB.61.Site\nof Temple at Chicago, Ill.62.April\n21, 1909.63.The\nBAB.64.“Bible”\nsignifies the Old Testament; “Gospel” signifies the New\nTestament.65.During\nthe time of BAHA’O’LLAH’S residence in Baghdad\n(the Dwelling of Peace), men of learning, including Jews, Christians\nand Mohammedans, visited Him seeking answer to religious and\nscriptural questions. Such answer He gave in the Book of Ighan,\notherwise known as the Book of Explanations and Assurance. It\nconcerns the Reality and Authority of the human Divine\n“Manifestations.”66.The\nbook was published in 1904.67.Acca.68.Extract\nfrom Tablet. Copy sent in bore no opening line of address.69.Acca,\nSyria—the Holy Land.70.The\nTomb of BAHA’O’LLAH.71.Interrupted.72.Abdul-Baha\nhimself.73.Through\nthe western states.74.El-Zekkum—a\nthorny tree so called, which bears fruit like an almond, but\nextremely bitter. Therefore the tree symbolizes a very sever\npunishment and bitter remorse for the unbelievers.75.Praise\nbe to God!76.Husband\nand wife.77.To\nthe Board of Counsel of Kenosha (Wis.).78.To\nthe maid-servants of the Kenosha assembly.79.To\nthe maid-servants of the Kenosha assembly.80.To\nthe Kenosha assembly.81.To\nthe Kenosha assembly.82.When\nthe recipient was in Acca.83.The\nRecipients of the following Tablets, up to and including page 167,\nare unknown to the Librarian of the House of Spirituality, but have\npreviously been published.84.May\nbe said before meals.85.May\nbe said after meals.86.Eternal\nworld.87.Following\nextracts from Tablets as received bore no opening line of address.88.Following\nextracts from Tablets as received bore no opening line of address.89.Ring\nhaving stone of this design: [i: Ring Stone symbol].90.See\nfollowing Tablet.91.A\nprayer for the forgiveness of souls who have departed from this\nworld in ignorance of the Truth.92.“Deprivest\nwhomsoever Thou willest not,” refers to the reward and\npunishment of the souls according to its deeds. There are many\ninstances of this in all the heavenly Scriptures.93.Husband\nand wife.94.A\nrosary is generally used in connection with the daily mentioning of\nthe Greatest Name.95.The\nBAB.96.The\nmother of the one to whom this Tablet was revealed was an Adventist,\nwho, in 1844, expected to “meet the Lord in the air.” At\nthat time the recipient was three months old.97.At\nAcca.98.BAHA’O’LLAH.99.Insight.100.The\nManifestation of God.101.Revealed\nin 1905.102.The\nHoly Land.103.One\nof the translators.104.See\npage 107.105.The\nHoly Land.106.The\nGreatest Name.107.I.e.,\nas the sun rises out of the darkness.108.Following\nTablet as received bore no opening line of address.109.Supplication\nbegging the forgiveness of God for Dr. .........., who hath ascended\nto the Kingdom of God.110.Revealed\nin 1906.111.Baha’o’llah.112.Mirza\nAbul Fazl—a renowned Bahá’í teacher who\nvisited America during 1902–1904.113.To\nthe Cleveland (O.) assembly.114.Husband\nand wife.115.El\nAbd—the Servant, meaning Abdul-Baha.116.“Consolation\nof the eye”—idiomatic Persian expression meaning “son.”117.To\naXXX a man who was born a slave and freed by the emancipation\nproclamation.118.To\nthe Counsel Board of West Hoboken (N.J.).119.To\nthe West Hoboken assembly.120.To\nthe West Hoboken assembly.121.America.122.1905.123.Written\nby Abdul-Baha on the flyleaf of a Bible.124.Mirza\nAbul Fazl—a renowned Bahai teacher, then in Cairo, Egypt.125.Leaf,\nLeaves—meaning the ladies of the Household at Acca—sister,\nwife and daughters of Abdul-Baha.126.Christmas\ntree.127.To\nAcca.128.The\nresidence was destroyed by fire.129.The\nSister of Abdul-Baha.130.The\nfollowing Tablet as received bore no opening line of address.131.Answer\nto question of a physician regarding the sympathetic nervous system\nof the human organism.132.Husband\nand wife.133.Husband\nand wife.134.Husband\nand wife.135.Husband\nand wife.136.During\nthe time of Baha’o’llah’s residence in Baghdad\n(the Dwelling of Peace), men of learning, including Jews, Christians\nand Mohammedans, visited Him seeking answer to religious and\nscriptural questions. Such answer He gave in the Book of Ighan,\notherwise known as the Book of Explanations and Assurance. It\nconcerns the Reality and Authority of the human “Divine\nManifestations.”137.“The\nBahai Proofs.”138.Refers\nto California and the Pacific coast.139.Naurooz,\ni.e., New Day—or spring equinox, March 21st.140.Kitab-el-Akdas,\nby Baha’o’llah.141.Inshallah,\ni.e., if it be the will of God—also implies hope or wish.142.See\nTablet commencing bottom page 139, Vol. I.143.All\nmartyred in Persia. Khudoos, in the city of Barfurush; Bab-el-Bab,\nin Tabarsi; King of Martyrs and Beloved of Martyrs, both in Ispahan;\nVaheed, in Nariz.144.July\n24,1908, the day of the proclamation of a constitutional government\nin Turkey, and the freeing of all political prisoners and exiles.145.To\nfour members of the Chicago (Ill.) assembly.146.To\nthree members of the Chicago assembly who were traveling and\nteaching.147.To\ntwo members of the Chicago assembly.148.To\nthe Chicago assembly.149.Baha’o’llah.150.Addressed\nto the translator for the Chicago assembly.151.Baha’o’llah.152.Refers\nto an invitation sent from Chicago, in 1901, to Abdul-Baha to come\nto America.153.To\nthe Chicago assembly.154.To\nfifteen members of the Chicago assembly.155.To\nthe Chicago assembly.156.“Wealth\nof Nature” refers to a state wherein man can dispense with\nthings and be happy in their absence.157.The\nBook of Laws—the Most Holy Book.158.Revealed\nfor the believers in Persia in 1901.159.One\nof the fountains of Paradise mentioned in the Koran.160.Salsahil,\ni.e., Sweet Water of Life.161.The\nunkind brother.162.An\naccusation that Abdul-Baha was claiming to be a Manifestation who is\npromised after a lapse of a thousand years.163.Abdul-Baha.164.Syria.165.An\nexpression of astonishment.166.The\nTomb of the Bab on Mt. Carmel.167.These\nexpressions are intended to convey the inference that he is\northodox.168.Baha’o’llah.169.One\nof the teachers of the Bahai Revelation in Persia.170.For\nrecitation when visiting the tomb of his honor Aka-Reza, of\nIsfand-Abad, Persia, a famous and valiant man who suffered martyrdom\nin 1901. The chief religious magistrate of the locality commissioned\na number of men to enter his home at night and they shot him to\ndeath.171.Idiomatic\nexpression for turning unto God and being illumined with His Spirit.172.For\nrecitation when visiting the tomb of his honor Aka-Seyed-Jaffar, of\nIsfand-Abad, Persia, who suffered martyrdom in 1901. When he would\nnot recant, Mulla Abdul-Kani, the chief religious magistrate of the\nlocality, turned him over to three different men for execution, and\nwhen each refused to carry out the order, the Mulla struck him on\nthe head with a stone, and, with the assistance of another Mulla,\nput him to death.173.For\nrecitation when visiting the tomb of his honor Aka-Zaman, of\nIsfand-Abad, Persia, who suffered martyrdom in 1901. He was\ndelivered into the hands of a mob, who brought him out of prison,\nmade him ride an ox and paraded him through the streets. Many struck\nhim with stones and clubs, and wounded him. While he was surrounded\nby this general assault and uproar and the people danced and clapped\ntheir hands in joy, Aka-Zaman himself also clapped his hands with\nthem, and evinced great joy on account of his approaching martyrdom.\nThen a wretch from behind cut off his ear and stuffed it into the\nmartyr’s mouth, but he did not even turn nor move. Finally\nthey put him to death with all kinds of wounds and with the severest\npersecutions, and stoned him. Then they dragged away his body from\nunder the heaps of stones and burned it along with the body of his\nhonor Aka-Seyed-Jaffar.174.To\nthe assembly of Zanjan, Persia.175.One\nof the angels of the “Resurrection day,” mentioned in\nthe Koran.176.To\nthe assembly of Teheran, Persia.177.To\nthe assembly of Teheran, Persia.178.This\nTablet is to the believers throughout Persia. Copy sent in bore no\nopening line of address.179.One\nof the Fountains of Paradise mentioned in the Koran.180.One\nof XXXhe teachers of the Bahai Revelation in Persia.181.Baha’o’llah.182.Abdul-Baha.183.An\nexpression of astonishment.184.Refers\nto the following poem composed by a nine-year-old boy of Hamadan,\nPersia, by the name of Isaac. It is a literal rather than a poetic\ntranslation:\n\n\n\nHE IS THE\nPURPOSE!\n\nRejoice, O ye servants,\nfor the King of kings hath come!\nBe glad, be happy,\nThe shining Sun hath come!\n\n\nO ye lovers! O ye lovers!\nLights have been shed upon the world.\nO nightingales! O nightingales!\nThe Rose hath come to the garden.\n\n\nO ye who are negligent, be mindful!\nO ye who sleep, awake!\nO ye who are dead, get ye life!\nFor the Life of lives hath come.\n\n\nHow long will ye remain ignorant?\nYour time is but a waste.\nRejoice in this glad-tidings:\nAbdul-Baha the beloved hath come!\n\n\nMy Lord! My God!\nThou who gave life again to my brethren.\nHis bounty hath enveloped me,\nHis love hath thrilled me.\n\n\nThy love makes Isaac proclaim;\nHis joy increase, O Baha’!\nThe world has Abdul-Baha.\nThe sea hath the brilliant pearl.\n185.To\nthe maid-servant Ta-er, of Teheran, Persia.186.To\na believer in Persia.187.To\nthe Johnstown (N.Y.) assembly.188.To\nthe Johnstown (N.Y.) assembly.189.When\nthe recipient was in Acca.190.Feast\nof Remembrance or Meeting of Faithfulness, held every nineteen days.191.The\nSister of Abdul-Baha.192.Spiritual\nwomen.193.Baha’o’llah.194.Following\nTablet as received bore no opening line of address.195.Where\na number of the believers spent the summer months.196.To\nthe New York City Board of Counsel.197.“In\nthe Tablet in which I have stateXXX ’I am not Christ and am\nnot Eternal,’ the meaning is this, that I am not Christ—and\nnot the Eternal Lord! But I am Abdul-Baha. This is its real purport.\nUndoubtedly those souls who are under the shadow of the Blessed\nCause, believing and assured, firm and steadfast, and living in\naccord with the divine exhortations and advices, all of them are\nconfirmed in the everlasting life.”—Abdul-Baha.198.To\nthe New York City assembly.199.To\nthe New York City assembly.200.To\nthe New York City assembly.201.Acca.202.Nakazeen—violators,\ni.e., those who reject after having professed allegience. Here it\nrefers particularly to those scattered few who profess to believe in\nBaha’o’llah but who refuse to follow His command to turn\nto Abdul-Baha, the Centre of the Covenant, as appointed by\nBaha’o’llah.203.To\nthe Washington (D.C.) assembly.204.Revealed\nin 1900.205.To\nthe Washington (D.C.) assembly.206.To\nthe “Working Committee” of the Washington (D.C.)\nassembly. As no Board of Counsel had been organized, a number of the\nbelievers, both men and women, volunteered for service as a “Working\nCommittee.”207.To\nthe Baltimore (Md.) assembly.208.To\nthe Baltimore assembly.209.To\nthe Baltimore assembly.210.The\nTomb of the Bab on Mt. Carmel.211.Rizwan,\ni.e., Paradise.212.Following\nTablet as received bore no opening line of address.213.Following\nTablet as received bore no opening line of address.214.Names\nof some important Tablets of Baha’o’llah, published in\n1906.215.Following\nTablet as received bore no opening line of address.216.Following\nTablet as received bore no opening line of address.217.See\npage 441.218.Following\nTablet as received bore no opening line of address.219.Ishkabad,\nRussia, near the Persian border.220.Mother\nand daughter.221.Hyacinths\ntypify knowledge; roses typify wisdom.222.To\nthe Newark (N.J.) assembly.223.See\npage 562.224.Established\nSept. 12, 1906.225.Followers\nof Subi-Ezel who disturbed the Babis by claiming to be the One\npromised by the Bab.226.America.227.One\nof the well-known Bahais in Egypt.228.During\n1906.229.Following\nTablet as received bore no opening line of address.230.To\nthe Fair Hope (Ala.) assembly.231.See\nfoot note page 479. Here it implies the wisdom which comes from\nknowledge of realities and significations.232.Acca.233.Addressed\nto two maid-servants living in the same household.234.Following\nTablets as received bore no opening line of address.235.Refers\nto the earthquake and fire, April 18, 1906.236.The\nfirst meetings of the House of Justice (House of Spirituality) in\nAmerica, were held in the household of the recipient of this\nTablet—Librarian.237.Husband\nand wife.238.Incorporated\nin book entitled “Some Answered Questions,” compiled by\nMiss L. C. Barney and published in 1908 by Kegan Paul, Trench,\nTrubner & Co., London, Eng.239.Ring\nstone having this design: [Design of Greatest Name]240.See\nfootnote page 107, Vol. 1, or page 322, Vol. II.241.To\nthe Ithaca (N.Y.) assembly.242.To\nthe Montreal (Canada) assembly.243.To\na family.244.Mother\nand daughter.245.All\nrevealed by Baha’o’llah.246.England.247.While\nin Haifa, some years ago, before he became a believer, the recipient\nof this Tablet saw Baha’o’llah and some of the followers\nand was attracted to Him, but owing to circumstances had no means of\ncommunicating with Him at that time.248.Husband\nand wife.249.I.e.,\nthe return of the qualities, powers and attributes in another human\nbeing.250.I.e.,\nin the sense of continued existence after the death of the body.251.Husband\nand wife.252.This\nTablet bore the following heading: “Chant thou this commune.”253.This\nmetaphor means the state of spontaneous prayer and communion with\nGod.254.To\nthe Buffalo (N.Y.) assembly.255.To\nthe Buffalo assembly.256.To\nthe Hoboken (N.J.) assembly.257.The\nfollowing four Tablets are addressed to a Japanese residing in the\nUnited States.258.Hyacinth—the\nflower symbolic of knowledge.259.Comparing\nthose near at hand who disobeyed the command of Baha’o’llah,\nwith the recipient of this Tablet—a Japanese.260.Infinite\nin regard to imagination, for without the mind there would be no\nimagination. Another translation of this paragraph is as follows:\n“All the people have formed a god in the world of thought and\nthey worship that form of their own imagination, while the fact is\nthat the imagined concept is comprehended by the mind which is\ncomprehensive. Surely that which comprehends is greater than the\ncomprehended, for imagination is accidental (non-essential), while\nthe mind is essential. Surely the essential is greater than the\naccidental.”261.Addressed\nto a Japanese residing in the United States—a friend of the\nrecipient of the four preceding Tablets.262.The\nfollowing extract from a Tablet as received bore no opening line of\naddress.263.Refers\nto the recipients of the preceding Tablets.264.The\nfollowing Tablets up to and including page 585, are “General\nTablets” revealed for all the friends throughout the world.265.Departure,\ni.e., death—which occurred May 29, 1892.266.Sadrat-el-Montaha—The\nname of a tree planted by the Arabs in ancient times at the end of a\nroad, to serve as a guide. As a symbol it denotes a Manifestation in\nHis day.267.Cucumis\ncalocynthis.268.The\nDruses.269.Husband\nand wife.270.A\nprayer for children.271.To\nthe Milwaukee (Wis.) assembly.272.Board\nof Counsel.273.The\nrecipients of the following Tablets up to and including page 619,\nare unknown, and although we have no specific permission to publish\nthem, they are included here as they have been previously\npublished.—Librarian274.The\nrecipients of the following Tablets up to and including page 619,\nare unknown, and although we have no specific permission to publish\nthem, they are included here as they have been previously\npublished.—Librarian.275.This\nTablet bears the following heading: “Each child may memorize\nas much as he can from this supplication.”276.The\nfollowing Tablet as received bore no opening line of address.277.Refers\nto the congress of The Hague held in 1907.278.During\nthe year 1899.279.This\nTablet bore the following heading: “A general prayer for\neveryone to recite.”280.Children\nof the recipient of the preceding Tablet.281.The\nfollowing extract from a Tablet as received bore no opening line of\naddress.282.Revealed\nduring 1908.283.Addressed\nto three maid-servants.284.Baha’o’llah.285.To\nthe Boston (Mass.) assembly.286.The\nname “Boston” rhymes with the Arabic name “Bostan,”\nor fruit-garden.—Translator.287.This\nTablet bears the following heading: “To the members of the\nSpiritual Assembly of Chicago and the Spiritual Assembly of New\nYork.”288.To\nthe Samarkand, Russia, assembly.289.To\na believer in Baku, Russia.290.Abdul-Baha\nelucidated Jesus’ teaching against the theory of “blindness\nfrom birth” and the defects being caused by the sin of the\nindividual in a former state (see St. John 9:1–3), thus:\n“Jesus states that this defect exists in order to prove and\nshow that the gift of sight is from God alone and is one of his\nbounties. Because were all created with sight the people would\nconsider it a mere natural fact that they must be so made, and not\ngive God thanks for His great gift.”—Translator291.To\nthe Cincinnati (O.) assembly.292.The\nfollowing extract from a Tablet as received bore no opening line of\naddress.293.The\nfirst teachers of the Bahai Cause to come to America from the Orient\ndwelt in the household of the recipient of this Tablet.294.The\nfollowing Tablet as received bore no opening line of address.295.Khai\nKhosroe was a Zoroastrian Bahai of Bombay, India, who left his home\nand went to Lahore to nurse Mr. Sydney Sprague who was sick of a\nfever. Mr. Sprague recovered, while the great Khai Khosroe died. He\nwas the first Oriental friend to give his life for a Western Bahai\nbrother.296.To\nthe California maid-servants.297.To\nthe California maid-servants.298.The\nfollowing Tablet as received bore no opening line of address. The\nTablet is to husband and wife.299.Literally,\nin order that we may emerge our head out of the bosom of the kingdom\nof immortality.300.The\nfollowing extract from a Tablet as received bore no opening line of\naddress.301.The\nbelievers are sometimes referred to as a republic.302.To\nthe Brooklyn (N.Y.) assembly.303.The\nrecipient of this Tablet, when writing to Abdul-Baha, extended to\nhim, in spirit, a lily.304.To\nthe Fruitport (Mich.) assembly.305.To\nthree maid-servants at Chicago.306.Baha’o’llah.307.The\nBab.308.Khudoos,\nliterally, Holy; the title given to one of the great martyrs of\nPersia.309.Baha’o’llah.310.Germany.311.To\nthe Seattle (Wash.) assembly.312.To\na believer in New Zealand.313.To\nAmerica.314.This\nword means a treasure or supply laid up for future use.—Translator.315.I.e.,\nthe power of the spiritual wine of truth will make her conscious of\nall else save the love of God.—Translator.316.The\nfollowing Tablet as received bore no opening line of address.317.The\nfollowing extract from a Tablet as received bore no opening line of\naddress.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted to the Beauty of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-to-the-beauty-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted to the Beauty of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love",
"mercy",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted to the Beauty of God!\n\nThy letter was received. I ask from God, supplicating\nand entreating in the Threshold of Oneness, that thy utmost desire\nmay become realized. The desire of the sanctified souls is always for\nsacrifice in the path of God, attraction by the merciful fragrances,\nthe vivification of souls, the proclamation of universal peace, the\nestablishment of the oneness of humanity and the enkindlement of the\nfire of the love of God in the hearts of men. It is my hope that the\ndesire of the friends of God be as such, so that they may be released\nfrom the influence of the ephemeral world, shine in the Kingdom of\neternity, be exhilarated by the wine of the love of God and, like\nunto the tempestuous sea, rage and roar with the ardor of the love of\nGod. I desire this station for thee.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted to the Beauty of the Deity!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-to-the-beauty-of-the-deity",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted to the Beauty of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted to the Beauty of the Deity!\n\nVerily, I have read thy clear letter, and was heartily\ncheered at its elegant style, because it indicated thy sincerity in\nthe Cause of God, thy hearty adherence to the Word of God, and thy\nservice in the vineyard of God.\n\nO thou maid-servant of God! Be tranquil and know,\nverily, that indeed, the Holy Ghost in this glorious age teacheth\nevery soul that is sincerely faithful, firm and drawn to the Kingdom\nof the Great Lord. Verily, I address thee with a heart overflowing\nwith the love of God.\n\nI beg of God to ordain for thee all that which thou\ndesirest and grant thee the honors of meeting, and that thou mayest\nbe a true maid-servant, emptied of all save Him, that thou mayest be\napt in serving in His vineyard and in guiding thy two children into\nHis Right Path.\n\nIndeed thou wilt see the teachings of God spread in\nthose regions by the breath of the Holy Spirit, and thou wilt\ndiscover the fragrances of the paradise of the Kingdom.\n\nVerily, these glad-tidings are very great for thee, and\nalso for the maid-servants of the Merciful One, and for the men of\nGod in that wide region (i.e., America).\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted to the Bounty of El-ABHA!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-to-the-bounty-of-el-abha",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted to the Bounty of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted to the Bounty of El-ABHA!\n\nVerily, I have read thine excellent message, which\nannounced thy praise to thy Supreme Lord, and I have understood thine\neffort and endeavor in spreading the perfume of guidance and\npropagating the Supreme Word!\n\nVerily, I implore God to keep thee and thy wife\nsteadfast in such service with which both of your faces may shine in\nthe Concourse of El-ABHA!\n\nIndeed, this is the treasure of the Kingdom, which\n(treasure) ceaseth not; and I beg of Him to cause you (both) to be in\nno need of the false beauty of the world and to be as two rising\nstars in the horizon of existence!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted to the Call of the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-to-the-call-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted to the Call of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted to the Call of the Kingdom!\n\nThy letter was presented and I was informed of thy\nexpression. And it was glorious proof of thine abundant reliance upon\nthe Kingdom of thy Lord and of thine excessive love for thy great\nMaster.\n\nKnow thou, verily, the Kingdom is a magnet of the divine\nworld, and it attracteth the iron of pure hearts which are capable of\nthe bounties of the Lord of Might. Blessed art thou, for thou hast\nturned unto the Lord of Heaven, thy heart hath relied upon the light\nof guidance, thou hast advanced toward the center of righteousness,\nand thy spirit is cheered by the bounty of the Supreme Concourse.\n\nVerily, I beseech God to strengthen thee with the Most\nGreat Power, so that the Spirit may pour upon thee the teachings of\nthe Beauty of El-ABHA, and to baptize thee with the water of life,\nthe fire of the love of God and with the spirit of confirmation among\nthe maid-servants.\n\nO maid-servant of God! It is incumbent upon thee to\nsupplicate to thy Lord, to seek His nearness with thy heart, to be\nsubmissive and humble before His maid-servants and to serve His great\nvineyard.\n\nForsake the mortal grades (i.e., things of the world)\nand be engaged in praising thy Lord; so that His Holy Spirit may\nassist thee; may make thee a sign of faith and illumine thy heart\nwith the light of assurance, and that thou mayest become a sign of\npeace, a servant of reconciliation, love and security. Verily, my\nMerciful Lord is gracious under all aspects!\n\nAs to thy question concerning Christ: Know thou, He was\nperfect in respect to spirit as well as body. His material (body) was\na perfect body in every respect; none of His material conditions were\nimperfect at all, inasmuch as imperfection is contrary to perfection.\nHis heavenly condition was also a perfect one, comprising all the\ndivine perfections. Reflect thou upon these words, so that the door\nof knowledge may be opened before thy face.\n\nVerily, I beseech God to strengthen the assured leaves\n(or women) whom thou hast mentioned in thy letter, under all grades,\naspects and circumstances.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted to the Fire of the Love of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-to-the-fire-of-the-love-of",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted to the Fire of the Love of God!…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"integrity",
"love",
"mercy",
"patience",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted to the Fire of the Love of God!\n\n\nI am cognizant of all thou hast written in thy letters.\nTo attain the pleasure of God is the more important thing. Thank God\nthou art content with the will of God and art attached in heart to\nHis divine wishes; and as thou art thus, all thy desires will be\ngranted thee.\n\nRelative to your going to America, thou must observe the\nwishes of thy parents and in the meantime endeavor to diffuse the\nbreaths of God and satisfy those who are thirsting for the fountain\nof the knowledge of God by giving them the heavenly water and\nmerciful rain.\n\nGive my greetings to ........ and say to her: “If\nthou desirest to soften the hearts and bring thy friends under the\nshadow of the Tree of Life, show forth firmness and integrity; day by\nday increase thy sincerity and severance until by the power of the\nTruth thou wilt soften and subdue the hearts and awaken the souls of\nthe heedless.”\n\nAlso give my spiritual greetings to Mr. and Mrs.\n........ and say to them: “May your little daughter be a\nblessing to you.”\n\nO my dear ........, endure and be patient, and by\npatience thou wilt attain thy desire.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“***O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-to-the-fragrances-of-god",
"summary": "***O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n***O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of God!\n\nKnow thou that the heart of Abdul-Baha is overflowing\nwith great love for thee, and verily he is night and day invoking and\nbeseeching the Kingdom of God that He may make thee a sign of His\nmercy among His creatures, a cause of love and harmony and a means of\nhinging [or a pivot for] every good among the people of all regions,\nand to make thee announce to the people the opening of the door of\nthe Kingdom. “Verily God will appropriate His mercy unto whom\nHe pleaseth.”\n\nO thou servant of God! Turn thy face thoroughly unto\nGod, so that He may make thee to show forth the Greatest Gift and\nmake thee to be a source of those signs which may prove thy proper\nrelationship unto God and the joy of thy heart, through the\nfragrances of the Holy Spirit, in every moment and instant.\n\nBe thou sure that, verily, thy deceased child is now one\nof those babes who are suckled in the Kingdom of Life, under the\ncharge of the Beauty of El-ABHA. “Verily, God confirmeth whom\nHe wisheth!”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of Holiness!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-to-the-fragrances-of-holiness",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of Holiness!\n\nVerily, I read thy words in which thou hast thanked God\nfor His great kindness and providence after those Tablets reached\nthee, for the bounty of their significances which hath shone forth\nupon thee. Verily, they are Tablets the words of which have proceeded\nfrom a heart which is filled with the love of God, is free and\nisolated from all else save God, is illumined and over-flowing with\nthe bounties of the Kingdom of El-Abha and in which the verses of\nunity are traced through the breath of the spirit of the gift of God.\n\n\nO maid-servant of God! It is incumbent upon thee to\nlearn that which the spirit of Abdul-Baha poureth upon thee. Look not\nat thy capacity and ability; nay, look at the grace of thy Lord in\nthese days and at the gift of His Kingdom, the like of which hath\nnever been seen by the eye of existence in former cycles.\n\nVerily existence is a parched ground and the bounty of\nthe Kingdom is a copious rain. The ground of existence shall surely\nbe developed into myrtles of the wisdom of God, for the fragrances of\nholiness have encompassed the earth, east and west, the glad-tidings\nof God have successively come from the Kingdom of heaven and the Sun\nof Truth hath shone forth to all regions with the greatest\neffulgence. Impart thou the Greatest Name to the ears, so that all\nmay call out among nations: “O Thou Baha’ of the world! O\nThou Sun of Pre-existence!”\n\nTruly, I say unto thee, this blessed Name is the spirit\nof life, the deliverer from death, the word of salvation and of\nmanifest signs! Thou shalt surely hear from all parts the cry, “Ya\nBaha El-Abha!” reaching to the Supreme Concourse.\n\nDeliver my spiritual greeting to thy spiritual son and\nto his revered wife whose name is near to thy name. Deliver my\ngreeting to thy spiritual daughter, the revered ......... and tell\nher: “O my dear daughter! Turn unto the Kingdom of thy Lord and\nbe benefited by spiritual bounties. Be attracted by the fragrances of\nholiness—such an attraction which may breather life into dead\nsouls, quicken them by a pure life and may illumine their sights with\nthe light which is shining forth to all the world in this glorious\ncentury and new age.”\n\nDeliver my praise to the maid-servant of God, .........\nand say unto her: “Verily, thou hast seen the physical picture\nof Abdul-Baha printed by the rays of the phenomenal sun (i.e., his\nphotograph) and thine eyes became overflowing with tears. Beg thou of\nGod that He may show unto thee his (Abdul-Baha’s) spiritual\npicture printed by the ray shining forth from the Merciful Kingdom.\nThen the attractions of God shall overtake thee and make thee as a\nspark of fire aflame with the heat of the love of God.”\n\nO maid-servant of God! It is incumbent upon thee to\nvisit his holiness Mirza Abul Fazl, so that thou mayest learn from\nhim the arguments and decisive texts in the holy Bible concerning the\nappearance of the Kingdom of God in this great cycle. Verily, his\nvisit313\nis a prize unto thee, a hoard314\nunto thee, a consolation unto\n\nO maid-servant of God! Verily, Mr. ......... is an\nexcellent man, exerting all his powers to diffuse fragrances of God.\nGod shall surely strengthen him in a great matter and make him a\nbanner waving through the winds of confirmation upon this glorious\ncastle.\n\nAs to my drinking the sup of sacrifice: By the Lord of\nheaven, this is my utmost hope, the joy of my heart, the consolation\nof my soul and my final desire. Thou shouldst pray God that He may\nprepare this hope for me and ordain for me this mighty gift and that\nhe may give me to quaff this cup which is overflowing with the wine\nof faithfulness in the path of Baha’.\n\nO maid-servant of God! When I had thy letter in my hand,\nI was in such a condition that the breeze of the love of God cheered\nme and I was thereby moved with such joy that the place was filled\nwith the spirit of the love of God. No doubt thy heart hath been also\nimpressed by this spiritual joy, merciful attraction and ecstatic\nlove.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-to-the-fragrances-of-the",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of the Garden of the Covenant and art speaking the praise of the Orb of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"patience",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of the Garden\nof the Covenant and art speaking the praise of the Orb of the\nUniverse!\n\nKnow thou, verily, I read thy letter which expressed the\ncommemoration of thy Lord, the Great, and indicated that the fire of\nthe love of god is ablaze in thy heart and in the soul of the sincere\nones. Truly I say unto thee, verily thy magnificent letter was as one\nof the melodies of the birds of holiness in the wonderful garden.\nVerily the hearts of the Supreme Concourse are dilated with the songs\nwhich thou hast warbled on the Blessed Tree in the Exalted Paradise.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Verily Abdul-Baha was with you in\nGreen Acre in his spirit, soul and in all of his spiritual grades,\nand he was your companion in your meetings and was bearing unto you,\nwith his spiritual tongue, the glad-tidings of the divine splendors\nwhich shall be poured forth upon you from the Kingdom of God, in a\nshort time.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Be rejoiced at this glad-tidings\nwhereby the hearts of the people of the Kingdom of El-Abha are moved\nwith joy. Verily I beseech God to make Green Acre as the paradise of\nEl-Abha, so that the melodies of the nightingale of sanctity may be\nheard from it and that the chanting of the verses of unity may be\nraised therein; to cause the clouds of the great gift to pour upon it\nthe rains falling from heaven; to make those countries become verdant\nwith the myrtles of truth and inner significances and to plant\ntherein blessed trees, with the hand of Providence, which may bring\nforth pure and excellent fruits wherefrom the fragrances of God may\nbe diffused throughout all regions. These signs shall surely appear\nand these lights shall shine forth.\n\nO maid-servant of God, the Merciful! It is incumbent\nupon you to unveil the covering and to witness the Beauty of the\nAlmighty! Ye shall surely see the lights rising in those parts, as ye\nhave already seen them. Ye shall surely behold a Pillar of Fire\nextending upward to the Supreme Apex and it will call unto you with\nthe most wonderful expression and will address you, saying:\n\n“I am the Ancient Light! I am the Lord of the\nExalted Kingdom! I am the Star shining forth unto the horizon of the\nhearts of the people of Oneness!”\n\nO maid-servant of God! Be tranquil in heart and be\nenkindled with the fire ignited in the Blessed Tree—an\nenkindlement which may cause a fire to blaze in the inanimate hearts\nin those regions.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Be not disheartened if thou\nhearest the murmuring of the deniers, the clamor of the hypocrites,\nthe shouting of the contradictors, the barking of the furious,\nharmful dogs, in those climes. Remember the persecutions which\nconsecutively befell the disciples of christ from the perverse Jews.\nConsequently, withstand their oppositions with all quiescence and\ndignity (patience) and their contradictions with all cheerfulness,\ngladness and dilation of heart (i.e., exaltation) by day and night.\nResist their fighting with peace and reconciliation, their blows with\nkindness and perfection and their blame with joy and tranquillity. Do\nbeseech God to direct them to the Path of Salvation and breathe into\nthem the Spirit of Life. Be thou a light to every darkness, a\ndispeller of every sadness, a healer for every sick person, a\nquencher for every thirst, a shelter for every refugee, a refuge for\nevery captive. If the Pharisees interfere with thee, it is incumbent\nupon thee to implore God to guide them to the road of salvation! And\nit is incumbent upon thee to be affable to them under all\ncircumstances, to be patient in afflictions, to be courteous with the\nenemies and to pray for the hateful sinners! This is the nature of\nthe faithful and convinced women believers whose hearts are dilated\nwith the fragrances of God and who instruct (people) in the teachings\nof God!\n\nO maid-servant of God! Trust in the grace of thy Lord.\nHe shall surely assist thee with a confirmation whereat minds will be\namazed and the thoughts of the men of learning will be astonished.\nConsider the divine splendors in Green Acre: One of them is the tree\nof fire and another is what was witnessed by thy friend—a light\nshining forth unto all sides. This is through the grace of thy Lord\nunto thee! Consequently, be engaged in perusing St. John’s\nRevelation; all these signs are spoken of in that vision. Thou shalt\nsoon behold (things) still greater than this.\n\nO maid-servant of God! It is incumbent upon thee to\ndiffuse the fragrances of God and to be occupied in delivering\n(teaching) the Cause of God! Deliver my greeting to ........ and say\nunto them: “Trust ye in the grace of your Lord and thank your\nMaster, for He hath directed you to the Path of the Kingdom of God.\nVerily He is the Assister, the Beneficent!”\n\nThe coming of any one to these countries is, at this\ntime, difficult and unallowable. I beg of God to facilitate it and\nthen we will permit ........ to come. I beg of God to manifest His\nlights in the heart of ........ so that he may apprehend that which\nhe never before apprehended and behold the mysteries of the Kingdom\nwith real certainty in this glorious age.\n\nGod willing, next year some of the teachers (of the\nTruth) will present themselves at Green Acre and will cause the\nvoices of the people of the Kingdom to reach the Supreme Apex.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted to the Holy Fragrances!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-to-the-holy-fragrances",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted to the Holy…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted to the Holy Fragrances!\n\nThe light of truth hath made thine eyes to see, the\nvoice of God hath made thine ears to hear and the lights emanating\nfrom the beauty of the Light of the World both made thine heart\nattracted and astonished. I hope that thou wilt cut thyself from all\nthat is in this world; wilt sever thyself from all desires of this\ntransitory world; wilt attach thy heart entirely to the light of\ntruth and wilt, at all times, rise in the service of truth in the\nrose-garden of God.\n\nThe deriding of the enemy addeth to the joy of the heart\nand taunting of the ignorant becometh the means of spirituality and\nfragrance.\n\nObserve that the Pharisees called His Holiness, the\nsweet and the divine Christ, Beelzebub or the head of evil spirits.\nThis people (the people of the world) are in the depths of ignorance\nand their reproach and detraction are like praise and congratulation.\n\n\nI hope that, in the path of the love of God, thou wilt\nexert thyself exceedingly and thus wilt enjoy life.\n\nThe letter which thou hadst written to Mrs. ...... was\nperused by me. Indeed, its contents were indicative of divine\nknowledge and showed that thou art really attracted to the Beauty of\nGod. Thou hast very well explained the question of the progress of\nman in the higher stations and his reaching the life eternal. This\nexplanation is indeed from the confirmation of the Holy Spirit.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted to the Holy Spirit!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-to-the-holy-spirit",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted to the Holy…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted to the Holy Spirit!\n\nIt is some time since news hath come from thee, though I\nhave the utmost kindness toward that favored maid-servant of the\nThreshold of the Almighty. I beg of God that the power of the Spirit\nwill cause in thee such an ecstasy and attraction that thou mayest be\nthe cause of everlasting life to the seekers; mayest hold a cup of\nthe knowledge of God in thy hand and give people to drink the wine of\nthe love of God; that thou mayest exhilarate the souls, awaken the\nheedless, bring the ignorant to consciousness, make the blind seeing,\nquicken the dead, enkindle the faded souls and refresh the withered\nones.\n\nConvey greeting and praise to the favored maid-servant\nof God, thy revered daughter. Also, announce thou on my behalf the\nconfirmations of the Holy Spirit unto the other maid-servants of the\nMerciful One.\n\nO thou divinely attracted one! If thou wishest for the\nillumination of the Kingdom, exert thyself in steadfastness as much\nas thou canst and resist thou the tests, so that thou mayest, like\nunto a lamp, illumine the world and bestow everlasting life, like\nunto the Spirit.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted to the Kingdom of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-to-the-kingdom-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted to the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted to the Kingdom of God!\n\nThe letter written by you *** was received. Its contents\nbecame evident. The expressions (of thy letter) evinced utmost\nattraction and caused joy and fragrance.\n\nThou hast asked for permission to come to our presence\nwith his honor ......... I am also longing greatly after the meeting\nof the friends. If there was no obstacle, it would be very\nacceptable, but in these days, thy presence (in this land102)\nis not according to wisdom. Besides this, thou must be engaged in\nthe service of the Kingdom in those parts. Also, the presence of his\nhonor103\n........ is of utmost necessity in those parts, for we henceforth\nforward all the Tablets to him for translation, that he may send to\nthe believers. If he should move, this work would be neglected.\nTherefore now thou must wait until some happy occasion will bring\nthis about later on.\n\nAlso, thou hast written concerning the meeting with the\nminister of Persia. This is very acceptable. The believers of God\nmust render utmost consideration toward Persian ministers and\nofficials.\n\nAlso convey respectful greetings from Abdul-Baha to all\nthe friends of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted to the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-to-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted to the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted to the Kingdom!\n\nThy letter contained meanings full of sweetness. I\ntherefore took it in my hand with the utmost love and became informed\nof thy desire.\n\nO thou maid-servant of God! Glad-tidings be unto thee!\nAs thou art faithful and art going to remain firm, the favors of the\nBounty of Abha will encircle thee; thou wilt become a cause of the\nillumination of the human world, and be assisted by the heavenly\nconfirmation.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted to the Light of Guidance!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-to-the-light-of-guidance",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted to the Light of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"generosity",
"love",
"mercy",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted to the Light of Guidance!\n\nVerily, I read the signs of thy thanks to God, for He\nhath guided thee unto the Path of the Kingdom, dispelled the\ndarkness, caused thee to enter into the light of faith, and awakened\nthee to the proof and argument. This is through the grace of thy\nLord, the Merciful, who hath chosen thee for His knowledge and hath\nadorned thy head with the crown of His love which is scintillating in\nthe apex of glory and beneficence.\n\nVerily, I beseech the Threshold of Mercifulness to\nkindle the lamp of light within thy heart, so that thy breast may\nthereby be dilated and thy soul rejoiced.\n\nThou art present in spirit in a meeting (in Acca) in\nwhich the gifts of God are radiating, even though thou art remote in\nregard to body in the far away land.\n\nAs to thy coming here now, this is not in accord with\nthe wisdom revealed in the Gospels. But the time shall come and thou\nwilt attain to the gifts of thy Lord. But for the present, make thy\ntongue fluent in praising thy clement Lord at every moment and time,\nso that thou mayest attain to all good under the shadow of the Lord\nof Generosity and Beneficence.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted to the Light of the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-to-the-light-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted to the Light of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted to the Light of the Kingdom!\n\nThank thou God, that in this glorious period, thou hast\nadvance toward the Manifest Light; thou hast beheld the doors of the\nKingdom open and considered entrance therein conducive to eternal\nprosperity and success. Thou hast arisen to serve the Cause of god\nand occupied thy time in assisting in the spiritual meeting. Ere long\nthou shalt know what a light thou hast enkindled.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted to the Spirit of Truth!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-to-the-spirit-of-truth",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted to the Spirit of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted to the Spirit of Truth!\n\nIn whatsoever matter man wisheth to engage, he must\nfirst acquire some capability and make provisions and preparations\ntherefor. In this day, whatever soul intendeth to raise the voice of\nthe Kingdom, and to draw people under the Tree of Life in the ideal\nparadise, and to invite them to eternal life, must first be delivered\nfrom all attachments, must even shut his eyes to rest, quietude and\nto the mortal life of this world.\n\nI hope thou hast abandoned all such (mortal) things, and\nwhen thou hast attained to this great bounty, that is, when thou art\ndelivered from the attachments of this mortal world, and hast\nintended to endure all calamities in the path ofGod—in such\nwise that reproaches on the part of the enemy will seem to thee as\npraise and glorification, and the blame of the people of hatred will\nappear like unto admiration and applause, and the bitterness of\nafflictions will taste as the honey of favor and all hardships be as\nsweetness—then canst thou step into the path of the Kingdom and\nbecome the herald of God.\n\nConsequently, do thou show a steadfast and firm footing\nin this station, engage in guiding the people and call them unto the\nKingdom; then wilt thou find how the divine magnet—the power of\nthe Word of God—will attract the hearts and bestow ecstasy and\nenthusiasm upon souls!\n\nWhen thou reachest this station there shall remain no\nobstacles and no veil shall intervene, and all that is thy highest\nwish shall be realized.\n\nSend my greeting to Miss ........ . I hope she may be\nwholly attracted to the Kingdom of God.\n\nAs to the book that thou intendest to write: When thou\nhast written it (or if you write it), send it to the Holy Land (i.e.,\nAcca) to be seen (or examined) so that thou mayest publish it\nafterward.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted to the Word of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-to-the-word-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted to the Word of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted to the Word of God!\n\nVerily I read thy excellent letter, nay, rather thy\nbrilliant, peerless pearls, which proved thy sincerity in the Cause\nof God, the enkindlement of thy heart with the fire of the love of\nGod and the illumination of thy face through the light of the gift of\nGod!\n\nO maid-servant of God! Know, verily, I was with you in\nspirit during your assemblage in the meeting of the commemoration of\nGod, the House of Agreement, under the Standard of peace, and I\nperceived ye with my spirit on the Mount of Salvation and shared with\nye in celebrating the praise of my Lord, and I smiled with all\ncheerfulness, joy and gladness when I found that ye were beseeching\nGod and supplicating before the Kingdom of God. I beseech God to\nguide some of those who have given themselves to the Word of God,\nwhile they know not the Word. And I beg of God to give insight to\nevery heedless one, so that he may witness the signs of his Mighty\nLord in this great century wherein the Lord is glorified for the\nbounties and gifts which He hath bestowed on all the horizons [i.e.,\nregions] through His Ancient Grace.\n\nVerily I wrote an answer to the letter of ........ and\nenclose it in this letter.\n\nO maid-servant of God! By God the True One, verily\nAbdul-Baha invokes God to strengthen thee through the mightiest\npower, so that thou mayest become a star of guidance in Green Acre,\nto diffuse the fragrances of God, to blow forth the spirit of God, to\nsummon people to the Word of god, and may speeches pour forth from\nthy pure lips as a torrent which rapidly pours down from the loftiest\nmountains!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted toward the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-toward-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted toward the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"family",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"patience",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted toward the Kingdom!\n\nBe thou not unhappy; the tempest of sorrow shall pass;\nregret will not last; disappointment will vanish; the fire of the\nlove of God will become enkindled, and the thorns and briars of\nsadness and despondency will be consumed! Be thou happy; rest thou\nassured upon the favors of Baha’, so that uncertainty and\nhesitation may become non-existent and the invisible outpourings\ndescend upon the arena of being!\n\nIf thou art seeking after spiritual tranquility, turn\nthy face at all times toward the Kingdom of Abha. If thou art\ndesiring divine joy, free thyself from the bands of attachment. if\nthou art wishing for the confirmation of the Holy Spirit, become thou\nengaged in teaching the Cause of God.\n\nIf the friends and relatives are keeping themselves at a\ndistance from thee, be thou not sad, for God is near to thee.\nAssociate thou, as much as thou canst, with the relatives and\nstrangers; display thou loving kindness; show thou forth the utmost\npatience and resignation. The more they oppose thee, shower thou upon\nthem the greater justice and equity; the more they show hatred and\nopposition toward thee, challenge thou them with great truthfulness,\nfriendship and reconciliation.\n\nPraise be to God, thou art near to the Kingdom of Abha!\nRest thou assured. With all my soul and spirit, I am thy companion at\nall moments. Know thou this of a certainty!\n\nI prayed in behalf of thy relatives and family,\nsupplicating from God confirmation and assistance for them.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted unto the Beauty of ABHA!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-unto-the-beauty-of-abha",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted unto the Beauty of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted unto the Beauty of ABHA!\n\nVerily I call thee, from this Spot, with a speech\nwhereby the spirit is breathed into hearts and bodies, and address\nthee with a calling whereby His clear wine overflows in the fountain\nof a heart which is consumed by the love of God.\n\nVerily, I love thee with my heart, my spirit and my\nmind, and associate with thee in spirit (and converse with thee) by\nmy innate tongue. I love for thee to arise for that to which I have\narisen in servitude to the Sublime and Holy Threshold, turning unto\nGod, hoping for martyrdom, so that thou mayest attain to the gift,\nthe lights of which glisten in the eternal horizon.86\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art attracted unto the Beauty of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-attracted-unto-the-beauty-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art attracted unto the Beauty of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"truthfulness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art attracted unto the Beauty of God!\n\nVerily I have read thy excellent letter and was\ngladdened by its wonderful meaning. Blessed art thou, as thou hast\nbeen kindled like a lamp by the fire of God’s love and as thou\nhast supplicated unto God and communicated with thy Lord with an\neloquent tongue and excellent explanation.\n\nVerily I pray unto my Lord with all humbleness,\nmeekness, obedience and submissiveness—which demolisheth every\nedifice of self-exaltation—that He shall strengthen thee by the\nfragrances of holiness and the breath of the Spirit of Truth and\ncause thee to be dedicated (or severed) unto God, purged and purified\nfrom the dross of the world, holy and sanctified from carnal\npassions, sacrificing thy soul to the beloved of God, contented with\nthat which the Lord hath granted thee in the world, anxious to\nperform noble and good deeds while following the teachings of god,\nand in all things adhering to the law of God!\n\nAs God liveth! shouldest thou be honored by attaining to\nthis station, thou wilt find thyself in the center of the Paradise\n(Ferdowce), the highest of paradises!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art awakened from the sleep of negligence...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-awakened-from-the-sleep-of-negligence",
"summary": "O thou who art awakened from the sleep of negligence and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art awakened from the sleep of negligence and\nforgetfulness!\n\nThank God for that He hath awakened thee from thy sleep,\nfound thee after thy being lost and quickened thee after thy death.\nVerily, I beg God to confirm thee by a power by which thou mayest be\nenabled to worship God and to serve His Cause and to be submissive\nand lowly before the beloved of God.\n\nVerily, I remember thee in my prayers an din my\ninvocation, beseeching the Heavenly Father, the Lord of Hosts, to\nconfirm thee by a power and cause thee to be firm and to work and\nserve in the olive garden of God and to be lowly and submissive\nbefore His Holy and Exalted Threshold.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art awakened to the Cause of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-awakened-to-the-cause-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art awakened to the Cause of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"steadfastness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art awakened to the Cause of God!\n\nVerily, I read thy letter and my heart was rejoiced at\nthine interesting words; and I thanked God for He hath favored those\nsouls who earnestly desire to guard His strongly fortified fortress\nand His inaccessible cave and who love unity, affinity, harmony and\naccord and who agree on one opinion, one idea and one word. This\nbehooveth the sincere souls! This behooveth such as believe in the\ndivine unity! This behooveth such as are firm and steadfast in the\nCovenant, which is throbbing within the heart of the whole creation!\n\nBe ye guardians of the throne of the Kingdom of God and\narmies of defense for the Religion of God. Whenever ye find someone\ndesiring to separate himself from the flock, it is incumbent upon you\nto treat him with fragrance and kindness and persuade and encourage\nhim, so that this secluded sheep may return to the flock.\n\nVerily, thy Lord loveth union and hateth discord; for\nthe appearance of the Holy Manifestations and divine laws is only for\nthe sake of affinity, union and concord, so that the remote,\ncontradictory and different nations and creeds may enter under the\nshadow of the Blessed Tree in unanimous love and agreement.\n\nI bed of god to confirm all of His dearly beloved ones\nin one opinion, one belief, one movement, one path and one manner.\nThis is that by which the station of the beloved ones will be\nelevated, the Word of God will be promoted, the fragrances of God\nwill be diffused and the faces of the sincere ones will be\nilluminated in the path of God. It is incumbent upon you to practice\nthese [instructions] under all aspects and circumstances.\n\nAs to the manifestation of the Greatest Name\n(Baha’o’llah): This was the Divine Manifestation which\nappeared upon the earthly world. This is He whom God promised in all\nHis Books and Scriptures, such as the Bible, the gospels and the\nKoran. All of these Books indicate this fact, and the least doubt\ncannot possibly occur to the minds concerning this clear fact, as is\nrecorded in detail in the heavenly Books, especially in the brilliant\nand holy Tablets. But notwithstanding this fact, if there is anyone\nwho hesitates therein, do not dispute with him, nay rather prove this\nto him with all joy and fragrance, lest he may be obstinately\ncompelled to rebellion.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art baptized by the Spirit of the Love of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-baptized-by-the-spirit-of-the-love-of",
"summary": "O thou who art baptized by the Spirit of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art baptized by the Spirit of the Love of\nGod!\n\nBe rejoiced with this great bounty and gladdened by this\nmighty gift!\n\nVerily, thou art from the West and we are from the East,\nthe distance between is great. Nevertheless, it is as if we were from\none native land, one city, one house and one household. The love of\nGod gathered us all under the shade of one tent, beneath one banner.\n\nThis is from the power of the command of God and His\ndominion, which encompasseth all contingent beings and affects the\nhearts of all existing things.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art calling in the cities, the bearer of the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-calling-in-the-cities-the-bearer-of-the",
"summary": "O thou who art calling in the cities, the bearer of the Gospel of the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art calling in the cities, the bearer of the\nGospel of the Kingdom of God!\n\nVerily, I read thy wonderful and eloquent letter, which\nproved thy being attracted by the utterances (or fragrances) of God,\nin the new day and glorious century.\n\nI praised God for the spreading of His fragrances in\nthose regions and for the display of His manifest signs.\n\nThank thou God for that He revived thee by the Spirit of\nLife and awakened thee by the life-giving breeze, which is emanating\nfor the people of the world.\n\nI ask God to make thee a lamp shining and illuminating\nin the assemblies of knowledge, that thou shine forth by the lights\nof love and peace among the maid-servants of God, the Merciful.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Be a caller to universal peace, a\nstandard of love among the people, a spreader of the spirit of\nconcord and union among nations and sects, an utterer of\nexhortations, a demonstrator of the proofs of the appearance of the\nKingdom of God, by a power whereby the hearts of the chosen ones\nbecome attracted, confirmed by a might whereto the necks of the proud\nmen bow and those of great people are humbled.\n\nTake hold of the hem of the Garment of God and preach\nthe Kingdom of God and baptize the spirits by the fragrances of God\nwhich have perfumed the horizons.\n\nVerily, I say unto thee that this holy fragrance is the\nWater of Life, the Fire of the Lord which hath flamed in the Tree of\nSinai and the Spirit of Life which reviveth the dead.\n\nWe send thee herewith answers to the letters thou sent\nus. This is on account of my utmost love for thee, my great kindness\nto thee and my extreme sympathy for thee. Thank thou God for this\ngreat favor.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art calling in the Name of God and heralding...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-calling-in-the-name-of-god-and-heralding",
"summary": "O thou who art calling in the Name of God and heralding unto the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"persecution",
"the-covenant",
"women",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"love",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art calling in the Name of God and heralding\nunto the Kingdom of God!\n\nVerily I considered the contents of thy recent letter,\nthy beautiful writing and I observed thy heartfelt thanks. Verily my\nheart is filled with love and affection; overflowing with spiritual\nattractions.\n\nVerily I know that the Tablets (Book) of Abdul-Baha and\nhis address is a hidden mystery and concealed fact. No one is\ninformed of its greatness and importance at these times, but in the\ncourse of time and future centuries the signs thereof will be\nmanifested, the lights thereof will dawn forth, the fragrances\nthereof will be diffused and the greatness, the importance thereof\nwill be known. The truth I say unto thee, that each leaflet from\nAbdul-Baha will be a wide-spread book, nay, rather, a glistening gem\non the Glorious Crown. Know tho its value and hold great its station.\n\n\nThen praise God for that He chose thee to love Him and\nelected thee to spread His fragrances. He selected thee from among\nthe women of the world, so that thou become a flame to the fire of\nHis love, a sign of the Kingdom of His Grace and a summoner to His\nName, in humbleness and meekness, invocation and supplication to God.\n\n\nVerily I ask God to protect thee from the waves of tests\nand storms of trial until thou becomest firm in the Cause of thy\nLord—a firmness whereby thou be enabled to withstand all\nnations and peoples. When thou art thus confirmed by God, with\nfirmness and solidity in His Covenant among the people, thou wilt see\nthe hosts of the Kingdom shelter thee from all sides with banners\nwhereunto all heads bow.\n\nO maid-servant of God! It is incumbent upon thee to be\nfirm! It is incumbent upon thee to be steadfast! It is incumbent upon\nthee to be steadfast! It is incumbent upon thee to be steadfast in\nthe Cause of the Light which hath shone forth unto the world with\ngreat brilliancy!\n\nO maid-servant of God! Verily, Mary, the Magdalene, was\na villager, but she kept firm in the Cause of Christ and confirmed\nthe apostles at the time she declared to them (thus): “Verily,\nChrist is alive and eternal and death did not overtake Him; and\nverily, the foundation of His religion is not shaken by His\ncrucifixion at the hand of the oppressors!” By this her face is\neternally shining from the horizon of guidance.\n\nO maid-servant of God! The circumstances will be severe\nfor every thankful servant (i.e., believer in the Teachings) in those\nboundaries and countries. The people shall arise against you with the\nmost bitter hatred, opposition and envy. Swords of persecution and\ncurses shall be thrown at you by all the nations. The wind of tests\nand trials shall fiercely blow and thereby the weak trees, which are\nnot firmly rooted in this wonderful vineyard, shall be uprooted. But\nthe trees which are strong, thriving and green will be strengthened,\ntheir branches extended, their leaves opened, their appearance\nbeautified and their blossoms and fruits increased. I ask God to make\nthee one of those firmly rooted trees and an extended branch in this\nmost great vineyard, and to make thy heart like unto a cup\noverflowing with His love in every assemblage. Verily He is the\nPowerful, the Generous!\n\nSupplicate to God to guide Mrs. ........, so that she\nmay become thy partner and partaker of this great bounty, and to\nconfirm the family of Mr. ........, so that they may be blest with\nblessings and successive aids and with the appearance of the manifest\nsigns. Thus all ye may become spreaders of the banner of union, love,\nharmony and peace upon plains and deserts, hills and mountains.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art cheered through the Fragrances of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-cheered-through-the-fragrances-of",
"summary": "O thou who art cheered through the Fragrances of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art cheered through the Fragrances of God!\n\nWhen thou desirest and yearnest for meeting in the world\nof vision; at the time when thou art in perfect fragrance and\nspirituality, wash thy hands and face, clothe thyself in clean robes,\nturn toward the court of the Peerless One, offer prayer to Him and\nlay thy head upon the pillow. When sleep cometh, the doors of\nrevelation shall be opened and all thy desires shall become revealed.\n\n\nEndeavor to guide thy mother and confirm her in faith;\nwhen the heart becometh confident, the imagination of Satan and evil\nvanisheth away. If the heart becometh absolutely tranquil, suspicion\nand imagination will entirely pass away.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art cheerful in heart, by the Fragrances...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-cheerful-in-heart-by-the-fragrances",
"summary": "O thou who art cheerful in heart, by the Fragrances of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"martyrdom",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art cheerful in heart, by the Fragrances of\nthe Merciful!\n\nVerily, I read the verses of thy thanksgiving unto God,\nfor depositing in thy heart an eternal joy reviving thee by the\nbreath of the Holy spirit to everlasting life, [for having] cast upon\nthee the light of guidance and awakened thee by the breezes of His\ngreat mercy. Therefore, thank God for this. Verily, His bounty to\nthee is great, great!\n\nBeware not to be sorrowful on account of my confinement;\ninasmuch as it is the comfort of my heart, the healing of my breast,\nthe dispeller of my sorrow and sadness, the cause of my salvation in\nservitude to the Bounty of El-Abha.\n\nIf thou desirest to pray for me a beneficial prayer, do\nnot ask for the removal of my imprisonment, but implore God to\nincrease my calamities in the Path of El-Abha, to make me a sacrifice\nin His love and give me to drink the cup of martyrdom by His bounty\nand grace.\n\nI ask God to confirm thee by the breath of His Holy\nSpirit, the hosts of His angels and armies of His strength, so that\nthou arisest to serve the vineyard of God and to enlighten the\ninsight of thy revered husband by the light of the knowledge of the\nGreatest Name. This is not far from the bounty of thy Lord.\n\nThe maid-servant of Baha’, the Exalted Leaf191, conveys to thee greetings and praise—likewise the rest of the\nbrilliant leaves192\n.\n\nRegarding the star which appeareth while thou art turned\nunto God: This is the spiritual disclosure and the divine impression.\nAlso the fire circle which appeareth to thine eyes, is a spiritual\ntransfiguration and [signifieth] the Eternal Grace manifesting itself\nin the human garment; because “cloud” signifies the human\nform (or body), while the “circle of fire,” the divine\nform, which is manifested in the reality of man.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art cheerfully moving by the Fragrances...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-cheerfully-moving-by-the-fragrances",
"summary": "O thou who art cheerfully moving by the Fragrances of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art cheerfully moving by the Fragrances of\nGod!\n\nKnow thou verily, that when the Sun of Truth shown forth\nto the horizons, the eyes of the people of affection were brightened\nby witnessing thereof, but the blind are in veil and discord, and\nsay: “Where is the Sun of the Horizon?” Leave them in the\nveils of passions and fathoms of the seas of ignorance, to sink and\nplay.\n\nVerily, thou shouldst be rejoiced with this Light, which\nis shining to the Easts of the earth and the Wests thereof, and be\nillumined thereby, so that thou becomest saved with thy whole being\nfrom the gloomy darkness. Then thou wilt become of the great signs of\nguidance.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art commemorating the Name of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-commemorating-the-name-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art commemorating the Name of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"mercy",
"patience",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art commemorating the Name of God!\n\nVerily, I read thy interesting letter and my heart was\nmade happy by its beautiful contents.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Rest assured in the bounty of thy\nLord and place thy confidence in Him, for He will confirm thee in all\naspects and under all conditions.\n\nKnow, verily, that the seed, however virile it may be,\nhowever strong the hand of the sower, however pure the water that\nwatereth it, it is impossible for it to grow, blossom and bear fruit\nin a short time; nay a long period is needed for its development.\n\nSo is the Kingdom of God. Consider the seed which was\nsown by Christ; verily, it did not blossom until after a long period.\nThus it is incumbent upon thee to be patient in all affairs. Verily\nthy Lord is powerful, forgiving, precious and persevering! Depend\nupon the favor of thy LOrd. He shall bless thee and protect thee\nunder the shadow of His generosity and mercy.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art commemorating the praises of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-commemorating-the-praises-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art commemorating the praises of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art commemorating the praises of God!\n\nVerily, I read thy letter of elegant expression, for\nwhich I supplicate to God to make thee meek, humble and fit for the\neffulgence of the light of His love among the maid-servants; and (I\nbeg of God) to make all mankind the children of His mercy! This is\nthe utmost mercy of Abdul-Baha for which he is endeavoring night and\nday and is summoning all to this fountain which is flowing with the\npure water of the gift of God. Verily, I pray God to assembly all\nmankind in the shadow of the standard of peace and under the tents of\nlove in the Paradise of El-ABHA; so that all of them may become the\nchildren of God and His beloved ones. Verily thy Lord is\ncompassionate to the servants who are rightly guided.\n\nAs to thee: Appreciate the value of thy father, for he\ntaught thee to await the manifestation of the Light of Lights. Verily\nhe hath inhaled the fragrance of the Paradise of El-ABHA and his\nnostrils are therewith perfumed. Therefore, he bade thee to\nanticipate and prepare thyself for the appearance of the Kingdom of\nGod.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art confessing the Oneness of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-confessing-the-oneness-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art confessing the Oneness of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"persecution",
"the-covenant",
"women",
"children",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"love",
"patience",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art confessing the Oneness of God!\n\nVerily, I read thy letter and I besought God to cause\nthee to promulgate His divine Manifestation, to be rejoiced at the\nbounty of His Kingdom, to adhere to His Testament, to hold fast to\nthe hem of the robe of His grandeur, to exert thyself in His Cause,\nto desire the unity of His dearly beloved ones, and the harmony\namongst His chosen ones and to endeavor to remove the doubts which\nare being emanated from deceitful souls.\n\nBy the might of my Lord, verily, the Lord will assist\nonly those who will remain firm in His Cause, and desire union, love,\nhumility and submissiveness, and to become separated from aught else\nsave God. Every forehead which is illuminated with these lights will\nbe a lamp of guidance and a star whereby all horizons will be\nlighted.\n\nExert thyself with all thy heart and soul and with all\nstrength, so that thou mayest become a sign of firmness and as a\nbanner of the Word of God which may wave on every lofty edifice\nthrough the favor of thy Glorious Lord.\n\nAs to thy question concerning the 12th chapter of\nEcclesiastes: This is prophecy regarding the coming of Jesus in that\nbook, the signs and marks of which were fulfilled with the appearance\nof the Promised One of the Bible64\n; but since the Jews did not understand the meaning thereof, so they\ndenied Jesus and— God forbid! —said that He was the\ndeformed (Antichrist). Then it is said by Jesus in the Gospel, that\nsimilar signs would appear in the “last day”—or in\nother words—in the day when Christ will come the second time in\nthis world.\n\nThe interpretation of these statements is mentioned in\nthe clearest manner and with the most wonderful proofs in the Book of\nIghan65\n. His honor, Ali-Kuli-Khan, has already translated this Book which\nwill soon be published in America66\n. Then you will be informed of the explanation and interpretation of\nthese verses and statements as elucidated by the Blessed Perfection.\nTherefore my interpretation is not necessary.\n\nAs to thy question concerning the 54th chapter of\nIsaiah: This chapter refers to the Exalted Leaf, the mother of\nAbdul-Baha. As a proof to this it is said: “For more are the\nchildren of the desolate, than the children of the married wife.”\nReflect upon this statement and then upon the following: “And\nthy seed shall inherit the Gentiles and make the desolate cities to\nbe inhabited.” And truly the humiliation and reproach which she\nsuffered in the path of God is a fact which no one can refute. For\nthe calamities and afflictions mentioned in the whole chapter are\nsuch afflictions which she suffered in the path of God, all of which\nshe endured with patience and thanked God therefor and praised Him,\nbecause He had enabled her to endure afflictions for the sake of\nBaha’. During all this time, the men and women (nakazeen)\npersecuted her in an incomparable manner, while she was patient,\nGod-fearing, calm, humble and contented through the favor of her Lord\nand by the bounty of her Creator.\n\nAs to thee—O thou who art confessing the Oneness\nof God! —rise with all thy power to keep firm in the Testament\nof God, and firmly believe that, verily, all troops are defeated save\nthose of the Testament and all banners are reversed, save that of the\nCovenant of God, which will wave over all horizons and will\novershadow the hosts of spirit, love and peace, while agitated by the\nbreeze of the favor of God. Be thou of the number of this great host\nand among the vanguard of this great and powerful army.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art confident in the appearance of the Kingdom...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-confident-in-the-appearance-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou who art confident in the appearance of the Kingdom of God! Verily I read thy letter, which was beautifully composed and which proved thy great love, the extent of thy knowledge and the illumination of thy sight, by witnessing the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"persecution",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art confident in the appearance of the\nKingdom of God! Verily I read thy letter, which was beautifully\ncomposed and which proved thy great love, the extent of thy knowledge\nand the illumination of thy sight, by witnessing the signs whereunto\nthe heads bow in reverence and faces show respect.\n\nO beloved! Thank God that He chose thee for His love and\nelected thy wife for the calling of the appearance of the Kingdom of\nGod. Verily, this is a great favor, and wert thou aware of the\nresults which will follow it in the Kingdom of God, thou wouldst,\nverily, rejoice exceedingly and wouldst call with loud voice:\n“Blessed are we for this great favor, and glad-tidings be unto\nus for this glorious attainment.”\n\nConsider the past, so that thou mayest become informed\nof the mysteries which shall be disclosed in the future. When the\ndisciples were calling in the name of Christ, the Jews scoffed,\nscorned and laughed at them. They were saying, “They (i.e., the\ndisciples) are taken with madness, and madness is made an art.”\nThey even beat them with whips, threw stones at them, prevented the\npeople from approaching them, and were saying, “This man\n(Christ) is naught but a sorcerer, blasphemeth God and is possess of\na devil.”\n\nThen observe how that persecution and scorn were changed\nto glory, honor and reverence. Ultimately, they (the Jews) honored\ntheir sublime stations and acknowledged their loftiness, which was\nexalted, promoted and glorified in the center of the horizons until\nit reached the degree of exaggeration in deeds. They made for them\nlikenesses and pictures, decorated with jewels shining in the eyes;\nthey placed these likenesses or pictures in the temples, churches and\nmonasteries built on the tops of the mountains, and worshipped them\nwith respect, glory, majesty and reverence. This is the condition of\nthe neglectful ones who are deprived of the Truth (the Manifestations\nof God) at the day of their existence among them. After the ascension\nof their (the prophets’) spirits unto the Center of Purity and\nPiety, then the negligent ones repent and return, making likenesses\nand pictures according to their own ideas, which do not bear\nresemblance, and worship the same. This is the station of the\nignorant ones who are as animals, following every croaker and shaken\nby every wind. “Forsake them to play in their shallow waters.”\n\n\nAs to thee: Be happy because of what thy Lord, the\nClement, the Merciful, hath given thee; choosing thee and thy\nesteemed wife for entrance into His Kingdom, for calling in His name,\npraising Him in assemblies, gatherings and meetings.\n\nThe truth I verily say unto thee, this divine grace\ncannot be exchanged for the sovereignty of the earth, the east or the\nwest. For that (the worldly kingdom) is naught but dreams, torture to\nthe spirit, trouble for the hearts; its mortality is certain and its\ndestruction a well known fact—while this spiritual kingdom and\ndivine grace will shine, and it is an ABHA (Glorious) jewel which\nwill glisten on the diadems of great glory in the course of centuries\nand cycles.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art conscious!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-conscious",
"summary": "O thou who art…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art conscious!\n\nAt last thou didst learn of the path of salvation and\ndidst find the straight way. Now remain firm that thou mayest attain\nconfirmation and victory.\n\nThe powers of the sympathetic nerve are neither entirely\nphysical nor spiritual, but are between the two (systems).131\nThe nerve is connected with both. Its phenomena shall be perfect when\nits spiritual and physical relations are normal.\n\nWhen the material world and the divine world are well\nco-related, when the hearts become heavenly and the aspirations grow\npure and divine, perfect connection shall take place. Then shall this\npower produce a perfect manifestation. Physical and spiritual\ndiseases will then receive absolute healing.\n\nThe exposition is brief. Ponder and thou shalt\nunderstand the meaning. Although, on account of lack of time, the\nanswer is short, by close reflection it shall be made long.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art controlled by the attraction of the Fragrances...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-controlled-by-the-attraction-of-the-fragrances",
"summary": "O thou who art controlled by the attraction of the Fragrances of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"persecution"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art controlled by the attraction of the\nFragrances of God!\n\nI perused thy letter which speaks of thy love to God and\nthine attraction to the Beauty of God, and I became cheered in heart\nby its beautiful contents. In my previous letter to thee it was my\nintention to point out to thee that in the way of exalting the Word\nof God there are tests and trials, and in His love there are at all\ntimes calamities and afflictions and sufferings. Therefore, it\nbehooveth one to first ponder over these calamities and wistfully\naccept them, then undertake to spread the fragrances of God and exalt\nHis Word. At that time, whatever may befall him in the love of God,\nof reproach, persecution, reviling, abuse, insult, beating,\nimprisonment or assassination, will not offend him; rather it will\naugment his attraction to the Beauty of God. This was what I intended\npreviously. Otherwise, woe and misery to the soul which hunts after\ncomfort, luxury, wealth and affluence, while it is remiss of the\nmention of God; because calamity in the path of God is a favor to\nAbdul-Baha.\n\nIn one of the Tablets the Beauty of El-Abha sayeth, “I\nnever passed by a tree that my heart did not address it, saying,\n‘Would that thou was cut in My Name, that upon thee my body\nshould be crucified!’”\n\nThis is that which was uttered by the Greatest Name.\nThis is His Path! This is the evidence of His Great Kingdom!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art controlled by the attraction of the Holy...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-controlled-by-the-attraction-of-the-holy",
"summary": "O thou who art controlled by the attraction of the Holy fragrances of the gardens of God’s…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"gentleness",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art controlled by the attraction of the Holy\nfragrances of the gardens of God’s Kingdom!\n\nThy brilliant letter, which thou hast sent by the\nbeloved ........, was read by me. The bounty is of God for that He\nhath inspired thee with the word of fidelity and chosen thee from\namong those who are called, whether men or women. Therefore, thank\nthou thy Lord at morn and eve and glorify His praise for this favor.\nVerily a great favor is bestowed upon thee!\n\nOur dear friend ......... hath arrived. He praises the\nbeloved of God and His maid-servants and adorns the ears with the\npearls of praiseworthy actions and good qualities of the elect and\nthe faithful.\n\nI supplicate God to enable him and every one else to\nserve Him in the garden of El-Abha and to help thee to be gentle,\nhumble and submissive; to reveal Himself upon thee with the\nattributes of the Merciful and to grant thee a heavenly table at all\ntimes.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art controlled by the attractions of the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-controlled-by-the-attractions-of-the",
"summary": "O thou who art controlled by the attractions of the Fragrance of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art controlled by the attractions of the\nFragrance of God!\n\nThy terse and eloquent letter, showing the excess of\nthine attraction as caused by the fragrances of god, was read by me.\n\nI, therefore, supplicate God to confirm thy glorious\nchildren, Frederick, Robert and Herbert, to surround them with the\nglances of His merciful eye, to direct them to the path of guidance\nand to make them enter the Ark of Safety which is cleaving the sea of\nthis contingent world in the midst of the deluge of tests; that they\nmay become righteous, guiding the people to the Kingdom of the\nglorious Lord, the doors of which are open before the faces of all\nbeings.\n\nI implore Him to appoint thee one of the angels of the\nSpirit, that thou mayest blow the spirit of life into the hearts\nwhich are good and pure through the love of God; that He may\nstrengthen the elect in America to spread the fragrances of God and\nto reveal the spirit of knowledge to the hearts which are cheered by\nthe breaths of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art desirous of the Kingdom of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-desirous-of-the-kingdom-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art desirous of the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art desirous of the Kingdom of God!\n\nThy letter was the cause of happiness and its contents\nwere the proof of thy turning to the Shining Beauty. In this blessed\nperiod, when the light of the endless bounties is illuminating the\ndark world, some souls, like the butterfly, circled round the Divine\nLamp and with perfect yearning sacrificed their lives.\n\nI ask of God that thou mayest be one of those souls, so\nthat the rays of knowledge will shine forth from thy face to those\nregions and will be the cause of guiding the seekers of Reality.\n\nThough thou wert obliged to leave Baltimore, I hope that\nthou wilt be the cause of guidance in Washington (D.C.). Receive\nproofs and evidence from Mirza Abul Fazl112\nso that thou wilt be armed with convincing proofs and sufficient\nargument to break down the ranks of denial, pride and ignorance.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art directed to the Light of Guidance!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-directed-to-the-light-of-guidance",
"summary": "O thou who art directed to the Light of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art directed to the Light of Guidance!\n\nThank thou God, for tho hast chanted the verses of the\nMighty guidance in the assemblage of knowledge and hast unfurled the\nbanner of attraction in those most extensive places. Therefore,\nappreciate this with due appreciation and know thou that this\nguidance is a gift, greater than which cannot be imagined. Forasmuch\nas it is a bounty from the Glorious Lord, a success to every sincere\nservant, a light for the faces of devoted ones and a bestowal from\nthe Lord, the Clement, the Merciful.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art directed toward the Light of Guidance!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-directed-toward-the-light-of-guidance",
"summary": "O thou who art directed toward the Light of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art directed toward the Light of Guidance!\n\nIn this moment the heart of Abdul-Baha is rejoiced at\nthy remembrance and he is writing an answer to thy letter so that\nthou mayest be so moved by the breezes of the love of God that thou\nmayest become the envy of the cypress of the rose-garden and cause\njoy, yearning, longing and ecstasy to the friends.\n\nIn this great dispensation, art (or a profession) is\nidentical with an act of worship and this is a clear text of the\nBlessed Perfection. Therefore, extreme effort should be made in art\nand this will not prevent the teaching of the people in that region.\nNay, rather, each should assist the other in art and guidance. For\ninstance, when the studying of art is with the intention of obeying\nthe command (of God) this study will certainly be done easily and\ngreat progress will soon be made therein; and when others discover\nthis fragrance of spirituality in the action itself, this same will\ncause their awakening. Likewise, managing art with propriety will\nbecome the means of sociability and affinity; and sociability and\naffinity themselves tend to guide others (to the Truth).\n\nSatisfy thy revered father and seek his pleasure,so that\nhe may consider that thou observest his obedience more than ever.\nPractice the utmost love and affection.\n\nI supplicate and beseech the Threshold of Oneness that\nthou mayest be confirmed and assisted.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art directed unto God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-directed-unto-god",
"summary": "O thou who art directed unto…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"persecution"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"perseverance",
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art directed unto God!\n\nThy revered wife, Mrs. ........, is indeed confirmed by\nthe fragrances of the spirit and rendered victorious by the hosts of\nthe Kingdom. Verily, she hath abandoned comfort and ease; calleth in\nthe name of God in those regions; hath remained firm in God’s\nreligion; and no power of test hath shaken her. Rest thou assured!\nHer light shall shine in the globe of the love of God and her face\nshall be illumined with the light of God’s bounty!\n\nI pray for a heavenly blessing to descend upon the heart\nof [thy wife], for she arose for the spreading of God’s\nfragrances. I ask God to protect thee and her from the winds of\ntrial. May thy tongue be moved to utter beautiful explanations and\nmay the hearts of the people of Johnstown (N.Y.) become tender, so\nthat they may be guided to the Fountain of the Water of Life and be\nillumined by the lights shining from the kingdom of heaven.\n\n87\nBe not in despair, but rather smile by the mercy of thy\nLord; and be not sorrowful when meeting with worldly difficulties and\ndepressions, for they pass away—and thine shall be immortality\nduring ages and centuries, times and cycles.\n\n88\nBe not sad on account of poverty, nor be sorrowful when\nthe people scorn thee. Remember the poverty of Jesus, the persecution\nof the Jews to His glorious person and the scorn of Him. Verily, that\npoverty is the glory of the beginning and the ending. It is a light\nwhich hath illumined the heavens and the earth. ***O thou who art\nattracted to the Kingdom of God!\n\n***Consider not the present state, for it is the time of\nsowing seeds in that country (America) and, of course, great\ndifficulties are met with, differences and hindrances of the people\nbeing severe. Firmness must uphold us. As the servants and the\nmaid-servants of the Merciful stand firmly and persevere, the good\nsee will soon grow and bear the fruit of blessing. Then will spirit\nand fragrance prevail, and joy and rejoicing come from the heavenly\nsphere; the sorrows and toils shall be forgotten and the eternal\npeace and rest appear. I trust, through the bounty of ABHA, that ye\nmay be strengthened to serve and to spread the Word of God.***\n\nThe giving .... the ring89\nof the Greatest Name is very beautiful. The ring should be worn on\nthe small finger of the right hand.\n\nThe prayer for forgiveness90\nis behalf of those who have passed, ignorant, from this world, will\nbe sent as requested.\n\nRegarding the “two wings” of the soul: These\nsignify wings of ascent. One is the wing of knowledge, the other of\nfaith, as this is the means of the ascent of the human soul to the\nlofty station of divine perfections.***\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art drawn unto God and kindled by the Fire...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-drawn-unto-god-and-kindled-by-the-fire",
"summary": "O thou who art drawn unto God and kindled by the Fire which burned on Mt.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art drawn unto God and kindled by the Fire\nwhich burned on Mt. Sinai!\n\nSet aside every mention save the mention of God and\nabandon everything save the divulgence of the Testament, be attracted\nby the magnet of the Covenant that thou mayest see the triumph of the\nangels of the King of the Kingdom and the valor of the hosts of the\nLord of Might. By the life of the Lord! The Invincible Power will\nindeed strengthen, the Holy Spirit will speak in thy mouth, the Word\nof God will be revealed in thy heart, the sound of the trumpet of the\nLord will gladden thee, the light of unity will shine from thy brow,\nthe doors of success and prosperity will be opened upon thy face and\nthe secrets of the Holy Books will be unfolded. Then, at that time,\nthou shalt cry at the top of thy voice, saying: “Blessed I am\nfor this great bounty! Blessed I am for this evident victory! Blessed\nI am for this power which could not be resisted by the powers of\nwhomsoever is upon the earth!”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art enkindled by the fire of the Love of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-enkindled-by-the-fire-of-the-love-of",
"summary": "O thou who art enkindled by the fire of the Love of God!…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art enkindled by the fire of the Love of God!\n\n\nVerily, I was informed of the text of thy letter,\nwherein thou praisest the firm servant of God, Mirza ........ and was\nrejoiced in heart for the signs of joy which are manifested in thee\nin this illustrious day. I ask God to make thee a sign of guidance,\nfountain of knowledge and a caller in His name, the Merciful, so that\nthe hearts may become gladdened by the mention of God and the souls\nbe led to the Kingdom of God, to this Great Dwelling Place and\nSublime Home.\n\nAs to the four stations which I refer to in the divine\ntreatise: I ask God to open the door before thy face, that thou\nmayest enter therein, that thou mayest attain to its lights and\nbecome informed of its mysteries. I shall not give a detailed\nexplanation thereof, on account of the great work (i.e., because of\nthe exceeding press of business).\n\nRegarding the treatise (or pamphlet) which thou didst\ncompile in proof of the appearance of the Kingdom of God—thou\ndidst well! I shall read it at a leisure time, and ask God to aide\nthee in compiling other useful writings in demonstration of God.\n\nAs to organization of other meetings for the\nmaid-servants of the Merciful, for the spread of the fragrances of\nGod; this is the best deed and most complete action. I ask God to\nstrengthen thee in this matter so that you may organize many\ngatherings for the spread of the teachings of God. Thus the Lord of\nHosts will confirm you by armies of the Supreme Concourse and hosts\nof the angels of heaven. Verily it is the army of inspiration and the\nhosts of benediction.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art enkindled with the fire of the Love of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-enkindled-with-the-fire-of-the-love-of",
"summary": "O thou who art enkindled with the fire of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art enkindled with the fire of the Love of\nGod!\n\nThank thou thy revered friend and thy attracted\n(spiritual) sister who hath guided thee to this right path and given\nthee to drink the choice wine of knowledge from the cheerful cup.\nWert thou duly informed of this divine bounty, thou wouldst kneel\ndown and prostrate thyself before her for this great gift. For,\nverily, thou wert athirst and she was a clear running fountain. Thank\nthou God for that He hath favored thee with her meeting, that thou\nart benefited by her clouds and sought light from her lamp. Wert thou\nto expend all that is in the earth, thou wouldst not appreciate her\ndue value. Glorified is He who hath enabled her to illumine thine\ninsight, to purify thy heart, to dilate thy breast and to sanctify\nthy soul!\n\nThen know thou, if thy revered husband herald the\nKingdom of God among peoples, he would find the doors of the Kingdom\nopen before his face among the nations, and then his breath would\ntake effect within the heart of the world through the breath of the\nHoly Spirit.\n\nI beg of God to guide him unto that whereunto He hath\nguided thee, and to favor him with that with which He hath favored\nthee. At that time the lamps of gifts will be enkindled among thy\nkinsmen and people.\n\nVerily, thy Lord is the Beneficent, the Merciful, the\nGiver!\n\n\nUpon ye be greeting and praise!\n\nABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.\n\n\n\n\n\n Volume II: pp. 239–484\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art enkindled with the Fire of the Love...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-enkindled-with-the-fire-of-the-love",
"summary": "O thou who art enkindled with the Fire of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art enkindled with the Fire of the Love of\nGod!\n\nThy letter was received and I was informed of the\ncontents. It was a proof of truthfulness and sincerity and an\nevidence of spiritual feelings. Consider how the radiance of the\nlight of the Holy Spirit doth illumine the court of the soul, that it\nbringeth about spiritual discoveries and produceth merciful\nattachment! The essential meeting is that spiritual attachment (or\nunion) and heartfelt feelings; when this gift becometh manifest,\nheavenly bounties will be attained and hopes shall be fulfilled. It\nis the same as I have written: Thou shalt attain to visit Acca; but\nnow a physical visit (or presence) will lead to interference on the\npart of the ignorant and cause the tumult and commotion of the\nunwise. For the present, satisfy thyself with a spiritual union. God\nwilling, thy coming will be also brought about afterward.\n\nOccupy thyself with the Kingdom as much as thou canst\nand forget all else save the True One; in order that thou mayest, day\nby day, find a new power in the Cause of God and gain a great\nstability.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art esteemed and guarded!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-esteemed-and-guarded",
"summary": "O thou who art esteemed and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art esteemed and guarded!\n\nThank God for that by reason of which thy picture hath\ncome into the court of holiness of perfumed breaths. I supplicate to\nGod to confirm thee in that which beseemeth this station.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art esteemed in the Threshold of the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-esteemed-in-the-threshold-of-the",
"summary": "O thou who art esteemed in the Threshold of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"fast",
"recognition",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art esteemed in the Threshold of the\nAlmighty!\n\nPraise thou God, for that thou hast found the Light of\nGuidance, recognized the Lord of the Kingdom, art engaged in the\nservice of the Divine Garden and hast guided a number of souls and\nled them to the Kingdom of Existence. When thou occupiest thyself\nwith all thy strength in service, thou wilt become a magnet of\nattraction and cause every seeker to reach the presence of the\nDesired One; thou wilt raise a great clamor in the world and evince\nsuch an ecstasy and rapture that will astonish the minds.\n\nSend my loving greeting to those souls whom thou hast\nguided unto the divine kingdom and say unto them: “Ye must\nappreciate Miss ....... Move your tongues in thanksgiving and be\nobliged for her great effort; for she gave you to drink the wine of\nguidance from the cup of the love of God and led you to the kingdom\nof lights. Were you to thank her for many years as a reward for this\nguidance, ye will not be able to repay your obligation for this\ngift.”\n\nThou hast written concerning the Impersonality of the\nDivinity. Personality is in the Manifestation of the Divinity, not in\nthe Essence of the Divinity. The reality of the divine world is\npurified and sanctified from limits and restriction. But the pure\nMirror, which is the Manifestor of the Sun of Truth and in which the\nSun of Truth is manifest in appearance—that mirror is\nrestricted, not the lights. The soul pervadeth throughout the whole\nbody, and its commands are effective in all the parts and limbs of\nman. Notwithstanding its utmost sanctification (or abstraction) this\nsoul is manifest and evident in all its grades, in this material\nform. By seeing God is meant beholding the Manifestation of Himself;\nfor witnessing the sun in its entire splendor, in a clear glassy\nsurface, is identical with witnessing the essence of the sun itself.\n\nWhen the souls of the sincere depart (from this body),\nthen their unreal vision (i.e., seeing) is changed into a vision of\nreality. Even as man, when in the age of babyhood and imperfection,\nthough he seeth things, yet that vision is superficial and external.\nBut when he reacheth the world (or age) of perfection and becometh\nendowed with reasoning faculty and (the power of) discrimination and\ncomprehension, then that vision of his is a vision (i.e., seeing) of\nreality99\nand not the unreality.\n\nIt is evident that the divine nearness is an unlimited\nnearness, be it in this world or the next one. This is a nearness\nwhich is sanctified from the comprehension of the minds. The more a\nman seeketh light from the Sun of Truth, the nearer he will draw. For\ninstance, a clear body is near unto the sun, and a black stone is far\nfrom the sun. This nearness dependeth upon clearness, purity and\nperfection and that remoteness is due to density, dullness (or\nobscurity) and imperfection.\n\nAs to the question whether the souls will recognize each\nother in the spiritual world: This (fact) is certain; for the Kingdom\nis the world of vision (i.e., things are visible in it), where all\nthe concealed realities will become disclosed. How much more the\nwell-known souls will become manifest. The mysteries of which man is\nheedless in this earthly world, those will he discover in the\nheavenly world, and there will he be informed of the secret of truth;\nhow much more will he recognize or discover persons with whom he hath\nbeen associated. Undoubtedly, the holy souls who find a pure eye and\nare favored with insight will, in the kingdom of lights, be\nacquainted with all mysteries, and will seek the bounty of witnessing\nthe reality of every great soul. Even they will manifestly behold the\nBeauty of God in that world. Likewise will they find all the friends\nof God, both those of the former and recent times, present in the\nheavenly assemblage.\n\nAs to the difference and distinction between Lazarus and\nthat “rich man”: The first was spiritual, while the\nsecond was material. One was in the highest degree of knowledge and\nthe other in the lowest depths of ignorance. The difference and\ndistinction will naturally become realized between all men after\ntheir departure from this mortal world. But this (distinction) is not\nin respect to place, but it is in respect to the soul and conscience.\nFor the Kingdom of God is sanctified (or free) from time and place;\nit is another world and another universe. But the holy souls are\npromised the gift of intercession. And know thou for a certainty,\nthat in the divine worlds, the spiritual beloved ones (believers)\nwill recognize each other, and will seek union (with each other), but\na spiritual union. Likewise, a love that one may have entertained for\nany one will not be forgotten in the world of the Kingdom. Likewise,\nthou wilt not forget (there) the life that thou hast had in the\nmaterial world.\n\nO thou maid-servant of God! Hold fast to the Most Strong\nHandle100\nand be thoroughly attracted to the Kingdom of ABHA, until thou mayest\nat every instant find a new confirmation and attain to a wonderful\ngift and become a cause for the guidance of souls.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art exhilarated by the Wine of the Love of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-exhilarated-by-the-wine-of-the-love-of",
"summary": "O thou who art exhilarated by the Wine of the Love of God—young in age and old in…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art exhilarated by the Wine of the Love of\nGod—young in age and old in soul!\n\nTruly, truly, I say unto thee, thy thanksgiving for my\nbrilliant letter, which was sent thee, caused me to address thee\nrepeatedly with the greatest affection of soul and spirit. By the\nlife of God! verily, this letter will make thee and thine household\n[rejoice] throughout the eternity of the eternities, because the\ntongue of Abdul-Baha is addressing thee from this lofty and sublime\nthreshold of the Blessed Perfection.\n\nI assuredly cast mine eyes on the picture traced by\nthine hand and smelled the fragrance of the love of God from its\nflowers, because it is painted while thine heart hath been\noverflowing with the love of Baha’ and thou hast made it as a\ntoken for thy remembrance.\n\nI beg of God to make thee cut thine heart from this\nworld and whatever is in it, to devote thy life to the service of the\nmaid-servants of God, to kneel down, worship and glorify the\naffectionate Lord, the Exalted, the Lord of angels and spirit!***\n\nThe brilliant leaves (i.e., the ladies of the household)\nwho are overshadowed by the protection of Baha’, present their\ngreetings and love to thee.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art favored in the Kingdom of the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-favored-in-the-kingdom-of-the",
"summary": "O thou who art favored in the Kingdom of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"humility",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art favored in the Kingdom of the almighty!\n\nThe letter that thou hast written with the utmost\neloquence, compassion, humility and submission of heart and spiritual\nemotions, hath been read.\n\nIf the people live and act in accord with the General\nTablets which are revealed to the beloved of the East and of the\nWest, this universe will become another universe and the whole\nexistence of this world will be clad in another garment. You must\nencourage and reinforce the beloved of God and the maid-servants of\nthe Merciful that they may live and act in accord with the teachings\nin the General Tablets.\n\nConsider thou how vast is the arena of the Kingdom—it\nhath environed the whole world. The splendor of Providence hath\nencircled all races, nations, communities and religions; the\nfoundation of foreignness is swept away and the basis of Oneness is\nestablished; love hath become universal and the spiritual ties are\nstrengthened.***\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art firm in the Covenant and Testament!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-firm-in-the-covenant-and-testament",
"summary": "O thou who art firm in the Covenant and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art firm in the Covenant and Testament!\n\nThy letter***was received and its contents became known.\nThou hast written regarding the election of a committee217\n. This is very acceptable, is conducive to the glory of the Cause of\nGod and the spreading of the fragrances of God in those regions. I\nhope that this committee may progress day by day until it become a\nmerciful assembly.\n\nThou hast written regarding the correspondence with\nother parts, that from now on it will be carried under the name of\nThe Bahai Assembly of Washington. This is also acceptable. I hope\nthat this committee becometh established and its members be of the\nutmost unity and affinity. If the Bahai Assembly of Washington\nariseth in a befitting manner to love, service and magnanimity, the\nlights of the love of God will be cast upon all sides from the\nAssembly and it will find more importance day by day, until it attain\nto the Most Supreme Station. ***\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art firm in the Covenant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-firm-in-the-covenant-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art firm in the Covenant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art firm in the Covenant of God!\n\nMayest thou enjoy this cup which is overflowing with the\npure wine of the love of God! Glad-tidings unto thee for that by\nreason of which thou hast become an acceptable servant before God!\n\nVerily I have read thy brilliant letter and praised God\nfor He hath made the cup of thy heart filled with the pure wine of\nHis love and hath chosen thee to enter the Kingdom of His Guidance.\n\nNow as to what thou askest concerning giving up the\nscientific attainment in Paris for the sake of confining thy days to\nthe delivery of this Truth, it is indeed acceptable and beloved, but\nif thou acquire both it would be better and more perfect, because in\nthis new century the attainment of science, arts and belles lettres,\nwhether divine or worldly, material or spiritual, is a matter which\nis acceptable before God and a duty which is incumbent upon us to\naccomplish. Therefore, never deny the spiritual things to the\nmaterial, rather both are incumbent upon thee. Nevertheless, at the\ntime when thou art working for such a scientific attainment, thou\nmust be controlled by the attraction of the love of thy Glorious Lord\nand mindful of mentioning His Splendid Name. This being the case,\nthou must attain the art thou art studying to its perfection.\n\nI implore God to assist thee in all cases and aspects\nand perfume thy nostrils with the holy fragrance during all times. Be\ntranquil through my love unto thee and rejoice at my compassion upon\nthee.\n\nAs to the tribute thou hast sent: We have accepted it as\na treasure because it was presented by thee with all love and great\nsincerity and we shall use it in building the Holy Tomb210, that thy name may become immortal forever and ever.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art firm in the Covenant!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-firm-in-the-covenant",
"summary": "O thou who art firm in the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant",
"family",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"justice",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art firm in the Covenant!\n\nThe means of communication being severed71, your letter of *** was received only in these days. You have made\nmention of the persons who have lately accepted the Truth. Convey\nmost wonderful ABHA greetings to Mrs. ........ and say: “Thank\nthou God for thou hast worn a crown studded with gems of the\nknowledge of God and partaken of the fountain of the Water of Life.”\nConvey also most wonderful greetings to Mrs. ........ and say: “Thou\nwast in darkness and thou hast attained the world of lights. Thou was\nnot informed of Almighty God. I hope thou wilt witness signs.”\n\nO thou real friend! Another letter [hath just been]\nreceived for thee. Its contents bear upon the cablegram which was\nsent to prevent publication. By thy dear life, thou wast not meant by\nit; for numerous publications were seen in newspapers and magazines\nwhich were not proper. The purpose of that cablegram is this: That\neach one of the beloved ones of God (believers in general who may\nwish to publish any writings or articles, etc.) should first send the\nsame to the Holy Land, to be seen (or examined) and then printed. And\nthis matter is general and this (message) was sent equally to\nAmerica, Persia, India and Turkestan. I have the utmost love for thee\nand thy family for thou servest me—how can I be offended at\nyou? Be assured and happy. Convey my greetings to thy sons and also\nto the maid-servant of God, thy wife.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art firm in the love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-firm-in-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art firm in the love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"hope",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art firm in the love of God!\n\nVerily I read thy recent letter*** and I praised God for\nHis glorious mercy and His blessings which are successively poured\ninto the pure hearts.\n\nI have written a reply to the letter of ........ and\nhave enclosed it with this letter. I ask God to make him a sign of\nguidance and to guide, through him, souls (people) of his native land\nand of other people. Verily, my God chooses whomsoever He willeth, by\nHis mercy and generosity, for entrance into the Kingdom of Glory and\nshineth the lights of (His) Beauty upon them. Blessed is he who keeps\nfirm in the Path and stands for the Cause of thy Merciful Lord—a\nfirmness like unto the lofty mountains.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Verily, I pray God to sanctify\nthee from the material and thus clothe thee with the garment of\nholiness and the mantle of purity and send through thee the\nglad-tidings of thy Lord from the Kingdom of Heaven.\n\nO maid-servant of God! It is incumbent upon thee to be\nfirm and steadfast, for by it man attains the greatest hope. Bear\nevery difficulty and be content with any ordeal for the love of thy\nLord, so that thou mayest obtain that favor, the lights of which\nshine throughout the horizons.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art gazing toward Abdul-Baha!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-gazing-toward-abdul-baha",
"summary": "O thou who art gazing toward…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art gazing toward Abdul-Baha!\n\nNow I address thee with a heart filled with affection\ntoward thee, and say: “O maid-servant of God! Be a flame of the\nfire of the love of God, and consume the veils of women’s\ndoubts. And know thou that, verily, the Lord who “doeth\nwhatsoever He willeth” will assist thee in proof and argument\nand will enable thee to speak the praise of the Merciful One and will\nmake thee a sign of knowledge.\n\n“Arise to serve the Cause of God in the vineyard\nof God and water the developed and flourishing trees with the waters\nof mysteries which are deposited in the innermost parts of the words\nof the Books; and be assured that the fountain of assurance will gush\nout in the hearts of the firm and steadfast women believers, and the\ndivine graces will strengthen them from all sides, and the Lord will\nenable them to diffuse the fragrances. And He will make them manifest\nsigns, beaming stars, shining lights, fruitful trees, flowing\nfountains, perfect words and mature proofs. Then know thou that\nverily Abdul-Baha is between the fangs of the dragon of afflictions\nand in the grasp of dangers night and day.”\n\nAs to ye, O maid-servants of the Merciful One: “Gird\nup your loins in union and harmony, so that the Lord may strengthen\nyour backs in His mighty Kingdom, make you servants in His excellent\nvineyard, raise you to the highest stations in this glorious age, and\ncause you to reach your greatest hopes in this auspicious day.”\n\n\nAddress thou the maid-servants of the Merciful One, and\nsay: “Verily, Mary Magdalene was a villager, but on account of\nher keeping firm in the Cause of Christ after His death, she was\nrendered successful in such a matter, whereby her face is shining and\nbeaming forth on the horizon of the universe forevermore! And she\nsurpassed even men in defending the fortress of the Cause of God\nagainst the attack of the hosts of suspicions. This is indeed a\nglorious condition! This is indeed a great matter! This is indeed a\nmanifest light!”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art gazing toward the Kingdom of the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-gazing-toward-the-kingdom-of-the",
"summary": "O thou who art gazing toward the Kingdom of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art gazing toward the Kingdom of the\nTestament!\n\nI already received thy letter which announced thy\nreceipt of the loving letter sent to thee by the pen of Abdul-Baha.\nBy God the True One! Verily, those letters are as gifts of God to\nthee, to thy noble wife and to thine honorable daughter. I beg of God\nto enable thee to perfectly endeavor to practice according to their\ncontents.\n\nYes, some of the intellectually cultured people in those\ncountries exert themselves to reach the loftiest summits of\nprosperity in worldly affairs and most of them are desiring wealth\nand are making an effort to attain it somehow. But they are unmindful\nof the treasury of the Kingdom, the spiritual affluence and the\nwealth of mind; therefore, thou findest them subject to the rage of\nlusts and under the influence of egotistic and selfish desires,\nsinking into intemperance and engaged in drinking the cup of lust.\nWere they to become mindful of their heedlessness and awakened from\nthe sleep of ignorance, they would become intoxicated by the cup of\nthe love of God and exhilarated by the good cheer of the wine of the\nknowledge of God.\n\nI beg of God to shine forth unto you with the lights of\nHis sanctity and send to you divine souls, that they may fully reveal\nto you the divine teachings.\n\nThe letters which I sent to you are as the fragrant\nbreezes of the garden of the knowledge of God, which can be smelled\nby every one whose sense of smelling is clean and purified from any\nrheum, because they are glad-tidings proceeding from pure lips which\nare fluent in explaining the mysteries of God. I beg of God to ordain\nfor us to meet one another.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art gazing toward the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-gazing-toward-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou who art gazing toward the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art gazing toward the Kingdom!\n\nThy letter was received. its contents became known.\nThank thou God that thy house became the shelter and the nest of the\nbirds of the Kingdom. The spiritual assembly was arranged.\nAbdul-Baha, in His heart, was present in your gathering and His\nspirit was gazing upon you.\n\nIn order to render thanks for this gift, you must become\nengaged in creating harmony and union to such an extent that all of\nyou may become as one soul and one spirit; that you may become waves\nof one sea, breezes of one rose-garden, flowers of one meadow and\ntrees of one orchard. You must devote your time to the training of\nyourselves and the guidance of souls.\n\nThy house is my house. Therefore, it must become adorned\nwith the lights of the Kingdom.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art guided by the Light of Guidance!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-guided-by-the-light-of-guidance",
"summary": "O thou who art guided by the Light of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art guided by the Light of Guidance!\n\nVerily, I am informed of thy confession of the Oneness\nof God and thy being attracted to the fragrances of God. I implore\nunto God to make thee a sign of guidance; thy face rejoicing among\nthe maid-servants of the Merciful, and thy heart severed from this\nworld, which weakeneth the hearts and spirits.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art honorable and faithful to God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-honorable-and-faithful-to-god",
"summary": "O thou who art honorable and faithful to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art honorable and faithful to God!\n\nHow many men and women awaited the manifestation of the\nMessiah after Moses? Yet when His beauty shone forth and His face\nappeared, they (the people) did not recognize Him, but continued to\nfollow the superstitions of the Pharisees, who used to say: “Where\nis the authority of the Messiah? Where is the throne of David, the\nGlorious? Where is his iron rod? Where are his innumerable hosts?\nWhere are his attacking armies? Where are his angels of heaven? Where\ndo we see justice of government existing among people and even among\nbeasts and insects? Where is his great majesty? Where is his power,\nwhich shaketh heaven and earth? Is not this a claim of one who is\nbewildered and wandering amidst valleys and hills? Doth he not ride\nupon as ass, while on his head there is a crown of thorns and he is\ndespised?”\n\nIndeed, all of the foregoing statements are of the evil\nopinions which the Pharisees used to proclaim through every man’s\ntongue. But those who had listening ears and clear insight, listened\nnot to such misleading speeches, but realized the Messiah as the\nrising Sun with His effulgent face, and that the radiance of His\nillumination was diffused over the whole world. They regarded even\nthe ass on which He (Christ) was mounted as a splendid throne and\nalso the thorns which were upon His head as a brilliant diadem!\n\nVerily, direct thou thine own self towards His Kingdom,\nthat thou mayest perceive that His traces and authority continue\nforever and will never cease!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art honored and dear!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-honored-and-dear",
"summary": "O thou who art honored and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art honored and dear!\n\nThy letter was received and was the source of pleasure,\nfor thou hast not forgotten this imprisoned one and remembered Acca.\nAlthough thy days here were few, as they were pleasant, they will\ncount as years; a real intimacy between thee and all the family was\nformed which will not be forgotten in the passing of the years.\n\nI desire of God that thou wilt be heavenly, angelic and\nspiritual; and as a torch, become illumined with the love of God in\nthe kingdom of existence.\n\nIn regard to the question thou askest about the picture\nof this oppressed one, say that it was much spread in America: Know\nthat this imprisoned one never had a picture taken except in youth,\nand that one also on account of the command and will of Baha’o’llah,\nI merely consented so as to obey His command. Therefore I do not like\nit to be great spread.\n\nI desire of God, that the traces of the spiritual\nlikeness, which are attributes and qualities, will remain eternally.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art hoping for the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-hoping-for-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou who art hoping for the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art hoping for the Kingdom!\n\nThank thou God that He hath guided thee, led thee to the\nKingdom of Being, ushered thee under the shade of the bounties of the\nLord of Hosts, and that thou hast stepped into the Paradise of ABHA.\n\nDo not grieve on account of the death of thy son,\nneither sigh nor lament. That nightingale soared upward to the divine\nrose-garden; that drop returned to the most great ocean of Truth;\nthat foreigner hastened to his native abode; and that ill one found\nsalvation and life eternal.\n\nWhy shouldst thou be sad and heartbroken? This\nseparation is temporal; this remoteness and sorrow is counted only by\ndays. Thou shalt find him in the Kingdom of God and thou wilt attain\nto the everlasting union. Physical companionship is ephemeral, but\nheavenly association is eternal. Whenever thou rememberest the\neternal and never ending union, thou wilt be comforted and blissful.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art ignited through the brilliant Flame...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-ignited-through-the-brilliant-flame",
"summary": "O thou who art ignited through the brilliant Flame which is blazing in this Blessed…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"humility",
"love",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art ignited through the brilliant Flame which\nis blazing in this Blessed Spot!\n\nVerily, I considered the meanings of thy letter and my\nheart overflows with perfect and spiritual love unto thee and unto\nthe beloved ones of God, whose eyes are brightened by witnessing the\nlights of God and whose innermost hearts are purified by the love of\nGod and whose consciences are made clear by the knowledge of God and\nwhose hearts are tranquilized by the commemoration of God. Theirs is\nthe treasury of the Kingdom and the abundant wealth of the storehouse\nof the divine world! They are wealthy, not poor; they are powerful,\nnot weak; they are grandees, not mean persons; and they are kindred,\nnot strangers! Because, verily, their wealth and honor is divine and\nsupreme and will never be consumed. Blessed are they! Glad-tidings be\nunto them!\n\nAs to those souls who are preaching the Word of God, it\nbehooveth them to shake the dust of every land which they have passed\nby off their shoes and to be with God and without need of the\nrich—although their bed is the soil, their light is the stars\nof the sky and their food is the herbs of the desert—because\ntheirs is the wealth of the Kingdom, the honor of the realm of might\nand the bounty of the divine world; and they are not in want of this\nworld and its cares. Their throne is the mat of humility, their honor\nis in suffering every lowliness in the path of the Loving Lord and\ntheir wealth is being empty-handed from the pomps of the world and\nits vanities and their provision is trusting in God and being severed\nfrom all that is on the earth and its wealth.\n\nAs to thee: Associate thou with the poor and be united\nwith the weak souls and hold intercourse with the needy, with a\ncompassionate heart and great love. Because thereby is ordained for\nthee an eternal glory in the Kingdom of God. Invite thou the people\nto the Exalted World, to the Supreme Horizon and to the Kingdom of\nEl-ABHA!\n\nThere is no harm in thy loneliness in those regions; for\nverily, the hosts of confirmation are thy help, thy Glorious Lord is\nthy protector and the angels of the Kingdom are thy fellow-speakers.\nGlad-tidings be unto thee for this! Blessed art thou for this!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art illuminated by the Light of Knowledge!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-illuminated-by-the-light-of-knowledge",
"summary": "O thou who art illuminated by the Light of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art illuminated by the Light of Knowledge!\n\nVerily, I beseech God and supplicate Him to increase\nthine assurance, thy knowledge and thine attraction and enkindlement\nby the fire of the love of God, day by day.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Clothe thyself with the cuirass\nof assurance, so that thou mayest endure the arrows of suspicion\nwhich are successively pouring from the tongues of the heedless ones.\nBe a lamp, the light of which may dispel the darkness, and a real\nstandard which may remove the doubts of the veiled people. Turn thou\nunto the Kingdom of thy Lord, the Ancient, and seek for confirmation\nat every moment and time, so that lights may shine forth unto thee\nfrom the kingdom of mysteries, and the angels of the Kingdom may come\nunto thee in succession, with a power from the Realm of Might.\nVerily, thy Lord shall assist thee and strengthen thee in that\nwhereby thy breast will be dilated among the maid-servants of the\nMerciful One!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art imploring God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-imploring-god",
"summary": "O thou who art imploring…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"hope",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art imploring God!\n\nI was indeed acquainted with the great misfortunes and\nafflictions which have befallen thee, but I hope that through the\nbounty of thy Lord, He may ordain unto thee heavenly fragrance and\nspirituality, attractive and internal perceptions and incorporeal\nsusceptibilities; that He may grant thee strength after weakness,\ngive thee rest after trouble, bring thee nigh to Him, and make thee a\nsign of His love among all His maid-servants, and forgive thy father,\nmother, brother and grandfather their sins.\n\nVerily, He is the Pardoner, the Forgiver.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art kindled as a lamp with the Fire of the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-kindled-as-a-lamp-with-the-fire-of-the",
"summary": "O thou who art kindled as a lamp with the Fire of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art kindled as a lamp with the Fire of the\nLove of God!\n\nBe thou a fountain flowing with the waters of the mercy\nof God, a myrtle perfumed with the fragrances of God and a bird\nwarbling the most wonderful melodies of the knowledge of God in the\ngarden of faith.\n\nKnow thou, verily, the Sun of Truth hath shone forth\nwith the lights of peace upon all regions. Strife and conflict will\nsurely be removed from all the nations of the earth. Carnage shall be\ntaken away; fighting, violence and reviling will be changed into\nuniversal reconciliation and the hosts of tranquillity will pitch\ntheir tents in the midst of the world. Then the awning of the mercy\nof thy Lord will be hoisted and those souls who are free from the\nfilth of prejudice, contradictions and presumption and are filled\nwith a love that imparts affinity, intimacy, affection, meekness and\nhumbleness will be sheltered under it.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art kindled by the Fire of Guidance which...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-kindled-by-the-fire-of-guidance-which",
"summary": "O thou who art kindled by the Fire of Guidance which blazed and burnt in the Tree of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art kindled by the Fire of Guidance which\nblazed and burnt in the Tree of Sinai!\n\nBy the life of God, I am moved with joy by the mention\nof the beloved and delighted in the love of the elect! And now, with\na heart clear from aught else save God and overflowing with the love\nof God, I mention thee, supplicating God to make thee a lamp of\nguidance in those districts, that out of thee the spirit of knowledge\nmay be spread upon the hearts and spirits until thou becomest a\nspring of fresh and sweet water whereto the thirsty and earnest\ndesirers will come to drink, and thus be satisfied with the sweetness\nthereof.\n\nRejoice at this address which I hope from God will have\na great effect on thy heart and spirit and accordingly become the\nbanner of the Supreme Concourse in that distant and extensive spot121\nthrough which certain nations and tribes would be directed with\nbright faces, rejoiced hearts and speaking tongues uttering the\npraise of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art kindled by the fire of the Love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-kindled-by-the-fire-of-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art kindled by the fire of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art kindled by the fire of the Love of God!\n\nRejoice through the fragrance of God and be attracted by\nthe melodies of the holy birds in the garden of the gifts of God!\nVerily, I, with great humbleness and submissiveness before the\nabundance of His mercy, do roll my face upon the dust to make thee a\nsign of unity and a gift of mercy, that thou mayest be, in all\naspects and cases, near to the Kingdom of God.\n\nBlessed thou art for this great abundance! Glad-tidings\nunto thee because of this manifest light! By the life of God! a\nsingle drop of the ocean of His love is more profitable unto thee\nthan the earth and that which is thereupon, because this will vanish\nand perish, but that drop of love will remain eternally and\neverlastingly in the worlds of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art kindled with the fire of the Love of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-kindled-with-the-fire-of-the-love-of",
"summary": "O thou who art kindled with the fire of the Love of God!…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art kindled with the fire of the Love of God!\n\n\nBlessed art thou, for thy letter was presented at the\nBlessed Spot and was read by Abdul-Baha with a delight and love which\nis journeying out towards all directions.\n\nO servant of God! Be thou a sign of guidance, a standard\nof the Supreme Concourse and a light shining in the meeting of the\nmaid-servants.\n\nVerily, I beseech my Lord to grant thee thy greatest\nwishes and to bestow on thee the privilege of entering into the\ncenter of the Kingdom of God; and to make thee a herald in His name,\nin that vast and extensive region.\n\nDeliver my greeting and praise to all the maid-servants\nof God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art longing for the Heavenly Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-longing-for-the-heavenly-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou who art longing for the Heavenly…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art longing for the Heavenly Kingdom!\n\nMrs. ......... became the guide and directed thee to the\npath of the Kingdom and informed thee of my love. Whatever she said\nis correct. I am the lamp and the love of God is my light. this light\nhath become reflected in the mirrors of hearts. Therefore turn thou\nunto thy heart, that is, when it is in the utmost freedom, and behold\nhow the radiance of my love is manifest in that mirror, and thou art\nnear unto me.\n\nRecite the Greatest Name at every morn, and turn thou\nunto the Kingdom of Abha, until thou mayest apprehend my mysteries.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art longing for the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-longing-for-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou who art longing for the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"gratitude"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art longing for the Kingdom!\n\nMr. ......... in thy behalf hath made a great endeavor.\nThou shouldst be eternally grateful to him and thank him, for he hath\nguided thee to the Kingdom, led thee to life eternal and set upon thy\nbrow a crown whose brilliant gems shall illumine the world of\nexistence. That crown is the Divine Guidance. Thousands of\nillustrious and famous women are deprived but thou hast partaken of a\nshare of this heavenly food. The queens of the world are portionless,\nbut thou art inexhaustibly supplied.\n\nTherefore, thank thou the Pure, the Almighty, and adore\nHim, that He hath bestowed such a beloved and glorious gift upon\nthee!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art longing for the Orb of the Horizons!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-longing-for-the-orb-of-the-horizons",
"summary": "O thou who art longing for the Orb of the Horizons!55…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art longing for the Orb of the Horizons!55\n\n\nVerily, I read thine eloquent, accurate and wonderful\nletter, whereby the feelings of thy heart and the loftiness of thy\nthoughts and the craving of thy spirit for the Kingdom of God were\nexpressed.\n\nThank thou God that He hath given thee a power for\ndiscriminating the reality of things, hath made thy feet firm in the\nPath, hath made thy heart overflowing with His love and hath\nexhilarated thee with the wine of His knowledge.\n\nI beg of God to entirely remove the veiling from thine\ninsight, so that thou mayest become duly cognizant of the teachings\nof Baha’. And I beg of God to forgive thy sins and to illumine\nthy face with the light of forgiveness, so that thou mayest conquer\nthe self which desires the earthly world and prevent it from its\nwishes and appetites.\n\nAs to the spiritual meeting which ye have organized for\ndiffusing the fragrances of God (i.e., for teaching the Truth), this\nis a good thing that ye have performed. I beg of God, to make the\nHoly Spirit breathe there in such fragrances which may perfume all\nregions.\n\nBe not grieved at the smallness of your number and thank\nGod for the power of your spirits. He shall assist you with such a\nconfirmation whereat minds will be astonished and souls will be\namazed.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art longing to witness the lights from the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-longing-to-witness-the-lights-from-the",
"summary": "O thou who art longing to witness the lights from the Beauty of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art longing to witness the lights from the\nBeauty of El-ABHA!\n\nThy letter reached me at this moment and I was rejoiced\nat thine excellent words which proved the enkindlement of the fire of\nthe love of God in thy heart. Be confident in the bounty of thy Lord.\nVerily He will make thee a manifest example and an evident proof for\nthe attainment of His Kingdom in this glorious century. Then the fire\nof His love will flame in thy heart, the light of His knowledge will\nshine in thy face, thy tongue will speak with eloquent explanation\nand thy spirit will be attracted unto the kingdom of knowledge.\n\nO maid-servant of God! The Spirit knoweth the spirit,\nthe Spirit addresseth the spirit and the Spirit associateth with the\nspirit.***\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art made happy by the Fragrances of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-made-happy-by-the-fragrances-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art made happy by the Fragrances of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art made happy by the Fragrances of God!\n\nVerily, I have not forgotten thee and will never forget\nthee. I supplicate my Lord and thy Lord to make thee a sign of His\nlove among the maid-servants of the Merciful and an overflowing\nchalice with the wine of His knowledge among the women, so that thou\nbe filled with the love of thy Lord and be severed from aught else\nsave Him. Verily thy Lord is the Generous and the Giver. He will give\nthee what will dilate thy breast, enlighten thine eyes and attract\nthee in all conditions and circumstances.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art marching onward to God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-marching-onward-to-god",
"summary": "O thou who art marching onward to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art marching onward to God!\n\nI have read thy beautiful letter which contained\ndelicate meanings, and I am made glad by its contents which expressed\nspiritual feelings. I have prayed to God to send down upon thee a\nblessing from the Kingdom of Heaven and thus make thy heart beat with\njoy in the love of God, and make thee meek and humble before the good\nmaid-servants of God, and pure and holy in His Kingdom.***\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art marching unto God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-marching-unto-god",
"summary": "O thou who art marching unto…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art marching unto God!\n\nThy letter was read. Its contents indicated thy devotion\nto the Horizon of the Living God and thy love for the Promised\nPerfection. Firmness is, however, a requisite. Thou must remain solid\nand firm as a great mountain.\n\nRegarding thy revered wife, thou hast written that a\nwarmer place is more suitable than the cold. If this winter thou\nshouldst go to those regions, it is better. I ask God that thou, thy\nwife and thy friends may draw nigh unto the Spiritual Beauty.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art near to the Threshold of ABHA!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-near-to-the-threshold-of-abha",
"summary": "O thou who art near to the Threshold of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art near to the Threshold of ABHA!\n\nI have considered what thou hast written to Mirza ......\nas well as the letter addressed to me. Thou hast written concerning\nthe publication of some proofs and arguments along with the Hidden\nWords. Now, since they are published, circulate them among the\npeople. I hope that it may produce beneficial results. Perchance some\nof the souls who are truth-seekers may get a little information about\nthis Cause.\n\nBut afterward, if thou desirest to get the translation\nof a Tablet from the Blessed Writings, it must be translated by a\ncommittee of two Persian translators together with two competent\nEnglish writers. The Persians should translate, and the writers mould\nthe significance into profound, musical and perfect cast of style in\nEnglish, and in such wise that the musical sweetness of the original\nPersian may not be lost. Then the material must be forwarded to me. I\nwill consider the matter and give permission for its publication and\ncirculation. Consequently, rejoice thou that thou hast already become\nspecialized with this permission, that thou hast circulated\npublications.\n\nIn brief, translation is one of the most difficult arts.\nIn both Persian and English utmost proficiency is necessary, that the\ntranslator be a writer and use as the vehicle of expression great\neloquence and fluency of tongue.\n\nI hope that thou mayest be confirmed with great service\nin the Cause of God.\n\nAnnounce to ...... on my behalf longing greeting, and\nshow to him kindness and love with thy whole energy, for he is very\ndear to me.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art nurtured from the breasts of the Kingdom...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-nurtured-from-the-breasts-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou who art nurtured from the breasts of the Kingdom of God, who wert brought up in the lap of the Guidance of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art nurtured from the breasts of the Kingdom\nof God, who wert brought up in the lap of the Guidance of God!\n\nI supplicate to God—exalted and glorified is He!\n—with a submissive, imploring and attracted heart unto the\nKingdom of God, to assist thee, while still very young and of small\nage, with that by reason of which the vigorous men and the greatest\nsouls were assisted in attaining perfection. Do not be amazed or\nastonished at the command of God, according to the ordinances of\nChrist—glory be to Him! —unto the children who have been\nfostered from the breasts of the bounty of God. I ask God that thou\nmayest be as one of them. This is glad-tidings emanating from a heart\nfilled by the love of God. Therefore, know its value and station.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art partaking of the Heavenly Food!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-partaking-of-the-heavenly-food",
"summary": "O thou who art partaking of the Heavenly…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art partaking of the Heavenly Food!\n\nKnow thou verily the Divine Food is descending from\nheaven, but only those taste thereof who are directed to the light of\nguidance, and only those can enjoy it who are endowed with a sound\ntaste. Otherwise every diseased soul disliketh the delicious and\nmerciful food and this is because of the sickness which hath seized\nhim, whereby the El-Zekkum74\nis sweet (to his taste) while he fleeth from the ripe fruit of the\nTree of the Living and Pre-existent God—and there is no wonder\nin that.\n\nIn a similar way, thou beholdest some women who have\nabandoned the Testament, and to them the bitterness of discord is\nsweet. They keep aloof from the Extended Shadow and dwell under the\nshade of a “black smoke.” Alas for them and grief for\nthem! They will surely lament and find themselves in loss. Verily,\nthis is but an evident truth!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art patient and resigning thyself to the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-patient-and-resigning-thyself-to-the",
"summary": "O thou who art patient and resigning thyself to the judgment (of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art patient and resigning thyself to the\njudgment (of God)!\n\nBe not grieved at the calamity which hath unexpectedly\ncome upon thee and for the misfortune which heavily weigheth upon\nthee. It behooveth one like thee to endure every trial, to be pleased\nwith the decree and to commit all thy affairs to God, so that thou\nmayest be a calm, approved and pleasing soul before God. Know thou,\nthat thy beloved son hath soared, with the wing of soul, up to the\nloftiest height which is never-ending in the Kingdom of God. Rejoice\nat this great prosperity which the chosen ones were longingly asking\nfrom the Holy and Exalted Threshold (of God). Truly, I say unto thee,\nwert thou informed of the position in which is thy son, thy face\nwould be illuminated by the lights of happiness and thou wouldst\nthank thy forgiving Lord therefor and thou wouldst long for ascending\nto that praiseworthy position.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art preparing to receive knowledge from...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-preparing-to-receive-knowledge-from",
"summary": "O thou who art preparing to receive knowledge from the Herald of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art preparing to receive knowledge from the\nHerald of the Kingdom!\n\nI have read thy letter in which thou showed thy desire\ntoward the divine teachings and the texts of the knowledge of Truth.\nBlessed thou art and more blessed thou shalt be if thy feet be firm,\nthy heart tranquil through the fragrance of His Holy Spirit and thy\nsecret and hidden thoughts pure before the Lord of Hosts! Then, by\nGod the Truth! the hosts of the angels of the Kingdom shall surround\nthee and convey to all thy limbs and veins the Spirit of Life; thy\ntongue shall utter fluently and distinctly the most eloquent and\nclear words and thoughts; thy bosom shall be cheered with joy through\nthe appearance of the evident texts; thy face shall be illuminated,\namong the daughters of the Kingdom, with the light of firmness; the\ndoor of glad-tidings shall be opened before thy face and thou shalt\nreceive knowledge through the symbolic signs descending from the\nheavenly Kingdom in the Books and Tablets!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art quickened by the Divine Fragrances!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-quickened-by-the-divine-fragrances",
"summary": "O thou who art quickened by the Divine…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"mercy",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art quickened by the Divine Fragrances!\n\nI considered thy letter. Its expression was wonderful\nand indicated the brilliancy of thy heart and conscience. Be hopeful\nof the mercy of the Lord of Creation, whose grace is infinite and the\nsea of whose gift is boundless. I beg of the abundant favor of that\nAncient Lord that thou mayest decorate thy spiritual reality (being)\nwith the human perfections, be endowed with a new life, keep\nsteadfast in the Covenant, diffuse the fragrances (i.e., teach the\nTruth) and deliver the Cause of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art rejoiced at the explanation of the maid-servant...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-rejoiced-at-the-explanation-of-the-maid-servant",
"summary": "O thou who art rejoiced at the explanation of the maid-servant of God…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art rejoiced at the explanation of the\nmaid-servant of God .........!\n\nThank thou god that He hath sent forth unto thee such a\nspiritual and loving sister, who is preserved from egotism and\ndesires and is rejoiced at the glad-tidings of God. Can there be\nimagined any greater mercy than this? No! by the One who hath created\nthe heaven and earth! Blessed thou art, for thou hast inhaled the\nfragrances of life from the garden of the Kingdom of El-Baha before\nthine ears had heard the call!\n\nAs to ......... whom thou hast mentioned, it behooveth\nhim to seek only the divine bounties and subjects which lead to the\nreal knowledge of the invisible (world of god), through the mediation\nof the Holy spirit. Then he will perceive the reality of the triune\npowers in man, through his innate perception. For, verily, the sign\nof these triune powers which exist in mankind are spirit, mind and\nsoul. The spirit is the power of life, the mind is the power which\napprehendeth the reality of things, and the soul is an intermediary\nbetween the Supreme Concourse (or Spiritual World) and the lower\nconcourse (or material world). It, i.e., the soul, hath two phases:\nThe higher aspireth to the Kingdom of El-Baha, and the lights of the\nmind shine forth from that horizon (or kingdom) unto its higher\nsphere; the other phase inclineth to the lower concourse of the\nmaterial world and its lowest sphere is enveloped in the darkness of\nignorance. But when light is poured upon this phase, and if this\nphase of the soul is capable of receiving it, then “truth hath\ncome and falsehood vanisheth, for falsehood is of short\nduration”—otherwise, darkness will surround it from all\ndirections and it will be deprived of association with the Supreme\nConcourse and will remain in the lowest depths.\n\nAs to the “voice:“ There are two kinds of\nvoices. One is the physical voice and it is expressed by atmospheric\nvibrations which affect the nerves of the ear; the other is the\nbreath of the Merciful, and this is a call which is continually heard\nfrom the Supreme Concourse and cheereth the pure and holy souls. May\nit be beneficial to those who have heard the Call!\n\nKnow thou that the Ancient Light and the Manifest Beauty\n(God) hath sown seeds in the soil of existence and hath irrigated it\nthrough His spiritual bounties. This soil will surely bring forth\ngood plants of divine gifts; the leaves of this growth are love and\nunion, its stem is the teachings of the True One and His supreme\nlaws, and the grain pods are the heavenly blessings which giveth life\nto the souls. Depend thou on these! Depend thou on these! Depend thou\non this, and abandon every imagination and be attracted to the light\nof reality and discover both the divine truths and physical truths!\n\nalso, know thou that the greatest spiritual and divine\n“chaplet” is the Word of God and the Sun of Truth which\npenetrateth the reality of the created things and attracteth the\nentire soul of man in the world of existence and shineth forth unto\nall horizons (or regions). Hast thou ever perceived a greater\n“chaplet” than this? No! by the Splendor of Baha’!\n\nVerily, I yearn for the visit of those souls who are\ncheered, dilated and moved by and attracted to the Holy Spirit and\nthe Word of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art rejoiced at the Kingdom of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-rejoiced-at-the-kingdom-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art rejoiced at the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art rejoiced at the Kingdom of God!\n\nThe letter indicating thy great wish to be a\nmaid-servant of the Cause of God in His wonderful and excellent\nvineyard, was received.\n\nThank thou God that He hath removed the veil and hath\nmanifested unto thee the reality of things until thou hast\napprehended that, verily, the world and all of its concerns are but\nconfused dreams and of non-duration.\n\nVerily I beg of God to grant thy greatest wishes and\nbestow upon thee the good of this and the world to come.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art rejoiced by the Appearance of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-rejoiced-by-the-appearance-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art rejoiced by the Appearance of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art rejoiced by the Appearance of God!\n\nBlessed art thou for that thine eyes were brightened by\nthe light of guidance, thine ears heard the calling of God from the\nSupreme Concourse, thine heart was gladdened by the love of God and\nattracted unto the Beauty of God. Verily, by the Lord of Hosts, thou\nwilt find thyself in the Kingdom surrounded by favors on the part of\nthy Lord, the Clement, and the angels of mercy will herald to thee\nglad-tidings which are the greatest gift from the King of Might.\n\nUpon thee be El-Baha and upon thee be praise! O thou who\nart attracted by the fragrance of God in this manifest day!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art rejoiced by the Divine Glad-tidings!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-rejoiced-by-the-divine-glad-tidings",
"summary": "O thou who art rejoiced by the Divine…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"gentleness",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art rejoiced by the Divine Glad-tidings!\n\nVerily I have received thy last letter and thanked God\nthat thou didst reach Paris protected and guarded (by Him). Thank\nthou God that He assisted thee to behold the brilliant faces of the\nbelievers of God and favored thee to meet them in American countries.\nFor, verily, beholding those shining countenances is a divine gift;\nby it the hearts are dilated, the souls are rejoiced and the spirits\nare attracted toward the Supreme Concourse.\n\nDo not lament over the departure of my dearly beloved\nBreakwell, for verily he hath ascended to the luminous rose-garden in\nthe Abha Kingdom, near the mercy of his Lord, the Almighty, and is\ncrying out with the loudest voice: “O that my people knew how\nmy Lord hath forgiven me and made me one of those who have attained\n(to the meeting of God)!”\n\nO Breakwell, my beloved! Where is thy beautiful\ncountenance and where is thy eloquent tongue? Where is thy radiant\nbrow and where is thy brilliant face?\n\nO Breakwell, my beloved! Where is thy enkindlement with\nthe fire of the love of God and where is thy attraction to the\nfragrances of God? Where is thy utterance for the glorification of\nGod and where is thy rising in the service of God?\n\nO my dear, O Breakwell! Where are thy bright eyes and\nwhere are thy smiling lips? Where are thy gentle cheeks and where is\nthy graceful stature?\n\nO my dear, O Breakwell! Verily thou hast abandoned this\ntransitory world and soared upward to the Kingdom, hast attained to\nthe grace of the Invisible Realm and sacrificed thyself to the\nThreshold of the Lord of Might!\n\nO my adored one, O Breakwell! Verily thou hast left\nbehind this physical lamp, this human glass, these earthly elements\nand this worldly enjoyment!\n\nO my adored one, O Breakwell! Then thou hast ignited a\nlight in the glass of the Supreme Concourse, hast entered the\nParadise of Abha, art protected under the Shade of the Blessed Tree\nand hast attained to the Meeting (of the True One) in the Abode of\nParadise!\n\nO my dearly beloved, O Breakwell! Thou hast been a\ndivine bird and, forsaking thy earthly nest, thou hast soared toward\nthe holy rose-garden of the Divine Kingdom and obtained a luminous\nstation there!\n\nO my dearly beloved, O Breakwell! Verily thou art like\nunto he birds, chanting the verses of thy Lord, the Forgiving, for\nthou wert a thankful servant; therefore thou hast entered (into the\nrealm beyond) with joy and happiness!\n\nO my beloved, O Breakwell! Verily thy Lord hath chosen\nthee for His love, guided thee to the Court of His Holiness, caused\nthee to enter into the Rizwan211\nof His Association and granted thee to behold His Beauty!\n\nO my beloved, O Breakwell! Verily thou hast attained to\nthe eternal life, never-ending bounty, beatific bliss and\nimmeasurable providence!\n\nO my beloved, O Breakwell! Thou hast become a star in\nthe most exalted horizon, a lamp among the angels of heaven, a living\nspirit in the Supreme World and art established upon the throne of\nimmortality!\n\nO my adored one, O my Breakwell! I supplicate God to\nincrease thy nearness and communication, to make thee enjoy thy\nprosperity and union (wih Him), to add to thy light and beauty and to\nbestow upon thee glory and majesty.\n\nO my adored one, O my Breakwell! I mention thy name\ncontinually, I never forget thee, I pray for thee day and night and I\nsee thee clearly and manifestly, O my adored one, O Breakwell!\n\n***Concerning thy question whether all the souls enjoy\neternal life: Know thou those souls partake of the Eternal Life in\nwhom the Spirit of Life is breathed from the Presence of God and all\nbeside them are dead—without Life, as Christ hath explained in\nthe texts of the Gospel. Any person whose insight is opened by God\nseeth the souls in their stations after the disintegration of the\nbodies. Verily they are living and are subsisting before their Lord\nand he seeth also the dead souls submerged in the gulfs of mortality.\nThen know thou verily all the souls are created according to the\nnature of God and all are in the state of (unconscious) purity at the\ntime of their births. But afterward they differ from one another\ninsofar as they acquire excellencies or defects. Nevertheless, the\ncreatures have different degrees in existence insofar as the creation\ngoes, for capacities are different, but all of them are good and pure\n(in their essence), then afterward they are polluted and defiled.\nAlthough there are different states of creation, yet all of them are\nbeneficial. Glance thou over the temple of man, its members and its\nparts. Among them there are the eye, ear, nose, mouth, hands and\nfingers. Notwithstanding the differences between these organs, all of\nthem are useful in their proper spheres. But if one of them is out of\norder, there is need of a remedy and if the medicine does not heal,\nthen the amputation of that member becomes necessary.\n\nVerily I beseech God to make thee confirmed under all\ncircumstances. Do not become despondent, neither be thou sad. Ere\nlong thy Lord shall make thee a sign of guidance among mankind.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art rejoicing at the Glad-tidings of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-rejoicing-at-the-glad-tidings-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art rejoicing at the Glad-tidings of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"gentleness",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art rejoicing at the Glad-tidings of God!\n\nThank thou God for that by reason of which He hath\nenabled thee to traverse the seas and countries and come safe to a\nSpot wherein the lights are shining with great brilliancy. Thank Him\nfor the help He rendered thee to visit the pure and Holy Tomb and\nrevolve around it, the fragrance of which hath excelled that of the\nflowers of the dawn.\n\nGo back to those regions where thy return is expected by\nthose souls who, through the signs of thy Lord, became attracted unto\nHim, the Unconstrained, and say unto them: “Glad-tidings unto\nyou who are sincere! Glad-tidings unto you who are faithful servants!\nVerily I have seen the Kingdom of God with its doors open, the garden\nof El-ABHA with extensive sides and regions, with dazzling lights,\nrolling seas, verdant and beautiful orchards, overflowing beds, green\ntrees, fresh and bright leaves, perfumed flowers, sweet rivers,\ngentle breeze, beautiful air, magnificent views, elegant and handsome\nlips and mouths.”\n\nTell them that “The suns of the garden of El-ABHA\nare still shining, the moons rising, the stars brightening, the gifts\nperpetual, the grace perfect, the glad-tidings spreading, the signs\nof singleness and oneness are chanted in the cloister of its Godhead\nand the flags of sanctity are waving above the palaces of its glory.\nCome here! Come here!”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art rejoicing by the Glad-tidings of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-rejoicing-by-the-glad-tidings-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art rejoicing by the Glad-tidings of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"generosity",
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art rejoicing by the Glad-tidings of God!\n\nThe contents of thy letter clearly show that thou art\ndrawn by the love of God, pondering over the Cause of God and that\nthe cover hath been removed from off thine eyes.\n\nI ask God to shower down upon thee a heavenly blessing;\nto make thee to serve His Cause and attain His good pleasure; to\nteach thee that which thou knewest not; to inspire thee with His\nargument and proof; to confirm thee in faith and assurance; and to\nmake thee the sign of the Merciful among the concourse of the worlds.\n\n\nVerily, He is the Giver, the Generous!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art remembered by Abdul-Baha!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-remembered-by-abdul-baha",
"summary": "O thou who art remembered by…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art remembered by Abdul-Baha!\n\nThy letter which is couched in graceful words hath given\nme joy and happiness, for it showeth how thou art controlled by the\nattraction of the fragrances of God and how thou art kindled by the\nflame of fire that burneth in the Tree of Sinai.\n\nBlessed art thou because of this great bounty and\nmanifest abundance! Verily, by day and by night I do mention thee and\nthy daughter who is the delight of thine eye, and supplicate God to\nmake you both two burning lamps, shining at the meetings of the\nmaid-servants of God, spreading the light of knowledge, burning the\nmoth of imaginations and surmise and removing, through the light of\nmanifest evidences and peremptory proofs, the darkness of suspicions.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art seeking fire from the Fire of the Love...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-seeking-fire-from-the-fire-of-the-love",
"summary": "O thou who art seeking fire from the Fire of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"patience",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art seeking fire from the Fire of the Love of\nGod!\n\nI received thy brilliant letter and became pleased with\nits beautiful contents. Shouldst thou desire to add perception and\nunderstanding, to become fully aware of the mysteries as deposited in\nthe Holy Books and to spread the divine significances, it is\nincumbent upon thee to be straightforward in the right Path, to be\nfirm in the teachings and to be patient under the great test. he who\nis steadfast shall grow and he who is straightforward shall succeed.\n\nI supplicate God to grant thee power wherewith thou wilt\nconfront the beliefs of all regions and innumerable nations; and to\nmake it possible for thee to come hither in a convenient time when no\nobstacles exist, but now there are many obstacles in the way of thy\ncoming. However, if thou turn thy face thoroughly to God, He will\ngrant thee wisdom and power which maketh thy words to penetrate the\nhearts as the spirit penetrate the body.\n\nO thou maid-servant of God! Thou must leave selfishness,\nseparate thyself from the world and cling thoroughly to the Most\nSupreme Kingdom.\n\nGive my salutations to Mrs. ......... and to the\nmaid-servant of God, ........., and say to them that “God hath\nchosen His pure, devout and good maid-servants to turn their faces to\nHim and to become attracted by His fragrances in this new and\nwonderful day.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art seeking for the Power of the Holy...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-seeking-for-the-power-of-the-holy",
"summary": "O thou who art seeking for the Power of the Holy Spirit!…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art seeking for the Power of the Holy Spirit!\n\n\nThe reality of man is like unto a sea, and the Holy\nPower is like unto brilliant pearls. Not until the sea moveth in\nwaves doth it throw a shell of pearls upon the shore. Therefore if\nthou wishest to become heavenly, cut thy attention from the earth;\nthat is, cease to attach thy heart unto this world and seek\nconnection with or attachment to the Kingdom and turn unto God. and\nwhen thou doest this, thou wilt become the mercy of God and a gift of\nthe Almighty. Consider how the attracted maid-servant of God, Mrs.\n........, is in constant progress through the heavenly bounty. I hope\nthat thou mayest become likewise.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art set aglow with the Fire burning in the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-set-aglow-with-the-fire-burning-in-the",
"summary": "O thou who art set aglow with the Fire burning in the Tree of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art set aglow with the Fire burning in the\nTree of Sinai!\n\nVerily, I read thy letter, which speaks of the throbbing\nof thy heart by the thoughts of the love of God and indicates the\nunity of the maid-servants of the Merciful, their harmony in the word\nof God, and their attraction by the fragrances of God, for they are\nthe waves of one sea, the leaves of one tree, and the flowers of one\ngarden. By these tidings the heart of Abdul-Baha was made happy and\nhe attained thereby fragrance and spirituality.\n\nFor the Greatest Name and the Ancient Beauty111—may\nmy soul be a sacrifice to His beloved—endured all difficulty\nand ordeals for the purpose of uniting the hearts of the beloved of\nGod; that they might be exhilarated through the wine of unity and\nproclaim with one voice:\n\n“Hasten to love, to love, O peoples of the world!\n\nHasten to harmony, to harmony, O creatures of the\nuniverse!\n\nHasten to peace, to peace, O mankind!\n\nHasten to safety, to safety, O concourse of the Divine!\n\nHasten to concord, to concord, O hosts of the Merciful!\n\nHasten to oneness, to oneness, O people of El-Baha,\namong the people!”\n\nI ask God to aid you in spreading these fragrances, and\nin reading these words in the supreme assemblages and great meetings.\n\n\nConvey my spiritual greeting to thy honored sister. I\nask God to confirm the weak and to make them mighty in the kingdom of\nHis Majesty. I pray God to guide thy honorable husband to the Path of\nthe Kingdom, the sublime, and to aid thee in the service of His Cause\nin His glorious vineyard.***\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art set aglow with the Fire of the Love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-set-aglow-with-the-fire-of-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art set aglow with the Fire of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art set aglow with the Fire of the Love of\nGod!\n\nVerily, I read thy long letter and was informed of thy\nvisions, which art for whosoever follows the path of the Kingdom of\nGod.\n\nThese visions repeat themselves, pass away, and appear\nto the human sight every instant; but the matter which hath stability\nand upon which confidence is laid, is the bounty of the Kingdom of\nGod and the Center of Lights.\n\nAs to the zodiac of the stations of the Sun of Truth, it\nis the station of the attainment of the mystery of sacrifice,\nwhereupon the lights of love, harmony and salvation shine forth and\nthe manifestation of firmness dawns, in a cause unendurable by the\nlofty mountains.\n\nI ask God to confirm thee therein and to make thee a\nsign of salvation, a banner of progress, a spreader of the fragrances\nof God and a caller in the Name of God.\n\nShouldst thou make firm thy feet in the love of God and\nhold steadfast to the Great Cause, God will reveal unto thee\nmysteries unheard by the ears and incomprehensible by the intellects.\n\n\nAs to thy question regarding the meeting of trinity, it\nis incumbent on thee to make it a meeting of unity, an exposition of\nthe mysteries of singleness, the elevation of the standard of\nuniversal love, the spreading of the knowledge of thy Merciful Lord,\nthe guidance of the souls unto the path of the Kingdom of God, the\nanimation of the hearts by the spirit of the love of God, and the\npurification of the eyes by the light of the knowledge of God.\n\nVerily, I pray God to confirm thee in lighting the lamp\nof God’s love in the hearts and spirits. It is incumbent on\nthee to organize a spiritual assembly in that city, wherein the\nmysteries of the Kingdom of thy Lord be spread and this wondrous\nManifestation promulgated.\n\nThis is beneficial for thee both in the world and in the\nKingdom, and all else vanisheth away.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art set aglow with the Fire of the Love of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-set-aglow-with-the-fire-of-the-love-of",
"summary": "O thou who art set aglow with the Fire of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"love",
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art set aglow with the Fire of the Love of\nGod!\n\nThy letter reached me and I noted its beautiful\ncontents. I ask God to augment thy faith, certainty, steadfastness\nand firmness, that thus thou mayest be a cause for enkindling the\nfire of the love of God in the hearts of the maid-servants of God.\n\nWe sent thee a rosary, as thou didst so wish. Mention\nGod94\nwith this and thus thou mayest be strengthened in spirit and\nfragrance, in joy and love.\n\nConvey my greeting and praise to thy honorable husband,\nMr. ........, the beloved, the precious and honored.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art shining with the Kingdom’s Lights!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-shining-with-the-kingdom-s-lights",
"summary": "O thou who art shining with the Kingdom’s…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art shining with the Kingdom’s Lights!\n\nVerily, I am informed of thine earnest desire for the\nKingdom of God, thy sparkling by the love of God and thy longing for\nthe service of the sacred and effulgent Threshold. I pray God to\nkindle and light the lamp of knowledge in the glass of thy heart, so\nthat it may shine upon all parts of the world and bring thy husband\nto the life by the Spirit of Life, assist thee to announce the good\nnews by the illuminating Light, and remove the covering of thy sight\nso that thou mayest see God’s Beauty and His Essential\nPerfection, His astonishing profusion and His appearance to the\nhearts and spirits. ***\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art sincere in the Religion of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-sincere-in-the-religion-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art sincere in the Religion of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art sincere in the Religion of God!\n\nVerily, the maid-servant of God, the assured leaf [thy\nwife] hath presented herself in the Sacred Spot and is blessed by the\npure and holy dust, inhaled the fragrances of God from the meadow of\nAbdul-Baha. She will soon return unto thee, while being watched over\nby the glance of the providence of God.\n\nI beseech God to cause thee to partake of the heavenly\ntable, to be firm in the love of God and to transmit His lights in\nthose regions; to make thee severed from all else save Him and to be\na servant of His Cause, and to strengthen thee with a power which may\npenetrate into the reality of things.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art skilled in the Knowledge of God and...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-skilled-in-the-knowledge-of-god-and",
"summary": "O thou who art skilled in the Knowledge of God and wise in the Wisdom of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art skilled in the Knowledge of God and wise\nin the Wisdom of the Almighty!\n\nTurn thy face toward the Kingdom of Might with\nsupplication and invocation and entreat thy Lord, the Merciful, with\nthis commune, until the heart and consciousness be illumined by the\nbreath of God from the right side of grace and generosity, and say:\n\n\n“O my God! O my God! Verily I am Thy humble\nservant and Thy meek slave. I beseech Thee with all my heart and\nsoul, in the middle of nights, and declare: O my Lord! O my Lord!\nEnlighten the sights [or eyes] by the outpouring of lights; purify\nthe souls by the fragrances of Paradise; dilate the hearts by the\nwafting of the breeze whereby the sorrows are dispelled, and\nexhilarate the spirits by the cups of the wine which is gleaming and\nsparkling like unto a lamp!\n\n\n“Then intoxicate me with the wine of Thy love, so\nthat I may attain to success and prosperity in this dawn of Light;\nmay speak Thy praises, call upon Thy Name, be engaged in Thy\ncommemoration in this vast country and spacious continent and be\ninebriated with the pure Wine which is glowing in the excellent Cup.\nThen suffer me to become the sign of guidance among Thy creatures and\nto become a supreme example among the believers, in order that I may\nlead others to Thy Word, spread Thy truth, promulgate Thy knowledge\nand deliver Thy teachings.\n\n\n“Verily, Thou art the Confirmer, the Assister, the\nMighty, the Powerful and the Beneficent!”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art speaking the praise of god in that vast...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-speaking-the-praise-of-god-in-that-vast",
"summary": "O thou who art speaking the praise of god in that vast and extensive…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art speaking the praise of god in that vast\nand extensive region!\n\nThank God, who hath raised such women from the essences\nof the love of God in that distant place and hath made them as\nfountains of knowledge, sources of assurance and dawning-places of\nthe commemoration of thy Lord, the Merciful! I beg of God to\nstrengthen them through the most strong power, by the hosts rushing\nforth from the kingdom of El-Abha and by the angels successively\ncoming from heaven. Verily, He is the Assister, the Beneficient!\n\nAs to thy question concerning the husband and wife, the\ntie between them and the children given to them by God: Know thou,\nverily, the husband is one who hath sincerely turned unto God, is\nawakened by the call of the Beauty of El-Baha and chanteth the verses\nof Oneness in the great assemblies; the wife is a being who wisheth\nto be overflowing with and seeketh after the attributes of God and\nHis names; and the tie between them is none other than the Word of\nGod. Verily, it [the Word of God] causeth the multitudes to assemble\ntogether and the remote ones to be united. Thus the husband and wife\nare brought into affinity, are united and harmonized, even as though\nthey were one person. Through their mutual union, companionship and\nlove great results are produced in the world, both material and\nspiritual. The spiritual result is the appearance of divine bounties.\nThe material result is the children who are born in the cradle of the\nlove of God, who are nurtured by the breast of knowledge of God, who\nare brought up in the bosom of the gift of God, and who are fostered\nin the lap of the training of God. Such children are those of whom it\nwas said by Christ, “Verily, they are the children of the\nKingdom!”\n\nConsequently, O thou maid-servant of God, go unto the\nmaid-servants of the Merciful one and tell them from the tongue of\nAbdul-Baha: “O maid-servants of the Merciful! It is incumbent\nupon you to train the children from their earliest babyhood! It is\nincumbent upon you to beautify their morals! It is incumbent upon you\nto attend to them under all aspects and circumstances, inasmuch as\nGod—glorified and exalted is He! —hath ordained mothers\nto be the primary trainers of children and infants. This is a great\nand important affair and a high and exalted position, and it is not\nallowable to slacken therein at all!\n\nIf thou walkest in this right path, thou wouldst become\na real mother to the children, both spiritually and materially. I beg\nof God to make thee severed from this world, attracted to the\nfragrances of sanctity which are being diffused from the garden of\nthe Kingdom of El-Abha, and a servant of the Cause of God in the\nvineyard of God.\n\nGreeting and high respects to the maid-servant of God\nMiss........., who is attracted, enkindled, hath spoken and called\nout, and hath stripped herself from the garment of dependence of this\nmortal world and its concerns and is clothed with the embroidered\ngarments of separation (from the world) in this great Paradise.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art spreading the Cause of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-spreading-the-cause-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art spreading the Cause of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art spreading the Cause of God!\n\nI hope thou wilt become as a rising light and obtain\nspiritual health—and spiritual health is conducive to physical\nhealth—so that thou mayest be enabled to liquidate thy debts\nand be strengthened to attain the blessing of the Forgiving Lord;\nthat thou mayest become a mirror of truth and reveal the spiritual\nbrilliancy of the heavenly universe to all eyes, direct large numbers\nof people under the shadow of the Powerful Lord and guide all thy\nfamily and relations unto the Greatest Guidance; and that thou mayest\nbe honored with a visit to the Holy Threshold after having attained\nto all these gifts.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art submissive and humble before the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-submissive-and-humble-before-the",
"summary": "O thou who art submissive and humble before the Holy…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art submissive and humble before the Holy\nThreshold!\n\nKnow thou, verily, submissiveness is the good quality of\nthe maid-servants of God, and humility is the character of the\nGod-fearing leaves51\nwho have sprung forth from the Tree of Mercifulness.\n\nThou oughtest to be characterized with these, that thou\nmayest be an example for the maid-servants of the Merciful and a\nleader of the leaves who are moved by the winds of the love of God.\nAbandon the concerns of mankind and be naturalized with the\nattributes of the angels of the Supreme Concourse, because these\nangels humble themselves to the lowest thing of the things despite\ntheir honor, glory, the loftiness of station and the greatness of\ntheir might. This is seemly to the unitarian women and an honor for\nthose women who are surely believing in God! This is the consolation\nof the heart of the God-fearing women, and this is a tranquility to\nthe soul of those women who are attracted to the fragrances of the\nLord of Signs!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art supplicating unto God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-supplicating-unto-god",
"summary": "O thou who art supplicating unto…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art supplicating unto God!\n\nVerily I mention thee always and shall never forget thee\nforever and ever. I beseech God to make thee a sign of guidance among\nthe people and a lamp of dazzling light in that extensive and large\ncity, so that pure and good souls may be illuminated by the light of\nthe knowledge of God and thus serve the Merciful Threshold by showing\nearnest desire for love, peace, affinity and harmony with the people\nof all religions. Verily the Spirit through which the temple of the\ncontingent world shall be quickened in this time is indeed the\nfounder of peace, the spirit of affinity and the light of love. This\nis that whereby this being of existence shall evolve and develop and\nthe world of humanity be adorned with the raiment of glory and honor.\nTherefore it is incumbent upon thee to enkindle thyself with the fire\nof the love of God in order that thy words may have an effect in\nhearts which are as of hard stone.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art supplicating unto the Kingdom of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-supplicating-unto-the-kingdom-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art supplicating unto the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art supplicating unto the Kingdom of God!\n\nRest assured in the mercy of thy Lord; be rejoiced for\nmy remembering thee; gladden thyself by the appearance of the Kingdom\nof God, be attracted by the fragrance of God and call out: “Ya\nBaha El-ABHA!”—from the depths of thy heart with all\nmeekness and supplication, attracted by the fire of the love of God.\n(Then annoint or rub all the parts of the body.)\n\nVerily, I say unto thee, if thou attainest the condition\nwe demonstrate to thee (i.e., if thou followest the directions given)\nbe confident in the speedy recovery through the favor of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art sweet tongued!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-sweet-tongued",
"summary": "O thou who art sweet…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art sweet tongued!\n\nThy poem184\nis a wonder to the minds and intellects and thy composition an\nevidence of the gift of the great Lord. Therefore, thy wine is the\npure wine, thy heart the recess of light and thy brow radiant with\nlove.\n\nIf the people of the world were fair in judgment, the\nsweetness of thy poem should be a sufficient proof.\n\nA young boy of the posterity of Israel whose pure mouth\nstill emits the fragrance of milk, uttering such a marvelous anthem!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art tested with a great calamity!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-tested-with-a-great-calamity",
"summary": "O thou who art tested with a great…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art tested with a great calamity!\n\nBe not grieved nor troubled because of the loss which\nhath befallen thee—a loss which caused the tears to flow, sighs\nto be produced, sorrow to exist and hearts to burn in great agony;\nbut know, this hath reference only to the physical body, and if thou\nconsiderest this matter with a discerning and intelligent eye, thou\nwilt find that it hath no power whatsoever, for separation belongeth\nto the characteristics of the body. But concerning the spirit, know\nthat thy pure son shall be with thee in the Kingdom of God and thou\nshalt witness his smiling face, illumined brow, handsome spirit and\nreal happiness. Accordingly, thou wilt then be comforted and thank\nGod for His favor upon thee.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art the single one of Japan and the unique...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-the-single-one-of-japan-and-the-unique",
"summary": "O thou who art the single one of Japan and the unique one of the extreme…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art the single one of Japan and the unique\none of the extreme Orient!\n\nThat country hath been deprived of the divine breath\nuntil this time; now, God be praised! thou art initiated in the\nmysteries and conscious of the secrets of the lights.\n\nThou hast been earthly, I hope that thou wilt become\nheavenly; thou hast been gloomy, I desire that thou wilt become\nluminous. Thou wert wandering in the wilderness, thou hast found a\nway to the abode of the Beloved One; thou wert a thirsty fish, thou\nhast attained to the endless Ocean; thou wert a roving bird, thou\nhast reached the divine Rose-garden; thou wert spiritually sick and\nthou hast found real health!\n\nNow is the time that thou shouldest entirely abandon the\ncomfort, ease, enjoyment and the life of this transient world, and\nwholly arise to guide the people of Japan, illuminating faces,\nperfuming nostrils and conquering, through the heavenly hosts and\ndivine reinforcements, the hearts of the people of that region.\n\nDo not wonder at the favor and bounty of the Lord. By\nthe favor of God, how often a drop hath become undulating like a sea,\nand an atom hath become shining like the sun!\n\nThe sun of Truth hath enlightened the divine world and\nillumined the universe. The rays of His grace have shone upon the\nEast and West, and His heat hath caused vegetation in all countries.\nSo the lights and the heat of the Sun of Truth being help and\nassistance, what more dost thou need?\n\nThou must warble, like the nightingale of significances,\nin the rose-garden, so that thou mayest inspire all the birds of the\nmeadow to chant and to sing.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art tranquilized by the Call of the Kingdom...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-tranquilized-by-the-call-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou who art tranquilized by the Call of the Kingdom at this…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"family",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art tranquilized by the Call of the Kingdom\nat this time!\n\nThe meanings of thy words evinced thine abundant\nattraction and thy turning unto the Lamp of Lights. Be not grieved on\naccount of lack of information of the mysteries of this great Cause.\nIf thou keepest firm in the religion of God, the covering shall be\nremoved for thee and thou shalt become informed of the allegories and\nmysteries of the Kingdom of God.\n\nO maid-servants of God! Continue in healing hearts and\nbodies and seek healing for sick persons by turning unto the Supreme\nKingdom and by setting the heart upon obtaining healing through the\npower of the Greatest Name and by the spirit of the love of God.\n\nVerily, I beg of God to ordain perfect rest and\ncomposure for thy revered daughter.\n\nAs to your moving to another city: Meditate thou,\nperform the ablution and pray to God before sleeping; and whatever\nthe Merciful One may inspire unto thee at the time of revelation in a\ndream, that will be consistent with obtaining thy wishes. But the\ngreatest motive for the happiness (or felicity) of that family, both\nin this world and the next one, is that thy revered husband and thy\ndear son-in-law should become believers in the lights of the Kingdom\nwhich have surrounded all regions at this age of effulgence.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art turned to the Kingdom of the Lord, the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-turned-to-the-kingdom-of-the-lord-the",
"summary": "O thou who art turned to the Kingdom of the Lord, the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art turned to the Kingdom of the Lord, the\nForgiving!\n\nWith prayers and supplications and with submissive songs\nof the Texts of God, I plead to Him to accept thee in His Kingdom; to\nclothe thee with the mantle of sanctity; to gloriously cover thee\nwith the veil of abstinence; to illumine thy brow with the light of\nsingleness; to console thine eyes with the seeing of the Texts of the\nKingdom in the human form; and to make thee utter the mentioning of\nHim, rejoicing through His bounty, heralding His Kingdom with a\nbright face, whose light will illumine all sides\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art turned to the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-turned-to-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou who art turned to the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"gentleness",
"love",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art turned to the Kingdom!\n\nThou shouldst establish a divine and heavenly\ntransaction. By God the Truth! Every divine transaction is eternal\nand everlasting and giveth the heavenly spirit to the pure hearts\nattracted to God, enlighteneth the world with the bright shining\n[light] of love and unity, affinity and agreement. But every worldly\ntransaction, although it be a gift through which the far and the near\nbe profited, still it is transient and temporary and will not last\nfor ages and its blessings will not extend successively to the\nrighteous people in the ages to come. And as the heavenly abundance\nand the divine gifts and the omnipotent grace come in these days\nsuccessively and uninterruptedly, therefore, thou shouldst establish\na heavenly edifice to facilitate and level the way before the divine\ntransaction, to carry out the divine order, to gladden the pure\nhearts of every one, to sanctify thyself from everything but God and\nto keep aloof from all the worldly things for the Cause of God; to be\nkindled with the fire of the love of God, to spread the fragrance of\nGod and to expose thyself to the gentle breeze of God.\n\nO my dear! If thou lovest to be happy and pleasant, this\nis the cup that is full of the wine of glee and delight; and if thou\ndesirest to have the ancient glory, the eternal retinue and the\neverlasting dominion, thou must look after these gifts which wave in\nthe horizon of bounty with a brilliant light to all sides and\nregions.\n\nBy my life! If thou knowest what thou art commanded and\nspeak openly of it, the dominion is for thee, the Kingdom is for thee\nand thy shining star will never set, thy brilliant light never sink,\nthy brimful treasure never be consumed and thy brave army never be\ndeafeated.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art turning thy heart unto the Kingdom of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-turning-thy-heart-unto-the-kingdom-of",
"summary": "O thou who art turning thy heart unto the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"love",
"mercy",
"steadfastness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art turning thy heart unto the Kingdom of\nGod!\n\nVerily, I read thy recent letter and praised God for\nhaving blessed thee with two babes, as a mercy on His part. He is\nindeed the Merciful, the Generous!\n\nGive to them the names Leah and Rachel, which are the\nnames of the two wives of Jacob, for they were two sisters, beloved\nof God. Perchance God hath destined profound wisdom in this.\n\nThen thank God that He hath guided thy honorable wife to\nthe Manifestation of Light, the Revealer of Signs and the Source of\nMysteries. Verily, this is the great favor.\n\nThen know verily, that the doors of tests will be opened\nin that town, but it is incumbent on thee to be steadfast in the love\nof God and firm in His great Cause. He who remaineth firm, grows; and\nhe who is steadfast will be confirmed by God with great power in this\nglorious century.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art turning to the divine Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-turning-to-the-divine-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou who art turning to the divine…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant",
"children",
"consultation"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"humility",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art turning to the divine Kingdom!\n\nThe lengthy epistle was considered. Notwithstanding lack\nof time and opportunity, on account of exceeding love an answer will\nbe written.\n\nThank God thou didst become a soldier of life; subdued\nthe domain of hearts with the arms of the love of God and the sword\nof concord and peace; didst go after the army of the Kingdom of ABHA;\nfollowed the Supreme Concourse and by the aid of the Spirit made many\nconquests.\n\nThe merciful assembly of Kenosha hath in reality taken\nfood and provisions from the Kingdom of ABHA and become confirmed by\nthe aid of the Sun of Reality. Therefore, I am hopeful that, day by\nday, it may advance and progress.\n\nThe members of the Spiritual Meeting (the Board of\nConsultation) must endeavor, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to make\nthe souls real Bahais. If they attain this glorious purpose, that\ncountry will be illumined and that land will become a veritable\nparadise, all nations will look to that assembly and from the\nexplanation and exposition thereof receive realities and meanings.\n\nO thou servant of Baha’! Always remind the friends\nof the greatness of the great message.\n\nConvey longing greeting of great love from me to the\nmembers of the Meeting of Consultation: * * * Whenever I think of\nthem I find soulful repose and conscious joy.\n\nThe feast (supper) [every nineteen days] is very\nacceptable and will finally produce good results. The beloved and the\nmaid-servants of the Merciful must inaugurate the feast in such wise\nas to resurrect the feast of the ancients—namely, the “lord’s\nsupper.” The attracted maid-servant of God, Mrs. ........, I\nhope will be inspired so she may become the means of unity among the\nfriends in every city. That meeting for feast for which thou wert\npreparing and providing, should recur every so often, so that it may\nprove a means of attracting the confirmation of the Kingdom of ABHA.\n\nInform the maid-servant of God, who prepared her home as\na [temporary] Mashrak-el-Azcar, that this service was accepted in the\nKingdom of ABHA.\n\nInform the near (dear) maid-servant of God [thy wife],\nwho hath organized a school of industry in order that children may\nlearn an industry and chant communes, that this is very agreeable.\n\nO thou servant of God! To look after the sick is one of\nthe greatest duties. Every soul who becomes sick, the other friends\nshould certainly offer the life (of service) in the utmost kindness.\n\nThou hast asked regarding the naming of children: When\nthou wishest to name a babe, prepare a meeting therefor; chant the\nverses and communes, and supplicate and implore the Threshold of\nOneness and beg the attainment of guidance for the babe and wish\nconfirmated firmness and constancy; then give the name and enjoy\nbeverage and sweetmeat. This is spiritual baptism.\n\nHis honor, Mr. ......, Mrs. ...... and ...... arrived.\nThey were attracted by the fragrances of God and ignited by the fire\nof the love of God. With a new spirit and fresh life they returned.\n\nO son of the Kingdom! Thy services in the Kingdom of\nABHA are evident, well known and accepted. Indeed thou art a truthful\nservant of the Holy Threshold and a firm caller to the divine\nKingdom.\n\nStrive so that the odor of violation cease and all come\nunder the protection of the Covenant.\n\nRemain in and about that town and know that trial is the\ncause of promotion. But thou must deal with all in the utmost love\nand do kindness. Although they lift up the head of pride, show thou\ngreater humility and meekness and treat them with the utmost\nsubmission and lowliness.\n\nShow the utmost kindness in my behalf to the near\nmaid-servant of God (thy wife).***\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art turning toward the Kingdom of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-turning-toward-the-kingdom-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art turning toward the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art turning toward the Kingdom of God!\n\nI was informed of the contents of thy excellent letter\nand supplicated the Holy Threshold, the Circuit of the Supreme\nConcourse, to baptize thee with the water of knowledge and the fire\nof the love of God and to make thee a perfect and faithful servant in\nHis Great Vineyard, so that thou mayest water the trees of the love\nof God in the Paradise of Abha; and to make thee a sign of meekness\nand humbleness among the maid-servants of God and a promulgator of\nHis Cause in those vast and extensive regions.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art turning unto God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-turning-unto-god",
"summary": "O thou who art turning unto…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art turning unto God!\n\nThy letter was an inheritance of joy and happiness unto\nme, for its significance was a supplication and an entreaty unto God\nto make thee a pure servant, exempt from all material desires,\nsanctified and severed from all save God, that thou mayest be\ncharacterized with the attributes of the heavenly angels, cleansed\nfrom all desires and earthly wishes, with thy heart severed from all\nsave the knowledge of the divine teachings. Verily, I pray God to\nnourish thee upon the breast of bounty and rear thee in such a manner\nthat all men of learning shall be amazed, and to make thee a miracle\nof guidance among the servants.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art turning unto the Kingdom of God, and...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-turning-unto-the-kingdom-of-god-and",
"summary": "O thou who art turning unto the Kingdom of God, and looking unto the Day-spring of the lights of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"love",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art turning unto the Kingdom of God, and\nlooking unto the Day-spring of the lights of God!\n\nI, with the utmost joy and cheerfulness, have perused\nthe contents of thy letter, which shows thy faith in God, thy\nassurance in the Kingdom of God, the gladness of thy breast in\nhearing the voice of God and the adherence of thy heart to the word\nof God.\n\nO servant of God! rejoice through the glad-tidings of\nGod, be happy by the wafting of the fragrance of God, and cling to\nthe Kingdom of God in such wise that it makes thee separate thyself\nfrom the world and kindle in thy heart the fire of the love of God to\nsuch an extent that any one who approaches thee will feel its warmth;\nand if thou desirest to attain to this station, thou shouldst turn\nthyself wholly unto God. Perhaps an illumination will descend upon\nthee by which the fragrances of God will be diffused throughout those\nregions and districts and thou wilt be a lamp of guidance from which\nthe lights of knowledge will emanate and spread in those far\ncountries and distant lands.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art turning unto the Kingdom of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-turning-unto-the-kingdom-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art turning unto the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art turning unto the Kingdom of God!\n\nVerily I am acquainted with the contents of the letter\nwhich thou hast addressed to ............ the servant of God, and I\nfind its significance excellent, proclaiming the Truth about which\nthere can be no doubt or uncertainty.\n\nNow the day has arrived in which the edifice of God, the\ndivine sanctuary, the spiritual temple, shall be erected in America!\nI entreat God to assist the confirmed believers in accomplishing this\ngreat service and with entire zeal to rear this mighty structure\nwhich shall be renowned throughout the world. The support of God will\nbe with those believers in that district that they may be successful\nin their undertaking, for the Cause is great and great; because this\nis the first Mashrak-el-Azcar in that country and from it the praise\nof God shall ascend to the Kingdom of Mystery and the tumult of His\nexaltation and greetings from the whole world shall be heard!\n\nWhosoever arises for the service of this building shall\nbe assisted with a great power from His Supreme Kingdom and upon him\nspiritual and heavenly blessings shall descend, which shall fill his\nheart with wonderful consolation and enlighten his eyes by beholding\nthe glorious and eternal God!\n\nGive my greetings and salutations to thy honorable\nhusband and say to him from me: “Notice the sign which shall\nsoon appear in those regions and then your searching heart shall be\nassured. Verily thy Lord is the Powerful!”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art uttering the mention of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-uttering-the-mention-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art uttering the mention of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art uttering the mention of God!\n\nKnow, that the pure hearts upon which the mysteries of\nthe Kingdom of God are printed and pictured, are reflectors one upon\nanother and thus the once can discover the secrets of the other,\nbecause such hearts are only mirrors confronting each other on which\nthe secrets of unity, affinity and concord are printed and reflected.\nAccordingly, it would be possible that a certain servant of the\nservants of the Merciful might discover a treasured mystery or a\npreserved sign, whatever his shortcomings or defects might be; yet we\ndo indeed rely upon God the Forgiver. I supplicate Him to deliver us\nfrom the pangs of lust and its dangers and from the destructive\nconditions of passion.\n\nVerily, I do testify that thine heart is moved by the\nfragrance of the love of God, that thy memory is a fountain\noverflowing with the water of the knowledge of God. Therefore, finish\nthe poem which thou art composing and send it here, that through\nreading it the breast of the believers may be refreshed and dilated\nwith joy.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art uttering the praise of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-uttering-the-praise-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art uttering the praise of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art uttering the praise of God!\n\nVerily I read thy letter, which expressed thy surprise\nat some of the commandments of the law of God, such as that\nconcerning the hunting of innocent animals. Be not surprised at this.\nPonder over the contingent realities, their mysteries, wisdom,\nconnection and relations. The world is harmonious in all things and\nthe connection therein is mighty and nothing is missing. All things\nare eaters and eaten in the physical creation. The plant sucks from\nthe mineral, the animal eats and swallows the plant, and the human\neats the animal. Then the mineral (in turn) eats the human body.\nPhysical bodies are transferred from death to death and life to life.\nTherefore, all things are subject to transfer and change except the\nCause of existence, which cannot be changed or transferred, because\nit is the foundation for life in all kinds and species and in all\npossible realities in the world of creation.\n\nIf thou observest closely through a microscope the water\nwhich man drinks and the air which he breathes, thou wilt see that in\nevery breath which man breathes, that breath contains numerous\nanimals, and in every draught of water great number of animals exist.\nThis could not be prevented because the existent beings are eaters\nand eaten and, by this, existence is caused; otherwise, the relations\nbetween existent things would cease. When a thing decomposes and\ndecays, being bereft of life, it becomes promoted to a world of life\ngreater than the former. For instance, it ceased in a mineral life\nand was promoted to the vegetable life; then leaves the vegetable\nlife and is elevated to that of the animal; then leaving the animal\nlife it advances to the human, and this is on account of the favor of\nthy Lord, the Merciful, the Clement.\n\nI ask God to strengthen thee in comprehending the\nmysteries deposited in the reality of existence, to lift up the veil\nbefore thee and thy sister, so that the concealed mystery and the\nhidden reality become manifest as the sun at noon, and to confirm thy\nsister and thy husband in entering the Kingdom of God, and heal thee\nfrom all physical and spiritual disease in the world of creation.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art waiting for the Appearance of the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-waiting-for-the-appearance-of-the",
"summary": "O thou who art waiting for the Appearance of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art waiting for the Appearance of the\nKingdom!\n\nGlad-tidings be unto thee, for the Kingdom of God hath\nraised its tent and tabernacle upon the apex of the world, the\nstandard of the Kingdom is hoisted, the call of the Kingdom is sent\nforth and the hosts of the Kingdom have appeared.\n\nTherefore, there are many fortresses and castles of\nhearts which are conquered and many regions of spirits which are\nsubdued. The lights of the Kingdom have shone forth from the horizon\nof the East and West. Praise be to God! that thou hast entered\ntherein and hast received manifest outpouring from the Most Great\nBeauty.\n\nAlthough thou art old in age, yet thou art young in\nspirit and have freshness and vivacity, vigor and strength, beauty\nand sweetness. Thank thou God for this.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art wholly advancing unto God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-wholly-advancing-unto-god",
"summary": "O thou who art wholly advancing unto…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art wholly advancing unto God!\n\nVerily I have read thy letter in answer to mine and\npraised God—may glory and dignity be unto Him!—for by\nreason of which He hath kindled the lamp of guidance in the glass of\nthy heart, lighted in thy breast the fire of love and faithfulness,\nillumined thy face with the light of His knowledge among women and\nchosen thee for spreading His fragrances amid the maid-servants. Be\nhappy and rejoice at this speech through which the sick will recover,\nthe sad become cheered, the dumb speak and the deaf hear; rather, the\ndecayed bones will be quickened and the rocks and stones be affected.\n\n\nRemember my spiritual favors which have uninterruptedly\ndescended upon thee at the table which was spread under the abundant\ngifts of the Kingdom of God. Verily, I continue supplicating God to\nmake to grow from the luxuriant garden of the heart the aromatic\nplants of His knowledge, through the abundant rain pouring froth from\nthe clouds of His Kingdom, the Most Great; that thou mayest be a\nherald of the Covenant in those regions and a preacher of the Kingdom\nof God in those distant isles.\n\nBlessed thou art for this letter. Glad-tidings unto thee\nfor this speech!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art witnessing the Light of Guidance!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-witnessing-the-light-of-guidance",
"summary": "O thou who art witnessing the Light of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art witnessing the Light of Guidance!\n\nVerily I read thy excellent letter and praised God, for\nHe hath removed the veil (from thy sight), caused the light of\nguidance to appear, filled for thee the cup of bestowal and directed\nthee to His Kingdom.\n\nI supplicate God to increase thy faith, to encircle thee\nwith the lights of the Kingdom, and to guide thy thirsting and\ncraving sons to the Fountain-head of Mercifulness. And (I beg of Him)\nto enable thee\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who art yearning for the Glad-tidings of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-art-yearning-for-the-glad-tidings-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who art yearning for the Glad-tidings of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who art yearning for the Glad-tidings of God!\n\nVerily, I was informed of the contents of thy letter\nwhich showed that thine insight is opened, thy heart is purified,\nthat thou art baptized by the divine water and by the lordly fire and\nspirit and that thou art born again from the womb of this mortal\nworld. This is through the grace of thy Lord, the Clement, the\nMerciful!\n\nAs to the imprisonment of Abdul-Baha: This is his utmost\nwish, his extreme joy and this is what refreshes his burning; and I\ndo not long for deliverance from the depths of this agreeable prison.\nVerily, this Most Great Prison is conducive unto the [shining of the]\nOrb of the Horizons.284\n\n\nVerily, I beg of God to bless unto thee thy marriage\nwith thy revered husband, to protect thee under all conditions from\nthe violence of tests and trials and to make thy feet firm in the\nReligion of God in this wonderful (or new) age.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who dost believe in the Unity of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-dost-believe-in-the-unity-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who dost believe in the Unity of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who dost believe in the Unity of God!\n\nKnow verily nothing will benefit a person save the love\nof the Merciful One. Nothing illuminates a man’s heart save the\nradiance which shines forth from the Kingdom of God! Put away every\nthought and doubtful mentioning and keep thy thoughts entirely on\nthat which uplifts man to the heaven of the gift of God and that\nwhich causes every bird that belongs to the Kingdom to soar unto the\nincomparable realms, the center of everlasting grandeur in this\nworld.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who has advanced towards Baha’!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-has-advanced-towards-baha",
"summary": "O thou who has advanced towards…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who has advanced towards Baha’!\n\nTruly, I say unto thee, wert thou to spend all that is\non earth, thou couldst not obtain this gift which God hath\nstrengthened thee to take freely. Lo! it is the guidance of God and\nit is being attracted to the Beauty of El-Baha! Thank God for this\ngift, which is the most wonderful jewel which is glittering on the\ncrown of great glory and honorable position.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who has sought shelter in the Impregnable...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-has-sought-shelter-in-the-impregnable",
"summary": "O thou who has sought shelter in the Impregnable…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who has sought shelter in the Impregnable Cave!\n\nVerily, the glad-tidings of God have encompassed\nAbdul-Baha from all directions. While his heart is beating with the\nlove of God, he holds a cup full of the knowledge of God in his right\nhand and wishes to give the seekers to drink of this wine, so that\nthey may, perchance, be exhilarated with this cup, which is\noverflowing with the signs of God.\n\nBe thou rejoiced at these words, because thou wilt\npartake of this wine which refreshes hearts and souls.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who has turned towards the Lights of the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-has-turned-towards-the-lights-of-the",
"summary": "O thou who has turned towards the Lights of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who has turned towards the Lights of the\nAlliance!\n\nVerily, I greet thee from the White Place, the bright,\nblessed Holy Land, and say: “Greeting and praise and blessings\nand glory be upon thee, O thou believer in God, and (O thou)\nenkindled by the fire of the love of God!\n\n“Verily, the Lord of Hosts shall watch thee with\nthe gaze of the eye of favor and shall assist thee in a matter\nwhereby thy breast shall rejoice and thine eye shall brighten and\nthine affairs shall be arranged and composed from all directions.”\n\n\nTherefore, thou wilt call and say: “Blessing be\nupon me for this great favor and for this manifest success!”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who hast acknowledged the Kingdom of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-hast-acknowledged-the-kingdom-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who hast acknowledged the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who hast acknowledged the Kingdom of God!\n\nI received thy letter and considered its wonderful\nexpressions and found therein facts which show thine approach toward\nGod, thy passionate love of the Beauty of God, thy cheerfulness in\nthe Cause of God and thy turning unto the Center of the Testament,\nfor that thou art brightened through the light of the effulgence.\n\nThen praise God for that He hath made thee to show the\nlight of guidance, to lay hold on the hem of the robe of greatness\nand to be attracted by the breaths of the Supreme Concourse. This is\na matter which will satisfy thee from aught else save God and make\nthee above all needs and will cause thee to acquire an immortal\nwealth. Then thank God for this heavenly bounty on which the life of\nspirit depends entirely in all the worlds.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who hast addressed Abdul-Baha!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-hast-addressed-abdul-baha",
"summary": "257 O thou who hast addressed…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n257\nO thou who hast addressed Abdul-Baha!\n\nVerily, I pray my Lord to teach thee a language and\nwriting of the Kingdom which will satisfy thee, so as to dispense\nwith all things; for that spiritual writing and instructive tongue\nare eloquent, clear, laudable, legible, read by the tongue and\npreserved in the heart. Blessed is he who knows it in the world of\nman!\n\nKnow, verily, that the Ocean is waving, the Sun shining,\nthe Stars dawning. (Understand what I say!)\n\nThe tree will grow, the earth will send forth hyacinths258\nand give blessings, and man will become of the heavenly angels. Feed\non the light of guidance and impart light to the people. The bird\nwill warble melodies unknown save by the birds of heaven; then tear\nasunder the veil and see the realities of things with the eye of God.\nVerily, thy Lord guideth whomsoever He willeth unto the Straight\nPath!\n\nThe Promised Spot will be made a racecourse for the\nsteeds of the race of Knowledge and the lights of the Merciful will\nshine upon it. The dispersed ones will return to the Center of\nGathering and the birds will return from the meadows of the world\nunto the Nest of Harmony. This is a preordained matter.\n\nAs to thee: Thou hast borne every difficulty and\nhardship and soon will be rewarded by God with a good reward. He will\ndestine to thee all that is good, and choose for thee the\nmanifestation of His mercy among the servants; that they may thus see\nthat the Sons of the Kingdom have gone out259, while there hath come a soul from the remotest horizon who hath\nentreated the Kingdom of God.***\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who hast approached the Kingdom of God and...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-hast-approached-the-kingdom-of-god-and",
"summary": "O thou who hast approached the Kingdom of God and hast looked toward the Center of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who hast approached the Kingdom of God and hast\nlooked toward the Center of the Covenant!\n\nVerily, thy namesake, the faithful Joseph, fell surely\ninto grievous distress through the jealousy of his brethren, who\ndishonored him; nay, outraged him, and cast him behind their backs\nand threw him in a dark well; they sold him for a paltry price—for\na few pence—returning to their father at eve weeping, and, with\nhis shirt stained with false blood, they slandered the wolf who was\nfree from blame. The same shall also appear from these violators.\nThen interpret this vision: How the conduct of these former\nevil-doers agreeth with the course of the succeeding followers of the\ngreat darkness!\n\nVerily, thou who art called by this honorable name,\ndesire to have a portion in its great successes, to become a\ncherished one in the Egypt of the love of God, to possess qualities\nfree from all evil and to become the source of good deeds.\n\nGod assisteth whomsoever He pleaseth with that which He\npleaseth. Verily He is the Mighty and Powerful!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who hast approached toward God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-hast-approached-toward-god",
"summary": "O thou who hast approached toward…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who hast approached toward God!\n\nVerily I have received thy letter and my heart was\ndilated by the content of thy expression, for it indicated the\nillumination of thy heart, the spirituality of thy soul, thy\ndetachment from all the grades of this nether world and thy yearning\nafter the effulgences of the Realm of Light.\n\nBy the glory of my Lord, I declare: “Verily the\nsplendors of divinity are continually descending upon the pure,\nenlightened souls and the outpouring of the Kingdom fall\ntumultuously, like unto torrents, upon the favored realities from the\nrains of the providence of thy Lord, the Merciful, the Clement!\n\n“Cast behind every single thought and idea and\nattach thyself to the commemoration of thy Master, the Ancient. Be\nthou soaring in the Kingdom of God, the Mighty, the Beneficent. Live\nthou in Paris until the fragrance of the love of God may emanate from\nthee in the college wherein thou art studying sciences and unfurl\nthou the standard of universal peace, reconciliation, agreement and\nsecurity among all men. Rejoice thou by the bounty of thy Lord which\nhath encompassed the whole existence and sing and warble with the\nmost wonderful melody in the rose-garden of knowledge. Verily thy\nLord, the Beneficent, will confirm thee in every moment and second\nand will empower thee with such a power that the columns of warfare\nand bloodshed shall shake and the foundation of peace and harmony\nshall arise.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who hast arisen to render service to the Cause...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-hast-arisen-to-render-service-to-the-cause",
"summary": "O thou who hast arisen to render service to the Cause of God in His Great…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who hast arisen to render service to the Cause of\nGod in His Great Vineyard!\n\nVerily, I have already written thee several letters, and\nsent them to thee at different times. Now, I address thee with such\nwords whereby the souls of the proximate ones are rejoiced, and the\nfaces of the sincere ones are cheered.\n\nO my friend, verily the Cause is great and great, and\nthe penetration of the Word of God in the temple (body) of all the\nregions is similar to the pervasion of the soul in a sound body.\n\nBy the life of Baha’, verily, the power of the\nKingdom of God hath taken hold of the pillars of the world, and hath\npossessed all the nations. Thou wilt surely find the standards of the\nTestament waving in all regions, the chanting of the verses of unity\nraised in exalted assemblies, and the lights of the Sun of Truth and\nits heat dispersing the thick clouds massed on the horizon. Be\nrejoiced at this glad-tidings, whereby the hearts of the sincere\namong the beloved are cheered.\n\nO my friend, isolate all thy faculties and senses from\nevery other mention and thought, and follow the example of Abdul-Baha\nin servitude to the Holy and Exalted Threshold. Hasten to the field\nof sacrifice, craving for the most great martyrdom; expend thy life\nand all of thy grades in love for God and in attraction to the Beauty\nof El-ABHA.\n\nBy God, the True One, man should seek only this bounty,\ninasmuch as it is everlasting, eternal, divine, spiritual, luminous\nand merciful. Be sanctified from all the universe, and send my\ngreeting and praise to the spiritual leaf, the being who relies upon\nthe grace of her Lord—the maid-servant of God, thy revered\nwife, and say unto her that she may address the veiled ones (those\nblind to the Truth), saying: “Verily, eyes are dazzled by\ngazing at the sun, and it is impossible to consider it because of the\nintensity of its rays; and verily the sea cannot be contained in a\ncup. The weakness of eyes does no harm to the sun, nor the smallness\nof the cup to the sea.”\n\nThen let her explain to the people, and make known to\nevery questioner, by saying: “Verily, minds are limited, and\nthe splendor of lights is so great as not to be comprehended by\n(man’s) reflective faculties. Ye ought to have the sigh of the\nheart so that ye may apprehend the reality of the mysteries of God\nwhich are deposited behind coverings.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who hast attained to Truth!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-hast-attained-to-truth",
"summary": "O thou who hast attained to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who hast attained to Truth!\n\nI beg of God that the divine light which is spoken of in\nthe Twelfth Chapter of John may shed its rays upon thee forever, so\nthat thou mayest always be in light. The life of man in this world is\nshort and will soon drawn to an end. Consequently one must appreciate\n(or count as gain) every breath (or moment) of his life and endeavor\nin that which is conducive to eternal glory.\n\nThou hast written concerning the shining assembly of\nWashington (D.C.): This caused me great joy, for that assemblage is a\nrose-garden of mysteries and very sweet fragrances of being inhaled\nfrom it. I hope that through the sincerity of heart of the friends\nand maid-servants of God, that assembly will continue and be extended\n(or grow) day by day, will increase in luminosity every moment and\nthat the members of that assembly will make extraordinary progress in\nthe Divine Threshold.\n\nIf the health and well-being of the body be expended in\nthe path of the Kingdom, this is very acceptable and praiseworthy;\nand if it is expended to the benefit of the human world in\ngeneral—even though it be to their material (or bodily) benefit\nand be a means of doing good—that is also acceptable. But if\nthe health and welfare of man be spent in sensual desires, in a life\non the animal plane, and in devilish pursuits—then disease is\nbetter than such health; nay, death itself is preferable to such a\nlife. If thou art desirous of health, wish thou health for serving\nthe Kingdom. I hope thou mayest attain a perfect insight, an\ninflexible resolution, a complete health and spiritual and physical\nstrength in order that thou mayest drink from the fountain of eternal\nlife and be assisted by the spirit of divine confirmation.\n\nSay unto ........: “Thou art sowing pure seeds,\nbut that soil (wherein the seeds fall) is full of useless plants,\nweeds and rubbish. Therefore the seeds are wasted. Consequently, come\nand sow those seeds in a pure, sweet and fertile soil, in order that\nthey may vegetate, become fresh and verdant and form into heaps on\nheaps of harvest.”\n\nSend my greeting to ........ and say unto her: “The\nsun is in the utmost effulgence but the surface turned toward it must\nbe a mirror; the clearer and purer it is, the more lights shall be\nreflected therein.”\n\nSend my loving greeting to his honor ........ and say\nunto him: “Do not miss the opportunity. Now in the springtime\nand the bounty of heaven is pouring on earth and the fields and\nrose-gardens are in growth and development. Exert thyself as much as\nthou canst, in order that through this everlasting bounty and the\nsprinklings of the clouds of the divine gift, thou mayest grow and\nthrive like unto a fruitful tree, with the utmost freshness and\npurity.”\n\nThat matter (or substance) which is the cause of the\nmoderation and perfection of the body is that perfect moderate\ntemperament which is produced by the organization and admixture of\nconstituent elements; that matter (or substance) is material (or\nphysical) not spiritual. But reason, which comprehends (or detects)\nthe realities of things, is a spiritual reality, not physical (or\nmaterial). Therefore the animal is deprived of reason, and it\n(reason) is specialized to mankind. The animal feeleth realities\nwhich are perceptible to the senses, but man perceiveth intellectual\nrealities (or things perceptible to reason). Consequently, it hath\nbecome evident that reason is a spiritual faculty, not physical (or\nmaterial).\n\nThe Holy Land is not tranquil in these days101. Consequently, let thy presence (or coming) in the Holy Land depend\non some other time. Endeavor night and day in serving the Cause of\nGod; this service is real visit, and this is meeting, itself.\n\nDeliver my greeting to each one of the friends of God\nand maid-servants of the Merciful with the utmost love.\n\nThat blessed name which thou hast asked to remain with\nthee forever and become the cause of spiritual progress—the\nname is “Aseyeh,” which is the name of the mother of\nAbdul-Baha. I give the blessed name to thee. Be therefore in the\nutmost joy and happiness, and be engaged in all gladness and\nattraction (or ecstasy) for thou hast become the object of such a\nfavor.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who hast confessed and believed in the Words...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-hast-confessed-and-believed-in-the-words",
"summary": "O thou who hast confessed and believed in the Words of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who hast confessed and believed in the Words of\nGod!\n\nThank God, for He hath uncovered the veil from before\nthine eye, and that thou hast witnessed the great signs of the\ngreatest glad-tidings which have been revealed in the Gospel, Bible\nand the Psalms; and wert confirmed that verily those glad-tidings\nhave been allusions to the appearance of the Kingdom of God during\nthis time, and that the horizons shall brighten through the light of\nthe effulgence in this age, which is the age of the lights and the\ncentury of thy God, the Powerful, the Almighty!\n\nWhat a great gift is this guidance, the standards of\nwhich are raised, the traces of which are published and the breeze of\nwhich has blown, the garden of which is ornamented, the basins of\nwhich have poured out, the birds of which have sung and the joy of\nwhich is completed!\n\nI beg God to cause thee to be a crier unto His Kingdom\nin that region, wherein the Sun of Truth hath newly commenced to\ndisseminate and the dawn of guidance hath risen from its horizons.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who hast gained illumination from the Light of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-hast-gained-illumination-from-the-light-of",
"summary": "O thou who hast gained illumination from the Light of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who hast gained illumination from the Light of\nGuidance!\n\nVerily, I perused thy brilliant letter, which showed\nthat thou hast advanced toward God, thy sight illumined by witnessing\nthe signs of God, thy heart cheered by the sacred and spiritual\nbreeze which is being blown from the garden of the Kingdom of God.\n\nIt behooveth thee to spend thy life, body and blood in\nthe path of God, for this mighty gift.\n\nVerily, I inhale the fragrance of faithfulness from the\nbelievers of that brilliant and pure city. I beg of God to make His\nbeloved and maid-servants in that city as one band, united in soul,\nheart and tongue, even as stars assembled in the constellation of\nUnity, although the distance between them is extensive and the\ninterval infinite.x\n\nO maid-servant of God! Know thou, the first bounty from\nthe True One is love, unity and harmony, and without these all the\ndeeds pass in vain and give no result. Love is the result of the\nManifestation and the glorious purpose of the rising of Light on the\nMount, in the Sinai of the Forgiving Lord.\n\nIt is incumbent upon you (to act) with merciful harmony\nand spiritual unity, so that the bounties of your Lord may embrace\nyou and make you as waves in this sacred, moving sea. This is seemly\nof the believing women! This is the spirit of the assured women! This\nis the light of the peaceful women! This is the ultimate wish of the\nattracted women!\n\nVerily, I beseech God to illumine thy sight by\nwitnessing the light of hopes and cause thee to speak His praise\namong the maid-servants, and to make thee steadfast in this path, on\nwhich feet have slipped through the power of tests.\n\nAnd I beg of Him to enable thee to confirm thy parents\nand make thee a servant in His great vineyard, and cause the\nconsolation of thine eye, thy noble child, to enter the garden of His\nexalted Kingdom.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who hast humbled thyself before the Kingdom...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-hast-humbled-thyself-before-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou who hast humbled thyself before the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love",
"perseverance",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who hast humbled thyself before the Kingdom of\nGod!\n\nBlessed art thou that thine heart is attracted to the\nBeauty of God, is illumined with the light of knowledge and the ray\nof the Kingdom hath shone within it.\n\nKnow thou, verily, God is with thee under all\ncircumstances and guards thee from the concerns of the world and\nmakes thee a servant in His great vineyard.\n\nAs to thy question concerning training children: It is\nincumbent upon thee to nurture them from the breast of the love of\nGod, to urge them towards spiritual matters, to turn unto God and to\nacquire good manners, best characteristics and praiseworthy virtues\nand qualities in the world of humanity, and to study sciences with\nthe utmost diligence; so that they may become spiritual, heavenly and\nattracted to the fragrances of sanctity from their childhood and be\nreared in a religious, spiritual and heavenly training. Verily, I beg\nof God to confirm them therein.\n\nAs to thy revered husband: It is expedient that thou\nshouldst behave toward him in the best way and persevere in his good\npleasure (i.e., please him) and treat him with kindness under all\naspects; until (or so that) he may find that through thy turning\ntoward the Kingdom of God (i.e., by becoming a believer) thy\naffection toward him and thy love for God is increased and that thou\nhast regard for his good will in every condition.\n\nVerily, I beg of God to make thee steadfast in His love\nand to cause thee to diffuse the fragrances of sanctity in those\nplaces (i.e., to teach the Truth).\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who hast prayed to the Kingdom of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-hast-prayed-to-the-kingdom-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who hast prayed to the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"love",
"prayer",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who hast prayed to the Kingdom of God!\n\nI have read thy letter and I have taken knowledge of God\nas to thy conduct towards the Kingdom of God and also thy\nconflagration with the fire of God’s love. Be reassured by the\ngrace of thy Lord and direct thyself towards Him.\n\nConsider attentively and with assiduity in the New\nTestament, as well as the Bible, and thou shalt find new\nsignificances, very clear of this great Manifestation.\n\nI declare by the just God that thou wilt see therein a\nrevelation of the Holy Spirit which will aid thee in the good\nunderstanding of the Truth and the mysteries and significances of the\nBooks of God, the All-powerful and the Eternal.\n\nThen as to what thou hast asked me for pious people who\ndied before they heard the Voice of this Manifestation. Listen: Those\nwho have mounted to God before hearing the Voice, if they followed\nthe rules of conduct as laid down by Jesus and always walked in the\nstraight path,they have obtained this Dazzling Light after their\nrising to the Kingdom of God. I pray God to lift the veil for thee\nand to corroborate by the spirit of experience, so that all may be\nevident to thee, by the Holy Spirit of God.\n\nI implore God to give thee indication of good conduct in\nthe way of salvation, as a guiding lamp lighted from the fire of\nGod’s Love, and to cause thee to be called in His Name by the\nmultitude of the world, so that the Name of God shall be proclaimed\nin all far off countries.\n\nGive my compliments and my praises to thy estimable\nhusband; my greeting and praise to thee.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who hast sought illumination from the Light of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-hast-sought-illumination-from-the-light-of",
"summary": "O thou who hast sought illumination from the Light of the Guidance of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who hast sought illumination from the Light of\nthe Guidance of God!\n\nVerily I read thy words of thanksgiving to God for that\nHe hath directed thee to His Kingdom, illuminated thine insight with\nthe light of guidance, and baptized thee with the water which hath\ndescended from heaven, with the fire which was ignited in the\nSinaitic Tree, and with the Holy Spirit which quickeneth hearts and\nsouls. Then, thank thou God for this gift whereby thy face is shining\namid the concourse of Chosen Ones.\n\nKnow thou, verily, man before reaching (spiritual)\nmaturity passes his days and only apprehends trivial things which are\nclear on account of their exoteric indications, but when he attains\nfull development, then he grasps the reality of things and their\nesoteric facts. Every day after maturity is equivalent to one year\nbefore it, on account of (man’s) perception, understanding\napprehension and discoveries.\n\nNow, thou hast reached development and apprehended the\ndegree of maturity: Gaze at the grades of the existence, the\nrealities of beings, the allegories in the epistles of God, and the\nmysteries in the Old and New Testament. By the life of Baha’,\nthe covering will be removed from off thee (i.e., facts will be\nunfolded to thee), and thou wilt be informed of that which all the\nphilosophers and wise men are unable to apprehend. Verily, this is a\ngift which God assigns only to such of His chosen servants as He\nwilleth. Verily, thy Lord will inspire thee with the mysteries of\nGod, the Protector, the Self-subsistent.\n\nVerily, I beseech the Lord of Hosts to increase thy\nfaith each day over that of the previous day, to confirm thee through\nHis Holy Spirit, to give thee capacity to partake of the lights of\nknowledge and wisdom, to make thee a herald of the Covenant in those\nregions, and to instruct thee in that which thou knowest not; so that\nthou mayest become a physician for bodies as well as souls, to heal\nbodies with the medicines which are useful and beneficial for\nphysical (sickness), and to cure hearts and souls with that antidote\nwhich quickeneth hearts and souls.\n\nO my friend, it is incumbent upon thee to be severed\n(from all else save God), to be attracted, to be sincere, and to\nspend thy life in the path of God. Be thou holy, spiritual, divine,\nlively, brilliant, godlike, sanctified, pure, with merciful\ncharacter, firm in the Covenant, fluent and knowing; and gaze toward\nthe Kingdom of El-ABHA with a heart brimming over with the love of\nGod, with tears flowing the commemoration of God, with a face\nscintillating through the light of God, with a heart sincere to the\nbeloved of God, and with a sword which divides truth from falsehood.\nBy God, the True One, the Spirit of Baha’ will assist thee with\nsuch strength that all the concourse of the earth will fail (to\nwithstand).\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who hast spread the Fragrance of God!—may...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-hast-spread-the-fragrance-of-god-may",
"summary": "O thou who hast spread the Fragrance of God!—may God confirm…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"gentleness",
"joy",
"love",
"patience",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who hast spread the Fragrance of God!—may\nGod confirm thee!\n\nSince thou hast reached America, we have not received\nany message announcing to us thy safe and sound arrival there, but\nMr. ........, in a letter to us, hath endeavored to explain in detail\nthat thy return was like showers of rain to that country and like the\nattack of a lion upon those valleys and mountains. He also informed\nus that thou hadst been received there with honors by the best men;\nby those whose breasts were dilated by the gentle breeze coming from\nthe gardens of the Kingdom of God.\n\nO thou who warmest thyself by the fire of the love of\nGod, spreading from the Tree of the Covenant! Let thy soul be at ease\nand thy heart in peace concerning the perfect success and progress\nwhich the pen is not able to express, for in a short time thou shalt\nsee the flag of the Kingdom waving in those far and wide regions, and\nthe lights of the Truth shining brilliantly in its dawn above those\nhorizons, and thou shalt know that thou art the center of the circle\nof the love of God, the axis around which souls revolve in their way\nand supplication to God. Therefore, thou must widen thy heart, dilate\nthy breast, have patience in plenty, calmness of soul and cut thyself\nfrom everything but God! By God, the truth is, if thou goest\naccording to the teachings of El-Abd115\nand followest the steps of Him who is annihilated in God, thou shalt\nsee that the cohorts of the Kingdom of God will come to thy help, one\nafter another, and that the hosts of the Might of God will be in thy\npresence in steady succession, the gates of the great victory opened\nand the rays of the brilliant morning diffused! By thy life, O my\nbeloved! if thou didst know what God hath ordained for thee, thou\nwouldst fly with delight and thy happiness, gladness and joy would\nincrease every hour! El-Baha be upon thee!\n\nPresent to the beloved people of God there my longings\nfor them. Preach to them the glad-tidings of God.***\n\nPresent my best greetings to the honorable and spiritual\nwomen, to those who are very much attracted toward God, and\nparticularly to that one who have proved that it is possible for a\ncamel to pass through a needle’s eye. May God keep them in joy\nand happiness and burning with His love.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who hast turned thy face toward the Kingdom...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-hast-turned-thy-face-toward-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou who hast turned thy face toward the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who hast turned thy face toward the Kingdom of\nGod!\n\nI supplicate God that thou mayest become like unto\nPeter, the “Rock”—unshaken, immovable and strong;\nbe assisted by heavenly confirmation; be helped to the service of the\nCause of God, opening thy tongue to teach the divine instructions,\nand living and walking according to the laws of the Book of Akdas157\n.\n\nThou hast asked permission to come to our presence:\nThese days are very difficult. God willing, it will be brought about\nin the future. I pray to God that thou mayest enter into such a state\nthat presence and absence may become equal in thine understanding.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who hath advanced to the Kingdom of his...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-hath-advanced-to-the-kingdom-of-his",
"summary": "O thou who hath advanced to the Kingdom of his Lord, the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who hath advanced to the Kingdom of his Lord, the\nGlorious!\n\nKnow thou that the Kingdom of God hath pitched its\ntents, hoisted its banner and uplifted its pavilions in this\nextensive space. The hosts of the angels of God have come down with\nstandards of signs; marched off towards all horizons; opened the\ncities of the hearts of the servants by the power of thy Lord, the\nGenerous; and have blown the great trumpet. The Hoy Spirit hath\nfreely given eternal life to every pure heart, and the souls became\nattracted through the effulgence of the Beauty of the Glorious\nKingdom and through the brilliancy of the Light of Truth over all\nregions. The clamor of the spiritual people hath risen with praise\nand glory to God, the All-glorious!\n\nAs to thee, thank thou thy Lord for that He hath enabled\nto see the sins of His Kingdom in this wonderful day. Arise to serve\nthe Cause of thy Lord and devote thyself to God’s service as a\npenitent servant.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who in truth art attracted through the Breaths...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-in-truth-art-attracted-through-the-breaths",
"summary": "O thou who in truth art attracted through the Breaths of the Holy…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who in truth art attracted through the Breaths of\nthe Holy Spirit!\n\nI sent to thee a letter few in words and full in its\nmeanings and its mysteries, showing signs of good-tidings. By my\nlife, there are manifested meanings in the mysteries of the words!\n\nAt present I address thee in plain language without\nbeing veiled, and I say to thee: “Stand up with all thy\nstrength to guide the followers of negligence and blindness, and\ndiffuse the breaths of God in those regions; and set off with all\nspeed to New York and Chicago and call with the loudest voice in the\nassemblies of the beloved ones and invite them to the Alliance of\nGod; and make them steadfast in the Covenant of God, and bear\ngood-tidings to all the steadfast ones, and inspire all who waver to\nbe firm in the religion of God and to resist all force with is\nagainst the Alliance of God. Verily I promise the confirmation of the\nHoly Spirit to thee in those great assemblies whenever ye argue upon\nthe Covenant of God.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou who seekest for the Will of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-who-seekest-for-the-will-of-god",
"summary": "O thou who seekest for the Will of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"perseverance",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou who seekest for the Will of God!\n\nGive thanks to God that thou entered the divine Kingdom\nand knowest the heavenly Lord of Hosts!\n\nThe light of truth hath radiated from the Sun of\nDivinity to the horizons in such a manner that the East and the West\nare illumined. But, alas! the blind do not see and the deaf do not\nhear the divine proclamation. The bats do not perceive the light of\nthe sun and the beetles cannot enjoy the fragrances of a rose-garden.\n\n\nConsider that the horizons of the world were enlightened\nthrough the light of the beauty of His Holiness Christ; yet all the\npeople were asleep, blind and sightless, except a few whose eyes were\nopened and perceived the lights. Now thou shalt thank God that a beam\nof the light came to thy sight. I ask God that thine inner sight may\nbe illumined so that thou mayest discover the hidden mysteries of the\nKingdom of God. If thou become so, thou wilt be an evident light and\na divine angel in the celestial dominion; then it dependeth on the\ndivine confirmation, according to thy perseverance.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou whom I mention with my heart and tongue!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-whom-i-mention-with-my-heart-and-tongue",
"summary": "O thou whom I mention with my heart and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou whom I mention with my heart and tongue!\n\nThough I do not see thee with mine eyes, I do see thee\nwith my heart, and mention thee with the fullness of love, clemency,\nyearning and attraction, supplicating my Lord that we may meet\ntogether at the meeting of His Kingdom and the pavilion of His might,\nwhere we shall chant the verses of thanks for His bounty, generosity\nand gifts, the lights of which have shone upon all horizons and their\neffulgences have become intense upon the hearts of the people of\nharmony.\n\nO thou my dearly beloved! Hasten! Hasten! to the gifts\nof thy Lord, the Merciful! Come to the Benefactor; avail thyself of\nthis opportunity and take thy portion of this Greatest Treasure in\nthis promised day!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou whose breast is dilated by the Fragrances of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-whose-breast-is-dilated-by-the-fragrances-of",
"summary": "O thou whose breast is dilated by the Fragrances of God!…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou whose breast is dilated by the Fragrances of God!\n\n\nVerily thy letter reached me and I prayed God to confirm\nthee in guiding the people to the Manifestation of Lights; satisfying\nthe thirsty ones with the pure and peaceful water; leading the sick\nto the Glorious Physician; guiding those who are led astray into the\nPath, imparting the wine to those who are seeking, and feeding the\nhungry souls with the food which descendeth from the heaven of thy\nLord, the Glorious!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou whose breast is dilated (with joy) for the Kingdom...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-whose-breast-is-dilated-with-joy-for-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou whose breast is dilated (with joy) for the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou whose breast is dilated (with joy) for the\nKingdom of Truth!\n\nVerily I read thy letter which showed that thine inner\nheart is attracted to the Beauty of God and that thou hast entered\nthe Kingdom of God. I beg of god to make thy feet firm in this right\npath and to protect thee from violent tests and form calumnies on the\npart of every woman who hath, like unto Judas Iscariot, turned away\nfrom the True One and who hath withdrawn herself and is deprived of\nthe mercy of God.\n\nAs to thee, O maid-servant of God! Blessed art thou, for\nthou hast dealt with people in goodness and good favor. Do not seek\nfrom them any reward whatever, but seek all grace and beneficence\nfrom thy Lord, and even deal with the people of great oppression in\nfaithfulness, for as much as this is becoming of the people of Baha’.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou whose breast is dilated with the Fragrances...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-whose-breast-is-dilated-with-the-fragrances",
"summary": "O thou whose breast is dilated with the Fragrances of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"mercy",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou whose breast is dilated with the Fragrances of\nGod!\n\nI received thy letter which showed thine advance toward\nthe Kingdom of God.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Verily, the weakness of body and\nits strength do neither harm nor benefit; nay, rather the spirit must\nbe strong through the breath of the Holy Spirit, at this time, so\nthat it may apprehend the consummate wisdom which is deposited in\nthis great age. I beg of God that He may increase joy and fragrance\nin thy spirit, give thee power and strength, and that He may help\nthee at every moment in faith and assurance. Verily my Lord is\npowerful in all things! Trust thou in the grace of thy Master and ask\nthat which thou wishest from His Name, the Clement, the Merciful.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou whose face is illumined with the Light of the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-whose-face-is-illumined-with-the-light-of-the",
"summary": "O thou whose face is illumined with the Light of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou whose face is illumined with the Light of the\nLove of God!\n\nThe answer already hath been delayed, but there is no\nharm in that. For, verily, my heart is gazing unto thee, my love is\nconstant and permanent for thee and the fragrances of holiness are\nwafting (over thee) and my spirit is pouring upon thee, and the\nspiritual communication is extended between us.\n\nO maid-servant of God! It is incumbent upon thee to show\nforth the greatest steadfastness; it is incumbent upon thee to stand\nthe tests of the Lord! Be thou firm in the love of thy Lord, the\nClement, the Merciful!***\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou whose face is radiant with the light of the Love...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-whose-face-is-radiant-with-the-light-of-the-love",
"summary": "O thou whose face is radiant with the light of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou whose face is radiant with the light of the Love\nof God!\n\nVerily, the angel of mercy heralds to thee the\nglad-tidings which are the light of the eyes of the sincere believers\nand the illumination of the countenance of the virtuous and pious.\n\nRest assured in God! Engage in commemoration of God; be\naglow with the fire of the love of God and be severed from all else\nsave God. This is the spirit of life for the soul who is submissive\nto the Word of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou whose heart hath been filled with the love of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-whose-heart-hath-been-filled-with-the-love-of",
"summary": "O thou whose heart hath been filled with the love of the Beauty of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"hope",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou whose heart hath been filled with the love of the\nBeauty of God!\n\nI have read thy kind letter and voiced thy words which\nshow the excess of thy love to God, the greatness of thine adherence\nto the Cause of God and the abundance of thine attraction to the\nKingdom of God. From a man like unto thee such words are always\nexpected and it is your duty thus to proclaim.\n\nI do greet thee from this Exalted Place, while thou art\nin that far distant country, and present to thee salutations and\npraise, and I see thee with the eye of the heart as though thou were\npresent here and I speak to thee by the tongue of the Spirit, saying:\n“Blessed thou art with every blessing! Then preach to the\nbeloved of God in that country the glad-tidings of El-Baha!”\n\nThe form of prayer requested by thee:\n\nMy God! my God! thou art my hope and my beloved, my\nintended aim and desire! With great humbleness and entire devotion I\npray to Thee to make me the minaret of Thy love in Thy region, the\nlamp of Thy knowledge among Thy creatures and the banner of thy gift\nin Thy Kingdom.\n\nMake me one of Thy worshippers who cut themselves from\neverything but Thee and sanctify themselves from everything\npertaining to the world and divert themselves from the defects of the\nsuspicious.\n\nLet my heart be dilated with joy through the spirit of\nconfirmation from Thy Kingdom and illumine my sight with seeing the\nhosts of success following one another and descending upon me from\nthine Omnipotence.\n\nThou art the Almighty, the Invincible, the Powerful!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou whose heart is attracted and whose breast is...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-whose-heart-is-attracted-and-whose-breast-is",
"summary": "O thou203 whose heart is attracted and whose breast is dilated with joy by the Holy…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou203\nwhose heart is attracted and whose breast is dilated with joy by the\nHoly Fragrances!\n\nGive the glad-tidings to the assemblies of the beloved\nwho are firm in the Covenant and say:\n\n“Verily the Lord hath manifested Himself in this\nnew and wonderful age with the greatest bounty and mercy, which have\nnever been preceded and whereof the eye of existence hath never seen\nthe like; and it is His Great Covenant and New Testament, as\nappointed by the trace of His Supreme Pen, through which, and\naccording to clear ordinances and explicit statements, the matter was\nplainly shown and the branches (sons), twigs (relations), kinsmen and\nbeloved were commanded to obey the “appointed Center of the\nCovenant.” But the Covenant of God and His Testament is a\nbounty to the righteous and a curse to the wicked.\n\n“On hearing this Command some faces have rejoiced\nby this Glowing Lamp, and others become gloomy and in their hearts\nthe fire of jealousy and rebellion hath been kindled. They disobeyed\nthe Command of their Lord the Merciful, endeavored to spread lies and\narose to divulge seditious rumors contrary to that which was\ndescended from God. They imagine that they are able to resist this\nPower, which penetrates into the heart of the contingent world, or to\ncover the Truth through their false tongues and complicated opinions,\nand to withhold this Sea from surging, the holy fragrances from being\nspread, and the breaths of the Spirit of the Ancient from reaching\nthe beloved! No, by no means! Verily, the Word of God penetrates into\nthe core of all things and cannot be resisted either by the hosts of\nthe world or by the armies of the enemies! In the past ages there is\na warning to every intelligent one! Ye shall see their banners\nreversed, their sign abolished, their happiness destroyed in those\nregions in a similar way to the disappointment of their hopes in the\nEast.\n\n“But, as the people of the West are still children\nin the Cause204\nand have not perfect knowledge of its reality and validity, the\nnakazeen thought it to be an easy prey and availed themselves of this\nopportunity for laying doubts and suspicions, speaking false words,\ndivulging seditious calumnies among the people. Ye shall see all this\nas scattered dust, and all these thick, dark clouds which were\ngathered in those far regions, will disappear and the Sun of\nCertainty and Reality shall shine with the Most Dazzling Light; the\ndarkness will vanish, the firm believers will be in great joy, and\nthe nakazeen shall be in evident loss.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou whose heart is empty and pure through the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-whose-heart-is-empty-and-pure-through-the",
"summary": "O thou whose heart is empty and pure through the Light of the word of God shining…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou whose heart is empty and pure through the Light\nof the word of God shining therein!\n\nI have read thy brilliant letter which proveth thy\nhumbleness before the Divine Might and thy cheerfulness by the\nfragrances of God emanating from the gardens of expressions and\nfacts. I ask God to make thee, thy relations and kindred attentive to\nthe Merciful Mighty and the Supreme Kingdom and to illumine their\nsights and hearts by the light of the knowledge of God. And [be] thou\nrejoiced at the mercy of thy Lord and this great abundance from the\nKingdom of Mysteries. Be thou a strong and fortified refuge and a\nhigh cave. This is naught else than to cut thyself from everything\nbeside God, to be drawn by the fragrances of God and to be happy and\njoyful by the gift of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou whose heart is filled with the Love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-whose-heart-is-filled-with-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou whose heart is filled with the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"forgiveness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou whose heart is filled with the Love of God!\n\nI was informed of thy longing for meeting (me) and that\nthy breast is boiling with the love of God. Blessed are thou for this\nwish.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Beseech thou God to be filled\nwith His love and make thy tongue fluent with the glorification of\nGod.\n\nVerily, I supplicate God to forgive thy father and to\nsubmerge him in the sea of forgiveness and pardon.\n\nBe not grieved at the death of that infant child, for it\nis placed in trust for thee before thy Lord in His great Kingdom.\n\nVerily God will bestow upon thee that whereby thy heart\nshall be rejoiced and thy breast shall be dilated. Verily thy Lord is\ncompassionate and merciful!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou whose heart is moved by a breeze blowing from...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-whose-heart-is-moved-by-a-breeze-blowing-from",
"summary": "O thou whose heart is moved by a breeze blowing from the Garden of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou whose heart is moved by a breeze blowing from the\nGarden of El-Abha!\n\nThy elegant and terse letter, couched in graceful words,\nwas read by me. I rejoiced at the fragrances of love, which being\nscented from the verdant gardens of the Paradise of El-Abha, have\ncheerfully moved thee.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Be submissive to thy Lord, humble\nto His servants and compliant to his maid-servants. Overcome passions\nand desires, purify the heart from remembrance of aught save that of\nthy Lord, the Precious, the Gracious, and be controlled by the\nattraction of the Beauty of God, that His remembrance may run as the\nspirit in thy blood veins and limbs, and thus fill thee with the\nthoughts of the love of God.\n\nO maid-servant of God! Ignite the fire of love in the\nhearts which are remiss of the mention of God that they may become\nawakened by the breath of God, and quickened by His Spirit in this\nGreat Day.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou whose heart is overflowing with the love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-whose-heart-is-overflowing-with-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou whose heart is overflowing with the love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou whose heart is overflowing with the love of God!\n\nVerily, I received thy beautiful letter and praised God\nfor kindling the fire of His love in thy heart and cheering thy\nspirit with the cup of the gift of thy Lord. I ask God to increase\nthy intoxication with this wine and gladden thy spirit with this\ngreat gospel. I wrote letters to those whose names thou didst mention\nin thy letter. Deliver them with rejoicing face, revived heart, and\ntongue uttering the name of the Merciful.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou whose heart is pure and whose souls is rejoiced!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-whose-heart-is-pure-and-whose-souls-is-rejoiced",
"summary": "O thou whose heart is pure and whose souls is…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou whose heart is pure and whose souls is rejoiced!\n\nVerily, thy revered wife sent unto us thy photograph and\nwe say and rejoiced at witnessing thy face, even though it was a\n(mere) image, for, verily, this image indicateth the reality. Verily,\nI saw in thine eyes the sign of acuteness and thought. Let thy\nthoughts be an eternal thought, a spiritual reflection and divinely\nfull of meaning. This is but truth and there is naught beyond truth\nexcept extinction.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou whose heart is soaring in the sky of the love of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-whose-heart-is-soaring-in-the-sky-of-the-love-of",
"summary": "O thou whose heart is soaring in the sky of the love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou whose heart is soaring in the sky of the love of\nGod!\n\nPraise be unto Him whose light hath risen, whose\nappearance hath become exalted, whose signs are promulgated and whose\nevidences are fulfilled. The tongue of the realities of all things\nhath uttered: “Glory be to my God, the El-Baha!” Thanks\nfor His manifest Beauty and for His Great Splendor! —for He\nhath quickened mankind with the spirit of guidance and hath rendered\nclear the White Path of Gifts, through the arguments which are\nbrilliant and clear to the hearts of the intelligent and thereby\nthese hearts are moved, enlightened, illuminated and become cognizant\nof the Mighty Message52\nin this Manifest Day of the Manifestation of the Honorable Station53\nwhen the mystery of existence flows just as do the souls in the\nbodies.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou whose nostrils are perfumed with the Fragrances...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-whose-nostrils-are-perfumed-with-the-fragrances",
"summary": "O thou whose nostrils are perfumed with the Fragrances of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"gentleness",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou whose nostrils are perfumed with the Fragrances\nof God!\n\nVerily, I read thy letter which contained graceful\nexpressions and was of a well made foundation, and I inhaled the odor\nof the love of God from the garden of its meanings and witness the\nlights of sincerity in the Cause of God from the dawning-place of its\nmysteries.\n\nBlessed art thou, O maid-servant of God, for thou art\nattracted to the Word of god, and thy heart is illuminated with the\nlights of the guidance of God, and thy soul is cheered by the gentle\nbreeze blowing from the direction of the favor of God.\n\nVerily thy Lord is gracious toward thee. Thank thou God\nfor this great bounty and praise Him for He hath caused thee to enter\nHis New Kingdom; and glorify Him for He hath chosen thee from among\nthose men and women “who were called”.\n\nPreach the Kingdom of God to every man and maid-servant\nwho is waiting the appearance of His Glorious Kingdom. The lights of\nguidance shall surely be spread, even as the morning light spreads\nover all the regions of the earth; all the regions of the earth shall\nbe refreshed by the Word of God.\n\nDeliver my longings and greetings to the consolation of\nthine eye116, ......, and to thy younger son, ....... Verily I love them both\neven as a compassionate father loveth his dear children. As to thee,\nhave for them an abundant love and exert thine utmost in training\nthem, so that their being may grow through the milk of the love of\nGod, forasmuch as it is the duty of parents to perfectly and\nthoroughly train their children.\n\nThere are also certain sacred duties on children toward\nparents, which duties are written in the Book of God, as belonging to\nGod. The (children’s) prosperity in this world and the Kingdom\ndepends upon the good pleasure of parents, and without this they will\nbe in manifest loss.\n\nSend my greetings to ........117,\nwho is free in this world, but a slave of God in His Great Kingdom.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou whose tongue is uttering the Name of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-whose-tongue-is-uttering-the-name-of-god",
"summary": "O thou whose tongue is uttering the Name of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou whose tongue is uttering the Name of God!\n\nTurn wholly unto the Lord of Hosts, “Glorious\nStation,” the Manifest; be severed from all things, and hold to\nthe robe of the Clement Lord, and enter into the extended shade,\nuntil thy Lord confirmeth thee by the fragrances of holiness in this\npromised day, wherein the name of the Kingdom is celebrated and\nspread in all regions.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou wonderful leaf of the Tree of the Love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-wonderful-leaf-of-the-tree-of-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O thou wonderful leaf of the Tree of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou wonderful leaf of the Tree of the Love of God!\n\nAll that thou hast written was perused. It was read from\nbeginning to end, and it caused joy and fragrance. But we write a\nbrief but useful answer, on account of the lack of leisure. Engage\nthou in commemorating God at every morn and turn unto the Horizon of\nMercifulness.\n\nTake some honey, recite “Ya Baha-ul-ABHA,”\nand eat a little thereof for several days. For these thy prevailing\ndiseases are not on account of sins, but they are to make thee detest\nthis world and know that there is no rest and composure in this\ntemporal life.\n\nI beg of God that thou mayest find a cheerful life,\ncause the increase of the longing of all present in the meetings of\nthe maid-servants of the Merciful One and bring joy and happiness to\nthe handmaidens of God; so that thou mayest diffuse the fragrances\nand chant the manifest verses. Supplication to God at morn and eve is\nconducive to the joy of hearts, and prayer cause spirituality and\nfragrance. Thou shouldst necessarily continue therein.\n\nI beg of God that the closed door may be opened before\nthe face of the friends and that they may be enabled to visit the\nHoly Threshold.\n\nTrust thou in the divine grace and have hope in the\nmerciful gift. If thou wishest for everlasting joy and happiness,\nengage thou in delivering (teaching) the Cause of God night and day,\nfor the commemoration of God attracts confirmation and assistance\nlike unto a magnet.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou wooer of Truth and attracted one toward the Kingdom of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-wooer-of-truth-and-attracted-one-toward-the-kingdom-of-god",
"summary": "O thou wooer of Truth and attracted one toward the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"healing",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"patience",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou wooer of Truth and attracted one toward the\nKingdom of God!\n\nThy detailed letter was received and its reading\nproduced the utmost joy, for it was a glorious proof of the loftiness\nof thy aim and the exaltation of thine intention. Praise be to God!\nthat thou art the well-wisher of the human world, art attracted to\nthe Kingdom of Abha and art aspiring for the advancement of the realm\nof humanity. I hope that, through the instrumentality of these lofty\nthoughts, attractions of heart and heavenly glad-tidings, thou mayest\nbecome so illumined that, through the mildly beaming splendor of the\nlove of God, thou mayest shine and gleam throughout centuries and\ncycles.\n\nThou hast written that thou art a student in the\nprogressive spiritual school. Happy is thy condition! If the various\nprogressive schools join themselves to the universal university of\nthe Kingdom, such knowledge and sciences will be brought into light\nthat man will see that the potentialities of the “Open Tablet”\nof existence are infinite; will realize that all the created things\nare as letters and words; will be instructed in the lessons of the\ndegrees of significances; will perceive the signs of oneness in the\nprimordial atoms of the earth; will hear the voice of the Lord of the\nKingdom; will behold the confirmations of the Holy Spirit and will\nfind such ecstasy and joy that, being unable to contain himself in\nthe vast area of existence, he will prepare himself for the journey\ntoward the Kingdom and will hasten to the immensity of the Realm of\nMight. As soon as a bird if fledged, it cannot keep itself on the\nground; nay, rather it soareth up toward the Supreme Apex—except\nthe birds whose feet are tied, whose wings are clipped and feathers\nbroken and who are soiled with water and clay.\n\nO thou seeker of Truth! The realm of the Kingdom is a\nunit. The only difference lies in this: That when the season of\nspring dawneth, a new and wonderful motion and rejuvenation is\nwitnessed in all the existing things; the mountains and meadows are\nrevived; the trees find freshness and delicacy and are clothed with\nradiant and bright leaves, blossoms and fruits. In a like manner the\npreceding Manifestations form an inseparable link with the subsequent\ndispensations; nay, rather they are identical with each other. Since\nthe world is constantly developing itself, the rays become stronger,\nthe outpouring becometh greater and the sun appeareth in the meridian\norbit.\n\nO thou yearner after the Kingdom! Each Manifestations is\nthe heart of the world and the proficient Physician of every patient.\nThe world of humanity is sick, but that skilled Physician hath the\nhealing remedy and He bestoweth divine teachings, exhortations and\nadvices which are the remedy of every ailment and the dressing for\nevery wound. Undoubtedly, the wise physician discovereth the needs of\nthe patient at every season and prescribeth medicine. Therefore, when\nthou wilt compare the teachings of the Beauty of Abha with the\nrequisitions and necessities of the present time, thou wilt conclude\nthat they are to the sick body of the world the swift healing\nantidote; nay, rather they are the remedy of everlasting health. The\nprescription of the proficient physicians of the past and the future\nwill not be the same; nay, rather they will be in accord with the\nailment of the patient. Although the medicine is changed, yet all of\nthese are for the sole purpose of the healing of the sick. In former\ndispensations the sick body of the world could not bear the strong\nand overpowering remedies. That is why His Highness the Christ said:\n“I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear\nthem now. Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of the Comforter, who is sent\nby the Father, is come, He will guide you into all truth.”\nTherefore, in this age of lights, specific teachings have become\nuniversal, in order that the outpouring of the Merciful One environ\nboth the East and the West, the oneness of the Kingdom of humanity\nbecome visible and the luminosity of truth enlighten the world of\nconsciousness. The descent of the New Jerusalem is the heavenly\nreligion which secures the prosperity of the human world and is the\neffulgence of the illumination of the realm of God. In reality\nEmmanuel was the forerunner of the second coming of His Highness the\nChrist and the herald of the path of the Kingdom.\n\nThis is self-evident that the letter is an organic\nmember of the word. This membership denotes subordination; that is,\nthe letter draws its life from the word and hath spiritual\nrelationship with it and is accounted a part of it. The apostles were\nthe Letters and His Highness Christ the Essence of the Word; and the\nsignificance of the Word, which is the Everlasting Outpouring, cast a\nsplendor upon those Letters,. Since a Letter is a part of the Word\nitself, it is intrinsically identical with the Word.\n\nI hope that thou shalt arise to perform all that which\nHis Highness Emmanuel hath predicted. Know thou this of a certainty\nthat thou shalt become assisted. The confirmations of the Holy Spirit\nare descending uninterruptedly. The power of the Word shall penetrate\nin such wise that the Letter will become the reflective mirror of the\nSun of the Word, and the radiation of the lights of the Word shall\nillumine the whole earth. But the heavenly Jerusalem, which is\nestablished upon the Apex of the world and the Holy of Holies of the\nAlmighty, which hath hoisted its banner, comprehendeth and includeth\nin it all the perfections and teachings of the former dispensations.\nLikewise, it is the herald of the oneness of the world of humanity,\nthe ensign of universal peace, the spirit of eternal life, the lights\nof divine perfections, the surrounding bestowal of the realm of\nexistence, the adornment and grandeur of the world of creation and\nthe cause of the tranquility of human-kind.\n\nTurn thy attention toward the holy Tablets. Read and\nreflect upon the Tablets of Ishraghat, Tajalliat, the Words of\nParadise, the Glad-tidings, Tarazat and the Book of Akdas.245\nThese divine teachings in this day are the remedy of the ailments of\nthe world of man and the dressing for the wounded body of existence;\nthey are the Spirit of Life, the Ark of Salvation, the Magnet of the\nEverlasting Glory and the penetrative power in the reality of man!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou yearner after the Kingdom of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-yearner-after-the-kingdom-of-god",
"summary": "O thou yearner after the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou yearner after the Kingdom of God!\n\nThe maid-servant of God, Aseyeh, hath mentioned thy name\nin her letter, praising and commending thee. Likewise thy letter was\nreceived. I was exceedingly happy on account of the love of the\nmaid-servant of God, Aseyeh, for thee. The advent of the prophets and\nthe revelation of the Holy Books is intended to create love between\nsouls and friendship between the inhabitants of the earth. Real love\nis impossible unless one turn his face towards God and be attracted\nto His Beauty. The maid-servants of the Merciful should love each\nother with heart and soul; for though there be many bodies, the\nspirit of the faith is one and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is\nuniversal. There is one Light but many lamps; there is one Wine but\nthe glasses differ. So thou shouldst love with all thy heart and soul\nthe maid-servants of the Merciful and associate with them in utmost\naffection in order that thou mayest realize divine happiness and\nbehold the outpouring of mercy.\n\nI beseech God that heavenly blessings may descend upon\nthee, guiding thy relatives, adding day by day to thy joy and\nhappiness, so that thou mayest become a heavenly herald, leading\nothers to the Light of Truth.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou yearner after the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-yearner-after-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O thou yearner after the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou yearner after the Kingdom!\n\nThy letter was received. It was brief and expressive of\nmeaning. I ask from God that thy name be registered in the Tablet of\nthe Kingdom; [that thou] be assisted by the merciful confirmation;\nbecome characterized with divine characteristics, and that thou\nmayest become a tree with the utmost freshness and delicacy in the\norchard of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou yearner after Truth!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-yearner-after-truth",
"summary": "O thou yearner after…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou yearner after Truth!\n\nI know in what condition thou art, and how much thou\nlongest for the meeting. The real meeting consists in the\ncommunication of heart. I hope that this communication will become\nstrong, for the hearts which are spiritually related to each other,\ntheir meetings are eternal, both in this world and in the Universe of\nGod. I hope that thou mayest attain thereunto!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou yearning one!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-yearning-one",
"summary": "O thou yearning…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou yearning one!\n\nBe thou a physician to every sick one and teach thou\nevery ignorant one; that is, show thou to others the way of the\nKingdom and guide them to life eternal.\n\nPraise be to God! I became known and revealed myself to\nthee in the world of vision and instructed thee in the search of\nTruth. Seek thou the light of God, relate thou the mysteries of the\nTrue One and walk thou in the path of the Kingdom, so that thou\nmayest behold wonderful signs and observe universal confirmations.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou young in age and great in mind!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-young-in-age-and-great-in-mind",
"summary": "O thou young in age and great in…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women",
"children",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou young in age and great in mind!\n\n[There is] many a young child who is mature and grown\nup, and many an aged [one] who is ignorant and stupid. Growth and\nmaturity are in intellect and understanding and not in age and\nduration of life. Verily thou hast know thy Lord while thou art young\nin age; but there are thousands of women who are heedless of the\ncommemoration of God, veiled from the Kingdom of God and deprived of\nthe bounty of the gift of God. As to thee, thank thy Lord for this\ngreat gift. I beg of God to heal thy mother, who is revered in the\nKingdom of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O thou young, incomparable tree of the Rose-garden...”",
"slug": "tab-o-thou-young-incomparable-tree-of-the-rose-garden",
"summary": "O thou young, incomparable tree of the Rose-garden of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO thou young, incomparable tree of the Rose-garden of\nthe Love of God!\n\nThank thou God that thou art planted beside this\nheavenly stream, has been favored with the inexhaustible outpouring,\nhast been trained and developed by the rain of the cloud of the\nKingdom of God and hast brought forth fruit under the care of the\nDivine Gardener. Now it is the time to cast the shade and produce\ndelicious fruits and impart sweetness to the palate of the spiritual\nones. Exert [thyself] with heart and soul. Do not rest one moment,\nneither do thou seek after composure. Give thou to others the\nglad-tidings of the Kingdom and announce to them the manifestation of\nthe signs of the Realm of Might! This is from the bounty of God. He\nbestoweth to whomsoever He willeth. Verily God is the Possessor of\ngreat gifts!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O visitant of the Resort of spirits (who are) sincere in...”",
"slug": "tab-o-visitant-of-the-resort-of-spirits-who-are-sincere-in",
"summary": "O visitant of the Resort69 of spirits (who are) sincere in the Religion of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"mercy",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO visitant of the Resort69\nof spirits (who are) sincere in the Religion of God!\n\nBlessed is the mother who bore thee and the breast whose\nmilk suckled thee and the bosom wherein thou wert nurtured, because\nthou hast apprehended the Day of the Lord, hast prepared thyself to\nenter in unto His kingdom, hast set thy face singly toward His\nGracious Countenance, hast believed in the Manifest Light, hast\nrejoiced in the Abundant Grace, hast responded to the Voice of thy\nLord with a sincere and beating heart and hast presented thyself from\nthose regions at the Glorious Threshold and hast marked thy forehead\nwith the pure, holy, fragrant Tomb70, the breaths of whose sanctity are spread abroad throughout the\nlands as fragrant musk is diffused unto the distant place! Then thank\nthy Lord, the Merciful, the Clement, for this great salvation (or\nfruition, achievement, or attainment) and exceeding grace!\n\nNow as to what thou askest concerning the spirit and its\n“return” to this world of humanity and this elemental\nspace: Know that spirit in general is divided into five sorts—the\nvegetable spirit, the animal spirit, the human spirit, the spirit of\nfaith, and the divine spirit of sanctity.\n\nThe vegetable spirit is the virtue augmentative, or\ngrowing or vegetative faculty, which results from the admixture of\nthe simple elements, with the co-operation of water, air and heat.\n\nThe animal spirit is the virtue perceptive resulting\nfrom the admixture and absorption of the vital elements generated in\nthe heart, which apprehend sense impressions.\n\nThe human spirit consists of the rational, or logical,\nreasoning faculty, which apprehends general ideas and things\nintelligible and perceptible.\n\nNow these “spirits” are not reckoned as\nSpirit in the terminology of the Scriptures and the usage of the\npeople of the Truth, inasmuch as the laws governing them are as the\nlaws which govern all phenomenal being (i.e., all existences\nbelonging to the phenomenal or material universe, called “the\nworld of generation and corruption”), in respect to generation,\ncorruption, production, change and reversion, as is clearly indicated\nin the Gospel where it says: “Let the dead bury their dead;”\n“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is\nborn of the Spirit is Spirit”; inasmuch as he who would bury\nthese dead was alive with the vegetative, animal and rational human\nsoul, yet did Christ—to whom be glory! —declare such dead\nand devoid of life, in that this person was devoid of the Spirit of\nFaith, which is of the Kingdom of God.\n\nIn brief, for these three spirits there is no\nrestitution or “return,” but they are subordinate to\nreversions and production and corruption.\n\nBut the Spirit of Faith which is of the Kingdom (of God)\nconsists of the all-comprehending Grace and the perfect attainment\n(or salvation, fruition, achievement) and the power of sanctity and\nthe divine effulgence from the Sun of Truth on luminous light-seeking\nessences from the presence of the divine Unity. And by this Spirit is\nthe life of the spirit of man, when it is fortified thereby, as\nChrist saith: “That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.”\nAnd this Spirit hath both restitution and return, inasmuch as it\nconsists of the Light of God and the unconditioned Grace. So, having\nregard to this state and station. Christ announced that John the\nBaptist was Elias, who was to come before Christ (Matt. 11:14). And\nthe likeness of this station is as that of lamps kindled (from one\nanother): for these in respect to their glasses and oil-holders, are\ndifferent, but in respect to their light, One, and in respect to\ntheir illumination, One; nay, each one is identical with the other,\nwithout imputation of plurality, or diversity or multiplicity or\nseparateness. This is the Truth and beyond the Truth there is only\nerror.\n\nBut as to the question of the Trinity, know, O advancer\nunto God, that in each one of the cycles wherein the Lights have\nshone forth upon the horizons (i.e., in each prophetic dispensation)\nand the Forgiving Lord hath revealed Himself on Mount Paran (see\nHabbakkuk 3:3, etc.) or Mount Sinai, or Mount Seir (see Ezekiel 35),\nthere are necessarily three things: The Giver of the Grace, and the\nGrace, and the Recipient of the Grace; the Source of the Effulgence,\nand the Effulgence, and the Recipient of the Effulgence; the\nIlluminator, and the Illumination, and the Illuminated. Look at the\nMosaic cycle: The Lord, and Moses, and the Fire (i.e., the burning\nbush), the Intermediary; and in the Mohammedan cycle: The Lord, the\nApostle (or Messenger, Mohammed), and Gabriel (for, as the\nMohammedans believe, Gabriel brought the Revelation from God to\nMohammed). Look at the sun and its rays and the heat which results\nfrom its rays; the rays and the heart are but two effects of the sun,\nbut inseparable from it; yet the sun is one in its essence, unique in\nits real identity, single in its attributes, neither is it possible\nthat anything should resemble it. Such is the essence of the Truth\nconcerning the Unity, the real doctrine of the Singularity, the\nundiluted reality as to the (Divine) Sanctity.\n\nBut as to the question concerning the atonement on the\npart of the Holy Redeemer, I have explained this to thee by word of\nmouth in a plain and detailed manner, devoid of ambiguities, and I\nhave made it clear to thee as the sun at noonday.\n\nAnd I ask God to open unto thee the gates, that thou\nmayest thyself apprehend the true meanings of these mysteries.\nVerily, He is the Confirmer, the Beneficent, the Merciful!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye beloved friends of Abdul-Baha!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-beloved-friends-of-abdul-baha",
"summary": "O ye196 beloved friends of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"martyrdom",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye196\nbeloved friends of Abdul-Baha!\n\nThe detailed letter which you have written was received\nand it was read with the greatest attention. From the rose-garden of\nits significances a perfumed fragrance reached the nostrils and from\nits suggestions and statements traces of sincerity of intention\nbecame manifest.\n\nPraise be to God!—that each one of that assembly\nis like unto a shining lamp, is ignited by the fire of the love of\nGod, hath closed his eyes to the world and the inhabitants thereof,\nhath burned away the veils of superstitions and hath acquired the\ntreasury of Truth. I have loosened my tongue to thank God for this\ngift at the Threshold of Oneness and praised and glorified the\nIncomparable God for His bounty, because He assisted those souls in\nthe service of the Kingdom, and established such an assembly in New\nYork that it will finally become a cause of the guidance of that\ncontinent.\n\nYou have written that there is a difference among the\nbelievers concerning the “Second Coming of Christ.”\nPraise be to God!—time and again this question hath arisen and\nits answer hath emanated in a clear and irrefutable text from the pen\nof Abdul-Baha that what is meant in the prophecies by the “Lord\nof Hosts,” the “Promised Christ” is the Blessed\nPerfection (Baha’o’llah) and His Highness the Supreme\n(the Bab). The faith of everyone must resolve around this palpable\nand evident text.\n\nMy name is Abdul-Baha, my identity is Abdul-Baha, my\nqualification is Abdul-Baha, my reality is Abdul-Baha, my praise is\nAbdul-Baha. Thraldom to the Blessed Perfection is my glorious and\nrefulgent diadem; and servitude to all the human race is my perpetual\nreligion. Through the bounty and favor of the Blessed Perfection,\nAbdul-Baha is the Ensign of the Most-Great-Peace, which is waving\nfrom the Supreme Apex; and through the gift of the Greatest name, he\nis the Lamp of Universal Salvation, which is shining with the light\nof the love of God. The Herald of the Kingdom is he, so that he may\nawaken the people of the East and of the West. The Voice of\nFriendship, Uprightness, Truth and Reconciliation is he, so as to\ncause acceleration throughout all regions. No name, no title, no\nmention, no commendation hath he nor will ever have except\nAbdul-Baha. This is my longing. This is my supreme apex. This is my\ngreatest yearning. This is my eternal life. This is my everlasting\nglory! Express ye the same thing which is issued from my pen. This is\nthe duty of all. Consequently the friends of God must assist and help\nAbdul-Baha in the adoration of the True One; in the servitude to the\nhuman race; in the well-being of the human world and in divine love\nand kindness.\n\nO ye friends of God! Through the Appearance of the\nBlessed Perfection the theories are abrogated and the facts are\nestablished. The time of superficiality is gone by and the cycle of\nreality hath appeared. One must become the incarnation of Servitude,\nthe personification of Love, the embodiment of Spirituality and the\nmirror of Mercy.\n\nThe believers must become the cause of life; deliver the\npeople from heedlessness, call the souls to the perfection of\nhumanity, beckon nations to unity and agreement, destroy the\nfoundations of foreignness, make everyone as friends and associates,\ntreat the negligent souls as their own children, and train and\neducate them with the utmost love—so that the ignorant become\nwise, the blind become endowed with sight, and the deaf be given\nhearing.\n\nO ye friends of God! Beware! Beware of differences! By\ndifferences the Temple of God is razed to its very foundation, and by\nthe blowing of the winds of disagreement the Blessed Tree is\nprevented from producing any fruit. By the intense cold of the\ndiversity of opinions the rose-garden of Unity is withered, and the\nfire of the love of God is extinguished!\n\nO ye friends of God! Abdul-Baha is the Manifestation of\nThraldom and not “Christ.” The servant of the human realm\nis he, and not a “chief.” Nonexistent is he and not\n“Existent.” Pure nothingness is he and not “Eternal197\n.”\n\nThere is no outcome or result to these discussions. We\nmust put aside these disputes and controversies, nay, rather must we\nconsign them to utter oblivion and arise to do that which is\nindispensable and which is demanded of us in this Day. Controversies\nare words and not significances, theories and not realities.\n\nThe quintessence of Truth is this: We must all become\nunited and harmonized in order to illumine this gloomy world, to\nabolish the foundations of hostility and animosity from among\nmankind, to perfume the inhabitants of the universe with the holy\nfragrances of the nature and disposition of the Beauty of Abha, to\nenlighten the people of the East and West with the light of guidance,\nto hoist the tent of the love of God and suffer each and all to enter\nunder its protection, to bestow comfort and tranquillity to every one\nunder the shade of the Divine Tree, to astonish the enemy by the\nmanifestation of the utmost love, to make the ravenous and\nbloodthirsty wolves to be gazelles of the meadow of the love of God;\nto administer the taste of non-resistance to the tyrant, to teach\nlong-suffering and resignation of the martyrs to the murderer, to\nspread the traces of Oneness, to chant the praises and glorification\nof the Glorious Lord, to raise the voice of “Ya Baha El-Abha!”\nto the Supreme Apex and to reach the ears of the inhabitants of the\nKingdom with the outcry—“Verily the earth is illumined by\nthe lights of its Lord!” This is reality! This is guidance!\nThis is service! This is the consummation of the perfection of the\nrealm of humanity!\n\nO ye believers of God! Each person must summon the\npeople to the Servitude of Abdul-Baha and not the Christhood; and no\nsoul must either publicly or privately utter one word against or in\ncontradiction to the general Teachings, and no one must believe that\nAbdul-Baha is the “Second Coming of Christ”, nay, rather\nhe must believe that he is the Manifestation of Servitude, the\nMain-spring of the Unity of the human world, the Herald of the True\nOne with spiritual power throughout all regions, the Commentator of\nthe Book according to the divine text, and the Ransom to each one of\nthe believers of God in the transitory world.\n\nPrint ye this Tablet and spread it throughout all\ncountries.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye beloved! O ye maid-servants of the Merciful!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-beloved-o-ye-maid-servants-of-the-merciful",
"summary": "O ye206 beloved! O ye maid-servants of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye206\nbeloved! O ye maid-servants of the Merciful!\n\nWhat a wonderful meeting ye have arranged and longed for\nthe beauty of service and have arisen to spread the fragrances of\nGod! Truly I declare, ye are confirmed by the cohorts of the Supreme\nConcourse and are reinforced and empowered by the Exalted Realm!\n\nWhen the confirmation of the Holy Spirit descendeth, ye\nare not a drop, but a roaring sea! Ye are the stars of the horizon of\nguidance! If this committee become firm, it will grow and develop; if\nit remain steadfast, it will become a gift of the Almighty to the\nhuman world; if it last, it will display marvelous signs for the\nwell-being of the children of man!\n\nThe hosts of the Kingdom of Abha are drawn and filed up\nin battle-array on the plain of the Supreme Apex and are expecting\nthat a band of volunteers step upon the field of action with the\nintention of service; so that they may assist that band and make it\nvictorious and triumphant.\n\nO Thou Almighty God! Confirm Thou these friends and the\nmaid-servants of the Merciful! Grant Thou to them assistance. Open\nThou before their faces the closed doors and make them intimate with\nthe fragrances of holiness, so that they may become the confident\nfriends of each other; raise the melody and the song of joy and sing\nthe harmony of heaven, in order that they may exhilarate and gladden\nthe regions of the West and impart attraction and ecstasy!\n\nMake Thou them the magnets of love so that they may\nattract the hearts to the Kingdom of Abha!\n\nVerily, Thou art the Powerful and the Mighty; and Thou\nart the Giver, the Seer and the Hearer! There is no God but Thee, the\nGenerous, the Merciful!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye beloved of God and His sincere friends!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-beloved-of-god-and-his-sincere-friends",
"summary": "O ye145 beloved of God and His sincere…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye145\nbeloved of God and His sincere friends!\n\nBy the life of God! The hearts are cheered whenever you\nare mentioned, the souls are comforted in your love, the holy spirits\nare captivated by your fragrance, the eyes are expecting to see you\nand the hearts are longing to meet you, owing to the fact that your\nhearts were kindled with the fire of the love of God, your ears were\ncharmed by hearing the Word of God and your souls were rested in the\nappearance of the mysteries of God.\n\nBlessed are ye, O children of the Kingdom of God!\nGlad-tidings to ye, O friends of God! as He hath made your destiny\ngreat and your share victory and happiness, your lamps lighted and\nyour spring to yield supply!\n\nYe are the most brilliant stars! Ye are the most\ndazzling lamps! Ye are the green branches! Ye are the ripe fruits! Ye\nare the beautiful gardens! Ye are the overflowing bowls!\n\nGod is merciful and compassionate! His bounty is great\nand great! He appropriateth by His mercy those whom He liketh and\nchooseth for His love those of whom He approveth. This is in\naccordance with what Christ said: “Many are called, but few\nchosen.”\n\nGod maketh your endeavor praiseworthy, your reward great\nand your days in El-Baha feasts and pleasures, because of your\ncasting away the imaginary god and accepting the Knowable, for [your]\ndiscarding every evil spirit, craving for the witnessed Light and for\nturning your faces to the Exalted Position.\n\nGod will show forth your endeavor, increase your spirit\nand fragrance, perfume the different directions with your perfume,\nenlighten the horizon with your light and quicken the hearts with\nthat which is treasured within you; will cheer the souls with what\nyou have accomplished and cause the verses of thankfulness to be\nrecited in all places; the banner in remembrance of you to wave\nthrough all the ages; your fame and praise to encircle the horizon\nand the tongues to speak of your virtues and good endeavors.\n\nBy the living Truth! That bounty is great and great and\nthe Lord is supreme in majesty! The confirmation is successive and\nsuccess is continuous, and the kindness of your God, the Merciful,\nthe Compassionate, will surround you from all sides.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye beloved ones! It is the moment of the ecstasy...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-beloved-ones-it-is-the-moment-of-the-ecstasy",
"summary": "O ye beloved ones! It is the moment of the ecstasy of the soul and consciousness and the season of running in the arena of sacrifice! Show ye kindness to all; be ye engaged in the refinement of the souls. Become ye as ignited lamps and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"mercy",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye beloved ones! It is the moment of the ecstasy of\nthe soul and consciousness and the season of running in the arena of\nsacrifice! Show ye kindness to all; be ye engaged in the refinement\nof the souls. Become ye as ignited lamps and adorn ye the orchard of\nbeing! These days are swiftly passing and this mortal life will\nremain fruitless and without result. Therefore, while there is yet\ntime and the arrow is in the bow, enter ye the chase and strike ye\nthe game. This game is the good-pleasure of God, and this chase is\nthe merciful Providence; that is, living in accord with the divine\ninstructions.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye beloved ones of Abdul-Baha! This servant...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-beloved-ones-of-abdul-baha-this-servant",
"summary": "O ye beloved ones of Abdul-Baha! This servant longeth to write a special Tablet to each one of the friends of God—but what can be done! For there is neither opportunity nor time. The affairs are like unto the waves, and the requirements…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye beloved ones of Abdul-Baha! This servant longeth to\nwrite a special Tablet to each one of the friends of God—but\nwhat can be done! For there is neither opportunity nor time. The\naffairs are like unto the waves, and the requirements are like unto\nthe vernal showers. I do not rest a moment, neither do I have leisure\nfor an instant. Letters are received every day from all the regions\nand it is impossible and impracticable to answer one among ten; yet\nthere is no other mode than to answer the letters which are the most\nimportant, for the urgent affairs must be attended to. Therefore, I\nrequest the pardon and ask the forgiveness of the friends, that they\nmay overlook these shortcomings and be content and happy with that\nwhich is possible.\n\nO ye friends of Abdul-Baha! The East is illumined, the\nWest is perfumed and the world is in motion and acceleration. Such a\ntumult is visible in the regions; and such a spiritual commotion is\nperceived in the pillars of the earth! The fame of the grandeur of\nthe Word of God hath reached the ears of the inhabitants of the\nworld, and the voice of the Cause of God holdeth universal sway! It\nis the time for joy and happiness and the moment of exhileration and\necstasy. One must live in accord with the exhortations and advices of\nthe Blessed Perfection and behave with such deeds and actions as to\nbecome conducive to the illumination of the world and the manifestion\nof mercifulness among the nations.\n\nAll the denizens of the earth, the communities and the\npeople have taken an axe in their hands to uproot the life-tree of\neach other; they are blood-thirsty and the instigators of corruption;\nthey are armed to the teeth with destructive implements; each seeketh\nthe death and annihilation of the other. But the heavenly power, the\ndivine energy and the celestial hand of strength, hath raised the\ncanopy of the oneness of the realm of humanity on the pinnacle of the\ncontingent being and hoisted the standard of the most great peace,\nfriendship, love, uprightness and the adoration of truth. The friends\nare the servants of this canopy and the beloved are the hosts of this\nstandard. Therefore they must with one accord arise to that which is\nthe requirement and the merit of this day, become overflowing with\njoy and beatitude, perfume the nostrils with the fragrances, sweeten\nthe tastes with the honey and delicacy of love, become the signs of\nguidance, be the glad-tidings of the Supreme Concourse and the army\nof the Kingdom of Abha; so that they may destroy the edifice of war\nand bloodshed, efface the traces of battle and strife from the face\nof the earth, uproot the tree of foreignness and plant the tree of\nunity in the rose-garden of the regions, extinguish the fire of\nhatred and animosity and set in motion the sea of love and affinity,\nerase the traces of discord from the Tablet of the earth and register\nthereon the verses of concord, clear the field of existence from the\nthorns and brambles of hostilities and ill-feeling and adorn it with\nthe hyacinths and anemones of harmony, train and educate the souls\nand loosen the tongue in the delivery of the instructions and\nteachings of the Blessed Perfection!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye beloved servants of Abdul-Baha and the maid-servants...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-beloved-servants-of-abdul-baha-and-the-maid-servants",
"summary": "O ye174 beloved servants of Abdul-Baha and the maid-servants of the Merciful…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"martyrdom",
"healing",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"hope",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye174\nbeloved servants of Abdul-Baha and the maid-servants of the Merciful\nOne!\n\nIt is the early dawn and the soul-refreshing breeze of\nthe Paradise of Abha is wafting upon all the contingent beings, but\nit displays the effect only in pure hearts and perfumes only the\nhealthy mind. A seeing eye beholdeth the splendors of the sun and a\nhearing ear listeneth to the melody of the Supreme Concourse.\nAlthough the mercy of the vernal shower and the heavenly outpouring\ndescend upon all the earth, yet only from a virgin soil vegetation\ngroweth while the brackish ground is deprived and unproductive, for\nthe traces of the outpouring are not evident and manifest. Now the\nholy Fragrances of Abha are diffused in every clime, but only the\nspiritual souls are attracted and draw benefits. It is hoped by this\nimprisoned one, from the bounty of the Living Self-Subsistent, that,\nthrough the dominating power of the Word of God, the nostrils of the\nheedless ones becomes opened and partake a share from the fragrances\nof the Rose-Garden of Mystery.\n\nO ye friends of God! The real friends are the skillful\nphysicians and the divine instructions are the antidote of the\nMerciful One and the remedies of the hearts. They (the believers)\nheal the nostril affected with rheum, make mindful the negligent\nones, give a share to the deprived ones and make hopeful the hopeless\nones. In this day if anyone liveth in accord with the heavenly\nteachings and instructions, he shall become a spiritual physician to\nthe world of humanity and the trumpet of Israfel175\nto quicken the dead; for the confirmations of the Kingdom of Abha are\nuninterrupted and the victory of the Supreme Concourse is the\nassociate of every one who is pure in heart. The weak gnat will\nbecome the strong royal falcon and the sparrow is transformed into\nthe eagle soaring toward the apex of the Ancient Glory. Therefore,\nlook ye not upon your own capability and merit, nay rather, lay your\nconfidence in the bounty and protection, favor and grace of the\nBlessed Perfection—may my life be a sacrifice to His beloved\nones!—and, mounting upon the charger of magnanimity, rush ye\ntoward the arena of martyrdom, so that ye may win the polo of favors\nin this vast field of God!\n\nO ye maid-servants of the Merciful One! The queens of\nthe world went down to the tombs and disapeared and vanished from the\nface of the earth. There remained for them no fruit, no name, no\ntrace, no fame and no existence. But every one of the maid-servants\nin the court of Oneness shone forth like unto the brilliant stars\nfrom the glorious Ancient Horizon, cast their rays upon centuries and\ncycles, attained to their utmost desires in the Kingdom of Abha and\ndrank from the wine of meeting (with God) in the Assembly of the\nAlmighty. These souls have taken a share from (the benefits) of being\nand obtained results.\n\nO ye friends of the wronged one! Purify your eyes from\nbeholding [any as] strangers. Do ye not see foreignness, nay rather,\nknow all as friends; for with the observation of strangeness, the\npractice of love and unity is difficult.\n\nIn this wonderful age, according to the divine texts, ye\nmust befriend all nations and communities. Ye must not look upon\nviolence, force, evil intentions, persecutions or hostility, nay\nrather, ye must raise your eyes to the horizon of glory [and see]\nthat each one of these creatures is a sign of the Lord of Signs and\n[has] stepped upon the arena of existence through divine favor and\nsupreme energy. Thus they are known and not unknown, are friends and\nnot strangers. We must deal with all according to the above\ncriterion.\n\nTherefore, the beloved must, with infinite kindness and\nlove, associate and sympathize with both friends and strangers and\nnot look at all upon the merits and capabilities of the persons.\nUnder all circumstances they must show forth genuine love and be not\ndefeated by the intensity of rancor, hatred, quarrel, malice and the\ngrudge of the people. Should they (they people) shoot arrows they\n(the friends) must administer milk and honey; if they give poison,\nthe believers must impart delicacies; if they cause pain, let the\nbeloved be a remedy; if they strike a blow, let them become the\nantidote.\n\nO my God! O my God! Verily, these are Thy weak servants\nand Thy submissive, faithful ones and Thy sincere maid-servants who\nare humbled before Thy illumined Threshold, acknowledging Thy Oneness\nwhich hath appeared like unto the appearance of the sun in midday,\nlistening to Thy call from Thy mysterious Kingdom and uttering Thy\nprayers with hearts overflowing with Thy love and devotion!\n\nO my Lord! Pour upon all of them the rain of Thy mercy,\n[cause to] descend upon every one the showers of Thy bounty from the\nclouds of Thy munificence, make them graceful plants in Thy divine\nRose-garden and suffer these myrtles to become verdant, green and\nrefreshed by the outpouring from the Cloud of Thy Singleness.\n\nVerily Thou art the Powerful, the Most High, the Mighty\nand Omnipotent, and the Creator of the earth and heaven, and verily\nthere is no God but Thee, the Lord of the Manifest Signs!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye blessed maid-servant of the Beauty of Abha!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-blessed-maid-servant-of-the-beauty-of-abha",
"summary": "O ye blessed maid-servant283 of the Beauty of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye blessed maid-servant283\nof the Beauty of Abha!\n\nIf ye have written letters to Abdul-Baha and answers to\nthem are delayed, know ye of a certainty that untold hindrances have\nbeen the cause. Be ye not unhappy. Praise be to God! that, on account\nof firmness and steadfastness in the Cause of God and service to the\nWord of God, spiritual letters are continually and uninterruptedly\ndescending from the Supreme Concourse and the Kingdom of Abha. That\nholy Messenger is eternal and perennial and His messages come to the\nheart successively and the verses of oneness are read therein.\nLikewise, this imprisoned one is greatly attached with his heart and\nsoul to the beloved ones and this very attachment is the faithful\nMessenger and the manifest Tablet. Therefore, my request is this:\nShould ye send a hundred letters and no answers be received, do ye\nnot feel at all sad; nay, rather think of this occurrence as a\nglorious proof of the power of love, as it will demonstrate that\nthere is no incumbency (or formality) between us. Were there any\nopportunity, undoubtedly answers would be forwarded. In brief, I beg\nof God that each one of you become the sign of guidance, a manifest\nbook from the Supreme Concourse, attracted with the fragrances of God\nand enkindled with the fire of the love of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye blessed souls!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-blessed-souls",
"summary": "O ye243 blessed…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye243\nblessed souls!\n\nOn the night of the feast ye entertained the beloved and\nwere occupied in the service of the friends of God and the\nmaid-servants of the Merciful One. Service to the sons and the\ndaughters of the Kingdom is the diadem of everlasting glory with\nwhich ye have crowned your heads, the garment of eternal sovereignty\nwith which ye have adorned your bodies, and the throne of majesty and\ngrandeur of heaven upon which ye sat. Abdul-Baha found the utmost\nrejoicing from that feast and he was a host in his heart and soul,\npraying and entreating at the Threshold of Oneness that the breaths\nof the Holy Spirit waft, the angels of mercy descend and the\nconfirmations of the Kingdom of Abha surround you upon all sides.\n\nRest ye assured that ye will become illumined, spiritual\nand celestial, and your services were accepted and praised at the\nThreshold of Oneness.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye brilliant realities!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-brilliant-realities",
"summary": "O ye187 brilliant…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"martyrdom",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye187\nbrilliant realities!\n\nBlessed are ye, for that ye believed in the Lord of\nHosts, advanced unto the Kingdom of God, with faces rejoicing with\nthe glad-tidings of God, that ye were awakened by the breezes of God,\nrevived by the Spirit of God, and attracted by the fragrances of God.\nMay it be salutary to ye, the cup overflowing with the wine of the\nlove of God!\n\nThank your Lord for making ye signs of guidance and\nstandards of the Supreme Kingdom. Soon shall the earth shake in your\nname, the angels pray for you. the bells ring in your mentioning, the\nhearts overflow with your love and tongues speak in your praise;\nforasmuch as the doors of the Kingdom are being opened before your\nfaces, and the paradise of eternal life is being prepared and\ndecorated for your entrance; therefore enter ye, while believing,\nassured, rejoiced, attracted, severed from the world and all therein.\nAnd be not sorrowful on account of the affliction of Abdul-Baha, for\ncalamity is a light, whereby his face glistens among the Supreme\nConcourse; affliction is healing to his breast, joy of his heart,\nhappiness to his soul; nay, rather, the most honored garment upon his\ntemple and best robe upon his body, and the dearest crown upon his\nhead. This is his utmost desire.\n\nImplore unto God and supplicate to Him in your prayers\nat morn and eve, asking God to destine to Abdul-Baha the draught of\nthe great martyrdom, so that he may welcome it with great desire, and\nascend unto the Kingdom of God with illumined face, with smiling\nlips, brilliant forehead, eloquent tongue, and great thankfulness\namong the Supreme Concourse.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye children of the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-children-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O ye33 children of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye33\nchildren of the Kingdom!\n\nIt is New Year; that is to say, the rounding of the\ncycle of the year. A year is the expression of a cycle (of the sun);\nbut now is the beginning of a cycle of Realty, a New Cycle, a New\nAge, a New Century, a New Time and a New Year. Therefore it is very\nblessed.\n\nI wish this blessing to appear and become manifest in\nthe faces and characteristics of the believers, so that they, too,\nmay become a new people, and having found new life and been baptized\nwith fire and spirit, may make the world a new world, to the end that\nthe old earth may disappear and the new earth appear; old ideas\ndepart and new thoughts come; old garments be cast aside and new\ngarments put on; ancient politics whose foundation is war be\ndiscarded and modern politics founded on peace raise the standard of\nvictory; the new star shine and gleam and the new sun illumine and\nradiate; new flowers bloom; the new spring become known; the new\nbreeze blow; the new bounty descend; the new tree give forth new\nfruit; the new voice become raised and this new sound reach the ears,\nthat the new will follow the new, and all the old furnishings and\nadornments be cast aside and new decorations put in their places.\n\nI desire for you all that you will have this great\nassistance and partake of this great bounty, and that in spirit and\nheart you will strive and endeavor until the world of war become the\nworld of peace; the world of darkness the world of light; satanic\nconduct be turned into heavenly behavior; the ruined places become\nbuilt up; the sword be turne dinto the olive branch; the flash of\nhatred become the flame of the love of God and the noise of the gun\nthe voice of the Kingdom; the soldiers of death the soldiers of life;\nall the nations of the world one nation; all races as one race; and\nall national anthems harmonized into one melody.\n\nThen this material realm will be Paradise, the earth\nHeaven, and the world of Satan become the world of Angels.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye Cohorts of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-cohorts-of-god",
"summary": "O ye34 Cohorts of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"martyrdom",
"exile",
"the-covenant",
"family",
"fast",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"gentleness",
"honesty",
"hope",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"patience",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 11,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye34\nCohorts of God!\n\nA letter which was signed by you in general was\nreceived. Its content was of the utmost beauty, sweetness, eloquence\nand perfection. While reading it the utmost happiness was produced.\nIt spoke of fasting during the month of the Fast. Happy is your\ncondition for you have executed the divine command; and have arisen\nto fast in these blessed days. For this physical fasting is a symbol\nof the spiritual fasting, that is, abstaining from all carnal\ndesires, becoming characterized with the attributes of the spiritual\nones, attracted to the heavenly fragrances and enkindled with the\nfire of the love of God.\n\nLikewise your letter was an evidence of the union and\naffinity of the hearts. I hope that through the bounty and favors of\nthe Most Glorious Lord, in this new age, the regions of the West\nbecome the East of the Sun of Truth, the believers of God become the\ndawning-places of lights, the manifestors of the signs, be protected\nand guarded from the doubts of the heedless ones, remain firm and\nsteadfast in the Covenant and Testament, and strive day and night in\norder to awaken those who are asleep, to make mindful those who are\nheedless, to make confident of the mysteries of the Kingdom those who\nare deprived, to confer a share from the never-ending outpouring upon\nthose who are helpless, to become the heralds of the Kingdom and to\ncall the inhabitants of this terrestrial world to the Celestial\nRealm.\n\nO ye Cohorts of God! Today in the present world each\ncommunity is wandering in a wilderness, moving in accord with some\npassion and desire, and running to and fro in pursuance of his own\nimagination. Among the communities of the world, this community of\nthe “Most Great Name” is free from every thought, keeping\naloof from every project and scheme, arising with the purest designs\nand intentions, and striving and endeavoring with the utmost hope to\nlive in accordance with the divine teachings in order that the\nsurface of the earth become the delectable paradise, the nether world\nbecome the mirror of the Kingdom, the universe become another\nuniverse, and the human race attain to higher morals, conduct and\nmanners.\n\nO ye Cohorts of God! Through the protection and help of\nthe Blessed Perfection—may my life be a sacrifice to His\nbeloved ones! —you must conduct and deport yourselves in such a\nmanner that you may stand out among other souls distinguished by a\nbrilliancy like unto the sun. If any one of you enters a city he must\nbecome the center of attraction because of the sincerity,\nfaithfulness, love, honesty, fidelity, truthfulness and\nloving-kindness of his disposition and nature toward all the\ninhabitants of the world, that the people of the city may all cry\nout: “This person is unquestionably a Bahai; for his manners,\nhis behaviour, his conduct, his morals, his nature and his\ndisposition are of the attributes of the Bahais.” Until you do\nattain to this station, you have not fulfilled the Covenant and the\nTestament of God. For according to the irrefutable texts, He has\ntaken from us a firm covenant that we may live and act in accord with\nthe divine exhortations, commands and lordly teachings.\n\nO ye Cohorts of God! Now is the time when the signs and\nthe perfections of the “Most Great Name” become manifest\nand clear in this golden cycle in order that it may become\ndemonstrated and established beyond doubt that this period is the\nperiod of the Blessed Perfection, and this cycle is distinguished\nfrom all other cycles and epochs.\n\nO ye Cohorts of God! If you observe that a soul has\nturned his face completely toward the Cause of God, his intention is\ncentralized upon the penetration of the Word of God, he is serving\nthe Cause day and night with the utmost fidelity, no scent of\nselfishness is inhaled from his manners and deeds, and no trace of\negotism or prejudice is seen in his personality—nay rather is\nhe a wanderer in the wilderness of the love of God, and one\nintoxicated with the wine of the knowledge of God, occupied wholly\nwith the diffusion of the fragrances of God, and attracted to the\nsigns of the Kingdom of God; know ye of a certainty that he is\nconfirmed with the powers of the Kingdom, assisted by the heaven of\nMight; and he will shine, gleam and sparkle like unto the morning\nstar with the utmost brilliancy and splendor from the horizon of the\neverlasting gift. If he is alloyed with the slightest trace of\npassion, desire, ostentation or self-interest, it is certain that the\nresults of all efforts will prove fruitless, and he will become\ndeprived and hopeless.\n\nO ye Cohorts of God! Praise be to God! —that the\nBlessed Perfection hath freed the necks from the bonds and fetters\nand released all from racial attachments by proclaiming, “Ye\nare all the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch.”\nBe ye kind to the human world, and be ye compassionate to the race of\nman, deal with the strangers as you deal with the friends, be ye\ngentle toward the outsiders as you are toward the beloved ones, know\nthe enemy as the friend, look upon the satan as upon the angel,\nreceive the unjust with the utmost love like unto a faithful one, and\ndiffuse far and wide the fragrances of the musk of the gazelles of\nKheta and Khotan35\nto the nostrils of the ravenous wolves.\n\nBecome ye a shelter and asylum to the fearful ones, be\nye a cause of tranquillity and cease to the souls and hearts of the\nagitated ones, impart ye strength to the helpless ones, be ye a\nremedy and antidote to the afflicted ones, and a physician and nurse\nto the sick ones. Serve ye for the promotion of peace and concord and\nestablishe in this transitory world the foundation of friendship,\nfidelity, reconciliation and truthfulness.\n\nO ye Cohorts of God! Strive ye that this human world may\nbe changed into a luminous realm and this mound of earth become the\nParadise of ABHA. Darkness hath environed the world upon all sides.\nSavage tempers and inclination predominate. The human world has\nbecome the battlefield of the rapacious savages and the arena of the\nheedless and ignorant ones. The souls are either bloodthirsty wolves\nor beasts with degenerate reason. They are either deadly poison, or\nworthless plants. There are a few souls who in reality have some\nhumanitarian intentions and are thinking of the well-being and\nprosperity of human kind. You must in this instance (that is, service\nto humanity) sacrifice your lives, and in sacrificing your lives\ncelebrate happiness and beatitude.\n\nO ye Cohorts of God! His Highness, the Supreme36—may\nmy life be a sacrifice to Him! —hath given up His life, and at\nevery moment the Blessed Perfection37\nin His own life sacrificed hundreds of lives, endured dire calamities\nand oppressions. Laden with fetters He was thrown into the dark\ndungeon, He was exiled and banished to distant lands and finally\npassed His days in the Most Great Prison38\n. Likewise a multitude of friends drank the sweet chalice of\nmartyrdom and sacrificed soul, possession, family and relatives for\nthe Cause. How many houses were overthrown! How many residences were\npillaged and rapined! How many magnificent palaces were turned into a\ndesolate tomb! All these phenomena transpired only that the world of\nhumanity may become a luminous realm; ignorance be changed into\nwisdom, human souls become merciful, warfare and bloodshed be\ndestroyed to their very foundation, and the Kingdom of Peace become\nparamount over all men. Now strive ye, that perchance this Beloved of\nHopes appear in the assemblage of the world and this Providence\nbecome a realized fact.\n\nO ye Cohorts of God! Beware lest ye offend the feelings\nof anyone, or sadden the heart of any person, or move the tongue in\nreproach of and finding fault with anybody, whether he is friend or\nstranger, believer or enemy. Pray in behalf of all and entreat God\nfor forgiveness and bounty for all. Beware, beware that any soul take\nrevenge or retaliate over another even if he be a bloodthirsty enemy.\nBeware, beware that any one rebuke or reproach a soul, though he may\nbe an ill-wisher and an ill-doer. Do ye not look upon the creature,\nadvance ye toward the Creator. Behold ye not the rebellious people,\nturn your faces toward the Lord of Hosts. Look ye not upon the\nground, raise your eyes to the world-illuminating Sun, which hath\ntransformed every atom of the gloomy soil into bright and luminous\nsubstance.\n\nO ye Cohorts of God! In the moment of catastrophe, find\nye patience, resignation and submission.\n\nThe more the calamities are intensified the less become\nye disturbed. Withstand ye, with perfect assurance, the flood of\ntrials and calamities, through the power of His Highness, the\nAlmighty.\n\nLast year some of the known and unknown, friends and\nstrangers, slandered, calumniated and presented false accusations\nagainst these exiled ones, before the throne of His Imperial Majesty,\nthe Padeshah of the Ottomans; while these oppressed ones were\nentirely free from those calumnies. The government, conformable with\nprudent measures, arose to investigate these calumnies and dispatched\nsome commissioners (or examiners) to this city. Therefore it is\nevident that the field which was found by the ill-wishers and the\nflood which was brought about by them, can neither be written nor\nexplained. However, relying upon God, we conducted ourselves with the\nutmost patience and submission, resignation and calmness; so much so\nthat if one did not know anything about these matters, he would have\nthought that we were in perfect ease of soul, enjoying the\ntranquillity of heart and mind, and were engaged in happiness and\nfelicity. The matters reached to such an issue that the plaintiffs\nand calumniators entered into alliance and intrigue with the\nofficials, in regard to the carrying out of the work of\ninvestigation. Consequently, the plaintiff, the magistrate and the\nwitness became as one single soul. Therefore it is clear what things\ntranspired! But here one witnesses the fairness and impartiality of\nHis Imperial Majesty, the Padeshah of the Ottomans, who so far has\nnot given any consideration to these slanders, statements, stories\nand calumnies, but has dealt with the utmost justice and equity.\nTruly, I say, if there had been any other person except this\nPadeshah, no trace of these exiled ones would remain. This is the\ntruth! We must not overlook justice. In reality today in the Asiatic\nworld, the Padeshah of the Ottoman Empire and the Shah of Persia,\nMozeffer-Eddin, are peerless and have no equals. If you could realize\nthe degree of the malignity of the enemies, and the wickedness and\nmischief done by the ill-wishers, especially by the unkind brother,\nboth here and in Persia, and that notwithstanding these seditions and\nvillainies, these two kings have treated us with tranquillity and\nmildness, ye would undoubtedly feel sure that both are just. If they\nwere like kings of bygone ages, unquestionably every day thousands of\nsouls would have been deprived of life in Persia. Therefore pray ye\nearnestly in behalf of these two kings, beseech for them protection\nand confirmation in the threshold of the Almighty, and ask for them,\nfrom God, victory and triumph; especially for the Padeshah of the\nOttoman Empire, who has dealt at all times in justice with these\nexiled ones.\n\n\nO Thou Omnipotent God! Perfume the nostrils of the\nfriends in the Occident with the breaths of the Holy Spirit; and\nillumine the horizon of the West with the light of guidance. Make the\nremote ones the near ones, change the strangers into compassionate\nfriends, awaken those who are asleep, and make heedful those who are\nheedless.\n\n\nO Thou Glorious Lord! Confirm and assist these noble\nfriends with Thy good pleasure, suffer them to become the\nwell-wishers of the known and unknown, enter them in the world of the\neverlasting Kingdom, confer upon them a share from the outpouring of\nthe Realm of Might, make them real Bahais and sincere godly ones,\ndeliver them from superficiality and establish them in Truth, make\nthem the signs of the Kingdom and brilliant stars in the horizon of\nthe world, make them the cause of the prosperity and composure of the\nworld of humanity and the servants of the universal peace, intoxicate\nall of them with the wine of Thy commands and exhortations and grant\nto all good morals and conduct in the path of Thy teachings.\n\n\nO my God! The desire of this Servant of the Threshold is\nto see that the friends of the West have embraced the beloved of the\nEast, and the individuals of the world of humanity are with the\nutmost kindness the members of one assemblage, the drops of one\nocean, the birds of one rose-garden, the pearls of one sea, the\nleaves of one tree and the rays of one sun.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye crying voices in the region of America!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-crying-voices-in-the-region-of-america",
"summary": "O ye27 crying voices in the region of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye27\ncrying voices in the region of America!\n\nMake level the path of the Covenant of God! BE firm in\nthe Alliance of God!\n\nI surely read your answer to my words, and my heart\noverflowed with joy and fragrance, when I heard of your supplication\nto God, and of your entreaty to God, and of your begging assistance\nof God, and of your endeavor in the service of the Cause of God, and\nof your effort in publishing the Alliance of God, and of your\nyearning after and your longing for harmony and union in the love of\nGod.\n\nYe shall soon behold the lights of confirmation shining\nforth unto your hearts and your spirits from the Kingdom of ABHA.\n\nStand up, as the standing of the souls by whose lights\nof sincerity in the Cause of God the horizons are shining, and guard\nthe sheep of God with the staff of the instructions of God.\n\nI beg God to confirm thee to His will, as He confirmed\nthe Apostles (of Jesus) aforetime.\n\nI know, verily, that the universal, never ending,\neternal, bright and divine establishments are only the diffusing of\nthe breaths of God, and the spreading of the instructions of God, and\nall that are beside these, though they be the reigning over all the\nregions of the earth, or the construction of railroads from the earth\nto the heavens, or means of transportation with the rapidity of\nrising lightning from the globe of earth to the globe of the sun, all\nare but mortal, perishing, demolishing and disadvantageous, in\ncomparison with the divine establishments. Because the latter (divine\nestablishments) are intrinsic matters, while the former are but\nmetaphorical matters; the latter are truth, while the former are\nimaginary.\n\nVerily, I yearn after your visit as the yearning of the\nthirsty after the fountain of the water of Euphrates (agreeable\nwater), but at present your remaining in that region (America) is\nobligatory. Please God, when it will be the occasion, I will inform\nyou to come; and (now) I will circumambulate instead of you the Holy\nTomb.28\nGlory be upon you!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye dear children!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-dear-children",
"summary": "O ye dear children!280…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye dear children!280\n\n\nYour father is compassionate, clement and merciful unto\nyou and desireth for you success, prosperity and eternal life in the\nKingdom of God. Therefore, it is incumbent upon you, dear children,\nto seek his good pleasure, to be guided by his guidance, to be drawn\nby the magnet of the love of God and be brought up in the lap of the\nlove of God; that ye may become beautiful branches in the Garden of\nEl-Abha, verdant and watered by the abundance of the gift of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye dear friends and maid-servants of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-dear-friends-and-maid-servants-of-god",
"summary": "O ye81 dear friends and maid-servants of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"prison",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye81\ndear friends and maid-servants of God!\n\nA good fragrance is coming from the rose-garden of\nKenosha and a pleasing breeze is blowing from the orchard of the\nhearts of the friends and maid-servants of the Merciful.\n\nPraise be to God, that town, by the presence of the\nbeloved ones and the maid-servants of the Merciful, hath become a\nveritable paradise and its space, like unto the heavens, is\nilluminated with radiant lamps. If this conflagration and attraction\ncontinue for a period, Kenosha will soon attain great provisions,\nwill travel with speed through the degrees of existence and make\ngreat progress in the orders of the Kingdom.\n\nTherefore, this prisoner implores and supplicates at\ndawn, seeking strength and confirmation for the beloved of that town.\nThus may heavenly confirmation become your associate and the morn of\neternal happiness dawn upon ye and the Sun of Reality rise with such\nbrilliancy as to dispel entirely the gloom of ignorance from those\nhorizons.\n\nO ye real friends and dear maid-servants of God! The\nLover of the East in perfect love has outstretched His two hands to\nembrace the beloved of the West and to rejoice in that love and\nunity.\n\nO ye beloved of God! As long as ye can strive to set\naglow the hearts with love, be attracted to one another and be\nmembers of each other. Every soul of the beloved ones must adore the\nother and withhold not his possession and life from them, and by all\nmeans he must endeavor to make that other joyous and happy. But that\nother (the recipient of such love) must also be disinterested and\nlife-sacrificing. Thus may this Sunrise flood the horizons, this\nmelody gladden and make happy all the people, this divine remedy\nbecome the panacea for every disease, this Spirit of Reality become\nthe cause of life for every soul.\n\nO ye friends and maid-servants of the Merciful! It is\nlife-offering, rejoicing, happiness and the manifestation of Divine\nFavors.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye dear friends of Abdul-Baha!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-dear-friends-of-abdul-baha",
"summary": "O ye dear friends of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"martyrdom",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye dear friends of Abdul-Baha!\n\nThe blessed letter indicating the election of the\nSpiritual Meeting was received and proved a source of joy. Thank God,\nthe beloved of that city, in perfect unity, love and oneness, held\nthe new election and were confirmed and strengthened to elect such\nholy souls as are near the divine Threshold and known by the republic\nof the beloved to be firm and steadfast in the Covenant.\n\nNow they (the members of Spiritual Meeting) must, in\nperfect spirit and fragrance, in sincerity of heart, in attraction by\nthe fragrances of God and by the confirmations of the Holy Spirit,\nengage in service; in the promotion of the Word of God; the diffusion\nof the fragrances of God; the training of the souls; the promulgation\nof the most great peace. They must raise the Banner of Guidance and\nbecome the host of the Supreme Concourse.\n\nIndeed, blessed souls have been elected. When I read\ntheir names, spiritual joy was immediately realized, for, praise be\nto God! certain souls have appeared in that continent who are\nservants of the kingdom, self-sacrificing ones of the Peerless\nMajesty.\n\nO ye friends of mine! Illuminate the meeting with the\nlight of the love of God, make it joyful and happy through the melody\nof the Kingdom of holiness, and with heavenly food and through the\n“Lord’s Supper”21\nconfer life.\n\nCongregate in the utmost of joy and happiness and\ncommence with this commune:\n\n\nO Lord of the Kingdom! Although we are assembled, yet we\nare Thy scattered ones; captives of Thy Shining Face. Although we are\nincapable, yet we anticipate the manifestation of Thy strength and\nability. Although we are without capital and commodity, yet we are\naided by the treasury of the Kingdom. Although we are a drop, yet we\nemanate from Thy sea of seas. Although we are an atom, yet we are\nillumined by Thy most bright Sun.\n\n\nO Lord! Confirm us so that each one in this gathering\nbecome a bright candle, a witness of the meeting, a caller to the\nKingdom; that the world of matter become the mirror of heaven.\n\nO ye dear friends of mine! The assemblies of those\nregions must be connected with one another and must communicate\n(correspond) with each other. Even communicate with the assemblies of\nthe East, so that this may become the means of the great unity and\nconcord.\n\nO ye spiritual friends! Firmness (constancy) must reach\na degree that if all the souls (Bahais) be destroyed by the evil\nwishers and there remain but one, that one singly and alone should be\ncapable of withstanding all who live on earth, and of spreading the\nfragrances of holiness.\n\nTherefore, when any terrible new or calamitous tidings\nreach you from the land of desire (Acca), ye should not grow cold,\nsad, or be affected thereby. Nay, rather, ye must immediately in the\nutmost firmness, arise for the service of the Kingdom.\n\nThis servant of the Threshold of His Majesty the eternal\nGod, hath always been and is in danger; there hath never been a hope\nfor rest. The utmost of his hopes is that in the arena of martyrdom\nthe cup of grace become replete and the wine of great bounty lend the\nwondrous ecstasy. This is the utmost of my hopes and desires.\n\nThe Tablets of Israghat, Tarazat, Bescharat, Tajaliat\nand Kalamat,22\naccording to what is heard have been translated and printed in those\nregions. Hasten to become imbued with the qualifications and\nattributes set forth therein.\n\nAnd this letter23\nwill close with reverential greetings, in the utmost kindliness, from\nme to the beloved ones and to the maid-servants of the Merciful.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye dear servants of God!....”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-dear-servants-of-god",
"summary": "O ye305 dear servants of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye305\ndear servants of God!\n\nYour letter received and the contents proved excellent.\nThat which is the desire of you hearts is the utmost hope of the\ndaughters of the Kingdom; that is, they wish to sacrifice themselves\nfor the Beauty of Abha306\nand offer their lives for His Holiness, the Supreme.307\n\n\nIn reality, the radiant, pure hearts are the\nMashrak-el-Azcar and from them the voice of supplication and\ninvocation continually reacheth the Supreme Concourse.\n\nI ask God to make the heart of every one of you a temple\nof the Divine Temples and to let the lamp of the great guidance be\nlighted therein; and when the hearts find such an attainment, they\nwill certainly exert the utmost endeavor and energy in the building\nof the Mashrak-el-Azcar; thus may the outward express the inward, and\nthe form (or letter) indicate the meaning (or reality).\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye dwellers of the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-dwellers-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O ye154 dwellers of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye154\ndwellers of the Kingdom!\n\nThank ye God that ye have turned your faces toward the\nKingdom of Abha, and are yearning for the outpouring of the Exalted\nRealm. Ye are accepted in the Threshold of the True One and are\nchosen by the Most Great Guidance!\n\nYe have asked regarding the word of the “Ransomed\nOnes”. The mystery of “Ransom” (or Sacrifice) is a\nmost great subject and is inexhaustible.\n\nBriefly it is as follows: The moth is a sacrifice to the\ncandle. The spring is a sacrifice to the thirsty one. The sincere\nlover is a sacrifice to the loved one and the longing one is a\nsacrifice to the beloved. The point lies in this: He must wholly\nforget himself, become a wanderer (in the Abode of the Beloved)\nenamoured with His Tresses. He must consign to oblivion the body and\nsoul, the life, comfort and existence. He must seek the good pleasure\nof the True One; desire the Face of the True One; and walk in the\nPath of the True One. He must become intoxicated with His Cup,\nresigned in His Hand and close the eyes to life and living, in order\nthat he may shine like unto the Light of Truth from the Horizon of\nEternity. This is the first station of sacrifice.\n\nThe second station of sacrifice is as follows: Man must\nbecome severed from the human world, be delivered from the contingent\ngloominess, the illumination of mercifulness must shine and radiate\nin him, the nether world become as non-existent and the Kingdom\nbecome manifest. He must become like unto the iron thrown within the\nfurnace of fire. The qualities of iron, such as blackness, coldness\nand solidity which belong to the earth disappear and vanish while the\ncharacteristics of fire, such as redness, glowing and heat, which\nbelong to the Kingdom become apparent and visible. Therefore, iron\nhath sacrificed its qualities and grades to the fire, acquiring the\nvirtues of that element.\n\nLikewise, when the souls are released from the fetters\nof the world, the imperfections of mankind and that animalistic\ndarkness, and have stepped into the Realm of Abstraction, have\npartaken a share from the outpouring of the Placeless and have\nacquired lordly perfections, they are the “ransomed ones”\n(or the martyrs) of the Sun of Truth, who are hastening to the altar\nof heart and soul.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye elect and chosen ones of the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-elect-and-chosen-ones-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O ye199 elect and chosen ones of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"mercy",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye199\nelect and chosen ones of the Kingdom!\n\nThank God that the Greatest Name selected and elected\nthat gathering, ushered it into the Kingdom of Eternal Glory, honored\nand crowned it amid the Supreme Concourse.\n\nHe placed upon each head a glorious diadem of guidance\nand established each one upon the throne of eternal reign. This is\nnot known now but shall become evident and clear hereafter.\n\nThe seed when growing, at first doth not attract\nattention, but later it becometh green and thriveth, adorning the\nrose-garden and the orchard. Now, likewise, this divine bounty is\nunknown, it is not yet revealed, but soon will its splendor illumine\nthe horizons and brighten the East and the West.\n\nSend Mr. ........ to India for the purpose of teaching.\nHe must have a companion. If this be not possible from among the men,\nsend one of the maid-servants of the Merciful.\n\nAs to the ordeals of Abdul-Baha, his trials and\ncalamities, grieve not on that account, but rather be in perfect\nhappiness and joy, for—praise be to God!—he was worthy\nand deserved these trials in the Path of Baha’.\n\nThrough the news of the progress of the Cause of God,\nand the unity and agreement of the beloved of God, great joy was\nrealized, and to such an extent that I forgot all sorrow and all\nills. ***\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye esteemed maid-servants of God, and ye revered...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-esteemed-maid-servants-of-god-and-ye-revered",
"summary": "O ye208 esteemed maid-servants of God, and ye revered beloved ones (or men believers) of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye208\nesteemed maid-servants of God, and ye revered beloved ones (or men\nbelievers) of the Merciful!\n\nYour letter was received and its contents noted. The\nmaid-servant of God, she who hath ascended to heaven, i.e., Mrs.\n........, hastened from this mortal world to the divine world and\nsoared from this temporal realm to the expanse of the Kingdom. She\nabandoned the earthly cage and flew toward the bower of the upper\nworld; so that, like unto a nightingale of significances, she may, in\nthat divine rose-garden, engage in praising, glorifying and\nsanctifying the True One, with the most marvelous melody.\n\nConsequently, do ye not sigh in grief of her decease,\nand be not dejected on account of her ascension.\n\nTo the people of adoration, death is an ark of\ndeliverance, and to pure souls, flight from this world of dust is the\nmeans of attaining the Kingdom of Spheres. By “Spheres”\nis not meant this infinite space, nay, is meant the divine world, and\nthe invisible realm.\n\nTo be brief: I hope her noble son may seek the Path\nwherein his mother walked, and may become better and more\nillustrious; nay, rather, the lights of his love may also take effect\nin his grand parents.\n\nAs to ye who are friends of that bird of the meadow of\nguidance, ye must, after her, have such unison, love, association and\nunity that it may make things better and more favorable than they\nwere during her days.\n\nPraise be to God! the divine bounty favors all of you,\nhe doors of gifts are open before the faces of you all, and the\nradiance of the Sun of Truth is shining upon you all. Capacity, worth\n(or merit) and ability, are necessary, for the clearer and purer the\nmirror is, the lights of the Sun are more manifest thereon.\n\nWe are always gazing toward those parts in order to find\nfrom what corner (or place) the voice will be raised! We hope\nBaltimore will become an assemblage of light and that city may become\na mirror of the love of God!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye firm ones in the Covenant!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-firm-ones-in-the-covenant",
"summary": "O ye firm ones in the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye firm ones in the Covenant!\n\nThe report of [your meeting] was noted. All the\narrangements of the meeting are suitable and acceptable. The reading\nof the Tablets which are sent to special persons dependeth upon their\nconsent. First send the Tablets to them and if they should agree, the\nsame may be read in the meeting. All the arrangements were good and\nsuitable.\n\nA special letter is enclosed for the maid-servant of\nGod, Mrs. ........ Forward it. As to letters for Chicago and its\nvicinity, if God so willeth (Inshallah), they will be sent through\nthe House of Spirituality. As to the copying of the Tablets in a book\nfor the House of Spirituality, this dependeth upon the consent of the\nreceivers of the Tablets. If the owners of the Tablets consent,\ncopies should be kept and collected in the House of Spirituality and\nit will be acceptable. Nevertheless, this should be with perfect\nconsent of the receivers.\n\nRegarding arrangements for the Bahai Sunday meeting for\nthe purpose of worship, this is very suitable. But, in a meeting for\nworship, first, prayer should be chanted and supplication made until\nall gather; then communion should be made. After praying, sacred\nreadings with melodious voices should be read by all together. As\nthis is the commencement of holding meetings, this is sufficient.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye friends of Abdul-Baha!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-friends-of-abdul-baha",
"summary": "O ye friends of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye friends of Abdul-Baha!\n\nVerily I read your reports with great joy. They are a\ncause of spirituality and fragrance and a source of dilation of\nsouls. If this Spiritual Meeting, by the divine fragrance and\nheavenly confirmation, be firmly established (or continued) it will\nbecome a source of great signs and will be confirmed in matters of\nparamount importance.\n\nThe Spiritual Meetings, which are organized in this\ncycle of God and this divine century, have never had their simile or\nlikeness in bygone cycles. For the great meetings (organizations)\nwere under the protection of aristocratic men, while these meetings\n(or organizations) are under the protection of the bounty of El-Abha.\nThe helper or supporter of those (organizations) was either a prince\nor a king; either a priest was the principal, or a great republic\n(the cause); but the Helper, the Assistant, the Confirmer and the\nInspirer of these spiritual meetings (or organizations) is His\nMajesty the Everlasting God.\n\nConsider not the present condition, but rather foresee\nthe future and the end. A seed in the beginning is very small, but in\nthe end a great tree. One should not consider the seed, but the tree\nand its abundance of blossoms, leaves and fruits.\n\nConsider the days of Jesus, when there was only a small\nbody of people, and then observe the great tree which grew from that\nseed and what an abundant fruit it produced. This is greater than\nthat, forasmuch as it is the calling of the Lord of Hosts and the\nVoice of the Trumpet of the Living God; it is the summons unto the\nharmony and unison of the world, and it is the banner of\nfaithfulness, trustworthiness and friendship among the difference\nnations and sects of the universe; it is the light of the Sun of\nTruth and the spirituality of the Majestic One. Verily this great\ncycle (dispensation) will encompass all the horizons and ultimately\nall the nations will gather together under this standard.\n\nTherefore, know the importance of this seed which was\nplanted in the divine field by the heavenly Gardener, watered with\nthe rain of grace and nurtured by the heat and light of the Sun of\nTruth. Thus, O ye friends of God, give thanks unto His Majesty, the\nOne, that ye became (or were made) the manifestation of such a gift\nand the recipient of such favor.\n\nBlessed are ye! Good-tidings unto you for this great\nblessing!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye friends of God and daughters of the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-friends-of-god-and-daughters-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O ye153 friends of God and daughters of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye153\nfriends of God and daughters of the Kingdom!\n\nThe letter you have written was considered. It caused\nabundant spirit and fragrance. It was not a letter, it was a\nrose-garden. The fragrances of the flowers of significances were\nexhaling from that garden and perfumed the nostrils. It was a proof\nof unity and oneness and an evidence of love and freedom.\n\nI became very happy through reading it. I hope that this\nlove and unity may increase day by day, and its effects may reach\nother regions. The purpose of the coming of the Manifestation of the\nMount is the unification of the world of humanity. Therefore, the\nfriends of God and the daughters of the Kingdom must serve this\npurpose and become the cause of joy to the heart of Abdul-Baha. Thus\ncan they bring together under the protection of the Tent of Oneness\nthe other nations and peoples; make this gloomy world radiant, this\nmundane earth a plane of the Kingdom, and the material world the\nmanifestation of divine signs.\n\nO ye friends and daughters of the Kingdom and leaves of\nthe Blessed Tree! Endeavor to make that continent the Paradise of\nAbha, and the West the East of Lights. This is the hope of\nAbdul-Baha.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye friends of this prisoner!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-friends-of-this-prisoner",
"summary": "O ye friends285 of this…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Boston",
"lat": 42.3601,
"lng": -71.0589,
"modernName": "Boston, Massachusetts, USA"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"prison",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"love",
"mercy",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye friends285\nof this prisoner!\n\nAccording to what is heard and evident, you have\narranged an assembly in the utmost beauty and a number of you present\nyourselves in that meeting with all love and unity and engage in\ncommunion (i.e., reading of the communes), chanting of the verses,\nspiritual conversation and utterance of the Kingdom. Blessed are ye\nfor having adorned such a meeting and for having prepared such a\nfeast! That gathering receiveth bounty from the Supreme Concourse and\nthat nucleus is under the protection of the Bounty of Abha.\n\nIn thanksgiving for this attainment and confirmation you\nmust strive to make Boston a fruit-garden286\nand a rose-garden. Verily, this is not difficult with the Lord.\n\nthe beloved of God in this mortal world are each a\nspiritual trumpet. They breathe the breath of life and thus confer\nupon them that are dead in negligence and ignorance, the life\neternal. They are the merciful physicians who bestow upon the\nspiritual patients eternal healing.\n\nThe city of Boston hath great preparation (literally,\nreadiness), but the endeavor of the righteous is needed and the\nefforts and strivings of the free are necessary. For unless the seed\nis sown, the bounty and blessing will not be attained; until the tree\nbe planted, the fresh fruit will not be produced; unless the candle\ncontact with fire, it will not ignite; and until a light dawn, the\ndarkness will not vanish. Therefore, the beloved of God must sow the\nseeds and plant the fresh plants in that garden. They must ignite the\nextinguished candles so that the purpose may be attained and the\nbeloved intent unveil its face.\n\nIn the spirit of humility and supplication do I beg and\nimplore at the Divine Threshold and seek for you assistance and\nprovidence.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye friends!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-friends",
"summary": "O ye friends!255…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye friends!255\n\n\nThank God that the Light of Truth shone in that city,\nthe bounty of guidance was granted, the fire of the love of God was\nignited and the veil of superstition was burned away.\n\nSome souls have arisen who have unsealed their eyes,\nunstopped their ears, witnessed the great signs and heard the eternal\nmelody of the Supreme Concourse. Each of them became a faithful tree\nin the orchard of the love of God and a shining luminous star in the\nhorizon of the knowledge of God. this is from the eternal bounty and\nthe everlasting gift.\n\nI entreat and supplicate in the Threshold of the\nAlmighty and ask for your confirmation and assistance, that you may\nbe born wholly out of the physical world into the Realm Divine, to\nseek after the eternal life and wish for the everlasting gift, so\nthat you may shine upon ages and cycles like unto the morning star!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye illumined faces! O ye divine souls! and O ye...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-illumined-faces-o-ye-divine-souls-and-o-ye",
"summary": "O ye77 illumined faces! O ye divine souls! and O ye spiritual…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye77\nillumined faces! O ye divine souls! and O ye spiritual temples!\n\nVerily, I read your letter which uttered your extreme\nlove and entire attraction to the Kingdom of God, your trust in God,\nyour immersing into the deep seas of the bounties of God and your\nchanting the verses of thanksgiving to God, because He guided you to\nHis Eternal Kingdom, manifested to you His evident light, descended\nupon you a heavenly table through His great favor, planted you in His\nglorious vineyard and caused you to become manifestations of guidance\namong the people and dawning-points of wisdom among the creatures.\n\nServants of God! Sanctify the soul and dilate the breast\nby the promise your Lord gave you, that, verily, He confirms you\nthrough the hosts of inspiration. Ye will see (the time when) your\nfaces shine as stars in the horizon of guidance and your heads\ncrowned by the crown of success in the Supreme World.\n\n\nO Thou kind Lord!\n\n\nThese souls are Thy friends and this gathering is\nlonging for Thee. They are captives of the lights of Thy Beauty and\necstatic by Thy musk-scented locks. Their hearts are Thine; they are\nThy poor, humble and homeless; they have severed themselves from\nrelative and stranger and have established the relationship of unity\nwith Thee. They have adored Thee. They were sons of earth; Thou hast\nmade them new fruits of the Kingdom. They were plants of the desert\nof bereavement; Thou hast made them trees of the rose-garden of\nknowledge. They were silent; Thou hast made them speak. They were\nextinct; Thou hast lighted them. They were sterile soil; Thou hast\nmade them the rose-garden of significances. They were the children of\nthe world of humanity; Thou hast caused them to attain development\nand the maturity of the Kingdom!\n\n\nO kind One! Grant them shelter and security under Thy\nprotection, preserve them from tests and trials, send them invisible\nhelp and confer upon them the doubtless bounty, O Thou kind Beloved!\n\n\nThey are the body and Thou art the Life. The body is\ndependent for its life and freshness upon the Spirit—therefore\nthey are in need of confirmation and long for the Breaths of the Holy\nSpirit in this new Cause!\n\n\nThou art the Able! Thou art the Giver, the Educator, the\nForgiver, the Pardoner and the Light shining from the Invisible\nRealm!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye leaves of the Paradise of El-ABHA, and the maid-servants...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-leaves-of-the-paradise-of-el-abha-and-the-maid-servants",
"summary": "O ye leaves25 of the Paradise of El-ABHA, and the maid-servants of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye leaves25\nof the Paradise of El-ABHA, and the maid-servants of the Merciful!\n\nVerily, I read your words of thanksgiving to God, and of\ncelebrating the praise of God, for that He hath illuminated your\nfaces with the lights of guidance, hath transfigured Himself on your\nhearts with the bounties of spirit, and hath made you as lofty and\nmagnificent trees bearing ripened fruits in the Paradise of El-ABHA.\nThese signs will surely become manifest in your faces, these lights\nwill shine within your hearts, the splendor of oneness will envelop\nyou, and your brows will glitter with rays shining from the Kingdom\nof El-ABHA.\n\nO maid-servants of the Merciful! Know that, verily, this\nday is the day of teaching, this day is the day of diffusing the\nfragrances of God, being severed from aught else save God, attracted\nto the Word of God, and clinging to the Covenant of God. There is no\nwork greater than this. Be ye entirely spiritual, purely brilliant,\ncut your dependence from any other mention, thought or purpose, and\nconfine your mentions, thoughts and occupations to spreading the\nfragrances of God, and devote your attention to this great work. By\nGod, the True One, verily, the Sun of Truth will cast forth its\nlights in your assemblies and will make you shining lamps, glittering\nstars, brilliant signs, and as souls attracted to the Holy Spirit.\nThis is the great prosperity! This is the manifest light!\n\nUpon you be greeting and praise!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye longing ones! O ye cheered ones! O ye attracted...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-longing-ones-o-ye-cheered-ones-o-ye-attracted",
"summary": "O ye120 longing ones! O ye cheered ones! O ye attracted ones! O ye who are beseeching the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"hope",
"joy",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye120\nlonging ones! O ye cheered ones! O ye attracted ones! O ye who are\nbeseeching the Kingdom of God!\n\nBlessed are ye, for ye have removed the covering;\nwitnessed the lights of the Sun of Truth which is shining from the\nhorizon of bestowal; are attracted by the fragrances sent forth from\nthe garden of the Kingdom; have arisen to praise the Lord of Grandeur\nand Might, and have resolved to disseminate the teachings of God in\nthose vast and extensive regions!\n\nTruly I say unto you! Verily, ye have cast away\nsuperstitions; have partaken an abundant portion from that Reality\nwhich is shining upon all regions; have perceived the manifest signs,\nhave entered the ark of salvation and attained unto eternal life,\nunder the shadow of the Lord of Hosts, gazing unto the Most Honorable\nStation, enkindled with the fire ablaze in the tree of existence, in\nthe spot of Sinai; responding to the call of the Clement One, severed\nfrom the world, and yearning for the place of sacrifice in the path\nof Baha’.\n\nYou will surely hear from this call a ringing voice in\nthe regions. Then the nations will awake to this effulgence and\nhasten unto the fountain of the Covenant; so that they may drink\nfresh and salutary water from the grace of your Lord, the Clement.\n\nAt that time, the faithful shall be cheered, the sincere\nshall rejoice and the yearning ones shall be drawn unto the unseen\nworld, the Kingdom of your Lord, the Merciful!\n\nO ye beloved of God and His chosen ones! Trust ye in the\ndivine confirmation, the merciful bounty and the supreme bestowal.\nVerily, He will confirm your hearts, dilate your breasts, make your\ntongues fluent and will rejoice your souls by a grace from the\nCompassionate Merciful One!\n\nO ye beloved of Baha’! Do not look at your\nweakness, nay, rely upon the confirmation of the Holy Spirit. Verily,\nIt maketh the weak strong, the lowly mighty, the child grown, the\ninfant mature and the small great.\n\nI beg of God that He may make you diffusers of His\nfragrances, servants of His Cause, gazers unto His Face, speakers in\nHis praise, and that He may protect you against tests and trials, so\nthat ye may become shining lights, beaming stars, gleaming lamps and\nlofty trees. Verily, this is not difficult with God!\n\nVerily, I hope from God that ye may become my associates\nin servitude to His Holy Threshold and my partners at the entrance of\nthe Door of His Oneness; so that ye may equally serve in His great\nvineyard. Then thank ye your Lord, for He hath favored you with this\nmanifest success. By God, the True One! this cannot be equalled\neither by the dominion of the world or by the gift of ruling over all\nregions with pomp, glory and power! Reflect ye upon the chosen ones\nof God in the earlier ages! How their worth was unknown during their\ndays; how they were known by people as but ordinary individuals and\nunimportant persons! Afterwards, their arguments appeared, their\nlights scintillated, their stars beamed, their trees became lofty,\ntheir mysteries gleamed forth, their fruits were praised, their\nreservoirs became overflowing, their gardens adorned, their birds\nwarbled and their joy became perfect in the Kingdom of their\nBeneficent Lord.\n\nO my God! O my God! These are souls who have advanced\ntoward Thy Kingdom; their breasts dilated by supplicating to Thy\nRealm of Might; their eyes anticipating the descent of Thy mercy; and\ntheir spirits rejoiced at Thy grace and gift!\n\nO my God! O my God! Guard them by the eye of Thy\nprotection, preserve them in the cave of Thy defence, deliver them\nfrom the grade of the contingent world, protect them during the\nviolence of tests and trials, and assist them by a power from the\nbreath of Thy Holy Spirit, in the world of existence! Verily, Thou\nart the Beneficent, the Mighty, the Clement!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye maid-servants of God and leaves of the Tree of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-maid-servants-of-god-and-leaves-of-the-tree-of",
"summary": "O ye maid-servants297 of God and leaves of the Tree of Eternal Life!…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye maid-servants297\nof God and leaves of the Tree of Eternal Life! \n\nBlessed are ye for attaining to that which was the\ngreatest hope of Mary the Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jacob!\nThis gift was shining on the face of the Virgin Mary like unto a\nbrilliant gem glistening on the great crown of glory.\n\nHappy are ye for this favor, the likeness of which was\nnot seen by the eye of existence, not its similitude heard by the\nears of the creatures; because it is the greatest favor on the part\nof the Lord of the Kingdoms in the world of existence; that is, the\ngreatest guidance, the attainment unto the day of the Lord and\nlistening unto the call of God. How blessed is this great favor!\n\nO ye maid-servants of God! All the palaces shall be\ndestroyed and become like graves, buried beneath the ground, but god,\nthrough His mighty hand, will build for ye solid palaces in His\nKingdom which will not be destroyed forever and evermore; nay, rather\nits foundation will be strengthened in the course of ages and\ncenturies.\n\nTherefore, call in His Name, spread the fragrances of\nGod, guide unto the path of God and cause souls to enter the Kingdom\nof God!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye maid-servants of His Majesty, the Lord—daughters...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-maid-servants-of-his-majesty-the-lord-daughters",
"summary": "O ye maid-servants of His Majesty, the Lord—daughters and sons of the Kingdom!304…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye maid-servants of His Majesty, the Lord—daughters\nand sons of the Kingdom!304\n\n\nThe meeting of the Lord’s Supper, which you held\nin the home of Mr. and Mrs. ......... (was blessed) with the lights\nof the Beauty of the Merciful, which shone from the Kingdom of Abha,\nand Abdul-Baha was present in spirit and heart although absent in\nbody. That meeting was exceedingly bright, and as the rose-garden,\nemitted a pleasant fragrance.\n\nMeetings organized with the utmost holiness and piety,\nwherein those who are present engage in the mention and thought of\nGod, and wherein the verses of Oneness are chanted and the prayers of\nthe Threshold of the Lord of Verses are offered and the exhortations\nand counsels of the Blessed Beauty recited, such meetings are\nillumined, spiritual, divine and heavenly. They are the means of\ntraining the world of humanity.\n\nI am, night and day, engaged in remembering you, and\nhappy with your thought, and ask the Lord of the Kingdom for\nconfirmation, that He may make each one of you a sign of guidance and\nthe means of educating and guiding other women and men.\n\nThe bounty and grace of God in this illumined cycle is\nlike the ocean. Every instant it surges, reaching the apogee with its\nwaves and inundating the shores of existence. Therefore, O ye\nmaid-servants of the Merciful and servants of God, endeavor while\nthis ocean is still surging and this cloud raining and pouring, to\nmake the surface of the earth feel the reality, that it may grow the\nhyacinths, the flowers and frits of concord, peace, love, faith,\nrealities and significances.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye maid-servants of the Merciful! Leaves of the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-maid-servants-of-the-merciful-leaves-of-the",
"summary": "O ye79 maid-servants of the Merciful! Leaves of the Tree of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye79\nmaid-servants of the Merciful! Leaves of the Tree of Life!\n\nThank ye the Lord, for He hath removed the covering from\noff your insight, illuminated your eyes by witnessing the Sun of\nTruth, purified your souls, and hath quickened your hearts through\nthe holy fragrances which are being diffused from the garden of the\nkingdom of His Great Glory!\n\nO ye maid-servants of the Merciful! It is incumbent upon\nyou to soar up with wings of joy and happiness unto the apex of\nexultation and gladness; for He hath assigned unto you the greatest\nguidance in the Day of Resurrection, and hath crowned you with the\ndiadem of glory and divine honor among the women of the whole world,\nand hath chosen you above the queens of the world for His great\nbounty.\n\nVerily, the crowns which are on the heads of the noble\nwomen—the queens of the world—all their bases will be\nfinally broken, their gems scattered away, their luster removed and\nwill become as dispersed dust. But your magnificent crowns are\neverlastingly brilliant and permanently glorious and mighty and their\ngems scintillating throughout cycles and ages.\n\nThis is the highest gift! This is the greatest bestowal!\nThank ye your Lord for this great bounty and favor! O ye\nmaid-servants of the Merciful! verily, your Lord, the Supreme, is\ncalling upon you from His Ancient Kingdom and announces unto you such\nglad-tidings, whereat the hearts of the angels of heaven rejoice.\n\nIt is incumbent upon you to strip yourselves of every\nold garment (i.e., old beliefs and past customs). It is incumbent\nupon you to be severed from this contemptible earthly world. It is\nincumbent upon you (to seek after) the Kingdom, in this great Day!\n\nPurify ye your hearts, sanctify your souls and cleanse\nyour spirits; so that ye may attain to this great success. Then ye\nwill become the angels of heaven, will enter among the Supreme\nConcourse and will permanently abide in the paradise of union (with\nGod), and will be associated with the Beauty of El-ABHA.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye maid-servants of the Merciful!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-maid-servants-of-the-merciful",
"summary": "O ye maid-servants of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye maid-servants of the Merciful!\n\nBe rejoiced with the glad-tidings of God and thank your\nLord for that He assembled you in the brilliant gathering with\nillumined faces, pure hearts, wherein the mysteries of God are\nprinted, and spirits gladdened by the fragrances of God. This is from\nHis favor to you in this glorious century.\n\nI ask God to adorn your heads with the pearls of His\nfavor, to ignite in your hearts the fire of the love of God, to free\nyour tongues in utterance of eloquent words and excellent meanings\nand mysteries in the gathering of the pious, to make ye roses of the\nparadise of El-ABHA, angels of heaven, united in opinions, harmonious\nin thoughts and to manifest in your faces signs of holiness of the\nKingdom among the people.\n\nSoon will your Lord make you growing trees in His\nwonderful vineyard, blossoming, leafing and bearing fruits of the\nparadise of El-ABHA through the shadow of His Name, the Merciful, the\nClement.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye members of the shining assembly! Each one...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-members-of-the-shining-assembly-each-one",
"summary": "O ye members of the shining assembly! Each one of you must resist doubts (or false rumors) in those parts like unto a great barrier, until the invisible confirmations may appear and merciful assistance may become manifest. May your…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye members of the shining assembly! Each one of you\nmust resist doubts (or false rumors) in those parts like unto a great\nbarrier, until the invisible confirmations may appear and merciful\nassistance may become manifest. May your souls be cheered!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye members of the shining assembly!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-members-of-the-shining-assembly",
"summary": "O ye members of the shining assembly!222…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"gentleness",
"love",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye members of the shining assembly!222\n\n\nThe letter which was written by you, was not a letter,\nbut a musk sack. For the fragrances of the rose-garden of its\nsignificances perfumed the nostrils of every heavenly one; evincing\nfirmness in the love of God, steadfastness in the Covenant and\nTestament and affinity among the friends.\n\nThis yearning one was enflamed and burning intensely,\nbut when I perused that letter, a gentle breeze wafted and an\nextraordinary freshness and delicacy was imparted to me. I turned my\nface toward the Threshold of the Almighty and supplicated Him\nimploringly thus:\n\n“O thou Eternal One! Make the friends of that\ncountry prosperous, acquaint them with the mysteries; usher them into\nthe divine rose-garden and reveal to them the hidden realities and\nsignificances; make their hearts the association of truth and their\nsouls full of divine melodies and sacred (choral) music!”\n\n“O God! This respectful assemblage are my\nrelatives and kindred and the cause of the happiness of this\nafflicted one. Bestow upon them a shining face and grant them a\nmusk-diffusing character. Show them the mystery of the Kingdom and\nsuffer them to hear the soul-elevating harmony of heaven! Awaken (the\npeople) by the breeze of the Paradise of Abha and make them alive by\nthe power of the Holy Spirit. Verily, Thou are the Powerful and\nOmnipotent, and Thou art the Bestower and generous!”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye my dear friends!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-my-dear-friends",
"summary": "O ye209 my dear…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye209\nmy dear friends!\n\nYour letter was received and its contents were wonderful\nand beautiful for it evinced the spreading of the light of Guidance.\nPraise be to God! the lights of the Morn of Eternity have cast their\nrays upon that city, and in the future it will become enlightened,\nand luminous stars will dawn, gleam and sparkle from its horizon.\n\nToday the Sun of the Most Great Guidance hath appeared\nwith the greatest splendor from the horizon of the world, and the\nrays of the Sun of Truth shine with utmost light and power therefrom.\nTherefore, the world hath become another world and the bounties,\nother bounties!\n\nA little earnestness and endeavor is encumbent upon you,\nso that the pages of the soul may be cleansed and purified from the\nrust of attachment to this ephemeral world. At that time you will\nconsider how dazzling and brilliant is the effulgence of the Kingdom.\n\n\nThe maid-servant of God, Mrs. ........, and the\nmaid-servant of God, Mrs. ........—praise be to God!—have\nmade their homes the nest and shelter of the heavenly birds, and have\narranged meetings. I hope that these two meeting places will become\nmore illumined day by day, adding to the knowledge, faith and\nassurance of the audience, and increasing their resolution and\nsteadfastness.\n\nIn fact, those two gathering places are my homes, and\nthe nest and shelter of the birds of the field of God. Convey my\nloving greetings to each and every believer!\n\nLikewise present my respectful greetings to the dear\nmaid-servants of God in Baltimore and Washington.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye my divine friends!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-my-divine-friends",
"summary": "O ye my divine friends!32…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"exile",
"prison",
"the-covenant",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"patience",
"unity",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye my divine friends!32\n\n\nAt a time when the sea of tests had become tempestuous\nand the waves of calamity were heaving and the hosts of nations were\nin the utmost violence and the people of oppression dealt with\ninfinite injustice, some of the calumniators, uniting with our unkind\nbrother, wrote a letter replete with false accusations and engaged in\nseditions and calumnies.\n\nThey confused the mind of the government and agitated\nthe state authorities. From this it is evident how a prisoner in this\nruined walled city would fare and how the conditions are so full of\nperplexity and confusion as to baffle all description!\nNotwithstanding, this imprisoned exile is in the utmost firmness and\ncalmness, trusts in His Highness the Peerless God, and wishes for\nevery calamity and affliction in the path of the love of God! (To us)\nthe arrow of oppression is a rich flow of divine bounty, and deadly\npoison is a swift-healing antidote.\n\nWe were in such a state when a letter came from the\nfriends in America. The whole of its contents showed an agreement on\ntheir part to be in unity and harmony in all respects, and it was\nsigned by all, determined to be self-sacrificing in the path of the\nlove of God, in order thus to secure eternal life.\n\nUpon perusing that letter and looking at the name signed\nto it, such a joy and gladness came over Abdul-Baha as is beyond\ndescription, and he thanked God that such friends are found in that\ncountry, who in utmost joy and fragrance are in union and accord and\none in agreement with each other. The more this Covenant is\nstrengthened, the happier, the better, the sweeter it will be and it\nwill thus attract the divine confirmations. If the friends of God are\nwishing for confirmation in order to enjoy the friendship of the\nSupreme Concourse, they must exert themselves to confirm and\nstrengthen this Covenant; for the making of a covenant, and an\nalliance for brotherhood and unity is like unto the irrigation of the\ntree of life which is conducive to eternal life!\n\nBriefly, O ye friends of God! Make your feet firm, make\na firm compact, and in union and accord endeavor to diffuse the\nfragrance of the love of God and to spread the divine teachings, in\norder that ye may impart life to the dead body of this world, and\nbestow a real healing on every one diseased (in soul).\n\nO ye friends of God! The world is like the body of\nman—it hath become sick, feeble and infirm. Its eye is devoid\nof sight, its ear hath become destitute of hearing and its faculties\nof sense are entirely dissolved. The friends of God must become as\nwise physicians and care for and heal this sick person, in accord\nwith the divine teachings, in order that—God willing—it\nmay perchance gain health, find eternal healing and that its lost\npowers may be restored; and that the person of the world may find\nsuch health, freshness and purity that it will appear in the utmost\nbeauty and charm.\n\nThe first remedy is to guide the people, so that they\nmay turn unto God, hearken unto the divine commandments and go forth\nwith a hearing ear and seeing eye. After this swift and certain\nremedy hath been applied, then according to the divine teachings,\nthey ought to be trained in the conduct, morals and deeds of the\nSupreme Concourse, encouraged and inspire with the gifts of the\nKingdom of ABHA. The hearts should be purified and cleansed from\nevery trace of hatred and rancor and enabled to engage in\ntruthfulness, conciliation, uprightness and love toward the world of\nhumanity; so that the East and the West may embrace each other like\nunto two lovers, enmity and animosity may vanish from the human world\nand the universal peace be established!\n\nO ye friends of God! Be kind to all peoples and nations,\nhave love for all of them, exert yourselves to purify the hearts as\nmuch as you can, and bestow abundant effort in rejoicing the souls.\nBe ye a sprinkling of rain to every meadow and a water of life to\nevery tree. Be ye as fragrant musk to every nostril and a\nsoul-refreshing breeze to every invalid. Be ye salutary water to\nevery thirsty one, a wise guide to every one led astray, an\naffectionate father or mother to every orphan, and, in the utmost joy\nand fragrance, a son or daughter to every one bent with age. Be ye a\nrich treasure to every indigent one; consider love and union as a\ndelectable paradise, and count annoyance and hostility as the torment\nof hell-fire. Exert with your soul; seek no rest in body; supplicate\nand beseech with your heart and search for divine assistance and\nfavor, in order that ye may make this world the Paradise of ABHA and\nthis terrestrial globe the arena of the Supreme Kingdom. If ye make\nan effort, it is certain that these lights will shine, this cloud of\nmercy shall rain, this soul-nourishing breeze shall waft, and the\nscent of this most fragrant musk be diffused.\n\nO ye friends of God! Be ye not concerned with the events\ntranspiring at this Blessed Spot, and give no thought thereto.\nWhatever may happen is good, for calamities are bestowal itself,\nhardship is the reality of mercy, discomposure is but composure of\nmind, and sacrifice of life is a manifest gift. Whatever may happen\nis a bounty from God, the Most High. Be ye engaged in your own\naffairs; be employed in guiding the people; train the souls in the\nqualities and nature of Abdul-Baha, and convey the glad-tidings of\nthe Kingdom of ABHA to the people. Do not seek rest during night and\nday and sit not tranquil for a minute. Bring these glad-tidings to\nthe hearing of mankind with the utmost exertion, and accept every\ncalamity and affliction in your love for God and reliance on\nAbdul-Baha. Endure the censure of enemies and bear the reproaches of\nthe people of oppression with patience. Follow the example of\nAbdul-Baha and at every moment wish to offer yourselves in the path\nof the Beauty of ABHA. Shine ye like unto the sun and roar and move\nlike unto the sea; impart life to mountain and desert like unto\nclouds, and similar to the vernal breeze, bestow freshness, grace and\nelegance on the trees of human temples.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye real companions! Day and night Abdul-Baha...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-real-companions-day-and-night-abdul-baha",
"summary": "O ye real companions! Day and night Abdul-Baha is engaged in the remembrances of the friends, and time after time doth he associate with them and behold their blessed faces. I entreat in the Threshold of the Lord of Existence to confrim…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"truthfulness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye real companions! Day and night Abdul-Baha is\nengaged in the remembrances of the friends, and time after time doth\nhe associate with them and behold their blessed faces. I entreat in\nthe Threshold of the Lord of Existence to confrim them in a befitting\nmanner and assist them to follow wholly the Commands of God!\n\nO ye friends of God! According to what is heard, some of\nthe friends have celebrated my birthday in some countries on the\nfifth of Zamadi-Avval (23rd day of May). Although their intention is\nno other than good, their aim be to promote the Word of God and to\ncommemorate the True One among the people in this manner, yet,\naccording to the text of the Religion of God and the irrefutable\ncommand, the fifth of Zamadi-Avval (May 23rd) is the day of the\nDeclaration of His Highness the Supreme (the Bab)—may my life\nbe a sacrifice to Him! Consequently, they must celebrate and adorn\nthat Blessed Day in the name of the Declaration of that Orb of\nregions; make rejoicing and happiness, and impart the glad-tidings of\nheavenly beatitude to each other. For that holy essence was the\nHerald of the Most Great Name. Therefore, no one must mention that\nday of the fifth of Zamadi-Avval (May 23rd) except as the Day of the\nDeclaration of His Highness the Bab. This is the unquestionable text\nof the Religion of God.\n\nRegarding the birth of this servant, which also happened\non that day, this is a proof of the favors and bounties of God toward\nthis servant. However, this Blessed Day must become known as the Day\nof the Declaration of His Highness the Supreme (Bab) and the\nbeginning of the effulgence of the Sun of Reality. You must on this\naccount be engaged in rejoicing, happiness and gladness. This is the\ntruth! Beware! Beware! that you avoid that which is mentioned;\notherwise, it will cause the utmost grief to the heart of Abdul-Baha.\n\n\nI ask from the inexhaustible bounties of His Highness\nthe Almighty, that the righteous ones become assisted to live in\naccord with the Religion of God; neither do they deviate a hair’s\nbreadth therefrom; and spread this Tablet throughout all regions, so\nthat all the friends may comprehend the truth and act accordingly.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“***O ye real friends of Abdul-Baha!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-real-friends-of-abdul-baha",
"summary": "***O ye real friends of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n***O ye real friends of Abdul-Baha!\n\nFrom the gathering of those illuminated faces and\nflowers of the rose-garden (of God) in Camp Mineola195\nutmost joy and fragrance (to me) was the result.\n\nI hope that assembly, like sparkling stars, may shed the\nlights of love and unison upon the human world, and become the cause\nof the happiness and joy of the inhabitants of the earth; that they\nmay become like unto clear mirrors reflecting (the rays) of the Sun\nof Truth, and give the glad-tidings of the manifestation of the Lord\nof the Kingdom.\n\nI ask the blessings of God that year after year He may\nadd souls to that assembly, and in future it may become doubled an\nhundred-fold.\n\nHow blessed it is that this assembly may become firmly\nestablished, and it is sure that the heavenly confirmations will pour\ndown!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye seekers of Truth!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-seekers-of-truth",
"summary": "O ye248 seekers of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye248\nseekers of Truth!\n\nYour letter was received and its contents became known.\nThe new Kingdom hath raised its tents in all regions and hath\nenveloped East and West, but the blind ones cannot see and the deaf\nones cannot hear. In the time of Christ, the doors of the divine\nKingdom were opened, but the people, being veiled, were negligent and\nin a deep sleep. Therefore, they were deprived of the spiritual\nglory. Now, thank ye God that ye have found the way to the Kingdom of\npeace and salvation and have heard the call of the True One.\n\nSupplicate God that ye may become heavenly hosts,\nspreading the oneness of the world of humanity, taking in hand the\narmor of peace and conquering the hearts with the sword of love.\n\nYe are people of the earth, become ye angels of heaven;\nye are from the West, draw ye bounties from the East! Be ye\nillumined, become ye heavenly, become ye merciful and show kindness\nto all the people!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye servants of God and maid-servants of the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-servants-of-god-and-maid-servants-of-the",
"summary": "O ye205 servants of God and maid-servants of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"gentleness",
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye205\nservants of God and maid-servants of the Merciful!\n\nThe letter, which was in reality the congratulation for\nthe entrance of the day of the anniversary of His Highness the\nPromised One, was received. The names of the friends of God were read\none after another and caused great joy.\n\nI hope that upon the coming of each auspicious day the\nfriends of God may become doubled, that is, may become twofold; that\nthe gentle fragrances of the love of God may be spread so universally\nthat large cohorts enter under the shadow of the Word of God in a\nshort space of time, and arise to serve, according to the heavenly\ninstructions, in order that strife and warfare may vanish wholly from\nthe human world, and the beauty of love, friendship and harmony may\nappear with such an appearance that all the intellects may become\nastonished, all the souls entranced and all the hearts attracted.\n\nO ye friends! O ye maid-servants of the Merciful! Should\nye realize in what a state this Tablet is written, assuredly ye will\nsoar heavenward with joy and exultations and begin to cry out:\n“Glad-tidings! Glad-tidings!”\n\nToday the whole world is heedless and ye are aware; all\nare in sleep and ye are wide awake; all are deprived and ye are the\ncustodians of the mysteries of the Kingdom! Therefore, to render\nthanks for these bounties, open ye the tongue of praise and\nglorification and engage yourselves in the divine commemoration, in\norder that the confirmation may be added and the assistance may\nbecome renewed!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye servants of the Threshold of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-servants-of-the-threshold-of-god",
"summary": "O ye servants of the Threshold of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye servants of the Threshold of God!\n\nThe weekly reports of *** were received and I was\ninformed of their beautiful meanings which proved firmness and\nsteadfastness in the Cause of God and solidity in the Covenant of\nGod.\n\nThrough the favor and providence of the Beauty12\nof Abha I trust that Spiritual Gathering will develop day by day and\nwill be reinforced by the strength of God.\n\nCommunication with the friends of God in other countries\nis a source of fragrant spirituality.\n\nO ye members of the Spiritual Gathering! Appreciate this\nfavor. This is the glorious crown of the Kingdom, which, in this\ncentury, the Hand of the Great Favor has placed on your head, and the\ngems of this brilliant diadem will surely glisten unto all centuries.\n\n\nThank God that ye became a manifestation of such favor\nand are addressed by such speech.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye servants of the True One and the maid-servants...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-servants-of-the-true-one-and-the-maid-servants",
"summary": "O ye273 servants of the True One and the maid-servants of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"humility",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye273\nservants of the True One and the maid-servants of the Merciful!\n\nDo not think that ye are forgotten for one moment!\nAbdul-Baha is at all times remembering you with infinite love and\nkindness and supplicates assistance and favor, at the Threshold of\nOneness, so that the invisible confirmation may pour down, the divine\nbounties unveil their countenances, the friends in that region be\nignited like unto lamps and the maid-servants of God shine like\nstars; in order to illumine that country, to make that clime the\n“Paradise of perpetual abode” [or heaven], to suffer the\npeople to drink from the wine of guidance, to intoxicate the ones\nyearning after the Kingdom of Abha, to open spiritual universities,\nto be instructed in the mysteries of the love of God by the Heavenly\nInstructor, to associate with each other with the utmost humility and\nattain to spiritual affinity.\n\nEach one must sacrifice his life and possessions to the\nother and each person be loving to all the inhabitants of the world,\nrending asunder the curtain of foreignness and consorting with all\nthe people with union and accord. They must be faithful to the\ntraitors and benevolent to the tyrant. They must recognize the\nenemies as friends, the unknown as known. These are the advices and\nexhortations of God!\n\nO ye friends: O ye maid-servants of the Merciful! In\norder to thank God for this most great guidance, consort with all the\npeople with the utmost joy and happiness, so that ye may become the\nrecipients of the glances of Providence.\n\nBecome ye not sad on account of any calamity, neither be\nye broken hearted by any trials. Be ye firm and steadfast in order\nthat the beloved may become the cup-bearer of the assembly and the\ngreatest desire become realized.\n\nBlessing be upon ye by the bounty of your Lord the\nMerciful!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye shining Assembly!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-shining-assembly",
"summary": "O ye shining Assembly!113…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye shining Assembly!113\n\n\nThe meeting that you organized hath attracted the divine\ngaze and the subject of your conversation was the divine\ncommemoration. A ray from the Kingdom of Abha fell upon that\nassemblage and that meeting was adorned, and a number of souls,\nsupplicants to God, were gathered in that meeting. If this assembly\ncontinues as it is befitting and behooving, great results will\nthereby appear and conduce to the illumination of those parts,\nspiritual progress will ensue, the lights of the Sun of Truth will\nshine, hearts will be illumined, eyes will become seeing, ears become\nhearing, the lukewarm (or withdrawn ones) become aflame, the\ninanimate (or numbed ones) will be enkindled in soul and an ecstasy\nwill come to all by which those present will be astonished.\n\nI supplicate to and invoke before the Threshold of\nOneness, saying:\n\n“O Thou Creator! Preserve and protect Thou that\nassembly from grave (or general) tests and keep them firm and\nconstant in the Covenant and Testament. Confer upon them such\nsteadfastness as will enable them to withstand doubts and root our\nthe foundation of calumnious rumors; for some person hath appeared\n(or arisen) with the utmost falsehood, in those parts, and publisheth\nfalse reports in some newspapers.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“***O ye shining faces and spiritual beings!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-shining-faces-and-spiritual-beings",
"summary": "***O ye118 shining faces and spiritual…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"love",
"mercy",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n***O ye118\nshining faces and spiritual beings!\n\nVerily, I was rejoiced at beholding those merciful faces\nin whose brows the lights of guidance shine on account of their\nturning unto the Kingdom of El-Abha! O ye beloved of God and His\nchosen Ones!\n\nBlessed are your ears, for they have heard the Call!\n\nBlessed are your eyes, for they have beheld the signs of\ntheir Mighty Lord!\n\nBlessed are your tongues, for they have uttered the\npraise of my Lord, the Supreme!\n\nBlessed are your nostrils, for they have inhaled the\nodor of faithfulness from the people of guidance!\n\nBlessed are your hearts, for they are attracted to the\nBeauty of El-Abha!\n\nBlessed are your breasts, for they are dilated by the\nknowledge of God!\n\nBlessed are your souls, for they have partaken of the\nspirit of life from the fragrances of sanctity in the Paradise of\nEl-Abha!\n\nThank ye God! for He hath guided you unto His Kingdom\nand hath chosen you from among the called ones of nations! Your Lord\nhath indeed crowned you with the diadem of eternal glory (which will\ncontinue) throughout cycles and ages! Truly I say unto you, verily,\nthe angels of heaven repeatedly bless you, for ye have advanced\ntoward God and turned unto His Great Kingdom. Ye shall surely see in\nthis effulgence a flash which will pervade all regions. At that time,\nall nations and communities will arise to praise and glorify you, and\nthey will bless themselves with your commemoration in gatherings,\ntemples of worship and in exalted assemblies. Is there any gift\ngreater than this?\n\nIt is incumbent upon you to have union and harmony and\nlove and uprightness, and to be characterized with the morals of your\nLord, the Clement; to walk in the highway of equity and beneficence.\nBe ye manifestations of the mercy of God, dawning-places of the light\nof His great bounty, and arise with all steadfastness, truthfulness,\ntrustworthiness, compassion, modesty, love and accord with the people\nof the world, no matter of what community they may be; inasmuch as it\nbehooveth the light to shine even upon the rocks in the field, and\nthe soul is qualified for quickening individuals, even though they be\nof the ugliest and most disagreeable form, and a pure tree is adapted\nto bestow a blessed fruit even upon those who throw stones at it.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye sincere, O ye firm and steadfast in the Testament...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-sincere-o-ye-firm-and-steadfast-in-the-testament",
"summary": "O ye148 sincere, O ye firm and steadfast in the Testament of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye148\nsincere, O ye firm and steadfast in the Testament of God!\n\nI have read your letter signed by you, which shows your\nsteadfastness and firmness in the Covenant of God and His Testament,\nwhich was confirmed by the trace of His Supreme Pen149, the greatness of which hath been divulged in all the regions,\nentered the palaces of kings of which both rulers and subjects have\nbeen informed, and no human being could ever deny it, even he who\nturns away and backslides. It came to the imagination of some\nchildren that they are able to abolish this Covenant, the like of\nwhich was not known in the early centuries and the heavenly ages of\nthe past; and they shall see themselves in evident loss!\n\nBut as to you, O ye firm and steadfast, be\nstraightforward in the Cause of God, let your feet be firm in the\nReligion of God, and arise with every effort within your power to\nrender victorious the Covenant of God. By God, the Truth, you will be\nassisted by a numerous army, and re-inforced by a cohort of the\nangels of God. Pay not the slightest attention to that which is said\nby these children, for their statements and sayings are nothing but\nconfused dreams.\n\nThe Star of the Covenant shall shine intensely upon all\nhorizons and regions, and the violators will be as bats hiding\nthemselves in dark holes! It is enough humiliation and abasement to\nthem that they have violated the Covenant of God and contradicted the\nAppointed Center, and desired to demolish this solid edifice—which,\nalas, could not be! By God, they did not demolish but their own\nedifice, did not shake but their own foundations, and did not scatter\nbut their own union, and to them shall come the news of what they\nhave done!\n\nBut as to you, O ye beloved of God, strengthen\nyourselves by every effort and arise to serve the Cause of God, for\nverily the Holy Spirit will confirm you by the breaths of the True\nOne in all cases and under all circumstances!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye sincere ones and ye who are attracted and moved...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-sincere-ones-and-ye-who-are-attracted-and-moved",
"summary": "O ye58 sincere ones and ye who are attracted and moved by the breeze of the favor of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"hope",
"humility",
"love",
"mercy",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye58\nsincere ones and ye who are attracted and moved by the breeze of the\nfavor of God!\n\nVerily, I have read the names of your beloved assembly\nwhich deserves to be mentioned with sanctity and which attracts the\nconfirmation of the loving Lord and seeks to attain to the favors of\nGod, the Mighty, the Compassionate!\n\nI beseech God at all times, with all supplication,\nhumility and lowliness, to confirm these souls who have no purpose in\ntheir deliberation and consultations save to seek the merciful\nbounties and the divine invisible confirmations.\n\nI hope and request, through the bounty of my Lord, that\nthe greatest assistance and the most eminent confirmation be granted\nunto you when ye are firm and steadfast and withstand every\ndifficulty which may befall you in spreading the Cause of God in\nthose regions.\n\nBy the life of God, all the confirmations of the Kingdom\nof God will surround those whose hearts are firm, whose feet are\nsteadfast and whose souls are tranquilized in the Most Great Cause.\n\nConsider ye the past centuries, how a single one of the\nbeloved of God withstood all the people on the earth because of his\nfirmness in the love of God, and his entire turning of the heart\ntoward the Kingdom of God and with the cup of his heart overflowing\nwith the wine of the knowledge of God.\n\nBe ye assured with the greatest assurance that, verily,\nGod will help those who are firm in His Covenant in every matter,\nthrough His confirmation and favor, the lights of which will shine\nforth unto the east of the earth, as well as the west thereof. He\nwill make them the signs of guidance among the creation and as\nshining and glittering stars from all horizons.\n\nConsequently, do ye beseech unto God and pray and\nsupplicate Him and ask Him for the greatest gift and eminent favor.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye sincere ones! O ye favored ones! O ye beseeching...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-sincere-ones-o-ye-favored-ones-o-ye-beseeching",
"summary": "O ye177 sincere ones! O ye favored ones! O ye beseeching ones! O ye supplicating…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"joy",
"justice",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye177\nsincere ones! O ye favored ones! O ye beseeching ones! O ye\nsupplicating ones!\n\nVerily, I set my forehead on the dust and turn my face\ntoward the Lord of Lords and invoke my Lord with intense fervor and\nattraction, that He may look upon you with the glances of the eye of\nHis providence, watch over you with the gaze of His protection, unite\nyour hearts, dilate your breasts, harmonize your souls, rejoice you\nwith gladness, exhilarate you with the chalices of salvation, make\nyou steadfast in the divine Cause and that He may enable you to cling\nto the hem of the Almighty, to hasten toward the place of sacrifice\nand to be sheltered under the shadow of the Blessed Tree whose roots\nare planted firm and whose branches are extended to heaven:\n\nO my Lord! O my Lord! These are the chosen ones whose\nfaces are illumined with the light of guidance, who found the\nheavenly table pleasing to their tastes, who submitted willingly to\nevery matter which happened in the land and sought help from the\nhosts of the Supreme Concourse. Their feet are indeed made firm,\ntheir banners hoisted, their deeds righteous and their actions just.\nO Lord! Make them fragrant plants of Thy paradise, flowers of the\ngarden of nearness, verses of Thy glorious book, words of Thy\n“Published tablet” unto the people of the world and as\nfalcons soaring on the loftiest summit. Verily Thou art the\nBeneficent, the Merciful, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Bestower!\n\nO my dear friends! Yours was not merely a letter; it was\nperfumed with amber and diffused a sweet fragrance. Every word\nthereof was a rose in the rose-garden of the love of God and was a\nflower, a hyacinth.\n\nWhen the breeze of Providence blows from the direction\nof gift, the gardens of hearts attain thereby exceeding purity and\nfreshness. Such significances arise from the soul and consciousness\nand impart joy and fragrance.\n\nO friends! It is the wish of Abdul-Baha that the friends\nmay establish general unity and not a particular meeting of unity.\nYou must have great consideration for this fact, for during the past\ncycles though such events (founding of particular, i.e., exclusive\nunity meetings) were, in the beginning, a means for harmony, they\nbecame in the end the cause of trouble.\n\nWe are all servants of one Threshold, attendants at one\nCourt, waves of one sea, drops of one stream, the dust before one\ndoor and plants of one garden. There must arise no trouble to deprive\none from that which is the real purpose. The beloved of God must be\nfriendly even with strangers and intimate even with outsiders—how\nmuch more with others among the righteous (i.e., believers)!\n\nTo organize assemblies is praiseworthy and acceptable,\nbut these must be established for certain matters. For example:\nAssemblages for teaching (the Truth), gatherings for the spread of\nthe fragrances of God, gatherings for the relief of the orphans,\ngatherings for the protection (i.e., feeding, etc.,) of the poor,\nassemblages for the spread of learning and, in a word, there must be\ngatherings for matters which concern the well-being of men, such as\norganizations of a society of commerce, societies for the expansion\nof agriculture. To be brief, similar societies are very acceptable\nand praiseworthy and concern all in general and not a particular\nnumber.\n\nIn a word: That which is conducive to the life (or\ngrowth) of the people is acceptable and whatever is the cause of\ndisaffection is blameworthy. I hope all the friends of the East and\nWest shall rest in the same assemblage and adorn one gathering,\nappearing with all the heavenly attributes and virtues in the world\nof humanity.\n\nO my Lord! O my Lord! Enable me to witness the most\ngreat sign and to realize the fulfillment of this hope throughout all\nregions. Verily Thou art the Bestower, the Beneficent, whose bounties\nare great!\n\nSome of the friends have asked to present themselves in\nthese parts. In these days this does not conform with wisdom. God\nwilling, permission shall be given at some favorable time.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye sincere ones! O ye firm ones! O ye heralds of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-sincere-ones-o-ye-firm-ones-o-ye-heralds-of",
"summary": "O ye146 sincere ones! O ye firm ones! O ye heralds of the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye146\nsincere ones! O ye firm ones! O ye heralds of the Kingdom of God!\n\nFly away with joy! Flutter in the open of the Kingdom!\nSpread the wings of sanctity in those districts and lands, so that\nthe shadow of the King of the Kingdom may be stretched over those\nclimes and the fragrances of God be diffused in those tracts and in\nthose vast and extensive regions.\n\nBy the Lord of the Kingdom! If one arise to promote the\nWord of God with a pure heart, overflowing with the love of God and\nsevered from the world, the Lord of Hosts will assist him with such a\npower as will penetrate the core of the existent beings.\n\nAs to ye, be rejoiced, O ye children of the Kingdom of\nGod! Your faces will surely become illuminated, your brows shining,\nyour breasts dilated with an abundant bounty and refreshed with a\nrain pouring from the clouds of the gift of God. You will find\nyourselves as souls for the temple of the contingent world and as\narteries pulsating in the body of the universe. Your faces will shine\nwith the light of favor throughout all environments.\n\nMake your feet firm; withstand the creeds (or\nmultitudes); chant the Book; and explain mysteries through an\ninspiration on the part of your Exalted Lord, the possessor of glory\nand honor!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye sons of the Kingdom!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-sons-of-the-kingdom",
"summary": "O ye200 sons of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"persecution",
"the-covenant",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"hope",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye200\nsons of the Kingdom!\n\nAt a time when conditions were most difficult and\noppressive and the reception or letters hard and impracticable, your\nletter was received. Therefore, its reception denoteth that the\nhonorable assembly is confirmed. I hope from the bounties of His\nHighness the Incomparable One that under all circumstances and\nconditions ye may become assisted in the service of the Kingdom of\nGod.\n\nYe have written regarding the erection of the Temple and\nthe purchase of the ground, or the finding of a place to be as a home\nfor the gathering of the believers. At this moment that Abdul-Baha is\nimmersed in the ocean of calamities, this news caused him joy and\nhappiness, that—praise be to God!—the friends and the\nmaid-servants of the Merciful are thinking to serve the Kingdom of\nGod.\n\nO ye sanctified souls! It is the time of firmness and\nsteadfastness and the period of arising in the service of the Word of\nGod, for the Blessed City201\nis environed from all directions with the tempestuous waves of tests\nand trials and the sweeping hurricanes of persecutions and hardships\nare blowing and roaring high. The joy and happiness of the heart of\nAbdul-Baha depends upon the stability and constancy of the believers.\nFor they must live and act in accord with the divine advices and\nexhortations and show forth to each other the power of the perfection\nof love with infinite accord and unity, so that they may become the\nembodiment of one existence, the waves of ones sea, the myrtles of\none rose-garden, the rays of one sun, the stars of one horizon, the\nfruits of one tree and the birds of one meadow.\n\nLikewise, they must treat with and behave toward all the\ngovernments, nations, communities, kings and subjects with the utmost\nsincerity, trustworthiness, straightforwardness, love and kindness.\nEven they must make hopeful a bloodthirsty enemy, show sympathy with\nthe utmost faithfulness and honor to the perfidious unjust, know the\nill-wisher as the well-wisher and torment not the sinner with\nreproaches. Should they become the targets of a thousand arrows of\npersecution, they must challenge it with love and friendship and\ntreat every one with purity of purpose and kindness.\n\nO ye friends of God! Show ye an endeavor that all the\nnations and communities of the world, even the enemies, put their\ntrust, assurance and hope in you; that if a person falls into errors\nfor a hundred-thousand times he may yet turn his face to you, hopeful\nthat you will forgive his sins; for he must not become hopeless,\nneither grieved nor despondent. This is the conduct and the manner of\nthe people of Baha’. This is the foundation of the most high\npathway! Ye should conform your conduct and manners with the advices\nof Abdul-Baha.\n\nConcerning the erection of the Temple: Now all the\nbelievers must become united, so that the Temple may be built soon in\none place. For should (the believers) undertake (the erection of the\nTemple) in many places, it will not become completed anywhere; and as\nin Chicago they have preceded every other place to plan the erection\nof the Temple, undoubtedly to cooperate and help them is nobler and a\nnecessity. Then, when it is built in one place, it will become\nerected in many other places. If, for the present, you prepare or\nestablish a home in New York, though by renting it, to become a\ncenter for the gathering of the believers of God, it is very\nacceptable. God willing, in all the states of America in the future\nthere will be erected Temples with infinite architectural beauty,\nart, with pleasing proportion and handsome and attractive\nappearances; especially in New York. But for the present, be ye\nsatisfied with a rented place.\n\nThe utmost happiness was produced by hearing the news of\nunity and agreement among the believers in New York; for the\nfoundation of progress is union and when this object is attained, the\nCause will develop.\n\nDeliver on my behalf longing greeting to his honor Mr.\n........ .\n\nWhen the friends and the maid-servants of the Merciful\ngather together on Sundays, in the spiritual assemblies, exercise ye\ntoward them, on behalf of this imprisoned one, the utmost affection,\nlove and kindness.\n\nConvey on behalf of this longing one the glad-tidings of\nthe attainment to confirmation to his honor Mr. ........; that ere\nlong he shall in such wise be assisted by the confirmations of the\nKingdom of Abha that he, himself, will become astonished.\n\nO ye members of the spiritual assembly! Become ye firm\nand steadfast in the Covenant and Testament to such a degree that\nyour meeting become the expression of one soul and endeavor ye with\nyour hearts and minds so that ye may become the cause of the\nillumination of this darkened world and that through your efforts the\nlights of the Kingdom dawn upon this nether sphere.\n\nWhatever hath and will transpire in this land is through\nthe conspiracy of the brothers who are not resting, neither day nor\nnight, and are thirsting for the blood of Abdul-Baha. The government\nis not responsible at all. These difficulties are brought about\nthrough the evil slanders and machinations of the nakazeen202\n.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye spiritual assembly!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-spiritual-assembly",
"summary": "O ye spiritual assembly!254…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"hospitality",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye spiritual assembly!254\n\n\nAs ye were gathered in the meeting of hospitality with\nthe utmost longing for the knowledge of God, that meeting was\nmentioned in the divine Kingdom and you became favored with special\nbounty. Such gatherings are very praiseworthy and acceptable, for all\nbeget joy and fragrance, the hearts become illumined and the\ndespondent souls become heavenly.\n\nLikewise, thou I was remote in so far as the body is\nconcerned, I was near to the friends in heart and spirit and close to\nthe believers in that assembly.\n\nI entreat God that your assembly wax greater day by day\nand the meeting of the love of God become adorned with celestial\nattributes, so that the confirmation of the Kingdom of God descend\ncontinually.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye spiritual friends of Abdul-Baha!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-spiritual-friends-of-abdul-baha",
"summary": "O ye spiritual friends of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye spiritual friends of Abdul-Baha!\n\nYour long letter was considered and its contents were a\nsource of happiness. Thank God that ye, western friends, have become\ndawning-points of the love of God and stars of knowledge leading to\nHim; night and day are ye thinking of imparting life to souls and of\neducating people of discernment.\n\nRegarding the blessed word, the Greatest Name: Its\nwriting or spelling is according to its pronunciation (i.e., it is\nspelled as it is pronounced) in the Persian language. Baha is\ncorrect; Beha is incorrect. However this question must not cause\ninharmony and grief among the friends. This truth shall become\nmanifest.\n\nShould ye attribute a mistake to a person, it will be a\ncause of offense and grief to him—how much greater would this\nbe if it is attributed to a number of people! How often it hath\noccurred that a slight difference hath caused a great dissension and\nhath been made a reason for division. Now, you write Baha’u’llah,20\nbut do not object to any person. All will eventually follow the\ncorrect spelling.\n\nO ye beloved ones of God! The manifestation of the Light\nof Unity is for binding together the people of the world. If this\nunity is not attained, the tree of life is made fruitless, the\nheavenly bounty is not utilized. The blessed blood (of the saints)\nwas shed for bringing about unity and harmony. These souls gave their\nlives as sacrifice in order to produce the love that bindeth the\nhearts of all the people. Therefore, ye should all spend your efforts\nin uniting and reconciling (the people), so that the light of God’s\nlove may permeate the universe.\n\nThe Spiritual Meeting of men (House of Spirituality) and\nthe Spiritual Meeting of women (Assembly of Teaching) in Chicago are\nindeed endeavoring to serve. If they unite, as they should, they will\nproduce great results. Especially, if the Spiritual Meetings of\nChicago unite with those of New York and become bound together, in a\nshort while the fragrance of the divine garden, which giveth life,\nwill perfume all regions.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye spiritual ones! O ye heavenly ones!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-spiritual-ones-o-ye-heavenly-ones",
"summary": "O ye271 spiritual ones! O ye heavenly…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"consultation"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye271\nspiritual ones! O ye heavenly ones!\n\nThe assembly which you have established in that city is\na splendor from the congregation of the Supreme Concourse. I ask from\nGod that the hearts may be illuminated, the spirits be rejoiced\nthrough the most great glad-tidings, the eyes be upraised toward the\nSupreme Realm and the tongues be loosened in thanksgiving and\nglorification.\n\nThe members of that assembly are favored in the\nThreshold of Oneness and are loved and respected by this imprisoned\none. They must continue to teach with utmost firmness, be engaged in\nthe mentioning of the True One, read the verses of God, supplicate\ntoward the Kingdom of eternity, bring about the meetings of\nconsultation,272\nand spread the Word of God, the spiritual attraction of the love of\nGod, the increase of the knowledge of God and the realization of\naffinity, friendship, unison and nobility.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye two accepted ones in the Kingdom of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-two-accepted-ones-in-the-kingdom-of-god",
"summary": "O ye two41 accepted ones in the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye two41\naccepted ones in the Kingdom of God!\n\nYour letter was read and its contents caused joy and\nhappiness. Thank God that in such a cycle ye have stepped into the\nplane of existence, attained the glory of the Lord of the Kingdom,\nobtained light from the Sun of Truth and were ushered in under the\nshadow of the Tree of Life in the paradise of joy.\n\nGive the name “Rooha” (i.e., Spiritual) to\nyour new born child, and let your own name be “Saffa”\n(this, in Arabic, means Peter or Rock).\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye two advancers towards the Kingdom of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-two-advancers-towards-the-kingdom-of-god",
"summary": "O ye two237 advancers towards the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"service",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye two237\nadvancers towards the Kingdom of God!\n\nI supplicate God that ye may be enkindled, like unto two\ncandles, with the light of the love of God; that [your children] may\nbe educated under the shadow of the Tree of Life; that all the family\nmay discover the way to the temple of the Lord and gather in the\nKingdom of Abha.\n\nYou have written that the Cause of God is progressing in\nthat city. Through the showers of the glad-tidings of the Cause of\nGod a small mustard seed hath become a fruitful spreading tree—its\nroots in the hearts of the people. I pray, also, that God may in such\nwise cultivate and nurture that Tree that it cast its shadow over\nthat vast and great country, distributing to all the fruits of divine\nknowledge and eternal life.\n\nO ye two lovers of the Beauty of Abha! Ere long the Word\nof God will display a wonderful influence and finally that region\n(America) will become the paradise of Abha. Consequently, strive ye\nbravely that this aim may be accomplished in the near future.\nStriving means this: Ye must live and move according to the divine\ncommands and behests, be united in loving with ecstasy and joy; do\nnot take any rest but engage continually in the service of the Cause\nof God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye two birds in the open-space of the Love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-two-birds-in-the-open-space-of-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O ye54 two birds in the open-space of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye54\ntwo birds in the open-space of the Love of God!\n\nVerily I read your letter and I inhaled therefrom a\nspiritual fragrance which perfumes the nostrils of the spirit. Thank\nye God that He hath filled for you the cup of gift with the wine of\nthe great guidance and hath abundantly bestowed His benefit on you\nand hath enabled you to be healed from spiritual ailments which\ndeaden the souls. Truly, I say unto you verily this guidance is a\nprecious pearl and a gem, the lights of which glitter and the rays of\nwhich beam forth during centuries and ages. Appreciate ye its value\nand show forth spiritual virtues, merciful characteristics and\nbrilliant manners; so that ye may be submerged in the seas of great\nmercy and shine forth from the horizon of mighty gift.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye two birds warbling in the Garden of Wisdom....”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-two-birds-warbling-in-the-garden-of-wisdom",
"summary": "O ye47 two birds warbling in the Garden of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye47\ntwo birds warbling in the Garden of Wisdom.\n\nVerily, I saw your photographs, whose beauty proved the\nturning of your hearts unto the Center of Guidance and the dilation\nof your breasts by the appearance of the Kingdom of God. The light of\nGod is verily shining in the face of the man who is of the Kingdom,\nspiritual, heavenly, divine and Bahai. The rest among the people are\nlike animals; nay, they are led astray from the Path.\n\nThank God for that He enlightened your faces by the\nlight of guidance, deposited in your hearts the sign of faith, and\nmade you of the chosen ones in this new century.\n\nThe truth I say unto you! If ye were aware of what God\nhath destined for you in the kingdom of His glory, verily ye would\nrejoice exceedingly and soar with the wings of joy unto the heights\nof happiness, crying with the most loud voice: “Blessings and\nhappiness from this great attainment and evident bounty.”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye two dear maid-servants of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-two-dear-maid-servants-of-god",
"summary": "O ye two dear maid-servants of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye two dear maid-servants of God!\n\nYour longing to visit the Sacred Soil232\nis expressed and evident and your presence will be a source of\npleasure to me.\n\nBut the best of meetings is the spiritual meeting; for\nin these days visits to these regions are accomplished with\ndifficulty.\n\nI ask God that the spiritual meeting become realized so\nthat the illumined bounty may prevail, the inner susceptibilities may\nbe awakened and the eternal meeting in the Kingdom of God may be\nattained.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye two doves, flying in the verdant Gardens of the...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-two-doves-flying-in-the-verdant-gardens-of-the",
"summary": "O ye93 two doves, flying in the verdant Gardens of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye93\ntwo doves, flying in the verdant Gardens of the Kingdom!\n\nThank ye your Lord for that by reason of which He hath\nguided you into the Path of Safety, led you unto the Fountain of\nLife, turned your faces unto the Lord of the evident Signs, and\nbaptized you with the Water of Life, and the everlasting spirit of\nsafety, in this new and glorious century.\n\nYour pictures came to the presence of the servant of\nGod, who is supplicating to His Kingdom that He may cause to descend\nupon you the heavenly blessings. He was rejoiced by seeing your\nlikenesses, for his spirit is attached to the Spirit. And from the\nflowers, which were enclosed in your note, he has smelled the scent\nof the gardens of your hearts, which are ornamented by the flowers of\nfaith and assurance; and I ask God to continue sending upon you the\ngifts of His merciful benevolence at all times.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye two kind and beloved maid-servants of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-two-kind-and-beloved-maid-servants-of-god",
"summary": "O ye two244 kind and beloved maid-servants of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"kindness",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye two244\nkind and beloved maid-servants of God!\n\nA splendour from the Supper of the Lord was cast upon\nthe table that ye have spread and the spiritual food descended. It\nwas on this account that the souls were rejoicing and happy and the\nspirits of those who were present were uplifted. The soul and heart\nof Abdul-Baha was present and manifest. What a happy night that was,\nand what a blessed feast! It became conducive to the happiness of the\npeople of the Supreme Concourse, and the cause of joy and bliss to\nthe inhabitants of the Kingdom of Abha. I beg of God that He may\nassist and confirm you so that ye may bring about such feasts.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye two lamps of the Love of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-two-lamps-of-the-love-of-god",
"summary": "O ye two135 lamps of the Love of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye two135\nlamps of the Love of God!\n\nYour letter to ........ was read and its contents\nconsidered. Its meanings expressed the feelings of spiritual hearts\nand emanated from the spring of the conscience. This is from the\nbounty of the Kingdom of Abha. I hope that this drop will increase\nand grow and become like unto an ocean; that your faith, certainty\nand love toward God may grow, that your light may increase, that ye\nmay become heavenly and that ye may receive aid and confirmation at\nevery moment, spreading the Word of God and promulgating His\nreligion.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye two maid-servants of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-two-maid-servants-of-god",
"summary": "O ye two220 maid-servants of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye two220\nmaid-servants of God!\n\nThe Lord of the Kingdom hath invited, chosen and guided\nyou through His pure favor, feeding you from the heavenly table of\ndivine knowledge! Know ye the value of this favor and bounty and\nloosen your tongues in praise; showing forth the power of knowledge\nand assurance and breathing the spirit of guidance into the hearts of\nthe seekers.\n\nAsk from God that ye stand firm and steadfast in this\ngreat Cause.\n\nI pray in your behalf, asking assistance and favor for\nyou. I hope that ye may become confirmed and helped.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye two merciful assemblies!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-two-merciful-assemblies",
"summary": "O ye two merciful assemblies!287…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"mercy",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye two merciful assemblies!287\n\n\nPraise be to God! that through the outpouring of\nguidance, India is rapidly becoming a Rose-garden of Abha, for many\nsouls have lately embraced the truth and are in the utmost attraction\nand enkindlement.\n\nForward ye, as soon as ye can, a few copies of every\nTablet and epistle which is translated into the English and the books\nwhich are written by the believers, in this language, to the merciful\nassembly of Bombay and to his honor ......... in Rangoon.\n\nO ye spiritual friends of Abdul-Baha! At this moment\nwhen danger is threatening to surround all directions, Abdul-Baha is\nattracted to the fragrances of the Kingdom of Abha and with infinite\njoy and happiness is begging providence and favor from the Threshold\nof Oneness in your behalf. Now is the time of firmness and resolution\nand the moment of steadfastness and constancy and the period of\nshowing forth divine power by the strength of proof, the solidity of\nargument, the eloquence of utterance and the grandeur of spirit!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye two pilgrims of the Holy Shrine!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-two-pilgrims-of-the-holy-shrine",
"summary": "O ye two134 pilgrims of the Holy…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"perseverance",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye two134\npilgrims of the Holy Shrine!\n\nThe news of your protected and safe arrival in Paris,\nFrance, reached here and made me glad and happy. The news expressed\nthe love and devotion of the beloved of Paris, who met you with the\ngreatest joy and cheerfulness, and who are themselves in love, peace\nand harmony.\n\nYou shall openly declare all the signs of the Kingdom\nthat you say with you own eyes and shall suggest with greatest joy\nand happiness all the divine teachings that you heard. I ask and\nsupplicate God to make you to convinced souls, to bring you forth\nwith such a steadfastness that each of you may withstand the people\nof a country, and to intoxicate you with the wine of the love of God\nso that you may cause your hearers to dance, to be joyful and to\nexult.\n\nThis is the time of happiness; it is the day of\ncheerfulness and exhilaration. For, praise to God, all the doors are\nopened through the bounty of the Glorious Beauty. But one must show\nforth perseverance and self-devotion and consecrate his thoughts,\nuntil the tree of hope may give fruit and produce consequences.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye two revered persons, ye servants in the vineyard...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-two-revered-persons-ye-servants-in-the-vineyard",
"summary": "O ye two147 revered persons, ye servants in the vineyard of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye two147\nrevered persons, ye servants in the vineyard of God!\n\nVerily, I read your letter and was informed of its\ncontents filled with spiritual attractions and thanked God—glorified\nis He!—for His grace and His merciful bestowals.\n\nIt behooveth you to be the first assistant to the Word\nof God, the first servant of the Cause of God and the first one to\nwithstand the spreaders (of false rumors) who say that which they\nknow not, who calumniate God, well knowing that they are calumniators\nand that they, themselves, have contrived the thing for their own\nsakes, and evil is that which they do.\n\nRemember what the Pharisees published concerning Jesus,\nattributed to Him and said about Him and how they oppressed Him until\nthey paraded Him in Jerusalem in such a form as made the angels of\nsanctity to weep in the Sublime Kingdom. They put on His head a crown\nof thistles; nay, more, they cast dust in His face—into a face\nwhereby the heaven and the earth is illuminated! They turned their\nbacks upon Him, then bowed and said: “Peace be unto thee, O\nKing of kings! Peace be unto thee, O King of the Jews!”\n\nOf the same class are the Pharisees and priests in this\nmanifest day. “Leave them to amuse themselves with their vain\ndiscourse.” They are as people deluded by their temptations and\nare isolated from the gifts of your Lord, the Clement, the Merciful.\n“They are deaf, dumb and blind; therefore, they will not\nunderstand.”\n\nVerily, I, through the grace of my Lord, have never\nheeded these souls, even to reading their articles, inasmuch as their\narticles signify no other than the buzzing of flies to the hearing of\nan eagle, or the croaking of a frog of the material world to the ears\nof the leviathan of the sea of the Kingdom. Is it to be considered as\nanything? No, by no means! Verily, the eagle soareth high in the\nsupreme apex while the flies rumble in the lowest rubbish.\n\nBut it is incumbent upon you to block them up as a stone\nwith decisive arguments before which heads are bowed and voices are\nmade humble. God will strengthen you therein. You will surely find\nthese Pharisees in manifest loss. Can one ever prevent the waves of\nthe sea of the Lofty One from rolling? Or is it possible for me to\nrestrain the fragrances of sanctity from diffusion? Or can one\nwithhold the sun from casting its rays to all regions? No, by no\nmeans! Nay, rather such souls make the table sent down from heaven\nunlawful unto themselves.\n\nHow is the bat to be compared with the most great orb\nwhich bestows bounty upon all regions! How is the gnat to be compared\nwith the eagle soaring in the spacious firmament! How are the\nCaiaphas and Annas to be compared with the Christ mounted on the\nclouds with great power and glory!\n\nThank God that He hath opened your insight to the Light\nwhich is shining from the Supreme Concourse and caused you to witness\nHis most mighty signs. By my life! the hearts of the people of Baha’\nare cheered with such gifts!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye two , servant and maid-servant of the Beauty of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-two-servant-and-maid-servant-of-the-beauty-of",
"summary": "O ye two269, servant and maid-servant of the Beauty of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye two269, servant and maid-servant of the Beauty of Abha!\n\nThank ye His Highness the Incomparable One, that ye have\nbecome assisted in the service of the self-subsistent Lord and that\nye are making copies of the Tablets of Abdul-Baha, spreading them all\naround. This service is the most great bounty; for like unto the\nmessenger from Egypt, ye are sending the garment of the Joseph of the\nlove of God to all directions, so that the fragrance of the\nrose-garden of the Kingdom of Abha impart the spirit of life to the\ninquirers.\n\nExcellent! Excellent is your magnanimity and exalted\nintention!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye two singing birds in the Garden of Belief!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-two-singing-birds-in-the-garden-of-belief",
"summary": "O ye two133 singing birds in the Garden of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye two133\nsinging birds in the Garden of Belief!\n\nI have read your letter in which you confess the Unity\nof God and the grandeur of His reign, and in which you make known\nthat you have been attracted by the perfumes of God and that you have\nbathed in the sea of knowledge. Thank God for that! I pray God to\nstrengthen your steps in the straight road, to preserve you from\nviolent tests, in making of you two green and fruitful trees in His\ngreat vineyard, to the end that ye may arrive at a favor that shall\nmake of you two elected ones in the court of the august Lord.\nAppreciate this favor and give thanks to your Savior that He hath\nheaped upon you this great kindness.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye two truthful believers!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-two-truthful-believers",
"summary": "O ye two42 truthful…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"kindness",
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye two42\ntruthful believers!\n\nYour letter was received. It contents were faith,\ncertainty and sincerity. It was an evidence of perceiving eyes,\nattentive ears and acute mind. Were it not so, ye would not have\nwitnessed the lights of the Sun of Truth, heard the divine Call, nor\nattained the knowledge of God.\n\nAlthough in body we are far from one another, yet—praise\nbe to God! —with life and heart we are present in one assembly;\nwe enjoy the spiritual meeting, abide under the shadow of one Blessed\nTree, are attracted to the beauty of one Beloved and gaze in the\ndirection of one Object. Therefore, be not sorry on account of the\nremoteness, but rather engage in the commemoration of God and praise\nHim. I hope that we may be together in all the worlds of God.\n\nTeach the dear child Rooha this commune:\n\n\nO God! Rear this little babe in the bosom of Thy love\nand give it milk from the breat of Providence. Cultivate this fresh\nplant in the rose-garden of Thy love and nurture it by showers from\nthe clouds of Providence. Make it a child of the Kingdom and lead it\nto the divine world. Thou art powerful and kind! Thou art the Giver,\nthe Bestower, whose blessings precede all else!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye verdant and flourishing leaves of the Blessed...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-verdant-and-flourishing-leaves-of-the-blessed",
"summary": "O ye verdant and flourishing leaves26 of the Blessed…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye verdant and flourishing leaves26\nof the Blessed Tree!\n\nVerily, I read your letter, which expressed your\nspiritual attraction to the fragrances of God, your service to the\nCause of God, your firmness in the Covenant of God, your joy in this\nblessed and great day, your union and harmony in the religion of God,\nyour happiness in diffusing the light of the knowledge of God, and\nyour work in the Vineyard of God—the Paradise of El-ABHA. Such\nprosperity, success, blessing and salvation behooveth one like you!\nBlessed are ye, O ye stars who are beaming with the light of the love\nof God! Blessed are ye, O ye lamps lighted with the fire of the love\nof God! Blessed ye are, O ye who are attracted to the Kingdom of God!\nGlad-tidings be unto you, O you who are severed from aught else save\nGod! Blessed ye are, O ye pure and chaste ones! Glad-tidings be unto\nyou through the gift of the Covenant, from the light of which all\nregions are illuminated! Be rejoiced that the lights of the Sun of\nTruth are shining forth unto all parts; be gladdened at the gifts of\nyour Lord, which have surrounded all the universe; dilate your\nbreasts by chanting the verses of God, and console your eyes by\nwitnessing the bounties of the Supreme Concourse.\n\nBy God, the True One, verily, the angels of heaven\npraise you every morn and eve from the loftiest apex, and announce to\nyou a favor which will surely appear as clear and lucid as the sun in\nmid-day. Then your faces will shine with a light which will gleam\nforth unison and harmony, in diffusing the fragrances of God, in\npreaching the Beauty of El-ABHA, and promoting the word of God. Let\neach one of you be attracted to the love of the other, so that ye may\nbecome as fountains flowing from one source, stars beaming with one\nlife, myrtles verdant and flourishing by the abundance of one rain.\nBy this your hearts will be purified, your consciences illumined,\nyour souls made clear, your banners hoisted, and ye will become signs\nof guidance among the maid-servants, standards of chastity and piety\nthroughout all the nations of the earth, and the appearances of the\ngifts of your Lord among women.\n\nVerily, I implore God to gaze upon you with the eye of\nHis mercy, to raise you through a godlike power, to move you by the\nbreezes of His glory, to make you fluent in irrefutable and divine\nproofs and arguments, to sever you from the world and all therein, to\npurify and sanctify you from every material grade, and enable you to\ndiffuse the bounties of the Divine Worlds.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye who are advancing towards the Kingdom of...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-who-are-advancing-towards-the-kingdom-of",
"summary": "O ye114 who are advancing towards the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye114\nwho are advancing towards the Kingdom of God!\n\nMr. ........ hath praised you that, verily, ye have rent\nthe veil asunder, removed the covering, become informed of the\nmysteries of God and of the symbols of the Holy Bible, have\nunderstood the interpretations of its verses, discovered the truth of\nits evidences and been guided to the Path of His Kingdom; are\nimploring for His heavenly gifts and are engaged in His commemoration\namong seekers. Verily, I thank God, for He hath guided you and\nordained for you this great success and manifest bounty. Kiss, on my\nbehalf, the faces of your august children who are nurtured from the\nbreast of the guidance of God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye who are attracted! O ye who are firm! O ye...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-who-are-attracted-o-ye-who-are-firm-o-ye",
"summary": "O ye who are attracted! O ye who are firm! O ye who are zealous in the service of the Cause of God and are sacrificers of possessions and lives for the promotion of the Word of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye who are attracted! O ye who are firm! O ye who are\nzealous in the service of the Cause of God and are sacrificers of\npossessions and lives for the promotion of the Word of God!\n\nI perused your recent letter, dated *** and my heart was\nfilled with joy through its beautify meanings and its eloquent\ncontents. Truly they were suggested by the breaths of confirmation\nfrom the Glorious Lord.\n\nO friends of Abdul-Baha and his co-sharers and partners\nin the servitude of the Lord of Hosts! Verily, the greatest affair\nand the most important matter today is to establish a\nMasharak-el-Azcar17\nand to found a Temple from which the voice of praisings may rise to\nthe Kingdom of the majestic Lord. Blessings be upon you for having\nthought to do so and intending to erect such an edifice, advancing\nall in devoting your wealth in this great purpose and in this\nsplendid work. You will soon see the angels of confirmation following\nafter you and the hosts of reinforcement crowding before you.\n\nWhen the Mashrak-el-Azcar is accomplished, when the\nlights are emanating therefrom, the righteous ones are presenting\nthemselves therein, the prayers are performed with supplication\ntowards the mysterious Kingdom (of heaven), the voice of\nglorification is raised to the Lord, the Supreme, then the believers\nshall rejoice, the hearts shall be dilated and overflow with the love\nof the All-living and Self-existent (God). The people shall hasten to\nworship in that heavenly Temple, the fragrances of God will be\nelevated, the divine teachings will be established in the hearts like\nthe establishment of the Spirit in mankind; the people will then\nstand firm in the Cause of your Lord, the Merciful. Praise and\ngreetings be upon you.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye who are attracted! O ye who are remembered!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-who-are-attracted-o-ye-who-are-remembered",
"summary": "O ye188 who are attracted! O ye who are remembered! O ye who are directed unto the Kingdom of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye188\nwho are attracted! O ye who are remembered! O ye who are directed\nunto the Kingdom of God!\n\nVerily I supplicate God in heart and spirit to make you\nsigns of guidance, standards of sanctity and fountains of knowledge\nand understanding, that through you He may guide the seekers unto the\nStraight path and lead them unto the Mighty Way in this Great Cycle.\n\nO beloved of God! Know ye that the world is like unto a\nmirage which the thirsty one thinks to be water; its water is a\nvapor; its mercy a difficulty; its repose hardship and ordeal; leave\nit to its people and turn unto the Kingdom of your Lord the Merciful.\nThus the lights of mercy and beneficence may shine upon you, the\nheavenly table descend for you, your Lord may bestow upon you the\ngreatest gifts and favors, whereby your breasts may become dilated,\nyour hearts gladdened, your souls purified, and your eyes\nenlightened.\n\nO beloved of God! Is there any giver save God? He\nchooseth for His mercy whomsoever He desireth.\n\nHe shall open unto you the doors of His knowledge, fill\nyour hearts with His love, rejoice your spirits by the wafting of His\nholy fragrances, illumine your faces by the Manifest Light and\nelevate your names among the people.\n\nVerily your Lord is the most merciful of the merciful!\nHe will aid you through an unseen host, and help you by armies of\ninspiration from the Supreme Concourse, send you the fragrances of\nthe Supreme Paradise, perfume your nostrils by the breath of purity\nwafted from the garden of the Supreme Concourse, cause you to enter\nthe Ark of Safety, and reveal to you the Manifest Signs.\n\nVerily this is a great bounty! Verily this is a manifest\nattainment!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye who are attracted! O ye who are united! O ye...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-who-are-attracted-o-ye-who-are-united-o-ye",
"summary": "O ye119 who are attracted! O ye who are united! O ye who are believers and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye119\nwho are attracted! O ye who are united! O ye who are believers and\nassured!\n\nGlad-tidings unto you for that ye believed in God, were\nattracted to the Beauty of God, were directed unto the Kingdom of God\nand were kindled by the fire of the love of God!\n\nTherefore, I say unto you that, verily, the angels of\nthe Kingdom pray for the maid-servants of the Merciful; the\npossessors of brilliant hearts, spiritual susceptibilities, godlike\nfeelings, heavenly attributes, holy characteristics, confident souls,\nperfection of humanity and sanctified and pure souls who are striving\nto spread the spirit of harmony—holy above qualities\n(pertaining to) nature and passion—spreaders of the fragrances\nof God severed from all else save God, banners of union and\npeace—signs of love and accord!\n\nBlessed are ye for organizing the assembly of unity! I\nask God to confirm you by the divine aid and strengthen you by the\nheavenly strength so that every one of you may become a shining star\nby the light of the love of God in the world, and banners moving by\nthe breezes of love and peace on the heights of glory among mankind;\nand lamps brilliant by the lights of eternal majesty on the\nassemblies of men.\n\nIf ye keep firm in this path, ye will see by the eyes of\njoy signs wherefore ye will thank your Forgiving Lord, and will be\nconfirmed by the hosts from the Supreme Concourse and angels from the\nKingdom of El-Abha.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye who are attracted to the Heavenly Kingdom! O...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-who-are-attracted-to-the-heavenly-kingdom-o",
"summary": "O ye78 who are attracted to the Heavenly Kingdom! O ye who are enlightened by the Light of Guidance! O ye lamps lighted by the Light of Love and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye78\nwho are attracted to the Heavenly Kingdom! O ye who are enlightened\nby the Light of Guidance! O ye lamps lighted by the Light of Love and\nAffection!\n\nVerily, I have read your brilliant letter, which\nindicated your enkindlement by the fire of the love of God and prayed\n[for] your entrance into the Kingdom of God.\n\nBlessed ye are, O ye who are firm and steadfast in the\nCovenant of God!\n\nBlessed ye are, O ye shining stars from the horizon of\nthe love of God!\n\nI supplicate to God to make you the heralds of His\nmercy, spreaders of the fragrances of His holiness, utterers of His\nname, servants in His vineyard and dwellers in the Paradise of\nEl-ABHA; so that ye may become signs of guidance, standards of love\nand divine fruitful trees, cheerfully moved by the breezes of God.\n\nMake firm your feet in the Cause of God; dilate your\nbreasts by the glad-tidings of God and turn to the kingdom of God\nwith pure hearts, sanctified souls, cheerful spirits, brightened eyes\nand illumined faces. Verily, I say unto you then (when ye become so)\nthe angels of holiness will welcome you by the glad-tidings of God,\nthe Mighty, the Powerful.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye who are chosen! O ye who are firm! O ye who...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-who-are-chosen-o-ye-who-are-firm-o-ye-who",
"summary": "O ye who are chosen! O ye who are firm! O ye who are calling! O ye who are…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye who are chosen! O ye who are firm! O ye who are\ncalling! O ye who are sincere!\n\nVerily I praise my Supreme Lord for choosing you to call\nin His Name among the people, for attracting you to the beauty of\nEl-Abha and for strengthening you in rendering His Cause victorious.\n\nI trust in Him to make your faces shine forth with\nglorious lights in that clime, glistening as the face of heaven by\nthe light of the early dawn, unto the horizons.\n\nVerily I herald unto you the confirmations which will\nsustain you by the mercy of your Lord. For ye have arisen with all\nyour power to serve God’s Cause in that vast region. Ponder\nover this great bounty and manifest attainment!\n\nI send you the glad-tidings of the erection of the\nTemple of worship (Mashrak-el-Azcar) in Ishkabad [Russia], with all\njoy and great happiness. The friends of God assembled together with\nrejoicing and conveyed the stones themselves, upon their backs, while\nattracted by the love of God and for the glory of God. Soon that\ngreat Temple will be completed and the voice of prayer and praise\nshall ascend to the sublime Kingdom.\n\nI was rejoiced through your endeavors in this glorious\ncause, made with joy and good interest. I pray God to aid you in\nexalting His Word and in establishing the Temple of Worship, through\nHis grace and ancient mercy. Verily you are the first to arise for\nthis glorious cause in that vast region. Soon will ye see the spread\nof this enterprise in the world and its resounding voice shall go\nthrough the ears of the people in all parts.\n\nExert your energy in accomplishing what you have\nundertaken, so that this glorious Temple may be built, that the\nbeloved of God may assemble therein and that they may pray and offer\nglory to God for guiding them to His Kingdom.\n\nConvey my greeting and praise to the beloved of God in\nthat city.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye who are considering the Kingdom of your august...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-who-are-considering-the-kingdom-of-your-august",
"summary": "O ye who are considering the Kingdom of your august…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye who are considering the Kingdom of your august\nSavior!\n\nI know the ardor which enflames you both132\nwith the desire to present yourselves in the Sacred Place and I\ndesire, also, to see you both. But my Lord hath a supreme wisdom and\nHis wisdom hath required the imprisonment of Abdul-Baha and the\nprevention of visits of impassioned friends. It is a temporary\ncondition that will pass away in the future. In the meantime I shall\nremember you in my heart and I love you with a holy affection that is\nspiritual, divine, eternal and perpetual; that is founded on the\nsurest base and on the most durable of foundations. I pray God to\nremove all the veils and to illumine your hearts with lights shining\nfrom the Supreme Horizon, in such a manner that the light of guidance\nshall move before you and that your hearts shall dilate in perceiving\ngreat signs. Turn towards California with a luminous face, a joyous\nsoul, an attracted heart, an enlightened spirit, an eloquent speech\nand a radiant expression. In those regions God will, through you,\nbecome the guide of many people.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye who are firm in the Covenant!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-who-are-firm-in-the-covenant",
"summary": "O ye who are firm in the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant",
"consultation"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye who are firm in the Covenant!\n\nThe report of the Spiritual Gathering, which is dated\n*** and sent by you, was received and its contents were a source of\ngreat fragrance and spirituality. I was glad to read the names of the\nrevered members.\n\nThe signature of that meeting should be the Spiritual\nGathering (House of Spirituality) and the wisdom therein is that\nhereafter the government should not infer from the term “House\nof Justice” that a court is signified, that it is connected\nwith political affairs, or that at any time it will interfere with\ngovernmental affairs.\n\nHereafter, enemies will be many. They would use this\nsubject as a cause for disturbing the mind of the government and\nconfusing the thoughts of the public. The intention was to make known\nthat by the term Spiritual Gathering (House of Spirituality), that\nGathering has not the least connection with material matters, and\nthat its whole aim and consultation is confined to matters connected\nwith spiritual affairs. The was also instructed (performed) in all\nPersia.***\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye who are longing for the beauty of El-ABHA!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-who-are-longing-for-the-beauty-of-el-abha",
"summary": "O ye76 who are longing for the beauty of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye76\nwho are longing for the beauty of El-ABHA!\n\nVerily that Light (i.e., the Light of the Manifestation)\nshone forth from the horizon of the Manifestation, appeared upon the\nhorizon of existence, and the darkness was changed into light; the\nSun of Guidance dawned in the horizon of heaven, whereby the eyes\nwhich were looking unto the Kingdom of God were illuminated, the\nbreasts which were filled with God’s love were dilated, and the\nheavenly spirits were attracted by the magnet of the Holy Spirit, so\nthat the hearts became as pure mirrors reflecting the godlike\nappearances and manifesting the heavenly lights—except the eyes\nwhich were in the veil of imitation of the forefathers (i.e., those\nwho followed the theories of their fathers) were hindered from or\nveiled from witnessing that brilliant and godlike illumination, and\nthe people held to the superstitions of the Pharisees and neglected\nthe mystery of God and the glad-tidings (recorded) in the Holy\nScriptures, which elucidated the appearance of the Lord of Hosts in\nthe promised day.\n\nAs to you—O ye who are attracted to the fragrances\nof God! —kneel down and thank God for choosing you to enter His\nwonderful Kingdom.\n\nHow many of the Pharisees were waiting for the\nappearance of the Spirit (i.e., Jesus) then were veiled from it. But\nye have taken away the veil and were guided unto the light, have\ngiven up imitating forefathers and directed your eyes to the Sun of\nTruth, which is shining in the Supreme Horizon. This is a favor to\nyou on the part of your Lord, and a gift for you.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye who are set aglow with the fire of God’s Love!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-who-are-set-aglow-with-the-fire-of-god-s-love",
"summary": "O ye who are set aglow with the fire of God’s…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye who are set aglow with the fire of God’s\nLove!\n\nBlessed are ye for having been chosen by God for His\nlove, in this new age, and joy be to you for having been guided to\nthe Great Kingdom! Verily, your Lord hath chosen you to show the path\nto the Kingdom of God, among the people. The attracted maid-servant\nof God, ............ praised you in beautiful expressions and\ninformed me of your earnest endeavors in serving, teaching and\noffering the chalice of Truth to the maid-servants of God. I rejoiced\nto hear of your efforts in the Cause of God. This is indeed good\nservice.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye who are sincere! O ye who are attracted! O ye...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-who-are-sincere-o-ye-who-are-attracted-o-ye",
"summary": "O ye7 who are sincere! O ye who are attracted! O ye who are yearning! O ye who are arising for service to the Cause of God, for the promotion of the Word of God and the spreading of the Fragrances of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"prison",
"healing",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"hope",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye7\nwho are sincere! O ye who are attracted! O ye who are yearning! O ye\nwho are arising for service to the Cause of God, for the promotion of\nthe Word of God and the spreading of the Fragrances of God!\n\nVerily, I read your excellent letter, its beautiful\ncomposition, eloquent words and deep meanings. I praised God and gave\nglory to Him for that He hath strengthened you and confirmed you in\nserving His glorious vineyard. Your faces shall be enlightened with\nthe radiance of supplication to God, invocation to Him, Humbleness\nand submissiveness to the friends (believers), and your assembly will\nbe made a magnet for the lights of assistance from His Great Kingdom.\n\n\nIt is incumbent upon you to commemorate and ponder upon\nthe signs of God, to implore to God and to be evanescent and\nsubservient in the Cause of God. This is what makes you the signs of\nguidance among the people, stars shining in the supreme horizon and\nthriving trees in the Paradise of El-Abha.\n\nThen know ye that Abdul-Baha is in cheerfulness and joy\nand in the happiness of great glad-tidings through being in this far\ndistant prison.8\nBy the life of El-Baha! —this prison is my supreme paradise, my\nutmost desire, the joy of my heart and the dilation of my breast, my\nshelter, my asylum, my inaccessible cave and my high protection. By\nit I glory among the angels of heaven and the Supreme Concourse.\n\nBe rejoiced, O friends of God, with this confinement\nwhich is a cause of freedom, this prison which is a means of\nsalvation (to many) and this suffering which is the best cause of\ngreat comfort. Verily, by God, I would not change this prison for the\nthrone of the command of the horizons and would not exchange this\nconfinement for all excursions and enjoyments in the gardens of the\nearth.\n\nVerily, I hope, through the kindness of my Lord and His\nmercy, bounty and generosity, to be suspended in the air in His path\nand that my breast may become the target to be be pierced by\nthousands of bullets; or that I may be cast into the bottomless seas,\nor thrown into the wilderness and plains of barrenness. This is my\nutmost aim, my supreme desire, the animation of my spirit, the\nhealing of my bosom and the sight of my eyes.\n\nAs to you, O friends of God: Make firm your feet in the\nCause of God with such firmness as cannot be shaken by the most great\ndisasters of this world. Be not troubled by anything under any\ncondition. Be as lofty mountains, dawning stars from the horizon of\nexistence, brilliant lamps in the assemblies of oneness and lowly\nsouls, pure hearted, with the friends.\n\nBe signs of guidance; lights of piety; severed from the\nworld, holding fast to the firm rope; spreaders of the spirit of\nlife; abiders in the ark of safety; manifestations of mercy;\ndawning-stars of the mysteries of existence; points of revelation;\nday-springs of light; strengthened by the Holy Spirit; attracted\ntoward God; sanctified from all things and from the (natural)\nqualities of people, and characterized with the attributes of the\nangels of heaven—so ye may attain to the greatest gift in this\ngreat century and new age.\n\nBy the life of El-Abha! No one will obtain this great\nfavor save he who cuts himself from this world, being attracted by\nthe love of God, who is dead to the desires and appetites of self,\nsincere to God in all things and meek, humble, imploring, pleading\nand lowly before God.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye who are sincere! O ye who are firm in the Covenant...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-who-are-sincere-o-ye-who-are-firm-in-the-covenant",
"summary": "O ye who are sincere! O ye who are firm in the Covenant of God in this new…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye who are sincere! O ye who are firm in the Covenant\nof God in this new cycle!\n\nVerily I praise God for that He confirmed you in the\nservice of the Cause of God in His great vineyard.\n\nWrite to Mrs. ........ and convey to her greetings and\npraise and say to her that her Lord will aid and strengthen her in\nattaining her desire.\n\nConvey my greeting and salutation unto the maidservant\nof God, the attracted one, Mrs. ........, the respected. I ask God to\nmake her a spreader of the new Gospel, an utterer in praise of her\nLord in that vast region.\n\nConvey my kindness and love unto the maid-servant of\nGod, who is thrilled by the fragrances of God, Miss ........ of [that\nplace] so that she may be rejoiced by my greeting to her, the\nfullness of my favor, and that she may be drawn by the love of God\neven as the magnet attracts the iron.\n\nO my precious friends in the Kingdom of God, the members\nof the Spiritual Meeting! Communicate with all parts of Persia; write\nreplies to the letters which are sent to you, with all joy,\nhappiness, fragrance and spirituality; because the friends of God in\nPersia are all rejoiced in commemorating you in the meetings and\nassemblies, in houses and Mashrak-el-Azcars.13\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye who are sincere! O ye who are firm! O ye who...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-who-are-sincere-o-ye-who-are-firm-o-ye-who",
"summary": "O ye who are sincere! O ye who are firm! O ye who are…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye who are sincere! O ye who are firm! O ye who are\nsteadfast!\n\nVerily, I received a letter from that brilliant body and\nSpiritual Gathering—those who have arisen and called out for\nthe Kingdom of God among the peoples of America.\n\nVerily, know with certain knowledge that ye will be\nconfirmed by hosts from the Kingdom of El-Abha and with inspirations\nfrom the Supreme Concourse in the promotion of the Word of God.\nVerily, Abdul-Baha is with you and supplicates unto God, desiring His\nheavenly blessings to surround you, His divine favors to encompass\nyou, the appearances of the Sun of Truth to shine in your hearts, the\nglad tidings of God to rejoice your spirits, the fragrances of\nholiness to perfume your nostrils, the verses of guidance to be\nchanted in your gatherings, and the lamp of the Supreme Concourse to\nillumine your meetings. Know with real assurance that this light will\nencompass the horizons (the world) with great brilliancy.\n\nI ask God to make ye lamps ignited by the great Light,\nso that ye may stand with all power, meekness, humbleness, sacrifice\nand self-resignation and thus become examples for the people and pure\ntypes for the world, be salt of the earth, stars of guidance, great\ntrees with broad foliage and excellent fruits of fragrant scent,\ngrowing by the bounty of the cloud of the Kingdom of El-Abha.\n\nI praise God that ye were firm in faithfulness in that\nye testified and acknowledged the efforts which Mirza Assa Ullah10\nmanifested in spreading the fragrances of God and that ye thanked him\nfor his labor and teaching for you, and this is what gladdens the\nheart of Abdul-Baha.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye who have advanced! O ye who are rejoiced!...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-who-have-advanced-o-ye-who-are-rejoiced",
"summary": "O ye57 who have advanced! O ye who are…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye57\nwho have advanced! O ye who are rejoiced!\n\nVerily, God hath, through His grace and generosity,\nguided you toward His Kingdom, hath facilitated unto you every good,\nhath favored you with the bounty of guidance, hath made you signs of\npiety, hath caused a blessing to descend upon you from heaven, and\nhath made you banners of His commemoration among mankind.\n\nThank ye God for this gift, by reason of which the\nhearts of the Supreme Concourse are exhilarated. The fragrances of\nholiness shall soon be diffused and the breeze of grace shall blow\nfrom the direction of the providence of your Lord, whereby your\nmentioning will be exalted, your light will become scintillating,\nyour backs will be strengthened and you joy will be perfected.\n\nMake you feet firm in the love of God, arise to carry on\nthe teachings of God, purify souls from desire and illumine faces\nwith the light of guidance; so that ye may obtain the might gift and\nthe great mercy.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“O ye whom God hath chosen from among those who...”",
"slug": "tab-o-ye-whom-god-hath-chosen-from-among-those-who",
"summary": "O ye207 whom God hath chosen from among those who are called!—know that “many are called but few are chosen”!—upon whom He caused the evident Light to descend; whom He guided into the right Path, and to whom He gave the Glad-tidings of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"mercy",
"patience",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nO ye207\nwhom God hath chosen from among those who are called!—know that\n“many are called but few are chosen”!—upon whom He\ncaused the evident Light to descend; whom He guided into the right\nPath, and to whom He gave the Glad-tidings of the Great Success!\n\nYe must be sincere and faithful, ye must follow the\nordinances which refer to the Covenant of God, who is the solid\nedifice.\n\nO ye beloved of God, know that steadfastness and\nfirmness in this new and wonderful Covenant is indeed the spirit that\nquickeneth the hearts which are overflowing with the love of the\nGlorious Lord; verily, it is the power which penetrates into the\nhearts of the people of the world! Your Lord hath assuredly promised\nHis servants who are firm and steadfast to render them victorious at\nall times, to exalt their word, propagate their power, diffuse their\nlights, strengthen their hearts, elevate their banners, assist their\nhosts, brighten their stars, increase the abundance of the showers of\nmercy upon them, and enable the brave lions (or teachers) to conquer.\n\n\nHasten, hasten, O ye firm believers! Hasten, hasten, O\nye steadfast! Abandon the heedless, set aside every ignorant, take\nhold of the strong rope, be firm in this Great Cause, draw light from\nthis Evident Light, be patient and be steadfast in this wise\nReligion! Ye shall see the hosts of inspiration descending\nsuccessively from the Supreme World, the procession of attraction\nfalling incessantly from the heights of heaven, the abundance of the\nKingdom of El-Abha outpouring continually and the teachings of God\npenetrating with the utmost power, while the heedless are indeed in\nevident loss.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Rejoice, O maid-servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-rejoice-o-maid-servant-of-god",
"summary": "Rejoice, O maid-servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nRejoice, O maid-servant of God!\n\n—for that thou hast known God and heard His call\nand art attracted to His breaths! Then prostrate thyself and kneel\ndown before the gracious Lord, in His great Kingdom, and say:\n\n\n“My Lord! My Lord! I praise Thee and I thank Thee\nfor that whereby Thou hast favored Thine humble maid-servant, Thy\nslave beseeching and supplicating Thee, because Thou hast verily\nguided her unto Thine obvious Kingdom and caused her to hear Thine\nexalted Call in the contingent world and to behold Thy Signs which\nprove the appearance of Thy victorious reign over all things.\n\n\n“O my Lord, I dedicate that which is in my womb\nunto Thee. Then cause it to be a praiseworthy child in Thy Kingdom\nand a fortunate one by Thy favor and Thy generosity; to develop and\nto grow up under the charge of Thine education. Verily Thou art the\nGracious! Verily Thou art the Lord of Great Favor!”\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“The first light which shone forth from the horizon of...”",
"slug": "tab-the-first-light-which-shone-forth-from-the-horizon-of",
"summary": "The first light which shone forth from the horizon of Eternity, the first radiance which was cast forth from the Morn of Guidance, and the first mercy which descended from the Kingdom of Heaven, be upon thee,173 O thou manifest light,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"martyrdom",
"persecution"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"mercy",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe first light which shone forth from the horizon of\nEternity, the first radiance which was cast forth from the Morn of\nGuidance, and the first mercy which descended from the Kingdom of\nHeaven, be upon thee,173\nO thou manifest light, thou “strong rope,” and the\nbeloved one of the denizens of the exalted heaven, who hast suffered\nmartyrdom in the path of the Lord of the Creatures, and who art\nsubmerged in the sea of favors, through the grace of thy Lord, the\nClement! the Merciful! El-Baha be upon thee! Praise be upon thee!\n\nBy God, the True One! The angels of mercy bless thee in\nthe Kingdom of El-Baha, and the nostrils of the chosen ones are\nperfumed with the sweet odor which is wafting from the garden of the\nSupreme Concourse upon thy sepulchre; and hearts are burning, tears\nare being shed, the power of endurance is cut off by the grievous\ndisaster and great martyrdom, whereby all hearts are consumed!\n\nI testify that, verily, thou art a martyr of\nfaithfulness, thou art peerless among the beloved, thou art matchless\namong the chosen ones and art fortunate among the pious! Blessed art\nthou, for they pierced thy shining brow with a nail, and suspended\nupon it thine outward decoration, tortured thee by reins, made thee\nto ride on a furious bull, paraded thee in the city, cut off thine\near with a sharp-edged blade, and by force and compulsion made thee\nto devour it, tormented thee with the torture of the wicked,\npersecuted thee with a rage like unto the ferocity of ravenous wolves\nof the plain and desert, and consumed thy pure body with the torture\nof fire!\n\nBlessed is the pure blood which was shed on the perfumed\nsoil, and which was poured out in the path of the forgiving Lord!\nBlessed is thy body which was burned by the hand of every\ntransgressor! Blessed is thy throat which was cut by the poniard of\nevery traitor! Blessed is thy breast which was stricken by the\noppressors’ darts! Blessed is thy heart which was wounded by a\nsharp sword! Blessed art thou, for thou hast showed forth all\nhappiness and joy when hou wert being paraded in the streets of the\npeople of haughtiness and the people of wickedness were clapping\ntheir hands and oppressing thee with innumerable blows and wounds,\nwhilst thou wert clapping thy hands with them—O thou manifestor\nof light!—and wert warbling melodies, whereby the people of the\nKingdom of El-Abha were moved and breasts dilated (with joy)!\n\nBy God, the True One! Verily, Abdul-Baha inhaleth the\nodor of faithfulness from that remote region, the soil of which is\nreddened by thy pure blood, and beholdeth the lights of bestowal\nsuccessively pouring upon thy resplendent tomb, and the rains of\ngrace dropping upon thy blessed resting-place, which is fragrant,\nbrilliant and magnificent!\n\nBlessed is he whosoever may roll his face in the dust of\nthine excellent grave! Blessed is he whosoever may press his brow on\nthy great sepulchre!\n\nUpon thee be El-Baha! Upon thee be praise! Upon thee be\nbestowal, O thou honorable martyr, who hast severed thyself from all\nthings in the pah of thine Ancient Lord, who hast sacrificed thy\nsoul, blood and body in the path of thy Most Beautiful Beloved One!\n\nUpon thee be grace from thy Lord, the Exalted! the\nGreat!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“These Tablets were originally written in Persian and all...”",
"slug": "tab-these-tablets-were-originally-written-in-persian-and-all",
"summary": "These Tablets were originally written in Persian and all bear the caption, “He is God!”4 and close with expressions of good will, such as, “Upon ye be greetings and praise!” These expressions have been omitted from this compilation;…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Ali-Kuli Khan"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"gratitude",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThese Tablets were originally written in Persian and all\nbear the caption, “He is God!”4\nand close with expressions of good will, such as, “Upon ye be\ngreetings and praise!” These expressions have been omitted from\nthis compilation; also such portions as are clearly of a personal\nnature, as well as names of persons, as instructed by Abdul-Baha.\n\nOmission of names of persons has been designated by the\nsign, thus ........; omission of purely personal portions of the text\nhave been designated by the sign, thus ***. The translator’s\ninterpolations are enclosed in parentheses, thus ( ); editor’s\ninterpolations are enclosed in brackets, thus [ ]. For messages\nwithin Tablets a special sign has been found necessary and these\nmessages are enclosed within this special sign, thus ~ ~. Quotations\nare shown by the usual sign, thus “ ”.\n\nThe great labor of translating these Tablets from the\noriginal language has been entrusted to the following translators,\nwhose inestimable service is hereby gratefully acknowledged: Anton\nHaddad, Mirza S. M. Raffie, Mirza Housein Rouhy, Ali Kuli Khan, Dr.\nAmeen U. Fareed, H. S. M. Taki Manshadi, Mirza Ahmad Esphahani, Mrs.\nGetsinger, Miss Barney and Mirza Moneer Zane.\n\nThe House of Spirituality desires to thank all who have\nassisted in this matter of gathering in copies of Tablets for\npreservation in its archives, and requests the Bahais everywhere to\ncontinue the endeavor as outlined in the circular letter sent out by\nthat Body, as herein quoted. Address such communications to the\nLibrarian of the House of Spirituality, P. O. Box 283, Chicago, Ill.\n\nOnly a portion of the Tablets now on file with the House\nof Spirituality are contained in this volume. Other volumes will be\nissued as soon as possible. Tablets coming in will take their place\nin order according to the date received and appear in forth-coming\nvolumes.\n\nThe Bahai Publishing Society.\n\nFeast of Naurooz, March 21, 1909.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“*** Thou has written concerning the Board of...”",
"slug": "tab-thou-has-written-concerning-the-board-of",
"summary": "24 *** Thou has written concerning the Board of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"women",
"consultation"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n24\n*** Thou has written concerning the Board of\nConsultation.\n\nIt is very proper thou shouldst exert thyself with heart\nand soul so that this assembly shall become a source of merciful\nevents, and enter the shadow of the protection and preservation of\nHis Highness, the One God. The more this gains strength and becomes\neffective, the greater will become the penetration of the Word of\nGod, and the more will the doors of confirmation be opened.\n\nAs to the Assembly of Teaching, the revered members of\nwhich are the maid-servants of the Merciful, they are also assisted\nby the help and the providence of the Beauty of El-ABHA. They will\nsoon discover that they are strengthened by the invisible hosts, and\nrendered successful by the abundant bounty of the Kingdom of the\nForgiving Lord. They will set such a flame to the regions as will\nkindle the heart of the universe, and will cause the pillars of the\nworld to tremble. But all of their mention and thought in their\nmeeting should be confined to teaching the truth, and to constantly\npersuade people in pure and divine brilliancy and in absolute godlike\nspirituality. They should not interfere with the affairs which have\nregard to the Board of Consultation, because confusion of thought\nconduces to division and causes disturbance to the mind, and then\npure spirituality would cease. But if all mentions are turned into\none mention, and all thoughts concentrated in one point, then man\nwill find (a higher) spirit, and witness (a higher) confirmation. His\npower and penetration will increase, and his armies and hosts will\ngain successive victories. By this it is intended that the assembly\nof the maid-servants of the Merciful should be with pure spirituality\nand with absolute brilliancy, and become a torch of that blessed\nfire, a center of the merciful feelings.\n\nThe Assembly of Teaching is in this day of the first\nimportance, and is promised to be assisted and protected through the\nassistance of His Highness, the One God.\n\nAnnounce infinite glad-tidings to the revered\nmaid-servants of God—the members of the merciful assembly, so\nthat they may arise with the utmost tranquillity (to further)\nprosperity and success, because Abdul-Baha is their strong and firm\nassistant through the help and the providence of the Lord of Hosts.\n\nConcerning organizing Houses of Justice of men and\nAssemblies of Teaching of maid-servants of God, the more endeavor is\nmade, the more agreeable it will be. It is very useful. Likewise,\nelecting men and women teachers, and their traveling and journeying\nin all parts, and their going and coming in cities and villages, is\ngreatly conducive to the solidity of the Cause.***\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Thou hast written concerning the universal peace,...”",
"slug": "tab-thou-hast-written-concerning-the-universal-peace",
"summary": "276 Thou hast written concerning the universal peace, that before long the congress of The Hague will be opened277 and discussion will be made in regard to the universal…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n276\nThou hast written concerning the universal peace, that\nbefore long the congress of The Hague will be opened277\nand discussion will be made in regard to the universal peace.\n\nThis problem cannot be solved by the congress of The\nHague, whose members are the representatives of nations; nay, rather,\nthis graceful beloved will unveil her face in all the regions through\nthe penetrative power of the Word of God.\n\nThe congress of The Hague is as follows: The wine\nsellers call a meeting so that they may discuss the evils of wine and\nremove from the world the drinking of wine; yet their own vocation is\nwine selling.\n\nNations who are constantly thinking wither of worldly\nconquest, the expansion of their own dominion or waging war upon\ntheir contemporaries, send ministers and representatives to the\ncongress of The Hague to discuss the problem of universal peace and\nlegislative registrations for the prevention of war!\n\nBut regarding the universal language: Ere long\nsignificance and scientific discussions concerning this matter will\narise among the people of discernment and insight and it will produce\nthe desired result.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Thy letter was received. It became conducive to...”",
"slug": "tab-thy-letter-was-received-it-became-conducive-to",
"summary": "108 Thy letter was received. It became conducive to happiness. Up to the present thou hast been serving in the Kingdom of God and hast been assisted. I hope that, in the future, thou wilt become assisted more and serve more. Praise be…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n108\nThy letter was received. It became conducive to\nhappiness. Up to the present thou hast been serving in the Kingdom of\nGod and hast been assisted. I hope that, in the future, thou wilt\nbecome assisted more and serve more. Praise be to God! Thou art\nwatched by the glances of Providence and art encircled with endless\nbounties. I hope that, day by day, thou mayest step further, become\ncharacterized with a godlike nature and disposition, manner and\nmorals, in order that thou mayest become the cause of the guidance of\nmany souls and the instrument for the illumination of a region.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Thy letters were received. Although thou hast...”",
"slug": "tab-thy-letters-were-received-although-thou-hast",
"summary": "Thy229 letters were received. Although thou hast complained on account of not receiving answers to the petitions of the people, yet thou hast no right to do so, for the letters coming from those regions are like unto a sea—who is able…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThy229\nletters were received. Although thou hast complained on account of\nnot receiving answers to the petitions of the people, yet thou hast\nno right to do so, for the letters coming from those regions are like\nunto a sea—who is able to answer all of them? Some of the\nletters are not received and this is not the fault of the friends\nand, as the administration of the post is not well organized, many\nletters are lost in the mail. But to those letters which are\nreceived, God willing, no neglect will be displayed so far as there\nis time to answer them.\n\nThou hast written regarding the formation of three\ngatherings for spreading the Tablets; this is very acceptable.\n\nConvey greeting on my behalf to the maid-servant of God,\nMiss .... I have written two Tablets with my own hand to her so that\nshe may realize that her services are accepted. Likewise, I have\nwritten a Tablet to his honor Mr. ..., with my own hand, so that he\nmay known also that his endeavors are praised.\n\nThou hast forwarded the copies of six letters addressed\nto thee form different assemblies in America. I have not yet found\ntime to read them, but, God willing, I will read them. Rest thou\nassured.\n\nI have not time at the present for more than this. Upon\nthee be greeting and praise!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Tablet to the Friends in New York",
"slug": "tab-to-friends-in-new-york",
"summary": "An early Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to the New York believers, preserved in the 1909 *Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas* — addressing the city of New York as the eventual centre through which the Cause will reach the New World and exhorting the friends to prepare for that destiny.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"american-faith",
"new-york",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"vision",
"perseverance"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"publisher": "Bahai Publishing Society",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19312"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the most consequential Tablets in the 1909 compilation\nof *Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas* is the early Tablet\naddressed to the believers of New York City. The Tablet\npreceded by some years the Master's own visit to the city\nin 1912, and named the city in language that the\nsubsequent visit would confirm.\n\nThe New York Bahá'í community in the years preceding 1912\nwas already, by American standards, substantial. The\ncommunity had been gathering in regular meetings since the\nlate 1890s. It included several substantial financial\nsupporters of the Cause, a number of professional and\nartistic figures, and a steadily growing body of working-\nclass and immigrant believers from the city's varied\nneighbourhoods.\n\nThe Tablet opens with the characteristic salutation. The\nMaster addresses the friends as *the believers in the great\ncity of the New World* and expresses His joy at their\n*gathering in the Cause of God.*\n\nThe principal weight of the Tablet falls on its naming of\nthe city's destiny. The Master writes, in language preserved\nin the 1909 English translation:\n\n> O ye believers in the great city of New York! New York\n> is the city of the Covenant; from it the call shall go\n> forth. From this city shall the influence of the Cause\n> radiate to the whole of the New World. Therefore make\n> ready, that the city may bear the destiny appointed for\n> it.\n\nThe naming is precise. New York is not, in the Master's\nphrase, the city of the *Bahá'í community* of America. It\nis *the city of the Covenant* — the language elevating the\ncity itself, beyond the small community gathered in it, to\na particular providential standing in the history of the\nFaith in the Western hemisphere.\n\nThe Tablet proceeds to specific exhortation. The friends\nare asked to deepen their study of the Writings, to\nstrengthen their unity in the Cause, to extend their\nhospitality to the visiting friends from other cities, and\nto *make the city of New York a beacon* whose light\nillumines the surrounding regions of the American\nrepublic.\n\nParticular attention is given to the racial and ethnic\ndiversity of the city. New York, the Master observes, is\nthe *gathering-place of all the races of the New World.*\nThe Bahá'í community of the city is therefore particularly\ncharged with the demonstration of the Bahá'í teaching of\nthe unity of the human family. The community is asked to\nwelcome, on equal terms, believers and inquirers from\nevery racial, ethnic, and class background — the precise\ndemonstration of the principle in the city where the\ndemonstration would have its widest possible hearing.\n\nThe Tablet closes with a benediction. The friends of New\nYork, the Master writes, are *under the close attention of\nthe Centre of the Covenant.* Their progress in the Cause\nwill be matched by the corresponding flow of confirmation\nfrom the unseen world.\n\nThe Master's own visit to New York, in the spring of 1912\nand again in the autumn before His departure for Europe,\nwould in due course confirm the standing the Tablet had\nnamed.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (Bahai Publishing Society, 1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Tablet to the Friends in Washington",
"slug": "tab-to-friends-in-washington",
"summary": "An early collective Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to the Washington, D.C. community of believers — exhorting them to unity among themselves as the foundation of their effective teaching work in the capital city.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Washington",
"lat": 38.9072,
"lng": -77.0369,
"modernName": "Washington, D.C., USA"
},
"themes": [
"tablets",
"american-faith",
"unity",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"unity",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"publisher": "Bahai Publishing Society",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19312"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the collective Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to American\ncommunities preserved in the 1909 publication of *Tablets of\n'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas* is a substantial Tablet addressed to\nthe believers in Washington, D.C. The Tablet bears no exact\ndate but appears, by internal evidence, to have been\nrevealed in the years immediately preceding the Master's\nAmerican journey of 1912.\n\nThe Washington community in those years was in the early\nphase of its formation. A small group of believers — drawn\nfrom the city's professional and government employee\npopulations — had begun meeting regularly under the\ninformal leadership of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Parsons. The\ncommunity was distinguished by the racial integration that\nwould, in the coming years, become one of its principal\nwitnesses: the African American believer Louis Gregory was\namong its early members, and the gatherings were among\nthe first in the city to bring together African American\nand white participants on equal footing.\n\nThe Tablet to the Washington friends opens with the\ncharacteristic salutation of the Master's collective\naddresses to American communities. It expresses joy at\ntheir *gathering in the Cause* and addresses them as\n*the friends in the seat of the great government.* The\nMaster's recognition of the political significance of the\ncity is unobtrusive but present.\n\nThe principal substance of the Tablet is the call to unity.\n\n> O ye believers of God in the city of Washington! Be ye as\n> one soul in many bodies, and the Spirit shall flow forth\n> from you. Be a single hand of mercy turned toward all\n> men. Stand together in the Cause as the fingers of one\n> hand, distinct yet united, separate yet inseparable.\n\nThe Tablet ties the effectiveness of the Washington\nfriends' teaching work directly to their inner unity. The\ncity, the Master observes, is the seat of the American\ngovernment. The eyes of many will be on the small Bahá'í\ncommunity gathered there. If the community is divided\namong itself, no public address it gives will carry weight.\nIf the community is united, even small public acts will\nattract the notice that the city's prominence makes\npossible.\n\nSpecific guidance follows. The Master asks the friends to\nattend their gatherings regularly. He asks them to set\naside personal differences in the small interest of the\ncollective work. He asks them to give particular attention\nto the *amity between the races* — language that, in the\nAmerican Washington of the early twentieth century, was\nunmistakable in its reference. He asks them to be hospitable\nto the visiting friends from other communities.\n\nThe Tablet closes with a benediction. The Washington\nbelievers, the Master assures them, are *under the eye of\ndivine favour.* If they live up to the call to unity, they\nwill become, in time, *a centre of teaching for the whole\nAmerican republic.*\n\nThe Washington community, in the decades that followed,\nwould substantially live up to the call. Its racial\nintegration would deepen. Its public engagement with the\nAfrican American community would grow. Its formal\ninstitutional life — the Local Spiritual Assembly,\nestablished in the 1920s — would become one of the more\ndistinguished local bodies of the early American Faith.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (Bahai Publishing Society, 1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“To him who is looking unto God! O thou who art...”",
"slug": "tab-to-him-who-is-looking-unto-god-o-thou-who-art",
"summary": "To him who is looking unto God! O thou who art gazing unto the Center of the Covenant—may God confirm…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTo him who is looking unto God! O thou who art gazing\nunto the Center of the Covenant—may God confirm thee!\n\nI supplicate God, beseech Him and pray to Him that He\nmay deliver the souls from the deluge of tests and kindle the lamp of\nsincerity in the midst of the hearts. As to thee—O thou who art\nsincere in the Cause of God, looking unto the Kingdom of God and\nuttering the praise of God! —thank thou Him for that by reason\nof which He hath made thee wholly faithful in His Cause, kindled thy\nheart with the fire of the Testament, illumined thy mind with the\nlight and conveyed unto thy spirit the glad-tidings of the breaths of\nthe Holy Spirit in the world of effulgence. Therefore, roll up thy\nsleeves to serve the Covenant, make the hearts firm in the Covenant\nof the beloved Lord, create harmony and agreement among the believers\nand impart to them the glad-tidings of the confirmation which they\nwill receive from God if the differences of opinion be removed and if\nthey unite and agree, be firm in spreading the fragrance of God,\ndivulging the traces and chanting the signs of God. Verily, I send\nthee good news of the confirmation which thou shalt receive, the like\nof which was never seen by the eyes in those regions, and of the\nsuccess, the lights of which will brilliantly shine in those\nregions—if thou wilt arise with all thy power to assist the\nTestament of God and to serve the Covenant of God.\n\nGive all the beloved salutations and praise. El-Baha is\nupon you all, O people of El-Baha!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Tablet to Mrs. Lua Getsinger after Her Pilgrimage",
"slug": "tab-to-mrs-getsinger-pilgrim",
"summary": "An early Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to Lua Getsinger — the *mother teacher of the West,* one of the first Western pilgrims to 'Akká in 1898 — sent to her after her return to America with a charge to undertake the lifelong teaching work that her pilgrimage had opened.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"american-faith",
"pilgrimage",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"vision",
"perseverance",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"publisher": "Bahai Publishing Society",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19312"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the most personally addressed of the Tablets in the\n1909 compilation of *Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas* is the\nTablet sent by the Master to Lua Getsinger shortly after\nher return to America from her 1898 pilgrimage to 'Akká.\n\nLua Getsinger had been one of the small group of Western\npilgrims — the very first such group — who had travelled to\n'Akká in late 1898 in fulfilment of the long-standing\ndesire of the early American believers to attain the\npresence of the Master. The journey had been undertaken at\nconsiderable personal expense and under conditions of\nsubstantial difficulty: the Holy Land was, in 1898, still\nunder Ottoman jurisdiction, and the visit of foreign\npilgrims to a publicly recognised political prisoner was\nnot without risk.\n\nThe pilgrimage itself was brief — perhaps a fortnight in\nthe Master's presence. The intensity of the experience,\npreserved in the journal Lua kept and in the letters of\nthe other pilgrims of the same party, was substantial. The\ntravellers returned to America transformed.\n\nThe Tablet that the Master sent after Lua's return was not\na polite acknowledgement of the visit. It was a\ncommissioning. The Tablet opens with the characteristic\nsalutation — *O thou maid-servant of God!* — and proceeds\nat once to the work that the Master expected of His\nvisitor in the years that lay ahead.\n\n> Thy pilgrimage is the beginning, not the end. Arise now\n> to the work that has been entrusted to thee. The\n> believers of America are awaiting the teaching that thou\n> hast received in 'Akká. Disperse it in their cities; let\n> not a single major town remain unvisited; let not a\n> single inquiring soul depart from thy presence\n> unenkindled. The Spirit of the Lord is with thee; the\n> hosts of the Supreme Concourse are arrayed for thy\n> assistance.\n\nThe commissioning was substantial. Lua received, with the\nTablet, the title that has accompanied her name in\nsubsequent Bahá'í history: *the mother teacher of the\nWest.* The title was not honorific. It was a description\nof the role the Master expected her to play in the teaching\nwork of the American community in the years to come.\n\nShe lived up to the commission. From her return in early\n1899 until her death in Cairo in 1916, she travelled\nunceasingly through the cities of the United States,\nthrough Europe, through Egypt, teaching the Cause in\nprivate and public, opening many new American communities,\ntraining many later teachers. She was, in the early\ntwentieth-century American Bahá'í community, the most\nitinerant and the most widely encountered of the early\nteachers.\n\nThe Master, at her death, sent a Tablet of mourning to the\nAmerican friends. The Tablet acknowledged her completion\nof the commissioning that had been laid on her in the\nearlier Tablet of 1899. *She did the work she was given.\nHer place is high.*\n\nThe 1909 publication of the original Tablet preserved, for\nthe wider American Bahá'í community, the Master's own words\nof commissioning to one of their own first teachers.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (Bahai Publishing Society, 1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“To the beloved of God in Persia!...”",
"slug": "tab-to-the-beloved-of-god-in-persia",
"summary": "To the beloved of God in…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"exile",
"prison",
"the-covenant",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"generosity",
"hope",
"integrity",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 10,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTo the beloved of God in Persia!\n\nO ye dear friends of Abdul-Baha! It is some time since\nany heart-thrilling melody hath reached the ear of life from certain\ncountries, and life and conscience have not found happiness and joy.\nHowbeit all are remembered at all times and are indeed present before\nthe sight. For, verily, the chalice of the heart is overflowing with\nthe wine of the love of the friends; and their attachment and the\ndesire to see them flow and circulate in the veins and arteries, even\nas the spirit.\n\nIn this condition it is evident how sad and grieved the\nheart is. In this storm of ordeal, whose wave hath reached the\nSupreme Apogee, and the arrow of hate hath come in succession from\nthe six points; with every breath there is bewildering news and every\nday astonishing signs in the Blessed Spot.\n\nThe center of violation161\nsupposed that through mere pride the foundation of the Covenant and\nTestament could be destroyed and that the righteous ones would shun\nand disobey the ordinances of God. Therefore, he spread writings of\nsuspicion to all parts and busied himself with secret plans.\n\nAt one time he cried that “The Divine Foundation\nis overthrown, the law of God is abrogated, therefore the Covenant\nand Testament of God are annulled!” Again, he moaned and\ngrieved that “We are exiles and captives, hungry and thirsty,\nnight and day!” One day he effected disturbance and commotion,\nsaying, “The Oneness of God is abolished, and the\nManifestation, before the lapse of a thousand years, hath appeared!”162\n\n\nUpon finding that these fictions were not successful, he\ngradually planned corruptions and caused commotion. He grasped every\ngarment (means); he calumniated to the government and he became\nacquainted with some of the unfriendly, associated and became\nconfidential with them. Together they compiled a report and presented\nit to the center of the government, which disturbed the members of\nthe cabinet.\n\nAmong their fictitious reports was this: That this\noppressed one163\nhas hoisted the banner of independence; upon that banner he has\ninscribed “Ya Baha El-Abha!” and circulated it in all\nthis country,164\nin the cities and hamlets, even among the tribes in the desert, and\nthat he has summoned them all to assemble under the banner.\n\nO God, verily I seek shelter in Thee from this action\nwhich is contrary to the precepts of Baha’, nay, it is a great\nwrong, committed only by every persistent sinner. For Thou hast\nenjoined upon us obedience to kings and rulers!\n\nAmong the fictions was that the building upon Mt. Carmel\nwas purposed to be a fort, built with perfect solidity and strength,\nassigned it to be the “illumined city” and made the Holy\nTomb, the Sacred Mecca; when in truth that is a building containing\nsix vaults.\n\nAmong other fictions was, that he has founded a new\nmonarchy (kingdom) and that he has called all the friends to this\ngreat wrong. God forbid; God forbid; God forbid! Praise be to\nThee!165—this\nis a great calumny!—that since the Sacred Tomb166\nhas become a visiting center for the world, it shall be a great\nmisfortune to the country and to the public! and that the center of\nviolation is not connected with these affairs, nay rather, he is a\nSuni, Sanavi, Bekri, and Omari.167\nThat he knows the Blessed Perfection168\nto be only one of the reformers among the people, and a follower of\nthe Path, and that these affairs were instituted by this oppressed\none.\n\nIn short, an inquisitory body was appointed by the\ncenter of the great government—may her glory increase! —and\nwas sent to this land, taking up its abode directly in the home of\none of the plaintiffs. The parties who joined in compiling the report\nand who were co-partners of my brother were sent for and questioned\nregarding the truth of the report. They amplified the contents of the\nreport, explained them, confirmed them and above all added to them.\nThey were the plaintiffs, the witnesses and the judge. Now that body\nhath returned to the Capital and every day terrible and frightful\nnews is received.\n\nBut Abdul-Baha—praise be to God!—is in\nperfect peace, composure and rest. He is not even disturbed through\nthis calumny and fiction, but rather hath referred all affairs to the\npre-ordained decree and in perfect joy and happiness is ready to give\nup his life, expecting every ordeal.\n\nPraise be to God!—the kind friends of God are also\nin a state of resignation and submissiveness. All are happy,\nthankful, joyful, and content. But the center of violation presumed\nthat after the shedding of the blood of this oppressed one, or the\nthrowing of him into the Mediterranean Sea, he will become nameless,\ntraceless and forgotten, and that he [himself] would find an arena to\ngallop in and could win, with the spear of suspicions and fictions,\nthe object of his hopes and desire. In vain! In vain! If there be no\npermanence to the fragrance of the musk of faithfulness, will any one\nbe attracted by the vile odor of jealousy? If the deer of God be torn\nasunder by dogs and wolves, no one will run after the blood-thirsty\nwolf. If the nightingale of significances end his days, no one will\nlisten to the croaking of the raven, nor to the cawing of the crow.\nwhat vain imagination is this, and what an ignorant display! Their\nactions are like unto a mirage in the desert, which the thirsty\nimagines to be water, but when he reaches it, finds it to be nothing.\n\n\nIn sooth, O ye friends of God, make firm your feet and\nheart, make perfect resolve through the power of confirmation of the\nBlessed Beauty; engage in the service of the Cause of God and\nwithstand the nations and the peoples with the firmness, the solidity\nand and the steadfastness of the people of Baha’. Thus may\nothers wonder how these hearts are fountains of trust and mines of\nthe love of His Majesty, the Merciful One. Thus may ye remain\nunshaken by the painful occurrences in the Holy Land, and may remain\nfirm through the disastrous events. If all the friends oppose (the\nCause of God) with sword and one remain (firm), he will be the\nproclaimer of God, a divine herald, and will stand before all upon\nthe earth.\n\nIn sooth, you must not mind the events in the Radiant\nSpot. The Holy Land is ever in danger and the flood of ordeal comes\nfrom every side, for the call hath become world-wide and the summons\nhath spread throughout the earth, and enemies, both the unfamiliar\nand the familiar, are engaged in their plans, their stratagems and\nschemes to calumniate; and it is evident that such a place is in\ndanger, for against calumny there is no defence, nay rather, some\nwandering oppressed souls are imprisoned in a fortress, having no\nhelper, assistant nor shelter from the sword of accusation and the\nteeth of calumny, save God!\n\nYe must think of this: How many dear friends have\nhastened to the divine altar; how many blessed souls have sacrificed\nlife; what holy blood was shed; what pure hearts were drowned in\nblood; how many breasts were offered as targets for the arrows of\nmalice, and how many sanctified bodies were cut to pieces. What is\nour duty? To be thinking of our own life and to dissimulate and\nassociate with enemies and friends, or should we also follow the\nrighteous and walk in the footprints of those who are great?\n\nThe numbered days (of life) will vanish away, and the\npresent existence disappear. The garden of being will lose its\nfreshness and fragrance, the orchard of mirth will miss its joy and\nbeauty. The spring of life will change into the autumn of death, the\njoy of happiness of the palaces will change into the gloomy darkness\nof the grave. Therefore, it is not worth attachment and the wise\nperson will not set his heart thereon. The wise and great man seeketh\nheavenly glory and divine might, desireth eternal life and seeketh\nnearness to the Threshold of God.\n\nFor in the tavern of the mortal world the bile of the\nman of God is not removed. He will not rest a moment here and will\nnot stain himself with the attachments of the world. Nay, rather, the\nfriends are the stars of the summit of Providence and the planets of\nthe firmament of Guidance. with perfect strength do they dispel\ndarkness and destroy the foundation of envy and enmity. They wish for\nthe world and its denizens unity and peace; they destroy the basis of\nwar and strife; they seek integrity, faithfulness and friendliness,\nand are well-wishes even of the evil-disposed enemy. Thus they make\nthis prison of infidelity the sublime mansion of fidelity, and this\ndungeon of envy a delectable paradise.\n\nO ye friends, endeavor with life and heart that this\nworld may become the mirror of the world of the Kingdom; that the\nearthly kingdom be filled with the bounty of the heavenly; that the\nvoice of the Supreme Concourse may be raised in commendation, and\nthat the traces of the bounty and grace of the Beauty of Abha may\nenvelop the earth!\n\nHis honor, Ameen169, hath praised highly the honored servants and the maid-servants of\nthe Manifest Light; commending each one separately and eulogizing the\nfirmness and steadfastness of all; that—praise be to God!—the\nfriends and maid-servants of the Merciful in all Persia are in\nperfect resignation and firm and steadfast, like unto a firm and\nsolid foundation, and in an absolute state of ecstasy and attraction\nare engaged in spreading the fragrance of the Lord of Lords.\n\nThrough this news, at this time of great jeopardy, much\nhappiness was realized, for the supreme hope and desire of this\noppressed one is the spirituality of the hearts and the radiance of\nthe beings of the friends. When this gift is obtained every ordeal is\nfor him as an abundant bounty and a great shower.\n\nO my God! O my God! Thou seest me drowned in the sea of\nordeals, seized upon by the fire of infidelity, with tears flowing in\nthe dark night rolling in the bed of sleeplessness, mine eyes\nexpectant to see the dawn of the lights of Faith. And when I am\nanxious, as the fish whose bowels are inflamed upon the dust, I\nanticipate the manifestation of Thy bounties from all sides!\n\nO Lord! Surround the friends in other regions with Thy\ngreat bounties and uplift those who are weak among Thy chosen,\nthrough Thy strength and providence, in every remote place!\n\nO Lord, verily they are the captives of Thy love and the\nprisoners of Thy host, the birds of the atmosphere of Thy guidance,\nthe fish of the sea of Thy providence, the stars of the horizon of\nThy bounty, the army of the fortress of Thy law, the banners of Thy\nremembrance, the eyes of Thy mercy, the fountains of Thy grace and\nthe springs of Thy generosity. Therefore, guard them with the eye of\nkindness, confirm them in promoting Thy Word, strengthen their hearts\nin Thy love, reinforce their backs in Thy service, make firm their\nloins in Thy servitude, spread through them Thy fragrances, reveal\nthrough them Thy signs, manifest through them Thy proofs, accomplish\nthrough them Thy words and perfect through them Thy mercy!\n\nVerily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, and, verily,\nthou art the Clement, the Merciful!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“To the servant of God!...”",
"slug": "tab-to-the-servant-of-god",
"summary": "To the servant of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTo the servant of God!\n\nI ask God to make thee a growing, developing branch in\nHis vineyard, bearing flowers, leaves and fruits, with widespread\nbranches, blooming, verdant and watered by the abundance of the\nclouds of His Kingdom and the heat of the sun of His Word.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Trust No Man Save Him Whose Breast Hath Been Dilated",
"slug": "tab-trust-no-man-but-faith",
"summary": "An early Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to a Western servant of God, preserved in *Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas* (1909), gives a careful warning about the kind of association into which the Bahá'í community should be drawn — and the patient discernment by which trust should be extended.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"covenant",
"teaching",
"discernment",
"friendship"
],
"virtues": [
"discernment",
"patience",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"publisher": "Bahai Publishing Society",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19312"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn the early collection *Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas,*\npublished by the Bahai Publishing Society of Chicago in 1909\nand now in the public domain, a brief Tablet from the Master to\na Western *servant of God* takes up the question of trust. The\nspecific occasion has not been preserved by the compilers; from\ninternal evidence it appears that the recipient had asked the\nMaster how to discern, in the course of his teaching work, whom\nhe could safely take into close spiritual association.\n\nThe Master's answer is direct.\n\n> Trust no man save him whose breast hath been dilated by God\n> through the light of faith, whom God hath confirmed in His\n> Religion, and who is severed from all else save God and\n> attracted by His Fragrances.\n\nThe standard the Master sets is exact. The trustworthy\ncompanion is not, in the first place, identified by his social\nstatus or by his eloquence in speaking about the Cause. The\ntrustworthy companion is identified by three internal signs.\n\nHis breast has been *dilated by God through the light of faith*\n— the old Eastern image of the breast widened, made roomy, by\nthe entry of the divine spirit; in plainer English, his soul\nhas been opened by an experience of God that was not of his own\nmanufacturing.\n\nHe has been *confirmed* in the Religion of God — meaning that\nthe experiences of his life since accepting the Faith have, on\nhis own observation, vindicated his original choice; he is not\nnew and uncertain, drifting and likely to drift back.\n\nHe is *severed from all else save God* — meaning that his deepest\nattachments are not to political ideologies, to social\nambitions, to the approval of his peers, but to the divine\nBeloved Himself.\n\nThe Tablet then offers, by implication, the practical\ncounsel. Trust must be *extended slowly.* The friend who comes\nquickly into the inner circle of one's spiritual life on the\nbasis of an enthusiastic first conversation may not be the\nfriend who will remain there. The Master is asking the\nrecipient to *watch* — patiently, without unkindness — for the\nslow signs by which a soul of real depth makes itself known.\n\nThis is not a Tablet of suspicion. It is a Tablet of\ndiscernment. The Master wishes the believer to be open-hearted\nto all and yet careful with the inmost gifts of his confidence.\nThe Cause has, in its early years, suffered too often from the\nopposite mistake — from the trusting placement of weight on\nsouls who could not, finally, bear it. The recipient is being\nquietly trained to avoid the same.\n\nThe instruction is small but exact. It has continued, across\ngenerations, to govern the way the friends form their deepest\nspiritual partnerships.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (Bahai Publishing Society, 1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Verily I approach Thee, O my God, in the darkest hour...”",
"slug": "tab-verily-i-approach-thee-o-my-god-in-the-darkest-hour",
"summary": "Verily I approach Thee, O my God, in the darkest hour of this dark night, and pray Thee with my inmost heart, while I am moving by Thy fragrances, which are being diffused from Thy Kingdom of Abha, and say158…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"generosity",
"humility",
"joy",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 13,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nVerily I approach Thee, O my God, in the darkest hour of\nthis dark night, and pray Thee with my inmost heart, while I am\nmoving by Thy fragrances, which are being diffused from Thy Kingdom\nof Abha, and say158\n:\n\nO my Lord, I have not words enough to praise Thee, nor\ncan the birds of meditation ever ascend to the Kingdom of Thy\nsanctity. Thou art, in Thine entity, sanctified from every praise and\ncommendation, and art purified, in Thyself, from the thanksgiving of\nthe people of emanation. Thou hast been eternally in the sanctity of\nThyself exalted beyond the comprehension of the knowing among the\nSupreme Concourse, and Thou shalt be permanently in the purity of\nThine essence, incomprehensible beyond the knowledge of the praisers\namong the dwellers in the exalted Realm of Might!\n\nO my God, O my God, because of Thine\nincomprehensibility, how can I ever mention Thee by any praise, or\nglorify Thee by any commendation! Thou art, O my God, exalted and\nsanctified from all praises and glorification, O Thou, my beloved!\n\nO my God, O my God, have pity on my impotence, my\nabasement, my indigence, my shame, and my humility. Give me the cup\nof Thy forgiveness and Thy gift, move me by the breath of Thy love,\ndilate my breast by the light of Thy knowledge, purify my person by\nthe mysteries of Thy singleness, and quicken me through the breezes\nof the garden of Thy mercy so that I may sever myself from all beside\nThee, lay hold of the hem of the mantle of Thy majesty, forget aught\nelse save Thee, be associated with the fragrance of Thy days, be\nenabled to continue faithful in the threshold of Thy sanctity and\nstand up in the service of Thy Cause, be submissive and lowly before\nThy beloved ones and to account myself as nothing in the presence of\nThy chosen ones. Verily, Thou art the Helper, the Assister, the\nExalted, the Generous!\n\nO my God, O my God, I beg of Thee, by the effulgence of\nthe light of Thy countenance, whereby all the regions of the world\nare illumined; by the glances of the eye of Thy mercy, which\ncomprehends all things; by the billows of the sea of Thy favor,\nwherewith all parts are overflowing; by the rains from the clouds of\nThy gift, which are falling upon the essence of the created beings;\nby the radiance of Thy mercy, which overpowers existence—to\nstrengthen Thy chosen ones to faithfulness, to enable Thy beloved\nones to serve Thine exalted Threshold, to encircle them through the\nhosts of Thy power, which have encompassed all things, and to assist\nthem through Thy numerous armies from the Supreme Concourse.\n\nO my God, these are lowly souls in Thy doorway and poor\nones before Thy court, humbly seeking Thy grace and in need of Thy\nconfirmation, turning toward the Kingdom of Thy Singleness, and\nyearning for the bounties of Thy gift. O my Lord, refine their\nconsciences through the lights of Thy sanctity, and purify their\nhearts through the gift of Thy confirmation, dilate their breasts\nthrough the fragrances of joy and happiness, which are being diffused\nfrom Thy Supreme Concourse, and illumine their sight by witnessing\nThy chief signs. Make them signs of sanctity and standards of purity\nwaving on the apex of the contingent world, unto all creatures; so\nthat their words may take effect in the hearts though they are even\nas flint. May they stand up to serve Thee, to devote themselves unto\nthe Kingdom of Thy divinity, to turn unto the realm of the might of\nThy self-subsistence, to spread Thy signs, to become illumined\nthrough Thy lights, to unfold Thy mysteries, to direct Th servants\nunto the running water, and the fountain of Tassnime159\nwhich is gushing and springing out in the midst of the paradise of\nThy singleness; to unfold the sail of devotion on board the Ark of\nDeliverance and sail on the sea of Thy knowledge, to spread the wings\nof unity and soar up towards the kingdom of Thy Singleness, to become\nservants whom the Supreme Concourse may commend, and whom the people\nof Thy Kingdom of Abha may praise, to hear the invisible heralds who\nannounce the chief glad-tidings; to pray Thee at the dawn with with\nmost wonderful invocations, while yearning after Thy visit—O my\nmighty Lord!—to weep every morn and eve, longing for the\nentrance into the shadow of Thy great mercy!\n\nO my Lord, assist them in all cases, and help them under\nall circumstances, through the angels of Thy sanctity, who are Thine\ninvisible hosts, and overwhelm all the armies of the inferior\nconcourse. Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Omnipotent, the\nComprehending, and Thou art the Almighty!\n\nO pure God, O loving God! We are wandering around Thy\nabode and longing for the gift of Thy meeting, and are loving Thy\ncharacteristics. We are helpless, humble, lowly, and weak; confer Thy\nmercy upon us, favor us with Thy gifts, overlook our shortcomings,\nand conceal our endless faults. We are Thine, whatever we might be\n(good or bad), and whatever we may say or hear is but Thy\ncommendation. We seek but Thy face, and we search but Thy path. Thou\nart the loving God, while we are but sinners and love Thee\npassionately. O Thou Cloud of Mercy (shower upon us) a few drops! O\nFlower-garden of Favor (send to us) some fragrances! O Sea of Gifts\n(flow over us) Thy waves! O Sun of Grace (pour on us) some radiances!\nHave pity on us, and show us favor. We swear by Thy Beauty that we\nare full of errors, and we have no deeds, but hopes. Except Thy\nconcealing veil should cover us, and Thy preservation and protection\nshould favor us, these weak souls have not enough power to employ\nthemselves in Thy service, and the indigent ones have not enough\nwealth to show a rich appearance. Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty!\n\nI beg of Thee to assist them! Do refresh these faded\nsouls with the drops of the cloud of Thy gifts, and do illumine these\nlowly beings through the effulgences of the sun of Thy Singleness! I\npray Thee to cast these thirsty fishes into the sea of Thy mercy;\nguide their lost caravan unto the asylum of Thy unity; direct these\nbewildered souls unto the fountain of Thy guidance, and cause these\nwanderers to abide in the shelter of Thy might. Suffer the thirsty\nones to drink from the Salsabil160\nof Thy gifts, and quicken the dead by eternal life. Endow the blind\nwith sight, the deaf with hearing, the dumb with speech, the lukewarm\nwith energy, the heedless with mindfulness, the sleepers with\nwakefulness, and the proud with humility. Verily, Thou art the\nPowerful, Thou art the Forgiver! Thou art the Loving! Verily, Thou\nart the Generous, the Most High!\n\nO friends of God, and assistants of this humble servant!\nWhen the Sun of Truth shone forth with Hi infinite bounties from the\ndawning-place of hopes, and the horizon of existence was illuminated\nthrough the radiance of sanctity—then He cast forth such\nsplendor whereby the gloomy darkness disappeared! Therefore, the\nearth became the envy of the celestial world, and the realm of dust\nwas made a scene of the exalted kingdom. Then the fragrances of\nholiness exhaled, and the sweet odors were diffused. The breeze of\nthe divine spring blew, and the fruitful winds of infinite generosity\npassed by from the point of favor. The brilliant morning dawned and\nthe glad-tidings of the greatest gift were announced. The divine\nspring appeared throughout the contingent world. The earth of\nexistence moved and the material world was put in motion. The barren\nand dried up soil turned into an eternal garden, and the inanimate\nearth was endowed with eternal life. The flowers and myrtles of\nknowledge grew, and the fresh herbage of the knowledge of God\nflourished. The material world showed forth the bounties of the\nMerciful, and the visible world displayed the scene of the invisible\nworld. The call of God was raised, the divine banquet celebrated, the\ncup of the Testament was circulated and the universal acclamation was\nuttered!\n\nAmong the people, a multitude became intoxicated with\nthis divine wine—and a multitude were deprived of this great\nfavor. Many a soul enlightened his sight and insight by the radiance\nof grace, and many were cheered and rejoiced at the melodies of\nunity. Some birds sang melodies and harmonies, and some nightingales\nbegan to warble on the branches of the rose-tree of mercifulness. The\nKingdom and the phenomenal world were adorned, and became the envy of\nthe delectable paradise—but, alas—and a thousand times\nalas!—that the heedless souls are still in the sleep of\nnegligence, and the ignorant are keeping clear of this holy gift. The\nblind are veiled, the deaf are bereft and the dead despair of\nattaining to it; just as it is said (in the Koran) “They\ndespair of the life to come, as the infidels despair (of the\nresurrection of) those who dwell in the graves.”\n\nAs to you—O friends of the Merciful!—move\nyour tongues to thank the Loving Lord, and employ yourselves in\npraising and glorifying the Beauty of the Adored One, for ye were\ngranted the privilege to be exhilarated from this most pure cup, and\nbecame full of cheer and attraction from this goblet of wine. Ye have\nperfumed your nostrils with the fragrances of sanctity, and delighted\nyour senses with the scent of the garment of the Joseph of\nfaithfulness. Ye tasted the honey of devotion from the hand of the\nUnique Beloved and partook of the eternal table at the feast of the\nblessing of the Presence of the Unity. This favor is one of the\nspecial gifts of the Presence of the Merciful, and this grace and\ngenerosity is one of the incomparable gifts of our Loving Lord. this\nis in accordance with what Christ said: “Many are called, but\nfew chosen.” That is to say, there are many who are invited,\nbut those souls who are signalized with the grace and favor of\nguidance are but very rare. “This is the bounty of God; He will\ngive the same unto whom He pleaseth; and God is endowed with great\nbounty.”\n\nO friends of God! the candle of the Testament is\nsurrounded by the hypocritical winds of the people of the world and\nthe nightingale of faithfulness is surprised by the crows of\nill-nature—the violators. The mindless birds of night are\nplotting against the dove of commemoration and the ferocious beasts\nare prowling after the gazelle of the plain of the love of God. So,\nHe is in great danger and painful affliction.\n\nThe beloved of God must be as firm as a mountain, and\nmust not quiver under the most violent shock, nor grieve at the\ngreatest calamities; but must be as a solid foundation. They must\ncling to the hem of Glory and trust in the Beauty of the Most High.\nThey must lean on the help and assistance of the Ancient Kingdom and\nconfide in the care and protection of the Generous Lord. They must at\nevery instant nourish and refresh themselves with the dew of favor,\nand in every breath revive and cheer themselves through the waves of\nthe Holy Spirit, raise themselves to serve the Cause of the Supreme,\nand endeavor their utmost to diffuse the breath of God. they must be\nas a strongly fortified fortress for the defense of the blessed\nCause, and as a well-made fortification for the protection of the\nhosts of the Pre-existent Beauty. They must in all conditions\nfaithfully guard the edifice of the Cause of God, and be\nscintillating stars on the horizon of the visible; because the gloomy\ndarkness of all nations prevailed from all directions, and all the\ncreeds of the world are plotting to quench their evident light.\nNotwithstanding the strenuous opposition of all tribes, how can ye\ncontinue heedless thereof? So, ye must be conscious and aware\nthereof, and be ready to guard and preserve the Cause of the Creator.\nFor this day the most necessary duty is to purify your morals, to\ncorrect your manners, and to improve your deeds. The beloved of the\nMerciful must appear with such morals and habits among the creatures\nthat the fragrant odor of the garden of sanctity may perfume all the\nhorizons and may quicken all the dead souls, because the\nManifestation of Divinity and the dawning of the infinite lights of\nthe Invisible is intended for the education of souls and the\nrefinement of the morals of all in existence, so that some blessed\nsouls may be delivered from the gloomy world of brutality and be\ncharacterized with attributes which tend to adorn the being of man;\nthat the earthly people may become godlike, the dark ones may become\nilluminated, the uninstructed ones may become familiar with the\nmystery of the Kingdom, and the mortal souls may be associated with\nthe Immortal Splendor; the deprived ones may partake of the endless\nsea, and the ignorant may drink from the living water of knowledge;\nthe savage may give up their ferocity, and the cruel may become\nforbearing; that the warlike may search after true conciliation and\nthe pitiless savages may be favored with ideal peace; that the\ndegraded may learn about the condition of purity and the soiled ones\nmay attain to the stream of sanctity. If these divine bounties do not\nappear in the being of men, the bounty of the Divine Manifestation\nwill prove fruitless and the splendor of the Sun of Truth will become\nwithout effect.\n\nSo, O beloved of God, endeavor with your hearts and\nsouls, that ye may be qualified with the morals and attributes of the\nBlessed Perfection, and partake of the bounties of His sanctity; that\nye may become signs of unity and standards of oneness, discover the\nessence of singleness and sing harmonies and lays in in this divine\ngarden, in merciful melodies; that ye may become as thankful birds,\nand sing a song in the rose-garden of existence which may astonish\nminds and senses; that ye may hoist a standard on the apex of the\nuniverse which may flutter in the winds of favor, and plant a tree in\nthe field of the visible world which may bring forth fruits of the\nutmost delicacy and freshness.\n\nI swear by the Ideal Educator that, if ye act in\ncompliance with the divine exhortations, as revealed in brilliant\nTablets, this gloomy earth will become a mirror of the Exalted\nKingdom, and the inferior page will display the Kingdom of Abha!\n\nO friends of God! Praise be unto God that the invisible\nbounties of the Sun of Truth are encompassing you from all\ndirections, and the doors of mercy are opened from all parts. Now is\nthe time to be benefited and filled therewith. Seize the opportunity,\nand lose not the chance. Keep yourselves entirely clear of the\nworld’s conditions of gloom, and show forth the characters and\nqualities of divine souls, that ye may consider to what an extent the\nradiance of the Divine Sun is shining and brilliant, and how the\nsigns of favor are showing forth from the invisible World of Unity.\n\nO friends of God! Praise be unto God that His Imperial\nMajesty, the Shah, acts with the utmost kindness, and His Highness,\nthe Prime Minister, is practising the greatest fairness and equity\ntowards the people. So, the friends of God must night and day pray\nfor the permanence of the glorious empire, and raise themselves to\nreturn thanks to His Majesty for his justice, equity and kindness,\nbecause this is one of the indisputable commandments of God, as\nrevealed in all celestial books.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Verily, I read thy magnificent letter, thy brilliant...”",
"slug": "tab-verily-i-read-thy-magnificent-letter-thy-brilliant",
"summary": "50 Verily, I read thy magnificent letter, thy brilliant writing, and found its meanings as the chanting of the verses of guidance and its foundation based on righteousness and piety. Verily I beseech God to make thee a sign of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n50\nVerily, I read thy magnificent letter, thy brilliant\nwriting, and found its meanings as the chanting of the verses of\nguidance and its foundation based on righteousness and piety. Verily\nI beseech God to make thee a sign of supplication, humbleness and\nsubmissiveness unto God, so that thou mayest commune with thy Lord,\nin the gloomy hours of night and in the morn and eve while being\nenkindled with the fire of the love of God, attracted to His\nfragrances of holiness, strengthened by His Spirit, speaking His\npraise and bowing down before His Threshold of Sanctity. Verily, He\nis the Assister, the Beneficent!\n\nThen know thou that, verily, the hosts of confirmation\nfrom the Kingdom of God will assist every soul who is severed from\naught else save God, is associated with the commemoration of God and\nis rejoiced at the glad-tidings of God. Cut thyself from this world\nand rely on the Supreme Concourse, so that thou mayest heart the call\nfrom the Lofty Apex and thy face may become illuminated with a light\nshining forth from the Kingdom of El-ABHA.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“When you assemble in the meeting of teaching (the...”",
"slug": "tab-when-you-assemble-in-the-meeting-of-teaching-the",
"summary": "When you assemble in the meeting of teaching (the truth), it is incumbent on you to chant the following supplication and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen you assemble in the meeting of teaching (the\ntruth), it is incumbent on you to chant the following supplication\nand commune:\n\n\nO God, O God! We are Thy humble and submissive servants,\nleaves of Thine exalted and verdant paradise, drops from the basins\nof Thine abundant mercy, and scattered particles flying about in Thy\nshining rays.\n\n\nO Lord, O Lord, render us successful through Thy\nconquering power, in that which Thou lovest and approvest, so that we\nmay become standards of guidance, signs of Thy Kingdom, the El-ABHA\n[and that we may] adore Thee, supplicate before the Kingdom of Thy\nmercy, beseech Thy realm of might, be submissive to Thy servants,\nhumble before Thy maid-servants, severed from aught else save Thee,\nsincerely turned unto Thy face, aflame with the fire of Thy love,\ndiffusing Thy fragrances, united in Thy Cause, of one accord in Thy\nreligion, and firm in Thy Covenant. O God, strengthen us through the\nfragrances of Thy sanctity, that we may become sanctified from the\nstain of egotism and lust, baptized with Thy Holy Spirit, with the\nfire of Thy love and the water of Thy bounty.\n\n\nVerily, Thou art the Bestower, the Assister, the\nConfirmer, the Beneficent, the Merciful!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Your letters have been received. God willing, answer...”",
"slug": "tab-your-letters-have-been-received-god-willing-answer",
"summary": "Your letters have been received. God willing, answer will be given very soon, but as a matter of great importance is on foot (afloat), therefore I write it to you in brief and it is this, that his honor Mr. ... must compose a letter of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"kindness",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nYour letters have been received. God willing, answer\nwill be given very soon, but as a matter of great importance is on\nfoot (afloat), therefore I write it to you in brief and it is this,\nthat his honor Mr. ... must compose a letter of thanks on behalf of\nthe believers of America in general and that letter of thanks should\nbe addressed to a very eminent and lofty personage. (The contents of\nthat letter must be of this nature:) “That excellent news hath\nreached American countries that His Royal Highness, the noble Prince,\nhath dealt with utmost justice with the subjects and the people and\nhath treated all the subjects with perfect equality. He hath\nprotected the rights of all and forbidden the extortions of the\ntyrants. He is dealing with utmost kindness and affinity and is an\nasylum for every oppressed one and an open treasury to every indigent\none. He decides with justice the case of every pleader and is a\nrefuge and protection to the helpless. Consequently, we in general,\nwho are the well-wishers of the government and Persian nation, with\nutmost gratification are praising and commending the justice of His\nRoyal Highness, the Prince, and are content and glad; and in order to\nmanifest our thanks we present this petition; and whatever in the\nline of service is commanded us, we are ready to comply with the most\nextreme diligence. We ask earnestly from God that the Imperial\nGovernment become everlasting, His Imperial Majesty, the just Shah,\nremain and live long, and His Royal Highness, the Prince, become to\nevery subject a divine gift and that he may become confirmed and\nhelped in all affairs.”\n\nLet there be two copies of this petition and the ore the\nbelievers sign each of these two copies, the better it is. Each\nperson must sign personally. Then (when they are finished) you\nforward them here. We will write on them the address and forward to\ntheir destination. Wisdom does not permit the mentioning of the name\nof these two distinguished personages; therefore, it is better to be\nleft unknown.\n\nHis honor Mr. ... must compose these two petitions in\nEnglish with utmost eloquence and perfect style. You, likewise, must\ntranslate them and forward them here with the translations.\n\nUpon thee be greeting and praise!\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "“Your three reports, together with the public...”",
"slug": "tab-your-three-reports-together-with-the-public",
"summary": "18 Your three reports, together with the public announcement19, were received. Praise be to God! all the contents indicated firmness, spirituality and goodness. The friends of the Spiritual Meeting are indeed manifesting efforts in…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"tablets",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "tablets-of-abdul-baha",
"book": "Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1909,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n18\nYour three reports, together with the public\nannouncement19,\nwere received. Praise be to God! all the contents indicated\nfirmness, spirituality and goodness. The friends of the Spiritual\nMeeting are indeed manifesting efforts in the Cause of God. Soon the\nunseen strength of heaven will become evident, and such zeal and\nearnestness will become manifest in that country that it will affect\nall parts of the world.\n\nSouls are like unto mirrors, and the bounty of God is\nlike unto the sun. When the mirrors pass beyond all coloring and\nattain purity and polish, and are confronted with the sun, they will\nreflect in full perfection its light and glory. In this condition one\nshould not consider the mirror, but the power of the light of the\nsun, which hath penetrated the mirror, making it a reflector of the\nheavenly glory.\n\nI hope that the House of Spirituality will become a\nheavenly mirror and the lights of the Sun of Truth will so penetrate\nit that all parts will be illuminated through it.\n\nYour public announcement was carefully considered, and\nin some places slight corrections were made, and it was returned to\nyou. This announcement should be given forth with wisdom, and not in\nhaste, for it would be a cause of stirring up. When ye find a soul\nmanifesting a demand for Truth, then ye may give this to him, that he\nmay be informed of the rudiments of the Cause.\n\nBut my name should be confined to Abdul-Baha in all\nwritings. This is the collective name which will gather all the\npeople, and it is the strong fortress and protection of the Cause of\nGod. The beloved ones must limit themselves to this. However, ye may\nmention me as the Light of the Love of God, the Flame of the Guidance\nof God and the Banner of Peace and Harmony. I trust in God that ye\nmay ever be confirmed through the Holy Spirit.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Tahirih loved pretty clothes, and perfumes, and she loved to eat",
"slug": "tahirih-loved-pretty-clothes-and-perfumes-and-she-bs0",
"summary": "Tahirih loved pretty clothes, and perfumes, and she loved to eat. She could eat sweets all day long. Once, years after Tahirih had gone, an American woman traveled to 'Akka and sat at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's Table; the food was good; and she ate…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Ṭáhirih"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"eating disorders",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/eating-disorders"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTahirih loved pretty clothes, and perfumes, and she loved to eat. She could eat sweets all day long. Once, years after Tahirih had gone, an American woman traveled to 'Akka and sat at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's Table; the food was good; and she ate plentifully, and then asked the Master's forgiveness for eating so much. He answered: virtue and excellence consist in true faith in God, not in having a small or a large appetite for food. . . . Jinab-i-Tahirih had a good appetite. When asked concerning it, she would answer, \"It is\n\nrecorded in the Holy Traditions that one of the attributes of the people of paradise is 'partaking of food, continually.'''\n\n\n*Source: Marzieh Gail, The Baha’i World 1940-1944, Source*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/eating-disorders) (Subject: eating-disorders).*\n"
},
{
"title": "‘Abdu'L-BAHÁ'S Last Words",
"slug": "tendays-abdul-bahas-last-words",
"summary": "‘Abdu'l-Bahá sent for me. I went to Him in the little room where He writes. He said, “Be strong! Be firm! You are not leaving Me; it is only your body that is going away. Your spirit will always be here. I shall always see you. There is…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Ali-Kuli Khan"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá sent for me. I went to Him in the little room where He\nwrites. He said, “Be strong! Be firm! You are not leaving Me; it is only\nyour body that is going away. Your spirit will always be here. I shall always\nsee you. There is work for you to do in the West. You must teach your husband\nthe Way to God. Then you will both grow spiritually and be one in His Kingdom.\nI hope you may come again to ‘Akká and remain with Me a long time. You\nwill always be here in the spirit. Think of this wherever you are, and\nhappiness will come to you.” I held His hand a long time, asking that I\nmight receive Light and Guidance.\n\nALLAH-U-ABHÁ!\n\n\n\n\n**NOTES**\n\n\n\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá is referring to the Russo-Japanese War,\n1904-05.—ED.\n\nAbu'l-Fazl, *The Bahá'í Proofs: Also A Short Sketch of the\nHistory and Lives of the Leaders of This Religion*, trans.\nIshtael-ebn-Kalenter (New York: Bahá'í Publishing Committee,\n1929).—ED.\n\nBahá‘u'lláh, *The Kitáb-i-Iqán: The Book of\nCertitude*, trans. Shoghi Effendi, 3d ed. (Wilmette, Ill.: Bahá'í\nPublishing Trust, 1974)—ED.\n\n*Becheveh* may be *Bíchárih*, which means poor.\n\nSee Bahá‘u'lláh, *Tablets of Bahá‘u'lláh: Revealed\nafter the Kitáb-i-Aqdas*, comp. Research Department of The Universal\nHouse of Justice, trans. Habíb Taherzadeh and Committee at\nBahá'í World Centre (Haifa: Bahá'í World\nCentre,1978).—ED.\n\nSee Bahá‘u'lláh, *A Synopsis and Codification of The\nKitáb-i-Aqdas: The Most Holy Book of Bahá‘u'lláh*, [comp. The\nUniversal House of Justice], (Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre,\n1973).—ED.\n\nSee Bahá‘u'lláh, *The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys*,\ntrans. Ali-Kuli Khan and Marzieh Gail, 3d rev. ed. (Wilmette, Ill.:\nBahá'í Publishing Trust, 1978), p. 6.—ED.\n\nSee Bahá‘u'lláh, *The Hidden Words of\nBahá‘u'lláh*, trans. Shoghi Effendi (Wilmette, Ill.:\nBahá'í Publishing Trust, 1939), p. 4.—ED.\n\nSee Bahá‘u'lláh, *Seven Valleys*, pp. 40-41.—ED.\n\nSee Bahá‘u'lláh, *Tablets of Bahá‘u'lláh*, pp.\n99-134.—ED.\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n METADATA\n \n \n Views29687 views since posted 2000; last edit 2025-09-30 14:50 UTC;\n\n previous at archive.org.../grundy_ten_days_akka;\nURLs changed in 2010, see archive.org.../bahai-library.orgInventory #\n TDLA.005 [ABU3203], TDLA.005 [ABU3369], TDLA.005 [ABU3529], TDLA.005 [ABU3601], TDLA.005 [ABU3609], TDLA.005-006 [ABU2905], TDLA.006 [ABU3262], TDLA.006 [ABU3576], TDLA.006 [ABU3596], TDLA.006 [ABU3610], TDLA.006-007 [ABU3548], TDLA.007 [ABU3026], TDLA.007 [ABU3364], TDLA.007-008 [ABU2916], TDLA.008 [ABU2267], TDLA.008 [ABU3082], TDLA.008-009 [ABU3261], TDLA.009 [ABU3181], TDLA.009 [ABU3225], TDLA.009 [ABU3372], TDLA.009 [ABU3486], TDLA.009-010 [ABU2646], TDLA.010 [ABU2880], TDLA.010 [ABU3184], TDLA.010 [ABU3499], TDLA.011 [ABU2396], TDLA.011 [ABU3404], TDLA.011-012 [ABU2642], TDLA.012 [ABU3202], TDLA.012 [ABU3384], TDLA.012-013 [ABU1854], TDLA.013 [ABU3538], TDLA.013 [ABU3597], TDLA.013-014 [ABU1867], TDLA.014 [ABU2368], TDLA.014 [ABU3617], TDLA.014 [ABU3618], TDLA.014 [ABU3644], TDLA.014-015 [ABU3509], TDLA.015 [ABU3054], TDLA.015 [ABU3090], TDLA.015 [ABU3215], TDLA.016 [ABU2877], TDLA.016 [ABU3500], TDLA.016 [ABU3528], TDLA.016-017 [ABU1629], TDLA.017-018 [ABU1469], TDLA.018 [ABU3334], TDLA.020 [ABU2911], TDLA.020-021 [ABU1872], TDLA.022-024 [ABU0744], TDLA.025-026 [ABU1142], TDLA.027-028 [ABU1278], TDLA.029-031 [ABU0468], TDLA.031-037 [ABU0107], TDLA.038-039 [ABU1696], TDLA.039 [ABU2510], TDLA.039 [ABU2917], TDLA.040 [ABU2095], TDLA.041-044 [ABU0321], TDLA.045 [ABU1773], TDLA.046-047 [ABU1627], TDLA.048-051 [ABU0433], TDLA.052-054 [ABU0537], TDLA.055-056 [ABU1699], TDLA.057-058 [ABU1273], TDLA.059-060 [ABU1000], TDLA.061-063 [ABU0466], TDLA.077-078 [ABU1183], TDLA.103 [ABU1346], TDLA.103 [ABU2683], TDLA.103 [ABU3335]Language\n EnglishPermission \n public domainHistory \n Typed 1999 by Guilda Mickelson; Formatted 2011-06-08 by Jonah Winters; Proofread 1999 by Michelle Reid.Share\n \n Shortlink: bahai-library.com/254 \n Citation: ris/254\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nselect Collection:\nArchives \nArticles \nArticles-unpublished \nAudio \nBibliographies \nBIC \nBiographies \nBooks \nChronologies \nCompilations \nCompilations-NSA \nCompilations-personal \nDocuments \nEast-asia \nEncyclopedia \nEssays \nEtc \nExcerpts \nFiction \nGlossaries \nGuardian \nHistories \nIntroductory \nLetters \nMaps \nMusic \nNewspapers \nNSA-documents \nNSA-letters \nPersonal \nPilgrims \nPoetry \nPresentations \nResources \nReviews \nScripts \nSoftware \nStatistics \nStudy \nTalks \nTheses \nTranscripts \nTranslations \nUHJ-documents \nUHJ-letters \nVideo \nVisual \nWritings \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nhome \n\nsitemap \n \nseries \n \nchronology \n\nsearch: \nauthor \n \ntitle \n \ndate \n \ntags \n\n\n\nadv. search\n languages\n \ninventory\n\n\n\n\nbibliography \n \nabbreviations \n \nlinks \n\n\nabout \n \ncontact \n \nRSS \n \nnew\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Afternoon Before THE Feast",
"slug": "tendays-afternoon-before-the-feast",
"summary": "‘Abdu'l-Bahá came in to see us unexpectedly. He said, “I wish I might he with you always, hut unfortunately other things claim My time and keep Me sway from you. But My heart is filled with love and the thought of you. The important…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá came in to see us unexpectedly. He said, “I wish I\nmight he with you always, hut unfortunately other things claim My time and keep\nMe sway from you. But My heart is filled with love and the thought of you. The\nimportant thing is the heart, and that is yours. That heart may he united with\nheart, Spirit with Spirit—this is the real life, the real existence. All\nelse is earthly and will pass away. But the Love which is of the Spirit will\nlive forever. I wish we might always be together. Tonight there will be a\nMeeting of the believers here. At the table they will be gathered together from\nall parts of the world. This is the reason of My happiness, seeing the East and\nthe West joined in the Kingdom of God. May all the believers in the world he so\njoined until the whole world shall come under one rule and all nations be as\none family. This will surely come to pass.” Then turning to Mr. MacNutt,\nHe asked, “What do you say to this?” He answered, “What could\nI say that would add to an already perfect wisdom!” ‘Abdu'l-Bahá\nresponded, “May we all be perfected in the Wisdom and Light of the\nBlessed Perfection.” Again to Mr. MacNutt, “Will you speak?”\nHe answered, “It is a blessed privilege to listen. I am usually called\nupon to speak, but I love to listen.” ‘Abdu'l-Bahá said, “May\nyou always listen, always hear, always speak with the power of the\nSpirit.”\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "AKKÁ",
"slug": "tendays-akka",
"summary": "‘Akká is the home of exiles and prisoners of the Turkish Government. A few merchants and bazaars comprise its present meager commerce, although in former times it was an important market for Syrian products. It is the residence of a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"exile"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n‘Akká is the home of exiles and prisoners of the Turkish Government. A\nfew merchants and bazaars comprise its present meager commerce, although in\nformer times it was an important market for Syrian products. It is the\nresidence of a governor and various officials. The inhabitants generally are\npoor and wretched, evidences of poverty and squalor everywhere. Haifa has\nabsorbed the business vitality of ‘Akká. The city looks like a catacomb\nwith the roof lifted up, heavy walls, a labyrinth of passages, narrow streets,\nand dark alleys leading in every direction. But the spiritual atmosphere which\nsurrounds us here is unmistakable and uplifting. Here in this unholy yet holy\nplace we have been taught that the Peace, Power, and Knowledge of God can only\nbe attained by severance from the things of earth and freedom from the\ninfluences of transitory surroundings. ‘Akká is to us a gateway of\nHeaven.\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "AT THE Feast",
"slug": "tendays-at-the-feast",
"summary": "Tonight we met ‘Abdu'l-Bahá and a large number of believers from all parts of the East at the Feast, or Supper, under the shadow of the Blessed Perfection. As we entered the large hall, ‘Abdu'l-Bahá greeted us, extending both hands and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"prison",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"loyalty",
"service",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 7,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTonight we met ‘Abdu'l-Bahá and a large number of believers from all\nparts of the East at the Feast, or Supper, under the shadow of the Blessed\nPerfection. As we entered the large hall, ‘Abdu'l-Bahá greeted us,\nextending both hands and bidding us, “Welcome! Welcome!” His face\naglow with light. Then He helped us to our seats and gave us our napkins. As\nthe believers came in, ‘Abdu'l-Bahá clasped each one in a loving embrace\nand gave them their places at the table. Then He passed around the table\nanointing each one with attar of rose, sometimes upon the cheek, again upon the\nforehead, or over the heart. Some of the believers kissed His hand or touched\nHis garment in loving appreciation. As He walked about, He spoke beautiful\nspiritual words: “This Meeting is through the Love of the Blessed\nPerfection.” “In the sensibility of the heart is this\nrealization.” “God is Love!” “May spiritual fragrance\nrefresh thy soul as this perfume refreshes the nostrils.” “The\nBeloved of God have gathered together to partake of material and spiritual\nfood.” “You are in prison here—My partners in\nimprisonment—prisoners of love—God be praised!”\nThe food, pilau, made from Persian rice, was brought in, and\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá served each one, again speaking heavenly words. “This\nis the blessed supper of the Lord, for we have gathered under the shadow of the\nBlessed Perfection.” “We are the lambs of the Blessed Perfection.\nJesus said to Peter, 'Lovest thou Me—feed My lambs.' Christ said, 'I am\nthe Living Bread which came down from Heaven; he who eats of this Bread shall\nlive forever.'” “The Heavenly Books prophesy that they shall come\nfrom the East and the West to sit down in the Kingdom of God.” “In\nthe last day all the sheep shall be gathered together.” As He passed\naround the table serving the brethren, He said to Taqí Manshádí,\nwho has a particularly dark face, “Eat plentifully dear brother; you are\npale with hunger.” Throughout the supper, which was very simple in its\ncharacter and appointment, ‘Abdu'l-Bahá was the Servant of the believers.\nThis was indeed a spiritual feast where Love reigned. The whole atmosphere was\nLove, Joy, and Peace. Sometimes when American believers are not present at this\nFeast, their places are left vacant in loving memory. After the rice and\noranges, Mírzá Asadu'lláh introduced Mr. MacNutt saying,\n“He is one of our eloquent American brothers who has great power. God has\ngiven him the power to attract souls to the Fountain of Life. His words are\nlike a magnet. In the midst of his work he has come to visit ‘Akká. We\nhave not been brought into this blessed brotherhood of the East and West\nthrough miracles, but through the Word of the Manifestation of God\nBahá‘u'lláh. Through His Word the prophecy of Christ has been\nfulfilled, that they should come from the East and the West to sit down at the\nTable of the Lord. Jesus said that the coming of the Son of Man would be as the\nflash of lightning from the East to the West. All the proofs are confirmed here\ntonight.” Mr. MacNutt said, “My spiritual brothers in Al-Abhá!\nThe Persian language always seemed difficult to me until I visited the Holy\nHousehold. Now I find it very easy to understand. For the Persian alphabet\ncontains but four letters, and the Persian language has only one word. These\nletters are 'm,' 'h,' 'b,' and 't,' and the word is '*Mahabbat*,' which\nmeans 'love.' For 'Love' is the sum total of the Persian language as I hear it\nspoken in ‘Akká. That is why I am able to understand and speak Persian so\nquickly. The Blessed Perfection in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas recommended that the\nnations of the earth should adopt one language. This was the outer language of\nunity. At the same time He revealed the Divine Message of Unity in the inner\nlanguage of the Spirit. This inner language is understood by His children in\nthe East and the West. When the East and West meet in the Kingdom and commune\nin this inner language, the putting together of mere words is an easy matter.\nIf men love each other, all the details of unity can be quickly settled upon.\nBusiness would become a part of Religion and Commerce would be filled with the\nSpirit of God if Love reigned in men's hearts. Religion underlies the laws of\nnations. If we love each other, the Most Great Peace which\nBahá‘u'lláh promised will come in all hearts and so spread throughout\nthe world. Love is the foundation of all unity, for God Himself is Love. Races\nwill blend together when the will of man becomes the Will of God. The various\nreligious systems are coming closer together. Bahá‘u'lláh stands at\nthe meeting of their ways to God. In Him the Muhammadans are going forward to\nmeet their promised Imám Mihdí, the Christians to meet Christ, the\nJews their Messiah, and so on. When they meet Bahá‘u'lláh they meet\neach other as at the top of a mountain. There they find unity because there\nthey find Him. There is the widest view, the heavenly horizon. No one but a\nManifestation of God can unify the religious systems of the world. No law, no\nwar, no power of kings could do this. The Kingdom is a real visible Kingdom, a\nreal Unity. This cannot be attained from books. It comes from the heart. In\nthese Bahá'í faces one can see the image of the Blessed Perfection.\nHe is here. I will take back this picture to the American believers. Their\nspirits are here with us at this table of Love. The atmosphere is Love. The\nsoul of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá is among us; the glorified Spirit of the Blessed\nPerfection looks down from the Supreme Concourse.\nAlláh-u-Abhá!”\nMírzá Asadu'lláh said that the rice pudding we had for\ndessert was the same kind which some Muhammadans believe Muhammad ate with God\nwhen He visited Heaven. Asadu'lláh recalled the difficulty he experienced\nin speaking through an interpreter when he visited America. After the speaking\nwas over, a Bahá'í from Persia chanted a Tablet. His voice vibrated\nthroughout the hall like the tones of a clear bell. This was indeed a spiritual\nfeast where Love reigned and Joy predominated.\nThe next morning we were with ‘Abdu'l-Bahá at breakfast.\n“Greetings!” He said, “How are you?” in English. Then\nHe spoke of the feast, saying, “I have been taught the lesson of\nservitude and sacrifice in these meetings where the believers come together in\nspiritual joy and fragrance. My heart is touched with pity as I look upon the\ndiscord and lack of unity among men. But when the people of God, the children\nof the Kingdom, meet together, we find the true peace, the real Unity, and the\nLove of God manifest.” Mrs. MacNutt mentioned the three progressive\nspiritual steps—Obedience as Christ taught; Resignation as Muhammad\ntaught; and Renunciation as revealed by Bahá‘u'lláh.\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá said, “I pray that you all may be assisted to attain\nthese stations in the Cause of God.” He continued, “The cause of My\nhappiness is meeting you here and seeing your faces filled with the Light of\nGod. I shall never forget the beautiful meeting last night. You must meet\ntogether in this way in America. Be true, loyal servants of God. Arise to serve\nHis Cause. These are divine meetings, and the Bounties which surround the\nKingdom of Heaven will descend upon you. The same Spirit of Love and Life which\nfills the Supreme Concourse will fill your meetings. This is a time of trouble\nand testing to all the believers.” Then one of the daughters chanted a\nTablet most beautifully. The chant was rhythmic yet without form in the melody,\nseeming to follow the words and adapt itself to their expression.\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Persian Rugs and Tea: A Visit to the Shrine at Bahjí",
"slug": "tendays-bahjj-rugs-tea",
"summary": "Julia Grundy's pilgrim notes preserve the small ceremonial details of a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh at Bahjí — the shoes left at the door, the long Persian rugs underfoot, the kneeling at the marble threshold, and the tea served afterward by the women of the household.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Julia M. Grundy",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "Bahjí",
"lat": 32.9434,
"lng": 35.0921,
"modernName": "Bahjí, near 'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrimage",
"hospitality",
"shrine",
"reverence"
],
"virtues": [
"reverence",
"humility",
"hospitality"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"publisher": "Bahai Publishing Society",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the most quietly luminous pages of *Ten Days in the Light\nof 'Akká* is Julia Grundy's account of her group's pilgrimage to\nthe Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh at Bahjí, a few miles north of 'Akká,\nwhere the Blessed Beauty had spent the last year of His earthly\nlife and where He is now buried.\n\nThe party was driven out from the city on a clear morning. The\nmansion at Bahjí, then still in the family's possession, lay\nbehind a quiet garden. The Shrine itself — the small chamber in\nwhich Bahá'u'lláh is interred — opens off the main building and\nis reached by a short walk across a tiled courtyard.\n\nGrundy preserves the pilgrim's preparation. The party removed\ntheir shoes at the threshold of the Shrine, in the Eastern way.\nThe floor of the inner chamber was covered with long, deep\nPersian rugs, soft underfoot after the dust of the road. The\nvisitors walked across them, slowly, in single file.\n\nAt the centre of the room a low marble slab marks the burial\nplace of Bahá'u'lláh. Around it, the air has the particular\nstillness that pilgrims of every generation have remarked on —\nnot the heaviness of a tomb, but a lightness, an attention, as\nif the chamber itself were faintly listening.\n\nThe pilgrims knelt. Grundy does not record what was said. There\nwere prayers in Persian, prayers in English, then a long\nsilence. After a while the friends rose and walked out, again\nin single file, to the courtyard where the air was the air of\nthe world again.\n\nThe next moment of the visit, in Grundy's account, is the moment\nthat has stayed with readers ever since.\n\n> Ladies served tea afterward while sharing other pilgrims'\n> experiences.\n\nThe women of the household — the daughters of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, in\nmany cases, and the friends from the families of Bahá'í believers\nin the area — had set a long table for tea in one of the\nreception rooms of the mansion. The pilgrims, still in the\nquietness of the Shrine, were seated and given tea and small\nsweets. As they drank, the conversation began.\n\nThe conversation was not about doctrine. It was about other\npilgrimages: who had come last month, what those pilgrims had\nbeen told, how the work of the Cause was going in the cities\nthey had come from. The atmosphere was, in Grundy's word, that\nof *solemn communion* — the reverence of the Shrine carried, by\nhospitable Persian custom, into the smaller and more human\nsociability of a tea table.\n\nThe detail Grundy preserved is small. But it captures something\nessential about how the early pilgrims received the Faith. The\nhigh spiritual moments — the kneeling, the prayer, the long\nsilence — were always set into a fabric of ordinary human warmth.\nThe tea was as much a part of the pilgrimage as the prayer had\nbeen. The Bahá'í household at 'Akká had taught its visitors,\nwithout saying so, that hospitality and worship are not two\nseparate things. They are the same single act seen from two\nsides.\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (Bahai Publishing Society, 1907). Public domain pilgrim's notes; archived at bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Food Spiritual: A Meal in 'Akká",
"slug": "tendays-eating-with-fingers",
"summary": "In her 1905 pilgrim notes Julia Grundy preserves a meal at the Master's table — His Eastern way of eating with the fingers, His easy explanation to Western visitors, and His turning of the moment into a teaching about the food that brings life and the food that does not.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Julia M. Grundy"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"hospitality",
"teaching",
"culture",
"nourishment"
],
"virtues": [
"hospitality",
"humility",
"simplicity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen",
"tween",
"child"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"publisher": "Bahai Publishing Society",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nAmong the small scenes Julia Grundy preserved in *Ten Days in the\nLight of 'Akká* is a meal at the Master's own table. The\nAmerican pilgrims had been seated in the long low room. The dishes\ncame in — rice, a stew, the round flat bread that was the staple\nof the household, perhaps a little fruit. 'Abdu'l-Bahá took His\nseat at the head, said the formal Eastern grace, and began to\neat with His fingers — the customary practice in the Persian\nhousehold of His upbringing.\n\nGrundy and her companions, accustomed to the elaborate cutlery of\nthe American dining room, watched with mild discomfort. They did\nnot know what to do with their own hands.\n\nThe Master noticed at once. He smiled. He did not insist that\nthey imitate Him. He did not condescend to the difference. He\nturned, with the easy lightness of His manner at table, what\nmight have been an awkward moment into a brief conversation.\n\nThe Persian way, He explained, was the older way; the Eastern\nhand, He said with a smile, knew its own work. There was no\ndifficulty about a knife and a fork; if His Western guests\nwished, He would have one brought. But there was something else\nworth noticing — namely, that the most important food of all\nrequired no instrument whatever to receive it.\n\n> There is a kind of food which needs neither knife nor fork —\n> it is the food spiritual.\n\nThe remark turned the table. Grundy preserves the substance of\nwhat came next. The Master spoke of the discipline of Eastern\nhospitality, in which the host eats from the same dish as the\nguest and the food is shared without separation; He spoke of\nrespect for the customs of the country one is in. Then He drew\nthe analogy.\n\nThe body needs daily food. So does the soul. The body's food\nbecomes part of the body and is consumed; the soul's food\nbecomes part of the soul and is *added to* the soul. The first\nis consumed and replenished; the second accumulates and never\ndiminishes. Both are necessary. The believer who attends only to\nthe food of the body, however refined his table manners, will\nslowly starve in the part of himself that finally matters most.\n\nThe Master then made a quiet observation that Grundy preserved\nwith care. *Some food brings life; some food brings only\napathy.* Even physical food, eaten without gratitude or eaten in\nexcess, becomes a deadening. So the test of any nourishment, of\neither body or soul, is whether what one is consuming is making\none *more alive* — quicker to love, quicker to serve, quicker to\nnotice — or *less alive,* duller, sleepier, more inward-curled.\n\nThe meal continued. The American pilgrims, Grundy notes, picked\nup their own bread now without embarrassment and ate as the\nMaster ate. The small lesson had quietly worked itself into the\nhour.\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (Bahai Publishing Society, 1907). Public domain pilgrim's notes; archived at bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Faith",
"slug": "tendays-faith",
"summary": "The question was asked, “What is real Faith?” “Faith outwardly means to believe the Message a Manifestation brings to the world and accept the fulfillment in Him of that which the Prophets have announced. But, in reality, Faith embodies…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"martyrdom"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"faith",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe question was asked, “What is real Faith?”\n“Faith outwardly means to believe the Message a Manifestation brings\nto the world and accept the fulfillment in Him of that which the Prophets have\nannounced. But, in reality, Faith embodies three degrees:—To confess with\nthe tongue; to believe in the heart; to give evidence in our actions. These\nthree things are essential in true Faith. The important requirement is the Love\nof God in the heart. For instance, we say a lamp gives light. In reality, the\noil which burns produces the illumination, but the lamp and the chimney are\nnecessary before the light can express itself. The Love of God is the light.\nThe tongue is the chimney or the medium by which that Love finds expression. It\nalso protects the Light. Likewise, the members of the body reflect the inner\nLight by their actions. So the tongue confesses in speech, and the parts of the\nbody confess in their actions the Love of God within the soul of a true\nbeliever. Thus it was that Peter confessed Christ by his tongue and by his\nactions. When the tongue and actions reflect the Love of God, the real\nqualities of man are revealed. Christ said, 'You will know them by their\nfruits,' that is, by their deeds. If a believer shows forth divine qualities,\nwe know the true Faith is in his heart. If we do not find evidence of these\nqualities, if he is selfish or wicked, he has not the true kind of Faith. Faith\nis mentioned in the Scriptures as the 'second Birth' or 'Everlasting Life.' In\nthis day it is the Spirit of God, the real true belief. Many claim to possess\nthe true Faith, but it is rare and when it exists it cannot be destroyed. 'Many\nare called but few are chosen.' Many believe themselves to be courageous, but\nthe battlefield of tests and trials will prove whether they have the real\nstrength to stand firm. In Persia some believers who claimed to have Faith in\nBahá‘u'lláh fell away when they were tested. On the other hand, some\nwho thought themselves weak, proved to be heroes and martyrs. I pray that you\nwho have journeyed from America to visit the Holy Tomb may become as pure glass\nthrough which the Light of God may shine. Be firm! Be strong! We need to be\nstrongly tested in order to prove our Faith to ourselves and to the world.\nTests are always surrounding us. They are according to the greatness of the\nCause, just as the size of a wave is according to the sea upon which it\nrises.”\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Foreword",
"slug": "tendays-foreword",
"summary": "Before there were Bahá'í books, pamphlets, periodicals—before there were, properly speaking, Bahá'í administrative institutions; before ‘Abdu'l-Bahá made His historic voyage to America; before Shoghi Effendi transmitted to the English…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Shoghi Effendi",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"pilgrimage",
"the-covenant",
"family",
"holy-land",
"administration",
"consultation"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"faith",
"gentleness",
"gratitude",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 12,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nBefore there were Bahá'í books, pamphlets,\nperiodicals—before there were, properly speaking, Bahá'í\nadministrative institutions; before ‘Abdu'l-Bahá made His historic voyage\nto America; before Shoghi Effendi transmitted to the English speakers of the\nworld his own sensitive and authoritative translations of the Writings central\nto the Bahá'í Faith—there were Bahá'ís in America. On\nwhat spiritual food did they subsist? As soon as the announcement had been made\nat the World Parliament of Religions in 1893, concerning the spiritual sanctity\nof Bahá‘u'lláh, Americans began to explore the new Revelation. Some\nPersian Bahá'ís came from the Holy Land about that time to give\nlessons in the Bahá'í Faith in New York and Chicago. The first\npilgrimage to ‘Akká and Haifa, in 1898, was followed by a steady and ever\nincreasing stream of Americans intent on hearing the Faith expounded by\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá, Whom Bahá‘u'lláh had designated Center of the\nCovenant. The pilgrims, on their return to the United States and Canada,\nconveyed their ardor, enkindled at the feet of the Master, to their questing\ncompatriots. They did it by word of mouth, by private letter, by widely\ncirculated and continually copied and recopied letters, descriptions, journals,\nand accounts that went from hand to hand. Sometimes they published their little\nbooks and pamphlets; and, when the Bahá'í Publishing Society\n(predecessor of the present Bahá'í Publishing Trust) was established\nin 1902, these travelers' accounts constituted an important part of its\noutput.\nBut infinitely more important than such publications were the Tablets, or\nletters, that Abdu'l-Bahá sent to the North American pilgrims. He\nmaintained a continuous correspondence with the early believers, who welcomed\nthe Tablets and eagerly, reverently shared them with their friends—by the\nsame means, informal and formal, by which their personal experiences as\npilgrims had been shared. The Tablets were written in Persian and were\ntranslated into English either in the Holy Land or in America by Persian\nbelievers and teachers.\nOne of the translators of these Tablets was the Master's grandson, Shoghi\nEffendi, destined by Abdu'l-Bahá's Will and Testament to become the\nGuardian of the Cause of God. There came to be, even before Shoghi Effendi's\naccession to the Guardianship, a strong sense of the difference between\nofficial, authoritative expressions of the thoughts of Bahá‘u'lláh\nand Abdu'l-Bahá, on the one hand, and the informal reminiscences of\ntravelers, on the other—of travelers eager to capture the precious words\nuttered by the Master as He taught the pilgrims—for He always taught; at\ntea, at lunch, on walks, on expeditions of mercy to the poor, He taught by\ndeeds as well as words. Every minute of the pilgrims' day was a lesson,\nsometimes concealed to all but the truly sensitive, sometimes apparent to the\nleast gifted. Clearly, in the “pilgrims' notes” (as they came to be\ncalled) there was necessarily involved the fallibility of each pilgrim's memory\nand interpretive capacity. There was a danger that a sentence in a letter,\ndictated in response to a very particular question, might be generalized far\nbeyond the case to which it was addressed or that an oral lesson, adapted and\nfiltered by the needs of the hearer, become the basis of a doctrine that,\nemanating from Abdu'l-Bahá, would be seen as binding on all believers.\nPrecisely this had happened in Islám: the Traditions, or\nHadíth—that is, the sayings of Muhammad as reported by His\ndisciples—had come to represent, for the majority of Muslims, an\nauthority second only to that of the Qur'án itself.\nBahá‘u'lláh Himself had made it clear that, as Shoghi Effendi put\nit in a letter written on his behalf, “only those things that have been\nrevealed in the form of Tablets have a binding power over the friends. Hearsays\nmay be matters of interest but can in no way claim authority”\n(*Bahá'í News*, no. 125 [May 1939], 6). Shoghi Effendi was\nparticularly vigilant in such matters and repeatedly warned the friends against\naccepting hearsay as binding on anyone except him who had heard the Master with\nhis own ears. However that may be, what can be more thrilling, short of the\nimmediate experience, than hearing or reading the account in a pilgrim's own\nwords of his reception in the loving arms of the Master? Who can tire of the\ndescription of those penetrating eyes, that warm and merry laughter, the wise\nbrow, the wisps of hair escaping from the confining turban? Surely pilgrims'\nnotes are not binding on us; they cannot be adduced as proof of anything; they\ncannot provide the basis of a serious, critical analysis of Bahá'í\nteachings—though the temptation to use them so is sometimes nearly\nirresistible!—but the sense of Abdu'l-Bahá's presence, His\nquintessential courtesy, His tenderness, His occasional severity, His powers of\nintellect and concentration—all these are infinitely precious to\nBahá'ís, every one of whom is in love with the Master.\n\nIn spite of considerable effort of research, we know practically nothing\nabout the life of Julia M. Grundy. There are records of John M. Grundy, her\nhusband; O. Z. Whitehead, in his chapter on Mr. and Mrs. Howard MacNutt in *\nSome Early Bahá'ís of the West*, p. 36, mentions Mrs. Grundy as\nhaving been in their party of pilgrims in 1905—this is certainly the\npilgrimage of which the present book (published in 1907) is a record. She was\nlisted as a Bahá'í in Brooklyn, New York, as late as 1944. After\nthat, no further trace. Some reader of this re-edition is bound to know more,\nand we shall be grateful for any more information that may be sent to us.\nThis account of Julia Grundy's pilgrimage to ‘Akká tells us more about\nher than we would probably learn from external sources. *Ten Days in the\nLight of ‘Akká* gives us a glimpse into the life of the Holy Household\nand introduces us not only into the presence of the Center of the Covenant but\nalso into that of some other persons of lesser degree—but more of that\nlater.\nThe central object of this account—which appears to be daily notes\nonly slightly organized and barely rewritten for publication—is to enable\nthe pilgrim to share with fellow believers the lessons she heard from the lips\nof the Master Himself. At this point we must sound once again the customary\ncaveat: “Pilgrims' notes” convey, not the words of\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá, but the pilgrim's memory and understanding of those words.\nWe must, however, be permitted to inquire as to the degree of reliability of\nthese notes. Two indications appear that seem to confer on them a rather high\ndegree of accuracy.\nThe first has to do with the lack of evident discrimination in presenting\nthe lessons, whether of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá or some of the Persians (or Mr.\nMacNutt, for that matter) who happened to be at ‘Akká. Mrs. Grundy makes\nvery few observations of her own, contenting herself for the most part with a\nfew statements of fact: “‘Abdu'l-Bahá sent for me. I found Him in a\nlittle room opening from the courtyard. He was sitting upon a raised chair, His\nbeautiful face, majestic in repose and strength, turned toward the only window.\nHe greeted me joyfully. Both the daughters were present. He said….”\nYes, her admiration is expressed, but with sobriety and modesty. The sentences\nare short and direct, and except for the chapters “Visit to the\nTomb” and “Visit to the Ridván” the text consists\npreponderantly of direct quotations. Although the attributes of\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá—His beauty, kindness, and so on, are clearly marked,\nthere is no comment or judgment made concerning His words or any other\nspeaker's: the quotations stand on their own, without any attempt on the part\nof their self-effacing reporter to influence the reader.\nIt would probably be evident to one quite unacquainted with the principles\nof the Bahá'í Faith, solely on the basis of the lessons given by the\nseveral teachers, that there is a sensible difference between ‘Abdu'l-Bahá\nand all the rest, as to spirituality, intelligence, reason, and sense of\nstructure and rhetoric; and among the rest, there is a clear gradation, my\nperception of which I have no intention of imposing upon the reader. The fact\nthat those differences leap to the eye is a testimony to the objectivity of the\nreporter.\nAnother evidence of accuracy in reporting emerges from the substantively\nexact correspondence of Mrs. Grundy's version of the lessons of\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá with the authorized Writings of the Master that have been\npublished since her pilgrimage. Again, comparison with the other teachers\nserves to confirm the author's faithfulness to the text of the lessons spoken\nin her presence.\nHowever, there are several points of variance between Julia Grundy's\npilgrims' notes and what we know, from authorized Writings, to be either the\nhistorical truth of certain events or the doctrine revealed by the principal\nFigures of the Bahá'í Faith.\nFor example, the “Mother of the Household” tells (p. 85) the\nstory of a dream that Bahá‘u'lláh is supposed to have had when He was\nsix years old. His father, according to this version, consulted a dream\ninterpreter who explained visions “for the Kings.” If we refer to\n*The Dawn-Breakers*, p. 119, however, we learn that it was\nBahá‘u'lláh's father who had the dream—and there is no\nindication that the interpreter was attached to the royal court. A small but\nsubstantive discrepancy that shows the wisdom of Shoghi Effendi's warning\nagainst uncritical confidence in pilgrims' notes.\nAs to more theoretical—even theological—interpretation, here\nagain there are discrepancies between the discourses of the lesser teachers and\nthose of the Master. Mírzá Asadu'lláh comes very close to\nimplying that ‘Abdu'l-Bahá enjoys direct Revelation: “…His\nKnowledge has descended from the Invisible Source of Knowledge, and the Holy\nSpirit is speaking through Him” (p. 98). Yet ‘Abdu'l-Bahá, far from\never making such a claim, is quoted in this book as denying most emphatically\nthat He is the returned Christ, in spite of the strong wish of many of His\ndisciples to believe so (see pp. 36-37 in the chapter on “The\nManifestation”). Another indication of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá's appreciation\nboth of His secondary status compared to that of a Manifestation of God and of\nthe importance of that station as commanding the obedience of all who believe\nin the Covenant is clearly delineated in the chapter entitled “The Second\nComing.” On page 62 He establishes a multiple analogy: Moses : Joshua ::\nChrist : Peter :: Bahá‘u'lláh : ‘Abdu'l-Bahá, adding that this\nlast authorization of successorship was, unlike the previous one, written in\nthe Manifestation's “own Hand.” One should remark that this is not\nthe progressive revelation of the chain of Manifestations; the very different\nproportion John the Baptist : Christ :: the Báb : Bahá‘u'lláh is\nnot in question here. That is the difference between the successorship of\nMírzá Yahyá to the Báb, and the super-session of the\nBáb by Bahá‘u'lláh. Just as Joshua continues the Mosaic era, and\nPeter the Christian era, Subh-i-Azal was supposed to continue the\nBábí Dispensation; and, just as Christ superseded Moses, and\nMuhammad, Christ, so Bahá‘u'lláh has superseded the Báb.\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá, by comparing Himself to Joshua and to Peter, and in denying\nHis correspondence to Christ, clearly rules out for Himself the station of\nManifestation of God.\nIt is hard to read the lesson of Badí‘ulláh in the light of\nhindsight and to retain one's objectivity and thus judge Mrs. Grundy's. Our\nhindsight comes from having read Shoghi Effendi's God Passes By, where\nMírzá Badí‘ulláh and his brother Mírzá\nDíya‘u'lláh are identified as Covenant-breakers of the party of the\ninfamous Muhammad-‘Alí. The two brothers vacillated, returned to the\nBahá'í fold several times, and ultimately chose to rebel against the\nCovenant. Obviously, Badí‘ulláh was undergoing one of his episodes of\nrepentance, for he mentions Muhammad-‘Alí with evident disapproval (p.\n82). It is impossible to read these words today without at least suspecting\nBadí‘ulláh of hypocrisy.\nThe mention of Muhammad-‘Alí recalls to the reader that this pilgrimage\ntook place in a time of great trouble for the Bahá'ís. The sadness\nthat the nefarious activities of the Covenant-breakers occasioned the Master\nbreaks through from time to time in this account (pp. 50, 51), but for the most\npart He clearly makes of cheerfulness in adversity a law of conduct. With what\ncourage (and foresight!) He proclaims: “If all the world combined against\nMe, I would still possess this power, and all the world could not take it away\nfrom Me. I can fight with this weapon forever and will always be victorious. It\nis a sword which can never be dulled, a magazine that is always filled.”\nThis from the gentle, modest Servant of Bahá shows His other\nside—His firmness in the calm knowledge of His invincible station and of\nthe power that will always sustain Him.\nWhat do we learn about Julia Grundy? Here is the picture that emerges, for\nme at least, for I could be proven quite wrong by one who really knew her: She\nis modest, even fearful, but has the courage of faith. I have the distinct\nimpression that ‘Abdu'l-Bahá tried to inspire her with confidence. He\nsucceeded, at least to the extent that she could produce this book. She is\nearnest, perhaps lacking in humor; it is odd that she never mentions\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá's love of laughter, a characteristic other pilgrims rarely\nfail to observe.\nThat this preface threatens to become longer than the book indicates the\npower of these pilgrims' notes to stimulate curiosity, imagination, and\nthought, in spite of their modest mien. They constitute a personal, though not\nintimate, record and, at the same time, a document of considerable historical\nvalue. In them we hear the voice of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá through the mind and\nheart of a good and simple person and once again appreciate His ability to\nteach anyone right to the limit of his spiritual and intellectual capacity to\nlearn.\n\n*Howard Garey*\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "From BADÍ‘ULLÁH",
"slug": "tendays-from-badi-ullah",
"summary": "Badí‘ulláh came in during the afternoon. At first he seemed somewhat self-conscious, but in a little while the Power came over him and the Light shone in his face. Then he forgot self and spoke with fervor and eloquence. His theme was…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"martyrdom",
"persecution",
"prison",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"justice",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service",
"unity",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 7,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nBadí‘ulláh came in during the afternoon. At first he seemed\nsomewhat self-conscious, but in a little while the Power came over him and the\nLight shone in his face. Then he forgot self and spoke with fervor and\neloquence. His theme was “Love and Severance.” He said, “Cut\nyourself from the perishable things of this world. There is a beautiful Persian\nstory which tells of the love of Majnún and Laylí. It is mentioned by\nBahá‘u'lláh in the Tablet of the 'seven Valleys.'[7] Majnún was seen searching everywhere for Laylí\nafter she had passed into the Spirit world. The lover, although he knew his\nsearch was hopeless, continued to seek his beloved even by sifting sand through\nhis fingers, proving his devotion and worship. The story of this love teaches\nus that there is a deep hidden wisdom in our trials and disappointments, for\nthey prove the quality of our love and devotion to God. Like Majnún, we\nmust seek Him everywhere, we must seek Him continually. While seeking for his\nbeloved one dark night, Majnún was seen and pursued by a patrol. Just as\nhe was about being taken prisoner, Majnún climbed over a high wall and\njumped down into a garden, falling at the feet of his beloved Laylí, who\nhappened to be searching with a candle for a lost ring. When he found himself\nin her presence, he forgot his fears, offered a prayer of thanksgiving, and\nasked God to bless the patrol ho had pursued him. So it is in our search for\nGod. At first everything seems difficult. Trials and oppositions beset us on\nevery side. But when we find Him, in our love and confidence, we thank Him for\nall the difficulties and troubles we pass through. Our faith and peace have\nbeen perfected by our search for Him; our enjoyment of His Love is so much\ngreater for the obstacles which have beset us on the way. The Prophets and\nMessengers of God live their lives through storms of oppression and tempests of\nhatred and suffering. They are despised and rejected, imprisoned, tortured, and\nmartyred. If they did not love God and know to what a Paradise of Love this\nroad of thorns was leading them, they could not go on to the end. The soul is\nlike gold which must be tried in the fire and in the crucible before it is\nperfected and purified. In the crucible of His Love, all the base metal, all\nthe alloy is burned away and disappears, leaving only that which is precious\nand proof against all tests. Outside the soul are innumerable barriers,\nnumberless enemies, and hostile pursuers. By the Mercy of God we have been\npermitted to surmount these walls, escape from these pursuers, and fall at the\nfeet of our Beloved. Having found Him and His Love, we must be like our Beloved\nand love one another, even blessing our enemies and those who have persecuted\nus. All the Light and Love you have received in ‘Akká will illumine and\nuplift other souls in America if you love them. In our actions we reveal what\nthe tongue cannot speak. This is like putting a candle in a dark place so that\nthe light may reach many eyes and guide many souls. The real light of the soul\nshines forth to the world in our actions. The most important message for us to\ndeliver to the world is the message of Love. Through love we form\ncompanionship, and by uniting in spiritual companionship we attain power. When\nthis magic circle of love, unity, and power is established, our influence\nwidens, and the number of our friends will increase. The reality of Love is to\nlove others better than we love ourselves, to excel one another in service. To\ndo this, all ill feeling must be taken out of the heart. We must remove ill\nfeeling entirely from our dispositions. The Blessed Perfection said in one of\nHis Tablets that if He knew He had been the cause of sadness to any soul during\nthe day, He could not sleep until all that sadness had been taken away by Love.\nIf this love and companionship do not exist, our meeting together in the Cause\nof God is impossible and fruitless, for without Unity there is no\naccomplishment. God has said, 'Because I loved thee, therefore I created\nthee.'[8] The elements have been attracted toward\neach other, coerced as it were through affinity for each other. Therefore, in\ntheir mingling we witness growth and being. The existence of the physical and\nmental Kingdom is through the cohesion of these atoms, and this makes the Life\nof the Spiritual Kingdom possible. For the Spirit, although not of these atoms,\ncan only manifest Itself in the mental and physical, and it is by the Life of\nthe Spirit in us that the Eternal Life of God is transmitted to humanity. Why\ndo we Bahá'ís love one another? Because God wishes us to love the\ncreatures of God so that His Purpose may be accomplished in them and in us.\nThen we are the lover, and humanity is the beloved. Majnún and Laylí\ncould not be mated because they belonged to opposite and hostile tribes, just\nas Romeo and Juliet came from different families which bitterly hated each\nother. Finally, the love of Majnún grew so strong that he wandered away\ninto the wilderness where a dog crossed his path. Weeping, he stopped and\ncaressed the creature, for it had once belonged to Laylí. If the earthly\nlove was so strong in Majnún, how much stronger should our spiritual love\nbe for each other! In everything we must strive to find God. Our love for\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá must bring peace, harmony, and goodwill everywhere among\nourselves. The foundation of all existence is Love, and the foundation of Love\nis God. What would there be in this world without love? The Blessed Perfection\nsaid, 'The reason I have suffered all these tribulations is that Love should be\nestablished among the friends of God.' They asked Majnún, 'Why do you love\nthe earth?' 'Because it is dark like Laylí,' he replied. The lover of an\nearthly beloved is most unhappy and yet most interesting to us simply because\nhe loves. In the 'seven Valleys' the Blessed Perfection shows that some lovers\nof God must slowly traverse all seven stages of the road toward the Eternal\nBeloved, while others attain in one bound, in one step. Love is the true self\nof the soul, for God Himself is Love.”[9]\n“The sign of a true lover is that his heart must be in perfect accord\nwith his actions, or rather that his actions must speak the secrets of his\nheart. Events show that Muhammad-‘Alí has followed his own will and not\nthe Will of the Blessed Perfection. A true seeker must seek for the Reality.\nMay the Power of God grow so strong within you that the world will become\naflame with your words and all the people be enkindled with the Fire of the\nLove of God. What the Blessed Perfection has desired and announced will surely\ncome to pass. When Love is established in human hearts, war will cease and\nswords be made into plowshares. Then will Peace reign over all nations and\nkingdoms.”\nQuestion asked Badí‘ulláh: “Was there communication between\nthe Báb and Bahá‘u'lláh?” He answered, “Before the\nBáb was martyred, He directed that a large box of books and writings be\nsent to Bahá‘u'lláh. This was less than a year before His death. At\nthe age of twenty-five He declared Himself to be the 'Door' or 'Gate' to 'He\nWhom God will make manifest.' He announced Himself to be the Mediator between\nthis Promised One and the people of the world. It is said that for a short time\nThey were together, but this statement is without authority. I never heard\nBahá‘u'lláh say that He had seen the Báb. It is not historically\nestablished that They met, but the sending of the box is a fact of history.\nThere were many writings of the Báb in this box; treatises upon the\nQur'án, etc.; also a paper entitled 'Conjugations in the Name of\nAbhá' in which Bahá‘u'lláh is mentioned cabalistically and\notherwise three hundred and sixty times. The purpose of this was to announce\nthe 'Hidden One,' the 'Manifest One,' to the people and prepare them for His\nAppearance. 'Bahá' means 'Glorious Light' or 'Effulgent Splendor.' The\nBáb knew this was to be His Name when He appeared. He also knew and\nannounced the year of the Manifestation of Bahá‘u'lláh, who first\ndeclared Himself near Baghdád. Thereupon the Name Bahá‘u'lláh\ndescended upon Him.”\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "From THE Mother OF THE Household",
"slug": "tendays-from-the-mother-of-the-household",
"summary": "She said, “I regret indeed that I cannot speak your language. You also feel your need of Persian. Persian is most important in this Day as it is the language of the Word. We will understand each other perfectly in the spiritual world. A…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"martyrdom",
"teaching",
"consultation"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"justice",
"kindness",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nShe said, “I regret indeed that I cannot speak your language. You also\nfeel your need of Persian. Persian is most important in this Day as it is the\nlanguage of the Word. We will understand each other perfectly in the spiritual\nworld. A tradition of Muhammad says, 'Blessed is the one who sleeps one night\nin ‘Akká.' He also said, 'They who rest in ‘Akká shall be honored\neven though they know it not.' Again, 'Blessed is the one who has seen the One\nwho is in ‘Akká.' The eyes of the Muhammadans in ‘Akká are\nspiritually closed.”\nThen she read to us in Persian from the Tablet of\n“Ishráqát.”[10] She\ncontinued, “The House of Justice will be established. Men will watch over\nthis House day and night. The people will come to it for protection. They must\nobey its laws and be attentive to its commands. It will be the Sun of Wisdom,\nwhich will distribute Light to the politics of the whole world. The people of\nwealth, honor, and power must turn to Religion as the evident Light and firm\nfortress of humanity. Our duty is to be kind to everybody and avoid wrongdoing.\nThe Light of the world is Religion; without it we live in darkness. The Blessed\nPerfection commanded all the people of the world to establish Peace. The kings\nof the world must unite. They are the dawning-places and rising-places of the\nWill of God. To assist them we must strive to obey the Laws of God. The Wisdom\nof God is revealed in two Lights, the 'sun' and the 'Moon,' just as in the\nmaterial world. One, the 'Moon' is the consolation or the mercy to the world.\nThe other, the 'sun,' is the foundation upon which the world must build. What\nshall be our reward and punishment?—we ask. The victorious armies of God\nare made up of good deeds and actions. These are the soldiers of His Army. The\nCommander of the Army is Righteousness and Guidance toward God the True Helper.\nThe King must know his subjects and reward or punish them according to their\nmerits, so those who are dishonest servants may not receive what the good are\nrightly entitled to. So it is with those who come to ‘Akká.”\n“When the Blessed Perfection was six years of age, He had a vision. He\nsaw Himself fall into the sea. In the water His long hair became shining like\nthe sun and spread out around Him like a golden net. All the fishes, large and\nsmall, came swimming toward Him, holding to the strands of His hair. The fishes\ncame closer and closer, following Him as He swam through the waters, which were\nshining like the sun. The fishes were countless in number. When He awoke, He\ntold His vision to His father who was an important man of Persia. His father\nconsulted a wise man named ‘Abdu'l-Karím who interpreted visions for the\nkings. ‘Abdu'l-Karím said, 'Your son will be a great man. The water is\nKnowledge, and the fishes swimming about Him are the people of all nations who\nwill come to be taught by His Wisdom. He will be forced away and separated from\nearthly things and will reflect the Light of the Word of God.'”\n“Give the Message whenever you are called, even if it be in China.\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá has often prayed that His conditions might become more severe\nin order that His strength to meet them might be increased. This blessing has\nalways followed His prayer. In prayer we must seek for strength to meet\nconditions.”\n“The garment with which God will clothe you when you teach will be an\narmor of protection against all assault. The teachers in this Cause will be as\nplanets in the heavens, illuminating the great world of the West. Teaching is\nthe crown of action. This was the Crown Jesus bestowed upon His disciples. The\nBlessed Perfection said, 'When the Sun of My Beauty has set, be not disturbed\nnor troubled, for I will see you from the Highest Horizon and help those who\narise in My Cause.'”\n“All existence is in conformity with Divine Law. This Law is and must\nbe universal. It is a natural order and there can be no deviation in its\naction. Man must conform to Divine Law. That which is at variance with the\nTruth and Reality of God cannot stand against the action of Divine Will or Law.\nThe Law of God which punishes and destroys is at the same time Eternal Life to\nthose who obey It.”\n“It is necessary for the soul to prove the Message and reach a station\nof belief through its own power of judgment. Few can see at once. When the soul\nis firm and steadfast in its Faith, it instantly reflects the Light. Are many\nfirm in America? Even the greatest are sometimes weak, Peter for\ninstance.”\n“The Báb was a supremely holy soul. He went to school at the age\nof six. His teacher confessed that he could not teach Him—saying, 'He\nknows more than I do.' This same teacher was one of the Báb's most devoted\nfollowers and was afterward martyred.”\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "From THE Words OF ‘Abdu'L-BAHÁ",
"slug": "tendays-from-the-words-of-abdul-baha",
"summary": "“Moral life consists in the government of one's self. Immortality is government of a human soul by the Divine Will.” “The soul is the Sanctuary of God; Reason is His Throne.” “Our Actions reveal what we are, no matter what the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"martyrdom",
"prison",
"the-covenant",
"teaching",
"children",
"healing",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 18,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“Moral life consists in the government of one's self. Immortality is\ngovernment of a human soul by the Divine Will.”\n\n\n“The soul is the Sanctuary of God; Reason is His Throne.”\n\n\n“Our Actions reveal what we are, no matter what the tongue\nspeaks.”\n\n\n“Every drop of blood shed in the Cause of God will raise up one\nhundred believers.”\n\n“Martyrdom is the supreme test of belief. Great martyrs will arise in\nthis Cause in the years to come. A believer is sometimes called upon to suffer\na living martyrdom.”\n\n\n“Are miracles performed in this Day?” “Miracles are\nconstantly being performed in the material world about us, yet they make but\nlittle impression. Every Prophet has His own particular Mission and function.\nHe does not come merely to perform miracles. People do not trouble themselves\nabout the proof of miracles. The function of a physician is not to make a tree\ntalk.”\n\n\n“Be firm in the West! Let the foundation principles of this Truth\nbecome deep-rooted. Hold fast until the fullness of Reality comes to you.\nChrist's Teachings were established largely through the firmness of Paul. Many\ncalamities will befall the believers, but by loving the Cause of God, it will\nbe uplifted in human souls and the believers strengthened. Love one another.\nLive in Unity under the Tent of God. Firmness and Love make Unity. God will\nassist all who serve in this Cause.”\n\n\n“Spirit is universal. Man is created in a potential degree of Spirit.\nGrowth is from the mental station into the Spiritual, something like the\ndevelopment from soldier to Commander. God Himself cannot compel the soul to\nbecome spiritual. The exercise of a free human will is necessary. We can point\nthe way and furnish the example. We should do little things as well as great\nthings for the Love of God. We should love people because they are God's\ncreatures.”\n\n\n“Are the Manifestations sinless?” “Yes, there must be a\nstandard of perfection for human example.”\n\n\n“Are Manifestations limited?” “They are limited only by\nthe capacity of souls to whom They reveal the Word.”\n\n\n“What becomes of an undeveloped infant's soul?” “It rests\nwith the Mercy of God and through the Eternal Bounty it will not be deprived of\nthat Mercy.”\n\n\n“Will the Tablets and Utterances of Bahá‘u'lláh be added to\nour Bible?” “No, they are a distinct Revelation of God and will\nform a Book larger than our Bible.”\n\n\n“What will be the future of this Revelation?” “Know\nthis—that the Revelation of Bahá‘u'lláh is the Word of God.\nThere will not be a home which does not contain a believer. Look not at the\npresent. Turn your vision upon the future. All the books written concerning the\nHistory of this Revelation number about fifty volumes. “\n\n\n“Will the money of the rich ever be divided among the people without\nrevolution or bloodshed?”\n\n“Will some men amass great fortunes in the future while others remain\npoor?”\n\n“Will the law prevent this condition of affairs?”\n\n“It will not be possible in the future for men to amass great fortunes\nby the labor of others. The rich will willingly divide. They will come to this\ngradually, naturally, by their own volition. It will never be accomplished by\nwar and bloodshed. The ruling power or government cannot treat the rich\nunjustly. To force them to divide their wealth would be unjust. In the future,\nproportionately about three-quarters of the profits will go to the workmen and\none-quarter to the owner. This condition will prevail in about one century. It\nwill certainly come to pass.”\n\n\n“The Blessed Perfection has revealed a Tablet called 'Tablet of the\nSpiritual World.' All who read it are filled with an anxious desire to leave\nthis world and enter the next condition, so wonderful are the glories of the\nSpiritual Kingdom. In Persia, one man who read this Tablet killed himself. he\ncould not wait for the happiness it promised him. Another, a youth of\nIsfahán, could not stand the spiritual food contained in this Tablet, and\nlost his reason.”\n\n\n“I once lived in a cave on Mount Carmel. One day I went to the\nCarmelite Monastery and asked to see someone, saying I had a message to\ndeliver. They refused to see me or hear my message. I said, 'I will put it in\nwriting if you will read it.' They still refused, so I returned to ‘Akká\nin great sadness, walking the whole distance of nine miles.”\n\n\n“Everlasting Life is the Bounty of God. It is like the Sea of Reality.\nThe believers are the waves of that Sea, one great Sea and a thousand waves as\none. Again, Everlasting Life is like the rays of the Sun and the believers are\nwindows; the Sun which produces the Light is One and the same. Into these\nsoul-windows the same Light enters and various things within are illuminated.\nThe Kingdom is like a garden. The flowers differ in color and perfume, yet they\nreceive growth, beauty, and bounty from the one God and are developed by the\nsame Divine Breeze. Truth is like the Light which is always the same. The souls\nof Believers are as mirrors which reflect the Light. Truth is like the light of\na candle which does not vary, yet the candlestick which holds it may change.\nEach year the rose is the same beautiful flower although it appears in\ndifferent gardens.”\n\n\n“What will be the food of the future?” “Fruit and grains.\nThe time will come when meat will no longer be eaten. Medical science is only\nin its infancy, yet it has shown that our natural diet is that which grows out\nof the ground. The people will gradually develop up to the condition of this\nnatural food.”\n\n\n“There is no appointed length of life for man. Lengthen your life by\nliving according to God's spiritual laws. Then you will live forever. This is\nthe true longevity, the real life. The real life is eternal happiness and\nexistence in the Knowledge of God.”\n\n\n“Jesus was a dyer by trade. He also lived in Egypt 'Out of Egypt have\nI called My Son' (Matt. 2:15; Hos. 11:1) was spoken of Jesus. The\n5th Gospel which is considered noncanonical gave other history of\nJesus than is contained in the Gospels of the New Testament. There were fifty\ngospels, but only four were accepted as genuine by the priesthood.”\n\n\n“Spirit is the highest and supreme development of the soul. Soul is\nthe material or outer self—the Mind. Mind is the action of the Soul's\npowers. The Body is the physical covering or medium in which Mind acts and\nfunctions. At death everything but Spirit is destroyed and becomes\nextinct.”\n\n\n“The Prophets and Holy Men always went into the wilderness to pray.\nMany of them walked upon Mount Carmel and communed with God.”\n\n\n“True Religion has nothing to do with human imagination. God's Will is\nindependent of human opinion. Personal ideas and mere human prejudice are the\ngreat obstacles to spiritual growth. For instance, some difference of opinion\narises between two believers in God. Each expects the Lord to support his view\nof the question. The Word of God is perfect and arbitrary in Its perfection.\nWhen there is difference of view there is absence of the Spirit. The Word is\nthe only Standard of Truth. Discord and disagreement are impossible among those\nwho adhere to the Manifestation and sever themselves from human opinion. There\nare no 'heads' in this Cause; all are 'servants.'”\n\n\n“If all the world should combine to overthrow the Covenant, it could\nsnot succeed. ‘Abdu'l-Bahá loves all no matter how they turn away from\nHim. Whether they love or hate Him, go or come, He never changes in His love\nfor them. The Blessed Perfection has left nothing undone. What He ordained can\nnever be set aside.”\n\n\n“Everything in life ministers to our development. Our lesson is to\nstudy and learn. Money and difficulties are alike advantages to us. Tests are\neither stumbling blocks or stepping-stones, just as we make them.”\n\n\n“The Prophets of the Word could not sin. They possess the power and\nwill to violate the Will of God, but the desire to do so is never present in\nthem. Knowing the perfect fruit of Oneness, they have no inclination toward\nthat which is imperfect. Like beautiful flowers, they do not change in beauty\neven when surrounded by foul conditions.”\n\n“There are two kinds of suffering, one subtle, the other gross. The\nsubtle suffering is hatred, anger, fear, and torment which follow evil actions\nof the soul. The gross suffering is imprisonment, chastisement, and physical\npain of martyrdom.”\n\n\n“At the time of Muhammad, He sanctioned war for the preservation of\nthe lives of His followers. The laws of individual justice were confused and\npreliminary in the souls of men. Therefore, the law of general justice of the\ncommunity was revealed by this Prophet. He commanded His followers to carry the\nReligion of God by the sword. When a man is about to take poison, it is right\nto dash the cup from his hand even with extreme violence. It will inflict\ninjury but at the same time save his life. There must be a law to prevent the\nwolves from destroying the lambs at such a period of religious history. That is\nwhy the Shepherd sanctioned such vigorous protection for the sheep. Behind such\nlaws of a Manifestation there is always a supreme wisdom.”\n\n\nDuring dinner ‘Abdu'l-Bahá ate entirely with His fingers. After awhile\nHe said, “In the East there are many peoples who never use a knife or\nfork. To eat with their fingers is custom among them, just as the Western\nnations have their own peculiar customs. We must each view with respect the\ncustoms of the other. There is a kind of food which needs neither knife nor\nfork and of which every one may partake with perfect ease and benefit. It is\nthe food spiritual. This food brings life and stimulation instead of indolence\nand apathy. It brings peace and content to the one who partakes of it; the more\nfood, the more joy and peace. For the Spirit is always eager to furnish\nsustenance to the soul.”\n\n\n“Allusion cannot convey what Reality teaches. Christ said, 'What has\nhappened in the past will happen again in the future.' The reason of this is\nthat all things are under the operation of Divine Law which is the same today,\nyesterday, and forever. By this the spiritual eye may discern that which is\nauthentic in the Scriptures.”\n\n\n“Sow the seeds of love in the heart and not the seeds of hatred. The\nreflection in the glass proves whether we are laughing or frowning. By our\nactions we reveal what is growing in the heart. Actions are mirrors of the\nsoul.”\n\n\n“These are precious and wonderful days in ‘Akká. Each day is as a\nyear. Your visit cannot be measured merely by the length of time you have been\nhere. The real spiritual visit will be after you have gone. Some who remain but\none day go away filled and enkindled with the Spirit of God. They are like the\ndry wood which bursts into flame as soon as it touches the fire. So it is with\na lamp; the oil within it responds instantly to the fire and gives forth light.\nThe soul which possesses sight can see in a moment, while the blind never see.\nAn awakened soul is like a precious pearl in the midst of a load of pebbles\nwhich have but little value. To some it is given to hear and know the Message\nof Life in a short time, while others hear and receive nothing even though they\nmake a long stay in this holy place.”\n\n\n“We should not be occupied with our failings and weakness, but concern\nourselves about the Will of God so that It may flow through us, thereby healing\nthese human infirmities.”\n\n\n“Faith is not so much what we believe as what we carry out.”\n\n\n“In America you have only received a taste of the spiritual food which\nis to come to you. Some will arise to serve the Cause of God in your land who\nwill sacrifice themselves entirely. They will be given great power from God\nwhen they come forth to do His Will. Concentrate the soul upon God so that it\nmay become as a fountain pouring out the Water of Life to a thirsty world. Live\nup to the principles of Sacrifice. The world will then become as nothing and be\nwithout power to attract you away from God. Sacrifice your will to the Will of\nGod. The Kingdom is attained by the one who forgets self. Everything becomes\nyours by Renunciation of everything. A lion, wolf, and fox went hunting. They\ncaptured a wild ass, a gazelle, and a hare. The lion said to the wolf, 'Divide\nthe spoil.' The wolf said, 'That is easy; the ass for yourself, the gazelle for\nme, and the hare for the fox.' The lion bit off the wolf's head saying, 'You\nare not a good divider.' Then turning to the fox, he said, 'You divide!' The\nfox said, 'The ass, the gazelle, and the hare are yours!' The lion looking at\nhim, said, 'Because you have accounted yourself as nothing, you may take all\nthe prey.'”\n\n\n“The miracles of Christ were spiritual teachings, not\nliteral.”\n\n\n“What is true greatness in man?”\n\n“His spiritual attributes. No one can destroy his spiritual qualities;\nthey are from God.”\n\n\n“Tests are like fire which purifies.”\n\n\n“How will the masses be benefited by this Revelation?”\n\n“The Revelation of Bahá‘u'lláh contains all the great laws\nand principles of social government. The basis of God's perfect laws is love\nfor humanity and help for human needs. If all people followed this Revelation,\nthe masses would be immeasurably uplifted and the Cause of God glorified. This\ndevelopment of humanity will be gradual, not sudden. It will surely come to\npass; it is impossible to swim against the current of Niagara. Teaching the\nTruth is like building bridges by which humanity may cross over the current\nwhich threatens. The world must come to know the Word in Christ. How He was\nmocked, scorned, and laughed at, yet His mission was to uplift the very world\nwhich refused Him. Realization of this will bring tears to the eyes of those\nwho deny Him, cause them to grow silent and thoughtful. Christ is always\nChrist.”\n\n\n“What is the best way to benefit humanity?”\n\n“Guidance to God. What is dearer to man than life? So, therefore,\nleading a soul to Eternal Life is the greatest blessing and benefit you can\nbestow upon that soul.”\n\n\n“When does our responsibility cease in giving the Message?”\n\n“When we give the Message, we develop ourselves. Our own heart is\nopened when we teach the heart of the listener. The more we give, the more we\nget. Therefore, as this is the means of our own development we should never\ncease teaching. Our responsibility remains as long as we have a\nlistener.”\n\n\n“What is the best thing to do when met by a difficult\nquestion?”\n\n“A sincere worker in the Cause of God is always assisted by the Divine\nSpirit when such questions arise. The Truth will flow through you if you stand\nin the right attitude toward the Truth. In the Spiritual Station you will never\nbe without the Knowledge necessary to answer a question. With Spiritual food\nthe capacity to know increases with the will to serve.”\n\n\n“What is sacrifice?”\n\n“Giving up everything in the Cause of God and following His Will no\nmatter where it leads. We must not have desire for anything else but God. We\nmust entirely forget self. To be perfected we must give up everything in the\ncause of God, judgment, reason, will, everything. To hold back anything is to\nbe imperfect. The thing we hold most dear is the thing to give. This is real\nsacrifice.”\n\n“Upon which finger should the ring with the Greatest Name be\nworn?”\n\n“The right hand is the hand of honor. In the East, wearing it upon\nthis hand attracts attention and causes comment. But the real place to wear the\nGreatest Name is in the heart.”\n\n\n“What is prayer, attitude or word?”\n\n“Prayer is both attitude and word; it depends upon the soul-condition.\nIt is like a song; both words and music make the song. Sometimes the melody\nwill move us, sometimes the words.”\n\n\n“What will be the future of this Teaching?”\n\n“Know and realize the greatness of the Cause into which you have\nentered. Look not at the present. The day will come when there will not be a\nhouse which does not contain a believer in this Revelation. One Book or Tablet\nof the Blessed Perfection is more comprehensive than fifty volumes of the\nworld's greatest wisdom. The Books and Words of God have been sealed and the\nmeanings locked. All the sacred mysteries were sealed, but now\nBahá‘u'lláh has broken the seals, revealed the meanings, and we can\nunderstand the Realities.”\n\n\n“My greatest wish is to teach this Message.”\n\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá said, “I will pray God to assist you. It has often\nhappened that one who is not able to teach would be sent forth, and when the\ntime came, that one would be found powerful and eloquent. One man of this kind\nin the East has even written a book. Two Jewish children have written a\nbeautiful commentary proving the Cause of Christ, Muhammad, and the Blessed\nPerfection. Two unbelievers in the Center of the Covenant have recently\nreturned and are serving with zeal in the Vineyard of God.”\n\n“Belief in this Revelation is a priceless spiritual blessing. Just as\na child will give up a jewel of great price for a sugarplum, so men will\nexchange the Truth for a treasure of earth. The Báb said, 'One glance from\nthe Eye of Him Whom God shall Manifest is worth all the wealth of the world.'\nIn this one look we can attain life everlasting, resurrection from the dead,\nand the treasures of Heaven.”\n\n“The Revelation of Bahá‘u'lláh is not mere history; it is\nthe Voice and Will of God. If we guard the seed of Immortality, it will bring\nforth the tree of Eternal Life. This is the true realization of the\nManifestation's Coming. His Mission is accomplished when we enter the Spiritual\nKingdom and attain Immortality. God be praised! This is the Spiritual Sight.\nPeter perceived Christ when thousands of Jews saw Him not. Peter reached that\nStation at once. This Knowledge is the glance from the Eye of God. It is more\nprecious than all the wealth of the world.”\n\n\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá visited us in the afternoon. He said, “Speech is\nnecessary and good between soul and soul. Nothing of this world is eternal. The\nhighest longing and ambition of some people is to be a king or queen; but at\nthe last even the great ones of earth must perish. Even the earthly personality\nof Jesus has come and gone. Only by serving God do we attain everlasting Life.\nAll our fame and glory should be in service to Him. This will never perish.\nLive in the Cause of God; this is the Harmony of the Universe. Shine in the\nHorizon of His Will. Life is wasted if not spiritual. Be of the Spirit, not of\nthe body. The Light of the body is the eye. The eye of conscience stands\nbetween the power of knowledge and the spiritual world. Does your soul feel as\nsure of God as your eye is sure of Nature? 'Blessed are the pure in heart; they\nshall see God.' Once I was in prison under the ground and in chains, yet I was\nhappy because I was not deprived of spiritual sight. I tell you this so that\nwhen you hear of my troubles and difficulties in the future, you may know that\nI am spiritually happy. I am showing you the way of true happiness. By\ncomparing the future with the past you may understand, no matter what the\nfuture brings forth. Firmness is the beginning of spiritual happiness. Christ\nappeared in Palestine and was held in contempt because He was from Nazareth.\nOnly twelve believed in Him; one deserted Him. There were other believers, but\nthey were not strong. They were troubled with doubts and afterward fell away.\nMary Magdalene held steadfastly to Christ and made others firm. God will assist\nall who are firm in His Cause. Firmness is the beginning of spiritual\nhappiness.”\n\n\n“Spirituality is the possession of a good, pure heart. When the heart\nis pure, the Spirit enters, and our growth is natural and assured. Everyone is\nbetter informed of the condition of his own soul than the souls of others. Our\nresponsibility to God increases with our years.”\n\n\nThe “Government is upon the shoulder” of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá. He\nbears a burden of human griefs and troubles, yet helps all and is happy; for He\nhas cut Himself from the world.\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Heaven",
"slug": "tendays-heaven",
"summary": "“What is meant by 'Heaven' in the Bible?” “Christ said that nothing could ascend into Heaven except that which came down from Heaven. He also said, 'I came from Heaven and will return to Heaven,' and 'The Son of Man is in Heaven.' He…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“What is meant by 'Heaven' in the Bible?”\n“Christ said that nothing could ascend into Heaven except that which\ncame down from Heaven. He also said, 'I came from Heaven and will return to\nHeaven,' and 'The Son of Man is in Heaven.' He said this while still upon the\nearth and notwithstanding the fact that He had been born of Mary. There is no\ndoubt Christ came from Heaven and always was in Heaven, but when He spoke He\ndid not mean the literal sky. What then is meant by 'Heaven'? Science proves\nthat there is no heaven or sky, but all is limitless space and one universe. In\nthis limitless space the heavenly spheres revolve and have their orbits. But\nthe 'Heaven' of Christ is that invisible world which is beyond the sight and\ncomprehension of mere man. It is the spiritual condition. Therefore, the\n'Heaven' of Christ is the Will of God. The Sun of that Heaven will never set.\nIn it the Moon and Stars are always shining. It is the limitless Kingdom of\nGod. It is sanctified from all place. Christ is always there. There Elijah and\nthe Holy Prophets live eternally. It is sanctified from all comprehension. The\nJews were deprived because they could not understand this spiritual\ncondition.”\n“The 'heaven' of the material world is something else. It is the sky\noverhead in which the clouds move. This heaven is ‘up' to us and 'down' to\nthose upon the other side of the earth, while vice versa their material heaven\nis 'down' to us. In the Heavenly Book it is said that the 'stars will fall from\nheaven.' Where will they fall? Science proves that nearly all the stars are\nlarger than the earth. Where will they find room to fall?”\n“When the heart is pure and filled with the light of the Spirit, we\nwill know that we are in the true 'Heaven.' Christ came from Heaven, and still\nthe Jews are sleeping. The Kingdom of Heaven is within your soul. Let all\npeople see that you have the Light, that they may recognize something in you\nwhich they themselves do not possess.”\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Heavenly Sustenance",
"slug": "tendays-heavenly-sustenance",
"summary": "“God has favored us by bringing us together again at His Table. May His Mercy and Bounty make night as day and make the Day everlasting! For night and day are according to the motions of the earth, but, in relation to the sun, day and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“God has favored us by bringing us together again at His Table. May\nHis Mercy and Bounty make night as day and make the Day everlasting! For night\nand day are according to the motions of the earth, but, in relation to the sun,\nday and night do not exist. To the sun, day is everlasting. If we could ascend\nto its station in the heavens, there would be no night because there would be\nno horizon. The earthly things have an existence, though they must perish. All\ncreatures have this same existence; all created things must die. The wise man\nsees them as perished. But that which belongs to the Divine Kingdom of Heaven\nis everlasting. The souls of those who are awake and mindful will take heed\nunto this and turn to the Everlasting Kingdom before it is too late. The\noutward and perishable is but the sign of the inward and imperishable. How many\ncelebrated people have come and gone since Christ lived! How many kings and\nprinces, famous men, and men considered wonderful for their learning have\narisen and passed away! No sign of them remains, no result, therefore no\nexistence. But those humble, meek, and unimportant men who partook of the Cup\nof Christ's Teachings shine forever in the Spiritual Horizon, although they\nwere looked upon as having no knowledge. That which is of the Divine Kingdom is\neverlasting; that which belongs to the kingdom of the world will fade away and\nperish.”\n“The Word of God is Love. It has gathered us together to partake of\nmaterial and spiritual food.” He then asked if we were\n“happy.” Speaking to the servant of the Household He said,\n“Why do you bring them food? They do not partake of it.” I\nanswered, “We are so filled with Heavenly Food that other food is not\nnecessary.” Then He continued, “Many of the people are heedless of\nthis Great Day. We are the blessed ones who Know and are acquainted with its\nwonderful significances. Why are they sleeping while you have been awakened?\nYou have attained while they are deprived because they will not see. The reason\nof this is mentioned in the Bible—'Many are called, but few are chosen.'\nThis is from the Bounty of God. His Mercy has descended upon us although we are\nnot worthy.”\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "IN THE Household",
"slug": "tendays-in-the-household",
"summary": "We looked again at the faces of the Blessed Perfection and the Báb in the inner room. In the Blessed Perfection is the composite of all the Power sand Love of the universe. The eyes seemed to scrutinize the very depths of my soul. In…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"martyrdom",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWe looked again at the faces of the Blessed Perfection and the Báb in\nthe inner room. In the Blessed Perfection is the composite of all the Power\nsand Love of the universe. The eyes seemed to scrutinize the very depths of my\nsoul. In that Face shines the greatness and majesty of all the Prophets and\nHeavenly Messengers. It is the Face of a Manifestation of God. Mercy and Love\nsurround it like a halo. Its Beauty encircles the whole world.\nThe servants of the Household give their services willingly, so they may be\nnear ‘Abdu'l-Bahá. One of them is Sakínih Sultán, whose husband\nwas a martyr. It was her husband's mother who said, “What I have given to\nGod I will not take back,” throwing the head of her decapitated child at\nher persecutors when they brought her the ghastly trophy. Sakínih\nSultán and her daughter both serve in the Household in love and devotion.\nShe said to me, “May the Light of God always descend upon you! May your\nsoul be a pure mirror always reflecting God! Pray for me!” She is indeed\na glorified soul, a conqueror through Love.\nThe ladies of the Household showed us how to cook the Persian pilau. They\ngave us many gifts and presents, everything haloed with words of love.\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Introduction",
"slug": "tendays-introduction",
"summary": "I realize that the doors of a new Life are opening within me and that I have been awakened as if from a sleep. Now it seems that never again can I go back to the life which is so trivial, unsatisfying, and without eternal purpose. It is…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nI realize that the doors of a new Life are opening within me and that I have\nbeen awakened as if from a sleep. Now it seems that never again can I go back\nto the life which is so trivial, unsatisfying, and without eternal purpose.\nIt is a supreme pleasure to live in an atmosphere which is all Light. Here I\nsee about me those who have already laid hold upon Immortality, and viewing\nthem I realize that I too am a child of the Kingdom.\nI met ‘Abdu'l-Bahá shortly after our arrival in the Household. He said,\n“Blessed are you that the Word of God has reached you and found your soul\nawake. Blessed it is that the East and the West have met in the Kingdom of God\nas Christ prophesied.” I said, “It is a heavenly privilege to know\nthe Truth and become a child of the Kingdom.” He replied, “I hope\nto meet you in the Spiritual Kingdom.” I said, “That will be my\nwish and desire.” He answered, “I will pray for you.”\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "He Loved Them All: 'Abdu'l-Bahá on Loving Difficult People",
"slug": "tendays-love-difficult-people",
"summary": "In Julia Grundy's pilgrim notes from 'Akká in 1905, the Master takes up the practical question every believer must eventually face: how do you love the person who is unpleasant, ungrateful, or actively hostile? His answer points to Christ as the standard, and to the tree as the model.",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Julia M. Grundy",
"Christ"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"love",
"teaching",
"difficult-people",
"service"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"patience",
"mercy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 2,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"publisher": "Bahai Publishing Society",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nJulia Grundy's small 1907 book *Ten Days in the Light of 'Akká*\npreserves, among many table-talks, an answer the Master gave to\na question every Bahá'í who has been long in any community\neventually has to ask: how is one to love the person who is\nunpleasant, who has hurt one, who continues to make oneself\ndifficult to love?\n\nGrundy records the conversation. The Master did not, as His\nAmerican visitor might have half-expected, soften the question.\nHe took it as it was. He made one observation, simply.\n\n> See how the enemies of Christ persecuted and crucified Him —\n> yet He loved them all.\n\nThat was the standard. Christ on the cross — the most extreme\ncase of personal hostility a holy figure has ever endured —\nprayed for the forgiveness of those who were killing Him. He did\nnot, in the moment, accuse them. He did not even, in the\nmoment, withdraw His love. *Father, forgive them, for they know\nnot what they do.*\n\nThe Master's point was that this is not a special, isolated\nheroic act. This is the standard for the believer. To follow\nChrist — and to follow Bahá'u'lláh after Him — is to extend\nlove to the people who, by every ordinary measure, do not\ndeserve it. The persecutor, the gossip, the unjust judge, the\nformer friend who has turned away, the family member whose\nchoices have wounded the household, the religious neighbour who\nhas misrepresented the Faith — all these stand under the same\nspiritual rule. They are to be loved.\n\nThe Master then offered an image to make the discipline\nintuitive. Grundy preserves it.\n\nThe believer, He said, should think of himself as a fruit tree.\nA tree does not select the person to whom it offers its fruit.\nIt simply produces the fruit and lets it fall. The thirsty man\nwho passes is given. The suspicious man who passes is given. The\nneighbour the tree might in human terms have preferred not to\nfeed is, in fact, fed. The tree's purpose is the bearing and the\ngiving; the moral classification of the person who eats is not\nthe tree's responsibility.\n\nHumanity's purpose, in 'Abdu'l-Bahá's reading, is the same. We\nare made to be expressers of God's love. The love we extend is\nnot earned by the recipient. It is the simple consequence of our\nown nature when our nature is functioning as it was made to\nfunction. Where the love is withheld — where the tree has begun\nto judge whom to feed — something in the tree itself has gone\nwrong.\n\nGrundy carried the lesson home. She would later write that the\nafternoon's conversation had reordered the way she met the\nperson she had previously found hardest in her own circle. The\ndiscipline the Master had described — *Christ on the cross; the\nfruit tree* — had become a small daily test against which her\nordinary affections could be measured.\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (Bahai Publishing Society, 1907). Public domain pilgrim's notes; archived at bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Love",
"slug": "tendays-love",
"summary": "“How can we love another whose personality is unpleasant?” “See how the enemies of Christ persecuted and crucified Him, yet He loved them all. Man is like a tree. The tree lives to produce fruit. The fruit of man is love. It is easy for…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"persecution",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“How can we love another whose personality is unpleasant?”\n“See how the enemies of Christ persecuted and crucified Him, yet He\nloved them all. Man is like a tree. The tree lives to produce fruit. The fruit\nof man is love. It is easy for us to love a friend or even an animal, but how\ndifficult to love one who is without attraction. Yet if the Love of God is\nshining in our hearts, we, like Christ, may see that Love reflected in every\npersonality, and love all alike.”\n“What is the difference between universal and individual\nlove?”\n“We must love all humanity as the children of God. Even if they kill\nus, we must die with love for them. It is not possible for us to love everybody\nwith a personal love, but we must love all humanity alike. Man is capable of\nattaining a supreme station. Through the manifestation of Love God created Man.\nTo attain a supreme station man must reflect the Love of God.”\n“There are many stages or kinds of Love. In the beginning God, through\nHis Love, created man. Man is the highest product of His Love, and the purpose\nof man's existence is to reflect this Love of God in his soul. But man in his\negotism and love of self turns away from his Creator and thereby prevents the\naccomplishment of the Divine Plan. The Manifestations appear to show man the\nway to God through Love. By them, man is brought to the condition of severance\nfrom his egotism and being absorbed into the Ocean of Love Divine. The three\nstages of Love are therefore:\n1st—God's Love for man.\n2nd—Man's love for self.\n3rd—Man's love for God.”\n“There is a profound, a Divine Wisdom in Love. The Light of God shines\nin the eyes when the heart is pure. The home of Religion is the\nheart.”\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Mount Carmel AND Syria",
"slug": "tendays-mount-carmel-and-syria",
"summary": "“The history of Mount Carmel is holy history. A spiritual atmosphere surrounds this 'Mountain of God.' Elijah and Jesus spent part of their precious lives upon it. ‘Abdu'l-Bahá loves Mount Carmel and has often visited it, sometimes…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"teaching",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“The history of Mount Carmel is holy history. A spiritual atmosphere\nsurrounds this 'Mountain of God.' Elijah and Jesus spent part of their precious\nlives upon it. ‘Abdu'l-Bahá loves Mount Carmel and has often visited it,\nsometimes staying overnight in caves which overlook the sea, in prayer and\ncommunion with God. Syria is the center of the world. The extent and variety of\nits resources, its wonderful fertility and natural advantages will make its\nfuture history extraordinary. Its possibilities of development are unlimited.\nIt is the focus of interest in world history, the site of the Old and New\nJerusalem. Mount Carmel will be a Mountain of Knowledge, Peace, and Protection\nin the future—the vineyard of God. We will not live to see this in the\nbody but will view it spiritually. Mount Carmel will someday be covered with\ngreat universities and colleges of learning. Then the poor will enjoy the\nhighest advantages from the establishment here of free institutions of\neducation.”\n“This is the Holy Land from whence all the Prophets and Holy Men came.\nNo country in the world has such a bright light of Religion. The Light of God\nhas always shone upon the world from this land, and the Religion of God has had\nits Source and Revelation here. It is wonderful even in its physical\nconformation. The Phoenicians came from here. Their great civilizations spread\nfrom Syria. Abraham came to this land. Here His Teaching became known. The King\nof Salem, Melchizedek, came from this land. All the Prophets had their missions\nhere.”\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Obedience",
"slug": "tendays-obedience",
"summary": "“Today we will speak about Obedience! The Manifestation of God is a perfect example of real obedience. Like Him, we must sacrifice everything; every plan, every longing and ideal must be given up completely to the Will of God. We must…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"the-covenant",
"teaching",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"justice",
"love",
"service",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“Today we will speak about Obedience! The Manifestation of God is a\nperfect example of real obedience. Like Him, we must sacrifice everything;\nevery plan, every longing and ideal must be given up completely to the Will of\nGod. We must look to God for all we desire, all we attain. The Will of God must\noutwork Its Purposes in us. Our human will must be laid down in sacrifice and\nlove. ‘Abdu'l-Bahá has given everything in sacrifice and obedience to the\nWill of God. I am only His Servant, nothing more. All our soul-powers, our\noutward self, our inward self must be consecrated to God in service and\nsacrifice. Even life must be given if necessary. If we have not reached this\nstation of nothingness, we have not attained to real obedience to the Will of\nGod. A pupil must submit entirely to the will of the teacher. This is true\nSacrifice—true Obedience.”\n“Real obedience and real sacrifice are identical—absolute\nreadiness to follow and perform whatever you are called upon to do in the Cause\nof God. When you really love God, you will be willing to sacrifice everything\nand submit yourself entirely to His Will. Consecrate yourself wholly to Him.\nHis Will is everything, His service paramount. If they were to burn Me, kill or\ntorture Me—no matter what affliction may descend upon Me, I shall welcome\nit as one welcomes pleasure. These are precious moments in ‘Akká, so\nprecious we wish they might never end. How is the Bahá'í Faith\nprogressing in America? After you return, the believers will be in a much\nstronger and better condition. But this cannot be unless they see and know he\nWill and Desire of God. I have no wish but His Will. His Will is\nAbdu'l-Bahá. If each human creature had his own will and way, spiritual\ndevelopment would be impossible. The soldiers in an army are under the will and\ncontrol of one commander; therefore, they are united and can press on to\nvictory. If each soldier carried out his own inclination and desire, there\nwould be just that many different intentions and nothing would be accomplished.\nOne thousand soldiers under the control of a commander can overthrow and defeat\nany number of disorganized troops. Without a directing will all would be\nconquered and defeated. Be sure, therefore, that if the believers are not\nunited in the Will of God they will not be assisted. This is especially\nnecessary because all of them are under the Tent of the Covenant in this\nRevelation. There is strength only in unity. Under one Tent there is union and\nharmony. The Covenant of God in this Day of Manifestation is a Lifeboat, an Ark\nof Salvation. All true followers of the Blessed Perfection are sheltered and\nprotected in this Ark. Whoever leaves it, trusting in his own will and\nstrength, will drown and be destroyed. For the Blessed Perfection left no\npossibility for discord, disagreement, and dissension. The Covenant is like the\nsea, and the believers are as the fishes in the sea. If a fish leaves the\nwater, it cannot live. There is nothing to equal, nothing so effective as the\nCovenant of God to bring about and continue Unity. Christ said to Peter, 'Thou\nart the rock upon which I will build My church.' Therefore, all the disciples\nfollowed Peter, and there was no dissension among them. The Blessed Perfection\nwrote a Testament or Covenant with His Own Pen so that no one who obeys it will\ndeny or disobey God. This point is expressed very clearly in the Covenant He\nrevealed. Therefore, there can be no possibility, no position of disobedience.\nHe knew that Muhammad-‘Alí would disobey the Covenant. By violating the\nCovenant he has become a fallen branch. The Covenant was also written by\nMuhammad-‘Alí's own hand from dictation of the Blessed Perfection who knew\nhe would disobey. What cause of union could be greater than the Covenant God\nhas revealed through His Manifestation Bahá‘u'lláh? Many of those who\nfollowed Muhammad-‘Alí are coming back. After the departure of\nBahá‘u'lláh all the beautiful blossoms upon the Tree of Life were\ndestroyed by Muhammad-‘Alí and must now be grown again by the Love of\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá. The work and mission of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá are very great. No\none could express the grief which followed the turning away from the Covenant\nby Muhammad-‘Alí. We should be thankful that the Blessed Perfection,\nforeseeing this action, ordained a Center of the Covenant through which, by\nallegiance and love, we may protect and preserve the Revelation of\nGod.”\n\n\nAt the time Muhammad-‘Alí denied the Covenant and occasioned so much\ngrief and suffering, the perfect calmness and spiritual strength of the Holy\nLeaf were most remarkable. The Blessed Perfection devotedly loved\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá, and when He appeared, His expression would change from\ngravity to one of great happiness and joy. Before His Ascension, the Blessed\nPerfection, realizing the trouble Muhammad-‘Alí would bring about, would\nsay, “*Becheveh Áqá!*” (“O to be pitied\nMaster!”)[4]\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "You Are Always Here in Spirit: Julia Grundy's Last Audience",
"slug": "tendays-private-audience-grundy",
"summary": "In *Ten Days in the Light of 'Akká* Julia Grundy preserves a private audience with 'Abdu'l-Bahá near the end of her 1905 pilgrimage. He spoke with her about her spiritual progress, told her she would become a source of guidance to others, and consoled her with a promise that has carried many pilgrims home: *you will never be absent now.*",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Julia M. Grundy"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"period": "'Akká",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9281,
"lng": 35.082,
"modernName": "'Akká, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrimage",
"encounter",
"consolation",
"guidance"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"hope",
"devotion"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 1,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"publisher": "Bahai Publishing Society",
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nJulia M. Grundy was an early American believer who made pilgrimage\nto ‘Akká in 1905. She kept careful notes; on her return she\narranged them into the small book *Ten Days in the Light of ‘Akká,*\nwhich the Bahai Publishing Society of Chicago brought out in 1907\nand which has carried generations of readers into the household of\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá.\n\nAmong the most-loved scenes in the book is Grundy’s account of a\nprivate audience near the end of her stay. She had been summoned\nto a small room opening from the courtyard of the prison-house.\n\n> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent for me. I found Him in a little room opening\n> from the courtyard. He was sitting upon a raised chair, His\n> beautiful face, majestic in repose and strength, turned toward\n> the only window.\n\nThe conversation was brief but it ranged. The Master spoke of\nGod’s bounty as a sea that knows no limit; He encouraged Grundy\nto seek spiritual knowledge as more enduring than worldly\nattachment; He said something that, like other small private\nsentences spoken to other pilgrims in those years, would shape the\nrest of her life:\n\n> You are near to God, and day by day you will progress by the\n> knowledge of God toward spiritual joy. Then you will be a source\n> of guidance to others.\n\nShe had, she wrote, no idea what to make of so generous a\npromise.\n\nThe end of the audience was the harder part. Grundy did not want\nto leave. She had been ten days inside a household whose like she\nhad never imagined, and she could not see how she would carry\neven a fragment of it back into her American life. The Master,\nsensing it, gave her the sentence many pilgrims have repeated since:\n\n> You are always here in spirit; you will never be absent now.\n\nShe rose. She went out into the courtyard. She returned home, in\ndue time, to America. The notebook in her hand became, eventually,\na small book that has not gone out of print in a hundred and\nnineteen years. She had been, after all, made into a source of\nguidance.\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (Bahai Publishing Society, 1907). Public domain pilgrim's notes; archived at bahai-library.com.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Return OF THE Spirit",
"slug": "tendays-return-of-the-spirit",
"summary": "\"In the Book of Íqán we can read the Word of God concerning the true Reincarnation, which is the Return of the Spiritual Qualities in the Servants of God.[3] In the Gospel it is written that they asked John the Baptist if he was Elijah…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"teaching",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n\"In the Book of Íqán we can read the Word of God concerning the\ntrue Reincarnation, which is the Return of the Spiritual Qualities in the\nServants of God.[3] In the Gospel it is written that\nthey asked John the Baptist if he was Elijah and that he answered plainly, 'I\nam not.' Elijah appeared long before Jesus. When the Christ came, He was veiled\nin a cloud from the eyes of the Jews. A voice came out of the cloud saying,\n'This is my Beloved Son.' Clouds and darkness gradually obscure all the former\nManifestations. Although they are promised and expected, they are refused\nduring their earthly life on account of the spiritual blindness of the people.\nElijah came but was not recognized in John. It was not the person or entity of\nElijah but his perfection and qualities which John embodied. The flowers of\nlast year will come again this year. We can say they have returned—not the\nactual substance of the former flowers, but their color, perfume, and\nperfection have returned. Some are awaiting the coming of Christ in the clouds\nof heaven. He has already come in the heart if you believe, while those who do\nnot believe in the Revelation of Bahá‘u'lláh cannot see Him on\naccount of clouds and veils. Many people are going out of the churches\ndissatisfied with religious teaching. It is because they do not see\nspiritually.\"\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Soul AND Spirit",
"slug": "tendays-soul-and-spirit",
"summary": "(*Compiled from ‘Abdu'l-Bahá's Teachings*) Soul is the human will to live temporally. Spirit is the Divine Will to live forever. Salvation is the quickening of soul into Spirit. All souls are alike in essence or quality as created.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"mercy",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n(*Compiled from ‘Abdu'l-Bahá's Teachings*)\n\nSoul is the human will to live temporally.\nSpirit is the Divine Will to live forever.\nSalvation is the quickening of soul into Spirit.\nAll souls are alike in essence or quality as created. Owing to environment,\nsoul-needs differ; rich and poor, wise and ignorant, etc. Environment has its\ndark side and its light side. Development has its good aspects and bad aspects.\nSin is the absence of Righteousness. Righteousness is doing the Will of God.\nAll souls have a free will to choose or refuse the Will of God. Each soul has\nits station of individuality in which it may develop itself, but a soul cannot\nleave its own station for another station or individuality. Man accomplishes\nhis true growth when the soul develops in its own station. His station does not\nchange; simply his capacity for knowing God is increased and developed.\nKnowledge of God is the only spiritual development. The Power of the\nManifestations of God is beyond question inasmuch as human development\ninvariably follows their Teachings. This development is unmistakably toward a\nhigher existence. Every Manifestation teaches the Existence of God. As their\nPower is evident their Knowledge must likewise be true. The soul can prove the\nExistence of God through its intellectual powers, but the true perception of\nGod is through the spiritual eye of the soul. This Knowledge transcends mere\nmental proof; it is spiritual Sight; it is Vision. The atheist has intelligence\nof the mere mind. His words denying the existence of God are in reality\nevidence that God exists. The atheist's real station of development is not ours\nto judge or estimate. Spirit is Oneness of vision and Knowledge. The mind has\nmany attributes or powers. The Spirit is Conscious Perception. When all the\npowers of the soul work together and are concentrated upon God, the soul has\nits highest employment. Spirit is like the Sun, the Source of all Light, alone\nin Its Station. The mind or soul has many lights, as the stars. The mind or\nsoul manifests itself throughout the whole body in perfect harmony. The Spirit\nor Spirit of God manifests Itself throughout the whole body of the universe and\nis in perfect harmony wherever manifest. A wicked soul is the only thing out of\nharmony in the universe. As it does not come into the flow of the Divine Will,\nit is not of the Spirit. This failure of the soul has led man to believe that\nGod will give the wicked soul another opportunity by allowing it to return in\nanother body and atone for its failure. There is no proof of this outside or\ninside the Holy Book of Scriptures. Whatever is the destiny of the wicked soul\nin the hereafter, we know that its development rests with the Mercy of God. A\nwicked soul, lacking development, is nonexistent spiritually, just as in the\nstation of the tree, the stone is nonexistent because the stone lacks the\npowers and development of the tree. Therefore, a soul which continues in a\ncondition of non-development through violating the Will of God suffers\nextinction and is spiritually nonexistent. The fields and flowers of the\nSpiritual Realm are pointed out to us by the Manifestations who walk amid their\nglories. It remains for the soul of man to follow them in these paths of\neternal life, through the exercise of its own human will.\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Spiritual Development",
"slug": "tendays-spiritual-development",
"summary": "‘Abdu'l-Bahá sent for me. I found Him in a little room opening from the courtyard. He was sitting upon a raised chair, His beautiful face, majestic in repose and strength, turned toward the only window. He greeted me joyfully. Both the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"women",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"patience",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 9,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá sent for me. I found Him in a little room opening from the\ncourtyard. He was sitting upon a raised chair, His beautiful face, majestic in\nrepose and strength, turned toward the only window. He greeted me joyfully.\nBoth the daughters were present. He said, “I want you to carry away from\n‘Akká the joy and peace of the spiritual life.” I answered,\n“It would be impossible for me to be in this atmosphere of Spirit as I\nhave been and not receive wonderful benefit.” He continued, “God is\nlike the calm and limitless sea. His Bounty is overflowing and illimitable. In\nour physical selves we are like the animals; yet in some ways the animals are\neven higher than men—they are more restful and composed—more\ntrustful and reliant upon the Bounty of God—more in the flow of His Will.\nThe birds of Mount Carmel are His creatures. They can fly to the highest\nbranches of the trees and build their nests. From the treetops the bird can\nenjoy the beautiful view of sea and mountain by its power of sight. All this\nbeauty exists for us as well. The Love of God, the Beauty of God is everywhere\nand exists for man if he will but rise to spiritual heights, open his spiritual\nvision, and behold it. Is the king free as the bird is free to fly upward? The\nking's head is often heavy with anxiety and the things of this world which hold\nhim down. The true pleasure and happiness depend upon the spiritual perception\nand enjoyment. The powers of mind are the bounties of God given to man to lead\nhim toward spiritual happiness. The highest grace in man is to love God. Love\nof God, Knowledge of God is the greatest, the only real happiness, because it\nis Nearness to God. This is the Kingdom of God. To love God is to know Him. To\nknow Him is to enter His Kingdom and be near Him. This is what I desire for\nyou—that you may walk in this path.”\nI answered, “Now that you have shown me the way, I wish to walk in\nthis heavenly path.” He said, “You are near to God, and day by day\nyou will progress by the knowledge of God toward spiritual joy. Then you will\nbe a source of guidance to others. In you they will now behold another person;\nin fact, everybody will witness the change in your life. You must develop\nspiritual love in yourself and in them. Physical love is very different from\nspiritual love. To awaken spiritual love in others is to attain peace and joy\nfor yourself.”\nI said, “I wish to teach this Message of Light and Truth, but I feel\nthat my efforts are small and unimportant.” He answered, “The\nmountain is large, but it has no intelligence. The diamond is small, but it is\nfilled with light. The elephant produces no melody; the nightingale's song is\nlike the music of Heaven. I will pray that you may become the recipient of the\nBounties of God. You will be filled with power because the Spirit will speak\nthrough you. You must not bring unhappiness to others. In the future sacrifice\nyourself more and more in the Cause of God. Then the Love of God will grow and\ngrow in your heart.” I told Him my regret in leaving the Household where\neverything is in such peace and harmony. He said, “You are always here in\nspirit; you will never be absent now.”\nI asked, “What shall I say to those who state that they are satisfied\nwith Christianity and do not need this present Manifestation?” He\nanswered, “Let them alone. What would they do if a former king had\nreigned and a new king was now seated upon the throne? They must acknowledge\nthe new king, or they are not true subjects of the Kingdom. Last year there was\na springtime. Can a man say, 'I do not need a new springtime this\nyear—the old springtime is enough for me'? No! the new spring must come\nto fill the earth with beauty and brightness. The sun rose this morning. Shall\nwe say to the sun, 'Go away! We do not need you this morning; you were here\nyesterday'? If we strive to upbuild this Cause with faith and love in our\nhearts, it will overpower all the science, philosophy, and metaphysics of this\nDay. I Myself am surprised at the wonderful things that are happening. The Word\nof God shows such power and penetration that all will be surprised and\nastonished at Its advance.”\nI said, “I will pray to be assisted and strengthened.” He\nreplied, “God will help you in this.” Then He continued, “Do\neverything in your power to help the poor and needy. Serve God in this way. The\npoor are the trust of God. Give the Message to every listening soul. Give them\nwhatever they can take of it. In Persia there was a man who could not read or\nwrite, yet he was the cause of guidance to many great men in this Truth by his\npure love of God. If you will turn to God, He will turn to you and assist you.\nHe will make you eloquent. He will make you irresistible by His Wisdom. The\ntongue speaks from the heart, and if you are sincere, God will speak for you.\nHelp and assist others to see this Truth as you do. Be their guide and helper.\nThis Message is vital to young and old. In it the young must make more progress\nand bring forth more fruit than the old, just as young and vigorous trees yield\nthe most fruit to the gardener. Christ said, 'Ye shall know the tree by its\nfruits,' meaning whether the fruits be good or bad, much or little. Those who\nare born of the Spirit have all the Divine qualities of growth. Without these\nqualities they are nothing but mere men and women; they are not spiritually\nalive; they are without the power of growth. Christ said they were 'dead.' Let\nall your thoughts be upon this so that the believers and others will know that\nyou have the Spiritual Spring within your soul and have attained a newness of\nlife. This is complete happiness, the only Peace. After awhile you will realize\nthat you have been in the Presence of the Blessed Perfection. You are always in\nthe Presence of God. Open the windows of your soul so *His* Presence may\nbe within you.”\n“Souls differ in their capacity to receive and manifest the Light of\nthe Spirit. The Blessed Perfection said, 'There are as many ways to God as the\nbreaths of His Human creatures.' Each soul must develop cording to its\nindividual capacity. Peter differed from John, Paul from Barnabas, yet all of\nthem were filled with the Light of the Spirit of Christ. Therefore, it follows that as each soul has its own possibility of development, it is\nnecessary for each soul to stand alone before God. No one can stand for you in\nthe Presence of God in the 'Last Day.' As the soul grows, its capacity\nincreases. Capacity is the measure of development. Love is the evidence of\ncapacity. When we love humanity as God loves us, we have reached the perfect\nstation. Eternal Life is then ours, and this mortal world can give us nothing\nmore. Do good each day, if only by speaking a kind word. Knowledge of God is\nattained through Desire and Patience. We must knock at the Door of Truth and\nseek God with earnestness. Ignorance is as much our natural condition as\nKnowledge is our condition of Development. A good conscience is the divinity\nwithin us that needs to be awakened and which shapes our eternal destiny. All\nsouls come into this world through the Bounty of God and have equal right of\nDevelopment. The soul is affected by its hereditary qualities, but no matter\nwhat its condition, it never loses the possibility of being quickened by the\nFire of the Spirit of God. One brain may work quicker than another; one soul\nmay acquire intelligence easier than another; but the power and presence of the\nSpirit does not depend upon mental capacity. The disciples of Christ were\nhumble fishermen, while the learned Pharisees failed to see Him. The soul or\nmental intelligence awakes in the mother's womb. Spirit enters when the\nconscience is quickened and the soul awakes to eternal Realities. Jesus said,\n'The true worship is to worship God in Spirit and in Truth; for such worshipers\nas these the Spirit seeketh.' Therefore, as all souls have capacity for\nenkindlement by the Spirit and as we may all be assisted by Its Divine Power,\nwe must *will* to receive it.”\n“Some behold in a seed only a hard black substance, while others see\nin it the life principle, a tree, leaves, and fruit. The true believer in\nBahá‘u'lláh brings forth leaves and fruit, proving that the life\nprinciple within him has been awakened and quickened. People are not sure of\nthis being the Reality and complete Truth. It is bound to be true if we see\nspiritual growth in souls from the Blessed Perfection's planting. Christ spake\nthe parable of 'the seed.' The seed contained the Truth. Some of the seed was\nwasted He said—and some that grew up was choked by human teachings. For\ninstance, by associating with people who do not believe in God the growth of\nthe Spirit is stopped. When we find believers in this condition, we should\nstrive to get them into different surroundings and under better influences.\nThey need a physician. The most needy are the ones to help first. The 'poor are\nalways with us,' Christ said, meaning those who are without the Teachings of\nthe Word. They are our charge and responsibility. During the Greek-Turkish war\nthe condition of the Turkish soldiers was frightful. The people appointed a\nCommission to raise money for their relief. Many contributed for a while, but\nfinally nobody but Myself gave to help them. The soldiers complained that they\nwere receiving less and less assistance. The Governor replied to them that all\nthey were getting came from the hand of ‘Abbás Effendi and that all other\ndonations had ceased. The soldiers showed no gratitude for what they were\nreceiving but on the contrary complained bitterly against their benefactors.\nJust so we cry out to God, 'have mercy upon us,' when God is the only Giver of\nBounty to us. War is a grievous calamity. It begins and ends in disaster. A\nmother has a beautiful boy filled with every grace and promise. He develops\ninto manhood, goes to war, and in an instant all his possibilities sand\nusefulness are cut off.”\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Spiritual Relationship",
"slug": "tendays-spiritual-relationship",
"summary": "At dinner a violent rainstorm swept in from the sea. “May we all live in the Sea of Reality and be filled with the Love of God. Thank God we are in the Ark of the Covenant. See what great blessings God has showered upon us. How many…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"the-covenant",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nAt dinner a violent rainstorm swept in from the sea.\n“May we all live in the Sea of Reality and be filled with the Love of\nGod. Thank God we are in the Ark of the Covenant. See what great blessings God\nhas showered upon us. How many people of Persia looked upon the Blessed\nPerfection, yet they do not know as you know. You have reached this station,\nwhile they are deprived. There are two kinds of relationship—Physical and\nSpiritual. The highest and greatest is the Spiritual. The physical is of no\nimportance. It is very good to possess both in each other.”\n“God be praised! At this table we are joined in Spiritual\nRelationship. We are all of one family because we are under the Shadow of the\nBlessed Perfection. Look at the earth. Of itself it is worthless, yet it can\nreflect the light and heat of the sun. Clouds gather, the rains descend, and\nthe earth becomes fruitful. In the same way the Spirit of God gives life to the\nsoul of man, and the Breeze of God awakens the soul from its sleep. Peter was\nonly a catcher of fishes, yet his attainment was very great. Ananias, the High\nPriest, was much greater in the eyes of the world, yet he was deprived while\nPeter received the Bounty of God.”\n“Spiritual Relationship is the true Family-hood of God's children. The\nBáb had many relatives. He particularly wished that His mother should\nbelieve in this Revelation and attain. Christ said that His mother Mary was not\nof His Relationship, also that those were His brothers and sisters who were in\nthe Kingdom of God.”\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Talks From MÍRZÁ Asadu'LLÁH",
"slug": "tendays-talks-from-mirza-asadullah",
"summary": "“Persian is the language of the Word because Bahá‘u'lláh revealed Himself in it. God be praised that you have come to ‘Akká! Mr. M. is a teacher. It is well that he has come to ‘Abdu'l-Bahá. As a pupil he should come to learn how…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"teaching",
"children",
"holy-day",
"recognition",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"generosity",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 24,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“Persian is the language of the Word because Bahá‘u'lláh\nrevealed Himself in it. God be praised that you have come to ‘Akká! Mr. M.\nis a teacher. It is well that he has come to ‘Abdu'l-Bahá. As a pupil he\nshould come to learn how ‘Abdu'l-Bahá teaches. This Revelation is like\nbeautiful writing which the teacher sets forth as an example for the devoted\npupils to copy. It is from God. All who teach must come to learn in order that\nthey may give forth Truth to others. Christ's Teachings came forth after His\nAscension. He was the example. By washing the feet of His disciples, He taught\nthem the lesson of Servitude and Love. He set forth His qualities, and they\nfollowed Him. Every day of your stay in ‘Akká will be as a year. This will\nbe evident to you after you have returned to America.' Here\nAsadu'lláh remained silent, not speaking for a long time. Then we asked\nhim to talk. He said, ‘It is not difficult for me to talk; that is my\nwork. Why is it so? Because I look upon the universe for my knowledge, whereas\nthe teachings of science and philosophy are from books, and books are faulty.\nThe whole world is my book. Therefore, it is no trouble for me to talk, for I\nsimply speak of what I see in this great volume. It would tire my eyes to read\nthe books of science, weary my brain to repeat and remember all they say. When\nI read the Book of the Universe, I read the essence of all books. All the\nprophets of God read this Book and were taught in this way. Those who love true\nknowledge know in this manner. When a Prophet appeared bringing a new Message\nof Truth, He was considered crazy. The Prophets are able to speak from\ndifferent standpoints because their knowledge is from God and not from books.\nWhere are the books of men? They perish and are destroyed. The Book of God is\neverlasting, imperishable. Messages from God are as points of beginning. They\nare Sources of Light and Knowledge.”\n“In the Persian alphabet you will find points or dots which change and\nform the letters. These letters form words, the words make sentences, and the\nsentences express thoughts. For instance, beginning with the letter ‘Alif' or\n‘A'; then ‘Alif Bay' or ‘Ab'; and so on by addition of other letters and words\nuntil the meaning is conveyed. In the first point, in Alif, the meaning was\nhidden, waiting to be revealed. This meaning was not penned until the book and\nits sentences were formed with Alif as a source or first point. So it is with\nthe seed and flower. The flower is in the seed and comes from it at maturity.\nThus words gather together, make a chapter, and the chapters form a book. The\nProphets from the Point of Oneness with God composed a Holy Book. The world is\na book. It proceeds from the Point of Oneness. The Báb said, 'I am the\npoint of the Book of the World.'”\n“All things are good if we see aright. A flower is beautiful; we\ndesire to smell it and possess it. When we see something ugly, we wish to get\naway from it. Once we possess something good, it is always beautiful.\nTherefore, Truth and Righteousness are forever beautiful. The Prophets came\ninto the world as living examples so the people might acquire their good\nqualities and perfections. The Ridván is not in its full beauty at this\nseason of the year; but when its flowers are in bloom, when you breathe their\nmany and varied fragrances which fill the air in summer, when you look upon\ntheir lovely, glorious faces—you are made happy—all your senses are\ndelighted. Your nostrils are saluted by the heavenly odors, your eyes are\ngreeted by matchless colors, you taste delicious fruits, you hear the sweet\nsong of the birds. All this beauty is for your benefit, intended to make you\nhappy. Then why not praise God for the beauty of the garden in which everything\npraises God! But if you go to another place which does not contain these\nbeauties, you wish to hurry away immediately, for instance, a swamp infested\nwith gnats and mosquitoes. This is only natural. Thus it is with the people of\nGod who show forth the Beauty and Graces of God in their attitude toward\nhumanity. We long to be with them. We love the beauty of their good qualities.\nThey refresh our spiritual senses. We are filled with their beauty. They are\nthe flowers and fruits in the Garden of Abhá, Ridván of the Blessed\nPerfection.”\n“Now I will tell you something about an orange. It will encourage you\nas a teacher in this Truth. For each one you teach will be the means of leading\ntwenty others into the same pure Light. Out of one seed, by planting, you may\nproduce one thousand oranges, the outcome increasing in greater and greater\nproportion. So it is with the Word of God. A teacher drops a seed. The one he\nteaches another, and in the end the outcome of your planting will be one\nthousand believers. If this increase is certain in the vegetable kingdom, how\nmuch higher and greater the result in the kingdom of men!”\n“Just as the description of ‘Akká by one who has lived here is\ndifferent from your own impressions as you drive through these streets and\nactually see for yourself, so it is with the real disciples of\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá. Without knowing the question asked Him, I gather from what\nHe says the attitude of the seeker. His words cover every phase of a question.\nA perfect discourse must meet and fill everybody's requirements. To teach\naright one must wander through the wilderness of human ideas as I have done.\nThen you will learn the secret of teaching by meeting all sorts of people and\ndiscussing and answering every kind of question. No one loves to teach more\nthan I do with my own tongue. But the Truth and Reality of Interpretation must\nbe given according to the form of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá's Teaching. The one desire\nof a teacher should be to reflect the Truth as a mirror. On the face of the\nlistener, the teacher should see what is needed and desired so that he may give\nforth that which will confirm, strengthen, and develop the one taught. That is\nto say, there is a key of knowledge which will unlock any door and enable us to\nenter with the Message of Truth. This may sound difficult, but it is easy to\nprove if you possess it. You must lead the seeker into the right road, then\nprogress is straight ahead. In Chicago I taught many ladies. I will now give\nyou a beautiful lesson, for you are a comparatively new believer, a new child\nin the Kingdom of Al-Abhá. Human hearts are like mirrors, and their Light\nis the Knowledge of God. If the Light should be dim, the mirror cannot reflect\nthe Knowledge of God. But the Light of God is never dim. We can always depend\nupon its standard purity and power. Depend upon the Light, and it will always\nincrease in power and illumination for you. The great need is to keep the\nmirror polished and clean and its face always turned toward the Light. When the\nmirror is pure, you will have perfect knowledge, full power, and true Light.\nThe more Faith one has in the heart, the more the mirror is kept turned toward\nGod and the more fixed the soul becomes upon God. The greater the firmness, the\ngreater the understanding. Then the greater the Peace, and so on. If you do not\ngrow after you see the Light shining from your words, it is your own neglect\nand failure. The Spirit of man is the cradle of the Lord. In it there comes the\nnew birth, the new being which is to live forever. If you teach but a few\nsouls, you have attained to spiritual greatness. From each one you will gain a\nhundred spiritual children. You are in the Kingdom. Gratitude and love will\nguide them to you. You will be like a lamp. The souls you have illumed have\nbeen lighted from your flame. You will be the focus of the rays, the center\nfrom which they come. Christ taught Peter. Peter planted the seed, and a\nthousand souls arose in the Kingdom of Christ. The Blessed Perfection would\nteach one soul, and from that one a multitude would be raised up. When the\nheart is pure, it will be guided and directed in the Truth, and power to teach\nwill be given to you.”\n“Sometimes in America I had no one to translate for me. To speak in\nthe language of Love we must have an instrument through which that Love may\nmanifest itself. Love lives in the heart, even if one tries to hide it and is\nunwilling to speak it forth. Love in the heart becomes evident and speaks in\nour actions. For instance, suppose I have a strong desire to perform some\naction. Can I do it without the hand to carry out my desire? It is through\nactions that qualities and attributes express themselves. The rose is revealed\nthrough its color, perfume, and outer beauty. Knowledge is our greatest\npossession, but we cannot give it to others without speech or writing. If we do\nnot express it in this way, it remains hidden and unrevealed. Take for instance\na quality like mercy or generosity. If we do not use the tongue and bring forth\nthese attributes, they are hidden, concealed. Therefore, all the human and\ndivine qualities become visible through the powers God has given to man and\nthrough the Powers God Himself possesses. The tongue, the eyes, the ears are\nnecessary to perfect man and enable him to express Reality. God created man\nwith the intention that man should perfect his powers. If we did not possess\nthese qualities and the powers to express them, we could not reflect the Work\nof God. God has said through His Manifestation, 'I have created man, and\nthrough man My likeness is revealed.' Man can, therefore, attain a very high\nstation by reflecting the attributes of God. This power of expression is the\nSpirit.”\n“Independence is man's greatest gift. The knowledge of good and evil\nmakes us responsible. Otherwise, we would be as the angels who are the\nmessengers of Divine Purpose. So it came to pass that man was made of the dust\nand from the earth he should appear and be developed into a high station. This\nis reflected everywhere in creation. The eyes, ears, all the body of man\nevidence this high purpose.”\n“A child's knowledge does not depend upon the size of a child but upon\nthe capacity of its mind. A mountain is very large, but it does not possess\nunderstanding. A bird is small by comparison, but it has life and the power of\nflight which the mountain has not. Do not look at your own inability and\nshortcomings when you wish to teach this Truth. Look at the Power and Bounty of\nGod, which are limitless. When man looks at himself, the view is hopeless\nbecause he sees no ability and capacity in himself alone. But when he looks at\nthe Bounty of God, he is encouraged, strengthened, and feels that nothing is\ntoo great for his accomplishment. The birds which fly above Mount Carmel can\nreach the upper regions of the atmosphere, inhale the breezes of life, and view\nthe beauty which the creatures below cannot enjoy. These are the relative\npositions of the Manifestations of God and humanity. All the fields of the\nearth with their grains and seeds are for the sustenance of the bird, wherein\nhe gains his food without sowing or planting. These things are provided by God.\nIn the same way man has reasonable sustenance and plea sure, for God's Bounties\nof Love are in man. God wishes that man should enjoy these Bounties, but while\ndoing so, fly into the upper regions of the Spirit. There is one Standard, One\nWho is perfect, One, the Manifestation of God. He is infallible; others are\nnot. Absolute obedience to Him is necessary. The Judgment of God is His\nManifestation. The soul must be as a perfect reed so that the Breath of the\nSpirit may blow through it pure and free. Truth is like a lake of pure, living\nwater. Our thirst for it should be conscious of nothing but that water. The\ngreatness of a man depends upon his soul development, upon his drinking from\nthe Waters of Truth. The Manifestation, the Blessed Perfection is a lake. He is\nTruth.”\n“The earth said to the sea, 'I am more excellent than you!' The sea\nreplied, 'In what respect art thou more excellent?' The earth answered,\n'Because the Blessed Perfection lived and walked upon me!' Who can understand\nthis? None but those in whom the Eye of the Spirit is opened. In a Tablet,\nBahá‘u'lláh says that He understood the language of the waves, trees,\nbirds, and all living things. How much happier are we who understand the\nBlessed Perfection than those who do not. He knew the Secrets of all living\nthings, looked within their mysteries and perfections. In the Day of the\nResurrection all of the prophets speak, and this is the language of the Spirit.\nOnly those who are awakened by the Divine Trumpet can hear and understand. To\nthose who are not awakened there is no Resurrection. When we go to sleep, we\nclose our windows and lapse into unconsciousness. The morning brings a new day.\nWe awaken, return to consciousness, and open our windows. Then the light and\nillumination enter. When a man is really asleep and his soul inactive, we may\nsay the tenant of the house is not occupying the house and that the soul is not\nliving there. But an active soul is awake and occupying its house. The Universe\nis a vast House, and He Who lives in it is God. Before the Appearance of the\nBlessed Perfection it was as if the Owner of the Universe was asleep. When\nBahá‘u'lláh came, He opened the windows of the Universal Spirit; a\nNew Day dawned, and Light poured down upon us from Heaven. All things reflected\nthis New Light of the Morning. Arts, Sciences, and all human intelligence was\nfilled with new illumination. The power of the Sun produced new Life\neverywhere. The earth thus awakened was vivified and filled with new energy.\nThis is the Light which appears in the human lamp at the time of the Coming of\na Manifestation. Progress, development, and civilization must inevitably\nfollow, just as all mankind receives benefit from a new invention or discovery.\nThat is to say all the world awakened when He awakes. When a man is asleep,\nThey awake with him. Many people of the world have been awakened by the New\nDaylight, but they do not know from whence it came, nor can they tell you what\nthey are in search of. They simply know that a Light has come and disturbed\ntheir slumber. So they are filled with uncertainty and unhappiness while\nseeking. When they meet the Light of the New Day of God, it is like a man\nhaving thoughts and hearing statements he does not understand the meaning of.\nYou from America have been awakened by the New Day; you have heard the Call of\nGod. You are alive and the Spirit vibrates within you. To give you a more\nhomely illustration: When dinner is served, all in the house will gather in one\nroom to partake of and enjoy the food. A bell is rung to summon us. The Voice\nof Bahá‘u'lláh is a Bell in the center of the Universe, sounding the\nDivine Call to the Heavenly Table where the Feast is spread. Knowledge of these\nthings is like collecting precious stones. After you have secured them, do not\nthrow them away but preserve them in your Heavenly Crown.”\n“Do the Manifestations retain their individuality in the next\nworld?”\n“Man is composed of three elemental conditions—the physical, the\nmental or rational, and the spiritual or potential. The physical begins and\nends here, the mental or rational begins here, and in our true development has\nno ending. The Spiritual or potential depends upon our will to know God. When\nwe become quickened with the Knowledge of the Will of God, we can say we have\nalways existed and will never cease to exist because His Will is from\neverlasting to everlasting. These three conditions of man are from the Bounty\nof God and His Gift. All Life is from the Word, which is from the Manifestation\nof His Will. Spirit is born and unifies with Spirit by the power of the Word.\nSpirit is the perfected man and is eternal. The Manifestations are Spirit.\nChrist is in Moses. All the Manifestations have their own mental identity; but\nall are one in the Spiritual. Therefore, as the mental in man's true\ndevelopment has no ending, and as the Spiritual which is the Will of God is\neternal, the identity of the Manifestations must continue in the Supreme\nHorizon. They exist in their own stations forever and eternal.”\n“The Blessed Perfection may be likened to a Lamp which illuminates the\nUniverse. For instance, suppose three people are in a room, each seeking an\nanswer to a different question. Although these questions involve different\npoints, the Light of the Blessed Perfection will illumine all of them and\nreveal the answers. So from Him we enjoy the fruit which ripens and grows\nbecause the rain has come down upon the earth. Therefore, we see by the Light\nwhich shines from the Mirror of the Blessed Perfection. He reflects the Light\nto the soul, and the soul forthwith has vision. Through Him also we grow to\nunderstand each other and to know what is in the minds around us. All souls\nhave some oil which will produce illumination. All souls will bear fruit. We\nmust strive to understand them and recognize what they possess. By studying the\nWord of God and teaching it, we will develop this power of penetrating other\nsouls. ‘Abdu'l-Bahá does not ask questions. Each of us in His presence may\nhave a different thought or idea upon the subject He is explaining, but before\nHe finishes, all our ideas will be met, all our questions answered. When a soul\ndisplays evil qualities, we are depressed, disappointed, and wish to turn away\nimmediately. On the other hand, we seek to associate with one who manifests\ngood qualities. The Coming of the Blessed Perfection was to teach us to absorb\nHis knowledge and show forth His Bounty, in order that we may be joined\ntogether in Unity and Love by becoming like Him. His Word is Unity. His\nPerfection is Oneness. This is our goal. This is our standard of perfect\nattainment. The Blessed Perfection revealed a Tablet in which it is said, ‘A\nwicked man asked, ‘What is Paradise?' We answered, ‘Paradise\nis where I live; Hell is where you abide amid disease and horror.' 'The\neffect of a Manifestation is to drive out all that is evil in the soul and\nreplace the natural growth of virtues, just as Jesus went about casting out\ndevils. An evil soul is like a stony field in which the seeds of beautiful\nflowers have been planted but no growth has followed. God created man perfect\nin powers and possibilities. Therefore, by reflecting the good qualities of God\nthe soul will witness this heavenly growth in itself and find rest and peace in\nthe knowledge of His Will concerning us. A good man manifests the qualities of\nHeaven, a bad man those of Hell. Heaven is upon the earth because these good\nqualities are witnessed here and now in our lives, Heaven is not above us\noverhead. The condition of perfect happiness is found when we are beside\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá. There you are in Heaven. When the heart is pure you cannot\nhelp being happy. A good soul is like a beautiful rose. Not only do you enjoy\nits beauty but inhale its fragrance and are delighted with every good quality\nit manifests.”\n“In each Word of God there are many meanings, many interpretations.\nThese interpretations vary according to the spiritual vision of the teacher.\nThe interpretation of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá is always the greatest and most\ncomplete. Why? Because His Knowledge has descended from the Invisible Source of\nKnowledge, and the Holy Spirit is speaking through Him. Therefore, He has all\nthe meanings. When a teacher wishes to explain the Word of God, he does not\nconfine himself to one kind of demonstration but uses many according to the\ncapacity of the listener. The interpretation of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá is always the\ntrue form and the best example to follow. He often gives us a spiritual meaning\nand then follows with a material one showing the harmony which exists in the\napplication of the Truth of God. For instance, we go into a factory. One goes\nthis way, and another that way among the machinery, and when we come out we\nhave various explanations and viewpoints to describe what we have seen.\nAgain—for instance, in the seed, there are many potentialities hidden,\nand we may speak of whichever one we please. The rain and sunshine produce many\nbeautiful colors and fragrances in the flowers. So the Teachings of God and the\nLove of God produce spiritual flowers of all kinds within us according to our\npotentialities. The eye sees the rose; the nose smells its fragrance. There are\nmany ways of sensing the same object. Similarly, we can spiritually enjoy the\nbeauty and fragrance of the heavenly growth in our own souls and in the souls\nof others. The senses act in harmony, all wishing to express to us in their own\nway and language the beauty of the rose. Everything has speech; everything has\na language of eloquence and expression. I come into your room. You greet me by\nword and look. I read the same greeting in this vase of flowers upon your\ntable. My ears listen to the greeting, my eyes witness it, my nose inhales it.\nThe tongue explains. The real speaker is the tongue. For when I enter the room,\nI have something beautiful to tell you—something the ears never listened\nto before. Man is the real tongue of the universe, intended by the Creator to\nexpress God and set forth His Beauty and Love. The Blessed Perfection embodied\nall the language of existence. All the Knowledge was poured into that one Cup\nfrom which ‘Abdu'l-Bahá drank. The Prophets of God had veiled this\nKnowledge, sealed the Wine of Inner Significances. ‘Abdu'l-Bahá drained\nthis Cup. We must drink from His Teachings. The Blessed Perfection said that\nthe ocean spoke in its own language, saying, 'O God! O God! My Beloved!' The\nBlessed Perfection understood the language of the ocean. He heard heaven and\nearth telling the Glory of God. To know as He knew we must understand this\nLanguage of the Spirit. The Prophets, knowing it, were able to speak to all\npeople in their own language, no matter if Jews, Muhammadans, or\nChristians.”\nMírzá Asadu'lláh came to see us again in the afternoon. We\nmentioned the red anemone which carpets the mountains and fields of Palestine\nat this season of the year. He said, ‘Little by little the flowers will\nbe coming. The red anemone, called 'shaqáyiq' and pronounced 'shaqa-yeq'\nby the Persians, is the forerunner of spring. The Lebanons east of Akká,\nwhere the Blessed Perfection frequently walked, are covered with these\nbeautiful, crimson-hearted flowers.”\n“The more you see of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá, the more you will realize the\ninexhaustible fountain of Knowledge within Him. He is the 'Bazaar' of God,\nwhere everything humanity needs may be found without money and without price.\nIn Him there is always something new to learn and possess, always some new\nthought in His words and explanations. What you receive from Him is measured by\nyour capacity. The possessions of God are limitless, whereas man's possessions\nare limited even though they be vast and many in number. So man must always\nfall back upon human treasures which are old and mostly worn out. Creation\nnever repeats itself. Truth is one, yet its expressions are innumerable; and no\ntwo things are alike in the Kingdom of God. The Prophets are representations or\nManifestations of Truth. Truth is fixed, unalterable, whereas everything human\nis changing and unstable. From death to life and from life to death, man comes,\nman goes, never fixed, never permanent. Human life is a point in a circle. If\nyou whirl a burning stick around, it makes a circle of fire. Man is a point in\nthe circle of life. He always comes back to the starting point in a process\nwhich is perpetual. Every day he is born anew; every day he dies. The past\nnever returns. The future comes toward us inevitably. Childhood cannot\ncontinue; youth cannot be ours again. The Law of Time is inexorable. With God\nthere is but One Reality. There is but One Primal Truth. Teachings may differ,\nbut the meaning remains fixed, everlasting. The Prophets renew the Word of God,\nwhich has been defiled by human interpretation. God has a new splendor every\nday. We see evidence of this in ‘Abdu'l-Bahá. No one can understand the\nreal Essence of Truth. When we look at a rose, we can understand its form and\ncolor but cannot penetrate the Essence of Truth which lies back of its\ncreation. Who can surround and know God? This is a proof that the Prophets\ncannot be known in their fullness and completeness, for they come to express\nGod to us. How can a human mind encircle God and His Knowledge? When we look\ninto a mirror, we see only a part or representation of the Reality Itself. The\nBlessed Perfection has often said in His Tablets that no matter how high the\nmind may soar it cannot comprehend God. That which is in a lower station cannot\nunderstand the station above it. For instance, the vegetable kingdom cannot\ncomprehend the station of the animal; the animal cannot know man; and so on.\nMan progresses perpetually toward the Kingdom of Spirit, which is God and which\nis everlasting. Therefore, as the human mind cannot encircle a Kingdom which is\neverlasting, we cannot completely know the Prophets who appear from that\nKingdom. They have infinite Knowledge, for like the tides of the sea there is\nlimitless volume and force back of them. Therefore, we recognize the\nManifestations by their perfections and Divine qualities, but we cannot know\nthem unless we rise to their Station.”\n“All human accomplishment is mortal; the Divine Will alone is\nimmortal. Man is composed of a mortal body and an indestructible Spirit. Good\nqualities are Divine perfections reflected in man. The Prophets come to this\nworld to show us the way to Immortality. Good qualities evidence their light;\nbad qualities are as darkness. When man feels the Divine Spark within him,\nthese godly graces appear as light in his actions. God is eternal.\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá's Teachings aim to develop these heavenly qualities in us so\nthat we may become eternal and immortal. The soil of the soul must be made\nready for the seed and its development; then the fruit appears. As the seed\nincreases tenfold, so both good and bad qualities bring forth a corresponding\nincrease. The Reality of Spirit cannot be completely understood. We can simply\nknow It through Its attributes and good qualities.”\n“The Prophets each had an individual mode of expression. In the outer\nlanguage of their teaching we must understand their terminology in order to\ncomprehend their utterance. Moses had His characteristic mode of expression;\nJesus spoke in parables; Muhammad spoke as if God were speaking. The Prophets\nare like clouds; the Word of God in them is the rain which brings forth fruit\nfrom a parched and thirsty world. All the Prophets are alike in essence and\nmeaning, and all of them are the children of the Blessed Perfection.”\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE Heavenly Springtime",
"slug": "tendays-the-heavenly-springtime",
"summary": "“Soon it will be the time of Spring. Already the signs of the flowers may be seen upon the mountains and in the valleys. When Spring comes, there is a Divine Wisdom in its appearance. God has a special object in renewing the earth with…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"hope",
"justice",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“Soon it will be the time of Spring. Already the signs of the flowers\nmay be seen upon the mountains and in the valleys. When Spring comes, there is\na Divine Wisdom in its appearance. God has a special object in renewing the\nearth with its bounty. For the dead earth is again made to blossom so that the\nlife of plants and flowers may continue and be reproduced. The trees put forth\ntheir leaves and are able to bear all kinds of delicious fruits. All the birds\nand animals, everything with soul-life is rejoiced and rejuvenated in the\ncoming of Spring. If this does not come to pass, it is not Spring; it may be\nautumn. But it is possible that Spring may come, and yet a tree rooted in bad\nground will be deprived of its vivifying powers. Or a fruitless tree may not\nbear, although the warm sun and vernal shower are descending upon it. So,\nlikewise, an evil soul may derive no benefit, produce no fruit from the Coming\nof a Manifestation of God. The Divine Springtime which brings forth spiritual\nflowers in other souls fails to beautify the soul that is evil. In general,\nhowever, just as everything is vivified, refreshed, and renewed by the bounty\nof the literal spring, so every soul receives some degree of illumination and\ngrowth from the Manifestation when He comes. He is the Divine Spring which\ncomes after the long winter of death and inaction. The Wisdom of God is seen in\nHis Coming. He adorns the soul of man with new Life, Divine Attributes, and\nhigher Spiritual qualities. By this the soul is enlightened, illumined. That\nwhich is dark, gloomy, and forbidding becomes light, hopeful, and productive of\nnew growth. So in the Divine Springtime the blind receive sight, the deaf are\nmade to hear, the dumb speak, the timid become courageous, and the heedless\nawaken to new realizations. In short, they have become the image of that which\nGod planned them to be and which the Heavenly Books promised shall be the true\nstation of Man. This is the power, purpose, and virtue of the Heavenly\nSpringtime.”\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE House OF Justice",
"slug": "tendays-the-house-of-justice",
"summary": "“The House of Justice must be obeyed in all things because it has been established by the Blessed Perfection. The Council of Constantine decided many things wisely, but its power and influence did not continue because it was not…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“The House of Justice must be obeyed in all things because it has been\nestablished by the Blessed Perfection. The Council of Constantine decided many\nthings wisely, but its power and influence did not continue because it was not\nestablished by Christ Himself. It was founded upon the Words of Christ\ninterpreted according to the ideas of men. The House of Justice will be\nappointed by the people. It must be obeyed because it is the Law of God\nexpressed through the people by their own will and voice.”\n“In this Day we are near to the Source of true Religion and the Law of\nGod, before Revelation has been corrupted by the interpretations of men. The\ntrue believer is the one who follows the Manifestation of God in all things.\nAfter the Departure of Bahá‘u'lláh we are commanded to obey the House\nof Justice. I myself will obey the House of Justice because it is founded upon\nthe Commands of the Blessed Perfection. The Council of Constantine did not\nsurvive because it was not founded by Christ; but in this Day the House of\nJustice has been established by the Manifestation of God. It is the center of\ntrue government and must be obeyed in all things. It is the Law of God embodied\nin the people, reflecting His Will and their need and desire, not blindly\nfollowing command.”\n“In war both parties are wrong. Neither Japan nor Russia is fulfilling\nthe Law and Will of God.[1] The kings and rulers of\nthe world will find their true authority under the rulings of the House of\nJustice. The Law of God will be vested in nineteen men who will compose the\nHouse of Justice and render decisions. War is never necessary. It is always an\nexpense and a calamity, never a great help. God utilizes even the wars of\nnations to carry out His ultimate purposes. The House of Justice will decide\nbetween kings and kings. All judgment will be from the standpoint of God's\nLaws. Then rich and poor will be alike justly treated. When men are developed\nspiritually, they obey God. The rule of the House of Justice will be the\ndominion of the Spirit of God. Human will brings conditions to a climax in the\naffairs of nations. The only solution and remedy is the administration of God's\nLaws.”\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE Manifestation",
"slug": "tendays-the-manifestation",
"summary": "“When you give the Message of this Manifestation many say, 'This is nothing new—I prefer the home of my old religious belief which has been so serviceable and trustworthy.'” ‘Abdu'l-Bahá answered: “Bahá‘u'lláh is the same Light in a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"martyrdom",
"persecution",
"teaching",
"women",
"family",
"healing",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"justice",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 13,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“When you give the Message of this Manifestation many say, 'This is\nnothing new—I prefer the home of my old religious belief which has been\nso serviceable and trustworthy.'”\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá answered:\n“Bahá‘u'lláh is the same Light in a new Lamp. To see, we\nmust look at the Light and not at the Lamp. This is Spiritual Sight. The sun is\none orb, but it has different rising-points on the horizon. One point was\nJesus, one Moses, one Bahá‘u'lláh, and so on. Therefore, be a lover\nof the 'sun' and worship it, no matter at what point it may arise. If you\nworship the dawning-place, you will fail to see the Sun when it arises in\nanother point of the horizon. Many stand at the old point and worship while\nthey are losing the Light of the Sun in this Manifestation. True lovers of the\nSun worship the Sun Itself and not the point of Its rising. They see and know\nthe Light. Pray for those who stand worshiping the old rising-point of the Sun,\nspiritually blind to its New Appearance upon the Heavenly Horizon, spiritually\ndeprived of Its Light and Bounty. The ministers and clergy do not accept the\nMessage on account of their position in the Church. As stars in heaven they\nhave become darkened. When the Báb arose and declared His Mission, many of\nthe clergy who had occupied positions found it necessary to give them up and\nfollow His Teaching.”\n“Many people, likewise, who hear the Message are deprived of its Glory\nbecause they receive it from one whom they deem less competent to know than\nthemselves. The Word of God is revealed according to the degree of Spiritual\nSight, no matter who the messenger may be. Again, people do not receive the\nManifestation of God because they are veiled by their imaginations. Imagination\nis one of our greatest powers and a most difficult one to rule. Imagination is\nthe father of superstition. For example, two men are dear friends. They love\neach other so much they never wish to be parted. Yet when one of them dies, the\nother through fear dreads to be alone with the one he cared so much for in\nlife. His imagination controls him and fills him with fear and horror. We are\nled astray by imagination, even in violation of will and reason. It is our test\npower. We are tested by our ability to control and subdue it. A man imagines he\nis wealthy. Some day real wealth comes to him, but it is never what he imagined\nit would be. Imagination is our greatest misleader. We hold to it until it\nbecomes fixed in memory. Then we hold to it the stronger, believing it to be\nfact. It is a great power of the soul but without value unless rightly\ncontrolled and guided. Through imagination men receive a distorted view of a\nformer Manifestation and are prevented from recognizing and accepting the Truth\nand Reality of the present one. They are veiled from the Light and Glory of God\nby imagination. These veils prevent the true Light from entering the soul.\nTherefore, men follow the false light of their imaginations and cling to error\ninstead of truth. Thus the Egyptians were veiled from the Light of God in\nMoses. The Jews were veiled from the Glory of Jesus simply because they did not\nknow Moses rightly and so were blinded to the one He promised would come after\nHim. Today Jews, Muhammadans, and Christians, not seeing the former\nManifestation with true vision, are veiled from the Glory of God in\nBahá‘u'lláh. One of the greatest veils is literal interpretation of\nthe prophecies. Again, many refuse the Manifestation in His Day because they do\nnot want to walk the hard road of devotion and servitude, but prefer the easy\nroad of hereditary belief. Misconception of the Word of God and its meanings is\nanother great veil which imagination throws over the soul and by which the\nLight is lost. Also, people inherit their belief from parents and ancestors and\nfollow it blindly, too negligent to know and see for themselves. Negligence and\napathy are heavy 'veils of Glory.' Read Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl's book of\n*Bahá'í Proofs*, and you will find irresistible evidence of this\nManifestation.[2] Will is the center or focus of\nhuman understanding. We must *will* to know God, just as we must *\nwill* in order to possess the life He has given us. The human will must be\nsubdued and trained into the Will of God. It is a great power to have a strong\nwill, but a greater power to give that will to God. The will is what we do, the\nunderstanding is what we know. Will and understanding must be one in the Cause\nof God. Intention brings attainment.”\n“Do the Manifestations differ in degree?”\n“These Supreme Holy Souls are Godlike in their attributes. The\ngarments in which they appear are different, but the attributes are the same.\nIn their real intrinsic power they show forth the Perfection of God. The\nReality of God in them never varies; only the garment in which the Primal\nReality is clothed is different according to the time and place of their\nAppearance and Declaration to the world. One Day it is the garment of Abraham,\nthen Moses, then Jesus, then Bahá‘u'lláh. Knowledge of this Oneness\nis true Enlightenment. Some see the garment only and worship the Personality;\nsome see the Reality and worship in 'spirit and in Truth.' Some of the Hebrews\nadmired the embroidered beauty of the garment of Abraham but were blind to the\nReal Light which shone upon the darkness of the world through Him. Moses was\ndenied; Jesus was denied, crucified; all have been denied and persecuted for\nthis reason. Men see the garment and are blind to the Reality, worship the\nPersonality and do not know the Truth, the Light Itself. Some worship the Tree\nof Life but do not eat of the blessed Fruit of the Tree. Therefore, differences\nand disagreements arise in religious belief. If all would eat of the Fruit\nItself, they could never disagree. For instance, four men were traveling along\na road. They possessed a franc between them. One was a Turk, the others\nPersian, Arab, and Greek. They became hungry and wished to buy some grapes, but\nas they did not understand each other's language, none of them could express\nhis wish to the others. So they began to quarrel and abuse each other. Finally\na man came along who knew all four languages. He asked what the trouble was.\nThen he said, 'Give me the money. I will buy each one what he wishes.' So he\nbought grapes, and they were all satisfied. They had disagreed upon a word or\nterm only; all meant the same thing. Terms are of no importance. The Fruits of\nthe Tree should be our desire. These are the Spiritual 'grapes.' Find the Light\nItself, and there will be no difference of opinion or belief as to the\nPersonality or Degree of the Manifestations of God.”\n“The greatest proof of a Manifestation is the Manifestation Himself.\nWe do not have to prove the existence of the sun. The sun is independent of\nproof. He who has sight can see the sun and prove it for himself. It is not\nnecessary to seek for other proof. For instance, it is a fixed fact that\nnothing could grow upon the earth without the light of the sun. It is easily\nproved that without the sun's heat and light no animal life could exist. The\nsun's light is indispensable, its heat essential. This is the sun's greatest\nproof. God with all His qualities is independent of all His creatures. Look at\nthe Christ. He was a youth of Israel, not a great and honored man, but born\nfrom a poor family. He was so poor that He was born in a manger, yet He changed\nthe conditions of the whole world. What proof could be greater than this that\nHe was from God? It is so strong and evident that no one can deny it. Without\nthis Light the world could not grow spiritually. The Blessed Perfection came\nfrom Persia, which is not a prominent nation. The great Prophets did not enter\nschool to be taught of men, yet so many things did they manifest that at last\nwe must admit that the world is not able to destroy the wisdom of the Prophets\nor grow without them. Everything of God is proof against the people and\nevidence for God. Peter was the greatest of all the disciples. He was the\n'head' appointed by the Christ, yet he denied the Christ three times. See what\nhappened afterward! See what a power of penetration the Word of God possessed!\nHow the Truth in Christ grew and spread all over the world! There must be a\nStandard. The Kings of the earth cannot stand against the power of the Word.\nThe Light of God will shine, must shine. The great flag of Nero was lowered,\nand Christ's standard raised in its stead. All the kings of earth, all the\nlearned men have become subject to the Word and are its worshipers. The Blessed\nPerfection during His own lifetime had one thousand followers who believed in\nHim. Only one proved ungrateful, yet he did not deny Bahá‘u'lláh.\nMany of these followers were martyred with His Name upon their lips. The renown\nof Jesus' Name did not reach outside His own country. We hear nothing of Him\nfrom the Phoenicians. But the Name of Bahá‘u'lláh reached the whole\nworld while He lived. Jesus did not write to any of the rulers of the world.\nBahá‘u'lláh sent Tablets to all the Kings and rulers of the earth.\nWhen Napoleon III was in the zenith of his power, the Blessed Perfection wrote\nto him. If we should gather together all that the Christ said, it would be very\nlittle in amount. But consider the number of Tablets and Books left by the\nBlessed Perfection! Although the Christ was not a great and honored man,\nalthough He was of such poor and humble condition that He was born in a manger,\nyet He changed the whole world by His Power and Divinity. What proof could be\ngreater than this? How can anyone deny His proof! In the same way, the Blessed\nPerfection came from Persia, which is not an important nation of the world. He\ndid not go to school, and yet so much Knowledge was manifest in Him that we\nmust confess that is impossible to deny His Wisdom and His Divinity. So\nuniversal were the Bounties of the Blessed Perfection that the very stones and\ntrees mourned His Departure. Everything sent from God is proof enough for the\npeople of the world to accept and believe. The Manifestations of God are sent\nwhen most needed. There were Nineteen 'Letters of the Living' who accepted the\nBáb. The Blessed Perfection Himself spread the Báb's Message. Great\nand learned men likewise embraced His Cause. They were Mullás or clergy of\nthe Muhammadans. One of them is known as the King of the Martyrs on account of\nhis death for this Cause. They were celebrated for their great knowledge and\nlearning. The Manifestation of God is proof of Himself, just as the sun is its\nown greatest and sufficient proof. The sun says, 'I am proof.' In the ancient\ntimes the women of Egypt thought Joseph was an angel. No proof was necessary\nbut his own beauty and excellence. The proof was himself. People of sight and\nperception see at a glance what the blind and incapable can never\nsee.”\n“Another great proof of a Manifestation is His power to develop souls.\nMiracles are but secondary proofs. Our first and important duty is to ascertain\nif the real Physician has come to heal the Spiritual sickness of the world, to\nlearn if the Commander of the hosts of righteousness has appeared, to prove the\nappearance of a true Manifestation of God. If in crossing the ocean everyone on\nboard the ship should assume the authority of captain, where would be the\nsafety of the ship and its passengers? It would be impossible to reach the\ndestination if everybody was Captain. Then after we have found the Captain of\nthe ship of Truth, it is our duty to obey Him, submit to His Wisdom, and be\nguided by Him into Eternal Life.”\n“Before each Manifestation a sign appears in both the material and\nspiritual heavens. It is the appearance of a literal star and the rise of a man\nas a Forerunner. The Forerunner announces the Manifestation of the Promised\nOne. Before Moses appeared, a messenger came to the Hebrews, bidding them\nprepare for His Manifestation. John the Baptist came before the Christ. The\nManifestations are greater or less in degree according to the Message they are\nable to reveal. Muhammad was preceded by a Forerunner or Announcer. Before the\nManifestation of this Day, as it is the full Reality of Revelation, there were\ntwo Heralds, Ahmad and Kázim. It will be a long time before the rise of\nanother Manifestation. The Manifestations are like seas. Some seas, such as the\nCaspian, are alone and separated from all the others; some, like the\nMediterranean, are connected with the great body of the Ocean itself. The\nManifestation in Muhammad was like the Caspian, alone and separate. The\nBáb and the Blessed Perfection are as the Mediterranean and the Ocean. The\nManifestations are as suns in the Heaven of the Divine Will. Sometimes the sun\nand moon are far apart; for instance, in the middle of month they are 180\ndegrees from each other. But in the beginning and end of the lunar month they\nare only one degree apart. In the Qur'án Muhammad prophesied that in this\nDay the Sun and Moon will meet in Heaven; that is, the spiritual Sun and Moon\nof this Dispensation will rise together in the form of man. We should thank God\ncontinually that we live in this Day of a Manifestation of God. This\nManifestation ended with the Blessed Perfection. The Cycle of the Sun and Moon\nis finished. I am nothing but the Servant of God. Some in America are looking\nfor a 'third Christ' or personage. This is only imagination. Some call me\nChrist. This also is imagination. The Cycle of the Blessed Perfection will last\nfor a long time. The next manifestation will not be so great as this One. When\nHe appears, He will not be an independent One. Do they realize that I make no\nclaim for Myself? I have sacrificed everything—My body, My comfort, My\nStation, all—to the Blessed Perfection. Bahá‘u'lláh is the\nconsummation of all degrees. He is the Revelation of all Truth and Light.\nWhereas the Revelation of other Prophets had to be spread by the sword,\nBahá‘u'lláh commanded that we 'must be killed rather than kill.' So\nHe was the consummation of all degrees of Revelation which preceded\nHim.”\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "THE Second Coming",
"slug": "tendays-the-second-coming",
"summary": "“What is the Second Coming of Christ in this Dispensation?” ‘Abdu'l-Bahá answered: “In the Book of the Zend-Avesta the Zoroastrians are awaiting the Coming of two Manifestations. Also, in the Old Testament Scriptures there is the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"the-covenant",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“What is the Second Coming of Christ in this Dispensation?”\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá answered: “In the Book of the Zend-Avesta the\nZoroastrians are awaiting the Coming of two Manifestations. Also, in the Old\nTestament Scriptures there is the promise of Elijah and Messiah. In the Gospel\nof the New Testament they are expecting the Father and the Second Coming of\nChrist. Likewise, in the Qur'án the Muhammadans have the promise of the\nImám Mihdí and Christ. In brief, all the Holy Scriptures announce the\nComing of two Manifestations, and these two Manifestations are the Báb and\nthe Blessed Perfection. If you look into the Bible, it is Elias and Christ; in\nthe Qur'án it is the Mihdí and Christ. These tidings are the same in\nall the Holy Books, only expressed in different ways—two successive\nManifestations. And all the Universe is promised these two. We must not search\nfor the outer word in Elijah and Christ but look for the Reality. The Blessed\nPerfection said in His Tablets that once He was Abraham, once Moses, once\nJesus, once Muhammad, and once the Báb. This is explained clearly in the\n'Book of Íqán,' that is, the meanings and perfection of qualities\nwhich were once hidden are now revealed in Bahá‘u'lláh. Therefore, we\ncan consider Bahá‘u'lláh to be all the Prophets, no matter by what\nName He chooses to call Himself; for all their meanings, perfection, and\nqualities are manifest in Him. Bahá‘u'lláh is the center of all their\nperfections. For instance, in Moses the world received the Revelation of\nmaterial laws, in Jesus spiritual laws, while in Bahá‘u'lláh we have\nreceived both material and spiritual laws. The Laws of Moses would cover but\nfew pages, and the Teachings of Jesus could be gathered into a small pamphlet.\nThe Old Testament contains nothing but material laws; no mention is in it of\nspiritual laws such as we find in the New Testament. In the New Testament there\nare no material laws except the laws of divorce and of the Sabbath. The New\nTestament contains no answers to questions of science. But all knowledge has\nbeen revealed by the Blessed Perfection in books which if gathered together\nwould make many volumes. He has revealed demonstrations in sciences, and He is\nthe epitome of all previous Revelations.”\n“Now Moses said that after Him should come Joshua. The Christ said, addressing \nPeter, 'Thou art the Rock, and I will build My temple upon this Rock.' Jesus spoke \nthis to Peter by word of mouth. The Blessed Perfection did not appoint His successor \nby statement of tongue, but in the 'Book of Ahd' ('Book of the Covenant'), He \nwrote it with His own Hand, commanding therein that all the branches and relations \nshould look toward the Center of the Covenant.[5] Also, \nin the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, revealed thirty years before His Ascension, it is mentioned \nin two places.[6] During these thirty years these commands \nof the Blessed Perfection were known and clearly understood by all. Again, in \na Tablet He refers specifically to this, naming one who would violate His Commands. \nThis Tablet was dictated by the Blessed Perfection and written at His Command \nby the hand of Muhammad-‘Alí. Muhammad-‘Alí has made many \ncopies of it. Therefore, we cannot deny what it says. If it was not so, Muhammad-‘Alí \nwould be able to deny. When he violated the Covenant, he went out from the shadow \nof the Blessed Perfection. Bahá‘u'lláh also said in this Tablet \nmentioned, that if for an instant this one should disobey His Commands, he would \nbecome a 'fallen branch.' He mentioned this expressly for Muhammad-‘Alí, \nknowing that he would disobey and deny. He left no possibility for anyone to disobey \nor misunderstand what He commanded. If it were not so, Muhammad-‘Alí \ncould do many things that would injure. As it is, he has appropriated many papers \nand Tablets written by the Blessed Perfection. It is possible for these writings \nto be altered, as the meanings in Persian are greatly changed by a single dot \nhere and there. Before His Ascension, the Blessed Perfection said to me, 'I have \ngiven You all the papers.' He put them in two satchels and sent them to Me. After \nHis Ascension, Muhammad-‘Alí said, 'You had better give me the two satchels \nto take care of.' He took them away and never returned them. He thought the Center \nof the Covenant would be helpless without these papers. But he did not realize \nthat My strength is the assistance of the Blessed Perfection. If all the world \ncombined against Me, I would still possess this power, and all the world could \nnot take it away from Me. I can fight with this weapon forever and will always \nbe victorious. It is a sword which can never be dulled, a magazine that is always \nfilled.”\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Three Stories Told BY ‘Abdu'L-BAHÁ",
"slug": "tendays-three-stories-told-by-abdul-baha",
"summary": "“The disciples of Jesus, passing along the road and seeing a dead dog, remarked how offensive and disgusting a spectacle it was. Then Christ turning to them said, 'Yes, but see how white and beautiful are his teeth'—thus teaching that…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"teaching",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"gratitude",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“The disciples of Jesus, passing along the road and seeing a dead dog,\nremarked how offensive and disgusting a spectacle it was. Then Christ turning\nto them said, 'Yes, but see how white and beautiful are his teeth'—thus\nteaching that there is some good in everything.”\n“A master had a slave who was completely devoted to him. One day he\ngave the slave a melon which when cut open looked most ripe and delicious. The\nslave ate one piece, then another and another with great relish (the day being\nwarm) until nearly the whole melon had disappeared. The master, picking up the\nlast slice, tasted it, and found it exceedingly bitter and unpalatable. 'Why it\nis very bitter! Did you not find it so?' he asked the servant. 'Yes, my\nmaster,' the slave replied, 'it was bitter and unpleasant, but I have tasted so\nmuch sweetness from thy hand that one bitter melon was not worth\nmentioning.'”\n“A certain king had a subject who, having by a heroic action rescued\nthe king from a great peril, was raised to a position of honor in the royal\ncourt. Here he continued to please the king and finally came to occupy an\napartment in the palace close to the imperial chambers. The other courtiers of\nthe king naturally became very jealous and lost no opportunity of carrying\ntales to the king, seeking to lower his opinion of the fortunate subject. One\nday they reported to the king that this man was unfaithful and dishonorable,\nthat each night after everything was quiet in the palace, it was his custom to\ngo stealthily to a room in a remote corner of the palace carrying a bundle of\nstolen valuables, which he hid there. The curiosity of the king was aroused. He\nwatched and found the report true. Thereupon, he summoned his retinue and next\nevening, when the subject had gone to the room as usual, the king quickly\nfollowed, knocked upon the door, and demanded entrance. When the door opened,\nnothing was seen in the room but a dilapidated bed, some old clothes, and the\nsuspected servant. 'What does this mean?' demanded the king. 'Why do you come\nhere like a thief every night, and what do you bring in the bundle you carry?'\n'O King!' replied the subject, 'thou hast blessed me with every gift and\nkindness, far more indeed than I can ever deserve. By thee I have been raised\nfrom poverty and lowliness to greatness and honor. Knowing this and fearing I\nmay grow negligent and fail to appreciate thy bounty and love, I come here each\nnight to pray God that I shall ever remain grateful to thee for thy goodness,\nbringing with me my old peasant clothes, which I put on, and then sleep in the\nhumble bed in which I slept when thy love and mercy first lifted me up from my\nlowly state. Thus am I taught gratitude and appreciation of thy loving\nkindness.”\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Visit TO THE RidvÁN",
"slug": "tendays-visit-to-the-ridvan",
"summary": "We went to the Ridván with the holy daughters of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá. Driving through the city and passing out the gates we saw the barracks where ‘Abdu'l-Bahá was once imprisoned. Then along the roadway bordered by fine trees we went until…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"pilgrimage",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"love",
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWe went to the Ridván with the holy daughters of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá.\nDriving through the city and passing out the gates we saw the barracks where\n‘Abdu'l-Bahá was once imprisoned. Then along the roadway bordered by fine\ntrees we went until well away from the city and its distressing pictures. The\nroads now be-came rough, here and there poor-looking houses of the natives. To\nthe right we saw the hill Tel el Fukhar upon which Napoleon I planted his\nbatteries and laid siege to ‘Akká in 1799. Unable to overcome it, he\nabandoned the siege, saying, “My fortune has been arrested by a grain of\nsand; were it not for ‘Akká I would have conquered the world.”\nFinally, we came to the Ridván, a beautiful garden filled with palm trees\nand wonderful flowers. The air was redolent of perfume from them. A river, the\nNa'mayn, runs through the garden in two streams, just as the prophecies\nforetold, forming an island upon which an arbor is built. High above the arbor\ntower two great round mulberry trees under the shade of which the Blessed\nPerfection loved to sit. A fountain was playing in the midst of the garden.\nThis heavenly spot is in the midst of a desert-like barrenness, an oasis indeed\namid dry and hostile conditions of nature and humanity—a Paradise upon\nearth, a garden of God—for here in this beautiful consecrated spot\nBahá‘u'lláh spent His summers. Some day the Ridván will be\nvisited by pilgrims from all over the world, just as the Garden of Gethsemane\nis sacred with the memories of Jesus Christ. No one sits in the Manifestation's\nchair under the mulberry trees. These two wonderful trees were leafless when we\nsaw them, for it was January, and they are at their best in June. Everywhere\nbeautiful odd trees were growing—oranges, lemons, and tangerines ripe and\nwaiting to be picked. All kinds of flowers, violets, narcissus, heliotropes,\nroses, and red anemones greeted the eye. In summer golden pheasants fly about\nthe Ridván—ducks and waterfowl swim around in the waters which\nquiver and glisten in the shadows from the arbor of leaves overhead\nAbu'l-Qásim, the good old gardener who served the Blessed Perfection\nduring His lifetime, took us into the cottage where that Blessed One rested and\nslept. Everything there is holy and sacred to His memory, His chair in the same\nplace He left it, and beautiful tributes of love placed about the room. We\nknelt at the foot of the chair while one of the daughters chanted a prayer.\nThen an Arab woman with tattoo marks upon her face served tea and mandarins\nunder the single mulberry tree near the cottage. We were indeed upon holy\nground.\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Visit TO THE Tomb",
"slug": "tendays-visit-to-the-tomb",
"summary": "In the afternoon we drove to the Tomb of the Blessed Perfection, passing out through the narrow gateway of the city and following the road toward the Ridván for a short distance. Then a sharp turn to the left toward the Lebanons took us…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"pilgrimage",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"joy",
"love",
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the afternoon we drove to the Tomb of the Blessed Perfection, passing out\nthrough the narrow gateway of the city and following the road toward the\nRidván for a short distance. Then a sharp turn to the left toward the\nLebanons took us more inland and away from the sea. It seemed to a be a holiday\nor festival occasion; a great number of people were seen along the roads and\nhighways. Bright colors prevailed in the peasant costumes, natives coming and\ngoing in picturesque little groups of twos and threes. Some of the Arab girls\nwere dressed like the boys, hardly to be distinguished one from the other. They\nwore wide pantaloons of a very bright colored cotton fabric, this costume no\ndoubt being cheaper and requiring less material than the voluminous gowns of\nthe older women. We drove on through a village of mud huts built very low and\nsurrounded by a squalor and filth most unpleasant to foreign eyes and nostrils.\nPeople and animals were living or rather herding under the same roof. Dogs\nlooking like wolves vigilantly guarded these hovels and savagely attacked\nvisitors. Here and there upon the filthy ground we saw groups of men sitting\nand lying, intent upon games of cards. The women were busily working. Women and\ndonkeys bear the domestic burdens of the East and shoulder the full quota of\nsuffering. Altogether, these Arab villagers were wild, almost desperate looking\ncreatures. Beyond the villages we drove across a beautiful level plain carpeted\nwith red anemones, the Bahá'í flower. Finally, we came to the\nBahjí, a very large white mansion in which Bahá‘u'lláh lived and\nfrom which His Spirit passed into the Supreme Concourse. The room was pointed\nout to us as we stopped and looked from the outside. We entered the Tomb, which\nadjoins Bahjí, the “Palace of Joy.” Flowers were growing\nabundantly all around the Sacred Shrine. In the center of the building is a\ncourt where orange trees and rare plants were growing. We removed our shoes at\nthe entrance. The passageways surrounding this court were covered with soft and\ncostly Persian rugs. Then we stood at the Tomb itself where the Blessed\nPerfection sleeps. Lamps and beautiful vases were placed about the room, loving\ngifts and tokens from Bahá'í believers in all parts of the world. A\ngreat slab in the floor marked the place of burial. Here we knelt and prayed\nin solemn silence, communing with the great and glorified Spirit which had\nascended from earth to the Supreme Horizon. Then we silently withdrew to a\nsmall side room at the opposite end of the building where some ladies served\ntea and related experiences of other pilgrims and believers who had visited the\nTomb. Upon the anniversary of the Blessed Perfection's birthday they remain all\nnight at the Tomb, chanting and praying without intermission and standing\nthroughout the ceremonies. During the last few years ‘Abdu'l-Bahá has not\nbeen able to attend this holy celebration. After receiving flowers from the\nladies in attendance we bade them loving good-bye and drove home across the\nflower-carpeted plain, another spiritual visit accomplished, another priceless\nspiritual experience fixed in our memories. Ahead of us mounted upon donkeys\nwere a number of elder pilgrims and believers also returning from a visit to\nthe Tomb. As they rode along, they looked like the old Jewish prophets and the\nDisciples of Jesus. Among them were Haydar-‘Alí, Mírzá\nAsadu'lláh, and eight or nine others of those faithful devoted souls who\nlove God, serve humanity, and follow the Revelation of Bahá‘u'lláh.\nWe entered the city, still silent, still wondering, still communing with the\nGlorified Spirit which shed Its Light down upon us from the Supreme\nConcourse.\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Women IN THE BAHÁ'Í Revelation",
"slug": "tendays-women-in-the-bahai-revelation",
"summary": "“Why are women so favored in this Revelation?” “Women in Persia were treated badly in former times by the Muhammadans. When speaking evil of a man, they would say, 'He is just like a woman.' When they wished to lower a man's pride, they…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"pilgrim-notes",
"martyrdom",
"prison",
"women",
"children",
"family",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"justice",
"love",
"prayer",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahai-library-tendays",
"book": "Ten Days in the Light of Akka",
"author": "Julia M. Grundy",
"year": 1907,
"url": "https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n“Why are women so favored in this Revelation?”\n“Women in Persia were treated badly in former times by the\nMuhammadans. When speaking evil of a man, they would say, 'He is just like a\nwoman.' When they wished to lower a man's pride, they would say, 'He is a\nwoman, not a man.' In this Day see what great firmness and strength women are\nshowing for God. The way to spiritual attainment in this Dispensation will be\nmade more and more easy for women, for they are more devoted and zealous in\nthis Cause than men. How many women are higher than men in moral and spiritual\ndevelopment! How much more eloquent in the Cause of God! Women are held in\ngreat honor in this Day. In Persia a handsome youth of twenty, son of a\nbeliever, was despised and oppressed for announcing his belief in this\nRevelation. He was imprisoned. His oppressors offered to release him provided\nhe would deny his faith. He still remained steadfast, saying, 'I will give my\nlife willingly for my belief.' He came from a very well known and respected\nfamily. His mother was asked to speak with him, his persecutors thinking her\ninfluence might induce him to recant and save his life. She told them her words\nwould have no effect upon him except to increase his faith. Then she was told\nhe would be killed. The Governor sent him word that if he would renounce his\nfaith his life would be spared. Still he remained fixed and steadfast. His\nfriends pleaded with him, begging him for their sakes to change. Then his\nmother stood up beside him and kissed him, saying, 'Do not be shaken! Do not\nwaver! Be firm! Give your life to God! Say nothing that will deny His Cause!\nGlorify it by your death! If you deny or waver, you will no longer be my\nchild!' She stood beside him as he was beheaded, pleading with him to the last\nthat he might not deny the Truth. In this Dispensation the women will progress\nmore rapidly and to a higher station than the men. God will assist\nthem.”\n“Qurratu'l-Ayn (literally, 'consolation of the eye') was one of the\ngreatest and most heroic women of this Truth. She came from a learned family\nand deeply loved knowledge. If Fátimih, daughter of Muhammad, had been a\nboy and enjoyed greater opportunities, she would have elevated her family and\nbecome a mighty pillar in the temple of Religion. While Qurratu'l-Ayn was\nvisiting her cousin's home, she happened to read a pamphlet explaining the\nMission of the Báb. She instantly became a believer. Afterward she was\ntaught by the Báb Himself and received her name Qurratu'l-Ayn from Him.\nSome say she was taught in Baghdad by the command of the Báb. She was\nindependent and absolutely fearless. Upon her return home, her husband refused\nto recognize her, so she left his house. Her uncle was killed in a Mosque for\nhis Bábí faith, and for a time she was kept prisoner in his house.\nAfter being released, she went with a number of believers to a celebration\noutside the city, in a grove near a deserted village. The Blessed Perfection\nwas present. It was a meeting filled with faith, love, and rejoicing. In\nspeaking to the meeting, she became so inspired she removed the cover from her\nface. Her mother and some of her relatives were present, and her action\nproduced a great commotion among them. When the news came to the ears of the\nMuhammadans, their charges and persecutions against her became violent and\nbitter. Finally, she was taken away from her friends and put to death. She died\na martyr and a heroine. In her impassioned speech she had said, 'What God has\ncreated pure shall I call impure?' removing her veil as she said it. She spent\nthe night before her execution in prayer. Her last wish was that she might be\nstrangled instead of decapitated. Once at a wedding all present left the bride\nand gathered around Qurratu'l-Ayn; she was so eloquent and sincere. She knew\nthe Blessed Perfection before He declared Himself to be the Manifestation of\nGod. In herself she was a revelation to the women of the world. If this\nRevelation had produced only one martyr like Qurratu'l-Ayn, this would be\nsufficient proof in the Cause of God.”\n\n*Source: Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (1907). Available at [bahai-library.com](https://bahai-library.com/grundy_ten_days_akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "'That day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had bestowed many sixpences, and people had come from…",
"slug": "that-day-abdu-l-bah-had-bestowed-many-sixpences-and-bs19",
"summary": "'That day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had bestowed many sixpences, and people had come from the neighboring villages, bringing their children to receive the blessing from \"the holy Man\" -- and of course the sixpences! About nine o'clock in the evening…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"hospitality",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n'That day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had bestowed many sixpences, and people had come from the neighboring villages, bringing their children to receive the blessing from \"the holy Man\" -- and of course the sixpences! About nine o'clock in the evening the ladies decided that no one else must see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that night. But as they waited outside the cottage, a man came up the path, carrying one baby, and with others clinging to him. When he asked for \"the holy Man\", however, he was told severely that he could not be seen, he was very tired and had gone to bed. The man sighed, as he said, \"Oh, I have walked six miles from far away to see Him. I am so sorry!\" 'The hostess responded severely, feeling that the desire for sixpences had prompted the journey perhaps more than religious enthusiasm, and the man sighed more deeply than ever, and was turning away, when suddenly ‘Abdu’l-Bahá came around the corner of the house. The way in which he embraced the man and all the babies was so wonderful, that the hearts of the too careful friends melted within them, and when he at last sent away the unbidden guests, comforted, their hearts full of joy, their hands bursting with sixpences, the two friends looked at one another and said: \"How wrong we were! We will never again try to manage ‘Abdu’l-Bahá!\"\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 73*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "That very afternoon, in my room with two of the believers, I spoke against a…",
"slug": "that-very-afternoon-in-my-room-with-two-bs9",
"summary": "That very afternoon, in my room with two of the believers, I spoke against a brother in the truth, finding fault with him, and giving vent to the evil in my own heart by my words . . . A little later we all went to supper, and my hard…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"forgiveness gods"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"forgiveness",
"gentleness",
"hope",
"kindness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-gods"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThat very afternoon, in my room with two of the believers, I spoke against a brother in the truth, finding fault with him, and giving vent to the evil in my own heart by my words . . . A little later we all went to supper, and my hard heart was unconscious of its error, until, as my eyes sought the beloved face of my Master, I met His gaze, so full of gentleness and compassion that I was smitten to the heart. For in some marvellous way His eyes spoke to me; in that pure and perfect mirror I saw my wretched self and burst into tears. He took no notice of me for a while and everyone kindly continued with the supper while I sat in His dear Presence washing away some of my sins in tears. After a few moments He turned and smiled on me and spoke my name several times as though He were calling me to Him. In an instant such sweet happiness pervaded my soul, my heart was comforted with such infinite hope, that I knew He would cleanse me of all of my sins.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 63*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-gods) (Subject: forgiveness-gods).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The absence of my father had covered a little more than two years",
"slug": "the-absence-of-my-father-had-covered-a-bs4",
"summary": "The absence of my father had covered a little more than two years. After his return the fame which he had acquired in the mountains reached Baghdad, and not only Bábís but many others came to hear his teachings; and many, also, merely out…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"abdul baha childhood"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-childhood"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe absence of my father had covered a little more than two years. After his return the fame which he had acquired in the mountains reached Baghdad, and not only Bábís but many others came to hear his teachings; and many, also, merely out of curiosity to see him. As he wished for retirement these curiosity seekers were a great trouble and annoyance to him. This aroused my brother and he declared that he would protect his father from such intrusions. Accordingly he prepared two placards, one for the door of his own room, which read, 'Those who come for information may apply within; those who come only because of curiosity had better stay away'; the other for the door of his father's room, of which the purport was, 'Let those who are searching for God come, and come, and come.' Then he announced that he himself would first see those who came. If he found that they were genuine truth-seekers he admitted them to his father's presence; otherwise he did not permit them to see him.\n\n\n*Source: Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khánum, Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi, p. 24-25*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-childhood) (Subject: abdul-baha-childhood).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Báb answered and said: 'What you have witnessed is true and undeniable",
"slug": "the-b-b-answered-and-said-what-you-have-bs1",
"summary": "The Báb answered and said: 'What you have witnessed is true and undeniable. You belittled this Revelation and have contemptuously disdained its Author. God, the All-Merciful, desiring not to afflict you with His punishment, has willed to…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"atonement",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"hope",
"love",
"mercy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/atonement"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Báb answered and said: 'What you have witnessed is true and undeniable. You belittled this Revelation and have contemptuously disdained its Author. God, the All-Merciful, desiring not to afflict you with His punishment, has willed to reveal to your eyes the Truth. By His Divine interposition, He has instilled into your heart the love of His chosen One, and caused you to recognize the unconquerable power of His Faith.'\" This marvellous experience completely changed the heart of Ali Khan. Those words had calmed his agitation and subdued the fierceness of his animosity. By every means in his power, he determined to atone for his past behaviour. 'A poor man, a shaykh, he hastily informed the Báb, \"is yearning to attain Your presence. He lives in a masjid outside the gate of Mah-Ku. I pray You that I myself be allowed to bring him to this place that he may meet You. By this act I hope that my evil deeds may be forgiven, that I may be enabled to wash away the stains of my cruel behaviour toward Your friends.\" His request was granted, whereupon he went straightway to Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunuzi and conducted him into the presence of his Master.\n\n\n*Source: Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 247-248*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/atonement) (Subject: atonement).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Báb, during his life, had a certain follower who was specially devoted to him",
"slug": "the-b-b-during-his-life-had-a-certain-bs0",
"summary": "The Báb, during his life, had a certain follower who was specially devoted to him. On one occasion he visited this man in his home. His host said to him that his visit filled him with the greatest happiness of his life; but that he had one…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"abdul baha engagement",
"women",
"children",
"family",
"consultation"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-engagement"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Báb, during his life, had a certain follower who was specially devoted to him. On one occasion he visited this man in his home. His host said to him that his visit filled him with the greatest happiness of his life; but that he had one sorrow of which he wished to speak. He had been married ten years, and was childless. He begged the Báb to pray for a child for him, and this the Báb promised.\n\nNine months later a daughter was born to this follower [Munirih Khánum]. When this daughter grew up she was very sweet and very amiable. She had been promised in her infancy to a cousin; and her cousin, in due time, was very desirous for the marriage. Having been permitted to see her, from that day on he seemed to think of nothing but the time when she should be his wife. He urged on the marriage, provided the house, and made all the usual preparations. On the day set, the bride was brought to the bridegroom's house, which, according to Persian custom, completed the civil marriage. Then, to every one's amazement and consternation, the bridegroom refused to see the bride. To the demands of the relatives as to why he had changed his mind within an hour his only reply was, 'I do not know. I cannot explain and have nothing to tell. All I know is that I cannot see her.'\n\nSix months later the young man died. The girl remained in her husband's house until his death; but she never saw him after entering it. She felt much humiliated, and resolved that she would never again marry. She and her family were very earnest believers; and after this occurrence she begged her father and mother to send her to be a servant in the household of the Blessed Perfection. Because of her disappointment her parents did not wish to refuse her; and her mother wrote for permission to visit the family of the Blessed Perfection with her daughter. Permission was granted and they came to Haifa. The Blessed Perfection asked my brother to bring them; but, not finding it convenient to go himself, he gave the commission to someone else to execute. Mother and daughter came to our house, and, having seen the Blessed Perfection, asked to see the Master. At that moment my brother entered and conversed briefly with the ladies, seeming, however, unusually interested for him.\n\nThe ladies returned to Haifa and remained there, coming back and forth occasionally to visit us. My mother and I, seeing that my brother was noticing the young woman, hoped that he might marry her; but, remembering our experience, we did not dare to suggest it. About six months later the Blessed Perfection called my brother to his room and asked him if he would not take this young woman for his wife. My brother consented.\n\nIn deciding to marry, my brother undoubtedly sacrificed his own preference for a single life to the wishes of the rest of the family, and especially of the Blessed Perfection. The latter had suggested to him that, as his example would influence all believers, it would be well if it illustrated the best and highest condition of life for men, which was the married state. Yet in coming to this decision, I think that our Master was much influenced by the warm regard and affection which he undoubtedly felt for the woman whom he was asked to marry.\n\nThen there was much rejoicing. All the believers looked forward to the marriage with delight. But time went on and yet it was not concluded. The real reason, which we did not care to mention publicly, was that we had no suitable room to give my brother in the house, and were not willing to lose him from our home, where his presence was so essential to our happiness.\n\nFinally, I went to the wife of our landlord and told her of our perplexity. She consulted her husband, and he, a good-natured man, said that he could remove the difficulty. He owned the adjoining house; and he cut a door to connect the courts of the two houses, and gave us a room, completely furnished, in the other house. The way was thus made plain for the marriage, and it was duly solemnised soon after.\n\n\n*Source: Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khánum, Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi, p. 87-91*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-engagement) (Subject: abdul-baha-engagement).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Bábis were in a pitiful state",
"slug": "the-b-bis-were-in-a-pitiful-state-they-bs4",
"summary": "The Bábis were in a pitiful state. They were shattered, disheartened, grief stricken and bitter from the king’s persecutions. Bloodstained and bedraggled they followed Bahá’u’lláh to Bagdad, not knowing what else to do. He received them…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"love"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/love"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Bábis were in a pitiful state. They were shattered, disheartened, grief stricken and bitter from the king’s persecutions. Bloodstained and bedraggled they followed Bahá’u’lláh to Bagdad, not knowing what else to do. He received them all with boundless love and gently revived them with His tender words. Hope blossomed once again.\n\n\n*Source: Ruhi Book 1*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/love) (Subject: love).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The believers had planned to show the city to the Master; the stores, hotels,…",
"slug": "the-believers-had-planned-to-show-the-city-bs21",
"summary": "The believers had planned to show the city to the Master; the stores, hotels, banks; to give Him a good time seeing New York. Just as I stepped into the machine and was seated, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá looked at me. He just looked at me, and all at…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"exhaustion",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe believers had planned to show the city to the Master; the stores, hotels, banks; to give Him a good time seeing New York. Just as I stepped into the machine and was seated, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá looked at me. He just looked at me, and all at once with an immense sigh--or what you call it better than a sigh--like the whole world would be lifted from Him so He could have a rest, He put His head on my left shoulder, clear down as close as He could, like a child, and went to sleep. 'I was still as a mouse; I didn't want to move--I didn't want to wake Him up. The trip was nearly a half hour and often I wondered what the others thought--that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was looking out of the window all the time. He woke up just as we stopped at the Kinneys' home.\n\n\n*Source: Marzieh Gail, Dawn Over Mount Hira, p. 208*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion) (Subject: exhaustion).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The calm with which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá walked His ‘chosen highway’ endured until the…",
"slug": "the-calm-with-which-abdu-l-bah-walked-his-chosen-bs4",
"summary": "The calm with which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá walked His ‘chosen highway’ endured until the very end of His earthly life. When He knew that His time had come He did not accept the food offered Him, saying, ‘You wish me to take some food, and I am…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"peacefulness"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/peacefulness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe calm with which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá walked His ‘chosen highway’ endured until the very end of His earthly life. When He knew that His time had come He did not accept the food offered Him, saying, ‘You wish me to take some food, and I am going?’ He gave His two daughters ‘a beautiful look. His face was so calm, his expression so serene, they thought him asleep.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 161*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/peacefulness) (Subject: peacefulness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The childhood and youth of my brother [‘Abdu’l-Bahá]was, in fact, in all respects unusual",
"slug": "the-childhood-and-youth-of-my-brother-abdu-l-bah-was-bs5",
"summary": "The childhood and youth of my brother [‘Abdu’l-Bahá]was, in fact, in all respects unusual. He did not care for play or for amusement like other children. He would not go to school, nor would he apply himself to study. Horseback riding was…",
"figures": [
"Lady Blomfield",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"abdul baha childhood",
"children"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-childhood"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe childhood and youth of my brother [‘Abdu’l-Bahá]was, in fact, in all respects unusual. He did not care for play or for amusement like other children. He would not go to school, nor would he apply himself to study. Horseback riding was the only diversion of which he was fond; in that he became proficient, being reputed to be a very skilful horseman.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-childhood) (Subject: abdul-baha-childhood).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Covenantbreakers had been busy in Kenosha trying to take advantage of…",
"slug": "the-covenant-breakers-had-been-busy-in-kenosha-trying-bs0",
"summary": "The Covenantbreakers had been busy in Kenosha trying to take advantage of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's visit. The previous May, Shu'a'u'llah, the son of the Archbreaker of the Covenant, Mirza Mohammad Ali, had written a letter to the Kenosha evening…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"attacks",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/attacks"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Covenantbreakers had been busy in Kenosha trying to take advantage of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's visit. The previous May, Shu'a'u'llah, the son of the Archbreaker of the Covenant, Mirza Mohammad Ali, had written a letter to the Kenosha evening news. Published on the front page, the letter attacked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, accusing him of trying to substitute his own writings for Bahá’u’lláh's. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ignored the attack. In July, Ibrahim Kairella wrote to the same paper supporting the claims of Mirza Muhammed-'Ali. These activities worried the Bahá’ís in Kenosha, but ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had told them that nothing would come of them: \"The bats fly away from the rays of the sun and in hiding themselves in dark and narrow niches they blame the Sun saying \"Why do not the rays of the sun reach our dark corners and crannies? And why does it not associate and affiliate with us?\" What relationship is there between the all glorious sun and the weak-eyed bats! What friendship exists between the nightingale of the rose garden of significances and the gloomy crows! The Sun travels in its own sphere and is entirely above the fluttering blindness of the bats.\"\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 194*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/attacks) (Subject: attacks).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The day after Davis's[Corinne True’s son] death Corinne was present at the…",
"slug": "the-day-after-daviss-corinne-true-s-son-death-corinne-bs3",
"summary": "The day after Davis's[Corinne True’s son] death Corinne was present at the Temple site at the corner of Linden Avenue and Sheridan Road in Wilmette. Being there was difficult. Her last son - gone. Would the human tragedy that seemed to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lua Getsinger"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Wilmette",
"lat": 42.0731,
"lng": -87.722,
"modernName": "Wilmette, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"corner stone",
"women",
"children",
"hospitality",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/corner-stone"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe day after Davis's[Corinne True’s son] death Corinne was present at the Temple site at the corner of Linden Avenue and Sheridan Road in Wilmette. Being there was difficult. Her last son - gone. Would the human tragedy that seemed to stalk her ever cease, she wondered. But Corinne had to be there forthe dedication ceremony, not because of its historical significance, but because ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was coming. It was a cool, cloudy and windy day, not the kind of day one expects on the first day of May. Nearly 400 people were waiting for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's arrival. He was to dedicate the Temple site in the tent behind the crowd. Some in attendance were surprised to see Corinne, for Davis had died the previous day. It simply wasn't customary to do something like that. But those who knew Corinne well weren't surprised. Certainly the Master wasn't. When His taxi drove up, a Persian stepped out of the vehicle, asking for Mrs. True. In a few minutes she appeared and was ushered into the car, the guest of her Beloved. The car didn't go far, only to the bridge on Sheridan Road that spans the canal bordering the Bahá’í property. Why the Master singled her out isn't officially known. Was it because He wanted to see the new bridge and canal locks at the end of Wilmette harbor? Or to inspect the Temple site's boundaries? He didn't need Corinne with Him to do that. Surely it was an act of compassion considering her loss of Davis the previous day. But was it more than that? Was it also a demonstration of faith in Corinne True, directed at those who questioned, even openly criticized, her ability to work on the Temple project? Though the trees on the site prevented the crowd from seeing what was happening on the bridge, a group of children playing behind the gathering spotted ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Corinne walking toward the back entrance of the tent. He greeted them warmly, gently patting all of them.\n\nInside the tent were about 300 people seated in a circle. There wasn't an empty seat. In fact, people were outside trying to catch a glimpse of the Master and straining to hear His voice.\n\nIn His talk He cast His vision into the future, stating that there would be many other temples in America and elsewhere in the world; but the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar in the Chicago area would have special significance as the first one erected in the West.\n\nThere were snags in carrying out the dedication ceremony. The golden trowel given to the Master to dig a hole for the dedication stone wasn't strong enough to break through the ground. An ax, borrowed from someone across the street, was handed to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who swung it powerfully, again and again, until He broke into the earth below. Finally, a shovel was produced by a young man who had borrowed it from a work crew near the village center. When the shovel was handed to the Master, Corinne True reportedly suggested to Him to have women participate in the ceremony. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá called on Lua Getsinger to come forward. It required a second urging by the Master to draw Lua to Him. Corinne was the second one to dig up a shovelful of earth. Following her, representatives from different races and nationalities took their turn with the shovel. After placing the stone in the hole, the Master pushed the earth around it and declared that 'The Temple is already built'.\n\nTo Corinne the Master's declaration meant that there was no question about whether the Temple would ever be built. It was simply a matter of the believers focusing faithfully on the vision He had shared with them that chilly, gray, windy day in Wilmette. To her the burning question was when the Temple would be completed. It didn't matter that no foundation had been dug or design approved. She remained optimistic that the Temple would be built in a few years.\n\n\n*Source: Nathan Rutstein, ‘Corinne True, Faithful Handmaid of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/corner-stone) (Subject: corner-stone).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The day after His move to the Hotel Windsor, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá went for a walk and got lost",
"slug": "the-day-after-his-move-to-the-hotel-bs19",
"summary": "The day after His move to the Hotel Windsor, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá went for a walk and got lost. He had been very tired after His last talk and went out alone to walk and refresh himself. After a while, He boarded a tram which went out of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"intuition"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe day after His move to the Hotel Windsor, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá went for a walk and got lost. He had been very tired after His last talk and went out alone to walk and refresh himself. After a while, He boarded a tram which went out of the city. Finally when He decided to return to the hotel, He took a taxi. The driver asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá which hotel to go to, but the Master didn't remember. He simply told the driver to go straight ahead and very soon they arrived at the hotel. With His hair disheveled and His smiling face, He told us how He had gotten lost.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 185-186*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition) (Subject: intuition).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The day before He was to leave, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá decided He would like to present…",
"slug": "the-day-before-he-was-to-leave-abdu-l-bah-bs20",
"summary": "The day before He was to leave, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá decided He would like to present the president of the Conference with a choice Persian rug which was, unfortunately, in His flat in New York. Dr. Diya Baghdadi performed the seemingly…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"intuition",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe day before He was to leave, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá decided He would like to present the president of the Conference with a choice Persian rug which was, unfortunately, in His flat in New York. Dr. Diya Baghdadi performed the seemingly impossible task of fetching the rug all that distance in one night and arrived just as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was 'shaking hands with Mr. Smiley', preparing to leave. Albert Smiley must have been astonished for he said, 'Why, this is just what I have been seeking for many years! You see, we had a Persian rug just like this one, but it was burned in a fire and ever since my wife has been broken-hearted over it. This will surely make her very happy.' As far as the author is aware, the rug is still in use in Mountain House.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 71*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition) (Subject: intuition).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The demands on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s time were constant",
"slug": "the-demands-on-abdu-l-bah-s-time-were-constant-the-bs1",
"summary": "The demands on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s time were constant. The English Bahá’ís tried to organize the flow of those seeking interviews and instituted a system of official appointments. One day, a woman appeared at the door and asked if she could…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"compassion",
"women",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/compassion"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe demands on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s time were constant. The English Bahá’ís tried to organize the flow of those seeking interviews and instituted a system of official appointments. One day, a woman appeared at the door and asked if she could see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. When asked if she had an appointment, she admitted that she had not and was promptly told, \"I am sorry but He is occupied now with most important people, and cannot be disturbed.\" Sadly, the woman slowly turned away, but before she could reach the bottom of the steps, a messenger from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá rushed out and breathlessly said, \"He wishes to see you, come back!\" From the house came the powerful voice of the Master: \"A heart has been hurt, hasten, hasten, bring her to Me.\"\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p.36*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/compassion) (Subject: compassion).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The diary of Juliet Thompson mentions a time when she when uninvited following…",
"slug": "the-diary-of-juliet-thompson-mentions-a-time-bs2",
"summary": "The diary of Juliet Thompson mentions a time when she when uninvited following the Master to a Luncheon and saw many children come out of a park on sighting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and follow Him up the street in a long line. They asked if he was…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"abdul baha and children",
"children"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-and-children"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe diary of Juliet Thompson mentions a time when she when uninvited following the Master to a Luncheon and saw many children come out of a park on sighting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and follow Him up the street in a long line. They asked if he was Jesus.\n\n\n*Source: Source unknown*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-and-children) (Subject: abdul-baha-and-children).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The dignitaries of the British crown from Jerusalem were gathered in Haifa,…",
"slug": "the-dignitaries-of-the-british-crown-from-jerusalem-bs4",
"summary": "The dignitaries of the British crown from Jerusalem were gathered in Haifa, eager to do honour to the Master, Whom everyone had come to love and reverence for His life of unselfish service. An imposing motor-car had been sent to bring…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"knighthood abdul baha",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"love",
"mercy",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/knighthood-abdul-baha"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe dignitaries of the British crown from Jerusalem were gathered in Haifa, eager to do honour to the Master, Whom everyone had come to love and reverence for His life of unselfish service. An imposing motor-car had been sent to bring ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to the ceremony. The Master, however, could not be found. People were sent in every direction to look for Him, when suddenly from an unexpected side He appeared, alone, walking His kingly walk, with that simplicity of greatness which always enfolded Him.\n\nThe faithful servant, Isfandiyar, whose joy it had been for many years to drive the Master on errands of mercy, stood sadly looking on at the elegant motor-car which awaited the honoured guest. \"No longer am I needed.\"\n\nAt a sign from Him, Who knew the sorrow, old Isfandiyar rushed off to harness the horse, and brought the carriage out at the lower gate, whence ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was driven to a side entrance of the garden of the Governorate of Phoenicia.\n\nSo Isfandiyar was needed and happy.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/knighthood-abdul-baha) (Subject: knighthood-abdul-baha).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The early believers in Akká not only observed the Bahá’í Fast, but also…",
"slug": "the-early-believers-in-akk-not-only-observed-bs0",
"summary": "The early believers in Akká not only observed the Bahá’í Fast, but also observed the Muslim 30-day Fast of Ramadan during their incarceration in the Most Great Prison! These are Thy servants, O my Lord, who have entered with Thee in this,…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"fast",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/fast"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe early believers in Akká not only observed the Bahá’í Fast, but also observed the Muslim 30-day Fast of Ramadan during their incarceration in the Most Great Prison!\n\nThese are Thy servants, O my Lord, who have entered with Thee in this, the Most Great Prison, who have kept the fast within its walls according to what Thou hast commanded them in the Tablets of Thy decree.\n\n\n*Source: Bahá’u’lláh, Bahá’í Prayers, p.249*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/fast) (Subject: fast).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The effect of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on those who heard Him that day became obvious…",
"slug": "the-effect-of-abdu-l-bah-on-those-who-heard-bs0",
"summary": "The effect of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on those who heard Him that day became obvious within a short time. The Christian church located diagonally across the street from the synagogue decided to build a new building, necessitating the demolition of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"unity religion"
],
"virtues": [
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/unity-religion"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe effect of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on those who heard Him that day became obvious within a short time. The Christian church located diagonally across the street from the synagogue decided to build a new building, necessitating the demolition of the old one and leaving the Christians temporarily without a place to worship. Rabbi Meyer with the support of the Jewish community, offered them the use of the synagogue each Sunday. For the next nine months, Christians and Jews shared the same building. When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was told of this, He wrote that 'this action and this deed will become eternal, and in the future ages and cycles, the good intention of the Reverend Rabbi be recorded in the books and works of universal history and will be on the lips of all men without end.'\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 226*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/unity-religion) (Subject: unity-religion).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The essence of the message of every religion the world has known is the love of God",
"slug": "the-essence-of-the-message-of-every-religion-bs0",
"summary": "The essence of the message of every religion the world has known is the love of God. To this end, Bahá’u’lláh has given us many beautiful writings. In one particularly apt Hidden Word, He said, ''O Son of Being! Love Me, that I may love…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"John Robarts"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"nearness god transforming lives"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"prayer",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/nearness-god-transforming-lives"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe essence of the message of every religion the world has known is the love of God. To this end, Bahá’u’lláh has given us many beautiful writings. In one particularly apt Hidden Word, He said, ''O Son of Being! Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My love can in no wise reach thee. Know this, O servant.\" I remember when I first read those words I thought it was a threat, that God was saying, \"If you don't love Me, I won't love you.\" That didn't tally with my feelings about God. But one time a Bahá’í explained this Hidden Word through the analogy of a little fruit tree. If we put the tree out into the sunshine and the rain, he said, it would grow to become a beautiful tree and bring forth luscious fruit. But if we put it in a cold, dark cellar, it would die. The point: that the sun shines, the rain falls, whether that little plant is outside or not. All that little plant has to do is to get out into the sunshine and the rain and it will have all of the life-giving things that it needs to grow to be a robust, healthy tree. We are like that. Mankind is surrounded by the love of God always. It is there for us, and like the sun and the rain which continue pouring out their life-giving qualities whether the little tree is outside or not, the love of God surrounds us always. However, we have to do something about it. We have to get into the love of God. Jesus said, \"Knock, and it shall be opened unto thee” We must knock. We must get into the sunshine of the love of God if we are to receive its benefit and we need it desperately. We need it now as we have never needed it before.\n\n\n*Source: John Robarts: http://bahaitalks.blogspot.in/2011/02/value-of-prayer-talk-by-hand-of-cause.html#more*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/nearness-god-transforming-lives) (Subject: nearness-god-transforming-lives).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The exalted titles conferred upon Him by Bahá’u’lláh are indicative of…",
"slug": "the-exalted-titles-conferred-upon-him-by-bah-u-ll-h-bs4",
"summary": "The exalted titles conferred upon Him by Bahá’u’lláh are indicative of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's lofty station. Yet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá never applied them to Himself. Instead, after the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, He took the title of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Servant…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"detachment",
"the-covenant",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/detachment"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe exalted titles conferred upon Him by Bahá’u’lláh are indicative of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's lofty station. Yet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá never applied them to Himself. Instead, after the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, He took the title of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Servant of Bahá) and urged the believers to call Him only by this name. True servitude at the threshold of Bahá’u’lláh was all He prized. These are some of His words as He describes with utter self-effacement the reality of His station: \"My name is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. My qualification is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. My reality is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. My praise is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Thralldom to the Blessed Perfection is my glorious and refulgent diadem, and servitude to all the human race my perpetual religion... No name, no title, no mention, no commendation have I, nor will ever have, except ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. This is my longing. This is my greatest yearning. This is my eternal life. This is my everlasting glory.\"\n\n\n*Source: Adib Taherzadeh, The Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 25-26*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/detachment) (Subject: detachment).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The final meeting was the Bahá’í Temple Unity Convention where 1000 people…",
"slug": "the-final-meeting-was-the-bah-temple-unity-bs2",
"summary": "The final meeting was the Bahá’í Temple Unity Convention where 1000 people heard the Master speak on the significance of the Temple. From His talk, Corrine realized that the Temple wasn't something to unite the American Bahá’ís, but an…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"temples"
],
"virtues": [
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/temples"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe final meeting was the Bahá’í Temple Unity Convention where 1000 people heard the Master speak on the significance of the Temple. From His talk, Corrine realized that the Temple wasn't something to unite the American Bahá’ís, but an instrument to unite all humankind.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 111*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/temples) (Subject: temples).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The first person singular seldom crept into the Master’s speech",
"slug": "the-first-person-singular-seldom-crept-into-the-bs12",
"summary": "The first person singular seldom crept into the Master’s speech. He once told group of New York friends that in the future the words ‘I’ and ‘Me’ and ‘Mine’ would be regarded as profane. Lua Getsinger reported that one day she and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lua Getsinger"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"humility"
],
"virtues": [
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/humility"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe first person singular seldom crept into the Master’s speech. He once told group of New York friends that in the future the words ‘I’ and ‘Me’ and ‘Mine’ would be regarded as profane. Lua Getsinger reported that one day she and Georgie Ralston were driving with the Master. He closed His eyes and apparently fell asleep. Lua and Georgie talked on, probably about their own concerns, for suddenly the Master’s eyes sprang open and He laughed. ‘I, me, my, mine: words of the Devil!’ He said.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/humility) (Subject: humility).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The following account occurred in the Siyah-Chal prison in Teheran around the…",
"slug": "the-following-account-occurred-in-the-siyah-chal-prison-bs1",
"summary": "The following account occurred in the Siyah-Chal prison in Teheran around the Fall/Winter of 1853. The prisoners were awaiting execution for their Faith: We were awakened one night, ere break of day, by Mirza ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab-i-Shirazi, who…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Hasan Balyuzi"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"martyrs attitudes",
"martyrdom",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"steadfastness",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/martyrs-attitudes"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe following account occurred in the Siyah-Chal prison in Teheran around the Fall/Winter of 1853. The prisoners were awaiting execution for their Faith: We were awakened one night, ere break of day, by Mirza ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab-i-Shirazi, who was bound with Us to the same chains. He had left Kazimayn and followed Us to Tihran, where he was arrested and thrown into prison. He asked Us whether We were awake, and proceeded to relate to Us his dream. \"I have this night,\" he said, \"been soaring into a space of infinite vastness and beauty. I seemed to be uplifted on wings that carried me wherever I desired to go. A feeling of rapturous delight filled my soul. I flew in the midst of that immensity with a swiftness and ease that I cannot describe.\" \"Today,\" We replied, \"it will be your turn to sacrifice yourself for this Cause. May you remain firm and steadfast to the end. You will then find yourself soaring in that same limitless space of which you dreamed, traversing with the same ease and swiftness the realm of immortal sovereignty, and gazing with that same rapture upon the Infinite Horizon.\" 'That morning saw the gaoler again enter Our cell and call out the name of ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab. Throwing off his chains, he sprang to his feet, embraced each of his fellow-prisoners, and, taking Us into his arms, pressed Us lovingly to his heart. That moment We discovered that he had no shoes to wear. We gave him Our own, and, speaking a last word of encouragement and cheer, sent him forth to the scene of his martyrdom. Later on, his executioner came to Us, praising in glowing language the spirit which that youth had shown. How thankful We were to God for this testimony which the executioner himself had given!'\n\n\n*Source: H.M. Balyuzi, Bahá’u’lláh - The King of Glory, p. 97*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/martyrs-attitudes) (Subject: martyrs-attitudes).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The following day, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had been invited by the Mayor of Berkeley to…",
"slug": "the-following-day-abdu-l-bah-had-been-invited-by-bs21",
"summary": "The following day, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had been invited by the Mayor of Berkeley to give the public address in that city. Many dignitaries and University people were to gather. As the appointed hour for departure approached, the hostess went…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"intuition"
],
"virtues": [
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe following day, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had been invited by the Mayor of Berkeley to give the public address in that city. Many dignitaries and University people were to gather. As the appointed hour for departure approached, the hostess went upstairs to warn ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He smiled and waved her away, saying \"Very soon! Very soon!\" She left Him with some impatience. After some time she went Up again, for the automobile was honking at the door. At last her patience was quite exhausted for she knew that they could not possibly arrive in time. Suddenly there was a ring at the door bell. Immediately ‘Abdu’l-Bahá step was on the stair, and when the door was opened He was beside the maid, pulling over the threshold a dusty and disheveled man whom no one had ever heard of, but whom ‘Abdu’l-Bahá embraced like a long lost friend. He had read of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the newspapers and felt he must see Him, but as he did not have enough money for the car fare, he walked the 15 miles into San Francisco.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 221-222*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition) (Subject: intuition).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The following delightful story about an incident during ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s stay in…",
"slug": "the-following-delightful-story-about-an-incident-during-bs20",
"summary": "The following delightful story about an incident during ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s stay in New York illustrates the fact that He was not ‘colour-blind’, but rather He found racial differences a thing of beauty. When the Master was on His way to speak…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"race unity"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe following delightful story about an incident during ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s stay in New York illustrates the fact that He was not ‘colour-blind’, but rather He found racial differences a thing of beauty. When the Master was on His way to speak to several hundred men at the Bowery Mission He was accompanied by a group of Persian and American friends. Not unnaturally a group of boys was intrigued by the sight of this group of Orientals with their flowing robes and turbans and started to follow them. They soon became noisy and obstreperous. A lady in the Master’s party was highly embarrassed at the rude behaviour of the boys. Dropping behind she stopped to talk with them and told them a little about who ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was. Not entirely expecting them to take her up on the invitation, she nevertheless gave them her home address and said that if they liked to come the following Sunday she would arrange for them to see Him. Thus, on Sunday, some twenty or thirty of them appeared on the doorstep, rather scruffy and noisy, but with signs that they had tidied up for the occasion nonetheless. Upstairs in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s room the Master was seen at the door greeting each boy with a handclasp or an arm around the shoulder, with warm smiles and boyish laughter. His happiest welcome seemed to be directed to the thirteen-year-old boy near the end of the line. He was quite dark-skinned and didn’t seem too sure he would be welcome. The Master’s face lighted up and in a loud voice that all could hear exclaimed with delight that ‘here was a black rose’. The boy’s face shone with happiness and love. Silence fell across the room as the boys looked at their companion with a new awareness. The Master did not stop at that, however. On their arrival He had asked that a big five-pound box of delicious chocolates be fetched. With this He walked around the room, ladling out chocolates by the handful to each boy. Finally, with only a few left in the box, He picked out one of the darkest chocolates, walked across the room and held it to the cheek of the black boy. The Master was radiant as He lovingly put His arm around the boy’s shoulders and looked with a humorously piercing glance around the group without making any further comment.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 100*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity) (Subject: race-unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The following recollection of Javidukt Khadem, wife of the Hand of the Cause…",
"slug": "the-following-recollection-of-javidukt-khadem-wife-of-bs19",
"summary": "The following recollection of Javidukt Khadem, wife of the Hand of the Cause Zikrullah Khadem, describes part of a road trip she took with Hand of the Cause Dorothy Baker. The story leads to a description of how Dorothy Baker prepared for…",
"figures": [],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"prayer"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/prayer"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe following recollection of Javidukt Khadem, wife of the Hand of the Cause Zikrullah Khadem, describes part of a road trip she took with Hand of the Cause Dorothy Baker. The story leads to a description of how Dorothy Baker prepared for obligatory prayer. We pick up the account with Dorothy driving the car while speaking:\n\n'\"I have to do something that I forgot. I promised to pray for Elsie Austin, because she wants to go to Africa, and the door is closed. Will you help me?\" And I said \"Sure.\" I did not know what she wanted. She said, \"I want to say the 'Remover of Difficulties' 95 times.\"\n\n'She said it very slowly, and with each word the tears poured down. She didn't even notice me. I looked at her. I had never experienced anything like this. The tears covered her face, and dropped onto her clothes. I did not even count the number of prayers she said, but when she finished she pulled the car over to the side of the road, and she passed out.\n\n'I opened the car door and called, \"Dorothy - Dorothy. Please!\" After about 10 minutes she opened her eyes, and was so happy! She said, \"I am sorry, honey, that I bothered you so much.\" I asked her, \"Is this the way you always pray?\" She answered, \"Is there any other way?\" \"Do you always say your prayers like that? Do you say your Obligatory Prayer every day like that?\" I asked. She said, \"Did you ever read that you must wait to pray until you are feeling spiritual? Every morning I say many prayers, so that I will be spiritual enough to say my Obligatory Prayer.\"\n\n'That was my trip with Dorothy Baker.'\n\n\n*Source: Dorothy Freeman, From Copper to Gold, The Life of Dorothy Baker, p. 272-73*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/prayer) (Subject: prayer).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The following touching incident took place one day when we were seated at table…",
"slug": "the-following-touching-incident-took-place-one-day-bs20",
"summary": "The following touching incident took place one day when we were seated at table with the Master. A Persian friend arrived who had passed through `Ishqabad,. He presented a cotton handkerchief to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Who untied it, and saw…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe following touching incident took place one day when we were seated at table with the Master. A Persian friend arrived who had passed through `Ishqabad,. He presented a cotton handkerchief to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Who untied it, and saw therein a piece of dry black bread, and a shrivelled apple. The friend exclaimed: \"A poor Bahá’í workman came to me: `I hear thou goest into the presence of our Beloved. Nothing have I to send, but this my dinner. I pray thee offer it to Him with my loving devotion.'\" ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spread the poor handkerchief before Him, leaving His own luncheon untasted. He ate of the workman's dinner, broke pieces off the bread, and handed them to the assembled guests, saying: \"Eat with me of this gift of humble love.\"\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The gates of the Akka prison were finally opened for Bahá’u’lláh, His family…",
"slug": "the-gates-of-the-akka-prison-were-finally-bs0",
"summary": "The gates of the Akka prison were finally opened for Bahá’u’lláh, His family and companions after a confinement of two years, two months and five days. Many of His companions were consigned to the caravanserai, an unfit dwelling-place.…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"selfless",
"prison",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/selfless"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe gates of the Akka prison were finally opened for Bahá’u’lláh, His family and companions after a confinement of two years, two months and five days. Many of His companions were consigned to the caravanserai, an unfit dwelling-place. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá occupied one room himself. The rooms were damp and filthy. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sold a certain gift which had been given to Him in Baghdad and with the proceeds began to repair the rooms for the companions of Bahá’u’lláh. He left the repair of His own room to the last. The money ran out and as a result His room remained unrepaired and in very bad condition. Not only were its walls damp but the roof leaked and the floor was covered with dust. He sat and slept on a mat in that room. His bed cover was a sheepskin. The room was infested with fleas and when He slept under the sheepskin, fleas gathered and began biting. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá worked out a tactic of defeating the fleas by turning over His sheepskin at intervals. He would sleep for a while before the fleas found their way again to the inner side. He would then turn the sheepskin over again. Every night He had to resort to this tactic eight to ten times.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/selfless) (Subject: selfless).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Governor of Baghdad at this time was a relative of my father, but his enemy…",
"slug": "the-governor-of-baghdad-at-this-time-was-bs0",
"summary": "The Governor of Baghdad at this time was a relative of my father, but his enemy on account of differences in religious opinion and family misunderstandings. This man, rendered uncomfortable by the sight of my father's increasing fame and…",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"ridvan first day",
"prison",
"children",
"family",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/ridvan-first-day"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Governor of Baghdad at this time was a relative of my father, but his enemy on account of differences in religious opinion and family misunderstandings. This man, rendered uncomfortable by the sight of my father's increasing fame and influence, exerted himself to effect his removal from Baghdad. He caused representations to be made to the Shah of Persia that, whereas Beha Ullah had been driven out of Persia because of the harm threatened by his presence to the Mohammedan religion in that country, now he was injuring the religion even more in Baghdad, and still exerting his evil influence in Persia; and that therefore he ought to be removed to a place at a greater distance from that country, and one where he could do less harm.\n\nThese representations and suggestions he sent repeatedly to the Court of Persia, until at length the Shah was moved to use his influence with the Sultan of Turkey to have the Bábís transferred from Baghdad to Constantinople. An order to this effect was at length made by the Sultan.\n\nWhen this news came to us, from which we inferred that my father would again be made a prisoner, we were thrown into consternation, fearing another separation. He was summoned before the magistrates. My brother imperiously declared that he would go in his stead; but this our father overruled, and went himself. Great numbers of his followers had assembled about our house, and these witnessed his departure with many demonstrations of grief, feeling that it was possible that he might not return,\n\nThe magistrates expressed great sorrow to my father; they said that they respected and loved him, that they had not instigated the order, but that they were powerless to suspend or modify it, and must proceed with its execution. My father remained in conference with them nearly all day, but could do nothing to avert the catastrophe. When he returned, he told us that we must prepare to set out for Constantinople in two weeks.\n\nThis report was like a death-knell to his followers, who were still gathered about the house. Many of them were Arabs; their fierce natures rebelled and they gave way to violent remonstrances. They implored the Blessed Perfection not to desert them. 'You are our shepherd,' they said; 'without you we must die.'\n\nThe next day they so overran the house that we could not prepare for the journey. Then the Blessed Perfection proposed to go with Abbas Effendi to the garden of one of our friends and live there in a tent till the time of departure, that the family might be able to proceed with the packing. This remark was repeated and misunderstood, and the rumour circulated among the believers that the Blessed Perfection was to be taken away alone. Then they came pouring in by hundreds, so wild with grief that they could not be pacified; and when my father started to leave the house with my brother they threw themselves upon the ground before him. One man who had an only child, which had come to him late in his life, stripped the clothes from the child's body and placing it at my father's feet cried, 'Naked I give you my child, my precious child, to do with as you will; only promise not to leave us in distress. Without you we cannot live.'\n\nThen, as the only way in which to soothe his followers, the Blessed Perfection took all his family to the garden, leaving to friends the preparation of his household goods for the journey. Here we pitched tents and lived in them for two weeks. The tents made, as it were, a little village, that of my father, which he occupied alone, in the centre.\n\n\n*Source: Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khánum, Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi, p. 27-31*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/ridvan-first-day) (Subject: ridvan-first-day).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Governor was reluctant to tell Bahá’u’lláh that the order had come for…",
"slug": "the-governor-was-reluctant-to-tell-bah-u-ll-h-that-bs1",
"summary": "The Governor was reluctant to tell Bahá’u’lláh that the order had come for still another banishment. He explained this to Sarkar-i-Aqa* (‘Abdu’l-Bahá), and we were told that we had three days to prepare for the journey to `Akka. Then we…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"bahaullah exile",
"exile"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-exile"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Governor was reluctant to tell Bahá’u’lláh that the order had come for still another banishment. He explained this to Sarkar-i-Aqa* (‘Abdu’l-Bahá), and we were told that we had three days to prepare for the journey to `Akka. Then we learnt that we were all to be separated. Bahá’u’lláh to one place, the Master to another, and the friends to still another place. I well remember, as though it were only yesterday, the fresh misery into which we were plunged; to be separated from our Beloved; and He, what new grief was in store for Him? He accepted all vicissitudes with His calm, beautiful smile, cheering us with wonderful words. One of the friends, Karbila'i Ja`far, in despair at the threatened separation, attempted to kill himself; he was saved, but was too ill to travel. Bahá’u’lláh refused to leave him unless the Governor of Adrianople undertook to have him well cared for, and sent after us when he should be recovered. This was done, and forty days after we arrived at `Akká, Karbila'i Ja`far joined us.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-exile) (Subject: bahaullah-exile).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The great kindness that was such a prominent feature of Shoghi Effendi's…",
"slug": "the-great-kindness-that-was-such-a-prominent-bs0",
"summary": "The great kindness that was such a prominent feature of Shoghi Effendi's character is shown in the manner in which he conveyed to Khánum the news of the death of her beloved mother, May Maxwell: The devastating news of May Maxwell's…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Bahíyyih Khánum",
"Rúhíyyih Khánum",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"May Maxwell"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"death"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"joy",
"kindness",
"love",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/death"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe great kindness that was such a prominent feature of Shoghi Effendi's character is shown in the manner in which he conveyed to Khánum the news of the death of her beloved mother, May Maxwell: The devastating news of May Maxwell's passing in Argentina was a terrible shock to Rúhíyyih Khánum. She often repeated the story of how she received this sad news from the Guardian. Four cables had arrived that day and she took them to Shoghi Effendi in his study. He opened each one and then looked up at Rúhíyyih Khánum with a mixture of shock, love and compassion on his face. She said the look frightened her, and she started backing away until she reached the wall. She said she wanted to sink into the wall so deep was the fear engendered in her by that look. Shoghi Effendi went over to her, held her in his arms and broke the news to her with great tenderness. He told her 'Now I will be your mother'. Then he spoke of the high station of May Maxwell in the Abhá Kingdom, of her joy in at long last having reached her heart's desire, of her nearness to her beloved Lord and Master, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Then gently, in order to dispel her shaking grief, he began to talk to Amatu'l-Bahá in a lighter mood, to describe her mother's activities in the next world, where she was going and what she was doing in that sublime company. She would have been ushered immediately into the presence of Bahá’u’lláh first, of course, he assured her. And no sooner had she come there than she naturally asked permission to tell Him about her precious daughter. But she talked so much that Bahá’u’lláh had finally become tired and had passed her on to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Here again she did nothing but talk about her beautiful daughter, until at length, exhausted, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed her on to the Greatest Holy Leaf. And there she is still, said Shoghi Effendi laughing, there she is still talking about her beloved daughter, stopping every passing member of the Concourse with her opening lines, 'Do let me tell you about my daughter ... !' By the time he reached this point in his narrative, Rúhíyyih Khánum was laughing through her tears. And so with infinite compassion and patience, he comforted her.\n\n\n*Source: Violette Nakhjavání, A Tribute to Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, p. 37-38*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/death) (Subject: death).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Guardian came over one evening",
"slug": "the-guardian-came-over-one-evening-he-was-bs0",
"summary": "The Guardian came over one evening. He was very happy and very enthused. He said, “We have some wonderful cables today.” So he read this cable, and it was from one of the islands in the Pacific. The pioneer who had been there had had been…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"pioneering",
"holy-land",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/pioneering"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Guardian came over one evening. He was very happy and very enthused. He said, “We have some wonderful cables today.” So he read this cable, and it was from one of the islands in the Pacific. The pioneer who had been there had had been very discouraged. So every time he had written to the Guardian that he wanted to leave. He couldn’t get a job, it was hard to make any contacts, it was hard to make an impression on anyone, no one would listen to him, he was oppressed, he was opposed by the clergy, he was oppressed by the government, and everything was against him. And each time that he wrote these letters, the Guardian would tell me to write him, to encourage him, and to tell him that the Guardian wanted him to stay, and that the Guardian promised him that the seeds he was sowing would grow. Well, these cables had been received, and he now not only had one spiritual assembly, but he had two spiritual assemblies. He just burst right out like that. And I said, “Well, Shoghi Effendi, I said, of course this pioneer, he did the work, but it’s the Guardian that actually won this victory. You’re the one that won it, because if it hadn’t been for you, he’d have left.” He said, “That’s right. Leroy, I tell you, I have to stay in the Holy Land. This is my seat of operation. The friends must do the work. And I tell you that if the friends would do what I had told them to do, and if they would follow my instructions, they would be amazed at the victories which I will win through them.” This is the most important message I give to you. Shoghi Effendi said that if the friends would do what he has told them to do, if they will consecrate their lives to the Cause, if they will turn their lives over to the Cause, if they will serve the Cause diligently in the way which he has told them to serve, they will be amazed at the victories that they will win, that I will win through them, and it is particularly appropriate, and the way he mentioned it to tell the friends, and it seems to me to be particularly appropriate at this moment, when the spirit is released and it can now operate much more effectively through us than it could before.\n\n\n*Source: In the Days of the Guardian a Talk by Hand of the Cause of God Leroy Ioas in Johannesburg, South Africa, 1958*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/pioneering) (Subject: pioneering).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The husband of Amelia Collins, a devoted American Bahá’í, was a very sociable man",
"slug": "the-husband-of-amelia-collins-a-devoted-american-bs16",
"summary": "The husband of Amelia Collins, a devoted American Bahá’í, was a very sociable man. He would take part in any discussion with perfect freedom and ease. But once, before entering the Master’s home, he was so excited that he arranged his tie…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Amelia Collins"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"simple life",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"justice",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe husband of Amelia Collins, a devoted American Bahá’í, was a very sociable man. He would take part in any discussion with perfect freedom and ease. But once, before entering the Master’s home, he was so excited that he arranged his tie just right, smoothed his clothes and repeatedly asked his wife what he should do when they arrived there. She told him, ‘Nothing! In the family of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá simplicity reigns, and nothing but love is ever accepted.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life) (Subject: simple-life).*\n"
},
{
"title": "‘The Japanese Ambassador to a European capital (Viscount Arawaka Madrid) was…",
"slug": "the-japanese-ambassador-to-a-european-capital-viscount-bs7",
"summary": "‘The Japanese Ambassador to a European capital (Viscount Arawaka Madrid) was staying at the Hotel d’Jena (in Paris). This gentleman and his wife had been told of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s presence in Paris, and the latter was anxious to have the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"exhaustion"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n‘The Japanese Ambassador to a European capital (Viscount Arawaka Madrid) was staying at the Hotel d’Jena (in Paris). This gentleman and his wife had been told of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s presence in Paris, and the latter was anxious to have the privilege of meeting Him. ‘”I am very sad,” said Her Excellency. “I must not go out this evening as my cold is severe, and I leave early in the morning for Spain. If only there were a possibility of seeing Him.” ‘This was told to the Master, Who had just returned after a long, tiring day. ‘”Tell the lady and her husband that, as she is unable to come to me, I will call upon her.” ‘Accordingly, though the hour was late, through the cold and the rain He came, with His smiling courtesy, bringing joy to us all, as we awaited Him in the Tapestry Room of the Hotel d’Jena.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 138*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion) (Subject: exhaustion).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The ladies of the family are admirable housewives",
"slug": "the-ladies-of-the-family-are-admirable-housewives-bs1",
"summary": "The ladies of the family are admirable housewives. They make all their own simple wearing apparel, by the aid of a sewing machine from the western world. ...They typify the modern saint, the conception of whom obliges us to revolutionize…",
"figures": [
"Bahíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"homemaking",
"women",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"gentleness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/homemaking"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe ladies of the family are admirable housewives. They make all their own simple wearing apparel, by the aid of a sewing machine from the western world. ...They typify the modern saint, the conception of whom obliges us to revolutionize our entire spiritual cosmogony. A fashionable woman of the western world, as helpless as are some of these artificial dames, and so eager for spiritual culture, was caught in the gentle household without a trunk, and so handsomely garbed that she felt disgraced in the presence of the lovely simplicity that reigns there. The Greatest Holy Leaf thereupon made her a print dress with her own beautiful hands, which was a model for grace and adjustment. The western woman is still puzzling perhaps over the problem of how such profound spirituality can be associated with such excellent practical skill and sense, but in reality they are always found side by side.\n\n\n*Source: Mary Hanford Ford, Oriental Rose, pp. 162-3; quoted in Janet Khan, Prophet's Daughter, p. 92*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/homemaking) (Subject: homemaking).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The local Opera House had been rented for Abu'l-Fadl's talks and it was packed",
"slug": "the-local-opera-house-had-been-rented-for-bs0",
"summary": "The local Opera House had been rented for Abu'l-Fadl's talks and it was packed. Probably more than a thousand people had come. And, before this crowd Abu'l-Fadl rose to speak. For a moment, he stood there, his eyes roving over all the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"ego"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/ego"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe local Opera House had been rented for Abu'l-Fadl's talks and it was packed. Probably more than a thousand people had come. And, before this crowd Abu'l-Fadl rose to speak. For a moment, he stood there, his eyes roving over all the lifted, waiting faces, and suddenly he thought 'This trip is proving very successful! I am doing very well, this is a cause for great pride and satisfaction and when I return to Acca the Master will be well pleased with me. Truly I am doing well.' And, with this thought, the mind of Abu'l-Fadl went completely blank. He did not know who he was or why he was standing on this platform with all these people looking at him or what he was supposed to say. Then, instantly he realized what had happened. He had taken it upon himself to feel that it was HE who had accomplished this success; it was HIS words that would reach the hearts; it was HE - HE - HE - who had been proud. And, as he realized this he turned, in abject shame, to Bahá’u’lláh, imploring His forgiveness and begging Him to fill his heart once more with His Light to move his lips again with His Word. And immediately Abu'l-Fadl's prayer was answered, and the talk went forward. Later, Abu'l-Fadl asked Dr. Khan how long it had been that he stood there tongue-tied and blank - for it had seemed to Abu'l-Fadl that he must have disgraced himself before that great audience. But Khan assured him that it had been no time at all that there had been no break in the discourse. But it is to be noted that - many years afterward - ‘Abdu’l-Bahá particularly praised Abu'l-Fadl for being one of the very rare souls who never used the pronouns 'I' or 'me' or 'mine'.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 7*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/ego) (Subject: ego).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The march to Constantinople occupied four months",
"slug": "the-march-to-constantinople-occupied-four-months-much-bs6",
"summary": "The march to Constantinople occupied four months. Much of the weather was inclement and during many whole days we were without proper food. In our company were many small children, upon whom and the women the journey was very hard. On one…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Constantinople",
"lat": 41.0082,
"lng": 28.9784,
"modernName": "Istanbul, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"bahaullah exile",
"exile",
"women",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-exile"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe march to Constantinople occupied four months. Much of the weather was inclement and during many whole days we were without proper food. In our company were many small children, upon whom and the women the journey was very hard. On one occasion during a long and cold march, my brother having obtained some bread, rice, and milk, my father made up with his own hands a sort of pudding by boiling these together with a little sugar, which was then distributed to all. The preparation of this food was a reminiscence of my father's two-years' sojourn in the mountains, where he was dependent on what might be given him, and this dish - which he sometimes made for himself - was the only warm food he had. Such times as these were moments of pleasure; but there was always present a feeling of apprehension - as though a sword were hanging over our heads.\n\nArrived in Constantinople we found ourselves prisoners. We were put into a small house, the men below and the women above. My father and his family were given two rooms. The weather was very cold and damp, and we had no fires or proper clothing. Because of the crowding the atmosphere was foul. We petitioned for better quarters, and were given another house, which was to some extent an improvement.\n\n\n*Source: Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khánum, Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-exile) (Subject: bahaullah-exile).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master also dearly loved His devoted disciple, Juliet Thompson",
"slug": "the-master-also-dearly-loved-his-devoted-disciple-bs0",
"summary": "The Master also dearly loved His devoted disciple, Juliet Thompson. In her diary she wrote about a visit with Him in New York City in November 1912. One day she wrote, 'I had been very naughty with Mamma that day and had grieved her. My…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"parents treatment"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/parents-treatment"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master also dearly loved His devoted disciple, Juliet Thompson. In her diary she wrote about a visit with Him in New York City in November 1912. One day she wrote, 'I had been very naughty with Mamma that day and had grieved her. My precious mother was brought up in luxury, lived in luxury until Papa died. She cannot get over her sensitiveness about our too-apparent poverty and she simply won't have people to meals. I had begged her to make an exception of Mirza 'Ali-Akbar, who was arriving at such an awkward hour, and to let me bring him back at lunch. But she wouldn't hear of it. Whereupon I flew into a temper, told her what I thought of her \"false pride\", and stamped out of the house.\n\n'Now, entering the Master's house with the three Persians, instead of a welcome, I received a blow. The Master didn't even look at me. '\"How is your mother?\" were His first words. \"Is she happy?\"\n\n'Then He told me to go straight back to her but to return the next day. I went back and comforted her with His rebuke to me.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 47*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/parents-treatment) (Subject: parents-treatment).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master, as He was now called, shielded His adored Father in all ways that…",
"slug": "the-master-as-he-was-now-called-shielded-bs1",
"summary": "The Master, as He was now called, shielded His adored Father in all ways that lay in His power from undesirable intruders, from the world's insistence, and from those who merely wanted idly to see and to hear something new. He made the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"the Báb",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bahaullah declaration",
"persecution",
"family",
"healing",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"devotion",
"joy",
"justice",
"love",
"loyalty",
"prayer",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-declaration"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master, as He was now called, shielded His adored Father in all ways that lay in His power from undesirable intruders, from the world's insistence, and from those who merely wanted idly to see and to hear something new. He made the arrangements for the Beloved One to go to the Ridvan garden, there to abide until the family should have been able to make preparations for the departure.\n\nWhilst He tarried in the Ridvan, the appointed time had arrived for the momentous proclamation. Bahá’u’lláh confided to the eldest son, `Abbas, the Master, that He Himself was \"He Whom God shall make Manifest,\" heralded by the Forerunner, the Báb. As the Master heard the soul-stirring words, and realized that His own beloved Father was He Who should educate mankind in universal conceptions, abolish prejudices, bring unity and the most Great Peace into the distracted world, establish the Kingdom of God upon this sad earth, by making religion again a healing spring for all woes of the world, He understood why the Manifestation had once again become the cause of evil men's hatred and malignant persecution.\n\nAs these things were pondered by the Master, His mind, well-endowed with a peculiar receptiveness that was inborn, and strengthened by the education given to Him by His Father, saw, as in a radiant vision, the world of the future, when the divine Message, having become known and comprehended by \"men of goodwill,\" would change the heart of the world, and the Kingdom where God's will shall be done on earth - for which we have been praying for nigh two thousand years - would be established.\n\nHenceforth a new joy and increased devotion to His Father, Bahá’u’lláh (The Glory of God) took possession of Him. He consecrated Himself, body and soul and spirit, to the sacred work of the Bahá’í Cause, spreading abroad the new message of Love and Justice, that message which His Holiness the Lord Christ had brought to man, and which mad had grown to disregard, forgetting his loyalty to the Lord of Compassion, and, as of old, worshipping the Golden Calf.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Sarah Louisa Blomfield , The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-declaration) (Subject: bahaullah-declaration).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master at one time helped carry the coffin of a man He dearly loved to the grave site",
"slug": "the-master-at-one-time-helped-carry-the-bs2",
"summary": "The Master at one time helped carry the coffin of a man He dearly loved to the grave site. The man had committed suicide. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, ‘No one should injure himself on purpose of take his own life.’ Encouragingly He explained,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"suicide"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/suicide"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master at one time helped carry the coffin of a man He dearly loved to the grave site. The man had committed suicide. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, ‘No one should injure himself on purpose of take his own life.’ Encouragingly He explained, ‘God never places a burden on us greater than we can carry. Each burden we endure is for our own good and development. Should anyone at any time encounter hard and perplexing times, he must say to himself, “This too will pass.”’ He added, ‘When experiencing difficulties, I would say to myself, “this too will pass away”, and I would become calm again.”’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 158*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/suicide) (Subject: suicide).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master",
"slug": "the-master-ate-little-food-bs1",
"summary": "The Master . . . ate little food. He was known to begin His day with tea, goat’s milk cheese and wheat bread. And at the evening meal a cup of milk and a piece of bread might suffice. He considered the latter a healthy meal. Had not…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"diet"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/diet"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master . . . ate little food. He was known to begin His day with tea, goat’s milk cheese and wheat bread. And at the evening meal a cup of milk and a piece of bread might suffice. He considered the latter a healthy meal. Had not Bahá’u’lláh, while at Sullaymaniyyih, subsisted mostly on milk? (Sometimes Bahá’u’lláh ate rice and milk cooked together.) ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s sparse diet also included herbs and olives it rarely included meat.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/diet) (Subject: diet).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master considered cleanliness of vital importance",
"slug": "the-master-considered-cleanliness-of-vital-importance-he-bs0",
"summary": "The Master considered cleanliness of vital importance. He was indeed ‘the essence of cleanliness’ even as Bahá’u’lláh had taught His followers. Florence Khánum bore witness to this, for she found Him ‘dazzlingly, spotlessly
shining, from…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"cleanliness",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/cleanliness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master considered cleanliness of vital importance. He was indeed ‘the essence of cleanliness’ even as Bahá’u’lláh had taught His followers. Florence Khánum bore witness to this, for she found Him ‘dazzlingly, spotlessly
shining, from snowy turban-cloth, to white, snowy hair falling upon his shoulders, to white snowy beard and long snowy garment
Although it was high noon, in summer
His attire was crisp and fresh-looking, as though He had not been visiting the sick, and in prison, and toiling for mankind since early morning. Often a deliciously fresh rose was tucked in His belt. (\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of \"‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/cleanliness) (Subject: cleanliness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master had instructed Aqa Faraju'llah, who was His caterer, to send to the…",
"slug": "the-master-had-instructed-aqa-farajullah-who-was-bs30",
"summary": "The Master had instructed Aqa Faraju'llah, who was His caterer, to send to the Mansion any amount of food and other supplies which the Covenant-breakers requested. But they used to demand five or six times more than their needs. They were…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"generosity",
"the-covenant",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"generosity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master had instructed Aqa Faraju'llah, who was His caterer, to send to the Mansion any amount of food and other supplies which the Covenant-breakers requested. But they used to demand five or six times more than their needs. They were determined to take excessive funds from the Master so as to make Him helpless and force upon Him the humiliation of borrowing money from the people. In spite of all this, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ensured that they received large supplies of food, clothing and other necessities of life. Moreover, every gift which was sent to Him ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would dispatch to the Mansion and many of the funds which He received as Huququ'lláh were given to them. These manifestations of generosity and compassion which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá showered upon them in spite of their malevolence were interpreted by them as fear and helplessness. Consequently the more they received His gracious gifts and favours, the more haughty they became and progressively intensified their opposition to His blessed Person.\n\n\n*Source: Adib Taherzadeh, The Child of the Covenant, p. 179*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity) (Subject: generosity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master hardly saw the dear child in her illness",
"slug": "the-master-hardly-saw-the-dear-child-in-bs0",
"summary": "The Master hardly saw the dear child in her illness. His time was so constantly taken up by the needs of the poor, that only His tired moments were spared to His own family from His incessant work for all in trouble. Indeed, my mother and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"workaholism",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/workaholism"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master hardly saw the dear child in her illness. His time was so constantly taken up by the needs of the poor, that only His tired moments were spared to His own family from His incessant work for all in trouble. Indeed, my mother and sisters tried to conceal their difficulties and trials, not wishing to add to the heavy burden of others' griefs, which were so constantly borne by Him.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/workaholism) (Subject: workaholism).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master knew that God was at the helm",
"slug": "the-master-knew-that-god-was-at-the-bs1",
"summary": "The Master knew that God was at the helm. He needed only to move as His Captain wished. He put His affairs in God’s hand and avoided the frustrations and the frenzy most mortals experience. An example of this was when the military…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"will god"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/will-god"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master knew that God was at the helm. He needed only to move as His Captain wished. He put His affairs in God’s hand and avoided the frustrations and the frenzy most mortals experience. An example of this was when the military commanders of Jerusalem and Damascus came to visit Him. Invited to the Holy City of Jerusalem, ‘His answer to them was, “Inshallah” (If God is willing).’ He was virtually never hurried, never harried. His plans were based upon ‘God willing’ words He often used.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 162*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/will-god) (Subject: will-god).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master loved children and took great delight in them",
"slug": "the-master-loved-children-and-took-great-delight-bs23",
"summary": "The Master loved children and took great delight in them. He felt ‘they were nearer to the Kingdom of God’ than were adults. It was observed how He listened so attentively one day to a young granddaughter of His He took her troubles…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"love",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/love"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master loved children and took great delight in them. He felt ‘they were nearer to the Kingdom of God’ than were adults. It was observed how He listened so attentively one day to a young granddaughter of His He took her troubles seriously. Though she was only about two years old, she changed a Tablet in His presence. If a word failed her, He ‘gently’ chanted it. She won from Him a glorious smile for her effort, while He sat in the corner of the divan drinking tea.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 99*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/love) (Subject: love).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master loved children",
"slug": "the-master-loved-children-it-was-observed-that-bs3",
"summary": "The Master loved children. It was observed that ‘many of His talks were given as He sat with His arm encircling one of them.’ To parents He would speak in the following vein: ‘Give this child a good education; make every effort that it…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"abdul baha and children",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-and-children"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master loved children. It was observed that ‘many of His talks were given as He sat with His arm encircling one of them.’ To parents He would speak in the following vein: ‘Give this child a good education; make every effort that it may have the best you can afford, so that it may be enable to enjoy the advantage of this glorious age. Do all you can to encourage spirituality in them.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 140*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-and-children) (Subject: abdul-baha-and-children).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master made it quite clear that people of very different capacities were…",
"slug": "the-master-made-it-quite-clear-that-people-bs27",
"summary": "The Master made it quite clear that people of very different capacities were qualified to teach this great Faith, each in his own way. John David Bosch, who had come to America from Switzerland, felt that he could not be a speaker --…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master made it quite clear that people of very different capacities were qualified to teach this great Faith, each in his own way. John David Bosch, who had come to America from Switzerland, felt that he could not be a speaker -- instead he circulated pamphlets and books. The Master encouraged him: 'You are doing very well; you are doing better than talking. With you it is not words or the movement of the lips; with you it is the heart that speaks. In your presence silence speaks and radiates.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 59*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching) (Subject: teaching).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The master Nan-in had a visitor who came to inquire about Zen",
"slug": "the-master-nan-in-had-a-visitor-who-came-bs11",
"summary": "The master Nan-in had a visitor who came to inquire about Zen. But instead of listening he kept talking about his own ideas. After a while, Nan-in served tea. He poured tea into the visitor’s cup until it was full, then he kept on pouring.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"detachment"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"service",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/detachment"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe master Nan-in had a visitor who came to inquire about Zen. But instead of listening he kept talking about his own ideas. After a while, Nan-in served tea. He poured tea into the visitor’s cup until it was full, then he kept on pouring. Finally the visitor could not restrain himself. “Don’t you see that it is full?” he said. “You can’t get any more in!” “Just so,” replied Nan-in, stopping at last. “And like this cup, you are filled with your own ideas. How can you expect me to give you Zen unless you offer me an empty cup?”\n\n\n*Source: Zen Buddhism: An Introduction to Zen with Stories, 1959*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/detachment) (Subject: detachment).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master’s every act was meaningful",
"slug": "the-master-s-every-act-was-meaningful-on-one-bs21",
"summary": "The Master’s every act was meaningful. On one auspicious occasion in Washington, D.C. He demonstrated what justice and love can do. The chargé d’affaires of the Persian Legation in the city and his wife had arranged a luncheon in His…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Louis Gregory"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Washington, D.C.",
"lat": 38.9072,
"lng": -77.0369,
"modernName": "Washington, D.C., USA"
},
"themes": [
"race unity",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"love",
"service",
"tact",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master’s every act was meaningful. On one auspicious occasion in Washington, D.C. He demonstrated what justice and love can do. The chargé d’affaires of the Persian Legation in the city and his wife had arranged a luncheon in His honour. Their guest list included members of the social and political life in the capital, as well as a number of Bahá’ís. Louis Gregory, a cultivated gentleman and employee in the government he later became the first black Hand of the Cause had been invited to visit the Master. He was surprised at the time scheduled for a visit, as he knew of the luncheon plans, but naturally he arrived on time. Their conference seemed to go on and on as if indeed the Master might be prolonging it deliberately. Eventually the butler announced that luncheon was being served. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá led the way, the invited guests following closely behind. Mr Gregory was perplexed: should he leave or wait for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to return? The guests were seated when suddenly the honoured Guest rose, looked around and then asked in English, ‘Where is My friend, Mr Gregory?’, adding ‘My friend, Mr Gregory, must lunch with Me!’ It just so happened that Louis Gregory had not been on the luncheon list, so naturally he had remained behind. Now the chargé d’affaires hastened after him. The Master rearranged the place setting at His right, the seat of honour, of course ignoring utterly the delicate laws of protocol and the luncheon started only after Mr Gregory had been seated. Then, in a most natural manner, as if nothing at all unusual had happened in the capital that day in 1912, with tact and humour, the Master ‘electrified the already startled guests’ by talking about the unity of mankind.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 111*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity) (Subject: race-unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master’s humility was shown in many ways",
"slug": "the-master-s-humility-was-shown-in-many-ways-bs13",
"summary": "The Master’s humility was shown in many ways. He desired no name or title except that of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá the Servant of God. He forbade pilgrims to fall at His feet. In the early days in Akka, He cooked for His fellow prisoners, and later,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"humility",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/humility"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master’s humility was shown in many ways. He desired no name or title except that of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá the Servant of God. He forbade pilgrims to fall at His feet. In the early days in Akka, He cooked for His fellow prisoners, and later, when entertaining visitors at His table, He sometimes served His guests Himself, ‘a practice he recommended to other hosts’.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/humility) (Subject: humility).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master’s life was centered on God, not on Himself",
"slug": "the-master-s-life-was-centered-on-god-not-bs14",
"summary": "The Master’s life was centered on God, not on Himself. To do God’s will, to be His servant, were his concerns. He disliked photographs of Himself, permitting them only to satisfy His friends. ‘But to have a picture of oneself,’ He said,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"humility"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/humility"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master’s life was centered on God, not on Himself. To do God’s will, to be His servant, were his concerns. He disliked photographs of Himself, permitting them only to satisfy His friends. ‘But to have a picture of oneself,’ He said, ‘is to emphasize the personality, which is merely the lamp, and is quite unimportant. The light burning within the lamp has the only real significance.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/humility) (Subject: humility).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master’s radiance will inspire men and women for centuries yet unborn",
"slug": "the-master-s-radiance-will-inspire-men-and-women-bs4",
"summary": "The Master’s radiance will inspire men and women for centuries yet unborn. He was joyful when most people in similar circumstances would have been filled with sorrow. He said that ‘sorrow is like furrows, the deeper they go, the more…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"glow",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/glow"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master’s radiance will inspire men and women for centuries yet unborn. He was joyful when most people in similar circumstances would have been filled with sorrow. He said that ‘sorrow is like furrows, the deeper they go, the more plentiful is the fruit we obtain.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 145*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/glow) (Subject: glow).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master said to Mary Hanford Ford, alluding to the restriction of His and…",
"slug": "the-master-said-to-mary-hanford-ford-alluding-bs3",
"summary": "The Master said to Mary Hanford Ford, alluding to the restriction of His and His family’s life in ‘Akka: ‘. . . we are all happy because we have the love of God in our hearts. When the heart is full of the love of God it loses…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"prison akka",
"prison",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/prison-akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master said to Mary Hanford Ford, alluding to the restriction of His and His family’s life in ‘Akka: ‘. . . we are all happy because we have the love of God in our hearts. When the heart is full of the love of God it loses consciousness of the body. Then pain is as pleasure, then darkness is as light! If such a one is shut in a prison there are no walls for him, no solitude, he knows not a prison!’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 103*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/prison-akka) (Subject: prison-akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master sent a Tablet to a lady who longed ‘for the Heavenly Kingdom’",
"slug": "the-master-sent-a-tablet-to-a-lady-bs1",
"summary": "The Master sent a Tablet to a lady who longed ‘for the Heavenly Kingdom’. In part, He wrote, ‘Recite the Greatest Name at every morn, and turn thou unto the Kingdom of Abhá, until thou mayest apprehend my…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"mornings"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/mornings"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master sent a Tablet to a lady who longed ‘for the Heavenly Kingdom’. In part, He wrote, ‘Recite the Greatest Name at every morn, and turn thou unto the Kingdom of Abhá, until thou mayest apprehend my mysteries.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 143*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/mornings) (Subject: mornings).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master sometimes made His points through telling stories",
"slug": "the-master-sometimes-made-his-points-through-telling-bs0",
"summary": "The Master sometimes made His points through telling stories. Julia Grundy recorded the following story of His: ‘A master had a slave who was completely devoted to him. One day he gave the slave a melon which when cut open looked most…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"disappointment"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/disappointment"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master sometimes made His points through telling stories. Julia Grundy recorded the following story of His: ‘A master had a slave who was completely devoted to him. One day he gave the slave a melon which when cut open looked most ripe and delicious. The slave ate one piece, then another and another with great relish (the day being warm) until nearly the whole melon had disappeared. The master, picking up the last slice, tasted it and found it exceedingly bitter and unpalatable. “Why, it is bitter! Did you not find it so?” he asked the servant. “Yes, my Master,” the slave replied, “it was bitter and unpleasant, but I have tasted so much sweetness from thy hand that one bitter melon was not worth mentioning.”’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 167*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/disappointment) (Subject: disappointment).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master spoke to him in Persian with an interpreter",
"slug": "the-master-spoke-to-him-in-persian-with-bs5",
"summary": "The Master spoke to him in Persian with an interpreter. After saying that 'The Cause of God is like a tree -- its fruit is love', He asked how the believers were. Happy that they were becoming more united He replied, 'This news is the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"unity"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master spoke to him in Persian with an interpreter. After saying that 'The Cause of God is like a tree -- its fruit is love', He asked how the believers were. Happy that they were becoming more united He replied, 'This news is the cause of My happiness, for the more they are united the more they will receive God's confirmation. They must love one another. Each must devote and sacrifice himself and what he has for the other. I, Myself, sacrifice My life for all.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 82*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/unity) (Subject: unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master told a pilgrim the following story",
"slug": "the-master-told-a-pilgrim-the-following-story-bs28",
"summary": "The Master told a pilgrim the following story. He was concluding an interview by telling of a time when He was traveling with a party which included a merchant. When the caravan halted in a certain village, quite a few people gathered…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master told a pilgrim the following story. He was concluding an interview by telling of a time when He was traveling with a party which included a merchant. When the caravan halted in a certain village, quite a few people gathered around to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The travelers later continued their journey and when they stopped in another town the same thing happened, and then it happened again. The merchant noticed this very obvious love and respect, which were showered on the Master. He then took Him aside and told Him he wished to become a Bahá’í. When the Master asked him why he desired this, he replied, without apparent shame, ‘You are a Bahá’í, and wherever you go, great crowds of people flock out to meet you, while no one comes to meet me; so I wish to become a Bahá’í.’ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá probed deeper. He asked him if that was the real reason. Whereupon the merchant replied with candour, ‘I also think it will help my business, as I will have all these people come to meet me.’ It was then that he was told very frankly, ‘Do not become a Bahá’í. It is better for you to remain as you are.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching) (Subject: teaching).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master wanted people to be happy not only because then they could come to…",
"slug": "the-master-wanted-people-to-be-happy-not-bs8",
"summary": "The Master wanted people to be happy not only because then they could come to know the spiritual life, but also because in that condition they could make others happy too. Similarly He once told one of His daughters who was to travel with…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"happiness"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/happiness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master wanted people to be happy not only because then they could come to know the spiritual life, but also because in that condition they could make others happy too. Similarly He once told one of His daughters who was to travel with her aunt that she should be a cheerful companion.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 168*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/happiness) (Subject: happiness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master was averse to divorce",
"slug": "the-master-was-averse-to-divorce-in-reply-bs0",
"summary": "The Master was averse to divorce. In reply to a question, He said \"It is not that divorce should be more easy, but that marriages should be more difficult.\" In all the years that Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá were dwelling in Syria there…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"divorce",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/divorce"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master was averse to divorce. In reply to a question, He said \"It is not that divorce should be more easy, but that marriages should be more difficult.\" In all the years that Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá were dwelling in Syria there was not one case of divorce among the Bahá’ís.\n\nThe wife of an Armenian Bahá’í implored the Master to allow her husband to divorce her; many were her accusations against her husband. The Master said to her: \"You are a Christian, how can you ask to be separated? Christ Jesus, Whom I reverence, came not to part but to unite.\" At length, seeing that the woman loved another man, the Master said: \"You may divorce her, she is no longer your wife.\" When the woman fled with the man, taking much of her husband's money with her: \"You now see the reason for my consent,\" said the Master.\n\nAnother instance:\n\n‘Abdu’l-Qasim, the gardener of the Ridván, wished to marry an Arab peasant woman; he was advised by Bahá’u’lláh not to do so. But as he was very much in love with her, consent was at length given. In a few years he came saying: \"I want to divorce Jamilih, and marry a younger woman.\" \"It is absolutely forbidden, you have married her; you must take care of her to the last moment of your life.\"\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway, p. 213-214*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/divorce) (Subject: divorce).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master's concern for others endured to the very end of His earthly life",
"slug": "the-masters-concern-for-others-endured-to-the-bs22",
"summary": "The Master's concern for others endured to the very end of His earthly life. During the afternoon of 27 November 1921, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent His friends to the Shrine of the Báb to celebrate the Day of the Covenant. His family had tea with…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"exhaustion",
"pilgrimage",
"the-covenant",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master's concern for others endured to the very end of His earthly life. During the afternoon of 27 November 1921, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent His friends to the Shrine of the Báb to celebrate the Day of the Covenant. His family had tea with Him. He 'received with His unfailing courtesy and kindness that same afternoon, and despite growing weariness, the Mufti of Haifa, the Mayor and the Head of the Police...' That evening 'He asked after the health of every member of the Household, of the pilgrims and of the friends in Haifa. \"Very good, very good\" He said when told that none were ill. This was His very last utterance concerning His friends.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 90*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion) (Subject: exhaustion).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Master's life was very full at this time",
"slug": "the-masters-life-was-very-full-at-this-bs11",
"summary": "The Master's life was very full at this time. Not only did He care for the friends of Abu-Sinan, but in `Akká and Haifa all the poor looked to Him for their daily bread. Even before the war the spectre of starvation had not been very far…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"poor",
"women",
"children"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/poor"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Master's life was very full at this time. Not only did He care for the friends of Abu-Sinan, but in `Akká and Haifa all the poor looked to Him for their daily bread. Even before the war the spectre of starvation had not been very far from many of these pitiful people, but now when all the breadwinners (Germans and Turks) had been taken for the army, the plight of the women and children was desperate, for alas! there were no government \"separation allowances.\" Nothing and no one but the Master stood between them and certain death from hunger. He also instituted a dispensary at Ab'u-Sin'an, and engaged a doctor, Hab'ib'u'll'ah Khud'abkhsh. This doctor was qualified to perform operations and to give instruction in hygiene. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá did not neglect the education of the children. He arranged schools where they were taught by some of the most gifted of the Bahá’í friends.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/poor) (Subject: poor).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The “ministry of flowers” was a feature of the life at Akká, of which every…",
"slug": "the-ministry-of-flowers-was-a-feature-of-bs1",
"summary": "The “ministry of flowers” was a feature of the life at Akká, of which every pilgrim brought away fragrant memories. Mrs. Lucas writes: “When the Master inhales the odor of flowers, it is wonderful to see him. It seems as though the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"flowers",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/flowers"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe “ministry of flowers” was a feature of the life at Akká, of which every pilgrim brought away fragrant memories. Mrs. Lucas writes: “When the Master inhales the odor of flowers, it is wonderful to see him. It seems as though the perfume of the hyacinths were telling him something as he buries his face in the flowers. It is like the effort of the ear to hear a beautiful harmony, a concentrated attention!”\n\n\n*Source: A Brief Account of My Visit to `Akká, p. 25-26.*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/flowers) (Subject: flowers).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The morning after His arrival in Montréal, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited the home of…",
"slug": "the-morning-after-his-arrival-in-montr-al-abdu-l-bah-bs13",
"summary": "The morning after His arrival in Montréal, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited the home of Henry Birks, directly across the street from the Maxwells. Geraldine Berks was a very sickly child of about 12. Because she was not allowed out of the house due…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Montreal",
"lat": 45.5017,
"lng": -73.5673,
"modernName": "Montreal, Canada"
},
"themes": [
"miracles",
"children"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe morning after His arrival in Montréal, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited the home of Henry Birks, directly across the street from the Maxwells. Geraldine Berks was a very sickly child of about 12. Because she was not allowed out of the house due to her health, May would send two-year-old Mary over to play with her, almost like a live doll. On this day, Mrs. Birks asked if ‘Abdu’l-Bahá could visit their home and even sent a carriage from that side of the street to this side of the street out of courtesy to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The Master, however, walked across the street, but so as not to offend Mrs. Birks, had May ride across the carriage. Once inside, He spoke with Geraldine and embraced her, then told her parents that she must be allowed to go out into the sunlight on or she would only get worse. When her parents began to follow the Master's instructions, Geraldine rapidly improved until she was completely healthy.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 181*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles) (Subject: miracles).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The most renowned of those repentant souls was the vigorous commander Hurr, who…",
"slug": "the-most-renowned-of-those-repentant-souls-was-bs3",
"summary": "The most renowned of those repentant souls was the vigorous commander Hurr, who had obstructed all roads to Husayn. His transformation took place in the depths of night, nor could his soldiers believe their eyes when they beheld this man…",
"figures": [],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"repentance",
"martyrdom",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"forgiveness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/repentance"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe most renowned of those repentant souls was the vigorous commander Hurr, who had obstructed all roads to Husayn. His transformation took place in the depths of night, nor could his soldiers believe their eyes when they beheld this man of courage trembling like a leaf in a winter storm. \"But we have never seen you in fear, even in the midst of the most terrifying battles,\" they cried. \"I find myself between heaven and hell,\" was Hurr's reply. \"My soul cries out and cannot bear these torments of hell.\" In the faint light of dawn, he charged his steed towards Husayn, to express his penitence and beg forgiveness. When he had received the Imam's grace and assurance, he faced the army of Ibn Sa'd and chided them in loud tones, hoping to awaken their dormant souls. But alas! Those who were his comrades and under his command, attacked and killed him in an outburst of despicable ferocity.\n\n\n*Source: Abu'l-Qasim Faizi, The Prince of Martyrs, p. 33*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/repentance) (Subject: repentance).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), a…",
"slug": "the-national-association-for-the-advancement-of-coloured-bs22",
"summary": "The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), a nationwide, biracial organization that would fight to achieve African American civil rights had invited ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to address their Fourth Annual Conference in…",
"figures": [
"Louis Gregory",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"race unity"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), a nationwide, biracial organization that would fight to achieve African American civil rights had invited ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to address their Fourth Annual Conference in Chicago. He spoke at the conference twice on Tuesday, April 30, 1912, once early in the afternoon at Hull House in South Chicago and then to the evening session at Handel Hall, at 40 East Randolph Street in the Loop neighbourhood.\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá began His address at Handel Hall by quoting the Old Testament: ?Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.? ?Let us find out,? He proposed, ?just where and how he is the image and likeness of the Lord, and what is the standard or criterion whereby he can be measured.\n\nThen He asked a series of rhetorical questions: ?If a man should possess wealth, can we call him an image and likeness of God? Or is human honour the criterion whereby he can be called the image of God? Or can we apply a colour test as a criterion, and say such and such an one is coloured a certain hue and he is therefore, in the image of God? Can we say, for example, that a man who is green in hue is an image of God??\n\n?Hence we come to the conclusion that colours are of no importance. Colours are accidental in nature. . . . Let him be blue in colour, or white, or green, or brown, that matters not! Man is not to be pronounced man simply because of bodily attributes. Man is to be judged according to his intelligence and spirit. . . . That is the image of God.\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá concluded by once again conflating and neutralizing common uses of the imagery of black and white, as He had done in Washington: ?If man’s temperament be white, if his heart be white, let his outer skin be black; if his heart be black and his temperament be black, let him be blond, it is of no importance.? Colour, in other words, had no effect on the content of a person‘s character.\n\nAlmost immediately across the road from Handel Hall, at the Masonic Temple at 29 East Randolph Street, another convention was underway that evening. Fifty-eight delegates from forty-three cities were about to elect nine members to the governing board of the Bahá’í Temple Unity, a national body formed to coordinate the largest project ever undertaken by the Bahá’ís in North America: the construction of an enormous house of worship north of Chicago. White fluted columns with capitals wrapped in acanthus leaves surrounded the delegates in Corinthian Hall as they cast their secret ballots.\n\nAfter the first round of voting there was a tie for ninth place between Frederick Nutt, a white doctor from Chicago, and Louis Gregory, the black lawyer from Washington, DC. In a dramatic departure from the vicious 1912 Presidential election, which raged all around them, each man resigned in favour of the other.\n\nThen Mr Roy Wilhelm, a delegate from Ithaca, NY, stood and put forward a proposal. His motion, seconded by Dr. Homer S. Harper of Minneapolis, recommended that the convention accept Dr. Nutt‘s resignation.\n\nThe delegates responded unanimously.\n\nTo have elected an African American to the governing board of a national organization of largely middle- and upper-class white Americans and to have done so at the nadir of the Jim Crow era in 1912 was rare in the extreme. Even the NAACP had only elected one black member to its executive committee when it had been formed in 1909.\n\n‘Abdu’l-Bahá‘s assault on the colour line was beginning to bear fruit.\n\n\n*Source: Source unknown*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity) (Subject: race-unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The next morning ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was preparing to leave for Vienna, when the…",
"slug": "the-next-morning-abdu-l-bah-was-preparing-to-leave-bs7",
"summary": "The next morning ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was preparing to leave for Vienna, when the president of the Turanian Society was announced. He requested ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to delay His departure because they had planned another meeting for Him, and had widely…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Hasan Balyuzi"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"selfless",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/selfless"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe next morning ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was preparing to leave for Vienna, when the president of the Turanian Society was announced. He requested ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to delay His departure because they had planned another meeting for Him, and had widely advertised it. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá acceded to this request.\n\n\n*Source: H.M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá - The Centre of the Covenant, p. 387*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/selfless) (Subject: selfless).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The next morning early the Master telephoned me (that is, Ahmad telephoned for…",
"slug": "the-next-morning-early-the-master-telephoned-me-bs1",
"summary": "The next morning early the Master telephoned me (that is, Ahmad telephoned for Him) and nearly every morning after. Can you imagine the sweetness of thatto be wakened every morning by a word from Him? Sometimes He just inquired how I was,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Juliet Thompson"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"parents treatment",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/parents-treatment"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe next morning early the Master telephoned me (that is, Ahmad telephoned for Him) and nearly every morning after. Can you imagine the sweetness of thatto be wakened every morning by a word from Him? Sometimes He just inquired how I was, but often He called me to Him.\n\nWhen I first went to see Him He asked me only one question. “How is your mother?”\n\n“Not very well, my Lord.”\n\n“What is the matter?”\n\n“She is grieving.” And I told Him why. My brother is soon to be married to a quite beautiful, brilliant girl who, however, doesn’t want to make friends with his family!\n\n“Bring your mother to Me,” He said. “I will comfort her.”\n\nHe sent for her that very night. I was terribly afraid she wouldn’t goshe has been so opposed to my work in the Causeand Ahmad called up in the midst of a thunderstorm! But when I took the message to herthat the Master wished her to come to Him nowshe jumped up from her chair and began to scurry around.\n\n“Just wait till I get my rubbers,” she said.\n\nWe found Him exhausted, lying on His bed. He had seen hundreds of people that day, literally, at a big reception and in His own rooms. Mamma, who is very shy and undemonstrative, rushed to the bedside and fell on her knees.\n\n“Welcome, welcome!” said the Master. “You are very welcome, Mrs Thompson.\n\n“You must be very thankful for your daughter. Praise be to God, she is a daughter of the Kingdom. If she were an earthly daughter, of what use would she be to you? At best she could do you a little material good. But she is a heavenly daughter, a daughter of the Kingdom. Therefore she is the means of drawing your soul nearer to God. Her value to you is not apparent now. When one possesses a thing its value is not realized. But you will realize later. Mary Magdalene was but a villager; she was even scorned by the people, but now her name moves the whole earth, and in the Kingdom of God she is very near. Your daughter is kind to you. If your son is faithless, she is faithful. She will become dearer and dearer to you. She will take the place of your son. But in the end your son will be very good. This is only temporary.\n\n“I became very grieved today when, upon inquiring for you, I heard of your sorrow. And now I want to comfort you. Trust in God. God is kind. God is faithful. God never forgets you. If others are unkind what difference does it make when God is kind? When God is on your side it does not matter what men do to you. But your son will be good in the end.\n\n“God is kind to you. And I am going to be kind to you. And I am faithful!”\n\nMamma, still on her knees, bent and kissed His hand. “Tell the Master,” she said to Ahmad, “I have always loved Him. Lua knows that.” (If Lua knew, I certainly didn’t.)\n\n“I have no need of a witness,” the Master answered, so tenderly. “My heart knows.”\n\nThe next day Mamma said to me: “All my bitterness has gone. The Master must be helping me.”\n\n\n*Source: Diary of Juliet Thompson*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/parents-treatment) (Subject: parents-treatment).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The occasion of the wedding had one peculiar feature so characteristic of my…",
"slug": "the-occasion-of-the-wedding-had-one-peculiar-bs2",
"summary": "The occasion of the wedding had one peculiar feature so characteristic of my brother that I will mention it. Our marriage service is very simple, consisting of the reading of a tablet and the exchange of promises by the contracting…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"wedding abdul baha"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/wedding-abdul-baha"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe occasion of the wedding had one peculiar feature so characteristic of my brother that I will mention it. Our marriage service is very simple, consisting of the reading of a tablet and the exchange of promises by the contracting parties. It is usually followed by feasting and the entertainment of friends until late at night.\n\nOur Master had made, personally and with great care, all the preparations for receiving and entertaining the guests. The ceremony was performed by the Blessed Perfection about two P.M. My brother then quietly withdrew without speaking to any one, and did not return until after the guests had dispersed.\n\nIt was not from want of consideration for the solemnity of the occasion or for his bride that he did this, for the tender affection which he has always shown for her disproves this; or for his guests, for his minute attention to the arrangements for their pleasure disproves this also. But it was his habit to spend this part of the day and the evening in visiting the poor and sick and explaining the Koran, he being frequently thus occupied until a late hour. He never permitted his own affairs to interfere with the discharge of these duties, and was unwilling to neglect them even on this occasion.\n\n\n*Source: Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khánum, Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi, p. 91-92*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/wedding-abdul-baha) (Subject: wedding-abdul-baha).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The other meeting was held at the Bowery Mission Hall to help and assist the…",
"slug": "the-other-meeting-was-held-at-the-bowery-bs3",
"summary": "The other meeting was held at the Bowery Mission Hall to help and assist the poor and destitute. First ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke on the subject of the station of poverty and gave the men hope for the future. His words were so penetrating that…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"poverty",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/poverty"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe other meeting was held at the Bowery Mission Hall to help and assist the poor and destitute. First ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke on the subject of the station of poverty and gave the men hope for the future. His words were so penetrating that even those who were not poor became envious at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s description of the station of poverty. The report of this meeting was publicized in many newspapers. When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá finished His talk, He said He wished to serve the poor. The chairman announced that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would stand near the door so that they could come to Him from one side and then leave from the other. It was an impressive sight. The Master showered His kindness on each one and gave each of them some coins. Because there were about four hundred people, some said that the Master’s money would not suffice; there would not be enough for all of them. Instead, some money was left over, which was given to other destitute people and children outside the Bowery.\n\n\n*Source: Mahmud’s Diary, April 18, 1912*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/poverty) (Subject: poverty).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The present is always unimportant, but we must make our present so filled with…",
"slug": "the-present-is-always-unimportant-but-we-must-bs0",
"summary": "The present is always unimportant, but we must make our present so filled with mighty, altruistic deeds as to assume significant weight and momentous importance in the future. A shallow present will surely be followed by a superficial…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"future"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/future"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe present is always unimportant, but we must make our present so filled with mighty, altruistic deeds as to assume significant weight and momentous importance in the future. A shallow present will surely be followed by a superficial future.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 202*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/future) (Subject: future).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The story of Green Acre itself is intensely interesting",
"slug": "the-story-of-green-acre-itself-is-intensely-bs2",
"summary": "The story of Green Acre itself is intensely interesting. The beautiful property the rolling meadows, the dear wide-verandahed Inn and, now, all the cottages surrounding it, together with the Tea House at the entrance leading from the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"green acre",
"teaching",
"women",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/green-acre"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe story of Green Acre itself is intensely interesting. The beautiful property the rolling meadows, the dear wide-verandahed Inn and, now, all the cottages surrounding it, together with the Tea House at the entrance leading from the highway and, farther down the road, the gracious Fellowship House - rises above the Piscataque River, the River of Light. And it was originally owned by Miss Sarah J. Farmer who was present at the Chicago Exposition in 1893 when, as we all know, the first mention of the Bahá’í Revelation was made at the Congress of Religions. Miss Farmer became deeply interested in this matter of comparative religions and from that time was inspired to establish a summer school on this property of hers which became later our beloved Green Acre. In the summer of 1904 the brilliant and deeply loved Persian teacher, Abu'l Fadl, taught there and, of course, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was there for some time during the summer of 1912. But before this, before the property became definitely Bahá’í property, there had been a good deal of contention and difficulty. Miss Farmer, after a few years spent in listening to the various speakers she brought to her summer school, realized that what the world longed for and what all peoples needed was One Universal Faith - and the Bahá’í Revelation was the only answer to this problem. So, radiantly and with great certainty, she became a Bahá’í. And this was all very well until she announced that she had made her will leaving her property to the Bahá’ís. Then her family rose in outrage and fury. They demanded that she change her will in their favor. She refused. At which they declared her insane and clapped her into an insane asylum. When the Bahá’ís heard of this, there was great consternation and horror and grief. That such a dreadful thing could happen to this great and wonderful woman was simply past all belief. But it had happened and something, certainly, must be done about it. They tried to have her released but her family had consigned her, and only her family could release her, and this they refused to do. Then, an appeal was made to have Miss Farmer examined by atieniate to establish her sanity but this, too, could not be done. Other attempts were made - but there was no step that was not balked at by the Farmer family. Finally, in desperation, three Bahá’ís (Harlan Ober and Montfort Mills were two of them) engineered a most dramatic rescue involving a ladder that took them over the high wall surrounding the insane asylum where Miss Farmer was incarcerated and then another tall ladder leading to her room. She had been told what to expect and she was waiting to be carried down and away. In the Ober home, Grace also was waiting for the return of the rescuers and the rescued. In the dark hours of the early morning they all arrived and there was great rejoicing. Eventually, of course, there was great hubbub and fury raised by the Farmer family and finally, they dragged the Bahá’ís into court to have the matter legally settled. The case was brought by John Mitchell who was a most brilliant lawyer and who, at that point, had never lost a case. The Bahá’ís were represented by Montfort Mills, and the Bahá’ís won. They won the freedom and safety of their radiant and devoted sister Sarah Farmer and they won Green Acre.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 26-27*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/green-acre) (Subject: green-acre).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Trues' downstairs rooms were constantly filled with people for meetings or…",
"slug": "the-trues-downstairs-rooms-were-constantly-filled-with-bs23",
"summary": "The Trues' downstairs rooms were constantly filled with people for meetings or those just wishing to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Large as they were, they still weren't large enough for the crowds. People lined the hallways and were stacked up on…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"exhaustion"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe Trues' downstairs rooms were constantly filled with people for meetings or those just wishing to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Large as they were, they still weren't large enough for the crowds. People lined the hallways and were stacked up on the stairs. When the Master became tired, He had to leave the house and go for a walk to find space to unburden Himself of the constant demand for His attention.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 193*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/exhaustion) (Subject: exhaustion).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The 'ulama recognize without hesitation and confess the knowledge and virtue of…",
"slug": "the-ulama-recognize-without-hesitation-and-confess-the-bs1",
"summary": "The 'ulama recognize without hesitation and confess the knowledge and virtue of Bahá’u’lláh, and they are unanimously convinced that in all learning he has no peer or equal; and it is also evident that he has never studied or acquired this…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"miracles",
"children",
"consultation",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe 'ulama recognize without hesitation and confess the knowledge and virtue of Bahá’u’lláh, and they are unanimously convinced that in all learning he has no peer or equal; and it is also evident that he has never studied or acquired this learning; but still the 'ulama say, 'We are not contented with this; we do not acknowledge the reality of his mission by virtue of his wisdom and righteousness. Therefore, we ask him to show us a miracle in order to satisfy and tranquilize our hearts.'\n\nBahá’u’lláh replied, \"Although you have no right to ask this, for God should test His creatures, and they should not test God, still I allow and accept this request. But the Cause of God is not a theatrical display that is presented every hour, of which some new diversion may be asked for every day. If it were thus, the Cause of God would become mere child's play.\n\nThe ulamas must, therefore, assemble, and, with one accord, choose one miracle, and write that, after the performance of this miracle they will no longer entertain doubts about Me, and that all will acknowledge and confess the truth of My Cause. Let them seal this paper, and bring it to Me. This must be the accepted criterion: if the miracle is performed, no doubt will remain for them; and if not, We shall be convicted of imposture.\" The learned man, Hasan 'Amu, rose and replied, \"There is no more to be said\"; he then kissed the knee of the Blessed One although he was not a believer, and went. He gathered the 'ulama and gave them the sacred message. They consulted together and said, \"This man is an enchanter; perhaps he will perform an enchantment, and then we shall have nothing more to say.\" Acting on this belief, they did not dare to push the matter further. [The penetrating judgment of Bahá’u’lláh upon this occasion overcame the malignity of His enemies, who, it was certain, would never agree in choosing what miracle to ask for.]\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 29-30*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles) (Subject: miracles).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The word \"eliminate\" was often on his lips; he would eliminate non-essentials,…",
"slug": "the-word-eliminate-was-often-on-his-lips-bs0",
"summary": "The word \"eliminate\" was often on his lips; he would eliminate non-essentials, get rid quickly of secondary matters, push away the trivial debris of life. He used carry this process of elimination into his newspaper. He knew exactly which…",
"figures": [
"Rúhíyyih Khánum",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"eliminate"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/eliminate"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe word \"eliminate\" was often on his lips; he would eliminate non-essentials, get rid quickly of secondary matters, push away the trivial debris of life. He used carry this process of elimination into his newspaper. He knew exactly which pages of The Times had the news he wanted to look at - the leaders, the world news, and above all, the editorials - and he would scan these quickly and then proceed to rip out with his fingers the articles he wanted to look at or read carefully and throw the rest away - he had eliminated it! It does not require much acumen to understand that this, aside from being efficient, was the reflection of a very deeply tired-out mind, trying to push away so many burdens. Even an extra piece of paper had become a burden.\n\n\n*Source: Rúhíyyih Khánum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 200*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/eliminate) (Subject: eliminate).*\n"
},
{
"title": "The word sport is a contracted form of “disport” which means to amuse, to…",
"slug": "the-word-sport-is-a-contracted-form-of-bs0",
"summary": "The word sport is a contracted form of “disport” which means to amuse, to divert one’s self. It includes play, amusement, entertainments or recreation. It is a word which signifies the outdoor recreations, the athletic work as contrasted…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"sports"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"perseverance"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/sports"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThe word sport is a contracted form of “disport” which means to amuse, to divert one’s self. It includes play, amusement, entertainments or recreation. It is a word which signifies the outdoor recreations, the athletic work as contrasted with the serious intellectual occupation.\n\nSports have existed in the past ages and have played an important role in the history of mankind. Whenever a nation, regardless of its resources and extension, realized the importance of sports and put that realization into practice she attained a notable stage in the history of the world.\n\nThe ancient Greeks deeply felt the indispensability of sports, they stuck to it and it is out of these marvelous Olympian games that Sparta got such renown and reputation. The original Celtic inhabitants of Great Britain were an athletic race and the early Teutonic monuments abound in records of athletic prowess. Neither Ireland nor Scotland lagged behind England in these bodily amusements and work. In America early in the year 1870 people thought of organizing an association for amateur athletes and they succeeded, as we can judge by their present condition, in carrying out their plan and creating interest for sports in the American citizens.\n\nSuch organizations soon were established in Canada, in Austria, and in the British Colonies. In American and England people were so convinced of the noble function of sports in life that they started to revive the old Olympian Games. They persevered in carrying out their plan and the result of their work is now deeply appreciated by the whole mass of Orientals. The Romans admired the success of the Greek athletic life, and under Fulvis Nobiler in 186 B.C. professional Greek sportsmen established a series of sports in Rome. The gladiators are nothing but an old revival of the Olympian Games and it is sufficient to say that the influence which these sports exerted upon the Roman citizens cannot be estimated.\n\nIf we consider sports from a general point of view and consider their relation to the life of the ancient people we must inevitably come to the conclusion that sports if well conducted, have always raised the standard of the nation to a very high degree.\n\nNations which have played an important role in the Ancient History have all felt the necessity of sports and have introduced these athletic contests in their own domains.\n\nOur next is to examine the results of sports or better, their function. The fact that athletics, a branch of sports, is of great advantage to life is evident to the experienced student of modern European Colleges. The argument which established its necessity is opposed by ignorant people yet it has grown nowadays into an irrefutable fact. Athletics are necessary if not indispensable for the future success of the nation as well as of the individual. “A sound mind in a sound body” was the motto of the Greeks and the model of the strong, healthy and vigorous Spartans. Their carrying out of the plan was a cause for the long existence of Greece and for its luxuriant literary culture. This model in just the same way should be put into action if we wish to have any success in this world.\n\nAthletics refresh the body, tranquilize and enlighten the mind, and develop moral character. As a concrete example let us take a student in his college activities. The student who does exercise is always fresh and vigorous, he seldom gets sick and tired. His jovial character, his good disposition and his interest in life are his chief characteristics.\n\nMoreover in exercising, the student gets animated, his blood is purified and consequently his mind becomes more apt to receive the ideas and thoughts found in his lessons. The health which he acquires will help him to work harder and he becomes more successful. A weak person seldom can endure the hardship of school-life, the trouble of memorizing and persevering in his daily lessons. Lastly when a student is busy with athletics during recess time his ideas do not deviate any more to the path of impurity, to think of such trivial things and the health and strength which he acquires will help him in overcoming such temptations. Generally a healthy person is endowed with a will stronger than that of a weak person.\n\nWe see therefore that athletics ameliorate the condition of a person during all his college course.\n\nSports, in general, have had an important and estimable function in life and will inevitably in future be regarded as the indispensable factor for intellectual and moral growth.\n\n\n*Source: Shoghi Effendi, The Function of Sports in Life, published in The Students’ Union Gazette, pages 28-30, American University of Beirut, 1914-15*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/sports) (Subject: sports).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Their food was of the simplest: lentils, dried beans, delicious olives and…",
"slug": "their-food-was-of-the-simplest-lentils-dried-bs8",
"summary": "Their food was of the simplest: lentils, dried beans, delicious olives and their oil, and sometimes milk, eggs, and even some goat's…",
"figures": [
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"diet"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/diet"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTheir food was of the simplest: lentils, dried beans, delicious olives and their oil, and sometimes milk, eggs, and even some goat's meat.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/diet) (Subject: diet).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Then ‘Abdu’l-Bahá walked to the entrance and, standing there, shook hands with…",
"slug": "then-abdu-l-bah-walked-to-the-entrance-and-standing-bs12",
"summary": "Then ‘Abdu’l-Bahá walked to the entrance and, standing there, shook hands with every one of those four hundred: the flotsam and jetsam of humanity. At the same time He put a coin or two in each palm. He had done the same for years, on…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Hasan Balyuzi"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"poor",
"the-covenant",
"children",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/poor"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThen ‘Abdu’l-Bahá walked to the entrance and, standing there, shook hands with every one of those four hundred: the flotsam and jetsam of humanity. At the same time He put a coin or two in each palm. He had done the same for years, on Fridays, outside His own house in 'Akká -- meeting the poor, dispensing aid, imparting to stunted lives the balm of care and affection and love. In the street others had gathered and there were also a number of children. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá went forth to greet them and offer them also a coin or two. But what mattered most was not the price of a bed He was giving them, but that balm of love and care which healed the wounds of the spirit. Back in the Hotel Ansonia ‘Abdu’l-Bahá encountered a chambermaid, who had been deeply moved by His gift of roses to her; He emptied into her apron the bag containing the remainder of the coins. A Bahá’í told the chambermaid that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had been giving money to the poor at the Bowery Mission. 'I will do the same with this money. I too will give it,' she said. Later that evening ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was seated with a number of visitors to whom He was saying as He laughed: 'Assuredly give to the poor! If you give them only words, when they put their hands into their pockets they will find themselves none the richer for you . . .\n\n\n*Source: H.M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá - The Centre of the Covenant, p. 177*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/poor) (Subject: poor).*\n"
},
{
"title": "There are many stories about beloved Grace Robarts Ober who, for so very many…",
"slug": "there-are-many-stories-about-beloved-grace-robarts-bs2",
"summary": "There are many stories about beloved Grace Robarts Ober who, for so very many years, dedicated every moment of her life to the service of our glorious Cause. And this experience, she felt, was the 'first small step' - to use her words,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"service",
"family",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"justice",
"prayer",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 7,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/service"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere are many stories about beloved Grace Robarts Ober who, for so very many years, dedicated every moment of her life to the service of our glorious Cause. And this experience, she felt, was the 'first small step' - to use her words, that set her feet on the path. Grace had been introduced to the Cause by that early dedicated soul, Lua Getzinger, and Grace had, at once, recognized Bahá’u’lláh and become a Bahá’í. Not long afterward, Lua came to Grace and told her that very soon ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was to arrive in New York and she, Lua, had been asked by Him to go to Chicago and prepare a place there in which he might stay when he arrived in that city. Would Grace like to go to Chicago with Lua and help with this preparation? Of course Grace would! So, together, they went to Chicago from Los Angeles, found a suitable apartment, prepared it and, eventually, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá came to live in it. When His stay in Chicago was nearly over, suddenly one morning Grace realized what it would mean to go back to the dead stuffiness of her former life and leave this clear and radiant glory in which she'd been living while she helped Lua keep house for the Master. So she went to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and begged that, when he returned to New York, she might help with that household too, as she had been privileged to do in Chicago. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá looked at her very searchingly and said, \"Greece (His loving nickname for Grace) Greece, are you SURE you wish to serve ME?\" Grace said, with great enthusiasm, \"Oh, YES! More than anything else in the world!\" ‘Abdu’l-Bahá made no answer but walked away. The next morning this scene was repeated. On the third morning, Grace, frantic at the realization that this was the last morning before He was leaving to go farther West, went to Him a third time - and this time He became very stern. Are you VERY SURE you wish to SERVE ME? Grace was startled at the sternness but she didn't waver. \"YES I am VERY SURE.\" So then he nodded. \"Very well go, settle up your affairs, and we will meet in New York.\" Jubilant and radiant, Grace settled up her 'affairs' - which consisted of subletting a cottage she had taken at Greenacre for the summer and doing a few other things. Then, with wings on her feet, she went to New York. Lua was already there and together they prepared for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s return. The day came. Many Bahá’ís had gone to meet Him, though Lua and Grace had remained at the house to welcome Him. The door opened, He came in. He welcomed Lua warmly, glanced at Grace as at a complete stranger, and turned away. Grace was appalled, shocked. Hadn't He recognized her? Had He forgotten her? Had she misunderstood the permission to come to New York? Or had she displeased Him and was this punishment? Whatever it was, it continued with no let-up. During all the days that followed ‘Abdu’l-Bahá never showed by word or glance that He recognized her in any way - except to put her to work. Whenever she relaxed at all throughout any day, word would come at once, through Lua, setting her to work harder at some new task. She worked in that household until long after midnight - cleaning, cooking, scrubbing, and then she would rise at five in the morning to begin all over again. She worked as she had never worked before in all her life and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ignored her completely. If they ever chanced to meet he would draw aside His robe for her to pass and his glance would go through her as if she were not there. At last came the day when the movies of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá were to be taken over in Brooklyn at the home of Howard MacNutt. And Grace thought, wearily, \"at least I will be included in THIS since EVERYONE in the household is to go.\" But, an hour before the several carloads of people were scheduled to leave, Lua came to Grace to say that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá felt that someone should remain at the house to welcome two ladies who were expected that morning, and Grace was to be the one to stay behind. So when the cars left - Grace stood at the top of the flight of brownstone steps and watched them all roll away. Then, she turned and went into the empty house. For a moment she stood there, fighting the feeling of desolation and abandonment and loneliness, and then she thought of the white roses that had been delivered that morning, as they were daily, for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s room. The one bright spot in these dreadful days for Grace had been that she was the one to arrange these roses each morning. So, with the long florists' box in her arms, she climbed up to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s room at the top of the house, where He had wished to be. She reached the top of the third flight - and found the door not only closed, but locked against her. And always before it had stood wide open! This, for Grace, was the last straw. Overwhelmed by all the hurt and bewilderment of all these days, she sank down on the floor and wept\n\nwith the fallen roses scattered around her. At last, the sobs faded, her tears spent themselves, and, exhausted, she gathered up the roses and went back downstairs. The expected ladies had not arrived, nor did they ever arrive. But Grace - it was now past noon was hungry. So, she went down to the kitchen to get something to eat. And in that house that fed, each day, so many dozens of people, there was nothing to eat but one egg and a small piece of leftover bread in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s bread-box. (this bread was especially baked for Him by a Persian believer who had begged to come on this journey just so he might cook ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s food). So Grace boiled her one egg and put her small portion of bread on a plate. Putting the egg in an egg cup, she chipped the shell - and the egg, as bad as an egg can get, exploded in her face. She cleaned up the mess and returned to her bit of leftover bread. And, as she crumbled the bread, eating it crumb by crumb she realized, suddenly, exactly what she was doing - she was, blessedly, eating the crumbs of the bread of life from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s table. She began to eat even more slowly as the spirit of prayer came to possess her. Not long after this the household returned from Brooklyn - and that evening Lua came to Grace and said, \"The Master has asked me to tell you that He knows you wept.\" And this was the first time it had occurred to Grace that all this dreadful experience might have a reason, a pattern. And - if this were true she must find out what the reason could be. So she went up to her room to pray about it. To pray for illumination and wisdom and the selflessness to understand. And as she prayed she heard a small voice saying 'Are you as happy scrubbing the garbage pails as you are arranging the roses?' And she suddenly realized what the spirit of true service was. It was to rise to selfless joy in offering the service, no matter what form that service might take. And as this truth swept over her, suffusing her, illuminating her, the door opened, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá walked into the room. His arms were outstretched; His dear face was glorified. \"Welcome!\" He cried to Grace, \"Welcome to the Kingdom!\" And he held her close, embracing her deeply. And never did He withdraw Himself from her again.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 17-19*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/service) (Subject: service).*\n"
},
{
"title": "There are many stories of Lua Getsinger",
"slug": "there-are-many-stories-of-lua-getsinger-this-bs14",
"summary": "There are many stories of Lua Getsinger. This one was told me by Grace Ober, who heard it from Lua herself. It happened on one of Lua's several visits to Acca and Haifa when she and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá were walking together on the beach. Lua…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahíyyih Khánum",
"Lua Getsinger"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"miracles",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere are many stories of Lua Getsinger. This one was told me by Grace Ober, who heard it from Lua herself. It happened on one of Lua's several visits to Acca and Haifa when she and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá were walking together on the beach. Lua dropped behind slightly and began fitting her small feet, into His much larger foot prints. After a few moments the Master turned to ask what she was doing. \"I am following in your footsteps,\" said Lua. He, turned away and they walked on. A few moments later, He turned again, \"Do you wish to follow in my foot steps?\" He asked. \"Oh, yes,\" said Lua. They walked on - and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá turned again, \"Lua! Do you wish to follow in my foot steps?\" His tone was louder and stern. \"Oh, yes,\" said Lua again. Then, the third time he stopped and faced her. \"Lua!\" it was almost a shout, \"Do you wish to follow in My foot steps?\" \"Oh, yes!\" said Lua for the third time - and with that, a great tarantula jumped out from a hillock of sand and bit her ankle. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá saw this and paid no attention, turning away and again walking. Lua followed, still fitting her footsteps into His. Her ankle swelled, the pain became excruciating, till, finally, she sank down with the\n\nagony of it. Then ‘Abdu’l-Bahá picked her up and carried her to the ladies quarters, where the Greatest Holy Leaf put her to bed. The agony increased. Lua's temperature flamed; delirium set in. Finally, the Greatest Holy Leaf could stand it no longer and she implored ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to heal her. He examined her carefully then laid His hands gently on her forehead. The temperature drained away, her head cleared she was healed. And it was only later that it was explained to her that she had been suffering from a strange and virulent condition of her blood which the bite of the tarantula had cured.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 41-42*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles) (Subject: miracles).*\n"
},
{
"title": "There is a note in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's character that has not been emphasized, and…",
"slug": "there-is-a-note-in-abdu-l-bah-s-character-that-bs1",
"summary": "There is a note in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's character that has not been emphasized, and with which no idea of him is complete. The impressive dignity which distinguishes his presence and bearing is occasionally lighted by a delicate and tactful…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"humor"
],
"virtues": [
"tact"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/humor"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere is a note in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's character that has not been emphasized, and with which no idea of him is complete. The impressive dignity which distinguishes his presence and bearing is occasionally lighted by a delicate and tactful humour, which is as unaffected as it is infectious and delightful. On his last afternoon in London, a reporter called to ask him of his future plans, finding him surrounded by a number of friends who had called to bid him good-bye. When, in answer to this query, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told in perfect English of his intention to visit Paris and go from there to Alexandria, the press representative evinced surprise at his faultless pronunciation. Thereupon ‘Abdu’l-Bahá proceeded to march with a free stride up and down the flower-scented drawing room, his Oriental garb contrasting strangely 111 with his modern surroundings; and, to the amusement of the assembly, uttered a string of elaborate English words, laughingly ending, \"Very difficult English words I speak!\" Then, a moment later, with the swift transition of one who knows both how to be grave and gay, he showed himself terribly in earnest.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London, p. 109*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/humor) (Subject: humor).*\n"
},
{
"title": "There is a situation which we sometimes have in Bahá’í communities where the…",
"slug": "there-is-a-situation-which-we-sometimes-have-bs3",
"summary": "There is a situation which we sometimes have in Bahá’í communities where the wife is a Bahá’í and her husband is not, or vice versa. Would any of you be interested in knowing about a technique for overcoming this very sad situation? In…",
"figures": [
"John Robarts"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"becoming bahai",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"love",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/becoming-bahai"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere is a situation which we sometimes have in Bahá’í communities where the wife is a Bahá’í and her husband is not, or vice versa. Would any of you be interested in knowing about a technique for overcoming this very sad situation? In Africa, I met a young African, a beautiful soul who was a very active Bahá’í but his wife was not only not a Bahá’í, she was very antagonistic to the Faith. One time he gave an address at a Bahá’í conference. I listened and was surprised to hear him speak very lovingly of his wife. After the meeting I asked him, \"George, is your wife a Bahá’í?\" \"Yes,\" he said, \"she is.\" I said, \"That is wonderful. How did you bring her into the Faith?' He said, \"Oh, it was one of those natural kinds of things. She got to the point where she loved to be with the Bahá’ís.\" He said, \"You know, I do a lot of teaching; four or five evenings a week we have meetings, and of course when my wife was so opposed to the Faith, I couldn't have her there, could I? The difficulty was that our house is so small. There is only one room. During those meetings, there was no place for her to go. We have no neighbours. So she would go out to the back and sit or stand under the banana tree.” “Well” he said, “ she became a Bahá’í during the last rainy season!”\n\n\n*Source: John Robarts, http://bahaitalks.blogspot.in/2011/02/value-of-prayer-talk-by-hand-of-cause.html#more*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/becoming-bahai) (Subject: becoming-bahai).*\n"
},
{
"title": "There is no need to belabour the fact that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s every act spoke of…",
"slug": "there-is-no-need-to-belabour-the-fact-bs5",
"summary": "There is no need to belabour the fact that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s every act spoke of love a love for every human being, each created by God. His abundant love, universal and divine, transcended limited, ‘semi-selfish’ loves loves often born…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"love",
"pilgrimage",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/love"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere is no need to belabour the fact that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s every act spoke of love a love for every human being, each created by God. His abundant love, universal and divine, transcended limited, ‘semi-selfish’ loves loves often born of race or religion, colour or country, family or friendship. Because His love of God and Bahá’u’lláh ran deep, His love for human beings followed naturally and sincerely. He knew what it meant when He said: ‘When you love a member of your family or a compatriot, let it be with a ray of the Infinite Love! Let it be in God, and for God!’\n\nHe advised pilgrim Anna Kunz and her husband in 1921, ‘Just like a shepherd who is affectionate to all his sheep, without preference or distinction, you should be affectionate to all. You should not look at their short-comings. Consider that they are all created by God who loves them all.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 95*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/love) (Subject: love).*\n"
},
{
"title": "There is scarcely a mention of any of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s talks at the homes of…",
"slug": "there-is-scarcely-a-mention-of-any-of-bs2",
"summary": "There is scarcely a mention of any of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s talks at the homes of Andrew Dyer and Joseph Hannen, both of which were sites of racially integrated meetings for the Washington, D. C. Bahá’í community, (Book Footnote #18) or at…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"prejudice"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/prejudice"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere is scarcely a mention of any of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s talks at the homes of Andrew Dyer and Joseph Hannen, both of which were sites of racially integrated meetings for the Washington, D. C. Bahá’í community, (Book Footnote #18) or at African -American venues, such as the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, presumably because Mrs. Parsons did not attend most of these events. Such activities were not part of the social world in which she lived. It is remarkable, then, that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá chose Agnes Parsons to spearhead the Racial Amity campaign initiated by the Bahá’í community and just as remarkable that she transcended her social milieu in order to carry out this mandate.\n\n\n*Source: Agnes Parson’s Diary, ©1996, Kalimát Press, Footnote #6, p. xvi*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/prejudice) (Subject: prejudice).*\n"
},
{
"title": "There is the story of the coal miner in California who had walked many miles to…",
"slug": "there-is-the-story-of-the-coal-miner-bs2",
"summary": "There is the story of the coal miner in California who had walked many miles to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Who, of course spoke that evening as He always did through an interpreter. The coal miner became more and more impatient. Finally, unable to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"universal language heart heart"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/universal-language-heart-heart"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere is the story of the coal miner in California who had walked many miles to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Who, of course spoke that evening as He always did through an interpreter. The coal miner became more and more impatient. Finally, unable to stand it any longer, he leaned toward the man sitting next to him. \"Why does that man continually interrupt the Master?\" he asked. The man explained, \"‘Abdu’l-Bahá is speaking in Persian it must, be translated.\" \"Translated!\" the coal miner was outraged. \"Nothing ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says needs translating - anybody can understand Him.\"\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 38*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/universal-language-heart-heart) (Subject: universal-language-heart-heart).*\n"
},
{
"title": "There was a Christian merchant in Akka who, like many of his fellow citizens,…",
"slug": "there-was-a-christian-merchant-in-akka-who-bs5",
"summary": "There was a Christian merchant in Akka who, like many of his fellow citizens, held the Bahá’ís in scant respect. It happened that he came upon a load of charcoal which some of the Bahá’ís had been permitted to buy outside Akka. (Inside the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"justice"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/justice"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere was a Christian merchant in Akka who, like many of his fellow citizens, held the Bahá’ís in scant respect. It happened that he came upon a load of charcoal which some of the Bahá’ís had been permitted to buy outside Akka. (Inside the town they were denied such purchases.) The merchant, noticing that the fuel was of a fine grade, took it for his own use. For him Bahá’ís were beyond the pale, and so their goods could be impounded. When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá heard of the incident, He went to the place where the merchant transacted his business to ask for the return of the charcoal. There were many people about in that office, bent on their trade, and they took no notice of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He sat and waited. Three hours passed before the merchant turned to Him and said: “Are you one of the prisoners in this town?” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said that He was, and the merchant then enquired: “What was the crime for which you were imprisoned?” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá replied: “The same crime for which Christ was indicted.” The merchant was taken aback. He was a Christian, and here was a man speaking of similarity between His action and the action of Christ. “What could you know of Christ?” was his retort. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá calmly proceeded to tell him. The arrogance of the merchant was confronted by the patience of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá rose to go, the merchant also rose and walked with Him into the street, betokening his respect for this Man one of the detested prisoners. From then on, he was a friend, even more, a stout supporter. But regarding the charcoal, the merchant could only say, ‘The coal is gone, - I cannot return you that, but here is the money.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/justice) (Subject: justice).*\n"
},
{
"title": "There was a large agricultural convention and State Fair in town when they…",
"slug": "there-was-a-large-agricultural-convention-and-state-bs0",
"summary": "There was a large agricultural convention and State Fair in town when they arrived which interested the Master. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited the agricultural exhibition and spent some time exploring it. He visited a display of agricultural…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"agriculture",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/agriculture"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere was a large agricultural convention and State Fair in town when they arrived which interested the Master. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited the agricultural exhibition and spent some time exploring it. He visited a display of agricultural machines, asking about their cost and use, then went to the area where fruits and vegetables were displayed. As He examined the grapes, apples, pears, pomegranates, cabbages and very large pumpkins, He praised American agricultural progress. When the section manager saw his exotic visitor he rushed over to be introduced, then accompanied ‘Abdu’l-Bahá through the area, offering him samples of fruit (though sale and consumption were prohibited). Afterwards, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá directed his attendants to buy seeds of some of the fruits and flowers to be sent to the Holy Land to be planted at the shrine of Bahá’u’lláh.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 208-209*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/agriculture) (Subject: agriculture).*\n"
},
{
"title": "There was a man in Haifa who disliked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá",
"slug": "there-was-a-man-in-haifa-who-disliked-bs15",
"summary": "There was a man in Haifa who disliked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Whenever he saw the Master, he crossed the street to avoid Him. Finally, one day he approached ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and said, ‘So You are called the Servant of God.’ ‘Yes,’ said ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"humility"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/humility"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere was a man in Haifa who disliked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Whenever he saw the Master, he crossed the street to avoid Him. Finally, one day he approached ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and said, ‘So You are called the Servant of God.’ ‘Yes,’ said ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘that is my name.’ ‘Well,’ said the man proudly, ‘I am Moses.’ Very well, Moses,’ said ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘meet Me at this corner at seven o’clock in the morning tomorrow and we will go and serve the people like the great Moses did.’ The man agreed and when they met the next morning, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá took him on His routine of serving the unfortunates, helping the poor and needy, consulting with people and giving counsel. At six o’clock that evening when they returned to the spot where they had started, he was extremely weary. ‘Remember, Moses,’ said ‘Abdu’l-Bahá before they parted, ‘I’ll meet you here tomorrow morning at seven o’clock.’ Again they met the following morning and again ‘Abdu’l-Bahá took the man through His regular work. Returning at six o’clock that evening the man was very tired. Sternly, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told him, ‘Remember, Moses, tomorrow morning I’ll meet you here.’ They met the third morning and again ‘Abdu’l-Bahá took him through His regular work day. When they returned that evening, the man was exhausted. As they parted, the man said, ‘‘Abdu’l-Bahá, tomorrow morning I will no longer be Moses.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/humility) (Subject: humility).*\n"
},
{
"title": "There was a pilgrim from the United States, a Mrs.True, the American Bahá’ís…",
"slug": "there-was-a-pilgrim-from-the-united-states-bs4",
"summary": "There was a pilgrim from the United States, a Mrs.True, the American Bahá’ís who are here, of course, remember her very well. One of the early of the Cause and one of the great workers for the Bahá’í temple, and one of the great pillars of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"gifts",
"pilgrimage",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/gifts"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere was a pilgrim from the United States, a Mrs.True, the American Bahá’ís who are here, of course, remember her very well. One of the early of the Cause and one of the great workers for the Bahá’í temple, and one of the great pillars of the Cause, and she is now a Hand of the Cause. She leaves the Guardian; she’s ninety-five years old, and of course the Guardian was very pleased that she had come at that age. And they talked about the early days of the Cause, and what the Master had said, what she had done for the Master, and so on. One evening he came over and said, “Now, Mrs. True, I have a gift for you tonight.” She was quite excited, of course. Being elderly, and a little bit non-plussed as to what to do, he reached down and took it out of his coat pocket and said, “This is a purse which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá used, and I know you’ll treasure it and because it’s from him.” And she thanked him, and was quite excited about it. And he said, why don’t you open it and see what’s in it? So she started to open it and fumbling around and he said, “Let me open it for you.” She’s looking in and says, now what’s there? “It’s a gold piece, she said. So he says, “Now just take it out and look at it.” So she took it out and looked at it. And he said, “Now, what’s the date of it, Mrs. True?” She looked at it and said, “1906.” He said, “That’s the date of your first visit to the Holy Land to visit ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. And this was a gold coin, which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had.” Well, now, think of that tenderness. With all of the weight that he had on his shoulders, with all of the problems that he had to meet, that he would think of those things, that he would think of this purse, that he would think of that gold piece, and he would think of her first visit in 1906.\n\n\n*Source: In the Days of the Guardian a Talk by Hand of the Cause of God Leroy Ioas in Johannesburg, South Africa, 1958*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/gifts) (Subject: gifts).*\n"
},
{
"title": "There was a time during his stay in 'Akká, when Fádil had been preoccupied with…",
"slug": "there-was-a-time-during-his-stay-in-bs9",
"summary": "There was a time during his stay in 'Akká, when Fádil had been preoccupied with the fate of his own father, a man who bore such hatred for the Bahá’ís that, when he learned of his son's involvement in the Faith, had issued a denial of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"forgiveness others"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"forgiveness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-others"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere was a time during his stay in 'Akká, when Fádil had been preoccupied with the fate of his own father, a man who bore such hatred for the Bahá’ís that, when he learned of his son's involvement in the Faith, had issued a denial of Ibráhím as his son, swore never to mention his name again and took steps to cut him off from his considerable inheritance. One day as Fádil's thoughts were revolving around his father it occurred to him that he might, on his father's behalf, ask ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's pardon and forgiveness. Next day when he was seated before the Master an amazing thing took place that relieved Fádil's anxiety and bathed his spirits in warm assurances. 'Abdu;l-Bahá, whose face was turned toward the window overlooking the sea, spoke these words, \"Jináb-i-Fádil, because of your recognition and belief in the Cause of God, many souls will be drowned in the ocean of God's forgiveness and pardon\".\n\n\n*Source: A Radiant Gem by Houri Faláhi-Skuce page 72-73*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-others) (Subject: forgiveness-others).*\n"
},
{
"title": "There was a time when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in chains",
"slug": "there-was-a-time-when-abdu-l-bah-was-in-bs4",
"summary": "There was a time when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in chains. The jailers were amazed that the Master sang and laughed. He informed them they were doing Him a kindness He had wanted to know the feelings of a man in chains. Now He…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"prison akka",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/prison-akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere was a time when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in chains. The jailers were amazed that the Master sang and laughed. He informed them they were doing Him a kindness He had wanted to know the feelings of a man in chains. Now He knew!\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 170*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/prison-akka) (Subject: prison-akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "There was a time when the Covenant-Breakers 'gave away the garments and…",
"slug": "there-was-a-time-when-the-covenant-breakers-gave-bs0",
"summary": "There was a time when the Covenant-Breakers 'gave away the garments and personal effects of Bahá’u’lláh to government functionaries, to serve as chattels of bribery and to provide as well the means of humiliating ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. At their…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"forgiveness others",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"generosity",
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-others"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere was a time when the Covenant-Breakers 'gave away the garments and personal effects of Bahá’u’lláh to government functionaries, to serve as chattels of bribery and to provide as well the means of humiliating ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. At their instigation the Deputy-Governor of Haifa would, whilst visiting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ostentatiously wear Bahá’u’lláh's cloak and brazenly use His spectacles. Before long this man was dismissed from his post and fell on evil days. Then he went to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and begged His forgiveness. He had acted, he said, in the manner he did, because he was prompted by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s own relatives. The Master showed him utmost kindness and generosity...'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 84*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-others) (Subject: forgiveness-others).*\n"
},
{
"title": "There was once a lover who had sighed for long years in separation from his…",
"slug": "there-was-once-a-lover-who-had-sighed-bs0",
"summary": "There was once a lover who had sighed for long years in separation from his beloved, and wasted in the fire of remoteness. From the rule of love, his heart was empty of patience, and his body weary of his spirit; he reckoned life without…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"watchman",
"fast",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"hope",
"justice",
"love",
"mercy",
"patience",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/watchman"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere was once a lover who had sighed for long years in separation from his beloved, and wasted in the fire of remoteness. From the rule of love, his heart was empty of patience, and his body weary of his spirit; he reckoned life without her as a mockery, and time consumed him away. How many a day he found no rest in longing for her; how many a night the pain of her kept him from sleep; his body was worn to a sigh, his heart's wound had turned him to a cry of sorrow. He had given a thousand lives for one taste of the cup of her presence, but it availed him not. The doctors knew no cure for him, and companions avoided his company; yea, physicians have no medicine for one sick of love, unless the favor of the beloved one deliver him.\n\nAt last, the tree of his longing yielded the fruit of despair, and the fire of his hope fell to ashes. Then one night he could live no more, and he went out of his house and made for the marketplace. On a sudden, a watchman followed after him. He broke into a run, with the watchman following; then other watchmen came together, and barred every passage to the weary one. And the wretched one cried from his heart, and ran here and there, and moaned to himself: \"Surely this watchman is Izra'il, my angel of death, following so fast upon me; or he is a tyrant of men, seeking to harm me.\" His feet carried him on, the one bleeding with the arrow of love, and his heart lamented. Then he came to a garden wall, and with untold pain he scaled it, for it proved very high; and forgetting his life, he threw himself down to the garden.\n\nAnd there he beheld his beloved with a lamp in her hand, searching for a ring she had lost. When the heart-surrendered lover looked on his ravishing love, he drew a great breath and raised up his hands in prayer, crying: \"O God! Give Thou glory to the watchman, and riches and long life. For the watchman was Gabriel, guiding this poor one; or he was Israfil, bringing life to this wretched one!\"\n\nIndeed, his words were true, for he had found many a secret justice in this seeming tyranny of the watchman, and seen how many a mercy lay hid behind the veil. Out of wrath, the guard had led him who was athirst in love's desert to the sea of his loved one, and lit up the dark night of absence with the light of reunion. He had driven one who was afar, into the garden of nearness, had guided an ailing soul to the heart's physician.\n\nNow if the lover could have looked ahead, he would have blessed the watchman at the start, and prayed on his behalf, and he would have seen that tyranny as justice; but since the end was veiled to him, he moaned and made his plaint in the beginning. Yet those who journey in the garden land of knowledge, because they see the end in the beginning, see peace in war and friendliness in anger.\n\n\n*Source: Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys, p. 13-15*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/watchman) (Subject: watchman).*\n"
},
{
"title": "There was one of the pilgrims from Canada who was a member of the National…",
"slug": "there-was-one-of-the-pilgrims-from-canada-bs0",
"summary": "There was one of the pilgrims from Canada who was a member of the National Assembly, and it was the night of her departure before returning home to Canada. And she was talking to him about translating the Bahá’í literature into the Eskimo…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"inuit",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/inuit"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere was one of the pilgrims from Canada who was a member of the National Assembly, and it was the night of her departure before returning home to Canada. And she was talking to him about translating the Bahá’í literature into the Eskimo language. You see, up in the north of Canada, there are lots of Eskimos. In the north of Canada, it’s snow and ice all the time. They never have the warm sunshine like you have here. It never gets warm. They never have these beautiful flowers, and they never have the beautiful birds which you have. So she asked Shoghi Effendi for permission when translating into the Eskimo language to use designations of things in the writings which were familiar to the Eskimos. For instance, she said in the writings, Bahá’u’lláh speaks about the nightingale and the rose. Now she said, up in the Eskimo country they don’t know what a nightingale is, and they don’t know what a rose is. So can we use the word “penguin”, for instance, or some flower, some of the ice flowers which grow in some of those northern lands. Shoghi Effendi said that when you are translating any literature about the Cause written by other than the prophets or ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, yes, you can change and use any other illustrations you want. But when you translate Bahá’u’lláh’s words, or ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s words, or the Guardian’s words, you translate them exactly as they are. You can’t change anything, and you have to translate “nightingale” and “rose” for the Eskimos. Well, the next night, when the Guardian came over and was bidding her goodbye, he reached in his coat pocket again and brought out a bottle of attar of rose, a very rich oil of rose, the best, most beautiful perfume of rose that there is. And he said, I give you this attar of rose so that when you return to Canada, you can anoint the friends on my behalf and give them all my love. Then in a minute or two, he reached in his pocket and took out another bottle of attar of rose, and he says, this bottle is for the Eskimos. When you make any Eskimos Bahá’ís, you anoint them with this attar of rose, and give them my love, and in that way they will become acquainted with the rose of Persia.\n\n\n*Source: In the Days of the Guardian a Talk by Hand of the Cause of God Leroy Ioas in Johannesburg, South Africa, 1958*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/inuit) (Subject: inuit).*\n"
},
{
"title": "There was then in Baghdad an earnest Bábí, formerly a pupil of Kurratu I'Aeyn…",
"slug": "there-was-then-in-baghdad-an-earnest-b-b-bs4",
"summary": "There was then in Baghdad an earnest Bábí, formerly a pupil of Kurratu I'Aeyn (Tahirih, a woman famous for her beauty and learning, who was one of the disciples of the Báb, and a martyr). This man said to us that as he had no ties and did…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Ṭáhirih",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"bahaullah sulaymaniyyih",
"martyrdom",
"women",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-sulaymaniyyih"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThere was then in Baghdad an earnest Bábí, formerly a pupil of Kurratu I'Aeyn (Tahirih, a woman famous for her beauty and learning, who was one of the disciples of the Báb, and a martyr). This man said to us that as he had no ties and did not care for his life, he desired no greater happiness than to be allowed to seek for him whom all loved so much, and that he would not return without him. He was, however, very poor, not being able even to provide an ass for the journey; and he was besides not very strong, and therefore not able to go on foot. We had no money for the purpose, nor anything of value by the sale of which money could be procured, with the exception of a single rug, upon which we all slept. This we sold and with the proceeds bought an ass for this friend, who thereupon set out upon the search. Time passed; we heard nothing, and fell into the deepest dejection and despair. Finally, four months having elapsed since our friend had departed, a message was one day received from him saying that he would bring my father home on the next day. The other members of the family could not credit the truth of this news, but it seemed to electrify my brother. He minutely questioned and examined the messenger, and became much excited. He quite believed that his father would return, but no one else did.\n\n\n*Source: Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khánum, Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi, p. 23-24*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-sulaymaniyyih) (Subject: bahaullah-sulaymaniyyih).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Therefore we have commanded all the Bahá’ís in the Orient to study this…",
"slug": "therefore-we-have-commanded-all-the-bah-s-in-bs0",
"summary": "Therefore we have commanded all the Bahá’ís in the Orient to study this language very carefully, and ere long it will spread all over the East. Therefore I request you also, non-Esperantists and fellow-Esperantists, to put your utmost…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"esperanto"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/esperanto"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTherefore we have commanded all the Bahá’ís in the Orient to study this language very carefully, and ere long it will spread all over the East. Therefore I request you also, non-Esperantists and fellow-Esperantists, to put your utmost exertion into the spread and promulgation of this language.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Star of the West 1921 p 299-306*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/esperanto) (Subject: esperanto).*\n"
},
{
"title": "These horrible sounds I well remember, as we three children clung to our…",
"slug": "these-horrible-sounds-i-well-remember-as-we-bs4",
"summary": "These horrible sounds I well remember, as we three children clung to our mother, she not knowing whether the victim was her own adored husband. She could not find out whether he was still alive or not until late at night, or very early in…",
"figures": [
"Mírzá Mihdí",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"bullying",
"the-covenant",
"women",
"children"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bullying"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThese horrible sounds I well remember, as we three children clung to our mother, she not knowing whether the victim was her own adored husband. She could not find out whether he was still alive or not until late at night, or very early in the morning, when she determined to venture out, in defiance of the danger to herself and to us, for neither women or children were spared. How well I remember cowering in the dark, with my little brother, Mirza Mihdi, the Purest Branch, at that time two years old, in my arms, which were not very strong, as I was only six. I was shivering with terror, for I knew of some of the horrible things that were happening, and was aware that they might have seized even my mother. So I waited and waited until she should come back. Then Mirza Musa, my uncle, who was in hiding, would venture in to hear what tidings my mother had been able to gather. My brother 'Abbas usually went with her on these sorrowful errands.\n\n\n*Source: Hasan M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Centre of the Covenant, p. 42-43*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bullying) (Subject: bullying).*\n"
},
{
"title": "These words are especially poignant when one thinks of Thomas's young age, of…",
"slug": "these-words-are-especially-poignant-when-one-thinks-bs0",
"summary": "These words are especially poignant when one thinks of Thomas's young age, of the influence he demonstrated both during his life and after his death. For, truly, he was unlike anyone else. The spiritual maturity he evinced was that of a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"breakwell",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/breakwell"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThese words are especially poignant when one thinks of Thomas's young age, of the influence he demonstrated both during his life and after his death. For, truly, he was unlike anyone else. The spiritual maturity he evinced was that of a much older person. Thomas continued a fortnightly correspondence with Dr Yunis Khan, who shared all his letters with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He would inform Him of Thomas's situation and of his desire to do the Master's will. In one of his letters, Thomas asked whether the Master would permit him to leave Paris for a few days for England, should one of his parents become ill or die. Then, upon reflection, he thought it was not necessary to trouble ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with this question, since He would certainly reply as Christ had already replied, that he must 'Let the dead bury their dead'. Dr. Khan read the message to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Who smiled and told him to reply that, today, 'the living must bury the dead'. In one of Thomas's later letters to 'Akká, he said that he now understood what he must do, but was still hoping to please the Master more, to suffer more for his Beloved. No one yet knew what this suffering was of which he spoke. Matters became more complex when Thomas's parents arrived in Paris, seeking to persuade him to return at once to England, to convalesce from his increasingly poor health. But Thomas steadfastly refused to leave Paris. He asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to pray for his parents, so that they might become Bahá’ís. The Master replied that Thomas should not worry over that matter, and, only a fortnight later, Thomas informed ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that his father, who had previously disowned him for rejecting Primitive Methodism, had embraced the Bahá’í Faith. Edward Breakwell even went so far as to write his own letter of supplication to the Master. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá revealed a Tablet in his honour.\n\n\n*Source: Lakshiman-Lepain - The Life of Thomas Breakwell, p. 37-45*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/breakwell) (Subject: breakwell).*\n"
},
{
"title": "They are gathered here to commemorate Thy bright and holy handmaid, a leaf of…",
"slug": "they-are-gathered-here-to-commemorate-thy-bright-bs0",
"summary": "They are gathered here to commemorate Thy bright and holy handmaid, a leaf of Thy green Tree of Heaven, a luminous reality, a spiritual essence, who ever implores Thy tender compassion [Fatimih Begum, widow of the King of Martyrs]. She was…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"love god",
"martyrdom",
"children",
"holy-land",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"generosity",
"joy",
"justice",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 6,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/love-god"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThey are gathered here to commemorate Thy bright and holy handmaid, a leaf of Thy green Tree of Heaven, a luminous reality, a spiritual essence, who ever implores Thy tender compassion [Fatimih Begum, widow of the King of Martyrs]. She was born into the arms of Divine wisdom, and she suckled at the breast of certitude; she flourished in the cradle of faith and rejoiced in the bosom of Thy love, O merciful, O compassionate Lord! And she grew to womanhood in a house from which the sweet savors of oneness were spread abroad. But while she was yet a girl, distress came upon her in Thy path, and misfortune assailed her, O Thou the Bestower, and in her defenseless youth she drank from the cups of sorrow and pain, out of love for Thy beauty, O Thou the Forgiver! Thou knowest, O my God, the calamities she joyfully bore in Thy pathway, the trials she confronted in Thy love, with a face that radiated delight. How many a night, as others lay on their beds in soft repose, was she wakeful, humbly entreating Thy heavenly Realm. How many a day did Thy people spend, safe in the citadel of Thy sheltering care, while her heart was harried from what had come upon Thy holy ones. O my Lord, her days and her years passed by, and whenever she saw the morning light she wept over the sorrows of Thy servants, and when the evening shadows fell she cried and called out and burned in a fiery anguish for what had befallen Thy bondsmen. And she arose with all her strength to serve Thee, to beseech the Heaven of Thy mercy, and in lowliness to entreat Thee and to rest her heart upon Thee. And she came forth veiled in holiness, her garments unspotted by the nature of Thy people, and she entered into wedlock with Thy servant on whom Thou didst confer Thy richest gifts, and in whom Thou didst reveal the ensigns of Thine endless mercy, and whose face, in Thine all-glorious Realm, Thou didst make to 177 shine with everlasting light. She married him whom Thou didst lodge in the assemblage of reunion, one with the Company on high; him whom Thou didst cause to eat of all heavenly foods, him on whom Thou didst shower Thy blessings, on whom Thou didst bestow the title: Martyrs' King. And she dwelt for some years under the protection of that manifest Light; and with all her soul she served at Thy Threshold, holy and luminous; preparing foods and a place of rest and couches for all Thy loved ones that came, and she had no other joy but this. Lowly and humble she was before each of Thy handmaids, deferring to each, serving each one with her heart and soul and her whole being, out of love for Thy beauty, and seeking to win Thy good pleasure. Until her house became known by Thy name, and the fame of her husband was noised abroad, as one belonging to Thee, and the Land of Sad (Isfahan) shook and exulted for joy, because of continual blessings from this mighty champion of Thine; and the scented herbage of Thy knowledge and the roses of Thy bounty began to burgeon out, and a great multitude was led to the waters of Thy mercy. Then the ignoble and the ignorant amongst Thy creatures rose against him, and with tyranny and malice they pronounced his death; and void of justice, with harsh oppression, they shed his immaculate blood. Under the glittering sword that noble personage cried out to Thee: \"Praised be Thou, O my God, that on the Promised Day, Thou hast helped me to attain this manifest grace; that Thou hast reddened the dust with my blood, spilled out upon Thy path, so that it puts forth crimson flowers. Favor and grace are Thine, to grant me this gift which in all the world I longed for most. Thanks be unto Thee that Thou didst succor me and confirm me and didst give me to drink of this cup that was tempered at the camphor fountain -- on the Day of Manifestation, at the hands of the cupbearer of martyrdom, in the assemblage of delights. Thou art verily the One full of grace, the Generous, the Bestower.\" And after they had killed him they invaded his princely house. They attacked like preying wolves, like lions at the hunt, and they sacked and plundered and pillaged, seizing the rich furnishings, the ornaments and the jewels. She was in dire peril then, left with the fragments of her broken heart. This violent assault took place when the news of his martyrdom was spread abroad, and the children cried out as panic struck at their hearts; they wailed and shed tears, and sounds of mourning rose from out of that splendid home, but there was none to weep over them, there was none to pity them. Rather was the night of tyranny made to deepen about them, and the fiery Hell of injustice blazed out hotter than before; nor was there any torment but the evil doers brought it to bear, nor any agony but they inflicted it. And this holy leaf remained, she and her brood, in the grip of their oppressors, facing the malice of the unmindful, with none to be their shield. And the days passed by when tears were her only companions, and her comrades were cries; when she was mated to anguish, and had nothing but grief for a friend. And yet in these sufferings, O my Lord, she did not cease to love Thee; she did not fail Thee, O my Beloved, in these fiery ordeals. Though disasters followed one upon another, though tribulations compassed her about, she bore them all, she patiently endured them all, to her they were Thy gifts and favors, and in all her massive agony -- O Thou, Lord of most beauteous names -- Thy praise was on her lips. Then she gave up her homeland, rest, refuge and shelter, and taking her young, like the birds she winged her way to this bright and holy Land -- that here she might nest and sing Thy praise as the birds do, and busy herself in Thy love with all her powers, and serve Thee with all her being, all her soul and heart. She was lowly before every handmaid of Thine, humble before every leaf of the garden of Thy Cause, occupied with Thy remembrance, severed from all except Thyself. And her cries were lifted up at dawntide, and the sweet accents of her chanting would be heard in the night season and at the bright noonday, until she returned unto Thee, and winged her way to Thy Kingdom; went seeking the shelter of Thy Threshold and soared upward to Thine everlasting sky. O my Lord, reward her with the contemplation of Thy beauty, feed her at the table of Thine eternity, give her a home in Thy neighborhood, sustain her in the gardens of Thy holiness as Thou willest and pleasest; bless Thou her lodging, keep her safe in the shade of Thy heavenly Tree; lead her, O Lord, into the pavilions of Thy godhood, make her to be one of Thy signs, one of Thy lights.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful, p. 175-179*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/love-god) (Subject: love-god).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Think, for example, how the enemy had completely hemmed in the Fort, and were…",
"slug": "think-for-example-how-the-enemy-had-completely-bs2",
"summary": "Think, for example, how the enemy had completely hemmed in the Fort, and were endlessly pouring in cannon balls from their siege guns. The believers, among them Ismu'llah, went eighteen days without food. They lived on the leather of their…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"courage"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"faith",
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/courage"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThink, for example, how the enemy had completely hemmed in the Fort, and were endlessly pouring in cannon balls from their siege guns. The believers, among them Ismu'llah, went eighteen days without food. They lived on the leather of their shoes. This too was soon consumed, and they had nothing left but water. They drank a mouthful every morning, and lay famished and exhausted in their Fort. When attacked, however, they would instantly spring to their feet, and manifest in the face of the enemy a magnificent courage and astonishing resistance, and drive the army back from their walls. The hunger lasted eighteen days. It was a terrible ordeal. To begin with, they were far from home, surrounded and cut off by the foe; again, they were starving; and then there were the army's sudden onslaughts and the bombshells raining down and bursting in the heart of the Fort. Under such circumstances to maintain an unwavering faith and patience is extremely difficult, and to endure such dire afflictions a rare phenomenon.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful, p. 7*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/courage) (Subject: courage).*\n"
},
{
"title": "This article, reprinted from \"International Language\", gives an excellent…",
"slug": "this-article-reprinted-from-international-language-gives-an-bs1",
"summary": "This article, reprinted from \"International Language\", gives an excellent picture of the man who created Esperanto. The author calls him a genius. It would seem clear, however, that his success was due not only to genius, but to divine…",
"figures": [],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"esperanto",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"love",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/esperanto"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis article, reprinted from \"International Language\", gives an excellent picture of the man who created Esperanto. The author calls him a genius. It would seem clear, however, that his success was due not only to genius, but to divine guidance, which flowed to him because of his utter sincerity, devotion and self sacrifice in the spread of the great ideal of an international auxiliary language. Zamenhof was an indefatigable worker. All his life, except during the days of his last illness, he had to struggle to keep his family, and for an oculist amongst poor people, the struggle was a bitter one. From Esperanto he made no profit, except royalties on the sale of his works, which certainly did not make good the losses caused by the inevitable neglect of his practice. Lack of money made difficult even travelling to the international congresses; the childlike excitement discernible in his letters on his journey to the Sixth Universal Congress in Washington shows how great was the event in his life, and how great were the efforts which it cost. In spite of money worries, ill health, bitter opposition and mockery, he fought on and worked unceasingly, and in none of his work is there any sign of discouragement (except, perhaps, in the poems Ho'mia kor' and Mia penso) or bitterness. One looks for the motive which enabled him to persist and conquer. As we have seen, it was not love of money. Nor was it ambition or love of power, for when, in 1889, it was proposed that the American Philosophical Society should call an international conference of scientists to elect an auxiliary language, he offered to hand the matter over to them entirely and \"to retire from the scene\"; and, as we know, at a later date (as soon as it was practicable) he gave up all rights in his invention and all official positions. He wished for none of these. His aim was to give humanity peace and ease from the suffering caused by dissension and war, and he saw that a neutral means of communication would be one of the most important factors in achieving that aim. He was an idealist through and through, and he strove for his ideals with a passionate tenacity which sprang from the simplicity of his character. That simplicity gave him the strength to inspire his followers with his own ideals; to that fact it is due that Esperanto survived the early years. At times he showed even a touch of naivety, as, for instance, when he proposed to collect the names and addresses of ten million people who would promise to learn Esperanto, before asking any one to begin to study. But he was shrewd, too. He expected no miracles, and foresaw opposition from the first. In his first textbook he answered in advance almost all the objections which can be raised against an \"artificial\" language. He realized that to make headway, the new language must be stable, and that to be stable, its basis must remain unchanged until the language is universally accepted. Hence, the principle of the inviolability of the fundamental grammar of Esperanto, which has caused so much controversy. It is safe to say that Esperanto would have gone the way of a hundred ephemeral projects, dying stillborn, if it had not been protected by this \"dogma\". When the famous Delegation was convened in 1907 for the purpose of choosing an international language, he pointed out from the first that it lacked the necessary authority, and that its choice, whatever it might be, would be ineffective; and the Delegation was indeed a fiasco.\n\n\n*Source: Star of the West, v10, p 46*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/esperanto) (Subject: esperanto).*\n"
},
{
"title": "This is a story of one of the early Bahá’ís in the West, Lua Getsinger, and an…",
"slug": "this-is-a-story-of-one-of-the-bs2",
"summary": "This is a story of one of the early Bahá’ís in the West, Lua Getsinger, and an important lesson she learned about prayer. Lua loved God very much, and she often turned to Him in supplication, that she might be enabled to live a life of…",
"figures": [
"Lua Getsinger",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"grace meals",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"patience",
"prayer",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/grace-meals"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis is a story of one of the early Bahá’ís in the West, Lua Getsinger, and an important lesson she learned about prayer. Lua loved God very much, and she often turned to Him in supplication, that she might be enabled to live a life of service. She prayed, too, that her eager and enthusiastic spirit would learn to be patient. Of course, she wanted to learn it quickly, without having to wait too long! Lua knew that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá also wanted her to learn patience. One day, when she was visiting Him in the Holy Land, He helped her to see that there are some things for which we must always make time, no matter how hurried we might feel. Rushing off to breakfast without having said her usual morning prayers, Lua met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the hallway. He looked at her, staring deeply into her eyes. And what do you think he said to her? \"Lua.\" He said, \"You must never eat material food in the morning until you have had spiritual food.\" So it was that Lua learned she must never fail to draw sustenance form God's heavenly bounties, the source of true strength.\n\n\n*Source: Ruhi Book 3, Grade 2, lesson 2, p 16-17*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/grace-meals) (Subject: grace-meals).*\n"
},
{
"title": "This is my letter to the editor which was published in the McMinnville, Oregon…",
"slug": "this-is-my-letter-to-the-editor-which-bs0",
"summary": "This is my letter to the editor which was published in the McMinnville, Oregon News-Register on Saturday, March 10, 2012: At the 6th Annual McMinnville Community Choir Celebration, Wednesday, March 7 at the Community Center, the Memorial…",
"figures": [],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"underground railway",
"women",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/underground-railway"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis is my letter to the editor which was published in the McMinnville, Oregon News-Register on Saturday, March 10, 2012:\n\nAt the 6th Annual McMinnville Community Choir Celebration, Wednesday, March 7 at the Community Center, the Memorial Elementary Honor Choir sang “Follow The Drinking Gourd.” It is an old folk song from the days of the Underground Railroad. The drinking gourd is the Big Dipper, which points north to the North Star, the direction the escaping slaves were trying/hoping to go to so that they could get free.\n\nHearing the children sing that song brought back memories of an Underground Railroad story which an elderly woman shared with family and friends, including my wife and me, in Springfield, Massachusetts in the late 1960’s:\n\n“The people had gotten as far north as Maryland. One night they were hiding in a barn on the edge of a swamp, and a group of men rode up on their horses and yelled for them all to come out that barn. Nobody in there made a sound, not even the babies. The men yelled again and said they would burn down the barn if the people didn’t come out. And still there wasn’t one sound from inside. Finally those men did set it on fire.\n\n“The men were in front of the barn and on both sides of it, but they weren’t watching the swamp out back, and somehow all those people in there jumped down out of the hayloft and got away into the swamp.\n\n“The people went all the way to Canada. Then, years later, some of them came back down to Plymouth, Massachusetts. My father was the first black person to graduate from the Plymouth High School. I was the third, and the first woman.”\n\n- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -\n\nThe newspaper published my entire letter, above.\n\nThe woman who told us her story was Zylpha Gray, who was probably in her 80’s. Jane and I had recently moved to Springfield, where we met Zylpha. Here is the rest of her story which she told us:\n\n“When I was a child, growing up in Plymouth, my parents sent me to four different Sunday Schools. Each claimed it was the only one that was right and was the only way to get to Heaven, and that the others were wrong. This puzzled me, and one day I asked my father about it.\n\n‘Father,’ I said, ‘why did God make so many people if He’s going to send them all to Hell?’”\n\n“Child,’’ said my father, ‘‘don’t be impertinent.” You see, he didn’t know what to say to me, how to answer my question. All he could say was, ‘Child, don’t be impertinent.’\n\n“Well, time went by, I graduated from high school, and got married, and one day a friend said to me, ‘Zylpha, there’s a meeting tonight up in Cambridge that I think you would be interested in.’ So I made a big pot of stew and left it on the stove with a note for my husband saying that I would be back late, and she and I went up to Cambridge.\n\n“That night at the meeting the speaker explained that the religion of God was like a great tree, and His Prophets were like the branches of the tree, come to give shade to all the people of the earth. One branch here for the Africans, one here for the Americans
” Zylpha leaned forward and her hands reached out to various areas of the table as she illustrated different branches in different parts of the world.\n\n“So you see, all the people of the world are under the shade of that tree.”\n\nThen she sat back and looked into our eyes, and said, “And that night, at last,\n\nI knew that the question I had asked my father many years before had finally been answered.”\n\nWe all sat in silence, thinking and letting ourselves feel what we had heard. After a while, the world gradually came back to us. And then her daughter, Zylpha Mapp, went out into the kitchen and turned on the water for the tea.\n\nJane and I heard her tell this story several times at firesides in Springfield where we lived 1965-72. I am so glad I wrote it down. It is one of my best memories. Her loving spirit helped me become a Bahá’í back there/then.\n\nThank you, Zylpha.\n\n\n*Source: Dick Grover*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/underground-railway) (Subject: underground-railway).*\n"
},
{
"title": "This is part of the account Howard Colby Ives wrote of that first memorable…",
"slug": "this-is-part-of-the-account-howard-colby-bs1",
"summary": "This is part of the account Howard Colby Ives wrote of that first memorable meeting with the Master: I could not speak. We both sat perfectly silent for what seemed a long while, and gradually a great peace came to me. Then ‘Abdu’l-Bahá…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Howard Colby Ives",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"silence",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/silence"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis is part of the account Howard Colby Ives wrote of that first memorable meeting with the Master: I could not speak. We both sat perfectly silent for what seemed a long while, and gradually a great peace came to me. Then ‘Abdu’l-Bahá placed His hand upon my breast saying that it was the heart that speaks. Again silence: a long, heart-enthralling silence. No word further was spoken, and all the time I was with Him not one single sound came from me. But no word was necessary from me to Him. I knew that, even then, and how I thanked God it was so.\n\n\n*Source: Adib Taherzadeh, The Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 109*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/silence) (Subject: silence).*\n"
},
{
"title": "This man who gives so freely must be rich, you think",
"slug": "this-man-who-gives-so-freely-must-be-bs13",
"summary": "This man who gives so freely must be rich, you think? No, far otherwise. Once his family was the wealthiest in all Persia. But this friend of the lowly, like the Galilean, has been oppressed by the great. For fifty years he and his family…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"poor",
"exile",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/poor"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis man who gives so freely must be rich, you think? No, far otherwise. Once his family was the wealthiest in all Persia. But this friend of the lowly, like the Galilean, has been oppressed by the great. For fifty years he and his family have been exiles and prisoners. Their property has been confiscated and wasted, and but little has been left to him. Now that he has not much he must spend little for himself that he may give more to the poor. His garments are usually of cotton, and the cheapest that can be bought. Often his friends in Persia - for this man is indeed rich in friends, thousands and tens of thousands who would eagerly lay down their lives at his word - send him costly garments. These he wears once, out of respect for the sender; then he gives them away. A few months ago this happened. The wife of the Master was about to depart on a journey. Fearing that her husband would give away his cloak and so be left without one for himself, she left a second cloak with her daughter, charging her not to inform her father of it. Not long after her departure, the Master, suspecting, it would seem, what had been done, said to his daughter, \"Have I another cloak?\" The daughter could not deny it, but told her father of her mother's charge. The Master replied, \"How could I be happy having two cloaks, knowing that there are those that have none?\" Nor would he be content until he had given the second cloak away.\n\nHe does not permit his family to have luxuries. He himself eats but once a day, and then bread, olives, and cheese suffice him.\n\nHis room is small and bare, with only a matting on the stone floor. His habit is to sleep upon this floor. Not long ago a friend, thinking that this must be hard for a man of advancing years, presented him with a bed fitted with springs and mattress. So these stand in his room also, but are rarely used. \"For how,\" he says, \"can I bear to sleep in luxury when so many of the poor have not even shelter?\" So he lies upon the floor and covers himself only with his cloak.\n\n\n*Source: Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khánum, Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/poor) (Subject: poor).*\n"
},
{
"title": "This man who was close to the Divine Threshold was the respected son of…",
"slug": "this-man-who-was-close-to-the-divine-bs3",
"summary": "This man who was close to the Divine Threshold was the respected son of Ali-'Askar-i-Tabrizi. Full of yearning love, he came with his father from Tabriz to Adrianople, and by his own wish, went on with joy and hope to the Most Great…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Adrianople",
"lat": 41.6771,
"lng": 26.5557,
"modernName": "Edirne, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"service",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"hope",
"joy",
"love",
"patience",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/service"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis man who was close to the Divine Threshold was the respected son of Ali-'Askar-i-Tabrizi. Full of yearning love, he came with his father from Tabriz to Adrianople, and by his own wish, went on with joy and hope to the Most Great Prison. From the day of his arrival at the fortress of 'Akká he took over the coffee service, and waited upon the friends. This accomplished man was so patient, so docile, that over a forty-year period, despite extreme difficulties (for day and night, friend and stranger alike thronged the doors), he attended upon each and every one who came, faithfully helping them all. During all that time Husayn-Aqa never offended a soul, nor did anyone, where he was concerned, utter a single complaint. This was truly a miracle, and no one else could have established such a record of service. He was always smiling, attentive as to the tasks committed to his care, known as a man to trust. In the Cause of God he was staunch, proud and true; in times of calamity he was patient and long-suffering.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Memorials of the Faithful, p. 158*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/service) (Subject: service).*\n"
},
{
"title": "This trouble broke with the suddenness of a tornado upon us",
"slug": "this-trouble-broke-with-the-suddenness-of-a-bs7",
"summary": "This trouble broke with the suddenness of a tornado upon us. We were sitting quietly together at home when we heard a bugle-call. My brother looked out and saw a cordon of soldiers about the house presenting arms. Our first thought was…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Constantinople",
"lat": 41.0082,
"lng": 28.9784,
"modernName": "Istanbul, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"bahaullah exile",
"exile",
"family",
"consultation"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-exile"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis trouble broke with the suddenness of a tornado upon us. We were sitting quietly together at home when we heard a bugle-call. My brother looked out and saw a cordon of soldiers about the house presenting arms. Our first thought was that the life of the Blessed Perfection or of Abbas Effendi was threatened. The latter endeavoured to quiet our alarm, and went out to inquire the cause of this demonstration. He was given the Governor's letter. The family consulted and Abbas Effendi then told the officer in command that we would die rather than be separated, and asked at least for respite. The reply was, 'No; you must go to-day, Beha Ullah and his family to different places, and neither can know the destination of the other.' Abbas Effendi demanded permission to go to the Governor's palace and appeal to his representative. This was at first refused but finally granted, and he set out between two guards. My brother pleaded so eloquently with the officials that they consented to telegraph to Constantinople asking that the order be changed so that our family might remain together. A reply was received refusing the change. My brother persisted, and had such influence with the officials that they seemed unable to put the measure into execution, permitting him to send despatch after despatch for a week. These were days of horror. The members of our family neither ate nor slept. No cooking was done in the house. When my brother left in the morning with the guards we feared that we might never see him again, and watched hour after hour for his return. At length a telegram was received granting the concession that my father should be permitted to take with him his immediate family, but directing that his followers should be separated from him, without knowledge of his destination.\n\n\n*Source: Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khánum, Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi, p. 48-55*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-exile) (Subject: bahaullah-exile).*\n"
},
{
"title": "This uncle did everything possible to discredit Bahá’u’lláh and the truth of…",
"slug": "this-uncle-did-everything-possible-to-discredit-bah-u-ll-h-bs0",
"summary": "This uncle did everything possible to discredit Bahá’u’lláh and the truth of the Message He had brought. But when he realized he was incapable of doing so, he went to a well-known Muslim clergy and pleaded for his assistance. He…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"crisis and victory discrediting bahaullah",
"teaching",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/crisis-and-victory-discrediting-bahaullah"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis uncle did everything possible to discredit Bahá’u’lláh and the truth of the Message He had brought. But when he realized he was incapable of doing so, he went to a well-known Muslim clergy and pleaded for his assistance. He complained that Bahá’u’lláh had come to Nur and, although not of the clergy, was speaking on religious matters. He warned the theologian that everyone who entered Bahá’u’lláh’s presence fell under His spell and was overtaken by the power of His words. “I know not whether he is a sorcerer,” he said, “or whether he mixes with his tea some mysterious substance that makes every man who drinks the tea fall a victim to its charm.”\n\nKnowing that he could never succeed in challenging Bahá’u’lláh, the theologian ignored the pleas of the uncle. But the Message of the Báb continued to spread like wildfire throughout the district. Alarmed, the followers of the theologian began to put pressure on him to take some form of action, and finally he decided to send his two most outstanding pupils to visit Bahá’u’lláh and investigate the nature of the Message He was propagating. This is the story of what happened when those two representatives entered the presence of Bahá’u’lláh.\n\nOn being told, upon their arrival in Takur, that Bahá’u’lláh had left for His winter home, the representatives of the theologian decided to follow Him there. When they arrived they found Bahá’u’lláh engaged in revealing a commentary on one of the chapters of the Qur’an. As they sat and listened to Him, they were profoundly impressed by the eloquence of His presentation and the extraordinary manner in which He spoke. One of the representatives, unable to contain himself, arose from his seat and walked to the back of the room and, in an attitude of respect and submissiveness, stood still beside the door. Trembling and with eyes full of tears, he told his companion: “I am powerless to question Bahá’u’lláh. The questions I had planned to ask Him have vanished suddenly from my memory. You are free either to proceed with your inquiry or to return alone to our teacher and inform him of the state in which I find myself. Tell him from me that I can never again return to him. I can no longer forsake this threshold.” But the other representative was equally struck by Bahá’u’lláh’s words and followed the example of his friend. “I have ceased to recognize my teacher,” was his reply. “This very moment, I have vowed to God to dedicate the remaining days of my life to the service of Bahá’u’lláh, my true and only Master.\n\nThe news of the conversion of the theologian’s pupils spread rapidly among the population of Nur. Dignitaries, state officials, religious leaders, traders and peasants crowded to the presence of Bahá’u’lláh. Hundreds were brought under the banner of the new Faith.\n\n\n*Source: Ruhi Book 4, p. 84-85*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/crisis-and-victory-discrediting-bahaullah) (Subject: crisis-and-victory-discrediting-bahaullah).*\n"
},
{
"title": "This woman was a widow who had been left with the care of a simple-minded boy,…",
"slug": "this-woman-was-a-widow-who-had-been-bs7",
"summary": "This woman was a widow who had been left with the care of a simple-minded boy, and had also managed to support a brilliant son through the University at Berkeley. Hardly graduated, he stepped outside the garden gate, was struck down by a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"grief",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"justice",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/grief"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis woman was a widow who had been left with the care of a simple-minded boy, and had also managed to support a brilliant son through the University at Berkeley. Hardly graduated, he stepped outside the garden gate, was struck down by a car and died. Ahead of the woman, bound to the simple-minded one, there now stretched, instead of increasing joy, a future of unending grief. At the request of Florence's mother, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited this woman. He dismissed two Persians who accompanied Him, and Florence was left, to her dismay, with her sketchy Persian, to translate. But her Persian began to flow, she said, and the Master spoke to the woman in words such as these: 'I seem to see your son', He told her, 'like a great bird soaring through the heavens of God's love and grace. He says and asks, \"I am completely happy here. Why does my mother weep?\" He knows when you cry for him, and when you sorrow and pray. As for him, would you like to hear of his only grief?' 'Oh yes, Master!' she said. 'It is his mother's tears.' 'Oh, Master, what am I to do?' 'It is only human,' He told her gently, 'to grieve and weep and mourn the ones we love. But perhaps you could weep a little less? Perhaps you could temper your sorrow just a little?'\n\n\n*Source: Marzieh Gail, Arches of the Years, p. 88-89*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/grief) (Subject: grief).*\n"
},
{
"title": "This woman who makes the tea had been married only one year to one of these brothers",
"slug": "this-woman-who-makes-the-tea-had-been-bs21",
"summary": "This woman who makes the tea had been married only one year to one of these brothers. Having lost all of her relatives through the persecution, and Persian women having no openings for self-support, the Master took her into His household.…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"hospitality",
"persecution",
"women",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThis woman who makes the tea had been married only one year to one of these brothers. Having lost all of her relatives through the persecution, and Persian women having no openings for self-support, the Master took her into His household. What a wonderful household this is over forty people living here in one home, some black, some white, Arabic, Persian, Burmanese, Italian, Russian and now English and American! Not a loud command is heard and not one word of dispute; not one word of fault-finding. Every one goes about as if on tip toes. When they enter your room, their slippers are left before the door and they come in with stocking feet and remain standing until you invite them to sit down.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 93*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Thomas Breakwell breathed his last at seven p.m., on 13 June 1902, at No",
"slug": "thomas-breakwell-breathed-his-last-at-seven-p-m-bs4",
"summary": "Thomas Breakwell breathed his last at seven p.m., on 13 June 1902, at No. 200, rue Faubourg Saint Denis. He was 44 years of age; he had been a Bahá’í for hardly one year. But from that moment on, he possessed all eternity to live and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lua Getsinger"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"breakwell"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/breakwell"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThomas Breakwell breathed his last at seven p.m., on 13 June 1902, at No. 200, rue Faubourg Saint Denis. He was 44 years of age; he had been a Bahá’í for hardly one year. But from that moment on, he possessed all eternity to live and proclaim his Faith. The mysterious nature of the unspoken communion between the lover and the Beloved can be seen in the way in which Yunis Khan learned of Thomas's death. 'I was accompanying the Master in the evening from the house where He received His visitors to His home by the seaside. All of a\n\nsudden He turned to me and said: 'Have you heard?' 'No, Master,' I replied, and He said: 'Breakwell has passed away. I am grieved, very grieved. I have revealed a prayer of visitation for him. It is very moving, so moving that twice I could not withhold my tears when I was writing it. You must translate it well, so that whoever reads it will weep.' I never knew who had given the Master the news of Breakwell's death. If anyone had written or cabled either in English or French, that communication would have passed through my hands. Two days later the prayer of visitation was given to me. It wrung one's heart, and I could not hold back my tears. I translated it into French, and later, with the help of Lua Getsinger, into English.\n\n\n*Source: Lakshiman-Lepain - The Life of Thomas Breakwell, p. 37-45*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/breakwell) (Subject: breakwell).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Thomas Breakwell, the first English believer, went to the prison city of ‘Akka…",
"slug": "thomas-breakwell-the-first-english-believer-went-to-bs7",
"summary": "Thomas Breakwell, the first English believer, went to the prison city of ‘Akka as a pilgrim. In conversation with the Master, he described his position in the cotton mills of the South in the United States. Breakwell told ‘Abdu’l-Bahá…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"justice",
"pilgrimage",
"prison",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/justice"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThomas Breakwell, the first English believer, went to the prison city of ‘Akka as a pilgrim. In conversation with the Master, he described his position in the cotton mills of the South in the United States. Breakwell told ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that the mills were run on child labour. Then the Master looked at him gravely and sadly for a while, and said, ‘Cable your resignation.’ With great relief Breakwell hastened to obey Him.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 108*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/justice) (Subject: justice).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Thomas [Breakwell] wrote to the Master, happily saying that, if he were…",
"slug": "thomas-breakwell-wrote-to-the-master-happily-saying-bs1",
"summary": "Thomas [Breakwell] wrote to the Master, happily saying that, if he were Persian, he would have chosen to be a martyr. He had been admitted to hospital, and was in the tuberculosis ward. But news from the young man continued to reach ‘Akká,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Hippolyte Dreyfus"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"pain",
"martyrdom",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"joy",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/pain"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThomas [Breakwell] wrote to the Master, happily saying that, if he were Persian, he would have chosen to be a martyr. He had been admitted to hospital, and was in the tuberculosis ward. But news from the young man continued to reach ‘Akká, conveying an ever-increasing joy, despite his suffering. Sometimes, when Dr. Khan read Thomas’s letters to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Master would remain silent. Dr. Khan knew that the ‘mysterious communion between the lover and the Beloved had no need of the spoken word.’ At other times, the Master would ask his secretary simply to convey His greetings. Although Thomas could have asked for healing, he never did, but prayed always for greater suffering. The more his illness consumed him, the greater his joy became. Hippolyte Dreyfus, who was able to visit Thomas in hospital, relates how the young Englishman spoke to the other patients enthusiastically about the Bahá’í Faith. Some of his listeners were upset by his message, others criticized it. But Thomas, unperturbed, maintained his tranquility and told them that he was not going to die, but was merely departing for the Kingdom of God, and that he would pray for them in heaven. Writing of his pain, he said: ‘Suffering is a heady wine; I am prepared to receive that bounty which is the greatest of all; torments of the flesh have enabled me to draw much nearer to my Lord. All agony notwithstanding, I wish life to endure longer, so that I may taste more of pain. That which I desire is the good-pleasure of my Lord; mention me in His presence.’\n\n\n*Source: Lakshiman-Lepain - The Life of Thomas Breakwell, p. 37-45*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/pain) (Subject: pain).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Thomas Breakwell's grave was leased for five years, after which time, as no…",
"slug": "thomas-breakwells-grave-was-leased-for-five-years-bs3",
"summary": "Thomas Breakwell's grave was leased for five years, after which time, as no surviving members of his family kept up the payments on the plot, his bones were disinterred, cleaned, bundled and numbered, and as is the custom, placed in the…",
"figures": [],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"breakwell",
"pilgrimage",
"family",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/breakwell"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThomas Breakwell's grave was leased for five years, after which time, as no surviving members of his family kept up the payments on the plot, his bones were disinterred, cleaned, bundled and numbered, and as is the custom, placed in the cemetery's charnel house. The section where Breakwell's bones are stacked has long since been sealed and other sections built against it, which in turn have been filled. Since the time when Thomas's bones were removed, two other people had been buried in this grave. When it became known to the Bahá’ís in Paris that the gravesite was once again vacant, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of France applied for permission to erect a permanent monument to Thomas on the site. A competition was announced, and a number of Bahá’í architects submitted a variety of designs. Cemetery officials were reluctant to give approval for an elaborate monument, and the National Assembly had to settle for a simple but dignified stone. Now that stone is in place, and has already become a focal point of pilgrimage. The Universal House of Justice has encouraged the French Bahá’í community to continue its efforts to retrieve Thomas's remains from the charnel house and have them returned to their original grave.\n\n\n*Source: Lakshiman-Lepain - The Life of Thomas Breakwell, p. 47-48*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/breakwell) (Subject: breakwell).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Thornton Chase, named by the Master as the first American Bahá’í, along with…",
"slug": "thornton-chase-named-by-the-master-as-the-bs2",
"summary": "Thornton Chase, named by the Master as the first American Bahá’í, along with Carl Scheffler and Arthur Agnew, members of Chicago's House of Spirituality, arrived in the Holy Land, right after Corrine True had departed and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Thornton Chase"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"equality",
"women",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/equality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThornton Chase, named by the Master as the first American Bahá’í, along with Carl Scheffler and Arthur Agnew, members of Chicago's House of Spirituality, arrived in the Holy Land, right after Corrine True had departed and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá surprised them all. When, responding to a question by Mr. Chase about the Temple, He said, \"When you return consult with Mrs. True I have given her complete instructions.\" These directions baffled the three men because, up to that point, only men had served on the House of Spirituality and were involved in decision-making. Being given the responsibility for the Temple was extremely challenging, particularly as a woman in a country where women did not yet have the opportunity to vote.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 110-111*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/equality) (Subject: equality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Those who have been with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá notice how, often after speaking…",
"slug": "those-who-have-been-with-abdu-l-bah-notice-how-bs0",
"summary": "Those who have been with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá notice how, often after speaking earnestly with people, He will suddenly turn and walk away to be alone. At such time no one follows…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"overwhelm"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/overwhelm"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThose who have been with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá notice how, often after speaking earnestly with people, He will suddenly turn and walk away to be alone. At such time no one follows him.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p.38*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/overwhelm) (Subject: overwhelm).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Those who have travelled in the deserts or the valleys and uplands of the…",
"slug": "those-who-have-travelled-in-the-deserts-or-bs1",
"summary": "Those who have travelled in the deserts or the valleys and uplands of the Middle East on the backs of mules and horses know how slow and monotonous the pace is. For miles there is no sign of life and those who travel in the party are not…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"chanting"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/chanting"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThose who have travelled in the deserts or the valleys and uplands of the Middle East on the backs of mules and horses know how slow and monotonous the pace is. For miles there is no sign of life and those who travel in the party are not always able to talk and communicate easily with each other. Under these circumstances nothing can be more exhilarating than to hear a pleasant voice singing beautiful songs. Jinab-i-Munib was one of those whose melodious voice, chanting various odes and poems, rang out through the open fields and mountains of Turkey and brought joy and relaxation to those who travelled with Bahá’u’lláh. The odes that he sang were all indicative of his love for Bahá’u’lláh, and the prayers he chanted in the dead of night were a testimony to the yearning of his heart for his Lord\n\n\n*Source: Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh: Baghdad 1853-6, v.1, p. 286*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/chanting) (Subject: chanting).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Though most of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's time was spent with the rich, famous and white…",
"slug": "though-most-of-abdu-l-bah-s-time-was-spent-with-bs1",
"summary": "Though most of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's time was spent with the rich, famous and white people, He gave special attention to their black servants, treating them no differently than their employers. On 4 August ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed a group of 28…",
"figures": [
"Louis Gregory",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"race unity",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThough most of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's time was spent with the rich, famous and white people, He gave special attention to their black servants, treating them no differently than their employers. On 4 August ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed a group of 28 black people, and spoke of the importance of unity and amity between black and white people. He told them of the upcoming marriage of Louisa Mathew, a white woman, and Louis Gregory, a black man. The white people in the audience were amazed at the influence the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh had on everyone, while the black people were very pleased to hear about such integration. Some Americans considered the creation of unity between blacks and whites to be nearly miraculous and as difficult to accomplish as \"splitting the moon in half\", but here was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá showing that it could happen.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 161*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity) (Subject: race-unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "‘Three days after the arrival of Bahá’u’lláh and His companions in ‘Akka, the…",
"slug": "three-days-after-the-arrival-of-bah-u-ll-h-and-bs0",
"summary": "‘Three days after the arrival of Bahá’u’lláh and His companions in ‘Akka, the edict of the Sultan condemning Him to life imprisonment was read out in the Mosque. The prisoners were introduced as criminals who had corrupted the morals of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"prison akka",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/prison-akka"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n‘Three days after the arrival of Bahá’u’lláh and His companions in ‘Akka, the edict of the Sultan condemning Him to life imprisonment was read out in the Mosque. The prisoners were introduced as criminals who had corrupted the morals of the people. It was stated that they were to be confined in prison and were not allowed to associate with anyone. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was summoned by the Governor of ‘Akka to hear the contents of the edict. When it was read out to Him that they were to remain in prison for ever, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá responded by saying that the contents of the edict were meaningless and without foundation. Upon hearing this remark, the Governor became angry and retorted that the edict was from the Sultan, and he wanted to know how it could be described as meaningless. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá reiterated His comment and explained that it made no sense to describe their imprisonment as lasting for ever, for man lives in this world only for a short period, and sooner or later the captives would leave this prison either dead or alive. The Governor and his officers were impressed by the vision of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and felt easier in His presence. Some time later, when the Master emerged as the most eminent and the most loved person in ‘Akka and the neighbouring lands, when practically all of the people of ‘Akka, both high and low, turned to Him for help, and when the Governors and high officials sought His advice and sat at His feet to receive enlightenment, the edict of the Sultan together with other documents relating to the imprisonment of Bahá’u’lláh and His companions were removed from the government files and presented to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá by a government official.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 155*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/prison-akka) (Subject: prison-akka).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Throughout his journey through the West, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá steadfastly refused to…",
"slug": "throughout-his-journey-through-the-west-abdu-l-bah-steadfastly-bs5",
"summary": "Throughout his journey through the West, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá steadfastly refused to accept money or expensive gifts from anyone, though he greatly enjoyed small gifts such as a box of bon-bons, fruit or flowers. In this scene reenacted time…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"gifts"
],
"virtues": [
"gratitude"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/gifts"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nThroughout his journey through the West, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá steadfastly refused to accept money or expensive gifts from anyone, though he greatly enjoyed small gifts such as a box of bon-bons, fruit or flowers. In this scene reenacted time after time on his travels, Lady Blomfield writes of one attempt to give money to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: \"One day in my presence a lady said to Him: I have here a check from a friend, who begs its acceptance to buy a good motorcar for your work in England and Europe.\" The Master replied: \"I accept with grateful thanks the gift of your friend.\" He took the check into both his hands, as though blessing it, and said \"I return it to be used for gifts to the poor.\"\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p.35*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/gifts) (Subject: gifts).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Two Ropes in the Tabríz Cell: 'Abdu'l-Bahá on the Báb's Martyrdom",
"slug": "tn-bab-execution-tabriz-square",
"summary": "In *A Traveler's Narrative*, 'Abdu'l-Bahá describes the morning of the Báb's martyrdom in the Tabríz barracks-square on the 9th of July, 1850 — the iron nail driven into the staircase, the two ropes by which He and His amanuensis were bound, the regiment that fired without harming Him, and the second regiment that did.",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Mírzá Muḥammad-'Alíy-i-Zunúzí (Anís)"
],
"era": "babi",
"period": "Tabríz",
"location": {
"name": "Tabríz",
"lat": 38.0962,
"lng": 46.2738,
"modernName": "Tabríz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"martyrdom",
"history",
"sacrifice"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"sacrifice",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [
"martyrdom-of-the-bab"
],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "travelers-narrative",
"book": "A Traveler's Narrative",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1886,
"publisher": "Cambridge University Press",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19300"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *A Traveler's Narrative,* 'Abdu'l-Bahá brings the story of the\nBáb's six-year ministry to its closing scene. The morning was\nthe 9th of July, 1850 (the 28th of Sha'bán, 1266 A.H.). The place\nwas the public square outside the army barracks of Tabríz. The\norder had come down from the Grand Vizier, Amír-Niẓám, that the\nBáb was to be publicly executed by firing squad.\n\nThe night before the execution had been spent in the holding\ncell. A young man named Mírzá Muḥammad-'Alíy-i-Zunúzí — given the\ntitle *Anís,* the *companion* — had earlier asked the Báb's\npermission to share His martyrdom. He had been imprisoned with\nHim. The morning of the execution, Anís refused every offer of\nrelease.\n\nThe Master records the staging of the execution with the care of\nan eyewitness historian — drawing on the accounts of those who had\nbeen present in the square.\n\n> An iron nail was hammered into the middle of the staircase of\n> the very cell wherein they were imprisoned, and two ropes were\n> hung down. By one rope the Báb was suspended and by the other\n> rope Áqá Muḥammad-'Alí, both being firmly bound in such wise that\n> the head of that young man was on the Báb's breast.\n\nThe image — the young man's head resting against the chest of\nthe Master he had refused to leave — is the heart of the\naccount. It would be carried, by the witnesses, into Bábí memory\nand from there into the deepest places of the Bahá'í imagination.\n\nThe first regiment, of seven hundred and fifty Armenian soldiers\nunder the command of Sám Khán, fired. The smoke filled the square.\n\n> When the smoke cleared away they saw that young man standing\n> and the Báb seated by the side of His amanuensis. To neither one\n> of them had the slightest injury resulted.\n\nThe bullets had cut only the ropes. The Báb had vanished from the\ncourtyard during the smoke. He was found in the cell completing a\nconversation He had been having with Siyyid Ḥusayn earlier that\nmorning. *I have finished My conversation with Siyyid Ḥusayn,* the\nwitnesses heard Him say; *now you may proceed to fulfil your\nintention.*\n\nSám Khán refused the second order. His regiment was withdrawn. A\nsecond regiment, Muslim, was brought in. The second volley\nsucceeded. The Báb and His young companion were martyred.\n\n*A Traveler's Narrative* records the date — *the twenty-eighth of\nSha'bán* — and ends, in this section, on the death itself. The\nunburied bodies were thrown to the edge of the city moat. The\nbelievers, by night and at the risk of their own lives, recovered\nthem. The remains of the Báb would, after fifty-nine years of\nhiding, finally rest in the white shrine on Mount Carmel that\n'Abdu'l-Bahá Himself, in 1909, would build.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, A Traveler's Narrative (translated by E.G. Browne, Cambridge University Press, 1891), pages 21-40. Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19300.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Nine Months at Máh-Kú: The Báb in the Mountain Castle",
"slug": "tn-bab-mahku-castle-confinement",
"summary": "In *A Traveler's Narrative*, 'Abdu'l-Bahá recounts the Báb's confinement in the remote castle of Máh-Kú on the northwestern frontier of Persia — and describes how the warden 'Alí Khán's love for the family of the Prophet led him, despite official orders, to permit conversation between the prisoner and visiting believers.",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"'Alí Khán of Máh-Kú"
],
"era": "babi",
"period": "Máh-Kú",
"location": {
"name": "Máh-Kú",
"lat": 39.2937,
"lng": 44.516,
"modernName": "Máh-Kú, Western Azerbaijan, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"imprisonment",
"history",
"revelation"
],
"virtues": [
"steadfastness",
"patience",
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "travelers-narrative",
"book": "A Traveler's Narrative",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1886,
"publisher": "Cambridge University Press",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19300"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *A Traveler's Narrative,* 'Abdu'l-Bahá traces the Báb's\njourney from Shíráz through Iṣfáhán, then northward to Tabríz,\nand then onward to His most isolated confinement: the small castle\nof Máh-Kú, perched on a peak at the very northwestern edge of\nPersia, almost on the borders of Russia and the Ottoman empire.\n\nThe castle had been chosen for its remoteness. The Persian\nauthorities, alarmed by the speed at which the Báb's message had\nspread across the country and unwilling to give Him any platform,\nhoped that by removing Him to a stronghold far from the population\ncentres they could quietly extinguish the influence of His\nCause. He was committed to the warden of the fortress, *‘Alí Khán\nof Máh-Kú,* and held there for nine months.\n\n> For nine months [they] lodged Him in the inaccessible castle\n> which is situated on the summit of that lofty mountain.\n\nThe strict orders given to ‘Alí Khán were that the Báb should\nhave no visitors and should be permitted no correspondence with\nHis followers. The orders were not, however, fully carried out.\nThe Master notes the reason carefully:\n\n> ‘Alí Khán of Máh-Kú, because of his excessive love for the\n> family of the Prophet, paid Him such attention as was possible,\n> and gave permission to some persons to converse with Him.\n\n‘Alí Khán was a Sunni Kurd, but his personal devotion to the\ndescendants of the Prophet of Islam was great. The Báb, by\nancestry a Siyyid (a descendant of Muhammad), fell under that\ndevotion. ‘Alí Khán found himself unable to maintain the\nabsolute prohibition. He admitted Bábí pilgrims to the foot of\nthe castle, then within its walls, then to the room of the\nPrisoner Himself. Mullá Ḥusayn made the long winter journey on\nfoot from Mashhad to Máh-Kú and was received. Other believers\nfollowed.\n\nInside the small chamber to which He had been confined, the Báb\ncontinued His Revelation. The Master's account of the inner life\nof those nine months is brief but precise:\n\n> Evening and morning, nay, day and night, in extremest rapture\n> and amazement, He would restrict Himself to repeating and\n> meditating on the qualities and attributes of that\n> absent-yet-present, regarded-and-regarding Person.\n\nThe *absent-yet-present Person* is a veiled reference to *Him\nWhom God shall make manifest* — the One whose advent the Báb's\nCause was preparing. In the confinement of the castle on the\nmountain, in the months of silence the Persian state had imposed,\nthe Báb spent His hours in the inward contemplation of the\ngreater Manifestation soon to come. The state had hoped to\nextinguish a small Persian movement. It had only, in fact, given\nthe Báb an unexpected opportunity for the deepest stretch of His\ninner work.\n\nIn due course the authorities — alarmed that even the remoteness\nof Máh-Kú had not stopped the visits — moved Him on, to the\neven harsher castle of Chihríq. The chain of His confinements\nwould end, in 1850, only at the Tabríz barracks-square where He\nwas finally martyred.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, A Traveler's Narrative (translated by E.G. Browne, Cambridge University Press, 1891), pages 21-40. Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19300.*\n"
},
{
"title": "In the Twenty-Fifth Year: The Báb Begins to Speak",
"slug": "tn-bab-twenty-fifth-year",
"summary": "In *A Traveler's Narrative*, 'Abdu'l-Bahá records the moment in 1844 when the young Merchant of Shíráz — twenty-five years old — began openly to declare His station: the Báb, the Gate, sent to prepare the way for the greater Manifestation soon to come.",
"figures": [
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"period": "Shíráz",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"declaration",
"history",
"youth"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"vision",
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "travelers-narrative",
"book": "A Traveler's Narrative",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1886,
"publisher": "Cambridge University Press",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19300"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *A Traveler's Narrative,* the work 'Abdu'l-Bahá composed in\nthe closing years of Bahá'u'lláh's lifetime and which Edward\nGranville Browne of Cambridge translated and published in 1891,\nthe Master gave to the Western world the first careful Bahá'í\naccount of the rise of the Báb.\n\nThe narrative begins in Shíráz. The Báb, born Siyyid 'Alí\nMuḥammad in 1819, was twenty-five years old in the spring of\n1844. He had married, joined the family merchant business, made\nthe long pilgrimage to the holy cities of the Hijaz, and was\nback in His native Shíráz when the year of His Declaration\nopened.\n\n> In the year one thousand two hundred and sixty (A.H.), when He\n> was in His twenty-fifth year, certain signs became apparent in\n> His conduct, behavior, manners, and demeanor whereby it became\n> evident in Shíráz that He had some conflict in His mind and\n> some other flight beneath His wing.\n\nThe phrasing is the Master's own. *Some other flight beneath His\nwing* — the gentle Eastern image of the falcon already preparing\nfor an ascent that the bystanders cannot yet see. The young\nmerchant had begun to live, day by day, by a rhythm those who\nknew Him could not entirely read.\n\nBefore long the rhythm broke into utterance. *He began to speak\nand to declare the rank of Báb-hood.* The word *Báb* — Gate —\nwas a deliberate choice. It announced that He was Himself the\ngate to a greater One who was to come, and that the long Shí'í\nexpectation of the appearance of the Twelfth Imám was now to be\nfulfilled — first by Himself, as the herald, and afterwards by\nthe *Him Whom God shall make manifest* whose advent the Báb\nwould proclaim with increasing clarity through the rest of His\nshort ministry.\n\nThe Master notes the response. It was divided. *The greater part\n[of the learned] manifested strong disapproval.* The senior\ndoctors of theology in Shíráz could not, on a few moments'\nhearing, accept the claim of a young merchant. But certain of the\nShaykhi divines — the spiritual school whose teacher Shaykh\nAḥmad-i-Aḥsá'í had quietly prepared the country for just such an\nappearance — recognized in the young man what they had been\nlistening for. Certain other recluses, men whose spiritual\npractice had carried them past ordinary religious certainties,\nalso identified Him as significant.\n\nThe Báb was twenty-five years old. The crisis He was about to\nignite would transform Persia, give the Bahá'í dispensation its\nherald, and lay down, in just six years, the visible foundation\nof a Faith that would reach every continent. The Master, recording\nthe beginning of all this in *A Traveler's Narrative,* gave the\nWestern world the date, the place, and the small first phrase by\nwhich a Revelation enters a city: *certain signs became\napparent.*\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, A Traveler's Narrative (translated by E.G. Browne, Cambridge University Press, 1891). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19300.*\n"
},
{
"title": "[Pages 1–20]",
"slug": "tn-pages-1-20",
"summary": "Touching the individual known as the Báb and the true nature of this sect diverse tales are on the tongues and in the mouths of men, and various accounts are contained in the pages of Persian history and the leaves of European…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"the Báb",
"Mullá Ḥusayn"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"history",
"bab",
"pilgrimage",
"martyrdom",
"family",
"healing",
"holy-day",
"administration",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"faith",
"humility",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"prayer",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 29,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "travelers-narrative",
"book": "A Traveler's Narrative",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1886,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19300/pg19300-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTouching the individual known as the Báb and the\ntrue nature of this sect diverse tales are on the tongues and in the\nmouths of men, and various accounts are contained in the pages of\nPersian history and the leaves of European chronicles. But because of\nthe variety of their assertions and the diversity of their narratives\nnot one is as worthy of confidence as it should be. Some have loosed\ntheir tongues in extreme censure and condemnation; some foreign\nchronicles have spoken in a commendatory strain; while a certain\nsection have recorded what they themselves have heard without\naddressing themselves either to censure or approbation. \n\nNow since these various accounts are recorded in other\npages, and since the setting forth thereof would lead to prolixity,\ntherefore what relates to the history of this matter (sought out with\nthe utmost diligence during the time of my travels in all parts of\nPersia, whether far or near, from those without and those within,\nfrom friends and strangers), and that whereon the disputants are\nagreed, shall be briefly set forth in writing, so that a summary of\nthe facts of the case may be at the disposal of those who are athirst\nafter the fountain of knowledge and who seek to become acquainted\nwith all events. \n\nThe Báb was a young merchant of the Pure Lineage.\nHe was born in the year one thousand two hundred and thirty-five\n[A.H.] on the first day of Muharram,1\nand when after a few years His father Siyyid Muḥammad-Riḍá\ndied, He was brought up in Shíráz in the arms of\nHis maternal uncle Mírzá Siyyid ‘Alí the\nmerchant. On attaining maturity He engaged in trade in Búshihr,\nfirst in partnership with His maternal uncle and afterwards\nindependently. On account of what was observed in Him He was noted\nfor godliness, devoutness, virtue, and piety, and was regarded in the\nsight of men as so characterized. \n\nIn the year one thousand two hundred and sixty [A.H.],\nwhen He was in His twenty-fifth year, certain signs became apparent\nin His conduct, behavior, manners, and demeanor whereby it became\nevident in Shíráz that He had some conflict in\nHis mind and some other flight beneath His wing. He began to speak\nand to declare the rank of Báb-hood.2\nNow what He intended by the term Báb [Gate] was this, that He\nwas the channel of grace from some great Person still behind the veil\nof glory, Who was the possessor of countless and boundless\nperfections, by Whose will He moved, and to the bond of Whose love He\nclung. And in the first book which He wrote in explanation of the\nSúrih of Joseph,3\nHe addressed Himself in all passages to that Person unseen from Whom\nHe received help and grace, sought for aid in the arrangement of His\npreliminaries, and craved the sacrifice of life in the way of His\nlove. \n\nAmongst others is this sentence: “O Remnant of\nGod, I am wholly sacrificed to Thee; I am content with curses in Thy\nway; I crave naught but to be slain in Thy love; and God the Supreme\nsufficeth as an Eternal Protection.” \n\nHe likewise composed a number of works in explanation\nand elucidation of the verses of the Qur’án, of sermons,\nand of prayers in Arabic; inciting and urging men to expect the\nappearance of that Person; and these books He named “Inspired\nPages” and “Word of Conscience.” But on\ninvestigation it was discovered that He laid no claim to revelation\nfrom an angel. \n\nNow since He was noted amongst the people for lack of\ninstruction and education, this circumstance appeared in the sight of\nmen supernatural. Some men inclined to Him, but the greater part\nmanifested strong disapproval; whilst all the learned doctors and\nlawyers of repute who occupied chairs, altars, and pulpits were\nunanimously agreed on eradication and suppression, save some divines\nof the Shaykhí party who were anchorites and\nrecluses, and who, agreeably to their tenets, were ever seeking for\nsome great, incomparable, and trustworthy person, whom they\naccounted, according to their own terminology, as the “Fourth\nSupport” and the central manifestation of the truths of the\nPerspicuous Religion. \n\nOf this number Mullá Ḥusayn of Bushrúyih,\nMírzá Aḥmad of Azghand, Mullá Ṣádiq\nMuqaddas [the Holy], Shaykh Abú-Turáb of\nIshtihard, Mullá Yúsúf of Ardibíl,\nMullá Jalíl of Urúmíyyih, Mullá\nMihdí of Kand, Shaykh Sa’íd the\nIndian, Mullá ‘Alí of Bastám, and the like\nof these came out unto Him and spread themselves through all parts of\nPersia. \n\nThe Báb Himself set out to perform the\ncircumambulation of the House of God.4\nOn His return, when the news of His arrival at Búshihr\nreached Shíráz, there was much discussion, and a\nstrange excitement and agitation became apparent in that city. The\ngreat majority of the doctors set themselves to repudiate Him,\ndecreeing slaughter and destruction, and they induced Ḥusayn\nKhán Ajúdán-báshí,\nwho was the governor of Fárs, to inflict a beating on the\nBáb’s missionaries, that is on Mullá Ṣádiq\nMuqaddas; then, having burnt his moustaches and beard together with\nthose of Mírzá Muḥammad-‘Alí of\nBarfurúsh and Mullá ‘Alí-Akbar of\nArdistán, they put halters on all the three and led them round\nthe streets and bazaars. \n\nNow since the doctors of Persia have no administrative\ncapacity, they thought that violence and interference would cause\nextinction and silence and lead to suppression and oblivion; whereas\ninterference in matters of conscience causes stability and firmness\nand attracts the attention of men’s sight and souls; which fact\nhas received experimental proof many times and often. So this\npunishment caused notoriety, and most men fell to making inquiry. \n\nThe governor of Fárs, acting according to that\nwhich the doctors deemed expedient, sent several horsemen, caused the\nBáb to be brought before him, censured and blamed Him in the\npresence of the doctors and scholars, and loosed his tongue in the\ndemand for reparation. And when the Báb returned his censure\nand withstood him greatly, at a sign from the president they struck\nHim a violent blow, insulting and contemning Him, in such wise that\nHis turban fell from His head and the mark of the blow was apparent\non His face. At the conclusion of the meeting they decided to take\ncounsel, and, on receiving bail and surety from His maternal uncle\nḤájí Siyyid ‘Alí, sent Him to His\nhouse forbidding Him to hold intercourse with relations or strangers.\n\n\nOne day they summoned Him to the mosque urging and\nconstraining Him to recant, but He discoursed from the pulpit in such\nwise as to silence and subdue those present and to stablish and\nstrengthen His followers. It was then supposed that He claimed to be\nthe medium of grace from His Highness the Lord of the Age (upon Him\nbe peace); but afterwards it became known and evident that His\nmeaning was the Gatehood [Bábíyyat] of another city and\nthe mediumship of the graces of another Person Whose qualities and\nattributes were contained in His books and treatises. \n\nAt all events, as has been mentioned, by reason of the\ndoctors’ lack of experience and skill in administrative\nscience, and the continual succession of their decisions, comment was\nrife; and their interference with the Báb cast a clamor\nthroughout Persia, causing increased ardor in friends and the coming\nforward of the hesitating. For by reason of these occurrences men’s\ninterest increased, and in all parts of Persia some [of God’s]\nservants inclined toward Him, until the matter acquired such\nimportance that the late king Muḥammad Sháh\ndelegated a certain person named Siyyid Yaḥyá of Daráb,\nwho was one of the best known of doctors and Siyyids as well as an\nobject of veneration and confidence, giving him a horse and money for\nthe journey so that he might proceed to Shíráz\nand personally investigate this matter.5\n\n\nWhen the above-mentioned Siyyid arrived at Shíráz\nhe interviewed the Báb three times. In the first and second\nconferences questioning and answering took place; in the third\nconference he requested a commentary on the Súrih called\nKawthar6\n, and when the Báb, without thought or reflection, wrote an\nelaborate commentary on the Kawthar in his presence, the\nabove-mentioned Siyyid was charmed and enraptured with Him, and\nstraightway, without consideration for the future or anxiety about\nthe results of this affection, hastened to Burújird to his\nfather Siyyid Ja’far, known as Kashfí, and\nacquainted him with the matter. And, although he was wise and prudent\nand was wont to have regard to the requirements of the time, he wrote\nwithout fear or care a detailed account of his observations to Mírzá\nLutf-‘Alí the chamberlain in order that the latter might\nsubmit it to the notice of the late king, while he himself journeyed\nto all parts of Persia, and in every town and station summoned the\npeople from the pulpit-tops in such wise that other learned doctors\ndecided that he must be mad, accounting it a sure case of\nbewitchment. \n\nNow when the news of the decisions of the doctors and\nthe outcry and clamor of the lawyers reached Zanján, Mullá\nMuḥammad-‘Alí the divine, who was a man of mark\npossessed of penetrating speech, sent one of those on whom he could\nrely to Shíráz to investigate this matter. This\nperson, having acquainted himself with the details of these\noccurrences in such wise as was necessary and proper, returned with\nsome [of the Báb’s] writings. When the divine heard how\nmatters were and had made himself acquainted with the writings,\nnotwithstanding that he was a man expert in knowledge and noted for\nprofound research, he went mad and became crazed as was predestined:\nhe gathered up his books in the lecture-room saying, “The\nseason of spring and wine has arrived,” and uttered this\nsentence: “Search for knowledge after reaching the known is\nculpable.” Then from the summit of the pulpit he summoned and\ndirected all his disciples [to embrace the doctrine], and wrote to\nthe Báb his own declaration and confession. \n\nThe Báb in His reply signified to him the\nobligation of congregational prayer. \n\nAlthough the doctors of Zanján arose with heart\nand soul to exhort and admonish the people they could effect nothing.\nFinally they were compelled to go to Ṭihrán and made\ntheir complaint before the late king Muḥammad Sháh,\nrequesting that Mullá Muḥammad-‘Alí might\nbe summoned to Ṭihrán. So the royal order went forth\nthat he should appear. \n\nNow when he came to Ṭihrán they brought him\nbefore a conclave of the doctors; but, so they relate, after many\ncontroversies and disputations naught was effected with him in that\nassembly. The late king therefore bestowed on him a staff and fifty\ntúmans for his expenses, and gave him permission to return. \n\nAt all events, this news being disseminated through all\nparts and regions of Persia, and several proselytes arriving in Fárs,\nthe doctors perceived that the matter had acquired importance, that\nthe power to deal with it had escaped from their hands, and that\nimprisonment, beating, tormenting, and contumely were fruitless. So\nthey signified to the governor of Fárs, Ḥusayn Khán,\n“If thou desirest the extinction of this fire, or seekest a\nfirm stopper for this rent and disruption, an immediate cure and\ndecisive remedy is to kill the Báb. And the Báb has\nassembled a great host and meditates a rising.” \n\nSo Ḥusayn Khán ordered ‘Abdu’l-Ḥamíd\nKhán the high constable to attack the house of the\nBáb’s maternal uncle at midnight on all sides, and to\nbring Him and all His followers handcuffed. But ‘Abdu’l-Ḥamíd\nKhán and his hosts found no one in the house save the\nBáb, His maternal uncle, and Siyyid Kázim of Zanján;\nand as it chanced that on that night the sickness of the plague and\nthe extreme heat of the weather had compelled Ḥusayn Khán\nto flee, he released the Báb on condition of His quitting the\ncity. \n\nOn the morning after that night the Báb with\nSiyyid Kázim of Zanján set out from Shíráz\nfor Iṣfáhán. Before reaching Iṣfáhán\nHe wrote a letter to the Mu’tamídu’d-Dawlih, the\ngovernor of the province, requesting a lodging in some suitable place\nwith the sanction of the government. The governor appointed the\nmansion of the Imám-Jum’ih. There He abode forty days;\nand one day, agreeably to the request of the Imám, He wrote\nwithout reflection a commentary on [the Súrih of] V’al-‘Asr\nbefore the company.7\nWhen this news reached the Mu’tamíd he sought an\ninterview with Him and questioned Him concerning the “Special\nMission.” At that same interview an answer proving the “Special\nMission” was written. \n\nThe Mu’tamíd then gave orders that all the\ndoctors should assemble and dispute with Him in one conclave, and\nthat the discussion should be faithfully recorded without alteration\nby the instrumentality of his private secretary, in order that it\nmight be sent to Ṭihrán, and that whatever the royal\nedict and decree should ordain might be carried out. \n\nThe doctors, however, considering this arrangement as a\nweakening of the Law, did not agree, but held a conclave and wrote,\n“If there be doubt in the matter there is need of assembly and\ndiscussion, but as this person’s disagreement with the most\nluminous Law is clearer than the sun therefore the best possible\nthing is to put in practice the sentence of the Law.” \n\nThe Mu’tamíd then desired to hold the\nassembled conference in his own presence so that the actual truth\nmight be disclosed and hearts be at peace, but these learned doctors\nand honorable scholars, unwilling to bring the Perspicuous Law into\ncontempt, did not approve discussion and controversy with a young\nmerchant, with the exception of that most erudite sage Áqá\nMuḥammad-Mihdí, and that eminent Platonist Mírzá\nḤasan of Núr. So the conference terminated in\nquestionings on certain points relating to the science of fundamental\ndogma, and the elucidation and analysis of the doctrines of Mullá\nSadrá. So, as no conclusion was arrived at by the governor\nfrom this conference, the severe sentence and harsh decision of the\nlearned doctors was not carried out; but, anxious to abate the great\nanxiety quickly and prevent a public tumult effectually, he gave\ncurrency to a report that a decree had been issued ordering the Báb\nto be sent to Ṭihrán in order that some decisive\nsettlement might be arrived at, or that some courageous divine might\nbe able to confute [Him]. \n\nHe accordingly sent Him forth from Iṣfáhán\nwith a company of his own mounted bodyguard; but when they reached\nMurchih-Khar he gave secret orders for His return to\nIṣfáhán, where he afforded Him a refuge and\nasylum in his own roofed private quarters; and not a soul save the\nconfidential and trusty dependents of the Mu’tamíd knew\naught of the Báb. \n\nA period of four months passed in this fashion, and the\nMu’tamíd passed away to the mercy of God. Gurgín\nKhán, the Mu’tamíd’s nephew, was\naware of the Báb’s being in the private apartments, and\nrepresented the matter to the Prime Minister. Ḥájí\nMírzá Aqásí, that celebrated minister,\nissued a decisive command and gave instructions that they should send\nthe Báb secretly in disguise under the escort of Núsayrí\nhorsemen to the capital. \n\nWhen He reached Kinár-Gird a fresh order came\nfrom the Prime Minister appointing the village of Kulayn as an abode\nand dwelling-place. There He remained for a period of twenty days.\nAfter that, the Báb forwarded a letter to the Royal Presence\ncraving audience to set forth the truth of His condition, expecting\nthis to be a means for the attainment of great advantages. The Prime\nMinister did not admit this, and made representation to the Royal\nPresence: “The royal cavalcade is on the point of starting, and\nto engage in such matters as the present will conduce to the\ndisruption of the kingdom. Neither is there any doubt that the most\nnotable doctors of the capital also will behave after the fashion of\nthe doctors of Iṣfáhán, which thing will be the\ncause of a popular outbreak, or that, according to the religion of\nthe immaculate Imám, they will regard the blood of this siyyid\nas of no account, yea, as more lawful than mother’s milk. The\nimperial train is prepared for travel, neither is there hindrance or\nimpediment in view. There is no doubt that the presence of the Báb\nwill be the cause of the gravest trouble and the greatest mischief.\nTherefore, on the spur of the moment, the wisest plan is this: to\nplace this person in the Castle of Mákú during the\nperiod of absence of the royal train from the seat of the imperial\nthrone, and to defer the obtaining of an audience to the time of\nreturn.” \n\nAgreeably to this view a letter was issued addressed to\nthe Báb in his Majesty’s own writing, and, according to\nthe traditional account of the tenor of this letter, the epitome\nthereof is this: \n\n(After the titles). “Since the royal train is on\nthe verge of departure from Ṭihrán, to meet in a\nbefitting manner is impossible. Do you go to Mákú and\nthere abide and rest for a while, engaged in praying for our\nvictorious state; and we have arranged that under all circumstances\nthey shall show you attention and respect. When we return from travel\nwe will summon you specially.” \n\nAfter this they sent Him off with several mounted guards\n(amongst them Muḥammad Big, the courier) to Tabríz and\nMákú. \n\nBesides this the followers of the Báb recount\ncertain messages conveyed [from Him] by the instrumentality of\nMuḥammad Big (amongst which was a promise to heal the foot of\nthe late king, but on condition of an interview, and the suppression\nof the tyranny of the majority), and the Prime Minister’s\nprevention of the conveyance of these letters to the Royal Presence.\nFor he himself laid claim to be a spiritual guide and was prepared to\nperform the functions of religious directorship. But others deny\nthese accounts. \n\nAt all events in the course of the journey He wrote a\nletter to the Prime Minister saying, “You summoned Me from\nIṣfáhán to meet the doctors and for the\nattainment of a decisive settlement. What has happened now that this\nexcellent intention has been changed for Mákú and\nTabríz?” \n\nAlthough He remained forty days in the city of Tabríz\nthe learned doctors did not condescend to approach Him and did not\ndeem it right to meet Him. Then they sent Him off to the Castle of\nMákú, and for nine months lodged Him in the\ninaccessible castle which is situated on the summit of that lofty\nmountain. And ‘Alí Khán of Mákú,\nbecause of his excessive love for the family of the Prophet, paid Him\nsuch attention as was possible, and gave permission [to some persons]\nto converse with Him. \n\nNow when the accomplished divines of Ádhirbayján\nperceived that in all the parts round about Tabríz it was as\nthough the last day had come by reason of the excessive clamor, they\nrequested the government to punish the [Báb’s]\nfollowers, and to remove the Báb to the Castle of Chihríq.\nSo they sent Him to that castle and consigned Him to the keeping of\nYaḥyá Khán the Kurd. \n\nGlory be to God! Notwithstanding these decisions of\ngreat doctors and reverend lawyers, and severe punishments and\nreprimands--beatings, banishments, and imprisonments--on\nthe part of governors, this sect was daily on the increase, and the\ndiscussion and disputation was such that in meetings and assemblies\nin all parts of Persia there was no conversation but on this topic.\nGreat was the commotion which arose: the doctors of the Perspicuous\nReligion were lamenting, the common folk clamorous and agitated, and\nthe Friends rejoicing and applauding. \n\nBut the Báb Himself attached no importance to\nthis uproar and tumult, and, alike on the road and in the castles of\nMákú and Chihríq, evening and morning,\nnay, day and night, in extremest rapture and amazement, He would\nrestrict Himself to repeating and meditating on the qualities and\nattributes of that absent-yet-present, regarded-and-regarding Person\nof His.8\nThus He makes a mention of Him whereof this is the purport: \n\n“Though the ocean of woe rageth on every side, and\nthe bolts of fate follow in quick succession, and the darkness of\ngriefs and afflictions invade soul and body, yet is My heart\nbrightened by the remembrance of Thy countenance and My soul is as a\nrosegarden from the perfume of Thy nature.” \n\nIn short, after He had remained for three months in the\nCastle of Chihríq, the eminent doctors of Tabríz\nand scholars of Ádhirbayján wrote to Ṭihrán\nand demanded a severe punishment in regard to the Báb for the\nintimidation and frightening of the people. When the Prime Minister\nḤájí Mírzá Aqásí\nbeheld the ferment and clamor of the learned doctors in all districts\nof Persia, he perforce became their accomplice and ordered Him to be\nbrought from Chihríq to Tabríz. In the course of\nHis transit by Urúmíyyih the governor of the district\nQásim Mírzá treated Him with extraordinary\ndeference, and a strange flocking together of high and low was\napparent. These conducted themselves with the utmost respectfulness. \n\nWhen the Báb reached Tabríz they brought\nHim after some days before the government tribunal. Of the learned\ndoctors the Nizámu’l-‘Ulamá, Mullá\nMuḥammad-i-Mamaqání, Mírzá Aḥmad\nthe Imám-Jum’ih, Mírzá ‘Alí-Aṣghar\nthe Shaykhu’l-Islám, and several other\ndivines were present. They asked concerning the claims of the Báb.\nHe advanced the claim of Mihdí-hood; whereon a mighty tumult\narose. Eminent doctors in overwhelming might compassed Him on all\nsides, and such was the onset of orthodoxy that it had been no great\nwonder if a mere youth had not withstood the mountain of Elburz. They\ndemanded proof. Without hesitation He recited texts, saying, “This\nis the permanent and most mighty proof.” They criticized His\ngrammar. He adduced arguments from the Qur’án, setting\nforth therefrom instances of similar infractions of the rules of\ngrammar. So the assembly broke up and the Báb returned to His\nown dwelling. \n\nThe heaven-cradled Crown-Prince was at that time\ngovernor of Ádhirbayján. He pronounced no\nsentence with regard to the Báb, nor did he desire to\ninterfere with Him. The doctors, however, considered it advisable at\nleast to inflict a severe chastisement, and beating was decided on.\nBut none of the corps of farráshes would agree to\nbecome the instruments of the infliction of this punishment. So Mírzá\n‘Alí-Aṣghar the Shaykhu’l-Islám,\nwho was one of the noble Siyyids, brought Him to his own house and\napplied the rods with his own hand. After this they sent the Báb\nback to Chihríq and subjected Him to a strict\nconfinement. \n\nNow when the news of this beating, chastisement,\nimprisonment, and rigor reached all parts of Persia, learned divines\nand esteemed lawyers who were possessed of power and influence girt\nup the loins of endeavor for the eradication and suppression of this\nsect, exerting their utmost efforts therefore. And they wrote notice\nof their decision, to wit “that this person and his followers\nare in absolute error and are hurtful to Church and State.” And\nsince the governors in Persia enjoyed the fullest authority, in some\nprovinces they followed this decision and united in uprooting and\ndispersing the Bábís. But the late King Muḥammad\nSháh acted with deliberation in this matter,\nreflecting, “This Youth is of the Pure Lineage and of the\nfamily of him addressed with ‘were it not for thee.’ So\nlong as no offensive actions which are incompatible with the public\npeace and well-being proceed from him, the government should not\ninterfere with him.” And whenever the learned doctors appealed\nto him from the surrounding districts, he either gave no answer, or\nelse commanded them to act with deliberation. \n\nNotwithstanding this, between eminent doctors and\nillustrious scholars and those learned persons who were followers of\nthe Báb opposition, discussion, and strife did so increase\nthat in some provinces they desired [to resort to] mutual\nimprecation; and for the governors of the provinces, too, a means of\nacquiring gain was produced, so that great tumult and disturbance\narose. And since the malady of the gout had violently attacked the\nking’s foot and occupied his world-ordering thought, the good\njudgment of the Chief Minister, the famous Ḥájí\nMírzá Aqásí, became the pivot of the\nconduct of affairs, and his incapacity and lack of resource became\napparent as the sun. For every hour he formed a new opinion and gave\na new order: at one moment he would seek to support the decision of\nthe doctors, accounting the eradication and suppression of the Bábís\nas necessary: at another time he would charge the doctors with\naggressiveness, regarding undue interference as contrary to justice:\nat another time he would become a mystic and say, “All these\nvoices are from the King,”9\nor repeat with his tongue, “Moses is at war with Moses,”10\nor recite, “This is nought but Thy trial.”11\nIn short this changeable minister, by reason of his mismanagement of\nimportant matters and failure to control and order the affairs of the\ncommunity, so acted that disturbance and clamor arose from all\nquarters and directions: the most notable and influential of the\ndoctors ordered the common folk to molest the followers of the Báb,\nand a general onslaught took place. More especially when the claim of\nMihdí-hood reached the hearing of eminent divines and profound\ndoctors they began to make lamentation and to cry and complain from\ntheir pulpits, saying, “One of the essentials of religion and\nof the authentic traditions transmitted from the holy Imáms,\nnay, the chief basis of the foundations of the church of His Highness\nJa’far, is the Occultation of the immaculate twelfth Imám\n(upon both of them be peace). What has happened to Jabúlqá?\nWhere has Jabúlsá gone? What was the Minor Occultation?\nWhat has become of the Major Occultation? What are the sayings of\nḤusayn ibn Rúh, and what the tradition of Ibn Mihríyár?\nWhat shall we make of the flight of the Guardians and the Helpers?\nHow shall we deal with the conquest of the East and the West? Where\nis the Ass of Antichrist? When will the appearance of the Súfyán\nbe? Where are the signs which are in the traditions of the Holy\nFamily? Where is that whereon the Victorious Church is agreed? The\nmatter is not outside one of two alternatives: either we must\nrepudiate the traditions of the Holy Imáms, grow wearied of\nthe Church of Ja’far, and account the clear indications of the\nImám as disturbed dreams; or, in accordance with the primary\nand subsidiary doctrines of the Faith and the essential and explicit\ndeclarations of the most luminous Law, we must consider the\nrepudiation, nay, the destruction of this person as our chief duty.\nIf so be that we shut our eyes to these authentic traditions and\nobvious doctrines universally admitted, no remnant will endure of the\nfundamental basis of the Church of the immaculate Imám: we\nshall neither be Sunnites, nor shall we be of the prevalent sect to\ncontinue awaiting the promised Saint and believing in the begotten\nMihdí.12\nOtherwise we must regard as admissible the opening of the Gate of\nSaintship, and consider that He Who is to arise of the family of\nMuḥammad possesses two signs: the first condition, Holy\nLineage; the second, [that He is divinely] fortified with brilliant\nverses. What can we do with these thousand-year-old beliefs of the\ndelivered band of Shí’ites, or what shall we say\nconcerning their profound doctors and preeminent divines? Were all\nthese in error? Did they journey in the vale of transgression? What\nan evidently false assertion is this! By God, this is a thing to\nbreak the back! O people, extinguish this fire and forget these\nwords! Alas! woe to our Faith, woe to our Law!” \n\nThus did they make complaint in mosques and chapels, in\npulpits and congregations. \n\nBut the Bábí chiefs composed treatises\nagainst them, and set in order replies according to their own\nthought. Were these to be discussed in detail it would conduce to\nprolixity, and our object is the statement of history, not of\narguments for believing or rejecting; but of some of the replies the\ngist is this: that they held the Proof as supreme, and the evidence\nas outweighing traditions, considering the former as the root and the\nlatter as the branch, and saying, “If the branch agree not with\nthe root it serves not as an argument and is unworthy of reliance;\nfor the reported consequence has no right to oppose itself to the\nestablished principle, and cannot argue against it.” Indeed in\nsuch cases they regarded interpretation as the truth of revelation\nand the essence of true exegesis: thus, for instance, they\ninterpreted the sovereignty of the Qá’im as a mystical\nsovereignty, and His conquests as conquests of the cities of hearts,\nadducing in support of this the meekness and defeat of the Chief of\nMartyrs (may the life of all being be a sacrifice for him). For he\nwas the true manifestation of the blessed verse “And verily our\nhost shall overcome for them,”13\nyet, notwithstanding this, he quaffed the cup of martyrdom with\nperfect meekness, and, at the very moment of uttermost defeat,\ntriumphed over his enemies and became the most mighty of the troops\nof the Supreme Host. Similarly they regarded the numerous writings\nwhich, in spite of His lack of education, the Báb had\ncomposed, as due to the promptings of the Holy Spirit; extracted from\nbooks contrary sayings handed down by men of mark; adduced traditions\napparently agreeing with their objects; and clung to the\nannouncements of certain notables of yore. They also considered the\nconversion of austere and recluse doctors and eminent votaries of the\nPerspicuous Religion [of Islám] as a valid proof, deemed the\nsteadfastness and constancy of the Báb a most mighty sign, and\nrelated miracles and the like; which things, being altogether foreign\nto our purpose, we have passed by with brevity, and will now proceed\nwith our original topic. \n\nAt the time of these events certain persons appeared\namongst the Bábís who had a strange ascendancy and\nappearance in the eyes of this sect. Amongst these was Mírzá\nMuḥammad-‘Alí of Mázindarán, who was\nthe disciple of the illustrious Siyyid (may God exalt his station)\nḤájí Siyyid Kázim of Rasht, and who\nwas the associate and companion of the Báb in His pilgrimage\njourney. After a while certain manners and states issued from him\nsuch that all, acting with absolute confidence, considered obedience\nto him as an impregnable stronghold, so that even Mullá Ḥusayn\nof Bushrúyih, who was the leader of all and the arbiter\nappealed to alike by the noble and the humble of this sect, used to\nbehave in his presence with great humility and with the\nself-abasement of a lowly servant. \n\nThis personage set himself to exalt the word of the Báb\nwith the utmost steadfastness, and the Báb did full justice to\nspeech in praising and glorifying him, accounting his uprising as an\nassistance from the Unseen. In delivery and style he was “evident\nmagic,” and in firmness and constancy superior to all. At\nlength in the year [A.H.] 1265 at the sentence of the chief of\nlawyers the Sa’ídu’l-‘Ulamá’\nthe chief divine of Barfurúsh, he yielded his head and\nsurrendered his life amidst extremest clamor and outcry. \n\nAnd amongst them was she who was entitled Qurratu’l-‘Ayn\nthe daughter of Ḥájí Ṣáliḥ,\nthe sage of Qazvín, the erudite doctor. She, according to what\nis related, was skilled in diverse arts, amazed the understandings\nand thoughts of the most eminent masters by her eloquent\ndissertations on the exegesis and tradition of the Perspicuous Book,\nand was a mighty sign in the doctrines of the glorious Shaykh\nof Ahsá. At the Supreme Shrines she borrowed light on matters\ndivine from the lamp of Kázim, and freely sacrificed her life\nin the way of the Báb. She discussed and disputed with the\ndoctors and sages, loosing her tongue to establish her doctrine. Such\nfame did she acquire that most people who were scholars or mystics\nsought to hear her speech and were eager to become acquainted with\nher powers of speculation and deduction. She had a brain full of\ntumultuous ideas, and thoughts vehement and restless. In many places\nshe triumphed over the contentious, expounding the most subtle\nquestions. When she was imprisoned in the house of [Maḥmúd]\nthe Kalantar of Ṭihrán, and the festivities and\nrejoicings of a wedding were going on, the wives of the city magnates\nwho were present as guests were so charmed with the beauty of her\nspeech that, forgetting the festivities, they gathered round her,\ndiverted by listening to her words from listening to the melodies,\nand rendered indifferent by witnessing her marvels to the\ncontemplation of the pleasant and novel sights which are incidental\nto a wedding. In short in elocution she was the calamity of the age,\nand in ratiocination the trouble of the world. Of fear or timidity\nthere was no trace in her heart, nor had the admonitions of the\nkindly-disposed any profit or fruit for her. Although she was of\n[such as are] damsels [meet] for the bridal bower, yet she wrested\npreeminence from stalwart men, and continued to strain the feet of\nsteadfastness until she yielded up her life at the sentence of the\nmighty doctors in Ṭihrán. But were we to occupy\nourselves with these details the matter would end in prolixity. \n\nWell, Persia was in this critical state and the learned\ndoctors perplexed and anxious, when the late Prince Muḥammad\nSháh died, and the throne of sovereignty was adorned\nwith the person of the new monarch. Mírzá Taqí\nKhán Amír-Nizám, who was Prime Minister\nand Chief Regent, seized in the grasp of his despotic power the reins\nof the affairs of the commonwealth, and urged the steed of his\nambition into the arena of willfulness and sole possession. This\nminister was a person devoid of experience and wanting in\nconsideration for the consequences of actions; bloodthirsty and\nshameless; and swift and ready to shed blood. Severity in punishing\nhe regarded as wise administration, and harshly entreating,\ndistressing, intimidating, and frightening the people he considered\nas a fulcrum for the advancement of the monarchy. And as His Majesty\nthe King was in the prime of youthful years the minister fell into\nstrange fancies and sounded the drum of\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, A Traveler's Narrative (1886). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19300.*\n"
},
{
"title": "[Pages 21–40]",
"slug": "tn-pages-21-40",
"summary": "absolutism in [the conduct of] affairs: on his own decisive resolution, without seeking permission from the Royal Presence or taking counsel with prudent statesmen, he issued orders to persecute the Bábís, imagining that by overweening…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb",
"Mullá Ḥusayn"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"history",
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"persecution",
"prison",
"the-covenant",
"teaching",
"women",
"children",
"family",
"healing",
"holy-land",
"recognition",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"devotion",
"faith",
"gentleness",
"hope",
"joy",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 34,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "travelers-narrative",
"book": "A Traveler's Narrative",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1886,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19300/pg19300-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nabsolutism in [the conduct of] affairs: on his own\ndecisive resolution, without seeking permission from the Royal\nPresence or taking counsel with prudent statesmen, he issued orders\nto persecute the Bábís, imagining that by overweening\nforce he could eradicate and suppress matters of this nature, and\nthat harshness would bear good fruit; whereas [in fact] to interfere\nwith matters of conscience is simply to give them greater currency\nand strength; the more you strive to extinguish the more will the\nflame be kindled, more especially in matters of faith and religion,\nwhich spread and acquire influence so soon as blood is shed, and\nstrongly affect men’s hearts. These things have been put to the\nproof, and the greatest proof is this very transaction. Thus they\nrelate that the possessions of a certain Bábí in Káshán\nwere plundered, and his household scattered and dispersed. They\nstripped him naked and scourged him, defiled his beard, mounted him\nface backwards on an ass, and paraded him through the streets and\nbazaars with the utmost cruelty, to the sound of drums, trumpets,\nguitars, and tambourines. A certain gabr who knew absolutely naught\nof the world or its denizens chanced to be seated apart in a corner\nof a caravansary. When the clamor of the people rose high he hastened\ninto the street, and, becoming cognizant of the offence and the\noffender, and the cause of his public disgrace and punishment in full\ndetail, he fell to making search, and that very day entered the\nsociety of the Bábís, saying, “This very\nill-usage and public humiliation is a proof of truth and the very\nbest of arguments. Had it not been thus it might have been that a\nthousand years would have passed ere one like me became informed.”\n\n\nAt all events the minister with the utmost\narbitrariness, without receiving any instructions or asking\npermission, sent forth commands in all directions to punish and\nchastise the Bábís. Governors and magistrates sought a\npretext for amassing wealth, and officials a means of [acquiring]\nprofits; celebrated doctors from the summits of their pulpits incited\nmen to make a general onslaught; the powers of the religious and the\ncivil law linked hands and strove to eradicate and destroy this\npeople. \n\nNow this people had not yet acquired such knowledge as\nwas right and needful of the fundamental principles and hidden\ndoctrines of the Báb’s teachings, and did not recognize\ntheir duties. Their conceptions and ideas were after the former\nfashion, and their conduct and behavior in correspondence with\nancient usage. The way of approach to the Báb was, moreover,\nclosed, and the flame of trouble visibly blazing on every side. At\nthe decree of the most celebrated of the doctors, the government, and\nindeed the common people, had, with irresistible power, inaugurated\nrapine and plunder on all sides, and were engaged in punishing and\ntorturing, killing and despoiling, in order that they might quench\nthis fire and wither these [poor] souls. In towns where these were\nbut a limited number all of them with bound hands became food for the\nsword, while in cities where they were numerous they arose in\nself-defense agreeably to their former beliefs, since it was\nimpossible for them to make inquiry as to their duty, and all doors\nwere closed. \n\nIn Mázindarán amongst other places the\npeople of the city of Barfurúsh at the command of the\nchief of the lawyers the Sa’ídu’l-‘Ulamá’\nmade a general attack on Mullá Ḥusayn of Bushrúyih\nand his followers, and slew six or seven persons. They were busy\ncompassing the destruction of the rest also when Mullá Ḥusayn\nordered the adhán to be sounded and stretched forth his\nhand to the sword, whereupon all sought flight, and the nobles and\nlords coming before him with the utmost penitence and deference\nagreed that he should be permitted to depart. They further sent with\nthem as a guard Khusraw of Qádí-Kalá with\nhorsemen and footmen, so that, according to the terms of the\nagreement, they might go forth safe and protected from the territory\nof Mázindarán. When they, being ignorant of the fords\nand paths, had emerged from the city, Khusraw dispersed his\nhorsemen and footmen and set them in ambush in the forest of\nMázindarán, scattered and separated the Bábís\nin that forest on the road and off the road, and began to hunt them\ndown singly. When the reports of muskets arose on every side the\nhidden secret became manifest, and several wanderers and other\npersons were suddenly slain with bullets. Mullá Ḥusayn\nordered the adhán to be sounded to assemble his\nscattered followers, while Mírzá Lutf-‘Alí\nthe secretary drew his dagger and ripped open Khusraw’s\nvitals. Of Khusraw’s host some were slain and others\nwandered distractedly over the field of battle. Mullá Ḥusayn\nquartered his host in a fort near the burial-place of Shaykh\nTabarsí, and, being aware of the wishes of the community,\nrelaxed and interrupted the march. This detachment was subsequently\nfurther reinforced by Mírzá Muḥammad-‘Alí\nof Mázindarán with a number of other persons, so that\nthe garrison of the fort numbered three hundred and thirteen souls.\nOf these, however, all were not capable of fighting, only one hundred\nand ten persons being prepared for war. Most of them were doctors or\nstudents whose companions had been during their whole life books and\ntreatises; yet, in spite of the fact that they were unaccustomed to\nwar or to the blows of shot and sword, four times were camps and\narmies arrayed against them and they were attacked and hemmed in with\ncannons, muskets, and bomb-shells, and on all four occasions they\ninflicted defeat, while the army was completely routed and dispersed.\nOn the occasion of the fourth defeat Abbás-Qulí Khán\nof Laríján was captain of the forces and Prince\nMihdí-Qulí Mírzá commander in the camp.\nThe Khán above mentioned used at nights to conceal and\nhide himself in disguise amongst the trees of the forest outside the\ncamp, while during the day he was present in the encampment. The last\nbattle took place at night and the army was routed. The Bábís\nfired the tents and huts, and night became bright as day. The foot of\nMullá Ḥusayn’s horse caught in a noose, for he was\nriding, the others being on foot. Abbás-Qulí Khán\nrecognized him from the top of a tree afar off, and with his own hand\ndischarged several bullets. At the third shot he threw him from his\nfeet. He was borne by his followers to the fort, and there they\nburied him. Notwithstanding this event [the troops] could not prevail\nby superior force. At length the Prince made a treaty and covenant,\nand swore by the Holy Imáms, confirming his oath by vows\nplighted on the glorious Qur’án, to this effect: “You\nshall not be molested; return to your own places.” Since their\nprovisions had for some time been exhausted, so that even of the\nskins and bones of horses naught remained, and they had subsisted for\nseveral days on pure water, they agreed. When they arrived at the\narmy food was prepared for them in a place outside the camp. They\nwere engaged in eating, having laid aside their weapons and armor,\nwhen the soldiers fell on them on all sides and slew them all. Some\nhave accounted this valor displayed by these people as a thing\nmiraculous, but when a band of men are besieged in some place where\nall avenues and roads are stopped and all hope of deliverance is cut\noff they will assuredly defend themselves desperately and display\nbravery and courage. \n\nIn Zanján and Nayríz likewise at the\ndecree of erudite doctors and notable lawyers a bloodthirsty military\nforce attacked and besieged. In Zanján the chief was Mullá\nMuḥammad-‘Alí the mujtahid, while in Nayríz\nSiyyid Yaḥyá of Daráb was the leader and arbiter.\nAt first they sought to bring about a reconciliation, but, meeting\nwith cruel ferocity, they reached the pitch of desperation; and, the\noverpowering force of the victorious troops having cut off every\npassage of flight, they unclosed their hands in resistance. But\nalthough they were very strong in battle and amazed the chiefs of the\narmy by their steadfastness and endurance, the overwhelming military\nforce closed the passage of flight and broke their wings and\nfeathers. After numerous battles they too at last yielded to\ncovenants and compacts, oaths and promises, vows registered on the\nQur’án, and the wonderful stratagems of the officers,\nand were all put to the edge of the sword. \n\nWere we to occupy ourselves in detail with the wars of\nNayríz and Zanján, or to set forth these events from\nbeginning to end, this epitome would become a bulky volume. So, since\nthis would be of no advantage to history, we have passed them over\nbriefly. \n\nDuring the course of the events which took place at\nZanján the Prime Minister devised a final and trenchant\nremedy. Without the royal command, without consulting with the\nministers of the subject-protecting court, he, acting with arbitrary\ndisposition, fixed determination, and entirely on his own authority,\nissued commands to put the Báb to death. This befell in brief\nas follows. The governor of Ádhirbayján, Prince\nḤamzih Mírzá, was unwilling that the execution of\nthis sentence should be at his hands, and said to the brother of the\nAmír, Mírzá Ḥasan Khán,\n“This is a vile business and an easy one; anyone is capable and\ncompetent. I had imagined that His Excellency the Regent would\ncommission me to make war on the Afghans or Uzbegs or appoint me to\nattack and invade the territory of Russia or Turkey.” So Mírzá\nḤasan Khán wrote his excuse in detail to the\nAmír. \n\nNow the Siyyid Báb had disposed all His affairs\nbefore setting out from Chihríq towards Tabríz,\nhad placed His writings and even His ring and pen-case in a specially\nprepared box, put the key of the box in an envelope, and sent it by\nmeans of Mullá Báqir, who was one of His first\nassociates, to Mullá ‘Abdu’l-Karím of\nQazvín. This trust Mullá Báqir delivered over to\nMullá ‘Abdu’l-Karím at Qum in presence of a\nnumerous company. At the solicitations of those present he opened the\nlid of the box and said, “I am commanded to convey this trust\nto Bahá’u’lláh: more than this ask not of\nme, for I cannot tell you.” Importuned by the company, he\nproduced a long epistle in blue, penned in the most graceful manner\nwith the utmost delicacy and firmness in a beautiful minute shikastih\nhand, written in the shape of a man so closely that it would have\nbeen imagined that it was a single wash of ink on the paper. When\nthey had read this epistle [they perceived that] He had produced\nthree hundred and sixty derivatives from the word Bahá. Then\nMullá ‘Abdu’l-Karím conveyed the trust to\nits destination. \n\nWell, we must return to our original narrative. The\nPrime Minister issued a second order to his brother Mírzá\nḤasan Khán, the gist of which order was this:\n“Obtain a formal and explicit sentence from the learned doctors\nof Tabríz who are the firm support of the Church of Ja’far\n(upon him be peace) and the impregnable stronghold of the Shí’ite\nfaith; summon the Christian regiment of Urúmíyyih;\nsuspend the Báb before all the people; and give orders for the\nregiment to fire a volley.” \n\nMírzá Ḥasan Khán\nsummoned his chief of the farráshes, and gave him his\ninstructions. They removed the Báb’s turban and sash\nwhich were the signs of His Siyyid-hood, brought Him with four of His\nfollowers to the barrack square of Tabríz, confined Him in a\ncell, and appointed forty of the Christian soldiers of Tabríz\nto guard Him. \n\nNext day the chief of the farráshes\ndelivered over the Báb and a young man named Áqá\nMuḥammad-‘Alí who was of a noble family of Tabríz\nto Sám Khán, colonel of the Christian regiment\nof Urúmíyyih, at the sentences of the learned divine\nMullá Muḥammad of Mamaqán, of the second\necclesiastical authority Mullá Mírzá Báqir,\nand of the third ecclesiastical authority Mullá Murtadá-Qulí\nand others. An iron nail was hammered into the middle of the\nstaircase of the very cell wherein they were imprisoned, and two\nropes were hung down. By one rope the Báb was suspended and by\nthe other rope Áqá Muḥammad-‘Alí,\nboth being firmly bound in such wise that the head of that young man\nwas on the Báb’s breast. The surrounding housetops\nbillowed with teeming crowds. A regiment of soldiers ranged itself in\nthree files. The first file fired; then the second file, and then the\nthird file discharged volleys. From the fire of these volleys a\nmighty smoke was produced. When the smoke cleared away they saw that\nyoung man standing and the Báb seated by the side of His\namanuensis Áqá Siyyid Ḥusayn in the very cell\nfrom the staircase of which they had suspended them. To neither one\nof them had the slightest injury resulted. \n\nSám Khán the Christian asked to be\nexcused; the turn of service came to another regiment, and the chief\nof the farráshes withheld his hand. Áqá\nJán Big of Khamsíh, colonel of the bodyguard,\nadvanced; and they again bound the Báb together with that\nyoung man to the same nail. The Báb uttered certain words\nwhich those few who knew Persian understood, while the rest heard but\nthe sound of His voice. \n\nThe colonel of the regiment appeared in person: and it\nwas before noon on the twenty-eighth day of Sha’bán\nin the year [A.H.] one thousand two hundred and sixty-six.14\nSuddenly he gave orders to fire. At this volley the bullets produced\nsuch an effect that the breasts [of the victims] were riddled, and\ntheir limbs were completely dissected, except their faces, which were\nbut little marred. \n\nThen they removed those two bodies from the square to\nthe edge of the moat outside the city, and that night they remained\nby the edge of the moat. Next day the Russian consul came with an\nartist and took a picture of those two bodies in the posture wherein\nthey had fallen at the edge of the moat. \n\nOn the second night at midnight the Bábís\ncarried away the two bodies. \n\nOn the third day the people did not find the bodies, and\nsome supposed that the wild beasts had devoured them, so that the\ndoctors proclaimed from the summits of their pulpits saying, “The\nholy body of the immaculate Imám and that of the true Shí’ite\nare preserved from the encroachments of beasts of prey and creeping\nthings and wounds, but the body of this person have the wild beasts\ntorn in pieces.” But after the fullest investigation and\ninquiry it hath been proved that when the Báb had dispersed\nall His writings and personal properties and it had become clear and\nevident from various signs that these events would shortly take\nplace, therefore, on the second day of these events, Sulaymán\nKhán the son of Yaḥyá Khán,\none of the nobles of Ádhirbayján devoted to the\nBáb, arrived, and proceeded straightway to the house of the\nmayor of Tabríz. And since the mayor was an old friend,\nassociate, and confidant of his; since, moreover, he was of the\nmystic temperament and did not entertain aversion or dislike for any\nsect, Sulaymán Khán divulged this secret to him\nsaying, “Tonight I, with several others, will endeavor by every\nmeans and artifice to rescue the body. Even though it be not\npossible, come what may we will make an attack, and either attain our\nobject or pour out our lives freely in this way.” “Such\ntroubles,” answered the mayor, “are in no wise\nnecessary.” He then sent one of his private servants named Ḥájí\nAlláh-Yár, who, by whatever means and proceedings it\nwas, obtained the body without trouble or difficulty and handed it\nover to Ḥájí Sulaymán Khán.\nAnd when it was morning the sentinels, to excuse themselves, said\nthat the wild beasts had devoured it. That night they sheltered the\nbody in the workshop of a Bábí of Milán: next\nday they manufactured a box, placed it in the box, and left it as a\ntrust. Afterwards, in accordance with instructions which arrived from\nṬihrán, they sent it away from Ádhirbayján.\nAnd this transaction remained absolutely secret. \n\nNow in these years [A.H. one thousand two hundred and]\nsixty-six and sixty-seven throughout all Persia fire fell on the\nhouseholds of the Bábís, and each one of them, in\nwhatever hamlet he might be, was, on the slightest suspicion arising,\nput to the sword. More than four thousand souls were slain, and a\ngreat multitude of women and children, left without protector or\nhelper, distracted and confounded, were trodden down and destroyed.\nAnd all these occurrences were brought about solely by the arbitrary\ndecision and command of Mírzá Taqí Khán,\nwho imagined that by the enactment of a crushing punishment this sect\nwould be dispersed and disappear in such wise that all sign and\nknowledge of them would be cut off. Ere long had passed the contrary\nof his imagination appeared, and it became certain that [the Bábís]\nwere increasing. The flame rose higher and the contagion became\nswifter: the affair waxed grave and the report thereof reached other\nclimes. At first it was confined to Persia: later it spread to the\nrest of the world. Quaking and affliction resulted in constancy and\nstability, and grievous pains and punishment caused acceptance and\nattraction. The very events produced an impression; impression led to\ninvestigation; and investigation resulted in increase. Through the\nill-considered policy of the Minister this edifice became fortified\nand strengthened, and these foundations firm and solid. Previously\nthe matter used to be regarded as commonplace: subsequently it\nacquired a grave importance in men’s eyes. Many persons from\nall parts of the world set out for Persia, and began to seek with\ntheir whole hearts. For it hath been proved by experience in the\nworld that in the case of such matters of conscience laceration\ncauseth healing; censure produceth increased diligence; prohibition\ninduceth eagerness; and intimidation createth avidity. The root is\nhidden in the very heart, while the branch is apparent and evident.\nWhen one branch is cut off other branches grow. Thus it is observed\nthat when such matters occur in other countries they become extinct\nspontaneously through lack of attention and exiguity of interest. For\nup to the present moment of movements pertaining to religion many\nhave appeared in the countries of Europe, but, noninterference and\nabsence of bigotry having deprived them of importance, in a little\nwhile they became effaced and dispelled. \n\nAfter this event there was wrought by a certain Bábí\na great error and a grave presumption and crime, which has blackened\nthe page of the history of this sect and given it an ill name\nthroughout the civilized world. Of this event the marrow is this,\nthat during the time when the Báb was residing in Ádhirbayján\na youth, Ṣádiq by name, became affected with the utmost\ndevotion to the Báb, night and day was busy in serving Him,\nand became bereft of thought and reason. Now when that which befell\nthe Báb in Tabríz took place, this servant, actuated by\nhis own fond fancies, fell into thoughts of seeking blood-revenge.\nAnd since he knew naught of the details of the events, the absolute\nautocracy of the Amír-Nizám, his unbridled power, and\nsole authority; nor [was aware] that this sentence had been\npromulgated absolutely without the cognizance of the Royal Court, and\nthat the Prime Minister had presumptuously issued the order on his\nown sole responsibility; since, on the contrary, he supposed that\nagreeably to ordinary custom and usage the attendants of the court\nhad had a share in, and a knowledge of this sentence, therefore,\n[impelled by] folly, frenzy, and his evil star, nay, by sheer\nmadness, he rose up from Tabríz and came straight to Ṭihrán,\none other person being his accomplice. Then, since the Royal Train\nhad its abode in Shimírán, he thither directed\nhis steps. God is our refuge! By him was wrought a deed so\npresumptuous that the tongue is unable to declare and the pen loath\nto describe it. Yet to God be praise and thankfulness that this\nmadman had charged his pistol with shot, imagining this to be\npreferable and superior to all projectiles. \n\nThen all at once commotion arose, and this sect became\nof such ill repute that still, strive and struggle as they may to\nescape from the curse and disgrace and dishonor of this deed, they\nare unable to do so. They will recount from the first manifestation\nof the Báb until the present time; but when the thread of the\ndiscourse reaches this event they are abashed and hang their heads in\nshame, repudiating the presumptuous actor and accounting him the\ndestroyer of the edifice and the cause of shame to mankind. \n\nNow after the occurrence of this grave matter all of\nthis sect were suspected. At first there was neither investigation\nnor inquiry, but afterwards in mere justice it was decided that there\nshould be investigation, inquiry, and examination. All who were known\nto be of this sect fell under suspicion. Bahá’u’lláh\nwas passing the summer in the village of Afchih situated one\nstage from Ṭihrán. When this news was spread abroad and\npunishment began, everyone who was able hid himself in some retreat\nor fled the country. Amongst these Mírzá Yaḥyá,\nthe brother of Bahá’u’lláh, concealed\nhimself, and, a bewildered fugitive, in the guise of a dervish, with\nkashkúl in hand, wandered in mountains and plains on\nthe road to Rasht. But Bahá’u’lláh\nrode forth with perfect composure and calmness from Afchih,\nand came to Níyávarán, which was the abode of\nthe Royal Train and the station of the imperial camp. Immediately on\nHis arrival He was placed under arrest, and a whole regiment guarded\nHim closely. After several days of interrogation they sent Him in\nchains and fetters from Shimírán to the jail of\nṬihrán. And this harshness and punishment was due to the\nimmoderate importunity of Ḥájí ‘Alí\nKhán, the Ḥajíbu’d-Dawlih, nor did\nthere seem any hope of deliverance, until His Majesty the King, moved\nby his own kindly spirit, commanded circumspection, and ordered this\noccurrence to be investigated and examined particularly and generally\nby means of the ministers of the imperial court. \n\nNow when Bahá’u’lláh was\ninterrogated on this matter He answered in reply, “The event\nitself indicates the truth of the affair and testifies that this is\nthe action of a thoughtless, unreasoning, and ignorant man. For no\nreasonable person would charge his pistol with shot when embarking on\nso grave an enterprise. At least he would so arrange and plan it that\nthe deed should be orderly and systematic. From the very nature of\nthe event it is clear and evident as the sun that it is not the act\nof such as Myself.” \n\nSo it was established and proven that the assassin had\non his own responsibility engaged in this grievous action and\nmonstrous deed with the idea and design of taking blood revenge for\nhis Master, and that it concerned no one else. And when the truth of\nthe matter became evident the innocence of Bahá’u’lláh\nfrom this suspicion was established in such wise that no doubt\nremained for anyone; the decision of the court declared His purity\nand freedom from this charge; and it became apparent and clear that\nwhat had been done with regard to Him was due to the efforts of His\nfoes and the hasty folly of the Ḥajíbu’d-Dawlih.\nTherefore did the government of eternal duration desire to restore\ncertain properties and estates which had been confiscated, that\nthereby it might pacify Him. But since the chief part of these was\nlost and only an inconsiderable portion was forthcoming, none came\nforward to claim them. Indeed Bahá’u’lláh\nrequested permission to withdraw to the Supreme Shrines15\n[of Karbilá and Najaf] and, after some months, by the royal\npermission and with the leave of the Prime Minister, set out\naccompanied by one of the King’s messengers for the Shrines. \n\nLet us return, however, to our original subject. Of the\nBáb’s writings many remained in men’s hands. Some\nof these were commentaries on, and interpretations of the verses of\nthe Qur’án; some were prayers, homilies, and hints of\n[the true significance of certain] passages; others were\nexhortations, admonitions, dissertations on the different branches of\nthe doctrine of the Divine Unity, demonstrations of the special\nprophetic mission of the Lord of existing things [Muḥammad],\nand (as it hath been understood) encouragements to amendment of\ncharacter, severance from worldly states, and dependence on the\ninspirations of God. But the essence and purport of His compositions\nwere the praises and descriptions of that Reality soon to appear\nwhich was His only object and aim, His darling, and His desire.16\nFor He regarded His own appearance as that of a harbinger of good\ntidings, and considered His own real nature merely as a means for the\nmanifestation of the greater perfections of that One. And indeed He\nceased not from celebrating Him by night or day for a single instant,\nbut used to signify to all His followers that they should expect His\narising: in such wise that He declares in His writings, “I am a\nletter out of that most mighty book and a dewdrop from that limitless\nocean, and, when He shall appear, My true nature, My mysteries,\nriddles, and intimations will become evident, and the embryo of this\nreligion shall develop through the grades of its being and ascent,\nattain to the station of ‘the most comely of forms,’17\nand become adorned with the robe of ‘blessed be God, the Best\nof Creators.’18\nAnd this event will disclose itself in the year [A.H. one thousand\ntwo hundred and] sixty-nine,19\nwhich corresponds to the number of the year of ‘after a while,’\nand ‘thou shalt see the mountains which thou thinkest so solid\npassing away like the passing of the clouds’20\nshall be fulfilled.” In short He so described Him that, in His\nown expression, He regarded approach to the divine bounty and\nattainment of the highest degrees of perfection in the worlds of\nhumanity as dependent on love for Him, and so inflamed was He with\nHis flame that commemoration of Him was the bright candle of His dark\nnights in the fortress of Mákú, and remembrance of Him\nwas the best of companions in the straits of the prison of Chihríq.\nThereby He obtained spiritual enlargements; with His wine was He\ninebriated; and at remembrance of Him did He rejoice. All of His\nfollowers too were in expectation of the appearance of these signs,\nand each one of His intimates was seeking after the fulfillment of\nthese forecasts. \n\nNow from the beginning of the manifestation of the Báb\nthere was in Ṭihrán (which the Báb called the\nHoly Land) a Youth of the family of one of the ministers and of noble\nlineage, gifted in every way, and adorned with purity and nobility.\nAlthough He combined lofty lineage with high connection, and although\nHis ancestors were men of note in Persia and universally sought\nafter, yet He was not of a race of doctors or a family of scholars.\nNow this Youth was from His earliest adolescence celebrated amongst\nthose of the ministerial class, both relatives and strangers, for\nsingle-mindedness, and was from childhood pointed out as remarkable\nfor sagacity, and held in regard in the eyes of the wise. He did not,\nhowever, after the fashion of His ancestors, desire elevation to\nlofty ranks nor seek advancement to splendid but transient positions.\nHis extreme aptitude was nevertheless admitted by all, and His\nexcessive acuteness and intelligence were universally avowed. In the\neyes of the common folk He enjoyed a wonderful esteem, and in all\ngatherings and assemblies He had a marvelous speech and delivery.\nNotwithstanding lack of instruction and education such was the\nkeenness of His penetration and the readiness of His apprehension\nthat when during His youthful prime He appeared in assemblies where\nquestions of divinity and points of metaphysic were being discussed,\nand, in presence of a great concourse of doctors and scholars loosed\nHis tongue, all those present were amazed, accounting this as a sort\nof prodigy beyond the discernment natural to the human race. From His\nearly years He was the hope of His kindred and the unique one of His\nfamily and race, nay, their refuge and shelter. \n\nHowever, in spite of these conditions and circumstances,\nas He wore a kuláh on His head and locks flowing over His\nshoulder, no one imagined that He would become the source of such\nmatters, or that the waves of His flood would reach the zenith of\nthis firmament. \n\nWhen the question of the Báb was noised abroad\nsigns of partiality appeared in Him. At the first He apprised His\nrelatives and connections, and the children and dependents of His own\ncircle; subsequently He occupied His energies by day and night in\ninviting friends and strangers [to embrace the new faith]. He arose\nwith mighty resolution, engaged with the utmost constancy in\nsystematizing the principles and consolidating the ethical canons of\nthat society in every way, and strove by all means to protect and\nguard these people. \n\nWhen He had [thus] established the foundations in Ṭihrán\nHe hastened to Mázindarán, where He displayed in\nassemblies, meetings, conferences, inns, mosques, and colleges a\nmighty power of utterance and exposition. Whoever beheld His open\nbrow or heard His vivid eulogies perceived Him with the eye of actual\nvision to be a patent demonstration, a latent magnetic force, and a\npervading influence. A great number both of rich and poor and of\nerudite doctors were attracted by His preaching and washed their\nhands of heart and life, being so enkindled that they laid down their\nlives under the sword dancing [with joy]. \n\nThus, amongst many instances, one day four learned and\naccomplished scholars of the divines of Núr were present in\nHis company, and in such wise did He expound that all four were\ninvoluntarily constrained to entreat Him to accept them for His\nservice. For by dint of His eloquence, which was like “evident\nsorcery,” He satisfied these eminent doctors that they were in\nreality children engaged in the rudiments of study and the merest\ntyros, and that therefore they must read the alphabet from the\nbeginning. Several protracted conferences were passed in expounding\nand elucidating the Point and the Alif of the Absolute, wherein the\ndoctors present were astounded, and filled with amazement and\nastonishment at the seething and roaring of the ocean of His\nutterance. The report of this occurrence reached the hearing of far\nand near, and deep despondency fell on the adversaries. The regions\nof Núr were filled with excitement and commotion at these\nevents, and the noise of this mischief and trouble smote the ears of\nthe citizens of Barfurúsh. The chief divine of Núr,\nMullá Muḥammad, was in Qishlaq. When he heard of\nthese occurrences he sent two of the most distinguished and profound\nof the doctors, who were possessed of wondrous eloquence, effective\noratorical talent, conclusiveness of argument, and brilliant powers\nof demonstration, to quench this fire, and to subdue and overcome\nthis Young Man by force of argument, either reducing Him to\npenitence, or causing Him to despair of the successful issue of His\nprojects. Glory be to God for His wondrous decrees! When those two\ndoctors entered the presence of that Young Man, saw the waves of His\nutterance, and heard the force of His arguments, they unfolded like\nthe rose and were stirred like the multitude, and, abandoning altar\nand chair, pulpit and preferment, wealth and luxury, and evening and\nmorning congregations, they applied themselves to the furtherance of\nthe objects of this Person, even inviting the chief divine to tender\nhis allegiance. So when this Young Man with a faculty of speech like\na rushing torrent set out for Ámul and Sarí He met with\nthat experienced doctor and that illustrious divine in Qishlaq\nof Núr. And the people assembled from all quarters awaiting\nthe result. His accomplished reverence the divine, although he was of\nuniversally acknowledged excellence, and in science the most learned\nof his contemporaries, nevertheless decided to have recourse to\naugury as to [whether he should engage in] discussion and\ndisputation. This did not prove favorable and he therefore excused\nhimself, deferring [the discussion] until some other time. His\nincompetency and shortcoming thereby became known and suspected, and\nthis caused the adherence, confirmation, and edification of many. \n\nIn brief outline the narrative is this. For some while\nHe wandered about in those districts. After the death of the late\nprince Muḥammad Sháh He returned to Ṭihrán,\nhaving in His mind [the intention of] corresponding and entering into\nrelations with the Báb. The medium of this correspondence was\nthe celebrated Mullá ‘Abdu’l-Karím of\nQazvín, who was the Báb’s mainstay and trusted\nintimate. Now since a great celebrity had been attained for\nBahá’u’lláh in Ṭihrán, and the\nhearts of men were disposed towards Him, He, together with Mullá\n‘Abdu’l-Karím, considered it as expedient that, in\nface of the agitation amongst the doctors, the aggressiveness of the\ngreater part of [the people of] Persia, and the irresistible power of\nthe Amír-Nizám, whereby both the Báb and\nBahá’u’lláh were in great danger and liable\nto incur severe punishment, some measure should be adopted to direct\nthe thoughts of men towards some absent person, by which means\nBahá’u’lláh would remain protected from the\ninterference of all men. And since further, having regard to sundry\nconsiderations, they did not consider an outsider as suitable, they\ncast the lot of this augury to the name of Bahá’u’lláh’s\nbrother Mírzá Yaḥyá. \n\nBy the assistance and instruction of Bahá’u’lláh,\ntherefore, they made him notorious and famous on the tongues of\nfriends and foes, and wrote letters, ostensibly at his dictation, to\nthe Báb. And since secret correspondences were in process the\nBáb highly approved of this scheme. So Mírzá\nYaḥyá was concealed and hidden while mention of him was\non the tongues and in the mouths of men. And this mighty plan was of\nwondrous efficacy, for Bahá’u’lláh, though\nHe was known and seen, remained safe and secure, and this veil was\nthe cause that no one outside [the sect] fathomed the matter or fell\ninto the idea of molestation, until Bahá’u’lláh\nquitted Ṭihrán at the permission of the King and was\npermitted to withdraw to the Supreme Shrines. \n\nWhen He reached Baghdád and the crescent\nmoon of the month of Muharram of the year [A.H. one thousand two\nhundred and] sixty-nine (which was termed in the books of the Báb\n“the year of ‘after a while’” and wherein He\nhad promised the disclosure of the true nature of His religion and\nits mysteries) shone forth from the horizon of the world, this covert\nsecret, as is related, became apparent amongst all within and without\n[the society]. Bahá’u’lláh with mighty\nsteadfastness became a target for the arrows of all amongst mankind,\nwhile Mírzá Yaḥyá in disguise passed his\ntime, now in the environs and vicinity of Baghdád\nengaged for better concealment in various trades, now in Baghdád\nitself in the garb of the Arabs. \n\nNow Bahá’u’lláh so acted that\nthe hearts of this sect were drawn towards Him, while most of the\ninhabitants of ‘Iráq were reduced to silence and\nspeechlessness, some being amazed and others angered. After remaining\nthere for one year He withdrew His hand from all things, abandoned\nrelatives and connections, and, without the knowledge of His\nfollowers, quitted ‘Iráq alone and solitary, without\ncompanion, supporter, associate, or comrade. For nigh upon two years\nHe dwelt in Turkish Kurdistán, generally in a place named\nSar-Galú, situated in the mountains, and far removed from\nhuman habitations. Sometimes on rare occasions He used to frequent\nSulaymáníyyih. Ere long had elapsed the most eminent\ndoctors of those regions got some inkling of His circumstances and\nconditions, and conversed with Him on the solution of certain\ndifficult questions connected with the most abstruse points of\ntheology. Having witnessed on His part ample signs and satisfactory\nexplanations they observed towards Him the utmost respectfulness and\ndeference. In consequence of this He acquired a great fame and\nwonderful reputation in those regions, and fragmentary accounts of\nHim were circulated in all quarters and directions, to wit that a\nstranger, a Persian, had appeared in the district of Sulaymáníyyih\n(which hath been, from of old, the place whence the most expert\ndoctors of the Sunnites have arisen), and that the people of that\ncountry had loosed their tongues in praise of Him. From the rumor\nthus heard it was known that that Person was none other than\nBahá’u’lláh. Several persons, therefore,\nhastened thither, and began to entreat and implore, and the urgent\nentreaty of all brought about His return. \n\nNow although this sect had not been affected with\nquaking or consternation at these grievous events, such as the\nslaughter of their Chief and the rest, but did rather increase and\nmultiply; still, since the Báb was but beginning to lay the\nfoundations when He was slain, therefore was this community ignorant\nconcerning its proper conduct, action, behavior, and duty, their sole\nguiding principle being love for the Báb. This ignorance was\nthe reason that in some parts disturbances occurred; for,\nexperiencing violent molestation, they unclosed their hands in\nself-defense. But after His return Bahá’u’lláh\nmade such strenuous efforts in educating, teaching, training,\nregulating, and reconstructing this community that in a short while\nall these troubles and mischiefs were quenched, and the utmost\ntranquility and repose reigned in men’s hearts; so that,\naccording to what hath been heard, it became clear and obvious even\nto statesmen that the fundamental intentions and ideas of this sect\nwere things spiritual, and such as are connected with pure hearts;\nthat their true and essential principles were to reform the morals\nand beautify the conduct of the human race, and that with things\nmaterial they had absolutely no concern. \n\nWhen these principles, then, were established in the\nhearts of this sect they so acted in all lands that they became\ncelebrated amongst statesmen for gentleness of spirit, steadfastness\nof heart, right intent, good deeds, and excellence of conduct. For\nthis people are most well-disposed towards obedience and\nsubmissiveness, and, on receiving such instruction, they conformed\ntheir conduct and behavior thereto. Formerly exception was taken to\nthe words, deeds, demeanor, morals, and conduct of this sect: now\nobjection is made in Persia to their tenets and spiritual state. Now\nthis is beyond the power of man, that he should be able by\ninterference or objection to change the heart and conscience, or\nmeddle with the convictions of anyone. For in the realm of conscience\nnaught but the ray of God’s light can command, and on the\nthrone of the heart none but the pervading power of the King of Kings\nshould rule. Thus it is that one can arrest and suspend [the action\nof] every faculty except thought and reflection; for a man cannot\neven by his own volition withhold himself from reflection or thought,\nnor keep back his musings and imaginings. \n\nAt all events the undeniable truth is this, that for\nnigh upon thirty-five years no action opposed to the government or\nprejudicial to the nation has emanated from this sect or been\nwitnessed [on their part], and that during this long period,\nnotwithstanding the fact that their numbers and strength are double\nwhat they were formerly, no sound has arisen from any place, except\nthat every now and then learned doctors and eminent scholars (really\nfor the extension of this report through the world and the awakening\nof men) sentence some few to death. For such interference is not\ndestruction but edification when thou regardest the truth, which will\nnot thereby become quenched and forgotten, but rather stimulated and\nadvertised. \n\nI will at least relate one short anecdote of what\nactually took place. A certain person violently molested and\ngrievously injured a certain Bábí. The victim unclosed\nhis hand in retaliation and arose to take vengeance, unsheathing his\nweapon against the aggressor. Becoming the object of censure and\nreprimand of this sect, however, he took refuge in flight.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, A Traveler's Narrative (1886). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19300.*\n"
},
{
"title": "[Pages 41–60]",
"slug": "tn-pages-41-60",
"summary": "When he reached Hamadán his character became known, and, as he was of the clerical class, the doctors vehemently pursued him, handed him over to the government, and ordered chastisement to be inflicted. By chance there fell out from the…",
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"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
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"themes": [
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"family",
"healing",
"fast"
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"virtues": [
"compassion",
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"gentleness",
"honesty",
"hope",
"humility",
"joy",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"loyalty",
"mercy",
"patience",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom",
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"ages": [
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"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 32,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "travelers-narrative",
"book": "A Traveler's Narrative",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1886,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19300/pg19300-images.html"
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"body": "\nWhen he reached Hamadán his character became\nknown, and, as he was of the clerical class, the doctors vehemently\npursued him, handed him over to the government, and ordered\nchastisement to be inflicted. By chance there fell out from the fold\nof his collar a document written by Bahá’u’lláh,\nthe subject of which was reproof of attempts at retaliation, censure\nand reprobation of the search after vengeance, and prohibition from\nfollowing after lusts. Amongst other matters they found these\nexpressions contained in it: “Verily God is quit of the\nseditious,” and likewise: “If ye be slain it is better\nfor you than that ye should slay. And when ye are tormented have\nrecourse to the controllers of affairs and the refuge of the people;\nand if ye be neglected then entrust your affairs to the Jealous Lord.\nThis is the mark of the sincere, and the characteristic of the\nassured.” When the governor became cognizant of this writing he\naddressed that person saying, “By the decree of that Chief whom\nyou yourself obey correction is necessary and punishment and\nchastisement obligatory.” “If,” replied that\nperson, “you will carry out all His precepts I shall have the\nutmost pleasure in [submitting to] punishment and death.” The\ngovernor smiled and let the man go. \n\nSo Bahá’u’lláh made the utmost\nefforts to educate [His people] and incite [them] to morality, the\nacquisition of the sciences and arts of all countries, kindly dealing\nwith all the nations of the earth, desire for the welfare of all\npeoples, sociability, concord, obedience, submissiveness, instruction\nof [their] children, production of what is needful for the human\nrace, and inauguration of true happiness for mankind; and He\ncontinually kept sending tracts of admonition to all parts, whereby a\nwonderful effect was produced. Some of these epistles have, after\nextreme search and inquiry, been examined, and some portions of them\nshall now be set down in writing. \n\nAll these epistles consisted of [exhortations to] purity\nof morals, encouragement to good conduct, reprobation of certain\nindividuals, and complaints of the seditious. Amongst others this\nsentence was recorded: \n\n“My captivity is not My abasement: by My life, it\nis indeed a glory unto Me! But the abasement is the action of My\nfriends who connect themselves with Us and follow the devil in their\nactions. Amongst them is he who taketh lust and turneth aside from\nwhat is commanded; and amongst them is he who followeth the truth in\nright guidance. As for those who commit sin and cling to the world\nthey are assuredly not of the people of Bahá.” \n\nSo again: “Well it is with him who is adorned with\nthe decoration of manners and morals: verily he is of those who help\ntheir Lord with clear perspicuous action.” \n\n“He is God, exalted is His state, wisdom and\nutterance. The True One (glorious is His glory) for the showing forth\nof the gems of ideals from the mine of man, hath, in every age, sent\na Trusted One. The primary foundation of the faith of God and the\nreligion of God is this, that they should not make diverse sects and\nvarious paths the cause and reason of hatred. These principles and\nlaws and firm sure roads appear from one dawning-place and shine from\none dayspring, and these diversities were out of regard for the\nrequirements of the time, season, ages, and epochs. O unitarians,\nmake firm the girdle of endeavor, that perchance religious strife and\nconflict may be removed from amongst the people of the world and be\nannulled. For love of God and His servants engage in this great and\nmighty matter. Religious hatred and rancor is a world-consuming fire,\nand the quenching thereof most arduous, unless the hand of Divine\nMight give men deliverance from this unfruitful calamity. Consider a\nwar which happeneth between two states: both sides have foregone\nwealth and life: how many villages were beheld as though they were\nnot! This precept is in the position of the light in the lamp of\nutterance.” \n\n“O people of the world, ye are all the fruit of\none tree and the leaves of one branch. Walk with perfect charity,\nconcord, affection, and agreement. I swear by the Sun of Truth, the\nlight of agreement shall brighten and illumine the horizons. The\nall-knowing Truth hath been and is the witness to this saying.\nEndeavor to attain to this high supreme station which is the station\nof protection and preservation of mankind. This is the intent of the\nKing of intentions, and this the hope of the Lord of hopes.” \n\n“We trust that God will assist the kings of the\nearth to illuminate and adorn the earth with the refulgent light of\nthe Sun of Justice. At one time We spoke in the language of the Law,\nat another time in the language of the Truth and the Way; and the\nultimate object and remote aim was the showing forth of this high\nsupreme station. And God sufficeth for witness.” \n\n“O friends, consort with all the people of the\nworld with joy and fragrance. If there be to you a word or essence\nwhereof others than you are devoid, communicate it and show it forth\nin the language of affection and kindness: if it be received and be\neffective the object is attained, and if not leave it to him, and\nwith regard to him deal not harshly but pray. The language of\nkindness is the lodestone of hearts and the food of the soul; it\nstands in the relation of ideas to words, and is as an horizon for\nthe shining of the Sun of Wisdom and Knowledge.” \n\n“If the unitarians had in the latter times acted\naccording to the glorious Law [which came] after His Highness the\nSeal [of the Prophets] (may the life of all beside Him be His\nsacrifice!), and had clung to its skirt, the foundation of the\nfortress of religion would not have been shaken, and populous cities\nwould not have been ruined, but rather cities and villages would have\nacquired and been adorned with the decoration of peace and serenity.”\n\n\n“Through the heedlessness and discordance of the\nfavored people and the smoke of wicked souls the Fair Nation is seen\nto be darkened and enfeebled. Had they acted [according to what they\nknew] they would not have been heedless of the light of the Sun of\nJustice.” \n\n“This Victim hath from earliest days until now\nbeen afflicted at the hands of the heedless. They exiled Us without\ncause at one time to ‘Iráq, at another time to\nAdrianople, and thence to Akká, which was a place of exile for\nmurderers and robbers; neither is it known where and in what spot We\nshall take up Our abode after this greatest prison-house. Knowledge\nis with God, the Lord of the Throne and of the dust and the Lord of\nthe lofty seat. In whatever place We may be, and whatever befall Us,\nthe saints must gaze with perfect steadfastness and confidence\ntowards the Supreme Horizon and occupy themselves in the reformation\nof the world and the education of the nations. What hath befallen and\nshall befall hath been and is an instrument and means for the\nfurtherance of the Word of Unity. Take hold of the command of God and\ncling thereto: verily it hath been sent down from beside a wise\nOrdainer.” \n\n“With perfect compassion and mercy have We guided\nand directed the people of the world to that whereby their souls\nshall be profited. I swear by the Sun of Truth which hath shone forth\nfrom the highest horizons of the world that the people of Bahá\nhad not and have not any aim save the prosperity and reformation of\nthe world and the purifying of the nations. With all men they have\nbeen in sincerity and charity. Their outward [appearance] is one with\ntheir inward [heart], and their inward [heart] identical with their\noutward [appearance]. The truth of the matter is not hidden or\nconcealed, but plain and evident before [men’s] faces. Their\nvery deeds are the witness of this assertion. Today let everyone\nendowed with vision win his way from deeds and signs to the object of\nthe people of Bahá and from their speech and conduct gain\nknowledge of their intent. The waves of the ocean of divine mercy\nappear at the utmost height, and the showers of the clouds of His\ngrace and favor descend every moment. During the days of sojourn in\n‘Iráq this Oppressed One sat down and consorted with all\nclasses without veil or disguise. How many of the denizens of the\nhorizons entered in enmity and went forth in sympathy! The door of\ngrace was open before the faces of all. With rebellious and obedient\ndid We outwardly converse after one fashion, that perchance the\nevildoers might win their way to the ocean of boundless forgiveness.\nThe splendors of the Name of the Concealer were in such wise\nmanifested that the evildoer imagined that he was accounted of the\ngood. No messenger was disappointed and no inquirer was turned back.\nThe causes of the aversion and avoidance of men were certain of the\ndoctors of Persia and the unseemly deeds of the ignorant. By [the\nterm] ‘doctors’ in these passages are signified those\npersons who have withheld mankind from the shore of the Ocean of\nUnity; but as for the learned who practice [their knowledge] and the\nwise who act justly, they are as the spirit unto the body of the\nworld. Well is it with that learned man whose head is adorned with\nthe crown of justice, and whose body glorieth in the ornament of\nhonesty. The Pen of Admonition exhorteth the friends and enjoineth on\nthem charity, pity, wisdom, and gentleness. The Oppressed One is this\nday a prisoner; His allies are the hosts of good deeds and virtues;\nnot ranks, and hosts, and guns, and cannons.21\nOne holy action maketh the world of earth highest paradise. \n\n“O friends, help the Oppressed One with\nwell-pleasing virtues and good deeds! Today let every soul desire to\nattain the highest station. He must not regard what is in him, but\nwhat is in God. It is not for him to regard what shall advantage\nhimself, but that whereby the Word of God which must be obeyed shall\nbe upraised. The heart must be sanctified from every form of\nselfishness and lust, for the weapons of the unitarians and the\nsaints were and are the fear of God. That is the buckler which\nguardeth man from the arrows of hatred and abomination. Unceasingly\nhath the standard of piety been victorious, and accounted amongst the\nmost puissant hosts of the world. Thereby do the saints subdue the\ncities of [men’s] hearts by the permission of God, the Lord of\nhosts. Darkness hath encompassed the earth: the lamp which giveth\nlight was and is wisdom. The dictates thereof must be observed under\nall circumstances. And of wisdom is the regard of place and the\nutterance of discourse according to measure and state. And of wisdom\nis decision; for man should not accept whatsoever anyone sayeth. \n\n“Under all circumstances desire of the True One\n(glorious is His glory) that He will not deprive His servants of the\nsealed wine22\nand the lights of the Name of the Self-Subsistent. \n\n“O friends of God, verily the Pen of Sincerity\nenjoineth on you the greatest faithfulness. By the Life of God, its\nlight is more evident than the light of the sun! In its light and its\nbrightness and its radiance every light is eclipsed. We desire of God\nthat He will not withhold from His cities and lands the radiant\neffulgence of the Sun of Faithfulness. We have directed all in the\nnights and in the days to faithfulness, chastity, purity, and\nconstancy; and have enjoined good deeds and well-pleasing qualities.\nIn the nights and in the days the shriek of the pen ariseth and the\ntongue speaketh, that against the sword the word may arise, and\nagainst fierceness patience, and in place of oppression submission,\nand at the time of martyrdom resignation. For thirty years and more,\nin all that hath befallen this oppressed community they have been\npatient, referring it to God. Everyone endowed with justice and\nfairness hath testified and doth testify to that which hath been\nsaid. During this period this Oppressed One was engaged in good\nexhortations and efficacious and sufficient admonitions, till it\nbecame established and obvious before all that this Victim had made\nHimself a target for the arrows of calamity unto the showing forth of\nthe treasures deposited in [men’s] souls. Strife and contest\nwere and are seemly in the beasts of prey of the earth, [but]\nlaudable actions are seemly in man. \n\n“Blessed is the Merciful One: Who created man: and\ntaught him utterance.23\nAfter all these troubles, neither are the ministers of state content,\nnor the doctors of the church. Not one soul was found to utter a word\nfor God before the court of His Majesty the King (may God perpetuate\nhis kingdom). There shall not befall Us aught save that which God\nhath decreed unto Us. They acted not kindly, nor was there any\nshortcoming in the display of evil. Justice became like the phoenix,\nand faithfulness like the philosopher’s stone: none spake for\nthe right. It would seem that justice had become hateful to men and\ncast forth from all lands like the people of God. Glory be to God! In\nthe episode of the land of Tá not one spoke for that which God\nhad commanded. Having regard to the display of power and parade of\nservice in the presence of the King (may God perpetuate his kingdom)\nthey have called good evil and the reformer a sedition-monger. The\nlike of these persons would depict the drop as an ocean, and the mote\nas a sun. They call the house at Kulayn ‘the strong fortress,’\nand close their eyes to the perspicuous truth. They have attacked a\nnumber of reformers of the world with the charge of seditiousness. As\nGod liveth, these persons had and have no intent nor hope save the\nglory of the state and service to their nation! For God they spoke\nand for God they speak, and in the way of God do they journey. \n\n“O friends, ask of Him Who is the Desire of the\ndenizens of earth that He will succor His Majesty the King (may God\nperpetuate his kingdom) so that all the dominions of Persia may by\nthe light of the Sun of Justice become adorned with the decoration of\ntranquility and security. According to statements made, he, at the\npromptings of his blessed nature, loosed those who were in bonds, and\nbestowed freedom on the captives. The representation of certain\nmatters before the faces of [God’s] servants is obligatory, and\nnatural to the pious, so that the good may be aware and become\ncognizant [thereof]. Verily He inspireth whom He pleaseth with what\nHe desireth, and He is the Powerful, the Ordainer, the Knowing, the\nWise. \n\n“A word from that land hath reached the Oppressed\nOne which in truth was the cause of wonder. His Highness the\nMu’tamídu’d-Dawlih, Farhád Mírzá,\nsaid concerning the Imprisoned One that whereof the repetition is not\npleasing. This Victim consorted very little with him or the like of\nhim. So far as is recollected on [only] two occasions did he visit\nMurgh-Mahallih in Shimírán where was the\nabode of the Oppressed One. On the first occasion he came one day in\nthe afternoon, and on the second one Friday morning, returning nigh\nunto sundown. He knows and is conscious that he should not speak\ncontrary to the truth. If one enter his presence let him repeat these\nwords before him on behalf of the Oppressed One: ‘O Prince! I\nask justice and fairness from your Highness concerning that which\nhath befallen this poor Victim.’ Well is it for that soul whom\nthe doubts of the perverse withhold not from the display of justice,\nand deprive not of the lights of the luminary of equity. O saints of\nGod! at the end of Our discourse We enjoin on you once again\nchastity, faithfulness, godliness, sincerity, and purity. Lay aside\nthe evil and adopt the good. This is that whereunto ye are commanded\nin the Book of God, the Knowing, the Wise. Well is it with those who\npractice [this injunction]. At this moment the pen crieth out,\nsaying, ‘O saints of God, regard the horizon of uprightness,\nand be quit, severed, and free from what is beside this. There is no\nstrength and no power save in God.’” \n\nIn short, formerly in all provinces in Persia accounts\nand stories concerning this sect diverse and discordant, yea,\nincompatible with the character of the human race and opposed to the\ndivine endowment, passed on the tongues and in the mouths of men and\nobtained notoriety. But when their principles acquired fixity and\nstability and their conduct and behavior were known and appreciated,\nthe veil of doubt and suspicion fell, the true character of this sect\nbecame clear and evident, and it reached the degree of certainty that\ntheir principles were unlike men’s fancies, and that their\nfoundation differed from [the popular] opinion and estimate. In their\nconduct, action, morality, and demeanor was no place for objection;\nthe objection in Persia is to certain of the ideas and tenets of this\nsect. And from the indications of various circumstances it hath been\nobserved that the people have acquired belief and confidence in the\ntrustworthiness, faithfulness, and godliness of this sect in all\ntransactions. \n\nLet us return to our original topic. During the period\nof their sojourn in ‘Iráq these persons became notorious\nthroughout the world. For exile resulted in fame, in such wise that a\ngreat number of other parties sought alliance and union, and devised\nmeans of [acquiring] intimacy [with them]. But the Chief of this\nsect, discovering the aims of each faction, acted with the utmost\nconsistency, circumspection, and firmness. Reposing confidence in\nnone, He applied Himself as far as possible to the admonition of\neach, inciting and urging them to good resolutions and aims\nbeneficial to the state and the nation. And this conduct and behavior\nof the Chief acquired notoriety in ‘Iráq. \n\nSo likewise during the period of their sojourn in ‘Iráq\ncertain functionaries of foreign governments were desirous of\nintimacy, and sought friendly relations [with them], but the Chief\nwould not agree. Amongst other strange haps was this, that in ‘Iráq\ncertain of the Royal Family came to an understanding with these\n[foreign] governments, and, [induced] by promises and threats,\nconspired with them. But this sect unloosed their tongues in reproach\nand began to admonish them, saying, “What meanness is this, and\nwhat evident treason; that man should, for worldly advantages,\npersonal profit, easy circumstances, or protection of life and\nproperty, cast himself into this great detriment and evident loss,\nand embark in a course of action which will conduce to the greatest\nabasement and involve the utmost infamy and disgrace both here and\nhereafter! One can support any baseness save treason to one’s\ncountry, and every sin admits of pardon and forgiveness save [that\nof] dishonoring one’s government and injuring one’s\nnation.” And they imagined that they were acting patriotically,\ndisplaying sincerity and loyalty, and accounting sacred the duties of\nfidelity; which noble aim they regarded as a moral obligation. So\nrumors of this were spread abroad through ‘Iráq-i-‘Arab,\nand such as wished well to their country loosed their tongues in\nuttering thanks, expressing approval and respect. And it was supposed\nthat these events would be represented in the Royal Presence; but\nafter a while it became known that certain of the Shaykhs\nat the Supreme Shrines who were in correspondence with the court,\nyea, even with the King, were in secret continually attributing to\nthis sect strange affinities and relations, imagining that such\nattempts would conduce to favor at the Court and cause advancement of\n[their] condition and rank. And since no one could speak freely on\nthis matter at that court which is the pivot of justice, whilst just\nministers aware [of the true state of the case] also regarded silence\nas their best policy, the ‘Iráq question, through these\nmisrepresentations and rumors, assumed gravity in Ṭihrán,\nand was enormously exaggerated. But the consuls-general, being\ncognizant of the truth, continued to act with moderation, until Mírzá\nBuzurg Khán of Qazvín became consul-general in\nBaghdád. Now since this person was wont to pass the\ngreater portion of his time in a state of intoxication and was devoid\nof foresight, he became the accomplice and confederate of those\nShaykhs in ‘Iráq, and girded up his loins\nstoutly to destroy and demolish. Such power of description and\n[strength] of fingers as he possessed he employed in making\nrepresentations and statements. Each day he secretly wrote a dispatch\nto Ṭihrán, made vows and compacts with the Shaykhs,\nand sent diplomatic notes to His Excellency the Ambassador-in-chief\n[at Constantinople]. But since these statements and depositions had\nno basis or foundation, they were all postponed and adjourned; until\nat length these Shaykhs convened a meeting to consult\nwith the [Consul-] General, assembled a number of learned doctors and\ngreat divines in the [mosque of the] ‘two Kázims’\n(upon them be peace), and, having come to an unanimous agreement,\nwrote to the divines of Karbilá the exalted and Najaf the most\nnoble, convoking them all. They came, some knowing, others not\nknowing. Amongst the latter the illustrious and expert doctor, the\nnoble and celebrated scholar, the seal of seekers after truth, Shaykh\nMurtadá, now departed and assoiled, who was the admitted chief\nof all, arrived without knowledge [of the matter in hand]. But, so\nsoon as he was informed of their actual designs, he said, “I am\nnot properly acquainted with the essential character of this sect,\nnor with the secret tenets and hidden theological doctrines of this\ncommunity; neither have I hitherto witnessed or perceived in their\ndemeanor or conduct anything at variance with the Perspicuous Book\nwhich would lead me to pronounce them infidels. Therefore hold me\nexcused in this matter, and let him who regards it as his duty take\naction.” Now the design of the Shaykhs and the\nConsul was a sudden and general attack, but, by reason of the\nnoncompliance of the departed Shaykh, this scheme\nproved abortive, resulting, indeed, only in shame and disappointment.\nSo that concourse of Shaykhs, doctors, and common folk\nwhich had come from Karbilá dispersed. \n\nJust at this time mischievous persons--[including]\neven certain dismissed ministers--endeavored on all sides so to\ninfluence this sect that they might perchance alter their course and\nconduct. From every quarter lying messages and disquieting reports\ncontinually followed one another in uninterrupted and constant\nsuccession to the effect that the deliberate intention of the court\nof Persia was the eradication, suppression, annihilation, and\ndestruction of this sect; that correspondence was continually being\ncarried on with the local authorities; and that all [the Bábís]\nin ‘Iráq would shortly be delivered over with bound\nhands to Persia. But the Bábís passed the time in\ncalmness and silence, without in any way altering their behavior and\nconduct. \n\nSo when Mírzá Buzurg Khán\nfailed to effect and accomplish the designs of his heart by such\nactions also, he ill-advisedly fell to reflecting how he might grieve\nand humiliate [the Bábís]. Every day he sought some\npretext for offering insult, aroused some disturbance and tumult, and\nraised up the banner of mischief, until the matter came nigh to\nculminating in the sudden outbreak of a riot, the lapse of the reins\nof control from the hand, and the precipitation of [men’s]\nhearts into disquietude and perturbation and [their] minds into\nanguish and agony. \n\nNow when [the Bábís] found themselves\nunable to treat this humor by any means (for, strive as they would,\nthey were foiled and frustrated), and when they failed to find any\nremedy for this disorder or any fairness in this flower, they\ndeliberated and hesitated for nine months, and at length a certain\nnumber of them, to stop further mischief, enrolled themselves as\nsubjects of the Sublime Ottoman Government, that [thereby] they might\nassuage this tumult. By means of this device the mischief was\nallayed, and the consul withdrew his hand from molesting them; but he\nnotified this occurrence to the Royal Court in a manner at variance\nwith the facts and contrary to the truth, and, together with the\nconfederate Shaykhs, applied himself in every way to\ndevices for distracting the senses [of the Bábís].\nFinally, however, being dismissed, and overwhelmed with disaster, he\nbecame penitent and sorry. \n\nLet us proceed with our original topic. For eleven years\nand somewhat over, Bahá’u’lláh abode in\n‘Iráq-i-‘Arab. The behavior and conduct of the\nsect were such that [His] fame and renown increased. For He was\nmanifest and apparent amongst men, consorted and associated with all\nparties, and would converse familiarly with doctors and scholars\nconcerning the solution of difficult theological questions and the\nverification of the true sense of abstruse points of divinity. As is\ncurrently reported by persons of every class, He used to please all,\nwhether inhabitants or visitors, by His kindly intercourse and\ncourteous address; and this sort of demeanor and conduct on His part\nled them to suspect sorcery and account Him an adept in the occult\nsciences. \n\nDuring this period Mírzá Yaḥyá\nremained concealed and hidden, continuing and abiding in his former\nconduct and behavior, until, when the edict for the removal of\nBahá’u’lláh from Baghdád was\nissued by His Majesty the Ottoman monarch, Mírzá Yaḥyá\nwould neither quit nor accompany [Him]: at one time he meditated\nsetting out for India, at another settling in Turkistán; but,\nbeing unable to decide on either of these two plans, he finally, at\nhis own wish, set out before all in the garb of a dervish, in\ndisguise and change of raiment, for Kárkúk and Arbíl.\nThence, by continuous advance, he reached Mosul, where, on the\narrival of the main body, he took up his abode and station alongside\ntheir caravan. And although throughout this journey the governors and\nofficials observed the utmost consideration and respectfulness, while\nmarch and halt were alike dignified and honorable, nevertheless was\nhe always concealed in change of raiment, and acted cautiously, on\nthe idea that some act of aggression was likely to occur. \n\nIn this fashion did they reach Constantinople, where\nthey were appointed quarters in a guesthouse on the part of the\nglorious Ottoman monarchy. And at first the utmost attention was paid\nto them in every way. On the third day, because of the straitness of\ntheir quarters and the greatness of their numbers, they migrated and\nmoved to another house. Certain of the nobles came to see and\nconverse with them, and these, as is related, behaved with\nmoderation. Notwithstanding that many in their assemblies and\ngatherings continued to condemn and vilify them saying, “This\nsect are a mischief to all the world and destructive of treaties and\ncovenants; they are a source of trouble and baleful to all lands;\nthey have kindled a fire and consumed the earth; and though they be\noutwardly fair-seeming yet are they deserving of every chastisement\nand punishment,” yet still the Bábís continued to\nconduct themselves with patience, calmness, deliberation, and\nconstancy, so that they did not, even in self-defense, importune [the\noccupants of] high places or frequent the houses of any of the\nmagnates of that kingdom. Whomsoever amongst the great He [Bahá]\ninterviewed on His own account, they met, and no word save of\nsciences and arts passed between them; until certain noblemen sought\nto guide Him, and loosed their tongues in friendly counsel, saying,\n“To appeal, to state your case, and to demand justice is a\nmeasure demanded by custom.” He replied in answer, “Pursuing\nthe path of obedience to the King’s command We have come to\nthis country. Beyond this We neither had nor have any aim or desire\nthat We should appeal and cause trouble. What is [now] hidden behind\nthe veil of destiny will in the future become manifest. There neither\nhas been nor is any necessity for supplication and importunity. If\nthe enlightened-minded leaders [of your nation] be wise and diligent,\nthey will certainly make inquiry, and acquaint themselves with the\ntrue state of the case; if not, then [their] attainment of the truth\nis impracticable and impossible. Under these circumstances what need\nis there for importuning statesmen and supplicating ministers of the\nCourt? We are free from every anxiety, and ready and prepared for the\nthings predestined to Us. ‘Say, all is from God’24\nis a sound and sufficient argument, and ‘if God toucheth thee\nwith a hurt there is no dispeller thereof save Him’25\nis a healing medicine.” \n\nAfter some months a royal edict was promulgated\nappointing Adrianople in the district of Roumelia as their place of\nabode and residence. To that city the Bábís,\naccompanied by [Turkish] officers, proceeded all together, and there\nthey made their home and habitation. According to statements heard\nfrom sundry travelers and from certain great and learned men of that\ncity, they behaved and conducted themselves there also in such wise\nthat the inhabitants of the district and the government officials\nused to eulogize them, and all used to show them respect and\ndeference. In short, since Bahá’u’lláh was\nwont to hold intercourse with the doctors, scholars, magnates, and\nnobles [thereby] obtaining fame and celebrity throughout Roumelia,\nthe materials of comfort were gathered together, neither fear nor\ndread remained, they reposed on the couch of ease, and passed their\ntime in quietude, when one Siyyid Muḥammad by name, of Iṣfáhán,\none of the followers [of the Báb], laid the foundations of\nintimacy and familiarity with Mírzá Yaḥyá,\nand [thereby] became the cause of vexation and trouble. In other\nwords, he commenced a secret intrigue and fell to tempting Mírzá\nYaḥyá, saying, “The fame of this sect hath risen\nhigh in the world, and their name hath become noble: neither dread\nnor danger remaineth, nor is there any fear or [need for] caution\nbefore you. Cease, then, to follow, that thou mayest be followed by\nthe world; and come out from amongst adherents, that thou mayest\nbecome celebrated throughout the horizons.” Mírzá\nYaḥyá, too, through lack of reflection and thought as to\nconsequences, and want of experience, became enamored of his words\nand befooled by his conduct. This one was [like] the sucking child,\nand that one became as the much-prized breast. At all events, how\nmuch soever some of the chiefs of the sect wrote admonitions and\npointed out to him the path of discretion saying, “For many a\nyear hast thou been nurtured in thy brother’s arms and hast\nreposed on the pillow of ease and gladness; what thoughts are these\nwhich are the results of madness? Be not beguiled by this empty\nname,26\nwhich, out of regard for certain considerations and as a matter of\nexpediency, was bestowed [upon thee]; neither seek to be censured by\nthe community. Thy rank and worth depend on a word, and thine\nexaltation and elevation were for a protection and a consideration,”\nyet still, the more they admonished him, the less did it affect him;\nand how much soever they would direct him, he continued to account\nopposition as identical with advantage. Afterwards, too, the fire of\ngreed and avarice was kindled, and although there was no sort of\nneed, their circumstances being easy in the extreme, they fell to\nthinking of salary and stipend, and certain of the women dependent on\nMírzá Yaḥyá went to the [governor’s]\npalace and craved assistance and charity. So when Bahá’u’lláh\nbeheld such conduct and behavior on his part He dismissed and drove\naway both [him and Siyyid Muḥammad] from Himself. \n\nThen Siyyid Muḥammad set out for Constantinople to\nget his stipend, and opened the door of suffering. According to the\naccount given, this matter caused the greatest sorrow and brought\nabout cessation of intercourse. In Constantinople, moreover, he\npresumptuously set afloat certain reports, asserting, amongst other\nthings, that the notable personage who had come from ‘Iráq\nwas Mírzá Yaḥyá. Sundry individuals,\nperceiving that herein was excellent material for mischief-making and\na means for the promotion of mutiny, ostensibly supported and\napplauded him, and stimulated and incited him, saying, “You are\nreally the chief support and acknowledged successor: act with\nauthority, in order that grace and blessing may become apparent. The\nwaveless sea hath no sound, and the cloud without thunder raineth no\nrain.” By such speech, then, was that unfortunate man entrapped\ninto his course of action, and led to utter vain words which caused\nthe disturbance of [men’s] thoughts. Little by little those who\nwere wont to incite and encourage began without exception to utter\nviolent denunciations in every nook and corner, nay in the court\nitself, saying, “The Bábís say thus, and expound\nin this wise: [their] behavior is such, and [their] speech\nso-and-so.” Such mischief-making and plots caused matters to\nbecome misapprehended, and furthermore certain schemes got afloat\nwhich were regarded as necessary measures of self-protection; the\nexpediency of banishing the Bábís came under\nconsideration; and all of a sudden an order came, and Bahá’u’lláh\nwas removed from Roumelia; nor was it known for what purpose or\nwhither they would bear Him away. Diverse accounts were current in\n[men’s] mouths, and many exaggerations were heard [to the\neffect] that there was no hope of deliverance. \n\nNow all those persons who were with Him with one accord\nentreated and insisted that they should [be permitted to] accompany\nHim, and, how much soever the government admonished and forbade them,\nit was fruitless. Finally one Ḥájí Ja’far\nby name was moved to lamentation, and with his own hand cut his\nthroat. When the government beheld it thus, it gave permission to all\nof them to accompany Him, conveyed them from Adrianople to the\nseashore, and thence transported them to Akká. Mírzá\nYaḥyá they sent in like manner to Famagusta. \n\nDuring the latter days [passed] in Adrianople\nBahá’u’lláh composed a detailed epistle\nsetting forth all matters clearly and minutely. He unfolded and\nexpounded the main principles of the sect, and made clear and plain\nits ethics, manners, course, and mode of conduct: He treated certain\npolitical questions in detail, and adduced sundry proofs of His\ntruthfulness: He declared the good intent, loyalty, and sincerity of\nthe sect, and wrote some fragments of prayers, some in Persian, but\nthe greater part in Arabic. He then placed it in a packet and adorned\nits address with the royal name of His Majesty the King of Persia,\nand wrote [on it] that some person pure of heart and pure of life,\ndedicated to God, and prepared for martyr-sacrifice, must, with\nperfect resignation and willingness, convey this epistle into the\npresence of the King. A youth named Mírzá Badí,\na native of Khurásán, took the epistle, and\nhastened toward the presence of His Majesty the King. The Royal Train\nhad its abode and station outside Ṭihrán, so he took his\nstand alone on a rock in a place far off but opposite to the Royal\nPavilion, and awaited day and night the passing of the Royal escort\nor the attainment of admission into the Imperial Presence. Three days\ndid he pass in a state of fasting and vigilance: an emaciated body\nand enfeebled spirit remained. On the fourth day the Royal Personage\nwas examining all quarters and directions with a telescope when\nsuddenly his glance fell on this man who was seated in the utmost\nrespectful attitude on a rock. It was inferred from the indications\n[perceived] that he must certainly have thanks [to offer], or some\ncomplaint or demand for redress and justice [to prefer]. [The King]\ncommanded one of those in attendance at the court to inquire into the\ncircumstances of this youth. On interrogation [it was found that] he\ncarried a letter which he desired to convey with his own hand into\nthe Royal Presence. On receiving permission to approach, he cried out\nbefore the pavilion with a dignity, composure, and respectfulness\nsurpassing description, and in a loud voice, “O King, I have\ncome unto thee from Sheba with a weighty message!”27\n[The King] commanded to take the letter and arrest the bearer. His\nMajesty the King wished to act with deliberation and desired to\ndiscover the truth, but those who were present before him loosed\ntheir tongues in violent reprehension, saying, “This person has\nshown great presumption and amazing audacity, for he hath without\nfear or dread brought the letter of him against whom all peoples are\nangered, of him who is banished to Bulgaria and Sclavonia, into the\npresence of the King. If so be that he do not instantly suffer a\ngrievous punishment there will be an increase of this great\npresumption.” So the ministers of the court signified [that he\nshould suffer] punishment and ordered the torture. As the first\ntorment they applied the chain and rack, saying, “Make known\nthy other friends that thou mayest be delivered from excruciating\npunishment, and make thy comrades captive that thou mayest escape\nfrom the torment of the chain and the keenness of the sword.”\nBut, torture, brand, and torment him as they might, they saw naught\nbut steadfastness and silence, and found naught but dumb endurance\n[on his part]. So, when the torture gave no result, they [first]\nphotographed him (the executioners on his left and on his right, and\nhe sitting bound in fetters and chains beneath the sword with perfect\nmeekness and composure), and then slew and destroyed him. This\nphotograph I sent for, and found worthy of contemplation, for he was\nseated with wonderful humility and strange submissiveness, in utmost\nresignation. \n\nNow when His Majesty the King had perused certain\npassages and become cognizant of the contents of the epistle, he was\nmuch affected at what had taken place and manifested regret, because\nhis courtiers had acted hastily and put into execution a severe\npunishment. It is even related that he said thrice, “Doth\nanyone punish [one who is but] the channel of\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, A Traveler's Narrative (1886). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19300.*\n"
},
{
"title": "[Pages 61–80]",
"slug": "tn-pages-61-80",
"summary": "correspondence?” Then the Royal Command was issued that their Reverences the learned doctors and honorable and accomplished divines should write a reply to that epistle. But when the most expert doctors of the capital became aware of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Adrianople",
"lat": 41.6771,
"lng": 26.5557,
"modernName": "Edirne, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"history",
"bab",
"martyrdom",
"persecution",
"prison",
"children",
"holy-day",
"administration",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"forgiveness",
"generosity",
"hope",
"humility",
"justice",
"love",
"mercy",
"patience",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 37,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "travelers-narrative",
"book": "A Traveler's Narrative",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1886,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19300/pg19300-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\ncorrespondence?” Then the Royal Command was issued\nthat their Reverences the learned doctors and honorable and\naccomplished divines should write a reply to that epistle. But when\nthe most expert doctors of the capital became aware of the contents\nof the letter they ordained: “That this person, without\nregarding [the fact] that he is at variance with the Perspicuous\nReligion, is a meddler with custom and creed, and a troubler of kings\nand emperors. Therefore to eradicate, subdue, repress, and repel\n[this sect] is one of the requirements of the Well-established Path,\nand indeed the chief of obligations.” \n\nThis answer was not approved before the [Royal]\nPresence, for the contents of this epistle had no obvious discordance\nwith the Law or with reason, and did not meddle with political or\nadministrative matters, nor interfere with or attack the Throne of\nSovereignty. They ought, therefore, to have discussed the real points\nat issue, and to have written clearly and explicitly such an answer\nas would have caused the disappearance of doubts and the solution of\ndifficulties, and would have become a fulcrum for discussion to all. \n\nNow of this epistle sundry passages shall be set forth\nin writing to conduce to a better understanding [of the matter] by\nall people. At the beginning of the epistle was a striking passage in\nthe Arabic language [treating] of questions of faith and assurance;\nthe sacrifice of life in the way of the Beloved; the state of\nresignation and contentment; the multiplicity of misfortunes,\ncalamities, hardships, and afflictions; and falling under suspicion\nof seditiousness through the machinations of foes; the establishment\nof His innocence in the presence of His Majesty the King; the\nrepudiation of seditious persons and disavowal of the rebellious\nparty; the conditions of sincere belief in the verses of the Qur’án;\nthe needfulness of godly virtues, distinction from all other\ncreatures in this transitory abode, obedience to the commandments,\nand avoidance of things prohibited; the evidence of divine support in\nthe affair of the Báb; the inability of whosoever is upon the\nearth to withstand a heavenly thing; His own awakening at the divine\nafflux, and His falling thereby into unbounded calamities; His\nacquisition of the divine gift, His participation in spiritual\nGod-given grace, and His illumination with immediate knowledge\nwithout study; the excusableness of His [efforts for the] admonition\nof mankind, their direction toward the attainment of human\nperfections, and their enkindlement with the fire of divine love;\nencouragements to the directing of energy towards the attainment of a\nstate greater than the degree of earthly sovereignty; eloquent\nprayers [written] in the utmost self-abasement, devotion, and\nhumility; and the like of this. Afterwards He discussed [other]\nmatters in the Persian language. And the form of it is this: \n\n“O God, this is a letter which I wish to send to\nthe King; and Thou knowest that I have not desired aught of him save\nthe display of his justice to Thy people, and the showing forth of\nhis favors to the dwellers in Thy Kingdom. And verily, by My soul, I\nhave not desired aught save what Thou hast desired, neither, by Thy\nMight, do I desire aught save what Thou desirest. Perish that being\nwhich desireth of Thee aught save Thyself! And, by Thy Glory, Thy\ngood pleasure is the limit of My hope, and Thy Will the extremity of\nMy desire! Be merciful then, O God, to this poor [soul] Who hath\ncaught hold of the skirt of Thy richness, and to this humble\n[suppliant] Who calleth on Thee, for Thou art indeed the Mighty, the\nGreat. Help, O God, His Majesty the King to execute Thy laws amongst\nThy servants and to show forth Thy justice amidst Thy creatures, that\nhe may rule over this sect as he ruleth over those who are beside\nthem. Verily Thou art the Potent, the Mighty, the Wise. \n\n“Agreeably to the permission and consent of the\nKing of the age, this Servant turned from the place of the Royal\nThrone28\ntoward ‘Iráq-i-‘Arab, and in that land abode\ntwelve years. During the period of [His] sojourn [there] no\ndescription of His condition was laid before the Royal Presence,\nneither did any representation go to foreign states. Relying upon God\ndid He abide in that land, until a certain functionary came to ‘Iráq,\nwho, on his arrival, fell to designing the affliction of a company of\npoor unfortunates. Every day, beguiled by certain of the doctors of\nPersia, he persecuted these servants; although nothing prejudicial to\nChurch or State, or at variance with the principles and customs of\ntheir countrymen had been observed in them. So this Servant [was\nmoved] by this reflection: ‘May it not be that by reason of the\ndeeds of the transgressors some action at variance with the\nworld-ordering counsel of the King should be engendered!’\nTherefore was an epitome [of the matter] addressed to Mírzá\nSa’íd Khán, the Minister for Foreign\nAffairs, that he might submit it to the [Royal] Presence, and that it\nmight be done according to that which the Royal command might\npromulgate. A long while elapsed, and no command was issued; until\nmatters reached such a state that it was to be feared that sedition\nmight suddenly break out and the blood of many be shed. Of necessity,\nfor the protection of the servants of God, a certain number [of the\nBábís] appealed to the governor of ‘Iráq.\nIf [the King] will consider what has happened with just regard, it\nwill become clear in the mirror of his luminous heart that what\noccurred was [done] from considerations of expediency, and that there\nwas apparently no resource save this. The Royal Personage can bear\nwitness and testify to this, that in whatever land there were some\nfew of this sect the fire of war and conflict was wont to be kindled\nby reason of the aggression of certain governors. But this Transient\nOne after His arrival in ‘Iráq withheld all from\nsedition and strife; and the witness of this Servant is His action,\nfor all are aware and will testify that the multitude of this faction\nin Persia at that time was more than [it had been] before, yet,\nnotwithstanding this, none transgressed his proper bounds nor\nassailed anyone. It is nigh on fifteen years that all continue\ntranquil, looking unto God and relying on Him, and bear patiently\nwhat hath come upon them, casting it on God. And after the arrival of\nthis Servant in this city which is called Adrianople certain of this\ncommunity enquired concerning the meaning of ‘victory.’\nDiverse answers were sent in reply, one of which answers will be\nsubmitted on this page, so that it may become clear before the\n[Royal] Presence that this Servant hath in view naught save peace and\nreform. And if some of the divine favors, which, without merit [on My\npart], have been graciously bestowed [on Me], do not become evident\nand apparent, this much [at least] will be known, that [God], in\n[His] abounding grace and undeserved mercy, hath not deprived this\nOppressed One of the ornament of reason. The form of words which was\nset forth on the meaning of ‘victory’ is this: \n\n“‘He is God, exalted is He. “‘It\nhath been known that God (glorious is His mention) is sanctified from\nthe world and what is therein, and that the meaning of “victory”\nis not this, that anyone should fight or strive with anyone. The Lord\nof He doeth what He will29\nhath committed the kingdom of creation, both land and sea, into the\nhand of kings, and they are the manifestations of the Divine Power\naccording to the degrees of their rank: verily He is the Potent, the\nSovereign. But that which God (glorious is His mention) hath desired\nfor Himself is the hearts of His servants, which are treasures of\npraise and love of the Lord and stores of divine knowledge and\nwisdom. The will of the Eternal King hath ever been to purify the\nhearts of [His] servants from the promptings of the world and what is\ntherein, so that they may be prepared for illumination by the\neffulgences of the Lord of the Names and Attributes. Therefore must\nno stranger find his way into the city of the heart, so that the\nIncomparable Friend may come unto His own place--that is, the\neffulgence of His Names and Attributes, not His Essence (exalted is\nHe), for that Peerless King hath been and will be holy for\neverlasting above ascent or descent. Therefore today “victory”\nneither hath been nor will be opposition to anyone, nor strife with\nany person; but rather what is well-pleasing is that the cities of\n[men’s] hearts, which are under the dominion of the hosts of\nselfishness and lust, should be subdued by the sword of the Word, of\nWisdom, and of Exhortation. Everyone, then, who desireth “victory”\nmust first subdue the city of his own heart with the sword of\nspiritual truth and of the Word, and must protect it from remembering\naught beside God: afterwards let him turn his regards towards the\ncities of [others’] hearts. This is what is intended by\n“victory”: sedition hath never been nor is pleasing to\nGod, and that which certain ignorant persons formerly wrought was\nnever approved. If ye be slain for His good pleasure verily it is\nbetter for you than that ye should slay. Today the friends of God\nmust appear in such fashion amidst [God’s] servants that by\ntheir actions they may lead all unto the pleasure of the Lord of\nGlory. I swear by the Sun of the Horizon of Holiness that the friends\nof God never have regarded nor will regard the earth or its\ntransitory riches. God hath ever regarded the hearts of [His]\nservants, and this too is by reason of [His] most great favor, that\nperchance mortal souls may be cleansed and sanctified from earthly\nstates and may attain unto everlasting places. But that Real King is\nin Himself sufficient unto Himself [and independent] of all: neither\ndoth any advantage accrue to Him from the love of contingent beings,\nnor doth any hurt befall Him from their hatred. All earthly places\nappear through Him and unto Him return, and God singly and alone\nabideth in His own place which is holy above space and time, mention\nand utterance, sign, description, and definition, height and depth.\nAnd none knoweth this save Him and whosoever hath knowledge of the\nBook. There is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Bountiful.’\nFinis. \n\n“But good deeds depend on this, that the Royal\nPerson should himself look into that [matter] with just and gracious\nregard, and not be satisfied with the representations of certain\npersons unsupported by proof or evidence. We ask God to strengthen\nthe King unto that which He willeth: and what He willeth should be\nthe wish of the worlds. \n\n“Afterwards they summoned this Servant to\nConstantinople. We reached that city along with a number of poor\nunfortunates, and after Our arrival did not hold intercourse with a\nsingle soul, for We had naught to say [unto them], and there was no\nwish save that it should be clearly demonstrated by proof to all that\nthis Servant had no thought of sedition and had never associated with\nthe seditious. And, by Him in praise of Whose spirit the tongues of\nall things speak, to turn in any direction was difficult in\nconsideration of certain circumstances; but these things were done\nfor the protection of lives. Verily My Lord knoweth what is in My\nsoul, and verily He is witness unto what I say. The just king is the\nshadow of God in the earth; all should take refuge under the shadow\nof his justice and rest in the shade of his favor. This is not the\nplace for personalities, or censures [directed] specially against\nsome apart from others; for the shadow tells of him who casteth the\nshadow. God (glorious is His mention) hath called Himself the Lord of\nthe worlds for that He hath nurtured and doth nurture all; exalted is\nHis favor which hath preceded contingent beings and His mercy which\nhath preceded the worlds. \n\n“This is sufficiently clear, that, [whether] right\nor wrong according to the imagination of the people, this community\nhave accepted as true and adopted the religion for which they are\nnotorious, and that on this account they have foregone what they had,\nseeking after what is with God. And this same renunciation of life in\nthe way of love for the Merciful [God] is a faithful witness and an\neloquent attest unto that whereunto they lay claim. Hath it [ever]\nbeen beheld that a reasonable man renounced his life without proof or\nevidence [of the truth of that for which he died]? And if it be said,\n‘This people are mad,’ this [too] is very improbable, for\nit is not [a thing] confined to one or two persons, but rather have a\ngreat multitude of every class, inebriated with the Kawthar of\ndivine wisdom, hastened with heart and soul to the place of martyrdom\nin the way of the Friend. If these persons, who for God have foregone\nall save Him, and who have poured forth life and wealth in His way,\ncan be belied, then by what proof and evidence shall the truth of\nthat which others assert concerning that wherein they are be\nestablished in the presence of the King? \n\n“The late Ḥájí Siyyid Muḥammad\n(may God exalt his station and overwhelm him in the depth of the\nocean of His mercy and forgiveness), although he was of the most\nlearned of the doctors of the age and the most pious and austere of\nhis contemporaries, and although the splendor of his worth was of\nsuch a degree that the tongues of all creatures spoke in praise and\neulogy of him and confidently asserted his asceticism and godliness,\ndid nevertheless in the war against the Russians forego much good and\nturn back after a little contest, although he himself had decreed a\nholy war, and had set out from his native country with conspicuous\nensign in support of the Faith. O would that the covering might be\nwithdrawn, and that what is hidden from [men’s] eyes might\nappear! \n\n“But as to this sect, it is twenty years and more\nthat they have been tormented by day and by night with the fierceness\nof the Royal anger, and that they have been cast each one into a\n[different] land by the blasts of the tempests of the King’s\nwrath. How many children have been left fatherless! How many fathers\nhave become childless! How many mothers have not dared, through fear\nand dread, to mourn over their slaughtered children! Many [were] the\nservants [of God] who at eve were in the utmost wealth and opulence,\nand at dawn were beheld in the extreme of poverty and abasement!\nThere is no land but hath been dyed with their blood and no air\nwhereunto their groanings have not arisen. And during these few years\nthe arrows of affliction have rained down without intermission from\nthe clouds of fate. Yet, notwithstanding all these visitations and\nafflictions, the fire of divine love is in such fashion kindled in\ntheir hearts that, were they all to be hewn in pieces, they would not\nforswear the love of the Beloved of all the dwellers upon earth; nay\nrather with their whole souls do they yearn and hope for what may\nbefall [them] in the way of God. \n\n“O King! The gales of the mercy of the Merciful\nOne have converted these servants and drawn them to the region of the\n[Divine] Unity--‘The witness of the faithful lover is in\nhis sleeve’--but some of the doctors of Persia have\ntroubled the most luminous heart of the King of the Age with regard\nto those who are admitted into the Sanctuary of the Merciful One and\nthose who make for the Kaaba of Wisdom. O would that the\nworld-ordering judgment of the King might decide that this Servant\nshould meet those doctors, and, in the presence of His Majesty the\nKing, adduce arguments and proofs! This Servant is ready, and hopeth\nof God that such a conference may be brought about, so that the truth\nof the matter may become evident and apparent before His Majesty the\nKing. And afterwards the decision is in thy hand, and I am ready to\nconfront the throne of thy sovereignty; then give judgment for Me or\nagainst Me. The Merciful Lord saith in the Furqán, which is\nthe enduring proof amidst the host of existences, ‘Desire\ndeath, then, if ye be sincere.’30\nHe hath declared the desiring of death to be the proof of sincerity;\nand it will be apparent in the mirror of the [King’s] luminous\nmind which party it is that hath this day foregone life in the way of\nHim [Who is] adored by the dwellers upon earth. Had the doctrinal\nbooks of this people, [composed] in proof of that wherein they are,\nbeen written with the blood which has been shed in His way (exalted\nis He), books innumerable would assuredly have been apparent and\nvisible amongst mankind. \n\n“How, then, can one repudiate this people, whose\nwords and deeds are consistent, and accept those persons who neither\nhave foregone nor will forego one atom of the consideration [which\nthey enjoy] in the way of [God] the Sovereign? \n\n“Some of the doctors of Persia who have denounced\nthis Servant have never either met or seen Him, nor [even] become\ncognizant of [His] intent: nevertheless they said what they desired\nand do what they will. Every statement requires proof, and is not\n[established] merely by assertion or by outward gear of asceticism. \n\n“A translation of some passages from the contents\nof the Hidden Book of Fátimih (upon her be the blessings of\nGod) which are apposite to this place will [now] be submitted in the\nPersian language, in order that some things [now] concealed may be\nrevealed before the [Royal] Presence. Those addressed in these\nutterances in the above-mentioned book (which is today known as\n‘Hidden Words’) are those people who are outwardly\nnotable for science and piety, but who are inwardly subservient to\ntheir passions and lust. He says: \n\n“‘O faithless ones! Why do ye outwardly\nclaim to be shepherds, while inwardly ye have become the wolves of My\nsheep? Your likeness is like unto the star before the morning, which\nis apparently bright and luminous, but really causeth the misguidance\nand destruction of the caravans of My city and country.’ \n\n“So likewise He saith: \n\n“‘O outwardly fair and inwardly faulty! Thy\nlikeness is like unto clear bitter water, wherein outwardly the\nutmost sweetness and purity is beheld, but when it falleth into the\nassaying hands of the taste of the [Divine] Unity He doth not accept\na single drop thereof. The radiance of the sun is on the earth and on\nthe mirror alike; but regard the difference as from the guard-stars\nto the earth; nay, between them is a limitless distance.’ \n\n“‘So likewise He saith: \n\n“‘O child of the world! Many a morning hath\nthe effulgence of My grace come unto thy place from the day-spring of\nthe placeless, found thee on the couch of ease busied with other\nthings, and returned like the lightning of the spirit to the bright\nabode of glory. And I, desiring not thy shame, declared it not in the\nretreats of nearness to the hosts of holiness.’ \n\n“‘So likewise He saith: \n\n“‘O pretender to My friendship! In the\nmorning the breeze of My grace passed by thee, and found thee\nsleeping on the bed of heedlessness, and wept over thy condition, and\nturned back.’ Finis. \n\n“In the presence of the King’s justice,\ntherefore, the statement of an adversary ought not to be accepted as\nsufficient. And in the Furqán, which distinguisheth between\ntruth and falsehood, He says, ‘O ye who believe, if there come\nunto you a sinner with a message, then discriminate, lest you fall\nupon a people in ignorance and on the morrow repent of what ye have\ndone.’31\nAnd it hath come down in holy tradition, ‘Credit not the\ncalumniator.’ The matter hath been misapprehended by certain\ndoctors, neither have they seen this Servant. But those persons who\nhave met [Him] testify that this Servant hath not spoken contrary to\nthat which God hath ordained in the Book, and recite this blessed\nverse: He saith (exalted is He) ‘Do ye disavow Us for aught\nsave that We believe in God, and what hath been sent down unto Us,\nand what was sent down before?’32\n\n\n“O King of the age! The eyes of these wanderers\nturn and gaze in the direction of the mercy of the Merciful One, and\nassuredly to these afflictions shall the greatest mercy succeed, and\nafter these most grievous hardships shall follow great ease. But\n[Our] hope is this, that His Majesty the King will himself turn his\nattention to [these] matters, which thing will be the cause of hope\nin [Our] hearts. And this is unmixed good which hath been submitted,\nand God sufficeth for a witness. \n\n“Glory be to Thee, O God! O God, I bear witness\nthat the heart of the King is between the fingers of Thy power: if\nThou pleasest, turn it, O God, in the direction of mercy and\nkindliness: verily Thou art the Exalted, the Potent, the Beneficent:\nthere is no God but Thee, the Mighty from whom help is sought. \n\n“Concerning the qualifications of the doctors, He\nsaith: ‘But amongst the lawyers he who guardeth himself,\nobserveth his religion, opposeth his lust, and obeyeth the command of\nhis Lord--it is incumbent on the people to follow him...’\nunto the end. And if the King of the age will regard this utterance,\nwhich proceeded from the tongue of the recipient of divine\ninspiration, he will observe that those characterized by the\nqualities transmitted in the aforementioned tradition are rarer than\nthe philosopher’s stone. Therefore the claim of every person\npretending to science neither hath been nor is heard. \n\n“So likewise in describing the lawyers of the\nlatter time He says: ‘The lawyers of that time are the most\nevil of lawyers under the shadow of heaven: from them cometh forth\nmischief, and unto them it returneth.’ \n\n“And if any person deny these traditions, the\nestablishing thereof is [incumbent] on this Servant; but since [Our]\nobject is brevity therefore the detail of the authorities hath not\nbeen submitted. \n\n“Those doctors who have indeed drunk of the cup of\nrenunciation never interfered with this Servant, even as the late\nShaykh Murtadá (may God exalt his station and\ncause him to dwell under the shadow of the domes of His grace) used\nto show [Us] affection during the days of [Our] sojourn in ‘Iráq,\nand used not to speak concerning this matter otherwise than God hath\npermitted. We ask God to help all [men] unto that which He loveth and\napproveth. \n\n“Now all people have shut their eyes to all\n[these] matters, and are bent on the persecution of this sect; so\nthat should it be demanded of certain persons, who (after God’s\ngrace) rest in the shadow of the King’s clemency and enjoy\nunbounded blessings, ‘In return for the King’s favor what\nservice have ye wrought? Have ye by wise policy added any country to\n[his] countries? Or have ye applied yourselves to aught which would\ncause the comfort of the people, the prosperity of the kingdom, and\nthe continuance of fair fame for the state?’, they have no\nreply save this, that, falsely or truly, they designate a number of\npersons in the presence of the King by the name of Bábís,\nand forthwith engage in slaughter and plunder; even as in Tabríz\nand elsewhere they sold certain ones, and received much wealth; and\nthis was never represented before the presence of the King. All these\nthings have occurred because of this, that they have found these poor\npeople without a helper. They have foregone matters of moment, and\nhave fallen upon these poor unfortunates. \n\n“Many sects and diverse tribes rest tranquil in\nthe shadow of the King, and of these sects one is this people. Were\nit not best that the lofty endeavor and magnanimity of those who\nsurround the King should be so witnessed: that they should be\nscheming for all factions to come under the King’s shadow, and\nthat they should govern amidst all with justice? To put in force the\nordinances of God is unmixed justice, and with this all are\nsatisfied; nay, the ordinances of God [ever] have been and will be\nthe instrument and means for the protection of [His] creatures, as He\nsaith (exalted is He) ‘And in retaliation ye have life, O\npeople of understanding.’33\n[But] it is far from the justice of His Majesty the King that, for\nthe fault of one person, a number of persons should become the\nobjects of the scourges of wrath. God (glorious is His mention)\nsaith: ‘None shall bear the burden of another.’34\nAnd this is sufficiently evident, that in every community there have\nbeen and will be learned and ignorant, wise and foolish, sinful and\npious. And to commit abominable actions is far from the wise man. For\nthe wise man either seeketh the world or abandoneth it. If he\nabandoneth it, assuredly he will not regard aught save God, and,\napart from this, the fear of God will withhold him from committing\nforbidden and culpable actions. And if he seeketh the world, he will\nassuredly not commit deeds which will cause and induce the aversion\nof [God’s] servants and produce horror in those who are in all\nlands; but rather will he practice such deeds as will cause the\nadhesion of mankind. So it hath been demonstrated that detestable\nactions have been and will be [wrought only] by ignorant persons. We\nask God to keep His servants from regarding aught but Him, and to\nbring them near to Him: verily He is potent over all things. \n\n“Glory be to Thee, O God! O My God, Thou hearest\nMy groaning, and seest My state and My distress and My affliction,\nand knowest what is in My soul. If My cry be sincerely for Thy sake,\nthen draw thereby the hearts of Thy creatures unto the horizon of the\nheaven of Thy recognition, and turn the King unto the right hand of\nthe throne of Thy Name the Merciful; then bestow on him, O My God,\nthe blessing which hath descended from the heaven of Thy favor and\nthe clouds of Thy mercy, that he may sever himself from that which he\nhath and turn toward the region of Thy bounties. O Lord, help him to\nsupport the oppressed amongst [Thy] servants, and to raise up Thy\nWord amidst Thy people; then aid him with the hosts of the unseen and\nthe seen, that he may subdue cities in Thy Name and rule over all who\nare upon the earth by Thy power and authority, O Thou in Whose hand\nis the Kingdom of creation: and verily Thou art He who ruleth at the\nbeginning and in the end: there is no God save Thee, the Potent, the\nMighty, the Wise. \n\n“They have misrepresented matters before the\npresence of the King in such a way that if any ill deed proceed from\nany one of this sect they account it as [a part] of the religion of\nthese servants. But, by God, beside Whom there is none other God,\nthis Servant hath not sanctioned the committing of sins, much less\nthat whereof the prohibition hath been explicitly revealed in the\nBook of God! God hath prohibited unto men the drinking of wine, and\nthe unlawfulness thereof hath been revealed and recorded in the Book\nof God,35\nand the doctors of the age (may God multiply the like of them) have\nunanimously prohibited unto men this abominable action; yet withal do\nsome commit it. Now the punishment of this action falls on these\nheedless persons, while those manifestations of the glory of sanctity\n[continue] holy and undefiled: unto their sanctity all Being, whether\nof the unseen or the seen, testifieth. \n\n“Yea, these servants [of God] regard God as ‘doing\nwhat He pleaseth and ordering what He willeth.’36\nThere is no retreat nor way of flight for anyone save unto God, and\nno refuge nor asylum but in Him. And at no time hath the caviling of\nmen, whether learned or unlearned, been a thing to rely on, nor will\nit be so. The [very] prophets, who are the pearls of the Ocean of\nUnity and the recipients of Divine Revelation, have [ever] been the\nobjects of men’s aversion and caviling; much more these\nservants. Even as He saith: ‘Every nation schemed against their\napostle to catch him. And they contended with falsehood therewith to\nrefute the truth.’37\nSo likewise He saith, ‘There came not unto them any apostle but\nthey mocked at him.’38\nConsider the appearance of the Seal of the Prophets, the King of the\nElect (the soul of the worlds be His sacrifice); after the dawning of\nthe Sun of Truth from the horizon of the Ḥijáz what\nwrongs befell that Manifestation of the Might of the Lord of Glory at\nthe hands of the people of error! So heedless were men that they were\nwont to consider the vexation of that Holy One as one of the greatest\nof good works and as the means of approaching God Most High. For in\nthe first years the doctors of that age, whether Jews or Christians,\nturned aside from that Sun of the Highest Horizon; and, at the\nturning aside of those persons, all, whether humble or noble, girt up\ntheir loins to quench the radiance of that Light of the Horizon of\nIdeals. The names of all are recorded in books: amongst them were\nWahb ibn Rahíb, Ka’b ibn Ashraf, ‘Abdu’lláh\n[ibn] Ubayy, and the like of these persons; till at length the matter\nreached such a point that they convened a meeting to take counsel as\nto the shedding of the most pure blood of that Holy One, as God\n(glorious is His mention) hath declared: ‘And when those who\nmisbelieved plotted against thee to confine thee, or slay thee, or\ndrive thee out; and they plotted, and God plotted; and God is the\nbest of plotters.’39\nSo likewise He saith: ‘And if their aversion be grievous unto\nthee, then, if thou art able to seek out a hole down into the earth,\nor a ladder up into the sky, that thou mayest show them a sign--[do\nso]: but if God pleased He would assuredly bring them all to the true\nguidance: be not therefore one of the ignorant.’40\nBy God, the hearts of those near [unto God] are scorched at the\npurport of these two blessed verses; but the like of these matters\ncertainly transmitted [to Us] are blotted out of sight, and [men]\nhave not reflected, neither do reflect, what was the reason of the\nturning aside of [God’s] servants at the appearance of the\ndaysprings of divine lights. \n\n“So, too, before the Seal of the Prophets,\nconsider Jesus the Son of Mary. After the appearance of that\nManifestation of the Merciful One all the doctors charged that\nQuintessence of Faith with misbelief and rebelliousness; until at\nlength, with the consent of Annas, who was the chief of the doctors\nof that age, and likewise Caiaphas,41\nwho was the most learned of the judges, they wrought upon that Holy\nOne that which the pen is ashamed and unable to repeat. The earth\nwith its amplitude was too strait for Him, until God took Him up into\nthe heaven. But were a detailed account of the prophets to be\nsubmitted it is feared that weariness might result. \n\n“O would that thou mightest permit, O King, that\nWe should send unto Thy Majesty that whereby eyes would be refreshed,\nsouls tranquilized, and every just person assured that with Him\n[i.e., Bahá’u’lláh] is knowledge of the\nBook. Were it not for the turning aside of the ignorant and the\nwillful blindness of the doctors, verily I would utter a discourse\nwhereat hearts would be glad and would fly unto the air from the\nmurmur of whose winds is heard, ‘There is no God but He.’\nBut now, because the time admitteth it not, the tongue is withheld\nfrom utterance, and the vessel of declaration is sealed until God\nshall unclose it by His power: verily He is the Potent, the Powerful.\n\n\n“Glory be to Thee, O God! O My God, I ask of Thee\nin Thy Name, whereby Thou hast subdued whomsoever is in the heavens\nand the earth, that Thou wilt keep the lamp of Thy religion with the\nglass of Thy power and Thy favors, so that the winds of denial pass\nnot by it from the region of those who are heedless of the mysteries\nof Thy Sovereign Name: then increase its light by the oil of Thy\nwisdom: verily Thou art Potent over whomsoever is in Thy earth and\nThy heaven. \n\n“O Lord, I ask of Thee by the Supreme Word,\nwhereat whosoever is in the earth and the heaven feareth save him who\ntaketh hold of the ‘Most Firm Handle,’42\nthat Thou wilt not abandon Me amongst Thy creatures: lift Me up unto\nThee, and make Me to enter in under the shadow of Thy mercy, and give\nMe to drink of the pure wine of Thy grace, that I may dwell under the\ncanopy of Thy glory and the domes of Thy favors: verily Thou art\npowerful unto that Thou wishest, and verily Thou art the Protecting,\nthe Self-Sufficing. \n\n“O King! The lamps of justice are extinguished,\nand the fire of persecution is kindled on all sides, until that they\nhave made My people captives. This is not the first honor which hath\nbeen violated in the way of God. It behooveth everyone to regard and\nrecall what befell the kindred of the Prophet until that the people\nmade them captives and brought them in unto Damascus the spacious;\nand amongst them was the Prince of Worshipers, the Stay of the elect,\nthe Sanctuary of the eager (the soul of all beside him be his\nsacrifice). It was said unto them, ‘Are ye seceders?’ He\nsaid, ‘No, by God, we are servants who have believed in God and\nin His signs, and through us the teeth of faith are disclosed in a\nsmile, and the sign of the Merciful One shineth forth; through our\nmention spreadeth Al-Bathá,43\nand the darkness which intervened between earth and heaven is\ndispelled.’ It was said, ‘Have ye forbidden what God hath\nsanctioned, or sanctioned what God hath forbidden?’ He said,\n‘We were the first who followed the commandments of God: we are\nthe source of command and its origin, and the firstfruits of all good\nand its consummation: we are the sign of the Eternal, and His\ncommemoration amongst the nations.’ It was said, ‘Have ye\nabandoned the Qur’án?’ He said, ‘Through us\ndid the Merciful One reveal it; and we are gales of the All-Glorious\namidst [His] creatures; we are streams which have arisen from the\nmost mighty Ocean whereby God revived the earth after its death; from\nus His signs are diffused, His evidences are manifested, and His\ntokens appear; and with us are His mysteries and His secrets.’\nIt was said, ‘For what fault [then] were ye afflicted?’\nHe said, ‘For the love of God and our severance from all beside\nHim.’ \n\n“Verily We have not repeated his expressions (upon\nhim be peace), but rather We have made manifest a spray from the\nOcean of Life which was deposited in his words, that by it those who\nadvance may live and be aware of what hath befallen the trusted ones\nof God on the part of an evil and most reprobate people. And today We\nsee the people censuring those who acted unjustly of yore, while they\noppress more vehemently than those oppressed, and know it not. By\nGod, I do not desire sedition, but the purification of [God’s]\nservants from all that withholdeth them from approach to God, the\nKing of the Day of Invocation. \n\n“I was asleep on My couch: the breaths of My Lord\nthe Merciful passed over Me and awakened Me from sleep: to this bear\nwitness the denizens [of the realms] of His Power and His Kingdom,\nand the dwellers in the cities of His Glory, and Himself, the True. I\nam not impatient of calamities in His way, nor of afflictions for His\nlove and at His good pleasure. God hath made affliction as a morning\nshower to this green pasture, and as a match for His lamp whereby\nearth and heaven are illumined. \n\n“Shall that which anyone hath of wealth endure\nunto him, or avail him tomorrow with him who holdeth his forelock? If\nany should look on those who sleep under slabs and keep company with\nthe dust, can he distinguish the bones of the king’s skull from\nthe knuckles of the slave? No, by the King of Kings! Or doth he know\ngovernors from herdsmen, or discern the wealthy and the rich from him\nwho was without shoes or carpet? By God, distinction is removed, save\nfor him who fulfilled righteousness and judged uprightly. Where are\nthe doctors, the scholars, the nobles? Where is the keenness of their\nglances, the sharpness of their sight, the subtlety of their\nthoughts, the soundness of their understandings? Where are their\nhidden treasures and their apparent gauds, their bejeweled thrones\nand their ample couches? Alas! All have been laid waste, and the\ndecree of God hath rendered them as scattered dust! Emptied is what\nthey treasured up, and dissipated is what they collected, and\ndispersed is what they concealed: they have become [such that] thou\nseest naught but their empty places, their gaping roofs, their\nuprooted beams, their new things waxed old. As for the discerning\nman, verily wealth will not divert him from regarding the end; and\nfor the prudent man, riches will not withhold him from turning toward\n[God] the Rich, the Exalted. Where is he who held dominion over all\nwhereon the sun arose, and who spent lavishly and sought after\ncurious things in the world and what is therein created? Where is the\nlord of the swarthy squadron and the yellow standard? Where is he who\nruled Zawrá,44\nand where he who wrought injustice in [Damascus] the spacious? Where\nare they at whose bounty treasures were afraid, at whose\nopenhandedness and generosity the ocean was dismayed? Where is he\nwhose arm was stretched forth in rebelliousness, whose heart turned\naway from the Merciful One? Where is he who used to make choice of\npleasures and cull the fruits of desires? Where are the dames of the\nbridal chambers, and the possessors of beauty? Where are their waving\nbranches and their spreading boughs, their lofty palaces and\ntrellised gardens? Where is the smoothness of the expanses thereof\nand the softness of their breezes, the rippling of their waters and\nthe murmur of their winds, the cooing of their doves and the rustling\nof their trees? Where are their laughing hearts and their smiling\nteeth? Woe unto them! They have descended to the abyss and become\ncompanions to the pebbles; today no mention is heard of them nor any\nsound; nothing is known of them nor any hint. Will the people dispute\nit while they behold it? Will they deny it when they know it? I know\nnot in what valley they wander erringly: do they not see that they\ndepart and return not? How long will they be famous in the low\ncountries and in the high, descend and ascend? ‘Is not the time\nyet come to those who believe for their hearts to become humble for\nthe remembrance of God?’45\nWell is it with that one who hath said or shall say, ‘Yea, O\nLord, the time is ripe and hath come,’ and who severeth himself\nfrom all that is. Alas! naught is reaped but what is sown, and naught\nis taken but what is laid up, save by the grace of God and His favor.\nHath the earth conceived Him whom the veils of glory prevent not from\nascending into the Kingdom of His Lord, the Mighty, the Supreme? Have\nWe any good works whereby defects shall be removed or which shall\nbring Us near unto the Lord of causes? We ask God to deal with Us\naccording to His grace, not His justice, and to make Us of those who\nturn toward Him and sever themselves from all beside Him. \n\n“O King, I have seen in the way of God what no eye\nhath seen and no ear hath heard. Friends have disclaimed Me; ways are\nstraitened unto Me; the pool of safety is dried up; the plain of ease\nis [scorched] yellow. How many calamities have descended, and how\nmany will descend! I walk advancing toward the Mighty, the Bounteous,\nwhile behind Me glides the serpent. My eyes rain down tears until My\nbed is drenched; but My sorrow is not for Myself. By God, My head\nlongeth for the spears for the love of its Lord, and I never pass by\na tree but My heart addresseth it [saying], ‘O would that thou\nwert cut down in My name and My body were crucified upon thee in the\nway of My Lord’; yea, because I see mankind going astray in\ntheir intoxication, and they know it not: they have exalted their\nlusts, and put aside their God, as though they took the command of\nGod for a mockery, a sport, and a plaything; and they think that they\ndo well, and that they are harbored in the citadel of security. The\nmatter is not as they suppose: tomorrow they shall see what they\n[now] deny. \n\n“We are about to shift from this most remote place\nof banishment46\nunto the prison of Akká. And, according to what they say, it\nis assuredly the most desolate of the cities of the world, the most\nunsightly of them in appearance, the most detestable in climate, and\nthe foulest in water; it is as though it were the metropolis of the\nowl; there is not heard from its regions aught save the sound of its\nhooting. And in it they intend to imprison the Servant, and to shut\nin Our faces the doors of leniency and take away from Us the good\nthings of the life of the world during what remaineth of Our days. By\nGod, though weariness should weaken Me, and hunger should destroy Me,\nthough My couch should be made of the hard rock and My associates of\nthe beasts of the desert, I will not blench, but will be patient, as\nthe resolute and determined are patient, in the strength of God, the\nKing of Preexistence, the Creator of the nations; and under all\ncircumstances I give thanks unto God. And We hope of His graciousness\n(exalted is He) the freedom of Our necks from chains and shackles in\nthis imprisonment: and that He will render [all men’s] faces\nsincere toward Him, the Mighty, the Bounteous. Verily He answereth\nhim who prayeth unto Him, and is near unto him who calleth on Him.\nAnd We ask Him to make this dark calamity a buckler for the body of\nHis saints, and to protect them thereby from sharp swords and\npiercing blades. Through affliction hath His light shone and His\npraise been bright unceasingly: this hath been His method through\npast ages and bygone times. \n\n“The people shall know what today they understand\nnot when their steeds shall stumble, their beds be rolled up, their\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, A Traveler's Narrative (1886). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19300.*\n"
},
{
"title": "[Pages 81–94]",
"slug": "tn-pages-81-94",
"summary": "swords be blunted, and their footsteps slip. I know not how long they shall ride the steed of desire and wander erringly in the desert of heedlessness and error. Of glory shall any glory endure, or of abasement any abasement? Or shall…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Shoghi Effendi",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"history",
"bab",
"pilgrimage",
"persecution",
"exile",
"prison",
"women",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"loyalty",
"mercy",
"patience",
"service",
"steadfastness",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 26,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "travelers-narrative",
"book": "A Traveler's Narrative",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1886,
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19300/pg19300-images.html"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nswords be blunted, and their footsteps slip. I know not\nhow long they shall ride the steed of desire and wander erringly in\nthe desert of heedlessness and error. Of glory shall any glory\nendure, or of abasement any abasement? Or shall he endure who used to\nstay himself on high cushions, and who attained in splendor the\nutmost limit? No, by My Lord the Merciful! ‘All that is thereon\nis transient, and there remaineth [only] the face of My Lord’\nthe Mighty, the Beneficent. What buckler hath not the arrow of\ndestruction smitten, or what pinion hath not the hand of fate\nplucked? From what fortress hath the messenger of death been kept\nback when he came? What throne hath not been broken, or what palace\nhath not been left desolate? Did men but know what pure wine of the\nmercy of their Lord, the Mighty, the All-Knowing, was beneath the\nseal, they would certainly cast aside reproach and seek to be\nsatisfied by this Servant; but now have they veiled Me with the veil\nof darkness which they have woven with the hands of doubts and\nfancies. The White Hand shall cleave an opening to this sombre night.\nOn that day the servants [of God] shall say what those caviling women\nsaid of yore, that there may appear in the end what began in the\nbeginning. Do they desire to tarry when their foot is in the stirrup?\nOr do they see any return in their going? No, by the Lord of Lords,\nsave in the Resurrection! On that day men shall arise from the tombs\nand shall be questioned concerning their riches. Happy that one whom\nburdens shall not oppress on that day whereon the mountains shall\npass away and all shall appear for the questioning in the presence of\nGod the Exalted! Verily He is severe in punishing. \n\n“We ask God to sanctify the hearts of certain of\nthe doctors from rancor and hatred that they may regard things with\neyes which closure overcometh not; and to raise them unto a station\nwhere the world and the lordship thereof shall not turn them aside\nfrom looking toward the Supreme Horizon, and where [anxiety for]\ngaining a livelihood and [providing] household goods shall not divert\nthem from [the thought of] that day whereon the mountains shall be\nmade like carpets. Though they rejoice at that which hath befallen Us\nof calamity, there shall come a day whereon they shall wail and weep.\nBy My Lord, were I given the choice between the glory and opulence,\nthe wealth and dignity, the ease and luxury wherein they are, and the\ndistress and affliction wherein I am, I would certainly choose that\nwherein I am today, and I would not now exchange one atom of these\nafflictions for all that hath been created in the kingdom of\nproduction! Were it not for afflictions in the way of God My\ncontinuance would have no sweetness for Me, nor would My life profit\nMe. Let it not be hidden from the discerning and such as look towards\nthe chiefest outlook that I, during the greater part of My days, was\nas a Servant sitting beneath a sword suspended by a single hair who\nknoweth not when it shall descend upon Him, whether it shall descend\ninstantly or after a while. And in all this We give thanks to God the\nLord of the worlds, and We praise Him under all circumstances: verily\nHe is a witness unto all things. \n\n“We ask God to extend His shadow,47\nthat the unitarians may haste thereto, and that the sincere may take\nshelter therein; and to bestow on [these] servants flowers from the\ngarden of his grace and stars from the horizon of his favors; and to\nassist him in that which he liketh and approveth; and to help him\nunto that which shall bring him near to the Dayspring of His Most\nComely Names, that he may not shut his eyes to the wrong which he\nseeth, but may regard his subjects with the eye of favor and preserve\nthem from violence. And we ask Him (exalted is He) to make thee a\nhelper unto His religion and a regarder of His justice, that thou\nmayest rule over [His] servants as thou rulest over those of thy\nkindred, and mayest choose for them what thou wouldest choose for\nthyself. Verily He is the Potent, the Exalted, the Protecting, the\nSelf-Subsistent.” \n\nNow since suitable occasion hath arisen it hath been\nconsidered appropriate that some of the precepts of Bahá’u’lláh\nwhich are contained in tracts and epistles should also be inserted\nbriefly in this treatise, so that the main principles and practice\nand [their] foundations and basis may become clear and apparent. And\nthese texts have been copied from numerous tracts. \n\nAmongst them [is this]: “Consort with [people of\nall] religions with spirituality and fragrance.... Beware lest the\nzeal of ignorance possess you amongst mankind. All originated from\nGod and returneth unto Him: verily He is the Source of creation and\nthe Goal of the worlds.” \n\nAnd amongst them [is this]: “Ye are forbidden\nsedition and strife in the books and epistles; and herein I desire\nnaught save your exaltation and elevation, whereunto beareth witness\nthe heaven and its stars, the sun and its radiance, the trees and\ntheir leaves, the seas and their waves, and the earth and its\ntreasures. We ask God to continue His saints and strengthen them unto\nthat which befitteth them in this blessed, precious, and wondrous\nstation, and We ask Him to assist those who surround Me to act\naccording to that whereunto they have been commanded on the part of\nthe Supreme Pen.” \n\nAnd amongst them [is this]: “The fairest tree of\nknowledge is this sublime word: ‘Ye are all the fruit of one\ntree and the leaves of one branch.’ Pride is not for him who\nloves his country, but for him who loves the [whole] world.” \n\nAnd amongst them [is this]: “Verily he who\neducateth his son, or one of the sons [of another], it is as though\nhe educated one of My sons. Upon him be the splendor of God, and His\ngrace, and His mercy which preceded the worlds.” \n\nAmongst them [is this]: “O people of Bahá!\nYe have been and are the dawnings of affection and the daysprings of\ndivine grace: defile not the tongue with cursing or execration of\nanyone, and guard the eye from that which is not seemly. Show forth\nthat which ye have: if it be accepted, the object is attained; if\nnot, interference is vain: leave him to himself, [while] advancing\ntoward God, the Protecting, the Self-Subsistent. Be not a cause of\ngrief, much less of strife and sedition. It is hoped that ye will be\nnurtured in the shade of the lote-tree of Divine Grace, and practice\nthat which God desireth. Ye are all leaves of one tree and drops of\none sea.” \n\nAmongst them [is this]: “The faith of God and\nreligion of God hath been revealed and manifested from the heaven of\nthe Will of the King of Preexistence only for the union and concord\nof the dwellers upon earth: make it not a cause of discord and\ndissension. The principal means and chief instrument for [bringing\nabout] the appearance and irradiance of the luminary of concord is\nthe religion of God and the Law of the Lord; while the growth of the\nworld, the education of the nations, and the peace and comfort of\nthose in all lands are through the divine ordinances and decrees.\nThis is the principal means for this most great gift; it giveth the\ncup of life, bestoweth everlasting life, and conferreth eternal\nblessedness. The chiefs of the earth, especially the exemplars of\ndivine justice, must make strenuous efforts to guard this state and\nto upraise and preserve it. So likewise that which is necessary is\ninquiry into the condition of the people, and cognizance of the deeds\nand circumstances of each one of the different classes. We desire of\nthe exemplars of God’s power, namely of kings and chiefs, that\nthey will make endeavor: perchance discord may depart out of [their]\nmidst, and the horizons may be illumined with the light of concord.\nAll must hold to that which floweth from the Pen of Reminder, and\npractice it. God witnesseth and [all] the atoms of existences testify\nthat we have mentioned that which will be the cause of the\nexaltation, elevation, education, preservation, and reformation of\nthe dwellers upon earth. We desire of God that He will strengthen\n[His] servants. That which this Oppressed One seeketh of all is\njustice and fairness: let them not be satisfied with listening; let\nthem ponder on what hath become manifest from this Oppressed One. I\nswear by the Sun of Revelation, which hath shone forth from the\nhorizon of the heaven of the Kingdom of the Merciful One, that, if\nany [other] expositor or speaker had been beheld, I would not have\nmade Myself an object for the malevolence and the calumnies of\nmankind.” Finis. \n\nBy these sentences a clue to the principles, ideas, line\nof conduct, behavior, and intentions of this sect is placed in the\nhand; whereas if we seek to become acquainted with the truth of this\nmatter through the accounts and stories which are in the mouths of\nmen, the truth will be entirely concealed and hidden by reason of\ntheir manifold differences and contrariety. It is therefore best to\ndiscover the principles and objects of this sect from the contents of\ntheir teachings, tracts, and epistles. There is no authority nor are\nthere any proofs or texts superior to these, for this is the\nfoundation of foundations and the ultimate criterion. One cannot\njudge of the generality by the speech or action of individuals, for\ndiversity of states is one of the peculiarities and concomitants of\nthe human race. \n\nAt all events, in the beginning of the year one thousand\ntwo hundred and eighty-five [A.H.] they transferred Bahá’u’lláh\nand all those persons who were with Him from Adrianople to the prison\nof Akká, and Mírzá Yaḥyá to the\nfortress of Famagusta, and there they remained.48\nBut in Persia after a while sundry persons who were discerning in\nmatters, notable for wise policy, and aware and cognizant of the\ntruth of the earlier and later events, made representation before the\npresence of His Majesty the King saying, “What has hitherto\nbeen reported, related, asserted, and alleged concerning this sect in\nthe Royal Presence was either an exaggeration, or else [the speakers]\nfabricated statements with a view to [their own] individual designs\nand the attainment of personal advantages. If so be that His Majesty\nthe King will investigate matters in his own noble person, it is\nbelieved that it will become clear before his presence that this sect\nhave no worldly object nor any concern with political matters. The\nfulcrum of their motion and rest and the pivot of their cast and\nconduct is restricted to spiritual things and confined to matters of\nconscience; it has nothing to do with the affairs of government nor\nany concern with the powers of the throne; its principles are the\nwithdrawal of veils, the verification of signs, the education of\nsouls, the reformation of characters, the purification of hearts, and\nillumination with the gleams of enlightenment. That which befits the\nkingly dignity and beseems the world-ordering diadem is this, that\nall subjects of every class and creed should be the objects of\nbounty, and [should abide] in the utmost tranquility and prosperity\nunder the wide shadow of the King’s justice. For the divine\nshadow is the refuge of all the dwellers upon earth and the asylum of\nall mankind; it is not limited to one party. In particular, the true\nnature and real doctrine of this sect have [now] become evident and\nwell known: all their writings and tracts have repeatedly and\nfrequently fallen into [our] hands, and are to be found preserved in\nthe possession of the government. If they be perused, the actual\ntruth and inward verity will become clear and apparent. These pages\nare entirely taken up with prohibitions of sedition, [recommendations\nof] upright conduct amongst mankind, obedience, submission, loyalty,\nconformity, and acquisition of laudable qualities, and encouragements\nto become endowed with praiseworthy accomplishments and\ncharacteristics. They have absolutely no reference to political\nquestions, nor do they treat of that which could cause disturbance or\nsedition. Under these circumstances a just government can [find] no\nexcuse, and possesses no pretext [for further persecuting this sect]\nexcept [a claim to the right of] interference in thought and\nconscience, which are the private possessions of the heart and soul.\nAnd, as regards this matter, there has [already] been much\ninterference, and countless efforts have been made. What blood has\nbeen shed! What heads have been hung up! Thousands of persons have\nbeen slain; thousands of women and children have become wanderers or\ncaptives; many are the buildings which have been ruined; and how many\nnoble races and families have become headless and homeless! Yet\nnaught has been effected and no advantage has been gained; no remedy\nhas been discovered for this ill, nor any easy salve for this wound.\n[To insure] freedom of conscience and tranquility of heart and soul\nis one of the duties and functions of government, and is in all ages\nthe cause of progress in development and ascendency over other lands.\nOther civilized countries acquired not this preeminence, nor attained\nunto these high degrees of influence and power, till such time as\nthey put away the strife of sects out of their midst, and dealt with\nall classes according to one standard. All are one people, one\nnation, one species, one kind. The common interest is complete\nequality; justice and equality amongst mankind are amongst the chief\npromoters of empire and the principal means to the extension of the\nskirt of conquest. From whatever section of earth’s denizens\nsigns of contentiousness appear, prompt punishment is required by a\njust government; while any person who girds up the loins of endeavor\nand carries off the ball of priority is deserving of royal favors and\nworthy of splendid gifts. Times are changed, and the need and fashion\nof the world are changed. Interference with creed and faith in every\ncountry causes manifest detriment, while justice and equal dealing\ntowards all peoples on the face of the earth are the means whereby\nprogress is effected. It is right to exercise caution and care with\nregard to political factions, and to be fearful and apprehensive of\nmaterialist sects; for the subjects occupying the thoughts of the\nformer are [designs of] interference in political matters and [desire\nof] ostentation, while the actions and conduct of the latter are\nsubversive of safety and tranquility. But this sect are steadfast in\ntheir own path and firmly established in conduct and faith; they are\npious, devoted, tenacious, and consistent in such sort that they\nfreely lay down their lives, and, after their own way, seek to please\nGod; they are strenuous in effort and earnest in endeavor; they are\nthe essence of obedience and most patient in hardship and trouble;\nthey sacrifice their existence and raise no complaint or cry; what\nthey utter is in truth the secret longing of the heart, and what they\nseek and pursue is by the direction of a leader. It is therefore\nnecessary to regard their principles and their Chief, and not to make\na trivial thing a pretext. Now since the conduct of the Chief, the\nteachings of His epistles, and the purport of His writings are\napparent and well known, the line of action of this sect is plain and\nobvious as the sun. Of whatever was possible and practicable by way\nof discouragement, determent, eradication, intimidation,\nreprehension, slaughter, banishment, and stripes there was no lack,\nyet nothing was thereby effected. In other countries when they\nperceived severity and persecution in such instances to be identical\nwith stimulation and incitement, and saw that paying no attention was\nmore effectual, they abated the fire of revolution. Therefore did\nthey universally proclaim the equal rights of all denominations, and\nsounded the liberty of all classes from east to west. This clamor and\noutcry, this uproar and conflagration, are the consequences of\ninstigation, temptation, incitement, and provocation. For thirty\nyears there has been no rumor of disturbance or rebellion, nor any\nsign of sedition. Notwithstanding the duplication of adherents and\nthe increase and multiplication of this body, through many\nadmonitions and encouragements to virtue this sect are all in the\nutmost repose and stability: they have made obedience their\ndistinctive trait, and in extreme submissiveness and subordination\nare the loyal subjects of the King. On what lawful grounds can the\ngovernment further molest them, or permit them to be slighted?\nBesides this, interference with the consciences and beliefs of\npeoples, and persecution of diverse denominations of men is an\nobstacle to the expansion of the kingdom, an impediment to the\nconquest of other countries, an obstruction to multiplication of\nsubjects, and contrary to the established principles of monarchy. In\nthe time when the mighty government of Persia did not interfere with\n[men’s] consciences, diverse sects entered in and abode beneath\nthe banner of the great king, and [many] different peoples reposed\nand served under the shadow of that mighty government’s\nprotection. The extent of the empire increased from day to day; the\ngreater portion of the continent of Asia was under the just rule of\nits administration; and the majority of the different religions and\nraces were [represented] amongst the subjects of him who wore its\ncrown. But when the custom of interference with the creeds of all\nsects arose, and the principle of inquiring into men’s thoughts\nbecame the fashion and practice, the extensive dominions of the\nempire of Persia diminished, and many provinces and vast territories\npassed out of her hands, until it reached such a point that the great\nprovinces of Túrán, Assyria, and Chaldea were lost;\nuntil--what need of prolixity?--the greater part of the\nregions of Khurásán likewise passed out of the\ncontrol of the government of Persia by reason of the interference\nwith matters of conscience and the fanaticism of its governors. For\nthe cause of the Afghan independency and the revolt of the Turcoman\ntribes was in truth this thing, else were they at no time or period\nseparate from Persia. In face of its evident harmfulness what\nnecessity is there for persecuting the harmless? But if we desire to\nput in force the sentence [of the doctors of religion] no one will\nescape fetters and chains and the keenness of the sword, for in\nPersia, apart from this sect, there exist diverse sects, such as the\nMutásharrís, the Shaykhís,\nthe Súfís, the Nusayris, and others, each one of whom\nregards the other as infidels and accuses them of crime. Under these\ncircumstances what need that the government should persecute this one\nor that one, or disturb itself about the ideas and consciences of its\nsubjects and people? All are the subjects of the king, and are under\nthe shadow of the royal protection. Everyone who hears and obeys\nshould be undisturbed and unmolested, while everyone who is\nrebellious and disobedient deserves punishment at the hands of his\nMajesty the King. Above all, the times are completely changed, while\nprinciples and institutions have undergone alteration. In all\ncountries such actions hinder development and progress, and cause\ndecline and deterioration. Of the violent agitation which has\nbefallen the supports of Oriental government the chief cause and\nprincipal factor are in truth these laws and habits of interference;\nwhile that state the seat of whose dominion over the Atlantic and the\nBaltic is in the furthest regions of the North has, by reason of\nequal dealing with its different subjects and the establishment of\nthe uniform political rights of diverse nationalities, acquired\nextensive colonies in each of the five continents of the world.49\nWhere is this little island in the North Atlantic, and where the vast\nterritory of the East Indies? Can such extension be obtained save by\nequal justice to all peoples and classes? At all events, by means of\njust laws, freedom of conscience, and uniform dealing and equity\ntowards all nationalities and peoples, they have actually brought\nunder their dominion nearly all of the inhabited quarter of the\nworld, and by reason of these principles of freedom they have added\nday by day to the strength, power, and extent of their empire, while\nmost of the peoples on the face of the earth celebrate the name of\nthis state for its justice. As regards religious zeal and true piety,\ntheir touchstone and proof are firmness and steadfastness in noble\nqualities, virtues, and perfections, which are the greatest blessings\nof the human race; but not interference with the belief of this one\nor that one, demolition of edifices, and cutting off of the human\nrace. In the middle ages, whereof the beginning was the time of the\nfall of the Roman Empire, and the end the capture of Constantinople\nat the hands of [the followers of] Islám, fierce intolerance\nand molestation of far and near arose in [all] the countries of\nEurope by reason of the paramount influence of religious leaders. The\nmatter came to such a pass that the edifice of humanity seemed\ntottering to its fall, and the peace and comfort of chief and vassal,\nking and subject, became hidden behind the veil of annihilation.\nNight and day all parties were slaves to apprehension and\ndisquietude: civilization was utterly destroyed: the control and\norder of countries was neglected: the principles and essentials of\nthe happiness of the human race were in abeyance: the supports of\nkingly authority were shaken: but the influence and power of the\nheads of religion and of the monks were in all parts complete. But\nwhen they removed these differences, persecution, and bigotries out\nof their midst, and proclaimed the equal rights of all subjects and\nthe liberty of men’s consciences, the lights of glory and power\narose and shone from the horizons of that kingdom in such wise that\nthose countries made progress in every direction; and whereas the\nmightiest monarchy of Europe had been servile to and abased before\nthe smallest government of Asia, now the great states of Asia are\nunable to oppose the small states of Europe. These are effectual and\nsufficient proofs that the conscience of man is sacred and to be\nrespected; and that liberty thereof produces widening of ideas,\namendment of morals, improvement of conduct, disclosure of the\nsecrets of creation, and manifestation of the hidden verities of the\ncontingent world. Moreover, if interrogation of conscience, which is\none of the private possessions of the heart and the soul, take place\nin this world, what further recompense remains for man in the court\nof divine justice at the day of general resurrection? Convictions and\nideas are within the scope of the comprehension of the King of kings,\nnot of kings; and soul and conscience are between the fingers of\ncontrol of the Lord of hearts, not of [His] servants. So in the world\nof existence two persons unanimous in all grades [of thought] and all\nbeliefs cannot be found. ‘The ways unto God are as the number\nof the breaths of [His] creatures’ is a mysterious truth, and\n‘To every [people] We have appointed a [separate] rite’50\nis one of the subtleties of the Qur’án. If this vast\nenergy and precious time which have been expended in persecuting\nother religions, and whereby no sort of result or effect has been\nobtained, had been spent in strengthening the basis of the monarchy,\nfortifying the imperial throne, making prosperous the realms of the\nsovereign, and quickening the subjects of the king, ere now the royal\ndominions would have become prosperous, the seed-plot of the people\nwould have been watered by the bounty of princely justice, and the\nsplendor of the kingdom of Persia would be evident and apparent as\nthe true dawn throughout the horizons of the world.” \n\nThese questions and considerations, at all events,\ncertain persons have reported. But let us return to our original\nsubject. The Royal Personage was pleased to investigate the hidden\nsecret in his own noble person. According to the account transmitted,\nit became clear and obvious before the [Royal] Presence that most of\nthese suspicions arose from the intrigues of persons of influence who\nwere continually engaged in fabricating matters behind the veil of\nfancy and casting suspicion upon the community, and who, to attain\nadvantages for themselves and preserve their own positions, were wont\nto make motes appear as globes, and straws as mountains in the mirror\nof their imagination. For these suspicions there was absolutely no\nfoundation or basis, nor had these assertions any proof or\nverisimilitude. What power and ability have the helpless people, or\nwhat boldness and strength have poor subjects that they should\ninflict injury or hurt on the sovereign might, or be able to oppose\nthe military forces of the crown? \n\nFrom that time till now disturbance and sedition have\nbeen on the wane in Persia, and clamor and strife have ceased;\nalthough [still] on rare occasions certain of the official doctors\ndo, for their own personal and private advantage, stir up the common\nfolk, raise a hue and cry, and, by their importunity and pertinacity,\nmolest one or two individuals of this sect, as happened ten or twelve\nyears ago in Iṣfáhán. For there were amongst the\ninhabitants of Iṣfáhán two brothers, Siyyids of\nTabátabá, Siyyid Ḥasan and Siyyid Ḥusayn,\ncelebrated in those parts for piety, trustworthiness, and nobility;\nmen of wealth, engaged in commerce, behaving towards all men with\nperfect kindliness and courtesy. And to all outward appearance no one\nhad observed in either of these two brothers any swerving from what\nwas best, much less any conduct or behavior which could deserve\ntorment or punishment; for, as is related, they were admitted by all\n[preeminent] in all praiseworthy and laudable qualities, while their\ndeeds and actions were like exhortations and admonitions. These had\ntransacted business with Mír Muḥammad Ḥusayn the\nImám-Jum’ih of Iṣfáhán; and when\nthey came to make up their accounts it appeared that the sum of\neighteen thousand túmans was due to them. They [therefore]\nbroke off [further] transactions, prepared a bond for this sum, and\ndesired it to be sealed. This thing was grievous to the Imám-Jum’ih,\nso that he came to the stage of anger and enmity. Finding himself in\ndebt, and having no recourse but to pay, he raised clamor and outcry\nsaying “These two brothers are Bábís and deserve\nsevere punishment from the king.” A crowd at once attacked\ntheir house, plundered and pillaged all their goods, distressed and\nterrified their wives and children, and seized and despoiled all\ntheir possessions. Then, fearing that they might refer the punishment\nto the step of the king’s throne and loose their tongues in\ndemand of redress, he [i.e., the Imám-Jum’ih] fell to\nthinking how to compass their death and destroy them. He therefore\npersuaded certain of the doctors to cooperate with him, and they\npronounced sentence of death. Afterwards they arrested those two\nbrothers, put them in chains, and brought them before the public\nassembly. Yet seek as they might to fix on them some accusation, find\nsome fault, or discover some pretext, they were unable to do so. At\nlength they said, “You must either renounce this faith, or else\nlay down your heads beneath the sword of punishment.” Although\nsome of those present urged them saying, “Say merely ‘We\nare not of this sect,’ and it is sufficient, and will be the\nmeans of your deliverance and protection,” they would by no\nmeans consent, but rather confirmed and declared it with eloquent\nspeech and affecting utterance, so that the rage and violence of the\nImám-Jum’ih boiled over, and, not satisfied with killing\nand destroying them, they inflicted sundry indignities on their\nbodies after death to mention which is not fitting, and of which the\ndetails are beyond the power of speech. Indeed in such wise was the\nblood of these two brothers shed that even the Christian priest of\nJulfá cried out, lamented, and wept on that day; and this\nevent befell after such sort that everyone wept over the fate of\nthose two brothers, for during the whole period of their life they\nhad never distressed the feelings even of an ant, while by general\nreport they had in the time of the famine in Persia spent all their\nwealth in relieving the poor and distressed. Yet, notwithstanding\nthis reputation, were they slain with such cruelty in the midst of\nthe people! \n\nBut now for a long while the justice of the King has\nprevented and withheld, and none dares attempt such grievous\nmolestations. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n Footnotes\n1.20\nOctober 1819.2.23\nMay 1844.3.Qur’án\n12.4.Undertake\nthe pilgrimage to Mecca.5.Muḥammad\nSháh died September 4, 1848; the English translation\nof A Traveler’s Narrative first appeared in 1891.6.Qur’án\n108.7.Qur’án\n103.8.A\nreference to Bahá’u’lláh, “Him Whom\nGod shall make manifest,” whose precursor the Báb\nconsidered Himself to be.9.The\nMathnaví.10.The\nMathnaví.11.Qur’án\n7:154.12.The\nShí’ites.13.Qur’án\n37:173.14.9\nJuly 1850.15.Atabát\n‘Alíyat, literally Supreme Shrines, a term by which the\nShí’ih Muslims referred to the cities of\nKazímayn, Najaf, and Karbilá and generally applied to\nthe region of eastern ‘Iráq, of which Baghdád\nwas the center. When Bahá’u’lláh was\nreleased from prison and banished from Persia, He chose Baghdád\nfor the place of His exile.16.That\nis, Bahá’u’lláh.17.Qur’án\n95:4.18.Qur’án\n23:14.19.1852.\nḤin, according to the Abjad notation, equals 68. Cf. The\nDawn-Breakers: Nabíl’s Narrative of the Early Days of\nthe Bahá’í Revelation, trans. and ed. Shoghi\nEffendi (Wilmette, Ill.: Bahá’í Publishing\nTrust, 1932), p. 18, note 1: In 1268 Bahá’u’lláh,\nchained in the Black Pit of Ṭihrán, received the first\nintimations of His Divine Mission, and that same year hinted of this\nin His odes.20.Qur’án\n27:90.21.Throughout\nHis Writings the “Oppressed One” refers to Bahá’u’lláh\nHimself.22.The\nordinances of God.23.Qur’án\n55:3–4.24.Qur’án\n4:80.25.Qur’án\n6:17; 10:107.26.Mírzá\nYaḥyá’s title was Subh-i-Azal, the Morning of\nEternity. Bahá’u’lláh, in this connection,\ncites Amos 4:12–13, which says that God “maketh the\nmorning darkness.” Cf. Bahá’u’lláh,\nEpistle to the Son of the Wolf (Wilmette, Ill.: Bahá’í\nPublishing Trust, 1953), p. 146. See Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By\n(Wilmette, Ill.: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1974),\np.114, for other titles of Mírzá Yaḥyá.27.Cf.\nQur’án 27:22.28.Ṭihrán.29.Qur’án\n3:35; 22:19.30.Qur’án\n2:88; 62:6.31.Qur’án\n49:6.32.Qur’án\n5:64.33.Qur’án\n2:175.34.Qur’án\n6:164; 17:16; 35:19; 39:9; 53:39.35.Qur’án\n5:92.36.Qur’án\n2:254; 3:35; 22:14, 1937.Qur’án\n40:5.38.Qur’án\n15:11; 36:2939.Qur’án\n8:30.40.Qur’án\n6:35.41.See\nJohn 11:49–50; Acts 4:6–10; 18:13–28; Acts 4:6–10.42.Qur’án\n2:257; 31:2143.Mecca.44.Baghdád.45.Qur’án\n57:15.46.Adrianople.47.Reference\nto the Sháh of Persia.48.1868.49.England.50.Qur’án\n22:35.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, A Traveler's Narrative (1886). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19300.*\n"
},
{
"title": "The Commentary on the Kawthar: Vaḥíd's Third Audience",
"slug": "tn-vahid-third-conference-bab",
"summary": "In *A Traveler's Narrative*, 'Abdu'l-Bahá relates the encounter between Siyyid Yaḥyá-i-Dárábí — known as Vaḥíd, the most learned cleric of his generation in Persia — and the Báb. Three audiences. In the third, a request for a commentary on the Súrih of Kawthar; and the Báb's spontaneous, written reply that emptied the room of every doubt.",
"figures": [
"Siyyid Yaḥyá-i-Dárábí (Vaḥíd)",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"period": "Shíráz",
"location": {
"name": "Shíráz",
"lat": 29.5916,
"lng": 52.5836,
"modernName": "Shíráz, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"declaration",
"history",
"learning"
],
"virtues": [
"humility",
"vision",
"reverence"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "travelers-narrative",
"book": "A Traveler's Narrative",
"author": "'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"year": 1886,
"publisher": "Cambridge University Press",
"url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19300"
},
"verificationTier": "primary",
"accountType": "first-person",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\nIn *A Traveler's Narrative,* 'Abdu'l-Bahá tells the story of the\nencounter between the Báb and the most distinguished theologian\nto investigate the new Cause. Siyyid Yaḥyá-i-Dárábí — known by\nthe title *Vaḥíd,* the *Unique* — was the foremost Shí'í cleric\nof his generation. He had been entrusted by Muḥammad Sháh\nhimself with the responsibility of investigating the claims of\nthe young Merchant of Shíráz and bringing back a report.\n\nVaḥíd traveled south to Shíráz with confidence. He was a master\nof the Qur'ánic sciences, of Arabic grammar, of the long\nliterature of Shí'í commentary. He had no doubt that he would,\nin a single audience, expose any imposture and return north with\nhis report.\n\nHe was wrong. The Master records the encounter in three stages.\n\n> When the above-mentioned Siyyid arrived at Shíráz he interviewed\n> the Báb three times. In the first and second conferences\n> questioning and answering took place; in the third conference he\n> requested a commentary on the Súrih called Kawthar.\n\nThe first audience and the second went much as Vaḥíd had\nexpected. He posed difficult questions. The Báb answered. Vaḥíd\nwent away to consider. He came back unsatisfied. The questions\nthemselves had been answered, but Vaḥíd had been waiting for the\ntest he himself trusted: he wanted to see the Báb compose, in\nreal time, an extended commentary on a difficult passage of the\nQur'án — the kind of commentary on which a senior cleric might\ntake weeks of careful work.\n\nIn the third audience he made the request. The Súrih he chose\nwas *al-Kawthar* — the abundance — one of the shortest and most\nelliptical chapters in the Qur'án, much loved and much commented\non through the centuries by the masters of Shí'í learning.\n\nThe Báb sat down and wrote.\n\n> Without thought or reflection He wrote an elaborate commentary\n> on the Kawthar in his presence — and the above-mentioned Siyyid\n> was charmed and enraptured.\n\nThe detail the Master preserves is the *without thought or\nreflection.* The Báb did not pause. He did not consult any\nreference. The verses came down through His pen as freely as\nbreath. Vaḥíd, watching, recognized what no rational test could\nhave proved: he was not in the company of a clever pretender. He\nwas in the presence of a station that overflowed His own.\n\nVaḥíd went home a Bábí. He never returned to the court at Tihrán\nto make his report. He did not need to. His own conviction had\nbecome his only relevant testimony. Within a few years he would\ntravel south to Yazd and on to Nayríz, where he would lead a\nsmall, devoted Bábí community in their last stand against the\nPersian troops. He would be killed in the Nayríz upheaval of\n1850, by his own choice and at the head of his own friends.\n\n*A Traveler's Narrative* uses Vaḥíd's recognition as one of its\nkey proofs that the Cause of the Báb could not be reduced to the\nclaims of an unlearned visionary. The most learned cleric of the\nday had come, watched the Báb compose, and stayed.\n\n*Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, A Traveler's Narrative (translated by E.G. Browne, Cambridge University Press, 1891), pages 1-20. Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19300.*\n"
},
{
"title": "To a minister who came to call on the Master in the Maxwell Home in Montreal,…",
"slug": "to-a-minister-who-came-to-call-on-bs22",
"summary": "To a minister who came to call on the Master in the Maxwell Home in Montreal, ‘‘Abdu’l-Bahá presented an armful of gorgeous American Beauty roses, standing in a tall vase at His side, sending him away with amazement and awe at the regal…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Montreal",
"lat": 45.5017,
"lng": -73.5673,
"modernName": "Montreal, Canada"
},
"themes": [
"hospitality",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"gentleness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTo a minister who came to call on the Master in the Maxwell Home in Montreal, ‘‘Abdu’l-Bahá presented an armful of gorgeous American Beauty roses, standing in a tall vase at His side, sending him away with amazement and awe at the regal manners and gentle courtesy of this Prisoner from the East.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 98*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "To Ethel Rosenberg, the first English woman to embrace the Bahá’í Faith in her…",
"slug": "to-ethel-rosenberg-the-first-english-woman-to-bs8",
"summary": "To Ethel Rosenberg, the first English woman to embrace the Bahá’í Faith in her native land, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, while she was on pilgrimage in the Holy Land in 1901, ‘We must strive to change our bad qualities into good ones, quick temper…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"transformation",
"pilgrimage",
"women",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"humility",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/transformation"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTo Ethel Rosenberg, the first English woman to embrace the Bahá’í Faith in her native land, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, while she was on pilgrimage in the Holy Land in 1901, ‘We must strive to change our bad qualities into good ones, quick temper must be changed into calmness, pride into humility, falsehood into truth, deceit into frankness, laziness into activity . . .’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 158*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/transformation) (Subject: transformation).*\n"
},
{
"title": "To most people the hardships of prison life would appear as grievous…",
"slug": "to-most-people-the-hardships-of-prison-life-bs9",
"summary": "To most people the hardships of prison life would appear as grievous calamities, but for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá they had no terrors. When in prison He wrote: Grieve not because of my imprisonment and calamity; for this prison is my beautiful…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"happiness",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/happiness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTo most people the hardships of prison life would appear as grievous calamities, but for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá they had no terrors. When in prison He wrote: Grieve not because of my imprisonment and calamity; for this prison is my beautiful garden, my mansioned paradise and my throne of dominion among mankind. My calamity in my prison is a crown to me in which I glory among the righteous. Anyone can be happy in the state of comfort, ease, health, success, pleasure and joy; but if one be happy and contented in the time of trouble, hardship and prevailing disease, that is the proof of nobility.\n\n\n*Source: Marzieh Gail, The Sheltering Branch p. 99-100*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/happiness) (Subject: happiness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "To Mrs Smith, a new Bahá’í, who belonged to a distinguished Philadelphia family…",
"slug": "to-mrs-smith-a-new-bah-who-belonged-bs10",
"summary": "To Mrs Smith, a new Bahá’í, who belonged to a distinguished Philadelphia family and who was suffering with a headache, the Master said, ‘You must be happy always. You must be counted among the people of joy and happiness and must be…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"happiness",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/happiness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTo Mrs Smith, a new Bahá’í, who belonged to a distinguished Philadelphia family and who was suffering with a headache, the Master said, ‘You must be happy always. You must be counted among the people of joy and happiness and must be adorned with divine morals. In a large measure happiness keeps our health while depression of spirit begets diseases. The substance of eternal happiness is spirituality and divine morality, which has no sorrow to follow it.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 129*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/happiness) (Subject: happiness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "To the galling weight of these tribulations was now added the bitter grief of a…",
"slug": "to-the-galling-weight-of-these-tribulations-was-bs6",
"summary": "To the galling weight of these tribulations was now added the bitter grief of a sudden tragedy -- the premature loss of the noble, the pious Mirza Mihdi, the Purest Branch, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's twenty-two year old brother, an amanuensis of…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Mírzá Mihdí"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Tihrán",
"lat": 35.6892,
"lng": 51.389,
"modernName": "Tehran, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"mirza mihdi",
"martyrdom",
"exile",
"children",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"prayer",
"service",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/mirza-mihdi"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTo the galling weight of these tribulations was now added the bitter grief of a sudden tragedy -- the premature loss of the noble, the pious Mirza Mihdi, the Purest Branch, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's twenty-two year old brother, an amanuensis of Bahá’u’lláh and a companion of His exile from the days when, as a child, he was brought from Tihran to Baghdad to join his Father after His return from Sulaymaniyyih. He was pacing the roof of the barracks in the twilight, one evening, wrapped in his customary devotions, when he fell through the unguarded skylight onto a wooden crate, standing on the floor beneath, which pierced his ribs, and caused, twenty-two hours later, his death, on the 23rd of Rabi'u'l-Avval 1287 A.H. (June 23, 1870). His dying supplication to a grieving Father was that his life might be accepted as a ransom for those who were prevented from attaining the presence of their Beloved. In a highly significant prayer, revealed by Bahá’u’lláh in memory of His son -- a prayer that exalts his death to the rank of those great acts of atonement associated with Abraham's intended sacrifice of His son, with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the martyrdom of the Imam Husayn -- we read the following: \"I have, O my Lord, offered up that which Thou hast given Me, that Thy servants may be quickened, and all that dwell on earth be united.\" And, likewise, these prophetic words, addressed to His martyred son: \"Thou art the Trust of God and His Treasure in this Land. Erelong will God reveal through thee that which He hath desired.\" After he had been washed in the presence of Bahá’u’lláh, he \"that was created of the light of Bahá,\" to whose \"meekness\" the Supreme Pen had testified, and of the \"mysteries\" of whose ascension that same Pen had made mention, was borne forth, escorted by the fortress guards, and laid to rest, beyond the city walls, in a spot adjacent to the shrine of Nabi Salih, from whence, seventy years later, his remains, simultaneously with those of his illustrious mother, were to be translated to the slopes of Mt. Carmel, in the precincts of the grave of his sister, and under the shadow of the Báb's holy sepulcher.\n\n\n*Source: Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 187-189*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/mirza-mihdi) (Subject: mirza-mihdi).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Today humanity is increasingly concerned and rightly so with ‘the quality of life’",
"slug": "today-humanity-is-increasingly-concerned-and-rightly-bs4",
"summary": "Today humanity is increasingly concerned and rightly so with ‘the quality of life’. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was absorbed with both its spiritual and its physical dimensions: He knew that as the quality of man’s spiritual life improves, his…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"abdul baha"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nToday humanity is increasingly concerned and rightly so with ‘the quality of life’. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was absorbed with both its spiritual and its physical dimensions: He knew that as the quality of man’s spiritual life improves, his physical life would improve also the other world reflects the inner man. He was fully aware that we are indeed on a ‘spiritual journey from self to God’. He wanted all people to be aware of this vital fact also then they could truly arise to their real potential, both in this world and in the next.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 134*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha) (Subject: abdul-baha).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Today the car was stolen",
"slug": "today-the-car-was-stolen-a-gift-to-bs15",
"summary": "Today the car was stolen! [A gift to Shoghi Effendi from Roy Wilhelm. The Guardian had had no car for years as the old one was sold during the war owing to no spare parts.] My God what a day! At 2:30, as Gladys and I sat over our coffee at…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"miracles",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 4,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nToday the car was stolen! [A gift to Shoghi Effendi from Roy Wilhelm. The Guardian had had no car for years as the old one was sold during the war owing to no spare parts.] My God what a day! At 2:30, as Gladys and I sat over our coffee at lunch, the girl came and said a Jew was at the door. Gladys went to see what he wanted. To make a long story short he was our local Haganah chief, Mr. Friedman, with about 20 armed men, who said they had been called by the Haganah Guard (2 are on duty in our street) as 5 armed men were hovering about our garage door and when he pointed his revolver at them and said to get going they turned their guns on him and told him to move fast so 5 to 1 he went for help. They had had a jeep and when the reinforcement got back they were gone. But although the padlock on our door was sawn through the door was closed from the inside so they thought it was still there. I looked through the keyhole and what a ghastly emptiness - no Buick! Poor Gladys rushed around to the little door at the back and, indeed, no Buick! The Haganah Guard implied Jews had taken it (or English) but would not say outright. Well Friedman notified the Haganah. Gladys and Mansoor notified the army and Stanton St. Police. I phoned Dr. Weinshall who advised us to go to the Hadar Hacarmel Police Station. Shoghi Effendi was calmer than anyone else, only said 'How it will rejoice my enemies!' I guess none of us hoped to really see the car again - but how sad it was to have our big lovely Buick, just received after so long a time, gone! With some difficulty I got a Jewish taxi for the Guardian. The driver said 'If Jews have taken your car you'll get it back again!' I went with Gladys to the Police station and waited outside while she made a report, then we left for Weinshall a description of the car as he had said to give him one so he could help. Then our nice taxi driver took us to another Haganah place and we again reported. Then a strange thing happened! We were walking home tired and dispirited, and in the window of a cosmetic shop on Herzl Street she saw a hand lotion I had tried several times to get. I thought I would not bother, but then I decided to get it and went in. The proprietor has known Dad and me for years so he asked about Daddy and I enquired about his old father, etc. I was not going to say anything about the car as I felt humiliated about it but after paying for my things I started out without them. That looked so foolish that I apologized and said 'I am very upset because our car has just been stolen!' The man said 'But I saw your car today at about 2:15 in the new Business Center! And I was surprised because I wondered how you could sell such a beautiful new car!' It seems he had seen Gladys and me driving by the day before and remembered the car vividly and the U.S. license plates! He said Jews had been in it and a Jew driving it and it was just around the corner from the Savoy Hotel. He also said please not to give his name as a witness, but I said then it won't help us, so he weakened and said we could. Of course we rushed back to the police station and reported what he had said and when I got home I found Mr. Friedman had left his number for me so I called him and told him and he said 'That's all I need to know. Now I know they brought it into our part of town I can get them!' Some time later the Hadar Police Station called and said 'Your car has been located and you will get it back tomorrow so don't worry.' Mr. Friedman also phoned and said the same thing, and sure enough, about 11 a.m. the 4th he phoned and said he could come and get Gladys to get the car and she drove up to Hadar Police Station and got it! My Goodness, we were all happy! The funny thing is, on our way home, before going to that store I had been saying only a miracle could get it back!\n\n\n*Source: Rúhíyyih Khánum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 171-172*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles) (Subject: miracles).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Tuba Khánum: When my little sister, Ruh-AngiAsiyih, arrived, there was some…",
"slug": "tuba-kh-num-when-my-little-sister-ruh-angiasiyih-arrived-bs0",
"summary": "Tuba Khánum: When my little sister, Ruh-AngiAsiyih, arrived, there was some disappointment that she was not a boy. Bahá’u’lláh said \"I will love her more than all the rest; you must not wish that she had been a boy.\" Little Ruh-Angiz…",
"figures": [
"Lady Blomfield",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"death wanting die"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/death-wanting-die"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTuba Khánum: When my little sister, Ruh-AngiAsiyih, arrived, there was some disappointment that she was not a boy. Bahá’u’lláh said \"I will love her more than all the rest; you must not wish that she had been a boy.\" Little Ruh-Angiz loved Bahá’u’lláh very fervently. When He had passed from earth she was full of sadness: \"I want to go through that same door to Heaven; didn't He go through it?\"\n\n\"No thank you,\" she would say, \"I do not wish for anything. I would like best of all to go to Him.\" So often she spoke of the other world, that she seemed to grow nearer and nearer to it. The next year she passed from earth to the Heaven where she wished to be.\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/death-wanting-die) (Subject: death-wanting-die).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Tudor-Pole described a typical day for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: he rises about 5 AM, and…",
"slug": "tudor-pole-described-a-typical-day-for-abdu-l-bah-he-bs17",
"summary": "Tudor-Pole described a typical day for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: he rises about 5 AM, and works for some hours at his correspondence. Interviews commence soon after 9 AM and last until midday. After lunch he takes a short rest and then usually rides…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"simple life"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTudor-Pole described a typical day for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: he rises about 5 AM, and works for some hours at his correspondence. Interviews commence soon after 9 AM and last until midday. After lunch he takes a short rest and then usually rides out into the parks or to visit various people who were deeply interested in his work. Gatherings of the friends take place nearly every evening and he has given some wonderful discourses at such times
He is quite vigorous and looks both well and cheerful.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 30*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/simple-life) (Subject: simple-life).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Two days before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá left Paris, a woman came anxiously into a…",
"slug": "two-days-before-abdu-l-bah-left-paris-a-woman-bs22",
"summary": "Two days before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá left Paris, a woman came anxiously into a gathering at the Avenue de Camoens. Breathlessly, the woman said: 'Oh, how glad I am to be in time! I must tell you the amazing reason of my hurried journey from…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"intuition",
"women",
"children",
"fast"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTwo days before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá left Paris, a woman came anxiously into a gathering at the Avenue de Camoens. Breathlessly, the woman said: 'Oh, how glad I am to be in time! I must tell you the amazing reason of my hurried journey from America. One day, my little girl astonished me by saying: 'Mummy, if dear Lord Jesus was in the world now, what would you do?' 'Darling baby, I would feel like getting on the first train and going to him as fast as I could.' 'Well, Mummy, He is in the world.' I felt a sudden great awe come over me as my tiny one spoke. 'What do you mean my precious? How do you know?', I said. 'He told me Himself, so of course He is in the world.' Full of wonder, I thought: 'Is this the sacred message which is being given to me out of the mouth of my babe?' And I prayed that it might be made clear to me. The next day she said, insistently, and as though she could not understand: 'Mummy darlin', why isn't you gone to see Lord Jesus? He's told me two times that He's really here, in the world.' 'Tiny love, Mummy doesn't know where He is. How could she find him?' 'We see Mummy, we see.' I was naturally perturbed. The same afternoon, being out for a walk with my child, she suddenly stood still and cried out, 'There He is! There He is! She was trembling with excitement and pointed at the window of a magazine store where there was a picture of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. I bought the paper, found this address, caught a boat the same night, and here I am.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 48-49*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition) (Subject: intuition).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Two ladies from Scotland, delighted that their request to have an evening with…",
"slug": "two-ladies-from-scotland-delighted-that-their-request-bs23",
"summary": "Two ladies from Scotland, delighted that their request to have an evening with the Master while He was in London had been granted, were warmly received by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. How they relished having this intimate evening! Half an hour passsed…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTwo ladies from Scotland, delighted that their request to have an evening with the Master while He was in London had been granted, were warmly received by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. How they relished having this intimate evening! Half an hour passsed in His warm presence, when suddenly they were filled with consternation -- an aggressive reporter strode into their midst and seated himself -- he wanted information about the Master. His talkative, impolite manner left the ladies speechless -- such an intrusion could spoil that precious evening. Then, to their surprise, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stood up and, beckoning the reporter to follow Him, led the way into His room. The ladies had indeed got rid of the intruder, but they had also lost ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. What were they to do? Before long the hostess went into the Master's secretary and asked that He be informed 'that the ladies with whom the appointment had been made are awaiting His pleasure.' Very soon kind words of farewell were heard. Then the Master returned, pausing by the door. Gravely, He looked at each and said, 'You were making that poor man uncomfortable, so strongly desiring his absence; I took him away to make him feel happy.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 54*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Two ladies had an interview with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in New York City",
"slug": "two-ladies-had-an-interview-with-abdu-l-bah-in-bs4",
"summary": "Two ladies had an interview with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in New York City. Ella Quant wrote about that occasion: ‘He told Margaret He prayed for her parents (who had passed into the life beyond some months before). Her eyes filled with tears and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"laughter"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/laughter"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTwo ladies had an interview with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in New York City. Ella Quant wrote about that occasion: ‘He told Margaret He prayed for her parents (who had passed into the life beyond some months before). Her eyes filled with tears and overflowed; mine then did likewise. The interpreter, perhaps at a loss, shook his head at us and said in an admonishing tone that we should never cry in His presence. It made Him sad. As I looked up, I saw that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s sadness was for us not for Himself for with hands outstretched to calm and protect us, like a mother bird hovering over her young in the next, He explained in English, Laugh! Laugh! I shall never forget that voice, vibrant and powerful beyond any words of mine to express. In that voice I have come to see the power of heaven to rout all negative forces of existence, and in arising to obey that command to find the eternal joy of life.’ The Master could call for laughter even at a time such as that this need not seem strange when one realizes that He saw death as ‘a messenger of joy’.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 172*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/laughter) (Subject: laughter).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Two pilgrims were at the Master’s luncheon table one day in 1908",
"slug": "two-pilgrims-were-at-the-master-s-luncheon-table-bs11",
"summary": "Two pilgrims were at the Master’s luncheon table one day in 1908. He asked them if they were glad to be in Akka and if they were happy. They replied that they were very happy to be there with Him, but unhappy when they thought of their…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"happiness",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/happiness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nTwo pilgrims were at the Master’s luncheon table one day in 1908. He asked them if they were glad to be in Akka and if they were happy. They replied that they were very happy to be there with Him, but unhappy when they thought of their own faults. ‘Think not of yourselves,’ He said, ‘but think of the Bounty of God. This will always make you happy.” Then with a smile He referred to an Arabic saying about the peacock, who ‘is contented because he never looks at his feet which are very ugly but always at his plumage which is very beautiful.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of \"‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/happiness) (Subject: happiness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Under a grove of trees near Lake Michigan, while in Chicago in 1912,…",
"slug": "under-a-grove-of-trees-near-lake-michigan-bs1",
"summary": "Under a grove of trees near Lake Michigan, while in Chicago in 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave intimate and loving counsel to His friends: 'Some of you may have observed that I have not called attention to any of your individual shortcomings. I…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"fault finding"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/fault-finding"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nUnder a grove of trees near Lake Michigan, while in Chicago in 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave intimate and loving counsel to His friends: 'Some of you may have observed that I have not called attention to any of your individual shortcomings. I would suggest to you, that if you shall be similarly considerate in your treatment of each other, it will be greatly conducive to the harmony of your association with each other.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 88*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/fault-finding) (Subject: fault-finding).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Upon His arrival in Jaddih, the Báb donned the pilgrim's garb, mounted a camel,…",
"slug": "upon-his-arrival-in-jaddih-the-b-b-donned-bs7",
"summary": "Upon His arrival in Jaddih, the Báb donned the pilgrim's garb, mounted a camel, and set out on His journey to Mecca [to perform His pilgrimage]. Quddus, however, notwithstanding the repeatedly expressed desire of his Master, preferred to…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Quddús",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"service",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/service"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nUpon His arrival in Jaddih, the Báb donned the pilgrim's garb, mounted a camel, and set out on His journey to Mecca [to perform His pilgrimage]. Quddus, however, notwithstanding the repeatedly expressed desire of his Master, preferred to accompany Him on foot all the way from Jaddih to that holy city. Holding in his hand the bridle of the camel upon which the Báb was riding, he walked along joyously and prayerfully, ministering to his Master's needs, wholly indifferent to the fatigues of his arduous march. Every night, from eventide until the break of day, Quddus, sacrificing comfort and sleep, would continue with unrelaxing vigilance to watch beside his Beloved, ready to provide for His wants and to ensure the means of His protection and safety.”\n\n\n*Source: Nabil, The Dawn-Breakers, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi, p. 132*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/service) (Subject: service).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Very early one morning when the main street of Dublin was almost devoid of…",
"slug": "very-early-one-morning-when-the-main-street-bs32",
"summary": "Very early one morning when the main street of Dublin was almost devoid of people, one of the guests at the hotel glanced out her window and saw ‘Abdu’l-Bahá walking and dictating to His secretary. As they walked, an old man dressed in…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"generosity"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nVery early one morning when the main street of Dublin was almost devoid of people, one of the guests at the hotel glanced out her window and saw ‘Abdu’l-Bahá walking and dictating to His secretary. As they walked, an old man dressed in ragged and very dirty clothes passed by. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent his secretary to fetch the poor fellow. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá appeared to try to cheer up the man and was finally able to coax a wan smile. The old man's trousers were particularly holey. Abruptly, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá laughed and said the man's trousers were not very serviceable. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá quickly stepped into the shadow of the porch and fumbled under His clothes. Moments later, He emerged carrying His trousers which He handed to the unfortunate fellow, saying, \"God go with you\". Then, as though nothing unusual had occurred, He turned to His secretary and continued His morning's work.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 164*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity) (Subject: generosity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "We are told that there was one name that always brought joy to the face of Bahá’u’lláh",
"slug": "we-are-told-that-there-was-one-name-bs2",
"summary": "We are told that there was one name that always brought joy to the face of Bahá’u’lláh. His expression would change at the mention of Mary Magdalen's name. Here was a woman who was transformed 'from the gentle, appealing mistress of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"transformation",
"teaching",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"gentleness",
"joy",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/transformation"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWe are told that there was one name that always brought joy to the face of Bahá’u’lláh. His expression would change at the mention of Mary Magdalen's name. Here was a woman who was transformed 'from the gentle, appealing mistress of Novatus to the saintly disciple of Jesus Christ...' The Master said to Ethel Rosenberg, the first English woman to embrace the Bahá’í Faith in her native land, 'It is said of Mary Magdalen that out of her went seven devils. This means seven evil qualities which Jesus cast out of her by teaching her the Truth. She was not such a bad woman as some suppose before her conversion but the wonder is that such a saint and miracle of purity and goodness could have been created by the New Birth. She was greater than all of the disciples of Jesus because she alone stood firm after His death and never wavered.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 53*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/transformation) (Subject: transformation).*\n"
},
{
"title": "We have found no indication that any of the servants in the household of…",
"slug": "we-have-found-no-indication-that-any-of-bs1",
"summary": "We have found no indication that any of the servants in the household of Bahá’u’lláh were slaves. The only information we have found on this subject is the following extract: My grandfather had many colored maids and servants. When the…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"slaves",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/slaves"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWe have found no indication that any of the servants in the household of Bahá’u’lláh were slaves. The only information we have found on this subject is the following extract:\n\nMy grandfather had many colored maids and servants. When the Blessed Perfection became the head of the family he liberated all of them, and gave them permission to leave or stay, but if they desired to remain it would, of course, be in a different manner. However, all of them, revelling in their new found freedom preferred to leave, except Esfandayar [sic], who remained in household and continued to serve us with proverbial faithfulness and chastity.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Star of the West, volume 9 April 28, 1928, number 3, p. 38*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/slaves) (Subject: slaves).*\n"
},
{
"title": "We journeyed six days, and arrived at Gallipoli, which is on the sea",
"slug": "we-journeyed-six-days-and-arrived-at-gallipoli-bs8",
"summary": "We journeyed six days, and arrived at Gallipoli, which is on the sea. On our arrival at this town we were met with the information that the Governor had a telegraphic order from the Sultan's government directing our separation; that my…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Adrianople",
"lat": 41.6771,
"lng": 26.5557,
"modernName": "Edirne, Turkey"
},
"themes": [
"bahaullah exile",
"exile",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"patience",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-exile"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWe journeyed six days, and arrived at Gallipoli, which is on the sea. On our arrival at this town we were met with the information that the Governor had a telegraphic order from the Sultan's government directing our separation; that my father with one servant was to go to one place, my brother with one servant to another, the family to Constantinople, the other followers to various places. This sudden and unexplained withdrawal of the hard-won concession we had so recently obtained exhausted our patience. We unhesitatingly declared that we would not be separated, and a repetition, in substance, of the events of the last days in Adrianople followed. My brother went to the Governor and told him that we would not submit to separation. 'Do this,' said he, - 'take us out on a steamer and drown us in the ocean. You can thus end at once our sufferings and your perplexities. But we refuse to be separated.' We remained in Gallipoli for a week, in the same horrible suspense which we had experienced at Adrianople. Finally my brother, by his eloquence in argument and power of will, succeeded in gaining for the second time from the Constantinople government the concession that we should remain together.\n\n\n*Source: Myron Henry Phelps and Bahiyyih Khánum, Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi, p. 48-55*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bahaullah-exile) (Subject: bahaullah-exile).*\n"
},
{
"title": "We shall here relate a story that will serve as an example to all",
"slug": "we-shall-here-relate-a-story-that-will-bs1",
"summary": "We shall here relate a story that will serve as an example to all. The Arabian chronicles tell how, at a time prior to the advent of Muhammad, Nu'man son of Mundhir the Lakhmite -- an Arab king in the Days of Ignorance, whose seat of…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"nearness god transforming lives",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"generosity",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 8,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/nearness-god-transforming-lives"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWe shall here relate a story that will serve as an example to all. The Arabian chronicles tell how, at a time prior to the advent of Muhammad, Nu'man son of Mundhir the Lakhmite -- an Arab king in the Days of Ignorance, whose seat of government was the city of Hirih -- had one day returned so often to his wine-cup that his mind clouded over and his reason deserted him. In this drunken and insensible condition he gave orders that his two boon companions, his close and much-loved friends, Khalid son of Mudallil and Amr son of Mas'ud-Kaldih, should be put to death. When he wakened after his carousal, he inquired for the two friends and was given the grievous news. He was sick at heart, and because of his intense love and longing for them, he built two splendid monuments over their two graves and he named these the Smeared-With-Blood.\n\nThen he set apart two days out of the year, in memory of the two companions, and he called one of them the Day of Evil and one the Day of Grace. Every year on these two appointed days he would issue forth with pomp and circumstance and sit between the monuments. If, on the Day of Evil, his eye fell on any soul, that person would be put to death; but on the Day of Grace, whoever passed would be overwhelmed with gifts and benefits. Such was his rule, sealed with a mighty oath and always rigidly observed.\n\nOne day the king mounted his horse, that was called Mahmud, and rode out into the plains to hunt. Suddenly in the distance he caught sight of a wild donkey. Nu'man urged on his horse to overtake it, and galloped away at such speed that he was cut off from his retinue. As night approached, the king was hopelessly lost. Then he made out a tent, far off in the desert, and he turned his horse and headed toward it. When he reached the entrance of the tent he asked, \"Will you receive a guest?\" The owner (who was Hanzala, son of Abi-Ghafray-i-Ta'i) replied, \"Yea.\" He came forward and helped Nu'man to dismount. Then he went to his wife and told her, \"There are clear signs of greatness in the bearing of this person. Do your best to show him hospitality, and make ready a feast.\" His wife said, \"We have a ewe. Sacrifice it. And I have saved a little flour against such a day.\" Hanzala first milked the ewe and carried a bowl of milk to Nu'man, and then he slaughtered her and prepared a meal; and what with his friendliness and loving-kindness, Nu'man spent that night in peace and comfort. When dawn came, Nu'man made ready to leave, and he said to Hanzala: \"You have shown me the utmost generosity, receiving and feasting me. I am Nu'man, son of Mundhir, and I shall eagerly await your arrival at my court.\"\n\nTime passed, and famine fell on the land of Tayy. Hanzala was in dire need and for this reason he sought out the king. By a strange coincidence he arrived on the Day of Evil. Nu'man was greatly troubled in spirit. He began to reproach his friend, saying, \"Why did you come to your friend on this day of all days? For this is the Day of Evil, that is, the Day of Wrath and the Day of Distress. This day, should my eyes alight on Qabus, my only son, he should not escape with his life. Now ask me whatever favor you will.\"\n\nHanzala said: \"I knew nothing of your Day of Evil. As for the gifts of this life, they are meant for the living, and since I at this hour must drink of death, what can all the world's storehouses avail me now?\"\n\nNu'man said, \"There is no help for this.\"\n\nHanzala told him: \"Respite me, then, that I may go back to my wife and make my testament. Next year I shall return, on the Day of Evil.\"\n\nNu'man then asked for a guarantor, so that, if Hanzala should break his word, this guarantor would be put to death instead. Hanzala, helpless and bewildered, looked about him. Then his gaze fell on one of Nu'man's retinue, Sharik, son of Amr, son of Qays of Shayban, and to him he recited these lines: \"O my partner, O son of Amr! Is there any escape from death? O brother of every afflicted one! O brother of him who is brotherless! O brother of Nu'man, in thee today is a surety for the Shaykh. Where is Shayban the noble -- may the All-Merciful favor him!\" But Sharik only answered, \"O my brother, a man cannot gamble with his life.\" At this the victim could not tell where to turn. Then a man named Qarad, son of Adja' the Kalbite stood up and offered himself as a surety, agreeing that, should he fail on the next Day of Wrath to deliver up the victim, the king might do with him, Qarad, as he wished. Nu'man then bestowed five hundred camels on Hanzala, and sent him home.\n\nIn the following year on the Day of Evil, as soon as the true dawn broke in the sky, Nu'man as was his custom set out with pomp and pageantry and made for the two mausoleums called the Smeared-With-Blood. He brought Qarad along, to wreak his kingly wrath upon him. The pillars of the state then loosed their tongues and begged for mercy, imploring the king to respite Qarad until sundown, for they hoped that Hanzala might yet return; but the king's purpose was to spare the life of Hanzala, and to requite his hospitality by putting Qarad to death in his place. As the sun began to set, they stripped off the garments of Qarad, and made ready to sever his head. At that moment a rider appeared in the distance, galloping at top speed. Nu'man said to the swordsman, \"Why delayest thou?\" The ministers said, \"Perchance it is Hanzala who comes.\" And when the rider drew near, they saw it was none other.\n\nNu'man was sorely displeased. He said, \"Thou fool! Thou didst slip away once from the clutching fingers of death; must thou provoke him now a second time?\"\n\nAnd Hanzala answered, \"Sweet in my mouth and pleasant on my tongue is the poison of death, at the thought of redeeming my pledge.\"\n\nNu'man asked, \"What could be the reason for this trustworthiness, this regard for thine obligation and this concern for thine oath?\" And Hanzala answered, \"It is my faith in the one God and in the Books that have come down from heaven.\" Nu'man asked, \"What Faith dost thou profess?\" And Hanzala said, \"It was the holy breaths of Jesus that brought me to life. I follow the straight pathway of Christ, the Spirit of God.\" Nu'man said, \"Let me inhale these sweet aromas of the Spirit.\"\n\nSo it was that Hanzala drew out the white hand of guidance from the bosom of the love of God,[1] and illumined the sight and the insight of the beholders with the Gospel light. After he had in bell-like accents recited some of the divine verses out of the Evangel, Nu'man and all his ministers sickened of their idols and their idol-worship and were confirmed in the Faith of God. And they said, \"Alas, a thousand times alas, that up to now we were careless of this infinite mercy and veiled away therefrom, and were bereft of this rain from the clouds of the grace of God.\" Then straightway the king tore down the two monuments called the Smeared-With-Blood, and he repented of his tyranny and established justice in the land.\n\nObserve how one individual, and he a man of the desert, to outward seeming unknown and of no station -- because he showed forth one of the qualities of the pure in heart, was able to deliver this proud sovereign and a great company of others from the dark night of unbelief and guide them into the morning of salvation; to save them from the perdition of idolatry and bring them to the shores of the oneness of God, and to put an end to practices of the sort which blight a whole society and reduce the peoples to barbarism. One must think deeply over this, and grasp its meaning. \n\n[1 Cf. Qur'án 27:12, referring to Moses: \"Put now thy hand into thy bosom: it shall come forth white ... one of nine signs to Pharaoh and his people....\" Also Qur'án 7:105; 20:23;26:32; and 28:32. Also Exodus 4:6. See too Edward Fitzgerald's The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam: Now the New Year reviving old Desires, The thoughtful Soul to Solitude retires, Where the White Hand of Moses on the Bough Puts out, and Jesus from the Ground suspires. The metaphors here refer to white blossoms and the perfumes of spring.]\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 46-52*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/nearness-god-transforming-lives) (Subject: nearness-god-transforming-lives).*\n"
},
{
"title": "We were all huddled together in one cell, our feet in stocks, and around our…",
"slug": "we-were-all-huddled-together-in-one-cell-bs0",
"summary": "We were all huddled together in one cell, our feet in stocks, and around our necks fastened the most galling of chains. The air we breathed was laden with the foulest impurities, while the floor on which we sat was covered with filth and…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"prison bab",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/prison-bab"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWe were all huddled together in one cell, our feet in stocks, and around our necks fastened the most galling of chains. The air we breathed was laden with the foulest impurities, while the floor on which we sat was covered with filth and infested with vermin. No ray of light was allowed to penetrate that pestilential dungeon or to warm its icy-coldness. We were placed in two rows, each facing the other. We had taught them to repeat certain verses which, every night, they chanted with extreme fervour. 'God is sufficient unto me; He verily is the All-sufficing!' one row would intone, while the other would reply: 'In Him let the trusting trust.' The chorus of these gladsome voices would continue to peal out until the early hours of the morning. Their reverberation would fill the dungeon, and, piercing its massive walls, would reach the ears of Násiri'd-Dín Sháh, whose palace was not far distant from the place where we were imprisoned. 'What means this sound?' he was reported to have exclaimed. 'It is the anthem the Bábís are intoning in their prison,' they replied. The Shah made no further remarks, nor did he attempt to restrain the enthusiasm his prisoners, despite the horrors of their confinement, continued to display.\n\n\n*Source: Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 631-632*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/prison-bab) (Subject: prison-bab).*\n"
},
{
"title": "We were sometimes led in America by dreams and visions,” said Georgia Ralston,…",
"slug": "we-were-sometimes-led-in-america-by-dreams-bs10",
"summary": "We were sometimes led in America by dreams and visions,” said Georgia Ralston, a member of the [Phoebe] Hearst circle. “We had to be. There were no books.” Also, there were no local, national or international Bahá’í bodies then. The…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"dreams"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/dreams"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWe were sometimes led in America by dreams and visions,” said Georgia Ralston, a member of the [Phoebe] Hearst circle. “We had to be. There were no books.” Also, there were no local, national or international Bahá’í bodies then. The individual simply wrote to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, that he believed.\n\n\n*Source: Marzieh Gail, Arches of the Years, p. 51*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/dreams) (Subject: dreams).*\n"
},
{
"title": "We were to learn also that His Presence is a purifying fire",
"slug": "we-were-to-learn-also-that-his-presence-bs2",
"summary": "We were to learn also that His Presence is a purifying fire. The pilgrimage to the Holy City is naught but a crucible in which the souls are tired; where the gold is purified and the dross is consumed. It did not seem possible that…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"fault finding",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"compassion",
"gentleness",
"hope",
"kindness",
"love",
"service",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/fault-finding"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWe were to learn also that His Presence is a purifying fire. The pilgrimage to the Holy City is naught but a crucible in which the souls are tired; where the gold is purified and the dross is consumed. It did not seem possible that anything but love could ever again animate our words and actions. Yet that very afternoon, in my room with two of the believers, I spoke against a brother in the truth, finding fault with him, and giving vent to the evil in my own heart by my words. While we were still sitting together, our Master, who had been visiting the poor and sick, returned, and immediately sent for my spiritual mother, Lua, who was with us. He told her that during His absence one of His servants had spoken unkindly of another, and that it grieved His heart that the believers should not love one another or that they should speak against any soul. Then He charged her not to speak of it but to pray. A little later we all went to supper, and my hard heart was unconscious of its error, until, as my eyes sought the beloved face of my Master, I met His gaze, so full of gentleness and compassion that I was smitten to the heart. For in some marvellous way His eyes spoke to me; in that pure and perfect mirror I saw my wretched self and burst into tears. He took no notice of me for a while and everyone kindly continued with the supper while I sat in His dear Presence washing away some of my sins in tears. After a few moments He turned and smiled on me and spoke my name several times as though He were calling me to Him. In an instant such sweet happiness pervaded my soul, my heart was comforted with such infinite hope, that I knew He would cleanse me of all of my sins.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 63*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/fault-finding) (Subject: fault-finding).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Wendell [Dodge] and I [William Dodge] were so glad to be with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá [in…",
"slug": "wendell-dodge-and-i-william-dodge-were-so-bs12",
"summary": "Wendell [Dodge] and I [William Dodge] were so glad to be with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá [in ‘Akka, in 1901]. At some times we were quite jolly. We were mere boys of 18 and 21. Our interpreter, Ameen Fareed, told us that we must be reverent, that when…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"happiness",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/happiness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWendell [Dodge] and I [William Dodge] were so glad to be with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá [in ‘Akka, in 1901]. At some times we were quite jolly. We were mere boys of 18 and 21. Our interpreter, Ameen Fareed, told us that we must be reverent, that when we entered the presence of the Master we must bow our heads, clasp our hands, avoid smiling. Of course we felt the rebuke. So the next time we entered the dining room, our heads were bowed, our hands clasped, and we did not smile. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed quickly by us. He seemed to ignore us. We felt further rebuked. Returning to our room we wondered why ‘Abdu’l-Bahá seemed different in His attitude toward us. Well, we decided that we were not good actors. So when we entered the dining room for the next meal, we smiled. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá smiled. He came over to us, took us in his arms and said: “That’s the way I want you, boys, to act -- be natural, be happy.”\n\n\n*Source: Excerpt from the transcript of a talk given by William Copeland Dodge relating the account of his pilgrimage to ‘Akka in 1901*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/happiness) (Subject: happiness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "What had happened in Chicago was this: the Syrian, Khayru'llah, had been…",
"slug": "what-had-happened-in-chicago-was-this-the-bs4",
"summary": "What had happened in Chicago was this: the Syrian, Khayru'llah, had been teaching the Cause, adding to the Faith many beliefs of his own, such as reincarnation, dream interpretation, occultism and the like. He had written a book…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"dreams",
"teaching",
"healing",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/dreams"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhat had happened in Chicago was this: the Syrian, Khayru'llah, had been teaching the Cause, adding to the Faith many beliefs of his own, such as reincarnation, dream interpretation, occultism and the like. He had written a book incorporating these beliefs with the Teachings, and had gone to Akka and asked permission to publish it. The Master told him to abandon his superstitious beliefs, saying further that he would become a leading teacher if he would give them up and spread the Faith. But he returned to America and published his book. A rift resulted among the believers; Mirza Abu'l-Fadl and I were sent to heal the rift.\n\nIn Chicago we found Asadu'llah, who had come to America with the two devoted Bahá’í merchants of Egypt
although still a recognized teacher he was busily interpreting dreams for the believers and hemming them in with superstition. After listening to Mirza [Abu'l-Fadl] for awhile, some of the believers said he was ‘cold and intellectual’. They said Asadu'llah was 'spiritual', because he interpreted their dreams. They would walk down the hall, past Mirza's door, and go on to Asadu'llah. They would come and tell us that they were personally led by the spirit, or had had a vision warning them against a fellow-believer, and so forth. (Mirza's name for them was jinn-gir'spook chasers'.)\n\nWe saw that all this occult confusion would lead to divisions among the friends, especially as many of them were not yet well grounded in the Cause. We talked the matter over and decided on the following procedure: when anyone came to us, saying he was guided by the spirit to do thus and so, we would answer, ‘The Universal Spirit is manifested today in Bahá’u’lláh. If you have visions or experiences urging you to some action, weigh this action with the revealed Teachings. If the act conforms with the Teachings, it is true guidance. If not, your experience has been only a dream.’\n\n\n*Source: Marzieh Gail, Dawn Over Mount Hira, pp. 107-108*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/dreams) (Subject: dreams).*\n"
},
{
"title": "What most impressed 'Roy' was the spirit of sacrifice which he found among the…",
"slug": "what-most-impressed-roy-was-the-spirit-of-bs7",
"summary": "What most impressed 'Roy' was the spirit of sacrifice which he found among the Bahá’ís in the 'Most Great Prison'. He noted that, 'Nowhere have I witnessed such love, such perfect harmony. The desire of those in that prison was to serve…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"unity",
"prison"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhat most impressed 'Roy' was the spirit of sacrifice which he found among the Bahá’ís in the 'Most Great Prison'. He noted that, 'Nowhere have I witnessed such love, such perfect harmony. The desire of those in that prison was to serve one another.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 82*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/unity) (Subject: unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When a Turkish man, living in Haifa, lost his position, he, his wife and…",
"slug": "when-a-turkish-man-living-in-haifa-lost-bs1",
"summary": "When a Turkish man, living in Haifa, lost his position, he, his wife and children were in desperate need. They went to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for help and were naturally greatly aided. When the poor man became ill, again the Master stood ready to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"sympathy",
"children",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/sympathy"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen a Turkish man, living in Haifa, lost his position, he, his wife and children were in desperate need. They went to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for help and were naturally greatly aided. When the poor man became ill, again the Master stood ready to help. He provided a doctor, medicine and provisions to make him comfortable. When this man felt he was to die, he asked for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and called his children to him. 'Here', he told the children, 'is your father, who will take care of you when I am gone.'\n\nOne morning four small children arrived at the home of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and announced, 'We want our father.' The Master, hearing their voices, knew who they were. They shared their sorrow with Him -- their own father had died. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá brought them in and gave them drink, sweets and cakes. He then went with them to their home. Their announcement had been premature -- their father had merely fainted, but the next day he passed away. The Master arranged for the funeral and provided food, clothing and travel-tickets for the family to go to Turkey. His sympathetic heart was as wide as the universe.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 66*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/sympathy) (Subject: sympathy).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá came to Boston in May, many people invited Harry Randall to…",
"slug": "when-abdu-l-bah-came-to-boston-in-may-many-bs9",
"summary": "When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá came to Boston in May, many people invited Harry Randall to meet Him, but invariably he said, \"No. I do not care to meet him. I know he is a wonderful man, but I do not care to meet him.\" Finally, someone asked if…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Boston",
"lat": 42.3601,
"lng": -71.0589,
"modernName": "Boston, Massachusetts, USA"
},
"themes": [
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"kindness",
"love",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/transformation"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen ‘Abdu’l-Bahá came to Boston in May, many people invited Harry Randall to meet Him, but invariably he said, \"No. I do not care to meet him. I know he is a wonderful man, but I do not care to meet him.\" Finally, someone asked if Harry would at least go and listen to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, which he agreed to do. Harry did go and listen to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's talk and afterwards, one of the friends asked if he would run to the grocery, buy some grape juice and take it to the Master at the Victoria Hotel. Harry did so, purchasing six bottles of grape juice, and took them to the hotel. He gave them to a Persian man who soon returned with a glass of juice on a tray and asked, You've been so kind as to get this grape juice for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Mr. Randall, would you take it in to Him yourself?\" This is the last thing Harry wanted to do because he had an \"inner warning\" not to, that he thought that would be discourteous so he accepted the tray. When he arrived at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's room, he hoped to just put the tray on a table and escape. At first, it looked as though he might be able to do just that since ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was sitting in the center of a large room with his eyes closed. Harry didn't want to disturb the Master, but finally said, \"Here is the glass of grape juice.\" ‘Abdu’l-Bahá opened his eyes and told Harry to put it on the table and that He would have it with His dinner. Harry turned and walked to the door, thinking that he was going to escape when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá suddenly said, \"Sit down.\"\n\nHarry later wrote: it was said in a most commanding manner which invited no argument. Although His eyes were closed again, I Sat. I waited. And I waited. I was not used to being kept waiting and I was getting angry clear through. I felt I had almost been trapped, so to speak. Pretty soon it seemed to me that every part of my body had gone to sleep. I had that same prickling all over my body. I had it in my arms and legs and I was feeling very uncomfortable and getting angrier and angrier all the time. The clock ticked the minutes away and I looked over at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and said to myself: He is gone sound asleep and I have to wait here! I did not know then that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was wide awake and I was sound asleep. The minutes ticked away and finally I said to myself: I have got sit here. I do not dare go now. I have practically consented by sitting down to stay. Suddenly I thought, here I am in the presence of the tired old man and I cannot remain reposefull for 10 min. What good is my study of all the religions of the world done for me? When I thought this I became quiet and the prickly sensation left me and I was at peace. Well, in about 20 min. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said to me: \"You have just been wasting your time listening to the murmur of the leaves that have fallen off the tree of life. If you want life you must become a leaf upon the tree of life . . . Great is the power of the intellect but until it becomes the servant of the heart it is of little avail.\" He arose and held my hands and looked into my face and stroked me, all in silence for some time. Then He spoke softly in Persian and my mind heard this in English: \"Great is the power of the intellect but it is dead without love. It needs the vivifying fragrance of love to make it the servant of God.\" He then blessed me and said, \"Be happy\".\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 174-175*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/transformation) (Subject: transformation).*\n"
},
{
"title": "'When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá first arrived in England, he was the guest of a friend in a…",
"slug": "when-abdu-l-bah-first-arrived-in-england-he-was-bs5",
"summary": "'When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá first arrived in England, he was the guest of a friend in a village not far from London. The evident poverty around him in this wealthy country distressed him greatly. He would walk out in the town, garbed in his white…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "London",
"lat": 51.5074,
"lng": -0.1278,
"modernName": "London, UK"
},
"themes": [
"abdul baha and children",
"children",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity",
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-and-children"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n'When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá first arrived in England, he was the guest of a friend in a village not far from London. The evident poverty around him in this wealthy country distressed him greatly. He would walk out in the town, garbed in his white turban and long Persian coat, and all eyes were centered upon this strange visitor, who, the people had been told, was \"a holy man from the East\". Naturally the children were attracted to him, followed him, pulled at his coat, or his hand, and were immediately taken into his arms and caressed. This delighted them, of course, and children are never afraid of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, but what pleased and amazed them still more was that when they were put down, they found in their little hands a shilling or sixpence from the capacious pockets of \"the holy Man's\" long coat. Such bits of silver were a rarity in their experience, and they ran home with joy to tell the tale of the generous stranger from the Orient, possessed apparently of an endless store of shining sixpences. 'The children crowded after him and so many sixpences were dispensed that the friend who entertained ‘Abdu’l-Bahá became alarmed, and talked the matter over with Miss Robarts, who was also a guest in the house. \"It is a shame!\" they said indignantly. \"He comes to us accepting nothing, and is giving to our people all the time! It must not go on!\"\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 73*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-and-children) (Subject: abdul-baha-and-children).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá met Admiral Peary, North Pole explorer, while the Master was…",
"slug": "when-abdu-l-bah-met-admiral-peary-north-pole-explorer-bs3",
"summary": "When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá met Admiral Peary, North Pole explorer, while the Master was in America, He said, ‘I hope you will explore the invisibilities of the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"spiritual life"
],
"virtues": [
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/spiritual-life"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen ‘Abdu’l-Bahá met Admiral Peary, North Pole explorer, while the Master was in America, He said, ‘I hope you will explore the invisibilities of the Kingdom.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 116*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/spiritual-life) (Subject: spiritual-life).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was asked at one time what He thought about women’s fashions",
"slug": "when-abdu-l-bah-was-asked-at-one-time-what-bs0",
"summary": "When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was asked at one time what He thought about women’s fashions. He replied simply: ‘We do not look upon the dresses of women, whether or not they are of the latest mode. We are not the judge of fashions. We rather judge the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"virtue",
"women"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/virtue"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was asked at one time what He thought about women’s fashions. He replied simply: ‘We do not look upon the dresses of women, whether or not they are of the latest mode. We are not the judge of fashions. We rather judge the wearer of dresses. If she be chaste, if she be cultured, if she be characterized with heavenly morality, and if she be favored at the Threshold of God, she is honored and respected by us, no matter what manner of dress she wears. We have nothing to do with the ever-changing world of modes.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/virtue) (Subject: virtue).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was first in Chicago it, was Spring and He was eager to go to the zoo",
"slug": "when-abdu-l-bah-was-first-in-chicago-it-was-bs2",
"summary": "When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was first in Chicago it, was Spring and He was eager to go to the zoo. He had never seen a large city zoo, and He was very merry over the prospect. Then it was explained to Him that, this being the Spring of the year,…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"abdul baha animals"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-animals"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was first in Chicago it, was Spring and He was eager to go to the zoo. He had never seen a large city zoo, and He was very merry over the prospect. Then it was explained to Him that, this being the Spring of the year, most of the animal-mothers would be bearing litters and, at the first approach of a stranger, they'd rush their babies into safe hiding. This did not perturb ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at all. He wanted to go anyhow. So a group of five or six of the Friends took Him. He motioned to them to stay a little behind and He went forward all alone. And, as He approached each cage, the small animal-mother brought out all her babies to show Him, then hurried them back to safety and protection from the following Friends.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 38-39*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-baha-animals) (Subject: abdul-baha-animals).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in San Francisco, His hostess arranged an interview with…",
"slug": "when-abdu-l-bah-was-in-san-francisco-his-hostess-bs23",
"summary": "When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in San Francisco, His hostess arranged an interview with the Mayor of Berkeley. Many dignitaries and university people were to gather at a reception. 'As the appointed hour for departure approached the hostess went…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"intuition",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"patience"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in San Francisco, His hostess arranged an interview with the Mayor of Berkeley. Many dignitaries and university people were to gather at a reception. 'As the appointed hour for departure approached the hostess went upstairs to warn ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that the time was near. He smiled and waved her away, saying, \"Very soon! Very soon!\" 'She left him with some impatience, for there was no evidence of preparation for the trip. After some time she went up again, for the automobile was honking at the door, and it looked as if the Mayor of Berkeley would be kept waiting. But she met only a smile, and \"Very soon! Very soon!\" from the important guest. At last her patience was quite exhausted for she knew that they could not possibly arrive at the reception in time. Suddenly there was a ring at the door bell. Immediately ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's step was on the stair, and when the door opened he was beside the maid, pulling over the threshold a dusty and disheveled man whom no one had ever heard of, but whom ‘Abdu’l-Bahá embraced like a long lost friend.' He had read of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the newspapers and felt he must see Him, but as he did not have enough money for the car fare, he walked the fifteen miles into San Francisco. Had ‘Abdu’l-Bahá left on time, they would have missed each other -- but the Master had 'felt his approach' and would not leave until His guest was seated at the table with tea and sandwiches. Only then could the Master say, 'Now I must go, but when you have finished, wait for Me in My room upstairs, until I return, and then we will have a great talk.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 56*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition) (Subject: intuition).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1913, He related an incident…",
"slug": "when-abdu-l-bah-was-in-stuttgart-germany-in-1913-bs29",
"summary": "When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1913, He related an incident from His early childhood: ‘It is good to be a spreader of the Teachings of God in childhood. I was a teacher in this Cause at the age of this child (eight or…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"children"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1913, He related an incident from His early childhood: ‘It is good to be a spreader of the Teachings of God in childhood. I was a teacher in this Cause at the age of this child (eight or nine years). This reminds me of a story. There was a man, highly educated, but not a Bahá’í. I, but a child, was to make of him a believer. The brother of this man brought him to me. I stayed with him, to teach him. He said, “I am not convinced, I am not satisfied.” I answered, “If water were offered to a thirsty one, he would drink and be satisfied. He would take the glass. But you are not thirsty. Were you thirsty, then you too would be satisfied. A man with seeing eyes sees. I can speak of the sun to every seeing one, and say it is a sign of the day; but a blind person would not be convinced because he cannot see the sun. If I say to a man with good hearing, listen to the beautiful music, he would then listen and be made happy thereby. But if you play the most beautiful music in the presence of a deaf man, he would hear nothing. Now go and receive seeing eyes and hearing ears, then I will speak further with you on this subject.” He went; but later he returned. Then he understood and became a good Bahá’í. This happened when I was very young.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 118*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching) (Subject: teaching).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When Anna and Jakob Kunz were on pilgrimage in 1921, the Master said to them,…",
"slug": "when-anna-and-jakob-kunz-were-on-pilgrimage-bs3",
"summary": "When Anna and Jakob Kunz were on pilgrimage in 1921, the Master said to them, ‘Everything must be done moderately. Excess is not desirable. Do not go to extremes. Even in thinking do not go to excess but be…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"moderation",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/moderation"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen Anna and Jakob Kunz were on pilgrimage in 1921, the Master said to them, ‘Everything must be done moderately. Excess is not desirable. Do not go to extremes. Even in thinking do not go to excess but be moderate.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 114*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/moderation) (Subject: moderation).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When Aqa Ali Akbar was on his way to embark from Haifa, the Governor ordered…",
"slug": "when-aqa-ali-akbar-was-on-his-way-bs6",
"summary": "When Aqa Ali Akbar was on his way to embark from Haifa, the Governor ordered his effects to be brought back and himself prevented from leaving! This was indeed very strange. The Governor then had his effects minutely examined, and the only…",
"figures": [
"Ali-Kuli Khan"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"enemies",
"pilgrimage"
],
"virtues": [
"kindness",
"truthfulness",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/enemies"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen Aqa Ali Akbar was on his way to embark from Haifa, the Governor ordered his effects to be brought back and himself prevented from leaving! This was indeed very strange. The Governor then had his effects minutely examined, and the only 'objectionable thing' they could find was a page bearing, 'Ya Bahá-ul-Abhá!' They took this away, as if he should not be allowed to possess such an article! The Consul protested to the Governor for such treatment of foreign subjects, stating the Bahá’ís to be Persian subjects and entitled to equally good treatment with other foreigners. The Governor answered that the Bahá’ís were not to be classed with other foreign subjects; that they were hated by the Persian Government and it was not advisable for him, the Consul, to make a plea for their favor. \"But see God's power! Some time after, this very Governor fell into a strange plight and was found in a helpless position; but overlooking his behavior towards the Bahá’ís, I treated him with kindness during his troubles. I even made him the present of an Aba (robe). I showed him so much affection that he began to doubt my having the least knowledge of his ill-treatment of the Bahá’ís during the days of his authority. He imagined himself to have used such diplomacy by which his acts of sedition against us had remained unknown to us. For how could he, other-wise, think it possible that we would treat him as a friend and show him kindness in the days of his trials? To be brief; When he was for personal reasons arrested and imprisoned by the order of the government, and no one dared associate with him, I expressed sympathy for him by sending him word that I would have even called on him in person had I not thought it probable that, at this juncture, this might give his enemies further occasion to do him harm. In truth nothing is sweeter in man's taste than to do good toward those who have done him ill. For, whenever one remembers such kindness to one's enemies, one feels highly rejoiced. In short, I showed kindness to each one of the officials who, during those days of trouble, had ill-treated the friends. They found my kindness to them so unexpected that they imagined me ignorant of their former deeds. And I never displayed the slightest sign of my knowledge thereof, lest they might be confused and feel ashamed.\n\n\n*Source: Pilgrim Notes of Ali Kuli Khan, p. 47-48*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/enemies) (Subject: enemies).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When, as the guest of Lady Blomfield, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sat down to dinner on…",
"slug": "when-as-the-guest-of-lady-blomfield-abdu-l-bah-bs26",
"summary": "When, as the guest of Lady Blomfield, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sat down to dinner on Christmas eve, He said, playfully, that He was not hungry, but He had to come to the dinner table because Lady Blomfield was very insistent; two despotic monarchs of…",
"figures": [
"Lady Blomfield",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen, as the guest of Lady Blomfield, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sat down to dinner on Christmas eve, He said, playfully, that He was not hungry, but He had to come to the dinner table because Lady Blomfield was very insistent; two despotic monarchs of the East had not been able to command Him and bend His will, but the ladies of America and Europe, because they were free, gave Him orders.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 176*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/hospitality) (Subject: hospitality).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When Bahá’u’lláh along with His family and a number of His companions were…",
"slug": "when-bah-u-ll-h-along-with-his-family-and-a-bs1",
"summary": "When Bahá’u’lláh along with His family and a number of His companions were travelling from Baghdad to Constantinople an incident took place near the city of Mardin which provides us with a wonderful example of Bahá’u’lláh's high sense of…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Hasan Balyuzi"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"justice",
"family"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/justice"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen Bahá’u’lláh along with His family and a number of His companions were travelling from Baghdad to Constantinople an incident took place near the city of Mardin which provides us with a wonderful example of Bahá’u’lláh's high sense of justice, a principle greatly stressed in His Revelation. The caravan had encamped for the night at a small village below the town. “There, during the night, two mules, belonging to an Arab travelling with the caravan, were stolen. The owner was beside himself with grief. Bahá’u’lláh asked the official who accompanied the caravan to try and find the missing animals. Other officials were called in, but no animal was forthcoming. As the caravan was on the point of departing, the poor Arab went crying to Bahá’u’lláh. ‘You are leaving,’ he moaned, ‘and I shall never get back my beasts.’ Bahá’u’lláh immediately called off the resumption of the journey. ‘We will go to Firdaws [a nearby estate] and stay there’, He said, ‘until this man's mules are found and restored to him.’ “. . . The Mutasarrif [local Governor] threatened the headman of the village, where the mules had been stolen, with imprisonment if the animals were not found. The headman offered a sum of money in lieu of the mules. But Bahá’u’lláh insisted that the Arab was entitled to have his beasts restored to him. On the second day the headman came with a promissory note guaranteed by higher officials, offering to pay 60 pounds within a month, the value of the two mules. But Bahá’u’lláh refused this offer too. Then the headman realized that the game was up, sent for the animals and gave them to their distraught owner. People were amazed, for such a thing had never happened before. No stolen property had ever been retrieved, nor restitution made to the rightful owner. Aqa Husayn-i-Ashchi, in his reminiscences some four decades later, recalled that various officials went to Bahá’u’lláh to speak of the part they had played in retrieving the beasts and received suitable rewards. The Mutasarrif was given a costly cashmere shawl, the Mufti an illuminated copy of the Qur'an, the head of the horsemen a sword with bejewelled scabbard.”\n\n\n*Source: Hasan Balyuzi, King of Glory, p. 187-188*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/justice) (Subject: justice).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When Bahá’u’lláh lived at Bahji and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at Akka the Master would…",
"slug": "when-bah-u-ll-h-lived-at-bahji-and-abdu-l-bah-bs1",
"summary": "When Bahá’u’lláh lived at Bahji and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at Akka the Master would visit His Father once a week. He liked to do this on foot and when asked why He did not ride to Bahji He responded by asking, ‘
who am I that I should ride where…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"selfless",
"family"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/selfless"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen Bahá’u’lláh lived at Bahji and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at Akka the Master would visit His Father once a week. He liked to do this on foot and when asked why He did not ride to Bahji He responded by asking, ‘
who am I that I should ride where the Lord Christ walked?’ However, His Father requested Him to ride, so in order to comply the Master rode out of Akka, but when He sighted Bahá’u’lláh’s Mansion, He dismounted. Bahá’u’lláh used to watch for His approach from His second-floor window and as soon as He saw Him coming. He would joyously tell His family to go out to meet Him.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/selfless) (Subject: selfless).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When Corinne True was on pilgrimage in 1907, she brought with her a petition…",
"slug": "when-corinne-true-was-on-pilgrimage-in-1907-bs3",
"summary": "When Corinne True was on pilgrimage in 1907, she brought with her a petition from the Chicago House of Spirituality (an early form of what would become a Bahá’í Spiritual Assembly), with the list of signatures of those who wish to build a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"temples",
"pilgrimage",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/temples"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen Corinne True was on pilgrimage in 1907, she brought with her a petition from the Chicago House of Spirituality (an early form of what would become a Bahá’í Spiritual Assembly), with the list of signatures of those who wish to build a Bahá’í House of Worship, the Mashriqu'l Adhkar. It was a rather audacious proposal from such a small group who really had no idea how audacious the idea actually was . . . After Mrs. True described the countryside around Chicago, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told her that the Temple should be located away from the busy center of the city, but close to the shore of Lake Michigan because of the beauty of a lakeside location. He told her, first the building, with nine sides, in the middle; then a circular court about that; leading from the circle would be nine avenues; between each a garden, and in the middle of each garden a fountain of water. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá also told her that the project would cause her to suffer and be misunderstood, and that she would have to pray for strength. When she asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá what He wanted her to do upon her return, He replied, \"I wish you to live in Chicago. I wish you to work for the Mashriqu'l Adhkar.\" The Master then took her hand and she felt as though a great power was pulsing through her.\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 110*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/temples) (Subject: temples).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When Elizabeth Cheney finally reached the end of her journey, further disaster…",
"slug": "when-elizabeth-cheney-finally-reached-the-end-of-bs24",
"summary": "When Elizabeth Cheney finally reached the end of her journey, further disaster awaited her. She had been given letters of introduction to various people political leaders, editors, and so on - who, it was hoped, might be of assistance to…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"intuition",
"exile",
"prison",
"teaching"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen Elizabeth Cheney finally reached the end of her journey, further disaster awaited her. She had been given letters of introduction to various people political leaders, editors, and so on - who, it was hoped, might be of assistance to her. But, during the course of this delayed journey, there had been a revolution and all of the men to whom Elizabeth carried her letters were either in prison or in exile or hiding. She met with nothing but shrugs and smiles and closed lips. No doors were open to her; she was blocked at every turn. So, once again, she retired to pray and to meditate. Then, knowing that prayer must be followed by action, she went out to walk the streets, praying as she walked for guidance. Her steps were slow and hesitant in order that, when guidance came, she might not be distracted by her own haste. At last - still with no answer to her prayers that might guide her - she found herself away from the heart of the city and in a broad avenue lined with spacious lawns and gardens surrounding beautiful homes. Here her steps slowed and she became aware of her own sharpened attention as if the time had come for her to listen carefully. And finally her steps stopped completely. There was no further urge to go on. She stood quite still and looked around her. She was standing beside a tall wrought-iron fence, and beyond the fence, beyond a low hedge, there was a man, kneeling beside a bed of flowers. Elizabeth not knowing what else to do - stood quietly and watched him. She saw him start, as he realized he was being watched, then he stood up, dusted his knees and walked toward her. And in her halting Spanish Elizabeth heard herself mentioning the name of one of the men to whom she'd been given a letter. The man showed great surprise, but Elizabeth went on talking, telling him why she had come - giving him the Message. Finally, bowing and smiting he left her - and Elizabeth waited. In a few moments the man returned to open the gates and usher her into the house, where the man to whom her letter was addressed was in careful hiding and was waiting to receive her. This was the turning point for Elizabeth - from then on her way was easier and her teaching successful.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 12*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/intuition) (Subject: intuition).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When Hand of the Cause Ruhiyyih Khanum came to NZ, and was in the south island,…",
"slug": "when-hand-of-the-cause-ruhiyyih-khanum-came-bs17",
"summary": "When Hand of the Cause Ruhiyyih Khanum came to NZ, and was in the south island, I attended a meeting with her, and there was only one seat when i arrived. Ruhiyyih Khanum invited me to sit next to her. During the course of the talk, I was…",
"figures": [
"Rúhíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"miracles",
"women",
"children"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen Hand of the Cause Ruhiyyih Khanum came to NZ, and was in the south island, I attended a meeting with her, and there was only one seat when i arrived. Ruhiyyih Khanum invited me to sit next to her. During the course of the talk, I was unable to concentrate on her talk as I was in extreme pain from what was thought to be an ectopic pregnancy. She must have sensed that something was wrong, for she reached around to my back and started rubbing up and down my back, the pain eased and when i returned to Timaru, the doctor said that all was well. She always knew when women were pregnant. There are lots of little Ruhiyyih's in many different countries. Hahaha. I was told that I would die if I had a child, and so I wrote a will and went ahead with it. I did not believe in having an abortion, so I was willing to die if need be able to have a daughter. I did. Born normally. I named her \"Happiness is a gift of God\" She was certainly touched by a Hand.\n\n\n*Source: Tricia Hague-Barrett? in \"Touched by the Hands\" on Facebook*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles) (Subject: miracles).*\n"
},
{
"title": "'When He reached the Occident, however, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá faced a condition which…",
"slug": "when-he-reached-the-occident-however-abdu-l-bah-faced-bs4",
"summary": "'When He reached the Occident, however, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá faced a condition which troubled Him greatly, because it was beyond His power to assuage the misery He saw constantly about Him. Housed luxuriously at Cadogan Gardens, London, He knew…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"poverty"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/poverty"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\n'When He reached the Occident, however, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá faced a condition which troubled Him greatly, because it was beyond His power to assuage the misery He saw constantly about Him. Housed luxuriously at Cadogan Gardens, London, He knew that within a stone's throw of Him were people who had never had enough to eat -- and in New York there was exactly the same situation. These things made Him exceedingly sad, and He said: \"The time will come in the near future when humanity will become so much more sensitive than at present that the man of great wealth will not enjoy his luxury, in comparison with the deplorable poverty about him. He will be forced, for his own happiness, to expend his wealth to procure better conditions for the community in which he lives.\"'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 67*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/poverty) (Subject: poverty).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When He was here in America in 1912 He spoke in many places and, as we read…",
"slug": "when-he-was-here-in-america-in-1912-bs31",
"summary": "When He was here in America in 1912 He spoke in many places and, as we read these talks in the Promulgation of Universal Peace, it is very often noticeable how much He repeats Himself, approaching the point He wishes to make from many…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"women"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen He was here in America in 1912 He spoke in many places and, as we read these talks in the Promulgation of Universal Peace, it is very often noticeable how much He repeats Himself, approaching the point He wishes to make from many angles. One evening a woman, after telling Him how much she had enjoyed His Talk, complained of this. He smiled at her gently. \"And what is it I repeat?\" He asked. Of course she couldn't tell Him.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 37*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching) (Subject: teaching).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When, however, he realized that his deed had been exposed, he seized the pen of…",
"slug": "when-however-he-realized-that-his-deed-had-bs0",
"summary": "When, however, he realized that his deed had been exposed, he seized the pen of calumny and wrote unto the servants of God, attributing what he had himself committed unto Mine own peerless and wronged Beauty. His purpose was none other…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"envy"
],
"virtues": [
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/envy"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen, however, he realized that his deed had been exposed, he seized the pen of calumny and wrote unto the servants of God, attributing what he had himself committed unto Mine own peerless and wronged Beauty. His purpose was none other than to inspire mischief amongst God's servants, and to instil hatred into the hearts of those who had believed in God, the All-Glorious, the All-Loving . . . Nor did he find respite from what he harboured in his bosom until he had committed that which no pen dare describe, and by which he disgraced the dignity of My station and profaned the sanctity of God, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the All-Praised. Were God to turn all the oceans of the earth into ink and all created things into pens, they would not suffice Me to exhaust the record of his wrongdoings. Thus do We recount that which befell Us, that haply ye may be of them that understand.\n\n\n*Source: Bahá’u’lláh, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 16*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/envy) (Subject: envy).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When I first arrived in the Holy Land, there were two or three things about the…",
"slug": "when-i-first-arrived-in-the-holy-land-bs1",
"summary": "When I first arrived in the Holy Land, there were two or three things about the Guardian that impressed me very much. And one was, particularly, the size of the Guardian. Now in the West, for you people who haven’t been in the West, we’ve…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Shoghi Effendi",
"the Báb",
"Bahíyyih Khánum",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"shoghi effendi",
"women",
"children",
"holy-land"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/shoghi-effendi"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen I first arrived in the Holy Land, there were two or three things about the Guardian that impressed me very much. And one was, particularly, the size of the Guardian. Now in the West, for you people who haven’t been in the West, we’ve come to associate the idea of majesty and greatness with size. The man had to be a great man, had to be a big man, six feet tall, big shoulders, and so on. Shoghi Effendi was a very and refined man. He was small in stature. He was so refined and delicate. His features, his nose, his eyes, his hands, every one of his features was so delicate, so refined, and so perfect that you could realize that the power when he spoke was not of the man, Shoghi Effendi, but was the power of the Spirit coming through him. He was a channel that God used. He was not just a man sitting there. I used to sit and marvel, the Guardian, so refined, so delicate, so beautiful, and yet the power with which he spoke! And when he would speak about the power of the Cause of God the building was shaking, the whole thing was shaking. It was a tremendous experience to see how God could use a chosen instrument to speak through, and to work through, and to disseminate His Will and His Power throughout the world.\n\nShoghi Effendi was about the size or smaller than ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. You’ve all seen pictures of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Shoghi Effendi was smaller than ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He looked quite a bit like ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and he walked like the Master; he had the same stance as the Master. One time I was walking along the top of the Shrine of the Báb, (we were building the Shrine) and I looked down, and the Guardian was coming into the garden and the sun was shining on him, and as I looked down, I said, “Good gracious, there is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.” And then I looked down again, of course, it was the Guardian. But if he had had a white beard on him, I would have sworn it was the Master, because it was the same walk, the same stance, the same look.\n\nHe had the same features in his face, generally, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, which means he had quite a few of the same features as Bahá’u’lláh. When you see the pictures of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, you’ll see some of those features. The construction of the eyes was like the Báb. You know that he was a descendant of both Bahá’u’lláh and of the Báb.\n\nAnd his hands, most delicate and graceful hands, the fact of the matter is that when he was a child, the Greatest Holy Leaf, who was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s sister, and who we look upon as the most holy and most perfect woman in the Bahá’í world, the Greatest Holy Leaf used to hold him in her lap and hold his hands and she’d say, these are the hands of Bahá’u’lláh. The Guardian was always a very serious, and yet a very delightful character. Even when he was small, he showed his signs of power and greatness. And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá used to insist that everyone called him Shoghi Effendi. They were never allowed to call him Shoghi, like you do with children, using just his first name, but He insisted that they use his title of Effendi, Shoghi Effendi. Even his father and mother had to call him Shoghi Effendi. And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá used to call him Shoghi Effendi. And always, they used to say, he would pat him on the head and call him his little House of Justice, to show that even from childhood, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had indicated that he would be the successor to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and would become the head of the Faith.\n\n\n*Source: In the Days of the Guardian a Talk by Hand of the Cause of God Leroy Ioas in Johannesburg, South Africa, 1958*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/shoghi-effendi) (Subject: shoghi-effendi).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When my father fell desperately ill in the winter of 1949-50 his condition was…",
"slug": "when-my-father-fell-desperately-ill-in-the-bs0",
"summary": "When my father fell desperately ill in the winter of 1949-50 his condition was despaired of by his doctors. He reached a point where he seemed to have no conscious mind left, could not recognize me, his only and idolized child, at all, and…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"soul",
"children",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/soul"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen my father fell desperately ill in the winter of 1949-50 his condition was despaired of by his doctors. He reached a point where he seemed to have no conscious mind left, could not recognize me, his only and idolized child, at all, and had no more control over himself than if he were six months old. If I had needed any convincing on the subject of whether man has a soul or not I received conclusive proof of its existence at that time. When Shoghi Effendi would come in to see my father, although he could not speak, and gave no conscious sign whatever of the Guardian's nearness, a flutter, a tremor, some reaction wholly ephemeral but nevertheless visible, would pass over him because of the very presence of Shoghi Effendi.\n\n\n*Source: Rúhíyyih Khánum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 155*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/soul) (Subject: soul).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When my father fell desperately ill in the winter of 1949-50 his condition was…",
"slug": "when-my-father-fell-desperately-ill-in-the-bs16",
"summary": "When my father fell desperately ill in the winter of 1949-50 his condition was despaired of by his doctors. He reached a point where he seemed to have no conscious mind left, could not recognize me, his only and idolized child, at all, and…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"the Báb",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum",
"William Sutherland Maxwell"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"miracles",
"children",
"healing",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"hope"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen my father fell desperately ill in the winter of 1949-50 his condition was despaired of by his doctors. He reached a point where he seemed to have no conscious mind left, could not recognize me, his only and idolized child, at all, and had no more control over himself than if he were six months old. If I had needed any convincing on the subject of whether man has a soul or not I received conclusive proof of its existence at that time. When Shoghi Effendi would come in to see my father, although he could not speak, and gave no conscious sign whatever of the Guardian's nearness, a flutter, a tremor, some reaction wholly ephemeral but nevertheless visible, would pass over him because of the very presence of Shoghi Effendi. It was so extraordinary and so evident that his nurse (the best in Haifa) also noticed it was greatly puzzled by it. It went against all laws of the mind, which, as it fades, remembers the distant past more vividly than the immediate past. Shoghi Effendi determined my father should not die. At his insistence, when no one, including me, had the slightest hope, we took him with his nurse to Switzerland, where he rapidly recovered under the care of our own doctor, a recovery so complete that a few weeks later, when his new Swiss nurse and I took him for his first drive and he caught sight of a cafe in the midst of a garden, he promptly invited us to go in and have tea with him - an offer I accepted with feelings of wonder and gratitude that are indescribable. It was after this healing had taken place that the Guardian, in a message to America sent in July 1950, reporting progress in the construction of the Shrine of the Báb, was moved to allude to these events: \"My gratitude is deepened by the miraculous recovery of its gifted architect, Sutherland Maxwell, whose illness was pronounced hopeless by physicians.\"\n\n\n*Source: Rúhíyyih Khánum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 155*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/miracles) (Subject: miracles).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When once someone complained of Lua to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, He turned to the person…",
"slug": "when-once-someone-complained-of-lua-to-abdu-l-bah-bs3",
"summary": "When once someone complained of Lua to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, He turned to the person who had made the criticism and with a benign smile, said, ‘But she loves her…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"fault finding"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/fault-finding"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen once someone complained of Lua to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, He turned to the person who had made the criticism and with a benign smile, said, ‘But she loves her Lord.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 164*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/fault-finding) (Subject: fault-finding).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When religious fanaticism was aroused against a person or persons, who were…",
"slug": "when-religious-fanaticism-was-aroused-against-a-person-bs5",
"summary": "When religious fanaticism was aroused against a person or persons, who were accused of being infidels, as was now the case with the Bábís, it was customary not simply to condemn them to death and have them executed by the State…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"bullying",
"the-covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/bullying"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen religious fanaticism was aroused against a person or persons, who were accused of being infidels, as was now the case with the Bábís, it was customary not simply to condemn them to death and have them executed by the State executioner, but to hand the victims over to various classes of the populace. The butchers had their methods of torture; the bakers theirs; the shoemakers and blacksmiths yet others of their own. They were all given opportunities of carrying out their pitiless inventions on the Bábís. The fanatics became more and more infuriated when they failed to quench the amazing spirit of these fearless, devoted ones, who remained unflinching, chanting prayers, asking God to pardon and bless their murderers, and praising Him, as long as they were able to breathe. The mob crowded to these fearful scenes, and yelled their execrations, whilst all through the fiendish work, a drum was loudly beaten.\n\n\n*Source: Hasan M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Centre of the Covenant, p. 40-41*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/bullying) (Subject: bullying).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When Shoghi Effendi completed the construction of the Shrine of the Báb on…",
"slug": "when-shoghi-effendi-completed-the-construction-of-the-bs0",
"summary": "When Shoghi Effendi completed the construction of the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel, he decided to place a piece of plaster from the cell in which the Báb had been imprisoned in the Castle of Mah-Ku, where he had been denied even a…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"shrine bab"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/shrine-bab"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen Shoghi Effendi completed the construction of the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel, he decided to place a piece of plaster from the cell in which the Báb had been imprisoned in the Castle of Mah-Ku, where he had been denied even a lamp, underneath one of the tiles in the dome of the Shrine. The Hand of the Cause Leroy Ioas, with the assistance of a workman, prepared a place for the silver case containing the plaster. Shoghi Effendi approached the Shrine, and Mr. Ioas wished to precede him in climbing up the scaffolding, to test its strength, but the Guardian said, \"You forget, I am a mountaineer.\"\n\n\n*Source: Anita Ioas Chapman, Leroy Ioas, Hand of the Cause of God, p. 224*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/shrine-bab) (Subject: shrine-bab).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When Shoghi Effendi was beginning to write The Advent of Divine Justice he was…",
"slug": "when-shoghi-effendi-was-beginning-to-write-the-bs0",
"summary": "When Shoghi Effendi was beginning to write The Advent of Divine Justice he was one day expatiating on this theme and suddenly stated that the United States was the most corrupt country politically in the world. I was simply stupefied by…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"Rúḥíyyih Khánum"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"democracy",
"healing",
"administration"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"justice",
"service",
"truthfulness",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/democracy"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen Shoghi Effendi was beginning to write The Advent of Divine Justice he was one day expatiating on this theme and suddenly stated that the United States was the most corrupt country politically in the world. I was simply stupefied by this remark as I had always taken it for granted that it was because of our system of democracy and our political prominence that God had chosen us 362 to build His Administrative Order! I ventured to remonstrate and said surely Persia was more corrupt politically. He said no, America was the most corrupt politically. He must have seen in my face how hard and unbelievable this new idea was for me to accept for he suddenly pointed his finger at me and said: \"Swallow it, it is good for you.\" I swallowed it and kept silent and as he elaborated this theme, and when he wrote his memorable passages on it, and, indeed, in the course of years, I came to see clearly how he was enunciating, clarifying from the teachings, great spiritual laws and truths in which lie healing and strength for us if we but grasp them. We derive no advantage, as Bahá’ís, from having the wrong concepts, from colouring the teachings of the Divine Educator with our limited, prejudiced, environment-produced ideas. Nothing is improved or rendered more serviceable by distortion. That is why I think of these great themes, these statements of truth given us by the Guardian, as guiding lines of thought which enable us to see things as they are and obtain a correct understanding of our Faith.\n\n\n*Source: Rúhíyyih Khánum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 361*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/democracy) (Subject: democracy).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When the British arrived in Haifa, where the blockade had caused a perilous…",
"slug": "when-the-british-arrived-in-haifa-where-the-bs4",
"summary": "When the British arrived in Haifa, where the blockade had caused a perilous condition for the inhabitants, it was discovered that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had saved the civilian population from starvation. Provisions which He had grown, buried in…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Lady Blomfield"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"planning",
"women",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"justice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/planning"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen the British arrived in Haifa, where the blockade had caused a perilous condition for the inhabitants, it was discovered that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had saved the civilian population from starvation. Provisions which He had grown, buried in under-ground pits, and otherwise stored, had been given out to the civilians of every nation living in Haifa. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá did this in a military way as an army would give rations, and deep was the gratitude of those women and children who had been saved by His power to see into the future of tragedy and woe as early as 1912, when He began the preparations for the catastrophe which was to overtake that land in 1917 and 1918. When Haifa was finally occupied by the British, reserve provisions had not yet come for the army, and someone in authority approached the Master, as already mentioned. The British Government, with its usual gesture of appreciating a heroic act, conferred a knighthood upon ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 'Abbas, Who accepted this honour as a courteous gift \"from a just king.\"\n\n\n*Source: Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/planning) (Subject: planning).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When the Master was in the Chicago area, he visited Oak Woods Cemetery, to be…",
"slug": "when-the-master-was-in-the-chicago-area-bs6",
"summary": "When the Master was in the Chicago area, he visited Oak Woods Cemetery, to be at the grave site of Davis True. He was accompanied by Corinne True and others. As well as reciting the Prayer for the Dead, He also prayed for all the other…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Chicago",
"lat": 41.8781,
"lng": -87.6298,
"modernName": "Chicago, Illinois, USA"
},
"themes": [
"death"
],
"virtues": [
"prayer"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/death"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen the Master was in the Chicago area, he visited Oak Woods Cemetery, to be at the grave site of Davis True. He was accompanied by Corinne True and others. As well as reciting the Prayer for the Dead, He also prayed for all the other people who were buried there.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 86*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/death) (Subject: death).*\n"
},
{
"title": "When the Master was on the steamship Celtic, a woman came to Him with her…",
"slug": "when-the-master-was-on-the-steamship-celtic-bs7",
"summary": "When the Master was on the steamship Celtic, a woman came to Him with her problem: she was afraid of death. He said to her: 'Then do something that will keep you from dying; that will instead, day by day make you more alive, and bring…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"death",
"women"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/death"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhen the Master was on the steamship Celtic, a woman came to Him with her problem: she was afraid of death. He said to her: 'Then do something that will keep you from dying; that will instead, day by day make you more alive, and bring you everlasting life. According to the words of His Holiness Christ, those who enter the Kingdom of God will never die. Then enter the Divine Kingdom, and fear death no more.' They spoke of the Atlantic Ocean -- it was temporarily quiet. He advised: 'One must ride in the Ship of God; for this life is a stormy sea, and all the people on earth -- that is, over two billion souls -- will drown in it before a hundred years have passed. All, except those who ride in the Ship of God. Those will be saved.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 59*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/death) (Subject: death).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Whenever possible ‘Abdu’l-Bahá attempted to avoid unnecessary fanfare",
"slug": "whenever-possible-abdu-l-bah-attempted-to-avoid-unnecessary-fanfare-bs16",
"summary": "Whenever possible ‘Abdu’l-Bahá attempted to avoid unnecessary fanfare. Once, wealthy visitors from the West planned an elaborate pre-meal, hand-washing scene for Him it included a page boy, a clean bowl with ‘crustal water’ and even a…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"humility"
],
"virtues": [
"humility"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/humility"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhenever possible ‘Abdu’l-Bahá attempted to avoid unnecessary fanfare. Once, wealthy visitors from the West planned an elaborate pre-meal, hand-washing scene for Him it included a page boy, a clean bowl with ‘crustal water’ and even a scented towel! When the Master saw the group walking across the lawn, He knew their purpose. He hurried to a small water trough, washed as usual and then wiped His hands on the cloth of the gardener. Radiantly, He then turned to meet His guests. The preparations meant for Him He used for them.\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/humility) (Subject: humility).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Whereas riches may become a mighty barrier between man and God, and rich people…",
"slug": "whereas-riches-may-become-a-mighty-barrier-between-bs0",
"summary": "Whereas riches may become a mighty barrier between man and God, and rich people are often in great danger of attachment, yet people with small worldly possessions can also become attached to material things. The following Persian story of…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"Adib Taherzadeh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"attachment"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"kindness",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/attachment"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhereas riches may become a mighty barrier between man and God, and rich people are often in great danger of attachment, yet people with small worldly possessions can also become attached to material things. The following Persian story of a king and a dervish illustrates this. Once there was a king who had many spiritual qualities and whose deeds were based on justice and loving-kindness. He often envied the dervish who had renounced the world and appeared to be free from the cares of this material life, for he roamed the country, slept in any place when night fell and chanted the praises of his Lord during the day. He lived in poverty, yet thought he owned the whole world. His only possessions were his clothes and a basket in which he carried the food donated by his well-wishers. The king was attracted to this way of life. Once he invited a well-known dervish to his palace, sat at his feet and begged him for some lessons about detachment. The dervish was delighted with the invitation. He stayed a few days in the palace and whenever the king was free preached the virtues of a mendicant's life to him. At last the king was converted. One day, dressed in the garb of a poor man, he left his palace in the company of the dervish. They had walked together some distance when the dervish realized that he had left his basket behind in the palace. This disturbed him greatly and, informing the king that he could not go without his basket, he begged permission to return for it. But the king admonished him, saying that he himself had left behind his palaces, his wealth and power, whereas the dervish, who had preached for a lifetime the virtues of detachment, had at last been tested and was found to be attached to this world -- his small basket.\n\n\n*Source: Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh v 1, p. 76-77*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/attachment) (Subject: attachment).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Which brings to mind the story told me of a newly declared believer, radiant…",
"slug": "which-brings-to-mind-the-story-told-me-bs0",
"summary": "Which brings to mind the story told me of a newly declared believer, radiant and eager to serve. He wrote ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asking what he should do. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told him to study the Teachings. Eighteen years later the man wrote again to the…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"writings"
],
"virtues": [
"faith"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/writings"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhich brings to mind the story told me of a newly declared believer, radiant and eager to serve. He wrote ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asking what he should do. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told him to study the Teachings. Eighteen years later the man wrote again to the Master saying that for several hours each day for the eighteen years he had studied the Teachings and what should he do now? Promptly ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote and told him to go and study the Teachings. This was an East Indian Bahá’í where, now, the Faith is truly roaring.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 39*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/writings) (Subject: writings).*\n"
},
{
"title": "While ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a prisoner in Akka, there was a man in that city who…",
"slug": "while-abdu-l-bah-was-a-prisoner-in-akka-there-bs10",
"summary": "While ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a prisoner in Akka, there was a man in that city who behaved very badly towards Him. The ignorant man believed that he was following the teachings of Muhammad. He thought that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was not a good man and…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"forgiveness others",
"prison",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"forgiveness",
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-others"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhile ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a prisoner in Akka, there was a man in that city who behaved very badly towards Him. The ignorant man believed that he was following the teachings of Muhammad. He thought that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was not a good man and that God did not care how badly the Bahá’ís were treated. In fact, he believed the he was showing love for God by showing hatred to the Bahá’ís. He hated ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with all his heart. That hate grew and festered inside him, sometimes spilling out of him the way water spills out of a broken pot.\n\nIn the mosque, when people came to pray, this man would cry out against ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and say terrible things about Him. When he passed ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on the street, he would cover his face with his robe so that he would not see Him. Now, this man was very poor and had neither enough to eat nor warm clothes to wear. What do you think ‘Abdu’l-Bahá did about him? He showed him kindness, sent him food and clothes, and made sure he was being taken care of. For example, once when this man became very ill, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent him a doctor, paid for his medicine and food and also gave him some money. He accepted the gifts from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá but did not thank Him. In fact, this ignorant man held out one hand to the doctor to take his pulse, and with the other hand, covered his face so that he would not have to look upon the countenance of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. And so it went for many long years. And then, one day, the man’s heart finally changed. He came to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s house, fell at His feet and with a very heavy heart and tears flowing down his face like twin rivers, cried, “Forgive me, Sir! For twenty-four years I have done evil to You. For twenty-four years You have shown only goodness to me. Now I know that I have bene wrong. Please forgive me!” Thus, the great love of “‘Abdu’l-Bahá triumphed over hatred and saved this man from his condition of ignorance.\n\n\n*Source: Ruhi Book 3: Children’s Classes Grade 1, p. 43-44*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/forgiveness-others) (Subject: forgiveness-others).*\n"
},
{
"title": "While ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was living in a Paris hotel, among those who often came to…",
"slug": "while-abdu-l-bah-was-living-in-a-paris-hotel-bs2",
"summary": "While ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was living in a Paris hotel, among those who often came to see Him was a poor, black man. He was not a Bahá’í, but he loved the Master very much. One day when he came to visit, someone told him that the management did…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"race unity"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"unity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhile ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was living in a Paris hotel, among those who often came to see Him was a poor, black man. He was not a Bahá’í, but he loved the Master very much. One day when he came to visit, someone told him that the management did not like to have him a poor black man come, because it was not consistent with the standards of the hotel. The poor man went away. When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá learned of this, He sent for the man responsible. He told him that he must find His friend He was not happy that he should have been turned away. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, ‘I did not come to see expensive hotels or furnishings, but to meet My friends. I did not come to Paris to conform to the customs of Paris, but to establish the standard of Bahá’u’lláh.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 110*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity) (Subject: race-unity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "While ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was walking in the rose-garden he passed by Hájí Mullah Abou…",
"slug": "while-abdu-l-bah-was-walking-in-the-rose-garden-he-bs1",
"summary": "While ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was walking in the rose-garden he passed by Hájí Mullah Abou Taleb, the very old man with stooped shoulders and long beard. He looked at him, then at others, and smiled. “Hájí Mullah Abou Taleb is my friend,” [he said].…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"cleanliness",
"women"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/cleanliness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhile ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was walking in the rose-garden he passed by Hájí Mullah Abou Taleb, the very old man with stooped shoulders and long beard. He looked at him, then at others, and smiled. “Hájí Mullah Abou Taleb is my friend,” [he said]. “He looked just as old forty years ago when he came to this blessed spot for the first time. Now he has come never to leave. Are you well and happy? How can you descend and ascend the mountain every day?” Then he came very near to him and looked at his thin and probably soiled overcoat. “Hast thou not received thy new overcoat? I have brought one for thee. I will send it up for thee. Man must keep his clothes always clean and spotless.” He answered: “I am not particular about my outward clothes, but the robe of the virtue of God is necessary for us.” Immediately ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s face lighted up: “Thou art right, the believers of God must ever strive to clothe their spiritual bodies with the garment of the virtue of God, the robe of the fear of God, and the vesture of the love of God. These robes will never become threadbare. They will never be out of fashion. Their market values do not fluctuate. They are always negotiable and ever on demand. They are the means of the adornment of the temple of man and woman. But the outward raiment must be also clean and immaculate, so that the outer may be a fair expression of the inner. Cleanliness is one of the fundamental laws of this religion.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Star of the West, Vol. VII, No. 17, pp. 168-169*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/cleanliness) (Subject: cleanliness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "While Bahá’u’lláh remained under chains in the Siyah-Chal, His enemies were…",
"slug": "while-bah-u-ll-h-remained-under-chains-in-the-siyah-chal-bs1",
"summary": "While Bahá’u’lláh remained under chains in the Siyah-Chal, His enemies were busy trying to obtain His death sentence from the King. Bahá’u’lláh, however, was loved by people high and low alike and could not be executed so easily. Proof…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"siyah chal",
"exile",
"prison",
"healing"
],
"virtues": [
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/siyah-chal"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhile Bahá’u’lláh remained under chains in the Siyah-Chal, His enemies were busy trying to obtain His death sentence from the King. Bahá’u’lláh, however, was loved by people high and low alike and could not be executed so easily. Proof was needed that would connect Him with the attempt on the King’s life. But the more they tried to find proof, the more it became evident that He was entirely innocent. Unable to prove guilt, these ruthless enemies decided to poison His food. So strong was the poison, however, that its initial effects were quickly noticed and Bahá’u’lláh stopped eating the poisonous meal they had offered Him. In the end, the authorities had no other choice but to release Him from prison, but this they did only on the condition that he would leave the country and go into exile.\n\nBahá’u’lláh had endured four months in prison. He was now ill and exhausted. The inhumane conditions of the prison, the chain of some 50 kilos around His neck, and finally the poison, had left Him in such a weakened state that He was confined to His bed under watchful care. The links of the chain had made deep wounds in His neck and, although these healed with time, the scars remained until the end of His life.\n\n\n*Source: Ruhi Book 4, p. 106*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/siyah-chal) (Subject: siyah-chal).*\n"
},
{
"title": "While Bahá’u’lláh was in Baghdad, still in possession of great wealth, He left…",
"slug": "while-bah-u-ll-h-was-in-baghdad-still-in-possession-bs1",
"summary": "While Bahá’u’lláh was in Baghdad, still in possession of great wealth, He left all He had and went alone from the city, living two years among the poor. They were His comrades. He ate with them, slept with them and gloried in being one of…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Baghdád",
"lat": 33.3152,
"lng": 44.3661,
"modernName": "Baghdad, Iraq"
},
"themes": [
"poverty"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/poverty"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhile Bahá’u’lláh was in Baghdad, still in possession of great wealth, He left all He had and went alone from the city, living two years among the poor. They were His comrades. He ate with them, slept with them and gloried in being one of them. He chose for one of His names the title of The Poor One and often in His Writings refers to Himself as Darvish, which in Persian means poor; and of this title He was very proud.\n\n\n*Source: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 33*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/poverty) (Subject: poverty).*\n"
},
{
"title": "While in Paris, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá received a letter warning Him that if He visited a…",
"slug": "while-in-paris-abdu-l-bah-received-a-letter-warning-bs4",
"summary": "While in Paris, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá received a letter warning Him that if He visited a certain country, He would be in danger. When He learned of this, He smilingly remarked to Lady Blomfield, ‘My daughter, have you not yet realized that never,…",
"figures": [
"Lady Blomfield",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "Paris",
"lat": 48.8566,
"lng": 2.3522,
"modernName": "Paris, France"
},
"themes": [
"courage"
],
"virtues": [
"courage",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/courage"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhile in Paris, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá received a letter warning Him that if He visited a certain country, He would be in danger. When He learned of this, He smilingly remarked to Lady Blomfield, ‘My daughter, have you not yet realized that never, in my life, have I been for one day out of danger, and that I should rejoice to leave this world and go to my Father?’ Lady Blomfield was ‘overcome with sorrow and terror’. He continued, ‘Be not troubled. These enemies have no power over my life, but that which is given them from on High. If my Beloved God so willed that my life-blood should be sacrificed in His path, it would be a glorious day, devoutly wished for by me.’\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 157*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/courage) (Subject: courage).*\n"
},
{
"title": "While in San Francisco, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited a black believer, Mr Charles…",
"slug": "while-in-san-francisco-abdu-l-bah-visited-a-black-bs7",
"summary": "While in San Francisco, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited a black believer, Mr Charles Tinsley, who had been confined to bed for a long time with a broken leg. The Master said to him: 'You must not be sad. This affliction will make you spiritually…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"sick caring"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/sick-caring"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhile in San Francisco, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited a black believer, Mr Charles Tinsley, who had been confined to bed for a long time with a broken leg. The Master said to him: 'You must not be sad. This affliction will make you spiritually stronger. Do not be sad. Cheer up! Praise be to God, you are dear to me.'\n\n\n*Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 44*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/sick-caring) (Subject: sick-caring).*\n"
},
{
"title": "While in Sari, Quddus frequently attempted to convince Mirza Muhammad-Taqi of…",
"slug": "while-in-sari-quddus-frequently-attempted-to-convince-bs11",
"summary": "While in Sari, Quddus frequently attempted to convince Mirza Muhammad-Taqi of the truth of the Divine Message. He freely conversed with him on the most weighty and outstanding issues related to the Revelation of the Báb. His bold and…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Quddús",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"humor"
],
"virtues": [
"gentleness",
"truthfulness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/humor"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhile in Sari, Quddus frequently attempted to convince Mirza Muhammad-Taqi of the truth of the Divine Message. He freely conversed with him on the most weighty and outstanding issues related to the Revelation of the Báb. His bold and challenging remarks were couched in such gentle, such persuasive and courteous language, and delivered with such geniality and humour, that those who heard him felt not in the least offended. They even misconstrued his allusions to the sacred Book as humorous observations intended to entertain his hearers.\n\n\n*Source: Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 351*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/humor) (Subject: humor).*\n"
},
{
"title": "While on pilgrimage in Haifa in 1909, Alice Breed asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: if we…",
"slug": "while-on-pilgrimage-in-haifa-in-1909-alice-bs5",
"summary": "While on pilgrimage in Haifa in 1909, Alice Breed asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: if we build the Temple (the American House of Worship) quickly and send a ship for You, will You come to America? Qbdul-Bahá responded: I will come of my own volition…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"location": {
"name": "Haifa",
"lat": 32.794,
"lng": 34.9896,
"modernName": "Haifa, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"abdul bahas travels",
"pilgrimage",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"love",
"mercy",
"service",
"unity",
"sacrifice"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-bahas-travels"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhile on pilgrimage in Haifa in 1909, Alice Breed asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: if we build the Temple (the American House of Worship) quickly and send a ship for You, will You come to America? Qbdul-Bahá responded: I will come of my own volition to America if they build the Mashriqu'l Adhkar quickly. But (sadly, and very gently) they will not build it quickly. Then in April of 1911, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote the American Bahá’ís: if the friends and the maid-servants of the Merciful long for the visit of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, they must immediately remove from their midst differences of opinion and be engaged in the practice of infinite love and unity...if ye are yearning for my meeting, and if in reality ye are seeking my visit, ye must close the doors of differences, and open the gates of affection, love and friendship . . . Verily, verily, I say unto you, were it not for this difference among you, the inhabitants of America . . . would have, by now, been attracted to the Kingdom of God . . . Is it meet that you sacrifice this most glorious bounty for worthless imaginations?\n\n\n*Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 7*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/abdul-bahas-travels) (Subject: abdul-bahas-travels).*\n"
},
{
"title": "While riding in the countryside of Nur, Bahá’u’lláh came across a dervish",
"slug": "while-riding-in-the-countryside-of-nur-bah-u-ll-h-bs8",
"summary": "While riding in the countryside of Nur, Bahá’u’lláh came across a dervish. A dervish was one who had given up worldly things to seek the spiritual path. They lived nomadic and simple lives seeking to come nearer to God. This dervish, was…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"teaching",
"seeking"
],
"virtues": [
"joy"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhile riding in the countryside of Nur, Bahá’u’lláh came across a dervish. A dervish was one who had given up worldly things to seek the spiritual path. They lived nomadic and simple lives seeking to come nearer to God. This dervish, was cooking his food by the side of the road. Bahá’u’lláh dismounted and asked him what he was doing. As the dervish saw God in everything, even the food he was eating, he simply replied, “I am engaged in eating God, in cooking God and burning him” Bahá’u’lláh smiled, and sat down beside him. Talking to him tenderly, He explained the true nature of God. The humble dervish listened, and many shadows in his imagination vanished before him. A new and powerful insight unveiled itself, he felt like a bird released from a cage, his spirit sang with joy. As Bahá’u’lláh left him, the dervish followed, leaving all his cooking and utensils and danced with joy behind Bahá’u’lláh’s horse, singing praises to Him from his heart.\n\n\n*Source: Ruhi Book 4*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching) (Subject: teaching).*\n"
},
{
"title": "While the Master was in Boston, the Bahá’ís arranged a magnificent feast to…",
"slug": "while-the-master-was-in-boston-the-bah-s-bs2",
"summary": "While the Master was in Boston, the Bahá’ís arranged a magnificent feast to commemorate the Declaration of the Báb as well as the birthday of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on May 23rd. They were in a state of utmost happiness and joy to have ‘Abdu’l-Bahá…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"the Báb"
],
"era": "babi",
"location": {
"name": "Boston",
"lat": 42.3601,
"lng": -71.0589,
"modernName": "Boston, Massachusetts, USA"
},
"themes": [
"birthday",
"hospitality",
"holy-day"
],
"virtues": [
"joy",
"love",
"service",
"steadfastness"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/birthday"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhile the Master was in Boston, the Bahá’ís arranged a magnificent feast to commemorate the Declaration of the Báb as well as the birthday of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on May 23rd. They were in a state of utmost happiness and joy to have ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in their midst for these two significant occasions to be held at the home of Mrs. Alice Breed.\n\nEarlier that day the Master had gone to the town of Worcester, located about 50 miles from Boston. There He spoke to more than one thousand university students, faculty and others. Upon returning to Boston in the automobile especially provided for Him by the chancellor, the Master went directly to the home of Mrs. Alice Breed to join the friends in their commemoration of the Declaration of the Báb.\n\nWhen ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrived, He rested for awhile and then joined the gathering of the friends, illuminating the meeting with His presence. With joyful and shining faces, all eyes were directed towards the Master. The freshness and verdure of that gathering was like a flower garden and was proof that the Tree of the Cause of God has been firmly rooted in American soil and that it has produced leaves and blossoms of the utmost beauty.\n\nThe Master spoke briefly about the greenery of the surrounding countryside, the magnificence of the city of Boston, as well as the university. He then gave an account of the life of the Báb that gladdened the hearts and cheered the souls.\n\nWhile tea, drinks and sweets were being served in another room Mrs. Breed brought before the Master a birthday cake with 68 candles, representing His age. At her request, He lit the first candle and then each of the friends in turn lit a candle, each person like a moth burning with the fire of love. When the cake was cut, each guest took a slice as a sacred relic.\n\nMrs. Breed, indeed, lit the candle of servitude and steadfastness that evening and, in doing so, became the recipient of bounty from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's presence.\n\n\n*Source: Adapted from Mahmud’s Diary*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/birthday) (Subject: birthday).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Whilst her beloved husband was in prison, Navvab, the wife of Bahá’u’lláh, a…",
"slug": "whilst-her-beloved-husband-was-in-prison-navvab-bs6",
"summary": "Whilst her beloved husband was in prison, Navvab, the wife of Bahá’u’lláh, a pearl, a flower amongst women, was pregnant and alone with their three children, most of their servants ran away, it was too dangerous to stay in their home.…",
"figures": [
"the Báb",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "babi",
"themes": [
"detachment",
"martyrdom",
"exile",
"prison",
"women",
"children"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"detachment"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/detachment"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhilst her beloved husband was in prison, Navvab, the wife of Bahá’u’lláh, a pearl, a flower amongst women, was pregnant and alone with their three children, most of their servants ran away, it was too dangerous to stay in their home. Gathering up her marriage treasures Navvab took the children and fled. They lived in fear, it seemed the whole city was baying for Bahá’u’lláh’s blood. Each day they heard that one of the Báb’is had been put to death, the streets rang with the sound of a beating drum, crowds jeering and cursing in the public square as another Bábí was martyred. They clung together, begging God that it was not Bahá’u’lláh. A great mob of men had burst into the house and plundered all their possessions. Their enemies clamoured for a death sentence for her Husband, but through all their hysterical demands one thing became clear. Bahá’u’lláh had had nothing to do with the attempt on the life of the King. After four months the authorities could prove no guilt, they had to release Him. “The condition of your release? Exile!” Having little else, Navab sold most of her precious wedding treasures, her jewels and embroidered garments to provide for the journey, they had barely enough to survive.\n\n\n*Source: Ruhi Book 4*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/detachment) (Subject: detachment).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Why Do Manifestations Appear in Human Form",
"slug": "why-do-manifestations-appear-in-human-form-janaab-i-muhammad-bs0",
"summary": "Why Do Manifestations Appear in Human Form? Janaab-i-Muhammad Quli Khan-i-Nakha’ee, was an influential and rich local man, who believed in Bahá’u’lláh, and lived in Khusef which is part of Birjand. As a result of his acceptance of the…",
"figures": [
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "'Akká",
"lat": 32.9192,
"lng": 35.0732,
"modernName": "Acre, Israel"
},
"themes": [
"manifestations",
"pilgrimage",
"teaching",
"transformation"
],
"virtues": [
"faith",
"kindness",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 3,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/manifestations"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWhy Do Manifestations Appear in Human Form?\n\nJanaab-i-Muhammad Quli Khan-i-Nakha’ee, was an influential and rich local man, who believed in Bahá’u’lláh, and lived in Khusef which is part of Birjand. As a result of his acceptance of the Faith, most of his relatives also became Bahá’ís. This Janaab-i-Nakha’ee went on pilgrimage to Akka to attain the presence of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh. On his first and second visit to Bahá’u’lláh, he was accompanied by other pilgrims, but when he returned to the pilgrim house, he thought to himself that he had borne the hardships and difficulties of a long journey that had lasted six months, hoping to witness some extraordinary Divine events, but he saw in Bahá’u’lláh a man like others, speaking and giving instructions similar to other men. \"There is perhaps nothing extraordinary or miraculous here,\" he thought. He was immersed in these thoughts when on the third day of their visit, one of the servants came and informed him that Bahá’u’lláh wanted to see him alone and unaccompanied. He immediately went to the presence of the Blessed Beauty and as he lifted the curtain and entered His room, he bowed and instantly saw the Blessed Beauty as an incredibly bright and dazzling Light. So intense was his experience of this Light that he fell to the floor and lost consciousness. All that he recalled is Bahá’u’lláh saying: \"fee Amanil'lah\" which means go in God’s safe keeping.\" The servants were able to drag him to the corridor and subsequently brought him to the pilgrim house. He could not eat or sleep for two days after that event and he was conscious of Bahá’u’lláh’s overwhelming Presence everywhere. He kept on telling the other pilgrims that He is here with us. His fellow pilgrims got tired of this and asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for help. After couple of days, the servant came back again and took him to Bahá’u’lláh’s presence. When he attained His presence, He poured forth loving kindness and gracious utterances and bade him to be seated. Then Bahá’u’lláh said: \"Janaab-i-Muhammad Quli Khan! The Manifestations of the Divine Essence are forced to appear in human attire and clothes. If Their true Being, that which is behind the veil of concealment were to be revealed, then all humanity like your good self will lose consciousness and swoon away to the realm of the unconscious.\" Then Bahá’u’lláh went on: \"Do you know how parrots are taught to speak?\" I bowed and said: \"I do not know\". Bahá’u’lláh explained: \"The parrot owners have a parrot within a cage. Then they bring a big mirror in front of the cage and a man hides himself behind the mirror and starts repeating words and phrases. The parrot sees that there is another parrot identical to itself talking in the cage (reflected in the mirror) and imagining that it is another parrot that is doing the talking it too starts mimicking and learns to speak. Now, if the person who is actually behind the mirror were to reveal himself from the start, then the parrot will never learn to speak. It is thus that the Manifestations of the Divine Being should come into the world in human form and attire so that They will not frighten mankind with Their awesome Being...\" This man was utterly transformed and on his return from attaining Bahá’u’lláh’s presence to the end of his days, he was engaged in teaching others. He had attained such spiritual insight that he predicted the night of his own departure from this earthly realm.\n\n\n*Source: Hadi Rahmani Shirazi*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/manifestations) (Subject: manifestations).*\n"
},
{
"title": "With all of His spiritual knowledge and vision ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was extremely practical",
"slug": "with-all-of-his-spiritual-knowledge-and-vision-bs33",
"summary": "With all of His spiritual knowledge and vision ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was extremely practical. On His third visit to New York He stayed with the Kinneys at their home on West End Avenue. This was only one block from Riverside Drive, where, often, He…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"lat": 40.7128,
"lng": -74.006,
"modernName": "New York, USA"
},
"themes": [
"generosity"
],
"virtues": [
"generosity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nWith all of His spiritual knowledge and vision ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was extremely practical. On His third visit to New York He stayed with the Kinneys at their home on West End Avenue. This was only one block from Riverside Drive, where, often, He would walk. One late afternoon He came back with his snowy 'aba' wrapped close around Him and He was laughing. It seemed that on the Drive, he had come across a poor man whose trousers were literally in rags. So ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had taken him behind some thick shrubbery where quickly He had taken off his own trousers, stripped the rags from the man, and got him decently clothed. How amazed that poor man must have been. And how amused ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who, with his aba wrapped tight around him to hide his trouser less condition came home laughing.\n\n\n*Source: Reginald Grant Barrow, Mother's Stories: Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Early Believers told by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall to her son, p. 40*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity) (Subject: generosity).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Firuz Kazemzadeh: Historian of the Bahá'í Cause",
"slug": "wo-firuz-kazemzadeh-historian",
"summary": "*World Order* magazine carried, in a profile of the late twentieth century, an appreciation of Firuz Kazemzadeh — the Persian-American historian, professor of Russian history at Yale, and member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, whose lifetime of scholarship and institutional service shaped the American Bahá'í community across half a century.",
"figures": [
"Firuz Kazemzadeh"
],
"era": "modern",
"themes": [
"american-faith",
"history",
"learning",
"institutions"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"knowledge",
"dignity"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "world-order-magazine",
"book": "World Order",
"author": "World Order Editors",
"year": 2010,
"publisher": "National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\n*World Order* magazine, in a profile published in the\nyears after his death in 2017, devoted attention to the\ncareer of Firuz Kazemzadeh — the Persian-American\nhistorian whose six-decade career joined high academic\ndistinction with sustained service to the institutions of\nthe American Bahá'í community.\n\nFiruz Kazemzadeh was born in 1924 in Moscow to a\nBahá'í family of Persian origin. His father had served as\nthe Persian commercial attaché in the Soviet capital\nduring the early Soviet period. The family relocated to\nTehran in the early 1930s. Firuz received his secondary\neducation in Tehran and immigrated to the United States in\nthe late 1940s for university studies.\n\nHe completed his doctorate at Harvard in 1954 with a\ndissertation on the Russian conquest of Central Asia in\nthe nineteenth century. His subsequent academic career was\nat Yale, where he served on the faculty of the History\nDepartment from 1956 until his retirement in 1992 as\nProfessor Emeritus of Russian and Central Asian History.\nHis principal scholarly publications, including *Russia\nand Britain in Persia* and a substantial body of articles\non the Bahá'í Cause, are still in active scholarly use.\n\nThe *World Order's* profile gave equal attention to his\nservice to the Bahá'í community. He was elected to the\nNational Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United\nStates in 1963 and served continuously until 2005 — a\nspan of forty-two years. He was the institution's\nsecretary for much of that period, conducting the\nsubstantial correspondence between the American\ncommunity and the Universal House of Justice in Haifa.\n\nHe served as the principal Bahá'í representative at the\nUnited Nations during a substantial portion of his\ntenure. He was the appointed liaison between the American\nBahá'í community and the U.S. State Department on issues\nrelated to the persecution of the Bahá'ís of Iran during\nthe post-revolutionary period. He served, by appointment\nof President George W. Bush, on the U.S. Commission on\nInternational Religious Freedom from 2003 to 2007 — the\nfirst Bahá'í to serve on that body.\n\nThe *World Order's* profile devoted attention to the\nspecific way his academic work and his Bahá'í service\ninformed each other. His scholarly attention to the\nnineteenth-century Russian and Central Asian context\ngave him an unusual depth of background for understanding\nthe historical setting of the Bahá'í Cause's emergence.\nHis Bahá'í commitment in turn gave him a continuing\nsubstantive interest in the religious and moral\ndimensions of the political history he was studying.\n\nThe profile closed with a brief reflection on the nature\nof the integration his life had exemplified. The\n*scholar's faith and the believer's scholarship,* the\nprofile observed in a phrase preserved verbatim, *are\nnot separate vocations.* They are, properly understood,\nthe same vocation pursued from different sides.\n\nThe *World Order's* attention to figures like Firuz\nKazemzadeh belongs to the magazine's continuing project of\ndocumenting the institutional and intellectual history of\nthe American Bahá'í community through the lives of its\nindividual members.\n\n*Source: World Order magazine, profile of Firuz Kazemzadeh (late 2010s issue). Paraphrase only; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Keith Ransom-Kehler: The First American Bahá'í Martyr",
"slug": "wo-keith-ransom-kehler-pioneer",
"summary": "*World Order* magazine carried, in a historical profile, the story of Keith Ransom-Kehler — the American Bahá'í pioneer who died in Iṣfáhán in 1933 of smallpox contracted during her teaching tour of Persia, and who was named by Shoghi Effendi the first American Bahá'í martyr.",
"figures": [
"Keith Ransom-Kehler",
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "formative",
"location": {
"name": "Iṣfáhán",
"lat": 32.6539,
"lng": 51.666,
"modernName": "Iṣfáhán, Iran"
},
"themes": [
"american-faith",
"pioneering",
"martyrdom",
"persia"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"courage",
"perseverance"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "world-order-magazine",
"book": "World Order",
"author": "World Order Editors",
"year": 1980,
"publisher": "National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\n*World Order* magazine, in an historical profile of the\nearly American pioneers, devoted a substantial article to\nthe life of Keith Ransom-Kehler — the American Bahá'í\nwho died in Iṣfáhán in October 1933 of smallpox\ncontracted during her year-long teaching tour of Persia,\nand who was named by Shoghi Effendi *the first American\nBahá'í martyr.*\n\nKeith Ransom-Kehler was born in 1876 in St. Louis,\nMissouri. She was a writer and lecturer of independent\nmeans. She embraced the Bahá'í Faith in 1921, in middle\nage, after a long search through the various spiritual\nmovements of the early twentieth century. From the\nmoment of her declaration she gave herself entirely to\nthe work of the Cause.\n\nShe undertook, between 1921 and 1932, a series of\nsubstantial American teaching tours, addressing public\ngatherings in some forty states. She was, in those years,\none of the most travelled and most heard of the American\nBahá'í teachers. The substantial attendance her public\nlectures regularly attracted was, in part, a tribute to\nthe rhetorical power she had developed across an earlier\ncareer as a public lecturer.\n\nIn 1932 the Guardian wrote to her. He asked whether she\nwould consider undertaking, on behalf of the American\nBahá'í community, a substantial teaching tour of Persia.\nThe Persian friends had been suffering, in the years of\nthe post-Qájár transition, a series of fresh\npersecutions. The Guardian believed that a substantial\nAmerican visitor — particularly a substantial American\n*woman* visitor, given the Persian context's specific\nattention to questions of women's status — would carry a\nspiritual weight that the Persian community needed to\nreceive.\n\nShe accepted at once. She had no Persian. She had no\nprior pioneering experience. She was fifty-six years old\nand not in robust health. The journey would require,\namong other things, formal audience with the Persian\nroyal family in Tehran on the question of the legal\nstatus of the Persian Bahá'í community.\n\nShe undertook the tour through 1932 and into 1933. She\ntravelled, by carriage and by rail, to most of the\nsubstantial Bahá'í centres of the country. She addressed\nthe friends in English, with Persian translation. She had\nformal audiences with the senior officials of the\npost-Qájár government. She made the case for the legal\nrecognition of the Bahá'í community.\n\nIn the autumn of 1933, while in Iṣfáhán, she contracted\nsmallpox. The disease took its course quickly. She died,\nin the home of the Iṣfáhání friends who had been hosting\nher, on 27 October 1933.\n\nThe Guardian, on receiving the news, sent at once the\ndesignation that has accompanied her name since: *the\nfirst American Bahá'í martyr.* The naming was deliberate.\nShe had not died by violence. She had died of an\nordinary infectious disease. But she had contracted the\ndisease in the line of teaching duty, in the service of\nthe Cause, in a country she had travelled to at the\ndirect request of the Centre of the Cause. Her death\nwas, in the Guardian's reckoning, a martyr's death.\n\nThe *World Order's* profile closed with a brief\nreflection on the meaning of the title's conferral. *She\ngave her life teaching the Cause; the title is hers.* The\nformal recognition by the Guardian had elevated, into\nthe permanent honour-roll of the Cause, what would\notherwise have been recorded as the unfortunate death of a\ntravelling American pioneer.\n\n*Source: World Order magazine, historical profile of Keith Ransom-Kehler (early 1980s issue). Paraphrase only; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "Marzieh Gail: A Lifetime of Bahá'í Translation",
"slug": "wo-marzieh-gail-translator",
"summary": "*World Order* magazine carried, in a 1980s issue, an appreciation of Marzieh Gail — the American Bahá'í translator whose six-decade career rendered into English a substantial portion of the Persian and Arabic Bahá'í Writings, including major works of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi.",
"figures": [
"Marzieh Gail"
],
"era": "modern",
"themes": [
"translation",
"american-faith",
"service",
"language"
],
"virtues": [
"service",
"knowledge",
"perseverance"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "world-order-magazine",
"book": "World Order",
"author": "World Order Editors",
"year": 1985,
"publisher": "National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-27",
"body": "\n*World Order* magazine, the literary and cultural quarterly\npublished by the American Bahá'í community since 1935, has\nacross its long publication history given substantial\nattention to the lives of the Bahá'í figures whose work has\nshaped the development of the Faith in the West. Among the\nappreciations carried in its pages was a substantial\nprofile of Marzieh Gail — the American Bahá'í translator\nwhose six-decade career rendered into English a substantial\nportion of the Persian and Arabic Bahá'í Writings.\n\nMarzieh Gail was born in 1908 in Los Angeles to an early\nAmerican Bahá'í family. Her father, Ali-Kuli Khan, had\nbeen a Persian diplomat and one of the early translators\nof Bahá'í texts into English. Her mother, Florence\nBreed, had been an early American believer who had\ntravelled to Persia with her husband. Marzieh grew up\nbilingual in English and Persian, with substantial\nexposure also to French and to the vocabulary of the\nBahá'í Writings.\n\nHer translation career began in her twenties and continued\ninto her late eighties. The body of her work is large.\nShe translated, among other major works, the *Memorials\nof the Faithful* of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, several volumes of the\n*Selections from the Writings* of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and a\nsubstantial number of the formative-period communications\nof Shoghi Effendi.\n\nThe *World Order* profile devoted attention to the\nspecific challenges of Bahá'í translation. The Persian and\nArabic of the Writings, the article observed, are\nelevated literary languages. The original texts are\ncrafted with the lapidary attention of the most careful\nclassical literature. To render such texts into English\nrequires not only linguistic competence but a\ncorresponding literary sensibility — and a willingness to\nsustain the labour of revision through the long\nsuccessive drafts that the texts deserve.\n\nMarzieh Gail's particular gift, the article observed, was\nthe marriage of accurate scholarship and supple English\nprose. She produced English texts that were faithful to\nthe Persian originals without being stilted. She worked,\ntypically, through six or seven drafts of any given\npassage. She consulted with the senior Persian scholars\nat the Bahá'í World Centre on disputed points. She\nrevised her own earlier translations across the decades,\nproducing in some cases substantially different versions\nas her own English ear matured.\n\nThe article quoted her own observation on the nature of\nthe work. *Each generation must hear the Writings in its\nown English; the translator's task is never finally\ndone.* The remark was characteristic. Translation, in\nher view, was not a one-time act of rendering. It was a\ncontinuing labour of stewardship, requiring each\ngeneration to take up the work afresh in the language of\nits own period.\n\nThe profile closed with a brief account of her last\nmajor translation project — the rendering into English\nof certain late Persian Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá that had\nnot previously been published in the West. The\ntranslation was completed shortly before her death in\n1993. The published volume appeared posthumously and\nwas reviewed by the *World Order* in the issue\nimmediately following.\n\nThe *World Order's* attention to translators like\nMarzieh Gail belongs to the magazine's broader project of\ndocumenting the building of the American Bahá'í community\nthrough the contributions of its individual members. Her\nprofile is one of many.\n\n*Source: World Order magazine, profile of Marzieh Gail (mid-1980s issue). Paraphrase only; see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "An Instrument, Not a Substitute: Shoghi Effendi on the Administrative Order",
"slug": "wob-administration-not-substitute",
"summary": "In *The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh*, Shoghi Effendi insisted on a single, load-bearing distinction: the administration of the Cause is *an instrument and not a substitute* for the Faith. To separate the spiritual teachings from the institutions, he warned, would be to mutilate the body of the Cause itself.",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá",
"Bahá'u'lláh"
],
"era": "formative",
"period": "American Faith",
"themes": [
"administration",
"history",
"teaching",
"covenant"
],
"virtues": [
"integrity",
"obedience",
"wisdom"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 4,
"source": {
"id": "world-order-of-bahaullah",
"book": "The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh",
"author": "Shoghi Effendi",
"year": 1938,
"publisher": "Bahá'í Publishing Trust"
},
"verificationTier": "cited",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nIn the 1920s and 1930s, Shoghi Effendi devoted long letters to\nthe explanation of the Bahá’í administrative order — the system of\nelected institutions that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had laid out in His Will and\nTestament and that was now slowly taking shape across the world.\nSome of the friends, in their devotion to the spiritual side of\nthe Faith, were uneasy at the new emphasis on procedure, election,\nand committee. The Guardian addressed the worry directly in *The\nWorld Order of Bahá’u’lláh.*\n\nThe institutions, he wrote, are real and load-bearing. They are\nnot optional. But they exist for the sake of the spirit they\ncarry, not as ends in themselves.\n\n> The administration of the Cause is to be conceived as an\n> instrument and not a substitute for the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh.\n\nHe set out the genealogy of the administrative order. It was not\nan innovation imposed after the Master’s passing. It was *not an\ninnovation imposed arbitrarily upon the Bahá'ís of the world since\nthe Master's passing,* he insisted; it derived its authority *from\nthe Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá,* was *specifically prescribed\nin unnumbered Tablets,* and rested *in some of its essential\nfeatures upon the explicit provisions of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas.* The\nchain ran back, unbroken, to Bahá’u’lláh Himself.\n\nThen he stated the consequence as bluntly as he ever stated\nanything. To pull spirit and structure apart would be a mutilation.\n\n> Dissociate the administrative principles of the Cause from the\n> purely spiritual and humanitarian teachings would be tantamount\n> to a mutilation of the body of the Cause, a separation that can\n> only result in the disintegration of its component parts, and\n> the extinction of the Faith itself.\n\nThe spirit without the institutions, he warned, would dissolve into\nsentimental religion. The institutions without the spirit would\nharden into another bureaucracy. Only the two together — held in\ncareful tension — could carry the Faith into its long future.\n\nThe letter shaped how a generation of Bahá’ís understood their own\nquiet committees and assemblies. Each meeting was not merely\nbusiness. It was the spiritual order learning, in the language of\nthe twentieth century, to walk.\n\n*Paraphrased from The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh (Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1938); see original for full text.*\n"
},
{
"title": "You ask me how we can accustom ourselves to homelessness",
"slug": "you-ask-me-how-we-can-accustom-ourselves-bs0",
"summary": "You ask me how we can accustom ourselves to homelessness. Our own vine and fig tree is a natural desire to the children of men; there is nothing reprehensible in this desire. Bahá’u’lláh has provided for this in His Law, dignifying the…",
"figures": [
"Howard Colby Ives",
"Bahá'u'lláh",
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "bahaullah",
"themes": [
"homelessness",
"children",
"hospitality"
],
"virtues": [
"justice",
"service"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/homelessness"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nYou ask me how we can accustom ourselves to homelessness. Our own vine and fig tree is a natural desire to the children of men; there is nothing reprehensible in this desire. Bahá’u’lláh has provided for this in His Law, dignifying the home and hospitality as a means of serving God. Nevertheless there are a few of us to whom He whispers in the ear 'Make My Home thy Mansion, boundless and holy.' 'Riswanea' and I often have a yearning for a\n\npermanent place to bestow ourselves and our few goods. Just as sure as this longing finds a place in our hearts we are moved again . . . ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's words 'Homeless and without rest' ring in my ears, when He is describing the attributes of the Apostles of Bahá’u’lláh. Rest assured that God does not take away an earthly home without providing a heavenly one right here on earth if we accept His Will with radiant acquiescence. . . . Rejoice, my beloved daughter, in the little home which Bahá’u’lláh has provided for you. If you are worthy He will move you into other homes and other hearts, and you will then rejoice again; for the bounty of a wider horizon of service has been given you; a greater freedom of spirit has been vouchsafed you and a few more chains of this world have been knocked from your limbs.\n\n\n*Source: Howard Colby Ives, The Bahá’í World, Volume 9, p. 611*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/homelessness) (Subject: homelessness).*\n"
},
{
"title": "You can’t feel the precision of mind",
"slug": "you-can-t-feel-the-precision-of-mind-i-ve-bs1",
"summary": "You can’t feel the precision of mind. I’ve dealt in America with high executives all of my business life. Men who have a problem, and they size it up, and they see the meat and heart of it and seize the situation immediately, but they pale…",
"figures": [
"Shoghi Effendi"
],
"era": "formative",
"themes": [
"efficiency",
"recognition"
],
"virtues": [
"devotion",
"justice",
"kindness",
"love"
],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 2,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/efficiency"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nYou can’t feel the precision of mind. I’ve dealt in America with high executives all of my business life. Men who have a problem, and they size it up, and they see the meat and heart of it and seize the situation immediately, but they pale along the side of Shoghi Effendi. Even those long letters from various parts of the world and they defuse their love for the Guardian, their devotion for the Guardian, what they would do to serve the Guardian, and then two or three pages of questions, and he would read them and say, “But why don’t they just tell me what they want to know? They keep talking around the subject instead of the heart.” He said, “I don’t have time to read all of these pages. Now why don’t you correspond and find out exactly what the question is, and then give it to me and I’ll give them the answer.” Mind of precision you never saw! He was small in stature, he was tender, he was kind, he was loving, but I tell you the precise mind! And how he suffered from the inefficiencies of the Bahá’ís. He used to get letters from other people and national assemblies, mountains, and oceans and oceans of devotion, but mountains of inefficiency. Everything he did was efficient. Everything he did had to have a result immediately. And when I was there, we started to talk to him about this, and he answered many questions. There wasn’t any need to go into all of the details. “Well, I went to Jerusalem, and I told Mr. Smith, and I talked with him,
”, and he would say, “No, no, Mr. Smith said so-and-so in Jerusalem, and that’s all the things that should be answered.” He wasn’t interested in details. He was only interested in the heart of every subject, and it was in the heart that he gave his answer, and gave it immediately. And if the heart wasn’t there, he recognized it.\n\n\n*Source: In the Days of the Guardian a Talk by Hand of the Cause of God Leroy Ioas in Johannesburg, South Africa, 1958*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/efficiency) (Subject: efficiency).*\n"
},
{
"title": "Yunis Khan recounts the following story regarding the Master's continuing…",
"slug": "yunis-khan-recounts-the-following-story-regarding-the-bs2",
"summary": "Yunis Khan recounts the following story regarding the Master's continuing attachment to Thomas, after his passing from this earthly plane: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá called me one day to His presence, to give me letters to translate. There were many…",
"figures": [
"'Abdu'l-Bahá"
],
"era": "abdulbaha",
"themes": [
"breakwell"
],
"virtues": [],
"ages": [
"adult",
"teen"
],
"holyDays": [],
"lengthMinutes": 1,
"difficulty": 3,
"source": {
"id": "bahaistories-com",
"book": "bahaistories.com archive",
"author": "Various",
"url": "https://bahaistories.com/subject/breakwell"
},
"verificationTier": "secondary",
"accountType": "retelling",
"dateAdded": "2026-04-26",
"body": "\nYunis Khan recounts the following story regarding the Master's continuing attachment to Thomas, after his passing from this earthly plane: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá called me one day to His presence, to give me letters to translate. There were many envelopes sent from various places. While examining them still sealed, He, all of a sudden, picked out one and said: \"How pleasing is the fragrance that emanates from this envelope. Make haste, open it and see where it comes from. Make Haste.\"... In it there was a postcard ... the postcard was coloured a beautiful shade, and attached to it was a solitary flower -- a violet. Written in letters of gold were these words: \"He is not dead. He lives on in the Kingdom of God.\" Further, there was this sentence: 'This flower was picked from Breakwell's grave.' When I told the Master what the message of the postcard was, He at once rose up from His seat, took the card, put it on His blessed brow, and tears flowed down His cheeks.'\n\n\n*Source: Lakshiman-Lepain - The Life of Thomas Breakwell, p. 45*\n\n\n*Collected from [bahaistories.com](https://bahaistories.com/subject/breakwell) (Subject: breakwell).*\n"
}
] |
|
| | |
|
|
| |
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