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"The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens."
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"The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens."
By Bahá'í Chronicles editors
Online biographical chronicles of Bahá'í heroes and heroines, by Neda Najibi and Vanda Khadem.
Stories by era covered
Featured figures
“Him Whom God hath purposed, Who hath branched from this Ancient Root”
From ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Abbas
“refer ye whatsoevr ye understand not in the Book to Him Who hath branched from this mighty Stock.”
From ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Abbas
“though the successor of His Father, . . . does not occupy a cognate station”
From ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Abbas
“the perfect Exemplar of His teachings, the unerring Interpreter of His Word, the embodiment of every Bahá’í ideal, the incarnation of every Bahá’í virtue.”
From ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Abbas
“God is no respecter of persons on account of either color or race. All colors are acceptable to Him, be they white, black, or yellow. Inasmuch as all were created in the image of God, we must bring ourselves to realize that all embody…”
From ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Abbas
Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá
Primary Source'Abdu'l-Bahá
Selections from the Writings of the Báb
Primary Sourcethe Báb
Bahíyyih Khánum: The Greatest Holy Leaf
Cited in Authoritative HistoryVarious
Baha'i Stories for Children
Secondary RetellingVarious
Baha'i Stories Blog
Secondary RetellingVarious
Bahá'ís of the United States
Secondary RetellingBahá'ís of the United States editors
‘Abdu’l-Bahá spent His early years in an environment of privilege, wealth, and love. ** ‘Abdu’l-Bahá…
Mullá ‘Alí Ján and ‘Alavíyyih Khánum, not content with the conversion of the inhabitants of Máhfurúzak to the Bahá’í Faith, started to organize the life of the village on a spiritual basis. They encouraged each family to set aside a…
Over his mother's signature, but drafted by the Guardian, the following cable was sent to America: “Announce Assemblies celebration marriage beloved Guardian. Inestimable honour conferred upon handmaid of Baha'u'llah Ruhiyyih Khanum Miss…
From morning till dark he worked at his craft, and almost every night he entertained the friends at supper. ** Áqá…
Áqá Faraj and Abu’l-Qásim, who had gone into hiding, then hurried away to Adrianople, to fall, ultimately, with the others and with their Well-Beloved, into the ‘Akká prison. ** Áqá…
Aqa Husayn-i-Ashchi (Ashchi in Farsi means cook or maker of broth) was Baha'u'llah's cook. His father died on his way to ask for the hand of his brother's daughter to wed 'Abdu'l-Baha. Aqa Husayn-i-Ashchi's uncle Ustad Ismail raised him…
They needed no teacher, then; by themselves, they saw through the veils that had blinded them before, and won the supreme desire of their hearts. ** Áqá Ibráhím-i-Iṣfahání And His…
Aqa Mirza Ali Muhammad came face to face with the Supreme Manifestation of God. These meetings left an abiding impression upon his soul and magnetized his whole being with the love of his newly-found Lord. **Aqa Mirza Ali-Muhammad…
Aqa Mirza Muhammad-Taqi Abhari (Ibn-i-Abhar) received many tablets from Baha'u'llah. For example, Ibn-i-Abhar had posed the question of the well-being and prosperity of the Baha'is of Persia. In a Tablet revealed in 1889 Baha'u'llah in…
He was a tradesman, and like the others who came in at the start, he cast everything away out of love for God, attaining in one leap the highest reaches of knowledge. ** Áqá Muhammad-Báqir and Áqá Muhammad-Ismá‘íl, the…
He was a blessed person; he was like a cup filled with the red wine of faith. At the time when he was first made captive by the tender Loved One, he was in the flower of his youth. **…
Áqá Muḥammad had a fine poetic gift, and he would create verses like stringed pearls. **…
March 21, 2015 Baha’i Chronicles launches its website. Sharing stories of all the Baha’i Heroes and Heroines of the past and present from all over the world. Facebook X Pinterest LinkedIn You may also like William Sears *Source: Bahá'í…
Bahá'í Chronicles records the establishment of the South African Bahá'í community in the early 1950s — when Shoghi Effendi's Ten Year Crusade brought pioneers to the apartheid-era cities, and the first declarations were made by a handful of Black, white, and Indian South Africans who had found in the Faith the answer to the racial question their country had not yet faced.
"I beseech you," he tearfully entreated Mulla Ali, "to allow me to accompany you on your journey. Perplexities oppress my heart; I pray you to guide my steps in the way of Truth. Last night, in my dream, I heard the crier announce in the…
He spent his days in friendly association with the other believers. Then for a while he went to Ghawr, near Tiberias, where he farmed, both tilling the soil and devoting much of his time to supplicating and communing with God. **…
He became a candle burning with the love of God, a goodly tree in the Abhá gardens. He led all his household, his other kindred and his friends to the Faith, and successfully rendered many services. ** Hájí…
He lived for a time in Ádhirbáyján, enamored of the Lord. When he became widely known thereabouts as one bearing the name of God, the people ruined his life. ** Hájí…
Ḥájí Faraju’lláh, he lived on in that city, until the day when merciless oppressors banished Bahá’u’lláh to ‘Akká, and in His company the Ḥájí came here to the Most Great Prison. **…
On the friends’ final journey he went to Ádhirbáyján, and there, throwing caution to the winds, he roared out the Greatest Name: “Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá!” The unbelievers there joined forces with his relatives, and they lured that innocent, that…
Not long after Shoghi Effendi assumed his stewardship as Guardian, it was possible for him, through the munificent assistance of a dedicated 'Iraqi Baha'i, Haji Mahmud Qassabchi, to carry out the arduous task, already referred to, of…
Haji Abu'l-Hasan Ardikani known as Haji Amin or Amin-i-Ilahi (the trustee of God). He was one of the prominent Bahá'ís of Iran and was appointed the trustee (amin) of the Huququ'llah as well as acting as a courier for conveying the letters…
Mirza Hasan-i-Adib was deeply interested in the education of Baha'i youth. Another great achievement was the founding of the Tarbiyat Boys' School in Tehran. **Haji Mirza Hasan-i-Adib** **Born:** 1845/1847 **Death:** 1919 **Place…
When still a small child, he received his portion of bounty from the Báb, and showed forth an extraordinary attachment to that dazzling Beauty. ** Ḥ****ájí Mírzá ****Ḥ****asan, the…
After Haji Mirza Musay-i-Javahari died in 1881, his son, Haji Mirza Musa inherited a portion of the estate. He owned the house where Baha’u’llah lived and was extremely happy to present it to Him as a gift. ** Haji Mirza…
The Bab's three uncles: Haji Mirza Siyyid Ali aka the Greatest Uncle - he was the middle brother, Haji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad aka the Greater Uncle - he was the eldest of the three brothers, and Haji Mirza Hassan Ali, the younger Uncle.…
He took up a staff and wandered away; over the mountains he went, across the plains, seeking and finding the mystics, his friends. **…
It was the first time in the history of the Baha'i Faith that an attack on one of its members had been dealt with justly. **Haji Muhammad Rida Isfahani Born:** Unknown **Death:** Unknown **Place of Birth:** Isfahan, Iran **Location…
Later, following a journey to distant countries, he went to the Holy Land, and there in utter submission and lowliness bowed his head before the Sacred Threshold and was honored with entering the presence of Bahá’u’lláh, where he drank in…
No sooner had Haji Muhammad-Taqi uttered these words than Siyyid Murtada, who was one of the noted merchants of Zanjan, hastened to take precedence of his companions. He flung himself over the body of Haji Muhammad-Taqi, and pleaded that,…
Haji Muhammad Tihir was a brilliant debater and speaker. It is difficult to convey the pleasure one derived from his inspiring conversation which ranged from humorous trifles to weighty pronouncements. His knowledge of the history and…
In the days when the fort of Tabarsi had become the rallying centre for the disciples of the Bab, he languished disconsolate upon a sick-bed, unable to lend his assistance and play his part for its defence. No sooner had he recovered than,…
Let lovers be warned by his story; let them know how he gambled away his life in his yearning after the Light of the World. May God give him to drink of a brimming cup in the everlasting gardens; in the Supreme Assemblage, may God shed…
He wished neither rank nor office, and had no worldly aims at all. His one supreme desire was to serve Bahá’u’lláh, and for this reason he was never separated from his Brother’s presence. ** His Eminence Kalím (Mírzá…
During all that time Husayn-Áqá never offended a soul, nor did anyone, where he was concerned, utter a single complaint. This was truly a miracle, and no one else could have established such a record of service. He was always smiling,…
He shouted aloud, was frenzied, was drunk with the music of the new message. He escaped from his debits and credits, set out to meet the Lord of his heart, and entered the presence of Bahá’u’lláh. ** Husayn Effendi…
When young, he joined the circle of the late Siyyid Kázim and became one of his disciples. He was known in Persia for his purity of life, winning fame as Mullá Ṣádiq the saintly. ** Ismu’lláhu’l-Asdaq (Mullá ****Ṣ****ádiq…
Bahá'í Chronicles records that in the late 1870s, Bahá'u'lláh dispatched Sulaymán Khán-i-Tunúkábání — known as Jamál Effendi — from 'Akká to India, with the charge to establish the Faith on the subcontinent. With Sayyid Muṣṭafá Rúmí, who would later carry the work into Burma, he founded the first Bahá'í communities of Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta.
During the years when Bahá’u’lláh resided in Iraq, Jináb-i-Muníb left Káshán and hastened to His presence. He went to live in a small and humble house, barely managed to subsist, and set about committing to writing the words of God…
Bahá'í Chronicles preserves the biographical record of John Ebenezer Esslemont — the Aberdeen physician who, after encountering the Cause in 1914, wrote the introductory work *Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era,* moved to Haifa to serve at the Master's side, and was named by Shoghi Effendi a Hand of the Cause after his early death in 1925.
Gregory was instrumental in arranging for two major speaking engagements for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Washington DC to an audience of more than a thousand in Rankin Chapel at Howard University, and that evening to a large gathering of the Bethel…
Bahá'í Chronicles preserves the biographical record of Lua Aurelia Getsinger — the radiant Tennessee farm girl who, after the 1898 pilgrimage of fifteen Westerners to 'Akká, became the most celebrated travel-teacher of her generation, and whom 'Abdu'l-Bahá named *Livá* — *the Banner-Bearer.*
Bahá'í Chronicles preserves the biographical record of Martha Root — the small, quiet Pennsylvania newspaperwoman who, in the years between 1919 and her death in 1939, travelled four times around the world as a Bahá'í teacher, met queens and presidents, and was named by Shoghi Effendi *the foremost Hand of the Cause* of the Western world in his time.
Mashhadí Faṭṭáḥ possessed some merchandise; this was all he owned in the world. He had entrusted it to persons in Adrianople, and later on those unrighteous people did away with the goods. ** Mashhadí…
They were pure souls who took the great step in their own country: they freed themselves from friend and stranger alike, escaped from the superstitions that had blinded them before, strengthened their resolve, and bowed themselves down…
Bahá'í Chronicles preserves the biographical record of May Bolles Maxwell — one of the first pilgrims to 'Akká, the woman who established the Bahá'í community of Paris and of Montreal, the mother of Rúḥíyyih Khánum, and the travel-teacher whom Shoghi Effendi would name a martyr of the Faith after her death in Buenos Aires in 1940.
Mirzá ‘Abd’u’lláh had a modest music school in a district of Tihrán called Imám-zádeh Yahyá. A number of so called open minded pupils were following his classes. Music was forbidden in Islamic countries then, therefore the mob had a good…
Mirza Abu’l-Fadl was imprisioned on three different times.…
He was an early martyr of the Faith, was the recipient of the Tablet of the Verse of Light, as he had requested that Bahá'u'lláh interpret the isolated letters at the chapter beginnings of the Qur'an. ** Mirza…
An elaborate and exhaustive interrogation was conducted in the presence of the representatives of the Persian government and others during which Fadil had the opportunity to explain the purpose of his mission and defend the Bahá'í…
He was the fifteenth Letter of the Living. He was the brother of Mírzá Muhammad-‘Alí Qazvíní. ** Mírzá Hádí-i-Qazvíní, Letter of the…
Mírzá Ja‘far was patient and long-suffering, a faithful attendant at the Holy Threshold. He was a servant to all the friends, working day and night. A quiet man, sparing of speech, in all things relying entirely upon God. ** Mírzá…
Mahmud's Diary may sound familiar to many and this is the most popular of Mirza Mahmud-i-Zargani's work. Mahmud was almost 49 years old when he died. ** Mirza…
"he that was created by the light of Bahá" L: Mirza Mihdi with his brother ‘Abdu’l-Baha **Mírzá…
He was singled out from his fellows, head and shoulders above the rest. When still a child, he learned of the Lord’s Advent, caught fire with love, and became one of those who “gave their all to purchase Joseph.” ** Mírzá…
After he had received the endless bounties showered on him by Bahá’u’lláh, he was given leave to go, and he traveled to China. There, over a considerable period, he spent his days mindful of God and in a manner conformable to Divine good…
He was the son of Mullá ‘Abdu’l-Vahháb, a mujtahid (preeminent religious scholar) of Qazvin; cousin and brother-in-law of Táhirih, closely associated with her in Karbala. ** Mírzá Muhammad-‘Alíy-i-Qazvíní, Letter of the…
He was the third Letter of the Living and was the nephew of Mullá Husayn. ** Mírzá Muhammad Báqir Bushrú’í, Letter of the…
He was the younger brother of Mulla Husayn and the second Letter of the Living. ** Mírzá Muhammad Hasan Bushrú’í, Letter of the…
The Beloved of Martys and the King of Martyrs were approximately nine and eleven years old. They served the Bab and He paid special attention to them. During the dinner their father turned to the Bab and said, “My brother Mirza…
He was a princely individual known for his lavish openhandedness not only in Persia and Iraq but as far away as India. To begin with he had been a Persian vazír; but when he saw how the late Fath-‘Alí Sháh eyed worldly riches, particularly…
He was detached from every selfish thought, averse to every mention except to whatever concerned the Holy Cause. ** Mírzá…
Mírzá Muhammad Rawdih-Khán Yazdí (or Dhákir-i-Masá’ib) was the eighth Letter of the Living. ** Mírzá Muhammad Rawdih-Khán Yazdí, Letter of the…
He who had been waited upon, now waited on others; he who had been the master was now the servant, he who had once been a leader was now a captive. He had no rest, no leisure, day or night. To the travelers he was a trusted refuge; to the…
The farráshes hunted them down, and caught Mírzá Mustafá. But then the oppressors said, “Mírzá Mustafá had two long locks of hair. This cannot be the right man.” At once, Mírzá Mustafá took off his hat and down fell the locks of hair.…
Large crowds of people thronged the approaches to the headquarters of the government, eager to learn what would befall him. "Since last night," the Amir, as soon as he had seen him, remarked, " I have been besieged by all classes of State…
During the nineteen days that he remained there he drank his fill from the life-giving draught of the presence of the Master and on daily basis paid homage to the Sacred Shrine of Baha’u’llah. **Mirza Yusuf Vahid Kashfi Born:**…
In the afternoons he would take his samovar, wrap it in a dark-colored pouch made from a saddlebag, and go off somewhere to a garden or meadow, or out in a field, and have his tea. **…
He spent a considerable time in the Most Great Prison, after which Bahá’u’lláh desired him to leave for Sidon, where he engaged in trade. ** Muḥammad-‘Alí Ṣabbáq of…
He stationed himself by the Holy Threshold, carefully sweeping it and keeping watch. Through his constant efforts, the square in front of Bahá’u’lláh’s house was at all times swept, sprinkled and immaculate. **…
He guided a number of souls, remaining true and loyal to the great Cause. He endured terrible persecution and torment, but did not falter. Then he found favor in the eyes of the King of Martyrs and became a trusted attendant of the Beloved…
Muhammad-Husayn-i-Maraghi i was the last of the Seven Martyrs who with eagerness gave up his life for the Baha'i Faith. ** Muhammad-Husayn-i-Maraghi’i, the last of the Seven…
Muḥammad showed a keen interest to learn and master this language. He moved to Qazvín, the birth place of Táhiríh, to teach at Tavakkul Bahá’í School in 1914. In 1916, he was nominated as the official representative of the World Esperanto…
He was the twelfth Letter of the Living. He was present at the Conference of Badasht, a gathering of the Báb’s followers held in 1848. ** Mullá Ahmad-i-Ibdál-i-Marághi’í, Letter of the…
This honored man was successful in converting a multitude. For the sake of God he cast all caution aside, as he hastened along the ways of love. **Mu****lla`Ali-Akbar Shahmirzadi (Haji…
Mullá ‘Alí set out according to the Bab’s special instructions. He went first to Bushehr, where he met with the Báb’s uncle Hájí Mírzá Siyyid Muhammad, who years later accepted both the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh. By the late summer of 1844,…
He assisted Táhirih in Karbala, then traveled to Iran with her. He was present at the Conference of Badasht and later visited the Báb while He was in prison in Azerbaijan. ** Mullá Báqir-i-Tabrízí, Letter of the…
Mullá Hasan Bajistání was the sixth Letter of the Living. ** Mullá Hasan Bajistání, Letter of the…
He cheered and strengthened the disconsolate disciples of his beloved chief ** Mullá Husayn Bushrú’í, Letter of the…
The Bab often remarked how out of a city full of clergy, divines and religious institutions that the first to recognize the truth was a sifter of wheat, Mulla Jafar Isfahani. ** Mulla Jafar Isfahani (Sifter of…
Mullá Jalíl Urúmí was the eleventh Letter of the Living. He taught the Bábí Faith especially in Azerbaijan and Qazvin ** Mullá Jalíl-i-Urúmí, Letter of the…
He was the fifth Letter of the Living. He returned to Karbala from Shiraz. ** Mullá Khudá-Bakhsh Qúchání, Letter of the…
Mullá Mahmúd Khú’í was the tenth Letter of the Living. ** Mullá Mahmúd-i-Khú’í (Letter of the…
The clamour of the people that had massed around his house compelled Vahid to order Mulla Muhammad-Riday-i-Manshadi, one of the most enlightened ulamas of Manshad, who had discarded his turban and offered himself as his doorkeeper, to…
He was noted for his learning and eloquence. He played an active and prominent role among the Bábís. ** Mullá Yúsuf-i-Ardibílí, Letter of the…
He was a universal man, in himself alone a convincing proof. When his eyes were opened to the light of Divine guidance, and he breathed in the fragrances of Heaven, he became a flame of God. **Nabíl-i-Akbar**** (****Áqá…
He lived apart from friend and stranger alike, lamenting night and day, moaning and chanting prayers. There he remained as a recluse, and waited for the doors to open. **Nabíl-i-Zarandí aka…
He was young, far away from his loving father, and Mullá Muḥammad-‘Alí was his tutor and guardian. Bahá’u’lláh would refer to him with infinite grace and loving-kindness, and revealed a number of Tablets in his name. The Blessed Beauty…
He was designated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha as the “Moon of Guidance” and his “appearance the Revelation of St. John the Divine anticipated as one of the two ‘Witnesses’ into whom, ere the ‘second woe is past,’ the ‘spirit of life from God’ must…
** Sháh Muḥammad-Amín aka Haji Shah Muhammad…
He was a child of the eminent scholar, Shaykh-i-Mázgání; his noble father was one of the leading citizens of Qamsar, near Káshán, and for piety, holiness, and the fear of God he had no peer. **Shaykh…
Shaykh Hasan recognized in the Báb all those attributes his master had predicted, and he became His devoted disciple, travelling far and wide to be close to the newest Manifestation of God on earth. When the ulama of Isfahan issued the…
He received a long poem of which 127 of 2000 verses were preserved ** Shaykh…
His detachment from the things of this world and his attachment to the life of the spirit are indescribable. He was love embodied, tenderness personified. ** Shaykh…
He had remarkable powers of endurance. He traveled on foot, as a rule eating nothing but onions and bread; and in all that time, he moved about in such a way that he was never once held up and never once lost a letter or a Tablet.…
Sheikh Muhammad El Damirtchi was a Bahá'í scholar and mystic. He was one of the early followers of the Babí Movement since the days of Bahá’u’lláh. ** Sheikh Muhammad El…
As he faced the multitude that had gathered round him to witness his martyrdom, Siyyid Husayn raised his voice and said: "Hear me, O followers of Islam! My name is Husayn, and I am a descendant of the Siyyidu'sh-Shuhada, who also bore that…
He accompanied the Báb as His secretary during His imprisonment in Mákú and Chihríq. He became known as Kátib (the Amanuensis). ** Siyyid Husayn Yazdí, Letter of the…
Siyyid Isma`ils writings are among the best known in the modern Shi`ism and the most important among them are: Hisnul-Hasin dar Sharh Baladul-Amin, a commentary on his grandfather's important work on statesmanship. ** Siyyid…
They were required to spit on Siyyid Jafar's face. Despite this degradation, "he remained calm and resigned throughout his ordeal and manifested a spirit of sublime joy and love and thankfulness towards those who offended him. **…
Siyyid Mirza Husayn-i-Mutavalli was the recipient of the Tablet Shikkar-Shikan-Shavand. This man was a Babi who had been with 300 others under the leadership of Quddus at the Tabarsi fort, where they were attacked and starved. **…
Ultimately he became the intermediary through whom Tablets could be sent away and mail from the believers could come in. ** Siyyid Muḥammad-Taqí…
In May 1878, his travel teaching took Siyyid Mustafa Rumi to Myanmar (Burma). There he would, not yet knowing the local language, together with Jamal Effendi and Haji Siyyid Mihdi, lay the foundation for the Burmese Bahá’í community.…
On my arrival I found that Husayn Khan, who in the meantime had been searching for me, was eager to know whether I had fallen a victim to the Bab's magic influence. `No one but God,' I replied, `who alone can change the hearts of men, is…
When the prison authorities brought the Baha'i prisoners together in February, Tahirih saw her husband for the first time since their arrest. He had been so badly beaten that she could barely recognize him. **Tahirih Siyavushi, one…
Táhirih asked to borrow the writings and take them home. Mullá Javád violently objected, telling her: “Your father is an enemy of the Twin Luminous Lights, Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kázim. **…
Although the young merchant's given name was Siyyid 'Ali-Muhammad, He took the name "Báb"…
"‘Abdu’l-Bahá recognized Chase as "the first American believer," and Shoghi Effendi later described him as "indeed the first to embrace the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh in the Western world." ** Thornton Chase, Disciple of…
Ustad ‘Ali Ashraf was a well-known architect, who designed and built most of the big governmental and national buildings (‘Qafqaziyyih’, 1867). 'Abdu'l-Bahá named one of the exterior doors to the Shrine of Bab after Ustad ‘Ali Ashraf.…
Ustad ‘Abdu’-Karim was a Baha'i mason who contributed to building the Shrine of the Bab. 'Abdu'l-Bahá named one of the exterior doors to the Shrine of Bab after Ustad ‘Abdu’-Karim. Named Bab-i-Karim. ** Ustad…
Exceptionally skilled in his craft, Ustád produced highly ingenious work, fashioning carpentry that, for intricacy and precision, resembled mosaic inlay. He was expert in mathematics as well, solving and explaining difficult problems.…
The architect Aqa Bala, who was in 'Akka on pilgrimage at the time, should beg 'Abdu'l-Bahá's permission to build a small bath in His house. And so he submitted his request. Since he was one of the pure in heart, his request was granted.…
For a time they stayed on in their own country, occupied with the remembrance of God, characterized by faith and knowledge, respected by friend and stranger alike, known to all for righteousness and trustworthiness, for austerity of life…
“Nothing is left me on this pathway. I have lost everything, including my bride. I have been able to give Him all I possessed.” ** Ustád…
While in his thirties, he became acquainted with a musician named Haji Khán who was in the entourage of the Governor of Isfahán and was a Bahá’i. Ustád Nasru’lláh was fond of music and wanted to learn to play an instrument. He took music…
He was high-minded, abstemious and chaste. When he became a believer, his urgent longing to meet Bahá’u’lláh could not be stilled; full of joyous love, he went out of the Land of Káf (Káshán) and traveled to Iraq, where he beheld the…
From his years Billy Sears possessed an inordinate interest in God. He asked his parents, his grandfather, the preacher, the mayor, even the local people he met a myriad of questions: 'Did God have a wife? Where was His house? Could He…
He was made a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects. ** William Sutherland…
When 'Abdu'l-Bahá was only a small boy, His family lost almost everything — and one frightening errand showed how brave and gentle He already was.
A husband and wife loved their little village so much that they filled it with prayer, schools, and kindness — and even when the hardest things happened, their love never stopped.
A curious girl from Canada who could not stop reading and learning grew up to do something nobody expected — and to serve the whole world.
A craftsman who worked hard all day and welcomed friends to supper nearly every night stayed full of joy, even when he had only bread to eat and water from a brook.
When Áqá Faraj first heard the wonderful news, he clapped his hands and cried out for joy — and then he set off on a long journey that lasted his whole life.
A young cook named Husayn tried to save every little piece of coal — and one day Bahá'u'lláh let him know that even his quiet, careful kindness had been noticed.
Four brothers lived right beside the house of Bahá'u'lláh, and just by watching Him come and go, their hearts began to fill with love.
A young boy traveled a very long way with his father, all the way to the city of Baghdad, because more than anything he wanted to meet his Lord.
A devoted believer kept asking Bahá'u'lláh what he should do — and was lovingly taught one of the most important lessons of all: to sit down with wise friends and decide together.
Two brothers left their home and traveled far to be near Bahá'u'lláh — and their love for each other, and for Him, never let them go.
A young man named Muḥammad-Ibráhím was captured for loving Bahá'u'lláh — but he broke free and spent the rest of his life serving with all his heart.
A coppersmith named Áqá Muḥammad left his home, gave away his money to strangers, and made beautiful poems that could make a whole room weep.
One spring day, a brand-new website opened so that the stories of brave and loving Bahá'í friends from all over the world could finally be shared in one special place.
In a faraway land where the law kept people apart, a small group of new friends decided to meet together for prayer — even when meeting together was against the rules.
A young man woke from a dream he could not forget, ran out of his shop to follow a stranger on a journey — and set off a story of courage, cruelty, and forgiveness that took his whole family years to finish.
A man left his home in Persia to find Bahá'u'lláh, and he learned to fill every part of his day — even his work in the fields — with prayer.
A kind merchant lost his goods to thieves, and a powerful man tried to make him lie for money — but he chose the truth, no matter what it cost.
A faithful man lost his home and his friends, but he traveled far to be near Bahá'u'lláh — and never let go of the love in his heart.
A young man named Faraju'lláh wanted to be near Bahá'u'lláh more than anything — so when hard times came, he chose to follow Him even to a faraway prison.
A kind man from Iraq gave a wonderful gift so that three new rooms could be added to the holy Shrine of the Báb on the side of a mountain.
A farmer's son from a small Persian town became one of the most trusted helpers of his time, carrying letters and gifts across whole countries — and earning a name that meant 'the one you can trust.'
A famous teacher of kings and scholars discovered something greater than all his learning — and spent the rest of his life teaching it to others.
A boy who loved learning grew into a man whose face seemed to glow with light, because more than anything he loved Bahá'u'lláh.
A wealthy nobleman in Baghdád loved nothing more than to sit humbly at the feet of the Purest Branch — and one day his family had the chance to give away a very special house.
The Báb had three uncles, and each one came to believe in his own way and his own time — one early and bravely, one after his deepest questions were answered, and one last of all.
A young man set out with a walking staff to search the whole world for a true guide — and traveled all the way to a great prison to find the One his heart was looking for.
When a kind and well-loved Bahá'í was harmed, something happened that had never happened before — the wrong was put right by a fair court, and the Bahá'ís themselves asked for mercy.
A gentle, quiet man from Shíráz travels across many countries, longing to stand in the presence of Bahá'u'lláh — and finds the one thing his heart had always wanted.
Two brave believers loved their faith so much that, when the hardest moment came, each one rushed to go first — to give the most for what he believed.
A weaver named Haji Muhammad Tihir was so brave and so wise that even his enemies put down their weapons and listened — and he gave his whole long life to teaching and caring for others.
A young man left home to search for the truth, and the truth he found made him so brave and so kind that he forgave even the person who meant to harm him.
A gentle old man who made sweet rose perfume left his home and walked across deserts and mountains, longing to reach Bahá'u'lláh.
Mírzá Músá wanted nothing for himself — only to be near his Brother, Bahá'u'lláh, and to serve Him through every hardship from beginning to end.
For forty years a man named Husayn-Áqá served coffee to everyone who came to the door — and never once let anyone leave unhappy.
A young merchant far from home heard wonderful news in a busy port city — and it changed everything he wanted to do with his life.
When angry crowds led him through the streets with a rope around his neck, Mullá Ṣádiq did not stop smiling — or stop speaking the truth he loved.
A man named Jamál Effendi sailed to a faraway land where he knew no one, and stayed for twenty-two years to plant the seeds of a new community.
A gentle young man who loved comfort gave up everything — his home, his ease, even his health — just to stay close to Bahá'u'lláh on a long and difficult road.
A doctor who was often sick spent seven whole years writing one clear little book about the Faith — and it went on to travel farther than he ever could.
Born to a family freed from slavery, Louis Gregory grew up to find the Bahá'í Faith — and 'Abdu'l-Bahá once gave him the seat of honor when others wanted to keep him apart.
A farm girl named Lua loved the Bahá'í Faith so much that she carried it from town to town across a whole country, and 'Abdu'l-Bahá gave her a special name.
Martha Root packed two suitcases and a typewriter, and she traveled all the way around the whole world four times to tell people about the Bahá'í Faith.
A kind man named Mashhadí Faṭṭáḥ lost all that he owned, yet he stayed quietly happy because he loved God most of all.
Two friends from a cold country gave up everything they knew to be near Bahá'u'lláh, and stayed faithful and grateful even when things became very hard.
A young woman from America heard of a new Faith in Paris, journeyed across the sea to meet the Master, and spent the rest of her long life helping others find Him too.
A famous musician knew songs that no one had ever written down — and he spent his whole life making sure they would never be lost.
A famous teacher in Iran read two letters, found something he had been searching for his whole life, and gave himself a name that means doing good.
A man in Shíráz loved the Báb with all his heart, and he carried one big question all the way to Bahá'u'lláh.
A boy from a small city in Persia grew into one of the wisest teachers of his time — and the more he learned, the kinder and humbler he became.
Long ago, eighteen people were the first to believe in the Báb, and a young man named Mírzá Hádí was one of them — though his story turned out to be a quiet and complicated one.
A wise man gave up his books to become a humble carpenter and a servant to everyone — and one day, when even the doctor had given up on him, something astonishing happened.
When 'Abdu'l-Bahá traveled across America, one faithful friend wrote down everything he saw — and his diary became a treasure the whole world could share.
A gentle young man in a faraway prison made the bravest wish of his whole life — and because of it, people who longed to see Bahá'u'lláh finally could.
A gifted boy from Káshán heard about the new Light while he was still small, and loved Bahá'u'lláh so much that he crossed deserts and prisons just to be near Him.
From a rooftop at sunset, 'Abdu'l-Bahá saw a carriage far away and somehow knew a holy soul was coming — a faithful traveler whose face seemed made of light.
A young man from a family of famous scholars was trusted with a secret letter and a special message — to carry to the Promised One whom he and his cousin had searched for all their lives.
A young man named Mírzá Muhammad Báqir was one of the very first to find the Báb, and he stayed brave and faithful right to the end.
When his big brother set out on a long and dangerous journey for the Báb, a younger brother chose to walk right beside him — and never left his side.
Two young brothers helped serve a special guest at their family's table — and grew up to be among the kindest, bravest believers of all.
A quiet man who loved Bahá'u'lláh so much that he poured the tea, pitched the tents, and stayed faithful through every hard journey, never asking for a single thing for himself.
A man who had learned about the Báb went home to his city — and even when it was not safe to speak openly, he kept teaching others, gently and quietly, all his life.
A famous scholar who had everything gave it all up to serve in a faraway prison-city — and became the most beloved helper of all.
When soldiers came hunting for a brave believer, he could have stayed hidden — but instead he lifted off his hat and told them the truth.
A man so beloved that crowds lined the roads to greet him chose to follow the Báb instead — because, more than anything, he wanted to be fair and to know the truth.
A man named Mirza Yusuf searched for the truth for many years, and when he finally found it, he gave up everything to travel the world and share it.
A man named Muḥammad-‘Alí was kept as a prisoner for the rest of his life — and yet, somehow, he was one of the happiest people anyone had ever met.
A young man who could not read or write loved Bahá'u'lláh so much that he followed Him from city to city, through loneliness and even prison, staying faithful to the very end.
A famous bookmaker left everything behind to live near Bahá'u'lláh — and the work he chose to do was simply to keep one little square of ground clean and beautiful.
A man named Áqá Muḥammad gave up everything he had to follow the Faith of God, and found his greatest joy in the humblest work of all — sweeping the ground before Bahá'u'lláh's door.
A brave young man loved his friend and his Faith so much that, when the hardest moment came, he refused to be parted from either one.
A boy named Muḥammad started a little company so children could save money for the future — and grew up to take photographs of holy places for a famous book.
When the Báb chose His very first followers, a man named Mullá Ahmad was one of them — and he gave everything to the new Faith he loved.
A clever man searched school after school looking for joy and never found it — until he found a faith worth being brave for, no matter who laughed at him.
A man who had searched for years finally found the One he was looking for — and then bravely carried the good news, even when it cost him everything.
A devoted helper named Mullá Báqir spent his whole life carrying messages and serving the ones he loved most — and became the very last of a special group of believers.
A man named Mullá Hasan was chosen for a very special job, but deep down he felt he was not good enough — and his quiet, humble heart has been remembered ever since.
A travelling believer of such transparent honesty that Bahá'u'lláh named him Amín — the Trusted One — and entrusted to him the sacred funds of the Faith. For nearly half a century, on foot and on horseback across Persia and beyond, Ḥájí Abu'l-Ḥasan-i-Ardikání carried that trust without a shadow upon it.
Already past sixty, a travelling salesman named Hyde Dunn and his wife Clara left America to carry the Bahá'í message to a continent where it had never been heard. Town by town across Australia they planted the Faith, and Shoghi Effendi gave them the names by which they are remembered — "Father" and "Mother" Dunn, and Australia's "spiritual conqueror."
Mírzá Abu'l-Faḍl was reckoned among the most learned men of Persia — head of a great religious college, master of philosophy and theology. The proofs of the new Faith could not move him. What moved him, in the end, was a plain question from an unlettered believer that all his learning could not answer — and through it he came to recognise the glory of Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation.
Years before the Declaration, in the shrine-city of Karbilá, Shaykh Ḥasan-i-Zunúzí was led by his teacher Siyyid Káẓim to the door of a young Pilgrim of radiant countenance, and watched Him weep in prayer at the shrine of the Imám Ḥusayn. When the Call rang out from Shíráz in 1844, the memory of that Youth flashed back to him — and he knew at once that the Báb and the Pilgrim of Karbilá were one and the same.
Hippolyte Dreyfus was a brilliant young Parisian lawyer with everything the world prizes when he encountered the Bahá'í teachings. Recognising their truth, he did something few Western believers had done: he set himself to master Persian and Arabic so that he could read the Writings in their own words and carry them to the French-speaking world. He became the first French Bahá'í and one of the Faith's earliest Western scholars and translators.
The first African-American Rhodes Scholar and a Harvard-trained philosopher, Alain Locke became the guiding intellect of the Harlem Renaissance. He was also a Bahá'í who put the whole of his learning to the service of human oneness — teaching that the deepest work of the mind is to discover the "common denominators" on which a united world can stand.
A Harvard-trained teacher, proud of the Latin, algebra, and geometry he drilled into his pupils, met 'Abdu'l-Bahá and was asked one quiet question that exposed the great gap in modern education. Stanwood Cobb spent the rest of his long life — he lived to 101 — trying to put back what his schooling had left out.
Mírzá Abu'l-Faḍl of Gulpáygán was among the most learned men in Persia — head of a religious college before he ever heard the name of Bahá'u'lláh. Won to the Faith by the proofs he had once tried to refute, he was imprisoned three times for it and stripped of his worldly standing. He gave the rest of his life to defending the Cause with his pen and his voice across three continents, the very power of his learning laid at the feet of the Faith he had embraced.
On pilgrimage to 'Akká, Lua Getsinger longed to serve 'Abdu'l-Bahá. He gave her the chance — and sent her to a poor, sick, friendless man in the filthiest quarter of the city. When she recoiled from the squalor, the Master taught her the hardest and most beautiful lesson of her life: whoever would serve God must serve his fellow man, for in every human being is the image and likeness of God.
When 'Abdu'l-Bahá was still a small boy, He was taken to His father's country estate in Mázindarán, where the shepherds of a great flock came to honour Him. Told that a landlord's son should leave the shepherds a gift, and having nothing of His own to give, the child gave them the sheep themselves — every one. Bahá'u'lláh, hearing of it, laughed and said a guardian would have to be appointed to protect the boy from his own generosity.
Louis Gregory, an African-American attorney born to emancipated parents, and Louisa Mathew, an Englishwoman, met on pilgrimage to 'Abdu'l-Bahá. At a time when interracial marriage was outlawed in most of the United States, the Master quietly encouraged their union — and on 27 September 1912 they became the first interracial Bahá'í couple, a living sign of the human family made one.
Siyyid Yaḥyá-i-Dárábí was the most learned, most eloquent, and most influential divine in all Persia — a man who had committed thirty thousand traditions to memory and before whom whole assemblies fell silent. Sent by the Sháh himself to examine the Báb and expose Him, this perfected scholar found instead that true greatness of mind lies not in what one knows but in the humility to bow before the truth.
Mírzá Abu'l-Faḍl had perfected nearly every branch of human knowledge — theology, philosophy, history, the sciences — and headed a renowned college before he was thirty. When he became a Bahá'í, he did not lay his learning aside; he laid it at the feet of the Cause, becoming its peerless scholar and carrying its proofs from Cairo to Paris to Green Acre, where Harvard and Columbia professors came to listen.
A young Englishman on his way to America stopped in Paris in the summer of 1901, was introduced to a Bahá'í teacher, and spent three days asking everything he needed to ask. His questions answered, he wrote a two-line letter of belief to 'Abdu'l-Bahá — and then faced one more question, about the source of his own income, that turned his new faith into action.
An Irish clergyman who rose to be Canon of St. Patrick's Cathedral and Archdeacon of Clonfert spent decades wrestling with a single question: was the long-promised Day of God already here? He had recognized the Bahá'í Faith as true as early as 1921, yet it took him until old age to follow that conviction all the way — resigning his orders and declaring openly what he had quietly believed.
For nearly half a century Corinne True gave herself to a single labour of service — the raising of the first Bahá'í House of Worship of the West on the shore of Lake Michigan at Wilmette. Across two world wars and a great depression she gathered the dimes and dollars of working believers, held the project together through every discouragement, and lived to see the temple she had served dedicated to public worship. 'Abdu'l-Bahá called her the Mother of the Temple.
A slight, quiet newspaperwoman from western Pennsylvania, Martha Root gave the last twenty years of her life to a single errand of service — carrying the message of Bahá'u'lláh to the whole world. Between 1919 and her death in 1939 she circled the globe four times, living out of a suitcase, often ill, often with little money, planting the Cause in lands where it had never been heard. Shoghi Effendi called her the foremost Hand raised up in the West in His time.
The first American to embrace the Faith did not rest in the distinction. For the next eighteen years Thornton Chase quietly built the institutions of a young community — chairing the Chicago House of Spirituality, founding its publishing work, and writing the patient circular letters that knit the scattered believers of a continent together. 'Abdu'l-Bahá named him Thábit, the Steadfast.
Long before he had ever heard of the Bahá'í Faith, the French-Canadian architect Louis Bourgeois believed his life's work was to build a universal temple of Truth for all humanity. When he found the Cause, he found his commission — and poured the rest of his life into the luminous nine-sided House of Worship at Wilmette, a building whose ornament gathers the symbols of all the world's religions into one.
When the Sháh of Persia came to Paris in 1902, 'Abdu'l-Bahá charged the young American teacher Lua Getsinger to carry to him a message protesting the persecution of the Bahá'ís in his realm. She — a farmer's daughter with no rank and no standing — found her way to the monarch and delivered the Master's word, a single act of bold testimony that earned her the name of Banner-Bearer.
Returning from her 1899 pilgrimage to 'Akká, the young American May Ellis Bolles settled in Paris and began, by the spoken word, to tell seekers of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh — gathering around her the first body of believers on the European continent and teaching souls whose own service would reach across the world.
Robbed of his small stock of goods in exile, Ḥájí ʻAlí-ʻAskar-i-Tabrízí was pressed by a powerful consul to inflate the loss and share in the spoils. With prison and banishment threatened against him, the impoverished old believer would not speak a single false word — and Bahá'u'lláh said of him simply, "I am pleased with him."
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