He Bore His Own Expenses
bahaistories.com archive · Read original
When in Bahá'í history
Washington, D.C. (today: Washington, D.C., USA)

‘Abdu’l-Bahá insisted that all bills associated with His stay should be sent to Him. Everywhere He went on His travels, He always paid the cost in spite of many offers of financial help from others.
In Washington, on 27 April 1912, Mrs Parsons offered the Master a sum of money, but He said that she should distribute it among the poor. No matter how much she supplicated, He would not accept it, saying, “If we had not had the money necessary for the expenses of the voyage, we would have accepted your offer.”
Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 154; Mahmúd’s Diary, 27 April 1912.
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: expenses).
Cite this story
Various. *bahaistories.com archive*. https://bahaistories.com/subject/expenses
Record yourself reading this story
Recording stays on this device only. Nothing is uploaded.
Related stories
Half an Hour with Jeffrey Parsons
On His first morning in Washington, amid many interviews, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spent half an hour with Agnes Parsons’ young son Jeffrey, looking at his toys, books and pictures before they went up to the roof to see the view.
It Isn’t Going to Be a Sermon
At the Pumpellys’ home in Dublin, New Hampshire, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told a tale with a moral and then a lively Arabian story that filled the room with laughter. On the way home He asked, with a child’s simplicity, whether they were pleased.
Gifts in the Parsons Home
Agnes Parsons, in whose Washington home ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stayed in April 1912, recorded His gifts to her family: an ink well for her son, an illuminated manuscript for her husband, and a pair of glasses for her.
A Late Visit to the Library of Congress
On the evening of April 21, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá toured the Library of Congress with the Parsons and insisted on seeing each part thoroughly, until the superintendent ordered that the lights be left on.