A Good Listener
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When in Bahá'í history
‘Abdu’l-Bahá was not afraid of silence; indeed, He knew its virtue. Howard Colby Ives has recalled: “To the questioner He responded first with silence—an outward silence. His encouragement always was that the other should speak and He listen. There was never that eager tenseness, that restlessness so often met showing most plainly that the listener has the pat answer ready the moment he should have a chance to utter it.” And Ives recounts a charming story about another Unitarian minister who was interviewing ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for an article on the Bahá’í Faith. His questions were long. The Master listened ‘with unwearied attention’, replying mostly in monosyllables, but relaxed and interested. A great ‘understanding love’ flowed from Him to the minister. Ives grew impatient, but not the Master; His guest must be heard fully. When at last His questioner paused, after a brief silence ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke to him with wisdom and love, calling him ‘my dear son’. Within five minutes the minister “had become humble, for the moment, at least, a disciple at His feet …. Then ‘Abdu’l-Bahá rose … lovingly embraced the doctor and led him towards the door. At the threshold He paused. His eyes had lighted upon a large bunch of American Beauty roses … He laughed aloud … stooped, gathered the whole bunch in His arms … and placed them all in the arms of His visitor. Never shall I forget that round, bespectacled, grey head above that immense bunch of lovely flowers. So surprised, so radiant, so humble, so transformed.”
Source: Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Annamarie Honnold), pp. 13–14, quoting Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom.
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: silence).
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