The Silence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Another characteristic always apparent was His silence. In the world of social and intellectual intercourse to which I was accustomed silence was almost unforgivable. From the collegiate with his, or her, "line," to the lawyer, doctor, minister, statesman—a ready answer, a witty bon mot, a wise remark, a knowing smile was stock-in-trade. They all had their "line," and it was upon their readiness or unreadiness to meet every occasion verbally that their reputation largely rested. How differently ‘Abdu’l-Bahá met the questioner, the conversationalist, the occasion: 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. I have heard certain people described as "good listeners," but never had I imagined such a "listener" as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. It was more than a sympathetic absorption of what the ear received. It was as though the two individualities became one; as if He so closely identified Himself with the one speaking that a merging of spirits occurred which made a verbal response almost unnecessary, superfluous. As I write, the words of Bahá’u’lláh recur to me: "When the sincere servant calls to Me in prayer I become the very ear with which He heareth My reply.” That was just it! ‘Abdu’l-Bahá seemed to listen with my ears.

Source: Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom, ch. 13, p. 194.

The words Ives recalls are a tradition cited by Bahá’u’lláh in The Seven Valleys, where the authorized translation reads: “A servant is drawn unto Me in prayer until I answer him; and when I have answered him, I become the ear wherewith he heareth....”

Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: listening).

Various. *bahaistories.com archive*. https://bahaistories.com/subject/listening