Another one of the qualities that you found in Shoghi Effendi, and which rather
bahaistories.com archive · Read original
When in Bahá'í history

Another one of the qualities that you found in Shoghi Effendi, and which rather astonished me, was humility. I had studied a lot in the writings about humility. I had read a lot in the religious teachings about being humble, and I thought I knew a little bit about what it meant. But you knew nothing about humility until you saw Shoghi Effendi. Shoghi Effendi never spoke of himself, and one of the things that interested me very much when he was talking about the Cause and its development, he would speak about the conditions in the days of the Báb, and he would speak about the conditions and activities of the Faith in the days of Bahá’u’lláh, and he would speak about the conditions and activities of the Faith in the days of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and then he would speak about the Faith in the days after ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He never said in the days of the Guardian, or in my period of administration, but he always referred to the days after ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
One time we were talking, and I made some comment to the Guardian about some of the activities of the Cause, I don’t remember what it was, and I mentioned his name in the same sentence and almost in the same vein as that of the Master. And he stopped me and said, “Don’t ever do that. Don’t ever mention my name in the same breath as you mention the Master. The Master was like the ocean; I am like a drop. The Master was like the sun; and I am like an atom. So don’t ever, ever mention my name in the same theme or same trend of thought as that of the Master. There is a vast gulf between ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and all the rest of creation, and the between the Guardian.”
Source: In the Days of the Guardian a Talk by Hand of the Cause of God Leroy Ioas in Johannesburg, South Africa, 1958
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: humility).
Cite this story
Various. *bahaistories.com archive*. https://bahaistories.com/subject/humility
Record yourself reading this story
Recording stays on this device only. Nothing is uploaded.
Related stories
Munirih Khánum, wife of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who was the Greatest Branch of
Munirih Khánum, wife of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who was the Greatest Branch of the Tree of Life had this to say: Five of my children died in the poisonous climate of `Akká. The bad air was, in truth, only the outside material reason. The inner…
On March 25, 1911, at the behest of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Louis Gregory sailed from New
On March 25, 1911, at the behest of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Louis Gregory sailed from New York through Europe to Egypt and Palestine to go on pilgrimage. In Palestine, Gregory met with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi and visited the Shrine of…
One of the most striking examples of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s imperturbability
One of the most striking examples of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s imperturbability was His reaction to possible personal tragedy, further exile or execution. His troubles stemmed from the Covenant-breakers, those Bahá’ís who did not accept…
“Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say: Praised ...”
Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say: Praised be God! He is God! All are His servants and all abide by His bidding! Footnotes 1.This is the first letter of ‘Thamárih’ which means ‘fruit’. Shoghi Effendi, in…