When Praise Grieved the Master

Bahá’í poets and people of letters in Persia used to write poems in praise and glorification of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. But the resident Bahá’ís in ‘Akká were very careful not to breathe a word about His glorious station. They knew that He had often advised the poets that instead of singing His praise they ought to exalt His station of servitude and utter self-effacement.

One day a laudatory letter arrived addressed to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, composed in verse. Yúnis Khán, who was serving the Master, handed the poem to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as He was coming down the steps of the house in front of the sea. It appeared the right moment to give it to Him. He had hardly read one or two lines when He suddenly turned His face towards Yúnis Khán and with the utmost sadness and a deep sense of grief said: “Now even you hand me letters such as this! Don’t you know the measure of pain and sorrow which overtakes Me when I hear people addressing Me with such exalted titles? Even you have not recognized Me! … I consider Myself lower than each and every one of the loved ones of the Blessed Beauty.”

‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke angrily in this vein with such vigour that the heart of Yúnis Khán almost stopped. His whole body became numb. He wished the earth would open and swallow him up so that he might never again see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá so grief-stricken. Only when the Master resumed His walking down the stairs was he jolted by the sound of His shoes. He quickly followed the Master and heard Him say, “I told the Covenant-breakers that the more they hurt Me, the more will the believers exalt My station to the point of exaggeration.”

He was very perturbed that he had brought such grief upon the Master and did not know what to do. Then he heard the Master say, “This is in no way the fault of the friends. They say these things because of their steadfastness, their love and devotion …” Then He said to Yúnis Khán, “You are very dear to Me …” Yúnis Khán realized that it was always the Master’s way never ever to allow a soul to be hurt. He received comfort and encouragement. His anguish was gone. He was filled with such an indescribable joy and ecstasy that he wished the doors of heaven would open and he could ascend to the Kingdom on high.

Source: Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Annamarie Honnold), pp. 21–22 (from the memoirs of Yúnis Khán).

Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: kindness).

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