Flowers for the Ancient King

Once Bahá'u'lláh had passed from this earthly realm, there remained at least one special way to honor Him. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá grieved for His Father. He was burdened by the affairs of the infant Bahá’í Faith as well. Yet, He found a way to beautify His Father's Shrine outside of ‘Akká. It was not easy in that semi-arid land where the desert always lurks, waiting for a chance to reclaim the land.

Focused and determined, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá made a flower garden for Bahá'u'lláh. It adorned the path to the Shrine next to the mansion of Bahjí.

Then ‘Abdu’l-Bahá carefully planted the flowers in a perfect arrangement of color and fragrance. It was a good way to honor the spirit of the Ancient King Who so loved the natural world, particularly flowers.

Of course, a garden has to be continually watered. Water is especially important in a land where dry rock and sand are the order of things. For this task, the Master Himself, week after week, fetched jars of water for the garden. On some days He carried water as many as sixty times.

On Holy Days, the flowers on the pathway to His Father's Shrine were not enough. Many pots were filled with colorful blooms and brought to the Master's house. At two hours before sunset, the savage heat of the sun had been defeated for the day. It was then that the pilgrims and the believers came. Each one took up his burden of love. Two by two, they formed a procession and began their march to the resting place of the Ancient King.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, their commander-in-chief, walked sometimes in front of His army of flower-bearers and sometimes beside it, His own pot of blooms resting on His shoulder. Often He gave commands to a few lucky believers blessed with heavenly voices, directing them to chant.

Slowly, their hearts filling with an incomparable joy, the procession made its way to the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh. When the Shrine came into view, the Master halted His Holy Day soldiers. He chose from out of the ranks one special voice to represent them all. They stood with bowed heads and in absolute silence. Soon the chosen voice soared into the waiting air and reverberated in their hearts.

Once the procession resumed its forward motion, it wasn't long before the company reached the holy place. There they handed over their precious flowers to those who would place them within the Shrine. Then the army of pilgrims stepped into a separate room. There they were refreshed by food and a little rest after their long, hot march. There they prepared themselves to cross the Holy Threshold.

One by one, in complete silence, they passed into the Shrine. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá waited to pour rose water into their palms. The heady scent flowed over their hands and faces while they waited patiently for all to enter.

When all was ready, the Master took His place. He stood tall and straight. His clear voice enchanted His listeners with the music of His Father's words from The Tablet of Visitation:

"The praise which hath dawned from Thy most august Self, and the glory which hath shone forth from Thy most effulgent Beauty, rest upon Thee, O Thou Who art the Manifestation of Grandeur, and the King of Eternity, and the Lord of all who are in heaven and on earth!"

Once again the much-loved Son honored His Father. Those who were assembled with Him were transported, for the moment, to another realm.

(Written by Jean Gould and illustrated by Ed Phillips; ‘Baha’u’llah’, Core Curriculum for Spiritual Education)

Source: H. M. Balyuzi, 'Abdu'l-Bahá: The Centre of the Covenant, pp. 131–2 (the garden and the water); Dr. Yúnis Khán's account of the Holy Day procession, in Adib Taherzadeh, The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh, pp. 189–90; Rúḥíyyih Khánum, The Priceless Pearl (the Master anointing the believers with rose water at the Shrine door); Tablet of Visitation, Bahá'í Prayers; via Baha'i Stories for Children (https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2017/03/flowers-for-ancient-king.html).

Various. *Baha'i Stories for Children*. https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2017/03/flowers-for-ancient-king.html