Secondary Retelling9 min●●○○○'Abdu'l-Bahá's ministry (1892–1921)
One Meritorious Act
Baha'i Stories for Children · Read original
Studio narration for this story is coming — it’ll be generated by the cloud-TTS pipeline (voice: auto-selected from the source author).
When in Bahá'í history
1844'Abdu'l-Bahá (1892–1921)2026
Tihrán (today: Tehran, Iran)
Sanam sat on a rooftop in a bed
draped with a white mosquito net, not wanting to go to sleep.
"Tell me just one more
story," she begged her grandmother. "Then I'll
go to sleep. I promise."
"Get under your covers,
then," her grandmother replied.
Sanam got under the covers while
her grandmother sat on the edge of the bed and closed the mosquito net tightly
behind her.
"When I was a young girl
like you," her grandmother recounted, "I loved being with my grandmother,
Naneh-joon, just as much as you love being with me.
"Naneh-joon was a very devout Muslim. She got up to
pray before the sun rose and went to bed after
her midnight prayer. Even in her old age and poor health, she went to the
mosque every day. She gave money to the poor
and was kind to all.
"One hot day in August, Naneh-joon gave me permission to accompany her on her daily journey to the mosque.
"'On the occasion of
your turning nine,' she said, 'you may come with me to the mosque. But you must cover yourself
well and be silent as a mouse in God's
house.'
"I held my chador
tightly in place under my chin with one hand,
and with the other I held Naneh-joon's. We went through the alleys of southern Tihrán. I was going to the mosque!
"As we drew near to the mosque, we heard loud noises echoing between the clay houses.
"Naneh-joon gripped my
hand. 'Those Bábís!' she hissed. 'The mulla says
they are bad people. They do things I shudder to
tell you.'
"I wanted to free my hand
from Naneh-joon's tight grasp. 'Please, Naneh-joon,' I pleaded. 'Let's go home.' I wanted my Naneh-joon back, not this stranger with an
angry look
in her eyes. "
“'The mullá says that hurting
any Bábí helps the Prophet Muhammad,' Naneh-joon said.
"Naneh-joon pulled me
toward the noise, walking faster than I had ever seen her. She pushed and shoved
until we were at the front of the crowd that
was shouting and throwing stones.
"Then and there was the
first and last time I saw Him. He was barefooted and bareheaded, but I felt I was standing in the
presence of the King of Kings. I stood mesmerized, shutting out the noise of the people and
seeing nothing but the glory surrounding Him.
"Naneh-joon let go of my
hand, and I jolted
out of my
trance. I saw her picking up a stone.
"'No!' I shouted. But she did
not listen to me. She was about to step forward when an old woman ran
ahead of her into the street.
"The old woman's frame shook with
rage as she stepped forward and raised her hand to throw her stone at Him.
"'By the Holy Imam, I beg
you,' the old woman pleaded with the guards surrounding Him. 'Give me a chance to fling my stone in His face!'
"The King of Kings turned to His guards and said, 'Suffer not this woman
to be disappointed. Deny her not what she regards as a
meritorious act in the sight of God.'
"Tears welled up in my eyes at the words that had passed through His lips.
I looked up and saw, through my tears, my
old Naneh-joon standing by my side. She had dropped her stone to the ground. She took hold of my hand, and we walked back to her house in silence."
"Then what happened?" asked Sanam. "I'm not going to
tell you the story of how Naneh-joon and I became Baha'is, Sanam!" her grandmother said. "It is your bedtime!"
"Okay, okay!" replied Sanam.
Sanam made herself snug under the blankets. She
prayed in her heart for Baha'u'llah to
forgive the old woman for what she had done. Then she went to
sleep.
(by Suzan Nadimi; Core Curriculum for Spiritual Education –
Stories)
Source: Baha'i Stories for Children (https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/06/one-meritorious-act.html).
Discuss this story
For adults
- If you were to share this story aloud at a devotional gathering, which sentence would you read first?
- What in your own life does this story bring to mind?
- Where do forgiveness and justice meet in this story?
For teens
- If you were in this person's place, what might you have done?
- What does this story teach about forgiveness?
For children
- Who is the most important person in this story? Why?
- Can you draw a picture of what happens in this story?
Reflection
- What single image from this story will stay with you?
- Where in your own life are you being asked to practice forgiveness?
- Read the passage a second time, slowly. What did you notice that you missed the first time?
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "One Meritorious Act" drawn from?
Where does this story take place?
What period of Bahá'í history does this story belong to?
Which virtue does this story most clearly illustrate?
Cite this story
Various. *Baha'i Stories for Children*. https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/06/one-meritorious-act.html
This story shares quotes with 94 other stories
“clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;”
Also in
- 1844: A lonely youth’s encounter with Bahá’u’lláh by a roadside in Mazindaran and his amazing recognition of His station— Various, Baha'i Stories Blog
- 1848: Baha’u’llah describes the consternation that seized the Bábís when Tahirih suddenly appeared unveiled at the conference of Badasht— Various, Baha'i Stories Blog
- 1851 Karbilá, Iraq: A disciple of the Báb becomes the first person to whom Baha'u'llah confided His Divine Mission – as was prophesied by the Báb in 1848— Various, Baha'i Stories Blog
- A believer’s eagerness to provide financial assistance to Baha’u’llah – but chose a wrong method— Various, Baha'i Stories Blog
- A funny incident while in the company of the Master— Various, Baha'i Stories Blog
- …and 89 more
Record yourself reading this story
Recording stays on this device only. Nothing is uploaded.
Related stories
‘Abdu’l-Baha’s meeting with children in Esslingen, Germany, April 4th, 1913
<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a…
Secondary Retelling 3 min
Baha’u’llah receives His Mission from God
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a…
Secondary Retelling 7 min
Father of the Poor
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a…
Secondary Retelling 4 min
Koae
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxQLLIRIhoUR8mEzW3Z43VPwvDKY6p9O5ZEte05YctG5BNUATdDM51aNXzZnu35Ae4F5VkNWqcnL6MiVjBd2moztV8plkAPWPqc05cwOXtlWc4KhGc9C7Z3FTD9rlcrc7hJJ03mKP5ZvR/s1600/Koae-1.jpg"…
Secondary Retelling 4 min