In San Francisco, Tuesday, October 22, 1912 in response to some questions…
bahaistories.com archive · 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
In San Francisco, Tuesday, October 22, 1912 in response to some questions ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:
“A great war and commotion shall inevitably take place in the world. Things come to such a pass that the generality of mankind will rise against the statesmen of the world and say, ‘You sit in your places in perfect comfort; you eat and drink sumptuously; you sleep blissfully; you eat and drink sumptuously; you sleep blissfully; you eat delicious foods and relax in gardens with beautiful views. But for the sake of your name and worldly fame, you throw us, your subjects, into war, shed our blood and tear our bodies to pieces. But no thorn every pricks your hands and not for a moment do you leave your rest and comfort.”
Source: Mahmud’s Diary, p. 344
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: war).
Discuss this story
For adults
- Read the closing lines once more. What single phrase stays with you?
- What might 'Abdu'l-Bahá's example ask of us in our own circumstances?
- If you were to share this story aloud at a devotional gathering, which sentence would you read first?
For teens
- How could the spirit of devotion show up in your week?
- What does this story say about how to face hard moments?
Reflection
- What in this account feels timely? What feels timeless?
- If you could bring one quality from this story into your next conversation, what would it be?
- Is there someone in your life who would be helped by hearing this story?
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "In San Francisco, Tuesday, October 22, 1912 in response to some questions…" drawn from?
What period of Bahá'í history does this story belong to?
Which historical figure is featured most prominently in this story?
Cite this story
Various. *bahaistories.com archive*. https://bahaistories.com/subject/war
Record yourself reading this story
Recording stays on this device only. Nothing is uploaded.
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