In the morning, after His obligatory prayer and supplications, the Master…
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When in Bahá'í history
In the morning, after His obligatory prayer and supplications, the Master invited us into His presence and served us tea with His own hand. He spoke of the blessings and confirmations of the Ancient Beauty, the Greatest Name:
“This help and assistance are from Him and these confirmations are through His bounty and favor; otherwise, we are nothing but weak servants. We are as reeds and all these melodies are from Him. We are ants and this dignity of Solomon is from Him. We are servants and this heavenly dominion is from Him. We must, therefore, offer our constant gratitude to Him for His favors and must join heart and soul to praise Him for His blessings."'
Source: Attributed to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Mahmud's Diary, The Diary of Mirza Mahmud-i-Zarqani Chronicling ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's Journey to America, pp.153-54
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: hollow-reed).
Discuss this story
For adults
- Read the closing lines once more. What single phrase stays with you?
- What does the setting of this account contribute to its meaning?
- What stands out about Mírzá Mahmúd-i-Zarqání's response in this account?
For teens
- If you were in Mírzá Mahmúd-i-Zarqání's place, what might you have done?
- What does this story teach about prayer?
Reflection
- Is there someone in your life who would be helped by hearing this story?
- Where in your own life are you being asked to practice prayer?
- Read the passage a second time, slowly. What did you notice that you missed the first time?
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "In the morning, after His obligatory prayer and supplications, the Master…" drawn from?
What period of Bahá'í history does this story belong to?
Which historical figure is featured most prominently in this story?
Which virtue does this story most clearly illustrate?
Cite this story
Various. *bahaistories.com archive*. https://bahaistories.com/subject/hollow-reed
Record yourself reading this story
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