The Boy Who Walked Home

A retelling for children, based on the life of 'Abdu'l-Bahá as told in Bahá'í Chronicles.

When 'Abdu'l-Bahá was a little boy, His family was one of the richest and most respected in all of Tehran. They lived in a fine home with beautiful rooms and country houses too. He had a younger sister named Bahíyyih and a younger brother named Mihdí, and everything a family in their position could wish for. Most of all, He had a father He loved with His whole heart — Bahá'u'lláh, so kind to the poor that people called Him the "Father of the Poor."

But everything changed.

His father had become a follower of the Báb, and in those days many people hated and feared the followers of the Báb. When 'Abdu'l-Bahá was only eight years old — and had just barely gotten well after a sickness that nearly took His life — soldiers came and arrested His father. They threw Bahá'u'lláh into a dark underground prison in Tehran called the Black Pit.

Then men came and took almost everything the family owned. The beautiful home was emptied. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, His mother, and the little ones had to leave and hide in a small rented house down a back alley. In a single season, a family that once had everything now had almost nothing — and the father they needed most was locked away where they could not reach Him.

One day, there was no food in the house.

'Abdu'l-Bahá's mother had an idea. She sent her young son across the city to His aunt's house to ask for a little money, just enough to buy something for the family to eat. So the boy set out alone through the streets.

He got the money. But on His way home, someone in the street stared at His face and suddenly knew who He was. "Here is a Bábí!" the man shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear.

And then the children of the street began to chase Him.

'Abdu'l-Bahá ran. He slipped into the doorway of a house and pressed Himself out of sight, and there He waited — and waited — as the daylight slowly faded, hoping the children would forget and go home. He stayed hidden until it was finally dark.

But when at last He crept out, the children were still watching for Him. They came after Him again, yelling, and this time they threw stones. Stone after stone, all the way down the street, while a small boy carrying a little money for His family's supper ran for home.

When He finally reached the rented house, He was so worn out He could hardly stand. His mother took one look at Him and asked what had happened. But 'Abdu'l-Bahá could not get a single word out. He simply sank to the floor.

Long, long afterward — sixty years later, near the end of His life — He still remembered that day, and He told the story Himself.

Think about what that small boy went through. He had lost His comfortable home. His beloved father was in a dungeon. His family was hungry. He was sent out alone, frightened, and chased and hurt by other children. Any one of those things would be hard. He carried them all at once, and He was only eight.

Yet 'Abdu'l-Bahá did not grow up bitter or cruel. He grew into one of the gentlest, kindest people the world has ever known — famous everywhere for His warm smile, His love for children, and His care for the poor and the suffering. The very kind of hardship that turns some hearts hard only made His heart softer.

That is the quiet lesson of His childhood. Hard times do not get to decide what kind of person you become — you do. 'Abdu'l-Bahá was struck with stones as a boy, and He chose, all His life long, to answer the world with love.

This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see "‘Abdu’l-Bahá Abbas".

editors, B. C.. *Bahá'í Chronicles*. https://bahaichronicles.org/abdul-baha-abbas/