The Man Who Was Told to Ask His Friends

*A retelling for children, based on the Bahá'í Chronicles account of Aqa Mirza Muhammad-Taqi Abhari (Ibn-i-Abhar).*

There was a man in Persia named Mírzá Muhammad-Taqí. People also called him by another name — Ibn-i-Abhar — and almost everyone who knew him would have told you the same thing about him: he loved Bahá'u'lláh with his whole heart.

He was not a new believer who had just heard the good news. He had loved this Faith for many, many years. And over those years, Bahá'u'lláh sent him letters — special letters called Tablets — again and again. In them Bahá'u'lláh blessed him, guided his steps, and praised the work he was doing. Imagine receiving a letter like that, in the handwriting of someone you love so dearly, telling you that your quiet, faithful work truly matters. Ibn-i-Abhar received not just one such letter, but many.

Near the end of His life, Bahá'u'lláh chose a small handful of His most devoted followers and gave them a special title: Hands of the Cause of God. It was a great honor and a great responsibility. Ibn-i-Abhar was one of those chosen few.

Now here is a part of his story that might surprise you.

You might think that someone so close to Bahá'u'lláh would simply be told what to do, step by step. But that is not what happened. Ibn-i-Abhar worried about the believers in Persia — he wanted them to be safe and happy and to flourish — and so he wrote to Bahá'u'lláh and asked what should be done.

And Bahá'u'lláh's answer was not a list of orders. Instead, He told Ibn-i-Abhar something deeper. He said that they should hold fast to whatever would lift up people's hearts and minds, and bring good to all of humanity. Then He told them how the right answers would come: through consultation. Gather together, Bahá'u'lláh said. Invite a few trusted, faithful souls to join you. Talk things over honestly, all of you together. Then rely on God, make your decision, and carry it out. If you do this, He promised, you will be helped to find the very things that lead to good.

Another time, Ibn-i-Abhar asked a simpler question: where in Persia should he live? Surely that was something Bahá'u'lláh could just answer with a place name. But the reply came back the same way once more — first talk it over with wise and steadfast friends, and then do what you decide together.

It was as if Bahá'u'lláh were gently teaching him, over and over: you do not have to figure everything out all alone, and you do not have to wait for someone to hand you every answer. Bring good people together. Listen. Decide as one. Then act, and trust God. That is one of the most important lessons in the whole Faith, and Ibn-i-Abhar learned it from the very best Teacher.

Years later, after Bahá'u'lláh had passed away, His son 'Abdu'l-Bahá wrote to Ibn-i-Abhar too. In one letter, 'Abdu'l-Bahá taught him something just as important — about being honest. He said the friends of God must always be completely trustworthy and fair with one another, not only with strangers. He even said that if a person isn't truly honest with his own family and friends at home, then all his good behavior out in the world will come to nothing. First put things right at home, He taught; then go out into the world. "Blessed be the soul," 'Abdu'l-Bahá wrote, "that shineth with the light of trustworthiness among the people."

And Ibn-i-Abhar did not keep all this love and learning to himself. He spent his life carrying the Faith to others. 'Abdu'l-Bahá once sent him on a special mission to a city called Yazd, and there he spoke to large gatherings of believers and stirred their hearts to be brave and faithful, no matter what hardships might come. He traveled far and wide to teach — across Persia, up into the Caucasus, all the way to India — and he made eleven separate journeys to the Holy Land to be near 'Abdu'l-Bahá, each time with His permission.

There is one more thing he did that mattered very much. In those days, many girls were not given the chance to go to school. Ibn-i-Abhar believed that was wrong. He and his wife worked hard to help girls and women in Persia learn and study and rise — to make sure they were not left behind. It was one of the most beautiful things he ever did.

Bahá'u'lláh once wrote of him that he had been created to praise God. And that is exactly what his whole life turned out to be — one long song of devotion, sung not just with words but with work, and travel, and courage, and kindness.

So when you have a hard choice to make, remember Ibn-i-Abhar. You don't have to carry it alone, and you don't have to wait for someone to magically solve it for you. Find the wise and good people around you, talk it over together, decide, and then put your trust in God. That is what one of the most devoted believers who ever lived was lovingly taught to do.

This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see "Aqa Mirza Muhammad-Taqi Abhari (Ibn-i-Abhar)".

editors, B. C.. *Bahá'í Chronicles*. https://bahaichronicles.org/aqa-mirza-muhammad-taqi-abhari-ibn-i-abhar/