The Farmer Who Prayed in the Fields

A retelling for children, based on Bahá'í Chronicles, which draws on 'Abdu'l-Bahá's book Memorials of the Faithful.

In a land called Persia, long ago, there lived a man named Ḥájí ‘Abdu’lláh. When he learned about Bahá'u'lláh, something inside his heart woke up. He could not stay where he was. He packed up, left the country he had always known, and hurried all the way to the Holy Land to be near Bahá'u'lláh.

And there, at last, his heart found peace.

Ḥájí ‘Abdu’lláh was the kind of person other people liked to be around. He was steady and sure, with a kind and cheerful way about him, and he spent his days happily in the company of the other believers, sharing their friendship.

After a while, he went to a place called Ghawr, near Tiberias, to be a farmer. Now, farming is hard work. There is soil to dig and turn, seeds to plant, and long hours under the sun. But here is what was special about Ḥájí ‘Abdu’lláh: while his hands worked the earth, his heart kept talking to God. He turned the soil and he prayed. He planted, and he prayed. He filled his ordinary workday with words for God, as if his field were a place of worship.

Later he came back from Ghawr and settled in a spot called Junayna, so that he could live close to Bahá'u'lláh and come often into His presence. That was his greatest wish in all the world, and now it had come true. Sometimes he was so moved that tears would roll down his cheeks; other times he was simply full of joy.

At night, when most people were fast asleep, Ḥájí ‘Abdu’lláh would often stay awake, praying through the quiet hours. He wanted nothing for himself — only to be close to God, and that made him happy.

Ḥájí ‘Abdu’lláh shows us something we can try too. Talking to God is not only for one special time of day. We can carry a prayer in our hearts while we work, while we help at home, while we do the small everyday things — turning any moment, even a muddy field, into time spent with God.

This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see "Ḥájí ‘Abdu’lláh Najaf-Ábádí".

editors, B. C.. *Bahá'í Chronicles*. https://bahaichronicles.org/%e1%b8%a5aji-abdullah-najaf-abadi/