The Man Who Helped Build the Shrine

A retelling for children, based on Bahá'í Chronicles.

On the slope of a mountain called Carmel, there is a beautiful, holy building. It is the resting place of the Báb, and for many, many years the Bahá'ís worked hard to build it and make it lovely.

It was not easy. 'Abdu'l-Bahá had begun the work long before, in the early years of the century, setting the very first part of the building in place. But there was still so much more to do, and step by step it slowly took shape.

After 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the work passed to Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Faith. He had a plan. He wanted to add three new rooms along one side of the Shrine. This would change the shape of the whole building — from a long rectangle into a perfect square — so that one day it could be made even more grand and graceful, just the way 'Abdu'l-Bahá had wished.

But building rooms onto a holy place is a very big task. It takes care, and hard work, and it takes help.

That is where a man named Haji Mahmud Qassabchi comes into the story. He was a Bahá'í from Iraq, and his heart was full of devotion. When he learned what the Guardian hoped to do, he gave generously — a wonderful gift — so that the three new rooms could be built at last.

Because of his kind gift, the work was finished. The Shrine of the Báb grew a little closer to the beautiful building 'Abdu'l-Bahá had dreamed of. And to thank him and remember what he had done, Shoghi Effendi named one of the doors of the Shrine — a door on the eastern side — for Haji Mahmud Qassabchi.

Some people help by working with their hands. Some help by giving what they have so that others can do the work. Both are precious. When we share what we have for something good and lasting, our gift can become part of something far bigger than ourselves — like a door in a holy place that opens again and again, long after we are gone.

This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see "Haji Mahmud Qassabchi".

editors, B. C.. *Bahá'í Chronicles*. https://bahaichronicles.org/haji-mahmud-qassabchi/