The Day He Gave Away

A retelling for children, based on the origins of the Day of the Covenant and a tablet in Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909).

Long ago, the friends had a kind idea. They loved 'Abdu'l-Bahá so much that they wanted a special day, every year, just to honor Him. His birthday was on the 23rd of May, and they thought that would make a perfect day for a festival of their own.

So they asked Him. And 'Abdu'l-Bahá said no.

Not because He was upset — but because that very same day already belonged to someone else. The 23rd of May was the night, long before, when the Báb had first announced His message in the city of Shíráz. That day was the Báb's, 'Abdu'l-Bahá told them, and it was not to be shared. He would not let His own birthday take even a little of the light that belonged to the Báb.

But the friends still wished for a day to remember Him. So 'Abdu'l-Bahá gave them a different one.

He chose the day on which Bahá'u'lláh had made Him the very center of His promise — the one whose job was to keep all the friends of the world firm and loving and together, like one big family that never breaks apart. That promise had a special name. It was called the Covenant. And that is why, even today, we call this day the Day of the Covenant.

In those days 'Abdu'l-Bahá often wrote letters to the friends who lived far away. He knew that hard times were coming for them. He knew that sometimes people would argue, and that even a small disagreement could grow into a big one and pull people apart. So in His letters He asked them to do something brave: to stay strong, no matter what — to be, as He put it, "firm as a mountain."

A mountain does not move when the wind blows. A mountain does not topple when a storm comes. Be like that, He was telling them. When troubles come, do not let them break you apart.

He even reminded them of the very first friends of Christ, long, long ago, who went through difficult days before their good news spread all across the world. Hard times had come for them too — and yet, in the end, the truth shone through. After the storm, 'Abdu'l-Bahá promised, the divine springtime would surely come.

And here is the most surprising part of all. He told the friends that when people were unkind to them, the answer was not to be unkind back. The answer to trouble was to stay together. And the answer to arguing was to love each other even more.

Blessed is the soul who is firm in the path! He wrote.

That is what the Day of the Covenant is really about. It is not a birthday party — 'Abdu'l-Bahá would not allow that. It is a day to remember His greatest gift: the promise that ties all the friends of the world together, from Bahá'u'lláh, through 'Abdu'l-Bahá, down to us. On this day, friends everywhere simply gather and promise, in their own quiet way, to keep being firm — and to keep being kind.

This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see "The Day Given to Him: Origins of the Day of the Covenant".

'Abdu'l-Bahá. (1909). *Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas*. Bahai Publishing Society. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19312