Friends From Far Away Shores

A retelling for children, based on Mahmúd's Diary (entry of 4 October 1912).

One day in San Francisco, two visitors came to the house where 'Abdu'l-Bahá was staying. They had traveled a very long way, for they had come from Japan — a country all the way across the wide ocean, on the other side of the world.

If you had been there, it might have looked like an ordinary visit. Just a few guests, knocking at the door, coming to say hello. But 'Abdu'l-Bahá saw something much bigger. He was filled with joy, and He called the meeting historic — a special moment that people would remember for a long, long time.

Why was He so happy? Think about it, He said. Here was someone from Iran, far away in the East. And here were people from Japan, far away in a different direction. Their two countries were about as far apart as two places could be. People from such distant lands had hardly ever met each other before. And yet here they all were, sitting together — not as strangers, and not as rivals, but as true friends who loved one another.

That, 'Abdu'l-Bahá told them, was not a small thing at all. It was a sign of something wonderful and new that Bahá'u'lláh had brought into the world: a power strong enough to close even the longest distances between people, and to gather them all together, no matter their land or their language, into one big family. As He said:

The power of Bahá'u'lláh makes all difficulties simple.

He spoke warmly about the people of Japan. He praised how clever and brave they were, and how, once they set their hearts on something, they carried it all the way through. He did not treat His guests as if they needed His help. Instead, He treated them as capable, important people with a great future ahead of them. He even encouraged them to share the teachings of the Faith with their own country.

It is easy to read past a quiet little scene like this one. But really, it was something brave and new. In those days, much of the world liked to say that some people were better than others, and to keep different peoples apart. Yet here was 'Abdu'l-Bahá, welcoming two visitors from the far side of the earth as cherished, equal friends.

And in that simple meeting, He saw the shape of the future He had crossed the whole world to share: one earth, and one human family, where every people is precious — and where no distance is ever too great for love to cross.

This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see "An Iranian and a Japanese, Meeting in Love".

Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání, M.. (1998). *Mahmúd's Diary*. George Ronald. https://bahai-library.com/zarqani_mahmuds_diary