The Master at Niagara Falls

A retelling for children, based on Mahmúd's Diary (entries of September 9 and 10, 1912).

'Abdu'l-Bahá came to the city of Buffalo late at night, after a long, dusty train ride from Canada. He was very tired. But He said that in the path of God we must think of our troubles as blessings.

The next day, many people came to see Him, and newspaper reporters came one after another. In the afternoon, because some of His companions asked, He took the trolley, a kind of streetcar, all the way out to Niagara Falls. It was a long ride, and each ticket cost fifty cents.

Mahmúd, who wrote the diary, and the other friends from Persia had never seen such huge waterfalls. The river pours over the edge from a great height. Mahmúd wrote that the crashing water threw up spray that looked like a great sandstorm.

'Abdu'l-Bahá went to the edge and admired the falls. He remembered Bahá'u'lláh. In Mázindarán, in Persia, there were small waterfalls that Bahá'u'lláh loved so much that He would camp beside them for several days.

Then 'Abdu'l-Bahá said that so much electricity could be made from this water that it would be enough for the whole town, and that it was very good for the health.

He sat on the bank of the river and ate some pears and grapes. Then He walked in the park. His friends asked Him to stay there for a few days. But He said it was not possible, not even for half a day. "We have no time for amusement," He told them. "We must keep ourselves engaged in our work."

He sat on a bench in the park and told His friends that He had washed His hair with warm water and no soap. He asked them to come and feel how clean and soft it was. They touched it, and it was as soft as silk.

On the trolley ride back, someone read Him what the newspapers were saying about His arrival. That evening He gave a talk about love and unity between the peoples of the East and the West. Later, as He walked past the lighted shop windows, He came to a place where some poor people had gathered, and He gave money to each one.

This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see "'Abdu'l-Bahá at Niagara Falls".

Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání, M.. (1998). *Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání*. George Ronald.