The Last Words Before the Ship Sailed

A retelling for children, based on Portals to Freedom by Howard Colby Ives (the gathering of December 2, 1912).

In December of 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá's long visit to America was nearly over. In just a few days He would board a great ship and sail away across the ocean. A man named Howard Colby Ives, who loved Him very much, could hardly bear the thought. So in those last days, wherever 'Abdu'l-Bahá was, Howard tried to be there too, especially at the home in New York where 'Abdu'l-Bahá was staying.

One afternoon, three days before the ship sailed, 'Abdu'l-Bahá spoke to a group of friends gathered in that home. Howard sat very close to Him. Later he wrote that it seemed "there flowed from Him to me a veritable stream of spiritual energy which at times was overpowering."

'Abdu'l-Bahá did not talk for very long. He told them that since these were His last days with them, He wanted to give them His last instructions. This is how He began:

You must manifest complete love and affection towards all mankind. Do not exalt yourselves above others but consider all as your equals, recognizing them as the servants of one God.

First, He asked them to show real love and kindness to every person. Then He asked them never to think of themselves as better than anyone else, but to treat every person as their equal.

Then He told them more: to love everyone from the depths of their hearts, never to say unkind things about other people, and to forgive right away anyone who did them wrong. He asked them to bring joy to every heart, to comfort the sad, and to help the weak and the poor. Each of them, He said, should be like a lamp, shining with goodness.

Three days later, on December 5, 'Abdu'l-Bahá sailed from New York. Many years afterward Howard copied every one of those words into his book, so that others could read them too.

This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see "The Master's Last Instructions in New York".

Ives, H. C.. (1937). *Portals to Freedom*. George Ronald. https://bahai-library.com/ives_portals_freedom