The Golden Trowel

A retelling for children, based on Mahmúd's Diary (entry of 1 May 1912).

On the first day of May, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá travelled out from the city of Chicago to a piece of land beside a great lake, at a place called Wilmette. The Bahá'ís had bought this land to build a House of Worship, a temple where people could come to pray. It would be the first Bahá'í House of Worship in the Western world.

When He arrived, the friends had already put up a big tent. First He drove around the edges of the land. Then He went into the tent and spoke to the friends about how the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh brings together the people of the East and the West.

Then He went to the spot where the first stone was to be laid. A lady named Miss Holmes handed Him a trowel made of gold, made specially for this day. With it, 'Abdu'l-Bahá dug the earth for the foundation stone. The ground was full of gravel, so an axe and a shovel were brought as well.

Then, one by one, others took a turn at digging: Bahá'ís from the American communities, and Bahá'ís from the East, including a lady who represented the Bahá'í women of the East. People of many races and nations helped. When the digging was done, 'Abdu'l-Bahá set the stone in its place with His own hand.

That field is not empty anymore. The Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette stands there today, with nine doors open to people of every kind.

This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see "The Golden Trowel".

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