The Office He Would Not Take

A retelling based on Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era by J. E. Esslemont (chapter 3, "Birth and Early Life"), where the author sets down what ʻAbdu'l-Bahá told him about His Father's early days. Nabíl's The Dawn-Breakers quotes the same passage in a note to chapter V. Words in quotation marks are from these books.

Bahá'u'lláh was the eldest son of Mírzá ʻAbbás of Núr, known as Mírzá Buzurg, a Vazír, or minister of state. Esslemont writes that the family was "wealthy and distinguished, many of its members having occupied important positions in the Government and in the Civil and Military Services of Persia." Bahá'u'lláh never attended school or college; what little teaching He received was given at home.

ʻAbdu'l-Bahá once described His Father's early days to Esslemont. "From childhood He was extremely kind and generous," He said. "He was a great lover of outdoor life, most of His time being spent in the garden or the fields. He had an extraordinary power of attraction, which was felt by all. People always crowded around Him." By the time He was thirteen or fourteen He was known for His learning. "He would converse on any subject and solve any problem presented to Him," ʻAbdu'l-Bahá recalled, and in large gatherings He would discuss matters with the ʻulamá, the leading clergy, and explain difficult religious questions.

ʻAbdu'l-Bahá went on: "When Bahá'u'lláh was twenty-two years old, His father died, and the Government wished Him to succeed to His father's position in the Ministry, as was customary in Persia, but Bahá'u'lláh did not accept the offer."

The Prime Minister's answer, as ʻAbdu'l-Bahá told it, was this: "Leave Him to Himself. Such a position is unworthy of Him. He has some higher aim in view. I cannot understand Him, but I am convinced that He is destined for some lofty career. His thoughts are not like ours. Let Him alone."

His father's death left Bahá'u'lláh, Esslemont adds, "responsible for the care of His younger brothers and sisters, and for the management of the extensive family estates." Shoghi Effendi, in God Passes By, describes the first twenty-seven years of His life as "characterized by the care-free enjoyment of all the advantages conferred by high birth and riches, and by an unfailing solicitude for the interests of the poor, the sick and the down-trodden."

Those years ended in 1844. When the Báb declared His mission, Esslemont writes, Bahá'u'lláh, "Who was then in His twenty-seventh year, boldly espoused the Cause of the new Faith, of which He soon became recognized as one of the most powerful and fearless exponents."

This is a retelling. For the full passage, see chapter 3 of Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era by J. E. Esslemont.

Esslemont, J. E.. (1923). *Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era*. George Allen & Unwin. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19241