Tahirih loved pretty clothes, and perfumes, and she loved to eat
bahaistories.com archive · Read original
Studio narration for this story is coming — it’ll be generated by the cloud-TTS pipeline (voice: auto-selected from the source author).
When in Bahá'í history
'Akká (today: Acre, Israel)
Tahirih loved pretty clothes, and perfumes, and she loved to eat. She could eat sweets all day long. Once, years after Tahirih had gone, an American woman traveled to 'Akka and sat at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's Table; the food was good; and she ate plentifully, and then asked the Master's forgiveness for eating so much. He answered: virtue and excellence consist in true faith in God, not in having a small or a large appetite for food. . . . Jinab-i-Tahirih had a good appetite. When asked concerning it, she would answer, "It is
recorded in the Holy Traditions that one of the attributes of the people of paradise is 'partaking of food, continually.'''
Source: Marzieh Gail, The Baha’i World 1940-1944, Source
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: eating-disorders).
Discuss this story
For adults
- Read the closing lines once more. What single phrase stays with you?
- What does the setting of this account contribute to its meaning?
- If you were to share this story aloud at a devotional gathering, which sentence would you read first?
For teens
- If you were in Ṭáhirih's place, what might you have done?
- What does this story teach about faith?
Reflection
- Take one line from this story and let it stay with you today.
- What single image from this story will stay with you?
- How does faith show up in your life right now — and where is it being asked of you?
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "Tahirih loved pretty clothes, and perfumes, and she loved to eat" drawn from?
Where does this story take place?
What period of Bahá'í history does this story belong to?
Which historical figure is featured most prominently in this story?
Which virtue does this story most clearly illustrate?
Cite this story
Various. *bahaistories.com archive*. https://bahaistories.com/subject/eating-disorders
Record yourself reading this story
Recording stays on this device only. Nothing is uploaded.
Related stories
My son, Ethan Olinga, who is ten years old now, was sung to during pregnancy…
My son, Ethan Olinga, who is ten years old now, was sung to during pregnancy and early months of his life as I fed him, just as the Master says mothers should. He was also exposed to the photo of the Master and always encouraged to have an…
A woman visited the Master in Haifa, in May 1910
A woman visited the Master in Haifa, in May 1910. She later wrote about this visit, saying: ‘As He talked with me, I felt my heart soften under the influence of his goodness and kindness, and the tears came to my eyes. He asked me about…
‘Abdu’l-Bahá's kind heart went out to those who were ill
‘Abdu’l-Bahá's kind heart went out to those who were ill. If He could alleviate a pain or discomfort, he set about to do so. We are told that one old couple who were ill in bed for a month had twenty visits from the Master during that time…
After the talk, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá let the crowd to the nearby ceremonial site where,…
After the talk, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá let the crowd to the nearby ceremonial site where, in the great amphitheater afforded by the panorama of woods, fields and the expanse of water, ground was to be broken. The Master asked where the center of…