The exalted titles conferred upon Him by Bahá’u’lláh are indicative of…
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
The exalted titles conferred upon Him by Bahá’u’lláh are indicative of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's lofty station. Yet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá never applied them to Himself. Instead, after the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, He took the title of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Servant of Bahá) and urged the believers to call Him only by this name. True servitude at the threshold of Bahá’u’lláh was all He prized. These are some of His words as He describes with utter self-effacement the reality of His station: "My name is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. My qualification is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. My reality is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. My praise is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Thralldom to the Blessed Perfection is my glorious and refulgent diadem, and servitude to all the human race my perpetual religion... No name, no title, no mention, no commendation have I, nor will ever have, except ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. This is my longing. This is my greatest yearning. This is my eternal life. This is my everlasting glory."
Source: Adib Taherzadeh, The Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 25-26
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: detachment).
Discuss this story
For adults
- What stands out about Adib Taherzadeh's response in this account?
- What in your own life does this story bring to mind?
- Where do you see service appearing — visibly or quietly — in this passage?
For teens
- If you were in Adib Taherzadeh's place, what might you have done?
- What does this story teach about service?
Reflection
- Is there someone in your life who would be helped by hearing this story?
- Where in your own life are you being asked to practice service?
- Take one line from this story and let it stay with you today.
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "The exalted titles conferred upon Him by Bahá’u’lláh are indicative of…" drawn from?
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/detachment
Record yourself reading this story
Recording stays on this device only. Nothing is uploaded.
Related stories
Nabil, who was asked by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to select from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh…
Nabil, who was asked by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to select from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh those passages which constitute the text of the Tablet of Visitation, which nowadays is usually recited in the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb, was…
‘Abdu’l-Bahá Abbas
‘Abdu’l-Bahá spent His early years in an environment of privilege, wealth, and love. ** ‘Abdu’l-Bahá…
Husayn-Áqáy-i-Tabrízí
During all that time Husayn-Áqá never offended a soul, nor did anyone, where he was concerned, utter a single complaint. This was truly a miracle, and no one else could have established such a record of service. He was always smiling,…
Mirza Yusuf Vahid Kashfi
During the nineteen days that he remained there he drank his fill from the life-giving draught of the presence of the Master and on daily basis paid homage to the Sacred Shrine of Baha’u’llah. **Mirza Yusuf Vahid Kashfi Born:**…