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"The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens."
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"The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens."
84 stories where forgiveness appears.
When a Bahá’í spoke up for a young Persian, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explained that He would overlook any wrong done to Himself, but could never countenance or aid a deed that would injure the Faith.
On the voyage to Mecca a jealous shaykh abused the passengers, and the Báb most of all. When the captain ordered him thrown overboard, the Báb held on to him and begged the captain to forgive him.
In 1906, on the anniversary of the Báb's Declaration, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá helped prepare a feast for over two hundred guests and, serving them, asked each to forgive anyone who had wounded him during the past year.
As Bahá’u’lláh was led through a jeering crowd, an old woman begged the guard for a chance to throw her stone at His face, and He told them not to deny her.
A governor of 'Akká who had kept the Bahá'ís from visiting their Master was dismissed. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Himself still a prisoner, sent him good wishes and a precious ring and offered to help him.
Leroy Ioas recalls how Shoghi Effendi praised even the gardeners, looked at people's good deeds rather than their shortcomings, and bore with great forgiveness the suffering caused by relatives who had turned away from the Cause.
Urged on by the Master's enemies, the governor of Haifa visited ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wearing Bahá’u’lláh’s cloak and spectacles. The Master said nothing and treated him with courtesy, and later hastened to free him from prison.
A woman asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for a special work. He entrusted to her the orphaned son of her worst enemy, and she wept that she now knew what the Bahá’í Cause means.
It behoveth thee to sever thyself from all desires save thy Lord, the Supreme, expecting no help or aid from anyone in the universe, not even from thy father or children.
O people of the world! The dawn of the Sun of Reality is assuredly for the illumination of the world and for the manifestation of mercy.
Know that the conditions of existence are limited to the conditions of servitude, of prophethood, and of Deity, but the divine and the contingent perfections are unlimited.
When the darkness of ignorance and heedlessness concerning the realm of eternity and bereavement from the True One had encircled the universe, then the resplendent Luminary dawned and the brilliant Light illumined the horizon of the East.
After a dream, a young Shíráz shopkeeper, ‘Abdu’l-Vahháb, follows Mullá ‘Alíy-i-Basṭámí out of the city. His furious father beats Mullá ‘Alí, but later repents, and after his son’s martyrdom he is taught the Faith by Bahá’u’lláh.
In 1889 Ḥájí Muḥammad-Riḍá Iṣfahání was murdered in the bazaar of Ashkhabad; the Russian authorities tried and convicted the killers, the Bahá’ís interceded for their lives, and the community went on to build its own institutions.
Ḥájí Mullá Ismá‘íl-i-Qumí, a disciple of Siyyid Káẓim named Sirru’l-Vujúd at Badasht, was kept from Ṭabarsí by illness and later met martyrdom in Tihrán, forgiving his executioner.
O my dear sister! I have read what you wrote, and as I became aware of the content, I wept bitter tears. Then I carried the letter itself to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and He read it from beginning to end.
O steadfast ones, gathered beneath the Abhá Beauty’s standard of oneness, O faithful lovers of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá!
Brethren and fellow-mourners in the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh! A sorrow, reminiscent in its poignancy, of the devastating grief caused by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s sudden removal from our midst, has stirred the Bahá’í world to its foundations.
O my dear sister!
Bahá’u’lláh says:— O people of God! I exhort you to courtesy. Courtesy is indeed ... the lord of all virtues. Blessed is he who is adorned with the mantle of Uprightness and illumined with the light of Courtesy.
Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá regard the descriptions of Heaven and Hell given in some of the older religious writings as symbolic, like the Biblical story of the Creation, and not as literally true.
While we are commanded to overlook the faults of others, and see their virtues, we are commanded, on the other hand, to find out our own faults and take no account of our virtues.
The unity of humanity as taught by Bahá’u’lláh refers not only to men still in the flesh, but to all human beings, whether embodied or disembodied.
This last quotation reveals the spirit which animated the Báb’s whole life.
A Bábí who had taken up arms for revenge fled to Hamadán and was arrested. A writing of Bahá'u'lláh forbidding retaliation fell from his collar, and after reading it the governor let him go.
In London on 22 December 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told how Mary Magdalene went to the emperor of Rome on behalf of the Christians and asked that no one exact vengeance for the death of Christ.
Muḥammad Sháh summoned the Báb from Iṣfahán to Ṭihrán, but his Prime Minister, Ḥájí Mírzá Áqásí, had Him halted at Kulayn and sent instead to the fortress of Máh-Kú. On the way to Tabríz His escort came to love Him.
A governor of 'Akká who tried to shut the Bahá'ís' shops was suddenly dismissed. 'Abdu'l-Bahá visited him, comforted him, and sent his family safely to Damascus, and the humbled governor wrote to beg His pardon.
A fable for children: jealous of her dark twin, Moonshine tells Nightshadow that the creatures fear her, and Nightshadow leaves the sky, until Moonshine learns that each sister is needed and begs her forgiveness.
A grandmother tells Sanam how, as a girl in Tihrán, she saw Bahá'u'lláh led through a hostile crowd, and heard Him tell His guards to let an old woman cast her stone.
After his old cat dies, Tommy takes comfort in words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. When his friend Adam's mother dies, Tommy finds the courage to tell Adam he is sorry, and the two boys go back to building their fort.
At Badasht each believer received a new name without knowing who had given it. Hájí Mullá Ismá'íl-i-Qumí, named there Sirru'l-Vujúd, missed the defence of Tabarsí through illness and later died in Tihrán as one of the Seven Martyrs.
Speaking in Chicago in November 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá told the believers how the Bahá'ís of Yazd, though strong enough to resist, met their executioners without raising a hand, some even offering them sweets.
After 'Abdu'l-Bahá settled a Baghdád jeweller's estate among his quarrelling heirs in a single day, the son offered Him a ruby ring. Years later, in 'Akká, He sent it to India to be sold for the sick, and the money never came.
Sent by night to arrest the Bab in Shiraz, the chief constable found the city struck by plague and his own son near death. He begged the Bab for help, his son recovered, and the governor set the Bab free.
At Thonon in 1911 Zillu's-Sultán, whose orders had sent Bahá'ís to their deaths, met 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Who embraced him and told him never to think of the past again. Later one of the prince's sons wept over his family's deeds.
Myron Phelps tells how 'Abdu'l-Bahá met a man in 'Akká who denounced Him for twenty-four years with food, clothing and care, until the man came weeping to ask His forgiveness.
John Robarts tells of friends who say they do not pray, and of a young man, sure God could never forgive him, who was comforted by the words “Prayer is a ladder by which everyone can ascend to heaven.”
At Thonon in 1911 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá embraced the exiled prince Ẓillu’s-Sulṭán, whose family had persecuted the Bahá’ís, and asked to meet his sons; the elder of them later became a Bahá’í.
Shaykh Maḥmúd of ‘Akká hated the Bahá’ís and laid hands on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the mosque, but the Master’s serene reply turned his anger into shame, and he became a devoted Bahá’í.
Before leaving New York, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave Edward Kinney a pair of His boots. When the treasured boots vanished, Mr. Kinney examined his own conduct, prayed for forgiveness, and found them back in their drawer.
On an outing for the Master’s birthday, a group of boys in a Bronx park jeered at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and threw stones. He asked for the birthday cake, cut it into a piece for each boy, and they ran off happily.
After a dream, young ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab left his shop in Shíráz to follow Mullá ‘Alí, a disciple of the Báb. His angry father beat Mullá ‘Alí, but years later Bahá'u'lláh brought the father to the Faith and he was forgiven.
In 1889 an elderly Bahá'í was killed in the bazaar of 'Ishqábád. For the first time, the killers of a Bahá'í were brought to justice, and then the Bahá'ís asked that their lives be spared.
Ḥájí Mullá Ismá'íl of Faráhán searched for the truth from his youth and found it in the Báb. He was the third of the Seven Martyrs of Ṭihrán, and before he died he forgave his executioner.
On her 1898–99 pilgrimage May Bolles found joy in the Master’s presence, then spoke unkindly of a fellow believer. His gentle, compassionate gaze at supper moved her to tears, and His smile restored her.
This man, noble and high-minded, was the son of the respected ‘Abdu’l-Faṭṭaḥ who was in the Akká prison.
Sulaymán Khán was the emigrant and settler who was given the title of Jamálí’d-Dín.
In 1889 Ḥájí Muḥammad-Riḍáy-i-Iṣfahání was stabbed to death in the bazaar of ʻIshqábád. A Russian military court condemned his killers, and the Bahá'ís interceded for their lives, a deed Bahá'u'lláh praised.
In Iṣfahán in 1879 two merchant brothers known for their honesty and generosity were denounced as Bábís by a cleric who owed them money. They refused to recant and were beheaded. Bahá'u'lláh mourned them in His Tablets for years.
A Governor of 'Akká tried to close the Bahá'ís' shops and was dismissed from office the same morning. 'Abdu'l-Bahá comforted him and sent his family safely to Damascus, and the Governor wrote asking His pardon.
In Haifa in 1891, after nine days of silence that followed the martyrdom of seven believers in Yazd, Bahá'u'lláh revealed the Lawḥ-i-Dunyá, a Tablet that sets out principles for the peace and betterment of the world.
Shaykh Maḥmúd of 'Akká hated the Bahá'ís. Angered to hear 'Abdu'l-Bahá praised, he went to the mosque and laid hands on Him. The Master's calm reply took away his anger; days later he begged forgiveness and became a devoted Bahá'í.
When an unfriendly governor of 'Akká fell from office, 'Abdu'l-Bahá sent him a precious ring and His good wishes. When another official asked for His cloak, He offered the only one He had.
Mullá Ḥusayn's companions drew their swords only to defend their lives. When some of them mistakenly caused the death of a villager's mother near Shaykh Ṭabarsí, they grieved and apologized, and her son became their friend.
In His last major Tablet, Bahá'u'lláh wrote to Shaykh Muḥammad-Taqí, a cleric of Iṣfahán who had persecuted the believers. He counselled him, gave him a prayer of repentance to recite, and offered him the same advice He had given His own son.
A member of the Commission of Inquiry sent from Constantinople against ‘Abdu’l-Bahá later fled to Egypt, was robbed and asked for help. The Master at once directed the believers to give him a sum on His behalf.
‘The Laws of God are not imposition of will, or of power, or pleasure, but the resolutions of truth, reason and justice.’
Question.—It is said in the Gospel of St. Matthew, chapter 3, verses 13, 14, 15: “Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbade Him, saying, I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest…
Question.—“Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be…
Know that to do justice is to give to everyone according to his deserts.
Question.—Should a criminal be punished, or forgiven and his crime overlooked?
Glory be to Thee, O God! Thou art the God Who hath existed before all things, Who will exist after all things and will last beyond all things.
Glory be unto Thee, O God. How can I make mention of Thee while Thou art sanctified from the praise of all mankind.
O God our Lord! Protect us through Thy grace from whatsoever may be repugnant unto Thee and vouchsafe unto us that which well beseemeth Thee.
Praise be unto Thee, O Lord. Forgive us our sins, have mercy upon us and enable us to return unto Thee.
O ye illumined loved ones and ye handmaids of the Merciful!
O army of God! A letter signed jointly by all of you hath been received. It was most eloquent and full of flavour, and reading it was a delight.
O thou who art firm in the Covenant, thy letter was received.
In words printed in the Star of the West in June 1913, 'Abdu'l-Bahá described three kinds of persecution He met in 'Akká. The chains and the accusations of spies were easy to bear; the bitter words and criticisms of the friends were not.
When an unfriendly Governor of ‘Akká fell from office, the Master sent him a ring and good wishes; when another official demanded His cloak, He gave him His only one and promised a better.
O Thou Forgiving Lord! Although certain souls finished the days of life in ignorance, were estranged and selfish, yet the ocean of Thy forgiveness is, verily, able to redeem and make free the sinners by one of its waves.
O thou herald of the Kingdom! Thou wast not alone in the trip that thou didst undertake in various places. The spirit and soul of Abdul-Baha was with thee.
O thou loving torch, flaming by the fire of the Love of God!
O thou who art imploring God!
O thou who art longing for the Orb of the Horizons!
O ye sons of the Kingdom! At a time when conditions were most difficult and oppressive and the reception of letters hard and impracticable, your letter was received.
The night before the battle, Hurr, the commander who had blocked every road to Husayn, was overcome with remorse. At dawn he rode to the Imam to beg forgiveness, and was killed by the soldiers he had once commanded.
Jináb-i-Fádil, disowned by his father for becoming a Bahá’í, thought of asking ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to forgive him; the next day the Master told him that many souls would be forgiven because of his faith.
Urged on by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s enemies, the Deputy-Governor of Haifa visited Him wearing Bahá’u’lláh’s cloak and spectacles; later, dismissed from his post, he begged the Master’s forgiveness and was shown utmost kindness.
On pilgrimage in ‘Akká, May Bolles (Maxwell) spoke against a fellow-believer. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá knew of it at once; at supper His gaze of compassion moved her to tears, and then He smiled and called her name.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá told pilgrims how a Governor had stopped a Bahá’í from sailing from Haifa, and how, when that Governor later fell from power and was imprisoned, the Master showed him kindness and never let him know He remembered.
Bahíyyih Khánum recalls how the Bábís handed over to the populace for torture remained unflinching, chanting prayers and asking God to pardon and bless their murderers.
A man in 'Akká denounced 'Abdu'l-Bahá and hid his face from Him, yet for twenty-four years the Master sent him food, clothing and a doctor, until the man came weeping to beg His forgiveness.