Abdu'l-Baha's Use of Storytelling

I had the pleasure of meeting Inez Greeven a number of times in the 1970's and early 1980's at her home in Carmel, California. Mrs. Greeven had gone on Pilgrimage in 1920 and again in 1921. She described the manner of Abdu'l-Baha's storytelling.

I wish first to mention that in his wonderful book Portals to Freedom, Howard Colby Ives writes of when Abdu'l-Baha "touched His fez so that it stood at what I called the humorous angle." (p. 58)

Inez Greeven, whose name in 1920, before she married Max Greeven, was Inez Cook, told me that when she and her fellow pilgrims sat down to lunch with Abdu'l-Baha, He had already eaten. He seated the pilgrims around the table, and personally placed food on their plates. When everyone had food, Abdu'l-Baha began to walk around the table and speak to them on spiritual matters. Mrs. Greeven said that what He said was so profound and so lofty, that it filled her soul. She said it reached the point that her heart was so filled with spirit that she could not bear to hear another word. And at that moment, He stopped, and moved His head-gear back on His head, and then He began to tell funny stories. She said, "He was the funniest man I ever met." She said that He was so funny, that everyone was practically falling off of their chairs. She said "Our sides hurt from laughing, we couldn't bear to laugh any more." Then, she said that Abdu'l-Baha moved His cap forward, and again began walking around the table, and speaking on lofty matters.

What I learned from Mrs. Greeven's description, was that this was the rhythm of Abdu'l-Baha. He alternated speaking of the Word of God, with telling stories. The stories drove the point home, and they also gave the listeners an opportunity to relax, and to take in the spiritual message.

Here is a portion of Mrs. Greeven's pilgrimage photograph, taken on the front steps of the Master's house.

Abdu'l-Baha with pilgrims, 1920
Copyright held by Baha'i World Centre, used with permission
(Please click photo for larger image)

Standing in front of the pilgrims is Abdu'l-Baha. Immediately above Him is Inez Greeven, holding the symbol of the Greatest Name. On the left, wearing a necklace, is Grace Ober, and on the right, wearing a dress with a white collar, is Grace Krug. Behind Mrs. Greeven and Mrs. Krug is the Hand of the Cause of God Ibn-i-Asdaq. Behind Mrs. Greeven and Mrs. Ober is Saichiro Fujita (A biographical sketch of Fujita-san is in Japan Will Turn Ablaze).

Here is the full photograph of that 1920 Pilgrimage:

Abdu'l-Baha with pilgrims, 1920
Copyright held by Baha'i World Centre, used with permission
(Please click photo for larger image)

Here is a partial photo identification;

Far left, arms folded: Dr. Zia Bagdadi; one of the Tablets of the Divine Plan to the Central States was revealed in his honor. Next to Dr. Bagdadi, Persian man with white button on his lapel: Ruhi Afnan. Next to him, wearing white shirt with high collar, Harlan Ober. Between Dr. Bagdadi and Mr. Ober, on the step below, her face obscured by the woman in front of her, is apparently Ruth White, who was on that pilgrimage. Grace Ober (identified in the smaller image above) is next to Mr. Ober. (As explained in the book about the Hand of the Cause Hermann Grossmann, following this pilgrimage, and in obedience to the wishes of Abdu'l-Baha, Mr. and Mrs. Ober traveled home via Germany where they gave the Baha'i message; Mr. Grossmann learned of the Baha'i Faith from them in Leipzig at one of their talks.) Inez Greeven is standing directly above Abdu'l-Baha, and holding the symbol of the Greatest Name; she is the source of this photograph; at the time, her name was Inez Cook, she married Max Greeven some time later. The story of how Abdu'l-Baha gave her the famous pilgrim's note about the "gate of the garden" is told here.  Saichiro Fujita is between Mrs. Ober and Mrs. Greeven, on the step above them. The Hand of the Cause Ibn-i-Asdaq, in white turban and white beard, is next to Mr. Fujita. The little girl, far left, the only person standing on the step immediately above Abdu'l-Baha, is named Daisy; I believe she was a niece of Mrs. Greeven. Grace Krug, identified above, is standing behind Abdul-Baha; she is wearing a dark dress with white collar. The tall man in the center of the photograph with light hair and grey coat is her husband Dr. Florian Krug. In the front row, looking at Abdu'l-Baha, the woman with the black hat, wearing a dress with white collar and dark string of beads, is India Haggarty, the sister of Inez Greeven. (There is a story in Star of the West about these two sisters, Inez and India visiting the village of Abdu'l-Baha in Burma, which I believe took place immediately following this Pilgrimage). Above Mrs. Haggarty's left shoulder is Faydu'llah Subhi, a secretary of Abdu'l-Baha who fell under the influence of Avarih and broke the Covenant (Child of the Covenant, p. 296). Behind Subhi's left shoulder, wearing a light-colored jacket, is Badi Bushrui, the father of Dr. Suheil Bushrui. There is a woman in the front row, far right, wearing a white dress; above her left shoulder, the man with a dark fez and white beard is Mirza Muhsin Afnan, one of Abdu'l-Baha's sons-in-law, who remained faithful. He is the father of Ruhi Afnan, and also of Suhayl Afnan, who is the young man in front of him, the person farthest to the right in the picture. In the top row there are two Indian soldiers; this photograph was taken during the years immediately following the successful taking of the Holy Land by the British Army under General Allenby; at the time there were Indian soldiers in the British army, and these two soldiers appear to be in that category.