Storytelling in the Baha'i Faith

Three Hundred Pages of Stories about Abdu'l-Baha

2011-11-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

Earl Redman, author of the new book "Abdu'l-Baha in Their Midst" has rendered a wonderful service:  He has sifted through more than one hundred books with personal accounts of Abdu'l-Baha in Europe and North America, some of them hard to find, and brought them all to light in chronological order. It includes biographical sketches of scores of important early Baha'is. Now the reader gets a sense of how the Master's time during His journey unfolded city by city, country by country, heart by heart.

Abdu'l-Baha at Green Acre, August, 1912

With members of His retinue: L-R Amin'u'llah Farid, Ali-Akbar Nakhjavani, Ahmad Sohrab. The identities of the two women are not known. Between the women, in the background is the Eirenion, a building in which Abdu'l-Baha gave several addresses. Between Dr. Farid and Mr. Nakhjavani is the Sarah Farmer Inn.

This is not a history book, nor is it a collection of the talks Abdu'l-Baha gave in the West.  It is 330 pages of stories, of people's accounts of how Abdu'l-Baha touched their lives.  It is also a significant act of Baha'i scholarship -- it took a lot of work, bringing all of these wonderful accounts together.

It can be purchased here.  

The book has a good index of names, and the Table of Contents is city-by-city. It is amazing that the author pulled this huge amount of material together, in the short amount of time he had. I think that every Baha'i book should have its own website, for updates, corrections, and comments after publication -- and in this case, maybe a fuller topical index. 

"Abdu'l-Baha in their Midst" is an important book, extremely readable and enjoyable.  It is going to be one of the most valuable of all the books during the events in Europe, Canada and the United States commemorating the Centenary of Abdu'l-Baha's visit -- one of the greatest acts of His ministry.

Saichiro Fujita and Abdu'l-Baha

2011-02-13T03:20:00.000-08:00

In 1912, Saichiro Fujita, one of the earliest Japanese Baha'is, met Abdu'l-Baha in Chicago, and accompanied Him through Denver and Salt Lake City, into California. In 1919 He relocated to the Holy Land, residing in the House of Abdu'l-Baha. He was befriended by Abdu'l-Baha and accompanied Him during many of His activities in the Holy Land. He was a source of joy to Abdu'l-Baha, and they joked together. As these photographs and Mr. Fujita's recollections demonstrate, he always showed proper respect to Abdu'l-Baha and to Shoghi Effendi. He served in the Holy Land for many years, at the invitation of Abdu'l-Baha and of Shoghi Effendi. Mr. Fujita was present in the Holy Land at the time of the Ascension of Abdu'l-Baha, and has left his recollections of that event, and of the reading of Abdu'l-Baha's Will and Testament. All of the photographs on this site are © Baha'i National Archives, Wilmette, used with permission.

Fujita in Abdu'l-Baha's car

Fujita riding Abdu'l-Baha's donkey, Lightning

L-R Mountfort Mills, Hand of the Cause of God John E. Esslemont, Saichiro Fujita in front of the House of Abdu'l-Baha

L-R The Master's gardener Isma'il-Aqa, The Hand of the Cause of God Amelia Collins, Saichiro Fujita; apparently in the Master's garden, Haifa

Fujita with Shoghi Effendi during the years immediately preceding the Ascension of Abdu'l-Baha.

In 1950 Shoghi Effendi's secretary wrote on his behalf to a Baha'i: "He feels you, and dear Fujita too, should devote particular attention to deepening the friends in the Covenant, which is the ark of safety for every believer."

Fujita accompanying Abdu'l-Baha on a visit to the Old Western Pilgrim House across the street from the Master's House

Abdul-Baha in front of His House with pilgrims, local Baha'is, and Indian soldiers, 1920.
More about this photograph is found here

Abdu'l-Baha with Saichiro Fujita visiting a Christian minister, Haifa, Israel. This building is directly behind the House of Abdu'l-Baha, and faces lower Hazionut Street. Mr. Fujita refers to this photograph in his interview with Sylvia Ioas: "I stayed with `Abdu'l-Baha two years. I used to go around everywhere. Always He ask me to go with Him. Even on Christmas Day, we have a little church here, behind the Master's house, we call on them. Have taken a picture too, with Master and minister and myself."

The following was written of Mr. Fujita in Japan Will Turn Ablaze:

Mr. Saichiro Fujita
1886-1976

Mr. Saichiro Fujita was the second Japanese to accept the Faith. Originally from Yanai, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, he immigrated to the United States when he was a teenager. While he was attending school in Oakland, California in 1905 he was taught the Faith by Mrs. Kathryn Frankland.

He received two of the Tablets quoted below from 'Abdu'l-Bahá in 1906 and 1907. In 1911 he received a Tablet urging him to complete his professional training. In 1912 Mr. Fujita had the privilege of meeting the Master and traveling with Him in the United States. In this revised edition we have included one more Tablet by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, translated in 1913, because it contains a prediction about Mr. Fujita.

Between 1912 and 1919 there were several communications from 'Abdu'l-Bahá urging Mr. Fujita to study various aspects of engineering and also advising him to study flower culture. In 1919 he had completed his studies and left for Haifa as instructed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Mr. Fujita served in the Holy Land until the end of his life except for the years between 1938 and 1955 which were spent in Japan.

Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to Mr. Saichiro Fujita

O thou fresh plant in the garden of the Love of God!
      What thou hast written was considered. It was an evidence of following in the Pathway of Guidance, and a proof of the attraction of the heart to the Beauty of His Majesty, God.
      Consider what bounty God has manifested for thee, whence thou art and from whence are we. Yet, nevertheless, such a candle of love is burning in the hearts that its light is radiating from the East to the West and from the West extending to the East.
      Rest assured thy name is registered in the Book of God, and it is hoped that thou mayest enter the Paradise of the Kingdom and find stability; to reach that which is the cause of the progress of the world of humanity in the world and in the Kingdom, and with perceiving eye, attentive ear, eloquent tongue and radiant face may serve in the Vineyard of God and spread the Divine Glad Tidings. If thou art confirmed as thou oughtest to be, thou wilt certainly establish an eternal Kingdom. This Kingdom is greater than that of Mikado, for the sovereignty of the Emperor of Japan is for numbered days, but this sovereignty is lasting and will stand unto the Eternity of Eternities.
      That sovereignty can be hidden under one handful of dust, that is when Mikado goes beneath the handful of dust, he is entirely effaced and erased, but this Kingdom withstands the greatest revolution of the worlds, and will stand with perfect stability unto eternity. The former kingdom is established by the power of the sword, burning fire, devouring, and the shedding of blood, while this Kingdom is built upon freedom, glory, greatness and the love of God. Consider how much difference there is between them.
(Translated by Ameen Fareed, November 10, 1906, Chicago)

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O thou spiritual Youth!
      Japan has made wonderful progress in material civilization, but she will become perfect when she will also make spiritual developments and the Power of the Kingdom become manifest in her.
      One will encounter a little difficulty in the beginning of the establishment of the Cause of God in that country, but later it will become very easy. For the inhabitants of Japan are intelligent, sagacious, and have the power of rapid assimilation. For the present a perfect youth like thee is favored by the Bounty of the Kingdom, and attained to the knowledge of the Lord of the Kingdom. Show thou forth an effort that thou mayest finish that which is necessary in the acquisition and study of science and art; then travel thou toward the countries of Japan; so that thou mayest hoist the Ensign of Truth, waving upon the Apex of the Supreme Concourse. Look thou not upon thine own capability, the Invisible Divine Confirmations are great, and the Protection and Providence of the Beauty of Abha is the helper and assistant. When a drop draws help from the ocean, it is an ocean itself, and a little seed through the outpouring of rain, the favor of the sun, and the soul-refreshing breeze will become a tree with the utmost freshness, full of leaves, blossoms and fruits. Therefore do not consider thy capacity and merit, but rely upon the infinite Bounty and trust to His Highness the Almighty. Do not delay. Undertake soon that which thou art intending.
      There are prophecies concerning the Manifestation in the Buddhist books, but they are in symbols and metaphors, and some spiritual conditions are mentioned therein, but the leaders of religion do not understand. They think these prophecies are material things, yet those signs are foreshadowing spiritual occurrence.
(Revealed in 'Akká, May 29, 1907. Translated by Ahmad Esphahani,
July 21, 1907, Washington, D.C.)

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O thou servant of God
      Thy letter was received. It was an indication to the outward and inward health and safety. Therefore it became the means of joy.
      As regard to thy profession of electricity. Endeavor from every direction that thou mayest gain perfect efficiency in it -- so that I may send for thee to come with electrical machine (automobile) and lighting plant -- in order that in the Holy Land thou mayest know how to run the electrical engines and dynamos, how to install electrical lights through the buildings and how to fill the batteries of the (automobile) and act (if necessary) as chauffeur. When thou shalt learn these things then I will send for thee. Thou wilt be confirmed to render a great service and this will become the cause of thine everlasting glory.
(Translated by Ahmad Sohrab, May 15, 1913, Paris)

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After Mr. Fujita's passing the Universal House of Justice sent out the following cable:

Dearly-loved tireless steadfast Saichiro Fujita passed to Abha Kingdom after long years service sacred threshold. His rank in vanguard first Japanese believers. His labours World Center his dedication humility sincerity love will forever be remembered and provide shining example to rising generations Japanese Bahá'ís who will view with pride distinction conferred upon him. Praying Holy Shrines progress his radiant soul under loving grace his Master and Guardian both of whom he served so well.

Universal House of Justice
(Cable received May 10, 1976)

Stories for the Day of the Covenant

2010-11-08T19:18:00.000-08:00

One of my dear friends has asked if I have any stories to share, for the upcoming celebration of the Day of the Covenant.

It was the custom of Shoghi Effendi to walk on Mount Carmel, and at times he invited the Persian men believers to walk with him.  They would walk a few paces behind him, out of respect.  Ali-Kuli Khan was a member of one of these groups of men, and at one point Shoghi Effendi stopped, and turned to the men, and said, "Although I am Abdu'l-Baha's successor, I am not His equal.  His station is far greater than my own."  Then he turned, and continued walking.  Ali-Kuli Khan burst into tears.  When he finished weeping, one of his fellow pilgrims asked him, "What Shoghi Effendi said was very beautiful, but why did it have such an effect on you?"  Ali-Kuli Khan answered, "Many years ago, I was here on Pilgrimage during the days of Abdu'l-Baha.  One day I was walking with Him on the slopes of Mount Carmel, and He stopped, at that very same spot, and turned to me and said, "Although I am the Successor to Baha'u'llah, I am not His equal.  His station is far, far greater than My own."  And of course, as we were walking behind the beloved Guardian, I recalled the sweetness of that moment.  And then I saw that we were approaching that spot where the Master had spoken, and to my astonishment, Shoghi Effendi stopped, and spoke at that same spot.  And when he said what he did, then I understood the greatness of this Cause."

Marzieh Gail writes about the circumstances at the time of the passing of the Prophet Muhammad, and that He did not make a written Covenant appointing His Successor.  He had already verbally appointed His son-in-law, Ali:

"As Muhammad lay dying, He called for writing materials to appoint His successor again; but 'Umar said, 'Pain is deluding God's Messenger; we have God's book, which is enough.' And they wrangled at His bedside, whether to bring the materials or no. And the Prophet sent them from Him. He was praying in a whisper, when He ascended." ("Dawn Over Mount Hira," p. 8)

The same thing almost happened in the Baha'i Faith, but it was prevented by the written Covenant of Baha'u'llah, appointing His Successor, Abdu'l-Baha.  Toward the end of His life, one day when He was alone in His room with Abdu'l-Baha in the Mansion of Bahji, Baha'u'llah directed Abdu'l-Baha to gather up all of His Tablets, which were in various places around the room, and to place them all in His two leather briefcases.  This command was given in such a tone, that Abdu'l-Baha instantly understood that this signified that Baha'u'llah would soon be leaving this world, and He burst into tears.  As Abdu'l-Baha was gathering the Tablets and placing them in the two briefcases, He was weeping.  However, there was one Tablet Baha'u'llah did not direct Abdu'l-Baha to put into the briefcases--His Last Will and Testament.  This document, which does not bear a date, nor Baha'u'llah's signature or seal, was written by Baha'u'llah entirely in His own hand. In it, He directs all of the believers to turn to Abdu'l-Baha.  Baha'u'llah directed Abdu'l-Baha to keep this document personally, and separate from His other Tablets.  A few weeks later, Baha'u'llah ascended to the immortal realm.  On the following day, Abdu'l-Baha was washing the sacred body of Baha'u'llah and wrapping it in shrouds, to prepare the body for burial.  Mirza Muhammad-Ali, Abdu'l-Baha's younger brother, was desirous of leadership. He had even claimed, during Baha'u'llah's lifetime, to be a Manifestation of God.  Seeing his opportunity, he said, while Abdu'l-Baha was washing the sacred body of Baha'u'llah, that the water might spill on the two briefcases, and he suggested that he move them.  Abdu'l-Baha was deeply involved in the sacred act of washing His Father's body, and He hardly noticed, and motioned His assent.  Mirza Muhammad-Ali stole those Tablets, most of which are still not in the hands of the Faith.  He looked through all of them for some Writing with which he could undermine Abdu'l-Baha's authority, and claim leadership for himself.  Baha'u'llah's foresight prevented this from happening, and assured that Abdu'l-Baha would be the Head of the Faith.

3. When Abdu'l-Baha wrote His own Will and Testament, He placed it in an envelope which He addressed in His own handwriting to Hazrat-i-Ghusn-i-Mumtaz, Shoghi Effendi.  "Hazrat" is the highest form of honorific.  "Ghusn" means "Branch" and refers to Shoghi Effendi's lineage, as a male descendant of Baha'u'llah.  "Mumtaz" means, according to the standard Arabic-English dictionary:  Distinguished, differentiated, exquisite, select, choice, rare, outstanding, superior, first-rate, first-class, top-notch, exceptional, excellent, privileged, special, extra.  It also means "chosen," and as you can see, Shoghi Effendi selected the most humble translation of his title.  In a classroom in the Arabic-speaking and Persian-speaking world, the best student is the "mumtaz" student. In the Will and Testament, the Guardian of the Cause is the "distinguished" ("mumtaz") member of the Universal House of Justice. Abdu'l-Baha spoke of this same Arabic word in one of His talks in New York City, on the subject of "distinction". When the envelope was opened, Abdu'l-Baha's Will and Testament was found, and within it was enfolded the Will and Testament of Baha'u'llah.  In one of his World Order letters, Shoghi Effendi speaks of "their Will" as one Will and Testament. 

4. The Greatest Holy Leaf, Abdu'l-Baha's sister, played a pivotal role in the protection of the Covenant, at several times during her life.  Here is a compilation of a few of her written 
statements about the Covenant of Abdu'l-Baha. There is a beautiful essay written about her here.

5. At one time early in Abdu'l-Baha's ministry, before the public announcement of the final rupture with the Covenant-breakers living at the Mansion of Bahji, when pilgrims would come to the Holy Land, the Covenant-breakers would try to turn them against Abdu'l-Baha.  They would see a new pilgrim, and invite him to come back to the Mansion of Bahji in the evening. They would then hold a feast in his honor, flatter him, and tell him how his fame as a teacher and great Baha'i had preceded him. Then, gradually, they would instil the poison.  They would claim that Abdu'l-Baha had taken too much authority, and should He not share more of the leadership of the Faith with His brothers, who were, after all, also sons of the Manifestation?  And in this way, they dampened the zeal of a number of the friends, and even turned a few against the Covenant.  One day, one of the Covenant-breakers saw Abdu'l-Baha, and with arrogance and glee announced to Him that they had invited one of the new pilgrims to a feast in his honor, and that they would succeed in turning him against the Master. Abdu'l-Baha smiled, and said, "Not this one.  The more you speak to him against Me, the more extreme he will become in the ardor of his love for Me.  You will see."  And this is exactly what happened. The Covenant-breakers tried to instil the poison, but the believer refuted them, quoting from the Writings on the Covenant, and he became even stronger in his devotion to the Master.  This is an expression of the truth of the verse in the Valley of Love, where Baha'u'llah writes that for the true lover "deadly poison is a balm to him," and as He also wrote "We are possessed of such power which, if brought to light, will transmute the most deadly of poisons into a panacea of unfailing efficacy."  And this power of transformation is a power resident in His Cause, and this is what all of the believers can do.  We are unlikely to hear from a Covenant-breaker, but whenever we hear a single word or even a breath that is even a slight challenge to the Covenant, we can pray and turn our hearts to God, and ask the assistance of the Concourse on High to transform this poison into a healing medicine within us--that we may become even stronger in our devotion to the Covenant, and more faithful in our deeds, to the guidance of the Universal House of Justice.

The Magnificent Character of The Greatest Holy Leaf

2010-10-01T23:27:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest relationships in all of human history is surely the relationship between Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, and Bahiyyih Khanum, his great-aunt, known as The Greatest Holy Leaf.

Bahiyyih Khanum, The Greatest Holy Leaf

Used by permission

The beauty of this relationship is shown in this tribute which Shoghi Effendi wrote following her passing in 1932.

In addition, Marjory Morten wrote an essay about the Greatest Holy Leaf which was published in Volume V of The Baha'i World:

The Hand of the Cause of God Haji Amin

2010-07-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

The Hand of the Cause of God Hájí Amín

Early during the days of Bahá'u'lláh's imprisonment in Akka, when few of the Bahá'ís even knew where Bahá'u'lláh was, the first believer to enter His presence was Hájí Amín.  He saw Him in the public bath, and was so overwhelmed that he lost consciousness and injured his head. 

Mr. Balyuzi writes (“`Abdu'l-Bahá - The Centre of the Covenant,” p. 29):

“A few others succeeded in passing the ranks of guards and arrived at the Most Great Prison. Hájí Abu'l-Hasan-i-Ardakani, the renowned Hájí Amín* of later years, was one of those intrepid men.” 
*[So known, because Bahá'u'lláh conferred on him the title of Amín-i-Ilahi “Trusted of God”]

Dr. David Ruhe writes:

“It seems likely that Hájí Amín-i-Ilahi arrived in 'Akká early in the year 1869, accompanied by Hájí Shah-Muhammad. The bath built by al-Jazzar, to which the prisoners were taken weekly on Fridays, comprised a chain of rooms, in the largest of which Hájí Amín and his friend were enabled surreptitiously to see Bahá'u'lláh. However, Hájí Amín was so overcome with emotion at being in the presence of Him Who was the Object of his veneration that he fainted, striking his head and bleeding from the wound. Bahá'u'lláh later penned Tablets to Hájí Amin, honouring him as the first to visit 'This Wronged One', and saying in one of them:

Thou art the first one to attain the divine presence in His mighty, His Most Great Prison. Take heed lest what thou hast heard from the tongue of thy Lord, the Potent, the Powerful, be obliterated from thy heart. Make thou mention of Him all the time and call to mind the days when thou didst enter the most desolate of the cities until thou didst present thyself before the face of thy Lord, the Ruler of the Day of Judgement, and achieved that which is ordained for thee in His Preserved Tablet.  

(Baha'u'llah, quoted in “Door of Hope”, First Edition, pp. 33-34)


Mr. Taherzadeh writes:

Returning to the story of Hájí Amín, he lived a long life and was Trustee of the Huqúq'u'lláh [“Right of God”--a certain Bahá'í fund] during the ministries of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá and during part of the ministry of Shoghi Effendi. During his long and turbulent life he was a source of inspiration and loving guidance for all the believers. He often visited their homes and urged them to become detached from the things of the world and to follow the path of modesty in all aspects of life. He disliked extravagance, as it would lessen the ability of the believers to contribute all they could to the Cause of God. So much was he against extravagance that whenever the friends invited him to dinner, they knew that Hájí Amín would be most unhappy if they entertained him lavishly with various dishes at the table. He insisted that there be only one dish and that it consist of the simplest food. He often urged the host to add some extra water to the pot for his share of the food, and this recipe of adding extra water is widely known among the Persian believers as 'The soup of Hájí Amín'!
      There are many heartwarming stories about the way he conducted his life and the sacrifices he made in order to serve His Lord. These stories, ranging from trifling anecdotes to highly interesting and instructive comments made by him are entertaining and popular, but must be left out here, because to appreciate them the reader needs to be familiar with the customs and way of life at that time in the Middle East.
      Hájí Amín suffered many persecutions in his long life of service. Among them was his imprisonment first in Tihran and then in Qazvin in the year AH 1308 (AD 1891) along with Mulla 'Ali-Akbar-i-Shahmirzad, known as Hájí Akhund, one of the Hands of the Cause of God appointed by Bahá'u'lláh. These two heroes of God were imprisoned by the orders of Násiri'd-Dín Sháh and his son Kamran Mirza, the Governor of Tihran.
      Their imprisonment in Qazvin lasted about eighteen months, after which Hájí Akhund was released but Hájí Amín was transferred to a prison in Tihran where he remained for a further year. During this period their feet were kept in stocks and their necks placed in chains. When in the prison of Qazvin, a photographer was specially sent to take their photograph for the monarch to see. This photograph, showing the two in chains sitting with absolute resignation and calm, is widely in circulation among the believers. It was placed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the hallway of His house opposite His room. He gazed upon it many times and rejoiced in His heart at beholding the faces of the two who were chained and fettered in the path of Bahá'u'lláh and were the embodiment of steadfastness and faith among the believers.”
(Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol. 3, p. 84)

Writing of these two Hands of the Cause in this photograph, Hájí Akhund and Hájí Amín, Abdu'l-Bahá says:

Again and again he was bound with chains, jailed, and threatened with the sword. The photograph of this blessed individual, together with that of the great Amín, taken of them in their chains, will serve as an example to whoever has eyes to see. There they sit, those two distinguished men, hung with chains, shackled, yet composed, acquiescent, undisturbed. 

(Memorials of the Faithful, p. 10)

A copy of that photograph, from page 60 of Volume 3 of Mr. Taherzadeh's series “The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh,” is found here .

Hájí Amín is mentioned at the beginning of the Tablet of the World, following which Bahá'u'lláh reveals the Prayer for the Hands of the Cause of God:

Praise and thanksgiving beseem the Lord of manifest dominion Who hath adorned the mighty prison with the presence of their honours Ali-Akbar and Amín, and hath illumined it with the light of certitude, constancy and assurance. The glory of God and the glory of all that are in the heavens and on the earth be upon them.
    Light and glory, greeting and praise be upon the Hands of His Cause, through whom the light of fortitude hath shone forth and the truth hath been established that the authority to choose rests with God, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Unconstrained, through whom the ocean of bounty hath surged and the fragrance of the gracious favours of God, the Lord of mankind, hath been diffused. We beseech Him -- exalted is He -- to shield them through the power of His hosts, to protect them through the potency of His dominion and to aid them through His indomitable strength which prevaileth over all created things. Sovereignty is God's, the Creator of the heavens and the Lord of the Kingdom of Names.
(Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, pp. 82-83)

At the time Bahá'u'lláh revealed this, of the two men, only Hájí Akhund was a Hand of the Cause of God.  Decades later when Hájí Amín passed away, Shoghi Effendi posthumously elevated him to the station of Hand of the Cause. Here is a photograph of the young Shoghi Effendi seated next to Hájí Amín.  Bahá'u'lláh had therefore foretold that Hájí Amín would be designated a Hand of the Cause; which Shoghi Effendi fulfilled, decades later.

Marzieh Gail writes of Hájí Amín's visit to her home in Europe when she was a girl, titling him “The Man Who Lived Nowhere:”

The legendary Hájí Amín called on the family and said to Khan [Ali-Kuli Khan, Marzieh's father] of his faith, 'You have composure of the heart. You have a well-assured heart, and God brings about the impossible for those whom He loves and chooses.' He said Khan's rank had become very lofty, very great.

          Hájí Amín was the old man who lived nowhere, but journeyed here and there on his donkey, staying briefly with the believers in their homes. Loved and revered, the trustee of the Huququ'lláh, he was the keeper of the purse, his duty being to collect funds for the Faith. Florence [Marzieh's mother] had met him in 1906, and remembered that he had made nineteen pilgrimages to the Holy Land. She said he was now, in 1922, eighty-six years old. Feeble, but his spirit and presence like the freshest rose, and his eyes as shining as a boy's.
        He had now served the Faith some fifty-nine years. When he first came into the presence of Bahá'u'lláh he gave up his entire fortune and all the rest of his life to the Manifestation. Homeless now, he was told by 'Abdu'l-Bahá that his nest was everywhere, and wherever he served and taught he would eat and sleep. All his children and grandchildren had prospered, and they would send him thousands of tumans for the Faith.
       On this visit, for the New Year's recently past, Hájí Amín gave Florence and the girls three large gold coins, together with yards, for each, of Persian silk. When the believers heard of it, they smiled. 'From us he takes,' they said, 'to you he gives.'
        Khan's sister Marzieh, a devout Muslim living in her own part of the compound, saying her obligatory prayers and blowing other prayers to the six directions of the world (right, left, before, behind, up, down) entertaining the girls and telling them ancient tales, limped out to converse with the distinguished visitor. There was some bit of theological discussion between the two old people and finally she asked him what the next world was like. 'Old woman,' he cried, 'I haven't been there!' 
(Marzieh Gail, Arches of the Years, p. 225)

The Universal House of Justice writes:

Bahá'u'lláh instructed that, following the passing of Amínu'l-Bayan, the office of Trustee of Huququ'lláh should be conferred upon his loyal assistant and companion, Hájí Abu'l-Hasan, who was subsequently entitled Amín (the Trusted One) or Jinab-i-Hájí Amín.
          Jinab-i-Hájí Amín was a shining star who served the Cause as the Trustee of Huququ'lláh for forty-seven years with eagerness and zeal, showing magnanimity, courage and incredible steadfastness. During the Ministry of Bahá'u'lláh he was imprisoned twice, by order of Násiri'd-Dín Sháh and his son Kamran Mirza. In the course of his second imprisonment, in the prison of Qazvin, referred to as Sijn-i-Matin (the Mighty Prison) by Bahá'u'lláh in the opening verses of the Tablet of the World, he was with the Hand of the Cause Jinab-i-Hájí Akhund. Here, Jinab-i-Hájí Amín suffered gravely, his legs in fetters and a chain around his neck. His jailers, in order to torment him, would add castor oil to his food. With manifest resignation and submission, he would neither complain nor refuse the food, eating as though nothing were amiss. He was a symbol of magnanimity and detachment. He had no worldly possessions, no home or shelter of his own. His habitation was in the hearts and souls of the Bahá'í friends who would receive and entertain him with warmth and love. Each one would impatiently await his arrival, to enjoy the sweet melody of his prayers and chanting of the Tablets, and the glad-tidings and encouragement he would bring. Every day he would bid goodbye to one family to spend the night in another household, illumining another gathering with his presence. He was continually on the move, travelling to most Iranian cities and being the trusted adviser of many Bahá'í friends in their personal affairs.
          Among the countless journeys that Jinab-i-Hájí Amín made was one to Paris where he attained the presence of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. During his long life he witnessed the last eleven years of the Ministry of Bahá'u'lláh, the twenty-nine years of the Ministry of the Centre of the Covenant, and seven years of the Guardianship of Shoghi Effendi. Towards the end of his life he became ill and frail and was confined to bed, living in the home of his friend and assistant, Hájí Ghulam Rida, who, at the express desire of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, had been appointed his successor as Trustee of Huququ'lláh. Upon his passing in 1928, Jinab-i-Hájí Amín was named by the beloved Guardian a Hand of the Cause of God.
(The Universal House of Justice, letter dated 30 July 2002, Revised - Development of the Institution of Huququ'llah)

A number of the Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh regarding the Right of God were revealed in honor of Hájí Amín.  The Universal House of Justice writes:

In order to respect its sanctity, Bahá'u'lláh strongly forbids soliciting Huququ'lláh. No individual or institution is authorized to demand it. Whenever it is necessary to bring the importance of this obligation to the attention of the believers, it should be mentioned as a general reminder. Spiritual maturity must stir the conscience of the believers and, nothing else. In a Tablet addressed to Hájí Amín the second Trustee of Huququ'lláh, Bahá'u'lláh says:

"No one should demand the Huququ'lláh. Its payment should depend on the volition of the individuals themselves...
(From the Compilation on Huququ'llah) 

And again:

"...Ye may relinquish the whole world but must not allow the detraction of even one jot or tittle from the dignity of the Cause of God. Jinab-i-Amin -- upon him be My glory -- must also refrain from mentioning this matter, for it is entirely dependent upon the willingness of the individuals themselves. They are well acquainted with the commandment of God and are familiar with that which was revealed in the Book. Led him who wisheth observe it, and led him who wisheth ignore it...." (Six Year Plan Messages, p. 43)

Additional Tablets revealed in honor of Hájí Amín are:

O Abu'l Hasan: May my Glory rest upon thee! Fix thy gaze upon the glory of the Cause. Speak forth that which will attract the hearts and the minds. To demand the Huquq is in no wise permissible. This command was revealed in the Book of God for various necessary matters ordained by God to be dependent upon material means. Therefore, if someone, with utmost pleasure and gladness, nay with insistence, wisheth to partake of this blessing thou mayest accept. Otherwise, acceptance is not permissible.
(Baha'u'llah, quoted in Taherzadeh, The Child of the Covenant, p. 396)

We must impose a fine upon Jinab-i-Amin! We have one treasurer and he is bankrupt! Gracious God, there is one treasury belonging to God and that is empty of funds. Indeed, by virtue of its exalted station, such a treasury ought to be freed and sanctified from earthly things and not be confused with the treasuries of the world.
(Baha'u'llah, quoted in Taherzadeh, The Child of the Covenant, p. 397)

Mr. Balyuzi writes:

Hájí Abu'l-Hasan-i-Ardakani, better known as Hájí Amín arrived [in London] from Paris on December 19th [1911]. This well-tried veteran of the Faith had seen some of its darkest days. His visit to London was nearly miraculous and provided an incident which greatly amused 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Hájí Amín's first attempt to reach London from Paris had ended when, in some inexplicable way, he found himself back in the French capital after crossing the Channel. Of course he could not speak either English or French, nor for that matter any other European language. He had names and addresses written out for him to show to officials and conductors, to help him on his journey. When, at last, Hájí Amín arrived in London, 'Abdu'l-Bahá laughingly told him that no doubt the Hájí could not forsake the delights of Paris and had to hurry back there.
(Balyuzi, Abdu'l-Bahá - The Centre of the Covenant, p. 346)

Abdu'l-Bahá immortalized Hájí Amín by naming one of the doors of the Shrine of the Bab after him—the center western door.  
(Ugo Giachery, “Shoghi Effendi - Recollections,” p. 216)

Finally, here is a photograph of the Hand of the Cause of God Hájí Amín, a humble and blessed soul of the highest rank.

2010-07-04T15:11:00.000-07:00

THE STORY OF THE “GATE OF THE GARDEN” QUOTE FROM ABDU'L-BAHA

Inez Greeven told us in approximately 1980 that she went on Pilgrimage in 1920 during the days of Abdu'l-Baha and had many heavenly experiences.  One example:  One night, she was asleep in the same bed with her dear sister India, in the pilgrim house (I assume, the pilgrim house across the street and downhill from the Master's House, the Old Western Pilgrim House).  

Historical photo of the Old Western Pilgrim House on Haparsim Street

Photograph taken approximately 1925, Copyright 2006

Baha'i International Community, Used with permission

In the middle of the night she awoke, and something was different.  She couldn't put her finger on it.  Then as she awoke more fully, she could see that she was floating several feet above the bed.  She was startled, and got down, and began to walk around the room. She bumped into things and the noise awoke her sister.  “What's wrong?” her dear sister asked.  “I was floating in the air!” she said. “And I don't understand why...” and as she reflected on it, she knew for a certainty that at that very moment, Abdu'l-Baha was praying for her in the Shrines.  Later that day she was walking in the streets of Haifa, and she saw the Master.  He saw her, and walked over to her, smiled and asked, “Did you know I was praying for you?”  She said yes, she did.

The Master also told her that she and her sister were permitted to come on Pilgrimage, because their mother was a good woman.

Near the beginning of her Pilgrimage, the Master asked her, “Where is your husband?” This was the one question she did not want Him to ask.  She replied, “Well, he's not here, Abdu'l-Baha.”  “Yes, I can see that he is not here.  Where is your husband?”  She replied that her husband had left her for another woman.  “Yes, I know,” the Master said.  “And because you have forgiven him, God has forgiven him.”

Here is Inez during her 1920 Pilgrimage.  She is standing directly above Abdu'l-Baha's blessed head, holding the Greatest Name and a rose He gave to her.

On her return trip on the ship back across the Atlantic Ocean, she began to reflect on how she could convey her experiences to her friends. In particular, she wanted to share the grandeur of the Faith and of the Master, with two of her friends to whom she was teaching the Faith.  She then thought of the idea of having them go to the Holy Land themselves.  She thought that as soon as they met the Master, they would understand that this Faith is from God.  She sent a cable to `Abdu'l-Baha and asked permission for her friends to go to the Holy Land and meet Him and visit the Holy Places, and He cabled back that permission was granted.

In those days it was quite an adventure to travel that far and visit the Holy Land.  She made arrangements, and saw her friends off at the dock in New York as their ship sailed away.  Some weeks later she came to the dock to welcome them home.  She eagerly anticipated that they would tell her that they had become Baha'is.  As they came down the walkway from the ship, she greeted them and gave them hugs, excitedly asking, "Well?  Well?"

One of her friends said, "Oh, our trip was wonderful!"

"Well, tell me all about it!"  Inez said.

"Well, first of all we visited the pyramids in Egypt."

"Yes, yes, go on," Inez said somewhat impatiently.

"And then we went to the Holy Land."

"Yes, yes!"

"And we went to Jerusalem and visited all the holy places."

"Yes, yes!"

"And then we went to Mount Carmel, and we met your Master."

"YES!"

"And he invited us into his home, and we had meals with him and his family. Why, they were the *nicest* people!  And he told us funny stories.  And they took us to beautiful gardens and shrines.  It was wonderful."

Inez paused.  "Is that all?"

"Is that all?  What do you mean!?  We had a wonderful time! Thank you for arranging it!"

So neither of her friends had become Baha'is, and she did not understand this.

Inez was apparently a wealthy woman, as she lived in a hotel in New York. The following year, in 1921, Inez returned to the Holy Land for a second Pilgrimage. This was not long before the end of the Master's life, as official immigration records show that she came back to the USA just a week before His passing.

During this second visit, she decided to ask him why her friends had not become Baha'is.  She said words to this effect: "My friends came here, and they met you, and they visited the Holy Places, but they were unaffected.   When I came here I was completely intoxicated with the greatness of the Cause.  Why didn't they become Baha'is?"

`Abdu'l-Baha's answer was,

“At the gate of the garden,
some stand and look within, but do not care to enter.
Others step inside, behold its beauty, but do not penetrate far.
Still others encircle this garden, inhaling the fragrance of the flowers;
and having enjoyed its full beauty, pass out again by the same gate.
But there are always some who enter,
and becoming intoxicated with the splendor of what they behold,
remain for life to tend the garden."

The translator wrote this down for Inez, whose name at that time was Inez Cook.

On the long ocean voyage home, Inez thought about this, and thought about her two friends.  She decided that what she would do, was to tell her friends everything. So after her return to New York, she met with her friends, and told them exactly what had happened.  She then gave both of them a copy of `Abdu'l-Baha's beautiful statement about the gate of the garden, which is on the same theme as Jesus' parable of the sower and the seed.  

One of these two women was attracted to the Cause, and became a Baha'i. Her name was Frances Esty.  She became a lifelong devoted Baha'i.  She compiled a lovely book of the Writings of `Abdu'l-Baha which she titled The Garden of the Heart.  In the front of this book, which is extremely rare, she quotes this pilgrim's note, and thanks Inez Cook for it.  It is often wondered where in the Writings this beautiful passage came from, and to whom it was revealed. It is not from the Master's Writings, it is a pilgrim's note from Him to Inez Greeven, and the earliest reference to it I know of is this early book, published by the Roycroft Press in 1930 in East Aurora, New York. 

When Frances Esty died, I heard that she left her estate to the Baha'i Faith, and her community purchased a Baha'i center with the proceeds.

Brent

Promoter of Racial Unity, The Hand of the Cause of God Louis G. Gregory

2010-05-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

Louis G. Gregory was an outstanding Baha'i who lived during the first half of the 20th Century. His services to the Baha'i Faith were in the areas of teaching, administration, and race unity. 

Mr. Gregory's grandfather was murdered by the Klan.  His grandmother's life was hanging by a thread as well, but she refused either to back down, or to hate her husband's murderers.  These traits were passed down to her noble grandson.  Of him, Abdu'l-Baha wrote:

“That pure soul has a heart like unto transparent water.  He is like unto pure gold. This is why he is acceptable in any market and is current in every country.”
(Abdu'l-Baha, “To Move the World,” p. 314)

Mr. Gregory went to Ramleh, Egypt in April, 1911, to meet Abdu'l-Baha (The Priceless Pearl, p. 18).  There, he also met Shoghi Effendi, then a boy of 15, and the future Head of the Baha'i Faith.  During this pilgrimage, Abdu'l-Baha called on Mr. Gregory to work for harmony between the black and the white races, in pursuance of the great principle of the Baha'i Faith, the oneness of humanity.  Mr. Gregory devoted his life to this work.  Abdu'l-Baha wrote to him:

"I hope that thou mayest become … the means whereby the white and colored people shall close their eyes to racial differences and behold the reality of humanity, and that is the universal unity which is the oneness of the kingdom of the human race, the basic harmony of the world and the appearance of the bounty of the Almighty.  In brief, do thou not look upon. .. thy limited capacity; look thou upon the Bounties and Providence of the Lord of the Kingdom, for His Confirmation is great, and His Power unparalleled and incomparable.  Rely as much as thou canst upon the True One, and be thou resigned to the Will of God, so that like unto a candle thou mayest be enkindled in the world of humanity and like unto a star thou mayest shine and gleam from the Horizon of Reality and become the cause of the guidance of both races.”
(Abdu'l-Baha, “To Move the World,” p. 7)

Mr. Gregory was an attorney by profession, admitted to the State Bars of both Washington D.C. and New Hampshire, as well as before the Supreme Court of the United States.  He embraced the call in the Tablets of the Divine Plan and spent most of his adult life teaching the Baha'i Faith widely, in the United States as well as in Haiti, including holding race amity conferences in the South of the United States.

While in Egypt, Mr. Gregory asked Abdu'l-Baha to interpret a vision he had had several years earlier:

“Soon after accepting the Revelation the writer had a vision. (Joel 2-28) Baha'u'llah was seen with head bent gently forward. His right arm was extended and from His right side flowed four layers of mellow golden light, each layer containing numberless spirals and beautiful figures.  The light was of uniform brightness.  This vision soon vanished and I found myself turning into a street in which some enemies of the Cause of God were menacing the believers.  I raised my right hand above my head and shouted, 'It is all true!  Mine eyes have seen the Glory!'

“'Abdu'l-Baha explained. 'There are four classes of people.  The first is those who have accepted the teachings and occupy themselves spreading the Glad Tidings.  The second is those who are good believers, but make no effort to guide others.  The third is those who have heard the Message of the Kingdom but have not accepted it.  The fourth is those who have not yet heard of this Revelation.  As to the contention of those who deny and oppose, you have already had experience enough to know what this means.'"
(“A Heavenly Vista” The Pilgrimage of Louis G. Gregory) 

As the direct result of the guidance of Abdu'l-Baha, Mr. Gregory married a white woman from England, Louisa Matthews:

“No objective review of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's mission to the West can fail to take into account the sobering fact that only a small number of those who had accepted the Faith -- and infinitely fewer among the public audiences who had thronged to hear His words -- derived from these priceless opportunities more than a relatively dim understanding of the implications of His message. Appreciating these limitations on the part of His hearers, 'Abdu'l-Bahá did not hesitate to introduce into His relations with Western believers actions that summoned them to a level of consciousness far above mere social liberalism and tolerance. One example that must stand for a range of such interventions was His gentle but dramatic act in encouraging the marriage of Louis Gregory and Louise Mathews -- the one black, the other white. The initiative set a standard for the American Bahá'í community as to the real meaning of racial integration, however timid and slow its members were in responding to the core implications of the challenge.”
(“Century of Light,” Commissioned by The Universal House of Justice, p. 24, paragraph 3.16)

One of the events that occurred during the 1912 visit of Abdu'l-Baha to America, was during a diplomatic reception in Washington D.C.  Mr. Gregory participated in the first portion of the reception, but when the meal was served, he alone remained in the other part of the house.  This was in the days of racial segregation.  At the head of the table, Abdu'l-Baha looked around and asked, "Where is Mister Gregory?" He would not be seated until Mr. Gregory entered.  Mr. Gregory was brought to the room where the meal was being served, and Abdu'l-Baha seated him next to Himself, at the head of the table.

At the time of Mr. Gregory's passing in 1951, Shoghi Effendi cabled the Baha'is of the United States that he had elevated Mr. Gregory posthumously to the rank of Hand of the Cause of God:

“Profoundly deplore grievous loss of dearly beloved, noble-minded, golden-hearted Louis Gregory, pride and example to the Negro adherents of the Faith. Keenly feel loss of one so loved, admired and trusted by 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Deserves rank of first Hand of the Cause of his race. Rising Bahá'í generation in African continent will glory in his memory and emulate his example. Advise hold memorial gathering in Temple in token recognition of his unique position, outstanding services.” (Citadel of Faith, p. 163)

The following year, the Guardian's secretary wrote on his behalf, 

“When we read in the Will and Testament how great is the function of the Hands we appreciate to what an exalted station our dear brother Louis Gregory attained..."
(Lights of Guidance, p. 524)

This is a story of Mr. Gregory's poise and powerful manner of speaking, followed by a description of him, both from page 319 of “To Move the World”:

“In another story, told to Mr. Blakely by his aunt, Hebe Struven,Louis Gregory gained through patience a victory over an unexpected humiliation. A college in Pittsburgh had heard that a Mr. Gregory of Washington, D.C., was an outstanding speaker and
had telephoned him with an invitation to lecture. He accepted, but when he arrived in Pittsburgh the group of students sent to meet him at the station had obviously not expected to have to provide hospitality for a black man. They excused themselves and left Mr. Gregory, who spent the night in the waiting room. The next day he kept his appointment, nonetheless, and at the end of his speech he received a standing ovation. 'An apology was offered for the shabby treatment,' Mr. Blakely recounted, 'and he was invited to return and speak any time he could.'
       “The powerful impression that Louis Gregory made, so strong that it could bring a white audience to its feet, is still apparent in recollections shared almost thirty years after his passing by those who knew him. They describe him graphically, as if he had just left the room. He was tall, they tell us, perhaps only about six feet but appearing taller because of his unusually erect carriage. When he spoke, he looked people in the eye, his contemporaries say; and his beautiful, deep voice held their attention. In public lectures he quoted and paraphrased extensively from the Baha'i writings, so that if his listeners closed their eyes they might have thought the words were Abdu'1-Baha's own. The effect of Mr. Gregory's stately bearing was enhanced by his immaculate grooming and his great courtesy. He was, indeed, courtly in manner, but with no affectation. At the same time he was invariably humble, without any trace of an excessive modesty that calls attention to itself. In personal conversation his eyes sparkled, and his smile was always ready – 'a most heavenly smile that will remain with me always,' in Margaret Ruhe's words.” 

"...dearly beloved, noble-minded, golden-hearted Louis Gregory"

The Hand of the Cause of God Louis G. Gregory

Used With Permission

Please click photo for larger image

Additional Links: 

Louis Gregory page on the Official Website of the Baha'is of the United States
Louis Gregory page in The Baha'i Encyclopedia Project 
To Move The World - Biography of Louis Gregory by Gayle Morrison
 Louis Gregory Baha'i Museum 
Louis Gregory Symposium on Race Unity 

The Lady Who Chose Spiritual Sight

2010-05-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

 Leroy Ioas was a boy of 16 when Abdu'l-Baha came to America in 1912, and he had a number of wonderful experiences with the Master. 

His daughter has written a marvelous book about Mr. Ioas, and this is one of the incidents from it:

“In later years when trying to describe Abdu'l-Baha's presence for the believers, Leroy said 'You have seen many pictures of the Master but what they don't show you is the vibrant spirit that was coursing through Him at all times.  All day long, starting at dawn, people would come to Him. They would hover around, ask questions, then a larger group would gather in His sitting room and He would talk to them about the Cause. When they left another group would come. Always they had questions for Abdu'l-Baha, questions of infinite importance to them, and His answers were given rapidly—in one second He would be deciding someone's destiny.  It showed the power of the spirit that moved within Him every moment, every second.' 
    “One brief incident that made a lasting impression on Leroy illustrates this power of the Master.  It occurred one evening when Abdu'l-Baha spoke at the Masonic Temple [in Chicago]. More than a thousand people were present. The Ioas and Dealy families were very close, as it was through Paul Dealy that they had become Baha'is.  The Ioases had brought Mrs. Dealy to the meeting, as she to her great distress was going blind.  Following the Master's talk, as hundreds milled around Him, she told her son he should have an interpreter ask `Abdu'l-Baha to speak to her. Leroy, who was sitting next to her, remembers the son saying that would be impossible with all the people present.  But she insisted and he went to pass on her request.  The interpreter indicated she should sit on the aisle where `Abdu'l-Baha would leave.  As the Master went up the aisle He stopped and greeted her lovingly.  She reached for His hand and said, '`Abdu'l-Baha, please put your hand on my forehead, and I know that I will see.' 'Yes, my daughter,' He answered, 'you will see.  But you will have to choose.  You may have your spiritual sight or your physical sight—which do you desire?'  She said with emotion: 'Abdu'l-Baha, that is no choice!  I would be blind a thousand years before I would give up my spiritual sight!' 'Well said, my daughter, well said,' replied the Master as He touched her shoulder and continued on His way out.  Sitting next to her on that bench, Leroy realized with a chill how in that moment she had decided on her destiny.  She was steadfast.”
(“Leroy Ioas, Hand of the Cause of God,” by Anita Ioas Chapman, pp. 25-26 available from George Ronald Books ) 

Abdu'l-Baha during his nine-month journey through America.Behind Abdu'l-Baha, left, Mirza Mahmud Zarqani; right, Dr. Zia Bagdadi. Photograph courtesy Baha'i National Archives, Wilmette.  Please click photo for larger image
 
After marrying, Leroy and his wife Sylvia moved to California, where they began their lives of joint service to the Faith. In later years, Mr. Ioas served as one of the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land, and Mrs. Ioas served on both the elected and the appointed International Baha'i Council. 

The Hand of the Cause of God Leroy Ioas, standing.  Sylvia Ioas on the left, Sarah Witt on the right. Photograph courtesy Baha'i National Archives, Wilmette.
 
This is a photograph of (L-R) George Latimer, John Bosch, and Leroy Ioas:

(Courtesy Baha'i National Archives, Wilmette)

These three men were appointed by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States to look into the establishment of a permanent Baha'i School.  Mr. and Mrs. Bosch donated their farm to the Faith, and it became the Geyserville Baha'i School, now the John and Louise Bosch Baha'i School a hundred miles south, near Santa Cruz, California. It appears that this photograph may have been taken at the Geyserville property.

Please see this posting about Mr. Ioas on another website

The Vigor of Shoghi Effendi

2010-05-10T10:12:00.000-07:00

A number of times during his life, particularly in the years immediately following the Ascension of Abdu'l-Baha, Shoghi Effendi retired to Switzerland to regain health, energy and self-confidence.  He lived a very physically rigorous life here.  Ruhiyyih Khanum wrote of "the Bernese Alps, where he had spent so many months of his life walking and climbing." (Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 134)

Shoghi Effendi as a young man

Copyright © 2010 Baha'i National Archives, Wilmette

Used by permission

Please click photo for larger image

She continues:

"Interlaken is in the heart of the Bernese Oberland and the starting point for innumerable excursions into the surrounding mountains and valleys. Often long before sunrise Shoghi Effendi would start out, dressed in knee breeches, a Norfolk jacket and black wool puttees on his legs, sturdy mountain boots, and a small cheap canvas rucksack on his back and carrying a cane. He would take a train to the foot of some mountain or pass and begin his excursion, walking often ten to sixteen hours, usually alone, but sometimes accompanied by whichever young relative was with him; they could seldom stand the pace and after a few days would start making their excuses. From here he also climbed some of the higher mountains, roped to a guide. These expeditions lasted practically up to the time of his marriage...Shoghi Effendi often told me these stories of his early years in the mountains and showed this or that peak he had climbed, this or that pass he had been over on foot. His longest walk, he said, was forty-two kilometres over two passes. Often he would be caught by the rain and walk on until his clothes dried on him. ... Shoghi Effendi would tell me of how he practically never ate anything until he got back at night, how he would go to a small hotel (he sometimes took me there to the same simple restaurant) and order pommes sautees, fried eggs and salad as these were cheap and filling, go home to his little room under the eaves and fall into bed exhausted and sleep, waking to drink a carafe of the cold mountain water, and sleep again, until, driven by this terrible soul-restlessness, he arose and set out again before daybreak."
(Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 60)

There are a number of photographs of Shoghi Effendi climbing ice-covered Alps and glaciers in Ruhiyyih Khanum's second book about Shoghi Effendi "The Guardian of the Baha'i Faith."  Regrettably, this book is out of print.  In this book there are two photographs showing him with bicycles at the top of high Alpine passes, well above the tree line.  These were not modern high-tech equipment--just simple bicycles. Khanum wrote in the Priceless Pearl, p. 61, "During one or two of those summers  early in Shoghi Effendi's ministry he told me he had bought a bicycle  and cycled over many passes."  Khanum's caption under one photograph in her second book reads: "ON TOP OF THE WORLD. His bicycle--the poor man's car--became a favourite of Shoghi Effendi.  He sometimes climbed the highest passes in Switzerland, pushing it up and riding down." ("The Guardian of the Baha'i Faith," between pages 154-155) 

When Shoghi Effendi completed the construction of the Shrine of the Bab on Mount Carmel, he decided to place a piece of plaster from the cell in which the Bab had been imprisoned in the Castle of Mah-Ku, where he had been denied even a lamp, underneath one of the tiles in the dome of the Shrine.  The Hand of the Cause Leroy Ioas, with the assistance of a workman, prepared a place for the silver case containing the plaster. Shoghi Effendi approached the Shrine, and Mr. Ioas wished to precede him in climbing up the scaffolding, to test its strength, but the Guardian said, "You forget, I am a mountaineer." (Leroy Ioas, p. 224)

The Kindness of Shoghi Effendi

2010-05-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

"Shoghi Effendi was of an infinitely kind and loving nature.  Before meeting him, many Bahá'ís, sensitive to his station in the Cause, were fearful.  But they were immediately put at ease by his warmth and affection, and shortly, as Leroy noted, one simply loved him and wanted to be near him.  It was a moving experience, Leroy recalled, to see the love and tenderness expressed by the Guardian for others.  He was constantly encouraging and complimenting people for what they did, were it the gardeners working on the properties, or the pilgrims, trying to make them happy as `Abdu'l-Bahá wished them to be..."
("Leroy Ioas, Hand of the Cause of God," by Anita Ioas Chapman, p. 288, available here)
 
Mrs. Violette Nakhjavání has written a marvelous book entitled “A Tribute to Amatu'l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum” which can be purchased here. It contains scores of never-before published photographs of Khánum, taken at all ages of her noble life, (none of which are shown here) and describes important aspects of the whole sweep of her extraordinary life.  It describes her birth in the City of the Covenant in 1910, and contains a verse revealed for her by `Abdu'l- Bahá when she was seven months old, in a Tablet revealed for her mother.  In this verse, `Abdu'l-Bahá describes her as a “rose” that had “bloomed with the utmost freshness, fragrance and beauty.” In addition to her historic services as the wife of Shoghi Effendi and a Hand of the Cause of God, this wonderful book gives many personal glimpses into her life, describing her time as a Bahá'í child and youth growing up; as a young Bahá'í teacher at Green Acre; her days as a pilgrim during the early years of the ministry of Shoghi Effendi; the manner of Shoghi Effendi's proposal of marriage to her; and their wedding day.  All of these are taken from accounts written by May Maxwell, and told by Khánum herself, to Mrs. Nakhjavání.

The great kindness that was such a prominent feature of Shoghi Effendi's character is shown in the manner in which he conveyed to Khánum the news of the death of her beloved mother, May Maxwell, as here recounted by Mrs. Nakhjavání (pp. 37-38): 

“The devastating news of May Maxwell's passing in Argentina was a terrible shock to  Rúḥíyyih Khánum.  She often repeated the story of how she received this sad news from the Guardian.  Four cables had arrived that day and she took them to Shoghi Effendi in his study. He opened each one and then looked up at  Rúḥíyyih Khánum with a mixture of shock, love and compassion on his face.  She said the look frightened her, and she started backing away until she reached the wall. She said she wanted to sink into the wall so deep was the fear engendered in her by that look. Shoghi Effendi went over to her, held her in his arms and broke the news to her with great tenderness. He told her 'Now I will be your mother'. Then he spoke of the high station of May Maxwell in the Abhá Kingdom, of her joy in at long last having reached her heart's desire, of her nearness to her beloved Lord and Master, `Abdu'l-Bahá. Then gently, in order to dispel her shaking grief, he began to talk to Amatu'l-Bahá in a lighter mood, to describe her mother's activities in the next world, where she was going and what she was doing in that sublime company. She would have been ushered immediately into the presence of Bahá'u'lláh first, of course, he assured her. And no sooner had she come there than she naturally asked permission to tell Him about her precious daughter. But she talked so much that Bahá'u'lláh had finally become tired and had passed her on to `Abdu'l-Bahá. Here again she did nothing but talk about her beautiful daughter, until at length, exhausted, `Abdu'l-Bahá passed her on to the Greatest Holy Leaf. And there she is still, said Shoghi Effendi laughing, there she is still talking about her beloved daughter, stopping every passing member of the Concourse with her opening lines, 'Do let me tell you about my daughter ... !' By the time he reached this point in his narrative, Rúḥíyyih Khánum was laughing through her tears. And so with infinite compassion and patience, he comforted her.”

 Amatu'l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum
Photograph Copyright 2010 Bahá'í  National Archives, Wilmette
Used with permission 
Please click  photo for larger image 

Khánum herself wrote:

“I cannot conceive that any human being ever received such pure kindness as I did from the Guardian during that period of shock and grief. His praises of her sacrifice, his descriptions of her state of joy in the next world, where, as he said in his cable to the Iraq National Assembly informing the friends of her death, 'the heavenly souls seek blessings from her in the midmost paradise,' his vivid depiction of her as she wandered about the Abhá Kingdom making a thorough nuisance of herself because all she wanted to talk about was her beloved daughter on earth! - all combined to lift me into a state of such happiness that many times I would find myself laughing with him over the things he seemed to be actually divining.”     
(The Priceless Pearl, p. 154-155)

May Maxwell, new mother, with her baby Mary, in 1910

 Photograph Copyright 2010 Bahá'í  National Archives, Wilmette

Used with permission 
Please click photo for larger image 

Books of Baha'i Stories

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1. Kiser Barnes, "Stories of Baha'u'llah and Some Notable Believers," Baha'i Publishing Trust, New Delhi, India, ISBN: 81-7896-021-4
Obtainable here and here .

Sharing Baha'i Stories with Children

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Telling stories to children is an art I have not myself learned, and I am eager for you to share your ideas. Please place them in the comments section below, or send me an email at the address on the right, and I will incorporate them into these postings. Please also share websites having such information, so I can add them to the "Links" section on the right.

There are suggestions for telling stories in Baha'i Children's Classes here and here and in a number of other stories on that wonderful website. Here is another. Ah, wonderful, there are lots of resources for telling stories in Baha'i Children's Classes. An idea presented in the story above about the Universal House of Justice, is to use a picture book to show photographs of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice. (This also enhances stories told to adults.)

Marguerite Sears told me that when she and her husband, the Hand of the Cause William Sears, pioneered to Africa, at first they had difficulty sharing the Baha'i message with the people, as the people were wary. Bill was experienced with using puppets, having once hosted a television show. The Sears then drove into villages, and stopped their car. Mr. Sears would raise a puppet above the door, leaning out the window, and the children would approach. They would not talk with him, but they would talk to the puppet. Gradually, the adults came over to see what was so interesting to their children, and in this way, Mr. and Mrs. Sears were able to share the Baha'i message with more people.

The same approach is used worldwide:

Students display puppets made at the 2004 UK Baha'i Academy for the Arts for use in story-telling in Baha'i children's classes. Copyright © 2006, Baha'i International Community. Used with Permission.

Please share your ideas and please send me links to additional resources

People Learn More Easily when their Hearts are Happy

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I have found that when a serious story--such as a story about one of the martyrs, or a story about Covenant-breaking--is followed by a story that is lighter or more humorous, the participants are more easily able to retain the information, and have a longer attention span. Laughter relaxes the soul, and makes it easier for people to reconcile the more serious material--and serious material must sometimes be conveyed.

For example, let's say that you are telling the story of the child-martyr Ruhu'llah--a very serious story. He was martyred at the age of 12, with his father, for being a Baha'i.

Ruhu'llah Varqa, the Baha'i child-martyr
Public domain photograph obtained from Wikipedia

The story is inspiring and sad; it can be found in The Diary of Juliet Thompson, in Hasan Balyuzi's Edward Granville Browne and the Baha'i Faith, and in Volume 4 of Adib Taherzadeh's The Revelation of Baha'u'llah. It is an important Baha'i story. If after telling it, the story of Ruhu'llah's encounter with a priest is told, it may make it easier to retain and grasp the import of Ruhu'llah's steadfastness and sacrifice.

The name "Ruhu'llah" literally means "Spirit of God" and is the title by which Jesus Christ is known in much of the Arabic-speaking world. In her book Fire on the Mountain-Top, Gloria Faizi tells of the time when Ruhu'llah was walking along a street in a city some distance from his home town. A Muslim priest was passing by on a donkey, saw Ruhu'llah, and recognized by his garments that Ruhu'llah was not from the area. He called out to him and asked his city of residence and his name. Ruhu'llah answered that he was from Tehran, and his name was Ruhu'llah. The priest commented on his name, saying that it was the same name as that of Jesus Christ, Who raised people from the dead. Ruhu'llah said to the priest that if he would ride a bit more slowly he would tell him of the Baha'i Faith, and "I will raise you from the dead, too."

This is not a frivolous story, or a joke, but it is humorous. Telling it does not move the focus entirely away from Ruhu'llah; but it gives the listeners an opportunity to relax, after the severe story of Ruhu'llah's martrydom. I have found that people cannot take a lengthy series of somber stories. If a serious presentation is broken up by some stories that are lighter, and some that provoke laughter, I have found that the presentation is more succesful. You might wish to try it when you share stories in your study circles, and see what works for you.

This is a Baha'i study circle in Australia which includes my friend David Podger:

Faces ring a bell...some members of the Australian telephone study circle. (Left to right) Leila Deighton, Maxien Bradley, David Podger, Narelle Kinneally Tolstoff.
Copyright © 2006, Baha'i International Community
http://media.bahai.org Used with permission

Abdu'l-Baha's Use of Storytelling

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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. Somewhere I have Mrs. Greeven's identifications of more of the people in this photograph, and when I locate them I will post them. She gave me the original of her pilgrimage photograph sometime around 1980, which I sent to the Baha'i World Centre, which has kindly provided this image to me.

2010-02-22T00:23:00.000-08:00

SERVING THE CAUSE THROUGH THE ART OF STORYTELLING

Kiser Barnes

A talk given at the Bahá’í World Centre – 29 January 2003

Good evening Friends. I’m delighted to be among so many lovers of stories and storytellers. In this presentation of a few stories, I’ll make some remarks about serving the Cause of God through the art of storytelling.

The Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, like the Manifestations of God before Them, told educative stories. The Manifestations are Divine Educators who often couched the most valuable lessons for humanity in penetrating stories. The use of parables by Jesus is greatly appreciated. In The Dawn-Breakers, Nabíl has recorded narratives Bahá’u’lláh related to him. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a superb storyteller. It would be an excellent contribution to learning if the Master’s use of stories was examined. What were His methods? What languages did He use? How did He promote the art of storytelling? What subjects did He stress? Of course, God Passes By is Shoghi Effendi’s unique account of the outstanding events that occurred in the first century of the Faith’s history. A treasure of stories for the world is found in the Guardian’s expositions and commentaries. For example, in The Promised Day is Come, he relates what happened to some eastern rulers who opposed Bahá’u’lláh. In short, storytelling has been, and remains, a powerful instrument for the Faith’s advancement.

TEACHING THE ONENESS OF MANKIND

The young lady who introduced me, Jacqueline Ambe, is from Cameroon. The first Cameroonian woman who accepted the Faith was Mrs. Esther Tanyi. She told me how she became a believer. In her own way, she related how a believer taught her to believe in the oneness of mankind through his consumption of food.

After Mr. Enoch Olinga, the late Hand of the Cause of God, settled in Cameroon in 1953, the Guardian sent Mr. Alí Nakhjavání there with his request that five of the new and only Cameroonian Bahá’ís at that time should arise to establish the Faith in other parts of West Africa. The only question these new believers had was this: Who among them would gain this special honour? They had recently elected the first Local Spiritual Assembly in the city of Victoria. Therefore, they decided that the five who would become international pioneers would be selected by secret ballot. Ballots were cast. Those chosen left their homes for other lands. Thus, five Cameroonians became Knights of Bahá’u’lláh during the Ten Year Crusade. Mr. David Tanyi, Esther’s husband, established the Faith in Togo.

She told me that before this occurred, Mr. Olinga stayed with her family. She said she didn’t understand what he was “preaching.” She noticed, however, there was something different about him that made her like the Bahá’í Faith. In addition to his other noble qualities, what impressed her most was this: “Every dish of food I put before Mr. Olinga he ate with relish. This was very strange,” she related. For in her culture, one never ate the food of someone from a different tribe. People could put harmful things in it. She said she was testing Mr. Olinga with her cooking. He ate everything she served. To Mrs. Tanyi, this proved Mr. Olinga truly believed what he was teaching of the oneness of peoples; that God had sent a new Prophet whose teachings melted estrangements and differences between peoples. She became the first woman believer in Cameroon. I don’t know if our Cameroonian introducer can cook, but she comes from a great nation of storytellers.

THE BAHÁ’Í STORYTELLING TRADITION

In the Bahá’í world, a great storytelling tradition exists. Whenever believers attained Bahá’u’lláh’s presence, they treasured whatever He said. There are soul-stirring accounts of stories He told the friends of Himself, the Báb, of outstanding believers, and of the greatness of the Cause. In the Holy Land, He continued this practice. Thus, it is not surprising that at the Bahá’í World Centre the storytelling tradition continues. Individuals relating how they became Bahá’ís is a fascinating part of our social life here. When we hear these stories, when we tell stories of our Bahá’í experiences, the love for Bahá’u’lláh and the Faith that is expressed penetrates the heart. Our stories may expand consciousness of spiritual realities. They deepen bonds of affection and love.

Bahá’u’lláh loved humour. He often made believers feel at ease in His presence by mentioning amusing, trivial things. Here’s a story you may like. Mírzá Ja’far had been a Mullá in Iran. Soon after he met Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdád, he accepted the Faith. He threw away prestige and power as a prominent religious leader. He was a servant in the household of Bahá’u’lláh in ‘Akká. One day, the Muftí of ‘Akká visited Bahá’u’lláh. He asked the Blessed Beauty to explain the meaning of a specific religious theme. Bahá’u’lláh instructed Mírzá Ja’far to answer the Muftí. He did so brilliantly. The Muftí was astonished – a mere servant in Bahá’u’lláh’s household was so learned.

Mírzá Ja’far was quick-witted. He often made Bahá’u’lláh laugh. One day, Bahá’u’lláh asked, “Mírzá Ja’far, would you like me to reveal for you some of your bad qualities?” Mírzá Ja’far quickly, and very wisely, responded, “No, thank you!”

Storytelling is one of the oldest arts. It exists in every culture. In Africa, some villages have a resident storyteller: the person who, at the end of the day, over the night fires, tells stories from the culture and history of the people. There are also traveling storytellers.

It may be that the great explosion of storytelling in the world is connected with the influence of Bahá’u’lláh’s Manifestation. As you know, the Revelation places before mankind the great story of religion. It is an epical account of the Almighty’s loving intervention in mankind’s affairs. This story is being revealed with a fullness and clarity never seen before in human history. Since the appearance of the Twin Manifestations, Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb, the world has had fresh and stirring accounts of the spiritual rebirth of Their followers and the extraordinary recreation of society.

The teaching of progressive revelation is part of the story, as are those of the oneness of religion and the oneness of God. The equality of men and women is a portion. The ushering in of a divine, equitable World Order is another feature. It is, perhaps, the most profound account ever revealed of the desperate opposition of religious and secular leaders against God’s Prophets. Of course, the unfoldment of the story continues. The recent message to the world’s religious leaders has its place in it. Efforts believers are making to understand the station and mission of Bahá’u’lláh, to appreciate more deeply the nature and the purpose of religion are other sections of the lofty tale. The victories won in the current Plan are another part. Is it not a wonder that the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His own sphere, have made people across the planet fall in love with the story of religion?

A unique feature of the divine story, it seems, is that Bahá’ís are really striving to understand it! The ones who are listening to the divine tale. The ones who are thrilled by the story! We know that two Manifestations of God have appeared. We know that the Mystery of God, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, achieved the purposes of their ministries. We know that there remains in the world divine guidance for mankind through the Universal House of Justice, a perpetual institution that will exist until the next Dispensation. These are major features of the story of religion that we are enjoying.

STORIES OF SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION

At social gatherings at the World Centre, there are wonderful storytellers. Believers share how they became Bahá’ís and more. This sharing deepens love for the Faith. I was at a dinner last Friday with twelve others. Individuals were asked to recount how they became Bahá’ís. Thirteen marvelous stories were presented. As I listened, I thought how splendid it was to hear such stirring accounts from every part of the planet as to how the teachings of the Faith had penetrated receptive hearts. We learned about each other’s backgrounds, families, and how each person acquired a new consciousness, a new relationship with and commitment to God. There were two believers from Iranian background at the event. They had the best story. They didn’t have the sad tale of stumbling through life, as was my experience, until they found Bahá’u’lláh. They grew up with His Teachings.

When my turn came, I related how Dr. Eugene Byrd kept telling me about the Faith until something happened within me, through the mercy of God, which made me seriously investigate the Faith. But the believers from Persian background had grown up with the Faith. Before they were born, Bahá’í prayers had been offered for their well-being. This is the best of the stories, isn’t it? To have been associated with Bahá’u’lláh and the Faith from the first moments of being, even if they were not conscious of the blessings.

I have a friend of Iranian background who often lamented that she hadn’t had the “fortune” to have heard of the Faith for the first time when she was an adult. Then, according to her thinking, she could have investigated it, and independently embraced the Cause. She said I was lucky. I told her she was wrong. It wasn’t any good fortune for me not to have been a believer all my life. She was in the best position. It was like she was thinking she had to first eat garbage before she could appreciate the wonderful banquet that is the Bahá’í teachings. Who would like to eat garbage before being led to the Bahá’í feast of divine teachings and laws, and then say, “Oh, it was wonderful, I ate garbage! Now, I’m ready to be a Bahá’í.” She had the best story. She had some strange, romantic confusion; thinking it would have been better for her to have waited until she was an adult before finding the Faith. She had it all her life. This is the best story. You may discover different ways of thinking about personal Bahá’í stories. You may find they are profound experiences of God’s mercies and His blessings.

When we are aiming for true understanding of religious stories, we have to be careful to hit the mark of reality. When I was with those believers Friday evening, listening to their stories, I appreciated that the arrows of their spiritual strivings had hit the bull’s eye. Once there was a famous archer. He went around villages and towns looking for someone who was a better archer, someone who could teach him. Finally he came across a tree in which an arrow was stuck. Around that arrow there was a target ring and the arrow was perfectly in the center. The archer went on. He found another tree. Again, an arrow was straight in the center of the target: A straight bull’s eye. He went on. He found many other trees with arrows in the bull’s eye. Then he came across a barn. On the side of the barn, there were several target rings with arrows stuck perfectly in the center.

He asked everyone he met, “Where can I find the master at shooting the bow?” Finally, he was led to the master. He was weak. He had poor vision. The man asked him, “How did you become such a good archer? You hit the target each time.” The master answered, “It’s easy. Anybody can do it.” He said, “I shoot the arrow in the tree. Then I paint the target around it. Wherever the arrow lands, I just paint the bull’s eye around it!” This is what you and I are when we launch-tell-stories. We humbly surround it with the target of servitude. In this way, whatever our experiences in storytelling, we know stories help us hit the target of service.

Storytelling is an art. It’s one of the oldest arts. One scholar described it as a deathless art. It exists in all cultures. It is one of the finest forms of communications. It brings people together. It will never die. It refreshes. It makes experiences come alive. Therefore, no one should feel that he or she can’t tell stories for the advancement of the Faith. Acquiring skills in telling tales is achieved through practice.

When I became a Bahá’í, I was in a very dynamic community. The Bahá’í teachings of the oneness of mankind, the establishment of racial equality, unity in diversity, and, particularly, the Guardian’s matchless exposition about the elimination of racism in America in The Advent of Divine Justice, had moved me deeply. I would like to mention a few individuals who were in that community. I start with Mr. Clarence Percival.

At one of my first Bahá’í meetings, Clarence Percival came up to me. He was a thin and wiry man. It seemed he hadn’t done too well in life. He told me he was once a member of the Ku-Klux Klan organization. This organization believes in white supremacy. The members, and their supporters, believe black people are inferior to whites. The organization has acted out this conviction throughout a long history of violent terrorism against African-Americans. Mr. Percival said that when he accepted Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings, he realized how wrong he had been. He said, “My conception of myself, my conception of race, my ideas of whites and blacks were wrong, against the teachings of God.”

He went on telling his story. He wept. He told me, “I’m telling you my story, so you will appreciate how the Faith changed me”. I understood. The Faith had given him a new consciousness. He was speaking about the quickening power of the Teachings of the Faith. His tears showed how sincere he was; how eager he was to continue his spiritual transformation.

Mrs. Margaret Hipsley was also in that community. She had been a believer 60 years when we met. She warned me to never miss any opportunity to serve the Faith; never to miss any opportunity to receive the bounties the Faith bestows. To illustrate the lesson, she said that when she was a young woman ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited our city for one day. On that day, one of her girlfriends said to Mrs. Hipsley, “Let’s go to the beach”. This girl wasn’t a Bahá’í. She said, “Let’s go to the beach. You’ll have another time to meet the leader of your Faith”. Mrs. Hipsley said she went to the beach and that she missed the one opportunity in her life to meet the Master. She was heartbroken forever after. She would say, “Never miss an opportunity to reap the bounties the Faith offers and never miss an opportunity to serve the Faith.”

As for the tension between whites and blacks in America, she told me one day about her husband. He had passed away. He liked the Faith, but he couldn’t accept the teaching that black people and white people are equal in God’s sight. He grew up with the false doctrine of white superiority. It tormented him that his wife went to Bahá’í meetings where blacks and whites associated with one another in warm fellowship, in love with one another as sisters and brothers. This caused Mr. Hipsley considerable anguish.

Of course, Mrs. Hipsley wanted her husband to accept the Faith. She loved him, and hoped to be with him in all the worlds. She stopped going to Bahá’í meetings, because attending the gatherings disturbed her husband. She said that, occasionally, when her husband was at work, some believers visited her; but she didn’t go to the Bahá’í Centre for seven years. After seven years, her husband told her, “I realize what an injustice I have done you. I have been selfish and unfair. You go to your Bahá’í meetings. Please forgive me. I cannot understand the new way of thinking and acting that your Faith commands”.

She returned to the Bahá’í meetings with her husband’s support. He assisted the local Bahá’í community in many ways. He never could overcome his prejudice against African-Americans. But Mrs. Hipsley thanked God that as a result of her sacrifice, her sensitivity to her husband’s difficulties, and her effort to teach him the Faith, he did make some progress in recognizing her commitment to the principle of the oneness of humanity.

DRESSING TRUTH IN STORY

Perhaps you realize from what’s been presented thus far, how fascinating it is that the Prophets have used stories to advance Their Revelations. It is also meaningful that believers everywhere are sharing anecdotes in their homes, in children and youth classes, in deepening classes, and in study circles. Perhaps in the Bahá’í Dispensation, it will be more fully appreciated that storytelling is one of the best ways to convey religious truths. Through them, one feels the power of spiritual insight. One senses that stories have an important role in the advancement of religion. They feed the flame of enthusiasm that glows in the heart of every Bahá’í.

You may have heard this old teaching story. “Truth, naked and cold, had been turned away from every door in the village. Her nakedness frightened the people. When Parable found her, she was huddled in a corner, shivering and hungry. Taking pity on her, Parable gathered her up and took her home. There she dressed Truth in story, warmed her and sent her out again. Clothed in story, Truth knocked again at the villagers’ doors and was readily welcomed into the people’s houses. They invited her to eat at their table and warm herself by their fire.” (Annette Simmons, The Story Factor, Perseus Publishing, Cambridge 2001, p.27) Wherever Truth went, the people welcomed her with joy. Truth, dressed in story, thrills all hearts.

I give you another example of truth dressed in story. I was living among the Yoruba people in Nigeria. At my university there was a highly-regarded, internationally acclaimed African Studies Department. Professor Akin Isola was in the Department. During our meeting, when I requested him to help me learn more about Yoruba culture, he asked why I wanted to learn about the culture. “In order to better teach the Yoruba people about the Bahá’í Faith,” I responded.

Professor Isola was not interested in religion. He was a socialist, a renowned linguist, a published poet and playwright. He laughed at my curious request. Finally, he said, “I will help you, but in this way; this story will demonstrate how I’ll help you.”

Once in London, he began, an Englishman visited his father’s grave. He had dozens of bright red roses that he intended to lay atop his father’s resting place as a means of expressing his love. When he arrived at the grave, he was greatly surprised. There was a new grave next to his father’s. What was even more incredible to the shocked Englishman was this: A Chinese man was setting bowls of rice and herbs on the new grave. It was the resting place of his father who had recently passed away. Then, the Chinese mourner began sprinkling herbs upon the grave. Finally, the Englishman, Professor Isola said, couldn’t restrain himself any longer. Looking over the roses he was clutching, he asked the Chinese man, “When do you think your father is going to rise up from the grave and eat that rice?” The Chinese man looked at the Englishman with astonishment. Then he said, “My father will come up from his grave to eat the rice the same time your father will come up from his grave and smell those roses.”

Through this wonderful story, Professor Isola said he would help me, if I respected the culture of his people. The story showed that my heart had to open up and appreciate the ways and the traditions of the Yoruba people. He couldn’t have made me understand the point any better than by that story. Some beautiful truths were dressed in it.

I’ll tell you another truth I learnt from the Yoruba culture that helped in our teaching efforts. According to some international studies, Yoruba women have more twins than any other women. There are twins everywhere in Yorubaland. The Yorubas also have a very strong traditional seniority system that helps regulate social relationships. They have this great story from their tradition about twins. Before twins are born, according to the legend, the older twin tells the younger: “You go out and be born first. If everything is all right, give a yell. Then I will come.” Thus, according to the Yorubas, the second born twin is the older, since he commanded the first born to enter the world first. The second born, the elder, could have been born first, had a right to be born first, but he sent the younger twin ahead to see what the world was like; to prepare the way for his coming, the coming of the older.

This lofty conception was included in our presentations on the Faith. With excitement and joy, we began to speak about the Twin Manifestations of God. When Yoruba seekers were told the Báb had come first to prepare the way for Bahá’u’lláh, many said, “Of course! Your religion expresses truth. Such a wise religion. So consistent with tradition, expectations – Twin Manifestations of God!”

MR. WILLIAM ATIYAMA SPREADS THE FAITH THROUGH STORIES

Bahá’u’lláh says in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas that for every end there is a means. One of the means for teaching the Faith, for highlighting the truths it reveals, is through stories. Another verse from the Kitáb-i-Aqdas is that the edification of the hearts of men depends upon the tongue.

One of the great teachers of the Faith in Nigeria was Mr. William Atiyama. You may have heard me speak about him. He was a very dignified man, noble in his bearing, big and tall. He was a farmer and a small trader. It was a pleasure to collaborate with him in teaching and consolidating the Faith in many villages. Much was learned about service and the dignity of humanity from him. It’s one of the crimes of our age that a person with such potential, who might have succeeded in any professional career, was uneducated. Because his parents hadn’t had enough money to pay his school fees, he was illiterate. He was a great teacher of the Faith. He taught new believers by the dozens. The sincerity of his speech, the illumination of his countenance, and the purity of his heart attracted souls. He consciously made many sacrifices for the advancement of the Cause. On all his teaching activities, he carried what he called his “Bahá’í Bible”. It was his copy of Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh. He couldn’t read or write. But he knew the power of holy verses, and the importance of showing that the Faith has holy books. He also knew the importance of relying on divine assistance.

One day, he and I went to a nearby town to present the Faith to some friends of his. At the meeting there were five women. They had heard William had accepted a new religion. They wanted to hear about it. In his confident and moving style, he presented some principles of the Faith. It always excited me to hear him teach. His countenance shone. One could feel his soul was inflamed with the beauty and power of the Teachings. At the end of his presentations, he always invited individuals to embrace the Faith. He was confident that what he was offering – the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh – was best for the seekers. When he finished speaking, the ladies dropped their heads. They were shy. Finally, one of them said what he had told them was good. Now, they wanted the professor, meaning me, to speak. She was indicating that they doubted that an uneducated, simple man like William Atiyama could be expressing such beautiful thoughts correctly; that I should confirm what he had said.

William leaped up from his chair. He cried, “What do you mean, hear from professor? I have presented my Faith. I have studied my Faith, just like professor.” He explained, “Bahá’u’lláh says every believer must study the Writings. He has commanded that every believer should read, morning and evening, the holy verses. And this is what I do!”

I looked at him. He couldn’t read. The ladies knew he couldn’t read. I thought he hadn’t realized he was exaggerating. Pointing to Gleanings, he told those astonished ladies, “This is my Bahá’í Bible. I read it each morning and evening like Bahá’u’lláh said I must.” After some seconds of silence, he continued, “Yes, I read my Bahá’í Bible. Bahá’u’lláh said I must.” Then he explained: “When I go to sleep at night, I put my Bahá’í Bible under my pillow. This is how I read the Words of God.” Can you imagine? Such faith! He said, “The Bahá’í Faith makes me do the best I can.” He went on to say, “When I wake up in the morning, I place my Bahá’í Bible over my heart and my heart reads the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh.”

This is a story of a believer’s new consciousness, his new way of thinking, a new way of coping and using creative powers. Those ladies became Bahá’ís. The experience moved me greatly. Still, it does. William’s story excites me to study more intensely. The account of an illiterate man propelled me forward on to a new way of learning, of thinking, of seeing, and loving the Faith.

THE BEST OF STORIES

The Bahá’í Faith began with a story. You may recall that Mullá Ḥusayn decided that if he found anyone claiming he was the Báb, he would ask him to write a commentary on the Súrih of Joseph. In the Qur’án, Muhammad has described the story of Joseph as “the best of stories”. You remember the story. Joseph’s eleven brothers hated him. They were jealous because their father loved the younger son very much. They decided to kill Joseph. They placed him in a deep hole expecting he might die. Traders came along. The brothers then decided to sell Joseph to them. He was taken to Egypt. Eventually, he became sort of like the Second-in-Command to Pharaoh.

Mullá Ḥusayn had asked Siyyid Káẓim to write a commentary on the story of Joseph. Siyyid Kázim had answered, “This is, verily, beyond me. He, that great One, who comes after me will, unasked, reveal it for you. That commentary will constitute one of the weightiest testimonies of His truth, and one of the clearest evidences of the loftiness of His position.” (The Dawn-Breakers, p.59). As you know, this is exactly what the Báb did.

Bahá’u’lláh has revealed that He is the true Joseph, referring to Mírzá Yaḥyá, his half-brother and arch enemy’s “monstrous behaviour” towards Him. In one of His Tablets, He indicated that the story of Joseph refers to Him, the True Joseph, because of the persecution, the vilification, and the hatred of Mírzá Yaḥyá, who tried to kill Him. The story of Joseph also reveals God’s protection of Joseph and of all the Prophets. The point I wish to make is that it seems quite meaningful, in this age of storytelling, that the Báb’s Dispensation began with a story.

In relation to our subject, we may further examine the Báb’s Declaration to Mullá Ḥusayn. As you know, in his initial meeting with the Báb Mullá Ḥusayn thought he should test Him. He had composed a treatise, which he expected the One claiming to be the Qá’im to comment on to his satisfaction. The story of how Mullá Ḥusayn failed his own test before the Báb on the glorious evening of His Declaration is recorded in The Dawn-Breakers. Mullá Ḥusayn has related: “Will you,” I asked Him, “read this book of mine and look at its pages with indulgent eyes? . . . He graciously complied with my wish. He opened the book, glanced at certain passages, closed it, and began to address me. Within a few minutes He had …unraveled all its mysteries and resolved all its problems. ... “Had you not been My guest,” He (the Báb) afterwards observed, “your position would have been a grievous one. The all-encompassing grace of God has saved you. It is for God to test His servants, and not for His servants to judge Him in accordance with their deficient standards” (The Dawn-Breakers, p. 61).

You may wish to study again Bahá’u’lláh’s story of His receiving the intimations that He had been chosen by God to manifest Him in The Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. Bahá’u’lláh has said that for the sake of justice and equity He revealed various accounts. It seems extraordinary in the history of religion that a Manifestation of God has told how He became a Manifestation in so much detail.

THE DAWN-BREAKERS: A STORYTELLER’S TREASURE

In The Dawn-Breakers, you also find stories that Bahá’u’lláh related to Nabíl. The recorded story of His first teaching mission as a Bábí is riveting. At page 209 of The Dawn-Breakers, He recounts that He went to His hometown, Tákur, to promote the Revelation announced by the Báb. This was always an interesting feature of the Faith’s growth for us in Africa. From it, believers were encouraged to take the Faith to their ancestral villages. When Bahá’u’lláh took the Faith to Mázindarán, the people there greeted him warmly. They were anxious to hear news of the capital – the gossip of what was happening in political circles. Bahá’u’lláh wasn’t interested in those topics. He told His relatives and friends about the Báb. Many accepted the Báb. This was the first large-scale enrollment into the new religion.

Bahá’u’lláh wanted to tell Mullá Muhammad, the religious leader of the district, of the Báb. The Mullá refused to meet with Him. He sent two disciples to listen to what Bahá’u’lláh taught. After hearing Bahá’u’lláh’s presentations, the students informed their master they had become Bábís. The Mullá was astonished. Still, the students surrounding him insisted he meet Bahá’u’lláh. He refused. Finally, Bahá’u’lláh visited him for the purpose of enlightening him regarding the “new and wondrous Message, divinely inspired and fulfilling the promise given to Islam.” The Mullá disparagingly responded, “I undertake no action unless I first consult the Qur’án … of opening at random His sacred Book, and of consulting the first verse of the particular page upon which my eyes chance to fall. From the nature of that verse I can judge the wisdom and the advisability of my contemplated course of action.”

The frightened leader opened the Qur’án and closed it again, refusing to reveal the nature of the verse he had read. Bahá’u’lláh, not wishing to embarrass the leader further, excused Himself and bade Mullá Muhammad a cordial farewell.

This story is part of the great treasure of stories in The Dawn-Breakers. The Guardian said he translated The Dawn-Breakers so that the stories there would be a source of inspiration for believers. He was pleased that the study of Nabíl’s Narrative created in believers a burning desire to serve the Cause. He said those stories of believers who had been transformed by the Revelation provide a model of service. The stories in The Dawn-Breakers, presenting the first eight years of the Bábí Dispensation, take us into the heart of the Bábí religion with a spiritual reality that is profound and startling.

I told you the Guardian said the stories in The Dawn-Breakers of believers rejoicing in their sacrifices for the advancement of the Faith would influence people. We tried it with a seeker in Benin Republic. She read every page of The Dawn-Breakers. We were eager to know how the stories had touched her, but had heard that all she had to say was something like, “It’s a nice book.” We were disappointed. She was such a receptive soul. Some years later, she became a believer. The stories in The Dawn-Breakers did their work. Apparently, the tales of those valiant souls stayed in her heart.

STORYTELLING: A MEANS OF SERVICE

Bahá’ís everywhere are using storytelling with children and the youth as a means of strengthening their Faith. We are dressing truth in stories. We are using stories for personal deepening and the quickening of hearts. I told someone recently that I wish I had had an organized program of storytelling for my children. Those of you with children may wish to consider establishing a systematic storytelling program for them – a regular family event, perhaps at fixed times, at which stories from The Dawn-Breakers, stories of Bahá’u’lláh, of the Báb, and of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are regularly presented. May I suggest that you continue using stories to convey the truths in the Revelation? Continue examining and studying Bahá’í stories. Memorize them. Tell them. Use them in your teaching and consolidation work.

Here is a humorous teaching story. A law student had accepted the Faith in Nigeria. I was anxious to hear how he became a believer. I soon met him. He said he was taught by a Bahá’í lady from Switzerland. I knew her. Her husband was a prominent politician. I asked the new believer, “How did you meet her?” He said, “One Sunday, she was sitting next to me in church.” He went on to relate how she had aroused his interest in the Faith.

Let me say that this lady was a very devoted and active Bahá’í. Her husband insisted that she attend church with him each Sunday. The Bahá’í wife had agreed to the arrangement for the sake of family unity. After the service, the lady and the student fixed a time to meet. He became a Bahá’í. When I saw the lady, I asked about her unusual teaching style. She responded that she went to church with her husband, but she was finding receptive souls there.

We are using stories for the advancement of the Cause. You may wish to consider learning new ones. Study those that are in the Writings. Make notes of good stories that you hear. Always, we’re adopting effective means to advance the Faith. A few weeks ago, Nancy and I, and two other believers, visited the Galilee area. We are always thrilled to visit Christian Holy Places there. We offered prayers there for our Christian parents and other relatives for the training and perspectives they gave us about religion and moral behavior. During the visit to the Sea of Galilee, it was recalled that in the Holy Land we have the two great seas, the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. Both seas are fed from a source. Water flows into the Galilee and water flows into the Dead Sea. The difference is that the Galilee has an outlet; water flows in and flows out. But in the Dead Sea, the water doesn’t flow out. Salt, chemicals and particles accumulate there. This is what makes it the Dead Sea. There is no outlet. We are not like that Dead Sea. Our services are always flowing out. We are always looking for means of service, always searching for ways of giving of ourselves; so we don’t become apathetic about serving the Cause, so we don’t become, you know, a little spiritually dead. So, these heavenly bounties we are receiving, the insights we are gaining from the Writings, the spiritual energies that are building up in us do not accumulate, but are released in service.

I tell you one last story about Mullá Ḥusayn. One day he and another Bábí passed a religious school for mullás. Mullá Ḥusayn looked at it and recited the following poetry:

Never from this school has come learning,
This house of ignorance is fit for burning.

The friend asked him, “Why should we complain about these schools, when they have produced a man like you?” “No, my friend,” interrupted Mullá Ḥusayn, “if it were not for the education I received in these schools I would not have argued with my Lord!” (Rúhu’lláh Mihrábkhání, Mullá Ḥusayn: Disciple at Dawn, Kalimát Press 1987, p.71) – meaning that he wouldn’t have contended with the Báb at the moment of His Declaration. Meaning, he wouldn’t have tested the Báb.

CONCLUSION

Storytelling is a means to serve the Cause. Continue enriching these wonderful gatherings with stories. Tell the children stories. Tell the youth stories. Ask each other about your Bahá’í experiences. You may wish to keep in mind that storytelling is an art. It does have methods and techniques. Don’t feel inhibited. Continue doing the best you can, remembering that when we serve we receive divine assistance.

(Updated by Kiser Barnes, February 2010 and posted to
http://bahai-storytelling.blogspot.com with Mr. Barnes' permission)

Principles of Baha'i Storytelling

2010-02-12T10:38:00.000-08:00

Workshop on Storytelling in Service to the Cause of God
NEBY Conference, Stamford CT 2010 www.neby.org

By Brent Poirier

These are suggestions based on personal experience, which are offered for your consideration.

Pray. Storytelling is teaching, not entertainment. Ask the Concourse to inspire the listeners' hearts.

Pray for selflessness, ask the Concourse to inspire the hearts. Don't be attached to the response.

Exercise some control over the direction of the gathering; don't be afraid to be reverent, to bring up the Word of God

Place your stories in categories and make a list of key words you can quickly scan. Examples:
~ Uplifting Stories; Stories of Martyrdom; Stories of the Fund
~ Stories of the Covenant – faithful and unfaithful people
~ Stories to use in home visits for the deepening themes:
The Covenant of God;
Events in the Ministry of Baha'u'llah;
Stories on Love and Unity;
Nineteen Day Feast;
Studying the Word together;
stories of Baha'i teachers
~ Moving stories
~ Stories involving children
~ Stories involving youth
~ Stories supporting women in leadership roles
~ Stories encouraging the friends to obey the laws
~ Stories that confirm people in their faith
~ Humorous stories;
~ Serious stories, stories of martyrdom

Let the story tell itself; don't explain it; don't tell people to laugh. Be detached from praise. The goal is to turn the hearts to God, not to you.

Follow tragic stories with happy stories or moving or uplifting stories, cheer the hearts after the experience of sorrow

Establish a rhythm between quoting the Word of God and telling stories

Every believer can serve “all can pray, fight their own spiritual battles, and contribute to the Fund”

Look for stories, repeat them accurately, practice with your friends, list them, use them often

“At the gate of the garden, some stand and look within, but do not care to enter. Others step inside, behold its beauty, but do not penetrate far. Still others encircle this garden, inhaling the fragrance of the flowers; and having enjoyed its full beauty, pass out again by the same gate. But there are always some who enter, and becoming intoxicated with the splendor of what they behold, remain for life to tend the garden."
(Abdu'l-Baha to Inez Greeven during her 1921 Pilgrimage)