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THE EXTRAORDINARY
LIFE OF
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ
In this year, when we are preparing to commemorate the Centenary of the
Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Utterance Project team felt it important to
offer a graphic sketch, however imperfect it must inevitably be, of the 77
years in which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá lived, moved, and served, always promulgating
the Cause, whether in word or in deed, and counseling, inspiring, protecting,
feeding, and caring for thousands upon thousands of people in the East and
in the West.
Shoghi Effendi introduces us, in The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh, to the
figure cut by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—the Master, the Center of the Covenant—and thus
sets the tone for us as we start out on our discovery of His life, from His
momentous birth to the construction of His Shrine one-hundred years after
His passing:
Though moving in a sphere of His own and holding
a rank radically different from that of the Author
and the Forerunner of the Bahá’í Revelation, He, by
virtue of the station ordained for Him through the
Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh, forms together with them
what may be termed the Three Central Figures of
a Faith that stands unapproached in the world’s
spiritual history. He towers, in conjunction with them,
above the destinies of this infant Faith of God from a
level to which no individual or body ministering to its
needs after Him, and for no less a period than a full
thousand years, can ever hope to rise.
The extraordinary life of 'Abdu'l-Baha V13 UPDATED ON: June 4, 2021 5:10 PM

Two hours after sunset, in Shíráz, a young merchant named
Siyyid ‘Alí-Muḥammad announces to Mullá Ḥusayn that He
is the bearer of a Message destined to transform the life of
humanity.
He is the Báb, and this is the night of His declaration.
At midnight on the same evening, almost a thousand
kilometers away in Ṭihrán, Mírzá Ḥusayn-‘Alí (later known as
Bahá’u’lláh, “the Glory of God”) and His wife, Ásíyih Khánum,
welcome their third child, a baby boy, whom they name
‘Abbás after His grandfather.
He is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (“the Servant of God”), and on this night—
which will never be celebrated as the night of His birth, but
always the night of the Declaration of the Báb—is born the
Perfect Exemplar of the teachings of the nascent Bábí-soon-
to-be-Bahá’í Faith.
He will later be known as “the Master,” Sirru’lláh (“the
Mystery of God”), a title bestowed on Him by Bahá’u’lláh;
“The Most Great Branch”; and “the Center of the Covenant.”
Bahá’u’lláh’s acceptance of the claim of the Báb is
instantaneous and complete. Between 1844 and 1852, His
life is devoted to His new Faith.
On a mission entrusted to him by the Báb Himself, Mullá
Ḥusayn delivers to Bahá’u’lláh, through an intermediary, a
scroll wrapped in a piece of cloth. After He reads one page of
the scroll, Bahá’u’lláh turns to Mírzá Músá and says:
23 May 1844
23 May 1844
Not Long After
O thou who art the first to believe in Me! Verily I say,
I am the Báb, the Gate of God...
Músá, what have you to say? Verily I say, whoso believes in
the Qur’án and recognises its Divine origin, and yet hesitates,
though it be for a moment, to admit that these soul-stirring
words are endowed with the same regenerating power, has
most assuredly erred in his judgment and has strayed far
from the path of justice.
2
THAT SAME NIGHT:
SHÍRÁZ & ṬIHRÁN

CHILDHOOD I
‘Abdu’l-Bahá spends His first years in an environment
of privilege, wealth, and love. The family’s Ṭihrán home
and country houses in Mázindarán are comfortable and
beautifully decorated. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and His younger full
siblings—a sister, Bahíyyih, and a brother, Mírzá Mihdí—have
every advantage their station in life can offer.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s childhood is shaped by the fact His father
is a prominent Bábí, and He is a witness to great moments
in the history of the Faith. As a child in His home in Ṭihrán,
He is seated on Ṭáhirih’s lap when, in the course of her
memorable interview with the celebrated Vaḥíd, she
interrupts his learned discourse on the signs of the new
Manifestation to urge him to arise and demonstrate the
depth and sincerity of his faith through deeds of heroism
and self-sacrifice.
Though never formally schooled, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá receives most
of His education from His family and most particularly His
father. He has a happy and carefree early childhood, and is
very close to His younger siblings, His sister Bahíyyih and
His brother Mihdí.
In Mázindarán, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is a child old enough
to ride a horse, Áqá Raḥím, the overseer of Bahá’u’lláh’s
shepherds and flock of four thousand sheep and goats,
takes Him to a country barbecue. Eighty or so shepherds,
dressed in their finest, come to greet the young ‘Abdu’l-
Bahá. After the feast, the shepherds approach ‘Abdu’l-
Bahá and hint that a gift from Him is customary with the
landlords in these parts. Faced with a dilemma, having
brought nothing with Him, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá thinks for a few
moments, and the idea comes to Him to give each shepherd
a few sheep from the family’s own flocks. The overseer is
rather pleased with this gift, and it is immediately acted
upon. Reaching the family home, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s act of
generosity is relayed to Bahá’u’lláh—and, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
recalls in Star of the West, volume XV, “[Bahá’u’lláh] laughed
very much over it” and said to Áqá Raḥím:
These prophetic words from the Blessed Beauty will
perfectly describe the next seven decades of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s
life, as He gave His life away, drop by drop, to the world and
to its peoples, whom He loved with all His heart.
1844 – 1853
Sometime Between
1847 & 1852
3
We must appoint a guardian to protect Aga — master
— from his own liberality; else, some day, he may give
himself away.

CHILDHOOD II
While on pilgrimage in Karbilá, where He remains for 10
months between 1851 and 1852, Bahá’u’lláh sends ‘Abdu’l-
Bahá, then only a child of seven-and-half years old, on a
critical mission to deliver a sensitive message to the general
of the Persian army 50 kilometers from Ṭihrán.
Nothing is known about this confidential mission and the urgent circumstances surrounding
the event, but it is without doubt that ʻAbdu’l-Vahháb Bey, the servant from Bahá’u’lláh’s
Household entrusted to accompany the young ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on this mission, had strict
instructions to bring the child home without delay.
One day in early winter, ʻAbdu’l-Vahháb Bey mounts his horse and lifts ‘Abdu’l-Bahá up
before him on the saddle. The fifty kilometers separating them from the army are covered at
great speed and without stopping once for rest or refreshment.
Once at the garrison, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is immediately brought before Mustawfíyu’l-Mamálik, who
shows Him great respect and consideration, then introduces Him to the Amír-Niẓám (General
of the army), Mírzá Taqí Khán, who enquires as to the nature of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s mission.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá then conveys the message of Bahá’u’lláh. The general listens attentively,
weighing the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, then issues orders based on the information that has
just been conveyed to him. The Amír-Niẓám invites ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to remain in the camp
overnight and return to Ṭihrán in the morning, sufficiently rested and refreshed. It is at this
point that ʻAbdu’l-Vahháb Bey whispers ‘Abdu’l-Bahá back to Ṭihrán the same day. ‘Abdu’l-
Bahá remembers the events clearly:
The young child, in front of such enthusiasm for what sounds like an extraordinary place,
yields to ʻAbdu’l-Vahháb, who scoops ‘Abdu’l-Bahá up again in front of the saddle, then
proceeds to lash the horse mercilessly towards Ṭihrán. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asks ʻAbdu’l-Vahháb
once in a while about the hamlet with no answer. After hours of racing, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sees the
familiar skyline of Ṭihrán, but is too tired to protest about having missed the heavenly village.
Upon arrival, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is carried into the house, asleep and numbed by the cold. He is
laid to rest near the fireplace until the circulation in His limbs is restored. The mission took a
grave toll on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s health as He Himself testifies:
November 1851
4
AbdulVahhab Bay, however, hearing of the successful conference with the general
and wishing the good news to reach my family as soon as possible resorted to a
stratagem to leave the garrison at once. Knowing my love for nature and the country
he came to me and said: “Little Master, I know a lovely village not very far away, why
should you remain in this smokey camp! Let us go to this hamlet. It has many lovely
gardens, fruit trees and flowers, and the climate is exhilarating in the extreme.”
That night and the following day I couId eat nothing,
and for more than two weeks I was like a child whose
sensitive organs and bones had been crushed to pieces.
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S MISSION TO THE AMÍR-NIẒÁM

CHILDHOOD III
Aged 7, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá nearly dies from a potentially fatal bout
of tuberculosis. Though He recovers, He will be plagued with
bouts of illness for the rest of His life.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s childhood is soon marked by the persecution
of the Bábís, as Bahá’u’lláh is one of the most prominent
followers of that Faith.
In August 1852, three young Bábís, distraught by the
execution of the Báb two years earlier, make an ill-conceived
and failed attempt on the life of the Sháh.
Bahá’u’lláh, who had no part in the assassination plot, is
arrested and imprisoned, along with many other Bábís, in a
subterranean dungeon known as the Síyáh-Chál (Black Pit)
in Ṭihrán.
Bahá’u’lláh’s home is plundered, and His family is forced to
seek shelter in a rented house in a back alley. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
suffers a vicious attack from street children and is forced to
run for His life.
An 8-year-old ‘Abdu’l-Bahá accompanies His mother to visit
Bahá’u’lláh in the Síyáh-Chál.
He describes the abominable, inhumane dungeon reserved
for Persia’s most hardened criminals:
1851
August 1852
I saw a dark, steep place. We entered a small, narrow
doorway, and went down two steps, but beyond those
one could see nothing. In the middle of the stairway,
all of a sudden we heard His [Bahá’u’lláh’s]…voice:
‘Do not bring him in here’, and so they took me back”.
We sat outside, waiting for the prisoners to be led
out. Suddenly they brought the Blessed Perfection
[Bahá’u’lláh] out of the dungeon. He was chained
to several others. What a chain! It was very heavy.
The prisoners could only move it along with great
difficulty. Sad and heart-rending it was.
5

BAGHDÁD I
6
Bahá’u’lláh, His wife Navváb, a mere six weeks from giving
birth, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, aged eight-and-a-half, their daughter
Bahíyyih Khánum, aged seven, and two of Bahá’u’lláh’s
brothers, Mírzá Músá and Mírzá Muhammad-Qulí are exiled
to Baghdád in the middle of a harsh winter. They are
escorted by an officer of the Persian imperial bodyguard and
an official representing the Russian legation.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá suffers frostbite during this mountainous
ordeal while He grieves over the separation from his
baby brother, Mihdí, who was not well enough to make
the grueling journey. The family reaches Baghdád ill and
exhausted.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá would never see His native land again.
During His time in the Síyáh-Chál, Bahá’u’lláh experiences
a divine revelation, disclosing to Him that He is the One
Promised by the Báb.
When Bahá’u’lláh is released from prison—stripped of His
possessions; His back bent by the weight of the fetters; His
neck swollen and injured, and His health impaired—He tells
no one about the revelation He received. Those close to
Him, however, behold in Him a transformation of spirit, a
new power and radiance, that they have never seen before.
Bahá’u’lláh spends the month preceding His exile in the
house of His half-brother Mírzá Riḍá-Qulí, a physician, and
his wife Maryam, a cousin of Bahá’u’lláh and a faithful and
sincere believer.
With great care and affection, Maryam—together with Ásíyih
Khánum, the wife of Bahá’u’lláh—nurse Bahá’u’lláh until
His condition improved and, although not fully recovered,
He has gathered sufficient strength to enable Him to leave
Ṭihrán for ‘Iráq.
12 January 1853 –
8 April 1853
December 1852
Six weeks before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s ninth birthday, Bahá’u’lláh
withdraws into the mountains of Sulaymáníyyih, where He
will remain for two years.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s childhood comes to an abrupt end.
April 1854

Accompanied by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Mirzá Mihdí, and a handful
of followers, Bahá’u’lláh ferries across the Tigris to what
we now know as the Garden of Riḍván. Shortly after the
afternoon call to prayer, Bahá’u’lláh declares His station
to His companions and announces the inauguration of the
Festival of Riḍván, which lasts for twelve days.
22 April 1863
BAGHDÁD II
The fame of a renowned ‘Darvísh Muḥammad’ spreads
beyond the remote mountains of Kurdistán, and news of His
innate greatness and knowledge reaches Baghdád nearly
400 kilometers away.
Abu’l-Qásim, Bahá’u’lláh’s servant in His seclusion, is
murdered on his way from Hamadán to Baghdád. He lives
just long enough to say that the money the murderers stole
belonged to Darvísh Muḥammad in Sulaymáníyyih.
The murder is reported in an Iranian newspaper that
‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Mírzá Músá see one day at the Iranian
embassy. They instantly know that Darvísh Muḥammad is
Bahá’u’lláh, and send two Bábís to beg Him to return.
As soon as Bahá’u’lláh returns to Baghdád, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
becomes His father’s ambassador, His shield, and His
amanuensis.
It is upon Bahá’u’lláh’s return from Kurdistán that He
begins calling ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Sirru’lláh (“the Mystery
of God”). Throughout His long life, this title will most
accurately describe the mysterious station of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
an incomprehensible paradox of saintly perfection and
superhuman knowledge enshrined in a human being.
At 14, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has now reached the “age of maturity”
in Middle Eastern society. He is a remarkably fine-looking
young man, admired and loved for His charity and
amiableness. He becomes revered in circles beyond His
Father’s followers, conversing with the wise and learned on
themes and topics that occupy their minds.
1856
1858
7
These two years find ‘Abdu’l-Bahá occupied with reading
avidly, memorizing and copying the writings of the Báb
by hand (at the time, hand-copied scriptures are the only
means of publication). He becomes a skilled horse rider.
Mírzá Músá, Bahá’u’lláh’s devoted younger brother, manages
the day-to-day affairs of the family with help from the
mature young ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
1854 – 1856

CONSTANTINOPLE
(ISTANBUL)
Crowds gather to bid farewell to Bahá’u’lláh and His family,
exiled still farther to Constantinople (now Istanbul).
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, now a young man of 19 years, makes the
arrangements for the difficult journey across ‘Iráq and
Anatolia.
H.M. Balyuzi describes His role during the 110-day exile:
Bahá’u’lláh and His family arrive in Constantinople, where
they stay for four months before being exiled yet again to
Adrianople (now Edirne) in the middle of winter.
The arduous journey to Adrianople lasts 12 days and takes
place during the coldest winter in 40 years. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá will
experience pain in His feet for the rest of His life from the
frostbite He suffers during this journey.
Bahá’u’lláh Himself attests to the cruelty of this exile:
3 May 1863
16 August 1863
1 – 12 December 1863
“They expelled us … with an abasement with which no
abasement on earth can compare.” “Neither My family,
nor those who accompanied Me, had the necessary
raiment to protect them from the cold in that freezing
weather.” “The eyes of Our enemies wept over Us, and
beyond them those of every discerning person.”
Abdu’l-Bahá was then a youth of nineteen, handsome,
gracious, agile, zealous to serve, firm with the wilful,
generous to all. He strove hard to make the toil of a long
journey less arduous for others. At night He was among
the first to reach the halting-place, to see to the comfort
of the travellers. Wherever provisions were scarce, He
spent the night in search of food. And at dawn He rose
early to set the caravan on another day’s march. Then
the whole day long He rode by the side of His Father, in
constant attendance upon Him.
8

ADRIANOPLE (EDIRNE) I
It is in Adrianople that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá enters adulthood. He
is now known by the believers almost exclusively as “the
Master” (sarkár áqá), and by the general population as
‘Abbás Effendí (“Effendí” meaning “Sir”).
According to the Greatest Holy Leaf, during the Adrianople
years, as has, in fact, been the case for several years,
‘Abdu’l-Bahá becomes the “chief dependance and comfort
for the entire family.”
In the earliest photographs we have of Him from His time
in Adrianople, we see a noble young man with fine features,
translucent skin, blue eyes, and jet-black hair.
It is during this time that Bahá’u’lláh begins to unveil to the
eyes of the world the unique station of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
The most emphatic statement Bahá’u’lláh makes at this
time about that station is the Súriy-i-Ghuṣn (Tablet of the
Branch) in extraordinary terms:
Sometime between the ages of 19 and 24, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
composes an extraordinary 11,000-word commentary on the
sacred Hadíth “I was a Hidden Treasure” for a Ṣúfí leader at
the request of His father. The work is considered a tour de
force, demonstrating profound knowledge, understanding,
and mastery of language. [Note: It has long been thought
this commentary was composed in Baghdád, but recent
research has discovered a Tablet of Bahá’u’lláh that clearly
states it was written in Adrianople.]
1864/1868
There hath branched from the Sadratu’l-Muntahá this
sacred and glorious Being, this Branch of Holiness; well
is it with him that hath sought His shelter and abideth
beneath His shadow. Verily the Limb of the Law of God
hath sprung forth from this Root which God hath firmly
implanted in the Ground of His Will, and Whose Branch
hath been so uplifted as to encompass the whole of
creation. Magnified be He, therefore, for this sublime, this
blessed, this mighty, this exalted Handiwork! (…) Render
thanks unto God, O people, for His appearance; for verily
He is the most great Favour unto you, the most perfect
bounty upon you; and through Him every mouldering
bone is quickened.
9

ADRIANOPLE (EDIRNE) II
Bahá’u’lláh makes religious history by publicly proclaiming
His mission to the monarchs and leaders of the world
from Europe to Asia in a series of six Tablets. After His
proclamation, known to us now as The Summons of the Lord
of Hosts, Bahá’u’lláh withdraws from the general public.
It is important to remember that this takes place only two
years after Bahá’u’lláh was poisoned by Mírzá Yaḥyá, an
attempt that nearly cost Bahá’u’lláh His life. He was severely
ill for one month, but the aftermath of the attempt left
Bahá’u’lláh with a shaking hand to the end of His life.
These circumstances lead to an increased prominence in
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s role during the subsequent stages of the
family’s banishment. Bahá’u’lláh now leaves ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
to manage the affairs of the family and of the Bahá’í exiles.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá becomes His father’s representative in all
matters except those internal to the Bahá’í community.
He has already become this man, so eloquently and vividly
described by E.G. Browne thirteen years later in ‘Akká, when
He is to be the only Westerner ever to meet Bahá’u’lláh:
1867
One more eloquent of speech, more ready of argument,
more apt of illustration, more intimately acquainted
with the sacred books of the Jews, the Christians, and
the Muhammadans, could, I should think, scarcely be
found even amongst the eloquent, ready, and subtle
race to which he belongs. These qualities, combined with
a bearing at once majestic and genial, made me cease
to wonder at the influence and esteem which he enjoyed
even beyond the circle of his father’s followers.
10

‘AKKÁ I
The Sulṭán further banishes Bahá’u’lláh to the Ottoman
penal colony of ‘Akká (Acre). In the 1800s, ‘Akká is the end of
the world. It is the final destination for the most notorious
murderers, highway robbers, and political enemies of the
Ottoman regime. A walled city of filthy streets and damp,
desolate houses, ‘Akká has no source of fresh water, and its
air is exceedingly foul.
It was the vain hope of the authorities that Bahá’u’lláh—
along with His family, His companions, and His Faith—would
all quickly perish in this prison-city.
Bahá’u’lláh and His family enter ‘Akká through the sea gate.
The Blessed Beauty will spend the last 24 years of His life in
and around ‘Akká.
It is impossible for us today, a century and a half later, to
properly picture the utter squalor ubiquitous in ‘Akká. In a
letter to the Sulṭán of Ottoman Empire, Bahá’u’lláh wrote
that ‘Akká was:
As soon as they disembark, the exiles are led to the prison
through filthy streets. The sentence read at the Al-Jazzár
Mosque soon after their arrival condemns them to perpetual
banishment, confines them to strict incarceration, and
forbids them to associate with each other or with the local
inhabitants.
Upon arrival in the prison, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá immediately starts
ministering to those less fortunate than He, procuring
anesthetic and nursing the sick.
Bahá’u’lláh, His immediate family, and His followers—
seventy souls in all—are imprisoned in the citadel of ‘Akká,
where they will remain for more than two years. Malaria,
dysentery, ever-present vermin, overwhelming heat, and
crippling humidity add to the constant suffering. ‘Abdu’l-
Bahá’s joints will ache until the end of His life from the
arthritis caused by these appalling conditions. He falls
dangerously ill with dysentery and almost dies.
Summer 1868
31 August 1868
(…) the most desolate of the cities of the world,
the most unsightly of them in appearance, the most
detestable in climate, and the foulest in water.
It is as though it were the metropolis of the owl.
11

‘AKKÁ II
12
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s care of the sick and His concern for the
prisoners’ welfare, His noble conduct and stainless
character—together with Bahá’u’lláh’s demeanor and
nobility—so impress the authorities that they relax some of
the restrictions, and visitors and pilgrims are permitted to
see Bahá’u’lláh.
Pacing in deep prayer and meditation on the barracks roof,
22-year-old Mírzá Mihdí, known as “the Purest Branch” and
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s younger brother by four years, falls through a
skylight. He dies the next day, having begged Bahá’u’lláh to
accept his life as a ransom for the opening of the gates of
the prison to the believers.
Four months after Mírzá Mihdí’s death, the Holy Family
moves into what is now known as the House of ‘Abbúd in
another part of the penal colony of ‘Akká.
With the Holy Family now living among the inhabitants of
the penal colony, the inevitable happens: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s
saintly character and constant devotion to the poor and
needy touch the hearts of all who meet Him.
During their time in ‘Akká, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is more than ever
the shield of Bahá’u’lláh. He prepares the pilgrims to meet
Bahá’u’lláh; He meets with public officials, manages the day-
to-day affairs of the family, and works assiduously to make
the lives of the Bahá’ís in ‘Akká as comfortable as possible.
Much of the respect increasingly shown to the Bahá’ís is the
direct result of the sterling qualities manifested by ‘Abdu’l-
Bahá.
1869
22 & 23 June 1870
October 1870
Dr. Thomas Chaplin intends to visit Bahá’u’lláh, but
instead has a two-hour interview with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He
sends a letter to the editor printed in The Times (London)
on 5 October 1871. This appears to be the first extended
commentary on Bahá’u’lláh in western newspapers.
The only Westerner who will ever meet Bahá’u’lláh is Edward
Granville Browne, twenty years later in 1891.
April 1871

‘AKKÁ III
13
‘Abdu’l-Bahá marries Munírih Khánum, see next panel.
In 1871, Baháʼu’lláh reveals the Fire Tablet. Revealed in
rhyming verse, it is a conversation between Baháʼu’lláh
and God about immense trials and tribulations. In an
untranslated Tablet shortly thereafter, Bahá’u’lláh clearly
prophesies the appearance of a great affliction, described
as the ocean of tribulation surging and its billowing waves
surrounding the Ark of the Cause of God.
One year later, the prophecies are realized.
Seven misguided followers of Bahá’u’lláh slay three Azalís,
Covenant-breakers: Siyyid Muhammad, Áqá Ján, and Ridá-
Qulí. The murder unleashes the anger and hatred of
the people of ‘Akká against Bahá’u’lláh and the Bahá’ís.
Bahá’u’lláh’s indignation knows no bounds. Falsely accused,
He is summoned to the Governorate, interrogated, and kept
in custody the first night with one of His sons. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
is thrown into prison and chained during the first night,
after which He is permitted to join His Father. Bahá’u’lláh
is released after seventy hours to regain His home. Twenty-
five other Bahá’ís are imprisoned and shackled. They will
be moved and kept under confinement for six months. The
murderers will be imprisoned for several years.
It is about this event Bahá’u’lláh speaks so powerfully:
8 March 1873
22 January 1872
‘Abdu’l-Bahá anonymously publishes a treatise on societal
reform entitled The Secret of Divine Civilization, which
Shoghi Effendi refers to as “Abdu’l-Baha’s outstanding
contribution to the future reorganization of the world.”
1875
My captivity, cannot harm Me. That which can harm Me is
the conduct of those who love Me, who claim to be related
to Me, and yet perpetrate what causeth my heart and My
pen to groan...My captivity can bring on Me no shame. Nay,
by My life, it conferreth on Me glory. That which can make
Me ashamed is the conduct of such of My followers as
profess to love Me, yet in fact follow the Evil One.

14
Fáṭimih Nahrí is born in 1847 into one of the very first Bábís families of Isfahán. An
unusually spiritual child, she spends her time thinking of the prophets of God, lamenting
that she has not been blessed to be born in the time of Jesus Christ or Muḥammad.
In 1859, when she is 11 years old, her father becomes a Bábí. She becomes aware her
parents are enthralled with their devotion to a new and secret religion and meditates on
what it could be. An extraordinary, spiritually potent and momentous dream comes to her
where she flies over a sort of paradise to a radiant city of shining glory with, inscribed
upon its walls in Arabic letters of light the repeated words “Love. Bahá. Jerusalem.” She
meets all the Prophets of God in that city, then the Prophet Muḥammad, standing at an
altar gives Munírih a necklace of brilliant diamonds.
Her father dies soon after, and Munírih marries–this is common in nineteenth century
Persian–but her husband falls ill during the ceremony and leaves the home. He dies six
months later and Munírih vows never to remarry. She spends her days deep in prayer.
Around 1871, Shaykh Salmán brings word from ‘Akká that Bahá’u’lláh and Navváb desire
Munírih to wed ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. She arrives in ‘Akká in mid-1872 and instantly falls in love
with the Master. For six months, she lives in Mírzá Músá’s home, where she often stands
at the window and watches ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, a “strong and graceful swimmer,” swim in
the sea. Every afternoon at five o’clock, she is brought into the presence of Bahá’u’lláh.
During her stay in ‘Akká, Bahá’u’lláh bestows upon her the title Munírih, “Luminous”.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Munírih Khánum (aged 29 and 26) wed on March 8, 1873 in the simplest
of weddings: a handful of guests, no cake but cups of tea and a blessing from Bahá’u’lláh:
Munírih brushes a delightful portrait of the Master as a young man:
Five of Munírih’s children would die in the poisonous climate of ‘Akká, breaking her and
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s heart. Their marriage lasted nearly fifty years, through extraordinary crises
and moments of joy, such as the birth of Shoghi Effendi. When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passes away,
she expresses her unbearable grief in poems. Her heart breaks once again, 11 years later
in 1932 with the passing of Bahíyyih Khánum, with whom she had spent every day of the
past six decades. Munírih passes away on April 28, 1938 at the age of 91. Shoghi Effendi
pays her tribute in this cable, sent the day of her passing:
Oh Munirih! Oh my Leaf! I have destined you for the wife of My Greatest Branch. This is the
bounty of God to you. In earth or in heaven there is no greater gift. Many have come, but We have
rejected them and chosen you. Oh Munirih! Be worthy of Him, and of Our generosity to you.
MUNÍRIH KHÁNUM
“HOLY MOTHER”
You have known Him in His later years, but then, in the youth of His beauty and manly vigour,
with His unfailing love, His kindness, His cheerfulness, His sense of humour, His untiring
consideration for everybody, He was marvellous, without equal, surely in all the earth!
HOLY MOTHER MUNIRIH KHANUM ASCENDED ABHA KINGDOM. WITH SORROWFUL HEARTS BAHA’IS
WORLD OVER RECALL DIVERS PHASES HER RICH EVENTFUL LIFE MARKED BY UNIQUE SERVICES
WHICH BY VIRTUE HER EXALTED POSITION SHE RENDERED DURING DARKEST DAYS ʻABDU’L-BAHA’S
LIFE. ALL RIDVAN FESTIVITIES SUSPENDED. ADVISE CONVENTION DELEGATES DEVOTE SPECIAL
SESSION HER MEMORY HOLD BEFITTING GATHERING AUDITORIUM MASHRIQU’L-ADHKAR

15
MAZRA‘IH & BAHJÍ
After nine years spent within the walls of ‘Akká, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
now 33, hears Bahá’u’lláh make this passing remark:
‘Abdu’l-Bahá holds a banquet for the notables of ‘Akká in
a pine grove near Bahjí. It is now perfectly clear that the
firmán of ‘Abdu’l-‘Azíz, though still in force, is a dead letter.
Upon hearing this, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá approaches the elderly
owner of the Mansion of Mazra‘ih—a lovely place,
surrounded by gardens and a stream of running water,
located six kilometers north of ’Akká—and rents the Mansion
for Bahá’u’lláh, letting His blessed eyes rest on verdure for
the first time in nearly a decade. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá remains in
‘Akká but visits Bahá’u’lláh frequently.
Towards the end of Bahá’u’lláh’s residence in the Mansion
of Mazra’ih, an epidemic breaks out in the area. People
panic; many leave their homes and many die. ‘Údí Khammár
passes away and is buried by the wall of the Mansion of
Bahjí. Soon after this, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá rents the Mansion for
Bahá’u’lláh. The inscription in Arabic placed by Khammár
over the entrance in 1870 can be seen in no other light than
an inspirational sentiment foreshadowing all the wonderful
events which were to occur within its walls:
Named Bahjí (“Delight”), this mansion is to be the home of
Bahá’u’lláh for the remaining 12 years of His life.
During His years in Bahjí, Bahá’u’lláh will often watch from
the balcony of the Mansion to see His beloved ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
arriving from ‘Akká.
Midḥat Páshá, whose real name is Ahmed Şefik—a highly
capable and outstanding official of the 19th century
Ottoman Empire and liberal reformer who, as grand vizier,
will be instrumental in inducing the Sulṭán to grant a
constitution to his people—has an encounter with ‘Abdu’l-
Bahá while on a tour of inspection of Palestine, having
visited Tiberias, Nazareth, ‘Akká, and Haifa.
June 1877
Spring 1877
September 1879
17 May 1880
I have not gazed on verdure for nine years. The
country is the world of the soul, the city is the
world of bodies.
Greetings and salutations rest upon this mansion
which increaseth in splendour through the passage
of time. Manifold wonders and marvels are found
therein, and pens are baffled in attempting to
describe them.

BEIRUT
16
Upon his return to Beirut, Midḥat Páshá extends a personal
invitation to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to visit Beirut, which He accepts.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s arrival in Beirut is announced by the Beirut-
based weekly Thamarát al-Funún with these words:
During the course of His visit to Beirut, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
meets with Midḥat Páshá and other notables, among them
Muḥammad ‘Abduh, who later becomes the Grand Muftí of
Egypt. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to Beirut allows many of these
notables to come into contact with the magnetic personality
of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and some, including Muḥammad ‘Abduh,
become His ardent admirers.
Shoghi Effendi eloquently demonstrates the importance of
this visit:
What makes this ‘historic journey, unparalleled in the
religious annals of mankind’ so significant, from the Bahá’í
point of view, is that Midḥat Páshá invites ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at
a time when the latter is a prisoner of the Ottoman Empire
and under strict orders of confinement.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to Beirut reinforces once again that the
Sulṭán’s edict condemning Bahá’u’lláh and His companions
to life imprisonment within the citadel of ‘Akká is now moot.
1 – 17 June 1880
His Excellency, the learned, erudite, intelligent and
illustrious ‘Abbas Effendi, resident of the city of ‘Akka,
has arrived in our city. The purpose of his arrival is
change of air, may God prolong his wellbeing.
It was through the extraordinarily warm reception
accorded Him during His visit to Beirut, through His
contact with Midhat Pasha, a former Grand Vizir of
Turkey… and through His constant association with
officials, notables and leading ecclesiastics who, in
increasing number had besought His presence, during
the final years of His Father’s ministry, that He had
succeeded in raising the prestige of the Cause He had
championed to a level it had never previously attained.

17
‘AKKÁ IV
One June day during a three-month visit to Haifa,
Bahá’u’lláh, then aged 73, ascends the slope of Mount
Carmel, accompanied by a 47-year-old Abdu’l-Bahá, and
arrives at a circle of some 15 young cypress trees. As
Bahá’u’lláh sits on a chair in the middle of the circle of
trees, He instructs ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to arrange the transfer of
the remains of the Báb from their place of concealment
in Persia to the Holy Land. He then stood and pointing to
an expanse of rock and stones further down the slope,
below a natural terrace, Bahá’u’lláh directs ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to
purchase it and inter the sacred remains of the Báb in a
shrine there.
For the next 18 years, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá will not rest until
it is done.
June 1891 - Haifa
‘Abdu’l-Bahá writes A Traveler’s Narrative, an account of
Bábí history. It is first published anonymously in Persian
in 1890. The English translation is prepared by Professor
Edward G. Browne and first published by Cambridge
University Press in 1891.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s mother, Ásíyih Khánum, also known
as “Navváb,” passes away. Bahá’u’lláh will call her His
“perpetual consort in all the worlds of God”. Even during
Navváb’s illness, Muḥammad-Yúsuf Páshá demands ‘Abdu’l-
Bahá vacate the house of ‘Abbúd.
Nine days after ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s departure, Bahá’u’lláh reveals
an extraordinary Tablet in honor of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to
Beirut, the Lawḥ-i-Arḍ-i-Bá (Tablet of the Land of Bá):
1886
1886
9 June 1880
Praise be to Him Who hath honored the Land of Bá [Beirut] through the presence of Him round
Whom all names revolve. All the atoms of the earth have announced unto all created things
that from behind the gate of the Prison-city there hath appeared and above its horizon there
hath shone forth the Orb of the beauty of the great, the Most Mighty Branch of God—His
ancient and immutable Mystery—proceeding on its way to another land. Sorrow, thereby, hath
enveloped this Prison-city, whilst another land rejoiceth. Exalted, immeasurably exalted is our
Lord, the Fashioner of the heavens and the Creator of all things, He through Whose sovereignty
the doors of the prison were opened, thereby causing what was promised aforetime in the
Tablets to be fulfilled. He is verily potent over what He willeth, and in His grasp is the dominion
of the entire creation. He is the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Blessed, doubly
blessed, is the ground which His footsteps have trodden, the eye that hath been cheered by
the beauty of His countenance, the ear that hath been honored by hearkening to His call,
the heart that hath tasted the sweetness of His love, the breast that hath dilated through His
remembrance, the pen that hath voiced His praise, the scroll that hath borne the testimony of
His writings. We beseech God—blessed and exalted be He—that He may honor us with meeting
Him soon. He is, in truth, the All-Hearing, the All-Powerful, He Who is ready to answer.

CENTER OF THE
COVENANT
In the early hours of the morning, Bahá’u’lláh passes away
at the Mansion of Bahjí. He graced the earth for 75 years,
having spent 40 years—more than half His life—as a prisoner
of the Ottoman Empire, suffering incalculable afflictions for
bringing His message of peace.
Nine days after the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, His Will,
known as the Kitáb-i-‘Aḥd, is unsealed. It unambiguously
designates ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as His successor and head of the
Bahá’í Faith. This event marks the first time in religious
history that the founder of a world religion had made
explicitly clear whom people should follow after His death:
From the time of Bahá’u’lláh’s passing, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
oversees the spread of His Father’s Faith to North America
and Europe. He receives a steady flow of pilgrims from East
and West, carries out a correspondence of over 30,000
letters with Bahá’ís and inquirers in all parts of the world,
and lives an exemplary life of service to the people of ‘Akká.
Mírzá Hádí Shírází and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s daughter, Ḍíyáʼíyyih
Khánum, welcome a baby boy into the world.
They call him Shoghi, but very soon, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá will insist
everyone call him Shoghi Effendi.
Twenty-four years from now, in his station as Guardian, he
will succeed ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as Center of the Covenant.
Mírzá Muḥammad-’Alí sends letters with misleading
statements and calumnies against ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, widely
publicizing his Covenant-breaking activities. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
can no longer conceal his unfaithfulness.
Finding the situation in ‘Akká intolerable, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
moves to Haifa’s Retreat of Elijah on Mount Carmel.
29 May 1892 - Bahjí
7 June 1892
1 March 1897
November 1896
November 1896 -
January 1897
The Will of the divine Testator is this: It is incumbent
upon the Aghsán, the Afnán and My Kindred to turn,
one and all, their faces towards the Most Mighty
Branch. Consider that which We have revealed in Our
Most Holy Book: “When the ocean of My presence hath
ebbed and the Book of My Revelation is ended, turn
your faces towards Him Whom God hath purposed, Who
hath branched from this Ancient Root.
18

19
The first Local Spiritual Assembly of Ṭihrán is elected.
For decades, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has helped the shattered
Bábí community in Iran and fostered its recognition of
Bahá’u’lláh.
The first Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrive in America.
1899
February 1899
‘AKKÁ V
Western pilgrims arrive in the Holy Land for the first time.
Thirteen pilgrims arrive over the course of four months:
11 November 1898 Ibrahim Kheiralla and his wife
Marion
10 December 1898 Edward and Lua Getsinger
17 December 1898 Phoebe Hearst and Mary Virginia
Thornburgh-Cropper
13 February 1899 May Bolles and Harriet Thornburgh
20 February 1899 Anne Apperson, Julian Pearson, and
Robert Turner (the first African-
American Bahá’í)
Early March 1899 Ella Goodall and Helen Hillyer
All (except for Kheiralla, who will break the Covenant
after he returns to America) are transformed by their visit
to the innermost chamber of the Tomb of Bahá’u’lláh,
accompanied by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá infuses
such a powerful spirit into them through precept and
example that, despite the brevity of their stay, the return
to the West of these “God-intoxicated pilgrims” will have
profound and lasting spiritual effects.
November 1898 –
March 1899
Shortly after their martyrdom in 1850, the remains of the
Báb and Anís were rescued from the moats outside Tabríz
where they had been thrown. Following this initial rescue,
the remains were concealed from place to place around
Ṭihrán. In 1899, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá directed Mírzá Asadu’lláh to
transport the sacred remains with ‘utmost reverence and
humility’ to the Holy Land. This was done via Baghdád,
Damascus, and Beirut.
On 31 January 1899, the sacred remains of the Báb arrived
safely in ‘Akká.
For the next ten years, as He is building the Shrine of the
Báb from afar—for He is still a prisoner in ‘Akká—‘Abdu’l-
Bahá keeps the sacred remains secretly hidden, for about a
year in His home in ‘Akká, then in a rented house in Haifa.
31 January 1899

20
‘AKKÁ VI
For decades before 1901 until the years of the First World
War, the Covenant-Breakers—led by Mírzá Muḥammad-‘Alí,
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s jealous half-brother and lifelong enemy—
flood the Ottoman authorities with lies, fabrications,
and outrageous rumors. They provoke confrontations in
Damascus, bribing officials with gifts of Persian carpets from
the time of Bahá’u’lláh and the tent of the Blessed Beauty.
With each gift, they lie and poison, accusing ‘Abdu’l-Bahá of
being a mischief-maker, a religious rabble-rouser, a foreign
agent—of having designs to inaugurate a new monarchy.
They spread rumors that the Master’s communications with
the East and the West are an incitement to political chaos,
and that the Shrine of the Báb is either a military fort or a
new Mecca.
On 20 August 1901, after Mírzá Muḥammad-‘Alí has flooded
the Ottoman authorities with false material and rumors, the
authorities reimpose a strict confinement on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
after interrogating Him for several days.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá purchases about 1,704 acres of scrub land near
the Jordan river—land that will play a crucial role in 13 years.
20 August 1901
1901
Thomas Breakwell, one of the most extraordinary Western
Bahá’ís of the Heroic Age of the Faith, arrives for pilgrimage
in Haifa.
In the spring of 1901, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá turns down May Bolles’
request for pilgrimage, unequivocally impressing upon
her that she is to remain in Paris. In early August, she
teaches the Faith to Thomas Breakwell, who passionately
declares his devotion to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The day she mails his
declaration, a blue cablegram from the Master arrives which
reads:
A few weeks later, Thomas Breakwell attains the presence of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá while on pilgrimage. During a private interview,
he expresses distress that the cotton mills of his company
operate with child labor. The Master looks at him, gravely
and silently, and then says: “Cable your resignation.”
After his pilgrimage, Thomas Breakwell returns to Paris and
continues a fortnightly correspondence with Dr. Yúnis Khán,
who shares all his letters with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
Mid – Late
August 1901
YOU MAY LEAVE PARIS ANY TIME.

21
‘AKKÁ VII
The spiritual connection between Thomas Breakwell and
the Master is so strong that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is intuitively aware
of the moment that Thomas Breakwell passes away in Paris
on June 13 at the age of 30, having been a Bahá’í less than a
year, but so transformed as to have lived an entire lifetime
in those ten months.
In his memoirs, Dr. Yúnis Khán Afrúkhtih recounts the
extraordinary words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, speaking about the
quality of the Tablet of Visitation He has revealed for
Thomas Breakwell:
13 June 1902
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, now 58, is occupied with the building of the
Shrine of the Báb; the restoration of the House of the Báb
in Shíráz; and the construction of the first Bahá’í House of
Worship in ‘Ishqábád (Ashgabat), Turkmenistan.
The connection between Thomas Breakwell and ‘Abdu’l-
Bahá will continue beyond Breakwell’s death with a letter He
received from Breakwell’s father:
Laura Clifford Barney compiles Some Answered Questions,
profoundly spiritual table talks given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during
His “tired moments,” most often at mealtimes, over the
course of several visits to the Holy Land.
1902 – 1904
1904 – 1906
‘Abdu’l-Bahá begins moving His family to Haifa, 25
kilometers across the bay from ‘Akká, where He has built a
house at the foot of Mount Carmel.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá writes His Will and Testament, written in three
parts at different times and addressed to Shoghi Effendi,
who was then a child of 4 to 11 years.
1907 - Haifa
1901 – 1908
Breakwell has passed away. I am grieved, very grieved.
I have revealed a prayer of visitation for him. It is very
moving, so moving that twice I could not withhold my
tears when I was writing it. You must translate it well, so
that whoever reads it will weep.
Written in letters of gold were these words: “He is not
dead. He lives on in the Kingdom of God.” Further,
there was this sentence: ‘This flower was picked from
Breakwell’s grave.’ When I told the Master what the
message of the postcard was, He at once rose up from His
seat, took the card, put it on His blessed brow, and tears
flowed down His cheeks.’

22
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s increasing contact with Western pilgrims and
their absolute devotion to Him starts to cause confusion in
the minds of some believers.
The paradox of the “Mystery of God” becomes a problematic
reality, as they are unable to reconcile that such a saintly
character, “the stainless Mirror” of Bahá’u’lláh’s light, can be
a mere human being. The New York Bahá’ís—in particular
Howard McNutt and Arthur P. Dodge, both Disciples of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá—have grave disputes over the Station of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, some asserting He is the return of Jesus
Christ, but others not fully understanding His station is not
attainable by mere humans, no matter the perfections any
of us may acquire.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, heartbroken by so serious a misunderstanding,
tries consistently to educate the friends and correct their
errors as early as 1900. Seven years later, He once again
clarifies His station with what is undoubtedly one of His
most eloquent Tablets, the Tablet of ʻAbdu’l-Bahá addressed
to the New York City Board of Counsel on 1 January 1907
to clarify, in no uncertain terms, that it is Baháʼuʼlláh who
represents the second coming of Christ, and to emphatically
dispel the notion that He Himself occupies this divine
station:
January 1907
‘AKKÁ VIII
My Name is ʻAbdu’l-Bahá, my identity is ʻAbdu’l-Bahá, my
qualification is ʻAbdu’l-Bahá, my reality is ʻAbdu’l-Bahá,
my praise is ʻAbdu’l-Bahá.
Thraldom to the Blessed Perfection is my glorious and
refulgent diadem; and servitude to all the human race is
my perpetual religion.
Through the bounty and favor of the Blessed Perfection,
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá is the Ensign of the Most-Great-Peace, which
is waving from the Supreme Apex; and through the gift of
the Greatest name, he is the Lamp of Universal Salvation,
which is shining with the light of the love of God. The
Herald of the Kingdom is he, so that he may awaken
the people of the East and of the West. The Voice of
Friendship, Uprightness, Truth and Reconciliation is he, so
as to cause acceleration throughout all regions.
No name, no title, no mention, no commendation hath he
nor will ever have except ʻAbdu’l-Bahá.
This is my longing.
This is my supreme apex.
This is my greatest yearning.
This is my eternal life.
This is my everlasting glory!

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in spite of great difficulties and in the
midst of disturbances created by His enemies and
misrepresentations by the Covenant-breakers, succeeds
in building six rooms for the Shrine of the Báb on Mount
Carmel.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá had asked the Bahá’ís of Rangoon to construct
a one-piece sarcophagus of the finest marble. Once
completed, the sarcophagus bearing the Greatest Name in
the handwriting of Mishkín-Qalam engraved on its sides,
arrives in Haifa, along with a casket made of hardwood.
The crate containing the sarcophagus is placed on wooden
rollers and dragged by men from the pier to a house where
it is stored.
1908 - Haifa
23
‘AKKÁ IX
During these years, as a result of Mírzá Muḥammad-‘Alí’s
constant rumors and fabrications against ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
documents he sends to Ottoman officials start to alarm
Sultan Abdülhamid. At one time Mírzá Muḥammad-‘Alí
spreads the rumor ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is buying expanses of land
to establish His own kingdom.
A Commission of Inquiry (Heyet-i Teftişiyye) is dispatched
from Istanbul to ‘Akká in June 1905 to investigate headed by
Ârif Bey, so infuriated with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, he initially wants
to hang Him at the gate of ‘Akka, then settles on exiling Him
to Fizan in the desert of North Africa or to throw Him into
the sea. The Commission does not complete its inquiry and
leaves ‘Akká suddenly for Istanbul, as news is received of an
attempt on Sultan Abdülhamid’s life by Armenian terrorists
on 21 July 1905.
In June 1908, another edict by Abdülhamid is sent to the
authorities in Haifa to control ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s activities
an ‘agitator’ of a ‘subversive group,’ but the Young Turk
Revolution breaks out in July 1908 and compels the despot
to reinstate the 1876 Constitution and free all religious and
political prisoners held under his regime. In August 1908,
‘Abdu’l-Bahá is released from imprisonment under the
amnesty.
After 55 years of imprisonment and exile, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is a
free man, at the age of 64, for the first time since He was a
child.
The first thing ‘Abdu’l-Bahá does with His newly-gained
freedom is to visit the Shrine of Baháʼu’lláh in Bahjí.
1901-1908

HAIFA I
24
Midway up Mount Carmel, in the spot designated by
Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has completed the building of the
Shrine of the Báb. He has built an immensely solid structure
out of local stone so that it would last for centuries.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself speaks to this herculean task:
On the Holy Day of Naw-Rúz, the marble sarcophagus is
taken down into the vault, and that evening—after having
removed His dark outer cloak, His turban, and His shoes,
His bare feet firm on the stone floor of the rear eastern
room—‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself descends into the vault below
and places the sacred remains of the Báb into the wooden
casket inside the sarcophagus to be sealed forever with its
marble lid. Shoghi Effendi leaves us a stirring account of this
historic and significant event in the history of religion:
On this same day, following the instructions of ‘Abdu’l-
Bahá, a convention of 39 delegates representing 36 cities
assembles in Chicago and establishes a permanent national
organization known the Bahá’í Temple Unity, incorporated as
a religious organization. This is the first National Convention
in the Bahá’í history of the United States.
The Bahá’í Administrative Order in the West is born on
the same day the remains of the remains of the Prophet-
Founder of the Bahá’í Faith are laid to rest in their
permanent Shrine on the Mountain of God, soon-to-be the
world headquarters of the Bahá’í Faith.
21 March 1909
Haifa
Chicago
When all was finished, and the earthly remains of
the Martyr-Prophet of Shíráz were, at long last, safely
deposited for their everlasting rest in the bosom of
God’s holy mountain, ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, Who had cast
aside His turban, removed His shoes and thrown off
His cloak, bent low over the still open sarcophagus,
His silver hair waving about His head and His face
transfigured and luminous, rested His forehead on
the border of the wooden casket, and, sobbing aloud,
wept with such a weeping that all those who were
present wept with Him. That night He could not sleep,
so overwhelmed was He with emotion.
Every stone of that building, every stone of the
road leading to it, I have with infinite tears and at
tremendous cost, raised and placed in position.
THE BÁB’S REMAINS ARE LAID TO REST

‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S
JOURNEYS TO THE
WEST
25
Between 1910 and 1913, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá travels to the West on a mission to spread
the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. He will meet close to a hundred thousand souls,
give hundreds of talks in hundreds of cities, towns, and villages in Central and
Western Europe and across all of North America and Canada and return home
on the eve of the First World War.
At the age of 66, this is the first journey He undertakes as a free man, and He
will not see His family or home for three years. Shoghi Effendi’s eloquent words
in God Passes By frames is to be one of the seminal moments of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s
life and an extraordinary feat:
He Who, in His own words, had entered prison as
a youth and left it an old man, Who never in His
life had faced a public audience, had attended no
school, had never moved in Western circles, and was
unfamiliar with Western customs and language, had
arisen not only to proclaim from pulpit and platform,
in some of the chief capitals of Europe and in the
leading cities of the North American continent, the
distinctive verities enshrined in His Father’s Faith,
but to demonstrate as well the Divine origin of the
Prophets gone before Him, and to disclose the nature
of the tie binding them to that Faith.

26
Before we travel with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá from place to place for
the next three years, we feel it is vital to pause for one
moment and keep in mind how He treated every single
person He met with utmost generosity of time, abundance
of love and measures of respect. Here are four examples,
on the Western and Eastern Coasts of the United States, in
England and in France, of how ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was with His
“friends”:
california
maine
‘Abdu’l-Bahá takes the time in Sacramento to give a talk
to three maids and gives them fragrant perfume and some
fruits. In the same hotel, He makes sure to invite the hotel
manager to His farewell luncheon.
Fred Mortensen is an ex-gang member who has been to jail
and lived as a fugitive. He hobo’es his way to Green Acre
and, met with sparkling curiosity and unconditional love by
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, spends a glorious week in His company.
In a village in England, a man walks nearly 10 kilometers
to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s cottage, carrying one baby, with others
clinging to him. When he asks for “the Holy man”, he is
turned away. Suddenly, the Master appears! He embraces
the man and his babies with such warmth that they leave
comforted, their hearts full of joy, and their hands bursting
with sixpences. The friends who had turned the man away
feel ashamed and, at this moment, understand: “How wrong
we were! We will never again try to manage ‘Abdu’l-Bahá!”
england
During one of His stays in a Paris hotel, a poor black man
is among those who often comes to visit ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The
man is not a Bahá’í, but he loves ‘Abdu’l-Bahá deeply. One
day when he comes to visit, a member of the hotel staff
turns him away. Upon hearing of this, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sends for
the man responsible, tells him that He is unhappy His friend
has been turned away and that he should be found. Then,
‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaks words that serve as a compass for us,
as we explore His Journeys to the West:
France
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ
AND HIS FRIENDS
I did not come to see expensive hotels or furnishings, but to
meet My friends. I did not come to Paris to conform to the
customs of Paris, but to establish the standard of Bahá’u’lláh.
“

‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS TO THE WEST (I)
27
Abdu’l-Bahá did not inform a single soul that He was going
to leave Haifa.
The day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá leaves, he visits the Holy Tomb of the
Báb on Mount Carmel, comes down from the mountain and
boards the Kosseir steamer to Egypt.
The only twp people who accompany Abdu’l-Bahá to Egypt
are ʻAbdu’l-Ḥusayn and Mírzá Munír Zayn, one of the sons of
the Apostle of Baháʼuʼlláh and preeminent transcriber of His
Tablets, Zaynu’l-Muqarrabín.
September 1910
august 1910
‘Abdu’l-Bahá leaves the Holy Land for the first time in thirty
years since He visited Beirut in 1880. Overall, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
will spend close to two years (22 months) in Egypt:
· September 1910 - August 1911: First stay of 11 months
· December 1911 - 25 March 1912: Second stay of 4 months
· 16 June - 2 December 1913: Third stay of 7 months
‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives in Port Said and remains there for one
month.
Once again, without forewarning anyone, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá leaves
Port Said with the intention to travel to Europe. It becomes
obvious that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s health at this stage will not
permit the trip, which is aborted in Alexandria. After a few
days in the Victoria Hotel, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá moves to a rented
villa in Ramleh, a suburb of Alexandria.
Three important things happen during ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s stay in
Ramleh.
The first event of great significance is that a sudden change
occurs and Egyptian and Persian journalists take a great
interest in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, writing stories that contain praise,
interest and respect.
September 1910 -
August 1911
September -
October 1910
October 1910
October 1910 -
Early May 1911
THE HOLY LAND & EGYPT
One month before departing from the Holy Land for the next
three years, and Having already moved the rest of His family
to Haifa, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself leaves ‘Akká and the House of
‘Abdu’lláh Páshá for His new home at 7 Haparsim Street, in
Haifa. Haparsim is the Hebrew word for “Persian.”

The third event of note is that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá meets Louis
Gregory for the first time as he is en route for Pilgrimage in
the Holy Land. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would completely change Louis
Gregory’s life in a very personal way in just 17 months.
The second important event that takes place in Ramleh in
the Fall of 1911 is that Major Wellesley Tudor Pole, an English
admirer of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, meets the Master for the first time
and spends nine days in His company and reports ‘Abdu’l-
Bahá’s health has “very greatly improved.”
Their connection will continue for decades through Tudor’s
Pole’s enduring connection to Shoghi Effendi. Tudor Pole will
remain in close contact with ‘Abdu’l-Baha, will present for
Him at the Universal Races Congress in 1911 and will host the
Master in his home in Bristol in January 1913.
In July 1920, Pole would be the recipient of a Tablet from
‘Abdu’l-Bahá delivered by Shoghi Effendi July 1920 and it
was in Pole’s home that Shoghi Effendi would be found
unconscious, having accidentally seen the telegram
informing him of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s passing. Tudor Pole would
continue to assist Shoghi Effendi in various capacities for
many years.
April 1911
Mid-November 1910
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS TO THE WEST (II)
28
EGYPT I
‘Abdu’l-Bahá leaves Ramleh, near Alexandria for Cairo and
takes residence in Zaytún, a suburb of Cairo. The newspaper
stories about the Master display increasing praise,
friendliness and admiration.
It is during this time that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá meets the Khedive–
the Governor of the entire Ottoman province of Egypt–‘Abbás
Ḥilmí II several times, along with the Oriental Secretary of
the British Agency, Ronald Storrs, the Russian poet Isabel
Grinevsky, and George Zaydán, an eminent writer and
celebrated newspaper editor.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá leaves Egypt from Alexandria aboard the SS
L’Orénoque.
Early May 1911
11 August 1911

‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives in Marseilles, France aboard the SS
L’Orénoque and is greeted by Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá makes the 12-hour trip from Marseilles to
Geneva in one day.
On 27 August, while in France, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits the Swiss
town of Vevey on Lake Geneva. Back in Geneva from August
30, He visits Lausanne, and leaves for London.
16 august 1911
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá takes the ferry from Geneva to Thonon-Les-
Bains, France.
In Thonon-Les-Bains, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá meets with Masʻúd Mírzá,
the Ẓillu’s-Sulṭán, who had asked for an interview with
Him. Masʻúd Mírzá, who had ordered the execution of two
Baháʼís, is the eldest grandson of Náṣiri’d-Dín Sháh, who
had ordered the execution of the Báb Himself. Hippolyte
Dreyfus witnesses him stammering apologies for past
wrongs. ʻAbdu’l-Bahá embraces him and invites his sons to
lunch. The Ẓillu’s-Sulṭán, Bahrám Mírzá Sardár Masʻúd, and
Akbar Masʻúd, all grandsons of Náṣiri’d-Dín Sháh, are greatly
affected by meeting ʻAbdu’l-Bahá and experiencing His
loving forgiveness.
21 august 1911
23 - 30 august 1911
20 - 21 August 1911
30 August 1911 -
3 September 1911
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS TO THE WEST (III)
29
‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives in London, England, for one month in
the home of Lady Blomfield, at 97 Cadogan Gardens, Chelsea.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, a prisoner of the Ottoman Empire and an exile
for most of His life, gives a public address for the first time
at the City Temple in London to a crowd of 2,000 people.
In the pulpit Bible (destroyed during the Second World War),
‘Abdu’l-Bahá leaves the following inscription in Persian:
4 September 1911 -
3 October 1911
10 September 1911
This book is the Holy Book of God, of celestial
Inspiration. It is the Bible of Salvation, the Noble Gospel.
It is the mystery of the Kingdom and its light. It is the
Divine Bounty, the sign of the guidance of God.
FRANCE, SWITZERLAND
& ENGLAND

30
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS TO THE WEST (IV)
‘Abdu’l-Bahá returns to Paris for nine weeks. For the
duration of His stay in Paris, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá resides in an
apartment at 4, avenue de Camoëns, very close to the Eiffel
Tower and the Trocadéro. There, He will give fifty-one talks,
which we refer to as Paris Talks. This beautiful apartment
has since been purchased by the National Spiritual
Assembly of France and is available for visits.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá is served and cared for during this time by
Mr. and Mrs. Dreyfus-Barney, who have taken up residence
nearby, and Lady Blomfield and her two devoted daughters.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s 1911 sojourn in Paris is regulated by the talks
He gives in the Camoëns apartment. The Trocadéro gardens
abut the street He lives on, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá finds strolling
the avenues of the garden relaxing. Such is the majesty He
exudes that one day, a passing coachman will remove his
cap out of respect.
The apartment receives an unending stream of visitors
hailing from numerous countries, to whom ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
speaks every morning.
7 December 1911
2 December 1911
3 December 1911
1 December 1911
9 November 1911
29 October 1911
‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives in Marseilles on December 3 and leaves
for Egypt four days later, aboard Le Portugal.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá boards the night train for Marseilles and
arrives the following day.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá gives a talk in Marseilles at the Theosophist
Center.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá gives a touching farewell address: “I bear you
one and all in my heart, and will forget none of you—and I hope
that none of you will forget me.” He ends with a call for unity,
harmony and exertion in the path of service.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s first public address is given at the “Alliance
Spiritualiste” to a full–and fully-engaged–audience. The host
offers blessings upon ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for having suffered in
the path of God. The Master gives a soul-stirring speech and
ends by chanting a prayer for all those in the audience.
During dinner in the home of Gabriel de Sacy, a historian of
the Bábí religion, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaks about the oneness of
humanity and the necessity for Paris to be universal center
for spirituality in addition to being one for culture, science
and the arts. 60 people attend the post-dinner talk.
FRANCE

EGYPT II
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS TO THE WEST (V)
31
‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives in Alexandria, Egypt, then returns to
Ramleh for the five winter months.
We must remember that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is broken in health
at this point in His life. He is suffering from several
illnesses brought on by extreme difficulties of a life He
has lived almost entirely in exile and imprisonment and
is approaching 70, and has for four months in France,
Switzerland and England, completely depleted His physical
strength.
A period of rest is necessary before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is to
embark on what is sure to be the most taxing part of His
Journeys to the West: His travels to North America.
For four months, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá will stay in a villa in Ramleh.
He bestows His love on all the people around Him, those
who live in Ramleh, visitors and pilgrims from faraway.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá has a lovely garden in Ramleh where he often
walks. He attends meetings and feasts, converses with
pilgrims in a mild Mediterranean climate while the harsh
winter turns into Spring in Europe and it is time for Him to
leave.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá embarks on His second journey to the West. He
sails on the RMS Cedric to New York via Naples.
The American Baháʼí community sends thousands of dollars
urging ʻAbdu’l-Bahá to leave the RMS Cedric in Italy and
travel to England to sail on the maiden voyage of the RMS
Titanic.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá donates the money to charity and continues
His voyage on the Cedric.
12 December 1911 –
25 March 1912
25 March 1912

For the first time I saw form noble enough to be a
receptacle for the Holy Spirit.
32
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS TO THE WEST (VI)
THE UNITED STATES I
‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives in New York City.
As the RMS Cedric is abreast of the Statue of Liberty, standing
erect and facing it, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá holds His arms wide apart in
salutation, and speaks:
‘Abdu’l-Bahá sets foot in North America for the first time.
His arrival is covered in newspapers with headlines such as
“Persian Prophet Here; Abdul Baha ʻAbbas Comes to Preach
Universal Peace” and “In Exile for 50 Years’ Bahai Leader
Comes to New York to Urge World Peace; He favors woman
suffrage.” He will tour the United States and Canada, coast to
coast, for eight months.
The very night of April 11, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives, and after more
than a month at sea, He gives his first public address in New
York, a talk at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney, at
780 West End Avenue. The Promulgation of Universal Peace is
a collection of some of the transcripts of talks and addresses
‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave during His eight months in North America.
It is not the sum total of His public appearances, but even
this partial inventory contains 140 talks. One can only imagine
where the true number lies.
11 April 1912
There is the new world’s symbol of liberty and freedom.
After being forty years a prisoner I can tell you that
freedom is not a matter of place. It is a condition. Unless
one accept dire vicissitudes he will not attain. When
one is released from the prison of self, that is indeed a
release.
One of the most vibrant and touching sources for details on
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to North America in this period are the
entries in the Diary of Juliet Thompson.
Juliet Thompson was blessed with more direct contact with
‘Abdu’l-Bahá than any other Westerner, and her gift for writing
turned her diary into a precious and riveting account of what
it was like to be close to the Master.
Khalil Gibran, Juliet Thompson’s neighbor and world-renowned
artist and poet draws a portrait of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at 6:30 in the
morning. He will later say about the Master:
April –
December 1912
19 April 1912

33
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS TO THE WEST (VII)
THE UNITED STATES II
‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits the Bowery mission, a place for homeless
and poor men, accompanied by Kate Carew. At the end of His
address, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá requested to greet each man present
individually. After He shook their hands, each man found
himself with a shiny silver quarter, the equivalent of close to
$7 in today’s currency.
Before entering the mission, they encounter a group of boys
making fun of the ‘Orientals in flowing robes and strange
head-gear’. Carrie Kinney, a member of the Master’s party,
explains to them that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is a very holy man who
has spent much of His life in prison because of His love for
truth, and that He is going to talk with the men at the Bowery
Mission. The boys ask if they can attend, but instead Mrs.
Kinney invites them to her house so they can meet the Master.
When they arrive at Mrs. Kinney’s, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá greets them;
He singles out an African-American boy and, touching his
cheek, compares him to a black rose as well as rich chocolate.
The child beams with joy at having been truly seen.
16 April 1912
20 – 28 April 1912 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is in Washington D.C. He speaks at Howard
University (an all-African American institution at this time)
to over a thousand students, faculty, administrators, and
visitors.
At a luncheon held at the home of Ali Kuli Khan—with some
of the most active Bahá’ís in America and the Ottoman
Ambassador, Ḍíyá Páshá, in attendance—ʻAbdu’l-Bahá calls
Louis George Gregory, who had not been formally invited,
then gives Gregory, the only African-American present, the
seat of honor to His right at the head of the table.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá meets a Congressman, the future Governor
from New York, and the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, and speaks at the Bethel Literary and
Historical Society, a leading African-American institution.
29 April –
6 May 1912
April 1912
Now in Chicago, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaks at many meetings,
hotels, churches, and women’s clubs, as well as the Fourth
Annual Conference of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People. He visits the Chicago Zoo,
where the iconic pictures of Him were taken.
During this month, the MacNutts host the filming of ‘Abdu’l-
Bahá and recording his voice as a racially integrated event in
the socially white part of Brooklyn. The film they produce is
our only surviving footage of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

1 may 1912
34
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS TO THE WEST (VIII)
THE UNITED STATES III
‘Abdu’l-Bahá gives a talk in Wilmette at the dedication
site for the House of Worship in which He speaks to the
significance of what is soon to be the House of Worship for
North America:
After the talk, followed by His audience, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tries
to break the ground with the golden trowel prepared for
the occasion. The trowel is too flimsy, so a young man
runs to a nearby house and borrows an axe. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
“like an athlete,” swings it high in the air and finally breaks
ground to lay the foundation-stone for the Temple—a
stone Nettie Tobin, too poor to contribute money, had
obtained from the reject pile at a Chicago construction site.
After laying the stone, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá declares:
The stone from the reject pile used as the cornerstone for
the House of Worship recalls a 2,500 year-old verse from
Psalms 118:22:
The Temple is already built.
The stone the builders rejected has become
the cornerstone.
The power which has gathered you here
today notwithstanding the cold and windy
weather is, indeed, mighty and wonderful.
It is the power of God, the divine favor of
Bahá’u’lláh which has drawn you together. We
praise God that through His constraining love
human souls are assembled and associated
in this way. Thousands of Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs,
dawning points of praise and mention of
God for all religionists will be built in the
East and in the West, but this, being the
first one erected in the Occident, has great
importance. In the future there will be many
here and elsewhere—in Asia, Europe, even in
Africa, New Zealand and Australia—but this
edifice in Chicago is of especial significance.
It has the same importance as the Mashriqu’l-
Adhkár in ‘Ishqábád, Caucasus, Russia, the
first one built there.

16 – 23 August 1912 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits Green Acre in Eliot, Maine.
23 – 29 August 1912 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits Malden, Massachusetts, His final New
England destination before reaching Canada, which He had
expressed a desire to visit as early as February 1912.
23 – 24 July 1912 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits Boston as He travels towards Canada.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá stays at Mr. & Mrs. Parsons’ summer home in
Dublin, New Hampshire.
24 July – 16 August
20 – 25 June 1912 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits Montclair, New Jersey.
25 – 29 June 1912 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá returns to New York.
29 – 30 June 1912 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits West Englewood, New Jersey (now
called Teaneck) and attends a Unity Feast (similar to a
Nineteen-Day Feast) with Baháʼís, Jews, Muslims, Christians,
Caucasians, African-Americans, and Persians in attendance.
This event is the high point of Martha Root’s life.
30 June – 23 July 1912 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stays in New York. He spends a day in West
Englewood, New Jersey on 14 July 1912.
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS TO THE WEST (IX)
THE UNITED STATES IV
35
22 – 26 May 1912 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits the Boston, Massachusetts area,
including Worcester on 23 May.
14 – 22 May 1912 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá returns to New York.
26 May –
20 June 1912
‘Abdu’l-Bahá returns to New York for a few weeks, but He
takes short trips, always returning to New York City:
· 31 May – 1 June 1912: Fanwood, New Jersey
· 3 June 1912: Milford, Pennsylvania
· 3 June 1912: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
· 8–10 June 1912: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
14 May 1912 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addresses the Lake Mohonk Conference on
International Arbitration in northern New York state.
8 – 11 May 1912 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá returns to Washington D.C.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits Montclair, New Jersey.
12 May 1912
6 – 7 May 1912
7 May 1912
‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits Cleveland, Ohio.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá visits Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for a speaking
engagement arranged for Him in early April by Martha Root.

Things arise in historic perspective as time goes
by. This is the only private home in Canada where
‘Abdu’l-Bahá stayed. After His visit, it was always
considered blessed by having been used by Him.
For future generations, it will eventually grow in
importance and sacredness, because He, the Centre
of the Covenant, the Greatest Mystery of God,
stayed here.
36
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS TO THE WEST (X)
CANADA
30 August –
9 September 1912
9 September 1912
‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives at the Windsor train station on Peel
street in Montreal and is greeted by William Sutherland
Maxwell. On His first day in Montreal, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá makes
time to call on a friend of the Maxwells’ with a sick baby.
In Montreal, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá meets the future leader of the
First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, the Principal of
McGill University, and the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of Montreal. He speaks on many topics,
including social and economic reform and a progressive tax
system, at a socialist meeting. His talks and His visit garner
immense media attention and are well-covered throughout.
During six days in Montreal, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stayed at the
home of William Sutherland and May Maxwell. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
referred to the dwelling as His home. Mary Maxwell, a child
He loved as His own, would grow into an extraordinary
young woman and wed His grandson, Shoghi Effendi,
twenty-five years later. Shoghi Effendi, then Guardian of the
Bahá’í Faith, would later name Mary Maxwell, now known
as Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum, a Hand of the Cause of
God.
This blessed house is the only Bahá’í Shrine in Canada.
Rúḥíyyih Khánum explains the importance of this Shrine in
these words:
As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is departing from Canada, the Grand Trunk
Railway train from Montreal to Toronto passes through the
town of Belleville at 1:47 p.m. A four-year-old Mohawk boy,
Jimmy Loft, is sitting on a fence that afternoon, watching
the train. At that very moment, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stands up
and, facing the window, smiles and waves at the child. Loft
would later report that he “was so confused and delighted”
that he toppled backwards off the fence. It was many years
later, in May 1948, that James Loft would become one of the
first indigenous Bahá’ís in Canada.

37
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS TO THE WEST (XI)
THE UNITED STATES V
29 April –
6 May 1912
9 – 12 September 1912
16 September 1912
24 - 27 September 1912
24 - 27 September 1912
In Salt Lake City, Utah, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, accompanied by
friends, translators, and Saichiro Fujita (who will be a
faithful helper to Him until the end of His life), attends the
State Fair and visits the Mormon Tabernacle. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
travels through Nevada towards San Francisco.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Western journey commences as He stays in
Buffalo, New York. He visits Niagara Falls on 12 September.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits Chicago.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá returns briefly to Chicago.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá is in Denver, Colorado for a few days.
Louis Gregory and Louisa Mathews are married in New
York. Theirs is the first inter-racial Bahá’í marriage. Shoghi
Effendi speaks to the significance of this event:
‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits Kenosha, Wisconsin. At the True home,
before their departure to Kenosha, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá pays no
mind to His secretary who insists they will miss their train,
which they do. As they board the next train, the friends
stare in amazement as they pass the wreckage of the earlier
train they missed, which had collided with another train.
On the way to Omaha, Nebraska, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s train stops
in Aitkin, Minnesota. On the platform is a small boy, aged
one-and-a-half, and a man waiting for a passenger. The
boy’s attention is grabbed by a very unusual man, dressed
in a white, full-length robe with a turban and a white beard,
standing in one of the train exits. That night, the boy has
the first of recurring dreams about this venerable stranger.
28 years later, William (Bill) Sears would recognize that man
as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá when his new wife, Marguerite, shows him a
picture of the Master. 45 years after the encounter in Aitkin,
Bill Sears is appointed a Hand of the Cause of God.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits Lincoln, Nebraska.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits Minneapolis, Minnesota.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
20 September 1912
23 September 1912
28 September 1912
‘Abdu’l-Bahá frequently urged inter-racial marriage.
Bringing the Gregorys together in marriage is
considered in Baha’i history as an “exemplary act” of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá and one of the most significant of the
acts He carried out during His time in the United States.

38
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS TO THE WEST (XII)
THE UNITED STATES (VI)
4 – 13 October 1912
8 October 1912
16 – 18 October 1912
‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives in San Francisco and speaks around
the Bay Area including, for example, at the Japanese Young
Men’s Christian Association in Oakland, California and at
Temple Emmanu-El in San Francisco.
On Tuesday morning in beautiful Palo Alto, two thousand
students and faculty of Leland Stanford Junior University
have filled the Assembly Hall just before 10:00 AM. Twenty-
five minutes later, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá starts speaking.
To this educated, academic crowd of well-decorated
scientists and students, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sets forth a brilliant
series of arguments and proofs for a scientific foundation
for peace.
The entire address is an extraordinarily eloquent speech
by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, but His impassioned appeal for peace
resonates as a warning bell before the First World War,
which is about to start in two short years.
(...) God created one earth and one mankind to people it. Man has no other habitation,
but man himself has come forth and proclaimed imaginary boundary lines and territorial
restrictions, naming them Germany, France, Russia, etc. And torrents of precious blood are
spilled in defense of these imaginary divisions of our one human habitation, under the
delusion of a fancied and limited patriotism. After all, a claim and title to territory or native
land is but a claim and attachment to the dust of earth. We live upon this earth for a few days
and then rest beneath it forever. So it is our graveyard eternally. Shall man fight for the tomb
which devours him, for his eternal sepulcher? What ignorance could be greater than this?
To fight over his grave, to kill another for his grave! What heedlessness! What a delusion! It is
my hope that you who are students in this university may never be called upon to fight for the
dust of earth which is the tomb and sepulcher of all mankind, but that during the days of your
life you may enjoy the most perfect companionship one with another, even as one family—as
brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers—associating together in peace and true fellowship.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá returns to the Bay Area for a second stay.
13 – 16 October 1912
16 – 18 October 1912
‘Abdu’l-Bahá spends a few days in the city of Pleasanton,
California, to visit Phoebe Hearst. Mrs. Hearst was the main
organizer of the first Western pilgrimage 14 years earlier in
November 1898.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá returns to the Bay Area for a second stay.

39
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS TO THE WEST (XIII)
THE UNITED STATES (VII)
25 – 26 October 1912
28 – 29 October 1912
31 October –
3 November 1912
5 – 6 November 1912
6 – 10 November 1912
11 November 1912
‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits Sacramento.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits Denver for the second and last time.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits Cincinnati one last time.
During these few days, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá makes His last visit to
Washington D.C.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá travels to Baltimore, Maryland and
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s last three weeks in North America are spent
in New York City, where He first arrived eight months earlier.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá stays in Chicago one final time before His
departure from North America.
12 November –
5 December 1912
‘Abdu’l-Bahá returns to the Bay Area for His final stay.
21 – 25 October 1912
18 – 21 October 1912
19 October 1912
‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives at the Hotel Lankershim in Los Angeles,
where He stays during His visit. Later that evening, He gives
a talk at the hotel.
On His first full day in Los Angeles, ʻAbdu’l-Bahá and
twenty-five other Baháʼís visit Thornton Chase’s grave.
Thornton Chase is considered the first American Baháʼí.
He had only recently moved to Los Angeles, and with his
help, the first Local Spiritual Assembly of Los Angeles was
established.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá had been looking forward to meeting
Thornton Chase, but Chase dies on the evening of 30
September 1912 shortly before ʻAbdu’l-Bahá arrives in
California on 4 October.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá designates Thornton Chase’s grave a place of
pilgrimage, and reveals a Tablet of visitation for him, which
is a prayer to say in remembrance of a person. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
decrees that his death be commemorated annually.

40
5 December 1912 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá boards the RMS Cedric for Liverpool, England
after eight unparalleled months in North America.
It is estimated by historians that in His travels in the United
States and Canada, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave close to 400 talks
in 50 cities and towns, drawing a total combined audience
of at least 93,000 people and generating close to 350
newspaper stories.
This day, aboard the steamship, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gives His
farewell address, recorded by Mariam Haney in The
Promulgation of Universal Peace:
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS TO THE WEST (XIV)
THE UNITED STATES (VIII)
This is my last meeting with you, for now I am on the ship ready to sail away.
These are my final words of exhortation. I have repeatedly summoned you to the cause of
the unity of the world of humanity, announcing that all mankind are the servants of the
same God, that God is the creator of all; He is the Provider and Life-giver; all are equally
beloved by Him and are His servants upon whom His mercy and compassion descend.
Therefore, you must manifest the greatest kindness and love toward the nations of the
world, setting aside fanaticism, abandoning religious, national and racial prejudice.
The earth is one native land, one home; and all mankind are the children of one Father.
God has created them, and they are the recipients of His compassion. Therefore, if anyone
offends another, he offends God. It is the wish of our heavenly Father that every heart
should rejoice and be filled with happiness, that we should live together in felicity and
joy. The obstacle to human happiness is racial or religious prejudice, the competitive
struggle for existence and inhumanity toward each other.
Your eyes have been illumined, your ears are attentive, your hearts knowing. You must
be free from prejudice and fanaticism, beholding no differences between the races and
religions. You must look to God, for He is the real Shepherd, and all humanity are His
sheep. He loves them and loves them equally. As this is true, should the sheep quarrel
among themselves? They should manifest gratitude and thankfulness to God, and the
best way to thank God is to love one another.
Beware lest ye offend any heart, lest ye speak against anyone in his absence, lest ye
estrange yourselves from the servants of God. You must consider all His servants as your
own family and relations. Direct your whole effort toward the happiness of those who are
despondent, bestow food upon the hungry, clothe the needy, and glorify the humble. Be a
helper to every helpless one, and manifest kindness to your fellow creatures in order that
ye may attain the good pleasure of God. This is conducive to the illumination of the world
of humanity and eternal felicity for yourselves. I seek from God everlasting glory in your
behalf; therefore, this is my prayer and exhortation. (...)

41
ENGLAND
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS TO THE WEST (XV)
‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives in Liverpool, England, where He is
greeted by Hippolyte Dreyfus, the French translator of
several Baháʼí scriptures into French and husband of Laura
Clifford Barney, compiler of Some Answered Questions.
He is also received by a number of reporters who ask Him
about His journey and His purpose in undertaking it.
13 December 1912
During His stay in Liverpool, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá lodges at the
Midland Adelphi hotel (now the Britannia Adelphi hotel).
13 – 16 December
1912
14 December 1912
15 December 1912
17 December 1912
20 December 1912
18 & 19 December
1912
‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaks on “the Search for Truth” at the
Liverpool Theosophical lodge.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá gives a talk on “the Spirit of Love and Unity” at
the Pembroke Chapel.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá delivers a well-attended talk at Caxton Hall,
where He gives an account of His journey to America and
speaks of the pervading influence of the teachings of
Baháʼuʼlláh.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá gives a talk at the Westminster Palace Hotel
that is extensive and wide-ranging. Over 600 people are in
attendance, including many celebrated writers, intellectuals,
and other distinguished people.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá receives the orientalist E.G. Browne, who met
Bahá’u’lláh 21 years prior, and his wife at His residence.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Browne converse in Persian on various
subjects related to Persia for nearly an hour. The two of
them speak again the following day, this time for two hours.
16 December 1912
16 December 1912 –
7 January 1913
‘Abdu’l-Bahá returns to London for His second visit.
While in London, ʻAbdu’l-Bahá stays at the home of Lady
Blomfield, where daily gatherings are held to receive all
sorts of visitors. Lady Blomfield herself relocates elsewhere
for the duration of ʻAbdu’l-Bahá’s stay to give Him and the
members of His retinue ample space.

42
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS TO THE WEST (XVI)
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá attends a performance of Eager Heart, a play
written by Alice Buckton, where He has a front-row seat.
More than 1200 people are in attendance. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
is moved to tears by the graphic depiction of the life and
sufferings of Jesus Christ. Afterwards, He goes backstage and
speaks to the actors at length.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá gives a lunch-table talk on Jesus Christ as
gifts are being exchanged between those in attendance.
Later that night, He gives a Christmas dinner address at the
Salvation Army Center on Great Peter Street.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá gives a talk at the King’s Weigh House Church
on love and unity which, according to one of His chroniclers,
is more well-attended than any other gathering that has
been convened up to that point.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá takes a day trip to Oxford, where He has lunch
with the celebrated Baháʼí author, Thomas Kelly Cheyne, and
his wife, Elizabeth Gibson Cheyne. He delivers an address on
various subjects that afternoon at Manchester College and
returns to London in the evening.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá speaks to the Women’s Freedom League at
Essex Hall. More than a thousand people are in attendance,
with hundreds clamoring to get in, as there are no more
seats left inside.
21 December 1912
25 December 1912
29 December 1912
31 December 1912
2 January 1913
6 – 10 January 1913
7 January 1913
8 January 1913
9 January 1913
‘Abdu’l-Bahá spends four days in Scotland and stays with
Jane and Alexander Whyte. Jane had written to ‘Abdu’l-
Bahá after her pilgrimage in 1906, and His Tablet in reply
contained the famous “Seven Candles of Unity” passage.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá gives an address on the prospect of a universal
language to the Edinburgh Esperanto Society at Freemason’s
Hall. With a thousand people seated inside, another 300
have to stand outside.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá gives an address at Rainy Hall, a divinity school,
on the coming of Baháʼuʼlláh, the teachings of Baháʼuʼlláh, and
the martyrs of the Baháʼí Faith. The entire audience consists of
Scottish clergymen, grandees, and notables.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá gives an address on religious and philosophical
subjects to the Theosophical Society of Edinburgh at 28
Great King Street at yet another venue teeming with people.
ENGLAND & SCOTLAND

43
ENGLAND & FRANCE
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS TO THE WEST (XVII)
10 – 21 January 1913 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá returns to London for His third and final visit.
At the home of Lady Blomfield, He succinctly summarizes
the profoundest aim of His journeys to the West:
15 & 16 January 1913
17 January 1913
17 January 1913
12 January 1913
‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits Bristol, England. On 15 January, He
gives an address on the Lesser Peace and the teachings of
Baháʼuʼlláh at the Clifton Guest House.
Back in London, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gives the outline of an original
play, The Drama of the Kingdom, to the playwright Gabrielle
Enthoven, who lives one floor above Lady Blomfield.
While on His day trip to Woking, ʻAbdu’l-Bahá gives a
lunchtime address to various dignitaries from London
at a building used for The Asiatic Quarterly Review, and
then speaks at a public gathering at the Sháh Jahán
Mosque—attended by an enormous audience consisting
of wealthy Englishmen, respected Egyptians and Indians,
and the grandees of Istanbul, among many others—on the
foundation and truth of the divine religions, as well as
universal peace and the oneness of humanity. Even when it
begins to rain in the middle of ʻAbdu’l-Bahá’s address, His
audience continues listening to His words intently.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá gives an address on the faculty of meditation
to the Quakers Meeting House at St. Martin’s Lane.
22 January –
31 March 1913
‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives in Paris and mainly speaks in small
gatherings, held either at the three residences where He
lives during those several months, at the Scott residence
during their Monday night gatherings, or at the Dreyfus-
Barney residence during their Friday night gatherings.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s daughter, Rúḥá Khánum, spends a few
overlapping months in Paris after receiving throat surgery
and ʻAbdu’l-Bahá pays several visits to her at the clinic.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá meets the Persian Envoy and prominent
Ottoman government officials, and gives talks to
Esperantists and Theosophists.
I have come with a torch in my hand, seeking out those
who will arise and help me to bring about the Most
Great Peace.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá returns to Stuttgart, leaving for Budapest,
Hungary that same evening.
44
FRANCE & GERMANY
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS TO THE WEST (XVIII)
1 – 7 April 1913 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives in Stuttgart, Germany and stays at the
Hotel Marquardt. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is taken to see various sights,
such as Wilhelma, the Schloss Solitude, and the Bismarckturm.
3 April 1913 ʻAbdu’l-Bahá gives an address on the subject of religion
at the Bürgermuseum. Though the talk is given to the
weekly gathering of Baháʼís in Stuttgart, many of those in
attendance are not Baháʼís.
4 April 1913 ʻAbdu’l-Bahá is taken to Esslingen to attend a festival put
on by Baháʼí children. After having tea and sweets and
taking photographs, He returns to Stuttgart later that day.
7 April 1913 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visits Bad Mergentheim, stopping at the Hotel
Lamm-Post in Schwäbisch Hall for lunch and a bit of rest.
6 April 1913 ʻAbdu’l-Bahá gives an address to a large crowd at the Obere
Museum on the advent and teachings of Baháʼuʼlláh.
8 April 1913
12 February 1913 ʻAbdu’l-Bahá gives an address to the Paris Esperanto Group
on the differences between universal and particular affairs.
A special banquet is held in His honor. The audience is
deeply engaged; they greet Him with vigorous applause,
and punctuate His delivery with expressions of praise and
excitement.
16 February 1913
16 February 1913
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá has an extensive conversation with a Christian
minister, Pasteur Henri Monnier. An authenticated record of
their dialogue exists in the original Persian.
The only color photograph of ʻAbdu’l-Bahá, a glass color
print, is taken on this day. The image is included in
“L’Histoire mondiale de la photographie en couleurs” (World
History of Color Photography) under the title, “The Prophet
‘Abdu’l-Bahá”.
21 February 1913 ʻAbdu’l-Bahá gives an address to the Alliance Spiritualiste on
peace, unity, and human brotherhood at the hall of the Union
Chrétienne de Jeunes Gens, the French name for the YMCA.
13 February 1913 ʻAbdu’l-Bahá gives an address on the various forms of life,
the outpourings of divine grace, and the momentousness of
this age at the headquarters of the Theosophical Society of
France. He concludes His talk by chanting a prayer that fills
all those present with heavenly delight.

45
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS TO THE WEST (XIX)
En route to Budapest, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá briefly stops in Vienna
to catch a connecting train to Hungary. Iranian Baháʼís are
waiting for him at the station, and He speaks to them briefly
before continuing on His journey.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá lodges at the Hotel Ritz during His time in
Budapest. While there, He has His portrait painted by Róbert
Nádler over the course of three sittings in his studio, and a
recording of His voice is also made which is now lost. During
His stay, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá meets with a number of well-known
academics and leaders of peace movements, among them
Turks, Arabs, Jews, and Catholics.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá gives an address at the Old Parliament Building
on the oneness of humanity, universal peace, education,
the rights of women, a universal language, the union of the
East and the West through spiritual power, and the Baháʼí
teachings. More than 800 people—among them various
dignitaries, professors, and leaders of Budapest—are seated
in the stately hall where He speaks.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá pays His first visit to professor Armín Vámbéry,
the renowned orientalist and traveler, who was elderly and
sick at the time. Vámbéry is so profoundly impressed by his
meetings with ʻAbdu’l-Bahá that he declares his belief in the
Baháʼí Faith soon afterwards. Later that night, ʻAbdu’l-Bahá
gives a talk to the members of the Star of the East at the
headquarters of the Theosophical Society.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá attends a majestic gathering held by the
Turanian Society at the National Museum, where He
discusses the teachings of Baháʼuʼlláh. In spite of the
inclement weather, which will ultimately give ʻAbdu’l-Bahá
a lingering head cold, there are hundreds in attendance,
among them several eminent professors, and diplomats.
8 – 18 April 1913
11 April 1913
12 April 1913
14 April 1913
8 April 1913
AUSTRIA & HUNGARY
18 – 24 April 1913
‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrives at the Grand Hotel Wien in Vienna,
Austria three days after the planned date because of
a severe infection. While there, He visits the Stadtpark,
the Schönbrunn Palace and Zoo, and the Karlskirche.
In addition, a young sculptor by the name of Alexander
Engelhardt, who by that time had made several statuettes
of important personages, sculpts a bust of ʻAbdu’l-Bahá.
In Vienna, He meets the Persian minister, the Ottoman
ambassador, and other diplomats.

46
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS TO THE WEST (XX)
19 April 1913
21 & 22 April 1913
23 April 1913
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá speaks at a gathering of Theosophists held at
the home of Professor Lajos Thern and his wife, Marguerite.
In spite of the lingering cold He caught in Budapest,
He walks up 120 steps to reach this gathering, since the
building is new and an elevator has yet to be installed.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá speaks at the Theosophical Society lodge,
where He discusses the divine verses, the complete
bonds that exist between all things, and other subjects.
The following evening, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá returns there to give
another talk on the teachings of Baháʼuʼlláh.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá meets with Baroness Bertha von Suttner, the
first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
25 April –
1 May 1913
The Master returns to Stuttgart, Germany, on His journey
back to France.
The head cold ʻAbdu’l-Bahá caught in Budapest has
worsened by this point, such that it prevents Him from
talking very much.
For most of His final days in Germany, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá receives
visitors in His hotel room.
Despite His efforts to limit His conversations, He talks so
much with those who come to see Him that He eventually
develops a violent cough and a slight fever. Multiple
physicians examine Him and prescribe treatment.
1 May –
12 June 1913
This marks ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s third and final stay in Paris.
Exhausted by three years of constant travels, talks, and
meetings, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s physical strength is greatly
depleted.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá spends His final month and a half in Paris
receiving various guests, paying visits to friends, going for
strolls and occasional excursions, composing Tablets, and
speaking at smaller gatherings.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá again meets with Ottoman and Persian
ministers.
AUSTRIA, GERMANY
& FRANCE

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