Bahá’í World/Volume 9/Two Glimpes of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
11.
TWO GLIMPSES OF ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ
He That Is Greatest Among You Shall Be Your Servant*
BY ROY C. WILHELM
IN the penal fortress of ‘Akká, in Palestine, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean, the “Tideless Sea,” there is a prisoner and an exile. His name is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, which means, the Servant of God. “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.” (Isaiah, 42.)
It was in this Holy Land that Jesus of
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*Matt. 23:11.
Nazareth traveled nineteen hundred years ago, preaching and teaching in the streets of the cities the simple Truth of God. It is true that only a few ignorant fishermen were able to comprehend His message.
That which most impresses the pilgrim to the "Most Great Prison,” at ‘Akká, is the spirit of sacrifice. Nowhere have I witnessed such love, such perfect harmony. The desire of those in that prison is to serve one another. In our western liberty it is difficult to realize the bitter antagonism and hatred which exists in the East between the
“Knock and it shall be opened unto you.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Doorway during the days of imprisonment in ‘Akká, Palestine.
Note: This photograph was taken by Mr. Wilhelm during his visit in 1907 and formed the cover of the little booklet, the text of which follows.
The old stone steps leading to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s door at the top. This photograph was made by Roy C. Wilhelm in 1907 who in describing it says: “At the right of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s room was a small room in which he often dictated to His secretaries. His room adjoined ours on the second floor with dining room between. I was not well in those days, often wakeful, and I would hear ‘Abdu’l-Bahá about working much through the nights as well as days.”
followers of the several great religious systems. For example, a Jew and a Muḥammadan would refuse to sit at meat together; a Hindu to draw water from the well of either. Yet, in the house of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá we found Christians, Jews, Muḥammadans, Zoroastrians, Hindus, blending together as children of the one God, living in perfect love and harmony.
Each of these systems proclaims that it is striving to promote the ”Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man.” To accomplish this end the Christians have sent out many missionaries into the East, and from the systems of the East have come missionaries into the West. Each has seen the realization of its dreams only through the triumph of its own over all the other systems, but during all the centuries none has succeeded in consuming another. It is estimated that the three foremost in point of numbers stand about as follows: Buddhists, 550,000,000; Christians, 500,000,000; Muḥammadans, 350,000,000. Like the Christians, all the others have divided and subdivided into many branches, some of them as antagonistic as the systems themselves.
At the house of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in ‘Akká, we met many of these peoples, but they had lost all trace of the discord and hatred which has been inbred and cultivated for centuries, and now they are as members of one Household. They sacrifice their lives for one another. To what shall we attribute this miracle of unity?
At Port Sa‘id, Egypt, a resident Bahá’í came to the steamer with a boat to carry us ashore. After the formalities of the Custom House, we were driven to our hotel, where we remained two days awaiting the arrival of a Russian steamer for Haifa, Syria, the regular steamer being obliged to omit its trip on account of a sirocco (hot wind and sand storm), which came from the desert and visited Port Sa‘id the day after our arrival, virtually suspending traffic on both land and water for about twelve hours. The evening of the second day four of our American friends returning from ‘Akká arrived in Port Sa‘id, and we had a most interesting meeting with the resident believers. We had heard much of the love and kindness shown by the Oriental brothers to the pilgrims from the West—after our visit to Port Sa‘id we understood.
The following evening, April 20th, we sailed on the Russian ship for Haifa. It was still quite rough as a result of the sirocco. The next morning at eight-thirty we reached Jaffa, the port of Jerusalem, where the unloading of cargo caused a delay. At one o’clock we left for Haifa and the little vessel was pushed to its fullest capacity in the hope that it might make port before sunset, which would enable the passengers to land. Fortunately we arrived just in time, and at six-thirty dropped anchor a mile from shore. Owing to the shallowness of the water passengers are landed in small boats, and this is easy only under the most favorable weather conditions. Although the storm had subsided, there was still some sea running, which made the landing difficult, particularly as it was dark when we reached shore. We were not delayed by the inspection of our baggage and so immediately took a carriage to the hotel Carmel, which we reached after ten minutes drive.
Our friend at Port Sa‘id had given us letters to two merchants in Haifa, but the messenger we dispatched to them returned with the information that both had gone to ‘Akká. We had the address of another believer, whose son we knew in this country, and we then sent to him, but it was so late that he did not receive our message until the following morning. He came quite early to the hotel, and his warm welcome made us feel that close relationship into which this Revelation brings all people.
In the afternoon we went to his home and later visited the Tomb of the Báb, which is about a mile above Haifa on Mt. Carmel and which overlooks the city and the bay. The Tomb faces ‘Akká, which place one can plainly see on a clear day.
I preceded the others a half hour in order
to make some photographs before the
sun was too low. Upon reaching the Tomb
I found only one room open and within were
several Persians sitting about a table. They
did not understand English, but by tapping
my camera and making signs I made my
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wishes known and received permission to
take some pictures.
I saw upon the finger of one of them, a venerable man with flowing white heard, a ring such as is worn by many of the believers. As he was close to me, I whispered in his ear in Arabic the universal Bahá’í greeting; he immediately cried it aloud, and as he grasped me in his arms and kissed me on both cheeks the tears came into his eyes. Then they all crowded round, pressing my hands, and I knew that I was among friends. In the meeting of the West with the East is fulfilled the prophecies of the Books.
The following morning our friend received permission for us to proceed to ‘Akká, and we engaged a high-bodied carriage for the drive of ten miles, as two streams had to be forded. The smooth hard sand at the edge of the Mediterranean is the road, and as we drove along, the waves would frequently wash up against the horses feet. The little horses knew that the sand was hardest at the water’s edge, and they followed the waves as they washed up and receded, traveling in scallops, as it were. It is a low sandy coast and the outline is broken only by an occasional clump of date palms and tall cactus plants. We passed here and there an Arab on horseback, usually with a long rifle pointing above his shoulder; also a number of natives with their flowing garments girded up into their belts to give greater freedom and to offer less resistance to the wind, which at times blew with considerable force. Above the water line the sand seemed to be constantly shifting into irregular mounds, some of them as much as fifteen or twenty feet in height.
It was after two o’clock when we entered the gate of the prison city and we were rapidly driven through narrow winding streets, the driver cracking his long whip to warn people at the turnings, and in about five minutes we stopped at a house the entrance to which was an arch having a heavy swinging door. The word “Welcome” greeted our ears, our baggage was removed from the carriage and we were assisted to the ground and conducted through the entrance so quickly that we did not at once realize we had reached the "Most Great Prison,” the end of our seven thousand miles’ journey. We passed through a courtyard and up a long flight of stone steps into an upper court from which we were ushered through a dining room into a large square room facing the Mediterranean and overlooking the three crumbling walls that remain of the once strong fortification. Here the welcome was repeated and we now realized that we were guests of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The young man who had been our escort, after inquiring if we were well and if we had had a pleasant journey, informed us that this would be our room and said he would leave us that we might rest.
In about an hour the young man returned with the announcement: "The Master is coming.” As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá crossed the threshold, He uttered the words, "Welcome! Welcome!” He then led us to a divan which extended the full length of the room, and bade us be seated beside Him; Taking my mother’s hand in His own and putting His arm around me, He spoke in Persian addressing us through an interpreter, repeating the greeting, “Welcome! Very Welcome! I have been waiting long for your coming. It is with God’s help that you have reached ‘Akká. Many leave their homes to come to ‘Akká but do not arrive. This is a good day; this a good season of the year because it is Spring. The Cause of God is like a tree—its fruit is love. How are the believers?” We answered: “They are well and are becoming more united.” He then said: “This news is the cause of my happiness, for the more they are united the more they will receive God’s confirmation. They must love one another. Each must devote and sacrifice himself and what he has for the other. I, myself, sacrifice my life for all. You represent all the American believers. In you I see all the American believers. Your faces are shining. I have been waiting long for your coming. Thank God that you came.” We replied: "We do thank God and hope to become worthy,” and He answered: ”You will become more worthy.”
We remained in ‘Akká six days, and each
day other pilgrims came to our room. Some
of them related incidents of their personal
experience with Bahá’u’lláh, and concerning
the early days of the Revelation. One, a
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Persian, told us he had been striving to come
to ‘Akká for twenty-two years, but had
been deterred by the threats of his brother
to announce that he was a Bahá’í.*
He said that his only thought was for his wife and
children, but that the yearning to meet
‘Abdu’l-Bahá had finally become so strong
that he could no longer defer making the
pilgrimage. To our inquiry as to what he
thought might result upon his return, he
replied, ”That remains with God.”
Our room fronted upon a little garden in which was a fountain, and nearby a tent in which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá receives many of those who come to see Him. So intense are the hatreds between the followers of the different religious systems that it is unusual for a man to be well spoken of outside his own system, but ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is regarded by all classes as a man of such wisdom and justice that it is to Him that they come for explanation of their religious Books, for the adjustment of their business quarrels, and even for the settlement of family difficulties. The inquirer will be told that ‘Abbás Effendi (‘Abdu’l-Bahá) makes no distinction; that He helps Jew, Muḥammadan, and Christian alike.
Neither ‘Abdu’l-Bahá nor His Father, Bahá’u’lláh, were ever taught the learning of men. Yet scientific men from different parts of the world go to question and inquire of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá about many and various matters. Learned men, priests of the different systems, and even those in authority go to consult with Him; all regard Him as their friend and adviser.
Friday mornings at seven there is another picture. Near the tent in the garden one may see an assemblage of the abject poor—the lame, the halt and the blind—seldom less than a hundred. As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passes among them He will be seen to give to each a small coin, and to add a word of sympathy or cheer; often an inquiry about those at home; frequently He sends a share to an absent one. It is a sorry procession as they file slowly away, but they all look forward to this weekly visit, and indeed it is said that this is the chief means of sustenance for
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*Four years ago one hundred and seventy Bahá’ís were martyred in his city during a period of four days.
some of them. Almost any morning, early, He may be seen making the round of the city, calling upon the feeble and the sick; many dingy abodes are brightened by His presence.
In ‘Akká the little birds fly right into the rooms. The door of the dining-room was usually open and we frequently saw them eating crumbs from the table. The evening meal is at nine, after the custom of the Persians, and it is then that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá talks and teaches. The following is the substance of what He said to us during one meal:
Since the beginning of the world up to the present time, whenever a Manifestation or a Holy One appeared, all stood against Him, disgracefully treated Him, rejected and opposed Him, persecuted His followers, plundered their possessions, and at last sentenced Him to death, saying, "This man (the Manifestation) is the cause of corrupting our laws and of destroying our religion.” They called Jesus a liar. But, notwithstanding all these afflictions which fell upon Him, He won the victory and subdued all to His Command; His spiritual authority prevailed in the world, and the deniers and those who contradicted Him failed and were frustrated. Though but few persons accepted and were converted in the Day of each one of the Manifestations, yet these few surpassed and overcame great multitudes. During the time of Christ only a few souls believed in Him, but they were so powerful in spirit that none of the learned men among the Israelites could resist and stand against them, and afterwards their light illumined the world, their call was raised abroad, their stars twinkled in heaven, their diadem became resplendent and they are shining with great brilliancy. When Christ passed away He had eleven disciples. The greatest among them was Peter and he denied Christ three times, but when Bahá’u’lláh departed He had a hundred thousand believers who were calling out Yá-Bahá’u’l-Abhá while they were under swords and daggers, and in these late years many men and women in Yazd were killed by inches without uttering a single cry or complaint, but rather called out the Greatest Name. From these incidents we may judge the future of this Revelation.
During our last meal ‘Abdu’l-Bahá broke a quantity of bread into His bowl; then asking for the plates of the pilgrims He gave to each of us a portion. When the meal was finished, He said: I have given you to eat from My bowl—now distribute My Bread among the people.
When we left ‘Akká we drove to the Tomb of Bahá’u’lláh, about two miles beyond the city. It is a small stone building of simplest construction, in a little garden of flowers. The gardener filled our arms with roses and carnations. From here we visited the beautiful garden of "Riḍván,” where Bahá’u’lláh so often went, sometimes remaining days at a time. As we were leaving, Abu’l Káẓim, the gardener, followed us across the little bridge and gave us some beautiful flowers, after which he climbed up on the wheel of the carriage and gave me a parting embrace. The “Riḍván” is in reality an island, and on both sides flow streams of clear water.
At unexpected places along the road we were surprised to again see the good faces of those we thought we had left behind, and once more they bade us good-bye.
Three days later we left Haifa by steamer for Jaffa, from where we traveled fifty—four miles by narrow—gauge railroad up to Jerusalem. During the two days there we visited both Bethlehem and the Mount of Olives. We then returned to Jaffa for steamer to Port Sa‘id and went at once to Cairo, where we remained a week visiting the friends. We found here also that love and kindness which everywhere characterized the Bahá’ís of the Orient. From Cairo we went to Alexandria, where we took a steamer for Naples.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá had told us that He would be glad if we could arrange to visit the friends in Paris and London on our way home. Therefore, after traveling through Italy and Switzerland, we went to Paris, where we remained a week and attended several interesting meetings. We also were in London a week, and there met our American friends who were returning from India, where for several months they had been teaching in this Cause.
This is the account of our journey by land and water to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, but the true Journey and the real Meeting is of the spirit, for only that “cup” which one carries there is filled.
The only claim of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is the “Station of Servitude.” As to His personality, He commands us to see the Light, not the Lamp.
“Blessed are those who know.”
A recent letter from Ḥaydar—‘Alí, an old man of seventy-four years, whom we met and who was exiled and imprisoned for twelve years, two of them in chains, for his belief in this Revelation, has as its closing paragraph the following:
“May God speed the day when the limitations of personalities, prejudices of boundaries, and distinctions of the East, West, North and South be entirely removed and all of us become true Bahá’ís.”
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ AS SEEN BY ANOTHER PILGRIM
By M. J. M.
Although the secret of the Power and
Beauty of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá lies in the eclipse
of His personality and shining forth of the
Spirit Itself in His perfect servitude to God
and man—although what impressed me
most was His impersonality—yet I find I
cannot forget the face, the features and
the man so loved by the people of Bahá
throughout the world. To meet Him is to
come under the charm and spell of the
Spirit, but notwithstanding the inner
realization memory holds up the winsome
picture of the personality to the outer eye‘.
Knowing that the Light within the Temple
is the Reality, I will describe the
Temple itself. After climbing the long
flight of steps leading from the inner
courtyard we were taken into a large light room
immediately to the right. A soft divan extended
completely around it. There we
waited, welcomed in succession by several
Bahá’í brothers, until Miss Barney arose
and announced ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He was
clothed in a long black robe open at the
front disclosing another robe of light
tan—upon His head a pure white turban. The
face was Light itself; the voice ringing with
happiness. A man of medium height, strongly
and solidly built, his weight about one hundred
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and seventy pounds; alert and active in
every movement; the head thrown back and
splendidly poised upon the shoulder, a
profusion of iron gray hair bursting out at the
sides of the turban and hanging long upon
the neck, a large, massive head full-domed
and remarkably wide across the forehead
and temples, the forehead rising like a great
palisade above the eyes; the eyes themselves
very wide apart, their orbits large and deep,
looking out like soul-windows from under
the massive overhanging brows; strong,
perfect nose; generous ears; the mouth and
chin kindly and tender yet fixed in unswerving
decision; complexion a creamy
white; beard same color as His hair, worn
full over the face and carefully trimmed
at almost full length—this is a very
insufficient world picture of a face which in its
composite is haloed with love and expresses
majesty. The focus of the soul of this
wonderful being is in the eyes. Love
lingers in their depths, and tenderness quivers
in flashes of sympathetic light upon the
lids. If the tongue were silent the eyes
would voice the Spirit’s messages in
tremulous thrills of eloquence. When the full
battery of this winsome personality is
turned upon the soul, you are immersed in
an ocean of love, you see that which was
hitherto invisible, hear the inaudible and
attain knowledge which had seemed
unknowable. As to His Power there can be no
doubt. The secret of His spiritual Beauty lies
in the eclipse of His personality. The Spirit
of God is manifest in this perfect Temple
of Servitude, this Incarnation of Love.
One morning about a week after our arrival we saw Him in the narrow garden strip which borders the sea just inside the crumbling stone wall. He was standing under a small evergreen, looking out over the blue Mediterranean, His face turned upward into the sunlight, silent, motionless, reflective, perhaps in prayer. A short distance away from Him stood a group of ten believers, all of them patriarchal men, holy and picturesque in garb and attitude, the very reproduction of the group of disciples who attended the Christ of Nazareth nineteen hundred years ago. Some of them wore pure white gowns and turbans, some with a fold of red in the headdress, some with the green turban indicating lineage from the Prophet. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in full black with a white turban. All stood motionless for a long time; then the central figure began to walk slowly to and fro inhaling the fresh breeze coming down from the pure laboratory of the Lebanons. When He stopped they stopped; when He walked they followed, always maintaining a distance and evidencing love and reverence in their movements. Love haloed the picture. The scenes of long ago had come back in living reality before our eyes, so accustomed to different pictures in the West. After awhile Mirza Assad’u’lláh arrived at the gate of the garden carrying a large bunch of roses, which he gave to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who took them aside, buried His face in them a long time, then slowly separated them into small bunches, giving one to each of the brethren. As He did so they held His gift to their lips, then placed the floral treasure in the bosom of their loose flowing gowns. Altogether it was a heavenly picture—these bronze faces luminous with the light of Love—splendid looking men—but doubly glorious in their spiritual beauty—pictures of what men should be—of what men must ultimately become when humanity is uplifted by the grace of God into His Spiritual Image. God is manifest in any man who has the power of transforming hearts into this semblance. These loving souls had been drawn together by Divine Attraction from different walks of life, and still more significantly, from different forms of religious belief. Among them were Jews, Muḥammadans, Parsees and Christians—now all Bahá’ís—now loving each other as Christ taught.
One Friday morning we saw another
picture which carried us back to scenes in
old Jerusalem and by the waters of Galilee.
It is the custom of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá each week,
on Friday morning, to distribute alms to
the poor. From His own scanty store He
gives a little to each one of the needy who
come to ask assistance. This morning about
one hundred were ranged in line, seated and
crouching upon the ground in the open
street of the court where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s
house stands. And such a nondescript
collection of humanity they were! All kinds
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of men, women and children—poor,
wretched, hopeless in aspect, half-clothed,
many of them crippled and blind, beggars
indeed, poor beyond expression—waiting
expectantly until from the doorway came
‘Abdu’l-Bahá attended by His brother,
Badi-u’lláh. He Was clothed in pure white
from foot to turban. Quickly moving from
one to another, stopping sometimes to leave
a word of sympathy and encouragement,
dropping small coins into each eager
outstretched palm, touching the face of a
child, taking the hand of an old woman who
held fast to the hem of His garment as He
passed along, speaking holy words of light
to old men with sightless eyes, inquiring
after those too feeble and wretched to come
after their portion with a message of love
and uplift—this is what we saw with our
Western eyes untrained to holy scenes
this is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Servant of God,
as He is. Light and Love seemed to emanate
from Him. As we looked, out eager,
rushing, selfish, money-grasping life in the
West, beyond the peaceful blue of
the Mediterranean horizon, seemed dwarfed,
insignificant, little—and our hearts
turned wearily away from their burdens
to the rest of these quiet, holy scenes
in a land made holy
by such service, such sacrifice, such Love.
O, the rest and peace of doing, of being the
Will of God! The saints and holy ones of
God found the true secret of life—“they
went about doing good.”
A few days later we said good-bye to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; saw Him standing radiant and beautiful at the top of the long staircase which leads down to the inner court where the fountain plays and roses bloom all the year. The Light of Love was still upon His face—it is always there—it is a face of Love—and so I shall ever see Him.