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STAR OF THE WEST
"We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations; that all nations shall become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men shall be strengthened, that diversity of religion shall cease and differences of race be annulled. So it shall be; these fruitless strifes; these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the 'Most Great Peace' shall come."—BAHA'O'LLAH.
Vol. IX Jalal 1, 74 (April 9, 1918) No. 2
Talks by Abdul-Baha in the Holy Land
TRANSLATED BY DR. ZIA M. BAGDADI*
The following compilation of some of the blessed utterances of Abdul-Baha, after his return to the Holy Land from America, Europe and Egypt, tells some interesting news of that Holy Threshold.
IT WAS on December 5th, 1913, that Abdul-Baha, arrived at his home in Haifa, Syria. His first words to the family and to the friends who flocked to see him were: "After the end of three years, again I return to the Holy Land. Were it not for the assistance and protection of the Blessed Beauty (Baha'o'llah) I would never have had any hope of returning from such a long journey. I went as far as Los Angeles, which is situated on the western coast of America and directly opposite the land of Acca. Should a person drill a hole through the earth in that land he would come out here. Everywhere I went, my thoughts were in Acca. I traveled in many countries. I saw deserts and valleys, but no place could equal this. Indeed, the views here are indescribable. There are many places in other countries, which are famous for their grandeur; but here the views are of divine delicacy and of the gentleness of the Creator."
On December 6th, Abdul-Baha, accompanied by a great number of pilgrims, went to the holy threshold, the tomb of the Bab, on Mt. Carmel. After praying, he said: "What a beautiful gathering! In all the places I went I did not see such a beautiful, live meeting. Pray, in my behalf, at this blessed
* Were it not for the assistance of Miss Edna True, the lack of time would have prevented this servant from preparing such an article.—Dr. Zia M. Bagdadi.
spot, for all the friends and ask confirmation for them."
When Abdul-Baha was leaving, his honor Ibn-Asdak, one of the famous teachers in Persia, fell on his knees at Abdul-Baha's feet. Abdul-Baha said: "According to the blessed command, it is not permitted to fall on the knees and bow down except before the blessed home and the tombs of Baha'o'llah and the Bab. Beware of deviating from the divine commands."
In the evening, Abdul-Baha spoke in Arabic because of the good gathering of Syrian people with the Persian friends. First, he spoke of the difference between the God-made beauty of the Holy Land and the man-made or artificial development in the occident, saying that the spirituality and beauty of the Holy Land cannot be found in any of the European countries. Then he illustrated the length of his journey by the following story: "A certain Kurd was awakened in the morning to say his prayers. He arose and prayed five times successively. (The Mohammedan morning prayer consists of facing Mecca, reading a passage from the Koran, and bowing and kneeling twice in supplication.) The people said to him, 'What art thou doing? The morning prayer should be uttered only twice and thou art repeating it five times.' He replied, 'God bless you. I do not say my prayers often. When I do say them, why should I say them only twice? The more the better!' So it was with us. We had not traveled before,
so when we started, we went on a long journey. Every day, we were in a town or a city. Indeed, the American cities are very large. I spoke of the validity of his holiness, Christ, and of the accepted Messenger (Mohammed) in most of the Christian churches and in the synagogues of the Jews. When I arrived there, I found that the proofs of the validity of the divine Manifestations had not been given, nor the spiritual questions explained in those churches and public gatherings. Therefore, I arose to explain and give proofs. My addresses comprise more than two volumes."
On December 9th, Abdul-Baha went to Acca. The train was filled with the friends, who were chanting poems with infinite joy, until they arrived in the Holy City. After dinner Abdul-Baha went to the holy tomb and prayed for all the believers. The inhabitants of Acca, who had been bitter enemies for more than two-score years received him with utmost joy, respect and humbleness. Abdul-Baha said: "I did not like to have such a big gathering on my arrival in Acca. I intended to go quietly to visit the tomb of Baha'o'llah and to stay for a few days. Now I have to return sooner to Haifa." And with the same joy and fragrance, they returned to Haifa.
As to the health and happiness of Abdul-Baha, he said many times: "My health and happiness are in this, when I see the friends of God engaged in spreading the divine fragrances, arising to serve the Cause of God, forgetting every thought save that of teaching, casting into the corner of forgetfulness every matter but that of unity and harmony. Consider in every age what confirmation and assistance were received by those souls who devoted their time to serving the Cause and spreading the divine fragrances. On the contrary, those who were absorbed by personal interests or political affairs degraded not only themselves but their associates. Thus, in this day, the friends of God should see that all glory lies in teaching the Cause of God and that every happiness is found in the shadow of the Word of God."
A talk by Abdul-Baha, on December 17th, in Acca: "How very unjust the people are! From the day of the appearance of his holiness, Christ, until now he has not been mentioned in the synagogues of the Jews. Now, the Bahais are proving in the Jewish synagogues that Christ is the Word of God and that Christ is the Spirit of God. In the Christian churches, the Bahais are proving that his holiness, Mohammed, the Messenger was a prophet of God. Notwithstanding this, the people are not pleased with us. Once, when I was on my way to speak in a church in New York city, a person from India, a man prominent in that city, met us accidentally. He was surprised and said to himself, 'I will go and see what all this is about.' He came to the church and saw me standing on the platform, proving the prophethood of his holiness the Messenger of God. Indeed, he became amazed. When we came out, his face was radiant beyond description. He said, 'In the name of God! What does this mean, that a person proves the prophethood of his holiness, Mohammed, in the presence of the Christian ministers!' He became much attracted to the Cause. In reality, the church was full of people. Afterwards, the minister, too, showed his appreciation, thankfulness and joy.
"Although we were in the utmost weakness and feebleness during this journey, yet the confirmations of the Blessed Beauty were like unto the surging sea. Wherever we went, just before beginning to speak, I saw the doors opening and the lights of the Sun of Reality confirming, beyond the power of description. Everywhere we went, in churches, synagogues and meetings, I turned first to the Kingdom of Abha,
seeking, for a few minutes, the confirmations. Then, knowing that the confirmations of the Blessed Beauty were hovering over that assembly, I would begin to speak."
Talk by Abdul-Baha in his home, December 20th:
"Today I came down here. It was a pleasant walk. Praise be to God, that, through the favor and bounty of the Blessed Beauty, I reached the holy threshold. I had no other desire but to reach here. Many nights I thought of this wish. I saw that I did not want any thing but this and for me there can never be a better climate than we have here. I traveled in many countries. I went to the world's most famous climates, such as Dublin, New Hampshire, the summer resort of Washington's government officials and statesmen. It is a place of high altitude with many forest trees; its climate is of the utmost delicacy. Also, we went to Denver, Colorado. Its climate is very good; it is a beautiful city. Again, we were in Switzerland, which is far famed, and in the summer people from all regions go there. Yet there is no climate like that of Haifa. The climate of Acca is better than that of Haifa, but these forts and arsenals are connected together and are very damp. If these are removed, its climate will become excellent.
"When we first came here we were put into the barracks. In ten or fifteen days we began to fall like leaves because of sickness. No one remained upon his feet except myself and the late Agha Riza. I used to cook a kettle of soup for them to eat in the daytime and a kettle of rice for the night. I saw Hadji Ali Asghar with his eyes closed, crying, 'Neh-neh jan, neh-neh jan' (Grandma dear, grandma dear). I passed by him; he opened his eyes and became very much ashamed. His wife, Hussein Agha's mother, had fever and was saying, 'What is the matter with me?' On the other side, Hussein Agha (Zeenat Khanum's father) was crying, 'Oh, my heart is inflamed.' Briefly, all were ill in bed. There was no one to give them water. This was the condition of Acca's climate. Our guards were ten in number. I saw nine of them in bed. The wells of Acca were as bitter as poison. Now they are sweet. During the twenty-five years that the Blessed Beauty lived in Acca there was no illness. Four times there were epidemics of cholera all about Acca, even coming very near, but they did not get in. Four persons who left Acca fell victims at its outer gates. When the news came that the plague had reached Haifa, the Christian gentlemen of Acca fled away. They went out to the villages. The plague went there, too, and they returned to Acca. The famous Austrian doctor was asked, 'What happened that the plague did not reach Acca?' At first, he did not reply; afterwards he said, that the forts and arsenals protected it. Thus no sickness occurred in Acca until the departure of Baha'o'llah. Then all places except Acca became free from the plague. All the Christians in Acca said, 'The talisman of Acca is shattered.'
"The signs of power and greatness from the appearance of all the holy Manifestations of God—May my soul be a sacrifice to them!—were evident only to the believers. For example, in the days of his holiness, Moses, he was praised by those souls who were believers. In the days of the Spirit (Christ) the cause was evident to eleven persons. Likewise, in the days of his holiness the Messenger, the greatness of the cause was evident to the believers. But in this Blessed Manifestation everybody wrote incomparable poems during the (days after Baha'o'llah's) departure. A certain Christian said: 'Though I am not a believer in Baha'o'llah, yet I find his miracles like unto the sun.'
"In Bagdad, all the learned, sages, great and high personages, among them
(Continued on page 23)
STAR OF THE WEST
PUBLISHED NINETEEN TIMES A YEAR
By the BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, 515 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Ill., U. S. A.
Entered as second-class matter April 9, 1911, at the post office at Chicago, Illinois, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Editorial Staff: ALBERT R. WINDUST — GERTRUDE BUIKEMA — DR. ZIA M. BAGDADI
Honorary Member—MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
Terms: $1.50 per year; 10 cents per copy
Make Money Orders payable to BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, P. O. Box 283, Chicago, Ill., U. S. A.
To personal checks please add sufficient to cover the bank exchange.
Address all communications to BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, P. O. Box 283, Chicago, Ill., U.S.A.
TABLET FROM ABDUL-BAHA.
HE IS GOD!
O thou Star of the West!
Be thou happy! Be thou happy! Shouldst thou continue to remain firm and eternal, ere long, thou shalt become the Star of the East and shalt spread in every country and clime. Thou art the first paper of the Bahais which is organized in the country of America. Although for the present thy subscribers are limited, thy form is small and thy voice weak, yet shouldst thou stand unshakable, become the object of the attention of the friends and the center of the generosity of the leaders of the faith who are firm in the Covenant, in the future thy subscribers will become hosts after hosts like unto the waves of the sea; thy volume will increase, thy arena will become vast and spacious and thy voice and fame will be raised and become world-wide—and at last thou shalt become the first paper of the world of humanity. Yet all these depend upon firmness, firmness, firmness!
(Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
Vol. IX
No. 2
Tenth Annual Mashrak-el-Azkar Convention and Bahai Congress
Under the Auspices of the Bahai Temple Unity.
Auditorium Hotel, Chicago, April 27-30, 1918.
PROGRAM
SATURDAY, APRIL 27.
Headquarters: Auditorium Hotel, Michigan Blvd. and Congress St., Phone Harrison 5000, ask for Bahai room.
Banquet: Celebrating the Feast of El-Rizwan, Auditorium Hotel, Banquet Hall, ninth floor, 6 p. m., under the auspices of the Bahai Assembly of Chicago.
SUNDAY, APRIL 28.
Morning: An opportunity for the friends to visit the *Mashrak-el-Azkar grounds, 10:30 a. m.
Afternoon: First Session Bahai Congress, Auditorium Hotel, ninth floor, 3 p. m.
Evening: Informal Social Meeting by the Bahai Assembly of Chicago for the visiting delegates and friends, Auditorium Hotel, ninth floor, 8 p. m.
MONDAY, APRIL 29.
Morning and Afternoon: Sessions of the Tenth Annual Mashrak-el-Azkar Convention, Auditorium Hotel, ninth floor, 10 a. m. and 2 p. m.
Evening: Second Session Bahai Congress, Auditorium Hotel, ninth floor, 8 p. m.
TUESDAY, APRIL 30.
Morning and Afternoon: Sessions of the Tenth Annual Mashrak-el-Azkar Convention, Auditorium Hotel, ninth floor, 10 a. m. and 2 p. m.
Evening: Third Session Bahai Congress, Auditorium Hotel, ninth floor, 8 p. m.
*Mashrak-el-Azkar, is from the Persian, literally translated means: "The Dawning-place of the Mentionings of God."
Letter from Secretary of Bahai Assembly of Chicago
To the Bahai Assemblies throughout America—Greeting:
"The Executive Board has voted to accept the invitation of the House of Spirituality on behalf of the Chicago Assembly to hold the Convention and the Congress in Chicago at the Auditorium Hotel. The first session of the convention will be at 10 a. m. of April 29th and will continue through the 30th." (Copy of telegram from Secretary of Bahai Temple Unity.)
Therefore, we address this letter to the friends in all the cities where the beloved Cause has been reflected and invite them to join us here, in the celebration of the glorious feast of Rizwan, on Saturday evening, April 27th, prior to the opening of this Tenth Annual Mashrak-el-Azkar Convention and Bahai Congress, in order that the fragrances of that joyful gathering may become as an invocation to the momentous work to be undertaken on behalf of the erection of the Mashrak-el-Azkar by the delegates chosen for that purpose from the different cities.
Whether you can come or not, let us all pray that our coming together this year may yield such fruits as will gladden the heart of Abdul-Baha. Then let us work together in the protection of the Covenant so that not only the Mashrak-el-Azkar will be realized, but the Cause of God will be furthered to such an extent as has not been seen before.
We hope that as many as can will come. The Chicago Assembly is eagerly awaiting you and is planning to avail itself of the opportunity to be of service to the servants of Abdul-Baha. . . . .
With Bahai love and greeting,
BAHAI ASSEMBLY OF CHICAGO.
Carl Scheffler, Secretary.
Letter from Secretary of Bahai Temple Unity
To the Bahai Assemblies of North America and the Occident—Greetings:
Pursuant to the constitution and by-laws of the Bahai Temple Unity of Illinois and at the direction of the Executive Board, I hereby notify you that the Tenth Annual meeting of the Bahai Temple Unity will be held at Chicago, Monday, April 29th, and Tuesday, April 30th, 1918, at the Auditorium Hotel. The first session will begin at 10 o'clock in the morning of April 29th, followed by sessions in the afternoon and on Tuesday.
As a constituent member of the Unity, the. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .assembly is entitled to send. . . . . . . . . delegate to this Annual Meeting and Convention of the Corporation and your assembly is hereby called to meet forthwith to elect such delegate (also an alternate) who shall be the representative of your assembly, to serve for the term of one year in the National Body as provided by Article IV of the Constitution.
A certificate of election of both delegate and alternate, should be in the hands of the Secretary of the Bahai Temple Unity not later than April 20th.
For the purpose of guidance, the following words of Abdul-Baha are reproduced here, in order that your assembly may conform completely to the instructions
and requirements of the Center of the Covenant. These instructions should be your standard in determining the qualifications necessary for one to be a delegate, an alternate, or an elector.
In 1912, shortly before the election of the House of Spirituality, of Chicago, Abdul-Baha was asked: "What are the qualifications necessary for the members of the House of Spirituality?" Abdul-Baha replied: "They must be souls, well known as Bahais, firm and steadfast in the Covenant. The greatest requirement is to be firm and steadfast in the Covenant."
Again he was asked: "If at the time of an election many are brought in who seldom attend the meetings, in order to cast their votes, what shall we do?" Abdul-Baha answered: "The members of the Spiritual Assembly must be well known and firm Bahais. Those souls who come once in a while to the meetings are not Bahais."
Some one suggested getting up a circular letter to be signed by those present at the election in which their beliefs are stated, especially regarding firmness in the Center of the Covenant. Abdul-Baha answered: "Some one might sign it falsely. These electors must be well known and qualified Bahais. . . ." (Notes taken by Mirza Mahmood.)
The object and aim of the Convention is the building of the Temple of God, the Mashrak-el-Azkar. All our energies must be sacrificed to the attainment of this great object in the inner and outer world in these days, while the beloved Abdul-Baha, is amongst us.
During the past year the Cause of God, and the world have witnessed events of the utmost importance. Praise be to God, the Bahais following the example of Abdul-Baha are engaged in supplicating to God, that all the heedless souls may be forgiven, and that through a wave of the divine mercy, the world of beings may attain capacity, and find rest and composure under the canopy of truth and faithfulness.
May the love of God, attract all hearts and the glory of God, become manifest in all our deliberations and may our deeds find divine acceptance at the holy threshold. The bounties of the Kingdom are outpouring, the fragrances of the divine garden are being inhaled by those whose spiritual nostrils are opened, a new consciousness and new life is quickening the hearts and souls.
May we all, revolving around the basis of unity, the Covenant of God, attain through purity of purpose and intention, such spiritual power that the world of man will become conscious of its spiritual Center.
Faithfully yours, in His love,
EXECUTIVE BOARD, BAHAI TEMPLE UNITY,
Harlan F. Ober, Secretary.
O friends, know that the believers of God must be the cause of union and love among all mankind, and until they attain to perfect harmony and agreement they will not become the remedy for the healing of this sick world. From the very beginning of the Mashrak-el-Azkar in Ishkabad, Russia, day by day, everything has been in perfect harmony, until the believers there accomplished their aim, and it was builded easily, for it was builded by love. Now I hope that in America it will be the same as in Russia, and the Mashrak-el-Azkar there be erected by the power of the union and love existing among the believers.
(Extract from message to the American believers, revealed by Abdul-Baha, Acca, Syria, January, 1909; translated by his daughter, Monever Khanum.)
Talks by Abdul-Baha in the Holy Land
(Continued from page 19)
Seyed Daoud and Abdul-Rahman Effendi Alossy, were in the utmost humbleness." . . . .
On December 22d, a great number of pilgrims from all parts of the world gathered in Haifa. The large home of Abdul-Baha was too small for them all, so two meetings were held on the same night. To the first gathering Abdul-Baha spoke as follows: "You are welcome, most welcome! We have divided the friends into two groups,' but the place is still too small—O my God, increase their number and bless them!
"When I was in Europe and America I saw that some people were saying, 'How can this Cause grow as these gray bearded Persians imagine it will? The present world has changed and the time when religion had influence has now passed away.' I knew that they were saying these things to themselves and so at the end of the conversation I explained that when Christ was crucified he had twelve disciples. One of them denied him three times and another sold him for a little money; notwithstanding this, consider now how important was his cause. But at the time of the departure of the Blessed Beauty there were at least a hundred-thousand souls who would sacrifice their lives for him. These same thoughts that you have now were also prevalent in Christ's time and so little did they care for him that it is not even known where he was buried. And three hundred years later, when St. Helen went to the Holy Land, some people, thinking of their own personal benefit, went to her and said, 'We dug the ground here and found the cross on which they crucified his holiness, Christ.' This was the foundation of the tomb of Christ. It is not even known where the tombs of Mary and the disciples are. The Catholics say that the tombs of Paul and Peter are in Rome. Others say that they are in Antioch. They were so unimportant that one of the philosophers of that time who wrote a book against Christ, said, 'This person Christ, never existed and there never was such a man. This is what Paul and Peter have made up. A criminal person was crucified in Jerusalem. These two came and made him the Christ, for their own interests.' Praise be to God! in the days of the Blessed Beauty, his Cause became famous in all regions and all of his signs and friends are known and manifest.
"The Persians used to ask, 'What is going to happen to Persia?' I said: 'The conditions existing now, are the causes of destruction. These dissensions, these parties, one democratic, another constitutional, are destroying Persia day by day. Compare the present conditions of Persia with those ten years ago. These dissensions have destroyed Persia and day by day, it is becoming worse.' They asked, 'What will be the future?’ I answered, 'I will give you an example which illustrates the future of Persia. It is sufficient and complete and you should take it as a standard: Mecca is a piece of stony land, a non-cultivated valley, where even grass never grows. It is a dry, intensely hot desert and is not fitted to be inhabited. What would thrive in a rocky, arid land? But because it was the native land of his holiness the Messenger, this rocky and stony land became the center toward which people in all regions turn their faces and bow in prayer. From this, you should see the future of Persia. This is an illustration. An arid land, because it was the native land of his holiness, the Messenger, became the center of all the horizons. But Persia is green and verdant; it has beautiful roses; its climate is gentle and its water is sweet. From this you should measure what the
future of Persia will be. This example is sufficient'."
"Welcome! How are you! No strength is left in me because I have talked so much, from morning until now. Sometimes it becomes a matter of duty to speak and if man fails to do so he is held responsible by God. This is one of these days. Although I was not feeling well, I spoke in detail, because it was a matter of duty to speak. Through the spreading and circulating of falsehoods in these regions the hearts of certain people have harbored them. I spoke of what I said in Europe and America and of what was spread in the papers. I explained to them that it was not as they understood it. For instance, they believed that we were the enemies of his holiness Mohammed, the Messenger, and yet, many addresses had been given in the Christian churches and in the synagogues of the Jews proving the validity of his holiness the Messenger. Some of these misunderstandings were removed. Today, the mofti (judicial lawyer who rules according to the laws in the Mohammedan religion) said to me, 'These talks which have appeared in the papers have indeed removed many superstitions.' What an injustice!
"Philosopher Vambery, who was in Budapest, Austria, had never believed in any of the religions. For years and years he traveled in Constantinople, Afghanistan, Turkestan and Persia and learned the languages of these countries very well. He said to me: 'Because of this, I am amazed and surprised, that I, Vambery have not the courage to and cannot mention the name of Christ with reverence in the churches of the Jews. But you have proved with such courage and power, in the synagogues of the Jews, that Jesus Christ was the Word and the Spirit of God.'
"In America certain people gave warnings that, 'This person is the enemy of Christ,' and upon our arrival there, they printed in the papers that 'The enemy of Christ has arrived.' Even when I was in Washington a bundle of pamphlets was thrown into my carriage as I was leaving a church in which I had just spoken to a very large gathering of people. The pamphlet contained several pages. They wrote that, 'These Bahais are the enemies of Christ and they are destroying his edifice. Is it permissible that we leave Christ, who has given his life for us for this person?' But no one listened to them and all showed their joy and appreciation. . . . .
"The Jews in America, did not oppose us. They held very good meetings and invited me. I went and spoke to them and they became very happy and manifested infinite joy. In San Francisco, they all expressed their pleasure and happiness. . . . . After these talks the Rabbi said, 'We used to believe that the orient was extinguished, but now it is evident that the East is East. These talks which we have just heard are like those of the prophets and our glorious ancestors in the past.' They were so touched and affected by the talks given in the synagogues that a letter came, saying that the Rabbi went to a minister and said to him, 'Your church is being remodeled and it will be a long time before you can use it again. Come to our synagogue and pray and supplicate in the way you desire. Saturday is our special day of Worship and Sunday will be yours'."
(To be continued.)
