# Abdu'l-Baha

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Moojan Momen, Abdu'l-Baha, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> 'Abdu'l-Bahá
> 
> Moojan Momen
> 
> 1995
> 
> I. Life of `Abdu'l-Bahá
> 
> 1. Early life 1844-92 `Abdu'l-Bahá was born in Tehran on 23 May
> 1844 (the same day as the Declaration of the Báb, q.v.) and was named
> `Abbás, after his grandfather, Mírzá Buzurg Núrí (see
> "Núrí family"). His mother was Ásiyih Khánum,
> Navváb (q.v.), herself of a notable Iranian family. Shortly after `Abdu'l-Bahá's
> birth, his father became a prominent member of the Bábí movement which was
> to change the life of the family dramatically. The most memorable event in
> `Abdu'l-Bahá's childhood was the imprisonment of his father following the attempt
> made on the life of the Shah on 15 August 1852. Bahá'u'lláh had nothing to do
> with this attempt, yet the mere fact that he was a prominent Bábí was
> sufficient to imprison him. The results for the family were catastrophic. Despite their high
> social position, their house was looted and they were reduced to poverty.
> `Abdu'l-Bahá, who was then eight years old, was attacked in the streets by other
> children. He records his distress when on one occasion he was taken to see his father in prison.
> 
> After four months Bahá'u'lláh was released from prison but ordered into
> exile. The conditions of the journey to Baghdad in March 1853 were very harsh as the family
> was ill-prepared for traveling in winter conditions. `Abdu'l-Bahá's sister, Bahiyyih
> Khánum (q.v.), records that `Abdu'l-Bahá suffered from frost-bite
> during the journey. In Baghdad there was a period of respite for the family; but then,
> Bahá'u'lláh, deciding that he could not endure the conflicts among the
> Bábís in Baghdad (see "Bahá'u'lláh.3"), departed suddenly on
> 10 April 1854, leaving his family behind. For almost two years there was no news of
> Bahá'u'lláh, which was very hard on `Abdu'l-Bahá, who was very
> attached to his father. Eventually Bahá'u'lláh was located and persuaded to
> return to Baghdad.
> 
> Some of the most important formative years of `Abdu'l-Bahá's life were the ones
> that he spent in Baghdad as a child and young man. He records that he spent his time reading
> the writings of the Báb and committing them to memory. His education was under the
> personal supervision of Bahá'u'lláh. He also enjoyed horse-riding and
> frequented Baghdad's intellectual circles. It was here, while still only seventeen years of age,
> that he wrote for `Alí Shawkat (Ali evket) Páshá a
> treatise on mysticism and metaphysics called the Sharh-i Kuntu Kanzan
> Makhfiyan (Commentary on the Islamic Tradition: `I was a Hidden Treasure...'), a remarkable feat for one so young.
> 
> During the course of the journey from Baghdad to Istanbul, and later, in both Edirne and
> Akka, `Abdu'l-Bahá increasingly assumed the role of Bahá'u'lláh's chief
> steward, taking responsibility for organizing the household and seeing to
> Bahá'u'lláh's personal requirements. He also gradually took over responsibility
> for the relationships between the small exile community and the outside world. It was he who
> arranged for Bahá'u'lláh to move outside the walls of Akka in 1877. He
> personally undertook all contacts with government officials, and supervised and vetted the
> stream of visitors that came to see his father, including the increasingly large numbers who
> came as pilgrims from Iran.
> 
> 2. Early years of his ministry 1892-1911 Bahá'u'lláh passed
> away on 29 May 1892. In such works as the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (q.v.) and the Tablet of the
> Branch (q.v.), Bahá'u'lláh had indicated that `Abdu'l-Bahá was to be
> his successor. The successorship was then clearly and unequivocally stated in
> Bahá'u'lláh's Will and Testament, the Book of the Covenant (q.v., see V
> below).
> With such a clear designation, it would seem to have been impossible to challenge
> `Abdu'l-Bahá's authority. Mírzá Muhammad `Alí (q.v.),
> `Abdu'l-Bahá's half-brother, did, however, do this on the grounds that
> `Abdu'l-Bahá had exceeded his station and claimed to be a prophet with a revelation
> from God. Although `Abdu'l-Bahá on numerous occasions denied this charge and
> specifically refuted those who were inclined to make excessive claims about him,
> Mírzá Muhammad `Alí continued to press these charges. At first,
> Mírzá Muhammad `Alí appeared to have a good deal of success and
> several prominent Bahá'ís supported him. This episode of Covenant-breaking
> (q.v.), as it was called by `Abdu'l-Bahá, raged at its most fierce from about 1895 to
> 1905. Thereafter, the outcome was clear and many who had supported Mírzá
> Muhammad `Alí either reverted to the cause of `Abdu'l-Bahá or left the
> Bahá'í Faith altogether.
> As a result of accusations against `Abdu'l-Bahá made by Mírzá
> Muhammad `Alí to the authorities, the strict terms of `Abdu'l-Bahá
> imprisonment were re-introduced in August 1901. Then, in 1905, a government commission
> of enquiry arrived in Akka to look into the charges that had been made by
> Mírzá Muhammad `Alí. This was a time of great danger for
> `Abdu'l-Bahá, but it passed and the commission's findings were lost in the political
> upheavals that were taking place at this time. In 1908 `Abdu'l-Bahá was freed from
> imprisonment, under the general amnesty after the re-establishment of the Turkish
> Constitution (see "`Abdu'l-Hamíd, Sultán").
> The other important events during this period were the growth of a large community of
> Bahá'ís in North America and of a few Bahá'í groups in
> Europe; the arrival of the first group of Western Bahá'ís in Akka on 10
> December 1898 (others soon followed); and the entombment of the remains of the
> Báb in a shrine on Mount Carmel.
> 
> 3. The Western journeys and war years (1911-21) In August 1910
> `Abdu'l-Bahá traveled to Egypt. He remained in Port Said for one month and then
> moved to Alexandria until May 1911 when he transferred to Cairo. On 11 August 1911 he left
> aboard a ship headed for Marseilles. On this trip he visited London, Bristol, and Paris,
> returning to Egypt in December.
> The following year he undertook a much more extensive journey. He set off for New York
> on 25 March 1912, arriving on 11 April. He visited Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh,
> Washington D.C., going back to New York by 11 May. For the next few months he remained
> in New York with occasional brief visits to Boston, Philadelphia, and a number of smaller
> towns as well as the Lake Mohonk Peace Conference. In August he began a more extensive
> journey, starting in New Hampshire and the Green Acre School in Maine and going on to
> Montreal, Buffalo, Chicago, Kenosha, and Minneapolis. He traveled west, reaching San
> Francisco at the beginning of October. In California he visited Oakland, Palo Alto, and Los
> Angeles before heading back eastward on 26 October. He traveled through Chicago,
> Cincinnati, Washington D. C., and Baltimore to New York. On 5 December he set sail from
> New York, arriving in Liverpool on 13 December. From Liverpool he went to London, where
> he remained until 21 January 1913 with a number of trips to Oxford, Edinburgh, and Bristol.
> In Paris, `Abdu'l-Bahá stayed two months before making a journey to Stuttgart,
> Budapest, and Vienna. After another six weeks in Paris, he left for Marseilles on 12 June and
> set sail for Port Said the next day. From 13 June until 2 December he remained in Egypt and
> then returned to Haifa.
> 
> The First World War broke out in the year after `Abdu'l-Bahá's return from his
> western journeys. For a time, `Abdu'l-Bahá moved most of the Bahá'ís
> of the Haifa-Akka area to the Druze village of Abú-Sinán, because of the
> threat of Allied bombardment of the coast. Later the danger to `Abdu'l-Bahá's person
> was renewed through the threats of the Turkish commander Jamál (Cemal)
> Páshá. There was also famine in Palestine. Eventually the war years
> passed and the British Mandate over Palestine brought the threat to `Abdu'l-Bahá to
> an end. His final years saw a growing stream of visitors and pilgrims from all parts of the
> world who came to Haifa to see him. He was awarded a knighthood by the British government
> on 27 April 1920. `Abdu'l-Bahá passed away on 28 November 1921 and was buried
> following a large public funeral in a room in the Shrine of the Bab on Mount Carmel (see
> "`Abdu'l-Bahá, Ascension of").
> 
> II. Achievements of `Abdu'l-Bahá's Ministry
> 
> 1. Direction of the affairs of the Bahá'í Faith
> Bahá'u'lláh appointed `Abdu'l-Bahá as head of the
> Bahá'í community. For nearly thirty years `Abdu'l-Bahá personally
> supervised almost every aspect of the growth and development of the Bahá'í
> Faith. He had two main methods of doing this. The first was correspondence.
> `Abdu'l-Bahá wrote little that was addressed to the Bahá'ís in general,
> but rather kept up an enormous volume of correspondence during his ministry, replying
> personally to large numbers of letters that came to him from Bahá'ís. The
> second method was his personal contact with the many hundreds of pilgrims who came each
> year. Thus he maintained a close and individually-based supervision of the general
> development of the Bahá'í Faith.
> The largest Bahá'í community during `Abdu'l-Bahá's ministry was
> that of Iran. `Abdu'l-Bahá directed his efforts towards that community, first promoting
> unity within the community and, second, encouraging it to expand and develop. In particular,
> he fostered the social development of the community: he encouraged the
> Bahá'ís to set up schools and medical facilities, and promoted the role of
> women in the community. He also guided the institutional development of the community,
> directing the Hands of the Cause (q.v.) and advising on the setting up of assemblies and
> committees (see "Bahá'í Administration"). In addition, he gave instructions for
> the refurbishment of the House of the Báb in Shiraz (q.v.).
> The Bahá'í community of Ashkhabad (see "Turkmenistan") was freer to
> develop a distinctively Bahá'í community life. Here `Abdu'l-Bahá
> encouraged the Bahá'ís to set up a number of institutions: schools, a clinic, a
> traveler's hospice, library and reading room, and public baths. This all culminated in the
> building, between 1902 and 1919, of the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkár
> (q.v.) of the Bahá'í world. With `Abdu'l-Bahá's encouragement, the
> Bahá'ís of Ashkhabad attained, as close as it was possible to achieve at that
> time, the ideal of a Bahá'í community.
> Among the new Bahá'í communities of North America,
> `Abdu'l-Bahá encouraged the growth and development of institutions such as local
> spiritual assemblies (q.v.) and the Bahá'í Temple Unity which was later to
> evolve into the national spiritual assembly (q.v.).
> 
> 2. Supervision of the expansion of the Bahá'í Faith One of the
> areas of activity that received `Abdu'l-Bahá's close attention was the expansion of the
> Bahá'í Faith. He continually monitored the activities of the
> Bahá'ís and frequently directed Bahá'í teachers to travel from
> one place to another to promote the Bahá'í Faith. At the beginning of his
> ministry, the Bahá'í Faith was confined to the Middle East and appeared to any
> outside observer to be merely a persecuted Muslim sect. By the time of his passing,
> `Abdu'l-Bahá had supervised its transformation into a religion that encircled the globe,
> with believers from many different religious backgrounds and the respect of a large number of
> prominent people in the Middle East, Europe, and North America.
> One of the most significant developments during `Abdu'l-Bahá's ministry was the
> expansion of the Bahá'í Faith to the West. This began with the journey of
> Ibrahim Kheiralla (q.v.) to the United States of America in 1892. From 1894, in Chicago,
> Kheiralla began to teach the Bahá'í Faith and to enrol large numbers.
> `Abdu'l-Bahá gave this work the highest priority. When, in 1900, Kheiralla defected
> and gave his support to Mírzá Muhammad `Alí,
> `Abdu'l-Bahá sent several experienced Bahá'ís, such as
> Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl Gulpáygání (q.v.), to the West in
> order to guide and support the American Bahá'ís.
> 
> `Abdu'l-Bahá's most important contribution to this work was his own journeys to
> the West. Through these he attracted large numbers to the Bahá'í Faith and
> encouraged the Bahá'ís to redouble their efforts to promote the religion.
> `Abdu'l-Bahá also gave the lead on the best ways of presenting the
> Bahá'í Faith in the West. His table-talks published as Some Answered
> Questions(q.v.) indicate his concern to present the Faith in terms understandable to
> those from the Christian West. In his public addresses in the West `Abdu'l-Bahá was
> able to relate the Bahá'í teachings to those matters which were of
> contemporary social concern.
> In Iran `Abdu'l-Bahá encouraged the Bahá'ís to travel throughout
> the country and teach the Bahá'í Faith. In other parts of the Middle East, he
> also encouraged the promotion of the Bahá'í Faith, especially in Egypt where
> Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl Gulpáygání was teaching at
> Al-Azhar University, the foremost academic institution of the Islamic world.
> 
> During the ministry of `Abdu'l-Bahá, the Bahá'í Faith spread to
> Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, South Africa, South America and the islands of the
> Pacific. This was to a large extent due to two factors encouraged by `Abdu'l-Bahá:
> Bahá'ís settling in other parts of the world and the extensive worldwide travels
> of a small number of Bahá'ís, which helped to create the feeling of a global
> religion. Both of these factors were to achieve even greater importance during the ministry of
> Shoghi Effendi.
> 
> 3. Building the Shrine of the Báb One of the tasks mandated to
> `Abdu'l-Bahá by Bahá'u'lláh was the erection of a suitable edifice to
> serve as a shrine for the remains of the Báb. As soon as he was able to pursue this
> goal, `Abdu'l-Bahá gave instructions for the remains of the Báb to be brought
> from Iran, where they had been hidden. After a dangerous and eventful journey, these arrived
> in Akka on 31 January 1899. At the same time, `Abdu'l-Bahá set about arranging the
> purchase of land on Mount Carmel and the erection of a suitable building. These plans
> received a set-back in 1901 when Mírzá Muhammad `Alí asserted to
> the government authorities that the shrine was in fact a fortress that `Abdu'l-Bahá was
> building preparatory to a revolt. But eventually the structure was completed and one of the
> first actions of `Abdu'l-Bahá when he received his freedom was to lay the remains of
> the Báb to rest in the shrine on 21 March 1909 (see "Báb, Shrine of the").
> 
> 4. Dealings with opponents `Abdu'l-Bahá spent most of his life
> surrounded by opponents of one sort or another. During the lifetime of his father, his main
> opponents were external to the Bahá'í Faith, officials of the governments of
> Iran and Ottoman Turkey, and religious leaders who attacked either the
> Bahá'ís or the Bahá'í leadership. In dealing with these,
> `Abdu'l-Bahá took his lead from his father. He first appealed for redress directly to the
> person who had committed the injustice. If that was not successful, he would appeal to a
> higher authority if there was one. Finally, if no redress was forthcoming, he would sometimes
> issue a general appeal. If still no redress was to be had, he would ultimately submit to the
> injustice rather than cause social instability by opposing it by other means. This was
> `Abdu'l-Bahá's way of dealing with opposition and he encouraged the
> Bahá'ís to follow suit.
> The second main form of opposition was from people who claimed to be
> Bahá'ís, whom `Abdu'l-Bahá termed Covenant-breakers (q.v.), since
> any opposition to him was in effect opposition to the Covenant (q.v.) which
> Bahá'u'lláh had established. The most important of these figures during
> `Abdu'l-Bahá's ministry was Mírzá Muhammad `Alí,
> `Abdu'l-Bahá's half-brother. In the period immediately after the passing of
> Bahá'u'lláh, `Abdu'l-Bahá kept his half-brother's actions secret, being
> unwilling to publicize the disunity in the family; but as Mírzá Muhammad
> `Alí's activities became more defiant, it became difficult for `Abdu'l-Bahá to
> prevent others from learning about them, especially from the pilgrims. In any case,
> Mírzá Muhammad `Alí himself exposed his actions in letters that he
> wrote to Iran in about 1896. `Abdu'l-Bahá then advised the Bahá'ís to
> cease all contact with Mírzá Muhammad `Alí and his supporters in
> Iran and North America. The issue of "Firmness in the Covenant" (see "Covenant.6") became
> a major theme in the writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá.
> 
> The split in the family and in the community, the disrepute which resulted for the
> Bahá'ís in the eyes of the public, the continued occupation by
> Mírzá Muhammad `Alí's supporters of the Mansion of Bahjí
> (q.v.) and their consequent control over the environs of the Shrine of
> Bahá'u'lláh (q.v.), all caused `Abdu'l-Bahá much personal sorrow.
> 
> 5. Relations with the government and the public `Abdu'l-Bahá always
> tried to maintain good relations with public officials in Akka and Haifa and with the
> government. The ease with which he was able to do this differed markedly from time to time,
> depending on the officials in post and the activities of the Covenant-breakers. In general,
> however, `Abdu'l-Bahá was very highly regarded by the local government officials in
> Akka and was frequently consulted when difficult decisions had to be made. He was also
> well-respected by the ordinary people of Akka, who knew him as a public benefactor,
> especially to the poor and destitute of the town.
> Over the years `Abdu'l-Bahá was in correspondence with many of the leading
> intellectual figures and reformers of Ottoman Turkey. In Edirne he became closely acquainted
> with the governor, Khurshíd (Hurid) Páshá,
> and the vice-governor, `Azíz Páshá. In 1878, when he was in
> Akka, `Abdu'l-Bahá was invited to Beirut. There he met with such important figures in
> the Ottoman reform movement as Midhat Páshá and
> Shaykh Muhammad `Abduh. He corresponded with them and others and
> made his own contribution to the literature of the reform movements of Iran and the Ottoman
> Empire in the form of two books The Secret of Divine Civilization (q.v.) and
> Risáliy-i-Siyásiyyih (Treatise on Politics, see "Siyásiyyih,
> Risáliy-i").
> During his journeys to the West, `Abdu'l-Bahá met many prominent persons:
> Archdeacon Wilberforce of Westminster; Dr. T.K. Cheyne (q.v.), Professor of the
> Interpretation of Scripture at Oxford University; Dr J. Estlin Carpenter, a pioneer in the field
> of comparative religion; Mrs Annie Besant, president of the Theosophical Society; the
> suffragette leader Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst; Lee McLung, United States Treasurer; Admiral
> Robert Peary of North Pole fame; the inventor Alexander Graham Bell; Dr David Starr
> Jordan, president of Stanford University; the philosophers Henri Bergson and John Dewey; the
> writer Khalil Gibran; a number of ambassadors; and many others. Almost uniformly, these
> individuals formed a very high opinion of `Abdu'l-Bahá, and several of them became
> supporters and well-wishers of the Bahá'í Faith as a result. Many Iranian and
> other Middle Eastern notables also met `Abdu'l-Bahá during his journeys and formed a
> favorable impression of the Faith. During these journeys, `Abdu'l-Bahá was
> interviewed by numerous newspapers and magazines and the resultant publicity had an
> important effect in increasing the prestige of the Faith.
> 
> III. Personal Characteristics of `Abdu'l-Bahá
> 
> Bahá'ís regard `Abdu'l-Bahá as the Perfect Exemplar of the
> teachings of his father and therefore strive to emulate him. For this reason the personal
> characteristics of `Abdu'l-Bahá have assumed an important position in
> Bahá'í teaching. Anecdotes about him are frequently used to illustrate
> particular points about morality and interpersonal relations.
> `Abdu'l-Bahá made a deep impression on all who met him. Professor E.G. Browne
> describes him thus in 1890: "Seldom have I seen one whose appearance impressed me more . .
> . 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 . . . (TN xxxvi; see also other
> accounts in BBR 315-318).
> Even avowed enemies of the Bahá'í Faith were on occasion transformed
> by meeting him. Mírzá `Abdu'l-Muhammad Írání
> Mu'addibu's-Sultán, an Iranian, and Shaykh `Alí
> Yúsuf, an Arab, were both newspaper editors in Egypt who had published harsh
> attacks on the Bahá'í Faith in their papers. They called on
> `Abdu'l-Bahá when he was in Egypt and their attitude was transformed. Similarly, a
> Christian clergyman, Rev. J.T. Bixby, who was the author of a hostile article on the
> Bahá'í Faith in the United States, felt compelled to witness to
> `Abdu'l-Bahá's personal qualities (BBR 329). The effect of `Abdu'l-Bahá on
> those who were already committed Bahá'ís was greater still.
> 
> There is universal agreement that `Abdu'l-Bahá had an imposing personal presence
> that radiated a serene, majestic and authoritative air. He was always very kind in his personal
> dealings and generous to the point that his own family complained that they were left with
> nothing. He had a keen sense of humor and frequently used jokes and amusing anecdotes to
> make his point understood. His personal life was very simple and the furnishings of his rooms
> spartan. He ate and slept little and spent some hours every day in prayer and meditation.
> `Abdu'l-Bahá directed the affairs of the Bahá'í community with
> gentle encouragement. Whenever a community was progressing, he was warm in his praise; if
> a community was stagnant or disunited, he tackled the problem energetically, writing letters
> and dispatching personal emissaries. He would not be satisfied until the matter had been
> rectified. He was inclined to allow a large range of personal interpretations of the
> Bahá'í teachings as long as these did not obviously contradict fundamental
> principles. Outbreaks of persecution of the Bahá'ís affected him deeply. He
> wrote personally to the families of those who had been martyred.
> When it came to the defense of the Bahá'í Faith against its enemies,
> `Abdu'l-Bahá showed a great deal of determination and energy. If, however, one of his
> opponents had fallen on hard times, as frequently happened in the turns of fortune that
> afflicted Ottoman officials in Akka, for example, `Abdu'l-Bahá was always
> magnanimous and on occasion even helped such fallen officials.
> 
> IV. Family of `Abdu'l-Bahá
> 
> `Abdu'l-Bahá was married on 8 March 1873 to Munírih
> Khánum (q.v.). The marriage resulted in nine children, five of whom died in
> childhood: Husayn Effendi (d. 1305/1887, aged two), Mihdí (died aged
> two-and-a-half), Túbá, Fu'ádiyyih, and Ruhangíz. Four
> daughters grew to adulthood. The oldest of these was Diyá'iyyih (d. 1951), who
> married Mírzá Hádí Shírází
> (d. 1955) in 1313/1895; their children were Shoghi Effendi (q.v.), Rúhangíz,
> Mihrangíz, Husayn, and Riyád, who all took the surname
> Rabbání. The second daughter, Túbá
> Khánum (1880-1959), married Mírzá Muhsin
> Afnán (1863-1927); their children were Rúhí (1899-1971),
> Thurayyá, Suhayl, and Fu'ád (d. 1943), who all took the surname
> Afnán. The third daughter of `Abdu'l-Bahá, Rúhá, married
> Mírzá Jalál, the son of Mírzá Muhammad Hasan,
> the King of Martyrs (see "Nahrí family"); their children were Maryam, Muníb,
> Zahrá and Hasan, who all took the surname Shahíd. The fourth
> daughter, Munavvar (d. 1971), married Mírzá Ahmad, the son of
> Mírzá `Abdu'r-Rahím Yazdí; they were childless.
> In the 1930s and 1940s a series of marriages linked the sons of Sayyid `Alí
> Afnán and Furúghiyyih Khánum, who had been
> supporters of Mírzá Muhammad `Alí, with the grandchildren of
> `Abdu'l-Bahá. As a result of these marriages, other inappropriate marriages, or refusal
> to break ties with Covenant-breakers in the family, Shoghi Effendi, in the 1940s and early
> 1950s, declared all the surviving grandchildren of `Abdu'l-Bahá (except himself)
> Covenant-breakers (see "Covenant-breaking.4.c and chart").
> 
> V. The Bahá'í View of the Station of `Abdu'l-Bahá
> 
> In the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (q.v.), Bahá'u'lláh commands his followers to
> turn toward "Him Whom God hath purposed, Who hath branched from this Ancient Root"
> (KA 121:63). In the Book of the Covenant (q.v.), it is explained that this phrase refers to
> `Abdu'l-Bahá, "the Most Mighty Branch (Ghusn-i-A`zam)" (TB 15:221).
> Also in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas is the injunction "refer ye whatsoever ye understand not in
> the Book to Him Who hath branched from this mighty Stock" (KA 174:82). In the Tablet of
> the Branch (q.v.) is Bahá'u'lláh's statement that ". . . verily He is the most great
> Favor unto you, the most perfect bounty upon you; and through Him every mouldering bone is
> quickened. Whoso turneth towards Him hath turned towards God, and whoso turneth away
> from Him hath turned away from My Beauty, hath repudiated My Proof, and transgressed
> against Me. He is the Trust of God amongst you, His charge within you, His manifestation
> unto you and His appearance among His favored servants. . . They who deprive themselves of
> the shadow of the Branch, are lost in the wilderness of error, are consumed by the heat of
> worldly desires, and are of those who will assuredly perish" (WOB 135).
> On the basis of these passages `Abdu'l-Bahá assumed authority as "the Center of
> the Covenant" and "the Interpreter of the Word of God", while at the same time stressing that
> "the real significance, the innermost secret of these very words, is my own servitude to the
> sacred Threshold of the Abhá Beauty, my complete self-effacement, my utter
> nothingness before Him" (WOB 136, 138).
> 
> Shoghi Effendi states that "in the person of `Abdu'l-Bahá the incompatible
> characteristics of a human nature and superhuman knowledge and perfection have been
> blended and are completely harmonized"; establishes `Abdu'l-Bahá as the "Perfect
> Exemplar" of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings; asserts that `Abdu'l-Bahá
> "incarnates an institution for which we can find no parallel in any of the world's recognized
> religious systems"; and finally emphasizes Bahá'u'lláh's designation of
> `Abdu'l-Bahá as the "Mystery of God" (WOB 134, 143).
> 
> VI. Teachings and Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá
> 
> 1. Teaching The teaching of `Abdu'l-Bahá was firmly rooted in what
> his father had taught. Indeed, the circumstances of `Abdu'l-Bahá's life meant that he
> received virtually no education other than what his father taught him. As he had frequently
> acted as Bahá'u'lláh's personal secretary, had been present when
> Bahá'u'lláh was giving his teachings orally, and had read most of
> Bahá'u'lláh's written output, `Abdu'l-Bahá had an intimate knowledge
> of his father's teaching.
> The distinctive aspect of `Abdu'l-Bahá's contribution was the manner in which he
> took his father's teachings and adapted them for various audiences. Most notably, this
> occurred during `Abdu'l-Bahá's journeys to the West. Despite the unfamiliar
> surroundings, `Abdu'l-Bahá was able to understand the concerns of his Western
> audiences and to elicit those aspects of Bahá'u'lláh's teaching which were most
> in accordance with these concerns. The presentation of the Bahá'í teachings
> that `Abdu'l-Bahá made during his Western journeys remains to the present day the
> standard presentation of these teachings in the Bahá'í world.
> 
> 2. Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá `Abdu'l-Bahá's principal writings
> are his correspondence with numerous Bahá'ís, well-wishers, government
> officials, and others. He wrote primarily in Persian and Arabic but there is also a small amount
> of material in Ottoman Turkish. The Bahá'í World Center currently holds over
> 27,000 letters of `Abdu'l-Bahá and he must have written many more. A large number
> of compilations of these letters have been published over the years. Some of the most
> important of the tablets, such as the Tablet to Dr. Forel, have been published separately.
> Although most of `Abdu'l-Bahá's correspondence is with individual
> Bahá'ís, some of it is addressed to Bahá'í groups and
> communities. The most important of the latter category are The Tablets of the Divine
> Plan (q.v.), written in 1916-17 and addressed to the Bahá'ís of North
> America, which Shoghi Effendi calls the "Charter" for the propagation of the
> Bahá'í Faith (MBW 84). `Abdu'l-Bahá also wrote to organizations,
> such as the Central Organization for a Durable Peace at the Hague, and occasionally to
> newspapers, such as the Christian Commonwealth.
> `Abdu'l-Bahá wrote three books: The Secret of Divine Civilization
> (1875), A Traveler's Narrative (q.v., 1886), and
> Risáliy-i-Siyásiyyih (Treatise on Politics, 1892-3). Two of these
> were written during the lifetime of his father; in later years he had little time for such work.
> Many talks of `Abdu'l-Bahá have been published. Some of these, such as
> Memorials of the Faithful (q.v.) and Some Answered Questions, were
> read and corrected by him prior to publication. `Abdu'l-Bahá also wrote a large
> number of prayers, some Tablets of Visitation for prominent Bahá'ís, and some
> poetry. Lastly, there is `Abdu'l-Bahá's Will and Testament (q.v.), which is
> referred to by Shoghi Effendi as the "Charter of Bahá'u'lláh's New World
> Order" (GPB xv). There is also a large body of literature consisting of pilgrims' notes about
> their visit to `Abdu'l-Bahá.
> 
> Bibliography
> 
> For an overall historical survey of the life of
> `Abdu'l-Bahá, see H.M. Balyuzi, `Abdu'l-Bahá; M.H. Phelps,
> Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi, republished in a revised form as The
> Master in `Akká. `Abdu'l-Bahá's Western journeys are covered in A. L.
> Ward, 239 Days: `Abdu'l-Bahá's Journey in America;
> `Abdu'l-Bahá in London; `Abdu'l-Bahá in Canada; A.
> Khursheed, Seven Candles of Unity.
> 
> A large number of records of meetings with `Abdu'l-Bahá and his public talks have
> been published. The following are merely a selection of those currently in print: A.M. Yazdi,
> Blessings beyond Measure; In His Presence (Memoirs of Roy
> Wilhelm, Stanwood Cobb and Genevieve Coy); J.M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of
> `Akká; H.S. Goodall and E.G. Cooper, Daily Lessons received at
> `Akká January 1908; R. Allen, Memories of `Abdu'l-Bahá,
> Wilmette, 1980, pp. 31-88; Diaries of Juliet Thompson, pp. 147-393; H.C. Ives,
> Portals to Freedom. A full list of published accounts of visits to Haifa-Akka by
> Western pilgrims in the time of `Abdu'l-Bahá, compiled by Peter Smith, may be found
> in BSB Sept. 1985, 3/3:102-5.
> On the station of `Abdu'l-Bahá, the primary source is Shoghi Effendi's
> "Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh", WOB 131-9). Appreciations of
> `Abdu'l-Bahá include G. Townshend, `Abdu'l-Bahá: the Master,
> Oxford, 1987; S. Lemaitre, Une Grande Figure de l'Unité: Abdul Baha,
> Paris: Adrien-Maisonneuve, 1952; see also commemorative issue of World Order
> magazine, Fall 1971, especially A. Banani, "The Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá," pp. 67-84.
> For the use of anecdotes about `Abdu'l-Bahá as material for spiritual and moral
> education, see Vignettes from the life of `Abdu'l-Bahá (ed. A. Honnold),
> Oxford: George Ronald 1982.
> Apart from those works and talks of `Abdu'l-Bahá listed in IV.2 above, the
> following have also been published: Selections from the Writings of
> `Abdu'l-Bahá; Paris Talks; Promulgation of Universal
> Peace; Tablets of Abdul Baha Abbas; Foundations of World Unity.
> Most of these are also available in Persian; in addition, there is the collection
> Makatíb-i-`Abdu'l-Bahá, 8 vols.
> 
> METADATA
> 
> Views27861 views since posted 1999; last edit 2024-11-11 13:41 UTC;
> 
> previous at archive.org.../momen_encyclopedia_abdul-baha;
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