# The Baha'is

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Lady Sarah Louisa Blomfield, The Baha'is, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> Source: The Sufi Quarterly, vol. 3 (1928), pp. 206–26.
> 
> [p. 206]
> 
> The Sufi Quarterly is fortunate in having secured an unusually comprehensive account of the inspiration and
> ideals upon which Baha’ism is built up, from one whose long connection with the Baha’i Movement has peculiarly
> fitted her to present the whole subject in a proper light. Lady Blomfield, as the hostess of the late Baha’i leader,
> Sir ‘Abdu’l-Baha ‘Abbas, during his visits to London, and through her personal acquaintance with his principal
> friends and followers, has had exceptional opportunities for studying Baha’ism at first hand. Her article will be
> read with interest, not only by the Baha’is themselves, to whom some aspects of this fresh presentation of their
> story may be new, but also by all who have at heart the spiritual welfare of our discordant and material modern
> world.
> 
> In common with the Sufis, though without the inner cult, the Baha’i Movement works to bring nations and the
> followers of different religions into closer touch, and teaches the highest spiritual ideals. The founder of the Sufi
> Movement in the West, the late Pir-O-Murshid Inayat Khan, was a warm admirer of ‘Abdu’l-Baha. He would often
> recall with pleasure a meeting with the Baha’i leader in Paris when the two discussed Eastern music and their
> respective experiences in Western lands. Perhaps the difference in their methods may best be seen from a part of
> their conversation then recorded.
> 
> “You are also preaching the brotherhood of nations?” asked ‘Abdu’l-Baha. And Inayat Khan replied: “I am not
> preaching brotherhood, but sowing the seed of Touheed, the unity of God, that from the plant of Sufism fruits and
> flowers of brotherhood may spring up.”
> 
> THE EDITOR.
> 
> ----------
> 
> [p. 207]
> 
> THE BAHA’IS
> by
> SITARIH KHANUM (Lady Blomfield)
> 
> The purpose of this article is to give a brief sketch of the Baha’i Movement, in the course of which it is
> hoped to suggest something of the atmosphere of that spirit of love and self-sacrifice by which it is
> animated.
> 
> To this end also will be brought together a few of the impressions, as far as possible in their own words,
> made upon certain personalities of the Western world, whether by their coming into personal touch
> with Baha’u’llah himself, or through investigations in Persia. To these may be added the remark of the
> revered Master of Balliol College, Oxford — Dr. Benjamin Jowett — to a fellow-professor, that he was
> deeply interested in the Baha’i Movement. “This,” he said, “is the greatest Light that has come into the
> world since Jesus Christ . . . . . . Never let it out of your sight. It is too great and too near for this
> generation to comprehend. The future alone can reveal its import.”
> 
> THE BAB
> 
> Let us glance for a moment at the earlier scenes of this drama, of which the prologue stretches far back
> into the centuries that are past.
> 
> In Shiraz, a city of Persia, was born in A.D. 1819 a child who was named ‘Ali Muhammad. As he grew
> from childhood he became more and more “renowned for his piety and virtue, his courtesy of manner,
> and the
> 
> [p. 208]
> 
> beauty of his person.” He spent his youth in the study of the Holy Writings, and became remarkable
> for his knowledge of their spiritual significance.
> 
> In the year 1844, this young man declared his mission, calling men to repentance. Soon after, he
> proclaimed himself the Forerunner of the “Great Prophet” who had been expected for centuries. He
> assumed the title of The Bab, signifying Gate or Door (of Heaven and of Wisdom). “What he intended by
> the term Bab, was this, that he was the channel of grace from some great Person still behind the veil
> of glory, who was the possessor of countless and boundless perfections, by whose will he moved, and
> to the bond of whose love he clung. The Bab was ever repeating and meditating on the qualities and
> attributes of that absent-yet-present, regarded-and-regarding Person of his. Thus he makes a mention
> of Him, whereof this is the purport: ‘Though the ocean of woe rageth on every side, and the bolts of
> fate follow in quick succession, and the darkness of griefs and affliction invade soul and body, yet is
> my heart brightened by the remembrance of Thy countenance and my soul is as a rose-garden from
> the perfume of Thy nature.’”
> 
> He (The Bab) invited men to the work of “preparing His way” by freeing themselves from spiritual
> bondage. In many Tablets, and in the Book of Bayán (literally, Revelation) — as well as in his spoken word
> — The Bab exhorted his countrymen to return to the original purity of Religion, so that they might be
> ready to receive the “Great One: Him whom God should make manifest.” Many enthusiastic hearers
> answered his call. The good news spread with wondrous swiftness. The Bab was hailed by great numbers
> “as the Dawn which should break upon a dark and perplexed world.” The alarm of those mainly
> responsible for that darkness and perplexity was awakened; they feared the loss of their power,
> prestige, and pecuniary benefits. Instigated by these persons, The Bab was arrested, taken from prison
> to prison, and, after many mock trials, finally shot at Tabriz in 1850.
> 
> [p. 209]
> 
> After the execution of the “beautiful youth, with the shining face, who walked in a serene, sedate
> manner”, the authorities determined to stamp out the movement. Then burst forth a violent storm of
> persecution, in which tens of thousands of The Bab’s followers were massacred. All classes were
> included; nobles and peasants, learned and unlearned, men, women, and children were martyred. Firm
> and steadfast in their faith, they suffered confiscation of their property and exile; they endured the
> most horrible mutilations; “they were tortured, not accepting deliverance”; they were faithful unto
> death, even the most violent and cruel that could be devised.
> 
> None was ever known to recant: “out of weakness they were made strong.” “My life is of no
> importance,” said a child of twelve years old, “but to insult the Holy One is impossible” — and the
> torturers carried out their ghastly threats. Verily “the Tree of Life was watered by the red blood of
> martyrs,” for the remnant of those who were saved, steadfast as the martyred, and ready, if need be,
> to suffer the same fate, awaited the coming of “Him Whom God should make manifest”, whose way
> had been prepared by The Bab. At what cost of “cruel mockings and scourgings, bonds and
> imprisonments, torments and early death”, we may read in a narrative of the time, which describes
> with a direct simplicity the “Episode of the Bab”, of whom the world was not worthy.
> 
> Of The Bab Professor Ross, of London University, has written: “His wonderful life needs no comment.
> If ever a life spoke for itself, it is The Bab’s, with its simplicity, integrity, and unswerving devotion to
> the Truth that was born in him. He felt the Truth in him, and in the proclamation of that Truth, he
> moved neither hand nor foot to spare himself, but unflinchingly submitted to all manner of injustice
> and persecution, and finally to an ignominious death. His influence on his hearers penetrated deeper
> than their curiosity or their minds; it reached their hearts, and inspired them with a spirit of self-
> sacrifice, dedication, and devotion as remarkable and as admirable as his own.”
> 
> [p. 210]
> 
> BAHA’U’LLAH (Jamál-i-Mubárak)
> 
> Among the first to recognise the inspired source of the new doctrine of The Bab was a young and
> wealthy man of noble birth, Mirzá Husayn ‘Ali Núri, allied to the royal family of Persia, and whose
> gentleness and philanthropy had won for him the title of Father of the Poor. Now he is revered by
> innumerable people as Baha’u’lláh, signifying “The Splendour of the Glory of God.”
> 
> During the reign of horror, after the death of The Bab, he was arrested, and, in spite of his powerful
> family influence, thrown into a dungeon, chained to five other disciples. In this state of torment he
> was kept for several months. He was then deprived of his property and estates, and with his family
> driven into exile. The hardships and privations suffered on this journey to Baghdád were doubly cruel,
> as the children were very young, and the snow was on the ground. A number of families of the faithful
> and persecuted followed him and soon grew to look upon him as their leader. The greatness of his
> personality began to attract numbers of cultivated and learned men, who, having discovered the
> whereabouts of the exiled band of Persians, journeyed to hear his teaching. His power and influence
> alarmed afresh his ever-vigilant enemies, who persuaded those in authority to summon him to
> Constantinople. Thence he was banished to Adrianople; but the sound of the Voice crying aloud the
> Message of Regeneration could not be silenced; its influence could not be stayed. Bahá’u’lláh’s teaching
> had a more universal note than that of The Báb. Not only were religious perversions in Persian to be
> reformed, but the whole world was to be united in one great bond of brotherhood, and peace and
> goodwill, under a universal code of love and honour — free from superstition, hatred and war. Then
> came a day when he proclaimed to his eldest son, Abbás Effendi, and a few intimate friends, that he
> was the “Promised One”, “He whom God should make manifest.”
> 
> [p. 211]
> 
> This was in 1863 — nineteen years after the proclamation of the mission of The Bab, and in accordance
> with his prophecy. In spite of all opposition, the sacred Message was persistently proclaimed — God,
> speaking again through His great Manifestation, would lead mankind to recognise the Sun of Truth
> shining at the core of all religions: for as “in the realm of Conscience, naught but the Ray of God’s Light
> can command, and on the throne of the heart none but the pervading power of the King of Kings should
> rule” — therefore all men, developing their spiritual nature, would make such progress in divine
> virtue, that they should become regenerate [sic] through love, and this renewal should gather every
> Nation together under the “Tent of Unity.”
> 
> Letters were sent to the crowned heads of Europe. “We trust that God will assist the Kings of the earth
> to illuminate and adorn the earth with the effulgent light of the Sun of Justice” — Bahá’u’lláh wrote;
> and he charged them to look upon themselves as trustees of God, and guardians, under His Rule, of
> their people; and he called upon these powerful ones of the world, as servants of the Most High Lord
> of Mercy, to put an end to the horrors of War.
> 
> Again he was exiled — this time to the far off Eastern fortress of ‘Akká, in the Holy Land. In this town
> he remained, persecuted, tormented, until he returned to God in 1892. From the “most great Prison”,
> he sent out his messages; and in his captivity he wrote laws for the spiritual guidance of the world of
> the future. “For, as nothing can prevent the radiance of the sun descending to give life to the gardens
> of earth, and no man prevent the fall of rain from heaven, so, no earthly power can prevent the
> fulfilment of the word of God.”
> 
> His long years of tedious banishment and imprisonment, sometimes in chains, sometimes in his own
> hired house, always surrounded by spies seeking excuses for renewed persecutions — all these
> tribulations he accepted with joy and a marvellous patient dignity. “My captivity is not my abasement:
> it is indeed a glory to me,” he
> 
> [p. 212]
> 
> said. He left to his eldest son, Abbas Effendi, henceforth ‘Abdú’l Baha (The Servant of the Glory of God),
> the mission of carrying his message into all the world.
> 
> Few persons of the Western world ever succeeded in obtaining the privilege of coming into the
> presence of Bahá’u’lláh.
> 
> Fortunately, Professor Edward Granville Browne of Cambridge, “after many disappointments and
> failures, attained the fulfilment of his hopes, in a manner surpassing his most sanguine expectations.”
> I propose to quote his description of a memorable visit to Báji near Akká:
> 
> “So here at Báji was I installed as a guest, in the very midst of all that Bahá’ism accounts most noble
> and most holy; and here did I spend five most memorable days, during which I enjoyed unparalleled
> and unhoped-for opportunities of holding intercourse with those who are the very fountain-heads of
> that mighty and wondrous spirit which works with invisible but ever-increasing force for the
> transformation and quickening of a people who slumber in a sleep like unto death. It was in truth a
> strange and moving experience, but one whereof I despair of conveying any save the feeblest
> impression. I might, indeed, strive to describe in greater detail the faces and forms which surrounded
> me, the conversations to which I was privileged to listen, the solemn melodious reading of the sacred
> books, the general sense of harmony and content which pervaded the place, and the fragrant shady
> gardens whither in the afternoon we sometimes repaired; but all this was as nought in comparison
> with the spiritual atmosphere with which I was encompassed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The spirit which
> pervades the Bahá’is is such that it can hardly fail to affect most powerfully all subjected to its
> influence. It may appal or attract: it cannot be ignored or disregarded. Let those who have not seen,
> disbelieve me if they will; but, should that spirit once reveal itself to them, they will experience an
> emotion which they are not likely to forget.
> 
> [p. 213]
> 
> “Of the culminating event of this my journey some few words at least must be said. During the morning
> of the day after my installation at Báji . . . I found myself in a large apartment, along the upper end of
> which ran a low divan, while on the side opposite the door were placed two or three chairs. Though I
> dimly suspected whither I was going and whom I was to behold (for no distinct intimation had been
> given to me), a second or two lapsed ere, with a throb of wonder and awe, I became definitely conscious
> that the room was not untenanted. In the corner where the divan met the wall sat a wondrous and
> venerable figure, crowned with a felt head-dress of the kind called táj by dervishes (but of unusual
> height and make), round the base of which was wound a small white turban. The face of him on whom
> I gazed, I can never forget though I cannot describe it. Those piercing eyes seemed to read one’s very
> soul; power and authority sat on that ample brow; while the deep lines of the forehead and face implied
> an age which the jet-black hair and beard seemed to belie.
> 
> “No need to ask in whose presence I stood, as I bowed myself before one who is the object of a devotion
> and love which kings might envy and emperors sigh for in vain!
> 
> “A mild dignified voice bade me be seated, and then continued: ‘Praise be to God that thou hast
> attained! . . . Thou hast come to see a prisoner and an exile . . . We desire but the good of the world and
> the happiness of the nations; yet they deem us a stirrer up of strife and sedition worthy of bondage
> and banishment . . . That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds
> of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion
> should cease, and differences of race be annulled — what harm is there in this? . . . Yet so it shall be:
> these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the Most Great Peace shall come . . . Do
> not you in Europe need this also? Is not this that which Christ foretold? . . . Yet do we see your kings
> and rulers lavishing their treasures
> 
> [p. 214]
> 
> more freely on means for the destruction of the human race than on that which would conduce to the
> happiness of mankind . . . These strifes and this bloodshed and discord must cease, and all men be as
> one kindred and one family . . . Let not a man glory in this that he loves his country; let him rather
> glory in this, that he loves his kind . . .’
> 
> “Such, so far as I can recall them, were the words, which, besides many others, I heard from
> Bahá’u’lláh.
> 
> “Let those who read them consider well with themselves whether such doctrines merit death and
> bonds, and whether the world is more likely to gain or lose by their diffusion.
> 
> “My interview lasted altogether about twenty minutes, and during the latter part of it Bahá’u’lláh read
> a portion of an epistle (lawh) whereof the translation is as follows:
> 
> “‘He is God, exalted is His state, wisdom and utterance! The True One (glorious is His glory), for the
> shewing-forth of the gems of ideals from the mine of man, hath, in every age, sent a trusted one. The
> primary foundation of the faith of God and the religion of God is this, that they should not make diverse
> sects and various paths the cause and reason of hatred. These principles and laws and firm sure roads
> appear from one Dawning-place and shine from one Dayspring, and these diversities were out of
> regard for the requirements of the time, season, ages, and epochs. . . . Make firm the girdle of
> endeavour, that perchance religious strife and conflict may be removed from amongst the people of
> the world and be annulled.
> 
> “For love of God and His servants engage in this great and mighty matter. Religious hatred and rancour
> is a world-consuming fire, and the quenching thereof most arduous, unless the hand of Divine Might
> give men deliverance from this unfruitful calamity. Consider a war which happeneth between two
> states: both sides have foregone wealth and life: how many villages were beheld as though they were
> not! This precept is in the position of the light in the lamp of utterance.
> 
> “O people of the world, ye are all the fruit of one tree and
> 
> [p. 215]
> 
> the leaves of one branch. Walk with perfect charity, concord, affection, and agreement. I swear by the
> Sun of Truth, the light of agreement shall brighten and illumine the horizon. The all-knowing Truth
> hath been and is the witness to this saying. Endeavour to attain to this high supreme station which is
> the station of protection and preservation of mankind. This is the intent of the King of intentions, and
> this the hope of the Lord of hopes’.”
> The utterances of Bahá’u’lláh are of two classes. In one class he writes or speaks simply as a man who
> has been charged by God with a message to his fellows, while again sometimes his words have the
> authority of the direct utterance of God Himself. Bahá’u’lláh writes in the Book of Iqán:
> 
> “There are two stations for the Suns rising from the Daysprings of Divinity. One is the station of Unity
> and condition of Oneness. ‘We make no distinction between any of them’ (Quran, S. 2). Thus it is said,
> ‘Verily, they who swear fealty unto thee, swear fealty unto God . . . ’
> 
> “In this station, all are sent forth from the presence of that Ideal King and Eternal Essence . . .
> 
> “The other station is that of distinction, creation and human limitations. In this station for each one a
> temple is designated, a mission is indicated, a manifestation is decreed, and certain limitations are
> assigned. Each one is named by a certain name, characterized by a quality, and appointed to a new
> Cause and Law.
> 
> “In the station of Oneness and rank of Singleness, pure Sublimity, Divinity, Unity and absolute Deity
> have been and are ascribed to those Essences of Existence, because they are all seated upon the throne
> of the ‘Manifestation of God’ . . . that is, the appearance and the beauty of God is revealed by their
> beauty.
> 
> “But in the second station, which is that of distinction, separation, limitation and temporal condition
> and indication, they show forth absolute servitude, real need and utter lowliness: as it is said, ‘Verily,
> I am the servant of
> 
> [p. 216]
> 
> God’, and, ‘Verily, I am only a man like you’ (Qur’an, S. 41).
> 
> “If it be heard from the perfect Manifestations: ‘Verily, I am God’, it is true and without doubt; for . . .
> through their Manifestation, Attributes and Names, the Manifestation of God, the Attributes of God
> and the Name of God appear upon earth . . . Likewise if they say: ‘We are the servants of God’, this also
> is confirmed and evident, for outwardly they have appeared with the utmost degree of servitude. No
> one [else] hath the courage to appear in the world with that manner of servitude!
> 
> “Thus those Essences of Existence when submerged in the seas of Eternal Holiness and when ascending
> to the summits of the significances of the Ideal King, utter declarations of Unity and Deity. Were one
> to consider attentively, he will find that even in this state they witness in themselves the utmost
> humility and lowliness in presence of the Absolute Existence and Real Life as though accounting
> themselves utterly non-existent and deeming mention of themselves in that court as polytheism . . .
> 
> “Therefore, whatever they may say and claim, including Divinity, Deity, Prophethood, Messengership,
> Successorship, Imámat or Servitude, is true and without doubt.”
> When Bahá’u’lláh speaks as a man, the station he claims for himself is that of utter humility, of
> “annihilation in God.” What distinguishes the “Manifestation”, in his human personality, from other
> men, is the completeness of his self-abnegation as well as the perfection of his powers. In all
> circumstances he is able to say, as did the Lord Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Nevertheless not
> my will but Thine be done.”
> 
> Thus in his epistle to the Shah of Persia Bahá’u’lláh says: “I was asleep on My couch: the breaths of My
> Lord, the Merciful, passed over Me and awakened Me from my sleep; and commanded me to proclaim
> betwixt Earth and Heaven. This was not on my part but on His part, and to this bear witness the
> denizens of the realm of His power and His kingdom, and the dwellers in the cities of
> 
> [p. 217]
> 
> His Glory, and Himself, the True. I am not impatient of calamities in His way, nor of afflictions for His
> love and at His good pleasure — God hath made afflictions as a morning shower to His green pasture,
> and as a wick for His lamp whereby earth and heaven are illumined.” And again: “By God, though
> weariness should weaken Me and hunger should destroy Me, though My couch should be made of the
> hard rock and My associates of the beasts of the desert, I will not blench, but will be patient, as the
> resolute and determined are patient, in the strength of God, the King of Pre-existence, the Creator of
> the nations: and under all circumstances I give thanks unto God”.
> 
> In the Hidden Words Bahá’u’lláh speaks from the station of Divinity.
> 
> “O SON OF SPIRIT!
> 
> “My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty,
> heavenly, ancient, imperishable and everlasting.”
> 
> “O SON OF BEING!
> “Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou love Me not, My love can in no wise reach thee. Know this, O
> servant.”
> 
> “O SON OF SPIRIT!
> “I have created thee rich; wherefore impoverish thyself? Noble I made thee; why dost thou abase
> thyself? Out of the essence of Knowledge I manifested thee; why seekest thou any one beside Me? Of
> the Clay of Love I moulded thee; why dost thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto thyself,
> that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, Powerful, Mighty and Supreme.”
> 
> “O SON OF SPIRIT!
> “Know verily that he who exhorts men to equity, and himself does injustice, is not of Me, even though
> he bear My Name.”
> 
> [p. 218]
> ‘ABDU’L-BAHA.
> 
> Until 1908, sixteen years after the passing of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was himself confined in the
> fortress of Akká, where the system of watchful persecution was continued. Having endured a lifetime
> of exile and imprisonment, a “captive for the cause of God,” he was liberated, at the age of sixty-four,
> by the Young Turk Party. Now, at last, after forty long years, borne with the cheerfulness of high faith
> in his mission to succour the suffering sons of men, he was able to make plans for carrying out the
> charge laid upon him by Bahá’u’lláh. “That cry of Regeneration, raised behind prison walls, now echoes
> abroad in the hearts of men”, for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá came and proclaimed the Message to the Western world!
> 
> “I waited forty years in prison to bring this Message to you; are you pleased to receive such a guest?”
> he said to those who awaited him in London.
> 
> Those who have had the privilege of knowing ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the Prison Fortress of Akká, during his
> days of captivity, and those who came into personal touch with him in London and Paris, were alike
> impressed with the great moral beauty of his character, and the indescribable spiritual dignity of his
> demeanour.
> 
> Always did he speak with authority, and not as the mere expounder, albeit a certain gentle courtesy
> was most conspicuous, and seemed to surround him with an atmosphere of loving-kindness, the
> benign influence of which was felt by all who came into his presence. Whether it were a great minister
> of State or an ecclesiastical dignitary, a busy toiler for his daily bread or a sorrow-burthened Princess,
> a famous artist or a learned barrister, a celebrated physician or a Christian Scientist, a woman
> suffragist or an Oxford Professor, a poor seamstress or a renowned writer, an
> 
> [p. 219]
> 
> inquiring journalist or an able man of science, none was either too great or too insignificant to receive
> of the bountiful warmth of his sympathetic consideration. He was marvellously energetic, and his
> presence brought a delightful, vivid gladness. “When a man turns his face to God, he finds sunshine
> everywhere; all men are his brethren”, he said to us one day. Never was he sad, save for others’
> sorrows. One day, in Paris, he heard the news of the battle of Benghazi. “My heart is grieved:” — he
> looked very sorrowful as he spoke — “I wonder at the human cruelty which still exists in the world.
> There is nothing so heart-breaking as an outburst of men’s savagery. I charge you all that each one of
> you concentrate the thoughts of your hearts on Love and Unity; when a thought of war comes, oppose
> it by a stronger thought of Peace. Do not think the Peace of the world an ideal impossible of attainment;
> nothing is impossible to the Divine Benevolence of God! Through this Power comes the success of the
> most colossal undertakings.”
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with a serene aloofness counselled a detachment from personnality [sic]. It is to be borne
> in mind that he himself claimed no title but ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, i.e. the servant of the Splendour of God, so
> that there can never be any controversy concerning his station. He called to all the friends of God in
> every region of the earth to arise and help him in the Service of Humanity, in the well-being of the
> world, and in the spreading of Divine love and kindness! He inspired the Baha’is (literally, Friends of
> God and Followers of the Light) with an amazing enthusiasm for the cause of the Love of God. They hold
> that there is nothing else in this world worthy of their life’s devotion. The service of the brotherhood
> of man is their inspiration — that all the children of God, our Father, out of every tribe and nation,
> should be gathered together in a Spiritual Unity, is their aim and high endeavour. To be zealously
> engaged in the working out of the Supreme Design, under the one Divine Architect of the Universe, is
> their joyful occupation. To serve as soldiers in the army of Love and
> 
> [p. 220]
> 
> Light, ever vanquishing the power of hatred and darkness on the battlefield of the world is their
> ambition. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá did not suggest our leaving our own beloved form of Truth, but rather that we
> should strive to enlarge its horizon, free ourselves from the uncharitableness of narrowing prejudices
> and set our hearts and minds on the Divine work of bringing it into the Grand Unity.
> 
> He enjoined upon all an unvarying courtesy and kindness in every relation of life, however fraught
> with difficulty, reminding us that where soldiers of the world draw their swords, soldiers of God clasp
> each others’ [sic] hands; that to be nominally a Christian is easy: to be a real Christian is hard; and that,
> whilst we must not neglect to “render unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar’s”, we must diligently
> “render unto God the things that are God’s.”
> 
> The “Followers of the Light” are at all times charged to be loyal adherents of all just and righteous
> governments, and to be law-abiding citizens, in whatever country they may dwell. They have no form
> of membership nor institutions to differentiate them outwardly from other people. The Cause asks
> only for the hearts of its followers. When the heart is in the work, giving and doing are privileges and
> not obligations.
> 
> Professor Edward Granville Browne thus describes ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. “Soon after this, a sudden stir without
> announced the arrival of fresh visitors . . . one of whom . . . as I guessed from the first, by the
> extraordinary deference shewn to him by all present, was none other than Bahá’u’lláh’s eldest son,
> ‘Abbas Efendi. Seldom have I seen one whose appearance impressed me more. A tall strongly-built man
> holding himself straight as an arrow, with white turban and raiment, long black locks reaching almost
> to the shoulder, broad powerful forehead indicating a strong intellect combined with an unswerving
> will, eyes keen as a hawk’s, and strongly-marked but pleasing features: such was my first impression
> of ‘Abbas Efendi, “the
> 
> [p. 221]
> 
> Master” (Áká) as he par excellence is called by the Bahá’is. Subsequent conversation with him served
> only to heighten the respect with which his appearance had from the first inspired me. 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. About the greatness of this
> man and his power no one who had seen him could entertain a doubt.”
> 
> Mr. Horace Holley has also left on record an account, which is well worth reproduction, of his first
> meeting with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, at Thonon on the Lake of Geneva.
> 
> “Prepared in some measure for the meeting by the noble mountain scenery through which we had
> passed, we approached the hotel feeling ourselves strangely aloof from the tourist world. If I could but
> look upon ‘Abdu’l-Bahá from a distance, I considered that I should fulfil a pilgrim’s most earnest desire.
> 
> “Groups of people were walking quietly about under the trees . . . My wife pressed my arm . . . I looked
> up quickly . . . and saw a stately old man, robed in a cream-coloured gown, his white hair and beard
> shining in the sun.
> 
> “He displayed a beauty of stature, an inevitable harmony of attitude and dress I had never seen nor
> thought of in men. Without having ever visualized the “Master”, I knew that this was he. I seemed to
> have turned into some most sensitive sense-organ, as if eyes and ears were not enough for this sublime
> impression. In every part of me I stood aware of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s presence . . . A glory, as it were, from
> the summits of human nature poured into me, and I was conscious of a most intense impulse to admire.
> 
> [p. 222]
> 
> “In ‘Abdu’l-Bahá I felt the awful presence of Bahá’u’lláh, and, as my thoughts returned to activity, I
> realized that I had thus drawn as near as men now may to pure spirit and pure being . . . I had entered
> the Master’s presence and become a servant of a higher will . . . Even my memory of that temporary
> change of being bears strange authority over me. I know what men can become . . .
> 
> “After what seemed a cycle of existence this state passed . . . and I advanced to accept ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s
> hearty welcome . . .
> 
> “I yielded to a feeling of reverence which contained more than the solution of intellectual or moral
> problems. To look upon so wonderful a human being, to respond utterly to the charm of his presence
> — this brought me continual happiness . . . The tribute which poets have offered our human nature, in
> its noblest manifestation, came naturally to mind as I watched his gestures and listened to his stately,
> rhythmic speech . . . Patriarchal, majestic, strong, yet infinitely kind, he appeared like some just king,
> that very moment descended from his throne to mingle with a devoted people . . . ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, even
> more impressive walking than seated, led the way . . . Our party included some Orientals. I could not
> help remarking the bearing of these splendid men . . . All were natives of countries in which Bahá’ism
> has not only been a capital offence in the eyes of the law, but the object of constant popular hatred
> and persecution; yet not one, by the slightest trace of weariness or bitterness showed the effect of
> hardship and wrong upon the soul. Toward ‘Abdu’l-Bahá their attitude was beautifully reverent. It was
> the relationship of disciple to master . . . The dinner was throughout cheerful and animated. ‘Abdu’l-
> Bahá answered questions and made frequent observations on religion in the West. He laughed heartily
> from time to time — indeed, the idea of asceticism or useless misery of any kind cannot attach itself to
> this fully-developed personality.”
> 
> Finally, it may be of interest to add an extract from a talk recorded by Mirza Valiyyu’llah Khan Varga.
> “My
> 
> [p. 223]
> 
> father,” said Valiyyu’llah Khan, “was much with Bahá’u’llah. One night Bahá’u’llah, as he strode back
> and forth in his room, said to my father:
> 
> “‘At stated periods souls are sent to Earth by the Mighty God with what we call the power of the Great
> Ether. And those who possess this power can do anything: they have ALL power.’
> 
> “‘Even this walk of mine’, said Bahá’u’llah, ‘has an effect in the world. Jesus Christ had this power. The
> people thought Him a poor young man whom they had crucified; but He possessed the power of the Great
> Ether; therefore he could not remain underground. This ethereal power rose and quickened the world.
> And now look to the Master, for this power is his!’”
> 
> “Bahá’u’llah”, added Valiyyu’llah Khan, “taught my father much about Agha. AGHA (Master) you know,
> is one of the titles of ‘Abdu’l Bahá, and The Greatest Mystery of God is another, and The Greatest Branch is
> still another. By all these we call him in Persia.
> 
> “The Blessed Perfection, Bahá’u’llah, revealed the station of ‘Abdu’l Bahá to my father. And my father
> wrote many poems to the Master, though the Master would scold him and say, ‘You must not write
> such things to me!’ But the heart of my father would not keep quiet. One [sic] one occasion he wrote:
> 
> O Dawning-Place of the Beauty of God!
> I know Thee!
> 
> Though Thou wrappest Thyself in ten thousand veils,
> I know Thee!
> 
> Though Thou shouldst wear the tatters of a beggar,
> Still would I know Thee!”
> 
> Lord Curzon of Kedleston, in his Persia (published in 1892), wrote of the Baha’i Movement with deep
> appreciation. “Beauty”, he says, “and the female sex also lent their consecration to the new creed, and
> the heroism of the
> 
> [p. 224]
> 
> lovely but ill-fated poetess of Kasvin, Zerin-Taj (Crown of Gold) or Kurrat-el-Ain (Solace of the Eyes), who,
> throwing off the veil, carried the missionary torch far and wide, is one of the most affecting episodes
> in modern history . . . The lowest estimate places the present number of Baha’is in Persia at half a
> million. I am disposed to think, from conversations with persons well-qualified to judge, that the total
> is nearer one million. They are to be found in every walk of life, from the ministers and nobles of the
> Court to the scavenger or the groom, not the least arena in their activity being the Mussulman
> priesthood itself. It will have been noticed that the movement was initiated by Seyids, Hajis, and
> Mullahs, i.e. persons who, either by descent, from pious inclination, or by profession, were intimately
> concerned with the Mohammedan creed. If one conclusion more than another has been forced upon
> our notice by the retrospect in which I have indulged, it is that a sublime and murmuring devotion has
> been inculcated by this new faith, whatever it may be . . . Tales of magnificent heroism illumine the
> bloodstained pages of Babi and Baha’i history. Ignorant and unlettered as many of its votaries are, and
> have been, they are yet prepared to die for their religion, and fires of Smithfield did not kindle a nobler
> courage than has met and defied the more refined torture-mongers of Teheran. Of no small account,
> then, must be the tenets of a creed that can awaken in its followers so rare and beautiful a spirit of
> self-sacrifice.”
> 
> Mr. Bernard Temple, also, has given some impressions of the Baha’is in a lecture before the Royal
> Society of Arts in London (in May, 1910) . . . “I believe that events are shaping in Asia which may end in
> reconstructing the whole fabric of present-day internationalism, and add a chapter to the world’s
> history as dramatic and momentous as any that has been written. The Baha’i Movement arose in Persia
> . . . The number of Baha’is in the world is now stated to exceed two millions [sic]. Not less than one fifth
> of the population of Persia has embraced Baha’ism. In Turkey, Egypt, North India, and elsewhere
> Baha’is are
> 
> [p. 225]
> 
> becoming numerous — even among the Sikhs, the Buddhists, Taoists, Shintoists, and the Persian Jews.
> Many Parsees have become Baha’is, and their teaching has been adopted in Russia, Germany, France,
> the United States, and England. The number of Baha’is in London is appreciable, and smaller circles
> exist elsewhere . . . In its essential character it is not so much a religion as a religious movement . . .
> Therein lies its force, promise, and historical momentousness. There has arisen . . . thanks to the
> freshness and fineness of Persian thought, a regenerative influence of almost incalculable energy.”
> 
> On November 28th, 1921, ‘Abdu’l Bahá passed away at Haifa, and something of the loss felt by his
> followers may be gathered from a letter written then to his family by a gentleman of Arabia, who
> extolled the Master in the terms of Eastern enthusiasm:
> 
> If the trees of all the woods, gardens, and forests of the world were made into pens;
> Were the waters of all the rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans of Earth converted into ink;
> Were all the mountains, hills, and plains rolled out into one mighty scroll;
> And were the whole human race, from the beginning of time, to write and write and write — yet would they fail
> in setting forth the majesty of Thy service to Humanity.
> 
> Therefore, O ‘Abdu’l Bahá, Servant of the living God, we say
> NOTHING.
> 
> By the will of ‘Abdu’l Bahá his grandson, Shoghi Effendi, still at Balliol College, Oxford, when his
> grandfather passed away, was appointed to the position of “Guardian
> 
> [p. 226]
> 
> of the Cause of God”. His tasks and responsibilities are many and onerous. Baha’i Assemblies are now
> formed in almost every country of the world; their correspondence, dealing with the manifold affairs
> of the Cause, receives his untiring attention: while the translation of the Baha’i Tablets and Laws is an
> immense undertaking. Of these, probably not more than a third have been done into Western
> tongues, but this work, as well as the rest, is felt by the Baha’is to be in excellent and worthy hands.
> May God prosper the Cause!
>
> — *The Baha'is (Used by permission of the curator)*