The Life of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá: The Perfect Exemplar

The Life of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá The Perfect Exemplar

“Make me as dust in the pathway of Thy loved ones, and grant that I may offer up my soul for the earth ennobled by the footsteps of Thy chosen ones in Thy path, O Lord of Glory in the Highest.”

-‘Abdu’l-Bahá (1844-1921)

Early Years Iran 1844-1853 Age 0-8.5

23 May 1844, hour before sunset. Shíráz, Iran.

The Báb, the herald of the Bahá’í Faith, declared His mission in the upper chamber of His house at the age of 25.

He claimed to be the promised Mahdi, or al-Qá’im, who had come to prepare the way for a new Manifestation of God.

23 May 1844, six hours after the Báb declared.

In Tihrán, Mírzá Husayn-‘Alí (later known as Bahá’u’lláh, founder of the Bahá’í Faith) and His wife, Ásíyih Khánum, welcome their third child, and first boy, whom they named ‘Abbás (“Lion”) after His grandfather. ‘Abbás will later be known as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “the Servant of Bahá”.

Born into a noble family, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spends His early years in an environment of privilege, wealth, and love.

The family’s Tihrán home and country houses in Mázindarán are comfortable and beautifully decorated. The child receives most of His education from His family and most particularly His father. He has a happy and carefree early childhood, and is very close to His younger siblings.

In Mázindarán, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a child old enough to ride a horse, Áqá Rahím, the overseer of Bahá’u’lláh’s shepherds and flock of four thousand sheep and goats, takes him to a country barbecue. After the feast, the shepherds approach ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and hint that a gift from him is customary with the landlords in these parts. Faced with a dilemma, having brought nothing with him, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá thinks for a few moments, and the idea comes to him to give each shepherd a few sheep from the family’s own flocks. Reaching the family home, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s act of generosity is relayed to his father—and, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá recalls, Bahá’u’lláh laughed very much over it” and said to Áqá Rahím:

“We must appoint a guardian to protect Aga — Master — from his own liberality; else, some day, he may give himself away.”

-Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s father

The Báb, after years of imprisonment and banishment, was executed at the age 30 of by a firing squad in July 1850 on the order of the prime-minister for being a heretic. A failed attempt by two half-crazed followers of the Báb on the life of the Sháh led to severe persecution of the Bábí community. Shortly after 15 August 1852, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s father Bahá’u’lláh is bastinadoed, chained in the streets, and thrown into Persia’s most notorious Siyáh-Chál dungeon. Bahá’u’lláh’s home was pillaged, their properties confiscated and, overnight, the family faced persecution and poverty. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was eight years old.

“We heard each day the cries of the mob as a new victim was tortured or executed, not knowing but that it might be my father.”

-Attributed to Bahíyyih Khánum, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s sister

First Exile: Baghdád 1853-1863 Age 8.5-19

Tehran

Baghdád

Bahá’u’lláh, His wife Navváb, pregnant at the time, ‘Abdu’lBahá, aged eight-and-a-half, their daughter Bahíyyih Khánum, aged seven, and two of Bahá’u’lláh’s brothers, Mírzá Músá and Mírzá MuhammadQulí are exiled to Baghdád in the middle of a harsh winter. Very thinly clad, His feet, hands, ankles and wrists exposed to the bitter cold, Abdu’l-Bahá suffers frostbite, which causes Him great pain.‘Abdu’l-Bahá will never see His native land again.

The Zagros Mountains between Iran and Iraq

One year after their arrival in Baghdád, Bahá’u’lláh retreated alone into the wilderness of Kurdistán, where He will remain for two years, to remove himself from the plotting attacks of those envious of His greatness. The sudden absence of his beloved father takes a heavy toll on 10-year-old ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

From the moment Bahá’u’lláh returns from Sulaymáníyyih, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is overwhelmed with joy and becomes His father’s closest companion.

Although still a teenager, He takes on the task of interviewing Bahá’u’lláh’s numerous visitors, and regularly visits mosques in Baghdád and discusses theological matters with doctors and the learned.

The House of Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdád, destroyed in 2013.

“After our father’s departure he fell into great despondency. He would go away by himself, and, when sought for, be found weeping, often falling into such paroxysms of grief that no one could console him...”

-Attributed to Bahíyyih Khánum, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s sister

Second & Third Exile: Constantinople & Adrianople 1863-1868 Age 19-24

Adrianople Constantinople

Baghdád

After a decade in Baghdád, the Iranian Ambassador - alarmed at the growing influence and fame of Bahá’u’lláh- urged the Ottoman Government to summon Him to Constantinople. Before their departure, Bahá’u’lláh revealed to His family and followers His Divine Station and Mission as the one Whom the Báb had prophesied.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá makes the arrangements for the difficult journey across ‘Iráq and Anatolia. Wherever provisions were scarce, He spent the night in search of food. And at dawn He rose early to set the caravan on another day’s march. Then the whole day long He rode by the side of His Father, in constant attendance upon Him.

Portrait of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Adrianople, c. 1868 Early in December 1863, the Sultan ordered the further banishment of Baha’u’lláh to Adrianople. As ‘Abdu’l-Bahà grew into manhood, the excellence of His character became increasingly evident to all who encountered Him. He is now known by the believers almost exclusively as “the Master” (sarkár áqá), and by the general population as ‘Abbás Effendí (“Effendí” meaning “Sir”).

According to His sister, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá becomes the “chief dependance and comfort of the entire family” during these years.

Fourth and Final Exile: ‘Akká 1868-1877 Age 24-33

Adrianople

‘Akká Haifa

In late summer of 1868, the Sultán further banishes Bahá’u’lláh to the Ottoman penal colony of ‘Akká. Upon arrival, many fell ill with typhoid, fever and dysentery in the foul conditions of the barracks where they were incarcerated. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá single-handedly nurses everyone back to health, before falling critically ill Himself.

An officer, moved by ‘Abdu’lBahá’s heroic act, pleads with the Governor for a physician to save His life.

“The Most Great Prison” of ‘Akká. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has to live in a room on the ground floor which used to be a morgue.

The heavy humidity in the air will affect His health for the rest of His life.

On June 22, 1870, Mírzá Mihdí paces up and down the roof of the barracks, deep in meditation and prayer. On this tragic day, he does not remember to count his steps, as he usually does in order to avoid an open skylight. He falls and lands on a crate, which pierces his chest. The death of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s younger brother is a devastating blow to the whole family.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá (right) with His brother Mírzá Mihdí (left) In October 1870, the movement of troops within the Ottoman Empire forces the authorities of ‘Akká to requisition the barracks for military use. Bahá’u’lláh and His wife and daughter move from house to house, but ‘Abdu’l-Bahá moves to the Khán-i-Avamíd, a caravanserai, living in abominable conditions as He has the rooms restored, which will accommodate Bahá’í pilgrims when they start arriving.

In 1875, in response to reforms initiated in Iran, Abdu’l-Bahá anonymously publishes “The Secret of Divine Civilization”, a treatise on the establishment of a just, progressive and divinelybased government.

The Wedding ‘Akká 8 March 1873 Age 29

“You have known Him in His later years, but then, in the youth of His beauty and manly vigour, with His unfailing love, His kindness, His cheerfulness, His sense of humour, His untiring consideration for everybody, He was marvellous, without equal, surely in all the earth!”

-Munírih Khánum, wife of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

On 8 March 1873, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá marries Munírih Khánum, whom Bahá’u’lláh had seen in a dream with a luminous face.

The couple will have nine children, of whom five will die in the poisonous air of ‘Akká, and their marriage will last 48 years until ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s passing.

House of ‘Abbúd, where ‘Abdu’l-Baha and Munírih Khánum were married

In her memoirs, Munírih Khánum remembers the months before her marriage, when she would watch ‘Abdu’l-Bahá swim in the Mediterranean Sea. Before the wedding day of Abdu’l-Bahá, his mother and sister made a delicate bridal dress of white batiste. A white head-dress adorned Munirih Khánum’s hair, worn, as usual, in two braids. At nine in the evening she went with the Greatest Holy Leaf (the sister of ʻAbdu’l-Bahá) into the presence of Bahá’u’lláh, Who gave her His blessing. She then went to the bridal room and awaited the coming of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The service was very simple. At about ten o’clock ‘Abdu’l-Bahá came, accompanied by the guests, and Munirih Khánum chanted a tablet revealed by Bahá’u’lláh.

The Master of ‘Akká ‘Akká 1877-1892 Age 33-48

In 1877, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá succeeded in renting and repairing the mansion of Mazra’ih outside of the city to bring greenery back to His Father’s life, all the while being confined to ‘Akká. “I am a prisoner,” was His Father’s response when His son asked Him to leave the city walls. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá resorted to asking an official of ‘Akká to beg His Father. After an hour of pleading, they succeed in convincing Bahá’u’lláh to retire to the countryside.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá stays in ‘Akká to shoulder several responsibilities: He leads and guides the growing Bahá’í community of ‘Akká and cares for the influx of pilgrims who come to His Father. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá meets with government officials, religious dignitaries, merchants and the learned as they seek His counsel.

He also spends many hours each day visiting the poor and the sick in ‘Akká, providing them with attention, love, support, medical treatment, food and clothing.

Bahá’u’lláh, now 73 years old, arrives for His fourth and last visit to Haifa on 27 June 1891. Bahá’u’lláh remains three months in Haifa, at times pitching His tent on Mount Carmel and even receiving pilgrims. One day at the end of June 1891, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, now 47, and His Father, climb Mount Carmel to a point on the mountain where they find a grove of 15 young cypress trees that have been planted in a circle by a German Templar, about five years prior.

On this warm day, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sit on chairs at the center of the grove of young saplings. Bahá’u’lláh issues instructions to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to bring the remains of the Báb from their place of concealment in Ṭihrán to the Holy Land.

Bahá’u’lláh then stands and points to a rocky expanse further down Mount Carmel, and directs ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to purchase it and to build a Shrine in that spot to lay the sacred remains of the Báb to rest.

His Ministry: ‘Akká & Haifa 1892-1910 Age 48-66

When Bahá’u’lláh passes away on 29 May 1892, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá inters His sacred remains in what is to become the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, the holiest spot in the world for Bahá’ís. In His Will and Testament, Bahá’u’lláh appoints ‘Abdu’l-Bahá the Centre of the Covenant. On His shoulders rest the safety and growth of the Bahá’í Faith, the well-being of the worldwide community.

The Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, shortly after His Ascension The Young Turk Revolution forces Sulṭán ‘Abdu’l-Ḥamíd II to establish a constitutional government and release all political prisoners. In August 1908, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is released from imprisonment under the amnesty. After 55 years of imprisonment and exile, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is legally free, at the age of 64, for the first time since He was a child. The first thing ‘Abdu’l-Bahá does with His newly-gained freedom is to visit the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh in Bahjí.

On 21 March 1909, 18 years after Bahá’u’lláh gave His son the direction, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá finally laid to rest the remains of the Báb, which had been transferred from one place to another for 59 years.

“Every stone of that building, every stone of the road leading to it, I have with infinite tears and at tremendous cost, raised and placed in position.”

-‘Abdu’l-Bahá The superstructure of the Shrine would later be designed

by William Maxwell in the 50s.

March 21, 1909, on the same day as the interment of the remains of the Báb, 39 delegates from 36 cities in the United States assemble in Chicago for what is the first National Convention of the United States. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, by receiving pilgrims and guiding the friends there through written tablets, lovingly and patiently established the Bahá’í Faith in the West.

In 1901 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá purchased 920 hectares of land in ‘Adasiyyah, giving away 230.

He instructed the farmers to meet, consult, and divide the land among themselves according to the size of their family. Throughout the years, He watched over their farming operations to ensure seasonal and gradually diversified productions, and insisted on strengthening their bonds of friendship in the wider community. He would visit on His horse whenever He could.

His Travels: Egypt and The West 1910-1913 Age 66-69

Between 1910 and 1913, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá travels to the West on a mission to spread the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.

It is estimated that during His travels He has conducted more than 550 public talks in 96 cities, with an estimated attendance of 120,000 people.

Over 1,700 articles were published in around 800 newspapers about Him and His Father’s Cause, with an estimated readership of 28,000,000. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke about universal peace, racial amity, equality between the sexes, the harmony between science and religion, among other universal principles.

While He met with worldfamous scientists, explorers, politicians, writers and artists, He also sought meaningful encounters with the humble and the poor in every country He visited.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, Illinois, 3 May 1912

“‘Abdu’l-Bahá is, first of all, a constructionist. He believes that the time of building is at hand and to this end, war among the nations must cease” -Frances Belford ‘Pinky’ Wane, writer, Denvor Post ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with a group of Bahá’ís under the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, January 1913

‘Abdu’l-Bahá on board the S.S. Celtic as He sailed from New York City to Liverpool, England, 5 December 1912

‘Abdu’l-Bahá with a group of friends in Stuttgart, Germany, 1913

“Those who met him carried away a nameless something that made life’s pleasures brighter.”

-Frederic Dean, journalist, The Independent

Final Years: ‘Akká & Haifa 1913-1921 Age 69-77

In the midst of the tensions of the First World War, between the springs of 1916 and 1917, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá reveals one of the greatest works of His entire Ministry: Fourteen Tablets that comprise His Tablets of the Divine Plan. The first Tablets were sent to various individuals on a series of postcards, sometimes up to eight, that contained the Persian and Arabic originals and the English translations.

During the First World War, when drought added to the disruption, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá foresaw famine. He went to the farmers in ‘Adasiyyah and asked them to empty their granaries, excepting the amounts needed for their own use and for reseeding. He also asked them to purchase grain from farmers in the area. A train of 200 camels was dispatched to Haifa and Akká, to distribute among the local population, preventing starvation of thousands.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s extensive humanitarian operations resulted in Him being knighted by the British, who had gained control of Palestine during the war. He had first refused the knighthood, then accepted it as the gift of a ‘just king’ but never used the title. Once the ceremony was over, ‘Abdu’lBahá leaves as discreetly as He had arrived, traveling by his own horse-drawn carriage rather than the fancy automobile sent by the British.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote until the last days of His life. His Writings consist of personal correspondence, tablets on general and specific themes, books, prayers, poems, public talks, and recorded conversations. The full volume of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s writings is as yet unknown; and much remains to be done in gathering, analysing, and collating His literary legacy.

His Passing: Haifa 1921 Age 77

‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away at the age of 77, at 1:30 in the morning, on Monday, November 28, 1921. On November 27, 2021, at 1:30 in the morning, Bahá’ís the world over will commemorate the centenary of the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The funeral of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “a funeral the like of which Palestine had never seen,” drew “no less than ten thousand people…representing every class, religion and race in that country.”

“I have never known a more united expression of regret and respect than was called forth by the utter simplicity of the ceremony.”

- Governor of Jerusalem at the time of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s passing

Close to the eastern entrance of the Shrine of the Báb, the sacred casket was placed upon a plain table, and, in the presence of that vast concourse, nine speakers, who represented the Muslim, the Jewish and Christian Faiths…delivered their several funeral orations.

The coffin was then removed to one of the chambers of the Shrine, and there lowered, sadly and reverently, to its restingplace in a vault adjoining that in which were laid the remains of the Báb.

By naming His grandson Shoghi Effendi as His successor and by laying out a plan for the formation of the Universal House of Justice, the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’lBahá ensured the continuity of succession for the rest of the Bahá’í Dispensation. It is considered to be “the Charter of a future world civilization.”

Commissioned by the House of Justice in 2019, Hossein Amanat seeks to design the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá according to his lofty station and humility. In a prayer composed by ‘Abdu’lBaha, recited by visitors to His resting place, He expresses this supplication to God: “Make me as dust in the pathway of Thy loved ones.” This idea in the prayer is one of the organizing principles of the design. The Shrine is buried underground, covered by a green roof echoing His love for garden and nature.

Testimonials and Tributes O Thou Who art the apple of Mine eye! My glory, the ocean of My loving-kindness, the sun of My bounty, the heaven of My mercy rest upon Thee. We pray God to illumine the world through Thy knowledge and wisdom, to ordain for Thee that which will gladden Thine heart and impart consolation to Thine eyes.

Bahá’u’lláh, Father of ‘Abdu’lBahá He would face the storms of tribulation with a heart full of fervour and love; He would breast the waves of calamities and oncoming ordeals with overflowing joy. With the balm of His loving-kindness, He would remedy unhealing wounds, and the medicine of His unending grace was a cure for mortal ills. Through His tenderness and care the sorrowful found comfort, and through His Words the despairing received the blissful consolation of their incomparable Lord. He would hearten the despised and the rejected with outpourings of grace....

-Bahúyyih Khánum, sister of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s spiritual influence alone can overcome the bitterness of suspicion and the habit of hate. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has brought back in its fullness the ancient,the timeless vision of brotherhood, righteousness, peace and love. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has given this vision an expression in word and deed which transcends every limitation of race, of class, of nation, and of creed. No community can claim ‘Abdul-Bahá for their own spiritual leader, and make His inspiration the justification of separateness, as men have done with every spiritual leader of the past. In the divisions of humanity He has arisen as the true centre and point of unity, a mirror reflecting the light of one love and one teaching to every horizon. As each community, seeking relief from its own restrictions and its sufferings, turns to Abdu’1Bahá for guidance, it finds all other communities illumined in the same compassionate love.

-Horace Holley, Hand of the Cause

He is, and should for all time be regarded, first and foremost, as the Center and Pivot of Bahá’u’lláh’s peerless and all-enfolding Covenant, His most exalted handiwork, the stainless Mirror of His light, the perfect Exemplar of His teachings, the unerring Interpreter of His Word, the embodiment of every Bahá’í ideal, the incarnation of every Bahá’í virtue, the Most Mighty Branch sprung from the Ancient Root, the Limb of the Law of God, the Being “round Whom all names revolve,” the Mainspring of the Oneness of Humanity, the Ensign of the Most Great Peace, the Moon of the Central Orb of this most holy Dispensation—styles and titles that are implicit and find their truest, their highest and fairest expression in the magic name ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá. He is, above and beyond these appellations, the “Mystery of God”—an expression by which Bahá’u’lláh Himself has chosen to designate Him, and which, while it does not by any means justify us to assign to Him the station of Prophethood, indicates how 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.

-Shoghi Effendi, grandson of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

“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 Effendi, “the master” as he par excellence is called.... 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, 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.”

- Professor Edward G. Browne of the University of Cambridge, 1890 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá could be on one occasion all love; on another occasion supreme wisdom; and on other rare occasions, expressing a power that seemed cosmic.

-Stanwood Cobb, educator

We would pay tribute to the memory of a man who wielded a vast influence for good, and who, if he was destined to see many of his ideas seemingly shattered in the world war, remained true to his convictions and to his belief in the possibility of a reign of peace and love, and who...showed the west that religion is a vital force that can never be disregarded.

Non-personal only in the sense of being impartially distributed, the Master’s was a warm mother-love; each one felt that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s love was especially for him, just as each one appropriates his own place in the sun.

-Marzieh Gail, writer

-Times of India ‘Abdul-Bahá was the example of virtue, purity and perfections.

He was famous in the East and in the West. His followers are counted by the thousands, throughout the world. He was the essence of dignity and kindness personified. He was very patient, merciful, affectionate and a sea of wisdom. He was in love with charity, generous and tender to the orphans and widows. He was the hope of the hopeless and the help of the helpless.

-Annafir newspaper I have heard so much about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, whom people call an idealist, but I should like to call Him a realist, because no idealism, when it is strong and true, exists without the endorsement of realism. There is nothing more real than His words on truth. His words are as simple as the sunlight; again like the sunlight, they are universal. … No Teacher, I think, is more important today than ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

-Yone Noguchi, Japanese writer, father of sculptor Isamu Noguchi

Texts and images in this booklet have been adapted from various sources, including the following: The online chronology « The Extraordinary Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá » created by Violetta Zein for the Utterance Project https://theutteranceproject.com/theextraordinary-life-of-abdul-baha/ Ambassador to Humanity: A selection of testimonials and tributes to ‘Abdu’lBahá, compiled by Robert Weinberg The Mystery of God, compiled by Iran Furútan Muhájir https://media.bahai.org/ This is an individual initiative for the occasion of the Centenary Commemoration of the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, London 2021