Hearing Bahá'u'lláh chanting verses

Hearing Baha’u’llah Chanting Verses of God -- an experience recalled by Haji Mirza Haydar 'Ali

Haji Mirza Haydar-'Ali [designated by 'Abdu'l-Baha as the 'Angel of Mount Carmel'] describes the effect of being in the presence of Bahá'u'lláh when He chanted a Tablet He had revealed for him:

This Tablet... was chanted by the Beauty of the All-Bountiful [Baha’u’llah]. What an effect it had on me! To what a world did I ascend! To what a paradise did I enter! What did I see! In what way did I hear that voice and that melody!... These I cannot tell. I entered that Paradise which no eye had seen, and no ear had heard, nor any heart had felt. I saw the Kingdom of grandeur and majesty, and felt the might, the transcendent power, the glory, and the sovereignty of the ever-living, the ever-abiding, the incomparable God. But to speak of it, write about it, give an image or likeness of it, exalt and sanctify it, allude to it, extol and praise it, or describe and narrate it, all these are impossible for this humble servant or anyone else in the world. We have only access to words and terms, whereas that experience and condition are exalted above all things. They cannot be put into words or described by talks. No one can interpret the inner feelings of one's conscience... But this condition remains only for a single moment. It is a fleeting experience. Its manifestation within the human being is due to a special bounty of God. Its duration, varying from the twinkling of an eye to a longer period, depends upon one's capacity to become the recipient of this bounty. The deeds and actions of the person demonstrate its existence. But it has never been heard that this condition lasted for three or four months in a person except in Badi' (the youth that carried Baha’u’llah’s Message to the King of Persia) …(Haji Mirza Haydar-'Ali, quoted by Adib Taherzadeh in ‘The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 3’, p. 182)

Baha’u’llah Vindicating the Miracles of All the Prophets

Baha’u’llah Vindicating the Miracles of All the Prophets

One of Baha’u’llah’s bitterest enemies by the name of Shaykh 'Abdu'l-Husayn was sent by the Shah of Persia to Karbila (near Baghdad) to carry out the repair of the Muslim holy sites. He invited all ranks of clergy to a conference held at his home. There he forcefully condemned Baha'u'llah's activities, accused Him of destroying the Faith of Islam, and demanded that holy war should be proclaimed against the Babis of ‘Iraq. The body of the divines approved. However, the leading mujtahid [1] of the Shi’ah community, Shaykh Murtiday-i-Ansari, a man of justice and piety, refused to sanction their evil plans and arose and abruptly left the meeting.

Some time before this, Baha'u'llah had invited Shaykh 'Abdu'l-Husayn [the one who had called the conference of the divines] to meet Him face to face so that the truth of His Cause might be established. But the Shaykh, who had accepted the invitation at first, was afraid to meet the challenge and did not appear at the appointed place.

The conference of the divines decided to send a representative to Baha'u'llah to put certain questions to Him, designed to establish the truth of His Mission. The person they chose for this mission was a devout and high-minded cleric by the name of Haji Mulla Hasan-i-'Ammu. This Haji requested the assistance of a Prince in Baghdad, who was a friend and admirer of Baha'u'llah and had visited His home, to arrange for an interview with Baha’u’llah. When the appointed day came, the prince took Haji Mulla Hasan personally to the house of Baha'u'llah.

No sooner had Haji Mulla Hasan presented himself to Baha'u'llah than he discovered the ocean of His utterance surging before him and saw himself as a mere drop compared to the vastness of Baha’u'llah's knowledge. Having had his questions answered with brilliance and simplicity, he then ventured to inform Baha'u'llah that "The 'ulama recognize without hesitation and confess the knowledge and virtue of Bahá'u'lláh, and they are unanimously convinced that in all learning he has no peer or equal; and it is also evident that he has never studied or acquired this learning; but still the 'ulama say, 'We are not contented with this; we do not acknowledge the reality of his mission by virtue of his wisdom and righteousness. Therefore, we ask him to show us a miracle in order to satisfy and tranquilize our hearts.'" (Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 28)

Bahá'u'lláh replied, "Although you have no right to ask this, for God should test His creatures, and they should not test God, still I allow and accept this request. But the Cause of God is not a theatrical display that is presented every hour, of which some new diversion may be asked for every day. If it were thus, the Cause of God would become mere child's play. (ibid)

"The ulamas must, therefore, assemble, and, with one accord, choose one miracle, and write that, after the performance of this miracle they will no longer entertain doubts about Me, and that all will acknowledge and confess the truth of My Cause. Let them seal this paper, and bring it to Me. This must be the accepted criterion: if the miracle is performed, no doubt will remain for them; and if not, We shall be convicted of imposture." (ibid)

The learned man, Hasan 'Amu, rose and replied, "There is no more to be said"; he then kissed the knee of the Blessed One although he was not a believer, and went. He gathered the 'ulama and gave them the sacred message. They consulted together and said, "This man is an enchanter; perhaps he will perform an enchantment, and then we shall have nothing more to say." Acting on this belief, they did not dare to push the matter further. (ibid, p. 29)

Haji Mulla Hasan conveyed this decision to Baha'u'llah through the Prince who had arranged his meeting with Him. Upon hearing this news, Baha'u'llah is reported to have said:

“We have, bough this all-satisfying, all-embracing message which We sent, revealed and vindicated the miracles of all the Prophets, inasmuch as We left the choice to the 'ulamas themselves, undertaking to reveal whatever they would decide upon.”

(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 144) (Adapted from The Revelation of Baha’u’llah, by Adib Taherzadeh volume 1, p. 45 and Stories of Baha’u’llah and Some Notable Believers by Kiser Barnes, pp. 29-31)
[1] A Muslim Doctor of Law. The highest rank of divine within Shi’ah Islam. One who has the power to make authoritative decisions on points of law in the name of the Hidden Imam]

An exceptional example of spiritual ecstasy and joy felt by some early believers in a devotional gathering

Nabil [1] has recounted in his as yet unpublished narratives the story of a gathering held one evening in the house of Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdad, sometime before His Declaration. He considered that gathering to have been one of the most memorable of his life.

That night a wonderful feast had been arranged and 'Abdu'l-Bahá, then eighteen years of age, was acting as host. His youthful and radiant personality added distinction to the assembly. A number of believers from Baghdad and Karbila were present, among them some eminent personalities such as Haji Siyyid Javad-i-Karbila'i, [2] Shaykh Sultan [3], and Sayyah [4].

After partaking of food they began to chant the Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, and soon the atmosphere became deeply spiritual. Hearts were filled with divine love and souls were illumined by the light of the New Day; so when the poem of Az-Bágh-i-Iláhí[(From the Garden of Holiness) -- a Tablet of Baha’u’llah. For a brief explanation about it please visit Baha’i Historical Facts] was chanted, its mysteries became apparent to them, revealing thereby the approaching hour of the unveiling of Bahá'u'lláh's divine station. Every sincere soul in that company experienced ecstasy and joy, and the atmosphere became alive with excitement and rapture.

An interesting incident occurred during the chanting of this ode. In one verse Bahá'u'lláh condemns the unfaithful among His companions. When this particular verse was chanted the believers all turned to look at Siyyid Muhammad-i-Isfahani [5]. Although embarrassed, he arose and to the amusement of some and the amazement of others, performed a dance of rapture in an attempt to dispel their suspicion.

Then without warning the door opened and Bahá'u'lláh entered majestically, holding in His hand a small glass vessel of rose-water. He greeted them with the salutation 'Allah'u'Akbar',[Literally, 'God is the Greatest'. With these words the followers of the Báb greeted each other]and bade them not to arise or disrupt their meeting. He had felt the spirituality of that gathering, He said, and so had come to anoint them with rose-water. [In those days it was considered a gracious act for the host to anoint his guests with rose-water.] This He graciously did, going to every person in the room, after which He left.

It was a mighty climax and the highlight of the evening. No one was able to sleep that night, so intoxicated were they with the wine of His presence. 'The like of that night', Nabil writes, 'the eye of creation had not seen.' (Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 1, pp. 219-220)

[1] The author of The Dawn-Breakers, Bahá'u'lláh's "Poet-Laureate, His chronicler and His indefatigable disciple.", Shoghi Effendi, ‘God Passes By’, p. 130]
[2] He was one of the outstanding disciples of Siyyid Kazim-i-Rashti, and in his early youth had met the renowned Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsa'i … He was distinguished by his learning and knowledge, his piety and uprightness. He was reserved in his speech and very gentle in his manners, and had a dignified bearing which endeared him to people (Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 1, p. 220)
[3] The father-in-law of Bahá'u'lláh's faithful brother Mirza Musa (Adib Taherzadeh, The Child of the Covenant, p. 65)
[4] He had been the courier of the Báb and at one time His personal attendant. (Balyuzi, Baha'u'llah - The King of Glory, p. 247)
[5] Referred to by the Guardian as “the Antichrist of the Bahá'í Revelation” (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 164)

Early believers recall witnessing the majesty, beauty, power and authority of Baha’u’llah

Haji Mirza Haydar-‘Ali, known by Western Baha’is as the ‘Angle of Carmel’ related the following story:

A certain man … once requested the late Haji Siyyid Javad-i-Karbila'i . . ., an early believer and one of the Mirrors of the Babi Dispensation, to describe the countenance of the Bab ... and its beauty. He said 'He was unsurpassed in beauty and sweetness; I saw in Him all the goodness and beauty ascribed to the person of Joseph.' … I asked him to tell us about the beauty of the One (Baha'u'llah) in Whose holy presence the Kingdom of beauty prostrates itself and at whose threshold the most high realm of omnipotence and majesty raises a song of praise and glory. He replied, 'Know with absolute certainty that if anyone, whether friend or foe, claims that he was able to look directly into the blessed face of Baha'u'llah he is a liar. I tested this repeatedly and tried time and again to gaze upon His blessed countenance, but was unable to do so. Sometimes, when a person attains the presence of Baha'u'llah, he is so enamoured and carried away that in fact he becomes dumbfounded, awestruck, oblivious of himself and forgetful of the world. And whenever he is not carried away, should he try to look into His blessed face with concentration, it would be like looking into the sun. In the same way that the eye is blinded by the efflulgent rays of the sun, causing tears to flow, should one persist in gazing upon the countenance of the Blessed Beauty, tears will fill the eyes making it impossible to gain any impression of Him.'

I myself had this experience. During the seven months that I stayed in Adrianople, I was so carried away and dazzled [by His presence] that I was completely oblivious of myself and all creation. Fourteen or fifteen years later I arrived in the holy city of 'Akka, the luminous Spot round which circle in adoration the Concourse on High, the Sinai of Revelation unto Moses. I attained the presence of Baha'u'llah for three months. During all this time I had wanted to know the colour of the blessed taj (a tall felt headdress worn by Baha'u'llah) He was wearing, and yet I forgot to think of it every time I was in His presence, until one day He adorned, perfumed and illumined the Garden of Ridvan [the one near ‘Akka] with His blessed footsteps. The realities of the promised gardens of Paradise, both hidden and manifest, lay prostrate at that Garden of Ridvan [Paradise]. He was having a midday meal in the room which pilgrims still visit and where a couch, chair, and some items used by Him are kept. Two or three people were standing inside and several outside the room. They were all enamoured of His peerless, imperishable and glorious Beauty. I saw the taj then ... as I stood behind the friends and His companions ... its colour was green ... (Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 2, p. 9)

The Persian Princess and Tahirih

There was a Persian princess by the name of Shams-i-Jahan Khanum [Khanum means lady, and Shams-i-Jahan literally means the “sun of the world”). She was a granddaughter of Fath-Ali Shah, one of Qajar Kings, and a relative of the reigning Shah. She was interested in religion and had made a pilgrimage to Mecca. Because of this pilgrimage she was called Haji Khanum [Haji means a person who has gone on pilgrimage to Mecca]. She had heard about Tahirih and her beautiful poems, and as she herself occasionally wrote poetry, she longed to see Tahirih. She had heard that Tahirih was imprisoned in the house of the kalantar (mayor) of Tihran.

In a book of poetry that she later wrote, the princess described her meeting with Tahirih. She wrote that one day she left the palace with her maids under the pretense of going for a walk. They came to the garden of the kalantar and entering it, Haji Khanum gradually approached the building where Tahirih was imprisoned on its second story. When she reached the building she turned to God and said, "O Gad if this Cause is true, make Tahirih come forward and let me see her.”

“As soon as I had thus prayed," she writes, "the window of the top story suddenly opened and Tahirih, like a brilliant sun, looked out and called to me, ‘What dost thou want, O princess?’

"I was so astonished that I stared at her, solemnly, and then began to cry. She smiled and then laughed. I was deeply affected by this. It seemed to me strange that I, a Princess and quite free, should be walking into this garden and crying, while she, a prisoner in that little room, was laughing.

"I said to her, 'O Lady, I would like to know why you are imprisoned?” “She replied, 'Because I have spoken the truth. Why did the descendants of Muhammad fall into captivity? Because they, also, spoke the truth.'

"I asked her, 'Where is the truth?' “She said, 'The center of truth appeared in the world and they killed him.'

"I asked her, 'Is it the one they killed in Tabriz?' “’Yes,’ she answered, 'He was our Promised One, your Promised One and mine, and they martyred him.'”

"Then I asked, 'Who were those people who were in the Fortress of Tabarsi?'

“She said, 'They, also, were His disciples'”

The princess now writes, "At this point in our conversation the guards suddenly heard me and came rushing into the garden; but before I was aware of their approach, Tahirih called to me, 'O princess, go, lest you fall into trouble' and she shut the window and withdrew. Then the servants of the kalantar came up to me and said, 'What are you doing here, Lady?'

“Vexed with them, I replied, ‘I came here for a walk'

“Although they knew what was my object yet, out of respect, they merely replied, ‘Very well. Now that you have finished your walk, kindly leave the place.'

“For several days after this I wept and cried, and I longed to see once more this lady, the prisoner, until at last God heard my prayer and again I saw Tahirih at the wedding of the son of the Kalantar."

While Tahirih was a prisoner in the house of the kalantar one of his sons married a young girl. The night of the wedding, when all the princesses and the ladies of the royal household were assembled in the kalantar's home, one of these royal ladies said, "It would be interesting to see that Baha'i lady who is a prisoner here." All the ladies joined in her wish, and asked for Tahirih. Finally they sent a message to the kalantar beseeching him and saying that it would be a real joy, and a wedding present if he would let them see the prisoner.

They sent for Tahirih and brought her from her prison room to the wedding feast. One of the princesses described her thus: "When I saw her my heart was filled with happiness. When Tahirih entered the room, she was so beautiful and so dignified, and when she spoke it was with such power that we in the room gradually turned to her and came and listened to her, and forgot all about the wedding." She spoke with great enthusiasm and now she related her sorrows, in stories, and the ladies began to weep, and again she told them stories that made them laugh, and as she walked up and down the room she chanted her poems in such a wonderful way that everyone was astonished. Not one of the ladies wished to hear or to see any more of the wedding festivities; nay rather, they listened to her almost the entire evening. And as a result of that night's experience many of those ladies, of whom the princess, Haji Khanum was one, became firm followers of the Cause.

From this night all the ladies of the kalantar's household were greatly attached to Tahirih. They asked kalantar's permission to have her live in the house with them, rather than in the little room in the garden. So she was brought to the house and was closely associated with the ladies there. One of the maids in the house of the kalantar afterwards related that Tahirih, the prisoner, radiated such love, greatness, power and majesty to everyone there that all, both ladies and maids, became so devoted to her that they would have given their lives for her.

Some years later, the princess, Haji Khanum, heard that one of the sons of Mirza Buzurg, the father of Baha'u'llah, who was a Minister at the court of the Shah of Persia had become the leader of the Babi Movement, but she did not know which son. She questioned a friend who, misinformed herself, told her that Mirza Yahya Azal [the unfaithful half-brother of Baha’u’llah] was the one.

For ten years the princess waited, constantly expecting this son of Mirza Buzurg to take the place of the Bab and very eager to see him. At last she started forth on a pilgrimage to Karbala and on the way arrived in Baghdad. There she made inquiries for Mirza Yahya Azal and was shown his home.

She sent a friend with an invitation to him, saying, "I wish to talk with you for about an hour."

When Mirza Yahya heard the name of the princess he was frightened and said, "This Lady is of the royal family and will cause us trouble. Do not inform her and do not let her come here to me."

When this was repeated to the princess she was astonished, and said, "If this man is the right one, the true one, then how is it that he does not know of my longing and my love for the Cause?”

Again she sent a message to him, saying that "I promise I won’t betray you or tell anyone. You have my word on it.” I want only to see you for a little while as you are from God."

This answer made Mirza Yahya still more afraid, and he said, "Do not let her come here at all."

The princess became angry at this answer and she decided to return to Persia and to re-convert to their old beliefs those whom she had taught.

Suddenly, one of the servants of Baha'u'llah came to her, and said, "Do not be depressed and sad. The light, the truth is somewhere else. The one whom you seek is the brother of Azal, and he has sent me here to invite you to come and see him tomorrow."

The princess now became very happy, and she spent the whole night in prayer, weeping and waiting for the day. She reasoned with herself, saying, "Suppose, tomorrow, I go, and am not able to ask the questions which distress me! I had better write them down." So she wrote all her questions on a piece of paper which she put under her pillow, in order to be ready to ask them the next day.

Early in the morning the servant of Baha'u'llah came to her, and said, "Baha'u'llah invites you to come, and to bring your questions with you."

She was amazed, and she thought, "Who has told Baha'u'llah that I have questions!” Constantly she said to herself, "This one is the true one, and not Azal."

In an entirely new frame of mind, she went to the home of Baha'u'llah, taking her questions with her. When she arrived Baha'u'llah was pacing inside the house. The moment she saw him, the Blessed One, she fell upon her knees. Baha'u'llah came forward and raised her up, encouraging her, and saying, "Do not be troubled; all is well." Then she wept for joy, and unhesitatingly she accepted his Reality, saying, even, "Thou art God." He answered, "No, God forbid. God is far beyond being in a body." She said, "If you are not God then who told you that I am depressed and that I was going back to Persia and that I have questions to ask."

Baha’u’llah said, "Nay, I am not God, but God told me of these things." Before she looked at her questions, Baha’u’llah began to answer those very questions which she had written down.

This story was recorded by the princess herself, in her own handwriting, in her book.

After a time, she left, but Baha'u'llah promised her that she should see Him again. She hoped to meet Baha'u'llah in Adrianople, but was unable to do so. At last, after ten years, she saw Baha’u’llah in Acre. She sold all her property in order to secure the money for the journey, and married a man quite outside her own social station, that she might be able to go to Acre to see Baha'u'llah.

In the East, in those days, if a princess married a merchant it would have been considered an extraordinary thing because she had to forfeits her rank. But this princess was so devoted to the Cause that she married Haji Sadiq Kashani, a Baha'i, and out of her own funds she paid their traveling expenses to Acre. (Adapted from an account in Star of the West, vol. 14, April 1923)

Ali-Kuli Khan becomes one of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s secretaries and begins translating His correspondence with the American Baha'is

Ali-Kuli Khan becomes one of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s secretaries and begins translating His correspondence with the American Baha'is

Ali-Kuli Khan (c. 1879-1966) was also known as Nabilu'd-dawlih. He was an eminent Iranian Baha'i who served briefly as 'Abdu'l-Baha’s English-language secretary between 1899-1901. He was subsequently sent to America where he was the first to translate into English some of the most important works of Baha’u’llah, such as the Kitab-i-Iqan, the Seven Valleys and the Glad-Tidings. He also continued to translate 'Abdu'l-Baha’s correspondence with the American Baha'is. Ali-Kuli Khan was appointed Iranian charge d'affaires in Washington in 1910 and later served in various high-ranking diplomatic positions. His marriage to Boston society girl Florence Breed (1875-1950) in 1904 not only caused comments on two continents, but was praised by 'Abdu'l-Baha as the first marriage between East and West, a symbol of the unity taught by the Baha’i Faith. Their daughter, Marzieh Gail (1908-93), also became an eminent Baha'i writer and translator. Her translations from Persian and Arabic include The Seven Valleys by Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s The Secret of Divine Civilization.(Adapted from Summon up Remembrance, by Marzieh Gail, and A Concise Encyclopedia of the Baha’I Faith, by Peter Smith) Here is how his daughter Marzieh Gail composed from his memoir his first pilgrimage to Haifa, the resulting meeting with ‘Abdu’l-Baha, and the amazing way through which he became able to translate Arabic Tablets – a language he didn’t know prior to his pilgrimage.

It was still dark the next morning, some time before dawn, when the ship anchored about a mile off Haifa. In those days Haifa was a town of negligible importance, and the harbor was not deep enough to permit a steamer to come in any nearer. A number of believers, with Haji Muhammad-Taqi Manshadi, came out by rowboat to meet the pilgrims and get them ashore. Everything was still dark, and the outline of Mount Carmel barely visible.

Once on land, Khan knelt and kissed the earth, and offered thanks to God for granting him his dearest wish.

Since it was still so early, Khan was taken to the coffee house of Husayn Effendi, a Baha'i who regularly greeted and served refreshments to newly arrived pilgrims.

‘The Master is right here in Haifa,' someone said.

At this, Khan, terrified, broke down and wept. 'How can one such as I,' he cried, 'one with so many shortcomings -- how can I stand in the presence of One from whose all-seeing eyes nothing whatever is hidden?'

The believers offered words to quiet him down.

'You'll see,' they told him, 'He is not like that. He is all bounty and mercy. He will make it easy for you to endure the awe of His presence. He has invited you to come and once you see Him you will have no more worries.'

Then, as the sky brightened, they led him about a quarter of a mile away to a house near the sea, and while they walked, Khan kept weeping and voicing his fears….

The arriving party climbed the brick steps leading to the courtyard. Khan was shaking and his heart pumped too fast. What sort of Being was he going to see? He had known but one photograph of the Master, the youthful one taken at Adrianople, in the days when veiled women, gazing down from their latticed windows, would throw roses at His feet. When he dared to look, there, standing tall before him, was One in turban and robe, One with a full beard, dark but with much gray intermingled, and a face just as Khan had always visualized the countenance of Baha’u’llah.

‘I saw this was Baha’u’llah,' he said in after years. ([in Persian] Didam Baha'u'llahst.) Khan collapsed, fell to the floor.

'He lifted me up,' Khan would say, 'put His arms around me, and kissed me on both cheeks. Noting the state I was in He told His attendant to take me to another room and give me some tea.'

Ustad Muhammad-'Ali helped Khan to the corner room where the pilgrims would rest.

Within a few minutes 'Abdu'l-Baha' sent for him. By now, to his surprise, Khan felt strong enough to stand in His presence. The Master said:

'Marhaba! Marhaba! (Welcome, welcome), Jinab-i-Khan. You have suffered much on your wanderings, but welcome! Praise be to God, you have reached here in safety.

'The Blessed Perfection, Baha'u'llah, has promised to raise up souls who would hasten to the service of the Covenant, and would assist me in spreading His Faith. His Cause has now reached America and many in the Western world are being attracted to His Teachings. You, with your knowledge of English, are one of those souls promised me by Baha'u'llah. You have come to assist me by translating His Sacred Writings as well as my letters to the friends in America and elsewhere in the West.'

The room seemed charged with His words. They resounded ever after in Khan's mind and heart.

Then He said, 'You must reside with me and assist me in my work.'

He stretched out His hand to the table and took up a pack of folded papers, the sort He used for Tablets, and passed them over to Khan.

'These are the answers', He said, 'that I have written to some of the American Baha’is. Go and translate them into English.'

Khan unfolded the top ones. They were Tablets 'Abdu'l-Baha had written in His own hand. They were in Arabic.

'But my Master,' he cried, 'these are not in Persian! These are Arabic! In my college I studied European languages, but not Arabic!'

No one had ever in his life looked at Khan with such loving eyes and such a smile. Still smiling, 'Abdu'l-Baha reached for His rock candy on the table. Filling both His hands He told Khan to cup his palms for the candy. Then, His eyes mysteriously solemn, and His voice taking on a new, strange tone, 'Abdu'l-Baha said: 'Go, and eat this candy. Rest assured, the Blessed Perfection will enable you to translate the Arabic into English. Rest assured that as time goes on you will be assisted to translate from the Arabic much more easily than from the Persian.'

They both remained standing throughout the whole interview, Khan before the Master, within a few feet. Dismissing him, the Master pointed to the bedstead in the room and said He had taken a house in the German Colony and was no longer using this bed.

'This is your bed,' He told Khan. 'Sleep in it.'

When night came, Khan did-not have the courage to sleep in the Master's bed. And so [he] lay down on the floor. This went on for three nights. On the morning of the fourth day Usta'd Muhammad-'Ali, the Master's attendant, entered the room and said, 'Jinab-i-Khan, you have wandered many weary weeks and months, and all that time you have lived and longed for the day when you might enter the Master's holy presence. Now that your wish has been granted and your goal reached, are you aware that you are disobeying the Master?

Khan was shocked to hear him. 'What on earth do you mean?' he asked.

'I mean that you have not slept in the Master's bed, as He told you to do.'

'I did not intend to disobey Him,' stammered Khan. 'I simply was not brave enough to sleep in a bed in which the Center of Baha'u'llah's Covenant had slept.'

But he promised Ustad that from now on he would obey, although it was only with fear and trembling that he finally crept into the bed which had been 'Abdu'l-Baha's….

As for his difficult new task, Khan said that from that first meeting some new power was created in him, and he set to work with dictionaries and other helps and began to translate. During the several months spent in His presence, Khan translated the Master's Arabic as well as His Persian (and other language) Tablets, and afterward, through the years in America, he continued this work, and it did indeed become easier for him to put Arabic into English than to translate from his native tongue.

Unlike Persian, which is Indo-European, Arabic is a Semitic language, so difficult that the Master, an expert in Persian, Turkish and Arabic -- His writings taught as a model by scholars in the East -- reportedly called Arabic a 'bottomless abyss'. English-speaking readers of Baha'i Writings are fortunate, receiving them all in English, and not conscious that to Persian readers the same page may suddenly slip into Arabic, a foreign tongue, much as if an English text should suddenly pass into Latin. On occasion, Baha'u'llah Himself has translated the Arabic into Persian, so that the English reader reads the same text twice. Khan did, of course, work with helps and in the beginning for some months he studied the Occidental translators of Babi and Baha'i Writings, among them E. G. Browne, the distinguished orientalist who was the guest of Baha'u'llah at Bahji (April 15-20, 1890). While these offered some assistance, he eventually found them wanting in many ways and he tried to produce new expressions and combinations of words to convey implications and shades of meaning. He reached the conclusion that a profound study of the languages involved was not enough to present an adequate rendition of the creative words of Baha'u'llah and the Master -- for these are in themselves a new language with new connotations. No matter how great the scholar, Khan decided, unless he or she is a true believer, devoted to the Faith, the translation will fall short. This was also along the lines of Mirza Abu'l-Fadl's comment, that when he first read the Iqan [the Book of Certitude], as a non-believer, its deep meanings remained obscure to him, but when he read it afterward as a believer, it was the key that unlocked all the holy Scriptures of the past.

Khan tried to follow the literal sense of the original as closely as he was able. On many occasions, verbally and in Tablets, 'Abdu'l-Baha called Khan His best translator. This was long before the superlative achievements in the field by Shoghi Effendi, with his perfect English, Arabic and Persian, and his French so accomplished that he had to make a decision, Laura Barney said, as to whether he should put Baha'i basic literature into English or French. The Master told Khan not to worry, expert translators would come in the future, and assured him his work showed a deep and intimate knowledge of the inner meaning of the creative words. (Marzieh Gail, Summon up Remembrance, pp. 107-113)

An exceptional example of spiritual ecstasy and joy felt by some early believers in a devotional gathering

Nabil [1] has recounted in his as yet unpublished narratives the story of a gathering held one evening in the house of Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdad, sometime before His Declaration. He considered that gathering to have been one of the most memorable of his life.

That night a wonderful feast had been arranged and 'Abdu'l-Bahá, then eighteen years of age, was acting as host. His youthful and radiant personality added distinction to the assembly. A number of believers from Baghdad and Karbila were present, among them some eminent personalities such as Haji Siyyid Javad-i-Karbila'i, [2] Shaykh Sultan [3], and Sayyah [4].

After partaking of food they began to chant the Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, and soon the atmosphere became deeply spiritual. Hearts were filled with divine love and souls were illumined by the light of the New Day; so when the poem of Az-Bágh-i-Iláhí[(From the Garden of Holiness) -- a Tablet of Baha’u’llah. For a brief explanation about it please visit Baha’i Historical Facts] was chanted, its mysteries became apparent to them, revealing thereby the approaching hour of the unveiling of Bahá'u'lláh's divine station. Every sincere soul in that company experienced ecstasy and joy, and the atmosphere became alive with excitement and rapture.

An interesting incident occurred during the chanting of this ode. In one verse Bahá'u'lláh condemns the unfaithful among His companions. When this particular verse was chanted the believers all turned to look at Siyyid Muhammad-i-Isfahani [5]. Although embarrassed, he arose and to the amusement of some and the amazement of others, performed a dance of rapture in an attempt to dispel their suspicion.

Then without warning the door opened and Bahá'u'lláh entered majestically, holding in His hand a small glass vessel of rose-water. He greeted them with the salutation 'Allah'u'Akbar',[Literally, 'God is the Greatest'. With these words the followers of the Báb greeted each other]and bade them not to arise or disrupt their meeting. He had felt the spirituality of that gathering, He said, and so had come to anoint them with rose-water. [In those days it was considered a gracious act for the host to anoint his guests with rose-water.] This He graciously did, going to every person in the room, after which He left.

It was a mighty climax and the highlight of the evening. No one was able to sleep that night, so intoxicated were they with the wine of His presence. 'The like of that night', Nabil writes, 'the eye of creation had not seen.' (Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 1, pp. 219-220)

[1] The author of The Dawn-Breakers, Bahá'u'lláh's "Poet-Laureate, His chronicler and His indefatigable disciple.", Shoghi Effendi, ‘God Passes By’, p. 130]
[2] He was one of the outstanding disciples of Siyyid Kazim-i-Rashti, and in his early youth had met the renowned Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsa'i … He was distinguished by his learning and knowledge, his piety and uprightness. He was reserved in his speech and very gentle in his manners, and had a dignified bearing which endeared him to people (Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 1, p. 220)
[3] The father-in-law of Bahá'u'lláh's faithful brother Mirza Musa (Adib Taherzadeh, The Child of the Covenant, p. 65)
[4] He had been the courier of the Báb and at one time His personal attendant. (Balyuzi, Baha'u'llah - The King of Glory, p. 247)
[5] Referred to by the Guardian as “the Antichrist of the Bahá'í Revelation” (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 164)

The Shírázi youth who became a cellmate of Bahá’u’lláh in the Siyáh-Chál (the Black Pit) of Tihrán

One of the Babis who was arrested in 1852 in Tihran, Persia, in the uproar that ensued when two misguided Babis attempted to take the life of the Shah, was a Shirazi youth by the name of ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab. The story of this glorious youth, whose heart brimmed with love for his Lord, Baha’u’llah, has been told by both Bahá'u'lláh Himself and by 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Nabil, the great Baha’i historian, has also recorded it in his book, The Dawn-Breakers.
‘Abdu’l-Vahhab’s attraction to the new religion is an amazing example of the influence of dreams in the lives of those early believers.

One day, as one of the “Letters of the Living” (a title conferred on the first 18 disciples to recognize the Bab), by the name of Mulla 'Aliy-i-Bastami, was leaving Shiraz for Iraq, as instructed by the Bab, he was overtaken by ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab, who tearfully entreated him to allow him to accompany him on his journey.

‘Abdu’l-Vahhab told him: “Perplexities oppress my heart; I pray you to guide my steps in the way of Truth. Last night in my dream, I heard the crier announce in the market-street of Shiraz the appearance of the Imam 'Ali, the Commander of the Faithful. He called to the multitude: ‘Arise and seek him. Behold, he plucks out of the burning fire charters of liberty and is distributing them to the people. Hasten to him, for whoever receives them from his hands will be secure from penal suffering, and whoever fails to obtain them from him, will be bereft of the blessings of Paradise.’” ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab further told Mulla ‘Ali that in his dream, immediately after he heard the voice of the crier, he arose and, abandoning his shop, ran across the market street of Vakil to a place where he saw Mulla ‘Ali standing and distributing those same charters to the people.

He told him that in his dream he saw that everyone who approached Mulla ‘Ali to receive the papers that he was distributing, upon hearing from Mulla ‘Ali certain words, would flee in consternation and exclaim: “Woe betide me, for I am deprived of the blessings of 'Ali and his kindred! Ah, miserable me, that I am accounted among the outcast and fallen!”

‘Abdu’l-Vahhab then told ‘Mulla Ali that “I awoke from my dream and, immersed in an ocean of thought, regained my shop. Suddenly I saw you pass, accompanied by a man who wore a turban, and who was conversing with you. I sprang from my seat and, impelled by a power which I could not repress, ran to overtake you. To my utter amazement. I found you standing upon the very site which I had witnessed in my dream, engaged in the recital of traditions and verses. Standing aside, at a distance, I kept watching you, wholly unobserved by you and your friend. I heard the man whom you were addressing, impetuously protest: ‘Easier is it for me to be devoured by the flames of hell than to acknowledge the truth of your words, the weight of which mountains are unable to sustain!’ To his contemptuous rejection you returned this answer: ‘Were all the universe to repudiate His truth, it could never tarnish the unsullied purity of His robe and grandeur.’ Departing from him, you directed your steps towards the gate of Kaziran [Kazirun]. I continued to follow you until I reached this place.”

Mulla 'Ali tried to appease ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab’s troubled heart and to persuade him to return to his shop and resume his daily work. 'Your association with me,' he urged, 'would involve me in difficulties. Return to Shiraz and rest assured, for you are accounted of the people of salvation. Far be it from the justice of God to withhold from so ardent and devoted a seeker the cup of His grace, or to deprive a soul so athirst from the billowing ocean of His Revelation.'

The words of Mulla 'Ali, however, proved to no avail. The more he insisted upon his return the louder grew ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab’s lamentation and weeping. Mulla 'Ali finally felt compelled to comply with his wish and resigning himself to the will of God continued with his plans to proceed towards Iraq accompanied by ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab.

In the meantime, the father of ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab heard the news that his son had closed his shop and left the city. He became very angry and offended, wondering how he could tolerate such unseemly behavior. Upon inquiring he was told that ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab was seen going towards the Kazirun gate of the city, accompanied by a man wearing a turban. ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab’s father, picked up a club, intended to physically punish his son for his reckless and socially unacceptable behavior, and ran in the direction of the Kazirun gate. Nothing but the severest chastisement, he felt, could wipe away the effect of his son's disgraceful conduct.

It should be mentioned that ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab’s father held a very prestigious position in Shiraz. He was among the favored one in the court of the sons of the governor of the province of Fars [Shiraz its capital city]. As such, he was fairly powerful. None dared to question his authority or ventured to interfere with his freedom. The governor himself was very powerful since he was a son of Fath-'Ali Shah, the second Qajar king of Persia.

Let’s listen to ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab’s father who related the rest of the story many years later to Nabil, the great Baha’i historian:

“I continued my search until I reached them. Seized with a savage fury, I inflicted upon Mulla 'Ali unspeakable injuries. To the strokes that fell heavily upon him, he, with extraordinary serenity, returned this answer: ‘Stay your hand, O 'Abdu'l-Majid [the father of 'Abdu'l-Vahhab], for the eye of God is observing you. I take Him as my witness, that I am in no wise responsible for the conduct of your son. I mind not the tortures you inflict upon me, for I stand prepared for the most grievous afflictions in the path I have chosen to follow. Your injuries, compared to what is destined to befall me in the future, are as a drop compared to the ocean. Verily, I say, you shall survive me, and will come to recognize my innocence. Great will then be your remorse, and deep your sorrow.’ Scorning his remarks, and heedless of his appeal, I continued to beat him until I was exhausted. Silently and heroically he endured this most undeserved chastisement at my hands. Finally, I ordered my son to follow me, and left Mulla 'Ali to himself.”

“On our way back to Shiraz, my son related to me the dream he had dreamt. A feeling of profound regret gradually seize me. The blamelessness of Mulla 'Ali was vindicated in my eyes, and the memory of my cruelty to him continued long to oppress my soul. Its bitterness lingered in my heart until the time when I felt obliged to transfer my residence from Shiraz to Baghdad.”

Nabil explains how ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab’s father would often recount, with eyes filled with tears, this unfortunate story, expressing how deeply he regretted the deed he committed and asking believers to pray that God may grant him the remission of his sin.

In the year 1851 ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab set up a shop in Kazimayn, the holy city adjacent to Baghdad. That was the same year that Baha’u’llah was in Iraq on the advice of Mirza Taqi Khan, the Persian Prime Minister. Since Kazimayn with its two sacred shrines was frequently visited by Bahá'u'lláh, it was inevitable that ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab should encounter Bahá'u'lláh. This happened and he became fervently attached to Baha’u’llah. Now he knew no peace save in the presence of Bahá'u'lláh, Who was still known only as Jinab-i-Baha by the Bábís, and as Mirza Husayn-'Aliy-i-Nuri by the world at large – since this was many years before Baha’u’llah’s declaration in Baghdad in 1863. Mirza 'Abdu'l-Vahhab's dearest wish was to travel back to Iran in the company of Bahá'u'lláh. But Bahá'u'lláh persuaded him to remain where he was, with his father, and gave him a sum of money to enlarge and extend his trade.

Due to the intensity of his attraction to Baha’u’llah ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab, however, did not heed Baha’u’llah’s advice and followed Him to Tihran. He reached the capital at the time when the misguided attempt to take the life of the Shah had been made and as a result Tihran was in turmoil.

‘Abdu'l-Bahá, relates in a Tablet the story of this glorious youth. He indicates that while the officials were searching everywhere for the Bábís they came upon 'Abdu'l-Vahhab, who undaunted, was giving praise to his Lord in the market-place. He was seized and thrown into the Siyah-Chal, the notorious Black Pit where a number of the Babis, including Baha’u’llah were imprisoned. You can imagine the joy of ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab to at last see his Lord again! 'Abdu'l-Vahhab had, at long last, found that repose, that peace of heart and mind which his whole being craved, for he was then continuously in the presence of his Lord. He was even chained to Bahá'u'lláh!

Many years later Bahá'u'lláh told Nabil the circumstances pertaining to the martyrdom of this God-intoxicated youth:

“We were awakened one night, ere break of day, by Mirza 'Abdu'l-Vahhab-i-Shirazi, who was bound with Us to the same chains. He had left Kazimayn and followed Us to Tihran, where he was arrested and thrown into prison. He asked Us whether We were awake, and proceeded to relate to Us his dream. ‘I have this night,’ he said, ‘been soaring into a space of infinite vastness and beauty. I seemed to be uplifted on wings that carried me wherever I desired to go. A feeling of rapturous delight filled my soul. I flew in the midst of that immensity with a swiftness and ease that I cannot describe.’ ‘Today,’ We replied, ‘it will be your turn to sacrifice yourself for this Cause. May you remain firm and steadfast to the end. You will then find yourself soaring in that same limitless space of which you dreamed, traversing with the same ease and swiftness the realm of immortal sovereignty, and gazing with that same rapture upon the Infinite Horizon.’

“That morning saw the gaoler again enter Our cell and call out the name of 'Abdu'l-Vahhab. Throwing off his chains, he sprang to his feet, embraced each of his fellow-prisoners, and, taking Us into his arms, pressed Us lovingly to his heart. That moment We discovered that he had no shoes to wear. We gave him Our own, and, speaking a last word of encouragement and cheer, sent him forth to the scene of his martyrdom. Later on, his executioner came to Us, praising in glowing language the spirit which that youth had shown. How thankful We were to God for this testimony which the executioner himself had given!” (Baha’u’llah, quoted in the Dawn-Breakers, p. 663)

Thus died 'Abdu'l-Vahhab, a simple youth from Shiraz.

In his book, Baha’u’llah the King of Glory, Hand of the Cause Mr. Balyuzi explains how some sixty years after the martyrdom of ‘Abdu’l-Vahhab, the Master, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, related the story of this Shirazi youth to a number of American Baha’is in the United States while He was in that country. Among those present was Lua Getsinger (whom the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith has honoured with the designation of the 'mother teacher of the West'). The crucial moment when 'Abdu'l-Vahhab took leave of Bahá'u'lláh to go to his martyrdom is captured by Juliet Thompson:

“Suddenly, ‘Abdul-Baha's whole aspect changed. It was as though the spirit of the martyr had entered into Him. With His head thrillingly erect, snapping His fingers high in the air, beating on the porch with His foot till we could scarcely endure the vibrations set up - such electric power radiated from Him - He sang the martyr's song, ecstatic and tragic beyond anything I had ever heard. This was what the Cause meant then! This was what it meant to live near Him! Another realm opened to me – the realm of Divine Tragedy.

'And thus,' ended 'Abdul Baha, 'singing and dancing he went to his death - and a hundred executioners fell on him! And later his old parents came to Baha'u'llah, praising God that their son had given his life in the Path of God!'

He sank back in His chair. Tears swelled in my eyes, blurring everything. When they cleared I saw a yet stranger look on His face. His eyes were unmistakably fixed on the invisible. They were as brilliant as jewels and so filled with delight that they almost made His vision real to us. A smile of exultation played on His lips. Very low, so that it sounded like an echo, he hummed the martyr's song. 'See!' He exclaimed, 'the effect that the death of a martyr has in the world. It has changed my condition.'

There was a moment of silence; then He said: 'What is it, Juliet, that you are pondering so deeply?' 'I was thinking of the look on your face when you said that your condition was changed. I was thinking I had seen a flash of the joy of God over those who die happily for humanity.'”

Haji 'Abdu'l-Majid, the father of 'Abdu'l-Vahhab -- who inflicted such hard punishment on Mulla 'Aliy-i-Bastami -- and his wife, took unhesitatingly the same path as their glorious son, as soon as they came face to face with Bahá'u'lláh. (Adapted from: ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, by Nabil; ‘Baha’u’llah – The King of Glory’, by Balyuzi; ‘Abdu’l-Baha – The Center of the Covenant’, by Balyuzi)

November 26th – Day of the Covenant

The believers in the West, at the time of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, wanted to commemorate His birthday that took place on the same day that the Bab declared His Mission. ‘Abdu'l-Bahá, however, didn’t approve of this and told them that this day was not, under any circumstances, to be celebrated as His day of birth and that it should be exclusively associated with the Bab. But as the Bahá'ís begged for a day to be celebrated as His, He gave them November 26th, to be observed as the day of the appointment of the Centre of the Covenant. It was known as Jashn-i-A'zam (The Greatest Festival), because He was Ghusn-i-A'zam -- the Greatest Branch. In the West it is known as the Day of the Covenant. (Adapted from the book, The Centre of the Covenant by Hand of the Cause Balyuzi)

Baha’u’llah requested a ten-minute meeting with the Ottoman Sultan

“ … in the Lawh-i-Ra'ís, Bahá'u'lláh, recalling His conversation with the Turkish officer charged with the task of enforcing His banishment to the fortress-town of 'Akká, has written: "There is a matter, which, if thou findest it possible, I request thee to submit to His Majesty the Sultan, that for ten minutes this Youth be enabled to meet him, so that he may demand whatsoever he deemeth as a sufficient testimony and regardeth as proof of the veracity of Him Who is the Truth. Should God enable Him to produce it, let him, then, release these wronged ones, and leave them to themselves." "He promised," Bahá'u'lláh adds in that Tablet, "to transmit this message, and to give Us his reply. We received, however, no news from him. Although it becometh not Him Who is the Truth to present Himself before any person, inasmuch as all have been created to obey Him, yet in view of the condition of these little children and the large number of women so far removed from their friends and countries, We have acquiesced in this matter. In spite of this nothing hath resulted. Umar himself is alive and accessible. Inquire from him, that the truth may be made known unto you." (Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p. 45)