A hundred years since he passed away

‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a kindly man. He was generous, loving and caring, like his Father. He lived a life of service to mankind, visiting the sick, feeding the poor and encouraging the downtrodden, just as His Father had done. His Father was Bahá’u’lláh, Whom Bahá’ís believe was the Messenger of God for this age. Bahá’u’lláh Himself suffered imprisonment, torture and exile for forty years, in order to proclaim His message - that all religions are from God, that all human beings are one family and that all mankind should be in unity. From an early age, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá shared many of his Father’s sufferings. Bahá’u’lláh designated ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as the one who, after His own passing, would be the point of unity for all the Bahá’ís, the Interpreter of His teachings and as the Example of how a Bahá’í should live.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá was living in Haifa when he passed away. One little story will suffice to show how the poor people of Palestine regarded ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. In the early years of the twentieth century, some Bahá’í pilgrims were on their way to visit him. Their carriage was stopped by a gang of robbers, who demanded that the pilgrims hand over whatever money they had. They were carrying a bag of money which was to be given to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, so they, very sadly, handed it over. But when one of the pilgrims said, “That money is for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá”, the robbers stopped, stated that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had helped them and their families, and handed the bag of money back!

Between 1911 and 1913, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was able to leave Palestine, and he visited Europe, Britain and North America. He was already well into his sixties, and not in good health, due to the conditions which he had endured for much of his life. He had never given a public talk in his life, but suddenly he was being invited to speak to large audiences in churches, synagogues and universities, as well as talking to smaller groups of people who came to hear him in the houses where he stayed. His visits attracted a great deal of interest, with extensive newspaper coverage at the time. He explained his Father’s message that all religions and all people were from the same one God, and stressed the things which should be done in order to bring about oneness. Those who heard him were urged to promote the unity of the races and the equality of the sexes and to work towards peace. He also warned of an impending war, and when the First World War broke out, the resulting conditions prevented him from travelling abroad again.

During this war, the British Army was advancing through Palestine, and pushing back the Turkish forces. The Turkish commander in Haifa announced that if he had to retreat from Haifa, he would have ‘Abdu’l-Bahá crucified, as his last act in charge. Special instructions came to the British Army from London, telling them to make sure that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was safe. General Allenby despatched some Indian cavalry with orders to do exactly that. They galloped straight into Haifa, found out where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was living, and then mounted guard around his house. Later, the General’s telegram to London read, “Have today taken Palestine. Notify the world that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is safe.” General Allenby then made a point of visiting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in person, and was amazed to find that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had arranged for enough food to be stockpiled to feed everyone in Haifa and also had enough to feed the British troops! For his humanitarian work during the war, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was knighted by the British government.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away on 28^th November, 1921, leaving behind clear instructions as to how to keep the Bahá’í Faith united. It is estimated that ten thousand people were present at his funeral (shown above, as it left his house) – Muslims, Jews, Christians, Druze and Bahá’ís. A century later, Bahá’ís around the world have been commemorating his passing in various ways – both among themselves and with the public at large. This commemoration has included special acts of service in his name. In fact, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s work can be summarised as service to humanity, and Bahá’ís continue to try to follow his example. One aspect of this service was that of bringing Bahá’u’lláh’s message of peace, oneness and unity to all of mankind. That task is carried on by the Bahá’ís of today, one hundred years after ‘Abdu’l-Bahá himself passed away. 

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A 55-minute film, “Exemplar”, has recently been released, designed to present ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and His life to the public. It can be watched at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXc0cOhrcW4