The Revelation of Baha’u’llah, God’s revelation for our time in history, consists of the words of Baha’u’llah but also those of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’- the appointed interpreter of His teachings. ‘Abdu’l-Baha exemplified the ideals of Baha’u’llah- selflessness, purity of heart, keenness of mind, embrace of progress and science, and love of all people. The post below describes the life of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ and posts that highlight his life or writings are catgeorized and can be found off the link on the main page. ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ is incredibly inspiring and illuminating!  Please do take the time to read about him and explore his writings,. You will be very happy that you did!

For Baha’is, two extraordinarily significant things happened on the evening of May 23, 1844.  The first was the Báb was announcing his revelation to the first believer, and the other was the birth of Baha’u’llah’s son, `Abdu’l-Bahá.  It is remarkable that they occurred simultaneously. Some conjecture that, just as the revelation of God for today was being created, a human who could accept it on behalf of all humanity was also being created.  Such mystical things we will never know, but we can say that `Abdu’l-Bahá was an extraordinary human by any measure. 

Born with the given name of Abbas, the man we know as `Abdu’l-Bahá was a young child of 9 years of age when His father and family were exiled from their native Persia. He was 19 when His Father formally declared His mission to humanity. During His Father’s lifetime, `Abdu’l-Bahá increasingly represented the community to the outer world, allowing Baha’u’llah to carry out the work of His mission.  Made an exile at the age of 9, `Abdu’l-Bahá remained a prisoner until he was 64 years old, with all the “good years’ of his life being spent in the harsh imprisonment of Akka- his only crime being that he was the son of a Prophet of God.  When Baha’u’llah passed away in 1892, he made `Abdu’l-Bahá the center of His faith, describing him as the “Mystery of God” and stating “Blessed, doubly blessed, is the ground which His footsteps have trodden, .. the heart that hath tasted the sweetness of His love, the breast that hath dilated through His remembrance, the pen that hath voiced His praise, the scroll that hath borne the testimony of His writings”. 

After being released from prison by the overthrow of the Ottoman Empire, `Abdu’l-Bahá then traveled to the US and Europe in 1912 to promote his Father’s teachings.  He had no formal education, had never spoken in public, and had been a prisoner all his life, but his presentations captivated people across America and Europe as he unfolded to them a vision of universal peace and justice.  His visit encompassed dozens of stops and a variety of venues including talks at Columbia and Stanford Universities. Admired from afar by the founder to Temple University, Dr Russell Conwell, he was invited to speak in Philadelphia at the Baptist Temple on campus where he declared that “an equal standard of human rights must be recognized and adopted”, foreshadowing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that was signed by all nations after the founding of the United Nations in 1945. Throughout these trips, `Abdu’l-Bahá declared the oneness of humanity, promoted the equality of men and women, proclaimed the fundamental unity between science and revelation, and exemplified how religion could be a source of goodness and truth.  He had a remarkable mind, a gentle spirit, and an equally remarkable ability to explain spiritual ideas in accessible terms. The clarity, sweetness, and poetry of his language is unlike anything ever seen in the religious history of humankind. 

In `Abdu’l-Baha’s travels, he spoke to western audiences and used language and examples that were familiar to those audiences.  For that reason, many people find his writings to be very understandable and accessible, particularly if the Baha’i Faith is new to you. His talks in America are compiled in a book called “The Promulgation of Universal Peace”, while those in Europe may be found in “Paris Talks” among other compilations.  “Selections of the Writings of `Abdu’l-Bahá” presents a selection of his vast correspondence to the Baha’is of the West and the larger Persian communities that he shepherded.  The truths he expressed in these talks and letters, originally spoken and written 100 years ago, feel like they were from just yesterday.

Generations of Baha’i children from around the globe have memorized prayers and passages of `Abdu’l-Bahá- prayers such as ‘O God, refresh and gladden my spirit, purify my heart, illumine my powers”, and passages that teach children to see all humanity as a garden, with different colored flowers whose diversity contribute to the beauty of the whole.

Wherever he went and whatever he did, his sole desire was to demonstrate the truth of his Father’s revelation through word and deed.  His public life was only about 20 years, but he left a wellspring of words and stories that will be guide to human civilization for centuries.  

‘Abdu’l-Baha’s writings and talks can be found in several publications.  “The Promulgation of Universal Peace” is a collection of his talks in America. “Paris Talks” collects his talks given in Paris. “‘Abdu’l-Baha in London” chronicles his visit to the UK.  “Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha'” is a compilation of letters he wrote to Baha’is around the world. “Some Answered Questions” addresses various topics that were asked of him in a series of table conversations with Laura Clifford Barney, an educated woman from New York who had become a Baha’i in the early 20th century.

All of these are worth putting on your bedside table!