The Ascension of Abdul-Baha observed Nov. 27th

Baha’is around the world will soon commemorate the one-hundred year anniversary of the passing of Abdu’l-Baha, son of the founder of the Baha’i Faith and the perfect exemplar of Baha’u’llah’s teachings.

His name at birth was Abbas Effendi, but he chose the name Abdu’l-Baha, which means “servant of the glory.” When he took his new name, he explained:

My name is Abdu’l-Baha. My qualification is Abdu’l-Baha. My reality is Abdu’l-Baha. My praise is Abdu’l-Baha. Thraldom to the Blessed Perfection [Baha’u’llah] is my glorious and refulgent diadem, and servitude to all the human race my perpetual religion … No name, no title, no mention, no commendation have I, nor will ever have, except Abdu’l-Baha. This is my longing. This is my greatest yearning. This is my eternal life. This is my everlasting glory.
Abdu’l-Baha understood service to humanity as the highest station of any human being. He taught:

Know that nothing will benefit thee in this life save supplication and invocation unto God, service in His vineyard, and, with a heart full of love, be in constant servitude unto Him.
Becoming a Baha’i means following Abdu’l-Baha’s example of selfless service to humanity, and I have tried, as every Baha’i does, to develop the inner spiritual qualities he so radiantly displayed.

RELATED: Seeing Race through Abdu’l-Baha’s Eyes

Even while Abdu’l-Baha was confined in prison, every Friday about a hundred of the poor and sick from many faiths gathered to await his charity. Abdu’l-Baha gave each person a coin, a kind word, and a gentle touch. He knew them all and asked about their families. He visited the sick in their homes. Since there was no hospital, he often nursed the sick and dying with his own hands. When he couldn’t, he paid a doctor to care for the very poor.

Abdu’l-Baha lived very simply. He wore inexpensive clothes, and if he received a gift of expensive clothing, he gave it away. This frustrated his family, but he only replied: “How could I be happy having two cloaks, knowing that there are those that have none?

Abdu’l-Baha anticipated that the coming of the First World War would result in food shortages, and he encouraged farmers to grow extra grain on land he owned. Some of the harvest was hidden in ancient Roman storage pits so the Turkish army wouldn’t seize it. When naval blockades prevented food from reaching Haifa, he distributed the grain to everyone, regardless of religion or nationality, saving thousands who would have died from starvation.

When the war ended, the British quickly recognized Abdu’l-Baha’s accomplishments, and wanted to knight him as “Sir Abdu’l-Baha Abbas, Knight of the British Empire” at a ceremony held in Haifa especially for him. Although he was not impressed with worldly honor or ceremony, he consented to accept the knighthood, so that pilgrims from East and West would be able to come to the Holy Land with ease and safety and to enhance the recognition of the Baha’i Faith.
 
The text of which reads as follows:

Baha’is around the world will soon commemorate the one-hundred year anniversary of the passing of Abdu’l-Baha, son of the founder of the Baha’i Faith and the perfect exemplar of Baha’u’llah’s teachings.

His name at birth was Abbas Effendi, but he chose the name Abdu’l-Baha, which means “servant of the glory.” When he took his new name, he explained:

My name is Abdu’l-Baha. My qualification is Abdu’l-Baha. My reality is Abdu’l-Baha. My praise is Abdu’l-Baha. Thraldom to the Blessed Perfection [Baha’u’llah] is my glorious and refulgent diadem, and servitude to all the human race my perpetual religion … No name, no title, no mention, no commendation have I, nor will ever have, except Abdu’l-Baha. This is my longing. This is my greatest yearning. This is my eternal life. This is my everlasting glory.
Abdu’l-Baha understood service to humanity as the highest station of any human being. He taught:

Know that nothing will benefit thee in this life save supplication and invocation unto God, service in His vineyard, and, with a heart full of love, be in constant servitude unto Him.
Becoming a Baha’i means following Abdu’l-Baha’s example of selfless service to humanity, and I have tried, as every Baha’i does, to develop the inner spiritual qualities he so radiantly displayed.

RELATED: Seeing Race through Abdu’l-Baha’s Eyes
 
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