2013
‘Abdu’l-Bahá and kindness
One might think kindness to be merely one virtue among many in our spiritual toolbox. A search in the Master’s talks and writings on this quality, however, does away with this assumption: The language of kindness is the lodestone of [...]
2013
Mírzá Abu’l-Fadl: a true seeker
In his series The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Adib Taherzadeh shares with us this little vignette from the life of Mírzá Abu’l-Fadl: Noticing the long beard and large turban of Mírzá Abu’l-Fadl — indications of his vast knowledge – the [...]
2013
‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Perseverance
Reading about the Master’s travels in the West one cannot but be in awe with the perseverance He displayed. Despite His age and health condition, He was continuously and truly present to the many people that sought Him out. What [...]
2013
‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Professor Árminius Vámbéry
The colorful life of the renowned Hungarian orientalist Professor Árminius Vámbéry (1832 – 1913) is well documented; his remarkable career drawing close interest from notables, including Queen Victoria. His long and arduous journey to the interior of Asia, disguised as [...]
‘Abdu’l-Bahá and laughter
When we think of the Master as the perfect example, we usually think of virtues like love, generosity, patience, etc… But what do we make of the following account? One day in the Holy Land He told Harlan Ober, an [...]
2013
‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Germany
While making several short trips to cities in Austria and Hungary, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spent most of the month of April 1913 in Germany. Balyuzi gives us the details of the intense daily pace with which the Master, despite His age and [...]
2013
‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Courage
Among the many virtues and spiritual qualities explained and discussed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, courage ranks, in my opinion, as one of the most vital qualities that each person should acquire and perfect. Why? When we consider other virtues—truthfulness, trustworthiness, rectitude of [...]
2013
‘Abdu’l-Bahá and fasting
The Fast (2-20 March) is a very special time of the year for Bahá’ís, during which we do not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. However, the significance of this period goes beyond the giving up of physical nourishment, [...]
2013
‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Prosperity
For well over a century, Bahá’ís in all corners of the world begin their Fast on the 2nd of March. This period of nineteen days is a time of meditation, prayer and spiritual recuperation. The mental and physical discipline it [...]
‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Hospitality
While reading about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visits to the West one notices how the Master was not only welcomed by a diversity of hosts, but that He Himself extended hospitality too: He hosted several ‘Feasts’ and was, in the words of Shoghi [...]