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Baha'i
Baha'is observe the Ascension of Abdul-Baha on November 27th... Below is a summary of His life:
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:
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.
When he travelled to the West in 1912, he declined all donations, advising those who offered to distribute their funds among the poor. His American admirers had sent him thousands of dollars for a ticket on the Titanic and begged him to ride in the greatest of opulence, but he declined and gave the money to charity, making the voyage instead on a modest steamship.
Read more:
bahaiteachings.org
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:
Abdu’l-Baha understood service to humanity as the highest station of any human being. He taught:
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.
When he travelled to the West in 1912, he declined all donations, advising those who offered to distribute their funds among the poor. His American admirers had sent him thousands of dollars for a ticket on the Titanic and begged him to ride in the greatest of opulence, but he declined and gave the money to charity, making the voyage instead on a modest steamship.
Read more:
Celebrating Abdul-Baha and Observing His Ascension
Abdu’l-Baha understood service to humanity as the highest station possible for all human beings.
bahaiteachings.org