Centenary Year ~ Reflecting on the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Baha
June 30, 1912
Day 81: Donkeys in Baltimore 239 Days in America article
Diary Entries:
Mahmud’s Diary: June 30 – – Blessings and confirmations we receive through Bahá’u’lláh’s bounty and favor
The Diary of Juliet Thompson: June 30 – Lua’s attempts not to leave the Master for California
News Clips:
Wilmington DEL June 30, 1912 The Star Out of the East He lived within the gray light of a prison. Yet always had he the sunshine of truth within his heart. And today ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, old in years, is yet a young man in spirit. (excellent article)
The Sun June 30, 1912 Montclair, NJ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Manages to Catch a Train The departure of ‘Abdu’l Bahá, leader of the Bahá’í cult, from Montclair to-day was attended by excitement that was strikingly at variance with the peaceful character of the religious prophet.
The New York Times June 30, 1912 Montclair, NJ Prophet’s Dash For Train When train time came, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was not in sight. He had been delayed. The baggage of the Persians was aboard the train, and as it moved away they appealed to the trainmen in several Oriental languages to defer the departure for a few minutes. (amusing article)
Wilmington DEL Star June 30, 1912 After 40 years ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Servant of God, has come to this country as standard bearer of a new faith. To war with selfishness, to do away with prejudice, to proclaim the doctrine of universal brotherhood…
June 29, 1912
Day 80: Speaking Persian in America 239 Days in America article
The Persian Consul of New York invites ‘Abdu’l-Baha to a barbecue.
Diary Entries:
The Diary of Juliet Thompson: June 2 – “This is a New Day; a New Hour”
The Diary of Juliet Thompson: June 29 – Witnessing an amazing event just before the start of the “Feast of Unity” to be hosted by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
The Diary of Juliet Thompson: June 29 – Anointing two hundred and fifty friends with attar of rose
The Diary of Juliet Thompson: June 29, Friends unable to tear themselves from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
His talk of that night has been recorded. It was a resounding Call to us to arise from the tomb of self in this Day of the Great Resurrection and unite around Him to vivify the world.
Mahmud’s Diary: June 29 – Invitation to the home of the Persian Consul General
PUP: June 29, 1912 Talk at Unity Feast, Outdoors West Englewood, New Jersey Rejoice for The Heavenly Table is Prepared for You!
Rejoice, for the heavenly table is prepared for you. Rejoice, for the angels of heaven are your assistants and helpers. Rejoice, for the glance of the Blessed Beauty, Bahá’u’lláh, is directed upon you. Rejoice, for Bahá’u’lláh is your Protector. Rejoice, for the everlasting glory is destined for you. Rejoice, for the eternal life is awaiting you.
You must become of one heart, one spirit and one susceptibility. May you become as the waves of one sea, stars of the same heaven, fruits adorning the same tree, roses of one garden in order that through you the oneness of humanity may establish its temple in the world of mankind, for you are the ones who are called to uplift the cause of unity among the nations of the earth.
June 28, 1912
Day 79: ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s “Feast of Unity” 239 Days in America article
‘Abdu’l-Baha organizes a giant outdoor feast at the estate of Roy Wilhelm in Englewood, New Jersey.
Diary Entries:
Mahmud’s Diary: June 28 – Unity Feast in West Englewood, NJ
Mahmud’s Diary: June 28 – New teachings in the Bahá’í Faith not found in other great religions
News Clips:
The Sun June 28, 1912, Morris Plains, NJ A Barbecue for ‘Abdu’l-Baha
Indispensability of Prayer bahai.us CENTENARY 2021
June 27, 1912
Day 78: Militarizing Human Ingenuity 239 Days in America article
‘Abdu’l-Baha addresses the dark side modern technological progress
Diary Entries:
Mahmud’s Diary: June 27 – Utterly dependent on and grateful to Bahá’u’lláh
Mahmud’s Diary: June 27, Montclair, NJ – An example of how two ladies became Bahá’ís just by meeting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Mahmud’s Diary: June 27 – Recalling early days in Baghdad and Bahá’u’lláh’s withdrawal to Sulaymaniyyih
Mahmud’s Diary: June 27 – Proofs of the truth and greatness of Muhammad, the Prophet of God
Who is Mahmúd of Mahmúd’s Diary?
June 26, 1912
Day 77: Do Not Bring Him in Here 239 Days in America article
In the summer of 1852, in Tehran’s darkest prison, an eight-year-old ‘Abdu’l-Baha sees his father Baha’u’llah, in chains.
Diary Entries:
Mahmud’s Diary: June 26 – How certain Greek and Roman customs became incorporated into Christianity
Mahmud’s Diary: June 26 – The attractive gathering of the Master and the friends in a park
News Clips:
Grand Rapids Minnesota Press June 24, 1912 – Church and Its Work
Los Angeles Times June 19, 1912 New York, NY – From the East
The Evening News (San Jose) June 15, 1912 – America’s Foremost Champion of Universal Brotherhood of Man
June 25, 1912
Day 76: Thy Pomp Shall Soon Pass Away 239 Days in America article
‘Abdu’l-Baha distinguishes the dominion of Jesus Christ from the temporal power of political leaders like Napoleon.
Diary Entries:
Mahmud’s Diary: June 25 – “… serving with heart and soul”
Mahmud’s Diary: June 25 – Prohibition of the drinking of wine in the Qur’an
Mahmud’s Diary: June 25 – Looking after one’s physical body
Watch Video: ‘Abdu’l-Baha & NYC Travel back in time to when Abdu’l-Baha set foot on NYC.(6:13)
Includes Song: Land and Sea by Smith & Dragoman
Religion and Politics Paris Talks bahai.us CENTENARY 2021
African American Baha’is at the time of ‘Abdu’l-Baha
June 24, 1912
Day 75: The Week Ahead 239 Days in America article
As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá takes a leisurely stroll in the park, we take a look at the week ahead.
Diary Entries:
Mahmud’s Diary: June 24 – An example of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s heavy correspondence
The Diary of Juliet Thompson: June 23, ‘Abdu’l-Baha tells the story of a believer who wanted to be always near Bahá’u’lláh
African American Baha’is at the time of ‘Abdu’l-Baha:
The first Inter-racial Baha’i Marriage
This account details the role ‘Abdu’l-Baha played in bringing about this marriage. In a “Tablet” (translated March 14, 1914), the prayer, “Verily, they are married in obedience to Thy command. Cause them to become the signs of unity and harmony until the end of time…” was revealed for their wedding by ‘Abdu’l-Baha. Abdu’l-Baha lauded the Gregorys’ marriage as “an introduction to the accomplishment” of harmony between the races. bahai.us CENTENARY 2021
June 23, 1912
Day 74: Politicking and Personalities 239 Days in America article
‘Abdu’l-Baha comments on the manner in which Americans elect their leaders
Diary Entries:
Mahmud’s Diary: June 23 – The Master supervised the affairs of the kitchen, often cooked and prepared meals
PUP: June 23, 1912 Talk at Montclair, New Jersey The church bells are pealing in memory of Jesus Christ although more than nineteen hundred years have passed since He lived upon the earth. This is through the power of the spirit. No material power could do this. Yet people in their blindness deny Christ, seeking to perpetuate their names in worldly deeds. The He talks about Christ & Napoleon and Napoleon & Baha’u’llah and more. Fifty years ago no one would touch the Christian Bible in Persia…Now Bahá’ís all over the East read the Bible and understand its spiritual teaching. Bahá’u’lláh spread the Cause of Christ and opened the book of the Christians and Jews.
June 22, 1912
Day 73: Elephants in Chicago 239 Days in America article
A Description by Mrs. Louise Waite The face of my dreams of Him stood before me with that same heavenly smile of welcome. The Light of Infinite Love was radiating from His countenance. Majestic, and yet sublimely tender, He was looking right into my eyes. I gave a start as if I had suddenly plunged into an ocean, then stood transfixed. It seemed as if I had come upon Him unawares and saw the “Glory of the Lord” shining forth around Him… bahai.us CENTENARY 2021
June 22, 2021Temple arrival marks a new dawn in the heart of the Pacific Baha’i World News Service We hope that one day many more villages and towns across all oceans and continents will feel the joy we felt when we saw the temple arrive—like seeing a light of hope shine out from the midmost heart of the ocean.”
June 21, 1912
Day 72: Swifter, Higher, Stronger 239 Days in America article
As Americans get ready for the 1912 Olympics, ‘Abdu’l-Baha discusses the meaning of true fellowship.
Diary Entries:
Mahmud’s Diary: June 21, 1912 – Counseling the believers on various Teachings…
“No Meaning to the Words “Mine” and “Yours” bahai.us CENTENARY 2021
June 20, 1912
Day 71: I Have Seen a Curious Article Which Astonished Me 239 Days in America article
In 1911, Reverend Peter Easton wrote a sensational attack against ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. In June, 1912, Mirzá Abu’l-Fazl wrote back.
Diary Entries:
Mahmud’s Diary: June 20, strong> Visiting friends in Montclair, New Jersey
PUP: June 20, 1912 Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York ‘Abdu’l-Baha says when he returns it is his wish to give a large feast of unity. It must be outdoors under the trees, in some location away from city noise–like a Persian garden. Persian food will be served…hearts will be bound together, spirits blended and a new foundation for unity established.
Day 71: Father’s Day (for those who have fathers who have passed on to the Abha Kingdom)
Intercession of Children bahai.us CENTENARY 2021
‘Abdu’l-Baha revealed this prayer for Albert Windust on the passing of his father. “Albert Windust was a member of the first Spiritual Assembly in Chicago… was a printer by profession, and one of the founders of the Baha’i Publishing Society which became the Baha’i Publishing Trust. He was the first publisher of the Baha’i Writings in America, and the founder of Star of the West. He collected and published the 3 volumes of Tablets of Abdu’l-Baha Abbas, and he assisted Howard MacNutt in collecting and publishing The Promulgation of Universal Peace.”
June 19, 1912
Day 70: To Drag the Soul Down to Hell 239 Days in America article
Diary Entries:
Mahmud’s Diary: June 19, The basis of eternal happiness is spirituality and divine virtue … You must always be happy. You must associate with joyous and happy people and be adorned with divine morals. Happiness has a direct influence in preserving our health while being upset causes illness….
Letter from ‘Abdu’l-Baha to the First Universal Races Congress The Blessed One, Baha’u’llah, likens the existing world to a tree, and the people to its fruits, blossoms and leaves. All should be fresh and vigorous, the attainment of their beauty and proportion depending on the love and unity with which they sustain each other and seek the Life eternal. The friends of God should become the manifestors in this world of this mercy and love. They should not dwell on the shortcomings of others. Ceaselessly should they be thinking how they may benefit others and show service and co-operation. Thus should they regard every stranger, putting aside such prejudices and superstitions as might prevent friendly relations. bahai.us CENTENARY 2021
June 18, 1912
Day 69: The Pursuit of Happiness 239 Days in America article
Diary Entries:
Ives – Mother’s Stories: 18 June 1912 – Service – Grace Robarts Ober – Aunt to Hand of the Cause John Roberts – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá looked at her very searchingly and said, “Greece, are you SURE you wish to serve ME?” Grace said, with great enthusiasm, “Oh, YES! More than anything else in the world!” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá made no answer but walked away…
PUP: June 18, 1912 Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York In Development the Material Must be Correlated with the Spiritual
The material may be likened to the body, but divine virtues are the breathings of the Holy Spirit itself…May divine susceptibilities be increased and awakened; may your devotion to the heavenly Kingdom become intense. May you be the recipients of the impulses of the Holy Spirit, be assisted in the world of morality and attain ideal power so that the sublimity of the world of mankind may become apparent in you. Thus may you attain the highest happiness, the eternal life, the everlasting glory, the second birth, and become manifestations of the bestowals of God.
June 17, 1912
Day 68: ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Journey So Far: Month Two 239 Days in America article
Diary Entries:
Mahmud’s Diary: June 17 – Making a motion picture of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Rare Silent Short Movie of ‘Abdu’l-Baha in New York, 1912
PUP: June 17, 1912 Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York The Prophets of God are the Real Physicians
We should all visit the sick…Bahá’u’lláh is the real Physician…The essential principles of His healing remedies are the knowledge and love of God, severance from all else save God, turning our faces in sincerity toward the Kingdom of God, implicit faith, firmness and fidelity, loving-kindness toward all creatures and the acquisition of the divine virtues indicated for the human world…
June 16, 1912
Day 67: Brooklyn Gets More Than It Bargained For 239 Days in America article
Diary Entries:
Mahmud’s Diary: June 16 – “You must teach the Cause of God with great humility”
‘Just as I feel myself humble before all, even before children, so must you be.’
PUP: June 16, 1912 Talk at Central Congregational Church Hancock Street, Brooklyn, New York Freedom of Conscience, Liberty of Thought and Right of Speech
PUP: June 16, 1912 Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Howard MacNutt 935 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York Capacity and Readiness are Requisite for the Divine Bounty
PUP: June 16, 1912Talk At Fourth Unitarian Church
What is real Unity?
PUP:June 16, 1912Talk at Central Congregational Church
Hancock Street, Brooklyn, New York Freedom of Conscience, Liberty of Thought and Right of Speech
An excerpt about the Qur’an from His talk at the Central Congregational Church in Brooklyn:
#20 “I wish now to call your attention to a most important point. All Islám considers the Qur’án the Word of God. In this sacred Book there are explicit texts which are not traditional, stating that Christ was the Word of God, that He was the Spirit of God, that Jesus Christ came into this world through the quickening breaths of the Holy Spirit and that Mary, His mother, was holy and sanctified. In the Qur’án a whole chapter is devoted to the story of Jesus. It records that in the time of His youth He worshiped God in the temple at Jerusalem, that manna descended from heaven for His sustenance and that He uttered words immediately after His birth. In brief, in the Qur’án there is eulogy and commendation of Christ such as you do not find in the Gospel…
June 15, 1912
Day 66: Brooklyn Refuses to Silence ‘Abdu’l-Baha 239 Days in America article
Diary Entries:
Mahmud’s Diary: June 15 – witnessing the great respect ‘Abdu’l-Bahá received from a pastor
PUP: June 15, 1912 Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York For You I Desire Spiritual Distinction
June 14, 1912
Day 65: Take Us Out on a Steamer and Drown Us 239 Days in America article
‘Abdu’l-Baha tells one New Yorker how to stay the course through the storms of life
Diary Entries:
The Diary of Juliet Thompson: June 14 – The Master’s kindness towards Juliet’s mother
‘Abdu’l-Baha Encouraging Change bahai.us CENTENARY 2021
Source: A Heavenly Vista: The Pilgrimage of Louis G. Gregory
On March 6, 1910, buoyed by the guidance of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, Gregory and the Hannens initiated a large integrated monthly gathering in the Hannens’ home in Washington D.C. There were present about 35 persons, one-third of whom were colored, and nearly all believers.
June 13, 1912
Day 64: I Was Tired So I Slept 239 Days in America article
Diary Entries:
Mahmud’s Diary: June 13 – What happened to the Commission of Inquiry
June 12, 1912
Day 63:The Handsomest Young Man in Baghdad 239 Days in America article
In prison and exile, a young ‘Abdu’l-Baha became adept at managing crisis.
Diary Entries:
The Diary of Juliet Thompson: June 12 Consoling a poor, grieving little girl
PUP:12 June 1912 Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New YorkThis is the Century of Science and Universal Laws
June 11, 1912
Day 62: Along the Color Line 239 Days in America article
In the June issue of The Crisis, W.E.B. DuBois prints his account of ‘Abdu’l-Baha at the Fourth Annual Conference of the NAACP
Diary Entries:
The Diary of Juliet Thompson: – June 11, 1912 Witnessing His pure sacrifice
African American Baha’is at the time of ‘Abdu’l-Baha
W.E.B. Du Bois and the Baha’i Faith by Guy Emerson Mount BLACK PERSPECTIVES
PUP: June 11, 1912 Talk at Open Committee Meeting, Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney Let Your Hearts be as Mirrors of the Supreme Concourse It is my hope that the meetings of the Bahá’í Assembly in New York shall become like meetings of the Supreme Concourse. When you assemble, you must reflect the lights of the heavenly Kingdom.
June 10, 1912
Day 61: News, Insight and Shredded Wheat 239 Days in America article
Diary Entries:
The Diary of Juliet Thompson: – June 11, 1912 Witnessing His pure sacrifice
The Diary of Juliet Thompson: June 10, 1912 Anointing a few believers with attar of rose in a park
June 9, 1912
Day 60: Acres of Diamonds 239 Days in America article
PUP: June 9, 1912 Talk at Unitarian Church Fifteenth Street and Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Realm of Divinity is an Indivisible Oneness
PUP: June 9, 1912 Talk at Baptist Temple Broad and Berks Streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania God has Created such a Conscious Spirit within Man …that which is beyond the range of the senses, that realm of phenomena through which the conscious pathway to the Kingdom of God leads, the world of spiritual susceptibilities and divine religion — of these the animal is completely unaware,… Nature is incapable of discovering mysteries or realities, whereas man is especially fitted to do so.
Baha’i World is now published online. They have recently published three articles about ‘Abdu’l-Baha
Bahai World – The Bahá’í World Online Publication
June 8, 1912
Day 59: The Holy Experiment 239 Days in America article
Diary Entries:
The Diary of Juliet Thompson: – June 11, 1912 Witnessing His pure sacrifice
Mahmud’s Diary: June 8,Philadelphia, PA
‘Abdu’l-Bahá chanted a prayer at the end of His talk
PUP:June 8, 1912 Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York Love and Unity are the Needs of the Body Politic Today
June 7, 1912
Day 58: Out and About in New York 239 Days in America article
Diary Entries:
The Diary of Juliet Thompson: – June 11, 1912 Witnessing His pure sacrifice
The Diary of Juliet Thompson: June 5 The Master posed for Juliet to paint His “Servitude to God”
June 6, 1912
Day 57: Can You Paint Me in a Half Hour? 239 Days in America article
PUP: June 6, 1912 Talk At Home of Mr. and Mrs. Howard MacNutt
Although the bestowal is great and the grace is glorious, yet capacity and readiness are requisite….Unless there be thirst…Unless the soul hungers…Unless the eyes of perception be opened…Until the nostrils are purified…we must endeavor always, cry, supplicate and invoke the Kingdom of God to grant us full capacity in order that the bestowals of God may become revealed and manifest in us.
A Tribute to Nora Crossley
‘Abdu’l-Baha’s lovely response to Nora Crossley’s sacrifice of cutting off her extremely long tresses to give to the fund for the building of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar-the Mother Temple of the West.
Note: I will continue to add previous postings below.