‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Joyful Service
“Service to humanity is service to God.”
—‘Abdu’l-Bahá
‘Abdu’l-Bahá entered ‘Akká, Israel, as a prisoner when he was 24. His father, Bahá’u’lláh, had been sent there by officials who were seeking to end the Bahá’í Faith. When Bahá’u’lláh’s passed away in 1892, in His will He named ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who was then 48, as the Faith’s leader.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá guided Bahá’ís around the world and helped people in need. Often, about 100 of the poor and sick from many faiths gathered at his home. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 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 paid a doctor to care for the very poor.
One young man was so ill with tuberculosis that he rarely saw his friends and family. His food was brought by a servant, and he was left to care for himself. When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá heard of this, he visited the man daily, took him food, read to him, and was with him when he died.
Not everyone he helped was grateful. A poor man named Hájí Siddíq was so hostile toward ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that he held his robe in front of his face so he wouldn’t have to see him when they passed in public. He criticized ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to others. But ‘Abdu’l-Bahá responded with kindness. He sent Hájí Siddíq food and clothing. The man took them without thanks. When he was sick, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá brought him a doctor and medicine, but even then, Hájí Siddíq held his cloak in front of his face to avoid looking at him.
For 24 years, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá showered Hájí Siddíq with generosity and was met with spite. But one day, Hájí Siddíq had an amazing change of heart. He came to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s door and fell at his feet, weeping. “Forgive me, sir!” he cried. “For 24 years I have done evil to you, and for 24 years you have been good to me. Now I know that I have been in the wrong.” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá forgave him, and they became friends.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá lived very simply. He wore inexpensive clothes, and if he received a gift of costly clothing, he gave it away.
Once when his wife, Munírih Khánum, was going on a journey, she was afraid that he would give away his only cloak while she was gone. She gave a second cloak for him to her daughter. But after she left, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asked his daughter, “Have I another cloak?”
She admitted that he did. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, “How could I be happy having two cloaks, knowing that there are those that have none?” He gave the second cloak away.*
‘Abdu’l-Bahá did all of these deeds with a joyful heart. After he was freed from ‘Akká, he traveled to the West to share the Bahá’í teachings. At a talk in New York, U.S., in 1912, he said, “I was happy in imprisonment ... Nobody who saw me imagined that I was in prison. They beheld me in the utmost joy, complete thankfulness and health, paying no attention to the prison.”
*‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s quotations about the cloak are from a visitor’s account and may not reflect his exact words.
Top photo courtesy National Bahá’í Archives
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