'Abdu'l-Baha Visits the West: 'Abdu'l-Baha with Children

3/24/2010

'Abdu'l-Baha with Children

'Abdu'l-Baha with children in Chicago, May 1912

Abdu'l-Baha with Musette 'Ruhiyyih' Jones and Joseph Ioas in Chicago 1912

'Abdu'l-Baha with children in Chicago

'Abdu'l-Baha holds Gertrude Hammond at Green Acre

'Abdu'l-Baha with a few children in Washington DC

Left to right: Lorraine Hopper, Laila Bowman, Mary Aldrich and Katherine Doyle

'Abdu'l-Baha walking with Ruhiyyih Jones

station of 'Abdu'l-Baha

uniqueness of 'Abdu'l-Baha's visit to the West

"Until now it never happened that someone from the East. impelled by the promptings of his conscience, should come to the West to see the friends of God and to associate with respected individuals with such sincere love and friendship and without any political or commercial motive or the desire of sightseeing. It is without precedent and is not recorded in any history. If others have come, it has been to sightsee or for commercial or other reasons"

- 'Abdu'l-Bha (Words of 'Abdu'l-Baha, October 22, 1912, San Francisco, Mahmud's Diary)

“Look at the history of the world and try to find a parallel instance in which a native of the East has come to the countries of the West, particularly America, and called out to them in the churches and meetings there, raised the divine call in many of the large cities and invited everyone to the Abhá Kingdom, with no one taking exception. Nay, on the contrary, those present at the gatherings have heard him with patience and unbounded joy. These things have been achieved solely through the confirmations of the Abhá Kingdom.”

- 'Abdu'l-Baha (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, September 13, 1912, Chicago, Mahmud’s Diary)