30 November 1914
It was a clear, bright day with a calm sea. From afar, the Zeeb
underwater
rifts, which were typically covered by the waves, were now seen, and the people
of `Akka mistook them for armored warships. Therefore the entire city of `Akka
fled in fear, leaving behind only a few handicapped, such as the blind or
crippled. People commandeered whatever mule, horse, donkey or camel they could
find and with them hastened their families’ flee to the outskirts. The entire
city was evacuated. Doors and windows were left open. Under such conditions,
`Abdu’l-Baha stayed in `Akka with Aqa Asadu’llah Kashi in his service. The
Mutisarrif of `Akka had cabled Beirut that four enemy warships were fast
approaching the city, and this news had further perturbed the citizens of
`Akka.
Dr. Mu’ayyad was in Abu-Sinan when all this was occurring. Mrs.
Sanderson
arrived with Isfandiyar’s carriage and informed him that `Abdu’l-Baha had
summoned him. He immediately left for `Akka and arrived at a time when people
had began to return to the city.
In the evening, a number of the believers were present at the House of
`Abbud.
Because of the disturbances, `Abdu’l-Baha spoke at length and most fervently
about the storm of the persecution that occurred after the failed attempt on
the life of Nasiri’d-Din Shah in 1852. He concluded his remarks by stating:
“The point is that I told these people of `Akka what days we had witnessed, and
that the threat of warships in comparison is like the sweetness of halvah.
Indeed one cannot even call them threats.”
4 December 1914
Dr. Mu’ayyad was summoned to `Abdu’l-Baha’s presence alone in `Akka and he
spoke the following words. He also gave him a mission that required going to
Beirut by way of Damascus.
Aqa Mirza Habib, we have already given you many burdens and now another task
must be entrusted to you. What can we do! Proceed to Beirut by way of Damascus
and bring back a check.
However, regarding your own situation: The believers [of this region] greatly
need you. I have sent them to Abu-Sinan. You can stay there and spend some time
in utmost happiness and spirituality, or do you prefer to leave? It may be
several months, but it is a great bounty for the friends if you stayed. I am
greatly burdening you. I hope that these burdens will become a source of your
everlasting honor and merit in both worlds. To those I love, I entrust work. It
is not to everyone that I give work.
31 December 1914
In the morning `Abdu’l-Baha was pacing in the garden and Dr. Mu’ayyad
was in
attendance.
“To what should I devote my time in Abu-Sinan?” Mu’ayyad asked.
“I wish for you to go to Iran,” `Abdu’l-Baha replied. “Presently, however,
remain in Abu-Sinan and for the good-pleasure of God cure the ailing. Also read
from the proof treatise as well as Ishraqat, Kalimat [Firdawsiyyih] and
Tarazat, and memorize them.”
“Should I also tend to the non-Baha’is?” Mu’ayyad asked.
“Yes, indeed,” `Abdu’l-Baha remarked, “We too are devoted to the poor. By all
means, attend to all, particularly the needy.”
Mu’ayyad remarked, “Aqa Shaykh Badriu’d-Din has said, ‘Shaykhu’l-Islam wants
to proclaim jihad!’”
`Abdu’l-Baha replied, “Shaykhu’l-Islam is a simple, common man with no
religious convictions. He is utterly ignorant of the religion of God. Jihad had
an effect at a time when people were devoted to God’s Faith, but now that
spirit is completely gone. They themselves do not believe what they say. They
claim this issue is a global war and jihad must be a matter of national
concern. If in truth these people believed in religion, by now the world would
have become the Abha paradise. If you offer them a bribe, they would say the
exact opposite of what they ruled earlier. No trace of spirit, sincerity,
faith, certitude or firmness has remained in Islam. Only mere words have
survived.”
At lunchtime in the house of `Abdu’l-Baha, he remarked: “I always
created work
for myself and this long journey, greatly dissipated my vitality and tired my
nerves. Now the bounty of rest has been forced upon me. Although during these
days I continue to remain active, but it is not like before. God has brought
about these events so that I may rest a little and be at ease. Now My health is
good and I shall sleep well.”
9 January 1915
After several days of absence, `Abdu’l-Baha returned to Abu-Sinan. At night, a
number of Baha’is and Arab friends attained his presence, and all his
utterances concerned the situation of the War. He stated:
This War is indeed ruinous and devastating in its effects. However, afterwards,
the number of peace-loving people will grow considerably, and the commotions,
uproars and the mighty tumult will precipitate [universal] peace. For the West,
the most important thing is the War. If Germany is victorious, then the Ottoman
Empire will be triumphant as well. Otherwise if the Ottoman army advances into
Egyptian territory, it would not be lasting.
May God deal justly with those who caused these wars and conflicts who have
caused so much bloodshed and trouble. Indeed they have undermined the
prosperity of the people.
10 January 1915
In the morning a number of non-Baha’is attained `Abdu’l-Baha’s presence. He
spoke formally and on a variety of topics. In the afternoon, Shaykh Salman said
to `Abdu’l-Baha, “My Guide! My brother Shaykh Yusuf and I have been discussing
a certain point and as yet, have not arrived at an agreement. My view is that
children must be educated through modern means, whereas my brother states that
most schoolchildren are ill-mannered. From your speech it can be concluded that
my brother is correct. I say this because earlier you stated, ‘Druze in this
region are better behaved than the Druze in Lebanon since they are simpler
people.’ From this it can be surmised that the more civilized the people, the
greater is their degeneracy.” `Abdu’l-Baha responded:
It is universally recognized that evil is stronger than good. Evil has rapid
influence, where good is slow in its impact. If a trustworthy person and a
thief were together, the thief would never become righteous, but the converse
may occur. Because of their association, a truthful person may become a liar,
but it is rare for the perjurer to become truthful, or for the penurious to
become generous by reason of his association with the charitable, or for the
wicked to become virtuous, and so forth. This is because evil is stronger and
its influence is more penetrating. This issue does not require proof, as it is
evident like the sun at noontime. If there were a thousand healthy men, but one
among them had a contagious disease, the thousand would have no effect on the
ill, but the illness of that one would spread to the remaining thousand. For
instance, if a person is afflicted with smallpox and comes in contact with many
healthy children, all will be infected, while it is not possible for the
healthy to influence the sick. It is similar with the black plague or leprosy,
where the healthy may be affected, but the converse would not hold.
Consider how much time it takes to raise a building, but dynamite can destroy
it in blink of an eye. It takes five years to build an armored ship, but only a
minute for a torpedo to sink it to the bottom of the ocean. It takes twenty
years to raise a person to maturity, but he perishes in an instant by the
assassin’s bullet.
Therefore, if you desire for your children to be raised properly and remain
protected, then they must be cared for adequately. You must ensure that they do
not meet or associate with ill-mannered persons. Either establish your own
schools or do as we are doing. We have many students in the [Beirut’s]
University. Last year there were thirty of them. They associate only with
themselves [i.e. other Baha’is] and at the time of instructions attend classes.
Therefore they are well-protected. However, there are other [Muslim] Iranians
in Beirut and they are all vagabonds. Even the teachers despise them, to the
point they are expelled from the school. It is amazing! Most bewildering!
The Iranian children in `Akka were like angels, but alas, some of them
associated with the Arabs or with ill-mannered children. When they argued, all
their speech was in Persian, but then they would curse in Arabic since they
were not taught similar words in Persian. When they became youth, they
associated with non-Baha’is and became totally corrupt. Soon I had no choice
but to expel them all.
There is a story of a Shaykh meeting a Bektash and saying to him, “Why do you
continue causing mischief and spending your time gratifying your carnal
desires? Come with me and pray, meditate, fast for forty days, fear God and
become righteous. Once you have become accustomed to praying and fasting, then
you will no longer commit unseemly acts.” Bektash responded, “There is no need
for forty days of prayer. You stay with me for just one night and all religion
will be forgotten to you!”
Therefore I exhort you to protect your children from the evil influence of the
wayward.
At nighttime, `Abdu’l-Baha retired for the evening, but upon the insistence of
the Baha’i youth, he came to meet them and related the events of two years
earlier, when upon arriving in Italy, which was in war with the Ottoman, and
through the machination of Dr. Farid, Shoghi Effendi and Munir Zayn were
prevented from traveling to America with him. Regarding the War, `Abdu’l-Baha
remarked about the death of two Baha’is in Europe due to the War, one of them
in France, a certain Monsieur Bernard, who had been a peace-loving individual
and had taken custody of several orphan Indian children, raising them to great
accomplishments.
Shaykh Yusif and Abdu’l-Baha also spoke about the activities of the Matran of
`Akka, his dismissal from office and the confiscation of his possessions.
Previously, this Matran had been a close collaborator of Mirza Muhammad-`Ali
and Siyyid Mihdi Dahaji.
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