Thoughts of Pilgrims

At one in the morning on November 28, 1921, Abdu'l-Baha passed into the next world. He was at his home in Palestine. A number of pilgrims were closeby, because they had come to visit the Baha'i shrines. Here are a few passages from a letter written by one such pilgrim:


"Abdu’l Baha, after having gone to bed, again slept apparently until nearly eleven o’clock. Then he roused and his daughter Rouha Khanum came to his bed. She saw that Abdu’l Baha had perspired much. She poured some water for him which he drank. She then went to his dresser to obtain a fresh night garment for him. But, alas, she found none! Her father, as usual, had given everything away.

At the time this was related to me I thought of a beautiful cotton night shirt that my husband and myself had brought along with us from a believer in Germany who sent it by us to Abdu’l Baha as a present. It was a fine gentleman’s garment, all handmade by the sender, of the best pre-war cotton goods and embroidered with Abdu’l Baha's monogram. It seemed superfluous to ask what had become of it – no doubt it had gone by the way all such things would go when given to Abdu’l Baha, “the father of the poor.”

Rouha Khanum then ran over to her own house and returned to her father’s bedside with the needed garment secured from her husband’s drawer. Afterward she gave Abdu’l Baha some water to drink and presently he fell asleep again."


I have chosen not to post the passages about the moment that Abdu'l-Baha departed from this world. I feel extremely thoughtful after reading the above passage. It underlines the generous spirit of Abdu'l-Baha.