“A tall strongly-built man holding himself straight as an arrow, with white turban and raiment, long black locks reaching almost to the shoulder, broad powerful forehead indicating a strong intellect combined with an unswerving will, eyes keen as a hawk’s, and strongly-marked but pleasing features–such was my first impression of ‘Abbás  Effendi, “the master” as he par excellence is called…. One more eloquent of speech, more ready of argument, more apt of illustration, more intimately acquainted with the sacred books of the Jews, theChristians, the Muhammadans, could, I should think, scarcely be found even amongst the eloquent, ready, and subtle race to which he belongs. These qualities, combined with a bearing at once majestic and genial, made me cease to wonder at the influence and esteem which he enjoyed even beyond the circle of his father’s followers. About the greatness of this man and his power no one who had seen him could entertain a doubt.”

Such were the impressions of the British Orientalist Edward G. Browne (FBA) in 1890, when he visited’Abdu’l-Bahá in ‘Akká.

28^th November 2021 marks the centenary of the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. This article is only a modest attemp to introduce, though brief, the life of  ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; a personage dedicated His entire life to the service of humanity.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, a title which He chose for Himself meaning ‘Servant of the Glory’, willingly endured banishments and forty years in Prison in ‘Akká (now in Israel) by decree of the Ottoman rulers in Istanbul. His aim was to bring about the realisation of the Unity of Mankind and World Peace. He gained His freedom following the Young Turks revolution in 1908, which set free all those in the Ottoman empire who had been imprisoned for their religious beliefs.

His father, Bahá’u’lláh, who suffered life long hardships and persecution, passed away in prison in 1892 in Akka, and the banner of the Universal Faith that Bahá’u’lláh revealed was passed on to His son ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

Following His release from prison, at the age of sixty four, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá embarked on His travels to the West to spread the teachings of His father Bahá’u’lláh: the oneness of God and of religion, unity of mankind, the equality of men and women, the need for a universal auxiliary language, elimination of all forms of prejudice, the harmony of religion and science, and the independent investigations of truth are amongst the teachings that Bahá’u’lláh brought in the middle of the nineteenth century.

During His travels to Europe and America, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke to the lowliest and to the loftiest of societies. He sat and showered with love the poor and lowly, and met with leaders of thought and representatives of governments. He also met with the ever growing number of journalists and reporters that came to interview Him. Over two thousand press articles were written about Him during His lifetime.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave hundreds of talks reaching thousands of people from all walks of life. He was invited to give talks in Churches, Synagogues, at Peace Conferences and in Universities. He also addressed groups such as the Theosophical and Metaphysical Societies.

His first talk was on 10^th September 1911, when He first arrived in London, from the pulpit of the City Temple in Holborn and at the invitation of Rev. R. J. Campbell, He gave the following public address:

“… The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind and of the fundamental oneness of religion. War shall cease between nations, and by the will of God the Most Great Peace shall come; the world will be seen as a new world, and all men will live as brothers….

There is one God; mankind is one; the foundations of religion are one. Let us worship Him, and give praise for all His great Prophets and Messengers who have manifested His brightness and glory. …”

During World War I when a blockade threatened the lives of many civilians in Haifa, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá saved them from starvation. He personally organized extensive agricultural operations near Tiberias, thus securing a great supply of wheat. Preparation for war conditions had been made by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá even before His return to Palestine, after His world tour. The people of nearby the villages were instructed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on how to grow corn, so as to produce prolific harvests in the period before and during the lean years of the war. Deep was the gratitude of those women and children who had been saved by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who could see into the future of tragedy and woe as early as 1912. Hence ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was able to feed numberless poor of the people of Haifa, ‘Akká, and the neighbourhood, in the famine years of 1914-1918.

During the period of British occupation, large numbers of soldiers and Government officials of all ranks delighted in the company of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in His illuminating talks, His noble character, His genial hospitality, perfect courtesy and efforts to establish peace and prosperity throughout the world. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá averted a famine and uplifted countless souls, and in recognition of this, on the 27^th April 1920, a Knighthood of the British Empire was conferred upon Him for “services rendered unto the British government”.

On the 28^th November 1921, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away in Haifa after a short illness. The news of  ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passing quickly spread over the city, causing an unprecedented stir and filling all hearts with grief. Soon after letters of condolences started arriving to the Holy Land from Bahá’í communities and leading figures from all over the World.

Winston Churchill, then the Secretary of State for the Colonies, cabled the High Commissioner for Palestine, ‘ . . . to convey to the Bahai Community, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government, their sympathy and condolence on the death of Sir ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Abbas K.B.E.’

The London Morning Post two days after his passing, among other highly favourable comments, concluded its report of the movement in the following words :

“The venerated Bahá’u’lláh died in 1892 and the mantle of his religious insight fell on his son ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, when, after forty years of prison life, Turkish constitutional changes permitted him to visit England, France and America. His persistent messages as to the divine origin and unity of mankind were as impressive as the Messenger himself. He possessed singular courtesy. At his table Buddhist and Mohammedan, Hindu and Zoroastrian, Jew and Christian, sat in amity. “Creatures,” he said, “were created through love; let them live in peace and amity.”

On the morning of Tuesday 29^th November 1921, the funeral took place. So deep was the feeling that brought so many thousands of mourners from many backgrounds together. Representatives of the various denominations, Muslims, Christians, and Jews, all hearts being ablaze with fervent love of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, raised their voices in eulogy and regret, paying their last homage of farewell to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:

“… O Thou revered voyager! Thou hast lived greatly and hast died greatly! This great funeral procession is but a glorious proof of Thy greatness in Thy life and in Thy death. But 0, Thou whom we have lost! Thou leader of men, generous and benevolent! To whom shall the poor now look? Who shall care for the hungry? And the desolate, the widow and the orphan? …”

“… Shed no tears for the one that hath departed to the world of eternity, but weep over the passing of virtue and wisdom, of knowledge and generosity. lament for yourselves, for yours is the loss, whilst He, your lost one, is but a revered wayfarer, stepping from your mortal world into the everlasting home…. What eloquent lips are hushed! Alas! In this tribulation there is no heart but aches with anguish, no eye but is filled with tears. Woe unto the poor, for lo! goodness hath departed from them, woe unto the orphans, for their loving father is no more with them! …”

 “… Fellow Christians! Truly ye are bearing the mortal remains of this ever lamented One to His last resting place, yet know of a certainty that your ‘Abbas will live forever in spirit amongst you, through His deeds, His words, His virtues, and all the essence of His life. We say farewell to the material body of our ‘Abbas and His material body vanisheth from our gaze, but His reality, our spiritual ‘Abbas, will never leave our minds, our thoughts, our hearts, our tongues…. O great revered Sleeper! Thou hast been good to us, Thou hast guided us, Thou hast taught us, Thou hast lived amongst us greatly, with the full meaning of greatness, Thou hast made us proud of Thy deeds and of Thy words. Thou hast raised the Orient to the summit of glory, hast shown loving kindness to the people, trained them in righteousness, and hast striven to the end, till Thou hast won the crown of glory…. “

“In a century of exaggerated positivism and unbridled materialism, it is astonishing and rare to find a philosopher of great scope, such as the lamented ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbas, speak to our heart, to our feelings, and especially seek to educate our soul by inculcating in us the most beautiful principles, which are recognized as being the basis of all religion and of all pure morality. By His Writings, by His spoken Word, by His intimate conversations as well as by His famous dialogues with the most cultivated and the most fervent adepts of sectarian theories, He knew how to persuade; He was always able to win our minds. Living examples have a special power. His private and public life was an example of devotion and of forgetfulness of self for the happiness of others. . . . . ‘Abbas died in Haifa, Palestine, the Holy Land which produced the prophets. Sterile and abandoned for so many centuries, it is coming back to life and is beginning to recover its rank and its original renown. We are not the only ones to grieve for this prophet; we are not the only ones to testify to His glory. In Europe, in America, yea, in every land inhabited by men conscious of their mission in this base world, a thirst for social justice, for brotherhood, He will be mourned as well….”

The Baha’i communities in Aylesbury and surrounding areas are commomorating the centenary of the pasing of’Abdu’l-Bahá and celebrating His life by holding special gatherings and showing a recently commissioned film specially made for the centenary of His passing. The film is titled ‘Exemplar’ which has a running time of 56 minutes, will also be available to stream and download from www.bahai.org. This production gives “a portrait of the Person of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,” exploring how, “by championing the oneness of humanity through His words and deeds, He offered a challenge to the stale assumptions and prejudices of the age, and gave stimulus to a process of unification which continues to this day.”

BBC1 also marked this occasion with a special feature on Sunday Morning Live programme, Broadcasted on the 28^th November at 10:30 am – https://youtu.be/kaK9Yjo7-vg.

Burhan Hayati

For inquiries please write to info@aylesburyvalebahais.org.uk.

The Aylesbury Bahá’i community lost the physical presence of one if its most loved and longstanding members on 24^th February the year (2021) when David Powell left this material world and passed on to the next, where he will be free from physical constraints.

Many people outside the local Bahá’i community will know of David because of involvement in the music industry both performing as a drummer in live gigs as part of local bands, plus supporting others in recording sessions. Also, more latterly for his work as a professional photographer.

David was born on 30^th April 1948 in Crayford Kent and developed his life-long love of music and rhythm from an early age. By the early 60’s, he was playing as a drummer in a number of popular local and award-winning bands including amongst others: Gearbox, The Dodgers/Bad Finger, Wishing Well, and Revolver. Career highlights also included being signed to Island records and a top 100 hit in the US.

David heard about the Bahá’i Faith through a Mind Body Spirit Festival in 1984 in London. After reading the book “The Bahá’i Faith – An Introduction by Faizi” he got in touch with the local Bahá’is in Aylesbury and subsequently declared as a Bahá’i on his birthday 30th April 1985.

He had a number of significant medical issues during his life including a major brain haemorrhage in 2000, followed by pancreatic Cancer in 2016 and 2019. However each time his deep faith, and strong believe in science, and perseverance saw him make remarkable recoveries. Following his brain haemorrhage in 2000, he was left in a deep coma, which doctors expected to prove fatal. However, his sister Lyn’s faith in him ensured medical support was continued, until one day he uttered his first words: when shown a picture of the eldest son of prophet Baháʼu’lláh, he correctly identified him as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, which was especially joyous because one of his greatest fears had been not being able to speak.

Aside from his great legendary talent as a drummer, his skills as a photographer and great enthusiasm for life; those who were lucky enough to know him personally will remember him for his kind, thoughtful, gentle nature, his interest and care in those he met, and his positive approach to life in all situations.

‘David was a true soldier of the (Bahá’i) Faith. We were always impressed by his depth of knowledge in the Faith’s teachings and his steadfastness in observing them. We will miss his drumming, his sense of humour and the undoubted presence he had at various events. He is now free of all physical barriers to his progress and although not visible to us he remains very near, as near as the breath that mentions his name.’

Obituary

Bucks Herald Article

One of David’s favourite songs
God works in mysterious ways,
Mysterious ways,
Ah.
Hey!
One man, one goal,
Ha, one mission.
One heart, one soul,
Just one sore loser.
One flash of light,
Yeah, one god, one vision.
One flesh, one bone, one true religion,
One voice, one hope, one real decision.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
Give me one vision, yeah.
No wrong, no right,
I’m gonna tell you there’s no black, and no white.
No blood, no stain,
All we need is (one worldwide vision).
One flesh, one bone, one true religion,
One race, one hope, one real decision.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
Whoa-yeah, whoa-yeah, oh yeah!
I had a dream when I was young,
A dream of sweet illusion,
A glimpse of hope and unity
And visions of one sweet union.
But a cold wind blows and a dark rain falls,
And in my heart, it shows,
Look what they’ve done to my dream, yeah!
One vision.
So give me your hands, give me your hearts,
I’m ready! There’s only one direction,
One world and one nation,
Yeah, one vision.
No hate, no fight, just excitation.
All through the night it’s a celebration.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, yeah.
One, one, one, one, one, one, one
One flesh, one bone, one true religion,
One voice, one hope, one real decision.
Give me one light, yeah,
Give me one hope, hey,
Just give me, ah,
One man, one man,
One bar, one night,
One day, hey, hey.
Just gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme fried chicken!
Vision, vision, vision, vision.
Queen – One Vision

One of David’s Favourite Prayers
O Thou kind Lord! Thou hast created all humanity from the same stock.
Thou hast decreed that all shall belong to the same household.
In Thy Holy Presence they are all Thy servants, and all mankind are sheltered beneath Thy Tabernacle; all have gathered together at Thy Table of Bounty; all are illumined through the light of Thy Providence.
O God! Thou art kind to all, Thou hast provided for all, dost shelter all, conferrest life upon all. Thou hast endowed each and all with talents and faculties, and all are submerged in the Ocean of Thy Mercy.
O Thou kind Lord! Unite all. Let the religions agree and make the nations one, so that they may see each other as one family and the whole earth as one home. May they all live together in perfect harmony.
O God! Raise aloft the banner of the oneness of mankind.
O God! Establish the Most Great Peace.
Cement Thou, O God, the hearts together.
O Thou kind Father, God! Gladden our hearts through the fragrance of Thy love. Brighten our eyes through the Light of Thy Guidance. Delight our ears with the
melody of Thy Word, and shelter us all in the Stronghold of Thy Providence.
Thou art the Mighty and Powerful, Thou art the Forgiving and Thou art the One Who
overlooketh the shortcomings of all mankind.
Abdu’l-Bahá

The passing of Earl Cameron, the first black actor to break through the colour barrier and star in a British film, has been widely reported in the media. He died peacefully at his home in Kenilworth on 3 July 2020 at the age of 102.

The above picture was taken at a party organised by Bahá’í friends of Earl—who was himself a member of the Bahá’í community—to celebrate his 100th birthday. It was attended by forty guests of many different nationalities, and was hosted by Gerald and Margaret Knight at their home in Marsh, near Aylesbury.

Gerald Knight (top left in the photograph) said “I first met Earl in 1973, when he was Chairman of the UK Committee of the Black Arts Festival, which my company had been asked to promote. Earl was an impressive man of great warmth and dignity who quickly won my respect, admiration and affection. Our first meeting was the start of a friendship that lasted almost 50 years.”

Following his breakthrough role in the 1951 film Pool of London, Earl enjoyed a long and distinguished movie and tv career. Among many other roles, he played James Bond’s assistant in Thunderball, with Sean Connery, a fictional African dictator in The Interpreter, starring Nicole Kidman, and a cameo role with Helen Mirren in The Queen.

A family from Aylesbury were among 5,000 people from 110 countries who attended the opening ceremony of the new Baha’i House of Worship for South America in Santiago, Chile.

The temple, located on the foot-hills of the Andes Mountains in Santiago, was officially opened on 15 October 2016 by the Santiago Metropolitan Region Governor, Senior Claudio Orrego. In his opening speech, he said that the temple was a huge gift for the Chileans.

Mr Kaykkhosrov Manuchehri, a consultant ophthalmologist from Weedon, Aylesbury, said: “We could feel the unity of the 5,000 people gathered in Santiago to witness the dedication of the House of Worship”.

This will be the third continental baha’i house of worship Mr manucheri has visited, having already seen the houses in Panama, Chicago and Frankfurt.

Mrs Luisa Ramirez-Manuchehri said “There were no words to describe my joy and the spiritual experience I gained at the temple. I feel as though I have undergone a great deal of transformation and felt revived since returning from Santiago.”

Their son Daniel Manuchehri was taken by the structure of the new House of Worship, which offered a breath-taking and contrasting view during the day, evening and night. He said: “Besides the spiritual journey experienced, it was fascinating to witness the changing colours of the temple. It appears blue in the morning, white at midday, orange towards sunset and red when awash with spotlights at night.”

Luisa said that the family felt blessed to have the one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the opening of the new temple, and felt the moment to be historic, as this was the last of the eight continental Baha’i Houses of Worship to be built.

Click here to see article in the Bucks Herald.

Dr. Burhan Hayati
Member of Aylesbury Vale Baha’i Community

Crime and disorder are key factors that influence quality of life and are toxic to the prosperity and wellbeing of society. Reports for this region and elsewhere in the country show crime rate are on the increase despite efforts made to tackle this issue. Unfortunately this has led to a culture where “crime had become normalised” and everyone perceived as living in a society where very little can be done to mitigate it. This is sad ! But does it really need to be this way? What if individuals were educated and enamoured with human perfections? What if society were spiritually based? What if one’s desire not to be regarded as a criminal would become the greatest deterrent to crime! Abdul-Baha, early in the 20th century writes:

“… if the masses were educated so that knowledge and learning increased day by day, understanding was broadened, perceptions were refined, morals were rectified and manners reformed—in a word, that progress was made with respect to every degree of perfection—then the occurrence of crime would subside.” He further writes:

“… that which is essential is to so educate the masses that no crimes will be committed in the first place; for a people can be so educated as to shrink entirely from any crime, and indeed regard the crime itself as the greatest chastisement and the most grievous torment and punishment”.

Abdul-Baha also explains that civilisations are of two kinds: Material and Divine. He writes:

“Material civilisation through the power of punitive and retaliatory laws, restraineth the people from criminal acts… In all the cities of Europe and America, vast buildings have been erected to serve as jails for the criminals. Divine civilisation, however, so traineth every member of society that no one, with the exception of a negligible few, will undertake to commit a crime. There is thus a great difference between the prevention of crime through measures that are violent and retaliatory, and so training the people, and enlightening them, and spiritualising them, that without any fear of punishment or vengeance to come, they will shun all criminal acts. They will, indeed, look upon the very commission of a crime as a great disgrace and in itself the harshest of punishments. They will become enamoured of human perfections, and will consecrate their lives to whatever will bring light to the world and will further those qualities which are acceptable at the Holy Threshold of God.”

“… wide is the difference between material civilisation and divine. With force and punishments, material civilisation seeketh to restrain the people from mischief, from inflicting harm on society and committing crimes. But in a divine civilisation, the individual is so conditioned that with no fear of punishment, he shunneth the perpetration of crimes, seeth the crime itself as the severest of torments, and with alacrity and joy, setteth himself to acquiring the virtues of humankind, to furthering human progress, and to spreading light across the world.”

Throughout UK and worldwide, Baha’i communities at all levels are engaged in the vital role of moral and spiritual education of children. Bahá’ís see the young as the most precious treasure a community can possess. In them are the promise and guarantee of the future.

Dr Burhan Hayati