Hearts Weep Today!

Montreal, November 27, 2015 — Across the world today, the Bahá’í community and countless friends paused in reverent remembrance, marking the ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá — the Exemplar of a radiant human life, the Centre of the Covenant, and the beloved Master.

When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed from this world in the early hours of November 28, 1921, the news reverberated far beyond the Bahá’í community. Newspapers across Europe and North America — from the London Morning Post to The New York World — paid tribute to a figure whose presence had quietly reshaped the spiritual landscape of the age.

Just two days after His passing, the Morning Post recalled how, following the death of Bahá’u’lláh in 1892, the mantle of leadership fell upon His son, newly freed after forty years of imprisonment. It highlighted ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s resolute message — the divine origin and unity of humankind — delivered with a courtesy so profound that Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians would gather in perfect amity at His table. “‘Creatures,’ He said, ‘were created through love; let them live in peace and amity.’”

On December 1, The New York World noted that never before had a leader of an Eastern religious movement visited the United States. Its correspondent lingered on the unforgettable sight of Him: the flowing abá, the white turban, the deep-set, piercing eyes, and the smile that “pours its sweetness over all.”

Within days, tens of major American newspapers published accounts of His passing. The Evening Telegram linked His teachings to the rising international peace movement, noting that churches of every denomination in New York and Chicago had opened their doors to Him — a sign of the universal respect He commanded. The New York Tribune, in an editorial titled ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, wrote: “A prophet, as his followers believe, and the son of a prophet, was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who is now at rest with all prophetic souls bygone… Bahá’u’lláh over sixty years ago set forth a peace plan not dissimilar to the aspirations of today.”

In Chicago, Unity magazine offered this reflection: “‘Abdu’l-Bahá voiced and made eloquent the sacred aspiration that yearns dumbly in the hearts of men… He has been a pure, selfless mirror reflecting only the noblest qualities of each.”

Even distinguished scholars took note. A renowned Oxford professor, writing a message of condolence on behalf of himself and his wife, observed: “The passing beyond the veil into fuller life must be specially wonderful and blessed for One Who has always fixed His thoughts on high and striven to lead an exalted life here below.”

These accounts represent only a handful of more than one hundred articles published around the world at the time — a testament to the extraordinary reverence in which He was held. It is striking to recall that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself knew the day and hour of His departure. With characteristic tenderness, He shielded His family from any hint of sorrow to come, veiling from them dreams and signs that would only later reveal their meaning. In this too, He showed the depth of His care, preserving their strength for the moment of loss.

- Reference: The Bahá’í World, Volume 15 (1968–1973)Notes:

-‘Abdu’l-Bahá frequently corrected those who referred to Him as a prophet. He is, simply and profoundly, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá — the Servant of Glory.

- The correct term for the religion founded by Bahá’u’lláh is the Bahá’í Faith, not a “cult” or “sect,” despite its occasional mischaracterization in press accounts.

- Photograph: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, June 20, 1912, by renowned photographer Gertrude Käsebier, New York.