Century of Light | Page 7

the realities of the Prophets and Messengers revolve," so, on
this visible plane, His sacred remains constitute the heart and center of
what may be regarded as nine concentric circles,(14) paralleling
thereby, and adding further emphasis to the central position accorded
by the Founder of our Faith to One "from Whom God hath caused to
proceed the knowledge of all that was and shall be," "the Primal Point
from which have been generated all created things."(15)
The significance in 'Abdu'l-Bahá's own eyes of the mission He had
accomplished at such cost is movingly depicted by Shoghi Effendi:
When all was finished, and the earthly remains of the Martyr-Prophet
of Shíráz were, at long last, safely deposited for their everlasting rest in
the bosom of God's holy mountain, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Who had cast aside
His turban, removed His shoes and thrown off His cloak, bent low over
the still open sarcophagus, His silver hair waving about His head and
His face transfigured and luminous, rested His forehead on the border
of the wooden casket, and, sobbing aloud, wept with such a weeping
that all those who were present wept with Him. That night He could not
sleep, so overwhelmed was He with emotion.(16)
By 1908, the so-called "Young Turk Revolution" had freed not only
most of the Ottoman empire's political prisoners, but 'Abdu'l-Bahá as
well. Suddenly, the restraints that had kept Him confined to the
prison-city of 'Akká and its immediate surroundings had fallen away,
and the Master was in a position to proceed with an enterprise that
Shoghi Effendi was later to describe as one of the three principal
achievements of His ministry: His public proclamation of the Cause of
God in the great population centres of the Western world.
* * * * *

Because of the dramatic character of the events that occurred in North
America and Europe, accounts of the Master's historic journeys
sometimes tend to overlook the important opening year spent in Egypt.
'Abdu'l-Bahá arrived there in September 1910, intending to go on
directly to Europe, but was compelled by illness to remain in residence
at Ramleh, a suburb of Alexandria, until August of the following year.
As it turned out, the months that followed were a period of great
productivity whose full effects on the fortunes of the Cause, in the
African continent especially, will be felt for many years to come. To
some extent the way had no doubt been paved by warm admiration for
the Master on the part of Shaykh Muhammad 'Abduh, who had met
Him on several occasions in Beirut and who subsequently became
Mufti of Egypt and a leading figure at Al-Azhar University.
An aspect of the Egyptian sojourn that deserves special attention was
the opportunity it provided for the first public proclamation of the
Faith's message. The relatively cosmopolitan and liberal atmosphere
prevailing in Cairo and Alexandria at the time opened a way for frank
and searching discussions between the Master and prominent figures in
the intellectual world of Sunni Islam. These included clerics,
parliamentarians, administrators and aristocrats. Further, editors and
journalists from influential Arabic-language newspapers, whose
information about the Cause had been coloured by prejudiced reports
emanating from Persia and Constantinople, now had an opportunity to
learn the facts of the situation for themselves. Publications that had
been openly hostile changed their tone. The editors of one such
newspaper opened an article on the Master's arrival by referring to "His
Eminence Mírzá 'Abbás Effendi, the learned and erudite Head of the
Bahá'ís in 'Akká and the Centre of authority for Bahá'ís throughout the
world" and expressing appreciation of His visit to Alexandria.(17) This
and other articles paid particular tribute to 'Abdu'l-Bahá's
understanding of Islam and to the principles of unity and religious
tolerance that lay at the heart of His teachings.
Despite the Master's ill health that had caused it, the Egyptian interlude
proved to be a great blessing. Western diplomats and officials were
able to observe at first-hand the extraordinary success of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's

interaction with leading figures in a region of the Near East that was of
lively interest in European circles. Accordingly, by the time the Master
embarked for Marseilles on 11 August 1911, His fame had preceded
Him.

III
A Tablet addressed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá to an American believer in 1905
contains a statement that is as illuminating as it is touching. Referring
to His situation following the ascension of Bahá'u'lláh, 'Abdu'l-Bahá
spoke of a letter He had received from America at "a time when an
ocean of trials and tribulations was surging...":
Such was our state when a letter came to us from the American friends.
They had covenanted together, so they wrote, to remain at one in all
things, and ... had pledged themselves to make sacrifices in the
pathway of the love of God, thus