Monthly Reflection: Izzat (Might) – On the Most Mighty Branch

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As we enter the month of Might, I’ve been thinking about Abdu’l-Baha. Perhaps it’s because I’m knee deep in a small project that commemorates His Passing but I thought I would share some recent resources we’ve published and promoted on Baha’i Blog related to the Most Mighty Branch.

I love historical narratives and so I was thrilled when I learned that the second half of Mirza Mahmud Zarqani’s chronicles have been translated into English. If you’re an English speaker/reader, you may recognize that name from the book Mahmud’s Diary. Mirza Mahmud Zarqani was a travel companion of Abdu’l-Baha during His journeys to the West and the first translated volume of his diary is a very useful companion resource when studying Abdu’l-Baha’s talks and discourses given in the United States and Canada. Mahmud’s Diary is a priceless book but it doesn’t contain all of Mahmud’s work and the remaining half wasn’t available in English–until now.

Adib Mansumian took up the challenge of translating the second volume of Mahmud’s account, which has been titled Abdu’l-Baha in Europe 1912-1913: The Talks and Travels of the Master as Recorded by Mirza Mahmud Zarqani. It was a delight to learn from Adib about the translation process and how this second volume came together.

This month we learned that George Ronald, which published the above books, has also been busy producing a podcast which delves into the minds of their talented authors (or translators!) to uncover the inspiration behind their works. While we have only shared their inaugural episode on Baha’i Blog so far, there are many others, including one with Adib:

In the last nineteen days, we also shared a musical rendition of one of my favourite quotations by Abdu’l-Baha, as sung by our very own Cherie Heggie and her husband Lawrence (whom you may recognize from our interview with him about his art of Baha’i holy places and buildings on the Arc).

The quotation sung is:

O Thou who art turning thy face towards God! Close thine eyes to all things else, and open them to the realm of the All-Glorious. Ask whatsoever thou wishest of Him alone; seek whatsoever thou seekest from Him alone. With a look He granteth a hundred thousand hopes, with a glance He healeth a hundred thousand incurable ills, with a nod He layeth balm on every wound, with a glimpse He freeth the hearts from the shackles of grief. He doeth as He doeth, and what recourse have we? He carrieth out His Will, He ordaineth what He pleaseth. Then better for thee to bow down thy head in submission, and put thy trust in the All-Merciful Lord.

This quotation was also animated a few years ago and it’s a video I find myself coming back to over and over again:

This month, my family had the joyous chance to host my parents-in-law. In our quiet hours, my mother-in-law would peruse Star of the West, which, if you haven’t taken a look at, is a positive treasure trove. I’m always on the lookout for very short quotations that can be shared as an image and I was gleeful when she found this gem:

Lastly, Della explored a passage from Some Answered Questions where Abdu’l-Baha explained four types of healing without medicine. I have been particularly struck by His comments on the kind of healing that comes from relying on God and the Holy Spirit. If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll take a look at it.

Have a wonderful month of Might!

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Sonjel Vreeland

In her innermost heart, Sonjel is a stay-at-home parent and a bookworm with a maxed out library card but professionally she is a museologist with a background in English Literature. She currently lives on Prince Edward Island, an isle in the shape of a smile on the eastern Canadian coast. Sonjel is a writer who loves to listen to jazz when she's driving at night.