22 / Unity Feast

22

Unity Feast

On June 20, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, “It is my wish to give a large feast of unity. A place for it has not yet been found. It must be outdoors under the trees, in some location away from city noise—like a Persian garden. . . . All the friends will come. They will be my guests. . . . Each will be as a leaf, blossom or fruit upon one tree. For the sake of fellowship and unity I desire this feast and spiritual gathering.”1

The site that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá chose for the unity feast was the home of Roy Wilhelm in West Englewood (now Teaneck), New Jersey. In a letter, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá later wrote to Roy, “I am extremely pleased with you because you are a true Bahá’í. Your house is My house; there is no difference whatsoever between yours and Mine.”2 In 1900, when he was about twenty-five years old, Roy had begun attending Bahá’í meetings in New York with his parents. His mother, Laurie, had a strong interest in religion and investigated various beliefs.

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After learning about the Bahá’í Faith, Laurie soon began exchanging letters with Bahá’ís around the world.

In 1907, Roy and Laurie visited ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in ‘Akká. Roy went to the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel in Haifa to take some photographs. He found several Persians sitting around a table there. They didn’t speak English, but Roy showed them his camera, and they understood that he wanted to take pictures. Then he saw a Bahá’í ring on the finger of one of the men who was closest to him. Roy whispered, “Alláh-u-Abhá,” which means “God the All-Glorious” in Arabic, and is used as a greeting among Bahá’ís.

“Alláh-u-Abhá!” the man answered immediately. He then jumped up and hugged Roy, kissing him on both cheeks. Then the whole group crowded around Roy, and as he later wrote, “I knew that I was among friends.”3

While Roy and Laurie were in ‘Akká, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said to them, “You represent all the American believers. In you I see all the American believers. Your faces are shining. I have been waiting long for your coming. Thank God that you came.”

They answered, “We do thank God and hope to become more worthy.”

He answered, “You will become more worthy.”4

During his stay, Roy’s room was near a garden where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would sit in a tent and meet with visitors. Roy noticed that people of all faiths, including businessmen, government officials, and religious leaders, came to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for advice and guidance.

Roy also saw that every Friday about one hundred of ‘Akká’s poorest people came to see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Roy wrote, “He will be seen to give to each a small coin, and to add a word of sympathy or cheer; often an

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inquiry about those at home; frequently He sends a share to an absent one. . . . They all look forward to this weekly visit, and indeed it is said that this is the chief means of sustenance for some of them. Almost any morning, early, He may be seen making the round of the city, calling upon the feeble and the sick; many dingy abodes are brightened by His presence.”5

The Wilhelms’s home in West Englewood had a large wooded grove with evergreen trees, and it was there that the Bahá’ís gathered for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Feast. Tables were set out in a circle under the trees.

Ma¥múd wrote, “The green lawn under the shade trees was strewn with flowers so that it seemed as if an embroidered carpet had been spread. . . . To see the Master walking in this green, flower-covered garden, with a gentle breeze blowing, the purity of the air, the cleanliness of the surroundings and the rejoicing of the friends, was most pleasing; all seemed to vie with one another to please the Master.”6

One of the Bahá’ís who attended was Juliet Thompson, who came with a friend. Juliet wrote, “We walked from the little station, past the grove where the tables were set—a grove of tall pine trees—and on to the house in which He was, He Whose Presence filled our eyes with light and without Whom our days had been very dim and lifeless.

“Ah, there He was again! Sitting in a corner of the porch! I sped across the lawn . . . forgetting everything. He looked down at me with grave eyes, and I saw a fathomless welcome in them.”7

When everyone had gathered, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke to the group:

This is a delightful gathering; you have come here with sincere intentions, and the purpose of all present is the attainment of the

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virtues of God. The motive is attraction to the divine Kingdom. Since the desire of all is unity and agreement, it is certain that this meeting will be productive of great results. . . . Like candles these souls will become ignited and made radiant through the lights of supreme guidance. Such gatherings as this have no equal or likeness in the world of mankind. . . .

May you become as the waves of one sea, stars of the same heaven, fruits adorning the same tree, roses of one garden in order that through you the oneness of humanity may establish its temple in the world of mankind, for you are the ones who are called to uplift the cause of unity among the nations of the earth.

First, you must become united and agreed among yourselves. You must be exceedingly kind and loving toward each other. . . . Your utmost desire must be to confer happiness upon each other. Each one must be the servant of the others, thoughtful of their comfort and welfare. In the path of God one must forget himself entirely. He must not consider his own pleasure but seek the pleasure of others. He must not desire glory nor gifts of bounty for himself but seek these gifts and blessings for his brothers and sisters. It is my hope that you may become like this, that you may attain to the supreme bestowal and be imbued with such spiritual qualities. . . .8

‘Abdu’l-Bahá provided the Persian food for dinner, along with sherbet and many sweets. When dinner was ready and everyone was seated, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá anointed each person with attar of rose. “He spoke to them in a voice that was sweeter than honey. . . . the

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surroundings were green and verdant with trees in full bloom perfuming the air.”9

Juliet Thompson wrote:

To me the most beautiful scene of all came later, when the Master returned to us after dark. . . . All over the lawn, on each side of the path, sat the others, the light summer skirts of the women spread out on the grass, tapers in their hands (to keep off mosquitoes). In the dark, in their filmy dresses, they looked like great moths and the burning tips of the tapers they waved like fireflies darting about.

Then the Master spoke again to us. I was standing behind Him, close to Him, and before He began He turned and gave me a long, profound look. . . .

Before He had finished He rose from His chair and started down the path still talking, passing between the dim figures on the grass with their lighted tapers, talking till He reached the road, where He turned and we could no longer see Him. Even then His words floated back to us. . . .

“Peace be with you,” this was the last we heard, “I will pray for you.”

Oh that Voice that came back out of His invisibility when He had passed beyond our sight. May I always remember, and hear the Voice.10

As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá walked among the Bahá’ís in the moonlit evening, a carriage passed by. The riders saw ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, stopped the carriage, and joined the group to listen.

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On another visit to the Wilhelm home, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá joined the Wilhelms for dinner at the nearby home of Louis Bourgeois. Louis was a French-Canadian architect who would later design the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois.

The following year, the Bahá’ís commemorated ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s unity feast with another gathering. Roy received a letter from ‘Abdu’lBahá saying, “That annual memorial meeting will be the souvenir of Abdul-Baha, especially when it is passed with infinite delight and gladness.”11

Today the location of this beautiful event is known as the Wilhelm Bahá’í Properties. On the grounds stands a log cabin that Roy built with the help of architect Louis Bourgeois. The study of rocks and stones was Roy’s hobby, and he brought stones for his fireplace from around the world. In front of the cabin is a rock garden with pools of water, fountains, and colored lights. Bahá’ís in the area gather regularly for devotions, music, and Bahá’í classes. And each year, a unity feast is held in June, to commemorate ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s warm and welcoming unity feast.

“May you become as the waves of one sea, stars of the same heaven, fruits adorning the same tree, roses of one garden in order that through you the oneness of humanity may establish its temple in the world of mankind. . . .”

—‘Abdu’l-Bahá

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