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| Charlotte Square Photo: Hari Docherty |
Earl Redman writes (in 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Our Midst):
‘Abdu’l-Bahá planned to visit Edinburgh, and on 1 January the Bahá’ís of Edinburgh sent a schedule they had devised for Him. Ahmad Sohrab wrote in his diary, ‘The plan of Edinburgh is presented to the Master. He says I have not been there yet, and they have already planned what I must do in every hour. Then He jokes with them about these . . . customs, and date-fixing of this so far ahead . . ‘.
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| Alexander Whyte |
At 8 a.m. on 6 January, Ahmad Sohrab, Mírzá Mahmúd, Hájí Amín and Siyyid Asadu’lláh-i-Qumí left for the station, followed by the Master. Lotfullah Hakím (who later was elected to the first Universal House of Justice) joined the party at the station. The train left at 10 o’clock and at about 5 p.m. pulled into the Waverley Station in Edinburgh. [A local historian told us it was probably Princess Station, which is no longer there. AP] The group was met by Jane Whyte, Isabel Fraser (who had come up from London to help) and several other friends. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stayed at the home of Mrs Whyte and her distinguished husband, Dr Alexander Whyte, Moderator of the General Assembly Free Church of Scotland and principal of the Divinity Faculty of Edinburgh University, who were instrumental in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visiting Edinburgh.
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| Medallion of Rev. Whyte |
The pilgrim
to ‘Akká is asked many questions on his return. Is this a prophet? A
manifestation of divinity . . . Is it enough of Divinity to see love made
perfect through suffering a life-long patience, a faith which no exile or
imprisonment can dim, a love which no treachery can alter, a hope which rises a
pure clear flame after being drenched with the world’s indifference through a
lifetime? If that is not Divinity enough for this world, what is? . . . What
greater sign can you ask than the power to flood this old world with love and
aspiration, with patience and courage? . . . His life, as the prisoner of the
Sultán, was in continual danger by any sudden pressure from Constantinople and
at that time it was not considered wise that visitors from the west should be
too much in evidence. So it came that we could not have the farewell
conversation we had promised ourselves. Instead I left a letter for him. In due
time an answer came . . .
In
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s reply to her letter, He called Jane a
‘captive of the love of God’ and an ‘honoured
lady’. She had written, ‘I am a Christian’. The Master responded with,
‘O would that all were truly Christian! It is easy to be a Christian on the
tongue, but hard to be a true one’. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote that ‘the unity of truth, through the power of God, will make
these illusory differences to vanish away’. At the end of this Tablet,
‘Abdu'l-Bahá listed the seven candles of unity: unity in the political realm,
unity of thought in world undertakings, freedom, unity in religion, unity of
the nations, unity of the races, and unity of language. These would all, He
stated, ‘inevitably come to pass’.[iii]
Upon
her return from ‘Akká, Jane Whyte spread the Bahá’í teachings to her family and
friends. She was able to see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London in 1911, and wrote to Him
the following year saying, ‘If the time should come
for him to visit Edinburgh, the Outlook Tower Society will welcome him warmly’.[iv]
He accepted her invitation.
* * *
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| Photo: Hari Docherty |
His company consisted of three people, and
they were entertained in a hotel within a stone’s throw of the house where he
was . . . the most personal attendant was called, in translation, the ‘Lion of
God’ [Asadu’lláh], an old man, picturesque in appearance and of a most
attractive spirit, whose after-dinner stories were a great delight. There was a
young man, an interpreter, who was not of the inner company, I think, and who
had a more or less permanent home in London (Lotfullah Hakim). Then there was a
very handsome, cultured man, who was a poet of some distinction, according to
the interpreter, and whose talk, even in translation, was deeply interesting,
spiritually discerning and beautifully expressed [Mírzá Mahmúd].
At 8.30 on the morning after their arrival, Ahmad Sohrab heard a bell:
When I went down to the Library I saw principal Whyte with the members of
the family standing on one side and all the maids which were seven I think,
standing on the other side, each having a hymn book in the hand. Mrs Whyte gave
me one of these books and she went to the organ. All of us [sang] the songs and
afterward Rev. Whyte prayed while all of them knelt down. It was a very new
experience to me. Of course this is their daily custom for the Master and the
servants to pray to God every morning before starting their daily labors. This
is a very lovely custom and affords one a few moments whereby to commune with
his Creator. After the prayer we had breakfast and I carried up Our Beloved’s
tea to his room.
Some of the Edinburgh Bahá’ís were worried
about how ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would handle the cold of a Scottish winter. Surprisingly
to the locals, when the Master arrived in Edinburgh, the city experienced four
days of sunny weather with mild temperatures. Even so, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was not
well-dressed for the climate and did suffer from the cold. He did not mention
it to anyone, but one of His attendants informed Mrs Whyte and she took Him out
and ‘a
forenoon was spent in providing for His greater comfort – to the interest and
admiration of several shopkeepers unaccustomed to oriental dress and speech’. [The story we heard in Scotland: He went out to shop for woolen underwear in a department store. Endearing, eh? AP]
The
Whytes had managed to publicize ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s coming with an article in a
local newspaper on 13 December, and articles in two different papers on 3 January,
so when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrived, the reporters were there to ensure that His visit
was well reported.
After
dinner with the Whytes, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá met with the Secretary of the Esperanto
Society, the general Secretary of the Theosophical Society, several professors
and many clergymen with their wives. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá then spoke about his trip
from Alexandria to New York and how some had insisted that he sail on the Titanic instead of the older and smaller
Cedric. He talked about his address
to the Jews at Temple El-Emmanuel in San Francisco, which ‘created a tremendous effect, because most of these people
are very devoted Christians’, wrote Ahmad Sohrab, adding that ‘An old scotch song was sung after the Master’s address
which was very sweet and effective. The Master bade them good bye and went to
his room’.
Florence Altass met the Master in Edinburgh and recalled: Of course when I saw Him I knew who He was. Oh, you couldn’t mistake Him. And that heavenly smile! It was a perpetual smile, and yet it wasn’t, if you can imagine; it looked as though He smiled at everyone, and yet the smile seemed always to be there. And His eyes looked as if they were looking through you. He had the most gentle voice; I’ve never heard a voice like it . . . He embraced a good many people; He didn’t me, He just shook hands. Several of us He just shook hands with. When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá shook hands with me, He seemed to transmit something to me, and I’ve never been the same since.
There
was an interpreter – who spoilt the whole show! It wasn’t that His voice didn’t
suit me, it was that although ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke in Persian, you understood; you knew what He was saying,
somehow. One was so enamoured of His voice that one sort of felt what He was saying.
[End of Redman's account] See also: http://www.travelstothewest.org/
[End of Redman's account] See also: http://www.travelstothewest.org/
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Having just BEEN in Edinburgh, and having GONE to the house at 7 Charlotte Square, I can imagine all of this more fully! Our photos are from a collection by Hari Docherty, unless noted.
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| When we were there, last week! |
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| Tim, climbing a hill to take footage Photo: Joseph Sheppherd |
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