“And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.”
(Mark 4:30)
Among the fruits of Bahá’u’lláh, the Glory of God, are His believers. His most devoted believer was His eldest son, ‘Abbás Effendi, who took the title ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Servant of the Glory. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s heart was good ground. His faith become very strong, and He in turn planted the seed of faith in the hearts of everyone He encountered.
“‘Abdu’l-Bahá sorrowed with the sorrowful and the stricken and the afflicted, in deep compassion. He rejoiced with the truly joyous. Thousands thronged to His door to seek relief. Some of them sought worldly goods. But many more desired the relief which only the goods of the spirit can bestow. To them all, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave freely and abundantly. No one found His door shut. No one was turned away. No one left His presence empty-handed. He did not merely wait for the oppressed and the bewildered and the fallen to come to Him. He went out to find them and to serve them. The learned and the wise also came to Him and drank deeply at the fount of His knowledge. Rulers and potentates, statesmen and generals, the mighty and the great came as well, and found in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá a counsellor whose motives were generous and disinterested.” (H. M. Balyúzí, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—The Centre of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 3)
Through the loving efforts of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and other early followers of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, the message spread, first in Iran and the Middle East, then to India, Europe and North America, and now to all parts of the world.
Christians, Jews and Muslims; Buddhists, Hindus and Zoroastrians; atheists and agnostics, communists and capitalists, city dwellers and country folk, educated and illiterate; highlanders, lowlanders and islanders – people who recognize in the this message the Revelation of God for this age come from all backgrounds and cultures, and are joining the growing body of believers. Those who accept the message of Bahá’u’lláh and strive to transform their lives in accord with His teachings are know as “Bahá’ís” (followers of the Glory).
Group of Believers
(© Bahá’í International Community )