at down from the retreats of the
Exalted Companion. Upon him be the glory of the All-Glorious.

'ABDU'LLAH BAGHDADI

When he was very young, people thought of 'Abdu'llah Ba_gh_dadi as a
libertine, solely devoted to pleasure. He was regarded by all as the sport
of inordinate desires, mired down in his physical passions. But the moment
he became a believer, he was carried away by the sweet savors of God, and
was changed into a new creation. He found himself in a strange rapture,
completely transformed. He had been of the world, now he was of Heaven; he
had lived by the flesh, now he lived by the spirit; he had walked in
darkness; now he walked in light. He had been a slave to his senses, now
he was a thrall of God. He had been clay and earthenware before, now he
was a dear-bought pearl; a dull and lusterless stone before, now a ruby
glowing.

Even among the non-believers, people were astonished at the change. What
could have come over this youth, they wanted to know; how did it happen
that he was suddenly detached from the world, eager and devoted? "He was
tainted, corrupted," they said; "today he is abstemious and chaste. He was
sunk in his appetites, but is now the soul of purity, living a righteous
life. He has left the world behind him. He has broken up the feast,
dismissed the revelers, and folded the banquet cloth away. His mind is
distracted by love."

Briefly, he let go his pleasures and possessions, and journeyed to Akka on
foot. His face had turned so bright, his nature so luminous, that it was a
joy to look at him. I used to say: "Aqa 'Abdu'llah, what condition are you
in?" And he would answer to this effect: "I was in darkness; now, by the
favor of the Blessed Beauty, I am in light. I was a heap of dust; He
changed me to a fertile field. I was in constant torment; I am now at
peace. I was in love with my chains; He has broken them. I was avid for
this one and that; now I cling to the Lord. I was a bird in a cage; He let
me out. Today, though I live in the desert, and I have the bare ground for
my bed and pillow, it feels like silk. In the old time, my coverlet was
satin, and my soul was on the rack. Now I am homeless, and happy."

But his burning heart broke when he saw how victimized was Baha'u'llah,
how patiently He suffered. 'Abdu'llah yearned to die for Him. And thus it
came about that he offered up his life for his tender Companion, and
hastened away, out of this dark world to the country of