'Abdu'l-Bahá means "Servant of Bahá"
'Abdu'l-Bahá is the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh and was appointed by Him as the Interpreter of His teachings and the Centre of His Covenant.
On November 29, 1921, ten thousand people--Jews, Christians, and Muslims from all persuasions and denominations--gathered on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land to mourn the passing of One who was eulogized as the essence of "Virtue and Wisdom, of Knowledge and Generosity."
On that occasion, `Abdu'l-Bahá--Bahá'u'lláh's Son and chosen successor--was described by a Jewish leader as a "living example of self-sacrifice," by a Christian orator as One who led humanity to the "Way of Truth," and by a prominent Muslim leader as a "pillar of peace" and the embodiment of "glory and greatness." His funeral, according to a Western observer, brought together a great throng "sorrowing for His death, but rejoicing also for His life."
Throughout the Occident and the Orient, `Abdu'l-Bahá was
known as an ambassador of peace, a champion of justice,
and the leading exponent of a new Faith. Through a series
of epoch-making travels across North America and Europe,
`Abdu'l-Bahá--by word and example--proclaimed with
persuasiveness and force the essential principles of His
Father's religion. Affirming that "Love is the most
great law" that is the foundation of "true
civilization," and that the "supreme need of
humanity is cooperation and reciprocity" among all
its peoples, `Abdu'l-Bahá reached out to leaders and the
meek alike, to every soul who crossed His path.
Bahá'u'lláh's appointment of `Abdu'l-Bahá as His successor was the means for diffusing His message of hope and universal peace to all corners of the world, for realizing the essential unity of all peoples. In referring to `Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'u'lláh wrote: "The glory of God rest upon Thee, and upon whosoever serveth Thee and circleth around Thee. Woe, great woe, betide him that opposeth and injureth Thee. Well is it with him that sweareth fealty to Thee." `Abdu'l-Bahá was, in short, the Center of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant--the instrument for ensuring the unity of the Bahá'í community and preserving the integrity of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings.
As the authorized interpreter of Bahá'u'lláh's
teachings, `Abdu'l-Bahá became the "living mouth of
the Book, the expounder of the Word." Without
`Abdu'l-Bahá, the enormous creative power of
Bahá'u'lláh's revelation could not have been
transmitted to humanity, nor its import fully
comprehended. He elucidated the teachings of His Father's
Faith, amplified its doctrines, and delineated the
central features of its administrative institutions. He
was the unerring guide and architect of a rapidly
expanding Bahá'í community. In addition, Bahá'u'lláh
vested in `Abdu'l-Bahá "the virtues of perfection
in personal and social behavior, that humanity may have
an enduring model to emulate." As the perfect
Exemplar of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings and the Pivot of
His Covenant, `Abdu'l-Bahá became "the
incorruptible medium for applying the Word to practical
measures for the raising up of a new civilization." In retrospect, it became clear that Bahá'u'lláh had carefully prepared `Abdu'l-Bahá to succeed Him. He was born on May 23, 1844, the very night that the Báb had declared the beginning of a new religious cycle in history. As a child, He suffered along with His Father during the persecutions against the Bábís. `Abdu'l-Bahá was eight years old when Bahá'u'lláh was first imprisoned for His role as a leading exponent and defender of the Bábí Faith. He accompanied Bahá'u'lláh throughout His long exile from Persia to the capital of the Ottoman empire, and ultimately, to Palestine. As He grew older, `Abdu'l-Bahá became His Father's closest companion and emerged as His deputy, shield, and principal representative to the political and religious leaders of the day. `Abdu'l-Bahá's extraordinary demonstration of leadership, knowledge, and service brought great prestige to the exiled Bahá'í community. He assumed His role as the Head of the Bahá'í Faith following Bahá'u'lláh's passing in May 1892.
In 1911, after more than four decades of imprisonment and
suffering, `Abdu'l-Bahá journeyed to the West and
presented with brilliant simplicity, to high and low
alike, Bahá'u'lláh's prescription for the moral and
spiritual renewal of society. This "Call of
God," `Abdu'l-Bahá stated, "...breathed a new
life into the body of mankind, and infused a new spirit
into the whole creation. It is for this reason that the
world hath been moved to its depths, and the hearts and
consciences of men been quickened. Erelong the evidences
of this regeneration will be revealed, and the fast
asleep will be awakened." He affirmed time and again that He was a "herald of peace and reconciliation," "an advocate of the oneness of humanity," and an agent calling humanity to the "Kingdom of God." Despite the receptivity and acclaim given Him, `Abdu'l-Bahá made clear the Source of His thought and His true station. In a letter to His followers in America He wrote:
My name is `Abdu'l-Bahá [literally, Servant of Bahá]. My qualification is `Abdu'l-Bahá. My reality is `Abdu'l-Bahá. My praise is `Abdu'l-Bahá. Thraldom to the Blessed Perfection [Bahá'u'lláh] is my glorious and refulgent diadem, and servitude to all the human race my perpetual religion... No name, no title, no mention, no commendation have I, nor will ever have, except `Abdu'l-Bahá. This is my longing. This is my greatest yearning. This is my eternal life. This is my everlasting glory.