The second volume of Mírzá Mahmúd Zarqání’s unparalleled account of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s journeys to the West. While the first volume, published in translation in 1998, covered His historic journey to North America in 1912, this book continues the story, chronicling ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s travels in Europe from December 1912 to the end of 1913 when He returned to the Holy Land.
Mírzá Mahmúd went everywhere with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, making extensive notes not only of the Master’s many public talks and conversations with individuals but also of the new sights and experiences they found as well as the daily routines of eating, writing letters and travelling. In his own words: ‘what the reader will glean from perusing these pages is surely the majesty . . . which Abdu'l-Bahá demonstrated in the sundry churches and gatherings where He spoke; the transformation experienced by the celebrated philosophers who met Him, as well as the deference they showed Him; and the humble reverence extended to Him by religious leaders and the heads of various other groups, for in addition to captivating the hearts of the friends at Bahá'í gatherings, the profound impression which His blessed utterances made at other assemblies invariably revolutionized the hearts of eminent persons, and roused His distinguished listeners to genuine veneration . . .’.
The result was a unique diary ‘regarded as a reliable account of Abdu'l-Bahá’s travels in the West and an authentic record of His utterances, whether in the form of formal talks, table talks, or random oral statements. Mírzá Mahmúd was a careful and faithful chronicler and engaged in assembling and publishing his work with the permission of the beloved Master’ (The Universal House of Justice).
At last!
Having waited a long time for volume 2 of Mahmúd's Diary, I am thrilled to have this new book in hand. Meticulously translated, it transports us from the docks of New York on December 5, 1912 to other places 'Abdu'l-Bahá journeyed—to England, Scotland, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Egypt, completing His sublime and luminous travels in the West. Full of stories unfamiliar especially to an American audience, the book also includes photographs, details on people the Master met, notes, references, and an index. It provides a way for us to trace the growth and development of the Faith through its best traveling teacher and His faithful amanuensis and offers inspirational content to storytellers, artists, filmmakers, historians, and general readers. What better way to travel, than in the company of the Master Himself?