In the prison-city of 'Akká, there lived a man who was filled with anger. He hated 'Abdu'l-Bahá and thought He was bad. When the man saw 'Abdu'l-Bahá on the street, he covered his face with his robe. 'I will not look at Him!' he said. At the mosque, he shouted mean words about 'Abdu'l-Bahá. The man's heart was full of hate. He was very poor and had little food or warm clothes. Yet his anger kept growing.

The Angry Man

'Abdu'l-Bahá knew about the angry man. What did He do? He sent the man food and warm clothes! 'Take these to him,' 'Abdu'l-Bahá told His helpers. The man received the gifts but did not say thank you. He still covered his face when 'Abdu'l-Bahá was near. 'Why does He help me?' the man wondered. But he did not change his ways. He kept being mean while 'Abdu'l-Bahá kept being kind.

Kindness for Hatred

One day, the man became very sick. He lay in bed, hot with fever. 'Abdu'l-Bahá heard about this. 'Send the doctor to help him,' He said. The doctor came to see the sick man. 'Who sent you?' the man asked weakly. 'Abdu'l-Bahá did,' said the doctor. The man held out one hand for the doctor to check. With his other hand, he covered his face! 'Abdu'l-Bahá also sent medicine, food, and money. Still, the man would not thank Him.

The Sick Man

Twenty-four years passed. The man kept being mean. 'Abdu'l-Bahá kept being kind. Then one day, something changed in the man's heart. He walked to 'Abdu'l-Bahá's house. He fell at His feet with tears running down his face. 'Forgive me!' he cried. 'For so many years, I did bad things to You. You only showed me goodness. I was wrong! Please forgive me!' 'Abdu'l-Bahá smiled gently. Love had won over hate at last.

A Changed Heart

A muslim man with beard and moustache wearing a grey robe and looks poorly.

A well dressed middle eastern doctor with spectacles and a hat with his medical bag

Doctor

'Abdu'l-Bahá

During the days that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá lived in the prison-city of ‘Akká, there was a man who behaved very badly towards Him. He thought that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was not a good man and that God did not care how badly the Bahá’ís were treated. In fact, he believed that he was showing love for God by showing hatred to the Bahá’ís. He hated ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with all his heart. That hate grew and festered inside him, sometimes spilling out of him the way water spills out of a broken pot. 

In the mosque, when people came to pray, this man would cry out against ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and say terrible things about Him. When he passed ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on the street, he would cover his face with his robe so that he would not see Him.

Now, this man was very poor and had neither enough to eat nor warm clothes to wear. What do you think ‘Abdu’l-Bahá did? 

He showed him kindness, sent him food and clothes, and made sure he was being taken care of. For example, once when this man became very ill, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent him a doctor, paid for his medicine and food, and also gave him some money. 

He accepted the gifts from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, but did not thank Him. Indeed, he held out one hand to the doctor to take his pulse, and with the other hand, covered his face so that he would not have to look upon the countenance of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. And so it went for many long years. 

And then, one day, the man’s heart finally changed. He came to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s house, fell at His feet and with a very heavy heart and tears flowing down his face like twin rivers, cried, “Forgive me, Sir! For twenty-four years I have done evil to You. For twenty-four years You have shown only goodness to me. Now I know that I have been wrong. Please forgive me!” 

Thus did the great love of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá triumph over hatred.