“The enthusiasm and joy which swelled in her breast as she greeted ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on His triumphant return from the West”

The enthusiasm and joy which swelled in her breast as she greeted ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on His triumphant return from the West, I will not venture to describe. She was astounded at the vitality of which He had, despite His unimaginable sufferings, proved Himself capable. She was lost in admiration at the magnitude of the forces which His utterances had released. She was filled with thankfulness to Bahá’u’lláh for having enabled her to witness the evidences of such brilliant victory for His Cause no less than for His Son. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 17 July 1932; ‘The Baha’i World 1932-1934)

The head of the household group that circled about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Small wonder that such a strong yet gentle quality of authority made her naturally the head of the household group that circled about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. She presided over the room called Ladies Room which was the center for all family gatherings, and where the women visitors were entertained. From the hour of the early morning tea, at which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was often present, to the last good-night, whispered by some weary yet grateful traveler, Khanum (as she was affectionately called) was ever in demand. During the long day, which began before six in the morning and rarely ended before eleven or twelve at night, there were frequent spontaneous gatherings in this general room, and save for the brief midday siesta, this association with the women constituted the only variation in the monotony of their prison lives. The spiritual peace and joy pervading these simple meetings was a new and unbelievable experience to us—the Western pilgrims. 

- Ella Goodall Cooper  (‘Bahiyyih Khanum – an Appreciation’; Star of the West, vol. 23, no. 7, October 1932)

The parrot with the Greatest Holy Leaf

It is somewhat embarrassing to find myself speaking of my own recollections of the Greatest Holy Leaf. I came to the Holy Land in 1922 when I was two-and-a-half years old. The Greatest Holy Leaf passed away in 1932. Of course, I have no memories left of the first two or three years because I was too young, but a few memories have remained of the later years of that decade. I will, then, speak about this young child who has memories of being in the presence of the Greatest Holy Leaf. This child had a brother who was very close to him -- my brother Jalal who passed away in May of this year -- and the experiences which I relate were joint experiences. I am grateful to Baha'u'llah for having occasion to mention my brother's name here today.

The young child of whom I speak was born of a mother, Fatimih Khanum, who had spent her youthful life in service to the Greatest Holy Leaf, serving for some fifteen years, dating back to the time when the Master was in the house of 'Abdu'llah Pasha in 'Akka. Some of you may have met her sister, my aunt, Zeenat Baghdadi, who came to the Holy Land not long ago to give information relating to the restoration of the house of 'Abdu'llah Pasha. These two sisters, when they were young girls in 'Akka, nine and eleven years old, were accepted into the household of 'Abdu'l-Baha. My mother was chosen to serve the Greatest Holy Leaf for all those years. So in our family home we had many stories and feelings -- the feelings more important than the stories --about the Greatest Holy Leaf, and the way my mother felt about her. These things are in my background and are for you to visualize as I speak to you.

Speaking about this bond between Shoghi Effendi and the Greatest Holy Leaf, Zeenat, my aunt, used to say that in the house of 'Abdu'llah Pasha there used to be a parrot. The Greatest Holy Leaf used to take a mirror, hold it before the bird and bid it to say 'Yá Iláhí va Mahbúbí' ( O my God and my Beloved!) and to say 'Shoghi ján!' (Shoghi dear!) Early in the morning, at dawn, my aunt recalled, the household could hear the parrot crying 'Yá Iláhí va Mahbúbí' . . . Shoghi ján!' We have my aunt's voice on tape and I have tried to imitate that 'Shoghi jan!' with its high pitch. 

- ‘’Ali Nakhjavan  (‘The Greatest Holy Leaf: A Reminiscence’; excerpts from an address presented during the World Centre seminar commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf, held in the reception concourse, permanent Seat of the Universal House of Justice, 17 July 1982; The Baha’i World 1979-1983)