Tacoma Baha’i

Rúhu’lláh and his father, Varqá, in prison in Tehran shortly before their martyrdoms in 1896. Photo courtesy of  Médiathèque Baha’ie Francophone www.bahai-biblio.org.

Mírzá ‘Alí-Muhammad Varqá and his son, Rúhu’lláh, were two of the outstanding servants of Bahá’u’lláh. A brief account of their remarkable and devoted lives can be found in The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Vol. 4, by Adib Taherzadeh.  Here is an excerpt from that book about Rúhu’lláh and his complete devotion to the service of God.

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Truly, Rúhu’lláh was no ordinary child. He was an inspired being and acted as a spiritual giant. At a young age he wrote beautiful poetry which clearly demonstrates how deep was his love for Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, how vast his knowledge of the Faith and how profound his understanding of the real purpose of life. He used to speak about the Faith in gatherings of divines and men of learning with such eloquence and knowledge, and produce such irrefutable proofs of the truth of the Faith that many were confounded after hearing him. His answers were profound yet simple and very compelling.

There are some delightful stories related to this indefatigable child-teacher of the Cause of God. To cite an example: Although only twelve years of age, Rúhu’lláh attended with his father several meetings in Zanján at which the divines of the city were present. The Governor of Zanján, ‘Alá’u’d-Dawlih, had especially arranged these meetings in order that Varqá might confront the divines in defence of his Faith. Hájí Mírzá Haydar-‘Alí has written about this in his celebrated book of reminiscences, the Bihjatu’s-Sudúr:

Varqá . . . was prepared to prove, by the power of divine
assistance, the authenticity of this most great Revelation   
which is promised in all the heavenly Books, and to establish the
validity of the basic principles, laws both spiritual and physical,
and even secondary matters in the Faith using the Qur’án as the basis
of his argument . . .

This prompted ‘Alá’u’d-Dawlih, the Governor of Zanján, to convene
several meetings. He ordered the divines of Zanján to attend, and
arranged for Bahá’í books and Tablets to be taken to these meetings.
After reading some of these, the objections of the divines were
adequately answered sometimes by Varqá and sometimes by Rúhu’lláh. The
answers, which were all supported by the verses of the Qur’án, were
convincing and irrefutable.

Since the defeat of the divines in their argument became evident to
the Governor, who was a powerful and courageous personality, the
divines did not dare to label Varqá as an infidel and issue his death
warrant. In these meetings ‘Alá’u’d-Dawlih often permitted the twelve-
year-old Rúhu’lláh to speak with the divines. He used to prove the
subject with amazing courage, eloquence and profundity. His talks were
so sweet that the Governor admitted that the proofs which that child
had adduced were a great miracle in his sight . . .

Another story goes like this: Once Rúhu’lláh and his older brother were walking in town. A Muslim clergyman tiding on his donkey spotted the two boys and from their appearance he knew they were strangers in Zanján. So he went to them and said, ‘Who are you?’

Rúhu’lláh answered, ‘We are sons of Varqá, a native of Yazd.’ ‘What is your name?’ the clergyman demanded. ‘My name is Rúhu’lláh,’ came the answer. ‘That is a great name,’ said the clergyman. ‘Christ was Rúhu’lláh and He used to raise the dead and give them life.’ [‘Rúhu’lláh’ literally means the ‘Spirit of God’, a title of Christ mentioned in the Qur’án.]

‘Sir, if you slow down the pace of your donkey,’ Rúhu’lláh declared with great enthusiasm, ‘I too shall raise you from the dead and give you a new life!’  

The clergyman hurriedly left saying, ‘You two must be Bábí children!’ [For many years in Persia Bahá’ís were known as ‘Bábís’.]

The full story of the circumstances which led to the martyrdom of Varqá and his twelve-year-old son Rúhu’lláh is beyond the scope of this book. Both of them were engulfed in a series of arrests and imprisonments. They were transferred from prison to prison weighed down with chains, their feet placed in stocks. As a result they suffered much hardship and torture until at the end Varqá was martyred when in a rage Hájibu’d-Dawlih, the chief steward in charge of the Prison of Tihrán, pierced his stomach with a dagger. Rúhu’lláh saw his father fall to the ground, and then his body was cut into pieces. A short while later, refusing to recant his faith and earnestly wishing to join his father, that noble and heroic child was strangled to death. This was in May 1896.

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Want to buy this book? Go to http://www.grbooks.com/ or http://www.bahaibookstore.com/.

 

O SON OF MAN!
I loved thy creation, hence I created thee. Wherefore, do thou love Me, that I may name thy name and fill thy soul with the spirit of life.

O SON OF BEING!
Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My love can in no wise reach thee. Know this, O servant.

                                                                                                                                       Bahá’u’lláh

 

O God! Refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge. I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being. O God! I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life.

 O God! Thou art more friend to me than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord.

                                                                                                                                   ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

 

Photo by John K. Slone

 

O Thou incomparable God! O Thou Lord of the Kingdom! These souls are Thy heavenly army. Assist them and, with the cohorts of the Supreme Concourse, make them victorious, so that each one of them may become like unto a regiment and conquer these countries through the love of God and the illumination of divine teachings.

O God! Be Thou their supporter and their helper, and in the wilderness, the mountain, the valley, the forests, the prairies and the seas, be Thou their confidant – so that they may cry out through the power of the Kingdom and the breath of the Holy Spirit.

Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty and the Omnipotent, and Thou art the Wise, the Hearing and the Seeing.

                                                                                                            ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

From The Tablets of the Divine Plan

Photo by John K. Slone

 James Stephen Locke

 

            Jim Locke embodied the truth that the real quality of a person lies in his spiritual excellence and in the quality of his character, not his knowledge, wealth, sophistication, or worldly accomplishments.  Those who knew him for 20 years or for only the last few months of his life testified to his richness in the former, although he lived a life with few of those material benefits that make this transitory life comfortable. 

  

             He lived a simple, devotional life. After serving in the U.S. Army band as a saxophone player, he turned to the service of Christ when he found the Christian ministry Agape Force in Denver, Colorado, in the last 20 years of his life. He served with Agape Force in a missionary team working in the mid-west, moving from town to town and carrying sleeping bags for bedding. Jim was an excellent saxophone player. He would begin playing the saxophone in the evening, playing tunes like “When the Saints Go Marching In” and attract an audience, and then play more religious music once a crowd had gathered.

 

            He lived and served on the Texas ranch of Agape Force for many years. He would pick up trash along the side of the road. One friend remembered seeing him doing this one day, standing by himself and speaking to a snake, telling the snake “Leave me alone – I’m just here to pick up trash. You go your way and I’ll go mine.”   He helped sell fruit in the local market, arriving at 4:00 a.m., carrying his Bible with him and talking about Jesus. He enjoyed the simple chores, like carrying the hay to the horses and watching them eat. Sometimes Jim would go into the woods, alone with his saxophone, and commune with God in this way. He loved playing the Pink Panther song.

 

            One day, a friend of his on the ranch asked Jim to bring him a plate of food from town when Jim returned in the evening, about 7:00 or 7:30, explaining that this would be his only food that day. He told Jim not to forget. About 4:30 that afternoon, Jim arrived at his friend’s place, carrying with him only a small plate of food. The friend was initially disappointed by the small amount of food, but Jim explained that he did not want him to wait all day to eat, so he brought him something early. Jim had walked, alone, 10 miles from town, carrying the plate with the food. It was a humbling experience for Jim’s friend.

 

            Jim enjoyed living and seeing other people enjoy themselves. His friends remember him as good-natured and laughing and creative, warm and gentle and kind and happy. He did his work cheerfully and faithfully. He did not complain about working outdoors in the cold. He would give a straight answer in conversation.

 

            Jim Locke formally registered as a Bahá’í eleven months before he passed away. He worked at the local Goodwill store and lived alone in a small apartment that had very few things in it. He was humble and uncomplaining about his life. Friends would regularly pick him up and give him a ride to Feast, Holy Days, and other occasions. When a saxophone was provided to him at the monthly Devotional Meeting, he would display to all his musical talent. He was a quiet and peaceful presence at Bahá’í occasions, and pleased to be present enjoying his association with his new friends. At this late time in his life, he had great trouble walking, shuffling his feet and moving slowly, but it never prevented him from getting out and doing those simple things that he loved.

 

            Jim was at work on Thursday, December 23rd, 1999, when late in the morning he suffered a heart attack and was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital. His soul ascended that morning to God’s most glorious kingdom. No family could be found to participate in the funeral. His mortal remains were laid to rest by his friends the morning of Friday, December 31st at Mountain View Memorial Park cemetery with a graveside Bahá’í service that included recorded saxophone music. The grave stone, placed by his Christian friends, shows a saxophone playing music and reads “a simple Jesus lovin’ man”. 

 

 Photo of Jim courtesy of The News Tribune

 

   

 

 

 

 

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

The Center of the Covenant

 

 

 

 

 

Photo courtesy of Médiathèque Baha’ie Francophone www.bahai-biblio.org

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Another eyewitness has related the following story of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Dublin [New Hampshire, U.S.A.]. Early one morning, when He was in the grounds of the Inn dictating to a secretary, an old man, obviously a tramp, came shuffling along the street.  ‘Abdu’l-Bahá noticed him and told His secretary to go and call him in. He took the old man’s dirt-crusted hands in His, and spoke to him with love and affection. It was as if He had known this weary, dejected tramp all His life. And then He saw how filthy and torn the old man’s trousers were. At that hour of the day no one was about. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá walked towards the porch of the Inn, wrapped His long-flowing ‘aba round Himself, took off His own trousers, gave them to the old tramp, and told him: ‘May God go with you.’ (In the Holy Land, many a time did He invite a passing bedouin or a shepherd to come and sit beside Him and share His meal.)

 From ‘Abdu’l-Baha – The Centre of the Covenant, by H.M. Balyuzi

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Want to purchase this book? Go to http://www.grbooks.com/ or http://www.bahaibookstore.com/.

                                                                  

 

Eugene and Melba King

 

Source: Alaska Bahá’í News

                             September/October 1999   Number 429

 

    Bahá’í Tlingit Elder Eugene King 1918-1999

 

Eugene King was born on September 25, 1918 in Haines, Alaska and died at the Mount Edgecumbe Hospital on September 20,1999 at the age of 80.

 

His parents, Charles King, Sr. of Angoon, and Gladys James King of Sitka, his three brothers – Charles, Richard, and Roy, and two sisters – Ida and Pearl all preceded him to the next world. Mr. King was a Tlinget of the Eagle Tribe, Kaag-Wam-Taan Clan, Wolf House.

 

 

After the passing of his mother, Eugene went to the Haines House Orphanage in 1917 through 1921, and then was raised by his aunt, Ruth Hayes of Juneau.  He then went to Sheldon Jackson from 1929 to 1937.

 

Eugene was twelve years old when he enrolled in the Sheldon Jackson High School, and stayed at that boarding school until his graduation.  There he worked as the early morning fireman, took courses in vocational g in Machinery and Plumbing, and worked in the school’s hydroelectric plant with diesel oil burners.  Eugene took part in the usual occasions such as the Easter Sunrise Service, and was in the Church Choir, often singing at the Sitka Pioneer Home.  He was an avid student of the Holy Bible, often pondering the mysterious questions of the Bible.  He always participated in Field Day events, the Sheldon Jackson Fellowship activities, the school band, and the midweek Prayer Services.  He played Varsity Basketball as well as Track, and held the record High Jump at 5’10” for many years.  He also played Soccerball, Football and was in Amateur Boxing.  He earned good grades with hopes of going on to college.  Eugene graduated in May 1937.  In 1938, Eugene began – working on the Sheldon Jackson Presbyterian missionary boat, the Princeton Hall where he took a beginner’s course in Navigation.  They traveled constantly, held meetings in small communities, sometimes helping in repairs and maintenance of community churches, picking up students to attend Sheldon Jackson, delivered groceries to ministers in outlying communities, and ran mercy missions where they would pick up people needing hospital attention.

 

Eugene began having problems with his eyes about 1938 or 1939 and he began losing his eyesight in 1942.  In 1945, likely due to Tuberculosis in the eyes, he was diagnosed with only 2% vision.  Eugene said losing his sight never really concerned him He always had the idea that it was for a reason, so it never really bothered him.

 

Eugene worked for Northwest Sheetmetal Works at Kent, Washington during the War until work began winding down when he went to Seattle to find work and attended the Washington Training Center for the blind.  He found work as a weaver, making baby blankets and neckties.  There he met Melba Call of Kotzebue.  Melba was blind from birth.  She had just returned from New Mexico, teaching newly-blinded adults.  They were married in September 1944.  She taught him how to use a cane, how to maneuver around Seattle by bus, and some Braille., which she knew very well. At that time, Melba taught him the Bahá’í Faith.

 

In 1952, they moved to Tacoma where they attended many Bahá’í social activities and public meetings. Eugene began to think of those unanswered questions he had stored up from the Bible and began studying the Bahá’í Faith.  Eventually, he could not disprove what he learned while attending Sheldon Jackson.  He told his wife, Melba, “You know, I think I believe in this, I think I would like to be a Bahá’í.” That was on November 30, 1954.

 

A few days before that, Eugene had a dream.  He said he “got up one night and went into the living room and moved to his right.  The whole living room was aglow, then the walls, the ceiling and floor were all covered with leaves of gold, with a bright light toward the left where he saw a robed man with a black beard and. a long robe standing with a kindly look,” and He looked at Eugene as if he could see right through him.  The next night he was to meet with the Spiritual Assembly of Tacoma, and he was seated at the same place he stood the night before.  The Spiritual Assembly asked him some questions about the history of the Bahá’í Faith.  Eugene said he didn’t know much, but he believed in Bahá’u’lláh.  There he signed a Declaration card.  He said this was his physical act of a spiritual transformation.

 

Eugene gave his first talk on the Bahá’í Faith about Life after Death six months later.  He was elected Vice-Chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Tacoma that same year and the following year he was elected Chairman, serving in that post for several years.  Eventually, they returned to Seattle where he also served as Chairman for many years.

 

Eugene and Melba moved to Douglas, Alaska to teach the tenets of the Bahá’í Faith to the Native people under the guidance of the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska.  He traveled to Hoonah during the late 1950’s to early 1960.  He also went to Angoon, Fort Yukon, Fairbanks, Anchorage, Nenana, Southeast, Cordova, and Valdez.  He was elected to the Spiritual Assembly of Douglas and that year was elected a delegate to the Bahá’í National Convention, then in 1970 he was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly.  He served on that body in 1970-71.  Eugene and Melba moved back to Seattle for health reasons in April 1972.  Eugene returned to Juneau, Alaska in November 1979 after Melba passed away and was once again elected to the National Spiritual Assembly from 1980 to 1991, when poor health forced his resignation.