The Centenary

‘Abdu’l-Bahá at the request of the venerable Archdeacon of Westminster addressed the congregation of Saint John the Divine after evening service. With a few warm words characteristic of his whole attitude Archdeacon Wilberforce introduced the revered Messenger from the East, who had crossed seas and countries on his Mission of Peace and Unity for which he had suffered forty years of captivity and persecution….

During ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to the city of London, one of the British newspapers interviewed him about his imprisonment. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spent more than 55 years between exile and imprisonment. The following text is limited to a description of some aspects of the forty years he spent as a prisoner.

“In every Dispensation, the light of Divine Guidance has been focused upon one central theme…. In this wondrous Rev- elation, this glorious century, the foundation of the Faith of God, and the distinguishing feature of His Law, is the consciousness of the oneness of mankind.”

The opening years of the twentieth century witnessed Europe’s entry into a tunnel of crises—crises sufficiently powerful to affect its political role and the leadership that had determined the lot of vast populations, change its moral values, breach the unity of its nations, increase the number of conflicting minorities within its borders…

‘Abdu’l-Bahá sailed on the 11 August 1911 on the S.S. Corsica for the French port of Marseilles. He spent a few days resting at the then famous health resort of Thonon-les-Bains in the eastern region of France on its borders with Switzerland.