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`Abdu'l-Bahá in London
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Pages 119-121
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The Release
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"With the advent of the Young Turks'
supremacy, realized through the Society of Union
and Progress, all the political prisoners of the
Ottoman Empire were set free. Events took the
chains from my neck and placed them about
Hamíd's; `Abdu'l-Bahá came out of prison and
`Abdu'l-Hamíd went in!"
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"What became of the committee?" asked
someone, breaking the deep silence that followed
the recital of this thrilling page of history. "Árif
Bey," continued `Abdu'l-Bahá, "was shot with
three bullets, the general was exiled, the next in
rank died, and the third ran away to Cairo, where
he sought and received help from the Bahá'ís."
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"Will you tell us how you felt while in prison
and how you regard your freedom?" I asked. "We
are glad that you are free."
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"Thank you," he said graciously, and continuing--
"Freedom is not a matter of place. It is a condition. I was thankful for the prison, and the
lack of liberty was very pleasing to me, for those
days were passed in the path of service, under the
utmost difficulties and trials, bearing fruits and
results.
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"Unless one accepts dire vicissitudes, he will
not attain. To me prison is freedom, troubles rest
me, death is life, and to be despised is honour.
Therefore, I was happy all that time in prison.
When one is released from the prison of self, that
is indeed release, for that is the greater prison.
When this release takes place, then one cannot be
outwardly imprisoned. When they put my feet in
stocks, I would say to the guard, `You cannot
imprison me, for here I have light and air and
bread and water. There will come a time when
my body will be in the ground, and I shall have
neither light nor air nor food nor water, but even
then I shall not be imprisoned.' The afflictions
which come to humanity sometimes tend to
centre the consciousness upon the limitations,
and this is a veritable prison. Release comes by
making of the will a Door through which the
confirmations of the Spirit come."
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This sounded so like the old theology that the
modern in me rose doubting if the discipline could
be compensated for by the effort. "What do you
mean by the confirmations of the Spirit?"
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"The confirmations of the Spirit are all those
powers and gifts which some are born with (and
which men sometimes call genius), but for which
others have to strive with infinite pains. They
come to that man or woman who accepts his life
with radiant acquiescence."
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Radiant acquiescence--that was the quality
with which we all suddenly seemed inspired as
`Abdu'l-Bahá bade us good-bye.
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It was a remarkable experience, hearing one
who had passed along the prison path for forty
years declare "There is no prison but the prison
self;" and it drove conviction to one's mind as this
white-robed messenger from the East pointed the
way out,--not by the path called "Renunciation,"
but "Unattachment;" Radiant Acquiescence--
the Shining Pathway out of the "greater prison of
self" as `Abdu'l-Bahá so beautifully terms those
bars that keep us from our fulfillment.
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10 |
Isabel Fraser.
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