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Portrait of `Abdu'l-Bahá.
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From earliest
childhood, `Abbas Effendi, the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh,
shared His father's sufferings and banishments. He took as His
title `Abdu'l-Bahá, the "servant of Bahá." Bahá'u'lláh
appointed Him the one authorized interpreter of the Bahá'í
teachings and as Head of the Faith after His own passing. In
`Abdu'l-Bahá was seen a perfect example of the Bahá'í way of
life.
While `Abdu'l-Bahá was still a prisoner of the Ottomans the
first Bahá'í pilgrims from the western world arrived in Acre
in 1898. After His release in 1908, `Abdu'l-Bahá set out on a
series of journeys which, in 1911-1913, took Him to Europe and
America. There He proclaimed Bahá'u'lláh's message of unity
and social justice to church congregations, peace societies,
the members of trade unions, university faculties,
journalists, government officials, and many public audiences.
`Abdu'l-Bahá passed away in 1921, having consolidated the
foundations of the Bahá'í Faith and greatly expanded its
reach. The northern rooms of the Shrine of the Báb, where He
is interred, are a place of pilgrimage for Bahá'ís visiting
the World
Centre of their Faith.