Description:
'Abdu'l-Bahā 'Abbās: Servant Leader of the Bahā'ī Faith offers a vivid portrait of one of the most influential spiritual figures of the modern Middle East.
Exiled from Iran and imprisoned in Ottoman Acre, 'Abdu'l-Bahā--son of Bahā'u'llāh, prophet-founder of the Bahā'ī Faith--emerged as a powerful voice for unity, peace, and reform across a fractured, multilingual Levant. Drawing on extensive historical sources, Joshua Lincoln traces 'Abdu'l-Bahā's deep engagement with cultural figures, thinkers, officials, and ordinary people in Greater Syria, Egypt, Europe, and North America. From educational initiatives to interfaith dialogue, from personal charity to experimental agriculture, from wartime humanitarianism to global religious leadership, this meticulously researched book reveals how 'Abdu'l-Bahā shaped a faith community and inspired a region in transition.
A landmark study of the Bahā'ī faith's early global expansion and its Middle Eastern roots, 'Abdu'l-Bahā 'Abbās is essential reading for students of religion, history, and international affairs.