Adasiyyih

The Story of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Model Farming

Community

EVANSTON, ILLINOIS

Bahá’í Publishing

1233 Central Street, Evanston, IL 60201

Copyright © 2024 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States

All rights reserved. Published 2024

Printed in the United States of America ∞

27 26 25 24 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Control Number: 2024001516

Cover design by Carlos Esparza

Book design by Patrick Falso

1 / Agriculture in the Lives of Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb .........1

2 / “The Country is the World of the Soul” .......................21

3 / The Tablet of the World ...............................................45

4 / The Master Provisioner .................................................57

5 / Discourse and Action ....................................................77

6 / The Gardens of God .....................................................95

7 / Bahá’í Farms in the Holy Land: A Divine Mandate ....113

8 / ‘Adasíyyih: “Where the Arab Threw His Spear” ..........127

9 / Two Phases of Development .......................................145 10 / The Master’s First Visit .............................................167

11 / World War I: Averting Starvation .............................187 12 / Farming Practices at ‘Adasíyyih .................................205 13 / Building A Vibrant Community ...............................223

14 / ‘Adasíyyih: Lessons for Twenty-First Century Communities ............................................................243

Introduction

On November 17, 1919, while sharing His* evening meal with a group of Western pilgrims, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was asked for His views on economic problems. The solution, He reportedly said, begins with the village, and when the village economy is reconstructed, then the cities will follow. After outlining aspects of His approach to social and economic development, He made a bold prediction: If this approach becomes widely established in villages and cities, then justice will prevail, and there will be no war.1

Throughout His life, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (also known as “the Master”) was a man of action. Like His Father, Bahá’u’lláh, the ProphetFounder of the Bahá’í Faith, He was no stranger to farming and rural life. Together, Father and Son actively promoted village reconstruction in Their native Iran—and in other places, some as far away as Burma—with remarkable results. Although They were exiles and prisoners, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá guided the fledgling Bahá’í community in Palestine through the process of establishing several farming villages in the Galilee region. These farms would later play a critical role in ameliorating famine during the First World War.

In ‘Adasíyyih, located in the Jordan Valley, the most elaborate of these ventures was well underway by 1919. The villagers there were transforming a degraded parcel of land—which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had

* Out of respect, pronouns denoting the Central Figures of the Bahá’í Faith—the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—are typically capitalized.

reportedly described as the most inhospitable place on Earth—into a thriving farm and prosperous community.2 In time, ‘Adasíyyih would become a model village for Jordanians, and Jordanian royalty would become frequent guests.

This book follows the story of the ‘Adasíyyih community from the purchase of the land in 1901 until it was disbanded in the late 1960s due to external circumstances. To better understand the context and significance of the story of ‘Adasíyyih, the book also considers the following points:

• The wider agricultural activities and teachings of the Central Figures of the Bahá’í Faith.

• The sociopolitical and environmental contexts in which ‘Adasíyyih developed.

• How learning from ‘Adasíyyih and other Bahá’í villages can contribute to the development of communities today.

THE AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES OF THE CENTRAL FIGURES

To understand why the Central Figures of the Bahá’í Faith devoted so much attention to ‘Adasíyyih and other farming activities in the Holy Land, it will be important to consider Their life experiences in some depth, as well at Their teachings on agriculture and rural development. The Báb, the Forerunner of Bahá’u’lláh, was intimately associated with the Iranian villagers who swelled the ranks of His early followers. His teachings included subtle concepts regarding humanity’s interface with the natural world. Bahá’u’lláh, prior to His imprisonment, managed several of His family’s farming estates. Throughout His life, He took a direct interest in the development of Bahá’í villages. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Who spent much of His childhood on His family’s farms, engaged in extensive public discourse and social action related to agriculture, food, and rural development. The stories of several villages, in several countries, for which He and His Father provided direct support—even while living in prison and exile—are included in this account.

This study offers a remarkable insight into the personal lives of these extraordinary Spiritual Educators, with details available from firsthand accounts. What was Their agricultural experience? How did They demonstrate knowledge of the practical aspects of crop production? How did these two exiles and prisoners finance multiple farming ventures? How did They manage to feed Their own families during Their imprisonments and exile? How did They interact with poor tenant farm families? Did They know hunger? Did They ever grow a garden or prepare meals? What was Their diet?

By providing answers—based on not only the life experiences but the teachings of the Central Figures—to these and other related questions, we gain a broad perspective on the significance that agriculture and food have in the world order prescribed by Bahá’u’lláh.

The central character in the story is the extraordinary figure of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. This account shows yet another of His masterful efforts—one that is particularly relevant to contemporary thought on socioecological issues—to release the society-building powers of the Bahá’í Faith.

BAHÁ’Í TEACHINGS ON AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings emphasize the centrality of agriculture in a new global order characterized by peace, justice, equity, and sustainability. His vision, further elaborated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, is complex and comprehensive, addressing more than one hundred aspects related to food, agriculture, and rural development. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá states that agriculture is the “fundamental basis of community.”3 It is the primary interface between people and the ecosphere and can be sustainable but also regenerative.4 Food is the foundation of health and a focus of convivial community. Significantly, the aesthetic branches of agriculture—landscape architecture, horticulture, floriculture, and arboriculture—are highly valued. Their importance is demonstrated in the development of the Bahá’í World Center—now a UNESCO World Heritage Site—and at the growing number of Houses of Worship that are focal points of worship and service in

Agriculture in the Lives of Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb

Late in December of 1881, Mu¥ammad Avval, a farmer from Saysán, a village in northeast Iran, set off on a 1600-kilometer journey, on foot, to meet the exiled and imprisoned founder of the Bahá’í Faith, Bahá’u’lláh. By resting only a few hours each night, he was able to complete the arduous overland journey to ‘Akká, on the Mediterranean coast of Palestine, in forty days.

Such a trek was an extraordinary accomplishment for anyone, let alone an unschooled villager who had never traveled far. Remarkably, he repeated the trip the next year. This time, Mu¥ammad Avval, known in Saysán as “Mu¥ammad One,” was accompanied by Mu¥ammad Duvvum, known as “Mu¥ammad Two.” On this trip, the two Mu¥ammads carried pots of sweet briar rose plants on their shoulders as gifts for Bahá’u’lláh. While they were traveling, they would water the roses before quenching their own thirst to ensure the plants would survive the journey and be vigorous on arrival.1

They remained in ‘Akká some fifty days and spent much of the time working in the Ri¤ván Garden, which was located just outside the prison city. Shocked by living conditions in ‘Akká, they begged Bahá’u’lláh to return with them to Saysán, where He could be prop-

erly looked after, live comfortably in natural surroundings, and enjoy clean water and fresh vegetables.

In return for their gifts and kind offer, Bahá’u’lláh showered them with love. He also gave them a practical gift, a sack of seed potatoes, with the recommendation that they cultivate this novel crop in their village.2 This proved fortuitous: later when their staple grain crops failed, causing famine in the area, the Saysánis subsisted on potatoes. Soon, surrounding villages were growing the new crop, previously unknown in the area.

This story—which will be told in more detail in the next chapter—is indicative of the sustained, loving relationship that existed between Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Bahá’í villagers in Their native Iran and elsewhere. This reciprocal, nurturing relationship would be especially evident in the village of ‘Adasíyyih in the Jordan Valley, sixty kilometers east of ‘Akká.

THE REGENERATION OF THE WHOLE WORLD

The story of ‘Adasíyyih and the other farms operated by Bahá’ís in the Holy Land can be better understood within the context of the lived experience of the Central Figures of the Bahá’í Faith: the Báb (1819–1850), its Prophet-Herald; Bahá’u’lláh (1817–1892), its Prophet-Founder; and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (1844–1921), Whom Bahá’u’lláh appointed to lead the Faith after His passing.

The Bahá’í Faith is unique among the world’s religions in the importance its Founders placed on agriculture and the role of farmers and villages in the global order They envisioned. This emphasis may seem counterintuitive given the Faith’s emergence in the midnineteenth century as the Industrial Revolution was driving an inexorable process of urbanization. While approving of material progress, They cautioned against its excesses. Their critique of materialist civilization presaged our current awareness of its inherent inequity and destructive environmental impact.

From the life stories and teachings of the Central Figures, we can catch a glimpse of how Their broad, comprehensive vision of a new world order engenders the regenerative processes in which just

AGRICULTURE IN THE LIVES OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH AND THE BÁB

and sustainable food systems will emerge. Their extensive discourse on agriculture, rural and village life, and the natural environment provides clear principles and practices for the transformation of social-ecological systems. Nothing less than the “regeneration of the whole world” was their objective.3 Agriculture was specifically identified as central to a just and sustainable civilization. Villages were considered the places of primary production on which the economy is founded, and farmers were identified as the “‘primary factor in the body politic.’”4

In addition to Their teachings, there is much to learn from the experiences and actions of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. They were directly involved in farming and village life. Although They were from the landholding class, through decades of exile and imprisonment They had experienced a level of oppression and suffering even more severe than that of the peasants and laborers with whom They empathized. They associated with rural people—smallholder farmers, farm workers, villagers, and Indigenous people—and shared their problems: poverty, hunger, famine, pestilence, loss. They labored for the elimination of all forms of oppression and championed the downtrodden. Their words were reinforced by deeds: they provided direct, practical advice and support for farmers in Iran, Palestine, and beyond.

Farms, fisheries, forests, and gardens are the primary places of interaction between people and the ecosphere. In the Bahá’í teachings, agriculture cannot be divorced from either the broader socioeconomic or natural systems in which it functions. It is an expression of the collaborative unity of humanity and natural systems.

The life stories of the Central Figures tell of Their deep love of nature—with nature being understood as nothing less than an aspect of divine revelation. Nature and agriculture provide many of the metaphors and analogies used to explain the spiritual and social teachings of the Faith. Such stories provide clear expositions of these teachings for those living in rural areas, and for urban people they are a means of maintaining a connection to the hinterland. For example, in the Bahá’í Faith, gardens have a particular significance.5 The emphasis

Bahá’í shrines.11 The final paragraph could refer to the purpose of these developments, which is to manifest His Cause, which will have the result of establishing a just, peaceful, and sustainable world order. Thus, His oppression becomes the means of liberating humanity.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá would later make it clear that the properties in the Jordan and vicinity were to be endowments for the future development of the Bahá’í Holy Places. In reference to the above passage, Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, would “call the attention of the friends to the importance of these endowments in the Jordan valley, by quoting Bahá’u’lláh’s own words . . . in which He very clearly states His approval of such dedicated lands, anticipates the importance they will acquire in those regions, and associates them with the words in the Old Testament: ‘Spread thy skirt, O Jerusalem!’”12

One purpose of the farming ventures in the Galilee-Jordan areas was to acquire capital to support the Shrines of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh and the expansion of the surrounding gardens. How this purpose was achieved will be explained later. These farms would also generate income and provide food for the Bahá’í and wider communities.

Yet another consideration was the need to prepare for the future. Already in His treatise, The Secret of Divine Civilization, written in 1875 and published in 1882, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had warned of the consequences of the arms buildup underway in Europe, noting that the “supreme desire of European governments and peoples today is to conquer and crush one another.” “. . . night and day they are all straining every nerve to pile up more weapons of war.” “The staggering costs of it all must be borne by the hapless masses.”13 He warned that warmongering and amassing weapons would ultimately lead to a great conflict that could spread throughout the world. This would be the core of His message as He traveled in Europe and North America from 1911 to 1913. With this likely catastrophe in mind, farming ventures would become the means by which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would prevent famine in ‘Akká and Haifa in the war years.

Beyond all these, we understand that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a man of action. His Father had described the development of agriculture as foremost among the principles for the administration of human

affairs.14 Promoting agriculture was a tenet of the Bahá’í Faith, and for the Master, this admonition could not remain in the realm of thought. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had said that unless “‘thoughts are translated into the world of action, they are useless. The wrong in the world continues to exist just because people talk only of their ideals, and do not strive to put them into practice. If actions took the place of words, the world’s misery would very soon be changed into comfort.’”15 To the best of His ability, given the resources available to Him, the Master would put principle into practice.

BAHÁ’Í FARMS IN THE GALILEE

Four Bahá’í settlements were established on the eastern and southern shores of Galilee (Lake Tiberias: Umm-Júna, Al-Manshíyyih (Manshiyyat Samakh), As-Samrá (Samrih), and an-Nuqayb (Nughayb). According to Lady Blomfield, “A comparatively small sum, a few hundred pounds only, was required for the purchase of these properties.”16

UMM-JÚNA AND AL-MANSHÍYYIH (MANSHIYYAT SAMAKH)

Umm Júna was a village adjacent to the east side of the Jordan River, about one kilometer south of Galilee. Although it was abandoned at the start of the nineteenth century, by 1881 it had about 250 Muslim residents. The Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described the place, cited as Umm Junieh, as a stone and adobe village. The plain around was arable and treeless. A mill was located at the village. A population list from about 1887 indicated about 330 inhabitants.17

According to the historian Walid Khalidi, Al-Manshíyyih “stood on flat ground near the Jordan River, about 2 km south of the point where the river issued from Lake Tiberias, close to a highway that ran north to Samakh, on the lake. It was only 0.5 km south of Khirbat Umm Juni and in most sources is not distinguished from it.” He notes that during the 1880s the lands of al-Manshiyya and Khirbat Umm Juni were purchased by Bahá’u’lláh: “The people of alManshiyya continued to farm their lands as tenants, however, until at least the first decade of the twentieth century, when the Baha’is sold the land . . .”18

The land was purchased by or on behalf of Bahá’u’lláh and His only full brother, Mírzá Músá, around 1882. The Arab inhabitants continued to farm the land as tenant farmers, and some homes in the village were described as mud huts typical of houses in rural Iran.

Mírzá Músá, who had been brought up by his brother after the death of their father, was one of Bahá’u’lláh’s most devoted supporters. He was given the name Áqáy-i-Kalím by Bahá’u’lláh, and Shoghi Effendi later named him as one of Bahá’u’lláh’s nineteen Apostles. He lived at times at Umm Júna with members of his family but maintained a residence in ‘Akká.19

In 1887, Músá passed away in ‘Akká. Around 1904–5, Músá’s family sold three thousand donums (about 275 hectares) of their land. The new residents, who were not Bahá’ís, described the land they had acquired on the banks of the Jordan as a “paradise.”20

SAMRIH

The village of Samrih (Samrah, al-Samra, Es-Samrá, Es Samru, Samreh) stood on flat terrain on the southeastern shore of Lake Tiberias, three kilometers west of the Syrian-Palestinian border. In the early nineteenth century, the Swiss traveler Burckhardt noted its ancient buildings and mentioned that it was the only inhabited village on the east side of Lake Tiberias. The area of the village lands was around 1200 hectares. The village plan was rectangular, extending along the lake in a north-south direction.21

Former residents of ‘Adasíyyih confirm that the land there was owned by Bahá’u’lláh: “During the period of Bahá’u’lláh’s imprisonment in ‘Akká, His Holiness ordered the purchase of a plot of land in a small village near Lake Tiberias from the land of Palestine called the village of As-Samra. At that time, it was registered with the Ottoman authorities as ‘Hussein Ali, nicknamed Bahá’u’lláh,’ under an official registration deed in the name of His Holiness.”22

A population list from about 1887 showed Samrih to have about 180 inhabitants, twenty Druze and 160 Muslims, although Rozen reports that there were four Bahá’ís living there, likely the owners of the village. The 1931 census reported 232 Muslims and five Bahá’ís in a total of fifty houses. The identity of these Bahá’ís was not established.23

8

/ ‘Adasíyyih:

“Where the Arab Threw His Spear”

“‘I have brought you to the most inhospitable place on earth.’”1 According to an early resident, that was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s frank assessment of the situation facing the Persian farmers He had recruited to establish a farming village at ‘Adasíyyih in the Jordan Valley.

This was not hyperbole. The tests these immigrant farmers would face were many, with the first being the unrelenting heat of summer. Though used to the fierce sun in the central desert of Iran, the farmers from Yazd discovered that ‘Adasíyyih, some two hundred meters below sea level, was among the hottest spots on earth. In the Jordan Valley, average daytime temperatures hover around 38C (100F) in summer, with record highs reaching close to 50C (120F) in the shade. Sleep would often be impossible due to the stifling heat. In spring and fall, the oppressive khamsin wind could bring more oppressive weather.

The next test of endurance would be their initial project: clearing by hand the neglected farmland that had been reclaimed by maquis vegetation dominated by tough, thorny scrub. They would have to build basic shelters from mud bricks. Malaria would be a constant concern: in the middle of the village was a mosquito-breeding swamp where venomous snakes also lived.

Their lives would not be easy, to say the least. Two sets of farmers had already given up, entirely defeated after hostile neighbors

plundered the meager crops they managed to produce. However, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá assured them that if they would persist, God would ameliorate these conditions and would even change the weather to their advantage.

A resident of ‘Adasíyyih recalled that the Master told the Persian farmers that with the blessings of the Blessed Beauty they had come to “where the Arab threw his spear,” a Persian idiom for a remote place that was difficult to endure. Yet, He assured them, with God’s blessings, that even hell could be a verdant and hospitable place and that they would be in perfect comfort and graced with plenty—but not without much effort!2

WHY AGRICULTURE? WHY ‘ADASÍYYIH?

‘Abdu’l-Bahá had purchased ‘Adasíyyih as a whole village estate sometime in 1901. Why did He want to pursue farming? Why in that location? And why recruit farmers from Iran? The answers to these questions are fairly clear.

Although Bahá’u’lláh, His family, and the other Bahá’ís exiled to ‘Akká in 1868—initially about seventy in number—were confined in the prison city, they were required to be self-supporting. The Bahá’í prisoners somehow had to earn an income under unusual and difficult circumstances. Individuals who had been wealthy merchants or prominent religious leaders in Iran were now reduced to selling small items such as sewing needles to make a few pennies for bread. While incarcerated, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had Himself learned the trade of basket weaving. Initially limited to the meager opportunities available within the city walls, the prisoners were eventually allowed to work outside ‘Akká.3

By 1900, the Bahá’í community would triple in size. Writes Ahang Rabbani: “Gradually the situation for the Bahá’ís improved and in the period from 1880–1900, other Bahá’ís were able to settle in ‘Akká, including family members of the resident Bahá’ís and those invited for specific purposes, such as tending the Ri¤ván and Firdaws Gardens. In the 1880s, many Bahá’ís were compelled to leave Mosul, in Iraq, and some 180 settled in ‘Akká, in nearby villages, or in Haifa.