In ‘Akká, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had organized a small school for the Bahá’í children who lived in the Holy Land. There were very knowledgeable Bahá’ís in ‘Akká at the time, so the children had the opportunity to learn from a most wonderful group of teachers. Among the subjects taught at the school was calligraphy, which is an art highly esteemed by Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. It is the art of writing profound and meaningful phrases,poems and tablets in a most beautiful way, almost as if they were paintings.

On Thursday afternoons the children of the Bahá’í school had a special bounty. Each would take the best piece of calligraphy he or she had written during the week and show it to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who would inspect it, praising and encouraging the child as He saw fit. If the calligraphy piece was particularly well done, He would write a short sentence of praise at the bottom of the paper in His own handwriting. For the children, a sheet ennobled by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s handwriting was a treasure they would cherish for the rest of their lives.

One year, there was a young boy of twelve or thirteen in the school who was intelligent,but eager to avoid unnecessary exertion. He loved to play and, as a result, did his homework hastily and poorly. Now this young boy, whose name was Muḥammad, had an ardent desire to win the good pleasure of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. But when it was time to sit down and practice his calligraphy, he would get the urge to go out and play. Then one week Muḥammad managed to show tremendous willpower. He worked hard, and when Thursday came, he presented to ‘Abdu’l- Bahá a very nice piece of calligraphy. The Master was delighted and wrote at the bottom of the sheet words of commendation. As you can imagine, Muḥammad was beside himself with happiness. He looked at the handwriting of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá under his calligraphy, convinced he was the most fortunate boy in the whole universe. “Why could I not do this every week,” he thought, “and receive this honor every Thursday?” So the next week he tried again, but unfortunately his willpower was not strong. He did not produce a single piece of calligraphy that could possibly win ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s approval a second time. Then Muḥammad said to himself,“‘Abdu’l-Bahá is so busy. He has so many things to do. He would never remember the calligraphy of a little boy.” So he took a fine pair of scissors and cut off the bottom of the sheet that he had presented the week before, removing ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s words of praise. You can see what Muḥammad’s intention was. He was going to show the same piece of calligraphy to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá again. This was a blameworthy act, although Muḥammad had always been a truthful and trustworthy child. He tried to forget his plan, but could not. His mind had been poisoned by a dishonest thought, and he was not strong enough to overcome it.

On Thursday afternoon, Muḥammad stood in line with the calligraphy piece from the previous week in his hand. He was already feeling the pangs of remorse. He was so ashamed of himself that he could hardly look at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Then finally, his turn came. As always, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was loving and kind. But, of course, the moment He saw the calligraphy, He knew what had happened. How do you think the Master reacted? Did he announce Muḥammad’s wrongdoing to his companions and shame him before the others? Not at all. With great love, but also with unmistakable firmness, He noted how closely the piece of calligraphy matched the one that Muḥammad had presented the week before. He said no more, but patted the boy in such a way that made it perfectly clear to Muḥammad that Abdu’l-Bahá realized what he had done.