Some of the Governors of ‘Akka were very kind to
'Abdu'l-Baha, but others listened more to His enemies than to His friends and
did very cruel things. For instance, some enemies of ‘Abdu'I-Baha at one time
started a rumor that 'Abdu'I-Baha had left 'Akka and gone to Haifa. With the
help of His many friends, they said, He was building a strong fort on Mount
Carmel. Very soon, He would take over all of Palestine and Syria, and the
Turkish Government would be driven out.
It was true that 'Abdu'l-Baha had moved to the fresh air of
Haifa with His family, and it was true that He had many friends of all
nationalities, but the so-called fort He was building was really the sacred
Shrine of the Báb. The Governor, however, believed the stories the enemies
told, and 'Abdu'l-Baha's family was brought back to the prison-city of 'Akka
once again.
On one occasion an unfriendly Governor who hated the Baha'is
decided to take over their shops and leave them with no means of making a
living. So he gave orders to the police: "There are fifteen shops owned by
Baha’is; go tomorrow morning early, lock them up, and bring the keys to
me."
'Abdu'l-Baha called the Baha'is to Him that same evening and
said, "Do not open your shops tomorrow, but wait and see what God will
send us."
The next morning, the Governor waited for the keys. The
police came to him and said that the shops were closed. The Governor sent the
police out again, and said, "See if the shops are open now." The
police returned and said that the shops were still closed. They waited and
waited. At ten o'clock the shops were still not open, although they were
usually open for trade at seven in the morning. However, the Governor knew that
the shops must open sometime, so he waited.
