Abraham Wilson with his wife Therese
Though I was not born into a Bahá’í family, I have no doubt from birth I was destined to find the Bahá’í Faith, although there have been a few turning points in my life that could have led me in a far different direction.
Why are we here? Why is it that something we all want, peace and happiness, is often so difficult to attain? In the first instance, to achieve peace in the world we live in, there has to be world unity, which is now possible because a system of communication has evolved whereby global unity is within the grasp of mankind. However, it is only possible with the assistance of a greater power. In the past, religions have united millions of people. Now a Universal Messenger awaited by peoples of all the great religions, has come to create a new civilisation. Previously my understanding of other religious text was confused. There appeared to be so many Holy Books with lots of truths. My overall frustration grew because I had so many questions that remained unanswered and played on my mind for many years. There is nothing like driving a taxi at night – then over 20 years – for dwelling on philosophical issues. These questions peaked when I obtained the things I considered essential in my life, a wife I loved dearly, three sons and four grandchildren, and a nice home. My wife was in a well-paid job in a printing company whose employer appreciated her managerial skills. The material challenges we had faced, I felt had been met, yet I was far from content.
I had a strong feeling that something was missing from my life. Too many questions remained unanswered. I had been raised as a Christian but had become disillusioned with religion as I felt that it didn’t make a lot of sense. My brother-in-law suggested that I become a Muslim. I did give some thought to Islam. My sister had married a man of that faith and I could see how contented she and her husband Bishara seemed to be, but I didn’t see how I could embrace it. Bishara spoke to me and showed great patience with my inaccurate views of Islam. It was a great privilege when he arranged for me to have a private meeting with the world champion boxer Muhammad Ali during his visit to London in 1986. It was a wonderful experience speaking with him for over an hour, especially when he did some magic tricks. The one that impressed me most was when he appeared to elevate himself off the floor, seemingly without any assistance. It was a clever illusion. To meet someone whom millions acknowledge as the greatest boxer ever, I need say no more. He signed my copy of his book ‘The Greatest: My own Story’.
With Muhammad Ali and Bishara Muradadeen (brother-in-law)
at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London (1986)
Around this time Bishara gave me a copy of the Holy Qur-an. How strange it is, in spite of not reading the whole of this holy book, I was destined to accept and believe all the prophecies written in it and all the Holy Scriptures written before. I feel it is relevant for the reader to know my background and why I had no hesitation in embracing the Bahá’í Revelation.
The magnitude of the Bahá’í Revelation is still being revealed. It was a turning point in my life that led me in a direction that caused me to embrace ”The Greatest Event in the History of Mankind”. I often wonder if certain things had not taken place in my life, would I have made my encounter with this new Revelation? This religious phenomenon has given me a new optimism and made me even more aware of a greater power at work.
My first encounter with the Bahá’í Faith came in 1988, when I was fifty-four. My life up to then had been more on a materialistic and hedonistic route, which is understandable, as I had come from a generation that had been deprived of lots of the necessary things to live a contented life. In 1988 I made the decision to leave London and live in Ghana, the birthplace of my father. At the age of 52 I decided to look for my roots (a cry from my soul?) and to live there for a year or two. My dear wife was not happy with the idea but nevertheless decided to come with me. I was about 20 years old when I first met Therese. She had had a convent upbringing during the Second World War and this had a profound influence on her spirituality, and consequently on mine. She has always been a strong influence in my life and became the link to my embracing Bahá’u’lláh. We had both been to Ghana previously on short holidays. How was I to know that the book I decided to read while on the latter part of my journey would give me a new perspective on life? It could be that reading the book in a Ghanaian environment may have had a greater impact on me than if I had read it in London. Ghana, on the whole, I found to be far more spiritual, probably because most of the people lacked the use of mechanical devices. Places of worship were in abundance and a common sight was religious texts displayed on the side of vehicles.
The book that changed my life was entitled ‘Thief in the Night’ by William Sears, given to me by a man who had roots in the UK, Beattie Casely-Hayford, a Bahá’i, who had married a Ghanaian lady. He was a Ghanaian engineer and I became friends with his family. Also, he was the first director of the Ghana Arts Council, a co-founder of the Ghana National Dance Ensemble, and a director of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation. The factory he owned was reputed to have installed the first traffic lights and a wind turbine in Accra. Sadly, I heard of Beattie’s death soon after my return to London in 1989. He passed away in his sleep aged 67, a sudden shock to all who knew him.
Within days of reading the book I declared my belief in Bahá’u’lláh, accepting that He was the Manifestation of God for the age we live in. Finally, I had realised what I had been searching for and the answer to all my questions. On 11th September 1988 I first visited the Bahá’í Centre in Asylum Down, Accra, and on 30th October I registered my belief. Reading ‘Thief in the Night’ I became aware that the meaning of ‘the day of judgment’ is that when a new revelation is proclaimed, it is the time for people to investigate and make their own judgment concerning whether the new progressive teachings, i.e. the Bahá’í Faith, are from the same source as that of all the other major religions of which we have records.
On reflection, my embracing of this recently revealed religion has inspired and energised my whole life. It has meant I have found new ways of expressing myself, one of which has been the sudden urge to write poetry, something I had not previously thought of doing. The impulse to make known this new religious revelation inspired me to write the following poem, part of which was published in the 2004 edition of The International Book of Poetry.
The Herald
Seven religions in confusion
Not knowing which way to go
Their leaders read their scriptures
Yet still they did not know
Then there appeared a Herald in 1844
The Báb said He had a message
The world was waiting for
He said a Universal Messenger
Would very soon appear
To bring a new and “Wondrous Age”
But sadly caused the people
To turn on him in rage
So they killed The Messenger
A kind and peaceful soul
His life on earth brought to an end
He had fulfilled his role
750 bullets tore his body to shreds
It was duly noted
No bullets touched his head
Nineteen years later
The Báb’s words came true
The Prince of Peace Bahá’u’lláh
His life, His book His teachings
Are here for all to view.
At Bahjí, near Acre, in the Holy Land, Bahá’u’lláh received one of the few westerners to meet Him and the only one to leave a written account of the experience, Professor Edward Granville Browne, a rising young orientalist from Cambridge University originally attracted by the dramatic history of the Báb and his heroic band of followers.
“The face of him on whom I gazed I can never forget, though I cannot describe it. Those piercing eyes seemed to read one’s very soul; power and authority sat on that ample brow…. No need to ask in whose presence I stood, as I bowed myself before one who is the object of a devotion and love which kings might envy and emperors sigh for in vain!”
Bahá’u’lláh stated at that meeting, “That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease, and differences of race be annulled — what harm is there in this? … Yet so it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the ‘Most Great Peace’ shall come.… Let not a man glory in this, that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind.”
To read more about my life, visit https://abrahamwilson.co.uk/
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Abraham Wilson,
London, July 2023
Abraham Wilson (right) in 2022 with Therese, granddaughter Essie and great-grandson Malachi
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