08/09/2026
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A Tribute to Amatu’l-Bahá RúḥĂyyih Khánum
by Violette Nakhjavani
(excerpt)
Amatu’l-Bahá demonstrated her own, immediate commitment to service after the passing of the Guardian when she accepted to attend the first of the series of the Intercontinental Bahá’à Conferences called by the beloved Guardian to mark and celebrate the midway point of the Ten Year Crusade. Initially, her grief was so intense that she did not want to go, but her fellow Hands convinced her that since it had been the wish of Shoghi Effendi, she must do so.
She travelled with Dr. Lutfu’lláh ḤakĂm, a member of the International Bahá’à Council, who had been designated by Shoghi Effendi to es**rt Amatu’l-Bahá on that trip. Her dear cousin Jeanne Chute with her husband Challoner also accompanied her. Although RúḥĂyyih Khánum was in mourning, and wore black for one year after Shoghi Effendi’s passing in accordance with the custom of the East, she altered this custom for the duration of her trip to Africa and arrived at Entebbe Airport dressed beautifully in a simple white suit.
She told me afterwards that all her clothes for that Conference had been seen and approved by the Guardian the previous summer, and this was one of the reasons why she did not come to Kampala in mourning clothes.
She also wanted to create the sense of jubilation during this Conference the way Shoghi Effendi had anticipated it should be, and she knew that a mood of mourning would not allow for this. Her standard in life was always his approval and his good pleasure. Over 900 people stood up in sorrowful awe as she entered that Conference Hall in Kampala, on January 24th, 1958. She was tall, erect and very beautiful.
And then, 400 African Bahá’Ăs raised their voices and began to sing “Alláh-u-Abhá”, softly and spontaneously. The air was so charged with love, so pent-up with emotion as Amatu’l Bahá walked up the central aisle, that we were all shaken.
We felt lifted to higher realms. When she stood before us to address the Conference, her voice broke and tears came to her eyes several times. But the waves of deep love and sympathy in that audience were tangible; they enveloped and caressed her, and at the end assuaged her sorrow. She often said the love of the friends, particularly the Africans, was like a balm to her soul and a healing for her grief at that time.
She also said that Africa was the continent that brought most joy to the heart of Shoghi Effendi at the end of his life. That was why she chose to place the continent of Africa on the front of the globe surmounting his grave.
Her love for the Africans and their continent became a permanent part of her life afterwards. She brought to that Conference a wider perspective, a global outlook, an all-embracing point of view that we had been lacking, and she went back from it recharged with hope and courage to continue.
Source: A Tribute to Amatu’l-Bahá RúḥĂyyih Khánum by Violette Nakhjavanihttps://bahai-library.com/nakhjavani_tribute_ruhiyyih_khanum
Image: Amatu’l-Bahá RĂşhĂyyih Khánum https://bahairecollections.com/2023/04/30/encounters-with-amatul-baha-ruhiyyih-khanum/
Notes: Bahá’à Library Online is an independent, non-official repository of articles, research notes, and translations, freely accessible to the public and maintained through the dedicated efforts of volunteer scholars and independent researchers.
These excerpts are personal memories shared by an individual believer. They are not scripture, carry no interpretive authority, and should be read as reflections or spiritual diaries.
