blessings and glorious attainments. Verily, thy Lord shall confirm thee in
that which shall surprise the minds, through the glowing of its love and
the manifestations of the signs of its favors. It is incumbent upon thee
to be pure and holy. It is incumbent upon thee to be severed from all else
save thy Lord. Confine thy attention and thoughts to the Cause of thy
great Lord and to diffusing His fragrances in that country.
O maid-servant of God! Commune with thy Lord, saying:
O my God! my God! Thanks be to Thee for guiding me unto Thy Kingdom, for
opening before my face the door of Thy guidance, enlightening my eyes with
beholding Thy signs, and filling my heart with the feelings of Thy love.
O Lord! O Lord! Make me severed from the world and void of its conditions,
attracted by the fragrances of Thy holiness among Thy maid-servants, free
in heart, happy in soul, cheerful in mind, longing for the Kingdom of Thy
Beauty, and glowing with the fire of Thy love in the world. Thus may I
enkindle the light of guidance in the hearts of Thy servants.
Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Bestower, the Precious, the Mighty!
"O thou who art attracted by the Breath of God!..."
O thou who art attracted by the Breath of God!
With all joy I read thy brilliant letter and was informed of its
expression and meanings, which showed thine abundant love in God, thy
humility before the beloved of God, thine attraction to the fragrances of
God and thy firmness in the Testament of God.
I beg of God to make thee promote perfect harmony among the believers of
God and pure affection amid the chosen ones of God and make thee [to]
cause greatest tranquillity to all the creatures and [to] show kindness
towards all the people on the earth, because the bounty of the Merciful
God is but pure love, great prosperity and universal peace among the
different people in all regions and laying the foundation of great
happiness and felicity for all the creatures.
Consequently, O thou who art attracted by the fragrances of God, exert
thyself and fail not to infuse affection throughout all hearts and souls;
[fail not] to gather all the souls together in the assemblage of union and
cheerfulness, so that the beloved of God may become as a levied army of
the Supreme Concourse and as a host of salvation descending from the
Kingdom of ABHA and conquer the countries of hearts and the cities of
souls with their tongues, similar to sharp swords whereby fortresses and
castles are conquered.
By the Life of God! Verily I love thee with all my heart and pray for thee
every eve and morn that the forgiving Lord may enable thee to serve in His
excellent vineyard and make thee a sign of His signs, to cause thee to
deliver His Cause, diffuse His breath (and I beg of Him) to strengthen
thine honorable wife to that which behooveth these days. Verily He is the
Giver of Confirmation in all circumstances!
"O thou who art assuredly believing in God!..."
O thou who art assuredly believing in God!
Verily, I read thy brilliant letter and thanked God for that He hath
created a maid-servant for Baha', who prays for Abdul-Baha and beg the
confirmation and assistance of God in his behalf, because I am earnestly
fond of the prayer of the maid-servants of God in my behalf and of their
asking the blessing of God for this servant!
I begged of God to ordain all good unto thee for thy praying for
Abdul-Baha.
"O thou who art turning unto the Kingdom of God, and..."
O thou who art turning unto the Kingdom of God, and looking unto the
Day-spring of the lights of God!
I, with the utmost joy and cheerfulness, have perused the contents of thy
letter, which shows thy faith in God, thy assurance in the Kingdom of God,
the gladness of thy breast in hearing the voice of God and the adherence
of thy heart to the word of God.
O servant of God! rejoice through the glad-tidings of God, be happy by the
wafting of the fragrance of God, and cling to the Kingdom of God in such
wise that it makes thee separate thyself from the world and kindle in thy
heart the fire of the love of God to such an extent that any one who
approaches thee will feel its warmth; and if thou desirest to attain to
this station, thou shouldst turn thyself wholly unto God. Perhaps an
illumination will descend upon thee by which the fragrances of God will be
diffused throughout those regions and districts and thou wilt be a lamp of
guidance from which the lights of knowledge will emanate and spread in
those far countries and distant lands.
"O thou who art imploring God!..."
O thou who art imploring God!
I was indeed acquainted with the great misfortunes and afflictions which
have befallen thee, but I hope that through the bounty of thy Lord, He may
ordain unto thee heavenly fragrance and spirituality, attractive and
internal perceptions and incorporeal susceptibilities; that He may grant
thee strength after weakness, give thee rest after trouble, bring thee
nigh to Him, and make thee a sign of His love among all His maid-servants,
and forgive thy father, mother, brother and grandfather their sins.
Verily, He is the Pardoner, the Forgiver.
"O visitant of the Resort of spirits (who are) sincere in..."
O visitant of the Resort(69) of spirits (who are) sincere in the Religion
of God!
Blessed is the mother who bore thee and the breast whose milk suckled thee
and the bosom wherein thou wert nurtured, because thou hast apprehended
the Day of the Lord, hast prepared thyself to enter in unto His kingdom,
hast set thy face singly toward His Gracious Countenance, hast believed in
the Manifest Light, hast rejoiced in the Abundant Grace, hast responded to
the Voice of thy Lord with a sincere and beating heart and hast presented
thyself from those regions at the Glorious Threshold and hast marked thy
forehead with the pure, holy, fragrant Tomb(70), the breaths of whose
sanctity are spread abroad throughout the lands as fragrant musk is
diffused unto the distant place! Then thank thy Lord, the Merciful, the
Clement, for this great salvation (or fruition, achievement, or
attainment) and exceeding grace!
Now as to what thou askest concerning the spirit and its "return" to this
world of humanity and this elemental space: Know that spirit in general is
divided into five sorts--the vegetable spirit, the animal spirit, the human
spirit, the spirit of faith, and the divine spirit of sanctity.
The vegetable spirit is the virtue augmentative, or growing or vegetative
faculty, which results from the admixture of the simple elements, with the
co-operation of water, air and heat.
The animal spirit is the virtue perceptive resulting from the admixture
and absorption of the vital elements generated in the heart, which
apprehend sense impressions.
The human spirit consists of the rational, or logical, reasoning faculty,
which apprehends general ideas and things intelligible and perceptible.
Now these "spirits" are not reckoned as Spirit in the terminology of the
Scriptures and the usage of the people of the Truth, inasmuch as the laws
governing them are as the laws which govern all phenomenal being (i.e.,
all existences belonging to the phenomenal or material universe, called
"the world of generation and corruption"), in respect to generation,
corruption, production, change and reversion, as is clearly indicated in
the Gospel where it says: "Let the dead bury their dead;" "That which is
born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is
Spirit"; inasmuch as he who would bury these dead was alive with the
vegetative, animal and rational human soul, yet did Christ--to whom be
glory! --declare such dead and devoid of life, in that this person was
devoid of the Spirit of Faith, which is of the Kingdom of God.
In brief, for these three spirits there is no restitution or "return," but
they are subordinate to reversions and production and corruption.
But the Spirit of Faith which is of the Kingdom (of God) consists of the
all-comprehending Grace and the perfect attainment (or salvation,
fruition, achievement) and the power of sanctity and the divine effulgence
from the Sun of Truth on luminous light-seeking essences from the presence
of the divine Unity. And by this Spirit is the life of the spirit of man,
when it is fortified thereby, as Christ saith: "That which is born of the
Spirit is Spirit." And this Spirit hath both restitution and return,
inasmuch as it consists of the Light of God and the unconditioned Grace.
So, having regard to this state and station. Christ announced that John
the Baptist was Elias, who was to come before Christ (Matt. 11:14). And
the likeness of this station is as that of lamps kindled (from one
another): for these in respect to their glasses and oil-holders, are
different, but in respect to their light, One, and in respect to their
illumination, One; nay, each one is identical with the other, without
imputation of plurality, or diversity or multiplicity or separateness.
This is the Truth and beyond the Truth there is only error.
But as to the question of the Trinity, know, O advancer unto God, that in
each one of the cycles wherein the Lights have shone forth upon the
horizons (i.e., in each prophetic dispensation) and the Forgiving Lord
hath revealed Himself on Mount Paran (see Habbakkuk 3:3, etc.) or Mount
Sinai, or Mount Seir (see Ezekiel 35), there are necessarily three things:
The Giver of the Grace, and the Grace, and the Recipient of the Grace; the
Source of the Effulgence, and the Effulgence, and the Recipient of the
Effulgence; the Illuminator, and the Illumination, and the Illuminated.
Look at the Mosaic cycle: The Lord, and Moses, and the Fire (i.e., the
burning bush), the Intermediary; and in the Mohammedan cycle: The Lord,
the Apostle (or Messenger, Mohammed), and Gabriel (for, as the Mohammedans
believe, Gabriel brought the Revelation from God to Mohammed). Look at the
sun and its rays and the heat which results from its rays; the rays and
the heart are but two effects of the sun, but inseparable from it; yet the
sun is one in its essence, unique in its real identity, single in its
attributes, neither is it possible that anything should resemble it. Such
is the essence of the Truth concerning the Unity, the real doctrine of the
Singularity, the undiluted reality as to the (Divine) Sanctity.
But as to the question concerning the atonement on the part of the Holy
Redeemer, I have explained this to thee by word of mouth in a plain and
detailed manner, devoid of ambiguities, and I have made it clear to thee
as the sun at noonday.
And I ask God to open unto thee the gates, that thou mayest thyself
apprehend the true meanings of these mysteries. Verily, He is the
Confirmer, the Beneficent, the Merciful!
"O thou who art firm in the Covenant!..."
O thou who art firm in the Covenant!
The means of communication being severed(71), your letter of *** was
received only in these days. You have made mention of the persons who have
lately accepted the Truth. Convey most wonderful ABHA greetings to Mrs.
........ and say: "Thank thou God for thou hast worn a crown studded with
gems of the knowledge of God and partaken of the fountain of the Water of
Life." Convey also most wonderful greetings to Mrs. ........ and say:
"Thou wast in darkness and thou hast attained the world of lights. Thou
was not informed of Almighty God. I hope thou wilt witness signs."
O thou real friend! Another letter [hath just been] received for thee. Its
contents bear upon the cablegram which was sent to prevent publication. By
thy dear life, thou wast not meant by it; for numerous publications were
seen in newspapers and magazines which were not proper. The purpose of
that cablegram is this: That each one of the beloved ones of God
(believers in general who may wish to publish any writings or articles,
etc.) should first send the same to the Holy Land, to be seen (or
examined) and then printed. And this matter is general and this (message)
was sent equally to America, Persia, India and Turkestan. I have the
utmost love for thee and thy family for thou servest me--how can I be
offended at you? Be assured and happy. Convey my greetings to thy sons and
also to the maid-servant of God, thy wife.
"O thou slave of the Beauty of ABHA!..."
O thou slave of the Beauty of ABHA!
Thy letter was received. Praise be to God! It indicated thy firmness and
steadfastness in the love of God--therefore, it was the cause of happiness.
Thou hast written regarding the meeting of his honor Mr. ........, his
respected wife and daughter. Truly, I say, Mr. ........ is a blessed soul
and is engaged in the service of the Cause and his extreme hope is to
bring about affinity between the souls and cause the believers to be
united and agree. This is also my highest hope. I hope, God willing, this
unity and agreement will be established and this imprisoned one, immersed
in the sea of trials, become exhilarated and rejoiced. The aim of the
appearance of the Blessed Perfection--may my life be a sacrifice for His
beloved ones! --was the unity and agreement of all the people of the world.
Therefore, my utmost desire, firstly, is the accord and union and love of
the believers and after that of all the people of the world. Now, if unity
and agreement is not established among the believers, I will become
heartbroken and the afflictions will leave a greater imprint upon me. But
if the fragrance of love and unity among the believers is wafted to my
nostrils, every trial will become a mercy, every unhappiness a joy, every
difficulty an expansion, every misery a treasure and every hardship a
felicity.
Convey on my behalf the utmost love and kindness to the favored
maid-servant of God [thy wife], and thy worthy and noble sons.
"O thou who art awakened from the sleep of negligence..."
O thou who art awakened from the sleep of negligence and forgetfulness!
Thank God for that He hath awakened thee from thy sleep, found thee after
thy being lost and quickened thee after thy death. Verily, I beg God to
confirm thee by a power by which thou mayest be enabled to worship God and
to serve His Cause and to be submissive and lowly before the beloved of
God.
Verily, I remember thee in my prayers an din my invocation, beseeching the
Heavenly Father, the Lord of Hosts, to confirm thee by a power and cause
thee to be firm and to work and serve in the olive garden of God and to be
lowly and submissive before His Holy and Exalted Threshold.
"O thou fortunate and righteous, sincere and pious!..."
O thou fortunate and righteous, sincere and pious!
Thank thou God for that by reason of which the breath of God hath awakened
thee and the spirit of God hath quickened thee and raised thee from among
the dead with a joyful spirit of life.
In my prayers I supplicate God to bestow upon thee in all cases and
aspects an influential and penetrating power that thou mayest be a firm,
faithful and successful servant in the garden of El-ABHA, and a skillful
laborer in the vineyard of God.
"O thou who art advancing toward the Kingdom of..."
O thou who art advancing toward the Kingdom of God!
Verily, I supplicate God to illuminate thy heart through the light which
is shining from the Supreme Concourse that His mightiest power may
strengthen thee to be firm, steadfast, submissive and lowly before the
Kingdom of God, and to be an example of good deeds among the maid-servants
of the Merciful. And I beseech Him to make thy breast a clear mirror to
reflect the light of the spirit of God.
"O thou at whose mention I am rejoiced!..."
O thou at whose mention I am rejoiced!
By God, the True One, verily pure hearts are as clear and brilliant
mirrors which imprint the one on the other, and hearts discover the
secrets of hearts. Therefore, they (hearts) chant the verses of longing
and recite the odes of glorification and praise. Consequently, the
recourse is to pages of hearts, not pages filled with written lines.
Give my greetings to thy revered wife and announce to her the glad-tidings
of a gift from God; and I beg of God to make her a spark from out the fire
of His love. Verily He is the Powerful, the Mighty!
"O thou who art assured in God!..."
O thou who art assured in God!
Verily we read thy letter and asked for thee confirmation. Verily thy Lord
will strengthen thee in great spirituality and cause thy heart to overflow
with the gifts of God.
All the servants of the Merciful here convey to thee greetings and praise.
***
"O thou who art advanced towards God!..."
O thou who art advanced towards God!
Verily I implore God to cause thee to be a sign of the book of Genesis,
declaring His mentionings and His praise among the creatures, with
brilliant face, smiling mouth, dilated breast and rejoiced heart, for the
manifestation of His evident glory and the appearance of His illumining
Beauty from that wonderful horizon.
Surely a day will come when all thy desires will be attained and God will
answer all that which thou hast prayed for in thine heart, and I beg of
Him to make all that which thou hast longed for long ago very attainable.
Then thine heart will be overflowed with joy on account of such a great
bounty.
"O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of God!..."
O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of God!
Verily I read thy new letter and was informed of its meanings, which
proved thy lowiness to thy Glorious Lord.
Verily we promised thee, by the favor of thy Lord, last year, that thy
Lord would grant thee "sight of eyes" (i.e., a son), a blessed birth.
Thanks and praise be unto God for that He granted thee a good descendant
and dilated thy breast by this great bounty. It is incumbent on thee to
offer many thanks to the Merciful Lord for this great favor in the world
of humanity. Verily I implore unto God to make him a sign of His Kingdom,
illuminated, spiritual and god-like among the children.
"O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of God!..."
O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of God!
Thank God for giving and granting thee "sight of eyes" (i.e., a son)
whereby thy bosom becomes dilated and thy heart rejoiced.
Then make his name "Ruhullah" (i.e., the Spirit of God), so that the
Spirit of thy Lord, the Merciful of the Merciful, will confirm him.
O maid-servant of God! Know, verily, that the one who bore similar name
(i.e., Ruhullah), son of Varga, was martyred in the path of God in the
twelfth year of his life. While he was beneath the unsheathed sword he
called out "Ya Baha-el-ABHA!" until he was killed in the path of God.
We called thy son by this noble name so that he may have a great station
in the Kingdom of God.
"O thou sincere servant of the True One!..."
O thou sincere servant of the True One!
Thy letter caused joy to the hearts. Its meanings perfumed the nostrils
like unto a tender flower and a red rose. The heat of thy longing was felt
and thy wish to present thyself to the blessed Threshold was recognized.
Happy art thou who hast entered this Supreme Paradise under the shadow of
the Tree of Life and hast partaken of the Heavenly Table. This Servant
hath also the utmost longing to see thee and hopeth that some day this
wish may be attained. But in these days, owing to the sedition of these
faithless ones (i.e., violators), coming to this blessed region is
(subject to) great caution. Therefore, leave it to some other time and be
engaged in diffusing the lights of the Sun of Truth.
Turn thou unto the Kingdom of Oneness and chant thou the verses of
Singleness. Be thou invested with a robe, the embroidery of which is
purity and sanctity and the woof and warp of which is the spirituality of
the Mighty Lord, so that thou mayest inhale the fragrance of the divine
rose-garden from the garment of the real Joseph and so divest thyself of
the mantle of bodily things that angelhood and ideal spirituality become
realized (in thee).
"O thou who art firm in the Covenant!..."
O thou who art firm in the Covenant!
I have seen the letter which thou hast written to Mr. ......... The
opinion (expresssed therein) was very agreeable. The Spiritual Meeting of
Consultation of New York must be in the utmost union and harmony with the
Spiritual Meeting of Consultation of Chicago, and that which they deem
advisable to publish, these two Meetings of Consultation must unitedly
approve of it and deem its publication advisable. Then the Meeting of
Consultation must send one copy thereof to Acca, in order that it may be
also approved of here and then returned, and that the it may be printed
and published.
That the two Spiritual Meetings of Chicago and New York must be in unity
and harmony is very important, and when a Spiritual Meeting may be also
organized in Washington in a befitting manner, these two meeting (of
Chicago and New York) must be also in unity and harmony with that meeting.
To be brief, it hath been decided by the Desire of God that union and
harmony may day by day increase among the friends of God and maid-servants
of the Merciful One, in the West. Not until this is realized will the
affairs advance by any means whatever! And the greatest means for the
union and harmony of all is Spiritual Meetings. This matter is very
important and is as a magnet (to attract or) for divine confirmation. If
the beauty of this Divine Beloved One--that is, unity of believers--does
appear in the ornament of the Kingdom of ABHA, it is certain that those
countries will, in a short time, become the Paradise of ABHA and the light
of Unity (or Oneness) and Singleness will shine upon the whole world from
the West. We(72) are endeavoring with all heart an soul, have no rest
night and day, nor a moment of tranquillity, so that we may make the world
of humanity the mirror of the divine unity; how much more the beloved of
God! And this wish and hope shall appear and shine forth at that time when
the true friends of God may arise and act in accord with the teachings of
the Beauty of ABHA--may my life be a sacrifice to His beloved ones! One of
the teachings is that love and faithfulness must so prevail in the hearts
that men may see the stranger as a friend, the sinner as an intimate
fellow, may count enemies as allies, regard foes as loving comrades, call
their executioner the giver of life, consider the denier as a believer and
the unbeliever as a faithful one--that is, men must behave in such a manner
as may befit the believers, the faithful, the friend and the confidant. If
this lamp may shine in a befitting manner in the assemblage of the world
you will find that the regions will become fragrant and the world become a
delectable paradise, the surface of the earth will become an excellent
garden, the world will become as one home, the different nations will
become as one kind, and the peoples and nationalities of the East and West
will become as one household. I hope such a day may come and such lights
may dawn and such a Countenance may appear in the utmost beauty.
"O thou maid-servant of God!..."
O thou maid-servant of God!
Though thy letter was brief in words, it was ample in significance. It
indicated that thy heart is illumined, thine inner sight is open and thine
ear of understanding is familiar with the mystery. This is a gift from
God, the Independent.
Thine expression of kindness to Miss ........ is very acceptable. Be thou
kind to all on the earth, a care-taker (or helper) to every sick person,
an open treasure to every indigent one; offer thou salutary water to the
athirst; bestow the bread (or food) of life upon the hungered; console
thou the helpless, exhort the ignorant and seek forgiveness for the
sinner.
If, hereafter, thou mayest write a letter to Miss ........, deliver unto
her this my message:
"O Miss ........! The Tree of Life is full of blossoms, leave and fruits!
--the shade thereof is a peace to soul and a rest to the consciousness.
Whosoever is under this Tree will certainly partake of fruit. But shade
trees are many in the forest, which, though fresh and verdant, are,
nevertheless, fruitless. This truth shall finally become clear and
manifest unto thee."
Kiss thou the face and hair of Ruhullah on my behalf.
"O God who art without likeness!..."
O God who art without likeness!
The servant of Thy Kingdom, Mr. ........, reached the Holy Threshold in
the utmost of sincerity and longing and sought Thy good will. It is some
time that he hath been engaged in the land of America with Thy
commemoration and known by Thy commendation. To the beloved he is a cause
of joy and to the friends a means of unity and gladness.