concerning the station of this servant. The station of this servant is
servitude to the Holy Threshold (BAHA'O'LLAH) and I glory and honor in
this. Abdul-Baha is the standard of the divine love, the sign of the gift
of God, the servant of the assemblage of the merciful ones, the light of
the meeting of the spiritual ones. He is the orb of peace and
reconciliation and the light of love in the world of humanity. He is the
herald of the Kingdom of the Merciful One and the promulgator of the
religion of rectitude and security. This is the station of this servant!
This is the Truth!
I hope through the divine grace that the brilliancy of the love of God
will pervade all regions, and that he will remove warfare and strife from
the world of existence. Then the human world will become expressive of the
unity of the merciful world, the inferior world will become a clear and
purified mirror reflecting the Supreme Concourse, the East and West will
embrace each other like unto two longing ones and the North and South will
shake hands and clasp each other in the arms like unto two beloved ones.
This is the station of Abdul-Baha.
As to the light thou dost witness: It is not an earthly light
(phenomenal); nay, rather, it is a heavenly light. It cannot be seen by
the sight; nay, rather, it is perceived by the insight.
As to the resurrection of the body of Christ three days subsequent to His
departure: This signified the divine teachings and spiritual religion of
His Holiness Christ, which constitute His spiritual body, which is living
and perpetual forevermore.
By the "three days" of His death is meant that after the great martyrdom,
the penetration of the divine teachings and the spread of the spiritual
law became relaxed on account of the crucifixion of Christ. For the
disciples were somewhat troubled by the violence of divine tests. But when
they became firm, that divine spirit resurrected and that body--which
signifies the divine word--arose.
Likewise the address of the angels to the people of Galilee, "That this
Christ will return in the same way and that He will descend from heaven,"
is a spiritual address. For when Christ appeared, He came from heaven,
although He was outwardly born from the womb of Mary. For He said: "No man
hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven."
He said: "I came down from heaven and likewise will go to heaven." By
"heaven" is not meant this infinite phenomenal space, but "heaven"
signifies the world of the divine kingdom which is the supreme station and
seat of the Sun of Truth.
To be brief: The mysteries of the Holy Books are many and require
explanation and elucidation. I hope thine insight will be so opened that
the divine mysteries may become manifest and clear. O thou candle of the
love of God!
I read what thou hast written. Its meanings were spiritual and its
contents merciful. It indicated (thy) pure intention and expressed clear
brilliancy.
I beg of God that thou mayest become an associate and partner of
Abdul-Baha in servitude to the Holy Threshold of Baha', that thou mayest
praise me in my pure servitude and summon all to the Most Great Guidance.
"O thou who art advancing toward God!..."
O thou who art advancing toward God!
What thou has written was perused. Thou hast written concerning the
meeting of His Highness Christ after the crucifixion and that some of the
apostles perceived Him but did not recognize Him; but that they did
recognize Him after the breaking of bread.
Know thou that the Messianic Spirit and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
is always manifest, but capacity and ability (to receive it) is more in
some and less in others. After the crucifixion the apostles had not in the
beginning the capacity and ability of witnessing the Messianic reality.
For they were agitated. But when they found firmness and steadfastness
their inner sight became opened, and they saw the reality of the Messiah
as manifest. For the body of Christ was crucified and vanished, but the
Spirit of Christ is always pouring upon the contingent world, and is
manifest before the insight of the people of assurance.
O thou seeker of the kingdom of God! If thou wishest thy speech and
utterance to take effect in the hardened hearts, be thou severed from all
attachment to this world and turn unto the Kingdom of God. Enkindle the
fire of the love of God in the heart with such intensity that thou mayest
become a flame of fire and a luminous lamp of guidance. At that time thy
speech will take effect within the hearts, through the confirmation of the
Holy Spirit.
"O thou sincere servant of the Lord of the Kingdom!..."
O thou sincere servant of the Lord of the Kingdom!
Thou art favored and accepted in the Threshold of His Highness the
Incomparable One, and art beloved and praised in the presence of
Abdul-Baha. Thy services in the divine kingdom are evident and registered
and the most eminent reward and the most great bounty are destined and in
store for thee. The confirmation which hath descended unto thee is
conducive to unlimited favor. Therefore, be thou engaged in the
glorification of the Forgiving Lord.
"O thou whose heart is filled with the Love of God!..."
O thou whose heart is filled with the Love of God!
I was informed of thy longing for meeting (me) and that thy breast is
boiling with the love of God. Blessed are thou for this wish.
O maid-servant of God! Beseech thou God to be filled with His love and
make thy tongue fluent with the glorification of God.
Verily, I supplicate God to forgive thy father and to submerge him in the
sea of forgiveness and pardon.
Be not grieved at the death of that infant child, for it is placed in
trust for thee before thy Lord in His great Kingdom.
Verily God will bestow upon thee that whereby thy heart shall be rejoiced
and thy breast shall be dilated. Verily thy Lord is compassionate and
merciful!
"O thou favored maid-servant in the Threshold of the..."
O thou favored maid-servant in the Threshold of the Almighty!
The letter which thou hast written was perused and its contents were
noted. Thou hast written concerning spiritual hearing and insight. The
insight (or inner perception) is a correct sight, for it never blundereth.
But the outward sight doth err (or misjudgeth); it seeth the mirage as
water, considereth the revolving flame as a circle, imagineth the images
reflected in a mirror as a reality and judgeth huge bodies as small ones,
from a remote distance. There are many evidences as to the blundering of
the sight; but the insight apprehendeth the reality and discovereth the
mysteries.
As to the difference between inspiration and imagination: Inspiration is
in conformity with the Divine Texts, but imaginations do not conform
therewith. A real, spiritual connection between the True One and the
servant is a luminous bounty which causeth an ecstatic (or divine) flame,
passion and attraction. When this connection is secured (or realized) such
an ecstasy and happiness become manifest in the heart that man doth fly
away (with joy) and uttereth melody and song. Just as the soul bringeth
the body in motion, so that spiritual bounty and real connection likewise
moveth (or cheereth) the human soul. As to truthful dreams: I beg of God
that thy inner eye (insight) may be so opened that thou mayest thyself
differentiate between truthful and untruthful dreams.
Treat thy friends and relatives in general with the utmost kindness and
love; (deal in like manner) even with strangers (or outsiders). Convey my
great compassion to the little maid-servant of God, ......... She must
memorize and recite the following commune:
"O loving God! I am a young child, a suppliant, a..."
"O loving God! I am a young child, a suppliant, a captive. Be Thou my
refuge, my support, my protector. I am in distress: give me the means of
tranquillity. I am needy: bestow upon me the treasure of the Kingdom. I am
dead: give me the Spirit of Life. I am weak: favor me with power and
strength, so that I may be a maid-servant in Thy Threshold, with perfect
purity and sanctity; sacrifice myself unto Thee, be quit of myself and
seek Thee, walk in the path of Thy good pleasure, speak Thy secret and
witness the signs of Thy Oneness wherever I look. O God! Make me ablaze,
like unto the fire of Thy love, and make me free from attachment to this
mortal world, until I find the peace of soul and the rest of conscience.
"Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty! Thou art the Hearer, the Seer!"
"O thou who art advancing toward God!..."
O thou who art advancing toward God!
Blessed art thou, for the lights of guidance have shone forth upon thee
and the bounty of the Supreme Kingdom hath illumined thy heart. The effect
of the Spirit will surely increase within hearts, so souls will grow in
advancing toward the Kingdom, the wonderful bounty shall appear from the
invisible kingdom, the hidden exalted world, and your powers and firmness
will increase in the Cause of God, the Lofty, the Mighty.
"O thou Godlike person and spiritual friend!..."
O thou Godlike person and spiritual friend!
Verily God hath, through His bounty and grace, removed the covering from
off thine eyes and inspired thee the night in which the Morn of Guidance
dawned and the Holy Spirit breathed in the being of "The Exalted, the
Supreme"(95) . Ye went out(96), desirous to witness and visit the Lord,
and awaited the appearance of the Great Bounty in that brilliant night. Is
there any evidence greater than this to the discerning? No, by my Beloved,
the ABHA! This is a gift to which ye have been assigned among mankind.
Thank ye God for this bestowal in which the inspired ones glory in the
kingdom of heaven.
As to thee, strengthen thou thy back to spread that Spirit and diffuse
that Light and arise to serve the Cause of God in His vineyard, so that
thou mayest be of the first to call in the name of God and draw nearer
unto the Kingdom of thy Lord, the Glorious, the Supreme. Truly, I say unto
thee, if thou be steadfast in this Cause and arise with all thy power to
promote the Word in those parts, and if thou render thine utmost efforts
in breathing the Spirit of Life into the hearts of the righteous, thou
wilt find thyself assisted by the angels of heaven and the hosts of the
Supreme Concourse; thou wilt hoist the banner of peace and the sounds of
the trumpet will be heard in the tunes of love and union throughout those
countries; thou wilt guide people (literally, souls) to the running water
of life and lead them to the field of knowledge; thou wilt give them to
drink the wine of assurance and quicken them with the fragrances of the
Merciful One; thou wilt clothe them with the robes of bestowal and give
them to drink the wine of faithfulness in love for Baha', so that they
will be awakened from the sleep of selfish desires and behold the signs of
their Mighty Lord in this exalted life. This is better for thee than all
the glory and dominion of the world.
As to thy coming at this time to the Blessed Spot (Acca), this is not in
accordance with the wisdom revealed in the Tablets. Send unto us some of
the traces of thy pen (writings) so that we may see it and pray God to
assist and render thee successful in everything.
"O thou whose face is illumined with the Light of the..."
O thou whose face is illumined with the Light of the Love of God!
The answer already hath been delayed, but there is no harm in that. For,
verily, my heart is gazing unto thee, my love is constant and permanent
for thee and the fragrances of holiness are wafting (over thee) and my
spirit is pouring upon thee, and the spiritual communication is extended
between us.
O maid-servant of God! It is incumbent upon thee to show forth the
greatest steadfastness; it is incumbent upon thee to stand the tests of
the Lord! Be thou firm in the love of thy Lord, the Clement, the
Merciful!***
"O thou who art enkindled with the Fire of the Love..."
O thou who art enkindled with the Fire of the Love of God!
Thy letter was received and I was informed of the contents. It was a proof
of truthfulness and sincerity and an evidence of spiritual feelings.
Consider how the radiance of the light of the Holy Spirit doth illumine
the court of the soul, that it bringeth about spiritual discoveries and
produceth merciful attachment! The essential meeting is that spiritual
attachment (or union) and heartfelt feelings; when this gift becometh
manifest, heavenly bounties will be attained and hopes shall be fulfilled.
It is the same as I have written: Thou shalt attain to visit Acca; but now
a physical visit (or presence) will lead to interference on the part of
the ignorant and cause the tumult and commotion of the unwise. For the
present, satisfy thyself with a spiritual union. God willing, thy coming
will be also brought about afterward.
Occupy thyself with the Kingdom as much as thou canst and forget all else
save the True One; in order that thou mayest, day by day, find a new power
in the Cause of God and gain a great stability.
"O thou who art advancing toward the Threshold of..."
O thou who art advancing toward the Threshold of Mercifulness!
Verily, I have read the expressions of thy longing for the visit and thy
craving to come to this Brilliant Spot. But the violators of the Covenant
of God have stirred up the dust of deception, and besides this, there are
numerous obstacles and it is impossible for thee to come in these times.
But verily, I pray my Lord to make this success feasible unto thee in a
future time. There is for this a mature wisdom concealed from sight, but
it shall appear as clear as the sun in midday.
As to thee, be rejoiced at the glad-tidings of thy Lord and trust in His
great gifts, the lights of which have shone forth upon the horizons of
hearts and souls, and trust in the assistance of thy Master, and ask what
thou wishest of the gifts of thy Lord, the Unconstrained! Draw nigh unto
Him with a pure heart, cheerful face, gazing eye and a joyful spirit and
plunge with thy whole being into the sea of the love of God and forget all
else save Him, so that thou mayest be filled with such spiritual
sentiments from the kingdom of God, which will take the reins of desire
from thy hands and move thee with the power of thy Lord, just as the wind
moveth a mote in the open air as it willeth. At that time we will draw
unto each other in spirit, a nearness which will be eternal, everlasting
and endless.
"O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of God!..."
O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of God!
Verily, I considered the meanings of thy beautiful words and found them as
a peerless, brilliant pearl, shining with a luster of the lights of the
love of God. God shall surely enable thee [to speak] in more eloquent and
wonderful words through a confirmation from the Spirit of the gift of
God.***
O maid-servant of God! Verily, the picture (photograph) is an indication
of what is in the heart of man. There are faces which are rejoiced and
brilliant like unto the garden of paradise and faces which are dusty and
dark and are covered with the dimness of fire.
Verily I beg of God that He may strengthen thee in whatever matter thou
mayest undertake and unto which thou mayest advance.
O maid-servant of God! Thy heart shall surely have attractions and
revelations through the power of the Beauty of El-ABHA, which will be
followed by glad-tidings and signs, in every minute and instant. Verily, I
reveal unto thee in spirit and address thee in heart, a speech which will
open unto thee the doors of mysteries which are concealed behind veils.
When mirrors become pure and the lights shine, the signs of the Sun of
Truth shall reflect therein with most wonderful splendors.
O maid-servant of God! Verily, I have not forgotten thee and will not
forget thee. Trust thou in the love of Abdul-Baha, for verily, nothing
equals it.
O maid-servant of God! Verily, the Household(97) present unto thee
greeting and praise, with all longing and attraction.
"O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of God!..."
O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of God!
I pray to God that He may cause to descend upon thee a heavenly blessing,
quicken thy heart with the Holy Spirit into an everlasting life and make
thy heart a source of merciful sentiments; so that thy breath may become a
quickener of the souls, thine attractions may move the heart of the world,
thy strong love may attract the hearts of men, and that thine abundant
affection may become a mercy to mankind in the world of existence. Verily,
my Lord is Powerful, Potent and the Bestower!
Be thou loving to every afflicted one, a dispeller of sorrows to every
grieved one, a refuge to every fearful one, a heavenly food to every
destitute one, a balm to every wounded one, a consolation to dejected
hearts, a blessing to unfortunate souls, a treasure to every begging one
and a succor to every lamenting one--so that thou mayest be a banner of
guidance and the essence of piety among the maid-servants of thy Supreme
Lord. Verily, thy Lord is the Beneficent, the Gracious, the Bestower!
"O maid-servant of God!..."
O maid-servant of God!
***I beg of God that He may make [that place] a center of merciful events
and a point whereon the lordly favors may fall; and that He may make thee
so ablaze with the fire of His love that the flame of the love of God may
pervade all those parts.
"O thou dear maid-servant of God!..."
O thou dear maid-servant of God!
Thy letter was received and a sweet odor wafted from the rose-garden of
its meanings. Thou hast offered thanks before the threshold of the One
God, for that thou hast stepped into the Court of the Manifestation in
such a blessed day and hast partaken a share and portion from the bounties
of the Pre-existent Beauty(98) . This mortal world is fickle and unstable
like unto a shifting shadow, and the human life is like unto a mirage and
a reflection on the water. When thou lookest at the result thou wilt
consider the preliminaries as important, otherwise, preliminaries without
a result are of no fruit or harm; they are pure fancy and sheer darkness.
Therefore even a short duration of life is sufficient.
I beg of God that He may render thee successful so that thou mayest find
the result of the supernal life from the temporal life and attain to the
gift of the heavenly food and be strengthened to serve the Cause of God.
"O thou who art esteemed in the Threshold of the..."
O thou who art esteemed in the Threshold of the Almighty!
Praise thou God, for that thou hast found the Light of Guidance,
recognized the Lord of the Kingdom, art engaged in the service of the
Divine Garden and hast guided a number of souls and led them to the
Kingdom of Existence. When thou occupiest thyself with all thy strength in
service, thou wilt become a magnet of attraction and cause every seeker to
reach the presence of the Desired One; thou wilt raise a great clamor in
the world and evince such an ecstasy and rapture that will astonish the
minds.
Send my loving greeting to those souls whom thou hast guided unto the
divine kingdom and say unto them: "Ye must appreciate Miss ....... Move
your tongues in thanksgiving and be obliged for her great effort; for she
gave you to drink the wine of guidance from the cup of the love of God and
led you to the kingdom of lights. Were you to thank her for many years as
a reward for this guidance, ye will not be able to repay your obligation
for this gift."
Thou hast written concerning the Impersonality of the Divinity.
Personality is in the Manifestation of the Divinity, not in the Essence of
the Divinity. The reality of the divine world is purified and sanctified
from limits and restriction. But the pure Mirror, which is the Manifestor
of the Sun of Truth and in which the Sun of Truth is manifest in
appearance--that mirror is restricted, not the lights. The soul pervadeth
throughout the whole body, and its commands are effective in all the parts
and limbs of man. Notwithstanding its utmost sanctification (or
abstraction) this soul is manifest and evident in all its grades, in this
material form. By seeing God is meant beholding the Manifestation of
Himself; for witnessing the sun in its entire splendor, in a clear glassy
surface, is identical with witnessing the essence of the sun itself.
When the souls of the sincere depart (from this body), then their unreal
vision (i.e., seeing) is changed into a vision of reality. Even as man,
when in the age of babyhood and imperfection, though he seeth things, yet
that vision is superficial and external. But when he reacheth the world
(or age) of perfection and becometh endowed with reasoning faculty and
(the power of) discrimination and comprehension, then that vision of his
is a vision (i.e., seeing) of reality(99) and not the unreality.
It is evident that the divine nearness is an unlimited nearness, be it in
this world or the next one. This is a nearness which is sanctified from
the comprehension of the minds. The more a man seeketh light from the Sun
of Truth, the nearer he will draw. For instance, a clear body is near unto
the sun, and a black stone is far from the sun. This nearness dependeth
upon clearness, purity and perfection and that remoteness is due to
density, dullness (or obscurity) and imperfection.
As to the question whether the souls will recognize each other in the
spiritual world: This (fact) is certain; for the Kingdom is the world of
vision (i.e., things are visible in it), where all the concealed realities
will become disclosed. How much more the well-known souls will become
manifest. The mysteries of which man is heedless in this earthly world,
those will he discover in the heavenly world, and there will he be
informed of the secret of truth; how much more will he recognize or
discover persons with whom he hath been associated. Undoubtedly, the holy
souls who find a pure eye and are favored with insight will, in the
kingdom of lights, be acquainted with all mysteries, and will seek the
bounty of witnessing the reality of every great soul. Even they will
manifestly behold the Beauty of God in that world. Likewise will they find
all the friends of God, both those of the former and recent times, present
in the heavenly assemblage.
As to the difference and distinction between Lazarus and that "rich man":
The first was spiritual, while the second was material. One was in the
highest degree of knowledge and the other in the lowest depths of
ignorance. The difference and distinction will naturally become realized
between all men after their departure from this mortal world. But this
(distinction) is not in respect to place, but it is in respect to the soul
and conscience. For the Kingdom of God is sanctified (or free) from time
and place; it is another world and another universe. But the holy souls
are promised the gift of intercession. And know thou for a certainty, that
in the divine worlds, the spiritual beloved ones (believers) will
recognize each other, and will seek union (with each other), but a
spiritual union. Likewise, a love that one may have entertained for any
one will not be forgotten in the world of the Kingdom. Likewise, thou wilt
not forget (there) the life that thou hast had in the material world.
O thou maid-servant of God! Hold fast to the Most Strong Handle(100) and
be thoroughly attracted to the Kingdom of ABHA, until thou mayest at every
instant find a new confirmation and attain to a wonderful gift and become
a cause for the guidance of souls.
"O thou who hast attained to Truth!..."
O thou who hast attained to Truth!
I beg of God that the divine light which is spoken of in the Twelfth
Chapter of John may shed its rays upon thee forever, so that thou mayest
always be in light. The life of man in this world is short and will soon
drawn to an end. Consequently one must appreciate (or count as gain) every
breath (or moment) of his life and endeavor in that which is conducive to
eternal glory.
Thou hast written concerning the shining assembly of Washington (D.C.):
This caused me great joy, for that assemblage is a rose-garden of
mysteries and very sweet fragrances of being inhaled from it. I hope that
through the sincerity of heart of the friends and maid-servants of God,
that assembly will continue and be extended (or grow) day by day, will
increase in luminosity every moment and that the members of that assembly
will make extraordinary progress in the Divine Threshold.