Garden, the Blessed Spot--the Paradise of El-Abha!
I have read thy brilliant letter, which although short in words yet [is]
loquacious, and shows thy firmness in the Covenant of God, thy
steadfastness in the religion of God, thy adherence to the laws of God,
and thine energy which thou hast shown towards the doctrines of God. Thou
has done well. Thou has done well, O thou shining star in the Horizon of
El-Abha! Well done! Well done! O thou burning candle in the glass of that
remote country!
It hath been reported by ..... that thou hast rendered valuable services
to the vineyard of God and His beloved servants, that thou art encouraging
the shaking hearts and making them more firm and solid, and about the
facilitations thou hast made for the promotion of the utterances of God
amongst the people. By the Life of God! the angels of heaven magnify thee,
the Supreme Concourse praise thee, the party of the Kingdom of El-Abha
announce to thee the glad-tidings and the hosts of the unseen assist thee
and render thee victorious through the banners of Baha.
I have answered the two supplications sent through thee by two newly
guided servants.
"O thou honorable lady!..."
O thou honorable lady!
Verily, I received thy excellent letter and read it and my heart was
gladdened with its content, which shows thy guidance. Thou hast--praise be
unto God!--entered under the shadow of the Kingdom of God and become one of
the sheep of God; [entered] under the education of the Holy Shepherd, who
hath sacrificed His soul and body, as well as His grades, to His subjects.
As to the letters which thou hast sent, I forward to thee their answers
through this letter and thou wilt send them to the owners; thereby thou
wilt be rewarded in the Kingdom of God, since thou hast guided those souls
unto the Right Path, and caused them to enter the Kingdom of God. El-Baha
be upon thee!
"O thou who art advancing towards God!..."
O thou who art advancing towards God!
I have already read thy letter sent to his honor, ..... May God confirm
and strengthen thee to serve His Cause and to enable thee to speak His
praise among the maid-servants of the Merciful, and to call out in His
name in those regions and climes; so that thou mayest work in the vineyard
of God with thy heart severed from aught else save God, and overflowing
with the waters of the knowledge of God.
We have herewith written answers to the three supplications which thou
hast sent.
Rejoice at the glad-tidings of God, in this day wherein the fragrances of
holiness have perfumed the nostrils of all in the universe!
"O thou maid-servant of God!..."
O thou maid-servant of God!
I was informed of the contents of thy letter and rejoiced with the
fragrances which are being diffused from the garden of its texts. It
showed that thou art inebriated with the wine of the love of God and moved
by the breezes of acceptance which are blowing from the point of the favor
of God.
By my life, I was rejoiced at thy humility, submissiveness, lowliness and
meekness in the Cause of God, inasmuch as rendering service to the
maid-servants of God is a mighty crown, which all the greatest queens
among women will glory to wear.
O maid-servant of God! thou oughtest to pray; thou oughtest to be
suppliant; thou oughtest to be humble in every time and moment.
I beg of God to enable thee to serve Him in His glorious vineyard, and in
His garden, by the holy fragrances of which all regions are perfumed in
this great day.
As to thy coming to this land, there is no harm in that. Thou art
permitted to come and this is an ample reward unto thee.
"O thou believer in God!..."
O thou believer in God!
Thy letter was received and from its contents happiness was realized. It
was a proof of faith and assurance and of firmness in the Covenant and
Testament.
Desire thou through the bounty and mercy of the Lord of Might that He make
thee a cause of spreading the fragrances of God and confirm thee in the
service of the Kingdom of God.
The letter of Mrs. ........ was considered and for thy sake a letter was
written her. It is enclosed.
I pray God and supplicate the Threshold of Mercy for both of you that you
may attain to that which is the will of God and may be aided and
strengthened (while) in this mortal world.
There is much work and I have not the leisure to write more than this.
"O thou who has turned towards the Lights of the..."
O thou who has turned towards the Lights of the Alliance!
Verily, I greet thee from the White Place, the bright, blessed Holy Land,
and say: "Greeting and praise and blessings and glory be upon thee, O thou
believer in God, and (O thou) enkindled by the fire of the love of God!
"Verily, the Lord of Hosts shall watch thee with the gaze of the eye of
favor and shall assist thee in a matter whereby thy breast shall rejoice
and thine eye shall brighten and thine affairs shall be arranged and
composed from all directions."
Therefore, thou wilt call and say: "Blessing be upon me for this great
favor and for this manifest success!"
"O thou who art directed unto God!..."
O thou who art directed unto God!
Verily, I saw thy photograph and was rejoiced by perceiving thy illumined
likeness, which proved the purity of thy heart and thy being well directed
unto God.
Strive with thy power to paint thy likeness on the pages of the hearts
with such beauty as to brighten the minds. That beauty is the splendor of
the Merciful and the glad-tidings of thy Lord, the Clement, whereby the
faces shine with an eternal light in the course of ages and centuries.
"O thou maid-servant of God!..."
O thou maid-servant of God!
In these times thanksgiving for the bounty of the Merciful One consists in
the illumination of the heart and the feeling of the soul. This is the
reality of thanksgiving. But, although offering thanks through speech or
writings is approvable, yet, in comparison with that, it is but unreal,
for the foundation is spiritual feelings and merciful sentiments. I hope
that you may be favored therewith. But the lack of capacity and merit in
the Day of Judgment does not prevent one from bounty and generosity, for
it is the day of grace and not justice, and to give every one his due is
justice. Consequently, do not look upon thy capacity, nay, rather, look
upon the infinite grace of the Bounty of Abha who grace is comprehending
and whose bounty is perfect.
I beg of God through the confirmation and assistance of the True One thou
mayest show the utmost eloquence, fluency, ability and skill in teaching
the real significances of the Bible. Turn toward the Kingdom of Abha and
seek the bounty of the Holy Spirit. Loosen the tongue and the confirmation
of the Spirit shall reach thee.
As to that great Sun which thou sawest in a dream: That is His Holiness
the Promised One and the lights thereof are His bounties. The surface of
the water is transparent body--that is, pure hearts. Its waves are the
moving of the hearts, the cheering of the souls--that is, spiritual
feelings and merciful sentiments. Thank tho God for that thou hast had
such a revelation in the world of dreams.
As to the fact that man must entirely forget himself, by this is meant
that he should arise in the mystery of sacrifice and that is the
disappearance of mortal sentiments and extinction of blamable morals which
constitute the temporal gloom, and not that the physical health should be
changed into weakness and debility.
I humbly supplicate to the Threshold of Oneness that heavenly blessings
and merciful forgiveness may overtake thy dear mother, sisters and loving
relations, especially thy betrothed who suddenly departed from this world
to the next one.
"O thou seeker of the Kingdom!..."
O thou seeker of the Kingdom!
Thou hast forwarded thy photograph and it was considered. In thy face a
brilliant light is apparent and that sparkling light is the love of God.
All faces are dark except the face which is a mirror of the light of the
love of divinity. This light is not accidental--it is eternal. It is not
temporal but real. When the heart hath become clear and pure then the face
will become illuminated, because the face is the mirror of the heart.
I was indeed very happy to look at thy picture and pray God that thy face
may become shining. Be happy and joyful and in this Age be it illuminated
and full of light.
"O thou kind maid-servant of God!..."
O thou kind maid-servant of God!
Truly, I say, thou art worthy of the service in the Kingdom and art
meriting to be a maid-servant in the threshold of the love of the realm of
Might. Rest thou assured upon the bounty and favors of the Lord of Hosts,
who will undoubtedly confirm thee.
Restrict all thy time to the spreading of the fragrances of God and be
thou engaged in the guidance of souls. I associate with thee in spirit at
all times and am thy friend and helper.
Ere long thou shalt behold that innumerable centers are going to be
organised in America(110) for the purpose of the promotion of the Cause of
God and hearing the speeches of the maid-servants of the Merciful and the
believers of God. Consider thou the days of Christ, how they were a very
few, yet in a short space of time they caused a clamor and acclamation
throughout all regions.
Convey my greetings to Mrs. ........ and say: "These seeds which are
scattered here and there are spreading strong roots in the bosom of the
earth and these will develop and grow until many harvests are gathered.
Rest thou assured."
O thou maid-servant of God! Show thou the utmost affection and love toward
Mrs. ........ Truly, I say, his honor Mirza ........ is beloved and kind.
Ere long he shall behold the universal confirmation descending upon him.
O thou maid-servant of God! Strive thou in Buffalo (N.Y.) so that perfect
and lasting spiritual assemblies may be established and the souls be
trained and progress spiritually.
Convey my respectful greetings to Mr. and Mrs. ........ and say: "A most
great gift is prepared and made ready for you in the universe of the
Kingdom and the invisible realm. Display ye an endeavor and show ye an
effort, so that ye may attain to it and become eternal and everlasting."
Exercise the utmost affection on my part to Miss ........ and say: "If
thou art seeking a heavenly palace, make thy house the gathering-place of
the friends of God."
O thou maid-servant of God! Praise be to God that thou has become famous
throughout the regions as a Bahai. This favor is worthy of the utmost
thanks and praise.
O thou maid-servant of God! Whenever thou art intending to deliver a
speech, turn thy face toward the Kingdom of Abha and, with a heart
detached, begin to talk. The breaths of the Holy Spirit will assist thee.
Assist thou Dr. ........ and help her all the time. Perchance, God
willing, she may attain to guidance. Exercise the utmost kindness to
........ and say: "Whatsoever is thy desire is found in the Cause of
Baha'o'llah. If thou art asking confirmation and assistance, be thou
faithful, firm and steadfast."
"O thou who art advancing unto the Kingdom of God!..."
O thou who art advancing unto the Kingdom of God!
Verily, I read thy letter which was sent to us, and I noted its contents,
wherein thou prayest for confirmation to serve thy Lord. I pray God to
bless thee and aid thee to receive His trusts, so that thou mayest receive
the greatest favor in the world of humanity.
O maid-servant of God! Forget all else save God, be in communion with Him,
supplicate and pray to Him to make thee conqueror over the material
things, impressed by the bounties of the Kingdom, commemorating the name
of thy Lord, pure from all else save Him, and imbued with the spiritual
attributes of those who are holy (and high); then shall thy breaths have
effect upon the hearts, and attract the hearts of thy son and husband unto
the Kingdom of God.
I pray god to confirm thee in this, to make firm thy heart in faith, and
give thee a spiritual power, effective in hearts and spirits.
"O thou who art set aglow with the Fire burning in the..."
O thou who art set aglow with the Fire burning in the Tree of Sinai!
Verily, I read thy letter, which speaks of the throbbing of thy heart by
the thoughts of the love of God and indicates the unity of the
maid-servants of the Merciful, their harmony in the word of God, and their
attraction by the fragrances of God, for they are the waves of one sea,
the leaves of one tree, and the flowers of one garden. By these tidings
the heart of Abdul-Baha was made happy and he attained thereby fragrance
and spirituality.
For the Greatest Name and the Ancient Beauty(111)--may my soul be a
sacrifice to His beloved--endured all difficulty and ordeals for the
purpose of uniting the hearts of the beloved of God; that they might be
exhilarated through the wine of unity and proclaim with one voice:
"Hasten to love, to love, O peoples of the world!
Hasten to harmony, to harmony, O creatures of the universe!
Hasten to peace, to peace, O mankind!
Hasten to safety, to safety, O concourse of the Divine!
Hasten to concord, to concord, O hosts of the Merciful!
Hasten to oneness, to oneness, O people of El-Baha, among the people!"
I ask God to aid you in spreading these fragrances, and in reading these
words in the supreme assemblages and great meetings.
Convey my spiritual greeting to thy honored sister. I ask God to confirm
the weak and to make them mighty in the kingdom of His Majesty. I pray God
to guide thy honorable husband to the Path of the Kingdom, the sublime,
and to aid thee in the service of His Cause in His glorious vineyard.***
"O thou who has advanced towards Baha'!..."
O thou who has advanced towards Baha'!
Truly, I say unto thee, wert thou to spend all that is on earth, thou
couldst not obtain this gift which God hath strengthened thee to take
freely. Lo! it is the guidance of God and it is being attracted to the
Beauty of El-Baha! Thank God for this gift, which is the most wonderful
jewel which is glittering on the crown of great glory and honorable
position.
"O thou who art anticipating the descent of the Gift of..."
O thou who art anticipating the descent of the Gift of God!
The sweetness of the expressions contained in thy words reached the taste
of my perception and I was informed of the glorious aim embodied in thy
sentences.
No doubt the breeze of God hath awakened thee from thy sleep, until thou
hast become conscious of the bounties of the Kingdom which are descending
at this time.
As to thy desire to be severed from this mortal life and thy great
attraction to the eternal life: This is becoming to every discerning human
being who hath a lofty character. I pray God to ordain for thee this pure
life and make thy heart attracted unto exalted grades, favored in His
Supreme Kingdom, humble and meek before every penitent servant and
diffusing the fragrance of God in this new age.
"O thou shining ray!..."
O thou shining ray!
Verily, the ray, being transmitted from the etheric sphere, rends the
space and reaches the surface of the earth and dispels the gloomy
darkness. Verily, be thou one of the rays of the Sun of Truth and then
thou wilt cause the darkness of error to disappear and wilt change its
intense obscurity into a discovering light which will guide (the people)
unto the Kingdom of God.
"O thou effulgence of the Kingdom!..."
O thou effulgence of the Kingdom!
I read thy letter and was informed of thy speech, the contents of which
were full of the feelings within thy consciousness, and of thy spiritual
sympathies. The light is divided into two kinds, material and spiritual.
The material light is a vanishing matter and is known by etheric
vibrations. But the spiritual light is the divine, eternal and
never-ending quality and is a truth of the Kingdom. Blessed is thy face
for that it hath taken a portion and a radiance from that Light.
"O thou candle of the Love of God!..."
O thou candle of the Love of God!
The light of man depends on the light of the love of God. Thank thou God,
for thou hast illuminated thy face with this light and hast partaken of
the bounty of the Kingdom of El-Abha, chanted the verses of unity and worn
the crown of guidance of the Glorious Lord on thy head. This is the real
Kingdom!
"O thou who art desirous of the Kingdom of God!..."
O thou who art desirous of the Kingdom of God!
Thy letter was the cause of happiness and its contents were the proof of
thy turning to the Shining Beauty. In this blessed period, when the light
of the endless bounties is illuminating the dark world, some souls, like
the butterfly, circled round the Divine Lamp and with perfect yearning
sacrificed their lives.
I ask of God that thou mayest be one of those souls, so that the rays of
knowledge will shine forth from thy face to those regions and will be the
cause of guiding the seekers of Reality.
Though thou wert obliged to leave Baltimore, I hope that thou wilt be the
cause of guidance in Washington (D.C.). Receive proofs and evidence from
Mirza Abul Fazl(112) so that thou wilt be armed with convincing proofs and
sufficient argument to break down the ranks of denial, pride and
ignorance.
"O tho dear friend!..."
O thou dear friend!
The maid-servant of God ........ hath remembered thee in her letter and
hath thus made my heart busy with thy thought. Consider how much she must
care for thee to have remembered thee in such a place. Indeed, this is
great love and I am hopeful that this may be a confirmation to thee, so
that thou mayest become a personage of the Kingdom, heavenly, illumined
and spiritual and a means of spreading and exemplifying the qualities and
attributes of God.
"O thou who art advancing toward God!..."
O thou who art advancing toward God!
The letter of that divine maid-servant was received and contents were
apprehended. The morn of guidance is beaming forth from the supreme
horizon and the light of oneness is shining on the supreme apex. The
verses of unity are being chanted and the evidences of the Glorious Lord
are in themselves the greatest witness and proof.
I beg of God that thou mayest be so replenished with the spirit of the
love of God that there may not remain (in thee) any place or access for
the winds of tests. For what can dark doubts do with the light of
guidance, or clouds with the shining moon? Tests and trials only cause
agitation to weak hearts. But the pure souls, a hundred thousand tests are
but to them like mirage, imagination and shadow. The shadow cannot
withstand the rays of the sun and pure fragrances of holiness will not be
concealed through the doubts of the beetle. The headache of wavering (or
hesitancy) will not affect those exhilarated with the wine of the love of
God.
In sooth, there will be found in those regions certain persons like the
Pharisees of the time of Christ, who, night and day, will exert themselves
with all heart and soul to cast forth doubts, in order that they may
deprive the souls of the glad-tidings of the Holy Spirit. They will
disseminate false rumors and utter many a calumny and will publish and
announce (false) stories. They will undertake all these only for the sake
of earthly vanities.
And some Pharisees among the missionaries of the Gospel will hasten
thither from Persia and say, "We are aware of the secret of the matter."
All they may say is sheer slander.
Now know you these [things], that in its time you may dispel and
annihilate the darkness of those suspicions, like unto a manifest light. I
beg of God that He may grant thee a power that thou mayest resist all in
the earth--how much more these weak, hired individuals who receive salary
and bribe for spreading such calumnies!
Be ye admonished, O possessors of understanding!
"O thou dear maid-servant of God!..."
O thou dear maid-servant of God!
Your letter was received. Its contents were a glorious proof that thy
heart and soul are attracted to the fragrances of the Merciful One. Thank
thou God for that thou art awakened by such a Breeze and quickened by such
a Spirit and hast found joy and fragrance.
Those souls who have attained to faith, if they be protected and preserved
from tests and keep firm and steadfast, the divine confirmations will
surround them from all directions.***
I beg of God that thou wilt be confirmed with the love of God in all
conditions. I beg of God that thou mayest be so assisted in serving the
Holy Threshold that all thy family will be astonished and amazed, and will
glory and honor.
"O ye shining Assembly!..."
O ye shining Assembly!(113)
The meeting that you organized hath attracted the divine gaze and the
subject of your conversation was the divine commemoration. A ray from the
Kingdom of Abha fell upon that assemblage and that meeting was adorned,
and a number of souls, supplicants to God, were gathered in that meeting.
If this assembly continues as it is befitting and behooving, great results
will thereby appear and conduce to the illumination of those parts,
spiritual progress will ensue, the lights of the Sun of Truth will shine,
hearts will be illumined, eyes will become seeing, ears become hearing,
the lukewarm (or withdrawn ones) become aflame, the inanimate (or numbed
ones) will be enkindled in soul and an ecstasy will come to all by which
those present will be astonished.
I supplicate to and invoke before the Threshold of Oneness, saying:
"O Thou Creator! Preserve and protect Thou that assembly from grave (or
general) tests and keep them firm and constant in the Covenant and
Testament. Confer upon them such steadfastness as will enable them to
withstand doubts and root our the foundation of calumnious rumors; for
some person hath appeared (or arisen) with the utmost falsehood, in those
parts, and publisheth false reports in some newspapers."
"O ye members of the shining assembly! Each one..."
O ye members of the shining assembly! Each one of you must resist doubts
(or false rumors) in those parts like unto a great barrier, until the
invisible confirmations may appear and merciful assistance may become
manifest. May your souls be cheered!
"O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of God!..."
O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of God!
Verily, I read thy letter of thanksgiving to God, for He hath illumined
thy heart with the light of the Mightiest Guidance, dilated thy breast
through the fragrance of the garden of His Kingdom, the Abha, caused thee
to speak His praise in that remote and extensive country, and hath enabled
thee to guide souls who are attracted to the beauty of God and enkindled
by the fire of His Love at this moment.
By the Lord of Hosts, God hath ordained for no one greater good than this,
or any spirit more brilliance than this, or any spirit more activity than
this.
Were the dominions of the whole, entire earth to be thine, it would not
equal this great dominion which is no other than spreading the guidance of
God. Forasmuch as the earthly dominion is like unto the kingdom of Edward
VII, king of England, his coronation day became unto him the day of
griefs, the day of sorrows, and the days of moaning; his joy was changed
into abundant sorrow, and the light of happiness was transformed into the
darkness of a gloomy night. This is the condition of the world, its honor,
its dominion, its glory and affluence.
But as to thee--O thou who art attracted unto God! --thou hast established
an eternal and everlasting throne through the guidance of God, and hast
become crowned with a diadem, the gems of which scintillate throughout
centuries and ages; nay, rather, for cycles and periods!
This throne cannot be shaken by the powers of the earth and its
calamities; nor can incidental obstacles, worldly impediments, or all the
diseases and ailments prevent or delay this coronation.
For this is under the protection of God and His preservation, defended by
His guard and in the stronghold of His patronage, and is watched over by
the eye of His mercifulness. therefore, thank thou God forevermore!
Deliver my greetings to the attracted maid-servant of God thy honorable
wife, and bear unto her the glad-tidings of the graces of her Lord.
"O thou whom I mention with my heart and tongue!..."
O thou whom I mention with my heart and tongue!