Abdul-Baha, my reality is Abdul-Baha, my praise is Abdul-Baha. Thraldom to
the Blessed Perfection is my glorious and refulgent diadem; and servitude
to all the human race is my perpetual religion. Through the bounty and
favor of the Blessed Perfection, Abdul-Baha is the Ensign of the
Most-Great-Peace, which is waving from the Supreme Apex; and through the
gift of the Greatest name, he is the Lamp of Universal Salvation, which is
shining with the light of the love of God. The Herald of the Kingdom is
he, so that he may awaken the people of the East and of the West. The
Voice of Friendship, Uprightness, Truth and Reconciliation is he, so as to
cause acceleration throughout all regions. No name, no title, no mention,
no commendation hath he nor will ever have except Abdul-Baha. This is my
longing. This is my supreme apex. This is my greatest yearning. This is my
eternal life. This is my everlasting glory! Express ye the same thing
which is issued from my pen. This is the duty of all. Consequently the
friends of God must assist and help Abdul-Baha in the adoration of the
True One; in the servitude to the human race; in the well-being of the
human world and in divine love and kindness.
O ye friends of God! Through the Appearance of the Blessed Perfection the
theories are abrogated and the facts are established. The time of
superficiality is gone by and the cycle of reality hath appeared. One must
become the incarnation of Servitude, the personification of Love, the
embodiment of Spirituality and the mirror of Mercy.
The believers must become the cause of life; deliver the people from
heedlessness, call the souls to the perfection of humanity, beckon nations
to unity and agreement, destroy the foundations of foreignness, make
everyone as friends and associates, treat the negligent souls as their own
children, and train and educate them with the utmost love--so that the
ignorant become wise, the blind become endowed with sight, and the deaf be
given hearing.
O ye friends of God! Beware! Beware of differences! By differences the
Temple of God is razed to its very foundation, and by the blowing of the
winds of disagreement the Blessed Tree is prevented from producing any
fruit. By the intense cold of the diversity of opinions the rose-garden of
Unity is withered, and the fire of the love of God is extinguished!
O ye friends of God! Abdul-Baha is the Manifestation of Thraldom and not
"Christ." The servant of the human realm is he, and not a "chief."
Nonexistent is he and not "Existent." Pure nothingness is he and not
"Eternal(197) ."
There is no outcome or result to these discussions. We must put aside
these disputes and controversies, nay, rather must we consign them to
utter oblivion and arise to do that which is indispensable and which is
demanded of us in this Day. Controversies are words and not significances,
theories and not realities.
The quintessence of Truth is this: We must all become united and
harmonized in order to illumine this gloomy world, to abolish the
foundations of hostility and animosity from among mankind, to perfume the
inhabitants of the universe with the holy fragrances of the nature and
disposition of the Beauty of Abha, to enlighten the people of the East and
West with the light of guidance, to hoist the tent of the love of God and
suffer each and all to enter under its protection, to bestow comfort and
tranquillity to every one under the shade of the Divine Tree, to astonish
the enemy by the manifestation of the utmost love, to make the ravenous
and bloodthirsty wolves to be gazelles of the meadow of the love of God;
to administer the taste of non-resistance to the tyrant, to teach
long-suffering and resignation of the martyrs to the murderer, to spread
the traces of Oneness, to chant the praises and glorification of the
Glorious Lord, to raise the voice of "Ya Baha El-Abha!" to the Supreme
Apex and to reach the ears of the inhabitants of the Kingdom with the
outcry--"Verily the earth is illumined by the lights of its Lord!" This is
reality! This is guidance! This is service! This is the consummation of
the perfection of the realm of humanity!
O ye believers of God! Each person must summon the people to the Servitude
of Abdul-Baha and not the Christhood; and no soul must either publicly or
privately utter one word against or in contradiction to the general
Teachings, and no one must believe that Abdul-Baha is the "Second Coming
of Christ", nay, rather he must believe that he is the Manifestation of
Servitude, the Main-spring of the Unity of the human world, the Herald of
the True One with spiritual power throughout all regions, the Commentator
of the Book according to the divine text, and the Ransom to each one of
the believers of God in the transitory world.
Print ye this Tablet and spread it throughout all countries.
"O ye who are turned towards the Kingdom and drawn..."
O ye(198) who are turned towards the Kingdom and drawn unto the Holy
Fragrances diffused from the Garden of El-Abha!
Arise with every power to assist the Covenant of God and serve in His
vineyard. Be confident that a confirmation will be granted unto you and a
success on His part given unto you. Verily He shall support you by the
angels of His Holiness and reinforce you with the breaths of the Spirit
that ye may mount the Ark of Safety, set forth the evident signs, impart
the spirit of life, declare the essence of His commands and precepts,
guide the sheep who are straying from the fold in all directions, use
every effort in your power to give the blessings ye have and strive
earnestly and wisely in this new century. By God, verily the Lord of Hosts
is your support, the angels of heaven your assistance, the Holy Spirit
your companion and the Center of the Covenant your helper! Be not idle,
but active and fear not. Look unto those who have been in the former
ages--how they have resisted all nations and suffered persecutions and
afflictions, and how their stars shone and their attacks proved
successful, their teachings established, their regions expanded, their
hearts gladdened, their ideas cleared and their motives effective. Ye are
now in a great station and noble rank and ye shall find yourselves in
evident success and prosperity, the like of which the eye of existence
hath never seen in former ages.
El-Baha and salutations be upon every one who is firm in the Covenant,
free from dissension, sanctified from deceits and steadfast in the Path!
"O ye elect and chosen ones of the Kingdom!..."
O ye(199) elect and chosen ones of the Kingdom!
Thank God that the Greatest Name selected and elected that gathering,
ushered it into the Kingdom of Eternal Glory, honored and crowned it amid
the Supreme Concourse.
He placed upon each head a glorious diadem of guidance and established
each one upon the throne of eternal reign. This is not known now but shall
become evident and clear hereafter.
The seed when growing, at first doth not attract attention, but later it
becometh green and thriveth, adorning the rose-garden and the orchard.
Now, likewise, this divine bounty is unknown, it is not yet revealed, but
soon will its splendor illumine the horizons and brighten the East and the
West.
Send Mr. ........ to India for the purpose of teaching. He must have a
companion. If this be not possible from among the men, send one of the
maid-servants of the Merciful.
As to the ordeals of Abdul-Baha, his trials and calamities, grieve not on
that account, but rather be in perfect happiness and joy, for--praise be to
God!--he was worthy and deserved these trials in the Path of Baha'.
Through the news of the progress of the Cause of God, and the unity and
agreement of the beloved of God, great joy was realized, and to such an
extent that I forgot all sorrow and all ills. ***
"O ye sons of the Kingdom!..."
O ye(200) sons of the Kingdom!
At a time when conditions were most difficult and oppressive and the
reception or letters hard and impracticable, your letter was received.
Therefore, its reception denoteth that the honorable assembly is
confirmed. I hope from the bounties of His Highness the Incomparable One
that under all circumstances and conditions ye may become assisted in the
service of the Kingdom of God.
Ye have written regarding the erection of the Temple and the purchase of
the ground, or the finding of a place to be as a home for the gathering of
the believers. At this moment that Abdul-Baha is immersed in the ocean of
calamities, this news caused him joy and happiness, that--praise be to
God!--the friends and the maid-servants of the Merciful are thinking to
serve the Kingdom of God.
O ye sanctified souls! It is the time of firmness and steadfastness and
the period of arising in the service of the Word of God, for the Blessed
City(201) is environed from all directions with the tempestuous waves of
tests and trials and the sweeping hurricanes of persecutions and hardships
are blowing and roaring high. The joy and happiness of the heart of
Abdul-Baha depends upon the stability and constancy of the believers. For
they must live and act in accord with the divine advices and exhortations
and show forth to each other the power of the perfection of love with
infinite accord and unity, so that they may become the embodiment of one
existence, the waves of ones sea, the myrtles of one rose-garden, the rays
of one sun, the stars of one horizon, the fruits of one tree and the birds
of one meadow.
Likewise, they must treat with and behave toward all the governments,
nations, communities, kings and subjects with the utmost sincerity,
trustworthiness, straightforwardness, love and kindness. Even they must
make hopeful a bloodthirsty enemy, show sympathy with the utmost
faithfulness and honor to the perfidious unjust, know the ill-wisher as
the well-wisher and torment not the sinner with reproaches. Should they
become the targets of a thousand arrows of persecution, they must
challenge it with love and friendship and treat every one with purity of
purpose and kindness.
O ye friends of God! Show ye an endeavor that all the nations and
communities of the world, even the enemies, put their trust, assurance and
hope in you; that if a person falls into errors for a hundred-thousand
times he may yet turn his face to you, hopeful that you will forgive his
sins; for he must not become hopeless, neither grieved nor despondent.
This is the conduct and the manner of the people of Baha'. This is the
foundation of the most high pathway! Ye should conform your conduct and
manners with the advices of Abdul-Baha.
Concerning the erection of the Temple: Now all the believers must become
united, so that the Temple may be built soon in one place. For should (the
believers) undertake (the erection of the Temple) in many places, it will
not become completed anywhere; and as in Chicago they have preceded every
other place to plan the erection of the Temple, undoubtedly to cooperate
and help them is nobler and a necessity. Then, when it is built in one
place, it will become erected in many other places. If, for the present,
you prepare or establish a home in New York, though by renting it, to
become a center for the gathering of the believers of God, it is very
acceptable. God willing, in all the states of America in the future there
will be erected Temples with infinite architectural beauty, art, with
pleasing proportion and handsome and attractive appearances; especially in
New York. But for the present, be ye satisfied with a rented place.
The utmost happiness was produced by hearing the news of unity and
agreement among the believers in New York; for the foundation of progress
is union and when this object is attained, the Cause will develop.
Deliver on my behalf longing greeting to his honor Mr. ........ .
When the friends and the maid-servants of the Merciful gather together on
Sundays, in the spiritual assemblies, exercise ye toward them, on behalf
of this imprisoned one, the utmost affection, love and kindness.
Convey on behalf of this longing one the glad-tidings of the attainment to
confirmation to his honor Mr. ........; that ere long he shall in such
wise be assisted by the confirmations of the Kingdom of Abha that he,
himself, will become astonished.
O ye members of the spiritual assembly! Become ye firm and steadfast in
the Covenant and Testament to such a degree that your meeting become the
expression of one soul and endeavor ye with your hearts and minds so that
ye may become the cause of the illumination of this darkened world and
that through your efforts the lights of the Kingdom dawn upon this nether
sphere.
Whatever hath and will transpire in this land is through the conspiracy of
the brothers who are not resting, neither day nor night, and are thirsting
for the blood of Abdul-Baha. The government is not responsible at all.
These difficulties are brought about through the evil slanders and
machinations of the nakazeen(202) .
"O thou whose heart is attracted and whose breast is..."
O thou(203) whose heart is attracted and whose breast is dilated with joy
by the Holy Fragrances!
Give the glad-tidings to the assemblies of the beloved who are firm in the
Covenant and say:
"Verily the Lord hath manifested Himself in this new and wonderful age
with the greatest bounty and mercy, which have never been preceded and
whereof the eye of existence hath never seen the like; and it is His Great
Covenant and New Testament, as appointed by the trace of His Supreme Pen,
through which, and according to clear ordinances and explicit statements,
the matter was plainly shown and the branches (sons), twigs (relations),
kinsmen and beloved were commanded to obey the "appointed Center of the
Covenant." But the Covenant of God and His Testament is a bounty to the
righteous and a curse to the wicked.
"On hearing this Command some faces have rejoiced by this Glowing Lamp,
and others become gloomy and in their hearts the fire of jealousy and
rebellion hath been kindled. They disobeyed the Command of their Lord the
Merciful, endeavored to spread lies and arose to divulge seditious rumors
contrary to that which was descended from God. They imagine that they are
able to resist this Power, which penetrates into the heart of the
contingent world, or to cover the Truth through their false tongues and
complicated opinions, and to withhold this Sea from surging, the holy
fragrances from being spread, and the breaths of the Spirit of the Ancient
from reaching the beloved! No, by no means! Verily, the Word of God
penetrates into the core of all things and cannot be resisted either by
the hosts of the world or by the armies of the enemies! In the past ages
there is a warning to every intelligent one! Ye shall see their banners
reversed, their sign abolished, their happiness destroyed in those regions
in a similar way to the disappointment of their hopes in the East.
"But, as the people of the West are still children in the Cause(204) and
have not perfect knowledge of its reality and validity, the nakazeen
thought it to be an easy prey and availed themselves of this opportunity
for laying doubts and suspicions, speaking false words, divulging
seditious calumnies among the people. Ye shall see all this as scattered
dust, and all these thick, dark clouds which were gathered in those far
regions, will disappear and the Sun of Certainty and Reality shall shine
with the Most Dazzling Light; the darkness will vanish, the firm believers
will be in great joy, and the nakazeen shall be in evident loss."
"O ye servants of God and maid-servants of the..."
O ye(205) servants of God and maid-servants of the Merciful!
The letter, which was in reality the congratulation for the entrance of
the day of the anniversary of His Highness the Promised One, was received.
The names of the friends of God were read one after another and caused
great joy.
I hope that upon the coming of each auspicious day the friends of God may
become doubled, that is, may become twofold; that the gentle fragrances of
the love of God may be spread so universally that large cohorts enter
under the shadow of the Word of God in a short space of time, and arise to
serve, according to the heavenly instructions, in order that strife and
warfare may vanish wholly from the human world, and the beauty of love,
friendship and harmony may appear with such an appearance that all the
intellects may become astonished, all the souls entranced and all the
hearts attracted.
O ye friends! O ye maid-servants of the Merciful! Should ye realize in
what a state this Tablet is written, assuredly ye will soar heavenward
with joy and exultations and begin to cry out: "Glad-tidings!
Glad-tidings!"
Today the whole world is heedless and ye are aware; all are in sleep and
ye are wide awake; all are deprived and ye are the custodians of the
mysteries of the Kingdom! Therefore, to render thanks for these bounties,
open ye the tongue of praise and glorification and engage yourselves in
the divine commemoration, in order that the confirmation may be added and
the assistance may become renewed!
"O ye beloved! O ye maid-servants of the Merciful!..."
O ye(206) beloved! O ye maid-servants of the Merciful!
What a wonderful meeting ye have arranged and longed for the beauty of
service and have arisen to spread the fragrances of God! Truly I declare,
ye are confirmed by the cohorts of the Supreme Concourse and are
reinforced and empowered by the Exalted Realm!
When the confirmation of the Holy Spirit descendeth, ye are not a drop,
but a roaring sea! Ye are the stars of the horizon of guidance! If this
committee become firm, it will grow and develop; if it remain steadfast,
it will become a gift of the Almighty to the human world; if it last, it
will display marvelous signs for the well-being of the children of man!
The hosts of the Kingdom of Abha are drawn and filed up in battle-array on
the plain of the Supreme Apex and are expecting that a band of volunteers
step upon the field of action with the intention of service; so that they
may assist that band and make it victorious and triumphant.
O Thou Almighty God! Confirm Thou these friends and the maid-servants of
the Merciful! Grant Thou to them assistance. Open Thou before their faces
the closed doors and make them intimate with the fragrances of holiness,
so that they may become the confident friends of each other; raise the
melody and the song of joy and sing the harmony of heaven, in order that
they may exhilarate and gladden the regions of the West and impart
attraction and ecstasy!
Make Thou them the magnets of love so that they may attract the hearts to
the Kingdom of Abha!
Verily, Thou art the Powerful and the Mighty; and Thou art the Giver, the
Seer and the Hearer! There is no God but Thee, the Generous, the Merciful!
"O ye whom God hath chosen from among those who..."
O ye(207) whom God hath chosen from among those who are called!--know that
"many are called but few are chosen"!--upon whom He caused the evident
Light to descend; whom He guided into the right Path, and to whom He gave
the Glad-tidings of the Great Success!
Ye must be sincere and faithful, ye must follow the ordinances which refer
to the Covenant of God, who is the solid edifice.
O ye beloved of God, know that steadfastness and firmness in this new and
wonderful Covenant is indeed the spirit that quickeneth the hearts which
are overflowing with the love of the Glorious Lord; verily, it is the
power which penetrates into the hearts of the people of the world! Your
Lord hath assuredly promised His servants who are firm and steadfast to
render them victorious at all times, to exalt their word, propagate their
power, diffuse their lights, strengthen their hearts, elevate their
banners, assist their hosts, brighten their stars, increase the abundance
of the showers of mercy upon them, and enable the brave lions (or
teachers) to conquer.
Hasten, hasten, O ye firm believers! Hasten, hasten, O ye steadfast!
Abandon the heedless, set aside every ignorant, take hold of the strong
rope, be firm in this Great Cause, draw light from this Evident Light, be
patient and be steadfast in this wise Religion! Ye shall see the hosts of
inspiration descending successively from the Supreme World, the procession
of attraction falling incessantly from the heights of heaven, the
abundance of the Kingdom of El-Abha outpouring continually and the
teachings of God penetrating with the utmost power, while the heedless are
indeed in evident loss.
"O ye esteemed maid-servants of God, and ye revered..."
O ye(208) esteemed maid-servants of God, and ye revered beloved ones (or
men believers) of the Merciful!
Your letter was received and its contents noted. The maid-servant of God,
she who hath ascended to heaven, i.e., Mrs. ........, hastened from this
mortal world to the divine world and soared from this temporal realm to
the expanse of the Kingdom. She abandoned the earthly cage and flew toward
the bower of the upper world; so that, like unto a nightingale of
significances, she may, in that divine rose-garden, engage in praising,
glorifying and sanctifying the True One, with the most marvelous melody.
Consequently, do ye not sigh in grief of her decease, and be not dejected
on account of her ascension.
To the people of adoration, death is an ark of deliverance, and to pure
souls, flight from this world of dust is the means of attaining the
Kingdom of Spheres. By "Spheres" is not meant this infinite space, nay, is
meant the divine world, and the invisible realm.
To be brief: I hope her noble son may seek the Path wherein his mother
walked, and may become better and more illustrious; nay, rather, the
lights of his love may also take effect in his grand parents.
As to ye who are friends of that bird of the meadow of guidance, ye must,
after her, have such unison, love, association and unity that it may make
things better and more favorable than they were during her days.
Praise be to God! the divine bounty favors all of you, he doors of gifts
are open before the faces of you all, and the radiance of the Sun of Truth
is shining upon you all. Capacity, worth (or merit) and ability, are
necessary, for the clearer and purer the mirror is, the lights of the Sun
are more manifest thereon.
We are always gazing toward those parts in order to find from what corner
(or place) the voice will be raised! We hope Baltimore will become an
assemblage of light and that city may become a mirror of the love of God!
"O ye my dear friends!..."
O ye(209) my dear friends!
Your letter was received and its contents were wonderful and beautiful for
it evinced the spreading of the light of Guidance. Praise be to God! the
lights of the Morn of Eternity have cast their rays upon that city, and in
the future it will become enlightened, and luminous stars will dawn, gleam
and sparkle from its horizon.
Today the Sun of the Most Great Guidance hath appeared with the greatest
splendor from the horizon of the world, and the rays of the Sun of Truth
shine with utmost light and power therefrom. Therefore, the world hath
become another world and the bounties, other bounties!
A little earnestness and endeavor is encumbent upon you, so that the pages
of the soul may be cleansed and purified from the rust of attachment to
this ephemeral world. At that time you will consider how dazzling and
brilliant is the effulgence of the Kingdom.
The maid-servant of God, Mrs. ........, and the maid-servant of God, Mrs.
........--praise be to God!--have made their homes the nest and shelter of
the heavenly birds, and have arranged meetings. I hope that these two
meeting places will become more illumined day by day, adding to the
knowledge, faith and assurance of the audience, and increasing their
resolution and steadfastness.
In fact, those two gathering places are my homes, and the nest and shelter
of the birds of the field of God. Convey my loving greetings to each and
every believer!
Likewise present my respectful greetings to the dear maid-servants of God
in Baltimore and Washington.
"O thou who art advancing toward the Kingdom of..."
O thou who art advancing toward the Kingdom of Abha!
Be thankful that thou art inebriated with the cup of the love of God, hast
partaken of the graces of the Supreme Concourse and art quickened with the
fragrances of holiness.
Night and day lament and implore, with the utmost supplication and
humility, before the Threshold of the Presence of the One God, that thou
mayest be strengthened to guide people with all steadfastness on this path
and take a plenteous share from this Most Great Sea.
The hosts of the Kingdom will assist (thee) and the heavenly armies will
protect and defend thee. Wherefore seek bounties as much as thou canst.
"O thou who art supplicating unto God!..."