thee, be thou not sad, for God is near to thee. Associate thou, as much as
thou canst, with the relatives and strangers; display thou loving
kindness; show thou forth the utmost patience and resignation. The more
they oppose thee, shower thou upon them the greater justice and equity;
the more they show hatred and opposition toward thee, challenge thou them
with great truthfulness, friendship and reconciliation.
Praise be to God, thou art near to the Kingdom of Abha! Rest thou assured.
With all my soul and spirit, I am thy companion at all moments. Know thou
this of a certainty!
I prayed in behalf of thy relatives and family, supplicating from God
confirmation and assistance for them.
"O ye friends of Abdul-Baha!..."
O ye(256) friends of Abdul-Baha!
The glad-tidings of your attraction and enkindlement, ecstasy and
exhilaration, hath reached us before and a special Rablet hath been
forwarded to you. Mr. ......... and Mr. ......... arrived and praised you
with the utmost enthusiasm, that "the friends of Hoboken are firm,
steadfast and eloquent (in delivering the Truth)." In that region they
have adorned a meeting with the fragrances of holiness and organized an
assembly like unto the delectable paradise. Each one of them is like unto
a lamp brilliant with the light of guidance and a conquering host
invincible with the power of the love of god. Likewise, they gave the
utmost praise to all the beloved throughout the regions of America, and
they were extremely happy and grateful. They praised and commended highly
the spiritual assembly of New York, saying that day and night they were
engaged in the service of the Kingdom; likewise they were very grateful to
Mr. .........
Briefly, four days and four nights were they the guests in the house of
this imprisoned one, continually praising and commending the beloved of
God and giving the glad-tidings of the attraction of the friends with the
fragrances of God. In this prison, Abdul-Baha hath no happiness except the
arrival of the good news of the believers. Whenever one praises them, the
heart is dilated and the soul is rejoiced.
Therefore, O ye companions of Abdul-Baha, display ye an effort, so that ye
may make that region (America) the Paradise of Abha, hoisting the banner
of the Most Great Peace and spreading the teachings of the Beauty of Abha;
in order that the slumbrous world become awakened, the unconscious become
mindful, the universe become another universe, the human world become the
realm of the Kingdom, earthly emotions become heavenly attractions,
cruelty and oppression be changed into love and faithfulness, the
clattering of the sword be transformed into the sweet melody of the pen
and the discordant sound of war become the wonderful song of love and
intelligence; in order that all the individuals of humanity embrace each
other and live among themselves in perfect love and affinity.
"O thou who hast addressed Abdul-Baha!..."
(257) O thou who hast addressed Abdul-Baha!
Verily, I pray my Lord to teach thee a language and writing of the Kingdom
which will satisfy thee, so as to dispense with all things; for that
spiritual writing and instructive tongue are eloquent, clear, laudable,
legible, read by the tongue and preserved in the heart. Blessed is he who
knows it in the world of man!
Know, verily, that the Ocean is waving, the Sun shining, the Stars
dawning. (Understand what I say!)
The tree will grow, the earth will send forth hyacinths(258) and give
blessings, and man will become of the heavenly angels. Feed on the light
of guidance and impart light to the people. The bird will warble melodies
unknown save by the birds of heaven; then tear asunder the veil and see
the realities of things with the eye of God. Verily, thy Lord guideth
whomsoever He willeth unto the Straight Path!
The Promised Spot will be made a racecourse for the steeds of the race of
Knowledge and the lights of the Merciful will shine upon it. The dispersed
ones will return to the Center of Gathering and the birds will return from
the meadows of the world unto the Nest of Harmony. This is a preordained
matter.
As to thee: Thou hast borne every difficulty and hardship and soon will be
rewarded by God with a good reward. He will destine to thee all that is
good, and choose for thee the manifestation of His mercy among the
servants; that they may thus see that the Sons of the Kingdom have gone
out(259), while there hath come a soul from the remotest horizon who hath
entreated the Kingdom of God.***
"O thou who art the single one of Japan and the unique..."
O thou who art the single one of Japan and the unique one of the extreme
Orient!
That country hath been deprived of the divine breath until this time; now,
God be praised! thou art initiated in the mysteries and conscious of the
secrets of the lights.
Thou hast been earthly, I hope that thou wilt become heavenly; thou hast
been gloomy, I desire that thou wilt become luminous. Thou wert wandering
in the wilderness, thou hast found a way to the abode of the Beloved One;
thou wert a thirsty fish, thou hast attained to the endless Ocean; thou
wert a roving bird, thou hast reached the divine Rose-garden; thou wert
spiritually sick and thou hast found real health!
Now is the time that thou shouldest entirely abandon the comfort, ease,
enjoyment and the life of this transient world, and wholly arise to guide
the people of Japan, illuminating faces, perfuming nostrils and
conquering, through the heavenly hosts and divine reinforcements, the
hearts of the people of that region.
Do not wonder at the favor and bounty of the Lord. By the favor of God,
how often a drop hath become undulating like a sea, and an atom hath
become shining like the sun!
The sun of Truth hath enlightened the divine world and illumined the
universe. The rays of His grace have shone upon the East and West, and His
heat hath caused vegetation in all countries. So the lights and the heat
of the Sun of Truth being help and assistance, what more dost thou need?
Thou must warble, like the nightingale of significances, in the
rose-garden, so that thou mayest inspire all the birds of the meadow to
chant and to sing.
"O thou youth of God!..."
O thou youth of God!
Thank God that thou hast found thy way to the Radiant Kingdom, torn
asunder the veil of superstition and learned the reality of the mysteries.
All the people have formed a god in the world of thought, and that form of
their own imagination they worship; when the fact is that the imagined
form is finite and the human mind is infinite.(260) Surely the infinite is
greater than the finite, for imagination is accidental (or non-essential)
while the mind is essential; surely the essential is greater than the
accidental.
Therefore consider: All the sects and peoples worship their own thought;
they create a god in their own minds and acknowledge him to be the creator
of all things, when that form is superstition--thus people adore and
worship imagination (or illusion).
That Essence of the Divine Entity and the Unseen of the unseen is holy
above imagination and is beyond thought. Consciousness doth not reach It.
Within the capacity of comprehension of a produced (or created) reality
that Ancient Reality cannot be contained. It is a different world; from it
there is no information; arrival thereat is impossible; attainment thereto
is prohibited and inaccessible. This much is known: It exists and Its
existence is certain and proven--but the condition is unknown.
All the philosophers and the doctors knew that It is, but they were
perplexed in the comprehension of Its existence and were at last
discouraged, and in great despair they left this world. For the
comprehension of the condition and mysteries of that Reality of realities
and Mystery of mysteries there is need for another power and another
sense. That power and sense is not possessed by mankind, therefore they
have not found any information. For example: If a man possess the power of
hearing, the power of tasting, the power of smelling and the power of
feeling, but no power of seeing, he cannot see. Hence, through the powers
and senses present in man the realization of the Unseen Reality, which is
pure and holy above the reach of doubts, is impossible. Other powers are
needed and other senses required. If those powers and senses are obtained,
then information can be had; otherwise, not.
As to the question of marriage, according to the law of God: First you
must select one, and then it depends upon the consent of the father and
mother. Before your selection they have no right of interference.
Endeavor as much as thou canst to acquire the English language with the
utmost of eloquence and excellence, so that thou mayest be enabled to
translate the Tablets into the Japanese tongue. This is my advice.
Certainly exert thy utmost endeavor to attain this bounty.
"O thou who art attracted by the Word of god to the..."
O thou who art attracted by the Word of god to the Kingdom of God!
Turn with the whole of thy being to God, forget aught else save God, and
supplicate God to make thee a sign of guidance in the midst of people who
are veiled from God; perchance they may be guided to the Orb of all
horizons, enter the kingdom of harmony, drink of the cup of the love of
God, rejoice at the manifestation of the Kingdom of God, and shelter
themselves in the shadow of the Tree of Life in the midst of the Paradise
of God.
This beseemeth the believers; this is the qualification of the sincere;
this is the path of the knowers, and this is the utmost aim of the
faithful.
Exert thy utmost power that thou mayest share this great bounty.
"O thou spiritual youth!..."
O thou spiritual youth!(261)
Japan hath made wonderful progress in material civilization, but she will
become perfect when she also becometh spiritually developed and the power
of the Kingdom becometh manifest in her.
One will encounter a little difficulty in the beginning of the
establishment of the Cause of God in that country, but later it will
become very easy, for the inhabitants of Japan are intelligent, sagacious
and have the power of rapid assimilation.
For the present, a perfect youth like thee is favored by the bounty of the
Kingdom and hath attained to the knowledge of the Lord of the Kingdom.
Show thou forth an effort that thou mayest finish that which is necessary
in the acquisition and study of science and art; then travel thou toward
the countries of Japan, so that thou mayest hoist the Ensign of Truth
waving from the apex of the Supreme Concourse. Look thou not upon thine
own capability; the invisible divine confirmations are great and the
protection and providence of the Beauty of Abha is the helper and the
assistant. When a drop draws help from the ocean, it is an ocean in
itself, and a little seed, through the outpouring of rain, the favor of
the sun and the soul-refreshing breeze, will become a tree with the utmost
freshness, full of leaves, blossoms and fruits. Therefore, do not consider
thy capacity and merit, but rely upon the infinite bounty and trust to His
Highness the Almighty. Do not delay. Undertake soon that which thou art
intending.
There are prophecies concerning this Manifestation in the Buddhistic
books, but they are in symbols and metaphors, and some spiritual
conditions are mentioned therein, but the leaders of religion do not
understand. They think these prophecies are material things; yet those
signs are foreshadowing spiritual occurances.
"Announce greeting on my behalf to the two young..."
(262) Announce greeting on my behalf to the two young Japanese(263) and
say:
"His Imperial Majesty, the Mikado, became the cause of the material
progress of Japan. I hope that you may become the cause of her spiritual
development. This is the principle of progress.
"Unless man maketh spiritual progress in the world of spirit, intellect
and heart, he cannot gather universal results from material advancements.
Now you must gird up the loins of endeavor and reflect duly, so that you
may quicken the people of Japan through the spirit of God."
"O ye spiritual friends of Abdul-Baha!..."
(264) O ye spiritual friends of Abdul-Baha!
"Perfume Thou the East! Illumine Thou the West! Bestow Thou light to the
North! Grant Thou life to the South!"
This verse hath been revealed from the lips of the Center of the Covenant
one year after the departure(265) of Baha'o'llah. But the nakazeen (not
understanding its spiritual purport) wondered and derided. Praise be to
God! that now its signs have become manifest, its power evident, and its
proof plain. Thanks be unto Him! that the East and West are stirred into
cheerfulness, and through the Holy Fragrances all directions are perfumed.
The Blessed Perfection, in a clear text, hath promised us in the Book:
"Verily I behold you from the Horizon of Abha and will make victorious
whomsoever will arise in the service of my cause with the hosts of the
Supreme Concourse and the cohorts of the favored angels!" Praise be to
God! that this victory and confirmation became visible and manifest and
hath shone forth from the horizon of the world like unto the sun.
Therefore, O ye friends of God! Show ye forth an earnest endeavor and
display ye a resolute effort, so that ye may become assisted in the
adoration of the Ancient Beauty and the Manifest Light; to be the cause of
spreading the light of the Sun of Truth; to infuse into the dead,
antiquated body of the world a new spirit; to cast in the fields of the
hearts pure seeds; to arise in the service of the Cause; to speak with
eloquent tongues; to become candles of guidance in the assemblage of the
world; to become shining stars in the horizon of the existent being; to
become merciful birds in the rose-garden of oneness; to sing the melodies
of realities and significances; to spend every breath of your lives in the
most great Cause; and to devote the period of your existence to the
service of this conspicuous Light; so that in the end ye may be freed from
loss and failure and attain to the inexhaustible treasury of the Kingdom.
For the life on man is wholly subject to danger and impermanency. A person
cannot put his assurance even in one moment's continuity. Notwithstanding
this, the nations of the world, deceived by the mirage of superstition,
imagine themselves secure in the heavenly way. Alas! Alas! Former
communities in bygone ages entertained the same perishing thoughts; but by
one of those periodical fluctuations they were all hidden under the ground
and afflicted with deprivation and loss, except those souls who had become
pure evanescence and had arisen with great self-abnegation in the path of
God. Such souls shine forth as brilliant stars from the Horizon of the
Ancient Glory, and the results which emanated from their lives in
succeeding ages and cycles are the proofs of this statement. Therefore, do
ye not rest, neither day nor night; seek ye not for composure; talk ye of
the mystery of servitude, and seek ye the path of thralldom; so that
through the promised confirmations ye may become assisted from the Kingdom
of Oneness.
O ye friends! Dense and gloomy clouds have covered the horizon of the
world, and the darkness of hatred, malignity, persecution, tyranny, and
the greatest cruelty is spreading. All the people are drunk with the wine
of heedlessness; and blood-thirstiness and rapaciousness are considered
the noblest excellencies of the world of men.
His Highness the Almighty hath chosen the friends from among the concourse
of men and hath especialized them with the most eminent guidance and the
highest gift; so that we may with our souls and hearts exert ourselves,
sacrifice our lives, be engaged in the guidance of the people and the
training of souls; so that the wild beasts may become the gazelles of the
meadows of unity; the wolves the sheep of God; the bloodthirsty ones the
heavenly angels; the fire of malice be extinguished and the flame of
safety in the blessed tabernacle bestow illumination; the odor of the
nether realm of infidelity be dispelled and the fragrances of the
rose-garden of faithfulness be diffused in all parts; the weak draw light
from the Universal Reason and evil souls seek to be purified with the holy
and divine Breath. There are needed manifestors for this gift; farmers for
this field; gardeners for this rose-garden; fishers for this sea; luminous
stars for this heaven; spiritual physicians for these ill ones, and loving
guides for these wanderers; so that they may bestow a share to those who
are deprived, grant a portion to those who are shareless, give unmeasured
treasure to the indigent ones, and show forth the power of proof to the
seekers.
"Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I supplicate unto..."
Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I supplicate unto Thee, O Thou my Helper! I
invoke Thee, O Thou my Refuge! I utter to Thee my agonies, O Thou my
Physician, and entreat Thee with all my hear, my soul and my spirit,
saying:
O my God! O my God! Verily, the gloomy night hath fallen upon all regions
and the clouds of ignorance have extended in all directions; the people
are immersed in the darkness of surmise and the tyrants are sunk in the
depths of brutality and lawlessness; the red glare of the burning fire is
flashing forth from the nether world; roaring, ominous voices are rising
from the cruel, destructive and terrible armaments; every region is crying
out with its dumb secret tongue: "Nothing that I possess hath benefitted
me and power and strength are taken away from me!" Verily, O my God, the
lamps of guidance are extinguished; the fire of animosity is enkindled;
wrath and antipathy are spread abroad and provocation and maliciousness
are disseminated upon the face of the earth. Yet I see only Thy wronged
followers who are crying at the tops of their voices and summoning the
people:
"Hasten ye toward affinity!
Hasten ye toward faithfulness!
Hasten ye toward generosity!
Hasten ye toward guidance!
Hasten ye toward union!
Hasten ye to behold the Light of the World!
Hasten ye toward love and prosperity!
Hasten ye toward peace and reconciliation!
Hasten ye toward the law of disarmament!
Hasten ye toward harmony and success!
Hasten ye toward co-operation and mutual help in the path of guidance!"
Verily, these wronged ones do sacrifice themselves with infinite joy and
happiness for the sake of the people, with all their souls and spirits
throughout all regions. Verily, Thou beholdest them weeping at the
misfortunes of every one of Thy creatures and becoming grieved at the
distress of Thy children; they are kind to all the people and pained at
the sight of the calamities of the inhabitants of the world. O my Lord!
make the wings of prosperity to grow upon their shoulders, so that they
may ever soar toward the apex of their aspirations; strengthen their loins
in the service of Thy people, and confirm them in the thralldom and
adoration of the threshold of Thy Holiness.
Verily, Thou art the Merciful! Thou art the Clement, and there is no God
but Thee, the Powerful, the Compassionate, and the Ancient!
"Glory be unto Thee, O my God!..."
Glory be unto Thee, O my God!
Thou seest me rolling my face in the dust of humility and contrition,
supplicating toward the Kingdom of Thy Might, yearning for the
contemplation of Thy Greatness, entreating Thy Grandeur, invoking at the
Threshold of Thy Mercifulness, beseeching the realm of Thy Singleness,
acknowledging my shortcomings, longing for Thy bounty, desiring Thy
concealing veil and expecting the outpouring of the rain of Thy favor upon
all the meadows and mountains!
O my Lord! Verily, Thy power hath enveloped all things, Thy dominion, Thy
glory and Thy sovereignty have become manifest as the manifestation of the
sun in mid-day; Thy Word hath penetrated the reality of the contingent
beings; Thy voice hath been raised on the apex of the world; Thy beaming
lights have radiated from the dawning-places of all the horizons and Thy
wonderful refulgent signs have become known in all directions;
consequently the sights and insights have become dazzled by beholding
these manifestations of truth! There is no land in which the fame of Thy
Merciful Cause hath not been spread, and there is no region in which Thy
manifest ensign hath not been hoisted! Verily, Thy voice hath reached the
ears of all the inhabitants of the globe, and the attracted ones have
become exhilarated by its holy and divine fragrances!
Praise be to Thee, O my God! for the bestowal of this most great bounty
upon Thy chosen ones; and thanks be to Thee, O my Lord! for this most
eminent favor upon Thy righteous servants in suffering them to become the
signs of Thy Oneness in this glorious age and the standards of Thy
sanctity in this new cycle!
O my Lord! O my Lord! Assist the weak ones with the Supreme Energy;
shelter the indigent ones near the asylum of Thy Greatest Majesty;
strengthen the loins of those souls whose faces radiate with Thy lights
and whose tongues become eloquent in the glorification and commemoration
of Thy Name; make them the plants of Thy luminous orchard, the blossoms of
Thy blessed tree, the leaves of Thy Sadrat-el-Montaha(266) and the flowers
of Thy exalted rose-garden! Verily, Thou art the Clement, the Lofty, the
Magnificent, the Omnipresent and Thou art the Protector, the Guardian, the
Helper, the Powerful, the Merciful and the Generous!
"O ye beloved ones of Abdul-Baha! This servant..."
O ye beloved ones of Abdul-Baha! This servant longeth to write a special
Tablet to each one of the friends of God--but what can be done! For there
is neither opportunity nor time. The affairs are like unto the waves, and
the requirements are like unto the vernal showers. I do not rest a moment,
neither do I have leisure for an instant. Letters are received every day
from all the regions and it is impossible and impracticable to answer one
among ten; yet there is no other mode than to answer the letters which are
the most important, for the urgent affairs must be attended to. Therefore,
I request the pardon and ask the forgiveness of the friends, that they may
overlook these shortcomings and be content and happy with that which is
possible.
O ye friends of Abdul-Baha! The East is illumined, the West is perfumed
and the world is in motion and acceleration. Such a tumult is visible in
the regions; and such a spiritual commotion is perceived in the pillars of
the earth! The fame of the grandeur of the Word of God hath reached the
ears of the inhabitants of the world, and the voice of the Cause of God
holdeth universal sway! It is the time for joy and happiness and the
moment of exhileration and ecstasy. One must live in accord with the
exhortations and advices of the Blessed Perfection and behave with such
deeds and actions as to become conducive to the illumination of the world
and the manifestion of mercifulness among the nations.