reached thee from me, and angels were enclosed in it and they surrounded
thee: Know thou verily, that letter is this glorious writing whereby I
address thee; and, verily, this is full of angels of confirmation from the
Kingdom off God and they will assist thee to serve the Cause of God in the
vineyard of God.
"O thou seeing one!..."
O thou seeing one!
Know thou, verily, God hath preferred the insight to the sight, because
the sight seeth the material things, while the insight apprehendeth the
spiritual. the former witnesseth the earthly world, while the latter seeth
the world of the Kingdom. The former's judgment is temporary, while the
latter's vision is everlasting. Thou shalt soon behold the Kingdom of God
and its mysteries and the signs of God and the lights of His great Realm
of Divinity!
"O thou who art speaking the praise of god in that vast..."
O thou who art speaking the praise of god in that vast and extensive
region!
Thank God, who hath raised such women from the essences of the love of God
in that distant place and hath made them as fountains of knowledge,
sources of assurance and dawning-places of the commemoration of thy Lord,
the Merciful! I beg of God to strengthen them through the most strong
power, by the hosts rushing forth from the kingdom of El-Abha and by the
angels successively coming from heaven. Verily, He is the Assister, the
Beneficient!
As to thy question concerning the husband and wife, the tie between them
and the children given to them by God: Know thou, verily, the husband is
one who hath sincerely turned unto God, is awakened by the call of the
Beauty of El-Baha and chanteth the verses of Oneness in the great
assemblies; the wife is a being who wisheth to be overflowing with and
seeketh after the attributes of God and His names; and the tie between
them is none other than the Word of God. Verily, it [the Word of God]
causeth the multitudes to assemble together and the remote ones to be
united. Thus the husband and wife are brought into affinity, are united
and harmonized, even as though they were one person. Through their mutual
union, companionship and love great results are produced in the world,
both material and spiritual. The spiritual result is the appearance of
divine bounties. The material result is the children who are born in the
cradle of the love of God, who are nurtured by the breast of knowledge of
God, who are brought up in the bosom of the gift of God, and who are
fostered in the lap of the training of God. Such children are those of
whom it was said by Christ, "Verily, they are the children of the
Kingdom!"
Consequently, O thou maid-servant of God, go unto the maid-servants of the
Merciful one and tell them from the tongue of Abdul-Baha: "O maid-servants
of the Merciful! It is incumbent upon you to train the children from their
earliest babyhood! It is incumbent upon you to beautify their morals! It
is incumbent upon you to attend to them under all aspects and
circumstances, inasmuch as God--glorified and exalted is He! --hath ordained
mothers to be the primary trainers of children and infants. This is a
great and important affair and a high and exalted position, and it is not
allowable to slacken therein at all!
If thou walkest in this right path, thou wouldst become a real mother to
the children, both spiritually and materially. I beg of God to make thee
severed from this world, attracted to the fragrances of sanctity which are
being diffused from the garden of the Kingdom of El-Abha, and a servant of
the Cause of God in the vineyard of God.
Greeting and high respects to the maid-servant of God Miss........., who
is attracted, enkindled, hath spoken and called out, and hath stripped
herself from the garment of dependence of this mortal world and its
concerns and is clothed with the embroidered garments of separation (from
the world) in this great Paradise.
"O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of God!..."
O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of God!
Know thou that some of the souls who arrive at this Blessed Spot possess
hearing, seeing and smelling; they see what no eye hath ever seen, they
hear the melodies of the Dove of Holiness on the Tree of Life, they inhale
the fragrances of God from this Garden, and they surely realize that,
verily, this Blessed Spot is a center for pure seeing and strong hearing
and is the direction from which the breezes of the Holy Spirit blow.
But those who have neither seeing not hearing apprehend nothing and say
what they understand not.
As to thee and thy daughter who is devoted to god, who presented herself,
saw and heard: Know ye, verily, (one possessing) a pure insight is a
servant to the people of Baha', but only the prudent can understand this.
Know thou, verily, insight (or mental perception) seeth that which sight
(or physical perception) seeth not and apprehendeth that which the body
perceiveth not, inasmuch as the sight seeth the mirage as water, the
images pictured in the mirror as a reality and genuine, and it seeth the
earth as stationary, the great stars as small. But the insight correcteth
the mistake of the sight and apprehendeth the reality and seeth that the
mirage is not water, that the images pictured in mirrors are naught else
save mere reflections, that the earth is moving and the distant stars are
great. Consequently, the truth of insight, its effectiveness and power is
proven, as well as the weakness of sight, its inefficiency and defects.
Then, know thou that the power of the Word of God is effective, both in
the spirit and the body, and the influence of the spirit of god is
predominant over the material as well as the essential and spiritual. And
that, verily, God is powerful in all things, and that the signs (or
verses) have exoteric and esoteric meaning, and neither their outward
preventeth their inward, nor doth their inward prevent their outward
meaning.
Greeting and praise to the maid-servant of God, thy revered daughter, and
to all who commemorate the praise of god, long for the Kingdom of God and
are cheerfully moved by the fragrances of God!
"O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of God!..."
O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of God!
Consider not thy capacity and merit, nay rather consider the grace of thy
Lord, the Clement, the Merciful. Verily, thy Lord confirmeth whomsoever He
willeth of His servants, through the glad-tidings of the Kingdom, the
signals of clemency and the spiritual fragrances. forsake every
commemoration and thought in the cell of oblivion (i.e., forget
everything) and confine thy days and time in preaching the Kingdom of God,
spreading the teachings of god and igniting the lights of guidance in the
hearts which are awaiting the Kingdom of God. Truly, I say unto thee, to
be engaged in diffusing the fragrance of God (teaching the Truth) for one
hour of time is better than the dominion of the world and all therein; for
the latter is mortal and temporary, while the former is permanent and
endless. This is the day of Life, the day of Salvation and the day of
Bestowal; it is not the day of death, unless it be martyrdom in the path
of God, or embracing the cross in the love of God.
"O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of God!..."
O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of God!
As to thy question, "If the husband preventeth his wife from entering into
the Light, or the wife preventeth the husband from entering into the
Kingdom of God:" In reality neither one of them preventeth the other from
entering into the Kingdom of God, except when the husband hath a great
attachment to the wife, or the wife to the husband. When either one of the
two adoreth the other to the exclusion of God, then each will prevent the
other from entering into the Kingdom of God.
As to thy question concerning the additions to the Old and New Testament:
Know thou, verily, as people could not understand the words, nor could
they apprehend the realities therein, therefore they have translated them
according to their own understanding and interpreted the verses after
their own ideas and thus the text fell into confusion. This is undoubtedly
true. As to an intentional addition: This is something uncertain. But they
have made great mistakes as to the understanding of the texts and the
comprehending of the references and have therefore fallen into doubts,
especially in regard to the symbolical verses.
As to thy question, "That Abdul-Baha hath said to some of the believers
that evil never exists, nay rather, it is a non-existent thing:" This is
but truth, inasmuch as the greatest evil is (man's) going astray and being
veiled from Truth. Error is lack of guidance; darkness is absence of
light; ignorance is lack of knowledge; falsehood is lack of truthfulness;
blindness is lack of sight; and deafness is lack of hearing. Therefore,
error, blindness, deafness and ignorance are non-existent things. If we
say that according to the text of the bible, "God hardened Pharaoh's
heart" that he not believe in Moses, this signifies that, verily, He did
not soften his heart. And when we wish to say that God hath not guided a
certain one of His servants, this would be interpreted (by people) that
God led him astray. The darkness spoken of in the Bible as being created
by God, signifieth that, verily, God hath not caused light to shine;
inasmuch as where there is no light, there will be darkness; when there is
no sight, there will be blindness; when there is no life, there ill be
death; when there is no riches, there will be poverty; and when there is
no knowledge, there will be ignorance.
Consequently, it is proven by indisputable argument and clear explanation
that, verily, evils are non-existent, but people have not understood the
meaning of the verses of the Bible.
I beg of God to make thee a faithful servant in His great vineyard, enable
thee to speak His praise, to diffuse His fragrances, to chant His verses
and to herald His name at every moment.
"O thou who art rejoiced at the explanation of the maid-servant..."
O thou who art rejoiced at the explanation of the maid-servant of God
.........!
Thank thou god that He hath sent forth unto thee such a spiritual and
loving sister, who is preserved from egotism and desires and is rejoiced
at the glad-tidings of God. Can there be imagined any greater mercy than
this? No! by the One who hath created the heaven and earth! Blessed thou
art, for thou hast inhaled the fragrances of life from the garden of the
Kingdom of El-Baha before thine ears had heard the call!
As to ......... whom thou hast mentioned, it behooveth him to seek only
the divine bounties and subjects which lead to the real knowledge of the
invisible (world of god), through the mediation of the Holy spirit. Then
he will perceive the reality of the triune powers in man, through his
innate perception. For, verily, the sign of these triune powers which
exist in mankind are spirit, mind and soul. The spirit is the power of
life, the mind is the power which apprehendeth the reality of things, and
the soul is an intermediary between the Supreme Concourse (or Spiritual
World) and the lower concourse (or material world). It, i.e., the soul,
hath two phases: The higher aspireth to the Kingdom of El-Baha, and the
lights of the mind shine forth from that horizon (or kingdom) unto its
higher sphere; the other phase inclineth to the lower concourse of the
material world and its lowest sphere is enveloped in the darkness of
ignorance. But when light is poured upon this phase, and if this phase of
the soul is capable of receiving it, then "truth hath come and falsehood
vanisheth, for falsehood is of short duration"--otherwise, darkness will
surround it from all directions and it will be deprived of association
with the Supreme Concourse and will remain in the lowest depths.
As to the "voice:" There are two kinds of voices. One is the physical
voice and it is expressed by atmospheric vibrations which affect the
nerves of the ear; the other is the breath of the Merciful, and this is a
call which is continually heard from the Supreme Concourse and cheereth
the pure and holy souls. May it be beneficial to those who have heard the
Call!
Know thou that the Ancient Light and the Manifest Beauty (God) hath sown
seeds in the soil of existence and hath irrigated it through His spiritual
bounties. This soil will surely bring forth good plants of divine gifts;
the leaves of this growth are love and union, its stem is the teachings of
the True One and His supreme laws, and the grain pods are the heavenly
blessings which giveth life to the souls. Depend thou on these! Depend
thou on these! Depend thou on this, and abandon every imagination and be
attracted to the light of reality and discover both the divine truths and
physical truths!
also, know thou that the greatest spiritual and divine "chaplet" is the
Word of God and the Sun of Truth which penetrateth the reality of the
created things and attracteth the entire soul of man in the world of
existence and shineth forth unto all horizons (or regions). Hast thou ever
perceived a greater "chaplet" than this? No! by the Splendor of Baha'!
Verily, I yearn for the visit of those souls who are cheered, dilated and
moved by and attracted to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
"O thou who art awakened to the Cause of God!..."
O thou who art awakened to the Cause of God!
Verily, I read thy letter and my heart was rejoiced at thine interesting
words; and I thanked God for He hath favored those souls who earnestly
desire to guard His strongly fortified fortress and His inaccessible cave
and who love unity, affinity, harmony and accord and who agree on one
opinion, one idea and one word. This behooveth the sincere souls! This
behooveth such as believe in the divine unity! This behooveth such as are
firm and steadfast in the Covenant, which is throbbing within the heart of
the whole creation!
Be ye guardians of the throne of the Kingdom of God and armies of defense
for the Religion of God. Whenever ye find someone desiring to separate
himself from the flock, it is incumbent upon you to treat him with
fragrance and kindness and persuade and encourage him, so that this
secluded sheep may return to the flock.
Verily, thy Lord loveth union and hateth discord; for the appearance of
the Holy Manifestations and divine laws is only for the sake of affinity,
union and concord, so that the remote, contradictory and different nations
and creeds may enter under the shadow of the Blessed Tree in unanimous
love and agreement.
I bed of god to confirm all of His dearly beloved ones in one opinion, one
belief, one movement, one path and one manner. This is that by which the
station of the beloved ones will be elevated, the Word of God will be
promoted, the fragrances of God will be diffused and the faces of the
sincere ones will be illuminated in the path of God. It is incumbent upon
you to practice these [instructions] under all aspects and circumstances.
As to the manifestation of the Greatest Name (Baha'o'llah): This was the
Divine Manifestation which appeared upon the earthly world. This is He
whom God promised in all His Books and Scriptures, such as the Bible, the
gospels and the Koran. All of these Books indicate this fact, and the
least doubt cannot possibly occur to the minds concerning this clear fact,
as is recorded in detail in the heavenly Books, especially in the
brilliant and holy Tablets. But notwithstanding this fact, if there is
anyone who hesitates therein, do not dispute with him, nay rather prove
this to him with all joy and fragrance, lest he may be obstinately
compelled to rebellion.
"O my God! O my God!..."
O my God! O my God!
Praise be unto Thee! for Thou hast created me of the most excellent
fabric, in the most honored form, and in the most exalted kind of Thy
creation; didst nurture me from the breast of Thy favor, didst nurse me in
the bosom of Thy mercy, until I grew up under the protection of Thy
divinity, in the cradle of Thy training, and reached full growth through
Thy favor and grace. Then Thou hast made me to experience various
circumstances and suffer countless calamities, afflictions and troubles in
myself and griefs in my soul. Thou hast (finally) guided me to the
fountain of Thy favor and illumined my sight through the light of Thy
guidance, quickened by spirit with Thy fragrances of holiness and moved my
heart with the breeze of the garden of Thy favor. Then I became rejoiced
at the appearance of Thy Beauty, the rising of Thy Lights and the dawning
of the morn of Thy Oneness. Thou hast delivered me from the depths of
sorrows, saved me from the darkness of griefs and dilated my breast by
showing unto me Thy greatest Signs in the Day of Resurrection. O my Lord!
Engage me in Thy love, [enable me] to cut myself from aught else save
Thee, to be consumed with the love of Thy Beauty, to burn with the fire of
love for Thy Face, so that I may be entirely drawn unto Thee and become
enkindled by the fire ablaze in the Sinaiatic Tree. O my Lord! Verily,
with Thee I am free from all else, while turning unto Thy Glorious
Kingdom. Deliver me from every gloomy sorrow; shelter me under the
protection of Thy greatest favor; save me from my attachment to this
inferior world. O my Lord! Verily, I am humble; elevate me through Thy
greatest bounty! I am poor; enrich me by Thine abundant treasury! I am
ill; heal me by Thy precious antidote and make me as a sign of Thy favor
among Thy maid-servants! Verily, Thou art powerful to do that which Thou
willest! Verily, Thou art Potent and Mighty!
"O my Lord! O my Lord!..."
O my Lord! O my Lord!
Verily, I am one of Thy maid-servants, supplicating humbly before the Door
of Thy Singleness, beseeching and humbling myself to Thee! O my Lord!
Thanks be unto Thee for Thy greatest guidance and Thy greatest favor,
which Thou hast assigned unto me and unto Thy worshipping maid-servants,
whom Thou hast chosen to enter Thine exalted Kingdom and abide in Thy
Paradise of El-Abha. O my Lord! Sanctify me from every worldly station in
this primal life and purify me from all else save Thee, O Thou Great
Giver! Exhilarate me with the wine of Thy love, O Thou Brilliant
Countenance! Intoxicate me with the wine of sanctity, purity, unity and
singleness, O Thou who attractest the hearts of the righteous by the
magnet of favors, unto the Kingdom of El-Abha! O my Lord! Cause me to
speak Thy praise, illumine my sight through the light of Thy knowledge,
cause me to hear Thy Call, and quicken me with the spirit of Thy grace.
Make me rejoiced at the melodies of the birds of Thy holiness, and make me
a servant to Thy maid-servants. Cause my soul to be tranquilized, my heart
attached, and my mind drawn to the light of thy guidance, which is shining
unto all regions; so that I may walk in the path of Thy good pleasure,
yield to Thy decree and be rejoiced at the most violent calamities, and
that my breast may become dilated during every tribulation, even though
the suffering is beyond endurance. Verily, thou art the Holy, the Pure,
the Potent, the Powerful, the Exalted, the Great!
"My Lord! My Lord!..."
My Lord! My Lord!
Thou hast caused me to hear the Call, guided me unto the sea of favor,
awakened me through Thy fragrant breeze, and quickened me by the spirit of
Thy greatest guidance. I thank and praise Thee for this. O my Lord! O my
Lord! Verily, I am athirst; do cause me to drink from the fountain of Thy
grace. O my Lord! O my Lord! Verily, I am ill; do heal me by the antidote
of Thy mercy. O my Lord! O my Lord! Verily, I am sick; do Thou cure me
through Thy favor. O my Lord! O my Lord! I am needy; do enrich me through
Thy compassion. And I am poor; render me prosperous by the treasury of Thy
Kingdom. O my Lord! O my Lord! Increase my hope in the court of Thy
holiness, and grant my wishes by thy favor and grace. Confirm me to
deliver Thy Cause, enable me to call in Thy Name, and cause me to show
forth the proofs of Thy Manifestation. Strengthen me to promote Thy Word,
dilate my breast by serving Thy maid-servants and being humble and
submissive before Thy beloved ones. O my Lord! Verily, I am impotent; do
strengthen me by Thy power. I am lost in indigence; do confer on me Thy
greatest favor. Make me as one of the maid-servants who diffuse Thy
fragrances, who worship Thy Kingdom, who bow down in the
worshipping-places of Thy unity, who kneel down on every dust which is
related to the threshold of Thy beloved ones, and who serve in Thy
vineyard, speak Thy praise and are attracted to Thy love. Verily, Thou are
the Giver, the Powerful, the Mighty!
"O my God! O my God!..."
O my God! O my God!
This, thy servant, is turning unto Thee, relying upon Thee and is
believing in Thee and in Thy great signs. He hath indeed traversed lands
and seas, desiring to reach Thy brilliant Holy Land and Thy perfuming
dust, and hath advanced toward the lofty court of Thy mercy to worship
Thine Exalted Word. O my God! Assist him, through the One Mighty in Power,
to obey Thy command, to walk in the path of Thy good pleasure to
supplicate before the Kingdom of Thy Oneness, to become severed from all
else save Thee, to beseech Thy might, to be consumed by Thy love and to
spread Thy commemoration, O Thou who grantest the wishes of every
supplicant! Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty!
"O my God! O my God!..."
O my God! O my God!
This, Thy servant, hath advanced toward Thee, is passionately wandering in
the desert of Thy love, walking in the path of Thy service, anticipating
Thy favors, hoping for Thy bounty, relying upon Thy Kingdom, and being
exhilarated with the wine of Thy gift. O my God! Increase his fervor in
Thy passion, his constancy in Thy praise and his ardor in Thy love.
Verily, Thou art the Beneficient and endowed with great bounty! There is
no God but Thee, the Forgiving, the Merciful!
"O my Lord! O my Lord!..."
O my Lord! O my Lord!
This is a lamp lighted by the fire of Thy love and ablaze with the flame
which is ignited in the tree of Thy mercy. O my Lord! Increase his
enkindlement, heat and flame, with the fire which is kindled in the Sinai
of Thy Manifestation. Verily, Thou art the Confirmer, the Assister, the
Powerful, the Generous, the Loving!
"O my Lord, my Beloved, my Desire!..."
O my Lord, my Beloved, my Desire!
Befriend me in my loneliness and accompany me in my exile; remove my
sorrow, cause me to be devoted to Thy Beauty, withdraw me from all else
save Thee, attract me through Thy fragrances of holiness, cause me to be
associated in Thy Kingdom with those who are severed from all else save
Thee and who long to serve Thy Sacred Threshold and who stand to work in
Thy Cause, and enable me to be one of Thy maid-servants who have attained
to Thy good pleasure. verily, Thou art the Gracious, the Generous!
"O my Lord!..."
O my Lord!(279)
Thou knowest that the people are encircled with pain and calamities and
are environed with hardships and trouble. Every trial doth attack man and
every dire adversity doth assail him like unto the assault of a serpent.
There is no shelter and asylum for him except under the wing of Thy
protection, preservation, guard and custody.
O Thou the Merciful One! O my Lord! Make Thy protection my armory, Thy
preservation my shield, humbleness before the door of Thy Oneness my
guard, and Thy custody and defense my fortress and abode. Preserve me from
the suggestions of myself and desire, and guard me from every sickness,
trial, difficulty and ordeal.
Verily, Thou art the Protector, the Guardian, the Preserver, the Sufficer,
and verily, Thou art the Merciful of the Most Merciful!
"O thou who art advancing unto God!..."
O thou who art advancing unto God!
Verily, I read thy letter and noted its contents. Rest assured in the
bounty of thy Lord. Verily, He confirmeth whomsoever He willeth in all
aspects and conditions.
I supplicate God to sustain thee and thine honorable husband, to open for
you the door of comfort and rest and protect you from the harm of every
hateful one.
If thou wishest to guide the souls, it is incumbent on thee to be firm, to
be good and to be imbued with praiseworthy attributes and divine qualities
under all circumstances. Be a sign of love, a manifestation of mercy, a
fountain of tenderness, kind-hearted, good to all and gentle to the
servants of God, and especially to those who bear relation to thee, both
men and women. Bear every ordeal that befalleth thee from the people and
confront them not save with kindness, with great love and good wishes.
"O thou lamp glowing with the fire of the Love of..."