O ye who are the chosen ones of the Abha Kingdom! Praise ye the Lord of
Hosts for He, riding upon the clouds, hath come down to this world out of
the heaven of the invisible realm, so that East and West were lit by the
glory of the Sun of Truth, and the call of the Kingdom was raised, and the
heralds of the realm above, with melodies of the Concourse on high, sang
out the glad tidings of the Coming. Then the whole world of being did
quiver for joy, and still the people, even as the Messiah saith, slept on:
for the day of the Manifestation, when the Lord of Hosts descended, found
them wrapped in the slumber of unknowing. As He saith in the Gospel, My
coming is even as when the thief is in the house, and the goodman of the
house watcheth not.
From amongst all mankind hath He chosen you, and your eyes have been
opened to the light of guidance and your ears attuned to the music of the
Company above; and blessed by abounding grace, your hearts and souls have
been born into new life. Thank ye and praise ye God that the hand of
infinite bestowals hath set upon your heads this gem-studded crown, this
crown whose lustrous jewels will forever flash and sparkle down all the
reaches of time.
To thank Him for this, make ye a mighty effort, and choose for yourselves
a noble goal. Through the power of faith, obey ye the teachings of God,
and let all your actions conform to His laws. Read ye The Hidden Words,
ponder the inner meanings thereof, act in accord therewith. Read, with
close attention, the Tablets of Tarazat (Ornaments), Kalimat (Words of
Paradise), Tajalliyyat (Effulgences), I_sh_raqat (Splendours), and
Bi_sh_arat (Glad Tidings), and rise up as ye are bidden in the heavenly
teachings. Thus may each one of you be even as a candle casting its light,
the centre of attraction wherever people come together; and from you, as
from a bed of flowers, may sweet scents be shed.
Raise ye a clamour like unto a roaring sea; like a prodigal cloud, rain
down the grace of heaven. Lift up your voices and sing out the songs of
the Abha Realm. Quench ye the fires of war, lift high the banners of
peace, work for the oneness of humankind and remember that religion is the
channel of love unto all peoples. Be ye aware that the children of men are
sheep of God and He their loving Shepherd, that He careth tenderly for all
His sheep and maketh them to feed in His own green pastures of grace and
giveth them to drink from the wellspring of life. Such is the way of the
Lord. Such are His bestowals. Such, from among His teachings, is His
precept of the oneness of mankind.
The portals of His blessings are opened wide and His signs are published
abroad and the glory of truth is blazing forth; inexhaustible are the
blessings. Know ye the value of this time. Strive ye with all your hearts,
raise up your voices and shout, until this dark world be filled with
light, and this narrow place of shadows be widened out, and this dust heap
of a fleeting moment be changed into a mirror for the eternal gardens of
heaven, and this globe of earth receive its portion of celestial grace.
Then will aggression crumble away, and all that maketh for disunity be
destroyed, and the structure of oneness be raised--that the Blessed Tree
may cast its shade over east and west, and the Tabernacle of the
singleness of man be set up on the high summits, and flags that betoken
love and fellowship flutter from their staffs around the world until the
sea of truth lift high its waves, and earth bring forth the roses and
sweet herbs of blessings without end, and become from pole to pole the
Abha Paradise.
These are the counsels of 'Abdu'l-Baha. It is my hope that out of the
bestowals of the Lord of Hosts ye will become the spiritual essence and
the very radiance of humankind, binding the hearts of all with bonds of
love; that through the power of the Word of God ye will bring to life the
dead now buried in the graves of their sensual desires; that ye will, with
the rays of the Sun of Truth, restore the sight of those whose inner eye
is blind; that ye will bring spiritual healing to the spiritually sick.
These things do I hope for, out of the bounties and the bestowals of the
Beloved.
At all times do I speak of you and call you to mind. I pray unto the Lord,
and with tears I implore Him to rain down all these blessings upon you,
and gladden your hearts, and make blissful your souls, and grant you
exceeding joy and heavenly delights....
O Thou loving Provider! These souls have hearkened to the summons of the
Kingdom, and have gazed upon the glory of the Sun of Truth. They have
risen upward to the refreshing skies of love; they are enamoured of Thy
nature, and they worship Thy beauty. Unto Thee have they turned
themselves, speaking together of Thee, seeking out Thy dwelling, and
thirsting for the waterbrooks of Thy heavenly realm.
Thou art the Giver, the Bestower, the Ever-loving.