Tablets of Abdul-Baha Abbas Part 22

Verily we read thy letter and asked for thee confirmation. Verily thy Lord will strengthen thee in great spirituality and cause thy heart to overflow with the gifts of G.o.d.

All the servants of the Merciful here convey to thee greetings and praise.

"O thou who art advanced towards G.o.d!..."

O thou who art advanced towards G.o.d!

Verily I implore G.o.d to cause thee to be a sign of the book of Genesis, declaring His mentionings and His praise among the creatures, with brilliant face, smiling mouth, dilated breast and rejoiced heart, for the manifestation of His evident glory and the appearance of His illumining Beauty from that wonderful horizon.

Surely a day will come when all thy desires will be attained and G.o.d will answer all that which thou hast prayed for in thine heart, and I beg of Him to make all that which thou hast longed for long ago very attainable.

Then thine heart will be overflowed with joy on account of such a great bounty.

"O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of G.o.d!..."

O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of G.o.d!

Verily I read thy new letter and was informed of its meanings, which proved thy lowiness to thy Glorious Lord.

Verily we promised thee, by the favor of thy Lord, last year, that thy Lord would grant thee "sight of eyes" (i.e., a son), a blessed birth.

Thanks and praise be unto G.o.d for that He granted thee a good descendant and dilated thy breast by this great bounty. It is inc.u.mbent on thee to offer many thanks to the Merciful Lord for this great favor in the world of humanity. Verily I implore unto G.o.d to make him a sign of His Kingdom, illuminated, spiritual and G.o.d-like among the children.

"O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of G.o.d!..."

O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of G.o.d!

Thank G.o.d for giving and granting thee "sight of eyes" (i.e., a son) whereby thy bosom becomes dilated and thy heart rejoiced.

Then make his name "Ruhullah" (i.e., the Spirit of G.o.d), so that the Spirit of thy Lord, the Merciful of the Merciful, will confirm him.

O maid-servant of G.o.d! Know, verily, that the one who bore similar name (i.e., Ruhullah), son of Varga, was martyred in the path of G.o.d in the twelfth year of his life. While he was beneath the unsheathed sword he called out "Ya Baha-el-ABHA!" until he was killed in the path of G.o.d.

We called thy son by this n.o.ble name so that he may have a great station in the Kingdom of G.o.d.

"O thou sincere servant of the True One!..."

O thou sincere servant of the True One!

Thy letter caused joy to the hearts. Its meanings perfumed the nostrils like unto a tender flower and a red rose. The heat of thy longing was felt and thy wish to present thyself to the blessed Threshold was recognized.

Happy art thou who hast entered this Supreme Paradise under the shadow of the Tree of Life and hast partaken of the Heavenly Table. This Servant hath also the utmost longing to see thee and hopeth that some day this wish may be attained. But in these days, owing to the sedition of these faithless ones (i.e., violators), coming to this blessed region is (subject to) great caution. Therefore, leave it to some other time and be engaged in diffusing the lights of the Sun of Truth.

Turn thou unto the Kingdom of Oneness and chant thou the verses of Singleness. Be thou invested with a robe, the embroidery of which is purity and sanct.i.ty and the woof and warp of which is the spirituality of the Mighty Lord, so that thou mayest inhale the fragrance of the divine rose-garden from the garment of the real Joseph and so divest thyself of the mantle of bodily things that angelhood and ideal spirituality become realized (in thee).

"O thou who art firm in the Covenant!..."

O thou who art firm in the Covenant!

I have seen the letter which thou hast written to Mr. ......... The opinion (expresssed therein) was very agreeable. The Spiritual Meeting of Consultation of New York must be in the utmost union and harmony with the Spiritual Meeting of Consultation of Chicago, and that which they deem advisable to publish, these two Meetings of Consultation must unitedly approve of it and deem its publication advisable. Then the Meeting of Consultation must send one copy thereof to Acca, in order that it may be also approved of here and then returned, and that the it may be printed and published.

That the two Spiritual Meetings of Chicago and New York must be in unity and harmony is very important, and when a Spiritual Meeting may be also organized in Was.h.i.+ngton in a befitting manner, these two meeting (of Chicago and New York) must be also in unity and harmony with that meeting.

To be brief, it hath been decided by the Desire of G.o.d that union and harmony may day by day increase among the friends of G.o.d and maid-servants of the Merciful One, in the West. Not until this is realized will the affairs advance by any means whatever! And the greatest means for the union and harmony of all is Spiritual Meetings. This matter is very important and is as a magnet (to attract or) for divine confirmation. If the beauty of this Divine Beloved One-that is, unity of believers-does appear in the ornament of the Kingdom of ABHA, it is certain that those countries will, in a short time, become the Paradise of ABHA and the light of Unity (or Oneness) and Singleness will s.h.i.+ne upon the whole world from the West. We(72) are endeavoring with all heart an soul, have no rest night and day, nor a moment of tranquillity, so that we may make the world of humanity the mirror of the divine unity; how much more the beloved of G.o.d! And this wish and hope shall appear and s.h.i.+ne forth at that time when the true friends of G.o.d may arise and act in accord with the teachings of the Beauty of ABHA-may my life be a sacrifice to His beloved ones! One of the teachings is that love and faithfulness must so prevail in the hearts that men may see the stranger as a friend, the sinner as an intimate fellow, may count enemies as allies, regard foes as loving comrades, call their executioner the giver of life, consider the denier as a believer and the unbeliever as a faithful one-that is, men must behave in such a manner as may befit the believers, the faithful, the friend and the confidant. If this lamp may s.h.i.+ne in a befitting manner in the a.s.semblage of the world you will find that the regions will become fragrant and the world become a delectable paradise, the surface of the earth will become an excellent garden, the world will become as one home, the different nations will become as one kind, and the peoples and nationalities of the East and West will become as one household. I hope such a day may come and such lights may dawn and such a Countenance may appear in the utmost beauty.

"O thou maid-servant of G.o.d!..."

O thou maid-servant of G.o.d!

Though thy letter was brief in words, it was ample in significance. It indicated that thy heart is illumined, thine inner sight is open and thine ear of understanding is familiar with the mystery. This is a gift from G.o.d, the Independent.

Thine expression of kindness to Miss ........ is very acceptable. Be thou kind to all on the earth, a care-taker (or helper) to every sick person, an open treasure to every indigent one; offer thou salutary water to the athirst; bestow the bread (or food) of life upon the hungered; console thou the helpless, exhort the ignorant and seek forgiveness for the sinner.

If, hereafter, thou mayest write a letter to Miss ........, deliver unto her this my message:

"O Miss ........! The Tree of Life is full of blossoms, leave and fruits!

-the shade thereof is a peace to soul and a rest to the consciousness.

Whosoever is under this Tree will certainly partake of fruit. But shade trees are many in the forest, which, though fresh and verdant, are, nevertheless, fruitless. This truth shall finally become clear and manifest unto thee."

Kiss thou the face and hair of Ruhullah on my behalf.

"O G.o.d who art without likeness!..."