Tablets of Abdul-Baha Abbas Part 39

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

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

Thy letter was received. Thou hast expressed joy on account of thy visit to the friends of Chicago. I also yearn to visit them. At the time when ye were a.s.sembled in the house of Mrs. ........, Abdul-Baha was also present with heart and soul.

I hope that hou mayest become an incarnation of love and embodiment of spirit and personficiation of kindness and that thou mayest progress day by day in the spiritual attributes through the Beauty of ABHA.

Convey respectful greeting on my behalf to the dear and kind maid-servant of G.o.d, the a.s.sured leaf, ....... Behold thou how attracted and enkindled she is! Love and have great consideration for the attracted maid-servant of G.o.d, ......... Exercise the utmost affection and kindness toward the dear maid-servant of G.o.d, .........

O thou maid-servant of G.o.d! No one hath any way to the Reality of Deity except through the Instrumentality of the Manifestation. To suppose so is a theory and not a fact.

Convey greeting on my behalf to ........... and say: "If thou art desiring the refulgent light, add to thy love for G.o.d. If thou art begging for the breaths of the Holy Spirit, become thou engaged in the commemoration of the Beauty of ABHA. If thou art seeking everlasting glory, choose humility in the path of the True One. If thou art aspiring to eternal life, sacrifice thy soul in the way of G.o.d."

Announce my love and affection to the attracted maid-servant ......... and say: "Every eye which is weeping for the sake of the love of G.o.d is blessed; every ear which is hearing the divine call is blessed. Then may thine eyes flow with the tears of joy because of the coruscation of the fire of the heart and may thy soul and thy spirit be attracted to the Beauty of the Beloved."

Show forth kindness on my behalf to the maid-servants of the Merciful whom thou hast mentioned by name in thy letter and impart to them the glad-tidings of the Kingdom.

Give especial greeting to ........... and say: "There lie glorious meanings in the word "Allaho-ABHA.(106) I hope thou wilt discover those significances."

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

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

Thy letter was received and its contents became known. G.o.d willing, the vision will become actualized. Announce thou to ........: "Become thou a new creation and be thou patient and forbearing. Be baptized by the fire of the love of G.o.d and by the spirit of the knowledge of G.o.d, in order that thou mayest become characterized by the spiritual attributes; attain to the nature of that kind Beloved; be so enkindled that thou mayest illumine a region, become a sign of guidance and an ensign of the love of G.o.d."

O thou maid-servant of G.o.d! I know that thou hast spiritual love for Abdul-Baha and this is confirmed and beyond doubt.

Say to ........: "Leave thou the "New Thought" and seek after the New Kingdom. The "New Thought" is a part of the New Kingdom. When thou hast found the latter, thou hast found the former; nay rather, thou hast found all things."

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

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

Thy letter was received. Thou hast manifested cheerfulness and gladness on account of the news of my happiness. Abdul-Baha hath the glad-tidings of the Kingdom of ABHA. His happiness hath no sorrow in its trail and His life is not followed by any death. To him, prison is a court; to him, a tomb is a s.p.a.cious palace; to him, a well is the apex of heaven; and to him, manacles and chains are the throne of ether.

If at times he becometh sad, it is not on account of affliction and adversities, but that grief is produced from a word or an act which is against the exhortations and behests of the Blessed Perfection.

For instance: I hope that the believers of G.o.d may become the cause of the unity and agreement of the human realm, and suffer other nations and communities of the world to enter under the shade of the Canopy of Oneness. Now, when the news reacheth me that the slightest differences have crept in among the believers of G.o.d, I become sad and heartbroken.

The point is this: Afflictions and hards.h.i.+ps, ordeals or trials, do not make me weak or faint, nor do they in the slightest degree make me sad or unhappy.

Thou hast written regarding the feast *** I became very happy therefrom.

Convey greeting on my behalf to the favored maid-servant of G.o.d, .........

and say: "On that night thy house was the nest and the shelter of the birds of G.o.d. The divine melodies and the celestial lyres made that place a feast of heaven and an a.s.sembly of the Kingdom. Abdul-Baha was present there in heart and soul and was joyful and happy. Thank thou G.o.d."

Announce salutation to Mrs. ......... and say: "A thousand times, Well done! -that thou art working in the vineyard of the Kingdom and hast arisen to faithfulness and art engaged in the service of His Highness, the Almighty! Thou art helping the helpless ones and art comforting those who are instance."

Convey respectful greeting to Mrs. ......... and say: "May thy joy be unending and thy comfort and happiness everlasting! May thy life be eternal and the light of thy thought the heavenly glad-tidings."

Convey greeting and kindness to the maid-servant of G.o.d, ........, and say: "If thou art desiring an illumined house, enkindle thou therein the lamp of the love of G.o.d; and if thou art seeking after a heavenly palace, make thy house the gathering place of the believers of the Merciful One; so that the splendors of the Sun of Truth may cast therein rays spiritual and the harmony of holiness ascend to the Kingdom of ABHA."

Say to the maid-servant of G.o.d! The feast given by Mrs. ......... became highly acceptable and the respected personages who served in that feast, as did ........., Mr. ........., Mrs. ......... and Mrs. ........., are in reality worthy of all praise. They were engaged in the duty and the work of Abdul-Baha and have arisen to serve the believers of G.o.d.

Convey my greeting to his honor ......... and say: "Thou didst deliver a wonderful talk on that night. Well done! Well done! That talk was given in the West yet Abdul-Baha became happy from it in the East."

I congratulate and compliment the maid-servant of G.o.d, ........, in her firmness and steadfastness in the Cause of G.o.d. Truly, I say, she is illumined, spiritual, heavenly and celestial. She taketh care of the strangers among the friends and serveth and praiseth the servants of G.o.d.

O thou maid-servant of G.o.d! Do not be slow in the study of the Persian language and be thou engaged in the service.

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

O thou who art firm in the Covenant!

Thy letter was received. Thou hast written regarding thy trip to the Holy Land. G.o.d willing, this desire of thine will be realized.

The name Aseyeh is acceptable in the Threshold of Oneness, for the daughter of Pharaoh had this name, who, when (Moses) the Light of Guidance dawned, became confirmed by the Merciful One, left the court of Pharaoh with its grandeur and sovereignty and became perfumed with the fragrances of holiness. Then she a.s.sisted in the service of His Holiness (Moses)-upon him be peace! Also, Aseyeh was the name of my mother.

Thou hast written that thou lovest the Bible. Undoubtedly, the friends and the maid-servants of the Merciful should know the value of the Bible, for they are the ones who have discovered its real significances and have become cognizant of the hidden mystery of the Holy Book.***

Deliver my greeting to ......... and say: "I supplicate G.o.d that thou mayest gladden and rejoice the heart of ......... with the melody of the Kingdom, rend asunder the veil of her concealment, enlighten her face with the light of the Most Great Guidance and make her eyes see and her ears hear."

Say on my behalf to the maid-servant of G.o.d, ........, "The end of every (material) work is without result, because it is perishable and inconstant, but the first (real) work is attraction to the fragrance of G.o.d, enkindlement with the fire of the love of G.o.d, reading the verses of Unity and beholding the lights from the Dawning-place of Mystery.(107) After that cometh the training of the soul, purification of character and service to humanity. If thou art able to accomplish any one of these, the result is eternal and the fruit everlasting."

Thou hast written regarding thy coming to the Holy Land; do not hasten, for then thou mayest travel with comfort. It would be better not to resign from the school, nay rather, avail thyself of the opportunity during vacation time which is in the season of summer, and present thyself in this land; because thy presence in that school is fruitful. Thou shalt finally study the Persian language.***

"O thou whose breast is dilated with the Fragrances..."

O thou whose breast is dilated with the Fragrances of G.o.d!

I received thy letter which showed thine advance toward the Kingdom of G.o.d.