"O thou who hast arisen to render service to the Cause..."
O thou who hast arisen to render service to the Cause of G.o.d in His Great Vineyard!
Verily, I have already written thee several letters, and sent them to thee at different times. Now, I address thee with such words whereby the souls of the proximate ones are rejoiced, and the faces of the sincere ones are cheered.
O my friend, verily the Cause is great and great, and the penetration of the Word of G.o.d in the temple (body) of all the regions is similar to the pervasion of the soul in a sound body.
By the life of Baha", verily, the power of the Kingdom of G.o.d hath taken hold of the pillars of the world, and hath possessed all the nations. Thou wilt surely find the standards of the Testament waving in all regions, the chanting of the verses of unity raised in exalted a.s.semblies, and the lights of the Sun of Truth and its heat dispersing the thick clouds ma.s.sed on the horizon. Be rejoiced at this glad-tidings, whereby the hearts of the sincere among the beloved are cheered.
O my friend, isolate all thy faculties and senses from every other mention and thought, and follow the example of Abdul-Baha in servitude to the Holy and Exalted Threshold. Hasten to the field of sacrifice, craving for the most great martyrdom; expend thy life and all of thy grades in love for G.o.d and in attraction to the Beauty of El-ABHA.
By G.o.d, the True One, man should seek only this bounty, inasmuch as it is everlasting, eternal, divine, spiritual, luminous and merciful. Be sanctified from all the universe, and send my greeting and praise to the spiritual leaf, the being who relies upon the grace of her Lord-the maid-servant of G.o.d, thy revered wife, and say unto her that she may address the veiled ones (those blind to the Truth), saying: "Verily, eyes are dazzled by gazing at the sun, and it is impossible to consider it because of the intensity of its rays; and verily the sea cannot be contained in a cup. The weakness of eyes does no harm to the sun, nor the smallness of the cup to the sea."
Then let her explain to the people, and make known to every questioner, by saying: "Verily, minds are limited, and the splendor of lights is so great as not to be comprehended by (man"s) reflective faculties. Ye ought to have the sigh of the heart so that ye may apprehend the reality of the mysteries of G.o.d which are deposited behind coverings."
"O thou who hast sought illumination from the Light of..."
O thou who hast sought illumination from the Light of the Guidance of G.o.d!
Verily I read thy words of thanksgiving to G.o.d for that He hath directed thee to His Kingdom, illuminated thine insight with the light of guidance, and baptized thee with the water which hath descended from heaven, with the fire which was ignited in the Sinaitic Tree, and with the Holy Spirit which quickeneth hearts and souls. Then, thank thou G.o.d for this gift whereby thy face is shining amid the concourse of Chosen Ones.
Know thou, verily, man before reaching (spiritual) maturity pa.s.ses his days and only apprehends trivial things which are clear on account of their exoteric indications, but when he attains full development, then he grasps the reality of things and their esoteric facts. Every day after maturity is equivalent to one year before it, on account of (man"s) perception, understanding apprehension and discoveries.
Now, thou hast reached development and apprehended the degree of maturity: Gaze at the grades of the existence, the realities of beings, the allegories in the epistles of G.o.d, and the mysteries in the Old and New Testament. By the life of Baha", the covering will be removed from off thee (i.e., facts will be unfolded to thee), and thou wilt be informed of that which all the philosophers and wise men are unable to apprehend.
Verily, this is a gift which G.o.d a.s.signs only to such of His chosen servants as He willeth. Verily, thy Lord will inspire thee with the mysteries of G.o.d, the Protector, the Self-subsistent.
Verily, I beseech the Lord of Hosts to increase thy faith each day over that of the previous day, to confirm thee through His Holy Spirit, to give thee capacity to partake of the lights of knowledge and wisdom, to make thee a herald of the Covenant in those regions, and to instruct thee in that which thou knowest not; so that thou mayest become a physician for bodies as well as souls, to heal bodies with the medicines which are useful and beneficial for physical (sickness), and to cure hearts and souls with that antidote which quickeneth hearts and souls.
O my friend, it is inc.u.mbent upon thee to be severed (from all else save G.o.d), to be attracted, to be sincere, and to spend thy life in the path of G.o.d. Be thou holy, spiritual, divine, lively, brilliant, G.o.dlike, sanctified, pure, with merciful character, firm in the Covenant, fluent and knowing; and gaze toward the Kingdom of El-ABHA with a heart br.i.m.m.i.n.g over with the love of G.o.d, with tears flowing the commemoration of G.o.d, with a face scintillating through the light of G.o.d, with a heart sincere to the beloved of G.o.d, and with a sword which divides truth from falsehood. By G.o.d, the True One, the Spirit of Baha" will a.s.sist thee with such strength that all the concourse of the earth will fail (to withstand).
"O my Lord, my Hope!..."
O my Lord, my Hope!(84)
Praise be unto Thee, for Thou hast sent down unto us this spiritual table, supreme benefit and heavenly blessing. O our Lord! Strengthen us to partake of this heavenly food, so that its fine essence may run through the pillars of our spiritual being and that we may thereby obtain a celestial power for serving Thy Cause, promulgating Thy signs and adorning Thy vineyard with lofty trees, the fruits whereof shall be near (to gather) and of perfuming fragrances. Verily Thou art the Possessor of great bounty! Verily Thou are the Clement, the Merciful!
"O my Lord, my Hope!..."
O my Lord, my Hope!(85)
Thanks be unto Thee for these foods and benefits. O Lord! Suffer us to ascend to Thy Kingdom and to sit at the tables of thy divine world.
Nourish us with the food of Thy meeting and cause us to attain to the sweetness of beholding Thy beauty, forasmuch as this is the utmost wish, the mightiest gift and the greatest bestowal. O Lord, O Lord! Make this feasible unto us. Verily Thou art the Beneficent, the Giver! Verily Thou art the Bestower, the Mighty, the Merciful.
"O thou seeker of the True One!..."
O thou seeker of the True One!
If thou wishest the divine knowledge and recognition, purify thy heart from all beside G.o.d, be wholly attracted to the ideal, beloved One; search for and choose Him and apply thyself to rational and authoritative arguments. For arguments are a guide to the path and by this the heart will be turned unto the Sun of Truth. And when the heart is turned unto the Sun, then the eye will be opened and will recognize the Sun through the Sun itself. Then (man) will be in no need of arguments (or proofs), for the Sun is altogether independent, and absolute independence is in need of nothing, and proofs are one of the things (of which absolute independence has no need). Be not like Thomas; be thou like Peter. I hope you will be healed physically, mentally and spiritually.
"O maid-servant of G.o.d!..."
O maid-servant of G.o.d!
Thank G.o.d, thy faith increased and thou didst become attached to the Kingdom of the Merciful. Endeavor and supplicate and pray G.o.d that, day unto day, thy firmness and steadfastness may grow and that thy countenance may radiate through the light of guidance. Thus shalt thou stand solid as an iron mountain. For firmness attracts the bounty of G.o.d and steadfastness is a magnet to receive His strength. Pray thou G.o.d for this (attainment), and I will pray to Him to awaken the two people that they may avoid alcoholic drinks.
Hypnotism hath a weak influence over bodies, but hath no result. But the power of the Kingdom of G.o.d is great. If thou canst, endeavor to obtain a share of that power.
I ask G.o.d to help [thy son] in attaining faith and a.s.surance and in directing himself to the desired One. Although young, he shall attain maturity. May the love of G.o.d take root in his heart from his youthful age.
"O thou who art a young tree in the Garden of the Love..."
O thou who art a young tree in the Garden of the Love of G.o.d!
I supplicate to G.o.d that He may develop and flourish thee with the shower of mercy, the heat and light of the Sun of Truth and the soul-imparting breeze of the Paradise of ABHA and to bestow upon thee a great limitless delicacy and freshness.
"O thou who art quickened by the Divine Fragrances!..."