"O thou friend of old and O thou incomparable companion!..."
O thou friend of old and O thou incomparable companion!
Many letters have so far been received from thee and lengthy answers have been written to them, but it is strange that they have not reached thee. I was grieved when Mr. ....... said thou hadst not received them. Therefore, I write this epistle immediately so that it may be a cause of comfort to thee.
O dear friend! Thou art more deserving than others; thou art worthy of every favor and attention. Is it possible then that I should answer others and leave thee disappointed? G.o.d forbid! Thou art an old and true believer; in faith thou hast attained precedence; thou art constantly engaged in servitude; with an eloquent tongue thou art teaching the Cause of G.o.d; thou hast become the cause of faith in others; whenever thou findest an opportunity thou dost travel and visit the believers, disseminating the fragrances of G.o.d; thou hast a soul full of glad-tidings and hast an enlightened and clear heart. I have a great attachment for thee; how is it possible then that I should disappoint thee?
I pray and supplicate G.o.d and ask for favor and help for thee. I am very desirous to behold thy face.
Convey to all the beloved of G.o.d the utmost longing on the part of Abdul-Baha.
"O Lord! O Beloved!..."
O Lord! O Beloved!
The truthful servant, Mr. ........, abandoned home, left his native land and crossed the great ocean until he reached the sh.o.r.e of the Holy Land and arrived at the Blessed Spot. He laid his head upon the threshold of the sacred dust; he implored and supplicated the Gateway of Unity and sought confirmation and strength.
Now he is returning to his native clime to serve and to spread the fragrances of the Holy Spirit.
O Lord! Confirm him, aid and strengthen him through the hosts of the Kingdom, so that he may become the cause of the spread of the Word of G.o.d, the cause of joy and happiness to the friends and the means of awakening the negligent. Thou art the Mighty and Powerful and Thou art the Precious, the Almighty, the Wise!
O thou truthful servant of the Beauty of Abha! With a power of the Kingdom, a divine attraction and a spiritual breath, return thou to that land; fill to overflowing the lives and hearts with the wine of the love of G.o.d; be the cause of joy to all and the means of unity and agreement to all; because through unity and agreement do the beloved of G.o.d hoist the standard, shine with the light of the love of G.o.d and are tender to one another.
This is the att.i.tude of the beloved of G.o.d and this is the example and life of the sons of the Kingdom of G.o.d.
"O thou herald of the Kingdom!..."
O thou herald of the Kingdom!
Thank G.o.d that thou didst come to the holy shrine, put thy head upon the holy dust, reached the gathering-place of the spiritual ones, became a member of the a.s.sembly of the Merciful, found friendship with Abdul-Baha and with the utmost love and joy spent a few days there. Then thou didst receive permission to return so that thou mayest serve the Kingdom on the continent of America and show (to the people) the way to heaven and lead them toward the Lord of Hosts. I hope that, with a divine strength and a G.o.dlike personality, with a heavenly guidance, with a divine attraction and with a spiritual zeal, thou wilt educate the people.
O thou, the firm one in the Covenant! Give my respectful greeting to thy honored wife and say to her from me: "The Jewish people were expecting the manifestation of Jesus and were at the same time attracted to Moses. When His Holiness Christ appeared, they (the Jewish people) thought that holy personality intended to take away the eternal honor of Moses. Moses, in the eye of Israel, had no equal. Now, these had never thought that a greater than him (Moses) would appear. So this way of thinking became the cause of their being kept away from the Light of Christ and they were prevented from the precious things of the Holy Spirit, notwithstanding the fact that the greatest friend of Moses was Christ and He made His Holiness Moses great in the eye of the world and made Him to be glorious in the contingent world; whereas, even now, Israel (that is, the Jews) deny His Holiness, the promised Christ, and count Him to be an enemy of His Holiness Moses and of Aaron and David; and they were kept away from the bounties of Christ. They think that no other great person like Moses could ever come upon the earth and if such a person should be sent (by G.o.d), he must come under the shadow of His Holiness Moses and promulgate the law of the Torah. This negligence on the part of the Jews became the cause of keeping away a mult.i.tude from the heavenly bounties and from the beneficence of the Holy Spirit for nineteen-hundred years.
"The Sun is ever the same, but the place whence the Sun hath appeared hath changed. Then, at Christ"s time, it appeared in the sign of Aquarius, but not it hath manifested itself from the sign of Cancer. These signs are just for an ill.u.s.tration. The sun is the same sun, no matter from what sign it may manifest itself or from what spot it may arise. Thou must look at the Sun; do not become veiled by the places from which the Sun appears."
O Mr. ........! Likewise instruct and give my love to thy dear son and say: "O dear one of Abdul-Baha! Be the son of thy father and be the fruit of that tree. Be a son that hath been born of his soul and heart and not only of the water and clay. A real son is such an one as hath branches from the spiritual part of a man. I ask G.o.d that thou mayest be at all times confirmed and strengthened."
O thou servant of Baha"! Thou hast asked regarding the political affairs.
In the United States it is necessary that the citizens shall take part in elections. This is a necessary matter and no excuse from it is possible.
My object in telling the believers that they should not interfere in the affairs of government is this: That they should not make any trouble and that they should not move against the opinion of the government, but obedience to the laws and the administration of the commonwealth is necessary. Now, as the government of America is a republican form of government, it is necessary that all the citizens shall take part in the elections of officers and take part in the affairs of the republic.
O thou firm one in the Covenant! We give thee Thahbet (the Firm) for a name, so that this name be an example of firmness and in the future thou mayest, even more than before, be confirmed in service, and upon thee be El-Baha-el-Abha!
"O thou Thahbet (Firm) in the Covenant!..."
O thou Thahbet (Firm) in the Covenant!
Thy letter was received. It indicated firmness and steadfastness; therefore, it gave me joy and gladness.
Today the greatest of all affairs in the Cause is firmness and steadfastness. A tree will not give fruit unless it be firmly rooted. A foundation will not last unless it be firm. There is nothing in this world of man greater than firmness. A soul who is firm will become a son of the Kingdom of G.o.d and will be confirmed with the power of the Holy Spirit.
For this reason I have named thee Thahbet (meaning firmness) and I ask the True One and supplicate Him that thou shalt remain firm in the Cause of G.o.d as an unshakable mountain and that the whirlwinds of test shall never have any effect upon thee; nay, rather that thou shalt be the cause of the firmness of others.
With me thou art beloved and I ask G.o.d that thou mayest become the lighthouse of guidance in those regions and that thou mayest shine with the lights of oneness in this world of man.
"O thou who art firm in the Covenant!..."
O thou who art firm in the Covenant!
The letter, which thou hast written to his honor Mirza ........, was considered.
Be thou happy! Be thou happy! that thou hast put aside rest and composure; that thou hast traveled through and visited different states and endured innumerable inconveniences so that thou might diffuse the fragrances of mysteries and perfume the nostrils of the spiritual ones. When thou wert engaged in the service of the Cause, thou wert my partner in all trials and difficulties. Thou hast been my a.s.sociate and companion and both of us were intoxicated and exhilarated with the wine of the love of G.o.d.
Praise be to G.o.d that thou hast been confirmed in the service and I have likewise been a.s.sisted in visiting the Holy Threshold. In one day(144) the world hath become another world and the chains and manacles of prison and incarceration have been broken to pieces, and Abdul-Baha hath attained to the meeting of the Holy Threshold.
Although in prison, I have experienced the utmost joy and fragrance, the heart was attracted, the spirit rejoiced, the eyes turned toward the Kingdom of G.o.d and the tongue mentioning the Name of the True One and displaying the utmost effort and endeavor in the promotion of the Word of G.o.d and the diffusion of the fragrances of G.o.d; yet, under all difficulties, there have been no shortcomings, nor hath there been any lack of enthusiasm. The call hath been raised uninterruptedly and the fragrances of holiness have been diffused through all regions and empires.
In the meeting that had been organised in Los Angeles the rays of the Sun of Truth shone forth, making it an a.s.sembly of illumination. The house of Mr. and Mrs. ........ became the nest and shelter of the birds of the Kingdom, and the house of Mrs. ......... and the residence of Miss ........ in Pasadena became the gathering-place of the Merciful and the rose-garden of realities and significances. I supplicate from the bounty and favor of His Holiness the Almighty to a.s.sist those holy souls by the invisible confirmations and that they be helped by the providence and grace of His Highness the One.
Convey on my behalf longing greeting to the brother of Mr. ........ and say: "Praise G.o.d that thou hast followed in the footsteps of thy respected brother, a.s.sociated with him and become his confidant."
Likewise announce my longing greeting to the a.s.semblies of Oakland and San Francisco. The houses of Mrs. ........ and Mrs. ........ have become the place of reading the divine verses and the nests of the nightingales of the heavenly orchard. A sweet fragrance hath reached the spirit and soul from those a.s.semblies.
Praise be to G.o.d, that in all cities the believers have met thee with the utmost attraction and thy shining face and joyful disposition became the cause of the enkindlement of the fire of their souls and hearts.
Undoubtedly thou shalt also make a trip to Green Acre.
The utmost joy was produced by the news of the purchase of the ground for the erection of the Temple. I hope that ere long they may lay the foundation.
Deliver on my behalf divine glad-tidings to the a.s.semblies in Seattle, the members of the houses of Mrs. ........ and Mrs. ........ and the a.s.semblies in Portland and Denver and say: "O ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom! Be ye thankful that although the light of guidance hath dawned from the East, yet, praise be to G.o.d, it illuminated both the East and the West! In order that glorification and thanks may be shown for these bounties, the words and actions must be in accordance with the advices and behests of His Highness Baha"o"llah. Thanks does not depend upon words but upon deeds!"