In this great dispensation, art (or a profession) is identical with an act of worship and this is a clear text of the Blessed Perfection. Therefore, extreme effort should be made in art and this will not prevent the teaching of the people in that region. Nay, rather, each should a.s.sist the other in art and guidance. For instance, when the studying of art is with the intention of obeying the command (of G.o.d) this study will certainly be done easily and great progress will soon be made therein; and when others discover this fragrance of spirituality in the action itself, this same will cause their awakening. Likewise, managing art with propriety will become the means of sociability and affinity; and sociability and affinity themselves tend to guide others (to the Truth).
Satisfy thy revered father and seek his pleasure,so that he may consider that thou observest his obedience more than ever. Practice the utmost love and affection.
I supplicate and beseech the Threshold of Oneness that thou mayest be confirmed and a.s.sisted.
"O thou who art rejoiced by the Divine Glad-tidings!..."
O thou who art rejoiced by the Divine Glad-tidings!
Verily I have received thy last letter and thanked G.o.d that thou didst reach Paris protected and guarded (by Him). Thank thou G.o.d that He a.s.sisted thee to behold the brilliant faces of the believers of G.o.d and favored thee to meet them in American countries. For, verily, beholding those shining countenances is a divine gift; by it the hearts are dilated, the souls are rejoiced and the spirits are attracted toward the Supreme Concourse.
Do not lament over the departure of my dearly beloved Breakwell, for verily he hath ascended to the luminous rose-garden in the Abha Kingdom, near the mercy of his Lord, the Almighty, and is crying out with the loudest voice: "O that my people knew how my Lord hath forgiven me and made me one of those who have attained (to the meeting of G.o.d)!"
O Breakwell, my beloved! Where is thy beautiful countenance and where is thy eloquent tongue? Where is thy radiant brow and where is thy brilliant face?
O Breakwell, my beloved! Where is thy enkindlement with the fire of the love of G.o.d and where is thy attraction to the fragrances of G.o.d? Where is thy utterance for the glorification of G.o.d and where is thy rising in the service of G.o.d?
O my dear, O Breakwell! Where are thy bright eyes and where are thy smiling lips? Where are thy gentle cheeks and where is thy graceful stature?
O my dear, O Breakwell! Verily thou hast abandoned this transitory world and soared upward to the Kingdom, hast attained to the grace of the Invisible Realm and sacrificed thyself to the Threshold of the Lord of Might!
O my adored one, O Breakwell! Verily thou hast left behind this physical lamp, this human gla.s.s, these earthly elements and this worldly enjoyment!
O my adored one, O Breakwell! Then thou hast ignited a light in the gla.s.s of the Supreme Concourse, hast entered the Paradise of Abha, art protected under the Shade of the Blessed Tree and hast attained to the Meeting (of the True One) in the Abode of Paradise!
O my dearly beloved, O Breakwell! Thou hast been a divine bird and, forsaking thy earthly nest, thou hast soared toward the holy rose-garden of the Divine Kingdom and obtained a luminous station there!
O my dearly beloved, O Breakwell! Verily thou art like unto he birds, chanting the verses of thy Lord, the Forgiving, for thou wert a thankful servant; therefore thou hast entered (into the realm beyond) with joy and happiness!
O my beloved, O Breakwell! Verily thy Lord hath chosen thee for His love, guided thee to the Court of His Holiness, caused thee to enter into the Rizwan(211) of His a.s.sociation and granted thee to behold His Beauty!
O my beloved, O Breakwell! Verily thou hast attained to the eternal life, never-ending bounty, beatific bliss and immeasurable providence!
O my beloved, O Breakwell! Thou hast become a star in the most exalted horizon, a lamp among the angels of heaven, a living spirit in the Supreme World and art established upon the throne of immortality!
O my adored one, O my Breakwell! I supplicate G.o.d to increase thy nearness and communication, to make thee enjoy thy prosperity and union (wih Him), to add to thy light and beauty and to bestow upon thee glory and majesty.
O my adored one, O my Breakwell! I mention thy name continually, I never forget thee, I pray for thee day and night and I see thee clearly and manifestly, O my adored one, O Breakwell!
***Concerning thy question whether all the souls enjoy eternal life: Know thou those souls partake of the Eternal Life in whom the Spirit of Life is breathed from the Presence of G.o.d and all beside them are dead-without Life, as Christ hath explained in the texts of the Gospel. Any person whose insight is opened by G.o.d seeth the souls in their stations after the disintegration of the bodies. Verily they are living and are subsisting before their Lord and he seeth also the dead souls submerged in the gulfs of mortality. Then know thou verily all the souls are created according to the nature of G.o.d and all are in the state of (unconscious) purity at the time of their births. But afterward they differ from one another insofar as they acquire excellencies or defects. Nevertheless, the creatures have different degrees in existence insofar as the creation goes, for capacities are different, but all of them are good and pure (in their essence), then afterward they are polluted and defiled. Although there are different states of creation, yet all of them are beneficial. Glance thou over the temple of man, its members and its parts. Among them there are the eye, ear, nose, mouth, hands and fingers. Notwithstanding the differences between these organs, all of them are useful in their proper spheres. But if one of them is out of order, there is need of a remedy and if the medicine does not heal, then the amputation of that member becomes necessary.
Verily I beseech G.o.d to make thee confirmed under all circ.u.mstances. Do not become despondent, neither be thou sad. Ere long thy Lord shall make thee a sign of guidance among mankind.
"O thou dear and honorable!..."
O thou dear and honorable!
I received thy last letter through his honor ........ and its contents imparted to me spiritual joy, for it indicated the high and good friendship between thee and the respectful maid-servant of G.o.d, .........
I supplicate G.o.d to increase at every moment and second your faith, a.s.surance, steadfastness and your knowledge, and likewise to create spiritual friendship and celestial love among the friends, in order that they may become a unit host and enlisted soldiers (of the Kingdom of G.o.d) with accomplishment, skillfulness, solidarity, fellowship and unison.
Verily, by this their b.r.e.a.s.t.s will become dilated, their names exalted, their faces illumined, their host confirmed and their progress, illumination, insight, knowledge, spirituality, fragrance, attraction, enkindlement, sanct.i.ty and purity promulgated.
Convey my greeting to ........ and say to her: "Verily the teachings which flowed from the lips of His Highness Christ were spiritual, celestial, heavenly and the cause of the eternal life; therefore it is explained as heavenly food and the divine table. But the philosophers who were the greatest sages of the world at that time could not realize the power of the teachings of Christ and these very philosophers were veiled from the Spirit of Christ and did not acknowledge His instructions, for their imaginations did not correspond with the apprehensions of their intellects. O what remorse is their lot by losing this Great Cause!
Consequently, the teachings of Baha" shall a.s.suredly breathe the spirit of peace, the love of G.o.d and divine compa.s.sion in the hearts of men. These universal results will become clear to those who cling to them (teachings) after experience. As to thee, consider profoundly these teachings in order that thou mayest apprehend their realities."
O my dear Mr. .........! I beseech G.o.d to grant thee the power of knowledge and understanding so that thou mayest fathom the mysteries of the teachings descended from the presence of he Glorious Lord.
"O thou spiritual son!..."
O thou spiritual son!
Verily I have received thy lettter***and its contents were known. I supplicate G.o.d to open to thee a way and prepare for thee and guide thee in thy affair.
But concerning thy marriage with the maid-servant of G.o.d, ........, do not be in a hurry. Deliberation and patience are necessary until her mother giveth her consent and thy father and mother also acquiesce. This is the divine commandment! Take thou hold of it with a true firmness. Verily this is better for thee under all circ.u.mstances! Verily thy Lord is gracious to His servants and He facilitates ere long every straight cause. But thou must submit to and rely upon G.o.d under all conditions and He will bestow upon thee that which is conducive to thy well-being. Verily He is merciful and compa.s.sionate! For how many an affair was involved in difficulty and then was straightened, and how many a problem was solved by the permission of G.o.d.
Be thou not grieved, neither be thou sad. Finish thy studies in sciences and then turn thy face unto G.o.d, asking from Him help and protection under all conditions.
"O thou dear friend!..."
O thou dear friend!
What thou hast written was perused. I beg of G.o.d that thou wilt become a.s.sisted and confirmed under all circ.u.mstances to find the ease of spirit and the happiness of consciousness, to enter under the shadow of the Tree of Life and to perfume thy nostrils from the fragrances of the holy rose-garden and to illumine thy heart with the lights of the mercy of guidance. Through the grace of His Highness, the Almighty, all the affairs become easy and feasible.
"O thou who art attracted to the Fire of the Love of..."
O thou who art attracted to the Fire of the Love of G.o.d!
I am cognizant of all thou hast written in thy letters. To attain the pleasure of G.o.d is the more important thing. Thank G.o.d thou art content with the will of G.o.d and art attached in heart to His divine wishes; and as thou art thus, all thy desires will be granted thee.