"O thou who art attracted to the Holy Spirit!..."
O thou who art attracted to the Holy Spirit!
It is some time since news hath come from thee, though I have the utmost kindness toward that favored maid-servant of the Threshold of the Almighty. I beg of G.o.d that the power of the Spirit will cause in thee such an ecstasy and attraction that thou mayest be the cause of everlasting life to the seekers; mayest hold a cup of the knowledge of G.o.d in thy hand and give people to drink the wine of the love of G.o.d; that thou mayest exhilarate the souls, awaken the heedless, bring the ignorant to consciousness, make the blind seeing, quicken the dead, enkindle the faded souls and refresh the withered ones.
Convey greeting and praise to the favored maid-servant of G.o.d, thy revered daughter. Also, announce thou on my behalf the confirmations of the Holy Spirit unto the other maid-servants of the Merciful One.
O thou divinely attracted one! If thou wishest for the illumination of the Kingdom, exert thyself in steadfastness as much as thou canst and resist thou the tests, so that thou mayest, like unto a lamp, illumine the world and bestow everlasting life, like unto the Spirit.
"O thou flame of the Love of G.o.d!..."
O thou flame of the Love of G.o.d!
What thou hast written caused joy, for that letter was like unto a rose-garden whose roses of significances bestowed the sweet odor of the love of G.o.d upon the nostrils. Similarly, my answers to thy letters will, like unto rain and dew, bestow infinite purity and freshness upon those myrtles of significances which have blossomed in the garden of the heart.
thou hast written concerning the tests that have come upon thee. To the sincere ones, tests are as a gift from G.o.d, the Exalted, for a heroic person hasteneth, with the utmost joy and gladness, to the tests of a violent battlefield, but the coward is afraid and trembles and utters moaning and lamentation. Likewise, an expert student prepareth and memorizeth his lessons and exercises with the utmost effort, and in the day of examination he appeareth with infinite joy before the master.
Likewise, the pure gold shineth radiantly in the fire of test.
Consequently, it is made clear that for holy souls, trials are as the gift of G.o.d, the Exalted; but for weak souls they are an unexpected calamity.
This test is just as thou hast written: it removeth the rust of egotism from the mirror of the heart until the Sun of Truth may shine therein.
For, no veil is greater than egotism and no matter how thin that covering may be, yet it will finally veil man entirely and prevent him from receiving a portion from the eternal bounty.
O thou attracted maid-servant of G.o.d! When the men and maid-servants of G.o.d pa.s.s in my mind, I feel the heat of the love of G.o.d and I pray the Almighty G.o.d to a.s.sist those blessed souls with the invisible hosts.
Praise be to G.o.d! the prophecies of all the prophets have become manifest and are fulfilled in this holy and blessed age and this great day of Baha"o"llah!
O thou attracted maid-servant of G.o.d! Nearness is, in reality, of the soul, not of the body, and help and receptivity of help are spiritual, not physical. Notwithstanding this, I hope that thou mayest attain nearness in every respect. Be thou a.s.sured that the divine bounties will so encompa.s.s holy souls even as the light of the sun doth the moon and stars.
Convey thou, on behalf of Abdul-Baha, the sweet odor of the fragrances of holiness to the nostrils of each one of the friends of G.o.d and the maid-servants of the Merciful and inspire and encourage thou all of them to diffuse the fragrances of G.o.d (i.e., to teach the truth).
"O thou dear sister!..."
O thou dear sister!
The letter arrived at a time when-praise be to G.o.d! -calamities and sufferings in the path of G.o.d have surrounded us from every direction and arrows and darts are flying from every bow. But, through the love of His Holiness Baha"o"llah, we, in this intense darkness, are like unto a shining torch, and while in this tempest of calamities, we are turning toward the Kingdom of the Almighty and engaged in remembering thee. We do not consider this calamity as billows of the sea of afflictions and sufferings; nay, it is the ark of deliverance and the sh.o.r.e of peace and security.
Praise be to G.o.d! according to the commandments and exhortations of Baha"o"llah, we are the well-wisher of all governments and act toward all the nations of the world in peace and love. We have no intention but that which is good and no desire but the good pleasure of G.o.d. We mean well toward every people and seek to have sincerity and good-will toward every government. In return for arrows and swords, we present milk and honey and we heal the deadly poison with the swift healing antidote. Night and day we are in action and exertion, in order to dress the wounds and cure the pain (of the people), to care for the afflicted and comfort even the ill-natured one, so that, through the a.s.sistance and favor of G.o.d, this darkness of selfish prejudice shall vanish and the error of folly and ignorance shall be changed into divine guidance.
O thou dear sister! Whenever the daughters of the Kingdom are ready in the Presence, they become initiated into the mystery and are always companions and a.s.sociates (with us).
Convey respectful greeting to the favored maid-servant of G.o.d, Mrs.
........., and tell her: "Be thou a.s.sured in the divine favors and rejoice in the glad-tidings of the Merciful One."
I hope the maid-servants of the Merciful will day by day increase in faith and a.s.surance.
I send thee a few stones (of the Greatest Name). All the holy leaves send greeting to thee.
"O thou beloved maid-servant of G.o.d!..."
O thou beloved maid-servant of G.o.d!
Thy letter was received and it produced joy and fragrance. Its contents were of the utmost sweetness. Whatsoever thou mayest write I will read with great attention.
Praise be to G.o.d! thou hast consumed the veils and become enkindled with the fire of the love of G.o.d. thank thou G.o.d for this.
Mr. ......... hath been delighted with your city, for he hath inhaled the fragrance fo the love of G.o.d from it.
Although thy visit to Acca in the year 1899 was short, yet it was the breath of life. Later on its traces will become manifest.
I hope that the divine mysteries may become revealed to thee at all time.
Become thou engaged in teaching the truth, for the teaching of the Cause containeth the power of a magnet; it attracteth the mysteries of G.o.d.
Regarding my freedom: To me prison is freedom; to me incarceration is an open court; to me humility is identical with glory; to me adversity is a gift and death is life. I hope that thou wilt also take a portion from this sea and seek a reflection from these lights, becoming and ignited lamp so that the winds of contradiction will not blow it out, and day by day more revelation and vision may descend, and thou be enkindled more than before with the fire of the love of G.o.d.
Convey respectful greeting to the maid-servants of the Merciful One. I supplicate G.o.d that they may add to their faith and a.s.surance every moment.
"O thou sign of the Kingdom and the bird singing with..."
O thou sign of the Kingdom and the bird singing with the most wonderful melodies in the rose-garden of Paradise!
Verily, I have considered the meanings of thy brilliant letter which was of most eloquent expression and found it overflowing with praise, thanksgiving, sanctification, supplication and invocation toward the Supreme Kingdom. By my life, it was like unto a rose-garden adorned with the myrtles of realities and truths, wherefrom the pure fragrances emanated and perfumed the nostrils and dilated the hearts and souls.
O thou maid-servant of G.o.d! Display thou an effort, gird up the loins of endeavor, dilate thy breast and be thou prepared for the manifestation of the breaths of the Holy Spirit in thine heart. By G.o.d, the true One, verily, the Holy Spirit confirmeth every maid-servant who ariseth to spread the fragrances of G.o.d, so that the inhabitants of the whole world cannot overcome her spiritual strength-for similar things have happened in the past centuries.
O thou maid-servant of G.o.d! Celebrate the praises of G.o.d; become thou engaged with His mentioning like unto the tempestuous and roaring torrent rushing down from the mountains and hills; rend asunder the veils and coverings, so that the shining lights may become manifest to the eyes, refreshing the hearts of the righteous ones with the gentle breezes of the flowers of truth and the sweet fragrance of the dawn of eternity.
O thou maid-servant of G.o.d! Verily, the bounties of thy Lord are great and great in this glorious century and new age; the confirmations are consecutive and continuous; the rays of the Sun of Truth are shining and sparkling; the stars of guidance are gleaming and scintillating and the rains of generosity are falling and flowing! Blessing is upon the one who taketh a share from this glorious outpouring and receiveth illumination from this light which is shining forth from the firmament of ether.
O thou maid-servant of G.o.d! Blessed art thou, for the Temple of the Covenant (Abdul-Baha) hath become manifest to thee in a dream with incomparable humility and submission toward G.o.d, and that thou hast beheld that countenance overflowing with yearning, attraction and love toward the Beauty of the Almighty. Ere long thou shalt witness a great effect through this observation, whereby the spirit of life will become manifest in thee, which is now flowing in the veins of the contingent beings. Then thou shalt behold that which none have seen! At that time thou shalt fall upon the ground before G.o.d the True One, for He hath favored thee with this most great bounty.