O thou who art attracted unto the Beauty of G.o.d!
Verily I have read thy excellent letter and was gladdened by its wonderful meaning. Blessed art thou, as thou hast been kindled like a lamp by the fire of G.o.d"s love and as thou hast supplicated unto G.o.d and communicated with thy Lord with an eloquent tongue and excellent explanation.
Verily I pray unto my Lord with all humbleness, meekness, obedience and submissiveness-which demolisheth every edifice of self-exaltation-that He shall strengthen thee by the fragrances of holiness and the breath of the Spirit of Truth and cause thee to be dedicated (or severed) unto G.o.d, purged and purified from the dross of the world, holy and sanctified from carnal pa.s.sions, sacrificing thy soul to the beloved of G.o.d, contented with that which the Lord hath granted thee in the world, anxious to perform n.o.ble and good deeds while following the teachings of G.o.d, and in all things adhering to the law of G.o.d!
As G.o.d liveth! shouldest thou be honored by attaining to this station, thou wilt find thyself in the center of the Paradise (Ferdowce), the highest of paradises!
"O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of G.o.d..."
O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of G.o.d and steadfast in the Covenant of G.o.d!
Verily I read thine eloquent letter, the composition of which was beautiful, words excellent and significances interesting, and I thanked G.o.d that He hath chosen certain souls for His knowledge and love, deposited in their hearts His mysteries, manifested from their faces His lights and made them the signs of His Kingdom, the banners of His majesty, the trees of His paradise and the birds of the garden of His holiness.
O thou, my honorable friend! Verily I scented the fragrance of meekness and humbleness from the orchard of the meanings of thy letter and was caused to rejoice, smile and be made glad that G.o.d hath made thee humble and submissive to His beloved. Verily this is the greatest bounty from G.o.d and by it the breast of Abdul-Baha is dilated in this remote prison.
O friend! Verily the prison is my paradise and the chains my necklace; my balance (or testing) is my redemption (or salvation) and the castle is my fortified safety, for this imprisonment is in the path of my Lord and it is my salvation, my joy, my grat.i.tude and happiness. Verily, in calamity the face of Abdul-Baha shineth and through hardship joy is attained by this servant in all conditions.
O thou friend! Be not sorrowful because of my imprisonment and lament not for my difficulties; nay, rather ask G.o.d to increase my hardship in His path, for therein lies a wisdom which none are able to comprehend save the near angels.
O thou friend! Verily, those among the friends who were martyred in the path of G.o.d-verily this is a favor from G.o.d which He bestoweth upon whomsoever He chooses; verily G.o.d is the most bountiful!-they attained what the holy ones in the Supreme Kingdom yearned for, and quaffed the wine of grace from the bountiful hand of thy Lord the Merciful-may my spirit be a sacrifice to them!
Therefore, be not sorrowful, for in it is a great bounty for them and by it (martyrdom) the fire of the love of G.o.d is increased in glowing, the Word of G.o.d in spreading, the standard of G.o.d in elevation, the fragrances of G.o.d in diffusion, and by this blood the tree of peace is watered, the orchard of unity and harmony pruned, and by it the fragrances of holiness emanate from the Tree of Life and are being diffused in the world. Verily this is from the mercy of G.o.d, which is bestowed upon whomsover He wishes.
O friend! I implore to G.o.d to make thee a banner of the banners of the Kingdom, firm and steadfast, unshaken by the most severe winds of tests and trials in this terrestrial world; to confirm thee in the servitude of the Sublime Threshold; to guide through thee many souls and to make thee a sign of meekness and humbleness before the beloved of G.o.d, the Mighty, the Protecting!
"O thou who art arisen for the service of the Cause of..."
O thou who art arisen for the service of the Cause of G.o.d!
I received thy recent letter and rejoiced in spirit at its interesting contents which indicated thy arising for the service of the Kingdom of G.o.d, servitude unto His beloved ones and meekness and lowliness to His chosen ones.
I ask G.o.d to augment, day by day, thy zeal, attraction and glowing with the fire of G.o.d"s love; to destine for thee a glorious station (or mansion) in His great Kingdom and to open before thy face doors of success and dilation, such that hearts shall be amazed and minds astounded.
"O thou who art controlled by the attraction of the Holy..."
O thou who art controlled by the attraction of the Holy fragrances of the gardens of G.o.d"s Kingdom!
Thy brilliant letter, which thou hast sent by the beloved ........, was read by me. The bounty is of G.o.d for that He hath inspired thee with the word of fidelity and chosen thee from among those who are called, whether men or women. Therefore, thank thou thy Lord at morn and eve and glorify His praise for this favor. Verily a great favor is bestowed upon thee!
Our dear friend ......... hath arrived. He praises the beloved of G.o.d and His maid-servants and adorns the ears with the pearls of praiseworthy actions and good qualities of the elect and the faithful.
I supplicate G.o.d to enable him and every one else to serve Him in the garden of El-Abha and to help thee to be gentle, humble and submissive; to reveal Himself upon thee with the attributes of the Merciful and to grant thee a heavenly table at all times.
"O thou honored friend!..."
O thou honored friend!
Verily the sight of Providence is far reaching and the divine glance is perfect. Thou hast always been a recipient of favors and the object of the bounty of the glorious Beauty of Abha. I trust in G.o.d that thou mayest be thus aided by Him to serve His Cause and so shine as a luminous star in the horizon of His Kingdom, an illumining candle burning in the a.s.semblage of the Bahais; that thou mayest be confirmed by a power of the Kingdom and attain divine bounty and providence.
As to the question of women being chosen rather than men: In this cycle there were men who arose through a divine power and who shone forth as the sun from the dawning-point of holiness; and, likewise, there appeared certain women who became side by side with men. The expression which you quote, "Every woman who is directed to the guidance of G.o.d in this great age, will surpa.s.s men in every respect," signified that, in this age, certain women will appear who will surpa.s.s some men. It does not mean that they will surpa.s.s all the men who have given their lives as sacrifices in this Cause; for in this wonderful cycle there appeared such men as his holiness Khudoos, his holiness Bab-el-Bab, his holiness the "King of Martyrs" and his holiness the "Beloved of Martyrs," his holiness the great Vaheed(143), and such ones who have no equals in the world of existence.
If, in the letters to the maid-servants of the Merciful, there hath been written in the sense of encouragement (that form which such meanings can be inferred), the purport is that some women in the wonderful age have surpa.s.sed some men, and not that all women have surpa.s.sed all men. The members of the House of Spirituality must give unlimited encouragement to women. In this age, both men and women are in the shadow of the Word of G.o.d. Whosoever endeavors the most will attain the greatest share, be it of men or of women, of the strong or of the weak.
As to the matter of teaching and the choosing of men, the letters which I have written to the Spiritual Meeting (House of Spirituality) of which you are a member, will answer this question and will manifest the station of men who remain firm in the Covenant of G.o.d. Refer to them.
As to the number of Tablets to women, this is due to the fact that most of the letters which come to the Holy Land are from women. Rarely do letters come from men and, naturally, to women the most are written. Men are enjoined more than women to give the Message of the Cause of G.o.d and to diffuse His fragrances.
My dear friend! If thou didst know how dear thou art to Abdul-Baha, thou wouldst spread wings, and through excess of joy, soar and begin teaching all that country.
As to the question: "Whither shall we turn in our prayers?" There is an appointed center toward which one must direct himself in prayer, but at present this center is not unfolded because of wisdom. In its time this shall be announced. At present, in those regions, you should direct yourself, as formerly, to the East. The appointed and certain center will be announced in its time.
You also ask: "To whom shall we turn?" Turn to the Ancient Beauty. If it be the will of G.o.d, the blessed likeness (of the Manifestation) will be sent in its proper time, so that, in the world of the heart, thou mayest direct thyself to that holy likeness and thus be saved from imagination and phantasy. However, in the Temple (Mashrak-el-Azcar) the blessed picture must never be placed (or hung) on the wall. This you should know.
As to the subject of babes and infants and weak ones who are afflicted by the hands of oppressors: This contains great wisdom and this subject is of paramount importance. In brief, for those souls there is a recompense in another world and many details are connected with this matter. For those souls that suffering is the greatest mercy of G.o.d. Verily that mercy of the Lord is far better and preferable to all the comfort of this world and the growth and development of this place of mortality. If it be the will of G.o.d, when thou shalt be present this will be explained in detail by word of mouth.
"O thou who art firm in the Covenant!..."
O thou who art firm in the Covenant!
Your letter *** arrived at this time and was read with great care. Its contents proved a source of gladness, for it indicated firmness.
Today firmness is of the greatest favors of the merciful Lord. How many a soul who traveled in one pathway and after a time wanting firmness (or constancy) went back; yea, followed the way again until he reached the same point (as before) and arrived at the first destination. Thus did he waste his life and endeavored to set the minds (of the people) uneasy and doubtful. The opportunity and portion of these souls became an evident loss.
Thank thou G.o.d that thou art firm and constant and art abiding at the threshold of servitude. I ask G.o.d to increase daily thy faith and certainty, trust and firmness. Give thou the glad-tidings in a manner which shall set afire souls that are in lethargy, give life to them that are dead and sight to the blind.
Give greeting and praise from Abdul-Baha to all the friends of G.o.d, particularly to the maid-servant of G.o.d, the firm and steadfast Mrs.
........ . Tell her to "feel at rest; thou art ever in mind, with me and present in the gathering. G.o.d willing, I shall ask thee to come."