2 In the great Qur"an, G.o.d says: "Thou shalt see no difference in the creatures of G.o.d."(20) In other words, He says: From the ideal standpoint, there is no variation between the creatures of G.o.d, because they are all created by Him. From the above premise, a conclusion is drawn, that there is no difference between countries. The future of the Dominion of Canada, however, is very great, and the events connected with it infinitely glorious. It shall become the object of the glance of providence, and shall show forth the bounties of the All-Glorious.
3 "Abdu"l-Baha during his journey and sojourn through that Dominion obtained the utmost joy. Before My departure, many souls warned Me not to travel to Montreal, saying, the majority of the inhabitants are Catholics, and are in the utmost fanaticism, that they are submerged in the sea of imitations, that they have not the capability to hearken to the call of the Kingdom of G.o.d, that the veil of bigotry has so covered the eyes that they have deprived themselves from beholding the signs of the Most Great Guidance, and that the dogmas have taken possession of the hearts entirely, leaving no trace of reality. They a.s.serted that should the Sun of Reality shine with perfect splendor throughout that Dominion, the dark, impenetrable clouds of superst.i.tions have so enveloped the horizon that it would be utterly impossible for anyone to behold its rays.
4 But these stories did not have any effect on the resolution of "Abdu"l-Baha. He, trusting in G.o.d, turned his face toward Montreal. When he entered that city he observed all the doors open, he found the hearts in the utmost receptivity and the ideal power of the Kingdom of G.o.d removing every obstacle and obstruction. In the churches and meetings of that Dominion he called men to the Kingdom of G.o.d with the utmost joy, and scattered such seeds which will be irrigated with the hand of divine power. Undoubtedly those seeds will grow, becoming green and verdant, and many rich harvests will be gathered. In the promotion of the divine principles he found no antagonist and no adversary. The believers he met in that city were in the utmost spirituality, and attracted with the fragrances of G.o.d. He found that through the effort of the maidservant of G.o.d Mrs. Maxwell a number of the sons and daughters of the Kingdom in that Dominion were gathered together and a.s.sociated with each other, increasing this joyous exhilaration day by day. The time of sojourn was limited to a number of days, but the results in the future are inexhaustible. When a farmer comes into the possession of a virgin soil, in a short time he will bring under cultivation a large field. Therefore I hope that in the future Montreal may become so stirred, that the melody of the Kingdom may travel to all parts of the world from that Dominion and the breaths of the Holy Spirit may spread from that center to the East and the West of America.
5 O ye believers of G.o.d! Be not concerned with the smallness of your numbers, neither be oppressed by the mult.i.tude of an unbelieving world.
Five grains of wheat will be endued with heavenly blessing, whereas a thousand tons of tares will yield no results or effect. One fruitful tree will be conducive to the life of society, whereas a thousand forests of wild trees offer no fruits. The plain is covered with pebbles, but precious stones are rare. One pearl is better than a thousand wildernesses of sand, especially this pearl of great price, which is endowed with divine blessing. Erelong thousands of other pearls will be born from it.
When that pearl a.s.sociates and becomes the intimate of the pebbles, they also all change into pearls.
6 Again I repeat that the future of Canada, whether from a material or a spiritual standpoint, is very great. Day by day civilization and freedom shall increase. The clouds of the Kingdom will water the seeds of guidance which have been sown there. Consequently, rest ye not, seek ye no composure, attach not yourselves to the luxuries of this ephemeral world, free yourselves from every attachment, and strive with heart and soul to become fully established in the Kingdom of G.o.d. Gain ye the heavenly treasures. Day by day become ye more illumined. Draw ye nearer and nearer unto the threshold of oneness. Become ye the manifestors of spiritual favors and the dawning-places of infinite lights! If it is possible, send ye teachers to other portions of Canada; likewise, dispatch ye teachers to Greenland and the home of the Eskimos.
7 As regards the teachers, they must completely divest themselves from the old garments and be invested with a new garment. According to the statement of Christ, they must attain to the station of rebirth-that is, whereas in the first instance they were born from the womb of the mother, this time they must be born from the womb of the world of nature. Just as they are now totally unaware of the experiences of the fetal world, they must also forget entirely the defects of the world of nature. They must be baptized with the water of life, the fire of the love of G.o.d and the breaths of the Holy Spirit; be satisfied with little food, but take a large portion from the heavenly table. They must disengage themselves from temptation and covetousness, and be filled with the spirit. Through the effect of their pure breath, they must change the stone into the brilliant ruby and the sh.e.l.l into pearl. Like unto the cloud of vernal shower, they must transform the black soil into the rose garden and orchard. They must make the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, the extinguished one enkindled and set aglow, and the dead quickened.
8 Upon you be greeting and praise!
PRAISE be to Thee, O my G.o.d! These are Thy servants who are attracted by the fragrances of Thy mercifulness, are enkindled by the fire burning in the tree of Thy singleness, and whose eyes are brightened by beholding the splendors of the light shining in the Sinai of Thy oneness.
O Lord! Loose their tongues to make mention of Thee amongst Thy people, suffer them to speak forth Thy praise through Thy grace and loving-kindness, a.s.sist them with the cohorts of Thine angels, strengthen their loins in Thy service, and make them the signs of Thy guidance amongst Thy creatures.
Verily, Thou art the All-Powerful, the Most Exalted, the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Merciful.
The spreaders of the fragrances of G.o.d should recite this prayer every morning:
O G.o.d, my G.o.d! Thou beholdest this weak one begging for celestial strength, this poor one craving Thy heavenly treasures, this thirsty one longing for the fountain of eternal life, this afflicted one yearning for Thy promised healing through Thy boundless mercy which Thou hast destined for Thy chosen servants in Thy kingdom on high.
O Lord! I have no helper save Thee, no shelter besides Thee, and no sustainer except Thee. a.s.sist me with Thine angels to diffuse Thy holy fragrances and to spread abroad Thy teachings amongst the choicest of Thy people.
O my Lord! Suffer me to be detached from aught else save Thee, to hold fast to the hem of Thy bounty, to be wholly devoted to Thy Faith, to remain fast and firm in Thy love and to observe what Thou hast prescribed in Thy Book.
Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the Omnipotent.
14: TABLET TO THE BAHa"iS OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
_Revealed on March 8, 1917, in the summerhouse (Isma"il aqa"s room) at "Abdu"l-Baha"s house in Haifa, and addressed to the Baha"is of the United States and Canada. _
1
_He is G.o.d!_
O ye heavenly souls, sons and daughters of the Kingdom:
2 G.o.d says in the Qur"an: "Take ye hold of the Cord of G.o.d, all of you, and become ye not disunited."(21)
3 In the contingent world there are many collective centers which are conducive to a.s.sociation and unity between the children of men. For example, patriotism is a collective center; nationalism is a collective center; ident.i.ty of interests is a collective center; political alliance is a collective center; the union of ideals is a collective center, and the prosperity of the world of humanity is dependent upon the organization and promotion of the collective centers. Nevertheless, all the above inst.i.tutions are, in reality, the matter and not the substance, accidental and not eternal-temporary and not everlasting. With the appearance of great revolutions and upheavals, all these collective centers are swept away. But the Collective Center of the Kingdom, embodying the inst.i.tutions and divine teachings, is the eternal Collective Center. It establishes relationship between the East and the West, organizes the oneness of the world of humanity, and destroys the foundation of differences. It overcomes and includes all the other collective centers. Like unto the ray of the sun, it dispels entirely the darkness encompa.s.sing all the regions, bestows ideal life, and causes the effulgence of divine illumination.
Through the breaths of the Holy Spirit it performs miracles; the Orient and the Occident embrace each other, the North and South become intimates and a.s.sociates, conflicting and contending opinions disappear, antagonistic aims are brushed aside, the law of the struggle for existence is abrogated, and the canopy of the oneness of the world of humanity is raised on the apex of the globe, casting its shade over all the races of men. Consequently, the real Collective Center is the body of the divine teachings, which include all the degrees and embrace all the universal relations and necessary laws of humanity.
4 Consider! The people of the East and the West were in the utmost strangeness. Now to what a high degree they are acquainted with each other and united together! How far are the inhabitants of Persia from the remotest countries of America! And now observe how great has been the influence of the heavenly power, for the distance of thousands of miles has become identical with one step! How various nations that have had no relations or similarity with each other are now united and agreed through this divine potency! Indeed to G.o.d belongs power in the past and in the future! And verily G.o.d is powerful over all things!
5 Consider the flowers of a garden. Though differing in kind, color, form, and shape, yet, inasmuch as they are refreshed by the waters of one spring, revived by the breath of one wind, invigorated by the rays of one sun, this diversity increaseth their charm, and addeth unto their beauty.
How unpleasing to the eye if all the flowers and plants, the leaves and blossoms, the fruits, the branches and the trees of that garden were all of the same shape and color! Diversity of hues, form and shape, enricheth and adorneth the garden, and heighteneth the effect thereof. In like manner, when divers shades of thought, temperament and character, are brought together under the power and influence of one central agency, the beauty and glory of human perfection will be revealed and made manifest.
Naught but the celestial potency of the Word of G.o.d, which ruleth and transcendeth the realities of all things, is capable of harmonizing the divergent thoughts, sentiments, ideas, and convictions of the children of men.
6 Therefore, the believers of G.o.d throughout all the republics of America, through the divine power, must become the cause of the promotion of heavenly teachings and the establishment of the oneness of humanity. Every one of the important souls must arise, blowing over all parts of America the breath of life, conferring upon the people a new spirit, baptizing them with the fire of the love of G.o.d, the water of life, and the breaths of the Holy Spirit so that the second birth may become realized. For it is written in the Gospel: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."(22)
7 Therefore, O ye believers of G.o.d in the United States and Canada! Select ye important personages, or else they by themselves, becoming severed from rest and composure of the world, may arise and travel throughout Alaska, the republic of Mexico, and south of Mexico in the Central American republics, such as Guatemala, Honduras, Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Belize; and through the great South American republics, such as Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, French Guiana, Dutch Guiana, British Guiana, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile; also in the group of the West Indies islands, such as Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and Santo Domingo, and the group of islands of the Lesser Antilles, the Islands of Bahama and the Islands of Bermuda; likewise to the islands to the east, west and north of South America, such as Trinidad, Falkland Islands, Galapags Islands, Juan Fernandez and Tobago. Visit ye especially the city of Bahia, on the eastern sh.o.r.e of Brazil. Because in the past years this city was christened with the name, BAHIA, there is no doubt that it has been through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
8 Consequently, the believers of G.o.d must display the utmost effort, upraise the divine melody throughout those regions, promulgate the heavenly teachings and waft over all the spirit of eternal life, so that those republics may become so illumined with the splendors and the effulgences of the Sun of Reality that they may become the objects of the praise and commendation of all other countries. Likewise, ye must give great attention to the Republic of Panama, for in that point the Occident and the Orient find each other united through the Panama Ca.n.a.l, and it is also situated between the two great oceans. That place will become very important in the future. The teachings, once established there, will unite the East and the West, the North and the South.
9 Hence the intention must be purified, the effort enn.o.bled and exalted, so that you may establish affinity between the hearts of the world of humanity. This glorious aim will not become realized save through the promotion of divine teachings which are the foundations of the holy religions.
10 Consider how the religions of G.o.d served the world of humanity! How the religion of Torah became conducive to the glory and honor and progress of the Israelitish nation! How the breaths of the Holy Spirit of His Holiness Christ created affinity and unity between divergent communities and quarreling families! How the sacred power of His Holiness Mu?ammad became the means of uniting and harmonizing the contentious tribes and the different clans of Peninsular Arabia-to such an extent that one thousand tribes were welded into one tribe; strife and discord were done away with; all of them unitedly and with one accord strove in advancing the cause of culture and civilization, and thus were freed from the lowest degree of degradation, soaring toward the height of everlasting glory! Is it possible to find a greater Collective Center in the phenomenal world than this? In comparison to this divine Collective Center, the national collective center, the patriotic collective center, the political collective center and the cultural and intellectual collective center are like child"s play!
11 Now strive ye that the Collective Center of the sacred religions-for the inculcation of which all the Prophets were manifested and which is no other than the spirit of the divine teachings-be spread in all parts of America, so that each one of you may shine forth from the horizon of reality like unto the morning star, divine illumination may overcome the darkness of nature, and the world of humanity may become enlightened. This is the most great work! Should you become confirmed therein, this world will become another world, the surface of the earth will become the delectable paradise, and eternal Inst.i.tutions be founded.
Let whosoever travels to different parts to teach, peruse over mountain, desert, land and sea this supplication:
O G.o.d! O G.o.d! Thou seest my weakness, lowliness and humility before Thy creatures; nevertheless, I have trusted in Thee and have arisen in the promotion of Thy teachings among Thy strong servants, relying on Thy power and might.
O Lord! I am a broken-winged bird and desire to soar in Thy limitless s.p.a.ce. How is it possible for me to do this save through Thy providence and grace, Thy confirmation and a.s.sistance.
O Lord! Have pity on my weakness, and strengthen me with Thy power. O Lord! Have pity on my impotence, and a.s.sist me with Thy might and majesty.
O Lord! Should the breath of the Holy Spirit confirm the weakest of creatures, he would attain all to which he aspireth and would possess anything he desireth. Indeed, Thou hast a.s.sisted Thy servants in the past and, though they were the weakest of Thy creatures, the lowliest of Thy servants and the most insignificant of those who lived upon the earth, through Thy sanction and potency they took precedence over the most glorious of Thy people and the most n.o.ble of mankind. Whereas formerly they were as moths, they became as royal falcons, and whereas before they were as brooks, they became as seas, through Thy bestowal and Thy mercy.
They became, through Thy most great favor, stars shining on the horizon of guidance, birds singing in the rose gardens of immortality, lions roaring in the forests of knowledge and wisdom, and whales swimming in the oceans of life.
Verily, Thou art the Clement, the Powerful, the Mighty, and the Most Merciful of the merciful.