Thou hast asked
concerning the spirits of men: They are not at all annihilated—they are
immortal. The spirits of heavenly souls will find eternal life, that is, they
will attain the highest and most great stations of perfection; but the spirits
of the heedless souls, although they are eternal, yet they are in a world of
imperfection, concealment and ignorance. This is a concise answer. Contemplate
and meditate upon it, in order that thou mayest comprehend the reality of the
mysteries in detail. For instance: No matter how much the mineral has an
existence and life, yet in comparison to man, it is entirely non-existent and
deprived of life. For where man is translated from life to death, his
comparative station will be that of a mineral existence.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, vol. 3)
