[Today we were to depart from San Francisco. The Master's
residence was full to capacity with a multitude of friends. The power of the
Cause, the influence of the Covenant of God and the ardor of the friends were
overwhelming. What warmth and affection this gathering of true lovers generated
in the early hours of the morning! When they heard the Master coming
downstairs, everyone rose reverently. When they saw His feet on the stairs they
raised the cry of Alláh-u-Abhá, their eyes fixed intently on His face, like
sun-loving iguanas. Seeing the ardor and attraction of the friends, the Master
was deeply moved, His face transformed. He anointed all with attar of rose and
said to them:]
“Here I want to bid you farewell. This meeting and
assemblage are very moving. This is the last draught in the goblet! How
thankful we must be to the Blessed Perfection that He has brought the hearts so
near to each other. This attar that I give you is but a token of the fragrance
of the Abhá Paradise -- the best of all fragrances. I am very sad to be
separated from you and I do not know how to express it. It is not possible to
give tongue to the feelings of the heart. I am greatly moved because I saw the
love of Bahá'u'lláh in you, I witnessed the light of Bahá'u'lláh in your
beings. I am so moved that I cannot speak. I leave it to your hearts to feel
what I feel. Although I am going away from you, you have your place in my
heart. I will never forget you. When I reach the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, I shall
lay my head on the Sacred Threshold and beseech confirmation for every one of
the friends.”
- 'Abdu'l-Baha (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, from a talk, October 25, San Francisco,
USA, recorded by Mahmud Zarqani; ‘Mahmud’s Diary’)
