His Highness the Almighty hath chosen the friends from among
the concourse of men and hath specialized them with the most eminent guidance
and the highest gift; so that we may with our souls and hearts exert ourselves,
sacrifice our lives, be engaged in the guidance of the people and the training
of souls; so that the wild beasts may become the gazelles of the meadows of
unity; the wolves the sheep of God; the bloodthirsty ones the heavenly angels;
the fire of malice be extinguished and the flame of safety in the blessed
tabernacle bestow illumination; the odor of the nether realm of infidelity be
dispelled and the fragrances of the rose garden of faithfulness be diffused in
all parts; the weak draw light from the Universal Reason and evil souls seek to
be purified with the holy and divine Breath. There are needed manifestors for
this gift; farmers for this field; gardeners for this rose garden; fishers for
this sea; luminous stars for this heaven; spiritual physicians for these ill
ones, and loving guides for these wanderers; so that they may bestow a share on
those who are deprived, grant a portion to those who are shameless, give
unmeasured treasure to the indigent ones, and show forth the power of proof to
the seekers.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a Tablet, Star of the West, vol. 4, no. 1,
March 21, 1913)
