O ye, God’s loved ones! Experience hath shown how greatly
the renouncing of smoking, of intoxicating drink, and of opium, conduceth to
health and vigour, to the expansion and keenness of the mind and to bodily
strength. There is today a people [1] who strictly avoid tobacco, intoxicating
liquor and opium. This people is far and away superior to the others, for
strength and physical courage, for health, beauty and comeliness. A single one
of their men can stand up to ten men of another tribe. This hath proved true of
the entire people: that is, member for member, each individual of this
community is in every respect superior to the individuals of other communities.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)
[1] Possibly ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was referring to the Sikhs; the
description appears to apply to them.
