Throughout the animal kingdom we do not find the creatures
separated because of color. They recognize unity of species and oneness of
kind. If we do not find color distinction drawn in a kingdom of lower
intelligence and reason, how can it be justified among human beings, especially
when we know that all have come from the same source and belong to the same
household? 
When the Beloved of all mankind ascended to the Kingdom of
Splendors, Mírzá Muhammad-Qulí [Baha’u’llah’s faithful half-brother] remained
firm in the Covenant, shunning the craft, the malice and hypocrisy which then
appeared, devoting himself entirely to God, supplicating and praying. To those
who would listen he gave wise advice; and he called to mind the days of the
Blessed Beauty and grieved over the fact that he himself lived on. After the
departure of Bahá’u’lláh, he did not draw an easeful breath; he kept company
with no one, but stayed by himself most of the time, alone in his small refuge,
burning with the fires of separation. Day by day he grew feebler, more
helpless, until at the last he soared away to the world of God. Upon him be
peace; upon him be praise and mercy, in the gardens of Heaven. His luminous
grave is in Naqíb, by Tiberias.
The histories prior to Alexander, which were based on oral
accounts current among the people, were put together later on. There are great
discrepancies among them… It is an accepted fact among historians themselves
that these histories were compiled after Alexander, and that prior to his time
history was transmitted by word of mouth. Note how extremely confused was the
history of Greece, so much so that to this day there is no agreement on the
dates related to the life of Homer, Greece’s far-famed poet. Some even maintain
that Homer never existed at all, and that the name is a fabrication.
O loved ones of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá! Praise be to God! The
fragrances of holiness are spread abroad. The pearls of bounty are scattered
everywhere. The light of guidance is resplendent. The morning-star of the
Concourse on High ascendeth. The cloud of mercy raineth down. The sun of
bestowal blazeth and dazzleth. The wind of providence bloweth, and the
fragrances of the Abhá Paradise nourish souls in the North and South. The East
is illumined, and the West scented with roses. The world is perfumed with musk.
Blessed is he who hath illumined his eyes by beholding these splendours and
whose soul hath become a garden through inhaling this musk-scented breeze.
It is my hope that through the favour and grace of the Abhá
Beauty, thou wilt fully recover thy health, and engage in serving the Cause
with all thy might. I am aware that thou art much afflicted, and in extreme
distress; but if we taste a drop from affliction’s cup, the Blessed Beauty
drank down a sea of anguish, and once we call this to mind, then every hardship
turneth into peaceful rest, and toil into merciful bliss. Then will a draught
of agony be but refreshing wine, and the tyrant’s wound only a friend’s most
gentle balm. Greetings be unto thee, and praise.
…the Torah, held to be the most ancient of histories,
existeth today in three separate versions: the Hebrew, considered authentic by
the Jews and the Protestant clergy; the Greek Septuagint, which is used as
authoritative in the Greek and other Eastern churches; and the Samaritan Torah,
the standard authority for that people. These three versions differ greatly,
one from another, even with regard to the lifetimes of the most celebrated
figures.
As to what thou didst ask regarding the history of the
philosophers: history, prior to Alexander of Greece, is extremely confused, for
it is a fact that only after Alexander did history become an orderly and
systematized discipline. One cannot, for this reason, rely upon traditions and
reported historical events that have come down from before the days of Alexander.
This is a matter thoroughly established, in the view of all authoritative
historians. How many a historical account was taken as fact in the eighteenth
century, yet the opposite was proved true in the nineteenth. No reliance, then,
can be placed upon the traditions and reports of historians which antedate
Alexander, not even with regard to ascertaining the lifetimes of leading
individuals.
O thou dear handmaid of God! Thy letter dated 6 April 1906
hath been received. Thou hast written that Mrs. Mann hath regained her health.
God be praised, this daughter of the Kingdom hath attained unto spiritual
health. A disaster to the body, when spiritual health is present, is of no
importance. That is the main thing. God be thanked, she hath attained that
great bestowal; she hath taken on immortal life.
Shouldst thou recite any of the revealed prayers, and seek
assistance from God with thy face turned towards Him, and implore Him with
devotion and fervour, thy need will be answered.
…one must close his eyes wholly to these thoughts, long for
eternal life, the sublimity of the world of humanity, the celestial
developments, the Holy Spirit, the promotion of the Word of God, the guidance
of the inhabitants of the globe, the promulgation of universal peace and the
proclamation of the oneness of the world of humanity! This is the work!
…the believers of God 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 God, 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."[1]
Be thou loving to every afflicted one, a dispeller of
sorrows to every grieved one, a refuge to every fearful one, a heavenly food to
every destitute one, a balm to every wounded one, a consolation to dejected
hearts, a blessing to unfortunate souls, a treasure to every begging one and a
succor to every lamenting one—so that thou mayest be a banner of guidance and
the essence of piety among the maid-servants of thy Supreme Lord. Verily, thy
Lord is the Beneficent, the Gracious, the Bestower!
O thou who art attracted to the Fragrances of God!
O maid-servant of God! Thy heart shall surely have
attractions and revelations through the power of the Beauty of Abha, which will
be followed by glad-tidings and signs, in every minute and instant. Verily, I
reveal unto thee in spirit and address thee in heart, a speech which will open
unto thee the doors of mysteries which are concealed behind veils. When mirrors
become pure and the lights shine, the signs of the Sun of Truth shall reflect
therein with most wonderful splendors.
O maid-servant of God! Verily, the picture (photograph) is
an indication of what is in the heart of man. There are faces which are rejoiced
and brilliant like unto the garden of paradise and faces which are dusty and
dark and are covered with the dimness of fire.
…be rejoiced at the glad-tidings of thy Lord and trust in
His great gifts, the lights of which have shone forth upon the horizons of
hearts and souls, and trust in the assistance of thy Master, and ask what thou
wishest of the gifts of thy Lord, the Unconstrained! Draw nigh unto Him with a
pure heart, cheerful face, gazing eye and a joyful spirit and plunge with thy
whole being into the sea of the love of God and forget all else save Him, so
that thou mayest be filled with such spiritual sentiments from the kingdom of
God, which will take the reins of desire from thy hands and move thee with the
power of thy Lord, just as the wind moveth a mote in the open air as it
willeth.
…infallibility as an attribute is not an essential
requirement; rather, it is a ray of the gift of infallibility which shines from
the Sun of Truth upon certain hearts and grants them a share and portion
thereof. Although these souls are not essentially infallible, yet they are
under the care, protection, and unerring guidance of God—which is to say, God
guards them from error. Thus there have been many sanctified souls who were not
themselves the Daysprings of the Most Great Infallibility, but who have nevertheless
been guarded and preserved from error under the shadow of divine care and
protection. For they were the channels of divine grace between God and man, and
if God did not preserve them from error they would have led all the faithful to
fall likewise into error, which would have wholly undermined the foundations of
the religion of God and which would be unbefitting and unworthy of His exalted
Reality.
The mission of the Prophets, the revelation of the Holy
Books, the manifestation of the heavenly Teachers and the purpose of divine
philosophy all center in the training of the human realities so that they may
become clear and pure as mirrors and reflect the light and love of the Sun of
Reality. Therefore, I hope that—whether you be in the East or the West—you will
strive with heart and soul in order that day by day the world of humanity may
become glorified, more spiritual, more sanctified; and that the splendor of the
Sun of Reality may be revealed fully in human hearts as in a mirror.
He [Mírzá Muhammad-Qulí, a loyal brother of Baha’u’llah]
kept always to his own way of being. He traveled in the company of Bahá’u’lláh;
from ‘Iráq to Constantinople he was with the convoy and at the halting-places
it was his task to pitch the tents. He served with the greatest diligence, and
did not know the meaning of lethargy or fatigue. In Constantinople as well, and
later in the Land of Mystery, Adrianople, he continued on, in one and the same
invariable condition.
It is the wish of my heart and soul that the Sun of the
divine heavens will shine with such splendour and beauty in that country that
India will become a rose-garden.... India will sweeten the palates with
delectable sweetness, will mingle ambergris and musk, and mix milk with honey.
Know thou that before maturity man liveth from day to day
and comprehendeth only such matters as are superficial and outwardly obvious.
However, when he cometh of age he understandeth the realities of things and the
inner truths. Indeed, in his comprehension, his feelings, his deductions and
his discoveries, every day of his life after maturity is equal to a year before
it.
The Prophets of God draw upon both His boundless universal
grace and His particular grace, that is, upon divine revelation and
inspiration. They foretell certain events through revelation and inspiration,
which are the heavenly splendours, the intimations of the heart, and the
scattering rays of the light of the Day-Star of Truth. This grace is like the
resplendent rays of the sun, and the hearts of the Prophets are even as
mirrors. Thus They affirm that Their words have proceeded from revelation and
inspiration.
Consider the flowers of a garden: though differing in kind,
colour, 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. Thus
when that unifying force, the penetrating influence of the Word of God, taketh
effect, the difference of customs, manners, habits, ideas, opinions and
dispositions embellisheth the world of humanity. This diversity, this
difference is like the naturally created dissimilarity and variety of the limbs
and organs of the human body, for each one contributeth to the beauty,
efficiency and perfection of the whole....
Attendance at the gatherings of the friends is specifically
to keep them alert, vigilant, loving and attracted to the divine Kingdom.
O maidservant of God! Thy letter dated 9 December 1918 was
received. Its contents were noted. Never lose thy trust in God. Be thou ever
hopeful, for the bounties of God never cease to flow upon man. If viewed from
one perspective they seem to decrease, but from another they are full and
complete. Man is under all conditions immersed in a sea of God’s blessings.
Therefore, be thou not hopeless under any circumstances, but rather be firm in
thy hope.
O living flame of heavenly love! Thine heart hath been so
fired with the love of God that from ten thousand leagues afar its warmth and
radiance may be felt and seen. The fire lit by mortal hand imparteth light and
warmth to but a little space, whereas that sacred flame which the Hand of God
hath kindled, though burning in the east, will set aflame the west and give
warmth to both the north and the south; nay, it shall rise from this world to
glow with the hottest flame in the realms on high, flooding with light the
Kingdom of eternal glory.
Mortal charm shall fade away, roses shall give way to
thorns, and beauty and youth shall live their day and be no more. But that which
eternally endureth is the Beauty of the True One, for its splendour perisheth
not and its glory lasteth for ever; its charm is all-powerful and its
attraction infinite. Well is it then with that countenance that reflecteth the
splendour of the Light of the Beloved One! The Lord be praised, thou hast been
illumined with this Light, hast acquired the pearl of true knowledge, and hast
spoken the Word of Truth.
Never is it the wish of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to see any being hurt,
nor will He make anyone to grieve; for man can receive no greater gift than
this, that he rejoice another’s heart. I beg of God that ye will be bringers of
joy, even as are the angels in Heaven.
The Divine Reality presupposes a creation, the All-Provider
presupposes a recipient of His bounty. To imagine a God without His creatures
is like imagining a king without a country and a people. A king must have a
kingdom. Could there be a king without a country and subjects? It is an
impossibility. If there had been a time when there were no country and no army,
how could we say there was a king at that time? Thus he must have had his
people. Thus, as the Divine Eternity is infinite, His creation is also without
beginning and without end. From everlasting God was the Creator, the
All-Provider, the Quickener and the Bestower. There was no time when His
attributes did not express themselves. Cessation is wholly inconceivable.