When God calls a soul to a high station, it is because that
soul has capacity for that station as a gift of God, and because that soul has
supplicated to be taken into His service. No envies, jealousies, calumnies,
slanders, plots, nor schemes, will ever move God to remove a soul from its
intended place, for by the grace of God, such actions on the part of the people
are the test of the servant, testing his strength, forbearance, endurance and
sincerity under adversity. At the same time those who show forth envies,
jealousies, etc. toward a servant, are depriving themselves of their own
stations, and not another of his, for they prove by their own acts that they are
not only unworthy of being called to any station awaiting them, but also prove
that they cannot withstand the very first test -- that of rejoicing over the
success of their neighbor, at which God rejoices. Only by such a sincere joy
can the gift of God descend unto a pure heart.
(Utterances of Abdu'l-Baha in
answer to questions asked by Dr. Edward C. Getsinger during a few brief
meetings at Haifa, January 26 to February 5, 1915, and recorded by Dr.
Getsinger at the time; Star of the West, vol. 6, no. 6, June 24, 1915)
