The contingent world is like the human
body that has grown from the embryonic state and reached maturity and
perfection. It may be said that the development of the human being from the
beginning of life to the age of maturity is but a preparation for the
appearance of the power of reason. This is the age of maturity and the time of
the manifestation of the Most Great Intellect and the Most Ancient Bounty so
that divine and material civilizations may be joined and the perfection of the
human world may dawn.
- 'Abdu'l-Baha (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, 26 September 1912, Denver,
Colorado, USA, recorded by Mahmud Zarqani; ‘Mahmud’s Diary’)
