They confused the mind of the government and agitated the state authorities. From this it is evident how a prisoner in this ruined walled city would fare and how the conditions are so full of perplexity and confusion as to baffle all description! Notwithstanding, this imprisoned exile is in the utmost firmness and calmness, trusts in His Highness the Peerless God, and wishes for every calamity and affliction in the path of the love of God! (To us) the arrow of oppression is a rich flow of divine bounty, and deadly poison is a swift-healing antidote. We were in such a state when a letter came from the friends in America. The whole of its contents showed an agreement on their part to be in unity and harmony in all respects, and it was signed by all, determined to be self-sacrificing in the path of the love of God, in order thus to secure eternal life. Upon perusing that letter and looking at the name signed to it, such a joy and gladness came over Abdul-Baha as is beyond description, and he thanked God that such friends are found in that country, who in utmost joy and fragrance are in union and accord and ------------------------ 1. Revealed in response to a supplication signed by 422 believers in America and sent July 4, 1905. +P 36 one in agreement with each other. The more this Covenant is strengthened, the happier, the better, the sweeter it will be and it will thus attract the divine confirmations. If the friends of God are wishing for confirmation in order to enjoy the friendship of the Supreme Concourse, they must exert themselves to confirm and strengthen this Covenant; for the making of a covenant, and an alliance for brotherhood and unity is like unto the irrigation of the tree of life which is conducive to eternal life! Briefly, O ye friends of God! Make your feet firm, make a firm compact, and in union and accord endeavor to diffuse the fragrance of the love of God and to spread the divine teachings, in order that ye may impart life to the dead body of this world, and bestow a real healing on every one diseased (in soul). O ye friends of God! The world is like the body of man -- it hath become sick, feeble and infirm. Its eye is devoid of sight, its ear hath become destitute of hearing and its faculties of sense are entirely dissolved. The friends of God must become as wise physicians and care for and heal this sick person, in accord with the divine teachings, in order that -- God willing -- it may perchance gain health, find eternal healing and that its lost powers may be restored; and that the person of the world may find such health, freshness and purity that it will appear in the utmost beauty and charm. The first remedy is to guide the people, so that they may turn unto God, hearken unto the divine commandments and go forth with a hearing ear and seeing eye. After this swift and certain remedy hath been applied, then according to the divine teachings, they ought to +P 37 be trained in the conduct, morals and deeds of the Supreme Concourse, encouraged and inspire with the gifts of the Kingdom of ABHA. The hearts should be purified and cleansed from every trace of hatred and rancor and enabled to engage in truthfulness, conciliation, uprightness and love toward the world of humanity; so that the East and the West may embrace each other like unto two lovers, enmity and animosity may vanish from the human world and the universal peace be established! O ye friends of God! Be kind to all peoples and nations, have love for all of them, exert yourselves to purify the hearts as much as you can, and bestow abundant effort in rejoicing the souls. Be ye a sprinkling of rain to every meadow and a water of life to every tree. Be ye as fragrant musk to every nostril and a soul-refreshing breeze to every invalid. Be ye salutary water to every thirsty one, a wise guide to every one led astray, an affectionate father or mother to every orphan, and, in the utmost joy and fragrance, a son or daughter to every one bent with age. Be ye a rich treasure to every indigent one; consider love and union as a delectable paradise, and count annoyance and hostility as the torment of hell-fire. Exert with your soul; seek no rest in body; supplicate and beseech with your heart and search for divine assistance and favor, in order that ye may make this world the Paradise of ABHA and this terrestrial globe the arena of the Supreme Kingdom. If ye make an effort, it is certain that these lights will shine, this cloud of mercy shall rain, this soul-nourishing breeze shall waft, and the scent of this most fragrant musk be diffused. +P 38 O ye friends of God! Be ye not concerned with the events transpiring at this Blessed Spot, and give no thought thereto. Whatever may happen is good, for calamities are bestowal itself, hardship is the reality of mercy, discomposure is but composure of mind, and sacrifice of life is a manifest gift. Whatever may happen is a bounty from God, the Most High. Be ye engaged in your own affairs; be employed in guiding the people; train the souls in the qualities and nature of Abdul-Baha, and convey the glad-tidings of the Kingdom of ABHA to the people. Do not seek rest during night and day and sit not tranquil for a minute. Bring these glad-tidings to the hearing of mankind with the utmost exertion, and accept every calamity and affliction in your love for God and reliance on Abdul-Baha. Endure the censure of enemies and bear the reproaches of the people of oppression with patience. Follow the example of Abdul-Baha and at every moment wish to offer yourselves in the path of the Beauty of ABHA. Shine ye like unto the sun and roar and move like unto the sea; impart life to mountain and desert like unto clouds, and similar to the vernal breeze, bestow freshness, grace and elegance on the trees of human temples. O ye+F1 children of the Kingdom! It is New Year; that is to say, the rounding of the cycle of the year. A year is the expression of a cycle (of the sun); but now is the beginning of a cycle of Realty, a New Cycle, a New Age, a New Century, a ------------------------ 1. Revealed for American believers in 1906, who had sent Abdul-Baha a New Year's greeting. +P 39 New Time and a New Year. Therefore it is very blessed. I wish this blessing to appear and become manifest in the faces and characteristics of the believers, so that they, too, may become a new people, and having found new life and been baptized with fire and spirit, may make the world a new world, to the end that the old earth may disappear and the new earth appear; old ideas depart and new thoughts come; old garments be cast aside and new garments put on; ancient politics whose foundation is war be discarded and modern politics founded on peace raise the standard of victory; the new star shine and gleam and the new sun illumine and radiate; new flowers bloom; the new spring become known; the new breeze blow; the new bounty descend; the new tree give forth new fruit; the new voice become raised and this new sound reach the ears, that the new will follow the new, and all the old furnishings and adornments be cast aside and new decorations put in their places. I desire for you all that you will have this great assistance and partake of this great bounty, and that in spirit and heart you will strive and endeavor until the world of war become the world of peace; the world of darkness the world of light; satanic conduct be turned into heavenly behavior; the ruined places become built up; the sword be turne dinto the olive branch; the flash of hatred become the flame of the love of God and the noise of the gun the voice of the Kingdom; the soldiers of death the soldiers of life; all the nations of the world one nation; all races as one +P 40 race; and all national anthems harmonized into one melody. Then this material realm will be Paradise, the earth Heaven, and the world of Satan become the world of Angels. O ye+F1 Cohorts of God! A letter which was signed by you in general was received. Its content was of the utmost beauty, sweetness, eloquence and perfection. While reading it the utmost happiness was produced. It spoke of fasting during the month of the Fast. Happy is your condition for you have executed the divine command; and have arisen to fast in these blessed days. For this physical fasting is a symbol of the spiritual fasting, that is, abstaining from all carnal desires, becoming characterized with the attributes of the spiritual ones, attracted to the heavenly fragrances and enkindled with the fire of the love of God. Likewise your letter was an evidence of the union and affinity of the hearts. I hope that through the bounty and favors of the Most Glorious Lord, in this new age, the regions of the West become the East of the Sun of Truth, the believers of God become the dawning-places of lights, the manifestors of the signs, be protected and guarded from the doubts of the heedless ones, remain firm and steadfast in the Covenant and Testament, and strive day and night in order to awaken those who are asleep, to make mindful those who are heedless, to make confident of the mysteries of the Kingdom those who are deprived, to confer a ------------------------ 1. Revealed in response to a supplication signed by 489 believers in America during the period of the 19-day fast in 1906. +P 41 share from the never-ending outpouring upon those who are helpless, to become the heralds of the Kingdom and to call the inhabitants of this terrestrial world to the Celestial Realm. O ye Cohorts of God! Today in the present world each community is wandering in a wilderness, moving in accord with some passion and desire, and running to and fro in pursuance of his own imagination. Among the communities of the world, this community of the "Most Great Name" is free from every thought, keeping aloof from every project and scheme, arising with the purest designs and intentions, and striving and endeavoring with the utmost hope to live in accordance with the divine teachings in order that the surface of the earth become the delectable paradise, the nether world become the mirror of the Kingdom, the universe become another universe, and the human race attain to higher morals, conduct and manners. O ye Cohorts of God! Through the protection and help of the Blessed Perfection -- may my life be a sacrifice to His beloved ones! -- you must conduct and deport yourselves in such a manner that you may stand out among other souls distinguished by a brilliancy like unto the sun. If any one of you enters a city he must become the center of attraction because of the sincerity, faithfulness, love, honesty, fidelity, truthfulness and loving-kindness of his disposition and nature toward all the inhabitants of the world, that the people of the city may all cry out: "This person is unquestionably a Bahai; for his manners, his behaviour, his conduct, his morals, his nature and his disposition are of the attributes of the Bahais." Until you do attain to this +P 42 station, you have not fulfilled the Covenant and the Testament of God. For according to the irrefutable texts, He has taken from us a firm covenant that we may live and act in accord with the divine exhortations, commands and lordly teachings. O ye Cohorts of God! Now is the time when the signs and the perfections of the "Most Great Name" become manifest and clear in this golden cycle in order that it may become demonstrated and established beyond doubt that this period is the period of the Blessed Perfection, and this cycle is distinguished from all other cycles and epochs. O ye Cohorts of God! If you observe that a soul has turned his face completely toward the Cause of God, his intention is centralized upon the penetration of the Word of God, he is serving the Cause day and night with the utmost fidelity, no scent of selfishness is inhaled from his manners and deeds, and no trace of egotism or prejudice is seen in his personality -- nay rather is he a wanderer in the wilderness of the love of God, and one intoxicated with the wine of the knowledge of God, occupied wholly with the diffusion of the fragrances of God, and attracted to the signs of the Kingdom of God; know ye of a certainty that he is confirmed with the powers of the Kingdom, assisted by the heaven of Might; and he will shine, gleam and sparkle like unto the morning star with the utmost brilliancy and splendor from the horizon of the everlasting gift. If he is alloyed with the slightest trace of passion, desire, ostentation or self-interest, it is certain that the results of all efforts will prove fruitless, and he will become deprived and hopeless. +P 43 O ye Cohorts of God! Praise be to God! -- that the Blessed Perfection hath freed the necks from the bonds and fetters and released all from racial attachments by proclaiming, "Ye are all the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch." Be ye kind to the human world, and be ye compassionate to the race of man, deal with the strangers as you deal with the friends, be ye gentle toward the outsiders as you are toward the beloved ones, know the enemy as the friend, look upon the satan as upon the angel, receive the unjust with the utmost love like unto a faithful one, and diffuse far and wide the fragrances of the musk of the gazelles of Kheta and Khotan+F1 to the nostrils of the ravenous wolves. Become ye a shelter and asylum to the fearful ones, be ye a cause of tranquillity and cease to the souls and hearts of the agitated ones, impart ye strength to the helpless ones, be ye a remedy and antidote to the afflicted ones, and a physician and nurse to the sick ones. Serve ye for the promotion of peace and concord and establishe in this transitory world the foundation of friendship, fidelity, reconciliation and truthfulness. O ye Cohorts of God! Strive ye that this human world may be changed into a luminous realm and this mound of earth become the Paradise of ABHA. Darkness hath environed the world upon all sides. Savage tempers and inclination predominate. The human world has become the battlefield of the rapacious savages ------------------------ 1. Kheta and Khotan are two cities in China celebrated for having large numbers of musk-producing animals. The reference here symbolizes the severed and detached believers who are diffusing the fragrance of the Word of God. +P 44 and the arena of the heedless and ignorant ones. The souls are either bloodthirsty wolves or beasts with degenerate reason. They are either deadly poison, or worthless plants. There are a few souls who in reality have some humanitarian intentions and are thinking of the well-being and prosperity of human kind. You must in this instance (that is, service to humanity) sacrifice your lives, and in sacrificing your lives celebrate happiness and beatitude. O ye Cohorts of God! His Highness, the Supreme+F1 -- may my life be a sacrifice to Him! -- hath given up His life, and at every moment the Blessed Perfection+F2 in His own life sacrificed hundreds of lives, endured dire calamities and oppressions. Laden with fetters He was thrown into the dark dungeon, He was exiled and banished to distant lands and finally passed His days in the Most Great Prison+F3 . Likewise a multitude of friends drank the sweet chalice of martyrdom and sacrificed soul, possession, family and relatives for the Cause. How many houses were overthrown! How many residences were pillaged and rapined! How many magnificent palaces were turned into a desolate tomb! All these phenomena transpired only that the world of humanity may become a luminous realm; ignorance be changed into wisdom, human souls become merciful, warfare and bloodshed be destroyed to their very foundation, and the Kingdom of Peace become paramount over all men. Now strive ye, that perchance this Beloved of Hopes appear in the assemblage of the world and this Providence become a realized fact. ------------------------ 1. The BAB. 2. BAHA'O'LLAH. 3. Acca. +P 45 O ye Cohorts of God! Beware lest ye offend the feelings of anyone, or sadden the heart of any person, or move the tongue in reproach of and finding fault with anybody, whether he is friend or stranger, believer or enemy. Pray in behalf of all and entreat God for forgiveness and bounty for all. Beware, beware that any soul take revenge or retaliate over another even if he be a bloodthirsty enemy. Beware, beware that any one rebuke or reproach a soul, though he may be an ill-wisher and an ill-doer. Do ye not look upon the creature, advance ye toward the Creator. Behold ye not the rebellious people, turn your faces toward the Lord of Hosts. Look ye not upon the ground, raise your eyes to the world-illuminating Sun, which hath transformed every atom of the gloomy soil into bright and luminous substance. O ye Cohorts of God! In the ur hearts may move with joy through the fragrances of humbleness which are being diffused from the heart of Abdul-Baha. Make feet firm, strengthen hearts and rely upon the everlasting bounties which will successively pour on your from the Kingdom of El-Abha. Know, verily, the lights of Baha' will shine forth onto you during your gathering together in the brilliant Paradise. It is incumbent on you to have union and harmony. It is incumbent upon you to have affinity and accord, so that ye may become united in body and soul as the Pleiades, and as strings of brilliant pearls. Thereby your foundation will be laid, your argument will become manifest, your stars will beam forth and your souls will be comforted. When ye enter the spiritual meeting of Consultation, chant the following commune, your hearts beating with the love of God and your tongues purified from aught else save the commemoration of God; so that the Most Might Power may confirm you by the greatest assistance: O my God! O my God! We are servants who have sincerely turned our faces unto Thy grand face, severed ourselves from all else save Thee in this great day and are assembled together in this glorious meeting, of one accord and desire, and unanimous in thought to promulgate Thy Word amid Thy creatures. O my Lord! O my Lord! Suffer us to be signs of guidance, standards of Thy manifest Religion throughout the world, servants of Thy Great Covenant - O our exalted Lord! - appearances of Thy oneness in Thy +P 3 Kingdom, the El-Abha, and stars which dawn forth unto all regions. +P O Lord! Make us as seas rolling with the waves of Thy great abundance, rivers flowing from the mountains of Thy glorious Kingdom, pure fruits on the tree of Thy illustrious Cause, plants refreshed and moved by the breeze of Thy gift in Thy wonderful vineyard. O Lord! Cause our souls to depend upon the signs of Thy Oneness, our hearts to be dilated with the bounties of Thy Singleness, so that we may become united as are ripples on a waving sea; become harmonized as are the rays which shine forth from a brilliant light; so that our thoughts, opinions and feelings become as one reality from which the spirit of accord may be diffused throughout all regions. Verily Thou art the Beneficent, the Bestower! Verily Thou art the Giver, the Mighty, the Loving, the Merciful! O ye+F7 who are sincere! O ye who are attracted! O ye who are yearning! O ye who are arising for service to the Cause of God, for the promotion of the Word of God and the spreading of the Fragrances of God! Verily, I read your excellent letter, its beautiful composition, eloquent words and deep meanings. I praised God and gave glory to Him for that He hath strengthened you and confirmed you in serving His glorious vineyard. Your faces shall be enlightened with the radiance of supplication to God, invocation to Him, Humbleness and submissiveness to the friends (believers), ------------------------ 7. This Tablet is also addressed to the House of Justice. +P 4 and your assembly will be made a magnet for the lights of assistance from His Great Kingdom. It is incumbent upon you to commemorate and ponder upon the signs of God, to implore to God and to be evanescent and subservient in the Cause of God. This is what makes you the signs of guidance among the people, stars shining in the supreme horizon and thriving trees in the Paradise of El-Abha. Then know ye that Abdul-Baha is in cheerfulness and joy and in the happiness of great glad-tidings through being in this far distant prison.+F8 By the life of El-Baha! - this prison is my supreme paradise, my utmost desire, the joy of my heart and the dilation of my breast, my shelter, my asylum, my inaccessible cave and my high protection. By it I glory among the angels of heaven and the Supreme Concourse. Be rejoiced, O friends of God, with this confinement which is a cause of freedom, this prison which is a means of salvation (to many) and this suffering which is the best cause of great comfort. Verily, by God, I would not change this prison for the throne of the command of the horizons and would not exchange this confinement for all excursions and enjoyments in the gardens of the earth. Verily, I hope, through the kindness of my Lord and His mercy, bounty and generosity, to be suspended in the air in His path and that my breast may become the target to be be pierced by thousands of bullets; or that I may be cast into the bottomless seas, or thrown into the wilderness and plains of barrenness. This is my utmost aim, my supreme desire, the animation of my ------------------------ 8. Acca, Syria - the Holy Land +P 5 spirit, the healing of my bosom and the sight of my eyes. As to you, O friends of God: Make firm your feet in the Cause of God with such firmness as cannot be shaken by the most great disasters of this world. Be not troubled by anything under any condition. Be as lofty mountains, dawning stars from the horizon of existence, brilliant lamps in the assemblies of oneness and lowly souls, pure hearted, with the friends. Be signs of guidance; lights of piety; severed from the world, holding fast to the firm rope; spreaders of the spirit of life; abiders in the ark of safety; manifestations of mercy; dawning-stars of the mysteries of existence; points of revelation; day-springs of light; strengthened by the Holy Spirit; attracted toward God; sanctified from all things and from the (natural) qualities of people, and characterized with the attributes of the angels of heaven - so ye may attain to the greatest gift in this great century and new age. By the life of El-Abha! No one will obtain this great favor save he who cuts himself from this world, being attracted by the love of God, who is dead to the desires and appetites of self, sincere to God in all things and meek, humble, imploring, pleading and lowly before God. O ye who are firm in the Covenant! The report of the Spiritual Gathering, which is dated *** and sent by you, was received and its contents were a source of great fragrance and spirituality. I was glad to read the names of the revered members. +P 6 The signature of that meeting should be the Spiritual Gathering (House of Spirituality) and the wisdom therein is that hereafter the government should not infer from the term "House of Justice" that a court is signified, that it is connected with political affairs, or that at any time it will interfere with governmental affairs. Hereafter, enemies will be many. They would use this subject as a cause for disturbing the mind of the government and confusing the thoughts of the public. The intention was to make known that by the term Spiritual Gathering (House of Spirituality), that Gathering has not the least connection with material matters, and that its whole aim and consultation is confined to matters connected with spiritual affairs. The was also instructed (performed) in all Persia.*** O my God! O my God! These are servants who have turned to Thy Kingdom and hearkened unto Thy voice. Their hearts were dilated by Thy call, responded unto Thy summons, were attracted unto Thy beauty, acknowledged Thy proofs, believed in Thy signs, confessed Thy Oneness and arose for the service of Thy Cause and the promotion of Thy Word. O Lord! O Lord! Make them lamps of guidance, lights glistening in the supreme apex, sparkling stars in heaven, holy angels moving on earth and thriving trees bearing delicious and fragrant fruits. O Lord! O Lord! Purify their qualities, clarify their consciousness, cleanse their hearts and illumine +P 7 their faces. Verily Thou art the Powerful, the Precious, the Protecting! O ye spiritual ones! The rules for election are those which are customary in that country. The period of election is five years. O Lord! O Lord! Bless this Spiritual Gathering, strengthen them by Thy power for the spreading of Thy divine fragrances, cause them to follow Thy will which is effective in the realities of all things, and aid them by a confirmation such as never hath preceded to any one in former centuries.+F9 For these are servants of Thy servants and Thou hast crowned them them with this diadem, the most luminous (Abha) gems of which will shine unto all the horizons. Verily Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the Giver! O ye who are sincere! O ye who are firm! O ye who are steadfast! Verily, I received a letter from that brilliant body and Spiritual Gathering - those who have arisen and called out for the Kingdom of God among the peoples of America. Verily, know with certain knowledge that ye will be confirmed by hosts from the Kingdom of El-Abha and with inspirations from the Supreme Concourse in the promotion of the Word of God. Verily, Abdul-Baha is with you and supplicates unto God, desiring His heavenly blessings to surround you, His divine favors to encompass you, the appearances of the Sun of Truth ------------------------ 9. i.e., such as hath no precedent in any former age. +P 8 to shine in your hearts, the glad tidings of God to rejoice your spirits, the fragrances of holiness to perfume your nostrils, the verses of guidance to be chanted in your gatherings, and the lamp of the Supreme Concourse to illumine your meetings. Know with real assurance that this light will encompass the horizons (the world) with great brilliancy. I ask God to make ye lamps ignited by the great Light, so that ye may stand with all power, meekness, humbleness, sacrifice and self-resignation and thus become examples for the people and pure types for the world, be salt of the earth, stars of guidance, great trees with broad foliage and excellent fruits of fragrant scent, growing by the bounty of the cloud of the Kingdom of El-Abha. I praise God that ye were firm in faithfulness in that ye testified and acknowledged the efforts which Mirza Assa Ullah+F10manifested in spreading the fragrances of God and that ye thanked him for his labor and teaching for you, and this is what gladdens the heart of Abdul-Baha. O thou+F11who art attracted by the Fragrances of God! Verily I say unto thee the truth, that I am with you in spirit and in heart, that I rejoice by your joy and am happy by your happiness; and hear with the ear of spirit your ------------------------ 10. A renowned Bahai teacher sent by Abdul-Baha in 1901 to America, and who organized the House of Justice (House of Spirituality) in September of that year. 11. Addressed to the Secretary of the House of Spirituality. +P 9 calling and scent with the spiritual nostrils the fragrances of your garden. O ye friends of God! Arise from the corporeal beds (bodies) and ask for the divine favors, so that ye become revived by the Holy Spirit through the breath which the Spirit breathes into the souls. By the glory of my Lord, there will be for your brilliant assemblage an evident sign and great effects in the spirits and the hearts. Therefore, gladden the friends of the Merciful with the glad-tidings of thy Lord in this time, and convey to them greeting from Abdul-Baha in this promised century, so that they may arise with me in servitude to the Threshold of El-Baha. O ye servants of the Threshold of God! The weekly reports of *** were received and I was informed of their beautiful meanings which proved firmness and steadfastness in the Cause of God and solidity in the Covenant of God. Through the favor and providence of the Beauty+F12of Abha I trust that Spiritual Gathering will develop day by day and will be reinforced by the strength of God. Communication with the friends of God in other countries is a source of fragrant spirituality. O ye members of the Spiritual Gathering! Appreciate this favor. This is the glorious crown of the Kingdom, which, in this century, the Hand of the Great Favor has placed on your head, and the gems of this brilliant diadem will surely glisten unto all centuries. Thank God that ye became a manifestation of such favor and are addressed by such speech. ------------------------ 12. Baha'o'llah. +P 10 O ye friends of Abdul-Baha! Verily I read your reports with great joy. They are a cause of spirituality and fragrance and a source of dilation of souls. If this Spiritual Meeting, by the divine fragrance and heavenly confirmation, be firmly established (or continued) it will become a source of great signs and will be confirmed in matters of paramount importance. The Spiritual Meetings, which are organized in this cycle of God and this divine century, have never had their simile or likeness in bygone cycles. For the great meetings (organizations) were under the protection of aristocratic men, while these meetings (or organizations) are under the protection of the bounty of El-Abha. The helper or supporter of those (organizations) was either a prince or a king; either a priest was the principal, or a great republic (the cause); but the Helper, the Assistant, the Confirmer and the Inspirer of these spiritual meetings (or organizations) is His Majesty the Everlasting God. Consider not the present condition, but rather foresee the future and the end. A seed in the beginning is very small, but in the end a great tree. One should not consider the seed, but the tree and its abundance of blossoms, leaves and fruits. Consider the days of Jesus, when there was only a small body of people, and then observe the great tree which grew from that seed and what an abundant fruit it produced. This is greater than that, forasmuch as it is the calling of the Lord of Hosts and the Voice of the Trumpet of the Living God; it is the summons unto the harmony and unison of the world, and it is the banner +P 11 of faithfulness, trustworthiness and friendship among the difference nations and sects of the universe; it is the light of the Sun of Truth and the spirituality of the Majestic One. Verily this great cycle (dispensation) will encompass all the horizons and ultimately all the nations will gather together under this standard. Therefore, know the importance of this seed which was planted in the divine field by the heavenly Gardener, watered with the rain of grace and nurtured by the heat and light of the Sun of Truth. Thus, O ye friends of God, give thanks unto His Majesty, the One, that ye became (or were made) the manifestation of such a gift and the recipient of such favor. Blessed are ye! Good-tidings unto you for this great blessing! O ye who are sincere! O ye who are firm in the Covenant of God in this new cycle! Verily I praise God for that He confirmed you in the service of the Cause of God in His great vineyard. Write to Mrs. ........ and convey to her greetings and praise and say to her that her Lord will aid and strengthen her in attaining her desire. Convey my greeting and salutation unto the maidservant of God, the attracted one, Mrs. ........, the respected. I ask God to make her a spreader of the new Gospel, an utterer in praise of her Lord in that vast region. Convey my kindness and love unto the maid-servant of God, who is thrilled by the fragrances of God, Miss ........ of [that place] so that she may be rejoiced by my greeting to her, the fullness of my favor, and +P 12 that she may be drawn by the love of God even as the magnet attracts the iron. O my precious friends in the Kingdom of God, the members of the Spiritual Meeting! Communicate with all parts of Persia; write replies to the letters which are sent to you, with all joy, happiness, fragrance and spirituality; because the friends of God in Persia are all rejoiced in commemorating you in the meetings and assemblies, in houses and Mashrak-el-Azcars.+F13 O ye who are attracted by the Fragrances of God! Verily I read your letters which uttered your steadfastness in the Cause of God, your firmness in His Religion and your joy by the breezes wafted from the garden of the Kingdom of God. The truth, I say unto you, &Verily, the Supreme Concourse utter praise upon you, because ye forsook the desires of self, were illumined by the light of guidance, clothed yourselves with the garment of sanctity and called in the Name of El-Abha among the people. Verily, ye shall reap what ye sow and obtain the fruits of what ye plant. This is a pre-ordained fact.& O ye beloved of God! When the winds blow severely, rains fall fiercely, the lightning flashes, the thunder roars, the bold descends and storms of trial become severe, grieve not; for after this storm, verily, the divine spring will arrive, the hills and fields will become verdant, the expanses of grain will joyfully wave, the earth will become covered with blossoms, the trees will be clothed with green garments and adorned with ------------------------ 13. Mashrak-el-Azcar - Temple of Worship. Literally, the Dawning-place of Praises. +P 13 blossoms and fruits. Thus blessings become manifest in all countries. These favors are results of those storms and hurricanes. The discerning man rejoiceth at the day of trials, his breast becometh dilated at the time of severe storms, his eyes become brightened when seeing the showers of rain and gusts of wind, whereby trees are uprooted; because he foreseeth the result and the end (of these trials), the leaves, blossoms and fruits (which follow this wintry storm); while the ignorant (short- sighted) person becometh troubled when he seeth a storm, is saddened when it raineth severely, is terrified by the thunder and trembleth at the surging of the waves which storm the shores. As ye have heard of the former times, when (for example) Christ - glory be to Him! - appeared, a storm of trials arose, afflictions appeared, the winds of tests blew, the thunder of temptation descended and hosts of people (Pharisees) surrounded the houses of the friends; then the weak ones were shaken and were misled after once being guided; but the disciples withstood the hardships and endured the storms of ordeals, remaining firm in the Religion of God. Then observe that which occurred after the storm and what appeared subsequent to that severity, whereby the members (followers) trembled. God hath changed the sorrow to joy, the destructive darkness of calamity into the shining light from the Supreme Concourse. The people at the beginning persecuted and reviled the believers in God and said of them: "These are the people of aberration." Then, when +P 14 their light appeared, their stars shone and their lamps illuminated, the people returned into love and affinity; they prayed to them, offered words of glory night and day (in their name) and remembered them in eulogy, reverence, honor and majesty. Therefore, O ye beloved of God, be not grieved when people stand against you, persecute you, afflict and trouble you and say all manner of evil against you. The darkness will pass away and the light of the manifest signs will appear, the veil will be withdrawn and the Light of Reality will shine forth from the unseen [Kingdom] of El-Abha. This we inform you before it occurs, so that when the hosts of people arise against you for my love, be not disturbed or troubled; nay, rather, be firm as a mountain, for this persecution and reviling of the people upon you is a pre-ordained matter. Blessed is the soul who is firm in the path! O thou servant+F14of God! ***Trust no man save him whose breast hath been dilated by God through the light of faith, whom God hath confirmed in His Religion, and who is severed from all else save God and attracted by His Fragrances. In future, of course, certain people will come to you claiming faith; do not believe them nor trust them, unless after critical examination, search and investigation, and a long period of waiting, they shall appear to be faithful and truthful in word, confident in heart, attracted in spirit, pure in intention, patient in hardship, ------------------------ 14. Addressed to the Secretary of the House of Spirituality. +P 15 enduring the most severe tests; then associate with them. Because some sects will send certain men to mingle with you in order to throw suspicion upon those who are weak, therefore avoid them carefully.*** But let such [deliberations] be hidden that you may not become a cause of hindrance [to such souls].+F15 O ye firm ones in the Covenant! The report of [your meeting] was noted. All the arrangements of the meeting are suitable and acceptable. The reading of the Tablets which are sent to special persons dependeth upon their consent. First send the Tablets to them and if they should agree, the same may be read in the meeting. All the arrangements were good and suitable. A special letter is enclosed for the maid-servant of God, Mrs. ........ Forward it. As to letters for Chicago and its vicinity, if God so willeth (Inshallah), they will be sent through the House of Spirituality. As to the copying of the Tablets in a book for the House of Spirituality, this dependeth upon the consent of the receivers of the Tablets. If the owners of the Tablets consent, copies should be kept and collected in the House of Spirituality and it will be acceptable. Nevertheless, this should be with perfect consent of the receivers. Regarding arrangements for the Bahai Sunday meeting for the purpose of worship, this is very suitable. But, in a meeting for worship, first, prayer should be chanted and supplication made until all gather; then ------------------------ 15. This instruction is to the organized and elected Body, whose function is to look after the welfare of the Cause in its community. +P 16 communion should be made. After praying, sacred readings with melodious voices should be read by all together. As this is the commencement of holding meetings, this is sufficient. O God! O God!+F16 Thou dost look upon us from Thine unseen Kingdom of Oneness, [beholding] that we have assembled in this Spiritual Meeting, believing in Thee, confident in Thy signs, firm in Thy Covenant and Testament, attracted unto Thee, set aglow with the fire of Thy love, sincere in Thy Cause, servants in Thy vineyard, spreaders of They Religion, worshipers of Thy Countenance, humble to Thy beloved, submissive at Thy door and imploring Thee to confirm us in the service of Thy chosen ones. Support us with Thine unseen hosts, strengthen our loins in Thy servitude and make us submissive and worshiping servants, communing with Thee. O our Lord! Turn our faces unto Thy divine face; feed us from Thy heavenly table by Thy godly grace; help us through the hosts of Thy supreme angles and confirm us by the holy ones of the Kingdom of Abha. Verily Thou art the Generous, the Merciful! Thou art possessor of great bounty and verily Thou art the Clement and Gracious! ------------------------ 16. Prayer to be said at the close of the meeting of the House of Spirituality. +P 17 O ye who are attracted! O ye who are firm! O ye who are zealous in the service of the Cause of God and are sacrificers of possessions and lives for the promotion of the Word of God! I perused your recent letter, dated *** and my heart was filled with joy through its beautify meanings and its eloquent contents. Truly they were suggested by the breaths of confirmation from the Glorious Lord. O friends of Abdul-Baha and his co-sharers and partners in the servitude of the Lord of Hosts! Verily, the greatest affair and the most important matter today is to establish a Masharak-el-Azcar+F17and to found a Temple from which the voice of praisings may rise to the Kingdom of the majestic Lord. Blessings be upon you for having thought to do so and intending to erect such an edifice, advancing all in devoting your wealth in this great purpose and in this splendid work. You will soon see the angels of confirmation following after you and the hosts of reinforcement crowding before you. When the Mashrak-el-Azcar is accomplished, when the lights are emanating therefrom, the righteous ones are presenting themselves therein, the prayers are performed with supplication towards the mysterious Kingdom (of heaven), the voice of glorification is raised to the Lord, the Supreme, then the believers shall rejoice, the hearts shall be dilated and overflow with the love of the All-living and Self-existent (God). The people shall hasten to worship in that heavenly Temple, the fragrances of God will be elevated, the divine ------------------------ 17. Temple of Worship. Literally, the Dawning-place of Praises. +P 18 teachings will be established in the hearts like the establishment of the Spirit in mankind; the people will then stand firm in the Cause of your Lord, the Merciful. Praise and greetings be upon you. O ye who are chosen! O ye who are firm! O ye who are calling! O ye who are sincere! Verily I praise my Supreme Lord for choosing you to call in His Name among the people, for attracting you to the beauty of El-Abha and for strengthening you in rendering His Cause victorious. I trust in Him to make your faces shine forth with glorious lights in that clime, glistening as the face of heaven by the light of the early dawn, unto the horizons. Verily I herald unto you the confirmations which will sustain you by the mercy of your Lord. For ye have arisen with all your power to serve God's Cause in that vast region. Ponder over this great bounty and manifest attainment! I send you the glad-tidings of the erection of the Temple of worship (Mashrak-el-Azcar) in Ishkabad [Russia], with all joy and great happiness. The friends of God assembled together with rejoicing and conveyed the stones themselves, upon their backs, while attracted by the love of God and for the glory of God. Soon that great Temple will be completed and the voice of prayer and praise shall ascend to the sublime Kingdom. I was rejoiced through your endeavors in this glorious cause, made with joy and good interest. I pray God to aid you in exalting His Word and in establishing the Temple of Worship, through His grace and +P 19 ancient mercy. Verily you are the first to arise for this glorious cause in that vast region. Soon will ye see the spread of this enterprise in the world and its resounding voice shall go through the ears of the people in all parts. Exert your energy in accomplishing what you have undertaken, so that this glorious Temple may be built, that the beloved of God may assemble therein and that they may pray and offer glory to God for guiding them to His Kingdom. Convey my greeting and praise to the beloved of God in that city. +F18Your three reports, together with the public announcement+F19, were received. Praise be to God! all the contents indicated firmness, spirituality and goodness. The friends of the Spiritual Meeting are indeed manifesting efforts in the Cause of God. Soon the unseen strength of heaven will become evident, and such zeal and earnestness will become manifest in that country that it will affect all parts of the world. Souls are like unto mirrors, and the bounty of God is like unto the sun. When the mirrors pass beyond all coloring and attain purity and polish, and are confronted with the sun, they will reflect in full perfection its light and glory. In this condition one should not consider the mirror, but the power of the light of the sun, which hath penetrated the mirror, making it a reflector of the heavenly glory. I hope that the House of Spirituality will become a ------------------------ 18. Following Tablet as received bore no opening line of address. 19. Refers to a declaration intended to be spread broadcast drafted by the House of Spirituality, and sent to Abdul-Baha for his approval. +P 20 heavenly mirror and the lights of the Sun of Truth will so penetrate it that all parts will be illuminated through it. Your public announcement was carefully considered, and in some places slight corrections were made, and it was returned to you. This announcement should be given forth with wisdom, and not in haste, for it would be a cause of stirring up. When ye find a soul manifesting a demand for Truth, then ye may give this to him, that he may be informed of the rudiments of the Cause. But my name should be confined to Abdul-Baha in all writings. This is the collective name which will gather all the people, and it is the strong fortress and protection of the Cause of God. The beloved ones must limit themselves to this. However, ye may mention me as the Light of the Love of God, the Flame of the Guidance of God and the Banner of Peace and Harmony. I trust in God that ye may ever be confirmed through the Holy Spirit. O ye spiritual friends of Abdul-Baha! Your long letter was considered and its contents were a source of happiness. Thank God that ye, western friends, have become dawning-points of the love of God and stars of knowledge leading to Him; night and day are ye thinking of imparting life to souls and of educating people of discernment. Regarding the blessed word, the Greatest Name: Its writing or spelling is according to its pronunciation (i.e., it is spelled as it is pronounced) in the Persian language. Baha is correct; Beha is incorrect. However +P 21 this question must not cause inharmony and grief among the friends. This truth shall become manifest. Should ye attribute a mistake to a person, it will be a cause of offense and grief to him - how much greater would this be if it is attributed to a number of people! How often it hath occurred that a slight difference hath caused a great dissension and hath been made a reason for division. Now, you write Baha'u'llah,+F20but do not object to any person. All will eventually follow the correct spelling. O ye beloved ones of God! The manifestation of the Light of Unity is for binding together the people of the world. If this unity is not attained, the tree of life is made fruitless, the heavenly bounty is not utilized. The blessed blood (of the saints) was shed for bringing about unity and harmony. These souls gave their lives as sacrifice in order to produce the love that bindeth the hearts of all the people. Therefore, ye should all spend your efforts in uniting and reconciling (the people), so that the light of God's love may permeate the universe. The Spiritual Meeting of men (House of Spirituality) and the Spiritual Meeting of women (Assembly of Teaching) in Chicago are indeed endeavoring to serve. If they unite, as they should, they will produce great results. Especially, if the Spiritual Meetings of ------------------------ 20. This spelling was later changed by Abdul-Baha to Baha'o'llah, as an aid to more correct pronunciation. +P 22 Chicago unite with those of New York and become bound together, in a short while the fragrance of the divine garden, which giveth life, will perfume all regions. O ye spiritual friends of Abdul-Baha! Your letter was considered; its contents were a source of satisfaction to the heart and its meaning indicative of firmness and steadfastness in the Cause of God. That gathering is under the shelter and protection of the mighty Lord. I hope that, as it should be, ye may be confirmed by the fragrance of the Holy Spirit and day by day may grow in love for God and attraction to the eternal beauty of the Sun of the horizons. The spiritual love of God maketh man pure and holy and clotheth him with the garment of virtue and purity. And when man attacheth his heart wholly to God and becometh related to the Blessed Perfection, the divine bounty will dawn. This love is not physical, nay, rather, it is absolutely spiritual. The souls whose consciences are enlightened through the light of the love of God, they are like unto shining lights and resemble stars of holiness in the heaven of purity. The real and great love is the love of God. That is holy above the imaginations and thoughts of men. The beloved of God must each be the essence of purity and holiness; so may they be known by their purity, freedom and meekness in every land; they may drink from the eternal chalice of the love of God, enjoy its ecstasy, and through meeting the Beauty of Abha, they should be joyful, active, aglow with zeal +P 23 and wonderful. This is the station of the sincere. This is the quality of those who are firm. This is the illumination of the faces of those who are near. Therefore, O ye friends of God, ye must in perfect purity attain spiritual unity and agreement to a degree that ye may express one spirit and one life. In this condition physical bodies play no part: the command and authority are in the hand of the spirit. When the spirit becometh all inclusive, the Spiritual union shall be attained. Night and day endeavor to attain perfect harmony; be thoughtful concerning your own spiritual developments and close your eyes to the shortcomings of one another. By good deeds, pure lives, humility and meekness be a lesson for others. Abdul-Baha wisheth no one's heart to feel hurt, nor will he be a source of grief to any one; for there is no greater satisfaction than being a source of joy to the hearts. I ask God that ye may become like angels of heaven, sources of happiness to souls. O ye dear friends of Abdul-Baha! The blessed letter indicating the election of the Spiritual Meeting was received and proved a source of joy. Thank God, the beloved of that city, in perfect unity, love and oneness, held the new election and were confirmed and strengthened to elect such holy souls as are near the divine Threshold and known by the republic of the beloved to be firm and steadfast in the Covenant. Now they (the members of Spiritual Meeting) must, in perfect spirit and fragrance, in sincerity of +P 24 heart, in attraction by the fragrances of God and by the confirmations of the Holy Spirit, engage in service; in the promotion of the Word of God; the diffusion of the fragrances of God; the training of the souls; the promulgation of the most great peace. They must raise the Banner of Guidance and become the host of the Supreme Concourse. Indeed, blessed souls have been elected. When I read their names, spiritual joy was immediately realized, for, praise be to God! certain souls have appeared in that continent who are servants of the kingdom, self-sacrificing ones of the Peerless Majesty. O ye friends of mine! Illuminate the meeting with the light of the love of God, make it joyful and happy through the melody of the Kingdom of holiness, and with heavenly food and through the "Lord's Supper"+F21 confer life. Congregate in the utmost of joy and happiness and commence with this commune: O Lord of the Kingdom! Although we are assembled, yet we are Thy scattered ones; captives of Thy Shining Face. Although we are incapable, yet we anticipate the manifestation of Thy strength and ability. Although we are without capital and commodity, yet we are aided by the treasury of the Kingdom. Although we are a drop, yet we emanate from Thy sea of seas. Although we are an atom, yet we are illumined by Thy most bright Sun. O Lord! Confirm us so that each one in this gathering become a bright candle, a witness of the meeting, ------------------------ 21. A term synonymous with heavenly food. +P 25 a caller to the Kingdom; that the world of matter become the mirror of heaven. O ye dear friends of mine! The assemblies of those regions must be connected with one another and must communicate (correspond) with each other. Even communicate with the assemblies of the East, so that this may become the means of the great unity and concord. O ye spiritual friends! Firmness (constancy) must reach a degree that if all the souls (Bahais) be destroyed by the evil wishers and there remain but one, that one singly and alone should be capable of withstanding all who live on earth, and of spreading the fragrances of holiness. Therefore, when any terrible new or calamitous tidings reach you from the land of desire (Acca), ye should not grow cold, sad, or be affected thereby. Nay, rather, ye must immediately in the utmost firmness, arise for the service of the Kingdom. This servant of the Threshold of His Majesty the eternal God, hath always been and is in danger; there hath never been a hope for rest. The utmost of his hopes is that in the arena of martyrdom the cup of grace become replete and the wine of great bounty lend the wondrous ecstasy. This is the utmost of my hopes and desires. The Tablets of Israghat, Tarazat, Bescharat, Tajaliat and Kalamat,+F22according to what is heard have been ------------------------ 22. Ishrakat, i.e., Effulgences. Tarazat, i.e. Spiritual Ornaments. Bescharat, i.e., Glad-tidings. Tajalliat, i.e., Spiritual Splendors. Kalamat, i.e., Word of Paradise. +P 26 translated and printed in those regions. Hasten to become imbued with the qualifications and attributes set forth therein. And this letter+F23will close with reverential greetings, in the utmost kindliness, from me to the beloved ones and to the maid-servants of the Merciful. +F24*** Thou has written concerning the Board of Consultation. translated and printed in those regions. Hasten to become imbued with the qualifications and attributes set forth therein. And this letter+F25will close with reverential greetings, in the utmost kindness, from me to the beloved ones and to the maid-servants of the Merciful. +F26*** Thou hast written concerning the Board of Consultation. It is very proper thou shouldst exert thyself with heart and soul so that this assembly shall become a source of merciful events, and enter the shadow of the protection and preservation of His Highness, the One God. The more this gains strength and becomes effective, the greater will become the penetration of the Word of God, and the more will the doors of confirmation be opened. As to the Assembly of Teaching, the revered members of which are the maid-servants of the Merciful, they are also assisted by the help and the providence of the Beauty of El-ABHA. They will soon discover that they are strengthened by the invisible hosts, and rendered successful by the abundant bounty of the Kingdom of the Forgiving Lord. They will set such a flame to the regions as will kindle the heart of the universe, and will cause the pillars of the world to tremble. But all of their mention and thought in their meeting should be confined to teaching the truth, and to ------------------------ 23. This completes the Tablets to the House of Spirituality. 24. Extracts from a Tablet to Mirza Assad Ullah, at the time of the organization of the House of Justice, and the Assembly of Teaching of Chicago, in September, 1901. 25. This completes the Tablets to the House of Spirituality. 26. Extracts from a Tablet to Mirza Assad Ullah, at the time of the organization of the House of Justice, and the Assembly of Teaching of Chicago, in September, 1901. +P 27 constantly persuade people in pure and divine brilliancy and in absolute godlike spirituality. They should not interfere with the affairs which have regard to the Board of Consultation, because confusion of thought conduces to division and causes disturbance to the mind, and then pure spirituality would cease. But if all mentions are turned into one mention, and all thoughts concentrated in one point, then man will find (a higher) spirit, and witness (a higher) confirmation. His power and penetration will increase, and his armies and hosts will gain successive victories. By this it is intended that the assembly of the maid-servants of the Merciful should be with pure spirituality and with absolute brilliancy, and become a torch of that blessed fire, a center of the merciful feelings. The Assembly of Teaching is in this day of the first importance, and is promised to be assisted and protected through the assistance of His Highness, the One God. Announce infinite glad-tidings to the revered maid-servants of God -- the members of the merciful assembly, so that they may arise with the utmost tranquillity (to further) prosperity and success, because Abdul-Baha is their strong and firm assistant through the help and the providence of the Lord of Hosts. Concerning organizing Houses of Justice of men and Assemblies of Teaching of maid-servants of God, the more endeavor is made, the more agreeable it will be. It is very useful. Likewise, electing men and women teachers, and their traveling and journeying in all parts, and their going and coming in cities and villages, is greatly conducive to the solidity of the Cause.*** +P 28 O ye leaves+F1 of the Paradise of El-ABHA, and the maid-servants of the Merciful! Verily, I read your words of thanksgiving to God, and of celebrating the praise of God, for that He hath illuminated your faces with the lights of guidance, hath transfigured Himself on your hearts with the bounties of spirit, and hath made you as lofty and magnificent trees bearing ripened fruits in the Paradise of El-ABHA. These signs will surely become manifest in your faces, these lights will shine within your hearts, the splendor of oneness will envelop you, and your brows will glitter with rays shining from the Kingdom of El-ABHA. O maid-servants of the Merciful! Know that, verily, this day is the day of teaching, this day is the day of diffusing the fragrances of God, being severed from aught else save God, attracted to the Word of God, and clinging to the Covenant of God. There is no work greater than this. Be ye entirely spiritual, purely brilliant, cut your dependence from any other mention, thought or purpose, and confine your mentions, thoughts and occupations to spreading the fragrances of God, and devote your attention to this great work. By God, the True One, verily, the Sun of Truth will cast forth its lights in your assemblies and will make you shining lamps, glittering stars, brilliant signs, and as souls attracted to the Holy Spirit. This is the great prosperity! This is the manifest light! Upon you be greeting and praise! When you assemble in the meeting of teaching (the ------------------------ 1. Leaves, i.e., women. This Tablet and the two following are to the Assembly of Teaching of Chicago. +P 29 truth), it is incumbent on you to chant the following supplication and commune: O God, O God! We are Thy humble and submissive servants, leaves of Thine exalted and verdant paradise, drops from the basins of Thine abundant mercy, and scattered particles flying about in Thy shining rays. O Lord, O Lord, render us successful through Thy conquering power, in that which Thou lovest and approvest, so that we may become standards of guidance, signs of Thy Kingdom, the El-ABHA [and that we may] adore Thee, supplicate before the Kingdom of Thy mercy, beseech Thy realm of might, be submissive to Thy servants, humble before Thy maid-servants, severed from aught else save Thee, sincerely turned unto Thy face, aflame with the fire of Thy love, diffusing Thy fragrances, united in Thy Cause, of one accord in Thy religion, and firm in Thy Covenant. O God, strengthen us through the fragrances of Thy sanctity, that we may become sanctified from the stain of egotism and lust, baptized with Thy Holy Spirit, with the fire of Thy love and the water of Thy bounty. Verily, Thou art the Bestower, the Assister, the Confirmer, the Beneficent, the Merciful! O ye verdant and flourishing leaves+F1 of the Blessed Tree! Verily, I read your letter, which expressed your spiritual attraction to the fragrances of God, your service to the Cause of God, your firmness in the Covenant of God, your joy in this blessed and great day, your union ------------------------ 1. Maid-servants. +P 30 and harmony in the religion of God, your happiness in diffusing the light of the knowledge of God, and your work in the Vineyard of God -- the Paradise of El-ABHA. Such prosperity, success, blessing and salvation behooveth one like you! Blessed are ye, O ye stars who are beaming with the light of the love of God! Blessed are ye, O ye lamps lighted with the fire of the love of God! Blessed ye are, O ye who are attracted to the Kingdom of God! Glad-tidings be unto you, O you who are severed from aught else save God! Blessed ye are, O ye pure and chaste ones! Glad-tidings be unto you through the gift of the Covenant, from the light of which all regions are illuminated! Be rejoiced that the lights of the Sun of Truth are shining forth unto all parts; be gladdened at the gifts of your Lord, which have surrounded all the universe; dilate your breasts by chanting the verses of God, and console your eyes by witnessing the bounties of the Supreme Concourse. By God, the True One, verily, the angels of heaven praise you every morn and eve from the loftiest apex, and announce to you a favor which will surely appear as clear and lucid as the sun in mid-day. Then your faces will shine with a light which will gleam forth unison and harmony, in diffusing the fragrances of God, in preaching the Beauty of El-ABHA, and promoting the word of God. Let each one of you be attracted to the love of the other, so that ye may become as fountains flowing from one source, stars beaming with one life, myrtles verdant and flourishing by the abundance of one rain. By this your hearts will be purified, your +P 31 consciences illumined, your souls made clear, your banners hoisted, and ye will become signs of guidance among the maid-servants, standards of chastity and piety throughout all the nations of the earth, and the appearances of the gifts of your Lord among women. Verily, I implore God to gaze upon you with the eye of His mercy, to raise you through a godlike power, to move you by the breezes of His glory, to make you fluent in irrefutable and divine proofs and arguments, to sever you from the world and all therein, to purify and sanctify you from every material grade, and enable you to diffuse the bounties of the Divine Worlds. O ye maid-servants of the Merciful! Be rejoiced with the glad-tidings of God and thank your Lord for that He assembled you in the brilliant gathering with illumined faces, pure hearts, wherein the mysteries of God are printed, and spirits gladdened by the fragrances of God. This is from His favor to you in this glorious century. I ask God to adorn your heads with the pearls of His favor, to ignite in your hearts the fire of the love of God, to free your tongues in utterance of eloquent words and excellent meanings and mysteries in the gathering of the pious, to make ye roses of the paradise of El-ABHA, angels of heaven, united in opinions, harmonious in thoughts and to manifest in your faces signs of holiness of the Kingdom among the people. Soon will your Lord make you growing trees in His wonderful vineyard, blossoming, leafing and bearing fruits of the paradise of El-ABHA through the shadow of His Name, the Merciful, the Clement. +P 32 O ye+F1 crying voices in the region of America! Make level the path of the Covenant of God! BE firm in the Alliance of God! I surely read your answer to my words, and my heart overflowed with joy and fragrance, when I heard of your supplication to God, and of your entreaty to God, and of your begging assistance of God, and of your endeavor in the service of the Cause of God, and of your effort in publishing the Alliance of God, and of your yearning after and your longing for harmony and union in the love of God. Ye shall soon behold the lights of confirmation shining forth unto your hearts and your spirits from the Kingdom of ABHA. Stand up, as the standing of the souls by whose lights of sincerity in the Cause of God the horizons are shining, and guard the sheep of God with the staff of the instructions of God. I beg God to confirm thee to His will, as He confirmed the Apostles (of Jesus) aforetime. I know, verily, that the universal, never ending, eternal, bright and divine establishments are only the diffusing of the breaths of God, and the spreading of the instructions of God, and all that are beside these, though they be the reigning over all the regions of the earth, or the construction of railroads from the earth to the heavens, or means of transportation with the rapidity of rising lightning from the globe of earth to the globe of the sun, all are but mortal, perishing, demolishing and disadvantageous, in comparison with the divine establishments. Because the latter (divine ------------------------ 1. To the believers in general throughout America. +P 33 establishments) are intrinsic matters, while the former are but metaphorical matters; the latter are truth, while the former are imaginary. Verily, I yearn after your visit as the yearning of the thirsty after the fountain of the water of Euphrates (agreeable water), but at present your remaining in that region (America) is obligatory. Please God, when it will be the occasion, I will inform you to come; and (now) I will circumambulate instead of you the Holy Tomb.+F1 Glory be upon you! O thou son of the associate and companion+F2 of Abdul-Baha! You brought many letters with you from those regions, but on account of the great disturbance it was not possible to write the answers. You saw what a commotion was set up in the Blessed Spot+F3 throught the instigation of the jealous brother. It still continues. Therefore you must apologize: Say that Abdul-Baha has considered every one of the letters with the eyes of the spirit, has read each, and through the valid messenger -- that is, through the spiritual susceptibilities -- has sent each the message of peace and greeting. Therefore, let them turn to the blessed and Radiant Spot with a pure heart and an attracted spirit, that they may receive answer through the lights radiating therefrom. Communication is not confined to writing. This is a trace, while the spiritual message is fruitful and effective. ------------------------ 1. The Tomb of BAHA'O'LLAH. 2. Mirza Ameen Ullah Fareed, son of Mirza Assad Ullah. 3. Acca. +P 34 That is the essential, and without it communication is useless. O Thou kind God! That scattered assembly+F1 is Thine, and that gathering of friends is of Thee. Their eyes are opened, their hearts in tune with Thy love, and their ears in communion with Thy hidden mysteries. O Thou who art self-sufficient! Let a beautiful song reach this people from the birds of that garden, that they may warble, rejoice and be happy, implore and supplicate the Lord. O Thou Educator! Train that assembly of the righteous; comfort them; set their hearts aglow with the fire of Thy love; acquaint them with Thy mystery and commune with them, so that they may find Thy kingdom of mysteries, become of the people of piety and leading in liberty. Grant them the soul immortal; enrich them above the world, and detach them from the world; usher them into the tent of Thy Kingdom and give them a portion of the divine bounty. Bestow upon them the everlasting life and bless them with the new teachings. Make every one a lighted torch and a warbling nightingale -- the king of the rose in the garden. Reveal to them Thine attractive beauty; make each a growing tree on the shore of Thy guidance, bearing the fruit of Thy grace. Thus may the East illumine the West and the West become the East of the Supreme Heaven. Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Almighty, and verily Thou art the Precious, the Omnipotent, the Omniscient! ------------------------ 1. American believers. +P 35 O ye my divine friends!+F1 At a time when the sea of tests had become tempestuous and the waves of calamity were heaving and the hosts of nations were in the utmost violence and the people of oppression dealt with infinite injustice, some of the calumniators, uniting with our unkind brother, wrote a letter replete with false accusations and engaged in seditions and calumnies.