Chapter 1

Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha

by 'Abdu'l-Baha

Edition 1, (June 2006)

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CONTENTS

Baha'i Terms of Use 1: O peoples of the world! The Sun of Truth hath ... 2: O my Lord! I have drawn nigh unto Thee, in the ... 3: O ye beloved of God! O ye children of His Kingdom! ... 4: Praise be to Him Who hath made the world of being, ... 5: The world's great Light, once resplendent upon all ... 6: O ye peoples of the Kingdom! How many a soul ... 7: O ye spiritual friends of 'Abdu'l-Baha! A trusted ... 8: O ye beloved of 'Abdu'l-Baha and ye handmaids of ... 9: O thou whose heart overfloweth with love for the ... 10: O thou dear handmaid of God! Thy letter hath ... 11: Service to the friends is service to the Kingdom of ... 12: Know thou of a certainty that Love is the secret of ... 13: O thou daughter of the Kingdom! Thy letter dated ... 14: O ye two blessed souls! Your letters were received. ... 15: O captive of the love of God! The letter which ... 16: O ye illumined loved ones and ye handmaids of the ... 17: O ye who are the chosen ones of the Abha Kingdom! ... 18: O thou possessor of a seeing heart! Although, ... 19: Praise be to Him through Whose splendours the ... 20: When Christ appeared, twenty centuries ago, although ... 21: O thou distinguished personage, thou seeker after ... 22: O thou who art turning thy face towards God! ... 23: O thou who dost search after truth! Thy letter of ... 24: O spiritual youth! Praise thou God that thou hast ... 25: O thou handmaid of God! It is recorded in eastern ... 26: O thou who seekest the Kingdom of Heaven! Thy ... 27: In cycles gone by, each one of the Manifestations of ... 28: O leaf upon the Tree of Life! The Tree of Life, of ... 29: O thou who art captivated by the truth and ... 30: Existence is of two kinds: one is the existence of ... 31: O thou who art dear, and wise! Thy letter dated ... 32: O ye handmaids of the Lord! In this century--the ... 33: O servant of God! We have noted what thou didst ... 34: O thou who art serving the world of humanity! ... 35: O army of God! A letter signed jointly by all of ... 36: O ye two favoured handmaids of the Lord! The ... 37: O ye dear friends of 'Abdu'l-Baha! A blessed letter ... 38: O handmaid of God, who tremblest even as a fresh ... 39: O handmaid of God! Thy letter hath been received, ... 40: O ye whom 'Abdu'l-Baha loveth! I have read your ... 41: O thou who art steadfast in the Covenant, and ... 42: O ye co-workers who are supported by armies ... 43: The prime requisites for them that take counsel ... 44: The members thereof must take counsel together ... 45: The first condition is absolute love and harmony ... 46: O ye who are firm in the Covenant! 'Abdu'l-Baha ... 47: O ye true friends! Your letter hath been received ... 48: O ye loyal servants of the Ancient Beauty! In every ... 49: Thy letter hath been received. Thou didst write of ... 50: You have asked as to the feast in every Baha'i ... 51: As to the Nineteen Day Feast, it rejoiceth mind and ... 52: O servant of the One true God! The Lord be ... 53: Verily, 'Abdu'l-Baha inhaleth the fragrance of the ... 54: Ye have written as to the meetings of the friends, and ... 55: It befitteth the friends to hold a gathering, a ... 56: Whensoever a company of people shall gather in a ... 57: We hear that thou hast in mind to embellish thy ... 58: Thou hast asked about places of worship and the ... 59: 'Abdu'l-Baha hath long cherished the desire that a ... 60: Although to outward seeming the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar ... 61: O Lord, O Thou Who dost bless all those who ... 62: O my well-beloved daughter of the Kingdom! ... 63: O ye blessed souls! The letter ye had written to ... 64: The Mashriqu'l-Adhkar is one of the most vital ... 65: O thou favoured handmaid of the heavenly Kingdom! ... 66: O thou who hast sought illumination from the ... 67: O thou lady of the Kingdom! Thy letter sent from ... 68: O ye who are firm in the Covenant and the Testament! ... 69: Thou hast written concerning organization. The ... 70: O thou ignited candle! Thy letter was received. Its ... 71: O thou beloved maidservant of God! Thy letter ... 72: O thou true friend! Read, in the school of God, the ... 73: O daughter of the Kingdom! Thy letter hath come ... 74: O bird that singeth sweetly of the Abha Beauty! In ... 75: Strive with heart and soul in order to bring about ... 76: O thou who hast an illumined heart! Thou art even ... 77: O thou revered maidservant of God! Thy letter ... 78: O thou who art pure in heart, sanctified in spirit, ... 79: O respected personage! I have read your work, ... 80: O thou who art turning thy face to God! Thy ... 81: Those souls who during the war have served the ... 82: O thou who art firm in the Covenant, thy letter ... 83: Convey on behalf of 'Abdu'l-Baha to thy respected ... 84: O thou dear handmaid of God! Thy letter hath ... 85: As for the question regarding marriage under the ... 86: Baha'i marriage is the commitment of the two ... 87: O thou memento of him who died for the Blessed ... 88: O ye my two beloved children! The news of your ... 89: O thou who art firm in the Covenant! The letter ... 90: O God, my God! This Thy handmaid is calling ... 91: O thou who hast bowed thyself down in prayer ... 92: O ye two believers in God! The Lord, peerless is ... 93: O thou maidservant of God! Every woman who ... 94: O handmaids of the beauty of Abha! Your letter ... 95: O handmaids of the Lord! The spiritual assemblage ... 96: O handmaids of the Merciful! Render ye thanks ... 97: There are certain pillars which have been established ... 98: Were there no educator, all souls would remain ... 99: Thou didst write as to the children: from the very ... 100: My wish is that these children should receive a ... 101: O ye who have peace of soul! Among the divine ... 102: O true companions! All humankind are as children ... 103: The education and training of children is among ... 104: O loved ones of God and handmaids of the ... 105: As to the difference between that material civilization ... 106: Among the greatest of all services that can possibly ... 107: It is the hope of 'Abdu'l-Baha that those youthful ... 108: Ye should consider the question of goodly ... 109: O ye recipients of the favours of God! In this new ... 110: As to the organization of the schools: if possible ... 111: The root cause of wrongdoing is ignorance, and ... 112: In this holy Cause the question of orphans hath ... 113: O handmaid of God!... To the mothers must be ... 114: O ye loving mothers, know ye that in God's sight, ... 115: O ye two well-loved handmaids of God! Whatever ... 116: O thou daughter of the Kingdom! Thy letters ... 117: O dear one of 'Abdu'l-Baha! Be the son of thy ... 118: O ye young Baha'i children, ye seekers after true ... 119: It is incumbent upon Baha'i children to surpass ... 120: O my dear children! Your letter was received. A ... 121: O thou whose years are few, yet whose mental ... 122: As to thy question regarding the education of ... 123: O thou who gazest upon the Kingdom of God! ... 124: The Sunday school for the children in which the ... 125: The changing of teachers should be neither too ... 126: Thy letter was received. Praise be to God it ... 127: O thou servant of the One true God! In this ... 128: Thy letter was received. I hope that thou mayest ... 129: O Friends of the Pure and Omnipotent God! To ... 130: O thou distinguished physician!... Praise be ... 131: When giving medical treatment turn to the ... 132: Although ill health is one of the unavoidable conditions ... 133: There are two ways of healing sickness, material ... 134: O thou who art attracted to the fragrant breathings ... 135: According to the explicit decree of Baha'u'llah ... 136: It is incumbent upon everyone to seek medical ... 137: O thou who art voicing the praises of thy Lord! ... 138: O ye beloved of the Lord! The Kingdom of God ... 139: O thou handmaid of God! The heavenly glad ... 140: Thou didst ask as to the transfiguration of Jesus, ... 141: O thou yearning flame, thou who art afire with ... 142: O thou dear handmaid of God! Praise thou God, ... 143: O thou who hast drawn nigh unto the spirit of ... 144: O lover of humankind! Thy letter hath been ... 145: Thou didst write as to the question of spiritual ... 146: O thou handmaid afire with the love of God! I ... 147: Reflect upon the past events of the time of ... 148: O ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom! ... 149: O thou who hast eyes to see! That which thou ... 150: O thou handmaid aflame with the fire of God's ... 151: O thou believer in the oneness of God! Know ... 152: As to the question regarding the soul of a murderer, ... 153: O thou handmaid of God! In this day, to thank ... 154: O thou son of the Kingdom! Thy most agreeable ... 155: O thou flame of God's love! What thou hast ... 156: O thou servant of the Holy Threshold! We have ... 157: O ye who are strongly attracted! O ye who are ... 158: Grieve thou not over the ascension of my beloved ... 159: As to thy question, doth every soul without ... 160: O thou sincere and loyal handmaid of the Lord! ... 161: O thou who seekest the Kingdom of heaven! ... 162: O ye dear friends of 'Abdu'l-Baha! At all times ... 163: O ye two seekers after truth! Your letter was ... 164: O ye two faithful and assured souls! The letter ... 165: O my God! O my God! Verily Thy servant, ... 166: O servant of Baha! Be self-sacrificing in the path ... 167: Thou hadst asked about fate, predestination and ... 168: O thou lady of the Kingdom! Praise thou God ... 169: O ye two patient souls! Your letter was received. ... 170: O thou seeker of the Kingdom! Thy letter was ... 171: O thou beloved maidservant of God, although ... 172: Praise be to God, thy heart is engaged in the ... 173: Those souls that, in this day, enter the divine ... 174: O ye spiritual friends of 'Abdu'l-Baha! The letter ... 175: Mortal charm shall fade away, roses shall give ... 176: O thou who art attracted to the Kingdom of ... 177: O living flame of heavenly love! Thine heart ... 178: O maidservant of God! Thy letter dated 9 ... 179: Strive as much as ye can to turn wholly toward ... 180: I hope that in this nether world thou shalt attain ... 181: Regarding the statement in The Hidden Words, ... 182: O ye who are holding fast unto the Covenant and ... 183: O thou daughter of the Kingdom! Thy letter was ... 184: O ye blessed souls! Although ye are undergoing ... 185: O ye friends and maidservants of the Merciful! ... 186: O thou who art firm in the Covenant! Three ... 187: O thou who art firm in the Covenant! Thy letter ... 188: O ye the cherished loved ones of 'Abdu'l-Baha! ... 189: Today, every wise, vigilant and foresighted person ... 190: Thou seest me, O my God, bowed down in lowliness, ... 191: O thou who hast been sore afflicted on the pathway ... 192: Today, the Lord of Hosts is the defender of the ... 193: It is daybreak, and from the rising-point of the ... 194: O ye the sincere loved ones of the Abha Beauty! ... 195: O thou exalted bough of the divine Lote-Tree! ... 196: O thou who art steadfast in the Covenant! Thy ... 197: O thou servant of God! Do not grieve at the ... 198: O thou who art enamoured of the breaths of God! ... 199: O ye sincere ones, ye longing ones, ye who are ... 200: O my spiritual loved ones! At a time when an ... 201: O thou who art carried away by the love of God! ... 202: O ye lovers of truth, ye servants of humankind! ... 203: O thou who art enamoured of the Covenant! ... 204: O phoenix of that immortal flame kindled in the ... 205: O ye respected souls! From the continual imitation ... 206: Praise be to Him Who hath rent the dark asunder, ... 207: O ye who have turned your faces toward the ... 208: O ye servants of the Sacred Threshold! The ... 209: O ye servants of the Blessed Beauty!... It is clear ... 210: O ye roses in the garden of God's love! O ye ... 211: When the friends do not endeavour to spread the ... 212: It is at such times that the friends of God avail ... 213: The teaching work should under all conditions be ... 214: Follow thou the way of thy Lord, and say not ... 215: My hope from the grace of the One true Lord ... 216: Rest assured that the breathings of the Holy Spirit ... 217: The teacher, when teaching, must be himself ... 218: O ye close and dear friends of 'Abdu'l-Baha! ... 219: O ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom! Your ... 220: The Lord of all mankind hath fashioned this ... 221: O ye who are steadfast in the Covenant! The ... 222: O ye homeless and wanderers in the Path of God! ... 223: O ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom! Your ... 224: O thou servant of God! Thy letter was received. ... 225: O ye concourse of the Kingdom of Abha! Two ... 226: O thou servant of God! Thy letter was received, ... 227: O ye esteemed ones who are pioneers among the ... 228: O Servant of the Threshold of Baha'u'llah! Thy ... 229: O sincere servant of the True One! I hear thou ... 230: O respected personage! Thy second letter dated ... 231: O thou blossom on the Tree of Life! Happy art ... 232: As to President Wilson, the fourteen principles ... 233: O ye faithful friends, O ye sincere servants of ... 234: O thou who art enraptured by the sweet breathings ... 235: O God, my God! Illumine the brows of Thy true ... 236: O Thou, my God, Who guidest the seeker to the ... 237: Whoso reciteth this prayer with lowliness and ...

REFERENCES TO THE QUR'AN

In footnotes referring to the Qur'an the surihs have been numbered according to the original, whereas the verse numbers are those in Rodwell's translation which differ sometimes from those of the Arabic.

1: O PEOPLES OF THE WORLD! THE SUN OF TRUTH HATH ...

O peoples of the world! The Sun of Truth hath risen to illumine the whole earth, and to spiritualize the community of man. Laudable are the results and the fruits thereof, abundant the holy evidences deriving from this grace. This is mercy unalloyed and purest bounty; it is light for the world and all its peoples; it is harmony and fellowship, and love and solidarity; indeed it is compassion and unity, and the end of foreignness; it is the being at one, in complete dignity and freedom, with all on earth.

The Blessed Beauty saith: 'Ye are all the fruits of one tree, the leaves of one branch.' Thus hath He likened this world of being to a single tree, and all its peoples to the leaves thereof, and the blossoms and fruits. It is needful for the bough to blossom, and leaf and fruit to flourish, and upon the interconnection of all parts of the world-tree, dependeth the flourishing of leaf and blossom, and the sweetness of the fruit.

For this reason must all human beings powerfully sustain one another and seek for everlasting life; and for this reason must the lovers of God in this contingent world become the mercies and the blessings sent forth by that clement King of the seen and unseen realms. Let them purify their sight and behold all humankind as leaves and blossoms and fruits of the tree of being. Let them at all times concern themselves with doing a kindly thing for one of their fellows, offering to someone love, consideration, thoughtful help. Let them see no one as their enemy, or as wishing them ill, but think of all humankind as their friends; regarding the alien as an intimate, the stranger as a companion, staying free of prejudice, drawing no lines.

In this day, the one favoured at the Threshold of the Lord is he who handeth round the cup of faithfulness; who bestoweth, even upon his enemies, the jewel of bounty, and lendeth, even to his fallen oppressor, a helping hand; it is he who will, even to the fiercest of his foes, be a loving friend. These are the Teachings of the Blessed Beauty, these the counsels of the Most Great Name.

O ye dear friends! The world is at war and the human race is in travail and mortal combat. The dark night of hate hath taken over, and the light of good faith is blotted out. The peoples and kindreds of the earth have sharpened their claws, and are hurling themselves one against the other. It is the very foundation of the human race that is being destroyed. It is thousands of households that are vagrant and dispossessed, and every year seeth thousands upon thousands of human beings weltering in their life-blood on dusty battlefields. The tents of life and joy are down. The generals practise their generalship, boasting of the blood they shed, competing one with the next in inciting to violence. 'With this sword,' saith one of them, 'I beheaded a people!' And another: 'I toppled a nation to the ground!' And yet another: 'I brought a government down!' On such things do men pride themselves, in such do they glory! Love--righteousness--these are everywhere censured, while despised are harmony, and devotion to the truth.

The Faith of the Blessed Beauty is summoning mankind to safety and love, to amity and peace; it hath raised up its tabernacle on the heights of the earth, and directeth its call to all nations. Wherefore, O ye who are God's lovers, know ye the value of this precious Faith, obey its teachings, walk in this road that is drawn straight, and show ye this way to the people. Lift up your voices and sing out the song of the Kingdom. Spread far and wide the precepts and counsels of the loving Lord, so that this world will change into another world, and this darksome earth will be flooded with light, and the dead body of mankind will arise and live; so that every soul will ask for immortality, through the holy breaths of God.

Soon will your swiftly-passing days be over, and the fame and riches, the comforts, the joys provided by this rubbish-heap, the world, will be gone without a trace. Summon ye, then, the people to God, and invite humanity to follow the example of the Company on high. Be ye loving fathers to the orphan, and a refuge to the helpless, and a treasury for the poor, and a cure for the ailing. Be ye the helpers of every victim of oppression, the patrons of the disadvantaged. Think ye at all times of rendering some service to every member of the human race. Pay ye no heed to aversion and rejection, to disdain, hostility, injustice: act ye in the opposite way. Be ye sincerely kind, not in appearance only. Let each one of God's loved ones centre his attention on this: to be the Lord's mercy to man; to be the Lord's grace. Let him do some good to every person whose path he crosseth, and be of some benefit to him. Let him improve the character of each and all, and reorient the minds of men. In this way, the light of divine guidance will shine forth, and the blessings of God will cradle all mankind: for love is light, no matter in what abode it dwelleth; and hate is darkness, no matter where it may make its nest. O friends of God! That the hidden Mystery may stand revealed, and the secret essence of all things may be disclosed, strive ye to banish that darkness for ever and ever.

2: O MY LORD! I HAVE DRAWN NIGH UNTO THEE, IN THE ...

O my Lord! I have drawn nigh unto Thee, in the depths of this darksome night, confiding in Thee with the tongue of my heart, trembling with joy at the sweet scents that blow from Thy realm, the All-Glorious, calling unto Thee, saying:

O my Lord, no words do I find to glorify Thee; no way do I see for the bird of my mind to soar upward to Thy Kingdom of Holiness; for Thou, in Thy very essence, art sanctified above those tributes, and in Thy very being art beyond the reach of those praises which are offered Thee by the people that Thou hast created. In the sanctity of Thine own being hast Thou ever been exalted above the understanding of the learned among the Company on high, and forever wilt Thou remain enwrapped within the holiness of Thine own reality, unreached by the knowledge of those dwellers in Thine exalted Kingdom who glorify Thy Name.

O God, my God! How can I glorify or describe Thee inaccessible as Thou art; immeasurably high and sanctified art Thou above every description and praise.

O God, my God! Have mercy then upon my helpless state, my poverty, my misery, my abasement! Give me to drink from the generous cup of Thy grace and forgiveness, stir me with the sweet scents of Thy love, gladden my bosom with the light of Thy knowledge, purify my soul with the mysteries of Thy oneness, raise me to life with the gentle breeze that cometh from the gardens of Thy mercy--till I sever myself from all else but Thee, and lay hold of the hem of Thy garment of grandeur, and consign to oblivion all that is not Thee, and be companioned by the sweet breathings that waft during these Thy days, and attain unto faithfulness at Thy Threshold of Holiness, and arise to serve Thy Cause, and to be humble before Thy loved ones, and, in the presence of Thy favoured ones, to be nothingness itself.

Verily art Thou the Helper, the Sustainer, the Exalted, the Most Generous.

O God, my God! I beg of Thee by the dawning of the light of Thy Beauty that hath illumined all the earth, and by the glance of Thy divine compassion's eye that considereth all things, and by the surging sea of Thy bestowals in which all things are immersed, and by Thy streaming clouds of bounty raining down gifts upon the essences of all created things, and by the splendours of Thy mercy that existed before ever the world was--to help Thy chosen ones to be faithful, and assist Thy loved ones to serve at Thine exalted Threshold, and cause them to gain the victory through the battalions of Thy might that overpowereth all things, and reinforce them with a great fighting host from out of the Concourse on high.