Tablets of Abdul-Baha Abbas

O thou who art confident in the appearance of the Kingdom of God! 175 Verily I read thy letter, which was beautifully composed and which proved thy great love, the extent of thy knowledge and the illumination of thy sight, by witnessing the signs whereunto the heads bow in reverence and faces show respect.

O beloved! Thank God that He chose thee for His love and elected thy wife for the calling of the appearance of the Kingdom of God. Verily, this is a great favor, and wert thou aware of the results which will follow it in the Kingdom of God, thou wouldst, verily, rejoice exceedingly and wouldst call with loud voice: “Blessed are we for this great favor, and glad-tidings be unto us for this glorious attainment.”

Consider the past, so that thou mayest become informed of the mysteries which shall be disclosed in the future. When the disciples were calling in the name of Christ, the Jews scoffed, scorned and laughed at them. They were saying, “They (i.e., the disciples) are taken with madness, and madness is made an art.” They even beat them with whips, threw stones at them, prevented the people from approaching them, and were saying, “This man (Christ) is naught but a sorcerer, blasphemeth God and is possess of a devil.”

Then observe how that persecution and scorn were changed to glory, honor and reverence. Ultimately, they (the Jews) honored their sublime stations and acknowledged their loftiness, which was exalted, promoted and glorified in the center of the horizons until it reached the degree of exaggeration in deeds. They 176 made for them likenesses and pictures, decorated with jewels shining in the eyes; they placed these likenesses or pictures in the temples, churches and monasteries built on the tops of the mountains, and worshipped them with respect, glory, majesty and reverence. This is the condition of the neglectful ones who are deprived of the Truth (the Manifestations of God) at the day of their existence among them. After the ascension of their (the prophets’) spirits unto the Center of Purity and Piety, then the negligent ones repent and return, making likenesses and pictures according to their own ideas, which do not bear resemblance, and worship the same. This is the station of the ignorant ones who are as animals, following every croaker and shaken by every wind. “Forsake them to play in their shallow waters.”

As to thee: Be happy because of what thy Lord, the Clement, the Merciful, hath given thee; choosing thee and thy esteemed wife for entrance into His Kingdom, for calling in His name, praising Him in assemblies, gatherings and meetings.

The truth I verily say unto thee, this divine grace cannot be exchanged for the sovereignty of the earth, the east or the west. For that (the worldly kingdom) is naught but dreams, torture to the spirit, trouble for the hearts; its mortality is certain and its destruction a well known fact—while this spiritual kingdom and divine grace will shine, and it is an ABHA (Glorious) jewel which will glisten on the diadems of great glory in the course of centuries and cycles.