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The same event, told by different sources. The canonical version below is what we publish; the alternate accounts are preserved for scholarly comparison and for noticing where retellings differ.

Canonical version

Frontispiece

Primary Source'Abdu'l-Bahá · Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas

“In reality thou art spiritually hungry and athirst for the Water of Life. Therefore I send thee spiritual food and bestow upon thee the Water of Life Eternal. That food is the divine advices and exhortations revealed in the Tablets and the spiritual outpourings of the Breath of the Holy Spirit. I hope ere long it will reach thee and thou wilt behold what an exhilaration and beatitude it produceth and what cheerfulness and serenity and what heavenly emotions it createth!”

Abdul-Baha Abbas.

Tablets of Abdul-Baha Abbas

Volume I

Published by

BAHAI PUBLISHING SOCIETY

P. O. Box 283

CHICAGO, U.S.A.

Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.

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Alternate account · 65% similar

“O thou who hast turned thy face toward the Kingdom of God!...”

'Abdu'l-Bahá · Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas

O thou who hast turned thy face toward the Kingdom of God!

Thy letter was received. In reality thou art spiritually hungry and athirst for the Water of Life. Therefore I send to thee spiritual food and bestow upon thee the Water of Life Eternal. That food is the divine advices and exhortations revealed in the Tablets and the spiritual outpourings of the breath of the Holy Spirit. I hope ere long it will reach thee and thou wilt behold what an exhilaration and beatitude it produceth and what cheerfulness and serenity and what heavenly emotions it createth.

Educate and train thou that dear child with the utmost perseverance.

Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.

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Why are alternate accounts kept? Different retellings of the same event often vary in emphasis, detail, and tone. Scholars and devotional readers can notice these differences and trace the trustworthiness of each retelling.