The Strong Rope

The *Star of the West* of June 5, 1913, printed a short Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá under the heading *The "Strong Rope."* It was addressed to Mrs. Harriet Cline of Los Angeles, and it had been translated in Paris on March 29, 1913, while the Master was staying there.

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Mrs. Cline had written to Him. His answer began by telling her what her letter had shown: that she was spending her days in the remembrance of Bahá'u'lláh, that she was firm and steadfast in the Covenant, and that she was "holding fast to the 'Strong Rope.'"

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Then He explained why this mattered:

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> Today firmness in the Covenant is the means of the promotion of the > Word of God, and conducive to the effect of the word of man.

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Any explanation that did not accord with the Covenant, He wrote, would have no effect whatsoever, while whoever heralded the Covenant of God would unquestionably be confirmed. "This has been tried a thousand times." A soul who violated the Covenant even in the least degree would be cut off at once, and even in this material world would be afflicted with remorse and regret.

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He ended with a charge. As much as she was able, Mrs. Cline was to call the people to the Covenant and make the souls firm and steadfast.

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The Covenant of which He spoke is the one Bahá'u'lláh established in His Will, naming 'Abdu'l-Bahá as the Center to whom the believers should turn.

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*A retelling based on **Star of the West**, vol. 4, no. 5 (June 5, 1913), "The 'Strong Rope,'" Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to Mrs. Harriet Cline. For the fuller account, see the original.*

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