“If you arise in accord with the exhortations and commands...”

298 If you arise in accord with the exhortations and commands of the Blessed Perfection—may my life be a sacrifice to His beloved ones! —before long agreeable results will be obtained, the great newspapers of the world will all engage in praising you and such activity will be brought about in the West as will increase the motion and activity in the East.

You have written concerning the meetings in Cambridge and Boston. The more such meetings increase, it will increase the diffusing of the fragrances.

The news concerning the unity, harmony, affinity and oneness of the maid-servants of the Merciful One and the friends of God in those parts, imparted the utmost joy and happiness (to me). This indicated that the Cause will before long yield results in that country.

Convey on my behalf respectful greeting to the favored and attracted maid-servant of God, the daughter of the Kingdom, Miss .........

O thou .........! Exhort thou all the believers and say: “The Beauty of Abha—may my life be a sacrifice to the dust of His footsteps! —hath opened a great door before your faces and bestowed a weighty gift upon you. We must know the value of this and sacrifice ourselves entirely; nay, we must forget ourselves. We must wish for no rest and seek no joy. We must seek no name nor fame, no ease, amplitude nor convenience; nay, we must sacrifice everything in order that we may be clad in the kingdom of immortality!”299

The letter which thou hast written was received and its perusal brought me joy, for it indicated that you are extremely pleased with the beloved ones (i.e., men) and the maid-servants of God in Persia. forsooth, their love is heartfelt and real; they are devoted in service with all their soul and they are attracted by the love of the friends with all their heart. If any occasion befalleth and cases of tests come up, they will sacrifice their precious lives for the sake of the friends and freely give up all their possessions.

Briefly, O thou dear maid-servant of God! Praise be to God! thou didst see with thine own eyes, thou didst hear with thine own ears and thou didst comprehend with thine own heart. Thou didst witness the qualities and the life and conduct of Abdul-Baha and thou didst behold the love and kindness, faith and assurance of the friends of Persia. Thou didst see the exaltation (or progress) of the Cause of God and thou didst test the general character (or qualities) of the friends; and thou didst know with perfect assurance that the Cause of Baha’o’llah is the means for the quickening of the world and for the extraordinary progress of mankind; that it hath quickened Persia and hath removed the darkness of ignorance, that the friends are kind unto all the people of the world and self-sacrificing servants of mankind.

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

'Abdu'l-Bahá. (1909). *Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas*. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html