“O thou faithful servant of the True One!...”
'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas, (1909) · Read original
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O thou faithful servant of the True One!
I received thy letter and its contents caused the utmost joy and fragrance within me, because it showed thy firmness in the Cause of God and proved thy steadfastness in the love of the Word of God. Its meanings were the mystery of unity and its expression showed thy firm intention in serving the glorious Lord.
I beseech the Threshold of Unity with all humility and supplication to make thee confirmed in His service and to enable thee to be serviceable in the Holy Threshold; that thou mayest not be a moment at rest nor take a breath of composure; nay, rather to pass all thy life in this greatest gift and this supreme favor employed in diffusing the breath of God; that thy sincerity of heart, thy sanctity and purity may increase and that thou mayest become entirely separated from aught else save God. Except a man be purified and sanctified from the soil of his dependence on this world, the spiritual purity will not become manifest in him. The more the mirror is clear and pure the greater will the rays and the bounties of the Sun of Truth show forth from it.
As to those things published in journals against thee: Thou shouldst not be grieved nor sorry therefor, because thousands of journals have written traducing Abdul-Baha, have given false and base accusations and awful calumnies. Notwithstanding these he was neither troubled nor grieved thereby; nay, rather these cause me to exert myself more than usual in the path of God and to drink the cup of sacrifice and to boil in the fire of His love. Man must seek to gain the acceptance of God and not that of the different classes of men. If one is praised and chosen by God, the accusation of all the creatures will cause no loss to him; and if the man is not accepted in the threshold of God, the praise and admiration of all men will be of no use to him.
By all these it is meant that thou must not be sorry and grieved because of these things the papers have written against thee; nay, rather trust in God and be unmoved by either the praise or the false accusations declared by people towards thee, depend entirely on God and exert thyself to serve His holy vineyard. All else save this is but imagination, though it be the praises of all people in thy behalf; because all else is of no result and bears no fruit.
As to thine action against the journal which hath libeled thee: It is not at all best to bring action against them, because there is no profit in doing that; nay, it will lead to more sayings of a similar nature. Under these circumstances silence is best. Thou must not be disappointed, sorry or grieved thereat; God will remove all these difficulties. If thou wilt employ thyself in the service (of the Cause of God) the past losses will be recovered and all the troubles will be settled.
This is the manifest truth.
Send my greeting to the enlightened leaf, the maid-servant of God, thy noble wife.
Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.
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'Abdu'l-Bahá. (1909). *Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas*. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html
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