“O thou slave of the Beauty of ABHA!...”
'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas, (1909) · Read original
Studio narration for this story is coming — it’ll be generated by the cloud-TTS pipeline (voice: auto-selected from the source author).
When in Bahá'í history
O thou slave of the Beauty of ABHA!
Thy letter was received. Praise be to God! It indicated thy firmness and steadfastness in the love of God—therefore, it was the cause of happiness.
Thou hast written regarding the meeting of his honor Mr. ........, his respected wife and daughter. Truly, I say, Mr. ........ is a blessed soul and is engaged in the service of the Cause and his extreme hope is to bring about affinity between the souls and cause the believers to be united and agree. This is also my highest hope. I hope, God willing, this unity and agreement will be established and this imprisoned one, immersed in the sea of trials, become exhilarated and rejoiced. The aim of the appearance of the Blessed Perfection—may my life be a sacrifice for His beloved ones! —was the unity and agreement of all the people of the world. Therefore, my utmost desire, firstly, is the accord and union and love of the believers and after that of all the people of the world. Now, if unity and agreement is not established among the believers, I will become heartbroken and the afflictions will leave a greater imprint upon me. But if the fragrance of love and unity among the believers is wafted to my nostrils, every trial will become a mercy, every unhappiness a joy, every difficulty an expansion, every misery a treasure and every hardship a felicity.
Convey on my behalf the utmost love and kindness to the favored maid-servant of God [thy wife], and thy worthy and noble sons.
Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.
Discuss this story
For adults
- Read the closing lines once more. What single phrase stays with you?
- What might 'Abdu'l-Bahá's example ask of us in our own circumstances?
- If you were to share this story aloud at a devotional gathering, which sentence would you read first?
For teens
- Who is someone you know who lives out hope the way this story describes?
- If you were going to tell a friend this story in two sentences, what would you say?
Reflection
- Take one line from this story and let it stay with you today.
- What in this account feels timely? What feels timeless?
- How does hope show up in your life right now — and where is it being asked of you?
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "“O thou slave of the Beauty of ABHA!...”" drawn from?
What period of Bahá'í history does this story belong to?
Which historical figure is featured most prominently in this story?
Which virtue does this story most clearly illustrate?
Cite this story
'Abdu'l-Bahá. (1909). *Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas*. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html
Record yourself reading this story
Recording stays on this device only. Nothing is uploaded.
Related stories
The Tablets of the Divine Plan Unveiled
In the spring and summer of 1919 the Star of the West gave its pages to the unveiling of the Tablets of the Divine Plan — the Master's great charter of teaching addressed to the North American believers, formally proclaimed at the New York convention in April 1919.
The Tablets of the Divine Plan: First Publication in the Star
In the spring of 1916 the *Star of the West* carried the first published Tablets of the Divine Plan, sent by 'Abdu'l-Bahá from the war-strained Holy Land to the American believers — eight letters that would prove to be the charter of the Bahá'í teaching enterprise of the twentieth century.
“A sufficient number of Tablets having been gathered together,...”
A sufficient number of Tablets having been gathered together, they have been entrusted to the Baha’i Publishing Society for publication in this concrete form for the enlightenment of the English-speaking…
“Announce greeting on my behalf to the two young...”
262 Announce greeting on my behalf to the two young Japanese263 and…