“O thou son of the Kingdom!...”
'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas, (1909) · Read original
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When in Bahá'í history
O thou son of the Kingdom!
Consider the bounty of the Lord and the gifts of thy Creator. He hath chosen thee to love Him and selected thee from among His beings to know Him and distinguished thee particularly with the gift of dazzling light through which the faces of the righteous will shine. Verily I say unto thee that this gift now signifieth a globule and a date stone which shall spring up and grow until it becometh a tree of solid root and the branches thereof will extend to the East and West. Then the tongues shall utter: “This is naught but a great bounty!”
Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.
Discuss this story
For adults
- Where do you see love appearing — visibly or quietly — in this passage?
- How does this story complicate or deepen your understanding of tablets?
- Read the closing lines once more. What single phrase stays with you?
For teens
- What is one quality you'd want to carry forward from this account?
- Which line in this story surprised you the most?
Reflection
- Sit quietly for a moment after reading. What does this story stir in you?
- If you could bring one quality from this story into your next conversation, what would it be?
- What single image from this story will stay with you?
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "“O thou son of the Kingdom!...”" 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
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