“O thou who art awakened to the Cause of God!...”

O thou who art awakened to the Cause of God!

Verily, I read thy letter and my heart was rejoiced at thine interesting words; and I thanked God for He hath favored those souls who earnestly desire to guard His strongly fortified fortress and His inaccessible cave and who love unity, affinity, harmony and accord and who agree on one opinion, one idea and one word. This behooveth the sincere souls! This behooveth such as believe in the divine unity! This behooveth such as are firm and steadfast in the Covenant, which is throbbing within the heart of the whole creation!

Be ye guardians of the throne of the Kingdom of God and armies of defense for the Religion of God. Whenever ye find someone desiring to separate himself from the flock, it is incumbent upon you to treat him with fragrance and kindness and persuade and encourage him, so that this secluded sheep may return to the flock.

Verily, thy Lord loveth union and hateth discord; for the appearance of the Holy Manifestations and divine laws is only for the sake of affinity, union and concord, so that the remote, contradictory and different nations and creeds may enter under the shadow of the Blessed Tree in unanimous love and agreement.

I bed of god to confirm all of His dearly beloved ones in one opinion, one belief, one movement, one path and one manner. This is that by which the station of the beloved ones will be elevated, the Word of God will be promoted, the fragrances of God will be diffused and the faces of the sincere ones will be illuminated in the path of God. It is incumbent upon you to practice these [instructions] under all aspects and circumstances.

As to the manifestation of the Greatest Name (Baha’o’llah): This was the Divine Manifestation which appeared upon the earthly world. This is He whom God promised in all His Books and Scriptures, such as the Bible, the gospels and the Koran. All of these Books indicate this fact, and the least doubt cannot possibly occur to the minds concerning this clear fact, as is recorded in detail in the heavenly Books, especially in the brilliant and holy Tablets. But notwithstanding this fact, if there is anyone who hesitates therein, do not dispute with him, nay rather prove this to him with all joy and fragrance, lest he may be obstinately compelled to rebellion.

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