“O thou who art wholly advancing unto God!...”
'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas, (1909) · Read original
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When in Bahá'í history
O thou who art wholly advancing unto God!
Verily I have read thy letter in answer to mine and praised God—may glory and dignity be unto Him!—for by reason of which He hath kindled the lamp of guidance in the glass of thy heart, lighted in thy breast the fire of love and faithfulness, illumined thy face with the light of His knowledge among women and chosen thee for spreading His fragrances amid the maid-servants. Be happy and rejoice at this speech through which the sick will recover, the sad become cheered, the dumb speak and the deaf hear; rather, the decayed bones will be quickened and the rocks and stones be affected.
Remember my spiritual favors which have uninterruptedly descended upon thee at the table which was spread under the abundant gifts of the Kingdom of God. Verily, I continue supplicating God to make to grow from the luxuriant garden of the heart the aromatic plants of His knowledge, through the abundant rain pouring froth from the clouds of His Kingdom, the Most Great; that thou mayest be a herald of the Covenant in those regions and a preacher of the Kingdom of God in those distant isles.
Blessed thou art for this letter. Glad-tidings unto thee for this speech!
Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.
Discuss this story
For adults
- If you were to share this story aloud at a devotional gathering, which sentence would you read first?
- What in your own life does this story bring to mind?
- Where do you see love appearing — visibly or quietly — in this passage?
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
- What single image from this story will stay with you?
- Where in your own life are you being asked to practice love?
- Read the passage a second time, slowly. What did you notice that you missed the first time?
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "“O thou who art wholly advancing unto God!...”" 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
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