“O thou who hast approached toward God!...”
'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas, (1909) · Read original
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When in Bahá'í history
Paris (today: Paris, France)
O thou who hast approached toward God!
Verily I have received thy letter and my heart was dilated by the content of thy expression, for it indicated the illumination of thy heart, the spirituality of thy soul, thy detachment from all the grades of this nether world and thy yearning after the effulgences of the Realm of Light.
By the glory of my Lord, I declare: “Verily the splendors of divinity are continually descending upon the pure, enlightened souls and the outpouring of the Kingdom fall tumultuously, like unto torrents, upon the favored realities from the rains of the providence of thy Lord, the Merciful, the Clement!
“Cast behind every single thought and idea and attach thyself to the commemoration of thy Master, the Ancient. Be thou soaring in the Kingdom of God, the Mighty, the Beneficent. Live thou in Paris until the fragrance of the love of God may emanate from thee in the college wherein thou art studying sciences and unfurl thou the standard of universal peace, reconciliation, agreement and security among all men. Rejoice thou by the bounty of thy Lord which hath encompassed the whole existence and sing and warble with the most wonderful melody in the rose-garden of knowledge. Verily thy Lord, the Beneficent, will confirm thee in every moment and second and will empower thee with such a power that the columns of warfare and bloodshed shall shake and the foundation of peace and harmony shall arise.”
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?
- How does this story complicate or deepen your understanding of tablets?
- Where do love and mercy meet in this story?
For teens
- If you were in 'Abdu'l-Bahá's place, what might you have done?
- What does this story teach about love?
Reflection
- 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?
- What in this account feels timely? What feels timeless?
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "“O thou who hast approached toward God!...”" drawn from?
Where does this story take place?
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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