“O thou whose face is illumined with the Light of the...”
'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 whose face is illumined with the Light of the Love of God!
The answer already hath been delayed, but there is no harm in that. For, verily, my heart is gazing unto thee, my love is constant and permanent for thee and the fragrances of holiness are wafting (over thee) and my spirit is pouring upon thee, and the spiritual communication is extended between us.
O maid-servant of God! It is incumbent upon thee to show forth the greatest steadfastness; it is incumbent upon thee to stand the tests of the Lord! Be thou firm in the love of thy Lord, the Clement, the Merciful!***
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
- How could the spirit of love show up in your week?
- What does this story say about how to face hard moments?
Reflection
- Is there someone in your life who would be helped by hearing this story?
- Where in your own life are you being asked to practice love?
- Take one line from this story and let it stay with you today.
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "“O thou whose face is illumined with the Light of the...”" 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…