“O ye beloved! O ye maid-servants of the Merciful!...”
'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas, (1909) · Read original
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When in Bahá'í history
O ye206 beloved! O ye maid-servants of the Merciful!
What a wonderful meeting ye have arranged and longed for the beauty of service and have arisen to spread the fragrances of God! Truly I declare, ye are confirmed by the cohorts of the Supreme Concourse and are reinforced and empowered by the Exalted Realm!
When the confirmation of the Holy Spirit descendeth, ye are not a drop, but a roaring sea! Ye are the stars of the horizon of guidance! If this committee become firm, it will grow and develop; if it remain steadfast, it will become a gift of the Almighty to the human world; if it last, it will display marvelous signs for the well-being of the children of man!
The hosts of the Kingdom of Abha are drawn and filed up in battle-array on the plain of the Supreme Apex and are expecting that a band of volunteers step upon the field of action with the intention of service; so that they may assist that band and make it victorious and triumphant.
O Thou Almighty God! Confirm Thou these friends and the maid-servants of the Merciful! Grant Thou to them assistance. Open Thou before their faces the closed doors and make them intimate with the fragrances of holiness, so that they may become the confident friends of each other; raise the melody and the song of joy and sing the harmony of heaven, in order that they may exhilarate and gladden the regions of the West and impart attraction and ecstasy!
Make Thou them the magnets of love so that they may attract the hearts to the Kingdom of Abha!
Verily, Thou art the Powerful and the Mighty; and Thou art the Giver, the Seer and the Hearer! There is no God but Thee, the Generous, 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
- What stands out about 'Abdu'l-Bahá's response in this account?
- What might 'Abdu'l-Bahá's example ask of us in our own circumstances?
- If you were to share this story aloud at a devotional gathering, which sentence would you read first?
For teens
- If you were in 'Abdu'l-Bahá's place, what might you have done?
- What does this story teach about generosity?
Reflection
- Where in your own life are you being asked to practice generosity?
- 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 ye beloved! O ye maid-servants of the Merciful!...”" 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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