“O ye maid-servants of the Merciful! Leaves of the...”
'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas, (1909) · Read original
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O ye79 maid-servants of the Merciful! Leaves of the Tree of Life!
Thank ye the Lord, for He hath removed the covering from off your insight, illuminated your eyes by witnessing the Sun of Truth, purified your souls, and hath quickened your hearts through the holy fragrances which are being diffused from the garden of the kingdom of His Great Glory!
O ye maid-servants of the Merciful! It is incumbent upon you to soar up with wings of joy and happiness unto the apex of exultation and gladness; for He hath assigned unto you the greatest guidance in the Day of Resurrection, and hath crowned you with the diadem of glory and divine honor among the women of the whole world, and hath chosen you above the queens of the world for His great bounty.
Verily, the crowns which are on the heads of the noble women—the queens of the world—all their bases will be finally broken, their gems scattered away, their luster removed and will become as dispersed dust. But your magnificent crowns are everlastingly brilliant and permanently glorious and mighty and their gems scintillating throughout cycles and ages.
This is the highest gift! This is the greatest bestowal! Thank ye your Lord for this great bounty and favor! O ye maid-servants of the Merciful! verily, your Lord, the Supreme, is calling upon you from His Ancient Kingdom and announces unto you such glad-tidings, whereat the hearts of the angels of heaven rejoice.
It is incumbent upon you to strip yourselves of every old garment (i.e., old beliefs and past customs). It is incumbent upon you to be severed from this contemptible earthly world. It is incumbent upon you (to seek after) the Kingdom, in this great Day!
Purify ye your hearts, sanctify your souls and cleanse your spirits; so that ye may attain to this great success. Then ye will become the angels of heaven, will enter among the Supreme Concourse and will permanently abide in the paradise of union (with God), and will be associated with the Beauty of El-ABHA.
Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.
Discuss this story
For adults
- Where do joy and mercy meet in this story?
- How does this story illustrate the practice of joy?
- What stands out about 'Abdu'l-Bahá's response in this account?
For teens
- If you were in 'Abdu'l-Bahá's place, what might you have done?
- What does this story teach about joy?
Reflection
- What single image from this story will stay with you?
- Where in your own life are you being asked to practice joy?
- Read the passage a second time, slowly. What did you notice that you missed the first time?
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "“O ye maid-servants of the Merciful! Leaves 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
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