“O ye sons of the Kingdom!...”

O ye200 sons of the Kingdom!

At a time when conditions were most difficult and oppressive and the reception or letters hard and impracticable, your letter was received. Therefore, its reception denoteth that the honorable assembly is confirmed. I hope from the bounties of His Highness the Incomparable One that under all circumstances and conditions ye may become assisted in the service of the Kingdom of God.

Ye have written regarding the erection of the Temple and the purchase of the ground, or the finding of a place to be as a home for the gathering of the believers. At this moment that Abdul-Baha is immersed in the ocean of calamities, this news caused him joy and happiness, that—praise be to God!—the friends and the maid-servants of the Merciful are thinking to serve the Kingdom of God.

O ye sanctified souls! It is the time of firmness and steadfastness and the period of arising in the service of the Word of God, for the Blessed City201 is environed from all directions with the tempestuous waves of tests and trials and the sweeping hurricanes of persecutions and hardships are blowing and roaring high. The joy and happiness of the heart of Abdul-Baha depends upon the stability and constancy of the believers. For they must live and act in accord with the divine advices and exhortations and show forth to each other the power of the perfection of love with infinite accord and unity, so that they may become the embodiment of one existence, the waves of ones sea, the myrtles of one rose-garden, the rays of one sun, the stars of one horizon, the fruits of one tree and the birds of one meadow.

Likewise, they must treat with and behave toward all the governments, nations, communities, kings and subjects with the utmost sincerity, trustworthiness, straightforwardness, love and kindness. Even they must make hopeful a bloodthirsty enemy, show sympathy with the utmost faithfulness and honor to the perfidious unjust, know the ill-wisher as the well-wisher and torment not the sinner with reproaches. Should they become the targets of a thousand arrows of persecution, they must challenge it with love and friendship and treat every one with purity of purpose and kindness.

O ye friends of God! Show ye an endeavor that all the nations and communities of the world, even the enemies, put their trust, assurance and hope in you; that if a person falls into errors for a hundred-thousand times he may yet turn his face to you, hopeful that you will forgive his sins; for he must not become hopeless, neither grieved nor despondent. This is the conduct and the manner of the people of Baha’. This is the foundation of the most high pathway! Ye should conform your conduct and manners with the advices of Abdul-Baha.

Concerning the erection of the Temple: Now all the believers must become united, so that the Temple may be built soon in one place. For should (the believers) undertake (the erection of the Temple) in many places, it will not become completed anywhere; and as in Chicago they have preceded every other place to plan the erection of the Temple, undoubtedly to cooperate and help them is nobler and a necessity. Then, when it is built in one place, it will become erected in many other places. If, for the present, you prepare or establish a home in New York, though by renting it, to become a center for the gathering of the believers of God, it is very acceptable. God willing, in all the states of America in the future there will be erected Temples with infinite architectural beauty, art, with pleasing proportion and handsome and attractive appearances; especially in New York. But for the present, be ye satisfied with a rented place.

The utmost happiness was produced by hearing the news of unity and agreement among the believers in New York; for the foundation of progress is union and when this object is attained, the Cause will develop.

Deliver on my behalf longing greeting to his honor Mr. ........ .

When the friends and the maid-servants of the Merciful gather together on Sundays, in the spiritual assemblies, exercise ye toward them, on behalf of this imprisoned one, the utmost affection, love and kindness.

Convey on behalf of this longing one the glad-tidings of the attainment to confirmation to his honor Mr. ........; that ere long he shall in such wise be assisted by the confirmations of the Kingdom of Abha that he, himself, will become astonished.

O ye members of the spiritual assembly! Become ye firm and steadfast in the Covenant and Testament to such a degree that your meeting become the expression of one soul and endeavor ye with your hearts and minds so that ye may become the cause of the illumination of this darkened world and that through your efforts the lights of the Kingdom dawn upon this nether sphere.

Whatever hath and will transpire in this land is through the conspiracy of the brothers who are not resting, neither day nor night, and are thirsting for the blood of Abdul-Baha. The government is not responsible at all. These difficulties are brought about through the evil slanders and machinations of the nakazeen202 .

Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.

'Abdu'l-Bahá. (1909). *Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas*. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html