Through Mirza Ahmad to Mr. Thornton Chase.
Upon him be Baha’u’l-Abha!
He is God!
O thou herald of the Kingdom!
I received thy two letters, an old one and one of recent
date, and both of them were read with the utmost attention. Praise be to God!
that thou didst not waver before the tests; nay, rather, thou didst remain firm
and steadfast. When the tree sends down its roots into the bowels of the earth,
then it will bring forth blossoms and fruits. Now, Praise be to God! that in
this day of Kingdom thou art firm and steadfast. Rest thou assured that thou
wilt become the recipient of confirmation and assistance, and the object of
infinite bounties.
Thou hast asked about the statement in the Hidden Words,
which reads: "Son of Spirit! Turn thy face so that thou mayest find Me
within thee, Powerful, Mighty and Supreme." This is the statement to which
His Holiness, the Christ, referred His apostles in the Gospel, saying,
"The Father is in the Son, and the Son is in you.
This is evident that, when the hearts are purfied and
through divine education and heavenly teachings become the manifestors of
infinite perfections; they are like clear mirrors, and the Sun of Truth will
reflect with might, power and omnipotence in such a mirror, and to such an
extent that whatever is brought before it is illumined and ignited. This is a
brief interpretation because of the lack of time. Therefore, do thou reflect
and ponder over it so that the doors of significance may be opened before thine
eyes.
In regard to the philosophy of the Theosophists, these
people have borrowed some remarks and statements from the heavenly books, but
they have not attained to the Reality. Notwithstanding this, they have made
these appearances the foundation of their faith and religion. However, the
reality of the question of Unify is this:
The Sun of Truth bath shone forth from the Horizon of Unity
upon all the regions. All contingent things are clad with the garment of
existence through the rays of the sun. Were it not for the rays of the sun no
being could step forth upon time arena of life. Everything would have remained hidden;
nay rather, the life of the terrestrial beings is continued through the light
and heat of the sun to such an extent that all the infinitesimal atoms, which
move through this realm of earth owe their life to the reflection of the sun.
Of course, each being manifests its inward tendencies according to its ability
and capacity. However, no matter how much the sun reflects itself through all
the contingent beings, yet it never leaves its supreme height and exalted
station.
It (the Divine Sun) is not divided among these beings, so
that every being may become a pair and a portion of Divinity. Decent, division,
transmission md transmigration in the stations of life are the conditions of
the contingent beings, but the Eternal Reality is wholly beyond and above these
conditions; for when you behold that a being is subject to division, descent
and disintegration, this is a proof of the contingency and impermanency of that
being. The Ancient, the Ever-living, and the Omniscient Lord, who is above the
comprehension of humanity and is qualified with self-existent perfections, will
never descend to the stations of life, and will not be divided so that every
man may become an atom or a part of Him. Children can understand the
untenability of this proposition. This is the pure imagination of the weak
minds.
Therefore, according to their theory, the Manifestations of
God are infinite in number, and this would leave us to believe in the theory of
the "Concatenation of life" but concatenation is false, and change is
the essential condition of the contingent realities, and not of the Eternal
Reality. Ponder deeply over the above explanation, so that it may become
evident to thee that by Unity is meant the outpouring of the Divine, which
appears and manifests in the realities of all existence, and especially in the
unity of man.
The story of the cock that you have written is very
appropriate. (This refers to the play of Chanticleer, wherein the cock supposed
the sun to be caused to arise through his crowing, until he was chagrined to
learn that its rising was independent of him and his voice.)
Associate with the utmost love and friendship with the
Theosophists, and make them comprehend this unity of humanity, which is the
unity of the outpouring of the Divine, so they may attain to the essence of the
facts.
In regard to the verse, which is revealed in tile Qur’an
that His highness, Christ, was not killed and was not crucified, by this is
meant the Reality of Christ. Although they crucified this elemental body, yet
the merciful reality and the heavenly existence remain eternal and undying, and
it was protected from the obsession and persecution of the enemies, for Christ
is Eternal and Everlasting. How can He die? This death and crucifixion was
imposed on the physical body of Christ, and not upon the Spilt of Christ.
Regarding my coining to America, it depends upon the
realization of conditions of which I have already written to that country. If
those conditions are brought into fruition, rest thou assured that I will
present myself, otherwise, it will be difficult.
Upon thee be the
Glory of God!
(Signed) ‘Abdu’l-Baha Abbas
(Star of the West, vol. 2, nos. 7 & 8, August 1, 1911)
