To Mrs. Ralston

O thou my daughter of the Kingdom! Thy letter full of significances imparted spiritual joy and stirred the hearts into cheerfulness. It was an indication of thy inward illumination and a brilliant proof of the fact that thou art drawing the rays of Truth from the fount of Mercy. From the time of our separation up to this hour thou wert and art ever in my mind. I have not forgotten thee even for one day, similarly Mr. Ralston; for both of you are most dear to me. Praise be to God, that your eyes are seeing and your ears hearing and your hearts illumined with the Light of the Most Great Guidance. Your trip to New York was most seasonable and the means of the tranquility of heart and soul. I hope that during this winter you may spend your time with the utmost rejoicing, but you must be present in the meetings of the believers and become the means of love and affinity of one toward another. Soul-cheering news reaches us from New York, that good-fellowship is realized amongst the friends and union and accord is perfect. I hope that Mr. Ralston and thyself may become the means of holding such meetings, the harvests of which may be abundant, day by day the believers may become more loving and kind toward each other and always good news may arrive from New York, granting joy and happiness to the hearts of the yearning ones. Convey on my behalf kindness and greeting to each and all the friends and the maidservants of the Merciful.

Upon thee be greeting and praise!

(Signed) ‘Abdu’l-Baha Abbas.

(Star of the West, vol. 9, no. 13, November 4, 1918)

To the believers in Khurasan, Persia

He is God!

O fragrances of God, waft with perfume! O breezes of God, pass with aroma and seek the valley of the Merciful, the assembly of knowledge, the Sahara of Khorassan ! Become diffused before the friends of God and His faithful ones. Perfume the nostrils of His chosen ones—those whose faces shone forth, whose stars became brilliant, whose feet stood firm, whose banners unfurled, whose hearts grew strong, whose roots and branches flourished, whose breasts dilated in the day of meeting, and who became loyal to the Covenant of God in the world of eternity. Then convey thou to the dwellers of those regions and hills, the greetings of thy Lord, the Supreme, and announce to them the glad tidings of the days of God.

By my Lord! This is a bounty that was desired in the past centuries by the dawning points of lights and stars, and the recipients of the inspiration of thy Lord, the Dear, the Self-subsisting. Their eyes were flooded, their tears flowed, their lamentations arose in yearning and longing for it. May you enjoy this table that has descended from the heaven of the favor of your Lord, the Merciful, the Compassionate!

O breezes of longing and fragrances from the flowers of faithfulness! Stand in the courtyard of the friends, the rose-garden of whose hearts thrived by the flooding clouds of the love of God, and their faces shone with the light of the knowledge of God. Convey to them my longing, yearning and attachment; declare and announce to them my devotion, affection and fondness in their mention. Say to them:—

To an illumined American minister who became a believer when ‘Abdu’l- Bahá visited America

O my revered! Thy letter that thou hast written in the utmost sincerity and love was the cause of perfect joy. Indeed, with soul and heart thou art striving in order that thou mayest be confirmed by the good pleasure of God. Undoubtedly, this blessed intention has a great effect. A good intention is like unto a brilliant candle, its light shines in all directions. Now, thanks be to God, thou hast risen with utmost effort to light a candle of guidance in that country, and to plant in the garden of the world of humanity a tree of love and gentleness, to herald to the Kingdom of God, to become the cause of awakening of the heedless, to give healing to the spiritually sick, to become the cause of broadening the thought, to train characters, to impart progress to the minds and souls, to bring the lost sheep to the shadow of the real Shepherd, and to guide the migrant birds of the rose-garden of reality.

Rest thou assured that the confirmations of His Holiness Baha’u’llah will come.

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a Tablet; Star of the West, vol. 9, no. 12, October 16, 1918)