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by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab
The New History
Foundation
132 East 65th street, New York 21, N. Y., U. S. A.
[Title page]
Date of publication
August, 1947
Copyright, 1947
By
New History Foundation
All Rights Reserved
[Inside Title page]
Heart Phantasies
The New Humanity
Poems on Hollywood Bow (illustrated)
Abdul Baha in Egypt
Renaissance (a booklet)
Message to the Youth of Europe (a booklet)
The Song of the Caravan
Living Pictures (co-author, Julie Chanler)
Silver Sun (co-author, Julie Chanler)
The Bible of Mankind
Broken Silence
Abdul Bahas Grandson
The Will and Testament of Abdul Baha
The Human Charter
(edited from the writings of Baha-O-Llah and Abdul Baha)
[Vanity page]
CONTENTS
Foreword .i
Chapter I
The Farmer of Galilee 1
Chapter II
The Tablets to the United States .. 7
The North-Eastern States ..9
The Southern States 11
The Central States 12
The Western States ..13
Chapter III
The Tablets to Canada ..18
Chapter IV
Tablets to the United States and Canada 22
Chapter V
The Last Tablet ..32
Chapter VI
Accident Insurance . 40
Chapter VII
American Bahais Carry On . ..44
Chapter VIII
Bahai Committee of Investigation .57
Chapter IX
The Doors Open .67
Chapter X
My Steeple-Chase ..75
Chapter XI
The Tube and the Book 82
Chapter XII
Preparations for the Convention . 93
Chapter XIII
The Convention of Reconciliation .102
Prayers in the Divine Plan ..117
[Contents page]
To the teachers who will arise
in the casts of the earth and in the wests thereof
to carry the message
of
this book is dedicated
Formerly they were as moths, but they will become as royal falcons.
Formerly, they were as bubbles, but they will become the sea.
[Dedication page]
Nearly two thousand years ago, after his earthly mission had been completed, the inspired hero of Israel addressed his disciples:
Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (St. Mark, chapter 16, verse 15).
To all intents and purposes, the voice of Jesus had been silenced on Mount Calvary, yet his spirit, so vital that it surmounted the very tomb, appeared to his humble disciples, commanding them to carry on his work beyond the confines of their native land and to the limits of the earth. It was an incredible assignment.
I am ignorant of the phrasing of this sentence in Aramaic, the language supposedly used by Jesus, but the English translation consists of thirteen words and I wonder if any other thirteen words have had such a profound influence on the destiny of mankind. As a result of this injunction, the men who heard it set aside the limitations of birth, upbringing and character, and arose to peaks of valor and accomplishment; after which thousands upon thousands renounced the security and comfort of home to travel in their footsteps. Missionary bands were organized and sent to the five continents and the islands of the seas; libraries, schools, universities and hospitals were built; the New Testament was translated, in whole or in part, into a thousand languages, all to bring the message of the Man of far-away Galilee into the hearts and lives of the people, everywhere.
No more brilliant records can be found than are those of the staunch and selfless teachers who marched the length and breadth of pagan Europe, scaled the snow-capped mountains of Asia, ventured into the jungles of Africa and faced untold hardships in the lands of the Americas. These men and women were indeed the disciples of Christ, for with their spiritual ears they had clearly distinguished his voice as it receded over the centuries, and obeyed it with the awe and devotion of the eleven who had heard it first.
During our times, tile command has sounded again: Go ye into all the world a smaller world, it in true, yet, today as before it is not the glaciers and jungles of nature that obstruct and delay progress, but the glaciers and jungles in the human heart. Frontiers as obtuse as ever on the fair surface of the globe and in the minds of men, with traditions, superstitions and customs grown weightier with the years. It was the name ungainly
[i]
world that Abdul Baha took into his protective arms in the pages of the Divine Plan and upon which be conferred the teachings of his Prophet-father; it was the same rank and file of humanity that he called upon to teach the same message, in an hour of acute need.
Some years earlier, when Baha-O-Llah had arisen to the realms beyond, he had left behind him a plan for the union of all races and nations a detailed, practical plan to be put into execution by the maturing men and women of modern times. It was a blueprint for the ending of all wars and the establishment of a world civilization. Baha-O-Llah had left this priceless legacy in the care of his great son, Abdul Baha, and it was during World War I, while he was living in Palestine, that Abdul Baha transferred this trust to the Bahais throughout the world.
The Divine Plan was dictated to me by Abdul Baha in fourteen Tablets and was carried to the United States. Here he considered the needs of fill nations and, as a spiritual geographer, took into account the resources of the countries of the earth and the islands of the seas, calling most of them by name. These Tablets with their wealth of knowledge, instruction and inspiration constitute the Magna Charts of a new civilization. It is according to its name, a Divine Plan.
In these Tablets, the teachers of the New Day are summoned so specifically, so personally, that each reader must feel himself addressed and chosen. Then, even as the cautious fishermen were transformed into saints and martyrs, so will posterity, in the actual words of Abdul Baha, evaluate the station of individuals as yet unknown:
Formerly they were as moths, but they will become as royal falcons.
Formerly they were as bubbles, but they will become the sea.
Two thousand years ago, Christ in the most general way commanded his disciples: Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Today, Abdul Baha, calling the countries and islands by name, repeats the same injunction in a more precise manner.
We are in a position to estimate the miracles which were accomplished as a result of the command of Jesus given to eleven men, but ran we faintly imagine the nature of our world when the Divine Plan is a story fulfilled?
It is the beginning of a new pilgrimage, launched simultaneously in the Fast and in the West, in the North and in the South: Go ye into all the world.
[ii]
[photo of Abdul-Baha omitted]
[iii]
by MIRZA AHMAD
SOHRAB
A sphere is the most complete thing in the Universe: the world itself, the round notes of a lark, the full life that faces all horizons.
To Abdul Bahas searching spirit, every aspect of existence was familiar. He knew the literature of the religions which have dominated the great sections of humanity. He knew the histories of the countries. their customs, manners, aspirations. He knew politics as it should be an art: he knew it as it was a tangled web of intrigue and group-interest. He knew the heart of man very well, and he knew the plan of God.
He was familiar with all these things and with others of a quite different nature, for he had been tested in the crucible of experience. He knew the luxury of his fathers mansion in Teheran where he bid spent his early childhood the eldest son of a noble and honored house. He knew the lightning change to destitution, the breaking of familiar ties, the long road into exile. He knew the anguish of prison life, the monotony of endless decades of confinement; and then a second lightning change to complete freedom the touring of two continents, the meeting with thousands of all nations, classes, professions. He knew hew to meet men on their own ground, whatever that ground might be.
So, both spiritually and practically, Abdul Baha was fitted to deal with life. In whatsoever circumstances he was the man of God and the man of the world.
When in 1912 he had completed his epoch-making journey through Europe and throughout the United States rind Canada, during which he had warned the people and the governments that nothing but a complete reversal of attitude could prevent a world cataclysm, he returned to Palestine as the center of an international movement. There, while the storm clouds gathered in the countries where he, had so lately spoken on file practical ways to peace, he took up his patriarchal life in the quiet town of Haifa.
1
After the war had broken and words were of no more avail, he immediately turned his attention to the safe-guarding of the populace of the region in which he lived and those adjoining. He set out for the Sea of Galilee and spent months at Tiberias and Adassieh laying extensive agricultural plans and supervising the planting of corn, wheat and other food stuffs. The latter village especially, inhabited altogether by Zoroastrians became the headquarters of a vast farming project. Thus, through his foresight and resourcefulness, the Bahai community and the poor living on the curve of the Bay of Acca were to a large extent ensured against the calamity that was to follow.
With the transfer of the scene of war from the Dardanelles to Syria, the already depleted inhabitants had been subjected to fines, requisitions and exhorbitant taxes. The Turkish government took everything: horses, cows, camels, donkeys, sheep; also wood, iron railings, copper and brass vases. Household furniture was not exempted. The people were deprived of their mattresses, cauldrons, cooking utensils, even their clothing. The majority of houses and shops were swept clean. Then came the famine.
The famine in Palestine derived from several sources, chief among which was the advent of armies of locusts in numbers unprecedented as far as the memories of the oldest inhabitants could reach. At times, these unwelcome guests brought night in daytime as they covered the face of the sky for hours. To this condition, coupled with the extortion and looting by the Turkish authorities, was added the wholesale buying of supplies by the Germans to be shipped to the Fatherland. In short the land, stripped by locusts of two varieties, insect and human, was no longer able to meet even a percentage of the normal requirement. Death was the order of the day. Thousands upon thousands prolonged their lives on the peelings of oranges and bananas, the rind of watermelons or simply on grass, and then fell in their tracks leaving none behind sufficiently animate to mourn for them or bury their corpses. In Lebanon alone, more than one hundred thousand persons succumbed to starvation.
The famine killed the finer emotions and sentiment also. Men, impelled by the instinct of self-preservation, became like wild beasts and fought the fight to the finish. At the same time, the girls of the cities and villages, pure and lovely only a short year ago, trod the awful path of prostitution in order to keep alive just a little longer. Thus, communicable and contagious diseases began to spread with such alarming rapidity that the press, braving the restrictions of censorship, came out with statements
2
[ facsimile of food coupons omitted]
3
that the survival of the nation itself was in jeopardy. Finally the sluggish government, goaded into some action, opened a few free clinics.
Although no town could be protected from the perils of these terrible days, the, communities of Acca and Haifa lived in a comparative oasis. Trains of camels coming from Tiberius and Adassieh were ever on their way to the Masters house in Haifa. Here, sacks of wheat, corn and barley, and cases of vegetables, olive oil, fruit and nuts were unloaded and piled in the vast store room. Then, after an over-night rest, the caravan returned to the plantations for another consignment.
The soil around and adjacent to the Sea of Galilee, where Abdul Bahas agricultural enterprise was going on, being remarkably rich and fertile, yielded three and four crops in the season. Consequently the supplies were abundant and continuous. The Master managed the project himself, while responsibility for transportation was in the hands of Mirza Jalal Esphahani, husband of his daughter Ruha. My duties lay at the distributing end. The people would call at the house and I would provide them with coupons, were they Christian, Jew or Mohammedan. Some coupons bore Abdul Bahas seal together with specifications in his own handwriting on the provisions to be collected. The Master computed the amount required by each family. It was a thoroughly organized ration system.
All this applied to the very poor, but there were others to be considered also: the formerly rich or well-to-do families, now destitute but still proud. In these cases, the Master himself was the visitor, the bringer of provisions and good-cheer. With all the obligations that rested on him, he was willing to go out of his way in order to shield from possible humiliation those who were not accustomed to ask.
Of course there were impediments to be overcome. I well remember a certain instance which threw all of us into a state of consternation. One day Mirza Jalal arrived alone and strode into the presence of the Master. The caravan had been intercepted in Nazareth and the provisions commandeered by the Turkish officers. On receiving this information Abdul Baha acted immediately. His carriage was ordered and he set out alone for Nazareth.
Few of us slept that night for we knew that in such turbulent times, almost anything might happen; and when morning dawned we gathered at the gate and on the road, waiting for news. A long, long day, another anxious night, and then late in the afternoon, the carriage came to view.
4
[facsimile of food coupons omitted]
5
We raced to meet it, tears streaming down our cheeks, and saw Abdul Baha sitting back very comfortably, a smile of satisfaction on his face.
We didnt learn much about his experience. The Turks had been rough, yes, quite uncompromising in their attitude; and then, all of a sudden, a telegram had been sent to Jemal Pasha at his military headquarters in the interior. Result: everything was to be returned. Mirza Jalal could set out right now and bring back our poor camels and the supplies. I can tell you that there was rejoicing that evening in Haifa. The townspeople crowded around the house and could hardly tear themselves away.
And so the years of war rolled on while Abdul Baha, the father, attended to the needs of his enormous family.
6
CHAPTER II
THE TABLETS TO THE UNITED
STATES
After affairs in Haifa had been organized to a point where they could run on without his daily care, the Master would on occasion retire to the other side of the bay and sojourn awhile at Bahjee. In the beautiful house for so long occupied by Baha-O-Llah and where his sacred bones now rest, Abdul Baha would shift his thoughts from things as they were and plan for things to come.
The agonies to which Palestine was subjected were only a small part of the world-agony. Abdul Baha was acutely conscious of the trials of the people in every country and he feared lest with all their sacrifices they were playing a losing game. He mourned over the inability of mankind to forestall these recurrent calamities. The only hope was a coalition of the nations with agencies that would protect the interests of all. Had not Baha-O-Llah addressed the kings and rulers of the earth on these matters! Had not he himself travelled in his old age and explained to the people of Europe and America the steps that should be taken for the welding of humanity into one family! But no, the mind was slow to relinquish shabby old ideas and grasp new ones, however brilliant these new ideas might be; so, by long and painful process, it must be modernized and turned toward the future. That was the task the task for the followers of Baha-O-Llah.
During these periods of physical relaxation at Bahjee, it was my inestimable privilege to live at the side of Abdul Baha to follow him on his walks in the garden and through the meadows, to watch him in his moments of meditation and hear the words which fell from his lips like hyacinths of divine wisdom. One day, he approached me as I was poring over a book, making notes. What are you studying? he asked. I laid before him a World Geography published by The MacMillan Company in 1912, which volume had been given me by a student of the University of Beirut on one of his visits to Haifa.
Abdul Baha turned over the pages and examined the maps with interest. These are the countries that must arise in the cause of peace! he exclaimed, Every one of them. Then he pointed to the text. Translate what it says. So I began: The climatic conditions of the different regions, the methods of transportation, the produce, the industries, figures as to
7
population, language, commerce. He took up my notes which were in Persian. Oh, I see, you have started a skeleton listing already. Very good. Now proceed with it, and later bring the material to me. I still have this geography in my possession a book which was destined to be associated with a spiritual plan for the healing of nations a practical plan for world union.
One Monday morning, it was March 26, 1916, Abdul Baha was sitting at the window of his room, looking past the olive grove, over the sea and far into infinitude. Suddenly, he turned and asked me to chant one of the Prayers of Baha-O-Llah. I obeyed, keenly feeling my own unworthiness and the extraordinary conditions under which I lived. When I had finished chanting, the Master looked at me with a soft, dancing light in his eyes and said: You must be infinitely grateful to Baha-O-Llah for having chosen you to be with me for such a long time. Surely it must be for a great purpose that is not apparent at present. Now bring pen and paper. I will dictate a Tablet to America. He began:
To the friends and maid-servants of God
in
THE NORTH-EASTERN STATES
upon them be greetings and
praise!
This was the first Tablet in a series which later was to become known as The Divine Plan, a mighty work of the spirit in which Abdul Baha was to call upon the people of North America, section by section, commanding them to arise simultaneously and spread the Cause to all the inhabited parts of the earth. In this first Tablet, he says in part:
Throughout the coming centuries and cycles,
many harvests will be gathered. Consider the work of former generations. During
the lifetime of his Holiness Christ, the believing, firm souls were few and
numbered, but the heavenly benedictions descended so plentifully that in a short
time countless souls entered under the shade of the Gospel. God has said in the
Koran: One grain will bring forth seven sheaves, and every sheaf shall contain
one hundred grains. In other
words, one grain will become seven hundred; and if God so wills, he will double
these also. It has often happened that one blessed soul has become the cause of
the guidance of a nation. Now we
must not look at our own ability and capacity; nay, rather we must in these days
behold the favors and bounties of God, who has made the drop to find the
expression of the sea and the atom the importance of the sun.
8
[photo of Mansion of Bahji omitted]
9
The above Tablet was forwarded to America and caused a great deal of active interest, but during the months that followed, various remarks of Abdul Baha pointed to the fact that the Tablet was not final and that it would be supplemented by another. Then on February 2, 1917, the Master, from his house in Haifa, dictated to me a second and longer Tablet likewise addressed to the believers of God in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, Pennsylvania; New Jersey, New York.
This Tablet, coming as it does from Abdul Baha who saw all things with the eye of equality, is interesting in the fact that he singles out the region that he in addressing an being unique and especially favored. He begins thus:
All the regions in the estimation of the
True One are one region, and all the cities and villages are ideally equal and
similar to each other. Neither holds distinction over another. All of them are
the fields of God and the habitation of the souls of men. But through faith and
assurance and the precedence of one part over another, the dweller imparts
holiness and sanctification to the dwelling and some of the countries becoming
exceptional, attain to the most great distinction.
For example, notwithstanding the fact that
some of the countries of Europe and America are distinguished for the purity of
the air, the wholesomeness of the water, the charm of mountains, plains and
prairies, and are preferred above
the rest, yet Palestine became an honor to all other regions of the world
because all the divine Manifestations from the time of His Holiness Abraham to
the time of the appearance of the Seal of the Prophets, have either lived in
this region or have emigrated to or travelled through it.
Likewise Yathreb and Batha attained to the
most great bounty, and the lights of the Prophets have shone from that horizon.
For this reason Palestine and Hedjaz are distinguished above all other
regions.
Likewise as the continent of America, in the estimation of the True One, is the field of the effulgence of lights, the Kingdom of the Manifestation of Mysteries, the home of the righteous ones and the gathering-place of the free, therefore every section thereof is blessed; yet because these nine states have been favored in faith and assurance, hence through this precedence they have obtained spiritual privilege.
The next morning, I took the transcription of the Tablet to the Master. He read it slowly, adding a few words here and there. Then raising his
10
head, he said: Let me see what the friends of God in these States will do. Will they arise with superhuman energy and spread the lights of the Sun of Reality in all those cities, towns, villages and hamlets? I have pointed out to them the highway of service. Will they walk in it? I have drawn for them the plan of God. Will they, like experienced generals, attack the enemy from all sides? And what will you do? Are you going to take a hand in this divine campaign, the birth of which you are now witnessing?
These were words uttered a long time ago as the Master summoned the North-Eastern States to his side. It was the opening shot.
Abdul Baha sent an initial Tablet to the Southern States: Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Later from his house in Haifa, on February 3, 1917, he dictated a longer and more significant Tablet:
To the friends and maid-servants of God
in
THE SOUTHERN STATES
upon them be Baha-O-Llah El Abha !
Again we find that Abdul Baha stresses the specific advantages enjoyed by the people on which he is now focussing his attention. Theirs is an unusual opportunity. He speaks to them as follows:
The philosophers of the ancients, the
thinkers of the Middle Ages and the scientists of this century have agreed that
the best and most ideal region for the habitation of man is the temperate
zone, for in this belt the
intellect and thoughts rise to the highest stage of maturity, and the ability of
civilization manifests itself in full efflorescence. When you read history
critically and with a penetrating eye, it becomes evident that the majority of
the famous men have been born, reared and have done their work in the temperate
zone, while very, very few have appeared in the torrid and frigid
zones.
Now these sixteen Southern States are
situated in the temperate zone, and in these regions the perfections of the
world of nature have been fully revealed. Consequently the moderation of the
weather, the beauty of the scenery and the geographical configuration of the
country make great effect in
the world of mind and thought. This fact is well demonstrated through
observation and experience.
11
Therefore in these sixteen States, the
Divine Teachings should unquestionably reveal themselves with added effulgence,
the Breaths of the Holy Spirit display a more penetrating intensity, the ocean
of the Love of God be stirred with higher waves, the breezes of the Rose-garden of Divine
Love be wafted at a greater speed and the Fragrances of Holiness diffused with
rapidity.
After my copy had been corrected. Abdul Baha said:
The importance of this Tablet will be revealed in the future. In these vast sixteen States, the lights of the Sun of Reality will shine with great power, and the dark clouds of ignorance and prejudice will be dispelled from their horizon. Tell them: Do not let your thoughts and ideals be crystallized around particular matters. Close your eyes to outward differences and look upon each other with the eye of oneness. . . . Upraise the banner of unity, fraternity, cooperation and reciprocity amongst all the peoples, so that there may be left of prejudice, naught but a name, and of ignorance, not even a shadow; that the religion of God may pitch its tent over the East and the West, the radiance of the Kingdom illumine all hearts, perfect agreement and association be realized between the races, religions and nativities Find the world of creation find composure and rest.
According to procedure, both a short and long Tablet were written for the people of Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana. Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. The second one was dictated on February 8, 1917, from Baha-O-Llahs room in Acca.
To the believers and maid-servants of God
in
THE CENTRAL STATES
These twelve Central States are like unto
the heart of America, and the heart is connected with all the organs and parts
of man. If the heart is strengthened, all the organs of the body are reinforced,
and if the heart is weak, the entire physical structure is subjected to
feebleness.
Now praise be to God that Chicago and its
environs, from the beginning of the diffusion of the Fragrances of God, have
been a strong heart. Therefore, through Divine Bounty and Providence it has
become confirmed in certain great matters.
Firstly: The Call of the Kingdom was at the
very start raised from Chicago. This is indeed a great privilege, for in future
centuries and cycles, it will be as an axis around which the honor of Chicago
will revolve.
12
Secondly: A number of souls with the utmost
firmness and steadfastness arose in that blessed spot for the promotion of the
Word of God and even to the present moment, having purified and sanctified the
heart, they are occupied with the promulgation of the Teachings of
God.
Thirdly: During the American journey, Abdul
Baha several times passed through Chicago and associated with the friends of
God. For some time he sojourned in that city. Day and night he was occupied with
the mention of the True One and summoned the people to the Kingdom of
God.
Fourthly: Up to the present time, the effect of every movement initiated in Chicago was spread to all parts and in all directions; just as everything that appears in and manifests from the heart influences all the organs and the structure of the body.
Fifthly: The first Mashrekol-Azlkar
(Temple) in America was instituted in Chicago, and this honor and distinction is
infinite in value. Undoubtedly, out of this Mashrekol-Azkar thousands of other
Mashrekol-Azkars will be born.
In reviewing this Tablet, Abdul Baha said: The believers in America must be like lighthouses, lightships and searchlights, so that in the tempestuous sea of the world, the arks of their lives may reach the haven of security. Each individual Bahai must be a life-saver who, facing the rough waves of the sea, plunges into the whirlpool and saves souls from drowning. To sit, to talk, to listen there is no virtue in that. To rise, to act, to help that is the Bahai life. The sincerity and earnestness of the friends in the Central States must appear through deeds. Deeds are the standards. I have done all that is necessary. I have drawn for them the plan of God which must guide them through all the coming years. I have explained to them the Principles of Baha-O-Llah. Now the promotion of those principles depends upon their Co-operation with one another and the turning of their faces to the Kingdom of Abha.
Two Tablets were written to New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, California, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Utah. The second one, dictated on February 15, 1917, from the room of Baha-O-Llah in Acca, was addressed to:
The believers of God and the maid-servants
of the Merciful in
THE WESTERN STATES
Here the Master finds similitude between the furthermost Western state and the Land of the Prophets. He says:
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The blessed State of California bears great
similarity to the Holy Land that is, the country of Palestine. The air is in
the utmost temperance, the plain very spacious, and the fruits of Palestine are
seen in their freshness and delicacy. When Abdul Baha was traveling and
journeying through those States, he found himself in Palestine, for from many
standpoints there was a remarkable likeness between the two regions. In some
instances, the shores of the Pacific Ocean show marked resemblance to those of
the Holy Land, the flora even of Palestine appearing there. A study of this
phenomenon has led to much speculation.
Likewise in the State of California and other Western States, scenes, of the world of nature which bewilder the minds of men, are manifest: lofty mountains, deep canyons, majestic waterfalls and giant trees are wit- on all sides, while the soil is in the utmost fertility and richness. That blessed State is similar to the Holy Land and that region like unto a delectable paradise, in many ways identical with Palestine. Now just as there are natural resemblances, heavenly resemblances must also be acquired
California and the other Western States
must earn an ideal similarity with the Holy Land, so that from these regions the Breaths
of the Holy Spirit may be diffused to all parts of America and Europe, the Call
of the Kingdom of God exhilarate and rejoice all ears, the Divine Principles
bestow a new life, the different parties become one party and the once divergent
ideas revolve around one unique center; that the East and West of the continent
may embrace each other, the anthem of the oneness of the world of humanity
confer a new life upon all the children of men and the Tabernacle of Universal
Peace be pitched on the apex of America.
When the original of the above Tablet had been corrected by Abdul Baha, he returned it to me, at the same time slapping me smartly on both cheeks. It is very good he laughed, and this is your wage for copying the Tablet . Now let us take a walk in the town.
As we passed through the narrow streets of Acca, he turned to me and said Speak! I had to obey as best I could; so, assembling my thoughts which had been focused on the last Tablet, I began to relate the story of the discovery of gold in the stream gravels of California which had taken place in 1848, and told how, when the news was spread, tens of thousands of persons in the Eastern States left their farms, factories and homes in a mad rush for the gold-fields many thousands dying on the way. The Beloved thought for a while, then he spoke: Consider how men, in order to gain wealth and honor, threw themselves into the midst
14
[photo of house of Abdullah Pasha where Abdul-Baha lived in Acca omitted]
15
of all kinds of dangers. How cheerfully they accepted all day, the mines of the Kingdom of Abha are being discovered and the precious Jewels of the Spirit are exposed. These mines are inexhaustible. The more they dig, the greater will be the output of the ideal silver, gold and diamond. The believers in the Western States must find their way from these earthly mines to the spiritual mines. They must realize how their forefathers, in order to obtain gold, underwent the most incredible adversities, exposed their liven to danger and accepted all difficulties with firm resolution. The friends also, in order to guide the souls, to promote the Word of God, to discover the unseen treasure of the Kingdom and to prospect the invisible mines of the Realm of Might, must be willing to undergo any difficulty, so that they may achieve results and enrich the world with the boundless wealth of Truth. To the believers of the Western States, the self-sacrifice of the old pioneers and the patient gold-diggers must serve as a great example of perseverance.
Another day, when the Master and I were speaking about the system of irrigation which had turned the wastes of Southern California into a paradise of flowers, he said: When you travel in those parts, tell the people: The Heavenly Irrigator appeared 70 years ago in Persia and showed his disciples how to flood the dry fields of the hearts. Through his knowledge and inspiration, they were enabled to transform the waste deserts of the minds and souls into luxuriant gardens through which rivers of light flowed from the inaccessible Mountains of God.
He continued. Say to them:
O ye friends of the Western States! Just as your Government is these extraordinary hardships, and travelled thousands of miles through deserts and over mountains, in order to reach the gold mines. But now in this spending extraordinary effort and money in the matter of irrigation, building dams on the tablelands to save the winter rain, so that the valleys, the plains and the orchards may be flooded during the summer season you also must exert yourselves in the irrigation of the hearts of men. Learn perseverance from your universal teacher, Baha-O-Llah, who was not disheartened by any obstacle from irrigating the hearts of humanity. Kings and nations arose against him and banished him to distant lands. Nevertheless, whenever he entered a new place, he fearlessly occupied his time in the spiritual irrigation and the sowing of the seeds of knowledge and wisdom in the prepared fields of Spirit. Through his tender care, the wildernesses were changed into rose gardens, the sad hearts were made happy, the sleepy ones were awakened and the weak ones strengthened. Irrigation! This is the real and permanent irrigation of the
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Lord. One drop of this water will allay the thirst of all mankind, suffering the fields of the hearts to become green and luxuriant throughout all eternity. If the ground of the spirit is flooded with this pure water, it will not be followed by drought; its flowers will not fade and its freshness will never pass away. I hope that the Western friends may become the spiritual irrigators of the Kingdom.
Again, in speaking of his hopes for the people of the Western States, Abdul Baha expressed himself in glowing terms: If we concentrate our attention on the spiritual world and the rich results issuing therefrom, we observe that through the Teachings of Christ and the self-sacrifice of his disciples, Europe and America were adorned with the bright jewels of divine civilization, ferocious characters were refined and the love of humanity spread.
In a similar manner in the Bahai Cause, there must appear extraordinary spiritual geniuses, wonders of the Kingdom of God, souls who in knowledge, sociability, tenderness, loving kindness, universality and joyfulness, may be considered as unique and peerless. Should such heavenly beings appear in the Western States: souls who have discovered their ways to the mines of the Kingdom, souls who are the irrigators of the grounds of the hearts of humanity, souls who are the wonders of the realm of Truth. The power and creative energy of the Kingdom of Abha will become manifest and apparent. Then and not until then will the spiritual creation of the Almighty become perfected in those States, the miracles of the transforming power of the Spirit embodied, the Mysteries of the Holy Rooks revealed and the golden age of pence and brotherhood established.
In this manner did Abdul Baha call upon the Western States, even as he had invoked the. Northern, Southern and Central States, to take part in the great practical and spiritual combat of the Twentieth Century.
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Chapter III
THE TABLETS TO CANADA
The time had now come for Abdul Baha to turn his attention to Canada and the northern stretches of this hemisphere. In a first Tablet, he gives especial consideration to the inhabitants of Iceland, Greenland and the Franklin Islands. These ice-bound regions shall be tempered with the knowledge of God, and melted with the love of God. In it not said in the Koran: A day will come wherein the lights of unity will illumine all the world?
The second end longer Tablet to Canada was dictated On February 21, 1917 in the room of Baha-O-Llah at Acca. It in addressed thus:
To the believers of God and the
maid-servants of the Merciful in the Dominion of Canada, Newfoundland, Prince
Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba,
Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, Mackenzie, Keevateen, Ungava,
Franklin Islands and Greenland.
In opening this Tablet, the Master as usual strikes the note of equality and then proceeds to mention the rare privileges that have been conferred upon Canada together with the promise of its future.
In the great Koran, God says: Thou shalt
see no difference in the creatures of God. In other words, He says: From the
ideal standpoint, there is no variation among the creatures of God, because all
were created by Him. From the above premise, a conclusion is drawn, that there
is even no difference among the various countries; at the same time, the history
of the Dominion of Canada is infinitely glorious and its future great. Thus it
shall become the object of the Glance of Providence and the manifestation of the
Favors of the Supreme Lord.
The Master admits that he had been warned against visiting Montreal. Many persons had thought that he would not be well received there because the majority of the inhabitants of that province were Catholic. In the estimation of him advisors, they were, submerged in the sea of dogma, imitation and formalism, and in no condition to hearken to the call of Reality. In writing of himself in this situation, he continues:
But these stories did not have any effect
on the resolution of Abdul Baha. He, trusting in God, turned his face toward
Montreal. When
he
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[photo of Abdul-Baha in Palestine omitted]
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entered that city, he observed that all the
doors were open; he found the hearts in the utmost state of receptivity and the
ideal power of the Kingdom of God removing every obstacle and obstruction. In
the churches and meetings of that Dominion, he called men to the Kingdom of God
with the utmost joy, and scattered seeds which will be irrigated by the hand of
Divine Power. Undoubtedly those seeds will grow, becoming green and verdant, and
many rich harvests will be gathered. In the promotion of the Divine Principle he
found no antagonist and no adversary.
Then he speaks directly to the believers:
Do ye not took upon the smallness of your
number and the multitudes of the nations. Five grains of wheat will he endued
with heavenly blessing whereas a thousand tons of tares will yield no results
and have no effect. One fruitful tree will be conducive to the life of society,
whereas a thousand forests of wild trees offer no fruits. The plain is covered
with pebbles, but precious stones are rare. One pearl is better than a thousand
wildernesses of sand, especially the Pearl of Great Price which is endowed with
Divine Blessing. Ere long thousands of other pearls will be born from It. When
that Pearl associates and becomes the intimate of the pebbles, they also all
change into pearls.
Therefore, again I repeat, that the future
of Canada, whether from the standpoint of civilization or from the viewpoint of
the virtues of the Kingdom is very great. Day by day, civilization and freedom
shall increase. Likewise, the cloud of the Kingdom will water the seeds of
guidance sown in that Dominion. Consequently rest ye not, seek ye no composure,
attach not yourselves to the luxuries of this ephemeral world, free yourselves
from every attachment and strive with heart and soul to become fully established
in the Kingdom of God. Gain ye the heavenly treasures. Day by day, become ye
more illumined. Draw ye nearer and nearer unto the Threshold of Oneness. Become
ye the manifestors of spiritual favors and the dawning-places of infinite
lights. If it is possible, send ye teachers to other portions of Canada;
likewise dispatch ye teachers to Greenland and the home of the
Eskimos.
In regard to the teachers, they must completely divest themselves frown
the old garments and be invested with a new garment. According to the statement
of Christ, they must attain to the station of rebirth: that it, whereas in the
first instance they were born from the womb of the mother, this time they must
be born from the womb of the world of nature. Just as they are now totally
unaware of the experiences of the foetal world, they must also entirely forget
the defects of the world of nature. They must be
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baptized with the
Water of Life, the Fire of the Love of God and the Breaths of the Holy Spirit;
be satisfied with little food, but take a large portion from the heavenly table.
They must disengage themselves from temptation and covetousness, and be filled
with the spirit. Through the effect of their pure breath, they must change the
stone into the brilliant ruby and the shell into pearl. Like unto the cloud of
vernal shower, they must transform the black soil into the rose-garden and
orchard. They must make the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, the extinguished one
enkindled and art aglow, and the dead quickened.
Upon ye be Baha-O-Llah El Abha!
The acid test of every movement is its practicability. The right cause will at first strengthen the character from better habits and enrich the spirit. When this state fins been arrived at, the next logical one is that of sharing.
The Bahai Cause is a failure if it simply remains as a source of inspiration to its adherents, because from its inception it was viewed as a creative power for the readjustment of world affairs. Its principles can never be too often reiterated, for each one is an adventure in modern thinking and constitutes a vast field of endeavor: The fact of the Oneness of the world of humanity. The ideal of independent investigation of Truth. Realization that the basis of all the divine religions is one. Emphasis on religion as being the cause of love and harmony; not hatred and discord. A new outlook on religion as being in conformity with science and reason. Equality of the tights of men and women. A universal auxiliary language. Education for all, everywhere. The elimination of want everywhere. Economic justice. A world government.
What a program! And to it is added the knowledge that it has been given to this generation by the list of Gods Messengers, the modern Moses who descended from the Sinai of Inspiration with a charter for today. Small wonder that Abdul Baha, the closest companion of the Prophet as well as the closest in understanding, strove with all the intensity of his mighty spirit to share the burden of responsibility with all of us. It is the cause of every man, will he but take it.
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Chapter IV
TABLETS TO THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
Abdul Baha now writes four more Tablets, all of them addressed to the believers of the United States and Canada as a whole.
No. I
In the first, dictated in the garden of Bahjee on April 8, 1916, he speaks of the countries of this hemisphere that are awaiting the Great Message. On the North, Alaska must be visited and the principles of unity divulged and explained. It is a great enterprise: the territory is vast and the call of the Kingdom of God has not yet been raised thereon. Then turning his attention to the numerous countries southward, the Master continues in most specific terms.
Likewise the Republic of Mexico is very important. The majority of the inhabitants of that country are devoted Catholics. They are totally unaware of the reality of the Bible, the Gospel and the New Divine Teachings. They do not know that the basis of the religions of God is one and that the Holy Manifestations are like unto the Sun of Truth, rising from the different dawning-places. Those souls are submerged in the sea of dogma. If one breath of Life be blown over them, great results will issue therefrom. It is advisable that those who intend to teach in Mexico should be familiar with the Spanish language.
Similarly, the teachers to the six Central American Republics, situated south of Mexico Guatemala, Honduras, Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the seventh country Belize or British Honduras should also be familiar with Spanish.
You must give great attention to teaching the Indians, i.e., the aborigines of America, for these souls are like unto the ancient inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula, who previous to the Manifestation of His Holiness Mohammad were treated as savages; but, when the Mahammedic light shone forth in their midst, they became so illuminated that they brightened the world. Likewise, should these Indians and aborigines be educated and obtain guidance, there is no doubt but that through the Divine Teachings they will become so enlightened as to shed light on all regions.
22
[photo of Abdul-Baha in Acca omitted]
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All the above countries have significance,
but especially the Republic of Panama wherein the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
come together through the Panama Canal. It is a center for travel a passage
from America to the other continents of the world. In the future it will gain
most great importance.
The Islands of the West Indies, such as
Cuba, Haiti, Porto Rico, Jamaica, the Islands of the Lesser Antilles, the Bahama
Islands, even the small Watling Island all have great value, as have the two
black Republics, Haiti and Santa Domingo,
situated in the cluster of the Greater Antilles; also the cluster of the
Islands of Bermuda in the Atlantic Ocean.
Attention must be given to the Republics on
the Continent of South America Columbia, Equador, Peru, Brazil, British
Guiana, Dutch Guiana, French Guiana, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay,
Paraguay, Venezuela; also to the
islands on the north, east and west of South America, such as Falkland Island,
Galapago, Juan Fernandez, Tabago and Trinidad. The city of Bahia situated on the
eastern shore of Brazil is notable. Because for sometime it has become known by
this name, its efficacy will be most potent.
In short, O ye believers of God! Exalt your
effort and magnify your aims. His Holiness Christ says: Blessed tire the poor,
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. In other words: blessed are the nameless
and traceless poor, far they are the leaders of mankind. Likewise is it said in
the Koran: We desire to bestow our gifts upon those who have become weak on the
face of the earth, and make them a nation and the heirs of Spiritual Truth. Or,
we wish to grant a favor on the impotent souls and suffer them to become the
inheritors of the Messengers and the Prophets.
Therefore, now is the time that you may
divest yourselves of the garment of attachment to this phenomenal realm; be
wholly severed from the physical world and became angels of heaven, travelling
and teaching through all these regions.
I declare by Him, beside Whom there is no
one, that each of you shall become the Israfel of Life, blowing the Breath of
Life in the souls of others.
Upon ye be greeting and praise!
We know quite well that this world of ours has many races and tribes, but through the law of scientific classification the historians and geographers have reduced them into four groups.
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1. The white or Caucasian people, consisting of 770 millions, are the largest group and the most highly civilized.
2. The black or Ethiopian races consisting of 175 millions, mainly inhabiting Africa. With a few millions in other parts of the world.
3. The yellow or Mongolian people numbering about 540 millions, all of whom live in Asia, mostly in China and Japan.
4. The red man Or American Indian approximately 22 millions, a few living on this continent and the rest in South America.
All these people, living from the Arctic to the Ant-arctic, in all latitudes and longitudes in the north, south and torrid zones, must come to know God and His Revelation in this latter day, and be taught the lessons of the brotherhood of all mankind.
To this overwhelming mission, Abdul Baha had dedicated himself. Not the smallest island was to be overlooked; and now from Bahjee on April 11, 1916, the Great Teacher writes again to the Bahais of the United States and Canada, offering them the world as field for their activities.
No. 2
A group speaking the languages, severed, holy, sanctified and filled with the love of God, must travel through the three great Island clusters of the Pacific Ocean; Polynesia, Micronesia and the adjacent Islands, such as New Guinea, Borneo, Java, Sumatra, Philippine Islands, Solomon Islands, Fiji Islands, New Hebrides, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia, Bismarck Archipelago, Ceram, Celebes, Friendly Islands, Samoa Islands, Society Islands, Caroline Islands, Low Archipelago, Marquesas, Hawaiian Islands, Gilbert Islands, Moluccas, Marshall Islands, Timor and the other Islands. With hearts overflowing with the love of God, with tongues making mention of God, with eyes turned to the Kingdom, they must deliver the Glad-Tiding of the Manifestation of the Lord of Hosts to all the people. Know ye of a certainty that in whatever meeting ye may enter, at the apex of that meeting the Holy Spirit shall be brooding and the heavenly Confirmations of the Blessed Perfection will encompass all.
The Master wishes that he himself might essay the superhuman task, he who never was discouraged by obstacles; but he knew that the time had come for others to grasp the banner that he had upheld for almost a lifetime.
O how I wish that it could be made possible
for me to travel through these parts, if necessary on foot and in the utmost
poverty, and while pass-
25
ing through the cities, villages,
mountains, deserts and oceans, cry at the top of my voice: Ye Baha El Abha!
and promote the Divine Teachings. But now this is not feasible for me, therefore
I live in great regret; perchance, God willing, ye may become assisted
therein.
Abdul Baha envisions groups of voyagers setting out on world conquest:
Likewise, if some teachers go to other
Islands and other parts, such as the Continents of Australia, New Zealand,
Tasmania, also to Japan; to Asiatic Russia, Korea, French Indo-China, Siam,
Straits Settlements, India, Ceylon and Afghanistan, most great results will be
forthcoming. How good would it be were there any possibility of a commission
composed of men and women, travelling through China and Japan, so that the bond of love might become
strengthened and, through this going and coming, they may establish the oneness
of the world of humanity, summon the people to the Kingdom of God and spread the
Teachings.
Similarly, if possible, they should travel
to the Continent of Africa, the Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands, Madeira
Islands, Reunion Islands, St. Helena, Zanzibar, Mauritius, etc., and in those
countries summon the people to the Kingdom of God and raise the cry of Ya Baha El Abha! They must upraise the
Flag of the Oneness of the world of humanity in the Island of Madagascar
also.
Books and pamphlets must be either translated or composed in the languages of these countries and Islands, to be circulated in every part and in all directions
0 ye believers of God! Show ye an effort
and after this war spread ye the synopsis of the Divine Teachings in the British
Isles, France, Germany,
Austria-Hungary, Russia, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden,
Denmark, Holland, Portugal, Roumania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece,
Andora, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Monaco, San Marino, Belearic Isles, Corsica,
Sardinia, Sicily, Crete, Malta, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, the Shetland
Islands, the Hebrides and the Orkney Islands.
In all these countries, like unto the
morning stars shine ye from the horizon of Guidance. Up to this time you have
displayed great magnanimity but after this, you must add to your effort a
thousand times and throughout the above countries, capitals, islands, meetings
and churches, invite mankind to the Kingdom of Abha!
Now the Master asks what result is forthcoming from rest, tranquility, luxury and attachment to this corporeal world. Man will not become as
22
independent as the cow, who is at liberty to graze over all the meadow and drink from the rivers and streams; and certainly he will not be as unencumbered as the bird, or live in such exhilarating surroundings. No, man was created for the acquirement of infinite perfections and to be drawn near unto the Divine Threshold.
Later, when the Tablet was concluded, Abdul Baha again spoke of the bird, pointing to one which was flying overhead: The teachers of the Cause of God in these countries must be like this bird always on the wing. Should they alight, it must be with the intention of a short rest from fatigue, on that at the next moment they may rise higher and sing more sweetly. Never should they think of a protracted rest. Ever and ever should they soar in the divine atmosphere of the Spirit. Should they for one second think of rest, they will immediately start on a downward course. They must detach and free themselves from all physical limitations, and purify the mirrors of their hearts from the dust of racial, religious and national prejudices. Not the least trace of these prejudices should linger in the minds. They must become spirit personified, love incarnate, truth embodied. They must set aside egotism, selfishness and suspicion. They must always journey through the world of universal ideals. They must not restrict themselves to particular matters, for the Cause of Baha-O-Llah is not sectarian. Let them walk in the highway of the Divine Teachings. Let them look to God, and not to man; behold the light, and not the glass. There is no doubt but that this Cause shall encircle the globe. So long as there remains one soul whose heart is not touched by the love of God and divine Illumination, the friends must not sit silent. This is their duty.
No. 3
The third Tablet to the Bahais of the United States and Canada was dictated from Bahjee in three parts the first on April 19, the second on April 20th and the third on April 22, 1916. It is the only Tablet, in the entire series of fourteen, in which the Masters atten