1: TABLET TO THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE NORTHEASTERN
STATES

Revealed on March 26, 1916, in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s
room at the house in Bahjí, addressed to the Bahá’ís
of nine Northeastern States of the United States: Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.

1 O ye heavenly heralds:

2 These are the days of Naw-Rúz. I am always
thinking of those kind friends! I beg for each and all of you
confirmations and assistance from the threshold of oneness, so that
those gatherings may become ignited like unto candles, in the
republics of America, enkindling the light of the love of God in the
hearts; thus the rays of the heavenly teachings may begem and
brighten the states of America like the infinitude of immensity with
the stars of the Most Great Guidance.

3 The Northeastern States on the shores of the
Atlantic—Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
Connecticut, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York—in
some of these states believers are found, but in some of the cities
of these states up to this date people are not yet illumined with the
lights of the Kingdom and are not aware of the heavenly teachings;
therefore, whenever it is possible for each one of you, hasten ye to
those cities and shine forth like unto the stars with the light of
the Most Great Guidance. God says in the glorious Qur’án:
“The soil was black and dried. Then we caused the rain to
descend upon it and immediately it became green, verdant, and every
kind of plant sprouted up luxuriantly.”1
In other words, He says the earth is black, but when the spring
showers descend upon it that black soil is quickened, and variegated
flowers are pushed forth. This means the souls of humanity belonging
to the world of nature are black like unto the soil. But when the
heavenly outpourings descend and the radiant effulgences appear, the
hearts are resuscitated, are liberated from the darkness of nature
and the flowers of divine mysteries grow and become luxuriant.
Consequently man must become the cause of the illumination of the
world of humanity and propagate the holy teachings revealed in the
sacred books through the divine inspiration. It is stated in the
blessed Gospel: Travel ye toward the East and toward the West and
enlighten the people with the light of the Most Great Guidance, so
that they may take a portion and share of eternal life.2
Praise be to God, that the Northeastern States are in the utmost
capacity. Because the ground is rich, the rain of the divine
outpouring is descending. Now you must become heavenly farmers and
scatter pure seeds in the prepared soil. The harvest of every other
seed is limited, but the bounty and the blessing of the seed of the
divine teachings is unlimited. Throughout the coming centuries and
cycles many harvests will be gathered. Consider the work of former
generations. During the lifetime of Jesus Christ the believing, firm
souls were few and numbered, but the heavenly blessings descended so
plentifully that in a number of years countless souls entered beneath
the shadow of the Gospel. God has said in the Qur’án:
“One grain will bring forth seven sheaves, and every sheaf
shall contain one hundred grains.”3
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 consider our ability and capacity, nay, rather, we must fix
our gaze upon the favors and bounties of God, in these days, Who has
made of the drop a sea, and of the atom a sun.

4 Upon you be greeting and praise!

2: TABLET TO THE BAHÁ’ÍS
OF THE SOUTHERN STATES

Revealed on March 27, 1916, in the garden adjacent to
the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, addressed to the
Bahá’ís of sixteen Southern States of the United
States: Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

1 O ye heralds of the Kingdom of God:

2 A few days ago an epistle was written to those divine
believers, but because these days are the days of Naw-Rúz, you
have come to my mind and I am sending you this greeting for this
glorious feast. All the days are blessed, but this feast is the
national fête of Persia. The Persians have been holding it for
several thousand years past. In reality every day which man passes in
the mention of God, the diffusion of the fragrances of God and
calling the people to the Kingdom of God, that day is his feast.
Praise be to God that you are occupied in the service of the Kingdom
of God and are engaged in the promulgation of the religion of God by
day and by night. Therefore all your days are feast days. There is no
doubt that the assistance and the bestowal of God shall descend upon
you.

3 In the Southern States of the United States, the
friends are few, that is, in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama,
Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and
Texas. Consequently you must either go yourselves or send a number of
blessed souls to those states, so that they may guide the people to
the Kingdom of Heaven. One of the holy Manifestations, addressing a
believing soul, has said that, if a person become the cause of the
illumination of one soul, it is better than a boundless treasury. “O
‘Alí! If God guide, through thee, one soul, it is better
for thee than all the riches!” Again He says, “Direct us
to the straight path!”4
that is, Show us the right road. It is also mentioned in the Gospel:
Travel ye to all parts of the world and give ye the glad tidings of
the appearance of the Kingdom of God.5

4 In brief, I hope you will display in this respect the
greatest effort and magnanimity. It is assured that you will become
assisted and confirmed. A person declaring the glad tidings of the
appearance of the realities and significances of the Kingdom is like
unto a farmer who scatters pure seeds in the rich soil. The spring
cloud will pour upon them the rain of bounty, and unquestionably the
station of the farmer will be raised in the estimation of the lord of
the village, and many harvests will be gathered.

5 Therefore, ye friends of God! Appreciate ye the value
of this time and be ye engaged in the sowing of the seeds, so that
you may find the heavenly blessing and the lordly bestowal. Upon you
be Bahá’u’l-Abhá!

3: TABLET TO THE BAHÁ’ÍS
OF THE CENTRAL STATES

Revealed on March 29, 1916, outside the house in
Bahjí, and addressed to the Bahá’ís of
twelve Central States of the United States: Michigan, Wisconsin,
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota,
South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas.

1 O ye heavenly souls, O ye spiritual assemblies, O ye
lordly meetings:

2 For some time past correspondence has been delayed,
and this has been on account of the difficulty of mailing and
receiving letters. But because at present a number of facilities are
obtainable, therefore, I am engaged in writing you this brief epistle
so that my heart and soul may obtain joy and fragrance through the
remembrance of the friends. Continually this wanderer supplicates and
entreats at the threshold of His Holiness the One and begs
assistance, bounty and heavenly confirmations in behalf of the
believers. You are always in my thoughts. You are not nor shall you
ever be forgotten. I hope by the favor of His Holiness the Almighty
that day by day you may add to your faith, assurance, firmness and
steadfastness, and become instruments for the promotion of the holy
fragrances.

3 Although in the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio,
Michigan and Minnesota—praise be to God—believers are
found who are associating with each other in the utmost firmness and
steadfastness—day and night they have no other intention save
the diffusion of the fragrances of God, they have no other hope
except the promotion of the heavenly teachings, like the candles they
are burning with the light of the love of God, and like thankful
birds are singing songs, spirit-imparting, joy-creating, in the rose
garden of the knowledge of God—yet in the states of Indiana,
Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas few
of the believers exist. So far the summons of the Kingdom of God and
the proclamation of the oneness of the world of humanity has not been
made in these states systematically and enthusiastically. Blessed
souls and detached teachers have not traveled through these parts
repeatedly; therefore these states are still in a state of
heedlessness. Through the efforts of the friends of God souls must be
likewise enkindled in these states, with the fire of the love of God
and attracted to the Kingdom of God, so that section may also become
illumined and the soul imparting breeze of the rose garden of the
Kingdom may perfume the nostrils of the inhabitants. Therefore, if it
is possible, send to those parts teachers who are severed from all
else save God, sanctified and pure. If these teachers be in the
utmost state of attraction, in a short time great results will be
forthcoming. The sons and daughters of the kingdom are like unto the
real farmers. Through whichever state or country they pass they
display self-sacrifice and sow divine seeds. From that seed harvests
are produced. On this subject it is revealed in the glorious Gospel:
When the pure seeds are scattered in the good ground heavenly
blessing and benediction is obtained.6
I hope that you may become assisted and confirmed, and never lose
courage in the promotion of the divine teachings. Day by day may you
add to your effort, exertion, and magnanimity.

4 Upon you be greeting and praise!

4: TABLET TO THE BAHÁ’ÍS
OF THE WESTERN STATES

Revealed on April 1, 1916, in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s
room at the house in Bahjí, addressed to the Bahá’ís
of eleven Western States of the United States: New Mexico, Colorado,
Arizona, Nevada, California, Wyoming, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Oregon
and Washington.

1

He is God!

O ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom:

2 Day and night I have no other occupation than the
remembrance of the friends, praying from the depth of my heart in
their behalf, begging for them confirmation from the Kingdom of God
and supplicating the direct effect of the breaths of the Holy Spirit.
I am hopeful from the favors of His Highness the Lord of Bestowals,
that the friends of God during such a time may become the secret
cause of the illumination of the hearts of humanity, breathing the
breath of life upon the spirits—whose praiseworthy results may
become conducive to the glory and exaltation of humankind throughout
all eternity. Although in some of the Western States, like
California, Oregon, Washington and Colorado, the fragrances of
holiness are diffused, numerous souls have taken a share and a
portion from the fountain of everlasting life, they have obtained
heavenly benediction, have drunk an overflowing cup from the wine of
the love of God and have hearkened to the melody of the Supreme
Concourse—yet in the states of New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana,
Idaho, Utah, Arizona and Nevada, the lamp of the love of God is not
ignited in a befitting and behooving manner, and the call of the
Kingdom of God has not been raised. Now, if it is possible, show ye
an effort in this direction. Either travel yourselves, personally,
throughout those states or choose others and send them, so that they
may teach the souls. For the present those states are like unto dead
bodies: they must breathe into them the breath of life and bestow
upon them a heavenly spirit. Like unto the stars they must shine in
that horizon and thus the rays of the Sun of Reality may also
illumine those states.

3 God says in the great Qur’án: “Verily
God is the helper of those who have believed. He will lead them from
darkness into light.”7
This means: God loves the believers, consequently He will deliver
them from darkness and bring them into the world of light.

4 It is also recorded in the blessed Gospel: Travel ye
throughout the world and call ye the people to the Kingdom of God.8
Now this is the time that you may arise and perform this most great
service and become the cause of the guidance of innumerable souls.
Thus through this superhuman service the rays of peace and
conciliation may illumine and enlighten all the regions and the world
of humanity may find peace and composure.

5 During my stay in America I cried out in every meeting
and summoned the people to the propagation of the ideals of universal
peace. I said plainly that the continent of Europe had become like
unto an arsenal and its conflagration was dependent upon one spark,
and that in the coming years, or within two years, all that which is
recorded in the Revelation of John and the Book of Daniel would
become fulfilled and come to pass. This matter, in all probability,
was published in the San Francisco Bulletin, October 12, 1912. You
may refer to it, so that the truth may become clear and manifest;
thus ye may fully realize that this is the time for the diffusion of
the fragrances.

6 The magnanimity of man must be heavenly or, in other
words, it must be assisted by the divine confirmation, so that he may
become the cause of the illumination of the world of humanity.

7 Upon you be greeting and praise!

5: TABLET TO THE BAHÁ’ÍS
OF CANADA AND GREENLAND

Revealed on April 5, 1916, in the garden adjacent to
the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, and addressed to
the Bahá’ís of Canada—Newfoundland, Prince
Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Saskatchewan,
Manitoba, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, Mackenzie,
Keewatin, Ungava, Franklin Islands—and Greenland.

1

He is God!

O ye daughters and sons of the Kingdom:

2 Although in most of the states and cities of the
United States, praise be to God, His fragrances are diffused, and
souls unnumbered are turning their faces and advancing toward the
Kingdom of God, yet in some of the states the Standard of Unity is
not yet upraised as it should be, nor are the mysteries of the Holy
Books, such as the Bible, the Gospel, and the Qur’án,
unraveled. Through the concerted efforts of all the friends the
Standard of Unity must needs be unfurled in those states, and the
divine teachings promoted, so that these states may also receive
their portion of the heavenly bestowals and a share of the Most Great
Guidance. Likewise in the provinces of Canada, such as Newfoundland,
Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario,
Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Ungava, Keewatin,
Mackenzie, Yukon, and the Franklin Islands in the Arctic Circle—the
believers of God must become self-sacrificing and like unto the
candles of guidance become ignited in the provinces of Canada. Should
they show forth such a magnanimity, it is assured that they will
obtain universal divine confirmations, the heavenly cohorts will
reinforce them uninterruptedly, and a most great victory will be
obtained. God willing, the call of the Kingdom may reach the ears of
the Eskimos, the inhabitants of the Islands of Franklin in the north
of Canada, as well as Greenland. Should the fire of the love of God
be kindled in Greenland, all the ice of that country will be melted,
and its cold weather become temperate—that is, if the hearts be
touched with the heat of the love of God, that territory will become
a divine rose garden and a heavenly paradise, and the souls, even as
fruitful trees, will acquire the utmost freshness and beauty. Effort,
the utmost effort, is required. Should you display an effort, so that
the fragrances of God may be diffused among the Eskimos, its effect
will be very great and far-reaching. God says in the great Qur’án:
A day will come wherein the lights of unity will enlighten all the
world. “The earth will be irradiated with the light of its
Lord.”9
In other words, the earth will become illumined with the light of
God. That light is the light of unity. “There is no God but
God.” The continent and the islands of Eskimos are also parts
of this earth. They must similarly receive a portion of the bestowals
of the Most Great Guidance.

3 Upon you be greeting and praise!

6: TABLET TO THE BAHÁ’ÍS
OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA

Revealed on April 8, 1916, in the garden outside the
Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, and addressed to the
Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada.

1

He is God!

O ye blessed souls:

2 I desire for you eternal success and prosperity and
beg perfect confirmation for each one in the divine world. My hope
for you is that each one may shine forth like unto the morning star
from the horizon of the world and in this Garden of God become a
blessed tree, producing everlasting fruits and results.

3 Therefore I direct you to that which is conducive to
your heavenly confirmation and illumination in the Kingdom of God!

4 It is this: Alaska is a vast country; although one of
the maidservants of the Merciful has hastened to those parts, serving
as a librarian in the public library, and according to her ability is
not failing in teaching the Cause, yet the call of the Kingdom of God
is not yet raised through that spacious territory.

5 His Holiness Christ says: Travel ye to the East and to
the West of the world and summon the people to the Kingdom of God.10
Hence the mercy of God must encompass all humanity. Therefore do ye
not think it permissible to leave that region deprived of the breezes
of the Morn of Guidance. Consequently, strive as far as ye are able
to send to those parts fluent speakers, who are detached from aught
else save God, attracted with the fragrances of God, and sanctified
and purified from all desires and temptations. Their sustenance and
food must consist of the teachings of God. First they must themselves
live in accordance with those principles, then guide the people.
Perchance, God willing, the lights of the Most Great Guidance will
illuminate that country, and the breezes of the rose garden of the
love of God will perfume the nostrils of the inhabitants of Alaska.
Should you be aided to render such a service, rest ye assured that
your heads shall be crowned with the diadem of everlasting
sovereignty, and at the threshold of oneness you will become the
favored and accepted servants.

6 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 dogmas. If one breath of life
be blown over them, great results will issue therefrom. But it is
better for those who intend to go to Mexico to teach, to be familiar
with the Spanish language.

7 Similarly, the six Central American republics,
situated south of Mexico—Guatemala, Honduras, Salvador,
Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the seventh country Belize or
British Honduras. The teachers going to those parts must also be
familiar with the Spanish language.

8 Attach great importance to the indigenous population
of America. For these souls may be likened unto the ancient
inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula, who, prior to the Mission of
Muḥammad, were like unto savages. When the light of Muḥammad
shone forth in their midst, however, they became so radiant as to
illumine the world. Likewise, these Indians, should they be educated
and guided, there can be no doubt that they will become so illumined
as to enlighten the whole world.

9 All the above countries have importance, but
especially the Republic of Panama, wherein the Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans come together through the Panama Canal. It is a center for
travel and passage from America to other continents of the world, and
in the future it will gain most great importance.

10 Likewise the islands of the West Indies, such as
Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, the islands of the Lesser
Antilles, Bahama Islands, even the small Watling Island, have great
importance; especially the two black republics, Haiti and Santo
Domingo, situated in the cluster of the Greater Antilles. Likewise
the cluster of the islands of Bermuda in the Atlantic Ocean have
importance.

11 In a similar way, the republics of the continent of
South America—Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, British Guiana,
Dutch Guiana, French Guiana, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay,
Paraguay, Venezuela; also the islands to the north, east and west of
South America, such as Falkland Islands, the Galapagòs, Juan
Fernandez, Tobago and Trinidad. Likewise the city of Bahia, situated
on the eastern shore of Brazil. Because it is some time that it has
become known by this name, its efficacy will be most potent.

12 In short, O ye believers of God! Exalt your effort
and magnify your aims. His Holiness Christ says: Blessed are the
poor, for theirs shall be the Kingdom of Heaven.11
In other words: Blessed are the nameless and traceless poor, for they
are the leaders of mankind. Likewise it is said in the Qur’án:
“And We desire to show favor to those who were brought low in
the land, and to make them spiritual leaders among men, and to make
of them Our heirs.”12
Or, we wish to grant a favor to the impotent souls and suffer them to
become the inheritors of the Messengers and Prophets.

13 Now is the time for you to divest yourselves of the
garment of attachment to this world that perisheth, to be wholly
severed from the physical world, become heavenly angels, and travel
to these countries. I swear by Him, besides Whom there is none other
God, that each one of you will become an Isráfíl of
Life, and will blow the Breath of Life into the souls of others.

14 Upon you be greeting and praise!

Supplication

O THOU Incomparable God! O Thou Lord of the Kingdom!
These souls are Thy heavenly army. Assist them and, with the cohorts
of the Supreme Concourse, make them victorious, so that each one of
them may become like unto a regiment and conquer these countries
through the love of God and the illumination of divine teachings.

O God! Be Thou their supporter and their helper, and in
the wilderness, the mountain, the valley, the forests, the prairies
and the seas, be Thou their confidant—so that they may cry out
through the power of the Kingdom and the breath of the Holy Spirit.

Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty and the
Omnipotent, and Thou art the Wise, the Hearing and the Seeing.

7:
TABLET TO THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES AND
CANADA

Revealed on April 11, 1916, in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s
room at the house in Bahjí, and addressed to the Bahá’ís
of the United States and Canada.

1

He is God!

O ye real Bahá’ís of America:

2 Praise be to His Highness the Desired One that ye have
become confirmed in the promotion of divine teachings in that vast
Continent, raised the call of the Kingdom of God in that region and
announced the glad tidings of the manifestation of the Lord of Hosts
and His Highness the Promised One. Thanks be unto the Lord that ye
have become assisted and confirmed in this aim. This is purely
through the confirmations of the Lord of Hosts and the breaths of the
Holy Spirit. The full measure of your success is as yet unrevealed,
its significance still unapprehended. Erelong ye will, with your own
eyes, witness how brilliantly every one of you, even as a shining
star, will radiate in the firmament of your country the light of
divine Guidance, and will bestow upon its people the glory of an
everlasting life.

3 Consider! The station and the confirmation of the
apostles in the time of Christ was not known, and no one looked on
them with the feeling of importance—nay, rather, they
persecuted and ridiculed them. Later on it became evident what crowns
studded with the brilliant jewels of guidance were placed on the
heads of the apostles, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of John.

4 The range of your future achievements still remains
undisclosed. I fervently hope that in the near future the whole earth
may be stirred and shaken by the results of your achievements. The
hope, therefore, which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá cherishes for
you is that the same success which has attended your efforts in
America may crown your endeavors in other parts of the world, that
through you the fame of the Cause of God may be diffused throughout
the East and the West and the advent of the Kingdom of the Lord of
Hosts be proclaimed in all the five continents of the globe.

5 The moment this divine Message is carried forward by
the American believers from the shores of America and is propagated
through the continents of Europe, of Asia, of Africa and of
Australasia, and as far as the islands of the Pacific, this community
will find itself securely established upon the throne of an
everlasting dominion. Then will all the peoples of the world witness
that this community is spiritually illumined and divinely guided.
Then will the whole earth resound with the praises of its majesty and
greatness. A party speaking their languages, severed, holy,
sanctified and filled with the love of God, must turn their faces to
and travel through the three great island groups of the Pacific
Ocean—Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia, and the islands
attached to these groups, 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 commemorating the
mention of God, with eyes turned to the Kingdom of God, they must
deliver the glad tidings of the manifestation of the Lord of Hosts to
all the people. Know ye of a certainty that whatever gathering ye
enter, the waves of the Holy Spirit are surging over it, and the
heavenly grace of the Blessed Beauty encompasseth that gathering.

6 Consider ye, that Miss Agnes Alexander, the daughter
of the Kingdom, the beloved maidservant of the Blessed Perfection,
traveled alone to the Hawaiian Islands, to the Island of Honolulu,
and now she is gaining spiritual victories in Japan! Reflect ye how
this daughter was confirmed in the Hawaiian Islands. She became the
cause of the guidance of a gathering of people.

7 Likewise Miss Knobloch traveled alone to Germany. To
what a great extent she became confirmed! Therefore, know ye of a
certainty that whosoever arises in this day to diffuse the divine
fragrances, the cohorts of the Kingdom of God shall confirm him and
the bestowals and the favors of the Blessed Perfection shall encircle
him.

8 O that I could travel, even though on foot and in the
utmost poverty, to these regions, and, raising the call of “Yá
Bahá’u’l-Abhá” in cities, villages,
mountains, deserts and oceans, promote the divine teachings! This,
alas, I cannot do. How intensely I deplore it! Please God, ye may
achieve it.

9 At this time, in the Hawaiian Islands, through the
efforts of Miss Alexander, a number of souls have reached the shore
of the sea of faith! Consider ye, what happiness, what joy is this! I
declare by the Lord of Hosts that had this respected daughter founded
an empire, that empire would not have been so great! For this
sovereignty is eternal sovereignty and this glory is everlasting
glory.

10 Likewise, if some teachers go to other islands and
other parts, such as the continent of Australia, New Zealand,
Tasmania, also to Japan, Asiatic Russia, Korea, French Indochina,
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, to travel
together through China and Japan—so that this bond of love may
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.

11 Similarly, if possible, they should travel to the
continent of Africa, Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands, Madeira
Islands, Réunion Islands, St. Helena, Zanzibar, Mauritius,
etc., and in those countries summon the people to the Kingdom of God
and raise the cry of “Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá!”
They must also upraise the flag of the oneness of the world of
humanity in the island of Madagascar.

12 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.

13 It is said that in South Africa, a diamond mine is
discovered. Although this mine is most valuable, yet after all it is
stone. Perchance, God willing, the mine of humanity may be discovered
and the brilliant pearls of the Kingdom be found.

14 In brief, this world-consuming war has set such a
conflagration to the hearts that no word can describe it. In all the
countries of the world the longing for universal peace is taking
possession of the consciousness of men. There is not a soul who does
not yearn for concord and peace. A most wonderful state of
receptivity is being realized. This is through the consummate wisdom
of God, so that capacity may be created, the standard of the oneness
of the world of humanity be upraised, and the fundamental of
universal peace and the divine principles be promoted in the East and
the West.

15 Therefore, O 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, Rumania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece, Andorra,
Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Monaco, San Marino, Balearic Isles,
Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Crete, Malta, Iceland, Faroe Islands,
Shetland Islands, Hebrides and Orkney Islands.

16 In all these countries, like unto the morning stars
shine ye forth from the horizon of guidance. Thus far ye have been
untiring in your labors. Let your exertions henceforth increase a
thousandfold. Summon the people in these countries, capitals,
islands, assemblies and churches to enter the Abhá Kingdom.
The scope of your exertions must needs be extended. The wider its
range, the more striking will be the evidence of divine assistance.

17 You have observed that while ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
was in the utmost bodily weakness and feebleness, while he was
indisposed, and had not the power to move—notwithstanding this
physical state he traveled through many countries, in Europe and
America, and in churches, meetings and conventions was occupied with
the promotion of the divine principles and summoned the people to the
manifestation of the Kingdom of Abhá. You have also observed
how the confirmations of the Blessed Perfection encompassed all. What
result is forthcoming from material rest, tranquillity, luxury and
attachment to this corporeal world? It is evident that the man who
pursues these things will in the end become afflicted with regret and
loss.

18 Consequently, one must close his eyes wholly to these
thoughts, long for eternal life, the sublimity of the world of
humanity, the celestial developments, the Holy Spirit, the promotion
of the Word of God, the guidance of the inhabitants of the globe, the
promulgation of universal peace and the proclamation of the oneness
of the world of humanity! This is the work! Otherwise like unto other
animals and birds one must occupy himself with the requirements of
this physical life, the satisfaction of which is the highest
aspiration of the animal kingdom, and one must stalk across the earth
like unto the quadrupeds.

19 Consider ye! No matter how much man gains wealth,
riches and opulence in this world, he will not become as independent
as a cow. For these fattened cows roam freely over the vast
tableland. All the prairies and meadows are theirs for grazing, and
all the springs and rivers are theirs for drinking! No matter how
much they graze, the fields will not be exhausted! It is evident that
they have earned these material bounties with the utmost facility.

20 Still more ideal than this life is the life of the
bird. A bird, on the summit of a mountain, on the high, waving
branches, has built for itself a nest more beautiful than the palaces
of the kings! The air is in the utmost purity, the water cool and
clear as crystal, the panorama charming and enchanting. In such
glorious surroundings, he expends his numbered days. All the harvests
of the plain are his possessions, having earned all this wealth
without the least labor. Hence, no matter how much man may advance in
this world, he shall not attain to the station of this bird! Thus it
becomes evident that in the matters of this world, however much man
may strive and work to the point of death, he will be unable to earn
the abundance, the freedom and the independent life of a small bird.
This proves and establishes the fact that man is not created for the
life of this ephemeral world—nay, rather, is he created for the
acquirement of infinite perfections, for the attainment to the
sublimity of the world of humanity, to be drawn nigh unto the divine
threshold, and to sit on the throne of everlasting sovereignty!

21 Upon you be Bahá’u’l-Abhá!

Whoever sets out on a teaching journey to any place, let
him recite this prayer day and night during his travels in foreign
lands:

O GOD, my God! Thou seest me enraptured and attracted
toward Thy glorious kingdom, enkindled with the fire of Thy love
amongst mankind, a herald of Thy kingdom in these vast and spacious
lands, severed from aught else save Thee, relying on Thee, abandoning
rest and comfort, remote from my native home, a wanderer in these
regions, a stranger fallen upon the ground, humble before Thine
exalted threshold, submissive toward the heaven of Thine omnipotent
glory, supplicating Thee in the dead of night and at the break of
dawn, entreating and invoking Thee at morn and at eventide to
graciously aid me to serve Thy Cause, to spread abroad Thy teachings
and to exalt Thy Word throughout the East and the West.

O Lord! Strengthen my back, enable me to serve Thee with
the utmost endeavor, and leave me not to myself, lonely and helpless
in these regions.

O Lord! Grant me communion with Thee in my loneliness,
and be my companion in these foreign lands.

Verily, Thou art the Confirmer of whomsoever Thou
willest in that which Thou desirest, and, verily, Thou art the
All-Powerful, the Omnipotent.

8:
TABLET TO THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES AND
CANADA

Revealed on April 19, 1916, in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s
room at the house in Bahjí; on April 20, in the pilgrims’
quarters of the house in Bahjí; on April 22, in the garden
adjacent to the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, and
addressed to the Bahá’ís of the United States and
Canada.

1

2 The Blessed Person of the Promised One is interpreted
in the Holy Book as the Lord of Hosts—the heavenly armies. By
heavenly armies those souls are intended who are entirely freed from
the human world, transformed into celestial spirits and have become
divine angels. Such souls are the rays of the Sun of Reality who will
illumine all the continents. Each one is holding in his hand a
trumpet, blowing the breath of life over all the regions. They are
delivered from human qualities and the defects of the world of
nature, are characterized with the characteristics of God, and are
attracted with the fragrances of the Merciful. Like unto the apostles
of Christ, who were filled with Him, these souls also have become
filled with His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh; that
is, the love of Bahá’u’lláh has so mastered
every organ, part and limb of their bodies, as to leave no effect
from the promptings of the human world.

3 These souls are the armies of God and the conquerors
of the East and the West. Should one of them turn his face toward
some direction and summon the people to the Kingdom of God, all the
ideal forces and lordly confirmations will rush to his support and
reinforcement. He will behold all the doors open and all the strong
fortifications and impregnable castles razed to the ground. Singly
and alone he will attack the armies of the world, defeat the right
and left wings of the hosts of all the countries, break through the
lines of the legions of all the nations and carry his attack to the
very center of the powers of the earth. This is the meaning of the
Hosts of God.

4 Any soul from among the believers of Bahá’u’lláh
who attains to this station will become known as the Apostle of
Bahá’u’lláh. Therefore strive ye with heart
and soul so that ye may reach this lofty and exalted position, be
established on the throne of everlasting glory, and crown your heads
with the shining diadem of the Kingdom, whose brilliant jewels may
irradiate upon centuries and cycles.

5 O ye kind friends! Uplift your magnanimity and soar
high toward the apex of heaven so that your blessed hearts may become
illumined more and more, day by day, through the rays of the Sun of
Reality, that is, His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh;
at every moment the spirits may obtain a new life, and the darkness
of the world of nature may be entirely dispelled; thus you may become
incarnate light and personified spirit, become entirely unaware of
the sordid matters of this world and in touch with the affairs of the
divine world.

6 Behold the portals which Bahá’u’lláh
hath opened before you! Consider how exalted and lofty is the station
you are destined to attain; how unique the favors with which you have
been endowed. Should we become intoxicated with this cup, the
sovereignty of this globe of earth will become lower in our
estimation than children’s play. Should they place in the arena
the crown of the government of the whole world, and invite each one
of us to accept it, undoubtedly we shall not condescend, and shall
refuse to accept it.

7 To attain to this supreme station is, however,
dependent on the realization of certain conditions:

8 The first condition is firmness in the Covenant of
God. For the power of the Covenant will protect the Cause of
Bahá’u’lláh from the doubts of the people
of error. It is the fortified fortress of the Cause of God and the
firm pillar of the religion of God. Today no power can conserve the
oneness of the Bahá’í world save the Covenant of
God; otherwise differences like unto a most great tempest will
encompass the Bahá’í world. It is evident that
the axis of the oneness of the world of humanity is the power of the
Covenant and nothing else. Had the Covenant not come to pass, had it
not been revealed from the Supreme Pen and had not the Book of the
Covenant, like unto the ray of the Sun of Reality, illuminated the
world, the forces of the Cause of God would have been utterly
scattered and certain souls who were the prisoners of their own
passions and lusts would have taken into their hands an axe, cutting
the root of this Blessed Tree. Every person would have pushed forward
his own desire and every individual aired his own opinion!
Notwithstanding this great Covenant, a few negligent souls galloped
with their chargers into the battlefield, thinking perchance they
might be able to weaken the foundation of the Cause of God: but
praise be to God all of them were afflicted with regret and loss, and
erelong they shall see themselves in poignant despair. Therefore, in
the beginning the believers must make their steps firm in the
Covenant so that the confirmations of Bahá’u’lláh
may encircle them from all sides, the cohorts of the Supreme
Concourse may become their supporters and helpers, and the
exhortations and advices of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, like
unto the pictures engraved on stone, may remain permanent and
ineffaceable in the tablets of all hearts.

9 The second condition: Fellowship and love amongst the
believers. The divine friends must be attracted to and enamored of
each other and ever be ready and willing to sacrifice their own lives
for each other. Should one soul from amongst the believers meet
another, it must be as though a thirsty one with parched lips has
reached to the fountain of the water of life, or a lover has met his
true beloved. For one of the greatest divine wisdoms regarding the
appearance of the holy Manifestations is this: The souls may come to
know each other and become intimate with each other; the power of the
love of God may make all of them the waves of one sea, the flowers of
one rose garden, and the stars of one heaven. This is the wisdom for
the appearance of the holy Manifestations! When the most great
bestowal reveals itself in the hearts of the believers, the world of
nature will be transformed, the darkness of the contingent being will
vanish, and heavenly illumination will be obtained. Then the whole
world will become the Paradise of Abhá, every one of the
believers of God will become a blessed tree, producing wonderful
fruits.

10 O ye friends! Fellowship, fellowship! Love, love!
Unity, unity!—so that the power of the Bahá’í
Cause may appear and become manifest in the world of existence. My
thoughts are turned towards you, and my heart leaps within me at your
mention. Could ye know how my soul glows with your love, so great a
happiness would flood your hearts as to cause you to become enamored
with each other.

11 The third condition: Teachers must continually travel
to all parts of the continent, nay, rather, to all parts of the
world, but they must travel like ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who
journeyed throughout the cities of America. He was sanctified and
free from every attachment and in the utmost severance. Just as His
Holiness Christ says: Shake off the very dust from your feet.13

12 You have observed that while in America many souls in
the utmost of supplication and entreaty desired to offer some gifts,
but this servant, in accord with the exhortations and behests of the
Blessed Perfection, never accepted a thing, although on certain
occasions we were in most straitened circumstances. But on the other
hand, if a soul for the sake of God, voluntarily and out of his pure
desire, wishes to offer a contribution (toward the expenses of a
teacher) in order to make the contributor happy, the teacher may
accept a small sum, but must live with the utmost contentment.

13 The aim is this: The intention of the teacher must be
pure, his heart independent, his spirit attracted, his thought at
peace, his resolution firm, his magnanimity exalted and in the love
of God a shining torch. Should he become as such, his sanctified
breath will even affect the rock; otherwise there will be no result
whatsoever. As long as a soul is not perfected, how can he efface the
defects of others? Unless he is detached from aught else save God,
how can he teach severance to others?

14 In short, O ye believers of God! Endeavor ye, so that
you may take hold of every means in the promulgation of the religion
of God and the diffusion of the fragrances of God.

15 Amongst other things is the holding of the meetings
for teaching so that blessed souls and the old ones from amongst the
believers may gather together the youths of the love of God in
schools of instruction and teach them all the divine proofs and
irrefragable arguments, explain and elucidate the history of the
Cause, and interpret also the prophecies and proofs which are
recorded and are extant in the divine books and epistles regarding
the manifestation of the Promised One, so that the young ones may go
in perfect knowledge in all these degrees.

16 Likewise, whenever it is possible a committee must be
organized for the translation of the Tablets. Wise souls who have
mastered and studied perfectly the Persian, Arabic, and other foreign
languages, or know one of the foreign languages, must commence
translating Tablets and books containing the proofs of this
Revelation, and publishing those books, circulate them throughout the
five continents of the globe.

17 Similarly, the magazine, the Star of the West, must
be edited with the utmost regularity, but its contents must be the
promulgation of the Cause of God that both East and West may become
informed of the most important events.

18 In short, in all the meetings, whether public or
private, nothing should be discussed save that which is under
consideration, and all the articles be centered around the Cause of
God. Promiscuous talk must not be dragged in and contention is
absolutely forbidden.

19 The teachers traveling in different directions must
know the language of the country in which they will enter. For
example, a person being proficient in the Japanese language may
travel to Japan, or a person knowing the Chinese language may hasten
to China, and so forth.

20 In short, after this universal war, the people have
obtained extraordinary capacity to hearken to the divine teachings,
for the wisdom of this war is this: That it may become proven to all
that the fire of war is world-consuming, whereas the rays of peace
are world-enlightening. One is death, the other is life; this is
extinction, that is immortality; one is the most great calamity, the
other is the most great bounty; this is darkness, that is light; this
is eternal humiliation and that is everlasting glory; one is the
destroyer of the foundation of man, the other is the founder of the
prosperity of the human race.

21 Consequently, a number of souls may arise and act in
accordance with the aforesaid conditions, and hasten to all parts of
the world, especially from America to Europe, Africa, Asia and
Australia, and travel through Japan and China. Likewise, from Germany
teachers and believers may travel to the continents of America,
Africa, Japan and China; in brief, they may travel through all the
continents and islands of the globe. Thus in a short space of time,
most wonderful results will be produced, the banner of universal
peace will be waving on the apex of the world and the lights of the
oneness of the world of humanity may illumine the universe.

22 In brief, O ye believers of God! The text of the
divine Book is this: If two souls quarrel and contend about a
question of the divine questions, differing and disputing, both are
wrong. The wisdom of this incontrovertible law of God is this: That
between two souls from amongst the believers of God, no contention
and dispute may arise; that they may speak with each other with
infinite amity and love. Should there appear the least trace of
controversy, they must remain silent, and both parties must continue
their discussions no longer, but ask the reality of the question from
the Interpreter. This is the irrefutable command!

23 Upon you be Bahá’u’l-Abhá!

Supplication

O GOD, my God! Thou seest how black darkness is
enshrouding all regions, how all countries are burning with the flame
of dissension, and the fire of war and carnage is blazing throughout
the East and the West. Blood is flowing, corpses bestrew the ground,
and severed heads are fallen on the dust of the battlefield.

O Lord! Have pity on these ignorant ones and look upon
them with the eye of forgiveness and pardon. Extinguish this fire, so
that these dense clouds which obscure the horizon may be scattered,
the Sun of Reality shine forth with the rays of conciliation, this
intense gloom be dispelled and the resplendent light of peace shed
its radiance upon all countries.

O Lord! Draw up the people from the abyss of the ocean
of hatred and enmity, and deliver them from this impenetrable
darkness. Unite their hearts, and brighten their eyes with the light
of peace and reconciliation. Deliver them from the depths of war and
bloodshed, and free them from the darkness of error. Remove the veil
from their eyes, and enlighten their hearts with the light of
guidance. Treat them with Thy tender mercy and compassion, and deal
not with them according to Thy justice and wrath which cause the
limbs of the mighty to quake.

O Lord! Wars have persisted. Distress and anxiety have
waxed great and every flourishing region is laid waste.

O Lord! Hearts are heavy, and souls are in anguish. Have
mercy on these poor souls and do not leave them to the excesses of
their own desires.

O Lord! Make manifest in Thy lands humble and submissive
souls, their faces illumined with the rays of guidance, severed from
the world, extolling Thy Name, uttering Thy praise, and diffusing the
fragrance of Thy holiness amongst mankind.

O Lord! Strengthen their backs, gird up their loins, and
enrapture their hearts with the most mighty signs of Thy love.

O Lord! Verily, they are weak, and Thou art the Powerful
and the Mighty; they are impotent, and Thou art the Helper and the
Merciful.

O Lord! The ocean of rebellion is surging, and these
tempests will not be stilled save through Thy boundless grace which
hath embraced all regions.

O Lord! Verily, the people are in the abyss of passion,
and naught can save them but Thine infinite bounties.

O Lord! Dispel the darkness of these corrupt desires,
and illumine the hearts with the lamp of Thy love through which all
countries will erelong be enlightened. Confirm, moreover, Thy loved
ones, those who, leaving their homelands, their families and their
children, have, for the love of Thy Beauty, traveled to foreign
countries to diffuse Thy fragrances and promulgate Thy teachings. Be
Thou their companion in their loneliness, their helper in a strange
land, the remover of their sorrows, their comforter in calamity. Be
Thou a refreshing draught for their thirst, a healing medicine for
their ills and a balm for the burning ardor of their hearts.

Verily, Thou art the Most Generous, the Lord of grace
abounding, and, verily, Thou art the Compassionate and the Merciful.

9:
TABLET TO THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE NORTHEASTERN STATES

Revealed on February 2, 1917, in Ismá’íl
Áqá’s room at the house of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
in Haifa, and addressed to the Bahá’ís of the
nine Northeastern States of the United States: Maine, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey and New York.

1

He is God!

O ye real friends:

2 All countries, in the estimation of the one true God,
are but one country, and all cities and villages are on an equal
footing. Neither holds distinction over another. All of them are the
fields of God and the habitation of the souls of men. Through faith
and certitude, and the precedence achieved by one over another,
however, the dweller conferreth honor upon the dwelling, some of the
countries achieve distinction, and attain a preeminent position. For
instance, notwithstanding that some of the countries of Europe and of
America are distinguished by, and surpass other countries in, the
salubrity of their climate, the wholesomeness of their water, and the
charm of their mountains, plains and prairies, yet Palestine became
the glory of all nations inasmuch as all the holy and divine
Manifestations, from the time of Abraham until the appearance of the
Seal of the Prophets (Muḥammad), have lived in, or migrated to,
or traveled through, that country. Likewise, Mecca and Medina have
achieved illimitable glory, as the light of Prophethood shone forth
therein. For this reason Palestine and Ḥijáz have been
distinguished from all other countries.

3 Likewise, the continent of America is, in the eyes of
the one true God, the land wherein the splendors of His light shall
be revealed, where the mysteries of His Faith shall be unveiled,
where the righteous will abide and the free assemble. Therefore,
every section thereof is blessed: but because these nine states have
been favored in faith and assurance, hence through this precedence
they have obtained spiritual privilege. They must realize the value
of this bounty; because they have obtained such a favor and in order
to render thanksgiving for this most great bestowal, they must arise
in the diffusion of divine fragrances so that the blessed verse of
the Qur’án, “God is the light of heaven and earth:
the similitude of His light is a niche in a wall, wherein a lamp is
placed, and the lamp enclosed in a case of glass; the glass appears
as if it were a shining star. It is lighted with the oil of a Blessed
Tree, an olive neither of the East, nor of the West; it wanteth
little but that the oil thereof would give light, although no fire
touched it. This is the light added unto light. God will direct unto
His light whom He pleaseth”14—may
be realized.

4 He says: The world of nature is the world of darkness,
because it is the origin of a thousand depravities; nay, rather, it
is darkness upon darkness. The illumination of the world of nature is
dependent upon the splendor of the Sun of Reality. The grace of
guidance is like unto the candle which is enkindled in the glass of
knowledge and wisdom and that glass of knowledge and wisdom is the
mirror of the heart of humanity. The oil of that luminous lamp is
from the fruits of the Blessed Tree and that oil is so refined that
it will burn without light. When the intensity of the light and the
translucency of the glass and the purity of the mirror are brought
together, it will become light upon light.

5 In brief, in these nine blessed states ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
journeyed and traveled from place to place, explained the wisdom of
the heavenly books and diffused the fragrances. In most of these
states he founded the divine Edifice and opened the door of teaching.
In those states he sowed pure seeds and planted blessed trees.

6 Now the believers of God and the maidservants of the
Merciful must irrigate these fields and with the utmost power engage
themselves in the cultivation of these heavenly plantations so that
the seeds may grow and develop, prosperity and blessing be realized
and many rich and great harvests be gathered in.

7 The Kingdom of God is like unto a farmer who comes
into possession of a piece of pure and virgin soil. Heavenly seeds
are scattered therein, the clouds of divine providence pour down and
the rays of the Sun of Reality shine forth.

8 Now all these bounties exist and appear in full in
these nine states. The divine Gardener passed by that holy ground and
scattered pure seeds from the lordly teachings in that field; the
rain of the bounties of God poured down and the heat of the Sun of
Reality—that is, the merciful confirmations—shone with
the utmost splendor. It is my hope that each one of those blessed
souls may become a peerless and unique irrigator and the East and the
West of America may become like unto a delectable paradise so that
all of you may hear from the Supreme Concourse the cry of “Blessed
are you, and again blessed are you!”

9 Upon you be greeting and praise!

The following supplication is to be read by the teachers
and friends daily:

O THOU kind Lord! Praise be unto Thee that Thou hast
shown us the highway of guidance, opened the doors of the kingdom and
manifested Thyself through the Sun of Reality. To the blind Thou hast
given sight; to the deaf Thou hast granted hearing; Thou hast
resuscitated the dead; Thou hast enriched the poor; Thou hast shown
the way to those who have gone astray; Thou hast led those with
parched lips to the fountain of guidance; Thou hast suffered the
thirsty fish to reach the ocean of reality; and Thou hast invited the
wandering birds to the rose garden of grace.

O Thou Almighty! We are Thy servants
and Thy poor ones; we are remote and yearn for Thy presence, are
athirst for the water of Thy fountain, are ill, longing for Thy
healing. We are walking in Thy path and have no aim or hope save the
diffusion of Thy fragrance, so that all souls may raise the cry: O
God, “Guide us to the straight path.”15
May their eyes be opened to behold the light, and may they be freed
from the darkness of ignorance. May they gather around the lamp of
Thy guidance. May every portionless one receive a share. May the
deprived become the confidants of Thy mysteries.

O Almighty! Look upon us with the glance of
mercifulness. Grant us heavenly confirmation. Bestow upon us the
breath of the Holy Spirit, so that we may be assisted in Thy service
and, like unto brilliant stars, shine in these regions with the light
of Thy guidance.

Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the Wise and
the Seeing.

10:
TABLET TO THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE SOUTHERN STATES

Revealed on February 3, 1917, in Haifa in Ismá’íl
Áqá’s room, and addressed to the Bahá’ís
of the sixteen Southern States of the United States: Delaware,
Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

1 O ye blessed, respected souls:

2 The philosophers of the ancients, the thinkers of the
Middle Ages and the scientists of this and the former centuries have
all agreed upon the fact that the best and the most ideal region for
the habitation of man is the temperate zone, for in this belt the
intellects and thoughts rise to the highest stage of maturity, and
the capability and ability of civilization manifest themselves 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 from the torrid and frigid
zones.

3 Now these sixteen Southern States of the United States
are situated in the temperate zone, and in these regions the
perfections of the world of nature have been fully revealed. For the
moderation of the weather, the beauty of the scenery and the
geographical configuration of the country display a great effect in
the world of minds and thoughts. This fact is well demonstrated
through observation and experience.

4 Even the holy, divine Manifestations have had a nature
in the utmost equilibrium, the health and wholesomeness of their
bodies most perfect, their constitutions endowed with physical vigor,
their powers functioning in perfect order, and the outward sensations
linked with the inward perceptions, working together with
extraordinary momentum and coordination.

5 Therefore in these sixteen states, because they are
contiguous to other states and their climate being in the utmost of
moderation, unquestionably the divine teachings must reveal
themselves with a brighter effulgence, the breaths of the Holy Spirit
must display a penetrating intensity, the ocean of the love of God
must be stirred with higher waves, the breezes of the rose garden of
the divine love be wafted with higher velocity, and the fragrances of
holiness be diffused with swiftness and rapidity.

6 Praise be to God that the divine outpourings are
infinite, the melody of the lordly principles is in the utmost
efficacy, the most great Orb shining with perfect splendor, the
cohorts of the Supreme Concourse are attacking with invincible power,
the tongues are sharper than the swords, the hearts are more
brilliant than the light of electricity, the magnanimity of the
friends precedes all the magnanimities of the former and subsequent
generations, the souls are divinely attracted, and the fire of the
love of God is enkindled.

7 At this time and at this period we must avail
ourselves of this most great opportunity. We must not sit inactive
for one moment; we must sever ourselves from composure, rest,
tranquillity, goods, property, life and attachment to material
things. We must sacrifice everything to His Highness, the Possessor
of existence, so that the powers of the Kingdom may show greater
penetration and the brilliant effulgence in this New Cycle may
illumine the worlds of minds and ideals.

8 It is about twenty-three years that the fragrances of
God have been diffused in America, but no adequate and befitting
motion has been realized, and no great acclamation and acceleration
has been witnessed. Now it is my hope that through the heavenly
power, the fragrances of the Merciful, the attraction of
consciousness, the celestial outpourings, the heavenly cohorts and
the gushing forth of the fountain of divine love, the believers of
God may arise and in a short time the greatest good may unveil her
countenance, the Sun of Reality may shine forth with such intensity
that the darkness of the world of nature may become entirely
dispelled and driven away; from every corner a most wonderful melody
may be raised, the morning birds may break into such a song that the
world of humanity may be quickened and moved, the solid bodies may
become liquefied, and the souls who are like unto adamantine rocks
may open their wings and through the heat of the love of God fly
heavenward.

9 Nearly two thousand years ago, Armenia was enveloped
with impenetrable darkness. One blessed soul from among the disciples
of Christ hastened to that part, and through his effort, erelong that
province became illumined. Thus it has become evident how the power
of the Kingdom works!

10 Therefore, rest ye assured in the confirmations of
the Merciful and the assistance of the Most High; become ye
sanctified above and purified from this world and the inhabitants
thereof; suffer your intentions to work for the good of all; cut your
attachment to the earth and like unto the essence of the spirit
become ye light and delicate. Then with a firm resolution, a pure
heart, a rejoiced spirit, and an eloquent tongue, engage your time in
the promulgation of the divine principles so that the oneness of the
world of humanity may pitch her canopy in the apex of America and all
the nations of the world may follow the divine policy. This is
certain, that the divine policy is justice and kindness toward all
mankind. For all the nations of the world are the sheep of God, and
God is the kind shepherd. He has created these sheep. He has
protected them, sustained and trained them. What greater kindness
than this? And every moment we must render a hundred thousand
thanksgivings that, praise be to God, we are freed from all the
ignorant prejudices, are kind to all the sheep of God, and our utmost
hope is to serve each and all, and like unto a benevolent father
educate every one.

11 Upon you be greeting and praise!

Every soul who travels through the cities, villages and
hamlets of these states and is engaged in the diffusion of the
fragrances of God, should peruse this commune every morning:

O MY God! O my God! Thou seest me in my lowliness and
weakness, occupied with the greatest undertaking, determined to raise
Thy word among the masses and to spread Thy teachings among Thy
peoples. How can I succeed unless Thou assist me with the breath of
the Holy Spirit, help me to triumph by the hosts of Thy glorious
kingdom, and shower upon me Thy confirmations, which alone can change
a gnat into an eagle, a drop of water into rivers and seas, and an
atom into lights and suns? O my Lord! Assist me with Thy triumphant
and effective might, so that my tongue may utter Thy praises and
attributes among all people and my soul overflow with the wine of Thy
love and knowledge.

Thou art the Omnipotent and the Doer of whatsoever Thou
willest.

11:
TABLET TO THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE CENTRAL STATES

Revealed on February 8, 1917, in Bahá’u’lláh’s
room at the house of Abbúd in Akká, and addressed to
the Bahá’ís of the twelve Central States of the
United States: Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio,
Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and
Kansas.

1

He is God!

O ye old believers and intimate friends:

2 God says in the great Qur’án: “He
specializes for His Mercy whomsoever He willeth.”16

3 These twelve Central States of the United 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 all the
physical elements are subjected to feebleness.

4 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.

5 First: The call of the Kingdom was in the very
beginning 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.

6 Second: A number of souls with the utmost firmness and
steadfastness arose in that blessed spot in the promotion of the Word
of God and even to the present moment, having purified and sanctified
the heart from every thought, they are occupied with the promulgation
of the teachings of God. Hence the call of praise is raised
uninterruptedly from the Supreme Concourse.

7 Third: During the American journey ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
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.

8 Fourth: Up to the present time, every movement
initiated in Chicago, its effect was spread to all parts and to all
directions, just as everything that appears in and manifests from the
heart influences all the organs and limbs of the body.

9 Fifth: The first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár
in America was instituted in Chicago, and this honor and distinction
is infinite in value. Out of this Mashriqu’l-Adhkár,
without doubt, thousands of Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs
will be born.

10 Likewise (were instituted in Chicago) the general
Annual Conventions, the foundation of the Star of the West, the
Publishing Society for the publication of books and Tablets and their
circulation in all parts of America, and the preparations now under
way for the celebration of the Golden Centenary Anniversary of the
Kingdom of God. I hope that this Jubilee and this Exhibition may be
celebrated in the utmost perfection so that the call to the world of
unity, “There is no God but One God, and all the Messengers,
from the beginning to the Seal of the Prophets (Muḥammad) were
sent on the part of the True One!” may be raised; the flag of
the oneness of the world of humanity be unfurled, the melody of
universal peace may reach the ears of the East and the West, all the
paths may be cleared and straightened, all the hearts may be
attracted to the Kingdom of God, the tabernacle of unity be pitched
on the apex of America, the song of the love of God may exhilarate
and rejoice all the nations and peoples, the surface of the earth may
become the eternal paradise, the dark clouds may be dispelled and the
Sun of Truth may shine forth with the utmost intensity.

11 O ye friends of God! Exert ye with heart and soul, so
that association, love, unity and agreement be obtained between the
hearts, all the aims may be merged into one aim, all the songs become
one song and the power of the Holy Spirit may become so
overwhelmingly victorious as to overcome all the forces of the world
of nature. Exert yourselves; your mission is unspeakably glorious.
Should success crown your enterprise, America will assuredly evolve
into a center from which waves of spiritual power will emanate, and
the throne of the Kingdom of God will, in the plentitude of its
majesty and glory, be firmly established.

12 This phenomenal world will not remain in an
unchanging condition even for a short while. Second after second it
undergoes change and transformation. Every foundation will finally
become collapsed; every glory and splendor will at last vanish and
disappear, but the Kingdom of God is eternal and the heavenly
sovereignty and majesty will stand firm, everlasting. Hence in the
estimation of a wise man the mat in the Kingdom of God is preferable
to the throne of the government of the world.

13 Continually my ear and eye are turned toward the
Central States; perchance a melody from some blessed souls may reach
my ears—souls who are the dawning-places of the love of God,
the stars of the horizon of sanctification and holiness—souls
who will illumine this dark universe and quicken to life this dead
world. The joy of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá depends upon this!
I hope that you may become confirmed therein.

14 Consequently, those souls who are in a condition of
the utmost severance, purified from the defects of the world of
nature, sanctified from attachment to this earth, vivified with the
breaths of eternal life—with luminous hearts, with heavenly
spirit, with attraction of consciousness, with celestial magnanimity,
with eloquent tongues and with clear explanations—such souls
must hasten and travel through all parts of the Central States. In
every city and village they must occupy themselves with the diffusion
of the divine exhortations and advices, guide the souls and promote
the oneness of the world of humanity. They must play the melody of
international conciliation with such power that every deaf one may
attain hearing, every extinct person may be set aglow, every dead one
may obtain new life and every indifferent soul may find ecstasy. It
is certain that such will be the consummation.

Let the spreaders of the fragrances of God recite this
prayer every morning:

O LORD, my God! Praise and thanksgiving be unto Thee for
Thou hast guided me to the highway of the kingdom, suffered me to
walk in this straight and far-stretching path, illumined my eye by
beholding the splendors of Thy light, inclined my ear to the melodies
of the birds of holiness from the kingdom of mysteries and attracted
my heart with Thy love among the righteous.

O Lord! Confirm me with the Holy Spirit, so that I may
call in Thy Name amongst the nations, and give the glad tidings of
the manifestation of Thy kingdom amongst mankind.

O Lord! I am weak, strengthen me with Thy power and
potency. My tongue falters, suffer me to utter Thy commemoration and
praise. I am lowly, honor me through admitting me into Thy kingdom. I
am remote, cause me to approach the threshold of Thy mercifulness. O
Lord! Make me a brilliant lamp, a shining star and a blessed tree,
adorned with fruit, its branches overshadowing all these regions.
Verily, Thou art the Mighty, the Powerful and Unconstrained.

12:
TABLET TO THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE WESTERN STATES

Revealed on February 15, 1917, in Bahá’u’lláh’s
room at the house of Abbúd in Akká, and addressed to
the Bahá’ís of the eleven Western States of the
United States: New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, California,
Wyoming, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

1

He is God!

O ye friends and the maidservants of the Merciful, the
chosen ones of the Kingdom:

2 The Blessed state of California bears the utmost
similarity to the Holy Land, that is, the country of Palestine. The
air is of the utmost temperance, the plain very spacious, and the
fruits of Palestine are seen in that state in the utmost of freshness
and delicacy. When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was traveling and
journeying through those states, he found himself in Palestine, for
from every standpoint there was a perfect likeness between this
region and that state. Even the shores of the Pacific Ocean, in some
instances, show perfect resemblance to the shores of the Holy
Land—even the flora of the Holy Land have grown on those
shores—the study of which had led to much speculation and
wonder.

3 Likewise, in the state of California and other Western
states, wonderful scenes of the world of nature, which bewilder the
minds of men, are manifest. Lofty mountains, deep canyons, great and
majestic waterfalls, and giant trees are witnessed on all sides,
while its soil is in the utmost fertility and richness. That blessed
state is similar to the Holy Land and that region and that country
like unto a delectable paradise, is in many ways identical with
Palestine. Now just as there are natural resemblances, heavenly
resemblances must also be acquired.

4 The lights of the divine traces are manifest in
Palestine. The majority of the Israelitish Prophets raised the call
of the Kingdom of God in this holy ground. Having spread the
spiritual teachings, the nostrils of the spiritually-minded ones
became fragrant, the eyes of the illumined souls became brightened,
the ears were thrilled through this song, the hearts obtained eternal
life from the soul-refreshing breeze of the Kingdom of God and gained
supreme illumination from the splendor of the Sun of Reality. Then
from this region the light was spread to Europe, America, Asia,
Africa and Australia.

5 Now California and the other Western States must earn
an ideal similarity with the Holy Land, and from that state and that
region the breaths of the Holy Spirit be diffused to all parts of
America and Europe, that the call of the Kingdom of God may
exhilarate and rejoice all the ears, the divine principles bestow a
new life, the different parties may become one party, the divergent
ideas may disappear and revolve around one unique center, the East
and the West of America may embrace each other, the anthem of the
oneness of the world of humanity may confer a new life upon all the
children of men, and the tabernacle of universal peace be pitched on
the apex of America; thus Europe and Africa may become vivified with
the breaths of the Holy Spirit, this world may become another world,
the body politic may attain to a new exhilaration, and just as in the
state of California and other Western States the marvelous scenes of
the world of nature are evident and manifest, the great signs of the
Kingdom of God may also be unveiled so that the body may correspond
with the spirit, the outward world may become a symbol of the inward
world, and the mirror of the earth may become the mirror of the
Kingdom, reflecting the ideal virtues of heaven.

6 During My journey and traveling in those parts, I
beheld wonderful scenes and beautiful panoramas of nature, orchards
and rivers; national parks and general conclaves; deserts, plains,
meadows and prairies; and the grains and fruits of that region
greatly attracted My attention; even to the present moment they are
in My mind.

7 Particularly was I greatly pleased with the meetings
in San Francisco and Oakland, the gatherings in Los Angeles, and the
believers who came from the cities of other states. Whenever their
faces cross My memory, immediately infinite happiness is realized.

8 Therefore I hope that the divine teachings like unto
the rays of the sun may be diffused in all the Western States, and
the blessed verse of the Qur’án, “It is a good
City and the Lord is the Forgiver!”17
may become realized. Likewise, the significance of another Qur’anic
verse, “Do ye not travel through the land?”18
and of the verse, “Behold the traces of the Mercy of God!”19
become revealed in the utmost effulgence.

9 Praise be to God that through the divine bounty and
providence, in that region the field of service is vast, the minds
are in the utmost degree of intelligence and progress, sciences and
arts are being promoted, the hearts like unto mirrors are in the
utmost state of purity and translucency, and the friends of God are
in perfect attraction. Therefore it is hoped that meetings for
teaching will be organized and instituted, and for the diffusion of
the fragrances of God wise teachers may be sent to cities, even to
villages.

10 The teachers of the Cause must be heavenly, lordly
and radiant. They must be embodied spirit, personified intellect, and
arise in service with the utmost firmness, steadfastness and
self-sacrifice. In their journeys they must not be attached to food
and clothing. They must concentrate their thoughts on the outpourings
of the Kingdom of God and beg for the confirmations of the Holy
Spirit. With a divine power, with an attraction of consciousness,
with heavenly glad tidings and celestial holiness they must perfume
the nostrils with the fragrances of the Paradise of Abhá.

The following commune is to be read by them every day:

O GOD! O God! This is a broken-winged bird and his
flight is very slow—assist him so that he may fly toward the
apex of prosperity and salvation, wing his way with the utmost joy
and happiness throughout the illimitable space, raise his melody in
Thy Supreme Name in all the regions, exhilarate the ears with this
call, and brighten the eyes by beholding the signs of guidance.

O Lord! I am single, alone and lowly. For me there is no
support save Thee, no helper except Thee and no sustainer beside
Thee. Confirm me in Thy service, assist me with the cohorts of Thine
angels, make me victorious in the promotion of Thy Word and suffer me
to speak out Thy wisdom amongst Thy creatures. Verily, Thou art the
helper of the weak and the defender of the little ones, and verily
Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty and the Unconstrained.

13:
TABLET TO THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF CANADA AND GREENLAND

Revealed on February 21, 1917, in Bahá’u’lláh’s
room at the house of Abbúd in Akká, and addressed to
the Bahá’ís of Canada—Newfoundland, Prince
Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Saskatchewan,
Manitoba, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, Mackenzie,
Keewatin, Ungava, Franklin Islands—and Greenland.

1

He is God!

O ye kind friends and the maidservants of the Merciful:

2 In the great Qur’án, God says: “Thou
shalt see no difference in the creatures of God.”20
In other words, He says: From the ideal standpoint, there is no
variation between the creatures of God, because they are all created
by Him. From the above premise, a conclusion is drawn, that there is
no difference between countries. The future of the Dominion of
Canada, however, is very great, and the events connected with it
infinitely glorious. It shall become the object of the glance of
providence, and shall show forth the bounties of the All-Glorious.

3 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during his journey and
sojourn through that Dominion obtained the utmost joy. Before My
departure, many souls warned Me not to travel to Montreal, saying,
the majority of the inhabitants are Catholics, and are in the utmost
fanaticism, that they are submerged in the sea of imitations, that
they have not the capability to hearken to the call of the Kingdom of
God, that the veil of bigotry has so covered the eyes that they have
deprived themselves from beholding the signs of the Most Great
Guidance, and that the dogmas have taken possession of the hearts
entirely, leaving no trace of reality. They asserted that should the
Sun of Reality shine with perfect splendor throughout that Dominion,
the dark, impenetrable clouds of superstitions have so enveloped the
horizon that it would be utterly impossible for anyone to behold its
rays.

4 But these stories did not have any effect on the
resolution of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He, trusting in God,
turned his face toward Montreal. When he entered that city he
observed all the doors open, he found the hearts in the utmost
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 such seeds which will be irrigated with 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 principles he found no antagonist and no adversary. The
believers he met in that city were in the utmost spirituality, and
attracted with the fragrances of God. He found that through the
effort of the maidservant of God Mrs. Maxwell a number of the sons
and daughters of the Kingdom in that Dominion were gathered together
and associated with each other, increasing this joyous exhilaration
day by day. The time of sojourn was limited to a number of days, but
the results in the future are inexhaustible. When a farmer comes into
the possession of a virgin soil, in a short time he will bring under
cultivation a large field. Therefore I hope that in the future
Montreal may become so stirred, that the melody of the Kingdom may
travel to all parts of the world from that Dominion and the breaths
of the Holy Spirit may spread from that center to the East and the
West of America.

5 O ye believers of God! Be not concerned with the
smallness of your numbers, neither be oppressed by the multitude of
an unbelieving world. Five grains of wheat will be endued with
heavenly blessing, whereas a thousand tons of tares will yield no
results or 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 this
pearl of great price, which is endowed with divine blessing. Erelong
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.

6 Again I repeat that the future of Canada, whether from
a material or a spiritual standpoint, is very great. Day by day
civilization and freedom shall increase. The clouds of the Kingdom
will water the seeds of guidance which have been sown there.
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.

7 As regards the teachers, they must completely divest
themselves from 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 is, 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 fetal world, they must also forget entirely
the defects of the world of nature. They must be 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 set aglow, and the dead
quickened.

8 Upon you be greeting and praise!

PRAISE be to Thee, O my God! These are Thy servants who
are attracted by the fragrances of Thy mercifulness, are enkindled by
the fire burning in the tree of Thy singleness, and whose eyes are
brightened by beholding the splendors of the light shining in the
Sinai of Thy oneness.

O Lord! Loose their tongues to make mention of Thee
amongst Thy people, suffer them to speak forth Thy praise through Thy
grace and loving-kindness, assist them with the cohorts of Thine
angels, strengthen their loins in Thy service, and make them the
signs of Thy guidance amongst Thy creatures.

Verily, Thou art the All-Powerful, the Most Exalted, the
Ever-Forgiving, the All-Merciful.

The spreaders of the fragrances of God should recite
this prayer every morning:

O GOD, my God! Thou beholdest this weak one begging for
celestial strength, this poor one craving Thy heavenly treasures,
this thirsty one longing for the fountain of eternal life, this
afflicted one yearning for Thy promised healing through Thy boundless
mercy which Thou hast destined for Thy chosen servants in Thy kingdom
on high.

O Lord! I have no helper save Thee, no shelter besides
Thee, and no sustainer except Thee. Assist me with Thine angels to
diffuse Thy holy fragrances and to spread abroad Thy teachings
amongst the choicest of Thy people.

O my Lord! Suffer me to be detached from aught else save
Thee, to hold fast to the hem of Thy bounty, to be wholly devoted to
Thy Faith, to remain fast and firm in Thy love and to observe what
Thou hast prescribed in Thy Book.

Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the
Omnipotent.

14:
TABLET TO THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES AND
CANADA

Revealed on March 8, 1917, in the summerhouse
(Ismá’íl Áqá’s room) at
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s house in Haifa, and addressed
to the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada.

1

He is God!

O ye heavenly souls, sons and daughters of the Kingdom:

2 God says in the Qur’án: “Take ye
hold of the Cord of God, all of you, and become ye not disunited.”21

3 In the contingent world there are many collective
centers which are conducive to association and unity between the
children of men. For example, patriotism is a collective center;
nationalism is a collective center; identity of interests is a
collective center; political alliance is a collective center; the
union of ideals is a collective center, and the prosperity of the
world of humanity is dependent upon the organization and promotion of
the collective centers. Nevertheless, all the above institutions are,
in reality, the matter and not the substance, accidental and not
eternal—temporary and not everlasting. With the appearance of
great revolutions and upheavals, all these collective centers are
swept away. But the Collective Center of the Kingdom, embodying the
institutions and divine teachings, is the eternal Collective Center.
It establishes relationship between the East and the West, organizes
the oneness of the world of humanity, and destroys the foundation of
differences. It overcomes and includes all the other collective
centers. Like unto the ray of the sun, it dispels entirely the
darkness encompassing all the regions, bestows ideal life, and causes
the effulgence of divine illumination. Through the breaths of the
Holy Spirit it performs miracles; the Orient and the Occident embrace
each other, the North and South become intimates and associates,
conflicting and contending opinions disappear, antagonistic aims are
brushed aside, the law of the struggle for existence is abrogated,
and the canopy of the oneness of the world of humanity is raised on
the apex of the globe, casting its shade over all the races of men.
Consequently, the real Collective Center is the body of the divine
teachings, which include all the degrees and embrace all the
universal relations and necessary laws of humanity.

4 Consider! The people of the East and the West were in
the utmost strangeness. Now to what a high degree they are acquainted
with each other and united together! How far are the inhabitants of
Persia from the remotest countries of America! And now observe how
great has been the influence of the heavenly power, for the distance
of thousands of miles has become identical with one step! How various
nations that have had no relations or similarity with each other are
now united and agreed through this divine potency! Indeed to God
belongs power in the past and in the future! And verily God is
powerful over all things!

5 Consider the flowers of a garden. Though differing in
kind, color, form, and shape, yet, inasmuch as they are refreshed by
the waters of one spring, revived by the breath of one wind,
invigorated by the rays of one sun, this diversity increaseth their
charm, and addeth unto their beauty. How unpleasing to the eye if all
the flowers and plants, the leaves and blossoms, the fruits, the
branches and the trees of that garden were all of the same shape and
color! Diversity of hues, form and shape, enricheth and adorneth the
garden, and heighteneth the effect thereof. In like manner, when
divers shades of thought, temperament and character, are brought
together under the power and influence of one central agency, the
beauty and glory of human perfection will be revealed and made
manifest. Naught but the celestial potency of the Word of God, which
ruleth and transcendeth the realities of all things, is capable of
harmonizing the divergent thoughts, sentiments, ideas, and
convictions of the children of men.

6 Therefore, the believers of God throughout all the
republics of America, through the divine power, must become the cause
of the promotion of heavenly teachings and the establishment of the
oneness of humanity. Every one of the important souls must arise,
blowing over all parts of America the breath of life, conferring upon
the people a new spirit, baptizing them with the fire of the love of
God, the water of life, and the breaths of the Holy Spirit so that
the second birth may become realized. For it is written in the
Gospel: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”22

7 Therefore, O ye believers of God in the United States
and Canada! Select ye important personages, or else they by
themselves, becoming severed from rest and composure of the world,
may arise and travel throughout Alaska, the republic of Mexico, and
south of Mexico in the Central American republics, such as Guatemala,
Honduras, Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Belize; and
through the great South American republics, such as Argentina,
Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, French Guiana, Dutch Guiana, British
Guiana, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile; also in the
group of the West Indies islands, such as Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico,
Jamaica and Santo Domingo, and the group of islands of the Lesser
Antilles, the Islands of Bahama and the Islands of Bermuda; likewise
to the islands to the east, west and north of South America, such as
Trinidad, Falkland Islands, Galapagòs Islands, Juan Fernandez
and Tobago. Visit ye especially the city of Bahia, on the eastern
shore of Brazil. Because in the past years this city was christened
with the name, BAHIA, there is no doubt that it has been through the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

8 Consequently, the believers of God must display the
utmost effort, upraise the divine melody throughout those regions,
promulgate the heavenly teachings and waft over all the spirit of
eternal life, so that those republics may become so illumined with
the splendors and the effulgences of the Sun of Reality that they may
become the objects of the praise and commendation of all other
countries. Likewise, ye must give great attention to the Republic of
Panama, for in that point the Occident and the Orient find each other
united through the Panama Canal, and it is also situated between the
two great oceans. That place will become very important in the
future. The teachings, once established there, will unite the East
and the West, the North and the South.

9 Hence the intention must be purified, the effort
ennobled and exalted, so that you may establish affinity between the
hearts of the world of humanity. This glorious aim will not become
realized save through the promotion of divine teachings which are the
foundations of the holy religions.

10 Consider how the religions of God served the world of
humanity! How the religion of Torah became conducive to the glory and
honor and progress of the Israelitish nation! How the breaths of the
Holy Spirit of His Holiness Christ created affinity and unity between
divergent communities and quarreling families! How the sacred power
of His Holiness Muḥammad became the means of uniting and
harmonizing the contentious tribes and the different clans of
Peninsular Arabia—to such an extent that one thousand tribes
were welded into one tribe; strife and discord were done away with;
all of them unitedly and with one accord strove in advancing the
cause of culture and civilization, and thus were freed from the
lowest degree of degradation, soaring toward the height of
everlasting glory! Is it possible to find a greater Collective Center
in the phenomenal world than this? In comparison to this divine
Collective Center, the national collective center, the patriotic
collective center, the political collective center and the cultural
and intellectual collective center are like child’s play!

11 Now strive ye that the Collective Center of the
sacred religions—for the inculcation of which all the Prophets
were manifested and which is no other than the spirit of the divine
teachings—be spread in all parts of America, so that each one
of you may shine forth from the horizon of reality like unto the
morning star, divine illumination may overcome the darkness of
nature, and the world of humanity may become enlightened. This is the
most great work! Should you become confirmed therein, this world will
become another world, the surface of the earth will become the
delectable paradise, and eternal Institutions be founded.

Let whosoever travels to different parts to teach,
peruse over mountain, desert, land and sea this supplication:

O GOD! O God! Thou seest my weakness, lowliness and
humility before Thy creatures; nevertheless, I have trusted in Thee
and have arisen in the promotion of Thy teachings among Thy strong
servants, relying on Thy power and might.

O Lord! I am a broken-winged bird and desire to soar in
Thy limitless space. How is it possible for me to do this save
through Thy providence and grace, Thy confirmation and assistance.

O Lord! Have pity on my weakness, and strengthen me with
Thy power. O Lord! Have pity on my impotence, and assist me with Thy
might and majesty.

O Lord! Should the breath of the Holy
Spirit confirm the weakest of creatures, he would attain all to which
he aspireth and would possess anything he desireth. Indeed, Thou hast
assisted Thy servants in the past and, though they were the weakest
of Thy creatures, the lowliest of Thy servants and the most
insignificant of those who lived upon the earth, through Thy sanction
and potency they took precedence over the most glorious of Thy people
and the most noble of mankind. Whereas formerly they were as moths,
they became as royal falcons, and whereas before they were as brooks,
they became as seas, through Thy bestowal and Thy mercy. They became,
through Thy most great favor, stars shining on the horizon of
guidance, birds singing in the rose gardens of immortality, lions
roaring in the forests of knowledge and wisdom, and whales swimming
in the oceans of life.

Verily, Thou art the Clement, the Powerful, the Mighty,
and the Most Merciful of the merciful.