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STAR OF THE WEST
"We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations; that all nations shall become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men shall be strengthened, that diversity of religion shall cease and differences of race be annulled. So it shall be; these fruitless strifes; these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the 'Most Great Peace' shall come."—BAHA'O'LLAH.
Vol. VIII Massa'ul 1, 73 (December 12, 1917) No. 15
"Concerning the Station of this Servant, the answer is: 'Abdul-Baha'"
Before Baha'o'llah's ascension into the City of Eternal Light he wrote a glorious Tablet called "The Book of the Covenant." In this he appointed his eldest son, whom he loved to call the Master, to be the Center of this Covenant. This son in his pure selflessness and evanescence renounced the title of Master, laid aside his given name and took the name of Servant, that is, Abdul-Baha, the Servant of Baha'. There is nothing about Abdul-Baha more wonderful than his servitude. To those whose spiritual eyes God has opened, his presence is glorious in its majesty, his face brilliant with love, his words luminous with wisdom and beauty, his whole being vibrant with the vital force of the Holy Spirit. Yet he seems as unconscious of his powers as though he did not know of his own existence.
Because the Servant of Baha' is selfless he is able to reflect the truth, the love, the unity of the new era. For this reason was he chosen to be the Center of the new order, the new Covenant. In that Covenant God makes an agreement with men which is that if men will follow His will, His law, His divine love as revealed in the Manifestation of His Holy Spirit in this age "the world of war shall become the world of peace, the world of darkness, the world of light, all the nations of the world as one nation, all races as one race, the earth, heaven, and the world of satan the world of angels;" and mankind shall then enter the Kingdom prepared for them from the foundations of the world. But the Center of this new Covenant, this new world-order is Abdul-Baha. In him and his words are focused in life-imparting glory the light of the new City of God.
—The Compiler.
THE MASTER
MY FATHER!" said Valiolah Khan, the son of the glorious Persian martyr, "was much with Baha'o'llah. One night Baha'o'llah, as he strode back and forth in his room, said to him: 'At stated periods souls are sent to earth by the Creator with what we call the Power of the Great Ether (Holy Spirit). And those who possess this power can do anything; they have all power. . . . Jesus Christ had this power. The people thought him a poor young man whom they had crucified but he possessed the power of the Holy Spirit; therefore he could not remain underground. This ethereal power arose and quickened the world. And now look to the Master,' said Baha'o'llah, 'for this power is his.'
"Baha'o'llah," added Valiolah Khan, "taught my father much about the Master. The Master, you know, is one of the titles of Abdul-Baha, and the Greatest Branch is another. Baha'o'llah, the Blessed Perfection, revealed the station of Abdul-Baha to my father; and my father wrote many poems to the Master, though the Master would chide him and
say, 'You must not write such things to me.' But the heart of my father could not keep quiet. Once he wrote:
'O Dawning-place of the Beauty of God, I know thee.
Though thou wrappest thyself in ten thousand veils I know thee.
Though thou shouldst wear the tatters of a beggar still would I know thee'."
We spoke of having read so many tablets in which we were told that Abdul-Baha should be known only by the name of "Abdul-Baha." Monaver Khanum, the daughter of Abdul-Baha, said that Baha'o'llah called him "Master." And every prophet, after proclaiming his mission, adopts a name. Moses spoke of himself as the Interlocutor; Christ of himself as the Son of God; and Abdul-Baha calls himself the Servant of God.
(Flowers from the Rose Garden of Acca, p. 8.)
During the lifetime of the Blessed Perfection, the Master, one day, was going to Tyre. He wanted to take me with him; so he sent me to Bahajee [the house of Baha'o'llah] to fulfill some errand. When I reached there the Blessed Perfection sent for me. "Where are you going?" he asked.
"The Master is going to take me to Tyre," I answered.
"Very well; always listen to the Master. Whatever the Master speaks, I speak; and whatever I speak, the Master speaks. . . ."
Whenever the Master came from Acca to Bahajee, Baha'o'llah would see him from his window and then call aloud to his sons and secretaries: "The Master is coming! The Master is coming! Everyone must hurry downstairs and out in the field to welcome him."
(Words of Abul Kasim: Diary of Mirza Sohrab, December 15, 1913. Abul Kasim is the gardener of the Rizwan, the wonderful garden just outside of Acca.)
At another time the Blessed Perfection instructed the gardener, Abul Kasim, to attend to some business for him, he and the Master both being in the Rizwan. The Master, meeting Abul Kasim just afterward, instructed him to go to Acca and bring them some food for supper.
The gardener sought Baha'o'llah and asked that he might tell him of the Master's command. Baha'o'llah said in reply to Abul Kasim: "That is well. You must go. You must do everything that the Master says. Everything the Master says is just the same as if I said it. He is me, and I am he. There is no difference between my commands and the commands of the Master."
(Notes of Mrs. I. D. Brittingham, September, 1901.)
THE GREATEST BRANCH
Kitab-el-Akdas was revealed by Baha'o'llah, the Manifestation, soon after his arrival at Acca, and is the greatest Book. . . . The statutes and laws were given in the Kitab-el-Akdas. In this Book is mentioned everything that is necessary for us, and in two places he says: "After the Sun of Truth sets, we must turn our faces unto 'Him-whom-God-hath-chosen,' who is branched from the Ancient Root;" and in another place: "Anything you do not understand from the Book, must be submitted to the great chosen One." Nothing whatever is mentioned in the Book concerning any other one save the Greatest Branch, and if you read from the beginning to the end, you cannot find anything that refers to any other person save him. Although it was known to all the believers that the Greatest Branch was Abdul-Baha, at the time of the Manifestation if any one pronounced the word "Agha" (Lord or Master), and
meant by it any one of the branches besides Abdul-Baha, Baha'o'llah would say: "There is only one 'Agha' and he is Abbas Effendi [given name of Abdul-Baha]" and the Manifestation would point to him at every important question.
The Manifestation wrote the Kitab-el-Ah'd two years before his departure, in which he said: The One-Whom-God-hath-chosen is the Greatest Branch, and he commanded the branches, the twigs and kinsmen to turn their faces unto Him-whom-God-hath-chosen. "Aghsan" means the branches of the Manifestation; "Afnan" means the branches of The Bab. He said: "We have chosen El-Akbar after El-Azam (El-Akbar-Mohammed-Ali)," but he does not command us to obey him or to turn our faces unto him and there is nothing in the Kitab-el-Akdas which refers to Mohammed-Ali, and this word "We have chosen" does not give Mohammed-Ali any importance or high station to enable him to be our commander or master.
We must not be astonished that such a choice was given by the Manifestation, because the same thing took place at the time of Christ, for instead of choosing two branches, he chose twelve, and it is impossible for us to say that Christ did not know which one of those branches would betray him. Neither can we say: Why did the Manifestation, knowing all things, choose Mohammed-Ali after Abdul-Baha? Because Christ also chose his twelve, and commanded obedience to them, saying: "He who gives them a glass of water, will have a great reward in the Kingdom." So if the same thing occurred in the past, you must not be astonished at what takes place in the present, for the two are similar. But the only proof which will make us understand this question, is this, that God, according to His law, will never pronounce any judgment or condemn anybody before one shows his disobedience and commits the crime for which he is to be judged; because, if God would pass judgment upon all, though some are good and some bad, before the good or bad actions are exercised by us, there would be no necessity whatever for laws, statutes or ordinances, and because God does not judge anybody before good or bad actions are produced. He chooses some to be his people, and then he waits for their actions to prove whether they are good or bad. As Christ chose his disciples and said to them: "I am the the Vine, and you are clean through the Word which I have spoken, but every branch which does not bring forth good fruit, will be cut off;" so also, the Manifestation chose the branches and declared they would be the best of people if they continued to be under the shadow of the Tree. In several tablets, he said: "Any one of the branches who departs from the shadow of the Tree, will be cut off." Besides there is a special tablet which was revealed by the Manifestation to Mohammed-Ali, in which he says: "Shouldst thou deviate from the right path for an instant, thou shalt be cut off."
(Words of Mirza Abul Fazl: From notes of Mrs. Sara. Herron at Acca, in 1900.)
If one of my sons should exceed beyond the ordinances of God, by God, my eye shall not turn to him at all, and to this bear witness all the just and informed. (p. 34)
(Words of Baha'o'llah: Prayers, Instructions, Tablets and Miscellany gathered by American visitors to Acca in 1900.)
Fear not if this Branch be severed from the material earth and cast aside its leaves, for this Branch will grow after it is cut from the earth and will ascend until it shelters the universe; its foliage will reach to the Supreme Apex and bear fruit imparting fragrance to the world.
(Abdul-Baha: From booklet, Abdul-Baha.)
(Continued on page 209)
STAR OF THE WEST
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TABLET FROM ABDUL-BAHA.
HE IS GOD!
O thou Star of the West!
Be thou happy! Be thou happy! Shouldst thou continue to remain firm and eternal, ere long, thou shalt become the Star of the East and shalt spread in every country and clime. Thou art the first paper of the Bahais which is organized in the country of America. Although for the present thy subscribers are limited, thy form is small and thy voice weak, yet shouldst thou stand unshakable, become the object of the attention of the friends and the center of the generosity of the leaders of the faith who are firm in the Covenant, in the future thy subscribers will become hosts after hosts like unto the waves of the sea; thy volume will increase, thy arena will become vast and spacious and thy voice and fame will be raised and become world-wide—and at last thou shalt become the first paper of the world of humanity. Yet all these depend upon firmness, firmness, firmness!
(Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
Vol. VIII
No. 15
"The people are vociferously discussing this Manifestation and all nations are investigating"
(This Tablet, revealed by Abdul-Baha for the Persian Bahais some years ago, was translated by Dr. Zia M. Bagd adi, Chicago, November 29, 1917.)
HE IS GOD!
O ye beloved and ideal friends of God!
The divine voice from the invisible Kingdom of Abha is reaching those who are asleep in the valley of unconsciousness with the call:—
- O ye heedless, awake!
- O ye drunken, be sober!
- O ye dead, arise!
- O ye wilted, be revived and full of vigor!
- O ye dumb, speak!
- O ye silent, cry out!
The voice is the melody of the Covenant, and the effulgences are from the Light of the bountiful bestowals of the horizons. It is the breeze of the meadows of singleness that is blowing and the effusion of the fragrances of the rose gardens that are wafting; it is the candle of the favor of the Ancient Beauty (Baha'o'llah) that is lighted in every assembly; it is the outpouring of the clouds of mercy that is bestowing freshness to every garden and lawn; it is the verse of oneness that is uttered in the glorious Book, and the tablets of the unique Lord of the Kingdom are unfolding the mysteries of "they are clothed by the new creation"; incline your ears in order that ye may hear the melody of joy, and open your eyes to see the lights.
The favor of the Truth is abundant and His ancient bestowal is uninterrupted. His cycle is all light. His century fulfills all the signs. Be not hopeless neither disappointed. It is the day of hope and the century of the Glorious God. It is the first resurrection and the dispensation of the Beauty of Abha!—May my soul be a ransom to His Blessed Threshold.
In every horizon His light is brilliant and in every region His bounty is manifest. His great fame has filled the east and the west. The song of His divinity has encompassed the south and the north, and caused a tumult among the pillars of the world, making the hearts of the sons of Adam to quake.
The people are vociferously discussing this Manifestation and all nations are investigating. The flame of this burning fire in all regions has reached the zenith of heaven, and the call of, "Verily, the evident Light is manifest!" has ascended from the earth to the inhabitants of the Supreme Kingdom. All are exuberent with joy and intoxicated with the wine of love!
Ye, who are dwelling in the native land of His Holiness (Baha'o'llah) and are in the place where the Blessed Tree hath grown: Why should ye sit quietly as in a corner? Ye must be so aflame that the heat of your fire may enkindle the adjacent districts; the fragrances of the rose-garden of your hearts may perfume the nostrils of the Supreme Concourse; the flood of bestowal may pour from those hills and mountains to all regions, and the rivers of knowledge may flow from that city to all the valleys and the desert.
- Hasten ye to prosperity!
- Hasten ye to success!
- Hasten ye to the great favor!
- Hasten ye to evident light!
- Hasten ye to the glorious attainment!
- Hasten ye to the abundant share!
El-Baha be upon ye!
O my Beloved, God! These are thy servants who have heard thy voice, responded to thy word and accepted thy call. They believed in thee; became assured in thy verses; acknowledged thy proofs; listened to thy evidences; walked in thy path and followed thy guidance; became informed of thy mysteries; comprehended the symbols of thy Book, the signs of thy Scriptures and the glad tidings of thy epistles and tablets; grasped the hem of thy garment and were held by the radiance of thy grandeur; their feet became firm in thy Covenant and their hearts strong in thy Testament.
O my Lord! Ignite the fire of attraction in their hearts; let the birds of knowledge soar in the rose-gardens of their breasts and sing in the meadows of their souls, songs of love with the most wonderful melodies and harmonies; make them strong verses, unfurled ensigns and perfect words; elevate thy Cause by them; raise thy banners, spread thy signs, assist thy Word and support thy friends by them; make them to utter in thy praise and inspire them to arise in thy good-pleasure; illumine their faces in the Kingdom of thy holiness, and complete their joy by confirming them in assisting thy Cause!
O my Lord! We are weak, strengthen us in spreading the fragrances of thy sanctity; we are poor, enrich us from the treasury of thy singleness; we are naked, clothe us from thy generous bounty; we are sinners, pardon our transgressions by thy favor, generosity and forgiveness.
Verily, thou are the Confirmer, the Helper, the Beloved, the Mighty, the Omnipotent!
El-Baha be upon those who are firm and steadfast!
(Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
"Concerning the Station of this Servant, the answer is: 'Abdul-Baha'"
(Continued from page 207)
THE SERVANT
Now listen unto what I say for it is the foundation of success and the basis of righteousness among the people of the world, that you may be obedient unto Abdul-Baha in all he wishes and says, Verily this is possessing strong faith.
Therefore, know that I have sacrificed my soul, spirit, life, mention, honor, attributes,
my comfort and my name in the path of God and I have chosen no dignity or possession save the obedience of Baha' and no name or title save "Abdul-Baha," (servant of Baha'). Therefore be content with this and follow in my words and wishes, because in so doing the blessed trees of life springing up in the paradise of God will become green and verdant.
If you desire to speak in praise, praise the Beauty of El-Abha; if you desire to commend, commend the name of your Supreme Lord; for if you exalt the Tree you also exalt the Branch. If you mention the sea you are also mentioning its gulf and bays. Therefore mention the "Beauty of Abha" by this sweet command among the people, for in my command is contained his command, my attributes are embodied in his attributes. If, therefore, you commend a man you commend all related to him. This is that upon which all the believers will unite and harmonize. Therefore let nothing arise to cause separation among the chosen ones.
(Abdul-Baha.)
I ask one favor of all the friends of God: It is the wish of my soul that they may all praise me only in my utter servitude to the Holy Threshold, without any interpretation and not to commend Abdul-Baha, with any other than the words and explanations which have proceeded from the very pen of this servant; that they may depart by no means therefrom, but confine themselves to that same measure.
Verily, my qualification, praise, rank, name, title, being, substance, reality and renown is "Abdul-Baha," and I have no grade except this.
The friends of God shall certainly agree with the request made by this servant with the utmost lowliness and humility. They shall thus rejoice this afflicted heart and bestow new life upon this weak body, so that by hearing this mighty glad tidings and obtaining this divine gift Abdul-Baha may rejoice and find divine gladness and exultation.
(Abdul-Baha: From Tablet to Mirza Ali Kuli Khan and Mirza Abul Fazl; translated by Mirza Khan, June 4, 1903.)
I am a servant and this station I have chosen for myself.
(Abdul-Baha.)
I am serving God. I am the servant of God. I give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, the power of speech to the mute and knowledge to the ignorant. I raise the dead, I deliver those who are in darkness and guide them into the realm of light. I make the poor rich and the weak powerful. I satisfy the hungry ones with the bread of life and allay the thirsty ones with the pure water of immortality. This is my work.
(Abdul-Baha: Diary of Mirza Sohrab, June 30, 1914.)
Servitude to all the human race is my perpetual religion. Through the bounty and favor of the Blessed Perfection, Abdul-Baha, is the ensign of the Most Great Peace, which is waving from the Supreme Apex; and through the gift of the Greatest Name, he is the lamp of universal salvation, which is shining with the light of the love of God. The herald of the Kingdom is he, so that he may awaken the people of the East and of the West. The voice of friendship, uprightness, truth and reconciliation is he, so as to cause acceleration throughout all regions. . . . . Through the appearance of the Blessed Perfection the theories are abrogated and the facts established. The time of superficialty is gone by and the cycle of reality has appeared. One must become the incarnation of servitude, the personification
of love, the embodiment of spirituality, and the mirror of mercy. . . . . The quintessence of truth is this: We must all become united and harmonized in order to illumine this gloomy world; to abolish the foundations of hostility and animosity from among mankind; to perfume the inhabitants of the universe with the holy fragrances of the nature and disposition of the Beauty of Abha; to enlighten the people of the East and West with the light of guidance; to hoist the tent of the love of God and suffer each and all to enter under its protection; to bestow comfort and tranquillity upon every one under the shade of the Divine Tree; to astonish the enemy by the manifestation of the utmost love. . . . . to reach the ears of the inhabitants of the Kingdom with the outcry—"Verily the earth is illumined by the lights of its Lord." This is reality! This is guidance! This is service! This is the consummation of the perfection of the realm of humanity.
(Words of Abdul-Baha: Extract from Tablet revealed for New York Board of Council, translated January 1, 1907.)
. . . I am the servant of Baha'o'llah and nothing more; Abdul-Baha is the sum of all perfections. They must not attempt to surpass that name, "Abdul-Baha." All must say to others that he claims for himself to be Abdul-Baha and the believers must call him by his name as he wishes. This is the only name he has appointed for himself.
(Abdul-Baha: From notes of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Hannen, Haifa, 1909.)
Know thou that all the promises of Abdul-Baha are true and his instructions are inspirations of the Holy Spirit and received as suggestions from Baha'o'llah.
(Abdul-Baha: From Tablet to Mrs. Lua Getsinger.)
Concerning my power: it is one bestowal of the bestowals of His Holiness Baha'o'llah. It is my confirmer. It is the light of my guidance. It is the fire of my love. Save it I have nothing. Beside it I know nothing. Except it I wish for nothing.
(Abdul-Baha: Diary of Mirza Sohrab, May 26, 1914.)
Although Abdul-Baha considers himself as a drop, yet this drop is connected with the Most Great Sea. Although he looks upon himself as an atom, yet this atom is related to the world-illuminating Sun. As is said: "The originator of all these voices is the King himself" or in other words: "It is through his assistance."
(Abdul-Baha.)
The Blessed Perfection has explicitly promised me with his own tongue that he will assist me. "Rest thou assured," he said, "my confirmations shall reach thee." This has ever been the cause of my consolation. Whenever these words are remembered my wound is healed and all the tempests are calmed.
(Abdul-Baha: Diary of Mirza Sohrab, January 10, 1914.)
As to the critical period (1901): Know thou, that verily, Abdul-Baha dominates every critical period through the confirmation of Baha', nor is he dominated by any critical period. And as a proof of this Abdul-Baha has withstood all critical periods and great dangers since his earliest childhood to the present day through the assistance of the Supreme Lord. . . .
My assistance is the assistance of the Blessed Perfection. If all the world should gather together against me I would still possess this and all the world could not take it from me. I have a weapon to fight with forever and ever. With it I am always victorious. It is a
sword which can never be dulled, a magazine which will always be full.
(Abdul-Baha: From booklet, Abdul-Baha.)
If any soul asks concerning the station of this servant, the answer is Abdul-Baha. If he inquires after the meaning of The Branch, the answer is Abdul-Baha. If he desires to know the significance of the verse regarding The Branch, the answer is Abdul-Baha. If he insists upon the explanation of the meaning of "The Branch extended from the Ancient Root," the answer is Abdul-Baha.
In brief, the friends must be satisfied with the word of Abdul-Baha. Outside of this word, "Abdul-Baha," no other word, not even the word, Branch, should they refer to in their writings and their speeches. By no means whatsoever should they exceed this word, neither ought they to harbor any discussion and question. However, if any other soul declares another word than this, he will make this servant a target for the arrows of opposition and will become the cause of my grief. For the utmost desire and the ultimate hope of Abdul-Baha is to be a sincere servant at the Holy Threshold. This gift is enough for this servant throughout the worlds.
(Abdul-Baha: Extract from a Tablet revealed for Persian believers, about 1906.)
At the time of the end God shall manifest himself to all mankind with all the attributes of divinity and majesty, but very few shall advance toward him and the rest shall exclaim in horror: "We take refuge in God! O what blasphemy!" Then again he will appear a second time manifesting all the qualities of servitude and the people will flock around him and believe in him and praise and laud his uncreated virtues.
(A tradition of Mohammed, related by Bokhari, who is celebrated for his accuracy, and wisdom. From Diary of Mirza Sohrab, January 19, 1914.)
My name should be confined to "Abdul-Baha" in all writings. This is the collective name which will gather all the people and it is the strong fortress and protection of the Cause of God. The beloved ones must limit themselves to this. However you may mention me as the light of the love of God, the flame of the guidance of God and the banner of peace and harmony. I trust in God that you may ever be confirmed through the Holy Spirit. . . . .
You must know this, that the principle of the divine foundation is love, unison, oneness and the purity of intention. When love is attained, the mystery of truth will then become manifest. No one should adhere to different titles; one title (or station) is enough, and it is, "Abdul-Baha." All must agree to this word, until the of opinion be removed from their midst. But that which is essential to the acknowledgment of this word (i. e., Abdul-Baha) is attraction to the love of God, service to the Cause of God, diffusing the Word of God, severance from all else save God, affinity, union and oneness, humility, meekness, nothingness and servitude to the beloved of God. If one does not become characterized with these attributes he has not acknowledged the title (or station) of Abdul-Baha. Because Abdul-Baha is the banner of the love of God, the lamp of the knowledge of God, the herald of the kingdom of God, the commander of the hosts of peace and reconciliation, and the orb of union and harmony among all the nations of the world. Consequently, every one in whose heart the love of Abdul-Baha has irradiated must act in this manner. And when persons walk and move in this path all differences shall be removed.
(Abdul-Baha: From booklet, Abdul-Baha.)
