Tarbiat School

There exists a great Confirmation in the School of Tarbiat which is founded by the friends. Although at this moment it is observed but by a few, yet it is assisted by the Almighty. If the believers of God display generosity, that school will progress day by day in all its grades. Encouragement and stimulus is necessary.

(Signed) ‘Abdu’l-Baha Abbas
(Star of the West, Vol. 1, No. 5, June 5, 1910)

O ye Spiritual Friends of 'Abdu'l-Baha!

He Is God

How long are ye silent and speechless! Although ye are speaking, yet in this age the speech of the believers of God must be the soul entrancing melody of the Kingdom of ABHA and the harmony of the Supreme Concourse! Therefore 'Abdu'l-Baha is not satisfied with a meek voice and depressing lamentation! He seeks the passionate tumult and joyous clamor and he roars and cries at the top of his voice so that the realities of things may stir into movement and action and the Beloved of Bounty unveil her Countenance in the world of creation! Those friends must, like unto the stars in heaven, shine and gleam in the horizon of Truth with the Light of Guidance so that the realities of the existent beings and the spirit of humankind may find joy and happiness!  

Upon ye be greeting and praise!  

(Signed) ‘Abdu’l-Baha Abbas 
(Star of the West, vol. 1. No. 5, June5, 1910)

Prayer: Spiritual Meeting

He Is God

O God O God! Thou dost look upon us from Thine unseen Kingdom of Oneness, [beholding] that we have assembled in this Spiritual Meeting, believing in Thee, confident in Thy signs, firm in Thy Covenant and Testament, attracted unto Thee, set aglow with the fire of Thy love, sincere in Thy Cause, servants in Thy vineyard, spreaders of Thy Religion, worshippers of Thy Countenance, humble to Thy beloved, submissive at Thy door and imploring Thee to confirm us in the service of Thy chosen ones. Support us with Thine unseen hosts, strengthen our loins in Thy servitude and make us submissive and worshipping servants, communing with Thee.

O our Lord! We are weak and Thou are the Mighty, the Powerful! We are mortals and Thou art the great life-giving Spirit! We are needy and Thou art the Powerful and Sustainer!

O our Lord! Turn our faces unto Thy divine face; feed us from Thy heavenly table by Thy godly grace; help us through the hosts of Thy supreme angels and confirm us by the holy ones of the Kingdom of Abha.

Verily Thou art the Generous, the Merciful! Thou art possessor of great bounty and verily Thou art the Clement and Gracious!

(Signed) ‘Abdu’l-Baha Abbas
(Star of the West, Vol. 1, No. 4, May 17, 1910)

Extract from a Tablet to his honor Ebn Abhar. [A venerable teachers of the East]

Explain to the people the details of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar in Chicago and tell them how contributions are received from the East and the West. For example, at this moment four contributions were received in one day from Rangoon, Bombay (India), Jahram of Shiraz and Kheirol-Gora of Khorassan for the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar of America and were forwarded to their destination.

Truly, I say, the friends of God displayed wonderful generosity in regard to the contributions for the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar. They displayed magnanimity at any cost to such an extent that some of them sold portions of their clothing on the streets. This is through the Power of the Covenant of God, for until this day an event of this character has never transpired that from the East and Asia contributions were forwarded to the West for the building of a Temple. 

Verily this is a cause of astonishment for the people of perception.

(Signed) ‘Abdu’l-Baha Abbas
(Star of the West, vol. 6, no. 17, January 19, 1916)

Prayer: Teaching

O my God! O my God! Favor belongs to Thee, Generosity belongs to Thee, Praise belongs to Thee and Glorification is Thine, for that which Thou hast bestowed upon these indigent ones, granted a refuge and asylum to these weak ones in the cave of Thy protection and preservation, assist them in the service of Thy Cause and confirm them in the worship of Thy Exalted Threshold. 

O Lord! They have sacrificed their belongings and souls in Thy path, contributed for love of Thee and missed no chance or opportunity in spreading Thy Signs, diffusing Thy Word, promulgating Thy Name among Thy servants and proclaiming Thy wonders among Thy creatures.

Verily Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the Most High, the Omnipresent and verily Thou art the Clement and the Most Merciful!

(Signed) ‘Abdu’l-Baha Abbas
(Star of the West, Vol. 1, No. 4, May 17, 1910)

To his honor Ameen, Tehran. [One of the venerable teachers of the East]

Upon him be Baha’u’l-Abha!

He Is God

O thou spiritual Ameen!

In all the world of creation all the existent beings are in the utmost connection. Through this connection, mutual helpfulness and co-operation is realized. This mutual helpfulness and co-operation is the origin of the conservation of the forces of life. If for one instant this mutual helpfulness and co-operation were cut off from the sources and realities of things, all the existent beings and things would be thrown into confusion and chaos and be reduced to nothingness and annihilation. For instance, from the breath of the animals a watery element, called hydrogen, and carbon is exhaled and this is the life principle of the vegetable kingdom. From the vegetable kingdom and the trees, a fiery element, called oxygen, is emitted and this becomes the cause of the maintenance of the life of the animal kingdom. In such a manner, mutual helpfulness and co-operation is realized continually between all the existent beings.

Likewise, the greatest inter-relation and communication exists between the sons of men without which peace, life and existence is entirely impossible. For a soul independent of all the other soul and without receiving assistance from other sources cannot live for the twinkling of an eye: nay, rather, he will become non-existent and reduced to nothingness: especially among the believers of God between whom material and spiritual communication is developed up to the highest point of perfection. It is this real communication, the essential necessity and requirement of which is the mutual helpfulness, co-operation and confirmation. Without the complete establishment of this divine principle in the hearts of the friends of God, nothing can be accomplished, for they are the hyacinths of one garden, the waves of one sea, the stars of one heaven and the rays of one sun. From every standpoint the essential unity, the luminous unity, the religious unity and the material unity are founded and organized between them.

To the beloved of God in America

Upon them be Baha’u’l-Abha!

He Is God

O ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom!

Praise be to God! The infinite bounty of God hath resuscitated the whole world, and the East and the West have come united with the bond of the summons of God.

Today the call of the Kingdom of God hath reached the hearing of the far and near of all the continents of the world and the standard of the solidarity of Mankind is held aloft by the grasp of Divine Power.

The melody of the East has made joyous and happy the Western world, and the song of the West has penetrated the ears of the Eastern people.

Prayer: Meetings

He Is God

O my God! O my God! We are servants who have sincerely turned our faces unto Thy Grand Face, severed ourselves from all else save Thee in this Great Day and are assembled together in this glorious meeting of one accord and desire, and unanimous in thought to promulgate Thy Word amid Thy creatures.

O my Lord! O my Lord! Suffer us to be Signs of Guidance, Standards of Thy Manifest Religion throughout the world, servants of Thy Great Covenant, O our Exalted Lord! appearances of Thy Oneness in Thy Kingdom, the EL ABHA, and stars which dawn forth unto all regions.

O Lord, make us as seas rolling with the waves of Thy Great Abundance, rivers flowing from the mountains of Thy Glorious Kingdom, pure fruits on the Tree of Thy Illustrious Cause, plants refreshed and moved by the Breeze of by Gift in Thy wonderful vineyard.

O Lord, cause our souls to depend upon the signs of Thy Oneness, our hearts to be dilated with the bounties of Thy Singleness, so that we may become united as are ripples on a waving sea; become harmonized as are the rays which shine forth from a brilliant light; so that our thoughts, opinions and feelings become as one reality, from which the spirit of accord may be diffused throughout all regions.

Verily, Thou art the Beneficent, the Bestower!

Verily Thou art the Giver, the Mighty, the Loving, the Merciful!

(Signed) ‘Abdu’l-Baha Abbas
(Star of the West, Vol. 1, No. 4, May 17, 1910)

To "the maid-servant of God who is firm in the Covenant, Mrs. Corinne True"

Upon her be Baha’u’l-Abha!

He Is God

O thou daughter of the Kingdom!

Thy letter, dated January 6, 1910, was received with the enclosed papers.

Regarding the appointment of the time for the opening of the general convention in Chicago, this matter is already written about. Undoubtedly you have received it by this time. It was suggested to postpone the 20th of March to the days of Ridvan, in which the climate is temperate.

You have written regarding the election of delegates from among the Oriental Bahais. The season for this work has not yet come. God willing, in its opportune time they will be sent.

Several plans and designs of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar have been received from America. Now the believers must display an endeavor so that the land may he bought in its entirety; then collect contributions for the building, and then they may think about the plans. So far the means are lacking. I hope from the favor of the True One that sufficient and ample contribution may be gathered and afterward the best and most acceptable plans be decided upon.

Upon thee be Baha’ul-Abha!

(Signed) Abdu’l-Baha Abbas
(Star of the West, Vol. 1, no. 3, April 28, 1910)

Praise be unto Thee, O my God! ...

He Is God

Praise be unto Thee, O my God! Thanks be unto Thee O my Beloved! Glory be unto Thee, O my Lord! for that which Thou hast bestowed, favored, conferred and granted. For Thou hast chosen sincere servants from among Thy people to serve Thy Religion. Thou hast elected them to draw inspiration from Thy Manifest Light, attraction from Thy Luminous Beauty and to walk in Thy straight path. O my Lord! Verily the souls are heedless of Thy mentioning and hearts deprived of Thy love, the eyes veiled from beholding the Kingdom of Thy Beauty and the intellects wandering away from the Centre of Thy Glory, except those who are firm in Thy Covenant, free from dissension, attracting the rays of the Sun of Truth, detaching themselves from inharmony, arising in the service of Thy Cause amongst Thy people and exhilarated from the pure wine of Thy Kingdom. Bestow upon them unlimited blessing and creative good from the never-ending Bounty, and pour upon them with great abundance, from the Cloud of Thy Majesty, the rain of Thy Grace, the water of Thy Generosity and the Universal Favor.

O Lord, suffer them to become the signs of Thy Guidance, the standards of the Realm of Might, the words of virtue, the army of the Supreme Concourse and the angels of heaven, so that through them the East and the West of the earth may become Illumined, Thy Name be mentioned in the North and South, that they may educate all races and communities and clothe them with the garment of the comely names and the perfect example in this realm of existence.

O my Lord, reveal through them the ensign of Unity among mankind and the flag of Love between nations, so that multiplicities may converge into the centre of oneness and harmony, the veils of hatred be rent asunder, the conditions of discord pass away and enmity and rancor vanish from the world of man, So that after disunion the Beloved of Union shall unveil her countenance, animosity be changed into affection, the reign of faction and feud come to an end, and success and prosperity be attained.

O ye friends and the maid-servants of the Merciful!

If it is your intention to have the general Convention in Chicago on the day of Naw-Ruz, so that delegates might be sent there from everywhere to deliberate and discuss matters pertaining to the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar, to proclaim the oneness of the kingdom of humanity, to explain the Divine Teachings and to elucidate and expound the Exhortations of the Blessed Perfection, -- it is better to open this Convention during the Feast of Ridvan; for the Feast of Ridvan is greater and more important and the temperature at that time mild and balmy. Therefore, proclaim ye to all parts that all the delegates and friends gather in Chicago during that blessed day.

Upon ye be Baha'u'l-Abha!

(signed) Abdul-Baha Abbas.
(Star of the West, Vol. 1, no. 3, April 28, 1910)