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38: O handmaid of God, who tremblest even as a fresh ...
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O handmaid of God, who tremblest even as a fresh and tender branch in the winds of the love of God! I have
read thy letter, which telleth of thine abundant love, thine
intense devotion, and of thy being occupied with the
remembrance of thy Lord.
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Depend thou upon God. Forsake thine own will and
cling to His, set aside thine own desires and lay hold of His,
that thou mayest become an example, holy, spiritual, and of
the Kingdom, unto His handmaids.
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Know thou, O handmaid, that in the sight of Bahá,
women are accounted the same as men, and God hath
created all humankind in His own image, and after His own
likeness. That is, men and women alike are the revealers of
His names and attributes, and from the spiritual viewpoint
there is no difference between them. Whosoever draweth
nearer to God, that one is the most favoured, whether man
or woman. How many a handmaid, ardent and devoted,
hath, within the sheltering shade of Bahá, proved superior
to the men, and surpassed the famous of the earth.
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The House of Justice, however, according to the explicit
text of the Law of God, is confined to men; this for a
wisdom of the Lord God's, which will erelong be made
manifest as clearly as the sun at high noon.
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As to you, O ye other handmaids who are enamoured of
the heavenly fragrances, arrange ye holy gatherings, and
found ye Spiritual Assemblies, for these are the basis for
spreading the sweet savours of God, exalting His Word,
uplifting the lamp of His grace, promulgating His religion
and promoting His Teachings, and what bounty is there
greater than this? These Spiritual Assemblies are aided by
the Spirit of God. Their defender is `Abdu'l-Bahá. Over
them He spreadeth His wings. What bounty is there
greater than this? These Spiritual Assemblies are shining
lamps and heavenly gardens, from which the fragrances of
holiness are diffused over all regions, and the lights of
knowledge are shed abroad over all created things. From
them the spirit of life streameth in every direction. They,
indeed, are the potent sources of the progress of man, at all
times and under all conditions. What bounty is there
greater than this?
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