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Citadel of Faith
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Pages 27-29
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DIVINE PLAN CHALLENGES NORTH AMERICAN BELIEVERS
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One word in conclusion to those to whom the Tablets of so
stupendous a Plan have been addressed, to whose care the destinies of
so prodigious an enterprise have been committed, and of whom such
titanic efforts are now demanded. I can do no better than recall, nor
can I sufficiently emphasize, or refrain from quoting anew, those stirring
and pregnant passages that illuminate the pages of `Abdu'l-Bahá's
epoch-making Tablets.
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In one of these Tablets, addressed to the believers in the Northeastern
States, these weighty and highly significant words are recorded:
"All countries, in the estimation of the one true God, are but one
country, and all cities and villages are on an equal footing...
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 (Muhammad), 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 Hijáz have been distinguished
from all other countries." "Likewise," is His remarkable disclosure, "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, the home of the righteous, and
the gathering-place of the free."
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To those of His followers, dwelling in that enviable and blessed
continent, He has chosen to address these no less inspiring words, as
recorded in one of those Tablets revealed in honor of the believers of
the United States and Canada: "O ye apostles of Bahá'u'lláh! May my
life be sacrificed for you!... 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... My thoughts are turned towards you, and my
heart leaps within me at your mention. Could ye know how my soul
gloweth with your love, so great a happiness would flood your hearts as
to cause you to become enamored with each other." "The full measure
of your success," He, in another Tablet, addressed to the entire
company of His followers in the North American continent these
prophetic words: "is as yet unrevealed, its significance 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... I fervently hope that in the near
future the whole earth may be stirred and shaken by the results of your
achievements. The hope 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. 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 Australia, 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... 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... 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... 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."
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