Bahá’í Reference Library

Writings and Talks of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá

Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks

Download all Tablets, extracts and talks provided below in one document:

More about this publication

First line
No talk is there in town save of the loved one’s rippling...
Religion and science are linked together; they...
The greatest bounty of God to man is...
In the Christian Dispensation it was Mary Magdalene who was the cause of...
My dear Friend: Pleasing and acceptable as is a person of righteous actions before God’s Holy Threshold, yet...
Concerning “wings” and “the comb” mentioned in the Hidden Words: this...
Although in the future thousands of Mas̲h̲riqu’l-Ad̲h̲kárs will be erected, this...
... the skillful farmer always hath an abundance of crops and harvests. He will find the...
But the flight of the human spirit is through the glad-tidings of God. The flight of the human mind is through...
The disciples of Christ taught His Faith with the language of the Kingdom. That language conformeth to...
There are two Books: One is the Book of Creation and the other is...
O ye that are sincere! O ye that are firm in the Covenant of God in this new age! Verily, I render...
Regarding the use of liquor: According to the text of the Book of Aqdas, both...
Verily thy Lord is the Generous, the All-Bountiful. He will bestow upon thee...
Grieve not if worldly possessions should pass from thy hands, for thy luminous heart is...
It is my hope that thou mayest succeed in writing thy book. However, the language should...
Thank thou God that—praise be to Him!—the lamp of thy heart and soul hath been...
Verily, God purged thee of sins when He immersed thee in the sea of His mercy and...
I hope that thou mayest become a herald of the Kingdom and a means whereby the white and coloured peoples shall...
The tradition concerning which thou didst enquire pertaineth to the Dispensation of the Qur’án and expresseth...
Ye have asked about the significance of the expression “sacrificial lover”. The mystery of sacrifice is a...
I beseech God to cast upon your heads the pearls of His bounty; to ignite in...
By the term “that true and radiant morn” mentioned in the Hidden Words is meant the Dawn of divine...
As to the children: From the age of five their formal education must begin. That is, during...
In brief, the beings in the universe can each live individually and alone. A tree can...
Open Thou the portals of hope, and from the bounties of heaven bestow...
... thou shouldst initially adopt that course of prudence that the Faith enjoins. In the...
Thou hast written concerning the refutation of the fallacies contained in the writings of Edward Browne. This...
O Maidservants of the All-Merciful! Know, verily, that today is the day for...
I hope that thou wilt ... endeavour to teach some high-ranking and influential persons, for the...
O thou steadfast in the Covenant! Thou hast written to Jináb-i-Manshádí concerning the Feast. This...
Make every effort to acquire the advanced knowledge of the day, and strain every nerve to...
The Blessed Beauty—may my life be offered up for His Dust—hath emphasized through His decisive Word that the utmost...
Today no nobler service can be conceived than the due and befitting education of the Bahá’í child, for...
As regards obligatory prayer, this should be recited by each believer individually, albeit...
Thou didst question the necessity for prayer, and the wisdom that might lie behind it. What reason...
O servants of God and handmaids of the Lord! Think not that ye are forgotten...
I fervently supplicate God to remove the veil from thine inner eye; to reveal to thee...
Thou desirest forgiveness of sins; thou seekest utmost peace and tranquillity; thou...
O Thou sanctified Lord! From its earliest days, Thou didst make the soil of Persia to be...
O thou who art attracted to the fragrances of God! I pray God to send down upon thee...
O thou who art firm in the Covenant! Thy detailed letter and...
O thou steadfast in the Covenant! Your letter hath come and imparted great delight, with its...
When a speaker’s brow shineth with the radiance of the love of God, at the time of his exposition of a subject, and...
Each of these revered souls, who are the servants of the world of humanity and the promulgators of...
We have previously written and sent out a detailed letter regarding the education of children in...
O thou handmaid of God! Do thou establish a heavenly school and be thou a teacher in that house of...
The greatness and honour of man reside in purity, truthfulness, benevolence, virtue, and...
Wherefore thou shouldst seek to impart the Message to influential persons and become a cause of guidance to the learned and...
... when spiritual perfections and virtues and the splendours of the All-Merciful are manifested in the vesture of women, and...
The obligatory prayers are binding inasmuch as they are conducive to humility and submissiveness, to...
In the beginning of his life man was in the world of the womb, wherein he developed the capacity and worthiness to...
In short, O ye beloved of the Lord! Regard ye not the tyranny and iniquity of the ignorant. Resist oppression...
The “true and radiant morn” is the dawn of the Covenant and the first light of the Testament of the...
As to the Nineteen Day festivity, it is of the utmost importance that the friends should gather...
O servant of the Blessed Beauty! Blessed art thou, since thou art engaged in rendering a service which will...
O young trees and plants, matchless and tender, that grow in the meadows of guidance! O ye...
O thou steadfast in the Covenant! In reply to thy letter, I am obliged to be brief. Praise...
O thou servant of God! Thou didst ask as to the education of children. Those children...
O ye handmaids of the Merciful! The school for girls taketh precedence over the school for boys, for...
O ye daughters of the Kingdom! In past centuries the girl children of Persia were deprived of...
O maidservants of God! Now is the time to take hold of the viol of love, raise the melody of...
Praise be to God, within the sheltering grace of the Blessed Beauty, here in the lands of the...
A thousand praises be to the one true God, that for years thou didst suffer in the path of...
... and this servant has, as a thing divinely ordained, been unwell for some time past, until I went to...
O kind Friend! What thy musk-laden pen hath inscribed bestowed joy and brought delight. It was...
As for your desire to publish a monthly magazine in the Arabic and Persian languages that would have a circulation in...
The handmaid of God, Miss Barney, had asked a question as to the wisdom of burying the dead in the earth. She...
The vegetable spirit, the animal spirit, and the human spirit—the rational...
O thou whose heart is turned to the Kingdom of God! I was informed of the contents of thy letter to the maidservant...
O ye who are chosen! O ye who are firm! O ye who are calling! O ye who are...
Praised be God ye have adorned yourselves with devotion and love, and are engaged in serving the Cause of...
O thou who art serving at the Pilgrim House of the Lord! Thou art a servant, but in reality...
O thou attracted maid-servant of God! The celebration of the Feast of Naw-Rúz made me glad. Consider how...
According to ancient custom, every nation has general holidays when...
O ye friends of God! It is understood that a wall hath been put up around the Bombay Cemetery, and...
O Friends of God! Now is the time for joy and gladness, for acquiring the characteristics of the All-Merciful. This...
O ye flock of the Lord of glory! Blessed are they who have observed the fast during...
O friends of God! Every assembly is in need of seasoned members who are worthy of its membership and are...
The followers of truth hold dear not only human beings but animals as well. Man...
O thou who circlest in adoration round His hallowed Shrine! Render thou thanks unto God for having received...
O thou my companion! It appeareth that thou hast become a prisoner in the city of Haifa, for when travel...
O Shoghi! I have no time to talk; leave me be! Thou didst say “Write”, and I have written. What else...
O thou pilgrim unto that Spot round which circle the embodiments of holiness! It is among the greatest of divine...
O thou who hast attained unto the Threshold of that Shrine which is sacred unto all the world and the envy of...
O thou who circlest round the Holy Sanctuary! Render thanks unto God that thou hast soared unto the...
O thou pilgrim to the Spot round which circle the Concourse on high! Unloose thy tongue and render...
O thou who circlest round the Point of Adoration of all that dwell on earth! Though thou hast...
O thou musk-scented pilgrim! It is incumbent upon thee to pass through those lands like unto...
O thou pilgrim to the land of the Beloved! Thou didst endure the toils of travel till at last thou didst...
O pilgrim unto that Spot round which circle the holy ones! Praise be unto God that thou didst travel vast distances and...
O thou musk-scented pilgrim! The Holy Shrine is the quintessential musk, the ambergris and...
O physician of the body and the spirit! Thy letter dated...
O handmaiden of the Most High! Thy letter was received. Thou hast written that thou...
When that essence of holiness and reality of sanctity, her honour the Virgin Mary...
The meaning is this: Although those ill-mannered ones offered thee insults and taunts, cursed...
Glad tidings! The light of the Sun of Truth hath shed its radiance from the...
Our hope is that the Spiritual Assembly of Rangoon may shine resplendent and become...
As regards the seven qualities which thou hadst requested be enumerated, they are...
O thou whose heart hath been filled with love for the beauty of God! I have perused thy...
O thou who art steadfast in the Covenant! A few days ago I was glancing at some photographs of the...
O harbinger of the Covenant! Thou hast written concerning...
Bahá’u’lláh hath proclaimed the universality of education, which is essential to the...
My hope is that the Tarbíyat School may be under the protection of the...
... if you seek immunity from the sway of the forces of the contingent world, hang the...
O thou spiritual teacher! In thy school, instruct thou God’s children in the...
O ye friends of God! The All-Merciful hath created humankind for the adornment of this...
O handmaid of the Most High! Our hearts rejoiced at thy letter concerning a school for girls. Praised be God that...
It is incumbent upon the youth to walk in the footsteps of...
It behoveth the servant to pray to and seek assistance from God...
O true servant of God! Gird up thy loins...
As to Mr. Robert, the news of his ascension saddened the hearts...
O thou servant of the sacred Threshold! It is possible, nay most easy, to please God...
... every great Cause in this world of existence findeth visible expression through three means...
The aim of the Bahá’ís is to raise aloft the banner of the world’s Great Peace...
Therefore, in this day the doors of contention must be barred...
O friends of God! ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is the embodiment of servitude and is not Christ...
O ye true friends! Day and night ‘Abdu’l-Bahá calleth his loved ones to mind...
O ye who are sincere! O ye who are enraptured! O ye who are steadfast in the Covenant and Testament!...
O ye friends of the Beloved! The candle of guidance is burning...
O my friend! Render thou thanks unto God...
The love of God is spoken of as fire, for it burneth away the veils...
O ye friends of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá!...
Thou hadst asked about the meaning of the statement...
Seize thy chance, exert every effort...
Every assembly held for the purpose of bringing about unity and concord...
Likewise, when the regiments of an army and the members of a legion stand together and are connected with one another...
The highest wish of them that are filled with the Divine Spirit is unity and harmony amid the friends...
O thou who art firm in the Covenant! Thy letter was received...
Verily I say unto thee: I am with you in heart and in spirit...
Verily, I beseech God to cast upon you the glances of the eye of His mercy...
I beseech God to illumine thy sight with the light of hope...
Verily I say unto thee that if thou be steadfast in this Cause, and arise with all thy power to promote the Word of God...
Verily, I place my brow upon the dust, turn my face towards the Lord of Lords...
Striving meaneth this, that ye should live and move according to the divine counsels...
Strive with the full fervour of thy soul that the wellspring of true understanding may flow within thy heart...
A soul is known through his conduct, manners, words, and deeds...
O ye true friends! Make ye a mighty effort, that this world may become another world...
In brief, though outwardly far away and remote, and burning with the fire of separation...
In the Dispensation of Abraham, by “immolation” was meant attainment to the station of sacrifice...
Hath the Blessed Beauty instituted this Covenant and Testament in order to exact obedience from all...
Now one must either say that...
Whosoever entereth the Kingdom of God is under the protection of Bahá’u’lláh...
The friends of God and the handmaids of the All-Merciful should know that in every movement of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá...
O ye who thirst for the truth! ...
Not a single morn did He find comfort; not a single night did He repose in peace...
Thou didst ask about not combining incompatible foods at the table. By incompatible foods is...
“This house of sorrows will become a rose-garden one day...
The future of Iran is of the utmost greatness, majesty, and glory, for...
O God, my God! Thou beholdest Thy servants who are sincere towards all humanity, even their...
O beloved physician! If thou art indeed a skilled and able healer, prescribe a healing medicine, for I am...
O thou who hast held fast unto the unbreakable Handle! Render thanks unto God that thou hast...
O thou Divine youth! Thou hast ever been present in my mind, and at all times am I occupied...
O thou who art attracted to the Beauty of God! On this blessed day, the birthday of the...
O true friend! Thou art ever before mine eyes, and dearly cherished; before my gaze, and...
O thou servant of the True One! Sulphur is the fire of the love of God, and mercury is the...
O thou respected lady! Thy letter hath arrived. Thou art right in what thou hast written...
O thou servant of the Sacred Threshold! Thou knowest not what a convulsion there is in these...
O thou who art steadfast in the Covenant! The news of the ascension of his honour Áqá Músá was...
O thou who art steadfast in the Covenant! A letter was dispatched some days previously, containing...
O thou my companion! I sent thee a letter written in mine own hand, which assuredly hath by now...
O my God! O Thou Remover of adversities and Dispeller of afflictions! I, verily, implore Thee, as...
O ye who have quaffed an intoxicating draught from the cup of fidelity to the Covenant!...
O thou who hast believed in a Beauty that hath shone forth upon all regions! Although, to...
O intimates of the court of the Beloved! O adorers of the countenance of the Beloved!...
O thou who art steadfast in the love of God! It is some time since I wrote a letter; yet...
O thou servant of the kindly Beloved, Bahá’u’lláh! I can find no nobler title than this...
O thou who art steadfast in the Covenant! Thou didst trace a design for a Bahá’í emblem...
O thou herald of the Covenant and Testament! Thy numerous letters have been received...
O thou who art dear to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá! Thy letter was received, and the report of Count Tolstoy...
O true friend! The letter thou didst send hath been perused. In these last few days we have...
O thou who art steadfast in the Covenant! The letter which thou didst compose after thy return...
O thou who art steadfast in the Covenant! The letter thou didst write hath been perused...
O thou who art steadfast in the Covenant! Thy most recent letter hath arrived from Bákú. Likewise, a...
O thou who art firm in the Covenant! I am on the verge of setting out towards the West...
O dear friends of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá! A message hath been sent verbally with Áqá Mírzá ‘Alí-Akbar-i-Nakhjavání...
O thou mine intimate and my confidant! In Montreal I could not be more busily occupied...
O thou who art steadfast in the Covenant! Thy letter hath arrived, and, for want...
O thou who art steadfast in the Covenant! Thy numerous letters have arrived...
O thou who art steadfast in the Covenant! Thy letter hath arrived, and likewise the...
O thou who art steadfast in the Covenant! The letter dated the last day of the month of Dhi’l-Qa‘dih...
O thou who art steadfast in the Covenant! During the days when thou wast present here, and honoured...
O spiritual friends! When Jináb-i-Nakhjavání was in this Divine Abode, he requested that letters be written to each one of you...
In this day, no greater manifestation of love and kindness can be conceived in the world of existence than...
Convey warmest, most loving greetings to Mark Tobey on my behalf...
Shouldst thou recite any of the revealed prayers, and seek assistance...
O thou dear handmaid of God! Thy letter dated 6 April 1906...
Know thou that before maturity man liveth from day to day and comprehendeth...
As to that which hath been mentioned in the Torah and the Scriptures...
It is the wish of my heart and soul that the Sun of the divine heavens...
Paris The Friends of God, Upon them rest the glory of God, the All-Glorious!...
O flame of the love of God! The ray must shed light and the sun must rise...
It may be that letters addressed to the women believers do indeed contain...
Know thou that the distinction between male and female is an exigency...
O ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom! Your letter dated September 30 of this year...
In ancient times the people of America were, through their northern regions...
The Bayán hath been superseded by the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, except in respect...
I eagerly anticipate the day when New York will become a blessed spot...
The question of economics must commence with the farmer and then be extended...
O ye beloved friends of God and handmaids of the Merciful...
The Ancient Beauty — may my life be offered up for His loved ones...
Praise be to God that ye are present in this radiant assemblage...
As for thy question concerning those righteous souls who passed away...
The residence is under all conditions the property of the first-born son…
As for the story of Adam, the Father of Mankind, which is recorded...
O pilgrim of the Sacred Dust! Render a myriad thanks unto the All-Glorious...
O ye two pilgrims of the Holy Shrine! The news of your safe arrival in Paris was received...
Concerning the question of marriage and the stipulated period...
O ye two honourable souls! Your letter was received and its contents noted...
Downloads

About downloads

Publications are available in the following formats for download and use:

PDF
Includes all diacritical marks used in the text.
HTML
Includes all diacritical marks used in the text. For all characters to display correctly, a font with support for an extended Unicode range is required.

Copyright and terms of use information for these downloads can be found on the Legal Information page.

All downloads in Authoritative Writings and Guidance »
Read online