O thou who hast eyes to see! That which thou didst witness
is the very truth, and it pertaineth to the realm of vision.
The perfume is intimately commingled and blended with the
bud, and once the bud hath opened the sweet scent of it is spread abroad. The
herb is not without its fruit, although it seemeth so, for in this garden of
God every plant exerteth its own influence and hath its own properties, and
every plant can even match the laughing, hundred-petalled rose in rejoicing the
sense with its fragrance. Be thou assured of this. Although the pages of a book
know nothing of the words and the meanings traced upon them, even so, because
of their connection with these words, friends pass them reverently from hand to
hand. This connection, furthermore, is purest bounty.
When the human soul soareth out of this transient heap of
dust and riseth into the world of God, then veils will fall away, and verities
will come to light, and all things unknown before will be made clear, and
hidden truths be understood.
Consider how a being, in the world of the womb, was deaf of
ear and blind of eye, and mute of tongue; how he was bereft of any perceptions
at all. But once, out of that world of darkness, he passed into this world of
light, then his eye saw, his ear heard, his tongue spoke. In the same way, once
he hath hastened away from this mortal place into the Kingdom of God, then he will
be born in the spirit; then the eye of his perception will open, the ear of his
soul will hearken, and all the truths of which he was ignorant before will be
made plain and clear.
An observant traveller passing along a way will certainly
recall his discoveries to mind, unless some accident befall him and efface the
memory.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)
