In cycles gone by, each one of the Manifestations of God
hath had His own rank in the world of existence, and each hath represented a
stage in the development of humanity. But the Manifestation of the Most Great
Name -- may my life be a sacrifice for His loved ones -- was an expression of
the coming of age, the maturing of man's inmost reality in this world of being.
For the sun is the source and well-spring of light and heat, the focal point of
splendours, and it compriseth all the perfections that are made manifest by the
other stars which have dawned upon the world. Make thou an effort that thou
mayest take thy place under the sun and receive an abundant share of its
dazzling light. In truth do I tell thee, once thou hast attained this station,
thou shalt behold the saints bowing down their heads in all humility before
Him. Haste thou to life before death cometh; haste thou to the spring season
before autumn draweth in; and before illness striketh, haste thou to healing --
that thou mayest become a physician of the spirit who, with the breaths of the
Holy Spirit, healeth all manner of sickness in this famed and glorious age.
- 'Abdu'l-Baha (‘Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha’)
