The Ma_sh_riqu’l-A_dh_kár is the most important matter and the greatest
divine institute. Consider how the first institute of His Holiness Moses,
after His exodus from Egypt, was the “Tent of Martyrdom” which He raised
and which was the traveling Temple. It was a tent which they pitched in
the desert, wherever they abode, and worshipped in it. Likewise, after His
Holiness Christ—may the spirit of the world be a sacrifice to Him!—the
first institute by the disciples was a Temple. They planned a church in
every country. Consider the Gospel and the importance of the
Ma_sh_riqu’l-A_dh_kár will become evident.
In fine, I hope that all the beloved of God, collectively, in the
continent of America, men and women, will strive night and day until the
Ma_sh_riqu’l-A_dh_kár be erected in the utmost solidity and beauty.
THE COLLECTIVE CENTER OF THE KINGDOM
TO THE ASSEMBLIES AND MEETINGS OF THE BELIEVERS OF GOD AND THE
MAID-SERVANTS OF THE MERCIFUL IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA: Upon them
be Bahá’u’lláh El-Abhá!
HE IS GOD!
O ye heavenly souls, sons and daughters of the Kingdom!
God says in the Qur’án: “Take ye hold of the Cord of God, all of you, and
become ye not disunited.”
In the contingent world there are many collective centers which are
conducive to association and unity between the children of men. For
example, patriotism is a collective center; nationalism is a collective
center; identity of interests is a collective center; political alliance
is a collective center; the union of ideals is a collective center, and
the prosperity of the world of humanity is dependent upon the organization
and promotion of the collective centers. Nevertheless, all the above
institutions are in reality, the matter and not the substance, accidental
and not eternal—temporary and not everlasting. With the appearance of
great revolutions and upheavals, all these collective centers are swept
away. But the Collective Center of the Kingdom, embodying the Institutes
and Divine Teachings, is the eternal Collective Center. It establishes
relationship between the East and the West, organizes the oneness of the
world of humanity, and destroys the foundation of differences. It
overcomes and includes all the other collective centers. Like unto the ray
of the sun, it dispels entirely the darkness, encompassing all the
regions, bestows ideal life, and causes the effulgence of divine
illumination. Through the breaths of the Holy Spirit it performs miracles;
the Orient and the Occident embrace each other, the North and South become
intimates and associates; conflicting and contending opinions disappear;
antagonistic aims are brushed aside, the law of the struggle for existence
is abrogated, and the canopy of the oneness of the world of humanity is
raised on the apex of the globe, casting its shade over all the races of
men. Consequently, the real Collective Center is the body of the divine
teachings, which include all the degrees and embrace all the universal
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