Verily the sight of Providence is far reaching and the divine glance is
perfect. Thou hast always been a recipient of favors and the object of the
bounty of the glorious Beauty of Abha. I trust in God that thou mayest be
thus aided by Him to serve His Cause and so shine as a luminous star in
the horizon of His Kingdom, an illumining candle burning in the assemblage
of the Bahais; that thou mayest be confirmed by a power of the Kingdom and
attain divine bounty and providence.
As to the question of women being chosen rather than men: In this cycle
there were men who arose through a divine power and who shone forth as the
sun from the dawning-point of holiness; and, likewise, there appeared
certain women who became side by side with men. The expression which you
quote, “Every woman who is directed to the guidance of God in this great
age, will surpass men in every respect,” signified that, in this age,
certain women will appear who will surpass some men. It does not mean that
they will surpass all the men who have given their lives as sacrifices in
this Cause; for in this wonderful cycle there appeared such men as his
holiness Khudoos, his holiness Bab-el-Bab, his holiness the “King of
Martyrs” and his holiness the “Beloved of Martyrs,” his holiness the great
Vaheed(143), and such ones who have no equals in the world of existence.
If, in the letters to the maid-servants of the Merciful, there hath been
written in the sense of encouragement (that form which such meanings can
be inferred), the purport is that some women in the wonderful age have
surpassed some men, and not that all women have surpassed all men. The
members of the House of Spirituality must give unlimited encouragement to
women. In this age, both men and women are in the shadow of the Word of
God. Whosoever endeavors the most will attain the greatest share, be it of
men or of women, of the strong or of the weak.
As to the matter of teaching and the choosing of men, the letters which I
have written to the Spiritual Meeting (House of Spirituality) of which you
are a member, will answer this question and will manifest the station of
men who remain firm in the Covenant of God. Refer to them.
As to the number of Tablets to women, this is due to the fact that most of
the letters which come to the Holy Land are from women. Rarely do letters
come from men and, naturally, to women the most are written. Men are
enjoined more than women to give the Message of the Cause of God and to
diffuse His fragrances.
My dear friend! If thou didst know how dear thou art to Abdul-Baha, thou
wouldst spread wings, and through excess of joy, soar and begin teaching
all that country.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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