The Blessed Beauty entered into this
Covenant for obedience and not for opposition. I say this merely for the
protection of the Cause of God and for the purpose of safeguarding unity among
the friends. Were it not for the removal of vain imaginings and the eradication
of differences, I should not have asserted that I am `the Center of the Covenant'.
We must obey the Blessed Beauty. We must never forget His favors and
exhortations. If even a breath of egotism is found in us, we shall perish at
once. The friends must be alert. Everyone who expresses a word not from the
texts sows discord among the believers. The Blessed Beauty entered into this
Covenant for obedience; that is, that no one should utter a word from his own
self or cause any conflict. If it were not so, everyone would open a way for
himself and expound the Words of God in his own manner. One would say, for
instance, `As I have the power of the Holy Spirit, I have a greater capacity
for understanding.' Others, even these old ladies, would at once retort, `We,
too, have the power of the Holy Spirit.'
The power of the Holy Spirit is limited
to the Blessed Beauty and the interpretation thereof to none but me. If it is
so, then there will be no differences. We must occupy ourselves with thoughts
of spreading the Cause. Know that whoever has any thought other than this will
become the cause of discord among the friends.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk, New
York, July 7, 1912; ‘Mahmud’s Diary’)
