Draw nigh unto Him
The unique position of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in both the Bahá’í Faith and religious history are indicated in various works of Bahá’u’lláh, Whose Ascension we commemorate today. This blessed holy day to honour the day when the greatest Being ever to have drawn breath left this earthly plane, offers another opportunity for profound reflection on the station of the Master. The quotation below provides a glimpse of the relationship between Father and Son, between a Messenger of God and the one He chose to be the perfect Exemplar of His teachings.
In the Súriy-i-Ghusn (Tablet of the Branch) the following verse has been recorded:
There hath branched from the Sadratu’l-Muntahá this sacred and glorious Being, this Branch of Holiness; well is it with him that hath sought His shelter and abideth beneath His shadow. Verily the Limb of the Law of God hath sprung forth from this Root which God hath firmly implanted in the Ground of His Will, and Whose Branch hath been so uplifted as to encompass the whole of creation. Magnified be He, therefore, for this sublime, this blessed, this mighty, this exalted Handiwork! Draw nigh unto Him, O people, and taste the fruits of wisdom and knowledge that have proceeded from Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Knowing. Whoso hath failed to taste thereof is deprived of God’s bounty, though he partake of all that the earth can produce, could ye but perceive it! — Bahá’u’lláh
‘Abdu’l-Bahá on the steps of 7 Haparsim Street, the House of the Master, May 1921. Note that this photograph was taken 100 years ago, this month.
