What follows is a provisional translation (in other words, not official or authorized; see here for more) of a Tablet of ʻAbduʼl-Bahá to a Bahá’í of Jewish background by the name of Mullá ‘Áshúr (Háshim-i-Ghayúr). The original text of this Tablet has yet to be published; this photocopy in the hand of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was supplied to me by Flor Toloui, the great-granddaughter of Mullá ‘Áshúr. I am grateful to Naeem Nabiliakbar for helping me to read the text in its original form.
He is the All-Glorious
To Jináb-i-Mullá ‘Áshúr, upon him be the Glory of God, the All-Glorious
He is the Most Effulgent
O thou who hast faced calamity in the path of God, O Mullá ‘Áshúr the zealous! This chalice quaffed in the divine path is a chalice wherewith the Prophets and Chosen Ones of God themselves are exhilarated, and these afflictions borne in His love—blows and banishment, imprisonment and murder, pillage and plunder, theft and privation—are a bounty longed for, with heart and soul, by them that are near to the exalted threshold. Wherefore, render thanks for this limitless bestowal, which is the greatest wish and the highest aspiration of those smitten by the Beauty of the Beloved, that like unto a brilliant candle thy face may shine amidst the concourse of the righteous, and that even as a garden filled with roses thy spirit may find serenity through the glad-tidings of God. These trials and tribulations are the gifts of the Almighty, yet only the pious appreciate their value, for it is the jewelers of the celestial market who know the worth of the divine gems, not the sellers of mere beads, and it is the parrots of the city of certitude who appreciate the value of sugar, not the ravens, the sparrows, and the crows. Yield thou praise and give thanks. Glory rest upon thee.
This firmness and steadfastness that thou hast shown in the Cause of God are a source of pride which the essences of existence yearn to attain. Know thou that there is nothing in the world of being greater than perseverance, and that the veilless Beauty exhorted His loved ones at all times to firmness and steadfastness. Praised be God that thou hast been aided to succeed in achieving them.
A typescript of the original Persian text of this Tablet appears below.
Adib Masumian 