Know thou of a certainty that Love is the secret of God’s holy Dispensation, the manifestation of the All-Merciful, the fountain of spiritual outpourings. Love is heaven’s kindly light, the Holy Spirit’s eternal breath that vivifieth the human soul. Love is the cause of God’s revelation unto man, the vital bond inherent, in accordance with the divine creation, in the realities of things. Love is the one means that ensureth true felicity both in this world and the next. Love is the light that guideth in darkness, the living link that uniteth God with man, that assureth the progress of every illumined soul. Love is the most great law that ruleth this mighty and heavenly cycle, the unique power that bindeth together the divers elements of this material world, the supreme magnetic force that directeth the movements of the spheres in the celestial realms. Love revealeth with unfailing and limitless power the mysteries latent in the universe. Love is the spirit of life unto the adorned body of mankind, the establisher of true civilization in this mortal world, and the shedder of imperishable glory upon every high-aiming race and nation.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

إِعْلَمْ حَقَّ الْيَقِينِ أَنَّ الْمَحَبَّةَ سِرُّ الْبَعْثِ الْإِلَهِيِّ وَالْمَحَبَّةَ هِيَ التَّجَلِّي الرَّحْمَانِيُّ اَلْمَحَبَّةُ هِيَ الْفَيْضُ الرُّوحَانِيُّ اَلْمَحَبَّةُ هِيَ النُّورُ الْمَلَكُوتِيُّ اَلْمَحَبَّةُ هِيَ نَفَثَاتُ رُوحِ الْقُدُسِ فِي الرُّوحِ الْإِنْسَانِيِّ اَلْمَحَبَّةُ هِيَ سَبَبُ ظُهُورِ الْحَقِّ فِي الْعَالَمِ الْإِمْكَانِيِّ اَلْمَحَبَّةُ هِيَ الرَّوَابِطُ الضَّرُورِيَّةُ الْمُنْبَعِثَةُ مِنْ حَقَائِقِ الْأَشْيَاءِ بِإِيجَادٍ إِلَهِيِّ اَلْمَحَبَّةُ هِيَ وَسِيلَةُ السَّعَادَةِ الْكُبْرَى فِي عَالَم الرُّوحَانِيِّ وَالْجِسْمَانِيِّ اَلْمَحَبَّةُ هِيَ نُورٌ يُهْتَدَى بِهِ فِي الْغَيَاهِبِ الظَّلْمَانِيِّ اَلْمَحَبَّةُ هِيَ الرَّابِطَةُ بَيْنَ الْحَقِّ وَالْخَلْقِ فِي الْعَالَمِ الْوِجْدَانِي اَلْمَحَبَّةُ هِيَ سَبَبُ التَّرَقِّي لِكُلِّ إِنْسَانٍ نُورَانِيٍّ اَلْمَحَبَّةُ هِيَ النَّامُوسُ الْأَعْظَمُ فِي هَذَا الْكَوْرِ الْعَظِيمِ الْإِلَهِيِّ اَلْمَحَبَّةُ هِيَ النِّظَامُ الْوَحِيدُ بَيْنَ الْجَوَاهِرِ الْفَرْدِيَّةِ بِالتَّرْكِيبِ وَالتَّدْبِيرِ فِي التَّحَقُّقِ الْمَادِّيِّ اَلْمَحَبَّةُ هِيَ الْقُوَّةُ الْكُلِّيَّةُ الْمِغْنَاطِيسِيَّةُ بَيْنَ هَذِهِ السَّيَّارَاتِ وَالنُّجُومِ السَّاطِعَةِ فِي الْأَوْجِ الْعَالِي اَلْمَحَبَّةُ هِيَ سَبَبُ اِنْكِشَافَاتِ الْأَسْرَارِ الْمُودَعَةِ فِي الْكَوْنِ بِفِكْرٍ ثَاقِبٍ غَيْرِ مُتَنَاهِي اَلْمَحَبَّةُ هِيَ رُوحُ الْحَيَاةِ لِجِسْمِ الْكَوْنِ الْمُتَبَاهِي اَلْمَحَبَّةُ هِيَ سَبَبُ تَمَدُّنِ الْأُمَمِ فِي هَذَا الْحَيَاةِ الْفَانِي اَلْمَحَبَّةُ هِيَ الشَّرَفُ الْأَعْلَى لِكُلِّ شَعْبٍ مُتَعَالِي

حضرة عبدالبهاء

This passage from a Tablet of ʻAbdu’l-Bahá, which has been called “the letter of love” (the Lawḥ-i-Maḥabbat), is addressed to “the beloved” in America and was received in New York by an early Baháʼí named George E. Witte on December 7, 1902. The excerpt was translated by Shoghi Effendi and is published in Selections from the Writings of ʻAbdu’l-Bahá, no. 12.

Interesting Arabic fact: The long I sound (“ee”) that is repeated throughout this passage is an adjectival marker. Hence, malakút means “kingdom,” and malakútí means “heavenly.”

Original Sources

  • The source for the original Arabic text can be found here
  • The source for the English translation can be found here

Further References