In the Tablet of Visitation He saith: "I beseech God,
by Thee and by them whose faces have been illumined with the splendours of the
light of Thy countenance, and who, for love of Thee, have observed all
whereunto they were bidden." He declareth that observance of the commands
of God deriveth from love for the beauty of the Best-Beloved. The seeker, when
immersed in the ocean of the love of God, will be moved by intense longing and
will arise to carry out the laws of God. Thus, it is impossible that a heart which
containeth the fragrance of God's love should yet fail to worship Him, except
under conditions when such an action would agitate the enemies and stir up
dissension and mischief. Otherwise, a lover of the Abhá Beauty will assuredly
and continually demonstrate perseverance in the worship of the Lord.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a Tablet; compilation ‘The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting’,
compiled by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice; published in
The American Baha'i, September 2000)
