Persia was verily the heart of the world and shone among the
nations like a lighted taper. Her glory and prosperity broke from the horizon
of humanity like the true dawn disseminating the light of knowledge and
illumining the nations of the East and West. The fame of her victorious kings
reached the ears of the dwellers at the poles of the earth. The majesty of her
king of kings humbled the monarchs of Greece and Rome Her governing wisdom
filled the sages with awe, and the rulers of the continents fashioned their
laws upon her polity. The Persians being distinguished among the nations of the
earth as a people of conquerors, and justly admired for their civilisation and
learning, their country became the glorious centre of all the sciences and
arts, the mine of culture and a fount of virtues.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Quoted by
Shoghi Effendin in the ‘Introduction’ section of ‘The Dawn-Breakers’)
