O maidservant of God! Strive that thou mayest not be deprived of the effulgent splendours of His lights, nor far removed from the shadow of His mercy. Take thou refuge in His shelter, and abide thou beneath the shadow of His gracious favour; for all that cometh not beneath His shadow hath ever been, and shall remain, within the realm of disbelief. In these days, the operation of two divine names may be witnessed with the utmost clarity, to wit, the names of “Quickener” and “Destroyer”. These cause on the one hand death, and on the other, life. The one taketh life away from those that turn away from God; the other conferreth everlasting life upon those that turn towards Him. How great the power of Him Who at a single time hath made two seasons to appear: spring and autumn! How numerous the trees of human souls that have become fresh and verdant in this mystic, holy springtide, and richly laden with the fruits of divine knowledge! And how numerous the trees of human souls that have become parched and withered in this same season, deprived of all God’s manifold bestowals! A single breeze blew forth from out His peerless Paradise: To the believers in the unity of God it was a balm of peace and mercy; to the infidels, a blast of wrath and chastisement. Such is the power of Him Who is the sovereign Lord of all!
- Baha’u’llah (‘Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh’; Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)
