e
is strong faith on the part of the individual. To a pilgrim in Akka He
said:--

The prayers which were written for the purpose of healing are both
for the spiritual and material healing.... If healing is best for
the patient, surely it will be granted. For some who are sick,
healing for them shall be the cause of other ills. Thus it is that
Wisdom does not decree the answer to some prayers.

O maid-servant of God. The Power of the Holy Spirit heals both
material and spiritual ills.--Daily Lessons Received at Akka, p.
95.

Again He writes to one who is ill:--

Verily the Will of God acts sometimes in a way for which mankind
is unable to find out the reason. The causes and reasons shall
appear. Trust in God and confide in Him, and resign thyself to the
Will of God. Verily thy God is affectionate, compassionate and
merciful ... and will cause His Mercy to descend upon Thee.

He teaches that spiritual health is conducive to physical health, but
physical health depends upon many factors, some of which are outside the
control of the individual. Even the most exemplary spiritual attitude on
the part of the individual, therefore, may not ensure physical health in
every case. The holiest men and women sometimes suffer illness.

Nevertheless, the beneficent influence on bodily health which results from
a right spiritual attitude is far more potent than is generally imagined,
and is sufficient to banish ill-health in a large proportion of cases.
'Abdu'l-Baha wrote to an English lady:--"You have written about the
weakness of your body. I ask from the Bounties of Baha'u'llah that your
spirit may become strong, that through the strength of your spirit your
body also may be healed."

Again He says:--

God hath bestowed upon man such wonderful powers, that he might
ever look upward, and receive, among other gifts, healing from His
divine Bounty. But alas! man is not grateful for this supreme
good, but sleeps the sleep of negligence, being careless of the
great mercy which God has shown towards him, turning his face away
from the Light and going on his way in darkness.

The Healer

The power of spiritual healing is doubtless common to all mankind in
greater or less degree, but, just as some men are endowed with exceptional
talent for mathematics or music, so others appear to be endowed with
exceptional aptitude for healing. The