or of
addressing them collectively in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, His most Holy Book,
significantly exhorting them to "adorn the temple of dominion with the
ornament of justice and of the fear of God, and its head with the crown of
the remembrance" of their Lord, and bidding them "bind with the hands of
justice the broken," and "crush the oppressor" with the "rod of the
commandments" of their "Lord, the Ordainer, the All-Wise." "The continent
of America," wrote 'Abdu'l-Baha, "is, in the eyes of the one true God, the
land wherein the splendors of His light shall be revealed, where the
mysteries of His Faith shall be unveiled, where the righteous will abide
and the free assemble." "The American continent," He has furthermore
predicted, "giveth signs and evidences of very great advancement. Its
future is even more promising, for its influence and illumination are far
reaching. It will lead all nations spiritually."

"The American people," 'Abdu'l-Baha, even more distinctly, singling out
for His special favor the Great Republic of the West, the leading nation
of the American continent, has revealed, "are indeed worthy of being the
first to build the Tabernacle of the Most Great Peace, and proclaim the
oneness of mankind." And again: "This American nation is equipped and
empowered to accomplish that which will adorn the pages of history, to
become the envy of the world, and be blest in both the East and the West
for the triumph of its people." Furthermore: "May this American democracy
be the first nation to establish the foundation of international
agreement. May it be the first nation to proclaim the unity of mankind.
May it be the first to unfurl the standard of the Most Great Peace." "May
the inhabitants of this country," He, moreover has written, "...rise from
their present material attainment to such heights that heavenly
illumination may stream from this center to all the peoples of the world."

"O ye apostles of Baha'u'llah!," 'Abdu'l-Baha has thus addressed the
believers of the North American continent, "...consider how exalted and
lofty is the station you are destined to attain... The full measure of
your success is as yet unrevealed, its significance still unapprehended."
And again: "Your mission is unspeakably glorious. Should success crown
your enterprise, America will assuredly evolve into a center from which
waves of spiritual power will emanate, and the throne of the Kingdom of
God, will in the plenitude of its majesty