ated for sacrifice, and in this do we take pride before all creation.

28 O thou who art set aglow with the fire of the love of God! Know thou
that thy letter hath reached Us and that We have been apprised of its
contents. We beseech God to confirm thee in His love and in His good
pleasure, to assist thee in the promotion of His Cause, and to number thee
with such as have arisen for the triumph of His Faith.

29 As to thy question regarding the soul: Know thou that among the people
there are numerous treatises and manifold views as to its stations. Among
these are the soul of the kingdom, the soul of the dominion, the celestial
soul, the divine soul, the sanctified soul, as well as the benevolent
soul, the contented soul, the soul pleasing unto God, the inspired soul,
the irascible soul, and the concupiscent soul. Every group hath its own
pronouncements concerning the soul and We are disinclined to dwell upon
the sayings of the past. Verily, with thy Lord is the knowledge of the
former and latter generations.

30 Would that thou wert present before Our throne to hear from the Tongue
of Grandeur itself that which thou desirest and scale the loftiest heights
of knowledge by the grace of Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise! The
ungodly, however, have intervened between us. Take heed lest thou be
grieved thereby. Be content with that which hath been ordained by an
irrevocable decree, and be of them that endure with patience.

31 Know that the soul which is common to all men cometh forth following
the commingling of things and after their maturation, as thou dost observe
in the germ: once it hath developed to its predestined stage, God
manifesteth the soul that was latent within it. Thy Lord, verily, doeth
what He willeth and ordaineth what He pleaseth.

32 As to the soul which is intended, in truth it hath been called forth by
the Word of God and is such that, if it be kindled with the fire of the
love of its Lord, neither the waters of opposition nor the oceans of the
world can quench its flame. That soul is indeed a fire ablaze in the tree
of man which proclaimeth: "No God is there but Him!" Whosoever hearkeneth
unto its call is verily of those who have attained unto Him. And when it
casteth off its earthly frame, God shall raise it up again in the most
excellent of forms and cause it to enter a sublime paradise. Thy Lord, of
a certainty, hath power over all things.

33 Know, furthermore, that the life of man pro