untries in, the salubrity of their
climate, the wholesomeness of their water, and the charm of their
mountains, plains and prairies, yet Palestine became the glory of all
nations inasmuch as all the holy and Divine Manifestations, from the time
of Abraham until the appearance of the Seal of the Prophets (Muhammad),
have lived in, or migrated to, or traveled through, that country.
Likewise, Mecca and Medina have achieved illimitable glory, as the light
of Prophethood shone forth therein. For this reason Palestine and Hijaz
have been distinguished from all other countries." "Likewise," is His
remarkable disclosure, "the continent of America 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, the home of
the righteous, and the gathering-place of the free."

To those of His followers, dwelling in that enviable and blessed
continent, He has chosen to address these no less inspiring words, as
recorded in one of those Tablets revealed in honor of the believers of the
United States and Canada: "O ye apostles of Baha'u'llah! May my life be
sacrificed for you!... Behold the portals which Baha'u'llah hath opened
before you! Consider how exalted and lofty is the station you are destined
to attain, how unique the favors with which you have been endowed... My
thoughts are turned towards you, and my heart leaps within me at your
mention. Could ye know how my soul gloweth with your love, so great a
happiness would flood your hearts as to cause you to become enamored with
each other." "The full measure of your success," He, in another Tablet,
addressed to the entire company of His followers in the North American
continent these prophetic words: "is as yet unrevealed, its significance
unapprehended. Erelong ye will with your own eyes witness how brilliantly
every one of you, even as a shining star, will radiate in the firmament of
your country the light of divine guidance, and will bestow upon its people
the glory of an everlasting life... I fervently hope that in the near
future the whole earth may be stirred and shaken by the results of your
achievements. The hope which 'Abdu'l-Baha cherishes for you is that the
same success which has attended your efforts in America may crown your
endeavors in other parts of the world, that through you the fame of the
Cause of God may be diffused throughout the East and the West, and the
advent of the Ki