rare as demon as phoenix

a True Friend

“The poet spoke truly when he said that three things are scarce, namely, the demon, the phoenix and the faithful friend. Yes, like the demon and the phoenix, the true friend is rare.”  (Words by `Abdu'l-Bahá, August 9, 1912, “Mahmud’s Diary”)

                                  

`Abdu'l-Bahá, the Appointed Successor of Bahá’u’lláh—the Founder of the Bahá'í Faith—and the Authorized Interpreter of His Writings, was the Perfect Exemplar and the embodiment of every Bahá'í ideal. Every word that He uttered and every act manifested by Him, taught and inspired spirituality, unity, and love.  He spoke of love, promoted love and exemplified love and fellowship at every moment of His life, in His conduct and His dealings with every person, gracefully and with utmost dignity, magnificently generous and utterly magnanimous. His was the love which was abundant, universal and divine, transcending every limit and going beyond every color and race, country and religion, status and ranks, relations and ties; in brief, His love and friendship, His compassion and fellowship was not mixed and influenced by ‘self’, was not tarnished by any traces of selfishness; it soared high above any conditions and expectations, winged far up and beyond any recognitions and distinctions.  His love originated from the love of the One Beloved, the Creator; hence, He saw God’s image in every human being, and loved every soul for His sake, ‘God said, “Let us make a man with our image and resemblance.” (Genesis, 1:26)’—a love thus reaching from Him to everyone was naturally and abundantly sincere, spotless and infinitely generous.  His acts translated His own Words, “When you love a member of your family, a friend, or a compatriot, let it be with a ray of the Infinite Love! Let it be in God, and for God.”

“Worldly friends, seeking their own good, appear to love one the other, whereas the true Friend hath loved and doth love you for your own sakes.” 

(Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, "Hidden Words", Persian #52)

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You are welcome to visit the recent posts on my two other blogs—English and bilingual with Chinese—below:

Inked ThinkPen
http://inkedthinkpen.blogspot.ca/

Timeless Treasures: Words with Meanings
http://timelesstreasureswordswithmeanings.blogspot.ca/