Whenever a prophet would appear, people would say to them, ‘We were enjoying ourselves in accordance with our own thoughts and desires. We would eat, sleep, sing, and dance. We had neither fear of God, nor hope of the Kingdom; we were content with what we had, and were occupied with our own whims. Despite all this, you came and deprived us of our pleasures and robbed us of our delights. At one time, you would frighten us with the wrath of God; at another, you would speak of the fear of punishment and the hope of reward in the hereafter. In short, you ruined all our joy.’ The divine prophets, however, would reply, ‘You had satisfied yourselves with the lives of animals; We desired only to elevate you to the rank of humans. You were enveloped in darkness; We wished for you to be luminous. You were as dead; We wanted you to be revived. You were terrestrial; We willed that you be celestial.’
- 'Abdu'l-Baha (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, 17 December 1912, London, England recorded by Mahmud Zarqani, His secretary and chronicler during His travels in the West; ‘Mahmud’s Diary’, vol. 2: ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Europe 1912-1913)