After giving an extensive account of the [First] Balkan War, the Master said:
In the world of humanity, love is a manifestation of the splendour of God. Without love, this world would be even as the animal kingdom. The distinction of the world of humanity is love. Until there is love among humankind, complete tranquillity and perfect prosperity will never be achieved. Consider how a person is filled with excitement and delight when he sits next to his friend, and how he is overcome with torment and dread alongside his enemy. Therefore, you must promulgate universal love and promote the brotherhood of all humanity. Now, we are from the East, and you are from the West, and we are gathered here in a spirit of utmost love and fellowship. Is this not better than if we were to be embroiled in conflict and contention? Is it not preferable to the shedding of one another’s blood, or the uprooting of each others families? We must awaken the souls, that they may learn the secret of the world of existence, and recognize the gifts and bounties of God. Otherwise, people will continue to toil unnecessarily and be afflicted with calamity. They see that which is outwardly apparent, not what lies within. They see only lamps of varying form, not the reality of the light and the mystery of its manifestation.
- '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)