Mahmud wrote: "The Master was invited to breakfast at Mr Edsall's home. When He returned home, He found a number of Bahá'í women, who had come from New York, wearing aprons and cleaning the house. These elegant ladies were washing dishes, sweeping, dusting the furniture and arranging the carpets. They did this with such love and zeal that it is beyond description. `Abdu'l-Bahá said:
See what the power of the Blessed Beauty does! What might and sway, what bounty and favor is this! He has inspired these persons to serve with such sincerity and love! They are washing dishes and sweeping the room. They are serving with heart and soul.
He bestowed great favor on one of the ladies by inquiring about her husband, Dr Cork, a prominent physician in New York. She said to the Master, `From the moment He met you, he has not only ceased his opposition but is now helping me to serve the Cause.'
Later `Abdu'l-Bahá narrated the story of the conquest of Islam in Persia and spoke about the prohibition of the drinking of wine in the Qur'án. He said:
When the Muslims arrested the leader of the Zoroastrians and flogged him for drinking wine, under the whip he cried, `O Muhammad of Arabia, what have you done! What an influence you have shown!' Now they must say, `O Bahá'u'lláh, what have you done! With what power You have made the proud ones the captives of love and have united the East with the West!'
At a meeting at His home that afternoon, the Master answered many questions. Among His pronouncements was the prohibition of self-mortification. He directed that the health and strength of the body be preserved, saying that the more the physical body improves, the more it is capable of making spiritual progress.
In the evening the drawing room and adjacent rooms were filled with people. Because the friends opened the gathering with singing and playing the piano in praise of the Master, He spoke about spiritual music which can enrapture the spirit and influence spirituality."
This last thought is wondrous!
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