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74
O bird that singeth sweetly of the Abhá Beauty! In
this new and wondrous dispensation the veils of superstition
have been torn asunder and the prejudices of eastern
peoples stand condemned. Among certain nations of the
East, music was considered reprehensible, but in this new
age the Manifest Light hath, in His holy Tablets, specifically
proclaimed that music, sung or played, is spiritual food for
soul and heart.
The musician's art is among those arts worthy of the
highest praise, and it moveth the hearts of all who grieve.
Wherefore, O thou Shahnáz,1 play and sing out the holy
words of God with wondrous tones in the gatherings of the
friends, that the listener may be freed from chains of care
and sorrow, and his soul may leap for joy and humble itself
in prayer to the realm of Glory.
1. Shahnáz, the name given to the recipient of this Tablet, is also the name of a musical mode.
Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá
page 112
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