Thou hast asked concerning the spirits of men: They are not
at all annihilated—they are immortal. The spirits of heavenly souls will find
eternal life, that is, they will attain the highest and most great stations of
perfection; but the spirits of the heedless souls, although they are eternal,
yet they are in a world of imperfection, concealment and ignorance. This is a
concise answer. Contemplate and meditate upon it, in order that thou mayest
comprehend the reality of the mysteries in detail. For instance: No matter how
much the mineral has an existence and life, yet in comparison to man, it is
entirely non-existent and deprived of life. For where man is translated from
life to death, his comparative station will be that of a mineral existence.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha
(‘Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, vol. 3)
