O musician of God!... The songsters of fellowship that abide in the gardens of holiness must pour forth such a triumphant burst of songs in this age that the birds in the fields may wing their flight in a transport of delight; and in this divine festival, this heavenly banquet, they should play the lute and the harp, and the viol and the lyre in such wise that the people of east and west may be filled with exceeding joy and gladness, and be carried away with exultation and happiness. Now it behoveth thee to raise the melody of that heavenly lyre and to perform music on that celestial lute, thus causing Barbud[1] to return to life and Rudaki[2] to be solaced and Farabi[3] to become restless and Ibn-i-Sina[4] to be guided to the Sinai of God. Upon thee be salutation and praise. (‘Abdu’l-Baha, The Compilation of Compilations, vol. III, The Importance of the Arts in Promoting the Faith)
[1] Peerless Persian musician: A singer, player and inventor of many ancient musical instruments who lived at the court of Khosrow-Parviz of the Sasani dynasty about 600 A.D.
[2] "Father of Persian poetry" (d. A.D. 940).
[3.] Renowned Muslim scholar; author of a treatise on music (ca. A.D. 870-950).
[4.] Physician/scientist/philosopher known in the west as Avicenna, one of whose major works devotes a section to music theory (ca. A.D. 980-1027).
