Sufferings and trials, sent by God to
test and perfect His creatures, are an integral part of life. They contain the
potential for man's progress or retrogression, depending on the individual's
response. As ’Abdu'l-Baha explains:
“...The souls who bear the tests of God
become the manifestations of great bounties: for the divine trials cause some
souls to become entirely lifeless, while they cause the holy souls to ascent to
the highest degree of love and solidity.”
(From a letter dated 2 December 1985
written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)
