A point of clarification on this:
This idea is from a passage in Promulgation of Universal Peace. The talks
in that book are not authenticated, so we cannot be sure exactly what
Abdu'l Baha said. I wouldn't put too much weight on a statement from
non-authenticated texts.
The Guardian
Brent Poirier Attorney at Law wrote:
A point of clarification on this:
This idea is from a passage in Promulgation of Universal Peace. The
talks in that book are not authenticated, so we cannot be sure
exactly what Abdu'l Baha said. I wouldn't put too much weight on a
statement from
The Guardian quotes a number of times from Promulgation in his
letters and
in God Passes By. He does not regard it as unreliable.
Dear Brent,
The Guardian sometimes quotes pilgrim's notes. That doesn't make them
reliable as a body. At most, it might give some status to the specific
I am unable to refute the idea that luck can be involved in one's salvation.
If luck can be involved then the importance of salvation would be
diminished and it would raise the question of fairness. We are told in the
Writings that how we end our life determines our salvation when we get to
Dear David,
Your question reminds me of the old Mutazalite/Asharite [Free will vs.
Predestination] debate. There is a story associated with al-Asharite's
breaking away from his Mutazalite teacher. You can read it hear:
al-Ashari posed to his teacher the cases of three brothers whose
fates
