Topic: This Fleeting World
Page 1 This newsletter is dedicated to all seekers after the Eternal
Truth.
Know thou that every hearing ear, if kept pure and undefiled,
must, at all times and from every direction, hearken to the voice that uttereth
these holy words: "Verily, we are God's, and to Him shall we return."1
The above passage, I feel, really sets the tone for this whole
issue: "We are God's, and to Him shall we return" sounds pretty clear to me. It
unequivocally states Who has exclusive ownership over us, and,
consequently, also over everything we own. The way I see it, everything
that we think we possess, from the universe and our planet, right down to and
including our bodies, is merely on temporary loan from the All-Possessing, and
we should think of it as such. After all, most people take more care with
others' possessions than they do even with their own; so, if we realize that
what we we think of as ours, is really only what we have been allowed touse out of God's endless wealth, we can develop a better, more
spiritual attitude about this material world and its contents.
O SON OF MAN! Bestow My wealth upon My poor, that in heaven thou mayest draw from
stores of unfading splendor and treasures of imperishable glory. But by My
life! To offer up thy soul is a more glorious thing couldst thou but see with
Mine eye.2
As Bahá'u'lláh clearly indicates in the previous
passage, the "wealth" that is bestowed upon us by the All-Bountiful is not
ours to do with as we please, but it is God's and He tells us how He wishes
us to spend it. He says "Bestow My wealth upon My poor;" He does not say to
bestowour wealth upon His poor, but His. Any wealth that comes into
our possession, comes ultimately from God, and we should never forget
that. We should not become too attached to the things ofthis world.
After all, all of our possessions in this world are transient and temporary.
Even our bodies are not designed to last forever, but are designed to
eventually die; we have even our bodies but for a time. The next passage
points out how transitory the things of this world are, and how useless or even
dangerous it is for us to become too attached to them, or to allow them to take
on too much importance in our lives: Say: Rejoice not in the things ye possess; tonight they are
yours, tomorrow others will possess them. Thus warneth you He Who is the
All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Say: Can ye claim that what ye own is lasting
or secure? Nay! By Myself, the All-Merciful, ye cannot, if ye be of them who
judge fairly. The days of your life flee away as a breath of wind, and all
your pomp and glory shall be folded up as were the pomp and glory of those gone
before you. Reflect, O people! What hath become of your bygone days, your
lost centuries? Happy the days that have been consecrated to the remembrance
of God, and blessed the hours which have been spent in praise of Him Who is the
All-Wise. By My life! Neither the pomp of the mighty, nor the wealth of the
rich, nor even the ascendancy of the ungodly will endure. All will perish, at
a word from Him. He, verily, is the All-Powerful, the All-Compelling, the
Almighty. What advantage is there in the earthly things which men possess?
That which shall profit them, they have utterly neglected. Erelong, they will
awake from their slumber, and find themselves unable to obtain that which hath
escaped them in the days of their Lord, the Almighty, the All-Praised. Did
they but know it, they would renounce their all, that their names may be
mentioned before His throne. They, verily, are accounted among the
dead.3
Since the topic of this issue touches heavily on wealth, I think a
discussion by the Center of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant,
'Abdu'l-Bahá, on the topic of "True Wealth" would be very appropriate
and enlightening at this time: The Seeker's Passage, Vol. I, Number 12, Page 2
The honor and exaltation of every existing being depends upon
causes and circumstances. The excellency, the adornment, and the perfection of the earth is
to be verdant and fertile through the bounty of the clouds of springtime.
Plants grow; flowers and fragrant herbs spring up; fruit-bearing trees become
full of blossoms and bring forth fresh and new fruit. Gardens become
beautiful, and meadows adorned; mountains and plains are clad in a green robe,
and gardens, fields, villages and cities are decorated. This is the prosperity
of the mineral world. The height of exaltation and the perfection of the vegetable
world is that a tree should grow on the bank of a stream of fresh water, that a
gentle breeze should blow on it, that the warmth of the sun should shine on it,
that a gardener should attend to its cultivation, and that day by day it should
develop and yield fruit. But its real prosperity is to progress into the
animal and human world, and replace that which has been exhausted in the bodies
of animals and men. The exaltation of the animal world is to possess perfect
members, organs and powers, and to have all its needs supplied. This is its
chief glory, its honor and exaltation. So the supreme happiness of an animal
is to have possession of a green and fertile meadow, perfectly pure flowing
water, and a lovely, verdant forest. If these things are provided for it, no
greater prosperity can be imagined. For example, if a bird builds its nest in
a green and fruitful forest, in a beautiful high place, upon a strong tree, and
at the top of a lofty branch, and if it finds all its needs of seeds and water,
this is its perfect prosperity. But real prosperity for the animal consists in passing from
the animal world to the human world, like the microscopic beings that, through
the water and air, enter into man and are assimilated, and replace that which
has been consumed in his body. This is the great honor and prosperity for the
animal world; no greater honor can be conceived for it. Therefore it is evident and clear that this wealth, this
comfort and this material abundance form the complete prosperity of minerals,
vegetables and animals. No riches, wealth, comfort or ease of the material world is equal to the wealth of a bird; all the areas of these
plains and mountains are its dwelling, and all the seeds and harvests are its
food and wealth, and all the lands, villages, meadows, pastures, forests, and
wildernesses are its possessions. Now, which is the richer, this bird, or the
most wealthy man? for no matter how many seeds it may take or bestow, its
wealth does not decrease. Then it is clear that the honor and exaltation of man must be
something more than material riches. Material comforts are only a branch, but
the root of the exaltation of man is the good attributes and virtues which are
the adornments of his reality. These are the divine appearances, the heavenly
bounties, the sublime emotions, the love and knowledge of God; universal
wisdom, intellectual perception, scientific discoveries, justice, equity, truthfulness,
benevolence, natural courage and innate fortitude; the respect for rights and
the keeping of agreements and covenants; rectitude in all circumstances; serving the truth under all conditions; the sacrifice of
one's life for the good of all people; kindness and esteem for all nations; obedience to the teachings of God;
service in the Divine Kingdom; the guidance of the people, and the education of
the nations and races. This is the prosperity of the human world! This is the
exaltation of man in the world! This is eternal life and heavenly
honor! These virtues do not appear from the reality of man except through
the power of God and the divine teachings, for they need supernatural power for
their manifestation. It may be that in the world of nature a trace of these
perfections may appear; but they are unstable and ephemeral; they are like the
rays of the sun upon the wall. As the compassionate God has placed such a wonderful crown
upon the head of man, man should strive that its brilliant jewels may become
visible in the world.4
And, finally, a reminder from the Founder of the
Bahá'í Faith Himself that this world is not all that there is: O My servants! Sorrow not if, in these days and on this
earthly plane, things contrary to your wishes have been ordained and manifested
by God, for days of blissful joy, of heavenly delight, are assuredly in store
for you. Worlds, holy and spiritually glorious, will be unveiled to your eyes.
You are destined by Him, in this world and hereafter, to partake of their
benefits, to share in their joys, and to obtain a portion of their sustaining
grace. To each and every one of them you will, no doubt, attain.5 The Seeker's Passage, Vol. I, Number 12, Page 3
1 Bahá'u'lláh,Gleanings from the Writings
of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 345. 2 Bahá'u'lláh,The Hidden Words of
Bahá'u'lláh, p. 17. 3 Bahá'u'lláh,The Kitáb-i-Aqdas
pp. 33-34. 4 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, pp. 78-80. 5 Bahá'u'lláh,Gleanings from the Writings
of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 329.
