The knowledge of God - `the beginning of all things' -- is, in the words
of Bahá'u'lláh, `the purpose of God in creating man'.[1]
Therein the Bahá'í scholar's or would-be philosopher's journey
may come to a close. From the rational proof of God's existence to the feelings
ensuing from the awareness of His existence the circle is completed.
The knowledge of God
The knowledge of God, as a theoretical and intellectual knowledge, is
little more then a trifle. Whenever it remains in the realm of thought it is
utterly useless, as is any other thought. In this sense, `Abdu'l-Bahá
says: `People speak of Divinity, but the ideas and beliefs they have of
Divinity are, in reality, superstition... Divinity is not what is set forth in
dogmas and sermons...'[2]
In fact, what else could our theoretical and intellectual knowledge of God be
if not the fruit of our own imagination? `For example', says
`Abdu'l-Bahá, `if we form a conception of Divinity as a living, almighty
, self- subsisting, eternal Being, this is only a concept apprehended by a
human intellectual reality. It would not be the outward, visible, Reality,
which is beyond the power of human mind to conceive or encompass.' `Divinity is
the effulgence of the Sun of reality, the Manifestation of spiritual virtues
and ideal powers... it essentially means the wisdom and knowledge of God, the
effulgence of the Sun of Truth, the revelation of reality and the divine
philosophy.'[3]
In the light of what has been previously said, these words can now be
understood more easily. The knowledge of God is rather in the awareness and
consciousness of His qualities; in other words, it is in the effulgence of His
active attributes from human hearts, from the universe and, above all, from the
Manifestation of God. These three aspects of our knowledge of God have been
briefly discussed already. They will now be studied once more, in the hope of
outlining a more comprehensive description of their nature and of making a
deeper analysis of their meaning in human life, i.e. in the feelings they evoke
and in the attitudes they imply and qualify.
God within human hearts
From the `love of reality'[4]
that God `has deposited' within man proceed two kinds of human needs: on the
one hand is the need to know and comprehend reality. When this need is met, man
becomes aware of and feels his own powerlessness in front of that extraordinary
reality which he is trying to know and in which he is discovering an infinite
dimension and a perfect order. On the other hand, this feeling generates a
second need in man: the need to be comprehended, to feel a part of a greater
Reality, which somehow may fulfill and satisfy him.[5]
To such great Reality, the name of God is given.
The knowledge of God is therefore founded firstly upon an awareness of human
limitation and upon an obscure and confused feeling that there must be a
`source' whence such `virtues' as will satisfy human needs may come forth.[6]
This awareness, this feeling, are indeed a way of being, an inner attitude,
issuing from a complicated combination of cognitive data and beliefs, which in
their turn find their origin in the personal knowledge and experience gained by
each individual in different ways and under different circumstances. Therefore,
that feeling is an act of faith, according to our previously mentioned concept
of faith. Bahá'u'lláh even says that when this faith leads man
`to submit to the Will of God', it is the `essence of
understanding'.[7]
Whoever is aware that God is the `source' of all perfections and that anyone if
he wants to may freely draw therefrom , has founded his life upon a bedrock and
will live in certitude and joy, and will love life and action. In fact, he will
trust that -- if he does his utmost and avails himself of his own powers with
purity of motive -- all his deeds will have their prize, at least in their
fruits. This feeling pervades many Bahá'í prayers, where God is
implored as `Haven in distress... Shield... Shelter... Asylum and Refuge in
time of need and in... loneliness... Companion! In... anguish... Solace, and
in... solitude a loving Friend.'[8]
Such an attitude is viewed by most atheists as a sign of weakness, and such a
faith in God is considered as a quality of an infant humanity, wholly
unnecessary for an intellectually adult mankind, even prejudicial to its
development. There might be some truth in these ideas: undoubtedly such a faith
in God is founded upon an awareness of one's own weakness. However, it is
suggested that there may be some presumption in a man who thinks he may
dispense with the Divinity and the faith in it. In fact, the feeling of human
omnipotence implied in this concept is undoubtedly less mature than a mature
and proved feeling of inadequacy and dependence. Perhaps, a man who believes
any problem can be solved through unaided human reason can be likened -- such
is the idea that clearly transpires from the Bahá'í teachings[9]
-- to an adolescent with his adolescent excesses, typical of someone who has
recently gained the paramount use of reason and therefore ascribes to it
greater powers than those it actually has -- and those powers are certainly not
few. But very soon, life will show to him its limits and will persuade him to a
more moderate view.
Others, having observed the behaviour of self-styled or so-called ancient and
modern mystics, are afraid that a faith in a God who is the Lord of all things,
may be conducive to a paralysis of will, bringing man to forsake this world for
the sake of the transcendent one, and to surrender himself to a fancied will of
God requiring him to renounce any action and initiative. But all that has no
place in a truly religious view of life. Spiritual growth, as inculcated and
recommended by the Manifestations, depends upon active efforts aimed at
promoting unity and peace in the world. Any deed, which is conducive to unity
and peace, is a tangible expression of faith in God as well as of knowledge of
God. Such deeds cannot be described as the actions of a man who has forsaken
this world.
While a man performs such spiritual deeds, he will have the inner experience of
those spiritual qualities which belong to the divine world and to which he has
the capacity of giving a concrete expression in his daily life. This is a
further aspect of the knowledge of God in human hearts: the knowledge of the
divine attributes of the world of the Kingdom through a direct experience of
their effulgence as feelings and deeds manifesting them.
Bahá'u'lláh writes: `Could ye apprehend with what wonders of
My munificence and bounty I have willed to entrust your souls, ye would, of a
truth, rid yourselves of attachment to all created things, and would gain a
true knowledge of your own selves -- a knowledge which is the same as the
comprehension of Mine own Being'.[10]
Through these words two fundamental aspects of life can be understood: on the
one hand, the inner struggle, which is required for self-purification; on the
other, the knowledge of one's own true self. The former is simply the effort
exerted to release oneself from attachment to the natal self with its natural
emotions; however, the natal self is not an enemy, but an instrument which we
must learn how to turn in the right direction so that it may be properly used.
The latter is the result, the outcome of the struggle and it is the expression
of the virtues realized through it. This is the key -- we repeat -- to the
understanding of the famous Islamic tradition: `He hath known God who hath
known himself' and of the ancient Greek saying: `Know thyself'. Knowing oneself
means knowing one's divine nature; and this can be attained through the
knowledge of that divine nature in its expressions through daily deeds. This is
how we can know God. Such knowledge is no theory, no intellectual abstraction.
It is a spiritual, mystical experience; it is a joy resulting from the
harmonious growth of the powers of knowing, loving and willing which have been
vouchsafed unto all human beings. Therefore, once more the Bahá'í
texts dispel that esoteric aura which has up to now enveloped certain aspects
of religion, making them disagreeable to rationalists. Nevertheless, the texts
do not suggest that man can penetrate all the mysteries of the infinite
universe God has created. This is `the mystic way' trodden `with practical
feet'[11]
which has been previously mentioned, because this mystical knowledge of the
spiritual attributes of the world of the Kingdom is obtained through a daily
practice of service.
This recognition of the image of God within man is a mighty spur to action,
because it confirms the hope that there is always a chance for man to grow
better, to amend past mistakes. In The Promise of World
Peace,12 ignorance of true human nature and the consequent firm belief that man is
inherently quarrelsome and warlike is viewed as the main reason for the
`paralysis of will'[13]
which has so long kept mankind from any practical measure for the realization
of a lasting peace among the nations of the world. Whereas whoever recognizes
the image of God in his fellow-beings will be a staunch advocate of human
perfectibility, an attitude which will have far-reaching consequences upon
human relations: no longer personality against personality, but an image of God
beside another image of God. This recognition of a common identity -- without
denying the individuality of each human being -- this consciousness of one God
reflected in the different hearts, is the strongest tie which may bind together
human beings. It could be metaphorically likened to those nuclear interactions
(described in the Bahá'í texts as `affinity' among the `elemental
atoms') which support the entire fabric of the universe. If such a power did
not exist, nothing would be in existence. The same thing is true in the world
of humanity; the tie of spiritual identity among human beings, the foundation
of the consciousness of the unity of mankind, is the only guarantee of a
peaceful and united society.[14] This is the most important awareness mankind is going to acquire
in its new stage of development -- the stage of spiritual maturity -- towards
which it is moving as a whole, according to the ancient plan of God.
God within the universe
In our quest we have sought the traces of God throughout the universe:
we will now proceed to describe the feelings evoked within human hearts
whenever those traces are discovered.
Whoever has recognized the traces of God in the universe feels himself no
longer as a knowing, feeling and willing creature forsaken, a tiny meaningless
atom, upon a grain of dust wandering about through unbounded space. The world
around is no longer threatening and awesome, unknown and hostile to a man who
has not yet understood his own place in its context. Whoever has found God in
the universe feels the joy of being a part of a total harmony, which may
sometimes be incomprehensible in some of its aspects, but is always
fundamentally a friendly reality, because it is moving towards a known goal,
which is the expression of virtues he knows, because they are enshrined, albeit
potentially, in his innermost heart. In addition, he feels serene in his heart,
as one who can rely upon the support of mighty powers which are at the disposal
of anyone who wants to seize them, lavished by an all-loving Creator for the
progress of His creatures. These powers emanate from the same Source which
radiates those forces which bind together quarks and leptons, which make
lichens grow in the most hostile environments, which enable animals to perceive
sensible reality and to react to it, which bestow a knowledge upon man that
ranges from the perception of an earthly reality to the inner perception of a
reality which, though it cannot be known through the senses, nevertheless may
be certainly perceived by anyone who makes an effort to discover it within his
own self and in the universe.
This man does not feel that earthly life is vain; he feels the soundness and
the joy of a creative commitment which is bound to yield its fruit of inner
growth and which will therefore win its intended, longed-for prize. He
understands how this never-ending postponement of the most cherished goals is
difficult only in relation to a need for immediate satisfaction, which he will
overcome as soon as he becomes able to see the end in the beginning; for each
present condition is a seed which already contains in itself its fruit.[15]
Whoever discovers God in the universe discovers a perfect and marvelous order
in sensible reality, a subtle, miraculous equilibrium whereby that apparently
discordant world appears as an organic unit; thus he understands and feels the
necessity both of creating such an ideal order in his own personal microcosm as
well, and of attuning his own microcosm to all the microcosms which make up
society. Willingly therefore will he shoulder the challenging responsibility of
following the standards of inner personal and outer social order Revelation
sets for him, showing to him as much of `the essential connection which
proceeds from the realities of things'[16]
as he can profit from -- because he can understand it. In this way he will
achieve the development of his own potentialities and -- through the creation
of a harmonious society -- contribute to those of other human being. This is
the foundation and the mainspring of civilization.
Last but not least, a man who has discovered an order and a harmony in both
macrocosm and microcosm will be able to harmonize the objective reality of
creation with the subjective reality of his experience of his own self and of
the cosmos, and thus he will `live in conscious at-one-ment with the eternal
world'.[17]
This `at-one-ment' is the essence of joy: the aesthetic enjoyment of a common
origin, of belonging to one and the same order, whose conscious experience is
conducive to a deep love, to an attraction founded upon the same divine
fatherhood. This joy is identical, whether it comes from the contemplation of
the wonders of existence or from the observation and study of the fruits of
man's efforts to express through his own means the beauty that has been
plentifully lavished upon creation by the bountiful hand of a divine Creator.
Thus Bahá'u'lláh pours out the ecstasy of His heart enraptured
before the widespread traces of God in this world: `Every time I lift up
mine eyes unto Thy heaven, I call to mind Thy highness and Thy loftiness, and
Thine incomparable glory and greatness; and every time I turn my gaze to Thine
earth, I am made to recognize the evidences of Thy power and the tokens of Thy
bounty. And when I behold the sea, I find that it speaketh to me of Thy
majesty, and of the potency of Thy might, and of Thy sovereignty and Thy
grandeur. And at whatever time I contemplate the mountains, I am led to
discover the ensigns of Thy victory and the standards of Thine omnipotence... I
swear by Thy might, O Thou in whose grasp are the reins of all mankind, and the
destinies of the nations! I am so inflamed by my love for Thee, and so
inebriated with the wine of Thy oneness, that I can hear from the whisper of
the winds the sound of Thy glorification and praise, and can recognize in the
murmur of the waters the voice that proclaimeth Thy virtues and Thine
attributes, and can apprehend from the rustling of the leaves the mysteries
that have been irrevocably ordained by Thee in Thy realm.'[18]
God in His Manifestation
This is the apex of the knowledge of God within the reach of human
creatures. The Manifestation of God reveals to human beings as much of their
Creator as they are able to understand.
The meeting with the Manifestation of God is a deep and touching mystical
experience within the reach of any human being, if he only is willing to have
it. This century has been particularly generous to us: for crowning the ancient
religious models God sent Bahá'u'lláh, the latest of His
Messengers, no more then a hundred years ago.
The traces of His physical presence in the world are still all accessible; the
memory of His life is still alive. It is not difficult to trace the places
where He lived and passed away, objects which belonged to Him.[19]
Apart from all that, He left a hundred volumes of His writings, written in His
own handwritings or authenticated by His seal. It is through the reading of
these writings that we can really meet Him; it is through this experience that
anyone can find the way leading him unto His Lord and, through Him, unto his
own inner being.[20]
The experience of the meeting with the Manifestation of God through the reading
of His Words -- which Bahá'u'lláh recommends as a daily
practice[21]
-- may be, in the writer's view, better understood and conveyed in the light
of the following passages of Bahá'u'lláh writings, describing the
impact of His Revelation upon the entire creation.
Bahá'u'lláh writes: `Consider the hour at which the supreme
Manifestation of God revealeth Himself unto men. Ere that hour cometh, the
Ancient Being, Who is still unknown of men and hath not as yet given utterance
to the Word of God, is Himself, the All-Knower, in a world devoid of any man
that hath known Him. He is indeed the Creator without a creation. For at the
very moment preceding His Revelation, each and every created thing shall be
made to yield up its soul to God...'22
This is the condition of mankind immediately before the beginning of any
Revelation of God. At that time the former religion is wholly submerged in its
desolate winter, and mankind is as dead. Likewise, any man whose heart has not
yet been directly touched by the quickening influence of the Word of the
Manifestation of God is himself as though dead. Bahá'u'lláh
refers to this particular human condition as the `plane of
heedlessness', a stage in which a man has not yet hearkened to the Word of
God.
But as soon as the Manifestation of God utters His Word, a great upheaval is
stirred up, an upheaval which He describes with several metaphors: `Verily,
We have caused every soul to expire by virtue of Our irresistible and all-
subduing sovereignty. We have, then, called into being a new creation, as a
token of Our grace unto men.' And yet: `In every age and cycle He hath, through
the splendorous light shed by the Manifestations of His wondrous Essence,
recreated all things, so that whatsoever reflecteth in the heavens and on the
earth the signs of His glory may not be deprived of the outpourings of His
mercy, nor despair of the showers of His favours.'24
And moreover: `Immeasurably exalted is the breeze that wafteth from the
garment of thy Lord, the Glorified. For lo, it hath breathed its fragrance and
made all things new.'[25]
And in His Kitáb-i-Aqdas, He writes: `... when We manifested
Ourselves to all in the world with Our most Comely Names and Our Exalted
Attributes, all things have been submerged in the Sea of Pureness.'[26]
These Words describe the effect of the revelation of the Word of God as a
universal regeneration of all things which are divested of their former
characteristics and then appear again purified, renewed, recreated. This is one
of the meanings of the metaphors of the succession of seasons, viewed as the
succession of the Manifestations of God. This is why Bahá'u'lláh
refers to His Own Advent as `the Divine Springtime'. This `Divine
Springtime', this recreation, this purification, this renewal are for the
individual, as soon as he meets His Lord through the reading of His Words. Such
`reading' is obviously not a mere verbal or mental reading. It is rather the
inner perception of the deep quickening power of the Divine Word. Through this
perception, a man undergoes an inner transformation whereby he will no longer
be the same. And yet, human souls do not all respond to the Word of God in the
same way. `Some', writes Bahá'u'lláh, `have made haste
to attain the court of the God of Mercy, others have fallen down on their faces
in the fire of Hell, while still others are lost in
bewilderment.'27
Bahá'u'lláh likens the outpourings of His Word to the breaths of
`fertilizing winds'. In the same vein He writes: `The whole earth is now in
a state of pregnancy. The day is approaching when it will have yielded its
noblest fruits, when from it will have sprung forth the loftiest trees, the
most enchanting blossoms, the most heavenly blessings.'[28]
The Word of God fertilizes mankind, setting a process in motion which yields
its fruit in the flourishing of a new civilization. Likewise, that Word
fertilizes any individual who has understood its quickening power, inasmuch as
it sets in motion an inner process within him which is the essence of his
spiritual growth.[29]
The time of the meeting with the Word of God is therefore of vital importance
in the life of every man, who -- since God has bestowed upon him the gift of
freedom in his own choices -- runs the risk of missing this wonderful
opportunity.[30]
In the light of these concepts the following exhortation uttered by
Bahá'u'lláh will be more easily understood: `O Brother! Not
every sea hath pearls; not every branch will flower, nor will the nightingale
of the mystic paradise repair to the garden of God, and the rays of the
heavenly morning return to the Sun of Truth -- make thou an effort, that haply
in this dust-heap of the mortal world thou mayest catch a fragrance from the
everlasting garden and live forever in the shadow of the peoples of this city.
And when thou hast attained this highest station and come to this mightiest
plane, then shalt thou gaze on the Beloved,[31] and forget all else... Now hast thou abandoned the drop of life and come to
the sea of the Life-Bestower[32]This is the goal thou didst ask for; if it be God's will, thou wilt
gain it.'[33] He adds: `How strange that while the Beloved is visible as the sun, yet the
heedless still hunt after tinsel and base metal. Yea, the intensity of His
revelation hath covered Him, and the fullness of His shining forth hath hidden
Him.
Even as the sun, bright hath He shined, But alas, He hath come to the town of the blind!'
Experiences of such a meeting have been described in words. There is so much
privacy in this event, that its experience can hardly be conveyed to others.
And yet, one of its manifold aspects seem to be shared by all those who
describe it: the reading of that Word becomes a real meeting as soon as the
ideas and feelings which those Words convey evoke such an echo from the heart,
produce such vibrations in its inmost chords, that it seems as though they are
coming forth from the heart's innermost essence. In those Words the seeker
meets his own self, he rediscovers truths that he had always vaguely felt in
his innermost heart and that now he finds clearly explained.[34]
This is one of the deepest experiences of mystical union a man may go through,
if he only is willing to. It is as the ancient tradition says: `A servant is
drawn unto Me in prayer until I answer him; and when I have answered him, I
become the ear wherewith he heareth...'35
It is the time of the `second birth':[36]
that time the inner being of man is regenerated. All of a sudden he catches a
glimpse, according to his capacities, of that personal and individual reality
which the Manifestation of God lays bare in front of him. Through that vision,
a force is generated that, if he will only make an effort, will guide him
during all his life, nourished by all the means and methods recommended for his
spiritual progress, along the thorny path of self-purification, of sacrifice,
of love, up to self-effacement, perfect service, and finally to the stage of
unconditional love.[37]
Through that meeting, the heart is transformed; the feelings are re-created;
the urge to act is stirred up. And if man will conquer every fear, and overcome
any other attraction, and will give up himself to that love, and persistently
act according to that Word -- then in each of his actions and of their fruits
he will again and again meet the Manifestation of God, and in the Manifestation
he will meet with God. He will live for ever in Paradise.[38]
A CONCLUSION
Upon a thread of words, we have tried to cover a long way, in our efforts aimed
at `comprehending the reality of things as they exist, according to the
capacity and the power of man'.[39]
Whoever treads this path, will undoubtedly run the risk of exceeding in
knowledge, of lacking in love, of forgoing action. These are the pitfalls he
will have to avoid as he treads that path, all the more so in a modern Western
world where philosophy has become `a speech about speech'.[40]
We are reminded of the following stern admonition uttered by
Bahá'u'lláh: `... he whose words exceed his deeds, know verily
his death is better than his life.'41
Should the Bahá'í would-be philosopher or scholar refrain today
from his search? Should he give up his efforts to understand the world and
himself? When `Abdu'l-Bahá was asked: `Shall we devote much time to the
study of philosophy?' He answered: `Everything must be done moderately. Excess
is not desirable. Do not go to extremes. Even in thinking do not go to excess,
but be moderate. If there is too much thinking, you will be unable to control
your thoughts.'[42]
Therefore, once again the answer lies in moderation, balance, harmonious
growth, wisdom. Knowledge, volition and action -- active expressions of the
three fundamental capacities of the soul, to know, to love and to will -- are
the three indispensable factors for any realization in human life.[43]
They must be harmoniously developed, so that none of them will overcome the
others. This is one of the most important practical conclusions of our search.
Our words are therefore intended as an invitation to a study of reality; as a
provision for the execution of those practical, preliminary exercises that life
assigns to each of us so that our capacities of knowing, loving and willing may
be trained; an encouragement and an incentive in the performance of such deeds
as will enable us to test -- before the tribunal of life -- any achieved
knowledge, any perceived attraction. But we will always be ready to renounce
any of those thoughts and attachments which -- though they have been already
weighed and meditated upon -- prove themselves in the light of facts to be
remote from reality, inasmuch as they will not be able to contribute to that
world of love and unity, peace and justice God is teaching us how to build.
[5] For a discussion of these concepts, se W.S.
Hatcher, `The Unity of Religion and Science', in World Order, IX, no.3,
p.22.
[6]Promulgation, p.83.
`Abdu'l-Bahá says: `... demand and supply is the law, and undoubtedly
all virtues have a centre and a source. That source is God, from Whom all these
bounties emanate.' (`Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation, p.83.) See
above, pp.86-7.
[7]Tablets, p.155. The entire aphorism
says: `The essence of understanding is to testify to one's poverty, and
submit to the Will of the Lord, the Sovereign, the Gracious, the All
Powerful.' (pp.155-6.)
[9] Shoghi Effendi writes: `The long ages of
infancy and childhood, through which the human race had to pass, have receded
into the background. Humanity is now experiencing the commotions invariably
associated with the most turbulent stage of its evolution, the stage of
adolescence, when the impetuosity of youth and its vehemence reach their
climax, and must gradually be superseded by the calmness, the wisdom, and the
maturity that characterize the stage of manhood.' (World Order of
Bahá'u'lláh, p.202.)
[11] D. S. Jordan, quoted in
Bahá'í World, VI, p.480.
12 The Universal House of Justice writes: `... so much have
aggression and conflict come to characterize our social, economic and religious
systems, that many have succumbed to the view that such behaviour is intrinsic
to human nature and therefore ineradicable.' (Promise, p.3.)
[14] `Abdu'l-Bahá says: `And when
through the breaths of the Holy Spirit this perfect fraternity and agreement
are established amongst men -- this brotherhood and love being spiritual in
character, this loving-kindness being heavenly, these constraining bonds being
divine -- a unity appears which is indissoluble, unchanging and never subject
to transformation. It is ever the same and will forever remain the same.'
(Promulgation, p.391.)
[15] Bahá'u'lláh writes: `...
those who journey in the garden land of knowledge, because they see the end in
the beginning, see peace in war and friendliness in anger.' (Seven
Valleys, p.28.)
[19] Bahá'u'lláh was born in
Tehran on 12 November 1817, and passed away in Bahjí (`Akká) on
28 May 1892. Many of the houses He occupied, the house where He was born and
the Mansion where He passed away are still in existence. Objects which belonged
to Him are preserved in Haifa in the International Bahá'í
Archives as historic pieces of exceptional interest. Most of His writings are
preserved in the Archives of the World Bahá'í Centre.
[20] As to the meeting with God,
Bahá'u'lláh devotes a few passages of His
Kitáb-i-Íqán to the explanation of the meaning of
the locution `Divine presence', used to indicate the same concept.
(pp.141-6.)
[21] In His Kitáb-i-Aqdas,
Bahá'u'lláh writes: `Recite ye the verses of God every morning
and evening. Whoso reciteth them not hath truly failed to fulfill his pledge to
the Covenant of God and His Testament and whoso in this day turneth away
therefrom, hath indeed turned away from God since time immemorial.' And He
adds: `Recite ye the verses of God in such measure that ye be not overtaken
with fatigue or boredom.' (quoted in The Importance of Prayer,
Meditation and the Devotional Attitude (comp.), p.3.)
22Gleanings, p.151.
23Seven Valleys, p.5.
24Gleanings, pp.29-30, 62.
[25] Quoted in Shoghi Effendi, Promised
Day, p.47.
[26] Quoted in Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl,
Bahá'í Proofs, p.86.
27Gleanings, pp.27, 41-2. As to the concepts of paradise and
hell, see above, p.213, n.43.
[28] Quoted in Shoghi Effendi, Promised
Day, p.47.
[29] See above p.115 etc. For a deeper
discussion of the concept of spiritual growth, see A. Taherzadeh, The
Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, vol. I, pp.73-4.
[30]That is why this time is
described in the Holy Writings as the `Day of Judgement'. At that time,
souls are judged by their capacity and willingness to respond to the Word of
God.
As to the reasons why some understand these Words, and others do not,
Bahá'u'lláh said the following enlightening words to
Nabíl, the great historian of the Bahá'í Faith: `Be
thankful to God for having enabled you to recognize His Cause. Whoever has
received this blessing must, prior to his acceptance, have performed some deed
which, though he himself was unaware of its character, was ordained by God as a
means whereby he has been guided to find and embrace the Truth. As to those who
have remained deprived of such a blessing, their acts alone have hindered them
from recognizing the truth of His Revelation. We cherish the hope that you, who
have attained to this light, will exert your utmost to banish the darkness of
superstition and unbelief from the midst of people. May your deeds proclaim
your faith and enable you to lead the erring into the paths of eternal
salvation.' (Words uttered by Bahá'u'lláh, recorded in
Nabíl, The Dawn-Breakers, p.586.)
[32] It is a reference to the famous Apologue
of the Pearl, from Sa'di's Golestan, thus epitomized by A. Bausani: `A
drop of water fell down from a cloud and, as it saw the great ocean, it was
dumbfounded. If the ocean exists, I am nothing, it said. But the ocean welcomed
the drop in its wide bosom and the shell trained and nourished it by its vital
power, as a prize for its humility, until the humble drop turned into a famous,
kingly pearl.' (Persia Religiosa, p.316.)
[34]A famous testimony of this
meeting has been handed down by Mullá Husayn, the first person who
believed in the B b, the Herald of the Bahá'í Dispensation. In
his detailed account of the experience of his first meeting with the
Báb, in Shiraz, on the evening of 22 May 1844, he said: `This
Revelation, so suddenly and impetuously thrust upon me, came as a thunderbolt
which, for a time, seemed to have benumbed my faculties. I was blinded by its
dazzling splendour and overwhelmed by its crushing force. Excitement, joy, awe,
and wonder stirred the depths of my soul. Predominant among these emotions was
a sense of gladness and strength which seemed to have transfigured me. How
feeble and impotent, how dejected and timid, I had felt previously! Then I
could neither write nor walk, so tremulous were my hands and feet. Now,
however, the knowledge of His Revelation had galvanized my being. I felt
possessed of such courage and power that were the world, all its people and its
potentates, to rise against me, I would, alone and undaunted, withstand their
onslaught. The universe seemed but a handful of dust in my grasp...'
(Nabíl, The Dawn-Breakers, p.65.)
Another very interesting testimony has been handed down by Queen Marie of
Romania. She was not privileged to attain the presence of the Manifestation of
God, but she accepted the Bahá'í Faith after she read
Bahá'í texts. Thus she describes the feelings which were stirred
up in her heart through that reading: `If ever the name of
Bahá'u'lláh or `Abdu'l-Bahá comes to your attention, do
not put their writings from you. Search out their Books, and let their
glorious, peace-bringing, love-creating words and lessons sink into your hearts
as they have into mine... Seek them, and be the happier.' `... these Books have
strengthened me beyond belief and I am now ready to die any day full of
hope...' `The Bahá'í teaching brings peace and understanding. It
is like a wide embrace gathering together all those who have long searched for
words of hope...To those in search of assurance the words of the Father are as
a fountain in the desert after long wandering'. (Quoted in
Bahá'í World, V, pp.323-4.)
[37] Referring to the meeting between the soul
and the Word of the Manifestation of God, `Abdu'l-Bahá writes: `The
blessings of Bahá'u'lláh are a shoreless sea, and even life
everlasting is only a dewdrop therefrom. The waves of that sea are continually
lapping against the hearts of the friends, and from those waves there come
intimations of the spirit and ardent pulsings of the soul, until the heart
giveth way, and willing or not, turneth humbly in prayer unto the Kingdom of
the Lord.' (Selections, pp.192-3).
[38]`Know thou for a certainty
that whoso disbelieveth in God is neither trustworthy nor truthful... Nothing
whatever can deter such a man from evil, nothing can hinder him from betraying
his neighbour, nothing can induce him to walk uprightly.'
(Gleanings, pp.232-3.)
This is R. Rabbani's comment upon this stern words: `How unbelievably stern are
these words -- so stern, indeed, that we are tempted to discount them. But when
we pass on to His dire warnings regarding the state of human society and what
its general delinquency may well lead to, we begin to grasp the subtle depths
of this statement and we enter a field that merits profound contemplation, for
it analyses and explains, warns and prophesies about the period we ourselves
are living in. "This is the Day whereon every man will fly from himself, how
much more from his kindred, could ye but perceive it...". Split
personalities? Broken homes, divorce, shattered societies? "This is the Day
on which all eyes shall stare up with terror, the Day in which the hearts of
them that dwell on earth shall tremble...". A giant mushroom in the sky?
The sound of gunfire and bombs?' (The Desire of the World, pp.69-70.)
These stern words by Bahá'u'lláh on atheism, and the brief, but
touching comment by R. Rabbani, may appear more clear in the light of the
concepts of religion, religiousness and knowledge of God which have been
previously mentioned.